The Envoy

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Impossible Event
Chapter 2 - Ruins in the Jungle
Chapter 3 - Hard Day
Chapter 4 - The World Never Stands Still
Chapter 5 - Heart of a Changeling
Chapter 6 - Journey to the West
Chapter 7 - Turn for the Better
Chapter 8 - Leaving for a Bigger World
Chapter 9 - New Acquaintances
Chapter 10 - The Road to Appleloosa (Part 1)
Chapter 11 - The Road to Appleloosa (Part 2)
Chapter 13 - Southern Night
Chapter 14 - First Day in the Town (Part 1)
Chapter 15 - First Day in the Town (Part 2)
Chapter 16 - Restless Midnight...
Chapter 17 - ...and a Hectic Morning
Chapter 18 - The Library
Chapter 12 - Life is Good [nsfw]

Chapter 1 - The Impossible Event

Hours, days, months; time rolled by as late autumn brought the early winter to bear upon my home. Bare trees, humid air with unending precipitation and strong winds painted a bleak picture of this time of year. It would be much better if the temperature finally dropped below zero, but it remained steady just above. At least the landscape would be a little brighter. I always preferred snow to that annoying endless drizzle.

We just left a corporate party, me and my two colleagues. Nice guys, if you ask me, they are a little weird, but who isn't? Around the same age as me, one is three years older, another is four years younger. I'm thirty four, almost thirty-five already. We've just completed an extensive project, which involved going into a crunch at the end, but the payout was all worth it. Now our small team is on vacation for two weeks, while economists and lawyers are sorting things out before we start a new project. A pretty little bonus that a rather small company can offer, while the big sharks will throw you into work right away without any delay.

After the party at the office, which involved quite substantial amounts of alcohol, we continued at the local club. Of course, we would prefer a bar, but there was none nearby and we were too lazy to travel anywhere far. So now we found a more or less quiet corner for ourselves, where overly loud music wouldn’t make it impossible for us to converse. I don't know how long we've been here already, but we had a great time, even tried to dance like three morons, but who cares after such amounts of booze, anyway?

Now the guys left me and went 'to smoke and hit on ladies'. Well, I wish them luck… Just kidding — with this amount of alcohol in their bloodstream, it's more likely they will get into a fight rather than woo any women. I'm not a fan of smoking, so I opted to just kick back on the couch and relax for a while.

"Pardon me, guys, but I won't ever join you outside just to get soaked under that damn icy drizzle," I said to myself.

My initial drive was wearing out and melancholy kicked in, like it often happens when you drink more than you should. I've been reminiscing about my life for some time. My childhood was pretty good overall, for which I'm grateful to my parents, though my smooth-sailing life ended not long after I turned eighteen. Both of my parents died in a car accident. Maybe I would feel better if I had someone to blame for it, but there was none, really. I was lucky I was eighteen already, so the story with a shelter for underage orphans did not happen. I was a single child in our family and had nobody to care for, left completely alone.

I had to cover my expenses somehow and continue with my studies at the university at the same time, but there was still some bright side to my situation. My childhood friend. He and his family helped me big time when those events happened. That is what you call a genuine friendship. While you're young, you can't quite understand that concept fully, only with years it comes to you.

We've been through thick and thin together. Alas, a year ago, he left this world. The cause? Prosaic as it could be, he started drinking after several failed love affairs. Despite being a social and party person, he must have felt lonely without being loved. Not all of us can be strong as a rock inside; we're only humans. He hid it well from everyone, even from his family, as well as he hid his illness, until it was too late. His liver had a low tolerance for alcohol, as it appeared. It was that simple. He never drank in large quantities, but did it too often, and that was enough to bring disaster. Many tried to talk to him about his new habit, but he never listened. I still can't forget my sorrow and quell my anger at this whole situation, even after more than a year had passed.

Our close circle of friends mostly crumbled after that, as he was in its center, always cheerful and full of crazy ideas on how to spend our free time. People started focusing on their jobs and families, and for the past year we've never gathered in full again. I met with some of our friends just a few times in a span of a year. Some of them never showed up anywhere ever since, apart from online chats. I was the same, almost living on my job, but doing this for a long time burns you out, apparently; this feeling is already there. I need to change something soon, lest it’ll break me eventually.

I sighed. Well, this is life. Sometimes you just have to let things go, hard as it may be, and live on, swap your attention to something else, find a new way, a new place for yourself, maybe even love.

Clamor and laughter, coming from my two colleagues, interrupted my trail of thoughts. It seems they've made fools of themselves again and were taunted by the local girls. I'm not surprised — it often ends like that, one way or another. Their return yanked me from my melancholic mood. We continued our celebration there for some more time, even got dragged into a silly competition by the local animator and actually won. Yes, the prize? Three bottles of champagne, and we were stupid enough to drink all three. We all knew how bad it would turn out in the end. Oh yes, we knew full well where it was going to if we polish all that stuff we drank before with champagne.

My memory about what happened after that is failing me. I just remember we paid our check and left the establishment, not without difficulties. It was already past three o'clock in the morning, too late, or perhaps already too early, to try public transport, so I just ordered myself a taxi. I just dropped onto the backseat, snoozed and didn't even notice when we had arrived. The driver woke me up. I thanked him and got out of the car on unsteady legs. Strong, wet, and chilling wind instantly gave me shivers. The streets became glazed with a thin layer of slippery ice; the temperature finally fell below zero, and by a good margin at that. Returning to my house now seemed quite a tricky affair.

Well, that happened. That just had to happen… That — just — had — to, damn it! My soles lost traction with the ground, and my body slid to the side, because the sidewalk was slanted. I could not call myself an acrobat before, and I definitely can’t call myself one now, not with all that booze running through my blood. I glided for a short while and then lost my balance, my legs flying to the side, wrecking face-first into the lighting pole. My fall didn’t stop at that and just continued on a new trajectory instead. Damn, it hurts! I was already preparing for the inevitable meeting with a dirty surface of the street, now falling backwards, but felt a sudden sense of weightlessness instead. I shut my eyes tight, preparing for a new handful of pain, but the impact never came. Opening my eyes to see what happened, I saw patches of weird bright colors flooding my vision. “What’s with my eyes? Have I lost consciousness from the hit? I must wake up! Lying on the icy street will not end well for me.” These were the last thoughts I could remember.

A strong hit threw me back to reality and the overwhelming pain came immediately after. It felt like I was hit by a truck, or maybe I fell face-first from some height. I tried to cry out in anguish, but a pathetic muffled groan was all I was capable of. The whole body ached, like if put through a grinder, and was paralysed in a reflexive spasm. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth, desperately waiting for the pain to subside, curled up on the floor like a shrimp.

After an indefinite amount of time the tide of pain gradually subsided to a tolerable level, and I finally noticed the uncomfortably bright light shining even through my shut eyelids. It was warm around, hot, even.

“Where am I?” I thought, slowly moved my trembling hand, and felt the surface I was lying on. It was a cool coarse stony surface to the touch, with copious amounts of sand and dust piled up on its surface.

“That’s certainly not a hospital.” I had no recollection of what had happened whatsoever.

“Was I that drunk I can’t remember?”

The pain was still present all across my body, but I forced my eyes open, despite the irritating, almost painful light, squinting. Stone floor, stone walls, stone ceiling, with sunlight shining through some large hole in the ceiling. My vision blurs, no matter how much I squint and blink. Overcoming the pain, I propped myself on my hands.

“Fuck… That headache is killing me.” My voice was too low and raspy. Do I have a concussion? My vision is failing me, still refusing to focus. “Where the fuck am I?” My throat was extremely parched, the voice sounded grating and dry like sandpaper.

I sat myself on the floor, slowly. Every single move caused pain all across my body. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed there was something wrong with my hands. Taking a closer look, I was shocked to find them thin, with saggy wrinkled skin, like that of an old man with one foot already in a grave. I carefully checked the rest of my body and my heart sank from my findings. My whole body was in the same condition, malnourished and withered, weak, fading away. I clutched my head in horror only to find that now I had no hair. My hands slid down to my wrinkled face. There were no eyebrows, no eyelashes and not even beard stubble, though these latter findings were not that shocking and grisly as the initial ones, just piling atop the all-consuming desperation. Everything seemed like a nightmare, but it was reality. I moved my tongue about in my mouth and sighed in slight relief — at least my teeth are in place. I tried getting myself together — panicking won’t help resolving my predicament.

It was really hot in here and I was still wearing my warm, high-collar coat, so I took it off, my shirt too, all my clothes felt baggy on my now shriveled body. Dropping those on the floor, it left me only with a beige T-shirt and jeans on. My hat was nowhere to be seen. I pulled my phone from the pocket of my coat. It showed ‘5:34 AM’ and it was the same day as I remember. Only an hour and a bit had passed, but that seemed like nonsense — the outside must be dark at this hour. There was also no signal on both of my sim cards and the battery was on its last legs. Geolocation — failed, networks list check — empty.

“Great…” I exhaled slowly, throwing this useless piece of junk onto my coat. “What happened? Just where the fuck I am and how the hell did I get here?” I grumbled, looking around, but I had not a single hint in my head to help with finding any answers. Still, it’s so hot here; I’m lucky I didn’t wear my warm pair of boots, but this one is not light either, quite a sturdy pair.

I sighed. “Let’s see what shit I’ve got myself into…”

I took a better look around, my eyes started working a bit better, but still a far cry from how they are supposed to see. It appeared I was in a large stone room, or rather a hall, with the same coarse, moss-covered slabs for walls and ceiling. There were no doors and no windows made in the walls. Am I trapped here? The ceiling had a large square cut made at its center to let the sunlight in. I can see a clear blue sky over my head, but I still cannot find a way to climb up there to get out.

Right under the square cut in the ceiling stood a round pedestal of some sorts, slightly larger than a meter in diameter, reaching my waist in height. The pedestal was empty, just like the rest of the room. The web of water erosion covered it densely. This structure must be quite ancient, but these thoughts were not helping my situation. Is this some kind of ancient temple? I still can’t connect the dots about how I ended up here. Where am I, and where are the ancient temples? I and those should never be placed in the same sentence.

I searched the room for an exit, and there was indeed something resembling a door on the surface of one of the walls, but the potential exit was blocked by the stone slab and was almost merging with the wall itself. Is there any mechanism to open it? Searching the walls produced no results, apart from finding some fine pictures and ornaments carved into the stone. I turned my attention to the center of the room and walked towards the pedestal. This action showed how strained and weak my legs were. “Damn it, this is bad. I just walked a bit and my joints already ache.” After an unfruitful search, I tried to climb onto the pedestal in hope it would activate some kind of mechanism, but the sharp pain prevented me from doing it.

"Marvelous! That's just marvelous! Not only have I aged, I'm ill all over to add insult to injury…" I said to myself in fuming frustration. Well, I still have to try. Maybe there is some sort of pushing plate on this altar which will reveal the exit. Ignoring the pain, I finally climbed atop of the altar, but nothing happened. Now I feel like an idiot.

"Shit! Seems I watched too many adventure movies. How stupid and naive…" Climbing onto the altar was a pure act of panic and desperation. Deep down I knew it would never work.

A sudden flash of green light blinded me and some force pushed me off the pedestal, making me land on a hard stone floor. My worn out body did not react well to such harsh treatment. Well, I survived another fall, barely. A flash of anger exploded in my mind.

"That damn old fossil! One day I'll get back at you for everything!" I grumbled through the clenched teeth while getting up from the floor. "What the hell? I don’t remember having a habit of spouting random nonsense before—" I did not have time to finish my outburst of cursing.

With another sudden green flash, I felt a whipping slap to the back of my head, with a sharp sound of the hit, though it was not too strong, more like a glancing blow.

"Ouch! What the..?" I shouted in anger.

“I can hear you, Ray!” I heard a deep, loud, and reverberating masculine voice. “Don't you think you can curse at me when I'm not around!” The deafening voice said in a joking manner. The voice continued: "I see you've arrived in one piece. Good. Very good.”

“Can you fucking stop shouting already? My ears hurt so much, and my head is almost splitting!” I shouted back at him, whoever he was.

“My bad. Sorry, Ray, the interference was just too heavy. Now it should be fine.” The voice got much quieter to my relief.

“Yeah, that’s much better.” Only at this moment did I realize we were talking in some very unusual language. It was not one of those I knew, but I both understood and could speak it without a hitch. “Now tell me who the hell are you and what is happening here… and where are you at all?”

The voice sighed. Turning my head to the sound, I finally noticed it was coming from a strange object which appeared on top of the pedestal. It looked like a black four-sided pyramid, with a side around forty centimeters. Glowing green runes I could not understand were encrusted into the sides of it, made of some crystals or faceted gems. The runes looked weird, and the surrounding space had gained a shade of green, despite the fact the emitted light was not strong enough to do it. Mild flashes of soft yellow light flooded in waves from time to time from within the pyramid, lightning up the runes in yellow.

“I knew it would be bad for you, but I didn’t think it would be that bad,” the voice continued after a pause. “We had spent too much time, Ray, perhaps I should have thrown you out earlier? No, the time was not wasted, it was all for your own good, and it was also your own decision. The extra delay sure took a heavy toll on your body, but this is nothing we can’t deal with, really.”

I've been spaced out for some time. The voice seemed strangely familiar, but I still couldn’t remember whom it belonged to. The words spoken by the voice disturbed me even further, but also lit up a hope inside me.

“Huh? So you know what happened to me? Because I fucking don’t! You also seem to know me. Ray, is this my name? Yeah, sounds like my name, why do I even ask?”

“Memory, Ray, your memory. You lack a bigger part of it right now, but don’t worry, this isn’t permanent. It was expected when we started all this.”

“We? We started something? But I don't even remember who you are. Stop, the clock on my phone, it shows it was not even two hours from the moment I — fell — on that street. Now how can I possibly lack some good chunk of my memory?”

The pyramid unexpectedly lit up with a blinding light. Two bright yellow silhouettes looking like eyes appeared above it, surrounded by a mildly glowing greenish cloud. The voice had spoken again, this time it seemed more clear and alive: "One. One. One, two, three, check. Seems fine; the link is stable. Good, now I can see you at least."

“The hell are you!” I got a slight fright from the unexpected appearance of this thing.

“Come on, Ray, it’s just a simple avatar I offhandedly made for our conversation.”

“Avatar, huh? Made by some future tech or something? Or maybe it’s an alien thing? Tell the green men I say ‘hi’ next time you see them.” I said sarcastically.

“No. It’s magic, and I’m no friends with those little bastards, mind you,” the avatar replied nonchalantly, ignoring me making fun of him.

“Ah, of course it's magic! Avada Kedavra, bitch! Who would believe in that crap?” My voice seeped with poison.

The avatar sighed deeply. “I had almost forgotten how you were… back there, right when we just met,” he grumbled. “Yes, about your clock… You know, time is a very relative thing, especially when you are crossing the borders of the universe.”

“What? Are you still bullshitting me? What borders of the universe?”

“Please, don’t show me that reaction, you are usually much more resourceful and adaptable, Ray. By the way, you look like s– really terrible. But don’t worry, I’ll patch you up. Our endeavor can be deemed a success now. Though this is only the first step, the rest will be up to you now, mainly. Seems you have forgotten more than I supposed you would.”

“Yah! Because I don’t remember shit!” I almost shouted, raising my hands up in irritation, but that only worsened my headache, forcing me to press my hands on my temples and close my eyes.

“Alright, alright, I’m listening, there is too much illogical idiocy happening around, so I’ll give you the benefit of a doubt,” — I said, irritated, — “but I have no idea what you are talking about. So, are you finally gonna actually answer my questions?” I asked impatiently. “Seems I had a one of a kind drinking party that night… a party I’ll fucking remember for life, goddamnit.” I grumbled quietly.

The ‘avatar’ boomed in laughter. “Now I see my good old Ray is back. Well, this may be unnecessary, but let me reintroduce myself. I’ll be succinct, as you will remember everything with time. I am Falda’ar, the Master of Life. Official titles aside, I’m also your boss and teacher. We prepared for this day for quite a long time, by your perception, of course, and now I successfully beamed you into this world.”

“This — world? You tell me this is not Earth? Fuck, are you serious?” I said with round eyes. “It does not look like a prank… all things considered, to my regret.” I thought to myself.

“As serious as it can get, and… we weren’t on Earth when we first met to begin with.”

I covered my face with my palms and slid them down my face slowly, looking at that simple avatar from under my brows, scowling. “Do you… understand how I feel now? The last thing I remember is falling on the street after I got too drunk… Now you are telling me we were doing something insane in another world… I see no reason for being here, and I don’t know what to do at all. My body is deteriorating and my whole life that I know is fucked up and destroyed, if what you say is true. If there are some lost memories, I need them right here and right now. At least something! Something that will help my current situation to start making any sense! Anything!”

The avatar sighed again. “Can’t blame you for your reaction, Ray. I promise the first of your lost memories will return after we finish our talk. This is the only opportunity for us to converse directly for the months or, perhaps, even years to come. We should not waste our time here, it is not infinite, and your body needs — a certain treatment, the sooner, the better.”

“Yeah it sure does. Feeling myself an old wreck ready for decommission.” I forcefully tried to calm myself down and climbed back onto the pedestal with a groan, sitting myself there, stooping and dangling my legs. “You mean it can be fixed?” I half-turned my head to him.

“Partially, the rest will be up to you, but I am more than sure you will succeed.”

“I’m… listening.” I said, looking down to the floor again. “If we had some plans, we must have predicted this outcome, right?” I pointed with my hands at myself.

“Naturally. Turned back on your cold logic at last? Good. That's the trait I like about you the most. Don’t panic, the most dangerous part is already left behind, follow through with our plan and you will be alive and kicking.”

“Enough praise and chatter, just brief me. I’m barely holding myself together. Give me a new reason… to exist, I guess I had at least one, because now I’m utterly lost.” This exchange started to calm me down, like if we talked like that a lot before. That strong feeling of deja vu… Maybe what he says is true, I feel it, almost. I even want it to be true. No tech on earth is able to reproduce this ‘simple avatar’ of his. If I really got myself into another world, then I want to get back my lost memories. Otherwise it will be all for nothing.

“So, is there anything in particular that you want to know before I start?” Falda’ar’s avatar asked, arching his glowing brow, which appeared out of nowhere only to vanish afterwards.

I had put my hand on my chin, scratching it while thinking everything through. “Yeah, tell me what the fuck has happened with me on this — that day.”

“Long or short version? The long one you’ll probably remember pretty soon.”

“Then let’s go with the short one.”

“Fine. To sum it up, you screwed up big time, Ray. That foolish fall would have ended badly. Luckily, I was keeping an eye on you, as well as on hundreds others.”

“Luckily for me or for you?” I made a brief and quiet mirthless laugh.

“For me of course, you are not mistaken in your doubts about my motives at that time. But for you, too. I yanked you from your world, and from your home universe itself as well. That’s not such a simple process as it may sound. The universe resists such attempts, as everybody is connected with it in a multitude of ways. For simplicity, sometimes it is called fate, though it’s a very crude term.

“The more you are interconnected with the universe, the more impact you have on events and society, the stronger is your fate. But the opposite is also true. You were one of those opposites, Ray. You have withdrawn from surrounding life, making your connection to your world weaker. Your state of mind played a major role, your growing indifference to everything around. And your heavily intoxicated mind added to it, too. Such a set of conditions can bring trouble on your head, like a curse, or a jinx. Your folk have a lot of words for it, but you get the idea. I guess it has happened. Your fall was bringing you to a disaster…”

“Was I… going to die from that fall?”

“Maybe,” the avatar replied with uncertainty.

“Hey… That’s not funny, you stole me from my — universe just because you thought I could die?”

“Like hell I would have saved you, if not for your traits, compatibility and a really good timing of your fall!” The avatar shouted in a bassy voice. “Ahem… Sorry. But you were not the only one who could be saved, but you know, I’m not some sort of a noble hero to come save mortals from their miserable fates.” His voice was tinged with a good amount of disdain. “What I did with you is almost illegal. Well it isn’t, as long as I don’t get caught, but who cares about a single mortal anyway, right? I witnessed entire civilisations dying due to catastrophes or their own stupidity, and I had neither the right, nor the desire to intervene, as it all happened in a natural way, without external influence. Do you understand me now?” The eyes of the avatar turned menacing, exuding the feeling of danger.

“And my job is keeping worlds safe from such things, but not protecting mortals from themselves. But still, I chose you for my purpose and gave you a new chance at life, a chance almost no mortal can hope to have, and not long ago you were still grateful for this chance. Until your memory got blocked, which led us to this unpleasant talk.” The avatar calmed down from his brief outburst of irritation.

His ruthless words angered me, but I could not completely refuse his reasoning.

“Am I just a pawn for you, then?”

The avatar didn’t answer anything for a long time.

“Not anymore, Ray. You have stopped being a pawn a long, long time ago…” The avatar finally looked back at me, his gaze sent shivers into my very soul, almost freezing me in place. It’s the first time I felt the glimpse of his — power, the depth of it. “Never again call yourself a pawn, Ray.” Falda’ar said calmly, as if reminiscing something. “You have earned this right.”

“Alright…” I almost whispered back.

The avatar sighed. “Sorry. Back on Earth, the alternative for you was to live in a wheelchair with a broken neck, paralysed, with no chances of recovery. Who would have looked for you and paid your bills? I know you wouldn’t want such a life.”

I fell silent, inhaling deeply and nervously rubbing my face. “You are correct. Continue.” I wheezed in a powerless, almost robotic voice, disturbed by this revelation.

“Like I said, the process wasn’t simple. I couldn’t just take you away without consequences to your world, so I had to cut off the most crucial things connecting you to your universe.”

“I don’t like where this story is going, but I’m listening. What has been cut off?”

“Everything that reminded the universe of your existence. Such things like memories of other people who knew you. Nobody will remember you, because the universe itself can no longer remember you. You still had left your trace in your world, though, but nothing will tell it was your trace. Everything will continue pretending you were never there. That also means that the road back to your home universe is forever barred for you.”

“That sounds… really terrible, but incredible at the same time. Are you even telling me the truth? This is a thing only some godlike entity can manage.”

“Oh, no, no, no. Never call me a god, we’ve already been past that. And lies? Lies, you say? Such lowly methods are unbecoming of my status. I never lie.” The avatar took on quite a haughty appearance. Well, as much as such an avatar could, at least.

“Such big words…”

“You'll see for yourself later.”

I sighed. “Alright, it’s useless to argue. So, now I’m just a nobody with no home to return to. Great. Are those all the surprises?”

“You own memories of your old world, Ray. Some of those are forever lost to you, like your old name. Others may be a little faded too, but they may return. It’s just a side effect.”

“So, ‘Ray’ is not my real name? Can you tell me my real name?”

“No. There are no exceptions, it was wiped from my own memory as well.”

“Ah! Yes! I have my passport and driving license in the pocket of my coat! There must be a name.”

“Then look,” said the avatar with a sigh, and soon those items floated out from the pockets of my coat and were presented before me. This trick may have surprised me if not for me already getting numb to such wild stuff, pouring onto me one after another ever since I woke up on this goddamn stone floor.

“What the hell?” I was twirling my driver's license in my hand, trying to understand how in the world my name and photo, along with all my private data disappeared from under the thick laminated film. The passport was the same, with almost empty fields. The photo was blank… No, not completely blank — the background was there, but I had disappeared completely from the photo.

“See?”

I put those now useless things aside and turned to face the avatar again. “Yeah…” I fell silent for quite a long while. “Then tell me, why the hell my body is so fucked up. I don’t remember being old and weak before.”

“What do you think happened when you fell down? I managed to open the inter-layer tunnel, connecting your dimension, and this one, dragging you right into it.”

“What is that — layers?”

“Layers? Those are universes, stacked close to each other in a multidimensional space. We call them as such. They are close, not physically, but in the terms of interdimensional space. Don’t try to imagine it, it’s a futile endeavor. It will remain an abstract thing to you unless you get to my level somehow. Those universes can be infinitely similar, but dig a bit deeper, and you’ll find a similarly infinite amount of differences. The farther you go, the less recognizable the next universe will be to the one you started at, and I’ve sent you through a whole crazy lot of those.”

“Huh… I guess I understand, more or less,” I mumbled, scratching my head and trying to digest those concepts. “You mean… we are currently on the same Earth, but from some faraway dimension?”

“No. Not… exactly. Honestly, your Earth as you know it stopped existing in further layers somewhere after the first quarter of your way here, but this world has some slight connections to it. It’ll make adapting to life here somewhat easier for you.”

“Eh… Now I feel like I don’t understand anything again.”

“That’s alright. You’ll understand sooner or later. Where were we… Ah, yes. Surviving inside such a tunnel with your mere mortal body is an impossible thing, the matter of your body and even your soul would have disintegrated to the very basic elements, scattering all across the multiverse. And no, predicting your question, those aren’t quarks.”

“Guess I had already asked that…”

“Yes, you did,” the avatar replied with a chuckle.

“So, how did I survive? And how long was I — traveling in that tunnel?”

“I gave you some protection, but even with it, it was not a complete one. Though it was sufficient to protect you from the distortions of dimensional space. The time, however, is a more tricky question. Its flow is never constant there, the only rule is: it never flows back. Inanimate objects, like your phone, spent mere seconds there, very close to a real time flow back there on Earth and here, too. But your body, and more importantly, soul, were separated, and spent a considerable amount of time there.”

Those words elicited a raised brow reaction from me, but I didn’t say anything.

“I have decided that you should spend your time more effectively there. So I built an illusory tiny realm, where your soul could live, while it all lasts. There, I taught you some important things. Naturally, only your soul existed there, while your body was floating inside the tunnel, awaiting your arrival. We spent years there, but nothing is free in this life. While your body and soul still had some protection, I could not give you full sustenance.

“In order for your mind to keep working, your body took a heavy toll over the years. It slowly weakened and aged, and the state of your body was also the limit of our time there. I even postponed ejecting you from the interdimensional tunnel by your request, but this was exactly the reason for your current state. We’ve gone into overdraft slightly, so I had to finally kick you out, lest you’d kick the bucket for real and we’d fail our whole plan. Your lost memories I talked about were exactly about that time we spent there. The separation of body and soul creates that memory loss, temporarily.”

“This is madness…”

The avatar looked around. “Damn, there isn’t a single well around…” he said with a light chuckle, surprising me with his humor. “But jokes aside, now you’ll have to deal with all that.”

“Well, okay… Though that still doesn’t give me any idea what I’m doing here.”

“Patience, Ray. But in short, you are my eyes, and most importantly, my hands in this place. Being of my caliber will crush the balance of this world should I personally come, and my intrusion will be surely detected by my — colleagues, and that spells problems for me. I smell some trouble brewing here, though I’m yet unsure which kind of trouble it is. For some reason, I can’t detect anything from the — ‘outside’, so to speak. But for you, it’s none of your concern, yet. You should adapt to this world and get yourself a nice foothold here first. I’ve sent you here for an extended time, and you have arrived early and have more than enough time to prepare. I doubt anything drastic will happen here anytime soon.”

“Huh? But what can a mere human do with the events of such cosmic proportions?”

“Ha! You are no longer a human, Ray. Well, not an ordinary human, at the very least. Your soul is now bound to the domain of ‘Life’, just like mine. It has its benefits, and it has its drawbacks, too. That leaves an unresolved small matter — your body, Ray. Your body is still the body of a mortal. It’s incompatible with the soul you now possess. Your soul is just too much for it, and will burn it down in a matter of days, but I have it covered.”

Falda’ar turned to the small pyramid behind my back. I followed suit.

“This little thing contains a complex spell I personally designed, along with a crazy amount of energy inside, at least for mortals, that is.” He chuckled. “And I successfully beamed it to you, too. It will reform your useless body to be worthy for the one of ours. Yes, Ray, now you are a part of quite a big family, and also an enemy of an even larger lot of bastards and creeps. That’s why you should never call yourself my pawn. Though I’m still your boss.”

“Then what am I?”

“Just another bearer of an aspect of ‘Life’, Ray. No more, and no less. You’ll understand it very fast when your first memories return.”

“Ah, whatever… So, what exactly should I do then?”

“Well, first, camp around here for a few days, five must be enough for the changes to settle in your body. Then get to civilization safely, as this seems to be a rather remote place. Talking globally, your goal is to recover as much of your memories as you can, until you can remember a way to contact me again, then we can talk once more and discuss your future actions. I place no real restriction on you here, just make sure you won’t die, that’s all I ask of you. You won’t be very — durable, at the start. That can even take years. It may seem a miniscule time for me, but not for you.”

“Fine…” I fell in thoughts for a while. “Civilization, you say? I hope it is a human civilization, then. That won’t make much sense if I’ll be looking like an alien here.”

“I don’t want to crush your hopes, but… There is not a single human living on this planet. But don’t be discouraged, there are lots and lots of different sapient species living around here, bipedal included. In fact, there are so many you may just say you came from a faraway place and nobody will suspect you. Before, there were even incidents with portals to some adjacent worlds, so some species are not even native to this world. And you even talk in the most common language, though it may be outdated for a few centuries… Apologies for that.”

“Why did you make an accent on bipedal?”

“Because they are not the majority of local folks, obviously.”

“Are you pulling my leg? Damn! I’m stuck in a world dominated by…”

“Quadrupeds. Though I’d not say ‘dominated’. There are also dragons, or what’s left of them, at least. I guess it’s their laziness and personal greed which prevented the world from being really dominated by them.”

“Seems like this world is a dangerous place.”

“Any world is a dangerous place, especially the one flooded with magic. But this one is on a milder scale of magic worlds, honestly, despite the heavy density of magic here. The principle of harmony fuels it at its core, but don’t be fooled by the name. It does not mean everybody here will be content with sniffing flowers on the meadows and living peacefully. Though, harmony has a subtle influence on local life and population, making them somewhat less violent. But magic creates monsters, Ray. In all possible meanings, so never forget that when in a magic world.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…”

“Ray, we really should stop wasting time here on idle talk,” Falda’ar interrupted me. “I know you have a lot of questions, but most of them have already been answered, you just have to remember. Let’s proceed with fixing up your body. The time is running out, too, the link is slowly losing stability, and I’m really far away from where you are.”

I sighed. “Okay.”

“A few last important things. I’ve depleted most of my free energy beaming you and this artifact to this world,” Falda’ar said in a serious voice. “Ah, such a waste…” he added in a low voice with regret.

“Stop being a miser. I’m listening, by the way.” I was surprised as such words left my mouth without much thought, but he had no negative reaction to them.

“Yeah, I know. Anyway,” — Falda’ar continued, — “that means I could not provide you with any useful gear, except for these little gifts from the creator of this world. She can no longer look after it, so I’m keeping an eye on it instead of her, while she is away. This world is her little treasure, so, please be kind to locals, and don’t accidentally destroy it.” Falda’ar boomed in laughter. “Yes, I know it’s out of your league for the foreseeable future, but you get what I mean, and there is more than enough trouble here. She is our ally, and this world can be an important asset for our side one day. ‘Harmony’ and ‘Life’ may not be the same things, but they are usually a good match.”

“Huh, so that was the reason you started all this?”

“Yes, generally, but what’s wrong with it? Can’t I act on my own at least once in a hundred thousand years? I used my own resources for it, and you are my first — genuine subordinate. I never had one before. I’m still new to all this business of keeping order around.”

“I… don’t have anything to say about it… Alright, gifts from the creator of this world, you say? What’s her name?”

“Equa, and the planet is named Equis after her. Though she may not be the original creator of this world, it was in her possession for a long time, and she had made a lot of changes here.”

A saw a flash from my right, and something appeared on the altar.

“These,” — three elongated and round brown objects floated up from the surface of the altar, — “are the seeds of the Lutiana tree. Equa had created it by my request quite a long time ago. The peculiarity of this plant is that it can absorb our special type of energy, ‘Life Essence’, to grow quickly and provide fruits with optimal composition and balance for your body, or the body of anyone you have nearby. Very useful at times when you are in a mortal shell.”

“Sounds interesting. You know, you have quite a lot of peculiar phrases, like that ‘mortal shell’ and a few others.”

“That’s how I see things, but let's put that aside. Plant the seed anywhere suitable, provide it with water and your life essence, or just sit and meditate, concentrating your attention on the plant, if you don't yet remember how to project your energy by will. Having received enough essence, it will grow a fruit in several hours at the slowest. It won't do much with the meager energy reserves you will have after I tamper with your body, but at least it won't let you starve or develop illnesses due to a lack of vitamins or other vital substances. Don't plant more than one, for you won't have enough energy for more at first, and don't forget to collect seeds. That little tree will wither in your prolonged absence, as it constructs its cellular structure and sustains itself on your energy only.”

“Shit, Falda’ar?” I said with a groan.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m starting to feel worse, my head is aching again and I feel dizzy.”

“Yeah, I had already guessed when you went rather taciturn. That’s why I was hurrying you. One last thing.”

“Yeah?” My voice turned weak.

He put the seeds back onto the stone surface of the altar and picked up a little cube with his invisible grip.

“The last item is this little cube, I don't know how it works nor I want to know it, it's a one-use artifact meant to teleport anyone within around three meters radius to a random location, and it will work even on you, a being with an alternative type of inner energy. Your point of arrival will not end up in the open sea or other dangerous locations. At least it will be a habitable zone without an extreme environment. This thing is meant to save your ass once, but there is a catch. It works via injection of 'magic', and you are incapable of doing that. The most you can do with magic is absorb it from the environment and convert it to ‘Life Essence’, but you can forget about using it like locals do." He chuckled mildly. "Funny, isn't it? You'll have to find yourself a helper if you want to use it. But whatever, it's a gift, so just take it. Maybe it’ll come useful one day, though be mindful that it does not differentiate between friend or foe."

“Something is better than nothing, anyway.”

"Yeah. Everything else you should remember later. Yes, the exit from the room is over there." The eyes turned to the wall with weathered but intricate carvings. "Just place your hand on the image of the eclipse. It should work. There should be more doors like that around here, so check them later. Maybe you'll find something useful, or maybe not. This place was out of use for millennia, it seems.

“Got it.” I desperately tried to remember all this flood of information, ignoring the pain in my head and the overall weariness.

“Also, your body will need some time to adapt to your energy structure. ‘Life essence’ will power up your body gradually, enabling your ability to manipulate it, and partially restoring your physical condition, but not completely. You will have to work on it yourself to complete your recovery. And there is something I must say to you before it all starts.”

I looked at him quizzically. “Yeah?”

"First of all, sorry for dropping you off in the middle of nowhere, but I had to conserve my energy to ensure nothing goes wrong. This power node was the most suitable in terms of energy and safety. Local wildlife avoids this ruin, even plants, so you are safe here, mostly. Don't overload your head with your goals in this world. That's a thing for the future, and please, don't die out there. Things will get better over time, but you have to be very careful."

I nodded. “I guess you had your circumstances to drop me off here. That’s fine. I’ll be careful.”

"Now, are you ready?" Falda'ar asked.

There was no use in any further hesitation. My answer was simple, "Yes, go ahead."

“Lean back and sit still, so you won’t fall forward. The process is not exactly painless. New energy channels have to be seared into your body and soul, connecting them completely at last. Brace yourself for what’s to come.”

The eyes of Falda'ar's avatar became bigger and narrowed, not unlike furrowing his brows. The intensity of his glow picked up a notch. Visible vertical pupils appeared in those eyes and green haze billowed outside. I mentally readied myself. At this moment, Falda'ar's avatar disappeared in a flash of white, and the pyramid glowed dazzlingly. It levitated up, moved in front of me and stopped at the level of my chest. Then, with a sudden flash, a light green, almost white beam struck my chest. It felt like I was hit by a train, but there was no physical impact. The pyramid started to shrink and melt, turning into pure energy, until there was nothing left of it. The beam narrowed and dissipated as well.

I lost control over my body and fell on my back like a rag doll. It was not long before a searing pain started to spread out from my chest, like red hot wires were drilling through my body from the inside, burning their way to every other part. My bones, flesh, everything was engulfed in pain and I felt immolating heat inside every bit of my body. I wanted to cry out from all the pain, but I could not, letting out only muffled wheezing. My body was not listening to me; I could hardly even breathe.

“N-not… e-exactly… p-painless? F-fuck!” I growled through gritted teeth, stammering at every word. “T-this… is… h-hell!” My fingers clenched and unclenched as the pain tortured me.

When this creeping scorching sensation reached my head, I finally gave in to the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Everything went dark.

Author's Note

As of 02 Sep 2022, there is no more prologue in this story. It was overhauled completely and became a full-fledged chapter. The numeration of further chapters was shifted up by one.

Chapter 2 - Ruins in the Jungle

Intermittent scenes of my life on Earth were flashing one after another before my eyes. My consciousness could not hold to any of those long enough for them to make any sense, and it didn’t try to either. This hazy act lasted for some time, until I noticed this kaleidoscope of memories had finally ceased its delirious show. What I saw before my eyes was that familiar thrice-damned street. Yes, exactly that street.

The cloudiness in my head cleared and everything now seems so lucid, as if I’m reliving this moment again. There are no “blank spots”, no incongruity in surroundings. I can even see all the cracks in the stones of the sidewalk, despite the bad lighting around. It’s either my memory became phenomenal, or my imagination. Yes, I’m thinking about some irrelevant stuff again…

Soon, I’ll arrive at my final destination. Yes, final. That could very well be it for me. I can already see that street lamp post. Just a minute to wait… Three, two, one, and we’re going out with a bang! Hell yeah! The picture before my eyes shakes, first meeting the black metal pole. The pain was there as well, but this time it did nothing to distract my attention. Then the image before my eyes recoiled from the lamp post and began angling towards the cloudy night sky, as my body was falling backwards without any hint of control. The uncaring blinding light with a heavy orange tint from the street lamp prevented me from seeing anything clearly. Now I passed the point where my memory blanked out. I felt myself free falling downwards, the inevitable meeting with the ground was long overdue. Spinning in a weird space of bright acidic colors, I entered some sort of black nothingness.

Hey! That’s something new! There is no stone floor pressing on my face this time. Where am I? Some sort of a circular isle made of carved white tiles had materialized somewhere above me, lighted by an ambient light with no apparent source. At this time my consciousness was fully merging with the events, blocking any memories and thought process. I was literally reliving this memory now, as everything was replaced by my thoughts and senses from that time.

Descending onto this strange isle in the middle of pitch-black nowhere, slowly spinning in the empty space, I have finally reached this improvised floor. The gravity kicked in gradually, back to the level I’m used to. I got up from my unbecoming pose, straightening my clothes, and looked around, but could see nothing, but only the platform I was standing on. I’ve checked myself. I’m alright, more or less. Lost my hat somewhere, but I didn’t care. The next event completely stopped my ability to think for some time. A flash of green and a booming masculine voice stunned me.

“Greetings, mortal!” Thunderous voice reverberated in the empty space. “Welcome! Welcome to the end!” – At this moment, a horrifying, visceral fear gripped my very soul. – “To the end of your old life!”

“Wh… What d-do you mean… by that?” I’ve finally found strength to ask, fear still gripping my psyche.

“O-o-oh?” The voice expressed a pleasant and excited surprise to my question. “You want to know, mortal?” The voice talked slowly. “I can satiate your curiosity then.” The voice paused, and a bright green sphere, surrounded by the minty-colored haze, appeared before me. Two bright yellow eyes made of yellow light with vertical pupil slits swung open on the surface of the sphere. A weird feeling of being watched engulfed me, like it was staring into my very soul, and that could have very well been the case.

“Hmmm…” The voice ruminated. “Yes, yes, you will do just fine. Good. I didn’t waste my efforts, after all,” muttered the voice quietly, mostly to itself. “Now, this is your answer, mortal, so listen carefully.” The voice finally addressed me. “Your fate in your world, the one connecting you to it, was severed. By me. As a consequence, your own fate in your world has come to an end. The absolute one. No soul will ever remember you living there. None of your deeds left any trace in the minds of its inhabitants, like you have never even existed, but nothing else changed. Nothing has changed for anyone, but you. Even your name was erased.”

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait a second… My name is… My name… Name… Why can’t I remember? Is it all true then?” My panic deepened.

What happened next… I can’t say I’ve been surprised, because I was beyond surprised!

With a loud and clear laughter the voice thundered in the surrounding space: “A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha. Ha-ha…” the voice wheezed the last bits, forcefully halting its fit of laughter. “You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless!”

His sudden outburst of laughter and joy have managed to magically calm almost all of my nervousness and return my mind to a somewhat stable state. Is he an idiot, or is he a crazy genius? I’m inclined to the latter… I’m sure I’d never calm down in such a situation, but still, I just did. My panic vanished, leaving me with a mix of bewilderment and insecurity.

This strange creature continued meanwhile, “By the way, you are forever barred from your old world, as well as the whole layer”.

Then he proceeded to explain the things I already heard from him in the temple, but at that time it was all new to me. That included my highly probable miserable end…

“That’s totally nuts! What shit I’ve been dragged into? Good, I’m able to get somewhat angry, it’s a good sign.”

I tried to rage, to throw insults in every language I knew… yeah, that’s strange, but this creature knew all of them. In the end, I just had to accept these facts. Psychotic breakdowns were never my forte.

“Feeling better now?” The voice asked, devoid of any malice.

“Yeah… somewhat.” I looked at the strange glowing creature before me. “Are you… a god?” I asked, and got a much unexpected answer.

The strange creature laughed and paused. “No, mortal, I am not a god, I’m not even close to being one. And, you know, I’m tired of calling you ‘mortal’, but it was a must for my prank. Though first things first. Before giving you a new name, you should make a choice, which is not really a choice, but I still have to present it to you.”

The projection before me somewhat increased in size, now towering above me.

“Let me introduce myself first. I am Falda’ar, one of the ‘keepers of fates’, as some call us. I manage 24 areas of local layers of what you call your galaxy. And no, don’t misunderstand, I have not the slightest interest in the fates of puny mortals, I work on a scale of worlds, or layers but… I’ll get my ass kicked out from our little cozy community for sure if I allow the events to affect a whole layer, so I can say I keep an eye on worlds, inhabited ones. And you… You will help me with that. First, I’ll be sending you to a rather mild world called Equis. After you’re ready, of course.”

Yeah, that’s big news. And I have no idea what to do about it. I asked: “What if I refuse?”

Falda’ar made a brief pause, seemingly in thought, lifting his eyes upwards. “Well, do you know where your body is currently? It’s inside an interlayer tunnel at the moment, if I leave you as is, your body and soul will disintegrate into the most basic energy form and scatter across the multiverse. Not a very good prospect, is it? Also, I won’t lie to you, should you choose death, I won’t allow your body and soul to go to waste. I’ll erase your personality and start with a blank slate. Tabula rasa, like some of you used to say. You get me, right? It’ll waste a lot of energy and time, but it’s still better than just letting you die after I had got you out. Or, rather, completely freed you from the chains of fate of your world. That’s quite a remarkable state to be in, honestly.”

I took some time to absorb and process his words, but there wasn’t much to mull about, I had never been a stubborn idiot. “I agree.”

“Great! I just knew you are a smart guy!” Falda’ar answered. “Then, now you’ll become my apprentice. By the name of Falda’ar, the Keeper of Fates, and the master of ‘Life’, from now on you’ll be known as Ray, my personal apprentice!” Falda’ar declared grandly and then added succinctly, “No need to bow.”

The image blurred again before my eyes, returning me to a serene slumber. But it did not last for long as I started waking up. The events I’ve just seen were seared into my memory, like I’ve never forgotten them. I woke up on the stone floor with a ringing headache which was gradually subsiding. I took several deep breaths.

“That… was… something incredible!” Seems I can fully trust him after all, my intuition was not wrong at all. This is a very unusual feeling. With the part of my restored memory I became slightly changed, in a good way, more wholesome, more complete!

“Yes! I want them back! My memories of that strange place, all of them!” With those thoughts I continued to lay on my back, the cool surface of the stone did not discomfort me at the moment. The time was slowly passing me by at this strange serene moment. I was composing myself before starting my adventure, my new life, in my new world. Equis, is it? Though the recent memory didn’t reveal any new information about the planet.

Still, it’s… intriguing… fascinating. Exciting! The long period of emptiness of my past life has ended, and just like I said to myself, sitting in that night club, it is time to change something. But not just something, everything! And then I felt energized by this new way of thinking.

“Good. That’s enough lying on the floor for today.” I grumbled and got up without much trouble this time. I’m sure I’m feeling much better already. At least I’m not feeling like I’m already one foot in a grave anymore. Falda’ar has told me there must be some things on the altar, so I walked to the center of the hall.

“Interesting,” I muttered as I fiddled a small bluish-gray stone cube, with a side about the size of my pinky. Carved runes, which I could not understand, run along its sides. Three large seeds, looking not unlike mango seeds, are lying nearby. Well, those will be harder to lose with such a size. I pocketed the items and proceeded towards the exit. There was indeed a carving depicting a solar eclipse, I should put my hand on it, right? Strange, this analogue of a button is located too low, just a bit below my waist, a strange technical decision, but whatever.

The carving faintly flashed and the door sank down into the floor, its top stopping at the floor level, creating an even surface with it. “Not bad, not bad at all for a thousand years old mechanism!” I said to myself and proceeded forward.

I’ve appeared inside a broad, but dimly lit hallway. The only light was coming from small windows on the front wall, if I’m not mistaken, it should lead outside. The air was dry as very little water got inside from the small windows. Well, let’s try looking outside for now. Before I started walking, I tried pressing my hand against a similar carving on the other side of the door. As I expected, the door closed back. Good! At least I’ll have a safe shelter against wild beasts. I started walking by the hallway at a slow pace. I was still feeling tired, but all those painful sensations went away, what a relief.

Finally, I’ve reached my destination. The door slid down, bright light instantly flooded my eyes, forcing me to squint. I got outside and waited for my eyes to adapt. When I opened my eyes, a marvelous picture unfolded before me. I was standing atop a green hill without much vegetation, I saw the lake below the hill, shining with blue waves, glittering in the bright sun. The lake was surrounded by thick jungle-like forest.

There was something like a tilted upper part of a pyramid in the center of a lake. Most of it was submerged, creating beautiful scenery. It vaguely resembles Mesoamerican pyramids, but has its own style, somewhat more strict and sharp. Well, I can say I’ve found myself a source of water! The sounds of birds and occasional howls of beasts could be heard from the depths of the nearby jungle, but I could not see any beasts or birds in the premises of the hill or the lake. Falda'ar was right about this place. Even trees do not grow here.

I’ve made a circle around the building I came out from. Compared to the pyramid in the lake, which I deemed to be some sort of a main temple, it was a rather small pyramidal building, or trapezoidal, to be more specific, and could not be called a true pyramid. It was more like some utility edifice. All around the hill the surrounding space was covered in grass, gradually changing into a dense jungle at some distance away.

An endless sea of jungle sprawled as far as my eye could see from the top of the hill. It will definitely be hard to get out of this place… Well, let’s check if there is something useful in this building. A human being without any tools in a jungle area… sounds like a death sentence, and judging by the vegetation, strong rains must be a common occurrence here too, which pose another problem for traveling.

I’ve spotted two doors in the hall, and it seems to be all to it, judging by the size of the building. The doors were situated not far from the outer entrance. I chose the left one first. The door slit downwards, and thick clouds of dust were created at the entrance. I backed off from the door, waiting for dust to settle. There were no windows and no lighting inside the room. I carefully entered, and had to wait for my eyes to adapt to the darkness for several minutes. But this room seemed to be nothing more, but dust storage, so I left and closed the door.

The second room, to my surprise, was lacking almost any dust. There was something in the center of the room. When I tried to check what it was, it lit up. It was a large crystal emitting weak bluish light, but it was enough to navigate the room. Yes, I definitely respect whoever built this structure. Reliability of local equipment truly deserves some respect.

The light revealed that this room was some sort of an armory. Racks with spears and somewhat short swords, I’ve seen a few axes, but local warriors clearly were not favoring them for some reason, or maybe it’s the opposite and they have taken out most of them for themselves. Then I’ve found a lot of racks with… I don’t know what to call it, armor for some sort of battle creatures? But where is regular armor? I can’t see any. Wait… Quadrupeds, huh? Oh, god… I sighed, leaving the armor racks. I won’t find anything suitable for me here.

Well, let’s find some tools, then. I’ll need a knife, an axe, oh, a rack with spears. They seem somewhat short to me. Oh, these ones are a bit longer. I walked closer to the rack and sighed again. Time was not kind to these weapons, and most of them were bronze, not even iron. Rummaging through the stock of spears I’ve found something wrapped with an almost decomposed piece of cloth, which turned to dust the moment I touched the fabric.

Let’s see what it is. Oh, how unusual — the blade of this spear seems to be made with some sort of violet crystal. Its tip and side blades are really sharp even now, even after all these years. I still have my doubts about it as it looked really brittle, but on the good side, its wooden part is almost pristine for whatever reason. I’ll take it, along with an iron spear, in case this fancy one is just a ceremonial weapon unfit for combat.

I need to find one with less corrosion and rot. Also, I’ll need an intact knife. I’ve seen some daggers in that corner. I’ll just pick something made of iron and less corroded. Hope they have some whetstones around here, so that corrosion won’t become a big problem.

I was wandering around the room looking at the poor items, weathered by time itself. And these are swords… Nope, these things are anything but swords. What a joke! How come this handle is so short? Completely useless.

“Huh? I’m not an expert in terms of cold weapons, so where did these thoughts come from?” I mulled to myself, while continuing to examine the swords. And why do they need this metal ring down the handle? I can’t figure out its use. Whatever, using such a weapon will only get me killed, so I’ll go with the spear or axe. By the way, I did not manage to find any shields, so the spear will be more preferable in the absence of any armor suitable for me.

Finally, I’ve found some whetstones in a rotten box in the corner of the room; the stones survived the trial of time just fine. I did not find anything else particularly useful in those piles of military gear of a bronze or maybe an iron age. That will do for now. I took another empty wooden box which looked almost like an actual box, and not a sieve or a pile of rotten planks, left it at the door, and put my stuff inside. I had to leave my chosen spears in the corner nearby and now I’m starting to feel hunger, and quite strong one at that.

When I exited through the door, the light emitted by crystal faded off. I thought for a little while, and stepped back into the room. The light gradually lit on once again. Those strange armor pieces… the helmet should be suitable for carrying water, or maybe even boiling it. I walked up to the armor racks. The leather straps and belts turned to dust, mostly. Those which were still intact were hard like wood, and chipped when I tried to bend them. Except for this strange green skin leather, it must still be usable.

Well, I’ll think about it later, I’m getting too hungry, and thirsty. Actually, I am very thirsty. I took the first helmet I found and examined it. It had a simple round form, but what’s that? A hole? Why the hell there is a hole in the helmet? And it’s not made by some damage either, it’s intended. Well, I can’t use it to hold water, then. Let’s check another one. Oh, this one seems fine, time to go out!

I turned around and exited the storage with the helmet; I also took the iron spear with me. While I trust Falda’ar, I’ll feel safer with a weapon than without it. The door closed with a rumbling sound, and the silence returned to this millennia old building, with only my steps reverberating down the dim hall.

Nothing changed outside. Even the position of the Sun in the sky. “Oh really? Hmph, that's nonsense!” I commented to myself, I’m sure I’ve spent quite a time inside that armory room. Whatever… Let's call it some magic shit and get over it. I need water, and I need it now! The sensation of thirst was closing in to dangerous levels, so I hastened my stride. Traveling downhill was easy, and my poor joints did not disagree much with my physical exercises this time.

“Heh, life keeps getting better.” Having come down to the lake I pondered for a short while. My thoughts were about possible germs in the water. I don’t have the tools to boil water and no time either. I’ll try to find the source of the inflow, it may be more clean, and hereby, more safe to drink. Walking along the shore I spotted a rivulet on the far left side of the lake and something looking like a spring a bit closer, both coming from the jungle.

I’ve started walking along the shore of the lake, observing my surroundings, spear in one hand, and helmet in the other. A thought flashed inside my mind. I walked to the surface of the lake and looked at my reflection in the water. My mood soured instantly. My face was riddled in wrinkles and the skin went flabby, the eyes looked like they had sunk deeper into my eye sockets. Along with my complete baldness, my appearance reminded me of an old buddhist monk. “What a depressing sight,” I muttered to myself and sighed deeply, before continuing my stroll.

“But wait a second… The eyes. Yes, the eyes! Something is not right about them.” I returned back to the body of water, got on my knees and looked closer. Apart from my eyes looking very clear and lively, unlike the rest of my face, their color… I can’t see the color clearly in this water reflection.

I inched my face closer to the water surface. Yes, I was right. It seems the color is some kind of bright green. “Do humans have such iris colors? Yes, they do, but not so bright… Well, I was already told I’m not just a human anymore. Perhaps I should no longer be surprised by such things? But that's good, with these eyes I'm not looking like a living corpse at least, and I like the color.”

My gaze fell at my brows, or… at the place they should’ve been. “Huh… my brows look like I’ve shaved them. It gives me a somewhat creepy look, like if my eyes are staring right into your soul and see all of your sins.” I made a small laugh at this silly thought.

In a few minutes I reached the spring, it was rather broad and fast-flowing. The flow was carrying small stones and sand along the stream, a good sign which could mean the water comes from underground or mountains, and not from the surface. The rivulet in the distance was clearly not that pure, so it’s decided then.

I took the old bronze helmet I brought from the storage and washed it in the spring, clear water carrying away all the dust it had accumulated over centuries. I’ve scooped some water into the helmet and sniffed it. The water was odorless. I drank some, and could not stop. I filled the helmet again and again, until my thirst was quenched.

“This is damn good! So tasty…” This water had no strange taste, not in the slightest, and it was a bit mineralized, I suppose. Even if my stomach would revolt afterwards, it was still worth it.

Now, having my thirst sated, the hunger has kicked in in full force. And this problem is certainly more difficult to solve. I think it’s better to follow Falda’ar’s suggestion with that miraculous plant. I decided to collect some water for later use, so I filled the helmet, and went back to find more helmets to store water. When I was done with my water reserves, I chose a place at the foot of the hill, between the lake and my temporary stone abode, loosened the soil at the place with my rusted dagger and planted the seed not too deep from the surface. I’ve already prepared a helmet full of lake water, so I watered the soil.

Nothing happened in a while. “And then the same ‘nothing’ happened a few more times.” I laughed sarcastically at my naivety. Well, now I have to do something about the ‘essence’ part. And one helmet of water may not be enough, so I made two more trips to the lake. The seed unsurprisingly remained without any change all this while.

As I do not remember, or even know how to ‘channel’ my ‘essence’ by my will, should I proceed with ‘Plan B’ from the start? But what if I can somehow make it work? Let’s try.

I sat before the planted seed in a lotus pose, all eastern guys who claimed to know how inner power works were doing so. I’ve tried to sense the ‘essence’ inside my body for a long time without much success. I tried to expel something from my hands, so hard that my face cringed and my brows furrowed from my efforts. And, God, I’m glad there is nobody around to see this shameful performance. It's time for ‘Plan B’ then.

I've closed my eyes and calmed down. I was trying to get rid of my wandering thoughts, which just refused to disappear, and tried to imagine the state of the plant seed before me in some sort of a mental image. Another half an hour passed, and I did not notice any changes. Gradually losing my hope, I just continued to sit there with my eyes closed, with unfocused thoughts about this damn plant. I unconsciously relaxed from all the tension I’ve built up during my experiments with the seed. It was at this moment I felt a sensation of a soft and warm breeze wash all over my body. It was seemingly floating to the place where I had planted the seed. Actually, I felt this substance being slowly expelled by my whole body.

I was getting nervous, afraid to lose this state and fail the whole process, but calmed back down when it did not stop. It was going on seemingly by itself now. That’s… Was it that easy? Really easy… but so hard at the same time. It’s too vague of a feeling to explain it fully. The plant was slowly absorbing this ‘essence’ of mine. I’d feel very content with my success if not for the feeling of hunger and my growing tiredness. It seems giving away this essence has some consequences for my body. In about fifteen minutes the sense of flow diminished, and finally ceased. I felt utterly drained, like I’ve overworked myself with hard labor. When I finally opened my eyes, what stood before me was a little tree, with a height reaching just to my waist, but a tree nonetheless. It was reminiscent of bonsai. I checked my body, but it seems nothing is wrong with me, except for the feeling of tiredness.

The lutiana tree had a light brown bark of a greenish tint, with yellowish narrow cracks. Bright green foliage created a somewhat round form at the top part of the tree. It looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye. A large single flower bud was growing from one of the top branches of the tree, facing upwards. The tree, having absorbed all of my available ‘essence’, continued to slowly develop, no longer increasing its height, which was noticeable to the naked eye. I was lying on the ground, lazily looking at the whole process. In about fifteen more minutes the flower bud opened, revealing a large flower.

Its form was somewhat reminiscent of lily, but its size, width of petals and overall intricate form will put any flower from earth to shame. The center of the flower seemed to be the purest white, but at nearly a third of a distance from the center, the color begins to gradually change to the deepest blue at the ends of the petals, almost turning to utter black. The contrast between the clear white color and the utter dark, going through all shades of blue in between, created a mesmerizing picture. The dark sides of the petals were also splashed with a myriad of small, bright white dots, creating a truly magnificent look. This unique flower rightfully deserved its title of being created by a local goddess in terms of beauty. A heavenly aroma touched my sense of smell, eliciting a soothing sensation across my body.

“Mmmmm… what a pleasant smell…” I deeply inhaled the air in satisfaction. It seems now I’ll also have a sleepiness to fight against, in addition to hunger. This smell certainly has a calming effect on me.

Alas, this flower’s beauty did not last for long. After some time it withered and turned to dust right before my eyes, a fruit started to take form in its place. The speed of its growth was unsettlingly slow, at least for me, as I suffered from hunger and tiredness. The time flew by, and it just so happened that, in the end, tiredness had won the competition. I did not notice how I fell asleep right before the tree. It was a pleasant, dreamless sleep, which was slowly restoring my energy and strength.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but it was already night outside. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a picture of the night sky. A full moon was shining brightly high up in the sky, surrounded by a multitude of stars, creating unfamiliar constellations. Clear air of this world did not obstruct the starlight from reaching the ground and this unusual brightness of the firmament created a mysterious atmosphere. I’ll have no problem walking around and doing something at night if it’s always this bright, excluding going into the jungle or cloudy nights.

I moved my sight from the sky to the tree below. A pearlescent white fruit was hanging from the branch. It had a size of my palm and a half in length, maybe a little more, and had a mango-like form, a bit curved to one side. I pulled on it and it effortlessly fell into my hand. The weight of this fruit was quite substantial. It’s more than half a kilo, but definitely less than one. Quite a large one to be honest. It had a mild fresh smell I did not recognize. Well, bon appetit!

The taste was not what I had expected from a fruit of a goddess’ tree. It seems that taste was not the goal of this thing. It was a bit fibrous and viscous; the taste itself reminded me of some mix of soy and avocado with some weak fresh fruity flavor. The whole thing was just crying: “PROTEIN!” I agree that I really need it in my condition. Well, I should not complain about such things. I’ve wolfed down the fruit in record time, my hunger finally sated. It was very careless of me to fall asleep in the open. Anything could happen. I must ensure I won’t repeat such a blunder in the future.

I ascended back to the armory; this action came to me surprisingly easy. It seems that my body has started to recover from its sorry state all by itself. “That’s good news.” I returned to the altar room, sat with my back against the wall and tried to go back to sleep, finally succeeding after some time.

When I woke up, the sun was already up. My back and neck felt bad from the hard stone I was lying on. “When did I manage to lay horizontally? Did I just — fell to the side without waking up?”

I stood up and stretched my back and neck, which was accompanied by crackling sounds. Well, what can you expect from sleeping on a hard stone? I was somewhat pepped up from the little warm-up I did. I need to start working on improving my current living conditions. I’ll try to grow another fruit, then wash in a lake and prepare for my little journey into the jungle. I went out of the building and started my new routine. Firstly, I watered the plant. Then I spent some time ‘charging’ it. This time things were going smoothly, the plant did not require that much energy as yesterday, as it was already grown up, I suppose. But it still produced only one flower.

This time I did not wait for the process to complete and went to the lake to wash my clothes and clean myself too. “The water is refreshing, just the right temperature”, I said while I washed myself. I noticed some changes in my body condition. The amount of wrinkles had diminished and the skin itself became somewhat tauter, slight outlines of muscle appeared on the surface of my body. I clenched my fist tightly and felt my strength had partially returned to me. It will help me greatly in my first expedition to this tropical forest. I returned to my little tree, naked, holding my clothes in my hands.

The sun reached the zenith suspiciously fast, and ridiculously stayed there without moving further. The day is going to be hot, my feet will fry for sure in these heavy boots, but I cannot go anywhere without them. I’ve put my clothes on the hot stones of a fallen column nearby, or at least it looked like a column. It’ll dry them in minutes with all this heat.

By this time the plant had finished growing its fruit; it took much less time today. I had my breakfast, and did not forget to collect the seed this time. A seed from yesterday was found nearby, so I picked it up and returned to the warehouse.

I left all my stuff in the storage room, took a whetstone, an axe, a dagger and iron spear out with me. I’ve spent some time outside sitting on the fallen column near my still drying clothes, and while I was waiting for it to dry up I’ve made some minor work removing rust and sharpening the blades of my tools. It wasn’t much, but it made them so much better! At least the tools don’t look blunt anymore.

I’ve put my clothes up, tightened my belt and tucked my dagger under the belt at the right side, and my axe at the left. It was a bad way to keep them around, but it was the only one available to me at the moment. The axe was not a big one, so this should do for now. Also I’ll need my coat; going into any forest wearing just T-shirt is a stupid thing, so I had to return to grab it.

I decided to start my recon journey from the spring where I could drink some water before I proceed. After quenching my thirst, I started going upstream. This way I will not get lost in the forest. I won’t go too far, who knows what dangerous fauna inhabits the depths of this jungle.

Walking up the stream with a spear in my hands, I started to notice the presence of birds, small animals, and, of course, a whole lot of insects, some of which do not mind drinking my blood. “Hateful tiny bastards!” I thought, slapping yet another mosquito on top of my head.

While observing the area and the stream, I’ve remembered one important thing. The stream was littered by small stones, and there could be flints among them. It did not take much time to find one which looked like a flint, but you can easily mistake some other stones for it. I wiped the water from the stone with my clothes and made a glancing hit with my dagger on the stone’s surface, and indeed a few bright sparks flew out from the strike. “Nice!” I spent some more time searching for flints along the stream and managed to find two more of a decent size. I pocketed the stones and continued.

There were a lot of different vines of all colors entangling the trees and bushes, but mainly green and brown ones, some of them had razor sharp needles along its whole length. I’ll be better not to rush, lest I find myself nailed to one of them, and I’ll be lucky if it's not poisonous. From time to time I passed by some sort of bamboo stems. They were quite soft and elastic and did not break easily. I cut one with my axe to test it out. This will be a good material for a makeshift bed. The plant preferred to grow around water, so I could find it along the spring or that rivulet and maybe on the other side of the lake, too.

Suddenly I heard the sound of snapping branches, like something was rushing through the thickets of the jungle. The sounds were coming from the side of a clearing upfront, to the left side of the stream. As the clearing was surrounded by thick bushes I decided to satiate my curiosity, and also take refuge in the thick foliage. I'm too conspicuous out in the open space near this spring. I did not have to wait for a long time.

A creature closely resembling a boar tore through the bushes on the left side of the clearing and desperately rushed to the other side. A few seconds later, accompanied by a deafening roar, one of the bushes was literally obliterated by the paws of a large creature. After venting its rage on a poor bush it instantly resumed its chase. It mostly resembled a lion, with slightly larger maw and big pointy ears with the tassels on its ends. Its mane was in a shade of red, contrasting with its yellowish fur. “Not the best camouflage for the forest”, I thought to myself. On its back I noticed something similar to membranous wings, tightly folded along its sides, but the most ridiculous find was its tail. A giant scorpion tail was in place where a common cat tail should be! Its stinger was the size of a decent dagger.

“I know what it is: a mythical manticore! Well, it is no longer mythical to me, it seems.”

Meanwhile, the manticore made a high jump, spread its wings and, airborne, propelled itself forward with a mighty flap. When it landed, it was almost behind the boar. Doubling its efforts, the manticore closed the distance even more, launching its tail forward in a deadly attack. The boar made a sudden maneuver and moved around the tree, continuing the run for its life. What came next was a loud crash, as the manticore pierced the tree bark with its stinger. Some bark chips flew out from this strike, but the manticore’s tail became stuck in the tree trunk, but not for long. Roaring loudly in dissatisfaction, manticore continued its chase, disappearing back into the jungle. After a minute I heard a plaintive squeal, it seems the boar could not get away.

I waited for some time, but I could not see or hear anything suspicious. Out of curiosity, I quietly went through the overgrown bushes to examine the tree where manticore’s hit had landed. The hit was quite strong, the outer bark was torn out completely at the place of the hit, and the stinger left a hole around five centimeters deep in the wooden part. The wood around the area turned black, it seems the sting also has a strong poison that even affects plants. This thing is deadly. I won’t have any chance of survival should I encounter one. It’s even larger than the actual lion! I need to return for now; remaining in this part can be too dangerous. So I started to walk back towards the stream, trying to be as silent as I can possibly be.

But not long after, I saw a strange creature, not higher than my knee, standing before me a few meters ahead. It looked like some hybrid between a lizard and… a chicken. That's a damn chicken! With a lizard tail and leathery wings. It was drilling me with its angry gaze of its little red eyes, seemingly trying to kill me with its stare. “Well, I don’t mind some chicken for dinner.”

I started to slowly draw my spear, afraid to scare the chicken prematurely with my sudden actions. The chicken tilted its head, seemingly puzzled, then started hissing and clucking in a fit of its bird anger, showing quite sharp and long teeth inside its beak. “Does it eat meat?”

While the chicken was busy throwing this strange fit, I prepared to throw my spear. By this time, the chicken turned its right eye to me, perhaps to take a better look. Its eye had bulged, looking at me intently; red veins have become visible in its sclera. Then it made two funny jumps sideways towards me, abruptly stretched out its neck and its eye had bulged even more, looking right into my eyes. Its eye almost got out of its eye socket, as its head started to tremble slightly in overexertion. “What a stupid bird!” I was starting to have trouble holding my laughter in.

“Well, however funny this whole thing may be, I still need some meat in my diet, sorry!” I thought to myself.

I threw the spear at my target as fast as I could. The distance was not long, and it should hit its mark. The chicken turned its head and was following the spear with its eyes in total disbelief. When it finally realized what’s to come, it tried running to the side in a panic, but it was too late, its movements brought it right onto the collision course of the flying spear. It was an instant death, the spear pierced its chest and went out from another side, nailing the unfortunate chicken lizard to the ground.

“Gruesome! But this is life…” I had a little pity for the funny lizard chicken, but it was not time to ponder and hesitate. Without much delay, I grabbed it, pulled out my spear and hurried back. I don’t want to meet any predators attracted by the smell of blood.

On the way back wind started to blow above the jungle, bending the tops of the trees that were too high. It seems the rain is coming. I should hasten my step. When I returned to my abode, the sky was still clear, but the rain could come in the evening, I guess. I still have some time to do something useful.

I put the body of the chicken inside to avoid attracting beasts to my place. There are still a lot of things which need to be done, but I have little time. I decided to gather some dry wood for the fireplace in the nearest side of the jungle. I will also need some durable vines to make any simple constructions made of wood, but there is no lack of them at all. Then I’ll need at least four thin tree trunks to make a frame for my bed and a decent amount of that bamboo-like plant stems which like to grow near the water.

“I might not have enough time, damn it!” I grumbled to myself, looking at the distant horizon, where the first light-gray clouds started to appear. “Well, however tedious the task may seem, it still needs to be done.”

I made a small sigh, took my axe and knife and started on my way to the nearest patch of trees. I need to find dry wood first. It was not long until I found a dead tree that still hasn’t fallen, and it was sufficiently dry. The axe did a decent job, albeit a partially rotten tree did not offer much resistance, anyway.

It took me three trips to carry the firewood and dry branches I needed. The absence of any decent container for carrying stuff made the work much harder. Then I’ve found some more or less straight young trees to make a frame for the bed out of their trunks, which needed two longer ones and two shorter ones. It took much more effort than cutting a dead tree, but I managed to do it, thanks to my sturdy axe and my improved physical condition. Then I moved them back to my place one by one.

“Ha! Now I can take on some heavy weight without the fear of snapping my back!” I cheered myself up to focus on my task at hand. My health has definitely improved since yesterday.

Maybe I should do something with that wooden box in the storage, but I doubt it could shoulder the wear and tear by a heavy load. The next were vines, well, that’s the easiest part. I’ve got a whole pile of them in a short time. There will be a lot of waste for sure, not all of these vines were durable enough.

The winds in the sky had blown the clouds a bit to the side, so I’m lucky to have a bit more time. Walking down the hill, I noticed that my tree produced another fruit somehow. It was a pleasant surprise, but there wasn’t much time to ponder about this matter.

I rushed to the area of the spring, where ‘water bamboo’, how I called it, grew in abundance. It was light and was easily chopped with my axe, but I had to mind the size, it won’t be good if the stems are too thick or too thin. I’ve collected a whole pile of them, with length around a meter and a half, fixed the pile with vines which grew around, made some sort of shoulder straps from them and… “u-u-u-U-U-Uh-h! That’s… heavy…” I groaned and huffed as I lifted the pile. “Was I too greedy with the amount I chopped down?” I panted after lifting the whole pile of stems, but I think I can still make it to the hill this way, but I’ll have to unpack it there. It’ll be impossible to carry it uphill.

“Damn, if I was in my old body I’d do it… Well, maybe.” I did somewhat overestimate my capabilities, it took a long twenty minutes to get it to the hill, and it has already started to rain. Rare, but heavy drops were hitting my body from time to time.

Strong wind was blowing in my back the whole trip, somewhat making my job easier. “Damn it! I need at least half of these materials to stay dry.” I unpacked my stack of stems and, ignoring the pain and tiredness in my sore muscles, hurried up the hill with a third or so of the whole pack in my hands. After unloading and rushing back, my hands and legs were already trembling and unsteady, but it’s almost done.

“I shall persist!” I psyched myself to finish the job.

When I finally made it with another third, the sky floodgates finally opened, and torrential downpour washed over the land, soaking anyone unlucky enough to get caught by the storm outside any shelter. The landscape turned dark from the heavy clouds blocking the sun. Bolts of lightning illuminated the area with bright flashes frequently. They were hitting the ground and tearing the clouds with frightening frequency. Constant rumble of thunder resounded through the open space.

I sighed. “Well, this rain is going to be a long one…” I waved my hand dismissively at the last third of the stems, now completely soaked, shaking my head, then walked inside and closed the door.

“Damn I’ve left the fruit down there!” I kicked the stone wall in a small fit of anger and then sighed. “No. I should refrain from damaging my boots in the long run; there won’t be any spare pairs…”

Thinking that soaking under the downpour would be a bad idea with a risk of catching cold, I postponed my trip to the tree for later. Maybe the rain will get weaker after some time. All my clothes have already become drenched, not by rain, but by my own sweat. It's no joke to wear a coat designed for a cold autumn in a hot and wet jungle. I will have to wash everything tomorrow. I put off my clothes, except for my boxers. Even if I’m alone, it’s still uncomfortable going around stark naked. I still had my dry shirt that I did not take into the jungle; maybe I’ll put it on when I go to sleep, so I won’t freeze.

I moved my hoard of materials to the altar room, which still had enough light and started my work. The rain was pouring down at the center of the altar room, disappearing into the grooves in the floor, which must have led the water out of the structure. But it is really humid and cool here now. This room will be unsuitable for sleeping during rainy periods, so I have no choice but to move to the storage room every time it rains. It has stale air, but I won’t get sick at least.

One hour later.

So… Yes… I have failed. Again. “It seems my damn arms are growing from my rump instead of my shoulders! Why can’t I make this damn frame so it is not skewing sideways every single time I try to fix it in place?!” I shouted in frustration. Well, it could help if I made some grooves for the vines at the crossing sections. So, the work continued. It was tiring, and the hunger had set in quickly. I went to check the weather outside, the rain subsided somewhat, so it was possible to make a trip down the hill to grab the fruit. Wet grass and soil made my trip troublesome, and I’ve got my underpants, as well as my legs, stained with mud after a fall or two.

“Oh great… Just look at me. The first human bum of Equis. Behold!” I joked to myself, theatrically lifting my free hand to the sky. At least the fruit is still clean. As for water, I already had several helmets prepared at the storage, filled. It was a good idea to bring some extra yesterday. After wiping the mud from my legs with my… jeans, yeah, I need to wash those tomorrow anyway, and dealing with my bodily needs, I returned to my work.

My final result was somewhat… crude and shabby. A frame around one and a half meters by two, maybe slightly more. The bed stood pretty low from the floor, but I could fix that later, horizontal beams of elastic bamboo stems created a surface which could hold my weight without snapping or bending too much, but I should be careful to not fall on this bed, or it may snap. It was also wider than it needed to be, but that’s good, I guess. I don’t like small beds. The whole thing was shabbily tied with strong vines. I hope it won’t crumble in a few days from drying up.

“Oh, there’s still a chicken carcass in the storage room; I hope it hasn't gone bad already in this hot climate.” Now I have to deal with this matter, or my efforts in the jungle will go to waste. It must be getting late already, but the sun still did not move. I’ve descended to the nearest jungle to grab some large and flat palm leaves to use as a surface when I’ll be dealing with my today’s game. Things are going to get dirty, as I have no experience of gutting anything from stage zero.

By the time I finished my unpleasant deed outside, the sun had started to set. The process will probably take no more than an hour until complete darkness descends. I need a good wash in the lake with all that blood on my skin. I took a clean palm leaf and left my future supper in the storage room on it. I returned when twilight was already around. Starting a fire with a flint took some practice and a sacrifice of a shabby dagger covered with rust. The darkness inside the building was not helping me either, but after some time I had a bonfire burning. A bit of smoke lingered in the room, but it was mostly fine with it going out through the ceiling opening.

“I do not have any salt or spices for the meat, but I’m not complaining, the food provided by the tree is clearly insufficient for my body that is actively trying to restore itself back to health. Also, the fruit has a really bland taste, so a change in ration is really welcome.” I mulled, quietly talking to myself. “It seems I’ve started to develop some strange habits from being all alone, like talking to myself.” I commented on the obvious change in my behavior.

A simple construction of branches and a sword worked just fine. My fireplace was right in the altar room. The window in the roof was providing enough ventilation. Yesterday I even had a thought of starting the fire on the altar, but now I’ve dropped the idea as impractical and stupid, so it was a little on the side, where the ceiling protected it from the falling rain. Today, I’ll finally eat the food I’ve provided myself, with my own two hands. I’d raise a glass to this matter, but alas…

The meat tasted good, even without the salt or spices. Especially the tail! Well, in the absence of food variety and with my tingling hunger it may seem tastier for me than it actually is. I left around half of it for tomorrow, but I was still rather full, the lizard bird had a decent size, after all.

The bamboo bed was not bad in terms of comfort, surprisingly. The elasticity of these plants was much higher than the real bamboo back on earth, it was rather soft, and I can sleep on this bed even without any bedding, if it's not too cold. Not that I have it, anyway. Today, I’ll sleep in the storage room. The faint blue light is a little irritating, but I can’t turn it off, so I’ll just deal with it. And so, I’ve gone to sleep.

Canterlot Royal Palace. The day of Ray’s arrival.

Graceful being was half-lying on a large red pillow before the tea table. There was an extravagant tea set at the table along with a number of desserts. That being was no other than the ruler of surrounding lands, of a country named Equestria. Princess Celestia, a wise ruler, a keeper of peace and harmony of these lands for more than a thousand years. No one knows for sure how old she is, but she always looks to be in her prime. Her natural grace is often the reason for sleepless nights for male population of different species around the country, and even beyond. But by the chronicles, one can say she is far beyond a thousand years.

The local population calls themselves ‘Ponies’, and naturally, they have some resemblance to those species, but this resemblance ends at the distant anatomical association. One will never be able to mistake intelligent, conscious beings, with a face and mimic closely reminiscent of humans’, for mere animals, generally used as means of transportation some time back on Earth.

The Princess was having a break from her royal duties. Even after more than a millennium had passed, she insisted that she personally manage the whole country, to preserve that brittle harmony and peaceful times she was building for centuries for her subjects. She was a rare case of determination and selflessness in that regard. She could always put her work aside and indulge herself in pleasure and indolence, but she rarely allowed herself to actually do so.

A cup of hot tea was hovering before her, surrounded by a faintly glowing magic field, and the Princess sipped tea elegantly every once in a while. A fork with small pieces of cake on it flew up to her mouth periodically. At her side, in another magic grip, hovered a fresh newspaper, which she was reading at the moment.

Quiet and melodious laughter escaped her lips. “Those journalists will never cease to entertain everypony with new rumors about me.” She said with a smile. At this moment the doors to her room slowly opened, and her sister, Princess Luna, entered the room.

“May we join you, our dear sister?” She said in an old royal style.

“Oh, Luna, good day! When will you stop using this archaic royal speech?” She smiled wryly at her. “Our little ponies will never accept you fully if you keep using this arrogant style. You wanted to grow closer with our subjects, didn’t you?”

“I know, Celly. I was just teasing you.” She said mischievously and smiled at her sister, with a light giggle.

Celestia giggled briefly. “You were always like that, Luna!” She smiled back at her. “Why are you not sleeping at this hour? It's midday and you always prefer to sleep at this time.”

“Oh, I don’t know, but I can’t get any sleep, so I thought of joining you for a cup of tea… and some cakes. And I’ll personally deal with your high sugar intake,” she added solemnly, “by eating your cake!” She started laughing, lifting the plate with a cake in a dark blue magic aura.

“Alright, I don’t mind sharing.” Celestia replied with a chuckle.

Two sisters were having a good time while conversing about various things they deemed interesting. But that idyll was interrupted by Celestia. She opened her half-closed eyes and abruptly stood up from her pillow.

“Luna, please wait for a moment!” She said with a serious face. Her horn was instantly engulfed in a powerful magic field.

“What’s wrong, sister?” Luna stood up too.

“No, I can’t say it poses a threat. I feel some strong waves of unknown magic coming from the south!”

“Is it from Everfree forest… or maybe from our old castle?” Luna asked, her horn now alight, too.

“Try sensing it yourself. This anomaly seems to have disappeared. Maybe it’s a false alarm, after all.” Celestia mulled.

“I can’t sense anything from that direction, Selly. It’s strange I didn’t sense anything, but it’s not surprising given I must be sleeping now.” The magic aura surrounding Luna’s horn grew in intensity.

They were waiting for any strong magic activity for another quarter of an hour.

“Here it is, Selly! The south!” Shouted Luna. Then added: “I’ve never sensed this kind of magic disturbance in my whole life, I’m afraid I can’t help you much with identifying what it is, sister,” said Luna with regret.

“I don’t know, this magic signature is very unusual, and this magic resonance frequency… With this intensity, do you think it can be that far as Everfree forest? It’s more like its source is somewhere in the vicinity of Canterlot. Honestly, judging by intensity alone, it’s too powerful to be that far away.” Celestia’s eyes opened wide, and started to glow with intensive white light with the whole of their surface. Her eyes resembled a powerful floodlight at the moment. Her body floated up, and the wind started to swirl around her, her magnificent mane billowing in strong air currents.

“Impossible!” Her voice boomed across the whole palace, a royal guard looked inside the room to check if something had happened, but quickly escaped back when he saw Celestia. “This magic resonance frequency is impossible! Unless... unless… No, no, no, it must be some mistake or my imagination running wild… Can it be… her? No, that’s nonsense, it’s rather one of those sinister events…” she muttered almost inaudibly with a sad voice and then exhaled slowly, her eyes and horn returned to normal. “It disappeared,” she stated to her sister.

“Sister! Just what did you sense there?” Luna inquired.

“Nothing I can be sure of, Luna…”

“Sister!”

“…”

“Sister!”

“… alright, alright.” Celestia paused. “Magical resonance frequency… It’s abnormal.”

“What’s unusual about it? It’s not like we haven’t seen high frequencies before. We should just find the source.”

“It is indeed so.” Celestia sighed again. “But… it’s more than a million…”

“What do you mean?” asked Luna, bewildered.

“More than a million Swirls!” Celestia looked intently in Luna’s eyes.

“… … … What?” Luna shouted. “Are you kidding me?” She raised her brow.

“Do I look like I’m joking around?” Celestia replied.

“Um-m-m… no.” Luna scratched her head with a forehoof.

“We need to locate the exact location and find the source as soon as possible.” Celestia declared.

“I agree, sister.” Luna paused for a bit and asked, “Do you have any viable plan?”

“I think I do. I’ll contact Twilight. We’ll use a magical trace resonance method. We’ll need three alicorns to use it on a large scale. So it’s me, you and Twilight. She also has proper equipment in her lab in Ponyville. We’ll need it. Alright, I need to see her in person. As I need to conserve my power, I’ll have to do it in an old way, by flying. See you later, sister, be ready and try to rest before I return.” Not caring for any etiquette, she stormed out of the room right through the window, spread her wings, and disappeared into the horizon.

“What was she muttering about? She didn’t tell me everything…”

Author's Note

Revamped on 02 Sep 2022, bringing it in line with the ovehauled chapter 1.

Chapter 3 - Hard Day

I came to my senses on the same platform with Falda’ar hovering alongside me, just where I was the last time before I woke up. My consciousness dived deeper into my memory again and now there was no Equis for me yet. No pyramids, no jungle, no deadly beasts, and my body was the same as when I arrived here from Earth. It felt like not even a few hours had passed since I'd appeared in this strange place.

“So, Ray, do you like this place?” he inquired. “Don’t answer. I know you don’t. Let’s change the scene a bit!” As he said those words, he released a bright white flash, which started moving outwards like a wave, spreading out along some sort of a landscape, making it visible. Our surroundings were quickly transforming along with its passing. Now we were standing on some flat plateau on top of a long mountain chain, the same endless darkness surrounded this titanic mass of stone. Our little isle covered in white tiles was now a spacious plaza of the same white tiles, but now golden contours were added to the tiles. A white road was going upwards toward the giant mountain in front of us. There was nothing on top of the mountain.

“It’s much better now, of course, but is there any meaning in standing on top of this enormous mountain?”

“Of course there is a good reason. Let me make a few finishing touches.” With another flash, the empty space below the mountains was filled with a white fog, or maybe it was clouds. The darkness in the sky slowly revealed a breathtaking starry sky, with an overwhelming density of stars and full of colorful nebulas. This sky could only be seen from planets which were much closer to the galaxy core than Earth. The surroundings were so bright now that its lighting could compete with the sunlight.

“Impressive. Really impressive!” I commented, Falda’ar’s contentment with my remark was obvious.

“I’m glad you like it. That’s not everything yet! But before I reveal the last piece, let me show you something else!” With those words, Falda’ar’s avatar was engulfed in a green, solid light and quickly changed its form. What I see now before me is a humanlike figure around two and a half meters in height, still too bright for my eyes to discern the details. The light subsided, finally revealing Falda’ar’s figure. Wearing elegant green suit with intricate golden patterns and decorations, with a metallic sheen to them, a dragonlike being was standing before me, smiling. His attire somehow was emphasizing his powerful muscles.

Falda’ar’s face was humanlike, except for his somewhat wide and flattened nose. The skin was covered in emerald green scales in a complex pattern, which looked naturally nice, as much as those scales could be for a human aesthetic. He had the eyes similar to his avatar from before, but they did not glow. On top of his head there were two horns, which protruded from just above the forehead, curved to the back of his head, and then turned slightly upwards and a bit to the sides, with the last stronger curve at the ends. His smile widened. His mouth was larger than that of a human and had a lot of sharp teeth. As for his face, it was slightly narrow and angular, giving him a noble and strict outlook. I could see an imposing tail of emerald green with thick and sharp scales behind him. This tail is a natural weapon, I bet. This total transformation surprised me.

“Let’s get acquainted one more time. You already know my name, so I won’t introduce myself.” He smiled and held out his big green hand with dangerous-looking claws at the ends of his fingers. We shook our hands, his grip strong as hell, then he continued: “That’s my true physical form, the one I once had in my homeworld. My race is called Draconides. Not the most peaceful race among the multiverse, if you ask. It was an actual miracle that I managed to ascend to the higher realms with the attribute of ‘Life’. You know, in a world of constant wars… that’s pretty uncommon.”

“Well, that — was really unexpected. You sure look powerful!” I replied with a smile. “And it’s much better than to talk to a strange green orb with yellow eyes, but now I’ll have to raise my head every time,” I laughed.

Falda’ar chuckled. “I like you, boy! We’re clicking well with each other. That’s important. I’ll be teaching you various things over a long time.” He talked while mildly smiling. “But we still have not finished with one last thing.” He raised his right hand and loudly clicked his draconic fingers. Immediately after that, the space on top of the mountain began to shift and distort, gradually materializing an immense structure at the top of the mountain, where the white road led. It was a huge white palace, with emerald and golden colors in its design. A large courtyard with gardens, lawns and some sort of training fields and installations was situated before the palace itself. Everything exuded a strict and warlike vibe despite its light colors and overall extravagance.

“Wow! Just… wow! Is it the place where you live?” I asked. Those keepers really know how to indulge in a comfortable life. But that’s really strange how it was created with one flick of a finger.

“It is just a projection of the place I live in, but it should be as good as a real thing for our purposes. Let’s talk on our way, shall we?” He gestured with his hand to follow him.

“Alright, but what do you mean by projection?” It intrigued me.

“What I mean by projection is that we are in a sort of illusion now. Your body, as I’ve said earlier, is traveling through the layers and space, and we are inside of a small virtual world. It is precise to the tiniest details. Your mind and soul can be active here while your body is in travel. When you arrive, you will forget most of what you lived through in this place. That won’t be permanent, though. The cause is the actual separation of your mind and your physical brain while you are here. You will remember everything in time, but it may take months, or years, tens of years, even, in the worst case. Nothing is predictable when dealing with matters of mind. At least not for me. The intricacies of mind and soul are not my domain, as you can guess, and my methods for those are very limited.” He told me slowly.

“Was all — these — complications you had put me through necessary?” I asked; all this seemed really far-fetched and twisted.

“Well, it saves a lot of my power and is also much safer for you. I doubt I could make it successfully by more conventional means. Don’t forget that I’m not some sort of a god. I have my own difficulties despite my power, and you must be still wondering why I chose you exactly. Honestly? No really complex reason. You might deem yourself unlucky, but later you will change your opinion to the opposite one, I’m sure. I was looking at Earth for a long time already, all because of its position and properties, one of the best ones to open a tunnel to Equis, not even mentioning the direct connection Earth has with it. Although I don’t want to delve too deep and explain the ‘fate’ stuff, you won’t understand it, anyway, but I must tell you at least some things.”

Falda’ar folded his hands behind his back, seemingly in thought, while we were moving up the mountain unhurriedly.

”Your connection to your world on that day was almost near zero. The less connection you have, the less energy I’ll need to sever it. The principal source of such a connection is your state of mind and your involvement in the lives of other beings around you. So, these things were really lacking in your life, and by a lot. Your state of mind at that moment was rejecting your old life, and you were lucky enough to hit your head and faint just after that, weakening the connection even more, so I acted without delay. And here you are, standing before me.” He looked me in the eye, assessing my reaction. “Don’t resent me for it, Ray. Trust me, getting here is actually your golden ticket of sorts. A win-win for both of us. You’ll understand it as time passes.”

We moved in silence for a long while. I had a lot of things on my mind, and he just gave me time to ponder. What he said made some sense. My life really was like that. I’m not even mentioning that it would have ended for good with a stupid drunken fall, one way or another. That’s a disturbing thought. Maybe everything is not that bad, if this isn’t just my hallucinations. Though that thought about this all being a dream or a hallucination is complete bullshit, just a popular fiction. You can’t act and think clearly somewhere inside your clouded mind being in a coma. It will always remain clouded until you recover. So here I am, and this is my reality, however twisted and crazy it might be.

“So, what are we going to do now?” I finally asked.

“I’ll show you around, and we will start your apprenticeship. You’ll need a lot of things learned before I can release your mind and soul back into your body. And I will be quite demanding. The time we’ll spend here is not free, neither for me, nor for you. You don’t have to worry about me, but you should worry about yourself. The time here flows differently. Years here are mere seconds in the warped space where your body is, but your body is a foundation of your soul and mind. It will be depleted, even though I’m supplying a lot of energy for the entire process. I’d say we should not exceed two centuries of time here, at least not by a lot. You pay with your body’s health and with your age.”

“Are you serious? Talking about centuries? And my body… What good would that do if I’m old and weak?” I looked into his yellow eyes.

“The more knowledge you get, the better, otherwise it may take hundreds of years for you to develop your foundation of power, and I’m just trying to speed up the process. Your period of weakness should not last too long, but we must do everything properly. The first memories which will return will be about those events you have experienced here the earliest. Like our talk right now.” He raised his hand, gesturing.

“Well, then I’ll be counting on you, not like I have much choice, anyway. Which things will we be learning first? You said there are civilizations on Equis I must assimilate with. Are they humans too? How advanced are they? Will I need to learn their language? And what meaning do you put into the word ‘assimilation?” I had too many questions on my mind, so I spewed them like a machinegun, until Falda’ar stopped me.

“Wait, wait, wait! Not so fast! No, they are not humans. There are actually a lot of intelligent species on Equis. Most of them are not at all averse to other intelligent species. So there should not be much trouble for you. Just don’t tell everyone you meet that you are an alien from another world. I’ve seen my lot of such idiots around the multiverse. For some, their stupidity cost them lives, but that shouldn’t be your case.

“Of course it’s not prohibited, but look, almost everyone there is not familiar with terms such as ‘space’, ‘star system’, ‘galaxy’ and, of course, ‘multiverse’, along with everything coming together with those. You don’t want a reputation of a crazy, bald, hornless, thin minotaur, do you?” He roared with laughter. “But you still might get it, just without the ‘crazy’ part!” He joked again. “As for languages…” He held out his hand toward my head, and clicked his fingers, pointing at my head. “Those are already taken care of.”

“What do you mean? And what is a minotaur?”

He switched to some melodious language. He sounded really strange in contrast to his warrior-like appearance. After some time I’ve started to catch onto some meaning, albeit barely. “Quatis can si interstand ne, Rei? Is ti abetar noi? Don mayk thease streange faice, Reyi! You sould be able ta unerstand mi now aleady! Come on, Ray, it is easy! Oh, I finally see some intelligence in your eyes. Congratulations on learning Equestrian! There are several other popular languages in your head in case you need them. You’ll be able to learn them quickly if need arises, but I deem practicing them unnecessary. We’ll be talking in Equestrian during our stay here, so you’ll be able to speak in this language better than most locals do,” — Falda’ar chuckled, — “and about minotaurs, they are bipedal intelligent beings. Your world should have some legends about creatures anatomically similar to them with the same name, and there are not so much other bipedal species on Equis, so minotaurs should be the ones closer to your anatomy.”

I’ve tried talking in this strange new language, and by the time we’ve arrived before the gates, I have succeeded with this task. Learning and talking in a completely unknown language was freaking me out at the start, but it somehow becomes all more natural as I speak more and more.

“You mentioned the word ‘bipedal’. Are there other intelligent beings on Equis which are not — bipedal?” This thought disturbed me.

“Oh, actually, most of them are quadruped. But don’t be alarmed by this fact unnecessarily. The diversity of species will make things easier for you in such communities.”

Now we are standing before the gate with an intricate golden ornament. I turned my head to Falda’ar, waiting for his next actions. With a flick of his finger, the gates smoothly and silently slid to the sides.

“Welcome to my humble abode, Ray!” He theatrically extended his hand towards the entrance. “Make yourself at home. Oh, well, it is your home now, actually.” He laughed and led me into the courtyard on the side. We arrived before a picturesque pond surrounded by a lawn. “Let’s not waste any time, then. We do not need to eat, drink or sleep here and have to spend our limited time practically. I can show you everything else during a break. Now sit and listen to me attentively. Our first lesson starts here.” He clicked his fingers again and a pair of white chairs appeared on the lawn across each other. “It’s better than to sit on the grass.” He gestured to me to take my seat.

“Nice scenery you have around here.” I marveled at the whole cleanliness of this landscape. The lake was pristine. Of course, I understand it is an illusion, but such a pleasant one.

Falda’ar has started his lesson. “So, let me remind you that almost everything on Equis is working on magic energy, more or less, so everything can be affected by it, as everything contains it inside, animate, or inanimate. But you will be an exception to this rule. I’ve already told you before, your whole being will operate on principles of my, and now I can call it ours, aspect of ‘Life’. The magic will flow through you, but won’t interact with your body. On the other hand, you will be drawing this raw magic power from whatever source you can find for yourself, and convert it into your ‘life essence’, not leaving even a drop of regular magic inside your body.

“Now, for the time being. you will be learning the basic usage of this essence. You will be able to use it for quick regeneration, rejuvenation, ailment treatment, physical empowerment and some other minor tricks using this energy consciously. That’s for starters.

All these effects will always affect you, even if you don’t actively use your essence. At first, it will be barely noticeable, but it will grow along with you. It’s in the nature of our power, but it will be much weaker than when used consciously. The more essence you have, the more prominent its effect will manifest. Oh, and you can also use it on other living beings other than yourself.” I was listening carefully. My mind was consuming this information surprisingly well and I could repeat what he said word for word.

“Yes, before you ask anything, you may see me as a brutish warrior, but… Well, as a draconide, I’m a little ashamed to confess, but ‘Life’ is not an attribute of a warlike conqueror. While it can indeed be a powerful tool for war, you can forget about shooting death rays with your eyes or throwing fireballs with your hands.” Falda’ar chuckled. “No, it just does not work this way. Life is slow, but tenacious. It always finds a way to survive, to adapt, to restore, to thrive, and when it does, it even goes as far as changing whole continents to serve its purpose. Our power is the same, and so are we. Your power will grow. Slowly, but inevitably, like life itself. Have patience, and don’t be rash.”

Falda’ar pointed a finger at me. “As for your mission on Equis, in the beginning, there will be none, except to survive, adapt, get stronger and get to know the world, then fish out the way to contact me from your unreliable mind. Before you can do it, it is useless to even try to achieve anything. I had a bad premonition about Equis for some time already. My professional flair, of sorts. It’s not the trouble of mortals. Like wars, disasters and other trivial stuff, no. It’s something which might require my intervention in the future.” He fell silent, thinking something through.

“Don’t forget, you’re not a savior, not a messiah, and I’m not a god. Don’t let it go to your head. You are my eyes and hands in this world first and foremost. You will just get yourself killed if you rush headfirst into some powerful enemy, but I digress here. It’ll be hard to get in contact with you once you are there, but if anything critical happens, I will, despite the costs, so rest your worries aside.” Falda’ar grinned. “Yes, your death is not too critical, in case you think it is. Though it’s highly undesirable, too. I won’t be there in time, anyway, should that ever happen. I will reclaim you, without your body, of course, and it will be quite a setback for us. So try to not disappoint me, Ray, for I have marvelous plans for you.”

“So… I’m really not going to die there trying to slay some unkillable demon lord? That’s reassuring. Huh… That old lizard scared me with his exaggerated speech before! He did it on purpose, and more than once already. Damn, he is doing it even right now… Okay, it’s just the way he is.”

My train of thought was interrupted when Falda’ar continued: “Before we start our practice, there is one more important thing. The magic of this world can be manipulated by the mediator substance. Emotions. Yes, don’t be surprised. Those things often become really tangible matters in worlds with magic, some even become an alternative power source for certain beings. Equis is no exception. There might be even more complicated mediators, but we will pass on that.

“I’m telling you all this not because I want you to master these unreliable things, but to warn you about them. Strong beings can have a strong influence on living creatures around them, and you are not an exception. The power of an aspect is now a part of your being. You may be weak for now, but do not underestimate it. You will inevitably spread your influence around you, and to make things more complicated, ‘Life’, as its name suggests, affects living things directly. Yes. With minimal resistance at that. Not only will you be able to use your essence on others, you will affect surrounding creatures with your emotions, so you should be careful about those.” Falda’ar folded his hands before his chest.

“If I simplify and make it succinct, we both, and this world too, have a positive energy foundation. Emotions, too, have their own spectrum. Let’s take hate for example: this emotion is a pure negative, toxic to us, toxic to Equis itself, and toxic to literally any living being of this world, especially if they are projected by the likes of us. So, if you become full of hate, you can guess what the result will be like.” He pointed his finger at me with a serious face.

“And you can’t control this process; the energy around you will be constantly converted by your emotional state, gaining the properties of those emotions into a sort of aura. It can have positive effects on living beings around you, but it can be otherwise. So, make sure you don’t become a source of disaster with your emotions, keep them under control. In time, you may learn to project them on others, inducing, for example, fear. But don’t get too carried away. Fear, while being a natural thing for living beings, is still on the negative scale. You should not use it often, or your body and energy structure will start to deteriorate.” He made a pause to let me sort out this information.

This is an important piece of info, but it’s a bit too complicated for me yet. It’s just hard to understand it until you actually touch those matters, but I’ll keep this in mind.

“Do you remember my prank when we first met? When you were so frightened that your face turned white? When I laughed, it was exactly my passive projection of emotions. You calmed down quite fast, didn’t you?” Falda’ar had a smug face, probably very proud of himself for the fact he almost made me shit my pants.

I thought for a bit and replied, “Yes, I did. It was indeed a strange occurrence to me.” I paused, thinking about his idiotic joke, and finally added, “It was a moronic joke, mind you!”

“Ha! Whatever, at least you entertained me. It’s hard to stay alone for tens of years straight. Well, just keep emotions in mind and don’t make a mess in the future!” He touched his chin with his fingers, looking at me appraisingly while pondering. A predatory smile formed on his face.

“And now, we’ll begin our practice!” he said, staring at me, trying to see if I’m ready, then continued. “This practice will comprise energy control and manipulation, as well as some basic analysis techniques with the use of life essence. And, most importantly, combat practice! Physical one! I, as a Draconide warrior, cannot allow my apprentice to be a weakling and a pushover! I’ll shape you into a decent warrior! Not an elite one. This will waste too much time. I doubt your human body will be capable of that in the first place, at least at the beginning. A regular warrior training will do for now. At least you will not put a shame on me this way and will know from which side you should hold a weapon.” He looked at me with a serious face.

“For now, your combat training will comprise basic techniques with various weapon types, not too extravagant: swords, maces and axes of various types, spears, knives, hand-to-hand combat, a bit of practice with the shields and… Bow and crossbow techniques will do. No need for training with something like firearms or more advanced toys, I guess. If they have any by now, it would be a rudimentary tech. With this basic training, perhaps you will reach the level of a recruit over some years. A weak, green recruit, but a draconide recruit at that.” I had an awful premonition about the dangerous glint in his eyes and a smile full of sharp teeth.

At this moment, I felt the time speed up. Torrential flow of memories was flooding my mind. One day, three days, week, month, I lost count. There was no end to it. The memories came fast and were neatly ingrained into my memory, leaving structured layers of knowledge and images of my many mock battles with Falda’ar and other simulated opponents inside my mind. The sensation of time became twisted. I could no longer perceive its passing. In the end, the process ended, and I returned to my peaceful slumber.

“M-m-m-m-mh…” I stretched my arms. “Such a pleasant sleep I had… Looks like it’s time to wake up.” I muttered, still in the grip of sleepiness. I opened my eyes. The time of day was undeterminable inside the armory. I felt dizzy once more, like after the previous ‘flashback’, but at least this time my head does not ache. After focusing my eyes, I noticed I had waves of faint yellow light rolling along my whole body from time to time with a soft and warm sensation.

“So, now my ‘life essence’ is working on my body even without my interference? Good for me, but as a result, I’m hungry like a wolf now,” I said and thought about my third day in this damn jungle.

First, I need to have a meal. The remaining half of the chicken will do, lest it’ll get spoiled. I grabbed the chicken and went outside. The sun was already high in the sky. I spent some time eating, cleaning my place and washing my clothes. While at the lake, I looked at my reflection in the water again.

“Holy! I definitely like what I see now!” Now I looked like a man somewhere around forty with little wrinkles. My eyes are clear, with the same bright green, and my gaze is sharp. A stark contrast to even yesterday. I scratched my smooth head, the hair still had no signs or growing back. While I don’t look bad like this, I’m just too used to having it. The overall look was appealing, more or less, but I’m not an expert on men’s beauty. For this, I’ll need to ask some girls — who apparently do not exist here…

“What a disaster…” I sighed after giving out a hollow chuckle. “Now we’re talking! I finally remembered about the existence of women, and I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse under my circumstances.”

Giving one last look at the water surface, a revelation dawned on me.

“Falda’ar! You old lizard! My face now has a similarity to yours!” I shouted. The similarities are fleeting, but they are still there. More narrow head, more angular face and sharper chin. I checked myself again. “I just hope I won’t grow scales!” But I didn’t find any of the sorts.

“Phew! False alarm, but, well, I won’t argue, his face has quite an imposing look. It can’t be too bad. I hope he won’t ask me to call him dad or brother now, huh?” I joked to myself to liven up my mood. Subsequent inspection showed that my physique was moving in the same direction, resembling this tough draconide warrior, but this is good, honestly, especially in this jungle. I have a feeling my height increased somewhat, but I’m not sure about that, although I still had my constitution on a thinner side. It will remain so for some time. I lack enough food and time for such drastic changes. Those constant flashes of hunger are getting bothersome, to be honest.

I left my clothes to dry and returned to my tree for ‘charging’. This time I decided to not experiment and do it with my old passive method. I felt my ‘life essence’ was low on reserves. It must have drained when I was sleeping, spending it on my healing. After the process was done, I had nothing to do, so I took a bath in the lake and waited for my clothes to dry and fruits to ripen. By the way, there were a whopping three of them this time. I’ll have some in store next time I return from the forest, so I left the remaining ones on the tree.

I was going to go explore other sides of the jungle around the lake today, not going too deep to avoid large predators. I ate one of three fruits and started my preparations for my little expedition.

I was out on the hunt, searching for those chickens inside the jungle not too far from the lake. Around an hour had passed, but I did not find any wildlife. Well, I’m glad I did not meet any predators, but it seems they avoid getting close to the pyramid and the lake, but lesser creatures seem to not mind walking in the surrounding forests.

Suddenly, my eyes detected some movement on the right; I turned around, but found nothing there. I stopped and changed my grip on the spear, readying myself for combat, my hands clenching the shaft. After surveying the surrounding forest with my eyes and not finding anything, I resumed my stride, staying on high alert. After some time I'd detected a shadow, which flashed between the trees, from the corner of my eyes. I heard a muffled, vibrating, rustling noise from that side. Snakes? Insects? This part of the forest is a bit too dense. I need to move to the area with bigger trees, then my vision will not be obstructed this much.

I ran to the right side where the older part of the jungle was. After a minute, dense bushes and vegetation around me were changed to towering ancient trees. It was very dark down there. The crowns of these enormous trees absorbed most of the sunlight, but I had a clear view and an open space, so surprise attacks won’t work. I stopped and listened to my surroundings. The sounds of foliage in the wind and my heartbeat were all the sounds I could hear, but then I detected the same vibrating rustle.

“Where? From above? Shit!” I panicked for a short time, but then composed myself. I need to do something to protect myself. I backed and stood in my improvised combat stance for defense from above, spear pointing upwards at an angle.

I saw three black creatures flying out from the branches and foliage of an ancient tree. The sight was weird, to say the least. It was their wings that produced this vibrating rustle. Semi-transparent insect-like wings. I could not discern their wings’ form while they were moving, but I think I’m not far from the truth. Their whole body was covered in some mix of thick skin and what looked like chitinous plates, colored in yellow. Their form was quadruped. If I had to compare them to something… I’d probably name them a mini version of nightmare horses from the myths, insect edition. Also, their size was much smaller and shorter. They will probably reach the height of my chest at most if they stand on the ground, excluding horns and fins.

As for their muzzles, those were short, with quite decent fangs protruding from their upper jaw, giving them a predatory look. These creatures should be capable of stereoscopic vision, judging by the eye placement, and those were yellow and seemingly compound, just like those insects have. They were still protected by eyelids, the ones mammals should have, which created a contrast with their insect-like eyes.

“What weird creatures!” I muttered to myself. “What are they up to?” We were looking at each other in this position, trying to understand what the hell we see before us. The creatures started a series of clicking and hissing noises, pointing their appendages at me and each other. While they were at it, I was inspecting them more thoroughly.

On their heads were single jagged horns, each with its own form, deformed, like something corroded them. Behind the horns, they’ve got a long leathery fin, going down the back of their necks, stretched on spikes protruding from the spine. Behind them, they had a rather short, black, fin-like tail of the same black color. On their backs was a pair of yellow plates, not unlike elytra, typical to insects. But that should not be the case. Their wings were out, but the plates were tightly pressed to their bodies. It must be armor of sorts. Their overall body was covered with matte black skin, and I doubt it’s made of chitin. It would’ve prevented them from such a free movement and it looks more like a thick skin without hair.

Their legs were another story. What seemed to be hooves on their ends were riddled with rather wide holes, some of which were going through the whole limb. The holes were concentrated on the lower parts of their legs, with some located a bit higher. What a strange anatomy! And the same holes could be seen in their fins.

“So, what happens now?” I said to myself and backed off, one step at a time. They don’t look friendly. Their constitution is on a slender side, so they will most likely lose in terms of physical strength to the current me, but they are flying creatures and probably agile. There are three of them versus a single me. I won’t take a gamble with my life. Better stay defensive and not provoke them unnecessarily.

At this moment, a horn of the one in the middle lit up. It was surrounded by some sort or muddy yellow aura. Its eyes also began to glow, and I felt a light sensation of wind around my head. The creature’s horn and eyes dimmed, and the creature produced several series of hissing and chirring noises, obviously agitated. Then the horns and eyes of all three of them did the same thing. A heavier tingling sensation came on top of my bald head, prompting me to scratch it. The eyes of the creatures narrowed, and they moved to surround me from three sides. I held my spear before me, turning it to the ones which were getting too close intermittently, shouting profanities in my native language at them, hoping to scare them off with my angry voice. After some time, the one that previously seemed to be in charge hissed and landed before me, out of range of my spear. It continued hissing. A thin and long yellow tongue, which was split into two at the ends, danced in the air before its muzzle. It made a step towards me.

“One more step and it will be your last, you insect bastard!” I roared at the end of my lungs, while my primal rage flared up along with adrenaline, readying me for a bloody struggle. I’ve made a quick thrust to show them I’m serious about that, while still trying to keep another two in my sight. Out of my new weird habit of mixing languages, thanks to Falda’ar, I shouted the first part in equestrian, but whatever. This had a drastic effect on the creature. It had abruptly jumped back and flew back into the air, rapidly ascending and hissing at its companions.

They gathered together and disappeared in the foliage above. The sounds of their transparent wings have faded and the surrounding jungle turned tranquil again. I don’t know how dangerous they are, but I better keep guard and continue on my way. The last thing I want to see is an entire pack chasing after me, in case they have gone to call their friends, so I hurried away.

“These creatures do not look like those ‘locals’, albeit their actions seemed somewhat intelligent. I hope it is not them who I should ‘assimilate’ with! They somewhat creep me out with their behavior. And they don’t talk…” I pondered while on my way. “Should I go looking for more chickens in some other part of the jungle?” I said and changed course to the little river I saw yesterday. Haven’t explored that area, I was wandering along the river for some time, noticing some small fishes were living there.

“Where there are small fish, there will be bigger one. I should check the lake. Maybe I’d be able to hunt myself some fish with my spear.” I thought. “There is nothing of notice along this river. Should I turn back? Getting inside the territory of some predatory beast may spell a disaster for me.” I remembered that manticore and turned around, walking back to the lake. My return trip was uneventful.

I was resting at my place while cursing my bad luck in hunting. More animals should live farther in the forest, but predators are there too. I’d rather become vegan for a while and live off my tree than die from some manticore!

Having eaten my last two fruits, I was thinking about what to do in the second half of the day. Having decided to explore the forest to the right side of the lake, I began my preparations. But before that, I should experiment with my essence for a while. My gut feeling was telling me that my reserves were still far from low at the moment. I sat on the ground near my tree and concentrated, remembering the needed knowledge for manipulating ‘life essence’ in the right way. I’ve set my goal in a general empowerment of the body; it can assist me greatly in a hunt and an escape when needed. I should no longer neglect this procedure. This is already a second dangerous encounter in the jungle.

Finally, I’ve released the stored energy from inside my chest, feeling the main bulk of it was concentrated there, putting my still undeveloped energy channels under strain. The energy started flowing towards my muscles, lungs, and circulatory system, filling those with more ‘life essence’. My entire frame bulged a little, the result of an inflow of blood to my muscles, making my skin slightly redder. I stopped the process as soon as I felt the first signs of energy drain. My manipulations should provide my muscles with needed elements, make my lungs more efficient and also assist my movements in a form similar to local ‘magic’. It will last approximately till the sunset, I hope so, which is good. While I still had my thin frame, my looks must be somewhat imposing now, for a human.

I roared with laughter. “Well — that — feels good!” Joy filled my soul from the senses my body was giving me at this moment. Truly wonderful! Strong! Filled with explosive energy! I’ve never felt like this, even in my prime, when I used to work out a lot. I picked up a thick branch from the ground and snapped it in half with little effort.

“Damn! This is way beyond my expectations, but I still better avoid getting spotted by the manticore. It’s the real boss of this forest. Well, off we go!” With a spear on my shoulder, I resumed my little expedition in an energetic stride hoping to hunt something edible.

Charging the tree was postponed for later. My ‘life essence’ was already rather drained from my body, and I’d get weaker if I continued.

Circling around the lake, I found an outflow stream running out of it. The stream was around 10 meters wide and should be shallow enough to cross it, but I’m not fond of the idea of getting soaked at the moment, so I walked along it. Gradually, the stream became broader and broader, until finally, it turned to a natural swamp, with pools of different sizes along its flow.

“Damn! I swear I saw an alligator’s back on the surface of that pool.” A little more observation revealed that there were indeed alligators living in the area, some of them of exceptional size. “Well, there is nothing good waiting for me here, even if I’m strengthened with the essence. Fighting these creatures in their natural environment is very dangerous, and their meat is most likely bad, only their hides are of value.” I concluded, went back and turned in the last unexplored direction, to the right of the lake, approximately somewhere to the south.

The forest, in this part, was noticeably darker. The trees here were older, with lots of deadwood, fallen rotting trunks, mottled with fungi of acidic colors. Thick overbrush here and there was also complicating my navigation through the forest. Bird chirps were rare, and the buzz of insects almost disappeared. The forest ground had much less grassy vegetation, so the traces of animals on the ground were easier to spot. And, indeed, I found the tracks of some herbivore animals and, more importantly, chickens!

“Here comes Ray, angry little bastards.” I said with a grin on my face. It looks like there is more than one chicken around. I tried to follow seemingly more fresh traces, but the task was not easy. I was losing the trail frequently, but I persisted in my efforts. A distant sound of a snapping branch distracted me from my search.

“Hm-m-m-m, who could that be?” I mulled under my breath, readying my spear and going closer to one of the large trees to hide behind it should the need arise. A familiar rustling noise came from above the treetops.

“Those creatures again? Do they hunt someone on the ground?” One of those black creatures flew by at high speed just under the branches of these colossal trees. It did not notice me and flew along. After some time, the clamor continued not far away from my position. Curiosity got the better of me at this moment. I crept to the place where the noises were coming from. A strange picture awaited me. It seems it was the same three black bug-horses, but they had surrounded a — deer? So, they are hunting a deer. The deer was rather small, even smaller than these three. It was in panic, running from one side of the encirclement to another, but the agile movements of flying bastards did not allow it to escape. They were gradually cornering their prey.

An abrupt, high-pitched, laugh-like howl interrupted the whole action. Then was another one, and another one from the other side, until the entire forest from one of the sides was filled with a cacophony of laughing howls.

“This is bad… I better get out of here fast.” But it might be a little too late already. From one of the tree branches, something jumped at one of the three bug-horses and tried to bite it in the neck, its attack off the mark by a bit. The trio quickly reacted by flying up and turned to flee with all their might, flying under the tree branches, not daring to fly higher, as they heard the howls from above their heads, coming from the treetops right above them. Active movements of numerous creatures were visible inside the foliage.

“Whatever shit this is, it can chase its prey even on treetops!” I thought to myself in panic and quickly rushed back in the direction of the lake, but the abundance of obstacles along the way was not playing in my favor. A few rips appeared on my jeans, along with bloody scratches in those spots. Seems my strengthening trick is not giving me much in terms of protection. I heard horrible howls, seemingly moving in the direction to where the trio flew; the pack was chasing them.

“It seems I’m safe for now.” I said and slightly reduced my speed, trying not to scratch myself again or stumble. Suddenly, the deer I had previously seen rolled out of the bushes before me, as it had tripped on the run. The deer landed right on my path, panic in its eyes. It looked battered and had its leg injured. It had two fangs protruding from its upper jaw. I thought it was cute fleetingly, but it’s not so special. We had similar animals back on Earth.

Immediately after I heard the same hellish howl right behind me, my hair would stand on end… if I still had it, that is. I twisted around, ready to swing my spear, just in time to see a freakish black creature the size of a medium dog jump at me from the tree trunk with its large maw opened. I continued my movement and made a horizontal sweep with my spear, but the hellish dog was too close already. It received a blunt hit from the shaft.

The hit had enough force to swing the damn thing aside by several steps. While it was on the ground I tried to finish it off with the stab, but the creature had insane agility and could get up and throw itself to the side, a glancing blow from the blade left a long cut on its hind leg, crippling its mobility. It retreated out of sight immediately, but how many of them are still around in hiding?

From the corner of my eye, I saw another one. It tried to attack the deer with a bite to the neck. Seems their favorite tactic is jumping on their prey, preferably from a blind spot. While I cared little for the deer’s life, it was still a splendid opportunity for an attack. I made a quick swipe at the sneaky bastard who was still in midair. The blow left a gash on its chest despite the low force of my blow.

“Those things are like roaches!” I snarled in anger at the fact that it still could move and got out of my reach. A few more of the creatures appeared nearby, three of them encircling me and the unfortunate deer. “There may be more in hiding… Shit! I’m in deep…” This time I had a good look at the black bastards. With crooked backs full of hard bristles, and a completely black body, resembling that of a thin dog, with a long muzzle, full of long sharp teeth. Their bodies were too flexible for a dog, their claws and paw structure allowed them to climb the trees and jump long distances easily.

At this moment, I had to go into defense. Those beasts started circling around me, with occasional attempts to bite me. One beast lost its patience and jumped from the front, trying to bite my feet. The damn thing was welcomed with a deep stab to its ribcage. “This one is done for!” I shouted, throwing it to the side and off the spear. But while I was at it, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my left leg. “Which fucker bit my leg?!” I roared in rage. Two more of the creatures appeared in my sight, a little farther. Loud rustle from the bushes told me that there were more around.

“You damn shitbags, I’ll murder you all!” I shouted with a growl. Adrenaline kicked in instantly, numbing the sense of pain, but my leg was now limping. Blood was dripping from my torn jeans, staining my boots and the ground below. Their teeth were made for inflicting heavy wounds, despite their modest size.

Rage surged inside my mind as the survival instinct kicked in. My essence started to work on stopping my blood loss, but the process was rather slow. I roared and lunged at the damned thing, no longer caring about other ‘dogs’, my anger clouding my rationality. The dog tried to retreat after a bite, but the spear was faster. I cut its neck by the blade of the spear, and I instantly felt more pain, this time in my right side. The damned creature instantly backed off after it bit me. The beasts were using hit-and-run tactics to weaken and slowly bleed out their prey. It played in my favor, as they didn’t cling to their victim like a vise, though the injuries were still heavy.

Another dog tried to bite from the left, but I knocked it off its legs with a blunt side of the shaft, and then kicked it in full force with my boot. The dog rolled away from the blow, whining along the way, and then disappeared in the bushes. My side was bleeding, but not that bad. The coat has helped me to dampen most of the bite.

To say I was enraged is not to say anything. This was an unfamiliar state of mind for me, but it was there nevertheless, and I could hardly control it. The ‘life essence’ inside my body unconsciously activated and started saturating my cells, quickly stopping my bleeding.

“Uo-o-o-oh!!!” I gave out an inhuman howl as I ruthlessly started my attack on the black dog, which bit my side. The dog just stood there, trembling, looking at me with a horror in its eyes, like it just saw a demon from the very depths of hell. My spear did not stop. It pierced the offender from the top and nailed it to the ground. The spear tip sunk deeply into the soil and, with a sharp snap, the old shaft of the spear gave in and snapped in half in a small burst of wooden chips. Other dogs were standing in place in the same shivering state and then abruptly turned to run away. Their loud whining and howls were getting farther by the second.

My body relaxed and dropped to one knee near the fallen dog. I was heavily breathing and huffing. The pain returned, and on top of that, my head had a splitting ache now. Pulling out what was left of my spear, I stood up, full of vengeful desire to kill and rip apart those who attacked me, but they were already gone. There was my blood all around the place mixed with the blood of the black dogs. My essence must have already stopped the blood loss, as I was no longer bleeding out.

“So, today, I will still live.” I said through gritted teeth, while trying to steady my breath. “Good…” I exhaled and slowly surveyed the battlefield. The deer have caught my attention. I slowly walked to it. It was shivering, like those dogs did. When I got closer, the shivering only intensified. It even tried to cover its head with its front hooves.

“Aren’t you acting too humanlike, deer?” I said in my native, mostly to myself, my voice seething with anger. Who in the right mind will talk to a deer, after all? My rage was still dissipating, but this sight quickened the process. “Should I just kill you and have some deer steak today?” I raised what was left of my spear above the deer. At this moment, it was looking me in the eye, and a strong unpleasant feeling formed inside my heart. “So?” I sighed slowly, noticing a stream of tears flowing down the deer’s eyes. “You will still die from all those injuries you have, anyway…” the deer had a horrible bleeding gash going through the hind leg. Its artery must have been torn.

I stood there for a minute or two already, in hesitation, while life was slowly leaving the unfortunate deer. I made a deep sigh and filled my lungs with air.

“Fuck it! Just… Fuck it!” I threw my spear to the side with substantial force and put my hand on the deer’s injuries, stopping its bleeding, at least for now. “That’s all just excuses! I don’t wanna do it… Can’t make myself kill it... Never again will I try to force myself to do something I would hate myself for later. No need to lie to myself, I can go without a steak, I guess…” I’ve transferred a bit of my raw essence to the deer to keep its life. This action calmed down the poor thing and put it into a deep sleep.

“Well, alright, I’ve saved the critter… Now what? A pet deer?” I criticized myself for being impulsive, but I really did not feel bad about my decision nevertheless. It was… not the same as with that strange chicken, and I always had a soft spot for cute animals. “Then a pet deer it is! But before that, I have to do another thing.” I walked to the corpse of one dog and tried to sniff its meat. My sense of smell was boosted to some degree, too, and this meat was — bad. Terrible.

“Blegrh!” I almost retched. These things must have carrion in their diet for sure. I threw the corpse away, grabbed the deer, and started walking back home. My trip was peaceful, but took much time because of the rough terrain of this forest, and my still aching injuries.

“Damn! This jungle is insane. I barely survived and need to find a way out, or I’m finished. It’ll happen sooner or later if I stay here…” With these unoptimistic thoughts, I made my trip back.

I rested at the tree, cleaned the deer’s injury and treated it with life essence. I had almost collapsed there from draining most of my reserves, but, by now, I was already restored slightly. At least not feeling sick.

“Why did all this weird shit happen? I did not move ‘life essence’ by my will at that moment in combat.” I was pondering the strange state I was in that fight.

“Was it rage? Was it this strange effect of emotions Falda’ar warned me about? One unfortunate mistake and I’d be dead.” I thought about those things while I was walking up to grab the helmet with pure water from uphill.

Yes, this must be the case. There are no miracles in this world and everything follows the laws of this world. Falda’ar taught me that rage and aggression are tools of nature, that my ‘Life’ attribute is easily susceptible to it, and while it can give me strength, the price can be high too. Carelessness and clouded mind are this price, and then, if you cannot stop, there comes the hate. And something is telling me I will have to face it one day. It’s a little frightening when I remember how much the rage affected me. The hate can do it too. It will give me great power at the price of my life-force, at the price of my sanity, like a narcotic. “This little deer… it actually helped me unknowingly. It helped me to wash away my rage, and at least for that, I’ll help it in return.” I made my decision.

I’ve checked the condition of the deer. It seemed stable, so let’s make a minor break to ‘charge’ the tree first. This time I made it by directly infusing the essence. Light green mist condensed around my hand and descended onto the tree. It seems the color is mainly green when I’m working with plants, and light yellow for living beings. Interesting. Three flowers bloomed this time, with little effort from my side, showing how much I’ve improved. I smiled at this. This simple event now can brighten my mood. What a stark contrast with my old life. Living on the edge really can change perception.

I switched my attention to the deer. The gash was made with a claw. It was moderately deep, but long. The deer would have already died of blood loss if not for my field treatment. Having washed away the dirt which got into the gash, I did not care about the possible germs. The essence will effectively kill all of them later, but the dirt and all foreign bodies have to be removed. I had to check inside the gash with my finger and wash it all away, opening the wound again, but that had to be done.

After that, I stopped the bleeding again and searched my mind for the right technique for usage of ‘life essence’. Yes, search. The memories obtained from Falda’ar are eidetic. I just need some time to remember all the details and it’s impossible to forget anything. Will I ever have this powerful memorizing ability in real life? That’s a pointless question, for I don’t know.

I extended my hand towards the little deer. Wisps of glittering bright yellow sparks started to flow out of my hand in a smooth and slow manner, descending onto its body. I went with full-scale restoration in case there were inner injuries present. The deer has many bruises along with the wound. The process was slow, and I was getting tired. The wound was fully closed by now, but its body was still accepting my essence for some reason. That’s weird, it’s not supposed to happen. Were its injuries worse than I thought? Well, I’ll just continue and see what happens. After another fifteen minutes or so, the flow showed signs of saturation. The body of the deer began to glow faintly in the same mild yellow light. After another five minutes, the transfer stopped, leaving me panting for breath.

“You little bastard. Drained me dry.” I said with a smile, but still was bewildered by the strange glow which only intensified, and then, with a flash, a flame-like wave of greenish color rolled slowly on the surface of its body, transforming the deer into something else entirely along its way.

“The fuck?!” I shouted in surprise. What lay before me is a form of that — bug-horse. Its armor color is, surprisingly, electric blue, a rare color in nature, but not uncommon for some insects. Its size is noticeably smaller and its body much thinner, like it starved for a long time. Also, its hooves and even lower parts of its legs resemble a thick net more than actual appendages. Its horn looks so corroded it can be called a thick gnarled wire.

“M-m-m-m-mh.” I had nothing more intelligent to say and just scratched my head, sitting in place while observing this strange creature. “What have I got myself into? But there is no going back.”

I was just sitting there, watching the sun go down, waiting for my supper to ripen. I was in a relaxed mood despite this strange event, but not sleepy yet. And now I remembered I was still stained by all the blood. The jeans were in an awful shape, a T-shirt had a row of holes from the teeth, the coat had it worse and my boots will need washing too. I didn't have time for it today, so I moved the bloodied clothes to the storage and went to the lake to wash away the blood from my body.

“My wounds are almost gone, but the blood loss will hinder the process of restoration tonight for sure. I even feel weak now because of it and also because my essence is drained. Now I’m going half-naked again, great… If this continues, I’ll have nothing to wear soon.” I lamented my ripped clothes and returned to the tree where the bug-horse was still sleeping.

“Ah-h-h…” a content sigh escaped from my chest as I lay on my back with hands behind my head looking at the setting sun, “Such a refreshing evening. Some music here would be nice, and an armchair, with a glass of something which is not just water…” I closed my eyes, thinking about those nice little things. Time passed by in a slow pace while I was having my moment of peace. The tension from today’s fight slowly disappeared. I was lucky today, the main part of the pack was distracted by those three, otherwise it would be my end. When twilight finally descended, the fruits were already ripe, but one of the three looked different.

“Is it — for this creature? Yes, it must be. These two white ones are what I usually eat, and this purple… I think it’s for my new… pet?” I was not pressed for time, so I ate my white ones without hurry. The weight of each exceeded a kilo by now. That’s — impressive, but not as impressive as my new appetite. I’ve eaten both and am still feeling alright. Feeling great, actually. If I compare it with the living corpse I was at the moment of arrival, the contrast is astounding. By this time, the effects of my strengthening were wearing off. I did not feel any negative effects, it’s just… feeling weaker was now weird. It’s easy to get used to being strong. Going back creates some psychological discomfort.

With a thoughtful tone I proclaimed: “Power corrupts,” — and chuckled a little. “Well, it’s time to get inside and take this being with me.” I carefully grabbed this bug-horse and walked uphill. Its weight did not change. Around fifty kilos, I suppose. I’ll spend some time at the bonfire in the altar room.

I left the strange being on the floor and pulled my bed from the storage room, then left it near the bonfire and moved this bug-horse onto the bed. The fire was ignited with some trouble, but finally I sat on the other side of the bed, looking at the dancing flames. There was no fear of the being lying by my side. It was weakened and most likely feared me to death, because I was — a bit inadequate back there. Alright, alright. Very — inadequate. And bloodthirsty. Also, I broke my spear like an idiot while raging, not that I don’t have a spare.

Time flew by, sounds of even breathing of the creature by my side and crackling of the burning wood was filling the room, soothing my mind.

After some time, I felt a movement from the side. I turned my head. The being began to wake up, it seems. It slowly opened its compound eyes. Their color was even brighter than its back armor, very beautiful. Wait a second… It’s fake! The facets are fake. It’s a regular eye with a pattern of facets on its surface. The pupil is there, with a slightly different color, but it’s clearly visible up close. How unusual. The creature finally registered my presence in its mind, and abruptly rolled onto its belly, still lying on my bed. It covered its eyes with its hooves, but that action didn’t help much, as there were just too many holes in them. The little bug-horse started shivering while still looking into my eyes.

“Please don’t kill me!” I heard a very quiet and weak female voice…

…

… my mind returned a critical error at this moment. I was just staring into — her — eyes for a few minutes straight. The voice was feminine. It talked in equestrian. Yes. It... She. She talked. Damn it! I have almost killed a sentient being for no good reason… And a female at that… For a fucking steak no less! My redefined mind and soul was rejecting this possible event. Should have understood it earlier and not raised my spear at that moment, but my state prevented me from seeing it. All subtle signs of her being intelligent were there. I’ll be smarter next time, or I better hope there will be no next time.

“So, you can talk, after all?” I finally said with a sigh, stopping my galloping thoughts forcefully, but she continued to shiver. I sighed again and, as I was sitting just next to her, and lightly stroked her head between her ears, avoiding the fin. She twitched at my actions a little. “Why are you so afraid of me? Well, I can guess… But I don’t mean any harm to you. As you can see, we’re in a safe place, and I even healed your wounds.”

“... Y… Yes, I can talk…” she said timidly. “I… I don’t know what to say… You saved me… Thank you. I thought my end had come when shadow hounds appeared.” Her speech was getting better.

“Shadows hounds? That’s how those accursed things are called?”

“Yes, how can you not know if you are here, in the Forbidden Jungle?” She asked quietly, still nervous about the whole situation.

“I’m new around here, actually, but I’d be really happy to get out of here. It was not my will to get stuck in this horrible forest.” I stretched.

“So that’s why…” she drawled. “I… I still can’t calm down, those vile hounds…” Tears appeared in her eyes, quiet sobs filled the room. What should I do now? Damn! Was it too much for her psyche? Well, she may be of a weird species, but I know from Falda’ar, she must be not much different from us humans in terms of intelligence and feelings, so I don’t need to hesitate too much. She needs support.

I carefully took her in my hands. She did not show a negative reaction to such actions. The bed was low and my posture was not very comfortable, so I just put her beside me so she could lean on me. She hugged my waist and closed her eyes, her head pressed down to my chest. She continued to sob quietly. I was lightly stroking her head to help her calm down. What weird things I’m doing lately, but I should no longer judge everything from my old human perspective, I guess.

“Those things ran away, and this place is safe. We’re alive and healthy. There is no need to cry.” I said while stroking her back, looking at her transparent wings, which lost their form and looked battered from all the holes riddling them. They were vibrating slightly with every soft stroke I made, and her body had noticeably relaxed. She could not fly with such damage to her wings, most likely.

“I know”, she quietly answered with a mild sobbing voice. “You killed those vile hounds. Serves them right…” She said with a grudge. This phrase of hers elicited a smile from me.

