Boundary Point

by KingofLazers

Rating: mature
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Profanity, Adventure, Violence
Length: 204691

A phenomenon known as Heartsong has straddled a banished Twilight to a Human. They attempt to parse their situation as they travel across Equestria

The connection between worlds happened in early 2020. Sombra tried to create a portal to another world where he had hoped to gain the aid of eldritch creatures in order to aid him in the 7 year stalemate between him and the forces of Equestria.

He found his eldritch creatures.

Within two months, humanity made its first incursion into Equestria, and eventually the humans pulled off what the Kingdom of Ponies failed to do: Seal Sombra and end the war. Time has now passed, and now Equestria has slowly become normalized while welcoming those who came to their aid to a pristine new world. Celestia's unilateral hold over ponykind is fractured. Large portions of her kingdom have seceded, leaving new and old nation states on Equestria to develop deep relations with humanity in order to curb her power.

And in the chaos, one unicorn uses a nearly verboten technique to try and start a herd of her own, only to find that the only one to resonate is a human.

Please note: This is an RGRE (Reversed Gender Roles Equestria) story.

Releases happen every 3~4 weeks

Published 2021-12-29 07:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-07-25 20:44:54 UTC

Chapter 2: Application

The purple mare with a planet for a cutie mark that seemed to have been painted on crossed the street and immediately stepped into a puddle. Freezing in place, she groaned as she lifted her hoof and continued past the main thoroughfare of Manehattan and stopped just outside a bistro. Her horn lightly flared up as she quickly dug around her saddlebag, pulling out a neatly folded handkerchief with lace edges. Lifting her hoof, she wiped the mud off, as if to the beat of a slow song. Finishing, she examined it and groaned. Ringing it out, she carefully folded it back into a tiny, dirty, wrinkled square before slowly trying to put it back where it came from. The dirty cloth froze in midair when she saw she would put it right next to her notepad. Letting out a snort, she switched sides and the second attempt stopped when she realized that the other side of the saddlebag was packed to the brim as well. The mare’s face furrowed, and with a sigh, she walked up to a trashcan and levitated the handkerchief above its empty porthole. But her face grimaced, then she let out a second dejected sigh as she put the dirty handkerchief in her saddlebag.

“I really, really hope that it doesn’t move around too much,” the lavender mare mumbled to herself as she walked back to the bistro’s entrance. Approaching a long chain fence that zigzagged the front, she quickly found the entrance and walked the entire length, making sure not to bump into the chain, and approached the waiter’s table.

“Dusk Nightlight, I’m looking for a Pop,” she said, quickly glancing into the empty restaurant.

The server checked his reservation book on the podium and nodded, “This way, please.”

The two meandered through the restaurant as the clicking of hooves echoed across the empty eatery. Dusk looked out the windows to her right and saw that the sun had yet to reach the highest point in the sky. She could see dark clouds in the distance, like giant mounds of dark cotton balls. After passing by the bar, she saw an enclosed dining space surrounded by framed windows. And within the space, she could see three mares, a red one, a yellow one, and a teal one. She could instantly see that the yellow one had wings, but the window warped the red and teal ones. Stopping to narrow her eyes, the waiter turned and gave a simple “Mhmmm…” before she shook her head and quickly returned to the server’s path.

The waiter opened the door, and the sound of ceased conversation bellowed the room. While the yellow one studied Dusk with her eyes, the horned teal one had already formed a grimace on her face while staring intently at the entering pony. The red one had no horn, nor wings but wore a gentle smile as she turned to face the newcomer, concealing her silver weighing scale cutie mark.

“Dusk welcome!” The earth pony exclaimed. Her fellow mares flanked either side of the earth pony as they took their seats. “Cinnamon has told us so much about you,”

“It’s good to meet you too,” Dusk said as she placed her saddlebag near the door and took a seat in front of the trifecta. “I’m grateful to be considered for admittance to your herd,” Dusk bowed her head while the red and yellow one followed suit.

“Yes, yes,” the center mare nodded, the yellow one nodding as well. The teal one’s ears shivered as they quickly snapped themselves back into place. “I’m Pop, to my right is Dandy, and to my left here is Horizon,”

Dusk bowed to each pony individually, following the order of introduction. Dandy returned a nod, but Horizon simply snorted.

“Honestly, I was surprised that Cinnamon extended the offer,” Pop flatly stated, as Horizon kept her steely eyes on the guest. Letting out a chuckle, Pop continued, “He really should know better than to extend an invitation without consulting us.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,” Dusk’s ears quickly folded back as she once again bowed her head ever so slightly, keeping eye contact with the lead mare.

“No need to apologize,” Pop gave a warm smile, “Cinnamon truly is the kind of stallion that is enthusiastic about meeting new ponies.”

Horizon grunted as Pop continued, “Regardless of the circumstances, I think that it still warrants at least an interview,” Pop paused for a moment and nodded to her herd mates before continuing. “We’re already kinda full, but I think we can always make room for one more,” Pop nodded to her herd mates. “So, what does your cutie mark say about you?”

Dusk blinked a few times before opening her mouth, only to pull back at the last second. Finally, she spoke, “When I was young, um,” she paused and closed her eyes. Wrinkles appeared on her lids as she slowly pattered out, “My teacher had brought a telescope to class and I got to see one of the outer planets after nightfall. That’s when my cutie mark appeared,”

Dandy nodded matter-of-factly, while Horizon simply scowled. Pop gave a gentle laugh and responded, “I didn’t ask how you got your cutie mark. I asked what does it say about you?”

Dusk pulled back her head and scrunched her muzzle. Looking left and right of the group, she recited, “Well, it means that I’m consistent. I like to be where I predicted, because that’s just how I like my routine,”

Pop spoke up, “I see, I see. So tell us about the daily life of Dusk Nightlight. What does she do? What is her routine?”

“Well, every morning I get up two hours before sunrise and head to work at the bookstore. There, I meet up with my boss and–”

“You work at a bookstore?” Horizon spat out, raising an eye.

Dusk jerked back her head in surprise, her mane bounced for a moment before she could respond, “Yes, is that uh,” she paused for a moment, “Is that a problem?”

Pop hummed and rotated her head back and forth for a moment, “That seems quite a long fall from astronomer. What happened?”

“I, uh,” Dusk stammered, and looked down, “I didn’t make it into Canterlot University and,” Dusk trailed off.

“So your cutie mark flat-out says you should be staring at the night sky and the best you can do is stacking books?” Horizon thrust a hoof at the guest at the table. “Do you at least stack astronomy books?”

“Um, no. Mostly fictional…” Dusk gazed down at her hoofs as she answered.

“Let’s move back to the routine question. Tell us about a day in your life,” Pop said while tapping her hoof gently on the table.

“Well, when I arrive at the bookstore, we go through the stocking of new books and pulling of old books we don’t think will sell. Then two hours later we open,” Dusk exhaled with relief.

“So, do you meet with any of the customers and help them find a book they’re looking for?” Dandy asked.

“Um, no. I just work the register when I’m not stocking,” Dusk answered.

“And why not?” Horizon asked, her ears folded back for a moment before relaxing.

“You see,” she paused, “Because we have another pony, and he does a great job at the customer service stuff. But I’m better at crunching the numbers, so they leave me with the task of taking the money,” Dusk closed her eyes and gave a vigorous nod.

“And that’s it? Any other responsibilities?” Horizon grunted.

“Well, a few hours after noon, they have me count the safe just to make sure that our numbers match up.” Dusk gave a short laugh, “I’d say being trusted with a business’s money is a pretty big deal,” as she closed her eyes and gave a smug smile.

“I don’t suppose you get to drop it off at the bank as well?” Pop asked, her head tilted.

“Um, no. Boss does that,” Dusk mumbled.

“So what do you do after work?” Dandy asked with a nervous smile.

“How much do you get paid?” Horizon lashed out.

“Horizon!” Pop turned to Horizon and said in a nearly satirical tone, “That’s uncalled for,”

“I, um, I make 200 bits a month,” Dusk quietly expunged.

Pop turned to face Dusk again, “That’s, well, that is to say,” Pop looked up, taking her time.

“That’s pretty low,” Horizon finished.

Dandy nodded in agreement with the other two, “How do you make ends meet with that kind of pay?”

Dusk frowned and kept quiet, Dandy’s eyes flickered between the lavender mare and teal unicorn, while Pop coughed at the guest. After a few moments, Horizon gently pushed herself up and began walking around the table. Dusk could see Horizon’s cutie mark in full: fireworks. Turning the corner and coming to the other side of the table, she squinted her eyes as she inspected Dusk’s flank.

“Is everything okay?” Dusk asked Horizon.

Horizon snorted as she circled around Dusk and returned to her seat next to Pop.

“Right, so anyway,” Pop continued, “Why should we admit you into our herd?”

Dusk adjusted herself as she straightened her back and began, “I’m a hard worker. I know I don’t bring in much bits now, but,” Dusk folded her ears back, “I’m sure that I’ll eventually be able to carry my weight. I also have a lot of bureaucratic experience, so any issues with taxes or the like, I can take care of.”

Dandy nodded as Pop spoke up, “Horizon takes care of our taxes, but perhaps a second set of hooves on the ground would be helpful?” Pop turned to look at Horizon, who simply offered an annoyed look to her lead.

“Despite what Horizon asked, we can overlook your,” Pop looked up for a split second before returning her attention to Dusk. “Less than stellar income, but that still doesn’t answer what you yourself would bring to our herd.”

Dusk shifted in her seat while the mares across from her sat motionless, except for Dandy, whose wings fluttered for a moment.

“Organization,” Dusk finally exhaled. “Organization is what I bring to the table, I know that you’re already highly organized, this interview proves it, but I believe I can bring a new level to how organized and efficient everything is.”

“And beyond taxes, can you give us an example of how you would organize things?” Pop gave out a small chuckle.

“Well, I was responsible for the chore wheel when I was young in the herd that I grew up in. And we had nine members, so if we didn’t stay organized on who was supposed to do what, where and when, things would fall into chaos pretty quickly.”

“They couldn’t have just been in complete chaos before you were born,” Horizon interjected.

“Before it was my responsibility,” Dusk cleared her throat. “Chores were always kind of just handed out by my father, but using the chore wheel that I read up on, I was able to increase herd efficiency by at least 30%,”

The three mares looked at each other, Dandy giving out a grimace as Horizon rolled her eyes.

“You can’t expect me to believe that you collected data on your own herd and showed an increase of productivity, do you? I bet all you did was delegate, and did no chores yourself,” Horizon glared at Dusk.

“Actually, I have a small sample from that time period, with chores I was responsible for noted, if you would like to have a look at it,” Dusk’s horn glowed as she lifted a file from her saddlebag and presented it to the trio. On the file, light brown streaks of diluted mud from where the handkerchief rolled up presented themselves for all to see. A small gasp left Dusk’s mouth as her ears folded back violently.

“I’m so sorry!” Dusk immediately summoned a paper handkerchief from a dispenser on a nearby table and immediately went to work on cleaning the exterior of the folder.

“Oh, don’t worry, that won’t be necessary,” Pop once again gave a warm smile towards the mare, “Let’s move on to another question,”

Dusk blinked and nodded in acknowledgment as she quietly hovered the dirty paper towel into the trash can.

“Hang on, I’m tired of waiting,” Horizon got up as she walked around the table, “On your application, you list plenty of job experience and education, but you’re what, twenty-four? Twenty-eight? The only herd you cited on it was your birth herd,”

“That is kind of strange,” Dandy finally spoke up. “A mare like you should have already found a herd, that is to say, you should have had at least one by now, even if you got kicked out,”

“Well… with the war, I spent all my time studying, and I just never found time to join one,” Dusk stammered.

Pop raised an eyebrow before Horizon spoke up and hissed, “So you avoided the draft with a deferment?” Dusk slowly looked down before nodding in affirmation.

“And how the hell do you deal with estrus? Don’t tell me that you’ve been chugging thornback juice,” Pop said as the other two burst out in laughter. Dusk’s eyes looked down at the table and her ears folded back.

“No, no, I have experience,” Dusk muttered.

“I don’t know,” Dandy giggled, “Just because you got laid in secondary school doesn’t mean you know, well, dick,” the three other mares once again burst out laughing while Dusk just sat there and sighed.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry Dusk,” Pop’s laughing trailed off, “It’s just that, your resume seems strange without a previous herd we could at least confirm you were a part of. Even if you happen to leave on less than good terms,”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to join a herd,” Dusk frowned as her ears lowered, “The first few I applied to turn me down and,” Dusk stammered for a second, trying to find her words. “I just became so engrossed in my studies that finding a herd really wasn’t that important to me,” Dusk trailed off.

“So, during the war, what did you do?” Pop suddenly became serious.

“Oh, the war,” Dusk’s ears suddenly thrust forward as she took in a breath before finally saying, “I was primarily working logistics, making sure that the mares on the frontlines got all the apples they could eat and keeping the factories supplied so they could keep producing the equipment we needed.”

“Oh, how successful were you?” Pop tilted her head.

“As far as I know, the group I worked with and I did an exceptional job,” Dusk smiled.

Pop let out a sigh as Dandy looked over at the lead mare with a curious visage. Horizon picked herself up and once again circled the room, focusing in on Dusk’s cutie mark.

The light of the room slowly darkened as an enormous cloud passed overhead. No one said a thing, except for the rumbling of the waiters preparing for lunch service across the hall.

“I just… find it strange, first you say that you were studying during the war, but now you’re telling me that you were with the logistics unit, can you explain?” Pop’s eyebrows furrowed at the unicorn from across the table.

“Well, you see…” Dusk looked away from the lead mare and looked down at the table, “It was a weird part-time thing, you know?”

Horizon grumbled loud enough to catch everyone’s attention as she opened the door and walked out the room.

“You’ll have to forgive Horizon, she’s very protective of Cinnamon,” Pop’s mellow smile returned to her face. “You understand,”

“Of course,” Dusk’s attention returned to the two mares in front of her, “It’s very important to keep your stallion safe,”

“Indeed, it is,” Pop nodded in affirmation, “But there’s a few sketchy things about you to be honest. And we have a stallion to protect. My firstborn will be leaving the herd soon, and Dandy here just discovered she was pregnant,”

“Oh? Congratulations!” A sunlit smile emerged on Dusk’s face, “When did you find out?”

“Two days ago,” Dandy smiled, looking at Pop.

“So you see, we’re not just protecting Cinnamon, we have foals to protect as well,” Pop nodded at her herd mate.

The door quietly opened as Horizon returned with a glass of water hovering ahead of her. She calmly walked to Dusk and then tossed the contents of the glass at her cutie mark.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Horizon’s sarcastic voice lit up the room as Dusk recoiled and gasped. Slowly, the water on her cutie mark blended and distort it, changing it from a planet to a pink, purple smudge.

“Dusk, if that is your real name,” Pop gave a smug downward look at the wet mare. “We have a herd to protect, no references are a huge red flag, and the fact that you only came to Manehattan what, nine months ago? With no proof of where you came from, like you just popped out of the blue? And that pathetic cutie mark story that was obviously a lie? And outright lying about what you did during the war, I mean,” Pop shook her head. “I’m a lawyer and I’ve heard better lies from my clients!”

Horizon let out a laugh while Dandy had a look of genuine surprise, Pop tossed a paper napkin to Dusk as she just sat there, staring into the ground.

“We have a herd to protect, especially from scum like you,”

Dusk ran.

She ran out of the room and into the galley and burst out onto the street, where storm clouds had just let loose globs of rain. She ran into the chain guide, tumbling into the shackles for the queue. Righting herself, she tried to flee again, only for the chains of the line to tug back, keeping her in place. Laughter poured from the restaurant, as Dusk turned to see the three mares watching her from the safety of the diner. Suddenly, her horn glowed and the chains that bound her let go. And then she ran. The rain was pounding. Pounding the city. Pounding the mare. And she ran. Pounding her cutie mark where the sludge of cosmetic pain dripped and fell away. And in its place, all that was left was a six-pointed star.

Chapter 3: Arrival

Xavier stepped off the train and stretched. Rotating in place, he stopped only to quickly dig through his pockets and extracted an orange bottle from their depths. Popping his pills and looking up, he could see that the sun was setting on this alien world. Gas lights were slowly being lit up across the avenue, well ahead of sunset. A pedestal stood where a statue once graced it, and more pegasi than he could count zoomed by overhead. The fried scent of funnel cake permeated the station as a chilly breeze pushed him forward. A far wall to the left, dripping on the corners with the last bits of rain water had a line of ponies with various signs next to them with names. And next to a green crystal pony was a sign with his name.

Xavier approached the mare, who was in the middle of reading a book, when she finally looked up, “Xavier?”

“That’s the name, don’t wear it out,” he answered, looking left and right.

“Well now,” the green pony closed her book with a swipe of her hoof and put it in her saddlebag, “My name is Jade, and I’ll be your escort to the hotel!”

“That’s fine and all, but what about my luggage?” Xavier tilted his head to the pony, who was pushing herself up.

“It will be taken care of. But for now, we have to get you to the hotel. If I understand correctly, tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you.” Jade smiled at Xavier, “To be honest, I thought you’d be a bit taller.”

Xavier shrugged, “First time I’ve heard anyone concerned about my height."

Jade scanned the thoroughfare and replied, “Right, this way."

The two wove past ponies of various types, the scent of baked goods wafted through the air while the ground gave way from a slab of concrete to a riddle of jutting blocks of bricks. Soon the two exited the terminal and on either side were rows of shops. Cheesy and Mc Roland, two human franchises, were both processing lines of ponies and other native Equestrian inhabitants. Green ridging caught the eye of Xavier as he stopped and stared at the shop.

“Do we have time to explore around a bit?” Xavier squinted his eyes as he walked towards the outlet.

Jade turned and approached the shop, skidding a bit to ensure that she stayed in front of the human, “We’ve got all day, though I have to be honest with you,” Jade wrinkled her muzzle, “We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long."

Xavier stopped in mid-step and looked down at the pony, raising an eyebrow. “Is there something I don’t know?”

Jade quickly shook her head, pivoting on her hoofs to face the human, “This is your first time visiting Manehatten, correct?”

Xavier gave a nod, “I’m aware of the city’s reputation, after its secession from the kingdom–”

Jade shook her head, “Manehatten is not some pony village or Crystal Republic protectorate. If you’re not shrewd in your dealings with the local inhabitants, they’ll take you for a ride."

“And what’s wrong with this place?” Xavier squinted his eyes again, biting his lips as he stared at the shop.

“Simply that given its aged, regal look, I think the shop owner might have a problem with you,” Jade closed her eyes as she glanced away, and faced back towards the shop.

“Loyalist?” Xavier took a step forward.

“If you’re lucky, they’ll just want you in and out. On the other hand, if they want to make a scene…” Jade moved herself in front of Xavier.

“It just looks like a bookshop, I’ve never known bookkeepers to have that kind of spine.” Xavier trailed off as he moved his head from side to side, still gazing at the shop.

“Have you met any unicorn bookkeepers?” Jade uttered as a sharp inflection pierced her voice.

“No, but–”

“If you’re so set on visiting a bookstore while you’re in Manehatten, there are other locations that would be much more agreeable to your presence than an old one near the train,” Jade intoned, beat by beat.

“Okay, am I missing something here? I thought you were just supposed to guide me around so I don’t get too lost. Not chaperone me like I’m some teen at prom,” Xavier grunted.

“Prom?” Jade tilted her head.

Xavier froze, and blinked before touching his head with the palm of his hand, “A dance for adolescent humans, typically between ages 15 to 18. Though I can’t recall the particular purpose for the dance, usually there are chaperones there in order to prevent sexual activity,” Xavier took a step to the left, only to watch as Jade followed him step-by-step.

“If it sex you’re looking for, I–”

“No, no, no, not the point,” Xavier stammered. “What I’m trying to convey is I’m an adult and I don’t need supervision to fuck up my life."

Silence drifted over the two, as the sound of hoofs clicking while a myriad of different conversations lost themselves in the echo that was the terminal, slowly overtook the pair. Xavier once again tried to walk past Jade, only for her to cut him off again.

“I think it’s best if we head to the hotel now,” Jade sharply glared at the human.

Xavier froze, glanced left and right. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and forth for a moment before exhaling, “Fine, whatever. Lead the way."

Jade gave a curt nod as she led the human away from the shop and deeper into the swaths of matrons scurrying about the thoroughfare. Passing by a pretzel stand, Xavier stopped once again to look at another window. This time, there was a mannequin of a stallion, staring with blank eyes out the shop aperture. Looking up, the human could see the shop’s name, Ferdinand’s. Wrinkling his nose, he gazed into the new shop, where he could see two mares encircling a white stallion as they presented different clothes for him to try. He could see the motions of the stallion exhaling in a tired like manner as he turned to enter a changing booth.

“Come on now,” Jade verbally tugged on the human.

Xavier continued to watch as Jade approached alongside him.

“Something catch your eye?” She asked, looking at the mannequin, “I doubt that would fit you."

“Past the mannequin. If you look into the background, you can see two mares arguing with each other while a stallion is trying on clothes that he is presented with. What’s up with that?” Xavier continued to watch the mares as their argument became loud enough to hear.

Jade pushed up with her front legs, rearing up and facing the window. She wobbled back and forth for a few moments before gracefully letting gravity take over and returning to her quadrupedal stature, “I forget that humans are a monogamous species,” Jade interjected.

“Pseudo-monogamous. In general, the family unit is monogamous, but sooner or later the core reproductive units will abandon each other for what they consider to be greener pastures,” Xavier spat on the ground.

“Try not doing that in front of other ponies, please,” Jade groaned at the human.

“Correcting them on their misgivings of humans?”

“Spitting on the ground.”

Xavier stammered for a moment, finally releasing a quiet, “Oh…”

The stallion soon walked out of the changing booth in his tight orange-black attire, when one mare was finally loud enough so that the duo could hear the exchange outside, “Look how ridiculous he is!”

“Let’s move. If they catch us staring, it’ll cause more problems than it’s worth,” Jade muttered as she oriented herself towards the thoroughfare.

Xavier’s body followed, but he kept his eyes on the trio for as long as he could. He was able to catch a glimmer of the exhaustion in the stallion’s eyes as he was once again forced to change clothes.

Returning to Jade’s lead, the two went ever deeper into the market complex as shops advertising for potion ingredients, bakeries, and party supplies emerged from the crowd. But beyond that, he saw groups of ponies chatting, arguing with each other, laughing and accusing each other. Occasionally he would see a Griffin, or Buffalo. Humans were much rarer to see, but instantly presented themselves because of their height. He saw a man being led around by three mares and a woman escorted by a stallion, though Xavier could’ve sworn that he saw a mare shadowing the two.

The scent of baked goods drifted away as cool autumn air took its place. The green painted on color slowly gave way to brick-and-mortar and stone cobbling, making it apparent that they were in the city proper now.

“From what I was told, this is your first time in Equestria, at least proper, right?” Jade interrupted the silence.

“Yeah, I guess that’s right,” Xavier agreed as he continued to follow the crystal pony, “The very first time was for training. I’ll always remember the pines with the mountains in the background. First time seeing a dragon as well, though to be honest, the chaperones weren’t happy about that,” Xavier reminisced halfheartedly.

“Dragons can be bothersome if they choose to.” Jade replied, taking a turn down the block, “But over the last few years, they’ve made great strides in diplomacy. Though it’s been primarily playing us against the Kingdom."

“That’s going to happen now that your kind is divided up,” Xavier answered looking at the grey and brown cobblestone street where a team of earth pony mares were dragging a large wagon full of lumber deeper into the city, “Correct me if I’m wrong but the Griffin Duchy now has formal diplomatic relations with the Crystal Republic, right?”

“Not just with us, you humans now have an embassy with them,” Jade answered as she immediately stopped, her rear bumping into Xavier’s legs as he tried to stop a moment too late. The pony turned around and gave a quiet smile to her companion, “You humans did a bang-up job breaking up the Queen’s hold on this world. And without one battle."

“Depends on who you ask, also Queen? Are we talking about Princess Celestia?” Xavier gave a confused look towards the pony.

“Did you never wonder why we only have princesses and no queens?” Jade looked up at the human, trying to draw his respectful gaze towards her eyes.

“I just assumed it was a culture thing,” Xavier shrugged.

“The title Queen is only attached to evil princesses,” Jade closed her eyes as she rehearsed, “And what Queen Celestia did was a measure beyond evil."

“The whole raising and sitting of the Sun thing?” Xavier pulled his gaze away from the pony as he took stock of the surrounding area.

“She took advantage of our naïveté, for centuries beyond centuries,” Jade snorted, “How can we not be mad? Especially after her apparent grand plan was to appoint a leader who she could manipulate."

“I get it, I mean, I’d be pissed too if I discovered that all the shrines and religious holidays that we carried out was to a lie, but–”

“But,” Jade finished, “She has lived far too long and is far too experienced to not take responsibility."

Xavier raised his hands and pumped them back and forth in the air, “All right, all right, I’m sorry. I just had this argument hours ago and I don’t want to go through it again."

“See, that’s why I’m here,” Jade nodded in acknowledgment, “You’re far too ignorant for your own good.”

“Of course I’m ignorant!” Xavier hissed at Jade, “I’m trying to relieve myself of it by again, jumping headfirst into unknown territory!”

“Don’t get snippy at me!” Jade folded her ears back as a low growl emanated from her, “You are here at the Crystal Republic’s leisure, and one of those conditions is that while you are in contested territory, you are not to be left to your own devices!”

“Then what was the point of this?” Xavier lifted his hand to his forehead and pressed hard, “I swear to God, is this because I’m a male?”

Jade jumped on a concrete block, her eyes at level with Xavier’s, “Of course it is! You don’t think there are mares and other things here that won’t take advantage of you? What if you get a little excited and decide to take a deep dive only to find yourself in the clutches of some Kingdom spy?” Jade circled around once and let out a little exasperated bark before returning, “I am here to protect you, so let me do my job!”

Xavier narrowed his eyes at his crystal pony companion, a silent frown penetrating his unkempt facial hair, “Let me ask you this, if I had come here on my own dime, would I still have to deal with you?”

“Of course you would,” Jade responded with a snide tone.

Xavier glanced down at the cobblestone walkway as Jade jumped down.

“Now come on, we don’t want to be too late for your hotel reservation."

The two continued into the city as night slowly draped around them. More and more gas lights were lit, and more and more denizens came out as the evening crowd swelled the streets. The sound of a lyre being played blended with the hard spice scent of a fancy restaurant, draped in crimson and black. The icy wind once again was at Xavier’s back, bellowing under his coat. Grabbing the neck of his jacket, Xavier narrowed his eyes at his guide, only to turn to take in the patter of hooves and conversation that gushed from Manehatten. Glowering, he followed his guide, while the hairs on the back of his head stood up.

Chapter 4: Strain

The time worn hazelwood door shook as a knock emanated from it. A chain on the other side jangled as three more knocks sounded before the light glow of magic unhatched the chain lock and encased the lever handle, pulling it down. As the door opened, a light tan earth pony with blond mane and a cowboy hat revealed herself with a smile.

“Twilight! It’s been what? Three years?” Applejack trotted a step forward and instantly offered her hoof in a hug.

“Applejack!” Twilight accepted, and the two wrapped each other side-by-side, letting their presence be felt before Twilight closed the door. “It’s Dusk these days, well, when I can get enough paint to cover my rump, how have you been?”

“Things are all jumbled, ya know?” Applejack answered as she dropped her saddlebag next to the door with a thud. Looking around for a second, she uttered, “Oh, this is certainly um,” as she was being absorbed in the cramped, dark brown living quarters.

The quiet scent of the blending of fragrant dried flowers invited all who came, but the doors were open to dark, bare rooms sans the living room, which was lit by a grey presence. Books were piled neatly on worn, well cleaned shelves in nearly every nook of the living enclosure. The furniture, worn with age, while still looking neat, was easily judged to be on their last legs. “I’ve got to be honest; this is no royal apartment is it?”

“I’ve… made do,” Twilight flinched, and looked away from Applejack as she led the tan pony from the entrance hall into the main living space. A kettle with steam still coming out the top cried out that it was ready, as Applejack took a seat on the brown, scraggly chair next to the couch.

“Well, you know they say, home is where the heart is,” Applejack answered in a quiet tone, taking in Twilight’s abode.

“Well… I’ve been trying to get out of here and into something nicer,” Twilight answered, “But with what I’m earning at the bookstore and the amount of money it takes to keep out of sight,” Twilight got on the worn plaid couch and faced her friend. “It’s been stressful.”

“Have ya tried some kinda herd service?” Applejack looked at the grimy window emanating smoky light, “Or even just the classifieds?”

Twilight spoke before her ears drooped and she looked down, biting her lower lip, she finally said, “I was actually in a herd interview yesterday.”

“Oh really? How did that go?” Applejack asked, her ears suddenly facing Twilight.

“How do you think,” Twilight groaned as she rolled her eyes. Letting gravity take her, she shifted from sitting to lying on the couch, her tail landing with a thud atop the soft upholstery, “The lead mare figured me out.”

“Twilight, ya didn’t really lie at the interview, did ya?” Applejack grimaced, “Mind if I get some tea?”

Twilight sat up as her horn glowed, pulling one teacup at a time, each one brimming with a blue paint curl along their rim, from below the spool coffee table, and poured the contents of the kettle carefully. Levitating a cup over to her guest, Applejack carefully grasped the drink with the softs of her hooves and inhaled, taking in the wild berry scent, before finally taking a sip.

“I had to,” Twilight shrugged as she looked away and took a sip, “You know, once I got banished, that was basically it for my herd prospects.”

“Maybe here and the Kingdom, but the Union?” Applejack shook her head, “I bet there are herds there that would admit you without question, and because you got banished!” she took a sip before placing it on the table.

“I…” Twilight looked at the smeared window, “I don’t think living in the Union would be a good idea.”

“Why not? Heck, the Crystal Empire,” Applejack shook her head, “I mean, Republic might even give you a stipend just to piss off the Princesses.”

“I don’t want to make Celestia angry,” Twilight trailed off as she let the last of her breath gently go, waiting a moment before her lungs tightened before breathing in. “I refuse to turn myself into a pawn for some committee of mares that don’t have the faintest idea on how to properly lead. Also,” Twilight put down her cup, “I’m a bit surprised you would make that kind of suggestion.”

“Eh,” Applejack waved a hoof about, “Just because I’m still with the Kingdom doesn’t mean I don’t have a problem with it,” she then shot Twilight an annoyed look. “Even we at the farm could see that the Princess deeply messed up, like watching a turkey trying to pull a wagon.”

Twilight let out an anxious groan as she got up from the couch with a slight wobble, and approached the single window. Her reflection lightly showed off, covered with a sludge on the other side, “I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“And I don’t think you will,” Applejack replied. “I think the Princess has so many things on her plate that her banished student from years ago setting up shop in the Crystal Republic or something isn’t even going to be a blip on her radar.”

Twilight turned to look at Applejack and shot her an annoyed look as her tail briefly swung to the right before falling back into place. “Any place that takes me in won’t just let me be a blip,” Twilight sighed as she looked up. “Anyway, I think I’m a bit more important than most things on her plate.”

“Twilight look,” Applejack said in a dull tone. “When I read the papers, it’s almost always about either Celestia and the reconstruction efforts, or Celestia and her diplomatic efforts, or just Celestia doing positive PR. Honestly, with all the work she does, I’m just surprised she doesn’t have either Luna or Cadence help her out,” Applejack wrinkled her nose, and tucked in her front legs, “It’s like for her, the war hasn’t ended yet.”

“Have you heard from either of them?” Twilight turned to face Applejack, her ears drooping while her lower lip pushed up.

“I, um…” Applejack looked at her tea on the coffee table and looked back up, shaking her head, “Honestly, I can’t say that I have.”

“That’s a little worrisome,” Twilight exhaled as she returned to her seat, curling herself into a semi-ball while keeping her head up. “I can definitely understand her behavior during the war, but even in peacetime, she should be delegating out…” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she scowled at the coffee table.

“Speaking of Cadence,” Applejack winced for a split second, “The memorial for your brother was finally finished two months ago in Canterlot.” Applejack gave a nod towards her hostess, “I know you can’t go see it, but the last time I was in the city, I made sure to lay some flowers for you,” Applejack glanced to her right and looked at a single row of brown and tan photos that lined a shelf.

The unicorn said nothing as she stared at her teacup in midair. The ticking of a clock in the kitchen rang out across the flat as the subtle scent of old wet wood made itself known. Quiet clopping suddenly bellowed through the room as neighbors above were walking around. Steam from the kettle had finally eased off, clearing the air.

“Thank you,” Twilight finally said after minutes passed by. A tear emerged from her only for a moment, before a quick swipe from her foreleg hid it from view.

“I know you would lay them yourself if ya could. And I know how much he meant to you,” Applejack nodded.

“How’s Maud been doing?” Twilight said with a glance towards the floor.

“Still on the rock farm,” Applejack answered, “Last I heard, she was the one running the place now, ever since she formed a herd with Mudbriar.”

“Is she still taking it hard?” Twilight grimaced.

“We’ve all been taking it hard,” Applejack said as the quiet once again froze the ponies in place. Specks of dust floated above the coffee table as neither pony looked at each other. Even the neighbors upstairs stopped their ceaseless walking and the darkroom’s brown grew darker, from the worn rug to the water-stained ceiling.

“I…” Twilight paused for a moment, “I hope Spike is doing well,” Twilight finally said, exhaling. “I’ve been getting fewer and fewer letters from him,” Twilight looked at the shelf behind Applejack, where two shelves full of opened letters were neatly categorized and sorted, each nook with a symbol representing each party. While a green and purple emblem’s letters took up almost the entire top shelf, at the very end was a cloud with a lightning rainbow with only one letter placed neatly in line.

Applejack shook her head as if pulling herself out of a trance, “If what the papers have been saying is true, he’s been pulling double duty as envoy to the dragons. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s overloaded with work, given he has to play off the human emissary.”

Twilight snorted as she got up from the couch and started shifting the books on the shelf next to the window, “Humans…”

“Not a fan?” Applejack stammered out in a near whisper as her ears folded back.

“I don’t know what to make of them,” the unicorn said as she divided the stack into two and started a third stack with an order that only she knew.

“Well um, just a heads up, you should know that I um…” Applejack closed her eyes as she straightened herself up. The tufts of her chest prominently thrust forward, “I’m in a relationship with one, I think…”

Twilight turned, gazing at the tan pony on the seat for a moment only to tilt her head, “What do you mean you think? Also, how did you even meet one in the kingdom? Isn’t there a travel ban on them?”

“Well uh, you see,” Applejack cleared her throat, “The kingdom gave out special visas for human consultants and well…”

“Hang on,” Twilight shot up from her seat, standing on all fours on the couch, “Human consultants?”

Applejack pursed her lips, “I don’t know all the details except that the Kingdom is letting in a small number of humans to help with the rebuilding efforts.”

“I thought Sweet Apple Acres was well protected, did I miss something?” Twilight sat back down with her head tilted and one ear standing on edge.

“Well, we did a lot of over farming during the war and we needed a way to get the soil back to the way it was, so we filed the paperwork and got a human stallion and…” Applejack trailed off as a smile grew on her face. “I’ve been too busy to start a herd of my own, but when we talk, he,” Applejack trailed off as a blue glimmer flashed across her eyes. “He just gets me.”

“Honestly, I haven’t met a human yet,” Twilight turning in full to face Applejack, “What are they like?”

“Well, you already know that they’re tall and walk on two legs. And their coats aren’t as vibrant as ours, but once you get past that,” Applejack smiled as she casually lowered her muzzle, hiding it beneath her hooves.

“And what about their claws?” Twilight glanced left and whispered loudly.

“They’re not claws, they call them fingers, and once you can get over the shudder,” Applejack looked up. “If you ever meet one that catches your fancy, oh the things they can do with fingers,” Applejack rolled to her side and stared, lost in the worn ceiling.

Twilight looked left and right, “What… what kind of things?”

Applejack righted herself and looked over to her left, shrugging with a coy smile, “Let’s just say that Gerald knows how to help a mare after a long day tending to the trees.”

Twilight blinked as Applejack raised her front ankle to her muzzle and tried to hide her smile.

“I don’t think I could start a herd with a human, I hear they’re really prudish,” Twilight sighed.

“I know some are, Gerald told me about them. But others like Gerald?” Applejack shrugged, “It comes natural to them. Gerald is definitely something different. He specialized in what he calls ‘soil science’ back where he came from, he says he has an idea on how to help reinvigorate the land, but he has to get authorization from his bosses and cut through Canterlot red tape.” Applejack shrugged as she smiled, “I’ve never seen anyone so fascinated in dirt, but he’s got this down-to-earth personality that…” Applejack laid her head on her hooves as her hat fell off.

“Human study soil?” Twilight raised an eye as her left lip curled.

“Human study everything Twilight,” Applejack’s ears flickered back and forth, “Honestly it’s like they’ve got the greed of griffins, the curiosity of unicorns, and earth pony grit.”

“Humans are greedy?” Twilight asked.

“Ehhh,” Applejack lifted her head, lifting her hoof and shaking it back and forth for a second. “The stallion-human we talked with an order to get Gerald tried to take the farm, so to speak. When I bucked them off, and sent a complaint to Canterlot, they sent another representative, some mare-human, a week later, who was practically on her knees apologizing!”

Twilight raised her foreleg to her chin and tilted her head, “Maybe the humans got scared of the Princess?”

“Well, rumor has it that the few humans that Canterlot will work with are on a short leash. Like so short that you could stamp their hooves! I’m guessing when the Element of Honesty sent a complaint saying that the humans would help us with growing apples on our land, but only if they got the land might have sent the ministry in a tizzy,” Applejack closed her eyes and nodded. “They probably got rid of that stallion-human. He has no business in business if you ask me, and sent a mare-human who knew what she was doing to try and get in our good graces,” Applejack then laughed, “She was apologizing so much, even Apple Bloom thought she lost her marbles!”

“Huh,” Twilight grimaced, her eyes sharpened, but the mare behind them was somewhere else.

“I’m surprised you haven’t met a human,” Applejack chided.

“Once, and I didn’t so much as meet them as I watched Peppermint frantically trying to get them to leave the bookshop,” Twilight answered.

“What was the human doing?”

“As far as I could see from the register, they were just browsing. Though being honest, Peppermint has been pretty vocal about her problems with them,” Twilight sparkle rolled her head, “And that’s ignoring the ones I see on the street. They always seem to be wearing clothes…”

“The one thing you’ve got to get used to if you meet a human is the clothes thing. Nudity is a big no no to them. Even Gerald nearly covers his body daily.” Applejack said.

“Humans do know that wearing clothes is asking for them to be peeled off, right? I mean, any pony knows that you’re teasing with the eyes by putting something on,” Twilight’s ears folded back. “Unless they were wearing hazard equipment…”

“Everyone where they come from wears clothes, that’s the thing!” Applejack nearly hissed, “Rarity would appreciate it that’s for sure, but they have clothes for every occasion! Even swimming!”

“That doesn’t make any sense, if you could swim, why bother wearing clothes?”

“I don’t know!” Applejack rolled her eyes, “But that’s just how they do things over there.”

Twilight placed her foreleg against her chin and frowned, “Maybe they have a weakness to light?”

“Hmmm… Doubt it, when Gerald has to move heavy things, he just takes off the clothes that cover his top half.” Applejack answered.

“Wait, so they do take them off?” Twilight tilted her head, “That makes sense, they can’t wear that stuff forever.”

“I mean, they do take them off for, well,” Applejack blushed, then shook her head. “Look, Twilight, if you want to meet Gerald, he’s in town with me at the convention, if you have anymore questions, I’m sure he could answer them! Beyond that, there’s a human in Ponyville that’s part of a herd, Annytiny I think’s his name…”

“Speaking of herds, I think I’m going to try something drastic,” Twilight got up and looked for a book, “I think I’m going to try using Heartsong.”

Applejack’s smile suddenly disappeared as she gazed at her companion, her jolly tone fading like a crack of lightning, “Twilight, you know that’s a bad idea, right?”

“No, it’s not,” Twilight responded as she finally found the book she was looking for, “And besides, I’m going to use an ancient song so that anyone who responds has to respond in the right language,” Twilight magically lifted the book, ‘Ancient Pony Love Songs’ in the air.

“Twilight,” Applejack narrowed her eyes, almost growling at her friend, “I’m going to say it again, Heartsong is a bad idea. You don’t know who you’re going to get, or worse, you don’t know whose life you’re going to ruin if you commit yourself to this.”

“The tale of the Bakery Mare and the Duchesses’ Son? Really?” Twilight rolled her eyes as her ears folded back for a second before returning to attention. “And besides, I’ll only sing it someplace I know that is clear of both royalty and the criminal element.”

“Yeah, but what if their lives are genuinely messed up? You’re throwing yourself at them only for them to put you through the ringer,” Applejack stood up, staring down her friend across the coffee table.

“Another bedtime story?” Twilight narrowed her eyes in annoyance, “I’ve got this under control.”

“Your interview couldn’t have been bad enough to warrant this,” Applejack responded, her hard countenance melting into worry, “What’s really going on?”

“What’s going on is I have no previous herd history,” Twilight snorted, turning to put the book back. “I’m going to have to start one myself and this will simplify everything,” Twilight smiled, “And besides, that’s how Cadence and my brother got together.”

“Cadence and your brother just so happen to work out. And even then, if I were there to talk to Cadence years ago, I’d have told her the same thing I’m telling you now. It’s a bad idea,” Applejack got up and walked around her seat. “If it’s herd history you’re looking for, I got family in one of the Union towns that might take you in.”

“Applejack,” Twilight walked over to her friend and placed her hoof on hers, “I’ve made up my mind about this. I’ve saved up every bit that I have just in case they’re in dire financial straits, and I’ll be sure to only sing in places where the worst can’t happen.”

“Can you at least tell me why?” Applejack’s eyes were both raised. “You never seemed interested in joining one. Honestly, I pinned you down as one of those mares that’s so dedicated to their talent that there was no room for a herd!”

Twilight looked down, turning away from Applejack and walked back to her seat, “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

Applejack sighed as she set herself back down on the seat, “You’re intent on doing this, aren’t you?”

“Applejack, I know what I’m doing,” Twilight smiled, “Even if I get a Griffin or Dragon, I’ll still hold fast to my commitment.”

Chapter 5: Dart

The sound of a bowstring hummed throughout the open courtyard, lined with white arches, and laid with deep green grass. An arrow glided from Xavier’s compound bow and slammed into the outer black ring of the target with a thud against the gray sky.

“The earliest humans didn’t use bows,” a gray stallion with a low-cut brown mane and gray coat spoke to the crowd of onlookers, his cutie mark a scroll tied with a simple cloth, “It is likely that their first weapons for hunting were long sharp branches. But from there, they moved up to the knife and the spear. The atlatl, a device attached to the blunt end of the spear, was used to extend their range. With this, and their naturally more gregarious behavior, the closest competitor they had, the Neanderthal, which had a larger brain and a more powerful body, was driven to extinction.”

Xavier lowered his forest green and black compound bow as he faced Professor Quill, who himself was looking at the crowd of onlookers. Ponies, griffins, two dragons, and three humans were listening with intent to the Professor of human studies at Manehatten University as a gentle breeze rolled on by.

“So you could say that humans beat the Neanderthal through the magic of friendship?” an Earth Pony shouted. Giggling and chuckling erupted from the crowd as the Professor looked down and gave a grin.

“Ah, you all laugh now, but friendship even without the magical element still has deep, profound benefits, especially in a world where there is no magic,” Professor Quill gave a nod to the Earth Pony asking the question, “Working together, covering each other’s weaknesses, calling on one another’s strengths, patiently providing for the weak until they can stand again, these things are not magical, but still provide a real, tangible benefit.”

Professor Quill coughed as he began to pace to the right and left of the crowd, “Back to the subject of human’s closest competitor, that isn’t to say that the Neanderthal is completely extinct. Towards the end of their time, many of them, in effect, became friends with humans and interbred with them, which they themselves have confirmed with their DNA technology. With the decline and absence of their only closest competitor, now friend,” Quill chuckled to himself, “Humans continued working on their tools. Eventually discovering the bow, which led to the longbow, which led to the recurve bow,” Professor Quill turned towards Xavier and gave a nod. The human then unstrapped his line from the bow and held it by the riser, showing its side for the crowd to see. “Which eventually led to this, the compound bow. Using a series of pulleys and synthetic materials from their world, it’s able to transfer much more force into the arrowhead than even our own ice bows, and those are magically enhanced. This is a testament to the human capacity to exceed the circumstances they’ve been placed in.”

“Why bother when they have guns?” a question shot out from the audience.

“Excellent,” the Professor gave a bemused smile towards the crowd, “Humans differentiate between hunting and killing. And yes, for the last few hundred years, humans have used guns to hunt. But as time went on, their rifles became more accurate and more lethal. Due to this, for some, the thrill of the hunt had been depreciated by this. Returning back to the bow for some of them is a way to bring the challenge of the hunt back. The satisfaction of taking down cunning prey. I’m sure you griffins can appreciate this,” the stallion gave a curt nod towards a cluster of Griffins in the audience.

Xavier walked over to the demonstration table where many human weapons were on display. A flint knife, a spear, long and recurve bow. Putting his compound bow and arrows back on the table, he turned to face the professor who was still focused on the audience.

“That said, humans still use guns for hunting, especially prey that are dangerous or hard to take down. And even in cases where they still decide to use a bow, many will carry a handgun, an easy to carry gun, just in case they are not immediately able to make the kill and the dangerous prey charges towards them.”

“Is that how they killed Sombra?” A voice shot up from the audience, the ponies now began to talk amongst themselves, sounds of hushed whispering even dragged in the other audience species as the group grew louder.

“As far as I know, however they managed to stop Sombra has been a well kept secret in the Crystal Republic,” the Professor glanced over at Xavier who gave a tiny shrug.

“You mean Crystal Empire,” another voice rang out. What had been whispers became arguing amongst the attendees. While the Griffins were in the mix with the rest of the ponies, the three humans quietly excused themselves as the two dragons in attendance moved to the outer zone of the cluster of bodies, talking to each other and laughing as the audience’s rumbling grew louder.

“Calm down, calm down…” the professor tried to repeat, but soon he himself was dragged into the cluster argument of quadrupeds of all kinds. A Unicorn with a crimson mane turned to yell at a Pegasus, a brown and gray Griffin condescendingly tilting its feathered head at another Unicorn, who slipped off their saddlebag and retorted with a hoof jabbing in midair.

“Well, that sure deteriorated fast,” Xavier walked towards his handler, Jade, as she stared with focused intensity at the audience. Sitting on a metal hybrid seat at the other end of the courtyard, her glinting obsidian mane occasionally wisped up with the gusts of wind.

“Hopefully,” she began, “When this referendum nonsense is done, most of the loyalist will move out of here and head towards Kingdom territory,” Jade snorted, “Manehatten isn’t going to just forget how hard The Kingdom squeezed them for draftees. Especially when it was discovered that Canterlot had offset its numbers by raising the recruitment quota here.”

Xavier took a seat next to Jade as they watched the chaos brew in front of them, “It’s too bad that it had to end this way. The way other ponies tell it, most of the land was at peace with each other before the return of Luna a few years ago.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Jade answered, tucking in her hooves and looking down. The shimmering green fur along the back of her spine stood up for a moment, only to finally recede after a hot minute rolled by.

“I apologize,” Xavier nodded, “I forgot that crystal ponies only came back on the scene a few years ago, It must’ve been a trying time for you.”

“It’s been a lot to handle, yes,” Jade returned the nod, “But we’ve had a lot of support from our sister states, and plenty of support from your kind. First the Corridors, then the outbreak, I’d argue that we’re not the only ones facing problems.”

“True, true,” Xavier trailed off for a few moments, watching as a mix of pastel colors and feathers slowly swirled, “But we’ve always had dominion over our world. Like the professor said, we absorbed the last group that might challenge us.”

“Or you can say that you helped preserve the Neander-tall,” Jade responded, rolling her neck and arching her back.

“Neanderthal,” Xavier corrected.

Jade wrinkled her nose for a moment, puffing her cheeks before exhaling, “Was the accommodations to your liking?”

“I had to sleep on the couch, I have no idea what kind of bed that is,” Xavier looked away, watching as a pair of arguing ponies had finally shoved each other and the crowd was slowly falling into a pushing match.

“It’s made for herds, the goal is the more warm bodies sleeping together, the more comfortable it is,” Jade got up and eyed Xavier, “Let’s leave before they escalate.”

Xavier nodded as he followed Jade out the courtyard and into the beige academic hallways. Stone archways extended as far as the eye could see, with cases showing the past accomplishments of ponies long gone from this mortal coil.

“So, where did you learn to do that?” Jade asked as she led her charge down the hall, eyeing every warm body that approached from the other lane.

“Learn to do what?” Xavier asked.

“Shoot arrows.”

“College,” Xavier answered, “Had to take a physical activity course, archery was an option, so I took it. Got the choice between the compound or the recurve, took the compound because I thought I might go hunting someday.”

“Be honest,” Jade said, taking a turn, “How many have you killed in your hunts?”

“None,” Xavier shrugged. Jade stopped and looked at the human with an eye raised, “I mean, what’s the use if all the meat I want is at the grocery store? It’s a lot of effort just to get venison.”

Jade gave a warm smile and nodded, “Using sloth to justify not taking a life.”

“Don’t give me an award just yet,” Xavier stopped in front of a large tapestry of Clover the Clever, who was draped in a black cloak and casting a silver diadem into a dark gorge. Xavier stepped past a small, chain link barricade cutting the tapestry off from the rest of the hall and pointed to the green unicorn sewn on it and said, “You know, they say he found Manegra La, and for his help uniting Equestria, they asked him to stay.”

“Sure he did,” Jade lowered her head and started to snake alongside Xavier, forcing him to step over the chains and moving him away from the tapestry and back into the shimmering hall, “And I’m a Princess.”

“Where are we off to?” Xavier asked as a row of windows teased him with their light from the gray outside.

“Well, I would’ve let you look around campus with the professor, but he’s obviously busy right now. I’m taking you back to the hotel, I’ll check on a few carnivore restaurants and see if they are on the up and up,” Jade said as she ceased snaking and started leading Xavier through the mazelike structure of the campus.

“Is there anyway we can go to the park?” Xavier sniffed.

“Absolutely not,” Jade said.

“What about the harbor? I’ve never seen a ship run by ponies before,” Xavier asked.

“What about the Magical History Museum? You know a thing or two, I bet you’d find it interesting, and it will be easy for me to vet that,” Jade said as she turned and looked up at her human charge.

“Doesn’t half the stuff there not work anymore? At least that’s what the Internet says back home,” Xavier tilted his head at Jade.

“If I understand correctly, it’s only certain kinds of spells that no longer work since The Shift. Teleportation spells fail, attempts at manipulating time fail, but that’s only magic that only the strongest spell casters could’ve used to begin with. Most unicorns didn’t notice a thing,” Jade answered as she led Xavier into the business building. “If anything, that at least reins in the Queen, though the Pegasi were right upset with the fact they couldn’t stand on clouds anymore. But at least Cloudsdale has the cliffs to fall back on.”

“I’ve read that Pegasi can control the weather, is that true?” Xavier hummed in a light manner as he looked at the long line of business ponies who have donated to the school.

“From what I understand, yes. But it now takes large numbers of them to do it and most Union cities just don’t have the numbers.” Jade looked out a glass window and saw the clouds just meandering by, “It’s not bad though. Being greeted by surprise rain or snow, if anything it adds a new kind of texture throughout the day.”

“But what about storms, or worse?” Xavier found a chair to sit in right next to a bronze bust of a unicorn with a curly mane.

“If I understand correctly, The Kingdom still has sufficient numbers of Pegasi to at least prevent weather disasters in its cities. But the days of a Pegasus to a town or five to a city, and scheduling snow days are over,” Jade said, turning to Xavier. “All the times I’ve been here and I’ve never gotten to see them do their handiwork, and I guess I never will,” Xavier shrugged, making a slight frown.

“I know that the Crystal Republic and Manehatten are having to do renovations on their storm drain system, since they now have to deal with uncontrolled amounts of water. I’m not sure about the other cities, though it wouldn’t surprise me if they had to follow suit,” Jade answered.

“I guess I’ll take the Magical History Museum tour,” Xavier conceded.

“Good,” Jade nodded, “I know we got off on the wrong hoof yesterday,” Jade prodded Xavier with her hoof, “But it’s my job to keep you safe.”

“I hope the Professor will be okay, he seemed to have wanted to try to avoid the political bullshit,” Xavier mumbled, “I’m just really surprised at how knowledgeable he is about human development.”

“Human academia might be larger and have a deeper body of work outside the magical arts, but don’t think for a second that we can’t keep up,” Jade hummed with amusement. “You should really visit Crystal University if you ever get the chance.”

Xavier grimaced as he looked down, “Academia is a strange beast. Sometimes it’s to the strongest, other times it’s who you know more than what you know. I’ve known way too many professors that were too smart for their tiny lonesome community college and others too dumb for their main university gigs.”

“So what’s your opinion on this university?” Jade tilted her head.

Xavier shrugged, “Honestly, one of the first things I noticed was the abundance of unicorns and the lack of Earth ponies and Pegasi. I don’t know if that’s just the culture or if there’s a strong bias against those two here.”

“I know there are some institutions of higher learning that better accommodate those without horns,” Jade answered, “But this is Manehatten, it’s already expensive enough to live here, but to study?” Jade trailed off, “Truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised if half the unicorns you see here come from The Kingdom, or at least the ones who couldn’t get into UC.”

“Any chance of letting me visit the University of Canterlot?” Xavier jested.

Jade looked at the human with a bemoaned face, slowly shifting her features.

“Hey, just asking. Never know when you get a yes so…” Xavier said, looking the other way, clapping his hands together.

“While you’re under my watch, there’s no way in Tartarus you are going a Hundred kilometers near Kingdom territory,” Jade spat out.

“I get it, I get it. I was just curious that’s all,” Xavier waved a hand at the green crystal pony. “That said, should we go check on the Professor? I’m a little worried that he might be in a lick of trouble.”

Jade raised a hoof to her chin and hummed, “I guess we should, he was the one that requested you for that bow and arrow demonstration from our consulate.”

“Professor knows me from our time during the conflict,” Xavier nodded, “It’s rare that I get to meet with a pony that treats humans like humans.”

“And I haven’t?” Jade raised an eye.

“Look, I can appreciate that you’re trying to protect me, but it’s coming off a little, what you might say,” Xavier bit his lower lip and stood up, “Zealous.”

“Better that than negligence,” Jade retorted, “Besides, you’ve made my job relatively easy.”

“I try not t-” Xavier’s eyes widened as his hands started to shake.

“Xavier what’s wron- oh,” Jade was about to ask as Xavier thrust into his pockets and pulled out an orange prescription bottle. Dropping it, he fell to his knees and reached out before kneeling over, clutching his hands into fists as his breathing labored.

“Hang on,” Jade said as she picked up the orange bottle with the softs of her hooves and tried to uncap it, “Shit, I can’t. What the rut is up with this lid?”

Xavier slowly extended his arm, carefully opening his hand as its claw-like appendages convulsed and jittered. Looking at the spasming palm, Jade ignored the offer and tried again to open it, but once more to no avail.

“Shit, where’s a unicorn when you need them?”

“Just,” Xavier groaned, “Give it.”

Jade ceased and immediately gave the bottle to the crumpled man, his right arm gripping it to the point that even the crystal pony could see he was warping the plastic. With a thud, he pulled the bottle back in close to his chest and slowly worked his finger magic, pressing down on the white tab on the outside and giving a quick jerk to unseal it, he finally opened it, only to spill its round, shiny blue contents atop the marble floor. Quickly swiping two pills, he slammed them into his mouth and then swallowed.

“I’ll be,” Xavier winced, “I’ll be okay in five,” Xavier said as he began to pick up each pill off the floor, one by one. His trembling hands doing what they could, occasionally dropping a pill. Jade turned around and began scanning the area. “Afraid someone might,” Xavier stopped to breathe, “Afraid someone might take advantage of me?”

“I’m just looking out for trouble, you’re doing the hard work,” Jade turned, giving Xavier a despondent look, “I’m surprised you handled the pain that well.”

Xavier continued to pick up the pills, piece by piece, “Honestly, the pain was a lot worse back home. Being here seems to have taken a bit of the edge off,” dropping a pill, he picked it up with his shaking hands and continued, “That or placebo effect is in play,” finding the last pill, Xavier resealed the bottle with a grunt, and stumbled back over to the chair.

“Do we need to go see a doctor?” Jade asked.

“I’m fine, just give me a few more minutes and we can get back on the road,” Xavier laid back as he let out a sigh as his fists slowly relaxed, “So, tell me about yourself Jade.”

“I-” Jade gulped as she looked down, “There’s not much to say.”

“Oh please, a green crystal pony with a hammer and chisel for a cutie mark playing minder to a human in Manehatten doesn’t have a story to tell?” Xavier coughed out a laugh, “Come on, indulge me. Distract me from the pain.”

Jade turned her head right, facing the hall entrance, “There isn’t much to say. I was raised at the capitol, Sombra came, the Queen’s ineptitude got us sent into the future only for Sombra to win anyways,” she shrugged as her rump slumped, “Got to wear a helmet that made me a good, compliant pony and I probably killed a few, though Elysian Fields knows I can’t remember. Then you guys took care of Sombra and his dark magic failed while I and others were raiding a town.”

“Not exactly the best moment to regain your senses,” Xavier nodded.

“Right, so the helmet came off, saw blood on my hooves though Aurora Lights knows where it came from. We all surrendered, took weeks to get back home,” Jade’s lip curled as her ears folded down, “Soon after, find out that the The Morning of Truth happened, and we find out that Queen Celestia was going to make us some kind of,” Jade shivered, “Puppet state,” staying silent for a moment, Jade spat, “So I had enough of the being a puppet for others gain and joined the Republics’ self-defense branch.”

“From sculptor to body guard?” Xavier cocked an eyebrow.

“Please don’t remind me,” Jade shook her head, “Not doing the job you were made for would be a minor embarrassment, if not for the need of-”

Xavier looked away as a golden earth mare and a silver unicorn stallion entered the atrium, arguing with each other. The doors outside stood open as the air from the interior of the building blew outside, and Xavier’s shoelaces dangled wildly towards the exit.

The fight grew louder and louder as both parties approached, each combatant feeding off each other’s words. They soon stopped and turned to each other, gazing with a burning desire to win.

“No no no, I’m telling you that Star Swirl was born on the shores of Foaledo. The early references to the forbidden jungle prove it,” the stallion snorted at the mare.

“I’m telling you, it was Southstock. That accounts for the forbidden jungle and his notes on how inexpensive basalt was, he was so near the source he could practically get it himself!” the mare retorted while thrusting a hoof.

“Hey could you two keep it down?” Jade cried from across the room, her lips curled as her ears were paying full attention to the combating ponies.

“Hey stay out of this!” the mare shot back before quickly turning back to her verbal opponent.

Jade jumped to her hooves and walked to the two, “Excuse me?”

“We’re having a conversation and this is a public area,” the stallion responded, scowling at the uninvited crystal pony, “If you have a problem, why don’t you leave?”

“We were here first,” Jade growled as she thrusted her hoof and prodded the silver unicorn.

“Hey! Hooves off my stallion!” As the golden mare pushed herself between the two, her ears folded down, “If you have a problem with him, you have a problem with me!”

“If you have a problem, we can take it outside,” Jade narrowed her eyes at the mare.

A few seconds passed before the stallion nudged his companion, and with a calm voice whispered, “Let’s just go, it’s not worth it.”

The two turned but not before the mare spat on the floor right ahead of Jade. After the interlopers left the room, Jade turned around and said, “Sorry about that. They’re just a bit too loud for me, you–” Jade stared at where Xavier had been sitting, now empty and vacant, as the wind rushed past her and out the door.

Chapter 6: Work

Twilight wore her traveling cloak as she meandered through the narrow marketplace. An assembly of neat shops flanked both ways as the dim alleyway outlets displayed knick knacks from across Equus and beyond. One showed several large chess boards with delicately carved crystal figures on both sides. One blue and orange colored board had the brand of Celestia acting as the Princess and Luna’s Cutie mark the steward. Another shop displayed winter wear with the tag, ‘magic free’ hanging on the side, while another was a simple smoking shop for mares looking to take their habit to the next level. Twilight double checked her hood, ensuring that it covered most of her head, and quickly lifted the back of her cloak to ensure her mulberry rump was covered. Finally, closing her eyes, she breathed in for a few moments before beginning again:

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, rêt-khe dhung lech chu, ba khê mu hu môtsam?

Fyoî, Fyoî, ta-khe tur chup ôhce...🎵

Her nasally voice rang throughout the market, but not one soul turned to look at her. Her ears swiveled in her hood trying to ascertain if the correct response had been given and in what direction. But a special kind of silence answered back. The chatter of shoppers and merchants quickly swallowed up the emptiness of the bazaar. Twilight snorted as she looked at a giant clock hanging off the side of a store and turned around to leave the marketplace, her ears folded towards either side, forcing the hood to droop. The daytime sun hit hard as she walked into a fairway, pelting her with an unwelcome warmth. A left and a right later, she saw the signs pointing to the train station and began to follow them with a rehearsed absent mindedness built from years of following the same path every day.

Finally reaching the lane where her job was located, she froze at the sound of clattering chains and grunts. Instinctually stomping the ground with her left hoof, Twilight looked up to see a team of nine Earth mares were working as one. They were hauling a monstrous concrete cylinder held down by metallic fetters atop an immense iron cart as they crossed her path. She looked up to see two Pegasi circled the wagon, keeping an eye out for anything that might hinder the team of mare’s progress, when the front of the bunch shouted, “Are you mares or are you mice?” The brown Earth Pony at the lead of the hitch cried as the creaking of the wagon wheels screeched throughout the towpath. Soon the lead sounded off again and began to sing,

🎶“This could be our final day!”

“This could be our final day!”

“So lets all go to Paddton Way!”

“So lets all go to Paddton Way!”

“Where the Stallions all wait!”

“Where the Stallions all wait!”

“And there we’ll ask if they can play!”

“And there we’ll ask if they can play!”

“But once the game is finally done!”

“But once the game is finally done!”

“We’ll go ask another one!”🎶

Twilight groaned at the song as she could feel her tail jittering from the ground being shaken as the package slowly moved past her. Looking up she saw the words written in green chalk: ‘Storm Drain C-384 99 Bridal Corner Ave’. She took a step back as she instinctually began preparations to cast a spell. She shook her head and wrinkled her nose as the slight purple aura that telegraphed that her horn was about to activate simmered down. Soon, she watched as the haul was cleared from her path and she returned on her way back to work.

Giving a quick glance to Ferdinand’s, she approached the bookshop with aged, regal green paint covering the window ridging. Passing through the front door, the chime of a bell and dark academia brown greeted her. With nothing but books for the eye to see, she continued her trek to find the single exception: her tiny station and register at the back of the store where she would perform her charge when not cleaning or stocking the books.

“How was your lunch break, Dusk?” a teal unicorn stallion approached Dusk from the right. His cutie mark: An envelope, was slightly modified with obvious red flank paint to have a seal at the bottom of the flap. It had a regal crescent moon that also took advantage of its artificial nature: if you looked at it from a slightly different angle, you could see it was painted atop his rump, giving it a waxy pop out effect.

“Hey Walnut, yeah it was,” Twilight, now Dusk took a moment to verbally strain before continuing, “Great,” she said, giving a weak smile towards her coworker. “No problems with the store, I assume?”

“Well, I had a few customers drop by, though one of them was a pony who asked for some kind of human book, something about golem’s travels or something,” Walnut shook his head, “I told them to check out ‘The Brothers Fox’ at the other end of town. I really do get tired of being asked for that stuff.”

“Well you’re just going to have to bear it,” Dusk said as the light glow of magic pulled back her hood, “Peppermint says it would be bad for business if we put up a sign that says we don’t stock human literature,” Leaving the rest of the robe on, she quickly double checked to ensure her mark was properly concealed before approaching the register.

“I know, I know it’s just that I really don’t like disappointing them,” Walnut sighed as he followed Dusk to her station. “And there was that one time when that one human came in and asked for some novels by Myers Krokton and the King of Steves or some such nonsense. Why do human names have to be so weird? Anyways, I was just glad when they got the hint that they needed to go somewhere else.”

“Any buyers while I was out?” Dusk climbed up on her dark brown wooden stool. Her eyes immediately started to sweep her post, taking stock that every pencil, every inventory check, every sales slip was in its proper place, like all things should be.

“Two, somepony bought the newest Daring Do, and this old Pegasus who bought a recipe book for dragons. Though I have no clue why’d she want that,” Walnut said as he magically handed Dusk the buy log. “Any luck with the heartsong yet?”

Dusk froze, not even bothering to properly catch the log with her magic as her head slowly swiveled towards Walnut, her teeth gritting, with violet eyes bearing down on him as the book hit the floor, “How in the–”

“I might not be as academically inclined as you are, nor as business savvy as Peppermint is, but I have seen you glancing at the Canterbury Chronicles,” Walnut shot a smile at his coworker.

“That means nothing,” Dusk stuttered, her ears shot back while breaking eye contact so that she could see where the buy log had hit the floor, “I just happened to find the poetry very soothing, that’s –”

“And Ancient Pony Love Songs,” Walnut gave a coy eye at Dusk, “I caught you reading that a few days ago while the store was dead.”

Dusk kept glancing over at Walnut, then finally looked away, levitating the buy log. Each time she was trying to form words, her muzzle kept clapping shut despite her magic not flinching once as the record of sales was gently placed next to the register.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about my dear,” Walnut gave her a wink as he slowly encircled the station.

“You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?” Dusk bit her lower lip.

“Why would I? I am just interested in seeing if you happen to find your companion. Very rare, very rare indeed,” Walnut tilted his head while continuing to circle Dusk, “Some ponies go their entire lives singing their hearts out but no pony ever responds,” Walnut closed his eyes and nodded, “But I have a feeling that you might do it. And just being able to witness it? Quite the tale to tell…”

“I’m not sure if you’re mocking me or you’re being sincere,” Dusk narrowed her eyes as they locked onto her coworker.

“Oh I’m not mocking. You already know the stories, the Tragedy of Loretrenza, the Fall of the Eleventh House, and of course -“

“The Bakery Mare, and the Dragon of Cloudsdale, and the Lunar Concert, yes I know. I know the responsibility I will be indebted to. Anyways, I’ve already started singing yesterday,” Dusk snorted as she finally opened the log and began to examine its contents.

“Oh? Already started have we?” Walnut playfully sniped, “Tell me, what do you plan on doing if you find out they’re terminally ill? Or perhaps they’re already in a herd? What if they’re too old? Or too young?”

“What are you getting at?” Dusk broke her focus from the log and glared once again at Walnut.

“Oh… Nothing,” Walnut rolled his head as he returned a tilted stare, “It’s said that a lover found by heartsong can only end in fortune or tragedy, with no room for both.”

Dusk simply glared at Walnut as he held fast to his countenance. The soft pattering of moving bodies reverberated in the bookshop as the two ponies stared each other down. The scent of both fresh and old pages made themselves known as one of the display lights in the far corner flickered.

“If you’re saying that I’m going to ruin their life, I’ve made the proper preparations,” Dusk finally uttered, turning away to focus on her station.

“Oh? Do tell.”

Dusk grimaced as she took a breath, “I’ve been saving up for the last eight months in case they’re in dire financial straits. Or if they’re ill,” Dusk looked away, “But I made my decision on the matter.”

“So you’ll adhere to the oath?” Walnut’s face suddenly shifted from trollish joy to the seriousness of death. His eyes suddenly seemed hollow as his pupils almost swallowed the mare up on reflection.

“I wouldn’t have already started singing if I didn’t,” Dusk answered, looking away from her deftly organized station.

“You know there are better ways, right? If it’s loneliness you’re trying to deal with, there’s an entire city that you can talk to,” Walnut grimaced as he nodded up and down, “If it’s about starting a herd, why not look at the classifieds?”

“Have you seen how creepy the classifieds are?” Dusk retorted.

“Have you not considered how creepy it is to use heartsong to sink your horn into someone’s life?” Walnut raised an eye, the coy features wiped from his face.

“It’s not creepy!” Dusk stamped, nearly echoing across the store, “It’s romantic, it’s finally coming into port after a long odyssey of garbage. It’s knowing that the chains of fate have finally led you home,” Dusk cried out, “It’s how my brother met his w-,” Dusk paused and shook her head, “Lead mare, and if it worked for him I’m willing to bet bits to barley that it will work out for me too.”

“Oh, you are serious,” Walnut reached out and touched dusk’s front hoof, “I’m sorry. You know I had to try. Though chances are you’ll probably never meet them. For all the stories of known heartsong–”

“There are hundreds of instances more when someone sang, and no pony responded,” Dusk gazed down on the ground.

“And if you never hear a response, think of it as being a particular kind of lucky,” Walnut smiled. “So be honest, do you think you’ll actually find them?”

“Well, one of the reasons I was looking at old pony love songs was to find a song in ancient tongue so that whoever responds, they would either have to have both the knowledge of old pony and of love songs, which should be incredibly rare, or it’s the real deal.”

“Just out of curiosity, the song you picked, what’s it about?” Walnut walked around the checkout.

“It’s a simple song really,” Dusk tilted her head and looked up, “It’s a mare that shouts out a greeting, and asks if she can be felt and if her lover is ready to go. Then she asks again if her mate has received her echo, to which he replies that he has. But in a strange particular way.”

“Oh really?” Walnut chuckled, “I think you’re overthinking it.”

“I doubt it,” Dusk opened the register and started counting, “My sister innn-” Dusk stuttered for a brief moment, “My brother’s companion did something similar, only she used an ancient Griffin love song.”

Walnut raised an eye, “Oh, why was that?”

“She said that she thought it would be funny if her companion started speaking ancient Griffin and it might help break the ice,” Dusk said, laying out the various denominations of bits from order smallest to largest, “Apparently my brother and her had a laugh about it soon after, and he made her promise never to do that again.”

A bell chimed as a unicorn entered the shop. Striped in red and white, with a candy cane for a cutie mark, she immediately barked out, “The property taxes are now paid on the store, so you guys can stick around for another year,” she gave a hearty laugh as she examined her domain.

“Peppermint, were you able to convince them to lower it?” Walnut asked as he walked to the back where a small door lay, and extracted a duster from its compartment.

“Just barely. Had to convince them to keep it low because we’re just a bookshop, our turnover isn’t that high, but we provide an important service to ponies heading out of town,” Peppermint said with her head held high, “T-, Dusk. Dusk, do you have the money ready for me to take to the bank?”

“No, not yet. I just got back from lunch, as you can see,” Dusk waved a ten bit bill in the air.

“Good, good. Dusk I have a favor to ask you,” Peppermint said as she approached the register.

“Hmmm?” Dusk said as she put the bill back on the pile.

“I’m meeting with an associate editor for Biscuit of the Sea for dinner the day after tomorrow. Can I ask that you stay till closing then? I’ll let you have all day after off with pay if you cover till the store closes.”

Dusk looked up and raised an eyebrow, her eyes dancing back and forth, pressing her lips until she simply said “Yes,” as she put the last of the bits back in the register and closed it.

“Thank you,” Peppermint said as she began to inspect the store. The white mare walked down the biography aisle, and at the sight of a book leaning a little too far, straightened it and continued on.

“So, the Diet in the Capitol is sending delegates to observe the elections here, they’re worried that the elections here will be marred by the secessionists,” Walnut smiled as he turned his attention back to Dusk.

“The threshold is too high, it’s not giving us a fair shake,” Dusk shook her head, “Manehatten would be better if it returned to the fold.”

“True, but it was the same threshold they gave during the war,” Walnut responded, “The leak didn’t help matters either.”

“That wasn’t Celestia’s fault, that was purely the House of Baronesses’ doing.” Twilight scoffed.

“Regardless of where it came from, what’s done is done,” Walnut crooked his head, “What would you have done?”

Twilight paused for a moment, and looked up, “I would have drafted from Canterlot until the deficit was met. That should put everyone in their place.”

“Interesting,” Walnut nodded, “But in your efforts to balance, how would you compensate Manehatten for their forced contribution?”

Twilight blinked as she looked miles away for a few moments, “I don’t know. If its compensation they’re seeking, I’m sure that the coffers would be more the-”

“So you’re going to compensate Manehatten’s dead draftees with... bits?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It sure sounds like that’s what you meant,” Walnut snaked along the side of the register, “Imagine yourself in a herd that’s lost a daughter or two, would the purse of the princess really console you? ‘Sorry for the two daughters you lost, here’s a few hundred bits, buy yourself something nice’.”

“No, of course not,” Twilight shook her head and answered, “But what’s the alternative, try to raise the dead? Regardless, the city needs Canterlot. We’re still trading with them.”

“Of course, of course,” Walnut conceded, “But consider what the leaders here have to gain by staying? Without the Kingdom overseeing them, they can just tax the body directly and not send the Kingdom their cut.”

“Seems like to me the leaders here want it to fail,” Twilight trailed off.

“Apropos…”

“Apropos, the high passing threshold,” she turned away and muttered.

“Right, right. For them, things are going good. Why spoil it?”

“Because its the right thing to do,” Twilight shot Walnut a tired look, “Its time for Manehatten to come home.”

“Then consider the following, can we agree you and I should be,” Walnut bent over to whisper into the register pony’s ear, “Paid more?”

Twilight’s ears folded back before perking forward, and giving a conciliatory nod.

“And yet, here we are. Take my advice, learn to accept the world as it is. Not as you want it to be, Luna had to.” Walnut gave a wink as he turned around and left the purple mare by herself at her station.

Chapter 7: Call and Response

The wind was at Xavier’s back as he meandered around the park. The smell of the pond nearby announced itself while the trees swayed gently, waving the human towards his goal. Looking to his left, and then to his right, he picked up the pace as he carried a bouquet, six red, four blue, three Orange, two yellow, two violet, one teal and one green, that was less like a flower and more like a weed. His eyes focused on his aim: A Memorial. As he approached, he saw that there was a statue of many mares, circled by each other’s side facing outward in an aggressive, proud posturing. Unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, all three principle tribes were present and accounted for. Beneath them, a sign that simply said:

To our daughters, sisters, mothers and comrades.
What he tried to take, can now never be stolen.

Xavier paused at the front of the statue as his eyes focused on the bronze coloring with pigeons trying to desecrate something that simply refused to be tainted. He simply looked at the memorial for a time, as his nonplussed face slowly shifted as he abided.

“Paying respects, huh?”

Xavier turned to see a yellow mare with wings sitting next to him. Her cutie mark was a simple cloud with the sun behind it. “I really should’ve come here sooner,” he said, while laying the flowers carefully next to the other flowers that encircled the memorial.

“Did you know any Manehattan soldiers?” the Pegasus inquired as she kept her eyes focused on the memorial, but her left ear was firmly pointed at him.

“I thought this was a general memorial, not just for Manehattan service members,” Xavier said as he dug around his pockets, pulling out an orange bottle and popping a pill.

“It isn’t, but it’s obvious if you look at the mares. What do you think is missing?” The yellow Pegasus asked, turning a slight eye on her provisional companion.

“Well, there’s obviously no griffins or dragons, what’s your name? I didn’t catch it,” Xavier said, rotating to see his temporary consort.

“Seashell,” the yellow Pegasus said as her ears flickered back and forth for a moment before returning their attention back towards the memorial.

“Seashell? With that cutie mark?” Xavier raised an eye.

“What can I say?” she gave a mellow smile while looking down, “Dad was an Earth Pony who loved the sea, and besides, by the time my cutie mark appeared, it would’ve been a hassle to go and change it.” Seashell sighed, flickering her tail for a brief moment.

Xavier turned back to the memorial and went on, “Like I said, no griffons or dragons. And I’m guessing the lack of subtle shine on the Earth ponies is meant to convey that none of the ponies here are crystal.”

Seashell nodded as she stretched her wings, “That’s how you know it’s really just for the Manehattan ponies. So many others gave their lives, including your kind, to stop him, and not even so much as a side note.”

“That’s just the way of the world, isn’t it,” Xavier said, as he shoved his gloved hands in his pockets. “But I’m not exactly going to give them flak over it. This memorial will do.”

“Who did you lose?”

“Well, that’s complicated,” Xavier said, turning away.

“I’m guessing at least six of your kind, four Crystal Ponies and three Earth Ponies?” Seashell answered, “With so many other colors, I don’t want to make a guess.”

“Counting the flowers that I laid,” Xavier shook his head, pointing to the red batch, and began. “Six crystal ponies and four humans, so you just got the two swapped. You’re right on the money with the Earth Ponies, with the yellow and violet being Pegasi and Unicorns, respectively. Oh, and the Teal is for Thunderclaw, a griffin who…” Xavier trailed off, “Anyway, I’m impressed that you picked up on it.”

Seashell shrugged, “Everyone tries to bring meaning to this place,” The mare pointed a hoof at a rose and a blue flower. “The rose is for a Griffin I knew that joined up in hopes of getting Kingdom citizenship, the blue one is for my herd-sister, she held the line at Galloping Gorge and as her just reward, she was given a burial at New Cloudsdale, next to the waterfall. Quite beautiful if what I’m told is correct.”

“Why wasn’t she buried here?”

“Manehattan had just seceded and as punishment, Celestia buried them in the kingdom,” Seashell’s ears snapped back as she gave a short laugh with a quick cry at the end. “Who knows, maybe if we vote to return, I might get to get them to bury her in her rightful home.”

“I’m sorry,” Xavier slowly nodded towards the mare.

“Nothing for you to be sorry about,” Seashell let out a sigh, “Though I do wish that they would just let us bring her home.”

The two stood next to each other as the wind ruffled the flowers ahead of them. No scent permeated the place of memory, and the sun started to set behind the tall buildings.

“Well, it was good meeting you Seashell,” Xavier gave a nod as he turned and started to walk away.

“And your name?” Seashell asked before Xavier could take two steps.

“Xavier,” the human said, turning around to face the mare.

“It was good meeting you, Xavier,” Seashell gave the human a simple smile as she walked the other way and thrust out her wings in both directions. And with a simple flap, launched off the ground, over the trees and out of sight.

Xavier stepped out of the zoo as he slid his ticket into the depths of his wallet. Shoving it back into the recesses of his pockets, he looked around and pulled his hood over his head. Stepping onto the street, he began to meander through the city, occasionally looking up when a sign caught his interest.

Stopping by a pet shop, he looked into the window and saw a greater variety of pets than anywhere on home Terra. Small toothless crocodiles and owls in cages were either fast asleep or relaxing in the quiet blue ambience that was the interior of the shop. Looking away, Xavier groaned as he saw Sun Ray’s pizzeria, claiming to be the first one in Manehattan with giant neon red letters. A human was eating outside by her lonesome, while behind her was a party of three Unicorns drinking pints of ale with their pizza.

The crowd thickened as twilight took over the city. The dark sky was graced by a gibbous moon that begged all to relish and play at the night it brought forth. And whispered that it was okay to shun and sleep through the daylight that would come after.

Xavier slipped into a grocer and looked around. The scent of hay hit him first, before he saw the advertisement of organic hay hanging near the entry. Winding through, he saw oats sourced from across the Great Sea, salt supplements, and of course, the human imports. Candy from his home planet filled the tiny nook in the shop, along with the earth counterpart to many equestrian goods. Wading through the bright florescent lights of the store, he approached the front counters and saw a few papers from the local press. Two of them with pro separatist front covers, arguing that Queen Celestia had warned that if Manehattan did not return to the fold, there would be dire consequences. One paper was different. Its front-page headline, said the Kirin trade ministers were meeting with a delegation of humans and were considering reopening trade with the rest of greater Equus.

Slipping past the registers with both mares and stallions checking out patrons, Xavier emerged back onto the street and took an immediate left. Following the crowd of not just ponies, but other denizens and humans as well, Xavier passed by a bar with a neon blue shot glass called Rumbler’s when the scent of lager gently wafted past him. Glancing in, he could see a busy mare pouring out drinks to various ponies when he heard a loud whistle to his right.

“Hey there hot stuff,” said a unicorn with a beige coat and wood brown mane. She eyed Xavier, and sat her drink down, “Why don’t you come sit down here a moment?”

Xavier simply lifted his right hand and shook no as he left the scene. The mare got down and followed him, her tail swishing from side to side, saying “You know you look a little lonely tonight, come on, have a drink with me!”

Xavier picked up the pace as he pretended he didn’t hear her. Letting out a snort, the pony galloped and attempted to block his way. “Come on now, don’t you want to make any friends? I’d like to be your friend.”

Xavier attempted to sidestep his pursuer as she kept herself in front of him and giggled, “Playing the Bronco, I see, two can play at that ga-“

The mare looked up and then froze in place as her eyes were locked with the two white and green spheres in Xavier’s head. They were wide and unflinching, his expression serious at the point of focused intent. Then slowly the mare thought they were lit ablaze, focusing everything they had on the one that tried to ensnare them. Not one word escaped his lips as he continued to stare the unicorn down.

“Hey, umm,” the unicorn let out a quick chuckle that immediately ceased as the human in front of her kept his optical units locked on her own pair of eyes. Then, the fur on her spine stood up and she ran, swerving past the human that she was trying to stop and back into the bar.

Xavier let out a sigh of relief as his features softened. Scratching his beard, he breathed in and out for a time, his eyes half lidded until a final deep breath emerged. Glancing back for a quick second, he dusted himself off and he continued to walk again.

For an hour more, Xavier continued to wander the streets of Manehattan. Passing by a fire station, he saw the intersection of cobblestone, and smiled. He spied the sign that pointed towards the train station platform and followed it. Double checking to make sure the hood of his cloak was snuggly overhead, he returned down the principal thoroughfare from whence he had come from. Only the sound of chains clanging out from empty stalls accompanied him as the wind gently pushed his back. That was until he finally arrived at the green bordered bookstore when at last, silence took over. He approached the frosted windows and tried to look inside. While he could see the nearby books, everything else behind them was a blur, with the sole exception of a lavender smudge off to the back. Taking a step to his rear, he approached the door and pushed it open, where the scent of books slammed into him.

In the back, a lavender mare behind the register briefly looked up before returning to whatever it was she was doing. Xavier approached the first display where several copies of ‘The Secret New History of Equestria’ lay. Picking one up and opening it to a random page near the back, Xavier read:

=-=-=
“That is to say, the Crystal Empire is mum about what exactly happened to Sombra. But the scant few details keep referencing ‘Seven Sages’ that put an end to his reign of terror, with evidence of these being the extra dimensional humans that spilled forth from the gateways Sombra created. Could these beings be in league with the Dark King? Hardback Trotter had this to –”
=-=-=

Xavier groaned as he shut the book and placed it back down. Looking around, he approached the fiction section as he started browsing the titles on the shelf: Daring Do and the Forbidden Sanctum, The League of Extraordinary Dames, The Lost Filly of Forlorn, Maximum Mare versus the Abomination from Beyond the Stars.

Picking the last book up, Xavier bent over and glanced through its pages, pausing at a page near the middle of the book, and started to read:

=-=-=
“Halt you extradimensional Biped!” cried Maximum Mare, her horn of many colors pointed squarely at the creature with soft claws, “Your reign of terror is finally at an end!”

“Curse you Maximum Mare! My plan to overthrow Princess Nightfall has been foiled by you for the last time! Have at the!” screamed the scaleless, featherless, and furless beast as she roared forth.

“Just because you are immune to my magics doesn’t mean that the room is immune!” exclaimed Maximum Mare as she ripped a column off the interior of the building with her magic and threw it at the abomination. It slammed into her and tossed her across the room, she let out a wild yelp before crawling back to her only two legs.

“Enough of this!” screeched the human, “Behold my true form!” the creature used its own blunt claws to grab either end of its mouth, pulling hard, she let out a roar as-
=-=-=

“Finally, some good fucking literature…” Xavier mumbled as he bent over further and turned the page.

“Can I help you?” An aged feminine voice behind him asked.

Xavier straightened up and looked at the mare with red and white coloring, closing the book with a finger right on the page he was reading. “I was just browsing around, might be interested in buying this,” he said, raising the book on high.

The mare gave a jittery smile and folded her ears back as she said, “Great, great, well if you could just move along to the register and make your purchase, we can get you in and out in a jiffy!”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I like the book yet or not,” Xavier said, lifting the book up for a second time before letting his arm fall back by the side.

“Well, umm… we don’t want our customers just blocking the way for the other ones so…” The white unicorn proceeded to give a strained smile towards the human as her mouth slowly morphed into a grin. She kept eyeing between the human in the register, a flash of yellow sparked in her pupil.

“I mean, I just don’t know about this book, it seems to have a promising start. But I’d like to read a little more before making a decision,” Xavier gave a curt nod toward his customer service representative.

“Well, if you really want to read for free, you can always go to the library,” the peppermint mare spoke between her teeth. “So I’m asking you, either make the purchase or leave.”

Xavier stood still. Looking around the store, he saw that the only other bodies in the complex besides him and the mare in front of them were the register pony and a stallion next to her. Beyond that, the lanes between the shelves were clean and lacking of any life, it’s dark green walking carpets devoid of even dust, “I apologize, did I insult you? If so, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, there was no insult, but we would appreciate it if you either just bought the book you have in your, ugh… hoof… right now or leave. Regardless, the store is closing,” the mare said as she jolted her head towards the register.

“It’s awfully early to be closing, what time is it?” Xavier said, as he glanced at the upper part of the store for a clock to latch onto.

“Oh, um, yes, of course it’s early, we’re closing early because uh, taxes. Yes, the tax inspector will be here soon and we wouldn’t want you to feel unwelcome,” she said as her head jerked again towards the register.

Xavier froze and carefully scanned the store. Then he looked at the unicorn mare in front of him and asked, “Why would the tax inspector care about customers?”

“Well, you see,” the peppermint mare’s eyes danced back and forth, “It would be great if we had everyone on deck for this in case they had any questions. And if we had to deal with you and the tax inspector, we could end up paying more than we can afford in taxes and…”

The tips of Xavier’s mouth creased up slightly as he said, “Oh, you have a problem with humans I see, and if the tax inspector were to see that-”

“No, no, we don’t have a problem with humans here,” the unicorn hostess again tried to speak between her teeth. “Oh, it’s the tax inspector that has a problem with humans. Yes, you see, if she were to catch you here, she could make a big deal of it and well…”

“So it wouldn’t be a problem if I came back tomorrow?” Xavier asked.

“Oh! Well, you see, these inspections can take days, even weeks,” the mare shook her head, “The tax inspection should be finished in oh, October?”

“What kind of tax inspection takes that long? Don’t you just need to hand him a copy of your accounting books?”

“Oh silly,” the peppermint mare lifted a hoof and waved up and down, “You see, things work a bit differently here in Equestria, you understand.”

“No, I don’t,” Xavier exhaled, “Wouldn’t a tax inspector only be interested in your money flow and maybe property value? And I’m willing to bet that they send someone else here to evaluate the property, but even then –”

“Ha… Look, if you’re not going to buy anything, just leave,” the mare said, her eyes narrow. “And besides, I doubt you’ll even like pony literature, not enough tree living, you know?” as she turned and motioned Xavier to follow her with her head.

“No, I don’t. Again, you’ll have to explain why I care about if the characters in the story live in trees or not,” Xavier said as he narrowed his right eye at the attendant.

“Well, you see, pony literature is all about ponies and ponies don’t live in trees,” the mare chuckled as she violently motioned with her head towards the door. “Trust me, ‘The Fox Brothers’ can help you with all your human literature needs.”

“I’ve been there,” Xavier look to the left as he put his free hand in his coat pocket, “And they didn’t have anything I was interested in.”

“Oh, that’s just too bad,” the hostess shot a curled smile at Xavier, “Now if you could just leave.”

“What’s your name?”

“Peppermint, now please –”

“Peppermint, can I speak to your manager? I have a, well, strange feeling that you’re having an issue with me personally,” Xavier said as he put the book he was holding atop the shelf he was standing next to.

“Good news for you! I am the manager, now,” Peppermint narrowed her eyes and growled. “If you do not leave, I will umm,” a strain smile emerged from her face, “I’m going to have to make you leave.”

Xavier raised his gloved hands and gave a deferential nod to the manager. He walked past his hostess and walked towards the door with the unicorn slowly following behind him, “It’s too bad, you’ve got a real nice shop here, has a real bibliophile’s vibe to it.”

“Great, great, glad we could impress you,” the mare said as she approached the door. The light bubblegum glow from her horn enveloped the lever door handle, pulling it down with a click, “Please, don’t come back.”

A soft song began to make itself known. It danced through the air from the depths of the shop like a single spider’s thread floating in the wind. A nasally voice lifted the tune, and its lyrics echoed throughout the store. Xavier shook his head for a second, placing his gloved hand atop his head before returning to his previous position. Then both the human and unicorn took a brief glance towards the back of the store before setting their sights on each other again.

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, rêt-khe dhung lech chu, ba khê mu hu môtsam? 🎵

The human put his gloved hands to his head, shaking it for a moment.

No wonder you're in so much pain, You're doing it all wrong.

Returning to the mare in front of him, he began, “Before I leave, you had your shake, but I will have mine. You’re a rascal, a rascal with no respect towards-”

Xavier stopped once again as he clutched his sternum, shaking his head.

Here, let me show you how to do it right.

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, ta-khe tur chup ôhce... 🎵

“🎵-Turp tur ôhce, oûb ta... 🎵” Xavier sang at Peppermint. His hands slammed against his mouth as his eyes widened and looked left and right.

“What did you say?” a voice rang out from behind the register. Xavier turned to face the voice and saw a lavender unicorn staring at him. She blinked. He blinked. The mare leapt forth from her stand on the register and down onto the ground as she ran towards Xavier.

“Excuse me?” The manager said, “You know what, never mind, just leave before I get the police.”

Xavier froze, staring at the oncoming purple smudge. It galloped past the register and past the shelves. Xavier’s spine whispered one, and only one thing to him.

And then he turned and fled.

Chapter 8: Curse

Xavier stumbled out the bookstore covering his mouth, a sudden deep warmth emanated from his very core, as a cool tingling came over his arms. That was until he felt his stomach churn and contract.

Rushing away from the store, Xavier kept his mouth covered until he could see the cobblestone lined streets where he could let loose. Pieces of chewed dough and stomach acid came rushing out onto the side of the road, as he could hear the crashing of hooves against rock. Instinct was the order of the night, his legs acted without worrying if bits of digested pretzel were stuck on their owner’s beard. Gaslight lamps illuminated the path to freedom, deftly weaving between the patrons of the alleyway. He quickly merged right into outgoing traffic and let the crowd take him as the scent of food vendors of all sorts collided into a single cooked stench.

“Wait! Stop!” the nasally voice of the mare screamed behind him, but he knew better. Whispering curses beneath his breath, Xavier suddenly saw a narrow alleyway and took it. Jumping to his left and rushing, the way became darker and darker until it suddenly expanded out again, revealing the narrow corridor between apartment complexes.

Illumination from above came from the various living spaces that called the alleyway their backyard in a soft honey glow with flickering flame. With no pony in the way, Xavier kept rushing down. His shoes slapping the ground until he took a sudden right and froze, bending over and letting another round of his snacks from the zoo exit through the wrong door.

Heaving for a moment, the sound of rapid clopping rose behind him as it had the same rhythm as the mare that leapt from the register and pursued him out of the bookstore. “Looks like she wasn’t lying about how aggressive unicorns can get around books,” Xavier shook his head and started running again.

Xavier ran past where improvements were being done on the storm system. The smell of stagnant water crept up as the lunar glint of chains holding giant concrete cylinders flashed at the human as he passed by. Running up a flight of stone stairs, he ran through an empty Farmer’s Market. A strong breeze pushed against him, forcing the brim of his jacket to flareup. “Not tonight,” he muttered as from out the farmers’ market, he approached a bridge. He ran across it and quickly glanced at the water below. But only the abyss stared back up, unblinking, unwavering. It was too dark to see if he could risk a leap just to escape his pursuer. He could still hear the beat of the hooves that drove fear into his heart. With that, he focused on reaching the end and finding something to break this stalemate.

Four mares were dragging an open carriage where a Unicorn and Griffin were cozying up to each other when Xavier cut past them. Xavier stumbled past the group as the Griffin shouted, “Watch where you’re going sausage claws!” The human picked himself back up and finally passed through a stone archway. There he saw that there was a small crowd gathered in front of a red and gold dragon strumming a guitar. Along with him were two unicorns in the back playing drums and bass, respectively with their magic. Forcing himself into the sea of ponies, a sudden horrible revelation dawned on Xavier: he was the only human here. He only slowed himself down. Twisting, he looked behind him only to see his personal predator’s head near the ground, possibly heaving. Carefully maneuvering through the cavalcade of ponies, Xavier emerged on the other side and was finally able to take a left at one of the buildings, breaking line of sight. Rushing into a human franchise, he could see a woman manager behind the counter taking a complaint from a Pegasus, as he slowed down and approached the restroom. Opening up the stallion’s room, he entered, closed the door, locked it and let the void of darkness take him, and as quietly as he could, began to sing.

Twilight could only stare up as the being who had responded disappeared past another building. She grunted as she thought to herself, how can something with only two legs run so fast? Shaking her head, she let her rear hooves dig deep and pushed forward, pouncing on the night. Taking a turn, she slammed into a red crystal mare with blond mane and binoculars for a brand. She shook her head and got up at the same time the other mare did.

“Oops,” the crystal pony said as she once again stepped in the way of Twilight.

“Sorry, I uh,” twilight responded, stepping to the left, only for the crystal mare to also step in that direction.

“Oh wait, sorry,” she said, but Twilight had enough and turned perpendicular and jumped forward, circumventing the mare entirely.

She only saw a slew of businesses on the side of the buildings where the human disappeared into. Taking a moment, she tried to find a tall figure in any of the businesses. Ahead of her, she saw one and galloped towards the entrance. However, her energy slowly dissipated as she saw ‌it was just a mare-human behind a counter talking to a Pegasus. Sticking her neck up high, she scanned, trying to find any trace of the being that answered her Heartsong. Then the thoughts came rushing in.

A human? Can humans even respond to Heartsong? Why did they vomit? A human?

The unicorn’s face stretched and contorted as a glint of violet flashed across her eyes. She took three deep breaths and straightened herself as she began to sing.

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, rêt-khe dhung lech c-

“Hey, take it outside!” The mare-human snapped at twilight while her claws were pushed against their owner’s hips. She glared at Twilight, her eyes blazing with heat.

“I’m so sorry, just give me a –”

“Hey, some of us are trying to talk,” the Pegasus verbally nipped twilight. “Unicorn or not, I’ll take you out back if you say one more thing!”

Twilight was being pulled in two directions, her rear legs trying to push forward while the front of her screamed retreat. She gritted her teeth and slammed a hoof down on the tile. Turning, she left the building and walked out into the last of the warm summer night. Taking a few steps up to the Plaza, her ears flickered up as she once again began to sing.

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, rêt-khe dhung lech chu, ba khê mu hu môtsam?

Fyoî, Fyoî, ta-khe tur chup ôhce...🎵

She ceased and looked around, her ears carefully trying to pick up any hint of the response phrase. But all she could hear was the clopping sound of passersby and the mellow conversations that blended into a brown ambience that spread throughout the gibbious night.

An amber light trickled across the bathroom while Xavier was bent over. His hands on either side bracing himself from the floor and purging his innards into the pony type toilet. Designed for squatting, his face was closer than he would like. Another round of chunks from his trip to the zoo fell out as the churning in his stomach finally settled.

Pushing himself up, the man shook his head as he slid on his bum backwards towards the wall. He rested himself as the light deodorizer of the room flared up with citrus, and the light revealing a disgusting beard having caught way too much of that night’s meal.

In and out. In and out… he breathed. His eyes held a tired half lid as he took off his jacket and shirt. He let out a quiet praise as he discovered his shirt was saved from the fireworks in his stomach, mostly because of his beard. Carefully pulling his shirt over, he went over to the highest sink in the lavatory and started the faucet. Taking off his gloves, he lay them neatly as he then unrolled the wrappings. Cartoons of baby unicorns playing between repeated instances of the sun and moon were prominently displayed on the cloth. Carefully moving the wrappings somewhere dry, he kept his hands beneath the running water and slowly cleaned his dangling beard.

It was only at the third pass when Xavier’s eyes narrowed as he felt that something was strangely present. Looking down at his scarred limbs, with lines and dots elegantly cut like a connect the dots puzzle, he blinked as he gripped his right hand and released it. Then his left hand. He touched the porcelain bowl and just stared at his manipulators as he could feel the cool, smooth white cut of its concave shape. As he touched it, droplets of cold water sprung forth from the faucet, hitting the back of his elegantly scarred hand.

“It’s… gone,” he whispered to himself as he drifted his hands toward each other. He rubbed them, feeling the natural ridges of age release frictional heat and minor turbulence against the inherent smoothness of human skin. Suddenly, he closed his eyes as he interlaced his fingers atop their respective partners on the other hand. He braced himself, then pushed them against each other until all the joints popped in unison. He slowly opened his eyes as the monster that he expected was simply gone, or was never there.

“The pain, it’s gone?”

The professor was in his office after a long day talking to campus police after the minor riot one student in his class caused. He passed by the weapons he had borrowed from a few of the humans he knew, and double checked to make sure that they were safely locked for the night. The quiet hum of the gas lantern hissed across his quaint brown room as the scent of cinnamon poured forth from a lit candle. His desk was at the far end of the narrow enclosure with books that surrounded him. They watched him as he hummed a ditty of a ballad where three mares scoured the lands to save their stallion:

🎵Oh three mares of yonder,

Cross the land as not to squander,

Your stallion so tender and warm,

Just to shield him from the storm,

But if you see him held captive by a mob,

Then know that the one who took him was A-

He stopped while passing by his desk and looked down. Brown and tan photos of each of his five children held their station, while images of their respective mothers were placed right behind them. However, of the set, there was an exception. One mare off to the side, her wings were stretched and a goofy smile on her face was plastered front and center.

Knock, knock, knock.

The stallion nearly fell over as he stared at the door, then looked at the pendulum clock that hung: the short hand rested on the 9 while the long one on the 6. Carefully, and softly stepping, as to not make a sound, he approached the door and moved to the side

Knock, knock, knock.

The Professor slowly put his hoof on the lever handle and opened the door, revealing a homely stallion human, out of breath and bearing half-lidded eyes.

“Elysian Fields! Xavier? Where the Tartarus were you? Your escort has been running her hooves off trying to find you!” the professor said as Xavier stumbled in and crumpled on his office couch.

“I wasn’t allowed to see the city, so I took matters into my own hands.” Xavier closed his eyes, and let the couch hold his weight in full, “In either case I think I fucked up hard Quill.”

The professor moved like a fog rolling in towards the back of his desk. He pulled out a large bottle of water, and with the soft grips of his hooves poured a glass. Carefully he brought it over to the human, mindful not to fall over with the only three legs he could spare, “I’d say so. She was right furious when she questioned me.”

Xavier took the glass and quickly washed it down. His legs spread from the couch at odd angles, “I need you to call a doctor that specializes in curses, I’m pretty sure I pissed off a unicorn hard enough to convince her to cast one at me.”

“I thought that-“ the professor started.

Xavier shook his head, “I’m sure that if circumstances were different, you would be right on the money, but…” The human raised his gloved hands and shook his fingers.

“Yes, yes I see,” Quill nodded. The professor bit his lower lip and looked up, “Cross might be able to help us.”

Xavier looked at the professor with exhausted confusion. His green eyes cut like two green u’s as he just stared at the stallion, “Wait, isn’t she the physician and Lead Mare of your herd?”

“Not Lead Mare, but close enough. You just stay here, I’ll be right back,” the professor said as he quickly slumped his saddlebag atop his back and watched as the human laid in full on his couch.

“So,” the white mare with two snakes facing away from each other for a cutie mark began, “You said that you heard lyrics while arguing with a unicorn and you said something in a language that you don’t recognize?” The soft white glow of her horn faded as she lifted an eye.

“Right, and right afterwards I vomited. But not just once, it happened again while I was running. I had to stop to just prevent it from spewing everywhere, and the last time was when I found a safe hiding spot,” Xavier said, drinking another glass of water.

Cross looked at her stallion with narrow eyes. The professor grinned back and looked at the human, then looked back at his mare, “Well, what you described sounds like a bardic incantation to me.” Cross shook her head as the tip of her horn lit up in a bright light again and she waved it across the human body, “But while bardic techniques can affect humans, they can’t impart curses. They can demotivate, maybe even instill despair, but they can’t curse.”

Xavier rocked his head in agreement, “I know, but I promise you, this is what happened.”

“Anything else?” The unicorn scanned his chest and moved towards Xavier’s left arm when he moved it out of the way.

“Please don’t scan the arms.”

The mare paused and lifted her eyes up at the human obstructing her, “That’s not how this works. If you want a full examination, I need to sense your arms.”

“Can’t let you do that,” Xavier pulled away. Standing up from the couch and stepping away from both ponies, he started to creep behind the sofa like a small child in the opening round of playing keep away.

“Right so, if you were a regular patient this is the part where I would tell you to get out of my office,” Cross said, glaring at Xavier with brown eyes. “But my stallion has asked for my help, so I’m only going to say this once: You either let me check out your arms or I’m done here. I don’t have time to waste on you when I have a shift in five hours.”

A faint stillness crept through the office as the three beings stood in deadlock. The unicorn and human stared each other down as the professor quietly swallowed. The clock’s ticking echoed through the workroom as no party budged until…

“All right, we’re done here. You ready to go home Scooter?” Cross turned to her stallion.

The professor blinked as he stood there for a moment, shaking his head.

“Scooter?” Xavier cocked an eyebrow at Quill. The professor gave a tense smile as he uttered a nervous chuckle. The mare kept her eyes on the academic, as she packed her scant few supplies.

“Listen, sweetie, light of my life, I know you take your work as a physician very seriously,” Quill gently lowered his head, looking up at his mare, “but my friend here has a good reason. And if he has a reason to keep that from you, I can promise you it’s a good one. And…” Quill approached Cross, keeping his head lower than hers, and started sniffing her shoulder.

The mare turned to look at Xavier, narrowing her eyes before turning to Quill and swiftly reciprocating his shoulder sniff, “You promise?”

Quill moved forward slightly and placed his snoot along the mare’s rib cage and inhaled. The mare glanced back over at Xavier, then swiveled her head back over to Quill’s rib cage and inhaled. Quill walked past the mare and turned to face her. Looking into her eyes as he walked forward and gave her a kiss, he spoke softly, “When have you known me to not provide when you’ve asked?”

A giddy smile erupted on Cross’ face as her horn glowed and she trotted over to Xavier, slowly scanning him with her magic. Keeping clear of the arms. She only touched him on the jaw with the dull tip of the horn, and pursed her lips, “There’s something inside you, it’s hard to explain.” Cross backed off and tilted her head. “You must’ve ingested some kind of enchanted food, potion maybe, because I’m picking up faint traces of something.”

Cross walked over to her stallion and got within inches of his face, “But whatever it is, it isn’t a curse. Maybe someone enchanted your food, and it just doesn’t mix right with your kind. Its probably trying to take effect but given that you’re well, only human…” Cross gently bit the upper lip of Quill and held it a few seconds before releasing, “Don’t eat anything for the next twelve hours, let it pass through your system, and let my stallion here know what happens, well…” She turned to face the human with a ditzy grin, “Well, when I finished with him that is.”

“You uhh... You may want to go ahead and leave Xavier. I’ll see you in a bit,” Prof. Quill once again sniffed Cross’ shoulder and gave her a gentle kiss followed by a lick.

Xavier lifted himself up from the couch and stumbled towards the exit to the office. Turning to look one last time at the couple, Cross giggled as Quill buried himself in her mane and deeply inhaled. Reaching for the lever handle, Xavier gently pushed down as he pulled the door open and pivoted behind it. He slowly backed out, then carefully closed it with a quiet click.

The clacking sound of hooves echoed from the closed room like children banging halves of coconuts together. Biting his bottom lip, Xavier swiveled and started to walk away, only to see an emerald pony glaring at him from down the hall.

“There you are!” Jade said as she approached and bared her teeth. Her head was lowered nearly level with her spine. “Do you have any clue what you’ve put me through?”

“Now hold on,” Xavier said, holding up his hands and backing up. “I know this looks bad, but I just got lost looking for the restroom and finally found Prof. Quill’s office.”

“Bullshit,” Jade growled. “You were nowhere on campus. You went out galloping across the city,” Jade started to slowly approach the human. “Did you have fun? Did you get a hooficure? Or maybe you went to get your rocks off at the red-light district?”

Xavier’s face melted from a smile to a serious look, “Or maybe I went to lay some flowers at the War Memorial.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

“Go there right now. If you do you might still see the flowers I laid,” Xavier said gritting his teeth, “Six red, four blue, three orange, two yellow, two violet, one teal and one green. They’ll be placed to the right of the Earth mare at the monument.”

Jade glanced to her left and snorted, closing her mouth and lifting her head, her ears were still facing the human, “Here’s what’s going to happen. You and I are going to leave this place, and we’re going to go to the hotel where you’re going to stay while I confirm your story.” Jade leaned her head a little to the right, “If it’s true, maybe I leave this little incident off the report. If not,” she shot Xavier a murderous look, “You’ll be on the first train headed back to the Crystal Republic.”

Xavier lowered his hands and nodded in acceptance, Jade circled Xavier two times before suddenly nipping at his calf.

“The fuck?”

“That’s a warning. And your last one. Don’t ever disappear like that on me again,” Jade spat. “Now come, let me lead you to safety.”

Twilight quietly closed the door to her apartment and locked it with the chain. Facing the dark corridor she gulped as she took a step forward, her heart still racing as if she were still out there running. Suddenly, her rump dropped to the floor as she stared at the shaggy brown carpet that grew across her flat.

“A human…”

She lifted herself and made way to the window facing out the apartment and towards an alleyway, where not even gray light at this hour showered the flat. The quiet of night roared throughout the enclosure, it’s ambience trying to comfort the unicorn. The scent of dry flowers invited her to move forward and sleep, but the mare remained unmoving.

“Oh Celestia,” she sighed as she lowered her face into her forelegs, her chin feeling the soft brown wispy carpet as she closed her eyes and reminisced. Applejack’s voice rang in her head, as she remembered the details between her and her lover. Fingers, greed, and clothes. Her mind was pulling her back out the door and towards the university library, a place for anypony to study and learn. But her eyes countered her mind with exhaustion, calling for the old bed that she spent her nights on. Then finally, a deluge of thoughts at long last burst through the poorly made makeshift dam in her head. Who was he? Why was he arguing with Peppermint? Do humans know anything about magic? Does he know anything about ponies? Does she know anything about humans? Maybe they eat their mates after copulation? Twilight shook her head, remembering that Applejack was still alive and well.

Finally, her legs lifted her up and step by step she slowly walked towards the living room. She moved past the spool coffee table and her shelf full of letters. And beyond the kitchen and into the hallway that led to her quiet bedroom. By memory, she slowly evaded her book shelves and night stand as she collapsed onto the bed made for one. Magically lifting up the blanket, she covered herself and tucked her forelegs in when one final thought bled through: How in Tartarus am I supposed to find him again?

Chapter 9: Research

Xavier closed his eyes and placed his scarred hands atop the herd bed and swept forth, taking in the sensation of the threads that made up its complex. The slight coolness from how smooth it was. The slight heat from friction as the ridges from his fingerprints brushed against the crisscrossing threads. He did this over and over again until he lifted himself up and approached the short sink with pony graded lever handles. Xavier bent over and pulling the right one towards him; he watched as cool water slammed against the bowl and rang out across the bathroom. Thrusting his hands in, the icy cold temperature penetrated his bones. Lifting one hand out, he quickly pushed the lever back into place and pulled the other lever. After a few moments, steam emerged from the faucet as more water poured out. He stuck his hands back in and drowned his fingers in heat. Pulling a lever to the side of the sink, the stopper pulled down and hot water accumulated in the bowl. Thrusting his hands in, the lower part of his jaw chattered, his teeth tap dancing as he embraced the burning heat. The crisp clicking of a door opening and closing were of no concern to the human at the sink. He leaned his head back as he found the middle point, right at the edge of pain where he lay his hands.

“Are you… okay?” Jade said, raising an eye as she walked into the hotel bathroom.

“Shhh,” Xavier hissed, his eyes still closed, taking in the sensation.

Jade looked at the human, then his hands in the sink, then back again at the human. Emitting a smirk, she said, “Am I interrupting something between you two?”

“Could you do me a favor?” Xavier moaned as he swished his fingers in the water. “When you take me back here tonight, can you have a bowl of grapes, some glue, some borax, food coloring, and a few bowls brought up here? Oh, and also some low grit sandpaper would be nice. And a knife.”

“What?” Jade’s confusion popped out of her voice like so much spaghetti on cement.

“Please, if you could get those items for me, you’ll find me a much more pliable human.”

“Are you… okay?” Jade frowned with concern and reared up, trying to get a better look at Xavier’s face.

“Tell me, how much do you know about me? How much did they tell you?” Xavier said, still entranced by the heat.

“They told me enough. Did something happen to the pain in your hands?” Jade could no longer stand on both rear hooves and let gravity return her ground side.

“I don’t know. Right now, there is no pain. And I can feel again. So I’m taking the opportunity to experience sensations that I haven’t felt in a long time,” Xavier turned to look at the green crystal pony. “Please, I don’t know how long this will last.”

“What’s the uh...” Jade shook her head, “What’s the borax for?”

“It’s to use with the glue to make slime.”

“You want to make… Slime?”

“Yes.”

“So that you can… feel it?”

“Yes.”

Jade blinked as she took a step forward, “So you want to create slime just so that you can... Feel it?”

“Look, Jade, imagine you went deaf for an entire year, and then suddenly you can hear again, what’s the first thing you might do?”

The pony shrugged, “I guess listen to music.”

“It’s the same principle here. Whatever that mare did to me, she did something that has allowed me to feel again.”

“What mare?” Jade glowered at Xavier.

Xavier’s eyes shot open and blinked for a moment, “Oh, the gypsy mare at the park I met along the way to the memorial. I insulted her so she cursed me, but it must not work on humans since I can feel.”

“Oh, a joke,” Jade rolled her eyes.

“I am serious about the stuff, I don’t know why, but the pain is gone and I can feel again. I don’t know how long this is going to last, so I would like to get some time with the old nerve endings,” Xavier continued.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Jade sighed as she tapped her head against the wall in exhaustion, “Xavier, something’s come up at the embassy. I’m needed. I know I told you I was going to take you to the Museum, but instead I’m going to leave you with Prof. Quill.”

“Oh? What’s going on?” Xavier asked as he finally lifted his fingers from the scalding bowl.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you can’t tell?”

Jade looked at Xavier and snorted, “Why would you ask something you know I can’t talk about?”

“Never know when you’re going to get lucky,” Xavier said, as he pinched the fabric on his shirt and kneaded it between his thumb and forefinger.

“You can grab breakfast at the convenience store on our way to the campus,” Jade said, turning towards the door. “I’ll be back in ten, be ready.”

Twilight trotted across the main entrance to Manehatten University, passing under its archway that held the school’s seal for all to see: An Owl with its wing spread atop a shield segmented into 4 parts: A star like the central one on her Cutie mark, a Key, a lit candle and a quill. Once again, Twilight’s marks were both concealed by flank paint, showing only a simple planet as her worn saddlebag shook to and fro. Passing by the cinder block History building, she passed under the Administration building before seeing the large central rectangle that was the University Library. She kept on pace until she saw two Earth Mares in uniform around a blue coated, black maned Unicorn.

“Wha, what is this, a theological monarchy?” the Unicorn let out an enormous belch. “Oh, Oh I’m sorry, I thought this was Manehatten!” the Unicorn shouted in the lane before the University Library. Her brand was that of three rocks, and a dazed look about her betrayed the situation. She magically held a bottle with an apple on the label, swinging it back and forth. Occasionally, she dropped it, only to quickly and magically grab it before it made landfall.

“Come on Honey, let’s go.” one of the two Policemares said.

“Yo-, you can’t make,” again she burped. “I th-, I th-, I thought this was a free city st-st-spate!” the mare magically swung the bottle, nearly hitting the officer on the right of her.

Quickly, the other officer pulled out a small black ring from her uniform and surreptitiously placed it right over the unicorn’s horn. Small arcs of black electricity sparked as the ring slammed its self against the base of her horn. The magic holding the bottle suddenly dissipated, allowing it to fall to the concrete with a single full bounce before hitting it again and shattering.

“Oh, oh come on,” the Unicorn looked at the broken remains of her drink.

“Come on Honey, let’s call your lead mare,” the two officers now flanked the Unicorn. The mare hung her head low, letting them guide her away from the scene of the lost beverage.

Twilight shook her head and then proceeded through an archway of trees, still in full greenery, flanked by red and black cinderblock buildings. Finally approaching her target, Twilight gulped as she stepped through into the large doorway that led into the Manehattan University Library. Immediately to her right, she could see a small green and red café with species of all kinds intermingling. At the forefront was a human, a Pegasus, and a Griffin. They argued loudly, while behind them a unicorn with earmuffs placed over her folded ears just rolled her eyes as she went back to sharpening a pencil. The scent of coffee wafted through Twilight’s senses as she suddenly deviated from the main entrance hall and got in line at the café.

Two Earth ponies, Green and Orange respectively, and a milky tan unicorn quickly worked through the line. The Earth ponies showing abnormal dexterity, as even the most complex orders were but child’s play to them.

Finally reaching the order counter, Twilight began, “Double mocha frappuccino with almond milk.”

“Size?”

“Trenta, wait, hang on,” Twilight gritted her teeth, shaking her head as she frowned. “Sorry, I meant short.”

The Barista nodded to Twilight as she left the line and found an empty hybrid seat. Bending over left to make sure her mark was painted over as a planet, she gazed across the library’s atrium.

In the center there was a giant fountain, with three bronze unicorns each reading a book while water spewed out their horns. Surrounding it were short benches that no one sat on, as the sound of splashing water reverberated across the structure. But even beyond the sound of water, the echoes of hooves coming and going played out like a calm stampede. Twilight slowly looked down as a slight frown curled the edge of her lips. Her breathing slowed, as the sight of students coming and going reflected off her violet eyes.

“Double mocha frappuccino with almond milk!” A voice cried up from behind the counter.

Twilight shook herself out of the trance she fell into and magically grabbed her drink. Leaving the café, she entered the library proper and took a sip. She looked left and right for only a few moments before spying the librarian’s counter to her left. Trotting with drink in magic grip, she found a white Griffin organizing cards behind the counter.

“Hello, I’m sorry for bothering you, but can I get some help?”

The white Griffin raised an eye before returning his focus on his cards, “Depends on what kind of help. If you’re looking to check out an 8 mm camera, you’ll need to put a deposit down first. If you’re looking for a room to practice magic in, you’ll be waiting about an hour before one opens up.”

“Actually, I need help researching humans.”

“Okay?”

“Specifically biology, interpersonal relational structures and psychology,” Twilight gave a self-satisfied smile, only to glance up for a second before continuing. “Actually, let’s tack on a general history book as well.”

The Griffin groaned as he put the stack of cards in his claws down. He gave an empty look to the unicorn in front of him and asked, “Why don’t you just talk to one?”

Twilight’s ears stood on end as she stuttered for a second. “My uh, my assignment is to research them, not interview them,” her voice inflected up as she quickly whipped out her fastest plastic smile.

The Griffin rolled his eyes as he pushed against the counter, his stool rolling the other direction as he got up.

He walked on all fours to the far end of the counter, a bandaged wing on his left side revealed itself to the mare as he snapped his beak twice, clicking throughout the public complex.

“I can show you where human history and psychology will be in the stacks,” he snorted. “We’ll need to go to the card catalog to find where biology and interplanetary trade is.”

“You mean interpersonal relationships, right?” Twilight said with a slight squeak.

“Whatever,” he said. The librarian grabbed a scratch piece of paper and pencil from the countertop. He prodded along, “Come on now, mustn’t dillydally or you’re liable to waste all of my time.”

Twilight snorted as she followed the Griffin. Passing by the staircase, Twilight could see dancing, flashing lights coming out of a hall labeled ‘Greymane’s Rehearsal Hall’. As she moved past it, she could see a giant sign over a room labeled ‘Analytical Computation’. Its letters sparkling as the door it hung above was coated in a dark varnish. Bright white lines and an ‘X12’ written on the door in fine calligraphy flanked it. A simple chain fastened across the door as an ‘out to lunch’ sign written on paper had been taped atop it.

“Its been awhile, but I don’t remember seeing that here,” Twilight remarked.

“The Computer?” the Griffin grunted.

“Is that what’s in there?” Twilight leaned her head slightly to get a better look at the Griffin’s expression as he led her.

