Ponies: The Friendship

Chapters

2 - Lean Into It
3 - On Your Marks
4 - Inner Mare
5 - Taking Stock
6 - Coming Clean
7 - Somewhere Private (clop)
8 - Refueled
9 - Learning and Growing
10 - What am I Seeing?
11 - Paint the Town
12 - Ponies Ponying
13 - Self Motivation
15 - With a New Herd
16 - Stich in Time
17 - The Rabbit Hole
18 - The Back
19 - Pony Work Couple
20 - First Shift
21 - Loyalty
22 - Pony Convention
23 - For Safety
24 - Take a Path
25 - Coming in Hot
26 - Walking Unused Roads
27 - A New Point of Light
28 - Wake Up
29 - To There, and Back Again
30 - Learn with Friends
32 - The Binding of Friendship
33 - Checking In
34 - Past Problems
35 - Virtue Signalling
36 - Making it a Problem
37 - Calling All Ponies
38 - Rhymes with Witch
39 - Take It or Leave It
40 - Leaving it
41 - What's Bothering You?
42 - Medic On Board
43 - Honor the Masquerade
1 - Retired in Peace
14 - Back to the Grindstone
31 - So Much to Giggle At
44 - As It Was Meant To Be

2 - Lean Into It

A wave of pressure runs through your head, but it's far from painful, instead a giddy ecstasy that leaves you panting and trying to gather yourself to little effect. Whatever was happening, you had to get out of here. Maybe your friends could help? You take a single step with a firm clop. Your hand is more of a hoof, hard and the obvious source of the noise you just heard.

You're becoming a horse, though not getting any larger. If anything, you are getting smaller, sorta. You're standing as tall as you can, but the room was still so tall compared to you. Being on all fours would do that. Why did this feel so perversely good? You sway your new tail, or should it be said it sways itself? You weren't trying to move it, but it's moving quite well on its own with the built up energy.

"Nnng." A shout? You still weren't very good at that. One more step, closer to the door with ragged pants, in more way than one. Your clothes had abandoned you entirely. Fur grew, and now covered your form in... comfort? If you weren't a bit odded out by what was going on, it'd be kinda nice, that warm security blanked that felt better than it had any right to feel.

You hear a bang, a thumping. From the front door? Splintering of wood, though still muffled, and thumping. Something's going on out there, and you're here, stuck in the bathroom. That seemed suddenly way less important as you did what a guy could do when so overloaded with sensations. Were you taking pride in this? Either way, you exploded all over the ground in a sudden fit of spasms. Tension flees you with the release. Maybe just... What are those noises?

They're making it hard to sit still, even if that was what you wanted to do. With an audible pop, another release, but from your forehead. Something just grew there with no pain, only growing pleasure. In fact, all the aches and pains lovingly collected over a lifetime fade away with little explination.

A hole appears in the door in front of you, wood chips flying out with it. What's going on out there, you have no idea, but that's... a bullet hole. You never saw one before, but it's not hard to guess. "What?!" Your voice. Another strange surprise as it comes out softer and higher, like a lady was talking, a young lady at that. "Guys?" You shudder as the sensations begin to slow down.

You're still a mess, and something just happened, but something was still going on. You slide up next to the door, pressing your altered body to the wall just in time for something to crash out there. Crap, it was still going on, whatever it was. You reached for the doorknob, but realize quickly that's silly. You have no fingers, just hooves. You glare at the knob as if it's the thing at fault.

And it turns.

You can feel like you're doing it, as if you just grabbed the knob and turned it, with fingers you don't have attached to an arm you also don't have. But you feel it, and you turn the knob, cracking it open just a bit, a peek!

The furniture's a mess, and so is the room. A body flies in from the direction of the kitchen and smashes against the couch, the both of them crashing to the ground with a painful sound of broken bodies and furnishing. "Shit!" You didn't mean to speak, but you had anyway. "The hay's going on?!" You hadn't meant to say 'hay' either. Then again, you made no plans to become whatever you had become. But you were that.

You had to survive the day, then you could regret it, right?

"You alright?" That wasn't you. That's Nick. He's alright! You feel your chest flutter with joy at knowing that. "Stay wherever you are. I'll handle this."

Handle this?! He's in the middle of a hostile home invasion and he's going to 'handle' it?! He was no martial artist, nor had a stash of high calibre weapons lying around, at least that you knew about. Why's he being so calm about it?

Nick stormed into view. "It didn't have to be like this. I offered you a nice and peaceful way out. We coulda both won. Friendship's so much easier than this." He punched the down man across the face, blood arcing. "But no, jerks like you don't listen." He brought in his other angry fist, just for the half-pinned man to catch it.

"Get off your high horse." The downed man shoved Nick back, sending him flying as if he weighed nothing. Nick does not weigh nothing, you can personally testify. The guy was in his mid 100s, and seeing him fly backwards was a new experience. The invader got to his feet quickly, but so did Nick, the two of them facing each other with death in their eyes. "Pity I'll have to kill whoever's talking too. Just you would have been enough."

Crap. You're 'whoever's talking!' You were being threatened, and your chest thumped with a rush of fear and adrenaline. Why couldn't just one life-altering event happen at a time?! Relying on Nick to settle things and calmly waiting felt like a poor idea, but maybe he had it under control, just like he said he did. He sure wasn't showing any fear as he charged back into the battle.

You look around wildly and spot it, the thing that made the hole in the bathroom door. There, lying a few feet away from the combatants, was a handgun, forgotten and left behind. You could grab a doorknob without actually touching it so maybe it was time to grab a gun without reaching it?

You had to do something, right? Nick could get hurt, or worse, and you'd be right after him when that finished.

Author's Note

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3 - On Your Marks

You reach for the gun, not with your hand, which you don't have. You sort of imagine reaching for it, grabbing it, and yanking it closer to yourself. The gun zips across the room and hovers over your head, spinning wildly at first until you focus on the home invader from he-double hockey sticks.

By the time you get the gun pointed in the right direction, the battle had already resumed without you. Nick was coming out swinging, but so was that jerk, except he didn't cut his nails, or maybe he did purposefully sharp? Either way, Nick was getting cuts from being scratched and cut by the guy in return for the heavy bashes being given. When was Nick such a fighter?! Admittedly, he was a friend, but you weren't with him all the time. If he took martial arts classes, pretty easy for you to never have heard about it.

The worst part about it was the guy was moving quickly, too quickly. If Nick wasn't taking the hits like a champ, the fight would have already been over. It was like the guy was a blur, raining blows and dodging out of the way as if he were in some kind of permanent bullet time. Getting a bullet in him might be tricky, but if you didn't do it, who would? Now, honesty time, you hadn't shot a person before. But then, you weren't a... whatever you were before either. It was a day for new things, and you would not let Nick down! When they moved so that you weren't shooting Nick through the intruder, you centered your gun, as ready as you ever would be.

"Stop right there!" It was, perhaps, a useless statement, but you felt the urge to at least give the chance of not advancing to force.

He looks over his shoulder, sees the gun, and suddenly you have his attention. Is that a good thing? You squeeze a shot off, but he slides to the left in a liquid dodge even as he comes closer on feet that are too damn fast. No time to aim, you squeeze that trigger as quickly as it can be, your ears ringing with the noise. You couldn't hear anything, but you do see Nick charging in behind the guy. The jerk is reaching for you, clawed hands just about to touch your furry nose when Nick crashes into him from behind, both smashing into the wall in front of you.

You didn't hear the gun go off again, but you can feel it in your magic. Blood sprays. You just shot the guy in that moment of him being down. On the positive, you missed Nick, which was a miracle really, since aiming was very far from your mind in that frantic moment.

Nick kicks the guy and is shouting something, but you can't hear it as your altered ears ring with pain. You drop the gun from your numb magical grip. Nick's alright, so far you can tell, but you're in pain and rub at those new ears. They're so soft! Soft and ringing. Your new hooves are only alright at rubbing at them, but the ringing's dying down.

He's pushing you, sliding you right back into the bathroom you just escaped from. He puts a finger to his lips in a 'shh' motion. Or maybe a wait here? Either way, the door closes. You were not in the mood to hide in a bathroom! You went for the door and peeked through the hole that was still in it.

"Party's over." Nick was waving at someone else, maybe the other party guests? Were they still there?! Shoot, did they get hurt? It was impossible to tell from your angle in the room.

"Let me out." You got to hear your new voice again, so soft and... female.

Why did you have a female voice? You looked over your shoulder but could only see a furry back. You had soft yellow fur, and a bright green tail. Neither were very natural colors for a horse, but you probably didn't qualify as one of those, as they don't usually have horns, you're pretty sure.

Still, you knew enough biology to know where to look to be sure that voice belonged. "No point putting it off," you sighed out to yourself as you raised that new tail up out of the way. You coil on yourself and discover that, whatever you are, you can bend all the way in a circle and reach yourself. This is amazing, but not distracting enough to make you miss that you are looking at very female parts. What you have back there would be quite right on a female horse, which you did not wake up being. "Ah... wow..." You felt you should be freaking out even harder, but it felt... right... somehow?

"Damn it!" But it wasn't right! You were a man! You've been a man for many years! Having survived a long life and earned some time to yourself, you were a retired man. Retired men didn't need... that. You snort with rising confusion and some anger, stomping the ground for effect.

But Nick would like it.

The thought robbed you of anger for a moment, replacing it with confusion. Why would Nick's preference in horses even matter?! He was a friend, not that kind of friend. Whether or not he enjoyed the sway of your tail over your shapely bottom didn't matter!

A shapely bottom you shouldn't have! Why were you even thinking of it that way? Horses did not have bottoms that were shapely, or not. You thought back on the fight, the two locked in fisticuffs. Nick was so brave and strong, and you couldn't, for a moment, help but think of his form as he brawled.

"No!" You were far more interested in that lady he had invited over. You knew her, good woman. Hopefully she was alright. Would she... Christ on a stick, there was no way she'd be alright with what happened to you. Why did it happen?!

Author's Note

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4 - Inner Mare

Even if a good chunk of you is quite comfortable being a human male, most of you was, literally, a girl horse, a mare? You're one of those, and... it didn't feel completely out of whack. That was, perhaps, the strangest part, that you lifted one leg at a time and they all felt like they belonged to you, and always did.

Like you were a mare that had just dreamed she had been a human and woke up from it, confused about the dream, but definitely a mare. None of that helped you understand why you were a horse with a horn. A magic horn, as you had just proven. You concentrate on a bar of soap on the bathroom sink and wrench it over, twirling it in the air. Grabbing things seemed nice and simple. You could lift, and turn, and move around without any problem. You set the soap back down, with no soap left on your 'hand'.

It wasn't a hand, technically... You glance back at your changed rump, devoid of what you had assumed would be there the day before. You had new bits, and they were yours. Part of you wanted to inspect them a bit more than the glance you had given. You had years to check out the other parts!

But you were in your friend's bathroom! That was hardly the place to... do that... Confused feelings his way or not, one just didn't do that at a friend's bathroom. That was beyond rude, possibly criminal. Would they arrest a magic horse? They might... No real need to test that, since you weren't a huge pervert scumbag, so being strange all over your friend's stuff was thrown right out as an idea.

That left your attention to slide up to that new horn. "Hm..." Your voice kept throwing you off. It was all... Well, it was a lady's voice. "How do you work?" You could grab things and play with them as if you were holding them. Was that it? That was a lot, really. Maybe that was it. You wondered how true that was. You could have stayed a human and kept most of that power, with fingers, lovely fingers.

You brought up your hooves, lacking fingers, and examined their lack of digits. You imagined wriggling those non-fingers and you could waggle your hooves but not much more than that. You touch your face, cupping it between the hooves. You could feel your face pressing against them and feel your hooves against your face. That last part was entirely normal. Something presses against your face, you should feel that. Feeling through the hooves was a little surprising. They were sensitive, like fingers. You could feel each little bit of fur as you brushed forwards and back through the fur of your cheek. "Hm..."

As amusing as all that was, you wanted to know what was going on out there. Nick had asked you stay put, and you would obey that. That didn't mean you had to be silent. You casually opened the door without actually touching it. "Nick? Everything alright out there?" You didn't see a body anymore. Where had he put it? It was, perhaps, better not to ask that sort of thing.

"Is that her?" A female voice, and not yours. "I want to see her." Steps came closer quickly, revealing the lady that had been playing cards with you before. "Look at you!" She was on you, striding across the room and cupping your face much as you had yourself just moments before. "So cute!"

"Um... Hi?" That she found you cute, a positive point. She remained a cute lady. "You do know who I am, right?"

"I know you were were," she corrects. "You're not that anymore, obviously." She strokes over your head, which feels way too good. When she tickles at your ears, you squirm and want to... It's like someone's giving a great massage, without the muscle pain. "So what's your new name?"

New name? "I'm not sure I'm ready for that...You're acting like you know what's going on, so share with me. What am I." You point at your new horn. "And is grabbing things what this is for and why do I have one?!"

"You're a unicorn..." She frowned softly. "I will admit, I'm a little jealous."

Jealous?! "What of?"

She shrugged softly. "I'm related to them. My odds of sprouting a tail were nice and high, but here I am, no tail. You're an outsider, pop, tail of your own." She resumed that distracting petting. "At least I get to do this. Now, we need to know what family you belong to. Your tribe's obvious, unicorn."

"Unicorn." Yep, that matched what you could see. "Family?" She was slinging words you didn't know.

"Ponies come in different flavors." She wags a finger slowly in front of your snout. "Besides the physicals. Consider it like... a purpose. What they're good at, and are called to do. Have you had any new thoughts just... popping up?"

You blush, which was a thing ponies could do, which you did not know before going it. The only new thought that came to mind was, well, two of them... "I'm a lady instead of a guy, to start."

"Besides that." She didn't look impressed. "I mean--"

"--Stop interrogating her." Nick came into the room, slapping the door shut behind himself. "She has to be really confused right now. Sorry, really. This is not how I planned on the evening going at all. You alright?"

The sight of Nick calmed you and excited you at the same time in a mix that was hard to put a finger, er, hoof on. "I'm alright." You felt extra alright with him there. "But what about you? That... That jerk was hurting you!" Mild words, but the strongest that came to mind in that moment. "And where'd he go?"

"Don't worry about that. First thing it's time for you to learn is to put that tail away."

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5 - Taking Stock

"Alright, but is everyone alright?" You point up to your new horn. "And what's up with this thing? Magic unicorns can do things with this, right, besides poke people with 'em."

"Everyone I care about is alright." Nick kneels down, one knee on the hard tile of the bathroom. "Now, being a pony is soft and comfortable, right?"

Soft, comfortable? Well... When you consider it, yes, those are two proper words for the condition. "I feel like I might be a soft doll."

The lady laughs. "Waiting to be hugged." But she doesn't advance to deliver a hug, deferring to Nick instead.

"Right." Nick pats your head gently. "So you have to stop being so comfortable. Being a human isn't so comfortable, but it's worth doing, right?"

"Right..." Not comfortable... "Not soft, and fuzzy, and..." You turn to see yourself in the bathroom mirror. It was a bad angle. You couldn't really see yourself, just a reflection of the room. "But probably less cute..." Just an old guy. Retired, male, with fingers! You felt the room receed under you suddenly. You weren't getting larger, just standing up.

"There you go." Nick stands up to clap you on the shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

"Great... So what's going on?" And why did Nick still make you feel funny?! You were a guy, and didn't swing that way, you thought? Dang it, you're too old to have sexual discoveries! A glance showed the curious horn was gone, along with the rest of your pony form. "Does this happen a lot, your house being trashed?" You don't recall seeing signs of that before.

"Thankfully not." Nick leads the both of you back to the front, where the other card players are at the table, as if they had never left it. "Hey guys. Everything's clear."

"Good to hear." One of them tips a baseball cap he wore. "Sounded tense a moment there."

But... Wait. "Are they like her?" You hike a thumb at the lady, related to ponies, somehow?

Nick waves to the two. "Time for reintroductions. To start, yes. All three of them are 'family'. Not related directly to me, but close enough."

"That's hurtful." The one on the left stands up. "Name's Jacob, and I'm his cousin. Not related, really..."

"Won't argue it," the other guy shrugged. "Tom, but we've met before." You do remember Tom. "So you related too?"

"No..."

Nick laughed at your denial. "Sorry, but you're as related as they come. They went and dropped tail at the worst time."

"Or the best time," argues the lady, coming from behind you to your side. "They helped save the day, even if it was by accident. Name's Sally, if you forgot in all the chaos. Now, if you could just show us that tail again?"

Nick scowls at her. "He just got back on two legs, and I'm sure he's really mixed up."

The fact that he cares felt... nice. "I'm alright... Just want to know what's going on. We can start with why was I a horse?"

Jacob shook his head. "You're older than most who drop tail, but I've seen older. Welcome to the family."

Sally shook her head. "They're so obviously a Kindness. Let me be nice to her. She'll like it."

Nick held up a hand. "First up, no. That's cold. Ask them what they want to be addressed as. They woke up a guy, then this. Assuming they're a girl now is pretty offensive."

You don't want Sally yelled at, but also, yeah... That was a little rude. "I'm pretty used to being a guy, and I am one right now."

Sally was not convinced. "You're wearing a guy suit. The cute girl pony inside there is still inside there." She pokes at your side insistently. "Waiting to shake her tail again. Tell me you don't feel that."

Nick slides between you and Sally. "It's still up to them how they feel about it. Ain't nobody that tells someone who they are."

Aw, Nick's defending you. That... felt embarrassing, but also kinda nice? "I'm alright... She isn't hurting my feelings. So, hey... Let's pretend a moment." You wave a hand over Sally's form. "You 'drop tail', right now, pop, but it's a guy horse. Are you a guy now?"

"That's a fair question, and creepy." Sally wrinkles her face in disgust. "I should note, I'm lesbian. The idea of being a guy... Yuck. No offense to the guys present. Y'all cool and whatever, just not me."

Tom set down the deck of card she had just finished shuffling. "That's just cold. We hang out all the time, and just because you don't want to bang, there's no other use for us? I thought that was a guy thing."

Nick left her to color and defend herself. He sets a hand on your shoulder instead. "Seriously, you must be lost right now, but I'm with you. We're all here for you. You're not alone."

That was more comforting than it had a right to be. "Tell me where I'm not alone? What's going on? I'm not a kid, so just lay it straight and trust I'll figure it out."

"Alright." He gestured towards the back of the house. "That thing that attacked? It's one of several things that 'bump in the night'. Surprise, those are worryingly real and are perfectly happy to show you how annoyed they are at the situation. But let's put him aside. This is about you, and your condition. We are ponies."

We? "You look pretty human to me..."

"You look pretty human to me," Nick echos with a chuckle. "But you know that isn't all true now, right?"

Sally giggles as she hears the conversation. "He has a tail too. He's a guy both ways. Most are the same either way, some aren't, like you."

"Lucky me." You are not sure how lucky you are on that. "So... am I all girl when I'm that?"

Jacob snorted, turning a hand palm side up. "Are you asking if you could get laid? Sure, even have a kid if that was your goal. One warning, if you're busy doing that, no being a guy until you're done."

Nick put up his hands quickly. "Not that anybody here is trying to pressure that on you, but yeah, if you were to get... pregnant... you'd be stuck female until you weren't pregnant. Uh... it was that or a lot of spontaneous abortions without anyone ever noticing."

What a choice... "O...kay, so all female, or all male." What a lucky choice you had... "Why did you point to the back, about that guy? Is... he back there?"

Jacob slaps one fist into the other hand. "What's left of him. Christ, vampires sure do get messy."

Vampires? "Ponies and vampires, of course..." It all made sense. Which is to say that it's not making a lot of sense. "Wait, he's dead?"

Nick points to a gun, abandoned on the floor where you had placed it without thinking before. "You did that deed... Don't feel bad. He would have done the same to us if the option was there. Thanks, for helping... Sorry you had to help. Oh, we should move on."

"To?" You roll your hand at that. "What?"

"To what we are. We have a tribe, you already know yours, unicorn. I'm an earth pony. Four hooves, no wings, no horn, all made of tough. That's our specialty." He points up at your head. "Unicorns have horns, usually less tough, sometimes smart, sometimes not, but always magic. Like 'this is a thing that breaks physics' magic even more than a pegasus flying around."

A pegasus? "So some people can just... fly? Crazy." You could have had wings?! But you had a horn instead... "All it did was let me grab things. Not upset, but you're implying a lot more."

"A lot more," Nick repeated. "Wierdest thing you saw a unicorn do, go."

Sally happily took the offer. "I saw a unicorn turn water to wine, just Jesused it, pow."

Tom raises a hand. "Once met a fucker that cheated at cards. Slimy guy would just swap the cards. Won't be playing with him again..."

Jacob looks ready to talk, but hesitated. "Wait, Paul? He was cheating?! You didn't tell me?" He shoves Tom even as the other laughed. "Bastard... Alright, strangest unicorn trick I saw was more related to today. She could literally zap things, like bolts of magic at whatever pissed her off, and she had a short fuse."

"Huh..." Maybe not flying wasn't the end of the world! But... "So how do I learn to do things like that? If I'm going to be a cute pony girl, I want fancy magic tricks." Priorities!

Nick smiles at your question. "You must be doing alright, if that's the question on your mind. I'll take you to a unicorn I know really well. He's old, like you, and he tells it straight. You two will get along just fine, and he'll show you how to unicorn it up. I can't help with that directly."

"Because you're an 'earth pony'." You are capable of learning! "I'm in no position to demand, but... do I get to see?"

"Show him!" Sally was quite pleased with that option. "Drop your tail and shake it for us."

Jacob rolls his eyes. "Didn't you just finish saying guys were gross?"

"Ponies are not guys, and are cute whether they are a guy or a girl. That's just a fact." She nodded at Nick. "Go on, show it."

Nick glances towards the back, then at you. "Alright.... You may as well see what it looks like from the other side." He falls forward, hitting the ground on all four hooves. His clothing fits him despite that as if they were made for his altered form. He, unlike you, did get bigger. He was a beefy pony guy. "There." His voice hadn't changed.

Sally doesn't hesitate, petting at one of Nick's ears. "So so cute... This is what was fighting before, and why he could take it. Earth ponies are tough."

Nick snorts in an equine way, nostrils flaring. "Unicorns are not. Don't try to imitate me." He turns towards you. "If you'd been in that situation..."

He doesn't finish, nor needs to. You can already imagine how badly that could have gone. "Magic tricks, not super tough, or can fly. Is that all the tribes?"

"Hay no!" Nick shook his head firmly. "We come in a lot of varieties, both of tribe and calling. You are a, I think, Kindness Unicorn. Pretty nice, really. So who do you like?"

"Pardon?" What was he asking? "Like?"

"Kindness ponies usually really like someone, or something. You don't have any hobbies I know of that'd qualify the 'something', so someone feels more likely." He looks over the others there. "Is it one of us, or maybe someone else?"

Jacob slapped the table. "You're just going to drop it like that? I thought you were saying we were the mean ones."

Sally nudges into you. "It's different. Kindness unicorns that are kept away from what they like get... depressed, the clinical kind. Like no will to do anything... We don't want that."

Nick nods with a flick of his right ear. "Exactly. I care, so I need to know who you care about. No shame, no fun." He glared at the two men at the table. "No making fun. Besides, the one you like could be for all kinds of reason. Could be a kid you take care of. Could be a parent you love, or a sibling. It doesn't have to be romantic."

There was exactly one person you kept thinking about, and they were right there! "Um...." Not that you were eager to admit that fact. "Is there a dead body in the house?"

Nick cringes at that. "A small case maybe? Look, that's my problem. If it helps, they were dead before they got here. Fucking vampires..."

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6 - Coming Clean

Sifting through your feelings, they keep looping back on Nick, to your embarrassment. You weren't gay, dang it! "This is really off-putting."

And there was Nick, keeping up that friendly smile. "Don't worry about it. You're in an odd spot, being one and the other, and the age thing counts. Oh, by the way, you looked younger."

Sally nods quickly. "Harder to place with ponies, but you looked like you were 20s or 30s?"

Interesting, but... "Does that matter? I'm still the same age." You pat your front and can feel the same creases on your face. You earned those age lines!

Nick chuckles at your confusion. "Matters a lot. Your... human side is just an outfit, like Sally said before. The moment you dropped tail, your pony side was the side that matters. You're that old, in terms of how old you are for actually aging. Shoot, try running." He pointed to the front door. "Go for it."

Go for a jog? "Don't see how a run across two rooms is going to--" Still, you jogged and the difference becomes clear almost immediately. Joints that would have issued mild complaints were silent. Things moved just as you told them to. It's like you're... in your 20s or 30s, regardless of how old the outter skin was. It was only through two rooms, but that was all it took to feel the difference. "God damn..."

"By the way." Jacob folded his hands on the table. "Watch out for priests, the real ones. Being exorcised is really painful, I hear. Fortunately, we don't usually get their attention. Not like ponies are out there messing with people in any bad way as a rule."

That was a thing?! Priests, vampires, ponies... "What's next, wizards?" You don't like the way they're looking at you. "Shit..." Wizards too, why not?! "Shit!" A thought hits you suddenly. "Are unicorn horns valuable?"

Nick crosses his thick arms. "Anyone that tried wouldn't live to regret it." Stern, final, and strangely appealing...

"Damn it..." Hiding that is becoming difficult. "Nick."

"Yeah?"

"The one I'm thinking about is Nick, alright?"

Sally bursts into giggles. "Aw! You two have been friends forever! Is it a friendship thing?"

Tom chuckles in a single noise. "Or are you lookin' at him in a new way?"

Nick moves to put a hand on you, but aborts at the last inch. "Sorry. That question stands though, kinda important. Are we BFFs or something else?"

"Well, we are that... BFFs, I mean, right?" That much you were clear about. "Do people still use that term? Thought it'd get replaced by something strange these days."

"Still popular," Nick assures. "But you look like you have more on your mind?"

Not that you want to admit! But it was hard... When did Nick get so handsome? And since when did you care about if a man was handsome or not? Even as a horse, he had appealing qualities. Arguably more of them, which is even more confusing. A sharp whistle shakes you out of your thoughts.

Tom was raising a glass at you, and he's taller? No, you're shorter. You're on all fours. "What?"

Nick's right there. "You got so caught up in what you're fixed on. Stop thinking about your friends so hard."

"Were'nt a 'friend' thing," mocked Tom, who looks ready to laugh. "Or she wouldn't be winking at me."

Sally throws a remote control at him, even if it caused no harm but giving him an excuse to laugh properly. "Stop staring at her!"

What were they staring at? Why was Nick looking properly embarassed for the first time. "Sorry. Let me..." But before you can focus on getting on two legs, he drops down to four. That's too much. He looms over you, but he looks so friendly and wonderful and... built so well.

"Winking is a thing only lady ponies do, which you are now." Not that you have any animal husbandry background. "The part winking isn't your eye." He leans in, face dominating your view. "I want to make it clear that I didn't think this would happen. You're a friend, and one I hold dearly, as a friend. I want us to keep being friends."

Yes, friends! That sounded wonderful. "But..." That sound like there's a big addendum there, also... "If it wasn't my eye, then how is it a wink?"

Jacob elbows Tom. "Mares wink with their lady bits, to help make it clear to a stallion that they're interested."

Nick proves that, even with a furry face, he could still blush. "It's hard to fake that. It... uh, means you're turned on, to put it bluntly."

Tom slaps the table he's seated at. "It means more than that. It means--" He doesn't get to finish, being shoved by Jacob.

Nick snorts in a way only a horse can. "I'm not that pretty..."

"You aren't pretty at all." The words escape you before you can think of them. "Um... You're handsome. Guys are handsome." And you prove that lady-ponies can blush just as well as guy ponies.

Nick chuckles softly. "Am I hurting my chances by noting you, as a human, are neither?"

"Hey!" That stung!

"Truth is the truth." Nick closes in. Ugh, he even smells nice... "You have a lot of other things I like. You're fun to be around and have a good attitude. In fact, I was hoping you'd drop tail, but I didn't expect you to become a lady."

"So, about that magic?" Distraction! Besides, you did kinda want to know about that... "You had a friend?"

"I did promise." He touched you! Not with a hand or a hoof, but his cute pony nose against yours, sharing breath a moment. You could think of nothing but him for that frozen moment. He felt so good, touching like that... He draws back. "I never had a... kindness pony before."

"I am not a thing you 'have'." That much you were completely sure on. "So what are you? If I'm 'kindness'."

Nick thumped his chest with a dull thud. "Loyalty. I'll never let a friend down if there's another option, and if there isn't... I'll try to make one."

Nick was pretty true in all the time you've known him... It's one of the reasons you liked him! "Ah... So... the tribes had specific tricks. Earth ponies, tough. Pegasus, fly. Unicorns, magic. Do these other things do that, or not?" You wave over yourself. "Does being kindness mean anything other than awkward feelings?"

"That, to start. Sorry."

He kept apologizing! "Why do you keep saying that? You didn't do this." He looked more guilty. "Did you?" It's your turn to move in on him. "What aren't you telling me?" You feel your tail lashing behind you, broadcasting your annoyance. "Truth, out with it."

"Promise you won't be mad." Despite being significantly larger than you, he was shrinking back as if scared of you, or what you'd say. But being angry at him didn't come easily. You didn't want to be angry at him...

"Truth." That much you were sure you wanted.

"Right..." He shook himself out. "We've been friends a while... I had a good feeling from you. I thought... the odds were good... so I tried to shake your tail loose."

What? "What?" You repeat your thought out loud, echoing as it was. "I don't remember anything like that."

"We were at that water park a while back." He waved a hoof at yesterday long ago. "I booped you."

"Boop?" Ah ha. You were sure some new words were going to come out of it!

He pressed his right hoof to your nose. "Boop."

Your face lit up. Being 'booped' by him was stupidly nice, and embarassing.

"But you didn't, and I thought, oh well, guess I was wrong. Nothing lost... Until today."

"Until today." You duck back away from that alarmingly nice hoof. "If you can 'boop' people, why not boop everyone? Ponies everywhere!"

"Because it doesn't always work, like yours didn't." He circles around you slowly. "And not everyone is a good match for being one in the first place. The point isn't to foist pony'ness onto random people."

Sally raised a hand. "Foist away."

"You know I tried before." Nick huffed, tail lashing once. "You know I'd try again, if I thought it'd work."

"Right, fine... Just means I get to pet the ponies." And she has no hesitation in ruffling Nick's head, fingers playing with his ears. "Almost as fun."

"About your question." Nick stops circling and accepts the petting he's getting. "Yes. Loyalty has perks, and so does Kindness, and the others. Kindness is, as the name implies, about kindness. Healers of mind and body, they are the safe place you can withdraw to, knowing they will take care of you."

That wasn't what you were just the day before! "Uh... Right... I don't feel any... heal-e-er. How do I cast a cure spell?" So you'd played a few JRPGs in your time. Sue you. "That sounds super soft..." You weren't a grizzled man, but you weren't that for sure!

"It is, and it isn't. If you didn't notice, we get into scraps sometimes... Someone who can take care of it afterwards is... worth a lot." Nick directed a hoof to his bandaged middle. "The most basic trick I can show you. I can't do it, but I can show it. See this?"

"Where that jerk cut you?" It was hard not to see that. "What about it?"

"Touch it and fix it. Imagine you... How did he put it... Imagine you're warm, which you are, and you're melting the hurt, which is ice. Melt it away and leave no pain behind. The worse someone's hurt, the colder it is, and the more warmth you need. A vampire's claws are really cold, so bring your warm game." He backed a step, turning while he did it to make the bandaged side in easy reach.

You reached out, placing both forehooves on his side. It was only after you did so that you realize how quickly you had jumped at the chance to touch him. Why was he so attractive?! "Warmth..." Focus! You had a job. You were warm, be the warmth. Chase away the cold... Feeling him, you could.. Yeah, he wasn't warm enough there, where the bandages were. It was like he was just coming in on a really cold day. You press your hoof more firmly. "Warm..."

That cold, it felt so deep and hidden. Without really thinking about it, you nuzzle the spot, as if pressing your snout against it would help the heat penetrate deeper. You didn't want him hurt. You didn't want him to be in pain. Warmth... You kissed the spot, nestling in against the injury. A little warmth. He was responding to your attempts, not in any obvious way, but you could feel the spot become just a little less chilly.

Something touches one of your ears and you recoil in surprise. Sally is petting you. Seeing it's her makes the surprise die down quickly. "It's alright," she whispers. "You're doing good."

But did she have to touch you? You were in the middle of something! You press back in, redoubling the contact. You're soon side to side with him, rubbing the whole of your torso against him. Warm... Warm! You spot that he is growing warm in a whole new way. Like any stallion with a mare he knew winked at him, he was becoming quite warm indeed, and your face is close to the action, to your blushing realization. It was alien. Inhuman!

Of course it was, he was a horse, and so were you, at least at that moment. You were two ponies, doing what ponies do. Warmth! You close your eyes, trying to not think about that, instead just the heat you were putting out. You'd chase away the cold from Nick. "Feel better?"

"So much so... Please, keep going." Nick sounded happy, and tense.

Author's Note

The trend of one option just being shunned continues. But what do we do now?! We're a healer, yay!

https://forms.gle/Dh7LNsSKKTqNwEZg6 Vote as your heart commands!

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7 - Somewhere Private (clop)

You turn away from him suddenly. "All better?"

Nick inhales slowly, sides swelling with air. "Much... But why'd you stop?" He stepped in next to you, so large. "You were doing great. Is it, are you tired?"

You felt about the opposite of that! "Actually...." Your tail wags behind you without your permission. "Can we talk? Privately?"

Tom stands up at the stable suddenly, the chair he had been sitting in sliding back with the motion. "I can tell where I'm not needed. You need help with the back?"

Nick cringes. "Shit. They say a real friend..." Helped hide a body, which is exactly what was going on. That you weren't thinking too hard about that was slightly unnerving, but your thoughts are on something else. "If you can, thanks. I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one and you know it." Both of the other guys went into the back, to take care of the mess?

Sally pats both ponies on the head. "Kicking me out, I see how it is... I'll see you again, later, when you aren't so confused."

That leaves you alone with Nick. "C'mon." He leads the way towards his room. You've seen his room, but you never had much reason to hang out in it. Suddenly you did... You feel warm and a little out of breath, but not in an entirely bad way.

Crap.

You're old enough to know what that was. You'd felt it before, from the guy perspective. You were falling head right over heels, er, hooves. You wanted to... You were young, in hormones and body, and you were ready to prove it, even if both were given to you without anyone asking. As if anyone asked before you got it the first time. You tuck your new tail in tight as if hiding it would be enough to make it go away. "The signs are kind of obvious now..." He had little horse statues in places that you'd written off as a random quirk.

"Horses are comfortable." He rears up and nudges at one of the figurines of a galloping mustang. "We aren't horses, to be clear."

"Horses are... bigger? And talk less." Two points for not being a horse, sorta. They also don't have horns, but bringing that up felt silly.

"Yeah." He turns back towards you. "You must have a lot to ask about, so ask. I did this to you... I owe you that."

A flash of irritation bubbles in you. "If everything worked exactly as you planned it, what then? I suddenly have hooves." You raise one of those new hooves at him. "And I celebrate over a drink? Pretty sure I'd be kinda mad!" It was hard to be properly irritated at Nick, though you were trying. "You owe me a lot to even start. Even if we ignored the horse parts, which I'm not, you also casually lopped off a few important bits." You glance back at your female rump, lacking any male adornments. "And you did that on purpose!"

"W-what? I had no idea..." He backpedals away from you, eyes wide.

But you're walking in with him. "Don't give me that. You so did it on purpose. You made me have none and basically took it all for yourself." Your pointing lowers to between his furry legs. "Enough for two, hm? You think I didn't see? I saw! I see!"

He suddenly grasps your cheeks in his hooves. "I'm really sorry. I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you."

You want to be angry, but his scent is on you, and his grasp is so soft and... Dang it. "I'm not a kid! This is all leading to a very obvious place." Instead of angrily storming off, you pout in indignance.

"Is it a bad place?" He gently nuzzles your puffed up cheek. "Whatever you want to do, I want to do."

Why was he being so dang nice and perfect? "And if I say I want to walk away and never see you again?" The very thought sent a shiver down your spine. No! You couldn't do that!

"Then I'd let you. I'd even help you... You need a new purpose if you're already throwing me away. I don't want you to die, or get hurt."

Dang it... "And... if I don't?"

"Then we do something here?" Nick inclined an ear. "I won't lie. You were a nice old guy before, and you're a very pretty mare right now. I'm having confused feelings too."

"And if you had your way?"

"I'd ask if you wanted to do what I think we both want? And if yes... do that... and if no, probably kick you out of my room, and find something else to do. Watch some movies?"

You can't help but laugh at the suggestions. "I may be confused, but that I am not in the mood for."

Something touched your ear, and Sally wasn't there. No, it was Nick. He had closed his mouth around an ear and was chewing and it didn't hurt as much as one would expect, instead kind of relaxing. "Even if our relationship changes, or not, I want us to be friends."

Ah ha, you figure it out. He's living up to his own thing. He's being super loyal. Damn him if that wasn't working though... You adjust your footing, and something thumps as a great weight descends on you. He just jumped on you!

"We can stop right now." He nuzzles at the back of your head and neck and it feels so warm and tingly. "Or not."

Or... not... "Look! If I'm on this side of the fence... Aren't they supposed to want a little, I dunno, foreplay?"

"You are not a woman. You are a mare." He nips at you, clomping his teeth on your furry hide in just the right way. "Different needs. You are giving all the signals that you're ready, right now. But it's up to the sexiest organ you have."

Wait, what? "I don't have any breasts." Horses didn't come with those, you were pretty sure?"

"Your brain, stupid." He thumps his nose against your head. "Up to that. You decide. We push on, or we back off."

Part of you wants to scurry away from the obviously horny thing on you. Another is curious and another is just horny itself. Two wild, horny animals in a room, doing what horny animals did... This was not at all what you had planned in the morning. "I've seen you!"

"I bet you have... Why?"

"I do not want to be split in half." Nick was not small! He wasn't even medium. He was a big pillar of masculinity, all the masculinity you lost, right there with change. "I avoided getting hurt in that fight, would be stupid to do it to myself now."

"Then trust me." He bit the beck of your neck, licking through the soft fur. "I will be so careful."

It didn't help, or it helps a lot that his scent was so-- Nevermind. All those thoughts just evaporate as he pushes forward and finds you. That blunt end of his presses past your new entryway and whole new feelings explode through your body in radiating delight.

You take a step back into the violation, heightening both its strange and delightful parts. A squeak of a moan escapes you and you're too distracted to care. He is all too happy to press back, burying himself in you. Despite how large he had been, you were just as large, on the inside. The two of you come together as if they were made for each other, which, you suppose, was technically true.

Your were not a virgin, it should be noted. The strange fluttering gripping your passage was doing to its intruder was entirely new. The nice part was that you could feel it from the inside. Each pull and stroke of his slowly pounding member felt just as good to be the one doing it as it likely felt to have that wet firm grip on him. You were both gasping and making strange noises of shared passion.

Your fears just go away. There's no room for them in the middle of that coupling and all you're thinking about is how great the next movement will be, either him to you or you to him. You squeeze your eyes shut as your teeth clench, inviting him in deeper. If that was what it felt like, maybe being a girl pony wasn't so bad!

