Boundary Point

Drops of brown liquid sprinkled onto the forest floor like drops of dirty rain. Twilight gave out a whimper, then shook her head. Coughing twice, the surrounding trees stayed still as Twilight lowered her head to the flexible waterskin on the forest floor, and wrapped her lips around it. Biting the sides of the bottle with her teeth, she lifted her head on high and began again. The medicinal herbs in the fluid that were like specks of dust in the sunlight tasted beyond bitter as they splashed on the mare’s tongue. Twilight did her best to keep her tongue out of the way of the flowing thornback, but regardless, she could still sense the acrid flavor.

Then the fluid flow stopped as the half empty waterskin drooped to the side of her cheek. She let out a whine and grimaced. She tightened her lips around the opening of the container, then sucked, and began manually drawing out the remaining concoction. The waterskin once more stood erect, but this time, however, her tongue could not avoid the nauseating flow.

Still, she pressed on. Until finally, the waterskin contracted and slumped, touching her cheek. She lowered her head and stopped biting, allowing the waterskin to flop on the forest floor, landing in a jostle of movement. Then she stumbled backwards for a moment, shaking her head as saliva flew. Finally freezing, she began trying to gather up as much of the excess fluid in her mouth as she could and spat.

Her stomach churned. Her abdomen stiffened while her head became lighter. Twilight closed her eyes and her ears folded back as she felt the soft dirt of the forest floor on her front knees as she laid down. She focused on her breaths in and out as the ends of her lips curled.

One hour. Twilight reflected. Just keep it down for one hour.

“Xavi-,” Twilight stopped herself. She winced and tilted her head, looking at the ground, puzzled. Her lips stretched to ether end of her face as she thought, Why did I call out for him?

The birds close by still sang their morning songs while Twilight rested. Twilight’s mind started to talk to herself again, One Hour. It’s been 10 minutes so the pullers are still resting, so I have 50 minutes, I got this. I got this.

Twilight’s rump sang its own song of soreness as memories of the bumpy ride surfaced. Twilight had a subtle sensation that, like her, Brownie was working her cycle and was getting help from Pepper. Contrarily, Twilight faced the feeling as though she was the last one at primary school to be selected for sports again. The last one standing with the wall behind her, waiting for Xavier to pick her, but he never did.

Twilight let out a long sigh. She looked ahead at the forest’s softly swaying trees, with light breaking through every so often into pillars of Celestia’s glory. Rolling her head, Twilight thought to herself, I would have been fine with a dragon. I can work with dragons. I’ve worked with dragons. My little brother treated me with more respect than this human. I can’t believe I got the… dud.

“Perfect compatibility, my rump,” Twilight finally said out loud, shaking her head and ears loose to the point that they drooped. “What a joke.”

Memories stirred, recalling Cadence’s excited explanation of Heartsong to Twilight. Her explanation of its known effects, about two compatible beings who were both compatible and complementary. Twilight continued her inner train of thoughts, Xavier is neither compatible nor complementary. He won’t listen to me. Every step I take, he questions. And that’s ignoring the fact that he steals without remorse. And then he accuses me of being the disappointment. Me! Mares would haul mountains to get me into their herd! I had my pick of any stallion! Any! And he gets me and acts like it’s a fate worse than death.

Twilight shook her head, flinging her mane from side to side as her stomach finally settled. Her thoughts continued, And he won’t even entertain the idea of our herd, so we can’t even set up a structure. How is this shoring up my deficiencies? How is he even remotely complementary?

Then a thought crossed her mind. The macabre hypothesis that had emerged in her mind last night. It was still a sharp pain in her gut. Unformalized. Unworded. But the dread was still there. She dare not go over her mental inventory of historical reports. But the analytical part of her objected. She stirred up the memories of the other heartsong she had knew happened in her lifetime and all parts of her fell silent.

Twilight shifted herself on the forest floor, moving dry dirt and dead leaves in front of her. A clawing feeling slithered between her throat and stomach.