“Yeah, something about advanced human tech like semi-whatever or something doesn’t play well in our world. But they apparently still have cruder ways of doing a lot of the stuff they do on their side,” the librarian replied. “The waitlist for using that thing is extensively long. That is, unless you want to try shipping your punch tape across to the other side only to find out you accidentally punched a hole where you shouldn’t have. Though if you’re serious, you’ll just head to the other side. Rumor has it the humans have machines that can think.”

“What?” Twilight raised an eye.

“Something about neural networks and deep learning, though I wouldn’t put too much faith in such claims.” the librarian answered.

Finally, they stopped by the card catalog, freshly perfumed air hissed as the ethereal air cooling system poured new air atop everyone in the main foyer. Twilight looked around and saw students of all kinds hard at work, almost all of them in groups. She could even see a gray and brown dragon in the distance, pointing at something on blue paper and gesturing to the pegasus next to him. But closer to her was an entire drove of unicorns, each one a respectable distance from the other as they parsed through books and took notes. Twilight’s rump sagged for a brief moment as a sullen look slowly took hold of her. Her eyes finally darted away, once again looking at the Griffin writing on scratch paper.

“All right, so I don’t have anything for interpersonal relationships, but you’ll find biology here,” the Griffin said, pointing at the bottom location. “You’ll find history on the fourth floor, right here,” he then pointed at the next coordinates, “psychology is on the sixth floor.”

Twilight turned to the Griffin and gave a curt bow before taking the list in a purple glow.

“If you’re interested in mating with one, Scone runs a demonstration where she displays how Equologists believed ponies used to preform courtship before the advent of language. She uses a herd mate human,” the Griffin said, closing the card catalog. “Something about more endurance makes one ideal for demonstrations.”

Twilight froze in place and slowly turned her head to her guide, her eyes frozen. “Ehhh what?” words stumbling out of her mouth.

“You think you’re the only pony that’s come in here to study humans for an ‘assignment’?” The Griffin cocked an eyebrow. “Just some advice unicorn, they’re just like us. Each one with their own little stories of either triumph or terror, so no matter how much you learn about the genre, until you dive claws first into one, you’ll always be ill-prepared,” the Griffin strolled away from the pony, entering the main thoroughfare and away from sight.

Twilight stood there frozen, her ears twitching while she gritted her teeth. Slowly looking around, she finally exhaled when she determined that no one else had eavesdropped. Biting the corner of her lip, she tucked the scratch paper in her saddle bag and moved towards the stairs that led to the stacks.

“So, what you’re saying is you heard something in a language you don’t understand? And replied with gibberish, maybe even that same language?” the mare Pegasus, with a parchment/quill brand and blue coat, asked Xavier in Prof. Quill’s office. Atop the parchment on her rump, it possessed a musical stave on it. Written atop it, a treble clef, a flat on the middle bar, and 3 notes connected by 3 beams, with a lone note at the end.

“I didn’t exactly reply,” Xavier answered, “It was more like the words just came spilling out. Kind of like how one would simply reply with ‘polo’ if you ever heard the word ‘Marco’.”

The Pegasus raised an eye at Prof. Quill as Xavier sat down on the couch.

“It’s a human game,” Prof. Quill said as he quickly explained the rules to the Pegasus. “The game works because human hearing is much better at determining sound location than ours is Brisk.”

“Hmmmm,” Brisk paced in front of Prof. Quill’s desk as the two watched, her wings occasionally opening slightly and shivering before retracting. “Well, if what you’ve said is to be believed, it must have been bardic in nature. But bardic techniques, while open to everyone, at worst can only impart feelings of dread and despair.”

Xavier shook his head, “I know, I know I know I know, look. I remember feeling warm, like this deep warmth in my chest, almost fluttering, but not despair. Mostly surprise and fear from the fact that I lost control of my speech faculties. I mean, never mind the fact that a Unicorn was barreling towards me.”

“Do you remember exactly what you said?” Brisk asked as her gray mane shifted from left to right.

Xavier shook his head, “I wish I did doctor, but what I do remember is feeling nauseous. Then fear, but that’s because, again, I was being chased by that unicorn.”

The Pegasus’s mouth swished left to right as she began, “Well, the era of spontaneous singing ended during the war. But the fact that you replied at all, and from a creature who can’t be affected by magic makes this entire story really strange. Are you certain you just didn’t stumble with your words?”

“First, the ‘humans are immune to magic’ thing is a common mistake. It’s more complex than that. There are a few variants of magic that affect humans like they would any other creature on Equus. It stems from the fact that we happen to no-sell Unicorn magic, among other things. That is until they decide to make the ground beneath your feet erupt or hurl an icicle at you. Second, I was having an argument with someone who works there, but I wasn’t flustered,” Xavier scratched his face. “And besides, if that unicorn wanted to take me down so badly, like I pointed out, there are at least a few dozen other ways to do it.”

“Well, most unicorns don’t know any magic outside their specialty,” Prof. Quill chimed in. “But if she was a war veteran, she may have had something up her sleeve, but even then, this is way too indirect.”

“‘Up her sleeve?’” Brisk tilted her head.

Quill shook his head, lowering and tapping his foreknee on it, “Sorry, more human parlance, something in her saddlebag.”

“Ah,” Brisk nodded. “I agree, maybe she had a spell that could throw her voice, but that doesn’t answer it being in your voice and the symptoms afterwards. Maybe we are dealing with something ancient and forgotten. If that’s the case, we will have to dig around the archives at the library.”

Xavier nodded to his right as he pursed his lips, “That might be worth pursuing, and since it’s still on campus, Jade won’t get pissed.”

“Are you just looking for an excuse to explore around?” Prof. Quill rolled his eyes.

Xavier turned to Prof. Quill and gave a grin, “And what’s wrong with poking your nose in new places?”

“Only that I could earn the ire of the Crystal Republic if I lose you.” Prof. Quill scowled.

“Please, what I pulled on Jade, I wouldn’t pull on you. Besides,” Xavier got up and stretched his legs, “if I piss you off, who am I going to talk to here?”

“Wait, has he been causing you trouble?” Brisk asked as she narrowed her eyes at the human from afar.

“Only insofar as this curse business,” Quill nodded. “Xavier is quite the compliant performance artist.”

“Glad I could accommodate,” Xavier gave a curt bow of the head to Quill. “It’s too bad that I’m only good at the bow, maybe if I had time I could’ve launched some spears for you. If Xola were here, he would have been able to give you a proper atlatl showing.”

“Well.” Brisk looked at the two males, “Let’s go have a look, if we’re lucky we’ll find something in a few weeks time.”

“A few weeks?” Xavier’s voice pierced the room.

“I mean, the archives are an immense collection of microfilm of various preserved documents. We’re going to have to go back at least 500 years,” Brisk said as she walked towards the door. “Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and find something this week,” she turned to Xavier. “Assuming you haven’t sent us on a wild goose chase that is.”

Twilight took a sip of her drink as she turned the page. Sequestered in a tiny hutch of a study area, a large stack of books accompanied her, each one with either ‘humans’, ‘humanity’, or “Homo Sapien” in their title. She stared at the image of a human skeleton and narrowed her eyes.

“Twin bones in the limbs,” she trailed off as she suddenly looked to an adjacent book with a pony skeleton, front and center. “So different, but so much the same…”

Closing the book, she pushed it back and looked up at the clock. Pursing her lips, she looked at the flier she grabbed from the bulletin board after a restroom break. On it, it advertised Scone’s demonstration in the performance complex. Twilight breathed more heavily as she reread the details and wiggled in her seat. The tufts of fur on her chest danced, but her ears remained folded down. Finally shaking her head, she grabbed the scratch piece of paper that led her to the books she currently had and quickly added her own notes. She exhaled as she floated the books on top of the table, and neatly folded the scrap sheet of paper and hid it within her saddlebag.

Twilight folded the sheet advertising the act of academic debauchery. Being careful to only leave the location exposed, she placed it on the table for only a moment in order to put her thick volume of notes in her saddlebag. Slipping it on after carefully storing away her work for the day, she quickly nabbed the flier as she left her study spot in the stacks.

Passing through rows and rows of books, the rudimentary electrical light system occasionally flickered as she made her way past the collection and towards the stairs.

Passing by other ponies on the way down, the stairs seemed to go on forever. That was, until she saw the ground floor sign, along with the arrow pointing down saying: Archives [10 floors down]. She heard the clicking of hooves echoing upwards. For a moment, she felt a tug, as if someone was trying to lead her to continue going down the stairwell. She turned and faced the dark stairs and slowly approached the first step down before once again shaking her head and turning around.

She left the stairs for ground level; her walk turned into a trot as she looked up for the sign pointing to the performance room. She carefully avoided the librarian’s desk and saw a giant hanging sign pointing past the restrooms and signifying the performance complex’s location. Her trot returned to a walk, which itself turned into a crawl as she approached the door to the performance room. Peeking in, she could see a few mares sitting around the stage, a few with notes but others just talking to each other.

Twilight entered and walked down the stairs and towards the front of the classroom. Five steps in, her right hoof froze in midair as she grimaced and retreated. Finding a comfortable corner in the rear row, she put her saddlebag next to the desk and took a seat. Pulling out pencil and paper, she laid it on the table and turned to watch others enter the room. Two griffons walked in giggling to each other, while a mare human came in and took a center seat. Slowly, the room started to fill. Mostly mares chatting with each other, with the occasional member of another species walking in and taking a seat.

“Right so,” a gray mare walked onto the stage with black mane and a cutie mark hidden by distance. She wore thick black glasses, with her mane in a bun. The clicking of her hooves on stage sent the entire complex into silence. “My name is Scone. Many of you are here for the voyeur aspect of this instructional show,” the gray mare narrowed her eyes at the audience. “If you’re here to gaggle or to be caught in a rain shower, do us all a favor and keep it to yourself. For the rest of you who are here for actual educational purposes, I welcome you.”

The mare walked around almost like she was strutting one of Rarity’s outfits to the paparazzi, “A long, long time ago, before the advent of buildings or cooking or even princesses. Our ancestors were larger and less refined than we are now. Our homes were the luscious green fields that lay across the land. Back then, herds would be as large as 20 to 60 members. But as time moved forward, our herds became smaller and methods of mate selection became more refined,” the mare suddenly shifted on her hooves and turned to the audience.

“But back then, all was not well. While we have evidence that their female to male ratio was 5 to 1, the males of that era were significantly more violent, and had no issue killing foals if the mood passed them. But the ancient mare had one trick: by frequently mating with every male in a herd, she could cast doubt on the paternal lineage of her foal. This would’ve forced sufficiently aggressive stallions to reassess if the foal is worth killing, especially if it might be their own. However, to engage in this failsafe, proper procedures must be followed,” the mare took off her glasses and pulled the needle from her bun. Unfurling her mane, turning the obviously educated pony into something more ancient and unrefined.

“As such, a demonstration,” she turned to the left of the stage as a human walked out with brown mane and shorts that he quickly dropped to the floor. “To begin, if this act hasn’t already been established, we start with the sharing of breath, something we still do to this day,” the human got on his knees as Scone approached him and placed her stumpy snout right in front of his mouth.

The two ponies and human walked down the stairs as the sign saying Archives passed overhead. They gently spiraled down the ill-lit corridor, with the sound of dripping echoing throughout the stale air. Finally reaching the nondescript door, they opened it to reveal a tan and beige complex, with a giant map of greater Equus behind the librarian’s desk. To the right were several rows of various maps hidden away in cylinders, while the left revealed storage case after storage case of microfilm.

“Butter,” Brisk gave the tan unicorn with green mane and magnifying glass cutie mark a nod.

“Brisk! What can I do for you on this fine day?” The unicorn was passively holding up three magazines and a highlighter as she looked over.

“I need any ancient documents with respect to bardic magic, especially curse like magic,” Brisk said with a nod.

“Bardic magic can’t bestow curses, you know that,” Butter said as she put down one magazine and picked up another.

“Aye, but what about ancient tales or legends? Anything that might imply using such a force on a being in a negative manner,” Brisk quickly fluttered her wings before retracting them back.

“Well, we do have ancient testimonials that allude to such things, but the academic community has cast heavy doubts on their authenticity.”

“You guys have an authenticity problem?” Xavier asked.

“Well…” Butter said as she turned to the human, “Well well well, we don’t get many of your kind down here.”

The tan unicorn quickly picked up her magazines and capped her highlighter before trotting from behind the counter and circling Xavier. She squinted her eyes at his gloved hands and whispered, “So, they are just blunt claws under there?”

Xavier flexed his fingers three times in front of Butter, “Care for a closer look?” he grinned.

Butter gave off a snort before smiling and returning to the desk, “Anyways, to answer your question on authenticity, what our historians are interested in isn’t so much exercising fake documents from 500 years ago talking about 1000 years ago. But reading what ponies from 500 years ago thought about ponies 1000 years ago. Also, there’s the matter of material used in the forgery, very worthy of study.”

“I see. But surely you have partitioned out the fakes from the legit ones, right?” Xavier asked.

“Ehh not necessarily,” Butter closed her eyes as she waved her highlighter in the air. “Some documents are in that vague area that we’re simply not sure of their authenticity. Which in of itself is worthy of some scholarly work.”

“And those are the documents we are interested in,” Brisk nodded to Xavier. “In the line between fact and fiction, we might find something.”

Butter put down her highlighter and immediately went to the enormous card catalog behind the desk. Opening three sleeves simultaneously, she began floating different indices and putting them back as she also levitated a piece of scrap paper and pencil beside herself, “No, no, maybe?” she scratched something on the ripped piece of paper, “No, no…”

“Huh,” Xavier aired breathlessly. “Four, maybe six points of telekinesis.”

“What’s that?” Quill asked.

“Last I read about The Shift, most unicorns find it difficult to maneuver two things in the air, four however? Very impressive,” Xavier answered.

“Wait, wasn’t that because Sombra did something to magic itself? Or was it when he tried to open the Corridors?” Quill whispered.

Xavier walked away and with his right hand waved Quill over, he bent over and whispered, “No one knows. Intel from Argentum indicates ‌Sombra affected all magic when he opened up the Corridors, but there’s evidence to suggest that he may have done something even before then.”

“Wait, why would ‌Sombra do something to magic even without the Corridors?” Quill hissed.

Xavier shrugged, “We believe that when he had possession of the crystal heart, he did something with it to cripple unicorn magic. Primarily to make sure that Celestia and the other three didn’t possess the ability to directly challenge him.”

“But that would cripple him too,” Quill said.

“It was probably a gambit,” Xavier answered. “To prevent losing to such power, he was probably willing to take some power depreciation himself. That and he had an entire army of slaves to fall back on.”

“That would answer a lot of things.” Quill looked at Xavier, “When the war broke out, we all thought that Celestia was just going to take care of the situation herself. Or at the very least use the Elements to stone him.” Quill raised his foreleg to his chin and rubbed it, “But instead we got drafted and thrown into wartime.”

“Keep the unicorn thing on the down low. The official story is that unicorn magic was accidentally slightly weakened due to Sombra’s attempt at corrupting the Crystal Heart. But it fought back and weakened all unicorn magic to protect itself,” Xavier looked up and watched as Brisk had reared up atop the counter and watched Butter as she deftly negotiated four items at the same time. “The truth is, while unicorn magic is still the most powerful direct source of magic, it now very much has its limits.”

“Like the Day Morning Broke?” Quill asked.

Xavier cocked an eyebrow, “The day what?”

“You know,” Quill shifted his eyes at the two other ponies before waving Xavier down. “The day the sun rose without Celestia?”

“Oh, you mean The Morning of Truth?”

“Is that what you humans call it?”

“No, no, that’s what the Crystal Ponies call it. We just picked it up from them.” Xavier looked confused.

“Did I lose you?” Quill asked.

“No, it’s just that every time the Morning of Truth comes up, it’s generally considered to be a good thing. You said it like it was a bad thing.”

“I mean, you know the details, right?” Quill waved Xavier deeper into an ill-lit part of the archives.

“What’s to get? You all found out that Celestia and Luna don’t control the sun and moon,” Xavier narrowed his eyes, tilting his head.

“Yes, that’s what happened, but that’s not what happened,” Quill enunciated the last word. Xavier just stood and looked left and right for a moment before Quill continued, “Let me ask you a question. Do you know why no city seceded from the Kingdom before that day?”

Xavier shook his head.

“That’s because we were all under the impression that Celestia could control the heavens!” Quill hissed.

“Ohhhh,” Xavier said, nodding his head.

“So you have a leader with the qualities of all three tribes who told you for as long as you live that she controlled the sun and moon, and one day you’re at war with the Avatar of Darkness. And you’re not just shipping wartime stuff to the front lines, you’re shipping your daughters and loved ones to fight. But the war goes on longer than you anticipated, but you don’t entertain the idea of seceding because if you do, that’s eternal darkness over your city. Over your town. Over your loved ones,” Quill trailed off. “And then in the span of twelve hours, the sun lowers and rises itself? And you’ve been living in fear of eternal darkness over a lie? What community wouldn’t be up in arms?”

“I was just under the assumption the cities that left were because they were resource fatigued,” Xavier crossed his arms and looked down, biting his lower lip.

“Manehatten would have never, ever entertained the thought of leaving the kingdom if Celestia could truly choose when the sun and moon rose. Never. But Sombra showed us all. All he had to do was keep her and Luna distracted for half a day,” Quill frowned. He slowly lowered his head as if he were to start grazing on the carpet, “She would’ve drained us down to our last filly if she could,” Quill weakly looked up at Xavier. “She would have dismantled every building for any scrap of metal, grinded every dead unicorn’s horn for any shred of magic, she would’ve probably started drafting colts, and we would not bat an eye because if she was so inclined, she could shower us in eternal night.”

“But it turns out it was just a fake ritual,” Xavier worded.

“A fake ritual for a fake Princess of the Sun.”

Chapter 10: Seminal

Twilight kept staring at the stage of the performance room as the other attendees packed up or filed out. Many of the mares were whispering and giggling to each other as the naked and exhausted human lifted his companion back on all four hooves by gently encompassing her sternum with both hands. The mare on stage looked up at her partner and, with an exhausted nod, both parties left the mess they made on stage and nearly stumbled back behind the curtain.

Finally, Twilight blinked and looked down at her notes, noticing that her poorly sketched out naked human was incomplete. Gulping, she closed her eyes. The pencil casually lifted up and sketched for a few moments before she placed it down. She looked at her work: she had missed the sheet entirely and had finished her drawing atop the table.

Shaking her head, she quickly flipped the pencil over and worked the table top. Covering her work in a smear of graphite and eraser waste, butterflies awoke in her before she sharply bit her lower lip and closed her notebook. Moving her supplies to her saddlebag, she was halfway through when she noticed that for maybe the first time in her life; she had stuffed her belongings rather than carefully organizing and storing them.

Closing her eyes once more, she breathed in and out and carefully slowed herself down. In and out. In. And out. Many of the butterflies had calmed down, and her own sense of urgency dissipated. Opening her eyes, she carefully extracted the items she had stuffed into her saddlebag and carefully ordered them. Maximizing room by fitting each notebook, each pencil, each sheet of looseleaf paper like a block in a jenga tower. Finally, her bag was ordered, like all things should be.

Getting up, she carefully lifted the saddlebag and bore its weight, her rear legs buckling for a strange moment before she righted herself. Twilight took another look at the stage before making the long trek out of the performance annex.

Opening the door with her magic, the smell of fresh pages wafted as she noticed that there were still several mares, each in islands of three or four, whispering amongst themselves in the hall.

“Did you see how long they lasted?”

“Stiff as a rock…”

“She was so exhausted at the end.”

Twilight kept her head down as she maneuvered with as much grace as she could muster. She avoided getting too close to any group, finally reaching the end and returning to a normal, but paced walk. She finally caught wind of the library’s vanilla scent as the cool air rushed past her, tussling her mane slightly.

Many thoughts sprang throughout the mare’s mind: Were the books I got still at the desk in the stacks? Maybe I should quickly find a table and take any notes I remember. Did I make a mess?

The last line of thought struck her in the side like a spear from the Royal Guard. Quickly glancing around, she saw the sign for the restrooms in giant impact font and picked up the pace. Opening the door, three mares of different colors and tribes were immediately leaving, all giggling with one another as Twilight squeezed past them. The bright white and tan modernist design of the lavatory echoed with the clicks of hooves from other patrons as Twilight took stock of her location.

She saw that one stall was open and galloped to it, slamming the door with a burst of magic and setting the chain lock that was dangling inside of it. Dropping the saddlebag with haste, she quickly examined her tail. Lifting it up with her force of will, she turned it over and over to examine it in private. Her magic revealed to her portions of her skirt at a time as she let gravity show her any parts that were stuck together. She flinched as she worked through it section by section until…

Dry.

The beleaguered mare let out a sigh, and took the opportunity to examine the rest of herself in order to ensure that there happened to be no other hidden surprises. Satisfied her body maintained discipline during the lecture, she once again levitated the saddlebag and returned it to its original location on her back. Delicately, she undid the lock and left the restroom.

“I need a rutting drink,” Twilight whispered to herself as she trudged through the exit to the bathroom and back into the greater library area. Leaving the long hallway and back into the giant open room with the library desk, she saw the Griffin who had helped her still at work, still sorting cards with his claws. Keeping her head low, she immediately turned to leave the area and entered ‌the main atrium, where the café awaited her.

Getting in line once again, she quickly pulled out the bit purse out of her saddlebag and saw that there would be no double mocha frappuccino for her this time. Snorting, Twilight took her place in line and looked up at the ceiling decorated in fancy bauble lights as she closed her eyes.

Xavier groaned as the rudimentary light and magnifying fixture used to display the contents of microfilm cranked and geared. Beside him and from across from him, the help that he had enlisted said nothing as they too were parsing through photographs of ancient documents whose origins were dubious. He moved onto the next listing, an ancient spreadsheet of awful figures revealed itself. At a glance, he could see that it was the tithes owed to the kingdom from a small trading town outside of Canterlot. 50 bushels of apples, twenty-nine units of something called ‘wraps’ of barley, seventeen crates of wool. At the bottom, a complaint that the Pegasi assigned to the town hadn’t mustered enough rainfall this season for growing enough food for them to survive on.

If you do not get us competent weather makers in the next four moons, I can guarantee you that the offerings that we so humbly offer The Office of the Sun will have diminished, and I fear that those working the fields along with it. This is not a threat, Ministress of the Interior, it is the simple fact that even with our earthen powers, water makes the harvests. It would be, perhaps, best to

The document cut off. Cranking to the next slide, the machine spat out a red light, showing that he had reached the end of that filmstrip.

Grunting and rolling his eyes, Xavier pressed down on a small silvery plate on the floor with his shoe, prompting the film to expose itself from the machine and start to self-rewind. Soon, the gear spat out the ceramic container where the film lay safely. Placing it back into the giant wooden storage box, he lifted an adjacent one, and carefully placed it within the machine’s port. Angling it at the only opening so that a mechanical hook could reach, he slowly closed the port and watched as a delicate wire in a hook shape inserted itself into the container and drag out the film. Tapping his foot on the silver plate again, the machine fell back into itself; the film exposed briefly to external air before the machine engorged it and its contents flickered.

An order for caskets to be delivered to Folaedo.
A request for Baroness Rosemary to visit a town called Hoofberg.
A royal decree to Masaka Abbey to dismantle all monuments to Princess Luna.

One document popped up after another, each one not hinting at one iota of bardic malfeasance.

Xavier got up and stretched as he said, “I’ll be back in five,” before pressing a plate to turn off the light source within the mechanism.

The other two said nothing as they were still staring at their respective microfilm readers, allowing Xavier to wander away without objection. The scent of stale air hung as the quiet song that was the archives reverberated around him. He crossed the carpeted floor of tan, examining the archives in full. He soon came across a large section of long, thin cylinders. Each one demarcated by the Tome Organizational Apparatus System. Xavier tilted his head as he grabbed a tube, approached a table and opened it to look at its contents. A topographical map of a large island east of the main continent showed its elevation, with carefully drawn lines with small numbers next to them.

Xavier looked left and right before taking his left glove off and unbinding his wrappings. He closed his eyes and quickly, he put his hand atop the smooth chart and took in its sensation. He could feel the slight crisscross of tiny threads that made up both its longitudes and latitudes. Lifting the back of it, he could feel a much smoother, more leathery texture, that was cool, almost like the back of a pillow. He placed both sides of the map between his thumb and index finger, rubbing it to the point that friction’s heat pierced flesh before he stopped. Wrapping the map back up, he returned the map to its cylinder and returned it from whence it came.

Blinking, he began a new search in the map aisle, finally arriving at a cylinder at the top of the rack. Jumping once or twice, he finally was able to grab it and pull it down. Wandering to a large table, he opened it up and unfurled its contents. It was several maps of the University. The first two at the top showed the primary and secondary campuses, their buildings and walkways. However, after that were maps of maintenance tunnels and their access locations. Xavier looked behind him. Checking side to side, he took a breath in before he started absorbing the document. Soon the map betrayed it was just a part of a much larger system that connected Manehatten.

“A place to make sure the help was neither seen nor heard,” Xavier muttered.

Mentally keeping a list of relevant entrances on campus, Xavier rolled up the map and slid it back into its cylinder and left it on the table. Making another check of his surroundings, he casually strolled away, as if he had never seen that cylinder in his life.

Soon, he came across another section filled with magazines of all kinds. Magic monthly, The Jet Stream, and one simply called Agriculture, each of them with simple black and white illustrations, like looking at a catalog from a century before. Opening up Magic Monthly, he turned to a section where horn ointment was being advertised as the way to get one’s magic to the next level. Another was a plain advertisement showing a mare using magic to turn the head of a stallion while two other mares were in the background. They whispered in agitation to each other, presumably about the confident mare front and center.

Show the other unicorns why you’re lead mare with Prof. Ley Line’s magic booster program. For only 15 minutes a day, I can make you a new mare! What’s my secret? When you look into the mirror -

Xavier chuckled as he put the magazine back and continued walking down the vacant rows. Letting out one last grunt as he stretched, he began the journey back to the microfilm display and froze for a second. A slight tug in the back of his mind was pulling him to look upward. He slowly looked up, and stared for a second. There was only the beige ceiling, unmoving and apathetic. He shook his head as he lowered his gaze and only saw the stairs leading up. Looking around, there was no one around, save perhaps motes of dust in the air. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly lowered himself to the ground and crossed his legs, pulling his arms towards his lap, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind. The tugging was still present, he could feel it in his arms, his shoulders, his chest. Almost like fishing wire trying to drag him to his feet and through the roof.

He stayed with the feeling for a few minutes, gently feeling it out with his mind until slowly the sensation dissipated. Soon, any urge to go anywhere had faded, and he opened his eyes. Looking straight ahead, he caught sight of the long slender form of a tan Saddle Arabian staring at him from the end of the row. Their eyes caught one another and for a moment, neither moved. The Saddle Arabian who had caught Xavier in a crisscrossing position on the floor then slowly turned and walked away.

“Awkward…” Xavier said, slowly pushing against the floor to return to a standing position. Gazing around the vast, unoccupied rows of the archive, the human dust himself off and began the short trek back to Professor Quill.

“There you are!” Quill exhaled at the display, his tail flicking slightly as Brisk looked up from right behind him.

“Did I miss something?” Xavier said, pulling his hands from his pockets.

“Possibly, have a look…” Brisk raised her right foreleg towards the display, where Xavier bent down and examined the contents:

The year 869 of the Fourth age

Here follows the account of the Duchess Goldhorn, Princess of the Northlands and the breaking of the Pact.

It has come to this, my only begotten colt, claimed, by way of Soul Aria, by a Mare of lowbirth. And an Earthen one at that. For this, our lands of the North shall burn. I have attempted to send messenger to the Dame of the Wastes. However, my spies tell me that she was slaughtered on sight. Time is precious, though with a great pain I have ordered the arrest of the Mare of the Pâtisserie. My hope is that surrendering her to the Dame might be enough to cease this conflict, but I am in deep doubt. I have sent out the order to mares in each town under my domain to assemble their militias and wait for word. What would have secured peace for generations has now twisted into a monster of war. Grogar himself is eyeing my ponies I fear and through Soul Aria, has exposed the softs of our hooves. I have ordered my court magician to find me everything she can on Soul Aria, and how such a simple creature could cast it.

From her findings, it seems that anypony with a heart of love in it and sincere intent can cast it. This troubles me, as the spell seems ignorant of status, species, and situation. I asked my magician if it was possible that even a Griffin might be able to cast, and she seemed sure it was possible given its melodic nature. From their research, it comes from the first days where ponies would ask for the Goddess herself to lend them aid in their search. What if something like this happens again or worse? The magician went on to explain other miraculous properties of Soul Aria, such as the sharing of dreams, the long call and the moment. With these in mind, we must set up a counter strategy in order to ensure my future progeny will never be caught off guard by such ill-consideration from the peasantry ever again. High Marshall Hardhoof has proposed that in or-

The document cut off, Xavier looked at the other two, who themselves were still absorbed in the testimony before them.

“Soul Aria?” Xavier rubbed his chin.

“Something’s familiar about this…” Brisk said, raising her foreleg to her chin.

“What even is half the stuff? ‘Sharing of dreams’? ‘The Moment’?” Quill muttered as his lower lip pushed his upper lip up.

“Sharing of dreams is obvious, but the other two, it may or may not be good or bad. If it’s the latter, we may be on track.” Brisk said as she fluttered her wings for just a snap, “Though I’ve never heard of the term Soul Aria before.”

“It’s at least something,” Quill said as he pinched his lips.

Brisk turn to Xavier and with a flicker of her eyes, called down his attention, “You have to realize Xavier, bardic magic wasn’t well studied until at least fifty years ago. And even then, The Shift has changed many aspects of it. For one thing, Spontaneous Harmony doesn’t happen anymore.”

“Spontaneous Harmony?”

“When an entire group of beings joins in, almost as if compelled to. Imagine a Pegasus who is nervous about applying to the Wonderbolts, if she were sufficiently anxious and in tune with that anxiety, she might begin to sing. And it’s infectious. Those around her will sing with her too,” Brisk nodded.

“Wait so, you could be tending to your garden and all of a sudden find that you’re singing about overcoming your nervousness about joining the Wonderbolts? That sounds slightly horrifying,” Xavier scratched his nose.

“It was just a fact of life here. I mean, in some places it wasn’t uncommon to find yourself singing about somepony else’s problem at least once a week. In some places, it was seen as a sign of good luck that your musical chops were called on to help a pony in need,” Brisk gave a solidified nod towards the human.

“I know a few things about bardic magic, in fact, that was the first thing we gained a handle on when we set foot in Equestria,” Xavier snorted.

“Oh?”

“Funny story about that, our initial forward camps are made to be built in roughly 4 hours if memory serves. It’s near impossible to do any better than that, even if everyone is in sync. However, at one particular camp, the NCO had the bright idea of having he and his men sing a sea shanty. ‘The High Coasts of Barbary’ if I’m not mistaken. Point is, what should have taken four hours to set up was accomplished in one.” Xavier answered.

“Oh my, after this, you’re coming by my office.” The mare gave a smile towards the human, “I think that’s worthy of a paper right in of itself.”

“At first we thought it was the placebo effect, but cutting your work time down by three quarters? We began experimentation immediately. We discovered that even mumbling to oneself a ditty improved performance, and in of itself the song didn’t matter. It’s what the song made the singer feel that was indicative of performance,” Xavier scratched his chin.

“A joke amongst the bardic research groups was that the only thing that changed with The Shift was that you were expected to be an adult now and sing for yourself,” Brisk let out a quick chuckle as her tail gave a slight swish.

“Let me ask you something Doctor,” Xavier wrinkled his nose, looking at Brisk with a raised eye. “If I were to sing a song while fighting an enemy, and they were to hear the song, how would they be affected?”

“Well, as you’ve already figured out, it depends on how your singing affects them. If you’re singing a song about how you were going to win and they’re going to lose, and they feel it? It’s going to play a role, that’s for sure,” Brisk nodded her head up and down. “But if they just don’t care or even draw strength from that song? You could end up inadvertently helping them. In fact, there was a minor league Buckball game that allowed singing a few months ago. Apparently, because one team drew a different conclusion from the song the other team sung, they were able to win. In fact, I think I’m going to get footage from that game in a few days, so if you’re still around… It’s just too bad that it’s a silent film.” Brisk eyed Xavier and let out a sigh, “If only your technology worked here, then they could’ve recorded the sound, and I’d be able to actually listen in on what happened.”

“There wasn’t a record recorder there?” Quill asked.

“Eh,” Brisk shrugged. “Those things are only at major games and the fidelity is not as sharp as human tech can achieve. So even if I had a recording, there would’ve been a significant chance that the cheers of the crowd would have drowned out anything of use.”

“So it’s reading lips is it?” Xavier chuckled.

“You say that like it’s a joke. But I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out what song is being sung from just a few seconds of footage,” Brisk winked at Xavier.

“Just a heads up, I can’t stay here forever,” Quill chimed in. “I got the foals to pick up in an hour, so if we could get back to it…”

“Wait, are you going to have to leave campus for that?”

“No, no, all three of them are at the University’s pedagogical campus,” Quill answered. “In exchange for an excellent primary education on campus, our college of teaching gets to observe and occasionally do ethical experiments like ‘which of these two glasses has more chocolate milk’. Or the ever classic ‘I’m going to leave you alone with a cookie for five minutes, if you can leave it alone, you get another one’ thing.”

“Lucky,” Xavier trailed off. “When I was in elementary school, they gave me a sharpened pencil and the objective to survive.”

Brisk snorted as a smile flickered into existence, “Was it some kind of brutal graduate school?”

“Nope. Where I come from, schooling is mandatory for the first 13 years, 14 if you count pre-K. Throw in a bunch of parents that don’t care and teachers that can’t do anything, and it becomes the lunatics running the asylum,” Xavier answered. “Truth be told, counting pre-K, you need a grand total of at least 18 years of school in order to ensure that you’re employable. But the last four years aren’t mandatory and many humans take longer to finish that period of education.” Xavier froze for a second before looking back down at Brisk, “And that’s ignoring those who find success outside of school, but the 13 years are nearly mandatory unless you’re good enough at something to get others to ignore that blotch on your resume.”

“Interesting, schooling for us is mandatory only up until the 5th year, but every tribe is different.” Brisk tilted her head, her mane shifting sides, “Correct me if I’m wrong Quill, but education is compulsory only for the first five years for earth ponies, while us Pegasi have five years plus three for reservists training. Unicorns, meanwhile, if I recall, have eight years. Of course, all of us can choose to continue on, with our particular specialties into highly specialized training. But being forced to go to school for over a decade?” Brisk shook her head, “It’s hard to imagine.”

Quill spoke up as his ears angled behind him, “Don’t forget Brisk, it’s sometimes up to the family and pony in question. Bluegrass, my son who’s a Unicorn and his mother sent him to Vanhoover where he did his 8 years, but I also have a pegasus daughter who did five right alongside her Earth Pony siblings because it was just convenient. And she never did reservist training. That said, in some places it’s starting to change. Bluegrass is in Las Pegasus right now, and he told me that they are modeling their school system based on humans.”

“Oh no,” Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better Xavier, they are doing a slow rollout. Eight years for all tribes initially, with the other five years free, though if what you said about lunatics running the asylum is to be believed…” Quill grimaced, “I find you humans deeply interesting, but a lot of your communal traditions seem to stem from past inertia rather than the needs of the now.”

“Question,” Brisk interposed with a raised eye. “If your kind stays in school for that long, how does your kind deal with puberty during this stage? I mean, how do you keep your stallions, sorry, males safe from the hooves of,” Brisk paused as she looked up for a moment. “Mar-, sorry, females who are ready and raring to go?”

Xavier narrowed his eyes and looked left as his lips stretched, “We don’t.” A pause emanated between the three before Xavier spoke up again, “It can be argued it’s part of our education. But at the same time, there are no teachers to really guide us besides the material we find for ourselves. And just a heads up, both sexes are usually at each other’s throats or genitals, but given our 50/50 split, it’s our females that we endeavor to ‘keep safe’.”

Brisk’s mouth was agape before she shook her head and continued, “Wait, sex education isn’t mandatory?” Xavier fell quiet as Quill looked up and saw that Xavier was rubbing the back of his head. Brisk looked at the human, before asking, “Everything okay?”

“You’ll have to forgive him Brisk,” Quill stated, getting up and placing himself between the human and mare. “Sex is generally a taboo topic for his kind with strangers.”

“Yeah, sorry. I just don’t know what to say that doesn’t make it feel awkward for me,” Xavier spoke up.

“Ah, apologies…” Brisk gave a nod to Xavier.

A silence fell over the three as they shifted about. Xavier looked away from the other two as Quill coughed out and began.

“Look, I’m getting hungry,” Quill said back and forth between the two. “Xavier, if you’ll join me upstairs, I’ll quickly grab some chips from the vending machines across from the café.”

“Making sure I don’t stray too far?” Xavier chuckled.

“You know me,” Quill said, checking his saddlebag. “Last thing I want to have happen for you is for Jade to nip us both in the ankles for losing you.”

Chapter 11: Anthropology

Twilight sat down at her table in the café with her simple coffee and poured cream into the mix. Levitating a stick and stirring the black liquid, the sound of customers chatting while the hoof steps of ponies coming in and out of the library washed over her as the scent of her coffee woke her up. Quickly opening her notes, she was greeted by page after page of well-structured stylings. She turned to a page as her ears shot forward where she made note of human social dynamics and her comparison against that of her own kind. Strictly hierarchical, patriarchal system, lack of upper or lower royalty castes, monogamous…

She gulped at the last one, then wrote ‌in the margins: No system of royalty, but still monogamous?, when her ears perked up and swiveled to her left.

“No way, there’s no way in Tartarus that one piece of Grapevine equipment is touching Sweet Apple Acres, especially with what happened with Big Mac.”

Twilight looked up as she saw a familiar tan pony next to a human with a dusty blonde mop of hair and a wide figure in the coffee line. Her tail kept flicking repeatedly while her companion lifted his right limb and clawed his own face lightly.

“Look, I know you’ve had problems with them in the past, but their snowplows are obviously high quality. Many things have changed for them after the war Jack,” the human intoned toward his tan companion.

“Now, now listen here. I don’t care what they showed us at the convention, but after what happened with our attempts to get the only piece of equipment we got from them repaired? Absolutely not,” Applejack said as she and her companion took a step forward as the line advanced.

“Think Jack, think,” the human tapped his claw like appendage on his forehead. “That was what, ten years ago? Twelve? They may have changed since then, especially if they somehow survived the war.”

“I know what you’re getting at Gerald,” Applejack looked up and snorted. “But that dog don’t play. Nobody scams us once and gets away with it.”

“But what if it was an honest mistake?” Gerald asked.

“Then they can take their honest mistake and shove it up their–” Applejack stopped in mid-sentence as she heard the nasally voice of Twilight hissing at her from across the café.

“Applejack!”

The pony with cowboy hat and human suddenly jolted their respective heads as the image of a longtime friend came into view, “Gerald, can you get the drinks? I’ll be over there.”

“Sure, it was the caramel apple spice, right?” The human said, looking at the purple pony propped up on her front legs atop a café table.

“Yep,” Applejack shot a smile towards her human companion as she broke from the line, ducked under the metal chain that sorted the queue and immediately trotted towards Twilight.

“Applejack, what are you doing here?” Twilight’s glee shone through the stacks of paper in front of her.

“I told you I was at the convention, it’s in the track and field stadium on campus. What are you doing here?” Applejack gave a quick hug to Twilight before pulling a seat.

“Well, um, funny story, turns out that…” Twilight stammered.

“Oh no. You didn’t. Of course you did.” Applejack narrowed her eyes in annoyance at her friend.

“Well, it’s funny that–, look, how’s the convention going so far?” Twilight gave a narrow, forced smile.

Applejack just continued to stare at Twilight as seconds became moments. Twilight shot a second smile towards Applejack, only for the mare to turn and unhook her lasso by the mouth and lay it on the table.

“Who did you get,” Applejack looked Twilight squarely in the eye as a downward curl formed at the end of her lips.

“I don’t know what you mean, I, I,” Twilight fake smile washed away as Applejack kept her gaze on her flustered table companion, “Applejack... I’m just here, you know, studying.”

“Studying,” Applejack’s eyes became half lidded as she grimaced.

“Come on Applejack, it’s not like you haven’t seen me studying before,” Twilight once again forced a smile, while her ears slightly folded back.

“Right, and is a half naked human part of your rigorous studies?”

Twilight’s eyes shot down as she saw the crude sketch of the human she had watched rail somepony for all to see little more than half an hour ago. Putting up another nervous smile, Twilight’s horn slowly glowed as she folded the sketch neatly and with due haste, deposited it in her saddlebag.

Applejack bent over, “Did you really get a human?”

“No, no, I was just curious because um, we had one show up to my place of work and I realized, I never thought twice about them given my situation the last few years aaandd…”

“Umm... Applejack? Is everything okay?” The wide human approached the table, two drinks in both sets of claws. Setting the golden amber one down next to Applejack, the human pulled another seat and sat, awkwardly adjusting himself as he leaned forward.

“This is the friend I told you about Gerald,” Applejack pursed her lips as she kept her steely gaze on Twilight.

“Oh, you mean Twi-“

“Dusk, Gerald, her name is Dusk,” Applejack turned to look at her human companion.

“Of course, of course, Dusk. Well, I’m Gerald,” he extended his arm, each blunt claw parallel to the table in front of Twilight.

Twilight looked over at Applejack for a moment before her ears shot forward and put both hooves on the table as she thrusted her face within inches of Gerald’s hand. She turned and twisted her head as she examined the interior palm and turned to the exterior, “So those are nails, they’re like tiny, misshapen hooves.”

“I guess you could say that?” Gerald kept his hand extended, but kept darting his eyes between the two ponies at the table.

“Tell me, doesn’t it hurt when you move those?” Twilight absentmindedly asked as she continued her impromptu examination. She angled herself low to the table and looked up, trying to get a better view of Gerald’s palm.

“My fingers?” Gerald looked at his inspector, who only quickly nodded yes as she continued to take in his hands, “No,” Gerald lightly extended and contracted the fingers on his hand back and forth. Twilight froze before getting closer to Gerald’s hand, and as she moved closer, he moved his fingers in sequence, showing they could move nearly independently from each other.

“The ligament and tendons must be astoundingly complex,” Twilight mumbled as she focused on the back of Gerald’s hand, watching the glimmer of skin crinkle and smooth out as he continued to flex his fingers.

“Well, I’m not a doctor, but I think you’re on the money,” Gerald gave a small smile and glanced at Applejack, who only let out a grunt.

“Tell me, do your fingers fall off and regrow at regular intervals?” Twilight asked as she stared at his thumb. Gerald smirked before he used the perpendicular digit to touch each of the other four fingers in sequence, “So that’s how you grasp…”

Applejack put her foreleg on her muzzle and covered her eyes as she let out a groan, “Gerald, for Winona’s sake, she isn’t going to shake it.”

“Shake it?” Twilight said as she glanced over at Applejack, “You mean like this?” Twilight arched her front two hooves on the table as she slowly arched over with her mouth open as if to bite the human’s hand. A sly grin melded across the human’s face as he slowly extended his hand towards Twilight’s mouth.

“Apples to fritters Gerald, don’t encourage her,” Applejack picked herself up, shoved her hoof in the human’s hand and wobbled her leg as the motion passed through her appendage and through Gerald’s limb and onto his shoulder.

“Oh, shake!” Twilight said, pulling back from the table, looking behind her and giving a quick once over.

Gerald gave out a mix between a chuckle and a grunt, “If it helps Dusk, the first time that I met a pony in the kingdom, they thought I was being an absolute ass because they interpreted the two legs thing as me constantly rearing up. Dragons do it too, so I’m not sure what they’re getting at…”

“Only one Dragon in the Kingdom,” Applejack nodded to Gerald.

“Oh, of course, they wouldn’t have had too much experience now, would they?”

“So, um, Gerald, enjoying the convention?” Twilight asked, as she took a sip from her lukewarm coffee.

“Well, I got to see the exposé on the use of a certain kind of unicorn magic to increase the nitrogen content of soil, but not many cared for it simply because the company would not say what kind of spell was being used.” Gerald trailed off for a moment, “There was a general sense of something going on behind-the-scenes but,” Gerald shrugged.

“Like they weren’t being completely honest?” Twilight asked.

Gerald nodded his head, “Exactly, lot of the farmers that show up are Earth ponies and any time you inject anything magical into the mix, they seem to get nervous, or at least that’s what I got from it.”

“That’s because you haven’t absolutely ruined your crops due to magic that’s gone off the rails.” Applejack thrusted a hoof at the human, “You should really read Plough’s Almanac, one of its editions has a story about how an entire orange farm property failed because they tried to magically enhance the soil.” Applejack shook her head, “Turns out that all they managed to do was turn what nutrients were there into pure salt.”

“Does that happen often?” Gerald asked.

“Um, more often than you think,” Twilight looked away from her two guests. “During my time in Ponyville, while I helped out with some general work, none of the farmers ever asked me to try a spell to increase crop yield. And even if they did,” Twilight’s voice petered out.

“Look, the point is Gerald, growing food is too damn important for us to risk using magic on. Even if present company included happens to be the magical prodigy of the age,” Applejack gave a nod and a smile to Twilight who shied away but curled her lips.

“That actually explains a lot,” Gerald said looking between the two ponies. “Every time I asked why you guys just don’t throw magic at it, it’s either been ignored or I’ve been put down for being an ignorant alien.”

“Well,” Applejack gave a reluctant but soft frown towards Gerald. “Part of that’s because you’re you, ya know?”

“Back in Canterlot, I remember a lot of the unicorns there not paying any mind to me, but goddamn if I put one foot out of place.” Gerald’s left lip pulled, “Ponyville’s better, but the Apple family has been nothing but welcoming since the second day.”

Applejack raised an eye, “The second day?”

“Well, there was that thing with Apple Bloom thinking that I was going to chop you in Big Mac up. And not to put too fine a point on it, Big Mac don’t talk,” Gerald finished as he took a sip.

“Apple Bloom just let the rumors get to her, and you know Big Mac talks enough if you just listen for a moment,” Applejack snided as she leaned forward. “And what about me?”

“I could tell you the truth,” Gerald hid his mouth behind his drink. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Applejack froze as she waited for a moment, then a warm smile softly took root as her tail flickered for a second, “Oh, so that’s what you’re playing at.”

“Let’s see how the Element of Honesty digs up the truth,” Gerald put his elbows on the table and leaned towards Applejack, and asymmetric grin plastered on his sun worn face. “The first day I saw you, you were bucking an apple tree and turned to see me staring at you, holding you in my gaze, but you ran away.”

“Nope,” Applejack snorted as she turned to face Twilight, trying to hide a bemused smile from her companion.

“The first time I saw you, you were covered in mud and when you saw me, you ran away because you thought I was something from the Everfree forest,” Gerald continued.

“Nope, try again.”

Twilight watched as she could see the tension building in Applejack’s eyes, the same tension she saw earlier that day.

“The first time I saw you, the sun was setting, and you had just finished moving barrels of apples to the silo, you decided to lay in the grass to let yourself dry off when you caught sight of me.” Gerald bit his lower lip for a second before releasing, “Then like a proper mare, decided to get up and introduce herself, only to discover that you worked a little too hard that day.”

“Gerald…”

Twilight stared, watching the company play a strange game of some sort that they themselves concocted. Applejack suddenly brushed her foreleg against Gerald’s hand and scooted closer to him before the two just looked at each other. Applejack broke her gaze first before returning it, only for Gerald to chuckle, and as if giving permission, Applejack herself giggled as well.

“Is this a thing you two do?” Twilight finally thrust out, her eyes ping ponging between the two.

“I’m sorry Applejack, you know how much I love making up those stories,” Gerald hung his head and smiled.

“That’s why I keep you around, though these ones were kind of flat.” Applejack turned to look at Twilight, “Though I’m guessing you are restraining yourself for my sake.”

“But why would I want to embarrass my lo- “

“Shhh,” Applejack turned to Gerald. “She already knows, besides, she’s got her own problems now.”

“With the heartsong thing?”

Applejack rolled her eyes, looked away from Gerald and grunted, “That’s the one, why did you have to break the moment?”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just curious, you know. Where I come from, the closest thing we got to heartsong is getting drunk and finding a shotgun in your face the next morning,” Gerald laughed into his drink.

“Wait what?” Twilight asked as she shook her head and snapped back to reality.

“A shotgun wedding, it’s something that happens when the guy won’t take responsibility, so the girl’s family makes sure that he does,” Gerald answered as he gave a curt smile.

“And a shotgun is?”

“That’s a little hard to put down…” Gerald answered, “But it’s a ranged weapon to be concise about it.”

“So, do shotgun weddings happen with your royalty or upper class?” Twilight asked as her horn glowed, lifting her pencil in midair, then lightly tapping against the paper.

“Well um, I guess? But where I come from, we don’t really have royalty, though we definitely do have an upper-class,” Gerald trailed off for a moment. “I guess? I mean, shotgun weddings aren’t a real thing anymore, and even then, I guess it would only happen to common folk.”

“Wait, your lower-class marries?” Twilight looked up at the human.

“Marriage isn’t restricted by social rank,” Gerald said as he looked over to Applejack, then focused on the blackboard of the café. “In some places any two consenting adults can marry, though of course there are restrictions and other places…” There was a brief pause before Gerald suddenly picked up again, “Wait, I thought that the Cakes-“

“They’re not married,” Applejack shook her head. “He just took her last name and vetoes any prospects. Cup Cake will put out an open invitation once every few months in various papers, and interview them, but Carrot just vetoes them.”

“So it’s like a um...” Gerald snapped his fingers twice, “A delf, demi… something...”

“De facto?” Twilight interjected.

“Yeah, that’s right, de facto marriage!” Gerald pointed at Twilight, who took a moment to tilt her head and look at the limb.

“Could you do that again?” Twilight asked.

“Try to figure out a word?” Gerald tilted his head.

“No, the sound you made with your fingers, could you do it again?”

Gerald looked left and right before lifting his right hand close to Twilight’s face and snapping his fingers. The mare initially yanked back before realizing that no harm would come from the motion the fingers made, and as Gerald repeated the snaps, Twilight looked closer and closer at the instrument at play.

“What the Cakes do isn’t entirely, what you might say…” Applejack bounced her head left and right, “Not on the up and up.”

“I mean we’ve never really talked about herds, could you give me a quick rundown?” Gerald said, turning to Applejack.

Applejack lifted an eye and simply looked over at Twilight as she finished writing her notes.

“Oh,” Twilight cleared her throat. “While there is much debate about the reasons, unlike other forms of life, we ponies have about three mares to every stallion.” Twilight put down the pencil and pulled her forelegs into her chest as she continued, “Because of this, a single stallion and mare forming a familiar group is a waste, so instead we form herds.” Twilight lightly placed one of her hooves on the table as she continued to recite, “Because of this, marriage is for princesses only, not even high royal class ponies are excluded from this,” Twilight suddenly stopped, and looked down.

“Um, what Twilight meant to say was,” Applejack quickly picked up, looking Gerald in the eye to draw him away. “Is that what the Cakes are doing is incredibly selfish, and a complete waste of Carrot Cake’s potential. In fact, the only reason they’re able to get away with it in Ponyville is Cup Cake’s clout, they don’t just own the Sugarcube Corner…”

“What if they couldn't get away with it?” Gerald asked as he glanced over at Twilight, still sullen.

“If they were just another normal herd? Honestly, Cup would be arrested and Carrot would be put in a shelter. Truth be told, if we didn’t know them as well as we do, it would happen regardless of Cup Cakes donations,” Applejack said with a nod.

“Why a shelter?” Gerald continued his line of questioning.

“Well, we assume it’s abuse or some kind of brainwashing at that point. One of the key things about a herd is that with more than one mare there, it lessens the chance that a mare goes on to abuse her stallion,” Applejack said, taking a sip. “If we only had one mare’s word to take, that’s a problem, but having at least two, preferably three mares, to watch out for each other is ideal.”

“Honesty in numbers…” Gerald hummed.

“And that’s ignoring the benefits, everyone’s participating, everyone is watching out for each other’s foals,” Applejack tallied off. “Point is, a good herd benefits everyone.”

“Not to, um, point at the elephant in the room,” Gerald’s face contorted. “If they’re so great, why aren’t you in one?”

“That’s um...” Applejack trailed off.

“The Apple family is landed,” Twilight finally spoke up, the glaze cleared from her eyes. “Big Mac will probably be, how do I put this...”

Applejack let out a sigh before she turned to Gerald, “That means that while we’re not royalty, we have greater pull than the lower royals. And given that I’m an element, Big Mac, Apple Bloom and I are locked out of other non-royal landed families.”

“So if you’re locked out of other families of your status, where does that leave you guys?” Gerald raised an eye.

Applejack let out an exhausted sigh. “Upper royalty,” she said, taking a swig of her drink.

“Hang on, I’ve seen the places upper royalty hangs out at when I was in Canterlot, and they don’t know a damn thing about running a farm.” Gerald looked confused, “Is that why you and Big Mac have been holding off?”

“We won’t be able to hold off much longer,” Applejack said, looking into her drink. “I should’ve had a foal or two by now, and that’s ignoring Big Mac who should’ve had six. The farm’s been with my family for such a long time, and it’s not bankruptcy or being royally stripped of our land that gets us, it’s the fact that I’m an Element. Which means now there’s royal procedure and yada yada,” Applejack gave a disgusted look to no one as she pursed her lips. “If Granny were still here, she would’ve probably had me hammer in her iron shoes and would have gone to the magistrate and taken care of it the old-fashioned way…”

“Okay, so just don’t,” Gerald said as he looked with worry at Applejack. “Just leave it in your will that a foal you had outside of a herd gets the land and start the Apple family back again that way. It will be pushing it, but…”

“It’s not her land to give,” Twilight said, looking at Gerald seriously. “Celestia has generously permitted the Apple family use of that land for more than two centuries. If Applejack doesn’t follow through, the Ministry of the Interior will just strip it from her anyways,” Twilight looked away, and towards the gentle sunlight gleaming from the outside. “I’m really sorry Applejack.”

“It ain’t your fault, sadly, one of the advantages of the war was that it pushed back such things.” Applejack curled her lips inside her mouth as she glared at her drink, “I’ll probably have to send a letter to Dash next spring, and see if we can get any good info on any prospective families.”

“Why don’t you just come back to Earth with me?” Gerald was looking away from Applejack, his face taking a sturgeon quality to it.

The tan pony froze, slowly turning her head to look at the familiar human, “Excuse me?”

“Just you know, leave it all behind, Earth’s not all that bad. And unlike Unicorns and Pegasi, you still have that strength to fall back on,” Gerald turned to catch Applejack’s glare.

“I have a brother and a sister who need me to be here, and your solution to my dilemma is to leave them behind?” Applejack pushed away from the table.

“That’s not what I meant Applejack, I was trying to - “ Gerald stopped as Applejack left the table. The sound of clicking hooves echoed as Gerald instinctually threw out an arm to stop her, only to utter, “Fuck.”

Twilight froze as she looked at the human across from her, switching her gaze to the pony leaving the café, only to return to the human and giving off a narrow half smile, “Does um, does this happen frequently?”

“I mean, we have our disagreements, but I’ve never seen her snap like that,” Gerald finally retracted his arm and closed his eyes. “I think she’ll be fine, but she never really talked about that until now.”

“She and Fluttershy had it the hardest. When we became the Elements of Harmony, she just wanted to keep working the farm, and Fluttershy just wanted to keep watch over the local fauna. Neither of them were suited for what I thrust them into,” Twilight grimaced. “But the alternative was worse.”

“Having Luna as your ruler?” Gerald asked.

“Endless night,” Twilight peered up as she took a sip from her drink.

“But that couldn’t have happened, I mean the day –” before Gerald caught himself, turning away from Twilight, he looked up the window and pulled back his lips.

Twilight gave a stone’s gaze to Gerald, “I don’t know what you’ve been reading, but allow me to elucidate you on the matter of the raising of the sun. Celestia raises the sun.”

Gerald glanced quickly at Twilight before returning his gaze out the window, “Of course, of course.”

Twilight relaxed as she leaned forward against her forelegs, “Now that that’s settled, since you’re here, I have questions.”

“Shoot,” Gerald turned back and took a sip.

“According to my research, humans cast off their royalty?” Twilight said as she glanced at her notes.

“Well, that varies region to region. Where I come from, there is no royalty, but one of the nations closest to my culture has a royal line and everything,” Gerald answered.

“That’s a bit confusing,” Twilight rubbed her chin with the top of her hoof as she scribed on her notes.

Gerald paused for a moment, opened his mouth to say something, then stopped before biting his lower lip and looking left and right, “Think of it like this, before Equestria was formed, the three tribes were for the most part, isolated from each other, right?”

“No actually,” Twilight shook her head. “The land was interspersed with many different kingdoms and cities before Celestia unified the land.”

“Well, that’s kind of true here. There’s probably well over a few hundred countries. However, we separate them by culture and region rather than what appendages we have,” Gerald nodded.

“So how powerful is your royalty? Or,” Twilight looked up at the light fixtures for a moment, “I should say, for what royalty that do exist in some of your countries?”

“Well, in some nations, the royalties are at the top of the food chain, what they say goes. Other places? If they happen to have royalty, they’re just placeholders. They serve ceremonial duties and are mostly politically neutered,” Gerald nodded.

“So you don’t have any leader of humans?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Yeah, compared to Equestria a few years ago, we’re pretty fractured, but we definitely unified up a little since the Corridors. It’s still nowhere as centralized as the kingdom was and its array of protectorates and city states ten years ago,” Gerald answered. “That said, I should say some of the larger countries are pursuing their own agenda. The country I come from is notorious for this.”

Twilight scribbled down notes as Gerald fidgeted in his seat, he looked left and right before he arched his back over and whispered to Twilight, “So what’s this heart song business Applejack’s told me about?”

Twilight froze as the dull graphite from her pencil snapped, looking up at Gerald, he could see a yellow glint in her eyes. Exhaling, the unicorn put down her note-taking supplies and lightly clopped together the ends of her hooves, “Well, you see, funny story about that…”

Gerald raised an eye as he double checked his surroundings, “Applejack says that this isn’t something you talk about in good company, but she went on a rant on how her friend was going to use it, but she wouldn’t let me in on the details.”

“Oh, well,” Twilight looked around and sighed. “You see, well, it’s a way of um,” she looked up at Gerald who looked down at her with bemused curiosity, “It’s a song one might sing to you know…”

“It’s a mating ritual?”

“No, no,” Twilight shook her head as she blinked a few times. “Why would you think that?”

“I was thinking if it was one, I could try it with Applejack -“

“Don’t. You’ll undermine the relationship you and her built. Look,” Twilight again looking left and right as words kept getting stuck in her mouth, “Sometimes a mare knows what she wants, and other times she needs a hint, but if you know what you want, you don’t need heartsong. But if you’re in that wishy-washy place…”

“I’m confused, is this a dating app for ponies?”

“App?” Twilight returned the confused look.

“Think of it like a spell that tries to find you someone you might fall in love with,” Gerald said, putting his hand left and right in midair.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Twilight smiled. “I don’t know how your app works, but with heartsong, you sing a song and hope for a reply.”

“So what happens if someone knows the lyrics to the song and answers? Do they count?” Gerald said, leaning over.

“No, no, I mean.” Twilight trailed off for a second before returning, “There’ve been instances, but after a while, the singer will know something is off.”

“Like what?”

“Look um,” Twilight looked away from the human before turning to her notes. “The only reason I’m doing this is because I know what I’m doing. Most of the ponies,” Twilight looked around the café and saw the zoo of different beings, some in serious debate, others in lackadaisical diatribes, “Most of the ponies who try Heartsong simply never find their companion.”

“I’m just curious to know,” Gerald said with a raised eye. “Does it search out for an appropriate partner? Or does it find what effectively is your soulmate?”

Twilight blinked for a moment, before shaking her head, “A soul what?”

“A soulmate, you know someone that you’re perfectly compatible with, as if, I don’t know, destiny itself selected them?” Gerald scratched his chin.

“I don’t know anything about this soulmate business,” Twilight looked down, raising her own eye, peeling back a lip as she finally looked up. “But two ponies enraptured by heartsong are said to be both compatible and complementary.”

“So it’s just a search algorithm?” Gerald blurted out.

“Search algorithm? You mean like the division algorithm? No, not like that at all. That implies the heart song itself is going to try to make the best match from the given inputs.” Twilight grunted, “What’s going on here is simply put: magic.”

“I guess I understand, I’ve only seen telekinesis magic, in fact that’s the only spell I saw in Canterlot. Though there was that one blue unicorn in Appaloosa that was able to do that thing with the ping-pong ball…”

“You’ve never seen real magic?” Twilight’s lips curled as she smiled.

“Nothing beyond what I said.”

Twilight looked left and right, seeing as no one was watching, and levitated the lid off her coffee, “Watch closely.”

The gentle hue of indigo emanated from Twilight’s horn as her coffee cup shook for a second. Suddenly ceasing its movement, steam lifted from the drink as Gerald watched.

“Being able to reheat your own coffee, that’s actually quite –”

“Shhh, I’m focusing,” Twilight muttered as she kept her eye on her drink. Soon the steam pooled up into a tiny cloud above the coffee, as tiny vortices of steam were pulled from above and onto the table. Soon, the figures of a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus all made of visible water vapor started prancing amongst themselves for a few moments before Twilight’s horn slowly dimmed. The figures leaping and playing amongst themselves for only a few moments more before they lost their shape and returned to shapeless gas before dissipating.

“Now that’s not something you see every day,” Gerald said in a hushed whisper.

“I would’ve showed you something perhaps a little more flamboyant if not for the fact that we’re in public,” Twilight leaned back. “Still, most of the unicorns only know how to manipulate items in midair. Very, very few of us bother to even move past primary education with our magic.”

“How come? I mean, if you can perform such feats, why are the others content with just knowing how to manipulate stuff?” Gerald gave Twilight a curious eye.

“You have to understand, it takes a long time to get good at this. The one I just showed you was relatively simple, but most unicorns would struggle with pulling steam from water. Not to mention forming that steam into shapes and having the shapes themselves act autonomously.” Twilight gave a grin, “But if you put yourself to the grindstone, you really can perform wondrous feats.”

“Seems like a waste,” Gerald said, crossing his arms. “Not to judge but it feels like the reason many unicorns don’t advance is that their cutie mark says ‘you’re only good at one thing, so don’t even bother advancing other skills’.”

“That’s uh...” Twilight’s voice shot out unusually loud, and chuckled for a second. “That’s a gross oversimplification. See, our marks tell us what we are destined to do. And for most, that’s enough.”

“I mean, Applejack told me that you’re using…” Gerald bent down and placed his left hand flat and vertical to the right part of his mouth, and whispered, “Flank paint, I mean if that’s a thing, can’t you just trick others into thinking you have a destiny more grandiose than you really have?”

Twilight let out a deep breath as she slowly blinked her eyes, “I use it because it avoids much of the trouble that comes from such a famous mark,” Twilight slightly turned her head to look at the planet she had painted on this morning. “Those loyal to Celestia wouldn’t speak to me, and the trai-“ Twilight shook her head as she began again, “And the others would either see me as an enemy or figurehead to raise against the Princess.”

“How did,” Gerald frowned as he trailed off. “What exactly happened?” Gerald said quickly, checking behind him. “Rumor has it that you attempted some kind of forbidden spell or were secretly feeding information to Sombra. I mean, it’s obvious neither is true, otherwise Applejack wouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

“It’s…” Twilight gazed at the coffee that was now exposed, reflection blinded by the shimmering tiny waves that only the light above could expose. “It’s complicated. And not something I would prefer to discuss. But suffice to say,” Twilight slowed down as she caught a glint of her own violet eyes in the coffee, and exhaled. “Suffice to say, things ended a lot worse than I wish they did.”

“Sorry,” Gerald said, giving a polite nod, “The way Applejack tells it, you and the Princess were awfully close. And occasionally she goes on tirades about how Celestia can’t appreciate the mare that saved Equestria twice.”

A faint smile crept up on Twilight’s face as she drank in those words, “She and the others helped too. Both times were team efforts. I was just a catalyst to get things moving along.”

“Not by the way she tells it, Applejack’s always been quick to give credit where credit is due and she firmly believes that while she and the others helped in what ways they could, without you, both situations would’ve come out a lot worse than they did,” Gerald conveyed as he opened both his palms.

“I don’t know what to say,” Twilight shrugged as she looked at the human across from her.

Silence draped across the table as the scent of coffee beans and cinnamon engrossed the café. The two creatures from two worlds looked away from each other as caffeine addicts of all kinds weaved and made their way through the day.

“So umm,” Gerald hummed. “Returning to the subject of Heartsong, is there like a particular song you use or…”

Twilight wrinkled her nose as she started, “It’s not so much the song you pick, but the state of mind and intention at heart. Otherwise, ponies just singing down the street might accidentally find their partner. There’s some practice involved, of course, but,” Twilight glanced at her notes. “Once you know the ins and outs, it’s relatively easy to perform.”

“So what song did you pick?” Gerald said, adjusting in his seat.

“It’s an ancient pony song that roughly translates to ‘Echo’,” Twilight answered.

“Can I hear it?”

Quill and Xavier exited out of the library and into the main atrium, and approached the mechanical vending machines on the complex, opposite of the café. The two stopped in front of one as Quill fiddled around for a few bits in his saddlebag and deposit it in the rudimentary machine, “Soul aria, an arrest warrant for some crazy pony singing at night, and a decree that the song ‘keep me up all night’ shall no longer be sung in Stratusburg,” Quill groaned as he tapped the large button with his hoof to select a bag of chips.

“I’ve got to say, search engines have definitely spoiled me,” Xavier answered as he watched Quill work the bag with the softs of his hooves.

“I’ve been quietly applying to a few universities on Earth, but even if I get offered a position, I’m not sure I can convince lead mare on this,” Quill grumbled as he sat awkwardly on his rump and dug into his afternoon snack.

“Well, the good news is that if you’re an earth pony, you’ll still have some of that amazing strength and endurance on earth,” Xavier answered as he leaned back against the wall that held a poster with many Unicorn mares in voting booths that said the secession vote was in two days.

“I know, but what about the other tribes?” Quill said while in half a chew.

“Even prepared Unicorns freak out when they realize that their magic no longer functions. And those that keep calm and collected still have to pass a test at the corridors to make sure that they don’t get locked in a room with the door designed for humans only. Pegasi and griffins fare better, they can still glide but they can’t take off more than a few feet under their own power, at least without air thermals,” Xavier answered before snapping his fingers. “We did have an incident half a year ago where a dragon died because the greed effects that made him large on this side were magically based. When he came over, he suddenly began to shrink down and his body couldn’t take it.” Xavier looked away from the professor, “Since then, dragons have to be put through quarantine to ensure that they are at their minimal size before making their way over, but dragons coming over is so rare that they’re already discussing decommissioning the protocol.”

“Sounds like an awful way to go,” the professor said, still munching on his chips, “if that’s the case, there is a very good chance I won’t be able to move. Too much strain on Cross, being a Unicorn and all that. ”

“If you ever do get the chance, just be careful where you go, I would recommend somewhere in Western or Northern Europe, maybe Canada. I come from the States and, to put it lightly, there are sectors of the population that are not fans of anything on this side. Though to be honest, you’ll find them anywhere you go,” Xavier pursed his lips.

“Thanks for the tip,” Quill give a nod to the human as he chewed, “But I already spent summer in Berlin awhile back, really enjoyed my time there. But Scarlet and Cross were right upset that they would need to watch the foals for two months.” Quill paused, and stopped eating, “Back when River was still the lead mare, she gave me a lot of latitude to expand my career in academia. “

“You never talk about your herd, at least not with me.” Xavier froze and looked at Quill, “Sorry, what do you mean ‘was still lead mare’?”

Quill sighed, “Every herd is different, Xavier. The one that really leads varies with how everyone gets along. Sometimes you get a strong mare that gives out commands and everyone follows. Other Times there is resistance, and she needs tacit approval from the others. And other times,” Quill looked down and shook his head. “Other times something happens, and she has to surrender the position of lead mare. And when that happens, the new lead mare gets to institute new rules. And depending on how strong her position is, we just have to take it.”

“There have got to be cases where the stallion gets some say on the rules,” Xavier said.

“Well, there are some herds where the Stallion controls things, rare, but I’ve seen them. He can do this by playing the mares off each other, or in even worse cases, he rules through a lead mare while the others can only let it go or leave,” Quill answered.

“Why is that a worse case?”

“Well,” Quill began. “If a mare and stallion get attached to each other early on, other members are just kind of there to bring in resources for the other two to use. A good herd ensures that everyone’s needs are looked after. It’s not uncommon for this to happen to very submissive mares and older mares who don’t know how to live without being in a herd.” Quill shuddered, but caught himself and continued, “Active stallion abuse is common, but passive mare abuse is just as pervasive. It’s just that while the former is a common topic because of how mares see that we need to be protected, the latter is rarely talked about and considered to be a failure on the abused mare’s part.”

“You talk about this like you’ve seen it happen before,” Xavier spoke quietly.

“Xavier,” Quill looked up at the human. “I’ve been in two herds in my life. While I’m not happy with my current one, it’s not a lost cause. Not yet anyways. But I’ve managed to make sure that my mares, while they might not be happy, are at least taken care of. Unlike what happened to Dew Drop.”

“Dew Drop?”

“She was my third daughter,” tears welled up in Quill’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Xavier checked behind him, “Do you want to go outside and talk about this? Or somewhere private?”

“No, no, don’t worry,” Quill said, rubbing his wet eyes with his front limbs. “Maybe when I visit you up north in a year or so, but not today. Let me finish this up and we’ll go back downstairs.”

Xavier nodded as he stood there, keeping the stallion company as patrons passed them, leaving the library. The skies grew a tinge darker, while the lights inside stayed as bright as ever. The smell of java finally meandered on over to this corner as the tapping of hooves reverberated across the hall.

“Changing subjects,” Quill said, eyes dry and finally working on his bag of chips again, “I read in the newspaper how that in New Cloudsdale-“

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, rêt-khe dhung lech chu, ba khê mu hu môtsam? 🎵

“there was a murder investigation concerning-“

🎵Fyoî, Fyoî, ta-khe tur chup ôhce... 🎵

“🎵-Turp tur ôhce, oûb ta... 🎵”, Xavier slammed his hand over his mouth, spinning his head in the direction of the song

“Come again?” Quill raised his eye.

Xavier can see it, no more than thirty meters away was a purple unicorn staring at him from the café.

Chapter 13: Coronation

“I refuse.”

“You refuse my gift?”

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“Nightmares are not just dreams gone wrong. They allow you to confront your deepest, darkest fears. They peel back something you might have hidden from others, and yourself. Ask yourself, do you remember all of your dreams? Of course not. But you remember the nightmares. The real ones. The ones that grab you and shake you from the sky. They remind you that no matter how bad things get or what awful fate befalls you, you are strong enough to survive long enough to make it to the morning.” ~ Commander Remex, Battalion Leader of the Bolts from the Blue, and daughter of the last Ephor at the Annexation of the Pegasai and their Protectorates, Her Majesty's Record ‘Official Proceedings and Court Records’, Bridlon Abby

“Ah!” Twilight shouted as Applejack’s leg twitched.

“Sorry,” Applejack replied as the orange tipped brushstroke slid across her flank. Laying on the living room floor of Twilight’s apartment, the two ponies were surrounded by several vials of flank paint and Twilight’s light spell above them.

“All right, done,” Twilight said as she pushed herself up. The planet on her flank was gone, and in its place was the original stars she earned. She levitated the brush to the jar of water, dabbing it in and squeezing it with her magic before setting it down.

Applejack turned to look at her rear. She groaned when she saw that instead of apples, she now had oranges. “You sure this is gonna last until I get home?”

“Yeah, as long as it doesn’t rain or you don’t fall into a river. It should last two weeks. But after a week, this paint flakes and you’re skipping baths at that point, so,” Twilight trailed off.

“Best I get home immediately, huh?” Applejack raised an eye.

“After what happened? We’re both just lucky the city is so big,” Twilight turned to Applejack. “That and the law is so tied up in preparing for the referendum, so its unsurprising campus security let us slip by without issue.”

“I don’t think we could have pulled that off in Ponyville,” Applejack muttered as she checked the other side. “Guess it’s an advantage when you’re just another face in the crowd, huh?”

Twilight let out an audible exhale and looked Applejack in the eye, “Did I lose him?”

“You found him once before in this big-city right?” Applejack turned to Twilight, “We might be able to slip into the crowd, but he won’t.”

“Yeah, but,” Twilight lifted her left hoof and pawed at the ground, emanating a soft knocking sound throughout the apartment. “I don’t think there’s going to be a third time, Applejack… I think I rutted up hard.” Instantly, Twilight’s rear legs gave out, her rump slamming against the floor.

“You couldn’t have known Twilight,” Applejack approached her friend, who was staring down at the carpet. “I mean, the oath says that you have to keep him protected, but if he’s just going to run…”

“He’s scared,” Twilight said, looking up at Applejack. “I saw how terrified he was when you had him. He was terrified of us…”

“Then there’s nothing you could do. Look, Twilight, I promise, I won’t tell anyone. And I’ll just try to explain to Gerald in a way he’ll understand it,” Applejack said, pulling alongside Twilight and tucking the unicorn’s head underneath her chin.

“You’re going to lie to him?”

“No, but I know for a fact he can keep a secret when it counts,” Applejack gently said. The two held like this as the sounds of other ponies in the apartments surrounding Twilight’s clopped and banged quietly. The audible hiss of the night enveloping the streets outside as Twilight closed her eyes for a second to take in her friend’s condolences.

“But I’ll know,” Twilight slid out from underneath Applejack and looked her in the eye.

“You’re right, but you’re not getting any flak from me about it, and who knows? Maybe somehow you’ll catch up to him,” Applejack gave a nod.

The two companions walked to the door of the apartment. Applejack turned to Twilight and asked, “Think I’ll have any issues with the law?”

Twilight shook her head, “As long as you leave your hat here, you should be fine.” Twilight rolled her head as she yawned, looking at the cowboy hat atop a pile of books. “The only police that saw us was the one that showed up 10 minutes after… whatever that human did to escape.”

“Twilight, have you ever heard of anyone, even a human, just summoning a dust storm like that from the blue?” Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head, “Maybe Rainbow Dash, but that’s just her applying her natural advantages. And that was years ago. Now? She would need at least maybe 20 or 30 other Pegasai working in tandem with her to do what we experienced if she doesn’t use a sonic rainboom.” The mare looked down when her she suddenly snapped up, “Wait, Gerald-”

“Gerald knows where to meet me if he loses me, I might be coming back if he’s arrested or worse…” Applejack said.

“And I’ll help out however I can, but if you’re safe, just leave,” Twilight said as she walked back to the vials of paint and brush on the floor. “I might not be able to use a planet anymore, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something simple,” Twilight smiled to Applejack.

“Right, Twilight,” Applejack paused as she looked her friend in the eye. “If something should happen, don’t be afraid to send me a letter, even if I get in trouble too, I’m not gonna let you take the heat alone.” Applejack frowned and glanced down, “Not after how I did you dirty at the wedding.”

Twilight frowned, then shook her head and gave a hard smile as she looked up at Applejack, “It was good seeing you. Maybe next time, I can help you out with your woes.”

“It was good seeing you too, Twilight,” as Applejack walked through the door to the apartment and closed it behind her.

Twilight slid the chain lock across her apartment door and slowly approached her bedroom. The sound of hoof on carpet echoed throughout the tiny home as she passed by her spool coffee table and on through the kitchen. Pushing herself up, she collapsed onto her bed, her horn narrowly avoiding the mattress. She just kept staring into the dark corner of the room as not a thought bothered her. And as she kept staring, it kept expanding, larger and darker, until it finally consumed all things, and the night took her.

The Viridian Court

“Twilight, what’s going on!?”

Twilight turned behind her. Her room was a black and white regal with gold trimmings and pillars surrounding the apartment. The headboard was delicately carved out of white oak, and a closed window showed only the white fog that covered the castle. Smiling, Twilight’s eyes were wet as she looked at her visitor, “Spike, I’m so sorry.”

“Cinnamon says Celestia banished you! What happened?” Spike looked at her from across the room, what was once his small purple and green frame had grown over the years. His chin was stronger, and he was slightly more musclebound, however he was still lanky in arm and leg.

“Spike, if I could tell you, I would,” suddenly Twilight made a mad dash towards the Dragon and hugged him. “Oh! I’m so sorry Spike.”

“Look, there’s got to be some mistake. If you and I go to Celestia together, but I’m sure that we can get this, and if she doesn’t listen to reason, I’m going too.”

Twilight shook her head, “Spike, you need to stay with the Princess. She’ll need your help in the upcoming years.” Twilight turned back to her meager saddlebag, strolling to it, and then resumed packing it using her magic.

“Twilight, you’ve got to tell me what happened,” Spike was about to say before Twilight used her magic to lift a comb and put it against Spike’s lips.

“Spike, Spike listen,” Twilight turned away. “I had a choice. And this is how things ended up being. And if things go well, I might be able to return if I can acco-“ Suddenly, the window cracked. Twilight snapped her head and looked at the window as Spike wiped away his tears. Slowly Twilight approached to investigate the break, her head examining the fissure before her eyes caught something far off. A blue twinkle, not unlike the primary color of her mane, landed on one of the castle towers, along the roof’s edge. Blinking, Twilight turned behind her and pulled a letter knife from her desk.

“Twilight, what are you,” Spike gasped as Twilight sliced herself in the foreleg with it, the blade cutting through her like thin air. She didn’t flinch and pulled it out with no blood or flesh broken. Twilight dropped the knife and gave Spike a hug, “Oh Spike, it’s been too long. Even if this is just a dream, I really, really needed this.”

Spike reciprocated, “I don’t understand, what do you mean this is a dream?”

“Spike, right now Princess Luna is getting closer and I don’t know what she’s going to do. Any other day, any other dream, and I would spend the rest of my time with you. So please forgive me when in a few moments, I run out the door,” Twilight gave a smile.

“I don’t understand,” Spike said as Twilight kissed spike atop his head, and then used her magic to burst the door open and rush out the hall.

“Twilight!” Spike cried out as Twilight maneuvered down the long, narrow passageway. Window after window gleamed with the white fog that reflected Celestia’s glorious rays as the Saddle Arabian carpets muffled her hoof steps. Rotating, she could see the navy blue image of a pony distant down the hall. Taking a turn, she slid and scrambled against the slick marble floor. Finally, gaining traction, she ran, and she ran.

Going down the great staircase that ran center into the castle, she turned to the kitchen where the opulent white and gold gave way to dark brown wood works. Ponies of all kinds in the kitchen were working together to prepare a feast as Twilight slid past them, each of them uncaring of the mare behind them. Finally, slipping out the back, she turned once more only to hear ”Princess!" erupt in the kitchen. Looking outside, she saw in the fog a giant pile of snow. Taking a deep breath, she leapt forward and thrust herself into the pile of soft, white water crystals.

The entrance she made with her body collapsed behind her as the chill of winter overcame her and she felt dizzy. Up was down, down was up and left was right. She felt like she was tumbling before she shook her head and tried to figure out where up was. Pushing herself in any direction, she used her magic to pop the snow above her out and was greeted with a starry night sky, and a full moon glaring overhead.

Pushing with her rear legs, she jumped out and looked around. The castle was gone and there were only pine trees surrounding her. Letting out an exhale, Twilight quickly buried the hole she came out of and let her rump sag to the ground, her tail providing insulation between her and the snow.

“Where am I?” Twilight muttered before hearing the voice of two strangers talking behind her. Slowly turning, keeping herself close to the ground, she found covered bushes before she discovered where the sound was coming from: a large, long clearing. And in the center was an orange pegasus, and a tall figure covered in billowing black haze.

Twilight crumpled to the ground as she turned her head in order to avoid hitting both her snout and her horn in the foliage. Letting herself lay for a moment, she picked herself up and took stock of her surroundings. Behind her was a grove of trees, as was ahead of her if not for the giant snowy pathway that led between them. Soon the rustling of beings walking towards her forced her ears to point forward as she froze, looking at the two straight ahead.

“Okay, so why did you bring me here?” the almost guttural feminine sound coming from the smaller of the two erupted, a purple mane burst forth from her neck as her orange body seemed too massive for her tiny wings. Her cutie mark was a shield with a wing and a lightning symbol on top of it. Twilight blinked for a second when she realized who it was, an old acquaintance from Ponyville, now grown up.

“Scootaloo, I want you to tell me how exactly you can fly.” The tall figure cloaked in an ethereal blackness billowed as he moved, “At best with that wing to body ratio, you could glide, but that doesn’t explain how you can sustain flight for as long as you can.”

The Pegasus snorted as she raised an eye, stopping to look up at her companion, “You want the truth? Fine,” she looked away for a moment, only to once again snap the human’s gaze. “Potions. Both the permanent and temporary kind. Zecora did some ritual work as well. Made me lighter than I should be. Still not enough…”

“You single-handedly saved the Stannum expedition. That’s, of course, ignoring your feats and other battles. How long have you been fighting on the front lines without any kind of support?” the figure asked.

“Longer than you, that’s for sure,” Scootaloo spat out. “I couldn’t get into the Wonderbolts because of my…” Scootaloo merely turned towards her tiny wings before turning back. “I didn’t like the idea of sitting on the front lines while others did all the work, so I put myself to task. Eventually joined up with you lot when the offer was extended. And of course, I’ve saved more of your kind’s lives than I can really count.”

“And we deeply appreciate it. Canterlot may ignore you, but you’ve proven yourself to be valuable. But there’s still something missing, isn’t there? You’ve never been to Cloudsdale, have you?” the figure asked.

“And now I never will. None of us can stand on clouds anymore,” Scootaloo gave out a pained laugh. “But hey, at least I wasn’t there when it happened.”

The dark figure approached a large rock and sat himself down atop it, like how Gerald sat at the cafe, his hood still covering his head, “So all that work, all that sacrifice was just because you wanted to? Because you got salty at Cloudsdale and Canterlot telling you to go home?”

Scootaloo turned and spat at the figure, “My hero goes out there every day and fights the good fight, and I do nothing?” Scootaloo snorted as she slowly rotated her head to look at her wings. “Even with everything I’ve done, I’ll never, ever be able to approach what she does, I can’t even do what a normal Pegasus does on a bad day. The best I can do is a few meters off the ground and…”

“What if I told you that it was indeed possible for you to have what the others have: true flight.” The wind wisped around the humanlike figure, its cloak flapping about as Scootaloo narrowed her eyes.

“Please don’t tell me you brought me all the way out here just to mock me, I’ve got better things to do.”

“In three hours, we engage the enemy,” the cloaked figure said. “Sparking Candle has convinced Torch to assault the enemy’s main forces and keep them distracted as we attempt to take down Sombra.”

“In three hours? Why wasn’t I informed?” Scootaloo shouted.

“Because we’re doing this without the administration’s approval. Which means we’re tight on time. There are many phases to the assault, but the one you need to be concerned about is if our first seal fails. Likely it will, but if we’re lucky, Sombra will be stripped of his might.”

“All right, where do I fit in?” Scootaloo raised an eye.

“If our first attempt fails, we have to fall back on an induction seal,” the figure shifted on its rock. “It’s designed to keep pace with his level of power. However, the moment that we hit him hard enough that he weakens past the seal’s threshold, it will activate and contain him. However, in order to weaken him for the seal to go into effect, we must fight him in extended combat. Our neural networks anticipate that each of us can only hold out for fifteen minutes at most. At the fifteen minute mark, we have to rotate, but during this rotation phase,” the figure teetered off for a moment. “We will be deeply vulnerable to some kind of strike from him. This is where you come in,” the figure revealed a circular wooden disk with extensive markings on it, held aloft by fingers. Human fingers.

“What is that?”

“This is an entry contract. If you have it on hand, so to speak, you’ll have the capacity to enter the barrier that will contain him for the fight with impunity. But the reason you’ll be entering at the fifteen minute mark is that we need you to perform a sonic rainboom.”

Scootaloo burst out laughing as she turned to walk away, and bit back, “Funny prank, funny prank. I hope you had your fun.”

“I’m serious,” the figure on the rock said. “And we’ll need you to do it at least six times during the fight. Fifteen minutes apart.”

“Like I said, I hope you had your fun. I’ll let Solstice and Typhoon know you thought it would be funny,” Scootaloo grunted as she extended her relatively tiny wings and began flapping them in extended fury, like a hummingbird taking flight. "Fucking bronco."

“First, Solstice and Alexandra know I’m here. Second, I am serious. Without you, the plan will likely fall apart.” the figure said.

"Stopped being funny hours ago." Scootaloo kept moving away, "Eat shit. Jump off a cliff."

The figure extended a hand past the ethereal darkness that covered them, revealing its thin lines of scarring around its tiny limbs with large white scars at nearly every joint. “Each time you enter the barrier to perform it, it should stun him as each of us uses The Cudgel to escape and rotate out.”

“I know you’re smarter than this, but here’s the deal: Rainbow Dash is the only mare in the last few centuries to perform it, so if you need one, you’ve got to go talk to her,” Scootaloo chided as she continued forward.

“Even if we could get her, ignoring her blind loyalty, at best, she could only do two, maybe three in such a span,” the figure said. “You, on the other hand,” the figure suddenly looked up at the night sky, “Other hoof? Whatever. Look, you just might do it.”

Scootaloo turned around with narrowed eyes as she let her wings freeze to her side and fell to the ground, running at the figure in dark smoke, “I can barely get ten meters off the ground, maybe thirteen on a good day. And you’re asking for a sonic rainboom? What in Tartarus is your problem? Are you having fun? Enjoying laughing at my expense?”

“Of course, you would not be doing this without support,” the figure turned his hand over, revealing its palm, slowly waving them. “If you agree to do this, I can show you a way to sail the troposphere even with your present condition, however,” the figure paused as he stood up and towered over Scootaloo. “Once I show you, you can never go back to the way things were. What you once passively ignored with little issue you can never ignore again.”

Scootaloo tilted her head in curiosity as she said, “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that revealing this, and your tacit acceptance will mean that every time a gentle breeze rolls by, it won’t just be a gentle breeze anymore. It could be something more,” the figure now revealed his second hand from his cloak and opened both palms towards Scootaloo. “Now, are you curious? Because this is one of those things where, if you accept, there is no going back.”

Scootaloo looked to her left, her eyes narrowing as she bit her lower lip, then suddenly looked to her right as she looked up and asked, “And if I accept, this could end the war?”

The figure nodded.

“All right, show me.”

The figure waved Scootaloo to follow him. There was no wind, only stilted air that watched the two as they walked down the trail towards an unknown destination, trees on either side bearing witness to the two as they finally gave way, revealing a cliff. Twilight picked herself up and moved along the pine trees, keeping the two in sight. Soon, they came to the cliff, jetting out near the ocean below with a single rock off center and away from the pair. However, where there should be the sound of crashing waves, there was only silence.

“Scootaloo, do you know why Zelhor absolutely loathes me?” the figure turned to Scootaloo and asked.

The orange pegasus shook no.

“A long, long time ago, long before the pegasi used to control the weather, and even longer than even Star Swirl and Celestia, many ponies possessed a symbiotic relationship with Equus. They would commune with the planet itself and come to know its many parts. Of these, four hold a special place in the hierarchy. On Terra we would simply call these the elements, but here they’re called the aspects,” the figure said as he approached the cliff side and looked overhead.

“Earth, fire, water, and wind. Ponies would commune with the elements to gauge their mood, if water seemed very reclusive, the ponies might stockpile in preparation for a drought. If fire was on edge and there was a volcano nearby, they would temporarily evacuate the village on the off chance that it erupted. But something happened a long time ago to cut ponies off from these aspects. The Zebras have been hard at work trying to reconnect with them. Near the beginning of the war, they were finally able to commune with Beheianir, and a year or two later, Ifritnir. Only recently have they finally been able to hear Levnir, but none of them have been able to hear the wind. They sit in their lodges and enter into deep trances trying to remain as still as possible in order to reach out and simply greet themselves, but Ziznir kept saying nothing. But one day, someone finally did it using an unconventional method. Scootaloo,” the figure looked at the pony. “Once I show you this, you can never go back to the world that you once came from. Do you understand?”

Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion and gave a nod.

“Right, let’s begin,” the figure said as he took a deep breath in. For a few moments, nothing happened as Twilight watched from the treeline. Then he whistled. At first, it was shrill and focused. The forest echoed back the same sound that the human emitted. Then he whistled again, this time almost like the sound was climbing up a spiral staircase, only to drop every few moments and start climbing again. The sound echoed through the trees and through the forest as Scootaloo’s ears swiveled and tried to focus on the source of the sound. Twilight’s ears also fluttered, and soon the figure let out another, lower whistle, and once again the echoes of cedar trees returned it back.

“Shit.” The figure cursed as he slumped over, “You’re really going to make me do this aren’t you?”

“Do what?” Scootaloo watched as the figure approached the edge of the cliff.

“To do this Scootaloo, an offering is required,” the figure approached the edge, and looked down, gulping. “If I die, head back and let Seamstress know to cancel. I don’t know how they’ll placate Lord Torch, but at that point, we’ll know that we can’t even stun him for-”

“Hang on, timeout, what are you –” Scootaloo stopped as the figure raised each of his hands, scarred with what seemed to be lines in between constellations, and tucked them into their opposite sleeve. The billowing darkness dissipated with a slight pop as the human that had answered Twilight’s heartsong stood there. He wore snow camo and both his hair and facial hair trimmed, with glasses perched atop his nose. On his top forelimbs were two long black braces covering his forearm in the shape of two Xs meeting, keeping the limb contained. On the outside of the back of his hands were four large black, thin nail-like strips that ran from his wrist to his knuckles.

“Whatever you do, do not attempt to save me. You’ll just piss it off,” the human stepped to the edge, his arms outstretched. “Let Dollhouse know that the thing from the place is under my mattress. She’ll know what you’re talking about,” and with that, the human let gravity take him. Twilight’s eyes widened as she took three steps beyond the treeline, only to find herself chin deep in snow.

“Oh fuck!” Scootaloo ran to the edge, her wings already extended, when a sudden torrent of air blew up and held Scootaloo at bay. Instinctually, she knelt her front legs down with her wings extended, angled with the airflow, and was well grounded when she looked up to see the figure of a human in snow camo being held aloft.

“How, how are you-“

“Me?” the figure screamed out, trying to be heard in the echoes of sound that blew past the two. “I’m doing nothing. This is merely the wind, surely you heard of it?” The orange pegasus watched as the human kept levitating, a grand torrent of wind blowing from the cliff side and off into the night. “It keeps aloft the Bugbears of the Jackalope Slopes. It keeps aloft the Breezies that ride the saddle of Equus during their great migration. And it keeps aloft... ME!” The human floated forward towards the edge of the cliff as suddenly, the wind stopped, tossing him from his spot as he fell face first into the snow and screamed.

“God damn it! There was a rock under there, fuck!” He turned and gazed at where the air currents had caught him and tossed him back onto land. He cupped his hand to his chin, groaned in pain. “That was the wind Scootaloo, fuck” The figure writhed in pain on the ground, rolling slightly as the pegasus watched.

“Wha-”

“I was doing a bit, fuck. It was supposed to be awesome,” Xavier said, as he roiled over in pain. Moments passed as his groaning quieted and he started, “I know what you’re thinking, and that’s not how it works between us Scootaloo. The only thing I can do is hear and ask of it things. Oh fuck this,” the figure dug into a pocket and pulled out an orange bottle. Quickly taking out a blue pill and swallowing, silence overtook them as the human’s labor breathing slowly relaxed over the course of a few minutes.

“Are you going to be okay?” Scootaloo asked, pawing at the prone human on the ground.

“Stop,” the human groaned as he waved the orange pegasus’ hoof away. “Stop! I’ll be fine,” he mumbled again. “Look, as you can tell, our relationship is rocky, to say the least. And it talks more often than you realize,” the figure sat on the snow, crossing his legs while rubbing his face, “And you ignore what it says at your own peril.”

Scootaloo approached the human who was obviously out of breath, as she reached out and touched his crossed legs, “But why did you jump?”

“That Scootaloo was the wind asking me to vet you. It acknowledges that it doesn’t understand corporeal beings too well and, incidentally, uses a corporeal being to find worthy candidates,” the human said as he waved at Scootaloo, “Stop that, I’m fine.”

Scootaloo retracted her leg and bluntly vomited, “Candidate?”

“A little over nine months ago, I was the one who made the accidental breakthrough. Turns out you don’t meditate with the wind, you don’t make offerings to it,” the figure looked over at Scootaloo and smiled, “You dance with it.”

“You dance with the wind?” Scootaloo asked, flummoxed.

“The wind has been lonely for such a long time since no one knew how to talk to it. I was the first to figure it out and my god it talks,” the human let out an exasperated sigh. “But no, I can’t normally fly unless the wind thinks it’s a good idea or it’s being cheeky. Also can’t use parachutes over on this side anymore because it gets pissed I have no faith in it. But you…” The figure stood up and started walking past Scootaloo, and away from the cliff. As the pegasus followed, she watched as there was a sudden eruption of snowflakes slowly circling each other, a tiny gentle whirlwind had manifested ahead of them.

“That is Xiphyr, Scootaloo. The wind current of the true Pegasus. With it, you can do what I cannot: command the wind. And it is yours Scootaloo, once I made the proper introduction of course,” the figure laid out a hand at Scootaloo to stop her walking as she continued to view the tiny tornado.

“This is Scootaloo!” cried the human, the woods around the two echoed the Pegasus’s name over and over again, then suddenly the trees shook, as if they themselves were whispering before the figure continued. “She comes the claim the title of Ephor! She–”

Suddenly, the rock at the edge of the cliff split open and what emerged at a jagged, unnatural speed was a changeling with blue, green mane, tied up in many ribbons as her hollow legs walked forward, looking at the pony and human. Twilight shuddered and took a step back, while monitoring the three.

Almost instinctively, the human slapped both the Xs on his forearms and the darkness spewed forth from them for only a second before the ethereal cloak glimmered like silver stardust on the wind, glinting and glittering as the air from the whirlwind pushed out past him.

“Queen Niab,” the cloaked human uttered. “You and your sisters still scavenging Chrysalis’ corpse?”

“Name Butcher,” she replied, her black snout lifted into the air, inhaling, then leveling her eyes at the tall figure. “Still verdant I see.”

The human grimaced, looked down and touched his left arm with his right hand. Scootaloo turned to him and uttered, “Name Butcher? What is she talking about Counter?”

“How’s the left eye, human?” the Changeling Queen hissed, walking past him.

The human broke his guard and lightly dabbed his left eye underneath the glimmering hood with his fingers, “How did you-”

“Word gets around on the fae side of things, human,” she turned and glared at the pair. “Going up against that thing? It should have been you who was butchered. Then again, I guess you were, but…” she turned and encircled the human, studying the stardust that billowed into the night. “How ever did you get Thorax to tell you the secrets of the Nomenclative arts?”

The human stayed silent as Queen Niab walked around the human one more time. The snow slowly danced around as the Changeling Queen pressed on, hissing in a gravelly voice, “It matters not. Thorax may be a fool to trust you, but he’s smart enough not to give away everything. At the end, when we arise victorious from crushing him and Queen Titama, the mares on the two Boysenberry Thrones will be next.”

“Big talk coming from you!” Scootaloo cried. “From a creature only fit to steal love and happiness from others who make it for themselves. From something that’s so broken and flawed that she has to steal stallions in the middle of the night just to have children, if you can even call those things children!”

The changeling laughed at the human, then slowly twisted her head towards Scootaloo. The changeling queen approached and walked around Scootaloo, examining the Pegasus from top to bottom.

“No, no no no. Giving Xiphyr? To this… thing?” she snorted at the orange pegasus. “Can you even call this thing a proper pegasus?” the Queen spat. “More like an ass with leather scraps stapled on her back.” The two came face to face, the Changeling’s awkward horn filled with holes only millimeters away from Scootaloo’s forehead, with Blue eyes staring at Purple eyes.

“I’ve already made the introductions and vetted her,” the human said, pulling his soft claws from under his hood and back into a ready position. “And it seems intrigued by the proposition.”

Queen Niab snorted and backed off, she looked away from the pair and out into the vast stretch of pine trees as she bit her lower lip and stayed silent. She glanced down for but a moment before she looked back up at the wavering trees and said, “Why give her Xiphyr? She will betray you. Just as her foremothers did!”

“I only know what I am, not what I’ll do, or what I’ll become,” Scootaloo answered back, standing tall. “And I know I’m not a traitor.”

“Well said Scootaloo,” the human gave her a curt nod. Scootaloo nodded, returning the recognition.

“You will hear me!” The changeling walked around the pair as she cried to the pine trees, “This is the Viridian Court, and I am Queen Niab, you will hear my objections to your Emissary’s selection!”

“For centuries upon centuries, the pegasai have turned a blind eye towards your gifts,” the changeling Queen began. “All of that for an unassailable home in the clouds. The story keepers of old sang songs of how your weakest currents lifted even the most infirmed of them aloft. But then they turned their backs on you and let you decay to your current state! You will be brought to heel like your-“ a sudden rush of wind blew from all directions, catching all three off guard. Scootaloo dug her hooves into the ground as her companion lifted his arms to shield his face from the sudden tempest.

THAT IS THEIR FEAR

NOT MINE

I AM

THE GALE OF AGES

I WILL DANCE FOREVER

ON THE EDGE OF DREAMS

All three parties froze and looked in the direction the tempest came from, the Human’s forelimb’s shaking and Scootaloo’s eyes were wide. Even the Changeling Queen’s mouth had dropped.

“It’s,” the human figure stuttered and took a step back. “Never done that before.”

The wind died down and Xiphyr remained, the snow in its interior gently dancing along the curved wind currents that betrayed its location.

“Take it now Scootaloo! Now!” the human turned to his Pegasus companion. Scootaloo lifted herself up and thrust herself towards the whirlwind when Queen Niab’s crooked, hollow horn glowed a perverse mix of blues and purples. Suddenly Xiphyr was surrounded by jagged floating rocks that encircled the vortex.

The human figure cloaked in celestial light lifted up his hands when Scootaloo turned and cried out, “No!” The orange Pegasus slowly walked towards Xiphyr, each step she took, she came closer to not only the gift of the wind, but of the dangling rocks that prevented passage. Entering the radius of danger, she deftly maneuvered around the rocks as they tried to slam into her. Keeping her wings closed, she caught eye of one headed straight towards her. Tucking in her legs and rolling, she then popped herself back up and continued forward. Another jagged stone approached her and she once again deftly maneuvered around, only to be surprised, taking a stone to the side of the face, yelping as she tumbled over.

Picking herself back up, blood trickled down her right eye as she persisted towards the center. Three more rocks approached her and this time she extended her wings and use them to make herself light enough to quickly evade the Fae curse. Suddenly, she had miscalculated and took another rock to the face. This time, Twilight could see that a cross shaped wound was pouring blood down Scootaloo’s right eye. The mare shook her head, trying to get the blood out as she growled and began evading with more confidence. Rock after rock tried to cease her advancement, only for her to either tuck, dodge, and even sometimes, she would repel the rocks with her wings or kick them with the back of her hooves. Finally, she stumbled into the center of the whirlwind and felt as the dancing snow gently caressed her. A soft smile took hold of the mare with a bloody right eye. She approached the center and a soft green light began emanating from her as once again a voice bellowed:

XIPHYR

IS YOURS

The snow died down and a quiet swept through the grove. Both the human and the changeling looked upon Scootaloo, her head still looking up towards the night sky, with blood trickling down her face. Then softly looking down, she looked at the changeling. A wall of air erupted and the remaining floating rocks rushed away from Scootaloo in all directions. Both the changeling and the human braced themselves as Queen Niab took the hit to her on the neck covered in blue mane, and the human right into its abdomen, knocking him over with a loud ‘Oof’. Then Scootaloo exhaled and her front knees buckled, forcing her to kneel to the ground.

“Look at her, human.” Queen Niab hissed as she picked herself up to the figure cloaked in stardust. “Her reign begins soaked in blood. How do you expect it to end?”

“If you’re trying to wax poetic, it would be more effective if you hadn’t deliberately tried to stop her from taking what’s rightfully hers,” the figure got up, wheezing. “Regardless, that choice is hers and hers alone now.”

“You’ve trespassed too much human. First magic, then the newly christened nameless one, and now the aspects. But soon you will discover something in which your reach exceeds your grasp. You’ve already tried to bargain with the Faceless Left Horn of Grogar and paid the price. And soon you and the others will discover the consequences of your hubris.”

“You’re just salty that others are reclaiming long lost power. That which is rightfully theirs to begin with,” the Human shot back with a wide smile on his face. “The old era is coming to a close.”

“Only to be replaced by what?” the changeling Queen slowly backed away as, with the same jitter she appeared in, she faded from view.

The human stopped and looked down, he stood motionless for a few moments before placing his right hand over his eyes, lifting his glasses and muttering to himself. Twilight saw his smile slowly morph into something dourer. He took his hands away and what had been excited, joyful eyes were replaced with two green rings that exuded gloom. After a few moments, the human shook his head and turned towards the orange Pegasus mere paces away from him, tucking his hands between his cloaked sleeves, the shimmering, glittering effect of the cloak that covered him slowly darkened into the abyssal black that it had been previously. Then with a tiny pop, the cloak once again dissipated, revealing the human with snow camo underneath, his hands digging around in folds around his pants, and pulling a piece of cloth.

“I think that’s going to scar,” the human approached Scootaloo and knelt, cupping his blunt claws beneath her cheeks and cleaning the blood from her eye. “Though if anything, it will at least give you the appearance of being totally badass.”

“Did you know I could do it?” Scootaloo asked as the human cleaned some of the matted blood on the bridge of her nose.

“No. Though truth be told, you probably set the wind’s mind or, whatever it was, at ease when you decided to jump headfirst into Queen Niab’s spell. Even I would hesitate to try something so bold,” the man said as he continued to clean the Pegasus’s right face.

“So I now command the wind,” Scootaloo asked as she turned to look at the stars. “Just as my foremothers could?”

“Not just that. This wasn’t any mere passing of the torch, you are now Ephor Scootaloo. Coronated by the wind itself, with me and Queen Niab as witnesses. Ancient Pegasus culture held that the upper echelons of their society not only have a Princess to rule, but an Ephor chosen by the wind itself to counterbalance. A rank that can only be earned and vetted, not inherited, or given,” the human had stopped clearing the blood off of Scootaloo’s face and pulled out a tiny toothpaste like container, squeezing the back of it on a claw tip, he gently rubbed the ointment over the bloody X that was above her right eye now. “Understand Scootaloo that with your rank, you must be very careful never to bow before any royalty, for you act as surrogate for the wind itself. To kneel before any royalty will earn everyone there the wind’s ire.”

Scootaloo closed her eyes as a gentle breeze rolled over the duo, the pine trees rocked back and forth as a cooling wind cradled everyone in its wisps, “I’m having trouble hearing it. I have a sense of where it wants me to go, but not a sense of why.”

“You can already hear it?” The human tilted his head, “It took me a good solid two weeks before I could figure out what it’s saying and how it wants things to go.”

“I can feel it in my mane, and the feathers of my wings. It wants to lift me up. It’s trying to take me Southwest…”

“That’s… Where the battle will be taking place.” The figure turned away from Scootaloo as he stood up, “We only have about an hour and a half to get you up to speed before the planets start to align.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Scootaloo took a step back, “I’m not sure if I can even do a sonic rainboom, even with this, and you expect me to do it in less than two hours?”

Twilight walked closer to the two dream phantoms, trying to get a better look, when she took a step forward and heard the snapping of a branch beneath her. She looked down and saw a twig the wind had kicked up, now nestled between her left hoof. The human looked up and scanned around for a moment, eventually his eyes slowly resting upon the mare that made that sound. He narrowed them at Twilight, as the mare’s mouth went slightly agape, looking back, her violet eyes meeting his viridian counterparts.

“Everything okay?” Scootaloo asked as she followed suit and scanned the area. The human stuck out his thumb, slowly lifting it to his mouth and bit down hard. His eyes closed, but slowly opened as he blinked a few times.

“Xavier?” Scootaloo tilted her head. The figure looked down on the mare that looked back, frightened, as if trying to parse out with the human had just done to his own hand.

“Scootaloo, or should I say Dream Scootaloo,” the figure slowly lowered his hands to the side of his persons as he slowly extracted a knife out of a scabbard that was attached to his belt. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do, but unfortunately, we’re not where we think we are at.” Giving a hard look at Scootaloo, he looked over to Twilight who had taken a step back. He held the knife, looking at it for a moment, before he thrust it into his own neck and collapsed on the ground.

“What in Tartarus!” Scootaloo jumped over and bit down on the knife, pulling it out of the humans neck, “Oh Celestia, oh Celestia,” Scootaloo attempted to stop the bleeding with her hooves, only to realize that they were no good and instead, knelt down and craned her neck around the human that was gargling out blood and spit. Trees fell over, as chunks of earth gave way all around them. Soon a white void emerged, slowly consuming component of the dream after component of the dream. Turning to face the human again, Twilight noticed that Scootaloo was gone, leaving only the human convulsing on the ground. She ran towards the writhing human, as his green eyes looked back at her. He tensed up, and then fell limp as he looked past Twilight into nothing. The mare watched as suddenly, from his left eye, his body split in half, from the top of his head to the bottom of his left leg. Then he screamed. White light then consumed everything round them and Twilight jolted up from her slumber, catching herself about to scream.

Author's Note

Eiffel 65 - I Don't Wanna Lose

Chapter 14: Rune

Prof. Quill adjusted his saddlebag as he meandered down the circular tunnel covered in grey rock. Turning around to make sure that his cargo was secure, the pale gold light of the bulbs overhead buzzed as he snorted, then faced the dark pit ahead. The sound of dripping rainwater echoed as he continued to move forward. Double checking his rear, he pushed forward, finally emerging from a round opening, discovering the bent figure of a disheveled human with brushstroke in hand, ‌scribbling on the concrete floor like a lunatic.

“Xavier?” Prof. Quill hissed.

The human suddenly let out a yelp, echoing through the tunnels as he leapt upwards, dropping his writing instrument and turning towards the professor. “Jesus Christ,” Xavier said with his hand over his mouth. Breathing in and out for a moment, Xavier finally spoke, “You could show me a thing or two about moving stealthily, I thought I’d hear your hooves from at least 50 meters away in here.”

The professor lifted his right leg and revealed one of four rain boots that adorned him, “Sorry about that, but I hate getting my hooves wet.”

Xavier nodded as he bent back down and picked up the brush he was writing with, “Give me a few more seconds, it’s almost done.”

The professor tilted his head away from the human and noticed that the walls of the room were like a dome, and they had been adorned with the graffiti of pony skulls. They were almost stacked on top of each other like someone trying to pack small candy in the smallest space possible, each one staring at the center of the room where Xavier was working, lit up by soft yellow light.

“What in the- ”

Xavier dipped his brush into a jar, then continued to scribble along the floor, “Don’t look at me, I just found the place.”

Prof. Quill approached the walls, and looked at the empty artistic eye sockets that glinted lightly back at him. Tilting his head for a moment, he then glanced over to see what the human was writing. The floor in front of Xavier was packed to the brim with symbols, sigils, and glyphs. They circled each other, some with several rings of concentric symbols, while the occasional line of text jetted out of one and attached itself to another ring. The stallion’s eyes widened as he looked at the entryway at the other end of the room where the writing had started.

“It’s a simple seal. Don’t have the room or writing materials for a tight one but I was able to find a closet full of gallnut ink in the theology department. Its iron binding should be more than enough to perform the task at hand,” Xavier said, as he continued his work.

“Pilfering from the Theology department? That’s not very sagely of you,” Quill chuckled as he turned and found a dry spot. Carefully tucking his tail between his legs, he sat and watched his friend continue his work.

Xavier stopped writing and slowly turned to look at Quill, a goofy expression plastered on his face, “Wise guy, eh?” His brush flourishing only twice more before Xavier put a cork on the vial of ink near him and dropped the brush in another vial. “If I wasn’t so lazy, I’d punch you in the snoot!”

“But you are lazy, right?” Quill continued, smiling.

“Oh, don’t get me started!” Xavier stood up and walked over to Quill. He sat down next to the pony and looked at his work from afar.

“So, gallnut?”

“I doubt you’re interested, so…” Xavier waved his left hand towards his work on the floor.

“Humor me,” Quill said.

“Well, here in Equus, magic is fundamentally feminine,” Xavier answered. “Hence the need for gallnut ink.”

“What do you mean fundamentally feminine?” The stallion said, raising an eye.

“What I mean is it has a tendency to favor the feminine over the masculine. This is why copper is such an important material in the creation of artifacts. Of all the metals, it’s the closest to the feminine. But that doesn’t mean that the masculine doesn’t have a role,” Xavier said as he reached over and picked up a black ink bottle from a row of other vials placed next to the wall and shook it. “While a copper bound ink might be more powerful in almost every other circumstance, if you pick the right glyphs, and since I’m looking to capture a unicorn mare, the usage of iron in the inscription material serves to counterbalance the advantages she naturally has.”

“I don’t understand,” Quill said as he looked towards the line of letters on the floor. “So being a mare and a unicorn gives her an inherent advantage, and you’ll be striping it away by using iron to negate it?”

“Exactly,” Xavier said, putting the ink bottle down alongside its brethren. “Furthermore, the seal uses the unicorn’s magic itself to power it. The more she magically struggles with the fetters, the stronger it becomes,” Xavier let out a chuckle. “It’s a Chinese finger trap for Unicorns.”

“So, what’s your big plan?” Quill asked, raising an eye.

“Oooh oooh, if you’ll give me a moment to indulge?” Xavier smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow, parting the front part of the malformed mop of hair atop his head.

“Dazzle me.”

Xavier picked himself up and double checked the wrappings on his arms. Walking atop the seal, he danced around the inscription work on the floor and out the entryway opposite of where Quill was sitting. Poking his head out for a moment, he saw Quill motion him with his head. Xavier jaunted into a jog and ran across the seal again.

“When she chases me again, I’ll lead her down here and past the inscription. When she lays her hooves atop it, the aforementioned effect begins and the seal activates,” Xavier said, looking around for a moment before grabbing a thin dirty dish set off to the side.

“Where… did you find that?”

“Down a few of the halls I have booby trapped on the very, very off chance this fails,” Xavier said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“R, Right… continue…”

“When she is bound, she will be dangling in midair and will be at my mercy,” Xavier said, dusting the plate off, looking at Quill, and raising a goofy eye. “Then, I’ll begin my performance…”

Xavier’s countenance firmed up as a sharp angry look emerge, “It starts with me taking a fake drink from the plate here,” he lifted the plate close to his lips and pretended to tilt it, making it seem like he was pouring something into his mouth. “Then I’ll toss it to the ground, letting it shatter, and finish off by telling her,” Xavier extended his limbs, welcoming the pretend subject with open arms, but as if in question.

“Welcome to the Ossuary. Made from the magic stolen from a thousand baby unicorns, I present to you, your eternal resting place… that is… unless…” Xavier stopped, and glanced over at Quill, “You talk.”

Quill raised his eye at Xavier and slowly repeated, “A thousand baby unicorns?”

Xavier returned the eye, “Hey! It’s a work in progress!”

“It seems a bit much,” Quill swished his mouth from side to side.

“Never underestimate the importance of presentation! A blue supervillain turned hero and that blue unicorn up near Saddleton taught me that.”

“Indeed, is that why you came to my lecture poorly shaven?” Quill chuckled.

“Honestly, I was wondering when you would grill me over that,” Xavier answered.

“Well, next time,” Quill paused, “I’d prefer you perform clean shaven.”

Xavier grimaced as he turned away, the dripping of water far away echoing throughout the chamber.

“Doc, I don’t think there is going to be a next time,” Xavier answered.

“Why not? Once this mess gets sorted out, popping by once every four months or so should be a welcome change. Especially since the pain in your arms is gone,” Quill said.

Xavier turned to his friend and exhaled, “Something is wrong with this entire scenario. I can feel it in my bones.” The human turned to look at the graffiti of pony skulls surrounding them, then touched his wrapped arms with his gloved hands, “I’m also worried that we only made things worse over here.”

“Worse?” Quill tilted his head. “We were in the middle of a war and -”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, we turned the tide, whatever. What I’m trying to get at is what happened. You’re all split up and now half of you are paranoid the other half is going to do something, while the other half is worried about the effects of long humanity,” Xavier swished his mouth.

“Long humanity?” Quill chuckled. “Let’s see, the symptoms are a significant expansion of knowledge, access to human tech when we venture to the other side, advances in medical procedures, and freedom from the cultural stagnation of the last few hundred years. Oh, and don’t forget the human tech that does work on this side.”

“In exchange for what?” Xavier gave off a mournful look. “Cultural stagnation, yes, but you could have broken free of those chains yourselves. You would have come up with the academic knowledge and medical procedures eventually. Oh, and the human tech that does work here? Congrats on your ability to bombard a region with artillery. That’s less human ingenuity and more ‘what is the simplest way I can blow up the other guy?’.”

“Xavier, you hold us to too high a standard,” Quill frowned. “Ever since I met you, you’re constantly surprised and disappointed when you see one of us act in a way that contradicts your assumption that our conduct should be exemplary.”

“You all are better than us,” Xavier said.

“Oh, cut the crap Xavier,” Quill looked up at the human and grumbled. “If the Perfidari haven’t proven that we’re not better than you, then you are willfully deluding yourself.”

“Subjugation one way or another, is still coercion. They had no choice.”

“Yes, they did, Xavier!” Quill cried and turned to the human, stomping his front hoof, echoing throughout the chamber. “To avoid being mind controlled, they mind controlled their fellow ponies! Elysian Fields Xavier, they were the only ones who had a choice! At any point, they could have turned on Sombra, but they didn’t.”

“One did.”

“Yeah, but only after she saw where the winds were changing!”

“He was on the verge of victory, Quill! We got that Hail Mary, whatever the hell that was. But I doubt we could realistically go another round with him,” Xavier sneered, looking away from his friend. “It was only because of her that the path to victory was revealed.”

“You’re cherry picking,” Quill stood up and faced the human across from him.

“And you haven’t seen the depths we will sink to,” Xavier countered, turning to Quill and pointing his gloved index finger in the air at him. “You gush about humanity in lecture, but have you ever told your students about the things we do in the dark?”

“We do things in the dark too Xavier,” Quill verbally pushed back, taking three steps towards his friend. “Did you forget Celestia’s little lie?”

Xavier turned away from Quill, grunting.

“Oh, how about our caste system? Shit, Xavier, without human intervention and secession of the city states, no matter how educated I got or how many papers I write, I would either be taking care of foals or plowing the fields,” Quill spat away from the human. “Probably both. No way in Tartarus they would let a stallion do any kind of real research!”

Xavier remained silent, a hollow gaze crusting over his face.

“Don’t get me wrong Xavier, I appreciate ‌you seeing the best in us. I really do. But if we were really that good, you wouldn’t be running away from a unicorn trying to do… whatever,” Quill said, circling around the human.

Xavier looked down and lowered the lids of his eyes halfway, “How’s Scootaloo?”

Quill froze, raised an eye and nodded, “You departed back to Earth quick at the end. She wanted to give you something, but you were already gone. She was furious when she found out. Other than that? Last I heard, she was in the Badlands trying to stop the violence.”

Xavier breathed out a sigh of relief, and took a seat on the floor, “At least one thing has gone right.”

“What does that mean?” Quill asked. “Pissing off someone who commands the wind?”

“I got out of there before I could make things worse, I would hav-”

“Okay stop, stop just stop. I could let the ‘long humanity’ opinion pass, but disappearing on Scootaloo and the others like that ‘because you would have made things worse’.” Quill looked at Xavier, “Whats going on here? Tell me, Elysia knows I deserve some answers after getting chewed up by that crystal mare.”

Xavier looked away, towards the center of the seal he crafted. “Something,” Xavier paused and grimaced before starting again, “Something you might not realize Quill is that I was raised with stories that imparted the value that a culture should live in accordance with how it was meant to evolve.” Xavier lifted his gloved hands and lightly balled them up, leaning his forehead against them, “Contact with us has irrevocably tainted not just Pony culture, its politics, its economics and society, but Griffin, Dragon, Diamond Dogs…”

“Yeah, but you didn’t open the corridors and invade us like some Maximum Mare pulp fiction. Our war got so bad it spilled onto your doorstep. Any culture here would tell you that’s carte blanche for your species to react the way it did, with the sole exception of the Unicorns from Canterlot, but that’s because for the first time in centuries, they have to deal with a species they can’t just threaten with turning out the lights, so they hide behind their Princesses.”

“You know we have had a history of interfering in other cultures when there are resources to be drained Quill,” Xavier growled and raised his voice. “When the stories of humans massacring ponies, or worse yet, us convincing other ponies to do that for money, start to bleed out onto the papers, of us taking what we want while leaving‌ you with literal dust, don’t come crying to me when I tried to warn you that this was going to ha-”

“I. CAN. TEACH!” Quill screamed at Xavier.