Perhaps as importantly, you were doing it with him. Thinking of Nick made everything more intense and present and right now in a way that was hard to put a finger, or hoof, on, but you almost dance in place, thinking of what you're doing and who you are doing it with. If only could just go on forever.

But these things don't go forever. They'd be really bad at their job if they tried. He squeezes and pulls you back as his pole goes tense and begins jumping inside you. You can feel a small lump moving up and then warm wetness spills inside of you. "Ew..." That felt nice, but it was also still kind of... nasty. You were a guy first, dang it!

"Did you just ew?" He drew back but pulls you with him, making you sit in his hugging lap. "I'll forgive you, this one time."

"You'll forgive me every time!" You try to swat at him, but he's behind you, making it hard to get a hoof on him. "This is still really weird..." And yet, there you were, casually impaled, feeling the warm fuzz rolling through you. "Wait..."

"Hm?"

"Don't girls have like... mind-shattering finishes? Full body, multi-orgasmic, all that?" You hadn't even felt like you had a single normal one, as nice as the whole thing had been. "What's up with that?"

He rubs at your belly and chest with wandering hooves. "You can blame that on me. I didn't finish what I started." He lifts you free, allowing his wet and softening lance to flop to the side. "But I'll do that now, alright."

What was he, oh... He didn't put you back down, at least not on the ground. He brings your nethers in range of his mouth and starts licking and exploring with warm nuzzles right where it can make you squeak all over again. There was no direct sex involved anymore, but that didn't make it feel any less. On some levels, it meant more. He was doing it specifically for you, not himself. He was getting nothing, but he adored you enough to want the world back for you. Your thoughts stuck to that instead of the physical, as if his feelings were just more important, and kept echoing.

He liked you, a lot. Love? Probably... Forever, together, you would always... You scream to the world as a powerful set of twitches fights through your body. Female climax was visiting you, and you loved it. The strangest part, in a way, was that you didn't feel tired. The male version came with a wave of completed satisfaction. As a girl, you clop your hooves on his head and grind your groin against his probing snout. "Don't stop!" One climax was just a cue that you were doing it right, not that you were done. What did mean you were done? You didn't care at that moment. He'll probably have to put you down and give up.

You don't feel like you need to surrender the attention. He was yours, and you were his, and you were all perfect together. You could want for nothing else, at least at that moment.

Shame there was no such thing as a moment that could last forever. There were other things to worry about that couldn't be delayed much longer than that session.

Author's Note

Not a single soul wanted to back off on this. We're a pony now, get over it! Behold, our first cloppy chapter, as things get heated, but it's time to move forward. All the voting has been pretty solid in our protag falling into her hooves and getting comfy, and this chapter kinda makes that official, I think?

Head on over to https://forms.gle/Au9RSnRARjbmg6AaA and cast your vote for the next chapter!

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8 - Refueled

It's hard to put a hoof, er, finger on it, but you feel pretty darn good! You're laying out beside Nick, breathing softly with the calming breath of the afterglow. "Shit."

He pricks an ear up. "Something wrong?"

"A lot of things are wrong," you laugh out. "I've lived over 60 years of thinking guy sex was pretty great, and then you come along and go 'nope!' I'm too old for this." Your voice did not match your words, nor does your body of a perfectly prime mare. Actually, technically... "Shit."

"Something else, or still mulling that?" He nuzzles into your neck and shoulder in a warm and fuzzy affection.

"Yes, to both." You sit up, shaking yourself into focus. "I just realized, if I'm younger now." You raise a hoof into view. "You are technically older than me now. How old are you again?" You never bothered to check that. There wasn't a lot of reason to care, before. Things are changing.

"Fourty-five." He sat up with you, a bit slower. Poor guy was a guy. He was feeling nice and relaxed after that. "And I have a pretty younger lady, if she'll have me."

"Ugh." It is easier to grunt than to answer that, right now at least. "I have questions, so many of them. Let's just shove relationships right out of things right now." You hop down to the ground, clip-clopping in slow circles. "First, enough pony." You rise up to two legs, as you did before. The fur withdraws, the tail tucks away. You're a human! But something doesn't feel right.

"Shit," joins in Nick as he becomes a human, a naked human. Funny thing there, naked ponies are no real big deal. "Shit."

"That's my line, shit." Your voice did not sound right, at all. "God damn it." You leave Nick behind, running into the bathroom with slaps of your naked feet on the ground and clicking on the light on the way. Staring back at you was an old woman. You, if the good lord had crossed your genes a long time ago. "I did not sign up for this." You slam your female hand against the nearest wall, doing no real damage.

Nick comes in at a strong walk, but not running. He's wearing pants. Nick reaches a hand for you, but hesitates, not making contact. "I know it'll sound kinda... tepid.. but I'm not abandoning you."

"This is fucked up," you sigh out. "It was bad enough when I was sometimes a girl horse. Look, forget that. Forget all of that! I want information, yesterday." You wheel about to jab him in his stupidly sexy abs. "I'm kindness, great. You're loyalty, fantastic. What are the others?"

"That's fair." He grabs a shirt from past you in the bathroom, a basic T-shirt he slips into. "You want to be naked?"

Right! You're naked. A naked old lady. "I have nothing I could think of wearing now." Still, you grab a towel to at least cover something up. "Out with it."

"Honesty, that's another one. They can be trusted, which is a power itself, but they're also good at keeping others honest, and spotting when they're not." Nick fidgeted with his shirt. "You can wear a T-shirt at least. I'll get one." He wanders off, voice receding, but he's still talking. "They're called on to keep deals straight and unwind things."

He's back in his room, at least his voice sounds like it. Now he's coming back. He has a T-shirt in hand that you accept to wear something instead of nothing. "And?"

"And there's generosity. Not to be confused with kindness, generosity is way less focused on any one person or thing, and is about setting other people up to succeed at their things. They can be leaders, but also make great supports for leaders, and excel at either spot." He turns away while you get dressed. "Then there's laughter. Sounds dumb, but this world's shit, let's be real." He shrugged. "Someone to keep spirits up is as valuable as keeping our skin intact sometimes."

"Last, magic." He turns back to you, all changed as you are. "Rarest of the bunch, usually a unicorn, but not always. Fun fact, if a not-unicorn gets magic, they get a lot of extra baggage along with it that they're probably not ready for, so be happy that didn't happen. And I mean on top of the stuff you're already getting used to that's more than enough."

"That is hard to imagine..." What would they get? You were a unicorn, and not magic, so it wasn't really your business. "Are magic unicorns extra good at magic then?"

"To start." He held out a bundle towards you. "Built for a guy, but it'll cover lady parts just as well. Your pants, your shoes and socks and everything else. "We'll have to get something your new size, obviously."

"Obviously..." You start climbing into your awkwardly fitting clothing. You could get into them, and they were better than nothing. You could abandon the towel at least. "This has to be a lot easier going the other way."

"Which other way?" Nick's patting himself down, looking ready to do something.

"Lady who ends up a guy horse. Way less questions."

"Still could be problems." He swats you on the side. "C'mon, let's get moving. Still, if that lady was active as a human, could get stuck that way, and end up a lady pony for a while."

"Right, sure, but being a pony is already odd. It's already 'stepping out'. Not as big a deal." They would never have to see themselves in the mirror, so close, but so far. "Where are we going?"

"To do something you wanted to do." He guides you to his beat-up car in the driveway. A trusty thing, it's gotten him all around for quite some years. "You wanted to learn more about magic, right?"

Shoot, you had almost forgotten. Your brain is a wild jumble of competing ideas and priorities. Thinking about magic sounds way better than... almost anything else. You climb in to see this magic person. "This is going to suck, isn't it?"

"Learning magic?" He lifted one shoulder. "Not too bad from the unicorns I talked to."

"I meant... this." You pat your busy belly. Speaking of that. "I am no expert... like at all, but this doesn't happen instantly, even the start. How could I be pregnant already?" Ugh, the p word. A word never meant to apply to you, or anyone involving you, at that age.

"You aren't... but you will be, or you wouldn't be locked." He starts the car and draws smoothly onto the street to get started in the journey. "As a guy, not an expert either. Magic? Pretty sure that. Pretty sure the whole thing qualifies as that. If you need anything, I'm here to help."

"A morning after cocktail?" That was an option, right?

Nick goes quiet. Shoot. "You want this, don't you?"

He sighs, grip on the wheel tight enough to pale his hands. "It's your body, your choice. I said I was pro choice before, so if I flip now, I get to admit I was talking shit the entire time. That would be my first kid. Not yours."

Right, you had kids, produced the old-fashioned way for a guy, which you were denied being for the moment. You were a damn grandfather! A grandfather that was about to become a mom. The world was strange... "So we're clear that I get to decide?"

"Yeah, totally... Doesn't mean I can't talk, but it's your decision." He turns off the highway back into new narrow roads. You didn't come close to a city. "The one I was talking about lives near here. A bit kooky, but he's alright. He knows about magic."

Right, magic! You did want to know more about that. "Question. You were--are--tough as a human, despite not being a pony at the time. Can I do magic?"

"Yes and no." He wobbles his right hand and returns it to the wheel. "It's like doing something complicated while wearing mitts. Technically yes, but it's harder. I'm tougher as a pony too, so that isn't that different, and pegasi have it worst. No flying humans, sorry."

Sucks to be them. "They get something?"

"Ask one. Don't have any real close pegasi friends." He draws into a driveway, gravel crunching under the car. "Here we are." He stops the car, turns off the engine, and climbs out. "Welcome to Erick's place."

Erick? You climb out and behold the small one-story house. "Do we all live in places that look kind of similar?" Welcome to Florida. But that isn't fair. Little ranch houses were all over the country. "Is he home?" You don't see another car there.

"He always has been." Nick sprint/jogged to the front door and rapped the back of his hand against the metal screen door there. "Yo, Erick."

A voice emerges, sounding like an intercom, "Nick? Wasn't expecting you today. Who's that with you?"

You look around for a camera, there, above the door.

"A friend who needs your specific help."

A loud click sounds. "Come on in."

Nick opens the screen door and opens the wood door behind it inwards. "Come on in."

A gust of cold air hits you, proving Erick has air conditioning, and uses it. Not that unusual for Florida houses. "Nick! Stranger!" The one talking was a guy, maybe in their 40s? A peer of Nick. If they were in the same class in school, wouldn't have surprised you. "Come in, and stop letting the heat out." Once you're in and things are closed, he starts looking you over. "So, dropped tail? Late in life to do that."

Nick shrugged with a strained laugh. "Yeah, I did the boop years ago, and, turns out, it can take a while."

"Wow. Still, you're among friends. You know how to let it all out?"

That trick, you have. You hit the ground with all fours and a flick of your new tail. "I was not expecting this even a little. But... if I have to be a horse, I want magic."

"Not the worst attitude." Erick joined you, becoming a dark-blue unicorn with bright-green eyes. On his rump's a picture of a building, a state building of some kind, with the pillars and such. "Call me Eager Study when I'm like this."

Nick flicked an ear back, in his pony form too. "I forgot to even bring that up. I'm Steady Step, and she doesn't have a name yet."

Sure you did! It just wasn't a pony name... "How do I get one of those, just pick one?"

"That's half of it," assures Eager as he turns away and trots into the living room at a light jog. "But you came to learn magic. And I love teaching magic, so that works out great!" He comes hurrying back with several heavy books. "Boring part, but I want you to look at chapter 1 of each of these books and see which one 'calls out' to you, or bores you the least, whichever comes first." With heavy thumps, he sets them in front of you. "Once we know where your inclinations are, we can get going."

You make a motion with a hoof as if turning the page to open the book, but your magic does the actual lifting. Some of that was english, some of it was not. "Um... It's squiggles, and not Japanese, or... any language I know of."

"We'll get to that." Eager waves the thought away. "Stick to the English parts for now. You look like someone who wants to get to the point, not spend a lot of time with the fundaments."

Maybe because you're life is being turned upside down and you're just trying to find a silver lining! You manage to not shout that at Eager. He seems nice enough. "Reading time."

Author's Note

A first, everything got a vote, hence our protag's conflicted state with no obvious winner.

But new poll! https://forms.gle/pv5hGRkte31JdHCz7 Decide our fate!

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9 - Learning and Growing

"One thing." Eager nods at you, tail still wagging eagerly behind him. "You said you like the sound of Prime, that's a nice one. In fact, one of the first tricks you'll learn is to make your clothes stop falling off you when you change."

Small blessings! "How?"

"Prime is about the, uh, energy of all things." He waves a hoof in the air, trailing invisible lines. "Your clothes have energy, and so do you. That's not even magic! Science can back that up. Now, take Prime, and learning how to reach out and poke that energy." He pokes the air with a hoof. "Make its energy and your energy a little snuggly, and when you change, so do the clothes. The specifics get not-scientific in a hurry. There aren't scientific words to describe what I'm going to teach you."

He has your attention, and learning happens. It's not fast, or easy, but you make progress, and poor Nick only looks half dead of boredom. Still, with a few basics down, you could see what could not be seen. With a glowing horn, you look around with sparkling eyes. "Wow." You can see those energies he was speaking of, and living threads too, very similar and yet vibrant and changing constantly. If the world was made of legos, living things were desperately scrambling hamsters on wheels, parked on those legos. The magnitude of complexity was hard to imagine until you see it.

But that isn't the only thing you see. Sure, waving your hoof in front of yourself's an amazing spectacle. Even that was full of moving parts, struggling to keep you alive and allow you to move. But why stop with a leg and hoof? You stand in front of a mirror for a better look at the rest of you, and there it is.

You're no doctor, or biologist. But that doesn't matter. You can see the intruder, inside you. A parasite still moving to get comfortable. Your future child, not even settled in yet. Their pattern was as bright as yours, brighter in some ways with the dizzying sparkle of possibility and growth. They had so much growing to do. Growing you could put a stop to. That cluster of cells wasn't even settled yet. Just one batch of pills, and it'd be done.

But you could see it in a way you don't have words for. It was alive, if not even sentient yet. You could end it before its first chapter. On some levels, maybe you should. You've read older women have a harder time with this kind of thing. Shoot! If you were a normal human female of your age, your pretty sure menopause would have already visited, but you're not, are you? You're a 30 something pony lady instead.

You can't blame a biological clock. It was entirely up to you. You and that cluster of cells you could forget--

Something's touching your face. Nick, er Steady Step, is brushing away tears with careful sweeps of his hoof. "You alright?"

Are you alright? "Ugh! One second." You will your phone over and do some quick Googling. "Did you know that... Hm." Of all the things you expected to learn, the side effects of the morning after pill wasn't high on that list. "Damn it."

Eager suddenly coughs. "Sorry, not trying to get in the middle of things. One perk of taking up living magic is you can handle this better than many."

That's a perk... "Is it actually safe to do... anything to yourself like that?" Images of doctors trying to work on themselves dance in your mind.

"Wow." Eager flashes the biggest grin. "Life magic on themselves is what people do with that, unicorn or not, half the time."

Unicorn or not? "How does anyone do this without... that?" You point at your new horn, the source of your magic... right?

"I should go over that..." His horn glows as he flicks on a projector, throwing up some funny symbols on the wall. "Besides us ponies, there are humans that can do magic, and, being humans, they are a super drag about it."

"You got one group." Eager Study pointed to the symbol on the left. "They're all 'we should free everyone's mind!', living like Matrix rebels." He sweeps his hoof to the symbol on the right. "And then there's team, 'Science is the best! What's magic?' over there. Don't get me wrong, love science. I like gizmos and if you stopped me from playing my MMO, I would have to kill someone."

The two symbols vanished, a third appearing in its place. "And last... You got these gents..." Eager waves at the image half-heartedly. "The world is burning and I'm the gasoline. They have no grand vision for the future. If it was up to them, there'd be no future. You might agree or disagree with the other two, but these? Stay away from these."

Nick huffs with all his equine might. "Any of them have a name, or are we looking for funny squiggles? Do they wear those like name tags?"

Eager laughs at the idea. "That'd be convenient... Most of them are hiding away. None of them want 'the masses' to know them or what they're up to. The first is called 'The Traditions', then 'The Technocracy' and lastly, 'Nephandi.'" He nods with each name given. "Side note: The Technocracy would love to meet you, and throw you in a cage, and study you forever, or maybe just get rid of you. We are living examples of their world not working. Most of them either want to break us down until they figure out how we fit into their rigid view, or get rid of the part that doesn't match. Neither is... probably good for you."

"Oh!" He perks with a big smile, remembering something from the look of it. "All of them." He waves wildly at the wall. "One thing they have in common, they do magic through staring the universe in the eyes and saying 'No, my way is the right way.' Takes balls! Give them that. Even works, scarily enough, but sometimes the universe pulls an Uno 'No U' and slaps them for being uppity. We don't do magic that way. Positive! The universe doesn't slap us down for existing."

Right, but... You wobble a hoof in the air. "And the downside? If there wasn't a downside, ponies would be in charge, right?"

"As if. We have limits. For one, there's only so many of us." Eager Study waved between himself and his guests. "And what you're doing won't even help. Your kid's likely to be a human brat, forever. On top of that, human mages can try to do anything, given time and will, which they burn through eagerly. We tend to learn a few big spells and that's it, we're done. We don't, and can't, do it all, um, usually. None of us here are one of those exceptions."

Wait. "Did what I already learned count against what I can learn then?" Nobody told you there were limits! Where is the user manual for being a magical horse?

"Yes and no... I've only taught you some basic spells, and they're basic. They don't count for much. It's the big ones you'll only get a few of, so don't worry about it." He waves the objection away. "By the way, you're kindness, right?"

Nick answers for you with a firm nod. "Yeah. Why?"

"Just making sure... Magic unicorns? Now that's when all the bets are off. They're just as scary as human mages, with all the baggage that comes with it. Some of them try to remake the world, but none have succeeded, so far. Good way to go young." He snorts, as if finding the whole thing funny. "Be glad you're not that."

You have limits, but that was, apparently, a good thing. "Alright... Who wrote those?" You direct a hoof at the books you've been studying from.

Nick/Steady Step peered at the scattered books. "Didn't you write them, Eager?"

"As if!" He gestures for the Forces book to rise up and float over to himself. "Humans wrote these, the mages I was talking about, actually."

You plunk a hoof against your head. "That hurts my head... We use the same spells, but it's not the same... how?!"

Eager embraces his book. "They have countless books like this, each a little different, and each certain that their book is the best one. Neither of us are making that call. The universe is what already exists. To them, the universe is what they make of it. Intent matters with magic, a lot."

Speaking of that... You put aside other thoughts and move to one other book that caught your eyes. "The universe is what already exists." You tap at the book. "This kinda implies there's a lot more to it than I would have thought."

Eager set the Forces book aside. "Spirit. A whole other world parallel to our solid material one, where ideas and notions are given form and function. They're probably watching us right now, curious about the new unicorn. Want to take a peek?"

Darn it all, you really kinda do! So you get back to studying, and getting hugged. Wait. Steady Step, bored with the whole thing, has casually decided you were a fine thing to hold while it was all going on. It helped that it didn't feel bad to have him there... Dang it, you're really becoming a lady horse, happily, what, mated? You weren't married, not in any legal way. And that's not even better! You're a lady horse with a loving partner, and the idea was laughable, but also kinda... great?

So about those spirits! They made more sense than the inside of your head. No wonder you skipped on mind. You can barely put together what you're doing up there, let alone even think about messing with anyone else's.

A new spell of seeing and feeling. "This is always the first," advises Eager. "If you're doing it right. Can you mess with things you never see? Sure! We do it all the time. Doesn't make it a great idea. Now, before you look that way, I should warn, spirits can be creepy looking. So don't freak out. They're over there. We're over here. The two aren't meeting unless you get way better at it."

Could it possibly match what you've already been through? You doubt it. With a glowing horn, you throw your perceptions in a new direction, penetrating the veil between worlds in a burst of static as you change the 'channel' from one reality to the next.

"Hello." A dragon sat there, small and bipedal and grinning at you. Eager's room was mostly unchanged, except for that dragon that was smiling at you. "I can hear you, if you want to talk back to me."

You're being talked to by a spirit dragon... They had bright blue-purple scales and brown eyes, slit with claws and teeth to match, but they weren't being very aggressive. They were almost cute... "Hi?"

"Hi!" They echo back with a bigger smile. "I was worried you wouldn't say anything. I'm Sundown." He hikes a thumb at himself. "And I've been waiting for you forever! Forever and ever. And ever... Finally, you're awake!" He hops to his feet, clapping his hands in a dance. "And now you get to learn something new."

"I'm already learning some new things," you note to the dragon. "And you're a dragon."

"Sure am." He leans in closer. "And you messed up that spell, but in just the right way."

Wait... "Huh?"

"Good response." He taps you on the nose, but you don't feel it. Can you feel when a spirit pokes you? "I'm not actually a spirit, and this isn't the spirit world. You messed up, rejoice!" They were swaying their hips and tail, looking quite elated. "Ask your friend what a chimera is, he'll know. Oops, you're waking up. Don't forget me!" He waves excitedly even as he fades from view, and your spell elapses.

Author's Note

Phew, so many competing desires on schools, but Prime? Not what I expected.

But new poll! https://forms.gle/QPKadvjFo3E8X7ZR8 A simple one this time. Only four choices? Who does that?

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own written here at atreon!

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10 - What am I Seeing?

You come back from your strange vision, image bright in your mind. "That wasn't a spirit."

Eager lifts a fuzzy ear. "Not to counter you, but how would you know? What'd you see?"

You do your best to encompass the dragon with motions of your hooves. "A dragon, kinda blue-purple? It seems friendly... Oh! It said it was a 'chimera' and you'd know what that was."

Eager jumped as if shocked. Nick scowled at him. "Is this a bad thing?" Clearly, Nick didn't know what it was.

But Eager did. "Chimera are sorta spirits, sorta. Fragments of dreams, sometimes given thought." He wobbled a hoof and brought it down. "A thing for changelings, which is a thing I didn't even start going over. But like a spirit and 'is a spirit' is not the same thing... Usually you need a little mind magic tossed in there to look in that direction." He joined Nick in his frowning. "Which has... implications. It was friendly?"

"Very. Seemed super happy I could see it, like it had been waiting forever." You rub at your cheek softly. "A dream? It was a little whimsical." You could still remember its silly dance as it had rejoiced in front of you. "I was actually kind of happy, thinking back on it, to run into something new that wasn't all doom and gloom."

Nick squeezed you from behind. "It's nice running into something that doesn't want to do terrible things." He looked to Eager, one ear raised. "Now what's the catch?"

"Complicated..." He worked his hooves in slow circles. "Alright, changelings, fae creatures. Normally you can't see them or anything related to them. Could walk right past them and not notice, just like when you're in your human form, except, to them, they're still crazy fae, all the time. They're dreams, sorta, like those chimera. With me?"

Sorta but not entirely? "So does that make chimera a good or bad thing?"

"It's 'a' thing." He shrugged grandly. "They can be either or. Sounded friendly. Now some tricks. If a fae lets you in on the trick, normally you forget about it afterwards. When you use magic, that doesn't always happen, which is what you just did. Since you still remember them, that means things. It means you have a hoof already in their world. It means... you might always have. That dragon may have been following you around forever, waiting for you to notice it."

Nick swats at his friend. "If you forget this stuff, why do you know any of it?"

"Books," he smartly replies, sitting up proud. "Half of it is rambling nonsense, but that's magic books in general. Learning to pick through it is part of the job.

And it was a good time for a headache. "Does that mean I'm a 'fae' on top of being a magic horse on top of being preggers?"

"Oh, no! No no. Pretty sure?" That last part doesn't sound as confident as you'd like. "If you were one of those, you wouldn't be a pony, I think?" He glanced to Nick/Steady. "You ever hear of a fae pony?"

"I never heard of a fae anything until today." He nudges you up to your feet. "And you're overwhelming her. I call break time. Get up back to twos. How about we do a little, you know, therapy shopping."

That didn't sound awful as ideas went. "Alright... But am I being followed by an invisible dragon?" You sprang up to human feet, naked. "Wait. You promised." You level a finger at Eager. "Show me how to not do that."

"Alright alright! Keep your pants on... Sorry." You were wearing no pants to keep on. "Let's make it so you can keep your pants on." He grabs the prime book in his magic and slaps it down in front of you. "Then you can go shopping and stuff."

A detour later, you learn your first actually-does-stuff spell. "Now, you could do Steady Step a solid."

"Hm?"

"Your clothes are now attached, the same trick works on him, if he wants it. Whattaya say, Steady. Want your girlfriend to get her hooves all up in your primal energy?"

Steady blushed faintly. "You made that sound way dirtier than it needed to." But he also isn't running away. "Go ahead. I trust you."

"You shouldn't," you laugh out. "I just learned this spell." Still, he gave permission. Your horn glows as you tune into the energy lines of the world, his included. Reaching out with your magic and your hooves, you get a feel for where his vibrant lines end and the more sedate lines of his clothes begin. It was like... sewing? You stitch them together, much as you had already done for yourself. He's not exactly one with his clothes, but close enough that one could tug on the other. Looped around each other? Sure, that works.

You stop glowing, and Nick takes that as a hint. "All done? Should I try it now?"

"Go ahead." You go back to twos yourself and you're still dressed!

Nick stretches up to twos, then falls back to fours. "Hey... nice. They fit better too." He points an accusing hoof at Eager. "Why didn't you do this, ages ago?"

"Prime wasn't my thing." Nick shrugs softly with a chuckle to go with it. "But it's her thing, so there we go. Now you two are heading out?"

Nick springs back up to his feet, offering a hand towards you. You take it with a hoof and rise up with his pull, ending it with a hand in his. "How do I get a checkup like this?"

"The way you always did?" Nick proposes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." You wave at your new self. "Even if I accept that I'm actually a new person in here, to any doctor, I'm a way-too-old lady. So who am I bothering about... all of this?"

Eager goes to twos like the rest of his guests. A fourty-something year old guy with a scraggly beard. Nerd. "Welcome to the other side! We have to look out for our own needs on that front usually... Doctors don't 'get' ponies, and we aren't rushing to give them a chance to learn about it. Lucky you, you're a kindness."

Nick brightens at that. "Right! Just like you took care of me, take care of yourself. Assuming nothing drastic happens, you can stay nice and healthy."

You can hug yourself to healthiness? That's a perk, right? "Great. Let's at least get some clothes that fit. I'm not a super fashion magnet, but at least something that remotely matches." There you are, wearing old guy clothes, when you needed old lady clothes. Ugh.

"See you later." Nick waves as he draws you outside back into the Florida heat. "That coulda gone worse. I never saw a unicorn learn magic before."

"Looking forward to the next time?" You slide into the car on the passenger side and pull the door closed. "Or hoping that's also the last time?"

"That's harder than it should be to answer." He got the car humming and pulled off into the street. "Right now, I'm really happy you're happy. You know a bit more than you did before, and I hope you feel a little better?"

Funny thing, you do. Knowing helps. "I may be a magic horse, but now I'm a magic horse. That's a plus." Speaking of that... They said you could still do magic as a human. The urge to test that is too powerful. Even as Nick drives you along, you try to change the 'channel'.

"Hi!" comes the eager cry of something in the back seat.

"Holy shit!" That startles you right out of things. By the time you look back there, there's nothing.

"You alright?" Nick didn't see any of that, or hear it.

"I am reminded that I never learned how to do the spirit vision the right way. Just the wrong way, and I heard the dragon. Says hi."

Nick laughs at that. "So say hi back?"

Right... And don't flip out. You send your vision back. As promised, magic isn't as easy in human form, but it also isn't impossible. Sight is still the simplest spell. Turns out, even wearing mitts, you can open a door!

"Hey, didn't mean to surprise you." The dragon was poking his head on its long neck through the middle of the two seats, watching you. "I'm just excited. You remembered me! I was worried you wouldn't."

"Well, hello." You give a wave of three fingers. "Do you have a name?"

"Yes! Um." It was like the dragon had forgotten it. "Bright Spark, yes. And you! I know you. I've known you for a long time, but you never saw me." He crossed his arms. "I thought maybe you don't like me."

"I have to know you to like you, or not like you. Bright Spark, nice."

"Isn't it?!" He was a bit energetic. "Your friend knows a lot, but also doesn't know anything... Since we're riding, wanna hear more?"

Nick glances over, eyes mostly on the road. "I can't hear your friend, but it sounds like things are going well. Bright Spark? Hey Bright."

"Hello! He can't hear me. He'll never hear me, without some help. Still, tell him I said hi."

"He says hi." You gesture at the blue-purple dragon only you could see. "Do you know him?"

"Nick? Yes. He's a friend of yours, and now a super special friend. I saw that special hug."

Well, that gets your cheeks lighting up. "Don't watch people give 'special hugs'."

Nick snorts into laughter. "What?" Poor guy, only hearing half the conversation.

"Why not? It looked very fun. And you were so happy... Anyway, here's an important thing. I'm not 'a' chimera. I'm yours." Bright leaned in, head snaking around the corner of the seat on his long neck. "Our dreams are connected. That's why I've been waiting for so long for you to notice me. People who have chimera usually notice them, eventually." He starts counting on his fingers. "Now, if they aren't super special, maybe they'll just have an 'imaginary friend' or something. I was hoping it wouldn't be that, but even that's better than just not seeing me, so yay!"

The antics of the dragon are at least kinda adorable, if strange and new. "Nice to meet you."

"I can't say the same." He tapped at his chin and a look of thought. "I met you ages ago. Oh! But it's like we met all over again. Yes, this is nice."

Bright is silly, but not awful... "So can you just... not... Can you be... What... real?"

Bright gasps with scandal. "I am real!"

Okay, not the best phrasing perhaps. "Can you be visible to anyone besides me?"

"To other special people." He nods, head drawing back behind you. "Like the changelings your friend mentioned. They'd see me right away."

Wait. Wait wait... "So... us... We're a walking billboard to any 'changeling' that notices us, especially if they see me talking with you."

"Hmm, yes. You've walked past a few. They didn't pay me much mind. I'm not the only chimera out there. No no no. Just one of many. I guess a chimera chatting with someone would be more special. Ooo, does that mean we'll get to meet one? I'd like that! Would you like that?"

"We're here." Nick was pulling into a parking space. "Say goodbye to Bright. See you later, Bright." That was a lie, seeing as Nick never saw him to begin with.

"Bye!" Bright suddenly snaked around the seat, whispering in your ear, "I'll still be following, shh, don't have to tell him."

You stop pressing your senses in that direction and Bright vanishes with a pop. You're in a car, with your friend. He's already opening the door on his side. You shove open the door on your side and climb out. You're in front of a little shopping plaza.

Author's Note

Now we're back on track, with one option just flat out rejected, like the old days!

But new poll! https://forms.gle/D7bAP4LskZUdk1bJ6

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own written here at atreon!

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11 - Paint the Town

"UNIQLO," read the bright sign over the store. People came and go, often leaving with bags of stuff, mostly clothing. Nick waves one hand at the place, heading that way at the same time. "Unless you have a fashion style in mind?"

A fine, middle of the road, choice. You'd shopped there before, just mostly picking up whatever was on sale and happened to fit, lately. Retiring meant you had a lot fewer people to impress. And then you became a magical pony girl. Maybe you're losing it, but dressing up the new you had an appeal to it. "Let's shop."

"That's the spirit." He claps his hands, rubbing them as he heads in. The doors slide open for him automatically, not requiring his hands for the task. "Now, just checking. I still have a job. You don't. Can you cover this or not?"

Ah, the glories of a fixed income... "I'm not that poor. I barely buy anything." You had grown pretty adept at living within your means, and you still had your cards. It was time to use... "Crap."

"What?" Nick stopped next to you inside the store. "Forget something?"

You dig out your wallet and flip it open. "This isn't me... anymore." There's your ID, showing your old self. "That isn't going to fly."

He casually flips the wallet closed. "It's alright. You got two things going for you."

You struggle to think of what those two things are. "You're covering it?"

"I could if you want, but I wasn't counting that." He put an arm around you, guiding you towards the woman's clothing section. "Wow, I don't have a lot of reason to visit here, usually."

"Nick!" A slender man comes closer, waving amiably's coming right for you. "And... someone I don't know, but that'll change I bet."

Nick releases you to put a hand out and met the new person with a firm shake. "Chris! Great to see you. I'm here for some fashion."

"What? You?" He peers at Nick suspiciously. "What have you done with Nick, and who's this?"

"Girlfriend." Nick waves in a light motion at you. "And who's the one who needs a wardrobe change. She's going through a lot lately, fell in with the bronies, hard."

"Hard? Hard hard?" He's looking at you with a new intensity. "I see..."

What strange code were they talking?! "Hey." You give your name. "So you're the local fashion expert?"

"Girl? It's the one talent I have." He waggles his brows. "Also, loosen up. You're with a friend. Two at least. This way," he half sings, leading you on a marvelous journey of tops and bottoms and all sorts of looks.

You suspect he may be gay. Was that unfair? Possibly. Not that it matters a lot. You're not even a guy anymore... Means he's not looking at you that way. Also, you're pretty sure he's half your age, in any event. "So... brony thing?"

He passes some clothes through the curtain of the changing room for you to try. "Brony thing. You know, fan of My Little Pony™️? Some people get really into it. They get all dudded up, drop their tails, all that?"

Oh! Oh... Well. Maybe he isn't gay, just a magical horse. There is a subtle difference! "Would it be rude to ask what sort?" You realize a problem, maybe a silly one. "This is going to sound really wierd."

"She wasn't a she a week ago," noted Nick quietly. "If you can hook her up?"

Chris laughs, a little laugh at the situation, maybe. "Sorry. Shoot... I'm not one of those... And asking a girl on the floor to help someone your age with that... Second. You keep trying things on." You can hear him walking away.

"Still here," notes Nick, on the other side of the curtain. "Alright in there?"

"Doing fine." You're busy trying different things. Funny thing, you didn't care too much before. If you looked 'alright', that was good enough. Now you do care. You have someone to care how they see you. You had someone like that before, married for quite a long while... But they just accepted you as you are.

Then again, Nick never complained either. What had changed? Well, you changed. The breasts you keep having to work around was a hint of that. "Is it alright to ask about that?"

"Not really." A pause. "I can ask when he's on break next."

"Sure..."

Chris came back. "Alright, some basics." Some things were slid under the curtain. "Feel free to try some of that, but not the other things."

Some of that was a thing you can try on. Some of it was clearly... not... Femenine hygiene products. If... You didn't need that, right? By the time you could need that, you'd be a guy.

Still, underwear! Underwear is good. You had been expecting some frilly girly thing, but no, boxes. 'gender neutral boxers', they reported as being. They cover you, which is really all you wanted out of those. "Coming out." You emerge, wearing new clothes. "How do I look?"

Chris snapped his fingers. "Looking like you're ready to hit the town."

Nick nodded firmly. "Looking good... How do you feel?"

"Better, somehow." You held the other things you weren't wearing. "Let's pay for this all."

"Speaking of that." Nick waved Chris closer. "She has her card, but ID doesn't match. Big deal?"

"Guess I'll just forget to ask for that." Chris headed for the registers and slid behind one like he owned the place. "Found everything you were looking for?!"

"Yes, I think." You put down the bounty along with the many tags of what you were already wearing. He dutifully scanned it all and ran your card, without checking the ID. Sure, your name wasn't exactly screaming 'check out this lady', but whatever. "Say, when are you off?"

"We can talk shop in..." Chris glances at the clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes? I get a break then, about as long."

"Thanks." Nick fires a thumbs up, helping to carry the goods out. You and he dump them in his car and wait until Chris pokes his head out of the store. He comes right to the car and Nick throws open a back seat. "Come on in."

Chris slides in with a smile. "Always time to meet a new member. Welcome to the herd!"

Herd? That was a horse thing. Right. You're one of those. Checks out. "Still very new to... everything, and getting tossed in the deep end."

Nick put a hand to his forehead. "She's already watched a scrap with a sucker, he lost. She was a he. Speaking of that! I'm being way rude. Are you a he or a she? I'll go with whatever."

"Really?" You wobble a hand at him. "We've kinda done things that only a guy and a girl do."

"Just giving the option... You'll be a guy again later. No promise you want to be called a girl right now." Nick raised a hand. "Back me up, Chris."

Chris shrugged. "Hey, you do you. Sounds like you don't have a problem being a lady right now, so going with that. Wow, I can barely imagine that. You must be so lost right now."

That was one way to put it. "About right. So... What kinda magic horse are we talking?"

"Magic? Nah." He made a little flapping motion with his hands linked together. "But I get to fly without a license, which is nice." Ah, pegasus? "Laughter."

He hadn't made you laugh even once so far!

"It isn't always literal." Crap, could he read minds? "We put smiles on faces. You're looking less stressed than when you first came in, so I'm doing my job." He leans back, hands behind his head. "A fine element for working retail, let me tell you. A lot of people in desperate need for a smile around here."

"Hey." Nick looked back over the seat at their visitor. "You know a damn thing about changelings?"

"Great at parties if you don't mind getting blackout drunk every time and remembering basically none of it?" Chris shrugged softly. "Couldn't say much more than that. Why?"

"Something related, just checking." Nick gripped the steering wheel firmly. "Still getting her hooves under her."

"You're good for that." Chris pats Nick on the shoulder. "And welcome, really. If you need a helping hand, I'm working here as often as not. No discounts though. I like this job."

You smile. "Now I know you're lying. Someone who likes their retail job?"

"Hey, sue me." Chris shrugged in defense. "I've had worse. I made a little hole for myself. Everyone knows me. It's my spot. Is she gonna be at the next meeting?"

"I planned to bring her."

What were they talking about? "Meeting?"

Nick huffs, tapping at his steering wheel. "Like the card game this started with, but with way more of us, and usually nobody but us, even the related ones."

"Alright..." More chances to meet ponies. "What do they go over at that kinda thing, or is it just a social thing?"

"There's that." Nick nodded back at Chris.

"Social," Chris agrees. "But also business. We get the run down on what's going on right now and how we're all involved in it. Sometimes that's as simple as just a touching of bases." He brought his hands together silently. "But sometimes it's a big deal. Either way, you want to be there to be in on what's going on. Besides, it's a great chance to top off... Do you know what harmony is?"

"Crap!" bemoans Nick suddenly. "I didn't cover that. This day's been something else."

"Harmony?" You'd rather find out what it is rather than bemoaning not hearing it before. "That a good thing?"

"Great thing," assures Chris. "It's what lets us be at our best, and do our best tricks. You can only get it when we get together, which is also when we're most vulnerable, since there are so many of us in one place, so... mixed bag. It's why we have a different spot each and every time."

Wait. "I've already been doing pretty cool stuff... How will this 'harmony' make it even better?"

Chris glanced at Nick. "Which element?"

"Kindness," he replies simply.

"Ah, you know how to fix people up? Spray some harmony on top and it's way faster. Instead of taking minutes, we're talking seconds. What are you again?" He repeated that hand-flap gesture. "Bird like me?"

"Uni," offered Nick without waiting for you to have a chance at it. "Already got the basics down, what we spent most of today handling."

"Well, at least you're not a magic unicorn. Those are something else... Bright streaks." He made a whooshing sound and flick of a few fingers. "Bright, and gone. You're better off as a kindness unicorn."

So was the impression you have been getting! "Are there any magic unicorns around, or are they just a myth, from the way everyone keeps talking about them."