I thought about how we should rest here tonight. I don’t want to sleep on the cold stones again, nor do I want to force my new acquaintance to do so… Well, the bed is large enough. It’s just…

“Well, we should rest for today. We both are exhausted and still recovering from injuries. My bed is a little bigger than needed for me alone, so you can sleep there too, if you don’t mind my presence. I don’t have any other conveniences here. I won’t hold you if you want to leave, though.”

“No!” she replied rather loudly and in a hurry, which puzzled me. “I’ll stay! With you. O-on your b-bed…” Her voice has gone rather quiet at the end of her sudden outburst.

“Huh? Lady, why do you have such a strong reaction? Aren’t you afraid of me?” I was a little puzzled.

“Do you even need to ask? I’m a changeling! And you are literally giving me a feast of your own will right now. Naturally, I’m not afraid anymore. I was just too scared when I woke up and was in a panic, and… And I did not notice your…” She did not finish her sentence. Her sobbing had long gone from her voice. Her eyes were glistening with a bright blue sheen.

“Care to explain in more detail?” I raised my brow. “I don’t even know what a changeling is.” We were still hugging one another, and she seemed very content with this fact.

“Changelings feed on emotions, partially. We need common food for our bodies, but our magic nature is twisted. We cannot draw magic from the surrounding flow. We can only do so with the help of emotions we — procure — from others.” She looked into my eyes, seemingly awaiting some negative reaction, but could not see any, to her surprise. “You don’t hate me?”

“Any good reason I should?” It was a very unexpected question for me.

“Everyone hates changelings because of that. They fear us and they even make up various nonsense about us! Like our blood is green and some things even worse than that, like that we eat ponies…” She told me, her voice indignant. She fell silent for a while, and then continued: “But, overall, our reputation is well deserved. We, changelings, often capture other beings to drain them of emotions forcefully, weakening them greatly. In our hive we never kill them. Other hives should not do that either. We’re just dropping them off near some settlements while they are unconscious.” She thought for a while before continuing. “I’m actually on the run from my hive. They found me just before those hounds attacked. I’m sure I’m considered dead by now. This will put me out of trouble for now.”

“Why did you run away?” I was surprised at this revelation.

“It’s a long story. I’m a drone, the lowest member of the hive, made for hard work. Our minds are suppressed by the queen. Drones rarely talk, using signals like this for communication,” — She produced several series of various hissing and chitterling noises, “Along with rudimentary telepathy. We are forbidden from learning the language from the hive mind.”

“Hive mind? But you seem to talk without any trouble.” This is getting more and more interesting by the minute.

“Yes. The memories of the past generations of changelings. They are incomplete, but vast. True changelings can access these memories freely, but drones are restricted by the queen’s will. True changelings are the queen’s entourage and personal guards. Our hive is small, so there are just seventeen of them there.” She started pondering. “Drones can evolve into true changelings, adults, which can have their own children, after they reach 20 years and meet some strict conditions. If the queen allows them, that is. Most drones stay suppressed and forbidden to have any offspring all their lives, but I’m an anomaly. The queen’s influence on me is weak, somehow, and my color is not yellow, but blue. I’ve long had access to most hive memories, but I got discovered and forbidden to leave the hive ever since.”

“So, what will happen if you leave your hive for good?” I asked her in curiosity.

“Nothing bad should happen to me now. I was always starving in my hive. Emotions, I mean. Those I managed to get there were barely sustaining my existence.” She said in a sad voice. “I should try to sever my connection with the hive completely, so they will never find me again.”

“And what happens if changeling can’t get enough emotions?”

“This happens!” She held out her hoof before my eyes. Numerous holes created a net there. “The lack of emotions depletes our magical structure in our bodies, and it starts to consume our physical bodies from within, burning them as fuel for our magic system. Until we die...”

“That’s cruel. Seems you were starving for a long time, were you?” I said with concern.

“Yes, I was,” she said, her face sad. “Emotions which my hive specializes in are not very suitable for me, and I couldn’t find much in my hive, as those are produced by intelligent beings only, and most of them exude only fear, sadness and despair instead, when caught. That’s what my hive ‘eats’, but it’s unsuitable for me, I can’t absorb those. My hive is located too far from any settlements, so there are almost no intelligent ‘prey’ to catch on my own, like other changelings do in other hives.” She sighed. “Animals can be a decent substitute for my hive, but not for me. The entire jungle is filled with emotions of struggle and fear, so my kin feel good living there.”

“Oh, that’s — complicated… Another question I really want to know the answer to…” I asked quickly, “Why were you looking like some wild deer and why didn't you just fly away? Are your wings damaged?”

She blinked her eyes several times. “You really do not know about changelings, don’t you?” She smiled for the first time. Her mimics… It’s too humanlike. “Well, that’s our magic specialty — mimicry, elevated to the absolute by the strongest of our kind. They can even copy an aura of their target. But mine… is not so good, I was easily recognized by my hive. And wings… Well, you can see for yourself.” She lifted her sorry wings to better show them.

“I see. Well, I’ve seen no changelings around my place, and beasts don’t show up here either. So, no one will find you here by chance.” I said reassuringly. “What was that about the feast I’m giving out to you?” I inquired. I just could not understand what she meant exactly.

She giggled at this question. “Silly you! You are like a furnace of emotions which I like at the moment. I can’t even think about draining them from you by force, nor would I dare… There are so many of them around you. I’ll just pop if I try to absorb all of them. That’s why I said so.”

I laughed in realization. It seems I lose nothing by ‘feeding’ her. “Then Bon Appetite! You can eat however much you want if you mean the emotional aura around me. I should be fine.” Isn’t it the thing Falda’ar was teaching me about? This aura will be created by itself, by converting the surrounding magic flow, and the flow is endless as long as there is magic around. That means she likes my current emotions, but I can’t say what emotions I emit currently, at least no negative ones. Then she must like the positive. I need to be careful of those ‘hives’, lest I become their food source for years to come.

“Thank you. Can I… ask you something?” Her voice turned shy again.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your name? And who… what are you? I’ve never seen the likes of you, and I do not know of your kind either,” she asked me with a mild voice. By the time she calmed down, her voice returned some liveliness and volume to it, no longer raspy and quiet. It seemed a little deep, not that of a young girl.

“My name is Ray. Life Ray is the full name”, I said my name in my native language, Falda’ar said it was alright for me to introduce in this manner. His name is similar in this regard, meaning something in his own language. He came up with the ‘Life’ part after explaining that in magic worlds, the name can alter your state, making you stronger or weaker, and this one, ‘Life Ray’, was suitable for Equis. I was more than okay with just ‘Ray’, but ‘Life’? He knew that it sounded stupid and that I didn’t like it one bit, but he said the folks around here will never know the meaning if I don’t tell them myself, excempting me from feeling myself like an idiot.

“Oh, how unusual, but it sounds nice.” She commented in a somewhat cheerful voice.

“Huh… nice, she said, well, whatever, it’s good she likes it,” I thought. “And as for who I am, I’ll tell you another time. It’s a complicated and long story,” I said, after some hesitation. “And your name?” I returned the question back. Her face suddenly saddened.

“I don’t have a real one yet, just an alias, like other drones, and the hive will no longer provide me one, as I will never go back there, hmph!” Her sadness was replaced by a bit of anger and stubbornness.

“Even so, what should I call you?” I insisted.

“I was called just ‘Blue’, I guess you can see why…” she said with a wry smile.

After thinking for a while, she added, “I never liked it! Just imagine someone will call you ‘Pink’, or ‘Beige’. You get me, right?”

“I guess.” I smiled and pondered. “Despite that, is there any name you would like to use? I still have to address you somehow. Well, don’t be hasty with choosing your name. You can think about it later.” I said my thoughts. She turned silent for a time until finally opening her mouth.

“Alright. Then call me Blue, for now… I’d like a name which would emphasize my special color, but not simply Blue.” She gazed at me.

“Changing topic, you must be hungry.” I gave her the fruit. “Here, take it, it’s a fruit, very nutritious, but be careful about the big seed inside. It is very dense.”

“What is this?” She took it with her hoof; the fruit somehow remained stuck to the surface of it. Seems this is the reason they can live without fingers. Interesting. She sniffed the fruit and took a bite. “M-m-m-m-m… Yummy, thanks!” She ate the fruit rather quickly with a smile on her face.

I was shamelessly looking at her while she ate. What? It’s time to leave those human superstitions, in the name of survival, and science, yes, science, I say. Her mouth had fangs, but overall, her teeth structure was closer to omnivorous, so we might like similar foods. This will simplify things in case we decide to escape this jungle together. She was throwing me glances while smiling.

By now I had no fear of falling asleep in her presence. The same applied to ‘Blue’ too. I moved her to the side gently and lied down on my back on the other side of the bed.

“Good night, Blue!” My tiredness hit me like a rock. She quietly lay down on her side.

“Good night to you too, Ray!”

It was not long before she pressed her body against mine, but my mind was already in a haze of a coming slumber. Ray out!

Author's Note

Revamped on 02 Sep 2022, bringing it in line with the ovehauled chapter 1 and 2.

Chapter 4 - The World Never Stands Still

Canterlot Royal Palace, the day of the incident, Princess Luna’s royal chambers.

In an exquisitely decorated circular room, Princess Luna was lying on her bed, deep in thought, her eyes looking up at the ceiling which was painted in a pattern of clear night sky, her gaze unfocused. Her starry mane spread across the sheets, making her look mysterious and tantalizing. A sight many of her subjects would be ready to die for, metaphorically.

“My sister just left me alone in the castle again, while she herself does something interesting…” Luna let out a slow deep sigh. “I won’t get any sleep today, but I’m an alicorn and can stay awake for three days straight without becoming too exhausted. Why does she treat me like a little foal who needs care? Not that I don’t like her attention, but sometimes she goes overboard. It’s decided then!”

She got up from the bed, put on her royal hoofwear and diadem, straightened up her hair with a slight flash of magic, and walked onto the large balcony from her room. She spread her dark wings and took to the skies, heading towards the town of Ponyville.

She did not care about ministers and other administrative and guard staff. Those ponies will be thrown into a panic in the absence of their royal rulers for sure, but she did not care, nor did she like all those bureaucratic things, anyway. “They should learn to act on their own and not rely on my sister and me all the time! Why does she still tolerate having to manage every single petty problem of theirs? And those greedy, useless aristocrats! Hmph!” Those were her thoughts on this problem at the moment. “And now I am going to do something more interesting than holing up at the castle!”

Ponyville, Castle of Friendship, early evening.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was in her room alone, enjoying reading a new book on advanced long-range teleportation theory she had borrowed from Royal Archives, writing some notes on a parchment with her telekinesis, without even taking her eyes off the pages. Puzzled, contemplating looks could be seen on her face from time to time. Light breeze from an open window caressed her dark, sapphire blue mane which was emphasized by a singled raspberry and purple strands. It was a pleasant season of late spring. The air brought traces of flower scent with it. Time was flying by as she was immersed in her studies.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shadow flash by her window. “Rainbow dash?” she asked, while still reading the book. But then, white color filled her sight behind the pages of the tome. With a loud click of her royal golden hoofwear, Princess Celestia landed before her, having entered right through the window.

My eyes widened in surprise as slight panic filled my mind. “No! No! No! My room is messy! Did I forget some of her assignments? No, it can’t be. I always note those down! Then why is she here?!” Those thoughts rushed inside my head in quick succession, throwing me into a slight panic.

“Hello Twilight! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in person for so long already! I have missed you!” said Celestia.

With all my nervousness and chaotic thought rushing inside my head, old habits kicked in. I performed a bow, the one a loyal subject should perform before their ruler.

“Princess Celestia! Welcome! I’m doing fine! And I missed you too!” I blurted. My mental state must be obvious from the first glance and Celestia has noticed it, naturally. With a wry smile on her face, her hoof touched her forehead, and she shook her head lightly with a small sigh. She seemed a bit saddened by my too official greeting.

“Just Celestia will be fine. You are a princess yourself, and I am no longer your official mentor. Can’t I just visit my best student I ever had casually, without that pompous royal etiquette? And I entered from the window, mind you!” she said in a soothing voice, and slightly giggled after the last sentence. I jerked at this realization. With a wry smile appearing on my face, I pressed my ears backwards and let out a short laugh. Celestia continued, “We probably should continue our talk in a more relaxed atmosphere, right?”

“Ah! Of course pri… err… Celestia! Let’s go to our dining hall and have some tea!” Oh, how silly of me to forget about such simple things. Naturally, I should welcome Celestia at my castle properly, like a dear guest.

“What a wonderful idea, Twilight!” Celestia agreed with my arrangement. She was visibly happy to spend some time in my company. This actually makes me happy too. I walked out of the room, followed by Celestia.

Having seated the Princess at the table, I excused myself for a minute and left the room.

“SPI-I-IKE!” I called my assistant dragon. Was I too loud? Soon enough, I heard his running steps. Spike was disheveled and had a sleepy look.

Spike made a wide yawn and asked,“Ya-a-awwhat’s the emergency, Twilight?” Seems he was napping again, but that’s alright.

“We have a guest! Princess Celestia!” I answered. The reaction was instant!

“No way! The Princess! Oh, I should go greet her.” The dragon became a little agitated. His sleepy mood was nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, and please be so kind and make us some tea, the finest one! Oh, and also, please bring Starlight Glimmer along; you two will join us in the dining hall.”

“Sure thing, consider it done! And of course it would be the finest tea anyway. You don’t have to mention it. Who do you think I am? Hmph!” His voice was energetic and a bit grumpy.

“My best assistant?” I said with a smile.

“Exactly!” he said in a proud voice, straightened his spikes and hurried to offer his greetings to the Princess. I returned to my seat across Celestia. Spike already disappeared into the kitchen. She resumed our conversation.

“I see you are still dedicated to learning magic deeply, even with your extra responsibilities as the Princess of Equestria. Please, don’t push yourself too hard, I worry for your wellbeing!” Celestia said with concern in her words. Ah, she still cares about me like in those years I was studying from her personally… I should not upset her!

“Oh, that’s all right, C-Celestia!” It was still hard for me to call her just… Celestia, but I’ll still try to call her by the name if it’s her wish. “I’m doing fine, really. There is no need to worry about me!” I tried to reassure her.

“I’m glad to hear that, Twilight! But of course I did not come to you just for a simple friendly visit. At this moment I should be still working in my palace, but today, it can wait.” I was surprised by what she said. It’s really rare to see the Princess abandon her current duties at the palace and do something else, coming to my castle in this case, and it seems she made it by herself without anypony accompanying her. It must be something important. My brows were raised unconsciously.

“What could that be? Something serious has happened?” I said in a concerned tone.

At this moment, the doors of dining hall opened, and Spike walked in back from the kitchen. “I’ve made some tea and prepared some desserts. Will the cakes do?” he asked in a joyful voice.

“Of course they will do, Spike. Cakes are the best dessert! Thank you!” Celestia answered in a kind voice.

“Well, the tea will need some time to brew. I’ll bring Starlight meanwhile!” Spike said and walked out of the dining hall. I was conversing with Celestia about my everyday life and asked her questions about the happenings in the palace.

Spike has finally returned with Starlight in tow. She was lagging behind him and was obviously distressed about the meeting with the Princess. Well, that’s understandable, considering their past relationships, but now everything should be fine. I must help her get over it. Spike walked to the table and took a place to my left. Starlight performed an official bow and exchanged greetings with Celestia; she then proceeded to the table and sat on my right.

“Oh! The tea must be ready by now! I’ll be right back!” he said energetically and quickly trotted into the kitchen.

We were interrupted by the sudden knock on the doors. Then one side of the door has opened, and Princess Luna appeared before us.

“Oh, hello everypony! Excuse me for intruding without invitation, but the doors were unlocked. And it’s too boring for me to stay in the castle all alone!” she said joyfully. At this moment Spike came out of the kitchen with two trays in his hands, with a tea set and desserts.

“Hello, Luna! Your visit was unexpected, but I’m glad to see you at my place!” I was honestly surprised, but I was still happy to see her. I felt it was easier to converse with her casually, maybe because we both are junior princesses.

“Hi, Twilight! I’m happy to see you again too!” she spoke and smiled at me.

“Princess Luna! Greetings! I’m glad to see you in our castle!” Spike said grandly. He somehow performed a bow while still holding both trays. Starlight Glimmer followed suit and performed official greetings too. She was so tense she was almost shaking already. The appearance of the second Princess has added to her stress.

“Princess Luna! It’s an honor to see you!” said Starlight with shaky voice, her face were tense, she was trying hard to hide her uneasiness from the Princess.

“Oh… you should not do it so officially. This is a private visit after all.” She said mildly and moved to the table, choosing the place near her sister. This easygoing attitude reduced Starlight’s stress.

“Right! I’ll go get another cup!” Spike said promptly and disappeared into the kitchen to fetch another for Luna. It was not long before he returned. “Just a second!” he put the cups together, poured the tea for everyone and delivered cups filled with tea to everyone at the table.

“Thank you, Spike!” said Luna. Her gaze moved to Celestia. “And here I was thinking you were doing something important, my dear sister! But I should not be surprised, as the importance of the cakes is quite high on your list!” She giggled. “And now you’ll have to share them with me again!” A sly look appeared on her face.

“Ha-ha, Luna, I was not expecting you coming after me, but it’s fine if it’s what you desire! You did warn the palace staff, right?” she asked with a smile while seeping the tea.

“U-u-uh… no?” Luna said with an innocent smile, her eyes looking up at the ceiling. Celestia covered her forehead with her hoof for the second time in the last hour. It could soon become a habit if this continues. She spoke again after a deep sigh.

“Please, Luna, tell them next time. Well, I have forgotten about it too. They will manage, somehow, until we return.” Celestia has finally dropped this matter.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you every time, sister. They should do those trivial things by themselves. You should concentrate on something more substantial than some puny territorial disputes of the aristocrats and other meaningless things.” Luna said with a serious face and thoughtful eyes, articulating with her right hoof, all while stealing a piece of cake from her sister’s plate, with a fork held by telekinesis.

“I know, Luna, I just can’t…” with a pondering look and a hoof under her chin, she finally noticed what her sister was doing. “Ha-ha Luna, you are doing this again while trying to pretend you tell me some serious things! What a foal you are!” she chastised her while laughing. All others present in the room were silently watching this scene in amusement. Spike could not hold it any longer and laughed out loud, followed by the muffled laugh of Twilight and nervous giggling of Starlight.

“Sorry, your Highnesses! I just couldn’t…” Spike’s speech was drowned in another fit of his laughter.

“Spike!” Twilight said with a loud hissing voice, frowning at his lack of respect for royalty, while trying to hold her own laughter in. The resulting look on her face with a twitching brow just made Spike to laugh even harder. Starlight just covered her face with her hooves and was shaking lightly. Spike was just too hilarious.

“All right, my little ponies, let’s talk about something else.” Celestia finally put a stop to all this chaos. She had a contented face. Luna’s antics and the reaction of others made her happy. Celestia rarely took part in conversations which had that atmosphere of freedom and carelessness with anyone except her own sister. She valued such opportunities to socialize with her former student and other acquaintances in a casual atmosphere.

“You must have already guessed that I did not come to spend my leisure time with you, albeit I really enjoy it!” As Celestia continued, everyone in the room fell silent, harking. “Around an hour and a half ago, I and Luna detected a magical anomaly somewhere to the south. The disturbance this event made in the magical flow of Equis is tremendous, but not harmful in any way, contrary to how it often happens when magic goes haywire inside some artifacts, so I ruled out the detonation of some powerful ancient artifact. We have no other conjectures yet.” Celestia narrated. “Twilight, Starlight, did you, by any chance, sensed something weird at the time?”

Twilight’s eyes, glittering with unbridled interest, instantly dimmed, and a saddened look appeared on her face. “I-I’m not sure…” Twilight was worried about her inability to detect the said magic disturbance in the overall magic flow. “I think there was something, but I was too immersed in that book you’ve recommended, so…” Her voice was obviously upset about it.

“I felt nothing at all. Sorry, your Highness.” Starlight Glimmer answered in a downcast voice.

“Oh Twilight, Starlight, it’s fine, you don’t have to worry about that. Your magical sensitivity is just yet unable to perceive the frequencies this magic anomaly was acting on. I could not pry much information about this event, too.” Celestia answered in a soothing voice and calmed down their uneasiness.

“You mean a magical resonance frequency we cannot perceive with our horns? Is it even possible?” Twilight had her burning interest back.

“Yes, exactly that, the resonance frequency to manifest this event was no less than… a million Swirls. I know it’s out of boundaries of common magic knowledge. We have some theory books which describe the possibility of it. It’s just… Let’s say it’s out of our abilities to prove the theory right. At the very least, such spells will require the power of five mature alicorns, but we have just two and two more which are too young yet. Not counting the complex magic diagrams enhanced by the rare gems.” She said with a wry smile on her face. At this stage, Twilight’s eyes became the size of saucers, her mouth agape. She lost contact with reality for several seconds.

“This is fascinating! And why didn’t you tell me about those books earlier?” Twilight was too elated. She even forgot about her usual etiquette problem when conversing with Celestia. “We must research this anomaly as soon as possible!” Twilight proclaimed with a determined face.

“That’s exactly why we are here, my dear Twilight! You and Starlight will assist us in locating this magic anomaly. While it did not bring harm to Equis yet, we can’t say it is safe for sure.” Celestia said calmly. Twilight was apparently happy with this turn of events, and she also piqued Starlight’s interest.

“Do you have any feasible method in mind?” Starlight asked. “I just can’t offer any working method to register such high frequencies.” While immersed in this scientific conversation, Starlight finally lost most of her wariness towards the Princesses, her mind working on the problem at hand.

With a serious bearing, befitting a being with millennia of experience, she started her explanations: “Yes, we have a way of doing it, but it will require three alicorns to power everything up. Magic resonance frequency triangulation method, tuned to detect magical traces. With such power of the anomaly, I’m sure we have no less than a week before the trace vanishes. We will work with three connected magical diagrams. The main magical diagram will be in your lab, connected to your devices. Those will help to process the data we would collect and pinpoint the location of the anomaly. You will work with this diagram, while Starlight will help with the devices, and I hope you, Spike, will assist them!” She turned towards Spike. “Twilight cannot do everything alone here.”

“Of course I will!” Spike said proudly, his hands folded before his chest.

“Then, the second diagram will be in our palace in Canterlot. I will manage it myself and the last one… Luna, sorry, but you will have to work in the open field.” She said, looking Luna in the eyes with a pleading look. “We need to create an equilateral triangle with our magic circles.”

“Alright, sister, you always send me to do the most ungrateful work.” Luna sighed, but did not argue. She knew too well that her sister will be overwhelmed with work in the palace after three days of skipping it, and her little expedition will be just a hiking trip compared to what awaited her sister in the palace.

“Please, take a small troop of your night guards to set up a camp and take care of your needs while you will work on your part of the ritual, Luna.” Celestia said with an apologetic look on her face. “I think we should finish our preparation by the day after tomorrow. We will activate the spell at midday. And this is for you two.” She looked at Twilight and Starlight, then put several magic tomes on the table. “These books may seem thick, but you will only need information about those diagrams we’ll be creating, so there should not be any trouble. And here,” she quickly scribbled something on a parchment with a feather she produced out of thin air, “this is a list of gems used in this magical diagram. Don’t make any mistakes when placing them.”

Twilight grabbed the books with her telekinesis, with fire burning in her eyes.

“Twilight! Don’t waste your time on reading irrelevant things and concentrate on your task! You can read those books after the ritual is complete, if you want!” Celestia said sternly. Twilight made a short giggle with a fake smile, pushing her ears to the back of her head again. Celestia knew her former student all too well, including her bad habits, and she got her red-handed right at the moment she just started to have those thoughts.

“When we start up the ritual, we will have a stable connection between us three and will be able to communicate freely, and even help each other control our magic, so you should not worry too much about failing. We will help you, Twilight, trust us.” Celestia said and looked with her gaze across everyone at the table. Twilight, who felt tense about her upcoming mission, visibly relaxed, and a determined look appeared on her face. Spike nodded his head in agreement. Starlight was silently contemplating with a puzzled look. “And, Starlight,” Celestia addressed Starlight, interrupting her deep contemplations and causing her to flinch, “you will find everything you need in these books too. If you encounter any problems, please send us a letter with Spike’s help! This is important!” Celestia offered her help to Starlight, making her feel more confident.

“Yes, your Highness! I will do my best!” she answered, having princess’ support gave her more confidence. She still had conflicting thoughts about it, but she won’t refuse Celestia’s help.

“Well then, we should start on our work now; send me a report tomorrow evening. If we’re out of schedule for any reason, we will postpone the ritual.” Celestia said and got up from her seat. “And thank you for the tea and desserts. Those were just perfect!” She thanked her hosts together with Luna and got ready to leave.

“See you later, guys!” Luna said. She was quite content with herself for being able to get rid of her old habit of using old royal speech style. Now she could have true friendly relations with her acquaintances. Maybe she will become genuine friends with someone one day. At least Celestia hoped she could, after a whole millennium of solitude.

Having seen them out, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike returned to the main hall.

“It’s so unusual! This anomaly seems so unique!” said Starlight Glimmer. “I just can’t imagine what we might find there! I’m excited!”

“Right, Starlight! We should not fail this ritual! We must start reading those books right away!” Enthusiasm was overflowing from Twilight Sparkle.

“Books again!” Spike commented in a grumpy manner. “Just give me that list of gems, and I’ll go check the storage. And give me a key for it!”

“Alright, Spike, but you are not allowed to eat the gems from this storage. They are all rare and expensive!” Twilight said sternly.

“But Twilight! Those are the most delicious!” Spike said with a pleading tone.

“No means no, Spike. Here is the key.” The key floated into the hands of Spike from the magic locker on the shelf, surrounded by purple aura.

“Alright, alright, I know this is important, so I will not mess things up, but you owe me some treats!” Spike answered to her quietly, and left for the storage. Twilight and Starlight giggled lightly, Twilight shook her head at Spike’s behavior and they have gone in the library's direction. Their work began.

Time flew by. Twilight, together with her student, was studying everything about the ritual: theory, magical diagrams, the use of gems for focusing magic flow and powering up secondary circuits. Starlight had to learn the methods of working with measuring devices too and their connection to the magic circuits. Poor Spike was exhausted with incessant requests to find specific books and materials. Everyone got tired by the end of the day, but they were sure they can start working on the magic circle tomorrow.

Ponyville, Castle of Friendship, 3rd day from the incident, half an hour before midday, Twilight’s laboratory.

“Twilight! We are checking all this stuff for the tenth time already!” I heard Spike complaining again about my checkup. But I just can’t leave everything to chance. We have to find every potential flaw in our diagram and devices.

“Alright, Spike, this will be the last time, I promise!” I answered to him. He must be really bored by now. I understand him, but we must do it properly. I was checking the last items on my list. Everything seems to be ready.

“I’ve finished checking the devices. All connections are in place, all the gems are charged.” Starlight reported with tiredness in her voice. We were working really hard yesterday, and we lack some sleep today, but this should not affect my magic power for the ritual.

“Alright! Everything is checked and should be working fine on my side! Turn on the devices. Let’s test them.” I’ve finally decided to start the entire process.

Starlight’s horn lit up, infusing her magic into the main power gem. The gem lit up, and strands of magic lit up the conductive channels of the devices, slowly powering everything up.

“The power is on and stable, Twilight, I’m turning on the devices now!” Starlight gave her report. With a shaking hoof, she toggled numerous switches. Magic machinery came to life, lighting up a multitude of screens and panels, exuding a soft low hum.

“Alright, can it record everything in real-time?” Twilight asked. She did not have time to delve too deeply into the workings of this equipment in relation to the diagram. She was somewhat ashamed of it, but the time was tight. She could not do everything by herself.

“Yes, it should, at least everything that is important.” Starlight’s inner tension has subsided, as everything was going smoothly. I sighed before starting on the most critical part.

“Alright, powering up the main diagram now!” I stood in the center of this magic circle, surrounded by the most complex diagram I ever made, or seen, in reality, not in the books. My horn lit up, and I started concentrating on four magic gems around me. My magic flowed from my horn into the gems with ever-increasing power. Not even a minute has passed, and my horn is already looking like a blazing magical fire, but then abruptly dimmed. By now, the gems were giving out a steady white light, powering the autonomous part of the diagram. “Seems the first phase is complete. Now we are waiting for the Princesses to do the same on their side. Did we start too early?” I asked a rhetorical question.

“Well, it does not matter that much. It’s almost time, anyway.” Starlight replied to me while looking at the wall clock.

At this moment we were interrupted by… Luna’s voice?

“Hello! Can you hear me? Anypony?” Seems we’re right on time!

“Luna! It’s Twilight! We can hear you loud and clear!” With no idle chatter, I said that we were ready on our side. We are doing serious research here, after all.

—“Good! Then we only have to wait for Celly…” but she was interrupted.

“Hello, my little ponies! Celestia is here!” Celestia’s mild voice resounded from the magic circle. “I can see you have done everything properly. Twilight, Starlight, I’m proud of you two! Oh, and of course of Spike, too!” Spike puffed out his chest with a boasting countenance, putting his hands on his hips. “Should we start then? Are everypony ready?” Celestia’s voice turned serious.

“Yes!” I and Luna answered simultaneously. I’m getting nervous. Oh, hay! I should calm down!

“I will lead and control the ritual. Focus on supplying your magic energy evenly. Do everything as written in the books, and everything should be fine!”

“Alright, Princess Celestia!” my tongue slipped, and I called her title again by the old habit. No! It’s not the time to think about such things!

“Then I’ll start the countdown. We will start at ‘one’. Thee… Two… One!”

I’ve activated my magic as per books. My horn instantly became a blinding violet star. The magic diagram started to consume and funnel my magic power into complex magic circuits. Bright magic started to illuminate the conductive paths of the diagram gradually and followed the lines we’ve drawn in a mesmerizing light show. The intensity of my magic power flow was rising in a steady tempo. It was already going on for several minutes. I levitated in this dense magic field as gravity disappeared inside the diagram. A column of bluish-white light was beaming upwards from the magic circle; it should be already visible far outside the town, shining into the sky, as physical obstacles should not impede its passage by much. Even my eyes shone with white light. I must look a bit frightening from the outside by now. I can see it from Spike’s reaction. Celestia’s voice interrupted my wandering thoughts.

“Stay focused, Twilight! I’m connecting our diagrams now!” Celestia said in a stern, commanding voice. I’ve never heard her use this tone! She is really serious now! I must not fail!

The diagram shone even brighter. Small streaks of whitish-blue electricity bolts appeared along the magic conductors intermittingly, flashing all across the drawn lines on the magic circle surface, with loud crackling noises, creating a disturbing sight. But this should be normal. Suddenly, I felt my magic increasing in intensity. I’m closing in on my limits!

“Starlight! Set the frequencies on one, three and seven millions Swirls now!” Celestia commanded.

“Got it!” Starlight manipulated the devices with quick movements. “All done, Princess!” Her answer was short, and she had a focused look on her face. “This is madness!” she whispered quietly under her breath.

“Good! Get ready, Twilight, we’re finally there!” Celestia gave her final alert.

At this moment, the whole diagram lit up with blinding white light. Now I could see nothing but white light. The light beaming up from the diagram should look almost solidified from the outside! My magic consumption broke through the roof; it was way beyond my limits! Was it the help Celestia and Luna were talking about? It must be! I’d never be able to give out this much power by myself! I felt our magic resonated with insane speed and intensity, spreading all over the land, far beyond the borders of Equestria, seeking something, which was similar to its own properties. A minute later, we got a response to our magic from somewhere far away. That’s it! It should be! There is no other known magic with such properties.

“Luna, Twilight, I’m concentrating our magic on the location of this resonance! Starlight, keep an eye on the measurements! We should miss nothing!” Celestia commanded, and started the final phase of the ritual. I was already feeling bad, I’m almost exhausted! We need to finish this quickly or else…

“I’ve locked on it. Increase the power output now, the location is too far and we’re lacking magic power!” Celestia’s voice had a trace of nervousness by now. I tried my best to provide every single bit of my remaining magic power. Seems Luna and Celestia are doing this too! The intensity of magic flow became insane; I heard some weird crackling and chipping noises from our devices and the diagram itself.

“No! The gems! The gems are starting to crack and magic power channels are already melting, Celestia, Luna!” I shouted in panic.

“Then we’ll go all out! At least we will get more information this way!” shouted Luna.

“I agree.” Celestia gave a short answer. “Hold on, Twilight!”

Then the whole magic construction flashed like a sun, held out for around ten more seconds and with loud booming and crackling noises, along with jingling of shattered gems, came to a halt, its magic channels dimmed and went out. The devices in the laboratory were in a sorry state, some of those emitting strands of smoke from within.

“Did we… fail? Did I… fail?” I uttered in a whisper. I was lying on the floor on my belly, my legs spread in a star shape on my sides, my cheek lying against the stone tiles of the floor, and I had no strength to get up. Tears rolled from my eyes. Was it my fault? Was I too weak? I’m pathetic!

“Twilight! Twilight, are you all right?” I saw Starlight’s face before mine, with a frightened. “We did not fail. At least not completely, so don’t be upset.” She tried to calm me down. But really, did we?

“We didn’t fail? What a relief…” My mental breakdown seemed to cease. I still had neither strength nor the will to stand up. “Please give me a few minutes. I’m exhausted and my magic is drained almost fully…” I had no more strength even to have any coherent thoughts. My mind went blank, and a dreamless sleep consumed me.

“…light? Twilight?” I heard a voice calling my name. Ahhh… where am I? Still in my lab? Oh, no, seems I’m in my bed. Was I carried back to my room by Starlight? I tried to open my eyes; the sunlight from the window forced me to squint. It seems the Sun is already setting down. Finally opening my eyes, I saw Princess Celestia before me, looking at me with her kind gaze.

“You are finally awake, Twilight! You did well! You really did! But now, you are exhausted and need some rest, so just listen.” Celestia must have known I thought I failed the whole ritual. “The ritual was not a failure, it’s just was not supposed to channel this much magic power. The conductors and gems could not hold for long, so I and Luna overloaded the entire system at the end. This way we could get more information, at the price of destruction of magic diagrams and equipment, but those were on the brink of destruction already, anyway.” Celestia explained to me.

“…and what results did we get?” I barely had any strength to ask her. Celestia had an unreadable expression on her face.

“Well, not exactly the results I hoped for, but at the same time we’ve detected nothing bad or dangerous, too. There were two splashes of magic power. The first one was of sheer magnitude and somewhere between three and three and a half million Swirls in frequency. It came from the sky, but we could not find any trace of the source. Nothing at all.” Celesia propped her cheek with her hoof.

“The second one was on the ground, at the same place. Its power was rather weak, but the frequency was an astonishing 7 million swirls, or more. Some very intricate spell of unknown nature should’ve been at work there. I doubt that anyone in this age can achieve it, seriously. I’m puzzled by these results. There were no traces of actual spells. It’s like the energy was accumulated, prepared for casting a spell and… vanished into nothingness! It should be impossible, but even so, it’s the only results we have.”

I was thinking about it for some time, but was too tired to produce any working theory.

“What about the location?” I asked.

“Somewhere in the Forbidden Jungle, Twilight, on the western half of it. The location could not be more accurate than that.” Celestia said with a sigh. The location was indeed troublesome, to say the least.

“Beyond the Big Macintosh mountain range? It’s not surprising we had to use so much magic…” So far away… “Should we go on an expedition there?” I suggested. “Ah, I’m so tired!” My eyes attempted to close by themselves.

“Rest for now, Twilight. We will talk about everything tomorrow. I’ll be returning to Canterlot now. Have a good rest.” Celestia leaned closer and kissed me on a cheek, and then left my room. “WHAT?” My cheeks went red, and I didn’t know what to say. She did it in the exact way she does with Luna sometimes. “Does she see me as her family?” I sighed. “I’m too tired. I’ll think about it another time.”My eyes closed, and again, I was embraced by calm, sweet dreams.

Canterlot Royal Palace. Late evening of the same day. Royal dining hall.

Celestia and Luna were having their late meal. Luna returned from her outdoor expedition recently with her guards, and Celestia was waiting for her to come back to have a meal together. They both were tired from all the magic expenditure they suffered today, so they were not very talkative at this moment.

“Celly, what will we do next?” Luna asked in a tired voice, her eyes wandering across her plate. She was languidly manipulating her fork with telekinesis and picked her food, her eyes half-closed.

Celestia sighed. “I don’t know, Luna, we should probably organize an expedition to that location, but it will be useless to send our army or some unicorns from the magic academy. They are just not up for this task. One of us should go for sure; Twilight and Starlight should go naturally, along with Spike, for easy communication. So, because Spike’s ability is currently sending letters to me only, the one who should go is you, Luna, if you want, of course, but let’s not talk about it today.” Celestia’s countenance was not expressing anything in particular. Her overall tiredness was the cause. She had to control everything in this ritual, and even cover up for Twilight’s lack of power, so she held the main brunt of the ritual. Her magic was drained almost to the same levels as Twilight, but their difference in power kept her from collapsing on the spot.

“Yes, sister, this is the only logical decision I can see… I’ll go, but not tomorrow. We all need a good rest, and preparations should be done too. Please give your orders to the palace staff about this tomorrow.” Luna’s regular joyfulness was nowhere to be seen. She had a stern, tired and somewhat sad look on her face. After all, she too, was an ancient being with countless years of experience, albeit a decent part of those experiences were not positive. An ancient sorrow could be read in her eyes.

Luna compensated her lack of positive experiences in her life by being cheerful and mischievous. It was not her ‘mask’, it was her original, old personality, that surfaced back after her return from the Moon after some time. But now, she temporarily reverted into her indifferent, melancholic state, caused by her sheer tiredness. It pained Celestia to see her like that again; she still blamed herself for harming her sister, imprisoning her on the Moon for a thousand years. Celestia was inundated in these thoughts for some time already. Her eyes were unfocused, but still turned in the direction of her younger sister.

“A thousand of years spent in consciousness, poisoned by hate. Unable to get out. Unable to speak to anypony. Unable to eat and drink anything but pure magic and magically produced food and water. Unable to even breathe, for there is no air on the Moon! Surrounded only by endless rocks and dark, grey dust, embraced by the endless bitter cold! What is it, if not torture?! Why did Elements of Harmony misfired? Why the hate inside my sister was not destroyed, was not purged? Instead, the Elements of Harmony tortured her body and mind for a thousand years! Why? Where is the Harmony in it? Were her wrongdoings that horrible? Was it even her to begin with?” Celestia could not get any answers, though.

Her eyes glittered and teardrops rolled down her face. The barrier holding up her usually suppressed emotions crumbled under the weight of her magic exhaustion, letting them all out.“And who was the one responsible for her sufferings? It was me, and I still am!” Celestia was voicelessly crying, no longer aware of her surroundings at the moment.

“Sister? Why are you crying, sister?” Luna’s worried voice returned her to her sorrowful thoughts.

“Ah? Oh… it’s nothing, Luna, it’s… nothing…” Celestia could not give her a straight answer, but her tears continued to run down, her voice quiet and hoarse. “I’m sorry, Luna! I’m so… sorry!” She whispered, her tears becoming an endless torrent.

“No, sister! You promised me not to blame yourself anymore! It was the Elements, not you!” Luna sighed, walked to Celestia from the back and softly covered her sister with her dark wings, hugging her with her hooves. They stayed like this for a few minutes before separating. Celestia’s tears stopped falling down from her mild magenta eyes; Luna carefully wiped Celestia’s face with a napkin with her magic.

“It’s all right, sister!” said Luna finally soothingly, “But we should no longer trust those things blindly. We should treat the Elements of Harmony as a last resort; except for the cases we use them on complete villains, of course!” Luna smiled at her sister.

“Yes, you are right, Luna!” Celestia finally calmed down, being distracted by Luna’s words from her own melancholic mood. “We, alicorns, become too emotional when we have symptoms of magical exhaustion…” She sighed, slowly shaking her head.

“Oh, by the way, I’ll try to check the dreamland around the Forbidden Jungle tonight. Maybe somepony have seen what happened there, if anypony lives there at all. I know there may be some small pony villages at the edges of the jungle, but I’ve never checked if it’s true.” Luna made a suggestion.

“Oh, good idea, but don’t have your hopes too high. This event is just too unusual, Luna.” Celestia said with a smile. “You never give up, aren’t you, sister?” she asked with a hint of joy in her voice.

“Ha-ha! I’m the same as you! We are sisters, after all!” Luna’s mood returned to her joyful state. It warmed Celestia’s heart.

“Of course we are, but we should go to rest now. But will you get enough sleep if you go scouting at the jungle’s dreamland?” Celestia asked in concern.

“Well, if I’m not trying to cover all of Equestria with my sense of nightmares, I’ll be able to scout this territory while my body sleeps in peace. Our citizens can manage a single night with a bit of nightmares. By the way, I rarely find a true nightmare, most of the time our citizens are scared by some trivial things, so it should be safe. Of course, I’d like to guard the dreams of our little foals, but I’m just too drained to stay on guard all night this time,” said Luna with a wry smile. They talked on the way from the dining hall until they reached the crossing in the hallway.

“We all are doing what we can, Luna. Today, we have to rest. Have a good sleep!” Celestia said to support her sister.

“Good night, Celly!” Luna replied and started walking towards her royal chambers. Celestia looked at Luna’s figure walking away for some time, then turned around and navigated to her own chambers. The hallway went quiet.

Forbidden Jungle, current time.

I was running wildly through the dense, dark jungle, escaping. Twilight already descended onto the land, making the jungle dark and gloomy, but still allowing some visibility. I had many cuts and scratches on my body, but I didn’t care. Hysterical laughing howls resounded all around me from all sides, even from the treetops. I could see their silhouettes between the branches and bushes. The shadow hounds. They have found me again, the whole pack! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!! I won’t get away this time!

I ran for a few more minutes, until stumbling into a bunch of those beasts, blocking my way in every direction. Some of them started to close in. Three monsters jumped at me at the same time. “Where is my weapon? Damn, sure, I’ve broken it like an idiot I am! This is it? The end?”

The surroundings blurred all of a sudden; the forest shifted and waved, the accursed dogs became just formless splashes of smoking black ink and entire parts of the surrounding landscape crumbled like shattered pieces of stained glass windows.

“Is this… a dream?” I breathed heavily with great relief. “So lifelike. Nevertheless, why am I still sleeping? Where is this? Time for a meeting with Falda’ar? Seems like that, but where is our palace?” A somewhat familiar black void was surrounding me at this moment, where I could see only myself. Well, I’ll just wait then.

The surrounding void shifted, slowly transforming itself into something else. “Well, this is not how it usually happened. Strange.” My sight and mind became muddled for a moment. I found myself in a dark… room? A rather familiar room. My room. That’s my room inside my home on Earth! I navigated easily in the darkness to the light switch and flicked it on. What I’ve seen before me was exactly my home as I left it on that day, when everything happened, but I’m sure it is… a memory? It must be. It’s very similar to those with Falda’ar, but why do I see my home? Whatever, maybe he has planned something unusual for me this time? Oh, and while I wait, why don’t I indulge in some little pleasant things of my old life? Excellent idea!

I turned on a relaxing music on my sound system and went to the kitchen to get some snacks and, of course, some booze! I looked into my cabinet where I store liquor. Ah! There it is! A present from my old friends, a bottle of whisky. An expensive one! I’m not sure the taste will match the contents, or if it will have any taste at all, but I’ll try, anyway. I poured myself half a glass, added some ice from the fridge and prepared for my chill-out session on the sofa. The smell told me it was a real deal. Yeah, just what I need after all this stress in the jungle! If Falda’ar comes, we’ll drink together before we start with our training again! I’m sure he won’t refuse my offer. I made myself comfortable and enjoyed my unexpected visit to my old home.

“M-m-m… bliss!” I told to myself while relaxing on my sofa, sipping from my glass from time to time, relaxing music washing away my worries. I could even get slightly tipsy in this illusionary place. It was night outside. I shifted my sight to the window, the curtains were folded to the sides, opening a night view from on the night city. I was living on the seventeenth floor, so I had quite a decent sight on the cityscape below. It was illuminated by the lights of your regular big city. Some will find this beautiful, others will loathe it, knowing what really lies beneath this colorful façade. Well, I cared little about such things, but the view is pleasing to my eyes. My hand moved to grab some snacks when I heard some noise from the hallway. Is he finally here? Well, I’ll just wait for him in the room.

I heard the sound again, this time it was louder. Someone is knocking on my door? “U-u-uh! Coming!” I rose from my sofa and walked to the door. As I was walking to open the door, I started ranting about Falda’ar’s terrible sense of humor.

“Falda’ar, your pranks are getting weirder as time passes! Couldn’t you just enter by yourself and…” I spouted my discontent at Falda’ar as I was opening the door, but my mind stopped processing my thoughts for a few seconds when I finally got my eyes on my visitor. My gaze shifted to the otherworldly landscape behind the door, then returned to the being before me. “Er-r-r, hi?”

After falling asleep, I have effortlessly entered the dreamland. Tonight, I won’t be hunting nightmares across Equestria. I was standing on the road made of moonlight, surrounded by the endless ocean of stars. A row of magical doors of different shapes and colors were hovering on both sides of this road. Every door is representing a dream of a pony, who sleeps somewhere in the surrounding lands. If I enter such a door, I’ll enter inside their dream.

“Well, this is not what I’ll be doing tonight.” With a slight movement of my hoof, the doors have disappeared, and a translucent landscape of the real world appeared in the space below. I was floating high over the lands of Canterlot. The moonlight road under my hooves shrank in length, became blurry and started to wave, now resembling a glittering cloud. I was ready to move to another part of the world, spreading wide my wings and, with a mighty flap, took into the starry space in the southern direction.

My speed in the dreamland was incomparable to the real world. I was flying fast like a comet and the moonlight road was following behind me closely, creating a beautiful trail behind me. I was enjoying this sensation of freedom and flight, unimpeded by anything. My mane waved behind me, slightly merging with the starry space around, as it had very similar pattern and colors with this sky.

In less than an hour, I’ve crossed Big Macintosh mountain range and finally got into the premises of Forbidden Jungle. It was the western part I should go to. Alright, I’m somewhere in the center. My sense should cover everything within this area and a little beyond the jungle. I’ve put some magic in my horn, and the surrounding landscape disappeared. The moonlight road under my hooves unfurled back and stretched to the horizon on both sides. I descended onto the road and looked around.

There were some groups of doors here, probably small villages, and what is that? Right, I saw such doors before, those are changelings’ doors, there is no mistake! There must be a hive somewhere around, but is it possible for the changelings to live here? Local population is too low to sustain them! That’s a mystery. It’s impossible to get inside changelings’ dreams; their hive mind protects them well, but I should check the dreams of those villagers.

I sighed; this work sure took some time. It’s hard to ask those ponies something in their dreams without frightening them. Not only they are scared of the fact they can act freely in their dreams, my old reputation scares them even more. Most of my attempts failed, but I’ve got some results! One local earth pony, a farmer, saw something at the supposed time of the incident. He claims a bright white-green beam was spotted by him somewhere in the middle of the jungle. It was so bright the farmer could easily see it even during the day; it shined for a few seconds and then disappeared. There was no sound accompanying this event, and nothing unusual happened after. Interesting! At least now we know something about it!

I was already thinking about exiting the dreamscape and resting for the rest of the night when I felt something familiar. Yes! A nightmare! A true nightmare! Oh, really? In this Moon-forsaken place? I rushed along the moonlight road; only empty space was on both sides of this road. At last, I’ve seen something on the left side. It was a formless silhouette of the door, with black smoke circling around its frame, and there was no actual door, just a frame, a gaping black hole, leading straight into the nightmare. It is a very unusual door for a nightmare. “This is the first time I see something like that, something so scary.” I gulped and made a step inside. “I’m a mistress of dreams and I will not be scared of some puny nightmare!”

I appeared somewhere in the depths of the jungle. It was very dark here, and the owner of this dream was nowhere to be seen. How strange. Then, I’ll have to search for them, but as I finished my thoughts, surrounding space became inundated by horrible howling coming from all sides. What is this? Even I have had my coat bristled on my back. Then I saw it all: a bipedal creature in the distance was escaping from the swarm of horrible predators. I could not see it well. Is it its nightmare? Wait, I know what those are. Shadow hounds! If it sees this nightmare, then, most likely, it has survived their attack in real life. There are not much of those who can’t fly who met them and lived to remember their exact appearance! I need to stop this nightmare somehow. Its power is decent, so this task won’t be easy!

I have started my chase, flying under the trees. There were more and more of these monsters coming from all sides. Then I saw the creature surrounded by hounds at the clearing. It had no way of defending itself from the hounds, and they finally attacked. Three hounds jumped at the creature with gaping maws, but at this moment something has happened with the entire nightmare. It seemed like the time have stopped here. It’s not a normal occurrence when a person wakes up from his nightmare. Those monsters started to blur and evaporate into dense black smoke, surrounding landscape warped and waved, and then shattered and fell down into the black abyss. I was instantly thrown out of this nightmare back onto the moonlight road. The door was nowhere to be seen. I was astonished by this development. Such events have never happened to me before!

I just sat on the moonlight road and was pondering about this weird experience of mine, tapping my chin with a hoof, my eyes looking at the shining stars above my head. I’ve spent several minutes thinking about what it could be, and who it was. A diamond dog? A minotaur? It was slightly similar to both species, but at the same time differed from both. I didn’t see this being clearly, but it should be sentient. My dreamland does not provide access to animals’ dreams, there is no doubt about it, and it had survived the encounter with shadow hounds… Can it be strong and dangerous? Or it just got lucky? It can be heavily injured… so vivid nightmares usually happen not long after the traumatizing event. Well, I have no way to know for sure, and the door is closed. I’ll just wish it a good luck. It’s time to return from the dreamland and have some proper rest.

But when I’ve already lit my horn and was about to exit the dreamland, I saw something from the corner of my eye. “Huh? What is it this time?” I cancelled my magic and turned my head to look at what it was, and here I saw it. In place of the old door to a nightmare stood a large white door, decorated with emerald-like gems and golden ornament. “Exquisite! Whose door is this? It’s much larger than pony’s door. Is it this being’s dream door? The place is exactly the same! Probably it is, but why has it changed its appearance so much, and why had it had such ominous form before?” I went closer to the door to have a better view of it. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen bigger doors. For example, minotaurs’ doors are around this size, maybe even wider, but I’ve never seen such an intricate door design. Oh, maybe Celestia’s door is more extravagant and larger, like our palace doors, but it’s Celestia’s door, after all. Ah, it’s useless to think about these things now. I’m entering!”

I walked to the door and tried pushing it, then tried pulling it, but it was closed. “How? Why? Why can’t I enter?” I was thinking about it, but could not find any answers. I lit my horn and tried opening the door with my magic by force, but the feeling from my magic was like I was pushing empty space, like the door was a lie. Despite that, I can touch and see it! Oh, this is unusual! Just what’s wrong with this door? Then I… I just knocked on the door on impulse in an attempt to draw attention of whoever was on the other side. I don’t even know if it will work in the dreamland, but I was out of any other ideas at the moment. A few minutes elapsed, but nothing happened. I was a little upset by this development, but in the end I’ve knocked harder on the door, incited by my impatience.

I was already going to leave dreamland when I heard something from behind the door. My heart rate sped up in anticipation. “Wow! It worked? Really?” I heard a muffled voice from behind the door. The language was most likely equestrian, but the door dampened the sounds too much to understand the exact words. It was a pleasant, but a bit irritated, male voice. I heard the locks on the door click and it opened to the outside. I’ve made a step back and heard a voice from behind the door.

“… Couldn’t you just enter by yourself and…” Finally, the door opened, and I saw the one who was behind the door. He is definitely a stallion, or how they are called? Very high, higher than most minotaurs and diamond dogs. He had a lot of clothes on him. Does he like fashion? His face and… hands? Yes, that’s how those are called! In short, he has no coat. He does not have a mane too, how weird! We were staring at each other for some time already. I wanted to continue my observation, but he broke the silence.

“Er-r-r, hi?” he said with a puzzled look on his face. He obviously expected to see someone else. This stallion was not looking young, but he was not too old either, as much as I can say it about unknown species. He was fit, but not bulky as a minotaur.

I was flustered. This occurrence was beyond strange! First, I could not open this door with my powers! And the whole situation now looks really like I’m intruding into someone’s house! Seriously! I need to say something, something… But I just could not think of anything.

“Can I help you with something? You look lost. Well, I certainly look the same way, ha-ha!” His words threw my mind into even greater chaos! But he has some sense of humor, it seems!

“Hello! I… My name is Luna!” Seems he does not recognize me. He must be from outside Equestria then. I decided to not use my title, lest it will make our conversation troublesome.

“My name is Life Ray, but call me just Ray. I’m not a big fan of official conversations, to be honest.” He made a pause, thinking about something. Having come to some kind of decision, he said, “Oh, it’s not polite of me to talk to a visitor over the threshold! Miss Luna, please be my guest!” He made an inviting gesture with his hand and smiled. “Do they have this kind of tradition from where he comes? But it really makes sense to me! He is a gentlecolt, it seems!” I noticed small fangs in his mouth while he was smiling, but those were not fangs of the predator, as much as I know, so it did not alert me much.

“I won’t refuse your invitation then, Mister Ray!” I answered with a light smile in a somewhat playful tone to garner some interest from him to myself. It can make our conversation easier. Now I’ll finally see what was behind this door! I walked inside his… house? House in a dream, not an unusual dream, but this one is very detailed. I have a lot of questions in my mind, and I want some answers too.

It was an unusual house, the style was unfamiliar to me. The design was not rich, but was not poor either, and leaned on the side of practicality. All items were suited for the being of his stature. It will be hard to live here as a pony.

“This way, miss Luna!” He entered one of the rooms. I followed behind him, intrigued. He does not seem dangerous to me, he also does not have any claws or predator fangs, and while there was an unusual occurrence of me being unable to enter his door, I could not sense any strong magic from him. With my power I really have trouble discerning the difference between, for example, a regular unicorn and earth pony in terms of magic power, but he certainly does not exceed them. We entered some sort of living room. There was a sofa and a pair of armchairs around the tea table. There were some strange devices spread across the room, one of them produced a soft music, I’ve seen something similar in Ponyville, when that DJ pony… Ah, forget it! I’m not that good when it comes to those modern magical devices. My old arcane methods are still more powerful, combat-wise.

“Please, make yourself comfortable!” he said and sat on the far side of the sofa in a relaxed manner. I didn’t have to hesitate much, this situation caught my interest. It was rare to find something intriguing in our rather peaceful land of ponies, and especially in the palace! I got onto the other half of the sofa and got into a half-lying pose, leaning against the sofa’s back, looking at the host of this strange dream. I smiled at him.

“Thank you, Mister Ray!” I said, still intently observing him. He was doing the same thing, actually. His gaze was that of curiosity and… admiration? I’ve lived long enough on this land to discern certain things! It seems he likes me! That’s something new. The best attitude I can expect from our citizens is worship, but more often it is just fear, cautiousness and insecurity from being in my presence. This night might just become a pleasant one for a change!

“Oh, just Ray, please. Would you like something to drink, Miss Luna?” he asked with the same curiosity in his eyes and smiling countenance.

“Just Luna will suffice, to be even!” I said with my common mischievous voice. “And if you don’t mind, something mild, please, I would not want something like minotaur’s brew. It will burn my throat and the taste is not to my liking.” I had no reason to refuse; it is my dreamland, after all. What can go wrong?

“Then excuse me for a minute!” He stood up and left the room, leaving me alone for a while. I used this time to inspect his room in more details. The magical lights on the ceiling were quite unusual, but those were nothing unique at the same time. A window attracted my attention. It was night outside, but there were very little stars in the sky. From my low point of view, I could see the tops of a few high-rise buildings in the distance, illuminated by magical lights. The height must be substantial, not that we don’t have something like that in Canterlot or Manehattan, but this is exotic! Just where is this place? Or is it just his fantasy?

Chaotic thoughts filled my head at this moment.

“Holy shit! I don’t know what’s happening here, but it seems nothing bad will. My guest should be one of those… ponies I was told about earlier by Falda’ar. And this pony is a girl… and this girl has some seriously charming eyes and voice. Their eyes, including that bug-girl, just had to be this big? Of course! It’s an evil plan to get my cuteness meter out of commission! Hell, I just feel my preferences in terms of species are shifting, right at this goddamn moment! Or my hormones are just going wild in my body after my recuperation, and I can’t get her hair and tail out of my mind! Or should I call it a mane? It’s like her mane and tail were painted by the starry sky itself. Those were fluttering on their own, like a flag in the wind! Magic? It must be that damn magic again! I’m already tired of being surprised by this stuff, and even by my own abilities, and... by almost goddamn everything in my new life! Everything! Hah... well... it’s only just useless ranting; get yourself together already, Ray!” I made a few deep breaths.

“Yes… just like that! So, did I have something softer than a whisky in my special stash?” I started looking for something suitable. “Cognac, more cognac, vodka, leftovers of rum... Nothing? Shit! It’d be perfect if I still had that bottle of sweet red champagne. Girls are fond of it. And me? Honestly, I’ll drink anything I deem tasty and have a mood to drink at the moment, and it’s the reason this bottle is no more.” To my surprise, the said bottle materialized right before my eyes, and it was cold, too.

“What the?” I was stupefied for another time, but as I was already numb to such things, I snapped back to reality rather quickly, if I still can call all this a reality! “This is really not just my memories… Did I materialize it with my thoughts somehow? Whatever it may be, perhaps Luna could explain to me what’s happening here.” I took a wine glass, grabbed the bottle and returned to the room.

Luna was looking around the room when I returned. Her dark, glossy coat was shimmering with different shades of blue in the light of bright ceiling lamps. I should just stop staring at her like that. I put the glass on the table before her.

“I hope you’ll like it.” I started opening the bottle. Soon, it produced a loud pop. Luna flinched. “Sorry, it’s a little under pressure!” I’ve got a raised brow from her in return. “You’ll see why!” I filled her glass with a foaming and bubbling drink. I could already smell a pleasant, sweet, fruity aroma.

“Your drink, Luna!” I offered the glass to Luna. Her horn lit up with a dark blue aura, then the same aura enveloped the glass and took it from my hand. So… these things are natural to them, it seems, and here I thought I had some special powers in my arsenal, not so special as it seems! This world is more complex in that regard.

Luna held the glass before her face and made a light sniff. The smell was to her liking, obviously. She took a small sip and closed her eyes, enjoying the taste.

“Mmmmm, good. This wine is wonderful, and so bubbly. Thank you, Ray,” she drawled, with a mesmerizing voice. Is she doing this on purpose? I can’t do anything about the fact that I just love her voice! I sat back on the other side, slightly shaking my head, took my glass and sipped my drink before asking her anything.

“So, Luna, do you know where we are? And what were you doing at my… door?” I asked the most crucial questions I had.

“Oh, Ray! The first question is quite simple. We are in a dreamland, and for the second one, it will be a little more complicated.” I should have a puzzled look on my face by now. This news is something in its own right.

“Care to elaborate? I’m not exactly sure what you are talking about.” I said, taking another sip. This kind of information may be easier to accept with a bit of haze in my mind. My proper logic has gone into denial just now.

“Alright. I can navigate the dream world and enter the dreams of other ponies… and not… ponies, too.” She has started her explanation. “And I was alerted by your nightmare, the one with the shadow hounds. I wanted to help and get you out of it, but the nightmare just crumbled by itself. Honestly, I was scared when that happened; I’ve seen nothing like that before. And then I was thrown out of your dream.”

“Well, that makes everything somewhat more understandable, Luna. And thank you. You tried to help me, right?” I replied, trying not to think too deeply about all this. Not until I get a full story.

“Oh, that’s nothing; in the end I could not help you.” She said with a bit of sadness in her voice. “And, remembering your nightmare, did you encounter those shadow hounds in the jungle? Are you injured? Are you lost there?” she asked these questions in quick succession with a worried voice.

“Please calm down, Luna, I’m fine. But yes, I’ve got a few bites from them, but I’ve already treated them, nothing dangerous. I got lucky they were distracted by a group of changelings.” Her eyes grew wide at my statements.

“I’m glad to hear you are fine. Those monsters are very dangerous. They can be worse than manticores!” She was expressing a lively interest in my situation, but I better avoid certain details about my identity. I don’t feel any threat from this girl. In fact, I’m really enjoying our casual conversation!

“Yes, I’ve seen a manticore once from a distance, but the hounds are numerous, and it’s hard to run away from their pack indeed. So this beast is really called ‘manticore’?” I should have understood it sooner, as I already know this word in equestrian… Yeah, sometimes I can be a bit dense in my head.

“You said changelings? Here, in the jungle?” Her voice was puzzled.

“Yes, those bug-like… ponies? With bright yellow plates of chitin. I’ve seen them there.” I replied.

“Yellow? How strange! I’ll have to tell my sister!” she said, mulling.

“By the way, what are you doing around this place? You could not just accidentally stumble across me in this remote place.” I continued my trail of questions. I know too little of this world, and Luna can help me greatly with it!

“Oh, right! Actually, I’m seeking any available information about certain event… Did you, by any chance, seen or heard anything unusual around this jungle two days ago? Around the midday.” My heart started to beat faster at her question. Was I discovered by the locals? Not likely, but my arrival must have been noticed! I started to get nervous.

“I’m afraid I didn’t. You can barely see through the vegetation when inside the jungle. If there was anything, I must have missed it…” I tried to lie as persuasively as I could. It’s really hard when those big cyan eyes are staring right into yours.

“What a pity!” she said shortly, “And may I ask who you are? I’ve never seen anyone of your kind.” she asked inquisitively. “You look like a minotaur, but your head and your face are different, and you have no horns. To be honest, I like you much more than minotaurs. They are so rude, and I find their faces not to my liking, too, and I can’t even think of comparing you to diamond dogs.” Luna laughed in a pleasant voice. “Just no! The cats are out of question, too, and you are definitely not a dragon! There are not much bipedal species on Equis, you know!”

“Uh-h-h… my… tribe is really small. I am from another continent.” My mind raced to make up some legend for myself. Falda’ar said there should not be a single occurrence of a human appearing on Equis before. So I’m free to use the word ‘human’. “I’m not sure if we have some connection with minotaurs, but our anatomy can be called somewhat close. And yes, we don’t have hooves like them.” I looked at my boots, Luna followed my gaze.

“Yes, I’ve already noticed, you resemble dragons with this part… and another certain somepony… it is called foot, right? Do you have claws there, like dragons do?” Her questions elicited a smile from me.

“Yes, they are called so, and no, there are no claws! Just nails, the same as here!” I showed her the backside of my hand and played with my fingers. She was looking attentively.

“And how is your tribe called?” she continued to drown me in question about my species. I should change the topic somehow.

“Humans.” I replied. “We like seclusion and don’t like to travel much. Well, I am the exception, as you can see. I was participating in the private expedition to this jungle.” At this time, I noticed she had finished her glass. “Want another one, Luna?”

“Oh, please, be so kind!” she graciously replied. She must know some form of local etiquette; she can’t be a simple citizen. Too bad I’m a complete oaf in these things. All I know is some basic courtesy of my old world. I filled her glass once more.

“Please!” I put the glass before her and returned to my seat. “A wish of a lady is a law.” I had an uncontrollable broad smile on my face. She was visibly very pleased with my conduct. Maybe, I’m not that bad for this world in terms of my manners.

“So, you are a traveler, an adventurer, even? Interesting! Was your expedition comprising other members from your tribe?” she asked with interest.

“Ah, no, there were just griffons apart from myself.” I had to make things up on the fly. Did I call them right? Griffons, griffins? I think did it right. Good mercenaries, willing to do dangerous work for money.

“I see.” she paused, hesitating.

“What’s the matter Luna? If you want to ask something, just ask!” I guessed she wanted to ask something she deemed uncomfortable for me.

“I’ve seen your teeth. Do you, perhaps, eat meat?” Her face had an unreadable expression. Well, I’ll just answer as it is. But this question obviously has more to it. Don’t tell me there are cases of cannibalism here?

“Yes, I do. Meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, cereals, dairy, some of the green plants. I may have forgotten something, though. In case of meat and fish, we don’t eat those raw, if you wanted to know, and no, I will never hunt or agree to eat a sapient being, if you were hinting at that, just the thought of such an action makes me nauseous!” A series of expressions changed on Luna’s face, stopping at the expression of relief. She smiled again.

“Oh, sorry, Ray, I meant nothing like that, but it’s true. It was what I wanted to know…” she said with a bit of guilt in her voice.

“Forget it, Luna, I understand, but that pretty up sums up everything about my overall ration,” I stated as a matter of fact.

“You sure have a diverse diet!” She said, “But remember, in the lands of Equestria, the hunt is outlawed in most places. Many wild animals there have some degree of sentience, but fishing is fine!” She thought for some time and added: “Of course, the places like the Forbidden Jungle are another story. Most beasts living there are completely feral, so it’s fine to hunt there. The only downside is the fact that the hunter can quickly become the hunted.” She said with a wry smile.

“You cannot be more right about that. I’m a good example of this case!” I answered with a similar expression and laughed lightly. Luna sipped her champagne.

“You are laughing at your misfortunes. You have a strong spirit!” she remarked.

“How can I not? I’d go crazy if I didn’t laugh at my hardships. It helps to carry on.” I said with a slight smile.

“Oh, Ray, you don’t even know how well I can understand you on this matter…” A reminiscing look appeared on her face. She fell silent for some time, sipping from her glass. Her eyes had a touch of sadness to them. I did not interrupt her thoughts.

“By the way, how is your expedition going? What were you seeking in the jungle?” her interest returned to what I was doing in the jungle. I paused for a while to think about my answer.

“We were searching for an ancient pyramid somewhere around these parts of jungle.” I was expanding my legend, telling her half-truths.

“Oh, did you find it?” she asked.

“Well, you can say so. I was separated from my group when the hounds attacked. Griffons must have already left the jungle, I suppose. It’s not a big deal for those who can fly. And I stumbled upon this pyramid when I was escaping, but at that time the pyramid was the last thing on my mind, so I never entered it, and to make things worse, the pyramid is sunk in a lake!” I made up some things to cover my arrival in this world. I was feeling somewhat bad about lying to this girl, but I had to.

“So, you are lost in this jungle? We have to find you!” Did she say ‘we’? What will it mean to me if I’m found by the group of… ponies? And they are searching for the clues to the effects my arrival created? Will this result in some kind of trouble for me? I don’t know, but I’m getting nervous about it. I still remember Falda’ar's words about some folks losing their lives after being discovered by locals. He said this won’t happen, ponies should be quite friendly, but it still can spell trouble for me. My circumstances are just too out of this world, literally!

“Yes, I’m kind of lost. But how do you plan to find me, anyway?” I inquired. Perhaps Blue will be able to lead us out of this godforsaken place. We’ll have to act fast if I want to avoid the search group. My nervousness was growing at the thought of being found out. Should I be this nervous about it? Probably not, but I still am. Seems Luna detected my nervousness somehow, judging by her worried face.

“That’s simple! I’ll find you right through the dreamland! Let’s do it right now!” her horn started to glow in deep blue aura. I felt my adrenaline kick in… Adrenaline? In the dream world? No, that’s my actual body is waking up. I felt a surge of ‘Life Essence’ flood my energy channels like a tide. The surrounding space of my old home distorted slightly and the colors of surrounding objects started to shift.

“Ray, no! Don’t wake up! No! I won’t have enough time to…” Seems I’m really waking up. I interrupted her while I still could.

“Sorry, Luna, I hope we’ll meet again in better circumstances. Good bye!” The room wobbled and lost colors.

“But Ray! I…” Her voice faded gradually until there was only silence and grey fog around.

“I hope she will not be too worried about me.” was my last thought until my mind started the process of truly waking up.

Canterlot Royal Palace, end of the night, Luna’s personal chambers.

“NO!” I shouted, abruptly waking up from my journey into dreamland. Tears pooled in my eyes, slowly wetting my coat. “Why? Why did you wake up? Did something bad happen in reality?” I was really upset by this turn of events. He was really nice to me. And it was interesting to spend time with him. Sure, he has a strange look, but I’d prefer his company to most of the other non-ponies. I rarely have the chance to socialize in such a relaxed atmosphere, except for my sister, Cadence and, rarely, Discord. I hope he will be fine out there.

“I must hasten the preparations for the expedition!” I said to myself with a confident voice. There will be no time to search for him during the next night, and I have my own duties to fight nightmares across Equestria. “I will try to find him along the way on our expedition! The chances are slight, of course, but I must at least try!”

It was almost time to lower the Moon and raise the Sun. Only because of this, I had to distract myself from my thoughts and plans and do my royal duties.

I left my room to wake up Celestia. She needs to know the information about the green beam and changelings. With this thought in mind, I walked away through the hallway. A new day awaits us, full of bothersome chores.

Author's Note

Edited 17 march 2022.

Chapter 5 - Heart of a Changeling

Forbidden Jungle, a little earlier tonight.

Night has long enveloped the land. The runaway changeling was having her peaceful sleep. Events of the past day were too stressful and bizarre for her, but she was still happy with how things ended up. Something disturbed her in the middle of the night, so she woke up.

I was slowly waking up from my deep sleep. Perhaps it was the most peaceful sleep I had during the last week, or maybe two. I slowly opened my eyes and made several deep breaths. Soft moonlight coming from the square window in the ceiling created a slightly visible silver column in the dusty air of the room. The air itself was still warm, like always in this jungle.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I felt myself better than now, albeit I’m a little thirsty and tired of all my misfortune-filled adventures in the jungle I had for the last few days. The grip of my sleepiness receded, and I had a look around the room. My changeling sight allowed me to see clearly, even with the minimal lighting. The air of this ancient abode smelled of stone dust and moss. Nothing has changed during the night; a rotten box in the corner had a few helmets filled with clean water placed inside. “Well, it’s better than nothing!” I wanted to use telekinesis to take one out of the box, but remembering my appalling control of this magic, I’ve changed my mind. I need to get up.

“Ray…” I just realized my back was tightly pressed against his side. He is sleeping soundly, his breathing even and emotions tranquil. I smiled and my cheeks became hot. Some strange thoughts appeared in my mind. “Oh… am I blushing? Why is that?” I touched my blushing cheek with my right hoof. “I’m a changeling and changelings often do lewd things with other species, much less have some skinship. Well, not my hive. My hive? Wait! The connection was severed! My connection to the hive mind was severed somehow, without me knowing! But how is that possible?” I’m flustered, but happy at the same time after realizing this incredible fact! I slipped to the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb Ray.

“I’ve tried so many times to do that, but failed every single time. Now, they won’t be looking for me through the jungle. I’m no longer one of them, and from now on, they will see me as a stranger, a competitor and even a traitor, so walking around the territory of the hive is out of question, not that I’m planning to. On the other side, I can say goodbye to the hive memories, but over the years I’ve already learned a bigger part of those which were allowed for true changelings. Considering I’m just a drone, this is quite an achievement, I think, but if not for the queen’s will, suppressing me, and my malnourished state, I’d have long become a true changeling!” I was still lying on the bed thinking about these strange happenings.

I carefully got up from this makeshift bed. It was crudely made, but still offered a decent level of comfort, for me at least. My hooves touched a cool and coarse surface of the stone slabs of the floor. Having sated my thirst, my body reminded me of my other needs… but this room had no door. How did we get here? There was only a square-cut window in the ceiling. “I know my wings are too damaged to get there, but maybe… if I get on this platform in the middle and help myself a bit with telekinesis…” I jumped on the platform rather easily, now I was basking in a moonlight coming through the window above me. “I might look quite mysterious now from outside, if not for the poor state of my body… Was I always a good jumper? Hardly so… Maybe my evening meal of those concentrated emotions strengthened me?”

I flapped my wings carefully to produce less buzz and directed my stored power of emotions, now unusually potent, into my horn. To my surprise, I’ve seen a rather bright deep blue light coming from my horn, instead of dim blue flickering I’m used to. I raised my sight upwards only to see something like a deep blue flame swaying around my horn. “What? Just what is it?”

I long stopped flapping my wings and was staring at my horn in disbelief for several minutes straight already. It seems my horn was restored to some extent; its form is no longer so warped and its ability to manipulate magic and conduct emotions is on the other level completely now. I felt immense joy at this moment, but was abruptly reminded by my body that it’s time to get out. After a long time I spent being unconscious and sleeping, it was getting very uncomfortable! I’ve started flapping with my wings again, carefully enveloped myself with telekinetic aura, jumped and…

I barely held my scream as I was thrown upward into the air through the ceiling window. I landed clumsily on the roof with my front hooves spread apart, my flanks raised up, and I almost hit my chin on the stone roof. “That was… unexpected.” I sighed and got up. I looked around from my vantage point. This building appeared to be built on top of the hill, devoid of trees in the close vicinity. Endless dark jungle surrounded the location of this old structure and only a lake nearby, shimmering in the moonlight, brought in some diversity to the surrounding landscape. The stars above my head were mesmerizing, you can rarely see them while living inside the hive and under a dense vegetation of a tropical forest.

I turned my head back and carefully examined my wings. No less than half of the holes disappeared and their surface was even and glossy. “No way! That’s a miracle! No amount of emotions could restore my wings to this extent, not in a few hours’ time!” My legs and hooves somewhat improved too. I’ll need to think about it later. I can’t clearly understand the reason behind my rapid recovery. I carefully tried to use my renewed wings, and after some time I could hover around the place, albeit slowly. That will suffice.

Having done my business outside, I’ve returned to the building’s roof. Deep in my thoughts, I was staring at the rolling waves of the lake shimmering in the soft moonlight. “My whole life made a sharp turn today, and now, all the bridges behind me are burned to ashes, leaving nothing of my old life but memories. But I have no regrets. I regret nothing at all. I’m happy to leave that parody of life behind and trade it for this adventurous and dangerous uncertainty.” The feeling of relief was the most prominent of the complicated emotions I was experiencing now. I stood at the edge of the roof, a light breeze was caressing my face, my tail fin slightly waved as breeze flowed past me.

“What will I do now? Where shall I go? I need to get out of this jungle first. But among this uncertainty, there is someone I can rely on, at least for now. Ray! He wants to get out too, and I will help him. I must help him! He saved my life, after all! Oh… my thoughts are just so not changeling-like, but why should I care? Now I’m on my own and nobody orders me what to think and what to do!” I was a little discontent with myself for having such thoughts. The principles of my hive should not affect my judgement, they’ll stay in my past, forever. “I will forge my way ahead by my will, not by my instincts, but I will not throw them away, for they are useful at times.” I sat down at the edge of the roof, calmly observing the ever waving surface of the lake, thinking about my situation.

My thoughts returned to Ray.“Will we part ways afterwards? I don’t want us to separate, but I don’t yet understand exactly why. Of course, I want to keep my food source around, as my changeling instincts tell me, but this is not the only cause. I know myself too well; I was fighting those instincts for too long already to know what’s what, to know for sure how much those affect my thinking and decisions.” That’s so confusing, but does it matter if it is what I want?

My sleepiness returned to me slowly as time passed, so I’ve hovered back into the room. My actions did not disturb Ray, still sound asleep. He must be tired after that crazy day. I lay beside him carefully and closed my eyes. The bed made a few creaking noises as I did so. I was listening to Ray’s emotions, as changelings often do, while I tried to fall asleep. Suddenly, I felt something through my drowsiness. Ray’s emotions were fluctuating and changing rapidly, and those were not the emotions I like! Fear, aggression and then, finally, despair has emerged. “Is he having a nightmare? I should wake him up right now!” I abruptly rose to my hooves. His body twitched slightly, and I could see a frown on his face.

I was already pressing my hoof on his shoulder when his whole body flashed with a green light, slightly illuminating a room for a moment, and then soft yellow waves rolled across his whole body. His expression turned serene gradually. His nightmare seems to have ended. I tried touching one of those waves, which moved up my hoof and spread across my body, too. They left a pleasant and refreshing sensation after seeping inside my body. At least it felt like that. “Is this his magic? I never thought the magic could be so pleasurable.” My limited knowledge and lack of experience of life outside the jungle did not allow me to understand what it was, but I was curious about it.

Ray’s emotions finally came back, those which I like. Seems he’s having a pleasant dream now. My body began to absorb these emotions unconsciously again. I was feeling dizzy from my tired state and the amount of yummy emotions I was receiving after a long period of starvation. “Do ponies call this state… drunk? Ha-ha! Maybe! I’ve never tried real alcohol, but experienced changelings say it is similar, to some extent, especially if you were hungry for emotions for a long time. The more you get, the more will the effect be, but no changeling will ever refuse a wonderful feast of emotions!”

Powerful emotions clouded my sleepy mind even more now, as I pressed my body against Ray’s, this time hugging him from the side. Yellow waves made this even more pleasurable! “M-m-m!” I gave out a quiet purr. “Whoops! What am I doing? I need to stay quiet.” I was lying like that for some time, but despite my drowsiness, I could not fall to sleep completely. Ray’s emotions and magic continued to pour into me. I listened to my surroundings, a quiet sound of the wind and occasional cries of night birds were coming from the outside. I could hear Ray’s steady breathing, his heartbeat and my own, too. Constant inflow of Ray’s emotions and his magic compelled me to move even closer to him.

I must have finally lost my mind, as I quietly got up and shamelessly lay on top of Ray’s chest. He did not wake up from my brazen actions, surprisingly. My hooves were hugging his body by the sides, and now my face must have a silly smile. “But I can’t resist this temptation! This magic… my body craves it as much as it craves emotions! And his skin is soft and warm, and hairless, just like my kind! Will he become angry with me and scold me in the morning? Will he hate me for this? No, no, no, you silly drone! Ray does not hate! But I’m not getting off his chest, not now...” With this stubborn thought, induced by overflowing emotions, I’ve finally fallen asleep, lulled by the gentle yellow magic waves.

Endless grey fog was swirling around in the space with no apparent directions. There were neither top, nor bottom, nor sides. It slowly dissipated as time passed, and, gradually, my mind woke up from this weird slumber. I could detect a weak light through my closed eyelids, and there was a strange sensation coming from my chest, but I still did not want to wake up completely yet. The last day was stressful, and it’s too early to get up, anyway. A myriad of thoughts rushed through my head about my experiences of this night.

“Oh, this strange dream, which is not truly a dream, was so out of my wildest expectations… seriously!” I recollected all the details about my dream with great mental effort, without opening my eyes, afraid to forget something important, shutting out any external disturbances. “Luna! What a mysterious and pleasant girl! Ha-ha, I forgot to ask her to show her wings. Those must be gorgeous! Can she fly?” She left a strong impression on me.

I put my thoughts back in order, as I should think about another matter. Luna was obviously investigating the event of my arrival. No ordinary inhabitant of this world should be able to sense it, as I know, but she or, most likely, them, does not know what happened here exactly. Her ability to traverse dreamland tells volumes about her extraordinary person. It may not be this bad, but I am still not very excited with a possibility of meeting some group of magic scientists or local military. I want to keep my fate in my own hand, not throwing everything to chance. I should explore this world by myself, as I planned before. My unusual look will certainly draw some attention, but there must be a lot of other species with a much more intimidating appearance than mine going around. If everything goes fine, I’ll just have to keep the connection between this event and me minimal. Then I’ll have no problems keeping my origins a secret, I suppose.

Nobody here should be able to perceive or sense my “Essence of Life” with the help of magic, at least in theory. It must be completely invisible to their magic senses. The only way they can detect it is with their own eyes when my essence is active or by direct contact with it. This fact will probably lead them to a dead end or some wrong conclusions, and I’ll remain a mere passerby in this story. I can’t think of a better way, as I won’t be able to erase the traces of my presence here. The fact of me visiting this place is a given, but I better get my ass out of these ruins tomorrow at the latest. After all this ends, I’d gladly meet with her again, but I don’t know if I will ever have this chance.

“I... no. We. We’ll need to pack up some supplies. Should not be a big problem except for water. Hopefully, Blue knows a safe way out of here.” I stopped concentrating on my thoughts and memories, a good technique Falda’ar taught me, but risky, as it shuts me from outside world by a great deal.

The sun just started its rise; its rays appeared on the walls and were slowly sliding down, illuminating tiny particles of dust dancing in the air. Loud noises of jungle birds resounded from outside. “Hmm? What’s that on my forehead?” As I felt something, I opened my eyes, only to find Blue lying on my chest with her upper body. Her rear side was lying across a bed to the left. Blue laid on me on her left side, hugging my neck with her left foreleg and my head with her right, her hoof on my forehead. I didn’t feel uncomfortable from the weight of her body on my chest. “Seems my recuperation is going better than I thought. I can’t call it recuperation anymore, it’s straight strengthening now. It will be finished by the next day, I suppose.”

I took a good look at Blue. “Hah! Alright, that’s cute, even despite her appearance being a little alienish. Her pose does not look to be a comfortable one to sleep.” I smiled and carefully put her hoof down on my shoulder and stroked her neck with my free hand lightly. Her tail fin twitched a little from side to side. Her ears gradually drooped. “She definitely had a hard time in her life, and yesterday, she almost died. My twisted fate brought me to this place, and her own grim fate has changed to something better. I’ve already made something meaningful in this strange place, at least for me, and for her. Perhaps it all has happened by chance, but I’m still happy it turned out this way.”

“M-m-mh…” I heard her slight murmur.

Did I wake her up? She just buried her face deeper under my chin and continued to snooze. I got to be careful about her horn. Oh! Her rather short horn no longer looks corroded. It’s perfectly smooth and slightly bent to the back and has a simple fang-like shape. I moved my sight to her hooves. The holes there have completely disappeared, replaced by mild dents in some places. Her wings were glossy and slightly pearlescent, with almost no holes there. “That’s quite a drastic change. I’m happy she is feeling better now.”

I switched to inspecting my body. Now, it’s a fact I’ve got taller, I can judge it by comparing my size to the bed! I can feel latent strength in my relaxed body, a long forgotten feeling for me. I smiled contently at these findings. “Huh? Wait a minute! Oooh… Damn, yeah… Seems I have a minor problem. A man’s problem, a morning one. It’s better if Blue doesn’t see it. Holy crap! Then it was actually my hormones starting up, back there in the dream. That explains a lot, and now I’ll be affected by such things much more than I was before!” I moved Blue back to her place as carefully as I could. The bed creaked, and I heard Blue’s mild murmurs of disagreement, though she still kept dozing off. I turned to my right side, away from Blue, in hope of just waiting it out. I turned my attention to the ‘tent’ made of my boxers. After a brief examination, I had a mix of joy and anger in my mind.

“That old pervert! It seems it was not only my height and muscles that got bigger, hah! Perhaps I should thank him instead?” But this trail of my thoughts quickly slid down to the sad fact of total absence of women in the vicinity of this entire planet. After some time of fruitless waiting for my problem resolving itself, my thoughts inevitably shifted to the local ‘girls’. My mind started producing some improper ideas about Luna and even Blue. “Argh! Did he mess with my head too, or it’s just my recovered body and my impulsiveness forcing my mind? It can be those factors altogether. The longer I try to not think about it, the harder getting those thoughts out of my head becomes, and now my problem will not be resolved until I slip away from this room to do something else, distract myself and cool my head down.” My current state of mind and body irritated me.

A bit earlier.

I woke up from the slight movements of Ray beneath me. “Oh no! I was not controlling myself at night, and now… how will I explain being on top of him?” I had this hectic thought immediately as I remembered what I was doing at night, but what I feared did not happen. He stroked my neck gently, and I received the strongest blast of affection I’ve ever felt. It was not a simple emotion spread out around the surrounding space, not a fake affection a changeling can receive when pretending to be someone else, and not even Ray’s regular strong aura. It was genuine affection and sympathy, directed at me, at me in my true form, and it was coming from Ray with his insane emotional power. I was shocked for a moment.

“Is this for real? Someone actually can have those feelings toward a changeling? I know it’s not love, of course, the most desired emotion of other hives, but I’ve never tasted it, anyway.” A drop of tears appeared in the corners of my eyes. I just buried my face under his chin and stayed still, flooded by my own emotions inside and a sheer torrent of them outside.

I was no longer feeling intoxicated in the presence of his aura now, but I was not prepared for this! My dizzy state returned, and I just continued to lie there. Suddenly, he carefully moved me down back onto the bed and turned away from me. His emotions had strange fluctuations I could not discern clearly, and as I was trying to understand what was happening with Ray, it happened! A thin, but so desirable streak of my favorite emotion reached my senses. This thin stream of a certain emotion gradually intensified, getting me high again. My eyelids became half-closed, and I breathed deeply, trying to absorb every smallest bit of it.

“Lust! This is lust! My most beloved food I was so rarely able to find!” My already shaky mind was instantly overloaded! It just happened that this kind of emotion was most beneficial for me across the entire spectrum of them! After a short while, I breathing grew heavy, and my changeling instincts kicked in as my self-control weakened. I moved closer to Ray and hugged him with my hooves. My ears were twitching on their own from time to time, as well as my tail fin was wagging with no control.

“Blue?” he asked with his head still turned away.

“Yes-s-s?” I replied with a hiss, typical of changelings.

“Blue, we know each other for less than a day. Do you think it’s fine to hug me in bed like that?” he asked again without looking at me.

“M-m-m…” I purred with a slight chirring noise, “Yes!” My voice was funny. I pressed my muzzle to the back of his head, greedily inhaling his scent while trying not to scratch him with my horn. The flow of emotions intensified, making me thrilled.

“Oh, damn it! That’s too cute, but what’s with her voice? It sounds really strange and exotic with all that hissing and chirring parts. Why do I find this manner of her speech alluring? And her behavior is strange, too.”

“Well, I don’t mind, but is everything alright, Blue? You sound strange.” She was puffing and panting to the back of my head rather heavily. “Blue?” I asked in concern, turning my head to look at her.

She giggled in a silly manner and finally answered in a strange manner. Her speech was rather slow and with a lot of hissing and chirring sounds when she spelled hissing consonants, and she stretched some vowels, with alluring intonations. It sounded really exotic and enticing.

“Everything is fine, Ray! Everything is fine. I think I’m a little too full of emotions. You gave me so much of them. Especially the last ones.” She told the last word in a whisper, leaning closer to my ear. “The tastiest ones.” I felt her tongue lick the edge of my ear lightly.

It dawned on me it must be the effect of overeating of emotions. Her legs embraced me even tighter, and her hind leg slid between mine for a moment, causing me to flinch. “Damn! It’s only worsening my situation!”

“Oh, yes! So tasty!” I heard her raspy voice.

I have got some ideas about which emotion she just mentioned. “She gets very assertive in this weird state! She was quite shy yesterday.” Suddenly, I felt something wet and sticky on my neck. “This… will drive me crazy soon...” I had no time to finish my thought. Her long and agile tongue slowly glided up my neck to my chin, leaving behind a glistening trail, eventually reaching my left cheek. She unhurriedly ran her long forked tongue across my cheek before pulling her head back, looking me in the eye. It felt like a bomb exploded inside my head, but she had obviously lost control in her abnormal state.

“Ahem, alright Blue! I understand you like me, but is it necessary to lick my neck now?” I could not restrain my chuckle as I smiled at her. Her actions were quite pleasant to me, honestly, but I had to calm her down somehow and get her into a more sober state. Her face suddenly closed in to mine.

“Yes! Because you are tasty!” She giggled again.

Her answer did not leave any possibility of arguing. I noticed her gaze slowly trailed to my ‘tent’, her half-closed eyes now wide open. Great, just great! Now I’m having a real catastrophe down there and why must she say such things with this voice? My willpower is not infinite! Well, fuck it! After all, I’m not a kid to be too embarrassed by such situations. It’s time for us to take a break, lest we’ll melt each other’s brains, and mine is almost a wreck already. Hers should be no better, albeit for different reasons. I got up from the bed, took a deep breath, then turned my head to Blue.

“Blue, you are a lovely girl, really.” I had to calm her down somehow, but it felt wrong to me to leave her alone at the same time. “You are in a strange state, and I am the reason for that.” I crouched before her and stroked her cheek gently. Her breathing was still uneven, her eyes were looking at me. “Sorry, but for now, it will be for the best if I leave you for some time, so we both can calm down. I’ll be waiting for you outside at the lake. Come when you get better. I’ll leave the doors open.” She just nodded, and I stroked her neck softly before getting up.

I left the room unhurriedly. Stale, dusty and cool air of the dim hallway brushed against my skin, which was a little humid from my unstable emotions, slowly cooling my mind down. I seemed calm from the outside, but I was a freaking cauldron of boiling emotions inside. That’s not how I usually behave. I have changed. Where is my cold logic? Yes, the logic is still there, but now it is eclipsed by my flaming emotions. Well, I guess it’s what ‘Life’ means, being alive, following your passion and desires. It took me a great effort to leave her there alone, but it had to be done.

Walking down the hill under the unforgiving tropical sun, looking at the surrounding green landscape, I sighed deeply, “I’m not ready to do this with another species…” I spoke to myself in a confused state, “yet,” I added to my thoughts. “She wasn’t in her right mind this time. Her hunger may have compelled her to do this; I doubt she can have some sort of romantic interest towards me. But, theoretically, what if she’ll do something like that being in a clear mind? Will I resist? Will I be able to resist? Or, rather, whether should I even try to resist it at all? Yes, that’s the right question! And I already guess what the answer is…” I finally reached the lake. “Bah! That’s complicated!” After mulling over these silly ideas, I decided to get this matter out of my head for a while and just enjoy the cool, clean water of the lake. I’ve fixed my bloodstained clothes with a stone under the water so the blood will get soaked and partially dissolved, and after some time and then gone swimming in the lake. It should clear my head.

“Eh… I’m thirsty and I’m not keen to go back or walk to the stream. Whatever, I can no longer get ill from mere muddy water anymore, and this lake is almost crystal clear!” So, I just went to the part of the lake with the sandy bottom and sated my thirst right there, washed up my face and rinsed my mouth. The water of the lake was refreshingly cool, just what I need now. I started with my clothes first.

I’ve gathered some dry grass to use it as a brush replacement. After some physical efforts, I washed the blood off, mostly. There will be stains left on my jeans, though. As the color was rather dark, those traces of blood will not stand out too much, but the rips are too conspicuous. I shook my head in dejection, looking at the state of my clothes. I need to get to civilization! This thought was a bit frightening, but I had no choice. It was fine with Blue, but not with other changelings. Luna, as a member of pony-folk, seemed benevolent, but I can’t tell for sure how other ponies will react to me.

The sun was already high on the rise, gifting the land with incinerating heat. Yes, that heat. I can feel it in the air. With such a high rise in temperature, the weather can turn into a tropical storm any hour now. If not for these rainstorms, this region would long have become a desert, that’s a guarantee.

I jumped into the lake from the boulder and started swimming towards the center. I’ve already checked this lake for predators, and there were none. Eventually, I reached the side of the pyramid.

“Fuck!” I shouted as a sharp stone pricked my foot. “Damn rock!” I grumbled and then found myself a shade near the top of the pyramid under some sort of collapsed balcony to rest there. To rest and to think. Last time I’ve got a part of my memories back. No less than several years actually, and if my combat training is still somewhere inside of my muscular memory and habitual reflexes, then my knowledge of my ‘Life Essence’ should be revised and internalized again. I never had enough time before, but now I feel I must spend some on it, even if I’m in a hurry to leave.

I sat there and got comfortable. The breeze blowing from the lake was pleasant and cool, mild rustle of waves calmed my mind. I closed my eyes to indulge in this moment of tranquility. Only sounds of jungle disturbed this peaceful atmosphere.

Thinking about it… just how old am I now? Mentally, I mean. Time in that place could not be clearly perceived, and I haven’t slept there even once, for there was no need to sleep, since there was no need to sustain a body at all. It was just a projection. I’ve spent years without things like sleeping or eating, albeit we had different sorts of entertainment with Falda’ar to keep our minds free of stress. The multiverse sure can provide that. The actual time spent learning and training is at least twice as long compared to what a normal living human can possibly manage, but that’s just learning and conversations with Falda’ar. I didn’t gain any actual life experience there.

I looked at the lake shore, trying to see if Blue has come out, but it seems she was still inside. Maybe she needs more time to clear her mind. My thoughts returned to my time in that strange place.

I should stop blaming Falda’ar for my shift in logic and perception of different things. When you spend a lot of time with a person, you’ll inevitably adopt some of their traits, habits and ways of thinking; and my power is influencing me even more. It’s wrong to call it my ‘power’ now. It’s my nature; I’ll just die without it on the spot. I became more impulsive, despite all my ‘extra’ time of life I’ve spent there, because now, it’s in my nature and can create some problems for me, no doubt! Actually, it almost did so just now.

I started to shuffle and organize through my knowledge of ‘Life Essence’. The most basic and crude method of its application is just using it as it is, in its raw form. I can also transfer it to other living beings in the same form. It bolsters all biological processes, quickening restoration and regeneration on a cellular level, including even materialization of lacking nutrients and speeding up all processes inside the cells, but it cannot interfere or change the way the organism works. Some may call it time acceleration, but they will be wrong. Also, raw essence kills pathogenic organisms it comes in contact with, so I can cure simple infections with some effort, or even purify food and water, but the energy efficiency of this method is rather appalling. I should use specific ways of control to do things better. Expelling toxins, for example: doing it with raw essence will just dry my energy reserves, while using a proper method will require just a part and will do it faster.

However, what I need the most for now is methods of analysis. The simplest ones. I’m going to use local fruits and other plant food around these parts, and I need to know if those are edible. Well, I’ll have to taste them once to know for sure. While I might be able to deal with poison, I have no desire to experience all the spectrum of suffering from it and then spend my energy to neutralise it

What else? Yeah, simple diagnostics via essence, then ‘life vision’. The former will guide me in finding out problematic areas of the body, and the latter will augment my sight, so I can see living tissues from inside, but I doubt I can handle it well with my current strength. “Heh, am I turning into a doctor? But this can’t be helped; it’s the most basic part of my nature. Well, it might cover my future living expenses, at least. Locals have a vast repertoire of healing magic too, and some of them certainly can put my meager abilities to shame if what I heard is true!” I remarked.

Time flew by. Jungle was living its own life, with occasional howls coming from the forest depths. The sun continued to incinerate the land mercilessly, evaporating even more water into the atmosphere. The waves on the surface of the lake intensified as the wind got stronger. I was immersed in my mental work for a long time already, one of my newly acquired bad habits. “How much time has elapsed and where is Blue?” As I snapped back to reality and shook my head, I checked the shore and the hill with my now almost perfect sight, but found nothing. “It was no less than an hour already since I left her. I should go back. She could not fall asleep, right? I must make sure she is alright.” I got down to the lake and sighed. “Damn! I had to check on her earlier!” I jumped into the lake again and swam back to the shore.

When I was getting out of the water, my sight caught a wavering reflection of my face. Looking more closely at it, I could not help but smile. “Good! My face is no longer looking like some old uncle!” I exclaimed to myself. “I’d say I’m quite content with my face by now! It still looks older than I used to see in the mirror, as much as I can remember, but I like it this way, too. More dignified and imposing. This kind of face may have made my life back in my old society easier.” With this irrelevant thought, I finally stepped on the sandy shore.

I put on my jeans and boots and moved back uphill. It will rain today for sure, judging by the strong winds on top of the hill. “Oh, and my hair… I’ve checked it with my ‘life essence’. It turned out to be just a trivial matter of sleeping hair follicles. I’ll stimulate those later; perhaps, doing it just for my hair, brows and eyelashes will suffice for now. At least I’ll have a look of a normal human being. As for the rest of my face, I don’t like the idea of having to shave almost every day in the jungle with no razor! Now, where is Blue?” I entered the building; the cool, albeit dusty, air seemed so pleasant in contrast with the scorching sun outside. I slowly reached the altar room’s entrance, throwing my other clothes into the box in the storage, only to stop in my tracks at the entrance to the altar room.

What I saw on the bed was an elliptical glowing pearlescent object, right where I left Blue. Blue was nowhere to be found. I slowly reached my bed with this strange object on top of it. I circled the bed several times, but have found no clues about what it may be or how it got here.

“This can’t be… Blue?” I said to myself when I felt oh so familiar energy fluctuating within this object. Yes, my own ‘Life Essence’. “There is no doubt, only she can have it inside her body, excluding me, of course.” I felt relieved at this moment, but still had some worries about her. As I no longer had any suspicions about this situation, I closed in and put my right hand on this object to check her condition. It took some time to get used to controlling my essence again, but in the end I found out that she was alright. Her body was undergoing substantial changes right at this moment. “Was it the evolution she mentioned? She had all requirements for it, except for her malnourished state, if I understood her correctly.”

I was inspecting her for quite a long time already. “Damn! She started her transformation with just her emotional deficit covered, but her body is too malnourished, she should have eaten more regular food! This is bad!” I worried about her as I found out about her perilous situation.

“I must help her! This is getting dangerous for her life!” I said nervously to myself. My mind was chaotically searching for the suitable action. I didn’t understand her complex biology, nor did I have enough knowledge or time to do it, even if I wanted to. It was useless trying to apply any of my knowledge or techniques here. “So be it! The dumb brute force method I’m so good at comes to the spotlight!” These sarcasm-filled words escaped my mouth while I frowned, concentrating and gathering my ‘Life Essence’ in my hands. I was angry at my uselessness. “I hope it will be enough…” I said quietly and my face expression became tenser, as I put my hands on her… cocoon? No. Energy shell? Maybe. No matter what it is, I need to act fast!

I started concentrating and gathering every bit of essence around my hands, drops of perspiration appeared on my forehead. In reality, this appeared actually much harder to pull off than I thought it would. I directed this power into her shell. The surrounding walls became intermittently illuminated by flashes of yellow light coming from my hands. I felt my energy being drained away like water from a broken dam. My eyes became flooded by green light.

“What the hell?! Are my eyes glowing?” I was surprised by this event. It brought a bit of discomfort and was distracting, but then I unexpectedly saw Blue’s figure inside the shining shell. She seemed fine. “My ‘Life Vision’ has activated on its own. What a blunder! It will be a waste of energy.” I grumbled to myself. As I had these fleeting thoughts, I realized I no longer have time and strength to say or even think about anything. Bright yellow streaks of energy were leaving my hands, wrapping and circling around Blue rapidly, before being absorbed inside her body. I could see this process clearly. At the third minute, I felt dizzy. My sight was losing focus and my special vision turned off. It felt like I returned to the day one, with this heavy feel of total exhaustion. My legs became wobbly, and I was still standing only by my sheer effort of will, but my energy reserves are not infinite and finally ran dry.

My consciousness was slipping away as my knees hit the stone floor first, then I fell onto the bed face-first, bouncing once on the springy water bamboo stems, landing beside Blue. “What a fool I am to drain almost all of my ‘life essence’, but even if I am, I won’t forgive myself if I didn’t do it! I’m so drained...” I said quietly before I blacked out.

The room stayed completely quiet for several hours already, rarely interrupted only by slight noises made by sleeping Ray. It was already the middle of the day, but something has finally changed. Quiet noises, reminiscent of sounds of cracking glass, appeared from the glowing shell on the bed. A few minutes later, it had collapsed with a ringing sound and disappeared in a white flash. What was left behind is no other than Blue, who was slowly regaining her senses.

“Ohhh! I’m still alive! And even in good health? How? Why? Didn’t I spontaneously start my evolution in my strange state? I did not have what it takes to do it properly!” I quietly said and shook my head energetically to clear my dizzy state. As I did so, an unfamiliar strand of vivid blue hair fell on my face. “Is it mine? My mane! I have mane!” I turned my head back to look at my tail. “And my tail too! I’m true changeling now! Hooray!” I got up from the bed.

The sensations from my new body were somewhat unfamiliar. My sight improved slightly. I felt my body became stronger and more flexible and also a bit taller. But the most important part was that overwhelming sense of freedom and unrestrained magic power, charged with powerful emotions. What magical powers I had as a drone before were not even close to my new level.

“Emotional power? I must’ve gotten a lot of it from Ray, but where is he?” I turned around and found him lying on the other side of the bed face down and ran up to him in panic. His breath was ragged, his skin pale, his emotions absent. My eyes widened with worry. He was not looking good. I tried turning him to his back.

“U-u-ugh! Heavy-y-y!” I couldn’t do it without telekinesis. I should be careful. My horn lit up with my magic, the deep blue flame was even more intense than before, and I’ve noticed my horn no longer had a simple fang form, like all drones had. But my efforts did not pay off; it was like trying to move empty air with my magic. “Why is that?” I was confused, but I’m not some young drone to stand still, so I quickly started to think of alternatives.

Soon I’ve thought of something. “Let’s try this!” I enveloped his clothes with my magic this time and it actually worked! “Have to be careful with that… unless I want to destroy his already damaged clothes, yes, just like that!” I finally managed to turn Ray on his back. His face was pale. I examined him for injuries, but found none. “What happened to him?” I thought about the plausible reasons.

Then I realized. I was not fully unconscious during the transformation. I was already familiar with Ray’s magic before, and when my transformation was about to fail, what saved me was exactly this magic, but the feeling was very different. This magic was no longer subtle and gentle. It came down on me like a landslide and carried me away from the abyss of despair. My evolution continued without a hitch then. Should I have failed and survived, I don’t know if I could ever recover, and I still don’t know why I even had strength to evolve, but it still happened!

“Now I know what it is… Magical exhaustion! It can be dangerous, but everything went well this time for him. You saved me again, Ray…” I said quietly, gently caressing his face. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. “Your magic is so unusual…” I made some more efforts to lay him comfortably on the bed. Unfamiliar, but so pleasant feelings appeared inside me.

“For so many years, no one ever cared for me. This was the norm for changelings of my hive, but I never liked it. Only survival was on their mind, efficiency, practicality. It was not what my heart was striving for!” I whispered what was on my mind to the sleeping Ray. I really needed it, it felt like the weight I carried on my shoulder all these years vanishing slowly. No one has listened to me in the hive, treating me like a nuisance. “And here are you, brought to me by the fate itself! And you are not some petty hypocrite who will run away the moment he sees my true form. You accepted me, a changeling, for who I am! Emotions do not lie, I can feel it! You saved me, healed me, fed me… without ulterior motives. I will not let you go, and I don’t even care that you look strange, for I look strange too!” My tears wetted his skin as I hugged his bare chest. “Please don’t chase me away!” I whispered.

Ray was lying motionless on his back, but his eyes started twitching some time ago, and his breath quickened. His mouth twitched, but Blue could not see it! He coughed twice huskily as his lips parted.

“Blue.” He said in a weak, hoarse voice. “I…” He made a small cough again. “I’ll be the greatest bastard if I ever chase you away!” He finally said with a weak smile, and I realized his emotional aura was back for some time already, albeit it was still a bit weak, but was getting stronger gradually. “Never say things like that again!” he added, his lips managed to produce another smile.

“Oh! He heard me!” I blushed heavily. My cheeks turned dark black with a slight red tint. I raised my head to look into his eyes. “Alright, I won’t!” I told him with a smile. His eyes grew large at this moment, even his pupils, mouth agape, and the words he wanted to say could not come out. His eyes running around my face chaotically in obvious shock, his emotion plunged into a weird mix of positive and contradicting feelings.

“Ray!” I exclaimed. “Ray, what’s wrong?” I asked again after receiving no answer. “Tell me.” I whispered, moving closer to his face, looking him in the eyes.

He raised his right hand and slowly wove his fingers through my mane on the side. It was a very pleasant sensation. “You are so… beautiful…” He finally said in a hoarse voice. My blush intensified to the limits, and I immediately received a whole river of his emotions, but I did not feel strange because of them anymore.

It’s true, he cannot lie to me! Not with this torrent of true feelings towards me! To say I felt happy was a serious understatement. His torrent of emotions is incredible! And those emotions are all meant for me and for me alone! Do other changelings feel the same way when they try to steal emotions? They must not be even close! What I’m experiencing now is something else entirely! Oh, I feel a weird airy feeling inside my head… but I’m not intoxicated like the last time. We were looking at each other in silence, and then I had an idea to ask a brazen question. I’m a true changeling now and should follow my desires and be less shy. The time I’ve spent in the hive under suppression has come to an end.

But first, I need to bring him some water. I picked two helmets with my magic from the box with little thinking and brought them to us. At first, I didn’t realize what I actually did! Before, I was struggling with levitating even small objects, and now I did it with two helmets without spilling even a drop! He looked at my horn, blazing with deep sapphire flame, entranced.

“Here, take it, Ray! You should drink some water!” He took a helmet from my magic field, the other one I carefully left on the floor. I did not let him get up, and just held his head up so he could drink. After sating his thirst, I did so myself. The whole time he was looking at me with this strange look, I could not quite discern the emotions he projected at me, something between appreciation and adoration, much unexpected! And there is a bit of something else… something incredibly tasty… “Don’t tell me this is… love? It can’t be! But maybe it is?” I returned to his chest and hugged him again. I’m getting used to it, and I like it!

“Thanks, Blue, my throat was dry like if I was drinking for a whole day…” He inhaled deeply. “Yeah, I already feel slightly better!” But when he looked into my eyes again, he started to lose contact with reality again and I was struck by even purer emotions from him.

“There is no doubt it had to be love! I… What should I do now? Couldn’t even dream of this before, and now… Why? I’m so happy!” Overwhelming feelings flooded me from inside, throwing my mind into a mess. We were frozen in place just like that, looking into each other eyes, while our minds were in chaos. I was first to snap back to reality. I should not waste this chance! But how should I put it for him, the fact I know about his feelings?

“Oh, Ray, you know I can read your emotions like an open book! You’ve said so much to me just now!” I said softly, reminding him about who I am. “It may be difficult for me to read others, as their weak and muddy emotions can be hard to understand, but you… I can sense everything so clearly! You should be wary of other changelings, Ray, or they will steal you from me!” I said in a mild voice while stroking his cheek gently. “A changeling in love? But here I am! I want to be with him, hug him, kiss him, do everything with him! Like some silly pony mare! Then maybe they are not so silly, after all?” I tried to get myself together from my chaotic thoughts.

“Of course I know… You should have guessed everything by now, I suppose.” He said with a bit of surrender in his voice.

Then I asked the thing which was on my mind since morning: “Then why did you run away from me, Ray? I really don’t understand. I know you like me!” His face changed expressions several times at my question, his emotions fluctuated. He then seemingly came to some hard decision. I was intrigued and waited for his answer in anticipation.

“Yes, I do like you, a lot!” His hand continued to stroke and caress my mane and cheek gently; he seemed to do it almost unconsciously in his tired state. “Alright, do you want to know… everything? You may not like some of that. Nevertheless, I will tell you, if you want.” He had a wry smile on his face. I’ve pressed his hand to my face with my hoof as I looked into his eyes intently.

“Yes, I want to know everything about you!” I became more assertive after my transformation, or maybe it’s because of Ray? He made a deep sigh.

“Then listen.” He began his somewhat chaotic explanations.

Eventually, he told me, well, everything in details, about his physiology in the mornings. “Very peculiar and piquant, I’d say! And yes, I’ve seen his tool there; under that cloth he wears to cover it, a very decent tool indeed!” My face blushed again at this thought, but I had a smile on my face. My reaction made him blush a little for a moment too, but, surprisingly, he was not too nervous about our little talk. And I was still lying with my chest on top of his, our faces close to each other. I’m already getting used to it, and he does not mind. Oh, and I’m having a real feast right now! I hope I’m not too heavy for him.

“Then I guess it was not the reason you walked away, right?” It was easy to understand by his emotions. “By the way, don’t I discomfort you with my weight?” I asked, in concern.

“Of course not! My body is quite sturdy. You lay like that the whole night and I’m still fine, ha-ha!” He smiled and continued. “As for the reason I walked away… Well, I have never tried it with another species before, so I was hesitant, you know. And your state of mind concerned me. What if it was not by your will? So, I had to retreat quickly, before I lost control over myself. Yes, exactly, a bit more and you would have seduced me right there! It’s a little shameful for me to lack control like that… And it seemed to me, as I became more and more excited, the same could be said about your reaction to it, so I had to stop this endless cycle.”

I was a little puzzled by his answer and became immersed in my thoughts for a moment. “It’s very strange he never did it with other species, considering the number of different sapient species around; many of them have free views on the subject. And of course, I was not in a right mind, but now I think I would not be against such an activity in the morning, honestly, but my way of thinking has changed, and my feelings for Ray too. I doubt I’d do that earlier in the morning if not for my instincts kicking in, and indeed, I was becoming more intoxicated the more lust I received. I guess it really was an endless cycle that would end predictably.” My sight was trailing the surface of the ceiling as I pondered, then it returned to Ray.

“I understand, Ray. It’s all good, but you know… if you’d ever want to do it with me, then… I will not be against it… Or rather, I’d like to do it with you; and not because of my hunger for emotions!” I finally spoke my mind about this. My cheeks were burning, but I had to say it!

I woke up when I heard Blue’s voice. She was hugging my chest again, and I felt her tears on my skin, as she cried silently. The things she said to me, thinking I was still asleep… How could I not understand what she meant? And how could I reject this girl? I vowed recently not to deceive myself with twisted logic or morals anymore.

So what if she is of different specie than me? I’m sure my DNA is no longer ‘human’ per se. She may be a little eccentric and exotic for a girl, but her soul is pure and honest. She likes me and cares for me, so my doubts can go to straight to hell!

I like her, period! Do I love her? Perhaps. I can already feel a trace of this long-forgotten feeling inside my heart. So I’ve attempted to open my dried mouth and try speaking to her, but I produced only weak coughs. Then the words finally came out of my mouth.

“Blue.” I’ve finally started speaking at last. “I…” The cough rocked me again. “I’ll be the greatest bastard if I ever chase you away. Never say things like that again.” Then her smiling face appeared in my sight.

“Alright, I won’t!” she said cheerfully, with a smile.

This was the grand finale of my pathetic drama of hesitations! My thinking process just halted as I observed her transformed face. Two big azure cat-like eyes with flexible vertical slit gazed at me. Her pupils were enlarged to a wide spindle shape because of the shade in the room. Her fin on the head was replaced by a magnificent and rather long mane with heavy, straight locks streaming down along the sides of her head. The color was the same as her eyes, both having a gradient starting with sky azure, going through shades of electric blue and descending into the deepest sapphire colors at the ends of her mane and edges of her irises. (example palette)

This alone was enough to shake my mind, but now her entire form was more subtle, devoid of her previous sharp angles. Her face had softer lines and got more feminine, but still kept her predatory vibe. She now had a mature allure to her. Her ears lost its thin fin-like form and enlarged; its shape was close to what Luna had, just without a coat. Her fangs became a little shorter and only added to her exotic beauty. Her horn became bigger and changed shape, but I could not discern it properly, as her deficit of emotions seems to have returned, making it look corroded and jagged. The transformation took its toll on her. I’ll have to feed her again, but it should not be a problem!

She had no other apparent changes. Besides, her tail fin now was replaced by a proper tail with impressive long hair, the same as her mane. Her skin has become a bit darker, its ashen tint shifted visibly to deeper black. The plates on her back changed their color to something like chameleon metallic, shifting into dark sapphire and back to sky azure shades, depending on the angle of view. I’ve definitely seen this type of color on some exotic bugs from earth, and I really like it. Her size was seemingly unchanged. If anything else has changed, I could not see it from my current position.

I was just staring at her like this as she tried to ask me if I was fine. “Well, I can’t say I’m totally fine right now, especially in the head. Ha-ha! If she asks to marry her right now, I might just agree without much thinking! What a silly thoughts going through my head…” I didn’t notice how my hand began to stroke her mane, her silky locks were weaving through my fingers.

“You are so… beautiful…” That’s all I’ve managed to say at the moment, my voice still hoarse. Her cheeks got darker and, perhaps, redder? “Is she blushing? Hell, I’m getting an overdose of cuteness!”

After she gave me some water, we’ve had our rather intimate conversation. The thing is, she was reading all my feelings clearly. I literally confessed to her with my torrent of emotions… I can’t deny I was experiencing the feelings of love towards her right now. She did not need words for that… what peculiar species she is! So, I spilled the beans about everything that happened in the morning. There was no point in concealing anything, really. And… uh… yes, she wants to have sex with me… Later. Now I have neither reason nor desire to refuse, but I’ll need to recover from my power exhaustion before we do anything like that, otherwise I might just fail miserably. Also, I should not be content with just my emotions which relayed my feelings to her; I should express my feelings directly. Am I a man or not? I’ve decided.

“Blue…” But I was interrupted by her rather soft hoof placed on my mouth. “Wait, why is the hoof soft? Well, not that soft, but maybe on par with the softness a hand could have. I’m sure her hooves were hard before! Well, I’ll ask her later about it.”

“Ray! It is time you stop calling me just ‘Blue’ already!” She said sternly in a demanding voice. “I need a new name after my transformation. I had some names in mind before, like ‘Indigo’, but that just not it… Something is not right with those. Can you come up with something emphasizing my new look?” She had a thoughtful expression on her face, her hoof touching her lower lip, her eyes looking up.

I scratched my head and started brainstorming, but most of those names which came up were strange and nonsensical. And I didn’t even consider those names ponies use, which I heard from Falda’ar, that’s just weird to me.

She has ruled out ‘Indigo’, and I agree, what else? Azure? It fits. Turquoise, cyan and teal are out of the question. Those are not her colors. Hmmm! Cobalt… no, too masculine, and probably no one here knows what it is. Cerulean, lapis, sapphire… maybe I can make something of those somehow. I thought about other colors, but many of those included ‘blue’ in their names, ultramarine… nope! I was recounting my thoughts to her; she was a bit surprised to hear some of the blue color names.

“Ray, let’s try some of those associated with gemstones, maybe?” She finally told me her thoughts, still deep in contemplations.

“Alright!” I’ve started trying to create something decent out of it. “Azula… no, Azura, Azuria? Lapis… Sapphire… Sapphira?” I was running out of ideas.

“That’s it! I like it!” she exclaimed. I looked at her.

“Which one?” I raised my brow slightly.

“Sapphira!” she smiled at me.

“It suits your new look, to be honest! Your eyes, mane and tail have a lot of this color, and the color of your magic is the same too.” She returned to her thoughtful state again. I looked at her from the side. Her legs became slightly longer, making her form more elegant; her gait now reminded me of Luna. “I have to do something with those holes soon!” I thought as I noticed the holes in her legs and wings have returned, and those were present even in her mane and tail! “How the hell there can be holes in locks of hair?” As I examined this phenomenon more closely, I saw the hair strands were not damaged or cut; they avoided the places where the holes were, somehow, like something was pushing and bending them to the sides. It must be something in her energy structure, then.

“Ray!” I heard her energetic voice. “Call me by my new name!” She looks at me in anticipation.

I cleared my throat to make my voice more clear and said in a grand voice. “Sapphira!”

“Ha-ha, Ray, you don’t have to be this loud!” Her clear laugh and voice had some deep and mature tone to it after she transformed, adding to her allure.

“My bad, Sapphira!” I replied with a smile with my regular voice.

“Yes! I like how this sounds! Thank you, Ray!” she was very content with her new name. Sly and subtle smile suddenly appeared on her face. “And now… You can tell me the thing you wanted to tell me before!” She told me in a seductive voice.

“Ahem!” She caught me! She totally caught me! She knew I wanted to say something important, but she wanted me to address her by her new name, not by her nickname. Now, there is no going back! I slowly walked closer, stood in front of her and got on my knees, as I looked her in the eyes. Standing in this way, I was a bit taller than her. I moved my face closer to hers; my hand caressed her cheek gently. My heart started to beat faster.

“Sapphira…” At this moment, I leaned closer to her, and our lips touched. Finally, we kissed each other. She closed her eyes as she savored our kiss, slowly moving her front hooves to hug me, trying not to break it. I held her to make her more comfortable.

“Mmmmmm…” As she reached her desired pose, I heard her mild purr through our kiss.

Then, her long forked tongue slowly reached inside my mouth, wrapping around my own. I found her taste pleasant and unusual while I was immersed in our little game with our tongues. I had no chance of winning this match against her agile movements, as she investigated even my teeth thoroughly. We separated after some time, looking each other in the eyes, our breathing rugged. Her glistening, blue tongue seductively licked one of her fangs before sliding back. Her eyelids were half-closed, and she had the most content smile I’ve seen on her face so far.

“Sapphira, I love you!” I said to her gently, looking into her eyes, shining with different shades of azure and sapphire colors. She was looking back at me, and instead of giving me any answer, she just leaned forward and placed another kiss on my lips. Our kissing session continued for a good while, before she got tired from standing in this pose. We have moved to our bed and sat there, our bodies pressed against each other; I was hugging her back with one hand.

“Oh Ray, you didn’t even have to tell me, but I value you did.” She had her head pressed against my side, her eyes looking upwards at me. “You know, most of the folks think that we, changelings, can’t feel emotions, especially love, but it’s not true. We just can’t emanate those emotions as others do. This is the reason changelings can’t sustain even their own bodies by themselves, much less provide anything for other changelings, but the feelings we can experience are the same as other species, including love. I know it’s hard to believe…”

“Don’t, Sapphi. I know what it’s like very well. I was living like that for the most part of my life, really. My ability to emanate emotions is actually very new to me.” I said to her, my eyes were unfocused with a somewhat nostalgic expression.

“Really?” She was visibly surprised at this unexpected information. “What I wanted to say to you… I love you too, Ray!” Her pupils dilated to a round form; I realized she was feeling very nervous about it. “I’ve never felt like this before, but I think it must be love! I was just afraid you won’t believe changeling’s words about love, like everyone else.” A glint of tears appeared in her eyes. I turned to her and carefully took her into my arms.

“Sapphi, I’m not ‘everyone’. I will believe you no matter what, and I don’t care about what others say either. Such trivial things as stereotypes, rumors and superstitions are not worth your precious tears.” I said calmly, looking into her azure eyes. She just closed them and hugged me.

I can’t rationally explain my skyrocketing affection and love for Sapphira, as well as trust in her, but my senses tell me it may very well be connected to the vast amounts of my ‘Life Essence’ in her body, she even gone through evolution using it. But my feelings are true, I’m sure of that. It created some unique connection between us, and our whole situation is just pushing us closer to each other.

Honestly, I was a distrusting person for the most of my life, the lesson life in modern society will teach you, eventually. I never made friends easily, acquaintances — yes, but not genuine friends, and I never believed the love could spark so abruptly, but look at me now… I’d laugh at my current behavior, though I will never do so from now on. I’ve changed, perhaps for the better, and I’m not going back.

Our intimate moment was interrupted by rumbling inside Sapphira’s stomach. Of course we ate nothing since yesterday evening, and she needs nutrients more than anything now. She is too thin even for a changeling, and I’m going to fix that! We better not delay our meal any longer.

“Sapphi, we are both hungry. We better get outside. I think I already have restored some of my power to get us some food.” She had her unique blush on her face. I carefully put her on her hooves and got up.

“You want to use your magic in this state again? Don’t! And how are you planning to find us food?” She said in a concerned tone, obviously not content with my idea to expend more power in my exhausted state. “Maybe it’s better if I go to find some?” She was obviously being protective of me, but I’m not going to risk our lives in our weakened state.

“No, Sapphi, nobody is going. You’ll see what I’m about to do and don’t worry about my exhaustion. I have good control if I’m not trying to save someone’s life.” I smiled wryly at her.

“Good, I’ll believe you then!” she said with squinted eyes, like she doesn’t trust me, but I can tell she’s just playing around.

“Alright, let’s go then!” I said as I walked out of the room, hearing the clopping of her hooves from behind. “They are hard again?” I was puzzled by this again. “Sapphi, why were your hooves soft before, but now they don’t seem so?” I couldn’t restrain myself from asking.

“Oh, that’s simple! All races with hooves have this kind of innate magic ability, as well as simple contact telekinesis which help us to move and handle things with our hooves. The hooves and their undersides become hard when we walk or fight. By the way, my armor plates on the back are the same! As well as my skin can get harder while in combat. Changelings are inherently good fighters because of this and we can take more beating than average pony or griffon. Of course, we can’t compare us with those brutes like buffalos or minotaurs! They are scary, but I never saw them, to be honest.” I listened to her explanations while we were walking downhill.

“Interesting!” I said, looking at the skies. Heavy clouds could be seen on the horizon, but the wind was not strong yet. I should have enough time to do my work with the magic tree. “It seems the rain will start soon.” I said.

Sapphira nodded her head, looking at the skies. We arrived before the tree. Her gorgeous mane and tail fluttered in the wind. I was a little spaced out at this sight.

“So, what are we going to do?” She noticed my look and shook her mane slightly to show off before me.

“Ah! Right!” I snapped back from my reverie. “Come here and place your hoof on this tree.” I wanted to be sure the tree will work properly for her. She did as I said with an incredulous look. “Now hold your hoof like this for some time.” I easily started the procedure. My control over my power got obviously better after what I did for Sapphira today. She was looking with interest at this process. Her eyes grew wide when the flowers appeared. This time it was four. “Good, at least we won’t be hungry for some time. But this rain ruins my plans again, damn it!” Sapphira had a bit saddened look when the flowers wilted, and looked at me.

“What is this magic, Ray? Rather, what is your magic? I’ve never heard about anything like that, that’s not a pony magic for sure!” She asked with great interest. “I think I can tell her more than I will ever tell to general inhabitants of this world.” I thought for a bit before answering.

“It’s Life magic, Sapphi. But please, don’t mention it to anyone else.” I said, looking at her with a serious face.

“I won’t, Ray. Don’t make this scary face!” She giggled and smiled at me. “I guess that fruit yesterday was from this tree?” She guessed it.

“Precisely, Sapphi! Let me try to speed up things a bit.” I tried to provide additional ‘life essence’ to the growing fruits, and it worked to some extent, but we’ll still have to wait for some time. My thoughts inevitably returned to Sapphira, as my eyes already did. As I thought about it, she seems to like how I shorten her name.

After some time, we were already sitting before the tree close to each other. Sapphira was leaning on my side from the left as I held her with one hand. She told me a little about her life in the hive. Her main responsibility was gathering the food in the hive's vicinity; she was not allowed to travel too far because of her frailty and queen’s suspicion about her waning control over her. When she was not working outside, she had to clean food storage. We talked about many things. I had a lot of questions about this world. Sapphira was surprised I lacked knowledge about some simple things which folks around would call a common sense. Like some facts about magic, geography and many others.

Talking about geography, we didn’t have many choices about how we could get out of the jungle. We were somewhere inside western parts of this jungle. To the north was an immense mountain range called ‘Big Macintosh Mountain Range’, very hard and dangerous to traverse, with a small valley passage to the so-called ‘Badlands’, an arid, withered land with low precipitation and food sources. We can rule out this direction with our almost zero level of preparedness. Further to the north were the lands of Equestria, a country of ponies, the biggest and the only decent center of civilization on this continent. But we could not pick that direction.

To the south were unsettled lands, with some local tribes, at best, as their inhabitants. The exit from jungle on this side is not complicated, but there is a territory of shadow hounds on the way south. Thanks, but no thanks. We are not going there.

As for the east direction, I was already expecting that. Jungle there gradually transforms into an endless swamp, full of dangerous predators. The only direction left was west. Jungle on the west side is elevated and located atop a plateau, separated from the plains and forests on the west by a rather low chain of mountains. We’ll have to find a way to descend from the plateau across those mountains. Sapphira ensured me she could easily scout a way by flying. A common deciduous forest was located across the plateau, with much more safe wildlife than here, except for strange species called ‘timberwolves’. Those are literally made of… timber! Sounds more like magic golems to me, but that can be serious. My weapons won’t do much harm to something made of hard wood. Those wolves are not some common trees, which will stay still while I hack them with an axe.

Also, there must be a railroad somewhere in the west direction. We can go along the rails to find some settlements. Sapphira is not sure about where it leads, but the most logical decision would be to travel north along the ways, as it should go to Equestria.

The fruits were eventually ready for picking. The day was slowly progressing towards the evening, but we still have a lot of time until sunset. We were having our meal, strong wind negated some of the tropical heat, and my body developed some degree of resistance to it too, otherwise I’d have sunburns all over my body by now. Sapphira’s body is adapted to such conditions too, more or less.

“Ray, how old are you?” She asked suddenly. It was not an easy question for me.

“It’s a bit complicated, Sapphi.” I’ve thought about how I should put it. “My body should be around thirty-four years old, but, because of my power and certain… unfortunate magic accident, it was forcefully aged to a venerable age, then restored back, almost, and a bit changed to the form you can see now… Pretty complicated, isn’t it?” Her eyes grew wide at my statement. She felt through my emotions that I believe in what I’m telling her.

“Seems you had a rough life, Ray!” she said thoughtfully.

For a while, I contemplated. “I don’t really want to go into details about my past right now… My life was not that bad, Sapphi, but sometimes, fate can throw you into some much unexpected or downright cruel situations and events you can’t avoid, where you have no choice, but to go through to the very end. Or perish, trying. I can say my old life is no more and I have no choice but to leave it behind and move forward. On the brighter side, I’ve found you, Sapphi! I no longer care about my past and I have no regrets about anything from my old life. Only memories are left. I’ll tell you my story on some other occasion. It can be very long and confusing, like with my age, you get it, right? I don’t want to make up some fake fairy tale for you.”

Sapphira stayed silent for a long while, deep in her own thoughts, then nodded her head.

“Its fine. You can tell me when you are ready. You know, Ray, my story seems very similar to yours. I can say my old life ended yesterday. This morning, I found my connection to my hive is no more. The queen has no power over me now, but my old hive will be hostile towards me, most likely. I’m thirty years old, very close to your age! I was dreaming of this transformation for ten long years, but it would be impossible if not for you, Ray! And I regret nothing, too!” A smile appeared on her face, which only grew wider as she spoke.

“Then we’ll have to build our new life somehow. I guess it won’t be a walk in the park on this continent. I’m too unusual for ponies and almost everyone else, and your kind has a poor reputation, if I understood you correctly.”

“Certainly, Ray, but I can take on a look of a pony. This will make things easier for both of us. They will not be so suspicious of you if you will be in a company of a mare.” She offered her solution. “But we better avoid strong magic users or other changelings. The former can sense my disguise, as for the latter, they will certainly sense me, and I don’t want to go into contact with my species anytime soon! Almost every one of them is a part of their hives, and I don’t want to have any business with hives! I’m a rogue now, changelings frown upon us.”

“I see. So this disguise magic is the talent of changelings? Do you have any other abilities?” I asked with interest.

She sighed lightly before speaking again. “Yes, we were even named like this because of our talent. Common changelings take on the appearance of some pony, usually, but it can be other species too, and then… they try to enter into some intimacy with the other ponies which have feelings for the one they are disguised as. They feast on the emotions directed at them, sometimes sucking those emotions by force, leaving the victim temporary weakened and devoid of feelings for the ones they loved. That’s why changelings are hated and feared by many.” I was listening with great interest. This is really fascinating, albeit wrong in so many ways!

“Oh, now I see the reason you were so uncomfortable about your own species, but I won’t let anyone accuse you of anything like that! They can go screw themselves if they want to have some opinion about it!”

“Oh, Ray…” She blushed again and smiled. “Honestly, this disguise magic… I’m just bad at it and I don’t know why! No changeling in my hive was that bad at it as I was. It must be better now after my transformation. I just hope I won’t fail us. Telekinesis was better, but my poor diet meant I had very small magic reserves and a lack of practice. However, back there when I gave you water, it came naturally to me, even with two objects in my magic grip!” Her mood dropped at the mention of her difficulties, but went back up when she remembered her improvements.

“I’m happy you are getting better at this, and about your disguise, we’ll figure something out, even if it fails!” I assured her. “Oh, is there any special reason you were disguised as a fanged deer, back there in the jungle?” This question was on my mind for some time already.

“Oh, that…” She looked a bit lost at my question, her eyes downcast. “It all comes from the fact I’m unskilled in disguise magic. Deer’s size is close to mine, so it’s easier to maintain it, but fangs were my mistake.” She smiled wryly. “And you’ve seen my wings. I could not fly, and the deer is quite agile when traversing the jungle. But I was still easily detected by my hive when they found me; my disguise was lacking to prevent them from doing so. And then the hounds came…” She explained her situation in detail.

“I see. That makes sense! Do changelings have any other sort of magic?” I asked her as it was a very interesting topic for me.

“Queens can have their own spell arsenals, which they keep a secret from everyone. But our hive has one special spell specific to our hive: hypnosis, a weaker variant which can be used even by drones. It can disable the victim for a short time, or even force it to do something against their will, and rumors have it that our queen can even make you forget some things with this spell! I had an average success with this spell, but I should use it very carefully. It is a crime to use this spell in Equestria and many other countries and kingdoms.” She said sternly.

“Oh, I see. But it can be very useful sometimes!” I praised the spell.