I can’t back out now. I’ve already taken the oath…

Twilight’s mind began racing through the snippets of every book she had read about the foundations of magic. But no counterexample appeared in the non-fiction sources.

Then, the sound of a twig snapped behind Twilight. Her ears fluttered in its direction. She immediately swiveled her head around, leaping upright, gazing at where the sound had come from.

At seven paces away, Symphony walked towards Twilight between the weathered and textured trees. Her head was lowered, the sheen of her horn glistened in the surrounding brown and greenery, while the tip seemed to pierce the air ahead of it like a long, thin writing quill. Her eyes slightly narrowed, her ears faced onward, and her small nostrils flared out before relaxing. She swung her tail twice. She encircled Twilight, examining her, eyeing her up as the leaves of the forest floor crunched beneath her.

Then, two simple words fell out of Emerald Symphony’s lips: “How much?”

“How much for…?” Twilight’s ears folded back. She turned to Symphony as a flash of venom yellow crossed her eyes.

“How much for 45 minutes with him?” Symphony asked. “It’s obvious that however you two herded up, he’s being rueful and…” the mare shuddered for a moment, her tail throwing its self to the right side. “I want to see what kind of hands he has under those bandages.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, her heart started to pound over and over again as drops of sweat formed on her forehead, “Ha! Well, um… you see, he isn’t exactly a fan of um…”

“Fan of what?” Symphony asked as she moved like a shadow behind Twilight.

“Look,” Twilight said, giving a light, forced chuckle. She bounced her head left and right while turning to follow the other unicorn. “He’s a bit of a bronco. I promise you, whatever you would pay for time with him, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

The sea foam green mare’s eyes narrowed into slits at Twilight, “Maybe he’s a bronco with you, but give me an hour with him and I promise you, you will find him a little less resistant towards you in the future.”

“Ha! I don’t think you catch my meaning,” Twilight faked a small, cute smile. “He’s obstinate and is very, what you might say, ‘hands off’.”

“Has he not been following your lead? Treating you poorly?” Symphony asked, a mocking pout pushed out of her lips. A light green glow emanated from her horn as she levitated up a thick, sturdy branch off of the forest floor, encasing it in her magical might at three points of contact. “If that’s the case, if you want, after getting some time with him, I can straighten him out for you.” A large crack screamed forth from the branch as she snapped it in half, “Maybe he just doesn’t understand how herds work. I can get him back in line for you.”

Symphony then forced the two halves of the branch forward, smashing them against a tree, shattering the dead wood into a confetti of splinters that diluted the pillars of sunlight.

Twilight stared at the shattered fragments of the branch falling to the forest floor. Then she turned back to Symphony who was glaring back. Gulping, Twilight faced Symphony, standing tall as she could, and said “We… are doing just fine Symphony. Now I’m sorry your stallion isn’t taking care of you like he should, but I’m not going to hoon mine just because he’s ignorant of our ways. And I don’t need your help to keep him in line.”

“Oh, I think you do,” Symphony said, barreling down at Twilight as she took three steps forward. “I’ve seen how he keeps his distance from you. He won’t even touch you. He won’t even sleep near you when you two should be sharing warmth.”

“That’s my problem,” Twilight narrowed her eyes, a jade green flash crossing her purple irises. Twilight’s ears rose, facing Symphony as the faux positive expression she put on faded for her genuine feelings.

“You sure about that?” Symphony said as she stepped around Twilight, once more a shark in familiar waters. The opposing mare examined Twilight more closely this time. “You know, most of the humans that I have met haven’t had any issue touching us. In fact, some will go out of their way to just,” Symphony froze and shuttered, her eyes rolling upwards, her face filled with ecstasy. “Place their hands on our coats and pet us. Tell me, has he even touched your mane?”

“He can touch me if that’s what you’re asking,” Twilight said, pivoting her head and flinging her mane as she narrowed her eyes at Symphony.

“‘He can’ doesn’t mean he wants to,” Symphony rolled her eyes, then let out a malignant laugh. “Did you do something to disgust him?”