Nick raised a finger. "I know one. He doesn't usually chat much. A shut in, but when the chips are down, he can be counted on."

"Sub? He's alright." Chris reaches for the door near him. "It's been solid meeting you. Let's do it again when I'm not just taking a quick break, alright?" He flees the car, heading brisky back to work.

"He seems nice enough." You watch him head back inside. "Wouldn't have noticed him before... all this."

"That's the best and worst part." Nick folded his arms over his chest. "You have no idea what baggage people are carrying. Any of them could just... go a bit nuts at any moment and you wouldn't know until it's already a problem. The vampire? He started with a plea to help support environmental things, then the claws came out. You can't tell just by looking."

Well, that makes you feel safe... "I'm all dressed now. When is that meeting they were talking about?"

Author's Note

You are all fairly unified this time. Over 50%? Well, can't argue with that, can I?

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12 - Ponies Ponying

"About a week off." Nick's checking his phone to be sure. 'Meeting with buds,' is what they labeled the event as. If you didn't already know what it was, guessing the true meaning of it would be out there. "You're all situated, so what's next on our exploration?"

"Well, to be honest." You put a hand on the dashboard. "Since I'm one of these, maybe you could tell me what one of these does? Like, seriously, do we just exist, but oddly?

"For one part, yeah." Nick hikes a thumb at the clothing store you're still parked in front of. "Living is a part of it. Still got bills to pay unless you go urban foraging. Don't suggest that. But you mean past that. We got elements, as you must have noticed by now. Kindness, honesty, etc? They aren't just specialties."

"So what are they?"

"Callings. They are what we want to see more of in the world, and making more of it is a pony's 'job', besides the one that makes rent." He hikes a thumb at himself. "Any time I take time out of my day to help out a friend in need, I get a nice dopamine splash."

Wait... "So basically all of today?"

"Basically," he admitted without guile. "Even the really boring parts, I felt like I was doing my part, and it felt good. I was being an example of loyalty, and that's what loyalty ponies do. Now, if I want a serious hit, then I get someone else to show some loyalty in a serious way. That's the real stuff, and what we're made for, spreading the good around a dank and miserable world."

He snapped his fingers suddenly. "Another way to get some harmony too. The harder you work for it, or the more you inspire, the better the hit."

Helping you isn't entirely a selfless thing then, even if you get the idea he would have done it without the reward. "So..."

"So when you healed me, it felt good doing it, I bet?"

You think back on that moment. It had felt... kinda good yeah. "I wanted to chase away all the hurt."

"That's kindness." He turned the key in the ignition and started piloting the car away. "It's more than that though. Physically tending someone is just the most obvious. Seeing their perspective, someone who's hurting, and helping bridge the divide. Talking someone out of lashing out at someone else and cooling hot heads, be it out of anger or even... like a bully." He shrugs with a non-committal grunt. "Not my specialty."

"But it's mine now," you finish for him. "No wonder it took so long." That hadn't been your specialty before! Maybe the mixup was why it took decades for you to finish being a magic horse? "So... Now that I've joined this club, I should... What, volunteer with a homeless shelter and help people there?"

"Could." He didn't sound that eager. "Probably get a nice steady little trickle that way, and make the world suck just a little less for some people. Now, you could, and I don't personally recommend it, go for something big. I hear there are really big prizes for something big. Like, for kindness, securing world peace or solving cancer or something... Beyond the pale." He taps at the steering wheel as he powers down the road. "Something like that. Never knew a pony that managed something that huge, so couldn't tell you the specifics. Not even sure what a world class loyalty event would be."

You can't help but think of the other elements and their world touching events. "I can imagine some of them. Maybe honesty would be rooting out some super deep state conspiracy that had been hurting entire nations?"

"You got it, that's the level we're talking. And, you can imagine, you could end up super dead trying to do that. Or spend your whole life trying and not getting there. This is why most of us set our eyes a lot lower. Helping out a homeless person won't change the world, but it'll be world changing for them, and sometimes that's enough, right?"

"Right." And you are kindness. Empathy. Caring. It was so soft sounding... And you had to become a girl in the process, as if to emphasize it all. "I'm going to paint in the details. A lot of ponies probably don't go through this. They just show up for the meetings, get the easy hit, and call it a day."

Nick let out a suffering sigh. "Wow, got that in one... I can't say I'm innocent there. Helping you get your feet under you is the busiest I've been for a while. I try to be a good friend, but I'm not really 'out there'. I should be, right?"

"Even that's a little tainted. Helping your new babygirl--" Wow, you're one of those. Life can be so odd... "--get presentable isn't as much of a bold showing of support as it could have been if we weren't connected."

"Who's teaching who?" he spat with some acid, but looked emberassed right after. "Sorry. No, you're right. Guess there are perks to age, but I figured 'fast to pick things up' wasn't one of those things."

Did he just throw an age... joke? saying? Whatever it was, you didn't like it. "I'm old enough to see what's in front of me. And young enough to get into trouble anyway, apparently. Now, part of me really wants to get out there and do my new thing... I was retired, and now I'm not, and that would have sounded really tiring a week ago, but it's exciting today."

He pulls off the highway into smaller streets. "That's the spirit! I know this'll sound odd, but I had a really good feeling you'd like this. I didn't know about the girl part, but... Look, sorry... How do you even start to ask about that?"

Hey, wanna be a magical horse? That would have gotten a strange look at the least... "There has to be a nicer way than how we ended up doing it."

"That's an extremely kindness kind of answer." He doesn't sound upset by it, more amused really. "You made it this far, it's lunch time." He pulled into a new parking lot. "Mexican, Chinese, or Korean? Pick your ethnic treat!"

"Or." You direct a finger at another option. "I'm feeling Cuban."

"Cuban it is." He dismounts the car and offers a hand, having hurried around to your side.

On one hand, nice of him, on the other. "You didn't do this before."

"I'm not going to pretend that you being my girlfriend doesn't change the playing field." He shrugged with a little laugh. "And you wouldn't have taken it before. Now?"

Now... Well, whatever. You took the hand and got to your feet, not that you needed his help, feeling as young as you were. "Let's eat."

"Words to live by."

Inside, you both got to fill that aching void that was your respective belly. On a whim, you change the focus of your vision. Life sight shows the people around you in vibrant living patterns. Your own is busy doing its thing. Your would-be child hasn't left its comfy home in that tube you didn't have not long before.

"Hi!" No sooner did you look into his world did he see you seeing him, which was kinda odd really. "I was wondering how long it'd take. Looking nice! Humans really love their clothes. I don't have any. Do they even make clothes for dragons?" He looks back over himself. "Not that I've seen, but I haven't been everywhere, so maybe there's some dragon clothing store out there for all I know." Sundown looks really happy to see you, to say the least, almost vibrating in place.

"Hey, Sundown." You wriggle a few fingers at him. "Want some?" You spear some of the pork on your plate and extend the fork towards the dragon.

"Ooo! You're so nice." Sundown snapped at the fork, cleaning it instantly. "Mmm, Mmm! Mmm... Different. Thanks."

"Your friend's still there?" Right, Nick could hear you chatting with something. "Tell him I say hi."

"Hi!" eagerly chirped Sundown, not really needing you to repeat that.

"He says hi," you repeat with a little laugh. But your smile fades as someone comes towards your table with a scowl and a blood red cap on his head, sneering at you and the dragon. "Hello?"

The draw a dagger, but nobody seems to care. That's not fair, Sundown cares. He cares enough to hide behind you with a whimper. "Afternoon," he greets with a rough voice that sounds like he gargles with gravel each morning to wake up. "You got interesting tastes in pets."

He could see Sundown? "I love reptiles." Alright, you didn't actually own any of those, but did he need to know that, whoever they were?"

Nick lifted his hands. "Hey, ease up. You looking for a dollar or something?"

Which meant this guy wasn't a chimera. Nick could see him. Why isn't he freaking out about the knife? "A dollar? I'm not that cheap." He tosses the knife from one hand to the other. It glints in the light, promising pain. "This isn't your business."

"This is exactly my business." He stands up roughly, sending his chair skidding back behind him. "Back away from my girl."

Eyes are turning, ignoring the knife, but paying attention to the conflict. You let your spirit vision drop and with it, the 'truth?' is revealed. The man is a vagrant, dirty and still scowling. He's holding an old-timey pen, not a dagger. "Not the place." The strange man tucks his pen away. "Not the place..." He turns and ambles out, chuckling to himself on the way.

One weighter hurries over. "I'm so sorry about that. Would you like a dessert, on us?"

Nick slowly sinks back down, drawing his chair back into place on the way. "Not your fault, but whatever she wants will be good."

Free dessert? Who says no to that?! You pick something tasty looking. Once they're gone, you slide yourself and your chair closer to Nick. "I think I just met my first... what do you even call them again? The things with chimeras?"

"You?" jokes Nick. "You mean changelings. Seriously?" He squinted at where the man once was. "I had no idea... Didn't like the vibe he was putting out though. Man, way to ruin an appetite." He worried his hands together, arms flexing with agitation and nowhere to put it. "Did your little friend say anything?"

Ah, right! You flick back to seeing Sundown, who is standing on the table in front of you, nose in your face. "Oh, thank goodness! That was scary..."

To your credit, you avoid yelping or jumping at the sudden dragon in your face. "Do you know anything about that guy?"

"Never met him." Sundown strokes at his chin. "Never met any of them, if we're honest. I'm yours, remember. He really seemed... mad. I wonder what he was mad about? We didn't do anything to him!"

There was little argument for that, but also he was gone. "Let's try to enjoy something sweet and get on with the day." The question was, what would you do? "Hey. You brought up that show. How related is that? Is it... spot on, or just a lucky coincedence?"

Nick rolled his shoulders. "It's alright. Some of it's close, some of it's not. They don't have elements like we do, but they do go through a lot of basic morality lessons, come in the basic types, and--" He trails off as the dessert arrives. "You know, that looks better than I thought."

He had regained his appetite? Good. You share with him, thinking about what came next.

Author's Note

One option was shunned. SHUNNED! Trouble could only be voted out so many times, however... But where to next?!

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13 - Self Motivation

Age had a funny way of creeping up on a person. You had become somewhat complacent. Everything was figured out. You had routines and stuck to them and were happy. All you wanted, and all you needed. Then all this comes right along and throws it out of kilter, but instead of feeling mad or howling at the world in general, you...

It's like your brain got younger with the rest of you. It doesn't help that, looking in the mirror, you're just as old, if gender flipped. Is it wrong that the lady looking back at you is nice looking, for an older woman? Well, shoot, they say you should love yourself, and that is you, so, sure! Looking good!

But it was time to be nice, and you have an idea. Was it a good idea? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but it was at least an idea! There was this guy, and he's right where he usually is. Baking in the Florida sun. Homeless, but making it work as well as a homeless man does. He's almost a fixture of your block.

And today you'd say more than just 'hey' as you scooted past. You'd walk up to him. He notices this fairly quickly. "Got a dollar?"

You do have a dollar, but that isn't the goal. "Hey, you've been around a while. What's your name?"

This takes him by surprise. "What? Why do you want to know?"

"People deserve to have names. You're a person."

He looks a bit taken aback. "Uh, sure... Steve." He climbs to his feet instead of looking up at you from where he had been sitting. "You?"

You don't give your old name. It hardly fits your current form. "Nice to meet you." You offer a hand towards him.

He takes the hand, but he's also tense. "This is nice and whatever, but what did you want?"

"Just to meet the people who live around here." You wave your reclaimed hand around. "That wrong?"

"Most wouldn't say I 'live' here. Don't got a house. No address anywhere close to here, or anywhere." He shrugs with a grunt. "So if you're looking to make good with the neighbors, you're barking up the wrong tree."

How to approach without coming off as a creep? "Not looking for that, but I was gonna get something to eat. Wanna come with?" You hike a thumb towards where a McDonald's waited a block away. "Gonna be another hot one."

"It's already fucking sweltering," he laughs, brushing his sweat with an arm. "What's the catch?"

An idea comes to you. "Wellness training, online thing. They have like a thing to do each day, and today is 'be nice to someone you never talked to before.'"

Being nice for an outside reason, less suspicious. "That's stupid as hell." But he wasn't leaving. "You gonna get on me for eating whatever?"

You wave him onwards. "I'm the one taking you to McDonald's. I have no room to then complain that you get what they have."

A short and quiet walk later, you push into the building with a refreshing blast of cooler air. "Get what you want." You gesture for the menu. You're already headed for one of those kiosks to plug in your order without bothering the waiter up front.

"Shit, right." Oh, he followed you. "I don't have no damn card to use these things with." But you do, so you step aside with your order complete. He moves in and begins swiping around, picking out a lunch. "So, feel better?"

You? "I haven't eaten yet."

He pressed the finalize button and got things going. "I meant helping me. It's to feel good about yourself, right?"

Well, crud, that is what you said... "I just wanted to be good to someone. No ulterior motives. If it helps you get through the day, then I did it right."

He punches your shoulder lightly. "You're a crazy bitch." It takes some amount of talent to say that while sounding friendly about it. "So you just want... this? Ladies your age usually got better to do."

"I'll wait for the order." You point to an open seat. "Why not relax?"

"Yeah sure." He wanders off to do some not-standing.

While you wait for the food to arrive, one of the workers plonks down two cups. "Here you go." Right, you had ordered drinks, and they had a soda fountain. You thank the man and take the cups. As you return to your new friend of the day, you see another worker is also at the table, one hand on it.

"Look, we told you not to come in here," angrily ordered the man, sounding tired about it. "What is it with you people?"

You hurry in, putting the cups down between the two. "Thanks for saving a spot." Without even looking at the worker, you casually sit across from the attacked homeless person. "They're still working on it, but go ahead and grab a drink."

He snatches one of the cups. "Yeah, thanks." He gives the worker a nasty glare, but sets off to do that.

The worker sighs wearily. "Is he bothering you? I can call the cops... if they feel like showing up."

You hold up a hand. "He's with me. We've paid for the food. Is there a problem?" Sheesh, what a jerk. Well, to be honest, you wouldn't have stopped him from chasing off a random vagrant a week ago. Ugh, you were becoming soft... "Hard day?"

"You do not know. Ever work retail?" He's looking at you with an obvious challenge.

You describe one retail gig you held, and he seems to soften a little. "Then you know. Managements all over me about keeping 'the image' right, which means chasing after guys that might stab me. I don't get paid nearly enough for this, but what's the alternative?"

Retail, it sucks. "I hear you. Seriously, he's with me, my problem."

"I'll hold you to that." He seems a little more relaxed as he wanders away.

And you feel good? Wait, was that enough to be a little bright spot in that retail worker's day? Sure, you just promised to take care of any mess your homeless friend made... Some people just need a scrap of decency, you guess. They call your name from the counter, but before you could consider getting it, your new friend's getting it. He was already close, at the soda fountain.

He returns with a tray that has both of your selections on it. "Here you go." He puts it down and slides in across from you. "You get that guy to back off?"

"He's just having a rough day. He won't bother us again. At least today." You couldn't promise that would continue onwards. "Retail's hard work."

"Wish I could complain about that." He took a big chomp of his fish sandwich. "Fuck."

Well, shoot, it was your turn again. "So... if you don't mind my asking." You nibble on a few fries, one at a time. "How did you end up, here, like this?"

"That's a long story." He takes another big bite and washes it down with whatever soda he had picked. "And you probably heard it before."

"I'm listening."

Maybe it was the way you said it, but he slumps a little. "Fine... Look..." And he begins to tell the tale of his life. He dropped out of high school to help get money for his house, and had no support of any kind when that hit a bump in the road of life. Next thing he knew, he was on the street. His parents were quite dead, and he had no siblings or other family worth talking about. "And there you have it, another damn bum on the streets. Not what I planned, but who gives a shit about that?"

"I do." Not that you have the answers to it all. You had lunch for the day. That felt so incredibly inadequate...

"Stop looking at me like that." He takes some of his own fries, gobbling a handful of them without delay. "I've seen that look. Not aimin' for pity."

"It's not pity, it's annoyance, at myself."

"What are you annoyed about?" His eyes drop to your food. "They get it wrong?"

"No, no." You start on your burger. "Just seeing the world's mistakes and wishing I could fix it, but no idea how to do that."

He swats at you. "Well, whatever. At least you're thinking about it. More than most people manage." He grins, a few missing teeth displayed along the way. Dental care was not a given for that sort of life. "So, my turn. If you had a billion dollars, no strings attached, what would you do with it?"

What a question! "Uh, hm... I could drastically improve 100k people's lives without thinking about it. That would be the easiest."

"Stop being so nice." He glares at you. "Now, me, I'd set myself up first. Get a house nailed down, then I can do stuff from the house."

Well... "Already have one of those. I have enough to survive on, not too much more, but enough." You turn your hands palmside up. "So may as well make some bright young things have a happier life."

"Why 100k? What's a k anyway?" He sucked down some sugary goodness.

"Thousand. A hundred thousand people get one hundred thousand each. That'd change how things are going, but a lot I imagine."

Things grow quiet with just the noise of the Mcdonald's around you and the eating to keep company. "That's a big number..."

"You started it," you jest, waggling a fry at him. "You could be one of the first, so now it's your turn. Here's a hundred thousand. What do you do with it?"

"Shit..." He finishes his fish burger and casually wipes his hands on his sides. "Shit, that's a lot of money. That enough to buy a house?"

"If you look in the right place." Lucky for him, neither were that close to any city centers. The prices were lower. "The farther you are from a city, the cheaper it gets, as a rule."

The conversation wove and twisted with thoughts of what to do with that hundred thousand. "I should go." He pushed off the table back to his feet. "Look, you're still nuts, but thanks." He offers his hand, and you take it. Rough, callused, and showing the signs of his rough life. "Take it easy, alright?"

And so he departs, leaving you alone. On one hand, you feel good for making a few lives a little better, on the other, you didn't change either in any permanent way. A little kindness. It would have to do? Not awful for a first day! You dig out your phone and get to dialing on the way out.

The worker catches your eye and shares a nod. He's glad there's no huge mess being left behind, or so you can guess. "Nick?"

"Hey! How'd it go? It's not so easy being a pillar of the community, is it? You're alright... right?"

You're already headed on the way home, phone held up as you chatted. "I'm fine. Just helped one lost person that society conveniently forgot, and shared a moment of empathy with a slave for our convenience."

"Damn, sounds like you got right into it." Something was being pushed around. "I gotta get back to work, but that sounds awesome! You get that nice buzz?"

"Pretty sure." It was hard to put a hard number or anything on. "Does that mean it worked?"

"Sounds like it. I'll show you what to do with it later. For now, enjoy!" He hung up without further preamble.

But he was still working, not retired like you. But could, and should, you remain retired? You were given a new lease on life, and the energy to go with it. Perhaps it was time to get back on your feet.

Author's Note

I gave a lot of options, and there was a lot of scattered thoughts in reply. Nopony wanted to check out the knife guy, forget him! The winner is clearly 'let's do something kind!' with only some debate in how big to aim for.

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15 - With a New Herd

"Some people call me Steve." His tail gives an energetic flicking behind him. "Some call me Bob. What do they call you?"

You give your name, seeing little reason not to. Hard to work for someone without them knowing your name, right?

"That's a good one. Some people get all nervous, giving fae their name. Good thing for you there aren't any of those around, not the old ones." He reaches up, playing with an ear, still looking around at everything in the area. "You were saying?"

You hadn't been saying anything, but he had asked... You give the extremely condensed version of things, skipping over the specifics in large, except the guy you're hoping to help.

"A pony! Show it." He looks so excited, practically bouncing in place. "Please. I already showed you my tail, it's fair, totally fair." He turned in a twist, basically just showing his butt at you, tail wagging like an excited dog, which horses were not really made for, but he was making it work.

Now, you had been told not to show off your pony'ness, but that was in general. He was already on the strange side of things, also you'd already told him. What would the harm be? Besides, you hadn't had a chance to be on all hooves in a while, and that sounded fun. With a clop of hooves on wood, you fell forward with a little equine snort. Thanks to your efforts, your clothing still fit you, making you a prettily dressed pony.

"Look at you!" He didn't know what personal space was. He grabbed your round equine cheeks and rubbed vigorously. "Adorable! Oooo." He worked a hand up to your horn, tracing its curving spiral. "A magic pony, the best kind. Is that why you can see things?"

The worst part? It's actually kind of nice to be touched there. You were not that close to Steve, or Bob? You back up a step. "Pretty sure that's involved. I'm a unicorn, as you can see. What are you?"

"There are tales, legends!" He throws his hands wide. "From the bonny lands of Ireland, of mischievous sprites that are quite good at shapeshifting. Most often seen as horses, they loved to gallop through the countryside. But they love to talk too. You could be talking to one, right now, and you wouldn't even know! Well, unless they forgot to turn back into a person. You'd probably notice if you were chatting with a horse." He laughs at the mental image of his own making. "Bringers of fortune, good or bad, of visions, and of time lost, you may not even believe they were real at all. Pooka are a strange thing."

"So you're a Pooka?" you ask bluntly.

"What? Me?! I doubt it." He waves that right off despite having just described himself pretty well. He even was a horse. Was he joking around? "You must be one." He pats you right on the head, your horn going through two of his fingers. "Horse, check. Shapeshifter, check! Are you mischeveous? I bet you are!"

You incline your head faintly, carrying his hand along with the motion. "I was pretty... standard before. Then this happened. So, about that job? I've got a whole new ticket on youth, and I don't want to waste it."

"They say youth is wasted on the young." He pulls his hand back, but just to tap your large snoot. "They were wrong! Young with the wisdom of the old? Now that's a trick! I'm jealous... You look quite healthy and young as a pony. A pity you can't go clip-clopping down the sidewalk like that."

Brightly colored unicorn? People would ask questions, at the least... "That job?" Steve needed prodding to keep on track it seemed, but he didn't seem like an awful person.

"Right right!" He twirled away so fast, his tail slapped you across the fuzzy snoot. Rude. "We could use warm bodies. With their eyes open? Even better! That bleed happy vibes? We're getting better!" He clapped his hands. "You being around, doing what you like to do, is a good thing for some people. You're like a, what, an engine, being all warm and purring. Put you in a cold room and watch it warm up. And you don't even make smoke!" He turns back towards you, all grins. "So we're going to help you be happy. You'll help us be happy. Everyone wins."

You try to parse all that out. "When I... get harmony, that helps you somehow?"

"Not me. No... Not specifically." He shrugs helplessly at that. "But I know this place? A candy store. You like candy?"

"Candy's alright?" You peer at him skeptically. "You want me to work in a candy store?"

"I don't, no. Not my kind of thing... But I know people! Sound fun? Front desk, smile, help people feel good." He leaned in, hands clasped together. "So much fun!"

Fun, sure... "How does that help though, besides sharing tooth decay?"

"The people who go there?" He waves off vaguely. "They don't need candy." He had just said it was a candy store! "They need help, and you'll help them get it. As little as an open door, as large as an open ear. For some, a lifesaver, for others, a convenience. Either way, you'll be helping."

That was all kind of... nonspecific. You were starting to get the idea that was what you could expect from Bob. "I'm going to assume you wouldn't be giving the new employee rundown?"

"Me?! Wow, no." A straight answer. "They'd never trust me. But do you wanna?! You have to be good at keeping secrets." He put out a finger, tapping them with the other hand. "Remembering where things are." Another finger joined. "And not making a mess." A third and fourth joined. "And cleaning other people's messes." He spread his entire hand. "Oh, and there'll be people who really think big of themselves, and you shouldn't try to correct them. Let them live the dream!"

"Right..." You quirk an ear at him. "And they're alright with me?"

"Oh, no... no no, not even a little." He held up two fingers close together. "They'll love you! Maybe too much. Don't give any of them your name. Thanks for trusting me." He put a hand on his chest. "Such trust! I'll keep it somewhere cozy. But them, maybe not so safe a place... Trust us! But only so much."

He leans in suddenly. "Say, horse to horse... You looking for a strapping stallion?"

That was sudden! "I have one."

"You do?! I always wanted to see one of those." He has a look of a fond dream. Wasn't he the stallion? "Hook me up?"

"Aren't... you a stallion?" you ask, hoping to put that to rest.

"Me?! You flatterer." He waves you right off. "Pooka, remember? Oh, right. Also horse." He gives his tail a wag, and yours swishes sympathetically. "A male horse though. You didn't even ask! Gender identities are so complicated these days... Can I meet the stallion?"

"I'll check." Promising for him felt off. "They don't see like I see."

"Aw, poo. Oh well, who's perfect?" He shrugged softly. "Now, since you said yes, expect an invitation. It'll probably be on a fancy letter, scented, with one of those wax seals. You know the kind? Expect it!"

You grab his tail on a lark, seizing it with your magic. He squeals like a stuck pig, swatting at your hand, but there was no hand, just formless magic, making that a futile task. "That's not polite. They say one way to get a favor from a pooka is to catch it by the tail." He crosses his arms. "Are you aiming for a favor? Well, too bad! I already gave you one. One a day is already doing pretty well. Don't be greedy." With that, he went for the door, or tried. You're still holding his tail, so he doesn't get far.

You had forgotten a moment you were holding it. You let him go with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"Maybe, one day, I'll be able to forgive." With a hand to his chest and a faked sniff, he slips out the door, clicking it shut behind himself.

The fancy letter arrived in just a day.

You break the wax seal, allowing you to open the envelope and see what's inside.

Hail and Well Met,

It has come to our attention through a mutual acquaintance that you are interested in joining the workforce of the Kountry Candy Store. This is an exclusive opportunity. We simply deny most who apply, but you come with high recommendations. The management is not familiar with you personally, which means the only positions available to you are in the front room.

Perhaps with dedication and having proven yourself, that can change. If you accept, use the key enclosed to enter the store at precisely 8:32 pm. Not a minute sooner or later. Your ability to follow directions is part of the process.

Or throw it away,
Baron Klathon Potoulie

Hm. You have a choice to make.

Author's Note

Finally, time for a new poll. Hey, you met a new face, and they seem friendly. And they have a horse tail too. Can't be all bad then. Horse sense.

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16 - Stich in Time

"Nickey." It had been a while since you used that variation of his name. "You're out of work, right?"

"All done with that," comes his reply on the phone. "How about you? You get that job? You sure this is a good idea?"

Oh, sure, now he's being insistent. "Not that one, but maybe another. I was hoping to throw it past you. Got time for a visit?"

"For you? Sure. Give me a few seconds." The line went cold, but you felt sure he'd be over as soon as he could. You can wait that long. A fine time to make a snack, and set something aside for him to grab when he gets there.

"Was that your friend?" Oh, you forgot you still had your 'see your dragon' senses. "It sounded like your friend."

You turn towards your dragon friend. "It was. He's coming over. Say, is there a way to let him see you? It'd be really nice if we could both do that at the same time."

Bright considered that with a lot of hums and haws. "Well... Pretty sure a changeling could do it, but there's a price." He winks with a lot more emphasis than needed. "There's usually a price. I bet you'd do it for free if you could, but I don't think you can. But I also don't know. Your magic is special! Not like changeling magic, no no." He waves a finger at you with a silly grin. "I love it. And you."

Aw. Wait. "Like friends, right?"

He looks so clueless a moment. "What other way? I can't love you like a mother." He leans in real close. "I'm not even a girl! But you are. That's new." He looks you over as if just noticing your female status for the very first time. "Like it? I always thought we'd be guy friends! You know, because you were a guy, and I'm a guy dragon and all."

His antics are almost a relief. Your world may have gone upside down, but this thing is entirely positive fluffy vibes. "Don't change, Bright. Um, it's alright so far." You pat yourself down as if to be sure. "Has its ups and downs."

"And its ins and outs," agreed Bright Spark, nodding along thoughtfully. "I thought you were done working."

"But then things happened." Following the sound of a polite knock, you head for the door. "Who is it?"

"Nick." Enough reason to open the door. "Hey!" He slips inside and shuts the door behind him. "Look at you, business casual."

That he thinks you are cute in your getup brings a blush to you. Being a cute lady is still kinda new. "Here." You flip out the letter for him to see. "This is the job offer. I think it's another changeling. Pretty sure. I got first interviewed by one, and recommended by another. The first interviewer was kinda cute."

"Cute as in 'aw' or cute as in 'That's kinda hot?'" He takes the letter and flips it open fully to read it. "Wow... This reads like an old school fable. Look, I don't have a lot of experience with the changelings, but they aren't out to kill all ponies, so that's a plus."

Bright gasps with alarm. "Why would anyone want to do that?!" Of course, Nick doesn't react at all. You let Bright go, fading from sight.

"Cute as in aw. Think a really energetic half-horse that wants to be friends." You don't have a picture to provide. Can you even take pictures of changelings? Certainly not a chimera, being the only thing that can see them. "Harmless, young, like in their 20s? Just a kid."

He relaxes a little. "Oh, that is a kid." Was he jealous? "So, about this." He wags the letter. "This is pretty obviously an invitation to jump into a rabbit hole. With the changeling, that could be literal, though it sounds like it's more of a candy house, which is also... on brand." He folds the paper and tosses it onto the coffee table. "You are jumping into this with all four hooves. Speaking of that, do they know about that?" You must react in a way he can read. "They do, but they still want you there, which means... they don't care, or they really like it."

"I can actually help people." You work your hands together a bit nervously. "Being idle feels... wrong now. I have too much energy to just enjoy a day existing."

"You were retired." He raises a finger at you. "Sorry to sidetrack, but can you just unretire like that?"

"Actually, yes." You look a little smug, but you did check! "Once you're at retiring age, earning a few dollars doesn't change a lot. Not that I'm in it for the money."

"You are making me feel bad." He chuckles as he sinks onto your coach. "You're taking your element and making it your thing. I'm still kinda idling on mine... Hey." He points to the letter. "How about I go with you? I can keep an eye on you."

That sounds nice! "But... I can see them, and you can't."

"I can see them just fine. I just can't... see their extra..." He shrugs at that. "Enough to keep an eye on you, right?"

You tap at the letter on the table. "You sure you want to? They may not hate ponies or anything, but you aren't invited."

"I'll be polite." He held up a hand as if in a scout oath. "Just for the first time, make sure everything is on the up and up."

You fall to hooves with a clop. "My loyal stallion."

He joins you with a tail swish. "My kind mare." You meet with a gentle nose touch and he steps back. "Seriously, want me there? I won't force you."

You put a hoof to your chin. "It's a bit strange to bring a friend to a job interview."

"We're not...just friends." He glances off. "Did you... make a call?"

Oh, right... that... "I..." You sigh heavily, tail lashing once. "In for a penny." And that's when you get a stallion hugging you firmly. "Well... Easy to know which you were hoping for."

He backed up and flopped to his haunches with a silly smile. "It was your choice, but yeah, I know which I wanted..." He worried his hooves together. "They don't talk about it a lot, but guys have a biological clock too." He stands up with a little snort. "I wanted one, a long time ago, but then thought I just wasn't getting one, chance way past... But then..."

"But then you found a young new mare and wooed her to a night of fun." You can't help your flat expression. "And it's working out."

"That sounds really bad..." He sags at the description. "We were friends before, and woulda been friends either way, which includes if you didn't want to do it. Um... So, we're a couple, with a kid on the way... It's not that strange for a significant other to show up right?"

You answer with a touch of noses. "That's a stupid excuse... but should work." You rise up to human feet. "But if they ask you to go, well, that is the right of a job. No making a big deal about it."

"Promise."

So it was that he hops in your car, back on his own feet, and lets you drive to where the job was supposed to be. He's surprised when you pulled up and didn't get out. "Getting nervous?"

"No." You glance at the clock on the dashboard. "It isn't time yet."

"So... we can be early and make a good impression?" He shrugs a bit. "No harm there?"

"The note was really specific." You hadn't brought it. "Specific time, be there. No early."

"Rabbit hole." But he is smiling. "What kinda job did you find?"

Speaking of that, you push your senses the right way.

"Yay!" Bright was there, already hugging you, as if waiting patiently for you for you to notice the hug. "We were talking, rude." He sticks out his tongue. You discover that dragons have very long tongues, forked end flickering a moment before snapping back in. "Give me warning." He doesn't look that angry really. "Is that where you're going to work?" He points at the candy shop.

"That's the place. In five minutes." Why so specific? You had no idea. Still, make a good impression, right? "One minute to, I'll head to the door, but won't knock until the time."

Nick bursts into laughter. "This is crazy... Are you talking to your friend?"

"Hi!" Bright waves excitedly at Nick, despite not being seen.

"He says hi," you helpfully provide. "Pretty sure, if he could, Bright Spark would love to chat with you."

"I really would!" excitedly agrees Bright Spark, tail wagging against the back seat. "If you learn how to do that, let me know, alright?"

"Wouldn't mind that. Not every day I get to talk to a friendly dragon." He tries to look at Bright Spark, but is gazing into nothing. "Hey, Bright. We're going to try to get a new job today."

"Ooo." Bright didn't seem to mind not being faced properly. Perhaps being an imaginary creature got one used to that sort of thing. "Good luck!" Not that he doesn't get out of the car with you, following obediently without any command or even suggestion to do so. "This is going to be so fun!"

Ah well. He was part of their world, right? They shouldn't be that upset to see him there.

"To the minute." Nick gestures at the door. "Your job awaits."

You dare to knock, rapping on the glass with your knuckles.

"Who is it?" comes a voice, coming closer quickly. "Oh." There's someone who looks like they work there. They have a big nose, and big bushy brows. "I was told to expect one, not three." He held up one finger which turned to three in an unfolding. "Something happen?"

Bright waves excitedly, his default position. "Hi! I'm hers." He hikes a thumb at you. "And they're super special bestest friends." He waves between you and Nick.

Secret keeper, Bright Spark is not... "This is my boyfriend and he just wanted to help me get here and ready for the job. He isn't in the way, I hope?"

His eyes dart between you and Bright Spark, clearly seeing both. "Huh. Gonna have to check on that, but don't wait out there." He steps out of the way and waves inside. "Come in, come in! We're not open yet, so no buying any candy yet."

Nick raises a hand. "Thanks. Sorry, not trying to be in the way, promise. Name's Nick."

You give your name, since it's come up.

"Most just call me Harold." He thrusts a hand towards you. "And you're the one I was told to expect?"

You accept the hand. He has a firm dry grip. Hard to put a finger on it, but it seems like the grip of a generally alright guy? As far as a grip can be judged. "Yep, the job." You wave with your free hand around. "In the front, they said."

"The front?" He looks between you and Nick. "What do you think?" That last part isn't aimed at you. He's looking at Bright.

Bright blinks in his owlish way. "The front looks kinda sweet." He begins eyeing the bonanza of candies. "Oh, and she can see me. And he can see me." There, he had established for both that he was visible, in case that wasn't clear. "But he can't." He points at Nick, ratting him out.

"I see... Well! You did a good job." He looks to Nick. "Got her here nice and safe. Such a good boyfriend you are."

"Did she get the job?" he asks, so confused clearly.

"She did!" He isn't holding your hand, instead waving Nick off with both of his. "We'll send her home safely after her shift."

Author's Note

Time for a job, but do we leave Nick behind? Is this on the up and up? Hm.

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17 - The Rabbit Hole

Part of you is ready to step forward on your own. Another, almost equal size, wants Nick to not be kicked out just yet. But how to keep him? Making a big fuss would probably get you fired before you even started, so not that...

"Nick and I share a taste in horses."

Both Nick and Harold gaze at you with some confusion. Bright isn't nearly as shocked. "They're both ponies!" He really isn't good at secrets.

Harold gave a soft noise of consideration. "Close that door." He pointed to the one we had come in through.

Nick swats it, but it's already closed. "Yeah?"

"All the way." Harold makes a twisting motion.

Nick gets the idea and clicks the deadbolt into position. "Making me a little nervous."

"You shouldn't be." Harold's got a kind sort of smile. "Sorry for raising such a fuss. You're obviously very important to her, and she is a bit nervous. Who wouldn't be, first day and all?"

Nick relaxes a little. "I'll stay out of the way."

"You'll have a candy." He offers one, a bright yellow thing in a wrapper. "On the house, for making such a fuss."

He doesn't see a reason to decline the little candy, reaching to take it. "Thanks, I'll--" He doesn't finish that. As soon as he's taken hold of the candy, he starts. "Woah..." He drops the candy, but Harold catches it. "Is that?"

"Hi!" Bright gets right up in his face. "I've waited so long to talk to you. How ya doing?"

Nick puts a foot back, but doesn't try to run. The dragon in front of him is both adorable and a little terrifying. They are a reptile with all the marks of it, but chipper and clearly happy to see him. "What just happened?"

Harold gently brushes Bright aside. "Just a little gift. Now, the plan hadn't been to bring her into the back so quickly... but situations change. I don't mean to be rude, but I do have to insist."

Had you made the wrong decision? "I'm here to help. Where do I start?"

"I love that attitude." He taps you on the arm. "Love it. But we need to get to know you first. This way." He heads towards the backdoor, what would lead into a stock room, you're guessing.

You take Nick's hand. He's busy looking a little lost. "Uh, is... your friend coming?" He's looking at Bright.

Bright waves. "I'm always here." He points at you. "I am her dragon and all."

"'Course, makes total sense..." He walks with you, that riddle put in place.

"Now, first lesson." He taps at the door. "This door only opens for long enough for someone to walk through it. No dallying! Very firm rule." He opens the door and slips through, it closing behind him.

In for a penny... You open the door and pull Nick along. You're standing in a fancy hallway, like the sort you'd expect from a castle more than the back of a candy shop. Still, instructions! You reach back to cl--Oh, Bright's slipping in as quick as he can. You shut the door as soon as he's clear, and the door from that side is far fancier, gilded, and everything.

"This is nuts," whispers Nick. "Glad I came with you." Aw, he still wants to defend you even against the step onto another planet.

"I don't think it's nuts." You gently pat Bright as you press further inside. "I think it's not what we're used to."

"Pardon me." A lady emerges from a side room, looking at you all. "Are you supposed to be here?" She was no ordinary lady, with elven like pointed ears and an air of magic about her. Which is odd, since you wouldn't have been able to say what an 'air of magic' was until you saw her.

You point in the direction you think Harold went. "I'm on my first day. Sorry for bothering."

She looks you over with an intensity, then gives Nick a turn. "I see." She points at you, then curls the finger downwards. "Down."

What? "What?" Nick says out loud, echoing your thoughts.

"A couple of horses wander in as if they own the place, lying while they do it?" She folds her arms, an air of annoyance growing. "I will not stand for it. Are you a mated pair? Obscene. Down."

Um. Mated's not the word you would have reached for... but she wasn't entirely wrong? You nudge aganist Nick and drop to all fours, becoming a unicorn dressed for work.

Nick sighs softly. "This is the strangest first day of work I ever saw." But he clops down next to you, a casually dressed earth pony. "Better?"

She points past Nick and you. "Leaving ceased to be an option."

You glance back there and see a stark absence of the door you had come in through. "They hired me to help with the shop," you quickly blurt out. "We're not here to cause any trouble."

Her hands go to her hips. "Silly thing. If I thought you intended that, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She closes with you, fingers curled. "Do you bite?"

You flush at that question. "I'm a person, so no, I don't bite."

Having determined that it was safe, she casually places a hand on your head and pets you in soft long strokes of her fingers, palm stationary. "Is the dragon one of yours?"