“I think so too. Those ponies are just too afraid of everything, but I’m a changeling. After all, my kind is considered cruel and dangerous.” She said in a playful voice, turned her head a little to the side, showing me her teeth and slowly sliding her tongue along them, all while staring at me with her eyes. Her pupil became a thin slit under the bright sun. She was very content with her actions, seeing my reaction through the flow of my emotions. Well, I can do nothing about it; I just like her predatory side.

“You are playing with fire, Sapphi! You don’t want me to try doing it while I’m exhausted, do you?” I said, copying her with a toothy smile.

“Fine! I won’t tease you just yet!” She laughed. “Oh, by the way, once I stumbled upon one memory. It was a memory of a pony magic book. I don’t know why a changeling would want to learn a pony magic book, as our magic work differently, but I was curious about it and tried to study some simple spells from there.” she reminisced.

“Did any spell work?” I inquired and looked at the sky again. The din of the jungle birds subsided; they must have gone to their shelters to hide from incoming rain already.

“Most have failed, or had some strange effects. When I tried to use a spell that should provide a light from the unicorn’s horn, it was giving out sparks instead, but as it gave some light, I can say it was working, more or less!” She giggled. “If not for that hissing noise it created and somewhat high magic consumption, it could work as intended!”

“Funny! Can you show it to me?” I asked in my curiosity.

“Oh! Of course! Look!” She moved away from me and got up. She made a few steps to the side and prepared to cast a spell. Her horn was enveloped by the beautiful, deep sapphire aura billowing outside like a dark flame. The aura suddenly got bigger, then my eyes were blinded by a bright flash, and immediately my ears gone almost deaf as a powerful sound of explosion bombarded my eardrums. At this moment I detected a thick, bright and forking azure lightning bolt struck my poor tree, burning splinters flying all around, leaving only charred stump with some smoldering embers in its place. There were also two small craters nearby with the traces of burns on the ground where other bolts which forked struck.

My jaw dropped, and my brow twitched. I was staring at this scene of chaos around me as the wind swirled the ashes in the air, and then looked at Sapphira with a questioning look.

“Who-o-ops!” she said with a shocked countenance.

We had an awkward pause between us. I finally understood what happened, more or less.

I boomed in laughter, stopping only after a short while. “That. Was. Awesome!” I shouted, raising up my arms grandly.

“But your tree?” She looked upset. “You aren’t mad at me?” She was surprised at my reaction no less than by this event. I noticed she was panting.

I chuckled “Why would I? I can make another one... but only when I restore my magic reserves. We just found ourselves a weapon! Not just a weapon, it’s a magical cannon, no less! I bet you could knock out a manticore with it!” I was really excited about this newfound spell of hers!

“I… I never thought this spell could do that, but I doubt I can do it again anytime soon. This spell has drained too much of my magic! Maybe, if I train to control it, I can make this spell less… lethal and use it more frequently.” She thought about it seriously.

“It will be for the best! At least you will have an excellent tool for self-defense.” I approved her way of thinking. “Seems the rain will start in less than an hour, and we have nothing to eat for supper.”

“Let me fly around the edge of this jungle! You said it should be safe. I know many edible fruits and plants around here; I must find at least something before the rain starts.” She obviously felt bad about the tree and tried to offer her help, but what she say make sense!

“Fine, but you must promise me to stay on the outskirts of the jungle. I’ll go to take another spear, just in case. Shout if anything happens!” As much as I wanted to go with her, I’ll be slowing her down as she will fly around. “Oh, yes, take the box from the room if you need it.”

“I promise not to get in trouble!” She smiled at me and darted uphill to take the box. I, too, started walking up. Then I saw her fly out through the roof and disappear behind the building. “She is quite fast!” I remarked.

The storage room was dark, as always. I put on my t-shirt and grabbed that strange crystal spear. Its shaft was very sturdy, but I better be careful with the blade and not hit something like stones unnecessarily. I made a simple strap from the vines which I stored before. We are running out of clear water, but I have an idea. I’ve laid out the contents of the wooden box I used for storing my clothes and other small items onto one of the shelves.

I laughed mirthlessly, spotting my phone.“This useless brick…” It was dead for good. “And these worthless papers…” I looked at my passport and driver license before throwing them back into the corner. The images in the photos have disappeared without a trace, along with any information about me, leaving only blanks in its place. I grabbed the empty box, put several helmets inside, crudely fixed them in place with vines and headed for the lake.

As I was walking, I could see Sapphira’s figure flying from one spot to another in the distance. She was putting something in the box here and there. “Seriously? She must be a real pro at procuring food in the forests! I doubt I could find something this fast, if I could find anything at all!”

I chose the sandy side of the lake and filled my improvised water container. I was going to try one of my little tricks and purify the water for Sapphira. Slowly saturating the water inside the box with my energy, I held it there for some time. When I thought it was enough, instead of dissipating my energy, I tried to absorb it back, and it actually worked. I restored my reserves partially, but I should never try to do it with living beings above the level of primitive life forms, especially with sentient ones.

‘Life’ treats such acts as a crime against itself. If I rip ‘life essence’ from living organisms, I’ll get a serious backlash from my own power, and the poor victim will slowly, but inevitably die in great sufferings somewhere between several hours to several days, systems of its body will fail one after another; a very gruesome and inhuman death. This is one of my ‘taboos’, and only in the face of death I can consider doing it.

I tasted the water to check it. “Hmmm… seems fine! The taste is also not bad. This will suffice.” I slowly returned with the box and got back outside. The sky was already overcast, and the wind was very strong. Some raindrops were already hitting the ground here and there. “Where is Sapphi?” It’s dangerous to fly when the wind is so strong.

I filled my lungs with air and shouted her name as loud as I can, but she did not answer. A minute later, I heard her voice from the side.

“I’m back. The wind is too strong to fly, so I walked.” She appeared from behind a corner of the building, carrying the box in her magic grip. I took the box and looked inside.

“Whoa! That’s a lot! How did you do it?” I was surprised.

“You said there are no beasts around this place, so there are a lot of untouched edible plants and mushrooms around. This place is really abundant, I’d say!” My hand hit my face in a well-known gesture while I held the box with another. “I’m a frigging genius! I should have investigated surrounding area more thoroughly for plant food, instead of trying to hunt, but then… Sapphi would have died, so no, to hell with such thoughts!” This possibility of events irked me greatly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, obviously having felt my thoughts through my emotional state.

“Forget it, Sapphi, everything is good. Let’s go inside.” I said while gently stroking the mane on top of her head. We got inside and I closed the doors behind us.

Sapphira explained what she found in the nearest jungle. There were several fragrant red and yellow fruits, a pair of green vegetable-like things with an elongated form, which could be eaten raw if we peel those, some amount of large nuts, which could be cooked in embers in our campfire, several stems of something like sugarcane, and some sort of tree mushrooms, which I can grill if I place those above the red embers. I checked everything, cutting small bits with a knife and tasting them. Everything was safe and edible. I sighed again at the lack of salt and spices. Those mushrooms would be so good if I had any… The storm outside was already raging. Torrential rain poured down in the center of a room, making the air inside humid again.

“You are so good at finding food, Sapphi! I’d have stayed hungry today if not for you! Thanks!” I praised her for her efforts, but the really deserves it!

“Ha-ha-ha! Ray, you must be joking! I’d be hungry without you too, you know what I mean!” She just laughed it off. She came up to me while I was examining the contents of the box and whisked my face with her tail as she walked by, slowly swinging her flanks seductively. This little antic of hers instantly ignited the fire inside me.

“Aha! Just like this! Mmm… tasty!” She walked back to me and sat down, leaning against my side. I chuckled and leaned closer to her, placing a kiss on her nose.

“We need to start a fire. I’ll be right back.” I stood up and started my preparations, as the tropical storm raged outside with constant flashes of lightning and deafening thunder. It will be a long evening for us.

Canterlot Royal Palace, current time.

Luna was pacing around the throne room; she was obviously in an impatient mood and could not sit still. She woke up from her day's rest some time ago. Finally, the doors of the throne room opened with a slight noise, and her sister walked in.

“Is everything ready, Celly? I’m ready to head out any time!” Luna said in a rather hasty speech.

“Oh calm down, Luna. Why are you so excited about this trip? There is no need to be in such a hurry! The magic trace is not going anywhere for the next week at the least, and I’m confident in your abilities to find it. Or, maybe, you worry about that… stallion you’ve mentioned? Of course, it’s our duty to help those in danger, but it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, unless you can track him again through the dreamland.” She sighed, shaking her head, with a sad look in her eyes.

“But I’ll still try while I’m there, sister.” Luna said with determination in her voice.

“Ha-ha, like I said, you never surrender, Luna. And why do I feel you have greater interest in him than in the expedition itself?” Celestia asked with a raised brow and a smirk on her lips.

“Because the expedition is boring! Well, not the expedition itself, but the monotone work of monitoring magical field for the whole day!” Luna complained a bit to her sister with a wry smile, looking down, drawing circles on the floor with her hoof. “Twilight and Starlight will not be of much help until I find the location. Then I’ll have some rest and let them work freely. By the way, are they here already?”

“So, my little Luna is really having some interest in a stallion at last! About time, I’d say!” Celestia could not resist making a joke on Luna. Luna had an indignant look, but before she could get back at Celestia with anything, she continued, “They are in flight to Canterlot at this moment. I’ve sent a sky chariot to bring them here. You are heading out tomorrow, early in the morning. If everything goes well, you’ll be able to get there by the evening. Your escort of pegasi elites is already on standby. You will move faster with only one high-speed flying carriage. All the supplies are ready too. Oh, and don’t worry about the changelings, they are too far from our borders, but I’ll notify our academy and military about this fact, so they will investigate it by themselves when they are ready.”

Luna made a small sigh in surrender before her sister’s skill in changing topics. “Alright, Celly, then we’ll head out early in the morning. I still have not had a meal; let’s head to the dining room!”

Celestia nodded her head, and they soon left the throne room, talking about something. Their preparations for the expedition were complete.

Author's Note

Edited 30 March 2022

Chapter 6 - Journey to the West

Forbidden Jungle, late evening.

Ray and Sapphira were sitting near the bonfire on their bed, looking at the burning firewood Ray had recently thrown atop of the glowing embers. Reddish flashes of fire danced on the surrounding walls, faintly illuminating their faces. The altar room was inundated by the endless lulling noise of heavy rain. The lightning flashes and thunder have long stopped raging and the strong winds calmed down, but it will take some time for the rain to subside completely. Ray had grilled mushrooms and vegetables above the embers, providing a somewhat diverse supper, compared to his previous meals, for both of them.

Ray’s physical body felt fine, as it did not receive any stress that day, but his magical exhaustion had more severe consequences than he thought. He still could not feel his energy returning in full. It stayed on low levels and refused to replenish as it always did before. The movement of energy in his body became slow and stale, as his still unstable energy channels of his magical structure were overloaded and received some damage. It will cause him to feel tired, despite the normal state of his physical body, until everything is healed back on its own.

Sapphira was lying next to Ray comfortably. She had long noticed Ray’s sluggish state, but could not help him in any way. Even the emotional aura he projected had reduced by several times. She shook her head in dejection, placing it over her forehooves, looking at him. Ray sat nearby in a state of heavy drowsiness; he was looking at the burning firewood, seemingly in thought. The fire was giving away some pleasant heat, surrounding temperature dropped to a slightly cool level, so he kept throwing sticks and chunks of wood into the fire, but he still refused moving to the storage room, telling Sapphira he did not like the dusty air there, stubbornly staying in this damp room filled with fresh air.

In the end, Ray lay down on the side of the bed from his tiredness, fast asleep. Sapphira went to the storage room and took his coat, then covered his bare torso, so he wouldn't catch a cold. She sighed, as she looked at him, got onto the bed and snuggled up to his side, providing him with the additional heat of her body, and eventually fell asleep too.

I woke up with a firm realization that my body refuse to sleep any longer, but my head still felt rather heavy. I opened my eyes just to realize that I blanked out at some point yesterday evening. Looking over, I found I was covered by my coat. Sapphi must have brought it for me. Another find was the faintest waves of my energy on the surface of my body, still trying to finish their work, but in my state, I doubt it had much effect. The same waves covered Sapphira’s body too, to my surprise. It dawned on me why her body seemed healthier after the last night, with fewer holes across her legs and wings. It seems my power works not only on my body while I sleep. I deem it a boon, rather than a disadvantage. Even if I have to share my ‘life essence’, the magic flow of this world will provide more than enough, given time.

Thinking of my current state and the fact that I share my energy with Sapphi, I made a conclusion that my power structure will take longer to get to the point which Falda’ar planned to get in five days. Today is my fifth day here and at around noon it’ll be four full days from my arrival, and I needed only five… “I’ found too many adventures on my ass in just three days…” I thought to myself and made a small sigh. I’m not sure, but it’s possible that now my recovery will stretch for a few more days, before my power settles in my body completely. I’m still ‘incomplete’, but we have to move out today, if nothing unexpected happens. “Sorry, Falda’ar, not everything went according to the plan, but I know you’ll understand me. I’ll get over this one way or another.” I addressed him mentally, despite knowing he won’t hear me.

I carefully got up. Sapphira was still sound asleep. The outside was still dark, the starry sky was clear, and the moon was already absent in the sky, which means the daybreak is about to begin. I’ve gone to do my morning hygiene and grabbed two fruits from the box on my way to have a little snack. I remembered my destroyed tree with a chuckle. It would have withered anyway, so no regrets about the destroyed tree. Now I understand I better refrain from trying to use my energy actively for a while, as I did yesterday. Quite a backlash struck me after I tampered with the problem concerning my hair. It was troublesome, as my energy refused to follow my will properly, but I’ve seen it to the end, nonetheless. As I tried to activate my energy afterwards, it was like trying to start a malfunctioning engine. You rev it with force but it becomes unstable, stops and turns silent after some time, no matter how much you try. My energy channels must have recovered partially over the night, but I won’t be able to perform any more ‘heroic deeds’, not today.

While I was busy, I remembered some specific items in the storage. Armor sets which were designed for ponies. I should go back and check them again. As I walked back, the sky was already bright on the east side, but the sun was still below the horizon line. I entered the storage room, its stale air assaulting my nose. Has my sense of smell got better? I did not remember this particular smell to be this strong the last time I was searching around this room. Metallic armors are a big no, too heavy and ruined by time. Ah, this is it! Three sets of light leather armor. Dusty, but still intact.

I’ve carefully removed one of those from the storage. This armor consisted of separate breast armor and a full-body suit with buckles on the bottom side. The front part then connected to the suit when equipped. The suit itself was much less bulky than metallic ones and had a cut for… definitely wings. It was very flexible and had protection from the bottom side, which plate armor sets lacked. It was obviously designed for flying ponies. It might fit Sapphira. I’ve rummaged through the rest of the items there. Aside from two other sets, there were three… saddle bags, I suppose, made with the same green and scaly leather material. I should have done this earlier! I could retrofit one of those into a rucksack or some sort of waist or shoulder bag.

“Ra-a-ay!” I’ve heard Sapphira’s voice. She was yawning while calling my name. “What are you doing here this early in the morning?” She entered the storage room, attracted by the rustling noises I’ve made.

“Morning, Sapphi! I just couldn’t sleep any longer, so I’ve remembered something I found in this storage before. Come here, have a look.” I called her inside.

She walked from behind the row of shelves and racks. “What’s this?” She approached, observing the items in my hands with interest.

“That’s a thousand years old leather armor, maybe even older. In a good condition. Light, sturdy, flexible, and made for someone with wings. Want to try it on?” I offered. “But we’ll have to wash it first if you do.” I made a frown as I noticed how much dust accumulated between the scales.

“For real? What leather can survive for so long? If you are not wrong, it should be something exceptional! Can you clean it for me while I’m busy with my morning hygiene?” She was clearly interested in this armor set, gliding his hoof along the surface of the armor curiously.

I chuckled. “Sapphi, you are the first girl I’ve met to be interested in a suit of armor and not some pretty clothes!” I said jokingly.

“Don’t fool around in the jungle, Ray, it kills. I will not miss out on an opportunity to get better protection while we are here. I’ve lived here for too long. What’s the use of fancy clothes here?” She had a serious look on her face, her forehoof patting the armor lightly. “I’m used to being practical, but this can’t be helped. Life in this place is no honey. Oh, and talking about fancy clothes… of course, I won’t mind wearing one when we get out of here…” she added with a coy smile in a softer voice.

“I’ve never planned to take this jungle lightly, Sapphi,” I answered her in a serious tone. “You’ve seen it all yesterday with your own eyes.” I made a pause and smiled. “And I get your hint.” She obviously wanted to have some pretty clothes. Well, we’ll do something about it when we get to more civilized parts of this world. “Which of these three sets do you want?”

“Listen, Ray, you better take all of them with you. They are not too heavy. I’m sure these are no ordinary armor sets and must be expensive, especially if you can find a knowledgeable person dealing with ancient artifacts.” She said, mulling over this thought while examining the armor.

“Makes sense, Sapphi. At times, I just can’t believe you spent your whole life in this place…” I looked into her eyes with admiration. I never seriously thought about this, pressed down by the other matters. “Oh, and look at this!” I showed her three bags.

“These saddle bags definitely are a set with these suits. I can carry one on each side, the third… I think you should pack the other two suits there and somehow adjust this bag to your body… But don’t damage or cut the straps.” She said as she fiddled with one bag using her telekinesis.

“Won’t it be too heavy for you if you carry two bags?” I asked, unwilling to let her carry too much weight.

“Ha! Don’t think I don’t know about your condition! You obviously harmed yourself yesterday when you helped me with my transformation. I will not let you harm yourself even more.”

She was obviously angry at me, but I knew she was angry because she was worried about me. “Sapphi, it’s my energy structure that got damaged, not my body. It will get better with time. But it will be no problem doing some heavy work.” I said awkwardly.

“Alright,” she sighed, “you can carry something heavier, water, for example, but these bags are still not suited for your body, so I’ll still strap two of them to my armor suit.” She agreed unwillingly.

“Oh yes, water.” I slapped my forehead with my palm. “This is a problem, because we have no water containers. There were none in this building.” I remembered my primary concern about our future journey.

“Well, Ray, I can solve it, but you may be… disgusted with my… solution. Want to see it?” She asked worriedly.

“Go ahead; I’ll not judge anything you offer as bad before I see it.” I said resolutely, rather intrigued by her words.

“I’ll need some clean surface then…” she said as she scanned the corner with our supplies with her eyes.

She went to take some palm leaves, which I used as a substitute for plates, and spread them on the floor. Her throat bulged a bit and then she spat out a large lump of viscous, transparent, greenish-blue goo on the leaves. Her horn lit up, and the goo shifted, changing its form gradually. In a few minutes, it was already resembling a wide bottle. After adjusting the form a few more times, her horn flashed once again, and the goo solidified. In the end the thing which stood on the leaves appeared to be a more or less decently looking wide bottle of oval shape, missing only a cork. By this time, a surprised look was plastered on my face. I looked at Sapphira in puzzlement. She was looking back at me with a weird look, seemingly awaiting some negative reaction.

“Is it finished? Can I take it?” I asked her. She nodded in agreement. I took this bottle in my hands. Its size was quite large to provide enough water for us for two days. The material was lighter than glass, probably somewhat heavier than plastic, but mainly because of the thick walls of the bottle. It had limited pliability, but should be able to resist much harder hits than the glass could possibly hope to. It was still more brittle than plastic. I smelled it, but my nose could not detect any repulsive odors, then I gave it a lick, and it did not have any taste either, a perfect bottle for holding water in our situation. I turned to Sapphira. She had both of her brows raised. Quite a funny sight. “Sapphi, if it can resist water and not dissolve, then this is perfect!. But… what was… that?” The entire process was weird as hell.

Sapphira hesitated a bit before speaking. “Are you… not disgusted by it?” She had a hopeful look in her eyes.

“M-m-m… nope? Why should I? I doubt you will offer something bad to me, and we can’t travel without water, anyway! So tell me already what it is — I’m curious.” I smiled at her to alleviate her uneasiness. It seems changelings are really not a welcomed species around these parts.

“Well… the hives are called ‘hives’ for a reason. Changelings build hives using such material. We generate it inside our bodies. Drones’ goo is black in color, so the hives have black color, generally, with slight variances depending on a hive diet. We don’t produce much of this goo individually, but a large population can build a rather impressive hive over the years, using stones as additional material. So the most likely place you can find a hive will be mountains, preferably with caves or grottos. The goo of true changelings becomes transparent. Actually, I was rather good at creating various items from the goo with my magic. Perhaps this was my only forte with magic…” she reminisced with a thoughtful look.

“That’s actually interesting. You could be called a crafter in your hive, but then why were assigned to a job of gathering food and cleaning?” I didn’t quite understand it; this bottle is rather beautiful if you look at it closely. She has a natural talent.

“I was a drone, Ray… These roles are occupied by true changelings. Even if we won’t consider a hierarchy thing, my items always came out in a black color, and were frowned upon by the true changelings and the queen because of that. Only other drones were interested in them, so I made some occasionally in my free time and exchanged them for food or other things.” Sapphira told me her story with a wry smile on her face, remembering her difficulties living in the hive.

“I see… You know, Sapphi, this is a rather useful skill to have. It’s like having a small workshop in any place and any time! It’s especially useful here, in the jungle.” I told her my positive views on her abilities, and it was exactly how I thought about it. “It is weird, of course, to produce the material in this way… but I’m not repulsed by it. Not with all my feelings for you, Sapphi. I may have hesitated if it was made by those… drones from your hive, but the need for a water vessel would still be more crucial for me.” I told her while thoughtfully holding my chin with my fingers.

Sapphira scratched her head with her forehoof a little, looking at my reaction. “Ray, I don’t know why, but your mindset is rather close to changelings… or rather, to me. It’s hard to put into words. I just feel this way every time I’m talking to you.” She shook her head with a mild smile. “So, let’s get our things done. We can talk later.” She said, turned around, and went out of the room.

I gathered all three sets with bags and followed her. “She is right, we are both practical in our thinking, but she left her hive because she is tired of being only practical, tired of heartless indifference and pressure from her society. And my mind, too, shifted in the same direction, and my society was very similar to hers in regard to how it treats the individuals, with the exception of a narrow circle of acquaintances or family. Family… the precious thing I’ve lost and never had again…” A slight bit of nostalgia touched my mind,“That’s a given I and Sapphi will have similar views on many things.”

These thoughts filled my head while I was walking after Sapphira, looking at her slim backside. “That’s funny. I’m actually doing that… Yes, I am. Staring shamelessly at her rear.” I laughed mentally over where my gaze had landed subconsciously. Sensing it, she started to swing her hips wider… “What a… naughty girl I’ve got!” My mouth produced a wide satisfied grin.

Ray and Sapphira got busy with their preparations. After finishing with her morning hygiene, Sapphira has gone to continue gathering food supplies on the outskirts of the jungle. Ray had finished with washing the armor and left it to dry on the stones under the rising sun, he has gone to the storage room to shuffle through the various items they could take with them. His weapons, flints with a spare knife to use together with them, and the best of vines for ropes. Sapphira had asked to find her a decent blade, so now he was busy with removing corrosion and sharpening one of the strange swords. He has figured out those rings are used to fixate swords onto the iron sabatons for a better grip, but Sapphira will use magic to handle her sword. Her armor does not even have any hoofwear.

His concentration on the task was interrupted by Sapphira, who finally came back with a full box of edible plants, also carrying the already dried armor sets in her magic grip.

“Oh! Already finished?” He asked, still working with a whetstone. “Your blade is almost ready. By the way, I’ve prepared a spare dagger for you too, just in case the armor has a special place for holding it.” He finally lifted his eyes to look at Sapphira and the box full of edibles. “Impressive!” His eyes got a little round. “But I doubt we’ll be able to carry everything with us. You know local food better than me, so I’ll entrust you with selecting the best to take with us, and those we’ll eat for breakfast. I'm fine with anything you choose, as long as we don’t have to spend too much time preparing it.” He said and returned to his work.

“Alright, I’ll go fill the bottle with fresh water. You get it from the small spring, right?” Sapphira asked him.

“Uh-huh, the water there is the clearest, and mineralized a bit. But isn’t it too heavy for you?” Ray asked with concern.

“You must be kidding, Ray. I’m overcharged with magic, thanks to you! I’ll be back in a jiffy!” she giggled, took the bottle and trotted out energetically, accompanied by rhythmic clops of her hooves.

Ray just shook his head lightly, smiling. After finishing with the sword and its sheath, he proceeded to inspect the armors, having performed a stroll to the lake and back to grab them. He tried to understand how the armor should be equipped and fixed in place properly. It was not as hard as with metallic armors, so now he has got a general idea of how to do it. By this time Sapphira has already returned, carrying a full bottle with a proudly raised head. She was very pleased with her improved telekinesis ability.

“All done! But you’ll have to make a wooden cork for it later. I see you are finished too.” she reported in a joyful voice, “So, Ray, would you help me put it on?” she asked with anticipation in her voice.

“Of course I will.” Ray replied. After some inspection, he found that the size of the armors differed, but even the smallest one was larger than necessary for Sapphira. But if she keeps having a proper diet, it should be a perfect fit later, he concluded. Sapphira has left almost everything in the process of equipping the armor in Ray’s hands, obviously enjoying his care to the fullest. After some time had passed, Sapphira was fully geared up.

It was a magnificent sight in its own sense. Her dark skin contrasted with the green scaly streamlined armor, and her peculiar hair and bright eyes only added to her exotic beauty. Ray was looking at her in admiration, as an art aficionado might look at the masterpiece, his hands folded at his chest, holding his chin with right hand thoughtfully, “Perfection! I didn’t think it would suit you so well.” He concluded in the end, smiling at Sapphira.

“You think so?” She was shifting her positions to present herself from different angles. She enjoyed Ray’s reaction to her new look greatly.

“I like how it looks on you, and you know it!” Ray smiled and winked at her, hinting that he remembers who she is. “This streamlined form and somewhat aggressive scaly design compliments your dark skin and predatory charm well!” He nodded his head as if agreeing with what he had said.

Sapphira blushed slightly, not used to receiving compliments; she could not hide her joyful mood from Ray. “Then, let’s eat and then pack up.” She pulled some of the fruits from the box and they proceeded to the altar room to sit and eat on the bed. Their breakfast did not last long, but those fruits were sufficiently nutritious and will sate their hunger for a decent time. They proceeded back to the storage room; Ray fixed two bags on the sides of Sapphira’s armor and filled it mainly with the food she picked to be packed up. He also fixed a sword and a dagger to her armor.

“By the way, Sapphi, my hair… or rather… mane, as you folks call it, will soon grow back.” Ray was glad to share the good news about it.

“Your mane? Oh! What color is it?” Sapphira asked curiously.

“Light brown… with an ashen tinge, I think. I’m not too familiar with hair color names, so I can’t tell you the exact one.” Said Ray in a confused manner and shrugged his shoulders.

“Can’t wait to see it!” Sapphira was slightly shifting from one forehoof to another, excited about Ray’s impending change of appearance. “This is quite an uncommon color, among the ponies at least, they tend to have vivid or pastel colors”.

“Oh, you will see it soon Sapphi, it just needs some time.” Ray answered with a smile and gone back to what he was doing.

Some of their time was lost due to Ray trying to make something resembling a backpack from the largest bag and also for carving out a cork for the water bottle. After he produced something passable, he put the water bottle into his bag and somehow managed to stuff the rest of the two armor sets inside, showcasing his surprising skills in stuffing bags with things which seemingly couldn’t be stuffed there. The rest of his items, like whetstones, flints and, of course, the Lutiana seeds, along with the strange artifact, have gone into his voluminous pockets of his coat. The last thing he did was fix his sturdy axe and dagger to his belt, and check the straps on his crystalline spear. He exercised some moves with the spear and was left satisfied with its performance. Everything seemed ready.

He deliberately left the useless items from his original world in the wooden box in the storage room, keeping only his clothes, as a symbolic act that he, at last, is embarking on his adventure on Equis, finally leaving his past behind and moving forward. He smiled at the thoughts he had at the moment.

“Come, Sapphi, let’s sit before the journey ahead and collect our thoughts. And I also have to tell you something.” He picked his backpack and spear and proceeded to the altar room. There, he put it down and sat on the bed, putting his hands on his knees, closing his eyes, deep in thought. He was silent for some time, so Sapphi did the same, finding his actions reasonable. So she too started to think about the changes in her life and what’s coming. Finally, Ray’s eyes opened back. He was visibly calmer and more collected. His gaze shifted to Sapphira slowly, his face still serious.

“Sapphi, look at this,” He showed her the teleportation artifact, “this thing is a rare magical artifact, designed to save our lives, a single time. It will carry us away to an unknown, but relatively safe, place. All it requires for activation is an infusion of raw magic power, which I do not possess, to tell you the truth. So, if we ever get in serious trouble and I pull this thing out… You know what to do, right?” Ray was looking intently at Sapphira. “And one last thing, this artifact does not care about its user or owner. It will not differentiate between friend or foe and will teleport anyone close enough and will leave behind everybody out of its range. Don’t forget about it, so we won’t become separated and will not take our enemies with us, if we ever have any.”

“Yes, Ray, I understand.” She nodded her head in the same serious manner. She felt he was dead serious about this thing. “But I hope we will never need to use this thing…” she added in a soft voice.

“Me too, Sapphi… me too.” His countenance changed to a smiling one, finally. Their faces closed to each other, lips reaching for a kiss unhurriedly. They were savoring every single moment, while they still could. The uncertainty ahead of them ignited their passion once more, for they didn’t know when they could have a moment like this again. They caressed each other gently with their hands and forehooves, immersed in their feelings of love and affection, while their tongues intertwined in an unhurried dance of their passion.

“M-m-m-m-m-mh!” Sapphira let out a moan of pleasure without breaking their kiss and embraced Ray more tightly with her forehooves.

Finally, they released their hold on each other, with their eyes locked. They nodded their heads and got up.

“I’m nervous, Ray…” Sapphira said quietly.

“Everything will be fine. If need be, we’ll break through or escape, I’m sure of that!” Ray said energetically, he was obviously tired of sitting still in this uninhabited jungle.

Ray threw his backpack over his shoulders and fixed his spear behind. They slowly walked through the hallway and out of their temporary abode, setting their course to the west, their minds full of expectations and unease about the journey ahead.

Somewhere over the prairies of Appleloosa.

Princess Luna, along with Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer and Spike, were flying towards the south in an exquisite carriage, painted in colors of night firmament, high in the sky. The form of this carriage was streamlined, but still had gothic vibes, presenting an imposing and stylish look. The magic carriage was pulled by six ponies with bat-like wings. They call their race ‘Thestrals’, but the common population, including thestrals themselves, often use the term ‘batponies’. Behind and beside the carriage flew their escort guard, consisting exclusively of thestrals too. Besides their wings, they had many other distinct features, specific to their race.

All of them, but one, were members of the Lunar Guard, but the last one, Night Lily, was appointed as Luna’s personal guard and assistant for this trip. She was a member of a special unit Luna created herself, Shadow Guard. They are protecting Equestria quietly, always remaining in the shadows, invisible to the casual eye. Reconnaissance, investigation, tracking, espionage, information from the underworld, those were their specialties. It was useful to have someone with such traits around in any situation, or so Luna thought. She vehemently refused her sister’s offer to take the fastest pegasi squad along with Celestia’s fastest carriage, preferring soldiers who could be active and effective at nights, even if her Lunar Guards were not great fliers in terms of speed.

Because of the aforementioned reasons, they had to make a break halfway to their destination, to let her Night Guard get a little breather, eat and sate their thirst. Of course, all of this delayed their arrival, but Luna did not mind it. She would not start her search mission in the evening, anyway. The carriage slowly descended closer to the ground, its wheels finally hit and rolled on the uneven ground of these dry prairies. The door of the carriage opened, and Luna stepped out, along with three other passengers.

“Ahhh! It’s really hot here…” Luna said, after inhaling the hot and dry air of these lands, turning towards her companions. “Even with clouds covering the sun. It’s good the pegasi weather brigades don’t work around these areas, or we would feel ourselves like being in a hot oven! I’m too tired sitting inside our ride doing nothing.” She complained for a bit. Then she turned towards the Lunar Guards, who pulled the carriage. Her voice became sterner. “Thank you all for the job well done! Now you may change with another team.” The team of batponies nodded, unhitched themselves from the carriage and went to find their replacement. Luna turned back towards her entourage. “Now, everypony, let’s stretch our legs a little. We were sitting in place for hours already.”

“I don’t know…” said Twilight. “I’d rather stay inside and continue my reading. But yes, my legs feel a bit numb.” Twilight wanted to stay inside, but reconsidered. Starlight just nodded her head and proceeded to look around the rather desolate landscape. She has rarely been in these parts of Equestria.

“Ha! Twilight finally decided to not read the book! Well, anyone would become tired of such a long travel, right?” Spike said jokingly, spreading his hands, looking at Twilight.

“Of course, Spike! But it’s worth it, we may find something interesting there!” said Twilight in an uplifted mood.

“I don’t know, it’d be good if it was rare gems… but I doubt we will find them. I’m a dragon! I can’t do this magic stuff, even if I know a lot about it already! So I have nothing to do, except send letters to Princess Celestia! Maybe the walk in the jungle will be somewhat exciting!” Spike was not in the least disturbed by the facts he just mentioned. He was just bored.

“Spike… I’m sure you would be a great mag…” Twilight was abruptly interrupted by Spike.

“No, Twilight, we’ve talked about it before. I don’t care about being unable to use magic! We dragons don’t care about small things.” He waved his hand dismissively with a proud face. He knew this fact could upset Twilight, so he just dismissed this issue. Their long-living race usually has such a mindset, unless they succumb to greed, their main vice, and this little dragon is often showing wisdom far beyond his age. But as he was still very young, he always preferred to do something meaningful or interesting. “I just don’t want to become bored there, that’s all!” he concluded his explanations.

“Alright, Spike, Starlight. Let’s just have a little stroll around!” Twilight said. Luna was already gone to give the orders to her Lunar Guards.

The Lunar Guard started to set up a simple camp, getting everything they needed from a voluminous trunk of the carriage. While it was designed to be fast and stylish, it was still large enough to be able to be the core of a small expedition. Two tents were raised — a larger one for the soldiers, and a smaller, but more luxurious one, for their Princess and her companions. They even had two restrooms equipped with magical devices, which made their expedition so much more convenient.

I was sitting on a pillow inside my tent, sipping a cool juice from the glass. I did not have a habit of regularly drinking tea, like my sister did, and it’s inconvenient to prepare it now, our break will not be long. We’ll depart as soon as my soldiers have had enough rest. I’ve summoned my personal assistant for this expedition and was awaiting her arrival.

“Princess Luna, agent Night Lily of Shadow Guard has arrived!” I heard a voice from the tent entrance.

“Come in, Lily, and don’t be so official. We are alone here.” I said and sighed. “She is too respectful to me. I didn’t create Shadow Guard to be an official military unit. They don’t even count as soldiers, and should not be perceived as ones, but she still maintains her military demeanor. Maybe it’s because she was aiming to enter the Lunar Guard before.”

Night Lily came inside and performed a military salute with her right forehoof.

“Lily, you are not a soldier. Don’t forget it. Of course, now you are disguised as one, so I don’t mind. Please, sit.” I smiled at her.

“As you wish, my princess!” she replied reverently.

She was obviously happy to be in a soldier role, but she refused to change her occupation to be a member of the Lunar Guard, saying that being in Shadow Guard brings more benefits to the country, and I agree with her. She is a rare talent: a natural tracker and an herbalist with vast knowledge of plant medicine and poisons, especially non-lethal, but most importantly, her talent for using those in her job. Add her special features as a batpony, and you get yourself a decent field agent. Stealth, flight, night vision, perfect hearing… The list can go on. The only strange feature of her… is her overly zealous attitude to me, and to her job. It causes problems sometimes, that’s why I prefer to send her on missions outside large cities. She tends to have a black-and-white worldview, quickly jumping to conclusions and accusations of treachery, but she is slowly improving.

“Ah, sorry, Lily, I was distracted by my thoughts.” I snapped back from my thoughts when I realized she was already sitting on a pillow on the opposite side, waiting for me to speak.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Princess!” she said timidly.

“I want to outline your tasks for today. We’ll arrive in the evening, and while Lunar Guards set up our camp for the night, I want you to enter the forest and check for the signs of dangerous creatures nearby, then report your findings to me. We don’t need a fight with some ferocious beasts at night, right? We have our mission for tomorrow and need a good rest. And don’t overdo it, you need a rest too. You may leave now, Lily.” I nodded to her.

“As you command, my Princess!” she said while giving a salute, turned around and proceeded to the exit. I was looking at her back; her light lilac coat with a shade of gray was a good match with her stiff and straight light silvery hair. “She never cared for her appearance much, but she has a natural beauty to her. Despite it, I’ve never seen her with stallions, and she is not into mares too, for sure. I have also never seen her hanging out with friends, and I guess she doesn’t have any. Being a batpony may be one of the reasons, but I can say she is married to her job. It’s good for Shadow Guard, but she must do something with it, or she may just burn out one day, I’ve seen this before, and I’ll see it again no doubt…” I shook my head at this thought and soon heard the voices of Twilight and Starlight from outside, arguing about some magic theories, and quiet grumbling of Spike. The clamorous company entered the tent.

“Oh, Luna! Have you finished with your business with Lunar Guard?” asked Twilight, getting comfortable on her pillow.

“Yes, I did. Everypony, have some cool juice! It’s too hot outside. I hope nopony is hungry. Is there any?” Everyone shook their heads. “Well, we had our meal not long ago in the carriage.” I filled three glasses with cooled juice for my friends with my magic.

“Thanks, Princess Luna!” said Spike.

“So… What will be our task when we arrive?” asked Starlight, slowly sipping a refreshing juice from her glass.

“Well, Starlight, you and Twilight will not have any particular task until I find the exact place. But when I find it, you are free to inspect and investigate everything. You can also make a report to Celestia should you find anything important. I guess I’ll be too tired to join you there. Not until I have some rest.” I replied after I considered these things. “We will arrive in the evening. It will be too late to start anything, so my Lunar Guard will set up a camp outside the jungle for the night. We will start in the morning, so go to rest early.”

“I’ll make sure they do… if I won’t fall asleep earlier.” Spike was joking. “When it comes to magic, they can talk until the sun goes up!”

“Alright, everypony, relax here for a while. We’ll pack up and continue on our way soon. Somepony will notify us when Lunar Guards are ready.” I decided to have a quick nap on my pillow. I still did not get enough sleep, as I was doing my duties this whole night. “Please wake me up when they come.” I said, as I started to drift into a light sleep. It is a trivial thing when you are the mistress of dreams, given you have any desire to do it.

Somewhere in the jungle, past midday.

It was already around three hours from the start of our journey west. I was walking at a brisk pace together with Sapphira, who occasionally flew up above the trees to correct our course. We did not encounter any trouble along the way, as she knew a safe road around these parts of the jungle.

“Ray! This is the last part of the forest I’m familiar with. We should proceed with caution from now on; I can no longer guide us and find a safe way. So be quiet and don’t create too much noise.” She was starting to get worried about our safety, and surely she had her reasons to do so. This jungle is no joke when it comes to danger.

“Alright, I’ll do as you say.” I said while nodding my head in agreement. She is much more experienced than me when it comes to surviving in this place. We had slowed down our pace and continued to walk like that for a long time. The jungle started to change slightly, becoming denser, and the ground started to have some downward slope. I just hope we’re not walking into the swamp. Sapphira took to the skies above the trees to see what lay ahead some time ago and still did not return. I was waiting for her in place. She returned after some time.

“Ray, the jungle ahead is getting really dense, but I can’t see any way to bypass it, so we’ll have to go through it.” She said in a serious tone.

“Is it bad, Sapphi?” I asked.

“Quite bad, Ray. Many dangerous creatures usually live under the canopy of such dense forests. So be twice as cautious!” Sapphira obviously did not like the idea of stepping inside this forest, but we had no way around it.

“I understand.” I agreed and decided to offer to take a little break before we enter the dangerous area. While we were having our dinner, we had a little chat quietly about various things, but mainly about our situation. “Sapphi, how long do you estimate it will take us to get out of this jungle to the edge of the plateau?” It was obvious we couldn't do it in one day.

“Let me think… I suppose we’ll be there by tomorrow evening even if we will be going slowly, but that’s assuming we don’t get into trouble.” She said, thoughtfully looking at the tree foliage above us. “At least we can’t get lost, not with that huge mountain range on the horizon as a landmark.”

“Yes, that’s right, but I’d have to climb the tallest tree every time to check my direction without you, ha-ha!” I praised her importance in our situation. “You are a perfect guide for me!”

“You praise me too much, Ray. We’re in the same boat, so to speak!” She answered with a smile. “And talking about climbing a tree, are you good at that?” She looked at me with an interested gaze.

I raised my brow slightly, not sure if she was joking or not. “I don’t think I am. The last time I did something of the sorts was when I was still very young. But I think I can do it with some effort if need be.”

She laughed lightly.

“So she was joking about climbing trees?”

“Sorry, Ray, I just remembered one memory about a drunk minotaur trying to climb a tree for a bet. You should have seen that!” She giggled again.

“Hah, must’ve been a funny show!” I smiled at the thought of such a performance.

“Oh yes, it was! Well… we'd better pack up and continue our trip. Remember to be as quiet as you can.” Her voice became strict; she became very responsible when it comes to safety. I nodded in agreement and packed up our belongings.

The day had long passed noon, but it was definitely a long time till the sunset. Despite that, the lighting under the trees’ canopy reduced drastically, like the sun was already going down. The sounds of jungle life changed too, becoming more unnerving. After travelling like that for some time, we suddenly heard a resounding roar somewhere from the side of our destination.

“No way! Are we inside manticore territory?” Sapphira whispered in dread. “We need to back off quickly and take a detour, now!” she commanded.

“As you say.” I replied quietly and followed her back. We went back and made a big circle around the supposed location of the manticore, shifting our course to the north. But it was not long before the roar resounded again, now closer, and this time it was coming from the direction we just came from! Sapphira flinched and panicked for a bit until I had put my hand on her back and patted her gently. “It seems it’s following our trail by smell! Should we go faster now?”

“Definitely!” she answered and started to move forward again at a quicker pace. I followed her, trying not to create too much noise, which was quite difficult for me.

As we moved farther towards the west, Sapphira checked our course once again so we won’t be circling around this dangerous place. The roars did not stop; they grew more silent at first, but then resounded again, much closer to us. The beast was following our trails without any doubt. Finally, we came across a small stream, around five meters wide, situated at the bottom of the big ravine.

“Sapphi, if it’s not too swampy, we, or rather I, should go into the water and head downstream. The water will hide my smell, and you can fly for a while to do the same.” I quickly decided to use the stream to try to get rid of the manticore on our tail.

“Good, let’s try it!” she whispered back as she started to hover over the ground, following me down the ravine.

“Oh, shit!” I swore as I nearly lost my boot, which got stuck inside the swampy mud near the stream. A dirty substance quickly filled my boot, creating an unpleasant sensation while walking, but I’ll have to just deal with it for now. I managed to pull out my boot from the swampy mud and carefully continued to enter the stream. The bottom of the stream further from its shores was more solid, albeit still muddy, but at least I can walk with reasonable speed now. After around fifteen minutes, we stopped hearing the manticore, but I still continued walking down the stream for another half an hour or so.

The stream has led us into an even denser part of the jungle, a natural thicket, overgrown with diverse vegetation; it included a lot of thorny overbrush and even more thorny vines. The stream became narrower and deeper. Its sides were walled off by the roots and trunks of the trees and bushes lining up its shores. The stream itself was blocked in many places by the trunks of fallen, rotting wood. The lighting became very dim, as if it was already twilight.

We decided to return to our old course to the west, as the stream started to turn gradually to the south some time ago, and became harder and harder to cross for me with all that driftwood and blockages.. I got out of the stream and washed my boots… and socks, packed with mud. “Yeah… now I’ll have to travel in wet boots, but so be it. I can’t travel barefoot, anyway. All better than becoming dinner for a manticore!” I commented on our situation.

“Let’s go, Ray, I don’t like this place!” Sapphira urged me to leave the stream, and so we did. The ravine was still there, but it became much less steep and deep now, so we easily left it and entered the thicket. It was eerily quiet here. The bird voices were a rare occasion, but the endless chirring and buzzing of insects was constant. I’m not even mentioning the damn mosquitoes that were present in droves. Sapphira was lucky, as those damn parasites were unable to pierce her skin.

We were traversing this thicket with painfully slow speed; the day have long had transitioned to evening, and the sun was already setting down. Sapphira has seen the change in the jungle ahead, so we should enter a more pleasant area soon and I hoped to leave these mosquito-ridden thickets before the night falls completely, so we can find a shelter for the night. Sapphira was very silent ever since we left the known parts of the jungle, but I can understand her, so I too was trying to keep silent.

Knowing we were nearing the end of this damn overgrown thicket, I increased my speed, marching forward with a brisk pace. We had to get out of here fast; the sun is already low, it’s slowly turning dim and dark surroundings to shades of orange and red. Everything is calm around, a fresh breeze is blowing by, descending from the icy mountain peaks, but my instincts have ringed an alarm some time ago. I could not explain it reasonably, but I could not get rid of this eerie sensation of impending danger, growing stronger by the minute, so I urged Sapphira to hasten our pace, despite the treacherous terrain of the thicket, full of spiky vines and blockages of fallen trees and overgrown vegetation.

We’ve finally left that area in about half an hour, after we climbed up a rather steep slope, which led us out of the thickets. Sapphira had it easier, being able to fly. Despite the overall strain in my legs, I still pushed forward, instigated by this unexplainable feeling which told me to get as far away as I could from this place. My body was strengthened not for naught, so I moved forward without slowing down.

The amount of surrounding trees reduced gradually, and their size increased proportionately. We were entering old parts of this forest, and I already had a bad experience in a similar place. Rare sun rays were piercing the foliage here and there. Then I quickly realized that my instincts were not wrong as we heard a resounding lion roar somewhere from over the top of the trees.

“Damn it! This… fucking… bastard! It was following us all the way here!” I quietly swore through the clenched teeth, adding some more profanities in my native on top of that. The manticore bastard must have found us before we entered the thicket. It was inconvenient for it to attack us there so it just tracked us quietly, hiding from our sight. Sapphira flew up several times but didn’t see anyone flying around. “Clever asshole! I’m not sure if it’s of any use, but let’s run. Now!” I said in a slight panic.

We rushed forward as fast as we could… or rather as I could. I was still not used to traversing forests by running. But it was useless, and in just several minutes I heard a flapping of mighty wings from above the trees, then the sound of breaking branches. The manticore finally had landed in front of us, about twenty meters ahead, producing small roars of joy, relishing in the excitement of its ‘cat and mouse’ game. But its game obviously came to an end now as I noticed it crouched slightly to the ground, head lowered, its eyes staring straight into mine, a typical attack pose for cats. Its size was much larger than the manticore I saw before; it was taller by about a head compared to the one I’ve seen.

“Sapphi, stand behind me, back off further and do not provoke it! It is too late to run now.” As I said it, I removed my spear from my back and removed the straps from it, then threw my heavy backpack to the ground. The manticore was staring intently at me, still not moving yet, but I knew the habits of such predators well from back on Earth. This one seemed similar. The moment I start running or turn away, it will attack ferociously. Sapphira backed away. She decided against flying up.

I stood in a defensive pose. Red sun rays started sparkling on the edges and facets of the purple crystalline blade dazzlingly, as one of the sun rays fell on it. I had only half of my energy reserves at most, and I will receive some damage if I use them again, but this time, there is really no choice. I forced my lifeforce to circulate through my body, slowly filling my aching energy channels. The process was fast, but it seemed painfully slow to me while I saturated my body with power. My strength, reaction, perception, along with respiratory and vascular systems, all gone into overload. It’ll damage my body, but it is my price to pay for lacking in energy. My breath quickened instantly, my heart started to beat in a crazy rhythm, the feeling of searing heat started to build up inside my body.

“Come, fucker! Do your thing!” I roared, trying to provoke the manticore to attack. I can’t afford to keep fighting. Maybe it’ll back away if its prey offers too much resistance. The manticore was fast to respond, lunging forward with its signature pounce, boosted by flap of its wings, roaring on top of its lungs at the impudent prey. I looked as its clawed paws approached me. My state of high concentration allowed me to perceive its movements clearly, as if manticore slowed down slightly. I shifted my body to the left, starting an upward cut, aiming to its side, as the deadly claws flew past my neck. My hit left a bloody gash on the manticore’s right side, but it was a light wound for it, only igniting its rage. I almost got hit by its stinger as manticore attacked me even before it turned around with its tail. I sidestepped right before the stinger could hit my leg.

It tried to pounce on me a few more times, but the blade of my spear quickly discouraged it from doing so. Manticore decided to change its tactics, trying to attack with its paws and, most importantly, with its stinger, from the front. I was playing a deadly game of dodging its relentless attacks, retaliating with quick stabs and slashes. As it got several cuts on its paws, it decided to attack mainly with its stinger, slowly pushing me back with its deadly strikes and range. If not for my inhuman reaction and speed at the moment, there would be no more Ray on Equis.

My luck did not last for long, as I accidentally tripped on a big root of one of the giant trees growing around when I was backing away from another tail strike. I succeeded in throwing myself to the side, avoiding another deadly strike of the stinger, and at this moment the manticore decided to pounce on me again. As it was raising its body for an attack, I heard a deafening boom, accompanied by a bluish-white flash. Yes, it was Sapphira. Her lightning bolt split into three, two hitting the ground below the manticore, while the last one hit one of its hind legs.

Manticore’s leg had spasmed abruptly, causing its pounce to fail, so the manticore had landed on its side heavily, roaring in pain and anger. Strong smell of burnt hair filled the air. I managed to stand up in a second, but the manticore did the same. Sapphira was unable to hit its vulnerable spot and now was panting heavily, quickly retreating back. But, nevertheless, she saved my life. Manticore’s mobility was hindered, as its leg limped, but its ferocity only flared. It began circling around me with a limping gait.

“A-a-a-a-ah, Ray! There are more of them!” Sapphira shouted, looking over her back.

I looked momentarily in that direction, a nauseous feeling of despair had settled in my stomach. “No fucking way!” What I saw were two more manticores, but these looked much smaller. Is the giant before me an alpha? Or those two are just young ones? I didn’t know. What I knew is those two were going for Sapphi right now, and she is still weak after she used her spell and can’t escape! The manticores have started to attack her from two sides. While she dodged the first one from the left, the one from the right landed a hit on her side; its claws scraped the armor and left a bloody gash on her hind leg. Sapphira have started to fall over, but managed to fly up and steady herself, resuming her escape.

My anger exploded like a barrel of gunpowder. It was at this moment that I knew, I’m losing it, my reason. My blood boiled, the leftovers of my stored lifeforce filled my body, streaks of blood left my nostrils as a result of heavy overloading all of my body’s systems. I charged the alpha recklessly with a horrifying roar. The manticore lost its composure for a moment, allowing me to land a heavy hit with the blunt side of the shaft after it parried my initial attack, making it dazed. Throwing some dirt in its face, aiming for the eyes, I tried to win some more time to save Sapphi.

Immediately after, I rushed to the other two manticores, which were chasing Sapphira, ramming into the side of the first one, immediately going to attack the other, as the first one fell to the ground as it tripped from impact. My sense of pain was suppressed greatly, so I didn’t know if I broke something. Everything in my sight had a tinge of red. I was not sure if it was my blood or the red sunset that spread its color to the surroundings. The second manticore, being too absorbed in its chase, took a direct piercing hit to the side, not expecting me to reach it this fast. It roared in pain and took to the sky, looking back at me with fear. Suddenly, I had a violent coughing fit. What came out was blood; I spat out the leftovers as I prepared myself to continue the fight.

“Get back from her, if you want to live, bastards!” I shouted in rage, turning to the first one, which was already back on its paws. Meanwhile, Sapphira used her telekinesis to pull the flying one by the wing, interrupting its flight and causing it to fall heavily on the ground, but it quickly joined the other one, despite its injuries.

I slowly approached the two manticores. Blood trickled down my hands and chest; it seems I sustained some injuries despite my efforts to avoid being hit. I felt there was not much time left for me before I collapsed. I looked into the eyes of these beasts. My gaze was filled with the purest intention to take their lives here and now, in a straight and simple fight for survival.

I was looking in horror at the two manticores charging at me. The lightning spell missed its target, but still managed to save Ray. Now I’m weak and sluggish after using it. I tried to use the sword with the help of telekinesis, but one of the manticores just swiped the sword away with its powerful paw, causing it to fly out of my magic grip. As I was running away in a hopeless attempt to save my life, after being injured by one of the manticores, I heard Ray’s maddened roar. “No! We’ll die here!” I thought that he was injured by the elder manticore. But in a few moments, unexpectedly, I heard a heavy hit from behind me. Looking back, I saw Ray crazily fighting with two manticores, having knocked one of them over with his body and stabbed the other one with his spear. The injured one took to the sky, but I used telekinesis to make it fall down to the ground. The last thing I wanted to see was an attack from above.

Ray was standing before me. His appearance horrified me — blood had soaked his clothes on the chest, and it was dripping from his hands, running along the spear shaft. His whole body had a red tint, his muscles bulged, and his countenance was not unlike those of demons of Tartarus, his eyes blood red as the vessels inside them have popped, and blood was coming out of his nose and mouth. But the most horrifying thing was his aura, as he turned towards the manticores. ‘Death’. The message it was transmitting around him could be described by this one word. He was ready to die himself in a deadly fight, but claim the lives of his opponents.

I’ve never been this scared in my life, not of Ray, but of his readiness to give away his life and his horrible state. “Why aren’t we using this artifact of his? Why should he place his life at stake here?” But while I was stupefied by the situation, lesser manticores started to back away, obviously not ready to give away their lives for a mere supper, after some time they turned around and flew away, but Ray was staring at the big manticore, as it was closing in slowly. He started to move towards it, too. The elder one now saw a challenger to its rule over this jungle in Ray. It will never tolerate having a rival near its territory. It will not back away now. All elder manticores were like it, making them even more dangerous.

Eventually, they started to run towards each other, rushing towards their final standoff. “Ray? Why are you doing it? Stop!” I shouted, but everything was in vain. Ray could not hear me, or he did not listen. I wanted to do something to help Ray and activated my magic, starting to pull the manticore back by its tail as much as I could, but it was not enough to stop it, but every effort counts, it will not be able to start with a tail attack!

They finally reached each other. The manticore raised its upper body, standing on its hind legs, attempting to grab Ray with its front paws and bite his neck. Ray lunged forward, slipping under its paws, the crystalline blade of his spear piercing manticore’s chest. Ray has put the full weight of his body into the strike, penetrating manticore’s ribcage. His spear became stuck inside it. The manticore finally came down on Ray, roaring in pain and rage, grabbing him from the sides, but the shock from the pain shifted its aim, its jaws clenched on his right shoulder, missing his neck and breaking some of his bones with a crackling noise. Ray groaned in pain. As manticore’s body started to lower, Ray had managed to rest the other end of the shaft on the ground, forcing manticore to pierce itself on the spear completely. The injury was deadly. Manticore’s body limped, but before it gave away its soul, its tail swung quickly overhead, striking and lodging itself inside Ray’s back, pumping deadly amounts of poison into his body.

I didn’t realize I was screaming loudly at this moment. “Ray! No! No-no-no-no! Nooooo!!!” I rushed to him, using my magic to the limit to unclench manticore’s jaws. He started falling down along with the manticore, already at the edge of consciousness, his emotions disappearing rapidly. I dragged him away from the hateful beast. His breath had almost ceased by this time, remaining very weak. His eyelids twitched slightly, and then his lips moved.

“Sa… phi… I will… survive…” He said these words excruciatingly slowly, talking with sheer effort, his voice barely audible. “Find… safe… place.” I noticed his blood stopped flowing out like a river, but he was still slowly bleeding out. “No, I need to treat him now!” I thought as I dragged him by his coat farther from the place of the fight, hiding us in a thick overbrush.

I spent some time removing his clothes to check his injuries. He had them only on the upper part of his body and on his arms. I opened my mouth wide and started to cover my tongue in a thick layer of my viscous goo. It was a special ability only true changelings and queens had had, allowing us to treat wounds. I started to trace his bloody gashes with my tongue gently, filling them with bluish goo, while fighting the nauseating iron taste of blood. Ray’s bleeding quickly ceased, miraculously so, to be honest, but it’s even better this way! My biggest concern was the poison. It was as deadly as it could be; it was almost a guaranteed death if you had no antidote.

“Ray! Ray! Can you hear me?” I slapped his cheeks lightly with my hooves. Ray managed to open his eyes to slits. “You are poisoned; I don’t know what to do! You will die in an hour if we don’t cure it somehow!” My eyes had already turned into a waterfall of tears and I was crying loudly. Ray weakly reached his trembling left hand to my cheek.

“Just… wait. I… will be… fine… I’ll… really… be… fine… Don’t cry… I need… to rest… now.” He said with great effort, his lungs may be damaged by the stinger. I thought he was just trying to calm me down before he died, but then I felt his emotions. He believed in what he said, firmly so. My heart finally stopped aching as the thoughts of his possible death left my mind, and I tried to calm myself down. Now, I need to guard him and care for him while he recovers. I need to think of something, find a temporary shelter for us and gather our luggage. I made sure Ray is well-hidden before going out to find a safer place. The darkness had already descended onto the jungle, but my sight allowed me to see adequately even in the darkest of nights.

This… this oh so familiar endless gray fog. I didn’t die, did I? I hoped I didn’t, though. I have neutralized the poison for the most part with that meager leftover energy I still had inside me. Could my injuries have been fatal? It’d be a truly pathetic failure if Falda’ar comes to me to retrieve my soul. I sighed mentally in this place of nonexistence, awaiting any changes.

The time could not be properly perceived in this place, and I have nothing to do here. My thoughts had turned to Sapphira. She must be safe now. The alpha is dead, and the others have run away. “I had made her worry again.” I sighed mentally one more time. Why didn’t I use the artifact? At first, I thought the situation would not descend into this mess… Then… I don’t know, my thoughts have become muddled when I saw those two chasing Sapphira. I can’t even remember the details, much less my logic for what I did there, if there were any in the first place. Well, I can say the reason was Sapphira, for sure. Saving her was the only thing I was thinking of, and I could not control my rage towards those beasts anymore, so I gave in to my anger and instincts, completely forgetting about such things as my artifact.

My mind became tired of thinking after a long time had passed, which felt like an eternity, so I was simply waiting for anything to change. Finally, something had happened. An old spherical Falda’ar’s avatar appeared in a flash, right among this gray fog, looking straight at me. His gaze was… disappointed? It was hard to discern it from just the eyes.

“No, no, no, don’t tell me it happened…” I said dejectedly. “Sapphira…” I whispered her name with bitterness in my voice. Falda’ar didn’t answer anything. The pause was disturbing. Finally, the avatar produced a deep sigh and spoke slowly.

“Ray, Ray, Ray…” he said in a really disappointed voice, paused and clicked his tongue in regret. “If you are here, then something has gone wrong… very… wrong.” I’ve started getting nervous and wanted to ask something, but he continued. “Don’t say anything; this is just a recording of sorts, a complex spell of mine. It can judge the situation to some extent, but cannot truly converse with you.” He paused again.

“I assume you are still alive. That is good news, Ray. I hope this fact will remain valid over time. Whatever may have happened to you, it does not matter much by now. I’ve predicted such a situation, of course, knowing you and your circumstances very well. I could not send you there without any countermeasures. It would be plain stupid if I did! This is really the last time I’m able to help you before you can contact me for real again, but this help is a tradeoff of sorts. You failed to consolidate your power and damaged both your body and energy system heavily, as my spell is telling me. I had placed this spell inside your heart from the start. It will restore your body and, most importantly, your whole ‘life essence’ energy system will be brought back to life. Excuse me for the pun. Maybe it will even strengthen your energy channels if there would be some excess energy left. Too bad you’ve wasted this boon now, but it’s still better than dying or getting crippled, unable to use your powers for a long time.

“And Ray, you did it all wrong, and you know it! You should not pay with your health when you use this method, or your body won’t last for long. It must be your energy which takes the brunt, not your body. Don’t forget about it next time!”

Of course I knew it. How could I not? It’s just… I had no other way, if I wanted to save Sapphi. The thought of running away never crossed my mind at that moment, and everything happened by itself, mostly. I should learn to control my emotions, or such rage outbursts will get me killed one day. But today, giving away to my instincts had saved my and Sapphi’s lives, that’s for sure, despite the heavy price I had to pay.

“Now listen closely. From this moment on, you’ll have more trouble accessing your locked memories. This spell was providing additional energy for this process and now this energy will be spent. You’ll need to accumulate excessive amounts of ‘life essence’ for the memories to surface once again. To do that, you’ll have to absorb more raw magic of this world, but the background flow of magic will no longer be enough, so remember it. You’ll have to find extra sources somewhere in this world. I can’t tell you what to do exactly, as I don’t know the situation out there, sorry. The more memories you return to yourself, the more energy will be required for the next one, so you would have faced this problem eventually, anyway.

“Now rest, Ray. I’ve told you everything necessary. Good luck.” The avatar disappeared silently, and everything around slowly turned to black void, putting me to sleep.

Not far from the edge of the Forbidden Jungle, nighttime.

At last, everything is done and ready. We arrived rather late, but it was no problem for thestrals to work in dark conditions. The Lunar Guard made a quick job setting up the camp. The girls have already gone to sleep in their tent, and I should do the same too. Tonight, I will rest, neglecting my duties again, but I will have an opportunity to search the dreamland around this place once more.

I finished my business around the camp quickly and finally entered my personal tent, falling asleep on a pile of pillows. I’ve entered the dreamland easily; with the practice of doing it for more than a millennium, it is as easy as breathing to me.

The sparkling moon road was as empty as it was the last time I visited this place. I won’t lie to myself. The only reason I’m here this time is to find Ray. He is a… hyuman, if I remember correctly. There was no need to do it, it was just my personal whim, but a Princess can rightfully have her whims, isn’t it? I’ve started to fly along the moon road, looking at the occasional doors flying by my side. Nothing caught my attention. Here is this group of changeling doors again. Nothing changed from the last time, but I can’t find Ray’s door around here anymore.

I’ve stopped to think for a bit. Did he leave this jungle, maybe? Or… no, I don’t want to think about it. Perhaps he is not sleeping at the moment? Eventually, I’ve decided to move to another part of the jungle, a bit to the west, the only reasonable direction he could travel to. The moon road contracted under me, becoming a silver cloud. I had flown to the west, like a comet in a night sky; it took me no more than a minute to do so. The moon road had unfurled again under my hooves.

Unwilling to waste any more time, I decided to use some of my magic and started to move the moon road itself with my will at great speed, staying in place. The moon road accelerated, various dream doors flew by on the sides as I was looking for one door in particular. Something unusual just passed me by, but I continued to search for Ray’s door with no success. After shuffling through all the doors around these parts for the third time, I’ve lost any hope of finding Ray tonight.

But before I went to rest, I decided to check something which caught my eye while I was searching for Ray’s door. I had started searching for a strange door along the moon road, without haste this time. “Oh, here it is!” I said to myself. “What’s that?”

What I saw was a strange sight. Two doors stood before my eyes. The first one resembled a door, which seemingly consisted of gray opaque fog. When I tried touching it with my hoof, it went right through it, like it was really some fog, leaving no sensations on my hoof. I tried to go through it, but the result was the same, like the whole thing was nothing more than an illusion. “Weird! I’ve never seen something like that in millennia! And I have nopony to ask what it might be, as I’m the most experienced dreamwalker on Equis.”

I turned my gaze towards the second door. This door was strange in another way. I was a weird mix of a common pony door and a changeling door. It had a proper shape, but was black in color, with some vivid blue decorations, and a little amount of holes and cavities on its surface, much less than changeling doors usually have. Like all changeling doors, it lacked a cutie mark. The protective aura of the hive mind was absent. I smiled at this finding. “This is a rare chance to see a changeling dream for the first time! At least I’ve found something interesting tonight!”

I carefully opened the door and, to my surprise, it did offer some resistance, but my power had crushed it easily. Well, it’s not surprising this dream is about the jungle… But I had this particular feeling about it. Such a dream was not a rare occasion, but it was based on memories and experiences, making it more vivid and real for me. Common dreams usually have muddled and shifting surroundings.

I saw a changeling drone trotting through the jungle, constantly looking around, like it was being chased. The changeling preferred more obscure paths to traverse, well hidden by foliage and overbrush. I followed this peculiar changeling, remaining invisible to it. Looking more closely, I found this changeling was a mare, a very thin, sickly looking mare. After some time, I’ve heard the buzzing of wings from above. The changeling hid in the bushes and started to transform into a… wild deer? First the body, then legs, tail, head… oh, she forgot her fangs… Strange, Chrysalis’ changelings were doing it much faster and in one move. The color of its plates and eyes was different too, bright blue instead of acidic green.

The changeling in the guise of a deer started running away quickly. And soon, the source of buzzing entered my sight. It was three other changelings, three stallions; it was easy to see with the first glance, much more bulky and strong, with yellow plates and eyes. Are they from different hives? Do they have a war between them? Albeit having a strong negative opinion of changelings after the incidents with Chrysalis, I still sympathize with this poor blue mare!

It did not take long before the strong yellow drones found the deer; they hissed and chirred between each other before surrounding the blue changeling from three sides, pressing her against the tree. “Should I wake her up now? But I want to see what happened here. Changelings are tougher than ponies in terms of psyche; they should be able to handle these types of bad dreams, more or less.” My thoughts were interrupted by demonic howls which resembled wicked laughter. These howls were coming seemingly from all directions, but mainly from the dense intertwined canopy above. I had not heard those things in the real world for more than a thousand years, and I’d prefer it to stay this way. Those were the howls of shadow hounds. “Them again?” I frowned.

The situation quickly descended into chaos as the hounds showed up. The yellow drones quickly flew away, followed by the majority of the hounds, while the deer slipped away silently… “Wait! Didn’t Ray tell me something like that?” It was no use following the yellow drones, only the owner of the dream mattered, as the focal point of it, so I followed the deer. Some of the hounds were chasing after it doggedly. The deer was running through the place overgrown with thick bushes, so it was hard to see what was happening, but the overbrush abruptly ended and the deer stumbled, landing on its belly as it fell from the small hillock.

And here he was! A figure was standing in front of the deer; it was no other than Ray! “How? When? Where is he now?” My thoughts plunged into chaos as my eyes had widened in surprise. And while I was flustered, a violent fight broke out between Ray and hounds. I watched with my mouth agape. “Ray… can be… this violent? But still, he is fighting for his life here!” I watched how he scared them, killing one of them and breaking his spear in the process. He took the broken spear and walked to the deer. I thought he was going to kill the changeling… but the fact she is still alive tells me it’s not true.

Ray and the changeling mare had some serious wounds, but Ray’s injuries were no longer bleeding for some reason. He stood there, holding a blade with trembling hands, looking at the disguised changeling. Then he started swearing, perhaps cursing at the situation and himself. The words were unintelligible for the most part. It must be caused by changeling’s state at the moment. Her consciousness started to fade, making her memories blurry. Ray threw his broken spear away, crouched before the changeling and put his hand on her injuries. The bleeding had stopped almost instantly, and the wound contracted slightly. “Healing magic? For real?” I was surprised at this revelation. “Then it makes sense why the griffons agreed to take him on an expedition. A field medic is certainly a must for such undertakings, especially the one who can use magic. Otherwise, they will never agree to take a non-flier with them.”

The last thing I saw in the already melting and shifting surroundings was Ray, carrying away the still disguised changeling in his hands. “I must question this changeling! But her mind entered an inactive state now. Then I’ll wait!”

I was drifting in the black nothingness, which signified the absence of any dreams, but the changeling was still sleeping. I was waiting here for a long time already, but this changeling mare had no more dreams so far. Finally, the surroundings began to change. I found myself not far from the shore of the lake, surrounded by the dense jungle. There was a sunken pyramid inside the lake; its upper part above the water. Behind me was a hill with much more modest building on top of it.

“This must be the place Ray was talking about! And where is the changeling?” I had started looking around. I finally found her not too far away. She was sitting beside some small tree, looking at the lake, seemingly deep in thought. “Wait, what? A queen?” I walked closer. “No, not a queen, a changeling noble, it seems, never seen one of them before! But how? She was just a drone not long ago. I can’t say for sure, but sometimes you can be in another body in your dreams, or you can be yourself from the past. Her body looks graceful; she no longer had that bad and malnourished appearance as it was in her previous dream. I’ve never seen such a changeling in Chrysalis’ entourage. Her height did not exceed that of some bigger drones.” I looked at the tree. I think I saw something similar to it in my sister’s personal garden, but this one is too small. I looked at her again. What a peculiar mane she’s got. It’s not as exquisite as my and Celly’s magic manes, of course, but still very unusual and beautiful. She was sitting still, seemingly thinking about something with a sad face, looking at the undulating surface of the lake.

I have revealed myself to her, standing some distance away to not frighten her too much, and decided to be the first to speak, but I was too nervous and impatient.

“We greet you, changeling!” my voice has taken on a more strict and domineering vibe by my old habits and was also quite loud. I almost snapped to Royal Canterlot again. The changeling flinched and turned her head to me abruptly, her beautiful mane fluttered in the wind. Her eyes opened wide. She stood up immediately and backed off, hissing at me.

“Who are you? No! I know who you are! What are you doing here? I’m not your citizen, and I’m not your enemy!” She was really frightened. “I don’t belong to any hive anymore! I’m a rogue changeling; I’m of no use to you!” her voice was a bit trembling, but she still spoke to me despite her fear.

“She thought I wanted to bring her harm? Why? Oh, hay! I should not have started with this voice… my old habits…” I collected my thoughts again and tried to speak friendly with a light smile. “Sorry if I have frightened you. I mean you no harm, really… Can we… talk?” Her fright started to subside, and she furrowed her brows.

“Then, let’s talk, but I still don’t understand why a noble alicorn wants to talk to a mere changeling?” She was rather skeptical about my intentions.

“You are not a simple changeling either, a noble!” I commented.

She just snorted at my remark. “Noble? No, we have no nobles, it’s ‘True Changelings’, a complete form of a changeling.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know…” I just realized how meager our knowledge of changelings is. Then… why did Chrysalis have no such changelings?

“Forget about it, it’s understandable. You ponies know so little about us changelings, after all.” She replied in a calmer voice.

“Um… You may already know who I am, but let me introduce myself properly. Luna, Princess Luna, if you will, but I prefer unofficial conversations when possible.” I said, trying to maintain a friendly attitude.

“Sapphira, rogue changeling, but this is a term used by hives, I’d prefer to call myself ‘free changeling’, as I don’t like how ‘rogue’ sounds, … Luna.” In the end, she called me by my name, as I wished for.

“Pleased to meet you, Sapphira.” I smiled to her genuinely; this changeling mare is not that bad…

“So, Luna, you wanted to ask me something, right?” she asked me, not bothering with etiquette and politeness, but I don’t mind it. I could discern a slight smile on her face. I’ve lived a long life on Equis to discern such little details easily. I’m not as good at it as my sister, but still…

“Ummm… yes, Sapphira. You know Ray, right?” I asked. Her eyes widened and even her pupils turned round. “So, she knows him. And I know why I like her face; it resembles that of my thestrals, somewhat, and even her mimics are the same, especially eyes!”

“Eh… It’s too late to deny it, so yes, I know him. Ray saved my life… Thrice…” she replied to me. Her voice turned soft and warm when she mentioned Ray.

“Could she possibly... but changeling? And saved her life… thrice?” I was shocked by this news. “Can they be in trouble?” I composed myself to continue our talk.

“Where is he now? Is he with you? Are you two in trouble?” I was nervous and threw too much questions at her.

“Why do you want to know? You don’t sound like you are seeking him for some crimes or something like that… Then why?” she asked me with a raised brow, her voice now calm.

“Well, I was searching for a certain thing inside this jungle, and I happened to meet Ray in the dreamland two days ago… We talked and I think we’ve become… friends with him? I know he is lost in the jungle, so I wanted to help him out!”

“Ummm…” Complex emotions were seen on her face. “Then I’ll tell you… We were traveling westwards out of the jungle when that happened… he was injured, badly. And poisoned, but it seems he got rid of the poison somehow. He does not look good at the moment, to be honest; he has not regained consciousness since evening.” Her eyes and ears drooped at this mention.

“What happened to you two, Sapphira?” I asked in distress.

“Elder manticore happened. And then two younger ones showed up…” Sapphira were talking with her gaze on the ground.

My mouth opened as I was shocked by the news. “How did they even manage to survive?” She then looked me in the eye. “I… I can see you are telling the truth to me, Sapphira. Did you two run away from them?”

“As if that bastard would’ve let us leave!” She almost shouted in anger. “Ahem…” She covered her mouth with her hoof, somewhat flustered. “Ray’s language…” she smiled a bit. “The elder fool took Ray for a challenger. At this point, it was useless to run. We have managed to injure the young ones a bit and Ray chased them away, but he still had to fight with the elder one. He managed to kill it in the end.” Sapphira told with a serious face. “At the end of their fight, the manticore bit his shoulder, breaking some of his bones, and hit Ray in the back with its tail, poisoning him. I’ve found a large abandoned den under the giant tree. We are currently hiding there.” She lowered her gaze to the ground again in sorrow.

“What? I need to find you right now! Stand still!” I activated my magic to find the place… but I soon realized how naïve I was. “I can see the place, but the jungle is all the same everywhere! How am I supposed to look for this place? I can only know an approximate direction and remember some landmarks, but the search had to be done in a regular way. I should send Night Lily there!” I said it out loud accidentally.

“That's a jungle, Princess.” Sapphira said sadly, with a sigh. “And who is Night Lily?” she asked.

“My subordinate, she is a good tracker, a batpony. I’ll give her the best medicines I brought with me, but I’m not sure she will be able to find you. If Ray gets better and we can’t find you, then try to reach the railroad to the west and seek help.” I advised her.

I thought about all of this again. “Killed a manticore, and an elder one at that? I’d say it’s impossible without magic, but there could be some magic involved, right? But his magic is not a combat type, it seems. I’ve already seen him using it once. He must be a decent fighter then. Anyway, it’s quite a feat to defeat an elder manticore, even if they did it together! Ray is more powerful than I thought he is at first, but I still don’t see him as a dangerous individual. He even saved this changeling more than once.”

At this moment, Sapphira’s body started to glow with yellow sparking light. The light undulated in waves. She looked at her hooves in surprise and then checked her whole body with a puzzled look.

“What’s happening, Sapphira?” I had no idea what it was.

“I’m not sure, but… it should be Ray’s magic! But it has never been so strong!” She was surprised and obviously happy. “It means he is getting better, I’m sure!”

“And why did his magic appear in your dream?” What she said was strange to me.

“It’s… complicated, Luna, but it should be like I said.” This changeling was almost shining with happiness. The sight I thought was impossible to see. “She had definitely fallen for him. But that sounds like a joke, a non-reformed changeling in love, but what I see before me cannot be a fake! I just hope she does not drain his love too much.”

“Sapphira, whatever this magic is, it is waking you up. We don’t have much time. Go to Appleloosa if you reach the railroad. I suppose you two will fit right in that place; this town has a lot of foreigners ever since the tunnel to the south was finally completed, so locals will not be too surprised seeing you there. If anything bad happens there, write me a letter to Royal Castle. I’ll notify the staff to forward any letters with your name on it to me.” I told her. I didn’t know how else I could help them, but at least I tried.

“Thank you, Luna. I don’t know why you are trying to help us so much, but thank you!” said Sapphira kindly.

“I’ll try to find you next night.” I smiled back at her. “What an unusual changeling. We really don’t know much about them, even after all the events with Chrysalis and her hive.” The surrounding dream started to warp, and soon I found myself back on the moon road. The foggy door nearby transformed into a half-transparent Ray’s door and was shining in the same yellow light. My brows raised in surprise by themselves. “This is so mysterious!” I’ve tried scanning this door to understand what was happening, but I felt nothing out of the ordinary. I tried opening the door, but the same thing as before had happened again. The door was ethereal, I could not even touch it!

“Maybe he is experiencing some special dream, which is not just a dream? Perhaps some form of a trance. It’s possible, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Well, I should send Night Lily right away. She had returned from her reconnaissance even before everyone went to sleep. I should apologize to her, as I’m sending her out without letting her have a good rest.” I tried touching Ray’s door a few more times only to feel empty space with my hoof, then returned to the moon road and exited dreamland. The happenings of this night were far out of my expectations, and I needed some time to sort things out and also find Lily.

Author's Note

Edited 19 Aug 2022.

Chapter 7 - Turn for the Better

Author's Note

This chapter has yet to be edited and brought in line with my current writing style. I hope it won't irritate you too much.

Chapter 7 - Turn for the Better

Forbidden Jungle, nighttime.

Sapphira was sleeping beside Ray in the hideout which she found earlier, it was situated under one of the giant trees. The amount of things she had to take care of had made her tired physically and mentally. After finding the hideout she had to drag Ray all the way there. It posed a problem as his body could not be pulled by magic power, forcing her to improvise. Inside the hideout, she had to make something passable as bedding, using big leaves, and then retrieve their supplies.

Sapphira had also spent quite some time to find her sword in the overbrush it flew into and to pull the spear out from the manticore’s chest. She was surprised by the amount of force required to do that, but her magic pulled it off after some failed efforts. When she was finished, she decided to cut off the stinger from the manticore’s tail, she thought it will be a worthy trophy for Ray that could gain him some respect in certain circles, and, naturally, it was her small revenge on the manticore.

Contented with her deed, Sapphira returned to their hideout and checked Ray’s condition. After making sure he was not getting worse, she looked at his clothes. The t-shirt was done for, being torn almost in half, so she tore away the cleaner half, used some water to moisten it and clean Ray’s body from all the blood, at least from most of it. After thinking about what to do next, she also cleaned Ray’s spear, then Sapphira took his clothes and gone to the nearby brook she scouted earlier. She tried to wash away at least some of the blood from Ray’s clothes. Sapphira had also cleaned the stinger from the leftover poison. After leaving his clothes on the branches nearby she returned to their hideout. She did not want to attract any predators to their hideout with the smell of blood, so she left the clothes at the brook.

Finally, she returned to Ray, camouflaged the entrance with some torn off branches and simply snuggled by Ray’s side, quickly falling asleep from all the exhaustion accumulated during the last day. Only their steady breathing was heard in their shelter under the tree, interrupted only by cries of night birds from outside.

PoV: Sapphira.

I was slowly waking up after my strange meeting with the Princess of the Night. I still could not understand her motives clearly. But knowing who she is, it was not too surprising that Luna had offered her help when she knew someone was lost in the Forbidden Jungle, while she was nearby and was able to help.

Some light gone through my eyelids, but it should be still night outside, and when I had finally opened my eyes, a strange sight was before me. Ray’s body was bathed in a bright yellow light. Streaks of yellow and green energy were coming out form the middle of his chest and swirling around him, eventually seeping into his body. Some of those were doing the same with my body. I raised my hoof before my eyes, it was undulating with yellow light too, and the remaining holes and cavities on it were closing and mending right before my eyes! I looked at my back and saw my wings no longer had any holes at all! But this process consumed a bigger part of my emotional power. Well, no wonder, the holes are caused by the deficit of magic, which is powered by emotions.

“Now I understand! At least more or less what was happening to me while I was with Ray! He is a walking miracle! No healing magic is capable of mending changeling body! Now I understand why he asked me to be quiet about it.” I carefully examined Ray’s body, his lighter injuries were already gone, and his shoulder had already restored its skin and it was making strange crackling noises, like his bones were shifting and moving into right places. “That’s… fantastic, but it seems rather painful, it’s good he is unconscious!” I was rejoicing at the fact he will be fine and healthy when it all ends.

The process continued for another twenty minutes or so, as I watched it, entranced, but by the end of it I started to feel crazy animalistic hunger, so I had to urgently have a night snack… Well, it’s hard to call it a snack as I fell on the food like a hungry minotaur, reducing our supplies by half. Thinking of it, Ray might be in a same condition when he wakes up, I’ll have to get us some more food in the morning. I have a hunch the sun is already about to rise. I looked outside and, indeed, the sky was already brightening up.

“Why do I feel slightly colder all of a sudden?” I had gone back to check my supply bags and prepare them for my morning raid on edible plants. When I closed in to Ray, I suddenly felt the warmth returning to me. “What?” I had stepped away from ray again, and after several steps I felt this peculiar warmth disappear again and came back when I got within around ten steps from him. When I pondered it for a while, I came to a conclusion it was not a real warmth, but something else entirely, just the sensation was a little similar. “How strange, I’m feeling very comfortable when I’m close to him, will others feel it too or is it just me?” I walked up to sleeping Ray and lowered my head, as I looked at him from above. In the end, I could not restrain myself and started to hug and kiss him lightly, but he did not wake up, so I stopped, still very content with my little shenanigan.

I resumed my preparations, emptying my bags and fastening them to my armor which I had on me since yesterday. It was too bothersome to try to take it off all by myself, and this place is not safe either. I remembered a gash I’ve got yesterday from a manticore, but there were no traces of it by now. The light from the first rays of the rising Sun was already visible through the branches covering the entrance. I decided to not waste time and went out to gather the food.

“I’ve never felt myself so strong before! Ray’s magic is incredible!” I thought, as I felt energized and powerful ever since I woke up. I felt my whole body became slightly… larger. And more… muscular, maybe? It it’s true I was in a poor condition before, so it can only be called returning to the norm, and I’m still far from the figure of a perfect mare! “Oh, I'm sure Ray will like these changes to my body!” I giggled as such naughty thoughts popped inside my head; my ears started twitching on their own in my excitement. The surrounding terrain had no signs of dangerous beasts, so it must be relatively safe around here, especially in the morning when nocturnal beasts usually go to sleep. So I went by my old gathering routine and started my search for food.

PoV: Night Lily.

I was performing a search around the area, which Princess Luna specified for me, for the whole night already. The Sun will soon rise above the horizon. I’ve changed my Lunar Guard disguise for my regular light scout armor. I had two saddle bags with me; one with medicine Princess Luna gave me to treat the wounded targets of my mission, and another one with my personal supplies: food, water, alchemy elixirs and my special pollen bombs. Of course I had a set of all necessary recon equipment too, such as compass, military-grade map, weapons and some other. I could last for several day in this jungle if need be, but my timeframe was limited.

Suddenly, my sensitive nose caught traces of a scent of blood. Princess had told me the targets survived a battle with a manticore. It’s hard to believe, but I will never question Princess Luna’s words. So now I’m trying to trace this scent and find its source. It was hard not to lose it, but eventually I’ve stumbled upon the footprints that matched with the description. It should be a changeling and a bipedal being from the unknown lands. I followed their footprints on the damp ground. They were definitely in a hurry, on the run even! Eventually, I’ve reached the clearing, and it was definitely the source of the bloody scent.

“Luna gracious! That’s an elder manticore!” I exclaimed despite all my trainings in stealth. And how could I not? The dead manticore lied right before me with its chest pierced through. There was much blood in the surroundings too, and it belonged to somepony else, judging by its smell. I rarely see such brutal scenes, and the combat should’ve been even more violent, but my training kept me from getting nauseous or too distressed. There were nothing else left at the clearing, but I’ve noticed a trail of something being dragged, going from the clearing into the overgrowth on the other side. Some traces of blood were seen on that trail, it must’ve been the injured one.

I’ve found a place with another dried pool of blood there; they’ve made a stop here. Another trail was leading out of here, but there were no more blood along the trail, and it was much harder to trace, but I’m called a tracker for a reason, so eventually I’ve stumbled upon a lightly concealed entrance to some kind of a lair under the giant tree. Yes, that must be the exact place. I’ve found them! By this time the Sun was already up in the sky.

I had carefully moved away the branches from the entrance and slipped inside. My thestral eyes quickly adapted to the darkness of this underground lair. Strong smell of earth, moss and mold assaulted my nose. Not a best place for an injured, but definitely a much safer place when you have manticores running around. I spotted a single strange bipedal being lying on large palm leaves at the back of the lair, a voluminous bag was in the corner and some supplies were scattered nearby on another bunch of palm leaves. The changeling was nowhere to be seen, had it run away?

I walked closer to this… hyu-man, as Princess called him. I was expecting something like a minotaur or diamond dog, maybe abyssinian, but he was anything but. While he was definitely not as large as a minotaur, he should be taller than other bipedals, excluding dragons, of course. He does not have any coat, just like a changeling, but his skin is not black. I walked up to him without any noise and continued my observations. Well, I won’t lie to myself, I’m just curious, as I always was. His appearance was somewhat pleasant, if I compare him with other bipedals. Of course, cats have nice appearance, but their thoughts are oftentimes vicious and sly, so they are not far from the diamond dogs in this regard, one should not be fooled by their appearance. I sniffed his skin lightly, he definitely reeked of blood. A mix of manticore’s and, most likely, his own, but I can see no injuries on his body. Strange!

I moved closer to his face to have a better look at it. His eyes seemed a bit small to me, but still had reasonable proportions from my point of view. Suddenly, his eyes moved under his eyelids.

“Mmmmh! ...phi, what are you doing this early in the morning?” He mumbled something hardly coherent while he was still asleep. “Come here, hug me!” he said and his hands suddenly grabbed me by my sides, he lifted my body and carefully put it atop his chest, pressing me against his body while his eyes were still closed.

I was confused for a moment! “He is too daring of a stallion! … The nerve!”

“Why are you still wearing your armor and even saddle bags?” he asked lazily, still unwilling to fully wake up. His hand stroked my head, going up my ear until it reached the tassels. “Fluffy… Fluffy. Fluffy?” His eyes opened abruptly, his hand stopped in place at the side of my head, his bright green eyes were looking right into mine.

“Ha-ha, Ray, you are a fast one! I was gone to gather some food and you had already found yourself another mare in less than an hour?” I’ve heard a mare’s voice from the entrance. Turning my head, I saw an impressive… changeling mare, her appearance was unlike any other changelings I saw before.

“So, you must be Night Lily, right? Do you like my… stallion?” A wide, sly and predatory smile appeared on the changeling’s face.

“Let go of me, scoundrel!” I shouted as I hit the forehead of this cheeky stallion lightly with my hoof.

“Ouch!” His thinking process seemed to halt for the time being, but eventually he had collected himself together from his abrupt awakening, releasing me. “Sorry, but who are you, and what are you doing here? But first tell me why were you standing above me while I was sleeping here?” One of his brows furrowed while another one was raised, he was obviously questioning my own behavior.

The changeling mare was already laughing out loud at this scene. “Hilarious! You both are something, Ray, Lily!” she managed to say it through her laughter. “Ray! If you’re going to grope every mare you meet, I’m going to bite you!” she said jokingly, tilting her head with a toothy smile.

“Do you know each other, girls?” he asked and tried to get up, but the ceiling was too low for him. “Ayya! Damn it!” He exclaimed as he hit his head on a root above. Ray sat down, rubbing his head. The changeling mare just laughed again.

“Ray, haha! We, ha-ha, we don’t know each other. But!” She made a deep breath to stop herself from laughing. “We both know Luna!” she said. The way she addressed the Princess angered me.

“It’s Princess Luna for you, changeling!” I snapped angrily.

“Oh, really? But, mind you, this changeling also has a name.” she said with irony.

“Ah! Sorry, Sapphira, is it?” I asked after realizing my bad manners on a mission which Princess personally assigned to me.

Changeling had started talking in an indifferent manner: “Yes it is indeed Sapphira, you were informed correctly. So, will you insist on using this official manner of speech with all the titles and proper addressing?” Then she switched to her previous lively style of speech. “But remember, Princess do not approve of it when it is unnecessary, as far as I know.” She smiled at me slyly.

“Oh by Luna! Is she playing with me? Like she already know my soft spots!” I could not help but think so as out talk developed in this strange way. “That’s… okay, I will not insist. Just show some respect for the Princess, alright? I’m uncomfortable to call her name without a title.” I was not good at wrestling with word, so I just spoke what was on my mind.

Sapphira walked up to me. “Sorry, I did not mean to upset you, Lily.” She said, after seeing my dejected look.

Sapphira stroked my head with her hoof lightly. She was clearly older than me. This action of hers might have irritated others, but I was always envious of girls who had older sisters when I was younger… And this gesture of hers was pleasant for me; did she just find another of my weak spots? I sighed. But she should be a friend, not an enemy, so it’s fine, I guess?

“It’s alright…” I said, having calmed down, and noticed Ray was just silently sitting there, looking at us with wide eyes. We both turned our heads towards him.

He finally spoke. “Sapphira, what do you mean when you say you know… Luna? And explain me about the ‘Princess’ part in particular too…” He sounded quite confused at the moment. And he had the nerve to call Princess Luna by name without her title! Impudent!

“You have already met her in your dream before, right? So you should know she is one of the two diarchs of Equestria, right? Princess is her title.” Sapphira explained.

It was unexpected, but Ray slapped his face with his hand, covering his eyes with it, in an exaggerated gesture.

“Ha! … Ha-ha! … Ha-ha-ha-ha!” He started laughing somewhat derangedly. “Ha-a-ahhh!” His laughter had transformed into a deep sigh. “I’m a fool! What a blunder… A Princess! Ha-ha… no, no, not just a Princess. The Diarch of the greatest country on the whole continent! Ha-ha! What an epic fail!” he started muttering the things I could not exactly understand. After he stopped having his fit and calmed down, he asked with a serious face. “So, can anyone tell me what’s happening now? The fact that Luna is a Diarch of Equestria is quite shocking news for me, honestly.”

I felt proud about the fact that Princess Luna had such an effect on this country bumpkin from another continent. Of course, he sees her greatness now!

“Princess Luna had tasked me with finding you two to help you to get out of the jungle, and also treat the wounded. You should be honored by her generosity and kindness! But I can’t see any wounds on you, albeit you two just reek of blood!” I declared my mission to them with a smug face.

“So, what do you propose, Lily?” Ray asked me.

“It’s Night Lily, you scoundrel!” I lashed at him as I was still angry at him. “To grope a mare you don’t even know is… is!” I was unable to finish my words.

“Oh, come on, Lily, I know you liked it!” Sapphira cut my verbal outburst with her nonsensical statement, sporting a smug smile on her face.

“What? Nonsense!” I denied these foolish accusations resolutely.

Sapphira just winked at Ray and their bodies started to shake lightly as they were trying not to laugh, looking at me, but failed at the end. They laughed at me! At me!

“Stop making fun of me, you two!” I shouted at them, but they still continued.

“That’s alright, Lily, no one here is making fun of you, it’s just… you are so cute!” Sapphira said with a smile, still giggling lightly.

“I… I’m a personal assistant of the Princess for this expedition! I should not be… cute! You know, it took me the whole night to find you two, and I did not even have any sleep. The last thing I want to experience now is being laughed at!” I replied, but I felt my cheeks blushing heavily. “Did I really like it? No, no, it can’t be! I’m just blushing from being angry!”

“Alright, Sapphira. Lily is obviously not in the mood for jokes now. Lily, I apologize for my actions before, I had mistaken you for Sapphira.” He said to me sincerely and turned to Sapphira, his gaze became very mild. “And Sapphi, I still owe you my thanks, you dragged me all the way here, and also all our belongings too, not mentioning you have gathered more food for us just now… You worked so hard while I did just… pass out.”

Sapphira did not answer anything; she unfastened her bags with magic and put them on the floor, walked up and hugged him tightly. I could hear her sobbing quietly with her head buried in his chest. “I thought you would die there, Ray!” She said through her sobs. Ray was gently caressing her silky mane to calm her down. Seems they really had experienced a fight to the death yesterday… The tension she was holding in finally broke out and now she was crying out all of her accumulated worries and fears. I decided to be quiet for a while. I don’t even want to imagine myself fighting with a manticore and there were, supposedly, two more of younger manticores at that. This two had it hard; I can’t blame them for anything.

While I was looking at this scene, many thoughts appeared in my mind. I can’t describe how astonished I was at this changeling. She just breaks everything I know about changelings. Well, most of it! Unreformed changelings can’t love? They can’t have friends? Shuck! I’ve seen ponies who gone through a lot together, and they are exactly like that. A changeling, and… a hyu-man? She just can’t be pretending, not like that! I just sat in a corner and took some food to nibble on from my saddle bag. If only I had anyone who would love me as I am… But that’s impossible with my job! Hay! I should not think about these things!

PoV: Ray.

I was hugging with Sapphira for quite a long time, until she finally calmed down. While at it, I had complex emotions. Everything that happened was on my conscience to some degree, and I felt guilt for I had put Sapphira into danger and made her worried and stressed out by my state during and after the fight with the manticore. I gave a word to myself to never be this reckless again, not unless absolutely necessary, I’m no longer on my own and I should be mindful of others by my side. She had finally raised her head to look at me with her reddened eyes.

“Everything is fine now, Sapphira, let’s leave this event in the past.” She nodded her head lightly at my words, but still continued to hug me. I turned my gaze towards Night Lily who was looking at me, having heard my voice. “Sorry for the scene, Lily, but the things turned really nasty yesterday, as you can guess.”

“It’s all fine, I don’t mind…” Lily answered awkwardly. “You wanted to ask me if I have any plan for us, didn’t you?” I nodded to her. “Well, it’s not my plan, but Princess’. She said if the road to our current camp is too dangerous or too hard to traverse, I should accompany you to the nearest railroad station. And this is indeed the case, the jungle on the way back is infested with various dangerous beasts and poisonous plants, some parts are swampy or heavily overgrown. But the jungle to the west seems to be much safer. So, we are going to the west, resuming your travel in the same direction you had before. There are no common rail stations nearby, but the supply stations will do. There should be one to the north, according to the map I have. If we follow the railroad tracks, we will not miss it, and I can easily convince any train conductor to give you a ride to Appleloosa.” Lily summarized everything she had in mind.

I thought for a while, looked at Sapphira, who just tilted her head with raised brows momentarily, one of her equivalents to shrugging, before answering. “Alright, this is a decent plan; we have no reason to refuse, Lily.” I said reassuringly to her, as she was nervous for some reason. She must be very skilled in navigating dangerous places to be on her own at night in this jungle, but she seems to have subpar social skills at the same time. Perhaps, it’s a consequence of her lifestyle on the job without much social interactions.

“Good, now I must send a signal that we are going west.” She started to walk towards the exit. After putting on my boots, I followed her with Sapphira behind me. The rest of my clothes could not be found nearby. Well, I’m already somewhat accustomed to walking around only in my boxers… Not the best thing to be accustomed to, honestly.

As we have exited our hideout I was finally able to see Lily’s true appearance. Her amber eyes had their pupils contracted from the bright light, finally revealing their vertical form. Lily’s eyes were very much like those Sapphira had! And I had already noticed before that she have fangs. But the most striking feature was her wings! She had them folded when we were inside and dim lighting prevented me from seeing the details, but now her wings were slightly parted, and those were wings with membranes made of skin! Like those of bats! They had a short velvety coat covering them.

Her overall coat color was mild lilac, changing to silvery grey at the places along her wing bones, outlining the shape of her wings. Her mane was also silvery-grey, with straight, heavy and thick strands of hair. Her hair parted to the sides at the line of her right ear and was a bit ruffled, occasionally covering her left eye when the wind swung her mane. Her tail was the same color as her mane. The thick hair of her tail created a magnificent shape, adding a lot of volume to her tail. It looked impressive even after she had spent so much time in the jungle and got her tail ruffled and a bit tangled. On her flanks she had a mark, a single lily in the color of midnight blue. Lily was fiddling with one of her saddlebags on her side, trying to open it with her hooves.

“Ray, pick up your jaw, you’ve lost it!” I heard Sapphira’s sarcastic voice from behind as I was staring at Lily.

Lily looked at us in confusion while I had a wry smile on my face. Sapphira only chuckled and did not speak anymore.

“Lily, do you need help with your bag?” I asked when I finally paid some attention to what she was doing.

“Oh yes, please, it’s so inconvenient when you don’t have a horn!” she complained about the unyielding buckles on her bags.

I fiddled with the buckle for a moment. “Done, which item do you need?” I asked after quickly opening her bag.

“A yellow pipe, please.” She said, a light smile finally appeared on her face.

I handed her this peculiar item and buckled her bag back. It resembled a firework, somewhat, as it had a cord attached to one side. She took the item with her hoof, this was the first time I’ve seen a pony actively use her contact telekinesis, as Sapphira relied almost solely on her magic for such things. Lily took off into the air above the trees, pointed the tube upwards and pulled the cord. A very bright yellow magical flare shot high into the air and remained at high altitude for quite a long time. This sort of signal must be very effective. It will be hard to miss if someone is actively observing their surroundings.

“All done! Yellow means the road back is dangerous and we are going to the railroad. Princess Luna will embark on her expedition without waiting for me, and I will join her later, after I get you two on a train.” She told us her plans.

“Will you be able to find her in the jungle afterwards?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, Princess gave me everything I need to find her!” she answered proudly.

“Alright, if you say so.” I stopped worrying about her, for the most part. But it still felt a bit off to let this girl go all by herself back into the jungle. The thoughts of Luna still caused a substantial headache for me… Who would have thought… She is a Princess, a ruler of Equestria, one of them to be precise. This whole situation… what it entails for me? I hardly have any decent picture of this world in my mind, and suddenly a diarch shows up? Is fate really playing with me, just for laughs? As if the whole business with Falda’ar was not enough for me! How much more twisted can it become? Bah! Whatever! I’ll be solving my troubles as they arrive, one by one, there is no need to explode my own brains thinking too much of those issues I have no power to control… I’ve made a deep sigh and tried to concentrate on my current difficulties, specifically getting out of this jungle without getting in more trouble! Everything else? I can think about it later.

“Good, then let’s go!” said Lily, after pondering for a while. She tried to sound vigorous, but it was obvious to me she was exhausted from her search and sleep deprivation.

“Lily, I know you want to complete your mission fast, but you are definitely in a bad shape. You should at least have some sleep. We still need some time to pack up, why don’t you have a little rest while we are at it?” I said, concerned about her state. The day will be long and hard and I don’t want to see her suffer. She looked suspiciously at us, probably thinking if we will run away from her or have some other plans.

“We won’t be going anywhere without you Lily, if you’re afraid of it.” Sapphira intervened. “That’s a promise.” Then she smiled to Lily with her regular kind smile I see so often. She was not playing with her this time like before.

“Well, alright, I’ll have some rest. Keep an eye on your surroundings, just in case.” She said as she started walking back inside the hideout. She turned her head to us as said, “Wake me up when you are ready.”

“Of course we will.” I answered with a nod.

Sapphira followed her and soon returned with all of our belongings and put those down on the ground. We started sorting out and packing our stuff. I was sitting on a fallen tree trunk.

“Ray, don’t you, by any chance, feel crazy hunger right now?” Sapphira asked with a raised brow.

“How do you know, Sapphi, don’t tell me you feel it too?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes, I’ve felt it instantly after I woke up, engulfed by your wondrous magic.” She said to me, I can see she have great interest in my magic now. “And I ate half of our supplies…” she guiltily ran her hoof over the ground. “So I went out to gather more, I guessed you will be very hungry too.”

Looking at her attentively one more time in the light of day, I’ve noticed many changes to her body. She had no more holes anywhere, not even a trace. And her whole body became slightly more curvaceous.

“So, you’ve noticed at last! How do you like it?” She said and made a spin to show herself from all sides. Her bright smile told volumes about how she felt about it.

“You are gorgeous!” I complimented her. There were no need for long praises; she was too used to reading my emotions even before listening to my words.

Sapphira walked up to me once again for a hug and a light kiss, but then backed away and brought me lots of food. “We can hug and kiss all we want later, you should eat now. I know how it feels, and your hunger must be even worse, Ray!” she said in concern.

“True that, I’m struggling with my hunger since the moment I woke up.” I answered her with a wry smile and dug into my food. “Thanks, Sapphi!” I said with a full mouth, eliciting a giggle from her. After I finished one strange, but tasty vegetable, I spoke again: “We should probably give Lily two or three hours of sleep. She is too exhausted. But then we should compensate for it by going faster, but if the forest ahead is similar to this one, it will be no problem for me. By the way, what is her specie? I’ve never heard of her kind before.”

Sapphira pondered for a while before speaking. “Giving her some time will not be a problem, I guess. I did not see any signs of dangerous wildlife ahead, and it’s unlikely we will find something like manticores or shadow hounds ahead, as we are closing in to the edges of the jungle. And we’ll be able to chase away any other beasts easily. As for Lily’s species… They are called ‘Thestrals’, but a more common name for them is ‘Batponies’, most ponies refer to them as such.” She was telling me this, while rubbing her chin with her hoof, as I was eating. “She seems to take over my habits… That’s cute!”

“She seems to have some of your traits, Sapphi.” I remarked curiously.

“Well, not that much, apart from her eyes, which can see in the dark, and her fangs. I don’t know much about them, but I’ll tell you what I know. They have a really quiet flight, as well as an ability to step quietly with their hooves. Oftentimes, it’s impossible to notice batponies until you see them with your own eyes or until they make some noise deliberately. They have a very good hearing, and their olfaction is better than a regular pony too. Their eyes are very similar to mine, having no problems seeing in the dark or in broad daylight. Their flight speed is not that remarkable compared to pegasi, just like changeling’s, but it is compensated by their flight agility. They oftentimes exceed us changelings in both aspects, but they can’t hover and move in all directions in flight, like we do, so I can’t tell who is a better flier between us. Also, they seem to be omnivorous, requiring some amount of meat or fish in their rations from time to time, but they mostly prefer fruits to anything else.” I listened attentively as I continued to quickly diminish our food supplies.

“So, in the end, not all of ponies are pure… vegetarians?” My tongue slipped, there is no analogue of ‘vegetarian’ in Equestrian, and I used my native word.

“Vege-who?” Sapphira asked in confusion. Her left ear twitched twice cutely.

“Err… Those who does not eat meat or fish. Herbivores, perhaps?” I asked, feeling myself awkward talking about this.

“Eww… herbivores eat grass and hay! That’s not a good food, Ray! Some ponies try to eat it, but you know… in the end they all find themselves with indigestion or stomach ache. Ponies can eat more varieties of plants than others, but, well, they are not wild horses in the end! In fact, all ponies are omnivores to some degree. It’s just in their culture to prefer plant food.” Sapphira said pensively. She definitely did not like the idea to eat hay! The wind played with her mane, creating a mesmerizing sight of flowing blue colors.

“Then, perhaps, we won’t be stuck with purely plant-based diet in that Appleloosa or other cities.” I remarked. Becoming a vegetarian was not in my priorities, albeit lately I’m not too picky about the food… as long as there is food.

“I was eating plant food for the most of my life, but mainly because of scarcity of other food around. We should be able to find more diverse food in the town, maybe with some difficulties, but I will not refuse to try some dishes containing meat or fish. By the way, pegasi have fish in their ration.” said Sapphira with a pondering face. “Now as we talk about food I’ve become hungry again!” She grabbed a fruit and began munching on it. We continued our meal for some time in silence.

“Sapphira, you know… I find one fact very strange. Ever since I’ve arrived here I’ve never met a common pony. That’s hilarious, don’t you think? Changelings, a batpony and a diarch!” I said as I laughed. “Of course the jungle is a bad place to meet one.”

“Are you serious, Ray? Don’t tell me you have never seen common ponies, they are literally… everywhere on all continents, almost!” Sapphira asked in surprise.

“Yeah, Sapphi, don’t be so surprised, the place I’m coming from is re-e-eally far.” I replied, spreading my hands and shrugging. “But that’s between us. I don’t want to look like some country bumpkin that crawled out of some cave, ha-ha!” I laughed lightly.

“Oh, come on, Ray, I myself had literally crawled out of the cave!” she laughed with me.

“Perhaps, but at least you’ve seen a real common pony, but I didn’t!” Now we were arguing who was a greater caveman, or a cavehorse, among us.

“But how did you manage to get here without seeing any ponies?” she asked with a confused countenance.

“I’ve teleported in, that’s how. Right into that darn altar room we lived in! That’s right! Without any supplies! All I had on me were my clothes, which are too warm for this climate, three seeds of that tree and an artifact I can’t use by myself. Sounds great, right? Ha-ha! Oh, and my physical state was dreadful. You may have already noticed how my body improved while you were with me. It was a lot worse before, Sapphi, a lot! I could barely walk at the start. It was two days before I found you.” I was recounting the circumstances of my arrival. “I did not even know where I am.”

Sapphira listened to me with a slackened jaw. She never thought it was that bad and complicated. “R-ray … ? That was… harsh!” I could see sympathy in her eyes. “And your body… you are really looking much better today! These muscle…” She started to stroke my chest with her hoof, her ears twitching.

“Well, Sapphi,” I stroked her neck, “my circumstances were not harsher than yours when you ran away from your hive, I guess. But look! We’re still alive, healthy, stronger than before and, most important of all, we are together!” I said with a wide grin on my face. Looks like I’ve finally adopted this mindset, and I like it, it keeps me going forward and making getting over nasty stuff easier.

“Yes, Ray, you are right!” She smiled back at me. I’ve made a pause before speaking again.

“And one more thing you should know. Princess Luna is likely investigating the circumstances of my arrival by some leftover magic trace. For anyone else, I was strayed from my expedition group of griffons when shadow hounds attacked, that’s my legend, Sapphira. I did nothing wrong, if you want to know, I’m just avoiding excessive attention to myself.” Sapphira nodded her head. “And by no means do I want to get into the mess of dealing with royalty and everything what follows: military, scientists, politics, elites and whatever else there might be! Yeah, those things are better left alone when possible, I don’t strive for power. So don’t mention my way of arrival to anyone. I won’t lie to you, I like Luna, but involving yourself with powerful figures when you don’t have sufficient power or strength will only draw trouble to the one who do it. I think you understand what I mean.”

Sapphira fell silent again. “I think I can understand it to some extent, but in this case you seem much more experienced than I am… I don’t know much about politics, but what you’ve said can be partially applied to the power structure in the hives too.” She replied.

“Well, it’s just me being cautious, maybe my worries are unfounded. I’m not worried about Luna, she is really kind pony, but a country consists not only of diarchs, and we both can’t judge the situation properly. Well, let’s just go with the flow, we can’t do much about it anyway.” I concluded my thoughts with a wry smile on my face, waving my hand.

Sapphira just nodded her head with a pondering look. “Oh, yes, Luna said she will meet us in our dreams tonight. We did not have much time to talk with her. She seemed to be in a hurry and cared a lot for your safety. Should I be jealous now?” Sapphira smiled at me playfully.

“I don’t know,” I chuckled, “do you think a homeless foreigner with nothing to his name can have a chance with a Princess, and most importantly, how can I dump you?” I raised my brow.

“Ummm, Ray, why are you even mentioning this ‘dumping me’ thing?” she asked, puzzled.

“Pardon? How can I, theoretically, be with a Princess without breaking up with you?” I was not too sure what she meant by all this. “Sapphi… I don’t like where this topic about dumping someone is going to, the very idea of it is repulsive to me.”

“Sorry, Ray! But… can you possibly… no way! Don’t tell me you don’t know about herds?” She asked with an astonished face.

“What do you mean? What herds?” I asked, confused.

Sapphira made a perfect… ‘facehoof’, yeah she definitely adopts my habits. “Ray, you should know that stallion to mare ratios of all species on Equis are greatly uneven, right?” Sapphira asked.

“Errr… nope?” I answered with a silly face.

“Just where were you living, Ray?” She sighed. “For ponies and similar species it’s around four mares to one stallion. The difference is minimal among diamond dogs, but it is still uneven. So the ponies usually have ‘herds’ with one stallion and several mares. Now you get it?”

I scratched my head. “Yeah… more or less. But seriously, proposing to have a… herd… with a Princess is such a joke! Her subjects will eat us alive for it, judging by Night Lily’s reaction.” I smiled when I remembered it. “Damn, what’s wrong with this planet? Four mares to one stallion? Really? From one point of view, those stallions are lucky bastards, but from the other, some of them may live in a real hell!”

“He-he, even if they would not, Night Lily will definitely do it in their place!” Sapphira said jokingly.

After we have finished our talk, Sapphira took me with her to go and retrieve my clothes she left at some brook, not too far away from our hiding place. I sighed, “She even washed my clothes for me, it feels like I’m already married. But that’s not a bad feeling at all! I should definitely spoil her when I get the chance! Such a girl truly deserves it!”

After examining my clothes, I can officially call half of it rags! The manticores did a good job tearing what was left of it. The t-shirt goes to trash, but for the time being it still can be useful as a piece of cloth. My shirt was left in a bag, and still in one piece, that’s good. The coat received extensive damage and I’ll look like a homeless bum wearing it, maybe even worse. But wait! I am a homeless bum! “Yay! Bum li-i-ife! Ha-ha!” I exclaimed in my native.

Sapphira looked at me puzzlingly.

“Forget it Sapphi, I’m just fooling around.” I dismissed it with a smile. My boots were still intact, but were heavily scratched and scuffed, while the jeans were still passable with just minor tears. I decided to wear the coat over my bare upper body to save my shirt for later.

After we have finished with all this, we still had some time before we should wake Lily up, so we decided to spend some time together, nothing too extreme, just being close to each other, talking about small things, venting out yesterday’s stress. I had helped Sapphira to remove her armor as it was uncomfortable to wear it for prolonged periods of time. Unbuckling all of its straps must be very tiring and hard for the wearer.

While we were still at the brook, it was convenient to wash up a little. Naturally, my hands are perfect tools to help Sapphira with her hygiene! This was the first time I inspected Sapphira’s body in such detail with my hands, and it took me some mental effort to stay more or less calm. Yes, I liked her body, her supple velvety skin, her streaming colorful hair. Her legs were a bit longer than lily’s, making her look a bit more graceful and tall. The strain on my mind intensified as such thoughts have filled my head, and I knew Sapphira could not miss that. As I started to wash hear rear side, her breathing became somewhat laborious.

“Ray… Can you wash me… there? You are avoiding that place. It must not be this… awkward… for lovers, right?” she said coyly, her eyes were avoiding my gaze.

“Of course I can, Sapphi, it’s just hard to hold myself together, as you should have already guessed. Alright, it’ll be a challenge for my willpower!” As I said so, I started to gently wash Sapphira’s intimate places, lightly stroking her with my fingers. She flinched from the sensation of cold water and her tail started to swing widely from her excitement. She was making occasional horse-like snorts along with changeling specific chirring. Trying to restrain my volcano of lust, I continued with my duty. We can always do the deed when we get to town, in much more comfortable conditions, without the risk of being attacked by some predatory monstrosity. Sapphira had her eyes closed with a wide smile on her face. “Hmm… I’m wondering how their towns look like.” I had this fleeting thought, which helped me to concentrate on my task at hand without getting too heated up.

“Mmmh… Ray… You are even more explosive now than you were that morning…” She looked at me with half-opened eyes.

I sighed. “But it’s neither the time nor the place for such games, right? I will not put my guard down until I get you to safety. It is already costing me great efforts to just stay calm and talk to you, so please stop teasing me.” I stood up and we went away from the brook. Naturally, my nether parts did not agree to stay calm, but I didn’t care about such things anymore since that morning. I could not help but notice Sapphira throwing glances at my manhood, but now it was flattering for me she was interested in all of my… aspects.

“Anyway, thanks, Ray. I had this armor on for a day already; it’s not that comfortable to wear it for so long. And are you calling you state… ‘calm’, Ray?” she chuckled. “You should at least kiss your mare… as a consolation!” Her lips made a playful smile.

“Of course! I was going to do it anyway!” I said as I was putting on my jeans. I walked up to Sapphira and unexpectedly took her into my hands, plopped myself atop a nearby boulder and sat Sapphira on my lap. She hugged me around the neck instantly with her forehooves. We still had enough time to have some intimacy. As Sapphira was getting comfortable on my lap, I noted to myself I could not call Sapphira’s body small. If she straightens herself fully, sitting on my lap, then even with my height, her big azure eyes will be on the same level as mine, if not higher, considering her longer neck. She had also gained some healthy weight, but still have a work to do in this regard, I suppose.

We were enjoying our closeness, kissing and stroking each other, so I used this chance to properly appreciate the changes in Sapphira’s body one more time. I took her hoof into my hand. The cleanliness of her hoof surprised me, it seems their natural contact telekinesis worked not only for altering the hardness of their hooves and using them in the place of hands, but also repelled most of the dirt. Contrary to my expectations, Sapphira had soft pads under her hooves, which were pleasant and soft to the touch. I could not restrain myself from kissing them.

“Ah!” Sapphira made a quiet moan. “They are sensitive, Ray!” she said, gently rubbing the side of my head with her horn. It was not hard and scratchy as I thought it was before. It was solid, but had a pleasant velvety texture, just like her skin, just more coarse, but the sharp tip was still worrying me a bit.

Sapphira was not lagging behind too, as her hooves were exploring my body as well. “Ray, your mane is growing, it seems!” she said as she touched my ideally bald head. I rubbed my head and felt there were indeed that feel to it. The hair was so short it was barely noticeable, yet Sapphira could still feel it with her hoof. Her hooves are really sensitive!

I could not say anything else, because Sapphira’s lips found their way to mine. Our lips connected in a slow and prolonged kiss. We were unhurriedly indulging in the pleasant sensations of our closeness. As my fingers were gently running all around her body and stroking her silky hair. Her mane and even tail had a thin, but very pleasant aroma to it, reminiscent of fresh air coming from the snowy mountain peaks, despite being a bit disheveled and dusty. I have released all my emotions I was suppressing before, filling Sapphira with power. This was the first time I was able to feel it consciously. This has to be a result of my power merging with my body completely. The thing I’ve failed to achieve on my own because of my impatience… I should investigate my current state later. This must be only the tip of an iceberg.

“Mmmmh! Ray, you are getting distracted, aren’t you?” Sapphira broke our kiss and asked me.

“Sorry, love, I can’t help it, as now I can feel the flow of my emotions around me too, but I can’t discern them like you do. This is too unusual for me.” I told her while gently moving an unruly lock of her azure mane away from her face.

“Oh! Interesting, are you turning into a changeling, perhaps?” She laughed lightly. “But I should tell you something too.” She patted my chest with her hoof lightly. “You have some sort of a bubble of your unique magic around you. I can feel it distinctly. It feels very comfortable to be inside it, its edge is around ten steps from you. Lily does not seem to be able to feel it though.” Sapphira told me while stroking my bare chest with her soft hoof.

“Let me concentrate for a bit and check it, Sapphira. What happened tonight was an emergency spell, things gone south for me, this time for real. I’ve overloaded my body until it broke down. It was the only way to defeat the manticore. This spell saved me, but it was a single use thing and it’s gone now for good. My powers should have grown a little from this occasion.” I told to Sapphira and started to concentrate my mind. She looked really displeased about what I’ve said, specifically about me bringing harm to myself.

The energy revved crazily inside me with almost no efforts, compared to my previous experience. ‘Life essence’ was coming out from somewhere around my heart and solar plexus, quickly filling all of my energy system. “Oh yes! That’s it! Just like during my training with Falda’ar, but this time it feels so real. It is like comparing something from VR with the real deal.” I laughed out loud, puzzling Sapphira with my behavior and clenched my fist tightly, this feeling of power was slightly intoxicating, but I quickly returned to norm.

“Ray, are you alright? You are glowing slightly in green and yellow light…” Sapphira asked cautiously. She was still sitting comfortably on my lap, leaning against my body, as I was supporting her with my left hand.

“Oh, I’m more than alright! Never felt better! And maybe I’m too excited right now, so don’t mind the light.” My eyes were brimming with exhilaration and it worried Sapphira somewhat. That light was actually my lack of control at the moment, there should not be any fancy effects around me, as it is just a useless waste of energy. But how could I not be excited now? I was too used to it through all those years I’ve spent with Falda’ar in that place. It was like being able to breathe again after being deprived of it for some time.

I checked the area around me with my senses and indeed, I had a weak aura of sorts around me which worked like slow raw infusion of my ‘life essence’, so everyone around me will benefit from it slightly. It’s a byproduct of my constant magic-to-essence conversion. And it was not all, now I’m able to sense all living things around me. The radius is not too far, around ten meters, maybe more, if I overload my senses. Small critters and plants are barely noticeable, but I will never miss anything bigger than a cat if I’m paying attention, even stone walls will not impede my senses. This in no way can be called a ‘vision, just a very peculiar sense with its own characteristics.

But why is Sapphira able to sense my aura? I switched all of my attention to her and detected something interesting. Sapphira had a rudimentary ‘life’ circuits inside her body for some reason and my ‘life essence’ were circulating inside her. She is even able to convert small amounts of surrounding magic into ‘life essence’, albeit really slowly, crudely copying my energy structure! I don’t know if she will ever be able to use it, but the benefits of it is obvious, it will make her stronger, healthier, and much more receptive and sensitive to my own energy. I can see no downsides there. When I will be able to contact Falda’ar I should ask him about it, but it won’t happen anytime soon. Such thoughts were swirling inside my head, as I was slowly weaving my fingers through Sapphira’s silky mane.

I have finally calmed down the crazy flow of energy inside my body, returning it to its serene state. Sapphira was still staring at me, waiting for me do say something. She must have a lot of question now for sure, her own ‘life essence’ reacted inside her body, and she could not miss it.

“I have some news for you, Sapphi.” I said to her with a smile. Her eyes became focused after she heard my words. “I should congratulate you for having a semblance of my magic structure inside your body now! Don’t worry, it can’t be a bad thing, but I don’t know if you can actively use it, but even so, it’s a great boon for you. That’s the source of your ability to feel my aura; I think it would be correct to call it so.” I said to her, while rubbing my chin.

Sapphira took some time to ponder this information, but she remembered what she wanted to say earlier. “That’s good and all, but you are changing topics again, Ray! Promise me to never harm yourself the way you did in the fight with the manticore, promise me right now!” She said in a determined voice, her azure eyes looking at me intently.

I sighed deeply before answering. “I promise. But… if your life will be at stake, I’ll still do it, if necessary.” I answered her seriously.

Sapphira fell silent for some time, frowning. “You are incorrigible, Ray! But fine, as long as you hold on to your promise.” She finally relented with a sigh.

“Should we wake Lily up and set out now?” I asked Sapphira. “We can talk about everything later.”

“Perhaps, it’s already time. Alright, let’s set out! We should make it to the edge of the plateau today. If need be, we can even travel in the dark, I and Lily will have no problems doing that, and you should be fine too, to some extent. Oh, right, I’ll gather some fruits for Lily on the way back. I know what she should like!” Sapphira answered.

We were returning back to the hideout in silence. Sapphira had too much things to think of, it seems, as she had thoughtful look the whole way back. But I was already too tired of thinking, so I threw everything out of my head for the time being and was enjoying pleasant morning weather with its cool breeze. The sun was already in its regular place for two hours, so it will become hot again very soon.

PoV: Night Lily.

“…ly… Lily! It’s time to wake up!” I heard Ray’s voice through my sleep. My eyes opened to a slits, but then instantly closed again as I began to fall back to sleep. I have underestimated my exhaustion. Then I felt his hand on my back. He is touching me again! At first, I wanted to lash out at him, but for some reason the feeling I’ve got from his hand was too pleasant. It was like his hand was taking away my tiredness, gradually making me lively. He wanted to take away his hand, but I’ve stopped him, grabbing it and pressing at against my chest. “Can you do it… a little more?” I said as my cheeks blushed, my eyes still closed. Then I felt this sensation again. I held him like that for five minutes or so until my sleepiness vanished completely. I stood up slowly.

“Feeling better now?” he asked me with a smile, fixing my hair lightly with his nimble fingers.

“Yeah, what was that?” I asked with my cheeks still hot.

“A bit of magic, Lily. We are ready to go and will wait for you outside.” Ray said and left the hideout, leaving me alone, flustered.

“He… isn’t that bad…” I thought as I held my still blushing cheeks with my hooves, sitting on the pile of palm leaves. “Gather yourself together, now is not a time to think about such things!” I whispered quietly as I slapped my cheeks slightly to come to my senses. “What a useful magic he has… and he can use it without a horn! Well, he is not the first one to do that anyway.”

I checked my belongings, tidied myself a bit and went out. Ray was sitting on a fallen tree with Sapphira nearby.

“Are you hungry?” said Sapphira, “Come, you should have a good meal before we go, we have a lot of food here.” She opened one of the bags. It was filled with a lot of exotic… FRUITS! This is a feast! Those things are crazily expensive on the markets around the places where I live! I may be a tracker, but I’m not proficient with finding food in this jungle, I would be unable to find much of these fruits here on my own.

“Can I… really?” I asked timidly, my tail twitching in anticipation.

“Why are you so shy, Lily? Eat however much you want!” Ray said like it was nothing.

“Yep, if need be, I’ll just gather more.” Sapphira said in a same tone.

Well, they said it themselves. I will not restrain myself then! And so I dug my teeth into the succulent heavenly fruits. I was eating these delicacies until I was utterly full! After that a small burp escaped my mouth, I’ve covered it with my hoof and stood up. Oh, how uncultured of me, but they didn’t mind at all! These two are such a stark contrast to those Canterlot snobs I was working with before this assignment! They always look down of you, no matter how much you do for the country! They always see you as trash, especially if you are a batpony! Never! I should never agree to work with aristocrats again!

“Thank you for the food! Those were the best fruits!” I said joyfully.

Sapphira poked Ray in the side. “I told you she will like those!” she said with a smile.

“You sure did!” Ray answered with a chuckle.

“What? Did you gather those specifically for me, Sapphira?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes, Lily, I did, but that’s a small thing. It’s time to go. You are a tracker, Lily, so we’ll follow you.” said Sapphira.

“Alright! Wait for me here!” I said joyfully and quickly flew up above the trees to scout the terrain ahead. This strange duo managed to gradually elate my lackluster mood I had since my night search.

The group of three had finally left their temporary camp, continuing their travel to the west. Clouds eventually covered the sky, but there was no rain, so the weather was not so hot anymore, allowing them to travel faster without tiring too much. Areas ahead of them were much safer, with just regular predators you can expect to find in a common jungle, which preferred to stay at a safe distance from the group. It was making the journey easier, at least for now. Lily’s tracker skills allowed them to avoid beast dens and pick easier paths to traverse the forests, everything were going smoothly for them.

At the edge of Forbidden Jungle, the Lunar Guard received the magical signal from Night Lily and reported to Princess Luna. The camp just started to wake up and prepare for departure. Luna was relieved at the fact Night Lily could find Ray and Sapphira, but a little disappointed as she could not meet them personally. But she still had a job to do for today, so Luna did not delay her expedition. Finally sitting down at the roof of her cart, she had activated her magic, using her horn as a sensitive magic antenna. Luna needed all her concentration for this task. It was not easy to track something so intangible, something even the magic geniuses like Twilight or Starlight were unable to sense.

They moved slowly in the air, following the direction Luna was pointing at. At the back of her mind, she was glad the clouds had covered the skies above, it was already uneasy to maintain her state of mind, even without being roasted by the merciless tropical sun. She could not spare her attention for any additional spells to make the environment around her comfortable, and it could also interfere with her search.

They moved like that for several hours, the noon had already passed. It was at this moment that she received a report from one of the guards. Ancient ruins were lying ahead. She thought it was no coincidence. The density of ambient magic flow spiked greatly as they were closing in to the ruins. This was not a common place, and she felt the place they were searching for lied within those ruins too. She quickly recognized the place; it was hard not to do so by this signature submerged pyramid. It was exactly the place mentioned by Ray, the place she had seen in Sapphira’s dream. And so she ordered to direct the magical carriage towards the place where they had their talk in the dream, not too far from the shore of the lake.

PoV: Princess Luna.

We have finally arrived at the place. I would be very happy if not for my mental tiredness caused by maintaining my concentrations for hours. I stood up, as I stretched my legs and my wings.

“Everypony, we have finally arrived! Let’s have a look around.” I said after I flew down from the carriage roof slowly, landing lightly on the ground. My ears twitched in anticipation to uncover the secrets hidden here, but I’ll have to rely on the girls this time. I’m just too tired to use magic. I turned to the commander of this Lunar Guard detachment. “Scout the surrounding area for any danger or abnormality.”

The guard hit his chest plate with his hoof, “As you command, my Princess!” and went to organize his soldiers for the task.

My trio of friends exited the carriage and was observing the surroundings with interest. Indeed, the scenery was very beautiful here. I approached them with a mild smile on my face. “We are finally here! I can feel the source is at the top of this hill, girls. You can inspect this ruin from the outside, but don’t enter it for now, I’m a little afraid to let you go in alone. There can be anything inside. Just wait for me, I’ll take a breather and join you soon.” I’ve made an arrangement for them.

“Princess…” Starlight addressed me coyly. “Are you alright? You are looking exhausted.” She seemed concerned with my state.

“Oh, many thanks for thy concern, Starlight, yet we shall be fine. It’s just… not easy for us to concentrate for such a long time.” As my mind started to relax, my old manners started to surface again. “I shall not delay thou any longer, thou two are free to go now.”

“Please rest. We will be waiting for you up there, Luna!” said Twilight. They started walking uphill unhurriedly, talking about something along the way.

“Spike, please wait! May you remain with us? We shall send the letter to our sister.”

“No problem, Princess! I’m at your service!” said Spike in his theatrical manner.

“Ha-ha! Thanks Spike! Thou are reliable, as always!” I answered, chuckling. He was always very eager to help, as long as he deemed his task important enough. “Just wait for a while; we need to collect our thoughts and wait for our guards’ report.” I still wanted to check something before asking my sister about it.

Sister may not say it directly, but I still could feel she was worried for another reason besides the one she named. And I have my suspicion what it might be. Now I’m closing my eyes and preparing myself to sense all forms of magic in the surrounding area. I hope it will not drain me completely. After mentally preparing myself, I stood up with my wings spread wide, and filled my horn with magic to the limit. I stood still, filling surrounding space with gentle and thin waves of my magic, and listened carefully for any response. What I was seeking was malevolent magic or its residue. I was very familiar with such things, as I had to face various villains over my long life. They were slaves to those dark magic, for the most part, and I myself was one once, to my great shame.

No matter how long I’ve searched, I could not find anything resembling dark magic. There was only one trace of a strange spell, a little prickly to my magic touch. It should be a trace of some lightning spell, and it was very close to me. I released my concentration and stopped my search. In the place I sensed I’ve found a burned stump of a little tree with pieces of charcoal and wooden chips all around. “Was it… that little tree Sapphira sat beside? Who would need to destroy it? Anyhow, I can say the search had no results, which is good in our case.”

With my will and a simple spell I’ve created a parchment and a writing feather. I sat on the ground and started writing a letter with telekinesis:

“Dear sister. We’ve finally found the place. I can’t sense anything out of order here, but we still did not enter the building where the epicenter should’ve been. I am too tired and cannot risk the safety of our girls. But tell me, sister, did you suspect something similar to THAT incident? Am I right? If you did, I can assure you there are no signs of such an event here. I, of course, will investigate further, but it’s still unlikely to be the same case, so you can ease your mind for now. I will relay my further findings to you later, sister.

Your sister Luna.”

“Spike, shall thou be so kind to send this letter to our sister?” I asked him, but my voice was very tired, making him worried. He took the letter from my magic grip.

“Right away, Princess Luna!” he burned the letter in a moment. “But are you fine? You should have some rest, Princess! Don’t be like…” he looked around warily, “like Twilight at the deadline, there is no need to exhaust yourself!” He said in concern, scratching his head.

“You are right, Spike! And sorry for my speech, I snap back to it when I’m tired.” I said with a smile. My eyelids started drooping inadvertently. “Yes, I’m just too tired for now.” I was sitting exactly like Sapphira in that dream, looking at the surface of a lake with sleepy and thoughtful eyes.

“Oh, she is fast!” Spike shouted as he started to hiccup. He belched with a green flame and a letter materialized from it. “Your letter, Princess!” Spike gave me the letter.

“Thank you, Spike!” I said while unfurling the scroll.

“This news brings me great joy, Luna! Yes, I was afraid THAT could happen again. I’m greatly relieved this is not the case this time. Please make sure the girls will not do anything dangerous there. And have a good rest. I know just how tired you must be. For now, send them to investigate if there are any changes to plants and wildlife in the immediate premises of the place. This should keep them busy for some time and is needed to make sure everything is fine.

Your sister Celestia.”

I destroyed the scroll with a magical fire. Twilight and Starlight don’t need to see the mention of that case, not yet. Remembering to use regular speech, I decided to send Spike to the girls; it must be boring for him to just wait here.