“No,” Twilight kept her gaze steady, entirely focused on the opposing mare.

“Then why is he barely following your lead? You know, now that I think about it, you do have that Canterlot accent,” then Symphony laughed with a smug tone. “Of course! Now it make sense. After having your pick of the litter for so long, there was nothing they could offer to satisfy you. But then the humans came along and somepony must have discovered you longing for them. So you get tossed out, but you find one. He’s a little ignorant of this land, you understand. But then he finds out that you come from Canterlot. You’re a leech. You cowered behind the walls of the kingdom while unicorns you would call your lesser stepped up and threw everything they had at Sombra. Am I getting close?”

Twilight stumbled over her words for a second, “Hardly!”

“So he somehow finds out the truth that you’re a cowardly mare, and he can’t even stand the sight of you!” Symphony leered at Twilight, snorting out her nose as her small nostrils flared.

“Are you finished?” Twilight said, the corner of her lip twinging.

“How can you live with yourself? Tell me, doesn’t it ever weigh heavily on you that you’re a monster by apathy?” Symphony spat. “All those well cultured stallions and you grab a flat face because you need a challenge!”

“I’m done here,” Twilight turned to walk away, lightly kicking up dust behind her, only for Symphony to gallop around Twilight and block her way.

“Well, I’m not!” Symphony said, her horn glowing, a quick slapping sensation stunted Twilight’s movement in the chest, pushing her back. “I say when we’re done!”

“What’s your problem!” Twilight yelled at Symphony. “You have a stallion! Why don’t you go talk to him about it, or at least your lead?!”

“My problem is that a spoiled rotten cowardly ivory horn thinks she can play at princess by keeping her stallion all to herself. And why should you?!” Symphony was bellowing, a jagged lock of her mane fell over her face as she spat, “You got a stallion, but I bet he doesn’t even kiss you! So I’m going to do what you can’t, I’m going to show him a good time, and I promise, once I’m through with him? He won’t even miss you,” Symphony snorted. “And when he starts to go off the path that I’ve carved out, I’ll teach him what a real stallion would do and make him follow me.”

“Make him follow you?” Twilight let out a laugh. “You can’t even get the attention of your own stallion. Were you really so desperate to join a herd as to join one where the stallion doesn’t even look at you at night?”

“You’re even worse than me! Hording that male, keeping him all to yourself! If we were in Canterlot, I would get a judge on you so fast your horn would be off-kilter…”

“Well, we’re not in Canterlot, are we?” Twilight said, sarcasm echoing through. “And even if we were, it’s quite obvious that you’d be on the outskirts!” Twilight spat venom at Symphony. “And we heard up with care in the core. We don’t just join herds on a whim like you!”

Twilight turned around and bit the waterskin, stowing it away in her saddlebag. Closing the clasp, Twilight turned to Symphony, only to find a pair of rear legs bucking at her. Twilight reacted, yanking herself back. But her balance was lost, and her right side rolled and tumbled to the ground over and over again. Finally, Twilight’s motion ceased as she stared at the canopy of the forest on her back.

Then she caught sensation of both her rear cheeks being grabbed, followed by the same sensation on the dock of her tail for only a split second before she was being magically dragged across the forest floor. Leaves and dirt dragged along her back and against her coat. Twilight kicked in the air, and started to cast a spell before her higher brain functions stopped her. Finally, a scream let loose from Twilight’s mouth for a split second before her motion stopped and she could feel a sharp point against her neck, forcing her ears to fold. Twilight couldn’t see below her face, but she knew that sharp, prickly sensation.

“Go ahead,” Twilight gave out a nervous, whiney chuckle. “Bloody your horn, I dare you. Once they see your horn with gore, they’ll all treat you like the animal you are!”

“You think I can’t clean off my horn before I return?” Symphony growled.

“How…” Twilight stuttered, tiny drops of saliva raining on her face. “How do you think they’ll react to puncture holes in my throat? They’ll know it’s you. Word will spread, do you really want to perform that kind of taboo here and now?”