Bright had been entirely silent, watching the interaction. "I'm hers." Still bad at secrets, he points at you without a bone of subtlety in his body.

"Ma'am!" Harold comes rushing from further in, looking quite abashed. "I'm sorry for the disturbance. She's--"

"Introduced herself." She taps you on the forehead, an easy task with how close her fingers already were. "But I didn't catch her name."

So far, every changeling you met has been a little dodgy about their name. Maybe it was just how they did things? "Some call me Sally." Nick give you a look, knowing that's not your name. Still, you said it.

"Sally, that's a nice name." She takes hold of your horn. "Now, Harold wouldn't invite you back here without a reason. A good one." Her grip tightens. Turns out, that actually hurts a little. "This isn't the place for store employees to be wandering."

Harold looks like he wants to get involved, but doesn't, working his fingers on each other nervously.

Nick, on the other hoof, isn't having it. "Let her go," he demands, stomping towards her.

She shoves you back by the horn, making you step awkwardly. Horses are better at forwards then backwards. "Harold, which of these caught your eyes so intently you'd do such a thing? Be honest."

"As if I'd be anything else, um, ma'am." He dipped his top towards her in a proper bow. "She is aware without any help, and walks with a chimera she is aware of."

"Hi," added Bright, doing his best to be involved. "She's also really nice. So is he. They're best buddies!"

"I see." She considered the dragon. "You seem to be a source of unvarnished truths."

"I don't know what that is," he admitted. "But if I can help!"

"I think you can." She raised a finger under his chin, scratching gently to his clear purring delight. "She is a pony. Are you aware of what that is?"

"A pony is that." He points at you and Nick. "They have hooves, sometimes, and tails, sometimes."

"More than that... You describe them like one of the wolves... Prodigals, hm, but not that." She's tapping one arm with the other hand, considering you and Nick.

"Ma'am." The elf looks to Harold sternly. "Sorry. Tim's the one that scouted her. Said she was glowing and walking right into a pit."

"Oh dear..." She's shaking her head at you like someone pitying a lost child. "And that one?" She extends a finger at Nick.

"We're a 'mated pair,'" he scoffs out, snorting in an equine way with a lash of his tail with clear agitation.

"And a pony, clearly." Harold looked over Nick curiously. "Not a unicorn."

"I can see that," spits the woman with a bit of acid. "It's not exactly subtle." She sneers down at you. "Look at you, shaking. Are you sure you want to be here?"

"Ma'am?" But she's ignoring him, at least for the moment.

That question was aimed at you. You're behind Nick, but her keen glare is impossible to not feel. That question's for you. "If we're being completely honest?" She nods, just barely. "This seems like another part of myself I can't ignore." You smile at Bright. "I had a friend waiting my entire life for me to notice them with infinite patience."

"It was worth the wait," assures Bright, clapping like an eager child.

"And," you press right on. "It came with another big upheavel in things. Right now, I just want to help a person, maybe two. They need the help, and deserve it, but I don't know how to get them what they need."

With your vision in the dream world, you can see it, a glimmering from the corner of your eye. When you peek at it, you see your rump glowing, also revealing a sigil that hadn't been visible before of a stencil outline of a heart with two hands trying to meet in the center. The more you focused on it, the dimmer it got, blinking out of sight.

"Hm." She stands tall and straight. "Glowing. Delicious morsel, you know horses are one of many things people have devoured over the years."

Nick growls at her, hoofing at the ground just in front of him. "You are really testing my patience."

"No, I'm testing hers." She brushes him aside without touching, as if dismissing him.

Right, no pressure. "You know about ponies then?"

"Quite a bit." She folds her hands in front of herself, arms at her side. "More than either of you, judging. A sad state if we're being honest."

"I know a lot about ponies," grumps Nick, but he's still being ingnored.

Bright is busy singing a quiet song about twitchy tails and flappy ears, enjoying what little he knows of ponies.

"Then what was that?" You direct a hoof at where the symbol had been.

"Oh... Asking favors before you even begin working." She flips Nick's nose, his is so much closer. "Cheeky. You have to earn such things." Nick tries to bite her, but her hand is already removed. "And the promise of not biting doesn't extend to your partner, noted..."

You nudge past Nick, pushing him to the side. "Don't be rude, even if she's being that a bit."

"Only a bit?" She looks more amused than angry. "I must be losing my touch. Harold, I want her working in the back."

Harold perks at that. "Ma'am? She's not--"

"--I know what I said. See that it's done," she flatly ended that thought.

"Yes, ma'am. This way." He waves you and your crew on past the bossy elf. "This changes things. She's the viscountess... Very important." He worked his hands together as he leads you on into a large opulant entry room. "You'll see her pictures everywhere." He wasn't lying, portarits of her and people like her adorned many of the walls. "If she says you work in the back... then you do. I apologize if you were looking forward to working with the sweets."

You did have some hope for the candy, but it was a small one. "So, what will I be doing instead?"

"An excellent question," grumbled Harold. "This wasn't the plan. Still, let me introduce you to the others you'll be working alongside. If you do your job well and are polite to them, we shouldn't have any problems." He glanced back at Nick. "She didn't order you to leave, and she would if she wanted it, so you can stay."

Author's Note

Changelings have intricate societies. Behold it!

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18 - The Back

You walk along with Harold, eyes darting from one thing to the next. There was so much to see, and you want to see it all! Oh, there was Steve, in all his horsey glory. He's leaning against a wall and whistling to himself. "Hey." You wave at him, shaking a hoof in his direction.

"Pony!" He pushes off the wall and hurries over to, wait. "Ponies! Even better." He drops down to a knee and casually begins petting both ponies he can see. "So cute. But should they be back here?"

"Her orders," sighs out Harold, who seems otherwise unbothered by Steve's antics. "Ah, right, you met her already, right?"

"Sure did, but shoulda guessed that horses love going in herds." He scratches you around an ear and gosh darn it, it's a good scratching. Maybe he learned from having one himself? "What do they call your little boy friend? Or is that boyfriend? Or even a husband?! Which would be a boy friend that's passed all the tests you can think of for the moment."

Nick snorted softly, but didn't seem bothered by Steve's energy. "Hey. I'm Nick. I'm her..." He glances at you. "Boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend," you quickly agree. You had a child coming. Being at least that felt right... "You work here?"

"Work, live, hang out." None of those sounds terribly committed. "Is he joining us too?"

Oh, a thought you had, stolen from you! "Do you want to work here?" But there was that. Nick had a job, so far you knew. Just up and switching was an ask, not an assumption.

Nick looked around slowly, circling in place. "On one hand, I don't want to ditch my job. On the other, I don't want to leave you alone with... this."

Harold waved that off. "We're not an unfriendly bunch, and the viscountess seems to like her. I know she can be a little... prickly, but we're not monsters anymore than you are."

"I'm..." His words died with a hoof clop on the floor, as if remembering that he was literally a small horse. A small magical horse. "Right. Well, as monsters go, pretty sure ponies rate pretty low on the fearsome count."

"You are a little fighter," noted Harold with the tone of telling a child that they were far bigger and tougher than they really were. "Prodigal children, you've forgotten more than you know."

Nick fixes Harold with a raised brow. "Not the first time that word's been used. 'Prodigal?' What's that?"

"Oh, how the prodigal son, or daughter, returns," sings out Steve. "They were once lost, but return to the family home." That didn't rhyme at all, but that also isn't strictly required. "There are tales of other things that have ties in the dreaming, more than even they know. The entire world was once a dream. Some argue it still is one."

Harold pointed at you and Nick. "You are prodigals. Supernatural things that aren't changelings. Things that used to be part of the dreaming, but wandered off to do their own thing." He was way better at a straight answer than Steve. "Some are welcome, others, far less so... No rules against ponies, thankfully."

Well, good... "So... others though?"

"Oh, plenty of rules about them." Harold rose back to full height. "Let's get you into uniform."

There was a uniform? You wave at Steve but walk past him to see what that might be. Harold shows you and Nick to a wardrobe closet, except the closet is an entire room. It was like being back at that clothing store, except nothing was for sale. It was all assumed to-- "I suggest here." He flexes a finger at a section. "Proper for newcomers."

Not that the newcomer clothes were less fancy looking. Look like a fairy tale prince or princess was the word of the day... "Why aren't you wearing something like this?" Harold was dressed... perfectly normally, really. Not poorly, no, but not over the top fancy and decorative either.

Nick tapped at one with a hoof. "This looks--" And he's wearing it, just like that. "Uh..." He rises up onto human legs, and is still wearing it. "How?"

"Just saying 'magic' is probably the fastest answer I have." Harold nods at Nick. "Looks good on you. Now, to answer your question, these are back room clothes. Only people working back here need to wear them. I work the front." He hiked his thumb at what was, in theory, the front? "So normal clothes for me. See something you like?"

That was at you? You bury your snout through the options and come out dressed like a pony princess. You can't even help a little giggle. Adjusting your vision, you can see that the stuff hanging on you is... like cotton candy? It's barely there. Dream stuff? You are wearing a dress of dreams, literally. No wonder shapeshifting didn't throw it off.

You rear up, but just to cycle your hooves a moment. "Ta da? Do you want me working in pony mode or person mode?"

"She was very specific about that," worried Harold with a little frown. "I think she'd rather you stay on all fours if that isn't a problem?"

Nick fell back to hooves, his fancy suit coming with him. "Alright?"

Harold smiled at the pair, eyes more on Nick. "You want to join then?"

"I promised I'd be here today." He flicked his tail. "Willing to see how it goes." That he'd rather just run off wasn't well hidden. It was maybe a bit overwhelming. With a shimmering haze, a mark appeared, a glowing sigil of a car tire on either rump that faded almost as quickly as it came, barely touched on.

He had done a good thing, risen to his calling, a little. A loyal act. Why was that so... visible in dreaming vision?

"This way." He led the two of you into the largest room of them all. "This is the ball room." It looked like one. "When there are events, which there aren't any planned today, we gather here. You'll be expected to offer drinks and to give a good impression. Your manners reflect on the Viscountess." He looked awkward suddenly. "Most will assume you belong to her, and with that, they may think reaching for a pat or stroke is fair game."

"Even if I talk?"

Bright leaned in suddenly from the side. "I talk and you pet me."

You had forgotten he was there. Also, he had a point... "You like being pet."

"I do." He did a little dance in place. "You're better at petting when you have hands." Telling it like it is, Bright was reliable for that. "But you're cute as a pony. Nice dress." He whipped about towards Harold. "Can I get one?"

"You should have gotten one while we were there. Maybe next time?" He wriggled his fingers. "Now, me? I already know better. No touching without permission." He smiled suddenly. "Your boyfriend is right there. We don't want to make him jealous."

Nick snorted softly. "You seem alright. Why is 'miss royal face' there so... whatever she is?"

"Because she's royal," he explained as if that being was its own explanation. "Now, the food is here..." He showed where to get drinks and refreshments, and where the cleaning supplies were and such like that. "You'll be expected to clean and tidy when you're not helping a titled person directly." He let out a little sigh. "We hope it won't come to it... but if you wish to become part of things permanently, you will also be expected to protect the house."

"Protect the house?" you repeat dubiously. "Like making sure not to break anything?"

"To start, but that goes without saying." Harold waved that away. "You've dealt with other things, unpleasant things. They may try to cause trouble. You will be part of the force that keeps them out."

"Oh." Crap. That was not your specialty... "I can help the ones that fight feel better afterwards?" He looks at you funny. Did you phrase that badly? "I can heal."

"Oh! There's my mind in the gutter. You can heal? Now, I don't claim any real knowledge of how ponies work." He looks between the two ponies there, you included. "Does that leave you drained? Does it work on... more banal injuries?"

What was a banal injury?! "It feels good, actually." You look towards Nick. "I cradle them and warm away the hurt."

"That is... adorable..." Harold tapped a foot on the ground. "But you can do it as long as you wish?"

"As far as I know? It's not... instant?" If you had a healing spell, you imagined it would be instant. That's how spells worked, right? "But I could hug someone all day if I had to."

Nick put an arm in front of me. "Cool it. You said it's like warming them up, right?"

"Yeah?" About the best analogy you had for what it felt like.

"So if they kept passing cooling people to you to warm up, you'd eventually get cold, right?" Nick rolled a hoof in the air. "And that would be bad."

Well, shoot... When he put it like that. "Alright, that makes sense. So I can't hug all day. Coffee breaks at least!" Your tail swishes with a mind of its own. "But I wouldn't want someone being hurt if I could help."

"Your worth just skyrocketed... I'm not even sure if I should tell her." He glanced off where you had come from, where the Viscountess had been. "She may never let you leave... Now, look." He crouches to be at pony level. "We changelings? We have a lot of tricks! A lot of them! We call them cantrips." He held up two fingers close. "Little tricks, triflings, but they can be quite the big deal. Healing someone? That's considered a big deal. Not many changelings can do it. And to do so outside the dreaming world, twice as hard, and leaves a changeling drained very quickly. Now..." He pointed at Nick. "If he were shot with a normal gun by a normal person, you would?"

"Hug him until he was better?" you venture, uncertain. Was that even a real question?

"Blast it all." He puts a hand to his head. "That is a power. I wonder if it would work on a serious injury, the deep kind..."

Nick raised a hoof. "Like the kind a vampire's claws leave? She handled that."

You could remember that, the cold, deep and stubborn. "It was harder, but I could do it... That felt like real effort, but I wasn't going to let Nick be hurt."

He rose up and clapped his hands. "On the bright side, I can confidently declare that you are hired."

Yay! "Wait... I came here to help some people, and not just rich people that don't even need my help..."

"What kind of people?" he asks plainly, curious, but also without a clue. "Having friends like those can make things happen."

"I hope..." You spot a rather fancy crest and point at it. "What is that?"

"Oh, that's hers." He turns to it. "The Viscount. House of Autumn Leaves, stubborn as the last ones to let go. That's their motto." He crosses his arms over his front. "They could use a little friendly company, and you seem about right. Now... Nick." He turns to him. "You must be confused, and a little bored. Let's talk about you. Do you understand the basics, where things are, how to get things done?"

"Like a butler... with a tail." He lashes his pony tail on thinking about it. "What does this job pay, anyway?"

"I'll find that out for you." Harold glances towards you. "I have a feeling she'll be the one being paid, but I also imagine she would gladly share with you."

"Bad dynamics." Nick crossed his arms across his front. "We get paid separately."

Wait... "You're joining me then?"

Author's Note

Be a curious little pony was by far the winning impulse. Good, but curious!

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19 - Pony Work Couple

"Of course I am." Nick leans in for a nosing and you return the gesture, turning it into a fond nuzzle. "I do need to know how much I get paid. There are bills to pay. Oh! I'm not a jerk, and you wouldn't want it from me. I have to put in my two weeks."

Harold nods at that. "Entirely fair. No, we wouldn't want any worker of ours to move on without some warning." He spreads his hands at the both of you. "A power couple. Now... The viscountess seemed to know something about this, but I'm not her." He rolls a hand towards Nick. "If you don't mind the asking, what talent do you have? Your ladyfriend's made clear hers."

You had other tricks! But you also feel little need to go into detail on that. "Oh! Oh!"

Harold looks at you. "Forget something?"

"Yes. Someone mentioned this... I can see this..." You wave around. "On my own. Nick needed help. That help comes with a price, doesn't it?"

Harold hummed. "That depends on how... banal one is."

Nick flinched. "You didn't warn me of any prices! What kind of price are we talking?"

Harold raised his hands wardingly. "Don't panic. People who awaken after a bit of enchantment just tend to forget some, most, or even all of what happened, depending on how banal they are. The more rooted they are in the dreary ice cold of the mundane, the less they will remember of this colorful dream."

Nick dances in place. "That is kinda... Messed up. I don't want my life to become a patchwork or feel like I'm becoming a forgetful old man."

You point in what you hope is the right direction. "What if Nick helps in the front room, where I was going to work? He doesn't need to be enchanted for there, right?"

Harold snapped his fingers, turning right into a thumbs up in a triumphant gesture. "Nope! That'd work just fine. Now, don't know how banal ponies actually are. I'm not feeling much, but I'm hardly an expert..." He began to walk in the same direction. "We'll find out tomorrow, when you recover and can tell us how you feel. Now, you have a partner you trust, right?"

Nick thumps sidelong into you. "That's why I'm here."

"Good! So if she has to explain all of this, you should believe her." He gives an emphatic shrug on the way. "You probably wouldn't believe some guy you only met in a dream."

"I imagine not..."

Harold takes you all back out into the candy shop proper. "Now, you." He points to you. "Have little reason to be here, just a place to walk through, into the back." He turns the finger on Nick. "But for you, this will be a place of work. Ever done retail?"

You let them chat about what his work will entail, instead turning on your pet...friend? Pet friend! "What do you think of this all so far?"

Bright grins as wide as only a dragon could. "Love it! I love that you're here, and you're paying attention to me, and this whole place is warm and nice." He waves at the front of the shop. "It gets cooler as you go, and warmer inside. We'll be inside, right? We can play more?" He paws at the air, looking ready to pounce on you with his childish energy. "I've wanted to wrestle with you forever!"

You tap him on the snoot with a finger. You had gone back to two leg mode in the front of the store. People coming to get candy didn't need to see a magic pony, right? "I'm not sure how much of a wrestler I am, and I'll be a maid of sorts back there." Christ, maid? You would not have guessed that was your eventual job. "Are you ready to help with that?"

"Sounds fun!" As if helping a maid was just as equally fun as wrestling. "When do we start?"

"I think when Nick is settled in. He'll be working here." You wave at the candy store in general. "A sweet job."

"I get it!" Announcing he had heard a dad joke, another talent Bright had. "Alright." He settled in to watch Nick intently. Was that how he watched you when you weren't paying attention to him?

Harold returns to you and Bright. "Alright, let's head back inside." He leads you both into the 'warm' interior. You don't feel the warmth, but it does get more colorful. Curiosity overwhelms you and you try just... relaxing.

And you can still see everything. Inside that place, you didn't need to keep focusing on the dreaming to see it. It was just as 'real' as anything else. That'll make working easier! "Hey."

Harold looks back at you. "Hm?"

"I can still see things without trying, back here." You point a hoof at your eye. Ponies have large ones, by the way. "Why can't Nick just... not be enchanted?"

"Oh! Well. If you tried to walk in here without already having a foot in the door, as it were." He stuck out a foot without taking a step. "The place you'd land would be the back area of the candy shop, and not here." He waves around. "He couldn't get in here. You can already throw yourself, so you can get in without an enchantment."

Bright applauds with seeming understanding. "Wow! I knew you were special, from the day you were born."

Wait... "You were there, when I was born?"

Bright nods in a rapid bobbing. "You were such a cute little boy. I kept you safe from mean things, nightmares that wanted to get close to you. Not past me!" He puffs up, a proud dragon guardian. "I was always there."

"Time to visit someone less glamorous, but still just as magic." Harold leads the way down a new hallway. "He keeps track of the finances, among other things. Most would find it terribly banal, but he finds joy in it."

Ah ha. "We'll settle pay there then?"

"That's the idea." Harold knocks firmly on a door.

"Damn it all," came muffledly through the door. "Who'd come fucking botherin' me?!" Steps approach from the other side. "I swear on all high and low, this better be good." The door swung in with the last word, revealing a new sort of changeling. A scowling little... gnome? They had wild hair and thick goggles. "Harold, and a horse." He looks between the two of you. "Fucking great! The hell do you want?!"

Harold didn't look bothered by the tirade. "Evening, Toley. This is our newest recruit, Sally. She'll be working the back."

"And this is Bright," you continue the introductions with a wave at your dragon. You had almost forgot the name you gave, but that was a nice reminder.

Toley thrusts a hand at you, just to pause, perhaps realizing you had no hand to do much with it. "Piss it." He pats your head instead. "Good horse. Now what the hell do you want me to do with any of 'em?"

Howard points down at you from above. "This one needs adding to the payroll. Her boyfriend, Nick, is joining too. She's working the back, and he's in the front."

"Yeah?" He looks you over critically. "The hell do you do, besides shed all over the shittin' carpet?"

Time to sell yourself! "I don't need enchanting to get here."

"Well, la de da... That's more of a base requirement if we're being honest about it, which we are." He looks upset, not at that, but at everything really.

"The viscountess decided I was interesting and wants to keep me around." That was, perhaps, less flattering, but true and pertinent, you think?

Toley looks to Harold, getting a nod in return. "Martyr on a stick... Fine, that gets you in the door. Wouldn't want to get the viscountess' panties in a knot... Got anythin' else or are you just a trophy for her to gloat about?"

You turn your pointing upwards, to your horn. "I'm a unicorn, which means I have magic." Sure, you didn't have tons of it just yet...

"Yah huh... Like? Don't leave me fuckin' guessin' over here!" He threw a hand wide, a scowl worn.

"Well..." You do a slow turn. "To start, would you guess I'm over seventy?"

"Nuh uh. I'm not that god damned stupid to start guessing a lady's age, horse or not." He crossed his arms. "So if yer sayin' it, bloody hell, just gonna believe that."

That had failed to impress him. You glance towards Harold, who sighs out. "Was hoping to keep it a secret."

"I'm the one paying people!" He stomps down a foot with a scowl. "Don't hide shit from me! My job's hard enough already and you bloody well know it."

"Sorry, sorry." Harold waves at you. "She's a healer, the real cut from what I've gathered."

"No kiddin'?" He prods you on the chest with a firm thump. "Why didn't you start with that, you buck toothed farm animal?! I swear, and trust me, I do that a lot, but I fucking swear, it's like people just want to piss all over my day. Fine! Trophy, enchanted, can heal. Now we're getting somewhere. She do anything else? Stop making me ask every damn thing."

"Right! So... Still learning how to magic, and how to pony." You wave at yourself. "But I can do both of those."

"Still learning?" Toley squints at you. "You brought an old young pony? I didn't even fucking knew they made those kinds... Whatever, alright. If you're here, it's because you don't want to work out of the kindness of yer bleedin' heart, or loyalty to Miss Prissy Bitch. You want money." He snapped out a benjamin, folding and unfolding the considerable bill.

Actually... "My first priority is helping a homeless person I know. I want to get them a new start at life, not just a temporary windfall."

"What?" He tosses the bill aside. "What?!"

Was that a bad question? "Sorry?"

"What?!" He grabs you by your cheeks. Horses have big cheeks, just right for grabbing and holding, which he does. "Seriously? You come in here askin' for someone else's god-damned payday? Bloodiest of hells." He throws up his hands. "Whatever, fine! So you don't get shit. Tell us who this lucky person is."

Harold waved a hand down, cutting off the space between you and Toley and freeing you of that grasp. "She should get something for her time, right?"

Toley flips Harold the bird casually. "She named the price, don't go blamin' me for what she decided. Fuck. So who is it?"

You describe them as best you can, including where they can usually be found. "He deserves better than he's getting."

"Nice of you to fucking decide." Toley makes a note of it. "We'll turn his life around, assuming you keep on your best. His life is now in your ha... hooves? Fucking shit! Whatever. Up to you. Nick or whatever needs to be on the books?"

Harold nodded firmly. He had wanted to be separate, and more of you agreed with him than not, so you let that slide on past as they argued the pricing. "Well, if he's staying up front, that makes this easy. We have a base rate for new hires over there." Another scratching mark. "He's in."

Wait. "What is that base rate? I have to tell him, and it has to be better than what he's already getting."

"God damn it. What part of 'don't keep secrets' did you not fucking understand the first time I shat it out at you?" Toley sat at his desk. "What is he getting right now?"

You dig out your phone with your magic and quickly dial. Did phones work in there? It rang!

"Babe? Shit... That slipped out."

That... was awkward, but why did it make your cheeks warm? "What do you get paid right now? We're going over pay."

"Thanks for calling. Fifteen an hour. What are they offering?"

"About to find out." You float the phone away. "Sixteen an hour. Can you beat that?"

"Shit." Toley started making new marks. "Whatever. Twenty, and he better be here on time. I'm tired of signing new people up!"

You float the phone back. "Twenty. You can save the thank yous for later."

"You are the best." He laughed even as he hung up. He was already on the clock. You felt a tiny little tickle. You had done a good deed, the smallest sort.

Toley reached for the door to his office. "Now, go fuck off!" With a slam, he ended that conversation. "Welcome to the team," he shouted through the door.

Harold chuckled softly. "He doesn't mean it. Just how they are. I think he likes you."

That was like?! "What's next?"

"Well..." And he gives a few options.

Author's Note

Blending it all together, we got to meet a new kind of changeling, and I'm pretty happy with Toley. We hashed out payments and got the homeless guy a lifeline with a little deal with the fair folk. Nothing could go wrong!

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20 - First Shift

Earning your pay, or at least the pay that'll go to your chosen target, feels like a great idea. "Let's get to work." Also, you're feeling awfully spry. Youth restored, vigor replenished, you want to get busy. "What's first?"

What is first is tidying and cleaning. It is not as glamorous as you were hoping, even if you are doing it in a fantasy castle place. You're still mopping and dusting and doing other things a maid might do. One perk, you have magic. You're not holding any brooms or dustpans. You're just imagining them move where they need to, and they are. That part is pretty great.

You clean out rooms large and small, working away dust and dirt to return them to sparkling. "Who are you?" asks a voice behind you, at the door of the room you're working on. You spin to face them and see a huge and towering figure, arms crossed. "Don't recognize you." He is a dark blue from top to bottom, where his armor didn't grant other colors. He has two curved horns.

A new kind of fae? "Sorry to bother you. I'm Sally, and I was asked to help clean."

"Oh." He tosses a sword, an actual sword. It thunks into the ground as if it was meant to be there. "Nice to meet you then. Have you a title?"

Um. "Besides the name, not really?" You consider the new man(?) as he moves to sit in a chair, still toweringly tall even in it. "What's your name?"

"You stand in the bedroom of Sir Leon." He folds his arms across his front. "Knight of the same lady you serve." He extends a finger at you. "Which means, when you aren't performing a task specific for her, you obey me." He snorts softly. "Don't get too worked up about it. That's just the order of things. I don't plan on making use of that unless it's needed."

You glance towards his sword. "You use that then?" You lift a hoof to point at the sharp instrument.

"When things work well, I don't have to." He claps a hand down on either knee. "But things don't always work so well, and when they don't, I'm ready. You were told about defending the hold, weren't you?"

Ah, right. "Yes! I will help by healing." Your horn glows in sympathy, ready to dispense magic. "I don't know much about fighting, nor really want to get into that."

"I'd feel bad, knowing I let a little horse like you fight when I could have instead. No. If you're good at balming hurts, you stay back, and keep me ready to fight. I'll take care of that." Leon nods firmly, quite comfortable with that arrangement. "Have you any other talents? Though that first is considerable."

On some level, it's nice knowing that you can do something so many people recognize as helpful in a significant way. "I'm still learning magic, and suddenly I'm cleaning, a lot." You wave around at what you've done to... it has to be his room, right?

"I appreciate it. I don't have the time to keep things in order myself." He pushes back to his feet. "My break's already over. I have a question, and pray don't take offense, but are you a chimera?"

"I am!" Oops, there was your dragon, slipping out of nowhere when called upon. "Hiya!"

"Hello. I was asking her." He levels a thick finger at you.

"Oh, no." He shakes his head quickly. "She's a human, or a pony, or both? Now she's a maid! She's a lot of things, but my friend she's always."

You smile awkwardly at your chimeric friend's explanation. "I've been going through a lot of changes recently, including this." You raise a hoof to waggle it at him. A new part that certainly counted as. "But, no, not a chimera."

"Hm. I haven't heard of that manner of prodigal before..." There was that word again. "Still, if the viscountess hired you, she is doubtless aware of it. You're not exactly being subtle about it." Clip-clopping about was not super sneaky. "Regardless, I would ask you accompany me. You may help brave souls perform their duties and live to see the next sunrise."

That sounded serious... "How can I help with that?"

"You just said it." He grabs his sword and shoves it over his back in a sheath there. "A healer could make all the difference. I gather you are not kith or kin... So what are the limits of your abilities? I can't presume to think they work as others I have seen."

"I honestly don't know... But there isn't an immediate limit on how often I can do it, other than a person generally not overexerting themselves." You look up and down the dwarfing pillar of a... "Sorry, but what are you?"

"You really are new." He sounds more amused than insulted. "I am a troll." He hikes a thumb at himself. "And we don't live under bridges, just to cut that question off before it's asked."

You hadn't been thinking that... honest... At least that you'll admit. "Nice to meet you, Leon."

"Sir Leon. Not to be rude, but it's impolite to not include titles, especially in a hold." He grabs the doorknob and draws the door open. "Come. There's a strategy meeting, and you're invited."

And by invited, that clearly meant attendance was mandatory. He had already claimed control of you when the viscountess' orders weren't being overridden. Well, fine. You're a little curious what this was all about, so you follow after him to find out.

Through the hallways of the... castle? He called it a Hold. He knocks thickly on a door. "Coming in," he bellows, opening it without further waiting. "Viscountess." He stops to give a formal bow. He wanted respect from you, and gave it to the viscountess without delay.

"Sir Leon, on time." Her eyes darted to a ticking clock. "Right on time. You are reliable for that." Her eyes fell to you. "And you've brought company. I hadn't asked for her right now."

Leon gestures back at you, but is moving to take a seat at a round table with the Viscountess at the head. "She is a healer."

"Is she now?" The viscountess steepled her fingers. "I had wondered why she and her mate had been offered such a price. Toley is usually good at being conservative with my finances." Her eyes were locked on you. "Come here."

So you get over there. You stand before that elven ruler of the place. "Sorry?"

"You have little to be sorry for." She puts her hand on your head, fingers playing with your equine ears. "There's use to you besides my amusement. That's cause for celebration. Oh, you can stand up now. We're here to talk business." She curls her fingers under your chin and draws you up to standing, revealing your, relatively, aged human form to them.

Another elf whistles at the sight. "Is she a chimera?"

"I asked that." Leon crosses his arms. "She isn't. She does have one."

"Hi!" But he wasn't in the room. He was standing just outside the door. "That looks serious. I'll wait out here."

The viscountess chuckles softly. "She's a prodigal, baron." She points at you. "A prodigal that can heal, apparently. Good. Can you administer chimeric wounds? Banal ones?"

"You'd have to explain the difference." Not like you understood that. "I've helped with a vampire clawing."

"Cold and serious... You. Come in here." Bright Spark scampered in when called. "Bite me." She offers a hand. "A little nip, just enough to draw blood."

Bright inclined his head left and right rapidly. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"That's an order." Her voice was steady, with no room for arguments.

Well, since it was an order. He lashes out with all the speed of a snake, chomping her and leaving several red marks, blood oozing from two of them in fine lines.

She thrusts the injured hand towards you. "Administer it. This is a chimeric wound, wholly clothed in the dreaming, given by a dreaming creature."

"Oh..." You take the hand in your own and you can feel the chill. It's not nearly as awful as the biting cold of the wounds the vampire had left. You gently wipe away the blood and imagine the warmth you have being lent, soothing that little chill.

"I'm really sorry." Poor Bright Spark seemed to still feel bad, despite having been asked to do it.

The Viscountess ignored him, waiting patiently for you to do your thing. "Marvelous." She drew her hand out of your grasp. "Behold it." She turned her hand left and right, no longer injured, no longer bleeding. It was as if she had never been hurt to start. "I had a good feeling about you. Alright, she's included. That you can treat chimeric and banal injuries, even the extra spicy ones, means a lot. That expands the field we can play in."

Oh, shoot. Were you signing up for bad things?

Leon seemed to notice you nervousness. "She is new here, your highness. Perhaps we should ease her in."

The Viscountess slapped down both hands. "Our enemies aren't giving us this kindness. Winter's grasp inches in all around us, and you want us to play it safe?" She swung an arm, finger pointed at you. "You won't butcher a field of what stands before us, but you can help keep the ones that do functioning. I like to put on airs, but this is no joking matter. This also isn't a waiting matter." She brings her hands together, fingers enmeshing. "This is a 'the house is already on fire, we should be doing something about it about ten minutes ago if possible,' situation."

The colorful dream world was loosing some of its sheen pretty quickly. "Can you explain a little of that?"

"No!" But she sighs right after that. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. You have sworn no oath of fealty to me. You have scarcely sworn to show up on a consistent basis as a maid." She rolled her eyes. "You deserve a little more knowledge... Let's keep this simple. There are forces that threaten the banal world. Were they to succeed, the whole thing would collapse, to destruction, or arguably worse. There are forces that threaten the dreaming world, without them, the spark that makes life worth living, gone." She snaps her fingers with that final word. "Not to mention all of us." She raises in almost a shout at that. "And, I know, you're not technically one of us, but that matters a lot to the rest of us here, hm? Either way... Losing scenarios. Do I claim to have a grand solution to either? No! What do I look like, a bloody queen? You got a viscountess, deal with that. But I do have ideas for at least tackling this locally..."

"Madame." Leon rises to his feet. "The situation is dire, but I would rather not scare our new ally away so quickly. Forgive my impertinence." Is that why it was supposed to be a secret? That hadn't lasted very long... "Sally, was it? I suggest, humbly, she be placed in the triage, to treat those who come to her there. She can witness what we deal with in safety, and make her decision."

The viscountess tapped at her chin. "Hm... That's not an awful idea..." She waves at you. "Get out of that outfit. Cute, love it, but not appropriate for where you'll be working."

The baron, whose name you haven't gotten, leans forward. "So she'll mend those who can at least return to the hold? That's better than nothing by far. Tell me, 'Sally', what loyalty do you feel?"

Everyone there's looking at you. You had to answer that question. What loyalty did you feel?

Author's Note

Help out and meet with the viscountess(and maybe other nobles). Let's do it! Hm, that went interestingly (now writing this after the chapter). To whom does your loyalty lie?

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21 - Loyalty

"Loyalty... My..." Ugh, boyfriend's a new thing to say. Part of you feels silly for worrying about what is already a thing, but still... "My boyfriend's specialty is that. Speaking of him, he would be at the top, along with helping as many people as I can." You wave down at your rump, but it's covered in clothes, ruining the effect you're going for. "That's what I do."

"What about me?" Bright smiles at you hopefully, clawed hands clutched together. "We've been buds forever."

One sided buds. Still. You reach out and ruffle the top of his head as he leans against the touches. "Of course, top of mind. The only other thing that really competes are other ponies."

The baron shrugs with a jingle of chain mail. "A prodigal loyal to their own. Sensible. Still, providing succor? Not many would claim that as one of their..." He leaned forward, elbows on the table and balled fists under his chin. "Is your relationship one of fiery passion, or true love's embrace?"

The viscountess raised a hand flat. "Enough. We're not here to discover her romantic status, which is unavailable, clearly. Fine choices, but I find myself drawn to what you didn't say. I don't 'rate' for much, nor do fae in general. So when things get tense, why would you not flee?"

"M'lady." There was Leon. "That is why I suggested the triage. She will learn our battle, and the suffering she could ease. That--"

"--would appeal to a loyalty she already has, yes." She's looking over you in an intense examination. "I understand that. Enough then, get her to triage, and in better clothing for the job. People will get confused being tended to by a maid when they're brought in dying."

"One thing!" You raise a finger timidly. "If I do help with those... excursions, that sounds dangerous. Way more dangerous than I thought I was signing up for."

The Viscountness applies a hand to her temple. "Let's add money to that list, but that's hardly unusual."

"I'm not getting anything, personally, right now. It's all going to someone I met once that I want to help," you argue a bit heatedly.

She comes to a stop, peering at you anew. "All that, and you're not getting it? What is this person that controls you so thoroughly?"

"A homeless person that deserves a new chance at life. Toley said you could give that."

Her hands came together at the fingertips. "You met a bum, once, and decided you'd get a fulltime job just to... Saints preserve." She shook her head. "If I thought you had duplicity in you, I'd say you're trying to impress me. Look, go." She pointed out the door. "Bright Spark, can you take her to the triage?"

"Yes!" He grabs one of your hands and begins tugging.

"We'll talk after you decide if you want to stay or not." She waves you off and returns to the meeting. They start discussing other things, but you're already out the door. Bright Spark's not one for delays.

You fall to fours, making it easier to keep up with Bright. "How do you even know where the triage is? You're new here too."

"Yes, but I can smell it." He angled his snoot up and took a sharp right. "Smells like when you got your knee hurt when you were a kid. Your mom put this stuff on it. You cried."

"I was a little kid..."

He looks over his shoulder. "And you cried. Little kids do that. I hugged you, but you didn't notice."

You had a figment of dreams hugging you? That was charming in a way. "Thanks. Well, I can notice now."

"Which is what makes everything so much better." He stopped in front of a door, stiff, pointing like a dog with his nose.

Hint enough. You will the door open. "Hello?"

Inside was a bunny. Well, a bunny person. She was just a little plump with two big bunny ears on her head and a cotton ball behind her. Her features struck with a bit of a pacific islander look to them. "Yes, yes, how are you dying today?" She came up short as she saw who she was talking to. "Who let their horse just wander around?"

"I'm here to help." You step inside as Bright darts in to find a place to lurk. "This is the triage, right?"

"It's a place people don't like going to." She put her hands at her hips. "I'm Pigi."

What a curious name. "I'm Sally." You point a hoof at yourself. Was Pigi a fake name? Possibly. "And I can help hurt people, so they sent me here to do that."

"Dressed like that?" She points to a door. "Get a proper outfit."

Not the first time that was brought up. You hurry to the door and peek past it to find a long row of clothes suitable to a doctor or a nurse. You soon become Doctor Pony. A quick peek confirms it's made of the same dream stuff as the last, which you hang up for later. "Better?"

"Oh, mmm. People are less likely to run away confused now. We may do that anyway, but less likely." She hopped towards you once, a smile on her face. "Welcome! So, you're a doctor?" She waves over your outfit.

"No." Still, it felt better. "But I can heal. Bites and claws confirmed, from a vampire and a chimera."

"Sorry!"

Pigi wasn't paying Bright much mind. "Ooo, a magic horse." She taps at your horn casually. "A colorful magic horse. The best kind, I've heard. Well, since you're so magical; fix me."

She hadn't said what was wrong with her. Was that a feature of the animal fae? They didn't like saying things straight. You flip your vision to life mode for a peek at her. Her vibrant living pattern is youthful and strong. You'd put her in her early 20s, practically a child by your view. She probably uses TikTok or something.

There, one bit out of place. She has something in her back. You circle around her for a better look. She has a spine, like most people, but two of the disks aren't sitting right on one another. You can see blood in the area, irritation. Her body is doing its best to deal with it, but there's only so much it can do. "That must hurt."

"You can see it?" she asks breathlessly. "Well, fine, good! But can you do anything?"

You rear up onto hinds and move in. "I'm going to hug you. It may hurt a little, but it'll help." How one hugged a spine injury without it hurting escapes you, but she doesn't stop you, so you go in for the hug. "How are you working with that?"

"Please." Pigi waves a hand back at you. "This is hardly the worst ouchie someone decided not to call sick on. What are you... Mmm." Was she feeling the warmth you were trying to share with her. "Mmm... You can hug me whenever you want, if it's like this." She leans back against you with a happy expression and slowing breathing. "Just... A little..." But then she hops forward, twirling to face you. "You're hired!"

"I was already hired." You fall back to fours. "Good to have your approval. Feel better?"