“Spike, you can join the girls, if you want.” I told him.

“Then I’m going! I want to see all of it with my own eyes!” Spike became lively as I let him go.

“Please tell the girls to return to me once you have finished investigating the building from the outside. Celestia have a task for them.” I stopped Spike from slipping away, holding him in my telekinetic field. Spike just nodded his head before running away uphill.

I decided to go for a little stroll along the shore of the lake. Slowly walking upon a soft soil of its shores, I’ve noticed a lot of strange hoofprints along the shore. Looking closer I soon realized that it was Ray’s… footprints. Yes, he has feet, then it must be called so. “It would be nice if I could meet him personally, not just in a dream world… Perhaps I can pay an unofficial visit to Appleloosa on my way back? All of this work is tiring me out mentally, and I want to have some entertainment, slow down and relax for a while… If I meet him… we should definitely drink some of my special Moonlight Shimmer wine.” I smiled as I remembered I’ve snatched a few bottles from our royal cellar to take with me, just in case. “Everything around here seems exactly like Ray described, there are no beasts around, they seem to avoid the place. I could not sense anyone, and my guards did not ring any alarms.”

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud popping sound of incoming teleportation. Twilight appeared in a white flash, bringing along Starlight and Spike. Twilight seemed to be in a hurry.

“Did something happen, Twilight?” I asked, tilting my head in a questioning gesture.

Twilight seemed a bit embarrassed and had a little forced smile on her face. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to… Does Princess Celestia have a personal task for us?” That was it, she is always so eager when it comes to personal assignments from my sister. She should have already understood Celestia trusts her completely; she does not need to show her worth so impatiently every time… Well, it will pass naturally with time, she just developed too fast, as a genius magician and as a young alicorn too. A naturally transformed alicorn at that and that’s of immense importance. She has a great potential in magic, the greatest I’ve seen through my years, except mine and Celly’s, of course. My sister had found a real treasure when she noticed Twilight on her exam.

“Yes, she had sent her message to me. She wants you to investigate the surrounding plants and wildlife for the presence of any dark magic or the changes caused by it. I think you two should be up for this task with your extensive knowledge. Am I right?” I finally gave my answer after an awkward pause. Her ears were continuously twitching while she was waiting for my answer.

“Oh that… Of course! We will start right away. Spike, come with us!” said Twilight enthusiastically. She did not even wait for my answer as she began trotting in the direction of the nearest jungle. I wanted to ask her what she had found around that building… This mare… I shook my head, smiling, beckoned one of my guards and made an order to escort Twilight and friends on their search.

Now that I’m already feeling better, I decided to look at the building myself. I may be tired, but don’t forget, I’m an alicorn with an age far exceeding a thousand years. I and my sister may deliberately show our weakness in the face of our enemies, but that’s usually just to encourage Twilight, bearers of the Elements and other ponies to step up the stage and develop their powers. If we keep solving every problem with our sheer power, I’m afraid our subjects will become totally complacent, relying on us for every problem they face. But if need be, we will use our power to defend our land and our subjects with overwhelming force.

It’s good we did not need to resort to such things through our reign. Our opponents were usually quite mild too, like something was forcing them to step on the way of evil, they never got too violent, like they are restraining themselves from within, with the exception of Tirek, I guess. Even in times of my muddy consciousness as Nightmare Moon I did not use my powers to bring great harm to anyone… This could be a lot worse should my personality crumbled completely… I would not be able to return then. I sighed. These matters were just too strange and mysterious to figure out by myself.

I reached the top of the hill when I’ve finished my pondering. There was a trapezoidal building before me. I’ve seen such buildings before, a remnant of a long lost pony civilization. At least half of its population consisted of thestrals. They existed long before the founding of Equestria in these tropical forests, but were destroyed by a magical cataclysm. Like the one I’m investigating right now. It’s not like they were wiped out, but the forests were becoming unsuitable for the living slowly, year by year, plunging their whole civilization to decline. More than a half of their old territory turned to dangerous swamps and bogs, which are now stretching for more than a hundred leagues to the east. They eventually left the forests and relocated into other places, their culture was never restored again. We were still very young at that time and lived in a faraway place, so all we know about it we had read in the books our mother had left us in her library. The thoughts of our mother made my mood a bit melancholic.

I raised my hoof and placed it on the carving depicting an eclipse, carved on the surface of a wall to the left from the door. The spell placed on the carving was still working and reacted to the powers of the Sun and the Moon, instantly activating the door, forcing it to slide down into the floor. I thought it worked a bit too fast for such a spell, even before I channeled my powers into my hoof, but I didn’t put too much thought into it. The interior was dim, so I activated a lighting spell. Contrary to the conventional glowing horn spell, it created a bright sphere of light which flew up, flooding the whole room with bright light, just like a ceiling lamp. The floor and air was dusty, making me sneeze. It was then when I’ve noticed Ray’s and Sapphira’s prints on the dusty floor. I looked over the room again, checking if there were any other open entrances here, but there were none.

“Then how? How did they get inside? It’s not like anyone can open these doors easily without knowing the method. I’m sure Twilight and Starlight were trying to do exactly that all the time they had spent here, I know them too well.” I did not have an answer for this fact. “Then I should probably ask Ray himself, this is getting interesting!”

Opening the door to the left I was greeted only with immense amounts of dust lying on the floor. Ray visited this place too, but did not go farther than the entrance, and I should probably refrain from getting covered in dust too, so I backed off from the room and closed the door. “Now that’s a fact: Ray can open these doors. I’m starting to think that he being here is no coincidence. And thinking of that… he seemed very uncomfortable when he talked about all his business with expedition. Was he trying to avoid some topics? Well, maybe he will tell me if we know each other better.” A light laugher escaped my mouth as I remembered how I preferred to handle such things before. I would probably just force the answers out of him, all the while threatening him, talking in my Royal Canterlot voice. “Ha-ha! Now I have an official reason to meet him, so I can get myself a little vacation and stay out of Canterlot for a while.”

Opening the door on the opposite wall, I saw a room resembling storage. Magic light crystal inside was still working, to my surprise. The room was filled with various ancient military gear. Everything was in a bad state, but specialists in Canterlot will be able to restore some of those articles. We should contact Celestia and call for a freight pegasi carriages to take everything here back as historical artifacts. I noticed something out of place in one corner of the room. It seems this was Ray’s supplies. Ropes made of vines, firewood, some sticks, and various smaller things lying inside a rotten crate. I could not find anything of notice except a small booklet and a card full of symbols I could not recognize, along with a strange black square object. “Probably the things Ray had discarded when he left. Well, I’ll take them with me.” I said as I put those inside my saddlebag and left the room. Everything inside the room was devoid of magic, with the exception of lighting crystal. There was nothing of notice here.

And now, here it is! The room where something mysterious had happened! The magical trace is exactly there. I can feel it if I concentrate. I raised my magic barrier, just in case, before opening the door, but my worries were unfounded. What was inside the room was an ancient altar in the middle, and a makeshift bed on the side with a fireplace near it. Did he make a campfire right in this place? But then I noticed quite a large opening in the ceiling, offering good ventilation. The exact point the trace was pointing to was right before the altar… but… The place was devoid of anything. No marks, no magic, no leftover energy! Absolutely nothing! It was like a bad joke played on me and my sister! All there was is a magic trace which signified there was some great spell at work here, but nothing else! “Agrh! I’ll break my head trying ti think of anything that could happen here!” I was starting to get angry at the whole situation.

I tortured myself there, trying to sense and find at least anything of notice and then girls had returned from their mission. It must have been hours since I’ve started…

“Princess Luna… you are not looking good…” Twilight said in concern. She was bewildered seeing me in my weary state.

“Twilight…” I said, sighing. My mane was disheveled and lost some of it ethereal luster and sparkling. “I’m sitting right at the place, right on it!” I frowned. “And there is absolutely… NOTHING!” I almost shouted in Royal Canterlot voice. The whole situation irritated me. “There should be at least some minor results, but this… A complete zero. Twilight, Starlight, feel free to investigate everything, I’m giving up, at least for now, I’m too tired.” I said in dejection. “Were you able to find any malevolent magic signs?” I asked about their assignment.

“Nothing, Princess.” Starlight answered. “Everything is fine around this place, we are sure of that.” She continued her report.

“Yes! We have checked everything thrice!” Twilight interjected. Of course she did it several times. I have no doubt they didn’t miss anything important. Not with Twilight around. “Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll check everything around here!” Her eyes sparkled. “Oh by the way how did you open the door? And who was living here?” She started bombarding me with questions, her tail twitched slightly in anticipation.

“Not so much questions at once, Twilight.” I smiled. “The door is opened either by a specific key spell, which we do not know, or by infusing the power of the Sun and the Moon into the carving of the eclipse near the doors. You can already do the latter, I suppose.” I explained, while Twilight was already jotting something down on a parchment she procured from her saddlebag. “And about who was living here. I know him, he is an explorer strayed from his group. I’ve found him in the dreamland. Don’t ask me how he opened these doors for I don’t know. I’ll try to meet with him later; maybe he can tell me something about the incident, as he had been here earlier.”

“Explorer you say?” Starlight Glimmer asked dubiously. “Maybe he is just an opportunist doing this kind of things for money. Maybe he even stole some valuable artifacts from this place!” She scoffed.

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “It may not be an honorable thing to do in our pony society, but individuals like him are not criminals by any laws. And he seems well-mannered.” I had a wry smile on my face. “Am I trying to defend him?”

“Canterlot snobs are well mannered too… But you know how they are!” She said angrily, but flinched afterward as she covered her mouth with her hoof, seemingly remembering she was talking to a Princess, with panic in her eyes.

“Oh, Starlight, I don’t mind this kind of conversation with you. I actually like it this way; you don’t have to fear telling me something ‘inappropriate’, at least when we are out of public. And I don’t hold a grudge for what you did in the past; please don’t be so tense around me, alright?” I smiled as I put my hoof on her back, patting her lightly. She had a somewhat forced smile on her face.

“A… Alright, Princess. Thank you!” Her smile finally became natural as she started to calm down.

“See? Luna and Celestia don’t have anything against you, Starlight, like I told you earlier.” Twilight beamed with a smile, looking at her. Starlight just nodded her head.

“Anyway, if any powerful artifact had been here, I should have felt it a long time ago, Starlight.” I was sure there were no such things in this place before we arrived.

“Then, let’s see around this place, Starlight!” said Twilight, bringing her along. Spike was nowhere to be seen already, but I could hear some clanging noises from the armory room.

“Alright girls, take your time. But send Celestia a letter that we did not find any malicious signs here. I’ll go to our carriage to take a little nap. Also, I’ll order Night Guard to make a camp for us here. Make a mention that we’ll need five pegasi teams with freight carriages, along with an escort to move historical artifacts out of here. We are staying for one night. Maybe it will be worth it checking that flooded pyramid tomorrow.” I went back to my carriage after giving my instructions to everyone. Now I need rest, badly.

PoV: Night Lily.

Our journey was going smoothly since we left our resting spot in the morning. We were going in a fast pace all the time, stopping only once to have a dinner. The terrain was slowly going up the slope all the time, a sign we were getting closer to the plateau and foothills. Sapphira, despite her ability to fly, preferred to trek on the ground alongside Ray. I found them pleasant to converse with, so I too spent most of my time on the ground with them. Those two had quite a surprising endurance. By the time I had started to show signs of fatigue, they continued on, like they were on a leisure stroll. This fact, considering my decent physical training, puzzled me.

“Why are you not getting tired, folks?” I asked them when I started to pant lightly.

“Oh, let’s make a little break!” said Ray, throwing an attentive glance at me. “Unfasten your bags.” He added, hanging his bag on a nearby tree.

It felt like his gaze was seeing right through me for a moment, were my instincts overreacting? In other circumstances I’d call it creepy if I had felt such a gaze from somepony, but his gaze was soft and full of genuine concern. He found another fallen tree to sit on. Sometimes, I think that having only two legs is quite convenient! I thought, while I was wrestling with my bags, until Sapphira helped me with them.

“Come, Lily, sit here.” He beckoned me with his hand.

“Umm… Ray, the ground here is wet and dirty.” I said as I walked up to him, looking at the ground below. He scratched his head awkwardly.

“Sorry, Lily. Then… don’t be angry, but that’s no good to do it while standing on your legs.” He said as he bent his body down. His hands had skillfully grabbed me, sitting me on his lap, the rest of my body was leaning against his and he was supporting me with his hands. Sapphira just watched from the side with great interest and a smile on her face.

“What are you doing!? You just like to grab and grope me, don’t you?” I said with a bit of anger in my voice. Well, I don’t know, I’m not really angry at him. I have complex feelings about all this.

“Sorry, sorry, you’ll understand soon.” He said as he clicked fingers on his right hand.

His fingertips instantly started glowing with a mild yellow light. Then he gently placed his hand on my back. Ah, that’s it! I felt it even through my armor! Something like he did when I could not wake up from my tiredness. My legs became limp and I felt like all my body just melted in his hands, relaxing every muscle. The feeling of lightness flooded my whole body as I was cradled in his hands, feeling pure bliss.

“Mmmmmh!” I moaned in pleasure. “Ray? Why did you click your fingers before casting your spell? This gesture reminds me of certain… unpleasant somepony.” I asked in a weak voice, as his magic worked wonders inside my body.

“Ah, that… It’s just a habit I picked up from my teacher. But that makes manifesting my power faster for some reason in some cases, and I like the feel of it.” He answered after he thought a little about it.

“Then it’s all fine as long as your teacher’s name does not start with ‘D’ letter.” I said as my eyes started to close by themselves.

“I’m sure this name won’t tell you anything, but my teacher’s name is Falda’ar.” He told me, now moving his hand on top my head. “Your fatigue from yesterday, and even from earlier time had piled up, that’s why you are getting tired faster today. You should rest more, Lily.”

“Yes, I should rest more…” I said in a sleepy voice, my hooves hugged his chest lightly. I didn’t notice it at first as I did that subconsciously, now my cheeks have started to redden. “Your teacher really have a strange name! But I suppose he is a great magician! He taught you well… So unusual magic…” Now I was just relaxing in these pleasant sensations, my accumulated tension was evaporating from my mind.

“He is indeed great… But I’m not the best student so to speak, but I’m trying.”

My eyes were closed, but I’m sure now he has that wry smile on his face with raised brows, like he usually does when he is being critical to himself. Was I that attentive to him all this time to remember such things? He is of different species, but he is still a stallion… And I didn’t receive much attention from stallions for a long time, not counting those indecent offers I’ve got from some scoundrels. Some of those ended up with a bruised nose.

“Ray! I’m next!” I heard Sapphira’s voice from the side. She was standing next to us, shifting on her hooves in obvious anticipation. Then she shifted her attention to me. “I did tell you he has magical hands, didn’t I, Lily?” she said with a wink and a chuckle.

My face reddened even more and now it should be visible even through my coat. It’s like she is a headmare, directly inviting me into her herd… But I know she just likes to make fun of me with such jokes, she was making those all the way here. I’m not really used to stuff like this…

“Look at what you did, Sapphi, Lily’s face is all red now!” Ray said exaggeratedly. “Well, at least she is lively now! Feeling better now, Lily?” he asked me. I nodded my head silently with a slight smile.

He carefully put me down on my hooves and ruffled my mane a little with his hand, but then quickly fixed it. He had a smile on his face as he was looking at me.

“You know Lily, you asked me if I like to grab you… And I can tell you I certainly like it!” he laughed lightly. “You can hit me if you want…” he raised his hands in surrender, still smiling, when he saw me furrowing my brows.

I raised my head proudly and turned it away from him. “Don’t wanna!” I said stubbornly, but I still could not contain my smile that gave me away.

Meanwhile, Sapphira laughed too and unceremoniously jumped on Ray’s lap, forcing him to catch her. “Now do the same thing for me!” She demanded jokingly, but Ray still did as she asked. “Mmmm… yes! Perfect! Why didn’t you do so earlier?” she asked purringly.

“That’s because I could not do it earlier, that’s all.” He answered matter-of-factly, continuing using his magic seemingly without putting any efforts to concentrating on his task. He must have trained for a long time… That’s respectable; I know a little about magic, my job requires some basic knowledge of many things.

“Alright, while we are having a break, I’ll tell you this: we are closing in to the edge of the jungle, further lies a stretch of plains on the plateau, followed by foothills. There are strong winds in that area and we better spend the night without exiting the forests. Tomorrow we should find a way for Ray to cross the ridge. We will be unable to lift him, even when working together, Sapphi.” I relayed my thoughts to them while looking at her contented and a bit lewd face. “Did I have the same look on my face as she has now? Probably, how embarrassing!” I didn’t notice the moment I started to call her ‘Sapphi’, but she likes it, and I’m already used to be called by them just Lily.

“Then I think we should just do as you say. You know better anyway.” said Ray, still busy with Sapphira who was melting in his hands, speaking figuratively, just like I did before. After some time Ray was finished. “Alright, let’s go, Sapphi, we can rest after we find a place to spend the night at.” He patted her on her back before putting her down.

We have fastened our bags back in its places and continued on our way. I took a look at Ray’s outer clothes. It was something between a coat and a cloak, too warm for this jungle and not suitable for travelling in the wilderness too. That’s strange; he should have more suitable equipment, something like this set of scout armor on me. His coat was badly damaged in many places and was looking more like some rags than actual clothes, but he doesn’t have any spare. I, as a tracker, can tell it was all done by manticores and shadow hounds with some occasional rips here and there. What horrible battles did he have in these forests? He had survived without having any armor, relying only on his spear and support magic. I would be happy to have such a warrior on my assignments…

I sighed. I’m not a warrior or a soldier, albeit I always wanted to become one, but I have no talent for direct confrontations whatsoever. With this being a fact, I’m still working alone more often than not, putting myself in danger. There are not many ponies proficient enough and willing to work in such conditions as me. Like tracking dangerous monsters, or cults of unicorns who are practicing various dark magic, while hiding in the forests. Also, there are smugglers consisting of pegasi and griffons, even robbers along the forest roads in remote regions and other slippery types I have to find and track on a regular basis. There is a dark side to our seemingly idyllic country, but it’s not that bad as it could have been. Ponies and many other races are repulsed by excessive violence, so the cases of bloodshed and other horrible things are rare and dangerous creatures are our main concern usually.

After checking the terrain from the air one more time, I decided it is time for us to start searching for a decent place to spend the night. Ray had chosen a clearing with good visibility and enough free space in case he had to use his spear. Thinking of him as a warrior, he did not have any violent sides in his everyday behavior that races like griffons, dragons, diamond dogs and even abyssinian cats often demonstrate. But he by no means could be called ‘soft’ in a bad meaning. And what I mean by ‘soft’ are those useless and timid regular soldiers in our army. Oftentimes, I can do more than three of those combined! And I mean stallions, war mares can be even worse, albeit I did meet some ferocious fighters, mainly pegasi, but they are too reckless… Ray’s disposition, on the contrary, is just like those warrior stallions of old times had, when Equestria was not that peaceful. Of course, I only read about it in the books, but he leaves that impression on me, a positive impression.

Ray went into the forest with his spear and an axe to gather wood, my gaze inadvertently followed him until his figure disappeared behind the foliage. He was going to start a fire and get enough firewood to last through the night. Indeed, fire can repel many predators away from our place. So, we were left alone in our female company. We have started to unpack our bags and prepare our dining and sleeping places, talking while we were working.

Pov: Ray.

I was busy searching for the next victim of my axe, preferably a dry one without much rotten wood. The task was simple enough and after a few minutes I have found my target. While I was performing a monotonous work, chopping the dry tree and splitting it into usable firewood, I had quite some time to reflect on my situation.

Every single day since I have arrived here was a challenge of its own, and I still had some hope that today I’ll see some changes to this rule. Of course, my life became rather… interesting, but I’d like it to be less extreme… I continued to chop, like a machine, with a steady rhythm. I became sweaty from all the heat generated inside my body. My thoughts shifted to the two pretty mares waiting for me at the clearing. Lily… Sapphira had definitely taken a liking to her, I can see it clearly. Perhaps, it’s her lack of socializing over the years, or they just click well with each other. Lily have some great skills in navigating in the wilderness, she can’t be a simple servant of Luna, that’s a given. Was she sent here to keep an eye on us? Quite likely, but it was inevitable from the start. And she is really helping us to get out, for which I’m grateful. Also, she is really cute… and fluffy. Those tassels on the tips of her ears… I could not help but smile.

Suddenly, through the sounds of my noisy work I’ve heard some voices. I stopped chopping and listened attentively. Girls were shouting something, but I could not discern their words.

“...ay! …ack… ma…cores!” I heard some word fragments.

“What? Manticores? Again? Motherfuckers!” I jumped to my feet and rushed out with the axe in my hand and spear on my back, instantly utilizing my lifeforce to boost my speed. “Should run faster! Faster! Faster!!!” I growled under my breath as I was pumping more and more power into my energy system, breaking whole branches and bushes as I rushed right through them, getting painful hits to my body and face. “I should have found myself a tree closer to our clearing!” I was rushing towards the camp through the jungle with the momentum of a runaway train going downhill. “I must not be late, not this time! They should hold on!”

Chapter 8 - Leaving for a Bigger World

On the edges of Forbidden Jungle.

PoV: Night Lily.

I was looking up at the sky above which could be partially seen through the foliage. The forest canopy created by the tree crowns in this area is much sparser than those in the depths of the jungle, allowing a decent amount of light in. The sun is already setting down; it won’t be long until the darkness descends onto this forest. I and Sapphira were preparing our camp for the night. We found some stones to make a campfire, but the broad and long palm leaves were harder to find here. The temperature and humidity in this place is lower and those plants do not grow in abundance here, but some could still be found if we search a bit deeper into the forest. The grass on the clearing itself was not too high, allowing us a decent overview, so no predators will sneak up on us easily.

While we were doing our chores, we had a nice chat with Sapphira. I told her about my job, what I could, of course, and she shared me some interesting facts about her life in the hive. Oh by Luna, we know so little about them! Well, this may change soon, since former Chrysalis’ hive was reformed by some magical event. If the information is correct, Starlight Glimmer, that troublemaker Trixie and even Discord himself were involved! I’m surprised this troublesome trio didn’t screw everything up! The hive has a new leader now and is friendly towards Equestria, and Chrysalis is on the run. Nopony knows if she left Equestria or stayed within the borders to make up new vile plans against us.

While I was busy arranging our sleeping spots, Sapphira trotted up to me with a worry on her face, constantly looking around.

“Did you hear that, Lily?” she asked nervously.

I fell silent, my ears stood up, trying to catch any unusual sounds. And here it was, some sort of muffled roar came from the direction of jungle depths. Our ears instantly turned in the direction of the sound. The source of the sound was too far away to be visible.

“What is that sound?” I asked in a whisper.

“Manticore!” Sapphira whispered back. “We should hide out of its sight, right now!”

We started trotting, as quiet as we could, towards the closest patch of brushes. But we were unable to get there in time. From the corner of our eyes we saw a rapidly flying silhouette of a manticore above the trees, a loud roar followed. It saw us. “Oh hay! This… bucking manticore!” I was swearing as I understood we had no way out, but to fight. Manticores have superior speed both on land and in the air. To our horror, after the manticore roared and changed it course to our direction, more roars were heard from the distance. It felt like my heart was plunged into ice cold water, as fear gripped my very soul. I was in danger many times, and I know I have little chances against two manticores. However, I quickly snapped back into action.

“Sapphi! Quick, get airborne! They will just flatten us on the ground!” I shouted impatiently as my wings spread out. I flapped them forcefully, strong magic-induced wind quickly lifting me up from the ground. Sapphira’s wings started to buzz and she smoothly took into the sky after me.

“Ray! Raaaaay! Come back! There are manticores! Manticores attack!” Sapphira shouted loudly in panic, looking in a certain direction, to warn Ray about our misfortune. “He should not be too far from here; I heard chopping noises from the north.”

Sapphira could not say more as she had to dodge the charging manticore. This beast was too heavy and could not make fast and abrupt turns. Sapphira easily changed her flight course to the right to avoid the beast, even without turning her body. Her mane and tail followed her movements, fluttering in the air like a blue wave. Manticore flew by at high speed, roaring, irritated by its failure. As it was making a turnaround, we saw another two manticores appear from behind the treetops.

“This is bad! Really bad!” I said, as I pulled on a ring on the side of my left saddlebag. A sturdy bandolier slid out from inside the bag. I buckled the ring to my breastplate, fixing it in place. Various potions and small bombs were attached to the belt, allowing ponies without a horn, like me, an easy access to their tools. Almost everything was personally made by me. It is my talent, my cutie mark represents my proficiency in utilizing exotic flowers. Potions, poisons, pollen powders, many things! Sapphira flew closer to me with a flustered look.

“Sapphira! Drink this, quick! It can save our lives!” I gave her the Moonlight Flare potion. It may have some strong side effects later, but nothing is better at bolstering our reaction and perception. She didn’t tarry, grabbed it with her magic and drank it all in one gulp, giving the empty flask back to me. I too, drank another one myself.

“I feel strange… Like everything is slowed down around me,” Sapphira commented while we were flying up higher from the ground.

“Then it’s working as intended. We have half an hour, we must finish our battle before we get in trouble from the side effects,” I warned her, “I have some sleeping and pepper powder bombs on me, maybe those can chase them away… But still… I’m not sure we can last for long against these beasts…” I was not too sure it will have any strong effect on these large beasts, which already started to circle around us, waiting for the right moment to attack again.

Sapphira unsheathed her sword with her magic grip. Her horn was engulfed by a dark blue flame-like aura. It was different from what I usually see when unicorns use their magic. The sword looked ancient, but the blade was brought back to a usable condition. The sword hovered to her right, engulfed in her deep blue magic aura. She have squinted her eyes, looking at the circling manticores, her wings were producing a steady buzz.

“Those two… I’m sure it was them who attacked us yesterday, back there in the forest. They have found us again. We should not stay too close, lest we will be hindering each other’s attempts to dodge. But don’t fly away too far, we can become an easy prey if they manage to separate us, a common hunting way of these beasts.” Said Sapphira, swaying in the air, strong gusts of wind were coming from the mountains often, and we had to constantly correct our flight. Manticores had it easier with their higher weight.

The manticores finally attacked, almost simultaneously. And they all targeted me! My heart started to beat in a crazy temp as I was preparing to dodge their attacks and escape. With all three attacking, I have no opportunity to do anything else. As the first one closed in, I tilted my body to the left and made a furious flap with both of my wings, pressing them to my body afterwards, planning to perform a speed dive right after that.

The force of the flap propelled me sharply to the left, letting me to avoid the first manticore’s attack by a wide margin, its claws brushed against the end of my tail. But the second one was already close. I left my wings pressed to my body, only slightly correcting my nosedive, gliding down under the manticore, as it sped past me forward. My speed became too high when I spread my wings again, making it harder to maneuver in the air. The air blew strongly against my face, forcing me to squint, and at this unfortunate moment the third one managed to get close to me from above, a little to the left, its claws reaching for me.

I was desperately trying to change my course to the right and made an abrupt roll in the air, flying in a mad spiral, the line of horizon spun around quickly in my sight, making it harder to orientate in space. But this lanky manticore was surprisingly nimble and I was already preparing myself to receive an injury to my left wing as its claws were reaching for it. The potion made this moment even more dramatic and horrifying: I can see the danger clearly, but my body just can’t do everything in time to avoid it.

An abrupt flash, accompanied by a strikingly loud bang interrupted my concentration on my evasive maneuvers. I saw the manticore flying by, diverted from its course. The beast missed and was uncontrollably spinning in the air, falling towards the ground, one of its wings stopped moving and it was trying to stabilize its flight desperately with another one. Its injured wing was finally spread out before it reached treetops, but it did not help it by much as it plunged into the foliage. Its fall was accompanied by the roars and sounds of breaking branches, followed by a quiet thud. Maddened roars could be heard from below after that. It was still alive and very angry, it seems.

I looked up at Sapphira hovering above me, the leftover sparks of lightning were still dancing on the surface of her horn, and she was panting through her mouth heavily, but she was still able to maintain her flight. The other two manticores retreated away and flew down to check on their fellow. I quickly flew back up to Sapphira, my heart still beating rapidly.

“Phew! I thought I was a goner this time, Sapphi!” A great sense of relief engulfed me, the one you might have after being by a hair’s breadth from death. “I didn’t know you can use that magic!” I smiled at her.

“Hufff! It’s not… Huff! That easy! …huff!” said Sapphira through her panting, “This bastard is lucky my spell hit just its wing, and not its head!” and clenched her teeth in anger. Her flight started to get unsteady.

“Anyway, thanks for saving my life! But what we should do now? It’s not like we can just leave…” I said, looking at the place where manticores have gone to.

At this moment, all three manticores appeared back over the trees, the injured one was flying slower than it did before. They started to circle around us again, but this time they kept at the distance, observing us carefully. They didn’t seem to be willing to give up.

“Ray is coming!” Sapphira said abruptly, turning her head towards a certain point in the forest below us, a trace of surprise was seen in her eyes. “But it will take him some time to get here.” her brows furrowed. “We must avoid the direct combat for as long as we can. I won’t be able to use this magic again more than once without collapsing.”

I nodded by head. “But how do you know he is coming?” I asked in surprise.

“I just know, Lily… Can’t explain how exactly,” she said as she positioned her sword before her, readying herself for another bout. Her pupils lost its slit form despite the bright light from the setting sun. For us, thestrals, it’s a common occasion when we are fighting or scared. Seems she is the same as us, and my own pupils are probably the same now, enlarged from all my nervousness in this fight for survival. “They are up to something!” she pointed with her hoof at the manticores.

The beasts suddenly increased their altitude, positioning above us and started to shrink their circle and get closer to us. They have started performing feint attacks, with occasional real ones, but even those were not serious, like they were not willing to put their all into their lunges. Now we are dodging frequently, our manes and tails dancing in the air, getting into our eyes from time to time. During one of the very obvious front attacks I grabbed three sleeping powder bombs from my bandolier, activated them with my hoofkinesis and threw them at the incoming assailant. Two of them missed the beast, but the last one hit its head, spreading the pollen of the black lily all over it. The manticore ceased its attack and started sneezing, flying away.

“Lily, something is not right here!” said Sapphira in worry. Her eyes darted between manticores and the ground. “They are pressing us to the ground on the clearing!” she shouted in panic.

“Hay! They attack us immediately every time we try to move in other directions!” I clenched my teeth in anger.

I had another look at the manticore that was hit with black lily pollen, its movements slowed down considerably, but it won’t be enough to knock it out to sleep. But at least now there are two which are somewhat weakened! However, they still continued to push us down to the ground, forcing us to dodge constantly, wearing us out, and we were already below the level of treetops.

Sapphira had it harder: despite the absence of need to move and tilt her whole body, the speed of her aerial dashes was not that fast like mine. She was helping herself with her old sword. After a few slight cuts the manticores started to avoid it. Sapphira managed to keep defending herself with its help, until the most bulky manticore slapped it forcefully to the side. It was also the one which remained totally unharmed. She was unable to contend with such force and lost her magic grip on the sword, helplessly looking as it fell down to the ground in a wide arc, spinning in the air.

“Agrh! It did it again! Just like the last time!” Sapphira shouted in frustration. She was left without her weapon. In her anger, she used her magic to pull the manticore by its wing, throwing it off course. However, being high enough from the ground, it steadied its flight and returned to attacking after its brief retreat.

After some more time we were almost on the ground level, and I had an idea how we can get ourselves some more time.

“Sapphira! Land and close your eyes, now!” I shouted as I landed on the ground and quickly pulled out the largest bomb from my bandolier. It was the one provided by the Shadow Guard itself. I made an effort with my hoofkinesis until I heard a click inside it. Then I threw it upwards above out heads and closed my eyes. In a second, the sound of explosion assaulted our ears and I saw a bright flash through my closed eyelids. The manticores cried in pain as their eyes ached from the searing light. They started to back off, their eyes shedding tears. They were blinking rapidly and shook their heads, trying to get rid of something impairing their vision.

I used this opportunity to unload almost the whole inventory of my bombs, both sleep-inducing and pepper ones. Most missed the targets, but the stinging pepper dust still affected them. Sapphira’s horn lit up as she caught one of the bombs flying past the manticore and threw it right into its mouth. The reddish powder burst from its maw and the manticore started wailing and sneezing while rolling on the ground.

“Good one, Sapphi!” I praised her for this move with a grin on my face.

“Yeah, but don’t get your hopes high, those beasts are tough and stubborn!” she told me in a serious tone, frowning.

This is a strange coincidence, but among all the dangerous beasts I never had to fight manticores. And what I’ve seen today… The reality appeared to be much more dangerous than I thought. They are strong, tough, persistent, intelligent, and can hunt in groups! And this should be young ones at that! I readied myself for a hard battle once again.

Manticores did not remain in their confused state for long. Their eyes reddened from all my shenanigans with powder bombs, their tails started swinging madly in irritation. They began to slowly close in after surrounding us from three sides, and this time, we didn’t have any possibility to dodge their attacks on the ground.

As we were silently preparing for the inevitable, me holding the leftovers of my bombs and Sapphira charging her horn, we heard a loud sound of snapping branches from the side, coming closer by the second. Manticores noticed it too and turned to look in that direction, giving us a few more seconds.

A bush on the side of the clearing was partially destroyed, as Ray burst right through it like a buffalo, holding an axe in his hand. He noticed our predicament and his eyes became filled with rage. He had quite a scary face at this moment, if you consider a great amount of scratches on it and on his head too. His coat resembled some rags, seems he tore it badly when he ran through the forest.

“You again! Fucking bastards! I’ll split your heads in two!” he shouted without even slowing down as he rushed to the manticores.

Two manticores instantly backed off a good distance away, but the last manticore, the lanky one, just jumped on us abruptly while we were distracted by Ray. As its paws were already spread out to grab Sapphira, a flying axe hit it somewhere between its neck and its head. The strike landed with the blunt side though, but the sheer force behind it still interrupted manticore’s jump, it had missed Sapphira and fell to the side. The beast tried to get up several times but failed, being too dizzy from the hit. We galloped towards Ray while we still had the chance. I threw my last bombs with sleep-inducing pollen at its snout as my final gift to it. Ray was standing in place, rubbing his shoulder, he probably put too much strain on it while he threw his axe, as the strike was really terrifying, and only manticore’s sturdy body and luck kept it from receiving a grievous injury.

Ray closed his eyes with force and stood like that for a moment. When he opened them again, he didn’t seem that mad anymore. He breathed out heavily and pulled his spear from his back, unstrapping it. The two manticores stood at the distance, seemingly unsure what to do and the third one managed to finally get up and slowly joined the other two. It was no longer feeling good and energetic, as black lily pollen and a heavy hit with an axe had finally affected it.

“Good, I’ve made it in time!” said Ray through heavy breathing. “Damn, I didn’t notice that I went away too far, sorry girls.” He said, patting our heads lightly. His action soothed my chaotic mind, filled with panic and unease. This was close, who would have thought this place can be so dangerous… I saw Sapphira rubbing her head and horn against Ray’s side gently; a slight glisten of tears could be seen in her eyes.

“Do they… fear you?” I asked incredulously, looking at the reaction of these two manticores.

“They should, this two attacked us yesterday and then fled, unwilling to fight to the very end. Those two are smart bastards, got to be careful around them.” Ray stated with an indifferent face, looking at the manticores attentively. “It’s too early to relax; they are not leaving, so stay close to me.” As he said it the manticores began to spread out once again.

Now they are doing something similar to what they tried to do in the air. Contrary to my expectations, the pair of manticores who fought with Ray yesterday has gone exactly for him. But they never came too close, trying to hit him with their stingers on the ends of their tails instead. One of the manticore received a deep cut on its tail when it became too engrossed in attacking Ray and became even more cautious after receiving the cut, but didn’t back out. The third one had its eyes on me and Sapphira again, but didn’t attack yet, maybe, my sleeping powder finally worked? Its eyes were periodically becoming glazed in stupor.

This strange fight continued for more than five minutes already, but it was too late when I finally noticed what they were trying to do.

“Ray, they are separating us!” I shouted as I saw the pair dragging Ray away farther and farther from us, and the third one cutting out our retreat.

When Ray tried rushing back to us, the two suddenly entered a real battle with him, trading blows and scratches. But now I could not spare any attention to his battle anymore, as the third one pounced on us, propelling itself with its wings. It was too fast! Too bucking fast! It was going for Sapphira again. Isn’t it weakened? How is it able to move so fast even now?

Sapphira tried to fly away but she was too slow; the beast grabbed her sides, the claws scrapping her armor from the sides strongly, but the armor was holding on stubbornly. Thank Luna the beast was not in the best condition from all the sleeping powder it had inhaled. Before this despicable manticore could bite Sapphira with its jaws, she unexpectedly poked manticore’s neck with her horn with all the force she could muster. It did not go too deep though, as the sharp-angled curve on her horn stopped its movement, but that prevented the manticore from biting down on Sapphira’s neck. I heard Sapphira wail in pain quietly, this must be very painful for her horn.

I desperately tried to help, flied up and struck the manticore from above with all my hooves, landing atop its back. Instinctively, I tried to bite its neck with my fangs as hard as I could, as I could not pull out my knife right now, but my teeth were just tangled in its thick mane. I changed my position and tried to bite manticore’s shoulder, this time I succeeded. Never underestimate the bite of thestrals! The blood of the beast got into my mouth, but at the moment I didn’t mind the foul taste. The beast thrashed and roared, but I didn’t let go, as well as it did not let go of Sapphira, trying to tear through her armor with no success.

“Hay! What material it is made of? But I’m glad it is so sturdy!” This random thought popped inside my mind for a moment. Sapphira will not be able to hold the beast’s weight for long! This struggle will not last and we are losing! Luckily for us, this beast got a good dose of sleeping powder and is greatly weakened now; its moves became sluggish again. Otherwise we’d be dead by now!

Suddenly, I heard a strange buzzing from under the manticore, and it was not Sapphi’s wings. A few seconds later my ears were blasted with a sound of lightning discharge. Sapphira struck the manticore with her lightning magic at point blank, with her horn still embedded in its neck. I received a light shock through the contact with the manticore’s body. The beast convulsed for a few seconds before its movements ceased. Sapphira backed off from it before its body could pin her down to the ground. She was shaking on her unsteady legs, small blue lightning bolts were still dancing along the length of her bloodied horn.

It was then when I felt a searing pain in my hind leg. As I inspected myself I found that manticore’s tail have scratched my hind leg, the injury is not too deep, but the poison… It’s good I have antidotes. I quickly uncorked one of the potions and poured its clear liquid over the wound, then drank another one, green in color, containing many herbs which help with curing the toxins. I’ve noticed Sapphira’s concerned look.

“It’s fine, I have antidotes, there is only a little poison which gotten inside that cut.” I calmed her down. Sapphira nodded her head and turned towards Ray.

When I looked at Ray’s direction I only saw two manticores fleeing away into the jungle in the distance. He had frightening-looking wounds on his chest, and probably on his arms, but those were not too deep. His coat could no longer be buttoned up as it was too torn, making his bloodied muscular chest visible. We should treat him quickly!

I turned to Sapphira, raised my body and hugged her chest tightly; tears have finally started to flow from my eyes like a stream. Sapphira reciprocated, hugging me back. We stayed like that while Ray was removing what was left from his coat from his body. Through my blurry vision, I could see he had a lot of scratches on his arms too. He sat on the ground with folded legs, closed his eyes and froze in this position. What is he doing? Shouldn’t he be busy treating his wounds now?

“Sapphira? Shouldn’t we treat Ray?” I asked quietly, still hugging her.

“Mmm…” she drawled and giggled slightly. “I think we should not.” I could not see her face, but what she said puzzled me.

“But… why?” I asked again, not quite understanding her.

“Let’s go and see for ourselves. His magic is going crazy around him right now, and he does not look too disturbed by his wounds. I’ve learned a lot about him in the last few days… If he isn’t worried, then we shouldn’t be worried too. I’m sure he will be fine.” Sapphira pulled away from me, smiling and started slowly walking towards Ray, I followed.

What I saw surprised me greatly. The wounds on Ray’s body were closing up with the speed visible to the naked eye, and there were no scars left behind in their places. After a few minutes Ray finally opened his eyes and checked his body.

“Sorry, girls, those bastards tricked me in the end. Who could have though they can be this cunning for mere beasts?” He glided his hand across his muscular chest, checking his injuries. There was still a lot of blood left on his skin, his hand smeared it. “Alright, seems I’m fine, but damn, girls, now I’m hungry like a wolf. And dirty…” He looked at his bloodied hand. “Sorry, I’ll have to expend some extra of our food and water stocks. Are you both fine? Any injuries? I’m glad nothing serious had happened this time, but that was close, Sapphira.” He smiled and looked at her, using his torn coat to wipe the blood from his body.

“Well… we are fine, almost.” She looked at me after that, but I kept silent.

“Sapphi, that was brutal! But I like it! That bastard deserved it for trying to kill you!” He made a pause, thinking about something and then sighed deeply. “Again… I let the situation to threaten your life again… And Lily’s too. Damn I’m so useless!” He hit the round with his fist with such force it left a little crater. Then he abruptly stopped, incredulously looked at the crater he had made with a raised brow and lifted his hand before his eyes. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times, alternating his gaze between his hand and the crater.

“Don’t be too harsh on yourself, Ray. You can’t babysit me all the time. And… we almost managed… by ourselves. Uh… Alright… we couldn’t pull it off by ourselves in the end, but who would have though the manticores will appear on the edges of the jungle, right?” said Sapphira nervously.

Ray snapped out of his strange thoughtfulness. “I guess you are right…” He said and chuckled. “My rotten luck! Why did they have to appear at the moment I was not around?! You know, Sapphi, it was not even a day without some shit coming up… since I… since I got stuck in this jungle, you know what I mean…” Ray said this strange phrase, puzzling me with his vague words. “And I hoped that today it will be somehow different, but nooo!” – He raised his hands up theatrically and rolled his eyes to the sky. – “It just had to be manticores again who had to spoil our day this time!” He snorted and flopped his hands on the legs.

I giggled at his abrupt outburst. “Sorry, Ray, but you made it look funny.”

“We will go crazy if we don’t laugh at these things, Lily.” he said with a smile, “Well, let’s return to our spot; I’ll be right back, I need to drag the dead manticore farther away and throw away this bloody rag too...” He picked up his torn coat, throwing it over his shoulder. “I don’t want any predators skulking around at night, attracted by the smell of blood.”

He went to the dead manticore and grabbed it by its tail, trying to drag it into the jungle, but it was too heavy to do it easily. His feet just slid on the ground. After trying a few more times without much success he dropped the tail to the ground forcefully in irritation.

“Blyat! Fat bastard! How am I gonna drag you away now?!” He was swearing in some strange words and kicked the manticore’s body in anger.

Then he placed manticore’s tail over his right shoulder, grabbing it with both hands and tried pulling it one more time, exerting all his strength. Now, he could finally drag it away, his boots leaving deep indents in the soil.

“Ray, do you need help?” Sapphira shouted.

“No, thanks, I’ll do just fine. You two should rest.” He shouted back, stubbornly dragging the manticore away.

Sapphira decided not to argue. I looked at his figure moving away, slowly dragging the dead manticore away all by himself. I’m not sure how strong he is. Ray is smaller than minotaurs, but sometimes, I feel like he is as strong as them… just lighter in weight.

We returned to our spot, continuing our preparations we had to abandon because of manticores. I was still shaking from all of the stress. Sapphira was slightly better than me. She was showing signs of mild magical exhaustion and was nervous too, but not that much as me! Was she risking her life that often? I’m a member of Shadow Guard, not a combat specialist, of course, but I’ve seen my share of danger. Today’s events… are just crazy! These two are crazy, in a good way! And from today on there are three crazies here! I chuckled at this thought.

“Remembered something funny? Share with me!” Sapphira said with a soft smile.

“I just thought about how crazy the things got today…” I said, still giggling, perhaps the stress was playing with my mind that I found it funny.

“Welcome to the club, Lily!” I heard the voice of Ray who had finally returned. He chuckled at his own remark. “My whole life for the past several days was like that!” He plopped down on the big leaves we had laid on the ground. “Damn I need to wash off the leftovers of blood while it still hasn’t dried up completely.” He started to fiddle with the bags, wetting a piece of cloth with the water from some kind of a large bottle and started to clean his body. We sat in silence for some time.

“Did you throw out your coat, Ray?” asked Sapphira.

“Yep, it was completely destroyed by the manticores. And it also got soaked in blood,” he answered smiling wryly and sighed, “I’m almost out of clothes now, only my shirt is left. Are you alright, Lily?” he asked me. I’m probably not looking too good.

“Well, I’m starting to calm down already. Thanks, both of you. Now we are… comrades in arms, I guess?” I said smiling.

“I guess so, Lily. You both fought well,” he praised us. “Sapphira, your horn… let me clean it.” He got up with a clean cloth in his hands and removed all the blood from Sapphira’s horn with firm, but careful strokes.

“What’s wrong with my sight? And my head feels dizzy.” Sapphira shook her head. “I see white flashes and spots like those you can see after you look at something too bright.” Sapphira started to get nervous. Ray became alert too.

“It’s the potion we drank earlier. Moonlight Flare. Now you can guess why it has such a name… I’m the same as you right now.” I answered with a bit of regret. “But that potion saved our lives.”

Sapphira nodded in agreement. Of course, if not for this potion, we would not be able to avoid all that attacks for so long.

Ray looked at me attentively, or so I though, as my sight became indistinct too. I can swear his eyes flickered with green light for a moment.

“Are you poisoned, Lily?” he asked looking me in the eyes. “You should have told me earlier.”

He didn’t wait for my answer as he put his hand on the back of my head; his fingers ran along and wove into my mane gently. My eyes squinted inadvertently in pleasure.

“And now sit still and don’t talk.” he demanded. “You should never argue with a doctor, and I think he is one, maybe even a military doctor, judging by his skills with his weapon. Oh hay! Why do I need to make up excuses like that every time? I just like when he does that, however weird that might sound!”

Sapphira stayed silent, watching the whole process. A cooling sensation spread through my body. My burning poisoned wound stopped aching slowly too. It took him a lot more time than when he used his magic earlier to restore my energy. In around a quarter of an hour he stopped his magical therapy. The weakness from the poison left my body, as well as the side effects of Moonlight Flare were replaced by a common sleepiness.

“Thanks again, Ray!” I said with half-closed eyes, a desire to sleep was getting better of me.

“No need, Lily, you were dragged into this mess because of me in the first place…” he said with an apologetic look.

I just scratched my ear, not sure what I should say. In a sense, he is right, but this was my job!

“Just forget it, we survived, this is what matters. Now you, Sapphi, we should remove the toxins left by that potion.” He said as he started to do the same with Sapphira. It took much less time for her, must be because of the absence of manticore poison.

“Now try not to fall asleep, let’s make a stroll to the place where I left the firewood. I’m not leaving any of you here alone in this state, but we still need a campfire.” he said to us, “Ummm… Soon I might need some help navigating the forest in the dark…” He looked above at the darkening skies.

The twilight had already descended on the land, submerging the forest in darkness. Left without any options, we sighed and slowly stood up, unhurriedly following Ray into the nearby jungle. According to Sapphira, he could see in the dark better than regular ponies, but soon, he will have trouble navigating the forest too, when complete darkness descends.

Camp at the lake. Current time.

Twilight and Starlight were sitting on the rug in their tent. Spike was already fast asleep in his special basket they took with them, snoring quietly. They were talking quietly between themselves, not afraid of waking him up. Spike was always a heavy sleeper; even loud noises were unable to wake him up sometimes.

“… But Twilight, don’t you think this whole expedition is a bit fishy?” said Starlight with a bit of agitation in her voice.

“And just what is so fishy about it? We arrived here and found nothing dangerous. We even found some ancient historical relics! Isn’t it a good thing? Of course, it’s very puzzling how this amount of magic left no traces behind, but still…” said Twilight hesitantly, slowly waving her hoof in the air.

“Exactly, Twilight! We found nothing, but received a strange order to search for harmful magic around the whole area! Without any explanations at that! There were no explanations before, and no explanations after! There must be something wrong with the whole situation! Perhaps, the Princesses think we are not up for task to help them?” Starlight said in a louder voice, abruptly standing up from the rug. Her mood was definitely soured by this situation.

“Perhaps you are right… Maybe we should ask Princess Luna personally about it tomorrow?” said Twilight uncertainly. She was not sure how to react to such a situation. She had too much faith for the Princesses to doubt their motives and judgment.

“Bah!” Starlight interrupted her loudly. Spike have stopped snoring and turned in his bed, covering his head with a blanket, mumbling something unintelligible. “Do you think they will tell us if we just ask them nicely when they did not tell us anything from the start?” Starlight’s speech became sharp. “… Sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to shout at you…” Her voice became mild again and she sat down with a sad look.

Twilight stood up, came closer and hugged Starlight softly.

“It’s alright, Starlight. I know you feel like we are kept out from some secret, but I’m sure Princesses have a serious reason for that.” Twilight’s hoof was gently stroking Starlight’s back. “But we really should ask them first and don’t jump to conclusions before we do so.”

Starlight made a deep breath and exhaled slowly before speaking: “Perhaps you are right, Twilight. Let’s go to sleep then, it’s already late.” They stood up and moved to their sleeping places. “And thank you for your patience; I’m not exactly the best student in regards to my temper…” Starlight giggled lightly.

“Ha-ha, maybe, but it’s not that bad! Good night, Starlight!”

“Have a good night too, Twilight!”

Both of them closed their eyes, a slight smile on their lips.

Dreamland, nighttime.

PoV: Princess Luna.

“Alright, time to check up on Lily and listen to her report.” I said to myself after finishing with my duties in the dreamland. My strength had restored itself over the time of my rest, so I could even search for nightmares tonight and still have some time to meet Lily. I was a little worried about Lily and our new friends. This jungle is dangerous despite its serene look around this place; anything can happen to them over there.

I conjured the magical diagram before me unhurriedly. Glowing cyan magic lines flowing out from the tip of my horn, was drawing intricate patterns in the air before me. This was the spell which will help me to detect the ‘mark’ I left on Lily to find her easier in the dreamland. I projected my will to find Lily through the diagram, and the magic responded obediently, like it always does. But how can it be otherwise with my practice of many centuries?

I was not in the mood to make a leisure stroll in the dreamland tonight, so I’ve created another diagram below me, one I am proud of, as I developed it myself. A long-range teleportation spell for dreamland. The regular one will never work in this place, so I had to create a new one from scratch. It will take some of my power, but that’s irrelevant for now. The circle below me followed my will and I was engulfed in a cyan sphere of my magic. After a few seconds, the sphere shattered into a myriad of tiny cyan wisps of lights, swirling around and fading away with a quiet chiming sounds, and I was already standing on a moonlight road before Lily’s door. I saw Sapphira’s door nearby, but Ray’s could not be seen anywhere.

Then, instead of entering Lily’s dream I’ve created my own. The space around me warped and changed. I found myself in the black space devoid of anything, but it was quickly replaced by the outlines of my royal chambers in the palace. Floor and walls, various decorations and furniture started to appear around, recreated from my memories. As a finishing touch, I’ve added a table and two comfortable sofas around it, so my tonight’s visitors will have place to sit and talk with me.

I’ve made myself comfortable on one of the sofas. A cyan aura appeared around my horn as I probed the dreamland around me. It was easy to find Lily’s dream nearby, so I yanked her out and sat her on the opposite sofa.

Lily sat on the sofa with closed eyes and a wide grin on her face, with a slightly raised head, her wings were spread out freely.

“Ah! Yes… stroke me like that!” she said gently.

“Oh my… My little Lily had that kind of a dream… Sorry for spoiling it, Lily.” I said with an apologetic manner.

Lily abruptly jumped up on her hooves, but plopped back onto the sofa when she saw me, covering her face with her hooves. But it did little to cover up her beet red cheeks, visible even through her coat. She quickly performed a deep bow, still standing on the sofa, almost burying her head into the seat.

“Princess Luna, I’m very sorry you had to witness this shameful conduct,” she said in quiet and trembling voice.

“No, Lily. It is me who should apologize for pulling you out of your dream without a prior warning,” I said as friendly as I could, “so raise your head, Lily.” I wanted to make a little more fun of her, but she is a bit too serious about it now. But it seems my little Lily finally took some interest in somepony.

“Thank you, your majesty!” she answered, but was still uncomfortable.

“Well, I can see you are fine and in good health. Tell me how did you journey go. I want to hear everything about it!” I said in anticipation. I was somewhat bored at this moment, so I really wanted to hear about what happened.

“Uh… where should I start?” asked Lily.

“From the very beginning, if you might, Lily.” I said with a smile.

“As you wish, your majesty.” Lily fell in thoughts momentarily before continuing. “I found them at daybreak. They were hiding some distance away from the manticores’ territory. I found a dead body of an elder manticore while I was tracking them. Their claims that they have killed it are true. A piercing hit to the chest had ended its life. There was a lot of blood around, including Ray’s blood, but when I found him, there were no injuries on his body. Nothing at all! But now, I’m no longer surprised by it,” she said with a mysterious smile.

“How so?” I asked. “How unusual, I never saw such reaction to anything from her. Now I can understand why my sister like to personally interact with her subordinates that much.”

“Princess… How should I put it… Two young manticores who attacked them along the elder one returned with one more young manticore today before the sunset… So we had to fight them. At first, it was only me and Sapphira. Ray had gone into the forest to get us some firewood. We would have died without each other there…” she made a deep sigh, “And then, when all three cornered us, Ray appeared from the overbrush and saved us…”

I was listening to her story with an open mouth, asking for more and more details. “How silly of me, I should have gone there personally. I didn’t know this jungle cam be so merciless! Not only I neglected the real danger threatening these two, but I even put the life of my subordinate in danger!” I felt regretful concerning my careless decisions. “It seems this jungle became even more dangerous over the last thousand years…”

“… and then, all his injuries started to heal by themselves rapidly! I didn’t see any magical glow. He had also removed the leftover manticore poison from my body, as well as side effects of Moonlight Flare. But it took much more time compared with some healing spells of unicorns.” Lily reported in great details. “Also, Sapphira told me that she was able to hit the manticore with her lightning spell only thanks to Ray, because he told her how the lightning works in natural conditions, more or less. Like he said, ‘without delving too much into the subject’, or something like that…”

“You did well, Lily, you really did, both in surviving and collecting information. Ray is a very interesting individual indeed, and from your words, I guess he has a decent character too. You can see the real face of someone in such dangerous situations. He was readily shielding you two from the other manticores with his own body, without any armor! You and Sapphira did very well defeating the last one!” I praised her, but I still felt I didn’t praise her enough! “But that’s incredible! Forget his magic being a bit slow, the unicorn magic cannot remove the side effects of Moonlight Flare at all! Else it would be used widely, instead of being strictly regulated and distributed only in the ranks of elite military units or Shadow Guard. Even I don’t know such a spell! And also, the knowledge about natural lightning? Just where did he learn about it?” This information left behind more question than it answered to.

“Thank you for your high assessment of my actions, your majesty!” Lily said humbly, performing another bow.

“Oh, Lily, perhaps I should promote you, so you stop bowing to me every single time?!” I laughed lightly. “But still, the award is due for you. I will arrange it later in Canterlot personally!”

“Thank you, Princess Luna!” Lily slightly smiled at my words. Her ears twitched a few times, and her wings spread slightly, a sign of her good mood and excitement.

“I also thought you deserve a good rest, what do you think? Want to go home, or visit any resort? All of your expenses are on me, so don’t be modest!” I asked, stretching my wings.

Lily started fidgeting on the sofa, seemingly uncomfortable at my proposition. “I… I have nothing but an empty house in Canterlot to return to, all my relatives moved to far away villages long ago. And I’m not comfortable to go to resort all alone…” she said hesitantly, her tail was slightly swinging nervously and her ears were lowered to the sides of her head.

“I can arrange for you to go with somepony from the Shadow Guard, if you want.” I tried to cheer her up, smiling at her.

“Sorry, Princess Luna, I’m not close to anyone from our department, we are just colleagues who work together occasionally. I would prefer to continue with my work, as always.” Her eyes were lowered towards the floor, not daring to look me in the eyes.

I have to do something about it, decisively!

“Then this will be your next mission: you won’t be returning back to the expedition after you reach the station, as we are almost finished here. You will be escorting Ray and Sapphira to Appleloosa, and you will accompany them after that, as a guide, and just to keep an eye on them so they won’t get into trouble. They are a peculiar pair, don’t you think? They might blend in while in Appleloosa, but anywhere else they are bound to attract excessive attention… and trouble! Do you like such an arrangement?” A sly smile was slowly widening on my face as I spoke.

Lily’s ears instantly perked up, along with her wings, when she heard my first words about staying with those two. She was definitely interested. Then, I was not mistaken about her. She has found herself new friends, and perhaps more than just friends. Time will tell!

“Yes! I agree!” Lily said quickly. Her tail twitched a few times.

“Then it’s decided! You can spend the funds provided to you freely. If need be, you can always come to the local department and request more bits.” I informed her, nodding my head. “Oh, yes, the task will not be hard for most of the time, I suppose, so treat it as a partial vacation and try to relax while you can. I need my agents to be well rested and in good condition when I need them! So, having a good rest is a part of your task!” I giggled; she won’t be able to wiggle out of this now.

Lily looked at me with a surprised expression on her face, scratching her head with her hoof, then stood up and struck her chest with it. “As you command, my Princess!” she said with a serious face.

That is too cute and hilarious! I tried not to laugh, but failed miserably, embarrassing Lily. “Ha-ha! Lily, that was a good one! Ha! Sorry, never seen my subordinates taking an order to go on a vacation with such seriousness and determination!” I covered my mouth with my hoof to cover my wide grin.

“Um… That’s… alright… I guess,” said Lily, drawing circles with her right hoof on the surface of the sofa, avoiding my gaze.

“Sorry, Lily, I’m not making fun of you.” I said mildly, putting my forehooves on a table. “Shall we invite Sapphira now?” I inquired, looking at her reaction.

“Oh! Of course!” She answered even without thinking.

“But before I do so, I wanted to ask you, what do you think about them, in more details? Sapphira is a changeling, and not like those from the former Chrysalis’ hive, but a genuine changeling who feeds off other’s emotions. And Ray is a… stallion of unknown species; let’s call him as such for now.” I looked at Lily with a pondering look, putting by elbow on a table and propping my head with my hoof.

“It may be inappropriate to say, but I won’t lie to you, Princess Luna. After that life and death fight against the manticores, I have more trust in them than in my colleagues from the Shadow Guard… or from the regular army, especially from the regular army.” She lowered her head and ears in shame. “I should not say such things about our soldiers…” She shook her head.

“All is fine, Lily. I can understand what you mean, and the things you said about the regular army are exactly the reason why Lunar Guard and Shadow Guard as well were created by me in the first place. The regular army is no longer the same it was a thousand years ago, and I can’t change everything in just a few years.

“But we digress here. So, you deem both of them trustworthy, right? Ha-ha! It was a long time since I was able to have such a talk with anyone, I hope you don’t mind the ramblings of an old mare about old times, he-he!” This situation amused me, Lily was always easy to talk to and often had funny reactions to my words, but nevertheless she was a smart mare for her age and rarely failed her assignments.

“W-what are you saying, your majesty? You… You are not old!” Lily was stammering with her speech, not accustomed to such an informal talk from my side.

“Oh yes I am, Lily, I am…” A bit of nostalgia traced my soul. “As well as my sister. But everypony’s soul is forever young, never forget about it!”

Lily just nodded silently, unsure what to say, and after a brief silence she finally spoke: “And concerning Ray and Sapphira… Yes, they are trustworthy. They were really nice to me, albeit I’m sure they think you have sent me to keep an eye of them, I’ve heard some of their conversations. We, thestrals have quite a sensitive hearing. But still, they don’t seem to mind it at all. About Sapphira being a changeling… she says it’s enough for her to be around Ray to never feel hunger for emotions. I don’t know how it works, but it seems to be true. Ray himself was never concerned about it even once, and honestly, Sapphira looks more like some exotic pony, rather than a monster, like we were always taught about changelings. Her temper is a bit… strange. She likes to make fun of me and she does the same to Ray too, occasionally, but she cares for me at the same time, while it was supposed to be me who must take care of them!” Lily was telling me this while looking up at the starry ceiling of my royal chambers. “But still, I’m useful as a tracker.” She nodded her head, seemingly assuring herself of that fact.

“And what about Ray?” I asked curiously.

Lily looked at me, her ears nervously twitched and then pressed to her head. She was unsure what to say.

“Alright, Lily, you don’t have to answer. I already guessed who it was in your dream.” I giggled, Lily’s wings fluttered and partially spread out behind her, seems I hit the mark! “Oh… my little Lily has finally grown up…” I just could not restrain myself from doing the same thing my sister likes to do with me, a wide smile on my face. But that’s also true, she is working for me for a few years already, and she was very young when we met for the first time.

Lily just lowered her gaze again, looking at the dark tiles of the floor.

“Alright, I’ll invite Sapphira now!” I said joyfully and lit up my horn in preparation.

The space of this dream waved and Sapphira appeared on the sofa beside Lily, sitting in place with closed eyes. Her mouth was open and her long, forked tongue of azure color was performing licking movements in the air. When she noticed the changes in her surroundings, her tongue darted back to its place and she nervously looked around, but, after noticing it was just me and Lily, she calmed down quickly. Lily was looking at her with great interest. “Yes, seems I did it again!” I thought and made a somewhat forced smile.

“Hello, Sapphira. Welcome to my dream and sorry to interrupt yours. Would you mind joining us?” I said kindly to her, remembering her last wary reaction to me.

“Oh, hi, Luna! I didn’t know you could do that!” She answered energetically, having already regained her composure, waving her hoof like she met an old friend, smiling naturally at me. “Glad to see you too! Thanks for sending Lily to help us. She was really of big help to us, such a nice young mare!” Sapphira smiled, looking at Lily.

This new reaction of Sapphira was really pleasant for me, and it was seen on my face. Lily wanted to say something about it, but after looking at me, she just waved her hoof and exhaled, then turned towards Sapphira.

“Not that much younger than you, Sapphira!” Lily retorted indignantly, crossing her hooves before her chest, shifting her body to vertical position. I’m sure she is grumpy about Sapphira’s familiarity towards me.

Ah, now I see what Lily meant by talking about Sapphira’s attitude. Funny! Not that much different from what I do with Lily regularly. I chuckled involuntarily.

“Lily already told me about the difficulties you all have encountered; I suppose everything is fine now? By the way, where is Ray?” I fixed my magical mane with my hoof, not that it had to be fixed, just old habits.

“Oh, Ray? He said he will stay on watch for the first part of the night. He should wake me later and we will swap,” said Sapphira while pondering. “I and Lily became very tired after the Moonlight Flare’s side effects were removed. But he still forced us to make a walk with him to get firewood. He refused to leave us alone there…” She said grumpily. Lily nodded her head in agreement.

“And he was right to do so, Lily.” I retorted to her grumbling. “And… for the first half of the night, you say? But the middle of the night has long passed already, girls. Now it’s around an hour till daybreak.” I said to them.

“What?” They both exclaimed together. Lily’s brow twitched and Sapphira had a wry smile on her face.

“That’s just Ray being himself, Lily,” Sapphira said jokingly. “He let us sleep while he still guards us, I’m sure.”

Lily just sighed. “If only other soldiers were like him!”

“You mean, stallions in general, Lily?” Sapphira asked in the same joking manner.

“Um… yes, many of them could learn a thing or two from Ray!” Lily said with a bit of hesitation.

“Anyhow, can you please wake us up after our meeting, Princess?” asked Sapphira. “We have some things to say to certain someone… And force him to sleep!” Her brows were slightly furrowed. Lily nodded her head, agreeing.

“Of course, my little… ponies… Sorry, Sapphira, just a habit. But, honestly, you can be considered a pony too. Changelings were once ponies, until some unfortunate event changed them.” I said, reminiscing what I knew about changelings as a race.

“Really? I didn’t know about that!” Sapphira said in surprise.

“Oh, yes, Sapphira, we have some pre-Equestrian era books in our special library, but the information about changelings is still very sparse, I could not find any more information on that.” I waved my hoof to show my helplessness in this matter. “But we digress again, what I wanted to say, what do you think if I send Lily on vacation with you and Ray? She refuses to go on vacation for more than two years now already, but she really needs one. She can be your guide and keep you out of trouble too. I know that may sound suspicious…”

“We agree!” Sapphira said loudly, interrupting me and unexpectedly hugged Lily. “What? Lily, you don’t like it?” she asked, softly talking in her ear. Lily was still a bit shocked by Sapphira’s reaction and had a dazed look on her face.

“Why? Of course… I like it!” Lily said and reciprocated the hug.

I saw a soft smile on Lily’s face. “It seems she had finally found real friends.” I thought to myself. Her solitary life was worrying me for some time already. “As for Ray, I’ll just meet with him in the town later, but that will be a surprise!” I smiled slyly thinking about it. “Ha-ha, Lily… When she was reporting to me, she did not miss even tiniest details, like a veteran officer, but when the things come down to personal affairs she becomes so shy and timid...” I shook my head with a smile. A little sigh escaped my lips as I remembered the time to sunrise was short.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have much time left, girls.” I drew their attention. “Sapphira, you should not be too worried about your identity as a changeling. At least not in Appleloosa, this town became a trade and logistic center in last two years. Goods started flowing in and out, going south by the rails and then to the eastern continent by the sea route. Many different folks live and work there now: minotaurs, griffons, even diamond dogs showed up lately. And if anything happens, you have Lily; she can get you out of trouble, if you wouldn’t do anything bad, naturally. As for Ray… he will probably draw less suspicion than a changeling would, but definitely more interest.”

“So, I should not be worried about being disguised all the time? That’s good! Ray too told me that I should not hide myself.” Sapphira said, visibly relieved by my words.

I took a good look at her again. “Umm… where did all those holes disappear to? She could be considered pretty overall, from a pony’s viewpoint, but the body of the changeling will still repulse some ponies from her. Well, that can’t be helped.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll provide some extra bits to Lily. Consider those my welcome gift to you and Ray. I know you two have almost no belongings on yourselves. It will help you to settle in initially.” Lily told me about their situation. They don’t have any bits at all. I can understand why Sapphira did not have any, but Ray’s situation puzzles me.

“Thank you, Princess. It will be of great help to us, but… why are you so kind to us?” Sapphira asked, bewildered by all the things I’ve done for them and by my personal interest too.

“Well…” I was spinning my hoof in the air before me, trying to put my thoughts into words. “I always try to help those in need. And besides, you two are interesting! Do you know how boring it is to sit all day in the palace, meeting various ambassadors and politicians who will be readily spouting meaningless words for hours just to get some preferential treatment from me! And I have my night duties too, you should know, right? In the end, I don’t have that much free time, like some think I do. And if anything, I prefer to spend my time interacting with unusual individuals like you, than conversing with those hypocritical aristocrats in Canterlot.” I said with a content smile.

“Yes, I despise those freeloaders. I would never allow those spoiled fools to have any authority during my old reign, but too much time had passed, even our old castle crumbled.” My voice gained that sharp sense to it, like when I was Nightmare Moon, scaring Lily a little, but I quickly changed it back. “Now, I don’t have too much desire to busy myself with government affairs. I’ve missed too much over that millennium. Sorry, just thinking out loud. Do I bother you with my rambling, Sapphira?” I asked, looking at Sapphira, but she was undisturbed. Yes, sometimes I envy changelings’ ability to read the mood.

“Not at all, Princess Luna, I understand.” Sapphira said.

“Luna, just Luna, have you already forgotten?” I laughed softly. “There are not much ponies aside from my sister whom I can complain to, you know… Our subjects won’t understand, my status is too high in their eyes to do so. Even Lily is still uncomfortable with it, after all those years working for me.” She looked at Lily who has made a somewhat ashamed face. “But you and Ray is a breath of fresh air for me.” I smiled at Sapphira. “Well, I hope he won’t change his attitude just because I’m a Princess.”

“He was nervous about it, yes, but I think he won’t, especially if you ask him to treat you the same as he did before.” Sapphira said, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

“Too bad he is not here tonight! Well then, I wish you all a safe journey, the time to move the Moon draws near. Good bye!” I said as I spread my wings wide and lit up my horn.

After saying our goodbyes to each other, I dispelled our shared dream and woke them up, like they asked me.

Several hours before, early night.

PoV: Ray.

I was sitting before the burning campfire; flames were dancing in the mild wind. The girls were huddled together nearby, deep in sleep. My ears could occasionally catch small mumbling noises they sometimes made in their dreams. It’s not surprising, given what they had to go through today. My gaze landed on them from time to time. Alright, alright… it moved to the campfire from time to time, remaining mostly on these pretty mares. I could not help but feel affection towards them, and of course, my love for Sapphira. They both have their own charm and rather seductive curves to boot, capturing my gaze frequently.

A lot of thoughts were floating unhurriedly through my head, replacing each other, while my eyes were savoring the pleasant sight before me. This world… and how I got here. Out of all places I had managed to land in a local hellhole. Well, shit happens! I won’t blame Falda’ar for that. But if at least a small part of inhabitants of this world are as nice and kind as these pair of mares sleeping beside me… it should be a good place to live! The situation could be a lot worse than appearing in this dangerous jungle if it was some other world, and I understand it well when I think calmly about it.

I thought again about my reason to be here. My goals are too global and vague at the same time. But of course, how can I be of any use with my meager mastery and development of my ‘aspect’? This is exactly what Falda’ar was hinting at. Then… to get actual instructions I’ll have to contact him somehow first, and I don’t know any method of doing so. That means it’s hidden somewhere inside my memories. Falda’ar would not make such an obvious mistake, that’s a given. I won’t be able to do it until I’m sufficiently proficient with my ‘life essence’. Then regaining my memories will be my current task, next after the task of keeping ourselves alive, healthy and fed.

I have a hunch our struggle in this green hell is coming to an end. What should we do after reaching the town? I and Sapphira are penniless, and while Lily would likely want to provide some help for us, it would be bad to burden her too much. We should think of a way to earn some cash for a living. But without knowing the situation in the town it’s just useless to plan anything, we should think about our options after we get there and see everything for ourselves.

I have finally remembered that Luna wanted to visit us at night in our dreams. Well, nope, I’m not sleeping tonight. Sorry, Luna, but our tonight’s meeting is getting rescheduled. I just can’t let anything bad happen to the girls again, and they need a good sleep to get rid of all that stress. Perhaps, I can sleep for an hour or two after dawn, that should be enough to keep me going. If anything, I can expend some of my life energy to keep myself energized.

My state of mind was not bad, the harsh training I was put through by Falda’ar in that strange place paid back, and so I don’t feel too stressed by today’s battle. But my emotional swings are another matter altogether. Precisely speaking, it’s my anger. Yes, I may rage and shout at the situation occasionally to vent my frustration; it’s just a small matter. Going berserk during combat is what concerns me the most. First time it was in a fight with those hounds. Then… when I fought with the big manticore, everything got out of my hands. The cause is probably that I’m no longer alone. When those close to me are in danger, the rage kicks in. I managed to suppress it today, and I can’t even describe how much willpower I had to muster to do it. I don’t even know how to train myself to resist it. I sighed and started thinking about this problem.

Thinking about training, maybe having more precise control over my ‘life essence’ will do the trick? After all, this state is instigated by my power itself. While I still had a whole night I decided that a little training can be useful. I could not pay my full attention to it, as I still had to keep my senses on surroundings constantly. There was little use for my eyes now, the night sky was covered in clouds and the moon rays only occasionally pierced through this veil, and the campfire illuminated only limited space around our spot. I mainly relied on my hearing and my new sense for lifeforms. There was no way anyone could sneak up too close on us and stay unnoticed.

I was performing basic routines that I was taught: circulating my power inside my energy channels, concentrating it on certain points outside of my body, retracting it back without losses and stuff like that. Do unicorns feel the same when they channel their magic through their horn? I should ask Sapphira. This task required high concentration, and this could possibly help me with overcoming my emotional outbursts, along with improving control over my own power.

After spending over two hours or so on this activity, my mind finally started to feel tired. Not from power exhaustion, but from excessive concentration. A few weeks of sessions like this, and I will be able to project my energy with pinpoint accuracy!

My legs had started to feel numb from remaining in one pose for too long. So, after training my mind, a little physical training is due. I chose some exercises which were silent enough and began working up my body, some distance away from the sleeping girls. Of course, I could always rely on my power to improve my physical condition, but the efficiency will be the best when combined with common physical exercises. And more importantly, my real body was not as trained as the one I had in that sort of reality simulation Falda’ar created for me. It had to be trained properly. Its flexibility was lacking too, and muscle mass insufficient, but that’s only a matter of time. If my body was in a better condition, it would be a lot easier to fight those manticores, as my body was constantly lagging behind, or too inflexible, unable to execute the moves I wanted to make properly. That’s why I’ve got so many injuries, mainly.

The time was steadily going by as I was training while still paying attention to my surroundings. Years of mental discipline allowed me to avoid unnecessary thoughts and concentrate on the task at hand. I’m not sure how much time has passed already, but the Moon was already gone from the sky and a weak light could be seen from behind the trees from the east. I was doing pushups with one hand, alternating between left and right from time to time, while my heavy backpack was on my back. I was closing in to the limits of my natural endurance without the help of my energy.

It was at this moment I noticed I had spectators. Sapphira and Lily woke up and were sitting, looking at me with interest. I could not discern their mood; their faces looked like a mix of appreciation and desire to punish me for something. Well, I can guess what that ‘something’ is, so I’ve stopped my training routine.

“Morning, girls!” I said with an innocent smile through my heavy breathing. “Did you sleep well?”

“Don’t mess me about, love,” said Sapphira with discontent. “Why didn’t you wake me up as we agreed?” Her eyes were drilling me with their sharp gaze. In dim lighting, these fanged mares had large pupils, making their gaze so much more impressive. It was hard to defy this cuteness.

“Ummm… Because you two needed to sleep more than I did? Also, I was unable to put my guard down through the whole night. What if manticores had returned?” I said, scratching the back of my still bald head awkwardly.

“Is he always like that?” asked Lily, giggling.

“I guess so, always doing things his way, if he deems it’s better for me. It’s nice and all, but GRR!” she made an angry roar, accompanied by a small hissing noise, “I want to take care of him too!” she said with furrowed brows.

“I see!” Lily said in amusement.

“Ray! You’re going to sleep, now! And no bickering!” she pointed at the sleeping place with her hoof; her face conveyed a message she won’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.

“Alright, alright! Sorry for making you angry, but I really can manage with just minimal sleep, while you two definitely needed it.” I’ve put down the backpack and lied down of the palm leaves. “Ah, yes, Lily probably needs some more sleep. The poison, albeit removed, still inflicted some harm. Wake me up in two hours or so,” I said, yawned and closed my eyes.

Lily and Sapphira were having breakfast and talking about something. I could not discern their words as my mind was swaying on the edges of a dream. After some time I felt something warm and soft by my side, but I was already departing for the dreamland. My mind was finally became submerged in a dreamless sleep.

“Mmhhm…” I started to wake up because someone was shaking my shoulder.

“Ray, wake up! It’s time.” I heard Sapphira’s soft voice beside my ear. “You too, Lily!”

Ah… so it was Lily. She was lying beside me, hugging my hand with her forehooves, using it in place of a pillow.

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” I said quietly to her ear, stroking her heavy grey mane. I need to do something with my compulsive desire to stroke manes of ponies. What if they dislike such things? They are no pets.

Lily opened her eyes and wanted to say something, but noticed she was sleeping on my hand, the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat. She coughed lightly and got up.

“Sorry, was I inconveniencing you?” she asked coyly.

“Not at all, Lily, it’s actually the opposite. It’s always nice when such a soft and warm mare sleeping by your side.” I looked at Sapphira’s reaction through the corner of my eye. While it was indeed flirting, the words I said were nothing, but truth. Sapphira smiled slyly, well, now she’ll say something for sure.

“So, am I not soft enough for you, Ray?” she asked, enjoying my awkward reaction.

Whatever I would answer now, she had already won this word battle.

“Ahem… Of course you are, but do you really need to ask such awkward questions?” An apologetic smile adorned my face.

“Of course I need to ask such questions, lest you’ll really let yourself go when we arrive in town. I don’t want you going for every pretty mare you’ll take a liking to!” she laughed heartily. “But I don’t mind if it’s Lily!”

At this moment my brain made a short circuit:

…

… …

… … … “What?”

“I say, I don’t mind if it’s Lily!” Sapphira repeated it with a nonchalant look.

I moved my gaze to Lily; she was deliberately looking away, digging at the ground with the tip of her hoof. “I need to pack my bags!” She made a hasty retreat.

“I’m missing something here, definitely.” I thought and scratched my head. “It must be that specific pony mentality. Herds, was it? Did they become this close while I was not paying much attention?”

“Ray, come on! Stop breaking your head over it! I just like her, and she likes us in turn. Don’t forget who I am!” She said as she was walking to me. She bumped me with her rump as she passed me by and slapped my side with her tail. When she turned back to me I saw she was smiling mischievously.

I bent down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “Sometimes, I just think too much. But Lily… She will leave us as soon as we get on train, right? We might never see her again, considering her specific job. We should not play with her feelings if it’s the case, lest we’ll just hurt her.” I said seriously.

“Don’t worry about that. Lily is staying with us, and it’s unlikely she will be going anywhere. Princess Luna gave her permission to remain with us. You know… she did not take any vacations for two years and now Luna is forcing her to have some rest from her job… along with us, as Lily would refuse any other way to do it. This may sound strange, but there was no scheming in Luna’s words, so her intentions towards us are good, you don’t have to be concerned about it. But she is definitely keeping an eye on us, for some reason, and I guess the reason is you.” Sapphira nodded her head, accentuating her conjecture.

“Hmmm…” I crossed my hands at my chest, lowered my head in thought and started slowly rubbing my forehead with a fist. I spent some time in silence, analyzing the situation. “You know, I always suspected we would be put under some sort of surveillance. But this… way of surveillance… is just too cute! Lily? Seriously? She is probably the cutest being in this whole jungle!” I laughed. “I’ll agree to it any time!”

“See? Nothing bad would happen! And I really like Lily. She is my first friend I’ve made after being freed from my hive… What? You don’t count! You are my stallion!” she laughed again. “Let’s go, we need to pack up too!” she said and started fiddling with her bags and food.

“Women…” I grumbled.

“What?” Sapphira asked.

“No, nothing, you girls have already decided everything without me.” I chuckled. Of course there is no word ‘women’ in Equestrian, should I use ‘mares’ instead?

“Blame yourself for not sleeping tonight!” Sapphira answered casually. “And have a breakfast while I still haven’t packed our food.”

We have moved out after half an hour. The terrain became a constant slope, going upwards. The jungle was slowly transforming into a sparse deciduous forest as we travelled further. Our travel was uneventful, the wildlife became smaller in size and we could not see any big predators along the way. The temperature dropped considerably and constant cold winds were blowing over the treetops.

After a few more hours of our travel we reached the point where the forest could no longer be called a forest. Sparse single trees and groups of them were growing here and there. In the distance, the soil was dry and infertile, with a lot of stone sand and dust, and the whole terrain was reminiscent of desolate steppes.

There, we’ve made a small stop to rest and have a meal, while we still could have a shelter from the winds. From our vantage point we could already see the edges of this plateau. Low mountains separated it from the plains and forests on the other side. But these mountains were low only from our side, on the other side it will be a long and treacherous descent for me. I hope I won’t tear my last shirt there…

“We should probably go to that point between two mountains; there will be a greater chance to find an easier way to descend.” I pointed to a certain place.

“Perhaps, I don’t know this place and the maps are not that accurate. Finding an easy way for you to descend will depend on our luck,” said Lily, looking into the distance.

I looked around the landscape one more time. “The changes are so abrupt, in the morning we were still in a hot jungle, and now we are traversing a windy, desolate place…”

“What’s so strange about it? Isn’t it natural?” Lily asked, not thinking too much about it.

“Huh… perhaps it is?” I answered uncertainly. “Well, this is no Earth, I should not rely too much on my knowledge from there.”

Sapphira was still munching on some fruit and kept silent.

“Alright, we must head out as soon as Sapphira finishes her meal. We still have a long way ahead.” Lily was concerned we might not be able to arrive to the station before nightfall.

“I’m ready!” Sapphira quickly gobbled the rest of the fruit and got up.

And here we are! A magnificent sight opens up when you look from the edge of the plateau on the endless lands below, covered by mixed forests and rarely interspersed by green grasslands. Tall mountain peaks could be seen on a horizon if you look attentively, almost invisible behind the hazy veil of the atmosphere. The cloudy weather we had in the morning changed for a sunny day, alleviating the chill of the constant winds.

“Beautiful!” said Lily in awe. “The scenery when looking from the sky is good too, but when you look down while standing atop of a mountain, it is completely different sensations!”

“Indeed, Lily. Mountains are beautiful, but dangerous,” I looked at her wings and chuckled, “if you don’t’ have wings. Alright, we should start looking for a path to descend; the time is already closing in to the evening. There is no way I can climb down this steep cliff.”

“Good, I’ll check the northern side!” Said Lily and took to the skies, not wasting any time.

“Then I’ll go looking south. Ray, don’t go anywhere.” She flew away in another direction with a low-pitched buzzing noise. Her fluttering transparent wings glistened in the sun rays. Her flight speed increased considerably after the holes on her wings disappeared, but Lily was still faster.

Having nothing to do, I found myself a big flat boulder to sit on. I was looking into the distance with new hopes. We are finally out of that goddamn place! Looking more attentively I could see the railroad in the distance, going through one of the few areas with meadows. I wouldn’t have noticed it if not for the smoke of the steam engine. Straining my eyes I tried to have a better look at it. The locomotive didn’t look too advanced, according to my sparse knowledge of, but a train is still a train, even if it’s slow! The train was a passenger one and its cars looked a bit short to me and somewhat few in numbers. Well, maybe it just can’t pull more weight when going up the slope. The road itself was single-track, speaking volumes of the level of its development.

In about twenty minutes, Sapphira returned.

“It’s no use searching south; the cliffs there are even higher than here, maybe Lily will have some luck,” Sapphira said and got atop the boulder to sit beside me. She leaned her body against me.

“Well, even if we can’t find a suitable path quickly, it means that we will spend only one extra day searching for it. I’m sure it’s not that difficult to find one.” I hugged her with one hand. Sapphira pressed her cheek to my chest, greedily inhaling my scent. My other hand waved through her mane, shimmering in blue colors. She closed her eyes in pleasure.

“Sapphira, I have one peculiar question…” I decided to ask her about one touchy subject.

“Hmm? Ask away!” she smiled at me with half-closed eyes.

“How should I put it? Do ponies… like to be stroked? The mane, or in other places? I was not sure about Lily’s reaction to my… spontaneous actions.” I smiled wryly after asking that weird question.

Sapphira giggled, raised her eyes to me and said in a sensual voice: “Oh, Ray, I will show you all the right places where you should stroke a mare! Later…” She continued giggling while stroking my chest with her hoof, enjoying my awkward situation.

“Oh, that came out wrong!” I thought, but it was too late to correct myself. Sapphira, on the other hand, was in a playful mood.

“Well, Ray, I’ll tell you ponies are herd creatures and we, changelings, are swarm creatures. Perhaps, we are not that much different actually in this part, but the local peculiarities of hives can be different, of course, like mine was. Ponies usually have a lot of close contacts. It’s natural for friends to have a lot of skinship between them, but please refrain from touching ponies you don’t know well, and don’t do it too much in public too, so those around won’t get some wrong ideas. If you were wondering about Lily… She actually likes it, a lot! This little mare can’t deceive me!” Sapphira laughed lightly.

“I see…” I said and thought about it all for a moment, but Sapphira was not finished with her answer.

“And your hands, Ray… Compared to all those sharp claws other bipeds have, or coarse hands of minotaurs, your hands are just heavenly! The hoof can never be so… gentle and nimble.” She raised her head from my chest, noticing how I was looking at the swaying sharp tip of her horn. “It won’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that any mare would melt under your hands, if she likes you.”

Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and she traced my neck with it, eventually reaching my lips, capturing them in a sensual deep kiss. We closed our eyes, enjoying ourselves, sitting at the edge of the world. Strong wind made Sapphira’s mane fly in waves behind her, creating mesmerizing sight.

When we snapped back from our entranced state, we discovered Lily standing beside the boulder with the look full of delight. Seems she have enjoyed our little show! And no, I won’t be embarrassed by my relationship with Sapphira!

“G… good news!” She stuttered a bit, but tried not to show her agitation. “I’ve found a little valley with a mountain stream farther in the northern direction. I think Ray can descend there without much trouble!” Lily said energetically, she was in a good mood. I’m not sure if it was because of her finding the path or watching our little performance.

“Great, Lily! Let’s go right away!” I said, putting on my backpack.

“Let’s go! Maybe we’ll be able to make it to the supply station before dark. It’ll be much better than spending another night in the wilderness!” said Sapphira with relief. “Ray, help me with the saddlebags!”

Now I’m walking down the narrow and steep valley. It took me some serious efforts to climb down from the top of the cliffs. The girls took away my backpack and dropped it off below, so it won’t constrain my movements. I’ve spent almost an hour on that endeavor and was finally able to reach the ground below. The stream was gushing out from the cracks in the mountains and it was a good opportunity to replenish our water supplies.

The terrain around is starting to get green again, which is pleasant to the eyes. At the end of the valley there is a mixed forest. We’ll have to go through that forest, but it will be hard to miss the railroad anyway, if we just keep going west, or rather, north-west, it will save us some time. Lily and Sapphira preferred flying above ground to walking through the rugged terrain of the valley, while I was carefully going down. The further I was going, the less rocky the ground became, slowly changing to soft soil with grass on it.

Eventually, I could relax without the fear of tripping or sliding down, my travel transformed to a comfortable hike. When we exited the valley, the trees were already growing around us in abundance. We turned to north-west and entered this mixed forest. It could not be compared to the dense jungle, it was comparatively easy to navigate, and we didn’t see any danger around.

“Are there any dangerous beasts living in these forests?” I asked Lily.

“The bears may be the most dangerous ones, but they are rare, and usually not as dangerous as manticores. Also, timber wolves.” Lily answered after a little pondering.

“Those… magical creatures made of wood?” I raised my brow.

“Yes! Usually they leave you alone if you leave their territory. And they are not that sturdy as manticores. The magic which holds their bodies together is not that strong, but still, they can inflict serious wounds.” Lily said, flying backwards steadily in front of me, slowly flapping her wings. I can’t stop admiring their ability to control their flight with their magic. Mild gusts of wind, created by the magic flow of her wings blew softly against my body.

“Sapphira, can you pull out my axe from the backpack? Just in case.” I thought that my spear will not be useful at all against those wolves should we meet one.

I stopped and waited for Sapphira to finish fiddling with my backpack. After some time the axe had flew from behind and stopped before me, surrounded by the dark blue magic aura. I took it in my hand and we proceeded to our destination.

After half an hour Lily had stopped us.

“Quiet!” Lily said in half-whisper. Her ears perked up and started rotating in different directions.

“What’s the matter?” Sapphira asked in a whisper.

“Something is rushing through the forest ahead.” Lily said and her ears had finally picked up a direction the noise was coming from, she started listening attentively. Sapphira did the same. I was just waiting silently, preparing for a battle. After some time I too, started hearing the sounds of snapping branches ahead of us.

This forest was not that dense and soon we saw a silhouette in the distance, flashing between the trees. As if sensed something, the creature had stopped, and now I had a chance to take a better view of it. It resembled a wolf to some extent, but was made, yes, exactly made, of tree branches, broken logs and foliage. The creature slowly turned its head in our direction, its glowing yellow eyes flashed under the dim lighting. It was a genuine timber wolf; its size was considerably larger than that of regular wolves from Earth. The wolf produced a dry semblance of a howl and rushed in our direction madly.

“Get in the air! Try to stall it!” I shouted.

“Sorry, Ray, I don’t have anything on me what can be useful against timber wolves! I usually just fly away!” Lily replied in a panic.

“No matter, just stay safe!” We should pull it off together with Sapphira then. I shifted my grip to a more optimal one. I still remember my lessons of using axes, I took a stance which would allow me to move around more quickly and dodge the attacks. “Come on, get into the air already!”

“From the left, Ray!” Sapphira shouted from above in a panicked voice.

I heard rustling noises from the bushes to the left. In a split second another timber wolf jumped out of the brushwood a few meters away from me and charged to attack Lily, who was still on the ground. I turned towards the wolf, getting ready to repel its attack.

“Son of a! Grrra!” The axe hit the wolf to the side of its head in a large swing with a loud sound of scattering branches and wood chunks. “Fuck! Why didn’t I sense it?”

The wolf’s body was in midair when it was pouncing on Lily, so, after getting a heavy hit, its body had abruptly changed its course and landed heavily on the ground to the side.

“Another one on the right!” Sapphira shouted again.

Lily was already in the air, avoiding possible new attacks. She didn’t have anything on her, but her own hooves to fight them.

Sapphira lit up her horn brightly. Now it resembled a burning blue torch, electric discharges could be seen inside the magical flame. She closed in to the wolf from above and threw her lightning at its head from a close distance. The wolf’s head shattered and some places of its body caught fire. The wolf quickly disintegrated into its basic components: branches, chunks of wood and leaves. A large smoking pile of wooden garbage is all what was left of it.

I looked around at the other wolves, the first one who was diverting our attention was already close to us, and another one, which got hit by me, started to get up, it was missing some parts in a place of my hit, but overall, it did not sustain serious damage.

At this moment I heard Lily’s shout as she dropped from above on top of its head like a hammer with all four hooves, pinning the timber wolf to the ground again. Its wooden skull did not survive the heavy hit and shattered. Then, like the other wolf, its whole body lost its magic and fell apart.

“Serves you right!” shouted Lily in an angry voice and flied back into the air.

“Nice moves, Lily, Sapphira!” I praised them for their quick wit in this combat.

“Careful, the last one!” said Lily quickly, pointing with her hoof.

I turned back to our last adversary.

The wolf just continued to stupidly rush forward without any clever maneuvers. Well, all the easier for us! I prepared to intercept the wolf with a strong hit to its head or forelegs. It was already close to me, but he was looking at Lily in the air behind me, not bothered by my presence in the least. Lily flew to the side and the wolf started to follow her, as if locked onto his target. I did not allow it to ignore me, and with a wide swing, putting maximum weight into the strike, I smashed my axe into its head. Splinters, snapped branches and dust flew in all directions. The wolf had lost its balance and fallen to its side, sliding on the ground to a full stop. It didn’t try to dodge and ignored my presence completely. The wolf was made from some literal trash. I spat the dust from my mouth.

“Rotten wood and dried up mud, seriously?” I shouted in annoyance. Now half of my body was covered in dust. This wolf had long exceeded its service life.

Nevertheless, the wolf started to get up slowly. It did not sustain too much damage and just lost a substantial amount of rotten wood on its head. At this moment I sensed some strange waves of energy coming from the wolf’s wooden body. I slowly walked closer to the wolf, which again ignored me and was tracking Lily and Sapphira with its gaze. There was no way for the wolf to catch them in the air. “There is no mistake; this is life energy of plant type. But this wolf is no living creature itself! If so, I can try to take it for myself and convert to my own ‘life essence’ without any consequences!”

“Sapphira, can you hold it in place with you magic grip?” I shouted without turning my head from the wolf. “One interesting idea popped up in my head!”

“I can try, but not for long! Be quick if you want to do something! I’ve already expended my magic power on the lightning spell!” she shouted back.

The wolf started slowly walking towards Sapphira, who flew closer, albeit it was a useless action as she was in the air. After it closed in to me, it tried to walk around me like I was some kind of inanimate object. This wolf does not see me as a target for its aggression, but it can definitely see me, as it tries to avoid bumping into me.

“Now!” I gave Sapphira my signal. Dark sapphire aura surrounded the wolf and its movements slowed down to a halt. I did not tarry and quickly grabbed it by its withers with both hands, pressing it to the ground with my weight. My hands flashed in green light and energy wisps of the same green color started to leave wolf’s body, swirling around my hands and seeping inside after some time. The wolf tried to struggle, but soon, it became too weak and didn’t move, even when Sapphira’s magic disappeared. After half a minute I’ve absorbed the last bits of the energy of this strange magical golem. What was a timber wolf not long ago was now a pile of rotten wood, branches and leaves, and I felt energized like I just drank a liter of strong coffee.

“Ha-ha-ha! Not bad! Not bad at all!” I laughed and turned towards the girls. They had puzzled faces.

“How did you do it?” asked Lily in bewilderment. “And why it did not attack you?”

“I’m not sure why it ignored me, but all I did is taking its magic away. These wolves were not living beings, and had some magic within, which powers them. Take away the magic and all what will be left is an assortment of logs and branches!” I said what I did exactly, just didn’t mention how.

“This can be important news, but unicorns from the academy most likely already know this fact.” Lily said thoughtfully, hovering in the air. Her mane and her impressive tail were waving in the gusts of wind created by her wings. “Alright, let’s move! It will be bad if other timber wolves are coming here, attracted by the howls of their kin.”

“Damn! Just who made those wooden things? And why?” I said grumpily as we started to leave the scene of our short battle. The fact we were almost ambushed by some stupid wooden golems did not sit well with me.

“Nopony knows! Some say they are created by magic spontaneously, deep in forests, and they are guardians of those forests.” Lily scratched her head with a hoof, flying along me. “But it sounds like a fairy tale to me!”

“I agree!” Sapphira decided to express her opinion too. “The whole matter with those wolves is strange.” Her hooves softly touched the ground and she started walking beside me.

“I’ll scout ahead!” said Lily and flew up above the trees.

Sapphira slapped my butt with her tail, attracting my attention, before saying: “She is quite energetic, isn’t she? Did you see how decisively she tried to protect you from that wolf who was getting up after you’ve knocked it down, with just her bare hooves at that?” Sapphira looked me in the eyes attentively, smiling.

“Are you sure she was trying to protect me? That looked like a regular battle move to me…” I scratched my head.

“I’m sure Ray; do you know how much it hurts? Our hooves can become very hard, of course, but those wolves were made of logs! And she rammed into that wolf with such speed! She wouldn’t do such a thing just to damage it.” Sapphira’s ears lowered to the sides and her brows furrowed. “You should check her hooves later. You can help her… right?” - Sapphira made a pleading look, - “She won’t tell us if she is hurt. She is trying to seem strong to us…”

“You don’t even need to ask me. Of course I’ll do what I can, as always!” I said reassuringly, patting Sapphira on her back lightly.

At this moment we saw Lily returning. She stopped in the air above us without landing.

“Come on, everypony! There are an area with meadows ahead, and I think we’re close to the railroad, I’ve heard a train whistle, if I’m not mistaken! And timber wolves never come out of the forests, so we can have a rest there!” She turned around and led us forward.

“Ha-ha, ‘everypony’, she usually says, what a funny word! I’ve never heard this term from you, Sapphira!” I said jokingly.

“Naturally! Why would I use it? I’m not a pony!” Sapphira said with a smug smile.

While having a small talk with Sapphira, we followed Lily’s lead and soon exited the shade of the forest into the sunny meadow. After walking a safe distance from the edges of the forest we decided to make a stop.

“Lily, come here!” shouted Sapphira, flattening the tall grass around her to take a seat.

Lily descended from the sky and landed before me, but suddenly her right front hoof gave way and she stumbled, her body started falling forward.

“Ah!” Lily exclaimed in pain.

I was fast enough to catch her before she fell headfirst. She steadied herself, standing on three legs. She could not stand on her right forehoof.

PoV: Night Lily.

I almost fell down, but luckily Ray caught me.

“Thanks, Ray! I’m afraid… I won’t be able to walk for some time.” I said sadly. The joint of my hoof got worse gradually after I smashed the head of that wolf.

“We’ll see about that!” he said as he sat before me on the grass. “Sit and let me look at your hoof.” He said with concern in his voice.

I did as he asked and started observing his actions. He gently took my hoof in his left hand. His fingers touched my soft pads under my hoof. I smiled involuntarily, despite the nagging pain in my hoof. I raised my eyes to look at him, and I saw it! “Aha! So the last time it was not just my imagination!” I thought as I saw his eyes glowing faintly with saturated green light. His gaze traced different parts of my hoof, spending the most time on my aching and already swelling joint. He nodded his head and observed the rest of my body quickly. His eyes lost their unnatural and mysterious appearance after that.

Ray snapped his fingers with his right hand, which became instantly surrounded by the faint yellow aura and then his hand lightly touched my hoof from above. The sensation of moving cool waves, coming from his fingers, quickly numbed the pain and sense of uncomfortable heat in my joint. I looked up at him again, he had a serious face with slightly furrowed brows, and it was easy to see he was concentrating on the task at hand earnestly. The treatment was finished in a while. Ray released my hoof and I tried to move it in various ways and everything felt right, I could even stand on it!

“Thank you, Ray!” I said to him joyfully, and following a sudden impulse I raised my forehooves and hugged him, while he was still sitting before me. I rubbed my cheek against his. This time, I didn’t think it was strange or inappropriate for some reason. Ray reciprocated my hug and slowly stroked my mane. I closed my eyes in pleasure and accidentally made the smallest of whinnies through my closed mouth.

“As if I’d let my little Lily to suffer!” Ray laughed lightly and continued to stroke my mane.

And now I was starting to feel a little embarrassed, so I just pressed my head to his body, unwilling to meet his eyes. “He-hee! I need to do this more often!” I thought to myself.

“Oh just kiss him already, Lily!” Sapphira said suddenly, giggling.

My eyes opened and I looked at her askance. “Are you making fun of me again, Sapphi?” I asked her with a scheming look. “Then look!” I raised my head, puckered my lips and kissed Ray on the cheek with gusto, making a loud smacking sound. Ray had a bewildered, but very content look on his face. Despite my burning cheeks I felt very satisfied with my behavior. “It must be Sapphira’s influence on me, but I’m tired of being shy all my life! Especially after I’ve observed Sapphira’s interactions with Ray for the last two days! Was I envious of her free disposition? Perhaps I was!” I stepped away from Ray and looked at Sapphira, smiling. “Satisfied?” I said smugly.

“Of course I am!” Sapphira walked up to me with a grin and then suddenly smooched me on a cheek. “Huh?” My eyes widened as I wasn’t expecting it from her.

“See? You don’t have to restrain yourself if you like somebody! You will only suffer if you do!” Sapphira rubbed her head against mine and sat down beside me.

I was feeling almost as awkward as I used to feel before, but this time I was fighting stubbornly against this feeling, and I had trouble answering something sensible. “U… Uh-huh.” It was all I managed to say. “Sorry… you know I’m bad at such things…” I said quietly.

“No, no, no! You must not be sorry at all! You’ll get used to it, so relax, we are all friends here, right?” said Sapphira kindly.

“Right, we are friends!” My mind began to calm down finally.

Ray nodded his head in agreement. “Alright girls, I’m glad we’ve made it through without getting any serious injuries this time! So let’s have a snack and find that station! Cheer up! I’m sure our journey is almost complete.” Ray noticed I was feeling uncomfortable and changed the topic.

I can see he does that often when Sapphira takes it a bit too far. I like that he is concerned about my feelings. I’ll take it slower; it’s too much for me to do it so straightforwardly, like Sapphira does.

And so, we’ve started to prepare our short dinner with a hope of reaching our destination before the night falls.

Chapter 9 - New Acquaintances

Current time.

PoV: Ray.

The Sun was high in the sky, generously pouring its warm rays to the lands below. If I was on Earth, I’d say it was around midday, but here… Here you can’t judge the time of the day by the position of the Sun, as it stays in place for the most of the day. It takes only slightly more than an hour for it to set down or rise up when days and nights transition into each other, and now we are closing in to the moment when the Sun begins to set. What a weird world! Falda’ar told me something about this unconventional magic-driven planetary system, but didn’t go into much detail. Well, that’s not so important at the moment, apart from me unable to tell approximate time by looking at the Sun.

All three of us are sitting on the grass, actively munching on fruits and vegetables. We don’t have time to cook anything anyway. I was throwing frequent glances at Sapphira and Lily. What they did a few minutes ago surprised me greatly, but at that time I was just finished treating Lily and my mind was relaxed after great concentration. After all, I could not be negligent while healing Lily.

But damn! Lily acting mischievous was so cute and… hot! And then Sapphira kissed her gently! Who can stay indifferent to such a show? I knew she liked Lily, of course, but I didn’t think it was to this extent, or maybe all ponies are just like that. Perhaps, it is not that surprising after that life and death battle we have gone through together!

But those things aside, it seems it all comes to a situation where I’ll have two mares on my hands. Not that I’m against it, it’s just my old world’s rules are still giving me that little tingling somewhere in a far corner of my mind. I can see Sapphira will be more than happy to make our couple into a trio. I have an impression she is pushing Lily too hard, but unlike Sapphira, I can’t read emotions. I may well be wrong!

And while I was thinking about these sugary matters, my gaze was subconsciously glued to Lily’s face. Then my mind finally figured out she is looking back at me, smiling coyly. Sapphira was whispering something in her ear. Whoa! Do they already have some secrets between them?

“Is there something on my face, Ray?” Lily asked innocently, but I can see Sapphira’s trademark sarcasm in her words. Nope, girls, I’m not a teenager to get embarrassed by such things! I’m game! My slight smile transformed into a satisfied grin.

“It’s just my eyes tend to look at the prettiest things around when I’m in thoughts! And you two just happen to be exactly those!” I chuckled and lay down on the grass on my side, propping my head with a hand, continuing to observe this two sly mares. They are up to some something!

“Just look at him! What a flatterer!” Sapphira said laughingly. “But he is not lying! You know, Lily, he is a terrible liar!” Sapphira laughed. “To his credit!”

Lily giggled, covering her mouth with her hoof.

“Oh! Let’s play a little game!” Sapphira said conspiratorially to Lily. “The game is called ‘Ask Ray’, and he can’t lie or stay silent.” She looked at me, smiling.

“Huh? Sapphi, what are you up to?” I asked with a raised brow. “And this game doesn’t look fair to me!” I added, chuckling. “But whatever! Ask away!” I waved my hand.

“Lily? Do you want to ask him something?” Sapphira asked her, but seeing Lily’s confused look, she turned back to me. “Alright, I’ll ask in her stead. Do you like Lily, as a mare? Say it to her!”

I choked a little on the fruit I was chewing from the unexpectedness of such question. But after biting the bullet I’m not going back on my words. She definitely knows the answer herself, what a schemer! I pondered for a little while before saying: “Sapphira, you’re at it again! Ah, alright!” I sighed and turned to Lily, “Lily, I really like you. I find you attractive, if it’s what you wanted to know. Yeah, that’s an awkward thing to say out of the blue, but I’ve promised to answer!”

Lily held her hoof to her cheek bashfully, but didn’t break eye contact. Lily’s reaction elicited a smile from me.

“Really?” said Lily. A spark of genuine interest could be seen in her eyes. “And… what about my fangs, eyes, and also wings?” Lily put her hoof on her lip near one of her fangs. “You know… ponies are often apprehensive of me because of... my appearance. Like some stallions who can look at my rear for minutes, but when I turn around to face them, they turn tail, making up some silly excuses and going away! I rarely visit those places where a lot of thestrals live, so it’s a common occurrence for me, usually.” Lily said regretfully, but still was expecting my answer.

“Huh? Lily, just look at Sapphira! You know my feelings for her. Those eyes and fangs are her unique beauty! And the same I can say about you! Anyone who turns away from you because of this are fools, no less! Such cute fangs and eyes… who can dislike them?” I said, gesturing actively with my hands. I really held some contempt for those who treated Lily and others this way, just because of their a bit predatory appearance. That said, it may be harder to ‘integrate’ into pony society than I initially thought…

“Thanks, Ray! I’m flattered!” said Lily with a mysterious smile and turned to Sapphira.

“Told you!” said Sapphira with a contented look.

Seems they communicate a lot between themselves when I’m not around. Well, women are women, no matter which world. Seeing everyone has finished with their food I got up and walked up to the two mares sitting before me together. I got to one knee and hugged them by their necks, pressing their bodies against mine lightly.

“Thank you, girls, I would have never made it out without you two!” I said what I should have said a long time ago already. “Love you both!” I lightly kissed Sapphira and then Lily on their cheeks. Sapphira kissed me back on the cheek without much thinking, followed by Lily’s light peck on the other cheek.

“Don’t think you can get away with just a kiss on the cheek, Ray. I’ll get what you owe me later!” Sapphira said, giggling.

“Alright, let’s go, time is tight!” I stroked their manes one last time and got up. As much as I like to hug and fool around with them, we really need to go now. Our little interaction charged me with energy and motivation to finish our journey faster. “I’m getting addicted to hugging with ponies!” I thought jokingly to myself with a satisfied smile on my lips. We buckled up our bags and were ready to go.

“Follow me!” Lily said, going past me, her fluffy tail ran along my side.

Living with Sapphira for several days, I can already discern some of the subtle signals of their body language. And this one… was not at all subtle! I sighed. Aren’t the things between us going too fast? I and Sapphira had a unique case, so to speak, but Lily? Are ponies that fast in such matters? Or maybe it is us, humans, who are slow? But whatever! If it’s her choice, I won’t reject her! I like her a lot, after all!

Lily picked up a trot. With their smaller size and much shorter body length, than their animal counterparts from my planet, it was a speed of my fast walk. Damn it! It’s an insult to compare them to ponies from Earth, like comparing humans to gorillas! I should not think in this way!

We followed Lily across the meadow, closing in towards another forested area. We were already close to the forest, and at this moment when we’ve heard the noise of a train ahead. Steel wheels rolling on the rails and steam exhaust were making those unique noises you can never mistake for anything else.

“Ha-ha! We’ve made it!” I exclaimed when I saw railway tracks ahead, going across the forest from the north to the south. The trees around the railway were cut down.

“Let’s see how far we are from the station!” said Lily and flew up, with Sapphira following her.

I was looking at them from below; they talked about something, gesturing with their hooves actively. After having their talk, they returned to me with beaming smiles.

“The supply station is not too far away, we will be there in an hour or so, going along the tracks.” said Lily joyfully.

“Let’s hurry I’m so tired of all that endless forests!” replied Sapphira. She was obviously eager to leave her old life behind.

“Alright!” I said and picked up my pace. This time, they chose to fly above the rails rather than walk on the uneven ground, continuing their talk, and I had nothing against them having some private chat. So I was just pushing forward to the north, thinking about my own stuff.

Sunset, expedition camp at the ruins.

After a busy day of tedious work, the newly arrived pegasi have finally loaded all of the ancient relics onto the freight flying carriages. It was decided to rest for one more night and depart in the morning.

Twilight was sitting on the edge of a large pillow which could substitute a bed for a pony. Spike was already snoring serenely. Starlight entered the tent from the outside, her silhouette was surrounded by the halo of the setting Sun.

“What’s the matter, Twilight?” asked Starlight.

Twilight looked at her, thinking for a moment, then raised her hooves and fell backwards, plopping onto pillow. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling of the tent.

“I’m… bored!” she said with unreadable expression on her face. “I can’t believe I’m actually saying it, but I’m bored!” Twilight shifted her gaze back to Starlight.

Starlight just looked incredulously at Twilight with a raised brow.

“What, Starlight? Surprised? I’m too! But you know… we have found nothing yesterday, and today too!” - Twilight’s eyes slowly returned to the ceiling. - “Even our endeavors to explore the submerged pyramid with Princess Luna didn’t bear any fruits… Everything has been robbed away by some treasure hunters ages ago!” Twilight sighed before continuing: “And I’ve finished all of my books I took with me! I don’t even have anything to read! And I’m not too keen on doing my current magic research without my important notes, which I left back in the castle…”

Starlight sat on the other pillow nearby. She too felt something similar from the lack of results and having nothing to do this evening.

“I feel the same too, Twilight!” said Starlight with a sigh.

“And there were no gems! That big one in the room is inedible! What a disappointment!” Spike woke up and shared his own complaints in a sleepy voice, before flipping on another side and closing his eyes again, yawning.

“Oh, spike, don’t tell me you tried eating the lighting crystal!” said Twilight reproachfully.

“I didn’t, it does not smell tasty!” said Spike grudgingly.

Twilight sighed again. “Oh Celestia! But that’s good you didn’t chew it!”

“Twilight, why didn’t you ask the Princess about the thing we discussed yesterday?” said Starlight in dissatisfaction.

“I…” Twilight stopped when the silhouette at the entrance blocked the rays of the setting.

“And what exactly did you want to ask me, girls?” Princess Luna appeared before them unexpectedly, looking at Starlight.

“I… We… We are confused about the goals of this expedition. What we were searching for all this time? Why we were searching for harmful magic in the area?” Starlight gathered her courage and asked the Princess the question that was gnawing on her mind for the past day.

Luna sighed before speaking: “I don’t know what we should have found here myself. But about the harmful magic, I think you two have a right to know.” Luna walked to the last pillow in the tent and sat on it.

“You all know about the Everfree forest, right? But did you think we could have chosen this place to build the capital city if it was the same as it is now?” Luna looked at her companions attentively.

Twilight was already sitting on the pillow, greedily listening to what Princess had to say. Even spike got up and sat on his bed, listening.

“But the books…” Twilight wanted to say something.

“Forget the books! I and my sister witnessed it firsthand!” Luna made a pause, thinking through what she was about to say. “It all began not too long before I got imprisoned on the Moon by my sister… We both felt it that night. Something strange happened in the nearby forest, which is now known as Everfree. That forest where the Tree of Harmony was planted. Vast waves of horrible magic appeared suddenly and undulated from there, their source unknown. Similar things happened before across the Equis too, but usually were too far from us to investigate personally.”

“You mean something similar to our current case?” asked Twilight with interest.

“Yes, but not exactly. At that time the place was a capital of Equestria, built around our castle. It was relatively small and made mainly of wood, if you compare it to our modern cities. You still can easily find what was left of it if you dig through the layers of soil around the old castle.” Luna patted her chin with the hoof, trying to remember the event in more details.

“At first, our soldiers and scientists we had sent into the forest did not find anything out of the order, but that was just a calm before the storm. The weather was the first to get out of control. The pegasi weather teams started complaining about the increasing difficulty of managing the clouds and the winds, and later they could no longer control the weather at all.” Luna’s voice turned serious and she was gesturing with her hoof actively.

“Sounds like trouble!” Spike commented quietly.

Luna continued: “After the weather teams, our foresters reported weird happening in the woods. The trees started to grow taller and denser, making the forest darker, and the animals became aggressive. The pristine waters of the forest lake started to get stale and muddy. After some time the forest started to grow out of its boundaries fast.”

Luna made a pause and closed her eyes, recollecting the events of that time. Everyone else waited with baited breath. The things Luna said were too different from the events described in the books.

“Then… something wrong started happening to me.” – Luna’s voice became sad when she mentioned it. – “Inexplicable feelings of envy and other negative emotions appeared in my heart, growing stronger by the day. It clouded my mind with the abhorrent thoughts of greed for power, even of hatred towards my sister. The grudge I held for Celestia grew heavier every day. What was once just a strange fleeting thought, just a little bit of envy towards Celestia, had eventually transformed into a disgusting obsession.” Luna looked at Twilight and Starlight, afraid to see condemn in their eyes, but she didn’t see any.

“Princess Luna… Don’t be upset with your past! It was not you! I too had my wrongdoing is the past…” Starlight tried to support Luna.

“Yes, thank you Starlight. But I still cannot forgive myself completely! Why was I so blind? Why didn’t I notice what was happening to me in time? Why that little childish envy was able to transform into… that! At that time I no longer thought about anything else, but seizing the throne and taking revenge on my sister. I didn’t feel that anything was wrong with me, like it was the most natural thing for me to hate my sister! It was until that very day when I and my sister had a fight against each other, destroying our castle in the process.” Luna’s brows furrowed and she lowered her head.

Twilight raised her hoof and wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. Luna continued.

“I have a feeling that my abnormal state of mind and that magical incident in the forest were connected somehow.” Luna had a painful expression on her face. “It can’t be just a coincidence.”

“It should be as you say!” Twilight almost shouted. “I don’t believe you could become Nightmare Moon willingly, Princess Luna!”

“But it’s still just a conjecture… That day, the Nightmare Moon appeared. It was no longer me, Luna, but somepony else, who took over my body. At that time it was too late for me to change anything, it was too late to realize that I… was not… me anymore! To this very day I cannot understand who or what she is, and how she had appeared. My memories of me being Nightmare Moon are fractured and hazy, and my mind remained in this state for a thousand years.” Luna rubbed the side of her head with a hoof, closing her eyes. She was recollecting her painful memories.

“The Elements of Harmony failed to liberate me from the clutches of Nightmare Moon, and instead had me imprisoned on the Moon for the whole millennium, together with her! It came as a horrible and unexpected result both for me and for my sister.” Luna had a very sad look on her face, and her voice was trembling, when talking about these events of her past.

Twilight got up from her pillow and walked up to Luna. She put her hoof softly on Luna’s back, trying to comfort her.

“Don’t blame yourself or Princess Celestia for that, Luna! We don’t blame either of you.” Twilight said in a faltering voice. She was not experienced dealing with such situations, but Luna didn’t mind, a trace of smile appeared on her face.

“Nightmare Moon…” – Luna continued, her eyes squinted, – “she knew I was there, together with her. I had to listen to her poisonous speeches the whole time I was there. Nightmare Moon tried to drive me insane more times, than I want to remember. Should she succeeded, I’m afraid there would be no more Luna, and only Nightmare Moon would remain…”

Tears could be seen dripping from Luna’s eyes when she talked about her sad experience. Twilight, seeing it, hugged the Princess tightly, and just stayed silent. Starlight got up from her place and joined them too, a bit hesitantly. They sat like this for a few minutes, until Luna regained her composure and wiped away her tears. Spike was sitting nervously in his place, unsure what to do, but calmed down eventually.

“Forgive us, for thou had to witness our unsightly bearing…” said Luna quietly, preventing Twilight from retorting by putting a hoof to her lips. After a brief pause to calm her mind, Luna continued: “I never shared this with anyone, except my sister, so I’ve got a little emotional. Well, the rest of the story I heard from Celestia after my liberation from Nightmare Moon. I’m infinitely happy the Elements worked properly this time. I doubt I could have survived another thousand years there and stay in a sane mind. I’m grateful for what you and your friends have done for me, Twilight!” Luna raised her head to look Twilight in the eyes, she was smiling gently.

“We are all happy that everything ended well, Princess Luna!” said Twilight.

Luna continued, “But returning to our topic, my sister later found out the natural magic flow of the whole place was disturbed, twisted, and it continued to get worse. Signs and traces of dark magic were everywhere. The forest got out of control completely, and no earth pony or unicorn could contain its growth. Celestia too could not find any effective solution.

“Manticores appeared in much greater numbers out of the blue, along with cockatrixes and other dangerous animals and plants. Some common plants and animals were changed by the dark magic and became dangerous or poisonous too. The once clear forest lake had gradually transformed into a muddy swamp, now known as Froggy Bottom swamp. Cragadiles and even a hydra had found their home there.”

“That’s why… That’s exactly why we were searching for harmful magic, right?” Starlight said, more to herself, than to ask any real questions.

“Indeed,” answered Luna. “The forest was becoming more and more deadly by the day. My sister tried to stop it, but the forest was relentless. Eventually, the evacuation of the capital was called.”

Luna looked around to see the reaction of the listeners. Everyone was silent, listening attentively.

“If not for the Tree of Harmony, which still keeps this forest within its borders to this day, who knows how large could that problem become?! The tree had also cleared the dark magic out of the forest over time. It could have been a disaster spanning across the area the size of the Forbidden Jungle, if not for the Tree of Harmony!”

“The Forbidden Jungle?” Twilight asked in bewilderment.

“Yes, I’m talking about the place we are currently at. In ancient times, this place too, was once a flourishing and rich land for the ponies, until similar occurrence made it too dangerous to live in! Do you understand now, girls? These ruins are exactly from the times before the disaster and far older than just a thousand years. Such disasters are a mystery we could not solve in hundreds of years, so we were just apprehensive to tell you earlier. This issue could have diverted too much of your attention, and you two still have your own projects and responsibilities.”

“But I think…” Twilight tried to say something, but was interrupted by Luna.

“These matters are no joke and can be very dangerous! I and my sister do not want anything to happen to you, or to see a Nightmare Twilight one day at our doorstep!” Luna laughed lightly. “We will get to the source, sooner or later, but we are too inundated with governing Equestria at the moment. Don’t try to investigate it on your own, Twilight.” Luna breathed in slowly, before exhaling. “That’s pretty much sums it up! That’s why I’ve said that the absence of any results is actually a good result. Because it is.”

Two young mares were lost for words, still trying to process all this information properly.

“I… I understand, Princess Luna!” said Starlight. “I’m sorry for doubting you…” she added apologetically.

“It’s alright, Starlight, I know you are a curious mare! Just like me!” Luna giggled lightly.

“Twilight, are you alright?” Spike shook Twilight by her shoulder. Her head bobbed to the sides several times.

“Uh? What? Oh, of course, of course, Spike!” Twilight blurted quickly, then yanked out a scroll and a writing feather from her bag with her magic. She started madly scribbling on it after lighting up her horn. “I’m totally… totally alright!” She mumbled almost inaudibly and the feather moved across the scroll even faster.

Spike sighed. “No, you aren’t, Twilight…”

“Just… Just give me a minute, alright?” Twilight said impatiently.

Luna giggled at this scene and Starlight had a wry smile on her face, looking at Luna.

“So, we are leaving tomorrow morning, right?” asked Starlight.

“Yes, we have nothing else to do here. I’ve checked everything a few more times, and it is all clear here, I’m sure!” Luna said with confidence. “Also you’ll be going back without me; I want to talk to that treasure hunter who was here, in private. He must be in Appleloosa tomorrow,” she added thoughtfully.

Starlight started pondering while Twilight missed everything Luna said, too busy writing down everything she heard before.

“Why don’t we accompany you to the Appleloosa? It won’t delay us too much, right?” finally asked Starlight.

“Well, if you are sure your can be delayed for one more day, I have no reason to refuse! Twilight? Twilight!” Luna tried to draw her attention.

“Ah! Yes! I’ve finished!” Twilight made her usual strained smile, putting her scroll back inside her bag.

“Princess Luna want to stop by Appleloosa tomorrow, do you mind it?” Starlight had to repeat it to Twilight, but she twisted the words a little to force Twilight into agreeing with this arrangement.

“No! I mean, I don’t mind!” Twilight said awkwardly. “But why?”

“That treasure hunter who lived in the building. Princess wants to question him.” Starlight said without much interest.

“Oh! That treasure hunter? I must ask him how he opened the doors on his own!” Twilight had a spark of enthusiasm in her eyes, a stark contrast with her mood before Luna’s visit.

“Well, at least Twilight is back to being Twilight!” Spike made his remark and shrugged his shoulders.

“No, Twilight, I’ll be talking to him alone, lest you’ll scare him with that mountain of questions you will surely have! It’s not up for discussion! You three can have a stroll through the town, it have changed a lot lately. Spike will surely appreciate it, right, Spike?” Luna said with a smile, shifting her gaze to Spike.

“Of course! And we must visit a gemstone shop, Twilight! You promised!” – Spike became lively, – “And we can also visit our friends from buffalo tribe too! Yeah, they always have those tasty azure gems! Er… I mean, I want to meet them because they are our friends, not just because of gems!” said Spike awkwardly.

“Alright, alright, Spike, a promise is a promise!” Twilight replied, sighing.

“Well, I’ve already moved the Moon and it’s getting darker by the minute. You should go to sleep early, everypony! Good night!” Luna stood up and unhurriedly left the tent.

Not far from the supply rail station. Sunset.

PoV: Ray.

Our trio of weary travelers was walking alongside the tracks towards the station which was already close. We didn’t meet any trains during that hour we were walking here. The railway tracks at this place were splitting into two. The initial one was going forward, bypassing the station and another one was going towards the station, splitting into two more tracks along the way. The whole place could be hardly called a station, as it had very short platform, probably for unloading supplies. There were two buildings, one looked like a storage and the second one was a small living quarters, a light could be seen in its windows.

Between two of the tracks stood a wooden water tower and a sand shed with a primitive sand tower attached to it. The third track was seemingly a spare one. We could not see any station workers from afar; they must have been indoors or behind the structures. We turned towards the station and unhurriedly walked forward.

“Um… Lily, do you have any plan? We… well… have me and a changeling among us, after all.” I said and grabbed Sapphira with my hands, lifting her off the ground. “A very cute and lovely changeling!”

Lily raised her brow. “Don’t worry, I’ll just press them with my position and one of my badges, and then force them to keep their mouths shut about it, if needed!” Lily said indifferently with half-closed eyes.

“Ha! Lily in serious mode? I like it!” Sapphira commented, flying out of my grasp, but not before giving me light kiss on the lips.

“Me too! Ha-ha! Do you do it often, Lily?” I was curious about her working habits.

“Happens. Some ponies just don’t want to cooperate, even when asked nicely.” Lily answered with a little smile. “But I’d prefer not to flaunt my position while in the town.”

“That’s understandable!” I replied.

Distracted by our careless conversation, we were walking ahead until we stood before the door to the small house.

“Let’s knock? Maybe somebody is inside.” I knocked thrice on the door. It was silent for some time, but then we heard a noise coming from the inside and an irritated voice followed.

“What the hay, guys, the door was open! Why do I have to get up and open the bucking door for you!” The voice got closer, then the door opened. A unicorn with sleepy eyes was standing behind the door. His coat color was a pale ochre with a ruffled rusty hair. His unfocused gaze slowly concentrated on Lily, then shifted to Sapphira. At this point his eyes started to open wide, and when his gaze finally went up to my face, unicorn’s jaw dropped.

“A-a-a!” the unicorn screamed in panic and slammed the door shut before our faces.

For a few seconds there was a complete silence, then the door opened for the second time.

“A-a-a-a-a! Villains have come for us!” the unicorn shouted hysterically and slammed the door again, we heard a sound of sliding bar from the other side.

We looked at each other in confusion, then I knocked on the door another time.

“Go away, monsters! I’m not coming out! Shoo! Shoo!” shouted the muffled voice from behind the door.

After a few seconds we heard sounds of some heavy object being dragged on the floor. Lily looked inside the window to see what’s happening.

“He is barricading the door with some heavy crate…” Lily said with a bewildered look on her face.

“What’s wrong with this guy?” Sapphira asked a rhetorical question, and I just shrugged my shoulders in response. “But his emotions are in shambles,” she added.

“The hay are you shouting for, moron! Did you smoke that zebrican dung again? I’ve already told you not to bring that crap on our shift!” Another voice talking in a deep baritone was heard from behind the building. An earth stallion trotted from around the corner and stopped in his tracks when he saw us. He had a bluish-gray coat and silvery-gray, rather short mane of a lighter color. His build was quite muscular and stocky.

“Eh… Hello?” the stallion said awkwardly and made a step backwards, probably ready to run away. “Who are you?” he added quickly.

“Oh, at last we meet someone who can speak adequately!” I commented. The previous interaction was… strange, to say the least. “We are travelers. We’ve got in trouble in the Forbidden Jungle, but was able to get out.” I said after thinking for a moment.

The stallion was attentively looking at me, and after noticing a bad state of my jeans with obvious marks of bites and claws, he came to some sort of conclusion.

“Your friend seems to be scared of us… I understand that we look weird, but still, his reaction is…” I didn’t have a chance to finish.

“Oh don’t mind him, he is always like that,” he said to us dismissively. “Name’s Steel Sheen. I’m a foreman of that useless unicorn,” he introduced himself as he walked towards us and held out his hoof.

“Night Lily!” Lily stepped ahead of us and held out her hoof too. She lightly hit Steel Sheen’s hoof with her own, which produced a clopping sound. Seems it’s an analogue of handshakes for ponies! Then she pulled out a badge of sorts from somewhere and flashed it briefly before Steel’s face. “You didn’t see it, understand?” her vertical pupils drilled him with a serious gaze.

Steel Sheen’s eyes widened for a moment. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Heh! Lily is like another person when it involves her work. It’s not surprising ponies are a little afraid of her with this sharp attitude.” I thought to myself and crouched before the stallion, clenched and unclenched my hand several times, thinking about how I should do it properly, and bumped my fist with his hoof. The hit was partially soft, which means they don’t put in magic to harden their hooves when they do it.

“Ray, a traveler.” I said concisely.

“Sapphira!” Sapphira followed suit. “I’m a changeling, as you can see, and I don’t belong to any hives.”

“Um… Yes…” Steel sheen hit Sapphira’s hoof with an awkward expression on his face. “That’s just… I’ve never seen a changeling walking around without disguise, much less the one like you!” His eyes traced along Sapphira’s sleek mane.

Among all three, Steel Sheen was the most surprised by the changeling mare, but after seeing Lily’s badge he did not have any unnecessary concerns, but now he is somewhat afraid of Lily. I could see a funny mix of attraction and apprehension on his face towards Sapphira. Well, now I’m sure not all ponies are averse to changelings, after all. Maybe I’d even have to shoo them away from Sapphira one day.

“Oh that… why would I need to use a disguise, when I didn’t do anything bad? Nor do I plan to!” Sapphira laughed lightly at his reaction, probably reading his conflicting emotions.

“Right, my bad! Just a moment!” Steel walked towards the door and forcefully knocked on it with his hoof, but only silence was his answer, so he knocked even harder. “Come on, useless dumbhead, open up already! Or I’ll fine you for insubordination!” he shouted.

“No, wait! I’m opening!” the unicorn shouted from the other side. The noise of the moving crate was heard again.

“What the hay are you doing there, Fizzlecrack? Are trying to get on my nerves?” Steel grumbled.

“I’m almost done!” answered Fizzledcrack nervously from behind the door.

“If you aren’t opening the door right now, you’ll really be done, and not just ‘almost’!” Steel was getting angry.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Fizzlecrack blurted out quickly. We heard the noise of a sliding wooden bar, then the door was finally opened again.

“What was this nonsense, Fizzlecrack?” – Steel lightly hit the back of his head with his hoof, – “We have visitors here, who are in trouble. And you’re spouting ravings about some monsters and behaving like an idiot you are!” Steel chastised the unlucky unicorn, then turned to us. “Come inside, there is not too much space, but at least there are enough benches for everyone.” He waved with his hoof towards a large table with two long benches on both sides of it. The table and the benches had old tavern vibes to them. In the far corner of the building I could see three beds, too short for a human to sleep on, but wide at the same time. The unicorn was having a rest when we arrived, it seems.

I had to bend down to get inside. The door was designed with the height of ponies in mind, but the ceiling was sufficiently high not to hit my head on it. The unicorn was standing on shaky legs, looking at us passing by him, but after receiving a strict gaze from Steel, he finally composed himself and closed the door. I stopped at the entrance, took off my spear from my back, which made the unicorn back away in fright, and put it against the wall at the entrance, before going inside.

The building had only one large room. The area at the entrance was designated for storing clothes and frequently used tools. In the far right end of the room was a sleeping area, to the right from the door was a little kitchen. The table with the benches was standing near the window opposite to the entrance door. To the left was a little stove, shelves with various stuff and a closet.

When everyone was seated around the table, Steel started talking.

“This is Sandy Crunch, he pointed to the unicorn with his hoof. But everyone calls him Fizzlecrack, because his horn has a crack and he can’t use magic well. That’s the reason of his nervousness, so don’t be offended by his actions. He would not be able to defend himself well with his magic when he need to, so he tends to overreact to some things,” explained Steel Sheen.

Then we introduced ourselves to the nervous unicorn. Well, he is not a bad guy, just a bit cowardly, probably still too young and has too much imagination. At this moment the door opened and another earth stallion entered the room. He had a light brown coat with a straw colored mane. The mark on his side was in a form of a wrench with a gear in the background. Thinking about the mark… I didn’t pay much attention to the other two’s marks, but it was something like a metal weight on Sandy’s side and some sort of a checklist and working helmet on Steel’s. The newly arrived stallion carelessly dropped his bag in the corner. The bag hit the floor with metallic clanging, then the stallion looked at us; surprise could be seen on his face.

“Oh, Quick Fix! Have you finished doing your work in the storehouse? We have guests, as you can see!” Steel has invited him to the table.

After getting acquainted with us, Quick Fix looked at Steel incredulously.

“Don’t look at me with such eyes, I’ve… checked their papers, everything is fine.” Steel has dismissed Fix’s worries, remembering about the threats Lily have made about disclosing her status.

Quick Fix pondered for a moment, all the while looking at me.