The human looked at the Earth Pony standing on all fours, glaring at him, tears streaming down his eyes. Xavier looked away, turning his head and crooking it down.

“I can teach now,” Quill tempered off, eyes still wet. “Xavier, before your kind arrived here, I only had three things I got to do. I took care of my mares when they needed me. I looked after my foals, protecting them from the harms of Equus. And, when lead mare thought it was a good idea, I got to go plow the fields.” The pony turned, showing Xavier his brand, the single scroll tied in cloth, “Now do you think any of that had anything to do with the mark I got, Xavier?”

“No, but-”

“No, but what?” Quill said.

“No, but you must have had time to do research at some point,” Xavier stammered.

Quill shook his head, “You think my first herd wanted me in the library when I could be watching the little ones? Foal care is a full-time job Xavier. Especially with 5 of them. Xavier, before the war, my world was a small home made for 4 adults and 9 foals. My world was 10 acres of land to pull a plow, when lead mare felt like one of my other mares could watch the youngsters for a while. My world was lead mare pressuring me to vote to kick out another mare because their fighting had gotten so bad that expulsion was on the table, despite her first foal, my daughter, being 6 months old and even though I loved them both.”

Quill looked up, and lightened his tone, “Now? My world is Manehatten University, with an office of my own and peer-reviewed papers under my hoof, and correspondences with respected anthropologists on both sides. My world is 5 classes a semester with beings of all kinds who come to listen to my lectures on humanity. My world is 3 Mares that understand that I’ll put my hoof down if they try to drag me into one of their fights, and I’ll slam it down if they drag one of our foals into it. My world is 15 wonderful sons and daughters, with my first grandfoal coming in a few months time. Since humanity has arrived, my world has been growing.”

Xavier was quiet, staring into nothing, as Quill continued, “Now what I am about to say is going to sting, not that you don’t deserve it after the absolute mess that’s been the last few days, but you need to hear it Xavier. If your goal was to preserve our culture and way of life, letting Sombra have his way with us, you should have stayed on the other side where you could have consoled yourself with the knowledge that, despite the fact that we’re dead or enslaved, that ‘you didn’t make things worse’. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret Xavier.”

Quill slowly approached Xavier, pulling his snout close to the human’s ear, “Thank you for not staying home. Thank you and thank you to every other human who came to our aid. Thank you all for turning a mare grinder into a contentious peace. My children thank you, especially Blueberry, who lost a wing and would have been put back on the front lines, fighting on the ground if you all hadn’t forced Sombra’s retreat. Thank you all for ignoring the effects your kind might have on our culture and way of life to save us. Thank each and every one of you for getting your hands dirty. And I’m not the only one who thinks that.” Quill took a step back. Xavier’s shoulders relaxed, but now his fingers were interlocked as Quill started, “Now, do you still feel guilty about the interaction between ponies and humans? Because if you want me to, I’ll sit right here and tell you how things have gotten better on the independent side of things. Maybe the Kingdom is still holding onto the old ways, but everywhere else has experienced a new lease on life.”

“What about the Union and Crystal Republic versus the Kingdom?” Xavier mumbled.

“Those events started before you even arrived on Equus,” Quill mumbled, sitting next to Xavier. “When the Elements of Harmony returned, it was a joyous time. With both the defeat of Nightmare Moon and Discord over the course of two years? There were whispers of the six being successors of some sort to Celestia. With the arrival of Princess Cadence, a new Alicorn? The future was uncertain but bright, but… with the failed wedding? And then months later, with Sombra’s return?” Quill shook his head, “That dried up as we geared up for war. The early days were optimistic, they,” Quill let out a nervous laugh. “They had this thing where stallions were encouraged to give mares a white lily, to shame them into joining in the war effort. Some of the smarter stallions used it to get rid of mares they didn’t like or got tired of. All fun and games until your own filly receives one right after she came of age.”

Quill turned to Xavier, “Have I ever told you about Cherry Berry? She’s my first daughter. Her cutie mark was pancakes.”

“Pancakes?” Xavier turned to Quill.

“Yes. I remember every breakfast she made. The one she made for Father’s day during her 13th year was especially wonderful. The taste of waffles and the scent of blueberry muffins and banana nut bread. Freshly squeezed orange juice, and omelet au fromage. She knew her way around the Kitchen. We planned on sending her to Sydneigh to get her real chef’s training. Then as she spent her gap year with us, enjoying her youth, a stallion she took an interest to gave her a white lily. In front of everyone at the market. She signed up the very next day and… I only got to see her twice more before I got the notice.”

Xavier looked at Quill, as he was staring into the seal on the ground, “I’m proud of her service Xavier. But if I could find the stallion that did that to her, I would buck him in the skull to snap his neck, then present his corpse to his herd and tell them to keep the rut away from my loved ones, or it won’t just be the perpetrator next time.”

Xavier started to say something, but stopped as the dripping of water echoed throughout the chamber, the pale light reflecting off the graffiti. Xavier adjusted himself, pushing a chain, rusted and broken, towards the seal with his feet and looked down.

“Go ahead, say your peace,” Quill said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Xavier said. “You never talked about your kids when you were helping us out with research.”

“That’s because we had a job to do,” Quill tilted his head, looking down. “And I wouldn’t be respecting any of their memories if I just spewed it out for all to see. And slowing down to talk about them, that would just put the foals that were still alive at risk of being drafted when they came of age.”

Xavier grimaced, glancing over at Quill, “I, I have moments where I miss the war Quill. Everyone working together against a common enemy. I miss my bunk. I miss Solstice’s drills. I miss Thunderclaw and the games of Perch he and the others let me in. I miss the research we did. I miss the other six.” Xavier’s face was streaming with tears, held back by sniffs and a tightened face, “I miss almost everything we were trying to end. It was the only time in my life I felt that I made something of myself. And then, it was over. And all I got to keep was the scars on my flesh, the pain in my bones, and some light correspondence with you and Solstice. Austin wanted to pay me to guest lecture about Inscription Magic but the pain was too much and I was too drugged up to make the most of it. Not that I would want to go there, three rejection letters and all,” Xavier’s lips melted into a deep frown. The human lifted the thumb and forefinger of his right gloved hand, splotched with ink, and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Quill, why was I happier back then? Why was I happier in the middle of a war?”

Quill looked at Xavier, then looked down, “I hate to be honest, but I feel you came into your own during it. I remember you were shy, and a bit reserved when I met you and the others in the research group, but as you and the others learned more, well,” the Professor paused for a moment. “You all began to take more risks. You, towards the last few months, you would disappear for days and Solstice kept covering for you,” Quill stopped and looked up at Xavier. “You never told us where you went off to.”

Xavier exhaled and crossed his arms, “After I made contact with Ziznir, it, for lack of a better term, put me to task. It,” Xavier paused and looked up. “We were already looking to make contact with Thorax and the Kirin for their help. The wind guided me through the wilds and I got Thorax to agree to come help us, but not the rest of the fae rebellion. The Kirin, under no uncertain terms, told me to fuck off. Hippogriffia was abandoned as far as I could tell,” Xavier teetered off and hugged himself. “Then it showed me that there were worse things on Equus than Sombra. Horrific things. Old things. Before I left Hippogriffia, it guided me to take a book. I read it. We went to work. I gathered what resources I could. It guided me to Preyton.” Xavier dabbed the cheek under his left eye. “I…”

“I remember that. Solstice and the others dragged you back maimed and in critical care for weeks,” Quill said. “Then they all took a leave of absence.”

Xavier looked away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Quill blinked, “I understand.”

“It charged me with another task. Find it one wind kissed I deemed worthy of wielding Xiphyr. Hippogriffs were off the table because they went extinct as far as I know. The griffins I knew, sans one, were either too immature or had different priorities that would serve them poorly,” Xavier looked at the graffiti on the walls. “Plenty of pegasi to choose from. After looking at who I had on hand, I narrowed it down to Spitfire, Lightning Dust and Scootaloo.”

“Why not Spitfire?” Quill cocked his head.

“She was going through some kind of midlife crisis at the time. Canterlot discharged her honorably, but came to us for a chance to fight again on the front lines. From what I could gather, however, if Canterlot did let her fight, she would fly back as soon as she could. So she’s too loyal to Celestia,” Xavier bobbed his head.

“But Scootaloo?” Xavier turned to Quill, then looked away, “She knows what it’s like to be weak. To crawl on her belly. She’s been down here in the dust with the rest of us and is cognizant that power corrupts. Maybe she has a hero worship issue, but as far as I can tell, she keeps it under control, and she doesn’t let her ego get in the way when it counts. My only genuine worry was that I was putting too much weight on her to bear. But she has bore it well from what you’ve told me.”

“What are the qualifications if you don’t mind me asking?” Quill pursed his lips.

“None,” Xavier shrugged, looking over at Quill. “Just find one of the wind kissed to become the new Ephor. No list of personality traits to search for. No ‘find only the of pure heart’. Just find one and vet them.”

“That’s a lot of leeway…”

“You’re telling me,” Xavier rolled his eyes. “It took me weeks to make my candidate list, and start narrowing it down. I was down to those last 3 when the situation demanded I make a choice,” Xavier said. “Another round of cuts and it was down to those two, but I kept delaying it.”

“Could you have picked, say, a unicorn or dragon?” asked Quill.

Xavier rolled his head back and forth, “Maybe if I made a case for them, but I think the wind wants to go back to the old ways. And even then, a good number of viable Unicorn candidates would cry blasphemy, and the only dragon, well…” Xavier turned and raised an eye, chuckling. “He was more worried about his art and winning the war than reestablishing old traditions. Now that I think of it, a Zebra might have been an acceptable choice as well…”

“So it doesn’t even care if the candidate is ‘wind kissed’ or whatever you call it?” asked Quill.

“The wind is… very elastic with its requests. It even made me its Emissary, an alien from beyond Equus,” the corner of Xavier’s lips raised. “Though I think that was more out of desperation than anything else.”

“So, how has the wind been since you got back?”

“Well,” Xavier started. “It was kinda pissed at first that I left for so long. Gave me the cold shoulder. Then it gave me an opening to escape Jade.”

“She’s a piece of work,”

“Tell me about it,” Xavier rolled his eyes.

“You know she grilled me when you ran off from the library?” Quill snorted. “Chip on her shoulder the size of the Union, that one. Got on my rump for not protecting you, threw a fit that I didn’t do her job for her, threatened to drag me in front of a Union tribunal or some such nonsense and skin me alive.”

“Knowing you, you’d just spit out some minor detail in a treaty from eons ago and make them chew on letting you go and ignoring it or being forced to deal with the repercussions of it,” Xavier chuckled.

“I know a few old laws they scooped up in the haste to build a government, though once I use one, they will probably spend the next few years pruning it and the others,” Quill pursed his lips.

“Well, getting back on track, it was the one to encourage me to go into that bookshop, then twice it tried to get me to stop,” Xavier lurched over. “Finally, when that pony caught me, I begged for its help and because of it, it caused a minor dust storm over the university.” Xavier slouched over, “Hunting for rabbits with a Bazooka.”

“Maybe you should ask for its help more often?” Quill said. “Maybe it’s upset that you don’t ask it to help out.”

Xavier turned to Quill with an eye raised, then turned away again, “That said, it was a nice dust storm, almost like a haboob.”

“A haboob? What is that, like something a human child would call one of your women’s teats?” Quill chuckled.

“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” Xavier looked up and smiled, “A haboob is a beautiful thing to behold. Imagine looking up, and to the west is a giant curtain of reddish brown coming your way,” Xavier began. “And it slowly comes towards you. Depending on where you’re at, your first inclination might be to get home ASAP, which is not a bad idea. But then the curtain sweeps over your position and you are surrounded by nothing but wind and dust.” Xavier’s head slid to the left and looked down, “If only I wasn’t running away, I would have enjoyed the storm.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, you like dust storms?” Quill croaked out.

“I’ve only ever been in two. And both times I went out to face it. The sun is blotted out, visibility is cut, you have to wear whatever you have on hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from breathing in the particulate matter. It’s like being transported to a new world. Then there is the bellowing. The aching of air and dust all going in one direction.”

“Well, I’m glad you accepted my invitation to come here, despite the lack of dust storms in Manehatten,” Quill chuckled. “Though I’m worried, was your plan really to use the Crystal Republic’s Pioneer Act to get land in a forest and sequester yourself away?”

Xavier shrugged, “My country really has no post-war rebuild your life law, except maybe the VA and Hazlewood. They were offering me free land, and they already had a bank account in my name that they kept sending bits to in appreciation. I already have enough money to buy an army of Crystal Ponies to build me a shelter.”

“Eh, I would be careful with that if I were you,” Quill chortled. “They keep sending me bits too, but it keeps getting drained with the Manehatten prices.”

“Still, I’d make a trip here three times a year to change up things and touch base with you, or at least that was the plan,” Xavier mumbled. Silence suddenly bellowed between the two males. Dust motes in the air danced as from far away, the sound of giant metal mechanisms clicked and banged as their vibrations trembled throughout the tunnels.

“I vomited again, just like last time,” Xavier uttered.

“Yeah, I saw that on my way out of the library. You holding up okay?” Quill said, frowning.

“It feels more like a practical joke than a curse now,” Xavier answered. “Speaking in tongues, projectile vomit, this warmth deep in my chest, the curing of the chronic sharp pains in my limbs,” the human trailed off. “At least she did that much,” Xavier turned to look at Quill. “From that I’m holding up okay, but I haven’t been holding up ok since before I got here. I still get these moments where I want to run and hide, then curl up as my inner voice screams, ‘please! I can’t’, pleading to no one for help that won’t come.”

“How long?” Quill asked.

“Since before the war,” Xavier answered, hugging himself. “I don’t get it, it just crops up sometimes and, well…”

“How did you deal with it back when I met you?” Quill asked.

Xavier rested his forearms against his knees and bent over, “I guess during the war, I was able to rationalize it away by reminding myself that the price of failure was better than the price of doing nothing. But now that’s said and done, I feel like I’ve regressed. Like I’m diminished, I’m in the epilogue, but the writer won’t simply end the fucking story.”

“But now that the pain in your arm is gone…” Quill said.

“Now that the pain is gone, I do feel a little less diminished. But what good am I? Half of what I know is useless and the other half I never want to use ever again.”

“I’m sure the others would appreciate what you’re doing,” Quill said, giving a conciliatory nod.

“No one should have to go through that pain,” Xavier said, turning to Quill. “The medication regimen itself was enough to dull the senses. Thinking took longer, and frequently I felt like I was lost in a fog. And then there was the ever present fear of addiction.”

“When was the last time you took any medication?”

“Not since the day of my little escapade, a few hours after I let slip my leash. That actually concerns me now that you bring it up, those painkillers are a highly addictive substance,” Xavier scratched his chin.

“Maybe the effects of whatever that mare did?” Quill wondered out loud.

“Well, maybe? What if whatever she did, it caused a sort of soft reboot on my brain and nervous system?” Xavier grimaced for a second, before looking at his gloved hands.

“Maybe something like the subjugation enchantment? Those ponies did fight longer and harder than they should have,” Quill pointed out.

“Yeah, but they were in a trancelike state. As far as we know,” Xavier flexed his fingers and rolled his head, “I’m not currently in a trance, though we can’t rule out I’m hallucinating all this,” Xavier slowly turned and gave a goofy eye to Quill.

“You’ll have to talk to somebody in the veterinary sciences or biology department about that,” Quill chuckled.

“Might as well get the ball rolling on that Fisher’s principle inquiry while I’m at it,” Xavier said, swishing his lips.

“I can only assume it has something to do with fishing?” Quill said as he continued to look around the room.

Xavier shook his head. “It is a principle in biology that says that all things being equal, the gender ratio of the population should roughly be one-to-one. If, for some reason, this isn’t the case, then there are likely external factors affecting the species.” Xavier continued.

“Oh, and ponies don’t follow Fisher’s principle, right?” Quill turned to look at the dilapidated man.

“Exactly, Fisher’s principle holds for nearly every creature on earth. And nearly every creature on Equus as well. Diamond dogs, griffins, we’ve even confirmed that dragons have an approximately equal female to male population, despite almost always only seeing a male. But you guys break this principle,” Xavier picked himself up and carefully stepped over his work, only to bend back down and continue scratching onto the worn concrete. “On average, the ratio is 4 to 1. In some regions, the ratio goes down to 3 to 1, like here in Manehattan. In the more isolated regions, you can expect to go as high as 5 to 1. With the sole exception of one town in the Kingdom, which is not isolated, but has an astounding 8 to 1 ratio,” Xavier paused and looked up at the ceiling.

“8 to 1? I didn’t know it got that bad,” Quill raised an eye. “Thornback prices must be high there…”

“The math cleanly shows that ponies from every tribe break Fisher’s principle. Our current hypothesis is that the reason that the species violates this law is that the population gains an inherent advantage of some sort from magic itself, possibly derived from its inherent feminine nature.” Xavier paused and looked back down the seal he was working on, “Though what that advantage is, well, it’s currently beyond our understanding.”

“But that doesn’t account for my kind at least. We don’t have any kind of magical advantage beyond our strength and endurance,” Prof. Quill countered.

“That’s what the unicorns want you to think,” Xavier stood up and turned to the professor. “You’re ignoring your hooves and the tendency to just grow plants better than the others. Also, haven’t you found it strange that the Zebra Coalition has been able to hold out against the kingdom since it began?” Xavier asked coyly. “They’re just an Earth Pony variant who’s adapted to their environment.”

“As far as I know, Celestia has adhered to her treaty with them and let them be,” Quill answered. “Though I have a feeling you are about to burst my bubble.”

“Long ago, Earth ponies and pegasi possessed magic on par with their unicorn counterpart. The crucial difference between them and unicorns were simply that unicorns were able to better maneuver items with their telekinesis and the speed at which they could cast. But…” Xavier started maneuvering around his work and, with a slight jump, left his labor and returned to plain concrete. “If a tribe of Unicorns were to say, try to exploit a group of Earth ponies or pegasi, they had their own tools at hoof,” with open arms, Xavier waved towards his handiwork. “Inscriptions, music, channeling, rituals, potions, and even summoning. Heaven knows what else we haven’t discovered. A group of unicorns may be able to waltz into an earth pony town and take their goods, but the moment the Earth ponies found where they were hiding, it wasn’t uncommon for them to use a summoning circle to absolutely devastate the gang. That was until…” Xavier lowered himself onto the floor and sat cross-legged.

“Was it Zelhor that told you of this?” Quill raised an eye.

“Zelhor was able to provide proof. But the documents we found at Argentum corroborated his claims,” Xavier hunched over with his chin resting on his thumb and forefinger. “Celestia has spent the better part of the last few millennia scrubbing what she could of such magics, like an Inquisition from Holy Terra.”

“Holy Terra?” Quill raised an eye and smirked.

“Sorry, it’s a human pop-culture thing.”

“I know what you’re referring to. I couldn’t get Staff Sergeant Rodriguez to shut up about it,” Quill laughed. “So much imagination poured into such a dark story. A nearly dead God Emperor, an actively hostile Universe…”

“They made it to sell plastic figurines,” Xavier rolled his eyes. “If they ever started drifting away from their tone, they would lose an enormous chunk of their audience.”

“Understandable, I remember reading the smarty pants stories to all my foals, and buying the toys of course,” Quill wiggled his eyebrows. “And of course, Smarty Pants always had a new adventure, another magical mystery to be solved.”

“Ehh, one is to sell toys to adults, another is to sell toys to foals,” Xavier murmured.

“Same difference,” Quill flexed his left front leg. “The story gives both audiences something to give their items context and meaning. And just a heads up, there are plenty of Mares and Stallions that are still reading and buying the Smarty Pants stuff. Bluegrass said he is going to attend a convention in Baltimare in a few months.”

“Wait, you guys have conventions now?” Xavier exhaled and pushed his upper lip towards his nose.

“We’ve had conventions for a while now. Well before your lot showed up,” Quill smiled.

Xavier’s eyes widened, “Ponies doing cosplay…”

“Oh, so that’s the corruption you’re worried about,” Quill burst out laughing.

“Next time you go to the other side, search up failed and discontinued conventions and enjoy the schadenfreude,” Xavier exhaled. “I will not touch one of those with a 100 kilometer pole.”

Quill got up and shot a side-eye towards Xavier, “There you go again, passing judgment on something you haven’t even seen yet. Send me a letter when you get proven wrong, preferably with a photo of your visage at the moment you eat crow.”

Xavier rolled his eyes, “Moving on regardless, she exercised almost anything that had to do with those kinds of magics. But of course, the tighter her proverbial grip, the more that slipped through her figurative fingers. She was never able to completely snuff out bardic magic. Even if she managed to, a generation or two of Earth ponies later would rediscover its effects and start implementing it to help with their daily labors. The Zebra clans, of course, preserve what they could, but she did something to strengthen unicorn magic that has only recently come undone. Last I heard, they were finally making progress with communing with Levenir, able to avoid a nasty Tidal Wave thanks to their work…”

“So you’re saying I can do magic?” Quill cocked his head.

“Not to touch a nerve, but you’ve plowed fields, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then you’ve done magic,” Xavier said. “The more hooves that touch a field, the better the outcome.”

Quill blinked, looked left and right before his mouth dropped open. Slamming his hoof on the ground twice, the sound echoing throughout the chamber, he cried out, “Summer’s Dawn!”

Xavier turned to Quill, blinking in surprise.

“Summer’s Dawn! Start of summer, we have this tradition, every pony goes out to the fields in the town and we tread on it! Where I came from, we had sporting events, but other places have different traditions like the community coming together to roll a rock across all the fields or a Maypole dance!” Quill looked at his hooves, “I didn’t even realize…”

Xavier nodded, “The more Earth Pony hooves, the better.”

“I didn’t even think to ask why until you brought that up!” Quill said. “It was just something we did. Momma Bronze said it was to give thanks to Celestia for helping us overcome winter, but,” Quill just sat and blinked for a few minutes.

“Momma Bronze?”

“Sorry, in the herd I grew up in, Bronze Bastion was this giant Earth Pony of a mare. Lead Mare and all that, but she wasn’t my mom, but we all called her Momma Bronze.” Quill smiled and looked at Xavier, “But it seems she was as misinformed as I was on the purpose of Summer’s Dawn.”

“Look, point is, you are not totally helpless when it comes to magic.” Xavier answered as he pointed to his finished seal. “Look at it. Sigil 12 and 14 to mitigate the more painful effects of the binding, Cloud’s glyph and Clover’s diagram to ensure the magical circuit doesn’t just burst at the first sign of a surge, and then,” Xavier stepped into the dried portions of his work. “To top it off, the Wandering Star of Arion in the middle,” the human pointed at a sort of oblong star surrounded by a circle of inscription work.

ᛡ

“With the right tools and time, you could have done this as well.”

Quill looked hard, then said, “I’ve seen that before, isn’t that the same symbol as the element of magic?”

“It’s the runic formulation, yes. Very, very rare symbol to find. Ponies branded with it are said to hold great promise. While the symbols in the other elements keep showing up from pony to pony, the Star of Arion has only been documented cropping up on a handful of ponies since the practice of recording marks began. Thirty-six in total if memory serves, with only number thirty-five and thirty-six showing up in the last two decades, though I’m sure you know who they are.”

“Twilight Sparkle obviously,” Quill pronounced. “Though I’m not sure about the other one…”

“Her brother. While she had the star of Arion front and center with other stars flanking it, his was plastered on a shield. And both master unicorn spell casters in their own right,” Xavier trailed off.

“So, what’s the purpose of it being here?” Quill lifted an eye.

“It is simply the fulcrum of the inscription. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, I could’ve chosen Zephyro’s Lightning or Sterope’s Strings, but then I would have to account for random surges in the former and instability in the latter,” Xavier waved a hand at Quill. “Regardless, it’s very rare I get the chance to use Arion’s star. Last time I got to see it in action was–”

“When you and the other five activated the seal,” Quill uttered.

“I wasn’t originally supposed to even be one of the six, but he didn’t give us much choice,” Xavier trailed off. “Look, did you get the stuff I asked for?”

“Right here, but you know how hard it is to get human clothing here at an affordable cost?” Quill grunted, turning to his saddlebag and opening it with his mouth. “You need to send me the money as fast as possible before lead mare finds out that I’ve been pilfering from the treasury.”

“With what the Republic keeps sending me, it should be no problem to cover you. Well,” Xavier rubbed his hands, and dug into Quill’s backpack. “So long as Manehattan decides to remain independent.”

“Even then, you’ll have months to give me the money before the transition takes place, so don’t hide behind that,” Quill chuckled.

Xavier pulled out a thin black cloak and hood, along with a stubby knife. He looked at it, flourishing it for a second before posing with it in front of Quill and giving a coy smile, “For me?”

“Just in case something goes wrong.”

Xavier then pulled out a deck of oversized playing cards, his eyes widening, “Oh shit, I did promise you, didn’t I.”

“You up for teaching me another one of the card games you know?” Quill asked.

“I think I’ve got the time, yeah,” Xavier said, taking a seat next to Quill, pulling out the oversized cards and shuffling. “Of the games I haven’t shown you yet, Speed is problematic because you don’t have the dexterity to keep up, and Bullshit between only two players is degenerative.”

“Degenerative?”

“Perfect play on both sides leads to long, drawn out games where it becomes less about the social aspect and more about deducing what they put down based on what’s in your hand. And that computation is way too easy.”

“Ah,” Quill murmured, watching Xavier shuffle.

“How about Gin Rummy?”

“Sounds fine to me,” Quill said, turning to face Xavier on the ground.

Xavier dealt the cards and quickly explained the rules to Quill. The stallion looked at his cards, then suddenly asked, “What’s your plan anyways?”

Xavier looked over his hand, then looked up at Quill, “Whoever that mare is, she’s caught me unawares twice. And her spellcasting is obviously infantile if she hasn’t even tried to stop me with it. Hell,” Xavier said, pulling an Ace from the pile, “She had to get a friend to even stand a chance of catching me. But if we keep playing this game, sooner or later she’s going to win. Whether it’s through my own incompetence or her luck, she need only catch me once to begin whatever her machinations are. So I need to go on the offensive.” Discarding a Queen, Xavier continued, “So I’m changing the game to one where I have the advantage.”

“Oh? So what’s the game now?”

“Bait and switch. Since she will start chasing on sight, I’ll bait her by getting near, and lead her down here, where the switch will take place,” Xavier said as Quill took the Queen.

Discarding a Jack, Quill swished his mouth for a few moments, then asked, “And your advantage?”

“Simple,” Xavier said, taking the Jack on the pile and tapping his covered knuckles on the concrete floor. "I know where she works."

Chapter 15: Fullmoon

“So, heartsong it is,” Walnut approached the register and swished his tail. Twilight’s gaze was far beyond any of the books that were around her as the stallion continued, “And you let him get away.” The bookstore was empty beyond the two ponies. Every row was straight, every book in their proper place. The signs were dusted, the windows clear, keeping its frost, warped components on the outside of the store.

“Putting salt on the wound?” grumbled Twilight as her ears drooped and she lay her head atop the counter.

“What do the traditions say about such incompetence? Do you get executed or do you just get exiled?” The stallion chuckled as he did an about-face.

“You and I both know they say nothing of the sort. Right now my oath only demands that I get the Eques to stop long enough to ask what his situation is,” Twilight mumbled and turned her head to the side of the counter.

“Ah yes! ‘Are you in a herd? If so, guess who’s Lead Mare now! If not, you’re in one now!’ That said, all in all, you should feel lucky Dusk,” Walnut looked up and giggled. “This is probably the first case of a human being ensnared by heartsong! This will surely go down in the history books as one of those strange, momentous occasions. Just surprised that their kind can even be affected by such a thing…”

Twilight glared at Walnut before she turned away, her mane gently sweeping the countertop as if dusting it, “Tartarus, what’s Peppermint going to say about this?”

“If it makes you feel better, she secretly told me she was grateful that you had run him out the store,” Walnut smiled. “She hasn’t the faintest idea that heartsong was involved.”

Twilight groaned as she lifted her head, only to return it to the surface of the counter, “Of course she would think that.”

“So, what’s the plan now?” Walnut asked as he started rearranging books on the display ahead of him, “I don’t suppose you have a spell capable of tracking him, do you?”

Twilight slowly lifted her head and pursed the side of her lips, “Divination magic isn’t possible, Walnut, or are you just being a jackass to annoy me?” Looking down at the counter, she continued, “Regardless, all I can do is go out, sing, and pray that I hear the response phrase before he just… leaves.”

“This is a little unprecedented, isn’t it?” Walnut responded, swishing his tail once. “Anyone else on Equus would understand, but of course…”

“Please don’t remind me,” Twilight groaned.

“It’s too bad that humans are wholly ignorant of magic. Especially magic of this kind, very few of them know of anything beyond simple parlor tricks. I bet the most they’ve seen is a unicorn using Telekinesis, rudimentary illusions, maybe the more lethal variety of spells if they fought in the war,” Walnut rambled to Twilight. “Tell me, if you do happen to get him to stay still for a moment, how do you plan on breaking it to him?”

“I’ll tell him the truth,” Twilight answered, her ears folding back. “We are now interconnected in ways that defy even the principles of magic. Or something along those lines.” Twilight laid her glum face atop the counter on its side.

“Still, how devastatingly unlucky.” Walnut turned to look at the pony behind the register, “Just imagine a unicorn bound at the hip by a creature that magic rarely touches. Truly, no fortune to be found here at all, only tragedy.”

“Walnut,” Twilight lifted herself up and set her violet eyes on the pestering pony in front of her. A red flare flashed in her pupils and her ears flattened against her neck as she began, “I understand that you find this situation to be humorous. I’m sure that behind closed doors, you can barely contain your laughter. Maybe you’re even writing a memoir about this situation. But I’m going to only say this once: a handsome stallion like you should watch his mouth. Because I’ve had a very, very terrible few days. And my nights have been even worse. So,” Twilight stepped from behind the counter and snaked alongside Walnut, her ears still flat. “If you have any inkling of self-preservation, I would deeply, deeply suggest that you stop.”

Walnut gave a graceful bow towards his coworker as she stopped. Leveling his head with his frame, he took a few steps away from her before talking, “Just merely making conversation. If it helps you feel any better, I don’t laugh behind closed doors. In fact, if I could, I would help you out. But given the size of the city, and humans’ general magic immunity, I think that your best strategy is to try to make him come to you.”

“And how should I do that?” Twilight mocked, keeping her head high. “Should I just put out a neon sign that says, ‘Your Knight is waiting here!’?”

“Now, now…” Walnut said, giving a side nod. “Sarcasm will get you nowhere, you’re just hurt. Think carefully, a human wanders into an ostensibly pony only shop, do you think he’s a local?”

Twilight raised her left lip as she said, “In that case, he must be a tourist.”

“Good. Good, now if he’s a tourist, and the train station is nearby…”

“Maybe he got here recently. Maybe he just stepped off,” Twilight continued.

“Right, if he just stepped off, then he has to be staying at a hotel that will at least try to accommodate humans, right?” Walnut asked.

“Uh huh,” Twilight answered, looking away and nodding her head. Then, like a flash, she thought to herself, He was also at the University, if I could get a map and circle the hotels between here and the University, it might give me a leg up.

“Also, there’s the fact that he’s got an interest in books. Or at least a passing interest in them,” Walnut suggested.

“That might mean that after his unpleasant experience here, he’s sticking to the human friendly stores,” Twilight raised an eyebrow, And not to mention I did catch him at the library.

“You could start with ‘The Brothers Fox’, but of course they’re on the other end of town.”

“Perhaps ‘Ebony and Daughter’s’ a few blocks from here?” Twilight aired.

“Hmmm doubtful,” Walnut said, encircling Twilight. “Ever since that incident with the Dragon burning a good chunk of their stock, they’ve had a ponies only sign hung out.”

“Do you think that would stop him?” Twilight raised an eye at Walnut.

“While he was belligerent towards Peppermint, you and I both know she’s not the best at de-escalation. Perhaps he just got caught up in the moment? Otherwise, he might normally just follow directions.”

Twilight thought back and thought to herself, Whoever he is, he’s not above using distraction to worm his way out of a tight spot. And whatever he had done to cause a dust storm stopped us long enough to make a clean getaway. Maybe I should stop assuming that he’s just a normal human. That might work against me…

“The more and more I think about it, the more and more I’m sure that there’s something different, or unusual, about this human,” Twilight mumbled. “Walnut, have you ever heard of someone panicking and calling forth a dust storm?”

“You’re implying he cast magic, he’s a human. He’s about as magical as an earth pony or griffin. Actually, a little less so given–”

“No, I mean that he could have used forbidden magic.” Twilight glanced at her right towards Walnut.

“What do you mean, forbidden magic? You and I both know there’s only one kind of magic out there, and it’s the kind of magic that we use.” Walnut gave out a stuttering chuckle as he turned around.

“Maybe that’s what they taught you in primary school, and they’re very right. Our kind of magic is the only safe kind. Thanks to Celestia’s warnings, we’ve avoided a lot of trouble. But I’ve seen… other kinds of magic.” Twilight mumbled off.

Walnut turned to Twilight and cocked his head, both his eyes and ears facing her, “Surely you jest.”

Twilight shook her head, “When I was um... Well, before I came here, I’ve seen one other kind of magic, and I don’t mean the friendship kind. Potion making- “

“Is forbidden,” Walnut fixed his gaze upon Twilight as he gave a nod.

“Correct, but I’ve seen it in action.” Twilight trailed off, and thought to herself, Maybe there are other kinds? I never really gave much thought, but what if the reason he resonated was that this is the side effect of a forbidden enchantment?

“And did you report it like you were supposed to?” Walnut took a step forward.

“I uh, yes.” Twilight remembered the letter she had sent to Celestia, “But it helped cure several sick ponies.”

“Dusk, I don’t know what you’re saying,” Walnut smiled, stretching his lips across his snout, and shook his head. “There is no healing magic.”

Twilight looked down to her left side, “Look, we’ve made a hard tangent on the subject of where Xavier might be.”

“Xavier?”

“X… Xavier,” Twilight blinked for a few moments. The chase, the wind, Scootaloo’s coronation, him writhing as the dream collapsed around them. “His name… is… Xavier.” Twilight reared up for a moment and slammed her front two hooves down, “I can work with this! If he is a traveler, if I can visit hotels that might accommodate him, peek at their registry… now I just need to figure out how to gain access to each hotel’s-”

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

Twilight raised an eye at Walnut, “What do you mean? The Inn Guild’s privacy bylaws are quite stri-”

Walnut slowly nodded as he looked past Twilight, “I think ‘Xavier’ is right behind you.”

Twilight blinked at Walnut before slowly craning her neck and turning to see a bipedal black shape from outside the one way frosted windows. It was him. Just as soon as she mentally confirmed, he grabbed the sides of his hood, pulled it over his head, and sauntered away. Twilight snapped towards Walnut with a look of terror.

“I… I can’t leave, I told peppermint- “

“You took the oath.” Walnut answered.

“I took the oath,” Twilight shook her head.

She turned to Walnut and before she could talk, he said, “Go. I got the store covered.”

Giving a firm nod towards her coworker, she quickly slipped off her saddle apron, revealing her painted flank, a comet, before rushing out the door.

Outside, the road was bustling with activity. Looking both ways, Twilight’s ears fluttered about as she scanned the street. Her eyes locked onto the cloaked figure as he was watching her for a split second before he turned into a dark passageway. Quickly glancing up, she saw the full moon bearing down on her. Taking one last breath, her rear legs slammed against the cobblestone, and she took off.

Passing by a red crystal pony, two humans laughing with an earth pony, and a Diamond Dog in a business suit, she turned the corner to see the trailing edge of his cloak disappear around another turn. Once again, she took a left, only for the end of the cloak to once again disappear behind another turn. Slowly, she and the figure descended deeper into Manehattan. Soon, the figure turned down into a giant tunnel, the smell of stagnant water slamming against her snout with the echoes of dripping resonating from every single point in the cavern. Without hesitating, she got her hooves wet and continued to follow. Twilight's ears perked as she could hear the whistling of a tune ahead of her. Finally, after so many lefts and rights, she caught up to the figure, only for him to extend his gloved hand and grab a rope that was hanging down ahead of him right before another entryway.

The gloved hand passively yanked hard, and debris fell from the ceiling. Twilight rammed her forelegs into the concrete and leapt back before the numerous number of pipes could hit her. She began to cast a spell before she caught herself, remembering that she might scare him off with a show of magic. Shaking her head, she carefully maneuvered around the room strewn with metal cylinders. It took her a few moments, but soon she was back on the path.

The human had deepened his lead on the mare. Spitting to her right, Twilight continued down the only way he could’ve gone before emerging into a giant mare made structure, a large cubelike room where vast amounts of water poured from up above and made a river between this site and the next. The stone rubble structure was dark and brown-gray and brightly lit up on the other side. And in between was the human, gracefully leaping from stone lily pad to stone lily pad used to filter out large debris.

Twilight followed suit. Leaping once, then twice, she watched as the human touched each hard pad with a single leg before using his momentum to move onto the next pad, landing on a different leg, but continuing the cadence. Shaking her head, she leapt to the third pad, only for her rear hooves to fail her on the leap. Her front two legs clacked against the stone, as the rear half of her body splashed and dipped into the water. With a grunt, she pulled herself up and quickly shook, glancing at her rump: the paint was all gone, revealing her true brand for the world to see.

“Rut,” she spat out before leapfrogging more carefully, this time following the human’s pattern, ensuring that she had the jump each and every time before making it. When she arrived on the other side, she once again saw the trailing cloak fluttering behind the corner before disappearing as the sound of the human's whistling dampened.

Something is wrong. He had all the time in the world to make more distance between us when I fell. Also, why in Tartarus is he whistling? Could this be… Twilight shook her head, forcing her ears to point forward as she continued deeper and deeper into the complex.

She turned left into the pale gold light and saw a narrow passageway, and what seemed to her a dead end. An ancient bulb kept the way lit overhead while its hum reverberated against the walls. The human was frantically moving around like a fearful cat looking for a vantage point to jump to and get away from a dog, while Twilight grew ever closer.

With adrenaline still rushing through her, she galloped toward the human. The walkway became narrower and narrower until finally she emerged and was in the same room as the human. Golden light shone above as the cloaked figure not only stopped moving, but he stopped whistling and he faced Twilight. And he just stood there, cloak covering his face, just like the dream, but no wind. Only the oppressive hum of the bulb above him.

Heaving and tired, she took a step forward before she could feel something wrong in her horn. She could feel her horn doing something, as if she was casting a spell without her explicit intent or force of will. Looking down, Twilight saw that right beneath her were three circles that intersected, spreading out across the room, and at the center, her mark. It glowed as the gentle light spread outward, its lines of writing scripts emitted a pale purple luminescence before she saw a string of light pop up before her. Backing up, she felt something putting pressure on her rump. Turning about, she saw another string of light wrapped taut around her flank. She jumped to the side, only to discover more lines of pressure pushing against her ribs. She snapped her head in that direction, revealing more strings. More lines of light pressed against her as they carried her upwards. Feeling more magic unwillingly being called from her horn, she let out a fearful cry, “AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH” as soon the entire forest of lights sprung up around the mare and lifted her up. She hung ever slightly to her side as each point of light bound her, with several threads wrapped around her horn.

Twilight blinked as she slowly rotated throughout the room, and saw the skulls of hundreds of ponies painted on the walls looking at her. The human that had once been frantically trying to escape now stood firm before her. He removed his hood, and then clapped his gloved hands together in front of his face. He looked like he was in an awful state. Nothing like the clean cut human she saw in the dream. He reached over for a plate and drank from it, then threw it on the ground as the light bulb above him buzzed.

“I present to you your eternal resting place: The Ossuary. Made from the skulls of a billion… dead unicorn babies. That is unless- “

However, Twilight had stopped listening to him and was deep inside herself. He knows magic! He knows magic!, She thought to herself as the mare smiled with glee. He knows magic!

The human froze as he looked up at the slowly rotating pony, the strings that held her aloft slightly bending back and forth. Staring at the mulberry coated creature, his eyes widened as her brand slowly came into view: The Wandering Star of Arion surrounded by other stars.

Twilight’s horn glowed as the human took a step back. “X4!” the human gasped as he pivoted on his feet and turned to run. The sound of violin strings breaking echoed through the chamber as a blinding flash of ultraviolet light blew the human away. The strings that had once been Twilight’s fetters had now become three distinct groups of circular lights that the mare’s magic handled with ease. Landing elegantly upon the hard floor, Twilight snorted twice and giggled. Turning her head ever so slightly upwards, she smiled as the circular bindings that were under her subjugation flew away from her and towards the human that had eluded her for so long. The human had only begun to stand up again when the volley of three rings ensnared him, tossing him back down to the ground, the back of his head making contact first as he let out a scream.

“Xavier, you have no idea how relieved I am,” Twilight said, letting out a third demure snort to the bound human as he wiggled and squirmed, then froze to look at the mare that stood above him. “I mean, now the whole dust storm thing makes a bit more sense. I’m guessing that is some kind of forbidden magic? How much magic do you know? You really shouldn’t be doing... whatever that was, very, very dangerous.”

She saw Xavier’s pupils dilate, a yellow flash crossing his eyes, and then he started to violently thrash about. Two of the loops locked the upper arm and his hands to his sides while the final loop bound his ankles.

“H~Hey, calm down,” Twilight gave an awkward smile, but lifted her front right hoof and her ears folded back as the human kept whipping about. Soon, blood covered the human’s face as he started slamming his head against the concrete.

“P~Please,” pleaded the unicorn, but the human kept at it. She watched as the one who resonated with her beat himself against the floor over and over again. Twilight gasped, as she could finally see that he was deliberately slamming his forehead against the grimy floor. With each hit, his head bounced off, and with a wheeze, he once again tossed his skull against the stone. In his flailing about, his leg hit a rusted chain that was on the floor, knocking it into the air and past Twilight,

“Stop!” she cried, a yellow flash crossing her eyes. And in response his thrashing became more violent, she could now hear the soft, wet echo of meat on concrete before her rump dropped to the floor. Giving a pained expression, she lit her horn up. The three rings slowly dusted away, freeing the human from the fetters that once held her aloft.

The man picked himself up and stumbled three times before he could catch his balance. With one gloved hand against the wall, and blood covering the left side of his face, he turned to look at Twilight, who was just staring at the ground, tears dripping.

“J~Just go.”

And then he turned and fled.

Author's Note

Sonata Arctica - Fullmoon - Clip

Chapter 16: Ossuary

And still, Twinkle Bloom stood there, face wet with anguish as her herd mates remained silent. And… behold! The pedestal was engorged in solar radiance! The artifact, the headdress supreme: The Mythril Circlet! Sanctaria! Forged by the Twin Sisters, whose skilled craftsmareship was unequal. And freely given by the Twin Brothers upon high! Blessed by the Four Lovers from beyond the sea, and consecrated by the Singing Father. Oh, Twinkle Bloom… Sanctaria! Its power lay in the sun that strikes it! For as valued as the crystals diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire are, such treasure can be devoured by the scaled ones from beyond Volcano Gloom. But not magnificant mythril! No mere metal! Its rainbow glimmer surpassing gold, silver and their union, electrum! Even copper, she trembles in the shadow of mighty mythril!

So passed the Circlet Sanctaria from Sparkler to Twinkle. She would have been glad to know its fate was not to the bottom of the great lunar sea.

“There's… something wrong with it,” Twinkle said, taking the gift.

“You speak of the jagged etching that crosses its’ horizon?” the hooded figure said, stepping forward from the darkness. “It is its brand, it’s mark. Earned at the Battle of Fellin where Sparkler met dark Porcina on the plains of Hayran”

“I do not catch your meaning,” Twinkle replied. “Only us ponies can have cutie marks.”

“This is not true. While the brand on your rumps are a blessing from the great star of the day sky, and a blessing only true ponies may be privileged to have, know that your marks are the scars of destiny,” the figure whispered for only Twinkle to hear. “And anything can earn a scar. For each etching on your hide is a record of its own, proof that you did not rot in a castle, nor recoil from the sirens of danger.”

-The Six Circlets: The Valleys of Dreams (Book 2 of 6), Chapter 16: The Mirror on the Southwest by Caramel Stamp. Published 56 years before the return of Nightmare Moon.

The muffled sound of quiet sobbing reverberated through the chamber. Artwork of pony skulls watched the lilac mare as she sat there, her ears completely folded to the sides of her head. The hum of the yellow light overhead trickled over Twilight as the scent of stagnant water seeped in. It was only after her tears had run out when the sound of several hooves approached towards the lone unicorn. Two earth ponies and a red crystal pony walked into the chamber from the side which Twilight had entered. But the mare, still wet with tears, didn’t budge an inch.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Element of Magic herself,” the red crystal pony, with a spyglass branded on her side circled the unicorn. The two earth ponies flanked to either side of Twilight, with one digging into the other’s saddlebag. “And crying? Gird your teats, that’s no way for a mare to act. Especially for THE Element of Magic,” the red crystal pony stopped behind Twilight and snorted. “And taking an interest in Xavier, have we? You know,” the red crystal pony looked around the chamber before looking back at Twilight. “Ever since we caught sight of you and your friend chasing him at the university, we were deeply worried that, the whole banishing thing? Some kind of strange ruse. But our sources in the kingdom have confirmed indeed that you are banished. And for having a heart?” The red mare looked away, her eyes squinched with pretend pain, “The Queen has really gone off the deep end hasn’t she?”

“Princess,” Twilight said, having gained a modicum of her composure back. Her ears were now at attention, and she bit her lower lip, while drenched fur flanked either side of her snout.

“Queen Celestia,” the red crystal pony snapped her head at Twilight. “Queen Celestia should know better than to let a powerful pawn such as yourself room free. Though technically, it would be knight now, wouldn’t it?”

Twilight said nothing as she looked back at the concrete floor, the scribbling of a mad pony now almost dim.

“I don’t know how you did it, but getting him to sing? Under the ruse of heartsong? I guess if there was going to be a unicorn that could have pulled it off, it would be you.” The red pony rolled her head twice before looking at Twilight from a strange angle, “If only he had an inkling of what that meant. All he knows is some,” she paused for a moment, then said, “freak unicorn made him say things against his will. You know ironically, his knowledge of bardic techniques is quite extensive.”

“What?”

“Imagine waking up after a thousand years, only to have a helmet strapped onto your head to send you back into a horrible trance. Now imagine somepony, excuse me, someone slides it off. And that someone is a tall, lanky figure, with soft fingers and no tail. You would freak out, right? But imagine all of that, while someone sings to you, reassuring you it’s all going to be alright… and it was.” Sight turned away from Twilight, “They gave us back what you and your Queen wouldn’t or couldn’t.”

“They murdered thousands of crystal ponies!” Twilight gritted her teeth. “They butchered you! They,” Twilight’s eyes widened. “They dropped their enhanced cannon fire on you! They weren’t trying to save you!”

“You try not begging for death when you discover that for the better part of 5 years, you were complicit in the death of hundreds, if not, thousands of others,” the red mare howled. “Go ahead, give it a shot. Maybe you might be one of the lucky ones who can’t remember a thing. But there are those of us who remember. Everything,” the red crystal pony approached Twilight, her chest ruffled, then spat in her face. “Go ahead. Ask me how many I killed.”

Twilight remained silent.

“I’ll tell you. I stopped counting the mares in the first three months while I watched, unable to stop myself. Then there was the raid on Port Saddle Strike,” the crystal pony turned away from Twilight, her ears folding for a moment and laughed. “Once we killed or subjugated the mares, we, we,” the red pony pursed her lips. “We tore the port apart. Seventeen Stallions. Only thing between us and fifty foals,” the pony’s laughing grew louder. “They, they were right, honorable stallions Element of Magic! Strong, and they defended their foals fiercely, just like a house stallion should! And we killed all but two of them. Wasn’t that hard. It was roughly seven to one, I guess. But then,” she threw her head back, her mane jiggling and laughed as her tail waved about. “We killed the foals, Element of Magic! Too young to subjugate. Too long to wait until they were old enough to be used as cannon fodder. But that’s not the best part! I, I, I… I got to watch as the two stallions that had joined us kill their own foals!” the mare then stopped giggling and got in Twilight’s face, her tail frozen.

“Do you want to know what the sound of a stallion crushing his foal’s skull sounds like? I can tell you,” the crystal mare caught Twilight by the eyes, not flinching even as she grew closer. “It’s not a single ‘pop’. First, the foal screams for her daddy to stop as the stallion presses his hoof on the poor thing’s skull. And then she screams. And she screams,” the pony stopped. Her face wasn’t smiling anymore. She looked through Twilight, past the wall that held the painted skulls and said, “And then the first crack. The screaming stops. And then another crack. And another and another and another until…” the mare finally took a step back from Twilight, who was yanking her head back from the crystal pony without realizing it.

“I promise you, Element of Magic. Better death than another moment under the Dark King’s thrall,” the red mare snorted. She rotated her head with her neck, and regained her composure, “And unlike you, they understood that it was better to die than to be an unwilling slave.”

“But, but they,” Twilight repeated. “Butchered you…”

The red mare turned, and stared into Twilight’s gaze, “A Unicorn who is sick goes to a doctor. The doctor tells them, ‘take this medicine’ and sells her some. But it doesn’t get better. In fact, now her horn looks bad, very, very bad. She returns, and the doctor tells them, ‘If I can’t save your horn, then I can’t save you. Just keep taking the medicine, maybe you get better’. But she didn’t get better. She got worse. So she goes to another doctor. And she says, ‘I can save you, but you will lose your horn.’ The unicorn takes it. And the unicorn lives. A surgeon will amputate to save the body,” the red mare hissed. “But they don’t call that mare a butcher. They call her a doctor.”

Twilight fell silent and looked slightly up from her prone position, now keeping a watchful eye on the red Crystal pony in front of her. The crystal pony once again paced in front of the Element of Magic before continuing.

“You know, maybe if Queen Celestia had decided not to chain her entire kingdom to unicorn magic, she might have –”

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she finally took a step forward, her ears pointed straight at her host. She froze when she saw in the peripherals of her vision one of the earth ponies rush towards her. And in their mouth, there was a dark ring in the middle of both her incisors. She turned to face the earth pony, her horn glowing with magical might, when the other earth pony bucked her in the hip. Twilight tumbled to the ground and the other mare was on top of her. She threw her front hooves at her, but the earth mare just powered on through, slipping between her front legs. Twilight struggled as the earth mare spat the ring. It turned over and over, past her snout, and she could only watch as the ring snagged the tip of her horn, spinning over and over again until finally, gravity took over and the ring fell to the base between horn and skull. Twilight kicked herself free from the mare, only to stumble again, kicking in the air twice, before she picked herself up, and looked up to her horn.

Cold. She gasped as she could feel the ring chugging her ambient magic in. Like an abyss without end, it took everything. She flinched as she started pouring all her magic and intent on the tip of what defined her. But she could feel it. The ring was taking her magic and attempting to cast a spell of its own. Her ears drooped as she stopped, cutting it off before it could do anything.

“Credit to you Twilight, most unicorns instinctively try to cast a spell. At which point they discover not only will the obsidian restraint prevent magic from being cast, it punishes as well.” The red crystal pony grunted as Twilight finally stumbled up straight, “We’ll take you back, and we’ll find out what you really want with him.” The mare stood in front of the unicorn, her chest proudly puffed, “Then the Director will decide what happens next.”

Twilight said nothing. She once again started staring at the floor. The last vintages of light almost disappeared from the symbol that was symmetric to her own. Small embers of magic crinkled about, almost giving way to the darkness of the ink beneath them, only to surge up somewhere else, never leaving the star completely alone.

“I don’t know what he means to you, but I can assure you of this. Whatever he means to you pales in comparison to what he, no, what they,” the red crystal pony emphasized the last word. “Mean to us,” turning, the red mare walked past Twilight while she addressed her two compatriots. “I’ll go back, make sure the way is clear, then you follow after five minutes. We don’t need to be parading her for all the city to see.”

Both earth mares gave the red Crystal pony a nod as she left the way she came.

Xavier’s back slid on the side of the underground tunnel as he collapsed to the ground. He closed his eyes as he breathed in and out. In, and out. Giving out a mighty exhale, he slumped over as the dim bulb illuminated his arms in an amber light. Lifting his eyes up, he looked at his limbs bathed in a surreal glow.

Five fingers, each encased in leather, stood in stark contrast to the surrounding yellow. He slightly clawed his hand, and then pinched the bridge of his blood and grime encrusted nose.

“Fuck,” he uttered as he closed his eyes. Pushing against the floor, he slid back up against the wall and looked down the path he had just come from. Grimacing, he started pounding the stone wall behind him. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK ME.”

Turning, he jaunted at full speed back the way he came. The corridor became narrower and narrower until he slowed down and walked. A few twists and turns later, he was about to walk right back into the room he had left the creature he had feared the most that night when the sound of voices talking to each other could be heard. Taking gentle steps, he slid right at the edge of the room and slid the back of his head against the wall, cupping his hand behind his ear.

“You know, we don’t have to bring her back to Sight,” one mare said. “We could just bring her to Canterlot and claim that she reentered the kingdom despite the banishment edict. Might be more bits in it. Or we could hand her over to Manehatten police, they’re still looking for one of the two mares that chased a human across the University Campus, and she fits the description of one of them.”

“Don’t be a moron, if she somehow figures out how to break through that obsidian ring, we’re both rutted,” the other mare grunted, snaking around the Element of Magic. “Besides, how do we get her all the way to Canterlot without some bounty hunter trying to take our prize? And the cops won’t pay as well as Sight will. Let’s just hand her over and be done with it.”

Xavier bent over to peek at the voices that echoed in the room. He saw the mare that had been chasing him over the last few days with her rump on the ground and her mane covering her face. And two other, large earth ponies paced around the room. Their muscles were well toned and defined on their coats of brown and gray, respectively.

“Doesn’t something feel off to you?” one of them asked, her ears pinching slightly back.

Xavier reached for the binding on his left arm, and dragged the top binding, slowly undoing the covering. A look of disgust swept across his face, then he let out an exhale as he stopped and quickly covered the limb back up. Patting himself down, he found the stubby knife that Quill left him, and pulled it from the depths of the cloak. A glint caught his eye. Looking down, around to the ground, he found a piece of a rusted, broken chain. Despite the red crust, it had patches of glimmering iron still visible on it. Carefully picking it up, he slid the knife back into the depths of his coat. He wrapped the chain around his fingers. Then he glanced back at the room, at the three ponies in a room of painted pony skulls visible with a single light bulb.

“What do you mean?”

“This is the mare that defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord, and we just so happen to bind her?” The larger of the two turned to face the unicorn, her ears folded back, “Maybe it would be safer to knock her out before we start back.”

“And what if Sight gets pissed?”

“She didn’t give us any instructions not to harm her. And besides, if the Element of Magic here does have a plan, this should take the wind right out of her sails,” the grey one said as she approached Twilight. The prisoner didn’t move a muscle. The sound of hoofsteps flooded the room when a loud pop burst forth and the room plunged into darkness, ending with the sound of a chain hitting the ground.

“The Tartarus?” screamed one mare as the darkness encased the ponies and the sound of footsteps echoed through the room.

“Who’s there?” screamed the other mare as she shook her head. The clanging of hoof and footsteps sang a strange cacophony. After a loud yelp and more footsteps, silence quickly fell over the room.

Xavier emerged from the abyss of darkness, cupping the unicorn on his side as he continued to maneuver back through the narrow walkways that he had used to escape the first time. He grunted, and stopped only for a second to get a better fix on the unicorn, her hooves dangling inches off the ground. The sound of dripping water echoed through the halls as the creature he held finally voiced a single word, “Why?”

But the human said nothing as he finally pushed himself through more open tunnels. Once again, the golden amber glow sprinkled upon Xavier and the unicorn he carried with him down the service tunnel. Silence was behind them as finally the human asked, “Can you fight?”

“What?”

“Can you fight?”

Twilight let out a grunt as Xavier stopped and, with his free hand, grabbed a rope and pulled, releasing debris ‌he had pinned on the ceiling to block the path of anyone who pursued him past that point. Running further still, the two finally emerged into a large area where maintenance work would be staged. Dropping the unicorn on her hooves, the human turned around and once again asked, “Can you fight?”

Twilight got a clear look at his right green eye. The left side of his face was crusted with dried blood, and the center of his forehead was a dark purple from the thrashing he committed earlier. The human took a step back and looked down the tunnel when Twilight shook her head, “N~no, not with this ring around the horn.”

“All right, just pop it off and let’s go,” Xavier said, turning behind him and looking down the way they had just come.

“This is an obsidian ring, I can’t just ‘pop’ it off’,” Twilight said, taking a step back, furrowing her brow and taking in the disheveled human. She couldn’t tell if the top of his head was a glowing yellow or a blazing red in the tunnel’s light.

“Yes, you can,” Xavier said, taking a position next to the entrance. Peaking, he retracted his head, then turned to the Unicorn.

“No, I can’t,” Twilight reiterated, both her violet eyes meeting his single green one.

“Holy shit, you’re THE Element of Magic, a thing like that should be trivial for you,” Xavier said, doing a double take down the path they had taken, trying to gauge where their pursuers were.

“This is an obsidian ring, I can’t-”

“I know what an obsidian ring is. The gradient of the draining effect can be overcome if you literally throw enough magic at it, exceeding its carrying capacity and literally popping it off your horn. And you should have more than enough magic to overcharge and break it. Now come on, double time,” Xavier said, clapping the palm of his left gloved hand to the back of his right gloved hand three times.

Twilight shook her head, then closed her eyes as she charged her magic. But she could feel the cold ring take everything she put into it. She tried again, only for the obsidian ring to lap up all the magic she could muster in her horn. Looking up at the human, he had lifted the cloak and was scrubbing the left side of his face. Then she saw his second green eye, as verdant as the other. Then looked down and shook her head, “I can’t, it’s just too-”

Xavier rolled his eyes and quickly turned to Twilight. Taking six steps towards her, she took a step back and realized that he was at least double her height. Taking another step to close the distance, Xavier reached for the cursed ornament with his hand. The unicorn, fear welling up, watched as three of his soft claws arched in the vertices of an isosceles triangle as they approached the base of her horn. Suddenly, black lightning shot up from the ring and made contact with the human’s covered soft claws. Xavier recoiled, taking a step back before grabbing his pained hand with his other and rubbing it. Then once again, he reached out, only for black lightning to repel him like it did before.

“Hmmm… upgrades,” Xavier tilted his head up and closed his eyes and breathed in and out. In. And out. Then he started to sing. At first, he sang quickly and poorly, as if to remember a letter in the alphabet by starting at A and working towards it. Then he slowed down once he found the place he was looking for, a smooth tenor pouring out his lips. Snapping his head down, Twilight’s violet eyes were caught again by his green ones. Her ears snapped to attention as she could feel the back of her mind scream at her not to move an inch. The fur on her spine rose to attention, only for her to relax. Fluttershy and Spike flashed in her mind for a moment before she started to listen to the human’s words.

He sang on about words of wisdom before Twilight snapped out of her trance and hissed, “What in Tartarus are you doing?”

“Hitting the instant win button. Now quiet,” Xavier sibilated back and returned to singing.

Xavier once again lifted his hand, his fingers in the same triangle position as before. Then, warning about the oncoming storm, he sang the chorus, and the human thrust his hand forward. The lightning once more reached out, but this time his hand didn’t recoil. He kept pushing through until an aura of black shielded the ring from his fingers, but his eyes were dead focused on his aim as he continued to sing.

With a burst of ultraviolet light, the human’s hand was finally repelled by Twilight’s new ornament. However, his face was now frenzied, and he bared his teeth, revealing two small canines as his hair seemed a blaze. He thrust his hand forward again at the unicorn as he sang the reprise with conviction.

This time, his gloved fingertips had made contact with the dark shield, several arcs of black lightning struck his fingers, only for him to ignore them and push past the smoky magical shield. Then, just as he touched the ring itself, a gigantic black lightning bolt struck him, tossing him off his legs and onto the stone floor.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” his left hand was gently cupping his right one as the sound of galloping started reverberating through the hall they had just come from.

“Want to give it another go?” Twilight raised an eye to the prone human.

“Oh, put a sock in it,” Xavier bit back. Picking himself up, he staggered, the bottom of his jaw revealing the tops of his teeth for a moment before waving the unicorn on. “Come on, I’ve got another obstacle planned just in case you broke free.”

“Of that thing? It was foals’ play to break free,” Twilight ran to Xavier’s side as they made their way out of the chamber.

“Well, excuse me, princess!" Xavier barked back, mocking the mare with the last word out. "I didn’t expect you to liberate my inscriptions and bind me with them,” Xavier spat as they passed lightbulb after lightbulb.

“Oh, I see. You just expected me to roll over?” Twilight snapped back.

“Please, if I had known it was you, I would’ve been on the first train out of here.”

“And what’s wrong with me?”

“Fucking with the strongest unicorn of the current age? I’m not suicidal.”

“What do you mean, the strongest unicorn?”

“Don’t hide behind false humility, it doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not the strongest unicorn.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes you-, you know what, never mind.”

The two finally entered a new room, where Xavier stopped and ran to the side of the entrance. Placing himself between the wall and a giant open crate, he braced his back against the wall, and he popped his legs between him and the metal crates that were to the side of the wall and pushed. Grunting, a cavalcade of screaming wood crashed down around the entrance, leaving a violent, jagged mess.

“That was your plan? Stop me from following by using junk?” Twilight raised an eye.

“Again, if I had known it was you, we wouldn’t even be here. Now come on,” Xavier was panting, his face rundown with what seemed to be days of exhaustion. He ran to the other end of the room and the mare followed him.

Another tunnel and another series of left and right turns led the duo to a room with several exits, each archway leading down a hall of darkness.

“That one,” Xavier pointed at the leftmost nearest the center. The two ran towards it, where there was another small string hanging overhead. The human grabbed it and yanked hard enough to rip it.

Twilight continued to follow the human, the grit of sand grinding beneath her hooves as she ran down the hall. Her ears perked up and folded back at the sound of crashing junk behind her, she turned her head and said, “What in the-”

“Something to muffle our sounds. Make it harder for them to pick the right one just by listening.” Xavier said between his breaths.

“How many of these do you have?” Twilight asked, the sound of crashing debris still reverberating down the hall.

“That was the last one. Now come on,” Xavier answered as he whisked to the left.

However, as they went further and further into the maze, the louder and louder the sound of hooves echoing behind them became. Xavier looked back and uttered, “Shit.”

“Any more bright ideas?” Twilight heaved, her chest expanding and contracting with each pump of her lungs.

Xavier slowly turned and was panting. He gazed hard at the pessimistic mare in her violet eyes and responded, “I’ve got a few, yeah.”

Soon they came to a room with several dark nooks. Xavier stopped, and snapped up Twilight by the sternum yet again. The unicorn let out a grunt as he pulled her into a narrow, dark dead-end. They plunged into the darkness of space itself as Xavier clamped her snout shut with his hands and whispered in her ear, “Shut up, don’t say a word, and just listen to me ‌carefully. Take in everything I am about to sing.”

Xavier’s eyes rolled up as he breathed in and out. Twilight made a token attempt at trying to open her mouth, but the human’s soft claws kept applying gentle pressure to her jaw. Finally, with the last major exhale, Xavier pulled Twilight’s ear close to his mouth. Instinctually, she folded it back, only for him to hiss at her in a low voice, “Ears open!”

Suddenly, one of the two mares that had hunted for Twilight emerged from the tunnel they had just come from, and examined around the room. Her eyes narrowed as she took stock of her surroundings. Each time she took a step, she would peer into the various dark corners of the space. Across from them, she entered a shadow only to sound a snort and exit moments later, back into the light.

Xavier then sang to Twilight, of a star and one which bore hope, then entered into the chorus. Her ear relaxed and directed itself to her Eques. He was as quiet as a mouse scampering around, and what sound did bleed out, Twilight’s ear caught before it could make its way out. She drank in the song when she looked down. She noticed something slightly different about the dark that had cloaked them. Twilight could almost swear that it had become deeper, blacker than black, almost like they were in a warm pit of tar, that enveloped them and embraced them. Then he sang the reprise, and she could swear she was floating in a void with no form, only consciousness.

The earth mare looked dead on at where the two were, her eyes squinted as Xavier continued to whisper the reprise. She approached the two, each step of her hoof like falling rocks. One step, then two as she plunged herself into the same darkness that surrounded the human and unicorn, but Xavier did not stop singing. Twilight’s eyes shook as she tried to find where the mare vanished off to, but could not catch tail or hide from her.

She’s going to hear him, she’s going to hear him, she’s going to hear him!

Seconds passed into minutes as Xavier sang in a loop over and over again. Twilight winced as she gave up trying to discover where the mare had gone and focused entirely on the song being sung to her. Blinking, she finally reopened her eyes to watch as the mare that had entered the gentle darkness she and Xavier were wrapped in breach back into the light. She snorted as she examined a few more corners she had neglected to examine.

The earth mare lifted her head up and continued on her way out of another tunnel that exited the room. Soon the sound of her running diminished and Xavier released his grip over Twilight’s snout, gently lowering the mare back onto the ground. Both of them emerged from the shadow that had shielded them from their pursuer, when the human quietly grunted, “This way.”

Xavier led them back down the tunnel that they had come from, right back to the room where several tunnels converged. He stumbled, Twilight glimpsing his eyes begging for rest. Debris cluttered the ground as Xavier maneuvered with his two long legs around the litter. Quickly, he knelt down and checked each one of the tunnels, stopping at the far right one. “The other one went down here,” he said, then he pointed to the leftmost tunnel. “That will be our safest way out of the catacombs.”

“How?”

“Sand on the floor,” he pointed down, where there was a thin layer of sand that had obvious hoof prints.

“What in the Elysian fields were you planning?”

The human ignored her and started walking down the leftmost tunnel. Only 30 paces in, they entered ‌a new room with a stone staircase in the corner, dimly lit by a deep, golden amber bulb. Xavier suddenly turned right and picked up a chain that looped back onto itself on the floor, waiting for Twilight to enter the room. He began slowly pulling at it, each wheeze from his lungs betraying his exhaustion. The chain rolled down a metal sheet door, and slowly it fell in place, blocking the tunnel off and isolating the pair from the earth ponies that had chased them. Twilight stared at the metal door and chain for a moment before Xavier turned to her and simply uttered, “Come.”

The two ventured up the staircase, finding a giant slab of metal on the stone ceiling that prevented further travel. Xavier tilted his head to an acute angle, crouched beneath it and the staircases, then stood up. Slowly the metal slab was pried open and Twilight could see the open night sky between Xavier and the slab. The lights of the city nearly blocked all the stars, but the fullmoon still shone, along with a few of the brightest stars. He waved her on, and she squeezed herself between the human and the access door, popping out and landing on soft grass. Twilight found herself on campus near the Theology building, only a half kilometer where Xavier had given both her and Applejack the slip.

“So that’s how you -”

“Quiet, campus police roam around,” Xavier pushed himself out and then lowered the lid. Slowly, he scanned the surroundings before letting out a weary sigh. He stumbled away from Twilight and headed away from the library and towards the outer boundary of campus.

“Where are you going?” Twilight said, facing her Eques with her ears directed at him. He looked back, and she picked him apart with her eyes. The top of his rumpled red hair gently wafted in the wind, while the sides were drenched in sweat. Most of the dried blood from his thrashing was gone, excluding a few branches that reached from the purple and black bruising of his forehead. His left eye was halfway closed, reflecting her gaze with his green iris. He tried to stand up straight for a moment, only to crinkle back over.

“I’m going,” he said, turning away. “To get a drink.”

Author's Note

Blind Guardian- Mirror Mirror
Blind Guardian - Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) (Lyrics English & Deutsch)

Chapter 17: Lead

The ring of the university campus bell chimed 12 times. Then, the bell and chain of the light brown café rang out a 13th and 14th sound. After that, the sound of a door closing for the 15th and final tone echoed across the coffee shop. The lone workmare of the café, a unicorn with aquamarine mane and hot pink coat, looked up from the glass counter. Twilight and Xavier walked past the modest tables and mixed chairs as they both approached the brown register. Both were still grungy from the events of the evening, Twilight’s coat was still a mess from the dip she took, and Xavier still had specks of blood and grime on his face.

“Can I… get you… anything?” the unicorn said, her eyes darting between both customers.

Twilight looked up at Xavier and said, “Anything?”

Xavier slowly turned his head slightly and stared down at the unicorn by his side. Twilight swished her damp tail, and turned to face the barista, “Double mocha frappuccino with almond milk,” she once again turned up to look Xavier in the eye, her right lip curling, “Trenta.”

“And for you?”

Xavier kept staring at the unicorn that held her eye on his, “Green tea. Small.” The barista looked at the two, shook her head, and gave the price. Xavier slowly dipped his fingers between the folds of his cloak and started dropping metal bits on the counter. The barista raised her eye and recoiled as each coin was dirtier, more grimy than the last. Finishing the count, the pair broke their gaze as they walked towards the table, only for Xavier to suddenly swivel around and point at the lone coffee attendant. Growling, he said, “Don’t even think about skimping on the lemongrass,” his bruised and unwashed face caught the barista. “Or I’ll know.”

The attendant took a step back on the brown checkered floor, looked left and right then raised an eye, “Okay, sure whatever.”

The scent of coffee permeated everything as the pony and human finally reached the wooden table where they both sat and stared at each other. Nothing was said. Xavier’s lips were stretched thin, disdain pouring forth as he looked down on the pony across from him. Twilight looked up, her eyes furrowed as her mangled mane shifted. Both parties kept breathing as the gaslights flickered in the café.

“So uh…” Twilight started before Xavier cut her off.

“What did you curse me wit-?”

“Why did you ru-”

“I keep vomi-”

“Do you have any id-”

“Whatever you cursed me wi-”

“Curse? I didn’t, what makes you think-”

“Every time you sing that blasted song, I vomit. Furthermore, it’s had other physiological effects on me,” Xavier finally let out.

“That… shouldn’t have happened,” Twilight turned away and raised her foreleg to the tip of her chin.

“Then what was supposed to happen?” Xavier leaned forward, glowering.

“You were just supposed to reply,” Twilight stuttered out, and looked away.

“So you casted a spell on me, and it misfired?”

“No, no, heartsong isn’t a-”

“Heartsong? Do you mean soul aria?” Xavier said. Then an echo erupted from the center between the two. Twilight slammed her hoof on the table as her ears were firmly pointed at the human.

“Stop interrupting me!”

Both Xavier and the barista froze, the lone worker looking at Twilight from across the room. Twilight shook her head, making her messy mane messier, and grumbled before continuing, “I don’t know where you picked up the term soul aria from, but it’s an archaic phrase,” Twilight said, looking away from Xavier. “Its modern name is heartsong.”

“Then answer me this Twilight,” Xavier heaved. “If heartsong is its current epitaph, then how come a researcher in the field of Bardic Magic didn’t even bring up the possibility of my issue having been related to that?” Xavier asked, crossing his arms.

“The subject of heartsong is,” Twilight paused as the sound of coffee beans grinding caught her focus long enough to distract her. “Forbidden. To study in any case. Also, there’s the fact that I chose a…” Twilight trailed off.

“Back up, first things first. Why is this forbidden to research?” Xavier asked, elevating his eyes to Twilight.

Twilight gave a small, nervous laugh and looked away towards the tan-beige wall, swishing her tail, “Well, there are ethical considerations…”

“So there’s ethical considerations put on the researchers, but any mare worth her salt lick can just sing it at willy-nilly? No, no, no. If anything, this needs to be well researched,” Xavier jammed his gloved index finger on the table.

“I’m guessing you have yet to hear the story of The Bakery Mare?” Twilight squinted her eyes at Xavier.

“I think I came across something about that during my research,” Xavier looked up as he put a gloved finger on the tip of his chin.

“Research?” Twilight shook her head, throwing her ears into a wobble. “Whatever. The story of the bakery mare is simple. A lowly mare sings her heart out for a long time before finally meeting her Eques,” Twilight answered.

“Eques?” Xavier cocked his head.

“The Eques is the one who responded to the song. The initial singer is known as the Knight.” Twilight continued on, “However, because the bakery mare’s Eques was a duchesses’ son, it ruined a prearranged herdship that was going to be arranged between him and a rival’s daughter. It would’ve brought peace to the land. Instead…”

“Oh my fucking God,” Xavier threw his hands to his forehead and looked down at the table.

“Problem?” Twilight lifted an eye and both her ears.

“Just, just continue,” Xavier said, waving Twilight on.

“Well, what happens is prototypical for all heartsong Eques and Knights,” Twilight looked over to the side. “Because the Knight interfered in a process that would’ve brought peace amongst them, it was her duty to go and try to fix it before she and the Eques began their herd proper. And…”

“She died, didn’t she?” Xavier answered as he lifted his eyes from the table.

“Not before the duchesses’ son. The rival faction was going to kill the bakery mare, and he took the hit. And died,” another small laugh slipped from Twilight’s lips as her ears dipped slightly.

“And those are the basis of your kind’s ethical considerations?” Xavier flatly asked.

“Indeed. The first consideration is where you sing. You don’t sing where ponies above your station are in earshot. You don’t sing where miscreants are in earshot. You don’t–”

“Why don’t you sing in those areas if you’re ‘Eques’ is there? You’re excluding solution space. What if your ‘Eques’ happens to be the nephew of a Princess? Or better yet, what if they’re hardened criminals? You’re excluding a lot just to make ponies on the top feel better about themselves. Or just to make sure you don’t accidentally find out the pony you are determined to spend the rest of your life with isn’t a maniacal monster that scams old stallions out of their hip bones.”

“Just because your goal is to find a partner that resonates with you doesn’t mean you can just go around and ruin your life, or have others ruin your life because of it,” Twilight scoffed, folding her ears back.

“That’s not what I’m getting from this,” Xavier interlaced his hands together and put them on the table. “It seems to me that these rules are set down so that while the singer wants to find someone compatible, they don’t have to go through the real difficult parts of finding a matching suitor. It’s just easier for everyone if you stay in your nice social class.”

“Nobility has responsibilities.” Twilight narrowed her eyes at Xavier, “And ponies with the criminal past would be more trouble than they’re worth.”

Xavier raised an eye at the mare across the table from him. Twilight broke her gaze as she turned to pay attention to the barista bringing the two their drinks.

“Double mocha frappuccino with almond milk,” she said, levitating the large drink in front of the Unicorn. “And a Small Green Tea, lemongrass unskimped.”

Xavier nodded as Twilight uttered a, “Thank you.” The barista left as Twilight awkwardly held the drink with her hooves. It started to slip, forcing Twilight to lay the drink down and try picking it up again. Slowly she pulled it near her lips and she took a sip.

“Tartarus,” Twilight grumbled as she carefully lifted the drink up to her lips while keeping the upper half of her front legs on the table.

“Just pop that ring off and you’ll be set,” Xavier took a sip, then eyed his drink as his lips narrowed into a single point. “Unskimped indeed.”

Twilight’s ears fluttered as she looked up at Xavier and muttered, “I know this must be so amusing for you, but I can’t just pop it off.”

“Why? I’ve seen it happen before,” Xavier looked at Twilight, then back at his drink.

Twilight’s jaw dropped, “It could crack my horn or worse!”

“So? 3rd grade cracks happen all the time, it’s practically a state every unicorn going through serious magic training lives with, you should know this,” Xavier countered.

“Have you seen 2nd grade cracks?” Twilight blurted out, her ears pressed back.

Xavier’s eyes dashed from his drink to Twilight, then grimaced, “I’ve seen 1st grade cracks.”

“Then you know!” Twilight hissed. “I would lose my ability to cast magic!”

“No, you wouldn’t. That and I doubt that ring is going to give you 1st degree cracks. Maybe 2nd degree cracks if you don’t take it seriously and dump in as much as you can, as fast as you can,” Xavier blinked.

“Well, you’re not a unicorn! So I’ll keep my own council on the matter!” Twilight took a swig of her concoction while the human sat his drink down and tapped his fingers on the table, looking away. Both of them said nothing as Twilight carefully maneuvered her drink, taking as much as she could before letting gravity slip the cup from her limbs to the table.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Xavier said. Twilight raised an eye before Xavier corrected, “Or hoof. Whatever, excluding solution space doesn’t sound like ‘finding one’s true partner’ or whatever to me. It sounds like the singer picking and choosing who they resonate with.”

“Knight,” Twilight corrected, putting her drink down, nearly spilling it. “To reiterate, the one who calls out is the Knight, and the one who responds is called the Eques.”

“The point is,” Xavier snapped back up, “It sounds like the one who sings is being picky. And that’s ignoring the fact that they’re literally inserting themselves into the lives of someone, or somepony as your kind continues to state, when they’re not wanted at all.”

“First,” Twilight began. “It’s imperative that despite one’s desire to find their resonating partner, that they do not interfere with the mechanisms of society. That’s the primary lesson of The Bakery Mare. You get someone too high, you run the risk of making everyone’s life in your community that much worse.”

Xavier tilted his head, “Okay, but what about the criminal case?”

“Sometimes it’s just best not to find out who you resonate with.” Twilight’s ears folded back, and shrugged, “That’s been the prevailing wisdom for the last few centuries.”

Xavier bent over the table, “But still, what if you got a serial murderer? Is that why you chose some weird song rather than something normal?”

Twilight averted her eyes, and answered, “First, the Knight is still responsible. Preferably, they would do everything in their power to stop their Eques from doing such ghastly things.” Twilight took another chug of her drink, “Second, I chose that ancient pony love song for a particular reason.”

“You. Chose. A. What?” Xavier enunciated each word.

“I uh, I kinda chose my heart song to be an ancient pony love song,” she looked away from Xavier as her ears fell to the sides of her head.

“Why?” Xavier blurted out with a raised voice.

“To weed out any false positives, that’s why.” Twilight gritted out as she glanced left.

“So let me get this straight, you chose an ancient language, that possibly nobody even speaks outside of a few academic circles. Then you start broadcasting, waiting for the appropriate response. You accidentally got me-”

“I did not accidentally get you.” Twilight shot a glare at the human across the table, her ears standing at attention, “You’re my Eques, and I am your Knight. There is nothing accidental about it.”

“Oh boy, let me guess, more magic bullshit,” Xavier snorted. “So, how do we break whatever this thing is between us?”

Twilight pulled her head back, and looked dumbfounded at the human, “You… don’t.”

“What do you mean you don’t?” Xavier shook his head, “I don’t consent to any of this.”

“It’s not a matter of consent,” Twilight shot back.

“Excuse me?”

Twilight let out a sigh as her ears fell for a moment, only to be lifted back up, “It’s not a matter of consent. We resonate. Now all that’s left is to figure out where we stand and how we move forward.”

“So let me understand this right, I don’t get a say in the matter,” Xavier lowered his gaze.

“No, I mean,” Twilight stumbled over her words. “Do you not perceive how big this is for you?”

“You mean being conscripted into a relationship against my will?” Xavier asked. “Or being turned into your own personal sperm bank?”

“You’re being overly dramatic,” Twilight rolled her eyes and looked away.

Xavier’s right hand gripped into a leathery ball, “Says the mare that’s so desperate for the D she asked magic itself to get her some. You know, it could’ve been easier on you if you had just decided to stand in the marketplace and lift your tail. I’m sure someone, I’m sorry, to use your parlance, somepony would have taken you up on the offer.”

“Excuse me?” Twilight spat out, ears folded back.

“No, no, no, excuse me.” Xavier’s fist tightened, “Where I come from, you don’t just point at someone and say, ‘That’s mine’ and claim them as your own. In fact, I daresay heartsong is among the top 10 most disgusting things I ever encountered because it removes everyone’s agency,” Xavier growled.

“I didn’t point and claim you,” Twilight narrowed her eyes.

Xavier’s grip released as he pointed at Twilight, “No, no, that’s exactly what you did. Except instead of pointing, you decided to hand over your agency to some thaumaturgic oracle with brain damage, but not all of it because heaven forbid that it turns out your ‘resonating partner’ has a boner for tax evasion.”

“You’re being an overly emotional bronco,” Twilight muttered as she looked away.

“Speaking of bronco, there’s got to be some escape clause for an interspecies,” Xavier raised both of his hands up and wiggled the middle fingers and index fingers, “Eques.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight glanced back at Xavier.

“If pony-kind is so big on not netting someone above and below their station, there must be some kind of provision made for when the one that responds is a Griffin or Dragon. Or whatever else,” Xavier waved his left hand like he was swatting a fly.

“I’ll have you know that many Griffins and Dragons, have both been Knights and Eques in their own right,” Twilight shot a smug look at the human. “Though truth be told, you’re probably the first human.”

“Quaint,” Xavier said, picking up his drink and taking a sip. “None of this informs me how we can quickly retire this relationship, preferably in a manner that allows you to save face.”

“Were you not listening to me? Two beings tied together and heartsong don’t just end the relationship, or retire it,” Twilight answered.

Xavier shook his head, “I refuse to believe that. What if one of the two just runs away? There’s no legal binding, unless I’m somehow magically forced to stay within 500 meters of you. Speaking of which, what are soul aria’s magical properties and functions?”

“You mean its requirements and effects? Its only requirements are some practice and focused intention,” Twilight took a small sip of her drink. “Its effects? Varies from couple to couple.”

“Any instances of chronic pain dissipating?” Xavier’s left eyelid fell into a half-lidded position.

Twilight shook her head.

“What about cases where once dead limbs can suddenly feel again?” Xavier leaned forward, both his eyes scanning Twilight.

“I don’t know. Within my lifetime, there may have been, excluding ours,” Twilight trailed off and looked Xavier in the eye. “Five or seven cases. Total. In all of Equus.”

“There’s no way none of this is undocumented,” Xavier shook his head as he placed his thumb and index finger on the temples of his head.

“That’s because it’s, again, illegal to conduct such research,” Twilight tried to catch Xavier’s eyes, only for him to look away and shaking his head.

“I need to know,” Xavier said, finally looking Twilight in the eye. “When you sang, the pain that has been my constant companion for so long just vanished and I regained the ability to feel.”

Twilight stayed silent, then her ears plopped forward as she looked at Xavier’s gloved hands and scanned his bound arms, “What happened?”

“If we can determine the peculiar mechanism in which heartsong was used to fix my nervous system, we can use that knowledge to treat five others,” Xavier said.

“I mean there’s Celestia’s archives, but,” Twilight shook her head as her ears fell back sharply.

“Celestia’s archives?”

Twilight took a quick glance left and right to make sure no one was listening. The barista was humming to herself as she was wiping a countertop far from the two. Twilight turned back to Xavier, and lowered her voice, “Celestia may be evergreen, but she has also lived a very long time. And her memory isn’t perfect. She keeps logs and records discussing events and such to help her keep track of everything. But she is so old that keeping all that in Canterlot? Bad idea. So any log over 100 years old gets shifted to one of several abbeys where it is kept for safekeeping. Also, there’s the fact that it’s not illegal for her to write anything down about heartsong.”

“All right, point me in the direction of the nearest abbey,” Xavier said.

“Are you crazy?” Twilight hissed.

“Yeah, I get humans are banned in the kingdom, but I have a way of getting around.”

“That’s not the point! Abbeys are isolated on purpose! Just getting there, some mare is going to see you and report you,” Twilight glanced left and right.

“I don’t think you can appreciate my situation, seeing as you have just barged in,” Xavier slowly raised his eyes to Twilight. “But I owe these five at least a courtesy attempt at helping them. It’s required of me,” Xavier crossed his arms.

“Required? Five others? Did you take an oath?” Twilight raised an eye.

“No, but I would not wish the pain I endured on my worst enemy,” Xavier answered, letting out an exhale.

“I mean, well…”

“Let me put it like this,” Xavier once again laced his fingers while he bore down on the mare across from him. “You tell me where the nearest abbey is, or I’m just going to get up, pick a direction and start walking. And either I’ll accidentally find it, with the wind as my guide, or I’ll die of exposure.”

“You wouldn’t,” Twilight hissed as she shot him a dirty look.

“Watch,” Xavier stood up and walked towards the glass door. Three paces away, he finally heard a shout behind him.

“You can’t just go!” Twilight stumbled down, her tail jittering and cantered past Xavier, hooves echoing on the brown checkered floor before blocking his way further, “You have no clue what’s out there!”

“That’s been my experience with this world since day one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an abbey I have to get to,” Xavier said, taking a sidestep past Twilight.

“Listen to me! Even if you find one, they won’t let you peruse around like a library!” Twilight almost yelled. “Questions will be asked, and make no mistake, they will defend the archives if they see an intruder like you,” Twilight hissed.

“I’ll deal with that problem when I get to it. Now…” Xavier motioned towards the door, “Unless there is anything else, I’ll be on my way.”

“You, you can’t just leave!” Twilight took a step back, “There are purposefully no train depots near them, and each abbey is cut off from civilization for a reason! So unless you enjoy the idea of wandering around a forest until you die of meat deprivation, there’s no point in going,” Twilight said with her nose upturned.

Xavier stood and blinked for a second, “Meat deprivation?”

“You’re an obligate carnivore, right? Like griffins?”

“Omnivore,” Xavier shook his head as he made another attempt to step around Twilight. The mare simply once again got in the human’s way.

“Stop! I can’t let you just go!”

“Is this another heartsong thing?” Xavier bit the corner of his mouth, “Let me guess, if I leave the city without you, I explode?”

“Do you even have a herd?” Twilight backed and reared up, ears pointing forward in order to catch Xavier by the eye.

“I have a? No,” Xavier spat out.

“Then as your lead mare, I can’t let you be as reckless as to throw your life away on something as verboten as researching heartsong,” Twilight closed her eyes and gave a firm nod, letting gravity take over as she landed on her front two legs gracefully.

“Right, so first of all we’re not in a herd,” Xavier said, crossing his arms. “Second, there’s got to be some interspecies provision that you’re not telling me. Some kind of escape clause, because I refuse to believe that I don’t get a choice in the matter.”

“It’s not a matter of choice, we resonate, that’s it,” Twilight barked out.

“Look, I’ve been around the block once or twice. And for me to only hear of heartsong now? Sorry, it’s a little too convenient for you.”

“What is your problem!” Twilight sibilated, “Do humans not have a concept of perfect partners?”

“What are you talking about?” Xavier shook his head. “If you’re talking about one true love? Yes, we have the concept. But it doesn’t apply here.”

“Why not?”

“Did you miss the part where you made me speak in tongues, vomit, and chased after me like a mad mare?”

“Did you miss the part where you tried to bait me into a trap?”

“You caught me unawares twice, you were not going to catch me unaware a third time.”

“Oh yeah, what was your master plan? Trapping me in that pathetic piece of forbidden magic?”

“Oh ho ho yes, here comes the Canterlot unicorn playing the high horse,” Xavier raised his voice in a mocking falsetto tone, “’Oh no, I don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s forbidden and heretical because doctrine tells me so because we have to keep the unicorn tribe in power at all costs!’”

“It is blasphemous, you fool! You should thank your lucky stars that I was there to undo your little, whatever that was.” Twilight snorted as her lips curled.

“Undo? No no no, you just snapped hours of hard work like a twig! Do you know how hard it is to scribe Scorpan’s fifth sigil on cobblestone with an iron binding? And not to mention the ambit work connecting everything so that it doesn’t just shred you to pieces,” Xavier heaved in exasperation.

“Oh joy, I’m so thankful that your impious spell only managed to hold me in midair because you took special consideration for my benefit,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

Xavier bared his teeth at Twilight, “Okay, I’m done here.” Xavier completely sidestepped Twilight and reached for the door, “I have better things to do than get verbally racked by an inquisition of one.”

As Xavier pushed open the door. Twilight closed her eyes as her horn glowed for a split second, only for a black electrical arc to surge from the ring at the base of her horn and strike her on her forehead. Letting out a pained cry, she recoiled from the suppression device. Xavier was already three steps out of the café and back on cobblestone when Twilight caught her wits and charged out the door, “Where are you going?”

“I will not get drawn into a theological argument with you. I have better things to do,” Xavier answered, as he continued to walk down the gas-lit street.

“Stop!” Twilight leapt three times, and once again impeded Xavier. The air was stagnant as the darkness kept its distance from the pair, “You need to listen to me!”

“Listen to what? Someone who’s trying to force a relationship on me? I have work to do.”

“I… Okay fine. If I lead you to an Abbey, will you follow me without issue?” Twilight’s eyes and ears drooped despite looking up at Xavier.

“Why should I trust you?” Xavier’s eyes narrowed at the Element of Magic.

“Before I started singing, I took an oath, one of the promises I made, to you incidentally, despite you not knowing, is to help you wrap up any loose ends,” Twilight looked down. “And this is an obvious loose end for you.”

Xavier raised his gloved hands to his chin and rubbed it, stroking his mangled beard for a few seconds. He looked left, then right, then walked around Twilight. The man stopped on her right side and stared at her hip. He narrowed his eyes before he caught himself about to say something. Twilight shifted uncomfortably as her ears softly folded back. Then he squatted, pointed a finger at the cobblestone, and waved it around. He stopped and sighed before looking back up at Twilight. He was nearly eye level with her fully crouched. Veridian met violet once again as Xavier quietly held his gaze. Twilight blinked and gulped as they stared at each other.

“So, you are the Element of Magic,” Xavier quietly said, his continence abating from a scowl to a gentle mope. A cool breeze passed on by as Twilight’s ears wiggled at the change of tone. So far, everything out of his mouth had been incredulous or combative. But his bellicose verbal stance evaporated. And this was something softer, something gentle, almost tender. Twilight opened her mouth, only for silence to spill out. A light frown took over as she tried to turn away, but found she could not break eye contact. They both froze, but she felt as if a deep part of her Eques wanted to reach out and, with his enveloped limbs, touch her.

Then he nodded.

“Okay, okay, okay, okay…” Twilight quietly repeated herself, swishing her tail and finally breaking eye contact. “We’re going to need supplies. To get to an Abbey, they are always at least 10 days away from the nearest train station on hoof.”

Xavier rose and stepped one foot back, motioning to Twilight back into the brown café. The two walked back in and found their drinks untouched. Sitting back down, Twilight carefully took a sip before continuing.

“The one near Trotstow is the closest one to us. And that abbey is not too deep in Kingdom territory, but we don’t want to walk there via any of the main roads. Thankfully, if memory serves, the train to Derbyshire is only a day or two longer than Trotstow’s main train station. And, fortunately for us, Derbyshire is inside Union territory,” Twilight said as she glanced left to right, looking at the table with a furrowed brow.

“I’m guessing that should mean that after about three days of travel into the wild, we should emerge in Kingdom Territory,” Xavier nodded.

“Right, but abbeys are cut off from nearly all communication from Canterlot in order to minimize knowledge of their whereabouts. So, if we’re even just a little lucky, they won’t know about the sanctio humano and my banishment,” Twilight looked away.

“Banishment?” Xavier cocked his head and looked at Twilight.

Twilight flinched as her ears fell to her side and she slowly turned to face the human across from her, her tail giving a single swish, “Heh heh heh… It’s a long story.”

Xavier looked around, and shot a gaze back to Twilight, “It looks like I have plenty of time.”

“It’s, it’s not something I want to talk about right now,” Twilight responded, taking another swig of her drink and looking away.

“Right, so, let me understand this correctly. I go to kingdom territory, if I get caught, I’ll probably be executed. And if you go into kingdom territory, and you get caught, you’ll be executed as well,” Xavier said.

“That’s um… that’s about the gist of it,” Twilight mumbled as she looked down upon her drink.

“I highly doubt that the kingdom is going to execute the Element of Magic,” Xavier said, enunciating ‘the’, and leaning back. “No way, not after your list of accolades. Permanent house arrest? Maybe.”

“I would prefer permanent house arrest to the last few years,” Twilight quietly said as she let gravity win a little, lowering her head and staring at the floor.

“Well, it’s no fun for me either,” Xavier furrowed his brow and tapped the table with his fingers. The human then drilled into the unicorn with his eyes as he tilted his head and leaned forward, “Though that does beg the question. Why did Celestia let a pawn as powerful as you go?”

Twilight eyes narrowed at the human as her nostrils flared up a bit and ears pointed forward, “I am not a pawn, and as your lead mare, you will not speak to me or Celestia in that manner.”

“Or what? You’ll beat me? Put your stallion in his place?” Xavier mocked, “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I was your magically appointed coltfriend, perfect compatibility and all. Though given your previous position as Celestia’s personal purple minion, I’m surprised she hasn’t just given you one from her private stock before she kicked you out.” Xavier’s voice raised into a falsetto as he looked up, “‘Here Twilight, try Screaming Bug-eyes here. He has a bold, robust shaft that’s fully textured… for your pleasure.’”

Twilight spat her drink, her tail jumping up for a second as her ears slammed back, then bashed her hoof on the table and shot the human a glare as even her mulberry coat on her face betrayed a flush. A faint aura charged around her horn. Black lightning arced from the obsidian ring, forcing Twilight to flinch. Stuttering, she spat out, “G..G...Grogar's gnarled horns! I will not let you speak of her in that way!”

Xavier's eyes widened, then he shook his head and returned to his previous state. “Aww, look, should we already file for the no-fault divorce?” Xavier lifted a closed fist to his lips and chuckled.

“Div-?” confusion swept Twilight’s face, as her right ear lowered, then she shook her head. “What is your deal?” Twilight locked her eyes on Xavier.

“Maybe I don’t take being forced into a relationship well,” Xavier spat out.

“Elysia, this was supposed to be a joyous occasion, and you’re just, just,” Twilight let out a frustrated grunt, then bit her lower lip as her left ear fell as well, and she looked down at the table.

“Go ahead,” Xavier looked down on the mare and narrowed his eyes. “Say it.”

“The worst.”

“And to think, this could have all been avoided if you had just used the classifieds,” Xavier leaned back in his seat.

Silence lingered over the two as the sound of the barista cleaning the back of the counter echoed throughout the shop. Xavier slowly worked through his drink as Twilight refused to even look in his direction. Her breathing had slowed down to a crawl, and she attempted to restart the conversation again, only to catch herself not once, not twice, but thrice. The human just closed his eyes and ignored Twilight, taking another sip as the clock in the corner worked in circles.

After several minutes, Twilight finally, and softly, spoke up, “We’re going to need a few things if we’re going to the abbey.”

“Go on,” Xavier said.

“First, I’m going to need some flank paint,” Twilight exhaled.

“Flank paint?” Xavier raised an eye.

“It’s how I stayed out of the limelight,” Twilight pursed the corner of her lips. “And I need some of the good stuff too. Preferably Pentimento, it lasts for months and unless you shave it off, or you have the correct counter agent, nothing else, not even water, can remove it.”

“Okay, what else?”

“I’ll need a new saddlebag, the one I have is worn and not suitable for traveling long distances. Also, we’re going to need camping supplies, tent, sleeping bags, compass, map, food, water, something to start a fire with since I can’t cast right now,” Twilight continued.

“I can take care of the fire situation, also it’s just a few day’s trip in the woods, we don’t need sleeping bags or a tent. Towels on the ground should be sufficient for our needs and maybe a large sheet of canvas to keep the rain off,” Xavier stopped for a second, then eye’d Twilight’s front legs. “Will you need lacquer for your hooves?”

“Lacquer?” Twilight suddenly looked at Xavier, both ears raised as her mouth slightly fell, “I’m surprised, you’ve traveled long distances before with ponies, haven’t you?”

“Answer the question.”

“Yes, and we’ll have to stop frequently. I’m not exactly an earth pony nor a pack mule,” Twilight looked down.

“Right, I have a few things to take care of here. Certain parties need to be made aware that I’m jetting, and I need to compensate someone deeply for their patience in dealing with me,” Xavier said, getting up.

“Where are you going?” Twilight getting up as well, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go, we have a lot to talk about.”

“We can talk about what you want to talk about later, right now it’s the middle of the night, and we need to start preparing if we’re going to catch the first train out of here. I’ll meet you at the train station at noon,” Xavier said, as he turned around to face the door.

“Listen, I can’t afford nearly anything on that list,” Twilight hissed. “It will take me at least three or four days to sell enough of my,” the mare bit her lip as she looked down on the floor. “Books. I’ll need that much time to sell my books so that we can afford the trip,” she said, the words pouring out of her mouth like vomit.

“No need, I can take care of everything but the saddlebag thing,” Xavier said, as he started walking to the door.

“Wait, what?” Twilight burst out.

“Go sell enough to get yourself fitted with a hiking saddlebag and if you have any money left over, get some food and something to purify water. If you have the chance, try to get both a filter and chlorine treatment. Iodine will also work in a pinch, but in my experience, chlorine is more reliable for the coming fall. That said, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours after sunrise for you to cycle out your goods, right?” Xavier asked, turning to Twilight with a raised right eye.

“R~right, sure, but what about everything else?”

“Let me take care of that,” the human pushed open the door, letting in the summer air.

“And what if you don’t show up!” Twilight nearly screamed.

“I will,” Xavier turned to Twilight and groaned.

“But, but,”

“Looks like you’re going to have to make a leap of faith,” Xavier said as he walked through the door and returned to the city as Twilight stood on all fours and watched as her Eques once again disappeared from sight.

Chapter 18: Telluraves

Jade climbed up the deep brown wood stairs of the hotel, her head hanging low as she panted, taking in the hotel’s vanilla scent. She had checked the war memorial, scoured the park, combed the campus, and had thrusted herself into greater Manehatten to find the human. And now she was walking up the stairs of the hotel hoping, like last time, Xavier brought himself back to a point of safety. Her eyes flashed blue as she saw a glimmer of amber light beneath his door. Quickly running to her room, she grabbed a key in a hiding spot beneath the armoire, and dashed back out. She tasted the metal as she returned to the front of the human’s room. Shoving the key in with her mouth, the intricate brass vibrated as the sound of grinding gears rumbled, then stopped, unlocking the door.

Pushing the door open, the mare could now hear rummaging from the other end of the room. On top of the bed was a bag with two strips running along its length and cloth next to the bag, covering two items up, one much longer than the other. Suddenly Xavier emerged from the bathroom, a stubby knife in hand as his face was now clean-shaven. His head of hair was cut, the long globs of frazzled knots replaced with simple red streaks. His face was now free from the bramble bush of hair that had become a weed atop it, revealing a circular scar underneath his right earlobe. All this while wearing a black bandana, covering his forehead. Jade narrowed her vision as she caught the sight of dark bags under his eyes.

“Do you,” Jade panted, with her ears focused forward. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” Jade gritted her teeth as the color red flashed across her eyes.

Xavier said nothing as he tossed the knife to the bed, glanced lackadaisically at Jade, and then turned, once again returning to the restroom. As he turned, the twin tails of his bandana flowed out with him, flung around by centripetal force.

“Come back here! I’m talking to you!” Jade rushed towards the restroom. Turning, she lunged at the human. He dodged before she could make contact, only for her to then let her front two hooves touch the ground and pivot her rear legs. She turned to see that he was already holding a pile of towels against his chest as her buck made contact. The human flew out of the restroom and back out of the main sleeping area when a sudden red light erupted from the boundary between the restroom and the rest of the suite. Jade once again pivoted 180 degrees, returning the way she came. Lunging forth at the crumpled human on the floor, a translucent crimson barrier rose, glistening between the two rooms and repelled her back from the bedroom. She crashed atop the large bath and shook her head. Its gentle shimmer zigzagged around her and the bathtub before converging behind her.

Getting back up, Jade looked at the barrier. Snorting, her tail swished as she checked the floor and saw that a large inscription had been set up on the other side. She backed up and jumped forth at it again, only to slam against hard vermilion light and be repelled. “What is the meaning of this? Xavier!”

The man pushed off the messy layers of folded towels that now covered him and let out a sore groan. “Normally, I would apologize,” the human moaned as he got up, and stumbled over to the edge of the barrier. “And I did not want my time in Manehattan to end like this, but then again, you did just try to crack my sternum in two so… Here we are.” He looked down at the symbols and circles that weaved in and out of each other, then sighed, “I hate wasting my only vial of salt bound ink on something so pedestrian as this. But using Equus’ seeds as the fulcrum always demands a nontrivial sacrifice. You know, it’s the only fulcrum that refuses to work with metal bound i-”

“What did you do? What did you do!” Jade screamed, stomping her front hooves on the ground.

Xavier looked up at Jade with two weary eyes, “Don’t worry, the inscription will end in 18 hours. Honestly, I wouldn’t have prepared for this, but you did nip my ankle, so…” Xavier turned his back to Jade and returned to the bag he was packing.

“Oh ho ho, when this is over, you’ll wish I bucked your leg off!”

Xavier continued to pack, opening his large suitcase and moving clothes into his bag. “Which is why you are in there, and I am out here,” Xavier murmured. “You know, I’ve seen ponies crater a man’s head in with a buck like that. Is that how you treat all your guests? No, wait, let me guess. Just the stallions to put them in their place, right?” Xavier turned to face Jade, his sharpened gaze focused on the pony behind the barrier. “Either way, I’m surprised that they told you so little about me. Such as my propensity to slip through my leash. Would have saved you the aneurysm.” Xavier further narrowed his eyes at Jade, “Though with Luna out there, better safe than sorry, right?”

“You do realize that the Crystal Republic and the Union are not going to just let you walk away, right? You owe them!” Jade growled, her flat teeth bared.

“Owe them? Owe them!” Xavier threw his suitcase from the bed to the floor and rushed over to the seal that held Jade as she finally caught sight of his cut up and bruised face.

Jade’s ears folded back. She took a step back as her surprised expression mouthed, “What in the-”

“Your Crystal Republic and Union owe us! Every day you get to breathe the free air and look longingly at the winter wonderland, was paid for in full by us. Every day you get to freely worry about not living up to your disgusting brands, or look to the south and fear a paper princess, or have the opportunity to cope with the trauma of being enslaved for years was paid for in blood. Our blood.” Xavier ripped off his right glove and quickly unwrapped his cloth and shoved the scarred right hand at the barrier’s edge, “We mutilated ourselves so that you and your paymasters could even have the privilege of a choice. We butchered ourselves because your kind were so incompetent, half of you let one pony dominate you, and the other half was unwilling to commit to true total war and pay for victory in blood. I," Xavier stuttered, looking at his exposed limb, "I forfeited my will as an individual and became a tool for the chain of command to save your kind. Your kind let this war get so out of hand, it spilled over into another fucking universe! Let that sink in Jade, another universe. So you better thank your lucky stars you got us and not something far more horrific. So if you’re going to speak of debts, let’s start with your debt to us.”

“We oppose the Queen together!” Jade shouted back, her eyes narrowing.

“See,” Xavier shook his head, chuckling. “That’s my problem with you lot. Say what you will about the Kingdom, they have a healthy fear of us. You guys? Sure, we shook up the status quo, but you cling to us like we’re saviors who have your best interest at heart.” Xavier let out an exhale and said, “Did you know that where I come from, our court system has a case slowly worming its way up to the top court? It’s about a crystal pony who was given expedited citizenship. She doesn’t want to come back to Equus. ‘Too many terrible memories’ and ‘The only place she can be safe from magic is here’. But I promise you Jade, if that case hits the Supreme Court, they will reject her on the basis that only humans can have citizenship. You know what that means?”

Jade's ears stayed folded as she kept her steely gaze on Xavier.

Xavier snarled, “It means that after everything, after so much human and pony blood was spilled on the field of battle, that one of the strongest nations on earth can’t even be arsed to recognize you all as equals. I’ve known ponies that rescued entire groups of humans, who risked life and limb to help, but giving you the right to live among us and pay taxes?” Xavier’s voice rose as he let loose his mocking voice, ‘Oooh that’s a slippery slope! What if we are required to give Terran Horses citizenship as well’!”

“They wouldn’t do that,” Jade growled. “And you didn’t try to make us into your puppet!”

“Give. It. Time.” Xavier uttered, scratching his cheek. “Earth is the only real safe place to manufacture the ammo for the weapons that the Crystal Republic bought. Again, made by us. Same thing for the Union. With obsidian fragment coated weapons systems and obsidian tipped ammo, we are your only real protection from Celestia’s forces. So your governments will eventually be subservient, good little puppets. Only we didn’t need Sombra’s magic to do it. Just your own fear and ambition.”

Xavier closed his eyes and took a step back as he rebound his hand. Jade caught sight of the cartoon pictures that made up the bindings: several baby unicorns playing between repeated instances of the sun and moon. The mare said nothing as she watched the human put his glove back on and move his bag and wrapped items to the exit. Poking his head out of the room, the human stuck his hand to the other side and returned it with the key Jade had used to get in. Pocketing it, he closed the door and did a once over of the entire room, gathered a few things up from the countertop next to the shelf and shoved it into his pockets. Then, as swiftly as he had gathered his things, he took off his coat and tossed it atop the bag.

Walking to the alarm clock, he quickly set it and twisted the gears three times before putting it back down, plopping himself onto the bed and pulling the surrounding covers.

“What in the…” Jade narrowed her eyes at Xavier as he adjusted his pillow.

“I’ve been up for way too fucking long. I am going to take any sleep I can get,” he yawned as he closed his eyes.

“When I get out of here, you’ll wish you ran as far as you could!”

“Me too, Jade, me too,” the human said as he turned twice in the bed before laying to rest.

“Second edition of Summa Sologica, fifth edition of the Treatise of Order and…” the sea green pegasus mouthed as she examined the books that Twilight deposited on the countertop. The small bookstore was filled to the brim with old books. Piles and piles that lay scattered as the walnut wood glowed a deep brown while the scent of old paper lay atop it. “Commentaries on Starswirl by Moonshadow, Impressive, impressive. Tell you what, all this together? 300 bits.”

“300 bits! You do realize that’s a second print edition of the Summa Sologica right? That by itself is 320,000 bits!” Twilight hissed, her ears pointed at the sea green pegasus.

“Maybe in the Kingdom, but last time I checked, we’re not in the Kingdom,” the pegasus smugly said. “And regardless, your Treatise of Order has seen better days, and Moonshadow is not exactly important beyond her work on magical orrery. So how about this,” the pegasus opened up her cash drawer and started laying out bits in front of Twilight, “150 for the first one, 100 for the second one, and I’ll take those commentaries out of your saddlebag for 10 bits.”

“That’s only 260 bits,” Twilight frowned, ears now folded.

“And it’s only going to go down,” the pegasus leaned forward, glowering. “Don’t think I didn’t see that ring over your horn, thinking you could cover it up with your bangs. Waking me up at this time of night and pulling the books out with your mouth told me everything I needed to know about you. 240 bits.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she proceeded to take each book by the mouth. All of them were thick, old things, their leather covers, each one with a different, tiny engraved griffin on the bottom left corner, protected their contents. Nearly dropping her books twice, she put them awkwardly in her saddlebag. Squatting clumsily as she backed up, putting herself under the worn and aged saddlebag, then she lifted her hind legs, allowing the saddlebag to rest on her spine. Snorting and giving the shop mare a set of narrow eyes, she turned to leave the shop with her head held high.

“230 bits, final offer!” the mare shouted as Twilight left the antique bookstore. Staring at the dark, night sky, she swished her tail once, and sighed as the door closed behind her. Luna’s fullmoon still hung overhead as the gaslights flickered and the scent of the city rolled in. The wind blew, hurling pieces of paper past Twilight and down the road.

Twilight bit her lower lip as she walked the cobblestone streets of Manehatten. Looking left and then right, she saw a mannequin with a simple yellow dress on it. Shaking her head, Twilight burst into a run as she nearly skidded from street corner to street corner. The sound of hooves slamming against rock, bellowing as she reached full speed. The burning of muscles rarely worked warmed up Twilight’s core as she finally arrived outside a carousel shaped boutique. Twilight lifted both her front legs and began slamming her hooves against the door.

“Oh my, what’s all this racket? Can I hel- Twil- Dusk!” a white unicorn with blue mane exclaimed, the mare’s ears were fully pointed at Twilight.

“Rarity, I’m so, so sorry that-” Twilight began before she was cut off.

Suddenly, magic enveloped Twilight’s rump, squishing her as she was pushed forth into the boutique, the door slammed shut behind her.

“Are you okay? This isn’t the usual Wednesday breakfast, darling, what’s going on?” Rarity said as she peered out the window. “Did they change their mind and decide to come for you?”

“No, no, I…” Twilight shook herself off as she winced her eyes. “Rarity, I think I rutted up.”

Rarity waved her head towards the back of the boutique as she magically closed all the blinds. The sales floor was large and spacious, with many white and beige places for customers to sit and examine Rarity’s craftsmareship. The room was darkly lit, as a hint of lemon fluttered about in the air. A well-organized room, the only mess here was the large, brown supply crates scattered about, that even Twilight raised an eye at. She glanced at several of the pony mannequins that were lined up as she walked to the coffee table. Some with completed, lavish dresses, while others looked more patchwork than expensive seamstress work, with pins poking out from every side. Ivory Opalescence laid on her prim and proper bed, unmoving, atop the coffee table. A smile popped forward from Twilight as she looked at the cat, “All these years, and not aged a day.”

“Some beauty never tarnishes darling,” Rarity said, taking her seat.

Twilight sat down and explained everything, the heartsong, the ring, the human, the agents.

“So that’s why you’ve been out and about without flank paint,” Rarity cooed as she leaned her head to the side and looked at Twilight’s brand.

Twilight shot up her elbow to her head as she winced, “I completely forgot about that.”

“Well, luckily there are enough mares with poor fashion sense in this city to copy your mark that you probably just appeared a somepony pretending to look like you,” Rarity hummed. “But you can’t be serious, a human?”

Twilight nodded, her ears drooping.

“That doesn’t make any sense, how-”

“I don’t know Rarity,” Twilight lowered her head. “He doesn’t seem to understand we’re a herd now.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Rarity said, her mane slightly bouncing.

“Huh?” Twilight raised an eye and an ear as she tilted her head.

“Twilight, how many humans have you interacted with since the awful business in Canterlot?”

“None, though honestly it’s mostly because I never sought them out,” Twilight said.

Rarity shook her head, her ears fluttering for a moment, “Darling, since you have arrived here, from our conversations you’ve kept to yourself and to the bookstore. Even in Ponyville, you would put yourself out there on occasion. Which, after everything that has happened to you, is quite understandable.”

“Rarity…” Twilight glanced aside and lowered her eyelids.

“It’s not your fault darling, thankfully you kept in touch with me, but not to put too fine a point on it Twilight, he’s not of this world, he isn’t going to behave like Big Mac or Shining.”

“Wait, you’ve interacted with humans?” Twilight tilted her head, ears thrust forward as her eyes widened.

“Oh plenty, they may be out of this world, but they all have fashion sense. Any species who wears clothes almost all the time must understand the importance of aesthetics,” Rarity nodded. “Being the Element of Generosity helps too, of course. Many humans who make it over want to meet me. In fact, I’m in the middle of negotiations over putting my name on a line of clothes on earth, though I can’t say much more about that.”

“I’ve only met one other, Gerald, he and Applejack are,” Twilight trailed off.

“Oh? And do you think?”

Twilight shook her head, her mane shifting from left to right, “I don’t think it will work out between them. And that’s ignoring the summons.”

Rarity stuck her tongue out to the side in disgust and lifted the corner of her lip for a moment, “I got one of those dreadful letters commanding me to come to Canterlot next Summer’s Dawn too. I’ve written to Sweetie Belle about it, but she is currently taking up a post as Study Musician in Cincinneighti after getting her Doctorate i-” Rarity stopped, and shook her head. “I won’t be answering it though. And hopefully Sweetie Belle will refuse it too.”

“But, I thought you loved the idea of Cant-”

“Darling, the Canterlot of our youth is not the Canterlot of today,” Rarity gave Twilight a knowing look. “Sure, it’s still opulent and beautiful, but it is no longer the center of Equus. Not like Manehatten. And other cities have their own scenes as well.”

“M~maybe the referendum in a few hours will change that,” Twilight bit her lower lip.

“Darling,” Rarity looked at Twilight with enormous eyes and frowned. “I sincerely doubt that.”

A pause grew between the pair, the quiet of the night crept through the parlor and wrapped itself around the unicorns. The thud of a sign hanging out the window would occasionally echo throughout the building while the scent of vanilla lazily rolled in.

“Can you tell me why a human might be belligerent? My Eques doesn’t seem to comprehend that we’re a herd now,” Twilight asked.

“It’s a simple difference in cultures,” Rarity nodded. “So long as the Knight and Eques are not in herds themselves, when they discover each other, the herd is formed. So, from his perspective, I would assume that he thought he was being forced into a relationship with you.”

“But we’re forced into relationships all the time,” Twilight stammered. “Herd Step-Mothers being brought in, herd step-siblings, prearranged herdships…”

“True Twilight, but if he is, I suspect, from a section of his world that highly values consent? He would fight you tooth and hoof over it,” Rarity nodded, then smiled. “Humans that are by themselves are highly individualistic, an admirable quality, especially when it comes to fashion. Very much like you.”

“Me?” Twilight spat out, her fur on her spine standing.

“I remember you telling me stories about how you would be so focused on your studies in Canterlot that you pushed other ponies and their attempts to befriend you away,” Rarity said. “And you studied alone, by yourself.”

“That’s different!” cried Twilight, looking away to the left, then to the right. “Celestia gave me full access to the Castle library, Tartarus, she gave me my own library to work from!”

“But did you commiserate with other academically inclined ponies?”

“N~no…” Twilight muttered, finally looking Rarity in the eye.

“Just think of this being a situation where the tables are turned,” Rarity chuckled. “You’ve already gotten him to agree to meet with you again rather than running away from you. Just turn on that personable charm you have, and he’ll be following you like the Lead Mare I know you are soon enough.”

“I guess,” Twilight moaned. “I don’t think he can understand what he has now. He’s more worried about some side effect than us,” Twilight moped.

“Well, maybe you can teach him,” Rarity beamed at Twilight. “But you didn’t just come here to vent, not without flank paint that is.”

“I need your help. First things first, I need a new saddlebag,” Twilight cast a look at the worn bag she slumped off at the entrance. “Something for long-distance travel, we’re going to be hoofing it all the way to an abbey.”

“One of those dreadful abbeys? Why?”

“It’s how I got him to meet with me again, if I don’t lead him to one, he said he will just try to find it by himself,” Twilight frowned, her ears limping.

“Let him!” Rarity laughed, “Just let him know where he can find you and let him get so lost that he will have no choice but to come back to you for help.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Twilight raised an eye. “But he’s very resourceful,” Twilight looked down and shook her head, “He… he might know some things that he should not know, and he’s shown a willingness to use them.”

“Well, if you decide to lead him to one, will they even let him in? Will they even let you in?” Rarity raised both her eyes as she shifted in her seat.

“Well,” Twilight looked to the right. “I’m hoping that because of the sanction edict, they’ll have heard nothing of the outside world of the last 10 or so years. If that’s the case, I can introduce myself as the Element of Magic, use my implied authority, as far as they’re still aware of, as Celestia’s protégé, and look for whatever he’s trying to find.”

“Twilight,” Rarity’s mouth was creased in the corners. “That’s an awful plan.”

Twilight looked down at the floor, “Rarity, what have I gotten myself into?”

“Well, the first thing I would have told you was that heartsong was a bad idea, but you’re already in the thick of it, and you don’t need that right now,” from across the room, Rarity’s horn glowed as she lifted Twilight’s saddlebag and brought it in front of them. “Next, since you’re going, we need to get you a proper saddlebag, something for long-distance and high carrying capacity.” Rarity looked at Twilight and sighed, “I think we can use this as the basis, I just need to make some adjustments and add some extra material so that you can carry more. Also, I’ll have to remove the underskirt and replace it with something that won’t chafe. And if I do it just right, it will be long enough to also cover your hip. It will feel weird walking at first, but you’ll get used to it, and you’ll have something to cover yourself if you’re out of flank paint. This will take me a few hours though.”

Rarity levitated her seamstress glasses and started examining the worn saddlebag midair. She rotated the object as she focused on it, spinning it left, then right, then rotating it to its side. One pouch slipped open and a folded yellow dress with a pink bow slipped out, gliding gently, hitting the floor like a drop of water.

“Twilight, is this?”

“Yes, it’s the one you made me for my birthday,” she weakly smiled. “Even when I was exiled, I kept it with me. To remind me of better times.”

“Oh Twilight, you do know that I threw that together at the la-” Rarity turned to Twilight and saw her staring off into the distance, smiling. “Right, but why did you pack it now?”

Twilight shrugged as her ears fell flat, and she hid her eyes beneath her bangs, “Humans wear clothes all the time, and we are not on good terms right now, so I thought that having something to wear might help him lower his guard around me, and that’s my favorite dress, so…”

“Say what you want about humans,” Rarity said, gently lifting the dress and placing it on her table. “More ponies could follow their lead with regards to wearing clothes.”

Twilight lowered her head and nodded, her mane gently following, “Thank you very much. I also need to ask you to do me another favor. I won’t be able to store my library of books in my apartment, could you-”

“Of course. Just leave your keys with me before you leave. Though, be honest with me Twilight,” Rarity turned away from the saddlebag and looked directly at Twilight, her ears facing the mare. “Are you going to need some extra bits for this?”