"My death will have to wait a little longer for me. He's patient though." Pigi shrugged like it was no big deal. "So, yeah... I can heal too, but that was... something. When Stevens isn't here, you're the new top doc! Thanks, by the way."

Wait... "I thought I read somewhere you should never say 'thank you' to fae."

"Well, you're not a fae, duh." A perfect answer that didn't answer much at all. "Are you going to hold it over me?" She wrinkled her nose. "Just when I thought we were becoming friends..."

Two could play that game. "Yes. In return, I want you to show me around so I can do my job."

"Ugh, what a slave driver." She sighed and began pointing things out. The cotton swabs were over there. "Do not even think of using my tail." The tongue depressors, the stethoscope, and other useful things. "Bandages, gauze for days!" She grabs one of many rolls and waves it at you. "Disinfectant." She puts the roll down to wave at bottles. "And, behold!" She waves at many beds. "Where dying people go!"

You look left and right along them. "Nobody here today."

"Slow day." She whirls to face you. "Don't get used to it."

As if prompted, the door slaps open against the wall as two changelings rushed in, one supporting the other. "I'm fine," argues one weakly, doing an unconvincing job of arguing the case. He has hooves, like you, but only on his feet. He had one arm wrapped around the other, a troll.

"Shut your mouth," argued the troll, helping the injured one stagger in to the first bed. "He got mauled, on the leg. Refuses to admit it."

Pigi leans in for a look at the leg. "Since you're here, you may as well get that off." She points at the bloody pantsleg of the injured one. "Unless you think that helps?"

It doesn't matter to you. You hurry over with a clipclop. "Just stay still." You set a hoof on either end of the bloodstain. You can feel the chill. It's like the one Bright left. A chimeric wound then? Easy. Easiest of the hurts you've put to right so far. You focus your 'heat' into your hooves, gently rubbing at the chill retreated from it. "You'll be alright."

The troll backed away with obvious wonder. "What is this, and when did we get her?"

"I don't care." The injured one's smiling at you. "Whatever she's doing, she's doing it right. "Damn beast jumped out of the bushes, took a nip right out of me. It isn't... Fuck it... Thanks."

Pigi waved a finger reprimandingly. "Oops! She'll hold you to that. The pony's an old school fae or something. You said thanks, so she'll make you do something horrible for her."

"I command you." You level a hoof at the recovering one. "You will get better and do your best to avoid being hurt in the future."

He gasps with alarm. "What a terrible fate they have dealt me... Well, fine then. Are we even?"

"All even." You fall back to the ground, the chill scared away. "Feel better?"

"Entirely." He swings his restored legs to the ground with a clop of his cloven hooves. "Nice to meet a fellow hoofer. The name's Renaldo." He points to the troll. "That's Jimmy." Jimmy grunts in greeting. "We're nothing special, just work for the hold and its lady, and get bit by random things."

You had to ask. "I'm new here. What are you? No offense, I promise. I bet you're wondering the same."

"Caught me," he laughed out, standing up. "Gonna need to clean these..." He swatted at his stained pants. "I'm a satyr. Jimmy's a troll. And the kind lady behind you's a pooka."

When did she--She pets you on the back. "Don't give away everything! What's the fun without a few secrets?"

You jump ahead, almost bumping into the bed in the process. She's lucky you didn't do what horses do when surprised from behind. "Oh, thank you." A few new words to add to the pile. "I'm a pony. Nice to meet you. I'm working here." You wave around the infirmary." So if you get bit again, I'll be here, but try to not do that."

"Are you taken?" Did he just... out and ask that? "Your expression tells a thousand stories. It's alright. A shot not taken is always missed. Better odds than even the least likely of attempts, wouldn't you say?"

Jimmy bursts into a deep laughter from his large belly. "You just asked a pony you just met for her hand, and she doesn't even have one to give. You are something else, Renaldo."

"You two know the rules. Unless you're busy dying." She points to the exit, banishing them both. "Don't come back unless that changes!"

Author's Note

You were in strong commitment today, which seemed to please, mostly, your new boss. So you get to meet a few new people. But perhaps it's time we left these colorful people for other colorful people.

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22 - Pony Convention

You had a full and complete day. You'd learned how to maid, which you were fired from, then got to treat a person or two as a nurse, your new job. It didn't come with any pay adjustments just yet. That could come later, maybe?

Still, you're home. A new life pattern emerges, heading out each morning to start an exciting shift of keeping mythological critters from dying, which they were quite capable of doing.

Nick was enjoying his new gig in the candy store. There was a lot less colorful characters involved, but he was getting paid well. Funny thing, but he didn't 'forget' the day. He just thought he'd misremembered it. He had a job interview with someone dressed up like an elf! Isn't that crazy? He was laughing it off, ready to pen it down as his own fault. He'd drunk too much, he was ready to accept.

At least until you confirmed the boss was, indeed, an elf. Confirming enough details of the 'dream' pushed him over the line, but he didn't panic, or tell on them. He went to work like you did, and did his part to earn that paycheck. That they were elves and things was never as 'real' to him, it seemed, but a job was a job.

You've put most the rest aside when he calls you. "It's pony time."

It was pony time a lot of the time. "Pony time?"

"The meeting," reminds Nick. "I'll text the address."

So in comes a time and a place. You call in to work. "Hey, have to call out today."

"You take it easy, hope you feel better." You hadn't said you were sick, but correcting the nice boggan(that's what he was) felt awkward, so you took it and hung up, your duty complete there.

Fae business put aside, you get dressed in something nice and hop into your car. Drawing out smoothly, you're soon on the way. "Hey Google."A chime informs you your car is litening. "Tell Nick I'm on the way," The car replied electronically that it had done exactly that, only after making sure it heard the right thing.

Soon you were in front of a house. You'd never seen that house before. Climbing out, you can see a lot of cars are lined up along the road. You doubt those are all from the neighborhood. You head up to the door and rap on it with the back of your knuckles.

You hear a click of metal on metal, then a thunk of, you guess, is a deadbolt turning. The door opens, revealing an overweight but powerful looking man in his 30s. "Yo. You need something?"

"Just here to shake my tail." The keyword you'd been told to use.

"That sounds so wrong." But he steps out of the side for you to come in. "Especially from an old lady."

Hey! Well, alright, you were kinda that... But you were young at heart! And as a pony. That counted, right? The inside's cramped, at least until you get to a big living room with people, and ponies, scattered about.

A fellow unicorn mare raises a brow, watching you. "Look at the new one. You from out of town?"

"That's her." There's Nick, in pony form.

The unicorn snaps to Nick. "You like them old, huh? She's awful... Might be the oldest I saw someone drop their tail."

You drop to all fours, still dressed despite that. That trick was kinda nice. "Sorry. I didn't decide to be what age I am."

A pegasus whistles sharply, wings flapping. "Damn, nevermind. She's just fine like this."

An earth pony kicked the pegasus in the side idly. "Creep."

Nick moves quickly to your side, taking a defensive stance, or possessive? Both are possible at the same time. "This is her first meeting."

One of the humans there flips his phone around. "Thunderhoof is running late. Everyone else on the list is here."

Another pony, an earth mare shakes her head. "Thunderhoof is always late. I say we get this ball rolling."

If you had to guess, which you do, most of the ponies were in their, what, 20s and 30s? The humans vary a lot more, some inching easily up into their 60s. You're the oldest one there. That... bothers you. "Why am I the oldest?"

The unicorn that had first measured you shook out her mane. "That's easy. It's not easy being a pony. Things happen. You either catch one you can't handle, or you run away. Both have happened." She sat up on her haunches. "That's not even counting the ones that fall off the edge one way or the other. So... yeah, elders, not that common. Thunderhoof is the oldest member, and he's always late. But he's still ticking, so maybe taking it easy is the key we're all missing."

Conversation rippled as people discussed the idea.

"Hi!" You weren't in dreaming mode. How did... Oh, that was a little pony. Very little.

The colt is smiling up at you with a big grin. "Nice to meetcha!"

They are so cute, but also... "Ponies come this small?"

The earth pony that had kicked the sassing pegasus nodded. "Ayup. About seven's the earliest I've ever seen it. What makes someone eligible, or stops them from being that, still a mystery right?"

"Nice to meet you." You offer a hoof along with your name, the real one. "You are?"

"Little Arrow!" He clops his hoof against yours. "Genorisity earth pony." Oh, he sounded so proud of every word of that. "You're a unicorn."

"I am." Hard to argue that. "Kindness unicorn."

He dances in place, hopping from hoof to hoof. "Ooo. Nice!" He starts glowing suddenly. "Hey!"

The other unicorn is lifting up the colt and floating him away to her side. "He's my little cousin. I love him to death, but if he's bothering you, you don't owe him anything."

"He isn't bothering me." You wave a hoof negatively to make it clearer.

"See?!" He pedaled in the air to little avail. "She's a Kindness. She's probably great."

The unicorn raises a brow. "Sorry for just being a boring Laughter."

Little Arrow's struggles stop. "What? No! Laughter's great! You're so good at it too."

She put him down next to herself and ruffled his mane. "I try, now be good. Let's get this meeting going."

The pegasus that had whistled threw his head at Nick. "So are we talking about that attack? We can't just let a vampire attack out of nowhere go unanswered."

The earth pony crossed his arms. "Unless that sucker was working at the word of another sucker, it's just one, and he's dead. Revenge on the dead's hard."

The babysitting unicorn shook her head slowly. "And how do we know? The suckers are always working for each other, and they don't bring their plans in their pocket."

You were being tossed in the deep end... "Is this what we talk about at these meetings." All eyes turn on you. "I mean, it's serious, sure. It's my first one, just checking."

Another pegasus hops up to her hooves. "We talk about whatever's important to us in the moment, like one of ours being attacked in their home. Not sure what you all have in mind--" She glared at the earth pony. "--to do about it. We're ponies. In a world of horrors, we're the softest thing out there."

You raise a hoof. "I'm making friends with another group."

The pegasus blinks at you. "Another group of ponies?"

The unicorn whistles softly. "Wow. Quick."

"No..." Well, you started, may as well press forward. "Another kind of thing. Fae. Changelings."

Nick leans against you. "I saw them." He didn't sound as confident as you did.

The unicorn inclines her head, then rises to all four. "That's nice. I heard about them, but are they going to help? Look, everyone's got their own problems. Even the suckers got their issues, not that I care about them. They going to throw down their problems and come to the rescue?"

That would be nice... "I'm helping them right now."

The unicorn's brows raise together. "We're under attack and you're busy helping them out? No offense or anything, but that's some warped priorities."

Little Arrow prods at her urgently. "Don't be mad at her! She's just being a kindness."

The earth pony sinks to his belly. "You'll get over that. We all start with stars in our eyes, trying to live up to our purpose... This world beats it out of you fast enough."

Nick sits up tall. "She's earning money, and making contacts. That's not a bad way to spend a day."

The second pegasus shrugs. "I can't argue that. You keep on doing your thing if it's working." Mumbles spread, generally agreeing that what you're doing isn't worth being upset about. "No sharing meeting information."

Nick tenses. "Oh, right. The meeting's private. Anything we say here, stays here."

The unicorn rolls her eyes. "Wow, you didn't tell her? Look. I'm Moon Streak." She points at herself. "You need a helping hoof that isn't also in love with you and forgetting half of it."

Names are fired rapidly as every pony there introduces themself. "Little Arrow!" And at least one of them takes the chance to do it again. "Nice to meetcha!"

Moon floats out a phone, tapping at it with her magic. "You got a phone? Give me the number." Which you do. "There, text sent. Now we have each other's contact." She tucks the phone away in a little pocket. Right, she's a unicorn too. She can magic.

Nick huffs. "Alright, here's what we got." He slides a phone forward with a kick. "Only thing on him that looked like it might have something."

Lightning Flash, the first pegasus, snatches the phone with a wing flip and scowls right after. "It's locked."

Nick chuckles at that. "Look, most people do that. I don't know the combo, so I'm not getting anything."

Moon raises a hoof, horn glowing as she takes the phone from Lightning's grip. "Give me some time and I'll get in there. Until we know what's the deal with this guy, let's not jump to anything."

Little Arrow looked so proud. "Unicorns are awesome!" He was not a unicorn. He was a little earth pony. "She'll figure it out."

Big Shot, the heavyset earthpony, nods. "Alright. You get at that. If you find something really interesting, let us know, meeting or not. Nick." He looks to Nick. "Is there a reason you're not going by your name today? Little lady doesn't know that?"

Nick froze a moment. "She's been through a lot recently... Um. She was a guy not that long ago."

That prompts a chorus of gasps and spit takes.

You raise your hooves wardingly. "I am what I am. Right now, that's a kindness unicorn that's trying to figure this out."

Moon cocked a brow. "You are made of steel, or deep in shock and running on auto pilot. One or the other. Christ on a stick, just imagining being that old and set in my ways and then all this? How... Whatever. You got questions, you have my number."

Sunset Splash, the other pegasus, giggles. "Well, now they're not old. That's a pretty good deal."

Big Shot shakes his head with a grunt. "I was getting to a point. She has a house, right?" You nod. "Great, so get out of your house for now." He points to Nick, then you. "You two are a thing anyway, so let him stay over until we're more sure it's safe for him to be at his place."

Nick waves his hooves wildly. "I'm not trying to do that to her!"

But you don't want Nick to be in danger, and hanging out with him isn't a bad thing, right? You both work at the same place. Carpooling would save a few dollars, and make the trip less boring...

Author's Note

A break from changeling shenanigans. The ponies have problems. Welcome to the meeting! Only 5 votes makes me sad. Vote!

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23 - For Safety

"It's for your safety." You paw at Nick gently. "We'll hang out, no big deal."

Nick laughs tensely. "Everyone says that, then we have to put up with each other. I don't want to drive you crazy with my bullshit. I've watched enough comedies to know how that goes."

"Good." He starts at your response. "We're both reasonable adults that know how this works, so advantage, us. We will both do annoying things, but we won't do what people do in movies do. If something annoys either of us, we'll talk, not seethe about it. The other will listen, and we can adjust and not drive each other nuts. Plan?"

"Plan..." Nick allows with uncertainty. "Damn... What I get being worried about making a kindness angry."

Two can play that game. "What a loyal thing to be worried about."

Other ponies are gabbing about it, poking fun for playing up your roles and all.

Big Shot nods at the resolution. "Alright, with that settled, we can let Moon do her magic on the phone. I say we put that aside." Hooves go up in agreement, enough that they do just that, talking about something else that didn't involve vampires. You have no idea what they're talking about, actually.

"You look lost." And there's Moon Streak, Little Arrow next to her. "Don't be surprised. Every single pony that walks through the doors into a meeting is pretty bewildered their first time." She sets a hoof on Little's head. "At least you made a friend."

"Going for two." You smile at Moon. "So... Just checking, am I the only one that became something else, besides this." You lift a hoof for demonstration. That part seems like the bare minimum.

"Only one I know of, but not the only one I heard of. I mean, you're the only one I got to shake hands with." She clops her hoof against yours. "Welcome to the lady's side of things."

"Glad that didn't happen to me," piped Little Arrow. "I don't wanna be that."

"I didn't either, but it's not so bad." Turns out, ladies are still people. Not that you doubted that before, but, in the end, you hadn't changed that much, and most of it you blamed on the pony part, not the lady part. "Sorry to just get to the point, at least one of the points, but want to talk about magic?"

Her eyes lit with a fire. "Gladly. Squirt, shoo." She banishes her cousin back to the meeting. "They'll keep an eye on him." She starts away at a light walk. "Now, to be clear, learning magic takes time. We can touch bases, sure, but there's no way we're cramming a whole spell into this meeting. And the gifts you get from your purpose don't count."

"The healing?" you ask, following after her through the house.

"If you do it without the magic, yes." She curls her neck back at you. "A unicorn could learn to do that without being a kindness. But, you're a kindness, so you picked up the kindness way. Don't bother trying to teach kindness healing to me. It's not unicorn magic, it's pony magic, and that kinda magic isn't something you can pass on, unless I was a kindness too."

Alright... "So, technically... all ponies do magic?"

"Technically!" She whirls to face you in a bedroom. "Look, we're small talking horses. I think that's pretty magic already."

That's a hard line to argue. "That isn't what I meant."

"Yeah yeah, I'm playing." She smiles wryly. "You're making me look bad, so I have to Laughter it up a little. Still, yes. All ponies can learn the magic of their purpose." She points at herself. "I have laughter magic. Watch out." She reaches towards you, but doesn't touch, but it feels like she's touching. It feels like a thousand fingers are tickling you at the same time all over and for an intense moment, you can do nothing but laugh.

Thankfully, she cuts that out pretty quickly. "Laughter magic. That one's made for tricky situations. You got a werewolf on your ass? Amazing how quickly they pause when they're laughing up a storm instead of tearing you apart."

That makes you blink. "Werewolves are a thing?"

She gazes at you flatly a moment. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I was not just asked by the transgender unicorn that asked to swap spells if werewolves have a chance of being real or not."

Laughter, right through the ribs. "Point... Um... Still, new. So, werewolves are a thing, and they're not just furries then?"

Moon bursts into a short laughter fit. "Woah, hey, leave the laughter to me. Also, if you call a werewolf a 'furry' to their face, even my magic won't save you. Now, since the topic came up, free lesson. Just about every kind of strange thing in the world would prefer to not broadcast their deets around, so don't expect me to give you any detailed information about the werewolves. I have a friend, and I want to keep that friend. Blabbing his secrets? Then I don't have a friend, and maybe get torn apart for being a lousy friend."

Well... You shrug with a little chuckle. "And I made friends with the changelings. If we all make friends like that, maybe we can get something going."

Moon stares at you a moment before an 'eh' escapes her. "They say friendship is magic. Which is a problem for friendship unicorns. Glad you're not one of those. Still... Making friends is a magic all ponies share. We like making friends. Probably half the reason you were friends with Nick before this happened to you. I mean... No offense, but he's younger than you. Didn't you ever wonder why some little kid, relatively, wanted to hang out with you?"

You hadn't wondered that, but now you were... "Huh. Huh..." You sink to your haunches. "So the pony in him brought us together, then he ponies all over me."

"Not the wording I'd use!" She was giggling though. "But yeah, sounds like it. Thankfully, you both seem to be enjoying the trip." She glances left and back at you. "So... Can I ask a super personal question?"

"Sure?" Was it going to be about your past self?

"What's it like, being with a stallion?" She began to color through her face. "I never did that before... Not a virgin or nothing, but I was with humans, thanks. Never tried a pony before."

Well, it is a fine time for you to color warmly too. "Um, how detailed are you hoping I'll be?"

"As detailed as you're comfortable being," she prompts with a rolling hoof. "Get porny, or just slap me and tell me to shut up."

"Is this a normal lady conversation?!" Did women chat about that behind your back all those years?!

"Eh... No, American puritanism means most ladies don't make it a daily habit of talking about this kinda thing. At least, not without a thousand little keywords." She looks you over. "I forgot a moment you're a new lady, but even better. That means you know the difference, so you can describe what it was exactly, if you're up for it."

You put up your hooves. "Well, I am an American. I'm a little used to this being behind closed doors."

"Fair, fair... I'm not forcing you. Sorry, probably shouldn't have asked..." Her horn glows as a book materializes over her head. "Let's talk magic, if I haven't grossed you out."

"I'm not mad, just... Not used to that." Well, since she's bringing things up. "Say, do people ever go the other way around? Girl to guy, I mean."

"Never heard of one." She shrugs as the book floats down, opening to reveal a dizzying volume of words and doodles. "It'd be tricky to get that to happen. You're only a lady because you let Nick hop up and baby in there, so you're stuck until it stops being in there, abortion or birth. If a lady became a stallion, what could he do that'd get him stuck?"

Oh, right. It was possible a lady human could become a stallion pony, but how would they get stuck...? "Got me..."

"Magic time," she sang out. "So what sorts of magic do you know?"

"I can see primal patterns, living patterns, spirit... patterns? And mental ones." You tap your hooves with each thing counted. "For doing, I have the clothes trick." You poke at your clothes that shifted with you.

Moon hikes a brow. "Broad, I'm impressed, but so shallow. Like you just wanted to do everything, so you didn't do anything. Me? I'm a mind lady." She waves her hooves at you in a pantomime of a spooky psychic. "I may already be in your head, learning things!"

"You're not."

She blinks. "How do you know?!"

You point at her horn. "It stopped glowing when you put the book down."

"Dang it!" She stomps her hooves in a little pouting fit, but she looks like she's joking about it. "Caught me. Still, yeah, that's my specialty. Ponies love specialties. A specialty makes you damn good at something." She waves over you. "You're a little of a lot of things, but you can't do much."

"I only just started learning... and then got real busy..."

"I hear that." She waves it away. "Good thing you got a new magic buddy, huh? So, what do you want to do? Not Kindness focused, and that's fine."

Huh? "What makes you say that?"

"The stereotypical kindness unicorn? Life. All life, all day. Natural doctors, nurses, vets. Mind's an option, if you lean more towards therapy or psychology. Fixing people, that's the bottom line, so hurts stop hurting. You're living up your calling, you haven't made that subtle, so you like doing that, right?"

Well... "Yeah, but I can do that with 'kindness magic', as you put it. One good hug and people are put back together."

She snickers softly. "You hug people? Sorry! Sorry... The other kindnesses I met don't do that."

Wait... "How do they do it then?" You lean in, curiosity burning.

Moon crosses her arms. "One of them carries a tin full of the cutest bandages ever. If he puts one on you, you're getting better. He's such a cutie. Not that way." She points upwards. "He's one state up from us though. I heard another blows kisses, and that works somehow." Moon Streak shrugs widely. "I don't get it. I make people laugh, my thing. But here's something to not laugh at." She taps at her book. "Magic! So what's calling you? Make up your mind and commit, or keep generalizing, I guess. I'm not your mom, that's your job."

Wait, you weren't her mom. Oh... "Ha ha." You were becoming a mother. "Mind feels icky. I don't want to pry into people's heads." You tap at your own. "No offense to you. You seem nice."

"I try to be." She shrugs. "But it does more than just let you spy on people's thoughts. That's barely the start. Still, not mind, fine. What is it?"

"Moon!" Little Arrow comes rushing in. "Moon!"

Moon puts a hoof to his forehead, stopping his charge. "What's up, green bean?"

Little Arrow swats at her hooves. "They're talking about you." He points out towards the meeting room. "I couldn't make them stop."

Moon gently ruffles the top of her cousin. "Don't sweat it. They're curious about her." She tosses her head at you. "Which means they're curious about me talking to her. Just a bunch of ponies making funny whickery noises at each other, being scared of a fluttering shopping bag."

Little Arrow giggles at that. "Silly horsies..."

"Very silly horsies. Now, we're talking magic. You want to watch two boring unicorns talk magic?"

"Yes!" No hesitation. He spins on you. "Can I? I wanna see!"

What could a little earth pony even get out of that?

Author's Note

More votes, yay! I am legit pleased. Looks like everyone's alright with Nick, and we want to know more about the fellow unicorn. Let's see what we can learn about and maybe from her.

New poll! https://forms.gle/kG5ymgvuEaaA52vd8

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24 - Take a Path

"Mmm..." You wave her book away. "I think I like prime."

"Prime?" Streak sits up with a cocked brow. "Why that? Not to discourage or anything, just curious."

"What's prime do?" asks Little Arrow cluelessly.

Streak pulls her cousin closer. "Stay still." Despite her words, she was holding him fairly affectionately. "Prime is the power of... power. Seeing it, moving it, putting it together and breaking it apart. Mystical magic goop, that's what prime's all into. Surprise! Everything's made of magic goop if you lean in close enough."

Arrow clapped with approval. "oOoo. Why didn't you learn any of that?"

Streak pushes Little Arrow away, affection turning to rejection. "Because I like playing with people's heads. Prime it is! Um, not that I can give many tips there. Oh, right. Your boy mentioned who you were taught the basics by. Check him out. He has the stuff to get you going."

Right. "I'll do that, should we head back?" You point a hoof back towards the meeting.

"You should." She looks at Little Arrow, hoof directed firmly.

"Aw..." But he scurries off, lest he invite her wrath.

Streak smirks at you. "If we're not chatting magic... There was that other thing." She waggles he brows with meaning. "If you want. I get it if you'd rather not."

"No... we're not exactly that close of friends?"

"Aren't we?" She cups her face in her hooves. "We're part of a pretty exclusive club, in mortal danger, together. Sounds pretty close to me. Again, up to you."

"I have a different question."

"Shoot." She sits up, hooves on the ground.

"How do I learn more... me magic? Or you magic?" You turn your hoof from yourself to her. "Or any pony magic, on the topic."

"That's personal." She leans in. "Now, with most ponies, I'd tell them some bullshit about looking inside, but you seem to be on the right track. It's about the virtues. Live yours, then try to learn and live the others. I heard, and this is super story time, some ponies got them all juggling, a long time ago, and they were all of them, at once."

"Wow." The idea feels like a pretty big one. "So if I want to have laughter..."

"You have to be laughter." Streak chuckles to herself. "You got it? You start living the laughter life, and the magic will come with it. You picked up kindness pretty naturally, right? Live like a kindness, magic like one. Which... is why I'm pretty sure more kindness tricks will come to you. you don't need my people. Just keep reaching to be an even kinder kindness. Live it."

"Live it." Fortunately, being kind already felt proper. "Wait. What about the others?"

Moon Streak starts the way back towards the meeting. "Keep this quiet, but most of them aren't feeling their virtue. Hell, I wasn't... You were a fire under my ass. Thanks... It's nice to give laughter a proper squeeze."

"I couldn't answer your question, by the way."

That makes her stop. "Privacy?"

"A little that, but..."

"But?" She turns to you. "Waiting on that punch line."

"I never did it with a normal human." You shrug softly. "So how can I compare?"

"I..." She crashes to her haunches. "Damn it... I hate that you have a point. Well, fine, go pin your boy down in human mode and then you can tell me the difference."

"No promises." You walk past her and she laughs, following you. "We have other things to talk about."

"Plenty of things." Moon Streak quirks up an ear. "Speaking of that..."

You and her stroll into the meeting room just in time for two ponies to be glaring at one another. It was Big Shot and Sunset Splash were glaring needles at one another. Big Shot raises a considerable hoof at the pegasus. "We can't just keep pretending there aren't things that would like us dead, or over for dinner."

"And your idea is to make a, what, military camp?" Sunset shrugs with a scoff. "Really? Most of us have no idea how to... do any of that. We're flipping magic horses. What do you want?"

Big Shot stomps a heavy hoof. "Then it's time to learn. We're only as helpless as we let ourselves be." He spots you and Moon coming in. "Ah, they're back." He turns towards the two of you. "You." He points at you. "You learn how to defend yourself yet?"

Oh! Well... "I... mighta helped kill a vampire."

Nick surges up to get between you and Big Shot. "And that was more desperation than anything."

Big Shot shrugs. "So? If a kindness that's busy being a kindness can manage that, what's the rest of your excuses?" His lips twist into a sneer. "In fact, wasn't that while you were dropping your tail? While you were busy being old and retired? You're going to be outdone by a damn senior with only half a hoof in the door?"

"So--" Eyes are on you, for daring to speak. "What is it you're proposing, exactly?"

"I'm 'proposing'--" He made quotes with wags of his hooves. "--that we take this seriously. We start learning how to defend ourselves. How to punch, how to kick, and how to use weapons. What's out there will come for us, ready or not. I say, be ready."

You sink to your belly, an easier task for a quadruped. "Not my thing, but I can already help, indirectly."

Moon Streak hopped onto the pillow she started on. "Miss Kindness over there already has healing down. With a friend, she's a fairly safe place to be. I can defend myself. Thankfully, hasn't come up too often."

Sunset fluttered their wings. "So, we team up more. I can get behind that. Did you miss? Most of us don't have hands when we're ponied up, so weapons are hard to use, unicorns aside. The rest of us aren't rushing to learn kung fu."

"Kung fu's a bunch of bullshit." Moon Streak covered her cousin's ears, but Big Shot went right on, "In a fight for your life, you forget all those rules. If you're left standing and the other guy's not, you did it. Everything else, meaningless."

Nick waves a hoof at Big. "Tensions are getting high. I'll stick with a friend." He backed up to your side. "We'll keep each other safe. I think we can all agree on that."

Murmurs spread as ponies begin to collect closer to each other. Moon ruffles the top of Little Arrow's head. "You were already with me. No change there."

Big Shot sinks to his haunches. "Fine... You." He's looking at you again. "If you want to learn some self defense, let me know." He angles his head at Nick. "He can come along if he wants."

That said, he stomps off, becoming the guy at the door from before along the way.

Moon clops the floor lightly. "That looks like the meeting's wrapping up. Any last minute topics before we head out?"

A third unicorn, who you hadn't gotten to talk to, stands up. "I think we should have a standing rule. Vampires, we don't get along. Were-things, they don't like us, but they don't attack us unless we give them a reason to."

Moon raises a hoof. "Hey, they're alright, and they know how annoying it is to get a few fleas."

Sunset flares her wings. "Hey, um, not everything's not human. I know a nice, pretty darn human, sorceress. She's cool."

The third unicorn raises a brow. "That's nice, but can you say where we stand with them in general?"

"No?" Miserably admits Sunset, sagging. "I only know one."

Nick nudges against you. "What about the changelings?"

"Oh!" Right, you met them... "They seem to love the idea of ponies. No bad feelings from them at all. I... think they like the way we do magic. And they're not trying to hunt us."

The third unicorn nods. "Alright, see, that's good to know. Changelings, alright by default. Were-things, be careful, but could be alright? But be careful. Vampires, super not-OK. Mages! Wow... do not... They may be harmless, on the individual, but they can mess you and everything you know up and may not even mean it. Avoid them."

Little Arrow waves a hoof excitedly. "What 'bout ghosts?"

The other unicorn peers at him. "What about them?"

"I have a ghost friend. He's nice." Little Arrow nodded with complete confidence in this.

"That's nice, kid." The unicorn turns towards the others. "Any other reports on more than one of them?"

Unsure noises ripple across the room. But you remember a thing. "Shady business." You will out a card to lay on the ground. "Is that one or one of a lot, who knows these days? Bad news."

Nick claims the card. "Did I miss something?"

Sunset waves a wing. "Pass that over here. I'll try to dig up more about them if I can. Good eye. Alright, last bit of business." she brings down both wings, pointed at you. "I say we give a little clap for our newest member, who's hit the ground at a gallop."

Clops and stomps announce they they were alright with you joining them.

Moon rose to her hooves. "I call this meeting adjourned. Let's meet up in a week?" Noises of approval, tepid though they were, rose as ponies and humans headed for the door. Nick closes with you, guiding you towards the door. "Seriously, what happened? You alright?"

You assure him that you're fine. "The changelings are giving a more exciting time right now."

"At the candy store?" For him, the candy store was mostly where it stopped. He didn't even think about the back, even if he remembered stuff there. It just wasn't part of how he thought about it. "Like, what, got a favorite flavor?"

You roll your eyes at that. "The changelings?"

"Oh, right." There, he remembers. It takes some prompting, but those memories are there. "What-- Oh. I'll get my stuff... Do you want me coming... tonight?"

That was a thing... "It won't get easier putting it off," you reason with a hum. "So get your things, and meet me?" You pat your own car. "I'll straighten up and get the guest room cleared out."

"That answers a question with the answer I was expecting."

"You're not going to leave it at that." You rest your arm on the car, peering at your boyfriend. "Go on."

"Nothing important... I was just... not sure where I'd be sleeping, is all?" He shrugged. "I assumed, like, a couch or something."

"Well, not that." You pull the door open. "I have a spare room, to keep you in."

"I'm spare parts now," he laughs out, heading towards his own car. "Drive safe."

"You too." You hop into yours, closing the book on the chapter of the pony meeting. Part of you was curious about the next one. Hopefully, you'll be able to show up with more to share with them. You arrive home without complications, just fatigue from a full day, and evening.

Your phone chimes, it's Moon.

Hey Hey. If you need a girl to chat with now that you have a boy crowding things, let me know, alright? 😘

That was nice of her. You quickly tap out a thanks and head inside to clear up the place for Nick.

Your phone chimes. Moon? You dig it out to find a text from an unknown number, but the contents were clear enough.

You are required at the hold tomorrow. Come in rugged clothing. Hazard pay will be furnished.

Blunt, simple, no emoji... Was that the payroll? That sounded like him, in text... It seems your next day is already planned for you. "What I get for making deals with the fair folk."

Say thank you one time and they think they can hold it over you forever. Figures! Well, the night's still yours, so you do your part to get it ready for Nick's arrival.

Author's Note

More votes, yay! I am legit pleased. Looks like everyone's alright with Nick, and we want to know more about the fellow unicorn. Let's see what we can learn about and maybe from her.

New poll! https://forms.gle/Mqt3cynCZpjPpeae9

Join the special community of folks who like my stories, see the updates early, and/or get your own written here at atreon!

Join my discord to chat!

25 - Coming in Hot

You come in the next day, dressed more for a hike in the woods than for nursing. Nick was with you. You were both going to the same place. "This'll cut down on a few things." That he was working out the budget seemed obvious enough. "Thanks."

"Not really a cost." You had to go there anyway. "They want something special out of me today."

"Like what?" He gesticulated in the air. "Special set of gum balls?"

His inability to focus on the changeling part of things was... trying at times. "Probably not that." You pull in at the parking lot and you both climb out of the car. "Maybe a field trip?"

"You're dressed for it." He goes in for a parting kiss, leaving you a little warm in the cheeks as he jogs off to work. "Have fun!"

He's vanished behind the counter to get ready for the day, while you head into the back. You flip on your Changeling Vision™️ to get through the door the right way, stepping not quite forwards into the realm of dreams of another world entirely.

"There you are." There was your boss, the viscountess. Her eyes dart to a clicking clock in the hallway. "Just on time, I like that. You ready to move?" She comes directly in for you, pausing when she gets close. "You... smell like horses."

"I took a shower!" Sheesh, you shouldn't be smelling of anything but the soap, right?

"I have a keen eye. And someone gave me a reason to be alert for horse smells." She smiles at you in a wry way. "Did I get in the way of a herd thing? Whatever, not my business. You're going with them today. You won't be doing any of the hunting yourself, not your specialty. You keep them intact and together and you did your part."

You remember your first patient, bit by... something? "Where does this hunting take place?"

"Describing it would be a challenge, but it's not on any map you've seen before." She points off. "It's past the hold itself, into the dreaming. Dangerous. Fortunately for you, I'm not sending a little cute pony in by herself to be torn apart by the local wildlife. That would be mean." She strokes her chin. "Also a bad management style. No. You'll be with trained hunters. Ideally, you'll be bored, but we're rarely that lucky."

"M'lady." The satyr, Renaldo, you had met, bitten, before was coming up with his troll friend, Jimmy. "Knowing you'll be at our side, my confidence swells."

The Viscountess suddenly swats you across the back, sending you falling to all fours with a clop. "There you are. No point even pretending to be what you aren't right now. Take care of her." She was looking at the two hunters. "If she doesn't get back here, you may as well hope you don't make the trip either." Cold words, devoid of any sense that she's playing around.

Jimmy salutes sharply. "I will see to her safety, as she sees to mine, ma'am."

The Viscountess nods. "Knew I could trust you. Alright, have a fun trip. I'd tell you where the armory is, but you don't strike me as the sort that'd get anything out of it, and they already know the way."

Renaldo does a more elequent bow than is stricly required at you. "Let us be off. Stay behind us and we'll take care of the way."

"Something jumps out, you get behind us," agreed Jimmy, hand at his blade's handle. He had one of those, worn, and ready to use.

They lead you to the back of the hold. "Now this." Renaldo gestures at the door. "This leads where few prodigals get to go. Welcome back home." He thrusts his hands against the door, which proves to be heavier than a swat allows for. He has to push like he means it to get it to slide open with the creak of a massive metal door. "Welcome..."

You all emerge into... Well, it was like being in a story book in a way. If the artist had completely taken leave of any artistic direction. Things fanciful, and dreadful, just existed there like it was their home. One supposed it was exactly that.

Jimmy shrugs as he pulls the door shut behind you all. "I would suggest horses, but how a pony would ride one... Can you?"

"I never tried before." You have only just learned to get along with your own hooves. "Am I slowing you down?"

Renaldo waves that away. "Perish the thought! You at our side bouys my heart." He sets down a trail, a wide one that winds away from the castle you were leaving. "Today, we'll hunt closer at hand. Worth it to get you up to speed, m'lady."

Jimmy leans in. "If he aggravates you, ma'am, just let me know."

"I can hear that," musically informs Renaldo, his eyes forward. "Now, we're entering dangerous places, so, much as I regret it, we should speak less and look more."

"Stop being distracted by her," came a melodious female voice. To the right, up ahead lounges three buxom ladies on pillows, batting their lashes at Renaldo. "We can give a much better time.

"Or does she want to play, too?" asks another. They weren't human ladies. Humanoid, you guess. Two arms, two legs, hands, all that, but covered in a pelt of soft fur, with ears atop their heads and tails that lead to round bottoms. "That's an option."

Jimmy draws his blade without hesitation, just the ring of metal. "We are not interested. We have come to hunt. Unless you mean to be our target, you would be well-advised to keep away."

Renaldo chuckles at the sight. "As chimeric beasts go, I'd be alright with them being of this variety..."

One, a fox lady, sneers at Renaldo. "A beast? How unkind. But if you like playing that way..." She drags a claw along the ground, leaving a furrow. "I can be a beast..."

"I don't think they're nice." Sheesh! When did he get there? Bright Spark was looking at the shapely animal ladies warily. "I don't think they want to play any fun games."

They have a dragon, a dragon lady with breasts far too large for a dragon to reasonably need. "Don't be like that. You're a cutie. Come on over and let me add you to my treasure collection."

Bright Spark ducks behind you with no interest in taking up the offer.

Renaldo sighs as he draws free a rapier. "I do not want to draw steel at such fine ladies, but this isn't the time. Last warning."

You have no idea what's going on, but a guess says that going over for hugs is probably a bad idea. Besides, you have a plus one already. "What do you actually want?" you ask with a nervous smile.

The fox inclines her head at you. "You're serious."

The dragon pokes her. "You mean that?"

"I mean that." The fox stands properly, arms crossed under her chest, lifting it in the process. "Not often someone asks what we want, and means it."

The last, a feline, purrs loud enough for everyone to hear it. "What a treat! Well, since you're asking. What I'd really like is for someone to listen to a story I've wanted to share, without wanting anything in return."

The dragon shudders, wings on her back fluttering. "Ooo, that would be nice. Most people want things from us. Or... with us, I guess is appropriate."

Is that all they want? You dare to take a step towards them. "I can listen. What sort of story?"

Renaldo moves as if to get in the way, but Jimmy thrusts out an arm, blocking him.

The fox throws an arm over each of her companions. "It's a story about all of us, and the dream we came from. Will you listen? No hugs. No kisses. Not even a touch."

"Not even a touch," you promise. They're attractive enough in their exagerated way, but you're not looking for that. "Just ears." You reach up and flick at one furry ear.

"Such large ears you have!" The feline's ears quiver in sympathy. "Good for listening. Alright. There was this boy..."

They begin to tell the story of a young man, struggling to find himself and make sense of confusing new feelings, isolation, and the animals he had invented, or found, to fill in that gap.