“Umm… Mister Ray? Can I ask you who you are? You are not a minotaur, are you?” Quick Fix asked finally, his curiosity got a better of him.

“Of course I’m not! I’m a human and I come from a ve-e-ery remote place. It’s not a surprise you’ve never seen the likes of me!” I replied casually.

“Oh, I see! Your Equestrian is very good, though.” said Quick Fix.

“Ha-ha, yes, I had a very good teacher!” I said with a small laugh, remembering my strange way of learning this language.

“Alright, guys, let’s get to important things first!” Lily interjected. “We need to get on a train to Appleloosa, when you expect the next to arrive?” she asked and looked at Steel.

“Ummm… Let me check the schedule first. One should arrive around midnight, if I remember correctly. Not all the trains stop here, mainly those which need a checkup or maintenance, or runs out of water or sand. Going up the mountains always put a strain on locomotives, so our station was built here to provide assistance when needed.”

Steel stood up from his place and walked up to the wall, where was a large schedule sheet.

“Yeah, one will arrive a little bit past midnight.” – Steel walked back to the table, while speaking. – “We will refill and check it, and it will remain here until dawn. The tracks are usually reserved for more fast and powerful freight trains at night, which have larger tanks, more durable and thus don’t usually need to stop here, but this one is an old model. It’s not so fast, but still doing a fine job as a freight locomotive. Such a schedule allows us, service workers, to have more rest at nights.”

“Thanks, Steel! I guess we’ll have to spend some time here, then,” said Lily.

“I’ll talk with the train driver about you three, we know each other quite well,” Steel told us.

“That’s wonderful!” said Sapphira.

“So, it will be quite a long time before we can get on the train.” I said, looking at the girls. “Do you want to take off your armor, girls?”

“Ah, of course, I’ve almost forgot about it! Mind helping me with it?” asked Sapphira.

“Of course! Lily?” I asked Lily.

“What? Oh, yes, help me too, please.” Lily replied, seems she was thinking about something.

It wasn’t the first time I was dealing with their armor, so the process was quick. The stallions at the table were throwing sidelong glances at the girls which I find funny. Aren’t they all always in the nude? We returned to the table when we were done with the armor.

“Ahhh! Much better!” Sapphira shook her head, making her mesmerizing mane wave and spread across her back. “Isn’t it, Lily?”

“Uh-huh…” Lily nodded her head. She was not very talkative in the presence of these three stallions.

“Anyone wants some fruits? Freshly picked in a Forbidden Jungle!” Sapphira placed one of her full bags on the table with a smile, opening it.

“No way! That’s red dragonfruit! And sun orange! And… I don’t even know what it is!” Sandy Crunch exclaimed excitedly.

“Ha-ha, you sure are excited, Fizzlecrack!” Steel said laughingly. “Thanks, beautiful!”

“I won’t refuse the treat either!” Quick Fix said. “Oh, wait! It may not be much, but what about some sandwiches? I’ve made some for our shift!”

Quick Fix trotted to the kitchen corner and took something from the shelves. Steel stood up and went to another corner, looking for something in a closet.

Quick Fix returned to the table with a large plate full of sandwiches. He was holding it… with his teeth! Well, seems they can’t use their hooves for it while walking, but the plate had some sort of a special handle on the side for convenience, so it didn’t look too bad hygiene-wise. If my eyes do not deceive me, it is sandwiches with cheese! Damn, bread with cheese! It feels like it was ages since I had a taste of those for the last time! Time to fix that!

“Help yourselves!” said Quick Fix friendly.

“Damn, buddy, you’re my savior!” I said, grabbing one of the sandwiches. “I hope you didn’t put any bitter plants in there?” I asked with a little doubt, inspecting the sandwich attentively.

“Ummm… I guess I know what you mean, partner! But worry not! Just a regular salad, vegetables and no flowers!” Quick Fix answered jokingly.

“Perfect!” I exclaimed and bit down on my sandwich. “Oh yes, the taste is simple, but so damn good!”

I’ve noticed Steel returning, walking on three thee legs and holding some sort of a substantial keg under his right forehoof. He put the keg on a table with a proud face.

“Green apple cider! Strong one! Appleloosan special! Made personally by my uncle!” proclaimed Steel. “Fizzlecrack, get the mugs!”

“When did you…” Quick Fix tried to ask.

“A few days ago. And don’t drink too much, you two. We still have one more train waiting for us. And, of course, this never happened!” said Steel strictly. Other two nodded their heads.

After our mugs were filled, there was a little silent pause between us.

“To our acquaintance!” I said loudly, raising my mug. This gesture was not unknown for the inhabitants of this world, and we all raised our mugs and clinked them together.

The cider was something! Pure natural rich taste! Steel called it ‘strong’, but I didn’t feel it was strong by our Earth standards, not stronger than our regular beer or cider.

“Perfect! Steel, this cider is good!” I praised the drink.

“Um!” Steel just nodded approvingly.

After I diminished the amount of sandwiches by three, I decided I should leave some for the others too, so I grabbed some fruits to finish my meal with those. The others were calmly talking about their own subjects.

“Did you like my sandwiches so much, partner?” Quick Fix asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, you’ll understand me if you eat almost only raw fruits and vegetables for a week, ha-ha!”

“Ha-ha, right. Seems you’ve been through a lot out there!” Quick Fix noted.

“You bet! Shadow hounds, manticores! Never want to see those bastards again!” My voice became irritated when I talked about those hateful beasts.

Others around the table got attracted by my conversation with Quick Fix.

“Wait, what? Shadow hounds? Manticores? And you all are still alive?” Sandy Crunch exclaimed in disbelief.

“He fought alone against seven hounds, maybe more, it was hard to count them at that time. He killed three and the rest ran away in fright. We were lucky the main pack didn’t go after us.” Sapphira told about that event, and I could hear pride in her words.

“Really? How did he do that?” Sandy Crunch was obviously eager to hear such stories, being still very young.

“With his spear, naturally!” replied Sapphira casually.

Sandy Crunch looked at the corner where I left my spear.

“No, not that one. I happened to break my old iron spear in that fight.” I waved my hand at the spear.

“Hmm? A crystalline spear? You should be rich, partner. Those things are rare; the way to create them was lost long ago, when the Crystal Empire disappeared. Well, now the Empire is back, so I think this situation will change soon.” Quick Fix said half-jokingly.

“Really? It is one of my findings in the jungle.” Now I’m finally starting to understand why it was the only crystalline spear in the room, and why I managed to deal with the manticore using it.

“You better wrap it with some cloth before going into the city, partner,” said Quick Fix.

“Thanks for a good advice, I’ll do that,” I replied.

“But forget about the hounds, he killed an elder manticore almost singlehandedly! I helped a bit though,” Sapphira could not restrain herself from boasting about me.

“Wait, wait, girl! Stop making things up!” Steel Sheen finally had enough of her boasting.

“Ha! You think I’m making this up?” Sapphira exclaimed with her regular sly smile.

She got down from the bench, walked to her bag and pulled out something from it with her magic. Returning to the table, she took the item with her hoof, – “Then behold!” – Sapphira shouted and slammed the item on the table. It was nothing other but the stinger of that elder manticore! When did she take it? She didn’t tell me about it!

“Holy Celestia!” Steel’s eyes gone wide.

“No way!” Sandy Crunch said with his mouth agape.

“Well, hay! Hang me on a pole and call me a pegasus if this thing isn’t genuine!” exclaimed Quick Fix. “And it’s still fresh! Not older than three days! I know a little about this stuff!” He took the stinger in his hoof and inspected it in front of his face. “It’s huge!”

Quick Fix was obviously happy to have a look at such a thing. Then he looked at me again, it was obvious he is seeing me in another light now. “You have my respect, partner!” he held out his hoof to me, so I bumped it with my fist. Quick Fix had a wide grin on his face. “Damn, I like this guy! It’d be nice to hang out and have a drink with someone like him!” I looked at our company. Lily seemed a bit to too silent.

Steel Sheen made an awkward cough. “Sorry for calling you braggarts. It’s just… hard to believe that somepony can take on an elder manticore alone and survive, much less defeat it!” Steel said in a soft baritone.

“I won’t try doing it again, if possible. My luck is not infinite and I don’t have a death wish.” I said half-jokingly. “Sapphira gained some respect for us with her shenanigans this time. Did she really need to boast like that? But the face of Steel Sheen was worth it, ha-ha!”

I stood up and sat beside Lily. I whispered in her ear: “Is there anything wrong, Lily? You are so silent.”

She answered me in a whisper too: “Umm… no, or maybe I’ve drunk too much, also… I need to go to a… restroom.”

I’ve interrupted three stallions, who was passing the stinger to each other to have a better look.

“Hey guys! Where is a restroom here?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Ah! We forgot to tell you!” said Sandy Crunch, hitting his forehead with his hoof. “It’s outside, to the left. Oh, if you are going, can you switch on the street lamps outside, please? The switch is in a box near the base.”

“Alright! I’ll do it!” I replied. “Then we’ll have a little walk outside!” I patted Lily on the back and we went out.

It was already dark outside and the last rays of the Sun still made one side of the sky lighter from behind the horizon.

“What if they think something inappropriate about us, walking out together like this?” Lily asked.

“Then let them envy if they do, ha-ha!” I said as I walked towards one of the three street lamps.

Lily laughed. “Right! Well, I don’t need any lights, so I’m going. Be right back!”

I nodded to her. Lily flapped her wings and disappeared in the darkness towards the silhouette of a small structure to the left. I heard the door creak and close behind her while I was searching for the switch on the first lamp post. Soon I’ve found the switch in a form of a little lever. A dim orange light appeared inside the lamp, growing brighter by the second. I could discern a shape of a crystal before the light became too bright. So, they use magic crystals for illumination, no electricity.

There were two ceiling lamps inside the building and I guess those use crystals as well. I remembered that while I was walking out of the building, I saw a calendar on the wall. The date was 29th of May. Equestrian months, of course, were named differently, but I’d prefer to refer to them in Earth format. It was the same twelve months, but the number of days in each one was fixed at thirty.

I thought for a while, counting the days I’ve spent in the jungle, while I was busy turning on the rest of the street lamps. Tomorrow will be the last day of spring, and also a full week since I’ve arrived here. I calculated that I was thrown into this world on 23rd of May by the local calendar. Not a bad time to start my journey here. Especially since I’ve already lost the majority of my clothes, and warmer weather will at least keep me from freezing.

“I’m back!” Lily’s sudden voice from behind my back made me jerk my body in fright.

“Damn! You batponies are really quiet!” I laughed and ruffled her mane lightly, getting down to her eye level. “You got me!”

“Yeah! Maybe next time you won’t have your head in the clouds!” Lily giggled, then suddenly stood up on her hind legs and hugged me with her front hooves.

My posture was not too stable, and so I’ve topped to my back, dragging Lily with me. She had a smile on her face and her fangs accentuated her features. Her eyes had large captivating black pupils, which were staring right into mine.

Lily moved her head closer to my ear and whispered mildly: “I like when you stroke my mane…”

Getting the hint, I’ve started to stroke and weave my fingers through her mane slowly. Lily closed her eyes in bliss and then her lips slowly reached mine. A simple, but loving kiss. Then Lily just put her head on my chest and stayed still, relishing in pleasant sensations while I stoked her.

“Sorry to interrupt, but how could I miss such delicious waves of love!” - Sapphira appeared suddenly, with a satisfied grin on her face, - “But you better get up unless you want those guys to notice you.” She bobbed her head towards one of the windows.

Lily flapped her wings and quickly got back on her hooves, smiling awkwardly. I started to get up but was quickly pinned down by the black hoof back to the ground.

“Nope! You aren’t going anywhere until you pay your debt, honey!” Sapphira said slyly, plopped atop of me and, without wasting any time, started a passionate kiss.

“That will do!” Sapphira said smugly after our lips parted. “Thanks for the treat!”

“Ha-ha! You’re welcome!” I replied jokingly.

I stroked her supple wings for a while until she released me and I was finally able to stand up. When I think about her wings, it’s anything, but the wings of an insect. Those are usually short-lived one-time use wings, unable to regrow and regenerate. But her wings are soft, elastic and alive. More importantly, they are really sensitive, judging by Sapphira’s reaction!

“Um… I’ll return first,” said Lily and trotted back into the house. Seems she no longer felt that uncomfortable expressing her feelings. I guess it is all thanks to Sapphira, and maybe cider too.

“Let me clean you a bit,” said Sapphira, and used her telekinesis in a peculiar way, shaking off the dust from my shirt and jeans.

“Thanks, Sapphi!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll be back in a minute!” she said and went to restroom too.

Being left alone, I was just looking at the clear night sky, splattered with unfamiliar stars. “I was sent here to do something presumably important, but instead I’m starting a harem… Isn’t it hilarious!?” I muttered under my breath and chuckled. But all that things aside, the locals seem to be decent folks! I’m not feeling alienated in their company. Of course, their first reaction was apprehension, but it had dissipated quite fast.

“What are you thinking about, Ray?” Sapphira slowly walked up to me.

“About our past week and about our future too. Maybe it won’t be that bad in Appleloosa as we thought at first. Those guys are good to us. Steel even has an eye for you, ha-ha!”

“Perhaps, but he still won’t make a decisive move towards me, I know it.” Sapphira chuckled with a wry smile on her lips.

“But still it’s much better than open hostility,” I said.

“Naturally! Oh by the way!” – Sapphira smiled, – “Have a look at the magazine under the newspapers in the restroom, just for laughs! Well, I’ll wait for you back at the table.” She looked at me, turned around and went back too.

“Huh? What magazine she is talking about?” I said to myself, walking to the small structure. There was another street lamp nearby, so I’ve lit it too.

The inside interior was quite spacious for a single-person restroom. Illuminated by a ceiling lamp, it had a sink with a working plumbing, probably connected with the nearby water tower. The toilet was made of wood and metal and had a simple square form with an oval opening. Its height, as well as the height of sink, was pretty low, as it was designed for ponies. At the floor level I could see a pedal-type lever with obvious function.

One thing made me really curious: there was… a roll of toilet paper. Yes, the damn toilet paper! Why does this world have so much resemblance with my old in so many things? This can’t be just a random coincidence! But it’s useless to seek an explanation to this mystery at the moment.

Well, that could be much, much worse! Also, everything here is sufficiently clean. These ponies do have some standards! That’s quite unexpected for a restroom in a middle of nowhere!

Having done my business, I washed my hands, and remembered about the magazine. I moved away a heap of newspapers on the small shelf, and picked up a colorful magazine that was buried under that pile. ‘Canterlot Temptress’ was the title. A beautiful mare with stylishly made hair and tail was depicted on the cover. She was scantily dressed in what would accentuate her sexuality and stood in a provocative pose.

“Ha-ha, so they have this kind of stuff too! Funny!” I commented, turning the page. “That’s hilarious how most of ponies prefer to go literally naked in public, but they get dressed for such photo shoots!”

The magazine cannot be called pornographic. Rather it should be called erotic, as there was nothing too over the top. All types and races of mares were there. Slim, fit, curvy, you name it! I even saw one batpony mare. Pictures with pegasi mares often accentuated their wings on their photos, but that’s understandable, their wings are beautiful.

“Exclusive photoset of Fleur de Lis, only on the pages of ‘Canterlot Temptress’,” – stated the title somewhere in the middle of the magazine. The next several photos depicted an extravagant unicorn mare.

“O-la-la, that’s indeed an impressive mare, must be a local star and a dream of countless stallions around the country.” Besides her elegant forms, she had silvery-white coat, with a complex hairstyle and a similarly made tail of the lightest lilac tint, with much lighter, almost white streaks weaved in between her locks. ‘Prideful gracefulness’ was the message her whole body and posture emanated in every photo. Her light violet eyes looked aloofly down on the would-be viewer, as if hinting at her high status.

“Well, a beautiful picture is still just a beautiful picture!” I said to myself, put the magazine back and covered it with newspapers like it was before. “I like my girls not only for their pretty looks, and besides, they are not too far behind those in that magazine, even in our bad field conditions!” I washed my hands again, just in case! Suddenly, I heard some soft flapping noise outside the restroom.

“Who’s there?” I slowly opened the door and exited the building warily, but didn’t see anyone. “Night bird, perhaps?” I muttered and walked back to the living house.

I started to think I was too relaxed; I didn’t even pay any attention to my new sense of presence, otherwise I would’ve known if there was someone outside. But this was really the first time I was able to truly relax in a few days straight. Am I getting paranoid? But in the jungle it’s better to be a paranoid, than a dead man.

It was clamorous inside, seems everyone, except for me, was a little tipsy, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with my enhanced physique. That’s just… ponies seems to be more susceptible to alcohol. The guys were discussing something with great enthusiasm, and girls… they were looking at me with a conspiratorial look, whispering something to each other. “Oh… What are they up to this time?” I caught a fragment of their talk:

“… said exactly these words!” Lily said to Sapphira with a grin.

“Oh my!” replied Sapphira, covering her mouth with a hoof, futilely trying to cover her wide smile.

“What are you talking about, girls?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing important! Just mares’ stuff.” Sapphira made an innocent smile.

“Hey, Ray! Come! Tell us more about your life in the jungle!” Quick Fix called me. He has an outgoing personality, and the cider only added to it.

“Alright, I’ll leave you two to your private conversation then!” I said to the girls and sat together with the stallions who instantly poured me another mug. “Err, guys, will you be in a right condition when the train comes?” I was worried about them getting too drunk for their job.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I and Fix know that locomotive like our two forehooves! We’ll do everything in no time and finally go to rest!” Steel Sheen said dismissively, waving his hoof, he was also the least drunk of them all. “Well, Fizzlecrack might need some help, though. He usually has some trouble handling heavy cargos even without being drunk, ha-ha!”

“Hey!” Sandy Crunch retorted, “Even if my horn is cracked, I still can lift more weight than you! And do you think I’d be working here if my horn was alright?” The alcohol forced his frustrations out in the open. “Ah, forget it!” He waved his hoof.

“Well, I’m not against helping you guys if need be.” I said when the silent pause started to get awkward. Besides, after this little feast they made for us, it’s only natural that I’ll help them a bit.

“It’d be nice if you support me while I’m handling the load, mainly firewood, so I won’t crash it into something. I guarantee I won’t drop it on your hooves… erm… feet. It’s just… my precision is usually somewhat off when I’m using my magic.” Sandy Crunch said with a tinge of regret.

“No prob, Sandy!” I replied casually.

“Whoa, you actually remember my name!” he exclaimed. Seems he doesn’t like his nickname much.

“Heh! Why shouldn’t I?” I chuckled. “Anyway, you all wanted to hear some stories about the jungle, right?”

And so we’ve spent some time talking about the Forbidden Jungle and the dangers lurking within, the girls have joined us too once they finished their talk, and in about an hour we’ve heard a whistle coming from the outside. It seems the train has arrived!

“Already here?” Steel threw a glance to the clock on a wall. “They are a bit early, but all the better! The earlier we start, the earlier we go to rest! Alright, guys, time to work!” He said and stood up from the table.

The three stallions put on their working helmets, took their toolbags, and went out.

“Let’s go, Ray, that won’t take long for us,” said Sandy with a bit tipsy voice. His past apprehension of me vanished long ago. “You two can come too if you want,” he added, looking at the two mares with a silly smile.

“Then why don’t we have some fresh air, Lily?” asked Sapphira.

“Indeed, why not?” replied Lily.

The train slowly came to a stop in a cloud of steam at the water tower. It consisted of eight freight cars, and this amount seemed pretty decent for this technology level. The train stood in place, making constant hissing noise. Then a sky-blue earth stallion jumped out of the train cabin agilely and trotted our way, his ruffled white mane was a little dirtied with soot.

“Hi, guys! Been a while!” he shouted from afar.

“Good to see you in once piece, Breeze, ha-ha!” replied Steel with his naturally loud voice.

Breeze finally met with the guys and made their usual… high-five? Well, they don’t have five fingers for high-five either…

“Where is your partner, Breeze?”

“He’ll come as soon as he finishes his job,” said Breeze.

“Alright!” said Steel.

Breeze thought for a second before speaking, “Well, the old geezer I was working with before have finally retired, so now I’m working with a more interesting guy! You’ll see! And who are these friends?” He looked at us with his light gray eyes.

“Ha! There is quite a story about them, you won’t believe how they’ve got here!” replied Steel Sheen.

But before he could introduce us, we saw a large stallion jump off from the train. He was quite big, even larger than Steel, and more muscular too, but he had a rather amiable face for his imposing size. His coat was a color of saffron with distinguished pumpkin-orange ruffled short mane and similarly short-trimmed tail. At least the colors looked like that in the light of the street lamps.

He had a red bandana, which raised his unkempt hair above his forehead, making his looks a bit wild. I’m not sure if it was just his style or it was convenient wearing it when working with fire. When he got closer I saw his eyes were bright green, almost as my own unnatural-colored eyes. His whole body, clothes and even hair were stained with soot. On his chest was a fireproof apron, made presumably of some leather, it was hard to tell.

“Howdy!” He said in a bit crude and deep voice. “Nice to meet y’all. Name’s Amber Brand!” His eyes were attentively scanning me and Sapphira. “What unusual fellas you got here! Care to introduce us?” he said to Breeze.

“Um… This is my friend, Steel Sheen, we’ve known each other for a long time! This one is Quick Fix, and this is… er… Sandy…”

“Sandy Crunch” Sandy said grumpily.

“Oh, yes, Sandy Crunch. They are working with Steel. As, for the rest, I guess Steel will introduce us himself.” Breeze said with an awkward smile.

“Naturally!” said Steel.

After the quick introduction we learned that Breeze’s full name was Breeze Wheels, and Wheels was the last name of his whole family, just like Fix’s. All of them are working with something related to transportation for many generations. I learned that some families have a tradition to pass their family name to their foals. Other families don’t do this and just give double names to their foals as they like.

The train driver and his firepony listened to our story with interest and agreed to help us get to Appleloosa even without Lily’s intervention. It’s always nice to deal with easygoing folks.

“Yaaaawn!” – Amber yawned in bass. – “Well, shucks! I need a good shower!” he mumbled, looking at his hooves smeared in soot. “And a bucking good sleep too!” He looked at Breeze, “You said we can rest here for a while, ain’t ya?”

“You two can go and rest if you want; we’ll keep an eye on the steam engine until the fire dies out, so it won’t overheat. Breeze, your regular room in the warehouse, the door is opened,” added Steel and moved towards the train. “Come on, Fix, it’s time to check this iron fellow! Fizzlecrack, you do your own job, as always.”

“Sure, let’s go, Ray!” Sandy called me and we moved towards the warehouse, following the two stallions at some distance. They were talking loudly about some ‘bucking hot’ mare in Appleloosa. Sapphira and Lily stayed behind and went for a fly around the station ‘to stretch their wings’. They don’t have any issues with dark surroundings, so it’s fine, I guess. No manticores live here, after all.

Sandy’s work was pretty simple, but not an easy one. He lifted a substantial amount of firewood in one go with his telekinesis. He is literally a living forklift! But when the things came to moving his load around, he was having some trouble maneuvering it around the warehouse. His horn started to make fizzling noises with flickering lights shining from the place of the crack in his horn. From time to time the horn made a loud crack with magic sparks flying all around. Thank god those sparks could not start any fires, but the loud sound with a flash made me jerk in fright the first time it occurred. Now I see why he has such a nickname.

I helped to move the pile of firewood around, so Sandy could smoothly move it out of the warehouse and carry it to the locomotive. The whole process was easy for me, the firewood in the pile was ‘glued’ together by his magic and so pushing or pulling did not make it scatter. We were done in around an hour, considering the time we spent to place the firewood properly.

“Thanks, Ray, those hands of yours were indeed useful.” Sandy said with a smile. “Sorry for calling you a monster back there. I… was too frightened, you know, a changeling and… you too.”

“Ah, forget about it, Sandy! That’s nothing.” – I looked at him. – “You don’t look good, buddy.”

“I know. My horn aches every time after I use a lot of magic, and I have to use much more than needed because of the crack. Let’s go inside.” He said wearily and started walking towards the living house.

“Can it be healed?” I asked, following him.

“No, as far as I know. A magic healing does not work on our horns, and a regular one was able to do only this much. It’s still much better than a broken horn, Ray,” Sandy said indifferently, entering the room. Seems he had already accepted this fact.

“Do you mind if a have a look?” Now I suddenly have a spontaneous desire to help out this young stallion.

“Do you know medicine?” He asked in surprise.

“You can say so, to a degree.”

“Then, go ahead,” – he sat on his bed, facing me, and tilted his head forward to show his horn.

The height was just right for me to do it while standing. I concentrated my mind for a while to get in a proper state, and used my ‘life vision’ to check what was wrong with his horn. My eyes lit up in green color, as usual, which made Sandy uncomfortable, he raised his eyes to look at me with a bit of fright.

“Sit still, that’s just my magic.” I said calmly and he had finally relaxed.

It was the first time I was observing such a complex organ, and also the first time I was able to see the structure of pony magic channels. I was unable to see it before. The crack in his horn had cut off almost half of his channels, and it seems his magic is leaking through the damaged ones, producing those fireworks and uselessly draining his magic reserves. I’m not confident in fixing that, but at least I can alleviate some of his pain.

I channeled my power through my index finger and started saturating his crack with my ‘life essence’, trying to induce regeneration with my regular methods. The horn was essentially a bone, covered by some harder material. The regeneration process was starting up painfully slow. It seems it’s not easy to treat the injuries to a magic system of living beings.

“Well, hay! The pain has gone away! Thanks!” said Sandy happily.

“I’m still not finished, so don’t move.” I said sternly.

“As you say, doc!” Sandy replied jokingly.

It took another half an hour of my tedious work, until I deemed that his horn could not hold more of my energy. By that time everyone else have already returned and just silently watched my actions. I was not sure about the end result, but Sandy should at least get a bit better when my energy will finish its job inside his horn and dissipate.

“I think this is all I can do for you now, Sandy.” I said, stepping back from him.

“I feel great, but… I almost can’t feel my magic now. It refuses to flow into my horn!” said Sandy uncertainly.

Could it be… my ‘life essence’ is repelling or stopping his magic flow? Weird! But it should wear off pretty soon.

“That should be temporary, Sandy. My magic will gradually dissipate after half a day at the most.” I was rubbing my chin in thought. Can I really block their magic in this way? But the girls seemed fine, though I didn’t try to saturate their energy system with my power.

“Then its fine, I guess, at least my horn will not bother me in my sleep.” Sandy didn’t mind too much.

“If anything, I and Fix will help you if you won’t be in full strength by the morning,” said Steel. “And thanks for helping him, Ray.”

“I’m just doing what I can, Steel.” I replied calmly.

“It’s surprising to see a non-unicorn use magic!” said Steel.

I looked at the girls; they were already almost asleep, leaning against each other. Steel thought for a while about something.

“Yeah, it’s time for us to rest.” He walked to the cabinet and took a key from there. “Take it. You’ve seen where those two went to, right? Their door is on the left, this key is for the room on the right. Same three beds with minimal convenience, but at least you’ll have a place to rest. We’ll wake you up an hour before the train departs. Don’t be late.”

“Thanks Steel, we owe you.” I took the key, woke up the girls and, after taking our belongings, we went out, heading to the warehouse.

“Ray… I don’t think you’ll fit in in such a bed.” Sapphira was standing before a simple bed. “And I also don’t want to sleep alone again!”

Lily just made an awkward smile, looking at me. Seems she thinks the same, remembering how she snuggled up to me the last time. But is it that important? They are almost about to fall over from their tiredness, and I could use some sleep too. My experiment with Sandy drained me substantially, especially mentally.

I scratched my head at our conundrum. “Well, I may have one silly idea.” I finally said.

I moved the three beds and placed them in a row, then tried lying across them.

“You know, this could work. It’s a bit uncomfortable but compared to sleeping on palm leaves… Yeah, you get what I mean.” I laughed quietly and got up from the bed. “I hope we didn’t wake up our neighbors.”

“Don’t you worry, Ray! They were already deep in sleep when we entered the room and won’t wake up so easily!” Sapphira tried not to be too loud. “I can’t feel any emotions from their direction at all!” Sapphira whispered.

Lily took out a fruit from her bag. She really likes those yellow ones.

“And you know, we could have done something naughty if we weren’t so tired now, and they still wouldn’t wake up, I’m sure!” she added jokingly.

Lily, who was munching on a fruit, coughed a few times at Sapphira joke. Her light lilac cheeks intensified in color, but she stayed silent.

“What, Lily, you don’t agree?” Sapphira asked her favorite provocative questions again.

“I… Oh why do you have to ask such questions every time?” Lily got a little irritated. Yeah, she is getting immune to those.

Sapphira got onto the bed and lied down, stretching all her limbs.

“Just for fun! Oh you can’t even imagine how infinitely boring was my life in a hive! I feel so liberated being together with you two! Even after two fights with manticores I still don’t regret anything! Now I can be everything I could not be before! And yes, Ray, I know my personality shifted greatly after my transformation. But you’ve seen the old ‘me’ just for less than a day… Does it bother you?” Sapphira turned her head to me.

“Are you kidding, Sapphi? I like you the way you are, period.” I said resolutely.

Lily was honestly surprised to hear such words from Sapphira and sat silently, pondering about something.

“Sapphira? You know… your words make sense! Perhaps, I too should stop… living a boring life. I guess Princess Luna tried to say the same thing to me, just in her own way.” Lily’s ears and wings twitched a few times, she was smiling lightly. Then she decided to change the awkward topic: “Hey, Ray!” – Her brows furrowed when she looked at me, – “Get off the bed with all that dusty clothes of yours right now! And you too, Sapphira! Shoo! Let’s go to the shower.” She waved her hoof to get us off the beds.

“Together?” I asked.

“So what? Haven’t you groped me everywhere already?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Not everywhere…”

“That’s not important! We don’t have much time to go one by one, besides, put those hands of yours to work and help us wash our manes and tails!” Lily got into her ‘work mode’ and used her commanding voice. That’s… new!

“Whoa, at last Lily has some brilliant ideas, bravo! I totally support you!” Sapphira got up from the bed and praised Lily jokingly.

“Alright, alright, are there any towels in the room?” I asked.

“Found them! Let’s go already, they will wake us up early, the longer we tarry, the less time will be left for our sleep.” said Lily, leading us to the shower room nearby.

The shower did not have any hot water, but the situation was alleviated by the fact that the weather was warm and sunny the whole day, so the water stored in the tower was just slightly cool. I was happy by a simple opportunity to use a soap! Too bad there was no shampoo to wash the girls’ manes and tails, so we had to use soap for that too. I’m not even sure they have such things here, but the word in Equestrian is present in my head, so the shampoo should exist here.

Tiredness was slowly getting the better of us, so even Sapphira did not throw any of her jokes. Everything was serene and decent, but only until they decided to wash my clothes with Sapphira’s magic. That included my boxers, which I still had on me. How would you argue with someone who always goes naked? Yeah, right, it’s useless! So, with their joint efforts, I was quickly stripped completely naked.

“What are you complaining about, Ray? I’ve already seen everything down there long ago! Stop behaving like a little foal!” Sapphira reprimanded me.

“Damn it, it was already somewhat challenging to keep myself from entering ‘battle mode’ when I was washing them, and now they’ve stripped me.” I made a deep breath with closed eyes; my willpower trainings over the past week gave me some edge in such matters. “And what about Lily?” I asked skeptically.

“Now she had seen everything too, so it’s not a big deal anymore!” she said matter-of-factly.

Lily’s wings spread out, splattering me with drops of water, her ears twitched and folded to the sides and she had an awkward smile on her face. Then she turned away her head. I sighed again as my hand covered my eyes.

We’ve finished our business washing and drying ourselves, and the only thing left were my clothes. Naturally, I wouldn’t walk around in wet boxers, so I just wrapped a towel around my hips.

“Alright, this will be quick!” said Sapphira. She gathered the water with her magic, then threw my clothes and a brick of soap inside the water sphere and started to rapidly whirl it.

“Damn, you are quite creative, Sapphi!” I said as I watched this parody of a washing machine.

Sapphira was done in a few minutes. I’m not sure if that kind of washing was effective, but at least the wooden dust from that timber wolf was washed away. It was giving me itches all over the body. Sapphira didn’t know any methods to remove the water from the clothes, so I had to squeeze it out by myself.

We returned to our room and plopped onto the beds. It was the first time I was falling asleep surrounded by two pretty and warm mares. They were already fast asleep. My head was void of any thoughts too as my brain was persistently trying to shut down. I embraced Lily and Sapphira lightly before following them into the dreamland.

I woke in the middle of a night for some reason. Everything around was quiet. I tried to fall asleep again, but it seemed to be an endeavor destined to fail. I felt that something was amiss, but could not say what exactly. I slowly opened my eyes, the surroundings were dark, but there was something wrong with the room, because it was another room! Damn! It is my bedroom from Earth! The gears in my head made several turns and finally came out with something sensible.

“Um… Luna? Is it you?” I asked, my sleepy voice was somewhat loud in the surrounding silence. I heard clopping sounds of hooves in the hall, and then her voice.

“Hello, Ray! Sorry to intrude without knocking!” Luna had appeared at the entrance to the bedroom, “But I couldn’t draw you into my own dream for some reason, and your dream door just happened to open on its own for me! Everything is so weird for some reason when I interact with your dreams, Ray!” Luna smiled lightly.

I sat up on my bed and looked at myself; I was dressed in my regular home attire. At least I’m not in just underwear!

“Oh, hi, Luna! Your visit was rather… unexpected.” I shook my head to get rid of my sleepiness. “Why was I sleeping in my dream huh?” I scratched my head in confusion, then looked at Luna.

“Uh… you was in a deep sleep, it seems. Usually, I can’t enter a dream when someone is in a deep sleep, this is new for me too, Ray!” Luna raised her brows with perplexed face, raising her hoof in uncertain gesture.

“I see… Oh, maybe I should call you Princess Luna?” I finally had a proper look at her. “Ha! ‘Fleur de Lis’? They wrote so many words about her in that magazine, but what I see before me, even in this dim lighting, is how true royal elegance should look like! It can’t be imitated! But that’s not surprising, given Luna’s true status.” This train of thought flashed quickly in my head.

Luna was looking at the walls around the entrance, before asking, “Ray, how do you turn the lights on in your room?” She ignored my question about her title.

“Ah, that… look a bit higher, it’s made for my height.” My eyes were glued to her ethereal hair and tail. “God, this is a mesmerizing sight, like a waving flame in the dark.”

Luna finally saw a switch and a cobalt blue magic aura engulfed it for a second, then the switch clicked and the lights in the room turned on.

“Oh, that’s much better! And no! Please be so kind and don’t call me a Princess. You know, it’s getting increasingly annoying over the years. Princess this, Princess that!” she said the last phrase almost grumpily. Then unceremoniously jumped atop my bed and sat beside me, shaking her mane once. “It might have been fun for the first thousand years… but now it is not anymore!” Luna said with a small sigh.

“Alright, Luna, I won’t. So… you have such a long lifespan? Sorry if I’m asking something inappropriate.” I said with some doubts about how she will react.

“What? You didn’t know? Really? But that’s true. I and my older sister, Celestia, have already lived a very long life. We don’t age, you see, but we are not immortal,” she said with a tinge of melancholy in her voice, “You don’t seem to be too surprised with it!” added Luna.

“Huh! How the hell should I be surprised with just a few thousands of years when I spent so much time with someone, whose lifespan is measured in hundreds of thousands of years?” I thought to myself, having a wry smile on my face, but I could not just say it to her.

“I don’t know. Perhaps, I’m just not easily surprised, Luna. What brings you here today, did you already visit the girls?” I rubbed my cheek, as I was a little stirred by Luna’s sudden arrival.

“Oh, I didn’t, they are in a deep sleep, probably very tired, so I decided to leave them be and let them rest tonight. I just wanted to make sure that everything is fine, so tell me how was your journey today,” said Luna amiably.

“Well,” – I scratched my head, – “everything went fine, except for the sudden attack of three timberwolves. In was an unpleasant surprise, but it was not so dangerous in comparison with the manticores. We got rid of them and quickly left the area in case there were more around. Now we are resting at the maintenance station, the guys there were really nice to us, thanks to Lily, I guess.” I told Luna the general happenings of our day and she had shown visible relieve to know we are fine.

“That’s great news! You have finally got to safety. I should say sorry to you all… I underestimated the danger this jungle posed. I should have put my mission on hold and come personally with Lily,” said Luna with regret.

“That’s not your fault; please don’t dwell on it too much. You have definitely had your own responsibilities, right? If anything, I blame the jungle itself and my own weakness. But still, we’ve got out in once piece, and even without injuries.” I tried to calm her down.

“Damn, she is too kind and nice to me! Especially considering her royal status!” I thought, “And I had to lie to this girl? That feels really bad.” At this moment I felt my power behaving strangely. In fact, I’ve began to notice it the moment Luna got close to me, but didn’t pay much attention to it. Now I’m sure it’s reacting to her presence on its own, and I have no reasonable explanation for this phenomenon.

“Hmm? Without any injuries you say?” Luna raised her brow and smiled wryly, “I know a lot about how much you have suffered from the manticores, Ray,” Luna said with a sigh. “By the way, I’m quite interested in that magic of yours and in many other things too! We had too little time to speak the last time, and we don’t have much time now either, regrettably.” Luna looked at me with undisguised interest.

“So you knew… But talking about time, do you have things to do this late at night?” I asked.

“Yes, soon I’ll have to move the Moon, and before that I was hunting nightmares in the dreamland all over Equestria,” said Luna without much joy in her voice.

“Did you say… to move the Moon? You mean it is you who moves it personally?” I asked in bewilderment.

“Wait, Ray, you don’t know even this?” asked Luna, a little surprised. “Common folks might think that it is I and my sister who move the Moon and the Sun personally with our power, but in fact we just command them to move. But that requires quite a lot of magic power, nevertheless. Without us a whole lot of unicorns have to use their magic in synch to do it, casting a complex spell together.” Luna’s gaze was gliding across the ceiling as she was thinking about something.

“That’s… really interesting. What will happen if you don’t command them to move?” I was just curious how it all worked.

Luna’s gaze finally returned to me. “Then they will remain in place until someone moves them. If only just one is moved, then it will be a situation when both celestial bodies will be on one side of the world, and the other one will be plunged in utter darkness,” Luna told me all the possibilities.

“Sounds troublesome! Can’t you order them to move gradually around the world on their own?” I held my chin by my old habit and was rubbing it with my thumb.

Luna chuckled, looking at me. “Of course we thought of such an idea, Ray, but we can’t do it, unfortunately. Maybe, someday we will be able to pull that trick, but that requires so much magical research I don’t even want to think about it now. And our free time is rather limited currently,” said Luna thoughtfully. “You do have some unusual thinking, Ray, only scientists have ever talked to me about such matters like the movement of the Sun and the Moon, in detail. Are you, perhaps, one of them?” Luna asked jokingly.

“Ha-ha no, Luna, I have almost zero understanding of pony magic, but I think I have some decent education overall. And I find it strange that ponies showed so little interest towards this topic!” I answered honestly.

“No understanding of our magic? Well, naturally, you are not a pony, after all,” said Luna, turning her head to me.

Now her face was quite close to me, and I was almost lost in her big hypnotizing eyes, her undulating starry mane didn’t help the situation either. My power inside me started to rev fast, but didn’t go berserk, like it did before during my fights. Everything seemed fine, and I was not waking up like the last time. “What’s happening and why?” I asked myself a meaningless question.

“Ray, would you like to meet personally? Not just in a dream,” asked Luna, still looking into my eyes.

It is hard to say no to her, not when those cyan eyes are looking right at you, and I don’t have any sensible reasons to refuse! Also, I felt like my ‘life essence’ was pushing me to agree. “Damn it, what nonsense am I thinking about?”

“But… wouldn’t it create trouble for you? Besides, I don’t like to be in a spotlight. If anyone sees us, I think it will be impossible for me to avoid an unwanted attention that will inevitably follow…” I said without much confidence in my voice.

“Oh, that’s simple, we can meet in private and I can also use a disguise, so nopony would ever know!” said Luna. I can swear her eyes flashed with excitement for a short moment when she talked about disguising. Perhaps, she likes to do such things?

“Then, I guess, it’s alright…” I finally agreed, and my power started to calm down bit by bit at last, “but when and where?”

“Wonderful! I’ll find you myself, Ray!” Luna stood up from the bed and spread wide her large dark blue wings. She started to slowly disappear in a dark cloud with sparkling stars. “It’s time for me to go, Good bye!” she said with a smile, before vanishing.

A strong wave of sleepiness assaulted my mind unexpectedly, so I lied back on the bed and quickly fell asleep. “It’s so weird… to sleep… in your dream…” – was my last silly thought.

End of chapter.

Author's Note: while I was working with side characters, I’ve made a sort of a character sheet for them for my personal use. But then I thought you might be interested to see it too, and maybe even use it to recall side characters easier later. So I’ll just put it here, after the chapter. If you don’t mind, please comment if you like this idea or not.

Side character sheet:

Name: Steel Sheen, stallion
Race: earth pony
Age: 31
Coat: bluish-gray
Mane: light silvery-grey, short
Eyes: deep blue
Complexion: above average height, muscular, stocky
Traits: strong, enduring
Talent: organizer, engineering labor skills
Personality: confident, stubborn, somewhat irascible
Occupation: foreman of the supply station crew
Cutie Mark: a checklist and a working helmet

Name: Sandy Crunch ‘Fizzlecrack’, stallion
Race: unicorn
Age: 19
Coat: pale ochre
Mane: rusty, short
Eyes: tea-colored
Complexion: average
Traits: cracked horn
Talent: able to lift heavy objects, but lacks control due to his horn
Personality: cowardly, nervous, but not bad overall
Occupation: member of a supply station crew, focused on loading/unloading various stuff
Cutie Mark: trapezoidal metal weight

Name: Quick Fix, stallion
Race: earth pony
Age: 23
Coat: light brown
Mane: straw-colored, medium length
Eyes: dark green
Complexion: average, fit
Traits: your average earth pony
Talent: dealing with various mechanisms, as the rest of his family
Personality: jovial, optimist
Occupation: member of a supply station crew, focused on repairs and maintenance
Cutie Mark: a wrench on the background of a gear

Name: Breeze Wheels, stallion
Race: earth pony
Age: 25
Coat: sky-blue
Mane: white, short
Eyes: light gray
Complexion: average for earth pony
Traits: unknown
Talent: operating steam engines
Personality: a bit mild, diligent
Occupation: train driver
Cutie Mark: a metal wheel with a white wing at the background

Name: Amber Brand, stallion
Race: earth pony
Age: 28
Coat: saffron
Mane: pumpkin-orange, short
Eyes: bright green
Complexion: larger than average, muscular
Traits: strong
Talent: dealing with fire
Personality: practical, rude, stubborn
Occupation: firepony
Cutie Mark: three tongues of flame

Chapter 10 - The Road to Appleloosa (Part 1)

My sleep was abruptly interrupted by a loud knocking on our door. A week in the jungle made my sleep very light. My eyes opened in a flash only to see darkened unpainted planks of the ceiling in a dimly lit room. My brain was processing the current situation for a second.

“Morning, folks! It’s time to wake up, the train must leave in an hour without any delays!” I heard Steel’s loud voice from behind the door.

“Morning, Steel!” – My voice was dry and raspy, so I cleaned my throat. – “We’re getting up! Thanks!”

“Good, then I’ll return to my work.” Steel trotted away, his hooves producing heavy clopping sounds, hitting the wooden floor.

I turned my attention to the girls. They were not sleeping too but didn’t move or even open their eyes. Sapphira, as expected of her, was sprawled across my chest from the left side. I felt her supple and warm satiny skin on my bare chest, it was a uniquely pleasant sensation. Her horn’s tip was disturbingly close to my neck. “Maybe I should make a cap for it, so I won’t have to worry when we sleep together?” This funny thought popped up in my head.

Lily was hugging my right arm, using it as a pillow. If not for my improved physique, the arm would feel numb and also ache a lot afterward, but I felt okay. One of Lily’s grayish-lilac wings was unfurled and covered half of my torso. Lily’s soft fur and her wing, which partially covered me, gave a very different sensation, very cozy and light, and also warm.

Ah, the best way to wake up in the morning! Definitely, the best one I had in many years, especially considering the time I’ve spent in that strange reality simulation with Falda’ar. I’ve never slept there, even for a minute, meditations don’t count, as it was just training for concentration or rest for my mind.

“Girls, time to wake up,” I said softly and moved my arms a little.

“U-u-u! Don’t wanna!” Sapphira moaned in reluctance, unwilling to move.

“Mmm… yeah, just five more minutes!” Lily said quietly, not even opening her eyes.

I sighed. “Then five minutes it is, but no arguing afterward, or we’ll be late.”

Lily rubbed her head on my arm as if agreeing, and continued to sleep lightly. I no longer needed any sleep, so I was just lying in bed, looking at the ceiling and letting my mind wander between random thoughts.

I paid my attention to the girls again. I’m still not that comfortable calling them mares, and they often refer to themselves as girls too, so no big deal there. They trust me so much and feel safe with me around… I wish I could offer them true safety, but every time everything always relies on chance to some extent, and it bothers me. I must treasure their trust and can’t help but have warm and loving feelings for them. It didn’t escape Sapphira’s senses, of course, and now she has a wide satisfied smile on her face. I tried not to move my body to give them that last bit of sleep.

With Sapphira lying on top of me, my thoughts involuntarily jumped to the weight subject. Now, when I know my body capabilities better, I can tell I was wrong about the weight of ponies. Sapphira’s poor condition at that time might be the cause too. Ponies are heavier than humans on average and their legs are very strong. While I weigh more than Sandy, I’m sure Steel weighs substantially more than me, considering his physique. I guess that’s only natural, given they are quadruped beings.

After I deemed five minutes had already elapsed, I carefully woke them again. They didn’t argue this time and opened their eyes. Lily got off the bed and went to the bathroom to wash up, but Sapphira decided to have some love charging before getting up from the bed. Now, when we were alone, she straddled me fully and slowly reached her lips to mine, locking them in a passionate kiss.

My hands caressed her face for a while and then slowly glided down her neck, tracing every curve of her supple body. “Her soft satiny skin is so pleasant to the touch!” – I thought to myself and moved my hands further along her bright blue plates on her back, which were rather soft too, finally reaching her wings. I slowly fondled the undersides of her translucent elastic wings, stroking them along their length. Her gorgeous wings could not be compared to those tattered ones she had when we’ve just met, they became smooth, shiny, and iridescent. But soon my actions forced Sapphira to break our kiss and breathe out heavily with little hissing noises, as she closed her eyes in bliss.

“S-s-shah-h-h! Ray… not now! We…” – she gasped – “we don’t have time for that.” Sapphira raised her head, looking into my eyes with affection.

I could feel her reluctance to stop, but she was right. We should get up and pack up quickly. Lately, I can feel her mood very clearly, without even looking or listening to her, just by being around. It’s not much different from how she can feel mine. Shouldn’t have touched her wings. I know they are sensitive from yesterday’s experience.

“Sorry, Sapphi, I got too carried away. We really must get up now.” I said, sitting up while holding Sapphira to my chest with my free arm. “But I promise we’ll continue when we finally settle in the town.”

Sapphira made a quick peck on my lips. “I'm going to hold you to that, Ray!” She giggled and got off my lap carefully. “Let’s go?”

“Just a moment.” I was still wearing only a towel wrapped around my waist. So I started to dress up.

“Ah, that obsession with clothes again. I don’t wear any clothes, Ray, and I don’t have any coat either, only my skin, just like you!” Sapphira commented with a raised brow.

“But you have your private parts covered, more or less.” I retorted, throwing away the towel and pulling up my boxers, which was a bit troublesome in my current state. Sapphira was shamelessly looking at this process, quite pleased with the effect she had on me, not that I mind it.

“Then won’t that boxers, as you call it, be enough for that?”

“From this point of view, yes, but I still feel more comfortable when I’m at least wearing my pants!” I put on my jeans, socks and finally boots. Sapphira was observing the whole process with interest, especially socks, for whatever reason. “Alright, let’s go!” I said and followed Sapphira out of the room, closing the door.

We made a fast trip outside to the restroom and were returning. Sapphi was walking ahead, swaying her hips seductively… that mare! I caught up with her and could not resist the desire to slap her rear lightly.

“You sure like to tease me every time you get an opportunity, Sapphi!” I felt a gush of satisfaction in her mood.

“Yeah, so you don’t forget your promise, stallion!” Sapphira said jokingly.

“A promise? What promise?” Lily appeared from the door to the shower. “You both sure took your sweet time getting here!” She smirked sarcastically. Is she taking on Sapphi’s habits? Two mares with propensities for trolling will be too much for me.

“Yeah…” – I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, smiling wryly – “we did tarry a bit.” Holy! That’s my hair! It’s very short, but it’s still a hair! My mood improved from this finding.

“Mmm?” Lily suspiciously looked me in the eyes. “Alright, I’ll wait in the room and prepare our breakfast. We should not rely on guys’ supplies, lest they will have to eat their emergency rations by the evening. They did a lot for us already.”

“Alright, we will be back soon too,” said Sapphira.

Lily walked past us, returning to the room.

The sink was too low for me to use comfortably, so I left it for Sapphira and just used a shower for my purposes. Now I’m looking in the mirror on the wall. It’s the first time I’m properly observing my reflection. Lake water is a bad mirror, after all.

My hair, brows, and eyelashes have finally begun to grow back. My body was still too thin, despite the pronounced muscles. Everything I learned before was more fitting to a bulkier physique, making my performance worse, but I can fix that if I add more meat to my diet, or at least use my special fruits for that purpose, which I should have been doing already but didn’t.

I touched my face, tracing my jawline. For some reason, I can’t clearly remember the minute details of my old face, but I still can see the differences. Now I’m sure that my whole genetic structure was changed, even my skull shape is somewhat different, now resembling that of Falda’ar. But at the same time, I still resemble… myself, I didn’t become somebody else. I even like my new look, the shape of my face is more… I thought about how to call it properly, it’s sharper and imposing now, I’d say.

It’s weird, but I can’t tell my age from looking at my face anymore. Does age even hold any meaning for me now? I continued to examine my face from different angles. Sometimes it looks like I’m forty, and when looking from another angle without frowning, barely thirty. The skin on my face is more flexible now, easily wrinkling and then smoothing back when I play with my mimics. Is it draconides’ traits? I can’t tell, but I can make a really scary mug now with my mimics, not a very useful ability if you ask me! Well, perhaps my body still holds some other surprises in stock for me, I just hope those will be more useful.

“Ray, is anything wrong? You seem a little disturbed,” asked Sapphira, looking at me with concern.

“Ah… no, everything is alright, I’m just… examining my body and face more closely,” I said thoughtfully, slapped my cheek twice lightly, and finally turned my head to Sapphira.

“Why?” Sapphira raised her brows.

“Well, you see…” I have already decided to tell her everything eventually, so I didn’t hesitate before spilling the beans. She will always understand and support me, and I’ll do the same for her. “My body has gone through a transformation too. You have probably guessed it already, observing changes in my appearance for the past few days. It happened two days before we met, right after I was dropped face-first on that damn stone floor near the altar! At that time I could hardly move, as my body was on its last legs, unable to bear my… magic any longer. Let’s call it magic for now, but it's a rather crude term.”

Sapphira had a surprised expression on her face. “Really? It was that bad? Was it painful?” Her eyes shook, I felt genuine worry and care from her.

“Oh damn, it was painful, Sapphi, it was! When the transformation started, it felt like hundreds of red-hot wires were drilling through my whole body: bones, flesh, skin, everything! But! If not for it I would be already dead, Sapphi. So I don’t regret this ordeal in the slightest.” I said confidently, looking Sapphira in the eyes.

“That’s… I’m just happy everything ended well for you, Ray. My transformation was not that painful but… I was unprepared… and reckless! I was so happy to have the chance to finally transform, and too… too drunk on emotions to understand it all.” Sapphira shook her head, her eyes were sad, as were her feelings.

“If not for your timely help, I could have died, or become crippled for life… Unimaginable hunger struck me when my magic and emotions depleted, driving me crazy. I was so scared! The transformation was ripping the very life from my body, bit by bit, in an attempt to complete the process. It continued until your magic finally came flowing in. It had slowly fixed everything, filling me with energy and strength. I didn’t even notice when I fell into a serene sleep. And when I woke up, I saw you senseless with a pale face beside me…”

I could see Sapphira’s eyes became moist with tears and her ears drooping, so I walked up to her and got on my knees to hug her.

“Sorry, Sapphi, I was so dumb to leave you there alone for so long.” I sighed.

“No…” Sapphira tried to retort with a stifled voice, but I moved my face closer, looking into her deep blue eyes.

“Yes, I really was an idiot at that time. Was running away from you like a kid, clinging to my human preconceptions, and that almost cost you your life! In the end, I’m sure it was my influence that forced your transformation in the first place!” I had to throw that stone off my shoulders and say it all to her.

“Even… even if it’s so… I’m still happy… that everything ended well for us.” Sapphira managed to say through her quiet sobbings. “I’m happy to have… you!”

Sapphira raised her forehooves and hugged me tightly, burying her head under my chin, closing her eyes. Her horn was sticking out on the side, but I didn’t pay it much attention and was stroking her soft mane gently to calm her down. Hearing what she said and feeling her chaotic emotions seething inside her, I felt like my heart was being torn into pieces. Never again do I want to put the lives of my loved ones in danger through my stupid negligence! To hell with principles and morals!

“I love you, Sapphi!” I whispered into her ear.

She needed those words now, and she knows full well I mean it. We just stood like that for a while until Sapphi calmed down. She must have kept her stress inside all this time, it’s good Sapphi had finally let it all out.

“Fate has put us through a lot, but we are still together, alive and healthy, and I’m going to keep it this way!” I said, looking into her eyes with determination.

“You are right, Ray.” She looked at me and a slight smile appeared on her face.

I smiled back at her, sighing lightly. “You need to wash your face again, it seems.”

After returning to our room we had breakfast and packed up. Everything took us no more than twenty minutes. I also had to perform a serious convincing to make the girls put on their armor for the duration of our trip. I know they are tired from our prolonged journey, but I’m not taking any risks until we get to town.

I also strapped my ax back to my belt, just in case. It seems I’ve developed a habit of always having a weapon by my side, and I feel uncomfortable without it. I moved the beds back to their places and left the key on the table before leaving the room.

We found Quick Fix and Sandy Crunch working inside the warehouse. They were checking and moving various things.

“Morning, guys!” I shouted from afar, drawing their attention. Sapphira and Lily waved their hooves to them.

I walked up to the guys, while the girls exited the warehouse.

“Would you happen to have some useless cloth to wrap my spear with? I decided to follow your advice and avoid attracting too much attention to it in the town.”

“Ah, sure!” said Sandy. “Follow me, I’ll find something suitable for you!” He trotted to the corner of the warehouse and started rummaging through one of the large crates which stood there. “Yeah, here is it!” He pulled out a tattered gray piece of cloth and a rope to tie it better. “The stuff got a bit dusty, but I’m sure you won’t mind.” He handed me the items with his magic, and I couldn’t see any sparks coming from his horn.

“Thanks, Sandy! That will do, and I don’t mind the dust.” I took the items and sat on a crate to wrap my spear thoroughly with this cloth. “By the way, how’s your horn? Can you work today?”

“Oh, it’s perfect, Ray! I feel no pain even when I use my magic, at least for now. Of course, I didn’t try to put in much force yet, but thank you anyway! I should be fine,” said Sandy, obviously happy with the results of my treatment.

“Glad to hear that, I did what I could. That might not cure your horn, but at least make your life a bit easier.” I made an apologetic smile.

“Oh, no, no, no! You did great! This is actually the best result I have ever had! You should be proud of your work instead!” – Sandy waved his hoof, pointing to his horn. – “By the way, if you’ll be staying in Appleloosa, then go to The Last Mug saloon. We are usually hanging out there after our shift, late in the evening. Perhaps, we can meet there today, we will be returning in the evening.”

“Alright! We’ll stay there for a while. Are you all from Appleloosa?” I asked, starting to wrap my spear, sitting on one of the wooden crates.

“You can say so,” – Sandy continued to do his work while talking – “I moved from Manehattan a year ago, bought a little old house. It was almost a wreck, but I made it look decent over the last year. At least I feel at home here, nopony is looking down on me, even if my horn is damaged. Also, I earn enough bits in this place. Steel and Fix are living there as well. Fix even lived in Appleloosa since it was founded; he was just a foal at that time.”

“I see, Appleloosa seems not a bad place to live!” I said, fixing the cloth with a rope.

“Well, it is! In Manehattan, unicorns can be… very condescending towards those with inferior abilities and it’s even worse in Canterlot, but in Appleloosa unicorns are needed. Not many of my kind wishes to work in former frontier towns like this one, deeming it below themselves, preferring to stay in large developed cities,” said Sandy, checking the contents of one of the shelves, writing something on a parchment with a pencil hanging in his magic grip.

“Alright, guys! Thanks again for everything! I think it’s time for us to board the train.” I said to them loudly, so Fix could hear me too.

I bumped their hooves with my fist and exited the warehouse, heading for the train. Sapphira and Lily were already there, talking with the two stallions near the train. I also saw Steel walking towards us.

It happened that the first car was only half-loaded and carried the most expensive cargo of strong minotaur spirits. The crates were excessively sturdy, like everything made by minotaurs, so we could use them as seats and tables.

“Hey! Why don’t you ride with us in the cab?” The redhead firepony asked nonchalantly. Amber Brand, if I remember correctly. “There’s plenty of room and we sure won’t mind hearin’ some good stories ‘bout the jungle! Also, you can help with switchin’ levers at the forks.”

“Well, why not? If the girls don’t mind…” I looked at Lily and Sapphira.

“We don’t mind! We still have something to talk about,” said Lily with a conspiratorial smile, “and even if anything happens, we can just fly up to you.”

“Alright, do you need help moving crates?”

“Nope, my telekinesis is growing better every day, Ray! We’ll manage ourselves!” said Sapphira smugly. “Ah, just go with the guys already, everything will be fine.”

“Is it already time to depart?” I asked Steel.

“Pretty much!” Steel checked his watch which he kept in a pocket of his work suit.

I noted the guys actually wear clothes for practical means, rather than to cover their bodies. We said goodbye to Steel and boarded the train. While we were waiting for the predetermined time for departure, the guys told me the basics of how they usually operate the train. And damn! That's harsh work! They have to do a whole lot of various shit, other than driving the train, and there are only two of them in their train crew. More advanced trains usually have three or four… ponies in the crew, along with caboose at the end of a train meant for the crew and providing additional braking when a train has more cars.

The train finally made a short whistle and started to accelerate slowly with the chuffing noises coming out of steam cylinders. Thick smoke was coming out of the chimney; the wood was burning in full force. The temperature in the cab started to rise from all that heat, I’m glad that I have some degree of resistance against it.

We slowly reached the fork, so we stopped and I had to go out and switch the lever. I had to repeat the process as there was one more fork ahead. Now I’m just observing this living relic from inside the cab, as this steam locomotive was exactly that by the standards of my old world. It’s not even a thing from the late nineteenth century, as it was definitely smaller than locomotives of that time. Nevertheless, the little chuffing iron monster was gaining speed.

I admired how those ponies were managing to do various stuff using just their hooves’ undersides. This contact telekinesis is a powerful tool at their disposal, serving as a decent substitute for hands. Also, their joints were unbelievably flexible for quadrupeds. I guess that also involves the use of magic in their bodies to make their legs stronger, allowing them to freely move and rotate their hooves as we do with our hands. Otherwise, they would not be able to walk on them because of too fragile joints.

After the guys were done with accelerating the train they finally had some time for a chat. I had to retell almost all of my tight situations during my jungle misadventures. I’m not sure if they believed me or not, but Wheels and Brand were entertained by my stories.

“You know, Ray. Remember I told you that I was working with another fire pony before? An old geezer. Well… he is not that old actually, but he is grumpier than even my two grandpas combined! I’d say, it’s too early to retire at seventy, but he’ll likely find some easier job, as being a firepony is hard labor. I remembered his story after you’ve mentioned the yellow changelings,” said Wheels, scratching his head with a hoof.

My brow rose involuntarily. Wheels said it like it was the most common thing. “Too early at seventy years old? I’ll have to ask someone about ponies’ lifespan…” I’ve made a mental note to myself.

“Hmm? You know something about those changelings?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, he told me one story, but I thought he was just making things up. He said it all happened before he started working with me, not long after his wife passed away. He is one of those weirdos who had only one wife, so he lived alone after that. He said he was grieving miserably at that time.” Wheels looked at the pressure gauge to check it and nodded to Brand.

“You never told me this one, Wheels,” remarked Brand, throwing some firewood into the burner.

“Yeah, but it’s a bit creepy. He said one time he’d gone to take a leak to the bushes near the standalone water tower. They were in a forest area and were running low on water. He never made it back though, and the train left without him, after waiting for as long as it could.

“He told me that he had met changelings there, yellow ones. They looked him in the eyes, and everything that happened after that, he remembers it like being in a thick haze, his memory fails him. That old geezer says he was brought into the hive and the changelings made him suffer, forcing him to remember his late wife again and again. He could not tell how much time he spent there, but he was found unconscious two weeks later near one of the supply stations.”

“Oh, hay! Then I’ll be taking a leak only while in your presence from now on!” Brand said with a serious face.

Wheels just covered his face with a hoof. “Please don’t, Brand!” he mumbled, shaking his head, then continued. “But the most interesting part is this: he said he no longer feels any grief for his wife. Like it has happened to someone else, but not him. He knows he should be sad, but he just can’t, and he hates changelings for that.” Wheels scratched his chin, thinking.

“But I tell you, if what he told me was true, then he probably should thank those changelings instead. Nopony can live grieving all the time, and he seemed quite energetic when we worked together after that, but he became exceedingly quarrelsome, as other ponies said. I often heard his ravings when he thought he was alone, something about how changelings stole his grief or something like that. How they trampled his love. But… they didn’t touch his memories of his wife, nor have they stolen his love for her, I really can’t understand him.”

“Hmm…” – I scratched my nonexistent beard – “what he said might be true. Those changelings are not common ones. But I don’t know much about them either.”

The picture clicked together in my head. That was Sapphira’s former hive for sure. Ha! And they were playing a staring game with me, obviously trying to use hypnosis! Too bad for them I’m not susceptible to pure magic! Good thing they didn’t throw any fireballs or the likes at me…

So, do they really feed off the grief, sadness, fear, and despair? And in the process, they relinquish the victims from those feelings. I should ask Sapphira about that later. This… actually can be very useful to fight depressions and other psychological problems! But their methods are a bit off… They could easily fit in any large city if ponies do have such problems. It’s just nobody thought about this!

Well, I’ll just shelve all these ideas for now. I’m not sure if I and Sapphira will even fit in that town, and the thought of helping to resolve some problems with changelings is just a silly fantasy at the moment. Amber’s voice disrupted my thoughts.

“You seem to be deep in thought, partner!” said Brand.

“Yeah. Thinking about changelings and their way of living. There must be a solution for them to live without bringing harm to other species.” I said thoughtfully.

“Nah, that’s too complicated! Changelings are changelings; never expect anything good from them… Err… Sorry, your… mare is an exception. Did I guess right about her? The way she looks at you… I'm rarely wrong about such things.” Brand made a silly look, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, you guessed correctly, Brand… She is my mare, and she doesn’t need to steal love from anyone, I give her more than enough by myself. She also does not belong to any hives, meaning she is completely free.” I said in a calm voice.

“How uncommon! Never seen a changeling like her. Actually, I had never seen a changeling at all before today! But she does not look like one should, does she? Don’t tell me she is a queen!” Brand was a talkative guy, but completely lacked a sense of tact.

“Oh don’t spout nonsense, Brand,” – I waved my hand dismissively – “She is a true changeling, a complete grown-up form of any changeling, except for queens. Others are drones. Besides, a queen should be bigger, right?”

“I guess you’re right, partner! I’m not some big-head stallion from Canterlot anyway! There's a lot I don't know! But I know how to keep the train going and manage fire. You won’t find anyone better on this railroad!” Brand became a bit sad about his lack of knowledge but then started boasting about his talents.

“He is not exaggerating, Ray! He is good at that!” said Wheels with a smile. “You know, you can’t always find a pony with a talent for every job, but Brand has it.”

Brand beamed with a toothy smile when he got praised.

“I guess you are right. So we are lucky to have the best firepony with us.” I chuckled.

“Sure thing! I’m never gonna do my job half-assed!” said Brand with pride.

And so we just swapped to idle chatter. The train was going decently fast for a steam engine, maybe around fifty kilometers per hour or so on the fastest parts of the railway.

I’ll give those ponies credit for they’ve managed to create semi-automatic water towers, pumping water from the underground with the use of magic gems and devices. And it was not some ‘wonders’, but pure engineering mixed with magic science! I guess it’s cheaper than keeping workers around to manage water towers or transporting water in tanks, but the fact that trains are running on firewood and not magic gems means it may not be so cheap.

While the guys were busy refilling the water tank, we had a short break. The door of the first car slid open and… two Lilys jumped out! What the? Ah, of course! One of Lily's had a black changeling horn on her head and also had Sapphira’s set of armor.

“Surprised? How do you like it? Aren’t I pretty?” Sapphira made a coquettish pose.

“Ha-ha, sure you are, both in disguise and without it!”

“Sapphi, stop acting like this while in my guise, or I’ll bite you!” Lily said jokingly, poking Sapphira with a hoof at the gap in her armor on the underside.

“E-e-e! Not fair! That tickles!” Sapphire jerked, losing her disguise.

Lily just laughed at her reaction. “Serves you right!” – She showed Sapphira her tongue and turned to me – “Anyway, why did we stop? Ah, I see. The water.” Lily moved her eyes to the guys working with the water tower. “Oh, yes, Ray, I thought of that envious disguise ability of changelings, and it seems Sapphira is not very proficient with it, so we decided that she needs some practice. Never know when and where this talent will be useful!”

“Always thinking like a professional tracker, Lily?” – I chuckled – “But you know… I support your ideas. How can I not, after all that trouble in the jungle? Every extra trick can help.” I looked at Sapphira. “What do you think, Sapphi?”

“Well, yes, it can be useful. Now I no longer struggle with transformation, just need more training.”

“Talking about training… I have a good idea! I usually have a training schedule when not on a job, and now you two” – she pointed with her hoof at us – “will be joining me in my training sessions.” She furrowed her brows and glared at us, trying to look more imposing. “And I won’t take no for an answer!”

I and Sapphira looked at each other and laughed at this show.

“What? You don’t wanna train with me?” asked Lily with indignation.

“Ha-ha, no, Lily, we will, but you are too adorable when trying to be scary!” Sapphira told her through laughter.

“Why? But… Everypony in my department was apprehensive of me when I was talking like that!” Lily said in disappointment.

“Why, you ask? First, we are not ponies, second… One moment… Ray!” called Sapphira.

“Ha-ha, what?” I raised my brow.

“Make a scary face!” Sapphira laughed again.

“Wait, wait… I can’t while I’m laughing.” I forcefully stopped smiling and tried to portray some evil villain with my face. But I could not hold it for long and Sapphira started to laugh again, but this time at my grimace. “Ha-ha, I’ve tried.”

“I guess it was scary, for a moment!” Lily was giggling too. “But I know what you mean, Sapphira… Ray’s face when he rushed out of the bushes with an ax, when the manticores surrounded us…”

“Yes, exactly, Lily. Ponies, me included, are not that good at making scary faces. Even if we have fangs it does not help much. Ah, forget it! Returning to the training topic, didn’t Ray train during that night? Keep him in line, so he won’t do silly things again at night, while he should be busy with something else.” Sapphira looked at me slyly.

“Um… alright? I guess,” said Lily, looking upwards in thought.

“And that’s how a poor human got under the mares’ hooves,” I said sarcastically. “Just kidding, and I had nothing else to do that night anyway.”

“Hey, everypony! We’re finished, get back on the train!” Wheels shouted to us from the water tower.

“Ah, yes, take it, Ray! You guys must be hungry!” Sapphira gave me a bag with leftover fruits. “We have enough for ourselves, so don’t worry.”

“Thanks, girls, let’s get back.” I took the bag and went to the locomotive cab.

PoV: Starlight Glimmer.

Looking out of the window of our carriage, I felt our journey growing boring and tiresome. The deserted landscape stretching out towards the horizon lay bare, without any noticeable landmarks. Altogether, it was not a joyful sight. Twilight had found some books in the Princess’ baggage and was busy reading them in silence. Princess Luna herself was taking a nap. It must be hard for her to work at night and also manage our expedition. Spike decided to support the Princess in her decision to have some sleep and I was the only one left with nothing to do.

Finally, I saw an outline of the sprawling town rising from the horizon, its outlines waving slightly in the heat haze. The town grew quite big but mainly had low-rise buildings, as expected of the town which was deemed a frontier just a few years ago. Never having been to this place before and only being given a brief description by Twilight, I had some expectations for this visit. I hoped that we could rest and have some fun there! Well, it gets a bit complicated when you try to combine Twilight and fun in one sentence, but I’ll manage, somehow, like always. Spike will be there to help me at least. My thoughts, however, were interrupted by the voice of one of the thestral stallions pulling our flying carriage.

“Your highness! We are approaching the town, what will be your orders?” asked the stallion.

Princess Luna woke up and sat comfortably. Thinking for a while, she finally opened the window to give her answer.

“Prepare to fly under a concealment spell. Get to the east side of the town, find the carriage workshop on the outskirts, past the warehouse area, and land behind its walls. It should be quite conspicuous from above,” ordered Luna in a strict loud voice.

“We obey your orders, Princess!”

Luna’s horn lit up and became enveloped by a thick, deep blue aura. A cloud of fog surrounded our carriage, partially blocking our view. Now it must look like a white cloud from the outside, and I bet there is also an attention diversion spell at work! A marvelous combined spell! Too bad I can’t see clearly into its workings, but perhaps Twilight could if she was not too indulged in reading the book right now…

“Um… Princess?” I asked shyly.

“Yes, Starlight?” Princess Luna asked amiably.

“Why the carriage workshop?” I raised my brows in bewilderment.

“Ah, that’s simple! It is a place I designated for my personal use in this town, it is also the hub of operations for my” – Luna waved her hoof, trying to find the right word – “less noticeable subordinates. This place is a good cover, with few visitors, quite remote and overall useful when I want to do something without attracting much attention. Also, it’s easy to hide my royal carriage there.” Princess was quite enthusiastic when talking about it. “Oh my… I should keep my mouth shut about it, I guess! I’m quite surprised that Princess Luna has such a secret place!”

“What? Eh… have we arrived already?” Twilight finally got distracted from the book she was reading. ‘The fundamentals of dream magic’ the title stated. Twilight sighed. “I still can’t get my head around it!”

“Don’t get upset about it, Twilight. You’ll understand it, given time. And yes, we are indeed arriving in Appleloosa,” said Princess Luna kindly.

“But… even with my talent…” Twilight was really upset with herself.

“Twilight, look at me,” – Princess waited for her to raise her gaze – “talent is not everything. Your talent lies in universal magic, the widest sphere of magic. But dream magic is a very specialized type of magic. It does not conform to the general laws, oftentimes even contradicts them! You can’t even imagine how many headaches I had because of it, before I was able to understand something about dream magic, much less use it! And remember that I even have an affinity for it!”

Twilight was listening to Princess Luna attentively, almost the same way she usually listened to Princess Celestia.

“This revision” – Princess bent forward and tapped the cover of the book lightly – “is made personally by me, the old one would seem a complete gibberish to you!” Luna kicked back to the seat again.

“Sorry, Luna, it seems I’ve underestimated the dream magic. I’ll work hard on that topic later.” Twilight made a tight smile, looking at Luna.

“Twilight, I think you have better things to do now, than learning dream magic. It’s not like I’m going to retire from my night duties anytime soon, am I?” Luna giggled.

“I guess so… Ah, right, what will we do in the town?” Twilight has finally changed the topic.

“Yaaawn! Did someone say ‘town’? Are we there already?” Spike woke up to the ruckus.

“While I wait for Night Lily, you all can take a walk and unwind a little. I know the expedition was tedious for you.”

“Great! Time for some fun!” Spike stretched and looked outside the window. “Wow! The town has grown so big since the last time we were here!”

“Naturally, Spike! Trade with the Eastern continent is blooming, and Appleloosa is situated right on the trade route!” Twilight interjected.

“The trade route… Why can’t ships just go straight to Las Pegasus or Vanhoover from the south?” asked Spike.

“Oh, come on, Spike! Las Pegasus is in the clouds, there is no port there, and the only structure on the ground is a train station. Pegasi don’t like to build anything on the ground! And I still can’t understand why, that’s illogical!” Twilight furrowed her brows. She always disliked illogical reasoning.

“And about Vanhoover, it’s too far to the north. Besides, even if it’s Las Pegasus, there are a lot of dangerous reefs at the shore, terrible weather in the deep ocean, along with not so friendly sea serpents, and finally, pirates who like local islands so much. They are mainly diamond dogs, who live near the ocean in the deserts and mountains to the south of Las Pegasus. Our fleet can never catch them all. New pirates pop out even faster than the old ones are caught! So the southern sea route is much, much safer.” I shared my thoughts.

“How troublesome! Alright, enough with the boring stuff!” proclaimed Spike, waved his clawed hand, and returned to observing the approaching city through the window.

The carriage softly landed in the inner courtyard, steadily hovering above the ground. One of the six batpony guards quickly unhitched, walked up to the carriage door, and pulled a lever on the underside. The bottom part of the door frame clicked and moved down, revealing folding stairs, which quickly slid forward and set in place. The other members of the Lunar Guard were already standing at attention on both sides of the door, holding their right hooves on their chest plates. The first guard quickly joined them.

Suddenly, a stallion dressed in an austere style rushed out from the nearby building and knelt before the carriage some distance away, standing still in that pose. The Lunar Guard didn’t move at the slightest, but their vertical pupils attentively followed his every move. The stallion was well past his prime, with silver lines adorning his grayish-black mane in abundance.

PoV: Luna.

I opened the carriage door and disembarked unhurriedly. A rather familiar stallion was kneeling before me. He was Silver Mist, a reliable stallion I’ve assigned to look over this town. He may be getting old, but his grip on affairs going on in this area is as strong as ever. Oftentimes he is underestimated for his aristocratic looks, but that only makes his job easier.

“Hello, Silver. You may rise.” I said in a soft voice. He is not a member of the royal guard, thus there is no need to be too official in the absence of a public, but with him it always gets complicated.

Silver Mist straightened his body, before speaking with reverence: “Greetings, your majesty! What brings your highness to my humble abode? I’m ready to serve to the best of my waning ability!” He lowered his head after that.

I sighed at this display. “Ah, Silver, didn’t I tell you to drop this way of addressing. I have more than enough of it in Canterlot. And also, don't belittle your abilities, you still can give your subordinates a good head start in many things.”

“I don’t dare to address you otherwise, your highness! My respect for you forbids me to do so.” Silver said without raising his head, then looked at me.

Ahh, it’s useless! He was always like that ever since I helped to save his family, but all I did was to give a few orders…

“But my abilities… I can feel the difference with the old me, your highness, and each passing year takes some from what’s left.” Silver’s voice gained on some melancholic vibes.

And he is too strict with himself.

Others were already out of the carriage and looked at the show before them with interest.

“But still, your good head can serve Equestria for a long time to come, as long as you wish it. You are managing this place excellently, but let’s talk about our visit first. There is nothing important this time, Silver. It is a private visit, and I want it to stay out of the general public. Also, I need a room for me and my guests. One large room will be enough for now.”

Silver nodded his head, “That will be easy, your highness, nopony will ever know you were here! May I borrow your Lunar Guards for a minute?”

“Of course!” I turned to my Lunar Guard and nodded my head.

“Then excuse me for a moment,” – Silver turned towards the guards – “Soldiers, see this garage door?” He pointed with his hoof towards one of the large gates of one particularly long building “It’s open, tow the royal carriage there and close the door from inside. That’s all. The faster you do it, the better, we don’t want some loafing pegasi with nothing better to do to see her royal highness’ carriage here!” Silver said in a loud commanding voice.

Batponies loudly hit their chest plates with their hooves and got to work.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Silver Mist bowed to Twilight as well. “Excuse me for not greeting you earlier!” He also nodded to Starlight and Spike and received polite greetings in return. “Your highnesses, please follow me. I’ll escort you and your entourage to your room!” Silver looked at me. “I’m sorry to tell you that we don’t have any personnel to attend to your needs, Princess Luna. But you already know it, of course.” Silver had an apologetic voice, guiding us towards one of the edifices in the backyard. “Currently, I’m the only one on the premises of this facility. Others are busy doing their jobs in the town.”

“Trouble?” I asked with a raised brow.

“We are not sure yet,” – he looked back at me – “I have a hunch there is, but my intuition is just that: intuition. We need facts to work with.” His voice was weary. He turned away his gaze, shaking his head. “While the trade decreased due to booming piracy at the seas, the numbers of foreigners are still rising. The most concerning thing is that they are mainly diamond dogs and griffon mercenaries. They don’t cause much trouble… at least for now. But I can’t see a good reason for them being here in such numbers too.”

“I see. Don’t hesitate to call for help when needed, Silver. I can aid you personally if need be,” I said sincerely. I won’t leave my people in trouble. “After all, we don’t have a proper guard division stationed in this town yet, something more serious may be too much for the sheriff's recruits. Many of them don’t have any experience in such complex things.”

“Thank you, your highness,” – he bowed slightly again – “but it can be just a false alarm or some small fry upstarts trying to play big. Time will tell, I just hope we are not missing anything serious.” He held the door for us to enter. “Still, I’ll keep your offer in mind in case we need help.”

The interior indicated it was something like an owner’s personal office. It was made in an older aristocratic style, but the furniture was of humbler design. It was easy to tell the owner’s taste was good, but much more strict, practical, and not as exceedingly fancy as that of Canterlot’s aristocrats.

There was no other way to get to the other rooms and floors without passing through this office. It's a somewhat strange design, but there must be a reason for it. After ascending to the second floor the atmosphere changed drastically. The entire interior was made in Royal Canterlot style as much as it possibly could, with a lot of white colors and golden ornaments. The windows were covered by dense tulle, so it was hard to see the details from the outside. I don’t remember this building even being here the last time I visited the place. Silver did a good job, but I doubt it was worth it to spend the bits on such luxury.

“This is your room, your majesty.” Silver stopped before one of the doors. “It is the best of the three we have here. Are you satisfied with these chambers, your highness?” He unlocked the door with a golden key and opened it. Seeing me nod approvingly, he continued: “This whole building was designed exclusively for hosting our royal guests, should any royalty ever need to stop by this town. The secrecy and safety are guaranteed by me personally!” He ushered us to enter the room and handed over the golden key. “If you need anything, just say it, your highness. You can just press the button on the table and I’ll be here in a minute!”

“Very good, Silver Mist, thank you. We don’t need anything at the moment, you can return to your duties; we have already taken too much of your time.” I said, smiling at this dutiful stallion.

“I serve you, your majesty, and all of my time is yours.” He bowed again. “I will excuse myself then. May you have a good stay, distinguished guests.” Silver exited the room, closing the door behind him.

I finally paid attention to the trio which was silently following me ever since we left the carriage. All three had dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

“That was… something!” Twilight has finally spoken, having a taut smile on her face.

“Do you mean Silver or this whole establishment?” I asked, amused with their reaction.

“Both!” said Twilight and Starlight simultaneously. Spike nodded his head in agreement.

I thought about how I should put it for them.

“You must have heard some rumors about Shadow Guard, am I right? Twilight must know it anyway. This place is exactly one of their bases of operations, a bit undeveloped, like the whole town, but that’s just a matter of time. They are working under the guise of a large carriage workshop. This will be your home for the duration of our stay in Appleloosa.”

“I see, and that Silver Mist, who is he?” asked Twilight.

“He is managing this place for me, a good pony, very diligent and loyal. But his respect for me is almost fanatical, I’d say. Can’t do anything about it.”

“What does his cutie mark mean? A mask with some kind of a cloak…” Starlight asked.

“To put it more simply, his specialties are disguise and deception. He is able to blend in any society or circle easily after some observations and will be perceived as their own. Naturally, a proper disguise and attire are mandatory, but those we can provide with ease. He can alter his personality and demeanor to such an extent any changeling would be willing to risk their life to have such a talent. The fact he is an earth pony often makes his job even easier, as he draws fewer suspicions, perfect for information gathering. I’m surprised he was working as a butler for a noble house for so long. The country needs ponies like him.” Oh, it seems I’ve gotten too carried away. I doubt such topics are interesting to them. “But enough about Silver Mist, don’t you all want to go and unwind in the town?” My glance ran over them.

“Of course, we want to!” Spike was the first to answer.

“Yes, that would be good.” Starlight added.

“I don’t know…” Twilight hesitated.

“You promised, Twilight!” Spike pressed her, crossing his hands before his chest, making a malcontent face.

“Alright, alright, we are going together!” Twilight didn’t hold for long.

“Then settle in this room, and you are free to go! Oh yes, Twilight, it will be for the best if you’ll be going in and out of here by teleporting to some back alley. Also, put on some clothes which can hide your wings. You don’t want to see the same performance as you saw not long ago wherever you go, are you? Being an alicorn has its downsides too.” I chuckled.

“Oh, right. I think I had a cape in my baggage. I often forget that in Ponyville, I’m still just the same Twilight Sparkle I was before for most ponies, but in other places, it will be different,” said Twilight, already unstrapping her saddlebag.

In a short time, the trio of my companions was ready.

“Um… Princess Luna… It seems my magic does not work here!” Twilight said in confusion.

“Ah, of course, that must be one of the spells integrated into this building. Most likely a teleportation inhibitor spell prevents anyone from getting inside in this way. On second thought, maybe you don’t even need to teleport, as you are wearing a cape now. You can just exit through the shop’s backdoor, I guess. Go and find Silver, he will help you to navigate this place. The town has changed quite a lot.”

Left alone, I was sitting on the bed in silence for quite some time already, busy casting the tracking spell. I’ve left my special ‘dream mark’ on Lily. Not only does it allow me to find her quickly in the dreamland over vast distances, but also in the real world too, albeit within a greatly reduced range. At the very least, I will know if she has reached the town. It seems they have not arrived yet, but this is expected, after all, we set out very early.

I’ve already sent the results of our search to my sister with Spike’s help, but I didn’t mention anything about Ray for now. Celestia tends to overreact to some things and worry over nothing. I will manage everything myself, and everything will be smooth and calm.

“Ya-a-awn… I still need some rest.” I shook my head, trying to get rid of my sleepiness, but it didn’t help much. Recently I was using my magic too often: examining the ruins during the day and wandering the dreamland at night. I need to recuperate, and sleep is one of the best ways to do it. I took a deep breath. “Alright, I can use this time to get a little nap while I’m waiting.” So I just lay on the soft bed and closed my eyes.

PoV: Ray.

Leaning on the metal wall of the cab, I was impassively observing the landscape, slowly moving by. We were going without any stops for quite a time already, finally leaving the densely forested area, now drawing closer to the foothills of the towering mountains in the north. The terrain gradually changed to a sparse forest, then brushland, until the grasslands covered in mottled flower patches became the only thing I could see around. Now the train was moving uphill, losing much of its speed. Breeze said we will go even slower soon. That’s not surprising, this locomotive is not one of those electric or diesel monsters I’ve seen back home.

I didn’t have to wait for long, as we began slowing down even more. Now I’m hauling firewood from the tender for Amber, so he can raise the pressure in the steam engine. The tender itself is not too large and was already partially emptied. Thick smoke is coming out of the chimney, the train is slowly but steadily going up the slope.

While I was working I noticed a shadow momentarily crossing the Sun above me. “Must be some bird.” I thought and continued my work. Amber and I were working as a pair until Breeze interrupted us.

“Guys, we’ve got trouble!” Breeze blurted out suddenly and gulped nervously when we looked at him.

“What trouble?” asked Amber, frowning.

“From above…” Breeze pointed upwards with his hoof.

Amber and I stuck our heads out of the cab and looked above us. I saw five flying creatures above the train. They are following us, no doubt about that. From this distance, I could see a metallic sheen, glimmering in the sun rays.

“Are these bladed weapons?” I asked.

“Of course. It must be Hookbill’s gang, and we are about to get in deep… Bucking horse apples!” Breeze hit his hoof on the floor in irritation and looked at us. “This is not the first time they are at it, I heard they attacked other trains before, and it was always freight trains without a guard. This time they have just five, but it does not mean more won’t show up!”

“Fuck! I must warn the girls!”

I was going to get on top of the first car from the tender, but then saw a small slit for ventilation below the roof, they’ll be able to hear me through it.

“Sapphi, Lily! Can you hear me?” I shouted.

“What’s wrong, Ray?” I could see Lily’s eyes looking at me through that gap.

“Griffon bandits are above us. Can see five, there may be more. All armed. Stay alert and lock the door somehow. You will be outnumbered in the air if you fly out.” I tried to relay the important information as fast as I could.

“Understood! We will act according to the situation! Guard the train, Ray, don’t let them harm those two if you can. We will help when they get distracted.” Lily said in a military tone.

“Good, I’m going back! Shout if anything bad happens.” I shouted back.

Lily may be a mare, but she is a military person to some extent. I should trust her in this regard, and knowing her, she won’t sit still anyway, even if I ask her to. I looked up, the griffons started descending, increasing their speed and overtaking us. I rushed back into the cab and unstrapped my ax from the belt, the only weapon I currently have on me. Amber and Breeze were already holding a shovel and an iron poker respectively.

“Ray, they will definitely try to stop the train, but it’s dangerous to stop the train here. If we are stopped, the train going from the other direction, which goes downhill, might just crash into us!” Breeze told me, rotating some valves with a shaking hoof.

“Don’t panic! Try to keep them from entering the cab, guys, we’ll see what we can do against them, just be careful and don’t get injured. The time will be on our side if the train continues going forward.” The guys nodded their heads and prepared to resist.

“The train won’t last for long without throwing in more firewood, Ray,” Amber said dejectedly.

“Shit! Still, I can’t see the way to avoid the trouble without a fight.” I said, sighing.

The cab, despite being substantially more spacious than cabs of human steam locomotives, was still quite tight for combat, especially when there are three of us inside. Even with a rather short ax, my movements will be constrained. The train slowed down to the speed of a running man, giving the griffons absolute freedom of movement. Three of them appeared on the left side of the train, with the rest out of our sight.

“Hey you, losers! Listen up! I have a proposition for you!” A large griffon shouted to us in a raspy voice, flying sideways parallel to our course.

He had two scimitar-like swords in his front bird claws. His face was crossed by a large cut, going from his forehead under his left eye, ending on his cheek. if birds can have cheeks at all. We remained silent. I concentrated my mind and got my body into combat mode, my muscles bulging a little, my breathing intensifying. I won’t give them any chances and will go in full force.

“What? Did you swallow your tongues from fear? Ha-ha-ha! Useless ponies!” He scoffed. “Hey, you don’t look like a pony!” – He squinted one of his eyes at me. – “Anywho, I can’t care less! This is my proposition: you give up, stop the train, and we won’t hurt you… too much! A-ha-ha-ha! I rarely make such a generous offer. So come on, accept it! Or else…”

“Or else what, moron? Will you cluck until our brains melt from your stupid ravings?” I taunted the smug bastard in a mocking voice. I just can’t resist insulting idiots who try to make trouble for me and my friends… I know I just made a fight inevitable, but there was not even a hint for a peaceful solution anyway. The Hookbill glared at me as if I’ve just murdered his whole family.

“What did you say?” His voice became somewhat quiet. “Did you just say ‘cluck’? Are you trying to say I’m a chicken, bastard?” His voice became louder and louder as he spoke.

“Never call griffons a chicken…” said Breeze quietly, “They get really mad when you do!”

“You are dead meat! I’ll shred your sorry ass to pieces!” Griffon’s voice took on maddened vibes, he was tearing his throat in rage, shouting at me.

“You want my sorry ass? Are you into males, honey?” I said in a comically-seductive voice, adding more fuel to the fire.

“You! You! YOU!” He started stammering.

“Boss! Tell us what to do already!” One of the other griffons said.

“Shut up, Bristlequill! Shut up!” His breathing became labored. “This freak without any fur,” – he pointed one of his scimitars at me – “he is mine, got it? That’s personal!” He growled. “Now you two, storm the cab with me, and you,” – he looked up above the cab – “open the first train car, forget the rest, this is your task. Now, freaking do your job already!” He rattled his scimitars in irritation.

“But boss… we… we don’t kill, right? Why are you…” That griffon looked disturbed and nervous.

“I’ve already told you all to shut up! Do you need a personal order, bastard? Get to work!” Hookbill roared in anger. “And where is our clucking cargo carriage? Ghhhrah! Forget the carriage for now, go!”

With these words, he lunged towards the left entrance of the cab. I pushed Breeze aside and took his place to meet him. This griffon was not a rookie, he started to poke with his scimitars at me from a maximum distance and I had to retreat from the door by two steps, but the space was limited and it was almost as far as I could retreat. A second griffon appeared from the other side, confronted by Amber who had an iron poke in his hooves. He had a pretty good balance standing on his hind legs, for a quadruped. I’m not sure for how long he will be able to fight like that though.

“You will pay for your insults! My griffon pride demands your blood!” Hookbill proclaimed in a growl.

He tried to get inside while shouting this nonsense, but quickly fell back when I swung my ax at him. Good reaction.

“Talking about the pride of a bandit… You must be kidding!” I taunted Hookbill again while I was unable to reach him.

At the same time, I noticed another griffon was trying to get inside from the tender in the back.

“Take this!” shouted Breeze, turning to face the griffon.

Breeze reared on his hind legs and delivered a heavy blow with his shovel. The shovel glided across griffon’s saber when he tried to block and hit him straight in the face with a soft metallic bang. The griffon screeched, toppled back, and flew away. What an idiot! And hell, the earth ponies… are strong! I didn’t think I could rely on them much, but I’m glad I was wrong. Our standoff continued for quite some time, as the griffons were no longer that eager to try getting inside, circling around and probing the guys with rare attacks. I’ve heard Amber made a few good hits, judging by the griffon’s screams and screeches.

“So, are you gonna just fly around and watch?” I shouted to Hookbill. “Want to chicken out?”

He did not answer anything and charged at me again. I sidestepped behind the iron wall, waiting for him to show up, and he did exactly that… layman. First I saw his lion hind leg enter the cab, then his head showed up. Hookbill’s eyes were mad, with red veins clearly visible in his sclera. He raised his scimitar to make a strike, but an overhead powerful swing of my ax was already descending on him.

He tried to hastily block it with both of his weapons but was too slow. I did not go easy on him, this strike was powerful, it landed on his scimitar he was holding in the right hand. Metal rang and sparks flew out, then a slightly bent and chipped scimitar dropped to the floor with a clang. The griffon disappeared back outside, grunting from the pain in his clawed hand.

“Who taught you to block an ax with a sword, genius?” I shouted snidely.

Hookbill grunted before flying upwards out of my sight. “Capture the ponies, idiots! Somebody set us up! There should be no guard on this train.” I heard Hookbill’s shouts from above the cab. “This bastard is no ordinary fella!”

“This redhead pony is too strong, Hookbill! We can’t capture them! I’m already bruised all over!” One of the griffons complained.

“And I lost my saber!” said the second one.

“What? Oh you moronic yellow-beaked useless bastards, damn it! Why the cluck must I always do all the work in your retarded stead every bloody time?” Hookbill raged. “And you two, what takes so long to open the damn door, huh? Work faster you dimwits!” – he fell silent for a moment – “Forget the ponies you two! We can’t stop the damn train this time! Join the idiots who can’t even break the bloody wooden door, get as many crates as you can, thrash and dump away everything else you can’t steal! I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed.”

I hope the girls are ready, but I must help them somehow! I exited the cabin and got on the tender, which was half-loaded with firewood. This griffon might be a buffoon, but he is in no way an idiot, and can judge his chances and priorities properly, no longer reacting to my insults.

“You are not going anywhere, two-legged freak!” Hookbill hovered above the first train car, seemingly to prevent me from doing anything to stop their robbery. “I may not be able to spill your blood today, but I can still make you fail!” He pointed his scimitar at me, spitting out each word.

I picked up his other damaged scimitar before I went out. I’m not too proficient in dual-wielding, but it still may come useful. I heard the crunch of the wooden boards and clangs of broken metal, it seems they have finally broken the door. I bent my body over the side of the tender to see what was happening there. They moved the door to the side with the screeching noise.

Two griffons rushed inside instantly, only to be thrown out a moment later, with a loud bang of the lightning strike, in a sparse cloud of smoking feathers. “Sapphira’s work! Perfect!” I thought.

Two unlucky griffons were unable to maintain their flight after being electrocuted and dropped to the ground. They were lucky that the train's speed was pretty low, so they did not get any injuries apart from some bruises due to their fall, but they got more than enough from the lightning strike. I was going to start throwing firewood at our adversaries as the only means of ranged combat for me at the moment, but the events had an unexpected turn.

“Guards!” One griffon shouted in panic, flying farther from the car.

“A battle unicorn!” A second one retreated after the first in haste.

“What?” Hookbill became flustered and had a dumbfounded look, landing on the roof of the train car.

Both griffons stopped retreating a fair distance from the train, continuing to slowly fly along with its movement, warily looking at the train car they tried to storm into just now. Of the two griffons, only one was armed with a short sword, the second one must be that guy who had lost his weapon before.

Lily charged out of the train car, her speed surprisingly high, holding my spear under her foreleg with her hooves. She stormed towards the two griffons, holding my spear before her steadily. She caught up with griffons pretty quickly but didn’t attack them with the spear, instead, I heard a shrill high-pitched scream when she flew past them. Even at this distance, my ears were ringing slightly. “Did she do it?” I was amazed by what she just did. It was a genuine sonic attack.

“A-a-a-a-a! My ears! My ears! I can’t hear anything!” A griffon screamed hysterically, his flight shaky.

“Run, bro! It's the vampire soldiers!” shouted the griffon with the saber, he seemed somewhat better than his friend. I doubt his accomplice was able to hear him though.

Griffons flew in panic in different directions to get away from Lily as fast as they could, quickly turning to flee with their tails between their legs. Lily made a wide high-speed turn in the air, aiming to attack Hookbill next. I saw her eyes at the moment, brimming with unyielding resolve.

“Is she always like that in such situations? She is much more confident fighting the bandits compared to manticores.” I thought, but at the same time, I could not help her with anything at the moment.

Sapphira silently hovered out of the train car with a sword in her magic grip, closing to Hookbill from behind, unnoticed. Her eyes were menacingly squinting and she had a scary toothy grin on her face. She hissed at Hookbill angrily, startling him and forcing him to look back in fear.

“Fuck!” Hookbill’s voice had risen by two octaves. His precious griffon pride has disappeared into thin air. “We’ve been set up! Retreat!” He shouted in a screeching high-pitched voice, but his commands were meaningless. His accomplices had already abandoned him and were hastily flying away towards the horizon. Hookbill abruptly rushed upwards to avoid the attacks, letting Lily fly by underneath him, and followed his retreating subordinates. They didn’t even mind the other two griffons who were left behind on the ground. “That bastard will pay us a triple price for this misinformation!” I heard him scolding someone in rage, probably the one who hired them or sold them information. So… it seems it wasn’t a regular robbery.

I breathed a sigh of relief from this development. These guys were… bad at their job. Yeah. The only one with some skills and guts was that ringleader, and even he was not that good. But they would be a certain game over for Amber and Breeze if we were not around. That Hookbill probably put together a ragtag gang out of some rookie fighters and hoping for easy pickings. I’m glad they were cowards, otherwise, there could be problems for us. They should have had a cargo carriage even, as I overheard, but it seems it got lost or late for some reason, what losers!

Lily landed beside me, exhaling with a little horsey snort, steadying her breath after her crazily fast attack. I didn’t know they could make that cute noise.

“Sorry, Ray, I took your spear,” she smiled at me apologetically, giving me my spear back.

I took it and put it down beside us. “Oh, that’s nothing, I won’t care about some spear when it can save your life, even if you break it.” I ruffled her puffy mane and she closed her eyes in pleasure. She likes my hands, doesn't she? “And that scream of yours was truly something!”

Lily was visibly happy at my high assessment of her actions. Sapphira hovered down from the roof and softly landed beside us too.

“And here comes our heavy artillery! You did well, Sapphira! That attack was truly badass!”

“Oh, but it was all Lily’s plan, so praise her more! And what is that artil… lery?” asked Sapphira.

“Oh, that’s… a cannon of sorts, a serious one.” I realized I was mixing languages again.

“Ah, I get it now. And where is my reward?” She walked closer to me, smiling. “Come on, use those hands of yours already, you just did it for Lily!”

Ah, she likes that too. It seems all ponies like their manes being stroked, so I reached my hand to Sapphira’s head, slowly caressing her silky flowing mane, but soon I heard a cough from my back. “I… just hope he does not want me to pet his mane.” I had this funny thought for a moment.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we must return to our work, and just wanted to say thanks. You all have saved us from that Hookbill bandit… So, thanks a lot! We both owe you one!” Breeze walked up to us with a happy smile.

“Uh… Yup! Y’all really saved our hides today!” Amber joined Breeze too.

“You guys were good too, even beat them a little!” I chuckled.

“Ya know, Ray…” – Amber awkwardly scratched his head – “I get into fights often, and I’m… strong! That griffon didn’t even know what a proper fight is! Even his saber didn’t help him much! I’m just glad Breeze wasn’t injured, he is not like me, after all.” He pulled up his bandana that slid down to his brows, smiling.

“I’m fine, buddy, got lucky, I guess! He almost cut me a few times, but then he lost his weapon when I hit him in his face with my shovel, ha-ha!” He moved his gaze to me. “Ray, your left hand…”

I took a look at my left hand and saw some blood on it. That bastard must have made a slight cut, but it must have already healed up on its own, I didn’t even feel anything. I looked at my clothes, the fact that my last shirt was still intact was reassuring.

“Ah, that’s not a big deal, guys, don’t mind it.” I waved my hand.

“If you say so. Well, we’ll return to the cab. Have to look after this iron fella!” – He hit the iron wall of the tender with his hoof. – “We will reach the tunnel in an hour or so, then we will go at full speed again!” said Wheels, turning around to walk back.

“So, girls, that’s another day with some shit happening, right?” I said jokingly.

“Can’t argue with that anymore, Ray!” Lily replied with a somewhat sad smile, I guess she believes in my bad luck now.

“But such things can’t be happening every single day… can they?” Sapphira tried to be optimistic, but I think she failed at that.

“Well, today it’s ‘almost no trouble’ by my personal shit’o’meter, so perhaps I should instead deem us lucky! But seriously, what can happen to us in the town? Nothing too bad, I suppose. Therefore, our bad times are over and we can finally have a rest from all that jungle, manticores, and now bandits too!”

I just sat on the floor, leaning against the metal side of the tender, and did not care about my clothes getting dirty. We should have some time to ourselves, Amber still has some firewood inside the cab and won’t bother us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, listening to the constant chuffing of the steam engine and the rattling sounds of steel wheels.

“I need a day off from all of it, just one day…” I said slowly under my breath. I’m not exhausted physically, but mentally… I think I’m starting to burn out. Being always on guard leaves that uncertain, weak, but the constant feeling of unease in the back of my mind, like I’ve forgotten to do something important, but can’t remember what exactly. And of course, I’m always forgetting something important or doing something wrong, I’m not a survival expert, after all…

I felt a hoof touch my chest softly. I opened my eyes and saw Lily’s face before me, to my surprise. I thought it would be Sapphira.

“Ray, that was just a freak accident, everything will be fine!” she said softly.

She has a very kind voice when not trying to play soldier. I was drowning in her yellow eyes, looking into them. There is something mesmerizing about their large colorful eyes with a vertical pupil.

“I know, Lily, but I was useless again. Could not help you and Sapphi at all!” I said regretfully, then hugged her by her barrel and brought her into my embrace. She put her head on my right shoulder, and I could feel her soft pale lilac fur touching my bare skin. That would be a fantastic sensation if she wasn’t wearing her armor.

“No, you did enough! I said we would manage, and so we did, so just stop taking everything on yourself, we are mares, not foals,” she cooed in my ear quietly.

Sapphira sat down beside me on the left, leaning on my side. I could feel the warmth of her body even through her armor. Sapphira sat in a rather humanlike manner, freeing her front hooves, one of those was instantly placed on my thigh. Sometimes I wonder why they are still walking on all four with such flexibility.

“Lily is right, we can stand for ourselves too, you’ve seen it yourself. You had to protect the guys, and you did!” Sapphira said and blew into my ear with her hot breath.

I didn't say anything, they were right in their own way.

“You sure like hugging our fluffy batty!” said Sapphira playfully.

I chuckled, “Hugging our fluffy batty is the best anti-stress therapy! I’m already in a good mood!” Well, that was also true. “I became forever addicted to hugging with ponies, and changelings too, but you are also ponies, apparently,” I said to Sapphira.

Lily smiled and got more comfortable in my embrace, obviously not going to leave her spot anytime soon. We just sat like that in silence, enjoying the company of each other. Everything will change when we reach the town, hopefully for the better.

Chapter 11 - The Road to Appleloosa (Part 2)

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Chapter 13 - Southern Night

In the serene yet short time of twilight, with the last rays of the setting sun still dimly illuminating the skies above me, I was unhurriedly walking along the streets of this strange town. Parching heat of the day swapped for a pleasant freshness of the night. The air was still damp after a brief rain, organized by a local pegasi weather team, clearing the dusty atmosphere of the busy town. I inhaled this refreshing air deeply yet another time. Even in this place of dust and sand, the air of this world was times cleaner than the air of any modern town on Earth.

Our trio had a nice dinner on the first floor of the hotel. Girls came downstairs in a good mood, and even Lily’s embarrassment was nowhere to be seen anymore. I didn’t pry the issue, however, to avoid disturbing Lily’s peace of mind. Sapphira is a smart girl. She’ll tell me if I need to know anything, I suppose. I’ve already proven to myself to have much less edge in such things. As I was leaving the hotel, crossing the hall on the first floor, I noticed the bar resumed its work again, and the number of patrons had increased drastically, making the place noisy. I hope the room is soundproof enough to sleep peacefully.

Why am I walking alone on the streets then? That’s because Lily relayed Luna’s wish to meet me tonight, before her departure, tet-a-tet. Must be something important. Once more, I had to spend quite a time convincing the girls that I’ll be fine going there alone. Remembering the road was easy, and I was sure I won’t encounter any trouble just walking on the streets. Moreover, they need rest, especially Lily.

At this hour, there were fewer people on the streets, illuminated by the magical crystal lanterns. It wasn’t late yet, so some shops and establishments were still working, attracting people strolling the evening streets. Naturally, my person is attracting quite a lot of curious gazes, but it is not disturbing me much, as long as nobody tries to find trouble with me.

Turning another corner, I walked into the street leading to the warehouse district. I felt yet another gaze on my back, but paid little attention to it, as it was happening all the way here. Ever since I made improvements in terms of my power, this was a regular occurrence to me. I can feel attention directed at me, especially gazes. It’s like an instinctive thing, out of the boundaries of regular logic, but it has never failed me so far. The gears in my head trembled and started moving when I noted this gaze was lingering on my back for some time already. A minute later, my paranoia, which I thought I left back in the jungle, raised its head again and forced me to take action. I cursed at myself silently for leaving my dagger in the hotel room.

I turned my head back briefly, looking around the area and a certain direction from which I felt the gaze, but I didn’t see anyone suspicious, and that place was empty. Careless ponies strolled back and forth on the streets, but nobody looked at me at the moment. I shook my head in confusion as that strange feeling of being watched disappeared. I turned into a side alley, intending to change streets and shake off whoever was tailing me, or at least to get rid of that disturbing feeling if it was a false alarm. Perhaps I’m just being overly cautious, and it is a coincidence, or maybe just some overly curious pony that was following me.

Going down the parallel street, I thought I was done with this issue, until I felt the same gaze on my back again. Turning around, I saw nothing. Not a soul was behind me, save for a few griffons and ponies in the distance. I walked further, not giving away any more signs I detected my — stalker. A dark side alley was on the left side just ahead of me. I strayed to the left side of the street and quickly scuttled away into the darkness of the alley when I reached the turn. I rushed to hide behind an empty street stall on the left, blending in with the surrounding darkness. My sense of life was already working on full throttle, but its range was not that good, so I waited in hiding.

Soon, I heard hardly audible rustle and a certain presence appeared on my ‘radar’. This is… probably a pony, or a quadruped of the same size at the very least, judging by my experiences so far. I don’t believe I won’t be able to contend with a pony should the need arise. What bewildered me is that I saw nothing in that place with my eyes, but there must be something! The creature moved into the alley and stopped in its tracks not too far from me. It had obviously lost my tracks and was thinking what to do. I moved out of my hiding place in a careful and silent stride, positioning myself behind that creature.

“Halt! Show yourself! I know you are here, and I won’t be asking twice.” I said in a stern and loud voice, glaring at the place where the presence was.

In return, I heard a girlish yelp as the air trembled in waves before me, revealing a pony’s figure covered with a brown cape. Its abrupt movement made its hood fall from its head, revealing a familiar face. It was the frightened face of Princess Twilight Sparkle. I exhaled, and my body finally relaxed. Was she using some camouflage spell?

“Princess Twilight Sparkle?” A wry smile appeared on my face. “Care to explain this?” I asked sarcastically.

Princess’ mouth opened and closed several times as her eyes grew wide.

“Uh… please calm down, Princess. Sorry if I’ve frightened you, but you did the same to me when you followed me for so long.” I said in a calm voice.

Twilight Sparkle finally got herself together, producing a sheepish smile. “Sorry, mister…” She looked at me quizzically.

“Ray. You can call me Ray, Princess Twilight.”

“Yes, mister Ray, I… I… just… uh…” Twilight tried to explain herself, probably, but could not choose the right words, her eyes darting about in panic.

I sighed, first she stalked me and now she's calling me mister? As if this hair of mine wasn't making me feel old enough already. I scratched the back of my head, feeling the already very noticeable stubble of my growing hair. Well, at least I should not look completely bald now.

“Just forget it, Princess, but for how long were you at it?”

“Since I’ve found the hotel you have stopped at. An hour, maybe… or two… was it more?” She mumbled the last words under her breath, her brows furrowed in thought.

My hand touched my forehead. She’s a trouble; hopefully, not a big one. At least she is quite humble, for a princess, and strange, too. “Well, it’s not up to me to talk about strangeness here.” I laughed internally at this thought and decided not to judge her too harshly for it.

“Was it worth it wasting your time like that? If you wanted to find me, there were much easier ways to do that, I’m sure. Well, alright, now that I’m standing before you, do you have some business with me, Princess?” I cut to the chase. “Why don’t we talk while we walk? I was going to meet Princess Luna this evening, and I guess you’re going to that place too.”

Twilight’s face brightened up when I put aside the main issue. We walked back into one of the major streets leading to the warehouse district.

“Actually, I just wanted to ask some questions about your kind, and some about your exploits in the jungle, too. I’ve never seen anypony like you! How are you species called? Where are you from? Why are you wearing so much clothes? And where are your mane and fur? If you’re ill, we can use magic to…” Twilight threw questions at machinegun speed.

“Wait, wait, wait, Princess, that’s too many questions in one line.” I raised both my hands in protest. Twilight only smiled awkwardly. Yes, I’m beginning to understand Lily’s reaction to this… princess. But! Compared to Lily, I have an advantage in that I’m not obliged to obey her every order, unless I’m threatened by her royal authority, that is. However, she does not look like the one to abuse her power, so I can just dodge all the inconvenient questions.

Twilight fell into thought for a moment, then her ears shot up, as she asked abruptly. “Oh! How did you find me, mister Ray? I’m sure I’ve cast my concealment spell nigh perfectly.”

“Just Ray will be enough.”

“Then call me Twilight, please.” She tried to put on a friendly smile, but it came out somewhat strained.

Pausing for a second, I thought it over before replying. “Alright, Twilight.” It’s not the first time a princess has asked me to do so, but this time it comes just… naturally. She is much younger, I think. Twilight beamed at me after I said her name. “As for how I noticed… I felt you. I felt your gaze on my back. Then, in the alley, I felt your presence when you came closer. Also, you made some noise while moving.”

“That’s incredible! How do you do that?” A notebook with a writing feather appeared before her out of the blue, and she seemed to be ready to note down my answers.

“Is it necessary?” I nodded towards the notebook.

“Of course! Your answers are of utmost importance for science!”

“I really doubt they are.” I shook my head, unamused by her billowing enthusiasm. “Look, Twilight, I’m not asking you how unicorns use their magic or how pegasi fly. It is not something that can be explained with words, right? Even if I try to explain, will you be able to understand?”

“I can explain how magical energy works inside our bodies. First it…”

“Pardon me, Twilight, but I’m speaking of your personal control, about how you do it, not its workings inside your body.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks, putting a hoof to her chin, she looked to be deep in thought, mulling over an answer, although it just resulted in her sagging her withers. Propping down her foreleg once more though, her slight frown turned right back around as I could practically see the light bulb above her head before she resumed walking.

“Oh, right, then… I’ve heard you possess some uncommon healing magic. Can you show me? Magic is my forte, so I want to know every small bit of new information!”

I thought for a second. Well, it worked with Luna, more or less. Perhaps she will leave me alone if I show her and she won’t be able to sense and understand it properly.

“Then look, Twilight.” I said with a little smirk.

I held out my hand to her, palm up, not stopping walking forward. Soon, greenish-yellow wisps of faint light slipped from my fingertips, circling upon my palm, slowly congregating into a more visible ball of light. Twilight looked with interest at this show. Her horn flared with intense magic power as she tried to scan the ball with it. Her magic aura touched the sphere and then surprisingly enough, skimmed over my body as well. “Do ponies not know the concept of personal space or something?”

“Huh? Nothing? But how… That shouldn’t… Why?” Twilight seemed confused. “What is that, mist- Ray? And why is your body devoid of magic?”

“That’s my pure, raw energy, and no, my body is not devoid of magic. It’s filled with the same energy you see before you.”

“Incredible! You say it’s raw? But raw magic is violent, we usually use it in the form of destructive magic rays!” Twilight overtook me and stood in front, making me stop. She was intently watching the glowing ball.

“Twilight?” She seemed to forget about everything else, her face shifting expressions from bewilderment to deep thought, sliding to slight irritation towards the end. My voice had finally gone through to her.

“Ah… sorry. Can I touch it?” Twilight asked with enthusiasm.

“Go ahead. My magic is too bad for destruction, as you can see.”

Twilight carefully moved her hoof towards the sphere and dabbed it, but as soon as she did, the sphere enveloped her hoof and was absorbed into her body.

“What happened? Where has it gone?” Twilight observed her hoof, but found nothing wrong with it. “Oh, I feel strangely — refreshed. Is it a ‘stamina recovery’ spell? No, it does not have that unnatural feel to it…” Twilight said to herself, most likely, and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to have a strange light in them, and I didn’t like it one bit.

“Is something wrong? Let’s stop just standing in the middle of the street, Twilight.” I said, as I resumed my stride.

Twilight followed, and her gait was strange, raising hooves high. Her burning enthusiasm was on full display.

“Did you cast a spell, Ray?” she finally asked with a toothy smile. “Tell me which one it was!”

“No, I did nothing. Just… nothing. Your body has absorbed it, that’s all.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“I am.” I nodded.

“That’s fantastic! We must research it… No!” she interrupted herself, scribbling something in her notebook at lightning speed. “I need to check the Canterlot Archives first. There must be at least something there.” Towards the end, she was again talking to herself. Then inexplicably she remembered my existence again, launching into a tirade of various questions regarding my ‘magic’ and origins all the way, filling in her notebook with more and more entries. Though I didn’t give her more details than just the basics and my legend. The purple pony-shaped questionnaire also wanted to know how I could open the magic doors of that building back in the jungle, but I did not know myself. I could understand magic to some degree, but that’s just theory based on some minor similarities to my power, and I’ll never be able to use it myself, anyway.

Looking ahead, as Twilight went on another ramble about magic theory, I noticed we were closing in on our location. A huge silvery metal wheel atop the sign was hard to miss even from a distance, as it shined in the moonlight with countless reflections of street lamps. ‘Silver Wheel’, quite a match with the name of the pony who runs the place, as well as the style of Luna.

“Ray! Do you want to come to Ponyville with me? I have a lot of equipment there and we…”

I interrupted her patter. “Sorry, Twilight, but I’ll have to disappoint you. I have a lot of other important things to do here.”

Twilight’s ears drooped as she made puppy eyes, trying to convince me with that vile pony technique. This is evil, I tell you! But this time it won’t work, though the unconscious desire to grab and pet her, until she is happy again, still appeared in my mind. By this time, we were already close to the Shadow Guard compound.

“Ray, I can even pay you to take part in my research…” She tried another method.

Is that a proposition?

“No, Twilight, I can’t just drop everything and go with you. Besides, I hate being a freeloader, and I have my companions with me.”

Twilight sighed in dejection, entering the back door as I held it for her. “Thanks,” — she turned her head to me — “then at least come visit me if you ever come to Ponyville,” she said with a humble smile. “We are leaving tomorrow, but you probably know it already. Just ask around how to get to ‘Castle of Friendship’ and you will find me in no time.”

“What a strange name for a castle,” I thought. “Alright, Twilight, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Twilight fell silent for a moment, before asking, “Do you want to be my friend, Ray?” She looked at me expectantly.

This question confused me. “Twilight, even if I want to, will just calling you my friend really make me your friend?” Her naivety irked me somewhat. I can tell ponies are often like that, but what if some bastard tries to use that side of their personality? Besides, I’m not that fond of lying to anyone in the face that I’m their friend when I don’t see them as such, at least yet. Also, she is a princess. Shouldn’t she be more discerning and cautious?

“Pardon? I don’t quite understand…”

“Look, Twilight, friendship bonds can’t be created that easily. For a true friend, I’m willing to risk my life, and trust them my back any time any day. This takes time, Twilight. Do you have such friends?”

Twilight fell in thought. “I can tell at least six, and there must be more!”

“I’m happy for you, Twilight, to have so many, but take my advice not to trust people you just met blindly, like me right now. Not all of them will be honest with you and have good intentions.”

“That… I know what you mean. Such things… happened before.” Twilight made an awkward smile. “But Princess Luna trusts you, and so I can, too. I’m called a Princess of Friendship for a reason. So,” — she looked me in the eye innocently — “friends?” She held out her hoof to me, smiling.

I sighed and chuckled before shaking her purple hoof. “Alright, friends it is, then,” I said, surrendering to her. Twilight had a radiant smile on her face as she looked into my eyes. She is weird even for a pony, but does not seem that bad.

“Oh!” Twilight said in alarm. “Did I delay you much? Sorry.”

“Not at all, but I think I better go to meet Princess Luna now and not make her wait any longer.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. We said our goodbyes and she once again reminded me to come to Ponyville, then trotted away towards the building nearby, and I walked to the pair of Luna’s personal guards, who had been watching me ever since I appeared in this place. Luckily, the one who dislikes me was not here. After having minimal conversation, they escorted me to the same building Twilight went to and brought me to the third floor, leaving me alone before a luxurious-looking door. Well, everything around looked luxurious, to be honest.

My hand was already raised to knock on the door when it opened by itself, a trace of dark cobalt aura around it.

“Come in.” Luna’s voice was as soft and pleasant as always. Stepping in, I was met by the sight of her half-lying on a luxurious soft couch. This must be a room meant for relaxation and recreation. The soft light from the ceiling illuminated the middle of the room, leaving the sides slightly dim. Before the couch stood a round table with various refreshments and wine bottles of fancy design. The door closed behind me subtly.

“My favorite human is finally here.” Luna’s smile told volumes about her current mood.

“Well, I’m the only human who can be here. Glad to see you too, Luna.” I returned a smile. Honestly, to say I’m glad is an understatement. Ever since that strange magic incident during the day I feel profoundly comfortable in her presence, even with all my past anxiety about the royalty I had before. This is yet another fact I can’t help, but just accept as is, at least for now. “Is there anything urgent that you need my presence for?”

Luna giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Come sit, Ray.” She tapped her hoof at her side, prompting me to sit right beside her. “I hope you can excuse this bored princess for dragging you out from the sweet embrace of your marefriends,” Luna said in a playful tone.

I chuckled curtly. “They are tired and could use some extra sleep. I’m sure they are already snoring together in bed, but I can still stay up for a few more hours.” I plopped on a couch, which was a little too low for me, sinking into its softness. “So, what are we going to do?”

“Do delicious snacks, Moon Road and having a pleasant chat sound good?” Luna turned her body to have a better view of me.

“Of course it does. That means no serious business for tonight? I’m in!” I said with a laugh.

“That’s the spirit! That’s how friends should spend their time together. Ah… it’s been a long while since the last time I had something like this with someone outside my family circle. The hypocritical aristocrats and diplomats don’t count, of course, they are all so fake… We should have been like that from the start, Ray. Ah, I’m talking too much again. Let’s raise our glasses to celebrate your successful escape!” Luna used her magic to uncork the bottle swiftly and pour us two chalices of Moon Road.

“All thanks to you, Luna.” I took a glass from her magic grip and clinked it with her, smiling.

We kept talking about the happenings of the day. Shadow Guard tried to get as much info on the tunnel collapse from the more shady part of the townsfolk, but it didn’t bring any decent results so far. I, in turn, told Luna my impressions of the Appleloosa and the pony society as a whole. I had answered honestly about my mixed feelings, but my overall evaluation of everything was on a positive side, which pleased Luna.

There was a glass to her successful expedition, which found nothing, then she joked that she had found me and it was worth another one. Yet one more was raised to my ‘herd’. By that time I was beyond just being tipsy as I showered her with funny and curious stories from my past life, probably giving her much more facts about it and the Earth as a whole than I intended, but I couldn’t care less. Man, she listened to my stories with such interest, but then… Luna started pouting for some reason.

“Ray!” Luna said with a bit of displeasure. “Are we friends?”

“Of course we are. Why do you even ask?” I could not get her hints.

“Then why are you,” — she pointed her hoof at me — “sitting so far away from me?”

“Oh, damn, I have a drunk capricious princess demanding attention here, what am I supposed to do knowing almost nothing about this part of their culture?” I thought to myself, unsure of what to do.

“That’s wrong!” Luna moved closer to me on the couch until she was almost on my lap. She reclined her body against the sofa’s back, leaning on my side, and resting her head on my shoulder. “That’s how ponies do it with friends. Cuddle together… and hug,” Luna murmured into my ear.

That was the final straw which broke a camel’s back. I was resisting the urge to just grab this big soft-looking pony into my arms, then cuddle, pet and spoil her like a big blue cat for quite a time already, and my drunken mind had ignored her esteemed status completely. I slowly turned to her, then my arms embraced and pressed her gently to my chest. My free hand wove through her magical, ever-waving mane and scratched behind her fluffy ears. A satisfied, quiet whimper was an answer to all and any questions which popped inside my head.

“A bit lower, Ray… Oh, yes, that’s the spot,” Luna said in a dreamy, slightly tipsy voice. “That’s so relaxing. I should have just ordered you to go to Canterlot with me. I could use… your helping hand to relieve my stress after my nightly duties or infuriating political meetings.” She chuckled. “Pray tell, do your culture frown upon friendly hugs and cuddles? I can see you like it, and you can’t hide it from me, but you hesitated so much…”

I sighed before I spoke. “We rarely do that with girls who are just friends.” My drunken thoughts stopped in a crash. Right now I want to just punch myself in the face… Why the hell I just had to phrase it that awkwardly?

Luna raised her gaze. It looked like her eyes were smiling. She giggled, probably at my funny face at this moment.

“You don’t do it with girls, then… perhaps you do that with your stallion friends?” She had a sly smirk on her face.

I coughed at this unexpected question. “Why should I do it with them?”

Luna laughed. “Yes, your reaction is exactly like I supposed it would be. Your culture seems to have some similarities to minotaurs in this regard. They are always trying to look serious, but I tell you, even they hug with their friends, especially when they get drunk on their ‘fire water’ or something similarly strong and crazy.” Luna touched my cheek with her hoof, while I was still embracing her. “It’s normal for ponies to do it, stallions do it too, with no weird meaning behind it. That’s the way we are. Like this, we are strengthening our bonds. Sorry if I sound like lecturing you, but I think you should know it.”

“I… I see.”

“So,” — Luna’s smile grew wider, — “what were you talking about ‘just friends’, Ray? Do you perhaps see me as something more than ‘just a friend’, then?”

“Fuck — my — life! What am I supposed to say now? My tongue is my enemy.” Both positive and negative answers can pin me down, though in different ways. What’s worse, she can mysteriously tell when I’m not speaking the truth, but she interrupted me before I could think of something.

“I think we should have another one for that.” Luna chuckled and quickly poured us another chalice. Well, this might be a bad choice, but it certainly can be a solution to my conundrum. Just get a little bit more wasted, and the problem at hand might seem not so big anymore. “Yes, not a problem at all.” Such thought traced my mind, disappearing into haze right after, as the heavenly drink spread through my bloodstream.

“So?” Luna raised the issue again with great interest and enthusiasm.

“I… I — don’t know, Luna.” My words got slightly messy as the magic alcohol finally had its effect on me. “Maybe. I feel good around you… And you are the only… the only one, apart from Sapphi and Lily, who knows, well, true me… almost true me. You’ve been inside of my mind, literally. It’s… strange.” I was talking while my hand was busy scratching her ears or stroking her neck, my fingers gliding through her supple, dark fur. Luna’s eyes were half-closed from the pleasure. Doing it calmed my mind greatly, helped by the Moon Road.

Luna caressed my cheek with her soft hoof. “You’ve been inside my head as well, quite literally so, I’d say.” Luna tittered briefly. “It was a bit different, I’ll admit, but still… I can’t stop thinking about you ever since.” She sighed blissfully as my fingers straightened a tangle in her fur. “Why do your — fingers feel so good? The way you touch me… It makes me forget about all my worries and just enjoy the moment...” Luna closed her eyes for a while. “Ray, you really do not see me as a monster, or a threat, even after all you have seen. Sometimes, I have a faint unnerving feeling that my own sister… fears me. She may try to hide it, but sometimes, when she is distressed… It’s hard to miss.” — Luna sighed deeply again — “It hurts, Ray.” Luna embraced me tightly, pressing her head to my chest, her horn skillfully turned away from my neck.

I gulped nervously. “I actually… actually said what was on my mind, and Luna… She did the same…” I stroked her hair gently with my free hand in silence. The words were not needed. “We like each other… Even more than just like, it’s an intangible bond I’m still struggling to comprehend, but it’s not the lust, not the fiery passion, but something else.” As much as I wish to avoid an affair with the royal blood for my own good, I refuse to push her away. No, I just can’t do it. Though it isn’t looking like a genuine one… yet.

I breathed in, closing my eyes for a moment. “Luna?” She raised her look to meet mine, unwilling to let me go. “Time will heal everything. It should,” I said softly, my hand lightly sliding down her elegant neck. “Your sister will forget her fears, and everything will be fine once more.”

“I know, Ray. If I have anything aplenty, it’s time.” Her sad voice was slightly trembling. “Still, knowing it does not make things easier,” — a subtle smile finally crept on her face, — “but sharing it with you does.”

“Time…” I muttered, falling into a deep thought. My hands, though, never stopped gently caressing Luna. “Right, I haven’t thought about it much, but… how much time do I really have — left? Seems I’ve fallen into that thoughtful drunk state once more. An old wreck turned into a somewhat athletic, healthy man in a week… How much can it last? My guts and logic tell me: as long as the magic is present around. Am I… like Luna now?”

“Time.” Luna snorted. “It is my enemy. That millennium spent on the moon turned everything and everyone I knew to dust.” Her whisper was quiet, but the next phrase she said silently, only slightly moving her lips, but I could catch the words by their movements: “And it will take you away from me, eventually, too.” I could see small, glistening teardrops in the corners of her eyes. She suppressed them forcefully, but I still noticed.

“Don’t think about it too much, Luna.”

“Ah…” she said with a sigh, “You heard me…”

“Mmm…” I just nodded, unable to think of any appropriate words. “Say, what if time can’t take me away?” I asked this silly question just to see her reaction.

Luna raised her brows and smiled enchantingly. “Then…” — she giggled — “I would start preparations for the royal wedding the moment I would’ve returned to Canterlot, so my sister couldn’t beat me to it, and you would be forbidden to refuse!” Her chest was convulsing with occasional laughs.

“Uh… yeah…” I laughed awkwardly. “She is joking, right? She must be, yes, definitely. Luna is drunk and her mood swings like a pendulum right now.” I faked clearing my throat. “You got me with this one.” I rubbed the back of my head.

“And what if I’m not joking?” she asked, grinning with glee.

“Oh, Luna, please don’t make it any more awkward for me.”

“You started this ‘what if’ game yourself. Nobody pulled your tongue.” Luna chuckled. “Oh, yes, I almost forgot.” She rose and sat herself properly on the couch, then her horn flashed with magic light and a small black wooden casket with a carved lid floated to us from the shelf on the wall. The lid flew open and what I saw inside were my old papers and the broken phone I left in the ruins. “Is this yours? Did you forget these things in the ruins?”

“Rather, I discarded those. There would be no use for these things here, anyway.”

“Why? What were these things for?”

“These two,” — I picked up my passport and driver license — “are my ‘papers’, this one proves who I am and my citizenship, and this one proves my right to drive certain vehicles on the roads. Then, look here, Luna.” Luna raised her body to sit on the couch properly. I tapped the blank photo. “There should be the image of my face, and here” — I moved my finger — “should be my full name, date of birth and some other information. See? Yes, it’s completely blank now. Nothing! I’ve already mentioned I don’t remember my old name, but this goes far beyond the issue of me losing some memories. I also can’t remember those details of my identity, I don’t even remember my old face I used to see in the mirror, just roughly, as well as I can’t remember the exact faces of the people I knew, even my own family, but I’m glad the other memories were left intact, more or less. I was…” — I sighed — “erased from my old world, in a sense. That’s what I know and that’s why it’s useless for me to seek a way back. This mainly sums it up. It’s also the reason I left those items there, to think of it less and start a new life. You can have those if you want.”

“Erased? That is horrible… I’ll make sure you’ll feel at home in Equestria, Ray.” At this moment Luna had a very determined look. “I’ll… keep those things then, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure.” I shrugged.

“Do you regret losing your old name?”

“Nah, it didn’t bother me for long, and I’m already used to my new one.” I waved my hand.

“Was your new name always this short, or have you shortened it? I remember you saying it before, but I forgot.” Luna smiled sheepishly.

“Mmm… It’s Life Ray actually, but the first part sounds strange to me, while the second is like a shortened real name from my world, so I’m using it.” Of the several languages I knew, I chose English for my name. At least ‘Ray’ doesn’t sound weird to me.

“Interesting.” Luna made a thoughtful face. “Life Ray,” she drawled.

The moment she said it I felt a faint wave rush through my body. My power resonated inside me in a strange way. “What the? Falda’ar told me this particular strange name will make me stronger, and I didn’t get it that time, but this is just weird. Shit! I should refrain from telling my full name to people until I know what it is. Who knows what will happen if this thing occurs every time someone tells my name?” This power fluctuation also purged my groggy state partially, making my mind clearer. “Well shit, and I wanted to get wasted today…”

“Is something wrong?” Luna didn’t miss my disturbed state.

“Ah… No, nothing. Look, let’s keep it just ‘Ray’, alright?”

“Of course, it would be rude after I asked you to call me just Luna.” She snuggled up to me again. “And what about that black tablet made of strange material?”

“That is — was a device for voice communication, but it is no longer working. It is either broken or out of charge, which makes little difference, as it’s useless here.”

“Communication? Without magic? Your stories didn’t seem to mention you being some big shot. Are those available to every-one?” A surprise was written on Luna’s face.

“Indeed, but don’t think too much about it, it took the entire world longer than a century to come up with such things, and times longer to get to the starting point.”

“And you just leave such a thing to me?”

“Well, yes, I doubt it would be of much use to us, anyway. Might as well save it as an artifact. Too advanced even for me. There might be nobody in the world who knows in detail how every small part of it works and should be made, much less me alone, and even if I knew, we have no tools for it.”

Luna sighed, “I see, it’s not that different from advanced magic devices. You can’t just make one without the knowledge, proper tools and years of research, but let’s put those things aside for another time.” Luna smiled. “Would this gentlecolt be so kind as to feed his princess some grapes?”