Twilight muttered out, “Yes.”

Rarity smiled, “Don’t worry Twilight, everything’s going to be okay.”

An hour had passed as Rarity worked on the bag, seamstress glasses and ears at full focus on the project in front of her on the second floor. She was biting several pins and needles in her mouth as she sewed the extensions to the old saddlebag atop the mannequin, covering its hip. Next to her were three sheets of paper she quickly drew on, giving viable locations of pockets and straps. Letting her inner tailoress take over, over a decade of practice on both aesthetically pleasing dresses of her youth and the pragmatically practical saddlebags for the war took over. She did not have to think. She knew what needed to happen next. Where to place the next stitch, where to slice a snip off.

Rarity stopped and pulled the pins and needles from her mouth and let out an exhale. Her work studio was a combination of living space and workspace. Her bed was off to the side, while next to it, her collection of bolts sat orderly, hung against the wall. She looked over at the davenport. Her old friend, laying atop it, sleeping. Smiling, she called forth a blanket hanging nearby and gently covered Twilight with it. Turning away from her, she walked downstairs as Opalescence, having just woken up, tread up the stairs. They passed each other as Rarity reached the bottom floor and approached the window that had a fine blue and pink dress placed neatly on a mannequin for all the world to see.

Biting her lower lip, she magically lifted it up, moving it away and started moving crates and boxes, making sure the names on them did not show out the window, doing her best to barricade it. Then she moved to the next display and repeated the action. Once they were all blocked, she pulled the chair she had been sitting on only an hour earlier and jammed it beneath the lever door handle.

Looking at the room, Rarity closed her eyes. She had stopped by Twilight’s yesterday afternoon, then to her place of work, only to find a single stallion running the shop. Then she stopped and focused on a memory. Days ago she overheard a warning when out with a business partner. Then, 16 hours ago, when she took the measurements of a friend of a friend for her dress, did that same warning creep up. A warning that she did not want to take seriously. A warning she decided to take seriously. A warning about the referendum.

Chapter 19: Scavenger

Twilight woke up as she could smell the stench of drool emanating from the side of her mouth. Slowly rousing herself, she lifted her front leg and wiped off her mouth. Shaking her head, she plopped herself up, and Twilight saw that she was covered by a blanket. Folding the blanket the best she could, she left it atop her sleeping spot as Twilight slipped down, taking the boutique stairs. Her ears suddenly shot right, strange sounds of breaking and yelling could be heard. At the bottom of the staircase, Twilight could see Rarity staring out the window with her ears at attention. And next to her was a saddlebag that looked like it could reach from her shoulders, all the way to the end of her rump.

“That looks like one of the saddlebags our troops would carry only…” Twilight looked out the same window as Rarity, there were ponies running down the street. “A lot more baggage room…” Twilight said as she parked aside Rarity. Looking at the window, she took a step back as she saw rioters on the street. At the far end, one mare bucked in the door to a standalone shop, while at the other end, two unicorns were making away with as much jewelry as they could wrap around themselves and levitate. “Rarity, what’s going o-”

“I spent months making those dreadful bags. I hated every second of it, but not because I was making the bags. But because the war made me make those bags,” Rarity remained staring out the window.

“Rarity, what’s going on?” Twilight said uneasily.

Rarity just stood, staring. Her blue mane jiggled a little, and every few moments, her tail would swish. “Not a parade, that’s for sure.”

Twilight looked on as a giant Earth Pony mare bucked a post office box, busting it open and sending letters and small packages flying, “Wait, is that why you were up last night?”

Rarity nodded, “I tried to find you yesterday when I was convinced something like this might happen. It was just rumors. First time, I brushed it off as something said in the heat of the moment. Then a friend of a patron repeated it. Word for word almost.”

Twilight turned to Rarity, “What time is it?”

“About 9,” Rarity said, turning to Twilight. “Do you still plan on going?”

Twilight’s ears folded back as she nodded, “If I don’t, I might lose him for good. Even if he doesn’t show up at first, it’s the only place I know he might be at.”

Rarity nodded, “I can make sure that you make it a block or two from here, but after that I have to come back and hold down the fort. If I don’t, and those hooligans will burn the place down, it’s not just me that suffers. My employees and patrons will suffer too.”

“I understand,” Twilight turned and walked towards her saddlebag. She lowered her head and crawled beneath its hard arch before pushing past it and standing up. Suddenly, she could feel a firm tightness wrap around her stomach as the strap connecting the bottom of the two arcs contracted. “Whoa–”

“A little piece of inscription work from one of my suppliers. That should keep you going until you get that dreadful ring off your horn,” Rarity said, still looking outside.

“Rarity, this is fo-”

“Twilight,” Rarity snapped her head to her friend, “Do not presume you can lecture me on this matter. Until you can get that awful ring off your horn, you need every advantage you can get.”

“But Celestia,” Twilight started.

“Twilight,” Rarity finally turned her body in full towards her friend. “Maybe as a lower royal that has lived a pampered life in Canterlot, you have the luxury of saying no to such help. But a common mare like myself?” Rarity leered at Twilight with her ears dipped, “Ever since you’ve arrived, you’ve needed my help. I still help pay your rent and will be taking it on until I can move all your books out. I helped get you that job at the bookstore. Not only that, but I have been patient and understanding with you. So, I will absolutely not tolerate such a sanctimonious attitude, especially from you.” Rarity lifted her head high, “Especially from a mare personally banished by Celestia herself. Do I make myself clear?”

Twilight took a step back and lowered her head, “Rarity…”

“Rarity what?” the white unicorn raised an eye.

“I just don’t want to see you hurt or worse, if that kind of magic,” Twilight started to say, turning her head towards the saddlebag she wore.

“I won’t, and neither will you. Humans have a good grasp of that kind of magic,” Rarity said, then let out a laugh. “Maybe that’s why you resonate with that human in particular, to compliment you on the parts of magic you’re too afraid to use.”

Twilight groaned when Rarity spoke up.

“If you are so worried about the prefabricated inscription I used, leave it. I would rather give my hours of hard work to somepony who can appreciate it than one like you who will call my work cursed and ditch it as soon as I was out of sight,” Rarity frowned.

Twilight nodded and stepped forward. She could feel her hips rubbing against the soft, smooth outer layer of the saddlebag, covering her stars. The strap around her belly felt like it tightened and loosened itself with each step she took. It weighed almost as much as it did before Rarity’s modifications, but her shoulders could feel the pressure of the extension that was attached pushing down.

“So you won’t ditch it?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, closing her eyes and giving a nod. “I know it’s difficult, but I promise you, all it does is ensure that it’s always just tight enough to make sure it won’t fall or slip off. It won’t explode, and it won’t summon demons.”

Twilight turned to the window once again to see more mares and now some griffins and dragons were running about as well, “What happened?”

“The referendum,” Rarity said as she started opening up Twilight’s pockets and double-checking them. “As far as I can tell, the pro-kingdom supporters are claiming that they were being refused entry, though there are shouts on the street it was the other way around,” Rarity said, closing the pockets. “I put some extra bits in your left front most pocket. If something bad happens, I’ve sewn some extra bits between the skirt and the anti-chafing layer. Though, if it comes down to that, the saddlebag will ride you raw, so you’ll need to do something to prevent that or, let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, you’ll just have to abandon it. Or if you get your magic back by then, you can come up with some sort of fix yourself.”

Twilight nodded, “Thank you so much Rarity. I couldn’t have made it in this city without you.” Twilight approached Rarity and gave her a hug with her left leg.

“It’s no problem darling, let’s get you on the road, and I promise you that the moment this vandalism dies down, I’m going to get your books and they’ll be safe with me.”

Rarity looked out the window one more time, a small human ran by and threw a rock at the display of a vacation planner. It sailed straight through, hitting the cardboard cutout of a mare levitating a drink, winking with the words, ‘This vacation was to die for!’.

“Your Eques,” Rarity said. “You think he’ll have any difficulty getting to the train station? A human-stallion by himself, he is likely to wander off or get distracted by the chaos.”

Twilight let out a grunt and rolled her eyes, “He was able to avoid me for three days in a row, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sleeping through all this racket.”

The crash of glass rang out across the room as a tree limb on fire thrust forth from the window into the depths of the hotel room, jolting Xavier up in a scream, “The fuck?”

It sat there on the wooden floor, slowly billowing smoke as Xavier rolled over on the other side of the bed, and quickly pushed himself up.

“The fuck?” Jade’s voice dully rang out from the restroom. “What in Tartarus happened?”

Xavier kept his distance from the long burning branch as more and more smoke and fire engulfed the room. Xavier coughed up for a moment before glancing at the window, and glancing back at the mare behind him.

“Get me out of here now!” The Crystal pony pounded on the barrier.

“Fuck, fuck…” Xavier exclaimed as he looked between the window that had been shattered and the pony trapped in the bathroom behind him. The fire kept raging in front of him and soon spread to other parts of the room, catching the curtains on fire as well. The human clenched his fists for a moment before relaxing, finally muttering out loud, “A little help, please…”

But nothing happened. The fire kept raging and the smoke kept billowing.

“A little help? What are you doing? Break this inscription now!” The Crystal pony slammed her hooves against the magical wall behind him.

“Look, I’m sorry for what happened at the university, so please… A little help?”

“What do you think I’m trying to—”

“Oh, fuck you!” Xavier screamed as red flashed in his eyes. “I hope Scootaloo lets you rot! You indignant fuck! This is why I never ask for your fucking help! Either you completely ignore me, or you go fucking overboard! I ask for your help, instead of keeping two ponies away from me, you call in a dust storm that almost sweeps me away! I ask for your help, and you let Thunderclaw die! I ask for your help, and instead you get so pissy at me wearing a parachute that you fucking try to mangle me and toss me into that forsaken pit! I wish I never danced at that temple! Letting the Zebra keep hitting their heads trying to figure out how to talk to you while you watch the world pass on by! Some fucking aspect you are! Even Celestia, even after everything she’s done, was right to suppress information on you and your cohort! At least Beheianir understands that they might have to give out a gentle helping hand every on-”

Suddenly, everything flew out the window. Xavier fell on his ass as smoke was being sucked out and the fire whipped violently as it began to go out part by part. Xavier grabbed the door frame with one arm and covered his face with his other arm as more of the room flew out. Jade was pulled, only for the barrier to catch her. Turning, she saw the human grabbing onto the door frame with both arms. A flash of yellow glinted across his wide green eyes as they stared at the Crystal Pony. The alarm clock hit the side of the window, letting out a ring as it flew out the window. Then it was followed by the drapes, the pillows, all sucked up through the window. Then, as soon as it started, the wind died down.

Xavier suddenly fell to the ground, and let out a sharp grunt. Picking himself up, he wobbled as he fell back down and heaved, laying on the floor unmoving, “T~thank you.”

Xavier picked himself back up and approached the large tree limb. It still had some leaves on it, but the end was ripped, twisted off. Bending over, he placed his fingers across three deep, fresh pits.

Xavier stood up and said, “Drago-” when a loud bang emanated from the shattered window. A giant thrust of wind striked the human, slamming him against the wall of the hotel as he let out a shriek, then another yelp as gravity took over and he rag dolled against the counter, then the floor.

“What in the Aurora Lights was…” Jade uttered as Xavier pushed himself up and looked at the window. He stayed motionless as the ripped window curtains danced gently. He breathed in and out. In. And out, as he watched the torn fabric flutter. Slowly, the curtains began to relax. The rabid rocking to and fro slowly simmered. The ravaged feathering of the curtains then let gravity take hold. A pendulum motion formed. Back half a second. Forward less than half a second. Finally, everything froze.

The human twisted his head back to the floor and slowly forced himself up. Standing on two legs once again, he patted himself down, then touched the back of his head and checked his gloved hand. Shaking his head, he grabbed the once burned tree limb and moved it all the way towards the window. Approaching his bag, he picked it up off the ground and off the wooden leg it caught onto in the windstorm and looked around the area before putting it back down. He grabbed the wrapped, long package that had hooked itself on the doorknob and laid it against his bag. Turning to the window, he crept towards it, maneuvering around the branch as the sounds of screaming and hoof steps slowly reverberated through the room. Outside there was a cavalcade of ponies of all kinds, running crisscross across the street as various debris flew about. Small groups pooled together and worked either to destroy something or stand back as one or two ponies were ravaging property.

He saw three dragons, a huge one flanked by two smaller ones, ripping the limbs off a tree and lighting it on fire. The large one pulled his arm back as he threw another inflamed spear at the hotel.

“Shit.”

“Well… Let me out! I’ll get you to safety, then we can worry about everything else.” Jade shouted from the bathroom.

Xavier turned to Jade and then turned back to the window. He began to pace, as the fingers on his gloved hands started flicking up and down. His eyes looked left and, then right, then left again before turning back to Jade for a moment, and approached his backpack. Digging, he pulled out the small, stubby knife from earlier. Twisting his head, he gazed at Jade. His right eye was nearly devoid of color. There was only white and black when he turned and faced her, the knife extending from his hand.

“Xavier…” Jade glanced up at him.

The human slowly walked towards the barrier, his face still. Both eyes wide open. He stood facing Jade, staring at the emerald green pony as rage slowly crept through her face.

“You try, and I promise you, you will wish-”

Xavier fell, kneeling to the ground as he scraped the floor with his knife. Sparks flew as he quickly scratched line after line of the inscription. The ambit connecting the words sparked as he flailed about. Red and green shimmered across the magic veil when Xavier stopped and stood up.

“Thank you, fucking finally,” Jade exhaled. She took a step forward and crimson light stopped her, “Um, excuse me, that didn’t take it the fuck down!”

“I know,” Xavier said as he walked back to his bag, depositing the knife. Strapping it and the covered object on, he turned to the mare. “I’ve sabotaged the timing mechanism. Three minutes Jade, three minutes is all I can spare. The moment it falls, take the stairs down and just leave. I will not be in the building,” Xavier walked over to the bed and, bending with his knees, lifted it up sideways and rolled it over to the shattered window, laying it against the square hole.

“Why? Just let me out, dammit!”

“I don’t want to see you dead, but at the same time, I’ve got business to attend to. After the barrier breaks down, I’d recommend heading back to the consulate. Though, if the rioters are pro-kingdom…” Xavier turned to Jade, “You’re a smart pony, you’ll figure it out.”

“Xavier!” Jade screeched, “You do this, and you’ll be deported!”

“Oh zip it.” Xavier rolled his eyes. “You think vague threats of deportation concern me?” Xavier walked out the door, “Frankly, given all that’s happened the last 24 hours, I’d welcome it. But unfortunately for the both of us, I have an obligation to see through. I will not let the others suffer as I have, soooo toodles.” Xavier waved goodbye to the Crystal pony as he walked out the door and into the hotel hallway.

Twilight and Rarity raced down the street as smoke rose from several sightlines. The sound of the crowd working together at destroying reverberated across the block, and the scent of ash hung in the air. The two ran past four dragons that were dragging out carpets from a dealer, while a group of Pegasi smashed open windows on high-rises and dragged out valuables. Down at the opposite end of the street, three unicorns were working together to rip the bricks from a building, having little luck.

“It was going to happen eventually,” Rarity said as she followed Twilight down another alley. “While most of the city was for the secession, my wealthier clients weren’t. And the plans they talked about during fitting sessions? I honestly thought it was just idle conversation.”

Twilight turned to Rarity as they ran, “I don’t understand, did they actually do something?”

“Maybe,” Rarity said as she leapt over a passed out Griffin. “But I didn’t think it would happen at first. But then I heard it again, this time from the other side.”

“Wait, so you heard it from both sides?” Twilight shot back.

Rarity nodded, “You have to understand, some are afraid of returning to Canterlot. They built their wealth off of its absence. While others, while not destitute, lost a lot. Both sides want to make sure they come out on top.”

“But I thought the city wants to stay seceded, I think. Any tax revenue they gain doesn’t have to be sent back to Canterlot,” Twilight said.

“Right, most of the politicians are fine with the current status quo, but again, there are powerful ponies who found themselves on the wrong side of the border when the referendum passed.”

“I think Peppermint might have been one of them. Sometimes I hear her talking to our more wealthy patrons, but she’s more worried about profits than returning to the kingdom,” Twilight said, turning the corner. Suddenly, Twilight felt a tug on her tail as she suddenly scooted backwards and back into the alley. “What th-”

“Shhh…” Rarity said as she lowered her profile and motioned towards the mare that was off center in the middle of the thoroughfare. Rarity whispered to Twilight, “What’s that?”

Twilight angled her face and tilted her head. She could see a unicorn whose horn broached her mane and a small red orb hovering above her. It churned with fire, a low rumbling hum emanated forth as its light shone brighter than even the sun above. Then both Twilight and Rarity could see that the orb was growing larger and larger as the low hum gradually erupted into a roar.

“It’s a scorched-earth spell, if I had to give a guess, she plans on charging that thing up as much as she can and running, it will spit fireballs in every direction without her having to be there.” Twilight turned to Rarity, “She plans on burning the entire neighborhood down.”

“There has to be something we can do, I know at least a fourth of the shop owners on the street alone! They’ll be ruined,” Rarity said as she lifted her front legs up and down anxiously. “I don’t suppose you learned any kind of counter spells that could stop it, right?”

“Ignoring the ring on my horn? I would have to figure out the exact spell she’s using, and use the exact counter spell to negate it. But no one studies counter spells because if you make the wrong call and cast the incorrect counter spell, it makes things worse.” Twilight kept staring at the mare as the orb continue to grow.

“Can I just throw something at her horn?” Rarity asked as she lifted a discarded glass bottle.

“Only if you want to accidentally kill her, she’s too deep into the spell, stopping her now might make it just go pop,” Twilight shook her head. Looking around, her eyes widened.

“Rarity, do you see that store with the long cloth covering overhead?” Twilight turned to her friend.

“You mean the awning?”

“Yes, while the spell is still small, if we can cover it with something, when it goes pop, most of the heat and fire will be contained within the cloth.”

Rarity nodded as she thrust herself onto the street, deftly ripping the cloth roofs from their hooks with her magic. The long thick fabric flew over to the growing fire orb and from beneath, was quickly wrapped up and topped off with an elegant knot.

“What the-” the unicorn mare under the spell gusted out when suddenly a loud bang filled the street and the enclosed spell suddenly expanded like a balloon, then contracted as the textile erupted into flame. Breaking from her position, the unicorn ran before the molten textiles could pour on top of her.

“Who the Tartarus-” the mare looked around, only for a garbage can to catch her on the left. She quickly turned to see Rarity with a wooden outdoor table for two floating in midair and primed for release. “Okay, okay, lets dan-” the mare was interrupted for a final time as Twilight’s rear hooves bucked into her skull. The mare caught some airtime before returning down to the earth, knocked out.

“You know, you’ve always had a strong buck for a unicorn,” Rarity said, turning to Twilight.

“Quickly, let’s hide her before we continue,” Twilight said as she walked over to the unicorn she just kicked.

“Just a curiosity, is there anything we can do to make sure she can’t cast a spell? At least until the riot is over,” Rarity asked as she hovered the mare behind some bushes.

“Not unless you can give her this black ring of mine,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “The only other option is amputation or cracking her horn, but…”

“Of course, I wouldn’t do that to another unicorn,” Rarity nodded. “It’s just that we can’t be sure she won’t do something before then. You’ll be gone, and I’ll be holding down the fort, so to say.”

“Maybe if you see any police on the way back, you can let them know,” Twilight looked around, still watching the vandalism. She turned to Rarity with a frown, “I’m so sorry to have to leave you like this.”

“Darling, I know that if our positions were switched, you would do the same for me. Take some advice from a mare who has dealt with a few humans here and there. Where they come from, anything that walks on four legs are seen as ether pets, livestock, or beasts, so you are going to have something of an uphill battle. They may have canines, but they can subsist well off bread and vegetables. Finally, they’re not as predatory as rumors have you believe. They don’t need to hunt every fullmoon, and if two or more of them interact, they don’t fall into a bloodlust.”

“Thanks Rarity,” Twilight nodded and gave her friend a hug. “The moment I find somewhere safe, I’ll send you a letter.”

“Good, now get out of here before the city gets worse.”

Twilight gave her friend another hug and a head nod before turning and running down the street and towards the train station.

The doors to the small bank swung open as Xavier walked past the polished oak and green leather furniture. Several ponies at their desks glanced up at him only to glance down back at the work they were trying to do. Most of them were Crystal ponies, however the odd unicorn here and there also did work, while two earth ponies guarded the safe. Winding through a chain-link queue, Xavier arrived at the only teller that was currently not enraptured in gossip.

“Right, I need to make a transfer from my accounts to an account at the Manehatten University credit union,” Xavier said as he looked behind him and tapped his fingers repeatedly on the oak counter in front of the Golden Crystal pony.

“Okay, fill this out please,” the teller glanced up at him as the human kept an eye behind him. Xavier took the slip and quickly filled it out, sliding it back over to the mare in front of him.

“All right,” the teller quickly folded the paper and slid down a slot on the counter. “Anything else?”

“Yes, I need to make a withdrawal,” Xavier’s fingers tapped faster as he flashed a plastic smile.

“Is everything okay, Sir?” the teller raised her eyes as she slid another piece of paper over.

“Yes, yes, everything is great!” Xavier shot a strain smile towards the teller as he filled out the piece of paper. Sliding it back over to the mare, she lifted an eye as she skimmed it.

“That’s quite a bit to carry,” the teller shuffled beneath the counter as a yellow light shone from a bulb right next to her, then she slipped the paper into another slot. She pulled out several stacks of paper bits and counted, pulling from each stack and placing it into a new stack.

“10, 20, 30…”

Xavier’s fingers tapped faster and faster as he looked behind him. The mare looked up and stopped.

“Is everything okay, sir?”

“Sorry,” Xavier glanced to his left. “I’ve got to get this money to purchase some,” Xavier looked up for a second, “Flank uh, uh…”

“Flank paint?” the teller said, as another mare pulled to the site of her, her yellow face sharp and green mane tied up in a tight bun.

“Yes, that’s the one! Yeah, if I don’t get this to my uh,” Xavier shook his head. “Wife, she’s going to impale me…”

The teller froze as the second mare raised an eye. The two looked at each other before slow turning their gaze at Xavier, “Wife huh? Which brand Sir?” the second mare asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Ha ha ha, you know…paintatento or whatever.” Xavier glanced back as his eyes widened. The front windows of the bank suddenly shattered as a park bench rolled forward, and two unicorns charged in behind it.

Xavier quickly glanced back behind him, where the other two employees were still staring at the chaos. Lunging forward, he grabbed as many bits as he could claw and dashed forth out the front door.

“What the-” the teller shouted.

“Guar-!” the other mare screamed before more ponies poured in.

Paper bits flew out from Xavier as he finally started stuffing what he could into his pockets. Glancing behind, he could see two members of the bank giving chase after him. Grabbing a handful of cash in one pocket he had, he turned and chunked it at the ponies. They immediately stopped and tried to get what bits they could as Xavier rounded the corner and disappeared from the main street.

The human hid behind a dumpster for a moment as he caught his breath. The stench of mildew and fake cheese serenaded the air as Xavier began patting himself down. Pulling the money he stole from his pockets, he quickly ordered it into four large rolls and a small one. Then he stuffed one in his left pocket, two deep into his backpack. Taking the last large one, he divided it into two and folded the two. Taking off his shoes one at a time, he stuffed the billfolds in and laced up. Finally, he took his bandana off and took the small one, unrolled it and placed it between the cloth’s folds. Placing the wrapping around his head, a black and purple bruise still gracing it, he quickly tied it, both tails now dangling once again behind him.

Taking a moment to breathe in and out once more, he ran down the alley way to the other end, glancing down the new street. More chaos. He saw two earth ponies both jumping into a shattered storefront window, while a Griffin flew out another store window with jewelry enveloping them. He even saw two humans, a woman and man, rushing out of a liquor store with several bottles in hand.

Peering even further down the street, he could see a general storefront sign with ponies running in and out. Double-checking to make sure his shoes were tied, Xavier pulled out an elastic piece of cloth from his backpack and quickly wrapped his mouth and nose beneath it. Securing his backpack and covered goods, the human sprinted down the street, avoiding oncoming denizens of Equus. Taking a sharp left, he jumped through the doorway and took a quick look at the dark store.

Several ponies were zooming back and forth. Picking an aisle and running, he soon came across the few meager traveling supplies the store even had. A glass case was smashed, revealing, among other goods, two black flasks with a cartoon hoof and a sparkle. Swiping the two bottles of lacquer, he stuffed them in his backpack before running and stumbling for a moment. In front of him were rows and rows of baby unicorn bindings. A giant cartoon sign showed a herd of earth ponies exhausted from trying to keep a baby unicorn under control, with the panel next to it showing the binding on its horn, with the baby suckling a bottle of milk as the herd looked on with smiles. Xavier pulled his bag off his back and started stuffing what he could. His bag hit near maximum size, despite him trying to stuff more in. Grimacing, he swung the bag on his back and tightened it, leaving the bindings he could not throw in there on the floor. He ran deeper into the store when his face met the floor, having accidentally tripped over an earth pony who was carrying rock candy in her mouth.

Xavier stumbled up as the mare made a glancing buck, missing the human entirely and smashing a display full of dandelions. Yellow flowers flew into the air and into a Pegasus who was carrying coats on her spine. Startled, she crashed, and hit the ground with a loud bang as Xavier caught his balance and ran deeper into the store.

Then the familiar color of pink rose around him. Looking around the makeup section, there were several mares grabbing what they could and running. Two mares, however, were in a tug of war: one had her teeth on a basket while the other who was blue coated and silver maned was pulling it with her magic. In the middle, however, Xavier could see it: a sleeve of Pentimento.

Xavier picked up two vials of eyeshadow and took 3 deep breaths and ran at the pair. Throwing the vials at both, he hit both. The earth pony looked around with her eyes confused as the Unicorn let go, launching the goods in the basket in the air. Xavier caught the Pentimento and ran as the Earth Pony frantically tried to pick up what fell on the ground. Tucking it in between his arms like a football, Xavier’s legs slammed on the ground as he pushed himself forward, out the store and back on the cobblestone walkways.

Four earth mares were working together to take down a gazebo, several Pegasi in the sky trying to get a gang of griffins grounded by constantly zooming above their heads. A single unicorn was rushing out of the music shop with three small instrument cases. Then at the very end of the street, he saw two dragons with many stacks of newspapers. They quickly crumbled one, lit it on fire, and tossed it into a building. Xavier shook his head as he looked around, trying to gain his bearings. Before long, he could see the same green buildings that led to the train station and immediately turned towards them, only to feel a tug on his left shoe. Falling, Xavier let go of the flank paint as he forced his front two limbs to protect his head. He tumbled for two entire rolls before pushing himself back up and seeing the perpetrator being the blue coated and silver maned unicorn whom he threw eyeshadow at earlier.

“You think your kind can just waltz into our world and just ruin everything?” The mare said as a look of disgust covered her face. Her horn glowed a faint blue as she lifted the flowerpot next to her and shot it at Xavier. The human covered his face with his bound arms and took the hit, stumbling a few steps back as he let out a hiss.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m just looking to get out of the city. So if you just let me go, you’ll never see me again,” Xavier shot a smile at the unicorn who kept her focus on the human in front of her. Suddenly, her horn glowed again as she shot another flowerpot at Xavier. Striding to his left, Xavier suddenly closed the distance between him and the unicorn while she had a garbage can held aloft in the air. His right arm shot out, his thumb tightly held in the fist of his hand, and fired it, slamming it against the mare’s horn.

The garbage can fell as the mare screamed and took three steps back, falling on her hind legs. She lowered her head and hissed. Pivoting on his heel, Xavier scooped up the Pentimento and once again took off, rushing down the primary thoroughfare as the sun kept rising in the sky, shining down on the city erupt with flame.

Chapter 20: Discorida

Xavier shirked into the alleyway, darkness covering him as he watched the train station entrance area. The peppermint mare that had given him so much trouble before was dragging as much of the outdoor furniture from surrounding restaurants as she could to cover her storefront, having already closed the display windows. Suddenly, a large brick careened through a window to her left, startling both the mare and the human watching. Xavier looked up to see a turquoise and yellow Griffin, laughing with delight before she took off, with the bookstore manager magically carrying a trashcan of her own and giving chase.

“Looks like she had problems well before I showed up,” Xavier grunted and shook his head. He changed directions and looked down the other end of the street. A diamond dog smashing into the display at Ferdinand’s, grabbing what lingerie they could and fleeing. A bakery where the mares that worked it were throwing uncooked dough out the door to hit rioters. Two Pegasi were distracting a unicorn as a Dragon rolled her pretzel stall away. Then, deftly avoiding raw dough, Xavier saw Twilight weaving. She kept to the side. Soon she slowed down and stopped outside the bookstore, and looked around. The human hissed at the mare three times before grabbing a pebble and throwing it. Xavier winced as he realized his aim was off and squarely hit Twilight on the neck.

“What the-” the mare turned to Xavier’s direction and saw him. Pivoting on her hooves, she made a mad dash to him as he retreated deeper into the alleyway.

“Why did you hit me?” Twilight snorted.

“I was just trying to get your attention,” Xavier approached the exit to the alleyway and looked down the thoroughfare.

“You could have tried shouting,” Twilight said as she looked behind her. “I doubt they’re selling tickets…”

“Yeah, well, it’s not my fault that this place erupted into discord,” Xavier grunted. “Are there any train stations on the outskirts of the city?”

“Not that I know of, though we could try leaving through the west exit,” Twilight muttered.

“I have a feeling that it’s just going to get worse for us if we try to go through the city again.”

“Well, we could follow the rails,” Twilight nervously said as she looked up at the human. “If we follow the railroad northward, we should eventually hit a road that leads from here to Trotston.”

“Trotston?” Xavier glanced down at Twilight before returning his gaze to the rioting streets.

“It’s about 16 km west of the city. First stop if you were leaving here towards the kingdom’s interior,” Twilight gulped. “But since it’s part of the Manehatten Metropolitan border, when the city seceded, they seceded as well, so you should have free rein to move about. However, as we go further west…”

“I understand the dangers. Anything else?” Xavier remarked without looking down.

Twilight backed up for a bit and inspected the human her song bound to her. She could see he had a fresh cut on his cheek and was now wearing wireframe glasses. The maw of facial hair that wasn’t unlike an ill kept stallion had been sliced off, revealing skin and the facial structure that was hidden behind it. What had been a greasy, tangled mane was now cut nearly to the scalp, though with slightly uneven red patches. He suddenly shifted his head and eyes towards her and asked, “Well?”

Twilight blinked and then shook her head, “The only other thing is that if they catch me with my cutie mark, I doubt that will stop them from trying to extradite me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got an entire array of colors in my backpack. Pentimento right?”

“Yeah,” Twilight poked her head out onto the street, trying to get a good look at what Xavier was seeing. “Wait, hang on, how did you ge-”

“There is a stationery shop near the entrance to the train station, I need to stop by there,” Xavier said as he started securing his bag’s straps.

“I doubt that we’ll be able to buy anything,” Twilight puffed out.

“Who said anything about buying?” Suddenly, Xavier started running, and Twilight took a step back before realizing what was going on. Quickly checking both ways, she galloped, quickly catching up to Xavier.

“You can’t just pillage what you want, these are pony’s livelihoods at stake!” Twilight tried to hiss, but it only came out as a loud exhalation.

“Oh yes, I can,” Xavier answered without missing a beat. “That’s the beauty about riots, everyone gets the five-finger discount.”

“Five-finger discount?” Twilight asked as the two proceeded deeper and deeper into the thoroughfare. Xavier nearly stumbled on protruding cobblestone before catching his balance and pushing forward. Soon the two found a small, narrow alley store, with a large sign saying stamps sold here. The interior was empty, and dark as Xavier tried to push the door open. Finding resistance, Xavier backed up for a moment, steadying himself.

“See, the doors locked,” Twilight sighed with relief. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Twilight turned away before her ears pivoted back, the sound of breaking glass raising her withers. She twisted to see that the human had kicked the side window with his cloak covering his left foot, then bent forward as his bound arms snaked along the interior. Two clicks and the sound of sliding metal later, Xavier propped the door open and entered.

“Stop that! Listen to me!” But her commands fell on deaf ears as the human was already inside and examining vials of ink, checking the bottom of each of them before stopping, and undoing his bag. Twilight watched as he unzipped a pocket and slid an entire shelf full of vials into the side of his backpack before zipping it closed.

“Why do you need that much ink? What are you even doing?! We need to get out of here before it gets worse out-”

“Ooohh…” The human slid around the postcards and into the back and stared at a glass case full of parchment. “Don’t mind if I do,” Xavier said as he picked up the case and dropped it on the floor, shattering the glass around it and exposing the parchment to air.

Twilight’s pupils narrowed as she watched Xavier bent over and, with little care, roll as much parchment as he could. He made a giant, uneven scroll and stuffed it into his backpack, throwing out rolls of baby unicorn wrappings to make room.

“Want any for your saddlebag?” Xavier pointed at the remains of the stack.

Twilight took three steps back, watching with horror, and then shook her head, “Xavier, this isn’t right!”

“If it wasn’t us, it was going to be someone else,” Xavier answered as he hefted his backpack back on and tightened the straps. “That or it would be consumed by fire. Think of this less as theft and more like a salvage operation.”

“You don’t know that!” Twilight’s horn glowed for a second before a tiny black arc reminded her what was still there. “It could have been just fine being left alone!”

“Let’s check the register, I wasn’t able to get the canvas or food, but if where we’re going has healthy commerce, we can pick stuff up there,” Xavier glided past the unicorn and back behind the counter. Using his arms to pick up the register, the human froze, staring at where the register had sat atop of.

“There’s an indent on the counter… huh.”

Xavier tossed the register onto the floor, letting gravity work its magic. The register popped open, the sound of its internal spring dying as it revealed only a small amount of money. But Xavier was kneeling down behind the counter, sticking his arm in one of the cabinets, he shifted around until a click rang out throughout the shop. Then, standing back up, the human’s eyes widened as he held a scant few sheets of parchment in his hand.

“Phoenix Parchment…” he muttered. He placed it on the countertop and quickly unbound his hand. Twilight lifted her left leg at the sight of his bare hands, scarred with those thin lines. The lines almost glimmered as he laid his appendage atop of the parchment, slowly rubbing it from side to side with his eyes closed. Then, shaking his head, he found a sleeve and slipped the phoenix parchment in, carefully stowing it away in his backpack.

“Xavier,” Twilight’s voice broke. “Please stop.”

But the human paid no mind to Twilight as he bent over the busted register and picked the bits up, not even bothering to count as he stuffed it into his pockets.

Twilight took six steps back even further from the human as her eyes began to get wet, “This, you can’t,” she stuttered and stumbled over herself until finally, “Why?”

Xavier turned to look at the mare that was just staring at him, her cheeks trembling, barely holding back the ocean that lay beneath. Xavier stopped shoving bits into his pocket, looked into her eyes and simply said in a low voice, “Inter arma enim silent leges.”

“This isn’t a war! We’re not barbarians!”

“Speak for yourself,” Xavier shook his head at Twilight, and looked around the shop. Approaching the rack, ripping off a folded piece of paper, he took three steps as he approached Twilight, stopping in front of her, he knelt down to get on eye level with her. He unfolded the document, revealing a map of the northern portion of the continent, and said, “Just put the location of the Abbey on this map. Then you can go home. No one has to know what happened the last few days. If they push, just tell them it was a false positive.”

Twilight took a step back as she recoiled, the human got up and grabbed a cheap pencil from a counter and laid it on the map, retreating away. The mare looked down at the upside down world that lay before her, with familiar names such as Canterlot, Ponyville, and Manehattan. She looked up at the human, trying to gain any piece of information she could from his visage. But he remained as a stone, his arms were twin snakes, twisting around each other and unmoving.

“I took the oath…”

“This is who I am,” Xavier said. “I don’t waste opportunities like this, I can’t afford to.”

“But you have to be better than this!” Twilight yelled. “We resonate!”

“Why?” Xavier said, rebinding his hand. “Did you expect a fairy tale ending? Or are you worried about what your magic blackbox’s selection says about you?”

“I don’t steal! I don’t destroy other ponies’ livelihoods! I don’t treat a riot where everypony could get hurt as Nightmare Night, only instead of candy, it’s chunks of poni’s hard work and lives you are taking!” Twilight’s eyes widened as panic filled her face. She looked around the partially pillaged shop and started gasping for air.

“Just the ponies huh, fuck the other species, are you really so conceited that it’s only ponies that this riot will affect?” Xavier narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t attack me with an Ad Equusinem!” Twilight snapped, her staggered breathing ceasing.

“This isn’t a fucking debate!” screamed Xavier. “This isn’t an academic situation where you and your fellow unicorns in Canterlot’s ivory towers can postulate the ethics of one’s behavior in the middle of chaos, then chuckle about it as you retire for the evening to your 12-course dinner! This is reality, Twilight Sparkle! The game is bigger than one pony’s shop, or 100, or even 10,000! We are going to be diving straight into Terra, no, Equus Incognito! We need every advantage we can get! If you can’t handle that, you need to tell me where the Abbey is and leave. Now.”

“I, I, but I took an Oath!”

“Oaths are just words. And words are cheap.”

“Not to me,” Twilight looked at Xavier with fury, walking over and kicking the pencil away from the map.

“When all this is said and done, you do realize that you might have to do more than just vandalize a tourist trap, right?” Xavier said as he walked forward, bending over and folding up the map before stuffing it in another one of his vast array of pockets.

“And when this is all said and done, I’ll show you a better way,” Twilight verbally nipped Xavier as she walked past him and out the door.

Twilight sat outside the stationery shop. Her ears folded back as she listened to the sound of breaking wood and cracking glass. While her ears kept her charge within hearing distance, her eyes were scanning the scene. From the distance, she could see several plumes of smoke emanating from the city skyline as the sounds of metal being bent came from the other side. She watched as one mare rolled a giant casket of ale from the side of a pub, while a buffalo and diamond dog were at the street corner, frantically looking around. The buffalo took off one way, and the diamond dog another.

“Twilight Sparkle? And with an obsidian ring?”

Twilight’s ears snapped to her right as her head jerked, and a brown Earth Mare at least twice her size slowly approached.

Twilight got up and looked at the mare, “You must have me mistaken, I’m Dusk Nightlight. And this isn’t a restraint, it’s just a-”

“Noooo no no no, I saw you once,” the mare said, her eyes narrowing. “And I know what an obsidian ring is, despite your piss poor attempts at hiding it behind your bangs.”

Twilight’s front left leg lifted to the base of her skull on instinct, then her eyes widened as she looked back at the approaching mare.

“When I worked as a teamster in Canterlot, I saw you once. I remember those eyes, those violet eyes,” she said, slowly approaching.

“I’m s~sorry,” Twilight uttered. “You must have me mist-”

“There’s no mistake about it, Twilight,” the mare glowered. “I was helping bring corn into the royal kitchen, and you were down there, screaming at the chef for serving you a quesadilla for your lunch. ‘Why would you send this to me for lunch! I was having a meeting with the princess! Do you know how embarrassing this is!’. Yeah, I remember you,” the earth mare spat.

Twilight’s eyes widened.

“Well, well, well… Decided to join the festivities? That would make sense, a degenerate like you would be out here causing mayhem. Just like the terror you caused that kitchen,” the mare said. “Though if that’s what I think it is, you’re quite powerless,” the mare kept walking forward, lowering her head and snaking along the ground.

Twilight backed off, despite the earth pony having lowered her head, she still seemed to tower above the purple unicorn. A light brown coat topped with dark brown mane, she had a scar that crawled from the top left of her temple, across her snout and tapering off near the neck.

Don’t look at the store. She’ll know. I’ve got to lead her away, if she knows who’s in there, she’ll use him as leverage. As lead mare, I’ve got to protect him! Twilight turned and walked away from the store. The mare followed as she carefully turned the corner. Twilight backed up into an alleyway with the dead-end, not 7 meters from the entrance of the stationery store. The earth mare pursued slowly, her blue, steely gaze like some predator about to pounce as she turned, her bright blue eyes focused on the unicorn.

“I wonder what the reward is for catching banished ponies and returning them to kingdom authorities?” the mare said when Twilight suddenly stood upright and lowered her head, showing her horn front and center. “At least 100,000 bits I reckon. I’ll be able to live off that for life.”

“We’re not in kingdom territory…” Twilight growled out.

“I doubt the kingdom would believe you, now if–” the earth mare was interrupted by Twilight, stamping her front hose down and pivoting, her retracted rear legs suddenly face first in front of the stranger. The earth mare’s head shot up, then like a spring, Twilight let loose, slamming the mare in the chest.

The assailant flew back a few feet, her eyes wide with surprise and a quick smirk about her mouth. Shaking her head, she turned to her victim and said, “That’s a lot of strength from a unicorn so small. But I’ve taken worse hits from smaller.” the mare said as she stabilized herself and continued her slow approach.

Twilight clenched her jaw, she prepared again. She shot another buck, only this time, she missed. The enemy lowered their head beneath her kick, then slammed it against Twilight’s abdomen. Letting out a wheeze, Twilight tumbled over and hit a brick wall.

“Element of magic, let me give you a hint, you may have surprised me once, but you won’t be surprising me a second time,” the earth mare said as she started stomping Twilight with her front legs.

Twilight bucked against the ground, missing the earth mare’s first hoof, but not the second. It slammed into her saddlebag, right in over the rib cage, but Twilight twisted, forcing it to slide off and hit the ground. The purple unicorn rolled herself up only to rear up, flicking her front hooves at her foe.

The earth mare followed suit and reared as well. She towered above Twilight as she shot one of her front hooves out, trying to provide her ample space when the earth mare collapsed on her, dark brown mane flashing above. Her hoof glanced, but connected with Twilight’s snout, as her head twisted with the impact. Then the world became a blur, the force of the hit reverberated, echoing throughout Twilight’s body. Twilight’s front hooves were forced to the ground as the rest of her followed suit. The immense strength of the Brown Earth Mare’s hit punished the Purple Unicorn.

Finally catching her wits, Twilight instinctually turned to buck the earth mare again, only for her enemy to snap back. The enemy’s right hoof caught Twilight by the neck and forced her to the ground. She rolled over and over, her saddlebag saving her from the worst as her momentum finally gave out at the dead end of the alley.

“This is for Fluffy!” the earth mare screamed as her hoof slammed against Twilight’s saddlebag. “This is for Ivory, and Lillypad you coward! Where were you when we needed you?! And this is f-” the earth mare froze as she saw the image of a cartoon sun and moon on a long, thick wrapping fluttering in front of her. The cartoon image of a blue and white baby unicorn frolicking in the field between both the celestial bodies flashed as the cloth gently enveloped her neck when suddenly she cried out in pain as her rear collapsed.

Twilight wheezed as her head turned, her eyes widened as Xavier’s knee had smashed down on the earth mare’s rear spine. His soft claws, gripping the ends of the unraveled cloth he used to cover his arms. The pony’s neck was caught in a simple twist, and not a sound came from her as her mouth reached toward the sky, trying to gasp for any air she could.

“Two choices,” Xavier said in a quiet, light voice. His left eyelid slightly drooped. “Use that amazing strength of yours and slit your own neck open trying to escape. Or let the gentle darkness take hold, and I promise you’ll find yourself safe. Death or Dreams. Make your choice.”

The mare wiggled and shot upright for a moment before her tongue fell to the side. Xavier held the cloth chain steady as she danced about, trying to free herself, holding like a rock against a storm. She struggled, reaching for the sky as Xavier held fast. Then, her eyes slowly closed as, finally, she went limp. Xavier loosened his twist as he quickly grabbed her, letting the mare down gently as she let out a heave, signaling she could finally breathe again.

Twilight looked at the mare, then back up at Xavier as his stone face simply looked down at the incapacitated pony. As carefully as she could, Twilight picked herself up. She could feel the cut on her snout, the bruising of her shoulder and the rest of her body where the earth mare had stomped her. Walking carefully around the still breathing body, its simple brown mane covering its face. Stepping behind Xavier, the human slowly bent down and reached out with his gloved hand, touching the hostile mare’s slowly expanding and contracting rib cage in a haggard manner. Twilight turned around to have a look at her surroundings. In the distance, more and more denizens showed up, and began raiding various outlets. Blood flung from Twilight’s snout as she shook her head and circled back in front of Xavier.

“Three rainbows with smiley faces,” the human said in a hushed whisper.

Twilight saw the once stoic face slightly frowning, his left eyelid still slightly drooping, halfway closed as he stared at her assailant. Glancing down at what he was looking at, she could see he was talking about the mare’s brand.

Xavier rose for a second, only to shift his position to behind the center of the incapacitated pony, then knelt. Laying his left gloved hand on her neck, he began to sing:

🎵When life becomes but a nightmare,

close your eyes and look north.

Watch as the Aurora comes into view.

Fall into that shimmering dream, fall,

and let the gentle lights lead you to the promised way between.🎵

The mare’s haggard breathing soothed, slowing down. Then, her muscles relaxed, before she let out a loud snore…

“What the hell must’ve happened to her, to go from that to this,” Xavier drearily intoned. He stayed still, like a statue, looking down upon Twilight’s assailant.

“‘In times of discord, the laws fall silent’,” Twilight shot at Xavier.

Suddenly, the face of a gentle human trying to comfort her assailant shot up and vanished. Its green eyes staring at the purple mare across from him as red flashed across them. He slowly lifted himself off the ground, not taking his eyes off her as his legs expanded, and his soft claws curled in towards themselves as he towered Twilight like an awakened dragon. His eyes pierced through the lavender unicorn. Twilight glared back, red flashing across her violet eyes. His lip curled, then finally he let his fists relax.

“Yahoo,” he said as he broke his gaze and turned away from both mares, heading deeper towards the train station.

The pair walked in silence past the empty ticket booths as the sound of the riot came from all directions. The two approached the train tracks and saw that someone had gone to work on them. Each of the line’s rails had been twisted and bent out of shape, like metallic tree roots sticking out of the ground.

“This way,” Twilight said as she walked towards the tunnel, her ears pointed ahead.

Xavier followed her in silence, only taking a moment to adjust the straps on his backpack, and to fully tuck in his bindings. Both parties jumped to the ground and stayed on the far right of the rails, moving through the dark, foreboding archway. The two went in deeper, and deeper. The sounds of flapping wings zoomed above them as they glimpsed three Pegasi rushing past them, going to manage mischief somewhere else. Next they passed a Human and a Dragon digging alongside the tracks. They froze, staring at the two as they passed on by, watching with intensity as the duo disappeared into the tunnel. Further down, they came across a small herd of ponies. The stallion was wrapping a blue Earth Mare’s head in bandages as a Unicorn and Pegasus mare formed a perimeter around them, with three foals sandwiched between them and the wounded pony.

“Mom, maybe they can hel-” one of the colt’s tried to say before one of the two mares let out a “Shhh”, keeping her eyes on Twilight and Xavier.

Twilight froze, lifting her leg and turning her head towards the herd, “Did you need an-”

“Keep moving purple stuff,” the pegasus mare growled. “And take that flat-faced freak with you.”

Twilight let out an exhausted breath and walked past the herd, the human following close behind. Soon, a tiny light glowed. And as they walked, it grew bigger and bigger as the two finally exited the tunnel and into the wilderness. Veridian trees running alongside the railway’s path, their destination as stationary as the ground beneath them.

Twilight looked up and saw clear skies, not a hint of cloud or a wisp of water vapor to be seen. Looking back, she could see more pillars of smoke emanating from the city, while there were several dots in the distant skyline, zooming around one another. Finally catching the sun’s location, she determined that there were still hours of daylight left, but not enough to get to their destination.

She turned to look at her Eques, and saw that he was taking in the sights. Every few moments, his head would shift direction, not focusing on any one spot for too long. Twilight opened her sore snout to say something, before closing and turning away. Shining would know what to do… Twilight thought as she pushed forward.

The orange prelude of night covered the skies as Twilight laid, tucking her front legs inward and watching the human gather sticks and tinder. She watched him assemble the stack of wood into a conical shape before putting a tiny log underneath it. Kneeling down, he took a sturdy stick and placed some kindling in one of the naturally occurring deformities of a busted trunk, and using his limbs, rubbed his gloved hands together with the stick in the middle. Twilight raised an eye as the human kept his focus on the set-up in front of him. The quiet screech of wood rubbing against wood fell atop them for a time. He kept working at the wood, and she kept watching. Twilight was about to raise her voice when the first plume of smoke emerged. A gentle ember of light shone. Xavier put more kindling onto it, letting it glow brighter and brighter. Sliding the log beneath the cone of wood, Twilight realized that, without magic, or flint and shoe iron, the human managed to make a fire that sang with crackles and pops.

“Neat trick,” she said, watching the flames flicker and dance about.

Xavier said nothing as he collapsed his legs into a knot and sat, looking into the fire. However, the dancing flames did not reflect off his glasses. Instead his two green eyes gazed, and were lost to the blaze ahead.

A gentle breeze rolled through the campsite as Xavier said nothing. Not a twitch nor a gesture communicated. His head was tilted slightly, giving the impression that despite there being a body, one that expanded and contracted with each breath, no one was home.

The orange of the sky fell into darkness, when Xavier suddenly moved, uncrumpling himself, he reached out for his backpack and dragged it over to him. His long covered arms digging into the fat depths as he pulled a long black rod, no longer than his hand. Carefully pulling a piece of parchment from his backpack, he turned his backpack over, placed the parchment over its flat side, pressed the end of the pen into it with his fingers, and wrote. He handled the rod almost like Spike did when he first clumsily learned how to use his claws to write. Only the human seemed twice as fast as he suddenly finished, and the sound of a tiny pop crackled throughout the campsite again. He extended his index finger and reread his work. Suddenly, he turned it upside down and once again popped the pen on the parchment. What had been tight tiny strokes were now replaced with long flowing movements, over and over again he circled the page. Then he blew on the parchment, rolled it up and chucked it into the fire. Blazing hot embers rose up as it twisted into themselves three times before dispersing to the wind.

“That’s phoenix parchment, right…?” Twilight asked as she watched Xavier, beginning to put his equipment away. “Could you…”

Xavier’s head turned and looked at Twilight. She let out a snort as her ears folded back, “I know you’re not happy right now, but I would deeply appreciate it if you would write for me a letter.”

“This is from the haul from the stationery shop, you sure you want to dirty your hooves with that?”

Twilight turned away and looked into the forest, and snorted, “It’s not like we can go back and just return it now, right?”

Xavier blinked, then turned and pulled back out the long, narrow pen and re-equipped himself with it. Pulling another parchment, he once again took his position and nodded to Twilight, who exhaled deeply.

“Spike, take a note.”

The Eques froze, his gaze slowly lifted from the parchment he had prepared and up towards Twilight.

“Oops, sorry,” Twilight glanced away in embarrassment.

The human returned his gaze towards the parchment and Twilight dictated, until suddenly, the human spoke up.

“You’re almost out of room,” he grunted.

Twilight blinked for a moment after being pulled out of her dictating trance, “Right, just tell him I love him very much and will try to get back in contact with him as soon as possible.”

The human quickly scribbled the request and picked himself up, walked over to Twilight and showed her the parchment, “Review it.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t need you getting paranoid that I wrote something different,” Xavier narrowed his eyes.

Twilight blinked before she read it. His penmanship was excellent, each word having no trouble being read.

“Looks good,” Twilight said, turning away from the human. Xavier folded it 3 times, then tossed it into the orange inferno. Another plume of embers erupted, dazzling the night sky as he returned to the sitting position, putting his ill-gotten goods away and returning to watching the flame. More moments became more minutes as the screech of an owl echoed throughout the forest.

Twilight finally gave out a sigh and said, “I’ll take first watch.”

Xavier’s eyes shifted from the flame to the mare. Emerald eyes that drank in everything that came into view. The navy blue sky shimmered across the heat of the fire as the scent of burning wood and nettle enraptured their senses. She could feel herself being studied, from top to bottom, side to side. She frowned, looked away from the human and shifted, worried. A small voice in her whispered that he was trying to find some defect, or deficiency within her.

Then his legs unfolded and pushed into the grass surrounding the dry patch of dirt that the fire stood center of, the bottom of his strangely covered feet digging into the earth. Moving his backpack, he adjusted it and laid his head atop it. His eyes closed, and as he adjusted, his closed eyes were replaced with the reflection of fire dancing on his glasses.

Exhaling, Twilight looked up at the night sky and looked at what stars she could see. She saw the great constellation of Glad, passing judgment over Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi while they tried to trap the seven colors of the rainbow. She saw Hengroen trying to hide, only for Llamrei to find him and propose to him the first marriage. Then she noticed something was off with the night sky. Twilight tilted her head and saw that the planets Xanthos and Phlogeus were absent. Twilight shook her head, then realized that she had been in the bright light of the city for so long, she had failed to keep track of the bodies of Luna’s night sky. Looking up again, she finally found one planet: Arion, directly overhead and in front of the star Sewell, both twinkling and bright, surrounded by the stars of the night sky.

A gentle breeze tussled Twilight’s bangs. She rolled over into the grass and grunted before another breeze rolled over her. Her right ear perked up at the sound of something nearby, something in melody. Slowly opening her eyes, the shade of the morning sun covered her as she carefully let her eyes adjust. Rolling right side up, she looked around and discovered that her eques was missing. Blinking once or twice, she jumped up and scanned the area before once again her ears alerted her to the music only a canter away.

Keeping her head low, she followed the music, quickly climbing up a nearby hill and reaching its precipice. And slightly below was her Eques, singing, his two limbs to his side as he faced a grove of trees and ahead: the blue morning sky.

“What are you,” Twilight said. The music suddenly ceased, the human’s head snapping to face her. “What are you doing?”

“Singing.”

“I know that, but why?” she asked as she lifted her front leg to wipe the solids from her eye.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Xavier said.

“Try me.”

The human turned, slowly this time. He glanced up at Twilight as she adjusted herself to the morning stiffness in her legs, “A long time ago, if you were a Pegasus or a Griffin, before taking a journey of any sort, one might sing to the wind for its blessing. Or at the very least, to ensure it didn’t decide to turn your trip into an odyssey.”

“And you’re expecting the wind to give us trouble?” Twilight raised an eye.

The human said nothing and simply narrowed his eyes at Twilight. He stood unmoving, even as the wind currents rushed past him, tussling the clothes he wore.

“Whatever…” Twilight said as she turned away and headed back towards camp.

Her eques lowered his gaze and returned to the horizon of trees ahead of him. Coughing twice, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The pine trees ahead of him all swayed in motion with the air currents passing through them. Exhaling, he breathed in and out. In. And out. Opening his eyes, he once again stretched out his arms as he began to sing.

Author's Note

Stratovarius - Hunting High And Low

And Yet the World Still Turns (Revolution 1)

==Spike==

Spike entered the tiny, rocky hole in the side of the mountain. He grunted as he turned to his side, his thick shoulders running along the narrow cave walls. His chin, ever prominent and his posture immaculate gave off a hardened regal view. Broad, purple shoulders flanked either side of his scaly green chest as the sulfur of the cavern hit him. Finally, the cave expanded out, allowing him to stand tall and face the path ahead of him. He rubbed his nose‌ as the scent of rotten egg trickled in, then sneezed. He continued until finally, the dry, yellow ignimbrite pathway ended, and at the very end was a wall of red scales that suddenly lifted up, revealing an enormous eye with a golden iris and a long, vertical pupil.

“Lord Razor, thank you for sending word. The kingdom of Equestria thanks you for—”

“Do not use that name here.” the hall echoed. “With Ember's untimely passing and Torch’s decline, I, like the others, now take on our right and proper names,” the cave around Spike rumbled as pebbles started falling from above. “You should know this, having taken the mantle of Dragon Lord temporarily. Though being raised amongst the Ponies must have dulled whatever sense of dragoness you still clung on to.”

“I apologize Lord Inferno,” Spike turned his scaled palms towards the eye and bowed his head. “That said, uh, why did you call this meeting?”

“I wish to renegotiate the terms of the Second Treaty of Everfree,” the voice bellowed throughout the mountain.

“Lord Inferno, hasn't the treaty served you well? It has kept you safe and –” Spike was suddenly cut off by loud rumbling.

“Safe? That unequal treaty hasn't kept me 'safe' in any sense of the word, with the sole exception of keeping me out of your princess's attention. But the Kingdom of Equestria's time in the sun is over. We of the Consortium can see where the winds are blowing. If you had been able to quickly force the Crystal Ponies of the north to capitulate, then maybe you would still be in a stronger position. But seeing now as your kingdom has been cut to less then half its size…” Lord Inferno trailed off for a moment, “Consider yourselves lucky that I only want to renegotiate. I want the stipulations on my speech exercised from the updated treaty. Furthermore, your Bit has been weakening as it seems that our world is returning to a more… Electrum standard, so to speak. I want the shackles on what I can invest in exercised as well.”

“Lord Inferno, I can assure you that the treaty isn't unfair. When you and Celestia signed it centuries ago–” once again the mountain rumbled as the pupil of the great eye narrowed.

“I was coerced, Pony with Scales. And it's obvious that your great leader no longer has the force to keep me subjugated to that piece of parchment. Or maybe she never had it,” the long pupil narrowed. “You're lucky I simply wish to renegotiate rather than make a total withdrawal.”

Spike pinched the bridge between his eyes and began to breathe heavily, “Lord Inferno, while I have no issue relaying your message to the princesses, you must understand that you're making a grave mistake.”

“Is that a threat?” The mountain shook as the pupil widened. “What is she going to do? Not raise the sun?” The mountain shook violently as the echoes of laughter reverberated throughout its core. “I grow tired of this. As envoy, you will relay my message to your Princess. If I do not receive a delegation in three months' time, and I am being generous giving her three months… I will withdraw from the treaty completely. Tell me, do you believe that your kingdom could survive me opening up my financial records for all to read?”

“You're being unfair! The Princess needs at least six months to prepare!”

“Unfair? UNFAIR!? Let me tell you what's unfair pony masquerading as a Dragon! Over a decade ago, as per our agreement, I moved. Only to be met with your six elements and forcibly vacate me from a mountain that is rightfully mine.”

“Your smoke was literally killing an entire town!”

“It is not my problem that the prevailing winds changed. But instead of sending your ambassadors to negotiate, you sent your elements, and the yellow one did her work. But now your kingdom is split, your elements shattered, and your Princess proven to be weaker than she appeared.” A snarl let loose through the cavern, “You have one fortnight to send a delegation to renegotiate.”

“You said three months!” Spike yelled. “Please, listen to reason. It's very possible that the last time any pony read up on the first or the second Treaty of Everfree may have been generations ago! We need more time to understand what was stipulated.”

“Would you like me to give you a hint as to what was stipulated?” The dragon's eye narrowed, “I assume you have knowledge of the minting of the bit in the treasury?”

“Of course, but what does this have to do with-”

“Do you know how long they have been minting the bit?”

“Um... No?”

“In the second Treaty of Everfree, I was given the inglorious task of removing bits from circulation. Now, do you remember how old the second Treaty of Everfree was?”

“At least five centuries,” Spike answered.

“You have seen some of my treasure hoard, and I can assure you, what you saw is merely a fraction of what I have at my disposal. Now ask yourself the following question: Why has a loaf of bread always been one bit?”

Spike stood in silence as he glanced left and right, trying to come up with any answer, “That's just how it is, it's always been one bit.”

“For every bit that your treasury prints, it gets handed over to the magistrate, which hands it over to ponies to do works, and they themselves hand their bits over to other ponies to do their works. If the treasury keeps printing bits, then eventually everyone is drowning in bits, correct?”

“I guess…”

“And what happens when everyone has bits, but there's only so much bread to go around?”

Spike's eyes started to widen, “You wouldn't…”

“Your Princess's reckless minting of the bit during the war has forced me to take in more extraneous bits than ever before. It's practically worthless now. So, allow me to explain to you exactly what will happen if I do not meet with a delegation in one week to renegotiate: I will begin to buy up as much of anything I can. Gems, property, bread, anything. I will flood the market with five centuries' worth of bit accumulation. Tell me, do you think that bread will be worth one bit then?”

Spike took a step back as his eyes gaped at the iris in the passageway. “No, you wouldn't…”

“I would. Be grateful that you are not dealing with 'Fang'. They would have just withdrawn. Though 'Scale' would've probably just started killing members of your treasury until your Princess got the hint.”

Spike looked down and then glanced to his left and right before holding out his arms. Clearing his voice, he asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

“Only that they have a decree from the Princess, stamped by her seal in Artinian wax, that they be permitted to negotiate in her place. That is, unless she wants to attend herself. Though given the Kingdom's state of affairs, I doubt I'll see horn or wing of her.”

“Of course, of course…” Spike said, giving a bow and turning to leave.

“I'm curious to know…”

Spike turned his head to look at the giant eye.

“My attendants tell me that you are new to the position of envoy, correct?”

“I am…”

“They tell me that despite being a citizen of the kingdom, you are treated as lesser, correct?”

Spike turned around and held his head high, “You have been misinformed, I am treated with the same dignity as any other subject of her Majesty.”

“And yet, according to my sources, you slept in a laundry basket? While attending to the needs of your adoptive family’s sister?”

“How did you…”

“Say what you will about us, 'Scale' is still your country's superior when it comes to information. That said, if you were treated with the same dignity, how come you didn't get a bed of your own? And what about your own schooling? Every pony is given a benevolent gift of an education. What school were you educated at?”

“I didn't go to school…”

“Oh, well that doesn't make sense. Do you still pay their taxes?”

“Yes…”

“And do you have the right to vote for your representative in the House of Baronesses?”

“There's only one of me, my vote wouldn't change a thing compared to the desire of the greater population.”

“Oh… But they still get the right to vote, don't they? They get a say in things. Why don't you?”

“Kingdom law doesn't have an official provision on citizenship for dragons.”

“And yet, during the war they went out of their way to pass legislation allowing for griffons who signed up to be granted citizenship. Why didn't they just extend it to any member of any species who possesses both wit and arms?”

Spike took a step back as he raised his claw hand to his head and shook it, “I…”

“Just some things to chew on. But take it from your senior, I know when someone's being used, and you…” the large Dragon trailed off.

The giant eye closed and the wall of red scales slowly moved as the humongous Dragon disappeared from the meeting spot. Spike let out a sigh as he began to exit the cave. Along the ignimbrite way, pinching himself through the narrow and finally, a vibrant green forest where the scent of crisp, yellow and red leaves cleared his nose. Glancing over at a rock, a blue Pegasus with white hair and cloud brand stood up.

“Good news?”

“Bad, Pillow. Razor wants to renegotiate the old treaty. And if we don't, he's going to…”

“Or what?”

“Let's just say that everyone will be the poorer for it, Pillow,” Spike fell to his rear end and held the palm of his clawed hand against the top of his head.

“If he's getting uppity, I'm sure that Celestia herself will come down and remind him who's who,” Pillow snorted, looking away from the dragon and towards the falling sun.

“We really shouldn't be banking on her Majesty to do anything like that,” Spike grimaced. “Not unless he’s going to do something stupid.”

“I'd say he's already doing something stupid. What does he get off at threatening us? We stopped Nightmare Moon and Discord,” Pillow kicked a rock towards the mountain.

“That was Twi-” Spike began before catching himself.

“Don't say that traitor's name,” Pillow grunted as she rolled her eyes.

Spike looked up at the orange sky and frowned, “Yeah, death to traitors and all that… go get the Phoenix Parchment ready, I need to send Dragon Relations a letter.”

Pillow nodded, then she flew off as Spike pushed himself up. He saw the first stars crop up from the sky when red embers flowed towards him.

“Already? Wait I didn’t send the letter yet,” Spike said as he snatched the parchment out of the air. Opening it, he started to read.

Dear Spike,

I haven’t heard from you in a while, but I assume that’s because of your work. If you need me, I am no longer where I was. I am traveling with someone at the moment to accomplish a task. If things go well, we will meet again soon.

Love,

Twilight Sparkle

“This isn’t her writing style at all,” Spike blinked, then laid his eyes on the twilight sky.

“What in tarturus is going on?”

==Thorax==

A creature of orange, green, and purple carapace stared out across the rocky formations as the scent of smoke wafted on by. Lines of sediment laid on top of each other while green foliage dotted the landscape. He frowned, his purple eyes paler than usual. The sound of rustling behind him caused his attention to shift to the thick brushes to his rear as a dark woman, with salt and pepper hair emerged from the forest, a hiking pack with splotches of green and black across her camo shirt.

“Hutchinson,” Thorax said.

“It's been a while, how have you and your colony been holding up?” Hutchinson said as she shoved her hands in her pockets and pulled up besides the changeling. “You know, they call it the Badlands, but I've seen worse.”

“It’s much larger than that, trust me. This land might be green and it is small, but it is ours,” Thorax said. “The new Ephor has been helping us, but only in the lightest of ways.”

“How has Scootaloo been doing?”

“If you want my honest thoughts, I feel that she has had a lot on her mind. She has a lot of decisions to make, and she's still young,” Thorax answered. “I, for one, am glad that she aims only to use a light touch, given that she wields Xiyphyr. Though as of late, she seems distracted.”

“Maybe she wasn't the best choice,” Hutchison said. “Though Xavier didn't consult anybody on the matter when he offered it to her.”

“I think he understood better than most that there was no best choice,” Thorax said. “Though he did thrust power on her quite suddenly, she's been as mature as she could be given the circumstances.”

“Our species has something of a saying, those best suited for power are those who never seek it,” Hutchison said as she stared at the rock formations.

“Mildly hypocritical coming from your species,” Thorax said. Hutchison turned and raised an eye towards the changeling king as he continued, “but hypocrisy is not in short supply these days. But you and I both know the truth. Those who never seek out power only let it accrue to those who would abuse it.”

Hutchison nodded as she started to walk in circles, “Like you?”

Thorax snorted, “I just wanted to make friends.”

“Yet here you are, leader of a hive of Changelings who’ve regained their sanity,” Hutchison said, shaking her head. “Though, I must ask, why do you look so different then Queen Niab's or Titama's colonies?” the woman with salt and pepper hair asked, her left palm extended out.

“You have to understand,” Thorax said. “It is a consequence of how we choose to live. We choose to live sharing our love communally, while the two Queens must subsist on stolen love.”

“Yeah, but this,” the woman scanned Thorax up and down. “Is so different, no holes, and a complete caprice, it's almost like love that is shared is, for lack of a better term, more nutritious.”

“You could say that, yes,” Thorax said.

“On our side, the closest thing we have to you are grasshoppers,” the woman said. “May I touch your Elytra?”

“Elytra?”

“The hard outer shell of your wings,” Hutchison said, eyeing it.

“Sure,” Thorax said giving a nod.

Hutchison reached out and touched it with her right palm, “So smooth... in your locust form, would you still have this?”

“Locust form?” Thorax asked.

“Sorry, we don't have any kind of phrase to differentiate between your kind and malnourished changelings like the kind the two Queens preside over. So we use grasshopper terms,” Hutchison answered.

“So I would be in a grasshopper state?” asked Thorax.

“Indeed, and they would be in a locust state. Same creatures, different manifestations,” Hutchison answered.

“Not to be rude, but they are still my brethren,” Thorax said. “Please do not call them locusts.”

The woman nodded, “So, why did you ask to meet with me?”

Thorax turned and grimaced as the scent of smoke cleared, “We need assistance.”

Hutchison froze and raised an eye, “Last we heard, you were making ground.”

“We were. However it seems that Niab was able to transplant a sizeable chunk of Titama's colony onto her own. The balance of power has shifted. We need help,” he turned to the woman.

“Well, if you're looking for their help, it's no good. Only one is still in service and she's working directly for The Director. Counter is visiting Manehatten last I checked, but he's useless in his current state. Alexandra went missing a few months ago, and the other three are on the other side trying experimental treatments to help them cope with what they have to live with now,” Hutchison answered.

“A shame, truly. But I still need magic. A contingent of unicorns and Inscriptionists would be helpful, even as advisers,” Thorax answered.

The woman raised an eye, “I might be able to get you that but,” she turned. “We need something from you in exchange.”

“What were you thinking?” Thorax asked.

“What can your kind turn into? What are their limits?”

“Well,” Thorax walked away. “We can't become the sun or a pebble, but” with a flash, where Thorax stood was a large rock. “A rock,” another flash, and now stood a large Griffin, “or,” and with another flash, a large cow stood.

“We may need some... volunteers. Getting into kingdom territory is hard work. But, maybe two or three of your friends...” Hutchison murmured.

“I can ask, but no combat. And no fighting,” Thorax stomped on the ground. “We already lose enough with our fights, no more when simple reports will do.”

“That is understandable. But you would not be reporting to the Union or The Crystal Republic,” the woman said.

“To you?”

She nodded. “To me.”

==Sweetie Belle==

“No, no, no, no that can't be right.”

Sweetie Bell, fully grown and tall, stood on the second floor of the Vanhoover College’s study complex. The odor of parchment and pages penetrated as the dark office suddenly flickered with golden light reflected from a chandelier hanging out beyond a window looking over the library. She blinked once, then twice as she looked at the music schedule, “You had the music schedule set to play one song and one song only? But, why?”

“Well, the last director of music felt that changing the song too often would disturb students focus and –”

“Of course it disturbs students focus. But do you know what’s worse? Entropy! Music builds and builds until it hits a high point in that over the course of maybe seconds, maybe minutes, you get diminishing returns! That’s why you rotate out! That’s why you don’t just play the chorus! Music builds and eventually collapses, Celestia’s teats, who was the last director?”

“Bulky Rock.”

“Of course, a stallion,” Sweetie Bell magically grabbed a tissue straight from the box and dabbed her forehead. “How long?”

“He was with us for about a year and –”

“Let me guess? He came from some stallions only college? Nimble Tail Canterlot College? Dapper Legacy Institute? Rutting Dark Venture Polytechnic?”

“I don’t know ma’am, why those?”

“Do I need to spell it out for you? They’re attached to other institutions to give the mares there their pick of the litter! Canterlot University has Nimble Tail Canterlot College, Manehattan University has Dapper Legacy, Cloudsdale Technical has, well had, Dark Venture Polytechnic. They are universities you send your colts to get picked up by affluent, wealthy intelligent mares! Not for a serious education!” Sweetie Bell threw back her head and groaned. “And you want me to try and turn around three months of a semester’s worth of studying? It will take at least three months to get the students who choose to come here to associate the location with the harmony of the music. The damage is done for this semester. Just like its been done for the last three semesters as well.”

“I apologize Doctor,” the librarian said. “We don’t have any expertise here beyond what we’ve hired, we didn’t know.”

“No, no, no, you are fine. The person who hired the last bozo? She needs her head examined! Now,” Sweetie Bell turned to the record catalog, “Obsidia’s Sonata number 12 in C major, Petunia’s Divertimento in D major, Gymnopédie by autumn bark, okay, okay I can work with this. We start with Gymnopédie, that will prime the long term studiers and we move on to Goldstone’s fifth,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I don’t think we have Goldstone’s-”

“You can borrow mine,” Sweetie Bell rolled her eyes. “Now if there’s anything else, I would like to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to lay out the schedule for the upcoming week, and also expect a list of procurements. Also give me directions to the music department, if we're both lucky, we can get some volunteers up here to practice their craft and get some live music going, though I’m going to be honest with you,” Sweetie Bell looked at the library, then turned to her colleague and gazed at them. “They probably won’t do it for anything less than cold hard bits. Especially if we are competing against others. ”

The librarian nodded and walked out of the office. Sweetie Bell let gravity take over, but as she lowered her head and sighed, she looked out the arch window that showed her the floor of the study complex. Dangling bronze wires strung throughout the complex ceiling with massive walnut wood brown speakers angled toward the students. Right now, silence cast its glow across the building. Neither helpful nor harmful, the students sat doing their best as Sweetie Bell watched from above.

She snapped to her right, and turned toward her new office, as she swallowed. It was dark. Cabinets made of wenge lined the back wall as piles upon piles of sheet music were scattered about like buildings in Manehattan, disorganized and reaching for the sky. Sweetie Bell’s head hung lower and lower until she stared at the marble floor.

“This is not where I want to be,” she frowned. She walked over to her saddlebag and pulled out a vinyl record. Walking over to the private record player, she put it on and started it up. Turning down the volume, her ears pointed forward towards the flaring horn pointed at her. Then slowly, the sound of not just her singing, but rarity singing alongside her rose up as well. Memories drifted to the letter she had gotten earlier that day;

Dear Sweetie Bell,

At the Summer Sun celebration, it was decided that due to the war efforts, by order of Celestia and Luna, you are to come to Canterlot. All expenses will be taken care of. You are to arrive by Summers Dawn. If you are already in a herd, we ask that you tender your abdication. If you have any foals, they are to be left with their father and you are to renounce them via the Ceremony of Second Severing at your nearest Basilica. If they do not have a father due to extenuating circumstances, they are to be left at one of her majesty's orphanages where they will be cared for under Celestia’s protection. Your new life awaits in Canterlot. Come.

Signed,

Sapphire Moonlight

Then the music slowly changed. As the vocals of her and her sister slowly faded, new vocals picked up. Of herself and two friends, last seen long ago. Made before their brands appeared. Sweetie Bell’s voice broke first, followed by Apple Bloom then Scootaloo, followed by laughter. The mare stood listening, the sides of her snout slowly becoming wet.

“This is not where I want to be,” she uttered, biting her lip. Standing up, she pounded the dark marble floor with her hoof. “This is not where I want to be.”

Turning, she approached her desk, cluttered with blank sheet music. “Look at this desk, what a complete slob,” she said with a lazy swipe of her head, her horn glowed as a misty rose color formed a rectangle, then swiped across the desk, throwing the blank sheet music on the ground. The same color of magic snapped a blank parchment off the floor and dragged it through the air. It hovered in front of Sweetie Bell as she got comfortable in her desk chair. Finally, a ball-point pen launched itself from her saddlebag, landing on the parchment. The ball-point faced a tiny impression of a cartoon griffin giving a wink to the reader. Immediately, Sweetie Belle scratched it out with her pen, then started writing.

Moments passed into minutes as a knock echoed from the door.

“Come in,” said Sweetie Bell

The librarian returned with several pieces of parchment. Approaching Sweetie Bell’s desk, she saw the blank sheets of music on the floor and frowned.

“I’ll clean it up. You have the instructions?”

The librarian nodded and placed the parchment at the side of Sweetie Belle.

“I also need you to sign these,” the librarian said, placing more sheets of parchment next to Sweetie Bell, then turned.

“Hold up,” Sweetie Bell said, floating the parchment she was working on. “Can you get me these books please?”

The librarian raised an eye as she read the list floating in front of her, “Holiday, Redhoof and Trotter's Fundamentals of Unicorn Magic, Shadowstep's Modern Approach to Horned Magic, Moondancer and Axel's Unicorn Magic: Modern Lunar Methodologies, one by the title: Monotusken Magic Done Right? I’ll see if we have them but we generally have only one copy of textbooks on hand and we don’t check them out.”

“Why n- oh, to encourage students to buy a copy.”

The librarian nodded, “Though I am sure we can make a special exception for staff, but I will need to check with the lead librarian on this.”

Sweetie Bell nodded and the mare turned around and walked towards the door.

“Just one question,” the librarian said, turning to face Sweetie Belle.

“Yes?”

“Why?”

“When I was younger, I was pretty good at magic but fell out of practice when singing revealed itself to me as my talent,” Sweetie Belle tilted her head left. “I would like to pick up where I left off.”

“Oh, a Magpie.”

“Excuse me?” Sweetie Belle slowly turned and raised an eye.

The Librarian looked away and said, “I meant nothing by it.”

“No, I mean I never heard that term used before.”

“Oh, well,” the Librarian shifted. “Its from an old myth, do you mind if I indulge?”

Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Once upon a time, when the world was pure, all things had cutie marks. But Equus churned, and since only pony’s kept offering sacrifices to the Earth, Sky, Ocean and Fire, only they and Magpies were allowed to keep their marks. However, one day, a Magpie visited a great temple to the sky along a great cliff and begged the Priestess to ask the sky for a second mark, saying ‘My mark is that of a sentry, and I don’t want to live the rest of my days watching for danger.’ So, the Priestess conducted a small, scarcely known ritual, asking the Sky to bestow a second mark on the Magpie. And the Sky did, granting the Magpie the talent of the Seer.”

“However,” the Librarian continued. “The Magpie saw the ritual and was still unhappy with it’s talent. So it went home, gathered all the supplies it could, but before she could start, she had a vision: She saw the world and Magpies without talents. She ignored the ill omen and copied the ritual, giving itself a new talent. And again. And again. And again until it was covered in cutie marks.”

“Soon, the Priestess came to check on the Magpie and found her flying too and fro, chained by the talents she called forth. Finally, she fell to the ground, exhausted.”

“The Priestess put the Magpie on her back and flew back to the Temple. There she called on the Sky to heal the Magpie. The Sky replied back, ‘It is beyond my power alone. Travel to the others, call upon their priestesses, and together with the other aspects, we shall mend you friend, but at great cost.’”

“So sending word, she traveled and gathered herself plus three others to conduct a ritual. But they failed. As all hope seemed lost, two mares bearing the wandering star and strings came. They explained that they could cure the Magpie. With little else, the Magpie agreed. The former called on the Stars high above in the Sky, while the latter called on the fires deep down below even Equus. Both powers collided into a cosmic magic that cured the Magpie, purging her of all her talents. But not just that Magpie, all Magpies found their cutie marks had disappeared.”

“So, when you see a Magpie scavenging, they’re not just looking for food for the winter. They’re also seeking out their lost cutie marks. And when they sing, they are begging, crying out for their lost marks to return back to them.”

==Gabby==

“You can’t be serious,” the gray Griffin lowered her head as she looked at the sheet she had just received from the stallion in front of her. She was in an office covered with polished dark brown wood, leading the queue of seven others, five griffins and two dragons.

“I’m so sorry Gabby,” the light brown Earth stallion nodded. “Your time in service doesn’t qualify you for citizenship.”

“But I served four years as a mail carrier on the front lines! Here,” Gabby dug out a sheet of paper from her pack. “See, it says right here, I signed up three years before the war ended and served six months more time to make sure I could get this!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but the four-year requisite was with respect to the years in war. Anything after the war doesn’t count towards citizenship,” the stallion hung his head.

“I mean, I just,” the Griffin started gasping for air. “They changed the rules on me!”

“I understand that the new legislation is not exactly-” the stallion was interrupted by Gabby.

“You don’t understand! I joined the war to get out of Griffonstone! And I have absolutely no faith in the Duchy! I can’t go back,” Gabby shook her head as she took a step back. “I won’t go back!”

“Well, you do have a few options…” the stallion said as he grabbed some papers to the side.

“Like what?”

“If you join one of the nine certified mercenary companies, and serve for three years, that would fill in your gap,” the stallion trailed off.

“Wait, so you’re gonna have me either on extended guard duty or fight one of the clans just to get citizenship?”

“One of my mares says it isn’t that bad, she said for her it was basically just guarding a fortification in the middle of nowhere. Easy work, easy money,” the stallion said with a nod. “I can give you her information if you want. But,” the stallion shook his head. “There isn’t anything else I can do for you right now. And you’re holding up the line, so if you please…”

Gabby stared past the stallion and didn’t blink. Haze washed over her eyes as his words flowed through her.

“Well, come on! Not all of us got so lucky as to join during the tail end of the war like you did!” A golden brown Griffin behind her with an eye patch over his right eye screamed.

Gabby shook her head and then nodded at the stallion. He quickly handed her a piece of paper that he had set off to the side and nodded, simply saying, “Next!”

Gabby pushed herself off to the side and began to walk towards the exit to the office. Past the dark brown door was a long street made of mud lined with wooden buildings. Looking up, she could see that a storm was brewing in, and quickly opened her wings with the note gripped in her claws. Gliding towards the tavern, she stopped right at the doorstep and, with a flap of her wings, plopped down onto the ground.

Approaching the entrance doors, she jolted back right before a pony patron popped out, the saloon doors swinging at her. The pony grunted, ignoring the griffin as she walked down the wooden stairs and onto the dirt road. Gabby shook her head and looked at the papers she had in claw. Opening up the letter, it had the mare’s information, a little home out ways past the cherry orchards. But then Gabby flipped the letter to see the advertisement:

🛡️Iron Hoof Steel Security Services🛡️

👁️I spy with my little eye👁️

An unfulfilled Life

🏰Protecting the kingdom of Equestria from things that go bump in the night🏰

What’s life without is a little bit of bucking in the dark?

Gabby sighed as she folded the note and placed it in her bag. The light tapping of rain started to envelop the small town. Closing her eyes, she approached the tavern door and pushed it open.

Two stallions wearing fancy overcoats were staring at the new entry from above on the wooden second floor as four mares were playing Pins off to the side. Gabby caught sight of the tavern keeper from behind the bar, rearranging the top shelf.

Gabby slowly crawled over to the bar and sat down, lowering her head against the polished oak. The mare turned around and asked, “Didn’t go as planned?”

Gabby shook her head, “Apparently the extra time I put in didn’t qualify. They said I could fill the gap with mercenary service, but I’m not too fond of it.”

“Well, just find one that will be the easiest. Maybe not the best paying, but…” The mare said, finally turning around. “Want me to get you anything?”

“No thanks Mirabelle,” Gabby said. “What do you mean easiest?”

“Well,” Mirabelle began, “it’s not exactly like the kingdom is fighting anything at the moment.”

“What about the other nations?” Gabby raised an eye.

“I doubt were going to war with them,” Mirabelle said. “There are two patrols that make their routes to this town, and it’s been nothing but happy drunks in the occasional brawl. I’ve never seen them come in with frowns or tears. Easy work as far as I can tell.”

“Yeah but if they’re just patrolling, they’re expecting trouble to arise up right?”

“Only because the kingdom military is stretched so thin. They’re just here to make sure that any beasts or chimera or rebellious elements don’t bother us,” Mirabelle said, pulling out a glass and pouring a drink. “And if it happens to also count as military service for you, while you’re making bits on the side, I can’t say that’s a bad deal.”

“Sorry,” Gabby arched her neck back. “I’m just trying to justify this. I don’t want to go back home, but what’s to say that they’re not going to pull that on me again?”

Mirabelle shrugged, sliding the glass towards Gabby “well think of it like this, it’s the only time they done that so far right? So maybe they made a mistake. However if they do it again, then I’d start considering other options.”

Gabby glanced down at the drink, “I’m sorry, I can’t affor-”

“It’s on the house,” Mirabelle smiled. “Look, I’ve gone through days like you’re going through right now. You promise something and then they renege on you. I get it. I’m not all the way out here because I trust Canterlot more than myself.”

Gabby looked at the drink and slowly grabbed it with her right claw and lifted it up to her beak. She took a small sip before putting it back down, “Just out of curiosity, any griffins working with those mercenary groups?”

“One or two,” the mare said as she shrugged. “They usually mind their own business, but the mares they travel with do not seem to be bothered by them.”

“Any dragons?”

Mirabelle shook her head, “Dragons find better work with The Consortium anyways. Most of them won’t touch Kingdom employment after what happened to Dragon Lord Ember.”

“I knew a few griffins that deserted after hearing that…”

“Honestly, if you ask me,” Mirabelle looked to her left and right before putting her front leg on the bar and leaning over. “Something wasn’t right. She sent out a call for help only for Canterlot to ignore her?” Mirabelle shook her head, “And it was early on, when we were still fresh?”

“Are you saying that she was left to die?”

Mirabelle shrugged, “The war did worse things than that. Now, you didn’t hear this from me, but I’m thankful the humans stepped in and sorted things out.”

“Why?!”

“Shhh, look. They may have been brutal, cold and efficient, but that’s exactly what we needed. We weren’t getting anywhere playing by the rules. Charging straight into the enemy? Waiting until daytime to attack? Emphasis taken on removing their helmets before protecting ourselves? Only to get a helmet shoved on them as they tried to save the pony that was trying to stomp them?” Mirabelle shook her head. “They were practically feeding Sombra new conscripts. The humans? If they saw that trying to save them wasn’t worth the trouble, they had no problem raining their shrapnel cannons on them. That’s ignoring the inventions that allow them to kill from kilometers away and,” Mirabelle shuddered, “the clothes that allow them to blend in with the environment.”

“What you mean?”

“I was with a caravan, moving goods from Bridlebrook to Cranberry Grove. Best path there was through a forest. Not one of those haunted forests, just a regular nice field of trees. We’re traveling down a road when we stop at a giant white stone to take a rest. We start setting up camp for the night. Nearby there’s these patches of tall grass that are brown towards the tips. I’m trying to start the fire when I look up and see the patches of tall grass rising to the air. Almost like one of those magic shows, but then the grass starts walking toward me like a monster so, as unmarelike as it may be, I screamed. They shoot out their front limbs in wave at us, holding one of those tools of death and keep crying ‘It’s okay!’. One of them puts their tool down and removes their mask. Hon, we were setting up camp for five hours and not one of us ever suspected that we were being watched by six humans.”

Gabby’s eyes widened as she absently took a sip of her drink.

“Thankfully for us, they just wanted some information. They wanted to know the conditions on the road we came from. We shared a meal with them and parted ways the next morning. But I still get nightmares about walking down the hallway when all of a sudden the wall steps forward or a figure drops from the chandelier that was there the entire time. Look, the point is, they do all of that just to gain an advantage on their enemy. They’re not noble creatures, they’re not monsters, but they are terrifyingly pragmatic.”

“Pragmatic? After scaring you like that?”

“Listen, their goal there was to obviously kill something. They could have done what some of the less scrupulous kingdom companies did when they meet travelers on the road and take everything of use. Or they could have just killed us. I’m willing to bet if they had chosen to do that, as they killed us one by one, we would’ve never known that something was happening. But they didn’t, they didn’t see us as a threat. They asked for information and warmth and left us to our own devices as they moved on. I don’t know if they ever did what they came there to do. On the return trip, nothing seemed out of place. No unusual deaths. It was like watching an owl reveal itself from the side of a tree and swoop down to grab something in the grass. By the time you recognized that it was an owl, you have no clue what it caught and it’s already swooped into the thick of the forest, disappearing from sight. Never to be seen again.”

==Rainbow Dash==

A cold breeze rolled through the ivory white courtyard as the single tree in the middle let go of a single golden brown leaf. The blue and white unicorn was sitting, with a scroll unrolled in front of her, being held aloft by her magic as the skirt of her tail lifted and follow the wind, only to be held back by their roots.

“Minuette, Rainbow Dash will see you now,” an earth stallion announced from the entryway to the courtyard. Minuette quickly wrapped up her scroll and carried it along as she followed her escort from the courtyard and into the interior of the castle. A long archway stood before them as window after window past the left side, each one revealing the greater city of Canterlot held aloft in ethereal light. The castle quickly sloped down, revealing the well-to-do district as it unfurled. Further back of course was the earthen district, but Minuette couldn't for the life of her catch even a glimpse of it.

The stallion suddenly stopped and pushed open the door. Minuette entered in the door shut behind her, revealing a sky-blue Pegasus with rainbow mane at a desk going over paperwork.

“Report.”

Minuette quickly unscrolled her parchment and began to read from it, “Three days ago in Manehattan, the election to decide if it would return to mother Equestria was called off due to riots. Our sources tell us that at approximately nine in the morning, two hours after polls had open, a riot began in the borough of Kings. From there, it quickly spread, soon –”

“Cause?”

“We're unsure as of this time. One source claims it was a Union plot, though given polling numbers, it seems unlikely. We believe that a third-party was attempting to cast doubt on the referendum, which in itself spiraled out of control,” Minuette finished.

Rainbow Dash stopped and looked up from her paperwork, her purple eyes catching the unicorn, “Elaborate.”

“Ma'am, as far as we can tell, this was either caused by ‘Sunrise’ or possibly parties loyal to us in Manehatten. We doubt it's the former case despite this being right up their alley,” Minuette nodded.

“Any sign of human interference?”

“Not that we can determine ma'am. Though there were a few human casualties, it was mostly city residents that felt the most from this,” Minuette said.

“Don't think they weren't involved Minuette,” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the unicorn. “They are a cunning, deceitful kind.”

“Of course, of cour-”

The door swung open and the room echoed with a crash as a Stallion in Gold armor rushed in, and bowed to both mares, “High General Dash, you have been summoned.”

“Who?”

“Flash on command of her Majesty.”

Rainbow Dash's head thrust up, “Where is Celestia?”

“She is currently handling something else, but you and the others are called to the throne room.”

Dash glanced over at Minuette, then stood up, revealing a metal wing that glimmered with the colors of the rainbow at her left... and right wing tucked in a sling.

“Lets go Minuette,” Dash said, already out the door.

==Flash Sentry==

“Dash, Neighsay, Dancer, Blueblood, Amethyst Star, Apple Polish, Cherry Jubilee, Harshwhinny, Professor Fossil, Spoiled Rich, Dr. Caballeron, High Winds, Bluebell.” Fash nodded from in front of the throne. Each of the Ponies found a position around the elevated space. “We are here to discuss the human situation.”

“Are we finally getting rid of the visas?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “You're just giving them a chance to survey our lands.”

Flash shot a frown at Rainbow Dash, “No.”

“What?” shouted Dancer. A sea of murmurs flooded the chamber. Flash cleared his throat, then coughed, summoning everyone’s attention onto him.

“It is no secret that ever since the war ended, we have been recovering at a snail's pace, while those who will not acknowledge our divine majesties grow stronger by siphoning power from across the veil. The Boysenberry Thrones have decided that we can not afford to ignore what the humans can provide any longer. Our visa program has been deemed a success and will be expanded,” Flash said.

“He's right,” Cherry Jubilee spoke up. “Their knowledge of agriculture has helped our farms. Their fertilizer is extremely potent. We have been able to reclaim land we thought was forever lost thanks to them.”

Flash nodded to Cherry, “Hence, starting today, we have six new members joining our court. Three of them are still on the way, but to-”

“Joining the court?”

“Why?”

“How?”

“No!” Dash shouted. “I can tolerate just enough of their help to get us back up again, but I will not tolerate those Flatfaced Rutti-”

“Rainbow Dash.” Flash's steely blue gaze caught the war hero. “Not another word.”

“You bronco. You only have your position because you rutted your way to the top!”

“Would you like me to go bring her Majesty of the Sun here to discuss this with you personally?”

Dash froze and took a step back.

“Or how about waking up her Majesty of the Moon? They will tolerate me asking for help, I'm just a Stallion after all. Though they might have an issue with our High General conducting herself poorly at court.”

Dash turned and spat.

“Thank you, now,” Flash turned to face the rest. “Today, I would like to introduce you to our new advisers. It took us awhile, but after careful vetting, we believe we have the right mare-humans for the job.”

Flash tapped his hoof three times, as three humans made their way from the servant's passageway. One tall, one squat, and one in the middle. Each of them wore cloths of black, grey and white respectively. Layers of cloths on layers of cloths. Their skin tones ranged from palest white to darkest ebony.

“Dr Tawnya Tadder, Economist. Dr Loreta Rutledge, Expert occultist. Dr Debra Montis, one of their healers.”

Each of the women took a step forward as their name was called and gave a shallow bow each.

“They have free reign, are not required to have paperwork on them, and are under our Majesty's protection,” Flash gazed at the ponies there. “Make sure word makes its way down. Dr Tadder,” Flash turned to the tall ebony woman with brown hair. “The Princess is currently meeting with the Finance Ministress and Ministress of the Mint. Your expertise is needed.”

“Right, um, how-” the ebony woman said, turning left, then right.

“Exit out the main arch, follow the blue rug until you see a yellow rug to your left. Follow it until you reach another blue, take the turn following the new blue long rug until you come across the Aviary. Leave the phoenix there alone and it will leave you alone. Follow the circumference to the right at the first exit out, and follow the hall to the end. Just give your name to the Royal Guards outside the door and they will allow you passage.”

“Blue, yellow, blue, new blue, birds, flying fire, circle, line. Thank you,” the woman nodded, then walked around the sea of courtiers and out of the room.

Flash turned to the crowd, a grimace on his face as he looked down, “You all are to extend our advisors here every courtesy, every nicety. They are here and if our princesses find out that there are schemes or ploys to get them blamed for events outside of their control, you will pray for exile when they are through with you. Questions?”

“Um... will they be needing Thornback?”

Flash's head yanked back as he turned to Dr Rutledge and Montis and raised an eye.

“No thanks,” Dr Rutledge smiled as Dr Montis rolled her eyes.

“Right, before you all are dismissed, there will be a 7th human here, a young stallion, Dr Montis' colt,” Flash lowered his gaze at the crowd. “He is to remain verdant,” he growled. “If we discover any of you attempting to trample him, we will reassign you to the Hinterlands and we will leave you to rot. Now, anything else?”

Silence reverberated throughout the chamber.

“Right, return to your day everyone,” Flash nodded. Dash turned around and started to walk when Flash raised his voice, “Except for you Rainbow Dash. Stay.”

Murmurs shot out again. Ponies folded out the Throne room as Dash froze, and shook her head. When the final door closed, she turned around and faced Flash, with the two humans to his left.

“Rainbow Dash, I do not appreciate your outbursts. If this happens again, we will have words, with the Princesses themselves.”

“You think the impotent words of a stallion are going to worry me?” Dash chuckled. “They wouldn't dare touch the Hero of Arkose, the mare who lost her left wing holding the Hordes at Brass’ Edge back. The mare that got them both out of the mess they got themselves in with Sombra.”

Flash stepped down from the elevated platform holding the two Thrones and walked right at Rainbow Dash. She had half a hoof over him, but he kept coming, stopping right in front of her face, and snorted, “You are ordered to the Lunar Lounge. You will have your mane and tail dyed a color the Spymaster picks for you and your cutie mark painted over. You will then follow Dr Rutledge and Dr Montis out of the Kingdom and to a Union Corridor. There you will follow every order they give, give them every ounce of courtesy, and you will let them operate on your right side. There, with Celestia's blessing you will receive forbidden magic that, when you return, will be consecrated by her Majesty. Then, you will have both of your wings back.”

Dash laughed, but neither the Stallion nor the humans moved. “You serious?”

Flash swiftly yanked his head to his side, and bit a parchment and presented it to Rainbow Dash, “A direct order from Celestia.”

“No, no,” Dash said, taking it and opening it. “It's signed...”

“The humans have created a way to use forbidden magics to restore lame body parts. You will let them heal your right wing, and Celestia will sanctify it. Combined with your Mythril left wing, you will be fully restored.”

“How? Once they have me, they might do anything, an-”

“My son will be serving as hostage,” Dr Montis stepped forward. “He understands the risks, and volunteered.”

“W-wha? How?”

“We have a method of restoring damaged limbs. It involves engraving into your bones using our medical technology and special types of ink. It will take several surgeries and therapy to teach you how to become accustomed to your repaired limb, but,” Dr Mortis teetered off. “The damage you suffered at one of our own can be fixed.”

“You, you can't do this to me,” Dash gulped, still staring at Flash.

“It's a direct order from the princess,” Flash snorted.

Rainbow Dash stepped back, looking at the two humans, “No, no no no.”

“Rainbow Dash, if you do not follow your orders, you will be charged with insubordination. And we will strip you of everything,” Flash said.

Rainbow Dash's head lowered, “I-I will need to inform Minuette that she will need to take over my duties while I am gone.”

Flash nodded as Rainbow Dash slowly walked out of the room, and turned to the humans, “If she gives you any trouble, send us a letter. Normally if she were a more compliant mare, we would give her full hostage protection, but if anything happens to her, Danny will merely not be returned to your custody until he is of age.”

“Thank you,” Dr Mortis said. “From what I've heard about her, she's not exactly easy to work with.”

“Understand Dr Mortis,” Flash looked over. “She is a hero and there are many mares who look up to her. But as she is, she is a cruel reminder of everything he took.” Flash then looked at Dr Rutledge, “Ma'am, are you sure it will work?”

Dr Rutledge nodded, “We've used a similar procedure to restore horns that have undergone 1st grade cracks or full amputation. In comparison, this is trivial.”

“You've been able to restore amputated horns?” Flash asked.

“And more,” said Dr Rutledge. “I can't speak on the specifics, much of what and how we can do is being held as a close secret, but publicly, we can restore such things. We were lucky that our diplomats could convince our leaders to extend this olive branch.”

Flash sighed as he walked past the two doctors, “It is too bad your kind do not have Celestia's blessing. I know many Pegasai who would like to touch the stratosphere again.”

“Perhaps we can be the advent of such cha-” Dr Mortis stopped, looking at Dr Rutledge shaking her head. “Of course, Celestia's word is law.”

Flash nodded and walked forward, “If you follow me, I will show you to your rooms for the night.”

==Jade==

Jade sat on a tan stool in the tan waiting room. She frowned as she shifted in her seat, then glanced over at the secretary stallion who was busily floating papers in the air with his magic and reorganizing them. His mane was short, but pulled back in a slick manner that only slightly jostled as he stapled one set of sheets to another. A crystal ball shone red on his desk as, every so often, he would glance right and look at the time.

Then the director's door flew open, a human mare with a grin on her face strode out and approached the secretary's desk. She took out an orange cylinder and popped a pill. The stallion froze for a second, then quickly laid his sheet of paper and stapler down.

"I just wanted to say," the dirty blonde human said, "if you're interested, I'll be at Bismuth Lounge later this evening, that is if you're in the mood for something a bit more exotic."

Jade looked at the mare humans arms. Her mouth slightly dropped a little. There were scars on her arms. Lines and dots elegantly cut like a connect the dots puzzle, stretched out starting from her fingertips all the way to the green shirt that hid the rest of her flesh.

The stallion looked to his left and nodded. The human picked herself up and with long sweeping steps, left the waiting room and returned to the greater complex. A tiny ding went off next to the stallion, causing him to once again pivot his head to the right and gasped. Jumping out of his seat, he galloped in full out of the waiting room, leaving Jade by herself. That was, until her left ear flickered: sound was coming out of the directors office. Jade turned to see the door had been left open ever so slightly.

"The isles are ours," the rough voice of a mare grumbled out the door. "The kingdom has never been big on naval and air power. At least, air power without the fleet of pegasai that used to be the backbone of Kingdom Armed Forces. But given that New Cloudsdale's postwar negotiations have put a strain on the Kingdom's government, they had to rely on mercenary companies to patrol the frontier of their borders. And most of them are just land patrols. There are two or three air companies and one steamship that ensures the safety of a local protectorate. Truthfully, unless they begin to mobilize their unicorn corps, we can afford to behave more liberally with the outer Union cities."

"You can probably afford to do more than that," the sound of a western stallion replied, "our government is more than willing to lease you more artillery on the cheap. Though the shells still need obsidian fragmentation modification to deal with anything magical, as long as you can keep growing those crystals, I can promise you that not even the unicorns of Canterlot will be a problem."

"What about the accords?" the sound of a young mare popped up.

"The accords explicitly talks about such weaponry on the whole. An entire light howitzer, a fully constructed mortar. But since we do component standardization, we can ship it to you piece by piece without breaking the treaty. It's not our fault you decided to reassemble all the components to its original state, we thought that you were going to be melting them down and repurposing them."

"So that's the gig now? You ship us the puzzle box and we reconstruct it?"

"Think of it less as remaking a puzzle and more like job creation," one of the other males laughed.

"Then it is agreed," the young mare voiced up again. "When we claim the island, we will have our researchers begin an examination of the tomb.

The secretary stallion burst through the door, a potion vial magically held ahead of him as he popped open the door to the director's office and apologized. The sound of liquid pouring continued for moments before the sounds of churning and popping echoed. The stallion once again emerged from the directors office and galloped back onto the hallway, still leaving a crack for Jade to listen through.

“I apologize, I must take this,” the young mare intoned.

The sound of commotion rattled as once again the director’s door opened and a indigo crystal mare walked out. Her right ear was in tatters, as if chewed while the right side of her face scarred, with a white sphere where her eye should have been.

“I’ll go get the ball rolling,” she said, her rough voice grinding against the air.

A human walked out, a large brown trench coat with one of the human weapons at his side, “Good, sooner the better.” he said in that western tone.

A second human stallion walked out, this time he was balding, wearing a grey suit. “I’ll submit the procurements. Just remember to send one of yours to our side to copy down the assembly instructions.”

The trio left the room, and once again, the director’s door lay ajar. Jade adjusted herself, looking the other way but still, her ears soon turned.

Then, the sound of churning ceased and a new voice emerged.

"You betrayed us!"

"I did no such thing."

"We found your mole!" then the sound of a thud popped out.

"If that is a mole..." the mare said. "It's not mine grandma."

Then, the room bellowed.

"YOU CALL ME GRANDMA! WHEN I FIND BEHENSANDAL, NOT IF, WHEN... I WILL UNLEASH 1000 YEARS OF CRYSTAL JUSTICE ON CANTERLOT AND GRIND IT AND EVERY UNICORN ON EQUUS INTO DUST! THEN, DIRECTOR... I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

Suddenly a pop, then silence.

“Geeze, what a sore loser…” the mare said as she let out a sigh. Then, a few seconds later, the sound of clicking and pounding bled out of the office.

The door to the waiting room flung open as the secretary stallion rushed to his station. Once again, he levitated papers and started grouping and stapling them one at a time. Then the red glow of the crystal ball on his desk then changed to green.

“The director will see you now,” the secretary stallion spoke to the green Crystal pony across from his workstation. Jade got up and nodded. Then she gazed at the floor downtrodden. Creeping her way into the office, crystal glass arched around the room, revealing the Crystal Republic in all of its glory. And right in front of it, was a young, fully grown light pink Pegasus with blue curled locks slamming a stamp of approval on another sheet of paper on her desk. She glanced up at Jade briefly before returning to her paperwork and said, “Jade, come on in come on in, take a seat.”

Jade sat at the left chair as the director continued her work, “So, rough week in Manehatten huh?”

“I failed my appointed task director, though to be honest I'm surprised that I'm not packing up my locker right now,” Jade mumbled as she slumped.

“Now, now, we don't fire agents for filling tasks that were far above their current skill level,” the director said as she finally put down the stamp and looked Jade in the eye. “It was our fault, our futurecasting failed to account for certain factors. If we had known certain individuals of interest were nearby, we would've attached two unicorns with you as well.”

“Then why am I here?” Jade raised an eye.

“Because I want to debrief you personally,” the director smiled. “Afterwards, you'll be given a month-long vacation with pay and a promotion afterwards.”

“Director,” Jade paused, tilting her head at her superior. “I failed?” Jade said as she wiggled in her seat.

The director chuckled, “You didn't fail, you were given a task for which you did not have the proper resources to achieve it. That's it. Now, give me a quick rundown of your time in Manehatten.”

“I arrived two days before Xavier, I found a suitable hotel and made a examination of the University before I met him at the train station. He was belligerent, wanted to go explore. He performed his task to the pony that requested him, then he ran away.”

“Oh? How did you find him?”

“After scouring the city, I found him at the Professor's office. Turns out he was visiting a monument to the war, which I did confirm. Then the embassy called and requested my presence due to worries about the city becoming a riot zone due to voting on the independence issue. But it turns out he ran away again. After days of searching, I find him in his room at the hotel and he trapped me in the bathroom for over half the day. After that I lost him,” Jade turned away from the director.

“He does have a tendency to do that, doesn't he?” the director mumbled as she scrunched her lips.

“Excuse me?”

“Don't worry, during the war he would frequently go MIA for days at a time and just reappear as if nothing happened. Our friends on the other side realized that it was better to just let him pop off and pop back, normally he would only have a few scratches, and bruises at the worst, but he almost always brought back some useful intel. Though one time he was dragged back by his superior in an absolutely awful state,” the director trailed off.

“So I was on a fool's errand to mind him?” Jade asked.

“Allow me to explain some of our thought processes when we assigned you to this task. We assume that this would've been a quick milk run. Human goes to Manehatten, sees his friend, visits the Kingdom State building, eats one of the disgusting pretzels, gets a souvenir that says 'I survived my trip to Manehatten', comes back up north, gets his little lot of land and, not to put too fine a point on it, dies somewhere between one month to 30 years,” the director tilted her head back and forth as she went from point-to-point. “So for something like that, we don't need a unicorn or two to keep him in line. A single minder will do, and since it's a simple task, let's pass it to one of our better agents as a pseudo-vacation. But like I said, factors made themselves apparent that weren't known to us at the time. Twilight Sparkle's little song-”

“He made contact with Twilight Sparkle?” Jade lunged forth from her seat.

“I don't suppose you know that, do you? Well, seeing as you're going to get a promotion anyways, I don't see the problem in letting you in on this. Apparently after his first escape, he made contact with one of the Elements of Harmony. We're not sure why, of course, but last time we had eyes on them, they had left the city,” The director mouthed.

Jade fell back on her seat, her pupils dilated as she began to rapidly inhale and exhale. “I didn't, I didn't…”

“Of course you didn't,” the director mumbled out her nose. “Like I said, too big a task, not enough resources for you to work with. Don't feel too bad, better mares have fared worse than you have in similar cases.”

“I just, I mean… Anything else you need for me?” Jade trailed off.

“Not at the moment, be sure to have my secretary get you the paperwork for the promotion.”

Jade lifted herself off the chair and began to walk towards the door to the office. Then she stopped, biting her lower lip and turned towards the mare who had already started back up on her paperwork.

“I have a question,” Jade spoke up.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Xavier had scars on his arms, but they were obviously not natural,” Jade said.

The director froze and looked up at the Crystal pony across from her, “Go on…”

“They were on both of his arms, and it was obvious that something or someone did something to him. Also there were dots that lined them. I know about the pain he was under.” Jade froze for a second before continuing, “He referred to them as something along the lines of the price he and others paid for the liberation. And that mare-human that walked out had those too. Can you tell me anything about those?”

The director slumped in her seat slightly and raised an eye, looking to her right, she curled her lips for a second before blinking once, then twice, “They are none of your concern.”

Jade turned and started to walk before the director spoke up again, “Jade, before you leave, go to the Cryptoneirics office. Have them encrypt for your time between arriving in Manehatten until now. Wouldn't want Luna stumbling on that information now would we?”

“Yes, of course, Director Cozy Glow.”

Author's Note

Few Notes before I sign off

First, there has been a crisis in my family. Due to this, it delayed the release of this prose by a week. Thus parts were cut out that were just unfinished and there is a very good chance that I will need to go over this yet again. Most of everything I want to say is here, but I will probably need to edit for clarification and grammar when this event has passed.

Second I apologize for such a delay. Work had been even harder then anticipated and I crashed my writing habit which I will need to rebuild. Due to this, when chapters finally start to release before Christmas, expect release cycles to be every 3 weeks until my buffer is rebuilt.

Finally, depending on how things go, when I get to the parts that I cut out, I hope to have them ready and released before 22nd of December. If not, I will be sure to note at the very start where in the Chronology they fit as with my last story, I discovered my audience has little patience for stories that are not chronologically linear.

Again, thank you for your patience, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 21: O Green World

"I remember where I was,
When I came home the first time,
It was Hearth's Warming Eve.
I was wrapped in the love of my herd mates,
but then I looked at the date,
and begged them not to let me go again.
Not to let me go back."
~From the Diary of Corporal Pumpkin Bee found 600km into the Frozen North.

The scent of pines wafted by the unicorn and human as they walked down the dirt road. The sound of birds glittered the forest in flecks of sound either side of them. Twilight looked up at the forest and stopped. The human, who had been watching a viridian patch of grass to his right, bumped into her rump, then took a step back, then looked down at Twilight. A sign that announced that they were 10 km away from Ironhoof drew both party’s attention. Grunting from the bump, Twilight turned to her Ritter, whose eyes were duller than usual.

“We need to go into the forest to hide just long enough for me to apply the flank paint,” she said as the human shuffled in place. Suddenly his eyes jumped up, then looked down, giving a nod.

Twilight turned into the thicket, brushing against the foliage with her coat, and started moving to her right as the human followed. They moved past the tree line, their leaves swaying and into the forest proper. Spruce tree trunk after spruce tree trunk moved past them as Twilight’s hooves would occasionally snap a twig, breaking the silence. The two continued until they found a large wooden stump where sunlight was bathing it, along with several birds and two chipmunks who seemed to be in congress.

“Paint please,” Twilight said as she approached the wooden stump. The critters saw her and scattered into the surrounding foliage as Twilight approached the flat tree root. It was sliced clean, with no sharp ends to imply that the tree had simply fallen over.

The Ritter unstrapped himself and put his canvas backpack to the floor of the forest, the grass lightly crunching. He pulled out ink vile after ink vile he had pilfered, placing several rolls of baby unicorn wrappings on the floor, forcing Twilight to raise her eye as he continued to dig through.

“What’s with the horn wrappings?” Twilight asked as the human continued to search in his backpack.

No reply came as suddenly a long box of cardboard was pulled from the depths of the human’s backpack. He opened it up, and she saw he had acquired the full gamut of colors.

“Impressive,” she said, her violet eyes raised.

“Don’t be, I stole this too,” the human said as he approached her while she adjusted herself on the stump and placed the box next to her. He then stepped away and sat down against the tree on the edge of the clearing’s radius. Leaning back, he stared into the sky.

Twilight exhaled and narrowed her eyes as she pawed at the containers of color. Peering in, she saw there were 12 entire vials of colors, ranging from red to blue to violet.

Picking up the green vial with her teeth, she set it aside as she pawed through the box again to reveal a complementary brush. Putting the brush aside, Twilight put the green vial between her hooves and carefully nipped the cork cap open with her mouth. Taking the brush, she attempted to dip it into the vial three times before succeeding. Then she scraped the excess paint off to the side, and laid herself flat on the side atop the stump.

Folding herself over, she brushed the paint across her flank, but five strokes in, she groaned, then mewed as her eyes widened. Grunting and lightly shaking her head, she returned to the task at hand until a sharp cry of pain emanated from her. She unfolded herself and laid atop the stump, letting the gentle midmorning sun warm her as her side heaved up and down.

Glancing up, she saw her charge leaned back against a tree, his eyes closed now, his chin tilted up. He remained unmoving, almost as if in a trance.

“Can I get some help here?” Twilight said, watching the human remain unmoving. “Some help, please!”

The Ritter was still unmoving, his nostrils flared up as his chest slowly expanded. A pine needle from the tree broke, slowly falling, and crashing into his face before rebounding and continuing its way to the ground.

“HELP, PLEASE!” Twilight yelled.

The human’s eyes fluttered open as he blinked and slightly shifted his head towards Twilight, who stared at him from her side. Pushing himself up, he took 10 steps towards her before folding his hands into his arms.

“Yes?”

“I need help getting this paint on, without being able to use magic, I can’t accurately paint on the flank. I need you to do it with your hands,” Twilight grunted as she closed her eyes.

The human walked around the mare, slowly examining the unicorn as the trees stopped waving in the wind. Blinking once or twice, he finally said, “You left a pretty big green streak across your mark.”

“I know, I know, I know, so just try to paint something,” Twilight grunted as she looked toward the trees.

“You sure about that? You might live to regret it,” the Ritter said as he walked towards his backpack and dug through it.

“What are you doing?” Twilight exclaimed, “I have everything we need over here.”

The human stood up with a parchment, a pen, and a knife. Holding the knife in the grip of his right hand, he slowly approached Twilight.

“Wait, what you plan on–”

The Ritter dropped the knife in front of Twilight as he walked towards her rear and unscrolled the parchment atop her mark. She bent up and turned her head, trying to watch what he was doing. The human lifted the top right corner of the parchment, then put it back down and, with his pen, made a circle. Then he went to the other corner and repeated it. Lifting the parchment back up, he walked past Twilight’s head and picked up the knife. Placing the parchment atop the wood stump, he stabbed into it and started cutting out two circles. Getting back up again, he walked again to her flank and again, placed the parchment atop her, and used the holes he made as a kind of guide. Making two more marks with his pen, he said, “Flip over.”

Twilight pushed herself up as the human shifted to her other side and placed the same parchment atop her rear. Narrowing his eyes, he aligned the parchment again, and made more notes on it before looking at her and saying, “Back to your original position.”

“What you doing?”

The human said nothing as he scrolled up the parchment and crossed his arms. Twilight rolled her eyes as she returned herself back to the way she was, laying atop the stump. The human floated around her and finally went over to the vial of green paint and with his soft claws, almost became one with the brush, easily dipping it in the paint before returning towards her flank. Then, ever so slowly, he painted, after a few moments, he got back up and put the brush into the green vial. Twilight pushed herself up to have a look and saw that nothing happened with her mark except that now her mistakes had a fresh coat of paint on them.

“What the? Are you trying to be funny?”

“Quiet.”

Twilight’s ears folded back as she scowled, “I have no clue what you’re doing, but if you could please take this seriously, I’d really appreciate it. Because if I get caught,–” Twilight yelped as the human placed the parchment back onto her rump, quickly lining up the holes before unrolling it, slapping it twice with his hands. Quickly Twilight snapped up and gazed at him, “What is your problem? Are you asking me to buck you in the-”

Then Twilight saw that what he had done was make an exact copy of the error she had made on the parchment. Unrolling it, he took his pen and began to draw a wavy design; it snaked along the thick piece of parchment before he grabbed a knife and cut it again.

“You’re making a stencil, that’s not a bad idea,” she said, a wave of relief washed over her.

The Ritter walked over to the jars of flank paint and pulled the jars of red, violet, blue, and sky-blue. Wiping the brush with his clothes, he dabbed the brush in the violet jar and found a blank spot on the parchment to brush. Wiping it again, he repeated the action, this time pulling from the red vial. He repeated this over and over again until he lifted the carved parchment up and looked at it, then back at Twilight, then back at it again.

“Is this close enough to your coat color?” the human showed Twilight the scroll, putting it against her coat.

“It’s close, but it’s too dark,” Twilight looked up at her Ritter who had already retracted the scroll and was already mixing paints again. Then suddenly he spat, drooling atop the parchment, Twilight’s head yanked back, watching the human drool saliva from his mouth. Once again, taking the brush, he swirled the mix of substances together and presented his results to Twilight.

“It’s on point, but did you really have to spit into it?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Did you bring water with you?” the Ritter grunted.

“No…”

“Neither did I. Just for future reference, three parts violet to two parts sky-blue. Slowly add water until it matches your coat,” the human got up and placed the scroll on Twilight’s flank, and went to work.

Twilight could feel the brushwork, the soft strokes, whatever it was he was doing, he was being very gentle about it now. Her ears flickered during the moments that he went against the fur, but even during those moments, she could feel a soft stress emanating within her. She closed her eyes and her expression relaxed as her Ritter gently kept working on her. Then, as soon as it began, it stopped.

Twilight lifted her head to look back as he peeled off the parchment and took a few steps back.

“Let it dry, after that, we’ll work on the other side and get back on the road,” the Ritter said. Twilight nodded and looked away as her bangs leapt up for a second, revealing the horn underneath it. The human lifted an eyebrow and scooted over.

Twilight looked back and saw that he was staring straight at her. Gulping, his soft claws suddenly thrust forward and lifted her bangs, “Wait, what are you–”

He had already lifted the paintbrush and thrust it straight into the middle of her head. Twilight flinched before realizing that he was quickly making brushstrokes around the base of her horn. The urge to jump up slammed into her as the part of her who wanted to see the task through pushed back. “Hey! Cut that out!”

But just as quickly as it began, it ended. Twilight blinked and looked at the tip of the brush, seeing her coat’s color ruffled in between its hairs.

“Oh, camouflage,” Twilight said, blinking. The base of her horn was no longer black, but the color of her coat.

“An obsidian ring is not something to be flaunted,” the human said as he put the brush down and lifted himself up. He left the stencil atop the tree stump and walked back over to his seat, once again closing his eyes and placing one of his long arms atop his knee, and took in the shade.

Twilight waited a few moments before righting herself and pushing herself off the stump. Then a horrible thought crossed her mind, I gave him no direction, I even implied to do anything, what in Tartarus did he paint!? Twilight gave out a yelp that startled the human awake, he blinked once or twice as he saw Twilight turn her front half sideways to get a good look at her flank.

In a split second, all her worries spilled out her front mouth and were swept up by the breeze. Instead of a skull and crossbones, or a large ‘i’ representing the most sensitive parts of a mare, she saw he had integrated the long green mistake she made into his work. Her primary star was concealed using the ratio he had discovered, while the giant green ethereal curtain graced her rump.

He had drawn a Borealis. It’s green snaking shimmer stretching from the top left corner to the bottom right, and intermingled with various shades of her coat. He had even managed to integrate the surrounding five white stars into her new alias. Snorting, she let gravity take hold as the rays of Celestia’s power bathed her in warm light, letting her temporary new brand dry.

The orange light of dusk draped around the horizon as two and three-story buildings stood on either side of Twilight as she led her Ritter into town. Finally, seeing other friendly ponies, Twilight exhaled as she took in the sights. The scent of baked goods floated in the air as long angled red rooftops littered the skyline as windows bled orange candlelight. Nearly every building had a sign hung out. A unicorn was dutifully walking to each streetlamp and casting a spell, giving off an ethereal blue light, forcing the candle inside to glow bright white. A bar was close by, as she could hear the singing of ponies coming to get a pint after a hard day’s worth of work.