"We are him," announced the fox.

"At different times," adds the dragon.

"Depending on his whims," completes the cat. "Sometimes female, sometimes male. We are all him."

"And he is us," loops around the fox. "And he feared admitting it."

But they had admitted it, and they looked satisfied for doing so. So satisfied they simply stopped being, released with a gentle sigh. Left behind was a tail with a loop.

Renaldo advanced on where the ladies had been. "Huh... Sometimes a little kind act is all it takes." He takes the tail and waggles it back at you all, like a cat's tail. "And, for our trouble, a cat tail?" He pulled at the loop that was attached. "I think it's something you can wear.

Jimmy huffs at that. "Something to bring back. At least we aren't empty handed today, and without injury in exchange. Good going, ma'am."

"Are we done?" Dare it be that simple?!

Renaldo swats you on the back. "We still have most of the day ahead of us, and we've barely gone anywhere. A grand start, but hardly the end."

Most chimeric creatures are not so easily talked into ending themselves. Animals, magical critters, and other things come to threaten your... knights? Are they knights? They didn't seem to have titles, like that first knight you'd met. But they fought without complaint, mostly. Renaldo might have put it on a little thick when it was time for you to tend to him, but he waded into each battle with vigor, standing at Jimmy's side and fighting without hesitation.

He just happened to like the pony hugs that came with any injuries. A little bonus prize that made the hurts worth it.

Bright Spark remains at your side, a stalwart defender without having to be asked. "Leave her alone!" He swatted a strange rabbit with enormous teeth that had been daring to approach. The others were on it, but he'd been there to act first. "You alright?"

Bright has kept you safe from harm without a single request. "Thanks, Bright." He accepts headpats with a happy trill. "What exactly are we hunting... for? Half the things you finish with, you have nothing to show for it." Normal hunting made more sense. You killed a thing, you got a body. That body could have all kinds of uses, starting with eating it. These were not being eaten, clearly.

Jimmy sheaths his blade, resuming his hike with the rest of you. "For one, it makes this part of things safer for people who aren't hunting and just want to get past."

"For two." Renaldo slides up to your side, facing away from it though as if danger could appear at any moment. "The bits that they do surrender at times? That has a value. Probably not to you, little pony."

"Dangerous, even to us." Jimmy draws his sword free. "Dross. To use it is to court madness itself, but, desperate times..."

Renaldo advances to join Jimmy for the battle ahead. "Desperate measures. Some folk say dross should be left well alone, each a work of art. Destroying them? A tiny act of banality." The two engaged with an alligator that had too many teeth and moved far too quickly for such a thing not even in water. You have a good feeling your services will be needed.

"What about," you dare to ask as the fight goes. "When you get a body?" Sometimes that happened, a chimeric beast just slumping over and dying normally.

Jimmy kicks the beast away with a grunt. "Same deal. Dangerous, but food. I avoid it."

"Not everyone else does." Renaldo jumps back a moment before great gator teeth could chomp him, giving a chance for him to thrust his thinner blade into the eye of the creature, blood spraying. "But it's not our job to think about that."

Author's Note

Thanks for voting. A call for help was the top vote. Logical enough. No strong consensus on what sort of help is needed. Let's go!

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26 - Walking Unused Roads

The great reptile slumps over, the life beaten from it with stabs and slashes. It doesn't vanish away into dreamstuff. Jimmy prods it to be sure. "A handsome prize."

Renaldo props a foot on it, pinning it and striking a pose of victory. "Well, you've done your part quite well, m'lady. If you want to go home with this, this hasn't been a bad day so far."

"No, I'm fine." Feeling a little bold, you trot up to them. "By the way, can I have that?" You point at the tail draped out of Jimmy's pocket.

Jimmy grunted, grabbing the tail. "This? Why?"

"They told me their story."

Renaldo shrugs, casually snatching it from Jimmy. "She won that one. If she wants it, I see no harm in it. Not like it's food." He presents it to you with a flip. "Here you are, your first prize. Hopefully long before the last, especially if you remain at our side."

You don't think of an immediate use for it, having a tail already at the moment, but you accept it in your magic and tuck it away in a bag for the time being. "Thank you. Where do you want to go next?"

Jimmy nods to Bright Spark, vision sliding along to you. "For your first time, you are taking this well."

"An angel of battle, presiding with a kind smile behind the warriors." Renaldo sighs with more drama than is technically required. "Love it. Now, I say--"

"--We finish the walk." Jimmy points the way along a thin path. "And reach the next hold, if we're able. That would be an accomplishment worth celebrating."

Renaldo takes firm steps forward. "Then we do that! The closest is most of a day's hike from here. Let's see Florida from a new angle."

As if their determination settled it, the road becomes a brilliant silver path they walked across, shining bright and warding away most chimera. Jimmy nods at the path you all were walking. "Most things can't bother you, directly, when walking along a silver path."

"But that's the trick." Renaldo hops onto a log, just to leap free of it. "Things can get in the way of the path, or make it hard to see. Things can lure you off of the path. Powerful enough beings can just force the issue, even if it tires them. How do you feel?"

"I feel like I'm walking." The path doesn't feel strange under your hooves. "If we can... Wait, how long did you say this walk was?"

"Most of the day." Jimmy rolls his weighty shoulders. "Assuming nothing gets in our way."

"My... I have..." Ugh, what a time to be tongue tied. Your attempts to say something comes up short. "My boyfriend--" That word wasn't so hard, was it? "--will be expecting me."

Renaldo doesn't slow a bit. "Then we'd best get there, and then we can send a message easily enough, m'lady."

Jimmy draws his blade with a strong step forward, cleaving through vines and thickets that had crowded the road. "Let's get it done as quickly as possible."

You join them in the efforts of tidying the walk way. You assist in yanking on overhanging branches and vines. To make the road easier to traverse, you shove rocks aside to clear the way. This is all going great until a river came up, cutting right through the road.

Renaldo sighs at the sight of it. "This wasn't here last time, but that's hardly saying much. Some such roads get even worse than a little river like this."

Jimmy thrusts his blade into water, stirring a little bit. "We could walk past it. It'll probably change its mind on its own."

You advance to their sides and try a hoof. It's cool and refreshing and full of teeth. Everything gets wet and dark as pain explodes up your arm. You kick and thrash against the unseen thing grabbing you, your cry little more than muffled and watery calls.

Something grabs you around the midsection, and it isn't teeth. You're yanked with great strength, wrenching your leg free of the jaws that held you a moment ago. Jimmy hurls you onto the shore with a grunt of effort. "M'lady, are you alright?"

Renaldo is on you a moment later. "That has to hurt."

Oh, right, injury. You had been distracted a moment in panic and excitement. Now you could see your leg was bleeding and torn from where something had gnashed into you, much like Renaldo had come in with that first time. "Don't panic."

"That's my line." Renaldo's smiling despite it all. "Physician, tend thyself."

"Right, yes..." You force yourself to your other three good legs. "Yes..." How did one hug themselves? Well... You sink to your haunches and do just that, wrapping your arms around yourself and giving a squeeze. "Go away, cold. Go away..." You can feel that chilly grip on your abused arm, pressing painfully in that hug, but you can feel the warmth of the rest of you. It was just a matter of moving it from one place to another!

You can distantly hear something, but you're quite distracted in the process of 'tending thyself'. You can feel the arm getting warmer, wetter, but then better as you concentrate that heat, that loving heat, onto the problem and get to chasing away the injury and pain.

A sword slams into the ground next to you. "M'lady... Are you well now?" Jimmy's heaving as if he'd just been doing something strenuous. "I hate to ask it... but I'd love a turn."

His legs are alright, but his torso, less so. It looks like whatever it was tried to take a bite right out of his midsection. Hissing in sympathy, you're quick to giving him 'his turn' as he had put it.

"Funny thing." Renaldo hadn't been bit, just standing next to you. "Florida attracts many dreams, and nightmares, of such things that lurk in water. If you're nervous about alligators and the like, this is the wrong place to be."

Jimmy hefted his sword up and slung it over his back. "With stalwart companions at my side, I fear little. That was the only one in there, or they would have attacked us while our guard was dropped."

"Sensible." Renaldo pointed his rapier. "But, just to be on the safe side, let's get some material and float across instead of paddling."

By the time you all had your craft ready, the river had casually moved to bother someone else. The road was clear and ready to walk. Jimmy huffed. "Just as well. That predator may have brought the river to begin with. Its defeat, enough to send the river back."

Renaldo pats your side as the trek resumes. "Sorry. We may be a little late. You know how it goes. Let's keep it moving, a lively little trot if you will. Maybe we can make up for lost time." You walk with them, your legs becoming a bit sore. You haven't walked so long without a break in a long time. But you didn't want to be the one holding things up.

Sore legs were the same as any other hurt, right? You walk on auto-pilot, turning your attention elsewhere. Your vision put into Life Sense™️, you can see things clogging up the works, wear and tear to go with it. You rub one leg with a hoof, bidding your light to come say hello. You switch when the pain ebbs, evening out that chill until your walking is comfortable again.

Curious, you turn your eyes on the others. It's not as bad as yours had been. They're younger and fitter, so it made sort of sense, but you could see it was building steadily. You angle to the side and brush against Jimmy. "It'll be better."

Your presence clearly confused Jimmy, but he doesn't fight it. Soon he knows what you're doing, as you chase away the fatigue of the hike. "M'lady, I didn't know you had that talent."

Renaldo is watching you two, walking with you. "What'd she do? Were you hurt?"

"I was." He nudges you towards Renaldo. "But not anymore. She can fight fatigue as well as any bleeding wound."

"Get out!" He pats you on the neck like he was praising an especially valiant horse. "You are full of little tricks."

Since you're there, you take care of the minor aches and pains you can find in Renaldo. None of them are grand enough to qualify as 'injuries', but you chase them away, anyway. That's just the kind thing to do. You feel a giddy warmth as you find a new kind of trick to use, the mark on your rump flaring into sight for a moment that was gone all too quickly.

Though it is short-lived, the mark is all the brighter and clearer, there in the dreaming. It was a bold crest of a heart being hugged. There's no mistaking it. Renaldo whistles, clearly having saw it. "What is that? Like you get a merit badge for being a great nurse."

Jimmy shrugs. "I heard somewhere that's a thing with ponies. I never saw it before. M'lady, you do your purpose proud."

The praise brings a coloring to your cheeks. Being kind was something you like being. Being noticed for it was a nice added bonus. "If I can help..." Was feeling good about doing good a selfish thing? Ugh, that was a philosophic dead-end. You could go down that hole forever. Better to just do good and enjoy doing good. Better than the other way around. "I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I'm still learning how this all works."

Renaldo pats you on the head. "You're doing a great job. I'll be sure the viscountess hears how much of a help you've been. Now, don't take this the wrong way, but word around says you have a bit of a mercenary streak."

Hey! "I came to help someone else."

"I'm not offending." He shrugs. "Not on purpose anyway, sorry. Some of my best friends are mercs. Just means money motivates you, doesn't mean nothing else does. A kind mercenary is the thing of legends, don't you know?"

Jimmy shrugs from your other side. "He isn't wrong. You heard of Robin Hood? Very money motivated... but didn't keep any of it."

Being compared to Robin Hood is far less upsetting than the first thought that had come to mind. "Alright..." You accelerate into a proper trot down the silver road. "How close are we?"

"Close enough," barked a female, an elf stepping free of some bushes near the road, several others at her side, all with weapons drawn. "Traveling this road, with a prodigal? Have you lost your mind, or simply your honor?"

Renaldo bowed formerly. "As always, a pleasure, baroness. The Viscountess sends her warm regards, and us to clear the way." He turned the bow to a wave at you. "This is our nurse and caretaker. She's quite talented at the art."

Jimmy nods, but says nothing.

"Hello," you add nervously. "We were hunting our way along the road, to clear it."

The elf huffs softly. "That sounds like something she'd do..." She turns towards you fully. "You risk madness, prodigal. You left this world long ago. How long have you been here?"

Renaldo raised a finger. "No longer than the rest of us, not that many of us should tarry here long. The whisper of banality you feel on her is that of a long lived life."

"She looks young... as far as I can tell." That she was not an expert at aging ponies made clear. "How old are you?"

You give your age, not a secret that. "Becoming a pony was like a 'reset'. I'm enjoying a second youth, and I don't want to waste it." You canter in place, reminded of how nice it was to be young again. "I'm enjoying it... but seriously, we're not here to make any trouble."

Author's Note

Tail keep! Follow their lead first, but be eager to push forward. There's no going back until they say we should!

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27 - A New Point of Light

"Jimmy, you've improved." The baroness, which everyone had referred to as such, was examining Jimmy with a discerning eye. "With a trip like that, I expect at least a few marks on you, or are the chimera getting lazy?"

Jimmy inclines his head towards you. "We did our part, but I'd have some marks to show for it if she wasn't so talented at chasing them away, ma'am."

Renaldo pats you on the back. "She has a real talent, and she isn't shy about sharing it."

Which brings to your mind, "Oh, are any of you hurt?" You were just about to enter the Life Sense™️ world, barely getting a glimpse of their many patterns when one of them poked you right between the eyes, making you jump backwards in surprise.

Acting swiftly, Renaldo stepped between you and the newcomer, who appeared to be some kind of pooka, as if to protect you. They have a racoon tail of great size and ears that perfectly matched the tail. "Easy there. She's a healer, not a witch, promise."

"Easy to say." The pooka crosses his arms with a huff. "But actions speak way louder than pretty words. One of the first lessons we learn." He hikes a thumb at himself and jabs himself with the thumb, tapping with his claws. "Easy to say things, sometimes even the right thing, but always? Doubt that."

The baroness waves him back. "Renaldo may be smitten, he usually is, but I trust Jimmy's word. If he says she's a healer, she probably is. What were you doing?"

"How can you even tell?" There was no way to tell just by looking that it was a life vision, as it had no external indicators. There were no funny words uttered and you don't emit any kind of light. By viewing the issue from a different angle, you were able to gain a fresh perspective. It's almost like trying to read something in a foreign language. Without looking directly at what you are focusing on and working backward, it should be impossible for anyone to know exactly what you are doing.

She taps at the side of her head. "We know. Hardly a secret. Most prodigals have their own sense, by a thousand names. One's connection to their primal, kenning, awareness... A thousand names..." She curls a finger at you. "One basic meaning. We live in a world of magic. Is it really that confusing that we notice when it's being used? That was a little tickle, but still..."

Still, they had noticed... "I just wanted to see if anyone was hurt. I'm not attacking anyone." A thought comes to mind. "Do you know about ponies? I'm a kindness. Being nice is my thing."

The racoon bursts into a fit of giggles. "A kindness? Really? Crazy."

"Ignore him. He knows nothing about ponies, and I could barely say I'm better. We've tarried here long enough. Come." With a firm wave, the turns the whole group towards that far point of the road and the hike resumes. "Can you work while walking, or not?"

"My newest trick works fine while working." You approach the new changelings. They tense, but don't stop you from giving them a rubbing, each gets a brush from your fuzzy side to their legs as you chase away the lingering chill of a day of activity away from each, one by one.

But nothing comes free. Treating so many people, you can feel a deep ache, like a well-used muscle. Nothing was injured, you were just tired. And trying to treat that wasn't working so well. You could fix a lot of things, but not everything. There were limits... "I'm about tapped out." You feel like you could still do it, if you really needed to, it'd just be harder, and maybe painful. Like someone breaking into a run even when they were tired. They could, but perhaps they shouldn't.

"You alright?" Bright Spark comes right into your field of view from above, curling around your top as if that was a natural way to do it. "You look tired."

Such a thoughtful friend. His caring brought a smile to your face and even felt like it chased away the problem a little. Sometimes it was nice to get a bit of kindness returned? "Thanks. I'll make it, but thanks." He comes in closer for nuzzles and you return them in a little rubbing of snouts. "You're the best... is calling a chimera an imaginary friend rude?"

Bright twisted his head from the left to the right as if he was attempting to find the perfect view. "I'm not imaginary, silly. You didn't dream me. Something else did. Something dreamed you too! If I'm imaginary, so are you." He gasps sharply with a sudden excitement. "We can be imaginary friends then! Yes!"

"We're imaginary friends," you allow with a chuckle, sharing one more warm nuzzle with your chimeric pal. You return your focus on the march, striding with the rest. The sense of impending danger feels... muted. "Is it safer where you're from?"

"Hardly," barks out the baroness. "But we were doing the same thing you were. We cleared out the way up to here. With any luck, it'll stay cleared for a little while. Good to hear the rest of the path's worked over, seeing as that means our duty of the day's fulfilled. By the way, prodigal, do you have any clue where you are right now?"

"Not even a little," you admit without guile. "It's... a strange new world? At least I have friends." Geraldo and Jimmy were marching with the group. Bright Spark was right next to you, ready to defend, or just be a friendly presence with equal vigor.

"It's an ancient one." The baroness casually flicks an ear. "Just imagine. Long long ago before there were even any records, entire herds of you little ponies ran through these places. I haven't heard the tales of what you all were doing back then... But you're stuck, hooves mired in the banality of the day to day."

You thought about the meeting of ponies, struggling to deal with their things. "Yeah..."

The baroness perks at that. "I didn't expect you to agree with me. Most prodigals I meet get huffy when I suggest that. Their struggles are very real to them, and it being brushed off as light doesn't sit well with most."

"No..." You're quiet for a little while, just the clip-clop of your hooves. "But... You're still not wrong." You point back at your rump. "I've only seen it a few times, but when I really live up to my purpose, I have a... Picture? It's magic, I think... I don't know what it is... But I should! I really should. I feel like I should be all over that. Instead, forgotten, lost... The worst--"

She lightly rests her hand on your side. "Shh... Formation!"

The defensive line of her people and your companions had just been formed up in time for the fierce onslaught of teeth and claws. Wolves, some of whom had an unusually large number of eyes, charged towards them with ferocious howls of hunger.

It proved an old piece of wisdom true as you use your hoof to lash out at the one that was coming close, showing that it is not wise to approach horses, whether they be magical or not, from behind when they are startled. The crack of its bones as your hoof crashed against the thing's snout make you shudder with the violence of it. It was a great shame that it was not the only one. You shift your position to get a better view of your companions fighting against the remainder of the... pack? Pack feels like the right word.

All of a sudden they drop back, allowing the biggest one to march ahead of them with a gaze that pierces you all. "You are breaking the pacts," it... he? They speak firmly, their low growl heard along with the words as if the two were the same. "Give her to us, and we will forgive you."

You can't help but feel that one of their eyes is always watching you, while the others are looking elsewhere. The other eyes remain focused on the more skilled fighters, each of them operating independently, with no regard for the other eyes. "My patience is small."

The baroness swipes her sword free of blood with a sharp swing. "We may have only just met, but they are in our care. I don't need the viscountess breathing down my neck." She raises the sword, point towards the great beast. "You know how this works."

"If one of mine failed me willingly... I would slaughter them." The many-eyed wolf licked over his lips. "I understand this. This is a dangerous place, where she does not belong. Abandon her. None need know." Three of their eyes move to Geraldo, Jimmy, and Bright Spark. "I can remove any evidence of their passing. None need know."

Bright Spark took a stomp forward, even if he was also trembling in fright. "I won't let you!"

Jimmy huffed for breath, massive arms holding firm to his equally sizable blade. "We won't make it easy for you."

"I asked neither of you for permission." Eyes refocused on the baroness. "Step aside, or die with them. Make a choice."

The idea of them all being hurt for you was a stab through your heart. Not that being hurt yourself was a lot better, but many of them were strangers, standing up against... that... for you. You have to help! "No!" You shout at the great wolf. "You leave them alone. They're just trying to do their best. Stop picking fights."

The wolf's snout twists in a sneer. "The little thing barks at me like the pipes of a puppy that doesn't know how pathetic it is. It's adorable... I almost regret destroying you."

"They're my friend." You take another step forward and feel a surge of warmth building inside of you. "I won't let you hurt them."

Other wolves closed with their leader, as if to protect them from you, the little pony with no battle training. "Enough. Make your decision."

The baroness' eyes glance towards you in your advance. "I will not be outdone by a pony." She matched your stride, sword raised. "We'll fight to the last, or you can back away. You decide."

The warmth in you is becoming too hot, like someone had shoved a hot poker into your insides as it burns and sizzles, but only you can feel it. "Leave them... alone!" With the last word, the heat explodes from you in all directions. Pain erupted with it and all your strength flees you. You thud to the ground on your belly as your friends charge into battle, renewed and reinvigorated. You can barely pay attention to them, but they're fighting with all they have, and all you've given to them.

You can only hope it's enough.

"I'm here." You can hear Bright Spark, his voice reaching you despite him engaging in a frantic melee with several wolves at once. "We got this! Take a nap."

A nap. That sounds like a really good idea. Sinking to your side in a weak rolling, you lose conciousness by the time you're done, trusting in your friends to finish things.

Author's Note

All these options sound good... At least most of them, according to you all. Let's go from here!

Well, shoot, that took a turn. You did make some friends, offered succor, and maybe got to the end? Up to you, that.

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28 - Wake Up

You are immediately aware of the smell that wafts through the air when you first stir. It's a light, calming scent that is reminiscent of wood. It has none of that otherworldly menace and presence that the road had. You open your eyes and find yourself on a comfortable and wide bed, lying on your side. It's so soft and comfortable that it can be difficult to be motivated to move when you first experience it. The fact that you are still feeling a bit tired can help you come to a decision.

"You're awake!" Well, if you didn't have a cheerful dragon chimera scuttling up to you. "Are you alright?" Bright Spark pats you down, as if to check for anything wrong. This reminds you that you went to sleep as a pony, and as a pony you remain. "You look alright."

You sit up slowly until you're up on your haunches. "Good... morning? What time is it?"

"I dunno." Bright shrugged helplessly. "Time is more of a human thing. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Shit!" You hop to your hooves. "We need to... Where are we? Are there any phones? He's going to be so pissed at me."

"He wouldn't do that." Bright tilted his head. "He likes you."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't call him." You hop down to the floor with a clop, your legs holding steady. "What happened? With the wolves, I mean."

"I'll get someone better at those kinda stories." Bright races for the door, grabbing the knob and throwing it open. "She's awake!" he shouts into the hallway beyond, scampering out of sight with the tick-tack of his claws on the marble floor.

You barely get your snout out the door before others are coming at you. Renaldo is racing down the hallway with the rapid clops of his hooves. "There you are, m'lady. Savior of the day." He bows the moment he gets close. "Are you well?"

"I..." You hesitate, about half a dozen changelings peering at you with so much intensity. "need to call home. Nick must be worried."

A kindly lady with a warm smile reaches to ruffle your hair. "Poor thing. Are you feeling well enough to stand up properly?"

Oh, right. You rise to your feet, straightening your clothes in the process. "Does that help?"

"Certainly does. This way." She waves you along and starts down the hallway. "The rest of you can wait for her to come back." Was it the way she said it? They obey without fighting it, leaving you two, plus Bright Spark, to walk along. "I heard you had quite the time out there. Thank you for helping."

"I missed... how that worked out." She's moving energetically, but too fast for you to keep up with. "What happened?"

"I've only heard what they've gushed about." She stops in front of a door. "I'll tell you when we come back. Past here, we shouldn't be talking about that sort of thing."

Oh, normal world. You nod at the nice lady and pass through the door, popping out into the world in what seemed to be a house, a large one at that. "Is this... a mansion?" Stately pictures hung along the new hallway. "The last one was a candy store."

"We don't get to decide where they care to be." She pushes ahead of you, determined to get somewhere. "They made those decisions a long time ago. Just don't think the outwards appearance tells you much about the holder." She descends stairs into a main foyer and points to where a phone lays on a desk quietly. The fact that this telephone still has a rotary dial shows how old-fashioned it is. "Go ahead and make that call. I'll get you some tea." She bustled off, still smiling gently.

You dig out your own phone. "Wait..." You realize at that moment that you could just use that phone. Outside of the freehold, it had a signal and was ready to work. Still, that felt rude, after she went through all the effort of showing you to the house phone. You pull up Nick's number, but dial it on the old phone, swirling your finger in circles to get it to make the call with brief clicks of old-fashioned technology.

"Hello?" Nick sounded confused. That kinda made sense, thinking about it. You were calling from a number he didn't know. It was amazing that he answered at all.

"Nick, it's me."

"Holy crap!" You can hear something slap down. "They said you were working overtime with some kinda project. You alright? They're paying for this, right?"

"It's been a day..." And maybe a night? You look around, but see no clock to help answer that question. Right, phone. Ugh, maybe after the chat. "I'll be home as soon as I can, promise. Sorry for the worry."

"I'm just glad you're alright." He sounds it, relieved. "You need anything?"

"Just take it easy. I'm alright." Sheesh, the idea of having a worried boyfriend at home was... entirely a new thing. Still, it's kind of nice knowing he was thinking about you, even worried. You just have to stop being a source of worry. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Sure sure... Your phone break?"

Dang it, almost got away with that. "No, it's fine. Long story, kind of stupid, but they gave me a phone and I feel awkward not using it."

He bursts into laughter, his tension broken. "Wow. You really do live up the nice angle, don't you? Just 'cause someone hands you a phone doesn't mean you have to use it. Still, glad you're alright. See you when you get home."

"Looking forward to it." You set the phone down, which is what hangs it up. Ah, old phones... "All--" Nope, there she is, coming towards you with a tea cup held in her hands. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to." She thrusts the cup towards you. "You weren't drinking while you were sleeping. You're probably very thirsty."

You accept the cup. "Appreciated." It tastes of soothing berries, warming your insides, and reminding you that, yep, you're actually pretty thirsty, so you keep right on sipping.

"I had a feeling." She pats you on the back. "Want to head back, or should I bring them out here?"

"That's a choice?" Still... "I've had enough in there for now." You let her rush off and gather your friends, Renaldo and Jimmy. There are others with them. You can recognize the baroness, even if she's human at the moment. She's also at the front of the procession.

"Good to see you look alright." She waves towards the front of the manor. "This is a safe place, so get on with it."

"M'lady." Jimmy folds an arm cross his chest. "Perhaps we should inform her what happened first?"

The baroness frowns. "Fine, you have a point. Once you did... what you did, we had the fight put back into us. We lost two, but they lost at least that many dozen, and we were still going. The big fella you saw called their retreat. Even things like that have a point where the price is too high for what they want." She slaps a hand on your shoulder. "Now, kindly, do you know what oath you were breaking? I'm guessing not, but no harm in asking."

Jimmy's face is hard and stoic. "To lose even one is a tragedy, but we could have lost more. What is it you did?"

"I'd love to hear that." She waves over your form. "But I'm guessing she has no idea."

You really don't, and say as much. "Did it glow?" They look confused. "That symbol." You point to your rump, where that icon had appeared a few times. "Did it glow?"

"Your friend's trying to get your attention." Renaldo is waving at something not there.

You bring Bright Spark back into view with a little pony magic. "Phew! You can see me." He relaxes with a dopey smile. "It glowed, yes yes. I saw it." With your vision put that way, you can see the changeling nature of the others. They were all changelings there, except one girl that was keeping to herself. She was unchanged, still human.

She catches your gaze a moment before looking away. Did she notice you noticing her?

The baroness nods with a foot tapping. "I don't think your friend is lying. I was paying more attention to not having my people be chewed in half! She owes me for this... Now! You and your friends probably have things to do."

That was a dismissal if ever you heard one. "Sorry, but what's your name?"

"Hm?" As if the very idea just hadn't clicked to her. "Oh, Patricia, on this side." She waggled her fingers towards the front door. "Baroness on the other, house Fiona, if that means anything to you." It did not, and she seemed to recognize that by your expression. "Good! It means certain stereotypes will have no place in that head at least. When you get back, tell that Viscountess what we did."

Jimmy spots your phone, still held in one of your hands limply. "Might you use that?"

Geraldo shrugs. "We don't have a car, or anything else. The viscountess will pay you back if we go straight there."

For magical fae creatures, they had no phones. No phones meant no access to any ridesharing apps. At least ponies didn't have that limitation. "Alright." You swipe it open and get to requesting a ride. This also lets you see the map. you're still in Florida, barely, right on on the northern border. "We went a little bit away... How would you get back if I wasn't here?"

Geraldo laughs at the thought. "Well! In that case, we'd have to get hiking, again. On the bright side, it'd mean the path would stay clear a moment longer, with us having walked it twice. Now, as much as I love a good hike with good company, I feel the viscountess is already beside herself wondering if we got you into trouble."

Patricia snorted at that. "I can imagine... Come back, when you're not on her clock."

"Sorry for being nervous." It was the 'coon pooka. "Better nervous and alive than the alternative, right? Some of us... didn't get that choice." The mood dimmed. "Hey, don't be like that. They wouldn't want us pouting up the place."

Talk resumed, but your two companions were already walking you out of their circles. Their mourning was their business.

Geraldo nudges you in the side as you go. "We don't have to go straight back."

Jimmy grunts. "Geraldo. The viscountess awaits our presence."

Geraldo throws up his hands. "I'm sure she is! But we came a long way, and almost paid the final price, mate. She won't hold it against us if we have a little fun while we're at it."

Jimmy waves at where your phone vanished into a pocket. "It is, ultimately, your choice and your power. Physician, we are at your mercy, as we were to start."

What power, all yours to use and in the manner of your own choosing. You could take them to the candy shop and the viscountess, or go somewhere else, with the blessings of one of you, and the permission of the other, even if he seemed to favor the candy shop idea.

On the other other hand, Nick was waiting for you. Then again... you could just go straight home, introduce Nick to the fellas, and just unwind from the excitement, a perfectly valid option...

But you had to pick one, and quickly. It'd be awkward to change it once you're in the car.

Author's Note

The vote was pretty clear on this one! You all knew where you wanted to stir. What awaits us in the barony ahead? Let's find out! Note, I write this part first, then the story, then the next part.

An unwinding chapter, I think. No sudden drama, but the choice is yours. Where to?

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29 - To There, and Back Again

Long car trips. There are those that swear they're the best time one could have. Doing it with some ridesharing person you don't know? You're not sure you could share that enthusiasm right then. They don't know you, or your friends, and they're way less likely to stop anywhere fun along the way, or to take breaks of any kind that aren't absolutely vital.

It doesn't help that the company you brought along is pretty quiet for the entire way. You get the feeling they're out of their natural element. Literal warriors of a fantasy princess, er, viscountess, forced to wait patiently while a car moved. Was this the banality they were talking about? Poor things had a lot of nothing to do.

Perhaps you could help? But how... Talking about changeling things with the unknowing driver there was right out. "Jimmy?" He stirred at his name being called. "If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you visit?"

"Hm." He sat up properly, recovering from the mild slouch he had worked up towards. "I rarely have the time to entertain such thoughts..."

"You have nothing but time right now," you contend with a little smirk. "Go on. I'll give you a theoretical ticket to anywhere, hotel stay included. You just have to pick the destination."

"I'd go to Paris," volunteers the driver, not that he'd been asked.

"A fine place, I've been told..." Jimmy rubs at his chin thoughtfully. "But I think I'd rather visit the mediterranean."

Renaldo bursts into laughter he fails to hold back. "Paris is in France. France is on the Mediterranean, last I checked about that. You could visit both on the same trip without much trouble."

"Huh... That makes it easy then. As our driver suggested, Paris. A fine place to visit. I don't speak French. Will that upset them?"

Renaldo swats at his friend from behind. He's in the backseats, with you. "Get off that! They get tourists all the time. You'll hardly be alone. Still, if it bothers you that much, learn the lingo. Mercy Becoup and all that." Not that his French was at all worth writing home about. "The language of romance, don't they say? I should brush up on it some time..."

"Do you know any language other than English?" you ask curiously. Renaldo hadn't struck you as the studious sort, but then, you didn't really know him all that well when it came down to it.

"I can avoid making a fool of myself in Spanish." He holds up his hands. "And we're chatting in English, so that's two down. They say once you're up to at least two, three's easy!"

"Nice." The name was a hint, perhaps? "Where would you go then, if you had this theoretical ticket to anywhere?"

"The world is such a big place..." He sat back and folded his hands on his belly. "But if I could pick anywhere, a tropical place, where the ladies feel little reason to hide away. Somewhere they speak what I'm saying... Maybe Hawaii, or Peurto Rico?"

"You'd stay in America then?" asked Jimmy from the front. "That surprises me."

"I don't care what country it is, so long as it's warm, and its ladies are just as hot." Renaldo, at least, had priorities. He only seems to notice just then who he's riding with. "No offense."

You. But wait. You catch yourself before you trip right into that hole. You never intended to have to prove how attractive you are by arguing about it. Whether it was for the better or for the worse, you were taken. "Do you get any vacation time? Your picks are a lot easier to get to, in theory."

"As if." With a wave of his hands, he tosses them up in a sort of gesture, only for them to flop back down to where they were originally. "No rest for the wicked, they say."

The silence, at least, had been broken. Amiable little chat drifted about the car's interior instead of sullen silence. You've at least broke that layer of ice. The rest of the trip was a bit dull, but at least you all spent it together, instead of as three miserable people in isolation.

It was late morning when the driver pulled into the parking lot of the candy store. "Here you are." He didn't ask for money. Ridesharing apps took care of that. "Have a nice day."

You all return to the wonderous world of your own two legs. You stretch for the sky on the way towards the shop. "Were we gone a whole day?"

"A few." Jimmy looks awkward as he admits that. "We weren't sure how to bring that up."

Wait. "A few?! No wonder Nick sounded... Let's check in, I guess." You push in to find... It's a candy shop, with a few people browsing the candies. There's Nick! He's watching the front counter with a smile, doing his job.

You bee-line towards him, snatching a candy bar along the way. "I'd like this."

"Sure." He grabs the bar and scans it, only noticing who it is a moment later. "Hey!" His vision sweeps past you to the others catching up with you. "You weren't alone, I see. Everything alright?" He gestured at the register subtly, revealing the price without breaking the conversation.

You give your credit card to him. You don't have any employee discounts that you're aware of? "Good to be back. I need to check in with the boss, then I'll be off."

"See you after I get off then." He gives a receipt and your newly gained candy. "Good luck with her."

Sweets in hand, you head towards the back. As you start to leave, you call out to them one last time to "Be good!" Jimmy passes first, making no great show of it. You're in sight of normal people, so it's no time for a show. Move on through as if it were nothing extraordinary, without a thought as to the fact that you are passing into an alternate realm.

You're in the freehold. You can hear people chatting seriously not far away. Renaldo pops out behind you. "That sounds like she's talking. About us?" Yes, that does sound like the viscountess. "Let's not keep her waiting." Dang him for stealing the thought from your mind.

You advance at the fore. You've gotten used to that place, and it's not even a dangerous place. You worked there, and were a prize employee at that! You even had mostly good news to share. It was a fine day to talk to the viscountess

"I don't care!" roars the viscountess through a door that fails entirely at muffling her voice. "Patricia is breathing down my neck and I'm down--" She trails as you approach the door. "Tell me that's who I hope it is. If that's a maid, go away. We're busy."

"Ma'am," you start, grasping the handle of the door. "We're--"

You don't get to finish. The Viscountess bursts free of the room, throwing the door open and wrenching your hand with it. "There you are! All of you." She looks from you to the others quickly. "Great! Now tell me why Patricia is losing what few marbles she had left in her beer-soaked brain?"

"M'lady." Jimmy bows properly and low.

"We return." Renaldo advances to your side. "with news. Our lady physician--"

"--I want it from her mouth." She's looking at you directly. "What happened?"

"We walked the path." You cycle your hands as you go over it. "Fought some things, but nothing we couldn't handle. Then we ran into Baron Patricia... Is that right?"

"No." She rolled her hands. "Lousy time for etiquette lessons, but Patricia's her first name. you don't call someone Doctor firstname, usually, do you? Just stick with baroness. Only sleeping normies and higher-ranking people get to pull out her name as a rule." She hikes a thumb at herself. "That's why I'm the viscountess, and very few people are likely to call me differently."

Renaldo elbows you lightly. "I get away with it once in a while."

"Don't tempt me! Alright, then?"

Right, then. "We ran into the baroness and were headed back to her freehold. We were attacked by a bunch of... chimera wolves?"

"They weren't nice," adds Bright Spark without further prompting. "But we beat them up!"

"I used a new power doing it."

"Speaking of that." She casually grabs you by the shoulders and pulls you forward and down until your hooves clop on the tiles of the floor. "There we are. No need to lie in here. You are a pony, and we happen to like that about you, so no reason for shame, is there?"

Hmmph. Having fingers was kinda nice sometimes, really... But she's the boss, so four legs it is. "I used that new power. It healed everyone and got them through the fight, but knocked me out."

"Where she remained," adds Jimmy. "That is why there was such a delay, ma'am. We didn't want to leave her there."

"Abandoning our physician?" Renaldo shakes his head with an affronted expression. "And the lady? I think not, ma'am. We waited."

"That part makes sense... What trick was this?" She took a hissing breath. "It makes you more valuable, and Patricia knows about it, obviously. Damn it all. Can you do that again, if you had to?"

All your parts seem to be in the right place. "Probably, yes... It'd help if it wasn't at the end of an already exhausting day of travel and healing. I hate to bring this up..."

"Already on it." She smiles so sweetly. "Your paycheck will have this included, so don't even worry about that. You earned your homeless ward's keep, and some extra for your own pockets. Try not to waste them too quickly." She turns on the two companions. "Anything to show for this besides a cleared path?"

They unload assorted goods, the various trinkets and things dropped by the chimera. No meat though. You were sure there had been meat. You can't help but ask, "What happened to the food?"

Jimmy shrugged softly. "Payment for our stay while you recovered."

Renaldo laughs lightly at it. "Don't feel bad. It would have gone bad if we tried to hold onto it for that long. Not as if we had a place to store it."

The viscountess snaps her fingers, summoning help to ferry away the goodies. "Glad to see this, at least. You're all in one piece, and healthy enough at a glance. I'll mark this as a tenuous success. Now..." She pats you on the head, ruffling your mane. "This won't stand. Were they wild wolves, or did they have a purpose?"

"Purpose, ma'am." Jimmy salutes sharply. "They claim m'lady broke an oath, but did not provide specifics."

"Of course..." The viscountess sighs deeply. "Blaming almost any prodigal for breaking an oath is justified, technically, isn't it? Still, that's taking sins of the father to another level... Not as if that isn't possible. We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors all too frequently... You." She levels a finger right between your eyes. "Figure it out. You're learning how to be what you are. All signs point to you doing a good job with it. It's not my business to get involved with pony politics, but figure it out. You are hereby banned from passing into the dreaming until you do. We can't have more fights like that. The baroness said she lost a few people keeping your hide intact."

"Should I do something for them?" What you could do for them escapes you, but offering feels right.

"Not make them do that again," she firmly orders. "You're alive because of them, so keep on living and keep on healing. Pay that debt back. Speaking of that, you are expected to keep on with your duties, just no passing past the freehold. That was a mistake. Let's not repeat it."

But how would you learn more about your new pony self?

Author's Note

No no, let's take care of business first, then we can relax. Voting against taking a wild detour, off we go!

We got to report in, and get sent off on an assignment, but it doesn't involve horrors from beyond, just the clawing existential dread of knowing what you're made of. No big deal.