“Oh, this ‘gentlecolt’ will do so with pleasure.” I said, smiling, taking a vine of grapes from the platter.

The time passed by without our notice and eventually Luna had to end our little night party for two. She needs to check the dreamland for nightmares and then will have to move the moon. As I was going to leave for the Nightowl, she raised herself on hind legs slightly, hugged me and placed a kiss on my cheek, smiling happily. Her large dark wings spread wide behind her back in a magnificent sight.

“Thank you for keeping me good company tonight. Now I have the strength to take on all the hassle which is going to start soon.”

“No need for thanks. It was a pleasure, and we are… friends, right?”

“Right, very… close friends, I would say. I will meet you in your dreams when I have time. Take care, Ray.”

“Good bye, Luna. See you another day.”

I closed the door behind me and navigated through the hallway to the exit. My groggy state returned since I asked Luna for a few more chalices, surprising her with my tenacity towards her wine. This drink has divine taste, and it does not leave any side effects, at least for me. After walking down the stairs, I appeared in the office room through which I entered. The room was almost unlit at this late hour, but it posed no trouble for two pairs of batpony guards standing by the stairs and the entrance door. They stood in silence as I walked and exited the building. I heard somebody exit the door and followed me. Turning around, I saw one unpleasant batpony behind me. Nobody else was around. The pony just followed me, drilling my back with a death stare. He followed me till I walked out of the Silver Wheel, then the door behind me slammed with force and I heard the lock clink a few times. I snorted at this silly display of animosity, but the guard still didn’t infringe on his code, so I didn’t mind much.

I strolled without hurry down the dark deserted streets. It was still a few hours before sunrise, but despite it being so late in the night, the town was still noisy in some parts, particularly saloons and other establishments like that, though they were rare. Groups of jolly mercenaries and other idlers were walking from one such place to another in unsteady steps. “Nightowl House must be like that right now.”

While passing by the doors of one such place, I heard some shout and rumble, then somebody flew out, slamming through the doors with their body. After making a salto in the air I saw white wings spread out as a griffon tried to land on their legs, but failed, stumbling in my direction. I caught the strange lionbird with my hand before they could land headfirst in the ground.

“Make sure we never see you again in our place, useless old vulture,” a hoarse voice shouted through the doors of the saloon, accompanied by booming laughter of others.

I took a closer look at the griffon while he huffed, shaking his entire body to straighten his ruffled feathers and fur before looking up at me. It was obvious the griffon was already far from his prime, several large scars adorned his face.

“Thanks, lad. Bastards! I’m just a lil’ broke and they alr’dy throw me out like some trash. I’ll show ‘em!” His speech was dunken. He clenched his claw and stood on his hind legs, moving his face unnervingly close to mine. Alcoholic fumes from his breath spread an unpleasant smell. “A for’gner? Are you a merchant and hirin’, mayhaps?” My hand pushed the griffon away, but he persisted, pushing his cheek against my hand. “Just a measly thousand a month and my claws are workin’ fer ye day and night. I might be old, but I’ve spilt my share of blood.” He straightened himself to look more imposing, but failed.

“Sorry, but I’m in no need of such service, not even mentioning I, too, don’t have a thousand on my hands.”

The griffon sighed in dejection. “I r’ly want to avoid the crappier side of this b’siness, but my options are so few n’wadays.”

I raised my brow. “What side are you talking about?”

The griffon scratched his beak with a claw, his eyes trying hard to focus on my face. “I’m not sure, lad, but there are some r’mors going ‘round that The Cartel is hiring whateva’ mercs they c’n find for a han’some pay. Some of our folk say the guys who went there have gone out of town, and who knows where they are now?” The griffon shrugged. “I’m sure as fuck they use some crappy mind magic to keep ev’ryone invo-vled silent, and I… I’m not touchin’ this shite unless I’m abs-absoll-lutely desp’rate.” The griffon stammered and waved his wing widely in a rejecting gesture, as his tongue refused to do its work properly. “Though I’m not far from it.” The mighty hiccup then shook his entire body.

“Stay out of this, old bird. This may cost you more than you’ll get.”

“Yah.” The griffon sighed yet another time.

“What is that Cartel you speak of?”

"First clue's free, lad, second one will cost ye, but ye look like the kinda lad who can find steady work, e’en if ye don’t have a thousand. Let's say, twenty bits, aye?" The griffon winked.

I scratched my head and decided against spending money on dubious information I have little use for. Shadow Guard most likely know much more than this old merc.

“Don’t think I really need that, old bird.”

“A pity. What about ten? Come on, just ten bits… No? Well, that was worth a try. Imma go sleep it off, then. Yah, keep yer trap shut about it, lest ye find trouble on yer sorry arse.” He cackled. “Thanks ‘gain, lad, bye.” He didn’t wait for my answer, turned around and walked away with an unsteady gait. Flying was obviously out of the question.

Looking at his reeling figure as I scratched the back of my head, I turned around and continued on my way. Wandering down the road I couldn't help but to think about the underlying currents of this town. My thoughts were broken however as what I assumed to be a teenage colt ran past, probably off his curfew or something. Bringing myself out of my internal ramblings, I noticed that it wouldn't take that much time for me to get back, even as I walked slowly. My thoughts then turned from the underworld active in this town back to Luna.

My attempt at trying to sort out my relationship with her had been an utter failure. Perhaps time will tell where our paths may lead us. On one hand, she is ruling this country and has such an elevated position, far above me in station. On the other hand, she is a nice and kind girl, misunderstood and misjudged by many, chained to that high position. There is, however, one more side to a relationship with her, one that I couldn’t help but to notice. She could become a powerful ally in the future. Exploitative, I know, and hell, I wouldn’t even know how to use her influence, but I don’t know where and how I should start my ‘work’ here, either. “Ah, it’s too complicated, dammit!” I grumbled under my breath, turning the already familiar corner leading to the Nightowl as I blocked any further thoughts about Luna from my head.

When I came close to the building, as I walked to the entrance, I heard the clamor and loud shouts of some argument. Something was happening inside. “Well, that’s none of my business. Let the drunkards shout and beat each other, then get fined for property destruction.” I thought as I pulled open the massive door. However, the scene inside drew my attention.

An absolute giant of a minotaur was standing in the center of the dining hall, roaring at the top of his lungs. He was even taller than me, and approximately three times wider as well. Other visitors left the hall, leaving their meals and drinks on the tables, and were standing at a fair distance from the raging bull. Before him stood a pair of ponies, one stallion in a uniform with a badge, perhaps a member of a local law enforcement. The other one was no other than that nice beige maid pegasus who served us earlier this evening.

“I don’t give a damn about your stupid badge, pony! Nobody tells Mountain what to do, sheriff or not, and you’re just a nobody! If you wanna make me leave, let’s see how you gonna do it. C’mon, come at me.” He crossed his barrel-like arms before his chest and beckoned with his finger. The silent pause got too long. “What? You don’t dare? Then fuck off before I smack you into mush!”

The minotaur moved his body towards him, making the pony backpedal at a quick pace and forcing him to join other visitors. Minotaur just laughed in glee and turned around to the shocked maid who had to deal with the brute alone.

“So, where were we, you little slut?” Minotaur had a nasty grin on his muzzle.

The maid was frightened out of her wits. “S-sir, y-you were h-here for f-four hours already. Y-you should pay the c-current bill before I serve you m-more food and drinks.” She stammered, but still refused to do as the brute wanted her to.

“What?” the minotaur roared in rage. “You little whorse! Do as Mountain says if you don’t want to get hurt, now! And for your stubbornness you will entertain me for the rest of the night, you know what I mean.” Minotaur boomed in laughter again. “On the other thought, fuck the booze. I’ll just take you with me instead, lest you decide to run away.” His hand reached for the maid. Her body seemed tiny in comparison. An expression of terror appeared on her face as she clumped to the floor, covering her head with her hooves. The pegasus mare was too paralysed with fear to try to run or fly away.

My foot was already making a step towards the stairs, but time had seemingly slowed down for me at the moment I saw the minotaur try to grab the pony. At first, I was going to ignore this matter and proceed to my room, by the old habit of avoiding trouble which most people in our modern society have. But… There are too many ‘buts’ appearing in my life lately. I was unwilling to just let this happen and leave this poor mare to be ravaged by the drunken brute. Anger at his misconduct started to churn inside me. My foot changed its course to step towards the minotaur.

“I’d be careful where I point those horns, old boy, ya might just get them shoved up your arse,” I said as casually as I possibly could, stepping closer. I’ll probably regret this decision, but I’d hate myself for not making it.

Minotaur ceased his movements, then his hulking figure slowly turned around, his eyes glaring at me with undisguised malice, examining my appearance.

“The fuck are you, skinny freak? You best the fuck not just have said what I think you did, or I’m gonna break those toothpicks you call arms.”

With his sight locked on me, the maid that now stood behind him made a swift escape towards the back, disappearing before the minotaur could notice.

Giving a crooked grin as I stopped walking, I put my hand upon the nearest stool. “Oh, scary words coming from a bloated cow like yourself.” I think I could see a vein pop out at that. "Well, since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you who I am. The name is Ray, hunter of beasts, blessed by nature itself." The minotaur seemingly blinked at that as I finished off with a comedic little bow. I was in the mood for theatrics tonight, though I was already purging the alcohol from my bloodstream, rather regrettably, but it had to be done. This bastard was going to pay for ruining my mood.

“You’re no hunter. You’ve got no claws, no muscle, no wings. All you’ve got is that little chair there. You really think it’ll do you any good? You’re another fool, about to be crushed beneath the mountain.” He mocked, giving my hand a glance.

“Oh, this little thing?” I asked in faux confusion as I lifted it up for but a second. “No, this is just here in case I’ll need to waft out your breath, what with all that alcohol mixing together with that grass you sheep-fuckers like to munch.” If he wasn’t pissed before, he sure was now, as he let out a snort and made his hooves grind against the wooden floor.

“So I’m a hunter, yes. And you are prey, with a loud mouth and thick skull, who's better at fighting little fillies than real men. Now I’d suggest you take that useless third horn between your legs and march on out of here before I turn it into a pulp.” Pointing towards the door in a vain hope he’d go, he just stood there menacingly. Though I doubt he understood the part about ‘men’.

“You’re dead meat.” And with that, he snorted loudly, little clouds coming from his nostrils, and charged.

Swiftly throwing the stool in my hands at him, he only brushed it aside as if it had no weight whatsoever, not even flinching. The minotaur’s momentum was tremendous, although the same momentum prevented him from maneuvering fast enough. He rushed past me, speeding through the empty space in the hall as I sidestepped to the left. The nearby onlookers ran away in panic as the brute got too close, but this situation favored me. With more free space around, it will be easier for me to maneuver and dodge.

Because of the abruptness of the minotaur’s attack, I’ve been a bit late utilizing my ‘life essence’, and now it worked hastily to pump up my body, as I was thinking about my means of attack. I didn’t want to bring sheer destruction to the Nightowl, so my options were few, and I had to keep the minotaur around the hall. If the fight moves to the bar, all those tables, stools and benches will get me hindered, and the bar itself will be utterly devastated, as this idiot would just trample through all of the furnishings.

The minotaur turned around as I missed my first opportunity to attack, judging my situation. To my surprise, he learned nothing from his first attempt and charged again, trying to ram or grab me. As he rushed by, I placed a solid punch to his side and it felt like I had just punched a heavy sandbag, having done no noticeable harm to the minotaur.

“Stop running and jumping around like an insect!” the minotaur boomed, turning around and slowly walking towards me, balming up his fists till veins were showing, even through his fur. Lumbering strikes then began flying down on me, each one looking like it'd be able to crush a log if it connected. Although that seemed unlikely, as I easily veered out of the range of his fists, this, however, prevented me from countering, as I kept my distance. His arms were longer than I first thought, greatly limiting my movements, and I’d have to go in real close for a hit. Thinking that exhausting the lumbering beast would work, I kept at it, but he didn’t show any signs of fatigue as the minutes ticked by. Seeing this, I had to change my tactics.

I got already used to his combat pace and after the next delay between his heavy sweeping blows I closed in, landing a heavy hook somewhere to the side of his cow muzzle, near the nose, continuing with several hits under his ribs as he reeled back, raising his arms, but those series of hits had close to zero effect and I had to retreat with haste, almost getting caught by his hands. Minotaur grunted and touched his nose, a trickle of blood could be seen coming out of it.

“Finally, you’ve shown some metal. Maybe you’re not just all talk. Still, you are not getting out of here until I break all your limbs! The games are over.” Minotaur roared as if gone crazy, veins popped in his eyes and he stared at me, bloodshot. He bulleted towards me unexpectedly fast, much faster than I thought was possible.

“The fuck?” Was all I thought, desperately trying to jump back from his overhead punch. His fists now flew at insane speeds. “What’s wrong with this speed?” While I was still moving backward in the air, the second straight hit still landed squarely on my chest. “I could see it, but I’m too slow, damn it!” My movement reduced its power, but the momentum was still so high I continued to fly backwards until I hit the wall, blowing air out of my lungs, then I slumped down, my back against the wall. I could feel something warm and wet trickling down the back of my head, and I didn’t need to check what it was.

A pang of pain numbed my consciousness. I certainly sustained some nasty injury, maybe a broken rib. The head was fine, though, just a dissection. Elated by his success, the minotaur boomed in laughter, showing off before the crowd by making some stupid poses.

“Now you’re done!” He said as he had finally turned to me, pointing his thick finger at me and slowly stepping up. “Because of you, little shit, I’ll have to catch that whorse again.”

I was straining my body while getting up, numbing the pain with more and more ‘life essence’ pumped into my system. I felt a strange excitement, an unusual, elating thrill. The threat before me was so pleasantly inviting me to fight, to overcome, to dominate. It made me feel so — alive! I heard a muffled laughter, realizing it was my own a moment later as it went to a thunderous crescendo. I relished this feeling. “Am I going crazy again? Who fucking cares!” I looked at the incoming bull.

“What? Have you gone insane from fear, laughing while coughing out blood?” The minotaur was quite smug with himself.

I eyed the minotaur like a boa might eye its prey in eager anticipation, spitting out the leftovers of blood from my mouth which I coughed up earlier.

“Stop looking at me with those creepy eyes of yours, freak!” The minotaur flinched unexpectedly.

“Scared?” I produced a choked cackle. A crooked grin didn’t leave my face. “This injury is nothing. It is time to hunt a big game!” My sight took on a light red tint, and everything around seemed to slow down. “I can still think, maybe not too clearly, but I can. This is not blind berserking. This is a way my anger is meant to be used, and now, I will bring him down.” This thought rushed through my mind in an instant, as I bolted towards the minotaur with much greater speed and power than before with a flaming passion to beat the hell out of him. He tried hitting me with his fists again, but I slid under his strikes and kicked powerfully with my whole momentum on his legs. Those were much weaker and smaller than his overall stature and must be a weak point. The minotaur stumbled powerlessly and fell face-first.

My eyes flashed green as I scanned his body for vulnerabilities. The surrounding crowd gasped in fright at this display. My ominous smile still didn’t leave my face. Punches and kicks rained down on the still lying minotaur’s body relentlessly and without mercy. The minotaur wailed and roared in pain. He tried to shake me off, but then just charged forward, escaping my assault, slamming into a wooden wall in front. His horns made two holes in the wall, trapping him there for a while. While he was still stuck, I landed a few more painful hits. The minotaur pulled his horns out and went completely crazy, rushing and crushing everything around the place in a maddened rage. Frightened screams spread through the hall as people ran away.

“Fuck! If I don’t stop him, he will raze the whole inn!” Some clarity had returned to my head as my rage subsided. My excitement changed for a mild satisfaction from beating up the crazy bull. Then an idea popped into my mind. “That might work, but I’ll need to restrain him first.”

I started my plan, closing in on the minotaur, who just finished crushing and smashing one of the nearby tables. While he was distracted, I didn’t give him any time to react, kicking him at the back of his knees. His legs folded, bringing him to his knees. He flailed his arms erratically, trying to get me. I swiftly followed with a flying kick to the back of his head, making him fall forward. It was almost impossible to knock him out with that thick skull of his, but it was enough to stun him for a second.

“Time to sleep, motherfucker!” I shouted as my palm landed on the back of his head with a loud clap, gripping his head and pressing it to the ground. Time was running out quickly. I tried to focus and channel my ‘life essence’ inside that thick skull of his, holding it under control. This is usually hard to pull off, but the less conscious the target is, the less resistance it will have, and the minotaur is currently a total wreck in this regard. A simple anesthetic method worked wonders on the minotaur, as his hulking form went limp and gradually stopped moving, then a mighty snore rolled through the hall.

I took a look around, surrounding people stared at the scene with shock in their eyes. “Good, Nobody was killed or seriously injured, and the destruction is minimal.” I thought as I breathed deeply, calming down. The hall was completely silent, despite quite a number of people present, interrupted only by muffled whispers. Some of them flinched when my gaze landed on them, but others had admiring eyes and made approving gestures.

“Hey guys, why are you just standing here? Is there any law enforcement in this town? This bastard won’t be lying still for too long, you know.”

Finally, I saw that one pony, who didn’t do his job as he should have, separated from the crowd and came to me.

“Sorry, sir, the reinforcements should arrive soon, but I guess there won’t be much work for them left.” The pony smiled wryly at me. “Would you help me tie him up?” he asked, pulling a bundle of rope from his saddlebag.

“Fine,” — I nodded, — “we better do it quickly.”

While we were busy tying up the minotaur, a bunch of ponies in uniform stormed into the hall from the outside.

“Freeze y’all! What’s goin’ on here?” We heard a loud voice. A well-built earth pony with mustaches, stetson hat and a silver badge on his uniform stood at the entrance, surrounded by a bunch of similarly dressed ponies, with two unicorns on his sides with their horns glowing. Then his gaze landed on us, while we were finishing tying up the minotaur.

“Deputy, report!”

“Yes, sheriff Silverstar!” The pony saluted his boss and trotted to make a report to him.

I could not hear what they were talking about, but I just waited for them to finish when I saw a movement from the corner of my eyes. Turning my head, I saw a beige pegasi maid flying at me at full speed from the kitchen. In a split second, she had landed on my chest, spreading her hooves, almost toppling me down. She clung to me, pattering the words of thanks incoherently. I supported her with one hand, keeping her from falling down as my other hand, out of my new habit, petted her head and scratched her ears.

“Calm down, sweetie. This brute is going to jail and won’t bother you anymore.”

Her muttering slowly turned to quiet sobs. I wanted to put her down, but she clung to me even harder instead, burying her head in my chest and I could feel my shirt being slightly soaked in her tears, so I just continued doing my best to comfort her. My hands have a calming effect on ponies, it would seem. She twigged, getting more comfortable in my arms. Her wings had spread out and softly embraced me from two sides. I noted to myself that pegasi, along with batponies, seems to be more fluffy than others. I looked around once more, expecting some reaction from the crowd around, but, unexpectedly, the onlookers were more interested in the tied up minotaur. Some of them were occasionally throwing glances at us, but nobody seemed to mind the pegasi mare in my arms, nor that I was petting her, in the least, like it was par for the course for them.

Eventually, one of the ponies walked up to me.

“Good job, young’un. You have ma’h respect. This girl didn’t deserve to go through it. If only Ah’ was younger… maybe Ah’ could help you,” he said with a sigh. His voice was raspy. This stallion was of respectable age. “Are you fine? You got a nasty hit. Ah’ swear Ah’ could hear your bones cracking! Do you want me to call a doctor?”

“Thanks, grampa,” — I thought he wouldn’t mind me calling him as such, — “but I should be fine. Doctor is not needed.” Whatever damage I had sustained should be healed by the sunrise, more or less, though the blood on the back of my head must look scary.

“If you say so. Well, Ah’ will no longer spoil your moment, young’uns!” he smiled and went away.

My eyes looked down at the pegasi. Her big green eyes were staring back at me, and she was no longer sobbing. Instead, a coy smile was plastered on her face. “Holy crap, I was not planning on expanding my ‘herd’ or something like that.”

“Are you alright now?” I asked. She nodded, and I put her down carefully. She was obviously unwilling to get off my arms.

“Thank you, sir…” She looked at me quizzically.

“Ray, just Ray, and you have thanked me so many times already. This is no longer necessary.”

“I’m Sugar Spice. Pleasure to get acquainted with you.”

“Sir, we need you to go with us.” A voice interrupted our conversation before I could say anything more. “Ah’m sheriff Silverstar. While you helped to arrest the perpetrator, you still broke the law, which forbids taking part in fights. Your assistance and cooperation will be put into account. Please don’t make it any more difficult for us and yourself and come willingly.” The sheriff had that peculiar drawling accent many local ponies of this town had.

I sighed before answering. “Alright, but give me half a minute to say a word to the owner of this place.” I told the sheriff, noticing a certain pony, who was busy examining the holes in the wall left by the horns.

“You have a minute. Doncha try to run away.”

I asked the ‘boss’ to relay my whereabouts to Lily and Sapphira when they got up.

“Also, you no longer owe me anything for the hole in the ceiling. This moron would have destroyed my entire bar if not for you. What? Do you think I didn’t know?” He asked with a satisfied smile and chuckled.

“Well, thanks, boss.” I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. I still didn’t know his name.

“Time’s up, let’s go!” the sheriff shouted to me.

“Later.” I bid my farewell and went after the sheriff.

“This is unfair! I’m going with you! Boss, you don’t mind, right?” Sugar Spice was very agitated at this turn of events. Seems she wants to plead and testify for me.

“Ah, just go. You would go even if I refused to let you, anyway.” The boss waved his hoof, letting her off work for the rest of the night. “As if Shadow Guard would let them hold their people,” he muttered under his breath, going past me, just loud enough for me to hear it, and snorted, insidiously grinning. “This guy is good, really good,” he said to himself.

“Hey, sheriff, look at his head, are you insane? He needs a doctor!” Sugar Spice was pestering the sheriff to let me go, but he just shrugged her off.

“He ain’t lookin’ like he’s gonna collapse right here. We’ll check him at the station.”

Sugar snorted loudly in displeasure.

“I won’t let you off if you don’t!”

“Sure, sure. Just doin’ mah’ job, you know,” the sheriff replied impassively. “Come on guys, will you be able to carry that bull?” He asked the two unicorns he brought with him, pointing his hoof at the snoring minotaur.

“We can, I guess.” Working as a pair, they lifted the heavy body of the minotaur in the air. “But not for long, we better hurry!” he added in a strained voice, his horn pulsating with magic on maximum power output.

“Deputies, move out!” Sheriff gave his command and led his subordinates out. I had to follow him as he kept an eye on me. I took a hint from the boss and didn’t bother much with this situation. The only upsetting thing is that I won’t get any sleep tonight and make the girls worry about me.

Sugar Spice was nowhere to be seen, until she literally dropped on me from above, landing on my shoulders. She was not particularly light, but I wasn’t weak either to mind it. In her hooves she held a first aid kit, keeping the balance of her body with her wings.

“If the mean sheriff does not want to patch you up, then I’ll do it myself! Try not to move too much.” She said as she tore off a piece of cotton and wetted it with some liquid. Must be some antiseptic.

“Ah’ ain’t mean!” Sheriff retorted grumpily.

“You are!” Sugar loudly snorted and turned her head away from him theatrically.

Her fluffy coat lightly tickled my head and neck. Also, she smells nice, with a slightest trace of sweet cinnamon. I can say the same about Lily and Sapphira, they both have their unique pleasant fragrance, but I’m not sure if it’s natural, or it is my new perception quirk.

“Here you go, I’ll wipe a-a-all this blood off you. Oh, strange, where is the wound?” She asked as she carefully tried to treat my injured head.

“Must have healed already, sweety. I have a little bit of healing magic.” I chuckled.

“Great! But anyway, it’s no good to walk around stained in blood,” she said as she wiped the rest of the blood from my head and put the first aid kit away in her bag. “Some of your skin is still reddish.” She touched my head softly, stroking it. “Why is your mane so short?”

The nonchalance of this pegasus baffled me. She literally rides me and asks questions like we knew each other for ages.

“Just an accident. I lost it. It’ll grow back in a while.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. It’s no good for such a great stallion to go around without a mane!”

I laughed. “Are you hitting on me, sweety?” This nickname I made for her was quite fitting her real name.

She raised her body with her wings and hung herself forward, her head appearing before my face upside-down, her long platinum hair with a bright reddish lock hanging down.

“Perhaps I am?” She showed me a grinning smile.

“Oh, come on, I’m going to the police station to be arrested or something. It’s a bad time for such jokes. By the way, for how long are you going to ride me?”

She plopped back on my shoulders, holding my head with her hooves. “Hmph! And what if I’m not joking…” she grumbled. “Am I too heavy for you?”

“Nope. We’re just looking really weird and the entire street gawks at us.” I said, getting a hold of her dangling hind legs so she wouldn’t fall. Well, I don’t mind giving her a ride. At least she seems to be thoroughly distracted from what happened to her recently.

“So what? They are just envious! Moreover, it’s early sunrise. There is almost nopony around except for the deputies and the sheriff!” She laughed, as if they didn’t count, and would not get off me anytime soon. I still can’t understand those ponies completely. Their boundaries between friendship and something more intimate are too vague for me. I mainly mean Luna and this flying piece of raw enthusiasm on my shoulders right now. At least I don’t need to crack my head over my two fanged ladies anymore.

Silverstar led me somewhere downtown. We crossed what seemed to be a central square with a city hall nearby, turning to one of the few paved main roads. Throughout our trip, I was listening to a non-stop chatter coming from above me, but Sugar’s chatter kept my mind calm and distracted from my current problem. Among the flood of random information, she told me a lot of things about the places along the way, including some useful and not so useful shops, which I tried to remember.

Eventually, we reached a sheriff's station. The minotaur was carried away to somewhere deeper inside the building, and I was left alone in some small office with a humble interior. They didn’t even lock the door when they left me. Holy naivety! Or maybe they haven’t intended to put any charges on me at all. Around half an hour later, Silverstar had returned.

“Holy Celestia, he sleeps like a log. Whatcha done with him?” He said with a sigh, sitting down in his chair.

“Almost nothing. He should have woken up long ago, but this must be the effect of all the booze that idiot had drunk tonight.”

“Guessed as much,” — Silverstar smiled weakly, — “but he has quite a lot of ugly bruises all over his body.”

“But I don’t remember my hits having any notable effect on him, though.”

“It is not surprisin’, he is a mino, after all. When they rage, they ain’t feel no pain, almost, and their bodies become mighty powerful, for a time. We, earth ponies, can’t e’en hope to compare, but we also don’t lose our marbles in rage, nor are we that irritable. Well, we’ll deal with him when he wakes up. We have enough witnesses to put him in jail for a while, then deport and forbid him entry to Equestria.” He scratched his chin with a hoof. “As for you…” He sighed again. “Personally, Ah’ strongly approve of whatcha did, but the law is still a law, so, after piling in every positive factor, Ah’ mind to go with just a warning for you, but if Ah’ catch you fightin’ again, you’ll have to have an unpaid vacation in one of the cells for a while, or do some obligatory work for the town. Is this understood?”

I nodded to him. “Sure. Thanks.” Seems the Shadow Guard won’t be needed here to get me out.

“Not very talkative, ain’t you?” He grinned. “Well, that’s fine. You are free to go now after signin’ this.” He put a paper and a writing feather on the table. “Oh yes, what species are you?”

“I’m a human.”

“Hyu-man,” he repeated after me, taking the feather again and writing something on the paper.

Skimming over, I found nothing suspicious, and my name was just stated as ‘Ray, hyuman’, so I signed it and bid the sheriff farewell. Walking out to the lobby, I was once again greeted by the pegasus’ aerial charge.

“Ray!” She bumped into my chest again. “Yay! They let you free!” She let me off and just floated in the air before me. “I told them everything. You were not at fault,” she said, actively gesturing with her hooves.

Then she suddenly hugged my neck and nuzzled my cheek. I patted her mane lightly, then scratched behind her ears, getting some cute satisfied noises from her.

“Let’s go back, Sugar. I’m already tired and still want to sleep for at least a few hours.”

“Okie, but why not ‘sweety’? It’s a nice nickname. I rather liked that.” She started flying before me through the hall towards the exit.

I chuckled. “Alright, ‘sweety’ it is, then.”

The sun was already halfway above the horizon when we exited the sheriff’s station. It was early morning, and there were still not so many people on the streets. I’ve started walking, remembering the road we took to get here. Sugar Spice hovered steadily by my side, flapping her wings leisurely. I marveled at their ability to do so once more. That’s pure magic. She then moved her head closer to my ear.

“Say Ray, for how long have you been in Shadow Guard?” Sugar whispered.

I raised my brows, turning to her. “Are you…” I said silently, but she interrupted me.

“Yes, I’m… a junior employee, civilian branch. The whole Nightowl staff is. Employing common people is unreliable. Well, we’re not much different from regular workers anyway, somepony have to keep things running. Boss has told us about the three of you, so we don’t cause a misunderstanding later.”

“Well… makes sense. I’m not in the Guard, but…” — I thought about Luna, — “I have some solid connections to it, I’d say. Our thestral is the only official member, if you need to know.” Yes, it is certainly good to have the backing of this caliber, but I still don’t want to owe too much favors when possible.

“Oh, don’t be so modest, you did a job which would require an armed squad to do, and you did it barehoof and with so little destruction at that. You must be some big shot,” she whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

“Nope, I’m not,” I said, booping her nose. She slanted her eyes, looking at my finger and giggled.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.” She stopped whispering and once again landed on my shoulders. “This minotaur was the biggest one I have ever seen!”

“I haven’t seen many, but that one was indeed obscenely huge.” I once again held her legs. “Hey, sweety, do you like to ride on my shoulders this much?”

“Yep!”

“And you are not going to get down?”

“Yep, not going to!”

“Alright, stay there if you want. By the way, why is the Guard employing civilians, aren't they afraid of exposing themselves and information leaking out?”

Sugar laughed briefly. “Seems you’re really not from the guard. You don’t have to worry about it, we all have a special spell put on us as a safety measure. I can’t tell you more, ask your thestral if you want to know.”

At this moment, something dropped from the sky before us, making me flinch. A moment later, I realized it was Lily and Sapphira hovering in the air before us.

“Ray!” Sapphira shouted as she made a leap to my chest, forcing me to take several steps back from the impact. I caught her in my arms, then she hugged me tightly with her hooves, pressing herself to me.

“Girls? I’m fine, I’m fine! Nothing bad happened.”

Lily was still hovering before me, eyeing the pegasus on my shoulders with widened eyes. She held her cheeks as she muttered: “I could actually do it like that… Oh, I’ve missed so much!”

I had a bad premonition about it. Sugar Spice tactfully left my shoulders, landing on the ground beside me.

“Ray! I’m glad they let you go. I was already going to squash this cheeky sheriff under my hoof!” She showed how she would do it in gestures, puffing up her fluffy chest.

Lily was much more reserved in public than she was in private and refrained from hugs this time. She then looked at Sugar Spice, squinting her eyes. “Why was she riding on your back?”

“Um-m-m…” I tried to think of some explanation.

“He just gave me a friendly ride, right? Ray is strong, and it’s nice,” Sugar Spice said in a cheery voice.

“Oh, come on, girls, you know what happened, she needs some company and distraction right now, and if riding on my shoulders makes her happy, then it’s fine,” I said, adding in a low voice, “Unlike us, who had gone through some real shit, she is a regular civilian, getting over it can be much harder for her.”

“You are too kind, Ray,” said Lily, a wry smile on her face.

Sapphira finally let go of me and landed on the ground, chuckling while looking at Sugar Spice. “I think I should thank you for trying to help Ray.”

“No need for thanks. He saved me from that monster, and… I just had to help him.”

“And she might have something completely different in mind.” Sapphira added in a low voice, so only I could hear, playing with her brows. We spent a little time exchanging facial expressions with Sapphira. We knew each other well enough already to understand the overall meaning, and it seems the jokes this boisterous pegasus made before might not be complete jokes, but Sapphira was not sure about it all. I sighed.

“Let’s go back already. I need some sleep.” I resumed walking, followed by the rest. “This issue is better left at that.”

The attention of the beige pegasus had swapped to Lily and Sapphira, and now she was busy retelling them the whole story, giving me a breather and an opportunity to ease my sleepy mind. The long day and the fight had exhausted me and I didn’t want to use any ‘doping’. It would be better to have some rest now.

It seems Sugar didn’t run away when the fight broke out and was watching from the kitchen. She is trying to look as if nothing happened, but I met her today before the incident and can see the difference. I’m not blind — Sugar is really stressed right now, flinching to abrupt loud noises around, and her unnaturally chatty behavior only proves me right. Her being so clingy is not a matter of her liking me or not. This is all about her feeling unsafe and anxious. For now, I’m the one giving her the feeling of safety, and I’m glad I can help her. But… Why do I even care? I don’t know. I just care, and it feels right. The same feeling compelled me to intervene and start a fight. People change, and I do, too. There is no need to fret over it. My thoughts were interrupted by the quiet voice close to my ear.

“Ray, are you upset with something?” Sugar once again was flying by my side.

I shook my head to get out of my detached, thoughtful state. “Ah, no, sweetie, I’m just tired and was thinking about some things. Tell me, are you feeling alright?” I asked in a low, calm voice.

“I-I, y-yes, I’m fine.” She stammered a bit.

“No, sweety, you aren’t.” I gave her a wry smile.

“Is that — this obvious?” Her cheery eyes drooped a little.

“Not for everyone, it seems, but I can see it. Where do you live? I can walk you home, if you want.”

“I live in a room for staff on the first floor…”

“Well, that makes things easier. We live in room four hundred and seven, and will be staying there for quite a time. You can come any time if you want or need help, but now you need some rest.” I yawned, covering my mouth with a hand. “And so do I. You were working through the entire night, after all.”

“I’m not sure if I can fall asleep now, alone in my room… but I’ll be fine. Nothing bad happened, thanks to you, I’m just — still nervous, that’s all.”

The girls behind me were talking quietly between themselves before appearing by our side.

“Um, Ray…” Sapphira started. “It’s a bit late, but maybe you will introduce our new friend to us?”

I made a hollow chuckle, scratching my head. “Yes, so dumb of me. Maybe I’m just too tired. This is Sugar Spice. You have already met her at the inn.” I waved my hand at the pegasus floating beside me. “She is also your civilian colleague,” I said to Lily in a low voice. “And these are Lily and Sapphira. You already know who Lily is, and Sapphira is a free changeling, so you should not have any concerns about her. And yes, we are… a herd.”

I looked at the girls exchanging hoofshakes with genuine smiles on their faces.

“Sorry, we didn’t think of your situation from the side Ray just mentioned,” Lily said with a somewhat guilty look.

“Yes, sometimes he is so dense in such things, but this time he surprised even me,” Sapphira remarked thoughtfully.

“Thanks for the compliment, honey,” I responded with a chuckle.

“Always welcome!” She said in a light, joyful voice. “So, Sugar,” — she turned to the pegasus — “do you want to stay with us for a while? I’m sure our company will fix you up in no time.”

“You two… don’t mind me? I won’t bother you?” Sugar’s eyes shifted between Lily and Sapphira.

Sapphira laughed. “Just look at her, Lily. She doesn’t mind Ray and this scary changeling, too!” She patted her chest with a hoof. “And now she thinks we would mind her.” She turned to Sugar. “You are also Lily’s colleague, who we will live with as neighbors for some time.” Sapphira smiled at Sugar Spice.

“Thanks, girls, I’ll gladly stay with you all for a while…”

She couldn’t finish her speech because I caught her in flight and sat her back on my shoulders. She was almost weightless while flapping her wings lazily.

“Yay!” The pegasus quickly reacted to it, raising her hooves high in the air with a cheer. Her weight returned as she folded her wings by her sides.

Lily took into the air, pointing at Sugar with her hoof. “Next time I’m taking that place! E-even if it’s in public.”

“Here in Equestria, ponies ride you,” I mumbled with a chuckle. I’m getting used to the sheer openness of some ponies. Sugar, the guys from the railroad, Lily, though she is shy to show it in public; and even Sapphira is like that. I’m not even mentioning Luna, but I’m saying ‘some ponies’ for a reason. The sole fact of the existence of the underworld and Shadow Guard is enough proof that nothing and nobody should be taken here at face value, except for the people I know. Those people who open their soul to me, I will hold dear. I wish that I, too, someday, will be completely open with them. Though my human nature does not allow me to do it this easily, and even Sapphi does not know everything about me, but I still think it’s better this way, for now.

We talked a lot on the way back. It was a random chatter mostly, and we were back to Nightowl in about a quarter hour later. Some ponies in the main hall greeted me, mainly the staff, waving their hooves, so I waved back at them, getting their smiles in return. Seems I’m a bit of a celebrity around here now.

“I’ll bring us something to eat from the kitchen. Go without me. You saved the bar, so the boss won’t make a fuss over some food,” said Sugar, flying leisurely across the hall into the kitchen entrance.

“Alright, Sugar,” said Sapphira and we proceeded to our room.

“I don’t know about you, but after having a snack, I’m gonna just drop on the bed and sleep like a log for a few hours,” I said, opening up the door to our room, letting girls in.

“Perhaps we’ll have a nap too and then go check some shops in the town,” said Lily. “I also need to restock my combat supplies at the base and revise my whole setup. I’ve learned quite a lesson from our fight with manticores. Sometimes I would need something more — lethal.”

“Speaking of your equipment, did you notice that Sapphi’s armor doesn’t even have a single scratch from all that claws, and I’ve seen that damn manticore tried to tear into her sides.”

“That… Yes, I think that’s the case. I paid little attention at that time, but now when you mention it… What is it made from? I’ve never seen such a sturdy, but quite elastic material. It’s scaly, but that’s definitely not dragon scales, nor the sea serpent’s. Those are too hard and stiff.”

“We don’t know either, Lily,” said Sapphira. “What can possibly survive a thousand years and still not turn to dust?”

“Is it that ancient? That’s quite wondrous.”

“Yes, it should be at least that old,” said Sapphira.

“Well,” — I smiled at Lily — “what I wanted to say: we have two more sets in our bags, and those should fit you nicely. They are designed for flying ponies. I insist you take one to replace the armor you currently use.”

“But… It should be worth a fortune. To give it to me just like that is…”

“It doesn’t matter.” I laughed. “I can find more bits elsewhere, but where would I find another Lily?” Her cheeks got touched by a faint red tint as I smiled at this show. “You get me, right? As for selling it… That’s out of the question. I will not sell the third one either, just in case, but we can try selling that axe and dagger I brought, also Sapphira’s unwieldy sword. Those should be worth at least something if we bring it to some antiquarian, and I already know a place we might try to sell it to. Then I can easily buy a cheaper and sturdier replacement should the need arise.”

Sapphira nodded in approval. “And what about the spear?”

“The spear stays with us.”

“Good. Then, Lily, we’ll choose the one more fitting for you sometime later. Sugar will come soon.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what to say…” said Lily in a flustered voice.

I bent down and kissed her short snout on the nose, making her wings spread in surprise and her ears twitch a few times, then lightly ruffled her puffy mane.

“You don’t have to say anything, Lily. Well, I’ll go take a quick shower, as rolling on the dusty floor with the minotaur definitely didn’t make me any cleaner.” I examined my appearance in the mirror on the wall, noticing my shirt and jeans got stained, having a few dirty spots. Everything in this town gets dusty very quickly. “Damn, I don’t even have a spare. Finding suitable clothes is gonna be the first thing I’ll do in this town when I wake up,” I mumbled as I took a towel, going inside the bathroom.

I finished in a few minutes and after putting on my underwear, was trying to beat the dust off my jeans, but I couldn’t say it helped much. Then the bathroom door opened a crack and Lily’s head popped in.

“Ray, what are you doing? Sugar is already here.”

“Dammit, I was trying to beat the dirt off my jeans, but, well, it didn’t work.” I showed her the poor results of my cleaning attempt.

“Oh, come on, did you intend to wear these dusty torn pants?” Lily said with a raised brow. “Put those down and stop spreading dust all around. You’ll only get all dirty again. Just leave them here. We’ll wash them while you sleep.”

“But… I have nothing else to wear at all, or do you expect me to saunter around in my underwear in the presence of Sugar?”

“This again? How many times did Sapphira tell you this already? Come on,” — she walked around me and started pushing me out of the bathroom with her hooves, — “you have everything important covered. Just look at us. We are all naked, and we’re fine with it.”

“Alright, alright,” I grumbled, “but you two will never make me go around totally naked, except for when it’s only us three around.” Nope, I will not succumb to these pushy nudists.

“I promise we won’t even try, so come on, let’s go.” Lily applied more force, pushing me towards the door.

After being unceremoniously evicted from the bathroom, I saw Sugar sitting at the table full of different food. Seems she took it seriously. Our eyes met, and she beamed me a smile, then her gaze involuntarily slipped down examining my now naked body, with toned, albeit not that buffed, muscles. Sapphira was already happily munching on some salad, the fork flying back and forth in her magic aura.

“Wow! That’s a lot, sweety. Are you sure the boss won’t be mad at you?”

Sugar giggled. “Yes, I’m sure. He may seem strict, but he is a good pony.”

“Wait! Is that… a steak? How could you cook a steak in such a short time?”

“Oh, that… I’ve seen you eyeing it on the menu for a long time yesterday, but then you probably decided against ordering it because of the price, I guess? Equestria does not produce much meat, you see, apart from a few remote hunter thestral villages, so the price is usually high. So… I ‘expropriated’ the one intended for a griffon customer. He won’t starve if he waits for a little while longer.” Sugar chuckled. “Our chef didn’t mind.”

“Then,” — I sat at the table, smiling at her, — “I owe you my thanks, sweety! M-m-m, the smell is perfect. Wait, that griffon ordered a steak in the early morning?” I chuckled, taking the cutlery. “What a funny guy. Anyone want a piece?”

“Thanks, Ray, but I prefer meat to be mixed with something else. Eating pure meat is not my thing,” said Lily.

“We, ponies, rarely have a taste for meat, so I’ll pass.” Sugar is obviously not one of those who likes meat.

“I wouldn’t mind trying it,” Sapphira said, eyeing my plate. “Just a little piece.”

I cut a piece of steak for Sapphira and watched as she manipulated the fork with her telekinesis to take it. After taking a whiff, she placed it into her mouth, her teeth easily dealing with its soft texture.

“Hm-m-m…” Sapphira drawled, still chewing, turning her eyes up. “The taste is unfamiliar to me, but I like it, I think. Eat the rest yourself, you need it more than me.”

“As you say, dear.” I chuckled, adding some garnish and salad to my plate, and dug in.

Our meal was held in a relaxed atmosphere. Sugar was telling us various things about the town, and we shared some of our experiences in the jungle with her, but soon the sleepiness attacked me with renewed force.

“Thank you sweety, the food was tasty, but now I should take a nap, or I’ll start dozing off right as we talk. Just don’t mind me, you won’t disturb me no matter how loud you would be.”

“I’m glad you liked the food. Now rest. We’ll try to be quiet.”

“No need, really. I feel like I’ll just black out and sleep like a log for a few hours,” I said, getting up from my chair. Well, I was not lying about it, as once, after being utterly tired, I managed to fall asleep while some bastard was busy drilling walls somewhere in the nearby apartment. My nervousness, which made me sleep light in the jungle, had also disappeared with the absence of a possible danger. I just fell down on the bed and closed my eyes, making myself more comfortable. The girls were chatting about something. Their talk switched to the information Nightowl tried to collect from its various visitors lately, the actual line of Sugar’s work. Still, she is not a trained fighter, neither are the other staff, and I’ll have to talk to the boss about improving the security of this place.

As the myriad of thoughts drifted through my mind, I felt the voices getting muffled, fleeting like waves on a distant shore. In the distance, the darkness of my eyelids gave way to a single light flickering in the dark. It stood alone but ever strong. No wind could touch it, no water could quench it. Barely conscious, I felt that old warmth well up inside of me, neither uncomfortable nor sudden. It came slowly. It felt… like a distant memory, like something that I treasured greatly once before, which has been swept away, like sparks in a wind, leaving behind but a few tiny, smoldering embers, abandoned and forgotten, but never snuffed completely.

Looking further into the flickering light, I saw flames, turning, almost dancing, to what I assume to be wind. Figures appeared, dark at first, moving with neither sound nor the motion of their… legs? They were human, not like me, however. They were slimmer, shorter. They moved like trees in the wind, stretching back and forth, appearing more like shadows than real people. Their hair, stretching out as the winds flew past, took various shapes and colors as it moved, flickering like stars. The plumes of smoke coming out of the fire covered their faces, ash forming the contours of their silhouette. I should remember… I want to, but… I don’t…

My thoughts shifted as soft fur brushed against me gently, as I felt small weights lay on top of my shoulders and chest. Limbs wrapped around me, holding me, seeking love, seeking protection. It was all so lucid as my consciousness faded, but I knew one thing — I’m smiling, I’m happy, I’m loved and in love.

“I love you.” A hushed whisper escaped, and the light disappeared.

Author's Note

Once again I want to say thanks to my friend ericson03, who participated in this chapter's creation.

Chapter 14 - First Day in the Town (Part 1)

Through the blurry wall of indistinct dreams, reality slowly trickled into my mind, awakening me, but I just ignored it, unwilling to get up just yet. It was too hot to get under the blanket, so I was just lying atop of the bed on my left side. I could feel Sapphira’s soft and warm skin pressed against my back, and a fluffy fur could be felt on my chest. My slight movements must have woken up Lily. She moved closer and snuggled up to me, her hot breath blowing against my skin. As my hand moved to stroke her mane and scratch behind her ears, she cooed in pleasure.

I buried my face in her silky mane, inhaling her pleasant, sweet fragrance with a tinge of… cinnamon? “Cinnamon?” After a certain thought flashed through my head my fingers quickly moved to check the tips of her ears and, indeed, didn’t find any tassels there, though they were soft and nice to the touch, too. As I tried to open my eyes, squinting from the sun rays reflecting off the glass of the opened window, I saw Sugar snuggling to my chest. “Just as I thought.” Though, after a brief delay, my hands resumed what they were doing, ignoring the strange situation. Strange for me, that is.

“Ponies…” I whispered with a sigh, arching my neck, trying to find Lily, and saw her snoring and hugging Sapphira from behind, covering her with a wing. “Everyone is here, but why Sugar is in my arms? Another friendly snuggle?” I turned back to Sugar and saw her green eyes looking at me with a coy smile on her face. Her ears flicked twice. Sugar looked disturbingly cute.

“Morning,” Sugar whispered, and closed her eyes in pleasure as my hand once again scratched between her ears.

“Morning, sweety. What are you doing here?” I gently whispered back.

Sugar arched her brows as if I was asking her why the sky is blue. “Just snoozing with little ol' you,” — her smile just got wider, — “and cuddling.” She lazily stretched all her limbs, her forehooves ending up around my neck, pressing her head under my chin. Sugar’s breath tickled my skin, then, after a soft and cute snort, she indicatively inhaled my scent. Letting out a content sigh and finally pulling away, she looked into my eyes with a pleased smile.

“You have no idea how much I wish it was my day off.” Sugar said in a hushed voice and raised her head, looking at the clock on the wall. “Just a little past midday, not too late.” Then she let her head fall back on my arm. “Thank you for everything.” She reached for my cheek and placed a light peck on it.

“Well, I couldn’t just stand and — watch something bad happen to you…” I couldn’t help but smile at her little antics.

“Yeah, I know.” Sugar smiled and sighed lightly. “It’s time for me to go prepare for work.” Then her sight fell on the hole in the ceiling, eliciting a brief giggle from her. “I should remember to fly to the carpenter and place a repair order.” Then she agilely slid from the bed, landing on her hooves, which made a muffled thud on the carpet, then stretched her beige wings.

“Damn, does everyone in this place already know about our yesterday's exploits in our room?” I grumbled internally, getting a hint from her reaction, while marveling at her spread out wings. I couldn't help but think she is showing off her well-groomed plumage before me, as I caught her sidelong glance. She seemed very content that I was looking. Also, I was still pondering about the ways ponies show their affection. That’s cute, but I’m still getting used to things like that. Perhaps I should just stop thinking too much about it and seeing something more in their behavior than there might actually be. Seems it became my primary way of dealing with situations like this one, but anyway, I find such physical contact pleasant.

“M-m-m…” Sapphira woke up. “What time is it?” She asked in a sleepy voice.

“Twenty past midday,” Sugar said quietly.

“I see.” Sapphira’s eyes closed again. She wiggled her body to get more comfortable.

“I’ll borrow this for a while.” Sugar showed me my already washed and dried jeans.

“What for?” She baffled me.

“I’ll sew them up. That won’t take much time. Can’t let you walk around in torn clothes.”

I scratched my head. “Thanks, sweety, I appreciate it.”

“Oh, no need for that. We are friends, after all. I’ll be back soon.” Sugar threw the jeans onto her back with a wing, then trotted to the door and beamed at me before walking out.

I turned to Sapphira, who was still dozing off along with Lily, knowing they are no longer sleeping. I grabbed her and rolled on my back, putting her atop of me. She usually likes it a lot. The moment I tried to ask her a certain question, I found my mouth already occupied by her lips while Lily unceremoniously grabbed my hand and put it atop of her head. Seems we must postpone my questions for now, and so, I got myself busy stroking and caressing both of them, carefully avoiding certain spots. We still have a lot to do today, and Sugar will return soon, so I better not accidentally turn our late morning into another lovemaking session.

This time Sapphira didn’t occupy my lips for too long, giving Lily the same opportunity. Lily’s soft kiss was a little ticklish because of the short, velvety fur around her lips. Lily was much more careful and gentle than Sapphira, compared with a rather wild and passionate demeanor of the latter. I just let Lily do it in a way she is comfortable with as she was discovering a whole new palette of her own feelings and sensations, if my guess is right. My hands slowly glided down her neck and, having reached her shoulders, embraced her. Her tongue timidly touched mine, asking for attention, which was quickly given to her.

Lily’s yellow eyes right now were no less enchanting than Sapphira’s. They were looking into mine with love as we finally broke our gentle kiss. Lily’s ears perked up as a content smile adorned her face. Her wings were spread wide behind her back and lightly trembled. Then she rubbed her cheek on mine and snorted happily into my ear. It was a cute and very pony-like gesture. Sapphira giggled, seeing it, then just hugged her from the side.

“Girls, I love you, but we have to get up now. Half a day has already passed.” I said with a smile, patting their backs.

“We know,” said Lily, still smiling, “but we just wanted a bit of your attention.”

“I’ll give you as much as I can later.” I got up, and the girl’s groggily followed suit as the two of them gave a slight shiver from no longer being able to feel the heat of my body. Giving off a yawn whilst wiping the moisture from my eyes, my sight fell on the table and the leftovers upon it. “Welp, at least we don’t have to worry about food.” I offhandedly remarked, as I sat down on the couch with a relieved sigh.

“Yes, Sugar had literally robbed a kitchen.” Sapphira chuckled as both she and Lily joined me.

Having some well-deserved rest from last night, we set upon the food with gusto as we chatted about various topics, but it eventually came back to how the morning started.

“Oh, right, about what I wanted to ask earlier. Why did I find Sugar in my arms when I woke up? I — well — don’t remember being that close with her.” I raised my hands, showing my confusion.

“Well, that… You didn’t like it?” asked Sapphira.

I raised my brow and smiled wryly. “Sapphi, do you even need to ask that?”

Sapphira grinned. “Then don’t say you are not that close. You are good friends, at the very least, and you know it.”

“Yes. I know you are not too familiar with pony culture, but that’s quite a common thing for friends to sleep together. With no funny business,” Lily said while brushing her unruly hair whilst Sapphira looked out the window. The brush itself had no handle but a strap to fix it on a hoof instead.

Sapphira turned to me. Her eyes akin to a crystal ocean as they focused on me. “I didn’t merely see it, Ray, I felt it. The anxiety, fear, all of it. For although she hid it well behind that thick joyful mask of hers, it was too much for a common young pony like her. Being with me and Lily at all times may have given you the wrong idea. I wouldn't take me as the standard, our hive was desensitised to such emotions, and merely taking a single step outside brought danger along with it. Ponies however, are different. Discounting the guard, most of them meet danger with fear, not resistance. Sugar is no different. She was at a knife’s edge, on her way to a breakdown... but you know what stopped her?” Her gaze was locked onto mine as she strode over and with a gentle smile, she gently prodded my chest, right by the heart. “You did, Ray. Know it or not, you helped her not only at the bar, but throughout the night. You gave her the comfort she needed, the feeling of safety. I’m sorry for not telling you,” she paused as her smile took on a bit more of a mischievous look, “but we both know you enough not to protest when given a cute little mare to cuddle. Besides, she really seems fine already, you should be proud, not worried about such small things.” Sapphira said those words as if she was proud of me herself, under Lily’s approving nodding.

I gave a chuckle as the both of them giggled at the all too true notion before Sapphira gave a little nuzzle to Lily.

“Besides, we were both fine with it, but be careful, Ray, that friendship of hers can cross a certain line with ease,” — Sapphira played with her brows. — “and I’m not sure how I'd feel about that yet.”

Sapphira fell in thought briefly and then continued. “There is more to it, Ray. You may not know it, but we… together with Lily… we watched you for the last two days. We’re not sure about the reason, but… being close to you makes our anxiety go away, and we’ve got a lot of it from all our close encounters in the jungle. No doubts about it. Can it be that — thing of yours?” Sapphira drew a circle with her hoof, pointing at me. “You know what I mean.”

“Huh?” Lily made a confused face, looking at Sapphira.

“You mean my aura?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. Sapphira nodded in return before I turned my sight to Lily. “My magic usually seeps out a little, lingering around me constantly. As you can guess, it’s similar to my raw magic and beneficial for everyone around, but much less powerful and obvious. I don’t know for sure if it has the influence Sapphira described. Only time can tell.” I shrugged, hoping for life, and that of my — herd, that magic addiction wasn’t a thing. Well, I’ll figure it out. This answer should not be too deep in my memory.

“Ray! You have such an awesome thing and you didn’t tell me?” Lily asked accusingly, pretending to be grumpy, crossing her hooves at her chest while sitting on a chair, her fake frown almost broken by blowing a stray bit of mane out of her eye. “And this traitor, too!” She turned to Sapphira, pointing her hoof at her as the changeling returned her accusation with a playful smile.

“Well, we hadn’t touched such subjects before, so…” I trailed off the end, scratching the back of my neck as I gave a sheepish smile to the sassy little bat.

“Alright, next time just tell me about such things, but let’s talk about what we’ll be doing today. I need to go to the Silver Wheel. Even if they don’t have a task for me, I need to restock on my supplies. Those damn manticores emptied everything I had on me. As for my special potions and powders, I’ll need to make those myself, like I always do. Not sure if they have the right ingredients available, but if they do, I’ll be busy for a long time. Find me there if anything happens. That’s my plan for the day. What are yours?”

I rubbed my chin, thinking. “The allowance we received from Luna,” — I carefully observed Lily’s face when I called her princess by name, but this time she didn’t seem to mind, — “will not last us for long, so I was going to visit an antique shop. Sugar told me where to find it here. The old weapons we brought from the ruins must cost at least something. After that, perhaps visiting a library might be a good idea. I have to at least skim over some books. Also, I think it’s worth a try finding the guys from the station, but I’m not sure how much their schedule got messed up with all that tunnel accident. They may not be there today.”

“That all sounds good, but Ray, you’ve already found trouble even in Nightowl and got the warning from the sheriff, and now you want to go to such a place as that — cheap saloon, if I understood correctly? I’m afraid you can easily get into yet another fight with some mercenary or drunkard. Well, I don’t really care about drunkards, but mercs are a dangerous bunch, and they rarely go alone. I’m not even mentioning you’ll get the attention of the sheriff again. No! No bars without me!” Lily glared at me.

“Hm-m-m…” I knew she was damn right about it, and she said it only out of care for me. I doubt I will easily start a fight with a pony. They rarely start serious conflicts, as I can see. It rarely goes beyond mutual insults, but… the griffons and minotaurs seem to be another matter altogether. Also, those dogs. I know little about them, but they don’t look friendly.

“Please?” Lily made those puppy eyes again, looking as if she would cry any moment.

I sighed. “Alright, at most I’ll just take a look inside to check if they are there. I’m not going to hang there. I can do it here in Nightowl, anyway.”

“Good, I trust your words. Please don’t make me worry.”

“Isn’t it too late to worry about me after two fights with manticores?” I chuckled.

“I… Yes, but…” — Lily shook her head as her eyes turned sad, — “I don’t have anypony else left… apart from my aunt and her family… and my job. If anything happens to you two…” Her ears drooped, along with her wings. “I don’t want to be alone… again.”

Now I wanted to slap myself. “It seems I’ve touched upon some bad memories unknowingly, but how would I know? Have to fix it somehow.” I got one knee before Lily, taking her in my arms.

“Sorry. I don’t know what happened in the past, but I didn’t want our talk to go this way. No matter what happens, we will stay with you and will never leave you behind. That I promise.”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry.” Lily rested her head on my chest. “I… I don’t know why I am like this today. Agent Night Lily that no one usually wants to mess with, even my colleagues from Shadow Guard, behaves like a little filly with a crush. What a joke… Must be because I’ve spent most of my life doing everything on my own, always alone ever since I left my village, but now everything changed so suddenly. When I think of going back to my old life I feel… empty.” She sighed, shaking her head — “I’ll tell you my story, but not now.” — then hugged Sapphira, who was standing by my side with a concerned face.

“Silly girl, you don’t have to be this anxious, we’ll be fine.” Sapphira said in a soft voice, lightly stroking Lily’s mane with her hoof. “Now go and don’t worry about anything.”

Lily got herself together, her face now adorned with a subtle smile, her ears perked up. They parted, and Lily made a final check of her saddlebag before saying goodbye and flying out of the window once again. Her habit of using windows in that manner amused me.

“Seems we’re not the only ones going through changes in our lives,” Sapphira said, finally turning away from the opened window. “So, are we going to the pawnshop?”

“Nope, the pawnshop would not know the value of those weapons and will just rob us, offering a laughable price. We’re going to meet an antiquarian. I hope we can get a better sum of bits there.”

There was a knock on the door, and without waiting for our reply, Sugar entered the room.

“Ta-da! All is done!” Sugar demonstrated my stitched and patched up jeans, smiling, now they even looked more or less decent. The rips weren’t many, but they were large and conspicuous.

“Oh, thank you, sweety. You did a nice job on them.”

“That’s nothing special, I learned a bit from my mother.”

I took the jeans and took a better look at the sewn rips. “Now I won’t look like I’ve been chewed by manticores, though it was what actually happened,” I said jokingly, chuckling.

“Don’t tell me those rips were made by manticores…” Sugar mouth opened in surprise, and she covered it with her hoof.

I nodded. “Also these holes are from shadow hounds’ teeth.”

“No way! And you are still alive…”

“I was lucky, so… Aw!” I felt a somewhat painful hit on my head. Sapphira was hovering in the air behind me with a quiet buzz of her wings, her hoof raised. She had indignation written on her face.

“Lucky my ass! You were fighting them for our lives, the hounds, and all those manticores too. Don’t tell me you were just lucky. You almost died! And we all would be dead if you didn’t fight them!”

I rubbed my head. “Hey! You know, it hurts, miss Iron Hoof. Did you have to hit me? I didn’t mean to make it sound insignificant.”

Sapphira sighed, ignoring my remark and landing on the floor. “He is always like that, Sugar, speaking like it was nothing, but it was horrible back then.” She walked closer to me, — “Four times.” She pressed her side to my leg. “He saved my life four times.” Then her tail embraced me from behind. My hand reached for her back, softly running along it.

“You exaggerate, Sapphi, I was not fighting manticores alone, and some luck was still involved.” I protested, but was met with Sapphira’s skeptical eyes.

“Yes, but I still don’t exaggerate anything. You are too humble.”

Sugar looked at us with bewildered eyes. “No way! You must tell me everything about it! But now I have work to do. Will you stay here or go out somewhere?”

“We will be outside until evening, I suppose,” I replied.

“Then leave the key to me when you go out, the carpenter will come later to fix the ceiling. I’ll keep an eye on him. You’ll find me in the kitchen downstairs.”

“Sure, thanks, sweety.”

“See you later then,” Sugar said, waving her hoof, and walked out.

“I’ll pack up the weapons,” said Sapphira, walking to the closet where we kept our stuff, while I got busy dressing up.

After finishing with it quickly, I noticed Sapphira’s hair was a little disheveled. “Let me brush your hair, I can’t let you go like that.” I grabbed the brush Lily used from the table and got to work. Using it did not pose any trouble as I easily fixed it on my palm.

“That feels nice. Uhm… I’m still not used to this… ‘hair’, as you call it. Ponies seem to prefer the word ‘mane’. Not sure which one I like more. All I had before was just a simple fin.”

“I assure you, Sapphi, even if it’s new for you, brushing it regularly is absolutely worth the hassle. This hair makes you gorgeous.”

“Ah, you are a hopeless flatterer, Ray.” I could see the darker tint on her cheeks.

“That’s a compliment, not a flattery. You should listen to the nobles talking between each other, then you’ll know what flatter is.” I chuckled, remembering how the nobles from the train conversed. “At least I don’t lie.”

“Oh, I know it very well, Ray.” One of her eyes not covered by her silky hair looked up at me as her lips curled into a smile, showing her white fangs. “M-m-m… I’m already fully charged since yesterday, and still you keep pouring your love onto me…”

“Is it bad?” I kept brushing her unhurriedly.

“No, not at all. This,” — she looked up at the hole — “should not happen again. It’s just so strange… I feel like I can move a mountain, the magic boiling inside me, almost begging to be released. This feeling of power is so — intoxicating.”

“Then you better get used to it. Maybe it’s a good idea to have some practice and just spend the excess.”

Sapphira nodded. “Then let’s do so after we return from the town. Lily also spoke about some training, but I guess she meant a physical one.”

“Physical training is also good. We’ll have to split our time, but I’m not sure we can find a suitable place for training around here.”

Sapphira’s hair and tail was eventually decently brushed and looked good. I slung the bag she prepared over my shoulder, closed and locked the shutters, quite an important thing in the world with so many flying folks, and walked to the door. Sapphira levitated the platter with dirty plates beside her as we were heading for the kitchen anyway.

The hall downstairs was rather deserted, as it was yesterday at this hour. Nobody paid us much attention as we walked straight through the staff-only kitchen door. Sugar was there, as she promised, busy cleaning the kitchen with a piece of cloth. She literally flew around, cleaning everything with a remarkable speed. Only now I noted she had a feather duster as her cutie mark.

“Hey, sweety.” She jerked and turned around, still in the air. “Here is the key, and we also brought the dishes back.”

“Oh, great!” Sugar’s momentary surprised look changed to a smile. She took the key, putting it into the pocket of her maid apron and took away the platter. “Don’t get lost, though I doubt you will.” Sugar giggled.

“We shouldn’t, will be back in the evening. Thanks again for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Sugar, are you — really fine now?” I hesitated if I should ask, but I still did.

“Thanks, but don’t worry about me. I’m feeling great, actually!”

“That’s a relief. Well, see you soon. Bye– ah!” Sapphira exclaimed as the pegasus lightly bumped into her, hugging her neck.

“Nobody gets away from me without a hug!” And I became the next victim of the clingy pegasus, not that I minded.

“You really like hugs, aren’t you?” I said, holding her with one hand and petting the back of her head with another.

“Of course! Everypony likes hugs. Well, see you later!” She finally let go of me and saw us off.

We waved to her and walked out to the streets, squinting our eyes at the bright sunlight. The heat of the day in this deserted area felt even hotter than in the jungle, but the lack of ever-present humidity still made it somewhat tolerable. ‘Damn, now I see why there are so many ponies here wearing hats.’

“Let’s not waste time, Sapphi, lest you’ll get sunburns,” I said, walking forward, remembering the directions I was told. “It must be not too far from the main square.”

“Well,” — Sapphira tilted her head, — “I won’t get sunburns… if I don’t stay in the sun the whole day… maybe, but black skin tends to get really hot under such scorching sun.”

“Perhaps we can buy wide-brimmed hats for ourselves, those would make our lives a bit easier. It’s the first day of summer, by the way, and it will only get hotter by the day. Though we don’t know the local prices yet and how much we can earn. You also might need some light cape, or maybe a dress. I’ve seen some ponies dressed like that around.”

Sapphira giggled, looking at me sideways. “You wanna see me in a dress that badly?”

“Of course I do,” — I shrugged, — “But I’m more concerned about how hot your back might become under the sunrays.” I slid my hand along her upper plate, glittering with metallic sheen under the sun. “This shiny thing only covers only half of your back at best.”

“Uh… yeah, you may be right. I’m no pony who is protected by fur. You know, Ray, I think I’m taking my words about clothes back, but only half of it. The less dressed you are, the more I like you.” Sapphira made a toothy smile, lightly chuckling.

“I have no doubts about it.” I shook my head, smiling.

The rest of our walk we spent talking about this town and various small things, purposely ignoring the weird stares the folks around were giving us. Nobody tried to make a scene or even said anything this time, but now I was sure ponies had a stronger reaction to Sapphira than me. Finally, after crossing the main square, we soon reached our destination, a rather small shop, but it had its style standing out among the rustic-looking buildings, it was built in a style somewhat reminiscent of some old european style. ‘Whispers of the Past’, a large, intricately carved sign stated. The door was not as large as one at Night Owl, but it was still made with the diverse population and guests of Appleloosa in mind, high enough for me to avoid hitting my head, though the door handle was placed rather low.

A small bell above the door rang as we entered the shop. The interior was made of varnished stained wood, a stark contrast to the local unrefined style. Various items were placed on stands or inside the display cases. Ancient vases, intricate tableware, figurines, exquisite watches and compasses, adorned with shiny metals and gems, also some old books with rather peculiar covers and bindings, and other things, purpose of which I could not guess at all. My eyes could not catch anything which could be called ‘ordinary’.

“Welcome to ‘Whispers of the Past’, dear customers. Please take a good look around, I’ll come soon. I have quite a decent collection on display.” We heard a voice from somewhere inside the shop. “I apologize, but I’m a little busy right now.” We heard a rumble as something heavy hit the wooden floor. “Oh buck it!” he grumbled quietly. “Phew, nothing broke. Coming!”

The pony finally showed himself, a grayish-white unicorn, his short aquamarine hair combed back. He had quite a sharp gaze for a pony, though that sharpness faded down the moment he saw us, as did his smile. He coughed awkwardly, covering his mouth with a hoof.

“Ahem… How may I help you? Are you interested in any rare things?” His gaze briefly scanned my shabby clothes, causing him to frown a little. “Or perhaps you have something on your hooves you probably want to sell? But, please, keep this in mind — don’t mistake my antiques boutique for some cheap pawn or junkshop, I’m not interested in simple items.” I bet my spear he had a flair of contempt on his face right now. Such behavior is not a good trait when you’re trying to earn money by trade.

“Before you jump to any conclusions, I think you should see the goods first.” My impassive voice, along with an uncaring gaze looking right into his eyes, seemed to only irritate him further, but I also detected a trace of fear, as he made a nervous step back when I walked towards the counter, taking off my improvised rucksack.

“Then… L-let’s see what you have, but don’t waste my time, I have my hooves full of work.”

“All of these weapons were found in the Forbidden Jungle ruins.” I ignored his remark and pulled out all three weapons, placing them on the counter.

The gaze of the pony, who was warily eyeing Sapphira who stood by my side, shifted to the items before him. The presence of a changeling obviously made him uncomfortable. Then his eyes flashed with interest and squinted. His horn lit up and the sword was lifted before his eyes for thorough appraisal. He also hastily turned on several crystal lamps on the counter to see it better. After inspecting the weapons he sighed.

“Look, the goods are damaged and were even used in a barbaric manner recently. I can’t give you much for those. Let’s say, five hundred bits, what would you say?” He moved his gaze from the dagger to my face. A glimpse of excitement traced his eyes momentarily. I was frowning slightly, looking at him. The unicorn blinked several times, his eyes darting about nervously. “Er… five hundred and fifty is the highest I can go, I… I might even be taking a loss buying defective items.”

Sapphira snorted loudly and raised her body, propping herself on a counter with her forehooves. She stared intently in the stallion’s eyes. “Well, well, well… Somebody is being dishonest here,” Sapphira said derisively. “Why don’t you just offer us a fair deal nicely instead of this inept circus you are putting up before us? Don’t think we are unaware of the real value of these items.” She said slowly in an insinuating tone, her fangs showing themselves as a sly smile appeared on her face. She craned her neck and moved closer to the unicorn’s face. He flinched and stepped back from the counter, as his eyes grew wide with fear, but then he froze in place.

Sapphira’s horn and eyes glowed, and I saw undulating blue circles going outwards inside her eyes when I looked at her. After shifting my gaze to the unicorn, he was spacing out with a blank stare, his mouth agape, the same circles appeared in his eyes, but they were moving inwards, disappearing somewhere inside his pupils. This show lasted for a short time, then Sapphira stood back on her four hooves, having a look like nothing odd happened. The pony, however, was still zoning out. I looked at Sapphira quizzingly, but she gestured to me to keep quiet. I knew what she did, I just never saw her use this ability before, so I played along and hoped her attempt at hypnosis went well, otherwise I’d have to use less — civilized methods to keep everything under wraps.

The pony blinked and shook his head. “Yeah… where were we… Sorry, I got distracted by my thoughts.” He seemed like he was trying to remember something. “Ah, yes, yes, yes! We discussed the fair price, yes.” Pony talked in a patter. “Wait a minute, I’ll need my encyclopedia for this. There is no doubt those are relics of the Eclipse Empire, or at least we call it as such. Nobody yet knows for sure how it was really called.”

Then the pony literally galloped into the room behind the counter and we could hear rumbling from that room. He was moving something heavy there with impatience. Soon he rushed back to the counter, his hooves loudly pattering the wooden floor. He was holding a large old book in his magic grip. After putting it down on the counter, he started shuffling through the pages with his grayish-blue magic aura. He had meticulously read through quite a number of pages, then raised his head, his eyes wide.

“Holy Celestia! These things are from the golden age of the Eclipse Empire! Such a pity you have damaged them…” He made a genuine sigh. “ Such a pity… You have tried to clear the rust and sharpen them. You sheared far too much material and scratched the blades and engravings heavily. You have also used these weapons, there are so many notches and cracks now,” antiquarian lamented, while inspecting the axe blade through a magnifying glass.

“We had no choice but to do it,” I replied with a wry smile.

“I guess this was the case, given you knew what these weapons are, but they still have value, though I’ll have to cash in quite a fortune to find and hire an expert artisan, who is skilled in restoration.” The unicorn looked at us again. “Let’s get this straight. I’ll have to spend three thousand at the bare minimum on it. Also, finding an adequate expert to bring these beauties back to shine is a big hassle on its own. At least there are none in Appleloosa. Then I’ll have to go through finding the suitable buyer in the main cities. It can take half a year, sometimes even longer. I’ll give you five thousand for it, then I hope to sell them for no less than twelve. It will be a big luck if I manage to sell these through Canterlot Auction House, but otherwise I risk wasting a ton of my time for a meager profit. Does that sound fair enough to you?”

If the pony didn’t lie, then it was fairly good. We didn’t have any connections, nor the time for such things, but the fact that the sly bastard tried to scam us tenfold somewhat angered me. Well, Sapphira’s trick was much more cruel. She could just literally rob him, but still just made him offer a fair deal. That’s smart, as long as he doesn’t remember the actual fact of hypnosis, nobody will have any suspicions. I looked at Sapphira, seeing her lightly nodding to me.

“We have a deal, then.” I said in a confident tone, nodding to the pony.

“Good, good! Now I’ll have even more work to do.” He grabbed the weapons and disappeared into the back room in a rather elated mood. I heard something metal and heavy clung, perhaps a safe, then a clinking of coins followed. Stallion returned to us with a small pouch made of thick red cloth, tied with a yellow lace. He put it on top of the counter and waved to us. “Make a count. There must be fifty one-hundred-bit coins.”

I quickly counted the coins on the counter and put them back into the pouch, it was satisfyingly heavy. I held out my hand for the pony. He looked at it, seemingly puzzled, until he finally did the same with his hoof, then I shook it strongly. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Ah… Yes… It was good… making a deal with you, too,” the pony replied awkwardly.

“Goodbye, sir,” I said, turning around and putting the pouch into the bag to hide it from prying eyes. “Let’s go, Sapphi.” I patted her back lightly. She was too silent after she used hypnosis and I wanted to know if everything was alright.

We walked back to the square. In the far and less crowded corner of it, I noticed an unoccupied bench in the shade of a large tree. We silently walked there and sat down.

“Sapphi? Is anything wrong?”

“Ah? Well…” Sapphira sighed, looking at the stone tiles on the ground below us. “I snapped. But he was so… so… guh… I could not stand his smug lying face! Bastard…” Sapphira fumed. “Are you angry with me?” She raised her guilty, yet so beautiful eyes to me. “This is a real crime in Equestria.”

“Why would I? You know I’m not, my naughty changeling.” I embraced her with a smile, pulling her to my side. In fact, I was very pleased with her quick wits. “You did everything right. That scumbag tried to scam and rip us off, but you didn’t rob him. You merely suggested to him he offer us a fair deal, by his judgment and on his terms, no less.” I shrugged. “Are you sure we are safe? Will he remember anything?”

Sapphira fell in thought. “No, he shouldn’t. Everything turned out… too perfect.” She finally relaxed and kicked back on the bench, imitating my posture, supported by my arm. “That’s what puzzles me. It was too easy… but it worked as it should, even better. Much better. We are as clear as we can possibly be.” Sapphira produced a brief laugh.

“Very good, but what’s with the sharp change of his character? He seemed like he became another person altogether.”

Sapphira sighed, shaking her head. “This is hard to understand, you’re asking the wrong changeling. Maybe a few years later I could tell you. Perhaps it was his real, pure character, not muddled by his greed, his true passion for the things he likes. I don’t know, but it felt like it. Alas, he’ll soon be the same jerk again, but he will think of some good reason why he made that deal with us and justify it for himself. He will not doubt our deal, and, because of his greed, he will keep his mouth shut for sure.” Then Sapphira finally smiled. “We are rich now, aren’t we?”

I chuckled. “Maybe a little. This sum should last us for a decent time while we are busy settling down here, but we should not splurge, and we should not abuse that ability of yours, unless we really need it. Better play it safe and keep it as our trump card. There are methods to check the victim for mental magic influence, Luna told me, so be careful, alright?” Sapphira nodded in return. I raised my head to the sky and inhaled deeply. The air was quite pleasant here, away from all the dust of the busy part of the town. “I’m happy we won’t have to burden Lily or ask Luna for another allowance or a loan. It is us who should spoil our little batty, not the other way around,” I said jokingly.

“Oh, certainly!” Sapphira chuckled. “I’d love to do this.”

“We will think of something later.” I smiled back at her. My mood was rapidly improving as the first nervousness of our little trick was fading away. “Don’t you think she is a bit rude with other ponies?”

“Oh, Ray, I’d say she can be far beyond ‘a bit rude’, but she tries to keep herself in her hooves while around you, for whatever reason. I find it amusing and even cute.” Sapphira laughed lightly, seemingly remembering something funny. “Oh you should have seen the face of that lunar guard when she berated him for his conduct. That was simply marvelous. She is very straightforward, and she cares little for others’ feelings if they are in the wrong. You know, ponies react badly to rude critics, so you can guess how it usually goes for her with her colleagues. Others tend to avoid her, and being a thestral only worsens it for her, but I have yet to witness her being rude to somebody without a good reason.”

“Uh… Well, I can say it’s very Lily-like, though I thought it was not so severe.” I said with a chuckle. “Anyway, I like her as she is, and I can handle a few rude words if need be.”

“She also swears like a griffon.”

“For real? Our lily?” I asked through the laughter. “But, well, every soldier swears once in a while and ponies are no exception.”

“Ah-ah-ah!” Sapphira intoned, waving her hoof like I’d wave my finger. “Nope! lily swears more like a griffon mercenary than a pony soldier sometimes.” Sapphira chuckled again.

I suppressed another laugh. “That only makes her more funny and cute. And what about me then?”

“You…” — Sapphira smiled like a Cheshire cat, — “you, my dear Ray, can be a lo-o-ot worse, at times. You even swear in words I don’t understand, but they are so ‘charged’ I can only imagine the meaning; I’m sure it’s nothing nice.”

“Definitely nothing nice,” I said, stretching lightly.

“Though I can say you almost don’t swear unless there is some kind of trouble.”

“So, are we going to check the shops or you wanna relax for a bit longer?”

Sapphira hopped off the bench and shook her mane. “Let’s go then. I’m afraid most of the shops here close pretty early. We can laze around later.”

Following Silver Mist down the stairs, we stopped before a solid metal door. He fiddled with the keys and then the door to the alchemical lab opened smoothly, revealing a single spacious, well-lit room. The crystals on the ceiling were giving off bright yellowish light. Tables and shelves filled with all kinds of tools, burners, and retorts stood by the walls around the room, with large vent grates above each table. The lab lacked equipment for mass production and was suited for producing small batches of rare, expensive, and sometimes dangerous things.

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting something like this. This lab won’t bring shame to any large city HQ, sir Silver Mist, and to have it here, in Appleloosa… You must have a decent staff of alchemists.”

“If only…” Silver Mist sighed lightly. “If only, miss Night Lily. We have just two as of yet, but I’m looking forward to expanding our staff. Though I rarely let the bits entrusted to me go to waste, I took a slight gamble with this lab. It’s challenging to hire adequate staff from big cities, but one day this lab will be serving Equestria at full capacity.” He waved his hoof around the room.

“I have no doubts about that.”

Silver Mist nodded in approval. “Of course. We should have no doubts; can’t allow such things to impede our duties. Logic, careful consideration and persistence are our motto. Well, miss Lily, feel yourself at home. This lab is at your service with no restrictions. Nopony else will work here today.”

“I wonder, sir, why you didn’t assign me any tasks today?”

“Oh, that? Simply because this town is our turf. Who, if not us, will do this job better? I know you have worked in cities before, but your talents lie in other areas, as far as I know. We have an established network here; it’d take too much time to fit you in.”

“I see. Did you find anything?”

“We’ve got some results. Those scoundrels I caught here and there red-hooved,” — Silver Mist tapped his chin, — “red-pawed, or whatever appendages they might have, will be happy to tell me what I need to know, or maybe they won’t, but who cares… I left them no choice, so to speak.” Silver Mist had a devious smile while talking about his ‘unwilling agents’, making me smile at his peculiar phrasings. “Though, I want to request your assistance tomorrow. There is some suspicious activity in the mountains to the west, along with some cases of minor theft, not far from the native buffalo settlement. We need your expertise there.”

“Time and place?”

“Here, at eight in the morning, full field equipment.”

“Roger. Do we expect combat?”

“No, but it’s better to be ready than to lament the lack of preparedness later.”

I made a brief laugh. “Sorry, sir, you remind me of somepony.”

Silver Mist smiled. “No need to be sorry, we are not in the military, after all, to speak between us to the code.” A subtle smile appeared on his face. “That somepony of yours seems quite reliable.”

“Uh… Yes, he is reliable…” My face must have given away my feelings, to my slight embarrassment, but I tried to not show it.

“So, it’s a ‘he’. Youth, youth… Oh, please don’t mind this old stallion’s remarks.”

I felt my cheeks turning slightly hot. “Why does it happen every time I talk about him with somepony…” I sighed internally. “Ah, I know why all too well.”

Silver Mist just smiled amiably, without a hint of ridicule. “Well, young lady, I’ve said all I need to say, and I will no longer distract you. If you forgot some ingredients, just visit the warehouse again. I gave you full clearance to use it. Quite a convenience to be Princess’ direct subordinate, isn’t it?” He chuckled kindly. “I won’t be returning until late night. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Goodbye. I wish you luck, sir.”

“Thanks, miss Lily, though I hope I won’t need it. The key is on the table, so don’t forget to lock the lab when you leave. You know whom to give the key to.” Silver Mist walked out of the lab, closing the door behind him with a metallic clang.

Turning my sight to the tables, I found one with the most suitable equipment for my purpose and started arranging my working place. I pulled the ingredients from my saddlebag and put them on the side of the table. Among those were dried herbs, magic gems, little vials of toxic pollen for powders and raw fresh leaves and petals for liquid mixtures. I’ll start with the latter, so I can leave them boiling on the fire while I work on the powders.

This stage of my work was time-consuming, simple, and monotonous. My thoughts wandered while my hooves were working without stopping, grinding violet magic crystals into fine crystal sand inside the mortar.

“I wonder what they are doing now?” Thoughts of my newly found herd filled my mind, no matter how hard I avoided distracting myself; I just gave up eventually. “I hope they are staying out of trouble. Everypony was throwing those glances at them while we walked together... Being a thestral, I know well how crappy it feels, and it’s much worse for them.”

I never had the time to think about it all properly before today, being always on high alert. It couldn’t be otherwise. We were not on a hike in a peaceful equestrian forest, as we were always on the move to avoid attracting danger, always busy with something as problems cropped up, and we had no shortage of those. When we stopped to have some rest, I always just slept like a dead bat. Flying around and scouting tires the body, and being constantly vigilant strains the mind. But he… They… They were always there to guard my sleep. Ray even stayed up the whole night to guard us and let us rest more. How could he even keep moving after that at such a pace after that? But we’re talking about Ray, so no wonder.

I have this inexplicable trust in them. So, where did it all start? If I didn’t know for sure, I’d think I was under hypnosis, but that’s horseshit. Even if Sapphira knows such magic, she will never use it like that; moreover, Her Majesty personally put a protection spell from mental magic on me, so that’s out of the question. She also said they are our friends, so how could I doubt my Princess? There must be something more to it, but what exactly?

The moment I first met him — was awkward. Shouldn’t have sneaked up on him while he slept, but those are our thestral habits. What can I do about it? Oh, that moment he grabbed and hugged me… I was flustered, but it felt nice, so very nice… Even if he had mistaken me for Sapphira, I secretly liked it. His rather flat face and smaller eyes, looking into mine as he held me in his arms… Those vivid green eyes are so strange, yet so warm when he looks at us. But they can be so horrifyingly scary when he fights; I still have shivers every time I remember his gaze as he charged at the manticore.

Ray is also almost devoid of fur, but, thank Luna, his mane is growing back. I often catch myself thinking how he would look with different mane styles. Then I can get back at him and ruffle his mane as much as I want! I let out a slight giggle at such a thought.

I don’t have any complaints about his skin being devoid of fur. Sapphira doesn’t have it, either, and it does not make her less beautiful. Yes, I deem a changeling beautiful. Is it strange? Nah, I’d rather deem everypony else strange, and I’ll smash the face of anypony who dares to speak shit about her. Language, language… I seem to swear too much, even in my thoughts. Those damn habits of mine. Where did that shy and polite Lily I was some years ago disappear to? I sighed. I don’t want to sound like a boor before them.

Ray’s mimics deserve to be mentioned. There is something wrong with it. Or, rather, on the contrary — he is too pony-like. Not counting his body language and ears, every little move of his face is identical to ours to the minute details, maybe even more subtle, which is not the case for most other non-pony folks. This is so fascinating, considering his extraordinary origins. Conversing with him is so much easier than it could have been with other species. Well, I’m a strange one, because talking with Ray for me is going much more smoothly than talking with other ponies…

I noticed I had a wide smile on my face. “Oh… That still gives me no answers why I like them both so much; it was so fast… Damn! I don’t need no answers. Let’s say it just happened somehow and be done with it. If they are not worthy of my trust, then I don’t know who is.” I thought, pouring another batch of the powder into the bowl, switching to grinding the leaves and petals into a mush, while reminiscing about our time in the jungle.

After we got acquainted, Ray had put me to sleep with his weird magic. Now, I’m sure I’d have collapsed halfway if not for those few hours of rest. It was such a serene sleep in the middle of the deadly jungle. They waited and guarded me, and it felt almost surreal. That was the moment I understood they were definitely good ponies. Well, not ponies, but that doesn’t matter.

At first, I thought they were looking down on me, as they preferred to do most things by themselves, leaving only scouting and tracking for me, not expecting much more, like most ponies usually do when I accompany them. But I was wrong. They trusted my judgment and relied on me, putting me in the role I’m most suited for. We worked as a team, something often left much desired during my past assignments; I took much pleasure in it. Sapphira told me some knowledge about the jungle I was lacking. She is also very good at finding fruits in that forest, so our provisions never ran out until we left the jungle. Oh, those fruits! Every time I think of those fruits, I salivate. And Ray, he is a little clumsy in the forest, but he has the air of an elite soldier when things come to a fight, and he also doubles as a unicorn field medic. That’s quite a crazy combination. The only downside is that he can’t fly along with us, but I’m asking too much, right?

Together with them, it felt… so natural. Like I knew them for a long time already. I didn’t need to show off before them and push my status by being rough, like I often have to do. With them, I could just be myself, just do my job without trying to meet high expectations, just tell them what’s on my mind, and they will listen. And also, for the first time in years, I had that feeling of — just being a mare, appreciated, cared for, and protected. It was like a gasp of fresh air. Ray… I didn’t see such a stallion even among the Guard. Though I can’t say I looked for one either; I haven’t, ever since…

First was the sleazy bastard. He looked so handsome, a descendant of some damn noble family; he said beautiful words, even knew what I liked and made presents. Who would have thought that everything was… fake? Everything he said and done was just lies! A skilled play. A fucking stupid game for him! After doing a deed which didn’t last even two minutes, though that was expected, he just left, with a snide remark about how big of a turndown my fangs and eyes are, and that I should have been grateful he actually stooped to doing it with me. “Moron, you could have at least tried to do it properly. I didn’t even feel anything, you bastard!” I muttered through the gritted teeth, my fang painfully pricking my lower lip, and my hoof holding a pestle trembled. But really, it was such a disappointment even without his insults. Having made several deep breaths, I finally calmed down. “Fuck it! Even to this day, that prick vexes me to no end! If I could, I’d cut off his dong and shove it down his throat so he would choke on it!” I huffed and took a deep breath. I’m sure I was not the first one who he did it to. But, no matter how much I’d like to take my revenge, this will only make my life harder, and also create trouble for the Princess.

The bastard, as it appeared, won a huge bet which required him bedding a shy and taciturn batpony, in other words, me, as the loud cheerful shouts from the street showed. Those shitbags he called ‘friends’... Now the entire neighborhood knew what he did to me. I cried through the night till the sunrise until I finally fell asleep. Then I made a vow to never trust handsome stallions again, especially nobles! I should have understood something was amiss when he approached me first and not the other way around, like it usually happens with the likes of him. Their kind have no shortage of beautiful mares swarming around them. Fuck, it is not even limited by just mares, but how would I know all that? I was just a foolish country filly from a forest village who moved to Canterlot recently. Yeah… a country bumpkin and an idiot!

It was a long time before I tried getting close to any stallions again, but most just avoided me; other times I ran away from them myself, thinking I was not attractive enough. Sometimes I thought the auntie was right, and I should just return to Hollow Shades and find myself a decent thestral stallion instead of trying to find one among regular ponies. Thestrals are really few in the Canterlot.

Everything in my life had changed following my application for the Solar Guard. I, along with other recruits, was put under rigorous training for two years. Such things like love were thrown out of my mind, mostly. I was not too suited for the face-to-face combat the Solar Guard prefers, nor was I a good match for pegasi teams, being a thestral I am, thus I remained below mediocre among the recruits. But then our dear Princess returned from her banishment, restoring the Lunar Guard at long last. It was the event thestrals yearned for generations through the past millennium. Naturally, I applied for a transfer. It was fast; Solar Guard had little hopes for a recruit like me, anyway, so they easily let go of me.

Things went much smoother for me in the Lunar Guard. My talents and aptitude showed themselves, and then… Then Princess Luna herself noticed me, but the place I ended up at was not the Lunar Guard, but a newly founded Shadow guard. Oh, how happy I was that she chose me. At first, I had my doubts about it all, but later I never regretted joining the Shadow Guard.

Stallions were slowly moving even further down in my list of priorities until they had completely disappeared into obscurity. By that time, I already developed that abrasive attitude of mine. I didn’t notice how I turned into a pony that others prefer to avoid, except for some of my colleagues. Since that time weak stallions, be it in the body, mind or will… They piss me off; a lot. It’s even worse if they are nobles. Can’t stand them. I used to look down on of them all; well, it hasn’t changed to this day. “What is worth a stallion who runs away after one slightly rude word? Especially when he deserves it? Ah, who am I trying to deceive here? It was usually far beyond being slightly rude, and I never stopped at just one word… It is so easy to make me snap now, though I was holding up for the past week.” I sighed and chuckled mirthlessly. “Of course, they turned tail and avoided me like I’m cursed; should that be surprising with such an attitude?” Then a genuine smile appeared on my face.

Ray. With him, I don’t need to be like that, and I don’t want to. Though sometimes my habits flare up, he does not seem to even notice. I let out a quiet laugh, remembering all the profanities he spewed out to that damn griffon robber to provoke him and draw his attention away from us. I realized I’m just an amateur in comparison, and he doesn’t take the thoughtless words I sometimes say to heart.

That aside, I feel like a genuine mare around him. Not a soldier, but a filly to be spoiled. Oh, and those hands of his… Those are just divine, I swear! Be it magic or not, I don’t care. His touch is so pleasant, so affectionate… The moment I return, I’ll just jump into his arms and let his hands loose freely on me. No, I’ll demand it! I want to feel him, touch him. I want to hear his voice, want to smell his scent, want to kiss him… I even want to… make love with him, if things come to that. My cheeks turned warm again as I remembered my shameless peeping, but I regret nothing; it was a show to remember. Though I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with Ray — both he and Sapphira are monsters in bed, even if judged only by time they lasted.

“Well, I’m sure Sapphira will second me if I collapse,” I muttered with a silly smile, the scenes from before flashing vividly before my eyes. An involuntary excited snort awoke me from my reverie. I finally noticed I was just spacing out in a daze, looking blankly at the mortar filled with a well-ground paste, with wings spread out and raised high behind my back, my tail twitching uncontrollably.

“Oh crap! What if somepony enters and sees me like this?” I grumbled, shaking my head, trying to switch my thoughts to something else. “Well, I still have work to do,” I mumbled quietly, mixing the ground herbs with water and crystal powder, then poured the mixture into a large retort. Following that, I attached a coil pipe to its top and placed a burner under it. The resulting liquid coming from the other side will be quite potent, so I turned on the ventilation, flipping a lever switch on the wall. I never thought I’d find my current task tedious, but today, I do. I’m too impatient. “So, next goes the dry stuff.” I tried to regain my concentration again, switching to another task at hand.

As I worked, my thoughts turned towards Sapphira. I never thought that one day I’ll have such a close relationship with a changeling, an ‘unreformed’ changeling at that. But she does not have to be ‘reformed’, not in the slightest. Sapphira is so much different from how changelings usually are, be they black or white. I worked along with the latter before, more than once actually, so changelings are not something uncommon for me. Like Sapphira, they are free of hive control, but they are still so much different. Changelings think differently than ponies, but Sapphira thinks differently than the changelings I know. Maybe because she is no longer a drone, but I have a hunch that’s not all to it. If anything, she is often thinking like — Ray. Yes, I’m sure of that. She was together with him a mere few days longer than me, so why do I see such similarity sometimes? Ponies can’t change overnight, or can they? Two beans in a pod — this is about them, and I’m slowly turning into a third one.

Anyway, she is the nicest mare I’ve met in the last few years for sure, even if a strange one. She can always find the right words when my mood is off to fix me up. She can ease my mind when I’m disturbed or confused by something. Of course, she also likes to piss me off with those jokes of hers, and Ray usually plays along. Hmph! But if not for her, I would have never opened up to Ray. I let out a quiet chuckle, thinking about it; calling it assault would be more appropriate than calling it opening up. Most stallions would just show me the door after that, but not Ray; he finds it cute.

Sapphira used every single chance to push me towards admitting my own feelings, though I think she was too over the board doing it, but it felt like a miracle when I actually did that. She was right, oh how she was right… about me, about Ray, and… about herself, too. I want to hug her as much as I want to hug Ray. Perhaps I… love her too, and I guess it’s mutual; it’s not the same as with Ray, but still… Among the herds, such a relationship is not as common as some might think; it’s precious. I don’t find that surprising, though — we’ve gone through so much shit together in just a few days, most ponies might never experience as much through their lifetimes.

Just thinking about how I could leave them here and go back to Canterlot alone makes my hooves tremble in horror. That would have happened if not for Sapphira. I became too insensitive over those years, stubbornly deceiving myself that I don’t need it, but she managed to stoke the fire inside my heart again, even if I felt irritated about it at first. She showed me that deep inside, I’m the same foolish filly yearning for love I was before, just encased in a crude stone shell. That shell can go to Tartarus for all I care! I’m all nice and fluffy, like Ray says. Though I won’t show it towards everypony else, no way, except for our friends, like Sugar.

After spending some time preparing everything, I noticed bright purple liquid was already dropping into the glass from the pipe. The process will still take some time, and I better not inhale the fumes while it lasts, so I walked to another table and climbed onto the chair there. I can use a little break.

Slumping my chest onto the table and holding my head in my hooves, I grumbled, rubbing my cheeks and looking at the clock above the exit, — “Damn it, why am I so impatient today? I’m bored. Time flows at a turtle speed.” I sighed. “U-u-uh! All I can think of is doing — things with Ray… Various things. Lewd things, too.” As time ticked away, my imagination kept painting a myriad of pictures and scenes. The arousal I was feeling, though partially cooled, still refused to go away completely, and such thoughts only kept it on a slow burn.

“Can’t do anything about it, anyway. Perhaps it’ll be better to wrap up everything earlier; don’t want to return late at night. Tomorrow I’ll be out the whole day, and I want to spend some time together with my herd this evening. That’s decided then. I’ll make some stuff for tomorrow and go back,” I said to myself. This decision instantly put me in a cheerful mood, and I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach. Now I can resume my work with renewed motivation.

The shop we were currently in could not be called simple. It was situated on one of the main streets leading from the town hall to the train station. Quite a crowded place, to be honest, designed for tourists and guests of this town, filled with various shops and even boutiques, and we were currently inside one. The couch was cozy, though I find most pony furniture to be rather comfortable. It’s generally larger than what humans are used to, though often a bit low, but you can always just sprawl there in a relaxed manner, and I’m slowly getting a taste for it. My posture may look too smug, but so what?

Currently, I was waiting for Sapphira, as she disappeared behind the screen to try on another dress. It was already the fourth, but I have my expectations for the next one. A light sky-blue with an airy design, as I’d call it. It must go well with her blue mane and eyes. It has a nice wide hat to go along with it, which can protect her from the merciless summer sun of this desert. Sapphira outright refused my help, telling me it would spoil the surprise effect. She refused the help of the shop assistant as well.

That mare was scared silly when we first entered the shop. We often have that effect on ponies, especially when we are together. They don’t have that reaction when it’s just me or Sapphira, but together a changeling and an almost two meter high bipedal creature create that effect. My rather shabby look does not help in this matter, either. Though, over time, she got used to us, especially when she understood we were real customers. This shop was comparatively expensive, though not luxury, and ponies don’t seem to practice overcharging for quality too much. The prices looked adequate for me. With the sum on our hands, it won’t be too much of an expense; besides, I want my girl to look good.

I also asked the shop assistant to find some suitable clothes for me. She said they may have something in store for me, most likely minotaur clothes, but she will have to find those first. Now I was just chilling on the couch, enjoying the cool air of the interior, while Sapphira was busy with the dress, making quiet rustles behind the screen. They must have something similar to an air conditioner here, and this alone raises my expectations for quality of life in this world. I thought it would be much worse.

The sound of trotting hooves caught my attention. The shop assistant, flashing me a smile, walked behind the screen with another batch of clothes on her back. She definitely wants to milk us dry, selling us as many items as she can. After a short while talking with Sapphira in a low voice, she finally appeared back and sat on the nearby chair, throwing me curious glances every so often, but averted her eyes every time I looked back.

“Miss… Do you want to ask something?” I said in a soft voice to avoid scaring her.

“Ah… Y-yes, I just wanted to say… Would you mind waiting for a little longer? Our employee is searching for the clothes for you right now, but that might take… a little more time than expected.

“Oh, that’s no problem at all. We have time.” I said, nonchalantly waving my hand, but the mare continued to look at me. “Anything else?”

“Oh, I’m sorry for staring at you like that, sir, but… what are you? I mean, I’ve never seen anypony like you! Oh, right, you’re not a pony, of course, but…” she trailed off.

I lightly laughed. It seems she is just curious, but she made it sound so awkward.

“I’m a human, and it’s unlikely you’ll see my kind in these parts.”

“I see… It’s just you speak like a native Canterlotian, a little old-fashioned one, but it has its charms.” The shop assistant showed a sheepish smile.

“Old-fashioned, huh? Well, that’s all thanks to my teacher. I’ve never been to Canterlot. Actually, we’ve just arrived in Equestria after a certain… mishap in a jungle expedition, as you can see,” — I gestured with my hands to my shabby clothes with a wry smile on my face, — “so I need to change my wardrobe urgently. My clothes have almost turned to rags. Well, some sure did, except for my lucky shirt.” I patted the only item which somehow survived through all our ordeals. My speech sparked the interest of this mare, and she no longer looked cautious.

“Goodness, but now you are in the right place! I’ll make sure to offer you the best clothes our shop can provide! The best of Manehattan fashion line. We may not be as fancy as Canterlot, but we certainly sell the best clothes for the best prices!”

“Good marketing, miss.” I chuckled, amused by her speech.

“Uh… thanks, I guess.” She smiled back awkwardly.

“You’re at it again, Ray, making ponies feeling awkward,” Sapphira said from behind the screen, playful sarcasm in her voice.

“Oh, come on Sapphi, we’re just having a small chat, right?” I threw a glance at the shop assistant, jerking my brows.

The mare opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated with a somewhat lost look on her face, then Sapphira’s voice beat her to it.

“Yes-yes, of course you are…” she said nonchalantly, trailing off. “I’m coming out. Behold!” Sapphira laughed lightly, walking out.

My gaze was instantly glued to Sapphira’s elegant form; a spark of interest finally flashed in my eyes after a long wait. In addition to a light sky-blue dress, mildly adorned with frilly ornaments, Sapphira had a rather wide-brimmed hat made in the same style and color. The brims of the hat were slightly curved, making the design more fancy. A neat hole with embroidery around it was made in the hat, so Sapphira’s horn was not an issue. Rather, this design accentuated it and only added to her charm.

“Ray? Why so silent? How is it? You like it?” Sapphira walked in a circle to show off her dress from all sides, stopping sideways, then raised and shook her head, smiling charmingly. She gave me a sidelong look as her mane followed her movements in mesmerizing flowing shades of blue. “Damn, that’s hot! Where did she learn that?”

“Oh…” I snapped back from my momentary daze. “You’re too charming, honey. It’s perfect! The color is spot on, the design is not too simple, nor is it obnoxiously fancy, like those in this canterlot magazine,” — I nodded to the coffee table with various fashion magazines piled on it.

“So, you like it?”

“Sure, we’re definitely buying this one. Is it fitting comfortably?”

“Yeah, it feels good on me, kind of. Um-m-m,” — she bit her lower lip, thinking, — “I’m not used to such things, but it fits me just fine, I think. What I like the most is your reaction, though.” Sapphira grinned in a predatory manner. “Well worth it.”

“Great choice.” The assistant mare remarked. “Ah, miss, you’re so lucky to have a stallion who understands fashion.” She put her hoof on her cheek, showing us a dreamy smile. What an actress… She is definitely happy about the opportunity to sell quite a good deal of merchandise today. Then she noticed my skeptical gaze.

“No, really, most stallions around here won’t even see a difference between cheap casual attire and an exquisite evening dress. They just don’t care!” The shop assistant stomped her hoof on the wooden floor, venting her irritation at this fact. “Country bumpkins…” she mumbled quietly.

Well, I can second that. Appleloosa is definitely not about fashion, though when tourists arrive she may have a busy day once in a while, otherwise I see no reason for this shop’s existence.

“I guarantee the other items I have brought are of no inferior quality.” The mare once again encouraged Sapphira to try out something else.

“Oh, then I must try those out!” Sapphira was giddy about it all and went back behind the screen with an almost dancing trot to try on other clothes.

“Women…” I muttered quietly with a smirk, sitting back down and reclining on the couch again. Stretching out my legs, I put one on top of the other and folded my hands behind my head. “Damn, this couch sure is comfy.” From the corner of my eye, I could see the salespony looking at me with genuine interest. Clothes shops are indeed much less popular among local folks compared to what I was used to, and she must be bored hanging in this sparsely visited shop day in and out. Well, I better get used to some extra attention; at least it’s much better this way than scaring everyone around with a mere presence.

I glanced at the salespony, making her avert her eyes awkwardly.

“Ah, right, I’ll go check if the clothes for you are ready.” Not giving me any time to answer, she had disappeared from my sight after saying that, but it looked like she just ran away from the awkward situation.

“Sapphira is getting better at dressing up faster, it seems,” I thought as she walked out dressed in different clothes. The attire was light brown and rather plain this time.

“Hm-m-m. Sapphi, I think more daring and bright clothes fit you better. This one just pales compared to the previous one.”

Sapphira turned to the growth mirror on the side and examined her look. Her brows rose and fell, and her tail moved from side to side slowly as she was thinking about something.

“Well, yes; fair enough. Then it’ll make things faster.” She returned behind the screen again, putting a few sets of clothes away.

Then the process repeated a few times. There was a dark emerald dress, which was okay, a rather classy dress with black and dark blue design. Its lines stressed Sapphira’s predatory nature, and also a light purple dress Sapphira was currently showcasing to me.

“Hey Ray, do you think it will look good on Lily?”

“Hm-m?” I tried to imagine Lily in this dress. “Yes, this is definitely her color, but are you sure it will fit her?”

“I’m sure. We have almost the same size. She is just more muscular. This dress fits a little loosely on me, so it must be fit for her. I’m sure we can change it anyway, if it won’t.”

“Then let’s take it; guess Lily will be happy with our present.”

Sapphira smiled and let out a giggle. “Getting bored, Ray? Just wait a bit more.” She whisked back behind the screen, her silky tail waved behind her in an arc.

“Ray, can you come for a moment?” asked Sapphira, after shuffling with some clothes for a while. There was something intriguing in her tone.

I stood up and walked behind the screen. My eyes widened the moment I stepped behind it; I cleared my throat reflexively. Sapphira’s attire… It was stockings, long, deep red stockings, made of silky material, along with a very revealing and frilly — suit? Or can it be called a pony bikini? Instead of covering anything, its purpose was to underline and highlight every possible sexy part and curve of her body.

Sapphira turned sideways and slowly stretched in a cat-like manner, looking at me from the corner of her eye. Her legs, which were longer than those of regular ponies, were so tantalizing, and her rear… She was perfectly arousing right now. My eyes could not stop trailing the contours of her body.

“Oh, my… So yummy.” Sapphira ended her brief show and cooed in a sensual tone, putting her hoof to her chest and looked at me seductively. “You don’t even have to say anything, Ray. We must buy this pretty little thing.” Her smile was very content and sly.

“You sure enjoy teasing me, but… It’s just… Wow! Perfect. Someone in this shop is an expert in sexy clothes. Of course we are buying it.”

“Come on, stop drooling and go back, unless you want to boast your stallionhood in front of that someone,” Sapphira said, then we heard the sounds of hoofsteps of the returning salespony.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head as I noticed some tightness down my pants and walked out, only to meet the shop assistant mare before me. She had a slightly flushed look and shifted her hooves every so often.

“I brought you some models designed for… minotaurs. I hope those may fit you.” Her gaze jumped to my crotch and back occasionally when she thought I wasn’t looking, though the jeans made her efforts futile. “Yeah, she had definitely overheard us. Ponies have disturbingly good hearing.”

“There will be no harm in trying. Thank you.” I took the stack of clothes and walked behind another screen.

Surprisingly, the mare brought the clothes which were more or less fitting my size. Not all the minotaurs are buffed like hulks, apparently, but the overall design left much to be desired. That must be because they prefer things to be rather crude, as much as I understand their culture. Good thing these were made by ponies, so the cloth itself was decent and soft. Also, there were no bright colors, which reminded me of common human men’s clothing.

However, even if these shirts were designed for a rather thin minotaur, they will still look baggy on me. Well, over time, it’ll get somewhat better as I plan to work on my body. I looked at my arms — by no means I’m weak right now, but I used to have much bigger muscles before. The trousers, on the other hand, had a more serious problem, namely length. Minotaurs have comically short legs. Even the longest trousers were a little too short for me, even unhemmed.

“I guess this pair is the only one I can possibly wear and still not look like a clown. Though I’ll need a belt for it. Minotaurs’ legs must be their weakness. Damn, why does such a thought suddenly pop inside my mind out of the blue? I was not a battle maniac… or I was? Damn memory loss.” I shrugged and continued with what I was doing.

I was flipping a grayish-black pair of trousers in my hands, trying to discern its length by holding it along my legs. In the end I put it on, together with an off-white shirt and walked out to show the result to Sapphira, who was already waiting on the couch, clad in her new dress, with a hat on top of her head. Three packages lay on the table.

“So, Sapphi, how is it?” I asked, spreading and raising my arms to check how the shirt fits.

Sapphira attentively looked all over my figure. “Not too bad, as far as I can say. But that’s surely not something that was made with your figure in mind.” Sapphira frowned a little, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the salespony.

“I-I… I’ll make a discount for those. Half a price! We… Ah, it’s a shame, but we really have nothing better for you now, sir.” Salespony drove on the floor with a hoof, looking down, and now I wasn’t sure if it was theatrics or not. Maybe she really cares.

I scratched my chin. “Half a price, you say? Alright, I’ll take it then, along with that black shirt. You can take away the rest. There is no way those would fit me, unfortunately.”

My words made the salespony brighten up again and smile. “Wonderful! You won’t regret choosing our shop, sir, miss!” She looked at us expectantly.

“Oh yes, I’ll also take this belt.” I fastened the belt I fancied on my new trousers. “And I think that’s all. Please pack it all up and count the sum we owe you.”

“Right away!”

The salespony took some colorful bags from behind the counter and quickly wrapped up everything we bought. Overall, we spent almost four hundred there — the things we bought, except for my clothes, were on the more expensive side, but that was okay. The difference in prices was not that big. The only regrettable thing is that the shop had only hats for females, but the salespony gave us the address of a local craftsman. She said he was proficient with working with leather, and his merchandise has the local rustic style and is a bit ‘coarse’, but I still want to take a look.

We said goodbye to the now joyful salespony and left the shop, only to be greeted by a relentless wave of heat outside. It wasn’t that bad but, in the absence of any wind, the contrast with the conditioned air of the shop left an unpleasant stuffy feeling.

“Well, damn. I might’ve been a bit bored sitting back there doing nothing, but at least it was rather cool inside. Let’s check that shop she mentioned.” I looked at Sapphira in her new sky-blue attire. “You’re looking amazing, dear.”

“Oh…” Sapphira looked slightly awkward receiving my praises yet again, but she seemed happy. “Thank you, Ray. It’s the first time I’m wearing something like that — no, wearing anything at all, and it feels a little weird. You know… nobody ever complimented me before we met.”

Sapphira’s wings buzzed, and she floated above ground until our heads were on the same level. Her forehooves slowly embraced my neck. With her eyes closed, her lips reached for mine. Our kiss was brief, but meaningful, garnering a few curious glances from the passersby.

“Whoops, Ray, it seems we’ve gathered a little audience again. Let’s go, I don’t enjoy being stared at like that.” She pulled me lightly by the shirt, leading me away. “It must be somewhere on the west side. We’ve never been there yet.”

“Yep, it must be mostly a living area, with vast gardens on the outskirts, as I was told back in the Nightowl.”

“That’s even better. Maybe there’ll be less dust from all those heavy carts rolling all around the east part, and fewer idiots like that minotaur.” I laughed internally — we’ve been together for just a week and she is already calling people around bastards, idiots and morons, though it is never undeserved. My bad influence… or Lily’s? No matter, I’m fine with that.

“By the way, have you noticed how they look at you now?” I asked after some time.

“How they look at me, you say? Isn’t it as usual, huh?”

“Well, I think they’re not as scared and wary of you with that dress on.”

“You think so?” Sapphira looked at me incredulously.

“Don’t you read their emotions?”

“Nope. It takes effort to discern that muddled jumble of their feelings. The only one I read with no difficulty is you, Ray. It’s actually disturbing me — you’ll be like a giant lighthouse for any changelings around. If anybody tries anything funny with you, I’ll show them!” The tip of her horn made a few clicks as tiny bolts of lightning discharged into the air from it.

“That must be fine unless there is a whole hive somewhere nearby. They will need a whole squad to catch me. It’s unlikely to happen in the town, but that reminds me, we should find a weapons store or a merchant here, but not today. I can’t saunter around the town with a spear, can I? A simple dagger must be enough, just in case.” I must admit, now I feel myself naked when carrying no cold weapons. This is not something I gained through the last week. This is something more fundamental. Was it that combat training ingrained into my head? That must be it.

“Then it’s a good reason to wander around this town tomorrow some more. I’m starting to like it here.”

Sapphira walked in rhythmic hoofsteps, making muffled clops on the road made of sand and dirt. I find this sound pleasant. Ponys’ regular walking speed was like that of a relaxed human walk, so I was walking slowly, trying not to force her into a trot by accident. That already happened a few times, but the girls said nothing about it, though I still noticed it and have tried to be mindful of it since.

“Yeah, even with the ever-present dust and sand, this town is kinda nice.”

“How was the town you lived… before? Was it similar to Appleloosa?”

I fell in thought for a moment. “No, it is not at all like this town. What do you think a city where millions live and work must look like?”

“M-millions? You’re not joking, Ray?”

“Not in the least. Appleloosa is just a tiny town for me. We can unhurriedly cross it in less than an hour, and even the local city hall is just a low-rise building by my standards.”

“I can’t even imagine what it must look like…”

“A jungle of concrete, stone, metal and glass, as some like to say, and everything is paved in asphalt.”

“It was… a metaphorical jungle, right? And I haven’t understood some of what you’ve mentioned.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s because in some places there are too many houses, tens of floors high, standing close to each other that some call it a stone jungle. And no wonder you don’t understand some words. There are no such things here. Well, maybe Luna might help us with that one day. I find it not too hard showing landscapes from my memories when she enters my dreams.”

“Luna…” Sapphira lowered her voice. “By the way, what is between you two? You seem to have… mutual sympathy. Am I wrong?”

I sighed deeply before answering. “I’ll be lying if I say there is none. She is a lonely soul, a very lonely soul, tormented by loneliness and her nemesis for a thousand years on the moon. I don’t know why, but we click well with each other. Maybe because we both feel somewhat out of place in this world? But no, this is just my speculation. It’s just how it is, and I can’t explain it rationally.”

“Ho-o-o… And somebody was so afraid of her before.” Sapphira teased me.

“Well, yeah. But look, she is a — diarch. That also means that things you are curious about are very unlikely to progress beyond being friends, unofficial friends, to be specific, no matter what happens. So you don’t need to worry about that.” I raised my brows and spread my hands to emphasize that.

“I’m not worrying, but… why are you so sure about it?”

“It’s what my historical knowledge about the royalty of many countries from my world tells me. We had plenty throughout our history. Status goes before the person with close to none exceptions, and all this stuff.”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. It’s a difficult topic for a changeling.”

Meanwhile, as we talked, the townscape gradually turned more rural, with low wooden houses with sizable gardens lining the sides of the road and spreading further along with the net of smaller winding roads. There were fewer and fewer tourists, travelers and workers on the main road, and more local inhabitants, with quite a number of foals running around the streets. The soft breeze brought with it a light fragrance of greenery and flowers.

“The air around here smells nice.” I shifted from our awkward topic and inhaled deeply. “Look at those orchards ahead,” — I pointed with my hand forward, down the gentle hill we were walking right now, — “they stretch along all those slopes as far as the eye can see.”

“Oh, really?” Sapphira took flight to see better. “Oh, my… They are huge!”

“Yeah, what I itch to know is how the hell can they maintain those in the middle of this half-desert?” I scratched my already overheated head. “Are we really going in the right direction, Sapphi? We’re almost on the outskirts of the town.”

“I’ll have a look from above, then. It must have a green roof.” Sapphira chuckled and soared into the sky with a loud buzz, as if she was really weary of walking on the ground. Her dress fluttered in the air, but her hat was securely fixed with her horn, so no accidents happened.

“Whoa… did she get even faster yet again?” I muttered to myself with a smile. “That’s nice to see her health getting better.”

“Found it!” She shouted from above, pointing with her hoof to one of the smaller roads, then slowly landed back beside me.

“That workshop is rather hard to find. It seems the owner is making stuff for the locals, not caring much for travelers and tourists. By the way, it seems now you’ve got yourself a fan club.” I laughed, looking at the group of foals, trying to follow us silently with little success in being discreet. Her shout must have attracted their attention.

“What?” She looked around, flustered, finally noticing the little bandits who tried hiding behind a small fence which could hide nothing at all. “Oh, them… Cute little ones,” she said through a laugh. “They are just curious. How unusual. I thought foals would be the ones most scared of me. By the way, they are as much your fan club as they are mine, honey. We both stand out too much.”

“Maybe. Well, they aren’t bothering anyone, so let’s go. If they want to tail us, then let them.” I shrugged.

The uneven road was rather narrow, barely allowing two pony carts to part, and had a primitive fence along it. The road curved around sparsely scattered houses, with small fields and gardens by the sides. Some ponies were working in the distance, weeding, but we met nobody on the road itself. Around two minutes later, we finally saw the workshop standing by the road in the distance. Yeah, most likely it was just a workshop and not the actual shop. Even the sign was not very noticeable. The foals were running behind us with quite some noise, hiding in the roadside bushes every so often. Then we heard a thud, followed by the child’s cries.

“My leg! It hurts!”

We turned our heads to the noise and saw one foal plastered on the dirt road trying to get up, but failing. Other foals stood nearby, visibly discontent with the delay.

“Ash, you’re so clumsy!” The largest of the lot shouted.

“Hey, who jumps over a fence like that?” Another one said with derision.

“Ah, y’all are so noisy! Now they have noticed us.” The third one saw we were looking at them.

“Come on, get up already! We need to run!” The first one to speak urged the hurt foal to get back up and run.

“But guys, she is hurt…” a quieter girlish voice protested.

Then an unintelligible argument followed.

“I can’t get up…” whimpered the foal on the ground.

“No! Look, the monsters are coming!”

“Run!”

The foals shouted and galloped away in a panic into one of the nearby gardens, leaving the foal, most likely a filly, alone on the road.

“Wait! Don’t leave me…” the foal shouted, but seeing her friends run away, her voice faded away to a whisper as she said the last word. “Traitors,” she grumbled. The filly finally sat herself on the ground, holding her hurt hoof with another one, sobbing quietly and looking at our closing figures with what must be a mix of pain, apprehension and curiosity on her face. There were no other grownups around here to help her, so we couldn’t just walk away.

“Hello, little one, don’t be afraid. We saw you fell down, so maybe we can help.” I started talking from some distance away and waved my hand at her.

The filly, Ash, as she was called by her friends, looked me in the eye for a while in thought.

“You don’t eat foals, do you?”

I chuckled and crouched before the filly so I won’t tower over her menacingly. “Of course not. Who would eat foals, anyway? I’m Ray, and this is Sapphira. We are travelers, and we want to help you.” My soothing voice seemed to calm her down a little.

“You aren’t monsters, right? I… I’m Ash Rose.”

Ah, that’s it. Her name is obviously made after her colors — a light ash-pink coat, adorned by a rather long, pale maroon mane, curling at the ends. Ash’s eyes were large, soft magenta in color. She looks so adorable that I even have to fight the urge to pet her.

“The guys made up something silly again. They always do,” Ash muttered under her nose grumpily and sighed. “And now they ran away. I want to go home, but I can’t step on my hoof. It hurts when I do. My mother will take me to a doctor.”

“Can I have a look? I promise to be careful.” I held my palm out in front of her, waiting for her reaction.

“I…” — Ash hesitated for a moment, — “okay,” she almost whispered and slowly placed her slightly trembling hoof on top of my palm.

This is something I must be able to deal with easily. I’ve been neglecting proper training for the past two days, and now I have a certain itch to use my power once more, as if it just begs to be used. I closed my eyes and concentrated, remembering the proper feeling for a while, but before I do anything, I must check what’s wrong.

I opened my eyes again and looked around. Instead of the regular picture, all I could see were silhouettes and forms of the living organisms, painted in shades of green, yellow and white in some places. Yellow represents living beings, while green represents plant life; I was unsure what white meant, maybe it’s fungi, but that’s unimportant right now. I could even see the roots of the trees going deep under the earth. The spots without any life were visibly black. Also, everything beyond the area of my senses turned to a cosmic blackness, like the landscape itself was being consumed by it. Such a scenery was slightly disturbing, but I’m already used to it.

I lowered my sight to the Ash’s hoof. Focusing a little on it, I checked different tissues, layer by layer — skin, muscle, tendons, vessels, joints and finally, bones. Everything was not too bad. She had no fractures or tearings, just quite a painful sprain that would heal over a week, but I can’t let a cute little foal suffer for a week, now can I? I returned my vision to normal, the regular landscape smoothly emerged, replacing that strange one. Luckily, Ash was looking at her hoof, too, so she wasn’t frightened by my glowing eyes.

“What are you doing?” Ash looked at me quizzically.

“Just checked what needs to be healed. Now hold still, I’ll use a bit of magic.”

“Magic? Yay! Show me, show me!” Ash bobbed on her healthy hoof a little in excitement. It’s as if she had already forgotten about being afraid of us and her hurt hoof.

“Sh-h-h! Be quiet and stand still, please.”

“Oka-a-ay,” Ash drawled, but her excitement was still in her eyes.

My ‘life essence’ was running down my arm fluidly. I was a little surprised how little effort it took to let it out, as if it had a will of its own, happily following my orders without fail. First, numb the pain, second, start restoring the damaged tissues, third, remove inflammation and swelling, then saturate the damaged area with enough essence to let it heal to full on its own quickly. All in all, it took around five minutes. A scowl of pain had disappeared from Ash’s face almost as soon as I started the treatment. She was looking with interest over the dimly flashing yellow flow surrounding her hoof. This little filly is really tough to endure that pain and speak to us like she just did. Are all earth ponies like that? She is just a little foal.

“Wow! It feels good, and strange,” Ash commented. “We don’t have magic doctors here.”

“Ashy, how old are you?” I asked when I was already finishing with the treatment.

“Huh?” She got distracted from observing the magic flow. “Ah, I-I’m seven… but I’m smaller than the rest…” Ash said in dejection. “And they laugh at me when I can’t catch up with them when we play. And they also tease me and call me shorty.”

“Oh… They’re just jerks. You will grow up into a fine mare, I’m sure, Ashy. Don’t you worry about it.” I slowly released her hoof when I finished my treatment. “Does it still hurt?”

“No.” She moved her hoof around and then tried to stand up on it. “It’s fine. Fine! Yay!”

I held her with my hand as she tried to go into a jumping spree.

“No jumping and running for a few days. Promise me.”

“I pro-omise,” she drawled again playfully, smiling, but I don’t think she will misbehave and hurt her hoof again. “Thank you, doctor!”

“You’re a smart filly, Ashy. Your leg will be good as new soon.” I habitually ruffled her mane and scratched behind her ears. Her eyes closed in pleasure; she raised her head and cooed quietly. This little filly has thrown her apprehension to the wind and totally trusted me. That’s cute, but it’s a little disturbing. What if anyone with bad intentions approaches the foals? Will they be similarly trusting? Well, the others ran away, so I think the answer is no.

“U-u-u… what’s that? So nice. Can you scratch me there a little more?”

“Well… Come here then.” I took Ash into my arms; she looked happy about it. Then I stood up and sat on the roadside fence. It was made of simple, thin, and slightly crooked logs, nailed to short poles. I sat Ash down on my lap.

“Have you finished already?” Sapphira finally came closer. I guess she stayed away to avoid frightening Ash.

“Ah! Changeling lady! You’re a good changeling, right?”

Sapphira chuckled. “I guess I am. At least I’ve done nothing bad. Are you alright, little one?”

“I’m already good. The kind doctor helped me.” She raised her head to look up at me; I returned her gaze with some more ear scratches to her joy.

Sapphira giggled. “Oh yes, doctor Ray is really kind, isn’t it, doctor Ray?”

I sighed. “Sapphi, do you really want to force a new nickname upon me?”

“Maybe?” Sapphira chuckled. “At least it sounds good and is also true.”

“Nickname? What nickname?” Ash asked, opening her closed eyes, as she couldn’t get our conversation.

“Nothing, Ashy, we’re talking about silly things. By the way, don’t you need to go home now? You need to eat well if you want to heal your hoof faster and also grow taller.”

“Just one more minute… I promise I won’t skip my meals anymore.”

“Good.” I nodded in approval and swapped to belly rubs as Ash turned around on her back, giggling happily. Damn, this is better than petting a kitten! So cute, so fluffy.

“Ray, you seem to be great with foals,” Sapphira whispered in my ear.

“You think so? Didn’t notice this for myself before.”

“Just look at her cheerful face.”

I looked at Ash once more, who grabbed my hand with her hooves.

“Ashy, can you walk home by yourself?”

Ash blinked twice. “Yup! No running, right?”

“Right.”

“Where are you two going? It’s already far from the big town and there is nothing interesting around.”

“We were looking for a workshop which makes hats.”

“Ah, so you were looking for Mr. Bodkin. Here is his workshop.” She pointed her hoof at the building we were heading to. “I’d go with you, but he doesn’t like us loitering around his workshop.He scolded us for it a few times already.”

“Alright, Ashy, we really need to go now. It’s almost early evening and we still have other things to do.” I picked her up and wanted to put her down.

“Wait. Hugs!” She held out her hooves to me. “Ah, of course it’s hugs. I have almost forgotten where I am. Even in the bar, I witnessed ponies do a lot of hugging, regardless of age and gender.”

Deeming it was already a long enough hugging session, I carefully put her down on the ground. “Now go home to your parents. They may be worried if your friends told them you were hurt.”

“I… I have only mommy. I’ve never had a dad.” But she didn’t look sad about it. “Anyway, bye-bye doctor Ray, bye-bye changeling lady! Oh, wait! Doctor Ray, do you live here in Appleloosa?”

I scratched my head. “We are living at Nightowl House in the southern part of the town at the moment. Why do you ask?”

“I won’t tell!” She giggled and started trotting away, almost breaking into a gallop. “Bye!”

“Goodbye, little one,” said Sapphira.

“Bye, Ashy. And no running!” This forced her to slow down a little.

“Oka-ay!”

We resumed walking, and I was in thought about this unexpected interaction with a local child.

“Um… Ray, do you like foals?”

I scratched my head. “Well, yeah. This little filly was a cute one, but others, though, looked like troublemakers.”

Sapphira chuckled. “They sure did. What I wanted to ask… Perhaps… Do you, maybe, want your own — foals?”

This question of hers made me feel a little awkward.

“You mean adopting a foal?”

“Oh, by the First Queen… Of course I should’ve been more blunt about such things. Because it’s you, Ray.” Sapphira laughed. “I mean us, making foals together naturally.”

“Wait, what? But that should be impossible. We are of different species and our DNA is just not…”

Sapphira interrupted me. “I don’t know what DNA is, but listen carefully. Changeling mares can have foals with any known sapient species in existence. I see no reason for you to be an exception. It’s just I won’t be able to make a human foal for you, regrettably.” Sapphira said in a quiet voice, just enough for me to hear her. Her eyes darted around; she was obviously nervous, but my brain activity just crashed at this moment and I was standing still, as Sapphira’s words were playing inside my head on repeat.

My mind was thrown into disarray yet another time. So many thoughts came and gone all at once. I never thought there would be a possibility for me to leave any descendants of my own, even if they are not humans. I had long stopped entertaining such thoughts, and I’m not talking about this one crazy week I spent on Equis, but that strange place which separated my life into ‘before’ and ‘after’. There, I spent years, and I thought about it many, many times, as much as I can remember.

The more time passes, the more those memories become ingrained in my mind. At first, it was just like a library, existing somewhere inside my head, where I could look once in a while when I wanted to. Now, however, I feel I have lived through those events myself more and more. It was hard getting over the fact I’ll never have an actual family of my own, but I never really spoke to Falda’ar about it. Not even once, deeming it too shameful to speak about it before an honorable warrior he is. The years had ground away those worries and disappointments, and eventually, I had resigned myself to this sad fact. Now everything has turned upside down. Really? I never thought about the possibility like that. We did it with Sapphi yesterday… Is she—? And what about Lily, then?

“Ray? Ray! Are you alright?”

I forcibly yanked myself out of my pathetic condition, shaking my head vigorously. Then I looked at Sapphira.

“Are you serious, Sapphi?”

Sapphira’s eyes turned sad. “Yes, you don’t like the idea? Then… it’s alright…” I could hear her voice quivering slightly, her ears drooping.

“Wait, wait, wait, Sapphi. That’s not it. It was too sudden news. You know… I had long resigned myself to the fate of never becoming a father…” I dropped to my knees right on the road and hugged my girl. “If we really can have children… I don’t care if they will be changelings, but it’s a bit too early for it right now, are you…”

“Ah, no, my dear, I’m not.” Sapphira sighed, hugging me back. “We, changelings, can decide when we want to make foals, and now is not the right time yet.” We stood like that for a while. Then she turned her head down. “Oh, now you have your new pants stained with dust.”

“It’s okay, those are just pants.” I pulled away from Sapphira and saw tears in the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t look sad anymore. “Something wrong, Sapphi?”

“No, I… I don’t know, it’s fine, I’m just happy.” Sapphira shook her head, her long flowing mane waving in the air. Then she showed me a charming smile. “Let’s go? I want to hide from this heat already.” She dusted off my knees with a speck of her magic and we unhurriedly strolled forward in silence. No words were necessary.

Chapter 15 - First Day in the Town (Part 2)

Author's Note

This one took a while. Was really busy with certain things, so I made this chapter a little longer once again to compensate. Enjoy.

Chapter 15 - First Day in the Town (Part 2)

We walked for some time in silence at a hurried pace to reach the shade of the trees further down the road quicker. The thoughts of our recent talk still spun in my head, though this sweltering heat was getting nasty and distracted me from my thoughts. Luckily for us, a refreshing cool breeze started blowing — quite an anomaly for this arid place.

“What a relief,” Saphira said as we entered the shade of the roadside trees that had replaced the fields behind.

“Yeah, that’s nice, and this light breeze, too.” I looked at the two-story workshop with a green roof before us. “This place looks a bit dilapidated, though the house itself is in good condition,” I commented as we neared the workshop.

“This little mess is just the lack of a mare’s hooves around, I’m sure. The piggery in some of the male drones’ quarters was sometimes a sight to behold…” Sapphira said, chuckling. “This place needs a bit of care. I was often tasked with cleaning and bringing various places in order when our food stocks were full. The ‘nobles’, how ponies call them, had never let me just rest when I had little work to do. At first, I didn’t like the term ‘nobles’, but after seeing some in the flesh, the similarity in attitude makes this term so precise…”

“Aren’t you the same — type as them now?”

Sapphira looked up in thought. “Technically, yes. But I feel myself different from them. In a lot more ways than one. It’s hard to explain — your perspective shifts greatly when you resist the hive mind, which is always trying to press down on your own, and everything changes when you break free from it completely. I’m not even talking about how you… ‘directly participated’ in my transformation. I’m sure nobody else ever got such a privilege,” she smiled.

“That feeling when your girl is one of a kind.” I laughed.

Sapphira bumped my thigh with her rear playfully. “I can tell the same, honey,” she replied, giggling.

The yard before the house was in disorder — various empty crates, planks, ropes, old tools and other similar stuff was scattered around, while old flower beds by the sides of the lawn were overgrown with weeds left without proper care. Not a single flower grew on them, a stark contrast to every other house we passed by. To the right, under a wooden awning, stood a modest, size-wise, four-wheel open-bed cart. Some muffled rumble and fast-paced clopping of hooves could be heard coming from the inside of the workshop, along with what I thought was an angry cursing.

“Did we come at a bad time?” Sapphira asked with hesitation.

I shrugged. “Who knows? I knew some people who always cursed when working with something manually. Always.” I laughed briefly. “So let’s knock and see for ourselves.”

“But I can feel…” Sapphira’s phrase was interrupted, however.

“Those useless pegasi!” a male voice shouted angrily from behind the door, then we heard something metal being hit. “Ouch!” The voice hissed in pain. “Oh, horse dung, that hurts! Useless crate, buck it! Who left it in the way… Oh hay, that was me. Idiot.”