“Know of any inns nearby?” the Ritter asked, pulling up alongside Twilight.

“To be honest, this is my first time here,” she looked back up at her human. “Let’s walk for a bit and see what we get.”

Twilight took the lead again as she slithered and worked her way through the streets. A pink confectionery, two bakeries that were already closed, and a toy emporium later, they came across the sound of more ponies singing, coming from a building with a giant ‘Hoof’n Spark’s Inn’ sign hanging above it. Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned to her Ritter.

“Listen to me very carefully, I know where you come from, you’re in charge. But you’re on Equus now,” Twilight said, catching the human rolling his eyes. “You have an issue?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo, I can take care of myself,” Xavier said.

“Listen, maybe back on earth, because you’re a male, you get to make the decisions. But not here. So let me be the face of all this and don’t say anything,” Twilight narrowed her eyes.

“That’s not how it works on Earth. And we’re not a herd.”

“Yes, we are.”

“No, we’re not.”

“You don’t get to make that decision.” Twilight said, furrowing her brow.

“There’s something you’re still not telling me,” the human said, folding his arms towards himself and wrapping them almost like a knot.

“There is no escape clause if you’re looking for one,” Twilight said as she exhaled through her nose.

“Even if there isn’t, I know for a fact that ponies inducted into a herd can also be expelled or leave on their own accord,” the Ritter said.

“Not us.”

“Why?”

“Because we resonate,” Twilight answered, turning away and began to walk into the inn.

“Not good enough,” the human said, frozen and unmoving. “Regardless, I can speak for myself, thank you very much.”

“No, I speak for the both of us, that’s why I’m going to be the one talking to the innkeeper and you’re going to stand back and let me take care of it,” Twilight said, turning to the inn and tapping its green earthen door with her hoof.

“Why? They’re close enough to Manehattan. I probably won’t be their first human,” Xavier said, his arms remaining crossed.

“When was the last time you were drained?” Twilight’s head twisted back, looking Xavier in the eye.

“Drained?”

Twilight turned back to the inn and said, “Let me take care of this. After we both get a bath, I’ll be sure to take care of you before we go to bed. Probably put you in a better mood…”

“What do you mean ‘take care’ of me?” Xavier lifted an eye.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” Twilight turned her whole body to face the human, then walked up to him and started hissing out the side of her lip, “I’m going to put you inside of me until you ejaculate. Then I’m going to clean up, and you should be in a much better mood,” Twilight turned away and began walking towards the inn.

Xavier stood there, his mouth having dropped as he blinked three times. Then three times more, his mouth moved as if to speak, only for silence to pour out.

“Well, come on. We haven’t got all night, and you’re the one with the bits,” Twilight snorted as she pawed at the door, pushing down the floor handle and, with a click, letting herself in.

The iridescent glow of candles flooded the entrance as immediately to Twilight’s left was a small opening leading to the tavern. The interior was ash wood from floor to ceiling. The sounds of mares and stallions drinking together, along with the flittering chirps of a few griffins spilled from the tavern. To her side, the scent of ale was enough to wrinkle her nose as she looked away and found the innkeeper’s desk. Behind her, the sound of a door opening revealed that the human had finally had enough of standing stupid in the street.

Twilight walked to the stallion at the desk, wearing a green back coat with spectacles pinched across his face. He quickly marked a large tome before looking up and smiling, “Looking to check in for the night? How many?”

“Three, the other one is wrapping some shopping up before we bunk for the night,” Twilight said, looking away.

“All right, that’s three for one, five a head, 15 bits,” the stallion said as he smiled at Twilight.

“How much for two beds?” Xavier said.

Twilight and the innkeeper froze. Twilight's eyes slowly rotated to the voice that just pierced the evening. The innkeeper coughed a few times before beginning, “Is everything right, Sir? Sorry, is everything alright sir?”

“Yes,” Xavier glanced left and right, looking confused.

“Ha ha!” Twilight gritted her teeth as she pretended to laugh. “You’re such a joker! So, um, how much is that again?”

The innkeeper laughed and shot Xavier a look, “Well, well, well, someone’s in trouble, guess that’s why you sent off your other herd member to get supplies?”

Xavier raised an eye at the innkeeper and then looked at Twilight, her lips stretched to the side as her eyes were wide, “Okay, what’s going on here? I just wanted to know how much an extra bed was.”

Twilight turned around with a huge plastic grin, “Ha! See, he’s just being funny, now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll get out of your-”

The innkeeper locked eyes at Twilight and said, “Oh, it’s for you.” The innkeeper tsked at the mare ahead of him, “So what happened? Spend a little too much in your treasury?” He looked at the human then back at Twilight, “Maybe you forgot his birthday? Yeah, you seem the type.”

Twilight lifted her front left leg and recoiled as the innkeeper pursed his lips and looked up at Xavier, “For you, it’s on the house, though if you want me to put her up in the sharing lodge, or on the tavern floor...”

“Just the two beds are fine,” Xavier bit his lower lip, his eyes darting between the irritated innkeeper and Twilight. Her purple face had gone pale despite her fur as her ears had folded back and her eyes just stared off into the corner.

“15 bits, and ma’am,” the innkeeper addressed Twilight. “If I hear a commotion in your suite, don’t think the guard mare won’t enter and escort you out.”

Twilight slowly nodded as she blinked.

“Room 103, upstairs to the left, though I will need to ask you to give me 30 minutes to get the second bed moved in,” the Innkeeper said, again scowling at Twilight.

Xavier pulled 15 bits from his wad as Twilight quietly said, “L... let’s go dear,” as she walked back out the entrance.

Xavier raised an eye as he put the bits on the desk and took the three keys that were offered. Following Twilight, they both exited the inn out into the black and blue night. They took two turns into a narrow causeway before Twilight stopped and looked at the cobblestone, growling at Xavier, “Never, ever do that again.”

“Okay, I obviously hit a faux pas,” Xavier said.

“Yeah, no shit!” Twilight hissed, then snapped to gaze at her Ritter. “I told you to keep quiet and let me handle it!”

“Would you have gotten a second bed?” Xavier asked, unmoved.

“No!”

“What about a second room?”

Twilight took a step back, her ears folding back and once again lifting her left front hoof with a horrified look, then shook her head and exclaimed, “Why would you ever ask for such a thing?”

“Because I don’t feel comfortable with you,” Xavier said, crossing his arms.

“So you’re okay with me taking first watch, but you have a problem sleeping in the same bed as me?” Twilight nearly screamed.

“Did you forget the part where you fell asleep through your watch?” Xavier raised an eye.

“Not the point!” Twilight wheezed, her tail swished into the air. “If you were okay with letting me watch over you, why are you not okay sharing a bed?”

“First, it’s been a very, very long three days,” Xavier said, exhaling. “Second, someone taking first watch just means you’re staying up to keep us safe, not touching or sharing warmth.”

Twilight shook her head, then bit her lip, “Fine, whatever. The damage is done, we’re gone in a day or two anyways. But next time, let me handle it!”

“Will you get a second bed next time?”

“No!”

“Second room?”

“Like I already said, NO!”

“Why not?”

“Because it implies you’ve sent me to second bed!”

Xavier just stood there, looking left to right. Confusion wafted over his face as his eyes darted back and forth.

“Herds sleep together, human!” Twilight said, exasperated. “When a member is exiled from the herd’s bed, they have to sleep by themselves!”

Xavier just blinked, then narrowed his eyes, “Wait, I implied I sent you to the doghouse?”

“The doghouse?”

“Where I come from, when a wife refuses to sleep in the same bed as her husband, she sends him to the doghouse, implying he’s not in her good graces,” Xavier explained, his right hand held forth, open and bobbing for a second.

“So you do have some knowledge of the familiar,” Twilight grunted.

“Okay, how was I supposed to know that asking for a second bed was tantamount to embarrassing you?” Xavier’s lips curled as he raised an eye.

“Did you not read anything about ponies before you came over?” Twilight spat.

“I’ve worked with ponies before,” Xavier shrugged. “I’ve heard hints or whispers of ‘second bed’ issues. But I’ve never had to share a bed with a pony before.”

“Just because you’ve worked with us doesn’t mean you know anything about our culture dimw-” Twilight caught herself, biting her lower lip. “Next time, just let me handle it.”

Xavier just stood there, looking to his left and right, before digging into his pockets. He pulled out the map he had pilfered and handed it to Twilight, “Alright, this isn’t working out. Just point on the map where the Abby is and I’ll get out of your mane.”

“No, I already told you I will take you,” Twilight grumbled.

“No, this is where you zip it Unicorn,” Xavier said, this time he snapped his eyes at the mare. “You want to play family, but you’re already at the edge of slinging verbal insults at me. I’ve gone through that before. Not again.”

“You should have let me handle it!” Twilight growled, her tail flickering once.

“Why? Why would I want to sleep in the same bed as you?” Xavier said, flapping the map about.

Twilight took a step back, and looked at the human, once again, she bit her bottom lip and then looked away, “Do humans even sleep in the same bed as each other?”

“Only the ones that ‘rut’ together, and we’re not rutting, are we?”

Twilight gazed angrily at Xavier, “No wonder you’re so warped. You’ve correlated the purity of familiar sleeping with the purity of sex.”

“How does sleeping with a unicorn work, anyway?” Xavier bit back. “How many eyes are lost a year from accidents?”

“None!” Twilight burst out, her nostrils flared. “Why would you even ask that?”

“Seems like an easy way to lose an eye would be to sleep next to one,” Xavier said.

“Well, I would wake up before that could happen,” Twilight snorted.

“Okay yeah, doubt that,” the human shoved the map back in his pocket.

“Jeez, you’re really in a mood, it must have been years since you’ve last been drained,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

Xavier’s head remained frozen while he stared down at the purple unicorn. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth before he rumbled out, “I am not some peg that needs to be shoved in a hole to be placated!”

“You will not talk to me in such a manner,” Twilight locked her eyes with Xavier’s.

“Or what? You’ll report me to your Goddess? Let me guess, ‘Dear Celestia, I never thought it would happen to me...’” Xavier said sarcastically.

“Watch your tone, Ritter,” Twilight growled.

“Then stop talking about me being drained,” Xavier growled back.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Twilight barked at Xavier, her ears facing forward at the human.

“Someone who uses a spell to get assigned a fuck buddy?” Xavier gestured at Twilight, “Does Celestia know you’re using magic to get laid? Seems like awful parenting for having a supposed goddess as a second mommy.”

“If you speak ill of her one more time, human-” Twilight took a step forward.

“Then just mark on the map where I need to go,” Xavier said, fishing the map out of his pocket yet again, waving it in her face. “Until then, however? She’s fair game.”

“Why? She’s done nothing to you,” Twilight answered with a tiny whine piercing out.

“D-” Xavier stopped for a second. “Did you not see the state of your own world during the war? Oh wait, I bet you were nice and safe in Canterlot behind ivory walls while everyone else, including two other elements, went out there and did something. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash went out and fought, why not you? Even Celestia and Luna got their shit together long enough for them to at least fail at fighting Sombra so hard, they created a fissure among your kind. But where were you?”

“I was doing logistics,” Twilight looked down, her tail swished as her ears fell back.

“Oh, were you now?”

“It was an important job,” Twilight looked up at Xavier in the eye and furrowed her brow.

“Sure it was. Sure it was, I mean, let’s ignore the moral boost you might have given the mares on the front lines, let’s ignore, you’re the strongest unicorn ever produced,” Xavier ranted as he gestured to the dark sky.

“I’m not the strongest unico-” Twilight started to say before Xavier cut her off.

“Says the mare who, during a fucking admissions test of all things, revived a fucking baby dragon that was probably on the edge of death using unicorn magic, of all things,” Xavier bit his lip. “That’s a few degrees under some kid solving the Riemann Hypothesis in order to find a Minecraft exploit, but I’m comparing apples and oranges at this point.”

“What? A Minecraft?” Twilight looked baffled, then shook her head, “Look, are you through?” Twilight said, closing her eyes.

“Not remotely! I’ve got more questions! Why did Celestia spurn the help of Thorax and his cohort? What about the Diamond Dogs? Why were you still in conflict with them when you had a bigger enemy to fight? Why did the artifacts of the Elements of Harmony lose their shine? Why did you never attempt to even probe for an alliance with the Stormking? Or the Kirin? Why was Ember allowed to die? And why the fuck did you all let the Element of L-”

“STOP!” Twilight screamed, rearing up, only for her hooves to slam down on the cobblestone. “You do not know what I’ve been through the last few years, and I won’t be lectured by you!”

“That’s fine,” Xavier shook the map in front of her. “Here’s your get out of jail card, all you have to do is put an X where the Abby is and you can rid us both of these chains.”

“Why are you so determined to get rid of me?” Twilight snapped back.

“How would you like it if some foal came up to you and started calling you mom? Just followed you around, just expected you to feed them? That would get real weird real quick, right? Being forced into a role that you never asked for?” Xavier locked his eyes with Twilight’s.

“First,” Twilight gave off a gentle laugh, “You would be surprised at who I’ve had just follow me out of the blue, but more pertinent, for your information, Heartsong is different. I’ve told you time and time again,” Twilight shook her head.

“How is it any different? How? Tell me? It is an obvious mismatch in our case,” Xavier said, pinching his forehead.

“Heartsong doesn’t make a mismatch,” Twilight sighed.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You chose an ancient extinct language in order to prevent someone who might recognize the song you’re singing and reply back. And maybe you should consider that because of my alien nature, you might match up with any human that hears it, rendering the test null for any Homo Sapien that happens to hear it,” Xavier said, slapping the map on his forehead.

“Ha! Gerald didn’t reply, there were other humans at the library, your counterargument doesn’t work, speaking of which, why were you even at the library?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Gerald?” Xavier shook his head. “I was there trying to figure out how the hell you stopped the pain in my limbs, why were you there?”

“I was trying to figure out where you ran off to, I don’t know much about your kind, so I opened up a study, I–oh Celestia, I left my notes there,” Twilight blinked several times before biting her lower lip.

“Let me guess, you want to do a U-turn just to go back to a city that still might be in flames?” Xavier rolled his eyes.

Twilight stomped her hoof and looked up at the human, “Despite the rumors you may have heard about me, I can differentiate between putting things in order and suicide.”

“What we’re doing is practically suicide, eventually we’re going to enter kingdom territory, and if they’re looking to execute the both of us, well…” Xavier said.

“We won’t be executed on sight. Ponies in the kingdom are a lot friendlier than what your Pro union newspapers say,” Twilight snorted.

“Oh, I’m not worried about salt of the earth ponies. They got bigger things to worry about, I’m talking about the mercenary groups. The freelancers, the bounty hunters. Fuck me if ‘Fang’ and ‘Scale’ are operating there too. They see you and figure you out, it’s a one-way ticket to the stockade for you,” Xavier voiced.

“And if they catch you, though, they’ll just kill you on sight and bring your head in,” Twilight said, biting her lower lip.

“I,” Xavier patted the oblong, covered shape on his back, “have protection. And I’ve dealt with my fair share of unicorns. But,” Xavier pointed at Twilight’s horn. “But you’re fucked. Without your magic, I can’t guarantee your safety. That is, unless you finally decided to stop frolicking about and pop that ring off.”

“I don’t need you to guarantee my safety! I’m a full-grown mare, I can take care of myself!”

“So? When you faced Nightmare Moon and Discord, you had your magic.”

“I also had help.”

“Ignoring the Inverted Alicorn on your resume, you stopped Discord, and according to what we know about him, that should have been practically impossible. And yet here we are. Only because you’re so magically strong. So either you’re lying, someone spread the story that’s gone out of control, or he let you win. Our information came from Kingdom reports, so we can nix the last two.”

“It. Was. A. Team. Effort!” yowled Twilight.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Xavier pointed at Twilight. “Keep telling yourself that he just let you waltz right up to him and stop him.”

“That’s exactly what he did!” Twilight’s mane was frazzled at this point, “He was arrogant! He didn’t think we could stop him, but we did! Together!”

“But how did you survive? Why didn’t he just turn you and the others into,” Xavier wrinkled his arms up and down. “Spaghetti or something?”

“Because he was arrogant and played games with us!” Twilight gasped, exasperated. “He thought it would be funny to break us! And he nearly did!”

Xavier took a step back, but Twilight kept pushing forward, “I can take care of the both of us, magic or no magic!”

“You got cornered by a mountain of an earth mare and you needed me to come rescue you,” Xavier crossed his arms.

“I had things under control,” Twilight glared up.

“Okay, I… I can’t handle this anymore, just put the X on the map, please!” Xavier choked out, “I don’t want to play family with you.” Xavier shook his head three times before lifting a gloved hand that was curled into a fist, and lifted up his fingers as he started enumerating. “First, we can’t have kids. Second, were both disparately different species, so physical intimacy must be near impossible.”

“It’s not,” Twilight interrupted.

“How so? Personal experience?” Xavier raised an eye.

“A demonstration.”

“A demonstration? So what, you go to the strip clubs and ask for, I don’t know, the cowboy special?”

“It was academic,” Twilight snorted.

Xavier just stood there in silence as he glanced at Twilight’s face. He blinked and said, “A joke? Right now?”

“I’m quite serious. You’re just as compatible as a Dragon or a Griffin,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, how the hell do griffins even work? Don’t they have a cloaca or a barbed penis -”

Twilight groaned, “Yes it’s barbed, which is why the two parties will take special precautions well before they engage in the act. Same thing with dragons. Strange as it sounds, your genitals are more compatible.”

“I don’t want to know more,” the human had covered up to his bruised forehead while blinking. “The point is, this will not work out. You’re too ornery, and I don’t have the patience for you.”

“Well, too bad human,” Twilight said. “It’s no picnic for me either, but I took an oath-”

“What oath?”

“The oath of a Knight to her Ritter,” Twilight said, tilting her head.

“And that means?”

“The oath is simple. Very long ago, those who used heartsong took an oath before they began serenading the world. I’ve promised to see you through any major quests or obligations before we settle down in earnest, you don’t want a bakery mare situation,” Twilight said.

Xavier stood there and blinked for a few moments before looking down at Twilight, “Wait, you mean a situation where the receiver has duties they must perform before they can settle down?”

“Exactly! If you were already in a herd or were to be herded, or something else, my oath demands that I see it through with you,” Twilight gave out a sigh of relief. “So you do know some things.”

“Oh God,” Xavier blinked as he remembered the manuscript that Prof. Quill had found. “Duchess Goldhorn…”

“Goldhorn?”

Xavier glanced down at Twilight, “Yeah, what do you know about her?”

“Well, she was ages after Gutsy’s unification of the pony tribes, and well after the first fracturing. She was the one who standardized a court having a magician retainer to lend their expertise on all things magical. There was a crisis midway through her reign that forced her to go to war against either a Dragon queen who was notorious for sending her own citizens to the gemstone mines as a form of tax, or a Saddle Arabian Princess by the name of Hadar Hazard who possessed great wealth for her time, despite her kingdom being migratory.”

Xavier tried to speak, but caught himself before trying again, “What if she had a son and he was promised to say, either of the two potential adversaries?”

“I don’t, what?” Twilight fumbled.

“And say that this son replied to the heartsong of some other pony, would that be worthy of starting a war?” Xavier said, lifting one of his crossed arms perpendicular, with its palm facing toward his face.

“Well, that might do it. If the Prince was promised to Hadar Hazard, and some other mare claimed the position of lead mare, especially if the arrangement wasn’t a herd, but marriage, depending on the traditions of the time, that might constitute something worthy of going to war over. Especially if recompense can’t be negotiated. It’s one of the reasons why, when using heartsong, the singer must stay within her class. Finding your Ritter at the cost of starting a war?” Twilight shook her head, “It’s arguably better that you never sang in the first place.”

“Like in our case,” Xavier said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Twilight looked up and took a step back, “I don’t think giving me the runaround is exactly on the same level as instigating a war.”

“But I’m not exactly in your class, am I?”

“No… Not exactly. But it’s not like you’re a crim–” Twilight’s eyes widened, “Oh Celestia, you are a criminal.”

“See, perfect reason to just be done with it,” Xavier clapped his hands together. “You can’t stand me because I’m obstinate, and to top it off, I’m a criminal! So if you just mark on the map where the Abby is, I can get out of your mane and you can go back to doing whatever the element of magic does and if you’re lucky, you’ll never hear from me again!”

Twilight closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, “Again, I took an oath to help you with any outstanding quests that you are undertaking. And I’m not going to leave you now.”

“Okay, then what?”

“I’ll need you to come somewhere with me,” Twilight said, waving her hoof. She then looked to her left, away from Xavier before continuing, “Then, probably, you and I will settle down and start looking at prospective herd mates.”

“I can’t produce offspring with anyone here on Equus, so there’s no point in building a harem. If you’re looking at trying to bring in another stallion for reproductive purposes, or even trying to invite a human woman to fill out the spots, on the former I’m just going to fuck off because why the fuck am I even there? In on the latter, I promise you, unless she has a kink, it would be low-key hell for all of us. And even then, I don’t want children,” Xavier hung his head, exasperated.

“What about other mares?”

“What about them? Seems to me as if our quote, resonance, unquote, puts any potential other mare on the back burner. If she doesn’t leave soon, then she’s a sadomasochist.”

“You do realize that herds exist beyond reproduction, right?” Twilight raised an eye.

“Then why would you join a herd? 2 to 4 mares vying for the attention of a single stallion? I promise you, almost every three body system collapses,” Xavier uttered.

“Three body system?” Twilight raised an eye. “Whatever, there’s more than one reason to join a herd. Sometimes you just get along with everyone there, other times everyone helps each other out in special ways.”

“Oh I bet it special,” Xavier glanced away.

“I meant something along the lines of a mare that specializes in farming wheat herding up with a baker who can work with each other to make a better product,” Twilight spat out.

“That’s cool and everything, but you can do the same thing as friends or business associates, there is nothing to be gained by forming that kind of familiar bond beyond heartache and, as far as I can tell, making foals,” Xavier uttered.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand human, but herding up is a time-honored tradition,”

“A time-honored tradition in torture,”

“Oh, get over yourself. If herds were as bad as you’re making them out to be, why hasn’t society collapsed?”

“I don’t know, but I do know a raw deal when I see it. And forming herds is so raw, it’s practically still bleeding,” Xavier threw up his head.

“This coming from a member of a species who is strictly monogamous?”

“Pseudo-monogamous.”

“What do you mean, it’s fake?”

“Most long-term relationships don’t exceed past 15 years, and that’s probably because the ideal of monogamy is an imposed standard.”

“Wait, so you form herds too?”

“For most of us, it’s more like an incredibly extended orgy on very long time frames. For three years you can be fucking a single mate, and then drop them for several mates over the course of three months,”

“I know about human marriages, I know that two of your kind will try to–”

“Let me tell you about human marriages Twilight, half the time it was the wrong call to begin with. Turns out a lot can change in 10 years, or you married someone who completely changed while being married. And the marriages that do last? Maybe there is some genuine love there, but I’d be willing to bet that either the participants are too afraid of change, or they know for a fact they can’t do any better,” Xavier snorted.

Twilight blinked before spouting, “Then why?”

“Like I said, it’s an imposed standard. I’ve met too many people who carry on about the sanctity of marriage who have been divorced three or four times in their lives,” Xavier answered.

“Divorce?” Twilight blinked.

“Yeah divorce.”

“As in the dissolution of a marriage?” a yellow flash of terror sparked in Twilight’s eyes.

“Yeah, divorce,” Xavier blinked. An awkward silence echoed between the two, despite the sounds of clopping hooves on the street behind them. “Wait, do you even have a concept of divorce?”

“There’s only been one marriage dissolution, ever. And that was because the pony in question was a traitor to their entire kingdom,” Twilight vomited out. “To this day, we don’t speak his name.” Twilight turned and muttered, “Looks like I didn’t know a thing about human marriages at all.”

“An admission of ignorance from you?” Xavier raised an eye.

“Says the human had no clue what’s second bed was,” Twilight snapped back.

“Well, excuse me, Princess!” Xavier widened his eyes. “I’m sorry that my knowledge of pony cohabitation is lacking, especially since I never planned on joining a herd.”

“Well, you’re in one now.”

“Says you,” Xavier retorted. “But we have isn’t a herd. What we have is an agreement that you will get me to the Abbey so I can figure out how to help others.”

“Oh no, this is a herd. The absolute bare minimum, but it still qualifies,” Twilight shot back.

“This is not a herd!” Xavier started shouting, “I will not be forced to sleep in the same bed as you! I will not be forced to follow your lead! And I most certainly will not be forced to have any kind of intercourse with you! I don’t care if it’s because you think I need to be quote, drained, unquote because I’m too uppity or because you’re going through estrus!” Xavier gasped for air, then shrilly bellowed, “I don’t give a fuck that you’re the Element of Magic, I hope you have to chug thornback by the gallon just to make it through one day!”

“You will not speak to me in such a manner! I’m your lead mare because I know better than you! Your use of forbidden magic could’ve gotten you killed, or worse, is proof of how asinine you are!”

“Is everything okay over here?” A voice raised behind the two. A unicorn with a bronze badge and orange coat walked towards the pair. “Sir, is this mare harassing you?”

Xavier looked at the unicorn guard, then looked back over at Twilight. Twilight took a step back as the same face that had come over her at the Inn returned. Narrowing his eyes, Xavier looked over to the guard and said, “It’s fine ma’am, I have gotten lost and my friend here was dressing me down.”

“Dressing down?” the orange unicorn said. She started to walk around the pair, then narrowed her eyes at Twilight. She gazed at Twilight’s hip before saying, “Don’t yell at the male folk in public.”

She then shifted her gaze over to Xavier, and scanned him up and down, “She give you those bruises and cuts?”

Xavier blinked and shook his head, “No.”

“What happened?”

Xavier glanced over to Twilight, who looked up at him, then away, then back at him. The human swallowed before beginning, “I was clumsy, was walking through some brush before slipping down on some mud. Face hit a tree and…” Xavier motioned to the bruise at the center of his forehead.

The orange unicorn narrowed her eyes at the human, and scanned him up and down again. Then looked over at Twilight, “If I see him again with any more bruises, or a wet face, you’ll have an obsidian ring and be in the stockade before the next meal, do we have an understanding?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably as she glanced up at Xavier, “Yes ma’am.”

“Make sure he gets cleaned up before I see him again,” the guard returned her gaze back over to Xavier. “Sir, if you have a problem or need to talk, there is a station just two blocks down the way. Okay?”

Xavier nodded, once again shifting his eyes to Twilight. The orange unicorn turned around and began to slowly canter off, doing a double take on the pair before the crowd subsumed her.

“I,” Xavier gulped, “I forget that the rules are reversed here sometimes.” He looked down over at Twilight and saw her shaking ever so slightly.

“That… could have turned out bad,” she slowly said and looked up at Xavier.

“Yeah,” Xavier nodded. “The innkeeper’s stance makes more sense now.”

Twilight quietly uttered, “Thank you. For not making this worse.”

Xavier turned to Twilight, “Yeah, I don’t need to spend the next few weeks trying to convince the authorities here that you didn’t beat me. Our timetable will be severely stretched by then.”

Twilight raised an eye at the human, “Timetable?”

“We need to be on the road the day after tomorrow in the morning if we are to try to reach the abbey well before winter,” he said. “Though we will probably still need to acquire thermal protection,” Xavier raised an eye at Twilight. “Assuming you haven’t popped your ring off.”

Twilight groaned, then blinked and asked, “What did you mean upgrades?”

“Upgrades?”

“Back in the tunnel, you’ve dealt with obsidian restraints before?”

“Yes,” Xavier turned to face the stream of ponies on the road, peppered with the occasional griffin. “The ones we initially used were not adequate for unicorns who had some level of magical experience beyond primary education. I, along with four others, developed the precursor to the model on your head right now.”

“You. What?”

Xavier glanced down then back at the crowd, “Our original modified versions possessed a tight hallmark inscription. As magic flowed from the unicorn to the obsidian components that made up the composition of the ring, the tight inscription would siphon off just enough to cast an emulated spell. The sigil work was tricky, but we used properties of the electricity being emitted to sidestep the ring, attempting to suck the magic the inscription managed to collect back into its complex. That said, we never got an operable protective bubble spell on it, nor did we get it to change its size ever so slightly so that it gripped the horn tightly while I was working there.”

“Why?” Twilight gagged out.

“Simple; while we had a few unicorns helping us, Perfidari were all unicorns themselves and we needed a way to neutralize them when we could capture them alive and transport them to an obsidian cell. Obsidian rings were the way to go, but all the variants available to us initially were for common unicorns, ones whose magic education didn’t go beyond the task ether society or their mark assigned them. We needed a variant for unicorns who were strong enough to pop theirs off, though it seems they came up with one that works even against you,” Xavier said.

“So the shock is to stop a unicorn from casting?”

“Yes, since many of the stronger spells out there require concentration and the shock breaks it. Back then there were still a handful of spells that would be fast enough to cast that it bypassed the time the hallmark inscription needed to accumulate its own magic to cast its spell, but it seems as though they fixed that. Not to mention it assaults any 3rd party who tries to take it off now…” Xavier pursed his lips.

“Then how do we get this off? Without me having to crack my horn,” Twilight exhaled.

“Well, as far as I know, there are 4, maybe 5 ways of doing it off the top of my head. First, we can try a chemical attempt, but any chemical we use to dissolve the obsidian restraint is more than strong enough to dissolve the horn with it, though if we were to slowly apply some over the course of months, it might dissolve enough of it that you can just break it off by brute force. But I’m not a chemist, I don’t know what chemicals should be used,” Xavier scratched his nose. “We could try to physically pry it off, long enough tongs maybe, or enough brute force like a drop hammer, but there are probably structural reinforcement inscriptions to try and make it so that the force used to break it is enough to shatter the horn as well.”

“Anything magical we can use?” Twilight grumbled and asked.

“Well, I haven’t been in the loop for a while, but if there is an encoding inscription scribed within the primary inscription that is making sure the ring is tight around your horn, if we can figure out the key, we can convince it to loosen itself and it will just fall off with a shake,” Xavier answered. “It’s probably how they get it off in the first place. Toss you into a fragmented obsidian cell, provide the correct key, ring slips off for reuse elsewhere while the unicorn remains in custody.”

“But the key could be anything,” Twilight mumbled.

“Or we could just find an active volcano with a fuckton of fresh equestrian obsidian just lying near the coast. So much of it will drain even the inscription’s magic stores and forcefully shut off the ring completely, allowing you to shake it off with ease. That or we try to cross over to my universe and just take it off there since anything magical here will fail over there, but getting you across without proper documentation and inspections…”

“Okay so, we are far, far away from any active volcanos so that one is no good,” Twilight started. “Trying to extract it via dropping a hammer on it is insanity, maybe a quick dip into your universe and back?”

Xavier shook his head, “Before you even get near the Corridors, you are examined head to toe and verified as many times as they can before you get loaded up on public transport and moved to the Corridors where they again strip search you.” the human turned to Twilight, “So unless you can get others to vouch for you and a few cities to say, ‘yeah we know this mare’, the Beaumount Accords require they stop you.”

“That’s so much, why?”

“Three principle things, first in order to prevent war with Celestia over the Corridors, at the end of the war, the Union and Kingdom sat down and negotiated what would and what would not be permissible. As much as the Kingdom loathed it, they had to allow free travel from my world to here and Union citizen travel vice versa. But there were conditions, one is fear of biological contamination. As impressive as the fauna in Equus is, nearly everything here is susceptible to poisons, toxins, and venoms from my universe.”

“Wait, why?”

Xavier shrugged, “Our leading hypothesis is that because Equus life focused so much more on magical lines of advantages, it left the more mundane vectors open. Even the most mundane poisons from Earth can kill Equus life, meaning that if some species made it through by accident, if there is enough to start breeding, the local fauna is, to use a colloquial term, fucked.”

“I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“You don’t want to get cane toaded.”

“Cane toad?”

Xavier let out a sigh, then placed one of his hands on his hip, “One of the more isolated continents in my world had the Cane Toad introduced to protect sugar crops. They failed in that task in every conceivable way, but succeeded in overwhelming local biodiversity. No one wants that here, or there. So security at each Corridor on the Union side of things is heavily guarded, while, correct me if I’m wrong, in the Kingdom, they subsumed their Corridors with some kinda amber to prevent movement.”

“Okay, there has got to be a way to remove this thing without hurting my horn,” Twilight grumbled. “You said there might be a way chemically?”

“Maybe, but Equestrian Obsidian is fundamentally different from the obsidian from my world, and even then, chemistry is outside my range of expertise. You’ll need to find someone who has the knowhow to get it off.”

“Rut,” Twilight cursed and looked away. “You said you were doing research before… we got where we are now?”

“Yeah,” Xavier nodded.

Twilight scanned Xavier up and down for a moment and snorted, “Before we leave, we need to see where the nearest active volcano is. Seems to me that’s our only realistic option.”

“Trip to the library, then?” Xavier raised an eye.

“I’m not too sure about the state of non-kingdom libraries,” grumbled Twilight. “I have a feeling without kingdom support, they may have fallen into disrepair.”

Xavier looked down at Twilight, raised his left eye, then looked away, “Only one way to find out. We also need to get supplies I wasn’t able to grab before our departure. Can I assume you weren’t able to grab food or water purification supplies?”

Twilight nodded, “What were you able to grab?”

“Bits,” Xavier said, patting the side of his hip that held a bulge. “I got some necessary medical equipment for myself and the flank paint of course, but no shelter material, nor navigational goods. Oh, I did get you a few vials of lacquer.”

“If I might make a suggestion,” Twilight said, catching sight of another guardsmare patrolling the streets. “We wait to grab any extra maps and navigational tools until after I finish looking through the library. We pick up traveling food right before we leave as well. So sleeping bags and a tent-”

“That’s too much,” Xavier said. “We should only need some sheets of canvas to take care of us.”

“And what if it starts raining and we have no plants to use as structure to support that sheet?” asked Twilight.

“Look, we’re in a moderate zone, it’s not too bad. It would be better if we waited until October to see how far we are before we ask questions such as getting a tent,” said Xavier.

“No, no,” Twilight shook her head. “By then, prices might ramp up and who knows where we are at. If we are in a very small town? Getting a good tent is going to be near impossible. And winter gear will be overpriced for what we’re going to get.”

“But that’s additional weight, if each of us hauls a tent, tha-”

“Each of us?” Twilight let loose a mighty exhale. “Not this again.”

“What?”

“We can’t even share a tent?” Twilight’s ears folded back.

“Problem?”

“Yeah, you’re adding more weight for us to carry because you won’t tolerate being in the same shelter as me!” Twilight bemoaned. “I promise you, I don’t bite.”

“Says you,” Xavier shot back, paused, then wiggled his nose. “How much are you going to need?”

Twilight said, “For a tent? I don’t know the loc-”

“For Thornback, this is going to take a few months at the least, we might as well stock up now.”

Twilight froze, her lips curled inwards. Then she started to walk away, “I’m going to the library. I will start looking at maps tomorrow.”

“Huh? At this time of nigh-”

“I can’t deal with you right now,” Twilight turned and hissed. “So I am going to go to the one place I know can help me. Ill be back at the inn later tonight.”

“Don’t you want to know where I plan o-”

“You know, as your lead mare, I should give a rut where you are going and doing, but right now, I just do not care, so go ahead. Go run off into the sewers like a rat or practice evil magic like a wizard for all I care. But I’m not going to sit here and let some exotic furless mammal, who I shall remind you is my Ritter, who also cannot tolerate even the idea of sharing a bed with me, dictate my own rutting reproductive cycle to me, OKAY!?”

Xavier just stood, watching Twilight as she stepped into the crowd, letting the ponies of the town subsume her, and disappear.

Author's Note

So First off, Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to everyone, one and all! The hiatus is over.

That said, due to more unfortunate circumstances, and due to the quality of the cut material from And Yet the World Still Turns (Revolution 1), I've decided to leave it to the side for now until I can give it the proper attention it deserves.

Starting today, we enter into a cycle of three weeks per release. Due to how busy I was during the hiatus, I got a lot less done then I honestly wished for. Thus, until the next major turn in the story, released will be at three weeks until I can get more daily time to dedicate to just writing and editing.

In addition, the first part should be resorted into its own particular volume.

That said, I wanted to finish this off and say to those who are returning, thank you for your patience. To those just joining us, welcome! And to everyone a happy new year!

Chapter 22: I Want One

“Just take it,” the elderly egg white stallion said, the name ‘Dapper Comet’ swung on the name badge around the lanyard chained to his neck said, smiling at Twilight. Tables on tables of books surrounded Twilight as a giant sign that said ‘Book Sale’ hung in the front atrium of the library. Night dripped through the city as the square interior of the library hung behind the sign. A poster advertising various services such as map scribing and a generic crafts shop hung at the entrance. Ponies moved through the sale, with a dragon brandishing glasses and a griffin among them as well. One light brown mother mare teasing her pure white colt over a book she was obviously going to buy him. The spruce carpet softly caught the white colt as he jumped around her, begging for the book titled Main Event’s Book of World Records.

“Are you sure? I can come back with some bits,” Twilight frowned, her eyes shifting to the left tilting her head as her right ear flickered for a moment. She adjusted herself, trying to find sure footing despite the carpet being level.

“My mother’s magic had declined as well. She started losing her magic at an early age and I completely understand what it’s like to live with that,” Dapper said, his nearly maneless scalp showing his horn prominently, beaming at Twilight. Wrinkles spread from his lips across his face while his horn held a grace only somepony in their silver years would possess, “But she always had her books to retreat into. I would give you all six books if we had them, but Stamp isn’t exactly popular these days like she was forty years ago.”

“The second book is one of the better ones,” Twilight said, taking the book by the mouth, turning and using her nose to lift a flap of her saddlebag, slipping the book in. “Never cared too much for the first book because it takes sooooo long for the author to shove Twinkle and her herd out the door and get started on their adventure. But the second book, the moment Twinkle finds her circlet is damaged,” Twilight stomped her hooves with glee. “She has to learn to make do with what she is given!”

“That’s not what I got from that,” the old stallion chuckled as he levitated two books behind them, taking a quick glance and placing them on different piles.

“Huh?” Twilight cocked her head at the librarian.

“The way I read that, it was Twinkle coming to terms with the fact that the world is winding down. Nothing is left undamaged, everything has a scar,” the stallion nodded. “Even her foals will come into the world, imperfect. A haunting prospect for any parent in that story.”

“Well, it does have that theme, but Sanctaria is a drop of the sun made manifest in the story!” Twilight smiled. “Just because it is damaged doesn’t mean it can’t still, with the other five circlets help, reveal the path to the Book of the End and let them rewrite the fate of the world!”

“Rewriting fate, blah,” the old unicorn gave Twilight a coy smile and flicked his tail. “That’s where Stamp lost me. If I was given the brush and the book, I would definitely change some things.”

“But you’re missing the point!” Twilight had a wide smile now, “There was only enough ink left to either rewrite the end of the world or let her rewrite her and her herd’s life! She could have given her herd riches and fame beyond even the Matrons of the Empire, but she saw that restoring the land was far more important, even if another herd would have to come along in 10,000 years to continue the story once the ink jar finally filled itself back up.”

“But why would any creator do that to their world? ‘Your world will eventually end unless every 10,000 years, a herd takes a harrowing journey to temporarily fix this flaw that was deliberately introduced’,” the librarian retorted and looked up, making a snort. “And that is ignoring how contrived the ‘There is only so much ink’ thing is.”

“It’s obvious that when Salamouch made the land, she wanted to give its inhabitants a way out if, during her slumber, evil won. If, for some reason, evil did win, then there would be a forced end to such suffering. It’s a test to ensure that the inhabitants were still capable of mercy, kindness, and love.”

“Sounds like to me Salamouch should have stayed awake,” the stallion snickered, turning to levitate two more books and placing them on two piles.

“Creation is an exhausting effort,” Twilight coyly huffed. “Also, for some, they can’t not create. There is an impulse to do it. A mood overtakes them and they have to create.”

“Well, a mare should know how creating something should be exhausting,” the elderly stallion eyed.

“Hey,” Twilight smirked. “Watching over a creation can be just as hard as the act of making it.”

The stallion pursed his lips, then shook his head, “I was never a fan of how Duke Swift was the comedic relief.”

“Well, what did you expect him to do? Put himself in danger?” Twilight wiggled her eyebrows and playfully smiled.

“He was stuck cooking and watching little Shining Star while his mares went out and did the real stuff,” the stallion grumbled. “And every time he did try to go beyond his station, his reward was either to be captured or tricked.” The old stallion looked at the ground, his ears folded and lips turned up.

“Well, think about it, he did do a good job of making sure his mares were taken care of,” Twilight nodded. “Without him, they would have had to deal with carrying Thornback and maybe Trumpet Lilly. Without him, they would have been so dragged down by estrus that it would have impeded their journey.”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I meant,” grumbled the Librarian. “He may have been a unicorn, but if Twinkle sat him down and taught him magic beyond the basics, many problems could have been avoided.”

“But then there would be no story!” Twilight laughed.

“Yes, yes,” nodded the stallion. “But as a father of twenty, the sheer fact that he couldn’t even cast an inverse Alarm spell so Shining Star wouldn’t wander too far without him knowing just bothers me. If he was an earth pony or pegasus, I would understand. But…”

“Well, you have to remember, Stamp wrote the story over half a century ago. And she was quite conservative, Tarturus, she still calls Dragons ‘Demon Lizards’ and never lets up from that,” Twilight said, turning to look at the dragon with glasses, who was reading a book called The Secret History of Clover the Clever. She turned back to Dapper and said, “And even then, there are still plenty of other literature where stallions are heroes!”

The librarian stood still for a second, turned to Twilight, moping. “Have you read any of those stories?” he asked, his right lip stretched across his snout.

“Well, only one, and I never got all the way through, to be honest,” Twilight wrinkled her nose.

“Why?”

“Well, I didn’t like how the book discussed taking care of his mares. He spoke of them more like pieces on a chessboard than mares that would throw their lives away to protect him and their foals,” Twilight grimaced, turning away from the librarian ever so slightly.

The old stallion nodded, “I’m guessing what you read was Preconception and Disdain?”

“Yes!” Twilight cried out, her ears flickering up. “That’s the one!”

“Do you mind me telling you how it ends?” the librarian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight shook her head.

“If you read further along, he votes to expunge Glory Treasure.”

“Wait, no,” Twilight’s face popped with shock as she lifted her left leg up ever so slightly. “He and her were the closest!”

“Later on, Lilypad drops an ultimatum, either she leaves or Glory leaves. And Lilypad comes from money. If he didn’t, Glory, Starry, and the foals would have found themselves in deep poverty. The illusion that he could keep the herd in balance comes crashing down and he resigns himself to stay with Lily just long enough to make sure the last of the foals could get a good education, but when she caught him sneaking Equucleum into her meals and, well,” the stallion frowned.

“Branded,” Twilight frowned.

The stallion nodded, “The story ends with him breaking and almost killing their youngest. And he was hauled away to a convent. In the Epilogue, he runs into a forest where he meets Glory again in a bright green field.”

“Oh?” Twilight said as her eyes flashed with a shade of violet.

“It’s implied that he died in the forest and found his way to Elysium,” the old stallion said, his eyes watering up. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“I understand, there’s no shame in a stallion crying,” Twilight smiled.

“You have to understand,” Dapper said. “The reason it came off as him manipulating the mares like they were in a game is because he was looking out for his foals.”

“Why?” Twilight tilted her head, her mane bouncing slightly.

“Well, because it’s not uncommon that one mare will push her foals forward at the expense of a herd mate’s foals,” the stallion said. “They were all his children, but each mare had her own young to look after. Look, let me ask you this. If you were in a herd where you had two foals, and every other mare had two foals as well, and they all got sick, and you only had one dose of the cure to go around, would you not prefer that dose go to one of yours?”

Twilight shuffled and grimaced, “I mean, well.”

“So you see the dilemma?”

“Yeah but, if they were good parents, those foals would never get to such a state in the first place, right?” Twilight asked, she said, facing away from the librarian at an acute angle.

“Perhaps, but assume the worst has happened. What then? Maybe if they were all your children, you could instantly tell which one was the one that needed it the most. But if you are the mare with a foal that was almost as bad as the one who needed it the most, but not bad enough? You might do something underhanded to get that foal the medication. And what if you were also lead mare? You might just have the position and power to do it. That means that you might be the only pony there that can get the foal who needs it the most that medication,” the stallion said, snorting.

Silence was spun between the two of them as ponies were milling about around them. Each of the temporary shelves lined with books seemed as if they were facing Twilight. The clattering of hooves echoed across the chamber, underpinning the quiet between the two ponies. Then Twilight opened her mouth.

“I see,” Twilight glanced right. “And if you’re lead mare, or the other parents in general overrule you… so Glory leaving was a lot worse than I realized,” Twilight blinked.

“Right, as usual, the foals stay with the father, but without their mother to argue on their specific case, things can get messy very quickly,” the stallion said, closing his eyes and nodding to the violet mare in front of him.

“But at that point, he could just go to an arbiter and explain the situation?” Twilight asked, her lower lip fluttering for a split second.

“I don’t know about the arbiters where you come from, but where I grew up, they were flimsy and ineffectual,” the stallion said, snorting and folding his ears back. “And given Lilypad’s family wealth, she could have just thrown bits at the problem until it resolves in her favor.”

“I, I really doubt that an arbiter would take a bribe,” Twilight exhaled as she faced the librarian. “They took oaths.”

“Not to be rude, ma’am, but you are at risk of seeming deeply naïve,” the stallion said, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” Twilight answered, her brows facing each other for a split second, then shooting the librarian a cocked eye.

“Arbiters are not these advocates that ensure that only the best outcome for the herd happens, they’re ponies. Maybe they had 15 other families to see that day and they are exhausted. Maybe they knew one of the mares from primary school. Maybe they have a grudge against earth ponies and see them as ill-suited to be proper parents,” the old stallion countered as he lifted another two books with his magic and sorted them.

“Well,” Twilight shuffled. “They can always take it to court?”

“That’s arguably even worse,” the stallion yanked his head back and shot Twilight an exhausted look. “By the time they’ve examined all the evidence and interviewed everyone, asking every question, in our particular scenario, the disease has run its course.”

“Then…” Twilight looked from side to side in a brief panic.

“You do your best, but sometimes it is what it is,” the stallion curled his lip.

A small silence stuck around the two ponies once again as other ponies moved throughout the sale. The scent of allspice wafted as lantern light glowed pale blue around them.

“Well… sir, it was very good to meet you and I thank you for your help,” Twilight said.

“Anything for a voracious reader,” the stallion nodded as he turned and left.

Twilight turned, and took a few steps before the librarian once again voiced, “Ma’am?”. She stopped, and turned to the librarian as he walked towards her, a book held aloft by magic beside him.

“I do not want you to leave our library with an unpleasant taste in your mouth. I didn’t mean to attack you if that is what you derived from our talk. But from unicorn to unicorn, can I give some honest advice?”

Twilight grimaced, looked away, then turned and nodded to the stallion.

“Just because you’re well read and well studied in one thing does not translate to being well read and studied in other things. You’re obviously a curious mare, but I would encourage you to at least try to read outside magic texts and epic fantasy stories. Even if you don’t finish the book, it may, at the very least, widen your perspective,” he said, opening a pouch on Twilight’s saddlebag and slipping the book he had. “I promise you, you will be all the better for it…”

Twilight nodded and thanked Dapper, walking out of the small community library, the dark blue skies oozed in front of her, with both books in her saddlebag. The sound of a fountain spilled forth from her side as haunting pale light illuminated a sculpture of three mares in the middle of the water works, one of each kind, dancing around each other.

Twilight lowered her head as she let out an exhausted sigh, when her ears perked to her left.

“That one! That one!”

Twilight slowly turned to her left as she saw two figures, both standing tall. The smaller of the two was just below her size, rushed up and wrapped its limbs around Twilight’s neck, while the larger one stuck a hand out and exclaimed, “No, no, no!”

Twilight blinked. It was two humans in front of her, the small blond one had clung itself around her neck, forcing her face against Twilight’s neck. Looking down at the beast that grabbed her, she could see that the small human–filly, clothed in white and blue was smiling with eyes closed against her, the scent of peanut butter spread throughout the air. The larger human-mare reached out and approached the young human, her face stretched with embarrassment as her curled black hair jiggled behind her.

“I’m so sorry ma’am, Sally hasn’t quite learned yet that ponies from this side are not for riding,” the human-mare said, bending down to grasp the small creature.

“I don’t mind! I used to give my baby brother rides,” Twilight said as she lowered herself to the ground, folding her front legs inwards. The large human backed off as Sally quickly mounted Twilight’s back. The unicorn pushed herself up and felt the grasp of Sally’s arms around her neck.

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to get her used to this,” the human-mare said.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Twilight began walking around the large human, though Sally started pushing herself up and down while she was still saddled to Twilight. “My name is,” Twilight did a quick look at her hip, still seeing the flank paint up. “Dusk. What’s your name?”

“Jessica,” the human-mare said.

“How do you pronounce that? Get-su-ga?”

“Close, try saying just without the t,” Jessica nodded.

“Jus-eh-ka,” Twilight pronounced.

“That’s much better,” the woman nodded. Sally was still squirming around on Twilight’s back as Twilight circled the fountain, “Gentle please…”

Sally calmed down for a half a second before she suddenly started talking, “This is the one I want! She’s just like ‘Valiant Violet’! She doesn’t have the star cutie mark, but the purple unicorn is just like her!”

“What?” Twilight turned and smiled as she chuckled. Sally finally found the right spot for her to sit atop of Twilight’s saddlebag, only for her to now squeeze the side of Twilight’s ribs with her legs.

“I’m so sorry, it’s a child show on earth that Sally has gotten into a lot recently. You’re not the splitting image of her, too many tones in your mane, but she still doesn’t quite understand that ponies over here are not pets.”

“But she’s so adorable mom!” Sally said, tightening her hug on the unicorn she rode on. Twilight looked down and smiled harder, lightly exhaling and glancing at her and the human filly’s reflection in the water.

“Well, think of this as a gift from her to you and don’t expect any other ponies to give you a ride,” Jessica said.

“Since I have you here, do you mind fielding some questions?” Twilight said as she turned right.

“Sure? About what?” Jessica asked.

“Humans. I’m uh, working with one right now and I don’t quite understand them,” Twilight said, shifting her nose while her ears folded back at the glee of the juvenile atop her.

“Oh? And has she been treating you well?”

“Well…” Twilight trailed off. “We don’t really get along, so I’m hoping to figure out how I can work this out with him.”

The woman scoffed, “Him?”

“Yeah,” Twilight glanced to the left.

“That’s weird, they usually only send women over,” Jessica tilted her head to the side for only a second.

“Why?” Twilight asked, adjusting herself as Sally kept wiggling behind her.

“Oh, well, depending on the situation, of course, it’s just easier to have a woman work with ponies, you know, culture and the like,” Jessica said.

“I mean,” Twilight started. “That makes some sense, but that can’t be the case for every scenario.”

“Hmm, you’d be surprised,” Jessica said. “I’m here on vacation, perfect excuse to get out of the office and not get contacted since I can’t receive email readily on this side. But I came here a few months ago because the place I worked at was trying to negotiate sales prices for liquid nitrogen. We sent two guys over, but they weren’t taken seriously,” Jessica laughed. “So they sent me and the job got done, down to brass tacks and everything.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” Twilight said. “It’s not that stallions can’t do most of the same things a mare can, but I mean, it’s better if they just let us handle it, you know?” Twilight nodded, “You need that quick anger to protect foals, but during a negotiation, well….”

The woman stood and blinked at Twilight.

“Um… are you okay?” Twilight asked.

“Sorry, just remembering something someone told me once,” Jessica said, shaking her head as her black hairs seemed to fade into brown for a second.

“So, you two are here on vacation?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! We had hoped to see Neighagra Falls, but you have to ride on an airship for that and well,” Jessica glanced at Twilight’s back. “It seems better if we had a look at other sights.”

“Well, you could always go to Maneh-” Twilight stopped mid-sentence. “Oh, I forgot…”

“Well, the city is in lockdown, and the riots have mostly stopped if what my inn keeper said is true,” Jessica said, then shot Twilight a stiff smile. “But yeah, we’re just going to avoid that city for the time being.”

Twilight wobbled as Sally started wiggling harder, “Hey…” Twilight stumbled over her words, “Calm down.”

“Sal-”

“Go V-Violet Valiant!” Sally screamed as she grabbed Twilight’s ears and pulled back hard. The mare’s wits vanished. Twilight instantly gave way to the human grip crushing her ears. Her head swung back. Twilight saw the berry blue sky and Luna’s moon when she started breathing harder and harder until she gasped loudly, then reared up as tall as she could. Her rear hooves angled against the cobblestone, trying to salvage Twilight’s balance, only for them to slide up, ever so slightly into the air as Equus denied Twilight’s attempt to catch herself. Gravity took over as Twilight collapsed onto her back, slamming Sally on the cobblestone with her.

“Ah-!” the child screamed before Twilight’s back thrust up, forcing the air out of her lungs.

“Sally!” Jessica screamed and ran over to Twilight, kicking her off.

Twilight let out a cry as she rolled over once, the inscription on the saddlebag automatically tightening to ensure it did not fall off, her attempts to breathe suddenly countered by the strap. Instinct took over as she then kicked against the road as her front legs righted her and she thrust herself up. Stumbling two steps, she turned to see the human mother cradling Sally. Then, her legs moved on their own, running.

And she ran. Ran into the crowd. Ran away from the humans. Ran back into the town where she could get lost in the sea of ponies that ebbed across its streets.

Author's Note

Due to family issues, there may be a delay in releasing Chapter 22

Chapter 23: Neophyte

"The Phoenix's only natural predator is the aggressive Unneb. This large bird's thick black plumage and dark blue comb and wattles along with it's strong, thick skinned legs allow it to pin and endure it's prays flames long enough to drain the life out of the Phoenix."

~KD's Observers book 'Animals of Equus' for children ages 5 to 12

Twilight’s head hung low as she found the dark and dank alley way she and Xavier argued at. Rolling her eyes, she took a left and let the thread of memories in her head lead her back to the Inn. Her side still throbbed from the kick, her rump still sore from the fall, but worse yet, when she caught her wits about her, she ran back only to find the two humans had gone. Twilight’s withers fluttered as the wind pushed back against her rear and plopped her into the tan and brown inn.

The tavern was loud with the sound of conversation to the right, while the innkeeper was talking to two Griffins. He eyed her as she walked past him and onto the wooden stairs. The floor creaked as she passed a Pegasus trying to balance a cake on her back, trudging down the stairs. Arriving on the second floor, she saw rooms 100, 101, 102…

Pushing the door open, a squat, flat room greeted her. A bed immediately to her left and a sitting area deeper in the interior. The curtains fluttered with soft blue wisp like motion, and the scent of oak softy pushed past her. She snorted as she saw a tiny box with linen in it next to the large, circular herd bed. Letting out an exhale, she walked past the sleeping accommodation and looked out the window. The bright white of Luna’s waning gibbous shone through the window as Twilight kneeled. She shook twice, and her saddlebag released its pressure, allowing her to back out and leave her saddlebag on the floor. A small clock slowly churned in the corner, pointing at 10:30.

Turning, she saw dirt encrusted onto the bag where she landed after bucking the adolescent human off. Pulling her new book out, she walked to the desk and sat on the study stool, reading as the world of the Six Circlets whisked her away.

Then she shook her head as a soft pain gripped both her eyes. The ache on her side faded, her rump fresh. Turning, Luna’s moon had changed position, its bright light no longer shining through the window, letting her read. She looked behind her and realized that Xavier still had not made his way back yet from wherever he scurried off to. Letting out an exhale and rolling her eyes, she left the book on the desk and made her way past the second bed, into the hall and down the stairs when a familiar voice pinched her left ear, coming out of the tavern.

“I move 3 of the wraps in the storage to the bazaar,” the voice said.

Twilight walked to the tavern’s opening, looked over and saw the voice had come from the pub. The loud conversation and drunken songs of mares and stallions rang out as she approached the room lit by chandlers and a great hearth. The odor of alcohol was thick in the air. Two Earth Mares, an ivy green one and a deep red one past the hearth were playing a game of Plough, both of them facing opposite directions while attached by a rope with chest harnesses at either end.

“COME ON CHERRY!” cried one onlooker. “I GOT BITS RIDING ON THIS!”

Arduous grunts bellowed from them both as their rear gluteal muscles bulged, pulling against each other. The clopping sound of the wooden floor echoed as both mares adjusted their hooves slightly.

“YOU’VE GOT THIS SPRING!” a light brown Griffin screamed in the back.

The red one bellowed in pain as the green one started creeping forward when the sound of a snap popped through the pub. The rope split apart, one end crashing into the table, taking one of its legs clean off, as the other slammed against the metal ring of a barrel, ringing out as both mares stumbled forward, with a stallion crying out “Fae’s game!”

A sound of disappointment emanated from the crowd as the green competitor cried “Shit!”, bucking a stool into the wall, slamming against a few metal chains and shattering it.

“Hey!” cried one of the wench stallions. “You gotta problem with the furniture? Leave! They might be made from trees, but they don’t grow on ‘em!”

Turning from the spectacle, Twilight finally found Xavier sitting in front of an elderly unicorn mare. Her mane thinning and her tail shimmering gray. They sat next to the wooden wall against the orange light of a small candle illuminating the two. Between them were two decorative mats, several small figurines, several bowls, and three decks of cards.

“Right, that’s the end of your turn,” the old unicorn said, giving a smirk. “And with that, the season’s turn, let’s see how we fare.”

She magically lifted the first card of the deck and looked at it, “Winter comes earlier than expected, everyone removes two food sources and three piles of wood.”

She and Xavier started moving tokens from the board and off to the side into small bowls. Xavier’s wrapped hands deftly grabbing many tokens and dumping them while the Unicorn elegantly moved them one piece at a time.

“Next,” she lifted the next card and looked at it. “The capital calls for reinforcements.”

“Right,” Xavier said. “I’ll pay the tax instead,” he lifted 7 wooden coins and put it into another one of the various bowls.

“Hmmm,” the unicorn mumbled. “I’ll two for one,” she said as she lifted four of the figurines on either side of her center and moved them to the side. Then she moved a card she had on her side of the table off towards the part of the table nearest the wall with a deck Twilight hadn’t caught the first time and a discard pile sitting next to it.

“You sure about that?” Xavier said, raising an eyebrow past the rim of his glasses.

“I know what I’m doing,” the elderly unicorn said, taking a pause to leer at Xavier with a smile. “The real question is… if purchasing an exemption from the draft is worth the coins in your treasury.”

“Those two could rebel against you…” Xavier snorted, taking a swig from a wooden mug next to him as the small flame that lit the table up danced across his lenses.

“True, but then again, it looks like you’re about to face some financial hardship yourself,” the mare nodded, motioning to Xavier’s pile of wooden coins. She then magically lifted another card from the deck, glanced at it and said, “Winter is such a painful time for everyone… especially when,” the mare laid the card in front of Xavier, “both of us are facing an ice storm. Count your community, divide by 2, 3, or 5, whichever results in the largest whole number…” And the unicorn leaned forward ever so slightly towards Xavier, “and pay the repair mares for the ice damage.”

Xavier quickly counted his side of the field and bit the corner of his lower lip, “… Shit.”

“Hmmm?”

“Not enough in my treasury,” Xavier placed a hand on his forehead.

“Well, I could help you out,” the unicorn leaned back and smirked at her opponent. “But it will cost you…”

“So that’s why you sent some of them off,” Xavier mumbled.

“Of course, while they may be put in harm’s way, the capital city of any nation won’t want its army dying at the first sign of frost. Of course in a year and half’s time, when they return, they may be more rowdy and stir up disharmony. But for now my repair costs are minimized and I’m willing to bet that my once meager food stores will now last the winter,” the unicorn snickered.

Xavier glanced over at the deck and discard pile. He narrowed his eyes, then they popped open like two confetti shooters and blurted out, “You know the distribution!”

“Oh? What distribution…” his opponent said, looking away from Xavier and towards the wall.

“You’ve played this game so much that, whether you are actively or passively memorizing, as the deck slowly loses cards, you know for certain what’s going to happen. Maybe in the early game when costs and punishments are low you can get away with variations in gameplay, but by seeing what’s been played, you know how the game will eventually converge…”

“Are you implying order arises from chaos?” the mare smirked and lifted an eye. “And I’m abusing that knowledge to trounce you?”

“Not at all. The order is already there, initially covered up by the chaos of the shuffling of the deck and a few dice rolls,” Xavier leaned back. “But as you proceed down the space of possibilities, the illusionary chaos fades and if you’ve played long enough, you can see how the game is going to pan out earlier and earlier…”

“Very good!” the mare lightly alternated her hooves on the table, making a light clippity cloppity sound. “Very, very good! And it only took you four games to catch on!”

“That would imply…” Xavier looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Two sufficiently strong players can, at some point, see and agree on the future of the game that’s being played. How many turns does it take for professional level players to attempt to negotiate a draw or resign?”

“Between two professional players? 20 turns, give or take three. Of course, the more players, the less obvious the future is, but…” the mare smiled. “I have to admit, I thought I was going to be dragging my hooves the entire evening having to teach you. But you’ve been quite the surprise, you catch on quick.”

“Speaking as a professional to a novice, what future do you see?” Xavier squinted his eyes, but kept smiling.

“Hmmm,” the old mare mumbled, leaning over the table and looking at what was in play. “You tried to focus on your treasury to allow you flexibility, but it’s not uncommon for the game to reach a point where money does you little good. Also, the cost of converting bits to goods is going to eat you up. In addition, you grew your communities too quickly. It drained your food stores. You could try surviving the winter and pressing your community hard to prepare for next winter, then eject ponies from the community during the fall. But your reputation score would plummet. There is no harmony, there is no balance,” the unicorn said, staring at Xavier’s side of the field.

“And soon my strategy will fail,” Xavier interrupted, looking at the board. “The flaws in the system I made will become severe. My constructed order will collapse. Order gives way to randomness in my community and subcommunities.” Xavier looked up at the unicorn across from him, “Speaking thematically, survival is now unlikely for individuals and groups in my community. Restabilization might occur if the game persists beyond our agreed endpoint, but even after the destructive elements have passed, survival for both individuals and groups will partly be determined by future chance events. But since the deck converges to an end state…”

“Which is why professionals will just agree to how the game will end and start anew,” the unicorn nodded. “Also, don’t knock yourself down, constructing order this early in play, despite your overreliance on your bank, are, while not a sign of expert play, are definitely indicators of adept play.”

“As a representation of a community, I assume at this point, ponies would venture to other communities or they would send aid?” Xavier asked.

“Correct,” the old mare said. “Bad winters happen and communities break apart, but of course, no community of ponies is going to let others suffer like that. Also, your overreliance on the treasury will get you nowhere, the real currency…” the old mare held up one of the cards on her side of the field, “are the favors you accrue. If we had four players, you would have been forced to work with them. And in that situation, you might have been able to negotiate a discount to repair the damage wrought by the ice storm if they had specialized repair ponies. But alas…”

“I see… so as far as our two player game is concerned,” Xavier bent over the board. “At first, the game tests your ability to construct stable systems, followed by memorization and pattern recognition and finally, once you have mastered those two, your game feel and intuition…”

“I think you’re simplifying a little too much,” the mare said, nodding. “You also have to have some kind of negotiation skill throughout the entire game. Not once did you attempt to negotiate anything with me, no trade deals, nothing. Don’t think I wouldn’t have been receptive, despite me being in direct opposition to you. And in some cases where the end is clear to you, but not completely to them, you can still get away with a draw, or a victory in very rare circumstances if you can somehow convince them that the game will eventually be a loss on their part.”

“How often does that happen?” Xavier said, tilting his head.

“It happens when your opponent either is too focused on one thing or doesn’t do a full mental inventory of the cards left in the deck. Really, such stumbles only happen to the inexperienced and those who miss the forest for the trees. But strong players and players with something else on their min-, can I help you?” Xavier’s opponent said, slowly tilting her body to gaze past the player in front of her.

Xavier slowly turned to see Twilight behind him, who shot both of them an awkward smile, folding her ears back.

“Oh, the troublemaker,” the old unicorn in front of Xavier lifted an ear. “Whisperwind informed me someone is sleeping in a second bed.”

“Look, listen,” Xavier said, turning back to the old mare, the dancing flame on the table disappearing from his glasses and replaced with the warm red of the hearth. “It was a total misunderstanding, sometimes I get these lapses in thought and-”

“Now, now, now. Don’t lie to save her face,” the mare tutted, playfully rolling her eyes at Xavier. “Even as a neophyte to this game, you play too sharp to convince me you just had a decades early senior moment.” The old unicorn got up from her position and approached Twilight, the stool she sat on clacking against the wooden floor. The purple unicorn kept her mouth closed as the old unicorn examined her from side to side.

The old mare walked around Twilight three times and stopped to stare at her rump, and groaned, “An astronomical mark, how quaint.” Then she made two more circles around her. Stopping in front of Twilight, and stared past her bangs. “You lead him?”

“Yes…” Twilight looked down, then away while she trailed off. Xavier’s mouth opened for a split second, then he shook his head and bit down on his tongue.

“My name is Golden Leaf,” the old mare said. “And you need to conduct yourself better if you’re lead. He might be flat-faced and ignorant, but at least that does not detract from him catching on quick.”

Twilight looked down and gritted her teeth, then looked past Golden Leaf at Xavier, whose countenance was unmoving, “Thank you for your advice, I will take it into consideration.”

“What is up with that growth on the base of your horn?” Golden narrowed her eyes and took a step, approaching Twilight. The unicorn backed up and looked left to right, letting out an uneasy, nervous laugh.

“Well, you see,” Twilight began.

“It’s MacGregor’s syndrome,” Xavier interjected. “A side effect of fighting in the obsidian fields near a volcano,” Xavier got up and walked to Twilight’s side, and placed a hand behind her head. “From what the doctor tells us, her horn attempted to compensate for the draining effects of the obsidian formations by bolstering horn growth, but it was too much too fast and it slightly warped the base. Right pumpkin?”

“Y~yes.” Twilight shot a smile towards the old mare. “Ha ha, we tried to save as many as we could!”

Xavier’s eyes shifted at Twilight as the side of his mouth stretched, then returned to his seat.

“MacGregor?” Golden Leaf tilted her head at the human.

“It was human doctors that gave it a formal name,” Xavier looked left, away from the unicorn, and waved at her as once again, the candle’s reflection danced across his lenses. “Of course, we thought about shaving it off, but that carries risks and the only real side effect is that she can’t cast magic for a few days at a time, so I step in and help out.”

“Yes, yes,” Twilight mumbled as she looked away.

“Huh,” Leaf backed off from Twilight. “And the other members of your herd?”

“Well…” Xavier stumbled verbally.

“We just started this herd and,” Twilight took a step around the old mare, putting herself between the interrogator and her Ritter. “You have to forgive my stallion on the second bed request, he didn’t know how that works out, being human in such.”

“Ah,” the old mare lifted her head. She then turned to Xavier and started, “be very careful with such a request, Whisperwind threw a bit of a fit, but you understand, being a stallion yourself.”

Xavier glanced over to Twilight, who bit her lip and lifted her eyebrows up and down twice, “Yeah I guess.”

The old mare returned back to the table she and the human were playing at, “So, where are you headed?”

Xavier glanced over at Twilight who caught his gesture and let out a shallow laugh, “Well… Were going to go camping in the North and uh,” Twilight shook her head and blinked. “We were going to get supplies in Manehatten, but then the riots broke out and…”

“Oh, you avoided that mess just in time,” the old mare said, nodding. “Last I heard, the Manehatten government has officially extended a request for assistance to the Union. I guess their troops will be there any minute now.”

“Yeah, yeah… hey sweetheart, can I talk to you for a moment?” Twilight said, shooting a faux smile at Xavier.

Xavier caught Twilight’s expression with his eyes. “Sure,” Xavier said, nodding to her. He turned to Golden Leaf and said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Xavier walked past Twilight and towards the main foyer. As Twilight turned, Golden Leaf got up and turned towards the other unicorn, then lunged forth to Twilight’s left, and whispered into her ear, “The problem with a quick-witted stallion is that if your wits aren’t faster, they will leave you in the dust and find a lead more worthy of them.”

Twilight slowly pulled away, as Golden Leaf’s eyes kept barreling at her. The old mare stared intensely at Twilight, as if her night had been ruined by Twilight’s interruption of the game she was having. Again, Twilight tried to smile, but the old mare kept her focus on Twilight, whose countenance faded and a more honest apprehension took over.

Twilight peeled herself away from the old mare and walked into the main entry hall, and up the stairs, the human waiting for her at the door to their room. Approaching, Twilight entered the room as Xavier close the door.

“Sweetheart? Really?”

“Okay, what’s going on? Are you trying to scam her out of bits?” Twilight snipped, the darkness of the room having poured all over her.

Xavier shook his head in the dark, “When I got back, you were reading, so I popped downstairs and found her playing by herself. I asked her to teach me and well, turns out there’s a multiplayer variant.”

“Okay… Are you trying to scam her?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“I’m just trying to win a game?” Xavier blinked, looking left and right. “So far I’m down four games, but I’m sure I can beat her in the next one.”

“No one justs picks up Commune in an afternoon,” Twilight snorted.

“You’re right, she’s still correcting mal-play on my part. But if she had a problem with that, she would’ve been done with me the first game,” Xavier crossed his arms.

“So you’re still going to throw flak at me, throwing me in second bed and all, but walking up to strangers and saying ‘teach me that’ is fair play for you?” Twilight’s eyes finally adjusted, staring at Xavier’s tired expression.

“There’s a big difference between being chased by a stranger and asking consent from a stranger to interact,” Xavier scratched his eyebrow.

“But why are you wasting time on this?” Twilight snorted. “We have better things to do than—“

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, this is not a waste of time,” Xavier said, narrowing his eyes at Twilight. “I’m not going to give up any leisure time I can get a hold of for the sake of making this trek an hour shorter.”

“Listen to me, the sooner we get this done, the better,” Twilight tapped her hoof on the floor. “We don’t have time for games, or sightseeing, or meeting the locals.”

“If that’s the case, you should have just marked on the map where the Abby is because I’m not going to curb my desire to interact with the world for the sake of two or three days saved,” Xavier said, crossing his arms.

“It’s facetious, a waste of time,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “What value is to be gained from meeting ponies you’re never going to see again, or play games that you only get to play a handful of times, or–”

“Because for a long time,” Xavier gazed down at Twilight and began. “I was paralyzed by pain.” Xavier took two steps towards Twilight as the mare held her gaze, “And the only thing I had was a bottle of pain relievers which dulled my mind and tainted every interaction I had. And the slight background buzz of soreness stuck with me, even when the drugs were working their best. I had no desire to read, to play games, to go see things I might only get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see, or even meet new beings. Certainly not that, the ache would push the worst of me out just to get the conversation over with unless I took more of the drug then prescribed, but doing that was risky. But now? Free of the pain and free of the drugs?” Xavier shook his head.

“I’m not going to waste what time I have now, so I’m going to go out there and carpe the shit out of my diem now.” Xavier lowered his head, his eyes peaking at Twilight from above his glasses, “And if you have a problem with it, I would ask that you try living with that kind of pain for as long as I did. Then you might have a newfound appreciation for all the things you have missed, the pleasure of a simple conversation with a stranger, the strain of matching your wits a the stronger mind, taking a moment to enjoy the world. Now, I’m going to go back downstairs to play some more, and that’s where I’ll be if you need me.”

Twilight stood, staring narrow eyed at her stallion while Xavier turned to open the door, walking out into the candle lit hall, closing the door behind him.

Chapter 24: In Good Faith

8 Months before Twilight’s Entrance Exam for the School for Gifted Unicorns…

“Agghhh why can’t I win?”

“Because you don’t practice sis, that’s why.”

“I am practicing!”

“Twi, you’re reading 10 hours a day and practicing 2.”

“Reading is practicing!”

“Well, if that’s the case, you, who is my sister mind you, will never overcome me in magical finesse and might.”

“…Shining?”

“Yes.”

“Why was mom sent to 2nd bed?”

“… come here Twi. Listen close. Our mom got into a disagreement with Carat. She thinks that our mom’s latest book had a character that was just her as the principal antagonist.”

“But she writes the best stories!”

“I know, listen. Since Carat is our lead, she pressured dad and Ambien on it and rather than fight Carat on the matter, she deferred and accepted the punishment.”

“But I know she didn’t do it! She just hates our band.”

“Maybe. But try to look at it from her perspective, even though she is wrong. Clarity Shroud is described almost like Carat. Both are low royal Unicorns of nearly the same coat and mark. So how would you feel if I wrote a story about oooh, Dusk Nightlight that’s a Purple Unicorn who wants to read all the books and go to the School for Gifted Unicorns but never, ever practi-”

“Hey!”

“So you see?”

“I guess… but Carat is still wrong.”

“And I agree with you. But Twi, you can’t let your desire to be right all the time stop you from looking at things from a different perspective.”

“Shining, my legs are starting to feather.”

“… Really? Show me…”

“See?”

“Huh, I guess Ill need to teach you how to keep your legs trimmed so you can trot like a proper mare.”

“Shining, when you come back from those long camping trips, your feathering is thick. Like a lot thicker then dad’s… will mine be that thick?”

“Maybe. But if you don’t want the librarians poking fun at you, you’re going to need to keep it trimmed and clean.”

“… Shining, am I going to get into fights with my Stallion?”

“…”

“Shining?”

“Yes, you will Twi. But I am going to tell you something really important. What does mom and dad do after they get into an argument?”

“… They go calm down and wait awhile?”

“What you need to know, Twi, is that after an argument, what you do after is just as important, if not, more so.”

“Just like how dad hugs mom after they spend a little time away from each other?”

“Exactly. Just like mom and dad. And just like what dad does with Carat and Ambien.”

The rough, lumpy layer of the second bed ached Twilight’s side as she laid atop it in the dark. The moon had completely left the window, making the room pitch black. Stale air drifted around the room as Twilight shifted to her other side and she grunted. She slowly tapped her left hoof over her right front ankle, and she could feel it: Her feathering hadn’t been trimmed and cut the last few days and it was coming in full force.

Okay so I’ve tried being a take charge mare and it’s getting me nowhere… Twilight thought to herself. He even planned a trap, if I keep pushing him, he might lash out in anger… Okay okay okay Twilight. Do what Shining said. I’m Alien and...

…

Oh Celestia I have no clue how he thinks…

Okay okay calm down. According to the book, his species is patriarchal… so he should be in charge. Okay that’s why he’s challenged me at every moment. So I need to get him to stop bucking at me. He won’t let me take care of him, so I can’t reward him for good behavior. I mean I could just say good boy, but he might take that as being pedantic.

He’s obviously competent with a lot of things. So he must have a wide skill set. This implies a lot of experience, and he has no problem talking to mares if Golden Leaf is any indication. Like she said, he must be a fast learner to learn Commune… and he has a high tolerance for failure if he lost 4 times and went back for more.

Twilight lifted her head off the bed and looked into the abyss that surrounded her.

I wonder if that extends towards me and others? Okay so maybe the real question is: Can I convince him that letting me lead is better for- no, that won’t work. Okay, so he’s been in, apparently, dreadful pain for a very long time before I came along, so he’s probably learned to endure it. So no amount of arguing from my end is ever going to get him to let me lead.

So a take charge style of leading is never going to work with him. That means I am going to have to be diplomatic… extremely diplomatic with him. So I need to start with some kind of good faith offering. Maybe if I concede some points from earlier, it might be enough to have good faith communication.

Twilight finally laid her head down and let the night take her as one last thought crossed her mind.

In Good Faith.

The background jubilation of drunk ponies and griffins stirred the common area. One mare suddenly shouted, “Let’s sing another -hic- song to Taper Sconce, the only mare ever to call Celestia a foalless git and live to tell the tale!”

Candlelight flickered as the giant hearth in the middle of the tavern roared and the tavern goers began to sing:

🎵Taper Sconce was a mare

The only one to dare

To call the Queen a nasty thing

Regardless of all the Worshiping!

She drank her fill

Then hobbled to Court

She didn’t speak and didn’t shout

She simply stuck her tongue out!

She lifted her tail!

And let out a wail!

She turned around for the Queen to see

Taper Sconce in her full glory!

The guards rushed in.

And surrounded the mare.

Unable to bare her derrière

So Taper Sconce gave a wink

To the Queen so distinct

Then with a clatter and thrust of her rear

She jumped straight into the air!

And so lept that mare

Into the night skies oh so rare

So there goes the only being

Who achieved her dream

Of winking at the Queen!🎵

The crowd of drunk patrons started to laugh and giggle as Golden Leaf moved two coins out of her treasury and took two wraps into storage, “She seemed pleasant enough,” Golden Leaf said, taking the first turn. “Disagreement on who to bring in as your first new member?”

Xavier shook his head as the singers finally quieted down. He examined the resources he had to work with, “Let’s just say that she and I have been having an argument since we first met and it’s just recently flared up again.”

“Isn’t that the way of things,” Golden Leaf said, moving her pieces around before nodding to Xavier. “You think it’s smooth sailing until someone brings up that they had a problem with something all along, something that could’ve been fixed months ago.”

“It’s not quite that,” Xavier said, watching Golden Leaf ’s moves. He pursed his lips as he saw Golden Leaf exchange 2 bolts of linen for 1 coin. “It’s more like she’s made a very important unilateral decision without checking with me.” Xavier then took his turn, and moved his resources around the board as well, “Decisions she should have checked with me first before just carrying them out.”

“Unfortunate,” Golden Leaf said, taking her turn. “Sounds like she was raised in the Farland style of hearding. But her accent is from Canterlot, I’m guessing that her herd may have moved from the Hinterlands to the capital when she was still very young…”

“Hinterlands?”

“Herds from the more agriculturally important regions tended to be far away from the capital before the war. Where old traditions hold strong, even amongst us unicorns.”

“I don’t know about that…” Xavier turned to look at the entranceway. “What I do know is that she is very different to what I expected.”

“Expected?”

“Sorry, this must be a bit confusing,” Xavier said, scratching the side of his cheek. “Let’s just say that the mare I thought that I read into early in the relationship isn’t exactly the mare that I’m seeing now.”

“Oh?”

“Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that I misread her list of accolades before even meeting her,” Xavier said as he moved worker ponies to the forest space.

“And you still agreed to form a herd with her? Did you recently find out about this?”

Xavier scratched the back of his head, “Let’s just say that that there was a tumultuous phase where I got scooped up in the chaos.”

“She didn’t just point and say ‘Come with me’ did she?” Golden Leaf giggled.

“Actually that’s a lot closer to the truth then I was trying to let on, but…” Xavier’s mouth stretched.

Golden Leaf froze, and eyed her opponent, “If she is holding you hos-“

“No, no,” Xavier shook his head. “It’s a long story, involving a very, very long game of hide and seek.”

“Who won?”

“Define winning,” Xavier looked up at Golden Leaf and grimaced, finally making another move. “Regardless, we’re touring the country side now. She said that she’s trying to show me the real Equus.”

“Hurm,” mumbled Golden Leaf , making her play. “Take my advice then, if you head west to Shoestone, keep your stay short.”

“Border dispute?”

“Oh please, nothing as exciting as that,” Golden Leaf rolled her eyes. “But there’s something wrong with the local inhabitants. Even before the borders between the Kingdom and Union were drawn, the Princess’s government allowed that town certain, shall we say, privileges. If hearsay is to be believed, at the negotiation table, the Kingdom practically gave the township to the Union.”

Xavier’s head rose, “Interesting. I guess the kingdom left them to fend for themselves?”

“You could say that,” Golden Leaf gulped. “I only visited them once when I was young and was ready to follow the sun to evening,” Golden Leaf slowly raised her eyes to Xavier. “They’re uncharacteristically dry Earth Ponies. Even the stallions show little, if any emotion.”

“Stoics?”

“Maybe,” Golden Leaf looked up at Xavier, then glanced right before continuing. “But when I was there, there was no Basilica. Not even a shrine,” Golden Leaf twisted her neck, looking away from Xavier.

“They didn’t participate in state worship?” Xavier raised an eye.

Golden Leaf shot a smile at Xavier, “State worship? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I’ve never put too much stock in Celestia’s word. But nearly every town and city from Manehatten to Vanhoover will have at least a shrine for rudimentary ceremonies. But not Shoestone. Nothing for Celestia, nothing for Luna, despite the reintegration. And it gives me the creeps.”

“Sounds more like some sort of vassal town,” Xavier said, rubbing his chin.

“That’s a very good way to put it,” Golden Leaf said. “Obviously they used to send a baroness to Canterlot, and Canterlot was in charge of its defense. But,” Golden Leaf once again took her eyes off the human. “It’s obvious that they run things their way. As far as I know, the Union hasn’t even sent a delegation to survey the town.”

“Both are treating the town as if it’s some kind of quarantine zone?”

“If I didn’t know trade was happening between them and other towns, I would dare say that’s exactly what’s going on,” Golden Leaf replied, turning to the hearth and watching the flames dance.

Xavier gulped, then grimaced, “What is their primary export?”

“Stone. For building construction,” Golden Leaf said, turning back to Xavier. “Maybe crops and gem stones as well, but their main export is slabs of granite.”

“Granite is incredibly hard,” Xavier said. “If they don’t use magic, the techniques and tech required would imply that they locally have iron and the skill to mine and mold it.”

Golden Leaf shrugged, “Every town has it’s blacksmith, but not every town has a mine. Though you might be right, when I talk to caravans headed there, there’s not much talk of a lucrative iron trade. And with regards to techniques, a group of Earth Ponies working in harmony would be sufficient.”

“Overwhelming strength?”

“No, overwhelming coordination. If you ever get a chance to see seven or more Earth Ponies who have known each other for a long time tackle an obstacle, I would recommend just watching them go to work,” Golden Leaf tipped her head and looked up at Xavier. “It’s almost like watching mu-“ Golden Leaf froze. “Oh, so that’s why they seemed so off…”

“Huh?”

“Sorry,” Golden Leaf said and made her move. “I just realized not once during my two visits did I hear them sing. I was going to say music in motion, but now that I think of it, even back then…”

“Not once?”

Golden Leaf shook her head, “Maybe it’s just coincidence… I didn’t stay there for any long periods of time, but I distinctly remember not even hearing a pony singing to themselves, or even whistling.” Golden Leaf looked up at Xavier. “Seeing as you’re from somewhere far away, let me explain. Earth ponies have this sort of, special relationship to singing and work. I’m not exactly clear on the detail, but when earth ponies typically work together, they do their damnedest to sing together while they work. Far as I can tell, it helps make the work easier, but the song also helps coordinate things. Kind of like a sea shanty.”

“You mean a work song?”

“Exactly! Exactly! So you see, not hearing any kind of singing whatsoever?” Golden Leaf shook her head, “They’re not terrible or awful ponies, but there’s obviously something amiss.”

“I’m just surprised that the kingdom’s government permitted such deviation from Alicorn worship,” Xavier scratched his chin. “Maybe they had a special agreement?”

Golden Leaf shrugged, “It wouldn’t be the first time that the kingdom made compromises to incorporate territory. Though typically such levity is reserved for ports and major metropolitan zones.”

“Is it hard to get quality stone?”

“Maybe that’s it,” the mare trailed off. “As you said, working with stone is hard enough and if they have skill that they can leverage that doesn’t use iron? They could literally be the ones providing the stone and marble to build the building of a nation.”

“One town to build a nation? Either they’re extremely industrious or something else,” Xavier looked up. “But why would Canterlot just give it up? Also, now that I think about it, I don’t see too many stone buildings outside of cities. Even here, I think I only saw a stone complex at a blacksmith…”

“That’s not too surprising, really stone infrastructures only reserved for government buildings and places you don’t want burning down. Otherwise it’s wood.”

“Yeah but,” Xavier pinched his lips together. “How much stone do you think Canterlot uses?”

“… You’re right,” Golden Leaf nodded. “I’ve only made one pilgrimage in my lifetime, but just Celestia’s castle, I remember that some of the more public areas were marble. But the ones behind the scenes were granite. And that’s ignoring the building that continues while the Kingdom is being run.”

“Wait, there’s still building?”

“Yes, but in two different ways. First is obviously the renovations. Nothing lasts as long as the princesses, so of course they have to get builders to come on down and repair and maintain the structures. But there are also other sections of the castle that are being expanded on. A new dining hall here, a small library there. The only time they really stop such construction is well… Wartime,” Golden Leaf snorted.

“Constant building doesen’t make sense,” Xavier said. “Renovations and restoration, fine. But continuous expansion? At some point they’ll be trying to build atop of some pony’s home.”

Golden Leaf shook her head, “Have you ever seen Canterlot?”

Xavier shook his head.

“While the main city was constructed around the castle, the city was only constructed around the front half. The rear half is what undergoes expansion,” Golden Leaf said.

Xavier nodded, “That makes a lot more sense.”

“And that is ignoring any expansion skyward or beneath the ground,” Golden Leaf continued. “Rumor had it that the eventual goal of the castle was to grow so tall as to reach into the clouds, but even with magic reinforcing the castle, there were worries that if the magic were to fail, it could collapse onto the main city. It had this weird feel to it where you could tell the ponies in charge really wanted the capitol to reach into the heavens, but smarter heads kept telling them they would just be giving any enemies a weakness to exploit. Never mind poor construction material or accidental mishap being just the push it needed to come crashing down. So they build the opposite direction of the city instead.”

Xavier didn’t move, looking down in thought before lifting his head, “Is it as grandiose as I’ve been told?”

Golden Leaf turned and smiled as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling and her ears fell back, “Yes. That and more. I remember it like it was yesterday.” Golden Leaf looked up, blinked, then started, “Towers of yellow gold and purple scraping the sky, white walls kept immaculate. A portion of it jetted above the public entrance, even casting a shadow on everyone at midday. Two giant arches greeted you, and beyond that, there was the grand column that took a full hour to be raised from the lowest depths to the highest floor. The scent of baked goods and the Princess’s personal Royal Guards, each one strong and tall, among other things,” she gave a wink at Xavier.

“It’s said that the main atrium was so large that it had it’s own peagasi weather corps. That mining for precious metals was still undertaken by the strongest Earth Ponies. The University of Canterlot had a branch within the castle that was just as good as the main campus, if not, better. Electrium decorated the domed ceiling mural above, with scenes of the Kingdom’s history. At the center was Equestria proper, with the six scenes. When Celestia and Luna gained Alicornhood and took on responsibility for the realms of the profane and dream. When the two challenged Discord and brought order back to us. When Sombra rose up, only for the two to lose the Crystal Empire to him and time. When the two tamed the Dragons with treaties and convinced the Gryphons to give up before war even started. When Celestia welcomed the last of the Pegasi, uniting the kingdom. And finally, when Luna rebelled and Celestia exiled her to the moon.”

“Wait, the exile of Luna is still prominently displayed?” Xavier asked, raising an eye.

“Probably not anymore, I undertook my pilgrimage well before her return. Ever since she came back into the fold, I remember the kingdom was doing everything in its power to rehabilitate her image. The ancient basilica were always designed with the duality of night and day,” Golden Leaf’s mane shifted over as she shrugged. “After the Lunar Rebellion, the old Basilica were repurposed to fully embrace Celestia while newer buildings didn’t even have the twin design. Thousands of craftsmares were put to task to either restore the oldest shrines or remodel the newest in accordance with Luna’s return.”

“I was told that Celestia’s pardons for Luna’s crimes were considered contentious,” Xavier said.

“They were and they weren’t,” Golden Leaf nodded. “You have to realize that her return took nearly all of us completely off guard. Then there was the discovery that Celestia had only sentenced Luna to a thousand years of exile, so there was no pardon for the rebellion. Luna had served her time. But her attack when she was let free was pardoned, and many had issue with it. Despite the fact that Twilight Sparkle put a stop to her,” Golden Leaf turned her head and looked out, beyond the tavern and towards the direction of the guestrooms. “Your companion, now that I think about it,” Golden Leaf shook her head.

Xavier froze. His eyes slowly raised themselves from the game to the mare ahead of him while his skull remained unmoving, then said, “You think she looks a lot like her?”

“I’ve seen drawings and paintings of the Element of Magic, even some photos, but…” Golden Leaf continued to shake her head. “She looked regal and refined, young, and not to put too fine a point on it, your companion looks frumpy, and a little worn out. Her mane and coat are duller than Twilight’s is. And that’s ignoring the difference in cutie marks. Also, there’s no way Twilight Sparkle, the mare that saved us twice, would be like your lead,” Golden Leaf laughed.

Xavier cocked an eye at Golden Leaf , then returned his gaze back at the game, “What do you mean? You’ve never met her right?”

“Right.”

“So for all you know, she could be an utterly deranged piece of work that assaults strangers on the street,” Xavier raised an eye.

“No, no, no,” Golden Leaf chuckled. “I’ve read all about her in the papers. She use the elements of Harmony twice, so she has to be a generous, kind soul that, honestly is loyal to her friends and would much rather laugh and enjoy a good time than anything deranged.”

Xavier shrugged, “What if that’s just how she appears in public?”

Golden Leaf took a sip of her cider and shook her head, “She was able to use the elements of Harmony, I refuse to believe that THE Twilight Sparkle is anything but a humble, wonderful mare whose very light saved this land twice.”

“Right,” Xavier looked into the hearth’s flames that danced along the edge. “That’s what I was told too.”

“I still need to get the maps,” Twilight said as the rays of the sun hit the window to the end of the room. The second bed was made, but with wrinkles while next to it, the main bed looked just as it had yesterday. “The ones at the local library are to my liking, but since your a bit stingy on money,” Twilight froze as she bit her lower lip.

“Stingy?” The human said as he wringed one of the many pieces of clothes he was cleaning. Water dripped down into a bowl as he squeezed it.

Twilight’s eyes widened as her ears fell back slightly, “Sorry, what I meant to say,” Twilight verbally stumbled for a second, “was since you are very careful about the finances, I’ll go out and get the price now, then you can give me the money to go back and get it.”

“As long as you bring back the receipt, I don’t really see a problem in giving you a chunk of cash.” Xavier said.

Twilight turned and raised an eye as one of her ears swived towards him, “Seriously?”

Xavier stopped and looked up. Then he turned to Twilight, “How good are you at haggling, be honest.”

“If I had to be honest? Pretty good.” Twilight said as she lowered herself between her saddlebag and stood up, the band beneath her tightening taut, “Though I could ask the same of you, is it true that where you come from, you almost never haggle?”

“That… depends.”

“That depends on what?” Twilight asked.

“That depends on the situation and context. Most of the institutions where I would exchange monetary goods, the price is set and it is what it is. But there are plenty of places where haggling is still in full force. If I was trying to negotiate the production of several thousand cogs for example, I would be definitely haggling with several different companies, but just a loaf of bread in the supermarket? Prices set, I can take it or leave. The only thing I can do then is try to find another place that has it cheaper, but the time and money wasted going somewhere else might not be worth the savings.”

“Supermarket?” Twilight turned to Xavier and raised an eye.

Xavier looked up and let out an exhale, “A supermarket is a place where…” Xavier paused and place the cloth he was cleaning next to the window sill. “Have you ever been to a bazaar?”

“There really wasn’t a bazaar in Manehatten, but there was a large marketplace…”

“All right, and at this marketplace, you had a lot of different individuals selling their produce and wares right?”

Twilight nodded, “Honestly, that’s where I got a lot of my haggling experience from.”

“A supermarket is a similar place, except there isn’t really any haggling, and it’s all owned by one corporate entity, so you could, in principle by bread, flour, sugar, pots and pans, chairs and tables, electronics,-”

Twilight froze and both of her ears shot forward towards Xavier, “Electronics? You mean your world’s magic?”

Xavier thrust his hand out and waved it back and forth for a second, “For a given definition of magic, yes.”

Twilight froze in place, fidgeting about, looking left and right.

“Go ahead…”

“How does your world’s magic work? Is it true anyone can use it? I’ve read that of being can get fluent in your type of magic just by messing around with what you would call an electronic computer?”

“What would you call a computer?”

Twilight looked up, “Simply somepony who does arithmetic calculations.”

“Our version of a computer is a device that can do such calculations accurately without anyone actually going through the calculations themselves,” Xavier explained. “And since we can get our computers to perform such calculations accurately and quickly, we can start going beyond what simple math can be done, like attempting to predict the future or, create simulations. And once we get these computers to interface with the real world, they can start doing things like real work.” Xavier looked over at Twilight, “Not to throw shade on earth ponies, but we’re nearing a point where we can create, what you might call a golem. They would be stronger than any earth pony, have more dexterity than any human, and are able to perform tasks that are beyond us both without needing to sleep or rest. We even have flying drones that fly faster and longer than an untrained Pegasus just to make simple deliveries.”

“You’re making life?” Twilight yanked her head back, a fearful look covering her face.

“No. They do not feel, they do not have cognitive processes beyond the task at hand and they don’t reproduce. But I understand the apprehension,” Xavier frowned. “Look, Twilight when you cast magic to, say, levitate a glass of water to you. What you are functionally doing is moving that glass of water from point A to point B. Having a small drone that can grasp a glass and carefully change its position from point A to point B is functionally similar. It’s just that instead of mediating the change by manipulating a thaumaturgic field, our manipulation starts as the transmission through the electro-magnetic field, which causes a chain of events to occur until the electromagnetic field manipulates a mechanical system that grasps the cup of water and changes its position.”

“Thaumaturgic field?”

“It’s what my kind call that which intermediates between your will and its effects on reality. Or at least our attempts to model it.”

“I mean, using mathematics to model magic isn’t a bad idea, but,” Twilight shook her head, her mane swaying from side to side. “But magic is complicated and you can’t predict every interaction perfectly.”

“For some of us humans, the relation between the two are enough to start seeing patterns arise. An example would be in that it allows us to see that the unicorn using nothing but brute magical strength can be less effective then a Unicorn that has mastered finesse.”

“True, but trying to use magic like that is no substitute for study and practice.”

Xavier waved at Twilight, “It’s just a different kind of study and practice.”

“I don’t think you understand,” Twilight said. “Reading and practicing magic is how a unicorn grows in magical might. Especially if your mark is the gift of knowing magic itself.”

“You know, I really never understood how unicorns who don’t specialize in magic suddenly figure out how to cast the ones spell they’re good at,” Xavier said.

“That isn’t always the case,” Twilight said, snorting. “Not every unicorn’s cutie mark is associated directly with magic. Say you are a good writer, the only spell you would need is the standard telekinesis spell. And even then you don’t have to be very good at the writing spell itself. It’s the writing that matters.”

“But I still know situations where the unicorn seems to, out of nowhere, figure out how to cast a particular spell there suited to.”

“I can’t speak for other unicorns, but when I learned something that’s easy to grasp, it’s very much like,” Twilight looked up and murmured for a moment. “Going to the restroom late at night.”

Xavier turned and lifted an eye at Twilight.

“Hold on, Let me explain. It’s like you know what you have to do, you know how to get there, and you’re not really thinking because, well, you’re just that good at finding the restroom. In fact, you could say that trying to think about where the restroom is at late at night would only end up confusing you.”

“I get it,” Xavier said. “But it still doesn’t explain how they just know.”

“And that’s a bit of the magic of cutie marks,” Twilight smiled to herself. “At some point it takes immense study to understand what’s going on and even after that there are still questions to be asked.”

“Sounds like any other discipline with rigor to me,” Xavier said as he sat on the bed. “Now, explain to me the plan.”

Twilight twisted her head, throwing her mane to the other side as she wrinkled her nose, “While I was at the library, I was able to request copies of a better map than we have on hand for the road ahead. I’m going to go pick those up, then saunter by the town’s noticeboard to see if there’s any information about the road ahead, afterwards I’m going to go visit the caravan stop and try and get us a ride to the nearest town.”

“All right, while you’re doing that, I’m going to double check for supplies and try to get a walking stick.”

Twilight tilted her head, “Walking stick?” Twilight approached Xavier and pursed her lips. “You seem to be good enough on two legs…”

“At the café, you were correct,” Xavier said, looking at the mare. “I’ve traveled long distances before and any kind of walking stick helps.”

“… Oh, stability”

Xavier nodded, “Not just that, but it helps with rhythm and with the weight. What about your joints?”

“I mean, I don’t think there’s going to be too much, –“

“We don’t have access to your unicorn magic,” Xavier grumbled. Twilight took a step back as she frowned, looking at Xavier. “You’re probably going to need to head to the apothecary to gather ingredients for, at the very least pain relief.”

“I’ll be just fine, thank you very much,” Twilight turned from Xavier and approached the door.

“Not good enough,” Xavier turned. “I’ve seen unicorns who were well toned with muscle because despite having access to horn magic, they didn’t let their bodies atrophy. You on the other hand…” Xavier thrust out his right covered arm at Twilight, its palm open. “You could barely keep up with me during our chases. Once we get to a point will we have to enter into the wilds, whose to say that you’re not going to just shut down after an hour on rough terrain? And that’s ignoring the earth mare that got the better of you –“

“Do not remind me of my failings Ritter,” Twilight grumbled back. “While I see your point with respect to getting potions to help endure the travels, if I didn’t have this ring on my head, a ring you developed,” Twilight looked at Xavier eye to eye. “Then I would be able to cast the proper spell to make me lighter.”

“Then let me level with you,” Xavier said, walking past the two beds. “We both are not in the best physical condition to tackle this expedition. But I’ve acquired the strength to go 30 km on a good day, and I have a feeling it would only take me about a month to regain that. But you?” Xavier tilted his head at Twilight and narrowed his eyes, just like that night at the café, he was once again evaluating her, “Three months minimum.”

“Are you implying we shouldn’t do this? Is this another attempt at trying to get me to tell you the location?” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“No.” Xavier sat up and began circling Twilight. “What I am saying is that you might not be as enduring as an earth pony.”

“Are you implying that I can’t do this? I’ll let you know that my brother-”

“Not what I was implying at all,” Xavier said, glaring at Twilight from the side. “Since I cannot extricate the location from you, and you insist on coming, you will need to come up with a travel and rest cycle such that you won’t break after the first three hours.”

“I won’t break,” Twilight snorted

“And what if you do? The only thing that will treat DOMS and exhaustion is food and rest,” Xavier exhaled. “Lots of food and rest.” Xavier continued, “Don’t play the marian mare here Twilight, we get into a situation where it’s either you or myself or even the supplies? Or worse yet, we run out of food? Or even worse yet winter hits because we have to keep stopping for you?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at Xavier

“I’m thinking were going to need at least three times are estimated food supply. Five times are water sanitization equipment.”

“Fine! I’ll…” Twilight slammed her eyes shut as her nostrals flared and she tapped her hoof three times. Opening them again, she said in a calmer voice, “I’ll go to the apothecary, happy? I’ll need more bits –“

“No, I’m not happy.” Xavier scratched his skull, “that is only going to last so long. Sure, we won’t have to carry as much as we once did, but I have no clue if by then you’ll be physically fit enough to go 30 km a day. Even while you are on the road here, you’re going at a snails pace.”

“Then, Xavier,” Twilight sat down and closed her eyes. Her lower lip stretched across her face as she looked up at Xavier and her ears folded slightly towards the floor. “What do you suggest?”

Xavier froze, then tilted his head at Twilight. She kept a straight face, watching the human and awaiting an answer, “We deviate from our initial plan. We should take a caravan out of here, but rather then making a b line, we make sure the furthest we need to travel to another town is two, maybe 3 days walk. So if it turns out you need to make frequent stops, well…”

“Alright,” Twilight said, nodding, then spoke with a calm, level voice. “But I don’t know if we can make it to the Abby before winter, so if we do this, you need to prepare yourself for a winter layover at a small town. You might even be the first human they meet. Are you prepared for that kind of situation?”

Xavier put his arms on his sides, “I, I can’t tell, are you lowkey mocking me?”

Twilight shook her head.

“What are you doing?” Xavier asked.

“I can’t fight you Xavier,” Twilight said. “Not for a trip as long as this. Not every step of the way. So…” Twilight finally looked away from the human and closed her eyes again as she enunciated each word carefully, “Either I have to give you some leeway and work with you somehow, or we start tearing each other apart.” Twilight stopped and blinked for a few moments, “As much as I want you to just follow me, if you are having problems just touching me, then I have sorely misunderstood you. So as a knight to her ritter, I am sorry and I would like to understand you better.”

“Look, this is all, just, really new to me,” Xavier started.

“Xavier, you were sleeping on the floor this morning.”

“So?”

“So,” Twilight motioned towards the herd bed. “Neither of us slept in it. The best place to sleep goes wasted because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and you just ignore it because of some human culture thing I do not grasp yet I assume.”

Xavier looked over at the bed. Still made. Pillows still in place from yesterday.

“The message to me is clear,” Twilight continued. “If we continue on like we have been the last few days, there might come a point where I need you to listen to me and do as I say, but you will ignore me or worse because you won’t trust me. Xavier,” Twilight face grew sullen, “believe me when I tell you that I didn’t save Luna alone, nor did I defeat Discord by myself. I had friends who I trusted and trusted me. So for now, lets just try being friends, even if you don’t trust me.”

Xavier looked away from Twilight, biting his lower lip, then closed his eyes as he exhaled. He then started to unroll his bindings, slowly revealing the scarred appendage.

Twilight watched as he reached out to her with two of his fingers, the longest and the one he used to point with.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight carefully looked up at Xavier.

“I would like to touch the top of your nose and touch you,” Xavier replied, looking away for a brief moment.

Twilight looked at the hand, then back up to Xavier. Closing her eyes and taking a breath, Twilight opened her eyes again and took two steps forward, letting the nub of human flesh make contact with her nose. And then Xavier began to slowly stroke her snout, from tip of her nose to the bridge between her eyes. He was softer then she expected.

Then he started to quietly, softly sing:

🎵The wind was roaring and the canyon weathered,

The tide frothed and roiled as the spirits gathered

From Dusk till Dawn

They sat unmattered🎵

Xavier stopped, and lifted his hand away from her, then once again, he slowly rewrapped his bindings, “Alright. Okay. I can do friends.”

Twilight nodded as his voice slowly faded from her ears, and he was back to cleaning his cloths.

Chapter 25: Education

The Apothecary Twilight found was darker than she would have liked. Twilight was already inside and pursing her lips to the side as she waited for the attendant to continue helping her. The store she was in had a dark, green glow around her, almost like Zecora’s hut when the fires were out. Many of the wooden furnishings had a gentle swirl about them, the countertop, however, was wooden above, while on it’s sides, it was clear glass that revealed several formulations available to buy. It was nearly soundless except for the squeaking of a wheel in the back, and the smell of willow pervaded the establishment.

“It’s a new formulation,” the dusty white mare said as she levitated the box over, gently placing it in front of Twilight atop of the counter and opening it. A pile of brown herbs, bark shavings, and dried leaves that smelled like wet grass lay in front of Twilight. “I’m actually quite proud of this, our first dry formulation. All you do is mix with water and boil it and the heat should make it ready within 20 minutes.”

Twilight wiggled her nose, then looked up at the white unicorn, “Side effects?”

“Not as bad as your standard thornback, but they’re still there,” the apothecary mare nodded. She swayed behind the counter, then raised her head high.

“How long does one dose last?”

“For this variation, most who have come in to get more have told me it lasts a whole day,” the unicorn nodded, then stopped and lowered her eyes at Twilight. “That said, you should know that it tastes awful.”

“How-”

“Lets just say that one mare described it as what she would imagine raw meat would taste like,” the white unicorn frowned.

“Oh,” Twilight said, then shrugged. “Anything I can take it with at least?”

“Well, you could always try chocolate, though I had customers tell me that pairing it with bourbon really helps take the kick out of it. Or you could always buy some phenol.”

Twilight raised an eye, “Phenol?”

“It’s a chemical discovered on the other side, an oral analgesic that would temporarily make everything in your mouth numb, including your taste buds. Just be careful not to bite down on your tongue of course,” the mare let out a tiny giggle.

“What about the side effects?” Twilight asked, both of her eyelids were lowered. “How bad are the chills?”

“If what you have said about your particular symptoms are true, you’re going to want to get close to a fire. So I’d recommend that unless you can put on some winter gear early. Also, the first few times that you do take this, you’re going to want to hurl. Don’t. Keep it down at all costs for at least an hour. A few other mares that take the blend also said that they occasionally get coughing fits and runny noses. But they happen in bursts of an hour or so at most.”

“Just,” Twilight looked around, then turned back. “Just out of curiosity, I don’t suppose there’s an exchanger for this?”

“Trumpet Lilly? It’s already part of the mix. That’s why scent isn’t a symptom when you use this. Also, I use a special blend in order to help curb the cramps; so all that is left in your particular case is just chills.”

“But I’ll still be able to think clearly?” Twilight turned to the Apothecary. “I need my wits.”

“Crystal, though, you’ll find your active hours to be a bit more subdued.” The apothecary paused, then shook her head, looking at Twilight. “I’m sorry, I just got to ask. Does your stallion really find you that disgusting?”

Twilight’s ears fluttered, as she caught the apothecary by the eye, and turned away.

“I apologize ma’am, but it’s obvious that you’re trying to avoid a lothario.”

“I…” Twilight turned away, “I can work with him. He refuses to work with me.”

The apothecary raised an eye, “He’s a stallion,” she blurted out indignantly. “He should always be ready to go, that’s why they all have a spark of the wild still in them.”

“He’s human,” Twilight teetered out.

The apothecary frowned, “That’s still no excuse. The mares I know who have taken on a stallion human still get taken care of. If you’re his lead, have you been properly courting him? Even if you’re not, does he understand how selfish it is for him to keep his spirit all to himself?”

“Look,” Twilight said with a frown. “I’ve broached the subject with him and he is adamant on keeping himself sequestered.”

The white mare raised an eye at Twilight, then said in a self-satisfied tone, “Sildenafil.”

“Sildenafil?”

“Another human drug. Sildenafil will make him think twice about being that selfish,” the apothecary raised an eye and grinned, then tapped the ground twice with her hoof. She levitated an orange container from behind the counter and placed it on the glass countertop.

“What does it do?” Twilight said, lowering her head to look at the bottle. She could see several diamond-like pills piled atop each other.

“It’s another human drug, it basically puts him into a state of pseudo-estrus for hours. If you give him some, he’ll be rock hard and begging for your help in less than half an hour. He’ll be in such an agitated state that you can teach him a lesson in not keeping to himself.”

Twilight took a step back, then looked up at the white unicorn before looking forward again and giving the apothecary a wild eye, “It will make him stiff?”

“For hours. Normally I hand it out to stallions who are need a little extra boost when two of their mare’s find themselves in estrus at the same time. Also, I hand it out to older stallions who need help.” The white unicorn gave a knowing smile to Twilight, “Once you give him some, he will be harder than a crystal,” the apothecary shot Twilight a sly smile, “and only you can help him. Though I should let you know, there are minor side effects, but trust me, after one dose and showing him what you can do, I promise you he’ll be more compliant, and,” she gave Twilight a knowing nod, “more empathetic with you in the future.”

Twilight stood still for a moment, images of the show in the library flashing in her mind, only for her to shake her head. “I… No. Just the dry thornback,” Twilight said, her ears flickering forward and back and turning away. Her eyes shifted once again to the orange bottle, then she shook her head and turned away.

“Suit yourself,” the white mare said as she levitated a white box from behind the counter. “Though if you ask me, any stallion not taking care of the mares that protect him should get a lesson in why we lead.” The apothecary put dry Thornback in the box, then pulled another box from behind the counter and placed it inside. “Anything else?”

“I’ll need painkillers,” Twilight mumbled, averting her eyes. “Something stronger than Willow Bark.”

“Oh, I can help with that,” the white mare said. She walked over to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a large white jar next to the orange bottle she put out earlier.

“Most medicines from the other side are compatible with us, they call this one Ibuprofen. Depending on the pain, a low dose can at least take the edge off for four hours, though higher doses for stronger pains kinda work too. But be warned, large doses over a long time can damage your liver and kidneys. So only use this on pain that will go away on its own eventually,” the apothecary said.

“Anything for a more long-term use?” Twilight asked.

“Acetaminophen maybe, but I have had customers claim they can barely feel the effects, if any at all. On the customers it does work for, it’s cheaper than the Ibuprofen. That said, if I recall correctly, you need to make sure to drink plenty of water if you are using it long term as it can cause kidney problems, but frankly, as far as I can tell, the ponies that take it are doing just fine.”

“Let me get a little of each then. Along with some Willow Bark in case that’s sufficient for any future pain,” Twilight said, digging through her saddle bag and dropping bits on the countertop. “I’m going to need a receipt.”

“That’s not a problem,” the white mare said as she laid the giant white bottle on the countertop, then pulled another gray bottle.

Twilight looked around while the apothecary went to work. One shelf space had many classic cures. Marshmallow Root for coughing, Rosemary and Thyme combo for fever. Barberry, Burch, and Sond. Then her eye caught another shelf, imports from the human world behind glass. Dextromethorphan, Aspirin, Loperamide. Asprin had caught her eye, as it had an extensive list of what it was used to treat.

“Don’t let that fool you,” the white mare said from behind. She looked at Twilight as she put the sacks of medicine she prepared and the orange bottle into the linen bag. Twilight twisted to see that her bag was ready to go, and the apothecary was standing beside it. “Asprin right?”

Twilight nodded.

“It’s just refined and concentrated Willow Bark. That said, a good deal of their medicines are more effective than some of ours, with some exceptions,” the apothecary said. “That said, while their drugs are powerful, their real talent is in preventive medicine. Also, if the local doctor is right, their surgical techniques far outstrip our own, even with the aid of magic.”

“Oh?” Twilight said, turning to face the apothecary.

The apothecary left from behind the counter and walked to Twilight’s side, “My Stallion’s Mom is an Earth Pony that worked the fields nearly all her life. Her joints are worn. Could barely move.” The white mare then turned to Twilight, “But because I was in the business, we were able to get her to the other side where they injected something into her knees. Literally one day later, she was moving and walking like she was in her prime again.”

“Really?” Twilight said, raising her eye.

The apothecary nodded, “Their doctors were initially worried that they would need to retreat her every 4 months, but it’s been about a year now and she says there is only a little ache. That said, if worse comes to worse, they can replace the knees entirely.”

Twilight blinked three times before she blurted out, “You’re kidding me. An entire joint?”

“Not at all,” the apothecary replied. “I’ve heard of them even replacing hips. They’re good, really good at treating things without resorting to magic. And even if you could find a mare that might be able to cast bone restorative magic, it usually just starts to deteriorate soon after. From what I’ve heard, once they replace a joint or hip, you’re good until it’s time to go to the Elysian Fields.”

“How did you get these?” Xavier asked, as he examined the tent. He stood in a tight store with supplies galore. A wood brown and beige walls were intimate with the rustic theme. Fishing poles hung on the wall, with pictures of lazy Griffins and Dragons laying on chairs waiting for a catch.

“Imported them, of course,” the old grey Pegasus said. A nametag hung from her neck with the name Dapperet Gust. She wiggled her nose as her salt and pepper mane swished from the left to the right of her neck. “Bar none, your kind’s materials are magic in of themselves. Polyester Traffadel or Traffetara or something other strange name. We also have a few sleeping bags but,” she turned to the human and raised an eye. “They won’t be cheap.”

Xavier grumbled as he scratched his face, a bandana once again gracing his forehead, “How bad are the winters north of here?”

“Nasty,” Dapperet Gust said. “Once you get past Equineton, you will discover that being on this side of the Back Buck Mountains makes things cold and wet. If you go with some other ponies, of course, you all can huddle for warmth, but even with a roaring fire, without the right shelter, well…”

Xavier turned and asked, “How much for two of the light winter graded tents, one human sleeping bag and one pony sleeping bag, specifically for a unicorn?”

“You’ve got a unicorn with you? If she is any good at magic and is willing to spend a few weeks studying, she can learn to cast a few spells to keep you all warm. If she is really good, you can make do with gear for the Fall. Celestia’s pale white rump, she could also learn a spell to purify water. And what she can’t get out, boiling water will do in a jiff,” said Gust.

“Can’t rely on her,” Xavier said.

“Oh?”

“She is not in a right place right now,” Xavier turned to answer.

“I see, what’s her brand?” Gust asked.

“A st-,” Xavier stopped, then coughed. Looking left, he said, “She has jam. Good at making preservatives.”

“Ah,” Gust answered. “Just good at the ol’ grip magic, eh?”

“I guess,” Xavier answered.

“She’s your lead? Or married?” Gust asked.

“Nei- Wait, what do you mean, married?” Xavier turned to Gust.

Gust shrugged, “Ponies in the Union have started breaking the ancient taboo on marriage. No official here will do it, of course, they take a trip to Earth to do the deed and come back. Though if I recall, human males aim for herding up.”

Xavier shifted uncomfortably, “Honestly, seems kinda gross to me.”

“Well, your species is no paragon of beauty themselves,” Gust eyed Xavier up and down.

“Yeah, but isn’t it weird to you? The idea of having se-“ Xavier stopped himself.

“Spit it out, human,” Gust raised an eye.

Xavier turned to Gust, then turned back and looked down on the floor before beginning, “Having sex with one of us, doesn’t that seem weird or gross?”

“Hon,” the Mare, with a flap of her wings, jumped up on the countertop and looked Xavier’s green eyes with her pale blue ones. “When I was young, I went out and tasted what the world had to offer. I’ve had sex with Unicorns, been railed by Dragons, and, taking special care as not to get hurt, even enjoyed some intimate time with a Griffin before I settled down.” She then raised her left front hoof and lightly kicked it at Xavier, “With how rare stallions are, we don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing like you do. Thankfully, as long as you are adventurous enough, Equus, and now your world provides.”

Xavier let out an exhale, “Yeah, well, what about possible cross-species transmission of diseases?”

“Honestly, I have yet to hear about any sort of things between ponies and humans. And how do you think I was able to sleep with a Griffin? Special covering using the intestines of a sheep. It had several layers for his head so its barbs wouldn’t rip me to shreds, but a slight opening at the end to let him spill into me.”

Xavier eyes flickered and turned away from Gust.

“Poor guy said he couldn’t feel a thing, but at least we tried. Didn’t need it for the dragon, and my Stallion has only been shared with me and my herd mate,” she answered.

“That doesn’t stop an std though,” Xavier said. “If he’s infected-”

“You misunderstand me,” Gust said, lowering her head slightly, looking at Xavier straight on. “I was protecting him from anything I might be carrying.”

“But not yourself?”

“I don’t need it,” Gust said. “No mare on record has ever gotten sick from mating with a Diamond Dog or a Buffalo or even a human.”

“How do you not constantly get pregnant? From what I understand, you need his help a few days every month.” Xavier blurted out, his eyes shifting to his host and gulping. “Sorry, I-”

Gust interrupted and raised an eye, “Giving pony sex education to a human, huh? Tell you what, you buy the tents and sleeping bags and I’ll give you the lecture for free.”

“I’ll just get it from somewhere el-“

“No, you won’t,” Gust said, thrusting her hoof at Xavier. “I’ve met plenty of humans, when sex is brought up, half of them joke, and other half run off. I don’t know why, it’s just sex, but it’s obvious that a colt like you gets uncomfortable around the subject. But since we are already legs deep into it, I will answer your questions if you buy what I have here and now, otherwise I’m going to stop now because I could be cleaning out the back or counting the register, you know, stuff that helps run a business.”

Xavier narrowed his eyes, turned around, and ambled away. Passing the fishing poles and the postcards, he pushed open the door, and left. Gust stood, not moving. Her eyes narrowed until the door reopened and Xavier hurriedly returned to the spot he was standing just moments ago.

“How much?”

“828 bits.”

“828?!” Xavier nearly yelled. “Those tents can’t be worth that much, 350 bits.”

“700”

“400”

“600”

“450”

“575, and Ill throw in the condom the griffin used.”

“490 and ew.”

“525 and 10 minutes of your time, I need to borrow your hands for a task.”

“500 and what kind of task?”

“Fishing hooks occasionally get lost behind one of the displays atop a counter, hard for me to reach back there with hooves or a broom handle.”

“495, 5 bits as liability if I get poked by one of the hooks.”

“Deal,” Gust raised her left hoof as she stood on the countertop, and Xavier then tapped it with his closed left hand.

“Where?”

“Over there,” Gust said, waving her hoof at a display with a giant red dragon holding what seemed to be a tiny purple sea serpent in his right claws while holding a fishing pole with his left. Xavier whisked himself over, knelt down on the floor, and started reaching.

“Equucleum is what we take to avoid pregnancy,” Gust said aloud as Xavier started pulling hook after hook from behind the display. “They’re easy to grow, every herd typically grows their own in a garden either outside or atop a windowsill. Eating 5 or 6 of the heart-shaped schizocarps from them will guarantee pregnancy won’t occur for about a week. They taste awful, but swallowing them works just as well. Much better than Thornback.”

“Why?” Xavier said, as he pulled another hook out.

“What do you know about estrus?”

“Only that it happens to a mare once a month,”

“And?”