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30 - Learn with Friends

"Welcome home." You wave to the modest little dinner you'd prepared. You were not a huge domestic person before ponying up, and becoming a lady didn't magically transform that. The smell of freshly baked pizza filled the air, accompanied by a big bowl of salad, and the bubbly sound of a two liter of soda. Perfection.

Nick closes the door behind him, swatting it on the way in. "Missed you." He goes for you instead of the food. "You alright? It was kinda weird, living in your house without you here." He's patting you down like he might find something wrong if he just examines you hard enough.

It's flattering, but also kind of annoying. You swat him off. "I'm fine! Promise. I was just busy ponying it up and saving the day and maybe being the reason the day needed saving?"

"That sounds like a story." He goes for the food next, with you having set a boundary. "Hey, you cook this?" Nick snatches a slice and chomps into it with a pleased mmm. "I got home just in time. Not too hot, and not cold yet."

You join and dinner time is had, enjoying food and company. "Anything explode while I was away?"

"Only a lot of junk mail." He points to a stack of envelopes. "Didn't feel right sifting through not-my mail. Hate to ask, but you aren't showing off your tail to anyone you shouldn't, right?"

"The changelings." That wasn't a secret, right? "They already knew. About that, they want me to learn more about it. I made a big mess just by being a pony in the wrong place, and they want to know why. Any hints why the dreaming would get irate about a pony around?"

Unfortunately, he looks pretty clueless, and he finishes that slice of pizza. "I don't even know what a dreaming is. I've been teaching you what I know about ponies." He fixes himself a plate of greens and grabs some dressing to pop on it. "Name like that, sounds pretty trippy. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." He was ready to defend you. It was... flattering a little. "To add to the kindness toolbox, an area heal is on the table."

He cocks a brow at that. "Seriously? I never heard of that." He crunches some of the salad. "Sure it was a kindness thing and not a unicorn thing?"

You point up at your absence of a horn. "I don't know unicorn magic that well that I could heal even one person with it, let alone a group. It took a lot out of me. I..." How to phrase it... "It was like I had something, and now I don't? Like I tapped into something that doesn't come back with a nap."

"Oh! Oh. Yeah." He takes a swig of the soda. "That's normal, and means it was probably a kindness."

"Gonna explain?" You go for some salad yourself. Salad and pizza seems to be working well enough. Some people put them together. Salad pizza? Nah... "How does that work?"

He drums fingers on the table. "Alright, so... When we do things that reflect on our purpose, we feel good, right?"

"Yep?"

"That's the stuff building up. I heard it called harmony before. You get it by doing your thing." He hiked a thumb at himself. "I'd get it for loyalty. You get it for kindness. The more loyal and the more kindness, the more you get. Give until it hurts and make it count to get the most. You use up that 'harmony' to do big things related to your purpose. Heal a room of people? Probably a big kindness."

"It was..." You could remember the fatigue you felt afterwards. "Took everything out of me... If that was such a big kindness, why didn't it get me any 'harmony'?"

"Cheater." He waves a fork with some greens speared on it. "You don't usually get harmony as you spend harmony. Look at it like a discount you're already getting. Besides, going on a limb here, I wasn't there... But I'm guessing you had some selfish reasons for needing to heal that room of people right now instead of one by one like you usually do."

"They could have all been dying," you counter, though it sounds lame even in your own ears. "It was do or die, for all of us."

"So it wasn't entirely kind. It wasn't selfless," explains Nick, finishing his salad. "You were surviving. Don't get me wrong, glad you did. But you can't count that the same as some of the other nice things you get up to."

"Makes sense enough," you admit, taking a second slice to chew on. "I warmed it up, by the way. I did not cook the pizza." That involved a lot more steps. "It alright?"

"Wouldn't have guessed." He puts his fork down. "Figures that a kindness could cook with love, and it shows. If you want to know more about ponies, ponies are the easiest place to look."

You point at Nick. "Found one."

"I'm already telling you what I know." He puts up his hands protectively. "But I'm not the only pony around. You met a few at the meeting. You swapped numbers with at least one of them, right?"

The mental image of Moon Streak leapt without further prompting. "At least one. She seems to know some stuff. Might be worth giving her a call."

"Go on. She can't bite you over the phone... Probably." He stands up, drink in hand. "Thanks for the pick me up. I'll probably peck at that later if it's still there."

You didn't plan on putting the pizza away just yet. "If I do, it's in the fridge, and you can have some."

"Cold pizza is almost as good." He gives a final thumbs up and heads for the living room coach to relax. "Have fun on the call."

You get the bluetooth in place and get the phone ringing. She picks up on the first ring. Fast! "Hi."

"Hey," she almost sings back. "I was hoping you'd call. How are things?"

"I did a big kindness, got tapped out a few days, but doing alright. You?"

"That must have been a big kindness. Look, phones, love 'em, don't trust 'em. Wanna meet?"

You glance at Nick. "Nick's here."

"Now you're rubbing it in. Is that a yes then? Text me an address." The line goes cold.

You flip the phone towards yourself and text out that address. "Moon Streak's on the way," you announce to Nick even as the phone chimes from her, announcing much the same.

"She seems nice." He's watching something... violent? Action-packed. You've enjoyed that sorta show before. You just don't feel in the mood right that second. Still, you don't feel like being alone, so you sit next to him anyway. "Full too?"

"Yep." Plenty of pizza and salad left. "Why does it seem like most ponies don't know a lot about ponies?"

"Funny that." He leans back into the couch. "We're a confused bunch. This isn't a nice world, and here we are, a nice kinda people. It isn't a good match. We've been on the backpedal just trying to survive more than anything else. It isn't even surprising a few notes got dropped along the way."

"Sure..." Wasn't too hard to argue that... "The changelings seem nice enough?"

"Are they doing well?" he countered. "Or are they on the back-step too?"

A fine question... "They're more organized than ponies... But under attack. Is anyone not under attack?"

"No idea." He shrugged and flicked the TV off. "How far's your friend?"

"Not sure. She could--" A knocking interrupted you. "--or that's her right now." You slide up to your feet and hurry to the door. When you look through the peephole, you see Moon shifting her feet, anxiously awaiting your arrival. You throw the door open, and the draft causes the curtains to billow in the breeze. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself." She pushes in without being specifically invited. That meant she wasn't a vampire, right? She closes the door behind herself, leaning back against the closed door. "I hear you have questions."

"Hey." Nick waved from the couch.

"Hey." Moon returns the mild wave. "Popular word today. Let's talk ponies, without the whole group crowding it out." She goes with you towards the couch, but doesn't take a spot. "It'd help if you have a specific question, or give me a run down on what you already know."

So you do just that, explaining all you know about ponies. "So I'm building 'harmony' by doing nice things, which I just spent a lot of keeping a small army on their feet."

"Wow." Moon shook her head slowly, clucking her tongue as she did so. "Laughter doesn't do that, but you hardly needed me to tell you. Congratulations on reaching a new kind level! So, yea, harmony, it's what binds all the purposes together. It's said that's how it used to be, ages ago, all the ponies working under harmony to make the world a better place." She steeples her fingers. "Long long ago. Like 'a land far far away' territory here."

"So.... how reliable is it then?" you ask, feeling uncertain about it.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" She leans back on her feet. "But I... Is that pizza?" Her eyes lock on the remaining pizza and she zips over. "They need to let you host the next get together. At least you offer refreshments that look decent." She snatched a slice. "As I was saying, I haven't run into anything that proves it wrong, so far. So there's that."

"One thing." You watch her enjoy the pizza, but remain on the couch, next to Nick. "I didn't get to pick Kindness."

"And I didn't get to pick laughter. That's the real joke." She swivels towards the both of you. "Our purposes are some serious destiny shit. We don't get to rewrite that. I think I mentioned before, but you could, in theory, learn other purposes, but the first one is your first, forever. You are a kindness pony, get used to it."

You look between Nick and Moon. "Well, I have two right here... I could learn loyalty and laughter?"

Moon shrugs. "Why not? If you can get either of us to spill the beans, and you get what we're saying, and you can start living it. You up to it? You ready to be the life of the party." She wags a finger at you as she closes, other hand bringing in that pizza for a fresh bite. "Even if you're not feeling it?"

Nick crosses his arms. "Hold up. Since you know something I don't, hold up. I can learn the others?"

"In theory," half-sang Moon. "I knew one pony that collected half of 'em."

"What... happens if you get them all?"

Moon leans in, half-draped over the couch. "We're back in story time, so don't take this as gospel. Come to think, maybe you should take it as gospel. Just as proven. Get all of them and you get friendship, and a lot less chance of exploding. In theory... A pony that has them all, and gains friendship, would be the pony that should be in charge of the whole thing." She lowers, chomping the last of her pizza slice. "That gonna be you? I can think of worse ponies for the job. Be kind to me, oh high queen of ponies."

Wait.. "What if you're already friendship?"

"Fine question. Problem, you have a friendship pony. They're exploding out their fuzzy ears with magic they barely comprehend. They're known for exploding, or imploding. Do you think a friendship is likely to collect all the other purposes before they self-destruct?"

She throws up a hand with a great sigh. "Even the most stable friendships are usually self-absorbed and lost in their own things. They're going to be the ones to pick up the other purposes? I doubt it. You, kindness, are already eyeing the others, and you have friends."

Feeding Moon Streak had gotten you some important tips... But there was still so much more to know.

Author's Note

The vote was quite spirited this time! But no reading books, or contemplating your own self. A friend? A friend.

Learned and confirmed a few valuable things. No official new assignment. What do we do?

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32 - The Binding of Friendship

Your mind is full of things to do. It was a pity there was only one of you, and so many options of things to do... "For now... bed."

"That's me being kicked out." She fired finger funs at Bright Spark. "You take it easy, dragon friend."

"You got me!" He hadn't actually been shot, but he died anyway, with all the drama the fake death didn't deserve. "And I thought... we were becoming friends." He flopped, tongue hanging free.

You wished Moon a safe trip back to her own home. "I'll pass the word on." And with that, the day was over. You and Nick stay in seperate rooms. You are a 'thing', but haven't settled just yet on doing couple things, like sleeping in the same bed, or sleepy cuddles.

Part of you is up for that idea! Part of you is against it. It's not easy being of two minds with that, but at least Nick is a good person about it and raises no fusses. It's his fault anyway!

The next day, you head in with Nick for work. On the way, you spring one of many things bouncing in your head. "So... up to telling me about loyalty?"

"Already?" He switches lanes smoothly, the one driving at the moment. "You just learned laughter."

"I won't go for more right away, promise... It's an odd feeling, but you two are people I trust. Like a purpose? Destiny? Just me being stupid?"

"I'll go with the first. You aren't stupid." But he gets quiet, just driving. "Loyalty isn't complicated, really. You were talking about first thoughts last night. First thought of loyalty: Are they alright? How can I protect them? Seeing someone in a bad spot, especially someone you care about, awful."

"Relatively straight forward." They each had a compassionate angle. How can I help them? How can I make them feel better? How can I protect them from being hurt in the first place? Each related, but different... "Ever get a good feeling?"

"Remember the vampire?" You nod. Hard to forget that one! "Fighting it off, keeping it from hurting you and the others? That was a decent good hit. Probably medium, from the way you were going on about it. Mild is more day to day, when you stop someone from hurting themselves or something from messing with them. Waking you up when you were going to be late? Little good."

"I wasn't going to be late!" you defend a bit more hotly than needed. "Sorry."

"Got the good anyway." As if that defeated any amount of logic against it. "Major? Never felt it, no idea. Is that enough? You going to try being that, and laughter, and kindness, all at the same time?"

"So long as I don't let it get to me, there's no harm, right?" You shrug at the idea. Why not? "If I can get a handle on it... Look, not trying to be boastful. I don't think I'm the solution to the world, but... just... what if?"

"What if... what?"

"What if I get friendship going?"

Nick is quiet as he drives. What feels like forever passes with the quiet hum of the vehicle. "You know... That will paint a huge target on your back. It won't be safe."

"You say that like I'm safe right now."

His grip on the wheel tightens. "I don't like hearing that... I want you to be safe."

"But... I'm not." Was there a way to pretend you were? "I'd have to quit and hide in a very deep hole, I think... And I'm not doing that. You dragged me into this."

"Shit." Well, darn, now he's looking upset. You called him out, and it stuck. He had dragged you into the strange side of the world and put you in danger. As a person, and a loyalty especially, he felt bad.

"Don't feel bad." Did saying that ever work?! "Look, I was bored and coasting before. Happy enough, but coasting, waiting to die, almost..." You tap at the dashboard. "Now I'm waiting to decide if I want to start taking having a boyfriend seriously, and how to juggle being a three colored magical horse... Which is crazy... But I don't want to give that up."

He snorts, amused at your words, bad mood punctured, a little. Laughter go! "I'm... glad to hear that... Still, I'd rather you weren't in danger."

"I was before." You nudge against him. "Would that vampire have not showed up if I stayed ignorant? Man, that would have been a hell of a visit..."

"Explaining that..." He shook his head and turned the car into the parking lot. "I'm glad we skipped that. You ready for work?"

"Yep." You both walk in and seperate. He goes for the front counter to start his day. You head into the back, falling into the colorful realm of their castle, and hitting the ground on all fours.

"I heard that." The viscountess strolls out, looking far less agitated. "Already back? That mean you learn something? You... Look better, but I can't say exactly how. Tell me."

She still has that look of tension. She's working hard, for the freehold and all the people in it. "Allow me to ask, how are you? I mean that."

She came up short, staring at you in a new way. "You really are just... asking that. You have no idea..." She put a hand to her head. "How long it's been since someone asked that just to ask it, without sounding like they're hoping for something, or trying to distract me from something else." She casually grabs you by the head, directing you by the horn along down a hallway. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, besides being a fuzzy healing source."

"I'm serious." You move to her side, though her hand remains on your head, your horn between two fingers. "How are you? Not in the 'I'm fine' way, but, seriously... You alright?"

"No." She pulls you by the head and horn to face her as she lashes a foot to close the door, sealing the two of you in that small room that could have just been a closet. "I'm not, since you keep asking. There's a lot to be not alright about, and it's my job to make it alright, somehow." She throws up her hands, freeing your head, for a moment. "Being royalty means you can't talk to your subjects. You, turns out, aren't technically one of those, so I can rant at you if I feel like it, and I wouldn't have, but you had to ask that. This is your fault, to be clear."

Loyalty led you to ask, risking her anger... But laughter was what was needed, you decided. No amount of hugs or healing would banish what ailed her. "You know... They really like you."

"They have little choice, little pony." She tickles you under your chin. "I am their ruler, after all."

"Yes... Yes, but... More than that. Geraldo, he speaks his mind, and he's admitted it before. He likes you. The only thing he doesn't like is that you don't like him back as much, but you're busy and I get that."

"Glad you do." She pinked your horn. "No time for romances, especially not his. They tend to be short and chaotic. It's like he prefers the sad stories to tell afterwards. No offense, but typical satyr... Now, stop teasing. Drop the ball. What do you want?"

To see her smile? Saying that felt like a dead end. "Do you ever get a day off?"

"I wish. Nobody else is going to do my job while I take one. Why? How does that help you?" She squints at you with obvious doubts.

"I... want to know my boss, past the mask she forces herself to wear all day every day." You swish your tail as an idea comes to you. "I'm just a pony. What you tell me, stays with me, and doesn't even count."

She grabs you by the cheeks. Alas, horses have big cheeks, and this includes ponies. She has a lot to squish and hold firmly. "Send your friend away."

Friend? Oh. There's Bright, trying to not be noticed. "I'll be out soon, go on."

"You sure?" He looks between the two of you, swallows, but flees without further complaint.

"Great." She releases you. "When did you become such... a shrink?" She hikes a brow and leans back against a wall. "I hate that I don't hate it, like I do around most... You don't put out judgy vibes. You really just want to know?" You nod quickly. "It isn't that special..."

So, she goes ahead and spills out the details of her life. She was born a human, as most changelings do. As most ponies did too, but you didn't bring that up. She talks about her childhood, about how she crashed into her changeling state as a young adult, and had to adapt to that quickly. "This whole place was basically on fire..."

But she got a grip on it and wrestled it into shape. "But it's a constant task, never ending. This is not a friendly world. You realize that, I think." She pats you like a good little dog, or pony. "You almost got chewed up by it... twice, I've heard. Once on our turf, and once off of it. How you got mixed up in that... Nevermind." She shoves you away a few inches. "There, my story. Happy?"

"Are you happy? Thank you for sharing. You've led an interesting life."

She squints just faintly. "And you haven't?"

"I was just an old ma... perso--"

"Spill it," she ordered. "I told you everything, return the favor."

Shoot... "I was an old man." You reach into a pocket and dig out your ID in your wallet, still with your old face and show it to her.

"You're kidding..." She takes the wallet and gapes at the old you. "And you're alright with that?"

"I'm alright." You swish your new tail with a smile. "An easier change than what you went through from the sound of it."

"Yeah... In some ways, can't argue that." She drops into a crouch, face even with yours. "Now, seriously. I get it. You're a nice pony, but you aren't that nice. What do you want?"

Oh! Right! "Since you keep asking... A friend of mine, also a pony, who can see how I see, wants to join the freehold, and get paid."

"I'm inclined to agree to another adorable thing, but what can they do, and are they a guy pony or a girl pony? Call me shameless if you want, but I have my preferences."

"Girl pony." That she said it like that, a bit uncomfortable. "Not that it should matter?"

"Look at you, being progressive." She taps you at the end of your quivering nose. "Cute. What can she do?"

You're annoyed a moment, but something occurs to you. She's not looking quite as mired in things as she had before. You had broken through, just one little chip. "She's a laughter pony, and a unicorn. She can do magic, and she'll try to brighten things up."

"A healer too?" She perked at the idea, clearly hoping.

"Sorry... Laughter. She brightens things up, knows which way up things go, and has a good attitude. Also, good at mind magic." You paw at the ground with a hoof. "Sound useful?"

She taps the side of her face with a lone finger. "Mmm... Not as obvious as a healer... How talented are we talking about? Rip the secrets out of someone? Mind control from the start?"

That was going to dark places! "I'm not 100% sure. I didn't ask her for a rundown of war crimes."

"Too cute." She ruffles the top of your head. "You said she could step back here if she wanted to, on her own hooves?"

"Yes. Should I call her?"

"You should! I won't know until I interview her. Does she have any idea what you're signing her up for?" She went for the door, cracking it open to the outside. "This isn't the retail job your boy got."

"I hinted." You follow after her. "But that'd be good to go over in the interview."

Author's Note

Laughter is the best medicine, they say. Let's learn to laugh and help others smile.

Three down, sorta? Practice is needed... She seems open to the idea of maybe hiring on Moon, but that sure isn't a sealed deal.

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33 - Checking In

You get your work done for the day. It helped that nobody was rushed in half-dying. But you didn't go straight home, instead asking about your pay. Not to quibble over the amount, but to get the information on the person a good chunk of it was going towards.

"God damnit," casually swore the bookkeeper, Toley, holder of the purse strings. "You really need to know?"

"I want to visit them, and, assuming things worked out." You wobble a hand in the air. "I doubt the 'usual' spot will have him, baking in the Florida sun."

"Bloody hell, maybe he likes the damned Florida sun. Ever think of that?" Despite his complaints, he's pulling up papers and getting that information. "Here." he shoves a hastily scrawled paper your way. "Don't get hurt."

Aw, that felt uncharacteristically nice. "He should be harmless."

"Yeah, we checked that." Toley cocks a brow at you. "But that don't mean everythin's fixed. Cheeky bastard, go see what you did. Maybe it worked out. Maybe it didn't. Just don't get tore up either way."

"I won't." You tuck away the paper with a quick wave of a hoof. "Thanks." Off-duty, you rush for the exit and hit the ground in the candy ship on your shoes. "Heading out."

Nick waves, though it's a muted gesture. He's helping a customer. Work was work. You leave him to his job and hurry off on your own goal. The man doesn't live far. Did the changelings do that? Possible.

You stride towards it like you mean it, and you do! Having the vigor of youth in your legs is helping the process along as you power walk along to find a one story house. It looks reasonable. Not fancy, not rundown. A workable house. "Nice." You head up to the door and press the bell button sitting there.

The answer comes a minute or three later. "Yeah?" He opens the door, a screendoor seperating you from him. "Who... Oh." He recognizes you. "Been a while... How did you even find me?"

"I heard you got a nice place." You wave over the building in general. "Thought I'd come and say hi."

"Yeah." He opened the screen door. "Seriously, how? Um... Nice to see you again, but how?"

What had he been told? Nothing, from the sound of it. Was it right to just say it? "That's my question," you turn it around. "Not complaining, but how did you get this?"

"My sister." He waves you inside. "It's hot out there." You head inside and he closes up, letting the air conditioned environment do its job. "I had one of those."

Had? "Did... Sorry, not trying to dig things up."

"You're nosey." But he goes off and returns with a glass of lemonade. "She died, left me an inheritance... Bloody hell, she was always looking out for me, did it to the end." He took a sip of his drink. "Fucked up... But I don't want to waste it. She died for this."

You certainly didn't plan any of that! Was she already dead? Did your request kill her? What happened?!

He notices you looking a bit out of sorts. "You are too damn nice. You don't even know her."

Right! "Sorry. That's a really good attitude you have there." You look around the home. It's clean, well-ordered, and even has some pictures posted. Is that his sister? "Seriously, that is a good way to honor her."

"I thought so." But your words do seem to reach him, smiling. "But forget that. You didn't visit for that. What did you visit for? We're hardly friends."

"Is... How are you handling this?"

"Huh?" He looks at you odd a moment before it seems to click. "Are you asking if I have a job? I'm asking around still. It's a lot easier when you have a damned address, let me start with that. " He takes a fresh sip. "But not yet. The inheritance is enough to float on while I look, but I won't mess up twice. I'd be letting her down... again..."

"You have this. Just don't panic. One step at a time." You consider a hot moment. "Just one."

"You remind me of her."

You hitch up. "What?"

"Sorry." He waves it away. "She was... She was nice, a bright spot in my day. Wasn't her fault I messed up the first time."

About that... "Sorry to ask, but weren't you working alone, last time. You said you didn't have any siblings."

"Shit." He puts his glass down. "You were paying attention? Look." He holds his hands up. "I already messed it up. I wasn't going to lean on her, and she was tired of trying. Me, mom... It was messed... Whatever. She watched out for herself. Can't even blame her."

That was a change in perspective. "Not everyone is... that."

"You're better?"

Well, you're working to keep his house, but also you didn't mention that. "I try, it's all we can do. You have this. All you needed was one step, one little rock in the right place to stand on. Your sister gave you that step, now you can walk again."

"Yeah... Yeah." He waves at the pictures. "I can't forget them. There she is." You had guessed correctly. "And mom." An older woman, about your age, minus the pony youth factor. "Where were you a few years ago?"

"Looking for you." You chuckle a bit at the question. "We can't be everywhere, or do everything, any of us. Just do what we can, where we are. Anyone that asks more than that is a jerk."

"Yeah. S'pose not." He grabbed his glass for a fresh draw. "Got a point... It's... I feel bad even thinking it, damn... But it's like a sort of revenge. She didn't protect me until she was dead, so good?"

"It's not like that." You can hear his thoughts taking a dark turn. "She wanted to help. If it... works, this is a sort of penance, but don't begrudge her. She's dead, not much more you can do about that." He snorted at the macabre humor. "But you're not. You can do her and yourself and favor by taking control of that."

"Yeah..." He swatted at your side. "Damn, lady. You are something else." He grabs your hand in a firm hold, just to give you a push towards the door. "Look, I'm going to do that, alright? I'll put things in order, so you get the hell out of here."

You're being kicked out, but you don't feel bad about it. Something about what he's saying feels right. He's on a better track. "I can't wait to hear the good news."

"You won't leave me alone." He takes the only half-consumed glass from you. "Get outta here."

So you're booted out, but... feel good. That went well, you decide. He's on a good path to getting even better. Still, that was kinda creepy. Did the changelings kill her to get the money to him somehow? Beware the gifts of fae, age old saying. Was it true?

You aren't going to get answers there, so you swing back by the parking lot to find Nick waiting by his car. He spots you at about the same time, waving you closer. "There you are. Where'd you wander off to?"

"Checking in on someone close by." You slip into the car and he's in a moment later, drawing out onto the freeway towards home. "Have a good day at work?"

"As good as it tends to get." He shrugs. "But tell me what you were doing. You shouldn't be wandering off. I know you enough to know you're a trouble magnet."

"No trouble there." Things grow quiet a moment, so your thoughts slip. "But I felt like I did a triple little."

"Triple little?"

"Three little goods." You put up three fingers to match. "None of them earth bending, but three goods. Defused an awkward moment, cared, and protected. I feel good."

"You are a god damned overachiever." The quiet resumes for a moment.

But your mind is still whirling. "I've been thinking."

"About?"

"You." You put a hand on his knee. "To start, jerk. You pulled me into this without even a little warning. That wasn't very nice."

"Sorry. You don't sound that upset about it."

"It's... hard. Your little stunt also was a gift of another fifty to seventy years of kicking around on this miserable dustball, and I plan on riding that out!"

"Good." He pulls off towards your shared street. "I don't want you to be mad. Sorry."

"I'm not." You squeeze gently. "Actually, I was thinking we should stop tiptoeing around. This is very very odd. Part of me thinks this is less of a big deal because I was a guy for most of my life. You have a lady you like? Considering putting a ring on it isn't out of the question."

Nick draws the car to a stop in the driveway. "Am I being proposed to?"

"One step at a time." You draw your hand back. "Nick, wanna go steady?"

"We weren't already?" He climbs out of the car and waits for you to come out.

"I mean acting it." You close the door behind you with the slap of metal. "Doing things couples do."

"Kisses?" He was standing by the car, as if afraid to move.

"Hugs," you continue. "Hand holding... All of that. I don't know, stupid pet names? I..." That brings up memories... "Shit... I had some fun pet names with her."

"Do not force yourself," he barks out firmly. "Don't. If you're doing this for me, don't. We can wait. I can wait. Forever, if we have--"

He doesn't get to finish, you holding your hand up over his face, not covering his mouth, but the point is delivered. "That's not fair to you. Look, this may be a bit macabre, but she's gone. She said for me to live, so I'm living. I'm sure 110% she didn't imagine me becoming a... this... but I'm taking it."

Nick nods, quiet at first, but his voice returns with a clearing of his throat. "Alright... Alright, sure... I just want to be extra sure you know I don't want to force this. I didn't give you that boop to lead to this. "

"But you did, and it did." You nudge him towards the house. "Thanks. Now you have a friend that graduated to your plus one."

"Don't put it that way." He closes the door to the house with you both inside. "You..." He trails off, picking up the hints you were dropping. "You want to?"

"Yes." Being subtle wasn't helping anyone involved. "I still have the same wiring, and pretty sure ladies have needs anyway. We're a thing, so let's do what things do."

"O-okay..." He held up a finger. "One thing. Am I moving into your room?"

"Yes." Your brows lower. "You don't snore, thank god."

"You don't either, I think?" He goes with you towards the bedroom you'll be sharing together. "To be 100% clear, I would be here even if you had no interest. To be honest, I thought you didn't."

"You weren't paying attention, and that's alright." You shrug it off, along with some clothes. "I was an old man and you're a young middle-aged man, so we didn't have a lot to chat on those lines." But that has since changed, a fact that both of you are aware of.

"This will sound odd... But do you want to... human or pony?"

"That's a legit question." You have both options! "For once... I want to try it as the human I am right now. If you're alright with that."

"It'll be new." But he was moving, divesting himself of his garments. "You're a little older, right now, than most I ever considered. I swear that's not an insult. You're amazing is what you are."

"Up to me if that's insulting." But you don't kick him out of the room. You have more interesting means of revenge.

Author's Note

It's time to see what our actions have caused, and maybe lend a hoof.

Three down, sorta? Practice is needed... She seems open to the idea of maybe hiring on Moon, but that sure isn't a sealed deal.

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34 - Past Problems

"Warrior of a distant time." You wake up, but you're not in bed. You're not at home. You're sitting in a field of stars and void. How you got there is anyone's guess. "Rise." The voice is that of a woman, but you don't see them anywhere. "Rise." Well, fine then. You stand up. You're not feeling tired, just confused anyway.

You try calling out to the voice, and it responds, "Good. After so many years of defeat, a new warrior already wears three jewels proudly."

That's when you notice the glinting shine. Around your neck are three big pendants, each like colored metal, cut into decoration. Some balloons, an apple, and, sitting in front, some butterflies. What do they mean? You ask just that question. Maybe the voice knows?

"Ancient symbols. Current virtues. Source of pony power."

Now they're getting somewhere. A hint! But why are you the only one? It doesn't feel like it's that impossible of a task.

"When one begins to climb a mountain, one may ask why nopony else even tries. Surely the first few steps aren't that difficult." The voice was gentle and educational in tone, patient in its explanations. "Why aren't others climbing alongside them? But where one sees a challenge, something that can be overcome, many see an obstacle best left well alone."

Huh... Alright then. Nopony?

"Sorry. That is a dated term." Emerging from nothing strode a pony, but not just a pony. She had fluffy wings spread wide, and a long horn. She wore a dazzling tiara on her head. "Warrior, climber of the mountain."

You take a quick step back and feel your hooves striking the... nothing. You're standing on a bed of stars, and you are a pony too. You don't have wings, but your horn's still there. "Who are you?"

"An ancient warrior." She nods at you lightly. "My time has long since past. I fought for those same virtues... But it fell between my hooves, and you see the result. You climb the mountain. Will you reach loftier heights than ever I managed? This would please me... You look confused. I feel no envy, only sorrow, that our ponies are in such dire straights." She folded her wings tight to her large back. "Warrior, do you understand my words?"

Mostly? Why was talking so... difficult? Your thoughts seem to carry to her, what you want to say, but most of your words never leave your mouth.

"This is a place of the spirit. Your soul is still being refined." She leaned in, her breath washing over your face. "Proud warrior, that you can even stand here, to hear me, is a sign that you have begun climbing. The world decays around us. It is not a safe place, for anything, let alone a lost little pony. They need their warriors, but they have none." She smiled then, going quiet a moment. "But I misspeak. Clearly they have at least one... But she is still growing. Can you feel the warmth? You are overflowing..." She raises a hoof to direct at your dangling pendants. "You are living the virtues, and their songs fill you."

You glance down at the pendants. You can feel their power, each glowing with the 'warmth' you have gathered. But what can you do with it?

"You can protect. You can display." The strange pegacorn paces around you in a slow circle. "This energy is the fuel for the most powerful of our magic. Unicorn, I know you've felt magic. Turn it towards our virtues, and it will be strongest yet." She batted at the pendants in one swipe. "But you are full. Another reason we speak. To hoard the warmth is not your purpose. To use it is. Do you know how?"

Well... There was that big healing explosion you did?

"Yes. A kind thing." She tapped at her chin. "So far have we fallen, that none eagerly tell you of the others. You have taken a lover, with Honesty. You wear their jewel." She directed to the apple, the first symbol you knew which was which of. "Your connection to them has meaning. Shall I share its power with you?"

If it wasn't taking it from someone else?

"You are too kind, perhaps." But she's smiling despite that. "The virtues only grow when given. They only diminish when taken. I will give it, and our discussion will end."

Wait! "Wait." Ah, voice, blessed voice. "You seem to understand what's going on. How did ponies get kicked out of the dreaming?"

The large pony took a step back. "Ah... I should have expected that question. You walk among old friends... Far have we fallen. We deserve the hatred focused on us."

What? "What did... some ancient ponies do?" It is difficult, getting the words out, but you force them one at a time.

"Broke a promise." She shook her head slowly. "One of the worst things one can do, involving them. The world needed us, and we weren't there. Long have we fallen. Warrior, will you catch us, and make the world a little better, perhaps?"

That's a lot of responsibility being dumped on you.

"You are not alone." She raises a hoof under your chin, raising your head up to face her. "You are loved and supported. Even those who have the right to hate you haven't turned you away. Mistakes can be worked against."

And all you had to do... What was she offering?

"This." She touched her horn to each of your shoulders and a new warmth spread quickly from each point of contact, filling you with radiance. "Good night. Good luck."

You awake abruptly in bed, sitting up with an equine snort.

"When'd you go pony?" Nick was there, roused by your sudden motion. "Good morning."

You had gone to bed as a human. You even... did things. Your grip on your man card felt pretty weak of late... You'd feel worse about it if you weren't enjoying it as much as you did. "Good morning." You felt it, a tickle. A new... thing... "I have a question."

"Yeah?" He brushed your fuzzy side lightly. "Does it involve why you're on all fours? Not complaining, just curious."

"Why aren't you trying to learn more about how any of this works?" You cross your arms, one hoof bobbing. "You've been a pony way longer than me." You felt it, that pull. You used some of that 'warmth' in asking that question, and with it...

"Well... Um." He looks nervous, but he doesn't stop talking. "Life's been busy, always is. I was just living. You know? One day at a time." He levels a finger at you. "It's a bigger question why you went from nothing to wanting to know it all overnight."

"We're in it." You throw a hoof up. "It's around us. Ignoring it is hardly an option. My introduction was your house getting ambushed by a literal vampire and you're wondering why I might care?"

"Okay, okay..." He wards you back with flat hands. "You have a point there. I didn't have such a... an intro like that. " He slides from bed and starts putting himself together. "You've had a hell of a time. Look... Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Thank you." You hop down with the clip-clop of your hooves. "But now you know better. I want you to be honest."

"I feel like you forced that."

And... perhaps you had. "Wouldn't you have told me anyway if I asked?"

"It's not a lie, exactly." He wobbled a hand. "If you're in denial. You're not wrong though. This is a bit more than a weekend hobby. It deserves a little more attention." He snapped his fingers. "By the way, you staying on all fours today?"

Right! You rise up onto human feet. "I learned a new trick, an honesty one." Do you tell how you got it? Well, it would be the honest thing to do... "In my dreams, of all places."

"What?" His flat tone carries the fact that he doesn't get it.

"I had a dream. There was a pony in it." You raise a hand up, not taller than you are as a human. "Big, horn and wings. She had a lot of good advice. Kept calling me a modern warrior."

"'Cause you are." He swats at your side on the way past. "You keep getting into trouble and fighting through it. I'll get breakfast going."

You follow after Nick into the kitchen. "That's it?"

"Should there be more?" He's working on making breakfast happen with the clinks of metal on the stovetop. "You've been a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them. If you say something happened, I'm inclined to believe it. I'm not even sure this rates as the strangest one."

"Really?" You tap a foot, watching him. "What does win that prize then?"

"Well..." He cracks a few eggs into a bowl, whisking them up. "I'd have to go with the 'I fought a bunch of angry spirit-magic dogs with a bunch of people in the land of dreams. People died." He pours the mix into the pan to stir and beat to a frothy creation. "That is a thing you did."

It was... "Okay... That's at least about equal. What puts it over the top?"

He turned to face you a moment, jostling the pan in one hand. "You were with other people. I can't call that a fanciful dream when you have witnesses, can I? So, yeah, that, winner." He flips the pan over, dumping the eggs out and soon making up two plates of breakfast. "Here ya go."

You take the plate and start your day properly. "Still... Are there any crazy legends about visions of pegacorns?"

"Just one." He raised a finger a moment before reaching for some orange juice. "Not called that. I think Alicorn was the word? I heard it from a girl that heard it from a guy, you know how that goes?" He shrugs, chewing on his food. "Couldn't peg the source if I tried. You saw one, and it gave an honesty trick. That's...pretty cool, really." He fired a thumbs up. "Why haven't they ever visited me?"

"You're not climbing the mountain."

That gets him looking so very confused. "No... You climb mountains? I didn't know that was a thing you're into." He puts his plate in the sink. "Kinda cool. Interesting hobby to pick up at your... old age? New age? Whatever age, didn't think you'd be doing that."

"Fuck off." You snort, annoyed at the ableist ramblings. "There are plenty of old climbers out there, but I don't mean a physical mountain anyway." Your anger abates, soothed by tasty breakfast. "I'm chasing all the pony virtues, and that impressed them, apparently... I'm a 'warrior' that makes me the world a tiny bit better."

"Already made mine better." He takes your plate from y our willing hand and it joins the first in the sink. "That's more than a little trippy... Look, don't mean to be sexist or anything, but 'be super nice' strikes me as a more... female thing. I'm pretty happy as I am."

You toss up your hands. "Cut that out. You're on a roll today, and not a good one. Guys can be nice people too. I was a nice person."

"Part of what drew me. But then... You're also a guy that's pretty comfortable living the girl life, so not sure how good that example is."

Shoot... He has a little point. You have to decide what to do. Warrior of modern times, how did you wage that battle? Maybe Nick was a fine starting point, or the Freehold, or just normal people who needed a decent person to take the time and give a damn? You had countless options, but there was only one of you... Which to try?

Author's Note

Y'all want to dive into the past, so let's do that!

Three down, sorta? Practice is needed... She seems open to the idea of maybe hiring on Moon, but that sure isn't a sealed deal.

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35 - Virtue Signalling

You take the time to check... the time. It was a little early, but not that early. "Think we can head out?" You jerk a thumb towards the front of the house. "I want to talk, but also just not be here, inside. I'll drive this time."

"I'm already awake, but let me shower first. You may want it too." He headed off to take care of his hygiene needs. You patiently queued until two freshly groomed individuals emerged, poised to take on the day. You led the way to your car and took the driver's side. Nick hopped in the other and you pulled out onto the road to begin the journey.

"If you want to learn, I want to show it," you start. "The trick I learned. She said to share it wouldn't hurt anything. The opposite, really."

Nick chuckled at that. "I was curious. I never learned much in the way of specific 'honesty' tricks beyond what came 'naturally'."

"If you're curious, ask." You give him a poke from the side. "I don't bite. That's your job."

He colors at that. "I didn't hurt you, I hope?"

"No, I'm playing with you. You're good at that, I can report." You can see you've broken a knot, a little bit of laughter? "So, you want to know? It makes people tell the truth, puts the fire to their feet. It's brute forcing the whole thing." You looked to the other side, glancing between it and the drive ahead. Thankfully, it was early. The highway wasn't very busy just yet.

"Not very nice."

You snort at that. "Holding onto a secret, in the wrong situation, is worse for the person. It's a tool. Use it in kindness." You think about that. "Don't drag an answer free you didn't want to hear. That'll make you both unhappy. So, you want to know? I'll take either answer. It's up to you."

"I'd be dumb to say no." He folded his arms. "Not that I want to force you. Share if you want to."

"Then I will." Trick... How did you do that? They instructed you without words. You don't know yourself how to do that. It was just... given. But if it could be given to you, perhaps you just needed to not overthink it and get on with the giving? You secure one hand tightly on the wheel and reach with the other, resting on his closer hand, on his chest..

"Both hands on the wheel," he gently chastises.

"Busy." You curl your fingers around his and focus on that feeling, of truth, of the drawing, the meeting of wills and the demanding of honesty.

You have to swerve with the squeal of tires. How long had you been focused? On the plus side, you don't smash into the back of the car ahead of you and loud honks are the only proper punishment given for your lapse of focus.

"Two hands," roars out Nick. "Not a debate."

"Right right." You have two hands there now, gripping it with white knuckles. "Did it work?"

"Permission to ask an awkward question?" His eyes are on the road, lest more wandering happen.