My raised hand, which was ready to knock on the door, halted and slowly lowered back.

“Seems you are right, Sapphi.” I scratched my head. “Welp, let’s come here some other time, I guess.”

Sapphira nodded, and we turned around, but before we could go away, we heard the door slam open with force, hitting the wall.

“Wait, wait! I was not cursing at you, sorry!” the same voice shouted from behind, so we turned around.

There was silence for a while. The light-blue stallion before us was staring at us. His eyes darted between our figures, while we, too, were staring back at him. He had a very, as I would say, manly chin. For a stallion. He lacked only an unshaven stubble to complete the image of a hardworking man married to his job, and perhaps a construction helmet would make it complete. His teal mane somewhat resembled a crew cut, and his tail was crudely trimmed to the minimal length.

“Seems Berry could find at least somepony, must thank her later. I don’t even care if it’s a changeling.” He mumbled the last phrase quietly to himself. “Come, come! We have no time for chatting, you two, so quickly hop into the cart! I’ll give you a ride.”

“Whoa, whoa, buddy, let’s slow down first. We came here to — er-r — buy a hat, or at least to order one.”

“No-o-o! What I’m gonna do now…” He brought his hooves over his head in desperation.

“Hold on for a second. What happened? Why the panic?”

“Those damn pegasi!”

“What’s wrong with the pegasi?” Sapphira asked in bewilderment, tilting her head.

“They want to make a downpour this evening and it will be in one hour, maybe two at the best. And my delivery from the minotaur kingdoms… The tools, black iron, rare leather and other stuff. It will all become spoiled! I’m doomed, doomed!” Hopelessness was in his blue eyes. “Could they at least make a warning a day before? Half a day before? But no-o-o, they didn’t! Idiots!”

I opened my mouth, but was interrupted by the stallion. He grabbed my hand, rearing himself on his hind legs. If this could be called a grab at all.

“Please help me! I’ll give you any hat you like for free. Any! These claws of yours must be good at grabbing and carrying stuff, right?” He intently looked at my hand he was holding.

“Hands.”

“Pardon?”

“Hands, they are called so. I have no claws.”

“Ah, yes, yes, sorry. And the changeling lady, I know your kind can use magic, just like unicorns. Please, it’s all because of that tunnel collapse. The delivery was delayed for a day and both my workers have a day off today. I did not pay for storage, and my goods are just lying there near the platform under the open sky.”

Stallion frowned, looking towards the city. “Those two scoundrels must be getting wasted somewhere in the town, or chasing mares; could not find them at all,” he grumbled with irritation. “I thought I could ask my neighbors, but they will be free only by the time the rain starts. That damn rain! I can’t allow my goods to be soaked. Can you — help me, please? The supplier stressed I must keep it out of rain.” he finally asked in a low voice, with pleading eyes.

Sapphira looked at me, raising her brows, waiting for my reply. That usually meant she was fine with either option.

“Please, it won’t take long. If I’m alone…” He sighed. “I will waste a lot of time. These,” — he showed me his hooves, balancing on the hind legs, — “are not too good at hauling heavy things quickly.”

I sighed, thinking about his predicament. The offer seemed quite good, honestly. A hat for an hour of a simple manual labor? I guess I’m in. The stallion nervously waited for my answer, unblinking.

“Alright, we agree,” I finally replied, crouching slightly, offering him my hand.

The stallion hesitated for a while at the unfamiliar gesture, but soon stretched his hoof forward, so I grabbed and shook it.

“Oh, by the way, name’s Stout Bodkin. You can call me just Stout.”

“Ray, a human, if you’re curious.”

“Sapphira.”

“Oh, great! Never heard of your kind, but that’s irrelevant. Jump into the cart. I’ll give you a ride, like I said.”

“Won’t it be better if we just… walk or fly?” Asked Sapphira.

“I’m an earth pony to the bone. Even a foal can pull an empty cart. Pulling carts is almost our life, so to speak,” Stout said jokingly. “At least I’ll work my muscles a little before the actual work.”

“Fine.” I said, climbing the cart. I was surprised to find two large folding seats there, designed for a pony. They were more or less soft and covered with leather.

“Ha-ha, like it? Made those myself!” Stout said proudly, after opening the gates. Then he harnessed himself to the cart with skill and pulled.

I noticed his cart, despite the simple design, had springs. Coupled with the seats, it offered a minimal level of comfort on this uneven road by my standards.

“Have you personally made this cart? It’s not like the majority of carts in the town — there are springs and other stuff.”

“Ha! Good eyes, Ray. I certainly did. Well, almost. Remade the simple cart I bought in Silver Wheel a year ago. It was new and sturdy, of course. I just like to fiddle with things to make them better when I have time for that.” He increased the pace to the gallop, pulling the cart with the speed of a running man.

The road was empty, so he wasn’t afraid of hitting anyone. Ponies, despite being quadruped, had much shorter bodies than their wild counterparts on Earth, making their running speeds just slightly higher than an average human, and I’m almost sure the human athletes will come out on top against the pony ones. Considering this, he currently ran quite fast, even while pulling the cart up the slight slope. The cart itself shook mercilessly on the shabby dirt road.

“This thing is shaking too much…” Sapphira grumbled in a low voice, her voice jerking along with shaking cart. “But anyway, it won’t last for too long.”

I could only smile wryly at her comment. “Damn, Stout, you are fast!”

Stout laughed heartily. “Of course I am! Told ya!”

“You don’t seem to be from around this place, right?”

“You mean the lack of a local accent? Yes, I’m actually from the north. Been born in a small village there. Went to the frontier as soon as I came of age. Couldn’t sit still in that boring hole of a village. I worked almost in every place which was considered a frontier. Good times, if you ask me. Got all my skills there. Leatherwork, metalwork, woodwork, some construction, all this stuff, you name it — I make it. The last one was Crescent Bay.”

“That new port city in the south?” Seems I finally found out its name.

“Yeah, that one. Now it’s more or less a common port town, but still a lot of construction is going around. I left the place a year ago. Thought it was time to settle at last and take a breather. Crescent Bay is a bit too chaotic, so I moved here. You know, I never stayed in one place for all these long years.”

“So, what made you change your lifestyle?”

“I hit forty not that long ago, but I was fine living the life of a young stallion. I liked it, and the jobs there usually paid well, too. However, everything gets boring sooner or later. So here I am, trying to keep this bucking workshop afloat. The things are looking good, but it appeared slightly harder than I thought it would be — the place was formerly just a rundown small shack. Not that I’m complaining.”

Stout returned his pace to a trot as we entered a more populated area. He was quite a chatterbox of a stallion. Seems he doesn’t have a lot of friends here and rarely has a chance for an unrestrained talk with somebody. As he told us, now he specializes in crafting leather hats and work clothes, like protective hoofwear, blacksmith aprons and such things. The hats are popular among the local male population, and even some females like them. Mercenaries are also his usual customers when it comes to repairing their equipment. A rare skill for a pony, but it is in demand around here. I have a hunch I’ve found the right — pony for my specific needs. Maybe he’ll manage to make some kind of decent boots for me. His mark is a toolbox, a pretty generic thing, but maybe he really is a jack of all trades.

The rest of the way I and Sapphira were mainly listening to him while he talked non-stop, occasionally asking us about our own story. Though his chatter wasn’t annoying as he talked about many things we are unfamiliar with. Quite useful for somebody like us, who doesn’t know a shit about the country. Sapphira may know something from her hive memory, but that’s just fragmented, oftentimes outdated, or incorrect knowledge.

“We’ll take a roundabout to the north. Fewer folks loitering on the roads there.”

“As you say, Stout,” I replied.

“Never been there before,” Sapphira added.

“Nothing special there. It’s the same as the area around my workshop, but with more orchards. Most of those lie to the north. Apples, pears, plums, apricots. You can find any fruits there, except those grown in the jungle or in the snowy lands. It’s said the Appleloosa started with just one apple orchard some tens of years ago, thus the name of the town.”

Traveling on the uneven mud road, it wasn’t long before we reached the bustling eastern side, with the already familiar noise — and dust. Sapphira even sneezed from that.

“I think I’m starting to hate this dust,” Sapphira complained.

“I don’t like it either, but what can we do about it? It’s a bucking desert all around us! Well, almost a desert,” Stout said.

We have finally reached the cargo platform. Stout walked to a mare in a uniform, showing her some papers. She pointed with a hoof somewhere further down the platform, to the place with piles and piles of crates, boxes and bales. We jumped off the cart and, led by the Stout, carefully navigated it through the space littered with various cargo, under the intent stares of diamond dog guards.

“Here they are, my lovely treasures!” Stout stopped the cart near one of the piles of goods, unhitching himself once again. He checked everything with the list he had on his hooves and nodded in approval. “Everything is here. Let’s not waste our time, my friends. The rain won’t wait for us. I want you to load everything on the cart.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Er-r… Stout, are you sure you want to load all of these on the cart?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Are you sure you can pull it up the slope?”

“Well… It may be hard, but I’ll manage somehow. Come on, let’s get to business.”

I noticed Sapphira tried lifting one of the biggest crates. It floated up a little above the ground, then she put it back.

“Alright, Ray. Get onto the cart. I think I can lift everything here. Don’t ask, I don’t know why.” She made an uncertain smile, but it was a very content smile.

“It feels awkward to let a girl do all the heavy lifting,” I said.

“Pfft!” Sapphira snorted dismissively. “If anything is awkward about it, it is your world, Ray.”

“What are you talking about?” Stout asked, overhearing us.

“That’s just our regular jokes, Stout. Don’t mind us,” Sapphira chuckled.

“Alright. I can help you with carrying lighter stuff.”

“Let’s leave the lighter stuff for later, Stout, so it won’t get crushed.”

“M’kay.”

Sapphira slowly lifted the biggest crate, a beautiful deep sapphire aura enveloping it, and shifted it towards the cart. I could see she was very focused at the moment. The flame-like aura, dense and bright, danced around her horn wildly. She finally released the crate from her magic grip, the cart bobbed and the springs sank a little from the increased weight. Stout just looked at us working, smiling slightly.

“Phew. I’m okay. I’ll tell you if I’m tired. That’s good training, by the way.”

“Fine, just don’t overdo it,” I replied, moving the crate to the front of the cart. It was quite heavy and it would be hard to lift it alone because of its size.

The work continued, and we already managed to load the most heavy crates and bales onto the cart. The bigger part of the work was done. Sapphira was panting, beads of perspiration visible on her forehead.

“That’s enough, Sapphi, just sit and rest. I’ll finish this alone.”

“But I still can—”

“No overdoing things, Sapphi,” I cut her objection short.

“Alri-ight, if you say so.” Sapphira’s wings buzzed quietly, bringing her onto the top of the cart. She had sat herself on the soft bale of leather. Her eyes followed me as I moved back and forth, finishing loading the cart with smaller and lighter stuff.

“All’s done. We can go back now.”

“Not so fast, smooth-skin,” a rude voice interrupted me. “Papers!” A large and muscular diamond dog stared me in the eyes as I turned around, stretching his clawed paw before me.

“Stout? Show him.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Here.”

Diamond dog’s eyes shifted to Stout. He must have thought I was in charge here. It was obvious he didn’t take the stallion seriously, judging by his smirk. The guard checked the papers, comparing something with the marks on the crates.

“Go,” he barked, returning the papers back. He didn’t bother to say anything else, just turned around and left us, going back under his tent, where he plopped onto the chair, which somewhat resembled a deckchair. He closed his eyes, but his ears were constantly turning back and forth. Guess they have good hearing.

“Don’t mind him, they are always this rude to us ponies. Now it’s my turn to work. Watch how an earth pony does it,” said Stout, ready to pull the overloaded cart. The springs had almost completely straightened under the weight.

I looked with interest how he would fare. By all laws of physics he should not have enough grip to move the whole thing, even if he is strong enough, but the cart was slowly moving and getting faster. Stout did not look like someone who tries his hardest. His face was somewhat tense, but nothing extreme.

“It’s fine, I’ll do it,” he gruffed, keeping a walking speed. “Though I’d appreciate it if you help me a little on the uphill.”

“You don’t have to ask, Stout, I’m surprised you are actually pulling this thing alone.”

“Earth ponies. Are made. For pulling. Carts.” He said through his teeth, straining his body. Then he let out a short laugh as the cart started moving steadily. “See?”

The road back took a lot more time. The mild breeze we felt before changed to a strong wind, with abrupt powerful gusts, throwing the dust and sand from the road right into our faces.

“Bucking pegasi…” He grumbled when he got another handful of sand to his face.

“Agreed,” I replied, chuckling.

“Look, there are those morons.” His gaze was directed at the sky, where the dark clouds could already be seen rolling forward. Before the cloud front, lots of tiny figures could be seen flying in a large circle.

“What are they doing?”

“Keeping the clouds moving until they reach their destination. I’m not familiar with their weather magic. All I know is that it’s a cooperation between unicorns and pegasi. And that’s none of our earth ponies’ concern.”

“Seems we’ll make it in time,” said Sapphira.

“Yeah, thanks to you two,” he looked at us with a beaming smile. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to stay at my workshop for a while. That’s not pleasant weather to be caught outside.”

At this moment, my stomach rumbled audibly.

“Oh well, be my guests. I think I have some snacks back home. Can’t leave my saviors hungry.”

In a few minutes, we reached the familiar crossroad, leading to Stout’s workshop. After parking the cart under the wooden awning and leaving it there, Stout invited us inside. Flicking the switch, which was of similar lever design, as we had seen in other places, he led us to the second floor right away. I had a brief look at the workshop interior. The place had a working atmosphere, not too messy, not too neat. It had a lot of tools and workbenches scattered around the place, and the air smelled of leather, metal, and wood. The second floor was the place where he lived.

Stout left us in a rather small and simple living room and left for the kitchen. The place was sufficiently clean, but had a minimalistic interior. Only essential things were present in the room.

Sapphira chuckled. “Told you he is living alone.” She played with her brow, then climbed onto a simple couch placed before a table of the same length, enough for three to sit comfortably. There were also two armchairs standing on the sides of the table.

“Well, now that’s obvious. Though I don’t find it unusual or something.”

“By your standards, Ray. But this is Equis.”

I just shrugged. As we chatted about today’s happenings, Stout returned, holding a tray in his mouth by a special handle, with a kettle, tea cups and three plates of pancakes, covered in honey. He then sat on the armchair on our left.

“Those are not right from the pan, but I heated ‘em up. Berry brought them before you arrived. As if I can eat that much alone. At first, I thought she had sent you to me. I hope she wasn’t wasting her time finding helpers for me when we left. Had no time to look for her.”

“Thinking about the entire issue, could you just pay for the storage instead?”

“Of course I could, but everything would take a few hours until they took my cargo somewhere under the roof. They are not the fastest lot, you know. I even thought of finding some idling porters near the station to hire, but… there would likely be none, as they would be busy carrying stuff before the rain. Appleloosa is not exactly this big of a town. Even if I found some guys, I’m sure they’d rob me blind. Folks there are quite shrewd to know why I needed them so urgently. Then you two luckily showed up!” The stallion shined a radiant smile at us.

“I see.” I scratched my head. “Have you really had nobody to help you with the cargo?”

“Well, not really, but… You know, other neighbors I could ask, they are earth ponies, just like me, and they are all mares. Unmarried mares. You get what I mean, right?” He looked at us with slightly squinted eyes. “Berry alone is hard to deal with. She is quite assertive, you see, and if I asked an entire bunch to help me… And I’d have to ask an entire bunch, otherwise we’d be too slow…” He raised and waved his hooves before him to remind us they are not that good at lifting heavy stuff, then continued.

“Then it’d be such a hassle to return a favor, as they will never ever accept money. They will ask for some help for sure, and every time it somehow ends in some sort of date. It does not matter if I had plans for a date or not, I’m not asked, usually.” Stout chuckled. “And I’ll be a complete asshole if I turn them down when they ask, so I tried to find… other helpers.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad to me,” Sapphira said jokingly.

“Oh well,” — his eyes turned to her, then he propped his chin with a hoof — “they’re actually kinda nice…” he uttered, mulling. His eyes traced the boards on the ceiling. “But I have so many orders lately I won’t have time for such things. And I’m… a little afraid to start a long-term relationship, to be honest.” His gaze became focused on Sapphira again. “That’s not how I lived before.”

“I think you have nothing to be afraid of, Stout,” Sapphira said with confidence.

“You think so?”

“Sure, just do what you think is right. Do what your heart craves for. Everything else is not that important. I learned this lesson well, and it wasn’t an easy one.” She moved closer to me and leaned on my side, placing her head on my shoulder. “Right?” Her eyes looked up.

“Um… Yes.” That’s all I could say at the moment. I hugged Sapphira with my arm. The situation was slightly awkward for me.

“By Celestia, aren’t you a sweet pair?” Stout chuckled. “No, seriously,” he broke into a wide smile. It looked somewhat funny with his broad jaw. “Maybe I’ll give it a shot. With Berry, and maybe others, too. They are good friends.”

“Wish you good luck, pal,” I said with a chuckle. “I think you’ll be just fine.”

“Well… thanks! Oh, let’s eat already, or it will get cold a second time!” Without tarry, he poured us some tea and then started munching on his pancakes with gusto.

The first bolts of lightning flashed in the sky outside, followed by a loud thunder. The wind, to my surprise, had grown quiet. Seems the rain had arrived at the destination and won’t be moving much until it dissipates. A stark contrast to regular storms, where it just keeps getting worse as the rain comes. The first heavy drops started hitting the wooden roof above our heads, the rain quickly turning into a heavy downpour.

“What a nasty weather…” Stout muttered, while still chewing. He was clearly not the standard of good manners, though we couldn’t care less.

“I’m glad we weren’t outside when it started,” added Sapphira.

“With how heavy it pours, my goods would be ruined for sure if I left them there. So, thank you again. Let’s go downstairs and choose a hat for you afterwards. I have quite a lot of those in stock.”

Having finished our meal and tea, Stout led us back into the workshop. He walked up to a large armoire in the far corner, which was filled with hats and other merchandise.

“Have a look. You can take choose any hat you like.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot!” I browsed the assortment. The crystal lamps on the ceiling were a little dim and yellowish, but still provided enough light to see all the items were crafted decently.

The hats were made of different materials, from cloth to wool and suede, but all of them resembled what you would call a stetson hat, belonging in a western movie. I fancied the suede ones, as I deem leather a more sturdy and stylish material. Though most of the hats had light or outright acidic bright colors, Stout still had some which I thought were suitable. I found a dark-gray hat in a far corner of the armoire. It was a little dusty, even, and seemed like it was laying here for a long time. Meanwhile, Sapphira was examining the hats with interest, too.

“Do you like that one?” Stout asked. He seemed to be surprised at my choice. He let out a short laugh and cleared his throat. “Actually, it was one of the first I’ve made after moving here. Seems nobody here likes darker colors, unlike it was in Crescent Bay. I was unable to sell it over the year, even at half the price. Also, it’s a little bigger than most.”

“Dark colors are excellent for traveling and dusty places like Appleloosa, actually. All the accumulated dust is not that obvious on the surface. Though, of course, it heats more in the sun, but no way I’m wearing a white hat in this hole of a dusty desert,” I said with a chuckle.

“So, you still want to take it?”

“Yeah, and those black leather stripes… The other hats don’t have those.”

“Oh, well, I tried to make it more stylish in hopes somebody would buy it. I even slightly curved the brims on the sides upwards, but all was futile. Not that I’m skilled with fashion, but I tried. Used to making more practical stuff. Seems it was the destiny of this hat, to stay in this closet for a year and wait for you, Ray.” Stout laughed lightly. “Come on, put it on. Let’s see how it fits,” Stout said in a lively voice. “Dark gray, dark gray…” he muttered. “Oh, wait, I have a brilliant idea!”

Stout suddenly rushed to the other side of the workshop, opened a basement hatch, and disappeared inside.

“What’s happening?” asked Sapphira.

“Beats me.” I shrugged.

Following some shuffling and rumbling noises, we heard Stout’s voice from the cellar: “Found it!” He returned with something over his back.

“Here,” — he picked up some leather cloth with his hoof and gave it to me. “Try it with the hat. I’m not sure if it’ll fit, but I have no use for this thing, anyway.”

“What’s that?” I asked, taking the folded leather thing.

“That’s a long coat, and no, I don’t make those. One minotaur guy forgot it here. I made some repairs for his leather armor. He had put his armor on, but forgot this long coat, and never came back for it. He was not bulky, so I thought it may suit you, and the color is almost the same as the hat. I feel bad about how you lost all your stuff in the jungle. You can take it if you need it, because I don’t. Also, I won’t be able to sell it, anyway. He was too unusual, even for a minotaur.”

Now I was feeling awkward, and it must have been written on my face.

“Anything wrong, Ray?” Stout asked.

“Huh… No, nothing like that, it’s just… You are surprisingly generous, Stout, that’s all.”

“Ha! Don’t be like that, Ray.” He stood on his hind legs and slapped my back with his hoof with quite a force, but it was still a friendly gesture. “We, folks of the frontier, must help each other, and you certainly smell like one. You’re our guy, Ray. Call it a gut feeling, but it never failed me. Unicorns like to laugh at us, earth ponies, for it, but it works, Ray. One day I help you, the other day you help me, that’s how we lived on the frontier.”

“You’re a funny guy, Stout.” I chuckled. “But I respect folks like you. Come find me any time if you need help. I’ll be in the town for quite a while, I think. You already know where I live.”

“Ah, stop with the pleasantries already and put everything on! Don’t delay the fun part.”

“Yeah, yeah, dear, Stout is right. Let us see,” Sapphira said with a slightly playful voice.

I unfurled the thing I was holding. A long, dark gray, and somewhat crumpled coat was presented before my eyes. It was slightly wider than I might need, but it must still fit. The length was something, too, as it reached even below my knees, halfway to my ankles. The guy must have been really tall and thin for a minotaur.

I finally put on the coat, which had two rows of silvery metal buttons and a slight amount of decorative metal elements across it. It had a high collar, which would be useful against the wind, and it can be folded when needed. A wide belt is present, too, with a big, heavy buckle.

In addition, the coat has quite a lot of thinner studded straps with small buckles, seemingly decorative, but my hunch tells me the real purpose of those is to hold various smaller weaponry. Something like darts of throwing knives, perhaps.

“Damn, isn’t it too stylish for a minotaur?” In some places, the leather had large, if rather faint, symbols, possessing a shade of reddish hue, etched into the leather, seemingly a part of the design. A large one was present on the back, three on each side of the chest, and a multitude of smaller ones ran all along the sleeves and lower hem of the coat in a repeating pattern. The meaning of the symbols eluded me.

This attire will look perfectly fine on some shady bounty hunter, I guess. I girded myself, and the slightly oversized coat made me look more buffed as a result. Then I carefully took the hat and put it on top of my head, checking how it fit. After a few adjustments, the hat sat there like it was made for me, almost.

“How is it, Sapphi?” I finally turned to her and made a smug smile.

Sapphira’s face froze for a moment with her mouth agape, then it transformed into a toothy smile.

“I… I have no words! With a look like this, anybody who wants to say something… unpleasant about us will just shut up after one glare.” She laughed giddily. “You look so, so wild, my hunter-r-r!” Her last ‘r’ turned sharp, accompanied by a quiet clicking noise, once more reminding me of her nature. That was more than enough approval for me. Her voice also slightly disturbed the stallion, but he tried not to show it.

“Uh… Yeah. You look rather — imposing, honestly. This coat may be a little crumpled, but give it some time on a hanger and it will be fine. Come here,” — he waved his hoof, beckoning me, — “I have a mirror in this corner. It’s not that large, but I think it’s enough to get an idea how you look.”

I walked to the mirror, tuned to one side, then another, a smug smirk adorning my face. I can’t decide if I look more like some gunman from the wild west now or a bounty hunter from some fantasy story. Or perhaps it’s a vampire hunter outfit, though it still lacks in style for it. Especially boots. Mine just ruin the image.

“I really like it, Stout. Never thought I’d find such things in Appleloosa. That’s simply great!”

“I’m glad you like it, Ray.” The earth pony beamed a smile.

“I like it, too. I owe you a special thanks, Stout,” said Sapphira with a smile.

Stout laughed awkwardly, perhaps not used to situations like this, scratching his short mane with a hoof. “I’m happy I could help.”

“Say, Stout, do you think you can make me a pair of boots? Don’t think I’ll find anything suitable for me in any shops here,” I asked, looking at Stout with anticipation. “I’ll pay you well if you can, don’t worry. I know this won’t be a simple task, and I’m not fond of taking advantage of my friends.”

“Boots?” Stout mumbled to himself. His eyes shifted to my boots, examining them attentively. “Let’s see. Quite a complex design. Leather, a bit of metal and… what is that material the soles are made of?”

“Rubber.”

“Rubber? Seriously? I thought it must be lighter.”

“Uh… I guess it’s a bit more advanced than the rubber you know of.”

“Maybe, maybe… Anyway,” — he raised his head back, — “I’m not gonna do any more work today, so can you come tomorrow? I’ll take your measures and I’ll check how your boots are made, to have at least a little understanding of what I’m about to craft.”

“Stout paused, looking me in the eye. “I must tell you, though. That won’t be cheap. Surely I’ll waste a lot of materials before I can present to you something I won’t be ashamed of. I usually make working hoofwear, not your usual casual boots. Those are not in demand around here. I usually make heavy, sturdy working hoofwear, but — uh — a little ugly, maybe, the stuff suited for hard labor and harsh treatment. Good for protection from heat and fire, or from dropping heavy things on your hooves, or made for walking in the rocky mountains, but that’s it. Though I’ll try to make something more appealing and light, as boots are a necessity for you.”

“Fine with me, Stout. I’ll come tomorrow, then.” I glanced at the window. “Seems the rain has finally ended.”

“Yup.” Stout looked at the clock on the wall. “And the sun is about to set. You better go home while it’s still bright outside. The road… you won’t like the road after such a downpour, trust me. So you better return before it gets dark if you don’t want to soak your boots in dirt by stepping into a mud puddle you didn’t see.”

“Thanks for advice, Stout.”

“I think I’m better off flying,” Sapphira said after thinking for a while.

“That’s right,” Stout agreed. “It will be a shame to stain such a nice dress, and your hooves, too.”

After Stout had seen us out, we thanked him for the meal and everything else, and bid our farewell. I carefully navigated through his yard to the road, avoiding the large puddles. Sapphira buzzed somewhere above me.

“Hell, I knew it would be bad with the roads after the rain, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“I think I can carry you over the worst parts, if you want.”

“We’ll see, but I’d prefer not to burden my girl with carrying me. I’m not very light, you know.”

“Actually, I know it perfectly well…”

“Uh… yes. Thanks again for that one.”

“Hmph! Don’t you thank me for it, it was the thing I absolutely must do! That time you scared me to death, and I’ll carry you as much as I can, if need be,” Sapphira said in a displeased voice.

“I know, I know, Sapphi. No need to pout about it. You know what I mean.” I jumped over a puddle, but my boot slid on the dirt, almost making me fall. “Shit…” I flailed my arms to keep balance.

Sapphira giggled, trying to help me remain in an upright position. “Of course I know. You sure don’t want me to carry you?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. We just need to get to the center and find the first cobbled road we see.”

“Sounds like a plan, honey.” She made a circle around me.

Slowly, we finally reached the first cobbled road. There was almost nobody on the streets, and even the market, situated on a nearby square, closed before the rain started. Its stalls stood empty, with puddles of water being the only thing remaining atop of them. The streets looked deserted, but not dead. Various sounds and voices could be heard coming from the nearby houses. Some occasional pedestrians were seen here and there. I noticed I was receiving more attention than Sapphira now. That dark long coat and my new hat attracted quite a lot of eyes. Though that’s better this way. I’m not feeling that uncomfortable under their gazes like she does, even if she says she doesn’t care.

“Seriously, these ponies look too adorable for me to take them seriously, or even feel hostility towards them. That won’t happen without a good reason. Most of them are genuinely friendly, if a bit skittish, from what I’ve seen so far. And everyone else can just fuck off if they have any ‘very important’ opinions.” I smirked at this thought.

The air became quite cool under the sky, still covered by dense gray clouds, and the cold wind started blowing with renewed force. That coat sure came in quite handy. It was not too warm and felt just right.

“Sapphi, don’t you feel cold?” I asked her; she was already walking on the road by my side.

“Of course not. Don’t forget who I am.”

“Still, I just wanted to be sure.”

“Oh, Ray, you are such a… gentlecolt, as they say. Aren’t you a darling?” She flew up softly and hugged me from behind by my neck. Her ebony hooves, which were surprisingly devoid of any dirt, gently wrapped around me. Then she whispered into my ear: “Leaving my hive was the best decision in my whole life. Otherwise I’d never have met you.”

Then she leaned forward and craned her flexible neck to give me a sidelong look. It felt like she wanted something badly, but was afraid to say it.

“What is it, Sapphi?”

“M-m-h…”

“Just tell me.”

“I… I want…”

“You want… what?”

“I want a ride, like you did with Sweety.”

“Sweety, huh?”

“I like that nickname you gave her more than just ‘Sugar’. So? I know it’s a little foalish wish, but…”

“You wanna piggyback?” I chuckled. “Alright, hop on, you didn’t have to beat around the bush.”

Sapphira flew up and carefully landed on my back, the skirt of her dress spreading out atop my shoulders and back. She giggled happily as I grabbed her legs. She took my hat in her hooves and laced it dexterously behind her own neck, even without using magic.

“This way it won’t fall down, and now I have two hats,” Sapphira said enthusiastically. “Yay! I won!”

“Won?”

“I beat Lily to it, of course!”

“That’s not fair, mind you. She is not around.”

“Fine, it doesn’t count, then.” Sapphira giggled, starting to stroke my head carefully with her hoof. It felt really soft, and the feeling was pleasant, though the hair stubble was really noticeable already, and it ticked a bit. The overall situation felt awkward, but I didn’t care too much.

“It must be nice to be that high, towering above all the ponies, isn’t it? Of course I can fly, but this feels somehow different.”

“That’s certainly not bad. I used to be high even back home. Not that I was exceptional or something, just high. Now I have become even higher.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, by a little bit.”

“I like you the way you are now.”

“I can say exactly the same about you, Sapphi.”

We made a turn and walked into the already familiar street leading to our place.

“That rain surely messed up our plans. I wanted to visit a few more places, but I guess we’ll have to postpone it for later.”

“But look, you’ve got yourself a perfect hat and a no less perfect coat!”

“Righto. Though the coat is not of perfect size, I still have nothing to complain about. Tell me, Sapphi, why are ponies so nice? Nobody would just gift me something substantial like this coat back home after a few hours of being acquainted.”

“How would I know? The rules in the hive were not very… friendly either, so to speak.”

“I guess… That was more of a rhetorical question. Still can’t get used to it yet. I’d feel bad for this stallion, but guess I’ll make up for the coat with that boots order.” Raising my eyes to the skies, I looked at the leftover gray cloud cover, which was subtly growing lighter and thinner. “Do you think Lily is already home?”

“She said she will be late today, so I don’t think she is.”

“I wanted to hit the market on the way back to buy some fruit. Lily was really fond of those you found in the jungle.”

“Most batponies like sweet fruits, as far as I know.”

“Damn, how could I forget?” I slapped my forehead.

“Forget what?” Sapphira asked from above.

“The fruit. The tree. I think I saw a shop some time ago, with something like ‘Seeds and Pots’ on the signboard. Why don’t we buy a big pot with some soil and grow another one in our room? The tree is unlikely to grow too big. Those are not simple fruits we’re talking about. They’ll help us recover quickly and ever get stronger and healthier.”

“Really? You never told me those fruits were not just food.”

“Those are anything but simple food, trust me.”

“Now I pity that tree I burned back there.”

“Don’t. It can’t survive for long without my presence, anyway. Alright, tomorrow we need to visit Stout, and I also heard there is a library here. Then, I’d like to visit a weapons shop. With the number of mercenaries around, I’m certain there must be at least one somewhere.”

“Then I’d like to see the market,” Sapphira chirped from my shoulders. “And maybe some shops if there is anything interesting. Maybe Lily can show us some.”

Time passed imperceptibly while we made small talk.

“Come down, Sapphi, we won’t fit in the door frame.”

“U-uh, already here?” Her wings buzzed as she lightly lifted herself from my shoulders. Then my hat was returned to its rightful place.

The ‘Boss’ was at the bar counter. I still don’t know his name, as everybody around addresses him as just ‘Boss’, and I forgot to ask him. Though this is hardly surprising — our last talk was under quite chaotic circumstances… Guess I’ll ask Lily, then. I waved my hand at him and proceeded to the staircase.

“Judging by his raised brows, we had somewhat impressed him with our looks,” I said, as we were going up the stairs.

“We sure did.” Sapphira let out a smug chuckle.

“Oh… Oh, wow! It’s really you guys!” Cheerful voice resounded in the corridor from our back as we walked to our room, along with energetic clopping of hooves, muffled by the carpeted floor. Sugar just exited the room on the opposite wing with a basket full of bedclothes on her back. She was donning a simple, but cute maid attire. “I almost took you for somebody else! And I would have if not for Sapphira’s distinct mane.”

A notion that Sugar didn’t use the usual ‘somepony’ appeared briefly in my mind.

“U-u-ugh… You both look so… so awesome!”

“Thanks, Sweety!” Sapphira was first to reply. “Ray insisted I needed some clothes, and truth be told, it’s really helpful under the sun. We were also lucky to find some decent clothes for Ray.”

“That’s great! And it’s more than — decent,” Sugar said thoughtfully, eyeing me up and down. I noticed she was subtly nibbling her lower lip as she did so.

“Oh, yeah,” — she awoke from her brief reverie, — “if you don’t have anything planned, why don’t you guys drop by my room in an hour or so? My work is almost finished. I even have a gramophone there, along with some wonderful records. Of course, it’s not up to par with those new crystal music boxes, but it’s still better than nothing.” Sugar looked at us with hope in her big eyes. “But my room is somewhat… small.”

“Well, we were planning to have a bite, but I guess we can wait for an hour. You’re invited, by the way,” I said, receiving an approving nod from Sapphira.

“Great, great, great! Thanks.” Sugar drummed her front hooves on the floor in elation.

“And you can come to our room instead. It is quite spacious for all of us. Hope Lily will be back in an hour,” Sapphira remarked.

“Oh, I’ll come then, and, actually, Lily had returned not long after the rain ended.” Sugar surprised us with this news. “See you in an hour. I’d better finish everything quickly and join you,” Sugar said and trotted to the staircase, disappearing from our sight, deciding to get rid of the leftover work faster.

“She sure is lively,” said Sapphira, hiding a chuckle behind her hoof. “I like her. She is very honest with us. Her feelings are so clear, for a pony.” She flicked away a stray lock from her face. “And she pours them onto us without restraint. That is very refreshing after receiving a stream of badly hidden fear and sometimes even scorn towards us on the streets. Now let’s go. I can’t wait to see Lily’s face when we present her a new dress and make her wear it!”

“Good idea!” I agreed and followed her inside, after she quietly opened the door.

Mild clinking sounds of my silver hoofwear were echoing between the high walls of the empty palace walkways. Most of the day servants had already left for their homes. The only ones still around are a few guards and cooks in the kitchen, busy cooking dinner for us right now.

The silence and solitude prevailing in the air slightly disturbed me. It is a common occurrence for the palace in these hours when you wander its corridors alone. Perhaps it is just too much of a contrast to my recent trip. The surrounding nature in the wilderness and the bustling town, albeit rather plain and dusty one, were always filled with noise and some activity happening around.

Now, however, the silent and solemn white walls of the empty palace are leaving behind that remote nagging feeling of unease, fading in and out somewhere in the back of my mind. I couldn’t get rid of it since the moment I left my room. Celly sent a guard to invite me to dinner, as she, too, was flooded by her work, cooped up in her study till this hour. And we still need to take care of the celestial bodies a little later.

Two royal guards, who stood on duty before the doors of the royal dining hall, hit their chest plates with their hooves when they noticed my arrival. They scrambled to open the doors, receiving a slight nod from me.

The day has been tedious enough. I even skipped a meal, and adding a lack of proper sleep into the mix, it was not the greatest one. I had to go through organizing the Shadow and Lunar guard in response to the recent events in Appleloosa. Silver Mist will receive my instructions by the morning, and I hope they will manage to deal with everything without my further input.

I was pulled out of my melancholic mood by the wonderful smell of freshly cooked food.

“Luna?” my sister’s voice called. “You’re finally here. Come join me, the food is most wonderful!”

“I can already tell, Celly,” I replied, inhaling a pleasant aroma wafting from the table.

“We had little time to talk in the morning. I want to hear all the interesting details of your trip.” Celestia was evidently in a good mood today.

I huffed, having seated myself at the table. “I wish I could be that lively this evening, Celly. All of this commotion in Appleloosa made me quite weary. I’ve spent too much magic power over the last few days and still haven’t recovered fully. In addition, I still intend to attend to my regular duties tonight.” I rubbed my face with my hooves in a futile attempt to drive away my drowsiness.

“You always tend to be a little grumpy when you overwork yourself, Luna. Maybe you better take a rest this time?”

“No, I must do it. I felt an unnerving disturbance in the fabric of dreams last night, but it vanished right after I began searching for it. I might have found it if I didn’t neglect my duties throughout the entire night. This can’t be good. I hope I’m mistaken, but I won’t dismiss this potential threat.”

“Let’s hope so. Talking about your trip, we were quite lucky you happened to be in Appleloosa when the tunnel got buried under the rocks. You resolved a lot of problems in one go there. But enough about the work for today. You must eat properly first, and I, too, need to unwind.” Celly waved her hoof, dismissing our problems at hoof for the time being, and relaxed on the royal-sized chair. She was probably waiting for me to finish my meal, so we can start on our desserts, her favorite part of any dinner.

I nodded and dug in. My hunger prompted me to eat in a less than a regal manner. I dined in silence. The only sound was the occasional tinkling of silverware. A hearty and tasty meal somewhat lifted my spirits.

“So tell me, sister, are you absolutely sure no dark magic was involved?” Celestia asked after filling our cups with fragrant tea.

“None I could detect, that I assure you. And if I can’t feel anything, nobody in Equestria can.”

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, but yes, you are more sensitive to magic than even me, especially to — darker things.”

“I wish I wasn’t. I’m afraid it’s how the Nightmare Moon happened.” This talk, surprisingly, did not disturb me like it always did before. Is it because of…

“Luna?” Celestia called to me, pulling me back from my thoughts. “Sorry to bring it up again. I should have known better than to mention such things before you.”

“I’m fine, sister. Really.” I smiled mildly. “Nightmare Moon is no more. The elements took care of her this time, and it’s useless to guess how it all happened now.”

Celestia seemed to be quite surprised by my reply and reaction, looking at me with her thoughtful magenta eyes as my smile grew wider.

“Did something good happen during your trip?” She asked inquisitively, a spark of interest in her eyes.

“Can’t hide anything from her. We’ve been together for too long. I, too, can see when she is hiding something at first glance.” I thought as I tried to find a proper excuse.

“So-o-o?” Celestia drawled teasingly. “Was that adventurer stallion the reason you decided to spend a whole day in Appleloosa? Who appeared to be not a pony at all, not that I mind it, and you didn’t even tell me,” — she put her hoof on her chest in a theatrically exaggerated gesture, — “your own sister.”

My cheeks started burning. “Why in Tartarus? I’m too old for it! Blushing like some young filly… But it’s just too awkward to talk about such things with my sister. And it has always been like that for me. Anybody else but my sister. She won’t miss the chance to make fun of me.”

I snorted. “Did Twilight write to you about it?” I asked grumpily.

Celestia was delighted at my reaction, barely holding her laughter. “Oh, my dear Luna, it’s easier to say what Twilight didn’t write about than what she wrote.”

I sighed loudly. “Fine… How much do you know already?”

“Let me remember… His name is Ray, he is a… hyu-man, if I pronounced correctly. Bipedal, completely lacks any coat and mane, has no claws and is omnivorous. Also, most likely, was near the place of the incident when it happened, but I’m sure you have sorted this out already. He also possesses some weird magic of healing nature and has treated Twilight nicely, which garners him quite a substantial number of extra points, as we both know how incredibly annoying she might get in such situations if there is nobody around to — take a hold of her enthusiasm. We already had a few — diplomatic incidents before because of that. With griffons and diamond dogs. Especially diamond dogs… And here we have an unknown magic involved. No doubt she went hard on him.”

Celestia’s eyes shifted to me. “Please don’t ever tell Twilight what I said,” she told me curtly in a lower and stricter tone. “And that pretty much sums it up.” She waved her hoof jovially.

I looked at Celestia with widened eyes. Twilight… “What a babbler she is… But that’s good. It seems she knows nothing really important.” I thought. “She sure wrote a lot… Poor Spike, I pity him.”

Celestia laughed lightly at my comment. “I am still feeling sorry for that one time I sent all that heap of Twilight’s old letters back through him.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I didn’t think he would suffer from it. But then he still refused to remove the ‘letter link’ from himself, all for Twilight’s sake. But we slightly digress here, don’t we?” she asked with a sly smile.

“Alright, alright, Celly.” She won’t rest until she knows everything. “Ray… He is… nice.”

I paused before speaking again, not sure what to tell.

“He isn’t afraid or timid of me, like our subjects. He is also not rude like griffons or minotaurs and definitely has better looks than them. And he is not spoiled like most of the despicable aristocracy,” — I tapped my hoof on the table for every point I mentioned, slowly getting carried away, — “but he is anything, but simple, and most likely hast some decent education. We also share a taste for proper wine, and, by the stars, he can drinketh our wine on par with us.” I didn’t notice how I ended up talking in a patter, and some part of old Equestrian slipped into my speech.

“His hands art so gentle, and we deem the night we hath spent togeth’r most pleasant…” I trailed off, blinked, and my gaze started darting across the dining hall, finally stopping at the ceiling. I panicked in realization that my tongue slipped up, blurting out such an ambivalent phrase. I just froze with my hooves covering my mouth. Celly will never miss such an opportunity to mess with me. “That… That came out wrong...”

“Oh, my… Luna…” The most brilliant smile bloomed on Celestia’s face, as if she was presented with the finest of cakes made only once in a century. “It’s been so long since you had…”

“Please stop, sister. It is… Just stop teasing me.” I coughed into my hoof and turned my head away from her.

I tried to put my thoughts back in order with partial success. “She is in an airy mood today, it seems. It’s good for Ray, but she won’t leave me be; that’s for sure. At least an idea to lock him up in the cell ‘for safety reasons’ didn’t come to her mind this time.” I resigned myself to the fate of having a long and embarrassing talk with Celly, the one I cannot avoid, and one of those she just loves to indulge in. “Oh, thank heavens Cadence is not around.”

“So, Luna…”

“Here we go again…” I slapped my hoof over my forehead.

“Do you think he prefers — bigger mares?” Celly asked in a teasing voice.

My brow twitched in irritation when I caught a certain meaning of her words.

“What? Why are you asking that?” A few seconds passed as I processed what she asked for a second time. “Sister. Art thou, perchance, hinting that We — art — too short?”

“N-no, Luna, please calm down. It’s that we… both… are bigger than average mares.”

I looked at her intently for a while. “Fine, I’ll let it slide this time.” I was tapping my hoof on the table. “And regarding your question, I think he does not care that I’m bigger. He isn’t particularly small himself.”

“That’s very reassuring.”

Suddenly, another implication of her words dawned on me, causing another flash of anger to burst inside me. “Sister! Don’t forget it was I who found him first!” Both of my hooves crashed onto the table with a loud bang. I snorted loudly. A barely visible cloud of vapor escaped my nostrils, as if I was some angry minotaur. Celestia was giggling with a hoof over her mouth.

“Oh, stars. Why did I say this? I don’t know how it all came to this point… But Celly is certainly having fun right now. She riled me up, just to make me spill it all out, and I shamefully did just that… again.” I thought as I let out a sigh, trying to calm down my bubbling emotions. I always had a short fuse, especially when Celly teases me.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it was that serious…”

“It… It isn’t…” I stammered. “As if she would believe it now…”

Thinking of the possibility of something serious, my trail of thought pulled up some of the rather morbid memories I futilely tried to bury in the deepest parts of my mind. My ears drooped, and my gaze lost focus.

“Celly,” I muttered in a weak voice, not raising my eyes to meet hers. “Did you forget about our curse? We both have gone through it more times than we want to remember. It does not matter what feelings sparked inside me, I… I shall just forget it all, and…”

“Luna, no! Don’t say such things.” I felt a soft touch on my back. The white wing pulled me into a warm embrace.

“But… But… It is better this way. The time… It will erase everything, much less these fleeting feelings. Isn’t it better to stay distant than experience the torture that is destined to come after?” Slowly, my hooves reached to embrace my sister.

“Luna, without those feelings, can you even say that you lived, and not just existed? It is never better this way.”

“I… I don’t know…” I whimpered, nuzzling her neck.

“Please tell me what bothers you so much. Why do you reject your feelings? You need somepony to talk to about it. I know you are uncomfortable speaking with me about such matters, but maybe you will feel better if you do?”

“Maybe,” I replied, my voice barely audible.

“And you really need a good rest. I’m all too familiar with such mood swings. It always happens to me after magic exhaustion. You worked yourself too much there.”

“Yes. I certainly did, Celly. I’ll just, you know, check the dreamland a little, and then go to rest.”

Celestia sighed in dejection. “You are so stubborn, Luna. You always have been. Promise me you won’t stay up all night and go to rest sooner.”

Her hoof never stopped stroking my mane gently. I can’t remember when was the last time we were this close to each other. It was sometime before… before the Moon.

“I promise, sister.”

“Good, but not before we talk for a while.”

A subtle smile slowly appeared on my face. Being this close with my Celly was warming my very soul. “Maybe… Maybe she is no longer so wary of me? Maybe we really can be as we were before?”

The door clicked softly as I closed it, trying to keep everything as quiet as possible as we tried to enter unnoticed. The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom, along with Lily’s quiet voice humming a cheerful tune.

“Now that’s cute,” I whispered with a grin, then took off my hat, placing it atop of a small cabinet near the entrance.

“You mean singing? Ponies sing a lot, so that’s not a big deal.” Sapphira spread her forehooves in a shrugging manner, surprising me with her ability to balance with little effort on her hind legs. I haven’t met other changelings yet, but, judging by Sapphi, they have great flexibility and dexterity.

“Some humans have a funny habit of singing in showers, even if they are tone deaf. Though Lily’s voice is delightful.”

“Hm-m-m?” She moved closer and reared herself, so her face was right before mine. “And my voice?”

“You already know the answer. How can I not love your sensual and deeper timbre? I might add that your voice changed after transformation, and I like it,” I whispered back, my hands embracing her body to support her, as I locked my lips with hers. She never seems to be tired of this activity.

The noise of the shower, which allowed us to stay unnoticed, ceased, cutting short our impromptu making out session.

“Perhaps we should help her again? I still can’t wrap my head around how they manage to dry their coats without hands and magic,” I whispered, still holding her in my embrace.

“Practice, I guess. I’m the same as you, having no fur whatsoever, with a bit of magic on top of that. I’m gonna call her. Put on your hat. I want to see her reaction in full.”

Sapphira’s horn lit up slightly and the lever-like switch on the wall flicked, turning on the crystal lamps on the ceiling.

“Lily? We’re back. Come out and we’ll help you with your coat,” Sapphira said.

“Oh! Where have you been in this terrible weather? I thought you were already in our room when I was going back after the rainstorm.”

“Well,” — I thought for a second, — “it got us while we were in the middle of something, so to speak. We had to wait it out.”

“In the middle of something? What were you doing exactly?”

“Come out and see for yourself,” I chuckled. “By the way, didn’t you have too many showers in a day?”

“Hmph! Would you like it if I reeked like a mix of a drugstore and a herbalist workshop? The downsides of having fur is that the odors stick to it.” Lily replied with a little hurt voice.

“That’s fine, Lily. I love your soft and fluffy fur,” I tried to placate her, receiving a lighthearted giggle from behind the door.

“Got ya!”

“Huh. You two got me long before that.”

The door opened with a quiet creak, pushed by the grayish lilac hoof. Lily’s head appeared in the door frame only to grant us the sight of amber eyes, growing ever wider with each passing second. Even her vertical pupils dilated, taking on a round form. Her mouth stopped moving, staying agape as the words she wanted to say never came out, her cute, little fangs sticking out. She was staring at us for a good ten seconds. The only movement was her eyes scanning our figures top to bottom.

“Where did you… How? I’m sure you had a meager amount of bits on you…” Her eyes momentarily checked the table, where the little pouch with money was left undisturbed. “Please tell me you didn’t rob anypony!”

I burst out laughing. “No, Lily, we didn’t rob no pony, and nobody else, either.”

A few moments later, the gist of my joke, which made fun of Equestrians’ habit of swapping some words with ‘ponified’ versions, dawned on her, making her giggle. “Then how? You both look… incredible! This couldn’t be cheap.”

“Sit down, we’ll tell you while I’m brushing you.”

“Fine.” Lily’s reaction was visible. She surely enjoyed intimate contact.

“That may sound strange, but I find brushing Lily a very relaxing activity. It’s not unlike a meditative state: throw everything bothersome out of your head and just concentrate on the task at hand, effectively clearing the mind and calming down. Not to mention that Lily’s coat feels just great under my hands.” I thought as I took off my coat and hat, preparing to get to business.

I started by wiping the leftover moisture from her mane and coat with a dry towel. Sapphira left all the work to me, as she sprawled on a wide pony chair, looking at us.

“You know… Tomorrow I’ll have to go out to the desert for the entire day. Scouting, tracking and probably looking for evidence. Such sort of things. I’ll also have to prepare my bags and armor.” She was talking unhurriedly, enjoying my touch.

“Armor? Will it be dangerous?”

“Just a precaution, most likely. There were no reports of anything violent happening, just minor theft and suspicious activity around. Rogue diamond dogs, most likely.”

“I’ve seen some of them in the town. They look like a dangerous lot, with those claws, teeth and overall aggressive attitude.”

“Don’t worry, Ray. They can’t fly, and I have good hearing. They’ll never take me by surprise, and I’m not gonna enter their tunnels in case they dug some.”

“Fine. Then why don’t we spend some time and adjust the scaled armor we took from the ruins to fit your size? We’ll feel better about your safety this way.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “As if it’s the first time I’m going on a mission, and I won’t be alone there. I’m assigned to a small group, one pegasi fighter, a stallion, so we have some edge. Those filthy, flea-ridden dirtbags…” Lily certainly had something against the diamond dogs. “Ugh… sorry. They hate to fight aerial opponents, and two others are… sleuths. That would be the most proper name for those mares, both unicorns. So everything must be safe, but let’s get the armor ready, if you insist.”

“We insist,” Sapphira said with gravity in her voice, with undertones hinting she won’t take a no for an answer. She approached Lily from the front, nuzzling her cheek, and Lily was quick to reciprocate. I found their little interaction quite cute. “I just worry about you.” She then turned to me. “Help me undress when you finish. I’m afraid I might damage my dress with magic. Lifting heavy crates might be easier than doing intricate things, like unbuttoning.”

“Lifting crates?” Lily asked, puzzled about where the mention of the crates came from.

“Yeah, crates,” I started. We told her about our day, while I brushed her coat, omitting the peculiar circumstances involving the antiquarian, however. Lily, albeit more used to less civilized methods, is still somewhat naïve in such matters, like most ponies. I’m not sure how she would see the use of outlawed hypnosis for now.

“Horse apples! I’ve missed so much,” Lily grumbled.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, estimating the time we still had before the hour since our talk with Sugar elapsed. We’ll still have enough time to fiddle with the armor for Lily.

“Sapphi, can you bring Lily’s — ‘set’?” I asked, winking at her. Sapphira took the hint and went to retrieve the package with the purple dress. The clueless Lily still thought we were talking about the armor.

I was almost finished with Lily’s tail, which I left for last. Remembering the previous time I did it, I avoided touching certain places on her body. I’m sure I remembered every single one for later ‘use’. Needlessly arousing Lily right now, before the dinner, will not be a fair thing to do.

“That’s all, I guess,” I said. “Now turn around.”

Lily did as I asked, only to see a nice purple dress before her, hanging in the air and surrounded by a faint, waving blue aura.

“Surprise!” we shouted together with Sapphira.

“Ah? A… A dress? For me?” Lily’s surprised look was slowly morphing into a wide smile. “The last time I wore a decent one was at the school graduation party… Thank you!”

Lily turned around in place with the help of her wings, enacting the already very familiar winged pony attack on me. Luckily, I had a bed behind me, so I just let us freefall onto it. This time, the attack ended with a kiss, quite an assertive one for Lily.

“Sapphira,” — Lily turned to look at her. — “you are next, after you take off your dress. It will be a shame if I accidentally tear it.”

Putting Lily off myself, I helped Sapphi unbutton and take off her dress, then, to her surprise, picked her up and delivered her right into Lily’s clutches, putting her on the bed. Lily pounced on her playfully, giggling and hugging her tightly.

“Thank you. I love you both!” Then she caught Sapphira unprepared, giving her a long kiss on the lips. Sapphira had a surprised look written on her face, but then closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss with her — herdmate; I guess this is the right word. Thinking about it, it must be a norm in a healthy herd to keep relationships between everyone. Also, I admit I really like what I see, if a content smile on my face is any proof.

Sapphira took a hefty breath after their kiss. “Come on, Lily, now you must put it on. And thanks for the treat, honey. You taste refreshing.” Sapphira paused and looked at me with a grin. Her fangs put on the show. “Oh, and pray tell me why do I taste something — spicy coming from this side?” She giggled, licking her lips. “My favorite taste.”

I secretly let out a breath when the dress appeared to be fitting for Lily. Sapphira was right about the size. I’d hate to see Lily’s mood spoiled due to it. Lily’s freshly washed silvery mane and tail turned even more voluminous as they gradually dried. Paired with the new dress, her looks once again made my cuteness meter go off the charts.

“You look absolutely gorgeous, Lily!” I praised her.

“Told you it would be perfect,” replied Sapphira.

Lily was silent, turning back and forth before the mirror. Her face, however, with slightly rosey cheeks, was a manifestation of happiness. It told us more than enough about her feelings. Perhaps she was still not used to being praised and adored for her looks.

“Um… I’m so… flattered.” Lily finally turned to us. “Do you really think I’m that good?”

I huffed. “Lily, you are more than good! If others fail to see your beauty, it’s their own problem for all I care. A bit more work on your mane and you are fit to attend a royal venue or something similar.”

“You know nothing Ray. I always want to be as far from aristocracy as possible. This dress would be laughed at. They won’t wear anything to the palace, not consisting of several layers of crazy expensive silk straddled all over with precious gems.”

I scratched my head… “There is something wrong with the local fashion. What you described seems to me,” — I spent a second thinking up a grandiloquent word for it, — “so obnoxiously vulgar.” I spoke slightly nasally, raising my hand in a dismissive gesture and turning away my head, copying the style of aristocracy I’ve seen at the station.

Lily appreciated the joke, giggling. “You sound almost like them.”

“Well, I wasn’t joking about what I said, though. This dress, albeit not an evening one, would still be seen as stylish back at my home. I wasn’t a village oaf, so I can judge to a degree.”

“I really like the dress. But that’s aristocracy, so what would you expect? They are a weird bunch obsessed with status and riches. And Canterlot was always a quirky place. That’s where their fashion comes from. I’m not fond of their taste, either.” Lily made a few more twists before the mirror. “That’s good and all, but let’s deal with the armor and go eat something. I’m so hungry.”

The whole business with the armor took around twenty minutes. We had to wrack our brains over the question of how to attach Lily’s special flask and grenade belts, but soon found a suitable place to fit her special clasps from her standard armor, placing those on the straps.

Lily said the armor itself felt lighter and more elastic than her old one, allowing for faster and less restrained movement. We took the armor off Lily and were preparing to set out for dinner.

A knock at the door informed us of Sweety’s timely arrival. We left for the first floor without much ado, picking one of the few free tables in the farther part of the dining hall, the business already in full swing. Two other maids were working today, serving guests and visitors. An unfamiliar young stallion skillfully mixed and poured drinks at the bar. I knew all of them were ‘part of the crew’.

I asked Sweety if she had any recommendations. Unexpectedly, she suggested a fish salad. This resulted in everyone ordering the same dishes. I must say, her choice was solid. The taste reminded me of tuna, though the fish itself was something different. I’m not even sure if ‘tuna’ is in the vocabulary here. To point out a positive notion, the prices on fish dishes here are pleasantly inexpensive, most likely due to greater fish supply compared to meat.

After retelling Sweety how we spent our day and how we like it here in Equestria, the girls had mainly their girl talk between themselves while I was relaxing on the soft bench listening to them, while slowly sipping various local brands of cider and, surprisingly, some griffon ale. I ordered those in smaller cups than I’m used to, so I can taste more of the brands. The ale was slightly stronger than regular pony cider, but still passed before the ‘strong’ ones. I was content with the flavor, though. Man, that’s a genuine beer, damn it! I’ve missed it for so long.

Sweety and Lily started to throw me sidelong glances with apparent surprise on their faces when the overall number of mugs I had drunk exceeded a certain amount. Sapphira, though, didn’t care in the least about it.

“Excuse me, everypony. Good evening,” an unfamiliar voice sounded near our table.

“Can we help you with anything?” Sweety asked the turquoise stallion standing before us.

“Ladies, I’d like to borrow your coltfriend for a short while, if you don’t mind.”

“Just say it, pal. No need to hide anything from them.” I joined the conversation.

“Well… It’s like this…” He stammered a little, looking me in the eye. Now I remembered him. He was at the bar when I knocked out that bastard minotaur. Must be a little scared of me after what he had witnessed.

“I made a bet with my friends,” — he subtly waved his hoof in the direction of one of the tables, two other stallions sat there, along with a griffon, staring at me, — “I win, if”, — he made a fake cough, — “you… can drink three ‘Knockout Apples’ and walk fifteen minutes later all by yourself.”

“Hmph, and what does it have to do with me, buddy? Though I must say that the prospect of free drinks is somewhat enticing. Anyway, what is that ‘Knockout Apple’ you’re talking about?” I squinted my eyes. Is it an attempt to get me wasted for some reason or they really have a bet?

“It’s a special mix. A sweet syrup is poured at the bottom, to wash away the burning taste of minotaur’s brew, which comes next and the rest of the glass is filled with an extra strong cider. The layers never mix until you drink it. Usually it takes one mug to get a pony unable to walk. A very popular challenge drink.” The stallion explained in detail.

“Are you crazy? Are you suggesting that he drinks three of those demonic drinks? This is madness!” Sweety shot up from her place, berating the stallion, who already started to shrink visibly.

“This is Sparta!” I joked, not expecting anybody to get it. “Chill, Sweety, I’m not so stupid to make a bad decision.”

“That’s right! So you can go back.” Lily joined the talk with a frown on her face, crushing the stallion’s hopes.

“Actually no. Hey buddy, make it four and go raise the stakes as much as you can. If you win, half of your win is mine, savvy?” I played with my brows, grinning. Stallion’s jaw dropped, and he looked at me as if I grew a horn on my head.

“O-okay, if you say so. I agree,” he stammered and trotted back to his table.

“You’re crazy, Ray! What if you get into the hospital after that? You already drank so much… and…” Sweety was fuming in indignation.

“Exactly, Sweety.” Sapphira talked for the first time since the stallion arrived. “Ray drank a lot already. How many ponies would drop to the floor from this amount? Two? Three? More, perhaps? What do you think? I still can’t see him being drunk.” She chuckled with mirth.

“You mean?”

“Yes. Ray will get free drinks and some bits almost without any efforts. Am I right?” Sapphira looked at me with a smile.

“Quite,” I said with a smug grin. “He was already hooked. I guess the conditions were that he’d lose if I refused. I’m almost sure his friends will agree. They were already sure I’ll be completely wasted from three mugs, much less four.”

“Lily, Sweety, just wait and see. Don’t scare those simpletons off.” Sapphira laughed, anticipating the upcoming show.

Drinking a lot, however, had some other implications, namely the excessive amount of liquid in the organism. I excused myself for a minute, and, upon my return, saw four high glasses, filled with layers of liquid of different colors. The red on the bottom was thin, the next transparent one was moderate, and the main volume of the glasses was filled with amber cider.

“So,” — I started, sitting myself on my spot, — “to our victory!” I proclaimed, took the first glass and slowly downed it without stopping until it was empty.

“Hell yeah! Good stuff. Thanks, pal.” I patted the stallion, who was intently observing my exploits on the back.

I took some snacks on the table before starting on the next one. I could feel a slight effect of this drink, but I guess I’ll be fine after the last one. This stuff must be really potent.

“So, can you feel it?” I asked the stallion, taking the last fourth glass. He just blinked several times in confusion. “The sweet smell of victory.”

“You still have one to go, and then fifteen minutes later, if you can walk, then we win.”

“You worry too much, pal,” I said, chugging down the last one. Lily and Sweety looked at me with mixed emotions on their faces, though all of them were already ‘warmed up’ to a degree, finishing two or three ciders themselves. They preferred the fruity flavors: peach, cherry, stuff like that. Very light, but it was enough for them.

“Now mark fifteen minutes and wait,” I said, waving my hand to send the stallion back. He nodded and returned to his friends, who already had disturbed looks with their imminent loss. Their eyes darted between the clock and me.

The hollow sensation slowly appeared in my head. Now I’m officially drunk. Quite an achievement for me, but I’m sure I’m still too far from being unable to walk, which I proved fifteen minutes later, walking in a slightly unsteady gait up to the table where the trio of losers owed me money.

“Horse apples! You win, Whip. Take it before I change my mind,” one of the stallions dropped a sizable stack of bits onto the table, the other one and the griffon followed suit. Whip, as he was called by his friends, split the pile into two, quickly counting the amount, and gave one half to me. A brilliant toothy smile never left his face, a stark contrast to the sour faces of the other three. They wanted to say something, but my reputation must have stopped them from expressing their opinions.

“We won! We actually won!” Whip exclaimed in joy, offering me his hoof.

I gave him a high five. “Nice doing business with you, pal. Have a good time,” I replied and returned to the girls.

“Ray, that’s good and all…” Sapphira drawled in a slightly drunken voice. “But… It’s already a cuddle time, and we still had none!”

“Had none!” Lily echoed her, propping herself on her forehooves on the table. A heavy lock of her mane slid down, covering half of her face. She tried blowing it away, to no avail.

“Hugs!” Sweety jumped from her seat, raising her hooves in the air, then toppled to the side, landing on Sapphira and almost dragging both of them under the table. Seems she had the most drinks. Her enthusiasm for hugs gave me a fleeting thought that she might want a place in our strange ‘herd’. It flashed through my mind momentarily, but I was quick to dismiss it, knowing she really didn’t have many friends around, having come here from another town a few months ago.

“Let’s go upstairs, then. Lily, will you be alright tomorrow?”

“Sure, I just have to go to sleep at eleven and I’ll be good.”

“Seems I have some important cargo here,” I said with a chuckle when I saw Sweety trying to walk on wobbly legs. I picked her up, to her undisguised joy, and we headed towards the stairs.

“Put everything we ordered on my account, please, I’ll pay tomorrow,” I said when a maid, who served us this evening, passed by.

“As you say, mister Ray,” she replied politely, switching to scribbling something in her notebook on the nearby table. I saw her smirk as she dropped a glance at her colleague in my arms.

I looked at the clock on the wall. We still had almost four hours, more than enough for anything.

“Oh, leth’s drop by my room, take cards and music with us. It’s on the right” — she hiccuped, — “wing, the second room on the left counthing from the far end.” She managed to turn around in my hands, now with her hooves pointing upwards. She holded her front ones in front of her chest, like a rabbit, and stared at me without looking away with an unfocused gaze, a silly smile on her face. Then she remembered to give us a key, pulling it out from god knows where. She didn’t wear anything when she came to us from her room.

“I’ll take it,” said Sapphira, snatching the key away with her magic.

Sweety’s room was rather small, but tidy and cozy. The bed was small and square, though, like those cots I’ve seen at the service station. It must be a standard pony bed size. We quickly found the items and went upstairs.

“If you guys don’t mind, I’ll pack and check my bags for tomorrow before we start anything.”

“Sure, Lily,” I replied, putting Sweety onto the bed and ruffling her mane a little.

I helped put the things we left on the table back into the closet. That included Lily’s armor set. When I was finished, Lily scattered an assortment of various items on the table. Potions, her little grenades, signal flares, three strange magic devices. However, three sparkling yellow faceted crystals drew my attention.

“What are these glittering things, Lily?”

“Oh, these? Power crystals. We use those in magic devices as a magic source.”

“Interesting,” I said, picking them up. I brought them before my eyes to have a better look. I could see the occasional tiny flashes going off inside their solid structure. “Beautiful.”

Suddenly, the flashes intensified. But most importantly, my dormant power awoke by itself, quickly going up my arm until it reached the crystals on my palm. A faint glow, consisting of a mix of green and yellow, enveloped the crystals and started spinning around them, suspending them in the air. Everybody looked in amazement at this strange sight.

“What are you doing, Ray? It’s high grade power crystals, it’s dangerous to tamper with those!” Lily shouted.

“I’m afraid it’s too late now Lily… I’m not doing anything,” I replied nervously. The last thing I want is a magic explosion in close proximity.

A crisp clinking, reminiscent of cracking glass, resounded across the room, with power crystals as the source of the sound. My power spun around them ever so faster with each passing second, starting to give out a high-pitched buzz.

Visible streaks of, presumably, magic started to leave the crystals through the cracks and spin around my arm, accompanied by tiny discharges of electric bolts, or at least it looked similar. Some of those streaks dived inside my arm, making me immediately feel the influx of power flowing right into my heart.

I felt dizzy as the strange sensation intensified. But it was not alcohol; it was already purged from my bloodstream when this weird shit began. “Fuck! Why can’t I just get drunk like a proper man?” This thought crossed my minds as I started to have double vision, but not the one as one would expect. I was seeing two different places at the same time. The surrounding room grew fainter with each heartbeat. I couldn’t even hear what the panicking mares were shouting to me. I managed to drag my body to the bed in this hazy state of mind. The damn crystals followed me as if tied to my hand. More and more magic was being greedily absorbed by my body.

Then there was a bright flash. The leftovers of crystals exploded in blinding fireworks of sparkling dust particles, and the last thing I felt was the tide of the freed magic energy, slamming into my body, throwing me onto the bed. I completely lost the sense of reality, but that oh so familiar unconsciousness, which usually followed, did not bestow its boon upon me this time.

My vision cleared quickly. A familiar courtyard, familiar white walls tens of meters high, and a familiar space scenery in place of a sky. My perception of ‘here and now’ started to shift gradually until I was completely sure the last thing I did five minutes ago was finishing another round of my combat training with Falda’ar. And there were probably a lot more rounds to go. Welp, I’m already used to these humiliating training sessions. At least nobody will laugh at me except that smug oversized lizard I call a teacher.

Today… I sighed, as the concept of day cycles is nonexistent here. But still. Today I’m training with a staff. This way, it can greatly complement my proficiency with spears, as Falda’ar said. I was already beaten black and blue several times by a bloody wooden stick, no less. Thank god this is not a real body, and it’s getting restored after each fight, but, hell, it fucking hurts so much every time!

“Ready for round nine?”

“No, but do you care?”

“I don’t!” Falda’ar shouted and lunged at me with a gruff laugh, starting a whirlwind of incessant swings I could barely dodge or block. Every next strike limited my movements and completely cut off any possibility of a counter, but at least I managed to not get hit. His attack finished in about ten seconds.

“Not bad. You survived the first attack this time. Now come at me. I want to see you in action.”

I complied, starting with the same technique as he just did. My body moved with impossible speed. Impossible for a normal human, that is. Falda’ar, however, easily blocked every strike, not even bothering to dodge or even step back from his place. But that was still good, because if I made any mistakes, he would punish me instantly with a strong counterattack.

“Not bad, but unimaginative. I can read you every move like a book printed in a large font. I’m using the same amount of strength you currently have. You can do better. Now defend.”

He used the same technique again. I must be able to defend from it, or so I thought when his tail whipped at my ankles from the side, sending me spinning in the air. Half a second lated I landed on my rump, hard. I could see the strike, but I couldn’t dodge it, it was too late, and I was in a vulnerable stance. A staff tip poked my neck with force.

“You’re dead. Mind your footwork. You weren’t ready for this strike. Never let any openings, be always ready to move in any direction. Just like I taught you.”

“That was unfair.”

“Will you be talking about fairness with a tailed opponent when he kills you? That’s right, you wouldn’t. It can be anything — throwing knives or other hidden weapons, sudden attacks from the back, traps, even. You must be ready to take on thing like that any time during the fight.”

“Understood.” I might be angered, but what he said makes sense.

“Let’s finish with the combat for today. Your mind is unstable and tired. Go rest for a while and then train your focus for twenty hours. I’ll be back soon.”

“Are you serious? Twenty hours? I’ll die of boredom.”

“Or you’ll die from the lack of training later, which is much worse. Tell me how good you are at controlling your life essence?”

“My control… It sucks…”

“That’s it! And if it sucks, you just go and train it. Simple as that. Or do you think I had it easy? No, though I was not as bad as you, certainly,” he answered, chuckling. “I have some business to attend to. Now go train, you have nothing else to do here anyway, except wasting time, your most valuable resource in this place.”

After that, he just disappeared without any fancy effects. I sighed, walking from the sparring grounds to the pond. I like that place the most.

This was my routine. Combat training, then some theory lectures, then applied practice using my power, intermixed with long sessions of training my concentration via meditation and precisely controlling my flow of force.

Also, a few weeks ago, Falda’ar took a liking to an abhorrent practice of suddenly throwing me into random arenas to fight various sorts of monsters. What I was busy with didn’t matter to him. Phantoms, he called those shady amorphous forms. They could take on any form of monsters from all across the multiverse. He had often thrown in some ‘handicaps’, like the inability to heal, fighting in almost total darkness, or the area being filled with water, reaching my waist, and so forth. I ‘died’ a lot of painful deaths in those ‘surprise tests of strength’, as he called this abuse. Still, I can’t say it was useless, as it increased my adaptability in combat remarkably. Though I still hated it with passion, growing to feel great pleasure every time I dispatched yet another of those abominations. That usually meant the end of the fight until those ugly bastards started appearing in groups.

I lived this strange life as time flew by. But the point is — I was still living, and the few hours of rest I always had once in a while were almost worth the harsh everyday routine. Falda’ar introduced me to a multitude of interesting things from all across the worlds he was familiar with. And trust me, that’s a frigging lot of stuff. You can spend hundreds of years, and you still won’t have enough time to see it all, not that I was going to.

Falda’ar offered me the best, according to his taste. Various forms of art, literature, peculiar trinkets, games, and unlimited amounts of various knowledge about alien civilizations, their culture and tech. I found those things entertaining.

That included a certain amount of overall knowledge about the world I was destined to go to. The world itself was rather mild compared to some hellish places I was made aware of. If I have to compare with Earth, societies on Equis were less violent, which meant fewer wars and conflicts. Still, the main point is stressed by the word ‘fewer’. The fact it was a magic world meant that trouble could await you on every turn when you go out of densely inhabited areas. The nature there is bound to take on some grotesque forms, bathed in the endless and rich flows of magic of various kinds. I’m not even talking about possible magic-based life-forms I was told of.

The planet had a breathable atmosphere and a close to Earth's gravity. The temperature and geological composition were similar, too. Chances are… it was a certain, no longer recognizable variation of Earth itself. I might even call it as such, if not for the completely fucked up geocentrical star system it had. When I asked him, Falda’ar just dismissed it, saying that it was not worth spending my time trying to understand how it all worked. Not until I have a complete understanding of what magical energy is, and that knowledge is well out of my reach for the foreseeable future.

As for my ‘practical application’, it had mainly included advanced anatomical and medical studies. The main difference to what one might expect was the knowledge given has been always from the perspective of the direct usage of my power, and not the usual ways of Earth medicine. To say those methods were fascinating would be an underestimation — the more I learned, the more invested I grew in the subject, to my own surprise, as I never had a passion for medicine before.

I’m not sure how much time had passed since I did my first ‘surgery’... Several years, perhaps? Bloody hell, that was gross! I failed miserably, if an explosion of gore and bones with a following shower of gunk can be called a failure. It was an achievement of sorts, or so Falda’ar said… The only thing which kept me from retching right on the spot was the understanding that it was merely a simulation. But now I can almost literally disassemble a living being and then put it back together safely, as long as it was still alive when I started. Things like growing back a whole limb are still way out of my abilities, but repairing the seemingly fatal injuries is well within my reach, which bolsters my chances of survival out there by a large margin.

As for other usage of my power, Falda’ar said that unless I knew my own body to the minute details, along with some other basic stuff, it was useless to learn anything more complex, and my current learning improved my control of my power, which was a prerequisite. He promised to teach me to apply it in combat properly as a next step. Well, that’s fine with me.

It was another day at my ‘space mansion’, as I liked to call it. Falda’ar, though, used to call it ‘Heavenly Palace’. Too pompous of a name, but I guess he has a right to call it as such. Today, he touched on a peculiar topic, which was uncommon, so I memorized our talk well.

“Let’s talk about magic itself, Ray. As I can see, your understanding of it is still too vague. The worlds blessed by its presence, however similar to those which are devoid of it they may seem, exist in a wholly different state. Neither higher nor lower. No better or worse than your original world. Just different.”

Falda’ar walked in circles unhurriedly before me, his hands folded behind his back.

“Just assume for a moment that a special type of matter, or, perhaps, energy, which is both, actually, can have a consciousness? Not a consciousness per se, though. Magic remains dormant for the most of the time, until a strong external will, fuelled by vivid imagination, appears.” Falda’ar eyed my reaction. I was listening attentively. This topic really sparked my interest. He raised up his hand to stress the importance of what he wanted to say next.

“Then, the magic awakens from its eternal slumber, ready to shape and bend reality itself at the beck and call of those who can properly invoke it.” Falda’ar raised his other hand grandly, his voice increased in both power and gravity. “To shatter the seemingly immutable laws of the universe and manifest the imaginary into being, erasing that otherwise insuperable barrier like it is nothing! For magic is an apex principle in such worlds, standing above the mundane laws of physics.” He looked at me, taking his regular pose, satisfied by my reaction.

“It has some limitations, nevertheless, for the law of conservation of energy applies even to the multiverse, much less the worlds within it.”

“That sounds great. I get the main idea behind it, but it is still too vague,” I said, rubbing my chin.

“Understandable. But that’s it, talking concisely about the conscious manipulation of magic. There is, however, another, much more common form of using magic, characteristic of all magic worlds. An innate ability to manipulate magic in certain ways, formed through evolution or — external intervention, sometimes. Like the flight ability of the dragons, for example. You surely know that their wings cannot provide them with even a decent ability to glide in the air, much less fly. Still, they do both things very well in the worlds they live in. The general principle is the same, though.”

“So, you’re saying if a dragon does not believe in magic, he won’t be able to fly?”

Falda’ar chuckled. “Not exactly, but let’s say a human with a talent for magic will never be able to use it until he believes he can. Not dragons, though. Their bodies are a natural conductor and a vessel for magic, allowing them to use it without even thinking about it. Though in a limited scope, such as flight, increasing their physical strength and sturdiness of their bodies, breathing fire or other substances.”

“I see,” I replied, my hand resting firmly on my chin as I was in thoughts.

“Some species have specialized organs for manipulating magic, like unicorns’ horns. Not only does it increase their affinity for magic, it even gives them the ability to feel it, making conscious manipulation of magic even simpler, greatly reducing the requirements for willpower, imagination and concentration, which is also an important trait for any magic user. Those of them who are strong in the aforementioned skills are natural prodigies and often become local powerhouses in the field of applied magic. Those without special magic organs in their bodies have it much harder, but nothing is impossible if you are determined and persistent.” Falda’ar stopped his incessant walking back and forth, seemingly remembering something.

“I should also mention that will and imagination are not the only things which affect magic. With time, magic users always come up with different ways to enhance their control and scale of power over it, to attune it for certain tasks. Runes, diagrams, rituals, spells and other, more exotic forms. All of those are focused on instigating magic into action. All of those contain thought forms, intents, images, concepts, and sometimes even emotions. In other words, all the things magic can react to.”

He produced a staff with a glowing crystal embedded at the top, right out of thin air, but I’m already used to his tricks.

“Some items can even accumulate magic power in large quantities.” The crystal on the staff lit and shined blindingly. “All those things have certain effects when interacting with magic, and, when used properly, can enable magic users to cross their limits and go far beyond their regular abilities, even allowing them to create standalone magic devices which can work without the help of a magic user. Summing it all up, the so-called magic sciences and schools are inevitably created, various kinds of those. You will surely stumble upon those when you arrive on Equis.”

“Any advice on this?”

“Avoid associating yourself with things like ‘blood magic’, ‘death magic’ and the likes. You get the drift. We are not… very compatible with those things.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Oh, and talking about our ‘magic’...” Falda’ar started, waving the gowing staff in his hand. “We are fundamentally different to the regular magic users. The main difference…”

Falda’ar continued talking, but my vision started to go dark unexpectedly, and I could no longer hear his words. When everything around faded to the utter darkness, the only thing I felt was a sensation of a free fall. The impact never came, though. I realized I was lying on some soft surface. The sharp ringing in my ears prevented me from hearing anything, and the colorful circles floating before my eyes didn’t allow me to see a thing.

“Where am I?” I whispered to nobody in particular. My body was gradually coming back to life, along with a striking headache, which immediately made me wish I didn’t wake up.

“Oh, shit! What now? I hope it’s not another fucking ‘test of strength’, bloody damn it…” I grumbled in a low voice, putting my palm on my temple, the throbbing pain almost palpable. I shook my head as my vision grew clearer. Though I had a strange feeling that I was in another place before and was busy with completely different things than listening to the old lizard… This thought only intensified my headache, making me regret even thinking.

“Ray, are you alright? What happened?” Large blue eyes appeared in my vision. They looked worried.

A whole blast of information exploded inside my mind in a split second, suddenly returning me to a full understanding of my situation.

“Sapphi?” I sighed in relief. “I feel like crap… but I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

I let a smile appear on my face, as the realization I just found a way to restore my memories dawned on me. “Lily certainly deserves to be rewarded for it,” my positive thinking kicked in. “That’s a start!”

Chapter 16 - Restless Midnight...

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 17 - ...and a Hectic Morning

Author's Note

It's been a while, folks, but that's it — a chapter almost worth 24k words. It had blown somewhat out of intended proportions, but I didn't want to cut things or split it. A lot of work went into this one, starting from extensive worldbuilding, including dreamscape, magic, and the very first serious touch upon MC's biology and his own magic system. So yeah, I'm giving you a 'nerd alert' for the chapter, though I still tried to keep things simplier. Then it was also a good chance to take a glimpse on the pony society and norms through the conversations, so I took it. And last, but not least, the MC's attempts at bringing his love life in some sort of order. Wish him good luck with that.

Enjoy!

Chapter 17 - ...and a Hectic Morning

“This is… unbelievable! Me and Luna? I was sure it was impossible, but reality has a nasty habit of proving my assumptions wrong, while Sapphi was right… yet again.” This thought flashed through my mind in a split second, while we were still busy cuddling and making out. I’m not even sure how much time has passed, but I felt — genuinely happy, and all my worries were quickly evaporating into thin air. Luna was almost beaming with this very feeling which was telling me that everything is gonna be alright. The sensation I oh so lacked ever since I arrived on this strange magical dirtball, drifting somewhere through the immense expanses of the multiverse.

My hands were ever so slowly stroking her back, minding to avoid the sensitive spots around her wings. Something was telling me — right now Luna needed that pure and warm feeling of closeness, needed it more than anything else, so I avoided the actions which could escalate everything and possibly ruin it all. Her exhaustion was also obvious. Luna tried to hide it, but I could almost physically feel her — aura, perhaps. It seemed… weakened. Unstable. And it was fluctuating erratically. Though, as time passed, it became less and less noticeable, gaining in strength, and enveloping me in that strange, serene sense.

“Mmmm…” Luna let out a contented moan, which turned into a soft exhale. “I feel like I was resting for the entire night instead of just an hour, or was it two? Why is that I wonder?” She murmured into my ear.

“I don’t know, but that’s great, right?” I answered in a low tone, my fingers playing with a sparking lock of her ethereal mane. Despite its appearance, her mane is rather real and tangible. It’s very soft and slightly waving, but it’s shrouded in a mysterious sparkling and dark aura. The flow of magic waving through her mane is almost tangible, even in a dream.

“Yes, it is certainly true. It is always… always so weird when it comes to your dream space, Ray. The laws of the realm of dreams are getting twisted here. Just slightly. I cannot tell what exactly is different, but I like it. How wonderful it would be if I could spend every night like that, even if just for an hour… It is — so soothing being here with you. I don’t feel — out of place anymore. Before, I didn’t even realize it, but I, and my entire everyday life, were so… repetitive and distant to me. Yes, I was busy with important deeds, telling myself again and again that these are my duties. I was just hiding behind those duties, trying to deceive myself, all the while feeling myself,” — she paused, pondering, — “empty would be the right word, yes. Empty — in so many ways… And empty, I am no longer.” I felt her hug growing ever so stronger, but it was still gentle enough for me.

Luna released me after a while, her face all smiles, though it slightly waned as she spoke.

“You know, Celestia is quite eager to see you in person. She was torturing me for the entire evening, trying to fish anything interesting about you out of my mouth. And trust me, she is a grandmaster in such things, especially in riling me up.” Luna giggled. “But I owe you, for the rift between us is finally mending, rapidly so. It’s so good to feel she is truly by my side.”

“Oh, really? Well, I’m glad I could help, though I have no clue how I did it. You know, now that you mention it, her attention makes me — nervous.”

“Do not fret, I did not speak of anything — excessive. We can have our little secrets, can we not?” Luna said slyly, and the tip of her hoof unexpectedly booped my nose, a move used usually by me. Before now that is. My surprised visage amused her, making her giggle happily.

“But really, thank you.” Luna’s mysterious eyes seemed to look at the deepest recesses of my soul. “Yesterday, I understood that I’m really back, and my dear sister still loves me. We just had… a little misunderstanding, both of us… which lasted a few years, to our shame. I hope we can finally leave it all in the past and move on, like the good sisters we always were.” Her hoof was carefully caressing my cheek. “And it was you who broke the stillness of my life, creating sparkling ripples of change, like a stone dropped into a pond during a moonlit calm.”

“Uh… I’m flattered, Luna. You’re very poetic — nobody ever said something like that to me…”

Luna laughed lightly. “Just don’t tell anypony I did — I would rather keep my high and aloof image. May you consider coming to Canterlot for us to meet again, sometime? Though chances I will have any free time in the coming weeks are faint, I’m afraid.” She had let out a disappointed sigh.

“We’ll see, but we can always meet in the dreams, can’t we”

“But of course we can. Sadly, I will have to leave soon. The sunrise is almost due.”

“Yes, I know. Your moon business?”

“Yes, moon business,” she said, chuckling at my choice of words. “I don’t know when I can come again. I have a premonition that I won’t have much time on my hooves even at night.”

“Is it that bad?”

“I am afraid so. I need to start on reorganizing the Guard for Appleloosa during the daytime, and also that nightmare I found tonight concerns me. It will keep me busy during the night. It is an anomaly, a dangerous one. I shall try investigating where it came from, even if my efforts have little chances of success.”

I fell in thought for a moment. “What are — those nightmares? Or maybe the more correct question for now would be: what are dreams? Here, it’s nothing like what I was used to… before, in the world with no magic. At least, there was no known ‘dreamscape’, or anything like that. Everything was just a play of our own minds.”

Luna tapped her hoof on her chin, pondering. “A play of our minds, you say… Or so your people thought, without knowing a thing about mental magic, for dream magic can be called its branch. The mind is a gateway to the realm of dreams. Maybe I can offer a brief explanation until my time is up. The realm of dreams, otherwise known as a dreamscape, or a dreamland by simple folk, is everything what surrounds us right now.” She showed around with her hoof.

“Our minds can travel here while we are sleeping. The place we are currently in is a limited space built by your dreaming mind, and others have their own, too. Every such space is interconnected with each other in subtle ways, forming a dreamscape. Actually, I rarely delve deeper than the very surface level, when I can find gates into other’s dreams, and not much more is present there, aside from a vague reflection of the world.”

Luna frowned and tapped her chin. “But going deeper can be dangerous — it’s like a twisted mirror of our world, built somewhere just right beyond the very edges of reality by the wills and thoughts of its inhabitants out of pure magic, also referred as ‘aether’ in most ancient sources. Intangible and unreachable, ever-shifting and changing, it exists right beside us, yet out of our grasp, except for when we dream. Hopes and aspirations, moments of joy and happiness, notable memories of our lives, all of it is a building material for the dreamscape. Though not only that but also more sinister things, like fear, suffering, hate, despair, anguish… All of those seep through and take root there, falling into the deeper parts of the realm of dreams, over time forming malicious entities we call nightmares.”

I was taking in that information. Her explanations seemed quite understandable for a layman like me. “That’s… really complicated. And troublesome. Do positive things create anything as opposed to those nightmares?” I inquired.

“No, but, in a sense, they do. Positive things… we all keep them to ourselves, holding them dear. They make us stronger, and not just metaphorically. Perhaps it’s another manifestation of Harmony. But foul things? We all want to get rid of them, to forget them, to throw them away. So they often stay here, discarded and abandoned, descending into the deeper recesses of the realm of dreams. As time passes, this negative residue condenses, fueled by the emotions and thoughts it was created of, clinging to twisted fantasies and unkind thoughts floating through the dreamscape. Sometimes, such foul amalgamations gain a primitive sentience and start to grow, absorbing more and more of these fetid substances. As time passes, they grow in power and mind alike.” Luna’s distaste for the things she was describing was graphic.

“And as they grow, they become more clever, more aware. They learn to break the barriers and invade the dreams of living beings to torment them, feeding off their negative emotions, thoughts, and worries. Their favorite source of ‘food’ is little foals, mostly because the barriers of their immature minds are much thinner, and their naivety makes them easier to scare or otherwise exploit. Their minds can become traumatized if subjected to nightmares for too long. Thus, I have no tolerance for those abominations.”

“That’s disturbing.”

“Indeed, and it seems like in my millennia-long absence, their numbers had spiked, being left unchecked by my sister. Though I can’t blame her for it — while she can enter the realm of dreams, she has neither enough time on her hooves for that, nor sufficient talent for mental magic to do the job properly. Her talent in magic arts is more suitable for a direct and powerful approach. She is like a magical battering ram, or a tidal wave, which is exceptionally contrasting with her temper.”

“Does she have a soft temper?”

Luna giggled after pondering about something for a moment. “As long as you don’t pose a threat to ‘her little ponies’, she will be very nice and polite.”

Once again this phrase, ‘her little ponies’, baffled me: does her sister see herself as some kind of goddess for the ordinary folk, or a benevolent patron? That’s funny, but I won’t be the one to judge her. I’m kinda a weird guy myself, and I guess she has more than enough rights to call herself so, from what I already know.

Meanwhile, Luna continued, — “You know, we are quite opposite in this regard — me having an aptitude for more subtle magic, while my temper… Well, you might have heard the rumors about me, I don’t like playing nice before scoundrels and hypocrites, while Celly… She can be too kind, even if the other party outright disrespects her. I would never tolerate such audacity. A dungeon cell was usually able to fix their attitude rather quickly.” Luna chuckled.

“Yeah, she might be soft, except for the part where you were worried your sister would put me in a cage just to be safe.” I laughed internally, also making a mental note to never allow myself any familiarities towards Luna should we appear somewhere in public.

Luna sighed before continuing. “Thinking about it, I must say I had failed her horribly. My short temper might have been the very reason it could have happened at all, my weakness, a thousand years ago… But let’s not dwell on it for the time being. Right, nightmares…” Luna shifted our topic as we had already spoken about it quite a lot before, and I was pleasantly surprised that this time her mood didn’t turn depressed at the mention of this event.

“Should a nightmare grow powerful enough,” — Luna continued, — “it can possess a living being through their dreams, or even tear the very veil separating the dreamscape and reality and turn into an evil spirit, bringing woe to the world. I must prevent such happenings. It’s easier to destroy them before they can wreak havoc on the living and harm somepony for real.”

“And you’re doing all of this alone?” I asked with genuine concern, making Luna ponder for a while. “Well, this is disturbing. I better keep it in mind and pay more attention to such things, as it sounds too sinister for a world which is supposed to be built on harmony. Maybe it was left for too long without any supervision and something went wrong? Though I doubt I can help her in any way at this point, unless those nightmares… ‘manifest’ themselves. Even then, I might not be up to the task.”

“But of course. My sister aside, do you know any other dreamwalkers in Equestria? Because I do not.” Luna smiled wryly. “Even if there are some, are they powerful enough, or even willing to hunt nightmares? The hunter and the hunted might reverse positions, should the hunter’s mind or magic power prove to be too weak.”

“I see… This is quite a complicated situation.”

“Yes, it is. Speaking of that, I was pioneering dream magic for centuries. Most books on it in our library are actually written by my very own horn.” She sighed. “Dream magic is hard to learn without having a proper affinity for it. I always had an innate talent for mental magic, and my cutie mark empowered my talent for dream magic further. Even Twilight struggles with dream magic, despite her sheer talent in universal magic, much less ordinary unicorns. Honestly, their mortal lives are just far too short to understand all the intricacies of the realm of dreams, so… Oh…”

Luna’s countenance became perplexed as she trailed off. “Sorry, I did not intend to say it in such a way… I’m…”

“No, no, Luna,” — I took her hoof, which she had pressed to her chest, — “it’s fine. Haven’t we already talked about it last time?”

“We have, but… I just can’t… Can’t stop thinking about it. You know… about the inevitable flow of time.” Luna looked at me with a mix of… pity and compassion, perhaps?

An uncomfortable silence descended upon us, while certain thoughts rushed through my head. My visage tensed and eyes squinted slightly. I was too pressed, deciding if I should make an important decision now, too pressed to realize it was all written on my face, and Luna’s dejected visage had finally distracted my attention. “It won’t hurt telling her, I’m sure. At least that bit. She won’t make trouble for me because of this. I can feel it with my guts, and it will put an end to her worries.”

“It always comes to this… Sorry to ruin it all…” Luna said, her eyes emanating sadness and traces of the scars of her past.

“Luna… Listen, this… This is important.” I said with gravity in my voice, which I usually don’t show, looking at her. I waited until she raised her head back and our eyes met at last.

“What is it that you want to share with me?” She asked quietly, her voice, while weak and dejected, still gained a tiny spark of interest.

“I’ll feel terrible if I don’t tell you this. Not after seeing how sad you become every time we touch on this topic.” I inhaled the air, which I didn’t even need to breathe in this place. “I… remembered some things. Not too much, but enough to tell you something. Something crucial. M-m-mh…” I bit my lip as I thought harder. “How should I put it? I’m — much older than I appear to be. My mind is at the very least twice as old as I was at the moment I disappeared from my world, but that’s not the point. At the very core of the magic I possess is not, uh, aether, as you called it. It is ‘Life Essence’, if you need a name for it. This body of mine would never age, most likely, due to this fact, and my mind won’t break either from living too long of a life. My body had already reformed itself into this shape, going all the way from the withered and crumbling body of an elder, which it was at the moment of my arrival, to what you can see before you now.”

I stood up and spread my hands wide, to better show myself, while observing the emotions flashing through Luna’s eyes. She definitely remembers how I looked the first time we met in a dream, and the difference must be stark. In the middle of my tirade of revelations, I noticed Luna’s face stiffen, while her eyes appeared to be glazed over, not even blinking. Her ears stood at full attention, catching every word which left my mouth.

“For now, let’s put aside the reasons I was in such a bad condition back there.” Sour smile adorned my face as I remembered my initial state. “I am not an immortal, but I’m almost sure that the death of old age or illness is off my list, and I ask you to keep it a secret. No need for anybody growing envious of me over such things, lest one day I might face a grand scheme of some mad scientist or noble with an obsession to dissect and turn me into an elixir of eternal youth or something of the sorts.”

A pregnant pause descended on us. Luna suddenly flapped her wings, propelling herself from the sofa and landing right before me in an instant with a clack of her hooves. She looked me in the eye intently.

“P-pray tell, that this… that this is not… n-not a joke,” — Luna reared on her hind legs, bringing her face so much closer to mine, —“please?” she whispered almost inaudibly, putting her hoof on my chest, her voice flustered and wavering.

“Luna… How can I be joking like that? Do I look like someone who would play with your feelings?” — I replied, not breaking our eye contact, continuing in a lower tone, — “Besides, you always know when I tell the truth, or so it seems to me. So… you’ll likely have to bear having me around for a little longer than you expected.” The corners of my mouth lifted, forming a faint smile.

Luna made a few steps back, her wings flapping lightly, creating mild gusts of wind. Her eyes bore the look of amazement, as her eyelashes fluttered in bewilderment.

“I-I… Then… Then… Oh, my. Oh, stars!” Luna’s hooves were shifting continuously, as if she didn’t have the patience to stand still. The flow of the magic wind in her mane and tail turned into a raging storm as they fluttered wildly. The magic flow around her grew so intense it became tangible, swirling like a vortex around her and exuding noticeable pressure, like an actual wind. She spun around in the air, overjoyed, then shook her head, calming down the invisible storm around her. “This is a miracle… What good deeds did I do to deserve this?” She murmured quietly, but my ears still could catch her words. Her ears alternated between being splayed to her head and standing back upright.

“Luna? Are you fine?” Her behavior started to worry me.

Luna suddenly gasped, putting her hooves atop of her head. “Oh no, I’m already late to move the moon! No, no, no, I have to hurry, Ray, this is not a trifling matter!” She jerked towards the exit, then stopped, slightly slapping her forehead with her hoof. “Right, no need to run through the door.” She then turned towards me again. “I… I will come next night,” Luna told me in a resolute voice, pointing her hoof at me. “I will definitely come. Don’t worry about anything and don’t alarm your herd about us needlessly. They deserve some rest and peace of mind. We will talk later… and solve everything… together, of course.” She spoke in a hurry, fumbling with her words.

“Fine, Luna. I’ll be waiting for you. Now go, I’ll be alright.”

“Yes! See you!” Luna’s horn flashed brightly, but before she released her magic, she rushed to me, placing a quick kiss on my lips. Then, with another flash of bluish light from her horn, her figure just faded out, as if she was just a mirage, leaving me alone in my own dream space. Still, her expression at that moment was imprinted in my mind, and I can swear I could see the glistening teardrops in the corners of her eyes, but she looked so happy at the same time…

“Wow! It was totally worth it, both my spontaneous confession and telling her the truth. Luna is so cute when flustered, but my ‘romantic’ life just became even more messy…” That was all I could say at the moment, with a smile which refused to leave my face. I plopped back onto my couch, resting my head on a soft padded armrest, with my hands behind my head. Our time spent together occupied my mind.

“Ahh… I wish we had more time tonight,” I muttered to myself. I had so much… so much on my mind I wanted to tell her, and so much to ask her. Her knowledge of everything must be so vast, even if she missed the last millennia entirely. Spending our time together somehow soothed my worries and calmed the chaotic state I was in after the incident with the power gems.

My dream didn’t end, like I supposed it would, leaving me all to myself in my own little piece of dreamscape. Well, a chance to relax in the environment of my old home isn’t half bad, anyway.

“But her reaction… She must have been through a lot, and her heart bears scars no ordinary mortal can get over their entire lifetime. A thousand years spent alone on a lifeless ball of gloomy, dark dust, sand, and stone… It was even worse than alone, remembering that entity which tried to break her mind again and again.” Such a thought made me shudder internally. “I can’t change her past, but if I can make her present a brighter one, then I’ll do so with no hesitations.

“Why?” I asked myself and chuckled at this foolish question, unexpectedly realizing I usually had a lot of foolish thoughts. “Do I really need a reason to fulfill my desires? Is there anything that really chains me? I’m a disciple of ‘Life’, and I do as I want. I do as I feel right. Well, in addition to what I must, though I see no big contradictions here. Even if what I want is to love a princess, to become someone important to her, to make her happy, if it is what she herself wants...” I made a mental note about this change of my thinking patterns, though that was all I did, being quite content with this change. My thoughts didn’t feel artificial at all, like if I was used to such thinking, and that might very well be the case.

I remembered the first days with Sapphi; it was exactly those days when my freshly returned memories were merging with my mind, and I can recall clearly how my hesitations about her were quickly fading the further the process advanced. It must be the same this time. I wasn’t concerned about those changes — they felt too natural, like those changes in our perception and state of mind which we notice as years pass, when we look back and remember our past selves.

I definitely became more — arrogant. Hell, it’s hard not to, not when the only person you have around is the embodiment of the term ‘arrogant’. I chuckled at this thought. And he is my teacher to top it off. Well, the word ‘teacher’ might be an understatement, as he was, and still is, more of a ‘master’ to me. He is so much more than a mere teacher can possibly be.

And while somewhat arrogant I have become, neither have I grown complacent for it to cloud my judgment, nor dismissive to turn into an asshole of a man. More like knowing my worth. Maybe it has something to do with the fact Falda’ar did, sometimes even literally, beat the crap out of me, slowly making me pick up on his worldview and try to see things as he sees them. It vexed me at the start, to his amusement, I might add, until it somehow started to make sense at some point. So I don’t hold it against him anymore.

Putting an end to my rather distant contemplations and attempts at self-analysis, I was once again left with nothing to do in this conscious dream. It must not be long until Lily has to wake up, and by that time, I’ll probably have more than enough rest for the night. I shall give Sapphira some more time to sleep, and it might be useful for me to meditate for a while and revise my re-acquired memory while she is resting. There is really interesting information about my modified body hidden in this forgetful head of mine. I’m sure it’s there, but it will take some effort to find it at this moment.

But that’s that for the early morning. After breakfast, we planned to go to town once again. And this time I’m definitely going to the library. We passed it by yesterday, more than once, actually. It is situated not far from the town hall. I want to get familiar with the world’s geography first and the map of the countries second. It’s so irritating to have only a vague understanding of your location. Then, some short version of Equestrian history and the state of its current affairs might be a good option. And after that… guess I’ll try to find something on the more practical topic, namely gems and crystals. If just three of those were enough to crack open these memories of mine, then perhaps this trick can be repeated? We’ll see.

On second thought, forget the gems, as I’ll have more than enough memories to internalize and things to experiment and get once more familiar with. It will be unwise to seek more of my memories in the next few weeks. Also, considering my ‘primary discipline’ at the moment, I have a certain interest in literature describing pony anatomy and biology in detail, as well as their magical inner structure and its integration into their bodies. Oh, well, that’s a subject which will take days just to shuffle through the basics. If I can find books on that subject, that is. On the other hand, the basics are probably the only thing I would need — everything else I might get to know from the willing subjects. Their bodies will tell me everything, as long as I know what to seek and where to look. They’ll tell me more than any book on their anatomy might hope to, with just a wisp of my Life Essence put inside them.

Alright, back to the more mundane things. Sapphi wanted to visit the market, and maybe some shops, and I still have to go to meet Stout at the workshop. My new boots won’t craft themselves. That’s already quite a list. Oh, and the guys will probably come again today, though I don’t know when. No idea how they found me, but they did. I doubt it can be anybody else other than that trio from the station. That’s good news, as I certainly could use some male company. There is no better way to make certain things clear than a friendly chat with other guys.

What else? That shabby knife we forgot yesterday… No, it’s in such a terrible state I doubt the antiquarian would even look at it. At least it will be unwise to show up there the next day after our prior sale. Oh, yes, I just have to buy a large pot and some soil for it. Every day I delay growing ourselves a new tree will be a day we are deprived of superfood, so to speak. So—

My thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched ‘ping’ sound. I looked around, but failed to notice anything, until a new, louder ‘ping’ resounded and echoed around me. On the third, even louder ‘ping’, the dream reality before me started to blur and fade. Then, after a brief feeling of a freefall, my body jerked slightly forward, or so I thought it did, and I found myself lying on a soft bed with my eyes closed.

Yet another ‘ping’, now distinctly coming from right beside me, forced my eyes to crack open slowly, only to see a membranous lilac wing outstretched toward the nightstand. Then a soft click followed, and the wing was folded back while I traced it with my eyes. “Eh, what? That fluffy warm feeling on my chest is not a blanket, no… That’s Lily. Was it her alarm?”

I smirked deviously as my hands unceremoniously snatched the fluffy pony into a hug and began gliding over her velvety and warm wing folds, eliciting a barely audible peep of surprise. Yes, a cute peep. It seems they really are somewhat related to bats.

“Morning, Lily,” I whispered, not to disturb others.

“Morning,” Lily cooed, rubbing her cheek on mine adorably, and igniting that warm feeling in my chest. I knew what it was, and I also knew I must fix that one mistake of a more timid ‘me’ from a few days ago. Lily’s ear was so conveniently close.

“Lily… I love you. I love you all,” I whispered quietly. “Yes, this is what she deserves to hear. This is what she always wanted to hear, but my spineless self had never said these simple words to her. How stupid of me. This is how I shall do things, directly and with no hesitations. I’d rather be solving problems I create by my own actions than lamenting later over those caused by my inaction or indecision.”

Lily’s considerably reddened face appeared in my sight, flustered, but happy, with cutely disheveled mane. “I-I… me too. I mean… I love you too, Ray,” she almost squeaked, and then her rather strong hooves clenched my body from both sides, while her wings made an impromptu dome above us, shielding our faces from any prying eyes. She leaned in, placing a multitude of kisses up my neck, then my chin, until she finally claimed my lips.

“That was… something! Something very unexpected from a girl like Lily, or have I misjudged her temper?” I thought while caressing her mane on the back of her head, with an occasional ear scratch here and there. All the while we were busy looking each other in the eye silently, or at least we tried, while our tongues were intertwined in a slow dance. Her tail swished between my legs wildly, forcing me to fight the coming arousal desperately, with partial success. That won’t be desirable, not this morning at least.

Lily sighed lightly after pulling her head back and waving her mane to straighten it out. “I have to get up now, or I’ll be late.” Her sheer unwillingness to do so was written on her face.

“Sure, let’s get up, then. I’ll help you with the armor and any other stuff, too.”

“You don’t have to—” Lily tried to retort, only to receive a boop on her nose.

“Nope. I do.”

“Fine.” Lily rolled her eyes dramatically, while obviously being happy to receive some care. Getting off the bed carefully, she made a few elegant, cat-like series of stretches, though this stretching also included her wings, too. When she turned to face me, I saw her chest tuft was even more puffed out than what Sugar showed me yesterday.

“Lily, you’re so fluffy I already have thoughts of dragging you back into bed,” I whispered almost inaudibly, but I was sure that for batpony’s ears, it posed no problem at all.

“Then I should do it more often,” she replied in a whisper with a coquettish look, trying to stick out her chest even more than it already was. Batponies and pegasi are obviously similar when it comes to flirting. And… is she picking those phrases from Sapphira, huh? She certainly is. Well, all the better, I like her playfulness.

“Great, give me more reasons to cuddle and spoil you.” Getting up, I looked at the two other girls. Surprisingly, Sapphira didn’t wake up. Moreover, she and Sugar were huddled together in their sleep. “Well, just look at these two.” I whispered, smirking.

Lily smiled, looking at the pair on the bed, then proceeded into the bathroom, while I got to dressing up. Some time later she called me over, silently waving her wing, using it how I would use my hand.

“Oh, I almost forgot what I wanted to tell yesterday,” I said, while brushing Lily’s puffy mane, sitting on the rug in the bathroom. She reacted with her ears flicking and perking up, harking. Our talk must’ve been muffled enough to not bother the sleeping girls. “I heard some rumors from the drunken merc on the street. Some ‘syndicate’, as he called it, appears to be hiring mercs and overall any rabble they can find for some shady business, and those folks disappear from the town without a trace after they agree, or so the rumors say.”

“Yes, we know it too, but yet no luck with planting our agents into their ranks. Every time the Shadow Guard tried to, our agents returned with their last memories wiped out. Obviously, it’s mental magic, most likely the basic one, but it’s already a crime worth a year or two in the dungeons. Considering they returned ‘safely’, without putting up a fight, our guys most likely agreed to it willingly to keep their cover, perhaps after turning down some terms the recruiters demanded. Silver works on another approach right now, and a mentalist from the Canterlot is already en route to Appleloosa, so we’ll know what happened there very soon when he restores their memories. Huh, now when I think about it, they are still sort of stupid, or clueless about our existence. If it’s the latter, then Shadow Guard does a great job here. They certainly aren’t expecting that another mentalist will be here to undo their magic.”

“I see. Mental magic, you say… According to the Princess, it’s quite a rare branch of magic.”

“Indeed, but we have no leads to tie it to any known mentalist. Also, this is very unusual for the Syndicate. This is not their method. They focus on shady trade deals and smuggling, preferring hiring a third party, bribery and blackmail as their main tools for a dirty job, which often leaves them out of reach of the law, cunning bastards… So we believe somepony is just trying to use the Syndicate’s name as a cover, and the complaints of some of their lower members in private talks are an additional proof.”

“Any ideas who that might be?”

“Nope. They are the only established group around these parts. We have a vague lead though, somepony reported seeing mercenaries leaving towards San Palomino desert which lies to the west, in the carriages pulled by donkeys who live there.”

“Hm-m-m. We’ve seen donkeys right after the rockslide offering their services as if they knew it would happen, but that would’ve been a damn idiotic giveaway.” I chewed my cheek, thinking this through, but my lack of any knowledge of geography and society didn’t allow me for any decent analysis.

“They are not the brightest bunch, so you might be right on that one,” Lily said, chuckling.

“Just be careful out there. I don’t like how this all sounds.”

“I promise to be careful. I’ve been on much worse assignments, trust me.” Lily beamed a smile.

“Yeah, I know, just saying… Thinking of the Syndicate, can that bastard — uh — Hookbill, was it? Yeah. Could he work for them? He obviously knew the time when the train would arrive, the fact it would be unguarded, and he also knew what car to target. Those bottles of booze were expensive if the quality of the crates was any hint.”

“More than expensive, those were outright luxurious. Ones of the best the minotaur kingdoms can offer, really. Well, I didn’t know it when we were there, and obviously the griffons didn’t either. This actually looks like what Syndicate would do. They hire some fools to do the dirty job to get their hooves on some expensive or even restricted goods, then they make fat bags of bits out of it all. Syndicate knows where to sell, to whom to sell, and how to avoid drawing attention. Should the small fries get caught, they will quickly realize the identity of the ‘employer’ was a fake, and all the blame will fall on them, keeping the Syndicate in the clear. Trust me, Silver tried to deal with them many times. The best Silver could do was lock some of their middle-level members behind bars. We don’t even know who the masterminds are, so we at best thwarted some of their deals, but it’ll be hard getting rid of them anytime soon.”

“So, they try to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves. Then, it’s unlikely they were involved in anything concerning the tunnel, I suppose, considering those griffons most likely didn’t know about the impending rockslide.” I mulled while my hands were busy making the finishing touches to Lily’s tail. “Any alteration in the train schedule might’ve ruined their plan.”

“We don’t have any solid proof yet, but I think so too. The rockslide happened too far from the place where they attacked, and if it happened some time earlier, the train might have stopped far before the spot where they prepared an ambush.”

“By the by, can that mentalist guy just crack their brains open and see who gives orders, or do something like that?”

“Are you serious, Ray?” Lily asked in a louder, indignant tone. “To use mental magic on any creature against its will would become a f— uh… a real torture. We don’t use such… evil methods… Unless… I don’t know for sure if the Shadow Guard had ever done it to anypony.”

“Ah, forget it, Lily. You know how much I know about conventional magic…” I replied, looking at her ears, which began to droop to the sides.

“I… I’m not angry, Ray. It was just — an unexpected suggestion, that’s all. I remember you don’t know much about pony magic,” Lily said with a tinge of guilt at her sudden outburst.

“It’s fine,” — I caressed her cheek gently, lifting her head so she could look me in the eye again, — “I’m glad you still have a soft heart, despite your line of work. And I think we’re done here with your tail.” The brush swept Lily’s tail for the last time, leaving the object of her pride in a neat shape. Well, at least I think she should be proud of it. “Let’s strap your armor and pack you up, then you can go to the kitchen and have breakfast before you go. Yeah, Boss said they’ll provide us the same meals as the personnel here if we want to, so it makes things easier for us, keeping in mind the lack of our own kitchen in this place.”

“Why is he so generous all of a sudden?” Lily frowned with one brow, raising the other, probably trying to sway our talk to another topic.

“Maybe it has something to do with me agreeing to provide some extra help if another angry minotaur shows up? Must be it.”

Lily made a joking pout. “Always doing things without asking us first. Stallions these days…” She giggled. “Well, that’s something you might do, anyway. Some free meals would be really nice. Then again, talking about the kitchen and all that… Should we rent a house some time later?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Let’s see how it goes first. We’ll have enough bits if we decide to do it, but I’d prefer to have some source of income before we splurge our savings.”

“Uh… look, Ray, I… I’m making enough bits to rent a decent house here. Well, not a rich one, but decent, so we don’t have to worry about bits too much.”

There was a silent pause in our talk while I thought through her words. “That’s great, Lily, but you don’t expect us to be just, uh, freeloading at your expense?”

Lily snorted. “You don’t have to see it this way. We are herd, aren’t we?”

“Well, yes, I think we are… a herd.” I rolled this uncommon term on my tongue. “Yeah, a herd. It’s just a completely new concept for me, so don’t mind me behaving a little strange.”

Lily chuckled. “Well, you’re not even a few days in Equestria proper, and it’s understandable if you won’t have a job for some time. Besides, you’ve made, like, several paychecks worth of bits yesterday. And if it makes you more comfortable, in some herds stallions don’t work, or they have part-time jobs to dedicate more of their time to their herds. It doesn’t seem to be common for Appleloosa, but what would you expect from the border town where more adventurous and robust stallions come to get their hooves on more bits?”

“Damn, I have never actually thought that disproportionate distribution of genders could have such an effect on society. Then again, the lives of ponies are nowhere near the line of ‘struggling’. At least the fact that nobody is living in constant hunger and without any kind of roof above their heads is a good proof of that. I’ve seen their gardens and their way of watering extensive areas. With opportunities like this, we would never have seen even a shadow of hunger back on Earth. Magic power is truly a blessing, though everything is bound to have the reverse side of the coin.”

Seeing me furrowing and relaxing back my brows as I was contemplating her words, she pattered, — “Of course you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I was just… giving you an example. Nobody would think badly of you either way, especially not us.”

“Ah… Sorry Lily,” — I placed my hand on her withers — “just got a little lost in my own thoughts. There is no way in the world I’ll get grumpy just because you wanted to share your piece of mind.” After that, I witnessed the return of her magnificent ears, which she pressed to the back of her head.

“Is it that easy to read my mind?”

“Your pretty ears are selling you out every time,” I said with a chuckle.

“You really like my ears, don’t you?”

“Well, duh! Very hard not to notice it, after a—” A hug interrupted my joking sarcasm.

“So say, what do you think about renting the house in the end?”

“Well, we can talk about it together later. I just want to make sure we’re not making a hasty decision. I’m not even sure for how long we’ll be staying in Appleloosa. Well, we can do it if you really want it.”

“Alright, let’s go strap that armor. Or I’ll be late.”

“That’s unlikely. We still have more than enough time.”

The noises we made while fiddling with the armor had inevitably woke up Sapphira and Sugar.

“Morning,” Sapphira blurted, still half-asleep, barely opening her eyes. “Is it time already? How come I didn’t wake up to the noise?”

“Morning, girls,” I replied, seeing both of them waking up.

I looked at Sapphira, squinting my eyes. Something in her gaze seemed off, but I couldn’t tell exactly what was wrong. Perhaps she was too tired and needed more sleep?

“Morning,” Lily groaned quietly, too busy trying to wriggle one of her legs into a short sleeve. “How am I supposed to do it on my own? It’ll take hours…”

“Well, maybe not hours, but, anyway, that’s why I’m here,” I said in a calm tone as I helped her to do it with ease.

“Mmmmh… What time is it?” Sugar’s voice was similarly drowsy as Sapphira’s. She made a hearty yawn and stretched her forelegs, looking at the clock on a wall. “I guess I better get up and prepare for work.” She shook her head and rolled on her belly. “Somepony had too much cider yesterday… It’s a miracle my head doesn’t hurt.”

“Won’t happen with him around.” Sapphira lazily pointed her hoof at me, then went back to dozing off, putting a pillow under her head as a replacement for Sugar’s barrel.

“Huh?” Sugar made a puzzled look, then waved her hoof, dismissing it as a sleepy rambling. “Whatever that should mean, I feel awesome! Haven’t had such a good sleep in a while. Must be something about this big, soft bed.” She patted the bed sheets lovingly with a content smirk. “It’s better than mine, for sure.”

I was just listening to her babble while dexterously working on the straps and buckles of Lily’s armor, being already quite familiar with it after doing the same thing with Sapphi before.

“Umm… guys?” Sugar drew our attention. “Did I… you know… did something — uh-h — inappropriate yesterday, by any chance?”

“Don’t think so…” I shrugged.

“Maybe a teeny tiny bit,” Lily said teasingly, throwing Sugar an amused look.

“Oh, shucks! Then it wasn’t just my cider-induced imagination… Look, I’m sor—”

“Shush!” Lily interrupted her. “You did nothing wrong, and we were together, after all.”

“Really? Then… That’s fine, I think.” Her relieved look and slightly reddened cheeks made me ponder about their weird exchange once again.

Mentally sighing, I was distracted by my own thoughts, so the talk which girls started between themselves faded into background. I had to admit that it was a continuation of the stuff Flo warned me about. Even without me knowing it, it was obvious Sugar was seeking my attention the entire evening after I came back to my senses, using all of her arsenal, most likely typical for local flying equidae. It was kind of adorable, and I must add she had received quite a lot of that attention, all to her joy. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the type of attention she had hoped for, but we still had more than enough innuendos in our jokes.

Alright, I’ll give her time to digest it all and sort it out with herself first, and with Lily second. I have a hunch there is something going on between those two. No more forcing things. If it’s just a fleeting feeling, it will fade away quickly, and if not? Well, then I’ll have one more fluffy mare on my hands, I guess? But for now, I’ll have more than enough other things on my plate. Not even talking about the fact I go nuts every time Luna is around.

That’s so strange. I have to keep myself together around her, as my emotional state and usual rationality go haywire in her presence. And that adorable living magical reactor, and concurrently a local ruler, which suddenly became so lively and full of enthusiasm through our interaction, will come again the next night. I’m sure we’ll have another weird, but so pleasantly satisfying encounter. Ah, no matter, I should send girls to work and then get busy with my own things.

“Alright, Lily, this was the last buckle. Is everything fitting well?” I distracted them from whatever they were talking about, finishing buckling up the strap meant for holding the second saddlebag.

“Yeah, seems fine to me.” Lily moved her legs and wings to check it. “Everything is good, just one final check…” She proceeded to test her ‘bandolier’ belt on both of her bags, and it worked as intended. “Yes, I’m ready to go,” Lily said, nodding in approval. “Girls?” she called, approaching the bed. “See you in the evening.”

The three nuzzled with each other. Even Sapphira shrugged off her slumber to wish her good luck. Then it was my turn. Lily reared on her hind legs, reaching for a kiss, and once more hiding us behind her lilac wings. It wasn’t a long one, and soon our lips parted ways. She was already looking towards the open window to make her exit.

“One more thing, Lily.” I didn’t let her go. “Can’t let you go just like that.”

“Wha—? Oh…” Lily trailed off as my eyes momentarily flashed with green when I filled my dormant life essence circuits with power once again. Now it felt so easy, just like breathing, working steadily on the full capacity my current body allowed for, a habit brought to automatism by decades of practice. What I was going to do was apply the same lasting empowering effect, like that clumsy attempt I tried on myself back in the jungle, but it’ll be the first time I’ll use it on anybody other than me. The method itself is now deeply ingrained in my mind. It is rather elementary stuff, one with no side effects.

I carefully injected my energy through my hands, resting on Lily’s withers. I was careful to avoid her inner magic channels through the feedback the life essence was sending back to me. In fact, the feedback was overwhelming — such things as body temperature, blood pressure and even its composition, heartbeat rate, state of the nervous system, and many, many more, all flooded my mind. It was so much I had to filter it out. Thankfully, the knowledge on how to do it came along with the rest.

Regaining my concentration from this overwhelming torrent of information, I remembered my prior ‘experiments’ showed that the presence of my life essence disturbs the flow of magic if concentrated essence gets inside pony magic pathways, like it was with Sandy’s horn. Though this effect has close to zero negative effect if Life Essence is dispersed through the body evenly, because it’s being readily absorbed for a general benefit of the body if I don’t inject any clear intent into it, otherwise trying to execute its task.

The current task for the Life Essence was to strengthen Lily’s muscles a bit, but, most importantly, to recover her energy quickly in case she becomes exhausted and tired, and assist in closing up injuries should she get any. It might be excessive, but every little bit might help in case of force majeure. This is the first completely conscious use of my power up to date, controlled to minute details. Albeit it’s rather primitive, as not requiring anything, but the life essence itself, paired with thought instructions from me in a form of a precise and strong intent.

“Now you’re ready to go,” I said, releasing her from my embrace.

“Whoa!” Lily spread her wings and tried flapping her wings a few times, creating sharp gusts of wind in our room. Thankfully, nothing was toppled down. “I feel like I can crush all the bastards which may come my way, all by myself! If need be… Is it some kind of strength enchantment which some military unicorns can cast?”

“Nope. Hey, don’t overestimate yourself, it’s more to keep you from getting tired too quickly and help with injuries. It will hold for quite some time, at least it should.”

“Understood,” Lily replied with her ‘military voice’, nodding, finally getting into her working mood and assuring me she took my words seriously.

“And did you forget about the breakfast by any chance, judging by the looks you are giving that window?”

“Oh… I actually did!” Lily scratched her head with her hoof awkwardly, letting out a weak laugh. “I’ll go downstairs first, then.”

“I’ll accompany you. Could use a glass of water, or two. Or maybe even breakfast. Be right back, girls.”

“Alright,” Sapphira replied through a yawn, her sharp fangs, along with her other, also not so herbivore-looking teeth, on full display. “Ain’t she a cutie with all her predatory vibes?” I smirked, which didn’t escape her notice. I also made a mental note their teeth, regardless if it was a changeling, a batpony or any other pony, looked nothing like the teeth of actual equines, bringing them even closer to humans.

“Oh, wait for me.” Sugar finally stood up from the bed. “I need to prepare for work, too. Today I have a morning shift.” She was still feeling a little awkward after she let herself go loose and do as she wished last evening. Nobody minded it, though, so her worries were unfounded.

“I’ll just sleep for some more, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, sure, Sapphi, rest as much as you need. We had a crazy week, and I’m still worried, remembering your prior state. I don’t want to see you like that ever again.”

“I promise you won’t,” she replied, laying down on the bed with a peaceful smile, closing her eyes.

“See you later!” Sugar briefly nuzzled Sapphira as a goodbye, making her half-open one eye and lift the corners of her mouth. Then she followed us out.

At the small table in the kitchen corner, Lily was almost ravaging her breakfast, doing so in focused silence. Breakfast consisted of milk porridge with some bits of fruit, and a pair of toast sandwiches with vegetables, which also had some cheese in them. Sugar and I had the same meal, eating unhurriedly. Despite its simplicity, the taste was good, and I was thankful that the chef, I need to ask for her name later, didn’t add any bitter stuff there. Like chamomile flowers or dandelions. It seems she somehow knows my food preferences already. This meal is hardly enough for my current appetite, but I can just have another meal when Sapphi wakes up.

“Hey Lily, slow down a little, or it won’t end well for your stomach,” I said, chuckling.

“Ith fine,” Lily said, while still chewing. “Doth wamma be lathe.”

I took a look at the wall clock. “I think you still have more than enough time.”

Gulping the food down, Lily answered, “Well, maybe you’re right.” Then she slowed down to eat properly.

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment. Seems Boss wants a word with me,” I said after I saw Boss waving me over from outside the kitchen.

“Alright—”

“Sure,” the girls answered.

Finishing the last spoon of porridge and leaving sandwiches on the plate, I stood up and walked out.

Ever since I got up, I was very taciturn, which is not like me at all. But what should I’ve been talking about after what I did yesterday? I was blatantly wooing and seducing Ray the entire evening, doing it openly right in front of his herd, no less. Damn cider! But it was so-o-o tasty… I hope Ray won’t think I’m some whorse. He won’t… right? No, of course he won’t!

“Hey sugar,” Lily suddenly called me, dragging me out of my mulling. “Not a morning pony, I suppose?”

“Ah? Oh… Sorry. That’s not…”

“Oh, come on, is it about yesterday again? We were pretty boozed-up, so don’t think too much about it.”

“But I… Well, you know, you saw what I was doing…”

“We’re friends, right?”

“We are. Definitely!” I might have said it a little louder than I wanted to.

“If I’ve learned anything from Sapphira, then how should I say it… You know… Say, you like me and Sapphira, don’t you?”

“Uh… Yes? I mean… Yes!” By the both Princesses, I’m mumbling like a foal…

“Sorry if I sound weird. You know, I’m not as good with words as with scouting or tracking, but, well, we like you, too. So what’s the big problem?” I noticed Lily was rather flustered, just like me, as she fumbled with her words, but she still tried, while I was a complete mess.

I fell silent for a while. “It’s… I… Well… It’s about Ray. He… He didn’t seem to answer my… advances. That usually means a stall—” I was interrupted by Lily.

“Welcome to the club, sister,” Lily laughed, sounding half-jokingly and half-resigned.

“Sister? I like how that sounds, but… What do you mean?”

“He blew me off my wings the same way, so to speak. The point is, he is not a pony stallion, and he was… yeah, rather dense at seeing such things. The things we winged ponies do to show our interest and intentions. I don’t know what I would do without Sapphira, who knows him much better. It was really hard. Hard to understand that he can actually see me as something more than just a friend. He — they, humans, are too complicated. He made me feel like a stupid little filly. It’s like he really liked me, wanted me, and didn’t at the same time. It was so confusing!” Lily snorted, then chuckled.

“Huh? That’s it exactly! Then how… How did you do it in the end?”

“One word - Sapphira. Well, she helped a lot. Also, now Ray sees such things much better already, so it’s unlikely he didn’t notice. Rather, I bet he understood everything more than clearly.”

“Then he… doesn’t like me?”

“No, it’s the opposite. Didn’t he spoil you throughout the entire evening? I’m even a little jealous! He is just… slower than a pony stallion, slower in many ways, and now I even grew to really like it.” Then Lily hushed her voice to a whisper. “I’m sure at least half of regular stallions would try to — ahem — straddle you right there with how much you rubbed your body off of him in all sorts of manners.” Lily’s face became a shade or two ruddier, and so was mine. “Yeah, he is a tough nut to crack, like Sapphira called him. It’s like a light flirting for him. He also kinda likes your scent. It was hard not to notice, for a thestral like myself, how he inhaled your scent here and there, obviously liking it. Well, he does it with us, too. I don’t have to tell you how important it is for us mares. Maybe it’s the same for him?”

“For real? No way… T-then, I-if you are, you know, okay with me, what should I do?”

“I don’t know, being more blunt worked wonders for me when I just leaped on him for a sudden kiss on the lips. But don’t forget the rules.” Lily clacked her hoof on the table and looked me up and down. “I’ll be away for the entire day.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Then we’re good.” Lily nodded, smiling. “Well, if everything fails, just tell Sapphira, she is like a heavy ship cannon with such things.” Lily giggled. “But it’s better if you do it without our help. It’s bad if we force our initiative on our stallion, it must be his own decision, and then we will support him and it’s done and done! One last thing, don’t forget who we are. For the past week, we were a real magnet for all kinds of trouble, and I doubt it will change too much anytime soon, so you’ve been warned. My job is not the safest in Equestria, so to speak.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not afraid — anymore.” By this time, my face must be red like a beet, but I must see it through. This time, for sure.

“I’ll do everything right for once.” I felt this new sense of determination, which a mare should have when fighting for her place in a herd. Fighting metaphorically, of course. “I’m no longer that clueless filly struggling for a lost cause, and the dangerous vibes this bunch has around them are rather magnetic… Heck, I’m weird, and I like it! You can do it, Sugar Spice. You totally can!”

“Well, time is up for me.” Lily said, after throwing another glance at the clock, and got up from her chair. “And don’t be so silent before him, or he’ll think he somehow disappointed or offended you.”

“Will he? O-okay, I’ll try. Oh… farewell hugs?”

“Yeah, hugs!”

Returning to the kitchen to finish my breakfast after talking out some details with Boss, I saw Lily and Sugar embracing happily. “They’re really getting along well, aren’t they?”

“Is it time already? Well, good luck, Lily. Take care,” I said, bending over to give her a hug of my own she was waiting to receive, also adding a light kiss on her cheek. That yearning look in her eyes was telling me how desired my actions were, and how much she wanted to just stay with us today.

“See you, Ray. Oh, and I’ll be stealing Sapphira from you tomorrow. Don’t ask, it’s a mare-only business.”

“Huh? Alright. Guess it’s good for you all to have some fun time in an all-girl company to unwind.”

Nodding, Lily quickly galloped off towards the exit, taking to the skies right after she passed the door frame.

“Energetic as always,” I remarked, turning towards Sugar, who was back at the table, sipping a freshly brewed tea. “Are you fine, Sweetie? You look somewhat — lost, ever since you woke up.”

Sugar almost choked on her tea, making a few coughs and patting her chest. “Phew… Well, I’m… I’m good, yeah. Totally.” Her eyes were darting all across the kitchen.

“Careful with that tea, Sweetie. You know, you can tell me while we’re alone here. If you want to, of course.”

The chef left the kitchen after she made our breakfast. The lack of guests in the dining hall allowed her to go out through the backdoor to check something in the main food warehouse. Looking at Sugar, I noticed her face reddening slightly once again.

Inhaling more air into her lungs, Sugar paused, hesitating. She was tapping her hooves together nervously. It was obvious she wanted to say something she wasn’t too comfortable speaking about. Then the look in her eyes became more confident and determined.

“Ray?”

“Yeah, Sweetie?”

“I…” I can bet at this moment she wanted to exhale and cease talking, but she forced herself to continue. “I really like you,” she said confidently, looking me in the eye.

“Well, that’s not a big secret, Sweetie, as well as me liking you.”

Sugar’s brows furrowed a little before she continued. “No, not like that. Not like — friends liking each other, but… but… like a mare liking a stallion.” Seems it was the limit of her courage, as her sight turned to her plate with sandwiches, and her figure slouched slightly.

“Well, fuck me. It seems it bothers her much more than I supposed, and some emergency measures are in order. I can’t just leave her in this state and carelessly go do my things,” I thought, sighing.

I walked up to her. “Silly filly…” My hand caressed her mane, then slid down to her barrel. I carefully took her into my arms, taking her up without a slightest hint of protest from her side. “I’m getting quite proficient in taking them up in my arms,” I joked inside my mind. An average pony frame seems deceptively light to the eye, but in reality, most ordinary men would struggle with the actual weight if they try to do so without causing discomfort for the pony in question. I guess it’s even trickier to pull off with a winged pony, as their wings are better left undisturbed. Though all of my girls have wings, so I can only suppose.

Sitting down on my own chair and sitting Sugar on my lap and against my chest, my fingers scratched gently behind her ears. I know it is very soothing for ponies, and Sugar was already feeling more relaxed, her eyes half-lidded. “That’s exactly what I meant, in case you misunderstood.”

“Really? But… I made all those lewd gestures, and you didn’t even bat an eye… So I thought you didn’t see me in this light.”

“Well, in my eyes, I’d say your gestures were cute rather than anything indecent. Well, maybe a little bit. Maybe. But it was fun. We humans might be much further down the lewd road that you might think…” I smirked, causing her cheeks to blush. “And I also didn’t want to get my herd jealous, and I know you were under a lot of stress lately. Such events tend to spark feelings, spontaneous feelings, which are often fleeting. I just… wanted to give you more time to sort this out, or something like that. Didn’t want you to do things you might later regret, with me being, well, me, and all that it entails.” I sighed. “And, honestly, I also wanted to give more time to myself, too. It’s still very confusing for me, who grew up in a ‘one stallion - one mare’ society. Sorry, didn’t want to dump it all onto you.”

Sugar looked up at me from behind her fringe, her glistening green eyes shining with a light of hope.