“While most mares are down to have sex whenever, during this period of time, their desire is amped up to the point that it sabotages higher orders of thought,” Xavier said, reaching. “If I recall, the longer the mare goes without intercourse with a stallion, the more she deteriorates until the end of the cycle. A mare that is getting action daily barely notices a thing, but one that has been without will start becoming aggressive and will actively look for partners.”

“You’re wrong about the Stallion. Dragons work just as fine. Griffins can too if you ensure the barbs are well covered, but the seed is still allowed to be expelled during intercourse,” Gust said. “Male Humans as well, from what my Herd Sister said.”

“So why not just toss in some semen and be done with it?” Xavier asked.

“Each part of the process is important, not just the acquisition of seed. A stallion could eat out his companion, but after reaching the high point, her relief is only slight. Just depositing one’s essence won’t work either. The act of raw intimacy, along with the spill of intercourse, is what takes care of the symptoms.”

“Then what about Thornback?” asked Xavier.

“Thornback tastes something awful. And depending on how strong one’s estrus is, you might be taking it 3 or 4 times a day just to keep level. Then there are the side effects…”

“Side effects?”

“Slight lethargy, loss of appetite. Also, you start to smell,” Gust answered. “That last one can be fixed by adding Trumpet Lily into the diet as well, but in exchange, you get cramps. Everywhere.”

“Why not just go find a donor to help?” Xavier asked.

“Finding a lothario? Of course, she could find one and pay. There is also the fact that a stallion whoring himself out like that is illegal and would get him arrested, and if she is caught, doubly so for her,” she answered.

“What about just borrowing one from a friend?”

“Borrowing one from a friend?” Gust laughed, “Okay, fine, I’ll play. Big no no, if you somehow accidentally get pregnant, you either need to be inducted into that herd quickly or face exile,” she answered. “And if he is already in a herd, well… and that’s ignoring getting caught in the act.”

“Exile?”

“Yes, and the stallion will be branded as well to let others know that he can’t be trusted to keep to himself within his herd.”

“On the cutie mark?”

“Of course.”

“That’s some fucking Scarlet Letter shit,” Xavier muttered as he pulled a tri-barbed hook from behind the case.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. How does a stallion keep balance in a herd?” Xavier asked.

“Every herd is different, sometimes the Stallion has a hard time balancing, and it ends up falling apart, usually one mare will feel she is being underserved and leave at that point. But there are other herds where the Stallion is just there to help with estrus.”

Xavier stopped, then turned to Gust, “You’re implying homosexual herds?”

“You say that like you weren’t expecting a mare to be into other mares?”

“I…” Xavier closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again, “I just didn’t even consider the possibility.”

“Well, don’t let those who are hardcore worshiping Celestia say delude you. Every herd will try to paint the image of the Canterlotian ideal, One Stallion, 3 or 4 mares who are strongly into their stallion, and many foals. But don’t let that fool you. Sometimes when a mare meets another mare, they couple and seek out another mare and stallion to herd with. This takes the pressure off the stallion, he only really needs to worry about keeping one mare happy while the other two will take care of themselves, excluding when they call on him for estrus or to help them have foals.”

“What about stallions?”

“A stallion coupling up with another stallion?”

“Symmetry,” Xavier grunted as he winced, forcing his arm deep into the back of the display, “demands it,” Xavier finished, pulling another hook out. “In more ways than one.”

“Well, herds have no size limit, but after two stallions and six mares, you get raised eyes unless you’re out in the far regions. Not to mention they still have their obligations to perform in order to help the mares.”

“So ponies with homosexual tendencies will form larger herds?”

“Indeed. The Stallions are coupled to each other while some combination of mares will couple with each other.”

“Hang on,” Xavier once again froze half way into digging behind the case. “If memory serves, and I recall correctly, some humans that aren’t hetrosexual find physical intimacy with the opposite sex personally disgusting,” Xavier said. “What’s the case here?”

“From what I’m told, they treat it like a chore,” Gust answered. “No different from hauling manure or cleaning the bathroom. They might find the work is disgusting, do not get me wrong, but the mare always has the choice to use Thornback. Yes, coupling with the opposite sex may disgust them, but it is what it is.”

“Oh god, sex as a chore,” grumbled Xavier.

“It can be for both parties,” Gust raised an eye. “You think I like coupling by the hips with my stallion every single time?” Gust walked towards Xavier as he was on the ground, catching his eye, “Sometimes he can be a downright broncho, but we still do it because if we don’t, I wouldn’t be working today and I would not be able to bring in the bits that helps my herd out human.”

Xavier turned away from her gaze as she studied him. He was on the ground, crumpled up, his arm slowly feeling around the back of the case, the occasional flinch as he pulled yet another lost hook.

Gust shook her head, “If you have a mare you’re working with, you really should think about talking to her about having you help her out.”

“I don’t find ponies arousing,” Xavier said. “Sorry, I look at you all and you’re just too close to the quadrupeds back home.”

“Well, you’re no gem yourself,” Gust raised an eye. “But if you can get over that hurdle, you will very likely be saving her a lot of trouble, even if you don’t like her personally.”

“Is thornback that bad?”

“In my case? Yes, but it depends on the mare. For me, I have only ever needed to take the stuff when I was much younger and when I just can’t deal with my stallion. That said, some mares can live with either the smell or the cramps or the chills. Others absolutely refuse to drink the stuff and will seek out either a lothario or an unherded stallion,” Gust answered.

“Unherded?” Xavier asked.

“Stallions without a herd are few and far between. But they happen for a variety of reasons. First, there are simply those who can’t do the herd thing, but they are effectively exiled to the peripherals of a community.”

“Exiled? I guess it’s to pressure them to herd up,” Xavier guessed.

“Not to mention, stallions who could not keep herd cohesion and theirs collapses. If the collapse is bad enough, they will refuse to try again because of the scars they incur. Same thing with a mare, but because of estrus, like I said, we have to take one of the two thorns.”

“Two thor- oh!” Xavier exclaimed. “Wait, if a herd collapses, where do the foals go?”

“Depends on the collapse. But most of the time they stay with the Stallion as they are expected to care and play with them,” Gust answered.

“What if one of the mares gets voted out?”

Gust raised an eye at Xavier, “So you do know some of the ways?”

“Only what I’ve been told,” he said.

“While the mother will be allowed to visit the foal at the stallion’s discretion, they stay in the herd with their herd-siblings. But the band is effectively broken.”

“Band?”

“A band are the members that are connected by shared blood in a herd. My band has me, my Stallion, and my two daughters. In my herd, there are 3 bands, mine and the other two. All the bands share a stallion, but not direct siblings,” Gust nodded. “One of the Stallions’ responsibilities is to ensure that every member of the herd gets an equal dole of his attention. Mares are going to want one-on-one time with him, especially if it’s just to bond. And each of his foals needs one-on-one time with him. More so with him than with the mother.”

“Where I come from, it’s the opposite. The general trend is that children need to be tended to by both parents, with the mother taking center stage as the child’s primary advocate,” Xavier said.

Gust shook her head, “When a mare foals, depending on the tribe, she will be exhausted and in pain. Other mares in the herd will tend to her needs, however, the Stallion tends to the newborn’s needs, starting by the Ceremony of Breath.”

“Ceremony of Breath?”

“When a mare gives birth, she is left alone. This is called the Ceremony of the Sun, and it’s traditional to try to aim for dawn of the day, though until recently, dusk has become a popular choice with Luna’s return,” Gust said, bobbing her head. “Now, while she is left alone, hospital staff will be outside doing what they can to monitor, but even I found it easier to give birth when it seemed no one was around.”

Xavier stopped reaching and tilted his head, “Carry over from earlier times?”

Gust shrugged, “Assuming the birth went as planned, once the mare foals, she calls for help. Even in a hospital setting, her herd-sisters will come in and assist along with hospital staff, making sure she drinks fluids, helping her by keeping the birthing area sanitary ect. But the Stallion and the foal must be the first to partake in the Ceremony of Breath where, when the foal takes their first breath, the Stallion is there to share their breath with them and vice versa. Then the mares, starting with the mother, share breath with the newborn as well. After treating the new mother, the Stallion and Mare are left with the new foal to bond.”

“I see, so they get him involved as early as they can,” Xavier said.

“Right. From that point onward, he is the last line of defense for that foal. For a while, the foal is raised by both parents, though the stallion may also be tending to another band with a newborn as well. However, when the foal says it’s first words, the stallion takes over. By then, the mother is well fully recovered and back to work, and total care will be handed over to the stallion.”

“But what about mother-foal bonding?”

“It happens, but a mare’s first duty is to the herd as a whole, then the individuals. This is in contrast to the stallion’s whose responsibilities are to the individuals first. He will raise them, play with them, and give a basic education until they go to primary school. That’s why if a mare leaves a herd, they leave the foal as well. It’s the stallion’s foal too and he will ensure they are well looked after,” Gust said.

“But there must be cases,”

“Of course there are cases, everything we talked about has exceptions where that’s not how it works out,” Gust rolled her eyes. “I’m giving you the idealized situations. Some stallions can’t keep balance and some foals find they are being ignored in favor of others. Other foals are just problematic. Then there are cross-tribe offspring.”

“Cross-Tribe?”

“So long as a single drop of a different tribe is in a foal, they possess the possibility of being born as a member of that tribe,” Gust nodded. “Imagine that a Unicorn and Earth Pony give birth to a foal that is an Earth Pony, then 25 generations pass, with that foal’s line only mating with pure Earth Pony lines and producing only Earth Ponies each generation. Then, surprise! The 26th generation produces a unicorn.”

“So if a herd of only Earth Ponies suddenly has a Unicorn show up…”

“That’s right. Offspring that are of a different tribe, then the parents can be a hassle. A Unicorn Stallion might find containing an Earth Pony in their crib impossible due to how quickly they get strong. Or an Earth Stallion having issues getting a Pegasus daughter down from a tree. Of course the answer is to get help, but until the foal grows up to understand language, it’s always exhausting on the Stallion’s part.” Gust then tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Xavier’s bindings. “Are those…?”

“Baby Unicorn wrappings? Yes.” Xavier said, still pulling fishing hooks.

Gust laughed, “Okay, just why? Don’t tell me you’re growing horns on your limbs?”

“Hardley,” Xavier answered. “It’s not something I really want to talk about.”

Gust lightly tapped Xavier’s right arm with her hoof, “Yeah, okay. But still, that’s just so strange now that I can see the little cartoon characters. Did you get some kind of magical infliction or something?”

“No.”

“Well, keep your secrets if you’re going to be so quiet on them,” Gust said, shaking her head with another laugh. “But you do know what we use that for, right?”

“Suppressing a baby unicorn’s magic so that they’re more manageable,” Xavier said offhandedly. “As pointed out by you earlier, mostly used by Earth Ponies and Pegasai with an infant unicorn they need to manage.”

“Right, guess you are really strange for a human stallion,” Gust said.

Xavier turned, “You’ve met others?”

“Yeah, though most human stallions don’t wear what you wear on your arms. And they are a lot more open about sex with mares than you,” Gust glanced up for a brief moment before returning her gaze.

Xavier grunted, then returned back to pulling fishing hooks out.

“Most of the ones I met were, to put it in their terms, in ‘balls deep’ with a mare that was accompanying them,” Gust said, laughing under her breath and wiggling her ears.

Xavier froze, then shook his head, “You’ve only met members of humanity that are into that sort of thing by even being over here in the first place. I promise you, most of my kind are not into cross species mating.”

“Not from what I’ve seen,” Gust trailed off. “The few that I met were already looking to make a herd with their partner as lead.”

“Sounds like they just want a harem to me,” Xavier replied. “They probably have no clue what they’re signing up for.”

“Hmmm, they seemed happy enough,” Gust replied. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Xavier once again, stopped, and looked at Gust, “I don’t think trying to balance the need of three sapient beings along with my own and having to constantly put out half a month to three-fourths a month is worth my sanity just to try it. And besides,” Xavier turned back to the task he was working on. “I’ve seen the damage done to beings that group up that should have never grouped up to begin with.”

Author's Note

Possible 2 month hiatus coming up to rewrite first draft material that I don't think is working. Will keep everyone updated if I can't salvage it.

Chapter 27: Egress

“So here’s the plan,” Twilight said to the human as they were packing. Golden morning light poured forth from the room’s only window as the sound of birds sang, “We’re going to go to the caravan stop and see if we can hitch a ride to Sawdust Sunder. We’re going to be riding the boundary between the Kingdom and Union until we find somewhere safe enough to cross.”

“Which is?” Xavier asked, picking the tightly bound folded cloth of blue and red that had fallen out the day before and putting it in his backpack.

Twilight turned to Xavier and raised an eye, then flicked her tail to the side.

“Had to try,” Xavier said, rolling his neck, then picking up his backpack and dropping it on the floor.

“Now when we get there, just stand there and look handsome,” Twilight said as she turned to continue her inspection of her saddlebag. “And let me do all the talking, alright? If you have any questions, pull me aside and whisper them, right? And no, they’re not going to have a second bed for me to sleep in, but thankfully you got the sleeping bags.”

Xavier shifted uncomfortably, placing his bound hand behind his neck, “I’m still not onboard with letting anything pull me.”

“Well, I’ve been pulling you since Manehatten,” Twilight grunted, slipping the medicinal bag into her saddlebag with her mouth.

“No, you’ve been guiding. And I’ve been walking with my own two feet,” Xavier grunted. “Vast difference between being pulled and walking under my own power.”

“I suppose you would turn down a train ride because of all the work the ponies at the front do?” Twilight retorted, flickering her ears for a split second. “Or is it because you’re being pulled by the work produced by ‘Beasts of Burden’”?

Xavier stopped in place, turned and narrowed his eyes at Twilight, “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Twilight turned her head to her companion.

“There is a big difference between forcing someone to pull by exerting their muscles as the primary method of work as opposed to them getting a machine to do it for them.”

“They’re still using their muscles,” Twilight answered. She then turned away from Xavier and continued her packing.

“Yeah, to operate the machine. Not to produce the force needed to pull others.”

“They’re doing the same thing despite using a machine intermediary to act as a force multiplier.”

Xavier said nothing, then turned to double check his belongings.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“No, because you’re not interested in a dialectic. You’re interested in beating me over the head in a verbal debate.”

“No I’m no-”

“Then why did you throw my beast of burden term back at me?” Xavier shot Twilight a glare. “I said it to get the point across that, from my point of view, having others, even domesticated animals do work for me is something I don’t feel entirely comfortable with because I view both the term it’s self and the act as unsightly.”

“I’m just using your language,” Twilight fired back.

“No,” Xavier said, his voice growing a pitch higher. “You just want to punish me for wanting to abstain from using other ponies to travel because I hold your kind to a higher regard then literal quadrupeds who’s entire existence is predicated on serving a purpose.” Xavier then rolled his eyes and relaxed his tone, “So I’m sorry that complying with your culture’s standard of practice on trading bits to be manually hauled across the countryside makes me feel like I am only a step or two removed from being an actual slave holder.”

“Ah yes, humanity’s grand tradition of holding others captive for labor,” Twilight barked back. “Though last I read, I thought you had civilized up a bit and finally dropped the habit 150 years ago.”

Xavier’s face shifted from exasperated to uptight as the words croaked out of him, “Coming from you, that’s calling the -” Xavier stopped himself and shook his head. Then he gave a curious hum as he slowly rotated his head around to look at Twilight, “You’ve been reading?”

“When I first caught sight of you at the bookstore, that was the very first thing I did,” Twilight answered. She narrowed her eyes on her saddlebag, packing as she shot air through her nose before continuing, “Though if it makes you feel any better, I don’t hold your kind’s failing against you.”

“Okay,” Xavier turned away and started folding the sleeping bag he had been using. “What did your studies reveal to you?”

“That your history does not differ from Gryphons, Abyssians, or Dragons. Though, at the very least, your specie’s failings have been mostly constrained towards itself,” Twilight answered, then tied her sleeping back to the rear of her saddlebag. “And you have only recently stopped using slaves.”

“Wrong,” Xavier said in a hushed tone. Twilight’s ears slowly angled toward Xavier, she could hear him inhale and exhale slowly twice before he picked back up, “… we still use slaves.”

Twilight turned to the human, his front limbs holding him up on the table in front of his backpack. He leaned over it, with only the side of his right eye and face visible.

“That’s not what my book said,” she stated.

“You said 150 years ago, right?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever it was you had read, it was probably written by one of my fellow Americans. The French outlawed slavery even earlier. And the British even earlier, with the caveat that one of its assimilated territories was exempt. But really, that’s ignoring our modern version where various countries have outlawed it on paper, but tacitly allow it,” Xavier said slowly with a glib voice.

“Wait, so the French and British a-”

“Jesus, stop focusing on the names of things and ignoring the fact that I just said slavery is still a thing, for fuck’s sake…” Xavier's face twisted towards Twilight as his voice trailed off with a hiss. Xavier touched his backpack as he turned his face away at Twilight and continued, “And we have approximate forms as well. Debt slavery, wage slavery, and conscription.”

“We have conscription too,” Twilight answered, raising an eye.

Xavier shook his head, “Not like the kind we have.”

“This honestly sounds like a case of your different tribes, I mean governments utilizing-,” Twilight shook her head, her tail flickering to her right, “Okay fine, slavery is still a thing where you come from.”

Xavier nodded his head, turned away from Twilight and resumed packing, “You know, one of the things I expected when we made first contact with your world was a kind of dawning of the “Age of Aquarius” for us.”

“Age of Aquarius?” Twilight stretched each word and answered Xavier as she turned and gave him a strange eye. Her ears faced him, standing at attention while her eyes looked exhausted.

“Forgive me,” Xavier said. He turned to Twilight, using his arms to prop himself up against the table, now facing the opposite direction. “The usage of that was tongue in cheek for me, but I’ll elaborate. The Age of Aquarius is a cultural artifact that comes from about 50ish years ago where there was a segment of our population that believed the dawn of a new age will allow humanity as a whole to enter into an age of enlightenment.” Xavier paused, and looked at Twilight, whose ears seemed even higher than before, were forward and focused on him. “I was hoping that when we discover that we were not alone, that we would move past this stage of self exploitation and enter into a true age of enlightenment.” Xavier stopped, looked down, and exhaled. “And I was wrong. Horribly wrong.”

Xavier sat on the wooden bench while Twilight talked to the large brown Earth mare who ran the caravan. The road was compressed dirt with plenty of hoof printings marking up and down the street. And around it, a large circle of wagons with ponies of every color talking and taking on goods. A grey pegasi with blond mane swooped in to drop sacks of mail off for letters taking the cheapest trips to their destinations. Three unicorns of different colors were working in concert to lift a box labeled ‘fragile’ into a wagon that was slightly lifted by metal springs. Each point of contact glowed as the unicorns gently lifted the cargo and placed it in the wagon. Only a second later, a blue griffin with a wild eye then appeared from the back to secure the cargo with leather straps using his claws.

“75 bits,” the brown Earth mare said, chewing on a single long blade of grass, standing over Twilight. The wind wound around and around and shook the trees, kicking up dust around the caravan she represented. Twilight’s nose wiggled as a bit of dust caught in her nostrils. Blinking for a moment, she looked up at the mare and began.

“That’s ridiculous! You’re just taking us 100 km up the road!” Twilight nipped out as her ears folded back ever so slightly.

“You got any useful magic?” a gray earth stallion said, approaching the mare by the side. He was a head taller than the brown Earth mare in front of Twilight. He gave the mare a gentle nudge and settled to the side of the brown mare while she turned to him and gave a tender nod.

“I,” Twilight let out a laugh. “I have a condition, I can’t really cast magic.”

“Well, that’ll be 75 bits, tri-tone,” the brown mare turned back and reiterated. “Now, I can shave off nine bits if y’all ain’t interested in any meals from us, but you’ll still have to keep watch at night. And if you’re not here come departure time, we’ll be hittin’ the road without you.”

“My partner…” Twilight trailed off. She turned to see her stallion-human hadn’t left his seat, then turned back, “He’s human, is that going to be an issue?”

The brown mare kept chewing the single long grass as she said, “Well, that ain’t no problem at all, ma’am. We got another fella of them tree climber’s with us, y’see. Can’t rightly say if we’ll be takin’ him with us, though - he’s got a mighty big herd to take care of. But just so y’all know, we ain’t takin’ him or your stallion no further than Dragon’s Tail.”

“Kingdom territory…”

“Mmm-hmmm. If y’all’s stallion wants to get themselves killed, it will be on their own neck,” the brown mare nodded, glancing over at the gray stallion to her side. He gave her a gentle tap on the neck with his snout and she replied with a nudge of her own.

“Give me a few moments,” Twilight said as she turned and walked back over to Xavier. Her Ritter sat atop the bench, throwing pebbles at the ground as Twilight approached.

“That’s steep,” Xavier said.

“Listen, I know it sounds expensive but,” Twilight trailed off.

“Why don’t we just hit the road ourselves? I’m not sure the exchange for 12 days of not having to walk is worth it,” Xavier said, putting his arms together.

“Well, it’s not just that, we only have to take about an hour watched each. And it’s early in the night, so will be fully rested by the time we wake up,” Twilight said, turning her head and shifting her mane “There’s also the consideration that they are effectively protecting us from anything that might choose to give us trouble in the forest.”

“You mean like a giant bear or chimera?”

Twilight nodded, “Exactly. If one of my friends were here, I’d have full faith in her handling those beasts. But, given our situation, I would argue, let’s not tempt fate.”

Xavier got off the bench and knelt down, grabbing a stick from the side of the road. Twilight watched as he circled a bubble in the dirt and extended lines out from it, then wrote a little + and - atop the lines, it each of those lines led to a bubble with a number in it.

“What are the chances that we will encounter something we can handle? Creature wise, that is,” Xavier asked Twilight.

Twilight blinked, then shook her head, looking up, “Well… Every time I got into a forest, well….” She teetered off for a few moments before continuing, “During and at one time in Everfree, we just hit creature after creature. The other time, when I went to go see Zecora, it was the plant life that was the culprit…”

Xavier dropped the stick and looked dumbfounded at Twilight, “What did you say?”

“Plant life?”

“Before that.”

“Zecora?”

“You met Zecora?”

“… Yes?” Twilight looked at Xavier.

“Was she teaching you?” Xavier immediately asked. He stood stiff, like a tree resisting the breeze.

“Well, not much. Everything she knew was heretical…”

Xavier threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes, “Of course, of course. You need one of the few Masters of Potion Making and the natural world and your first knee-jerk reaction is to burn her at the stake.”

Twilight took a step back and stamp her hoof on the ground, followed by a flick of her tail, “That is not what I did! Yes, she was much like your kind in that the magics she wielded were forbidden, but…” Twilight turned toward the forest. Its trees gently swayed as she let out an exhale. “What she knew was far more than just…”

“Can I assume that you just reported her?”

“Okay, first off, I didn’t report anyone! Second off, she helped far more than she could have despite her vocation.” Twilight flicked her tail and took a step forward, “I tried to get her to stop, she refused. Then she saved us, so…” Twilight once again looked out of the forest. “I stayed quiet. At the very least, she knew a lot of things I didn’t. And she wasn’t hurting anyone, so… I stayed quiet.”

Xavier interrupted, “What’s this? Flexibility? Nuance? From you?”

Twilight lowered her head and eyes, then raised it and gave a strained look at Xavier as her ears folded back, “I don’t understand this need of yours to mock me. But suffice it to say I do have the capacity to let things go, despite the fact that I really should have reported her.”

“Just answer me this, were you keeping her out of trouble in exchange for staying in her good graces? Or because she would’ve been a useful tool in the future?”

Twilight turned and snorted at Xavier, and walked away, “Why are you accusing me of making some sort of power play?”

Xavier let out a stressed hum before answering, “I was curious to know if being subsumed in Canterlot’s core had given you a warped view on others.”

Twilight turned, “Are you accusing me of some kind of dissociation with the rest of the world?”

“Well, you did walk around trying to ensnare someone in your song,” Xavier answered.

“Listen to me, you miserable man,” Twilight said, hissing under her breath and thrusting her hoof at Xavier. “If it was good enough for my brother, it’s good enough for you!”

Xavier took a step back, “What do you mean?”

“My brother was lucky enough to be enraptured in heart song with a good friend of ours. So it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for you. And you should count your lucky stars that you didn’t get anyone else.”

“Lucky stars is relative,” Xavier answered. “And besides, you’re basing my frame of reference all on your brother being excited about getting a fuck buddy?” Xavier asked. “He may like being called Ritter and herd mate, but I find it incredibly,” Xavier turned away. “Offputting.”

“Look,” Twilight said as one group of pegasi had just lept into the air, gaining altitude while another group with a griffin in the center were in quiet commotion, their feathers ruffled “How about I make you a deal. If others ask, I’ll just say that you paid me to show you around Equus. In exchange, you stop being so fussy. Let me handle the front, just don’t embarrass me like you did at the inn. That said, there will be times I am going to need to refer to you as my herd mate. It makes explaining things simpler and explains things faster then you just hiring me to do a job.”

“But you’re still going to refer to me as a Ritter in private?” Xavier asked.

“We may be pretending to be strangers or a functional herd, but I called, and you answered. This is who we are now. Others… Others don’t have to know.”

Xavier flinched as he saw a pained expression sweep over Twilight’s face. She turned away and watched three Earth ponies resting together in the shade, the two mares chatting while leaning against their stallion. Then Twilight turned back to Xavier with a dower expression, “I know that’s not who we are, but like I said, I can’t fight you, Xavier. I can’t fight you all the way there.”

Xavier frowned, and he extended his left arm to Twilight, only to pull back. He glanced down and a hard look took over his face.

“Be honest,” Xavier said gently. “Were you expecting a much more compliant partner?”

Twilight stared at the ground and softly kicked a pebble in front of her, “I think that I was expecting another pony.”

“Can you explain why you didn’t think you could get something else?” Xavier said quietly, tilting his head with his eyes softening.

“I think I let my status as the Element of Magic get to me,” Twilight said. “Despite what the common pony thinks, there are things even outside of Celestia’s control. Heartsong is one of them, and I think that one of the things that I forget is the reason unicorn magic is the only sanctioned magic is that it doesn’t backfire,” Twilight looked up at Xavier.

“Twilight, answer me this. Can I assume that there are no do overs for you?”

Twilight shook her head, “There are rare situations where Heartsong enraptures more than two ponies, but it’s almost always at the same time that the singer first sings. It’s been a week since I first sang, and I don’t think that I’ll get any kind of mulligans or do overs.”

“For that, I’m…” Xavier lifted his head and looked past the tree line. “Sorry.”

Both Twilight and Xavier said nothing. A gentle breeze heralding summer’s end blanketed them both with chill air. Celestia’s sun was obscured by high clouds, while the sounds of the hustle and bustle behind Twilight became quiet. The odor of burning wood finally seeped into the lot from nearby bakeries.

“Look on the bright side,” Twilight laughed to herself. “At least that pain that you were feeling finally went away. I still don’t know how your suffering associates with my singing, but…” Twilight trailed off. “At least one good thing has come out of this.”

The wagons loaded up with passengers a little past noon. Of the five carts, each of them was pulled by two earth ponies. Twilight and Xavier got in on the fourth wagon to the rear, right next to the herd of two mares and a Griffin. The two remained silent as the other guests delt with each other.

“I cannot subsist off of fish,” the Griffin said. “During the war, for months on end, it was nothing but fish, fish, fish.”

“No,” the unicorn said. “I refuse to have any kind of meat beyond that in the house.”

“Then why the rut did you ask me to join you and your herd?” the Griffin snapped. “I can only have bread in small quantities, and besides, I haven’t had a good pulled pork in ages.”

The earth mare stuck out her tongue, “Please don’t talk about that, it makes me feel sick.”

“Then just build me a kitchen outside the house!” the Griffin said. “You don’t even need to make me a stove, as long as I get some kind of campfire working outside, I can at least cook whatever we get.”

The earth mare looked over to her herd mate, “It’s not a bad idea”

“But what will the neighbors think?” The unicorn asked snappily.

“I’ll tell you what they’ll think,” the Griffin said, clicking his beak. “They’re going to ask why I’m so malnourished. Then you’ll have a real problem.”

The unicorn hopped up as she raised her horn to the sky and a slight glow from it came forth, then it ceased as the unicorn turned away.

“That’s what I thought. And why did you bring me in anyways?” the Griffin snapped. "You can’t pretend like I’m one of those humans by throwing bread at me and expecting me to eat it. I need to eat meat!”

“I just didn’t want foals,” the unicorn shot. “Dreadful little things.”

“And there it is!” The earth mare said. “You said adoption was on the table when you asked me to join, but when I get in, ‘Sorry, we just can’t do that right now!’. I swear, I have no clue why we’re even here anymore.”

“I can tell you why he’s here,” the unicorn turned to the earth mare. “He couldn’t make it in his homeland so now he’s giving us a go!”

“You said you would tell no one!” the Griffin screamed.

The mare strapped into the cart turned and bellowed at the three passengers, “No refunds!”

“That’s fine, I didn’t want to stay anyways,” the Griffin said as he spread his wings and made a quick flap, thrusting himself off the wagon and onto solid ground. He then dusted his other front leg off and walked away.

The mare unicorn jumped up and rushed after the Griffin, “Hey, come on! I know I said…” The two walked off as the earth mare just rolled her eyes and picked herself up, trotting out of the wagon and walking the other direction.

Twilight and Xavier gave each other a nervous glance, but remained quiet. As the three ex-herd members left out of earshot, both let out a sigh and turned away.

“There’s always one,” the mare said. She turned to her pulling partner, and gave her a quick nod. The other mare retreated from her stiff, vanilla pulling collar and pulled some straps off her with her teeth. Then she quickly trotted over to the caravan leader and said, “One party of three ditched.”

“Well, I reckon it’s that other human’s lucky day.…” the mare said, grunting. “Spectrum! We gots space if you got bits!”

A human surrounded by three mares, two unicorns and a pegasus, all perked up. The unicorns and human nodded at the Pegasus, who flapped her wings 4 times and dropped in front of the earth mare. Her two toned green and black mane fell on either said of her head as her light blue body hovered above the caravan mare. A small bag was affixed around her neck.

“You got space?” the pegasus said.

“You got bits Spectrum?” the earth mare eyed?

“Right here,” Spectrum said, digging into her chest pack and pulling out coins.

The earth mare let the Pegasus lay them out one by one, before deftly using her front leg to push the coins into a basket nearby with her hoof, “Alright now, listen up. For that much bread, we’ll take y’all to Richton Ravine. Since y’all gots the only pegasus here and we just lost our griffin, we need ya to fly high up in the sky and check out the forest every 20 minutes. If ya do that for us, we’ll knock off 10 bits from the price and give y’all free grub. Just keep in mind, if y’all ain’t back by the end of the rest stop, we ain’t waitin’ around, we’re headin’ out. Y’all got it?”

Spectrum nodded, “We won’t need to sleep in the wagons, my herd mate knows how to build a quick shelter.”

“Well, ain’t that somethin’,” the Earth mare said with a tinge of sarcasm, then turned to her grey stallion who was watching, then turned back to Spectrum. “Maybe when they’re not playin’ with sticks and stones and all them fancy horns on their heads, they can bless us with an alarm spell. That way, when y’all are playin’ ‘hide the alien’ at night, the rest of us can sleep soundly knowin’ we’ll wake up in the mornin’. ‘Cause the only other unicorn we got is about as useless as the dog shit I stepped in this mornin’.”

The Pegasus cocked her head as a slight, bare, confused smile emanated from her snout as she nodded. She then took three steps back from the earth mare, who was still pounding her with her eyes. She turned, and another few flaps of her wings and she was back with her herd.

“‘Hide the alien’?” Xavier quietly muttered.

“Sex,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I got that part,” Xavier hissed at the mare next to him. “I just never heard of ponies refer to my kind that way.”

“Oh, is that an issue?” Twilight mumbled.

“No,” Xavier said. Xavier eyed the group as they got up and meandered over to the wagon both he and Twilight were in, “It looks like they’re coming this way.”

“Well, did you expect to get the cart all to ourselves?” Twilight asked.

“No, they’re just so,” Xavier’s face wrinkled up. He watched the four giggling and laughing about, the one human being orbited by three mares with smiles on their faces, “Bubbly.”

“They’re probably a new herd,” Twilight said, watching as the ponies and human stopped for a second to laugh at a joke the pegasus said. “Everyone seems to be in that happy jostle before everyone’s place is set in.”

“Pegasus is lead, it looks like, look at how he fawns over her the most,” Xavier said.

Twilight frowned, “You can’t determine who is lead mare from that. If she has social anxiety, he might be tacitly rewarding her with attention to encourage her to do it again next time.”

“Or she has no compunction on having her tongue halfway down his throat in front of the others,” Xavier said. The man cupped Spectrum and midair as their lips touched.

Twilight lowered her eyes and shifted them towards Xavier, “Public displays of affection are the norm here.”

“If you call that affection, he might as well take his pants off and get in the thick of it because he’s already deep inside her,” Xavier mumbled, turning away.

“If you’re jealous, I offered you the opportunity two days ago despite your problem with my species,” Twilight blew her bangs up.

“Oh please,” Xavier rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to convince me that you get wet at the thought of a human.”

Twilight turned slowly to Xavier, “Excuse me, but I’m not as narrowminded as you are.”

“This isn’t about being narrow minded or not,” Xavier said, crossing his arms. “Ask anyone from my side if having sex with any species over here comes natural to them and I promise you, the answer is no.”

“Well, from the looks of it, your compatriot over there got over it,” Twilight said, turning her head again. The two herdmates were finally detached from each other and the entire herd was slowly moving towards the wagon again. “I hope you enjoy the company of your own kind.”

“Please don’t tell me they’re coming over,” Xavier said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well, what did you expect? You already saw them head over and we got seats,” Twilight huffed.

“I expected to enjoy the ride in peace, not listen to the sounds of four xenophiliacs going to town among the cargo,” Xavier grumbled.

“Oh Celestia’s light, Xavier it’s natural!” Twilight hissed. “Tell me, are you a prude because he’s the anomaly, or are you the aberration?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Xavier grunted. “I don’t have a problem with sex.”

“Yes you do,” Twilight said.

“Quiet, they’re almos- “

“See?” Twilight twisted her focus on Xavier. She caught his eyes as she narrowed hers, “You can barely talk to me about it, and when others are in earshot, you’re trying to hide it like dust under a rug. Sex is perfectly natural, without it, how are we supposed to repopulate?”

“In private, behind closed doors,” Xavier blew air out his lips. “If this is your way to try and get me to warm up to helping you with your monthly thing, forget it.”

“Say it,” Twilight commanded.

“Say what?”

“Estrus. Say it,” Twilight shot Xavier a serious look.

“No! The last time I discussed it, you rage quit the conversation on me,” Xavier answered.

“I did not ‘rage quit’. I left you to stew in your own garbage because you were telling me how I was going to deal with MY estrus cycle like you knew better,” Twilight spat out. “Would you like me to give you a lesson on a mare’s estrus cycle so in the future, you know exactly what is going on? Would you like me to explain in detail exactly what happens to me?”

“How about we don’t and just say we did,” Xavier closed his eyes and bent over.

“If we’re going to live with each other, you need to know these things, and how I in particular go through it,” Twilight said, turning away slightly.

“Are you still operating under the delusion that at the end of this, you and I are just going to buy a condo in San Franciscolt, grab two others and just live with them?” Xavier nearly cried out.

“If you really don’t want to live with others, I…” Twilight stumbled over her words for a moment. “That’s effectively a marriage, and I’m not arrogant enough to pretend to be a princess.”

“Well excuse me princess,” Xavier rolled his eyes at Twilight. “What you’ve pulled was effectively droit du la princesse on my ass using a literal song as precedence.”

“Are you accusing me of colt napping?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and growled.

“You talk about how I have no right to dictate how you’re going to handle your bodily functions, and here you are, dictating to me that as soon as this is all over, you’re going to drag me to a cave to live with you,” Xavier locked eyes with Twilight.

“You speak like I had a choi-”

“Of course you had a choice! You were the only one who had a choice! You could have chosen to stay quiet!” Xavier threw up his arms.

“Hey is everything okay over here?” a voice shot up from the end of the wagon. Spectrum hovered in air as the human and two unicorns behind her just stared on.

“Of course!” Twilight gleefully said, shooting her eyes at Xavier then turning back at the herd. “We’re just debating the merits of choosing our herd mates rather than going through a matching service.”

“Oh, well,” the Pegasus fluttered over and landed across from Twilight. “My name is Spectrum Arc, this is Henry, Mystic Mirage and Emerald Symphony.”

Henry helped the two Unicorns in and picked himself up as the group settled across from Twilight and Xavier.

“Wow, it’s nice seeing another human here!” Henry extended his hand towards Xavier, who nodded and shook the hand weakly. “Fall in love with the inhabitants of this world too?”

Xavier narrowed his eyes at Henry and looked away, letting out an exhausted grunt.

“Wow, a Unicorn? I got two in my own as well,” Henry said, giving a bow towards Twilight, who returned the gesture. “And you are?”

“Dusk Nightlight,” Twilight said.

“That’s so neat! So you’re the other unicorn our trip leader was talking about? Is your inability to cast magic due to that weird bump at the base of your h-”

“Yes, yes,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Macgregors whatever.”

“O… kay?” Henry frowned as he sat next to Spectral Arc and Emerald Symphony.

Mystic Mirage cracked a smile and spoke up, “So, what’s up north for you two? My mother has some land she is letting us use to build our home.”

“A scaple to extricate this mare from my ass,” Xavier mumbled almost incoherently.

Twilight’s eyes expanded wide, then turned themselves at Xavier, giving him the look of pure rancor.

“What did you say? I didn’t catch that?” Mystic said.

“I said a sheet of paper to export Mist Care’s formulas,” Xavier said, stumbling over his word.

“Mist Care?” Emerald asked.

“Haha, she is an old friend of mine,” Twilight turned to Xavier and hissed, “Right?”

“Oh, you know it,” Xavier twisted his head away from the group.

Silence blanketed the 6 as two of the caravan Earth Ponies approached the wagon. Checking the mares that had already hitched themselves on, they let out a cry to the wagon six carts ahead and started the venture.

“Hey, blue stuff!” the left Earth Pony pulling the wagon cried out. “Blue stuff!!”

“Me?” Spectrum Arc said.

“Yes you, courtesy check please.”

“Oh, yes!” she said, looking up at the sky. Her wings expanded, her full plumage extended as she flapped once, then twice, then three times, lifting off. Taking off, she circled around the caravan three times before ascending. Soon she became a spec in the sky, then as quickly as she rose, she fell fast. Six wagons ahead, she stopped for a few seconds, then flapped over to the next one behind and so forth until finally, she arrived at the cart she started at, “Everything looks good except for some smoke from the southeast. No monsters as far as I could see.”

“Thank you, took you long enough,” the wagon pony said to Spectrum as she fluttered back to her seat.

“Smoke?” Xavier said.

“Smoke. Problem?” Spectrum said.

Xavier remained silent, only for Twilight to speak up, “I’ve seen that style of take off before, did you serve with the Wonderbolts?”

Spectrum gave a sly grin, then glanced away, “War ended while I was at hoofcamp. Complete waste of time.”

“I don’t think it was a waste of time,” Henry said, wrapping his arms around the Pegasus and pulling her close. “And look on the bright side, you still did your duty.”

“Blah,” Spectrum stuck her tongue out.

Suddenly, a sound from the front of the caravan echoed out, an almost high-pitched grunting, followed by that exact same sound from the wagon right behind it. It traveled down the caravan until the carts that Twilight and Xavier were sitting on wiggled for a moment, then the left Earth mare harnessed to the wagon bellowed out the same thing. The wagon behind them followed suit, and the wagon behind it. And with that, the caravan moved, the creaking sound of wood cried out as the wagon train began its slow crawl up north.

“So slow…” Spectrum said.

“Give them time,” Twilight said. “It might not be a train, but when things get up to speed, it will just be like walking to them.”

“That famous earth pony strength and endurance…” Mystic said. “I’m just thankful that I can rest through most of the trip.”

“Well,” Spectrum said, “It’s a good thing we can rest now, because tonight…” Spectrum stared at Henry as he looked back at her. Mystic gave out a laugh as Symphony also looked at Henry, but then turned away with a slight frown as he didn’t return the gesture.

“So, how did you all meet?” Twilight asked, quickly glancing at Xavier who had his eyes shut.

“I found him in the woods,” Spectrum blurted out.

“Hey! You didn’t find me out in the woods,” Henry retorted. “I just got a little lost.”

“A little lost? No, no, no. You were out there, remind me what you are looking for again?” Spectrum playfully jested.

“Mushrooms…” Henry said, rolling his eyes.

“Mushrooms. And for what reason again?” Spectrum jiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“Hey! Just because some mushrooms can induce hallucinations doesn’t mean that’s what I wanted. I’ll have you know that there are plenty of people who eat mushrooms for their own sake,” Henry turned away.

“Oh yes,” Mystic said, sticking her tongue out. “And when was the last time I saw you cook with mushrooms?”

“Hey now, that’s two on one, Symphony. Back me up!” Henry laughed, then threw Symphony a gaze.

“Oh, oh yes, I’ve seen him cook with mushrooms,” Symphony smiled at Henry.

“See!” Henry said.

“Well, if that’s the case, do you grow mushrooms back on the other side?” Spectrum said, getting close to Henry.

“Well, only one kind,” Henry said, smiling and looking away playfully.

“Then I guess you have to show me tonight what kind of mushrooms you keep on you,” Spectrum said, getting close to Henry’s face as the canon of her front leg pressed against her stallion’s crotch.

“Well, I don’t keep any on me, but I think I can grow one in a few seconds time…” Henry said before getting Spectrum a peck on the lips.

Twilight watched as Henry and Spectrum’s head tapped against each other, both their eyes closed and Henry’s hand lightly brushing through Spectrum’s mane. Mystic watched with delight, while Symphony looked on, then looked away with the slight frown decorating her face.

Then Twilight looked to Xavier, whose eyes were closed, having checked out and fallen asleep.

Chapter 28: Intragroup Dynamics

The fire blazed across the darkness as Xavier heard the words, “Next.”. Taking two steps, the forest floor cried out in a snap as he stepped on a twig and he held out two plates, each with a bowl that had a long, thick straw poking out of them. The camp fire stirred behind the stallion as he laid out two biscuits using food tongs in his mouth on each and a mare served thick vegetable stew. Receiving a nod from the stallion, Xavier stepped away holding both plates as he approached Twilight staring into the forest.

“Enjoying the happy herd?” Xavier asked, glancing back and finally seeing what Twilight was looking at. Mystic was weaving magic with her horn. A light blue thread shimmering from it, grabbing pieces of debris from beyond the black veil and calling it forth, each fragment dancing in the darkness of night. Assembling before their eyes was a massive shelter. A layer of pine needles and leaves encrusted the outside as, through the light of the fire behind them, they could see the interior was nearly spic and span. Symphony rolled out a large rug used to give the occupants separation from the dirt floor. It was colored in oranges and blues despite the distance of the fire’s light.

“It’s a combination of spells,” Twilight muttered. Xavier laid her plate in front of her on a stump and dug into his own. “The spell she is using to call pieces of wood to her is a very old one. But she has to be careful not to call the wood from the wagons and other places.” Twilight looked down at her plate. Then she glanced over at Xavier who was chewing on his biscuit, “Please don’t tell me to just pop off the ring.”

“I wasn’t.” Xavier said, swallowing.

Twilight blinked three times at Xavier, then turned her vision back at the magic being worked on, “Good.”

The two sat in silence, watching the herd from afar. The human and the Pegasus were talking to each other in a teasing manner while Symphony turned to watch them after rolling out the carpet. Finishing, she trotted up to Henry. Rearing up to get as near eye level with Henry as she could, she flashed a smile. But he simply took a step away, letting her land back on the ground below with a disquieting thud.

“Tell me Element of Magic,” Xavier said, putting half of his biscuit down on his plate and turning to Twilight. “How was it like studying under Celestia?”

Twilight’s head perked for a moment. Her ears newly wobbled for a second before she turned to him. Slowly, she gazed away and stared at the forest floor as her ears folded and she answered, “A personal question? From you?”

“Surprise,” Xavier said, wiggling his nose.

“I thought our relationship was transactionary from your viewpoint.”

“Fine,” Xavier said, returning to the plate and picking up the bowl. He placed the straw in his mouth and drank the vegetable broth and its contents.

Twilight looked over at Xavier, watching as he slurped vegetable bits through the large straw. She turned away and looked at her own food. “… After what happened at my admissions exam, I was given the offer to study with her and I took it. We lived on the edge of the central district of Canterlot at the time. But with my acceptance, I was given a royal apartment along with my own study. However, something you might not know about Celestia’s castle is that there was always work going on of some kind, ether expanding the building or maintaining the structure. There was a leak above my study and Celestia fixed it by giving me a library in a secluded part of Canterlot where I could study in peace while repairs were done,” Twilight said, her voice trailing.

“I thought you weren’t -”

“I changed my mind.”

Xavier looked at Twilight and gave a slow nod. Ahead of the team, the spell the other party was making had entered a new stage, now leaves and brushes were being assembled at the top, making an ad hoc roof. Twilight finally lowered her head and grabbed the biscuit with her teeth, and took a small bite.

“So, an entire library?” Xavier raised an eye.

“Yes,” Twilight swallowed hard, then placed her lips around the straw. Sucking, she took a drink of the broth, then swallowed. “The first three years studying under her, I had a chaperon by the name of Titanite Twang. She was invaluable those first few years, the castle,” Twilight adjusted herself, crossing her left front leg over her right, “was huge you see. When you talked to someone who worked there, you soon find out the castle is kind of divided into two parts, one where you knew where you were and another where you found yourself lost.”

“Did you ever get lost?” Xavier asked, taking another drink. Nearby, the Earth Ponies who served out dinner had put their supplies away, and gathered into a circle, eating their own with double the portions the riders got.

“Three times. The first time was when I was only two months into my apprenticeship and it was well into the night. I had found a quiet spot to study because near my library, some construction ponies had done their biyearly inspection and found an issue that they were fixing. It was loud, so I looked for anywhere else to study. I was so enthralled by my book that when I left the spot to go find a lavatory, I was reflecting on its contents. Much more than paying attention to where I was,” Twilight glanced down her plate. “It takes me a bit longer than I expected, but I finally found one. I take care of my business, and then I walked out and closed the door…”

“And you had no idea where you were,” Xavier finished.

“Exactly,” Twilight nodded. “So,” Twilight gave out a quick chuckle. “I wandered the castle. At night. With my freshly learned luminescence spell. But…” Twilight’s voice hardened. “It wasn’t as strong as I expected, it didn’t illuminate the world around me like I had expected it to. It’s light only extended out a meter or so, and the hallways were so long.”

“Given your presence here,” Xavier started. “I assume you found your way back?”

A smirk grew from Twilight’s lips as she quickly straightened them out, “No actually. It was midmorning when they finally found me. I had missed morning breakfast, and they sent the Royal guards to find me. They found me in a state of…” Twilight gave a chuckle. “Panic.”

“Because you had been lost for so long?”

Twilight shook her head, “Because I missed my appointed time with Celestia. I… I fell to pieces. The first time I ever let her down. Of course, she let it pass. I was a young filly, getting lost was not me attempting to do something dangerous or acting out against authority. However, there was a more subtle punishment. Celestia’s schedule had only made time for our early sunrise lesson. That meant that the next full day, I would have to wait to see her again.”

“And you were so worried that her opinion of you had fallen that you lost that day?” Xavier asked.

Twilight nodded, “That’s right. No studying, no sleeping, just… Me. I would stare at various things, but my mind was racing. Sometimes the wall, sometimes the vista outside my apartment, sometimes the bookcase. I only snapped out of it the next morning when she saw I wasn’t well rested. She assured me that I had done nothing wrong, but…” Twilight shook her head heavily, her mane flinging left and right. “I still felt guilty as sin.”

“Can I assume that after that, you never explored the castle again?” Xavier asked.

“Very much so. But I didn’t always have the option, so one of my early projects was to make a map of the more traversed places. I’m saying that at the end, I had mapped out 20% of the castle. But that 20% is where I spent 80% of my time. Though I never got to explore the lunar wing…”

Xavier turned, raising an eye, “Lunar wing?”

Twilight paused and caught Xavier’s eyes. She motioned toward her plate, and Xavier gave a nod. Clumsily, Twilight took a bite of her biscuit and then wrapped her lips around the large, thick straw and drew up its contents.

She cleared her throat and started again, “The lunar wing is simply Luna’s part of the castle. I didn’t realize at the time, but the first iteration of the castle was much smaller than the giant gleaming gem it is today. During the lunar rebellion, Celestia already had control of Canterlot, and with it, her sister’s portion of the castle. Once she used the Elements of Harmony to exile Luna, Celestia had said that portion of the castle off limits. Only she was allowed to go in there.”

“So, was it just Luna’s living area? Or was it like, a castle within a castle?” Xavier asked, taking a bite of his biscuit.

“I don’t know about the original structure of the castle,” Twilight said, looking up and shifting her eyebrows. “If you asked me, I would say that the original castle had a shared section, shared kitchen, shared dining room, shared library. But after the lunar rebellion, I think Celestia may have just cordoned off even those areas and built a new kitchen, and new dining rooms, and new libraries.”

“Painful memories?” Xavier thumbed his chin.

“More like new beginnings,” Twilight answered, looking up. “That said, now that Luna has returned, that section of the castle has been reopened and, before I left, still undergoing renovation.”

“A root canal…”

“… That’s… Arguably close, yes,” Twilight replied. “Since the wing was untouched for a thousand years, there might be plenty of old artifacts or ancient enchantments that are still active, but in a serious state of decay. While I never heard about the details, I wouldn’t be surprised if the two had to make a sweep of the wing before bringing in other ponies to begin fixing the place up.”

“I was under the assumption that magic that had decayed didn’t really pose a threat,” Xavier asserted.

Twilight shook her head, “Even before the shift in magic, with the sole exception of a few artifacts, no unicorn spell lasts forever. Over time, depending on the spell, it will fail. Polyblended enchantments are notorious for this.”

“A spell made from several different other spells?” Xavier looked over at Twilight.

Twilight nodded, then looked over at Xavier, “Since you know a thing or two about magic, let me quiz you.”

Xavier shrugged, “Go for it.”

“How many enchantments would you need for a door that opens itself when you get within a meter of it?”

Xavier leaned back as he looked towards the night sky, “First you would need the sensor spell. Its configuration and strength are variable with how strong you’re able to cast it. The sensor spell itself would be configured to identify either by motion in a given volume, or detect any living creature, and so on until you specify that only someone of particular characteristics gets the sensor to recognize them. Then you would need to enchant both the locking mechanism and whatever mechanism you’re using to hold the door close to change their states automatically upon a trigger. After that, the enchantment that applies force to the door. Finally, after all three of those spells have been properly cast, assuming you don’t care about anything else, like the door closing itself after something has passed through, you would bind them with an impetus spell. So 4 spells at the low end, 6 at the high, depending on your choices. Though technically you could cast an infinite number of spells, as for the task at hand, they would be superfluous.”

Twilight’s jaw was slightly agape, as a tiny smile came over her, “You really do know a thing or two.”

Xavier rubbed his hands, placing his nearly empty plate on the ground next to him, “Arguably.”

“Well,” Twilight took a sip of her straw, then began. “Arguably… the point I was getting at is using your outline, if no unicorn maintains those spells, what do you think will happen?”

“Well, based on the fact that we’re having this conversation,” Xavier said. “Over time, they would start failing, but each one at different rates.”

“Impressive!” Twilight nodded. “Most unicorns going through formal training don’t realize that different spells have different rates of decay.”

“Most unicorns start formal training when they’re still foals,” Xavier gave a look of accepted exhaustion.

“True, but exceptions are known to happen,” Twilight nodded. “So to continue, in our hypothetical example, anypony that gets within some distance of the door will have the door automatically open, and once they pass through in full, the door closes. So let’s keep it simple and assume the four spell case. Of these four spells, which one do you think would fail first?”

Xavier gave off a grimace, “The sensor, I would assume that over time the activation parameters might drift on it.”

Twilight gave an excited bob of her head, “Exactly! The spells that twist the internal mechanisms using rotational force and spell that opens the door using linear force are incredibly simple and are less prone to failing over long time periods. Similarly, the impetus spell is simple since it established the order of causality. But the sensor? For example, let’s just assume that anypony of a particular range of masses, ranging from a huge earth pony to a tiny dragon, can open the door. Perhaps the lower range of masses drips over time, so that even a fly can open it. So using this example, if you were to say leave a half eaten apple next to the door that attracts flies, when you came to check on it, the door would be slamming its self open and close over and over again!”

“And if that sensor was severely decayed, and if the force spells malfunction in a specific manner, and the door opens and closes, the huge amount of force…” Xavier trailed off.

“So, using the door opening spell as our example, let’s assume that we casted it and a thousand years passes,” Twilight’s ears wiggled. “And for our example, let’s consider a poor test subject. The test subject approaches the door, and it slams open the other way, hitting her in the snout.”

“And…” Xavier’s eyes shifted left and right for a second. “If a renovation team were to encounter something like that, something they didn’t even know about, oh…”

“Getting booped on the snout is the best-case scenario,” Twilight nodded. “If the door were say, twenty times bigger…”

Xavier repeatedly bounced his head left to right, “Depending on the size of the door and the quality of the spell… If the door is decayed and it senses the explorer… It tries to open, depending on where the spell applies the force, the huge, possibly rotted door breaks, throwing splinters at the unsuspecting being… What was a bruised nose in one scenario becomes a serious injury…”

“Precisely!” Twilight said with glee. Her heart soared, her mind repeated, He can keep up! He can follow! until it was flooded with excited, tender warmth. Her lips curled into a smile, her eyes gleamed with delight.

“Does that happen often with older structures?” Xavier asked.

Twilight twisted her head left and right, composing herself, “Only with unicorn structures,” she said. “If, on the off chance, you and I find some ruins, we will probably avoid them completely. Even the entrance bridge can be dangerous, especially the portcullis.”

“What about the land surrounding such structures?”

“Nature tends to reclaim its own pretty quickly,” Twilight answered. “Just as an example, the same sensor spell we talked about earlier? Around well kept and clean stone, it will last ten times as long as the same spell atop dirt and grass.”

“Different substances decay at different rates?” Xavier tilted his head. “That would be commensurate with–” Xavier stopped himself, his eyes darting at Twilight who just looked at him.

“Go on…” Twilight said.

“It’s nothing,” Xavier said.

“I won’t bite, I promise. Whatever you have learned, it has given you enough experience to keep up with my explanations.”

Xavier shuffled for a bit. He scratched the back of his head, turning to Twilight as she looked at him before starting, “The first kind of magic that we humans understood was inscription magic. While music was more accessible, once we got a grip of inscription magic, our own understanding of electronics and discrete mathematics helped in making tremendous leaps in our mastery. Do you remember our discussion about electronics?”

Twilight nodded.

Xavier began, “Many of the principles we learned mastering electronics in various forms carried over to inscription work. The flow of magic in a circuit, how glyphs, sigil, and different symbols react with one another. The variation of ambits, concentric orbits, connecting sub-inscriptions onto a main inscription. We’ve already done much of the basics once before with the construction of electronics. Ensigns that bring multiple symbols together to return a well-understood behavior, not unlike using only AND, OR, and XOR logic gates to return a binary adder, then deriving more complex inscription work from this foundation.”

“And you figured this all out on your own?” Twilight’s ears slightly folded back.

“By myself?” Xavier asked, looking at Twilight. He shook his head, “No, I worked as a member of a team in our analysis and extrapolation. But we could not have made initial headway without Guto’s work.”

Twilight’s ears threw themselves back for a moment before returning to place. Her eyes narrowed for a second as she looked away, she lifted her front need to her chin and pouted her lips, “Guto, Guto …” Then her eyes widened, and her expression became distant as she softly whispered, “King… Guto?”

Xavier’s lips stretched and gave a single nod.

“Xavier,” Twilight closed her eyes and breathed in. Then she said with a chill resonating in her voice, “Do you know who King Guto is?”

“At the time, no,” Xavier said. “We had access to an ancient library, and we found a copy of his studies and notes on inscription work. There were gaps, of course,” Xavier teetered his head left and right, “but again, using our models of how electronics worked, we were able to complete a lot of the–”

“Xavier,” Twilight stared at Xavier with her purple eyes, her mouth slightly agape.

“Yes?”

Twilight blinked her eyes, then started to turn away from the human, giving him a hollow look before looking away completely, “Never mind.”

Twilight picked herself up and walked towards her sleeping bag several wagons over. Then she stopped and slowly turned her head back towards Xavier. The blazing silhouette of the fire from afar danced over him. He gave her a raised eye before returning back to what was left of his meal, picking up the bowl with his left hand and raising it above his head, pouring its contents like a waterfall into his mouth.

Twilight turned and found her sleeping bag rolled out. She neatly pushed herself into the bag and twisted around. But before she started to relax, the back of her mind pulled and forced her to stop and double check where Xavier was going to sleep in the night. Lifting her head, she saw his bag ten meters away, next to the wagon they had ridden in.

Twilight sighed heavily, her head battling the firm sack that served as her pillow. Twilight closed her eyes, felt the slight coarseness of the fabric, and pulled her front legs inward as she relaxed her body and let the moon take her.

She then gave a grimace, that faded into a wince, then a sullen expression. She let out an exhale that kicked up dust along the forest floor, as her eyes were almost dulled in color. Her chest tightened, her legs sore. Then new sensations. A part of her mind roused as the rest of her mental facilities retired. Despite what she just heard, she just wanted to go over to Xavier and… her thoughts shifted gears on her in mid-mental track.

Images of the demonstration at the library surged to the surface and were mixed with her primal thoughts as her memories and imagination pushed themselves to the forefront. The tip of her nose became more sensitive. She licked her lips, and they told her of nearly every tiny papillae on her tongue. She could hear her heart beating in her ear, beating faster and faster as the lower half of her form cried out. A blissful ache came from the tips of her teats as they stiffened up. The most feminine part of her form, like a fae spirit, blatantly called her out to play.

“For rut’s sake,” Twilight groaned. This wasn’t her first rodeo. She knew its ebbs and flows. And it was early, but not much so. She tried to push it aside, but like a young foal repeatedly showing their herd its first macaroni art from school, the back of her mind kept angling at her to go proposition Xavier. For moments at a time, it would completely derail her thought process and start treating the human as a problem that could be overcome. The first iteration presented a plan to go up and act friendly towards him, hoping that being sweet and kind enough would overcome his inhibitions. Twilight's higher functions ignored it. The next plan came along, one where she attempted to negotiate intimacy. She entertained that, only because it seemed more realistic than being friendly with him. She tossed this out too, only for the darker part of her to bring up the pills.

He obviously kept them for a reason. That has to be the reason.

No… Twilight replied to herself. But despite the reply, her chest tingled with anticipation. Even if we slip it to him somehow, he’ll just go take care of himself.

Okay, fine, maybe now is the time we try to pop off the ring again. If you can just get it off, I can make him understand…

Twilight shuddered, a drop of shame reverberating within her. Enough to quiet the voice that beckoned her to such an awful path. The top of her gut tensed up, and her eyes welled with tears. Memories of talking to Cadence bloomed forth. After she had become Celestia’s apprentice, she and Cadence visited. It had been years since her brother and Cadence discovered each other, and Twilight inquired to how it was like at the beginning. Cadence had alluded to how their relationship just came together in more ways than one. Even Twilight remembered the giggling and the public intimacy between them. Each had fallen into the other, and through each other’s embrace had found themselves completed.

Twilight’s attempt to follow suit failed in every way that Cadence’s Heartsong had succeeded. Where she found a willing lifelong partner, Twilight had found a cowardly opponent. Where Cadence found somepony to complete the most primal part of her life with, Twilight only found in even deeper void. And where Cadence had discovered that the complementary somepony had been underneath her nose all this time, she had found a stranger from far beyond the stars who studied from literal monsters. Then one thought silenced all the others:

It’s not fair.

Twilight thwacked her tail hard against the floor of the sleeping bag. I saw how happy they were. I saw how perfect their relationship was; I saw…

An image of her brother lying crumpled on the throne room floor with The Greatest Foal-Sitter in All the History of Foal-Sitters freed from Queen Chrysalis’s machinations. Then, before Twilight, she watched as Cadence howled in grief next to her dead brother.

Then other stories came to mind. The story of the Bakery Mare, the story of the Old Lovers, the story of the Earth Mare that fell to Equus, the story of the Dragon Stolen Stallion…

Her mind, now fully distracted from her urges, had formulated a hypothesis. A macabre, awful hypothesis. One that implied she did not do her due diligence as she thought.

Twilight’s heart raced. Thoughts of her primal duty and her obligation as a knight dissolved. Her front cannons grew clammy despite the warmth of the sleeping bag. She breathed as if she had just run 2 kilometers.

A horrible anxiety swelled up for a moment before a voice nearby shattered her focus and redirected it.

“So, what’s this I bein’ hearing?”

Twilight’s eyes popped open as she heard the voice of one of the draft mares that had pulled them sneak up behind her. Instinctually, Twilight rotated herself and discovered three Earth ponies standing, facing each other a few paces away. The brown one that had led the caravan, her gray stallion and a tan mare that had kept to herself during this leg of the trip.

“It’s about Apricot,” the tan one said. “The arbiter returned a ruling. She got the letter before we left.”

“Well?” the caravan leader said.

“Her son is to remain with his father, Apricot is barred from bringing him into our herd.”

“Oh sun and moon,” the gray stallion said. The brown mare followed suit with a shake of her head.

"The bunch that Apricot done gone and left," the caravan leader began. "We done seen what they done did to her," the caravan leader turned to her tan companion, "and they're fixin' to do somethin' worse to that colt."

“And just ignoring that for now,” the tan one said. “Apricot is just at the edge. I pulled with her, she was barely holding it together.”

The tan mare and gray stallion looked over at the caravan leader. She stared ahead with a grave look on her face, her lower lip pushed out as she turned to her gray stallion, "Pepper, I reckon you weren't too keen on lettin' her in, but I need ya to go keep her company for the rest of the evenin'."

“Brownie,” the gray stallion began. “I’m not sure I can do what you’re asking of me. Beyond helping her the last two months, she’s kept me at kicking distance.”

The tan one spoke up, “Pepper, what I am about to say cannot leave our circle, got it?”

Pepper looked over at Brownie and the tan mare and gave a solemn nod.

“The reason that she has kept her distance is that she had a hard crush on you when you both went to school.”

Pepper shook his head, “You can’t be serious Honeycomb. She did nothing but taunt me.”

“I know, I know…” Honeycomb said. “A few years ago, she and I got drunk. I asked her why she was so friendly toward us and she dropped that on me.”

“Wait, is that why you extended an invitation?” Pepper asked.

"Not just on its own," Brownie said. "The real deal is, Lime, and me got to you before Apricot did, and she was so late that she ended up losin' you too, well..."

“I see…” Pepper said, looking past the other two and into the forest.

"She's a fine mare and a diligent worker," Brownie said. "But she's got her pride, and the real deal is that it hurts her to join up with you in her current condition. She thinks we only let her in 'cause we felt sorry for her, and since it's been a while since she was lively and young, all she sees in herself is somethin' worn and scruffy. She don't want you to remember her the way she is now."

“But as the mare she was when we were in elementary school…” Pepper said.

"Sho' 'nuff. We could go keep her company, but I reckon spendin' time with you would do her a whole lot more good than spendin' time with us," Brownie said.

“But… Brownie,” Pepper began. “What about you? Depending on how long Apricot needs me, and what happens, I may be too tired to–”

"I can hold on 'til tomorrow mornin'," Brownie nodded. "You just take care of Apricot tonight, ya hear?"

Pepper gave a nod and walked away. Honeycomb changed her position, pulling up alongside Brownie.

“We’re going to have to figure out something for Apricot’s son, I’m worried that his herd mothers are purposely neglecting him,” Honeycomb said.

"We ain't got the funds to take this to court," Brownie replied. "And we gotta consider our own young'uns. We can't go throwin' everything we got at tryin' to get her colt outta that mess. We might have to wait 'til he comes of age 'fore we can offer to bring him in and give him a few years to heal from that tragedy among our herd. That bein' said, my main concern is one of them other herd mothers..."

“They wouldn’t!” Honeycomb said.

"Honestly, it wouldn't shock me none considerin' how they done treated Apricot."

“Even if they did, there’s nothing we can do to prove it.”

"Well now," Brownie said, averting her gaze from her companion, "Them tree climbers seem to have a method for figurin' out parentage, but that's overlookin' the simple matter of gettin' the permission to test any possible future foals."

“They can do that?” Honeycomb raised her voice.

"Seems like," Brownie let out a breath through her nose. "One of them papers mentioned a disagreement that got resolved through this test they got."

“But…”

"But it was them fancy folks with their family fortune and inheritances. They had the means to shell out, while we ain't got a bit to spare. And that don't even account for convincin' 'em to take the blasted test in the first place," Brownie concluded.

Honeycomb looked away into the forest, and Brownie spitting to the side.

“Look, despite everything that’s gone on, I think you’ve done a great job being lead since Lime passed away,” Honeycomb said.

"You reckon on that?" Brownie's face turned sour as she glanced at her fellow herder. "She'd have had a crafty idea or two 'bout Apricot's predicament. Or reckonin' how to deal with them bank loans for them wagons."

Honeycomb shook her head, “With Apricot, we’re helping her make the best of an unpleasant situation. And we had to buy the new wagon axles eventually. I mean, it’s either that or one would’ve busted soon and we would have been forced to leave cargo in the middle of a forest.”

Brownie hung her head low and gave out a snort.

“Go get some sleep,” Honeycomb said, giving a nudge to Brownie. “I’ll take both our watches.”

"You certain 'bout that?"

“Just make sure I can get some extra sleep tomorrow night, okay?” Honeycomb shot a smile to Brownie and winked.

The brown Earth mare nodded her head and sauntered away.

Twilight let out a deep breath and once again adjusted herself. There was only the tan pony in her sightlines now and she had already started to move and start her patrol. Once more adjusting to the bag, the sunset hue of the campfire against the pitch black in the forest faded and sleep took hold of her once more.

Then, Twilight started to dream.

Twilight walked through Celestia’s castle. It’s hallways long and stretched on forever. A sickly purple color cloaked the walls and ceiling as Twilight wandered, looking for the Throne-room. With each step, her hooves clattered throughout the corridor. She stopped at a three way crossing; she gazed down to her left, then to her right before turning around.

“Xavier?” Twilight croaked out. But there was no one there. Just the empty hallway she came from. Swiftly turning back around, the long straight passageways now curved. Shaking her head, Twilight went left, going down the curving hallway. She descended deeper and deeper, the curve becoming sharper and sharper. She stopped and again turned to her back to see no one was there. She gave a light frown, then turned to look ahead of her.

She gasped and nearly reared up.

A royal guard stood before her. The purple color bleeding over his helmet’s blue plume. His golden armor sapped of all shine while the blue star on his chest was sickly black.

Then he bellowed at Twilight in a monotone drone voice, “Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Prime Ministress of Logistics, Apprentice, Daughter of Twilight Velvet, Sister of Saint Shining Armor. You have left our united warmth. Celestia’s warmth. Now you are alone. You made a foolish decision when you sent that message. Now you are alone. You are now beyond our light. Feeble. Inadequate.”

“I... I am not alone.” Twilight stammered. “I can fix this. I’m trying to fix this.” Twilight turned and hurried off. Again, the curve became sharper and sharper until, seemingly out of nowhere, the royal guard stepped in front of her.

“You have lost our glow. Her glow. Her warmth and shine. Now you are alone. Once you basked in our collective light. Now you try to rectify. But you have lost favor. You will fail,” he said.

“I… am doing better,” Twilight spat out. “I will do better. I can fix this.”

“Your Ritter is a reflection of you. It was another foolish decision to sing. He will lead you to your death. You will die. Away from our light. He can’t even comprehend what he is now. Just like you can’t comprehend what you are now.”

“I am adapting as best I can. He is adapting the best he can,” Twilight took two steps back.

“He is a cruel mockery of everything you hold dear. A botched unicorn wannabe. He compensates with ink and song. He studies from the winged mutilator. The Seraph of Suffering. The Griffin who vivisected hundreds of unicorns and his own kind. The perfect Ritter for you,” the Royal Guard advanced on Twilight. Each step bellowing out at her, clattering down the hall and back.

“I… will show him,” Twilight gasped out loud. “He will understand. He just made a mistake.”

“He will not. He is human. You read the reports. How they spilled so much blood using only shrapnel. They don’t possess empathy. No sense of honor. They left mares still under Sombra’s influence, writhing in the dirt as they bled out with their legs torn off with their ‘Air burst’ while they were far away from danger. He is perfect for you. He will leave you to slowly exsanguinate, gasping your last breaths as he strips you of everything that you were,” the Royal Guard said.

“He is not an army!” Twilight shouted.

“Nor is he a stallion. Did you really expect him to just help you? It’s coming. You’ll be guzzling Thorneback again soon while he just ignores you.”

Twilight twisted her head left and right before once again facing the Royal Guard, “He needs time!”

“He can barely touch you. Barely sleep near you. Barely tolerates you. Images of human endurance linger in your head, but you’re little better than a talking horse to him. Those monstrosities that casually lift their tails and defecate out for all to see, whose males casually kill adolescence because they were simply spooked. That’s all he can see you as. And you’re asking him to put himself in you so that he can feel your loving, tender embrace. To gyrate back and forth as you feel his friction stimulate your clitoris by proxy. And so that he can spill into you, so that you can complete the cycle as nature intended. But how can he? He’s probably afraid you’ll defecate all over him. How can he get hard at that?”

“His ... his species has been solitary for millennia. He... he just needs time to warm up to the idea,” Twilight winced as her eyes shut. Her mane flung around as she took another step back.

“But a counterexample is but mere steps away. And yet you are supposed to lead him right now. To protect him. You can only get him to follow you by holding knowledge hostage. Trying to buy time to convince him not to just walk away. Just imagine how Cadence would have felt if your brother just left.”

Twilight fell to the ground, the Royal Guard standing over her.

“But he did leave, didn’t he? At least he left while still in her light. He died for something greater than himself. You, however, will die alone. Far away from her light. From her love. With a monster in shape and spirit and story as your loyal companion.”

Twilight opened her eyes and recognized the throne-room carpet. She meekly looked up at the two Thrones, only to see a light blazing from the center of it getting brighter and brighter and brighter.

“Even those sentenced to Tartarus may earn redemption. But you have been exiled,” the voice of the Royal Guard rang around her as the light grew brighter and brighter. Twilight could feel her coat growing warmer and warmer. She reactively lifted her front leg to shield her face.

“You will disincorporate. Everything that you are, everything that you were thrown into the wind,” the voice of the Royal guard continued.

“I can… I can,” Twilight let out an anguished cry.

Then another, familiar and heavenly voice from the light bellowed across the throne room, “Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Prime Ministress of Logistics, Apprentice, Daughter of Twilight Velvet, Sister of Saint Shining Armor… You have disobeyed the express command of your Princess. Through your arrogance and… stupidity, our kingdom and now innocent lives are now open to the chance that this war will last years, if not, decades longer than it need be.”

Twilight whimpered as she winced and curled up into a ball, her front legs protecting her face. But she could feel it, the heat. To be on fire without being on fire. Her ears, her tail blazed as her right side was fully exposed to the true power of the sun.

“Unworthy… You are unworthy of this kingdom… Unworthy as the element of magic… Unworthy of your brother’s sacrifice… And unworthy of me.”

Twilight sobbed as the words passed through her ears, burning even hotter than the maelstrom of heat she found herself in.

“I take from you, the titles I granted you. And by the name of the day, and in the name of the night, I, Princess Celestia, cast you out!”

Fire swelled up for a moment, the sight of pure orange and red ahead of her. Only to fall into darkness. Worse than the Tartarus of the mountain, even worse than the Tartarus of the fires deep below the earth. Black blanketed Twilight. And in that silence, not one thought crossed Twilight’s mind. She observed the simple absence of everything. No sun, no moon. No stars, no clouds in the sky. She simply was. Where she existed now, she could not insult Celestia by merely existing. For a flash, Twilight tried to scrunch her face and cry, only for, simply, nothing to happen.

Like a doll thrown into a storage box, she simply observed. Unmoving, unfeeling. But still Twilight lingered. A quiet part of her cried out, but no voice emanated. She could feel it, her mind was going. Each part of her stripped away. The sum that was greater than the whole was becoming lesser. Each part of her stripped away until finally only the core of her remained.

Then, a sensation.

The sensation of tapping hit her spinal column over and over until, finally, she was reincorporated. Every part of her slowly called forth. Then quickly as the tapping became faster, and faster and then her eyes opened to the sunrise hue of the campfire against the pitch black of the forest as she woke up.

The trees, the wagons, the camp, orange light illuminated the dark world. Twilight shook her head. Then she twisted herself from her side upright, belly now on the ground. Twilight blinked three times before turning to see one of the earth mares that had pulled her wagon standing over her.

“You’re on watch now,” said Honeycomb.

Twilight picked herself up and took stock, the sleeping bag she lay the top of, her saddlebag, and Xavier laying five meters away. She shook her head and gave the tan earth mare a solemn nod.

“You okay? You look like you just got out of a pitch with a Timberwolf,” Honeycomb said, giving Twilight a look of worry.

“I’m fine… I’m fine,” Twilight said, nodding.

The earth mare gave another nod and sauntered off. Twilight took stock of the caravan. She made a count of the sleepers, and a quick mental inventory of the wagons. She reared herself up to each, and had a quick look inside. A few had ponies sleeping in them, while others had nothing but cargo.

On the fourth one, she checked then lowered herself to the ground, only to hear the sounds of heaving and grunting. The wind shook the forest trees as Twilight connected the dots to where those sounds were coming from. For a split second, she simply accepted the situation as was. But her ears flattened, and she turned her head towards the direction the sounds of exertion were emanating.

Keeping is quiet as she could, she followed the outline of the caravan all the way to the magic shelter that Spectrum’s herd had set up earlier. Its outer walls were covered in a thin cotton sheet, with leaves and branches covering parts of the roof. But it glowed from the inside a blue sheen, betraying that one of the unicorns had used an illumination spell within it.

And there, Twilight watched the silhouettes of Henry servicing his herd. He was rocking back and forth from the winged figure’s rear, its head down. Another silhouette was orbiting around them, and Twilight could barely make out the words, “Don’t get too exhausted on her!”

Then Twilight caught sight of a forth figure. She merely watched the other three in motion from the corner. But then Twilight turned back her focus to the main action as she could hear the Pegasus that the human was taking care of was singing a tune of pleasure. Light gasps of ecstasy escaping her lips and carrying their way across the forest floor into Twilight’s ears. As she continued to watch, a gentle tingling emanated from herself. The nipples near her rear legs slowly embolden themselves, growing larger. Even her own breath had become slightly haggard, her thoughts drifted quickly to the medication she accidentally got at the apothecary, before she shook her head and pushed it out like so much trash.

Nevertheless, the image danced before her eyes. Both of the parties she was looking at were of the perfect height for copulation. But then the motion slowed and more sensual sounds emanated from the tent. Moments passed and everyone froze. The tall human figure took a step back from his partner. Minutes passed and there was light talk that Twilight’s ears could not discern. Then, once again, the two figures in the middle converged and started moving again.

Twilight saw the third figure, which had been encircling the pair the entire time, started to slow down, then stop. Her silhouette just looking at the two that had started up again as if they were the only ones around. Twilight frowned. “She must be in her first herd and… Oh no…” Twilight whispered to herself. The third shadow seemed as it was looking back and forth between the center of attention, and the mare in the corner.

Twilight felt her excitement slip away. The tingling fading, her nipples softening, her breathing slowing down, to where she was taking deep, long breaths now as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. Still focused on the third shadow, it slowly transformed from an excited young mare to a nag. Twilight’s ears folded at the subtle tragedy.

A thought flashed across Twilight’s mind, For everything Xavier is, for as much of an ass he has been, at least he hasn’t charged me up just to leave me out to dry like that. Then Twilight remembered their time at the inn when he touched her on her snout. A single finger stroked her from the tip of her nose to the bridge of her eyes. How soft and gentle it had been, how tender that brief moment was between them, how he had sung to her. What had been bittersweet, only became sweeter as she recalled that her explanation that she wasn’t the strong, mighty unicorn he thought she was to him. How he didn’t trade barbs or speak down on her, but rather simply touched and sang to her.

Twilight lowered her head and began to turn, leaving the herd to it. But as she was about to pivot, the forth figure that had been at the corner of the shelter picked itself up and walked outside. As her head emerged from the cotton cloth, Twilight could see that it was Symphony, her countenance disappointed, staring into the woods, then down to the ground. Then finally, Symphony turned her head towards Twilight.

And Symphony just stared at Twilight, her eyes measuring her up. Twilight reactively took a step back, before a strange sort of smile emerged on Symphony’s lips, a smile that showed the tips of her flat teeth as she finally exited the tent and disappeared into the woods.

Chapter 29: Failure to Introduce

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.

Chapter 30: Grogar's Due

In the name of the noble spirit of the sky.

Today, the 3rd day of Inundation, I, King Guto, being of sound mind and wing in the Stronghold Griffon Grad, prepare my last testament. There is no will, as when the end comes, Giffonstone will be decimated, with the soul exception of my spirit to the wind, and the only one who will inherit the highest perch will simply be the one with the greatest might.

However, there is my testament. Why I did the things I did. I could talk about how I was 4th apprentice in the Starswirl academic line. Or of my accomplishments of laying perch above all other Griffon clans despite being lowborn. Or of my kingdom’s aid to the Crystal Empire, despite the outcome, and being the recipient of their gratitude in the form of the Idol of Boreas, a symbol of how far we have come in such a short time as a kind.

But I will only speak of my academic apprehensions. Yes, under my orders, vagrant unicorns were taken. While we originally only intended to study those who had already passed to their “goddess’s” fields, it was realized that living specimens were required to understand their connection to magic. For this, we made great effort to only abduct unicorns of the most debased sort. Who by themselves were proof that beings with no soul could wield magic.

And yes. Under my orders, the dead or dying members of my citizenry were taken for experimentation. We even had volunteers who’s last act was to help our kind reach what Unicorns so easily claw.

But read this: I did so only to level the playing field against Unicorns and their two “Goddesses”. There is a way to close the distance between beings of their kind and not just ours, but all others. I know it. It is on the tip of my beak. But alas, with the spiriting away of Dutchess Stormfire who was caught in the act of torturing a Griffin subject, one of MY subjects, they finally have recourse to declare our treaty in abeyance. They have already dropped their magical protection of our mountain lands. And the beasts that roam have already begun their attacks.

To any Griffins who read this far from my here and now, know that you were not born to lower your head towards the horned ones, or any of the kind with hooves. But to soar high above even their crass imitation of divine beings. The Centaur, whose population only a scant few remain, knew this far better than any other creature. Do not let them slice your feathers. Do not let them dull your claws. Do not let them take your meat. And above all, do not let them take the wind from you like they did their own sister tribe.

-King Guto

“Fifteen minutes!” Brownie shouted as the work ponies started moving supplies back into their respective wagons. She turned back to give Honeycomb a nod as they rolled up a large mat on the forest floor. A reddish orange earth pony behind them placed a bucket of water on a tree stump next to the fire, then knocked it over with a kick. The clear fluid poured forth, flying into the air and onto the fire, smothering it. Smoke, ash, and steam burst forth as the orange pony kicked parts of the pile of dirt next to the fire into it, suffocating even the tiniest of embers.

“There you are,” Twilight let out a huff as her tail flung to the right. Her own sleeping bag was laying next to a wagon. Carefully, with her front hooves, she lightly kicked the bag. It rolled up, each tap rolling it into a larger swirl. Then, finding the little bit of the exposed string from the bag, she bent down and bit it. She then squished the bag down with her front two hooves, and laid the string down with her mouth. Carefully maneuvering the thread, she tied the string into a loose pile of weaving fibers. Finally, she stepped back, letting her bag regain its form. But as it expanded, her knot work failed, and the bag flopped out. Taking a deep breath, Twilight let out an exhale that rumbled her barrel as her head fell forward, her eyes rolling at the result of her lack of mouth dexterity.

“Would you like some help with that?” a peppy voice behind her said.

Twilight turned to see Henry, mane clean cut and shooting her a smile with a thin line of white as he approached. His face had a golden, olive glow. His clothes were bright, a mix of milky white placed atop a deep sky blue.

Twilight returned the expression and gave a nod, “I’d very much appreciate it.”

Henry stripped off his white shirt, tossing it atop the wagon’s side, revealing more than half his form as he walked to the other side of the flopped out sleeping bag. His long, pristine arms reached down and rolled the bag up, then quickly tied the two strings together. Twilight tilted her head as she watched him work, while one thought crossed her mind; Are human nipples really so high?

Then the human stood upright, letting the bag do as it will. The bag tried to unroll itself, only for the string to do its job. He turned to Twilight and nodded at her with a wide smile.

“Thank you,” Twilight nodded back. “This would have been a lot easier if I had magic,” she said with a delighted snort.

“Yeah,” Henry said, “I completely understand. Spectrum isn’t happy with the idea that me and the other unicorns can do something she can’t.”

“You know,” Twilight gave a soft chuckle as her ears perked up at the human, “it’s nice meeting another, more dignified human after so long.”

“Oh?” Henry raised an eyebrow. “More dignified? Has your companion been giving you a hard time?”

“You could say that…” Twilight rolled her eyes, then glanced into the forest, her ears falling back. “He has an attitude problem, I try to lead him somewhere, and he gives me flak.”

“Well,” Henry chuckled, a glowing smile shined forth. Slightly tilting his head at the mare, he glanced in the same direction Twilight was looking at for a moment, then turned his head back to her. “I mean, is he your herd mate?”

“Very much so,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes and exhaling through her nose, a tiny grunt plopping forth. “Though I agreed not to publicly advertise it, but since you asked…”

“If that’s the case, why not just leave him and join our herd,” Henry said, rolling out that same smile from before and placing his pristine hands on his hips.

Twilight froze. A frown overtook her lips as she furrowed her eyebrows and her eyes shot up at Henry, “Ha, Um… excuse me, what?”

“I asked if you’d like to join our herd,” Henry laughed, then flared out his arms while his hands remained atop his hips.

Twilight adjusted herself and looked at the human in front of her, scanning him for a moment. He was taller than Xavier, more chiseled. His mane shined almost like electrum. But his expression. His face. Though it was happy, the smile that poured forth was the kind of smile you would see only at court. Even while being flat-faced, as his lips curled in joy, the rest was empty. The sort of expression one uses to make a request, whether that was for more cotton for uniforms or an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala. Shaking her head, she finally said, “Uh… um…you uh, you already have three mares. And it’s not just, you know…”

“Yeah, but there’s no rule that says I can’t have more, right?”

Twilight looked to the side and gave Henry an amused look. Her lips made out the shape of, “More?” with no sound rallying forth. Shaking her head, she motioned at the sleeping bag. Henry gave a nod as he walked over, picking it up and plopped it on her saddlebag. Rarity’s inscription work acting like rotating magnets, clamped the little blunt hooks at the back of Twilight’s bag around the tied string, quickly locking the sleeping bag into place.

“True, but,” Twilight turned around to face Henry, her ears facing him once more. “Its not just your choice. And four mares, well…” she trailed off for a moment, lifting her forehoof to her chin before resuming. “That’s a lot of work, you can’t just arbitrarily ask every mare that you come across if they want to join your herd,” Twilight gave a gentle laugh.

“Why not?” Henry once again chuckled as he turned his head slightly and gave a subtle wink. “That’s how Mystic and Symphony joined.”

Twilight froze for a moment and blinked, then gulped at the mention of Symphony’s name. But the deeper parts of her mind clicked, like a well-oiled machine. The gears of her head turned, the revelation that this human dropped in front of her like a bag of cogs, bursting out and dancing on the floor with a brass chatter. Twilight thought to herself, I’ve only seen him really talk to his lead, his actions last night... If he is just inviting, that… that means he hadn’t even evaluated Mystic or Symphony has he?! Nor his lead! He has no clue who any of the herd members he sleeps with at night really even are beyond maybe Spectrum…

“And uh,” Twilight looked left and right. Then she turned her head to check quickly behind her before letting out a sigh of relief and turning back to the human. “You got Spectrum’s input on the matter at least, right? Can I assume she and the others are going to want to at least talk to me?”

“Well, I mean,” Henry trailed off for a moment. “Spectrum can’t say no to me,” Henry gave an empty smile. “And besides, I’m the ‘stallion’, what I say goes, otherwise...”

Twilight shot a quizzical look at Henry, then raised an eye. Biting the tip of her bottom lip for a second, and once more looked left and right, she looked back at Henry. Swallowing, she pushed out her best porcelain smile and asked, “And my stallion? It may be very… old fashioned, and he may seem like trouble, but can I bring him with me?” Twilight lowered her head, but kept looking at the human square in the eyes, watching closely, reading him carefully as she selected her next words with care, “He could even help you out when you get sick or too exhausted, I know how sleepy your kind can get right after being so helpful in keeping us well taken care of…”

“Your human?” Henry looked confused for a second, then shook his head. “Honestly, he seems like as much fun as the mud ponies pulling us.”

Twilight’s smile dropped. Her ears folded back so fast, they slapped the back of her skull. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as her head recoiled. She let out a strained chuckle as her pupils darted from one side to the other before she quickly gathered her wits and continued, “Well, I can’t just leave him…”

“Why not? Even I can tell that he’s been an asshole to you. I mean, sleeping in his own sleeping bag? Leaving you out in the cold like that?” Henry reached out to Twilight, his hand converging on the side of her head, aiming to brush against her folded ears.

“Right but,” Twilight’s voice laughed as she took two steps back from the hand, preventing him from reaching her. She then wavered her head from her left side to her right side, “I’m not just leaving him out in the middle of the woods…”

“So? Ditch him at the next town we get to.”

Twilight took another step back, and looked at Henry’s blonde hair, his brown eyes simply staring at her. After a moment, she spoke, “I can’t just leave him, I have a responsibility to him, just like you have a responsibility to your mares, and they to you…”

“Responsibility? I just have to see them through estrum or whatever,” his hand wobbled up and down dismissively. “That’s no work at all. And having you join won’t be a problem, I’ll take care of you,” Henry said, reaching out to Twilight once more, the palm of his hand cupped as his dull claws hovered towards her.

Twilight took another step back from the human, “Just uh, how many mares… did you think were going to be in your herd?”

“Like, a maximum number?” Henry just stared at Twilight for a moment, a tinge of confusion sweeping over his face before he took a step towards her. “I thought I could have as many as I wanted.”

“Henry, is it?”

The human nodded, the long strands of mane bobbing with it.

“Again, you do know that you have a responsibility to each of your herd mates right?” Twilight’s eyes now flickered as she looked at him, darting from his left side to his right.

“I mean, just you know,” now Henry gave a nervous laugh. His lips stretched below his nose as his cheeks rumpled up.

“No,” Twilight’s eyebrows sharpened toward the middle of her face as she took a step forward. “I don’t. Explain it to me.”

“I mean, I know I have to help them through their menstrual cycle or whatever,” Henry flopped his left hand into the air taking a step back. “But the only thing I need to do is… you know… get inside, enjoy the ecstasy, and move on.”

“All right,” Twilight’s voice cracked with concern. “And what happens when we all need your help and you’ve used up your seed for the day? Even I know that you can get to a point where nothing is coming out.”

“I mean, you can just take care of each other, right?”

“Well,” Twilight tilted her head, and clamped her eyes shut for two seconds. Frustration oozing through the cracks of the mask of a smile she wore. “I’m not into other mares,” Twilight’s voice sharply rose as she angled her face at Henry. “And even then, that’s not the relief we need!”

“Hey, look, if you’re not interested–” Henry said, only to be cut off.

“Of course I’m not interested!” Twilight nearly screeching at the human. “You’ve… You’re just collecting mares like we’re books to be read and dropped when you’re done with us! And you’re taking three of them to a new home! I mean,” Twilight lowered her voice to a hiss, “Do you even have a slight inkling of what you’re doing?”

“Hey, just calm down for a moment,” Henry held out his hands, shaking them.

“What happens when you finally get tired of one of us? Are you going to drop us off at a thrift store? Or a ‘no waste’ center? What happens when two of us get into a fight? You…” Twilight just stared at Henry. She was hyperventilating, “Are we just collectibles to you?”

“I don’t need this,” Henry threw his hands in the air at Twilight. He hurried to the side of the wagon to grab his shirt, then he turned around and walked away.

Twilight just stared at the human, her mind already completing the pattern that he started. They’re going to get there, they may pick up one or two others, he keeps focusing on Spectrum, it all falls apart, and… Twilight gulped, two or three of them are in a new town where they have very little support because they left their communities behind…

Twilight’s heart swelled as her eyes caught Mystic laying next to a tree by herself. She was just staring at the dark brown ground below her. A sullen expression plastered on her face. She let out a mighty exhale, forcing up dead leaves and tossing them about like confetti.

A thought flashed through Twilight’s mind, For all his bull headedness, at least Xavier doesn’t do that. At least he has a tacit understanding of the gravity of what being in a herd means, even if he’s in denial. Twilight let a subtle frown take over as her head turned out to the woods, then let out a quiet whine when all she saw were trees and leaves. A memory of her making that same sound to her brother dredged up, when she was small and could not find him in games of hide and seek. The foliage had already turned gold, orange, and red, almost like his mane. She once again let out a breathless cry, but her eyes could only catch the repeating brown trunks at various lengths ahead of her.

Her chest tightened. She lifted her right front leg to it. Her foreleg’s pressure squeezed the tension out of her. Her guts chimed in, like a ship in a storm, they churned. She remembered him standing there and saying nothing as she finally put him in his place. His initial expression was as if he had been cut down like wheat that had just been reaped by a team of earth ponies pulling a combine. She thought to herself, Comparing Henry and Xavier, it’s like I’m comparing a lothario to a verdant one despite Xavier’s poor attitude.

Then her ears flickered. A song. She could hear a song. A song she had heard years ago, but couldn’t quite make out where or when. She froze and looked at the front of the caravan, then her ears meandered left. Her head followed as she stared into the sea of tree trunks. No other pony turned and looked at the same direction as Twilight, each one still on their task. Only she seemed to notice the smooth fusion of shrill whistles and discordant chirps coming from the woods. Her legs nearly leapt towards the direction, now more cry than song. She finally shook her head as she turned, a gentle grimace took over her face as the bird song slowly faded into the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Twilight emerged from the forest. Her breathing becoming heavier and heavier. Her mind had moved to the next location, and by command, her body followed. Dashing across the caravan, the work mares were tidying up, cleaning up the rest stop before they resumed. She looked left, then right, then dashed over to the next section.

“Mares and Stallions, last call! We leave in five minutes! Stop what you’re doing and load up now,” Brownie shouted.

Twilight’s ears were pushing forward, and along with her eyes, were scanning the other side of the woods. There was nothing, nothing but tree trunks and bark and the abyss of plants.

Where is he, where is he, where is he… Twilight repeated over and over again in her mind. Less than two weeks and I’ve already lost him!

“Thought you’d be funny, huh?” Symphony’s voice poured boiling oil onto Twilight’s panic.

Twilight turned to see Symphony towering above her. Her mane was stiff, her eyes glaring.

“If you did anything to him,” Twilight growled.

“I did nothing,” Symphony said, tapping Twilight’s chest lightly with her front hoof. “And it looks like under your instruction, you have a lost herdmate.”

Twilight reeled back, the truth dawning on her face.

“To be fair, I would’ve kept watch over him if you had just sent him over,” Symphony once again encircled Twilight. “I would’ve taken care of him for you, but, well, here we are.”

Twilight shook her head and dashed away from Symphony, the unicorn laughing behind her. Weaving her way around the wagons, Twilight finally found Brownie, who was in the middle of getting a pulling harness on herself.

“Excuse me ma’am,” Twilight burst out, herself nearly out of breath.

“Yes, what can I do you for,” Brownie said as she lifted her head high. A grey mare that was already hitched next to Brownie used her head to help position the harness. Brownie shook her head, forcing the harness to slide down to her collarbone, then tapped her hooves on the ground.

“We can’t leave yet, we’re missing somepony,” Twilight said, her breath finally catching up.

“Y’know the rules, darlin’. When we leave, we leave,” Brownie said, turning her full attention to Twilight.

“It’s my human herdmate, and he’s–”

“It’s an adult, right?” Brownie asked.

“Yes… what?”

Brownie snorted, “Might be tall enough to be one, but you never can tell. That bein’ said, I do apologize, but rules are rules, and we can’t afford to be delayed just ‘cause you couldn’t keep track of your stallion,” Brownie finished, then stretched her legs.

“But he’s a human,” Twilight gasped in exasperation. “He’ll die out here.”

“Well, we’ll be in the same boat if we linger any longer,” Brownie said. “That scatterbrained bird pony mentioned a whole flock of somethin’ takin’ flight from them treetops to the west of here. And I’d rather not stick around to discover what in tarnation that might be.”

“But he’s my responsibility!” Twilight gasped out.

“Well, tough luck, my stallion’s all set to go, and the rest of the herds managed to keep a proper eye on theirs,” Brownie said. “So the real question is, are ya gonna join us? Or are ya plannin’ to stay behind?”

Twilight took a step back, biting her lower lip and staring at the tall mare ahead of her. The trees rustled. She tried to force the words out, pursing her lips together and then finally saying in a hushed breath, shaking her head back and forth at Brownie, “… I can’t leave him out here. I just… I just can’t.”

Brownie nodded, “Like a lead mare oughta.” The caravan leader glanced around, left and right, before turning back to Twilight, “Ya got yerself a compass on ya?”

“No, we were going to pick up one of the towns along the way…”

“Honeycomb! Grab the spare compass! Also, bring the bit bag!”

Twilight frowned and looked away as soon, a tan earth pony quickly scurried up to the wagon that Brownie was attached to. In her mouth she carried a sack, and around her neck, a compass.

“Give her back seventy bits,” Brownie instructed Honeycomb. “And hand over the compass, too.”

“But Brownie,” Honeycomb shifted her eyes, then hissed, “The debt!”

“I got ya, but this here young mare’s fixin’ to depart from our company, and even though we usually stick to a no refunds rule, it just don’t sit right takin’ her money when we’re leavin’ her out yonder in the midst of them woods.”

Honeycomb gave a nod as she quickly counted the pieces and approached Twilight. Twilight motioned her head to her saddlebag where Honeycomb quickly found a pouch and deposited the bits in. Then, deftly with her leg, she took the compass off of her neck, and motioned for Twilight to lower her head. Twilight ducked her head as Honeycomb shook off the compass around her neck, catching the thread on the tip of her snout. Quickly, Twilight threaded her head through the loop, taking the compass.

“Start headin’ west,” Brownie told Twilight. “But ya gotta be mighty careful now. We ain’t got a clue what done spooked them birds, and we ain’t stickin’ ‘round to find out neither. Y’ever been ‘round these parts before?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Well, if y’somehow manage to find him, yer best bet’d be tryin’ to make yer way back onto the road we’re travelin’ on right now. That road cuts its way from south to north through these here woods. So every time ya come across it, ya know which direction to head to find us. Now, mind ya, there’s all sorts o’ critters in these woods. One of our rival caravans even claimed they done spotted an Ursa Major. If ya happen to come across one, the general rule o’ thumb is to find yerself a hidin’ spot. And if ya lay eyes on anythin’ else, well, once again, hide. But I gotta mention one exception to the rule—them Timberwolves. If ya happen to catch sight of them, and they catch wind of yer scent, well, that’s curtains for ya. With them, ya gotta stand yer ground and get ready to buck ‘em. Understand?” Brownie imparted the warnings, dreadful seriousness woven through each word.

Twilight gave a nod, “Thank you…”

“Don’t y’go thankin’ me,” Brownie said, giving an intense stare at Twilight. “Ain’t no need for an Alicorn to tell that you’re his lead mare. It’s yer duty to fetch him back, just as it’s mine to safeguard my herd and this here caravan. ‘Cause of yer stallion, if I don’t do this, I won’t be able to rest easy come nightfall. Now, listen up. If by some grace you make it outta them woods, send us a letter to the Mareacuse thirty-fourth caravan company lettin’ us know you made it safe. If I don’t hear from ya in three months’ time, reckon we’ll have to add ya to the list."

“List?”

“The list of them who’ve gone missin’ in these here woods,” Brownie said, looking down on Twilight. “Ain’t nothin’ magical or enchanted ‘bout it, nor even haunted. But,” Brownie lifted her head, and gazed up at the treetops, and slowly scanned them. “It does hold its own perils.”

Twilight nodded as she turned away to face the forest. Swallowing, she took a step forward.

“One more thing,” Brownie drawled.

Twilight craned her neck to look at the brown earth mare.

“I reckon I know y’all weren’t too keen on each other. Honestly, I can’t rightly figure why y’all ended up together, or why ya don’t have no other herd mates. Tartarus, some might even say you’re playin’ the princess,” Brownie said, lowering her head and looking at Twilight from the top of her eyes. “But whether ya fancy it or not, worn are the hooves of a Lead Mare.”

Twilight turned in full to look at Brownie, her stance was strong, her eyes focused on Twilight. Her tone changed, moving from annoyance to colloquial, as if speaking to a peer, “He’s yer responsibility, just like I’m responsible for my own herd members. I’ll keep the pace slow for ‘bout an hour or so, but after that, I gotta think ‘bout the safety of my own herd.”

Twilight looked to her left and snapped back to Brownie. Quickly trotting up towards her, Twilight whispered into her ear.

“You ain’t bullshitting me?” Brownie asked, her eye raised at Twilight as she pulled back.

Twilight nodded, “I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to stir up drama before we arrived somewhere we could get off at. But if this is the result of her actions, you should be made aware before we part ways.”

Brownie gave a solemn nod. Twilight, rotated around, looking west. Gulping, she pursed her lips before she ran off into the woods at a full gallop. The clatter of hooves against dirt banged their beat as she soon disappeared from view.

Brownie tilted her head up and bellowed out, “Honeycomb!”

Quickly Honeycomb came from the back of the caravan to her lead mare, “Again? Is everything okay? We’re about to start the moving call.”

“That sea green one, Symphony,” Brownie turned to Honeycomb and said. “She’s the horn-head with the full-sized herd, ain’t she? The one with the other human?”

“Yeah I believe so,” Honeycomb said.

“What’s their final reckonin’, Honeycomb?”

“End of the line,” Honeycomb said. “They implied that they would catch another caravan at our last stop and go further up north.”

“Well, darlin’,” Brownie drawled with a deliberate nod, locking eyes with Honeycomb. “Seems like she might be chasin’ after somethin’ beyond her own herd. And that stallion of theirs ain’t takin’ his responsibilities serious-like. Looks like our spotter ain’t cuttin’ the mustard for ‘em, I reckon.”

Honeycomb replied with a slow nod, “Should I make Pepper and Apricot aware?”

“And the other pullers,” Brownie said, nodding. “If what that unicorn’s spillin’ is true, and the full moon’s a-callin’ her and her stallion is bein’ less than helpful...”

“Me and the other pullers will keep an eye on her,” Honeycomb nodded towards her lead. “May I suggest something?”

Brownie nodded.

“Apparently, Pepper made good progress with Apricot last night. Perhaps it would be wise to ask Apricot to escort Pepper around until we know what the Sea Green one is playing at. At the very least, it would help reassure her that we trust her with Pepper’s safety, despite what she thinks of herself.”

“That sounds mighty fine and dandy, I tell ya,” Brownie said. “But mind ya, don’t ya or her hesitate to holler for help. Spread the word quiet like to the others too. That there unicorn seems to have a knack for stirrin’ up mischief. And if she decides to kick up a fuss, we ain’t got no other unicorns to rein her in or no black obsidian to keep her in line. If she starts causin’ any sort of ruckus, we’ll kindly ask ‘em to hit the road at the first town we get to.”

Honeycomb nodded and trotted to the wagon behind them, and started talking to the two mares that were hitched to it. Brownie turned her gaze towards the woods where Twilight had departed and let out a grunt.

“You think she will find him?” the grey mare hitched next to Brownie said, her dusty mane fully tossed to her right side.

“They reckon themselves a herd, bless their hearts, but they don’t even bed down together,” Brownie turned to her pull mate. “Seems like she’s fresh to this whole shebang. I reckon they lost their original leader right off the bat, and now she’s callin’ the shots while they both point hooves at each other. Blamin’ one another for the mess they’re in.”

“But they’re still sticking together?”

“Well, if I reckon correctly, and If their old lead mare was the glue that held ‘em all tight, then I reckon they’re prob’ly tryin’ to navigate their relationship without her,” Brownie mused, her eyes almost welling up with tears. “If he ain’t got no faith in her, and she’s the one pullin’ him outta the mess he done got himself into? Well, he just can’t see that she cares ‘bout him enough to make sure somethin’ gets done. And rightly so, he deserves to stay lost in them woods forever.”

“That’s a bit harsh. Especially for a stallion...”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Brownie said, looking to her left and spitting. “But we done lost too many brave mares already. And ya know, with her useless horn and fancy Canterlotian accent, I didn’t reckon she’d go and do what she did, but she went ahead and did it anyway. Any mate in a herd who can’t see the sacrifices a lead mare makes to protect ‘em, well, he don’t deserve a herd at all.”

Chapter 31: Sinks and Saddles

Twilight’s rump burned as she threaded herself through the trees. Her rear hooves, unshoed and raw, slammed against the corpses of a thousand leaves on the forest floor. Her mane and tail glided behind her, specters holding on for dear death as Twilight pushed herself faster. Then she stopped and looked around, her ears following suit. They swiveled and rotated until a snap in the far off distance demanded that they both faced the same direction.

Once more, Twilight’s head bared toward her new destination. A loud thud echoed as her rear hooves slammed against dirt and root. The small slits of her nostrils flared, her ears folded back, and she once more thrust herself forward, rearing up. Then, the trees rattled around her, as a wall of wind slammed into her. Her mane nearly flew off, and the sheer force twisted her back. Her front hooves fell to the forest floor again, and Twilight shook her head. Taking her mark again, Twilight reared up, only for the unrelenting force to stop her again.

“What in Tartarus…” Twilight whispered.

Gulping, she turned to make a 180 and start running in that direction, only for yet another column of air to blast her back, her hooves dragging on the ground. She repeated, only to get the same result. Twilight looked left and right before simply walking, and this time she was still met with an elemental force, however, it was far gentler.

Twilight tilted her head as she curved her motion, walking in the shape of a giant crescent moon on the forest floor. This time, as she slowly changed direction, the wind itself also changed. Now it was pushing against her rump, ushering her forward. Twilight twisted her head to look behind her. She saw what looked like two rows of trees on either side, with more forest at the end.

Is it the forest? No, the caravan lead explicitly said this place wasn’t haunted, Twilight thought to herself. Twilight now turned to face the direction that the wind was blowing from. “What is going on,” spilled forth from the mare’s lips.

Then, Twilight’s mane once more flew back. Twilight could feel the front part of her body lifting as her rear half stayed on the floor. Her form rotated, and then the wind ceased. Twilight landed on her front hooves, and once again staring into the direction that she had just turned from.

A sour expression grew across her face, and Twilight’s eyes were as molten stone. She turned back towards the direction she was just pushed away from and then twisted forward, and let out the words “All right…” quietly.

This time, when Twilight reared up and pushed forward, her muscles found moving easier. Twilight felt the exuberance of deep youth flow through her form again as now, the wind was at her back. And as she ran through the forest, occasionally, she felt a nudge of wind on her left or right side. Twilight went with the flow and found that the pressure would soon dissipate as she ran toward her new bearing.

Grunting more audibly, Twilight ran deeper into the woods when she heard a low guttural sound. She slammed the ground hard with her front hooves. Her momentum carrying her forward for a few moments as the forest floor skidded alongside her, digging up dirt along the way. Then she became quiet. Her ears started rotating, listening for the sound she had just heard moments ago. It was so low and rumbled so hard that she could feel the vibrations in her legs. It was coming from ahead of her. Easing herself, she slowed down and crept deeper into the forest until before her, her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly agape.

A majestic tree was now in view. Huge and thick, almost like her old home at Golden Oak Library. She approached it and tapped it twice with her hoof, and glanced down with a smile. Memories of her time living in Ponyville flashed in her mind. The hollowed out tree, her little brother Spike sleeping in the same room as her, the banquet where she tried to warn everyone about Nightmare Moon. But then the low rumbling returned, louder. Twilight snapped out of it as she looked around her, but there was nothing but trees and more forest.

Twilight swallowed as she walked around the base of the noble tree. Then something pulled at her in her mind. Something else, that had been there for quite a while but she had only noticed now. Her nose tingled. The scent of winter. Crisp. Smokey. A touch of citrus. She closed her eyes and let her nose lift into the air. Following the fresh fragrance, prominently parsing it against the ever present smell of the earthen odor of decaying leaves. She twisted and turned, taking a few steps when she opened her eyes. The great tree was still in view behind her, but it had shrunken considerably and was veiled in mist. However, presented before her was the image of a human lying on the ground meters ahead of her, its backpack thrusting out and covering its head. It was Xavier, lying face first in the leaves and mud with two lumps of red and orange far off of him, and a pile of ash three steps away from him. Twilight gasped, then immediately she galloped toward him. The great tree was now further behind her with each instance of all four of her hooves meeting the ground in unison.

“Xavier, are you–” Twilight gasped.

His upper clothes were shredded. His back pack still held together, but now it showed slash marks as it rested atop his head. Twilight gasped as she saw the back of the human. Blood flowing profusely out of several lacerations, two circular puncture holes that where beneath ribbons of cloth that were torn, dangling and soaked in black crimson.

“Twilight… run…” Xavier’s voice moaned.

Twilight let out another gasp as Xavier once again muttered her name. Without thinking, she quickly dug into Xavier’s bag and pulled out the first roll of wrappings she could find. Biting carefully, she did her best to wipe away the blood on his back and place the roll like gauze on his wounds.

“You’re fine, you’re fine, you’re going to be–” Twilight kept repeating in a muffle over and over again. Her eyes caught that Xavier’s right hand held a small knife, but she ignored it until Xavier muttered:

“…away.”

“Listen, I’m not sure if I can pull you all the way back to the wagon but-” Xavier cut off Twilight.

“Look!” Xavier gasped weakly, he pointed to his left with his other hand.

Twilight looked to her left and froze. Just past the large tree were the two sorry lumps of orange and red. Their plumage ruffled and one of them seemed to move, while the other lay still. And to the corner of her eye, she could see movement.

“Hide!” Xavier hissed. Twilight’s body was already moving as she gingerly dashed into the hollow of a nearby withered tree. Like the games of hide and seek in her youth, her knees fell, as the darkness of a dead arboreal corpse hid her. Quietly, she turned, using her front knees to slink about.

And far beyond Xavier, standing over the mounds of bright feathers, was a dark beast of two legs. Its large, thick plumage was stained black as ink on parchment. Its head adorned with a crown of two deep blue combs converging at the forehead. Its beak had protruding curved edges on the bottom of it’s top half. It was adorned with ridges, a mockery of sharp teeth that extended across, almost smiling. Its legs had no feathers and were covered in dark, thick scales. And at the end, a long, hook like protrusion tapped twice, then a third. It lifted its head up and looked straight at Twilight.

Instinctually, Twilight eased further back into the trunk, her rump finally hitting deadwood as shadow enveloped her. The creature tilted its head when one of the piles of red and orange moved again.

The creatures snapped its head towards the pile of feathers. It approached the mound when it suddenly let out a roaring crack and it burst into flame. The tall, dark creature gave out a guttural bellow that shook the forest floor. Then, with its right leg, smashed into the fire three times. The bright orange glow quickly died into embers and a grey pile. The beast lowered its head into the remains, a pile of ash. It rolled its head around in the mound, then froze. Snapping its beak, it picked out a single, white bright thread. As its head rose, the thread was blazing. It smoldered as the creature continued to unwind the super hot string from the ash. Finally, flicking it up in the air, the creature opened its great maul and caught it, and consumed it in one gulp. Out of the two nostrils on it’s beak, smoke blew out. It lifted its great right leg three times and slammed into the ground, then let out a guttural roar that was pure bass. The forest floor shook, jostling Xavier and Twilight.

Then, the creature turned towards the human lying on the forest floor. Taking six steps, it reached Xavier who remained motionless. It lowered its head and sniffed the alien. Then gave it a quizzical look for a moment before reaching out with its gnarly beak and pinching the sides of Xavier’s head. Twilight watched as the tip of the creature’s maw drew blood on the right side of Xavier’s face. Then, it lifted the human up as Twilight’s Ritter barely moved. Xavier’s head hung in the air, held by the creature’s bill, while the rest of his body below his chest lay useless in the mud.

Suddenly, the creature slammed Xavier’s head into the liquid earth, letting go and standing on high before stamping his face down into the mud. His bandaged arms waved weakly in the air, making a few attempts to slash at the creature with the knife. But each one missed as the beast deftly wobbled, evading the haphazard attempts and continued to drown the human.

At that moment, Twilight knew, without a doubt, what she was looking at: An Unneb.

Author's Note

Right so, some things to close out the chapter:

Chapter 32 should be released on time as normal, 3 to 4 weeks.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will be completely subsumed in my work from early September to early October. While I want to say I can make time every day to write, I can not make that promise under this circumstance. So for that period of time, expect no further chapter releases.

Chapter releases should resume as normal in October unless something bad happens

[8/9/23 update]: Due to family emergency, I'm putting the story on hiatus until it clears up
[11/14/23 update]: Back, read blog for further details. Hope to get an interim chapter out this or next week, followed by the next full chapter. Releases will be much slower now. Thank you for your patience with me.

Interlude: The Element of Kindness, the Phoenix, the Unneb, and The Antithesis

GRS~236

HRM/6222

1116111|SC|NOM|IE

RD11226

312-HRM-FA-ORA

DYRE|1116111|SC|NOM|IE

BY HER DIVINE LIGHT

FABLETWISTS, THIS PORTENDS

The following story is translated from Gutsy Repository Scroll 236. It stands in direct contradiction to dogma and the Authority of Her Royal Majesty. Story is false, made-up. Entertaining as truth will be treated as BLASHPHEMY. Careful, only rank of Sister Superior or greater may read. This is your only warning! Heretical content after this partition. If you find yourself reflecting on it, report. If belief contradiction discovered, report. To withhold an inaccurate self-report is SACRILIGE. Again, this is your final warning! If you are not authorized, do not continue reading! Divine observance spell in effect. She will know. Careful. The following document is for official purposes only. Failure to report internal impious dialogue is a crime of BLASHPHEMY. Why are you nervous? Was it you? She knows. WARNING: Do not read next statement. This line is for high officials only. Gaze. Cease. Gaze. Cease. After forty-eight hours you will write a report on your internal thoughts and submit for reflection. Only Mother Superiors or higher may annotate the story under Commentate Policy. Only an Archabbess, Episcopa, High Matron, or Her Royal Majesty may edit or remove previous annotations. Punishment for reading story without authorization guarantees sentencing to Tartus Above and Tartarus Below or worse. This is your final only warning! You did it. She knows. You were cautioned. Why did you read?

FABLETWISTS, THIS PORTENDS

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FIRST WARNING UPDATE(1001-01-16):

ANNOTATE ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS WITH COPPER BASED INK (REVERSE MYTHRILL BOUND) ONLY

OR

NOT AT ALL

TRANSCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT BEYOND ORAL TRANSMISSION IS VERBOTEN

NO COPYING PERMITTED

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SECOND WARNING UPDATE(supp.):

THIS IS A GRADE DYRE DOCUMENT

READ INCANTATA IN FULL BEFORE PROCEEDING

Veil of night, whispers of the void

In the silent abyss, where light is destroyed

Bind the shadows, halt the relentless tide.

In the grasp of the cosmos, let the lost be tied.

Ethereal chains, woven by silent Aspects of Discord

Five of Neck, One of Crown. Two hidden, never to be found.

Encircle, ensnare, in your cold embrace, conflate.

By the decree of spiked whispers and starlight bold

Seal the nameless in your shimmering hold.

Custodial Preface Notes:

(207-12-01)(MS)(I.S) Document submitted for destruction, however due to Her Royal Majesty’s Proclamation 2226, it has been retained due to the fact that it may be a genizah. On tertiary pass, realized what was going on. Attaching Monitum Sheet and Custodial Preface Notes to the front for the protection of all Ponies. Sent to the Sealed Collection, though if it were up to me, I would submit this to Upper Tartarus' Vault just to be safe. I have passed along the request for review to Her Royal Majesty, but given the workload she is under, I doubt she will ever see this.

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(4

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(575-07-21)(MS)(M.R) Document Reevaluated. Danger it presents is minimal. Probably just a fae tale our ancestors told themselves at night. Submitting for de-escalation to the Selenic Committee.

-=-

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ie.

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(832-03-10)(AA)(A.R) Document recovered during a sweep of one of Luna’s lost strongholds from during the rebellion. Apparently, this plus many others were hidden away in a sealed room. Can’t believe that this was the kind of tale that kept my predecessors up at night. Though I am confused, why did M.R send this to the Selenic Committee hundreds of years after they were dissolved? Well, I’m de-escalating this document and moving it to fictional works. Keeping the Monitum Sheet on for posterity.

-=-

(997-09-06)(SC-36)(T.S) Reading Authorization: 996-07-21-SC-36. Cute Monitum Sheet. But just to update, a Student of Celestia’s has authorization above that of High Matron, at least for now, and we are permitted to read and annotate fictional documents from Celestia’s personal collection. That said, I’m a bit confused? There’s not much as to WHY this document was considered dangerous at all. It couldn’t be because the Unneb. While they were considered mythical for many centuries, we now know that they are very real and do a very important job. Also, I'm a bit surprised at all the redaction in the custodial notes, but whatever. My best guess is that since it documents the story of the Element of Kindness stealing celestial fire, it makes sense as to why early Mother Superiors would look at this document with a tinge of fear. But rest assured, the story is tame compared to the others I’ve read these last few weeks. So, given the mild nature of this story, I will submit this for consideration in Prancing Puddle’s Ancient Stories Compendium, though probably edited down, and most definitely with those weird last few lines changed. I'll reread of I get the time later, but for now, a thousand stories down… a thousand more to go…

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(1001-01-16)(HRM)(L) Document was submitted to Prancing Puddle (P.P) by T.S as per her addendum. However, thanks to P.P’s sharp eye, it was sent to me as part of my reacclimating duties. She’s been sworn to secrecy on the matter, and seeing as how professional she is, I'm inclined to respect it. Given that T.S only had a passing interest, no need to swear her to secrecy when it would be best to let this account simply get lost in the archives of her mind given her neurotic nature. And everyone else who has read this before, given its nature is probably long dead now, so that takes care of that. However, what on my blue moon between 207 and 832 was removed? Also, something is wrong with that last part, it seems familiar, but I just can’t remember why. Great, another mystery to keep me up during the morning. Reintroducing to the Sealed Collection.

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(supp.)(HRM)(L) Funny how using the little filly’s room can help jog one’s ancient memory. This story MAY be under the effects of Nomenclative magic from when THAT BIRD ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ and nearly got itself killed if not for two of the Elements taking pity on that stupid thing. It took me some time to realize something was wrong with T.S’s notes and that’s when I caught it. With apologies to T.S, I slightly edited her note with a single quill stroke so that it could be understood by others properly via the stories’ method of neutralizing the nomenclative effects. Seems while the effects have tapered off over the centuries, older documents might still have vestiges of its power left and can infect adjacent documents. Though if that’s the case, does that last line might mean that

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Its not the only thing in there, but it’s enough to earn this a one-way trip to DYRE classification. Good Job I.S for seeing this story for what it is. I’ll see if I can’t get my sister to have you Glorified. Least I can do for you. Will be submitting an order to accrue all documents that have been confirmed to be near this scroll and evaluate for transmission. Though if it were truly that bad, we would have seen its effects early on in the scroll's introduction to various other collections it’s been a part of. So, I expect any damage it may have caused to be minimal. Returning to the Sealed Collection, keeping its old identifier and adding containment Grade: DYRE.

-=-

The Element of Kindness, the Phoenix, the Unneb, and the Antithesis

Invocation: Speak through me, Pēgē. By your divine voice, lend me your grace and let us weave a tale of fire and shadow. Of that Element, kind in all ways. The one who touched the Sun, and nearly burnt the globe to ash.

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Once upon a time, when Equus was new, each of the Elements of Harmony arose and claimed their respective domains.

The Element of Kindness claimed the forests, and the plains, and the bodies of water that the land encircled. And to her, the animals came. She cared for each of them like a parent to a new-born foal, ensuring they would want for not. Under her guidance and protection, her domain flourished and grew vibrant.

But soon she discovered that some of her charge would fall into the Long Sleep, never to awaken. And eventually, they would fade into dust… So, she went out and consulted the spirits, and the aspects, but no answer could be found. She then talked to the Gryphons and Dragons, but they could offer no answer either. She even found the elusive Kirin, whose only answer was silence.