“Accidents happen in the forest,” Symphony lifted her horn away from Twilight’s neck and put her snout next to her ear. “And this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten away with it.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as a singular thought screamed in her head, Oh Celestia, she really is a bloodhorn!

“As the Sun shines…” Twilight finally sputtered out, “You’re little better than a feral animal…”

Symphony once more pressed her horn against Twilight’s neck, this time pushing hard enough to separate the lengths of fur, revealing the skin beneath. The long sharp point made Twilight’s nerves scream despite her holding herself as still as ice against the forest floor.

“That’s right, you pampered foal. So you listen to me, and you listen good. You are going to go back to the caravan and you are going to tell your stallion to come and meet me over here. And he is going to take care of me,” Symphony then growled. “got it? And either I’m going to show him a fun time, or I’m going to make him have a fun time.”

“I, well, you see,” words tumbled out of Twilight’s mouth as sentences failed to form. The purple mare’s eyes widened, glancing down at her neck. Symphony’s horn was making Twilight’s skin bellow, her cheeks twitched as she could feel the smooth, needle tip of the horn poke at her throat.

“No excuses, if you’re going to let a good stallion go to waste, you don’t deserve him. He will be taking care of me for the rest of the trip, got it?”

Twilight let out a strained whine before slowly flinching and nodding.

“Good. Now go over there and send him over here. Now.” Symphony slowly lifted her head, releasing Twilight from her pinned position while still staring at the prone mare.

Twilight kept her eyes on Symphony, her purple pupils flashed yellow once more. Then she slowly got up, quickly snapping her body upright first, then using her front ankles pushing against the forest floor before she could stand on her hooves again. Symphony just continued to stare down at Twilight, seething disgust blooming from her eyes.

“Well…? Go!” Symphony cracked at Twilight.

Twilight found her legs obeying without her will. Rushing toward the caravan before she could consciously register movement. The forest blurred around her as her heart pounded. The forest gave away each time her hooves slammed just a little before catching her. Soon her legs burned, but she mustered onwards.

Soon, Twilight stumbled back into the camp, the fur along her spine still standing. Her saddlebag felt tight for the first time on the trip, and her stomach still jostled with nausea. Her mind was already tackling the problem, running through the various outcomes. She gasped for air as her mind worked.

I tell the others; she plays dumb; she spends the rest of the trip trying to hurt me or get to him. I stay silent, same thing. I send him over; she forces the matter, he obviously refuses, she hurts him. I send him over; she forces the matter; he accepts under duress; I make him a victim and he’ll never forgive me. I send him over; she forces the matter, they fight, she kills him or worse. I send him over; she forces the matter; he runs…

Twilight stumbled and continued to pant as her eyes widened at one simple thought: he runs.

Twilight stopped in her tracks, the ponies working, the caravan buzzing behind her. If there’s one thing I know about him, he’s good at running and hiding. If she gets him somewhere alone, she could pin him and do worse. I need to get him out of here… right now, before things get worse. Ill come up with a better idea later.

Twilight rotated her head and scanned the area. She blinked several times, then narrowed her eyes. Henry and Spectrum were cuddling with Mystic two paces away. Brownie was walking back into the forest, giving Pepper a warm nudge. And there was Xavier, sitting by himself, rump on the ground as he slumped over and poked around at the dirt with a stick.

“Xavier!” Twilight called out. Xavier picked his head up and, turning to look at Twilight, his eyes blinking as if he had just been called from a trance. “We need to talk!”

Xavier let out a sigh as he stood up and grabbed his backpack. Letting it swing around his body, he quickly threaded his other arm through the loop and approached Twilight.

“This way…” Twilight said, quickly glancing around her. Xavier looked around, then shrugged and gave a nod as Twilight turned to lead. The two took several strides into the forest, away from the road. Six trees in, Twilight turned to Xavier and stopped.

“I need you to listen carefully,” Twilight said. “None of the sniping or attitude, I need you to disappear for a while.”

Xavier raised an eye and said “Uh…”. He twisted his head left and right, he turned to Twilight with a confused look over his face, “Why?”