“What a horrible society… It’s so unfair for the mares who couldn’t get a stallion for themselves.”

“It wasn’t that bad, really. We had more stallions there.”

“Anyway, I… I thought this through, Ray. It’s not some… some superficial attraction. I’m sure about it.” She wrapped her hooves around my chest, burying her little muzzle into my shoulder, but she still looked at me sideways with one eye, half-hidden by her mane, with that puppy look. The one which threatened you to break into tears at any moment.

I sighed. “Sugar… That’s not fair. I’m powerless before this degree of cuteness,” I chuckled quietly, reciprocating her embrace.

“D-do you — really like me?”

“I do, Sweety. I do. And I’m not going anywhere. You don’t need to rush it so desperately.”

“Good. That’s a relief…” Sugar let out a sigh, and her usual smile returned to her face. “I did it,” she whispered at the very limit of my hearing.

The sound of soft hoof-falls coming from the main door to the kitchen distracted us. Sugar jerked, attempting to get off my lap, but I held her after noticing it was Flo who entered the kitchen. Seeing us, she beamed the most brilliant of smiles.

“Good morning, my little lovebirds,” Flo greeted us, her voice filled with warmth, making Sugar’s face redden instantly.

“Aunty! We’re not—”

“Morning, Flo,” I greeted her, noticing she was in an excellent mood today. “Come on, Sugar, do you think she doesn’t know?” I said in a more hushed voice.

“M-morning, auntie…” Sugar squeezed out of herself. “That’s… That’s embarrassing…”

“Nope, it is not,” I stated, resuming stroking her mane. “We were having breakfast here and — got a little distracted, as you can see.” I chuckled.

“Y-you know each other?” Sugar stuttered.

“But of course we do, dear. We talked quite a lot yesterday. Did you forget?” Flo answered before I could. “Ah, yes, yes, now I remember somepony just had too much cider yesterday.” Flo’s infectious laughter resounded through the kitchen. “And, please, don’t worry. How can I not support you courting such a fine stallion?”

“Wha—? Aunty!” Sugar inhaled to get more air for her indignant tirade, gulped the rest of the words she wanted to say, pretending to clear her throat.

“She is just messing with you, Sugar, but she means well.”

“I-I know… And… I’d not call it courting. Gosh, I screwed up! I should have called you and your herd on a date first, or something like that…” Sugar said guiltily, her eyes almost watering up. “Ah, I’m such a silly pony! I did everything wrong…”

“Ray, if I remember correctly, you are not into our courting traditions, right?” Flo interrupted Sugar’s self-bashing.

“Well, yeah, Sugar. I’m not even sure what is right and wrong about pony courting, so you don’t have to worry at all. Sweetie, if you want it, I’ll arrange such a ‘date’. I think girls won’t be against it. Though I doubt it would end differently from our dinner yesterday.” Damn, it seems it wasn’t only me struggling with my own cultural code here.

“Alright, it seems the issue is resolved, then,” Flo said, smiling. “You better finish your breakfast. The work starts soon. I’ll need you in half an hour, Sugar. Before that, you two can have some more free time for yourselves. I already had breakfast at home, so I’m leaving to check on some things.” Saying that, she turned around and started walking out of the kitchen, giving me a sly wink while Sugar wasn’t looking. Just before she left through the door, she added, “Oh, yeah, my dears. Now that Minty said it yesterday, I’m expecting both of you for a dinner somewhere this week. You can bring everypony, but tell me the day beforehoof.” Not waiting for our reply, she left. Obviously, she wasn’t considering ‘no’ for an answer.

Sugar blinked a few times in bewilderment.

“How come…” she trailed off.

“I’ll tell you later. You have a great auntie, Sugar.”

“Y-yeah, but we are not relatives.”

“I know. We had a pleasant talk yesterday, so I know a little about you and your auntie. Well, let’s follow her advice and finish our sandwiches and tea before it turns cold.”

Sugar nodded, finally getting off my lap, and we resumed our interrupted breakfast. While we were at it, the chef returned, making us unwilling to continue on the topic in her presence, staying silent until we were done here. Getting up from the chair, I straightened my shirt, and then unexpectedly felt a tug on my hand, finding Sugar’s hoof as the source of the tug, to my surprise.

“Would you mind coming to my room for a while?”

“Well, sure thing.” I guessed she wanted some privacy to continue our talk.

“Hey, Sweetie, how did you do that?” I looked at my hand.

“Did what?”

“Well, tugged on my hand.”

“Uh…” Sugar seemed surprised at the question. “Like usual, with my hoof.”

“I mean, my body seems to be utterly resistant to magic in most cases, so it’s a bit of a surprise for me. Now that I think about it, Sapphi and Lily seem to have never tried doing that.”

“Well, Sapphira can be called a unicorn, and they usually use their horn, as their hooves have less of a pulling force, and as for Lily… You know, it’s a little rude to do that, at least in high society, so maybe she thought she better avoid it,” Sugar spoke, performing another peculiar show right before my eyes. Namely, unlocking the door with a key using her flight feathers on the tip of her wing for it, which were moving and bending like fingers would. Despite her feathers being much more rigid, and still a far cry from actual fingers, it is still a commendable feat.

“Damn, you can do even that with your feathers?”

“Uh… yeah, it’s almost the same as we do things with our hooves,” Sugar said matter-of-factly. Opening the door, she ushered me inside and showed me to sit on her bed, then she busied herself taking out her uniform from the closet.

“Sugar, can you do it again? I mean, try to tug on my hand.” I asked, giving her a hand when she finally sat beside me.

“Sure…” Sugar took my hand, palm up, into her hoof, and now I actually felt some pull which held my hand pressed to her hoof. Then she felt my hand with her other hoof, prodding it and tracing my fingers one by one, pushing and tugging on them. “So soft…” she muttered. “But your hand can be so strong when needed...” Then she turned her hoof upside down, the same way my hand was turned up, her soft pinkish pad showing. She then wiggled it carefully, observing its movements. Then a surprised look appeared on her face.

“Sweet Celestia, can you believe I actually thought your joints were bending the wrong way? Silly me. We are almost the same, aren’t we?”

“Yes, Sweetie, for the most part. You are very perceptive if you can see it. If I remember correctly, this finger,” — I tapped my middle finger, — “Is what your hoof is, anatomically, and the hard part of the hoof would be my nail here. And you ponies are likely to have the other fingers in rudimentary form,” — I wiggled my other fingers for emphasis.

“But of course, we are all mammals. I’m sure this is not just another world, it’s exactly another, very distant and twisted dimension of my ‘old Earth’. There would be no chance at all for two different worlds to have the same vector of evolution and even identical plants and animals, not even mentioning civilizational and tech similarities.” I had such thoughts while Sugar was still busy fiddling with my fingers.

“Whoa! Your hands no longer look so strange to me, now that I know…” Sugar giggled. “And — uh — about our talk before… Sorry for, you know, rushing things, but I felt so… insecure.”

“It’s alright, Sugar, really.”

“I’m good now. It’s like a rock just fell off my withers.” Sugar beamed with a genuine smile.

“I didn’t know how much your gestures meant to you, so sorry about that.”

“No, no, it’s my fault. Some of those were pegasi things, which even other pony tribes don’t get the meaning of sometimes…”

“I really liked your puffy-fluffy chest, though,” I said with a chuckle. “Noticed Lily likes to do so, too.”

“Tee-hee-e,” Sugar let out a drawled giggle. “Nobody can do it better than pegasi, and maybe batponies, too.” She straightened her posture, and immediately the fur on her chest puffed out. “Just like that.”

“Can I?” I reached with my hand.

“Go ahead. This is not just for show, it’s for cuddles, too!”

The feeling her fur gave me was spectacular, that extra-soft, warm, flowing feeling on my fingers while they were slowly submerging into her fluff.

“Wow, so soft…”

“You know, we don’t allow just anypony to touch our chest tufts…” Sugar flashed me a meaningful smile. “See?” She showed off her chest. “No better cuddles than pegasi cuddles! Especially in winter.”

“Hm-m-m…” I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “Consider me sold out. When is the wedding?” I raised my brow, trying not to laugh.

“Huh? Wha—” Sugar’s mouth opened and closed back a few times, for I happened to short-circuit her brain for a while, until I could no longer hold it and exploded in a laughing fit.

“Ah! Ray!” Sugar exclaimed indignantly. “You… bully!” Sugar pretended to hit me with her hooves while laughing. “I think we missed some steps for it.”

“Then, how does it usually happen, Sweetie?”

“Well, uh… at first, a mare usually asks the stallion she fancies for a date…”

“Mare asking a stallion out?”

“Um-m, yeah? Is it something strange? Well, sometimes a stallion asks out a mare, but it’s more often for a mare to seek out a stallion or a herd than vice versa. Also, older traditions are still very commonplace all around, where a mare meets other mares of the herd first, even without meeting with a stallion prior, and it’s so swamped with silly customs and rules when it comes to the official part I don’t even want to talk about it.”

“Yeah, the male-to-female ratio sure did a number on the society norms here,” I thought, continuing to listen.

“So, overall, we mares gotta be…” Sugar paused, picking out her words and pressing her fluffy ears to the sides of her head, — “more persistent, and assertive, sort of.”

“Well, I’d not say you’re lacking in persistence and courage. At least you weren’t today.”

“It’s just… I’m not very good at that. And I’ve already made an unfortunate mistake before. Well, you know, with a herd. Uh… ex-herd. B-but it wasn’t even official, so it’s no big deal, I hope... I have only myself to blame for being so blind and naïve.” Sugar made a bitter smile, letting a mirthless self-mocking laugh. That must be about what Flo told me yesterday, but I’ll feign ignorance, as I promised her. “It’s so much different with you all.” Her momentary melancholy vanished as if it was just a mirage, while her emerald eyes were looking at me brightly.

“Uh-huh… I see. We can talk about it, Sweetie, if you want it.”

“Well… Maybe later, but not today for sure. It’ll just sour my good mood.”

“Alright, back on topic. What happens after a mare has a date with a stallion?”

“After that? Let me think… It can be several dates, actually, but at some point, if the stallion is in the herd, the mare… She should ask about joining the herd… Well, they set another date with an entire herd, to get to know each other better, and it can go over a few more times, or it can pass really fast and the mare will be accepted or, huh, rejected… But as for us, I don’t know… We all already know each other, more or less, so I have no idea what we should do, really!” She held her temples with her hooves, then blinked a few times rapidly, looking at me. “Any ideas? I’m at a loss…”

I once again couldn’t hold in my laughter. She could become a decent comedian with how expressive the emotions on her face can get.

“Phew,” — I exhaled loudly after my short laughing fit. “You are something, Sugar. We’ll figure it out somehow, I’m sure. We can just spend more time together, or go somewhere to have fun when all four of us have free time, make it something like those dates you mentioned, but without it being all stuffy and official, you know. Yesterday we had fun, hadn’t we?”

“Yep, we totally had fun! Now that you say it, it sounds so easy… Why was it so hard for me? It’s just silly! Maybe I really was too stressed...”

“You know, I wasn’t a sea of calmness either, thinking about us, you know...”

“Are you for real, Ray? Y-you were thinking about me?”

“Well, yes, Sweetie, quite a lot actually. Now that we have talked about it, it really feels much easier. That was indeed truly silly, to worry about it all so much… Now come on, let’s stop with awkward talks. I need that cheery, carefree, and fluffy filly from yesterday back, right here, right now!”

I spread my hands for a hug. Sugar stood up on the bed and backed off to the other end with a sly visage. Then she suddenly lowered her chest while her hind legs were quickly positioned, preparing for a leap, a little reminiscent of a cat attack posture, with wings raised high, but that was the last thought which came to my head before the naughty pegasus pounced at me, and I had to catch her into my arms, so we toppled to the side, landing onto the pillow of her not-so-large bed.

“You must really love doing that, Sweetie,” I said through laughter.

“Yep, that’s awesome. A pony stallion couldn’t catch me right into a cuddle like that. To Tartarus with those herd customs,” — she waved off with her hoof, as if shooing these thoughts away, — “I’m happy with how things are now between us. We can really figure it out by ourselves.”

“You don’t say, Sweetie. That’s the plan.”

“Now I feel like myself once again. Thanks, Ray.”

“You’re always wel—”

My mouth was suddenly occupied by Sugar’s lips in a short kiss, which lasted just for a few seconds at best; it was fleeting, but incredibly gentle. As she kissed me, she tilted her head slightly for better access, with her eyes closed and cheeks reddened. I slightly lamented I didn’t have time to react properly and kiss her back, but that will do for now.

“That’s… for a start. Did you like it?” Sugar said quietly, with a sheepish smile, quickly averting her gaze as her cheeks continued to turn a tomato color. It still fascinates me that ponies can actually blush, and to such a degree, right through their velvety coats on their short, elegant muzzles. It’s the same as their cutie marks, which always stay in place and are clearly visible no matter how messed up the fur on their flanks becomes.

“Ho-o-o, someone got courageous,” I teased her, chuckling, and sitting upright again. “Of course I liked it. You know, back home, if I said I didn’t like being kissed by a beautiful and super-cute girl, I’d become a laughingstock. But why do I have that feeling of déjà vu all of a sudden?”

“I… Who knows…” Sugar said, drawing circles with her hoof on my chest.

“Oh, you’re so busted, Sweetie.” I let out a short laugh. “You two little schemers… Yeah, I suspected you were up to something, and I guess the question with Lily is closed for you, right? Or was it Sapphira?”

Sugar nodded back at me with a guilty look. “It was Lily…”

“So quick to give her out…” I chuckled. “Well, the same goes for Sapphi if you ask me. I think she likes you quite a lot. Alright, alright, you did nothing wrong, Sweetie, it’s all good. I just find it funny.” I stroked her cheek with one hand.

“Oh, and did you just call me, well huh, super-cute and… beautiful?” Sugar once again shifted her gaze away from my eyes.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I said, and I can say it again: beautiful and cute.”

“T-thanks, Ray. But… I-I don’t think I’m something special… in the beauty department. I’m short, kinda, and my flanks are not too great with me being a pegasus and all, and I can’t flaunt strong muscles like good fliers do either, a-and my colors are rather pale, with just a single bright lock in my mane… and—”

“What a bunch of nonsense! In my eyes, you are beautiful. What you mentioned doesn’t make you any less beautiful for me, it just makes you who you are. I see nothing wrong with your physique or colors, if you ask me.”

Without saying anything, Sugar just leaned closer to me, hugging my chest and trying to hide her still ruddy face in it. Then her quiet voice reached my ears, “See? That’s why… That’s why I was so afraid that if I don’t tell you now, I might find you gone one day and… and…” she trailed off and fell silent, only pressing her head to my chest even more. “Where else would I find somepony like you?” she whispered, rubbing her forehead on my chest.

I embraced her, caressing the back of her head gently with my free hand. My fingers were slipping into her mane and going back in soft moves. “And that’s why I won’t suddenly disappear anywhere.”

We sat like that for a while, Sugar blissfully enjoying our time together with a subtle smile. “Well, alright, if they all want a herd together, then a herd is what they’ll get. Who in their right mind can reject a girl like this, huh? Not me, obviously.” But then I remembered the time limit Flo gave to Sugar.

“I almost feel bad about telling you, but do you have to prepare anything for work? You don’t have exactly much time left, I suppose.”

Sugar started up, detaching herself from me. “Gosh, I almost forgot! Oh, huh, I don’t have much to prepare, actually. Just need to put on my maid outfit. Can you help me with that? Sometimes it can become too tedious of a task to put my wings through those narrow cutouts on the back.”

“Easily — it’s a piece of cake compared to the armor the girls sometimes have to wear.”

After I was done helping Sugar with her uniform, and I was sure touching pegasi wings like that was allowed only to their closest ones, I wished Sugar a pleasant day and returned to my room, while not forgetting to ask her for some paper and a writing tool. Luckily, she had both a pencil and a still unused notebook in her room.

Damn, I’m so glad ponies had come up with the idea of pencils, as well as had capabilities to mass-produce them. Otherwise, the only alternative would be a pen and inkwell, as I found out, which would’ve likely resulted in a dirty mess on the paper, and with my hands stained with ink all over. It felt awkward when I asked for a pen, and Sugar had no idea what it was. Actually, there is no word for ‘pen’ in Equestrian, so I had to be ‘inventive’ with my explanations. She found the idea of gel and fountain pens interesting, but said she never saw anything like that. Sugar only suggested some unicorns proficient in enchantment might have made magical trinkets like that for their personal use, but nothing like a common item meant for everyday life.

As for why I suddenly needed a notebook and writing tools, I just decided to organize my memories and thoughts I deemed more important at the moment, and what better way to do that than to make some notes for future reference? Sapphira is still sleeping, anyway, so I opted for a more quiet activity.

I was sitting at the table in our room, pondering over what I should start with and fiddling with a pencil in my hand, my oh so old habit which suddenly resurfaced. I turned over the colorful, albeit simple cover of the notebook, opening the first blank page, its yellowish color, along with a papery smell, was giving off pleasant old-times vibes. “Where do I even start? Well, let’s start with the basic logic I was taught — to try to understand everything, you have to start with yourself first, and while it may sound vague, it’s more than accurate in my case.”

Focusing my mind, shuffling through the vast reserves of knowledge, which would easily take tens of years to learn if I had to do it in a common way, I eventually found what to start with to connect my ‘past self’ with what I have become now firmly. That is, I needed to fully understand what my body, and perhaps my soul, too, had to undergo a little more than a week ago. That spell back then, other than alerting the local diarchy, had reformed my body and caused me such an amount of pain that my consciousness couldn’t tolerate it at all. It was implied that my body, if left as it was, would burn out, unable to contain my transformed soul.

“Yeah, that’s it, but what language should I choose? I guess I better write in one of Earth languages, choosing the hardest of the three I know. Should my notes ever get into the wrong hands, they would be extremely hard to decrypt without any references whatsoever.”

With such a thought in mind, I started to draw an outline of a human body schematically. It felt weird, but my drawing was extremely accurate, though with no artistic sense in it — just plain,almost machine-precision lines remained on the paper following the pencil lead, which steadily slid across its surface. After finishing drawing a human shape, I put down the pencil, looking at my hand in bewilderment, slowly playing with my fingers. “What a nice bonus. Not too useful, but nevertheless a nice one.” I smirked, taking the pencil again.

Though when I remember what I’m supposed to be able to do with these fingers of mine, and a degree of precision and control which I have to have over them in order to avoid terrible failures while controlling my energy flow… Failures which may cost lives. Well, that makes a lot of sense, but to achieve perfect control, a lot of practice will be in order.

The very first thing I drew next was a simple circle in the center of the chest. Inside it I added a small picture of an octahedron, then added a footnote and wrote: ‘Soul Nexus’. Of course, in reality, it didn’t look like that, and it wasn’t even a part of my body per se, but this place is where my soul connects to both my physical and energy bodies. When Falda’ar was explaining this, most of the stuff pertaining to soul was too out of my understanding, so he had to somewhat dumb it down for me.

Generalizing, I can say it is the very place where my soul resides, something intangible that makes me, well, me. I have nothing to compare it to, but it must be very different from what the regular ‘mortals’ have. Yeah, Falda’ar has a habit of calling all the common folks, who are living around the multiverse on whatever space dirtball they happen to populate, ‘mortals’. I must add that it’s not only the place which contains my soul. It is a fortress for it, an armored shell, and also my ‘escape pod’ in a scenario where I somehow manage to lose my life. It will allow Falda’ar to ‘take me back’ after my failure, whatever that might mean, but I’m not planning on checking how it works, for a very obvious reason.

Then I drew another circle, somewhere around where my solar plexus must be. I placed a simple little depiction of the atom inside it. Well, it just felt fitting for its purpose: ‘Energy Core’. It wasn’t the actual name, but the real one would be too much of a mouthful, if it wasn’t just another one of Falda’ar’s jokes, of course. It is a so-called energy organ with a purpose of receiving, giving out and otherwise rerouting and converting power. Not only is it the main hub for distributing my ‘Life Essence’ all over my body, but it is also the focal point for the process of converting the background magic flow into ‘Life Essence’ itself, and it is the only method of replenishing my energy available to me at the moment.

So, the Energy Core is essentially the center of my ‘power grid’. It is also one of my weak points, and an attack with a little more than just regular magic to it, with something the like of my own ‘Life Essence’, might bring me great harm if it hits this spot. On the other hand, physical force and regular magic alike can’t interact with it at all, aside from damaging my physical body, which I can fix afterwards… if I’m still not dead, that is.

The changes I underwent not only added those weird energy organs into my body, they changed the very structure of my cells, and even the DNA of every single one of those inside my body. That spell had also formed a complete energy body, mirroring my physical one. Organelles, never seen inside human cells before, were a norm for me now. Their purpose is to conduit, store, and use my power to my cells’ benefits, connecting my physical and energy bodies into a single, wholesome entity, and allowing my entire body to perform vastly outside of what might be expected from a regular human.

The main energy channels were laid along my nerves, as my neurons had acquired new functionality, focused on energy transfer. It actually was a good explanation why I found my hands, and specifically fingers, to be the most convenient tools to channel my power through and control it. No surprise there, not with their tactile sensory capabilities. The second best would be my eyes, also very rich in neuron cells, but they served another purpose already. The brain had exclusively retained its old functions, and all the changes to it were focused on bolstering my mental capacities, though for now those improvements must be minor at best. My ability allowing me minute control over the tiniest movements of my fingers and drawing blueprint-grade images, is a good example of the fine control over my muscles my brain provided. I turned the page to jot down some important points about my body I found useful to remember.

Putting down line after line of handwritten text, I found that this effect didn’t apply to my regular sloppy scribbles, but still they are somewhat more neat than they used to be, even though I’m paying very little attention to the quality of my handwriting right now. Well, this may become an upside in case somebody tries to decrypt my notes — the sloppier they are, the harder it will be to do, but whatever. As time passed, more and more pages were being filled, until I returned to page one to add more stuff to the schematic.

I drew a large circle inside the stomach area and added a picture of a battery inside. ‘Energy Storage’ — yeah, this name might be rather unimaginative, but that’s essentially what it is. Nobody is here to blame me for my bad naming sense, anyway. Every ounce of energy the Energy Core takes from the outside world must be stored somewhere, and when the need arises, it must be returned to the system from somewhere, too. And while every part of my body is capable of that, the cells of my internal organs and intestines, with both their physical and energy structure, are specialized for this simple task: to help to retrieve Life Essence from its stores and send it to the Energy Core. Then they receive that energy back for storage when it’s no longer needed. Simple as that.

One must not mistake the energy organ for a physical organ with modified cells, for those cells are only gateways which connect my physical body to my energy body and organs. It’s made of pure Life Essence in a way I still have no knowledge of, and chances are I won’t understand it clearly for long years to come. Every explanation Falda’ar tried to offer me was just too out of this world… Well, out of the world I used to call home, at least. I guess I just don’t have the required basis to understand any of it, so I just had to accept it as is.

The next circle was drawn inside the head, with an icon of the brain inside it, then a smaller circle was added right below it with an icon of an eye. ‘Mind Focus’ and ‘Mind’s eye’. The former is essentially an extension of my brain, and I know very little about its workings or functions, but they must be of a similar nature. ‘Mind’s eye’, on the other hand, is an organ I actually used to see, in my eye’s stead, when I used my ‘Life Vision’. It may be the very basic technique, though also the only one I currently have the memory of, but it isn’t simple, and I still have a long way to go before I can use its full potential.

Yeah, a technique. It’s called like that for a reason, for it does not require me to construct a spell. Spells based on Life Essence are still out of my grasp, and I have no recollection of learning them, even a single one. Falda’ar said I’m still too inexperienced for that, and learning spells would be more of a threat to myself and others than something useful for now. So I was stuck with techniques. They require only precise control and a strong, similarly precise intent, or ‘will’, as some may call it.

As a finishing touch, I drew all the main energy channels, generally going along the main nerves, connecting all the drawn stuff together, with a few exceptions. Exceptions like a main ‘power line’, as I call it, connecting Energy Storage, Energy Core and Mind Focus directly in a thick straight line. I bet all local creatures must have something like this energy network in their bodies, otherwise all this magic won’t make much sense. After looking over my work once more, I finally began gradually catching up with my understanding of my own body and how I actually get and use Life Essence. A lot of things, which didn’t make much sense to me before just yesterday, now do. The knowledge lay down on the pages of this cheap notebook worked as an anchor for the rest of my memories, now filling the gaps in my understanding at an increased rate.

A content smile crept up my face from the feeling of a work well done, and I slowly submerged my mind into a focused, meditation-like state to work further on it all, shutting out the outside world almost completely.

“Ray-Ray-Ray-Ray-Ray-Ray—” I heard as I struggled to not fall off my chair from the intense shaking which suddenly kicked me out of my concentrated state.

“Wah!” My hand shot forward to grab the edge of the table, saving me from the fall. “Fuck! Sapphi? What’s happening?” I looked at panicking Sapphira, who just stopped shaking me like it’s no tomorrow. Her tense face relaxed, and she just slumped her upper body onto my lap, loudly exhaling in relief, her forehooves hanging down limply.

“I thought something bad happened to you. Sorry. When I woke up, I couldn’t feel even a tiny bit of your emotions, despite seeing you right in front of me. And you just sat there still, completely unmoving, not responding to me no matter how much I called, or how much I shook you. So I thought that…” She inhaled deeply with an intent to say more, but then her chest deflated as she exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. “Just forget it… I overreacted.”

I rubbed my face, processing what she said. Well, if my concentration can completely remove my emotional aura, then it’s understandable, considering her sense of emotions is likely the primary way of perception when interacting with others. Damn, I must’ve really scared her. And I’ve also found out a clue about how to hide this aura from others.

“Sorry to make you worry so much. I was just — extremely concentrated. I know it wasn’t the best way to wake up for you…” My hand quickly found its newfound favorite place on top of her head, stroking her silky mane. “Want me to make up for it?”

“Mmm-uh-huh,” she mumbled, nodding.

I bent down to get a better hold of Sapphi, then carried her back to the bed, landing beside her after that.

“So?” I put my hand on her shoulder, sliding it down her figure slowly. “Ear scratches, belly rubs, kisses, massage, breakfast in bed, or,” — My hand slid further down her side and caressed her thigh, — “maybe something else entirely? I’m all yours…” I half-whispered.

“Awww, how sweet… All of it, if I’m being completely honest.” Sapphira showed me a toothy grin. “But I’m still concerned about our ceiling here, so some kisses would suffice for now, and I’m still too full of magic to eat so much… Also, we planned to do quite a lot today, so we better not tarry. Or else we’ll just skip our morning like that, or at least what’s still left of it.” She looked at the window. The heat of the day was long present outside, and the only thing saving us from it must be that light conditioning the hotel most probably had. “I’ve slept in — quite a bit, I guess.”

“Yeah, but you all more than deserve a good rest.” I said, stealing her lips. “By the way, what have you and Lily planned together for tomorrow?” I asked after our lips had parted.

“That’s a secret,” she said, a sly sheen in her eyes.

“Well… Do whatever you want, I won’t pry so as not to spoil your fun,” I whispered into her satiny ear, tickling her with my hot breath, then traced the outline of her ear with my lips. Devoid of any fur, her ears looked more narrow than pony ears, despite actually having the same shape. Their texture was so soft and satisfying to the touch.

“Ah…” Sapphi gasped. I noticed the skin on her face started taking on a darker, slightly redder tint, most likely because it was turning her on rather than because of embarrassment. “No, no, no, I won’t say a word to you, no matter how much I love you.” She made another gasp as I switched to her right ear. “M-mh, don’t tease me. We need to get up and get ready to go out into town.”

I chuckled. “At least you’ll know how it feels to be in my shoes every single time you do it.”

Sapphira giggled. “Do you think it’ll stop me from doing that? And I also don’t wear shoes.”

“Should we buy you a pair, then? Oh, yea, it should be a quad, not a pair… Daym, it must be expensive for ponies to buy, uh, hoofwear.”

“That would be unnecessary. The extra chitin on my hooves makes them even more sturdy than those of earth ponies.”

“You don’t understand, Sapphi. It’s more about convenience and style rather than protection.”

“Well, we’ll see about that, some time later.” Sapphira’s gaze suddenly became unreadable, and, if anything, I could call it concerned. “I still need to ask you something. Something important…”

“Yes, Sapphi?”

“Do you… Do you love the Princess?”

I coughed from the suddenness of this question. “How—”

“Did you think I could miss that explosion of love? It woke me up with a start at night. It was impossible to miss, and it was unmistakable: it was her… again. With that peculiar taste to your emotions you always have after you meet her every time. So I guessed she had entered your dream tonight.”

“Sorry, Sapphi…” I looked down.

“Why? No, Ray. If anything, I must be happy to have a relationship with such a powerful mare… It’s just… I don’t know how to say it right… I’m so, so much less than her. I’m almost nothing in comparison, in everything. How can I even hope to compete with her? I fear she might just take you away to her white castle, putting you behind those walls, away from me… But you are still here, still caring for me, I can feel it so vividly, and still I… I don’t know what to think of it.” Sapphira leaned closer to me, falling silent. Only her cheek kept rubbing on my chest slowly.

“I’m sorry for not telling you.” I cupped the side of her head with my hand, rubbing her cheek with my thumb gently.

“Not that I didn’t know it, really.”

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again: if I’m going anywhere, I’m going with you. Or I’m not going at all. My world will lose colors without you in it.” I didn’t lie even in the slightest here. Whatever the real reason might’ve been, be it magic involved or some strange pheromones, I don’t really care. I got very attached to Sapphira, and the reverse is also true. Though I suspect Life Essence, for that simple circuit I found inside her after her transformation, is not dissipating. It’s even sustaining itself on its own, and it feels like she has a part of me inside of her, almost literally. I can feel this link. It’s just a mere thought away.

“And without you, I won’t have my place in this world…” Sapphira almost whispered, and I felt wetness on my thumb, as a tear rolled down from her eye. It made my heart bleed. Damn, I was always bad at dealing with crying women. They always made me too soft, and this… This is even worse. So that’s what has been bothering her all this time, since the early morning.

“Please, Sapphi… Don’t cry,” I tried to placate her. “If you want, I… I’ll speak with her, and…”

“No!” Even more tears started to roll out of her eyes. “In no way I want you to turn away from her! I’m terrible… I’m so selfish… I know she must love you too, I just know it… But I’m like a bad, greedy changeling who wants to keep your love all to herself.” Even more tears stained her cheeks.

“Think, Ray, think. You must break her self-flagellating pattern to get her out of it.” I was racking my brain over it.

“No, Sapphi. You share your love with Lily, and even with Sugar. And it was you who suggested it in the first place!” I shifted her position a little, so her magnificent, albeit teary, eyes stared into mine like a pair of large azurites. “You are not selfish. You are the best girl I have ever known in both worlds. The best, Sapphi, and I love you for who you are. That little bit of jealousy, I can understand very well. We humans are very prone to it ourselves.”

Slowly, a smile crept up her face. I wiped the tears from her cheeks while her hooves moved around my neck unhurriedly. Then she took me in an unusually firm embrace, as if she feared I might disappear the moment she released me.

She let out a soft sigh before whispering in my ear. “Jealousy is still a bad thing. Bad for the herd. Bad for the hive. Bad for everybody. Next time she comes, tell her I want a word with her. I know she is a good pony. She helped us, maybe even saved our lives, and she is still helping us even at this very moment.” She paused, sniffling lightly. “And sorry for the scene — it’s really not like me… I don’t know what came over me. I think I just let everything that happened to us pile over on me and then kept everything locked inside, until now… You are the best, too.” Sapphira released me, but only to catch me in another kiss.

Step by step, I was going down the stairs unhurriedly. Letting out a light sigh, I thought if I had bitten more than I could chew. In a span of just one morning, I had to work really hard just to calm down two mares, and it took a certain toll on my mental fortitude. Lily, on the other hand, didn’t give me any trouble at all. At least I won’t have to worry about her being too distracted while she is out there. Well, I can’t really blame them for anything. Some of those difficulties were created by myself in the end, and others just by our situation itself.

Still, I’m surprised that I somehow got all this relationship chaos under control, more or less. Perhaps it was not as chaotic from the start as I thought it was. The girls lived in this society for their entire lives, and obviously they know what they are doing much better than I do. Now I know they all want a herd, and there is no longer anything to really worry about other than more mundane things. There is only Luna left, and everything about her is as unpredictable as it can get, considering the state she was in when she ran away. But I better not forget she has hundreds of years of experience, so I better not stress myself out and just wait for the night to come — I have faith in her.

Though, if I look at the bigger picture, my situation is not bad at all, and my worries are rather insignificant. It is actually good for me, because I finally feel alive. So very alive, after all that time spent in relative isolation. The time which feels like it was years, and years, and maybe even more years. And now I’m finally unleashed upon this world, so hungry for everything a human being can crave. This feeling was suppressed by the need to survive in the jungle, but now it’s coming at me in full force. And I’m gonna take it all, all that I’ve missed throughout these years, slowly, but surely. A grin formed on my face as I acknowledged my true desires one more time. Perhaps Falda’ar planned for it? He knew how I would feel, so he gave me almost full freedom and lots of time.

Downstairs, the dining hall was much more lively, now that it was getting closer to eleven. A considerable part of tables were occupied. I wanted to get a regular breakfast for Sapphi, and order us some extra. “That omelet with fried tomatoes and cheese looks yummy,” I thought as I passed by a bright yellow pegasi mare, digging into one with gusto. Pegasi seems to be more into high-protein foods as far as I can see. Must be something to do with flying. I still haven’t seen one eating meat, at most fish or eggs.

“Will Sapphi like it if I take one for her? Well, I guess I’ll have to figure it out,” I thought with an intention of ordering it.

“Hey Flo!” I called my good ‘big sister’ when I saw her walking by the table I took a liking to. It was once again closer to the farther part of the dining hall.

“Oh, she is finally up? The poor filly must be exhausted by your misadventures.”

“She’ll be fine — Sapphi is strong. She just needed a bit of good rest.”

“Naturally. So, want me to bring her breakfast?”

“In fifteen minutes, if it’s not too much of a chore — she asked for some time to ‘get herself in shape’, and I also want to order two omelets, the same as that mare has.” I pointed with my thumb behind my back, Flo’s gaze following the direction.

“Oh, that’s no problem at all, my dear.”

“Yeah, and one coffee for me, regular one.” I’m not sure Sapphi likes it, but she was fine with tea yesterday, and it comes along with porridge and sandwiches. Damn, I’m lucky there is coffee on Equis. There were times I was almost living on coffee. Of course, now I have a different kind of ‘doping’, but the habit, as well as a taste for it, still stands strong. “Guess Sugar is not working in the dining hall today, right?”

“Yeah, she is cleaning rooms today, with a special task,” Flo winked.

“Oh, I see. Well, I better not hold you then. You have many people to attend to, it seems.”

“Yeah, I better be going. Everything will be ready in fifteen minutes, or maybe a little later, considering the amount of clients.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Nodding, Flo left to continue with her work.

‘People’, I rolled the word I just used on my tongue. The word we referred to humans exclusively back home, but here, the local analogue is meant to be used to refer to any sapient folks. Thinking of language, it’s rather complex here. Take, for example, their names. They have a distinguished sound to them, but also carry a meaning. It’s not just a combination of words and sounds. Some human cultures had something like that, if I remember correctly.

While I was busy thinking, I barely noticed some ruckus happening nearby, until something hit me in the chest, not too hard, but the overall impact was great, almost pushing the air out of my lungs as something heavy slammed into me, pushing me against the couch backrest.

“Ra-a-a-a-y!” That something screamed, taking a hold of my chest with its hooves. What followed was a weird mix of laughter and sobs, obviously male in nature. Tearing the head of my assailant from my chest I found it was no other than…

“Sandy?” My brow raised. Tears were falling from his eyes, but his face had a dopey smile on it.

“X’cuse me, pardner, was too slow to hold this chap down. G’ mornin’, I s’pose.” I heard a familiar voice from my back as a hoof patted my shoulder.

“Yeah, morning. The kid had too much booze tonight, so he is yet to dry out completely. Don’t go too hard on him, he has a good reason for it,” a no less familiar bassy voice joined the first one.

“Guys?” I turned my head toward them, both stallions smiling at me. “Really glad to see you again, but how did you find me? And… What’s wrong with Sandy?” I looked back at a stallion plastered on my chest who started rubbing his cheek on it. “I hope it’s just another pony thing and not some gay stuff. But I’m almost sure it’s the former.”

They walked closer so we could shake our — appendages.

“That was not too hard of a thing to do. The rumors fly fast, especially if it’s a rumor that some biped knocked out a Mountain and kicked him out of Equestria,” Stout laughed.

“E-yep, all ‘dem mercs in the saloon were goin’ crazy ‘bout that.”

“My horn, Ray. My ho-o-orn!” Sandy almost screamed, still refusing to get off me. “It works! Almost like it should! That’s, that’s… Awesome!” Tears of happiness were still flowing from his eyes as the expression of utter happiness was on his face.

Out of habit, I just started ruffling his mane and scratching between his ears. Well, that didn’t feel awkward to me anymore.

“Oh, wow. That feels nice.” Sandy’s voice turned quieter and his head tilted back to get more contact with my hand. “Oh, hay, that’s really calming… Sorry to jump you like that, I was — too happy to see you.”

“Hah, still such a foal, F— Sandy,” said Fix, grinning.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right. You can’t call me Fizzlecrack anymore,” Sandy replied with a smug face. “All thanks to my best bro here!” He patted my shoulder.

“Alright, now stallion up and get off your best bro’s barrel and stop wetting his coat, or somepony around might start to get some wrong ideas,” Steel said with a chuckle.

“What wrong ideas? You hang out with minotaurs too much, Steel. It’s just bro-hugs, you hear me? Bro-hugs!” Sandy grumbled.

“I was talking about ‘wetting his coat all over’ part. That reminds me of one time in Fillydelphia when I had a ‘pleasure’ of having a few drinks with local stallions, who broke down to crying sops after just a few shots, clinging to my chest and complaining about insignificant nonsense, like one of their mares forgetting about their wedding anniversary. Buck, of course, she did, working day in and day out for the sake of their herd. What’s the big deal? And so on… That wasn’t nice to experience, Sandy, so I quietly sneaked away, leaving them to each other. Buck, I bet I’d have better time drinking with their mares instead,” Steel ended his tirade, letting out a brief bassy laugh.

Sandy snorted with irritation. “I’m not like them,” he scoffed, but stopped wiping his wet eyes on my shirt nonetheless, then got off my chest, sitting himself right beside me. “Don’t compare my horn to… that! Ah, don’t mind him, bro. Can I… get a little more of those scratches?” He asked with a sheepish smile, making Steel chuckle and shake his head.

“So, do you mind if we join?” asked Steel.

“You don’t need to ask. Come sit, guys. After all, you came here looking for me. It’s really nice to see some familiar faces, to be honest.” My hand was already busy with Sandy’s ears. His head shifted every once in a while so I could scratch his most desired spots. Damn, they all are like big cats. Even better than cats.

“Well, to tell ya the truth, it was all Sandy. He was fixing to find ya like his life depended on it,” Fix replied.

“Come on, guys, I owe my bro more than I can ever repay! I’m almost a full-fledged unicorn now! You won’t ever understand what that means to me! I mean it, Ray. Thank you. If you ever need something, anything I can help with, you just tell me.”

“You said ‘almost’?”

“Well, yeah, there is still some minor trouble moving magic along the mended leylines in my horn, but that’s nothing if I compare it to how it was before. Don’t mind it, everything is great!”

“Leylines? Is it how you ponies call your energy channels?”

“Energy… channels?” Sandy repeated my phrase, pondering. “Well, that name has some merit. Well, yeah, these spiral lines on our horns. The magic flows through them, allowing us to concentrate and command it. Your healing magic managed to fix them, for the most part. That’s something deemed impossible for healing spells, you know. At least the books say so. The cases of natural recovery are not unheard of, of course, but are extremely rare. So, yeah, I still have some resistance in the damaged areas, but casting spells no longer causes the magic to spill from the broken leylines going all haywire and sparky, so I’m really happy. No more headache and hornache for me, and no more crazy magic expenditure either, so now I won’t be tired like a dog after each shift…” He looked around nervously. “Phew, I’m glad there are no diamond dogs around. They kinda don’t like when I say this. A lot,” Sandy said in a hushed voice, letting out a stifled, nervous laugh.

I chuckled, ruffling his already disheveled mane once again and pressing him to my side in a bear hug. “I’m really happy to hear it. You know, now I’m sure I can finish what I started and make your horn work as intended, so,” — I slapped his withers, — “just come see me in a few days. There is still some minor residue of my magic left in your horn from the last time, so we’d better wait a little.” I lightly tapped the tip of his horn with my index finger a few times.

“Wha-wha-what? You can do that? Daym, bro! Let’s get wasted tonight! My treat!”

“Hey-hey, hold your horses, pal,” — I broke off, — “whoops, wrong saying.”

All the guys stared at me and then snapped into a hearty laughing fit at my words.

“I can’t—” Fix couldn’t complete his phrase through his laughter.

“Damn, you rock, colt! H-Hold,” — he gasped for air, — “your w— whorses, shit!” He continued to laugh. “That’s golden!” Steel wheezed through the laughter.

“Bro,” — Sandy said, suppressing his giggles, — “whatever that should mean, you totally blasted it in the most funny way!”

Chuckling, remembering what meaning a ‘whorse’ held here, and a fact that the local word ‘horse’ was almost out of use, I tried to explain, — “Horses, those big animals you can ride.”

“Oh, that? Haven’t they gone extinct in Equestria? Never heard about ponies using them like that. If you didn’t put another meaning for ‘riding’, that is.” Sandy chuckled. “Eww, no, that’s gross. Well, that was a weird phrase for sure. Must be a poor translation from your native, right?”

“Y-yeah, something like that.”

“But really, bro, if you can fully heal my horn, you’ll be my best bro forever! No, you already are!” Sandy raised his hooves in the air, almost jumping on the couch.

“Really appreciate what you did for the lad, even without asking anything in return. That’s something I respect deeply,” Steel said in a serious tone, holding out a hoof for me.

“I second that.” Fix similarly held out his hoof from across the table.

“No big deal, guys.” I shook their hooves firmly. “You really helped us there. It was only natural we somehow tried to help you, too.”

“Oh, what a rowdy bunch we do have here!” I heard Flo’s voice from the side. “Your friends, Ray?”

“Yep, they’re those guys I met at the station.”

“Really? Well, hello, fine colts! Want a snack, or perhaps a drink?”

“Thanks, beautiful, but I’m afraid after last night some light green salad would be the only thing my stomach won’t reject right now.” Steel chuckled with a wry smile. “And a cup of coffee. Double, please,” he said with a broad smile.

“Same, please. You, Sandy?” asked Fix.

“What? Me? I dunno. Same, I guess?”

“Great, I’ll be right back, colts! And don’t make too much ruckus.”

Watching her go with a dreamy gaze, Steel finally turned back to us, making a quiet whistle. “I be damned, dat flanks! Just look, quality stuff!” He exclaimed in a hush, a wide grin on his face.

“Yeah, not bad, not bad,” Fix responded, nodding his head.

“Well, I dunno. She is fine, I guess, but not really my age for me to consider her,” Sandy put in, shrugging.

“What do you know, lad? You’re too young for this stuff.” Steel laughed, shaking his head.

“There will come a day when I’ll say you are too old for this stuff,” Sandy grumbled.

“Ah, you little… I hope I’ll die before such a day comes.”

“D-die? Buck, still can’t get used to your frontier humor, Steel,” Sandy replied with a wry smile.

“Don’t get your hopes too high, Steel. She has a husband twice your weight in muscles alone,” I chuckled.

Steel snorted. “Who said I was gonna woo her? I can just appreciate some good flanks, can’t I? And I think you’re exaggerating quite a bit here.”

“No, I’m dead serious. The guy is huge. Ex-monster hunter, by the way…” Steel coughed nervously after I said that.

“C-can you please stop using the word ‘dead’ so casually, guys? It gives me the creeps,” Sandy weakly protested.

“Ya’ll get used to it. We’re not in ‘dat fancy Canterlot, ya know, where mares have bigger balls than stallions.” Fix said casually. “C’mon, we’re working almost on the outskirts of ‘dat bucking jungle-o-death, so stallion up already, Sandy! Won’t ya be able to just squash any vermin which comes outta it to hunt us? Now that your horn is fixed, with your talent and all?”

“Oh… Oh. Oh, yeah! Now I-I totally can! But that’s still a little scary…”

“Relax guys, the really scary stuff keeps far from the jungle borders for some reason. We’ve seen it ourselves, and some common animals are not too much of a threat, anyway. Timberwolves are the most you might see there.”

“Timberwolves?” Sandy shuddered. “Now that’s not too reassuring… but I think it still somewhat is,” Sandy said, getting into a better mood.

While we were talking, I noticed the amount of stares our table was receiving from all across the dining hall. Well, we weren’t the standard of being discreet to begin with, making a lot of noise. Those were not wary or curious looks I’m already used to — our table grabbed the attention of the female part of the visitors, for the most part. Their focus fell on the trio of stallions, obviously. Well, I can see why. Steel is a rather prominent stallion, and Fix is also not very far off. Sandy, on the other hand, is very young and — rather cute for a stallion from my human point of view. I’m sure there are lots of mares who might have a taste for somebody like him. To be fair, some of those mares throw me a few interested glances, too, occasionally, but those are brief and far between.

That gave me an assumption that I might seem, while definitely not repulsive, but not too appealing to the regular pony mares either. At least appearance-wise, for better or worse. Well, the unknown factor can be playing a big role in this, too. So, my girls might be viewed as having strange tastes by the others, I suppose. As for me, I don’t care much. Maybe it’s for the better, as having just three mares around can already prove to be a challenge for me. So the fact the mares won’t be leaping at me at first sight might be an advantage in my situation.

“By the by, where are the others?” Fix asked.

“Sapphira will be here real soon, and Lily is out-of-town today.”

“I see.” Steel smiled. “I hope Sapphira isn’t being bullied here, is she? With her being a changeling and all that…”

“I dare anyone to bully her.” I harrumphed. “Speaking of bullying, that Mountain guy tried to bully a maid in my presence. You’ve heard what happened then,” I chuckled.

“So it was all because of a mare? Daym, colt!” Fix laughed.

“Oh, by the way, it’s her, the beige one.” I nodded towards Sugar, who was talking with Flo at the moment. Noticing my gaze, she waved her wing at me.

“Pretty! Like, really.” Sandy looked at me, smiling.

“So that’s the kind of mares you like, Sandy?” Steel chuckled.

“What’s so bad about it?”

“No, nothing. You just never said it to us before.”

Having finished talking with Flo, Sugar immediately trotted to our table, and from the get-go leaned over it to nuzzle my face, keeping herself steady with the help of her wings.

“Your friends?” She beamed a smile at everybody around the table.

“Yeah. Guys, that’s Sugar Spice, my — uh, well — alright, she’s my marefirend.”

My blunt statement made Sugar’s cheeks redden a little, but it was too obvious how much she enjoyed me saying it out loud. I thought it was better that I tell the guys this news, to avoid any misunderstanding later.

“Wow, bro! Just… wow! Oh, sorry, miss. I’m Sandy Crunch. It’s good to know you.”

“Steel Sheen. My pleasure.”

“Quick Fix,” — He tipped his stetson hat he kept even indoors, — “at your service.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you all. I just wanted to say ‘hi’ while I was here, still have a lot of work up there,” — she pointed with her wing upwards, — “so I’ll be going. Have a good day.” Sugar beamed us a smile and trotted away.

“Bro, you sure know how to capture a mare’s heart… She seemed so — genuine. Will you teach me?”

“Pfft…” I huffed. “What is there to teach? Just look around. At least several mares around here are salivating at you all, and I’m sure I have nothing to do with that.”

Fix interjected, “Salivating is one thing, but to have genuine feelings… That’s a little different matter.” He sniffed the air, closing his eyes. “Just smell the air, pardner. D’ ya feel it? That’s the smell of love,” He drawled, chuckling.

I raised my brow. Was he talking figuratively, or did he mean that scent I felt around her the whole evening yesterday? I took it for a perfume at first, but it seems to be a natural scent. I once again looked at Fix, and decided that he meant the former.

“That, mah friend,” — Fix looked at me meaningfully, — “the way the mare acts… The way she looks at ya, the way she nuzzles ya, that trot with swaying flanks… And I’m not sure what those wings must mean, being all on show, but must be something, too. It all takes a little more time than that, ya know? She is really into ya, and ya met her when? The night before yesterday?” Fix chuckled. “I don’t believe in love at first sight, so ya must’ve impressed her. Mightily so.”

“I don’t know, it was almost the same with all three of them, and they assured me ponies are quick to form bonds, so I didn’t think really deep into it…”

“Fast to get together and start relationships? Yup, sure. Fast to jump into bed? Yea, maybe, though that depends. This, however? Not so much for it to happen in a day or two. She must have some really serious raisins. Conquering a girl by felling a monster like in fairy tales? Now I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Ray.” Fix laughed, without a hint of any mocking. “That’s great, actually. I’m happy for you.”

“Now that’s what a frontier stallion must be like, lads! Badass like Tartarus!” Steel chuckled with an approving nod. “To tell you the truth, we don’t really lack mares. Even here, in Appleloosa, where stallions are plenty, and mares are few. None of us really wanted to make a herd yet, though.”

“What? Few? Holy shit, if that’s ‘few’, I’m a little frightened to see what ‘many’ means,” I thought as I listened.

“Well, I have some thoughts about two mares. Twin sisters. Really nice and have plots like you won’t be-ll-ii-eve! Well, uh, this here lady really beats them, I must admit.” His eye darted in the direction of the kitchen door.

“Here you go rambling about flanks and plots again, Steel,” Sandy said with sarcasm.

“Shush, lad. Stay silent if you don’t understand flanks like a real stallion should.”

“I’m not an earth pony, you know, to be obsessed with flanks and plots.”

Steel just waved a hoof at him dismissively. “Well, doesn’t matter, you’ll get it when you grow up a little. So, we met for the first time accidentally during one of the festivities in the town. Not that long ago. One thing led to another, and we were not exactly sober by that time, too, and when the morning came, I found myself in an unfamiliar bed, with two mares cooking breakfast for me in their kitchen… Holy Celestia, they were wild like if they were in estrus.”

“Estrus? Fuck, do they go into heat? When? For how long? Library, my hopes lie with you.”

“So that’s where you disappeared to that time, Steel,” Fix replied, snickering.

Steel just shrugged, continuing with his story. “It all smelled more of a wild passion than anything else, and we didn’t really spend too much time together, so I thought it would be just a onetime occasion, but then… Well, you can guess it wasn’t the last time we met. And… you know, some mares just want to have a stallion and a herd, maybe foals, too. Just for the status it gives them among other mares, and just because they ‘should’. That stuff is very important for some, so they can go through with it, even without much feelings for a stallion. I wasn’t sure if we really had that spark between each other. They already asked me out on a date a few times, and did it properly, almost by the book, so to speak. Approached me all dressed up and stuff… I’m sure as Tartarus, they would’ve brought up creating a herd there. Scary…” He shivered slightly. “So I made some lame excuses and slipped away, and then that happened two more times…”

“You know, yesterday I met a stallion with almost the same issue,” I chuckled. “Well, not really the same. Namely, he is married to his work, while obviously having mares he likes around, but doing nothing to change anything. And he is very much like you, too. Come on, Steel. Maybe I don’t know many ponies around here yet, but all the mares I talked to seemed really honest. I don’t think they can entertain such devious thoughts like those you mentioned.”

“You haven’t been to Canterlot yet, Ray. Or Manehattan. You might change your mind quickly,” Sandy said with a wry smile, and Fix just silently nodded.

“Buck, Ray.” Steel stomped his hoof on the table. “You might be right, actually. We’re in Appleloosa, after all. Folks are different here. I’ll just have to bite it and see how it goes from there. Maybe I just didn’t want to lose my freedom and kept turning them down, making up one excuse after another.”

“That’s common for stallions around here, ya know? Nothing new ‘ere,” Fix commented with a tinge of apathy in his voice. “Most are coming for big bags-o-bits, not for mares. Y’all came here the same, and some of that rubbed off on me as well, I s’pose.”

“Fair point.” I replied, tapping my chin, then turned back to Steel.

“Those mares really seem to like me, and I don’t want to be a complete jerk to them, so… Buck, I already did it thrice to them and they still aren’t giving up on me. That leaves a bad aftertaste, sort of…” He sighed with a grunt.

“Remember the flanks, Steel,” I said in an insinuating voice, chuckling and playing with my brow. “Or one day they might just float away to another stallion.”

“Ye-e-es, their flanks…” Steel’s gaze became unfocused. “Yeah, I’m so gonna bucking do it! I’m gonna ask them out myself. I can already imagine their jaws dropping. That’ll be funny to witness.”

“Did somepony say something about flanks?” Giggling, Flo appeared beside us, making Steel cough into his hoof awkwardly. She was peppy as always, bringing a tray with three plates of green salad with indiscernible ingredients and four cups of coffee. “One is for you, dear,” she said to me kindly, proceeding to put the tray onto the table and distribute the dishes and cups. “Your food is almost ready. She is not here yet?”

“Yeah, not yet. No idea what takes her so long.”

“We mares tend to spend more time preening up than we suppose we would need, so just deal with it,” she chuckled.

“I just hope the food won’t turn cold by the time she comes down.”

“It shouldn’t. Well, bon appétit, gentestallions. Call me if you need anything.”

After receiving the guys’ thanks, she took the tray and left. My eyes involuntarily fell on her swaying backside, full and round, remembering Steel’s remarks. “Well, shit! I can’t say I don’t like what I see… Because I do.” One of my eyebrows furrowed, and I chewed my cheek, remembering her soft hugs from yesterday. That’s really not something I should think about.

“Oh, huh? Judging by those eyes of yours, I can see you finally understand what I’m talking about, unlike certain unicorns… I just knew you would.” Steel grinned. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think she fancies you, Ray,” he said thoughtfully.

“Well, we sure like each other, just not romantically.”

“I’d say that’s impossible, but alright, if you say so.” He decided to drop the subject. “Say, do you plan on doing anything tomorrow? Second half of the day. We have a few extra days off the management gave us for working an extra day at the station, with all that tunnel stuff and all the ruckus going about it. So I thought we might just hang out together while we have time.”

“I’m free, for the most part. Girls wanted to have something like a mare-only party or the like tomorrow, so I’ll be alone. Room ‘407’, if anything.”

“Alrighty, then we can even start earlier. We’ll catch up with you at four. What do you say?”

“Four? You have some grand plans, it seems, going out this early. But okay, all good, I’ll make sure to return by four, then.”

“Sounds like a plan, guys,” Fix replied.

“I’m in! And I’m paying for Ray. That’s not up for a debate.” Sandy chipped in.

The sound of hoof-falls drew my attention. Sapphira has finally arrived, her mane and tail combed neatly, and her face was refreshed. Nothing hinted at the fact she had not the best morning today.

“Oh, it’s you guys? Hi!” Sapphira waved her hoof, smiling. “Can I?” she asked Sandy, intending to sit beside me.

“Oh, yea, sure.” He stood up, letting her take a seat beside me. She sat down, leaning sideways against me. The table and couch were long enough for us three to fit in there.

Sapphira looked over at our group, squinting her eyes.

“Steel, Fix? You don’t seem to be alright, if what I feel is true, and Sandy… is drunk?”

“Oh, is that one of your changeling powers?” Steel asked. “But yeah, we both have a hangover, and the headache is already settling inside of my head, to be honest.” Steel rubbed his temples. “Damn this handover. Sandy will have it worse, I’m sure, when he finishes sobering up, which won’t take long.”

Fix just nodded, propping his head with a hoof. “Yesterday evening, Sandy got a tad overexcited about his healed horn and so we had more cider and other stuff than we should have drank as a result… Shouldn’t have mixed it all.”

Sapphira turned to Sandy with a surprised look. “Oh? Your horn, really? That’s good to hear. Congratulations, Sandy! I know how important it is.”

“Yea, t-thanks — S-Sapphira.”

Sandy obviously still felt not too comfortable being stared by a changeling at such a proximity. Her longer neck was even making her slightly higher than he was. Or… did she grow taller? I can’t say for sure.

“Damn guys, why didn’t you tell me? Come on, give me your hooves.” I held out my hand.

“This is just a trivial matter. And they were struggling all the time, sitting here and talking with me?” I thought as I put my Life Essence to work, letting it flow through my hand to their hooves, its faint glow disappearing, being absorbed into their forelegs and spreading further.

“You’ll feel better in a few minutes, guys.”

“Maybe it’s just me, but I already feel better, thanks,” said Steel after around half a minute, rubbing his temple with a thoughtful face.

“Me too,” Fix added. “You know, it’s nice having you around, Ray… You’re very useful.” He smirked.

“Why do I feel sober suddenly?” Sandy raised his brow.

“Enjoy your clear head, devoid of a headache, Sandy,” I chuckled, reaching my hand to him behind Sapphira’s back and ruffling his mane once again and scratching under his ear, receiving a content grunt from him in return. His eyes lidded in relaxing pleasure, while Sapphira threw him an envious gaze as I did so, but didn’t say a thing, just making her more comfortable at my side.

Soon, our food arrived while we talked with each other. Sapphira was not too talkative, but she is often like that around others. She finished with her porridge and now had some hesitations about the omelet.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Well… You know, we, changelings… We lay eggs,” Sapphira said the latter phrase in a whisper, taking another whiff of the omelet.

“Eggs? Damn, should’ve thought of it earlier…”

“But it smells so good…” She finally moved a piece to her mouth and took a bite, chewing carefully with a pondering look. The juicy flavor of fried tomatoes mixed with cheese and basil worked wonders. “What can I say… Guess I’ll say the chicken eggs don’t count and be fine with it,” she said cheerily, now digging in without any hesitation with gusto.

“That’s the spirit!” I said, being already finished with my plate.

“Take one of these sandwiches. I’m sure eating both will be too much for me.” Sapphira moved them towards me. “It’s already surprising how much I actually ate for just breakfast. Do you want me to become all chubby and soft?”

“Now that’d be an interesting experience. But no, not with your high metabolism.”

“Metha-wut?” Sapphira asked, with food still in her mouth. Yeah, we’ll have to work on her manners a little, but that’s okay.

“Metabolism, it means it’s hard for you to get plump unless it somehow slows down. You burn your food really fast. I’ve already checked. And you are underweight, so stop talking and finish with your food.”

To tell the truth, changelings seem to have an innate high metabolism, providing them with more explosive strength for their size, but at the cost of need for extra food, and probably emotions, too, in their case. It makes sense, considering Sapphira’s state when I found her.

“Fine, fine, ash you shay, luv,” she mumbled, digging into her food.

I smirked, taking one sandwich for myself.

“So, what y’all gonna do today?” asked Fix.

“Well… As you can see, we’ve solved our lodging problems, and I’ve got my hands on some bits selling some stuff we found in the jungle, so we’re good. We need to do some shopping, and I also want to visit a library. I really need certain books and hope I can find those there. Then we might just roam the town for a while. I guess we won’t be back until evening,” I answered, taking a bite of the sandwich. “And when the sun rolls down, I planned for some physical training. At least I won’t suffer from the heat that way.”

“Ah see.” He shook his head vigorously, then his gaze shifted upwards. “Hay, mah head really doesn’t hurt anymore! And ‘ere Ah thought Ah was gonna have a bad day — Ah still have some stuff to take care of. Thanks again, pardner.”

“Yeah, we all have some stuff to attend to today,” added Steel, and got serious with his salad, now that his stomach didn’t feel so bad anymore. “Glad we could catch up with you all here before you left for town.”

We finished our meals and talked for a little while longer before we said goodbye to the guys and went upstairs. Flo and Sugar were already nowhere to be seen, probably busy somewhere else.

Today I opted to wear only a light shirt and trousers we bought yesterday. It was fitting a bit clumsily, but ponies around had no idea how it should look on me, so I guess nobody really cared. Finally, I took my hat, which could be called a really fine piece of craftsmanship. I can say I’m even proud to have it — it’s fitting perfectly, protects me from heat, and, most importantly, looks badass, like nothing a regular pony might wear. But, well, Stout crafted it with a minotaur in mind, I suppose, and those guys are not into colorful and peaceful style.

I stood before the mirror with an intent to put the hat on and noticed one peculiar detail — now I had somewhat more hair on my head than I should have by now. Feeling it with my hand, I found its length had already reached almost a centimeter. Isn’t it too fast? That might cause me additional expenses at the barbershop, but whatever, it feels nice to have it back. Putting on my hat with a smile, I called for Sapphira, who once again wore her light dress, and we finally left for town.

Chapter 18 - The Library

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 12 - Life is Good [nsfw]

The ceiling was — unremarkable. My gaze wandered across the wooden boards, lingering occasionally on the lamps with a peculiar design. I was at that for some time already, having kicked back my head onto the sofa’s back. Sapphira was dozing off, leaning on my side, and I didn’t want to wake her up unnecessarily. I’d gladly do the same, but the sleep just didn’t come and my mind was inundated by random flickering thoughts.

“That’s it, finally. We are here, in the town, but what next?” I was a little nervous because of all the uncertainty. I closed my eyes. “That’s funny. After all that shit with manticores and other troubles, I’m still nervous about these insignificant things… The primary goal, our survival, is achieved, so, by all logic, I should be happy instead.”

I heard the knocking on the door, prompting my eyes to open. Before I could answer anything, the door opened and Lily came in. She skillfully shut the door behind her with her wing, not even turning around, and walked to us.

“Sorry if I woke you up,” said Lily.

“That’s alright, Lily,” said Sapphira in a sleepy voice, yawning.

“Silver Mist is still working somewhere in the town. Seems he dug up something substantial, otherwise he would never let the situation where Princess have to wait for him. We will have to meet later.” Lily sighed.

“That’s fine, I guess. The incident was quite serious, if anything,” I said.

“I’m tired, and need a shower, too. I see you’ve already finished with it...” Lily paused, looked at me and made puppy eyes, drawing circles with her hoof on the floor. “Ray… Could you… You know… Help me with my armor — and — washing my mane?” Seems Lily got quite accustomed to the advantage of having my hands around.

“Damn, how can anyone refuse her?” I thought. “Of course I will help, Lily… But this is a forbidden technique.” The corners of my mouth lifted all by themselves.

“Oh, come on, Ray, just go.” Sapphira nudged me with her hoof. “I’ll take a nap for a while.” Some lack of sleep over several days straight affected her.

Lily smiled and made a cute noise reminiscent of something in-between a quiet squeal and a whinny, tapping her hooves on the floor alternately, then happily trotted into the shower room. This is the first time she asked me to do something like that on her own, dispelling my doubts about whether she really likes me. I didn’t tarry and followed her.

“So, Lily,” I asked while unstrapping her armor, “will you be busy with all this chaos happening about?”

“Yeah, most likely.” Lily sighed with a distraught look. “The only time I really wanted to have some vacation, something like that had to happen… This place is understaffed, so, most likely, I’ll be busy most of the time until more personnel arrive. The good thing is that it should not last for more than a week, I hope.”

“We’d offer you our help, but I’m afraid we will be more trouble than help.” I smiled wryly.

“That’s true.” Lily laughed as I removed the last piece of her light armor, revealing the matted fur underneath. She flexed her webby wings, spreading them wide. “Ah, at last I got rid of this tight thing!”

I could not resist sliding my hand along the rim of her wing. It felt soft and velvety. I heard Lily squeak quietly. Her body shuddered almost imperceptibly.

“What… Sorry, Lily.” I pulled my hand back.

“Ah, no, no, it’s nothing.” Lily made an awkward smile.

“Does your wing hurt?”

“No, that’s… not it.”

I mentally slapped myself. Right, I already know how Sapphira reacts when I stroke her wings, and other ponies must be the same.

“Should I avoid your wings when washing you?”

“No!” Lily answered a bit too quickly and loud. “Um… I mean, why would you avoid them?” Her eyes blinked rapidly, her fluffy ears twitching. “Alright, let’s stop wasting time!” She changed the topic and entered the shower cabin, her tail wagging left and right. “What are you waiting for? Come in.”

I must admit, thoroughly washing a regular pony with a coat is much more troublesome than washing a changeling! But I’m not complaining. Washing a cute pony is a sort of special pleasure in itself.

“How do you do this by yourself, huh?” I asked, while rubbing her.

“You can guess… Not as good as your hands can do. That’s troublesome in some places…”

“Now the wings.” I took a soft brush and got to business.

Lily, with her eyes closed, looked happy at this moment and I could only guess the real reason for this happiness. Her wet tail slapped her sides loudly from time to time as she made occasional snorts. Her ears also did this cute little flick every time I brushed over more sensitive spots. Feeling my hand gliding over her wing membrane once, she shivered as she let out a broken moan. I just stayed silent throughout it, enjoying the sweet sounds of hers as she relished under my ministrations.

After that was a turn to wash her thick mane and tail. I put quite an effort into it, the same as I did for Sapphira. It’s the most conspicuous part of their looks, after all. A sloppy work just won’t do.

Lily laughed. “You know Ray, I’m sure you can make a living just bathing ponies. You are doing it better than any ‘pro’ in this business.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Lily.” I hummed with a smile.

“I mean it! Nopony ever washed my mane and tail this thoroughly before.”

“I’m just doing it properly. Can’t leave your fabulous manes without a proper treatment. If I can, that is. There was no way to do that in the jungle. Naturally, your manes require a proper wash after our misadventures.”

“Fabulous? You really like our manes, don’t you?” Lily said with a coy smile.

“Of course. Oh, want to hear all the truth?” I smirked.

“Truth about what?” Lily made a puzzled look.

“About what I like about you two.” Ponies seem to be rather blunt about many things, so why don’t I just play along? I already feel kinda guilty for keeping her at a distance all this time. My hand never stopped brushing her mane, though.

“Oh tell me, tell me!” Her ears rapidly twitched again, and she started shifting from one hoof to the other.

“I didn’t know you for a long time, but… I like everything about you two. It’s as simple as that.” I grinned. “Yeah, I’ve said it. Sapphira knows it even without me saying anything, but for you, I’m saying it out aloud.”

“I… I…” Lily became flustered and her ears drooped while her tail twitched nervously. “Even… Even with my bad temper and manners?” She looked at me with an almost pleading look, her yellow eyes staring right into mine.

“What bad temper and manners? Are you serious? Can’t see those anywhere. And what about Sapphira’s sharp tongue and manners? I find those to my liking.”

Lily’s ears instantly straightened up, her damp tassels made an arc in the air. “That… Oh yeah, most stallions would just run away from her even if she was a regular pony.” Lily chuckled. “You are a weird stallion, but I like it too.”

“See? There is no problem at all! Alright, that’s it. Time to dry you up.” I said, after finishing with her tail.

Drying up a pony is not a simple task either. The coat was still damp no matter how much I wiped it. Lily said to just leave it be, and now I’m drying and brushing her mane. This little piece of magi-tech is almost a copy of our electric hair dryer and it made my job so much easier. I liked that steampunk-ish design of metal and wood.

Still sitting on the rug, after finishing with her mane and tail, I marveled at the sight. Seeing them going from matted with hairs sticking out in places to voluminous and silky was a wonder. Her coat had a certain shine to it as well, under the light it shone with nearly a sparkling effect. It stuck to her tightly compared to her dry self, extenuating her form, but without the bumps of her post-armor fur. Altogether, she was a sight for sore eyes.

“Perfect.” I said as I was looking at Lily, rubbing my chin, acting like some expert in arts.

Lily stared at me with a strange, captivating gaze. My heart skipped a beat. A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. Her wings spread open in a flash and she flapped them, coming at me. Lily bumped into my chest, grabbing me tightly with her forehooves. We toppled down onto the rug, and before I could say anything, I felt Lily’s lips pressing into mine greedily. Her silvery mane streamed down by the sides of my head. “There is no going back anymore.”

I reciprocated her kiss, my hands grabbing her supple and toned body. Our tongues became intertwined in an erotic dance. Lily’s dam of suppressed feelings and aspirations have finally broken down, and I was on the receiving end of it all, not that I minded it at the least. Lily’s closed eyes half-opened, her bright yellow irises with vertical pupils stared at me with an unfocused gaze. She had a very seductive look at the moment.

Lily broke our kiss, panting for air. It was quite a long one. She became flustered, probably afraid of my reaction to her brash actions, but I hugged her more tightly, softly stroking her damp body. That soothed her quickly.

“You know Lily, you could just say you wanted a hug or kiss…” I said, chuckling.

“I… I’m just bad… With words…” Lily said, almost in a whisper.

“I can see that, but it’s not like I’ll bite you if you just ask.”

“Okay! I’ll try next time.” Lily smiled and made a pause. “But it means that you…” — Her ears drooped again — “you… agree to be my… coltfriend?”

“Oh, silly, of course I do! Wasn’t it obvious for some time already? Oh… I’m saying stupid things again.”

“You’re funny, Ray.” Lily almost literally beamed.

“I know.” I shrugged. “This situation is very unusual for me too, Lily, so I act funny and do stupid things from time to time. If somebody told me I’ll have two pony girlfriends a week ago, I’d just call him sick. Now look at me.” I laughed while scratching Lily behind her fluffy ears. “I mean nothing bad by that, and everything I said before stands true.”

“So, it was difficult for you too?” Lily paused in thought for a moment. “A bunch of weirdos, that’s who we are!” Lily giggled, closing her eyes in pleasure from my scratching.

“Can’t deny that!” I laughed back. “You know, Lily, I just can’t leave you without a proper drying. You can catch a cold and your coat will get ruffled if I just leave it like that.”

Lily smiled slyly. “You jest, Ray, won’t it be as easy for you as flicking your … finger to rid us of a mere cold?”

“Okay, you got me on this, but you can’t argue with the second part.” I crossed my hands before my chest. Lily, too, is fast at adopting my phrases.

“Alri-i-ight,” Lily drawled.

The drying process was going faster than I thought it would, and soon enough, almost all of her body was dry. I started working on her chest. Her coat there seemed more thick and puffy. After being dried and brushed, it had transformed into a cute tuft, soft and puffy.

“Look, I know you like it when I wash and brush you. So, why were you reluctant?”

“Um… You’ve already spent so much time on me…” Lily lowered her eyes.

“And I’ll gladly spend even more. You surprise me, aren’t you my, er, marefriend now? Isn’t it natural?” I said in a calming voice. Her reaction seemed strange to me.

Lily looked at me again with bewildered eyes.

“Really?” she asked quietly.

“I won’t be a man if I do otherwise.” I paused, remembering I used the wrong word. “Ah, yes, ‘man’ means ‘stallion’ in your language, I guess.”

Lily reared on her hind legs and hugged my head, pressing it into her soft chest.

“You must be one of the best stallions a mare can ever have! Even if you aren’t a pony. It’s rare for a stallion to give his mares so much attention and care. Other mares can even look down on you if you demand too much attention to yourself from your stallion.”

“Mmmm… Lily… You are so fluffy and soft…” I said, rubbing my face on her chest. “I’ll give you as much attention as I can. Ponies are weird…”

“And so are you, Ray.” Lily giggled happily as she wrapped her hooves around my head in a comforting motion.

“Oh, remember the first words I said to you when we first met?” I asked, with my face still buried in her fluffy chest.

“Something like ‘Sapphira come here’, maybe?”

“That must have been me dreamtalking. The thing I said when I woke up.”

“Umm…” Lily fell silent, her brows slowly creased, but then shot back up. “... fluffy?”

“Fluffy. Yes, fluffy. You are so, so fluffy!” I laughed, grabbed her and stood up, holding her in my arms.

Sapphira met us with a look of a content cat who just ate a sizable piece of meat. Her head resting upon her crossed forehooves with her tail swishing back and forth behind her. Letting out a sigh of contentment, she finally opened her eyes and looked at us with a half lidded gaze.

“So, my dear love birds,” — Sapphira chuckled — “it was a long road, but you are finally there, aren’t you?”

“Nothing can go unnoticed by you, Sapphi,” I said jokingly.

“Even without being a changeling, seeing her in your arms like that…” Sapphira trailed off with a wry grin.

“Hey!” Lily pretended to be grumpy, resting comfortably in my arms. “What’s so funny? I’m no changeling. It wasn’t so easy … for me, and for Ray too,” — she put her hoof to her lower lip — “probably.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Lily. I’m just happy for you two. A-a-and also for myself, too.” Sapphira giggled.

Gently putting the now squirming Lily on the sofa, I watched on in enjoyment at the quickly escalating scene. She turned her head to Sapphira with her pupils narrowed and quickly darted across the couch before wrapping her in a tight hug.

“Hey, hey! I’m having a rest here, you know,” Sapphira exclaimed in protest as she flailed her hooves in mock defiance.

“Serves you right for making fun of me!” said Lily, nuzzling Sapphira’s cheek whilst also tickling her with the tuft of her ears.

Seeing the girls cuddling with each other, a rather strange feeling appeared inside me. I gulped nervously. It’s not like I never felt affection and love towards women, that would be just strange, but this feeling… It has so much more depth to it. It felt like something had filled a hole within my soul, a hole I didn’t even know existed. Is it the magic in the air, or perhaps I have changed? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Oh, that damn habit of mine to think too much…

I threw my thoughts to the back of my head and joined the girls on the sofa. Lily did not waste any time and moved to my lap nonchalantly whilst Sapphira settled into my side. Lily appears to be a very affectionate girl, although she is trying to keep a reputation of harsh and strict professional to everyone else. For some reason, she never really tried to show that attitude towards us from the very start, and I’m not sure why, but glad she didn’t. Overall, all she needed was a little nudge and acceptance from my side, just like Sapphira had hinted to me before. I guess being a changeling really gives you an edge in the area of emotions, not that I’d tell her that. She’s smug enough as is.

I chuckled, already knowing what Lily wanted — some petting and scratching is due, or, perhaps, I should try belly rubs?

“Ray, if you continue like that, you’ll get me high on love again!” Sapphira joked, or maybe she didn’t.

“It’s better than seeing a poor hungry changeling,” I replied in a jokingly mocking voice as Sapphira rolled her eyes. Smiling, I had let my hands free all over Lily’s fluffy body, eliciting cute and content noises from her. Well, judging by Sapphira’s reaction, it wasn’t just my imagination about my feelings.

Sitting myself more comfortable, I relaxed as I busied myself with fiddling Lily’s ear tassels. Sapphira lazily watched on as my fingers danced lightly along the length of Lily’s fluffy ears. They flicked from time to time as my fingers went across some sensitive spots, making her utter quiet contented moans. “A little more and she would resemble a purring cat. Well, quite a big purring cat,” I thought to myself as I gave her a quick nuzzle.

As I did, however, I caught Sapphira’s look. She was grinning at me. “Ah, I must have a very weird expression on my face at the moment…”

“What is it, Sapphi?”

“Next time… Next time you’ll be spoiling me the same way!”

“As you say, my dear, as you say…” I said calmly, smiling, while my fingers continued their shenanigans with Lily. “I can do it right now, if you want.”

“No, Lily deserves it, you ignored her too much, you ‘wooden head’… Didn’t listen to me at all.” She nudged the side of my head lightly.

I chuckled. “Sorry about that.”

Lily opened her eyes unhurriedly. “I don’t blame him, everything was too fast, and our crazy journey in particular… We hardly had any time for it. I… I can’t even say since when I took a liking to you, Ray. After the manticores, perhaps? Or was it earlier?” Lily sighed, but a smile adorned her pretty face. “Not that it matters now.” She paused for a moment, once more keeping her eyes closed as she hummed to my gentle pampering. As she opened them, however, they had a certain playful glint to them. “Though… if you really wish to atone, I have a few demands.”

Leaning with her back on my chest, Lily held up her forehooves, looking me in the eye. “More hugs!” she demanded, and with the flick of her ears added almost inaudibly, “And belly rubs too…”

I was only too happy to oblige with such cute demands as I felt the warmth of their love envelop me.

Eyes flickering, I slowly woke up from my little slumber to the sound of a banging door. Feeling a little groggy, I yawned as I shook Lily awake, prompting her to slide back to the sofa from my lap, pretending nothing was happening a moment before.

“Come in.” I replied.

The door opened with a little creak, revealing a young blue coated mare with a violet mane. She was an earth pony. Giving a curt bow, she walked in whilst pushing a small trolley with food on it. I couldn’t help but to smile at how comedic the small cutlery looked, though I later spotted a few which were more or less fitting my size.

“Good afternoon, sorry for the delay! The kitchen is usually either on break or doing prep around this time.” Giving us a sheepish look as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment before pushing forward the trolley to us. Giving a glance at Lily and Sapphira as she started arranging the dishes in front of us, I couldn’t help but notice a small smile upon her muzzle.

Looking down at the mares beside me, I blinked… That is before I broke out in laughter at the sight of Sapphira having a trail of drool on her muzzle and Lily sporting what looked like a bird’s nest upon her head. Evidently, I had played a little too much with her mane before falling asleep.

Shaking themselves fully awake from their half asleep stupor, they looked at me quizzically.

“Wha- what’s so funny?” Sapphira asked.

Calming myself down to a gentle chuckle, I merely lifted one of the silver plates from the cart and directed it towards them. The sight of their eyes expanding to their fullest before they went about fixing their appearances even brought a snort to the waitress as she tried her hardest not to laugh.

“Stop laughing!” Lily exclaimed as she playfully hit my arm. I didn’t abide.

“Y-you should’ve seen your face!” I wheezed.

Now thoroughly flushed, she just lifted one of the blankets and buried her face underneath. Sapphira, too, sported a small blush, but had erased the source of her embarrassment within a second.

Petting the back of my fluffy little Dullahan, I passed the platter back to the waitress as she finished setting up.

“Nothing extraordinary here, just the things our chef could arrange from the ingredients present in our kitchen. A simple vegetable soup, salad, and… Oh, yes, the Princess hinted to us it would be better to make something with… meat. This is a ragout made of vegetables and chicken. Tastes good, as far as I can tell.” She looked at us. “What? We, kitchen workers, should always know what we are cooking and if it’s good or not.”

“Ah, no, no, we mean nothing of the sorts, just a little surprised, maybe.” I said awkwardly. “Please relay my sincere gratitude to the Princess, and, of course, thank you all for making such a sumptuous dinner for us!” I smiled at her.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just doing our job,” she said, but her smile gave her away. Properly thanking people for their good work is always nice to them. “I’ll excuse myself, then. Bon appétit!”

We bid her our farewell, and she walked out with a trolley. Our attention was drawn to the food. The smell was fantastic, but, well, as they say, hunger is the best seasoning.

“I’m definitely trying it!” said Sapphira, pointing at the ragout.

“And I’m not trying, I’m eating it,” said Lily. “After our misadventures, it’s only right to have some meat to keep in shape.”

“Not before the soup, girls. Eat properly.” I chuckled, as I started pouring it for everyone.

Among various items on the table, I noticed a little envelope.

“Lily, looks like we have a message for you here.” I shook the envelope and handed it to her.

Lily opened it and read it briefly. “That’s from the Princess. She says our stay in the HQ might attract unnecessary attention, and I totally agree with her on that. There seem to be a few places secretly under the control of Shadow Guard here. None of those are very good or luxurious, but that’s natural. I mean, the clientele is often rather dubious.” Lily furrowed her brows.

“That’s no problem. It’s nothing compared to living in the jungle, after all. Moreover, we’re getting it for free, so no complaints.” I said with little care, already almost finished with the first plate of soup, and I’m definitely going for a second. The hunger struck back with even more force ever since I smelled the food.

“Nightowl House…” Lily drawled thoughtfully.

“Why such a strange name? Doesn’t sound like something a regular pony would like.”

Lily’s eyes skimmed over the lines once more. “It doubles as a night bar and restaurant. Rowdy place, but it’s quite popular among the travelers, mercenaries, traders and other public seeking more thrills all around the clock.”

“Ha! Now I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“Oh, I guess you will see it soon enough. The other variants are” — she scowled lightly — “much less decent,” she said dismissively.

Lily put away the letter and returned to her soup. I couldn’t help but look at her from the corner of my eye. These dexterous moves of her hooves as she eats with a spoon… It will still take some time before I get used to it.

“I’m fine with any place,” Sapphira said, smiling at me.

I marveled at my appetite. Not only did I eat three servings of soup but also a whole plate of salad and all the remaining ragout, and I still did not feel like I overeat.

“Just where did all this food go, huh?” Sapphira laughed, looking at me.

“Beats me!” I replied in kind, shrugging. “Your human is not in a perfect shape yet and needs a lot of food.”

“And what will be your perfect shape?” Asked Lily, already munching on a big red apple.

Yeah, it is an apple. I’ll never understand why this world has so many similarities to Earth, including plants and animals. It can’t be a coincidence, it just can’t.

“My perfect shape… You’ll see after some time, if everything goes well.” I smiled mysteriously at her, sipping greenish juice from the glass. I could not discern the taste, but it was good.

“Now you have us intrigued, honey,” said Sapphira, with her trademark predatory smile and sly eyes.

“I’ll also make sure you get into your perfect shape, too. We both need a healthy diet for a time. Remembering your state at the moment I found you still brings me pain…”

“Aw, that’s nice of you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine now, even without a special diet, since we are together.”

“Even so, it won’t bring any harm.”

We talked while relaxing after the meal for some more time, but Lily had little free time for today. She still needs to return here later, so we started packing up.

“So, do you know where we should go?” I asked, closing the door behind us.

“Exit through the staff entrance, and then…” — Lily fiddled with her bag, trying to take something out.

“Here,” said Sapphira, her horn engulfed in a dark-blue magic aura. A folded map floated out of Lily’s bag into her hooves.

“Thanks.” Lily unfolded the map. “It must be somewhere… somewhere… here!” She pointed with her hoof at the southern area of the town, not too far from the train station. “And we are here.” She tapped her hoof on the far eastern part of the town. “In the warehouse area. Most cargo trains arrive here if not going further.”

Out of the corner of my eyes I’ve spotted a peculiar trio, sauntering towards the building Luna was residing in. It comprised of two unicorn mares. One had some sort of brown baggy cape over her body, accompanied by a little bipedal purple lizard, which was talking and gesticulating without stopping.

“Lily?” I whispered. “What is that species? I mean, the lizard.”

Lily moved her gaze from the map and looked around. “Oh, my goodness, don’t look at them, lest they will decide to talk to us,” she said conspiratorially in a quiet voice, returning her gaze to the map.

“Why?” I moved my eyes away and looked at Lily.

“That’s Twilight Sparkle, mind you.”

“Wait, what? A princess? Then why is she wearing that awful brown cape?”

“Who knows? She is strange, somewhat.”

“Seems you don’t like dealing with her. Did you have any unpleasant experiences with her before?”

“Yeah, and last time my workload tripled with no good reason, other than ‘I need to check this two more times’, can you believe it? I’m confident in doing my job properly the first time I do it. Come on, let’s go.”

As it seems, we still attracted the attention of a troublesome princess, as we moved towards the exit. They were going in the opposite direction, quite some distance away from us on the other side of the yard, so we should not meet. Ever since noticing our group, the princess was blatantly staring at us the whole time. She even bumped into a wooden lamp post on the way. Thankfully, her companions dragged her away, almost with force, pulling her into the door.

“Phew, we are saved,” I said, laughing. Lily and Sapphira could not hold their laughter too, remembering how the princess bumped into the pole, meeting it with the side of her head.

“She is really something,” said Sapphira through her laughter. “It is good nobody heard us here, lest they would arrest us for badmouthing royalty.”

“Oh, yes, the question you asked before, this was a dragon,” said Lily, leading us out of the door.

“… … What? No, really!” I had an incredulous look right now. “Why is the dragon so small?”

“He must be very young. He doesn’t even have wings yet.”

“So it’s like that… I see. Do they breathe fire?”

“They do. If not for their laziness and simple-minded greed, they would have taken over the Equis long ago with their prominent size and abilities, though they reproduce rather slowly, despite the rumors of their promiscuity.”

“Oh, they seem like a dangerous kind.”

“Naturally. Never underestimate dragons and their bad temper,” said Lily with a smart look, pointing with her hoof upwards.

“I’ll remember that.”

We were walking along the dusty street made of compressed mud and sand. The entire region was literally covered in reddish mud and sand, and then sprinkled with even more sand on top.

“The roads here must be horrible during rain…”

“Most likely, but I’m sure the weather here is scheduled and controlled by pegasi,” said Lily.

The farther we walked, the more lively the street became. Lots of carts and vans moving back and forth, varying from regular food vans to heavy iron carts loaded with steel ingots. Those were pulled by pairs of huge bull-like creatures. At first I took them for cattle used for heavy labor, until I saw their faces and… yeah, they talked.

“Are these guys bisons?”

“Bisons? What’s that? They are buffalos. Their tribes lived in this region even before ponies came here to settle. There were some tensions before between us and them, but those are mostly resolved by now.”

“Seems they found jobs suitable for them here.”

“Most are still living as tribes all over these lands, deeming life in the settlements unsuitable for them.”

Other than numerous ponyfolk, I could also see griffons and some diamond dogs, equipped with armor and cold weapons, escorting cargo or standing guard around the warehouses. It was the first time I took a proper look at those ‘dogs’. Not the most appealing kind, if you ask me, but their sizable claws and jaws did not allow me to look down on them. Among those dogs I could not discern any females, or perhaps there was not much difference between them, I can’t say for sure, but I saw quite a number of female griffon mercenaries, perhaps even more than there were male ones. They were throwing sharp looks at us when we passed by.

Going further to the southwest, the cargo traffic eventually dispersed and more pedestrians walked the streets. The street we switched to was also much broader and paved with stone bricks.

“Hey girls, does your hooves ache walking on those rough stones?”

“Nope, but we’ll need some hoof care later if we do that often,” answered Lily. “By the way, can’t you walk without your boots?”

“I can, but that will be uncomfortable and often painful. Our kind stopped going barefoot thousands of years ago. Getting new boots is gonna be a difficult task for me here.” I sighed.

“Don’t worry, while boots here are mostly for utility and fashion, there are enough craftsponies who might be up for that job, though that might cost us…”

A raspy yell from the side interrupted our talk. “Those pesky foreigners! It was so much better here in Appleloosa without that darn railroad! Now look, son, they even let changelings and, I even don’t know what, to walk freely in our town!”

I turned my head and saw an old stallion in the middle of a ranting fit, looking at us. My brows furrowed, but I didn’t have any desire to get entangled with the old moron. He had already attracted enough attention for the entire street to gawk at us. “Great, just great…” I mumbled through my teeth.

“Come on, gramps, stop shoutin’ in the middle of the street! That’s embarrassing.” A young colt tried to put some sense into his grandparent. Good kid.

The old geezer finally snorted loudly and walked away. “What’d ya know, lad! You’re too young,” he grumbled, walking away.

I shrugged, raising my brows. “No comments. Let’s go. This ‘what’ does not feels like arguing with old fools today.”

Sapphira nodded and stayed silent throughout the whole incident. Lily wanted to say something back, and her brow was twitching. I put my hand on her head and gently stroked her, calming her down.

“Come on, Lily, that’s nothing.”

She raised her eyes at me and exhaled. “If you say so… but that… That! U-ugh!” she fumed, leading us further.

I and Sapphira were already expecting such a reaction to appear eventually, but this attitude obviously irritated Lily quite a lot.

After everyone around stopped staring at us, I finally paid some attention to the architecture of houses and stores around, which finally replaced the never-ending unremarkable warehouses and solid wooden fences. Hell! This looks like wild west decorations all around. Are you kidding me?

“Lily? What’s wrong with the architecture of this place? Is that a common style for the entire country?” Rows of square fake facades and low-rise rustic-looking buildings built along the road created a sense like I was visiting a site full of props where westerns were filmed. It’s just… the colors were too bright and inconsistent. It seems like ponies just love bright colors.

“Oh, that… You can say it’s a local peculiarity. The style was left from the expansion era, and Appleloosa is one of the last frontier towns through Equestria. This style was already a history at the moment this town was founded, but they made it their town style, like a tradition, and it still stays the same till this day, attracting tourists from all across the country. Though… nobles disdain it, deeming it below their high standards, so you can rarely see any of them here.”

“What a strange place…” said Sapphira.

“You’ll get used to it, I hope,” said Lily with a wry smile. “Oh, we are almost there. That Nightowl House must be around the corner.”

Turning the corner, we appeared on another, more narrow, but still paved street. Nightowl House appeared to be a four-storey, comparatively large building, with a conspicuous sign. It did not conform to the overall design of the town. The mere fact it did not have saloon doors somewhat raised my hopes, as I saw some shabby drinking establishments made in that style along the way, and those left a rather poor impression. Opposite of it was a small square with some big trees growing there. Perhaps the square was made with the purpose of saving those old trees. Wooden benches were scattered here and there in the shadow of the trees, and the square itself was surrounded by smaller establishments and shops. Everything seemed rather nice here.

The place had many folks coming and going, from ponies to minotaurs and even buffalos. The latter were scary guys. I wouldn’t risk agitating them unnecessarily, for they are natural bulldozers on four legs, and nobody in their right mind would wrestle with a bulldozer.

The doors were large enough for any species I’ve seen so far to enter freely. They had two pairs of long horizontal handles, made this way to allow the comfortable use to visitors of different height and limb types. I pulled the massive door by the handle and held it for the girls to enter, getting some curious glances from passersby in the process.

I looked around the place. The inside was — cozy, and entire interior was made of matte dark wood. Larger part of the entire floor on the left side was dedicated to a bar with tables of different sizes and heights. It must be enough to provide a needed amount of places for the customers renting the rooms, with some spare. Ceiling lamps with a matted glass were pouring down a soft light, adding to the warm atmosphere.

The counter with the keys was absent as is. It seems we’ll have to ask a bar–pony if we want to rent a room. The said pony was busy polishing his bar counter, looking at us impassively from the corner of his eye. There were very few customers at this moment and he seemed bored. The most peculiar part about his otherwise unremarkable appearance was the fact he had a mustache. A damn mustache on a damn pony, can you believe it? And a black bowtie… the only accessory he had on him. Lily led us to the barpony.

“Good day! Welcome to Nightowl House. How may I be of assistance?” asked barpony with a faint smile.

“Hello. I’d like to see the owner.” Lily cut straight to the chase.

“You must be new here. I am the owner. I work at the counter sometimes.”

“Oh, that makes things simpler. I have a message for you.” Lily yanked a badge out of the pocket of her bag and presented it to the owner.

The owner fiddled with the badge on his hoof for a short while before giving it back. His smile became more natural as his eyes were inspecting me and Sapphira with interest. “So, do you require lodging?”

“Indeed, for an undefined period, but it won’t be short.”

“That’s not a problem at all. So, do you need a room for a single person, for two persons or,” — he looked our trio over — “on the last floor we have a few apartments for he-”

“The one on the last floor.” Lily interrupted him with a patter, hitting the counter with her hoof, her eyes serious.

“Uh… Sure.” The owner smirked, throwing me an amused look, and took the key from under the counter, putting it onto it, then added in a whisper: “The meals are not included, we don’t have an extra budget for those.” Lily nodded in response.

‘407’ was engraved on the key. Lily grabbed it and hid it in her bag, then leaned closer to the counter. “I’ll need a copy later,” she said in a low voice.

“Will be ready by tomorrow,” the owner answered in kind.

“Good, thanks for your help.”

“Have a pleasant stay,” the owner said, loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear us.

The clients present in the bar didn’t notice any irregularities with our conduct, it seems. Just a pair of earth ponies and a lone griffoness having a meal. We unhurriedly proceeded to the staircase.

Walking up the broad stairs, my attention was drawn to their hooves, smoothly stepping up the stairs in perfect motions. What seemed so hard for me, they didn’t even pay any attention. Their movements were natural. I always thought they might have trouble using stairs and wondered what they made for themselves as a replacement. I was wrong. Then my gaze slid a bit higher, allowing me to relish in a different sight, which made the corners of my mouth arch. Turning to take another flight of stairs, Sapphira smiled at me with knowing eyes. Her silky iridescent tail began swinging from side to side.

The hall of the fourth floor was empty and silent. The stairs were at the end of the hall, and our room was second on the left, counting from the far end. It was a single room, but it was big enough to accommodate a giant bed, enough for four humans to sleep on comfortably. There was also a table with several chairs, decent enough for us three to have dinner with no trouble. Most importantly, this apartment had its own bathroom with a toilet.

Quickly settled in with our meager belongings, tucking most of those into the closet, we were sitting on the bed silently, each of us thinking about their own things. Lily jumped down from the bed with a small sigh.

“I need to return. Silver Mist must be back already.” Lily grabbed her saddlebag from the floor and rummaged inside it. “Here,” — she placed a pouch on the table. It made the sound of clinking coins — “this is the allowance meant for you. Deem it as a gift from Princess Luna. She will be upset if you refuse to take it.” Lily turned around to look at us with a smile.

“Alright, we will not refuse.” I and Sapphira smiled back.

“Great! Now, if you plan to go out to the town, please don’t get lost and avoid getting into trouble. I’ll be… late, most likely.” She trotted to the window and opened it. “Take care! And don’t forget to lock the door and the window if you leave!”

“Is she — leaving through the window? That’s something new.” I thought jokingly. She also left her armor in the closet, taking only her bag.

“Bye, Lily!” Sapphira waved her hoof.

“See you later. Good luck sorting out that mess.”

Lily lifted her wings and jumped out of the window, spreading them wide, and quickly disappeared from our sight with a flash of her silvery tail. Warm breeze from the open window touched my face as I turned towards Sapphira.

“So,” — I started — “do you want to go outside?”

“No, not right now,” Sapphira answered in a lazy tone.

“Me neither. I’m tired of all that chaos and just want some peace of mind, with no occasional ponies pestering me or staring like I’m some sort of attraction.”

“Oh, yeah, that old stallion drew a lot of attention to us, right?”

“Yep, the unwanted attention of the entire street.” I lay down on the bed, closing my eyes. “A little nap might be just what I need now.”

“Agreed,” Sapphira said quietly, snuggling to my side. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

I was woken up by some noise and clamor coming from the open window. “We shouldn’t have slept for too long.” I thought as I stood up and went to look out of the window, but saw nothing unusual.

Sapphira rolled on the bed to her side, looking at me. “Ray?” She intoned charmingly.

“Mmm? What?” I said, eyeing Sapphira, who was busy stretching on the bed in a cat-like manner. A searing primal flame of desire I had to douse in the morning emerged back with renewed force.

“Come here.” Sapphira tapped the place beside her with her hoof. She reached out to me as I moved closer and sat beside her. “Hug me!”

I said nothing, just smiled and took her into a gentle embrace, lifting her up. Our lips connected in a fiery kiss as my hands slid slowly across her supple skin, exploring her exotic body bit by bit.

I was having the most passionate kiss of my life at the moment. Words cannot describe how profoundly sensual Sapphira’s movements were. Her nimble and long azure tongue dominated mine with burning enthusiasm. Sapphira’s eyes were locked onto mine, her big slightly enlarged vertical pupils hypnotized me. She was clinging to my body with all four hooves, showcasing phenomenal flexibility. Her body, albeit being slim and light from all the hard life she had in her hive before, still had all the proper curves in all the right places. I’m sure she will turn into a real temptress mare given some more time.

As she pressed her whole body to mine, I felt something wet against the lower part of my belly. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was, instantly igniting a lustful fire in my nether parts.

She must have felt my outburst of arousal, as she purred throatily without breaking our kiss, her tongue gone completely wild inside my mouth. My hands slid downwards, caressing her tush from both sides and exploring the base of her tail with my naughty fingers. She wiggled, reacting to my indecent acts. The amount of moisture I had on my lower body part has increased, but that only fanned the flames of my desire.

Sapphira finally broke our kiss. We were panting from the lack of breath. This kiss was the longest I ever had, I’m sure of that. As she regained her breathing, Sapphira leaned her head on my shoulder. Her nimble and long tongue touched my neck. I had a sense of déjà vu. Our situation was reminiscent of our first morning together. She moved her wriggling tongue upwards until she reached my ear and softly trailed her tongue by its edge, lightly blowing into it with her hot breath.

“Oh, yes, Ray! This is incredible; your hands are pure magic!” she cooed in my ear, her naughty tongue ran along its edge.

“Then,” — I pressed my cheek against her neck and deeply inhaled the pleasant, subtle fragrance emanated from her oh so desired body — “we will make some magic love!” I replied while caressing her hair and sliding my fingers along her neck, following the outlines of her shoulders and down by her sides. Her dense, but soft, black skin, with a tender feel of satin when my hands glided over it, was ineffably pleasant to the touch. I laughed mentally. “What an idiot I was to have doubts about her because she is not a human! She is infinitely better than any girl I met before, at least for me!”

She pulled herself back a little to regain our eye contact. “Then get rid of these irritating clothes right away!” She patted my leg with her hoof, making a cute and slightly discontented expression. Because we left the bed covered, I was still wearing my jeans.

“Oh, damn, she is so hot when she expresses her desires in this straightforward way and tries to act both cute and uncompromising. She is indeed a unique girl!” I slowly stood up from the bed and undid my belt under Sapphira’s attentive gaze. She interrupted me as I switched to my button and zipper.

“Hmmmm… I think you better do it slowly, Ray!” she said with a content smile, devil sparks in her eyes. “Looking at you as you undress makes me hot — somewhat, and I like what I see! This feeling of anticipation — fascinates me!” she said in an ingratiating voice.

“So, Sapphi… You want some striptease? Fine! I’ll try to perform something decent for you!” I replied, quite amused by her request. “But expect nothing spectacular… I have no experience in stuff like that.” I said, with a little confused countenance.

“So this kind of thing has a name? Interesting!” She was a bit surprised by this. “And don’t worry, I just like to look at you, not your performance!” she giggled, amused by my slight embarrassment.

“Ha! Never thought she’d have such kinks.” I was trying to imitate something which would not seem too shameful from a human perspective. My heightened body flexibility helped me a bit. I have finished with my jeans decently, more or less, judging by her captivated look, as she was even nibbling on her lower lip by now. Her ears also twitched from time to time. When I finally got rid of my jeans, my tool was already aching from the tightness it suffered inside my pants, and now my boxers could hardly contain it.

“Yeah, that should be a norm when your mind spends years seeing no girls!” I thought.

Sapphira licked her lips when I continued and started pulling down the last item left on my body. When I finished, she was already quite worked up. Her tongue ran along her teeth, staring at my swollen manhood.

“I… I have never… never craved a stallion this badly!” She said with some difficulty, slightly panting, her eyelids partially closed as she looked into my eyes. “Take me, Ray! Take me right now! I can’t wait anymore…” she said with a heavy blush on her cheeks, which looked like her cheeks became even darker with a slight red tint.

Sapphira spun around on the bed, lowering her chest down, her rear raised up high and tail turned aside. Her marehood was laid bare before my eyes. It was of vivid sky azure color, which already had some pink tint, since her blood circulated around her sex, readying her for coitus. A little stream of translucent liquid left a glistening trail on her body, rolling down her leg. “My girl is craving for love, and I won’t make her wait for long! But we will take a little longer road, Sapphi!” I’ve said in a deep voice.

I got onto the bed and moved up to her, putting my hand on top of her rear, gently stroking it. She shivered slightly in anticipation.

“Sapphi! We should not be too hasty. This is just the beginning! Stay like that for a moment…” My hands ran along her flanks, descending down her legs. I caressed the inner side of her thighs before slowly sliding back up with my hands to the premises of her already engorged sex.

“Ray…” she whimpered, “s-s-s… s-s-stop teas-s-sing me!” Her unique hissing sounds appeared in her voice again. “She seems to be seriously aroused already.”

“Alright, no more teasing! Prepare yourself!” I finally closed in my face to her needy sex and ran my tongue along her wet slit, firmly and slowly. Yes, she definitely wanted it to be a bit more forceful, as her body started shuddering and I could hear quiet moans escaping her mouth. “Sapphi, I’ll make you the happiest changeling mare today. It’s a promise!” My hands started on their mission while I lapped her treasure cave meticulously. Her tart and somewhat piquant flavor, with a hint of ocean freshness, assaulted my senses. I found her love juice to be irresistibly pleasant and arousing.

I slowly explored her underside with my left hand, as I reached with my right one to her sex and moistened my fingers in her love nectar. After a little search, my left hand found something interesting. Followed by a quick investigation with my fingers, accompanied by a few yelps from Sapphi, I understood that I’ve found her teats near her crotch. They were there, surrounded by noticeable cushions of her mammary glands. Her arousal made them more pronounced than they usually were. The presence of her teats gave me an opportunity to fondle with these supple treasures of hers, so I gently caressed her there, mildly playing with her nipples, while my right hand found a way to her clit. My fingers ran around it, intermittently massaging it lightly.

Sapphira had a strong reaction to this stimulation in multiple places at once. Her legs had become wobbly and I could hear her moan throatily.

“R-r-ray! S-str-ronger! Almos-s-st… there!” she growled at me through the clenched teeth, obviously close to her edge.

I hastened my actions with my tongue as I heard her. Now I was reaching much deeper inside her azure marehood, while it was erratically spasming and winking around my tongue. My nose was blowing the air right at her pretty pucker; I could not help but notice it was spotlessly clean, to my delight. I continued to work on her engorged clit rather aggressively, while my left hand was lightly pinching her nipples.

I didn’t have to wait for long. Sapphira furiously climaxed, washing my face in her heavenly nectar. Her whole body was shuddering, and I had to support her. I carefully laid Sapphi on her side while she was still in the grip of the orgasm, stroking her hair and body lightly while she was overwhelmed by powerful sensations. She finally steadied her breath and opened her eyes slowly. An expression of genuine shock was plastered on her face. I was smiling, being very content with my performance. “It could be even better, as she seems to have much more erogenous zones than I thought, but not this time, she is already overwhelmed by the new sensations. She did not have a good sex for a long while, it seems, if she ever had any decent sex at all before today!” She finally steadied her breath and opened her eyes. “One more time, my love?” I asked with a sly smile.

“Ray! Just… give me a little break…” she managed to say. “That’s crazy!” She was still breathing with her mouth. Weak strokes of breeze from the open window were swaying her hair lightly. “But this time we’re doing it for real! I’m afraid I won’t be able to last for long, not with this amount of emotions you’re pouring into me along with this mind-blowing pleasure!” She slowly got up and moved closer to me. Our lips got locked in another kiss. This time, she was not too impatient with it, unhurriedly indulging in our sensations.

Sapphira giggled happily. I felt she was… yeah, in a little groggy state, but still a far cry from the one she had on that morning.

“Ray, if you can endure for this long with your real… ‘tool’, then I will be truly shocked!” She caressed my chest with her hoof, nuzzling me.

“Come on, Sapphi, what do you mean by ‘if’? I’d say it was rather fast.”

“Oh you braggart!” Sapphira giggled. “But I like that.”

“Say, want to try doing it while being on top? I’m a little concerned. What if I accidentally hurt you with my… tool? I’m not familiar with local ‘standards’ of it, you know.” I spoke out my mind after we broke our kiss. Surely ponies back on Earth are quite sizable, but here they are smaller, and, most importantly, have much shorter bodies.

“So, what do you think? You can experiment without hurry, remaining in control. I know your body is very flexible, so this should be easy for you.” I honestly did not know how ponies or changelings do it usually.

She raised her brow at my offer, but her smile instantly became a wide one. “Ray, you don’t have to worry too much about that. Oh, you know,” — she put her hoof on her lower lip cutely — “pony stallions are not very comfortable with this pose, as for changelings… They would never let a weak mare, like I was back in my hive, to mount them… Changeling problems, don’t think about it too much.” She said her last sentence with a wry smile. “So, of course I want such a gift from you!” Her smile transformed into a satisfied predatory one, as she added, “Oh, and your size is pur-r-rfect, if you weren’t sure about it,” she quietly added with a purr, her voice raspy and seductive.

Sapphira pushed me gently on my chest with her front hooves, prompting me to lie down. The holes and cavities in her legs had long disappeared, making them smooth and elegant. She had a little longer legs than her pony counterparts, slightly adding to her height. I looked at her horn, that got much thicker, smoother and glossy. It starts with a straight line from the base going upwards, slanted to the back of her head, and then abruptly turns forward, creating a sharp angle, and afterwards it continues in its original direction. It resembles an inverted icon of high voltage from my old world, maybe a bit more thin and stretched. That’s very symbolic, I’d say, and I like it. Sapphira drew my attention back from admiring her body.

My mind was filled with chaotic and lustful thoughts. “Ray just offered me to do it on top of him! Such a wonderful position, and we can kiss while we’re doing it! Oh, I’m so excited! I don’t even want to compare the thing that just happened between us with those shameful performances I had before… Some even had an audacity to call those sex? How pathetic! But now, I’ll get the most prized reward for a changeling mare!” I laughed internally.

“Even queens would be jealous of me if they knew!” I gently pushed Ray down onto the bed while I had these thoughts. “Is he looking at my… horn? Whatever, he likes a lot of things about my body, the things other species will find repulsive, most likely. He can look however much he wants!” I thought and pressed my lips onto his, starting another kiss. I can never get enough of this!

After some wiggling with my tush, I’ve finally positioned his love rod under my marehood, moistening his length, slowly shifting my rear back and forth. Ray is a natural volcano of lust right now!

“M-m-mph!” I could not help but moan without breaking our kiss. “How intoxicating!” We parted our lips, but I was still coiling my tongue around his, as if I wanted to milk it. Slowly retracting my tongue back, I saw a thin string of our saliva stretched between his lips and my tongue. I licked my fangs with a seductive look. He enjoys this little show of mine every time I do it!

“No, Ray, I can’t endure it any longer!” I said in a breathy voice and raised my rear, gliding with my nether lips along his love tool upwards, until I reached his exotic glans, leaving his rod covered in my mare juices. While pressing my rear down slowly, his decent size did not create any trouble for me. That slightly sharpened shape allowed him an easy entrance, and I was already aroused to my limits, ready to accept him in full. I did not stop my movement until I sheathed his entire length. I could not restrain myself from letting out a contented, predatory growl.

“Ray! You… Are… Mine!” I said defiantly, looking him in the eyes, my upper body raised above him. My forehooves were on the sides of his chest as I started moving my hips. “Of course I won’t be able to keep such a prominent stallion all to myself, but this time, he is mine, and mine alone! Can’t I be greedy for a little while? Oh, my head is going to explode from all this pleasure!” I felt his hands doing all sorts of things around my body. “Ah, he found that place around the wings!” I let out a little moan as he did that, and straightened myself more, so he couldn’t reach there and distract me from what I’m doing. My wings fluttered and my tail was already swinging wildly in excitement.

“Oh, come on, Sapphi, don’t run away!” he joked with a light laugh while I rode him.

“Nope! You are distracting me! You know, I’m doing something important here!” I answered with a nonchalant voice, but my face gave me out, because I panted with my mouth open. Having nothing else to do, he grabbed my flanks and started rocking his waist under me in sync with my movements. Plopping sounds have filled the room, as we hastened our pace, our bodies hitting against each other with force. For now, I did not want to play around too much. I want to see this ride to the end with no stops, like a crazy mare in heat!

“I need a satisfaction from my stallion, and I need it right now!” My voice was quiet and raspy. “Oh hay! I’ve actually said my thoughts aloud!” Small beads of perspiration appeared on my black skin while I was wildly riding on top of Ray. His face was already contorted slightly. He is trying to hold on persistently, but it is already surprising he held out for so long! I’m not too far from the edge either. A sensation of impending climax filled my lower body with heat and tension, while my mind was already intoxicated by the sheer inflow of love and lust.

I’ve increased my pace even more before the climax came to me like an explosion, my sex contracted tightly, bringing Ray over the edge with me, strong splashes of his seed hit the entrance of my womb as I pressed my rear against him with force. My back arched. I was holding my forehooves before my chest with closed eyes. My wings fluttered and buzzed. Ray’s stallionhood throbbed inside me rhythmically, bringing me even higher.

After some time, I plopped back onto Ray’s chest, both of us panting heavily. He stroked my cheek and moved away my mane, which fell onto my face, brushing it with his fingers softly. We reached each other for a light kiss and stayed like that for a while, riding off our bliss, as the grip of our climax was still gripping me tightly. “Yeah, I can call it my first time. First time making true love with someone!” My head was very airy. These blissful feelings, along with all this magic power he charged me with, were completely new sensations for me. So I lay like that on top of Ray for a while, inhaling his smell that I like so much!

We were lying on this huge bed in bliss, affectionately clinging to each other with occasional light kisses. I’ve never felt such closeness to anyone in my life. It’s like Sapphira was made for me. I hope she feels the same way, but I guess she does. It’s strange, but I can slightly feel her emotions and mood ever since that day, and unusual feelings resonating inside my heart. My thoughts shifted to our lovemaking.

That was something! That timid ‘Blue’ whom I met several days ago was nowhere to be seen. I must have frightened her too much when we first met. I never thought she would be this fiery in bed, but her wild and unrestrained demeanor and gushing enthusiasm turns me on. Yet she still stays sensual through the entire process, showing no violent sides, like a natural geyser of passion.

Our blissful lull did not last for too long, as my love-deprived body and mind demanded continuation without asking for my consent. My tool got hard again, still submerged in Sapphira’s azure depths. I heard a gentle moan as she raised her upper body from my chest.

“M-m-mh… Ray! You are a monster… In a good way,” said Sapphira in a soft voice with a contented smile, laughing. “I’m a bit out of breath now, but I won’t refuse another round! This time you must properly take me like a stallion takes his mare!” She stood up, releasing my manhood from the clutch of her azure walls, letting out a mix of our love juices as my tool slipped out.

“A stallion, huh? Then I’m ready to satisfy my mare!” I answered assertively, playing along.

This term amused me, but Equestrian does not have any equivalent for ‘man’, albeit they have one for ‘girl’. “Oh… we’ve made quite a mess…” I thought, looking down at the stained covers, but said nothing, standing up from the bed.

Sapphira shifted her position a little, turned her rear towards me and stood on the floor with her hind legs. She held her tail to the side as it twitched occasionally, waving its vivid hair in the air. She turned her flexible neck to look back at me playfully and took a pose similar to her initial one, pressing her chest to the bed. I guess she tried to adapt to my height this way, but her transformation had already made her legs longer, so my tool was only slightly higher from the perfect position, making this issue irrelevant. But I’ll have to do it while standing. “Challenge accepted!” I thought jokingly to myself. My lust was ignited again, as I saw this view.

I moved closer to Sapphira, leaned over her and started fiddling with the area of her tail and wings. The areas between and under her wings were her weak place, as well as wings themselves, but the base of her tail was an even more explosive erogenous zone, especially from the underside where her skin was much softer. I was playing around her wings at first, getting some occasional yelps and moans as a reward, but then moved back to concentrate around her tail and flanks. A little later, I’ve tried using my tongue to tickle the backside of her tail. She was already dripping wet and winking uncontrollably.

“Ray! You are overdoing it again!” She said impatiently with a slight growl in her voice, as she bobbed her tush up and down to stimulate me for some more vigorous actions.

“Alright! I got too carried away!” I chuckled and stood up, leaning over her, stroking her back and flanks, and aimed my manhood at the entrance of her eager and swollen sex. As my glans made a small dive inside, Sapphira suddenly rocked back, taking my entire length in one move.

“Yes-s-s! Now pleas-se your mare, s-stallion!” Her deep hissing voice with this specific changeling sounds excited me for further actions.

So, with no further ado, I’ve moved my hips unhurriedly in wide swings, sliding my full length in and out. Sapphi reciprocated by moving back and forth in sync with me. Her contented whimpers were escaping her mouth occasionally. After some time, she hinted to me to increase our pace. My strengthened body could easily handle our long love session, so I just did as she wished, pistoning her love cave even faster and harder, my sack producing lewd plopping noises, hitting her wet underside and lightly teasing her clit. Her breathing became rugged and movements slackened. In the end, she could not endure and surrendered before the pleasure she was receiving.

I was stimulated by the fact I could melt a girl I love, metaphorically, drowning her senses in utter pleasure. I’ve quickened my movements as I was hammering my love tool inside the girl I loved. My power activated spontaneously inside me, enveloping both my and Sapphira’s body, elevating our endurance and sensitivity even higher. My mind was almost melting under the influx of sensations, as I was receiving back Sapphi’s feelings through our bond.

“Is this how changelings feel? My mind will explode any second now!” My thoughts, nevertheless, did not distract me from what I was doing, as my body was already acting on instinct, continuing our wild ride.

Feeling the impending coming of our peak, I lifted the weakened Sapphira’s body, as I proceeded with our deed while holding her in the air. She turned her head back to me, her heavily lidded eyes looking up. She was panting, almost reaching her edge. Her eyes suddenly opened wide, looking straight into my eyes. There, I saw the same obsessed and a bit crazed look she had that morning. Her moans turned to growls. Exhibiting her phenomenal flexibility, Sapphira turned around, still sitting on my rod, shocking me with this acrobatic. She clenched my body with all her hooves from the sides and now we faced each other. Her horn was glowing with her trademark dark sapphire aura, and her eyes had a somewhat glazed look. She rode my love tool stubbornly, so I resumed my actions too.

“Breed me, my — KING!” Her throaty voice gradually turned into a shout as she spoke the last word. Her eyes were glowing with the billowing blue magic fire around them.

Instantly, we reached the highest top. Sapphira arched her back, and I discharged powerfully inside her, pressing her soft rear to my body with force. My power surged into her wildly with the flow of my juices. Sapphira’s body jerked abruptly, and lightning bolts ran along the length of her horn, which, too, was raging with strong magical flame. Her eyes were glowing brightly. For a moment, I was blinded by an azure flash as a deafening boom resounded in the room. I felt ash and small splinters of wood falling on my body from the ceiling afterwards, but my brain could process none of this, as we just stood in place, tightly pressed to each other in our enrapturing climax.

It continued for some time, as our minds went blank temporarily. I carried us to the bed as soon as I could so we could lie down together and relax in our heavenly bliss. I heard some shouts from behind the door, but I couldn’t care less. I finally understood what had happened and chuckled at realization. It seems she could not contain all the magical power she had accumulated during our sex, and in the end, she discharged powerfully at our highest moment. But damn, she literally destroyed a chunk of a wooden ceiling! Good thing it did not ignite. My own energy was acting strangely. Now it freely floats into and circulates inside Sapphi’s body, and I have yet to have any idea why. Sapphira came to her regular self at last and squirmed in my embrace, trying to get more comfortable. She reached for my lips with hers. So, for the next ten minutes, we were quite busy kissing and gently caressing our bodies silently.

Sapphira spoke first. “I… I’ve said something weird, Ray… And I could have injured you with my magic outburst!” She said in a rather timid voice. Her eyes expressed a feeling of remorse, a stark contrast to her demeanor just a few minutes ago.

“Don’t think about it too much. I’m the main reason for it in the first place, Sapphi.” I reassured her as I placed my palm upon her cheek, using my other hand to scratch behind her ear as she sunk into my embrace. “You surely will be able to handle that lightning given some time, as for what you’ve said…” I trailed off as I glanced around. “You called me a king? Is that something from your changeling culture? Not that I mind, my queen!” I laughed jokingly, but there was something strange in her eyes. Blinking, she shook her head free from my hands and regained her composure, opening her mouth to reply.

Her words, however, were interrupted as we heard the knock on our door and a concerned female voice from behind it.

“Are you alright there? What happened?”

I scratched my head before answering. “We are fine. Thanks for your concern. It was just a minor accident with our — magic.”

There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “Please refrain from magic experiments during your stay. I’ll have to tell the boss about it.”

“Fine, I’ll talk to him later myself.”

“That’s good. Have a nice day,” said from behind the door. We heard soft clopping of her hooves on a carpeted floor fading away.

I chuckled, looking at the still smoking hole in the ceiling. Luckily, the hole led to the attic. It would be much worse if we’ve seen blue sky through it. “Seems we’ve already created some trouble for ourselves.”

Sapphira’s eyes turned sad. “Lily will be disappointed when she returns and we will have to compensate this place for this damage… Sorry.”

I ruffled her mane between her ears. “We’ll figure something out. I’m not going to just freeload on Princess’ goodwill. We can also sell one of our ‘findings’ from the ruins if need be. Smile, Sapphi, I don’t like seeing you sad. That’s just a few boards to be replaced. Also, we’ll have to do some cleaning.” I looked at the dusty mess around us, smiling wryly.

I was returning to the Nightowl House earlier than expected and the sun has yet to set down. Contrary to my expectations, I was not deployed right after reporting every detail I found out about the incident with the tunnel. Silver Mist just sent me ‘home’, as he called it. Certainly, Nightowl will be a home for us for a while. Considering Ray and Sapphira’s unusual appearance, it is one of the best places to stay without attracting too much attention.

I don’t even have to report there tomorrow. They promised to send somepony to call me if my help is needed. Having some free time to spend with my — no, they are no longer just friends — with my herd, has put me in a good mood. The air was still hot and even flying did not bring that much desired cool breeze, only jarring my coat with even more heat. Luckily, it will be sunset soon, and we can have some fresh air outside together.

I was descending towards the frontal side of the Night Owl when I saw something suspicious that caught my attention. Two griffonesses, probably mercenaries judging by their leather gear and straps, were perched on a thick branch of one of the old trees, growing on the square across the street. They were in a tug of war over the binoculars, looking inside one of the hotel windows every so often while they were not busy wrestling over it.

The one which was looking at this moment had the end part of her lion tail twitch uncontrollably and she was sliding with her bird tongue on the edge of her beak. As the patience of the other one ran short, she had yanked the binoculars from the claws of the first one and started looking through the binoculars herself with a smug and somewhat creepy smile.

“They are up to no good,” — I thought, and decided to sneak up on them, — “and I just can’t let any crime happen in my presence!” I’ve made a detour and slowly closed in on them from the back, making sure that my shadow didn’t attract their attention. It wasn’t too difficult for me, as they were too focused on something inside one of the hotel rooms. I landed softly on one of the thick branches above them and tried to discern which room they were looking into, but my eyesight can’t be compared to their eagle sight. I can’t see anything that far.

“Oh, fuck, would you look at that? This guy knows how to please a girl properly! If only our idiots did the same,” said the one looking through the binoculars.

“Bollocks! You kidd, with them claws? Lad’s quite a rare specimen... worth trying.”

“Yah! Oh, they are going for the real deal. Just look at the girth!”

“Gimme those!” she grabbed binoculars from other griffoness’ claws. “Fuck! She took it whole in one go! That crazy bughorse bitch!”

“Hey give ‘em back!” She tugged on the binoculars, taking them back.

I glided down to them, landing behind them. Their talk was strange.

“Griffons, by the order of her majesty’s Lunar Guard, identify yourselves!” I said in a strict voice.

The griffoness holding the binoculars yelped and jumped in fright; the binoculars falling out of her claws. Luckily enough, however, she managed to grab them by the strap with her left claw before they fell down.

“Oi! The fuck you think you’re doing? Sneaking up on people like that!” She said as she inspected the binoculars for any damages. “Cost me half a contract this did, cheeky fucker.” She grumbled that last bit, though I still heard her as I eyed the second griffoness.

“You little shit!” The second griffoness turned around and stepped closer to me. “Lunar Guard my arse! I’ve seen more steel on me granddad’s cat! So who the fuck d’ya think you are? Me mum? Piss off!” She poked me in the chest with the blunt side of her clawed finger, looming over me threateningly. “What, cat caught your tongue?” Griffoness laughed, while the one with the binoculars just continued to watch, no longer paying attention. My anger awoke and quickly broke through the roof of my patience. With brows furrowed, the fur on my chest puffed out and I bared my fangs.

“You! Shut your blabbering beak and listen here, you feathered bitch! Nobody talks to me like that, and the last moron who did is now rotting behind bars in the Canterlot dungeon with half an ear missing!” I growled through my teeth, then yanked out the Lunar Guard badge from the special pocket of my bag and stuck it into her beak with force. She squinted her eyes at it before making two steps back, no longer that full of herself.

Griffoness coughed awkwardly, covering her beak. “Officer? We… We don’t mean any trouble, promise!”

“Officer?” The second one finally paid me some attention. “Oh cock, here comes the fun police…” she muttered.

“Now tell me, what are you two doing here?” I demanded.

“Mhm… Nothing. Nothing illegal. Just” — her eyes darted around — “watching?” answered the sassy one, spinning her claw in the air.

“Watching what, exactly?” I pressed her.

The second one passed me her binoculars with a grin. “See for yourself. Fourth floor.” She looked at me as I took the binoculars into my hooves and moved them to my eyes.

I wanted to tell her something, but my words stuck in my throat as I coughed from the sheer surprise. What I saw was completely out of my expectations. It was Ray and Sapphira doing… doing THAT. Now I felt a strange mix of rage towards the two bitches and a peculiar excitement from seeing the scene. I grit my teeth.

“Take your stuff and scram out of here before I cite you both for breaching the public order!” I shoved the binoculars into her claws.

“Oh come now, luv, let’s make a deal. We’ll give you the binoculars until everything ends and… we will enjoy the show together. How is it? Town’s boring as fuck! At least we’ll watch something interesting today.”

“Ye, just look at his thing! I’m already dripping,” the second one said as she squinted her eagle eyes, looking at the window in the distance.

“No. Deal. Now scram!” I roared at them. I kicked the closest one with my hoof. The winged bitches flew up and disappeared from my sight behind the foliage. “They dare to peek. At my herd! My! Herd!” I seethed with anger, but curiosity was quickly winning over it and soon replaced it almost completely, and I was already moving towards the certain window. “Only I can peek at them…” I whispered. I looked around before peeking in, and, to my dismay, still spotted those griffons on another tree doing the exact same thing. “Whatever, I’m not in the mood to chase after them,” I thought as I carefully peeked into the window.

After a fast shower, I was standing in the middle of our room, hands crossed, thinking if I should first go and talk to the ‘boss’ or clean the room, though the latter was complicated with the total absence of cleaning tools. I heard some noise coming from outside the window and saw Lily flying in as I turned my head. She seemed flustered.

“Oh, Lily, you returned earlier, how did things go?”

“I–I… everything went fine. They won’t need my help today.” Lily was nervous and stuttered for some reason.

“That’s great! At least you can have some rest.” I looked around at the dusty mess in the room, raising my eyes to the ceiling afterwards. Lily followed my gaze with her eyes. “We had a little — accident here, Lily. Sorry, it wasn’t even a day, and we had already created trouble for you.” I smiled wryly at her.

“I’m sure she already knows, Ray,” Sapphira interjected.

I raised my brow in a silent question.

“Well, when we have… um… finished, I faintly felt someone behind the window… So…”

I turned back to Lily, only to see her blush profusely. The red tint somehow managed to go through her coat miraculously. But that means…

Sapphira sighed. “Lily, since when have you been hiding there?”

“I… I… When I returned, I… found… two griffon bitches peeking at you, so I chased them off, and… then…” Lily’s voice became sharp when she mentioned griffonesses, but then it quietened back down.

“Then you hid behind the window?” asked Sapphira.

“Y-yes.” Lily’s eyes darted about.

Sapphira sighed again. “Then why didn’t you just enter?”

“What? I… I didn’t want to ruin it for you two…”

“Ruin?” Sapphira walked closer to Lily, then hugged her tightly. “You will never ruin anything for us. Silly girl.”

I nodded in agreement with Sapphira.

Lily hugged Sapphira back. “I… wasn’t ready for it today. Next time… wait for me,” she said almost inaudibly.

“We certainly will,” I said, smiling lightly.

“I… I need a light shower, again…” Lily was still nervous.

“I’ll help. Ray, perhaps you go downstairs, take a table and check the menu?”

“Good idea. Come down when you’re done.” I took the hint, grabbed the pouch with coins from the table, putting it in my pocket, and walked out. At the same time, the door opposite of ours opened and a large potbellied minotaur walked out. One of his horns was covered with a golden sheen, or perhaps it was a kind of metal replacement for a broken one. His bullish face broke into a toothy smile, as he showed me a thumb up with his barrel-like arm, winking at me. He then smugly proceeded to the stairs, saying nothing. Strange guy, but it seems we had made too much noise. I stood there for a bit longer, scratching my head in thought.

“I wonder how many people already know about our ‘activities’, huh? That’s a bit embarrassing.” I thought as I followed him downstairs. “Damn, I need a drink or two.”

When I stepped out into the dining hall, the minotaur was already nowhere to be seen. There were more people at the tables this time, but all of them were earth ponies. I could see nobody behind the bar counter, but I spotted a light grayish-brown pegasi waitress running back and forth between the tables, dexterously using her wings to carry trays.

I chose an inconspicuous table, which was not too high and not too low either, at the far end of the hall, with comfortable couches by its sides. I was observing my surroundings calmly, kicked back on the couch. The serene atmosphere was pleasant, though I still felt a few suspicious looks on my back when I passed by. I didn’t have to wait for long before the waitress appeared before me. Her long pale-platinum mane had a wide ginger lock, going down all the length through her mane, making her appearance quite memorable.

“Good evening, sir! Do you need a menu, or would you like to make an order right away?” She beamed at me. The smile was rather genuine.

“Hello, I’ll take a menu and also make an order.” I thought for a second. Most of the ponies seem to have cider as their drinks, so why don’t I order some too? That one we drank at the supply station was rather good. If I remember correctly, it was considered ‘strong’, so anything ‘mild’ is out of my scope as I don’t want to drink apple juice.

“What would you like to order, sir?”

“Cider, strong cider.”

“Any particular one?”

I scratched at my stubble. “I liked the strong one made of green apples. Don’t remember the exact name, though. Bring me two if you have it.”

“Ah, that’s ‘Green Apple Special’. Sir, are you sure about that one?”

“Anything wrong with it?” I raised my brows.

“Oh, no. It’s just — a little stronger than regular strong cider.” Her smile became wider.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You won’t have to carry me out of the table.” I chuckled.

“Alrighty then!” She laughed too. “Is that all?”

“Yes, for now. I’ll shuffle through the menu before ordering anything else.”

“I’ll be right back!” The waitress briskly trotted away.

This girl has a somewhat bubbly, easygoing attitude. She didn’t even bat an eye at my unusual appearance. “Perhaps she’s seen a lot of different people here already to be surprised by some bald bipedal ape,” I thought jokingly.

While I was waiting, I shuffled through the drinks menu, and didn’t find any strong spirits, albeit I’ve seen something like that in the bar, which is not working at the moment. The prices… I can’t say if those are expensive or not, at least yet. A mug of regular cider, and it is quite a sizable mug, I must say, judging by the ponies at the table on the other side of the dining hall, costs two coins… bits, to be more precise. The one I’ve ordered costs three. Does not seem expensive, but I can still be wrong. The mug handles were excessively large for our human standards, but I guess those were designed this way with hooves in mind. Not that it’d stop me, though. Opposable thumbs are once again proving themselves to be one of humanity’s greatest gifts. Sapphira and Lily seemed to think so as well, if their moaning was any indication.

As I was lazily thinking about such things, I noticed the waitress was already returning to me from the kitchen in the same energetic pace, a tray with two mugs on her right wing.

“Your order, sir.” She smiled again.

The tray on her wing did not shake or slide in the least, but she had to use her teeth to put it down on the table. It would be rude to ask her if such an action is inconvenient or painful, so I better ask Lily later. Then she used her hooves to move the mugs from the tray to the table.

“Many thanks!” I said, as my mood went up after the potent sweet aroma hit my nose. “Yeah, that’s the stuff,” a content smile crept up my face, “the smell is superb.”

“I’m glad you like it. Do you need anything else, sir?”

“Not right now, I’m still waiting for someone.”

The waitress nodded. “Then call me if you need anything,” she said joyfully.

“I sure will, sweetie.”

She turned around and left, and I’m sure I heard a muffled giggling as she did so. Ponies are indeed reacting a bit strangely to even minor flattery or compliments. I busied myself with unhurriedly inspecting the menu and looking at the passing customers going in and out of the hotel. Many of those were foreigners, quite in line with what I was told. Mainly griffons and minotaurs, though I’ve seen some of those dogs, too. Damn, I’ve even seen a cat! Not a domestic cat, but a sentient bipedal cat. I could not discern the gender, but they sure looked prettier than certain ‘sugar lovers’.

I was sipping my cider with gusto while having those funny thoughts, listening to an unobtrusive quiet music which was playing through some hidden device. A pleasant warmth spread out from my stomach across my body while my mind relaxed, expelling bit by bit the stress and nervousness accumulated through the past week. I nonchalantly sprawled on the couch, with my left hand on its back, as my right hand held the mug, a contented smile on my face.

“Life — is — good,” I said to myself quietly and took another sip.

Author's Note

My special thanks for this chapter goes to my friend and fellow writer ericson03, who offered me his assistance making it.