Finally, she consulted her fellow Elements. Honesty, Laughter, and Generosity were curious to know the answer as well since their own domains were affected by symptoms like the Long Sleep. Honesty would discover on occasion a tree she nurtured would never bare fruit or leaves again. Generosity's most elegant fabrics over time would eventually dull and fray. And Laughter's food, like Kindness' cohort, would fade into dust given enough time. The only Element who was apathetic to Kindness' quest was Loyalty, who told her winged sister that true fidelity is endless like the blue skies she flew.

Soon, Kindness met with the Element of Magic, the most erudite of all the Elements. She consoled the Element of Kindness. She explained that all things must return from whence they came, even the sun, and that this was the natural order of things. Not even her tomes and scrolls were forever, and that it was no fault of Kindness when her subjects fell into the Long Sleep.

But the Element of Kindness was not unobservant, for she, like all, saw the sun fade, and rise reborn each morning. Gathering herself, she soon devised a plan. She would seize fire from the sun and see if it did not possess the capacity to awaken her poor subjects.

But to do this, she would need to soar higher than any other creature in existence, and her wings were weak. Thus, she approached the Viridian Court and kindly asked the aspect Wind to help her, offering the aspect a humble dance. The Wind, always looking to be helpful back then, agreed to assist her. And so, the Element of Kindness took off, and the wind carried her high into the sky. Past the treetops and past the Domain of Loyalty, she soared past all things profane. As she flew, only one creature called out to her, a Magpie. A Magpie simply said, "Trust me, I wouldn't…" before the wind swept the Element of Kindness away and towards the sun.

She soared, and she soared, and she soared until she made it. Beyond the realm of Equus now, she could even touch the blue color of the sky itself, and scraped it with the tips of her wings, taking some of its blue with her. Then, finally, she reached it: the blazing sun in all its luminous glory! Its fires raged and its heat blistered as it spewed out whips of great incandescent light. The Element of Kindness who felt the flames could barely get close, but she did. She plucked a feather from her very own wing, and stuck it into the great celestial blaze, capturing ethereal fire. But she was so close that her mane and fur were scorched by the lashing heat of the sun! With her prize gathered, she let gravity take hold and soon; she descended back on Equus with her burning feather. Landing, she discovered that, except for a few splotches of deep dark blue she had gained from touching the sky, her coat and mane were now charred ashen black nearly everywhere with the sole exception of her mark.

And so, she laid her blazing feather upon a nest of a Magpie who had fallen asleep, and who had not woken up in weeks. The otherworldly flame blazed and roared, and so intense it was, that it incinerated the creatures, turning them to dust and ash on the spot. Watching this, the Element of Kindness wept at her failure all day and all night. Her plan had failed, and now she bore scars from her grand effort. However, as she wept, when the sun rose the next morning, something miraculous occurred. To her great surprise, the pile of ash and dust that remained erupted into flame! And from the fire, the creatures she thought had been destroyed not only had returned, but they had also awakened!

Behold! The Phoenix! Praise thou, who triumphs over Alastoria! Their forms aflame! Their gold and ruby feathers as radiant as the dawn itself! Their song, the most entrancing of the land! Even the Sirens envy the power and sovereignty of the songs of the Phoenix!

And so, they took off in front of the Element of Kindness, glowing like dancing embers on the horizon. Their golden flames, sparks of the Sun on Equus itself, gleamed in the sky. The Element of Kindness shouted with joy. She had found a solution. But such a grand endeavor exhausted her. So she retired to gather her strength once more, for there were others under her domain that had fallen into the long sleep who needed to be awakened as well.

But as she rested, the Phoenix soon spread. With their fiery rebirth preventing the effects of the long sleep, and their desire to copulate unabated, more and more birds of fire arose! Soon a great wildfire of Phoenixes blazed across Equus! A grand firestorm of these flying, flaring birds subsumed the forests and the plains, boiling even the bodies of water across this world.

When the Element of Kindness awoke, she despaired, as she saw that soon, all of Equus would be burnt to cinder. Flying with what strength she could, she once again asked the Element of Magic for help, and they scoured all the unburnt tomes of Equus until coming across a ritual. One to call forth The Spirit of Darkness. The Antithesis. One who might possess the power they seek.

⠀

So preparations were made, and the ritual performed.

At a pond, on the dusk of a full moon, Kindness and Magic made their offering:

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The nod of a head from both to show respect,

a lie weaved to protect,

a pot of boiling water,

a coin of the smallest value,

a bowl of seeds and a bowl of ash, mixed.

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The Offering has been Accepted.

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Sacred darkness come forth! From the depths of the celestial abyss, from the very shadows of existence itself, arise now! O’Antithesis! We submit ourselves to your authority! For it was your proof of imperfection and defense of mortal kind that our creator elevated you from an afterthought to an equal!

From the shadows on the ground, the dark spirit burst forward. Darkness itself flowed from it discordantly and dripped from it like a shroud. Then, an eye formed, gyrating around… and stopped, staring at a Magpie in the trees. Then, it bellowed to the Elements, shaking the very ground itself: "Who calls me from my slumber in the abyss? You two? And only a shallow bow of the head each? And only one knee each? Be thankful the Originator is not present before you. She would not tolerate such disrespect."

Both Elements collapsed on the ground, and prostrated themselves before the Antithesis. Both of them trembled as terror shook them to their core. Both averted their eyes instinctually from the creature, and the Element of Magic began to speak, “Sir, we are two of the Elements of Harmony, Kindness and Magic, we-”

“I know, calm yourselves and stand up,” the Antithesis said. “I am merely grumpy from being awoken from my sleep. If I wanted you both undone, then this is where the story would end. Now, who seeks an audience with me?”

Slowly the two picked themselves up, and the two looked at each other. The Element of Kindness stepped forward and shouted, "Me. I have doomed our world to a fiery Tartarus! We need help!"

The spirit twisted what might be its head at the Element and said, "And what would you give me in exchange?"

"Anything!" the Element of Kindness cried.

"Anything?" the Spirit of Darkness said.

"Anything..." the Element of Kindness replied.

"In exchange for what I must sacrifice, I demand all of Nature's Kindness. From this day forward, it will be mine and no one else's. It will know no kindness ever again. Only survival of the fittest. This, I demand."

And so the Element gathered all of Nature's Kindness and relinquished it to the Dark Spirit. The Dark Spirit took the bounty and lifted it on high. But the wind blew ever so subtly, nabbing a few grains of Nature's Kindness, before The Dark Spirit tucked the rest into a bag. The few grains that the wind did catch, became scattered, letting discord decide where they fall.

Then the Dark Spirit took out a single, long hair from within its dark cloak. Pulled from the brush used to make existence, the Dark Spirit poked it atop the Element of Kindness' ashen black coat. And then it extracted the scorching blackness and deep blues from the fur and mane of the Element, restoring her to her former colors. And from this hair, dripped the first two Unneb. Both creatures kicked and raged until they stood up. They turned to the Element of Kindness and bellowed at her in a deep, guttural voice before dashing into the burning woods.

And so the Unneb did their work. The Dark Spirit made them cunning and aggressive. They worked together to prey on the Phoenix that covered the land. And from those two, they multiplied, and soon the blaze of birds ceased, and Equus was saved from a scorching end.

And so days turned into weeks turned into months. However, as the world was once more restored, the Element of Kindness saw that her once loving kind fauna were now detached and cruel. When she called on the rabbits to come out and graze, a cunning a Magpie used the trust she had built with them to snatch one and sneak off with it into the woods. The Element of Kindness pursued, only to find a Magpie feasting on the rabbit's sleeping body.

Remembering the ritual, she once again performed it. And once again, called forth The Dark Spirit by herself.

“Again!” the Antithesis made the ground rumble. “Why have I been roused?” its form became warped, twisted and violent. Once more, it formed an eye and swiveled, glaring at a tree where it saw a Magpie, staring back. The Antithesis said to a Magpie, “I see you…”, each word a shard of glass grinding againststone.

"Please!" she begged. "I need the kindness you took back!"

The being twisted with what could only be called a face back at the pony that summoned it, "Kindness has its price Element," the Dark Spirit said. "Now without the constant kindness of others, the creatures of the world now have to develop on their own. No more can they lead dull lives of being fed solely by you. They can now support themselves; they flourish in every corner of the globe! If I give back Nature's Kindness in full, Trillions of creatures would come to you for food. Can you feed them all?"

And so, The Element of Kindness cursed the Dark Spirit, claiming that because of it, everything born on this world would only know cruel and unusual pain followed by the long sleep.

The Dark Spirit bellowed, silencing the Element, "What Arrogance! If I wanted to make this place truly twisted, I would have demanded the kindness of all sapient kind! Imagine a world where all things that could love and care were cruel and only out for themselves and watch as your precious Nature paid the price for it. And I did not take all the Kindness from Nature. I let the wind itself pilfer just enough so that some creatures who find it within themselves may return to your home and be cared for… Yes…” the Dark Spirit looked up at the sky as the clouds froze, “Did you think I would not notice?"

The Dark Spirit once again took out the brush hair he had used to create the Unneb, "For your impudence, I will not take the sky from you. But the wind that helped you to steal celestial fire and who stole from me on your behalf, however? From this point forward," the Dark Spirit slashed the air with his thread, "It will forevermore remain a stranger to you!" Then, in a dark flash, the Antithesis slashed the Element of Kindness’s wings with the hair, “And to you, I take the strength to soar. While you may still fly under your own power, you will never be the equal to even the most milquetoast flyer, and will always find the ground more accommodating...”

The shadows churned around the Dark Spirit, slowly reclaiming it. The Element of Kindness cried at the creature to not retreat and cursed at it again. But it said only one last thing: “I will leave you with one piece of advice: Let me sleep. Summon me again at your own peril. What I have taken from you is nothing to what I can strip from you forever.” And as darkness nearly finished reclaiming the Antithesis, its eye twisted to a Magpie and said to it, its voice crawling like embers consuming parchment, “They might acknowledge your existence in their minds, some may even SEE you but… Nice try… but you’ll have to plead to laughter and magic if you are to get out of your situation. Oh, don’t look at me like I am the villain here. You did this to yourself. The sharper ones already know what’s going on…Oh ho… Such arrogance. I can promise you, after this, we won’t meet again…”

Chapter 32: Call and Response v2 (Sparking Tit for Tat)

For a split second, Twilight felt the trickle of warm water on her head. She knew what she had done. She remembered getting up. Leaping out of the dead tree. The rush of wind behind her as she ran. She recalled how every part of her was in agreement when she lowered her head and set her horn parallel to the forest floor. She recalled the pressure against her legs as the Unneb's appendage resisted, but eventually gave way to Twilight's horn. She even felt the moment of impact, where the force of her impaling the creature carried through her horn, past her skull, down through her spine and into her rear legs as she struck. The grating, abrasive bone beneath the bird’s flesh juddered through her horn and into her eyes, shaking them.

The creature screamed an awful, low screech as it wobbled back. Letting go of Xavier, it tried to find new ground to stand on as it recoiled from Twilight’s attack, whipping its long neck from side to side.

Twilight felt the creature pull from her horn. But something that dwelled deep within her screamed to keep it pinned. To push harder. To go deeper. Shatter its bone if she had to, and pierce to the other side.

The purple mare pushed with all the might she could muster up. Her rear muscles tightened, but the force she added was not enough. She could feel the beast pulling away from her. As she gritted her teeth, her eyes caught a glint of motion from beneath her, where she saw the human start to move.

Xavier, back still clustered with wounds and head bleeding, warped himself beneath the creature and started slashing at the other leg. Twilight could not see exactly what he had cut, but she felt another spray of tepid droplets against her face, followed by a curtain of blood from somewhere ahead of her pouring and knew he got an artery.

The Unneb wobbled over, freeing Twilight, who stumbled forward. Then inspiration gripped her mane as she worked with the inertia and took two more steps, her body now directly over the human. She bent her knees slightly, lowering herself to shield him with her body, and watched the large vicious bird twist and tumble about.

The creature collapsed four paces ahead of her, its low screams vibrating both to the bone as it wailed about. A second later, it righted itself. It whipped itself about, then froze, staring at Twilight with a deep blue eye, still shielding Xavier, her horn lowered again at the creature. The blue iris closed, shrinking its pupil to a black dot with the image of the two creatures ahead of it reflected in it.

Serene quiet covered the forest floor as the Unneb tilted its head at the pony who had caught it off guard. Its throat inflated a little as it bellowed out, grunting over and over again at the mare. Then, it lifted its right leg, only to let out a shriek and set it back down. It turned its head and looked at Twilight again with a single eye of midnight blue. Narrowing for a second, it lifted its left leg, and Twilight saw that it was bleeding far more than Xavier was. It was pouring atop the forest floor like freshly made chocolate into a bowl. Then it let out a guttural bellow.

A memory of her brother practicing when she was a filly wrapped Twilight up. And she mimicked the memory of him, letting his example guide her. She kept her head low and let out a snort. She slammed her front left hoof into the ground, and scraped the forest floor back, tossing a bit of dirt atop Xavier’s mauled body. Not once, not twice, but thrice.

“Run,” Xavier meekly whimpered.

“No,” Twilight said with a razor focus, her eyes were still on the beast. “You got its leg.”

“Too import-” Xavier whined before Twilight cut him off.

“It’s already dead,” she hissed. “We just need to bide for time.”

The creature once more bellowed forth, screaming at a higher pitch, one that made Twilight fold her ears back immediately. It clicked its beak three times before twisting itself towards the forest and charging away from the pair.

The thumps of the creature’s steps quickly diminished as Twilight kept her horn level. Moments passed into minutes when Twilight’s legs jittered, then her rear ones gave out, her rump collapsing atop of Xavier, who let out a pained oof. She didn’t move, but she gasped. Taking shallow breath after shallow breath, the air she pulled in kept hitting her teeth, which hissed over and over again. Then her eyes looked up and saw the bit at the tip of her horn she could see and let out a whimper. She could see it was discolored, covered in blood. Tears welled up at the sight. But before she could fall, her ears twisted downwards, Xavier too was collecting shallow breaths. Too shallow.

Out of instinct, Twilight turned, and lowered herself to nudge his head with her snout, the scent of his blood and salt nipped at her nose. Casting a glance alongside Xavier’s back, her eyes shook as she saw dozens of perforations, each one oozing with blood.

“Can you walk?” Twilight gently whispered to Xavier. The human twisted himself to the floor and pushed up. He then gave a pathetic cry and fell back into the dirt. Twilight grimaced and looked away in the direction the Unneb went.

“Xavier, I can’t carry you,” Twilight bemoaned. She then looked up at Xavier’s backpack, then looked back to him. “Maybe I can drag you, but…”

Then a roaring crack made Twilight’s head twist behind her. One of the lumps of red and orange was immolating, a great fire reaching towards the sky, turning what had been the last pile of feathers into nothing but ash. Then, that ash wafted up towards the treetops. It spiraled over and over again until a bright white light burst forth. The same glorious red and orange feathers now took their proper place as its crest of 3 narrow strips of orange wobbled atop a phoenix. Then, it glided down, flying directly at Twilight.

The Element of Magic ducked as the Phoenix dove past her and landed next to one of the piles of ashes. The radiant creature clawed at it once, then twice. It let out a screeching cry before turning to the other pile of ash and waddled towards it. Once more, it repeated the ritual, letting out a cry, but this time it was like a dirge, reverberating throughout the forest. Clicking its beak, it turned, and waddled next to the roots of a tree, and looked down. Twilight’s ears were fixed, her heart sinking as she listened to its song, unable to turn away.

Twilight could see it was looking at the jagged remains of what almost seemed like fine china to her, with turquoise spots on it. She then muttered to herself, “Eggs…”

The bird finally spread its large amber and crimson wings and flapped three times in the air. It spiraled upwards and took off into the forest, letting out a wail that stung her ears like a wasp.

Twilight watched as the bird left from view, flying deeper into the forest. She shook her head and turned towards Xavier, and saw the shape he was in. His back was wounded, face first on the forest floor, and his breathing was short and pained.

“Xavier,” Twilight started when a cry came from the forest. Twilight quickly twisted her head up at this new threat when she saw the Phoenix that had just left, return. Its body was low to the ground with its wings spread, flying straight at Twilight.

Once more Twilight threw herself up and was about to lower her head. But she saw that she could not level her horn at the Phoenix in time. She winced as she prepared herself for the worst. However, the bird suddenly tilted slightly upwards, climbing in the air for a moment. Then it landed atop of Xavier’s limp legs with a thud, screeching at Twilight. Xavier groaned meekly as the bird rested its full weight atop of him. Its slightly open mouth letting out a hollow hissing sound as it gazed at her with its burning eyes. Slowly, the outer feathers of the Phoenix retracted, but the inner arch remained. Its wings slowly extended as its feathers ruffled, almost as if it were mimicking Celestia’s sun in miniature.

Twilight took half a step back from the bird, then looked over at Xavier, then once more at the bird. It stood proud, its glowing yellow eyes locked on to her. Twilight took a step forward when it whistled with a harmonic crescendo at her, raising its tri-feathered crest at the unicorn.

“Easy there,” Twilight said, lowering her head for a moment. “I need to have a look at him.”

The Phoenix clicked its beak and cocked its head for a moment. Twilight approached again, this time with a soothing voice, “It’s okay, I know you’re just trying to make sure he is okay too.”

The bird wobbled its head for a second, then rotated it before squawking once more at Twilight.

Twilight gave an uneasy smile and uttered, “Bit smaller than Philomena aren’t you?”

The bird clicked its beak twice at Twilight, then shrank as its feathers relaxed. Leaping off the human, it wobbled awkwardly around the mare. Finally, spreading its wings and letting out a fierce cackle, it tried to herd the mare closer to the human.

“Okay, okay,” Twilight grumbled as she approached Xavier. “Took you long enough.”

Getting behind the human, Twilight pushed at Xavier with her hoof. Applying force to his shoulder, she made him turn over. He whimpered as she recoiled, yanking her head back now that she had a better look at his wounds. A mangled mess was revealed to her. Debris and dirt mixed in with fresh blood, each wound oozing slowly. Her mouth opened two, then three times, but only silence fell out.

“Right, Xavier,” Twilight finally said. “You’re hurt, badly. Before I can do anything, I’m need to clean your wounds.” She cooed at him in a calm voice, “I’m going to grab some of those wrappings you have in your bag and get to work, alright?”

Xavier only let out a wheeze and another whine. Twilight approached his backpack, bit the metal tag and pulled, opening it. Pawing at it for a moment, she sighed, then shoved her snout in. She pulled out a small brick of orange painted metal, then a bundle of rope, before finally finding one of the rolls of wrappings he had collected.

Turning back to her Ritter, Twilight circumnavigated the human, watched by the phoenix. Kneeling, and pulling her front legs inwards, she bit a bundle of the bandages in her mouth and started wiping Xavier’s back with the clump. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she saw the damage the Unneb inflicted on Xavier. Then she let out a gasp, nearly dropping the clump of cloth in her mouth when she saw how deep the punctures went.

Holding her eyes closed for a moment, she gagged. Moments passed before she let out a grunt, and started cleaning his wound again, this time with more vigor. She left streaks of red across even the unharmed parts of his back as she swayed her head to and fro. Opening her eyes, she spat out the clump of bandages and panted for a few moments, averting her gaze.

Xavier mumbled, “At last… at last I was able to deliver a direct blow to its…”

“Leg, yes, good job,” Twilight grumbled, taking a moment to breathe. Then she glanced back at her work and saw that while she got the worst of it, the holed flesh was still bleeding.

“Oh no…” Twilight murmured. “Xavier, we need to start a fire to cauterize your woun-“

Xavier wiggled, then whimpered, “Gangrene.”

“It’s either that or you bleed out,” Twilight answered. She got up and approached Xavier’s pack and started digging through it again. “Hang on, let me find some sticks so you can…”

“No, we have alcohol. Pack it with wrappings…” he trailed off. “Pour alcohol and pack it until it’s taut.”

“No offence, but I would prefer not to taste any more human blood,” Twilight replied, stopping to gag once more, then moving back towards his bag.

“I won’t start a fire,” Xavier said in a muffled tone.

“You have to!” Twilight twisted herself away from the bag and screamed at the human. “Do you have a death wish?”

Xavier didn’t respond.

Twilight just stared at the prone human and bit her lower lip. Then she shouted, “Stop fighting me on every little thing! It’s like you have this natural inclination to buck at everything I do! You’re impossible to please! You only argue and… and…”

Twilight trailed off as she didn’t receive a response. Xavier simply lay, holes in his back facing the sky. She shook her head and looked away and growled, “Please… just this once-”

“It… didn’t… help… them…”

Twilight’s ears flickered and a light blue color flashed across her violet eyes. She turned to the two dead phoenix piles of ash, then at the live one, who simply cocked her head at her. Twilight whispered, “Of course…” her mind flashed: Even their mystic fire was insufficient to protect them and the one that survived still had to undergo pyrocyclic regeneration to recover, profane heat would be even less likely to help…

The branches of the forest rang out. The wind shook the limbs, rattling them around the two. Twilight shoved her head in Xavier’s backpack and pulled out the flank paint and a box that had 'rubbing alcohol' printed on it. Stepping on the end, she forced the box open before pulling out a brown bottle with a metal cap.

Twilight grabbed some more wrappings, bit down and ripped them off, clumping them together. Then turned to the bottle, turned it upright and, holding the sides with her knees, bit the cap and twisted it off. She took the bottle, turned it, and poured enough to soak the bandages lightly. She carefully placed the bottle down and bit the bandages again. Then she turned to Xavier's back and carefully used her mouth to stuff them into each hole he had. Each time she stuffed what she could, then pinched it off with her hoof at his back and ripped it and each time he cried. The bottom of Xavier’s throat finally catching its own phlegm as the metallic scent of blood overwhelmed Twilight’s nose. She gagged a few moments off to the side, trying to clear her sinuses of the iron scent.

“Why?” she said as she was trying to cough the taste of blood out of her mouth.

“Phoenix song… beautiful… followed… trap…” Xavier mumbled.

“… it set a trap?” Twilight glanced over at the back of Xavier’s head.

“Yes… heard me… climbed up a tree… took me from above…” Xavier groaned. “The song… I just had to find its source… I didn’t know it was a cry for help.”

“…and what made you think it wasn’t?” Twilight said.

“How could it be? Such harmony…” Xavier whimpered. Then Xavier gasped, his wrapped hands both extended on the floor as his face contorted. “Of course… It got one…I think… left it alive to call for help… others came… it ambushed them…”

“And it attacked you because it was defending its prizes…” Twilight finished.

Xavier simply nodded.

Twilight looked left and right, and said, “We can’t stay here.”

Once more Xavier tried to push himself up only for him to cry sharply in pain. However, he continued up, as his voice rose in pitch. Setting one foot on the forest floor, he pushed up, only for his back to give out. He twisted back for a second before gravity took over, forcing him to fall a long enough distance that his face bounced off the ground.

Twilight let out a heave, then looked around. She once more approached Xavier’s backpack and pawed at what she had pulled out. Then she saw it, one of the two single sized tents he had packed. She turned slowly to look at Xavier, swallowed and turned back to the otherworldly cloth that the tent was made from. It almost glistened at her. Kneeling over, she felt its texture with the tip of her nose, and it was smooth. Too smooth, almost like touching warm, elastic ice. Bending over, she grabbed one rope attached to it with her mouth and began to tie a knot.

The unicorn’s voice strained as she once more forced her rear legs to straighten out. Her hooves finally found some tree roots as she climbed up the slope, and she pressed hard against them. Ropes she tied haphazardly covered her chest, and were pressing against the flesh near her esophagus like a collar made for tilling. Xavier was a meter away, wrapped in the tent, occasionally whimpering as Twilight pulled him over something sticking out of the ground.

Letting out a heave, Twilight took a few more steps. Along with the cutting pain on her chest, her rump and rear hooves were hotter than the flames of Tartarus, her muscles pouring molten acid atop her nerves. And above the treetops, the Phoenix followed them. It didn’t spread its wings, but followed by leaping from branch to branch, letting out a chirp every so often.

Taking another breath, Twilight pushed forward. She finally pulled Xavier over the slope. She froze for a second; her form jittering from the effort. Turning to her left, something on the forest floor caught her eye: roots. Many roots, densely on top of each other like a roof, almost. And depression in the earth under them. Twilight changed her direction. She twisted and strained as she let out more cries of pain before finally arriving. Looking in, she saw nothing but dead grass in a pile at the far wall.

Once more, she summoned up the strength to pull herself in. Each step burned her muscles, but soon, she got Xavier and their belongings in. Twilight bent over and untangled herself. Taking two steps before falling to the earth, her chest thanked her for alleviating its pain. She stayed still for a while, and eventually let her eyes close. Then, for a split second, Twilight thought she had heard too much silence, as her ears quickly folded towards Xavier.

As if on cue, Twilight heard haggard, soft breaths. She let out a sigh of relief, for Xavier had saved her from having to get up before she was ready. Twilight’s head drooped forward, opening the spillways of the dam that held back all the stress she had accrued. And for each moment on the ground, her body thanked her for relaxing with a slight buzzing sensation. She opened her eyes and saw that it was getting darker. A frown escaped her face, for as much as she tried to relax, the dam was never empty. Calling forth her body, Twilight slowly lifted herself up. Quietly she encouraged it, only for her legs to give out, and fall back on the dirt floor, not like a feather, but a rock. Allowing gravity to subsume her, Twilight rolled over onto her side and just let the floor take her in its cool, damp embrace.

Being embraced by the earth was akin to her first evening in Celestia's castle. The assuredness of her position amongst the sun. The security that only a goddess could casually drape over her subjects. Twilight’s eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself up. She was not in Canterlot. And she was far from her rightful orbit. With a groan, she looked up and saw that the world around her was getting darker and darker.

Once again on all fours, she turned and approached Xavier. Slowly, she stepped towards him, her hooves sinking into the soft ground with each step. Twilight looked at her front hooves and saw small chips, both ragged and smooth, surrounding the toe of her hoof. Her face contorted, twisted as she slowly winced. She lifted each of her front hooves and twisted her head to examine them. Then let out another sigh of relief before blinking for a moment and shaking the one she had raised. The light feathering that had grown danced in the air to a silent aria. Twilight closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, before releasing it and once again moved towards her Ritter.

Peeling him out of the casket of fabric she had entombed him in, she rolled him out. He creaked in pain as he turned on the ground. Stopping him with her hoof, she gently nipped the end of his shirt and pulled, getting a good look at his back. Twilight could already see that the bandages were the color of wet, ripe cherries. Twilight’s ears stood erect for a second before folding back, and a scowl emerged from her face, turning away with closed eyes. Letting out a huff, she turned toward the end of what was supposed to be a tent where she had tied up Xavier’s backpack. Along with his bow and arrows wrapped up in some of his clothes, she dragged each one at the end of the train, so she did not have to go back and retrieve them. She once more open his bag and pulled out more bandages and alcohol. Moving with exhaustion, she turned back to Xavier’s lying body and gently nipped the blood-soaked bandages and changed them.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood, you’ll need to drink some water,” Twilight said after pulling the first bandage off. “Do you have enough energy to start a fire?”

Xavier nodded, “Build it… bring me my bag… I can ignite it…”

“After this,” Twilight said. Then, as she had done before, she went about replacing the bandages. Each time she pulled one out, and forced a new one in, he let out pitiful cries.

After pulling out the first packed bandages, Twilight prepared the fresh set of wrappings when her eye caught something. Gazing at the wound, she could see it was still bleeding.

Gulping, Twilight quickly bit the bottle cap, twisted it off, and prepared the next round of bandages. Xavier groaned, then let out a hack, coughing up phlegm onto the floor. Twilight twisted her head to put the bottle down, and said, in a gruff tone draping the room, “You’re fine, you’re fine…” She picked up the cap and, using her front knees to hold the bottle, twisted it back on, with several slight twists of her head.

She repacked the wounds, making sure the bandage was tight enough to apply pressure without tearing. She herself whined as the taste of both blood and medicinal alcohol slashed her tastebuds, but finally, her work was done. Pulling back, she let out a gag, her tongue forced out of her snout, hanging in the air for a few moments before she reeled it back in.

Letting out a haggard hack, she got up and stumbled away from Xavier, only to fall on her front knees and start breathing in and out with an open mouth. Then she spat on the ground over and over again before taking a moment, closing her eyes and sniffling.

Twilight pushed herself up and walked out of the shelter of roots. Looking up, she saw it was brighter than what she saw in the den, but the tall tale signs of the end of the day were etched into the clouds. Turning to scan the forest floor carefully, she started to pick up stick after stick, and returned to her camp before going out for more. Eventually, she even started to rip low hanging tree limbs off and gather dried leaves for tender.

Once her pile of sticks and tinder were gathered, she went back into the den, pulled out a few of the things she packed in her saddlebag, and placed them to the far end of the burrow, ordering them neatly. “Keep watch,” she commanded, not bothering to even see if Xavier heard as she walked back outside.

She scanned the ground for a while before a grey, jagged rock caught her eyes. She picked it up and placed it in the free space she made in her saddlebag before approaching another stone. And she repeated the task, putting stone after stone into her saddlebag, then returning to the den to deposit the heavy goods. On the third trip, Twilight muttered as she left the den, “Elysia, I feel more like Winona then a lead mare…” Soon, however, finding stones became harder and harder. She gazed at the forest floor for a dozen minutes. Then, she took a deep breath, looked back to the camp she was making, and moved away, turning back every few moments and seeing how far she was. Eventually, turning once more, she could barely see the burrow. But she could still see the tree she hid Xavier under far off in the woods. Taking a breath in and out, she lined her rear against a tree and let out a smashing buck against it, finally screamed a barbarous wail.

Then she bucked again. Then again. Then again, leaving impressions of her rear hooves against the bark. Then she ran up to another tree and started bucking it. And she repeated this over and over again, taking out the depths of her blinding rage and frustration on the woods itself. She reared up and screamed as her horn emitted a celestial glow, and the ring reacted, shocking her, but she bit her lip as she bellowed out from the bottom of her lungs. Her deep rancor called forth more of her magic, but the ring only responded with larger and larger arcs of lightning. Once more Twilight endured the pain, letting it feed into the fires of her own animosity. She prepared for another maelstrom of might when a cracking sound snapped forth from her forehead. Immediately she froze, her magic ceasing like a lightning strike as quiet now echoed through the forest. Silence swallowed her as she stared up. Her eyes were wide. Her breathing was heavy. She stayed still until, at last, she winced, and collapsed on the dead leaves of the forest, her front legs hiding her from the rest of the woods.

Biting her lower lip in frustration, her face crinkled around her snout. She let out another frustrated cry before she calmed down. She breathed in, then breathed out for a few moments, letting the sizzle of the electricity that had coursed through her body fully diminish. Relaxing, her ears turned towards a sound she didn’t catch before. Picking herself up, she moved towards the familiar sound. Stopping every few paces, she would stop occasionally, and buck against a tree a few times, tearing bark off and leaving her hoof prints. She continued this until she finally arrived at the source of the sound. Her ears had discovered a stream. It was pristine, clear, with an after-scent of oranges like one of Pinkie Pie’s dessert phases. A cornucopia of fishes swam under its surface and smooth pebbles lined the edge. Both sides were lined with tall cattails as far as she could see.

Not even bothering to take a breather, she grabbed what rocks she could and finally returned to Xavier. Following the markings on the trees she had made with her bucks, the wind jostled her mane, cooling her as the last vestiges of the sun were about to disappear. Arriving back at camp, she saw the phoenix that had followed them in the treetops atop the roof of roots. It raised the arches of its wings high at Twilight, not fully extending out its feathers as it let out a chirp and three clicks. The mare ignored the greeting as she lowered her head to enter the shelter she had taken up in. Her head turned left when she entered and saw that Xavier had not moved one inch. She glared at the human and muttered, “Good boy.”

Walking over to the wood she gathered, she started biting the branches and twigs she had left, setting up the sticks in a symmetric cone that was low to the floor. Each stick leaned against the other as she carefully balanced them. Then she encircled it with the rocks she had gathered before finally preparing the tender.

Approaching Xavier’s backpack, she bit it and dragged it over to the human. Then once more she forced her head into it, finding his waterskin and dragging it out. “Start the fire,” she mumbled through her lips, turning to leave the burrow, “I’ll be back with water.” He lightly opened his eyes, and shoved his hand into his bag, slowly digging around. He pulled out a silver tool wrapped in black, the lacquer, and a piece of tightly compacted purple cloth trapped in a clear material. He continued to dig around, grunting until he pulled out a small orange rectangle.

“Tinder,” he mumbled quietly, but Twilight was already exiting the burrow.

Following the marks she made again, she once more found the stream and filled up the waterskin. Closing it and turning back, the leaves crunched beneath her hoof as the skies were now caught between day and night. For a split second, Twilight thought she lost her way before a flicker of orange caught her eye. Following it, she had found her way back to the den, Xavier still laying, clutching the orange rectangle as a fire blazed in front of him.

Twilight lowered herself into the burrow and dropped the waterskin in front of Xavier. It bounced for a moment, startling the human with a shudder. The mare parked herself in front of the fire, taking in its soothing warmth as Xavier dug into his bag again, this time pulling out a black cylinder and a small light blue box. He opened it, and moved a small tablet from it, to the waterskin. Then he screwed on the black cylinder to the top of the bag. Finally, letting it sit on its side for a few minutes before lightly shaking it, he put his lips on the other end of the black cylinder, and started to chug.

Crackling sounds blanketed the two as their shadows danced behind them. Twilight got up, and quickly walked over to look at Xavier’s back as the fire flickered to the beat of her steps. She let out a sigh of relief, as her eyes saw that the bandages still had a healthy helping of cotton white on them.

“Looks like the bleeding finally stopped,” Twilight said, stepping away from Xavier and approaching the fire.

Xavier’s eyes weakly opened and stared at Twilight with a glazed look, saying “Your horn… blood,” as he let the augmented waterskin fall to the side.

Twilight’s ears folded back, she tried to make a sound, but nothing came out as her eyes turned to the abyss of red and orange ahead of her. Then, she slowly turned to Xavier, tears dripping from her eyes.

“Thank you,” he said, taking deep breaths. “Your secret, your horn, was used in violence. I swear, I will never tell another soul…” he trailed off. “As long as I have life in me, your horn… will have never…” Xavier groaned, then with a thud, rolled sideways like a ragdoll onto the forest floor. “You are not a blood horn. I’m… going to bed now.”

Twilight turned at Xavier, pursed her lips, then winced as she turned back to the fire, “I wish I could believe you.”

As she closed her eyes, the roots above them shook. She jumped up, staring at the sky, only to realize it was the Phoenix that had followed them. It landed on the roots and perched above the fire. Then turned downwards into the encampment to look at Twilight with its shining eyes, pinning at the mare before it flew up to a branch, and parked itself high above the two.

“Fine,” Twilight said, “You take first watch,” and just like Xavier, she let her muscles relax, falling to the ground with a thud in front of the fire, letting sleep come to claim her.

Chapter 34: Bird Calls

In Twilight Sparkle’s life, there were only a saddlebags full of times that she had gotten a truly wonderful night’s sleep. These included times such as the night after Celestia’s offer to teach Twilight personally (Spike was quiet the first night, unlike the second and third and so on…), her first successful managing of Winter Wrap Up, and the night after her first Grand Galloping Gala. As she slept atop Xavier, this night, despite how awful the last few days had been, was on the fast track to being one of those nights.

Unfortunately, it would not be joining that list of venerable sleeps.

The campfire slowly smoldered to cinders, and Xavier’s chest slowly lifted Twilight into the air, only to slowly lower her back down over and over again, slower… and slower each time. And the furnace that roared earlier, much like the campfire, lost most of its blaze, leaving the pony atop him to keep them both warm. With her ear laid against his chest, in her sleep, Twilight’s own muscles pinned her in that blissful blanket beyond awareness as the sound of a drum that had once been loud, slowly tittered. Its beat, its rhythm slowly becoming the song of silence that all must eventually sing.

That was until the sound of birds screeching at each other right above them pierced through both Twilight’s and Xavier’s slumber and awoke them like a wine glass shattering, bursting into jagged pieces.

Xavier let out a roaring gasp as he tried to thrust himself up. His face twisted in pain, only to smash the back of his head against the ground. Arching his back, then roiling in pain. Twilight, still atop him, fumbled as she tried to find anywhere but Xavier to stand on all fours. She was half aware that she was now sandwiched between the screech of the birds and a human screaming in pain. But her desperate search for solid ground ended as she tumbled off him. The world blurred to her as the tip of her horn scratched right under Xavier’s left eye, and she slammed onto the sleeping bag next to him, not in a thud, but in a howl.

“GOD DAMN IT!” screamed Xavier, now clutching the side of his face. “MY EYE! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE LEFT GODDAMN EYE???”

And along with his cries, the screeching above them continued. Twilight’s ears folded back, almost slapping the back of her skull as Xavier’s hands moved from under his left eye to his ears, revealing a thin cut on his left cheek to his ears. Snapping herself upright, Twilight immediately thrust herself out of the burrow and glared at the direction of the screaming birds.

It was Scratch, her wings fully extended and her feathers fully ruffled as she cawed at another, bigger Phoenix, also with a three feathered crest. Though it was roughly a head higher than Scratch, this phoenix was returning the screams it was receiving at the bird that had watched over them these last two days. Then the bigger one got close to Scratch and nipped at her, only for Scratch to back off a step and jump atop a tall root, keep her beak open, and let out a melodic hissing sound. Then, she lowered her head and clicked her beak, shaking her already ruffled feathers, seeming a little larger this time, though the crests on both bird’s started to lower.

The new Phoenix pulled her head back and tilted her head at Scratch, but it didn’t ruffle her feathers, nor did she try to nip again.

“What in Tartarus is going on here?!” Twilight barked, panting, her eyes-tinged red from bloodshot.

Both Phoenix’s froze like two ice sculptures at a banquet. With still bodies, they slowly rotated their heads at Twilight in unison. Then at the same time, their crests raised as they both started to shriek at Twilight, their wings extending fully. Twilight scrambled backwards as Scratch jumped down from the tree’s bulking arch of a root and the other phoenix started to waddle towards her, their wings extended, their plumage ruffled. They both flapped their wings at the purple unicorn, with the new phoenix hopping forward. As it landed in front of Twilight, she saw that it was almost as tall as her. But despite the difference in height, it beat its wings at the pony and let out a guttural screech. Twilight ducked, lowering herself to the forest floor as the phoenix attempted to smack her with the leading edge of her crimson wings.

It was only after it missed that Scratch turned, screaming at the bird that had made a lunge at Twilight, and once again the two birds were going at it. Twilight blinked as she looked up from her prone position, her memories of the phoenixes of Celestia’s castle presented her with a different scene. The red and gold of the divine sun perched atop ivory branches. They never sang, and their chirping subdued, their presence projecting the grace of a thousand sunrises.

Twilight felt queasy watching the birds in front of her. They were worse than pedestrian in their behavior: they were plebian. Their plumage wasn’t as shiny, but their colors ran deeper. And these birds were loud, nippy, and held the grace of two quarreling griffons taking slashes at each other on the side of the road. Memories bubbled up in Twilight as she stared at both birds. Memories of Scratch covering the night watch for the two of them, and, while reserved with Twilight, was affable, even friendly with Xavier. It was even playing stupid games with him. Twilight could feel it in her bones that none of the Phoenix’s in Celestia’s Castle would demean themselves with such lay actions.

Twilight twisted her body, righting herself up when, with a flap of her wings, Scratch took to the air and landed on Twilight’s back, her wings spread and still screaming at the other Phoenix. A chill ran along Twilight spine as the phoenix’s talons lightly scratched past her fur, etching themselves against her skin. She could feel the backs of her eyes press against her skull as a fear that Scratch’s talons would suddenly grip, catching her spine in their leathery grasp.

The mare froze as the two birds continued their conflict. The pair shrieked, and continued to bombard Twilight’s eardrums, as one question cropped up in her head despite Twilight’s frozen fear pressing her: They’ve been screaming at each other for a long time now, but neither has instigated a fight. Fluttershy told me that most animals, before they instigate a fight, will size each other up and try to dissuade the other creature. But even then, eventually one of the creature's patience would end and a brawl would occur if neither backed down...

Twilight’s Eyes widened as the strange phoenix lowered its head and crest, while Scratch, still on Twilight’s back, unruffled her feathers, but kept her crest up high, and bobbed her head up and down. Finally, she freed Twilight of the awful anxiety of having her spine punctured, and jumped off of her back, waddling towards the strange bird.

Scratch lowered her head as the other Phoenix twisted its head to get a good look at the approaching bird. Soon, their beaks touched and, letting out a light crackle across the forest floor, Scratch crooked her head and neck in front of the strange bird it had been yelling at only moments ago. And, almost with practiced ease, the new phoenix began to preen Scratch in a rough but gentle manner.

Twilight stood up, and watched the pair begin to preen each other. Memories once more arose of the aviary in Celestia’s Castle, it’s grand, gold and white dome reaching high into the sky. Philomena perching herself atop Celestia’s back as her teacher lectured to her about the importance of projecting your best self to others. But something slithered in Twilight’s mind. While Philomena was not the only Phoenix in the aviary… She had never seen the other phoenixes interact with each other in the slightest. Normally they were on branches minding their own business, maybe even turning a golden eye back to Twilight. But she had never observed the kind of socialization she was seeing now.

This was far more akin to two ravens Twilight had watched in Fluttershy’s sanctuary. Poking and prodding each other, then screeching, only to suddenly stop and approach each other to preen, or to annoy, or play what Twilight can only call practical jokes on each other. Far more dirty, intimate and profane than the divinely cold distance that she had seen in that aviary. These phoenix’s were far more akin to Spike’s time raising Peewee before their departure back to Canterlot to assist in overseeing the war.

Twilight turned her head away for a moment, recounting Spike’s beloved pet, Pee Wee. His behavior was strange for a phoenix. And even stranger was Spike’s intuition in caring for it. At odd hours of the day, it would melt into the ground and cock it’s head up, and just start screaming. Anypony but Fluttershy might have gotten confused, but Spike instantly knew the first time that it was begging for food. It ate meat, much like Spike did, but Spike had to soften it by grinding it with a pestle while Pee Wee just cried out. And as soon as Spike finished, Peewee would start to bob its head, still screaming until Spike poured the contents of the bowl into its gullet. It didn’t take long for Spike to introduce the concept of a food bowl so that it might eat whenever it wanted, but the begging behavior never really went away. Twilight fully expected it to eventually stop at some point, if not for the fact that Spike found Pee Wee’s parents and returned the chick to them before their departure.

And that was ignoring the strange positions Pee Wee would sleep in, the strange way it waddled on the floor, and the even stranger fact that it preened Spike, despite him having no feathers… and he returned the favor using his claws to gently clean it back. But Twilight at the time assumed that it was a baby and would soon become as elegant and heavenly as any of Celestia’s flock, it was just a matter of time. But here was two Phoenixes who obviously broke away from that mold. They were fussy, loud, earthly, and imperfect.

And now, Scratch raised its head as the other bird lowered it, and began to return the favor, preening the stranger also with a practiced flow. An unease curdled in Twilight’s stomach. The same unease that curdled when Nightmare Moon had so easily dispatched Celestia. And the same unease when she discovered that Celestia could not help her against Discord. This was plebian for such sacred birds. Plebian and profane.

But despite Twilight’s tightening barrel, the pair continued without a worry in the world. Preening, clicking their beaks, whole heartedly speaking to each other in ways Twilight would never fully grasp. They stood near each other for a while, like perched song birds, enjoying each other’s company. But then, much like Pee Wee would do to Spike, Scratch slowly melted to the ground, cocked it’s head up, opened its beak and started making a loud scratchy, hissing caw at the new bird, who initially twisted its head down to look at Scratch, then, with a coo, turned and simply ignored it.

And a flash of insight bucked Twilight in the side of her temple as Scratch, with her deep red and golds, her plumage like a warm sunrise, continued to stick its head in the air, it’s beak open, and begged the strange phoenix for some food.

Xavier’s back was still arched, punishing him when the sound of birds going at each other had finally subsided. He was holding one of his wrappings against the scratch Twilight’s horn left after that morning’s scramble and he froze, staring at the entrance of the burrow. Slowly, he breathed in and out… in and out… as he kept his eyes locked on the entry way. Seconds passed into moments when the branches of the tree above him shook, and Twilight appeared at the entryway, lowering herself in. He gave a simple gaze at her, lifting his right eyebrow.

“I think Scratch’s mother found her and they were having an argument,” Twilight said, turning to check behind her.

“An argument?” Xavier replied with a vibe of befuddlement. “Mother?”

“If I recall my reading correctly, Phoenix families are complex and intricate,” Twilight slid down into the burrow. “A juvenile Phoenix may stay with its parents for years, even decades, learning and helping out before they fly off to start families of their own. And even then, when you are a member of a species with a functionally limitless lifespan, it’s not uncommon for grandparents and great-grandparents and so on and so on to help out with the youngest generations attempts to have chicks while still having their own brood for the year,” Twilight explained, turning back to Xavier, her mouth dropping an inch. In her gaze was a wrapping with a single, dark line in the middle glued on the human’s face. “Your face, did I-”

Xavier touched the wrapping below his left eye, held in place by dry blood and said, “Don’t worry, its nothing.”

Twilight’s heart sank as she just stared at the little piece of wrapping, holding back what little blood he still had left in him. “Xavier, I’m so sorry,” Twilight exclaimed, lifting her hoof to her chest, then approaching the human, staring at the wound she inflicted.

“Not your fault,” Xavier said with a mellow voice. He closed his eyes and leaned back, “So, why is mother and daughter having a fight?”

Twilight kept her focus on the cut, then she bit her lower lip as she replied, “I don’t know. Perhaps the nest was the mother’s, and she was upset with the daughter for the loss of the chicks. Or maybe she doesn’t like Scratch hanging around us. Though personally,” Twilight paused for a moment, “I think that Scratch is keeping an eye on you until you’re better, and maybe the mother just wants to move on. But honestly, I can’t say.”

“How far away are we from the attack site?” Xavier asked.

Twilight looked up, “Not as far as I’d like to be.” Twilight let out a mellow grunt, “Dragging you and everything else was such an exhausting effort that…” then she turned and gazed at the scratch she inflicted on Xavier. “Xaiver, I’m so sorry.”

“You did well given the circumstances,” Xavier spoke, still panting in pain. There was a long pause, then, Xavier twisted himself, and he was back on his side, breathing short, wheezing breaths.

“I, I’ll need to find something to put at the tip of my horn,” Twilight gasped out, walking towards the supplies. “Maybe a ball of mud around one of your used bandages or-” she froze. Xavier’s arm was outstretched, grasping her front leg.

“You are fine Twilight,” Xavier spoke, gazing into her eyes as green flashed behind them. “You did not fail anything. You did your best and if a scratch is the worst thing that happened, that deserves a banana sticker.”

Twilight froze as she listened to Xavier. She pulled herself away from his gaze, glancing left to right. Then she turned to face him, taking a seat and asked with a rough vibrato, “What’s with your change of attitude?” She gave the human a hardened gaze, “Ever since yesterday you’ve done everything you should have done since day one. Sharing yourself with me. Trusting me, even with knowledge of your… deeds. What are you playing at?”

Xavier breathed, then closed his eyes, and swallowed. “Let's play a game.”

“No, I want answers,” Twilight tapped her front right hoof against the ground.

“And you will get them, but first, we must play an abstract game,” Xavier said. Adjusting himself, he laid his head against an ad hoc pillow made of trash and one of the bags to pack the sleeping bags in. “You are-”

“Xavier, plea-” Twilight interrupted before he interrupted back.

“Humor me,” he said, returning her gaze.

Twilight rolled her eyes and tilted her head at Xavier. Her eyelids were halfway between annoyance and exasperation as she stared at him.

“It’s a dark and stormy night. You are in a shipwreck. Thankfully you got to a lifeboat, but most of the crew is dead. You amble around for a while, letting the waves rock you too and fro, and realize there is only room for one more. But then, you find two other ponies. Both equal distance from your boat-”

“I’d just use magic to-” Twilight interjected, only for Xavier to once again interrupt her.

“No magic,” Xavier shook his head, “assume a worst-case scenario. Look, the point is, to the left, is a doctor. You can hear her, she’s moaning. You can hear her drone about how all is lost and she should just let the sea take her. You’ve even got memories of her always being pessimistic, a downer. Now to your right is the oh… the scrub monkey. Her only job is to scrub the deck. She’s older than the doctor, but she is bright, enthusiastic, optimistic. You can hear her too. She’s talking to herself and telling herself she’s going to make it. She’s going to get back to port. She’s going to have a warm meal. Now,” Xaiver raised his finger. “Pick one to save.”

“The doctor is obviously my first pick,” Twilight spoke, hissing with exasperation. “But I’ve played such games before, so you’re going to tell me why that’s the wrong choice.”

Xavier shook his head, “If that’s the case, tell me why your first instinct is wrong.”

Twilight bit her lower lip and thought, “But, the doctor has so much to offer, there’s not much the scrub monkey has…”

“Come on,” Xavier murmured with a light growl. “Remember how I worded it.”

Twilight groaned, then sighed, “Their attitude?”

Xavier shook his head up and down, “A doctor does you no good if she has already accepted death. Imagine making it to an island with few supplies. That’s enough to push her over the edge. She either starts withdrawing or starts to do something horrific. The scrub monkey? The will to fight on, even if death seems inevitable is incredibly valuable.” Xavier lifted his hand, extending a scarred finger and tapping Twilight’s chest. “Survival is more than just living. In us both right now, we have an image of the future. Even if it's just a warm hearth and some cider, that image pushes us forward. But if despair subsumes you Twilight, if you let it drown that image in hopelessness, not only might I die, but you might as well.”

“So,” Twilight’s snout crumpled up, “You’re just… trying to cheer me up? To keep my morale high?”

“Would you prefer that I groan about how we’re all going to die?” Xavier asked.

“Oh, and you were doing a fine job of that yesterday, telling me to leave you if it seems you’re done for,” Twilight turned away with a grunt. “How was that supposed to keep my morale high?”

Xavier shook his head, placing his hand on his forehead for a split second, “S…sunk cost fallacy,” he muttered.

“Sunk cost?” Twilight tilted her head.

Xavier took a deep breath, “Have you ever over committed yourself to something that generated a reward that was not worth what you put into it?”

Twilight leveled her eyes at Xavier, “You are not -”

“I know, I know just… just work with me on this…” exasperation pouring out his voice.

“... A long time ago I was helping with a particular winter wrap up. No magic was permitted beyond usual telekinesis and … the more I helped, the …” Twilight trailed off. “I found my place eventually though, my organization skills came in handy afterwards.”

“But, if you did not move to a more organizational role…”

“Then… I probably would have invested far more effort than it might have been worth… for everypony” she sighed, looking away.

“I am trying to balance the two Twilight. A more cooperative attitude to help you get through this, and,” he let out a pained grunt, “keeping it realistic. So that you don’t spend too long trying to salvage a hopeless situation.”

“And…” Twilight softly spoke, “if we get out of this fine, are you just going to go back to being… you?”

Xavier simply blinked at Twilight, nonplussed, then asked, “Would you prefer me to not be me? There was a reason you initially found me alone, I like my solitude.”

“Thats… that’s not what I,” Twilight paused, then let out a small growl, “Why can’t this also be you?”

“Broken and maimed?” Xavier let out a chuckle that was half a choke. “I think you’d find me poor company if that’s your ideal partner.”

“No, that’s…” Twilight let out a more frustrated growl, then shouted, “Could you please not be purposely obtuse right now?”

Xavier’s breathing slowed, and the jovial features evaporated from his countenance as if something hidden in the mist had finally emerged. He was almost glaring at Twilight now. She recognized this, the same expression he took on when he suffocated that mare next to the stationary store. That same cold countenance in which she could only feel an abyss on the other side. Like a solar eclipse, the cheerful disposition was just absent. Gone. And it gripped her, grabbing her by the ears. She could feel herself breathing heavily as she was locked under his empty stare, her entire body glued in place.

“Is this outcome your desired course?” he asked, the cracked, cheerful tone replaced with a low static.

“I…” Twilight lifted her heavy foreleg up, holding it between her and Xavier, his stare not unlike Fluttershy’s when she was asserting herself.

“I find this state personally undesirable,” Xavier sharply articulated as gravel poured forth from his voice, and his eyes barreling at her, the dark of his pupil gripping her by the throat. “However, if it facilitates your comfort, I will comply.”

Twilight lowered her leg, and gulped, and matched Xavier’s eyes with her own. She straightened herself and spoke, “Dispassion is not what I seek. Speaking honestly with each other is what I want.”

“You do not seek honesty,” Xavier answered mechanically, “You seek affirmation of your desired outcome. You wish to believe the situation can be salvaged. However, you are resistant to processing the available information, which clearly indicates that the probability of success is minimal.”

Twilight looked down, tension consuming her face as her bangs hung towards the ground.

Xavier watched Twilight, then he looked away, his expression softening as he slumped, “Self-delusion… has its advantages too. Both of our ancestors didn’t get as far as they did if they gave up at the first sign of a truly grievous situation… and…” he paused, Twilight picking her head up at the words he offered her, “typically beings like us are… bad at measuring the true odds of a situation… for good reasons.”

Twilight surveyed Xavier as he relaxed back to his normal self, like ice melting in the sun. Little more than a placid lump of flesh that oscillated with every breath. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. And for a while, both just let the other exist.

“How did you do that?” Twilight asked, finally breaking the silence.

Xavier lifted himself up and raised an eye.

“That stare, how did you do that?” Twilight asked. “It felt like you had me in a vice… I have a friend who can do that. Just stare at you and it's like your entire being just… tenses up.”

Xavier blinked, then nodded, “You mean that thing I just did?”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, her head held high.

“What did your friend do for a living?” Xavier asked.

“She was a ranger, took care of the local flora and fauna,” Twilight answered.

Xavier slowly nodded, “That makes sense… The stare I used was the stare of a predator. She,” Xavier adjusted himself, and let out a whimper, “probably -”

“The stare of a what?” Twilight asked.

“Of a predator,” Xavier answered.

“How does that make any kind of sense?” Twilight shook her head.

“Because that’s what ambush predators do…” Xavier answered. He waited for Twilight to respond, only for her to shake her head. “Look,” Xavier said. “Try to imagine some of the earliest ponies Twilight, put yourself in their place. You need to gather supplies and the world is alot less tame for you then it is now. And one of the supplies… are berries from a shrub that grows close to the woods. You trot on over and start picking. And as you pick, you find yourself going deeper and deeper into the shrubs until… you find a pair of eyes staring at you.”

Twilight’s lips pursed for a moment, then she exhaled and nodded, closing her eyes.

“How do you feel?” Xavier asked.

“I don’t…” then Twilight frowned. “Okay… I don’t feel anything… but if I were to play along in earnest, I would be caught off guard at the very least.”

“Right, something has you in its gaze. What do you do next?” he asked. “It does not blink, it does not move. It's just looking at you.”

“I… might just freeze up…” Twilight expressed slowly. “I might try to back up.” Her eyelids tightened as she spoke, “But im worried that if I back up, it might…”

“Good, good… do you ever take your eyes off the pair you found?”

Twilight opened her eyes and quickly said, “No. No, not until I’m well enough away.”

“Good, good because the moment you take your eyes off of whatever this thing is, in a best case scenario it’s something indifferent to you. And in a slightly worse case scenario, it pounces and attacks.”

“Getting pounced is just a little worse?” Twilight exclaimed, halfway laughing.

“It is. It is because you still might survive that, Twilight. In the worst case… you are still staring at this thing in the bushes when your ear’s pivot to your left… or to your right… or if you are really screwed, both ways because while whatever that thing is just looks at you, gripping you with just it’s stare… Its friend’s, whom you didn’t even know were there… moved quietly into position and … attacked.”

Twilight let her mind conjure up images of a simple pounce, then being flanked and in her gut, understood what he was conveying. “You’ve done that before…” she let loose quietly from her lips.

Xavier said nothing as his eyeballs fell to look at the dirt floor, his small nostrils flaring for a split second. With a heave, he finally spoke, “Right… your friend probably discovered from her work as a ranger the same thing we discovered early on when we came over, a stare combined with the inclination to kill can force ponies to, at the very least, take us seriously.”

“So that’s what she found…” Twilight said, blinking her eyes open. “So, her time working with animals… she probably saw a situation or two where one of the predators she cares for was stalking something and saw how effective its stare is…”

Xavier gave a mangled shrug, “And if that is the case, she probably quickly learned she could use it on ponies as well.”

“So, wait…” Twilight’s eyes jumped back and forth. “Are we at anything’s mercy that can just… stare at us the right way?”

Xavier shook his head, “Ponies with strong personalities or who know what to expect can override their instincts on the matter. And there are also those who can catch themselves succumbing to the effects. Then there is the fact that the stare works on gryphons, smaller dragons, humans…”

“Humans?” Twilight nearly gagged. “You’re predators, how would it work on you?”

Xavier let out a sigh, “We are only very recently apex predators Twilight. Very, very recently,” he lifted a finger and lifted his lip showing Twilight his canines. “Stubby and small, no? Compared to a dragon or a Diamond Dog at least…”

Twilight blinked, “So it’s a holdover from your ancestors?”

“You could say that…” Xavier answered. “And don’t think an unprepared human wouldn’t also be affected by a pony giving them that stare Twilight. Though, depending on who you used it on… it might be perceived as more a challenge then a threat… a sort of meeting aggression with aggression strategy.”

Twilight fell deep into thought, glancing at the ground before Xavier spoke up, “Right, go ahead and practice on me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Go ahead and give me your best stare,” he said, shifting himself on the floor.

“I mean,” Twilight gave out a nervous laugh, “Why?”

“Well, if you’re going to go out into the forest, if you can give a good and proper stare… you might be able to use it to get dangerous animals to back off.”

“I don’t think-”

Xavier’s face fell into cold dispassion, then coughed, “You need every tool I can give you. Since we are on the subject, this is one of them,” Xavier said.

“Do you really think that I’ll actually need it?” Twilight asked, raising an eye.

“Better to have and not need than need and not have” Xavier answered, the morning ambiance finally creeping into the day proper.

“Don’t scrunch your snout,” Xavier said. “That’s displaying anger. That’s displaying discomfort. They are not a factor in your decision to cause me grievous injury. You are giving me your undivided attention, letting me know that you are at an infinitesimal point where one wrong move on my part may result in a fight I cannot win.”

Twilight broke her gaze and rolled her eyes, “This is asinine…”

“Tell that to a charging moose,” Xavier’s face stretched with annoyance. “Yes, It’s a frantic low chance last-ditch effort not to get gored, but you might just convince it to fuck off then risk facing your horn.”

“I think this hypothetical moose would win without my magic,” Twilight’s lip curled with exasperation.

Xavier groaned, “Yeah, maybe… Or maybe you’re getting charged by the right moose on the right day who’s just not interested in rolling the dice on a purple quadruped who’s standing her ground. Now, one more time.”

Twilight’s nostrils flared, as she shook her head, and with a groan, turned to face Xavier. She forced her face to take on a far more neutral stance, and just focused her Amethyst eyes into the human’s emerald irises. Her ears slowly folded as she held her gaze for a few moments before turning away and blurting out, “Why do I feel like my little brother when I don’t get something I want?”

“Little bro- oh yeah… you do have a little brother, don’t you? Or a son…?” Xavier mumbled.

“A son?!” Twilight’s ears shot up. “He is not my son!”

Xavier blinked, “You would know better.”

“Yeah, I would,” Twilight grumbled. She looked down and grit her teeth, “Though… none of the heard mothers helped take care of him…”

Xavier watched Twilight; her ears tilted simply towards the ground. Xavier took a deep breath, then just nodded, “Go on.”

Twilight lifted her head at her Ritter, then stretched her lips. A frown flashed before she looked away, “When Spike was born, I was still a filly. My brother was still being trained in the royal guard and, unbeknownst to me, being courted by Princess Cadence. Cadence, while I have no doubt would have helped me if she could… was being inducted into the ways of unicorn magic.”

Xavier looked to the bottom right corner of his eyes, “Wait, she had to undergo training?” Then he rocked his head to the right, “That tracks.”

Twilight nodded, “Cadence was a pegasus when she ascended. Unlike me and the rest of the unicorn tribe, because she had already lived most of her life without the gift of true magic, she had to be trained from the bottom up.”

“I see,” Xavier nodded, “Normally baby unicorns would be trying to magically move around what they could almost out of instinct,” Xavier said.

“How did you kno –“

Xavier pointed at the bandage across the cut on his face with his own wrapped arms, “These wouldn’t exist if not to serve some kind of purpose.”

“Right… So, you already know that it’s to help keep young unicorns magic under control, especially if they are in a family without any unicorns themselves. But, you can’t keep wrappings on a baby unicorns horns all the time, you absolutely have to give such a young unicorn time to explore what they can do with magic,” Twilight said.

“So… They can learn how to simply do the bare basics…”

“Exactly, and unfortunately, Princess Cadence never had any of this. For me, or any other unicorns on the street, simply picking something up like a small rock and putting it down with our magic is incredibly easy, no more difficult than lifting a hoof. But for her, the concept that she could even do it was kind of… Well, I won’t say beyond her. She eventually was able to do the bare basics that any unicorn could do… But she always fell back on how she did things before she ascended,” Twilight elucidated.

Xavier’s head bounced from side to side before he responded, “That also tracks…”

“…tracks?” Twilight asked.

Xavier blinked, shook his head then nodded, “Yes… Of course… uh…” He trailed off for a second, shaking his head again before finally continuing, “To have lived all your life without the ability to…” He tumbled over his own words for seconds before freezing. Twilight watched his eyelids clamping shut, then his neck craned awkwardly, “What I mean to say is, to suddenly have access to something so revolutionary… I wouldn’t be surprised if she still has a strong preference for doing things the way she used to before she gained magic…”

Twilight nodded, “You’re right, when she could, she always used her mouth to do basic things like picking a quill off the ground, but she got better.”

“Unlike say, you who went through those growing pains with the expectation that you would use magic accidentally…” Xavier said.

“Yeah, you’re right about that. As of foal, I had incredible leeway to well… Mess up. But I also didn’t exactly have the strength to accidentally break a toy in two,” Twilight said, giving a glance at Xavier.

“Did you ever teach Cadence?” Xavier asked. “I couldn’t imagine a better teacher.”

“You can’t imagine a better teacher?” Twilight let out a short, amused snort.

Xavier adjusted himself, “I read somewhere that to be given a single lesson by the Element of Magic is more illuminating then 10 years of sheer practice…”

“I can promise you,” Twilight said politely, standing up, “even I know that’s an exaggeration.”

“I think you give yourself too little credit,” Xavier answered as he watched Twilight round the extinguished campfire.

“And I think you’re just trying to keep my spirits high,” Twilight said giving a narrow look at Xavier. “And will say anything you need to in order to try and help me in your own weird little way.”

“So that’s it,” Xavier exhaled. “I try to be supportive after you save my life, and it’s seen as manipulation… fucking Christ” he groaned, turning away and staring up at the roots overhead. “Is that how you originally envisioned your relationship with the hypothetical pony you should have been bonded to? A pony that manipulates you? Is that what you are expecting?”

Twilight narrowed her brow, “Maybe if you had been more cordial since the start and didn’t run away, we would have gotten off on a better hoof.” Twilight blinked for a second, then slowly turned to face the human, “Why… did you run away?”

Xavier’s face stretched, “You…. Don’t know?”

Twilight simply looked at Xavier in silence.

“I,” Xavier hacked up a cough, “know better than to stay put somewhere while being under the effects of something strange.”

“Oh… Something he picked up during your war days, huh?” Twilight said with a slight snide.

Xavier looked up at Twilight, and with the same cold efficiency he had before simply stated, “Yes.”

Twilight’s head jerked back for a second, watching as the human quickly returned to his normal countenance.

“We don’t have magic where I come from Twilight, remember?” he said, his expression now far more muddled. “When something strange happens, when your bedroll is suddenly glued to the floor, or the campfire suddenly goes out, or someone notices no one is leaving footprints, or a knife is suddenly hovering meters away from you? You don’t just shrug and just accept it. You run or find cover and assume you’re currently engaged with some magic effect that just might kill you. Because the only thing worse than seeing these sorts of things happening is realizing it’s probably some perfidiarius using magic you only have the context you just witnessed to try and determine what is going on, why, and how to counter or negate it. So yes, that’s where I picked it up from. Saved my life on more than one occasion.”

Twilight turned away for a moment, frowning. But then her forehead wrinkled a bit and asked, “So, does magic affect you or not?”

Xavier’s head jerked up as he looked at Twilight with confusion.

“From what I understand,” Twilight continued, “magic doesn’t affect you. However, the fact that you can respond to heart song, implies that you in fact do.”

“It’s a bit of a long explanation,” Xavier leaned back a bit. “But I suppose you’ll need some sort of explanation. But before we start, have you heard about our ship of Theseus?”

“Ship of Theseus?” Twilight raised an eye.

“I guess not, the quick summary of it, is that it simply asks the question: If you take a ship, and replace every part of that ship with an equivalent part, is it still the same ship?”

Twilight looked down for a moment and pursed her lips, “You mean like Dutchess Mindful Meadow’s Wall?”

It was now Xavier’s turn to stare at Twilight, befuddlement sweeping his face.

“Maybe you have heard of the Grand Wall of Canteroy?”

“Ah,” Xavier finally nodded. “Just to make sure we’re talking about the same thing, explain it to me.”

Twilight started, “The Grand Wall of Canteroy is built on the order of the Dutchess to protect the city from the Argneighs. Over decades, attacks, wear and tear demand that the wall be repaired over and over again. When no original brick remains, is it still the wall that Dutchess Mindful Meadow ordered built? Later, because of how beloved Mindful Meadow is, each part of the wall that was destroyed or worn over time is stored away in a vault to be preserved and venerated. But magic is discovered that can rebuild and restore that original wall from the saved parts that were stored away. So, if it’s rebuilt, which wall is the true Grand Wall of Canteroy?”

“Good, good. We have a baseline to discuss Magic’s effect on humans now. However, one last question,” Xavier rolled his head. “Do you know anything about our theory of atoms?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Hmmm...” Xavier mumbled for a moment, then looked back at Twilight, “If I were to take a rock, and repeatedly divided by half, would I reach a point where I can’t divide anymore?”

“Yes," Twilight said with the snap, “Quirk Glitter proposed such a hypothesis about 60 years ago and evidence has accrued to the point that our scientists and spellcasters operate under the assumption that were all made of tiny spheres or clouds called Clorb Theory. Though if I recall… last I heard at least, they think it’s tiny smears now…”

“Clorb?” Xavier mumbled.

“It’s a portmanteau of cloud and orb. When I was in Canterlot, there was debate on if the fundamental units of matter were basically all spheres or more like clouds or smears. I don’t remember the exact details, but I had my head in studying magic at the time,” Twilight explained.

Xavier gave Twilight a confused look for a moment before saying, “Wait, I’m confused, wouldn’t Celst-…” then the human froze, and shook his head with a practiced laziness, “You know what, not now, never mind.” Xavier swallowed as he watched Twilight return a confused look. “Right, so what you called clorb theory, we call atomic theory. The fundamental conceit for both is that you can’t just subdivide a piece of matter, at some point you will reach an indivisible unit of matter that, if you subdivide it yet again, whatever remains is simply not matter as we would define it.” Xavier then let out an exhausted sigh, “Now that I know we’re working off the same conceits, I can explain how magic operates on humans.”

Twilight’s ears raised, angling forward as she focused on the wounded human.

“It’s not humans that are immune to magic. It’s the matter that we are composed of that is,” Xavier nodded his head up and down.

Twilight didn’t move for a few moments, blinking and looking left and right, before finally, like a dam bursting open, asked, “That… Okay, no, but…” Xavier said nothing as Twilight’s eyes widened, “So that explains a lot. During the riot, I saw a human-mare take a stunning spell to the back and be unfazed. But when I turned your binding spell against you…”

“Precisely,” Xavier coughed. “If the woman was a tourist, she may have been breathing this universe’s air, and eating this universe’s is food, and drinking this universe’s is water, but if she’s only been here a short while, she would not be composed of enough of what you call ‘orb clouds’ from this side to be affected by magic. Her clothes would also offer her some protection depending on the spell and other properties it entails. I, however, was wearing clothing that, while designed for humans, was constructed from matter from this universe. Furthermore, I’m not fully ‘saturated’ yet.”

“Saturated?”

Xavier nodded, “Our term for when a being reaches the point of having replaced enough of its native matter with matter from this universe.”

“And if what you told me about clothing is correct, would imply that… Even if our magic doesn’t affect your matter, our matter still affects your matter…” Twilight nodded.

“Exactly,” Xavier said. “A human that is completely unsaturated, wearing clothes from my universe would probably simply be unaffected. But your matter still does, so you could just telekinetically throw something instead, or if you were feeling particularly insidious, cast a spell on something adjacent to me and watch the fire works.”

“So… When you’re made of only some of the matter of our universe, and some of the matter from your universe… Magic only partially affects you?” Twilight asked.

“Now we’re getting into territory that I’m not too sure about. But, I think I can at least point some things out,” Xavier said. “First, if your magic only affects one element, and no other, the only percentage that really matters is how much of a percentage of that element is in our bodies. Normally, it would take us a few weeks to lose such immunity, but there is a reason that we can be affected by specific types of magic earlier…”

Twilight blinked and then blurted out, “Air!”

Xavier nodded, “So you know oxygen affects the brain…”

“Of course I do,” Twilight blurted out incredulously, “so the effects you gain from singing…”

“Would begin in only a matter of seconds or minutes we started breathing your universe’s air,” Xavier nodded. “Each general type of magic has its own timeframe with regards to the point that we can start being impacted by their full effects. That said,” Xavier adjusted himself, “it seems that we don’t need a hundred percent of our matter to be fully replaced with matter from this universe to become fully susceptible to magic. We’re not sure why, but somewhere between 70 and 85% of being composed of this universe’s is matter is the point at which we effectively lose our initial immunity.”

“Does it…” Twilight paused and gulped for a second, lowering her head and folding her ears back, “does it feel any different?”

Xavier shook his head, “There are some who claim they can feel the difference, but even I’ve got to call bullshit on that.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose, then asked, “Do you know how much you’re composed of now?”

Xavier shook his head, “No, during my first time here, I was here long enough to become fully saturated as we say. But then I went back for awhile and well… since some atoms take longer to be replaced, and others get replaced very quickly, I couldn’t give you an answer off the top of my head.”

“Well, can you guess?” Twilight asked.

“Guess?” Xavier turned his eyes at Twilight and raised an eye.

“Yeah, guess,” she simply said.

Xavier glanced down, and his fingers started flicking, back and forth like worms after a storm, trying to escape the rain when he suddenly froze, “50 percent.”

“Alright, you just picked that because its halfway,” Twilight muttered as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

“You asked me to make a guess…”

“An educated guess.”

“You never said anything about an educated guess.”

“It’s what I implied.”

“It’s what you assumed. Your statement didn’t convey any implied meaning.”

Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes, “Again, being purposely obtuse.”

“Would you prefer me to be purposely acute?” Xavier answered with his eyes at the crux of starting their own roll.

“Please take this seriously,” Twilight grunted.

“I am, I’m guessing 50 percent because I’m willing to wager that most of the water that comprises my body hasn’t fully rotated out yet, I mean with the blood loss, that will probably be sooner than that. Of course there are other chemicals like calcium and whatnot that would take years to fully cycle through, but in my case, given my time here already, I would honestly assume that I would just need the remaining water in my body to come from this side to enter into a state of saturation,” Xavier answered.

Twilight turned and muttered, “Honestly, speaking of all the blood you lost, I wouldn’t be surprised if just a few gulps of water were enough to push you into what you call ‘saturation’.”

“Speaking of blood loss,” Xavier let out a haggard cough. “What exactly was that thing that tried to kill me?”

“It’s a Unneb,” Twilight answered as she turned and started sorting the supplies. “As you already figured out, they prey on Phoenix and their eggs.” Twilight froze, then turned to Xavier, “Before you ask, yes they do eat other animals. But they will always aim to pray on Phoenix’s first.”

“Well, well, well,” Xavier let out a soft chortle, “one of my many old questions is finally answered.”

Twilight raised an eye at Xavier, “About how the Phoenix population is stymied?”

“Indeed,” Xavier nodded. “I saw one or two in the distance a few times during my travels but never up close and personal. And there were other things to worry about, so it was a question that I never got back to.”

“Do you have many questions like that? That you just ask and shove aside?”

“One can’t always focus on everything; it would be a sisyphean task.”

“Sisyphean?” Twilight cocked her head.

“Sorry, a task that cannot be completed.”

“I got it from the context,” Twilight said with a light chuckle, “I meant where did that metaphor come from?”

“Oh,” Xavier adjusted himself. “It’s from a myth about a king who tricks a pantheon of gods in such a heinous way that they punish him to roll a rock up a hill or mountainside for all eternity.”

Twilight said nothing as she looked up thoughtfully, then asked, “So, does that mean that once he gets so far, the rock falls back down to the start? Or is it an infinitely tall slope and he can only keep pushing? And if it’s the latter, are there spots he can rest the rock?”

“I… I don’t know?” Xavier looked left and right for a moment, “I’ve never thought about it that deeply. And I don’t particularly remember a version of the story where they go to details about the task, though, at least it was implied that he never got to rest.”

Twilight cleared her throat, “Well, not to be rude but that’s an important part of the story, isn’t it? You could argue that farmers are performing such a task. They infinitely plow fields and harvest crops but because they have some measurement of success, they don’t consider the task impossible.”

Xavier blinked, glanced to his left and nodded, “But the farmer’s end goal isn’t to farm an infinite amount of plants, its simply to maximize seasonal yields and profit.”

“True, but still, most farmers don’t have a terminal time or yield at which point they just unshackle themselves from their plows and announced to the world that they’re done, right?” Twilight slightly turned her head, appraising Xavier like Rarity would a gemstone or a bolt of cloth.

“Depends on the farmer I would assume,” Xavier answered. “Perhaps some are magpies as you say and would prefer to move on to other things. Or perhaps they’re ponies that only farm to ensure that they can-” Xavier stopped in midsentence, “hang on, is there a term for the opposite of a pony that you would call a magpie? One that wants to perform its talents, but is prevented for some reason?”

Twilight looked up for a moment, “we have a few, ‘bridled hearts’, ‘thwarted dreamers’, ‘Silkworms’.”

Xavier raised an eye, “‘Silkworms’?”

“I don’t exactly understand the history of the term,” Twilight said. “But if I understand correctly, it’s because the silk that silkworms make was never their true talent.”

“Their true talent being?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Twilight blinked. “Grow fat and become moths.”

“Oh,” Xavier mumbled.

“There are many ponies with, for lack of a better term, less than prosocial talents. Artists for example are important during times of great abundance, but when there’s a famine, we really need them out on the fields harvesting, or in the woods gathering,” Twilight answered.

“I see,” Xavier exhaled. “Without community survival, there’s no community to begin with…”

“Indeed,” Twilight answered.

Xavier glanced away and looked up at the roots overhead. “Speaking of community survival, on the Unneb,” Xavier swallowed. “Since you know about them, how does your kind normally deal with them?”

Twilight simply blinked, once, then twice before she said, “We don’t.”

Xavier raised an eye at Twilight.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Twilight groaned, then looked away.

“Ponies, dragons, and griffins should have come up with something…”

Twilight looked down, took in a deep breath, and spoke, “My first encounter with them was in a story. I was mildly curious and followed up by an encyclopedic reading on them. You must understand,” Twilight swallowed before continuing, “They are one of the very few non-monstrous creatures that we abandon land over.”

Xavier turned to Twilight, watching the mare take in another deep breath before she continued.

“Even with an Ursa Major or a Bugbear, a farmer would go to the community for help, and in the hinterlands at least, an Ursa Major that strayed too near the land ponies worked would be marked for… removal, and volunteers would be rounded up because no sane pony would tackle one by themselves. It’s not something those communities want to do, but it’s a necessity to ensure everypony’s safety.”

“The Unneb however,” Twilight looked up at Xavier, her purple eyes staring into his green ones, “We don’t often have to mess with them, but the Unneb have been known to… carry grudges. On the odd chance that a farmer saw one near their property, they would simply work at getting evidence that one was nearby. Then they would submit the evidence to the Township, who would submit the evidence to the kingdom proper. The farmer would be compensated, and the property declared off-limits for 10 years.”

Xavier looked away, his eyes darting left and right before returning to Twilight’s face.

“In one instance, there was a pair of guardmares who killed a juvenile Unneb. It was a very, very long time ago, and as far as the reports say, it was an accident. Apparently, it had wandered into town and the guardmares were simply trying to herd it back into the woods. The town didn’t have an assigned ranger, so they did their best. But the report says it attacked them, and, being guardmares who didn’t want to be accidentally mauled by it, broke it’s neck with a clean buck. But after that, things got worse,” Twilight carefully spoke. “A lot worse.”

Xavier’s face fell into a frown.

“It’s mob pretty much declared war on the town. But it wasn’t just the fact that the birds went to war over the juvenile, it was the cruelty that came with it. One report had an instance of a pony crying out for help near a road where both sides were arched with large trees. The other ponies of course, rush to rescue it only for one of the ponies to realize something was wrong. The victim was out in the open, its rear legs dragged behind it as the pony was pulling himself with his front legs. That’s when one of the mares realized it was a trap.”

“… They laid a trap?”

Twilight nodded, “Soon, the guardmares appeared and were able to rescue that poor stallion while dealing with the Unneb who were in the trees waiting to ambush any would be rescuers. As he was recovering from his injuries, he explained that he had been ambushed while collecting berries in the forest. Two Unneb held him down while a third Unneb,” Twilight began to carefully enunciate, “carefully punctured his spine.”

Xavier blinked over and over again, then turned away, unfocused for a moment before turning back to Twilight.

“You must realize Xavier,” Twilight let out a exhale before continuing, “most creatures that do not speak are generally either animals, or monsters. But even in those two groups, there’s a feeling that lashing out is only an act to ensure their survival, or their progeny’s survival. But what that Unneb did was nothing short of cruelty. A group of them targeted a stallion that was uninvolved with the death of that juvenile, inflicted grievous injuries on him while keeping him alive, then used him as bait hoping to snag another lonesome pony trying to do their best to save a member of the community.”

Xavier kept silent as he nodded.

“After much deliberation, and a few more incidents, the town could no longer let it continue and made an official plea for help to Canterlot. But after sending some Rangers, investigators and members of the magic corps, it was decided that the town would be ordered to evacuate.”

“Evacuate?” Xavier raised an eye.

“By then, the attacks had escalated. Of course, nopony was proud of it. But Canterlot could see that the escalation of the Unneb was becoming untenable, as they had started using fires that ponies left burning to light branches, and in turn, used them to start setting homes ablaze,” Twilight answered.

“I see,” Xavier nodded

“That said, of course, that wasn’t the only strange thing about the reports I read,” Twilight said. “Normal protocol back then dictates that the wildlife Rangers get called in. Normally, they would assess the situation and attempt a peaceful resolution of some nature. They were called in, but not authorized to act. And next, the Pegasai Defense Forces filed an official objection, as they had not even been given the chance to try and fight back. There were also… other organizations that normally would have been deployed, but Celestia overruled them and placed a 75 year moratorium on populating the area.”

“75 years!?” Xavier coughed out. “That's three generations, exactly how long do those things live?”

“If I had to wager,” Twilight said, “40 years at most.”

“So,” Xavier’s fingers started flickering, “if we assume that the youngest bird among them was only say, five years old, that would give about double time to die off of other causes…” Xavier mumbled. “But the fact that she just declared that area barred from habitation, and if Celestia has experience with them, perhaps she knows that trying to fight back is not worth the effort?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “Honestly I think that because the town was in the hinterlands, it wasn’t seen as a Township to waste resources like that over when it would be easier to just rehome the inhabitants and let the creatures win since it looks like they would just forget about the entire thing decades later.”

Xavier let out a chuckle, “Victory by generational forgetfulness, that’s actually quite clever if you have the time to burn... Still, I can’t imagine the ponies of the town just accepted it.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight repeated. “That’s as far as I read into it. She ordered the evacuation and compensation of the landed ponies. And that was that.”

“Still,” Xavier shook his head. “Something’s off about that. I mean,” Xavier glanced up at Twilight and spoke very slowly, “For some pony as… Powerful as Celestia, one might think that such a concession implies an inability to handle it…”

Twilight rolled a glare over at Xavier, “She has bigger things to worry about than some town on the hinterlands.” Twilight adjusted herself up, taking a regal position before continuing, “Excluding her daily duties, she has an entire nation to manage, and celestial affairs to oversee.”

“But it was enough to get her attention and-” Xavier stopped, snorted out his nose and said, “no, you’re right.”

After a long pause, Twilight said “I am?”

Xavier said nothing as he let gravity pull down on him, letting the early morning cool air wash over him.

Twilight sauntered over and let her front knees fold atop her sleeping bag next to Xavier. His eyes were closed and he breathed slowly. Lifting a hoof, she tapped it against the human’s shoulder, who answered with a lazy flutter of his eyelids.

“You’re not done,” Twilight said.

Xavier looked up at Twilight, and let out a mangled, “Egh?”

“You’re not done, you were going to say something,” Twilight answered.

Xavier shook his head, “No, I concede the point. I was going to argue that if it was enough to get her attention, she might be inclined to actually do something but… I have no clue as to what kind of bureaucratic system is set up.”

Twilight gulped, then fell on her front knees. Letting the rest of her body follow her to the ground, she slowly shuffled close to Xavier. Then with an exhale, leaned herself against the human, who only watched.

“Taking the initiative?” Xavier mumbled.

“Taking my prize,” Twilight answered, leaning more of her weight into the human.

He grunted, and adjusted, while she too adjusted until finally both parties were still. Then Xavier lifted his arm with a hollow grace and started stroking the side of Twilight’s cheek.

“Why do you do that?” Twilight asked.

“Do what?”

“Rub me like that,” she softly growled.

Xavier wiggled a bit before saying, “You won’t like the answer.”

“Don’t tell me it’s more morale boosting,” Twilight verbally nipped.

Xavier took a deep breath before answering, “It’s how we express affection.”

“It is? So, it is more of your morale boosting nonsense…”

“It’s how we express affection… to pets,” Xavier answered bemoaningly.

Twilight jerked her head away from the human and his hand with indignity plastered across her face, “A pet? That’s what you boiled me down to? A pet?”

Xavier shook his head, “You have fur. I’ve been around cats and dogs most of my life, they’ve trained me well.”

Twilight blinked then let out a snort, “Trained you well?” She blurted out before catching herself mid laugh.

“It’s true,” Xavier said. “It was the cats that did most of the training you know, the dogs would also look at me with confusion when they would saddle up next to me and not at least receive a head pat.”

Twilight couldn’t help herself, more giggles erupted from her lungs, “So that’s what I should’ve done from the start, just straddle up to you and keep quiet and you’ll start touching me huh?”

A smile creeped across Xavier’s face, prying his lips upwards, “Oh, so now you’re going to embrace the pet term? What happened to that mortification I heard before.”

“Well, if pets can have enough station in your mind to train you, maybe you’re the pet,” Twilight letting loose a smile.

“I don’t suppose,” Xavier took a moment to take a deep breath, “you have the same jokes about cats as we do?”

“Which is?”

“We’re the pets, and they tolerate our existence.”

“Oh my stars,” Twilight looked up. “You have no idea.”

Both Twilight and Xavier let out a laugh, only for Xavier’s to be cut short by a slash of pain. As Xavier caught himself, pacing his deep breaths, Twilight lowered her head before looking over to Xavier, “You don’t actually see me as a pet, do you?”

Xavier shook his head, “Given my situation here, I fully admit that I’m more the pet than you are right now.”

“But your stroking of me,” Twilight reeled her head back a little.

“As I said, it’s…” Xavier let out a small cough. “Something I’ve learned to the point of instinct.”

Twilight’s eyes wavered to and fro for a moment before she looked back over at Xavier and asked, “I would,” her words stuck in her throat for a moment before she forced it out, “appreciate it if you were to continue to stroke me.”

Xavier opened his eyes, catching Twilight looking away from him except for a single glance. Reaching out, he began to stroke her cheek.

Twilight slowly laid her weight into the human once more, “I don’t suppose you could try behind my ears, could you?”

Xavier froze and lifted his hand, “First time I’ve ever gotten this kind of feedback before.” His hand hovered towards Twilight’s left ear and began to softly stroke behind it.

“Harder,” Twilight growled. “It feels like you’re tickling.”

Xavier’s hand followed her instructions and began to scratch instead. Twilight’s jaw loosened as her eyes slammed shut and almost rolled to the back of her head. She tried to say something, but she couldn’t. It was almost like he was scratching an itch that had always been there, and always beyond reach before now.

Finally, the words poured out, “Oh Elysium, that’s the spot.”

She leaned her head towards his scratching, his thin nails digging beneath her fur and mane. Twilight’s eyes kept pushing to the back of her skull as a blanket of relaxation enveloped her. She adjusted her head and let out a grunt as Xavier continued. Soon, however, he stopped as Twilight was slowly lulled out of her trance, gazing at the floor, simply feeling Xavier’s presence near her. Once more she shuffled towards him and simply leaned her head against his chest.

After the brief sojourn, Twilight began her work for the day, starting with checking Xavier’s wounds. The bleeding had slowed significantly now. Several of the bandages only absorbed a yellowish color. Caution still gripped Twilight’s hind, so she still went through the pouring of alcohol into each wound, Xavier writhing each time.

Afterwards, Twilight helped Xavier adjust his position so that he was hunched over, freeing both of his hands to help in preparing the cattails that Twilight had harvested. As she went to drag more firewood in for the night, Xavier started by peeling off the outerlayer of the plants, and using the stubby knife, scraping slime from each of the plants into one of the small, expandable bowls from his pack.

“What’s with this sticky stuff?” Xavier grumbled, grabbing another cattail from the stack.

Twilight grunted as she pulled in a long branch, then dropped it into the pile, “Don’t just clean it off, put it in the bowl. We can use it for your wounds.”

Xavier froze, his knife skidding to a stop atop the plant as he raised an eye at Twilight, “And you know this because…”

“Zecora,” Twilight answered, pushing the branch parallel with the other sticks. She then tossed a glance over at Xavier, “are you going to throw a fit?”

“So, you did learn a thing or two,” Xavier answered as he finished scraping the plant in front of him and sliding the blade against the bowl, leaving the clear slime behind.

Twilight groaned as she glared at Xavier, “More flak?”

Xavier shook his head, grabbing another plant and peeling it, “Not from me.”

Twilight’s eyes softened as she turned away and began rearranging the sticks she had brought for the fire, “It has antiseptic properties, it should also help with the pain. Anyways,” Twilight glanced over at the box holding the alcohol, “We’ve already used a lot keeping your wounds clean to begin with.”

“In my bag,” Xavier said, cattail in hand, “there should be a small blue box with a bottle in it that has an orange cap. It’s iodine, and if we run out of alcohol, we can use that in a pinch I think.”

“Hmmm,” Twilight pursed her lips. “I’m guessing we’ll probably have to prepare it?”

Xavier nodded, “Yeah, but I honestly don’t know how. Or even if it’s a good idea. Just a vague memory of iodine being used as disinfectant. But, if things come to worse, it might be a decent last resort.”

“I still think that the cattails slime would be better once we’ve ensured that your wounds won’t burst open at the seams so to speak,” Twilight lightly turned her head to Xavier. “If I could use my horn, I would’ve been able to sew you up. My lips don’t have the control that an earth pony has.”

“Using one’s teeth to sew seems like a dangerous proposition,” Xavier said.

Twilight said, “Earth ponies make do. On occasion you might catch one in the hinterlands or boonies with decolorated spots around their lips, that’s where it’s from. Unicorns have always been the better ponies when it came to manipulating small, delicate things, well,” Twilight looked up at the ring around her horn, “When we can use magic that is.”

Xavier nodded, scraping more slime into the bowl.

Twilight glanced over, watching Xavier continued to scrape slime into the bowl with a practiced efficiency, “Out of curiosity, can you taste with those?”

Xavier looked up, a puzzled expression swept over his face, “My hands?”

Twilight nodded.

Xavier shook his head, “Thankfully no, but there are certain textures that, well, feel off for lack of a better term.”

Twilight looked over to her completed firewood pile and quickly shifted her eyes towards Xaiver before slowly sauntering over to him. Her eyes watching his blunt claws repeat the motion of exposing the tender part of the cattail, then clean off the slime with the blade he held.

“You obviously can’t slash at things with those…” Twilight said, taking a seat in front of the human.

“Well,” Xavier let out a sound that was somewhere between a whine and a grunt, “If we shape our nails and file them just right, we can, but,” he scraped some slime into a bowl, and held the knife out in front of him, his hand encasing the handle in front of Twilight. “No need to when you can just grasp a knife that is always sharp and far more durable than any nail.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she studied the hand grasping the knife in front of her, “Some dragons can also do that, as with some griffins, but the way their talons are curved, they must grasp delicately. But your limbs obviously allow you variation… and your dexterity allows you to emulate the sort of magic my tribe can do.”

Xavier nodded, “Right, but the real secret sauce is using the tools you have to make better tools and using those tools to make better tools.”

Twilight looked up at him, “So you would use a knife to make a sharper knife? I mean I guess that could work…”

Xavier shook his head, “Close, think of it like this.” He put the knife down before he started, “Remember when you asked me about what kinds of magic you would need to enchant a door that opens on its own?”

Twilight nodded.

“We aggregate small tools to either combine them to make a new tool, or we use these tools to design a better tool,” Xavier answered.

“Like a dropforge?” Twilight asked.

“The one Earth Ponies who smith use to hammer metals?” Xavier asked.

Twilight once more nodded, “Earth ponies have to do a lot of work to build one. But you have to start out with the stone chipped into the shapes they need, several wheels and wooden cogs, some leather belts imported from griffins, and after spending weeks assembling the forge, it lets them smith metals in teams of two, one to run in the wheel to lift the stone hammer, and the more experienced of the two to adjust and turn the slab of metal to whatever specifications they’re aiming for. Typically, the first thing a dropforge will make is a new metal hammer for the dropforge itself and they will spend the first few months replacing it bit by bit with metal parts forged from the forge itself.”

Xavier returned the nod, “That’s a good example. Though I’m surprised smithing is a craft not dominated by Unicorns…”

Twilight shook her head, “Earth ponies have always had a need for metal. Especially on farms.”

Xavier whispered to himself, “Shoes…”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, catching his word. “Shoes, ploughs, and other equipment of course. And while there are some Unicorn smiths, they are far more specialized. Much of the armor produced during the war was manufactured by Earth Ponies who expanded their dropforges with water wheels. Though to be honest, this caused a lot of issue when Sombra weakened magic, since Pegasi couldn’t control the weather anymore, some of the rivers never flowed quite right again…”

“Why was that?” Xavier asked.

Twilight turned to Xavier, shooting him a quizzical look.

“Magic, before we arrived, we understood it had been weakened somehow, but we never got any details…”

“I… I honestly don’t know…” Twilight trailed off before her eyes focused towards the tip of her snout. “The proper kind of magic that I can do without this stupid ring was foal’s play. But after whatever Sombra did, if you were a member of the magic corps or one well trained in the horned arts, much of what we could do suddenly either became too strenuous to be used reliably or outright impossible.” Twilight lifted her eyes to Xavier, “I used to be able to teleport you know.”

“As in going from point A to point B without being able to draw a line between the two points?” Xavier asked.

Twilight nodded, “Exactly. But now it just refuses to work for lack of a better word. I still remember the flow of how it went, the state of focus but… -”

Then, a bellow rang from the forest. Twilight twisted her body to face the entrance by instinct. She kept her eyes locked at the hole leading to their sanctuary when another bellow ripped through the air, shaking the ground. And then, a final bellow, louder than the first two.

Both Xavier and Twilight stared at the entrance. They kept their eyes tight, not budging a single millimeter.

Soon, silence grew in the gnarled hole of roots and earth as the wind rustled outside, and the rays of the sun danced among the trees.

Many Years Ago

The painted blues of the night sky stretched before both mother and daughter. The sound of leaves dancing echoed far behind the two as they sat out in the field. The stars twinkled, each one at their own pace, their own rhythm while the moon’s own arch was laying to its side on the canvas of the night.

Twilight Velvet pursed her lips back and forth before starting, “Sparkle sweetie, we need to talk about the three kinds of monsters.”

Twilight looked up at her mom and raised an eye, “why would I ever face a monster?”

“Because, monsters won’t always give you the opportunity to avoid them,” Twilight Velvet said. “Among other things…”

Twilight Sparkle stood still as she listened to her mother start.

“The first of these monsters are the ones you know well. They are the ones who chase you. You’ve heard them in many stories, and, thankfully, your body knows just what to do most the time.”

“Which is?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Runaway of course. But such monsters are easy to find because they are after you. The other two types are far more insidious,” Twilight Velvet said. “The second kind is the kind that hides in plain sight. What’s dangerous about them is that you could be walking past them and never know they were there.”

“Like an ant lion?” Twilight Sparkle interjected.

Twilight Velvet froze, turned to her daughter and gave a wide grin, “Exactly! How did you-?”

“I’ve been reading from Busy Bee’s guide to insects,” Twilight Sparkle answered without looking up.

Twilight Velvet nodded, “And a very good example that is. For you see Twilight, with the first kind of monster, you can try and run away, and there’s a very good chance you could. But your chances of surviving an encounter with the monster of the second sort is all the much lower. For, as in the antlion’s case, the ant has already fallen into the pit and escape is far from guaranteed.”

“So the first kind chases you, and the second kind you stumble onto, the third kind is… You’re chasing them?”

“Indeed,” Twilight Velvet shot a smile at Twilight Sparkle. “Tell me, in your readings, have you come across anything called the Honey Panda?”

Twilight Sparkle shook her head.

“In the hinterlands, for the mares who find their calling in apiculture, domesticated bees don’t fare well there. So they have to… Improvise.” Twilight Velvet trailed off.

“How?”

“It’s rather simple really,” Twilight Velvet said, “they have to use the indigenous bee population. But finding such bees is a far more difficult task then you might assume.”

Twilight Sparkle tilted her head at her mom.

“To solve this, some forests in the hinterlands will, if the mare is lucky, have a creature known as a Honey Panda. And finding Honey Pandas isn’t difficult. And since a Honey Pandas diet is primarily honey, they have the forest well memorized and know where to go precisely to find honey.”

“Which means they know where the bees are at,” Twilight nodded.

“Exactly! But, unfortunately for the Honey Panda, despite having all the tools of a predator, they don’t have the instincts of one. In fact, there are plenty in the forest that would eat them up for lunch.”

“Well, that’s good then,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Oh no, not at all,” Twilight Velvet shook her head. “For you see, when a mare in such a place discovers her talent is beekeeping, she must, like a predator, stalk and follow the Honey Panda. For if they know initially that they are being followed, they won’t go to the beehives out of an abundance of caution. So, the mare must track them, and stalk them like a predator might do to pray. And the real danger is when, while the Honey Panda is headed towards a nest, they sense the mare.”

Twilight Sparkle gulped, “What um… What happens?”

Twilight Velvet slowly turned to her daughter, and she gave her a grizzly stare, “Well, they run away.”

“They runaway? How is that dangerous?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Because many mares in such a situation, being young and naïve, will give chase. Of course, you and I know that those ponies don’t mean any harm. But they don’t…” Twilight Velvet trailed off. “And things get dangerous when either the Honey Panda starts to get exhausted, or worse yet, feels trapped.”

Twilight Sparkle let out a whine before asking, “What happens next?”

Twilight Velvet looked at Twilight Sparkle in her motherly way before saying, “They attack of course. They share the forest with the Ursa Major, among other predators. I could tell you the details of all the attacks I know of daughter, but the point of this conversation isn’t to scare you. It’s to inform you. Honey Pandas are monsters of the third kind, they run away.”

“I still don’t understand,” Twilight Sparkle said. “How can they be so dangerous if they just run away?”

“Because the moment that they feel they’re trapped, they turn and fight. And with monsters of the first sort and the second sort, they have well developed killing instincts. They know just how to kill you quickly and efficiently. They don’t want a fight. They want a meal, and that means making the killing blow quick. Monsters of the third sort do not,” Twilight Velvet finished.

“What um,” Twilight Sparkle paused for a second. “What do they do?”

“Are you sure you want to know? It could keep you up at night…” Twilight Velvet said, giving Twilight Sparkle a cold stare.

Twilight gulped and nodded.

“If it had been any other predator, if the mare was lucky, they would just go for the throat and clamp down until the mare peacefully passes away… well, as much as she can. But this is prey we are talking about Twilight, they don’t have a natural killing instinct. Only a natural survival instinct. Based on the bodies that do get recovered, they start by… Biting the face, and then they go to work on them,” Twilight Velvet said.

“The face, and they go to work?” Twilight asked lifting her front canon to her chest.

Twilight Velvet nodded, “That’s just to make sure that whatever is chasing them can’t bite back we think. They try to do the same thing to something even as huge as an Ursa Major. Then, using the claws that they normally use to extract honey,” Twilight Velvet stopped. “I don’t have the heart to tell you daughter. But know that Honey Pandas almost never eat any part of the body. It’s just a chewed-up mess. They never raise their voices or howl when they attack. They just leave… a mess.”

“Sounds like to me that,” Twilight Sparkle shook her head, “it sounds like to me that they didn’t want to fight in the first place.”

Twilight Velvet nodded, “And that’s what makes monsters of the third sort so dangerous. By running away, they are in truth…” Twilight Velvet paused for a long while, staring out amongst the stars, “They are being kind.”

“Monsters can be kind?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Twilight Velvet laughed, “Of course they can be kind. And they can be cruel. The point is daughter, given your penchant for swaths of reading, I’m willing to wager that you will be a librarian one day.”

“That’s not!” Twilight Sparkle froze for a second. “I want to be a master at magic. And I haven’t even gone my brand yet so…”

“True, you still have much potential,” Twilight Velvet smiled.

“Maybe you’re the one who should go back to being an astronomer, magpie” Twilight Sparkle sniffled.

Twilight Velvet’s head recoiled from her daughter, “Magpie? Who told you about that?”

“I heard it from your sisters,” Twilight answered.

“Sparkle, sweetie,” Twilight Velvet said. “Talents aren’t as cut and dry as the marks on our rumps.”

“How?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Well, think about your brother’s mark,” Twilight Velvet smiled. “Just because he has a strong desire to protect others doesn’t mean he lacks other interests. Like playing with you. Or role-playing with his friends. He even has his own reading interests. Would you call him a magpie for reading like you?”

Twilight Sparkle turned away from her mother and let out a snort.

“Yes, I understand that what we are branded with should be our highest pursuit sweetie,” Twilight Velvet started, “but you must understand that we would be no better than ants if other things didn’t fascinate us.”

“Is it true that you don’t think that one’s mark means much?” Twilight Sparkle asked, looking up at her mother.

Twilight Velvet looked away, then back at her daughter before once more looking away again and answering, “I think that our cutie marks only represent the first time that we become completely enthralled in something. That’s it. And Twilight Sparkle, as you grow older, you will discover more things that fascinate you, that completely capture your attention.”

“But that’s not what the Temple Sister says,” Twilight Sparkle rebutted. “She says that our mark is our highest calling.”

“Then if that’s the case,” Twilight Velvet said in a surprisingly enthusiastic tone, “how did you and your brother get here?”

“I mean, according to what I’ve read, you and dad got excited, and you let him mount you right?”

“Right,” Twilight Velvet nodded. “But if he and I were so focused on doing as our brands say, why bother? I mean,” Twilight Velvet waved her head left and right, “having your brother and you could only take time away from me, your father, and my herd sister’s marks right? Thus if any pony was truly committed to their mark, they would never have foals.”

Twilight Sparkle turned away from her mother, and shuddered.

“You find this a bit unsettling?” Twilight Velvet smiled.

“I mean, then what’s the point?” Twilight Sparkle asked, looking up to her mother.

Twilight Velvet closed her eyes and gave a serene nod, “That for many others, they understand they have a choice in the matter. Perhaps their talent is what brings them great joy, or perhaps,” Twilight Velvet lowered her snout and nuzzled Twilight Sparkle, “they can make the choice to try and find joy in something different.”

“Like you.”

“Right, like me.”

Mother and daughter both stared up at the night sky. A crescent moon waxed in the far left of their field of vision while all the other stars twinkled and the great white way of the night sky lay before them in its milky glory.

“Mom,” Twilight Sparkle said. “How did dad get his cutie mark?”

“That’s a question for him,” Twilight Velvet said.

“I did ask him, but he hasn’t told Shining or me about how he got his mark,” Twilight Sparkle turned to her mother. “He always avoids the question, also, since Shining has a giant star in the middle of his mark, does that mean I’ll get a giant moon in mine?”

“No,” Twilight Velvet said.

“But there are some families who have elements of their mark pass from parents to child,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“True, but you should know that it’s merely a rule of thumb. Not etched in stone,” Twilight Velvet said, “because if that were the case, wouldn’t we all come from the same cutie mark symbol at some point?”

“Oh,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Again, sweetie, you shouldn’t put too much of your hopes and dreams in your mark,” Twilight Velvet smiled, “and besides, I need to show you flank paint at some point. You’d be surprised at how many ponies in the upper echelons hide their true mark from each other.”

“But, the sister at the temple said-”

“I know what she said,” Twilight Velvet answered. “But what you must understand is that just because they shouldn’t hide their cutie mark doesn’t mean they won’t. For many, having a pedestrian mark is a fate worse than death. Now, no more questions about cutie marks tonight. We need to talk about how you will conduct yourself at Shining’s tryouts tomorrow.”

In the depths of the forest.

In the darkest of groves.

Where nothing else grows.

There lays a corpse.

Of black feather and blue eyes.

It rests still in a puddle of blood.

And from the darkness steps forth a copy.

Taller, with scars on its face.

It lowers its head, and nudges the body.

Nothing happens.

And it lets out a piercing shrill, followed by three guttural squawks that echo throughout the forest.

From the darkness, more step forth.

Dozens on dozens of smaller, flightless birds.

Each one looking up to the tallest.

Each one with the eyes of midnight blue.

Once more, it lowers his head to the body.

It inhales, and shakes with each breath.

It clicks its beak twice, then stares at the only path in the woods where light shines.

It takes 13 steps forward, as any other prying eyes hide.

But all present know.

Mother is furious.

And so the hunt begins.

Author's Note

My god.
This took too long. I lost my deadline system.
I won't go into the details, but effectively several things happened over the last 6 months that has basically derailed me. I'll try to get back on track ASAP. But im transitioning from windows to linux due to microsoft finally breaking the camels back and Ive had to get accreditation for my job which was basically 4 months of study.

Right, thank you all for your patience. Hopefully another chapter by the end of August but given how things have gone, I don't want to promise something I can't deliver.

Chapter 1: Corridor

“Covid-19, meningitis, MMR,” the poorly shaven man answered the mare in uniform in front of him.

“Rabies?” she asked while double checking her notes.

“Got that the first time I came here,” the man exhaled.

“Let me see, oh,” there was a pause between the two. “Wait, are you?”

The human gave the golden mare a mirthless look. His green eyes widened and locked the pony into place. Her hoof shuddered as her attempt to glance away snapped her back into his eyes. The fur on her spine stood up as a chill rolled in from above.

“Go on through. Thank you for your service,” the mare quietly said, finally looking away and nodding her head.

The man nodded in return and mumbled a “Thanks,” as he turned to see a long, empty chain queue that wrapped around itself and into the station proper. Letting out a sigh, he ducked under the chain and kept crouched as he skipped the empty snaking line.

“Sir, I don’t think you can d-” the mare shouted, but stopped as Xavier entered the flow of Earth and Equestrian inhabitants into the Corridor.

Double checking he had all his papers, he took stock of his surroundings. A Griffin reading a pamphlet to his left, a Bison to the right, drinking from a fountain, but mostly ponies and humans on the moving walkway. Four lanes, both ways: one slow for those wishing to take their time and one fast for those rearing to move forward.

Xavier stepped on the mover as beings of all kinds slowly slid down the long transverse ahead of them. Glancing to his left, he could see the cargo mover slowly following his group, moving goods from terra firma to Equestria. To his right, several advertisements screamed human friendly accommodations less than a kilometer from the train station. In front of him was a Griffin in a business suit pitching something to a human and a pony. Behind him was a woman simply filming herself as she talked to an audience that would not see her until at least tomorrow.

“All right, I have to shut off the camera now otherwise the effects will fry my equipment,” she wrapped up and tapped here and there on the screen.

Bit by bit, he grumbled, “Should have taken the fast lane,” as he closed his eyes, and breathed slowly.

Seven minutes later, he finally leapt off the mover and looked around. A grand central hub of stores and restaurants lay before him, while the scent of pot-pourri wafted gently with his movements. Above them was the ever magical pony-esque architecture that towered over all the migrants that made their way through the bright white halls. He could see the meat eaters restaurant, T-Bones, with a small line of people and a few dragons slowly shuffling in, and next to it was a human pizza franchise, and a young dragon dancing with a sign advertising the freshest pizza ingredients you’ll find within 100km.

“Great, have your first taste of human cuisine at the greasiest pizza joint you can think of,” Xavier muttered. Letting out a sigh, he looked away from the pizzeria, and started scanning the central complex.

“Of course we would welcome with open wings your worst restaurants. Your kind did turn the tide,” a harshly feminine voice rose behind him. Xavier slowly turned to see a mare with a cracked horn and orange mane. A cutie mark of a small flame hid itself behind the smile of a unicorn. Xavier slowly nodded his head toward the pony.

“Solstice."

“You look surprised to see me,” the mare laughed as she approached. She wore a military jumpsuit, snow camo and lieutenant pips.

“Commissioned now, I see,” Xavier raised an eye at Solstice.

“Well, not with who you think,” the fiery horse glanced left and right before asking, “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’m not sure. I think my train is due to leave in fifteen minutes,” Xavier pursed his lips while pulling out his ticket.

“Let me have a look at that,” Solstice nabbed the ticket from the human hand with her magic. Narrowing her eyes at the text, she chuckled. “It’s departing in two hours."

“Are you sure about that?” Xavier raised an eye as he fussed.

“Very sure. Two months ago, the realignment happened and the time zones between here and Terra still get mixed up,” the mare responded as she floated the ticket back to its owner.

“Well, I guess I got time then. Lead the way,” Xavier raised his gloved right hand and motioned it towards the general food court. Following the officer, the myriad of smells finally overcame Xavier’s other stimuli. He could smell the spiced meat from the left, and pungent odor like that of cut grass came in from the right. However, instead of being led to a restaurant, the mare simply led him to a bar with a dark oak themed finish and bronze-emerald lighting. Both pulled a hybrid stool to their liking and sat.

“So how long have you been out of the loop?” Solstice asked as she flagged a unicorn waiter. A gray furred stallion approached and stood still as he awaited the orders. “Pear whiskey if you got any.”

The waiter nodded his head as he turned to Xavier, “And for you, sir?”

“I don’t suppose you got any Zif’s soda, do you?” Xavier let out.

The stallion raised an eyebrow at the human and snorted, “I can certainly check to see if we have any.”

“If you got none of that, I’ll take water instead,” Xavier nodded, closing his eyes. The stallion bowed his head to both parties as he left the table to the two customers.

“Don’t drink?” Solstice prodded with a playful energy.

“Alcoholism runs in the family. I have to take great care not to fall into the same traps as my dad and uncle fell into,” Xavier moaned as he rubbed the sides of his head.

“You know what they say, every party needs a pooper,” the mare stuck her tongue out at the human, ”Honestly, If I’d known that, then I would’ve just taken you over to T-bones."

“Trying to bribe me with meat?” Xavier cracked. Solstice let out a laugh.

“You couldn’t have known,” Xavier waved his hands down at her as he looked around. “So this is the Corridor, huh?”

“Oh yeah, you’ve never been here before, have you? This is what, your second time on this side of the veil?” Solstice adjusted herself in her seat as the clanging of glass subtly echoed through the ambience of background conversation.

Xavier raised an eyebrow and looked up, “Fourth time, actually. Wait, maybe fifth, honestly I didn’t keep count,” he finally shrugged, “But my first time was when I was with the original survey team near Syracuse,” Xavier paused as his appearance went from that of a bumbling tourist to a stoned face that gazed past his partner from across the table. He blinked a few times and looked away from his table companion before Solstice’s eyes flickered and she spoke up.

“Oh… You uh, saw the bodies?” She bit her lower lip and frowned at Xavier.

“There was a…” Xavier stopped dead. Breathing in and out, he tried to begin again. “There was, um…” he glanced from his left to his right, starting and stopping a few times before the lieutenant spoke up again.

“We don’t have to talk about that. Didn’t mean to pry open those memories,” Solstice quickly said, her eyes glistening in panic over the can of worms she might have accidentally opened.

“Yeah, I um…” Xavier clasped his hands together and balled them up into a hard grip. “Well, what’s been happening at your end?”

Solstice smiled as the atmosphere cleared up. Puffing up her chest, she made sure that her lieutenant pips shone brightly as the lights from above hit their silvery exterior. “Well, I’m commissioned now, as you already saw. Las Pegasus has officially signed up with the Union. The Kingdom was not at all happy about that.”

“I’d assume so,” Xavier answered as the waiter brought the drinks. He placed the light caramel colored whiskey glass in front of the mare, and a clear one in front of the human before giving a nod and leaving. “The Princess is not at all happy about that, I assume.”

“Not in the slightest. Supposedly, she had to pull out all the stops to keep the Pegasi from just leaving. On the bright side, their veterans will probably have a cozy time if rumors about the negotiation are true,” Solstice lifted the whiskey glass and took a sip. For a moment, her face audibly cringed as the effort of lifting the glass to her lips unleashed a drop of pain.

“Inscription causing you issue?” Xavier asked while rubbing his covered hands.

“The fact that your kind developed a method to circumvent my fractured horn’s lameness is miraculous, but yeah every time I use it, it’s an aching like pain that just makes me almost wish I amputated it,” Solstice slowly put down the glass, a slight shaking back and forth as she focused intently on ensuring the rest of her beverage didn’t spill.

“Next time you go in, ask them about runic line 17 alpha. Make sure that not a drop of lead is in the initial binding and I think you’ll find a serious chunk of the pain will be gone after the two-week realignment phase,” Xavier said as he dug around his pockets for paper, biting his lip as he pulled out a napkin he stuffed in during his flight to the Corridor. Pulling a pen from his jacket, he wrote the instruction down on the napkin.

“Speaking from experience?” Solstice chuckled while Xavier wrote his instructions.

“Emphasize that any lead in the binding will fuck you up,” Xavier put his pen back in his pocket and slid the napkin over to the mare.

“I will… thanks,” Solstice smiled as she once again shakily levitated the whiskey glass and finished her drink. “Now what I was saying, the Princess only has Canterlot, and the other two cities left. She’s dispatched special envoy to the dragons last I heard and the griffins are demanding concessions and a new trade deal.”

“Huh... an article I was reading on the flight here said that Manehatten is going to have a referendum to see if the populace wants to rejoin the Kingdom,” Xavier looked down at his drink, “When they seceded, that vote passed the 70% threshold, and they’ll need to do so again if the city wishes to rejoin. If I recall, poll numbers had it dead 50-50.”

“I hope that’s true,” Solstice gave a soft grin as she glanced at her drink. “After all we suffered? Losing Manehatten is more than Celestia deserves,” Solstice’s tone shifted to an almost growl as her bright eyes became dark and narrow.

“It’s not your fault that she lied to your kind for–” Xavier was cut off.

“For over 9,000 years, my kind has been under her rule. Any attempts at independence were swiftly cut with whispers of eternal night,” Solstice grimaced as she narrowed her eyes at the human across from her, “Xavier, she lied to us. She lied to us for over 9000 years. We thought that…” The mare stammered as she forced her eyes closed, “That mare lied to us.”

“I get it, I mean–” Xavier was once again cut off.

“I don’t think you do. A lead mare doesn’t just lie to her herd,” Solstice spat, looking towards bright overhead lights keeping the bar dimly lit.

Xavier waited a few moments before continuing, “I mean, in a sense, she did do that, didn’t she?”

“Are you implying that all of her kingdom was her herd?” Solstice slowly lifted her drink, gazing heavily at it.

“Many political structures are based on the prototypical family. Just look at a few of the cultures from my species,” Xavier wrinkled his lips as he finally reached the water.

“I think a better comparison would be to your Catholic Church. What if one day the devil appeared on your doorstep and showed you the King was a lie?” Solstice rebutted.

“King?” Xaviar tilted his head.

“Who leads them?” Solstice glanced left and right, as she tapped her hoof on the table.

“The Pope?”

“Yes! The Pope! What if one day the devil appeared on your doorstep and showed you the Pope was a lie?” Solstice exhaled in relief.

“Maybe it’s just hard for me to accept a horse demigod.”

“Alicorn,” Solstice corrected.

“Alicorn. I find it deeply difficult to assume that any corporeal being can be a God,” Xavier took a sip of water, “That said, whether she is a God or not is irrelevant. What she is, is a politician.”

“An awful one at that,” Solstice spat out.

“I’ve got to disagree. Keeping a kingdom in good order for over 10,000 years?” Xavier implored, “That some real fucking statecraft right there,” Xavier took another sip and put the glass down slowly.

“Are you really going to admire a monster?” Solstice snorted as she once again magically reached for her drink.

“Separate the artist from the art. I can tell you right now, there are some real dictators in my world that would kill for what she’s done."

“Delude an entire race?” Solstice sighed, “You think too lowly of your kind."

“And you think too highly. Just because we came in and turned the tide doesn’t mean we’re saints,” Xavier rolled his eyes, “I mean look at this place,” Xavier gestured around, “I count at least ten franchises around me. And none are homegrown Equestrian businesses."

Solstice laughed at her companion across from her, “You think being able to get rice at the Chopsticks Express is worse than having your youngest filly drafted to put down a small diamond dog rebellion?”

Xavier paused as he looked at his glass of water and caught the dim green light in his eyes. “What I’m trying to convey is that the ponies that have freed themselves might be falling into another trap."

Solstice frowned and closed her eyes. Xavier could tell that she was trying to hold back a biting remark. “I don’t think you can appreciate what she did to us. Maybe on some level you just can’t comprehend it, but she was supposed to be the Goddess that rose the sun and rose the moon. Then he showed us all that she was lying. She wasn’t a Goddess. She was just another unicorn with wings."

“That… I can appreciate,” Xavier nodded in concession. “But even you said it yourself, she’s not a Goddess. But she’s probably not a monster either. She’s a politician. She has to proclaim to uphold certain values in order to secure the tacit approval of your kind. That’s just the nature of political survival."

“To secure power at the price of your people?” Solstice sneered as she returned to her drink.

“Yeah."

A blanket of silence enveloped the table. The two didn’t even look at each other. Xavier massaged the condensed water droplets on the side of his glass while Solstice signaled the waiter for another round. The screech of the emptiness continued until the mare finally spoke up.

“I don’t understand. Why are you defending her?” The unicorn turned her head away, refusing to catch Xavier’s eye.

“I guess because in the world I come from, politicians lie. It’s in the job description. You have to lie, and you have to break your promises, because sticking to your values more often than not loses them power, and…” Xavier paused for a second to breathe, “A politician without power might as well…”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Solstice gave Xavier a quiet scowl. “The Crystal Republic is holding its second round of elections and most of the representatives seem on the up and up."

“Wait until you discover gerrymandering,” Xavier chuckled into his water. Lifting the glass, he nursed the beverage while relaxing. “You already have your ballot picked?” Xavier lifted his eyes from his glass.

“Yes!” Solstice nearly screamed as she almost knocked over her whisky glass. “Rad-”

“Shhh!” Xavier lifted a finger to his mouth. “Take my advice. Never talk about your picks out loud. You might get into an argument you weren’t looking to have,” the ill kept man trailed off.

“Personal experience?” Solstice gave a sly smile.

“You think it’s funny now. Just wait on Hearth’s Warming when you sit down with your herd mates and discover, I don’t know, Glistening Blossom voted for the other pony and you two argue over it instead of enjoying your time together,” Xavier rubbed the sides of the cold water, clearing it of condensation.

“Her name is Glistening Granite and we would never have that kind of argument,” Solstice cooed.

“Because you two like each other?”

Solstice snorted, “Because I’m lead mare."

“And that gives you a gag order against her?” Xavier cocked an eyebrow.

“It means you don’t argue with the head of the household,” Solstice stated matter-of-factly.

“Remind me about how herds work again,” Xavier narrowed his brows, “I can’t remember if your hubby gets to argue with you."

The dark oak of the bar deepened its natural hue, while the green shades overhead hummed aloud. Solstice’s face was audibly melancholic. She closed her eyes and exhaled.