“One of the other mares is going through estrus right now. And right now, she is very aggressive. So I need you to simply make yourself scarce for the time being,” Twilight said, looking behind.

“… If it’s one of the caravan pullers, I’ll be fine,” Xavier said, letting out a mild grunt. “I mean, they may be strong, but if they try to make me, they risk breaking–”

“No! Just, just listen to me for once,” Twilight growled out her teeth. “It’s one from Spectrum’s herd, but even still–”

“Is it Mystic?” Xavier asked, an undertone of worry escaping his lips. “She does seem lonely…”

“By Celestia’s sun you buffoon,” Twilight gritted out her teeth as her ears flattened. “I need you to put aside your independence streak for just two minutes! It’s not Mystic, and since we disgust you–”

“Okay,” Xavier interrupted Twilight this time, shaking his head. “Ponies don’t ‘disgust’ me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be on this side of the veil in the first place.”

As Xavier spoke, Twilight saw movement out the corner of her eye. Deep into the tree line, Twilight could see the pale green that was Symphony’s coat. She squinted at the direction of the flash of color before she shook her head and turned to Xavier.

“So don’t mistake my intimate preferences to be–”

“Shut up you absolute thickheaded war criminal!” Twilight’s eyebrows came together as her flustered, confused words poured out her mouth. She bore her eyes at Xavier. The human froze, and in response, his eyes widened and mouth was slightly agape. Then it shut and he looked away from Twilight and towards the forest floor.

Twilight pressed on, “Oh, so that finally shut you up? Well, for someone who’s learned cheap magic tricks from a war criminal, and is a species that has no honor on the battlefield and whose idea of a fight is to stay as far away as possible while not trying to save anypony, let me save your pitiful life!”

Xavier said nothing, a quiet dullness took over his expression as he continued to look away from Twilight and he lowered his bound arms.

“Oh, did I finally touch a nerve? Did I finally get through that thick skull of yours? You must have known about how your kind conducted the war, so it must be the war criminal bit?” Twilight snorted at Xavier.

The human said nothing.

“No? Oh, it must be your teacher, Guto. That’s right, King Guto was a monster of the highest order. Want me to give you a quick background story on him?” Twilight said with a cold, furious snide. “During his time as King of Griffonstone centuries ago, he abducted and then vivisected at least 100 unicorns. Trying his best to glean how we used magic because of his deep-seated jealousy towards us. And that’s ignoring the griffins he also dissected. When the princesses found out, they withdrew their magical protection and let the monsters on the mountain have at him. His stupid Idol of Boreas did squat to save him from the Arimaspi. So, do I have to commit war crimes to get you to listen to me?”

The human said nothing.

“Nothing? Good,” Twilight said, giving a snort. Twilight then turned in place, looking at the direction away from where she had seen the other mare. “I need you to go hide in that direction in the forest until it’s time to go. Got it?”

Xavier slowly glanced to his right at Twilight, giving a quiet nod.

“Finally…” Twilight said as she walked away from the human, and following the fresh hoof and shoe prints. “About time you finally started listening to me,” she said, her tail tossing itself to the right as she left.

Xavier just stood there, the weight of his backpack sinking him into the forest floor. The lids of his eyes were broken like the jagged metal of store shutters at an abandoned mall as he kept staring at the floor of the forest. Swallowing, he finally took three steps before he stopped and looked in the direction Twilight had gone.

Nothing. Just the mosaic of tree after tree creating a world of earthen browns and leaves of green and early gold. His bound hand snapped up to his face, his thumb covering his right eye as the rest covered his mouth and nose, pressing tight as if to hold a hose of water back. His left eye glazed quickly, and the rest of the human started walking. Finding a small embankment jetting out, he finally let go of his face, and slid behind it, peeling his backpack off and dropping it on the ground with a thunk.

Then, his back against the earthen roots roiling out from the side, he let gravity take him, letting the tree roots shove his shirt up, and scrape his back as he sobbed three times, letting the floodgates open, and beginning to wail.