“My stallion, of course,” Solstice paused for a moment and pursed her lips, “He can say what he likes to me,” Solstice looked over to the bar and let out a grunt towards her companion.

“You’ve never talked to me about your herd,” Xavier breathed a sigh of relief as he lifted his drink to the waiter, shaking it and putting it back down again.

“Well, there’s Granite, she’s, how do I put it?” Solstice looked up, her mane jiggling with the swing. “Lets just say she doesn’t laugh too often. And then there’s Ruby, she’s an administrator over at the granary."

“And your stallion?” Xavier asked.

“Oh, Sedy takes care of the foals. He’s big and strong, so sometimes he heads out to plow the fields for a little extra cash, when he can find someone to foal sit, of course,” Solstice nodded. “We’re also thinking about bringing in a new mare named Red Rush. She’s a pegasus and everyone but Granite is on board."

“Oh?” Xavier hummed.

“Granite doesn’t think too highly of Rush. But I’m sure she will come around. Sedy is really pushing for her to join."

Xavier’s eyes focused. Straightening up, he stroked his raggedy beard, “How come?”

Solstice looked over her shoulder, and slowly looked over the area before bending over atop the table, “Can you keep a secret?”

Xavier raised the glass in his gloved hands and shook it like a rumba shaker, “You know me."

Solstice sloped over the table, a frown molded over her face like a potter peeling a line out of clay, “She’s probably not going to be around next Hearths Warming."

“She dying?” Xavier burst out.

“Elysian Fields no. It’s just,” Solstice once again paused and looked around and whispered, “Her attitude has gone downhill. Complaining about her allowance, not to mention the arguments between her and Ruby over Iggy,” Solstice stopped, and took in a breath of air, “And with Iggy a month out from leaving the herd to find her own mates, well."

“Ejected."

“Don’t be so harsh,” Solstice shot a dreadful eye at Xavier, “But yes. We’ll probably ask her to leave two months before Hearths Warming."

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve heard of this kind of departure. Can you elaborate?” Xavier bent over, looking directly at Solstice, his eyes unmoving.

Solstice sighed and started: “Most mares will go through at least two herds in their life,” the burning mare shrugged and lifted her newly refilled glass, “This one is my third. Back in the old days, when herd forming was mostly communal, you might only have one. But now, it’s not uncommon to take applications from prospective mares."

“Wait. You’re taking applications?” Xavier tilted his head with a coy smile, “Are you giving out herd interviews?” Xavier asked.

“Why? You want to apply?” snorted Solstice.

Xavier huffed while he pulled back and leaned against his seat.

“I’ll take that as a no. And if I wasn’t already committed…” Solstice licked her lips and ogled Xavier, “I’d see about forming one with you."

Xavier spat out his water in mid-drink and coughed. He reached for the napkins the waiter provided and quickly dried himself off.

“Ha! Look at you, all flustered,” Solstice purred.

Xavier just sat, frozen, every muscle halted, the glass still in his hands.

Solstice blinked at the human across from her and her expression went from trollish enthusiasm to faux pas scowl. Quickly looking left and right of her, she let out a brief sigh before returning her focus to the man ahead of her.

“Did I,” Solstice trailed off for only a second, “Did I touch a nerve?”

Xavier relaxed and finally put his glass of water back on the table. Looking into it, he finally responded. “Let’s move on."

Solstice’s brow wrinkled for a second before her expression cleared and began again, “Look, um,” Solstice took a moment to bite her lip before whispering, “You should know that if broaching this topic is difficult for you, if you head into Union towns, a mare or two might see about cozying up to you then."

Xavier exhaled and closed his eyes for a few moments, “I guess it would make sense. Your kind has more experience in the interspecies relationship department given other sentient beings on this planet. And given my species history of hegemony over Earth, I would be surprised if nearly all of us have issues with the idea of intimate relations with anything other than a human."

Solstice rocked her head back and forth for a moment, before lifting the whiskey glass and finishing her second serving, “Two days."

“Two days…?” Xavier uttered.

“If rumor is to be trusted,” Solstice leaned forth, again doing a quick roundabout to make sure no one was listening, “First time a human and pony fucked was two days after the corridors were established."

“Really?” Xavier’s voice perked at the question, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to call bullshit on that. Not after what I saw."

“Well the rumor was one of the crystal ponies, by virtue of crossing over, was freed of her enslavement spell and met a human that was amicable to the idea apparently,” Solstice continue to keep her voice low, “Anyways, I think you would be pleasantly surprised at the number of humans who’ve been open to interspecies intimacy. If I recall, there was a woman and a Griffin a few miles away from Las Pegasus who’ve made quite a home for themselves…”

“Escaping an enslavement spell only to find a human to fuck? Sounds like the human took advantage,” Xavier muttered.

“Pffft,” Solstice hummed, “Sounds like the other way around to me."

“How?!” Xavier nearly hit his glass after dropping his hands on the table, “Enslavement, then going to a strange new world, only to see a strange gawky figure who walks on two legs totally up for using you as a towel for his dick?”

“Now hold on,” Solstice thrust a hoof forward, “He probably took her in and cared for her. Taking advantage of such hospitality? No, no, no. If anyone took advantage of anyone, it was her."

Xavier’s visage crinkled as he was trying to comprehend what he was being told. “You can’t expect me to believe that it wasn’t the human that took advantage of a helpless pony."

“Helpless? Ha!” Solstice rolled over her gaze at Xavier, “You really are naïve. Take my advice now and go back to the other side if you honestly believe that. Because the truth is if you’re not comfortable with the idea that a mare wouldn’t take advantage of any male that throws her a modicum of attention,” Solstice gave Xavier a raised eye, “Then frankly you’re asking for it."

“Wait, time out. You’re going to have to explain that last one to me. How exactly was he asking for it?”

Solstice paused as she glanced thoughtfully downward. Taking a moment to breathe, she began, “A naïve colt meets a mare. He has yet to settle down with a herd, but she’s in one, and it’s been a very long time since her stallion has given her any loving. So she invites the colt over, she showers him with compliments and goes out of her way to help them with his life, and almost orbits him. Then one day it’s raining, her heard mates are gone, and he’s all alone with her,” Solstice narrowed her eyes at Xavier, “Worse yet, he’s a Pegasus and she’s a unicorn. She’s been studying up on some spells and soon has taken full advantage of that naïve colt."

Silence echoed throughout the table while the quiet conversation of others washed over the two like a wave atop a bubble. Xavier remained quiet as he slowly breathed in and out. Solstice kept looking at her plus one.

“It’s too bad my stuff has already been sent to the city…” Xavier finally responded, “I think I’ll be fine."

“Not with that attitude,” Solstice said with tightened lips as she flagged the waiter, “Can I get the bill please?”

“All right,” Xavier let out a sigh, “Where is this overprotectiveness coming from?”

“Look I just don’t want you to flee Equestria because some mare gets it in her mind that you’re easy pickings,” Solstice mumbled, “Though I know that if you want to get violent, you might be able to take care of yourself in the case of a Pegasus. But don’t underestimate the strength of Earth ponies, not to mention my kind."

“You’re really worried, aren’t you?” Xavier crossed his arms.

Solstice rocked her head back and forth before answering, “And that’s ignoring the antihuman sentiment in what’s left of the Kingdom. If you’re going to Manehattan, they have just as many ponies from the Kingdom as they do from the Union. It could be real troublesome if you find yourself at, say, the wrong hotel. Or the wrong bakery."

“I was under the assumption that Manehattan was egalitarian,” Xavier said as the waiter arrived and put the bill atop the table.

“Pfft,” Solstice snorted, “We both wish, but in the end that place takes trade from everywhere. If anything, the only egalitarian thing about that place is if you’re a rich Pony, no one would give you flak,” Solstice pulled out a billfold from her uniform and pulled some paper bits from its interior and laid it on the table.

The duo walked out of the bar and back into the center, where the sound of hooves clicking against ceramic tiles bellowed.

“If you have any issues, just head to the Union consulate and have them send a message to me, I’ll come bail you out of whatever you get yourself into,” Solstice said.

“Oh, so you are expecting problems?” Xavier laughed.

“Only because you’re the one who starts them,” Solstice goaded.

“Bullshit, I don’t make problems. Besides, I’ll just turn on the charm if I piss off the wrong pony,” Xavier gave a smug glance.

“Right, right, because you’re so mature. I have to get back to work. Go enjoy waiting for your train,” Solstice started walking away.

“Solstice…” The unicorn turned to face the human, his right lip curled. “It was good seeing you again."

“It was good to see you too, Xaviar, take care of yourself,” she turned away and continued walking. “And don’t fall for the first mare who throws herself at you!”

Chapter 12: Pursuit

The pivot was sharp and painful at the ball of his foot. But even without that, the warm sensation building up in him fervently gripped his stomach hard as the desire to spew his guts through the entrance gushed forward. Swallowing hard, Xavier kicked the exit to the library open and took two steps before falling down the stone stairs. Gagging for a second, Xavier rolled down the steps and landed in front of the library’s huge cement slab of a walkway, groaning as everywhere ached.

Twilight looked across the atrium and saw the one who responded was already out the door. Bucking at her seat, her notes scattered on the floor as Applejack returned from her tiny self-imposed exile.

“Gerald, I think you and I need to–” the earth pony said, only a meter or two away from the table as Twilight thrust forward and landed atop the marble floor with a strange grace.

Gerald held his hands up in the air as if he was being arrested, and turned to Applejack only to say, “I just asked her to sing!”

Twilight was already out of the café and nearly halfway across the atrium when Applejack’s eyes finally lit up, “My lasso!”

Gerald shook his head as he quickly grabbed the rope on the table and tossed it to Applejack like he was playing ring toss in a carnival, nearly hitting Applejack in the face. Applejack dodged it and quickly jumped through and pull the tight end by her tail. Letting the rest of the rope fall around her neck, a quick snap of the tail tightened it around the rest of her body and she took off after Twilight.

Xavier picked himself off the concrete and felt the wind rushing towards the student bookstore, only to keel over and vomit.

“Jesus fucking chri-“ another wave of nausea spewed forth as the clicking sounds of galloping hooves echoed across the yard. Taking the hint, Gerald ignored the mess on his beard and shirt and made his way past to the building across the walkway in front of the library, and through the glass doors ahead of him. Taking an immediate right, he entered into the student center and twisted himself into another aviary of books. The student textbook store was soaked in bleach white emanating from the walls as shelves aged with sun tan yellow lined the aisles. The scent of fresh paint nearly forced Xavier to pull over a second time, but he could feel the inner rush of his flight or fight system push back. For now, the sounds of a pursuing pony were stopped, as he was fairly sure that she was still outside.

Rushing past the snacks counter, he saw the door leading to the rear of the store with an employee’s only sign hanging by a chain in red welcoming him to violate the only rule written on it. Smashing through it, the door swung with a giant bang as three ponies who were working suddenly turned and watched as the human ran past them and through the inventory bay. A small half a meter drop surprised Xavier, losing his balance and rolling onto the worn cement beneath him. His arms thrust him back up as his feet lost friction for a second, forcing him to kick in the air before another attempt finally gripped the ground and he continued to run out of the loading bay and to the street ahead.

Twilight looked at the bookstore and blinked as she tried to figure out where the human had gone, narrowing her eyes, she scanned for a second before a voice behind her cried, “Is this what I think it is?”

Applejack pulled up beside Twilight as she finally heard a bang, shifting her gaze, she could see the aftereffects of a door slammed open, as the sign that said employees only was jiggling violently left and right. “Yes,” she finally answered before letting her rear hooves thrust her forward as her front legs extended at odd angles to prepare the running cycle.

“Shit,” Applejack muttered as she followed Twilight past the aisles of books and into the verboten section of the store. Three mares were looking at each other when they pivoted their heads in surprise yet again at the two new ponies in the back.

“Hey! This area is off-limits to–” one of them cried, but the pair simply ignored them as they ran toward the sound of a being hitting the ground. Running past the industrial shelves and untempered concrete, the two mares finally emerged outside the loading bay for the bookstore to see the human still very much beyond their reach, suddenly taking a turn right and disappearing.

“That’s him?” Applejack cried as she galloped next to Twilight.

“Yes.”

“Wait, you really got a human?!” screamed Applejack.

“Not now!” Twilight cried as her rear hooves pushed harder

“Ignoring the fact that it’s a human, why haven’t you just stopped him with your magic?” Applejack nearly screamed as the pair turned the corner.

“I’m trying not to scare him,” Twilight answered as she forced herself to go faster.

The two saw the human run past a statue of a unicorn who had made excessive donations to the school and into another building. Giving chase, Twilight and Applejack approached the building, only for Twilight to slam into a red crystal mare with blond mane and binoculars for a cutie mark who emerged from behind the statue.

"Oof," the crystal pony uttered, her head waving about.

Twilight also shook her head, and pulled herself up. "Sorry!" Twilight cried as she continued the chase, catching up with Applejack who was trying to keep herself between Twilight and the Human.

“He run like the wind the first time?” Applejack said as the two ran past the statue.

“Yes,” Twilight answered as she nearly ripped the door open with her magic and entered, only for another door and staircase to greet them. Both ponies looked up at the sounds of galloping body parts hitting against the stairs, and without a word, both of them began making their way up top. The sound of hooves against stone echoed through the tower as both ponies could hear the slam of another door being opened and shut.

“Right above us!” Twilight exclaimed as she pushed herself harder, even cutting Applejack off at the turn of the staircase.

“Damn it Twilight!” Applejack howled as the two finally reached the floor and moved swiftly through the door that had just been slammed closed. They could see the running figure of a bipedal beast at the far end of the hall as they entered. Then he entered into another door and disappeared behind it. Both mares felt the heat from the carpet beneath them as their hooves hit the floor padding. Applejack turned and saw Twilight’s horn start to glow as the sound of a pop crackled through the building, ending with a tiny smoke streak emanating from that same horn, like a tiny, blown out birthday cake candle.

“Rut, I forgot,” Twilight shook her head as her legs kept carrying her.

“Forget what?” Applejack cried.

“I was trying to teleport.”

The mares finally approached the door and quickly opened it only to find another staircase, but this time with only one direction to go: down. The two let gravity assist them as they continued, only for the sound of another door slam at the bottom of the building to ring out.

“We can’t be doing this! If it’s just us chasing him, he’s going to keep putting obstacles between us until he can get away!” Applejack choked out as the two finally hit the next floor.

“What can we do then?” Twilight turned to her friend briefly before returning to the world ahead of her.

“We’ve got to herd him. We’ve got to figure out some way to get him someplace where I can lasso him,” Applejack answered as her hooves at the ground with a crack. Both ponies finally reaching the bottom floor as Twilight twisted the door to the outside open with a flick of her head. Across a grassy knoll was the human, still running, still fleeing.

“He’s afraid! Whoever he is, he has no idea what’s going on,” Twilight countered. “Being cornered is just going to make things worse!”

“And what do you suggest? You lose him and fail your oath before it’s even begun?” Applejack said as she stepped on the grass.

Twilight shook her head as she could feel the air burn her lungs. Her hindquarters were on fire, and a deep part of her mind resonated with three words: fail your oath, “When I first came to Manehatten, Rarity encouraged me to come here on the weekends to help me adjust, right now he’s headed towards the history building. There’s only one exit in that one, and it’s in the rear.”

“So I’ll break off and head round back.”

“Exactly. I’ll go in and make sure he doesn’t try to leave through the way he came. The moment you lasso him, you need to calm him down!” Twilight snapped towards Applejack, “Since he’s human, he probably has no idea about Heartsong, so he’s panicking and afraid. And if we can’t calm him down, he’s just going to hurt himself!”

Suddenly, a gust of wind stopped everyone. Both Applejack and Twilight braced themselves, lowering their frames to the ground instinctually. Prying her eyes open, she could see the human was also stopped by the sudden gale that enveloped everyone. Dust and small debris flung and hit the two ponies, as Twilight slowly pushed forward with her hind legs and got parallel to Applejack. Focusing, her horn glowed and a translucent violet shield apparated. The two ponies could hear a voice ahead of them scream something furiously.

Then, as quickly as it came, the storm of wind suddenly died. Both ponies lunged forward for a moment, stunned. Applejack turned to Twilight and asked, “What in Tarnation?”

Twilight shook her head and dropped the shield. Looking ahead, she saw the human pick himself up off the ground and continue along his way. Her legs suddenly kicked in before her mind did and she gave chase, her hooves landing on the soft green grass with her friend right behind her.

The two continued at him until they saw him go into the History Building of his own volition, the door slamming shut. Both mares looked at each other, Twilight gave a nod as Applejack broke off and headed towards the rear of the building. She then ran to the main entrance, her magic pulling the door open, then closing it behind her with a bang.

The sound of the rapid running of scared prey echoed throughout the building as she stopped for a moment and looked around. She saw a student newspaper stand, constructed of thin wire. It was just enough to hold today’s papers up so that anypony could get one with ease. Twilight’s horn glowed yet again as she magically yanked the metal frame away from its charge. The air filled with the chaos of the day’s news, announcing the upcoming referendum as Twilight bit her lip and focused. Her horn glowed purple as she used her powers to warp and bend the metallic structure into several thick wires of metal, and quickly used it to tie the entrance door shut. Turning towards the greater building, she swallowed and thought, I really hope you don’t hold what I’m about to do against me.

Xavier heard the screeching bending of metal far behind him as once again the sensation of warmth resonated deep within him, only this time he steeled himself as the adrenaline pumping for him refused to stop for anything. The zigzagging of halls here reminded him of a labyrinth, if not for the signs above pointing towards different sections of the building. Cutting into a dark empty lecture hall, he threw himself behind a row of seats and froze, breathing in and out as he was able to finally catch his breath. In and out. In. And out. Finally, his heart responded to his lack of movement and itself teetered off.

I’ve got two on me now, one is a unicorn, but I couldn’t get a good look at the other one. Whatever the other one was, it didn’t fly, so it can’t be a Pegasus. Assume the worst and assume another unicorn. This means that unless I want to go down the route of deepest resistance, running is my only choice. They’re not good magic users, otherwise they would have done something by now. This means that at best, they can probably only lift up maybe 20 kg. Together that’s 40. So that means that they’re probably going to have to work together to pin me, and will have to hold me down via vital points. Xavier could still hear the breath leaving his lips, his arms shot up while he lay on the floor, covering his mouth to try and muffle the heavy breathing. They seem to have lost me now, this is my only chance to slip out. They’ll probably be guarding the entrance and exit, if I can find a window to slip out of…

Xavier’s inner monologue froze as he heard the soft clatter of hoofsteps echoing out the hallway. His eyes widening, he slowly pushed himself off the ground and poked his head above the rows of seats, discovering that there was another exit at the top of the lecture hall. Slowly lowering himself, he began to carefully crawl toward the subtle staircase that bifurcated the room.

Twilight kept her head down and her ears up. Taking a few steps, she froze and closed her eyes, focusing all of her attention towards her ears, hoping to pick up something, anything. But when no sound was picked up, she once again started clattering forward.

Maybe he already went out the exit? In that case, perhaps Applejack already got him? But if this is his first time here, he’s probably lost and confused. If Applejack’s got him, she can explain the situation to him. So I need to quickly scour the building. Twilight gulped, she remembered she had only been here once before and only knew of the entrance and exit due to having been lost here and a kindly secretary stallion having showed her the map on the first floor. Suddenly, her right ear picked up something: scratching. She slowly turned her head and saw a dark lecture hall, with several rows of high rising seats thrusting upward from the small opening of the room she could see from the door. Changing the position of her head several times, her ears rotating and folding, she finally confirmed that, whatever that sound was, it was indeed coming from the lecture hall.

Treading as softly as she could, Twilight entered the room. Closing her eyes, she called forth magic from the earliest years of her youth, the first piece of magic she learned on her own, and a soft, iridescent light gestated forward. Soon, like a lantern, it shone throughout her immediate area and she could finally see the color of the chairs and desks that populated the room: green. To her left, she could see a presentation table and the blackboard behind it, still with the six notable ages of Equus, with Pax Celestia above the final one, with a question mark right next to it. Twilight grunted as she quickly read its various arguments against the term ‘Pax’.

The 5 Unequal Treaties
Dissolution of the Griffin Clans
Colonization of the Badlands
Militarization of the Pegasi
The Suppression of the Diamond Dogs (still ongoing)
Anti-Human propaganda and Diplomacy Stance (recent and still ongoing)

Twilight sneered as she approached the board. Lifting up a piece of chalk, she edited the arguments and wrote:

The 5 Unequal Treaties
Dissolution Unification of the Griffin Clans
Colonization Taming of the Badlands
Militarization Conciliation of the Pegasi
The Suppression Protecting Innocent Ponies from the Diamond Dogs (still ongoing)
Anti-Human propaganda and Diplomacy Stance (recent and still ongoing)

Twilight raised her eye at the last one and tilted her head, then gave it a shake. She uttered, “Gereld is proof,” as she lifted the eraser with her magic and made the last statement on the board disappear. Shaking herself off from the dust that had accumulated on her coat because of her work, she turned and slowly trod up the stairs leading to the top of the auditorium. Each row she examined, one by one, in case her charge had concealed themselves behind a line of seats.

Soon three, then ten rows. She nearly reached the top as she heard a whistling sound above her head. Her ears folded, and she ducked before hearing the crashing of papers at the bottom of the auditorium. Instinctually, she shook herself off and ran towards the crash. Nearly stumbling down the stairs, she reached the bottom floor and slowly approached whatever had flown above her head. Narrowing her eyes, she discovered what had made the sound: a notebook with poorly drawn sketches of what she could only assume was the professor who taught in here looking like the caricature of a buffoon. Suddenly, the sound of a latch being unhitched emanated from the top of the dark auditorium as light spilled forth and she caught a glimpse of something running out the door.

Xavier’s heart rushed again as he charged out the door and into the hall. Signs advertising the faculty offices hung from the doors down the passageway, and at the end was the stairwell leading down. Noticing the smooth railing, he jumped and tried to land on it, only for him to bounce off and land on the stairs, his ass taking a perpendicular hit to the bone. The sound of rushing hooves echoed as he pushed off the steps and used the angle of the stairs to get back on his 2 feet quickly. Making an immediate turn and going down, he could see the entrance and rushed three steps before the sight of cruel twisted metal jamming the door shut made itself known.

Without thinking, he ran the other way, as opposed to the way he had just taken minutes ago. Soon he was forced to take another left and right as he felt like he was circumnavigating the building. The sounds of the unicorn rushing him pushed him forward as he saw a door with a window to the outside. Grunting, he kicked the door open and tumbled down the stone stairway. Picking himself up and stumbling, he could hear the crunching of a scant few leaves beneath him as he ran past the tree and saw something tan eclipse his vision for only a second. Running, he only got a 10 second head start when suddenly, with the sound of the tang of a rope being pulled taut, his legs rushed forward as his body fell behind. The back of his head slamming against the ground, he let out a cry as he tried to move his left arm, only to discover it was pinned against the rope. His right one was free and assisted him in pushing himself back up when he saw several meters away that he was fettered by a tan earth pony wearing a cowboy hat, and clinching a rope in her mouth.

Twilight emerged from the history building as the image of Applejack having caught the human with her lasso made her heart sink. Still heaving from the trickery the human performed, she cantered towards Applejack as the Element of Honesty was trying to slowly reel the human in. The man was struggling hard, almost looking panicked when suddenly he lifted his head and looked up, away from the two, as if trying to talk to someone behind him. However, despite the distance, Twilight could swear she saw a flash of yellow in the human’s eyes. He turned to scream something, almost begging for help from something behind him, although he was only shouting to a grassy knoll and empty patch of air.

“Applejack, there’s something not right about–” Twilight froze as her mane suddenly flew back. Turning to look at the human again, a strong gale pushed both ponies back. The trees shook violently as Twilight again, lowered her frame and tried to glance up, but the tiny grits of sand and dust hitting her eyelids were too much. The howling of the wind was enough to force her ear’s to fold back. She took a step back when the sound of a thwack and sudden pain hit her side. Casting the shield spell again, she turned and saw that it was Applejack’s rope that had hit her, with her still holding on as the dust enveloped her. Moments passed as she kept her focus on the spell when the wind finally died down. The end of the rope finally touched the ground again, and it was just as what the most academic part of her whispered to her beforehand: The human was gone.

“So you were eating a bag of chips when he mumbled something, and then was chased out the library by a purple unicorn and a tan earth pony?” Jade closed her eyes as she stopped walking in Prof. Quill’s office, her teeth visible as she gritted them, “And you didn’t think to follow them?”

“Jade,” the professor sat in one of his office’s chairs away from the desk, “What did you expect me to do? Chase after them like a mad pony? I’ve seen what my son can do with magic, at best, I would’ve been an obstacle to fling in the air.”

“I expected you to keep the human safe,” she replied.

“No, you only said to make sure he stayed on campus. You said nothing about trying to retrieve him from Kingdom agents, though I doubt they were even that,” Quill gazed lackadaisically at his interrogator.

“I should’ve known better than to leave him with the stallion,” Jade muttered as she paced and turned the couch. “If it were a mare, she would’ve done everything in her power to ensure his safety.”

“That’s not fair!” Quill glowered. “You’re asking me to go against unicorn magic, the chase was over for me before it even began.”

“And now it’s very possible he is in the clutches of the Kingdom. Explain to me how you’re going to justify that when an inevitable hearing is called,” Jade spat out.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,“ Quill straightened his back and looked Jade in the eyes. “I’ll tell them exactly what I told you. Then if they ask why I did nothing, I’ll tell them of the time I got to personally watch a subjugated unicorn pluck the wings from a Griffin in front of my eyes.”

Jade’s ears sharply folded away and she took a half step back. Grunting, she turned away from Prof. Quill, biting her lower lip. She approached the door and swiveled her head back around, glaring at the professor. “You best hope for both of our sakes that the Kingdom hasn’t detained him and I find him,” she said as she pushed open the door and left.

As soon as the door clicked closed, Quill straightened his neck, frowned, exhaled, and then suddenly slumped. Picking himself up from the chair, he meandered to the back of the desk and got behind it, laying his head on the mahogany finish that adorned the writing station. In front of him, he noticed a letter that was folded, but not shut. Picking himself back up, he bent it open and began to read.

Chapter 26: Quadruped

The window of the small wooden inn betrayed activity to the evening of the outside world as Twilight and Xavier were scurrying about. Both parties were inspecting each other’s haul. Twilight walked past a tightly bound package of bright red and blue cloth that fell out of Xavier's backpack, then stopped and prodded the sleeping bag he acquired for her with her ankle, “It almost looks like some strange kind of leather…”

“It’s a particular variation of what we call polyester. It’s exceptional for outdoor use in the cold because of its hydrophobic properties. It will be especially helpful if we were to find ourselves in freezing rain,” Xavier said as he was looking over the receipt from the apothecary. “Also good job on what you got at the apothecary. Though…” Xavier stuck his hand in the medicinal satchel and pulled out an orange bottle with blue diamond pills.

Twilight turned and her eyes widened, without thinking she blurted out, “Drop it!”

“It’s just medic-”

“That could adversely affect you!” Twilight took five leaps before jumping and popping the medicine out from Xavier’s hand.

“What the?”

“Unless you want to be hard for a few hours,” Twilight blurted out. She then froze and slowly turned her head towards Xavier. “I can explain.”

“I don’t even know was going on?” Xavier looked over at the orange bottle that was now lying on the floor.

“The apothecary must have accidentally packed it,” Twilight said as she put herself between it and Xavier. “I didn’t mean to…”

Xavier just stared at Twilight, his head tilted slightly.

“Okay, let me explain.” Twilight began. She could feel his steely eyes bore into her as she started, “The apothecary and I were discussing a few things and she said that if you’re having problems,” Twilight froze and lost her sentence. “I said no but…”

Xavier continued to stare at Twilight, narrowing his eyes. She broke eye contact and looked left and right, horror welling up within her. Her chest tightened, as, despite not looking at him, she could feel him. The world seemed a little darker and time slowed to a crawl. She could feel her ears starting to droop, so she tightened her muscles on the back of her head. A sensation deep within was bubbling to the surface. One she felt years ago when she discovered that she had nothing to report. Nothing to say. Her front knees almost buckled, she used every ounce of willpower she had to force herself to continue standing up straight.

Then, suddenly Xavier’s eyes popped off of Twilight and glanced up as he slapped the receipt, saying in a chipper voice, “Oh, that’s fine.”

“What?” Twilight let loose from her lips. Her ears flung forward as confusion took hold of her face.

“Well the math shows that the money you spent plus the money returned is commiserate with what the receipt says,” Xavier started. “And since you have such a problem with stealing, I highly doubt that you just swiped it. And it wasn’t like you were hiding it from me.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. The muscles on her rear legs relaxed, her brow eased.

“Though that does beg the question, what are we going to do with that stuff?” Xavier said, walking over and picking up the bottle.

“Return it obviously,” Twilight said out of reflex.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Xavier said, looking at the bottle.

Twilight’s features froze, then she slowly twisted her head toward the human standing next to her, “What?”

“If we’re going a good distance away from any Union cities, at the very least this could come in handy as a bargaining chip,” Xavier said, as he walked over to the medicinal bag and slipped in the bottle.

“Okay, time out,” Twilight said as she finally faced Xavier. “You want to keep the stuff?”

“Yeah…” Xavier said in an almost crazed, guttural voice while looking back over at Twilight.

“Okay, but what if I –”

“Despite the fact that you sang out and snagged me, you practically threw a conniption fit when I was taking supplies that might’ve been destroyed anyways,” Xavier started.

“You were stealing!” Twilight snapped at Xavier.

“Point is,” Xavier turned away and tightened the strap on the medicinal bag, “If you had such a deep problem with something as small as that, I doubt that you would have had the malicious intent to drug me, nor the composure to do it without me noticing. And besides,” the fingers on Xavier’s right wrapped hand rolled up into an open cylinder, then moved in front of his crotch while pumping it to and fro a few times, “I can literally take care of myself.”

Twilight looked at Xavier’s right hand as her mind went to work. The sight of the human on stage at the symposium standing tall next to the grey mare moments before they joined roiled with what her imagination dreamed of what Xavier looked like without clothes, and her mind made the logical leaps, painting a picture each time. A tender yearning pressure crawled along her waist as the higher parts of her understood immediately that unlike any pony, mare or stallion who would seek out a partner when the mood seized them, he, like an extremely talented unicorn, had no need for another. He was like Rarity, whose talents with telekinesis she knew, afforded her such relief when she was simply in need of relaxation outside of estrus. And in her mind’s eye for those few moments of silence, she saw Xavier in the middle of autocoitus joined back to himself by those nubs of flesh kept at the end of his right limb.

“I see…” Twilight trailed off.

Xavier nodded, then placed the medicinal bag back on the bed. “Do you have enough thornback supplies for yourself?”

Twilight shook her head, she pulled her mind from the image her inner eye created and answered, “It’s…, sorry,” she stumbled for a second. “It’s a three month supply, we’ll be in another town well before I run out.”

Xavier once again nodded and turned away from Twilight, “Out of curiosity, I don’t suppose you checked on the rails did you?”

“Rails are down due to Manehatten being a central hub. Besides the single track paths, other outlets are afraid that trains will get stranded nearby if rioters tear up the tracks or a sufficiently pissed and magically competent unicorn puts her mind to ruining the lines,” Twilight exhaled. “We should try to find a wagon caravan.”

“The wagon trains where Earth Ponies pull giant freight?”

“Exactly, and if one has the room, we can get pulled at a good discount,” Twilight answered.

“I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of being pulled by sapient minds,” Xavier muttered.

Twilight lifted her head and raised an eye at Xavier, “What does that mean?”

Xavier took two steps back before starting, “Just the idea of being pulled by Earth Ponies from point A to point B doesn’t feel right.”

“So? That’s their job. That’s how they get paid,” Twilight answered. “And if they did mind, they wouldn’t be offering the service.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Xavier said, bouncing his right hand up and down. “Where I come from, engines do the hard work. If the terrain is not paved or something, you would either get a special vehicle or get airlifted, though an absolute unusual situations we would have our…” Xavier looked at Twilight, then turned his head away and quickly said, “We would have our beasts of burden do the pulling.”

“Beasts of burden?”

Xavier’s eyes bounced left and right before he started, “You have horses on this side if I recall, correct?”

“Yes…”

“And it’s generally acknowledged that ponies and horses on this side are close in many ways, right?”

“I mean,” Twilight started. “If you’re implying that we’re closely related, maybe in body and shape, but not in posture, mind and face. And besides, they’re absolute behemoths compared to us.”

“Okay, now bear with me,” Xavier clasped his two hands together as if in prayer. “If you could get those horses to do what you wanted, when you wanted, and if you could not perform very advanced types of magics, they would take a lot of the burden out of your workload, right?”

“Yes…”

“Where I come from, the range of domesticated animals we have to pick and choose from is much wider than yours. Including our world’s version of the horse...”

Twilight slowly started, “So, what you’re saying is that it’s awkward for you because we look too much like horses and you’re uncomfortable with the idea of Earth Ponies pulling the wagons we would be riding… despite the fact that for them, there is little extra effort involved?”

Xavier bobbed his head left to right, his right eyebrow shooting up for just a second before going, “Yeah…”

“Would you prefer to actually walk the distance?” Twilight smirked while scoffed. “I mean, hitching a ride with a caravan isn’t inexpensive, but it’s cheaper than a train ticket. But ignoring that, do I really look like a horse to you?”

Xavier turned away.

Twilight’s incredulous face vanished, a slight frown sweeping over her as she blinked. Her eyes widened at Xavier, then she looked away and gasped, “Oh Celestia, Rarity was… right.”

Silence buzzed through the air as the two stood still. Xavier twisted harder to look away from Twilight as her gaze slowly floated from the human to the wooden floor.

“I’m going back downstairs,” Xavier said, breaking the silence. He turned his back on Twilight as he opened the door and left the room, leaving the Unicorn alone, staring at the floor.

Twilight laid on her bed, the second one yet again. She rolled over three times as her face rubbed the pillows over and over again. It was smaller, her bed. Just as circular as the main one, but a quarter its size. The scent of sweat from previous occupants made her groan as even against her coat, the bedding was itchy, like hay in autumn.

Kicking herself out of bed, she gave it a light buck with the tip of her right rear hoof, making it slide a few inches as she approached the window. Most of Luna’s night was still there. The scene of the city was mostly black with the exception of a few glowing streetlamps. Looking back over her shoulder, she realized that the main bed was still empty for a second night in a row. It’s large sheets still stretched across the circumference, and it’s pillows undisturbed.

Twilight shook her head and yawned. Taking 12 steps, she walked out the room and descended down the shallow stairs. The tavern was loud, just as jubilant as last night. The clanging of drinks being placed on tables and the rearranging of sitting stools flickered her ear as she walked down and quickly peered in.

The human was still at the table from the night before, while the inn owner was across from him, a serious look on her face as Xavier suddenly made a move. Then the old mare shook her head and made her own move.

Still at it with this nonsense?

Twilight turned around and quietly walked out the inn. The street was empty, the gas lights low, but the cobblestone walkways had a faint glimmer as a cold breeze rolled over her. She looked up at the stars, and started to reminisce. The town reminded her of Ponyville, but much more developed. The houses and shops more clustered and less integrated with nature. But they were both quiet at night. Twilight could hear the cry of frogs and the occasional screeching of crows. Twilight’s right ear jerked as she could hear, far away the sound of something. An instrument playing, fading in and out of silence with the wind.

The song cried and whined as it twisted and turned around Twilight’s ears, then suddenly, for moments at a time, stopped. Cut off by the howl of Timberwolves.

Twilight thought to herself, Fluttershy always kept her fauna well regulated. But I guess for ponies who aren’t Fluttershy, keeping the animals tame must be much more of a handful.

Twilight turned and entered back into the inn. She closed the door, the shrill of a surprised mare rose up from the tavern, followed by the sound of a familiar voice grunting.

“Dammit,” Xavier said chewing on his lip.

Twilight peered into the tavern once more, the shadows of sapience danced across the walls as the fire crackled and the evening wore on. More ponies and griffins poured into the inn and made merry. Across the room, a small group of Ponies and Griffins watched as two Griffins of green and blue played a game atop a board of six levels reaching from the table to the sky. The blue one carefully pinched her front claws picking up a small winged figurine and raised it two levels. Then, with the ends of her beak raised in a sly smile, simply said, “Highest Perch.” as the surrounding onlookers screamed with excitement.

“Stick those eggs in your roost!” screamed an onlooker Griffin at the green player as she rolled her eyes and glumly drooped onto the table.

“Pay up,” the blue Griffin smiled as she extended out her claws.

Twilight turned away and saw Xavier still at the table with Golden Leaf. He was focused on the game of Commune in front of him. Then he reached out with his hand and removed several tokens.

“Didn’t expect that did you,” the old mare laughed.

“We may be 10 to 0,” Xavier snorted. “But with each successive attempt, I get slightly better.”

“I wasn’t keeping count,” the mare said, glancing at the roaring hearth. She then magically started taking her tokens and pieces as Xavier was, and then shuffled the multiple decks in midair. “Your lead mare hasn’t come down in a spell. You think she’s okay?”

“After everything that she’s had to deal with me the last few hours? I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s going to wipe her hoof of me soon,” he answered, moving gold coins around on his side of the field.

Golden Leaf quickly shuffled and laid the decks down as Xavier quickly cut them and they both resumed play. Background jubilation of slightly drunk ponies and griffins stirred the common area. Candlelight flickered as the giant hearth the middle roared while Twilight kept her distance, watching Xavier and Golden Leaf continue the game.

“Oh she seems pleasant enough,” the old mare said taking the first turn. “Transpecies herds are always on unstable footing initially. But I’ve seen them work out. That said, is the issue a disagreement on who to bring in as your first new member?”

“No,” Xavier said, quickly exchanging resources, then drawing a card. “… Dark Magics have seeped into my wheat stores,” Xavier reached over and picked up a black wheat token and placed it with his only other wheat token. Then, narrowing his eyes at the board, he said, “I’m moving all my wheat from the left storage to the right.”

Golden Leaf laughed, “Okay…”

Xavier moved the resources, then rolled a dice, “Even.”

“Nothing was lost then,” Golden Leaf said.

“I repeat, this time from right to left,” Xavier said.

Golden Leaf raised an eyebrow.

Once again, Xavier rolled the dice, “Even.”

“Okay… nothing was lost…”

“Repeat, left to right.”

“What in the Tartarus?”

Xavier kept cycling his wheat between the two spots. Over and over again until he finally said, “Odds, and a 5, so I lose my entire supply of wheat.”

Twilight blinked, then poked her head out further to get a better view. She slid next to the wall and flickered her ear towards the human and mare as she raised an eye at what Xavier had just done.

“That’s, that’s not how you play this at all!”

“What do you mean? There is no rule saying I can’t move the set of wheat a limited number of times between two adjacent granaries. Its an ad hoc pseudo-deteriorating operation for me,” Xavier said.

“Deteriorating operation?”

“It’s a minor flaw in the game, you and the player base can easily fix it in the future by changing the rules on how many times one is allowed to transfer resources between nodes.”

“Nodes?”

“It’s taken me a while but I’ve been able to abstract elements of this game. It’s effectively a full trinary tree graph, so to move wheat from any of the nodes on the same level, it must go through at least one node higher on the tree. But since there are no limits to how many immediately adjacent nodes I can choose to pass basic resources through during this phase, while I do have to roll for each edge after the first move on the movement chain, and while there is only a one in six chance of losing bits and pieces of the resource being moved, if I repeat transfer n many times, I’m guaranteed to lose the corrupted resource at random eventually.”

“But that’s at the risk of losing the other resources,” the old mare raised an eye.

“True, but the price for that resource staying in that pile is far greater than what the pile's estimated worth. And since the resources extracted at random, there still remains a chance I can salvage what’s left of the pile,” Xavier said. “In this case I lost the other wheat as well, but its well worth ditching it to prevent the long term effects of that corruption token.”

“Okay, Xavier I need to explain this to you. This is supposed to be a game that simulates running a community,” the old mare said exasperated.

“I mean, it’s no more a representation of running a community then chess is a simulation of war. Both possess the trappings and themes of what they appear to simulate, but both have very poor fidelity to what is claimed that they represent. Especially with respect to increments of action being discrete. Just as opposing sides of the war, two communities are not going to just stop harvesting because it’s the other communities turn,” Xavier said, scratching the back of his head.

“Maybe so,” the old mare said taking a sip of her cider. “But this game doesn’t just represent a community, just like how chess doesn’t just represent war. For this game, you can go one level down and argue that it’s more like running a herd. For chess, you could argue that it’s more a game of political maneuvering then actual warfare.”

Xavier shook his head, “But it doesn’t matter. The way you train for those roles are direct practice and observation. If there was a real store of wheat, and I knew that one of the bushels were tainted, I would not just let it stay there and neither would it’s caretaker. I would either make an effort at trying to identify and remove it, or I’d burn the whole thing.”

“But that’s the price you paid for that little stunt you pulled,” the old mare rolled her eyes.

“True, but there’s a mechanic that gives me an out. Meaning that the cost of failure wasn’t as high as it initially seemed it. Yes I might lose the wrap, but better that than letting it sit and slowly deteriorate everything around. And don’t talk like we’re trying to play out a simulation of running a community, otherwise we would not be playing antagonistic toward each other like you said before. Most communities try to stay in each other’s good graces in order to hedge against disaster.”

The old mare glanced over at her pint then glanced back over at the playing board, “Perhaps for the communities out on the frontier were disaster is literally a rainy day away. But more civilized locations? You would be surprised at how apathetic neighbors can be to each other.”

“Yeah, but tell me a place where allies are at each other’s throats?”

“Court,” Twilight said as she walked towards the two. Her face focused on Xaiver.

Xavier turned as Golden Leaf looked up, then nodded at Twilight, “Indeed. Court.”

Xavier’s hand curled as the corner of his lips fell inwards.

“The intrigue of court is a place where nearly everyone is on the same team, but are at each other’s throats,” Golden Leaf said. “Two custodians over neighboring lands might conspire to sabotage the others efforts in order to elevate their position.”

“Yeah, but the total collapse of one land is a net loss for the other,” Xavier stammered.

“As someone who has only been a visitor to the inner workings of a protectorate,” Twilight Sparkle said, looking into Xavier’s eyes and giving a very shallow nod. “While everyone works towards harmony, there are plenty who would show the rightful ruler that they would be better custodians of a land, if, say they are thriving while their neighbor is falling apart. Then perhaps, they might go to the rightful ruler and say, ‘Give me that land as well to look after and I promise your people will thrive under my guidance’.”

Xavier shook his head, then extended his bound arm across the table and lightly flicked his Town Hall piece such that it fell over. He then stood up and stumbled for a few moments before leaving the tavern and walking upstairs.

Twilight and Golden Leaf watched Xavier wobble away before the old mare spoke, “He’s dumb in the worst way.” Golden Leaf pushed at the table, then took a swig of her drink before turning back to Twilight, “Too clever by half, you know you’re going to have to keep a watchful eye on him right? That’s even if he’s worth keeping around. You know there are better ones out there right?”

“Are you saying I should abandon him?”

“Not at all,” Golden Leaf said. “We’re close enough to Manehatten that seeing some of their kind attached to a Mare isn’t too uncommon. But this one, he bucks when you try to educate him. If you plan on keeping him around, he will need a cautious taming.”

“Tell me about it…”

The old mare froze for a moment and said to Twilight, “That said, if you can get him properly broken in, he would be quite the asset to you and your future herd sisters.”

Twilight’s ears fluttered for a second before turning to the old mare, “Excuse me?”

“He and I’ve been playing for at least 10 hours, and that is ignoring last night's session,” she said. “It’s only in the last two that he started to really push me. Still not a serious enough player to make me buckle down, but still. If you can properly break him in and put him to task on something, he would definitely be an asset to you.”

“But that’s the thing, he’s been fighting me every step of the way,” Twilight said, lowering her head.

Golden Leaf looked at Twilight, then raised an eye and asked “Have you been properly draining him?”

Chapter 33: I will always remember the night when I slept under the Stars of Twilight

“Aye, you walk to the east, and throw a stone and you will hit a dragon. Go west and the Kirin will greet you with still tongues. But tread south and you might catch a glimpse of the Phoenix, soaring high above the treetops,” the old stallion instructed his student. “There, if you are kind and honest, one of the firebirds might take an interest in you. But be warned, for you never know which might be a member of the Cinnabar Court and offending them may bring the wrath of fire itself.”

“But, what of the North?” the young mare asked, her pink mane flowing in the wind.

“Ah, the Genbu. No matter how far one goes north, past the swells, mounds, and into the vales and you will not find one trace of them,” the old stallion said, peering from the corner of his eye.

“But there are only hills in the north. Did the Genbu not make it past the primordial dawn? Or perhaps Grogar killed them a long time ago, or perhaps one of his…” the young mare pondered aloud.

“Oh shush filly,” the old stallion gave a wry smile at the mare. “You give that dead goat too much credit, and his incarnations, those fragments don’t have the same power he had, oh no. And without his bell, they are wannabes of the highest order.”

“It still astonishes me that a dragon and a gryphon defeated two of the fragments themselves, and without horned magic,” the mare said.

The stallion turned to the mare, and took a step forth, “As adamant as you are on the might of our magic, you would do well to broaden your horizons.”

“Like making an Earth Pony your heir and prime apprentice? Clover might be clever, but she-”

“Says the mare who has prostrated herself before a stallion of all ponies in hopes of a collaboration? Or are you trying to position yourself and your sister as my next apprentices?”

The mare went quiet.

“Clover, as much as you desire it to be, is not a unicorn, but she brings her own magic. If you keep an open mind, you will see that I am learning just as much from her as she is learning from me.”

“Of course,” the mare gave a gracious nod.

“Now, it was a last-ditch effort, what Grogar did. What he did not consider is that his lust for revenge against us ponies would be stemmed by our closest friends of different species. Strange isn’t it. Almost as if friendship itself… is its own magic,” the stallion trailed off, casting his gaze at the mare.

The mare paused, “Indeed. Their connection to the Aspects. It’s almost as if the discord of primordial forces knew how dangerous Grogar was, and through those who listened, have helped us defeat him in the long term. Though if we had such chaos under our control, we would not have to play such games.”

The stallion watched the mare with a narrow eye, before turning away, “Now, let’s get back to it. Remember your readings. What do we know of the Genbu?”

“Well,” the student thought for a moment. “They are gigantic, huge. Rivaling even the largest dragons. Their necks are long, like a serpent’s. And their shells almost like the great dome of the night sky, only where the night sky is our obverse, their shell would be the revers-” the student’s eyes widened as she looked to her mentor. “The hills….”

“Yes… yes…. Go on…” the bearded stallion smiled; his blue cloak covered in stars rustling.

“They are the hills!”

~Starward, Chapter 6. Written by Celestia, of which only three copies exist.
The first is in Celestia’s Private collection.
The second is in Masaka Abbey in their deep archives, accessible by Celestia only.
The third is, or was, in Bridlon, one of the Lost Abbys.

“Princess Kenny is the only true princess,-” Xavier let out a yelp.

“You’re still bleeding,” Twilight said as the taste of iron touched her tongue. She pulled out the ad hoc bandages that she had stuffed into Xavier’s wounds, still freshly red. “You’re bleeding has slowed but, this is ridiculous.”

“You can’t talk that way, that’s your sister,” Xavier continued to mumble. “That’s a fine how do you do, look at the neighbors, we’re not going to fit in here,” Xavier replied to himself, his eyes half lidded and forehead flat on the soft ground. “Prime minister of Malay bad… Martial arts good…. Obey my dog!”

Twilight turned to her charge and exhaled a slow sigh. Xavier had been making ridiculous statements since she started changing his bandages only twenty minutes ago. Earlier that morning, he rambled about how thousands of years ago on his world, there was a great red ape like creature that made crude and pointless toys out of bones and waste, and how it enslaved small green creatures from a nearby world to make more. She left to get more wood when he got to the point where he tried to describe the war between the ape and creatures, as what was left of her patience was in the campfire along with the ash. He even yelled at her as she left that it was as it was revealed to him by a rabbot, whatever that was.

But now she was tending to his wounds. She frowned, then moved her head to the bottle of alcohol. Softly grabbing it with her mouth, she tilted her head ever so slowly, then quickly to ensure that no drops were wasted on her chin. The alcohol quickly poured out, filling Xavier’s wound as he let out a pathetic whimper. Quickly Twilight shifted her head back sideways and put down the bottle. Then she started stuffing the wound with fresh bandages.

From the corner of her eye, she once more caught the phoenix poking its head into the burrow. Once every twenty minutes or so, it would poke its head in. It would stare at them both with a burning eye, let out a tune, then pull its head back. And again, it flapped its wings and took a short flight to the branch it perched on last night.

“One pepperoni pizza please. I’d say that’s disgusting but I’m not in a position to judge. Don’t judge me! I’ve met someone who’s lost their tonsils twice!” Xavier droned on. “How does it relate to pizza? I never said it was related to pizza. You said it was related to pizza.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she went on to the next wound and began cleaning it. Once again, she pulled out the stuffing of baby unicorn wraps and once again poured alcohol as carefully as she could. And once again, another pathetic wail came from the human.

“There, there…” Twilight turned away and let out a quiet sigh as her Eques did what writhing he could. Finally, he stopped moving, and Twilight began stuffing the wound with fresh cloth, finishing it off with another pour from the bottle.

Xavier twisted his head to look at Twilight, then his guttural voice raised a question, “Is it the lighting in here, or is your coat duller?”

Twilight ignored Xavier as she continued her work. Once more replacing old bandages with new ones soaked in liquid fire.

“Tell me doctor,” Xavier muttered, “Can I play the lyre anymore?”

Twilight blinked at the question and lifted her head above Xavier to look at his hands, “I guess so?” she said with a raised eye.

“Well, I couldn’t before!” Xavier said, wiggling his fingers while mouthing a lyre solo that was more spit than melody. He ceased, letting a pause hang in the air.

“Charming,” Twilight grunted as she narrowed her eyes.

“It was better on the stage,” Xavier responded.

“Unquestionably,” Twilight said, letting out a sigh.

“Oh, here’s a good play,” Xavier said. “Queen Imagrina’s throne-room. The queen sits, attended by her three servants. Her daughter enters left, Imagina says ‘Dear daughter, ill tidings I bring unto thine ear,’” Xavier’s voice wavering in decibels. “‘Thy sister, the next in line, lies in ailment so wild.’”

Twilight ignored the human’s words as she put the bottle in front of her, and as carefully as she could, pinned it between her front legs. Then with her mouth, she grabbed the bottlecap and started to tighten it atop the container. She grunted in between movements, the sharp taste of alcohol occasionally butting in as she did what she could. Finally, the sound of teeth sliding against metal and thumping along the grooves bellowed in her mouth. Letting out another sigh, Twilight said “I am never going to under appreciate what earth ponies can do ever again…”

“N~no…” Xavier retorted at Twilight. “You’re supposed to say ‘Aye, verily’.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and answered, “‘Aye, verily.’”

“Good okay!” Xavier continued. “’Thou art the next in line for the Magenta Throne.’”

Twilight said nothing as she continued to work cleaning the human’s back.

“Alexandra!” Xavier barked out. “You’re supposed to say, ‘Ah, I perceive. Thou tappeth upon me to reign as the spare?’! Don’t write any of this down! The histories they preserved are plays to be acted out! It’s… it’s just like oral storytelling but their culture stores them like this because they want those who learn them not just to learn the facts but to empathize! Yes, especially them! From their perspective, such historical actors are tragic beings to be understood and seen! Not demonized!”

Twilight’s eyes turned to the wrappings that she had pulled out and saw that despite the fact that he was still bleeding, if it was sanitary, they could’ve almost been cleaned and reused if she had access to soap.

“Look at you, trying your best to stitch up your toy as best you can,” Xavier sputtered out. “It’s okay though, I too get sentimental when looking at my old toys. Nothing to be ashamed about.”

Twilight froze, and just looked down at Xavier. Her features shifted as she realized he was directly talking to her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she parsed the words in her head, “What on Celestia’s golden horizons are you talking about this time?”

“I had a toy doll once, but one night I threw up all over it and my parents just threw it away… they didn’t even try to wash him. To clean him. Did I kill him?” Xavier said, his voice muffled through the dirt floor he laid on. “I didn’t, I didn’t mean…”

“I…,” Twilight blinked at Xavier. “You’re talking nonsense.”

“Toys make me cry,” Xavier said in a hushed tone. “It haunts me that something so loved one day can easily be discarded the next like nothing happened. But I lived it Twilight, it’s not so bad getting replaced.” Silence fell over him before he said, “Her name was Becky.”

Twilight stared at the human’s bareback, his shirt covering the top of his shoulder blades and neck. Twilight got up as the bandages in each puncture that she stuffed started to slowly turn red, and walked around the human, facing him, “Becky? I thought you said-”

“She was a different toy. She had wheels for legs and a blue mane. Just like you, well, not the wheels bit,” Xavier rocked himself back and forth for a second. “I thought your mane was black, but it’s not, it’s a sort of deep blue now that I really get to look at you. Like you stole drops of ink meant for your celestial sphere, where the stars dance high above,” Xavier reached towards Twilight with bound hands.

Twilight’s eyes went wide, then she tried to recoil, but she didn’t have the heart to pull away. He started to stroke her mane, his green eyes evaluating her from the side. She could feel him probe her, like an appraiser. She started to wince, but he spoke up again.

“Becky’s mane was a lighter blue than yours. And harder. When I was small, I rode her hard. But she never broke. She never complained. A toy horse, I would drag her, and she followed without complaint.” Then Xavier’s eyes widened, and he uttered, “Oh god, now I’m dragging you, I’m breaking you, aren’t I?” his pupils dilating as a tear streamed down his eye. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“No,” Twilight stammered, quickly turning away. “No, you’re not.”

Xavier just stared at Twilight, indigo flashed behind green as he started gasping for air. Twilight turned at the sound to see that Xavier was gritting his teeth, face wrinkled in pain and red now flashed in his eyes as he lunged out to her, reaching out with both arms and thrusting himself from his prone position at the unicorn.

Old pony instincts slapped Twilight, getting her to scramble away from Xavier. The force he had used to thrust himself forward gave out and bounced him off the ground not like a rubber ball, but a metal pipe. A sharp pain echoed in the camp as Twilight looked down on the human, her front canon lifted against her as she now returned the appraisal. A muddy wrapped hand reached out to her. Matted streaks of red and brown crusted his hair. The clumps they formed rustled atop his head as his body rested against his other limb and quiet gasping escaped his lips.

Then he slowly moved, squeaked in pain as he righted himself flat against the floor, then lifted himself up with his arms. Twilight only now grasped how long his, no, human hind legs were, as he was now in a position as if he were roleplaying as a pony, but his rear knees were still in the mud. Then he started to move, slowly towards Twilight.

She took another step back only to hear him fumble out, “Sorry”. Then he reached out to her again, his wrapped palm facing her.

Twilight blinked, shook her head, then commanded, “Lie down. Now.”

The arm pulled back, but he just took another pained hobble forward, gasping, “I have to apologize.”

Twilight gulped, then opened a box in her mind she hadn’t used in years. She adjusted her posture, putting her front canon down. She sat and with her best big sister voice, told Xavier, “Lie down, now.”

Xavier however, did not retreat. He froze, and his head swung back and forth.

“Rest,” Twilight repeated, this time stoking her voice with the same tone Celestia had used when delivering a gentle reprimand.

Slowly the human lowered himself, wincing only twice, and returned himself back onto the floor.

Silence spilled into the shelter and wrapped the both of them. Twilight stared at Xavier, still confused as to what he was trying to do. Then finally Xavier broke the silence.

“Unlike my doll, I found Becky, 20 years later…” Xavier continued as if the last two minutes didn’t happen. He then pushed himself with his arms until his green eyes could meet Twilight’s purple eyes again. “She somehow survived…”

“Oh,” Twilight said, lowering herself to the floor.

“She’s safe, I was able to save her. Maybe I could introduce you two. Though she doesn’t talk too much…” Xavier looked left and right then let out a crackle. “She let me decide where we go, but I never took her further than the backyard. She should have reprimanded me for riding her too hard, but her patience with me was as vast as this sea of trees.”

“Xavier, she’s j-” Twilight froze. Then she looked down for a few moments before replying, “Smarty pants. She was mine,” Twilight said, turning to look up past the human who was laying in front of her. “She did homework with me. She never hated what we studied. Not even once.” Twilight went quiet for a second before continuing, “I didn’t ride her like how you did Becky, in fact, I was the one who gave her rides. But I used to give lectures and demonstrations to her. For hours. And sometimes I would use her as a subject. I… I used her.”

Then Twilight’s eyes started to shimmer wet, “At least you were able to preserve your Becky. A long time ago I cast a spell on her that made everyone want her and… and I lost her.”

“Accident?” Xavier asked.

Twilight’s mouth opened, then froze. She shook her head and looked down, “I was,” the words stuck in her throat before she finally forced them out in front of her Eques, “I was desperate to send a report. But it was a period of calm. I had no report to make. So… I used her to make a problem. One so big, that I couldn’t clean up the mess. Celestia had to clean up the mess herself…” Twilight paused, “You have to realize, I couldn’t fail Xavier I.. I just…” Twilight fumbled with her words before she asked, “Did I just use her?”

Xavier’s eyes widened, gasped, then his eyes moved back in forth in his skull, then said, “Oh Smarty Pants! Did you ever go to one of those conventions I was told about?”

Twilight’s head recoiled slightly, her eyes looking at Xavier almost bewilderingly, “I, I only ever got to go to one.”

“Do tell,” Xavier said, then he froze, his eyes moving left to right. “I think someone named Bluegrass is going to one, Baltimore? Baltimare? Applecore? Something to do with quills.”

“I don’t know anypony named Bluegrass,” Twilight said, letting out a tiny laugh. “But yes, in a few months there is going to be a Smarty Pants convention in Baltimare.”

Xavier’s eyes blinked, then he blurted out, “You can’t go!”

Twilight returned the blinks, then cocked her head “I’m… not… going?”

“You don’t understand!” Xaiver shot wild eyed at Twilight, “The ball pit! Stay away from the ball pit!”

“I don’t think there will be one?” Twilight looked at Xavier awkwardly. He looked frantic, almost crazed. “And besides, I don’t plan on going…?”

Xavier let out a sigh of relief and said, “Good… good… the ball pit, they,” Xavier’s voice went out, as if all the energy he had mustered up had drained from his face.

Twilight pulled her head back and raised an eye at Xavier, “What’s wrong with this ‘ball pit’?”

“It’s gross, I can’t talk about it in the presence of a Lady,” Xavier said, his eyes shifting from left to right. “But your Smarty Pants, she must have been special.”

Twilight then shook her head, “I mean, my Smarty Pants, she was just a toy.” Then she quietly mumbled “But still…”

“She was only a toy for a specific moment in time,” Xavier finally said. “However, there exists an interval of time that, for you, she was more. Just as for me, Becky was the horse I rode on.”

“Rode on?” Twilight tilted her head. Exhaling through her nose, she asked, “You keep saying you rode her hard, did you actually ride atop her?” Twilight paused for a moment, looking away before turning back to Xavier, “I’ve read about your horses when I read about humans. They’re a lot like ours except we never went out of our way to domesticate them… and besides, they’re all huge.”

Xavier nodded, “We domesticated them, and you’re right, but we breed a few to be roughly your size, but not your proportions. I think… I think we even have a few that are much shorter than your kind, but I can’t seem to remember.” Xavier’s eyes once more flickered about, “It’s practically a tradition in some places. I don’t like it though, but back then I was just… a kid, I didn’t know better… Becky was the only horse I ever owned,” Xavier paused. “The only one not to terrify me. When I was younger, they put me on a horse, and I screamed out in terror. The world was so… high up there.”

Twilight frowned keeping up with his disjointed words, only to voice, “So, you’ve ridden on them before?”

Xavier nodded, “Against my wishes. I keep getting told they don’t mind but, I don’t know.” His eyes started to dart back and forth again, “It always seemed to me they would prefer just to graze and hang around each other then be ridden.” There was a long pause before Xavier said, “We break them you know.”

Twilight pulled her head back, “Break them?”

Xavier’s arms once more moved and pushed against the ground. He let out a pained yelp.

“Don’t move!” Twilight snapped.

Xavier fell back to the ground, and then rotated his head, catching Twilight’s eyes with his own verdant iris’s. Twilight looked away.

“Don’t. You need to hear this,” Xavier moaned.

Twilight slowly pivoted her eyes back to Xavier, looking down at the right eye of the human whose face was half covered in dirt.

“We break them and tame them when they are young,” Xavier started. “We castrate the males most of the time because they’re not worth breeding and to ensure they are less temperamental.”

Twilight’s face changed. Her ears folded back, “You what?”

“We castrate them. And we put them to work,” Xavier said, his eyes steady. “While there are those of us who fight against what I am about to tell you, many others will simply beat them for disobedience, or use spurs to -”

“Stop…” Twilight barked.

“And when they get too old to work, we kill them. We skin them. And we sell the-”

“STOP!” Twilight bellowed.

Xavier ceased. Twilight looked away and then looked back at Xavier, his dilapidated face gazing at her unblinkingly, awaiting proclamation.

“We are not your horses,” Twilight finally said. “As nice as it is to see you a little more lucid, and as awful as those things are, your kind did not do that to us ponies. And besides, I’ve been around farms before Xavier. Gryphons do their own skinning and repurposing of parts. And we’re not horses Xavier, just like you’re not a gorilla, so you don’t need to confess a moot point.”

Xavier’s visage softened and turned away.

“Not the judgement you were hoping for? Besides,” Twilight gulped. “We castrate some of our own domesticated livestock. A friend explained it to me. She keeps sheep for their wool. Some of the male sheep are… aggressive and as awful as it is, it’s a strategy she and her family used to keep the herd under control. She also says it makes their wool finer and better for market. Griffins will do it too because, if I recall right, it makes the meat taste better for some.”

Xavier said nothing, remaining still on the ground.

“Xavier, you said your horses scare you.” Twilight paused for a second. “Do I scare you?” Twilight intoned slowly, looking down at him, her front knees shuffling about against the ground. “Like the time they made you ride one?”

Xavier grumbled for a second, then replied, “Are you going to throw me six feet off the ground and trample me?”

“I would never throw yo-,” Twilight spat out on reflex. Then froze, her eyes widened as she remembered Sally. Shaking her head, she composed herself, saying, “Well besides, you can’t exactly ride me…”

“Then you don’t scare me in that way…”

“In that way?”

“Yes.”

“Then how do I scare you?” Twilight’s voice let out a slight tremble.

“The same way that only a unicorn who has mastered magic can,” Xavier said.

“A-A little respect is nice,” Twilight answered, then paused. “But you don’t need to be frightened of me.”

Xavier didn’t respond. Twilight watched the slow expansion and contraction of his chest, then turned away to look at the woods. An almost dark tan shade of green was laid scratched out before her. The sun had just hit apogee and was starting to darken the forest ever so slightly. Lifting herself up, she walked over to her pile of branches and twigs and started grabbing them and dropping them into the extinguished campfire.

“The third time I came over,” Xavier mumbled as Twilight dropped another branch into the campfire, “I found a family of earth ponies.”

Twilight stopped her building and faced Xavier, her ears fully perked up.

“I found a tree to take shade in, I sat down and felt the grass and the cool breeze swept over me. Then I saw them, there were three of them. Two mares and a stallion. At the time I thought it was a married couple and their child, but now I know it was probably two mares and their stallion. They were caring for this… Absolute beautiful monstrosity of the garden. And I watch them, and they seem so… Happy.”

Twilight looked down, then at the pile of wood she was building before gently sauntering over to Xavier.

“I snuck closer, they didn’t see me. But it wasn’t like they were looking either, nor was I particularly camouflaged. So, I got closer, and they were whistling and humming together. And then the strangest thing happened. One of the mares asked the stallion to ‘please go over to the trellis’ and he did as she asked without complaint. Then she asked for permission to use him as a step stool. Each time using please and thank you,” Xavier let out a long sigh.

Twilight lowered herself to the ground, then blew her bangs out of the way to get a clearer view of her Eques. His head was angled on, his eyes closed as he continued.

“So, she climbed atop of him, and she started trimming the vines. Then she lost her footing and tumbled down, dropping the blade and bumping her head and hooves against his own head, bringing the pair down. The other mare ran over and cried out and asked if they were okay. Then the two who fell down to earth just started laughing. And the other mare started laughing. Then the mare that fell apologized and they all just got up and made sure no one was hurt. And again, they were so… happy. And that’s when I realize that this was paradise.”

Twilight frowned as she glanced away.

“A world where everyone uses please and thank you, were the lessons I learned at five years old from stories with a big bird and a grouch on how to behave were finally applicable.”

Twilight looked back over at Xavier and tilted her head slightly.

“The lessons they taught failed me the first day I was in first grade and got called names and laughed at. Those lessons only served to ostracize me. But here, in paradise, no one called each other names, everyone used please and thank you, and honest mistakes were just honest mistakes. So, I resolved to do everything I could to stay here. I didn’t know that Equus was at war at the time.” Xavier started laughing, then gasping in pain. He stopped, calming himself down before continuing, “I fell into that classic trap of assuming a sample is representative of the whole.”

Twilight frowned, then finally spoke up, “We weren’t what you expected I guess?”

Xavier nodded like jagged, broken glass, “But still… At the time, I convinced myself that entering the conflict was worth the sacrifice. Maybe ponies could be a model for us to emulate. And through emulation we could become close to you. So, I pushed forward. Then as I fought, I discovered the truth I had deluded myself from that day onward. You’re no better than us. You’re no worse than us. That on both Equus and Terra, we can only be as good as our respective worlds let us.”

Twilight’s ears fell flat, she looked away from Xavier as he slowly breathed in and out.

“It didn’t used to be that way,” Twilight finally answered. “At least, when I was a filly back then, the world felt different. More organized, everything had its proper place.”

“Yes…” Xavier replied. “The unfortunate coddling of youth can ill prepare us…”

Twilight nodded, “Mom and Dad were always busy. My brother and Cadence practically raised me.”

“Cadence?”

“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Twilight answered. “But I knew her better as ‘The greatest foal-sitter in all the history of foal-sitters’.”

“Oh yes, the third princess. Regardless, that’s quite the…” Xavier inhaled, then finally let out a long exhale, “Appellation.”

“Mom was a writer,” Twilight started. “It wasn’t her brand. She got it for astronomy. Her herd sisters found it infuriating that she kept pushing against her mark. And dad wasn’t too happy with that either. But she was a magpie…”

“Magpie?”

“Sorry,” Twilight stopped for a second. “She wasn’t happy with just her talent, so she kept pushing other interests.”

Xavier moved a bit, adjusting himself, “I thought that was frowned on.”

“It is,” Twilight said, her eyes gazing down. “If she followed the destiny her mark laid out for her, she could have become a Royal Astronomer. Maybe even served directly under Celestia as the Court Astronomer. But she always looked at her mark with annoyance. Said she got hers too soon. She told me she would have preferred to have gotten her mark later in life so she could try more things out. Didn’t stop her though.”

“Sounds to me that she didn’t want to,” Xavier breathed in and out. “… Be pigeonholed.”

“Pigeonholed?” Twilight tilted her head.

“To be pegged to one talent for the rest of her life,” Xavier answered.

“… I see. But you’re right. And she never forgave her mark for that. I remember when I was a filly, she would still go try other talents. And eventually she settled on both adventuring and writing.”

Xavier grunted, “Adventuring? That’s something that can encapsulate a lot of different things…”

“Well, she had a sort of wanderlust. She would leave for weeks on end, looking for adventure, then come back and write for months. Dad didn’t have that luxury and my brother told me that while they were mostly cordial in front of the herd, there were arguments behind closed doors. But I do remember a nasty one when I was a foal, and she was sent to the second bed. Strangely, I was told Mom was supposed to be our lead at the start. She and dad were the ones that started the herd, but things happened when the herd started bringing in new members and she was never able to take on the lead mare position. And she was never really interested in anything outside our band anyways.”

“How did your dad balance everything?”

“He,” Twilight trailed off. “I think mom’s absence made it easier on him. He was able to focus on taking care of the other herd mothers. Our lead was particularly demanding of him, but thankfully my brother and Cadence were there to take care of me during periods neither my mom nor dad couldn’t.”

“Be honest,” Xavier mumbled. “Is this something every family in Canterlot goes through?”

“Xavier,” Twilight started, she looked away, closed her eyes then turned back. “There’s something we need to talk about before I answer that. I know that you have been adamant that we are not a herd, but for the sake of the next part, I need you to, if not be open to the idea, then be silent as I explain it.”

Xavier nodded.

“When I sung out to you, and our herd first formed, you and I are not any common herd. We are members of lower royalty now.”

Xavier giggled.

Twilight’s lips curled downwards as she narrowed her eyes, “Something funny?”

“Forgive me,” Xavier choked out another laugh. “The circumstances of our bonding are becoming more absurd by the moment,” Xavier gave out a pained grunt. “The idea that because I sang a small section of a duet with you without my volition, one that I don’t understand, not only immediately inducted me into a family unit, but grants me aristocrat status in a society that sees my kind as hostile is, frankly, the cherry on top.”

“Well…” Twilight looked away. “Under normal circumstances your new rank would entitle you to a few things, an allowance, admission to parts of Canterlot only we can go to, exemption from a few things. Though given my current exiled status, I guess it doesn’t mean too much.”

“Do I get a fancy title?” Xavier gave a silly, tired grin.

Twilight shook her head, “Just the courtesy title Lord.”

“Already got one of those,” Xavier mumbled.

Twilight raised an eye at Xavier, “What?”

“It was a joke, I got it as a gift a few years ago. Some pretend parcel of land. Thing was a scam anyways, but they still paid money to pull my leg,” Xavier answered.

“Well, scam or not, you are technically a Lord now. Though now that I think about it,” Twilight looked up and let her eyes danced left and right until finally she said, “actually I think we’re upper royalty now.”

“Oh?” Xavier said. “Does that mean I get to have the real fancy cookies from the bakery?”

Twilight let out an entertained puff of air, “No.”

“So how did we get this promotion without doing anything?”

“So normally,” Twilight began. “If I weren’t exiled, and we just formed this herd in the normal way, you would have to stay with me for 15 years before you were granted the rank of lower royal along with the courtesy title.”

“But because of Heartsong…”

“Right, because of Heartsong, you were admitted to a rank on par with mine the moment you answered. The way it was explained to me was its an attempt to try and stem any issues that might arise from the pair being unequal in rank, like the story of the bakery mare. Though to be honest, there was much more going on in that story beyond unequal rank, but here’s the rub…” Twilight lightly curled her lips, “Since I’m one of the Elements of Harmony, I am only allowed to form a herd with members of upper royalty…”

“Which I’m not…” Xavier said.

“Obviously,” Twilight nodded. “But bear with me for a moment, it gets a little messy. Before I herd up, I’m simply a provisional member of upper royalty. Effectively, the rank is in waiting. Waiting for me to select a herd within the upper royalty to join. Which I now have, if you forgive the presupposition…”

Xavier nodded, “Let’s continue with this hypothetical presupposition.”

“So, here’s my current status, I am currently in a herd. However, none of its members are upper royalty. Which means under normal circumstances, the herd itself takes on the highest rank of the member with the highest status. So, if I were not exiled, we would most definitely be lower royalty… But an Element of Harmony is not permitted to be in a herd of less than upper royalty. Again, under normal circumstances I would review offers and do interviews to see which herd in the ton would be willing to take me on. That or I’d just start a herd with a stallion who is already an upper royal.”

“But Heartsong…”

Twilight nodded again, “But Heartsong. Since, as far as I know, this simply has never happened before, there would be an Assembly of Upper Royals to pass judgment, which based on precedence with how important me and the other Elements of Harmony are… I would say that they would have no choice but to admit us to the status of Upper Royalty.”

“So,” Xavier said with a mellow, pained tone. “Does that mean I get a bigger allowance? Can I buy for that Okama Gamesphere that’s been eyeing me in the pawnshop? Do I finally get that doggy in the window?”

“Gamesphere?”

“Sorry,” Xavier let out a cross between a grunt and a chuckle. “Just a joke from a long time ago.”

“Well,” Twilight looked up. “Yes, we would get a bigger allowance, and our herd would have been assigned supervisory roles in something. But there are a few other things as well…” Twilight began numbering off, “First, we would have to maintain appearances as befitting our new station. Also, we would probably be assigned governmental duties such as sitting on budget committees. Then there are the parties we would have to attend…”

“So, what you’re saying is being pampered is a full-time job?” asked Xavier.

“Sorry if I go off on a tangent here,” Twilight shot Xavier a grumpy look. “I don’t understand why other ponies just assume nobility doesn’t do anything. Attending the Grand Galloping Gala is great the first two or three times, but your job there is to mingle.”

Xavier took in a deep breath, “So, explain to me why six hours of mingling is more arduous work then plowing the fields for ten?”

Twilight reeled back her head, then thought for a few moments, “Risk.”

Xavier slowly turned to Twilight and raised an eye.

“Listen,” Twilight started. “My mom was never really into the responsibilities of nobility. But my dad was. He taught me that the allowance that you been harping on about? That’s not free money. That’s to ensure that we can meet the bare minimum of living in Canterlot. Ideally, our main money flow comes from the work we do and the projects we oversee. Also, if we’re landed, the money we make off taxes assuming we lend the property out to competent tenants. But there are times where the works we do aren’t enough, or the projects we oversee fail, or if we’re landed, a bad harvest strangles our tax revenue.”

“So, in principle, if you do a good job at whatever you pick up…”

“Right, if our works provide value to the kingdom, its rewards will be more than enough to sustain us. Conversely, in bad times, we might only get our allowance, but we will not find ourselves out on the streets just because the waterworks project we were tasked to oversee fails due to drought.”

“So, what happens,” Xavier breathed in and out. “When a herd repeatedly fails?”

Twilight shifted her eyes side to side, “Depending on the situation, more likely than not, the herd will just split up and each of its members will find a new herd in their level of nobility to join.” Twilight curled her front legs, and took on the shape of a loaf as she spoke, “The projects will be reassigned new overseers unless it’s a particularly onery project that has failed multiple times under different herds. Then it might get escalated to Celestia’s direct management, but understand, that rarely happens. But for the members of that herd, if an assigned task fails due to particularly onerous members of nobility, they may be put on a probationary period or expunged from the noble record.”

“Give me some examples.”

“One good example would be bookkeeping fraud, lying on reports, dereliction of duty,- ”

“Exile?”

“Ah!” Twilight said, turning an eye to Xavier. “I see where you’re going with this, and no, just because I’m exiled doesn’t mean my nobility has been stripped.”

“Why?” Xavier asked.

“There are many reasons for exile beyond just the worst offenses,” Twilight said with a gulp. “Depending on the situation, exile may be done in order to address a political crisis. Tell me, do you have scapegoats in your society?”

“Unfortunately…”

“Well, sometimes there are incidents where you need a scapegoat… Exile provides us a way to do that without execution. But wherever that pony goes, as long as they keep their noble title, they’ll be afforded more, shall we say, latitude. As an example, the Abyssinians acknowledge our titles and would give us safe harbor if one went to them.”

“So why didn’t you go to them?” Xavier asked. “Would you not have been well taken care of?”

Twilight sighed, “It’s not as easy as that, being a guest would require that I occasionally help out my hosts…”

“So, you’re worried that Canterlot will put you on the chopping block if you, the element of magic, provide services to another country,” Xavier said.

“More than just that,” Twilight said. “As you have pointed out, I’m not just any unicorn.”

“So symbolically you can’t hand over that kind of power?” Xavier asked.

“Would you hand over that kind of power to strangers?” Twilight replied.

Xavier mumbled for a second, “One must cultivate one’s own garden, one must play with the hand that they’re dealt.”

“So, if you were in my position, you would take up residence in foreign lands?” Twilight huffed.

Xavier took a breath, “I’m a survivor Twilight. Arguably I have more in common with a cockroach than you.”

Twilight raised an eye, “A cockroach?”

“Survival, like politics, is simply the art of the possible. You work with what you have,” Xavier scanned the burrow, “You understand, even if only at an unconscious level.”

“I don’t think I like being compared to a cockroach,” Twilight grumbled.

Xavier shook his head, “First, we don’t have any aid supplies specifically for puncture wounds and yet you made do with what we had. Next, to solve the problem of getting me moved, once again you took what we had and worked with it. Finally, when the opportunity presented itself, you chose this burrow as our camp. Quick thinking, imagination, taking the opportunities presented. On a very real level that’s magic whether you care for it or not.”

Twilight pulled back her head, looked away, “It’s not real magic.”

“I disagree, the mare you told me about. The one who enchanted her toy just to try and keep her place in the sun. Perhaps some might say you’re irrational, unpredictable, delusional, indifferent to the well-being of others,” Xavier started.

Twilight lowered her head as she closed her eyes, letting her ears fold back.

“But let’s try another perspective. Let’s look at it from, to use your lingo gently, somepony who feels that her survival as a student is on the line. Somepony who is afraid of the obliteration that you obviously went through Twilight. So, she has a problem. And I can only imagine, because of how highly you speak of Celestia, the fear that was coursing through her veins. She looked at her situation, like one might look at a very cold night and decide in order to survive, she needs to make heat somehow. So, you made your own fire, only in your haste and desperation for heat, you built your fire too near a tree. But still, the imagination, quick thinking, taking what you had and working with it. All marks of a cunning and creative being. Tell me, what ended up happening?”

Twilight turned towards Xavier, her eyes looking bottom left, “Celestia fixed my mistake. She didn’t cast me away, only a gentle reprimand and an insistence that for now on, I only send reports when I have them to send.”

Xavier nodded, “As a teacher should to a student. Though if your damage wasn’t as bad as it was, I would’ve changed one thing about her reaction to what you had done.”

“And that would be?”

“I would force you to fix your own mistake. If lives weren’t at risk, while I would stand by to give a word of wisdom and encouragement, you would have so much to gain simply by having to fix your own problems,” Xavier finished.

Twilight’s head pulled back as she asked, “Why?”

“Two reasons,” Xavier said. “First, it engraved that lesson into your soul, having to fix that much damage. At the very least, you’ll think twice before doing something like that again. Or if you’re even more creative, if you need to cause a lot of destruction quickly, you know just how to do it now…”

Twilight gulped at the latter point.

“Second, fixing the mistake itself may be educational. Perhaps you learn new skills that will help you help others clean up disaster areas quickly. Or a disenchantment spell that disperses the effects of that sort of control,” Xavier continued. Then he paused and rolled his head over at Twilight, “Just… Out of curiosity, how did you take control of those other ponies?”

Twilight raised her head a little, “Why do you ask?”

“It seems to me that whatever spell you used, it acts a little symmetric to how Sombra’s mind control works,” Xavier said.

Twilight shook her head, “The two are nothing alike. I use what’s called a ‘Want It, Need It’ spell. And that was before unicorn magic had severely weakened. Honestly, if I were able to cast it right now, the effects would be much more subdued.”

“Is that how Celestia was able to dispel it?” Xavier asked.

Twilight nodded, pulling up her forelegs a bit and looking down at her hooves “Yes. In fact, the spell she used was the basis of our attempts at trying to disenchant the Crystal ponies that had been mind controlled by Sombra.” Twilight looked up to see that Xavier was nodding, then continued, “But we were never able to get an exact understanding on what he was doing. We knew for a fact that it had something to do with the helmets that he would force on them. But we couldn’t do any direct study of the helmets because of their insidious nature…”

“They slowly drew you to try and don them, right?” Xavier asked.

“Yes,” Twilight pursed her lips as her ears fell back. “We tried to get dragons and griffins to assist us, but neither group knew enough magic since well…”

“One thing you should know,” Xavier said, adjusting himself, “is that the design of the standard helmet has many layers of forging and design. If you were to split a helmet in half and look at it, beneath the initial outer layer protecting the cranium is a black obsidian substrate, some mixture of metal and black obsidian fragments. Then beneath that is a thick sheet of iron between the black obsidian substrate and well…” Xavier trailed off for a second, biting his lower lip, “The part of the helmet that takes over the mind.”

Twilight thought for a moment and narrowed her eyes, “You’ve examined one?”

“Well, we’re not ponies, so we split it, figured out its workings. There are variations of course where because of supply shortages, and there were deficiencies or absences of specific components in a few helmets, but” Xavier trailed off. “It’s an insidious mass-produced artifact Twilight.”

“Then how did you handle the enchantment aspect of it?” Twilight asked.

Xavier paused, breathing slowly, then answered, “Easy, it wasn’t enchanted like how you enchanted Smarty Pants.”

“… Inscription,” Twilight frowned.

“Inscription,” Xavier nodded. “It’s concealed. So looking inside a helmet only reveals whatever they had on hand, cloth, leather, even hay. And after that, there is a thin, initial concealing layer of copper, but after that…”

Twilight looked away, breathing in and out as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

Xavier watched Twilight, her ears weren’t flat towards the back, but towards the sides of her head as her tail stayed still.

“So,” Xavier started, letting out a cough, “you’re an aristocrat right, does that mean you have a rank?”

A serene smile rose on Twilight’s face, drawing her out of her funk, “I was a Baronetess, but when I started studying under Celestia, I was elevated to Baroness. And through my hard work, created Viscountess then Countess.”

“So, you are technically Countess Twilight Sparkle?” Xavier asked.

“Right,” Twilight nodded.

Xavier wiggled for a moment, “Baroness, Viscountess, Countess… Marchioness, Dutchess, Princess?”

“That’s really close,” Twilight smiled. “Between Dutchess and Princess is Archduchess, and of course, there are only three mares permitted to hold the rank of Princess.”

Xavier nodded, “Of course. Of course. One cannot outrank the top.” Then Xavier’s eyes shifted left and right for a moment, confusion painted on his face, “But the House of Baronesses was… an elected body? From what you just said, that implies there are positions granted?”

“It is unicameral, yes,” Twilight said, giving an nod. “But there are several assemblages. The Harmony Delegates which are the elected Baronesses you’re thinking of. But there are also the Elite Consuls and Regal Delegates. Care to take a guess which assemblage I’m technically in?”

Xaiver paused, then looked up, “The Elite Consuls?”

Twilight shook her head, “Nope. Those are Baronesses who were appointed to their rank by commission and are made up of experts and noteworthy ponies.”

“And you’re not an experts or noteworthy?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes and let out a snort, “I am a member of the Regal Delegates. We were appointed by Celestia directly to protect her Kingdom’s interests.”

Another look of confusion swept Xavier’s face, “But… isn’t that the Harmony Delegate’s job? If they’re the elected body, don’t they have their electorate’s interests in mind.”

“Well, I mean, you can’t always trust the citizenry,” Twilight chuckled.

Xavier went silent, looking at the dirt floor and curling his lips downwards, “How many votes does it take for legislation to pass?”

Twilight raised an eye, then pursed her lips as she gazed to her left, “Two thirds most of the time. Occasionally some legislation like kingdom budgets only require a simple majority to pass. A lot of that is negotiated before the proposal is presented.”

Xavier was quiet for a moment. Then he grumbled, “How many seats each?”

“Seats? 823 in total, 288 to the Regal, 140 to the Elite and 395 to the Harmony Delegates.”

Xavier’s fingers started flicking up and down as his eyes bounced back and forth, occasionally looking up for long moments before finally saying, “About 35%, enough to stop a super majority with I think 11 or 13 seats to spare.”

Twilight raised an eye, “Implying?”

“Implying that Celestia can stop any legislation she wants from passing,” Xavier mumbled.

“I mean, of course she can,” Twilight said, a slight frown bustling forth. “But she doesn’t need the regal delegates to block it for her.”

“How long are your appointments?”

“Lifetime.”

“Can she dismiss her appointments?”

“Of course.”

“Does her appointments have to be vetted?”

“No, why would they need to be vetted? She picked them.”

“So, in principle she could dismiss and appoint a single pony to the same seat over and over again in a single day?”

“In principle…”

“Does Luna get any representation within the regal delegates?”

“In fact, yes,” Twilight said, unamused. “Celestia was generous enough to give her sister her own representation as well.”

“How many?”

“Three.”

Xavier raised an eye, “Just three?”

“Trust me,” Twilight said. “Celestia has Luna’s best interest in mind when she appoints her own delegates.”

“But not enough to have equal appointment privileges within the legislative body.”

“Your point?”

“I don’t have one.”

“That’s not what this sounds like to me. It sounds like you are trying to imply that Celestia plays politics. I’ll have you know that except for diplomatic matters, Celestia keeps her hoofs out of politics.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

Twilight just stared at Xavier for a moment before shooting him a sharp look, “You were obviously trying to make a point of something.”

“No, just trying to understand the game.”

“Then why don’t you stop playing games and get to the point,” Twilight snapped.

“I’m not trying to make a point,” Xavier said, “I’m trying to figure out how much weight your society places on the voices of its citizens versus the voices of its upper echelons.”

“Sounds like you would follow a stampede off a cliff,” Twilight mumbled.

“I never said that,” Xavier answered.

“It’s what you implied.”

“That is not-”

“Then what are you trying to say?” Twilight snapped once more.

There was a pause before Xavier answered, “No matter the political system, there are always two ranks, the movers and shakers, and everyone else. Even in a direct democracy there are those who can rile up the crowd, get them on their side, make them vote their way because of how charismatic they are. But each system is built atop different rules. Different values and traditions. What I was trying to understand was exactly how many hoops your upper ranks had to jump through to get their way if they oppose Celestia politically.”

“It sounded like you’re going to accuse us of not having the Kingdom’s subjects’ best interests at heart,” Twilight said.

“No nation does,” Xavier mumbled. “All I was trying to figure out in this case was how easily your upper ranks can stop any change they disagree with. What really worries me is Luna’s three representatives.”

“That’s what worries you?” Twilight responded, her eyebrows furrowing at the human.

“Yes, it could mean many things. Perhaps Luna is not interested in politics. Or perhaps she’s just interested enough to have representatives vote on what they perceive to be her behalf. Maybe given her defeat, she is afraid of exerting influence. Or perhaps Celestia doesn’t trust Luna to appoint representatives that have both of their interests in mind. Or perhaps I’m overthinking it. But what really worries me is what if Luna starts wanting more?”

Twilight just shook her head and sighed as Xavier continued.

“What if she somehow symbolically gains more power over time? Might she be given more representatives to account for this? Or is she going to make a more modern play for power?”

“Luna would never do that, you don’t know her like I do, you don’t know Celestia like I do,” Twilight growled, shaking her head impatiently.

“Exactly, I don’t know them. But what I do have is abstract knowledge on how power in various political systems works. Luna may be a princess, but she’s obviously second potatoes to her sister, who built an elaborate power system to give the illusion of empowering her subjects. That or she constructed such a tangle of committees and bodies of representatives that to make any meaningful change, you have to spend years ingratiating yourself into the system as it changes you into something that’s depended on that very same system.”

“You think she’s going to rebel again?”

“For some given value of rebellion,” Xavier answered. “But the truth is she has already shown that she will rebel once before. This means that the chances of her rebelling again are not zero.”

“Why am I even having this conversation with you?” Twilight spat, getting up and growling. “It’s obvious you don’t have any respect for those I look up to.”

“I have,” Xavier let out a pained grunt, gritting his teeth for a moment before saying, “respect for you.”

“Oh, only after you buck up so hard that here you are, on deaths door and I’m the only thing keeping you from crossing over,” Twilight hissed.

“You saved your world twice without a drop of violence,” Xavier scowled at Twilight. “Twice. So don’t think I don’t acknowledge you as my superior in that domain Twilight Sparkle. And it only took you and five others while I had to become a cog in a greater machine that left a wake of destruction behind us. Letting my own personal will be willingly subsumed by a hierarchy that had its own motives and goals. So do not!” Xavier let out a pained yelp as he enunciated, “Assume that my respect for you is merely gratitude...”

“For someone who distrusts authority figures, you sure put a lot of weight on others accounts of my deeds,” Twilight sneered, then looked at the burrow’s entry way.

“What needs to be said? Everyone I talk to-”

Twilight raised her voice, “Do you think I got Nightmare Moon to surrender? To give up with words? Do you think I negotiated with her? No! And do you think Discord was someone you could negotiate with?! No! He only took Canterlot and its outer boarders Xavier! Most of the others you have probably heard from looked at us with terror and a swell of relief when he was stopped. But they were not in the small patch of Equues he took over. They did not have to undergo the experience of being turned into Cider, still aware, and being unable to do anything as, oh, your sibling drank you up! Or how about thinking you’re a dog and have always been a dog? Do you think I was going to hand Discord a formal objection and schedule dates for negotiation of surrender with that thing? I don’t know where you got it that my successes were free of violence, but we both stopped Nightmare Moon and Discord before they could continue to harm others!”

Xavier said nothing, a tepid, mellow expression took hold as Twilight looked on, waiting for his response.

“Twilight,” Xavier started. “Let’s… change the subject. How bad does my wound look?”

Twilight only glanced at Xavier for a second before saying, “It’s…” She paused, then took a breath, “You’re tore up. You have at least 18 wounds in total.”

“That bad,” Xavier nodded. “Then we need to talk about you going on without me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Twilight said with a whip of her tail.

“Twilight…” Xavier interjected.

“And besides, the bleeding has basically stopped at this point, and-”

“Twilight…”

“The moment we get you back on your feet, we can just-” Twilight looked over at Xavier, who just glared at her. Her mouth froze as he slowly spoke.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, if even one of my wounds goes septic, even with your exemplary work patching me up, I would have hours, maybe days if I’m lucky. Once it gets to that point, we need to see about getting you taken care of,” Xavier said with a hushed voice.

Twilight took a moment to look at Xavier, and blinked, “Oh, so now you care about me?”

“The moment it seems obvious that I’m not going to make it, I want you to pack whatever you can, take what you need from my pack and leave me here,” Xavier continued on. “Just be sure to leave me the knife, in case things get that painful.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped, as she looked on Xavier with indignant rage, “Oh I bet you would just like me to go. Not that that wasn’t your objective from the start,” Twilight gave a snort.

“Please…” Xavier’s face took on a slight glaze, “let’s be real. I should be dead now. Only at your last-minute intervention did you manage to salvage me. But the situation may be unrecoverable. We need to discuss what’s going to happen to you.”

“Says you,” Twilight snapped at Xavier. “The moment we can get you walking, we can go back to the road and get you some help.”

“Twilight, you have-”

“I don’t know if we should see about waiting for another caravan, or we should head back to the last town, but-”

“Twilight, you have-”

“I’m thinking we should head back to the last town-”

“Twilight, you have permission to leave me to die.”

Silence fell over the burrow as Twilight just slowly turned her head at Xavier.

“You are not abandoning me, you are not leaving me to die, do you understand? If I get so bad that it’s obvious that I won’t recover, or for any other reason you deem fit, I am telling you right now. You did not abandon me. Do you understand?”

Twilight glanced away as Xavier reiterated, “Leaving me to my fate will not be an act of cowardice or malevolence or anything else. If there comes a time that you have decided that there is no reason for you to stay, I need to know that you will not stay any longer than you have to. I need to know that you will not beat yourself up about it decades from now.”

Twilight gulped as she slowly found her words, “You don’t get to decide that.”

“You’re right,” Xavier answered. “But I am telling you that future mare that you will become that you did everything you could. There was nothing more you could have done. My death is on my own head, not yours.”

Twilight turned towards Xavier, red flashing behind her purple eyes and screamed “You don’t get to decide that! You don’t get to decide the situation is so unsalvageable that I’ll need your pity in the future! That I won’t be able to move on without you uncharacteristically telling me it’s okay! My self-esteem is not so wrapped up in you that I won’t be able to move on! What a piece of work you are,” Twilight sneered.

Xavier watched Twilight, she was biting her lower lip. Her nostrils flared, her ears screaming to the back of her skull.

Then he looked down and finally said, “You were correct Twilight, I am a monster.”

Twilight’s ferocious features suddenly softened, “Correct?”

“I am a monster.”

Twilight’s head recoiled, “I didn’t mean that.” Then her eyelids fluttered as she blurted out, “I was just trying to get you to safety.”

“Irrelevant,” Xavier said. “I am a monster. This I will not deny.”

Twilight frowned then turned away and started walking towards her saddlebag, “You’re just saying that so it might get me to leave you sooner.”

Xavier shook his head, then his face furrowed “I, I don’t know how many Crystal Ponies I killed Twilight.”

Twilight froze, then slowly turned to face Xavier.

“Sometimes we’d get lucky and we could corner two or three. With some support and time, we could get those helmets off. If we were lucky, they were some of the older helmets, we just had to undo the strap and lift the thing. But the newer helmets held on tightly, with or without a strap. If we had a unicorn who knew what she was doing, it would take her about 10 minutes each while we held them down and she tried to probe a weak spot in the black obsidian substrate. If we didn’t,” Xavier lifted his hand to his face, “repeated blows to the head eventually worked. Forcing a concussion on them sometimes disrupted the flow of magic within the inscriptions inside the helm, but not always. The lucky ones only had a single concussion. The unlucky ones…”

Twilight slowly let her rump fall to the floor as she stared at Xavier.

“Artillery fire really won the war, our more advanced tech like guided missiles were useless on the side, anything with transistors. But you don’t need transistors for mortar fire. And unlike this side of the veil, we’ve mastered contemporary force on force conflicts, especially once we were able to start manufacturing obsidian. The real issue came when we needed to send small groups of individuals far away from the intermeshing zones for strategic strikes. We couldn’t bring our communications tech to maximum range here, so everyone needed to know how to fight and kill if you left even 5 km outside the intermeshing zones. And there are places where there would only be 13 of us versus entire divisions of them.” Xavier glanced down at his wrapped arms, “But depending on the tools you had at hand and enough prep time, and if you could bait them to fight on favorable ground, because their collective minds became so hive like in huge numbers, killing them was, to simply put, easy.”

Twilight couldn’t peel herself away. Her ears faced Xavier, as he looked away from her.

“The first time it was against a small contingent, standing guard at a pass. Couldn’t use guns because it would have drawn attention, and we didn’t have enough arrows, so… knives it was. Alexandra and Roxanne were well practiced, I on the other hand was not. I was trying to do everything to make it as quick and painless as possible that I screwed up on the slice. I don’t know if I hit a nerve or if the two nearby deaths were enough to shock it or what. Regardless, I fucked up and I made that pony’s death much more painful than it had to be.”

“We finished our tasks and left. Did the whole fretting over it for two days while the others got tired of my shit real quick. Soon after I started my real education in slaughter. Then the feeling of killing faded. I know some of the others had a phase where they really got into it you know, really enjoyed it. Others got a sick thrill, and others went through a myriad of different emotions. I seemed to have skipped that step. I got to the part where all it left you was with this banal sensation. Day in, day out, it started becoming more of a chore than anything else. I think that was the worst part of it, had all the stories tell me about how killing follows you for the rest your life, or how it makes you a monster, or how it makes you a real human being. For me?” Xavier shrugged, “It became a shitty part-time job. It had the same vibe as stocking the shelves or cleaning up the bathrooms. And you know what the worst part was?”

Twilight just stared at Xavier, her mouth slightly agape.

“They thanked us. Moment the war is over, they thanked us, threw us an awards ceremony,” Xavier pointed at the lavender colored cloth trapped in plastic at the far end of the burrow, “gave us that thing and told us that they would be forever thankful. Like that’s what I wanted, more shit to carry. Their fucking gratitude. I would have preferred a thanks, but please never return. I could’ve at least understood that. But no, we’re heroes to them.”

Twilight blinked as she was finally able to turn away. She ambled over to her saddlebag, and let the inscription hug her barrel tight. When she left the burrow, she didn’t even turn around to look at Xavier. The sound of her hoof steps soon faded and Xavier was once again alone.

The human took a shallow breath, then closed his eyes. The cool air made his fingers twitched, and he hugged himself. From the entrance, there was a chirp. Opening his eyes, Xavier once again saw the golden red plumage of the Phoenix that had been skulking around. It blinked at him as its pupils pinned.

“Snooping as usual I see…” Xavier declared, forcing his voice into an exaggerated, elevated tone that dripped with over the top gravitas.

The Phoenix turned its head and cocked it at Xavier, letting out a coo.

“You act as if you can understand me…”

Once more the Phoenix cooed. Its crest raised, the three feathers that made up its crown bobbed with its beak open slightly, then it started bobbing its head up and down for a second.

“Curious,” Xavier mumbled. “I would’ve expected you to fly off and leave me to my fate, there’s nothing to be gained. But then again I never met a Phoenix before, and based on that beak, you could just be waiting for me to expire to try some exotic meat. If you can understand me, just as a recommendation, you’ll want to try the quadriceps. Probably the meatiest part on me I think, though I’m not sure. Not a cannibal…”

The bird let out a low chirp, then ruffled its feathers. It opened its beak slightly and let out a hiss.

“All right, all right, obviously I said something to offend your avian sensibilities. You’ll have to forgive me, I could be dying as we speak, so I’m going to take every opportunity to enjoy what little time I have,” Xavier let out a harsh, slow giggle. “You have to understand, I’m probably misinterpreting everything you’re trying to communicate because the way my specie’s mind works is it, is it… is it anthropomorphizes things. Even if you could talk, I probably wouldn’t understand what you had to say…”

The Phoenix scratched at the ground for a second, then let its feathers relax, clicking its beak twice.

“I’m going to give you the surface name Scratch. Now,” Xavier let out a haggard cough, then once more brought his exaggerated voice to bare, “Scratch, bring me Grounder and Coconut! Or I’m going to demote you to Scrub Monkey, third class!” Xavier started letting out an infinitesimal laugh, each giggle slithering out slowly from his throat as Scratch turned its head at Xavier, giving him a good look with its left eye.

Twilight lowered her head and bit the cattail’s stem with her incisors. Letting her mouth grab ahold of the plant, she placed it on the ground with the others. After she left Xavier, she had followed the small source of water upstream, and found a large pristine pond. Slowly, she began to lay claim to a vast ocean of wavering plants. Every so often, she would need to spit as the taste of dirt finally overcame her and take a break, gazing at the serene pond. A tall conical like protrusion of earth jutted from the center of the body of water, where a small tree grew, dancing back and forth with the wind. But soon, she had a decent pile of plants. She already had taken off her saddlebag, and had begun tying the bunches of plants to it so that they wouldn’t fall over when it was time to go.

She spat a bit more, as she let her rump fall to the ground. She had already taken her Thornback for the day and she still felt queasy. Xavier’s revelation made it worse.

Does he think I was born yesterday? Twilight asked herself, her teeth slicing through another stalk. He’s probably lying, just saying that so that I’ll just… then the memory of what he did to that mare outside the stationary shop burst forth. Okay fine, maybe he did do somethings. He’s still just a male. It’s not like the humans have a royal guard. And what he did was fine since he was putting that aggression towards protecting the herd, whether he’ll accept he’s in one or not. But still… if that lavender square is what I think it is…

Taking in a deep breath, she lifted herself back up and moved to another cluster of cattails as a thought crept forth, And besides… Rainbow Dash and Pinky Pie also fought.

She froze, her front leg in midstep when she realized what she had accidentally uncovered in her mind. Putting her hoof down, she continued the train of thought: I mean, I just assumed they knocked out Sombra’s enthralled. But… they may have-

Twilight winced as she shook her head, then hung it low, No, I’m deluding myself. They did kill. There was a reason so many ponies rallied behind Rainbow Dash and besides, she would not have lost her wing without a fight. And that’s ignoring Pinkie Pie’s demeanor. She went from goofy baker to subdued fighter, her temperament almost like her sister. The longer Pinkie fought, the less she smiled. It was always strange to see her back from rotation. I wouldn’t have minded her taking things a little more seriously, but what she became was… far beyond anything I would have wanted to see her turn into…

Twilight teared up as she realized, But still, neither Pinkie Pie’s nor Rainbow Dash’s coat dulled during the war. They were able to remain themselves on some level. Even after they did what they must have done, they still remained the same ponies fundamentally…

But… does this mean that our fight with Discord took more of a toll on them than even years of war? Twilight asked herself. She paused her harvesting and walked over to the edge of the pond, looking at the reflection it presented. Her bangs fell forward as she got a good look at herself. There was no doubt about it. Perhaps it was the ring on her horn that was hidden behind cosmetic paint. Or perhaps it was the inner part of her lips, peppered green from harvesting plants manually. But she looked older, less regal, almost pedestrian with debris in her mane. Then, for a split second, she saw her mom in her features. Her mother looked back in disappointment. She couldn’t see her father; he was almost nowhere to be found. But as she continued shifting her own features in her mind, she saw her brother. He was in the bridge between her eyes, and her eyebrows, her cheeks, even in how the color of their eyes was shared with a single strip of mane atop their heads.

She choked back a sob, tears dripped from her eyes, traveled along her snout and fell from her nose onto the pond. She bit her lip and held back another sob. Twilight’s face folded in on itself as it took every ounce of her strength to remain quiet.

First, I lose Shining, then mom gets voted out and she’s by herself while dad has to placate two mares that coasted off of his association with me. Then I get exiled, leaving Spike by himself. And now my own Eques, who can’t stand me, is on death’s door thinking that his passing away would be doing me a favor! Twilight screamed internally. Valiantly, she tried to hold back the tears, but to no avail. Each one falling onto the surface of the pond, letting out a soft ripple.

As each tear fell, ahead of Twilight, something was slowly rising from the depths of the pool. First the fingernails pierced the surface, followed by a blue hand whose wrist was encircled by gold. Then yellow eyes from atop a long splitting jaw looked at Twilight as she finally noticed what was ahead of her. She scrambled back from the edge of the pool. Her tears halted as the beast emerged. But it neither pounced nor pursued. It opened its long, exaggerated jaw, fangs flanking all rows of teeth as it spoke to Twilight.

“I… the Guardian of the old treasures of this vale, wel~lcome the Element of Sorcery…” the blue creature said in a sharp feminine voice, giving Twilight a deep bow.

Twilight took another step back, and gulped, “You’re an Ahuizotl?”

“Oh indeed yesss… you are correct…” the creature said as it touched the shore. Twilight kept drinking in the features of the Ahuizotl. And the more she looked, the more she realized how strange its proportions were. Its face was atop where its nose should be. Its rows of serrated teeth glistened as it extended far past her ears. And its tail’s tip had a monkey’s paw, not unlike Xavier’s hands. Then it turned its head at Twilight, licking its lips, “You were not expecting me Element?”

Twilight’s ears twitched as she caught the way it was speaking. She raised her hoof towards the Ahuizotl, then slowly placed it back on the forest floor, “Y~, yes I am the Element of Sorcery,” Twilight said, regaining her composure. “And you would do well to remember that.”

“Of course, of course!” the Ahuizotl said, lifting its front limbs towards its chest, almost cowering. “It's just that you seem a little out of sorts. Perhaps there is something I can assist you with element?”

“Perhaps… you can begin by telling me what your name is and what you’re doing here?” Twilight asked, stretching to raise her head high.

The creature tilted its head at Twilight, then said, “I am Quetzalli, and you have not been appraised of my purpose here? It was one of your predecessors who gave me this vale and all its treasures to guard as my own…”

Twilight gulped, and nodded, glancing to her left, “Of course, of course, I was… informed.”

Silence fell between the two as Twilight kept her eyes on Quetzalli. The Ahuizotl’s tail slithered around her rear, as she scanned Twilight up and down. “You look as if you are… lost, most auspicious Element of Sorcery.”

Twilight gulped, but kept her head high, “What are you insinuating?”

“Nothing! Nothing! I apologize Illustrious Element of Sorcery, for you are the one who decerns the paths of the wandering stars! Merely… why you are weeping at the edges of my home?” Quetzalli said, keeping her expression as cold as stone.

Twilight gulped and said, “I was not ‘weeping’ as you said.”

“Then what were you-”

“Where my tears flow matters not to you,” Twilight interrupted Quetzalli, gulping as she kept her eyes locked onto the Ahuizotl.

“Of course, of course,” Quetzalli nodded. “It is simply… strange.”

“I agree,” Twilight said, walking over to her harvest. Keeping her eyes on the Ahuizotl, she loaded it atop of her saddle bag and locked it into place, and once more, donned it, the cattails perpendicular to her spine.

“Strange,” Quetzalli said. “Why did you not simply use your magic to load your plants?”

“I have my reasons,” Twilight said. “Now, is there anything before I take my leave?”

Quetzalli narrowed her eyes at Twilight, then closed them and gave a shallow bow, “Only two things, please consider these as welcoming gifts, most venerable Element of Sorcery. First, in these woods, there is an Ursa Major that has cubs. I would keep my wits about if I were you, other animals have… not been so lucky.” Quetzalli opened her eyes and stared at Twilight, scanning the pony.

“Alright,” Twilight gulped. “And the other?”

“Only that to the Northwest of here, if you see trees with red moss to one side, you immediately turn back,” Quetzalli said.

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“There is something there that might even give you trouble, most auspicious one. I,” the Ahuizotl paused, and watched Twilight carefully as it spoke slowly, “Steer clear of that place myself.”

“I will… take it under advisement. Thank you,” Twilight said, giving Quetzalli a nod.

“And thank you!” Quetzalli said. “If you need any more help, feel free to return to my little pond here.” Quetzalli turned its head to Twilight then grinned, “The waters of my home are always open to the Element of Sorcery, with or without an offering of salt.”

Twilight gave Quetzalli a nod once more, before slowly turning and walking away. Twilight kept her head turned towards the beast until soon, the woods swallowed up both Twilight and her cargo among the sea of trees.

Quetzalli looked behind her, and at the protrusion in the middle of the pond. She let out a snarl and uttered, “If you think the Element of Sorcery will interject herself into our centuries long game, you have another thing coming to you Warden of the Roots, Tetsuya.”

Then, as if many snowflakes were falling, thousands upon thousands of ripples from the edges of the shore danced across the pond.

“Your treasure is mine to protect!” Quetzalli sneered. “It’s only a matter of time before I retrieve what is rightfully mine to guard!”

As Twilight returned home, every few dozen steps, she turned and gazed behind her. The encounter with Quetzalli left her with a knot in her stomach. An old voice in the back of her mind was whispering to her to try to take a different path home, if only to throw off the creature with rows of teeth. But another part of her counseled that if the Ahuizotl really wanted to stir up trouble, she might not even be coming home right now.

Following the stream, she finally caught sight of her own buck marks on the trees and followed accordingly. Her harvest wasn’t too heavy, but occasionally, it would brush against the side of the trees, forcing Twilight slightly left or right.

As she approached the camp, Twilight could already see the soft orange glow of light. Xavier seemed to have managed to light the fire once more on his own. As evening passed into nighttime, Twilight entered the domed root world that sheltered the both of them. As she lowered herself in, she froze at the sight of the Phoenix that had followed them, of all things, playing peekaboo with Xavier, despite the human still lying on his side.

“Peekaboo!” the human cried as he removed his hands from his face. The Phoenix crest raised, and it arched its wings, but did not fully extend them. Then once more, Xavier hid his face. The Phoenix’s crest fell as it tucked its wings back in. It lifted a leg and softly scratched at Xavier’s hand with its talons, only for once more, Xavier to reveal his face and say, “Peekaboo!”

This time, the Phoenix bobbed its head and its crest was raised again. Once more arching its wings, it hobbled in a circle before seeing Twilight. Then it fully extended its wings, casually brushing against the fire while letting out three chirps, and keeping its feathers unruffled.

“Oh, you’re back. Hi Twilight,” Xavier mumbled, then let out a giggle. “I was entertaining Scratch here. And I’ve promoted her to Bard Owl, second class!”

The Phoenix bobbed its head at Twilight, keeping its crest raised as it pulled back its wings and whistled.

“Quaint,” Twilight said, going to the other end of the burrow and lowered herself to the ground. She let her saddlebag release its tight grip on her barrel. Scratch lowered its crest and let out a long coo that lowered in pitch. Then it hobbled outside and took flight, once more mounting the tree above the pair.

“How are your hands?” Twilight asked.

Xavier forced his fingers to dance at the end of his hands, then answered “I’m pretty sure I can still use them.” He flicked them for a few more moments before letting out a soft chuckle.

“Tomorrow, I need you to try and prepare the cattail that I’ve collected,” Twilight answered. She walked over to the end of the burrow where she had organized both Xavier’s and her supplies. Nipping two of the bars wrapped in silver from his bag, she brought them over to Xavier and dropped them in front of the human. He nodded as he reached out and slowly opened the first one, lifting it so that Twilight could take a bite.

Twilight ate slowly, the tips of her incisors almost slicing off the chunks of granola, nuts and berries. She ate carefully, trying to savor every bite as Xavier’s arm wobbled. Soon it started to lower to the ground, only for Twilight to let out a “Ahem,” forcing the human to focus and raise his arm again.

“Tomorrow I’m going to need your help with something,” Twilight said as she swallowed the last of her meal.

“Sure, I’ll try,” Xavier mumbled.

“It’s my thornback. I need you to hold it up while I drink it since I’m having difficulty holding it up myself,” Twilight said, nipping at the package the granola bar came in and taking it from Xavier, dropping it in the rubbish pile.

Xavier nodded, grabbing his own bar and unwrapping it. Taking out a large bite, he said “I think…” There was a pause as he glanced over at Twilight to see if she was listening. She had just laid down on the other side of the fire, her sleeping bag flat on the floor, her body, ears and all, facing away from him. His expression softened as he said, “All right, sure.”

Silence spilled into the burrow, only punctuated by the crackle of fire and the noise of the Phoenix outside moving from one branch to another. Twilight laid on her side, letting her back feel the heat of the flames as the rest of her body relaxed. Xavier shuffled around, trying to minimize the anguish he felt. Finally, he said, “If you wish, you can come lie with me if you want.”

Twilight didn’t move, not even a flicker of her ear.

“Did you hear me?” Xavier said.

“Yes,” Twilight answered back.

Xavier let out a shallow sigh as he reached over with his wrapped arms and grabbed his water skin, taking a drink and closing his eyes. Soon, his head fell limp and the darkness started to claim him. The constant pain he felt dulled as it felt like his eyes were rolling into the back of his skull. Then, a pressure. He could feel a pressure on his arm. His eyes shot open as Twilight stood there, in front of him.

“Why?”

Blinking to get his bearings, Xavier rolled his head as he answered, “To try and give you something.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Twilight said, turning away from the human in proceeding back to her sleeping spot.

“Sepsis,” Xavier uttered.

Twilight froze, then turned her head towards him, “What about it?”

“Even with all your work to keep my wounds clean, I told you, there’s still a chance that no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to keep me in the land of the living,” Xavier said. “What I’m offering you is at least one good memory.”

“Why do I need a ‘good memory’ from the likes of you?” Twilight said, still frozen in place, glaring at the human.

“Because it’s not the ‘you’ of the now that I’m worried about. It’s the ‘you’ months, or even years down the line if I die that concerns me,” Xavier answered.

“Oh yes, this ‘future me’ you keep speaking of,” Twilight said with a hint of annoyance. “You won’t die.”

“Maybe. And if I don’t die, that future you will be fine. But if I’m hit by sepsis, I’ll only have hours at best. And you… That’s the future ‘you’ I worry about.” Xavier answered.

“So that’s it?” Twilight turned to look at Xavier. “You’re worried about a hypothetical version of me in the future?” Twilight’s ears peeled back as she gritted her teeth.

“You saved me,” Xavier answered. “Right now, I should be dead on the forest floor, my corpse being picked at by scavengers, but you decided you preferred me alive, even going insofar as debasing yourself. Don’t think I lack the capacity for gratitude.”

“I don’t need your pity!” Twilight yelled. “I don’t need your sympathy, or your gratitude! You’ve made it obvious you despise me since day one!”

Xavier said nothing, letting silence answer for him.

“You don’t even see me fit to mate with! I’m just a horse to you! Despite my difference in face and mind from those creatures, you just see me as an animal! One that took your precious right to live alone and in misery away from you!”

“Twilight,” Xavier started. “This is the best I can do for you. If I die, if you wake up the next morning to find me cold, I would prefer that…” Xavier took a shallow breath, “I would prefer that you don’t blame yourself for any of this. I would prefer that, when you reflect back on this, that you were not haunted by this memory. That you possess the capacity to move on. And if that does happen, since I’m dead, there will be nothing I can do to help you. But I can help you. Here and now. To at the very least, try and help you avoid that terrible fate.”

Twilight just stared at Xavier, wincing, tears streaming, “You’re, you’re just…”

“The worst, I know.”

“Don’t you dare speak for me!” Twilight yelled, her face a blubbering mess. “Don’t you dare pretend to understand what I’ve been through! Don’t you dare say you care for that ‘future Twilight’ when you didn’t even care about me then or now! I-, I-, I-,” Twilight kept repeating as her front legs gave out. She fell forward, landing on the ground in front of Xavier. She winced her eyes shut and like a tsunami, she was subsumed by a maelstrom. Her wails shook even Xavier to the bone.

As she let loose, she felt a gentle sensation on the top of her snout. Her eyes opened to see Xavier’s right hand, furless and exposed, slowly stroking Twilight.

“No shame, let it out,” Xavier whispered.

Twilight’s damp eyes saw Xavier’s appendages. While most of her was still subsumed in the storm, there was a part of her that saw his hand, really saw it and realized there was something different. It had scars. Dots at many of the joints, linked together by lines. Almost like an overly detailed constellation of stars. The other human hands she had seen were all mono-colored. But his scars stood out as he stroked her. She saw that the lines traveled up his arm and disappeared into the cloth he wore around his upper body.

“It’s okay,” Xavier said. “Take your time.”

Twilight let loose. She howled, she sobbed, she found she was in want for more tears, but she had run out. She choked, she wept, she cried. And she cried. And she cried until she could feel her ears let loose a sharp pain from being folded back for too long. Finally, she slowly composed herself naturally. And as she did this, Xavier touched her. Sometimes he would stroke her snout, and sometimes rubbed her cheek, and sometimes, he used the wrappings he removed to help her dry her eyes.

Then, the mare that held the title of Element of Magic, looked at Xavier and only said, “Okay.”

She pushed herself up and walked to her part of the encampment. Biting her sleeping bag, she dragged it over and laid it in front of Xavier. The human adjusted himself, grunting with pain as his back was angled towards the ground without touching it. Then, he motioned at the purple unicorn.

Twilight lifted a hoof and hesitated. Then winced and nodded as she put it down and approached Xavier. She bent her front legs inwards as she laid her head on his chest, while he reached down and grabbed Twilight’s rump with his blunt claws and pulled her snugly towards him.

She shuddered and let out a gasp.

“Are you okay?” Xavier asked.

“Don’t do that,” Twilight mewed uncharacteristically. “You grabbing my flank like that feels very unsettling, like you’re trying to bite me.”

Xavier immediately released Twilight and simply wrapped his arms around her barrel, “That better?”

Twilight gave a nod, “Yeah,” as she pushed her head against Xavier’s chest.

For a moment, Twilight nearly shot up when she felt Xavier brushing against her ribs with his hand. She felt him stroke, felt his fingers brush her fur. But what startled her the most was simply how warm he was. It was like a second fire under her, a furnace blazing despite its dents.

She stayed still for a while and took it in. She tried to focus on this moment as much as she could. Trying to memorize it all. The weight of his limbs, the fingers through her fur, his breath on the top of her head.

As Twilight finally felt the pull of Luna’s night, Xavier asked her a question, “Teach me a little about you.” He let out a cough, then continued, “Teach me what it is you wish for, even if it’s silly or unrealistic.”

Twilight let out a sob, her whole body contracted, then said, “I wish… I wish… I wish…”

Exhaustion drenched the mare. The pull of dreams enveloped her, as Xavier’s warmth flowed through her body like the sun. His slow strokes moved from the side of her body to her shoulders and withers. His light, steady breath tussling the mane on the top of her head.

He kept petting Twilight as more tears she didn’t know she had fell. And as sleep finally came, and she could’ve sworn that Xavier was singing to her, she only uttered one last thing before returning to the world of dreams: “I wish… I had my big brother back.”

Author's Note

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loves_of_the_Gods

I apologize for any mistakes, I was trying to rush and get this out before Christmas as a bit of a gift. That said, while I am not going on hiatus, expect a bit of a chapter drought as I rebuild up my buffer.

That said, ~~MARRY~~ MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄💖!

2/3/2024: Haven't stopped working on it, still getting my buffer back up before I start posting again.
3/19/2024: Still working on it, but my rate of writing has dropped significantly due to demands from work =/
4/22/2024: Christ... still working on it but hopefully work will calm the fuck down in two weeks so I can start again
5/2/2024: Good fucking news! The demands from work is fucking over. It was a certification that basically required me to grind my face to the pavement for 16 hour study days for 2 months to get because the big guys for whom I work for didn't grasp I don't need a certification at all to do my damn job. Well now I have it and with it 2 things: mobility so if I get tired of their fucking shit I can go somewhere else with ease and I can get back to this story. I will TRY to get something out in 2 weeks. Until then... im going to go take a very long nap

6/11/2024: Still working on it :/ I've had to do an extensive rewrite of the next chapter. I'm going as fast as I can without destroying my work/life/writing balance