"Go for it." What he could ask that would be too awkward eludes you.

"Are you happier as a guy, or a girl?"

It's a simple question. Pity it's also a crushing one. "Damn. You went right for the heart there. Will you be really mad if I say I'll give it some honest thought and get back to you?"

"If you mean it, which... That's really strange, but I feel like you do."

"I do." You smile at that. "That sounds like it worked, so hold me to it." You did it! You've passed on a gift, and made it stronger. You made the world a better place, just a little. "Next meeting, we need to ask, point blank, for anyone else that may know a trick or two. We have to stop sitting on them."

A new thought comes to you. "Can you give a gift of a virtue you don't have?"

"In English?" He prompts with a rolling hand.

"You are 100% loyalty." You nod with that. "I just gave you an honesty trick, and that worked. Logical. But if I tried to pass you a kindness... Would that work too, or would you need to open up to kindness first before that'd go through?"

"Probably?" He shrugs, clearly thinking about it. "A whole different way of looking at things. Oh, wait, one other thing." He raises a finger. "Don't get this stuff mixed up with unicorn stuff."

"Right." One was magic, like spells. The other were gifts of the virtues themself. Different. "But unicorn spells can be traded, in theory. Still, different. Very different." Learning a unicorn spell took longer than an intense meditation too. "I feel good though. We've learned something important."

He pats you on the shoulder. "Glad for that. Just keep your eyes on the road for the rest of the way, huh?"

"Right right." You get both of you off the highway and approaching work. "Will you get upset if I drop you off?"

"It's your car?" He shrugs at that, eyes on the building that held the store. "But don't you need to go to work too?"

"And I will." You pull into a spot in the parking lot. "But I want to look around first. Think some thoughts. I won't crash into anything, promise."

"I'll hold you to that." He swats you, but does get out of the car. "See you at the end of the shift."

He heads inside and you wait until he's actually in before you get the car moving. "Time to look." You're free to roam the neighborhood. You never bothered to just... look. The neighborhood was just an alright place, driving through it to work. Actually looking, you can see it is rough around the edges. There are people making do the best they could. Some are walking briskly towards work, or whatever else was calling. Others huddle in absent misery. Others talk, drink, or smoke. Whatever distracted them.

The world was rotting, as the dream warrior had noted. It was rotting, and a bad time for anyone, especially a lost little pony.

What can you do about it? A thousand thoughts came and left in your head. You can try to help around the freehold, or keep nudging Nick towards learning more about being a pony?

You could try to complete the set? You were shown you had three of them. There were others. What were they? Genorisity. You tap at the steering wheel, trying to remember the other. "Laughter, kindness, loyalty..." Ah, right. "Magic." That hardly seems fair. How did the average person display magic? All the others were virtues to live by. Magic... wasn't?

"Honesty?" You had picked up loyalty, come to think. How did that give the honesty gift? Nick had gained it without an issue.

A thought tickled at you. Did that dream warrior give you a larger gift than you had expected? Had you already done more than you thought?! "Crap!" It was a happy curse, but still a curse. That dream vision had just casually given you a new virtue and not even mentioned it. Then, what do you do?

You pass it right along. "It grows when given." You tap at the steering wheel along to the song of the words. "There has to be a reason." Relativity? Honesty and Loyalty were pretty tied up. Being loyal generally meant being honest. Being kind often meant... "Being generous." You've been generous! You had a job that had most of its money going to someone you barely knew. That had to count, right?

"It's not a contest," you remind yourself with a hissing sigh. There'd be no grades given. There was no class to pass to get to the next grade. "You just have to live it... If you have, give. That's... generosity, right? Give what you have. Give even when it hurts a little..." You remember back to when you knocked yourself flat, trying to save as many of those fae warriors as you could. Kindness and generosity were very related.

"Damn it." It was all starting to make a sort of sense. How had you missed it before then? "Laughter and magic, are they related?" They were the only pair left. The only two that didn't immediately jump up to being a pair. "They say laughter is the best medicine. Laughter can... Magic isn't fair." You frown with the thought. "And magic makes unicorns go crazy. Are we even sure it should be magic?"

Your brain's going at a thousand miles per hour, but getting nowhere. You have too much going on up there, and no aim as to where to head next. You have kindness, and with it, a general feel for generosity. You have loyalty, and honesty took up alongside that. Not to crow too loudly about it, sure, you feel like a kindly generous person that's honest and loyal. All four of those things sound right.

"Good thing humility isn't one of them..." Probably failed that one, if it had been one. "Laughter is a joke of its own. It stands alone... But maybe it doesn't have to." But... what virtue could fit in snugly with Laughter that'd make the whole diagram work better? You feel so dang close to the answer.

Your phone chimes. An alarm is informing you that you should head to work. "Joke's on you." You're already fairly close. You take the next turn and head back to the candy shop. Hopping out, you walk briskly inside, sparing a wave to Nick on the way past. You'd have to tell him what you figured out, and the other ponies too ideally.

You hop through the door into the back hallway and hit the ground on all fours. Something's glowing, from you. You turn your head to look over your shoulder and find it's your rump. Both rumps. They're glowing brightly, your... What was it called again? You have a mark and it's glowing brightly, showing the embraced heart. "Huh?" You're not doing anything just then. What was that glow for?

"There you are." Your assistant at the triage was coming fast. "You're all... glowy today?"

"Yes, I am." You take a step, being sure that your shine isn't getting in the way of movement. "Sorry? I didn't mean for it."

"There's not a lot of good reasons for that." She frowns at you. "Best check in." She direct towards the viscountess' room. "Especially if you don't know why."

They have enough of a point that you head towards her office and knock on it with a light clopping. "Is this a bad time?"

"Doctor horse?" She opens the door to look down at you. "Oh... Look at you." Her eyes are sliding along towards your glowing back end. "Is there a reason for that?"

"If I had to guess... I'm putting things together, pony-wise. I think I made some progress."

"Lords above and below." She waves you inside. "I wish I had such a helpful nightlight whenever I had an idea worth keeping around. I'd ask you what it's about, but I'm getting the idea it has more to do with the other fuzzballs and less to do with us." She closes the door once you're past it. "Or, at least, you specifically." She levels a finger between your eyes. "Either way, not my business, unless you want to make it my business." she pauses, giving you a chance, perhaps, to speak up and make it her business.

Author's Note

The hive mind is confused and uncertain! Did I give too many equally great answers?

Do we bring it up to the viscountess? There are pros and cons to that idea.

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36 - Making it a Problem

You consider the options a moment. "First." You hold up a hoof towards her. "I want your name. Calling you by title only is odd, and we're past that, I hope?"

The viscountess cocks one brow. "There are people who have lived and died and never called me by name." She throws one hand up. "But some, friends, outside of public sight, who use it all the time." She turns a finger of the same hand towards you. "You count as 'public', being the trick there."

"A small talking pony is not public and you know it."

She snorts at your logic. "We don't count the sleeping masses as anything. My name's not a secret. It's just not used often. Did you ask before? Whatever, Rassie. Most go with Ras. There, given name, given." She crosses her arms under her chest. "If you use it outside of private, I will see how good of a glue you make."

An involuntary cringe overtakes you with a step back. "No need to get violent..." You look Ras over, as if just having a name changed her in some strange way. "A literal dream warrior visited me."

"Yeah?" Ros crouches closer to your level. "What kind?"

"The kind that knows things." You paw at the air. "The kind that feels ten feet tall, when they're not much larger than you. They gave me a gift, one I know I have now, so it 100% wasn't 'just a dream'."

"Sounds serious." She also sounds serious, taking your words. "What kind of gift? If you don't mind my asking. You started this."

"I did." You angle an ear at her. "You've seen some of my gifts. The healing touch. The healing burst, and now, an appeal for truth."

"An appeal?" She rises to full height. "Just to be clear, using that would be an immediate crime, especially on me. We can't have people interrogating royalty." She dances a few fingers in the air. "Bad decorum at best. So, as much as I adore your healing tricks, you can keep that one to yourself."

"Fair!" You hold up your hooves placatingly. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I can just ask questions the old fashioned way."

"Better." She leans back against her desk. "So, what'd they say? You didn't bring them up just to gloat, did you?"

"No..." How to phrase it...? "Alright. Ponies." You point at yourself. "They have a few virtues they take as a big deal, and they seem to really be. I'm a kindness pony, my specialty, and where the healing comes from."

"Which is that friend of yours?" She reaches back for a folder. "I hired her, by the way. She insists she can get this place 'moving'. I'm hoping you can help me understand what she's getting at."

"She is a laughter." You step around her office with little clops. "Glad you took her on. She'll try her best to put smiles on more faces."

"Not exactly what I was worried about..." She rolls a hand. "But she made it sound like it would be a big help."

"It will." You turn towards Ros. "Miserable warriors aren't good ones. Um, but getting off-topic. Kindness, laughter, honesty, loyalty, generosity, and magic." You tap hooves with each counted word. "Those are the pillars, the virtues of ponies."

She pokes you, right at the end of your snout. "What's the difference? Generosity and kindness sound like the same thing."

"Close." Part of you was irritated. She reached that way faster than you had! "Caring enough to really get on something's level and see what is hurting them and try to fix it, that's kindness. Generosity is giving what you have, even when it hurts sometimes, to make things right. They're very related."

"Sure... Will you be mad if I say you seem to have both?" She snickers softly, waving over your form. "Good pony."

"Um, thanks." You flip an ear back. "I agree. I have those down pretty well, I think. So... This is where things get theoretical. I think, a long time ago, ponies were way bigger about it." You spread your forehooves. "Like walking exemplars of their virtues. Trying to grab them all was still kind of unusual. The ones that managed it... Those were the ones that ended up on the top of the pile."

"So." Ros points to you, then the door you came in from. "Meet any ponies like that?"

"One." You point to yourself harder. "I've gotten four, maybe five?. Two to go... Problem, one of those two tends to make unicorns go insane. The other, not as immediately dangerous, and I may already have it..."

She brings down a hand on your head, patting you. "Am I talking to pony royalty? Am I hiring pony royalty? That's a feather in the cap... So, did you figure out why ponies are on the no-fly list in the Dreaming? Still something I want to know, and why I can't send you out there again."

Right, that. "I have theories?"

"You have a lot of those. Let's hear one." She goes to the door and casually locks it. "This is not something to share casually."

"No." You consider. "Ponies fell from grace. Why? Couldn't say... But I'm guessing they were expected to do... things... And then didn't do them." You cycle your hooves in the air, thinking it through out loud. "Less paragons, no rulers, it fell apart."

"And promises weren't kept." Ros frowned with the thought. "I can understand that part... As much as I'd like to say we're better, we've broken a few oaths that way... And we're still paying those prices, and the promises still aren't being kept." She shrugs mightily. "It's a tough world, and we're barely hanging onto that cliff's edge. Sounds, to me, like it's time for you little ponies to at least try to get it together and making good."

"So, you want me to reach for that last one?" You bring your hooves together. "Magic. In the hands of a unicorn, powerful. We already have magic, uncapitalized. Adding capital M magic, it can be too much. But let's pretend... I get it. Then you do have pony royalty on your hands. I will be very... busy... doing something." Doing what? You didn't know. But it'd be busy!

"Look." She puts a hand down on the desk beside herself. "Look. As handy as you are as a combat medic, I'd be a real arse if I stopped you here. I'd also be putting myself on a hate list for making sure that promise was never kept. So, you need time off? Take it. I am docking your pay though until you get back. If you get back." She sighs deeply. "I'd rather you get back. If you can, keep me in the loop?"

"Got a cellphone?"

She raises a brow. "No, thanks. You do? Don't pull it out." You nod without reaching. "Great, grab a card on the way out. The shop has a number." She points out. "I'll see you later, fuzzball."

That was a dismissal. "If anything serious comes up, you know how to reach me."

"I appreciate that." She makes shooing motions. "I have things to do. Good luck, I mean that." She settles behind her desk and pushes away the papers that, perhaps, involve your friend. "This place won't run itself."

With a grab of your magic, you unlock the door and head through it with a clopping . "I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that settled, you leave... No. You stop by the triage first and make sure nobody is suffering just because you didn't take a moment. With a smile, satisfied, you head out. As she suggested, you grab a card with the store's number on it.

Later, at home, you greet Nick with a wave, and a hug, and even a little kiss to go with it. "We need to call a meeting."

"Of the house?" He waves to himself and you. "We did it."

"Not that." You frown with a hint of a smile at the silliness of it. "Pony meeting. How do we do that?"

"You call the ponies you have the numbers of, they reach out to theirs. It's a big... thing." He shrugs. "If you got a big emergency, that can help it happen faster. Did something big happen?"

"Nothing bad." You cycle your hands over one another. "But maybe very good. Remember what we talked about? It's time to have a pony meeting about being ponies. Not surviving the latest crisis, but being all the pony we can be."

"Nice idea." He moves for the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. "But a hard sell. How do you plan to make them pay attention? Most of them are happy to live another day."

A fine point, perhaps... "Well, there are a few angles we can take..." You dance your fingers together. "We can start with greed. The gifts we have are useful. Not using them? That's just hurting ourselves, even if you forget everything attached."

"Greed, alright." He downs the rest of the glass. "Not clean, but worth not forgetting. Got any other angles?"

"Pride." You stop yourself, frowning. "These are sounding like sins to the virtues we're supposed to be doing."

"I was wondering if you'd notice." Nick returns without the glass. "Got any angles that don't come across as sketchy?"

"The world sucks," you sigh out. "But it doesn't have to, and we can make it better, one little step at a time. This isn't 'fixing global warming' here. This is the definition of local action with local results." You clap, crashing onto the couch. "Making one person's day so they don't make someone else miserable. We can be a little tiny push in the right direction. Isn't that worth it?"

"I like the sound, but it won't convince many." He settles next to you. "You're taking this seriously, and, being honest here, I love it. After... How many years of you not even knowing it, this is your thing now." He slaps the back of a hand against your arm. "Love it. We're on the same page. I'll call who I know. You know at least one, give her a call. We'll get the wheels turning. Meanwhile, consider that pitch."

It is a pitch, isn't it? You had to 'sell' the idea of the despondent ponies standing up and being themselves, shining in a dim world. You have to make it sound like a good idea. "This is a tall order." You fold your arms, tapping your fingers. "But I don't... think... I will convince them." You hit the ground on all fours, just to clop and stomp in a moment of frustration. "Someone has to do it!"

"And that someone is you." He pets along your back. "And I want to help, just give the word how."

"You know them." You turn to Nick. "I'm still a strange new thing. I need you, a lot. You need to be on board... You learned an honesty trick, that's a big step. You have to be ready to talk up for me, and mean it. Really mean it."

"I do mean it," he assures in a firm tone. "Speaking of that, time to answer that question." He wags a finger at you. "Girl or guy. We going to be a two dad family, or a dad and a mom? Pick one, because I already signed all the dotted lines I have."

That brings a pause to you. "You'd be alright if I went back to the way I was?"

"There'd be less of what we're doing now," he admits. "But, uh, shoot... There are other ways, if you want... I'm not an ace, as you saw. I have needs. There are other ways to see those done... This'll sound stupid, maybe, but you don't strike me as the kinda person that'd just leave me hanging if you had any other choice. So... yeah." He spread his hands slowly. "This is your choice. I'm not picking your body for you."

That leaves you with two big things to consider.

Author's Note

Y'all are much more certain which way you want to go now. Time to bring her up to speed, and light the pony signal. We do have a pony signal, right?

Why does Nick ask hard questions?

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37 - Calling All Ponies

"Moon." You pace with your phone. "Time for a new meeting, not about an emergency, but about getting ourselves together for a change."

"That is the definition of a meeting, yes," she retorted with a nice slab of dry humor. "Girl, what are you up to?"

"Ponies can be more. Put out the word, please."

"Yeah..." She doesn't sound convinced. "You saw them, very uninterested. Can't even get them to... What is your idea?"

"That's past a phone chat. Can you?" You settle on the couch and flop over. Nick doesn't complain as you prop your legs over him without asking. "If it goes well, we'll all be in a better place, and it isn't a physical thing, like getting random people to learn kung fu."

"Thank all the gods for that." She chuckles into the line. "Alright... I trust you, more the fool I am."

"Thank you. See you there." You click the phone to hang up. "I did my part."

Nick nods and casually pets your belly since it's available. "I called up a few. Now they have to play phone to get the others moving. You're being hush, which doesn't help this happen fast. Big events get ponies charging."

"A change of philosophy." You raise a finger. "That isn't what you advertise as a 'big event' like that. But, since we're on topic, do you know any other loyalty tricks? We need to stop hoarding them like dragons."

"You going to show me your tricks then?" He taps you on your belly.

"I showed you one."

"True." He sits up a little. "Mine is a little rougher. It's for when times get tough, but you know people are relying on you. You can keep fighting, even when you should be out of the fight."

You imagine that a moment. "That does go with the warrior slant you have. How does it work?"

"You really want to know?"

You frown up at him. "Look, when I went too far, I passed out and left it up to other people to finish, and some of them didn't make it. Yes, I'd rather stay ready, to help, to avoid that."

"Loyalty just got kindnessed," Nick laughs out. "Okay! If you really want it." So he goes over what he envisions, the manic rush, the desperate need to not let someone else down. "You can sleep when they're safe." That was the basic motto of the gift. "Get it?"

As he goes over it, something begins to make sense. "I can see how this would just not click with some. Moon would probably laugh this right off. This isn't her style, or the way she thinks."

"Laughing things off is her thing." Nick did not look sorry for his poor joke. "But, yeah, doubt it. What about you?"

"I understand it." You flex a hand powerfully. "Next time, I'm staying awake, and maybe less people have to leave us."

His hand finds yours, grasping gently. "I hope there isn't a next time. But, if there is, you'll be ready."

"Thanks for that." You bottle up that trick for later.

"So, which is it?"

"Hm?

He squeezes your hand. "Boy, girl, which?"

You go quiet a moment. "Well... If I'm honest with myself, I'm pretty comfortable how I am. Part of me feels like I'm just not either really, but more girl than not, for sure... Ponies knocked my man card in the trash and gave me a bedazzled lady card." You flex your fingers as if holding such a card. "And I like it."

"Good." He strokes your belly in one slow motion. "Will you be mad if I say I'm kinda glad you went that way?"

"A little?" You sit up, bringing your legs down off him. "You said it doesn't matter."

"I said I'd deal with it either way." He taps at your shoulder. "Because I'm not a jerk, and we're in it. I don't give up easily. That doesn't mean I have no preferences. But that also doesn't they mean much compared to you being happy in your own body. So, that first."

You have a loyal, and reasonable, boyfriend. "Alright, so, the meeting is pending... About Magic."

"What about it?"

"I want it." No mincing words there. "The virtue, not just another spell. Any idea who I can talk to about that?"

"The one that aught you magic in the first place, doesn't he know some?"

You think of Eager, bottled up in his little house. "I remember him. Steady Step. Worth a try." You stand up. "Can I have his address again? I didn't memorize it."

"Right now?!" Nick is watching you with amazement. "Seriously?"

"Is there a better time?" You get the address and head out to the car. "Be back soon, I think." He has your number, so you're never too far away. You drive off towards Eager Step's house. On a whim, you flick dreaming vision on.

"Hi!" Bright Spark is seated behind you with a big dragon grin. "Don't you already know magic?"

"I know magic, lowercase m. I want to know Magic, uppercase M, maybe with a k at the end? The real stuff." You adjust lanes smoothly. "There's a difference."

"Sounds fun." He leans against the back of your seat. "I don't know magic, with a capital or not... Maybe without an m? Agic? How's that?"

"You're the agicest dragon I know." He seems to enjoy your compliment. "Sorry I haven't had a lot of time to play."

"Are you kidding?" He hugs you from around the chair. "We've had way more time to play and talk than we used to! This is great! Besides, I want to help, not be in the way." He flicked his tongue out, like a snake tasting the air. "So you keep going. If I can help, let me know."

"Aw." Bright Spark was a good dragon, you're sure of that. "Time to visit the friend who showed me how to see you."

"Ooo. I'd thank them, but they can't see me." He leans in past your seat. "Can you show him how?"

Well... "I think I could... But it may upset the others if I go spreading that secret. That is their world."

"Poopy." He crosses his arms, shot down, but not raising a big fuss aside that.

You pull in in front of Eager Step's house. "See you later, Bright." He waves as your vision slides back into normality, removing him from your sight. You climb out of the car and head over to the house, knocking on the door. "You in there, Eager?"

It is quiet a moment, but you can hear steps not long after, coming closer. "If that's the pizza, put it down," comes muffledly through the door.

"It's me." You wave at yourself, though you aren't sure if he can see it. "Remember me?"

The door cracks open. "What are you doing here?" he asks through the small opening. "You know the basics."

"I want more than that, sorry. Got a moment to chat?"

The door closes. You can hear the rattle of locks and chains. The door opens. "Come in." He waves you inside and closes the door behind you, getting the locks and things in place.

"This is about Magic, capital M."

He turns and falls forward, hitting the ground on four hooves. "Really? Really?! I told you how dangerous it is... I don't want you to get hurt. You seem like a nice pony..."

You join him on hooves. Both of you have and enjoy the trick of having your clothes come with you. "Thank you for that, but I'm not doing this for drunken power."

"What are you doing it for then?" He looks you over curiously. "You feel... different. Getting comfortable with the pony life?"

"Yes, and more beside that." You offer a forehoof. "I've embraced Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Honest, and Generosity."

His eyes go uncomfortably wide. "You didn't... How long ago was that?! This isn't a speed run!" He stomps in place, caught somewhere between a delirious laugh and snorts of annoyance. "And now you want to finish the set?"

"That's the idea." You smile awkwardly as he closes, sniffing at you. "What?"

"You don't smell as crazy as most who ask this." He sits on his haunches. "Tell me, and be honest, why?"

"Why..." You cycle a hoof in the air. "Why do I want it?" He nods. "Because someone has to. Ponies are lost. Ponies are scared. Ponies are not being very good ponies. It's hurting us and the whole world while we're at it."

"Big talk." He points past you. "Where's Nick? Figured he'd be glued to your side. Figured you wouldn't want to leave him. It's hard to peel a kindness away from their 'thing'."

"One." You tap your hooves. "He's not a thing. Two, we're not kids. I can be away from him a moment." Even if a nice hug from him sounded kinda nice. "And he'd die of boredom watching two unicorns talk about magic."

"True..." He coiled away, glancing at his television before looking back. "Magic is a way of thinking. It's about reaching past your limits, as far as your will lets you go, and not being happy until there isn't anymore to reach."

"That sounds exceptionally dangerous..." You frown with the thought. "So, like the human wizards?"

"Exactly." He nods slowly. "Exactly... Look, I put a hoof in there, once." He reaches forward as if taking a step, but doesn't finish. "I saw it, and I backed away. Most sane unicorns do that. Still..." He deflated with a sigh. "If you're serious?" You nod quickly. "Then the best place to learn the root of magic would be the ones I told you to stay the hell away from."

"The human wizards?"

"The human wizards," he repeats flatly. "They can show you, or kill you, or make you wish for it or forget where it starts and ends." He shrugs with a nervous chuckle. "You really can't be sure... Look... I don't want you to be hurt."

You close with him, touching snout to snout. "I will be careful. I don't want to be hurt either."

"But you won't give up either?" You shook your head. "Figured... Figures..." He presses his hooves to the sides of his head, rubbing in slow motions. "You are the best and worst girlfriend I ever met. I don't know if Nick is blessed or cursed. Okay, look, I'm friends with two of them. Friends is in quotes." He makes quotes with his hooves. "I try not to be around them much, to avoid what comes with it... So, I present a choice. Take one." With a glowing horn, he pulled out two cards.

"Steve. Nice guy, loves his Playstation. Spends most of his days delving into the depths of the Internet and trying to change the world, one meme posting at a time."

Steady lifted the other card higher. "Pauline. Witch. I'm not even joking, she's a witch. Card-carrying wiccan that means it. She will sacrifice her period blood to old gods under a full moon. She will put hexes on people that cross her and she has a damn familiar." He lowered the card level with the first. "Those are your choices. Which are you going to entrust your mind, body, and quite literally your soul to? I'd love to say which is the 'best' option, but the best option is for you to turn around and go back where you came from. Kiss Nick and forget this whole thing."

He isn't making either option sound great. Still, if you wanted to get Magic, capital M, those are sounding like the most immediate options. Which to go with...?

Author's Note

Excitement can breed uncertainty. All the options looked good! Send up the pony signal, be ready with a snazzy speech, and look for magic, especially that last part. Let's do it!

Okay, time for a question that isn't multiple choice. Select your destiny.

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38 - Rhymes with Witch

Eager sets the business card out, letting you grab it in your magic. "Here you go. She's crazy. She's sure she's part of an ancient order that knows the truth of the world, and she's the fastest way for you to get what you want." He sighs softly. "Take it... and go home. Yeah... Yeah... You won't do that, but I have to ask." His eyes wander over your form. "Sorry for asking, but should I refer to you as a lady or a guy?"

You read over the card. It has a phone number and an address. There's very little else on it. Someone else with this card would be helpless to remember who or what the card was for. Mysterious... "Thank you, and lady works." You turn for the door. "Before I go, how many people like me end up just going with lady?"

"Huh? Oh." He blinks, mind catching up. "Right! Actually... Most run as fast as they can to stop it being an issue, then go right back to being a fella." He rubs at the side of his head. "Afraid this means you had a little lady in you to start, or you wouldn't be easing into it so quickly. No offense! Lady people are cool too."

"Thanks." You rise up to regained human feet in shoes and head out to your car. You had a witch to visit.

You tuck the mysterious business card into your pocket as you head out to your car. A witch - the idea sends a tingle of apprehension and excitement through you. This Pauline could provide the key to unlocking the final pony virtue of Magic, but contacting her also opens the door to considerable risk.

As you start up your car and input the address from the card into your phone's map app, you consider whether this is a wise course of action. Your pony friend Eager Step clearly had misgivings about connecting you with Pauline. Perhaps there is good reason for his caution. Then again, when has playing it safe led to anything worthwhile?

With your destination set, you pull out of the driveway and begin the drive. You've come this far by embracing each new strange experience that has come your way. What is one more, when the prize could be so great? Answers, purpose, and perhaps the power to truly make a difference in this ailing world - aren't these worth pursuing?

The drive is not far, but your nerves make it seem longer. Eventually you pull up at a modest single story house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Nothing about it stands out - nothing to suggest a mystical witch dwells here. Taking a deep breath, you walk up to the front door and ring the bell. No turning back now. The bell echoes within, and you hear footsteps approaching. The door opens, and you come face-to-face with your destiny.

"Can I help you?" asks the plainly dressed woman who appears. She shows no obvious signs of eccentricity or occult leanings. But you know better than to judge on appearances alone.

Clearing your throat, you hold up the business card. "I was hoping I could speak with Pauline."

The woman's eyes narrow, scrutinizing you closely. "Where did you get that?"

Your heart quickens. Here we go. How will you respond? "A mutual friend." Surely Eager knew her to get the card, right?

"In," she commands in a tone that offers no arguments. She snatches the card from you on the way past her and slaps the door shut behind you. With the clack of heavy metal, she seals the two of you inside. She smiles with a disarming kindness. "You've come all this way. Are you thirsty?"

"Um, sure." You step towards what seems to be her living room. There was so little there that'd hint the owner was anything but a random nice lady. A cat meows as you dare to enter its domain. "Hello there." You offer a hand towards it and soon enjoy the feeling of a cat nuzzling at the hand. "What a nice thing you are."

"He doesn't trust many." She wanders past, towards a small kitchen. "One point for you."

You smile as the cat nuzzles against your hand and you take the time to return the affection, rubbing the cat's head and tickling its chin. You decide to take its affection as a good omen. As Pauline wanders into the kitchen, you take the chance to glance around her living room. Aside from the cat, there are few signs of anything unusual - just ordinary furniture and decor.

You hear the sound of glasses clinking as Pauline prepares drinks in the other room. Soon she returns, handing you a tall glass of iced tea. You accept it with a murmur of thanks, taking a small sip of the refreshing beverage. It's... tart. Like fresh tea leaves had somehow been used, and not much sugar if any at all. Not a bad taste, but surprising.

Pauline seats herself across from you, regarding you intently. "So...you know Eager Step. Not too many ponies come around here. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Though her tone is light, there is a note of wariness in it.

You consider your words carefully. While honesty led you here, discretion may now be wise. "I've been exploring certain...esoteric arts. Eager Step thought you may be able to provide some guidance."

Pauline raises one eyebrow. "Is that so? And just what type of guidance did you have in mind?"

You meet her gaze steadily. "I want to understand the deeper nature of magic. The truth that lies beneath the surface."

Pauline is silent for several long moments. Just when the tension becomes unbearable, she breaks into a smile. "It's about time one of you found your way here. Finish your tea - we have much to discuss."

This is it - the point of no return. "One thing." She looks surprised at your call. "The tea." You raise the glass. "It has a curious taste. Did you make it yourself?"

"I did," she croons with a smile, as if pleased with the comment. "Like it? Go on."

You take another strong pull of it. It's nice... Why do you feel warm? You set a hand on your belly as you finish the tea. You feel so very relaxed, and warm, and maybe a little tingly?

Pauline catches the glass before you drop it and casually puts it away. You can see her and hear her, but your body refuses to do anything about it. You just feel so relaxed. Why bother moving?

She returns to stand in front of you, setting a hand on either of your arms. "But, you are a fool, or just... very brave. A pregnant pony, coming here, to dip her little hooves where they may be cut off?" The words are dire, but you can't feel that worry, too relaxed. "Do you even know? You're early yet, perhaps you don't..."

Her words penetrate the warm haze surrounding your mind. Pregnant? You try to focus through the overwhelming relaxation, alarm rising within you. Your body remains unresponsive, but your thoughts race.

You realize with dawning horror that Pauline has somehow drugged you. And now she knows your secret - that you are carrying new life within you. Fear for yourself and your unborn child breaks through the tea's effects. You try desperately to move, to speak, but only manage a soft whimper.

"Shhh, be still," Pauline soothes, though her eyes are pitiless. "You've involved yourself in perilous matters beyond your understanding. But perhaps it's fate that brought you here now. Your child may be...useful."

Her hand moves to rest on your belly, and you feel the first sparks of her magic probing within you. Seeking, assessing. Invasive. Revulsion and fury boil up in response. You will not let this witch harm your baby!

With a monumental effort, you force your numb lips to shape a single word: "No." It emerges as a breathy moan, but the intent is clear. Pauline looks surprised, then thoughtful.

"Stronger than you appear," she muses. "But you cannot fight me in your condition. Be wise, and you both may yet survive this."

You glare at her with every ounce of defiance left in your paralyzed body. What will you do now, trapped and at her mercy? The fate of two lives hangs in the balance. Magic! Right! You have that too. Maybe not with the capital M, but still. You press your will against hers directly, pressing life to life. You can feel her power as you focus yours and... it stops. She draws her hand back. "Good."

Good?! Good?! She was attacking you! "None of that was good." Oh, you can move. "What were you doing?"

"Testing you." She sinks in her original seat. Pauline nods at you. "I had to be sure Eager sent someone who even had a hope of learning a damn thing from me, otherwise it's a waste of both our times, and I'd have to get myself a new rug for the living room here." She chuckles darkly, as if that wasn't entirely a joke.

You shudder at her words, realizing just how close you came to grave danger. But the immediate threat seems to have passed - for now at least.

Pauline leans back casually, as if she hadn't just invaded and threatened both you and your unborn child moments before. "You've got spirit and you're not entirely helpless. Good. That's the minimum required to survive what I can teach you."

You eye her warily, still shaken by the encounter. "And what is it you think you can teach me?"

She smiles cryptically. "The truth about magic and power in this world. Things hidden from most, things you must know if you're to achieve what you seek."

Her voice lowers, as if imparting a secret. "Tell me, have you heard of the Traditions? An ancient order stretching back centuries, dedicated to advancing humanity's connection to mystic forces through rigorous study and training. In modern times, much of their knowledge has been lost or forgotten. Most doubt they ever existed at all. But some of us still keep their secrets."

You sense she is testing you again, trying to gauge your reaction. You keep your face carefully neutral. "Go on."

Pauline seems pleased by this. "There are still those of us who walk the hidden paths, who seek ascension to the highest levels of magical mastery. The things I can show you go far beyond parlour tricks. But the way is perilous. Many have lost themselves along the road."

She leans forward intently. "So now you have a choice. Turn back to your safe little pony games, or walk with me into the darkness, toward true gnosis. But know that once you begin, there's no turning back. What will it be?"

Her eyes burn into yours, awaiting your decision. To accept may be madness - but it may also be your only chance at harnessing the power you need. What do you choose? "One thing..."

"You keep saying that," she laughs out. "You have nerves, and I respect that. Go on. What's on your mind?"

"I'm not trying to get involved in your... everything... I want to learn Magic, with a capital M. It's important, for my people." You sit up, taking a serious stance. "I don't mean to be offensive. We're all trying our best to do what we can see in front of us. It's all very important to us, all of it. I'm not saying your things are not important. But I have my important things."

Pauline nods along as you explain your perspective. "I understand - you're focused on learning Magic for the sake of your people, not to join some ancient mystical order. Your goals are your own."

She leans back, steepling her fingers in thought. "To be frank, much of our teachings would be wasted on one such as yourself. Your interests lie along a very specific path - one I doubt intersects much with our own."

Turning her gaze back to you, she gives a small smile. "But I can respect conviction and purpose when I see it. Perhaps I can still be of service."

Rising from her seat, she gestures for you to follow. "Come. I will show you something that may help unlock what you seek. But know that true Magic cannot be grasped in a single day. To wield it with wisdom and purpose requires dedication across a lifetime."

She leads you down a hallway to a room lined floor-to-ceiling with esoteric tomes and artifacts. Approaching a particular shelf, she retrieves an ornate box, murmuring a quiet incantation as she opens it. Nestled inside is a pendant engraved with arcane symbols.

"This amulet has been passed down through generations of adepts. It aids spiritual focus and channeling of mystical energies." She lifts the pendant delicately. "With this, you may find it easier to direct your will and perceive the secret currents that underlie existence. Use it as a lens to focus your intent."

She offers it to you solemnly. "Tread carefully. What you pursue now is no idle diversion. Do not lose yourself upon the path."

Her warning given, it is up to you now. Will you accept this gift, and all that may come with it? The choice is yours.

Author's Note

It's time to visit a witch! Surely she means well...

Do we take this? Is this the right way, or the easy way? Maybe both? Or neither?

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39 - Take It or Leave It

You take a closer look at the pendant. It has a butterfly. More specifically, it is a butterfly, a pink one with wings stretched wide. For as intimidating as Pauline is, the amulet looks harmless, even childish. Why not put it on? You slip its chain over your head and let it rest with the force of gravity down over your neck. The butterfly rests on the center of your chest.

You're not paying that much mind. Something's happening and your attention is there. Two great, ghostly, wings have erupted from your back, stretching out as wide as the butterfly's wings. A horn glitters on your head where none had been a moment before. "What?" is all you can think of to ask.

But it's gone a moment later, leaving you back as a perfectly normal human.

"Hm." Pauline reaches for a shoulder, her long nails grabbing you like the talons of a predatory bird. "Interesting. You've passed another test... Enough that we can get serious."

"Stop." You push her back, not that she goes far. She's stronger than she looks. "Enough games. I've been honest and straight forward with you."

"Which is concerning, truth told." She walks past you, chuckling. "There are a thousand reasons some strange new person might come to me, asking that, with an honest face. Many of them aren't good. Keep the amulet, it's only useful to ponies anyway."

Wait... "Didn't you say it was used for generations for magic?"

"I lied." Pauline returns to the livingroom. "It was dropped by a pony, long ago enough that I'm not sure there's a year for it. It passed through countless hands before reaching mine, and I had nothing to do with it." She sinks into her chair and leans back, looking awfully relaxed. "I offered it to our mutual friend, and he wanted nothing to do with it."

You take a moment to digest this new information. The amulet is a relic connected to ponies, not Pauline's secret order as she first implied. Perhaps this offers a purer conduit to the power you seek.

You consider the vision you glimpsed when first donning the pendant. Could its magic have revealed your true nature, if only for an instant? The wings and horn fading away hints at talents waiting to be awakened.

Turning back to Pauline, you choose your next words carefully. "This amulet belongs to my people. I can feel it resonates with me in a way your teachings do not. I mean no offense, but our paths diverge here."

She nods, unsurprised. "As I suspected they might. Very well. Our deal is concluded - I've given you what I can. What you do now is up to you alone."

Her sharp gaze bores into you. "I will give you one last piece of advice, freely given. Magic is power, neither good nor evil in itself. But it will change you, as surely as you change the world with it. Stay grounded in who you are, or you will lose yourself."

With those grave words lingering in the air, she shows you out. Returning to your car, you grip the amulet thoughtfully. Though not what you expected, it feels significant somehow. A key that now rests in your hands. Where it leads remains to be seen. But you know one thing - it is time to bring the ponies together again. There is much to discuss.

You slide the amulet into your pocket for the drive home, mulling over the intense encounter with Pauline. She was clearly dangerous, but ultimately gifted you an artifact that could unlock pony magic. Her advice to stay grounded lingers as you consider the perilous path ahead.

Seeking power is risky, but focused properly, perhaps it can be harnessed for good. Arriving home, you resume organizing another pony gathering - not for crisis this time, but prosperity and purpose. There are virtues to embody, gifts to share, and magic to rediscover. Overcoming complacency and fear will be difficult, but step by step, your people must shine again.

You explain everything to Nick - the meeting with Pauline, the amulet you now possess. He is troubled you put yourself at risk, but supportive as always. Together you send out invites for local ponies to meet in one week. That week you spend in contemplation, centering yourself and preparing for the test ahead. You feel ready.

The day arrives. Donning the amulet beneath your shirt, you make your way to the meeting, ready to take the next step and lead others to join you if they so choose. With humility but conviction, you move to embrace destiny. There's just one thing still tugging at you.

You weren't much closer to understanding Magic with a capital M. For all that scary meeting with Pauline, you hadn't learned how to do magic her way. All you'd gotten was that amulet. Was that enough? You sure hoped it was... Worse case, you still knew where she lived... Even if visiting her again feels like a risky venture.

The pendant had to mean something... But is it a direct thing? You're pretty sure it's not just... a button to press and everything works. It was, at best, a stepping stone. But what to?

You walk from your car with Nick at your side. You're headed for the next pony meeting. Would more get done than the last one? Sure, you'd made a friend or two, but the ponies, as a whole, hadn't gotten a lot done. You knock on the door.

You take a deep breath as the door opens, determined to make progress at this gathering. The amulet is a puzzle piece, but not the whole picture. Rediscovering magic will take work and commitment from all ponies.

Stepping inside with Nick, you scan the room as more arrive. There's tension and uncertainty in the air. Many seem surprised you called this meeting. But you also see curiosity and cautious optimism in a few faces.

Once it seems all who will attend are present, you call the group to order. "Friends, I know gathering like this is unusual outside of crises. But there are virtues we must reclaim, gifts to be shared, and magic to uncover. Our world needs those lights rekindled."

You explain your encounter with Pauline and the amulet, though you skip certain disturbing details. "This is connected to our past, our potential. But it alone is not enough. Each of us must look within and live our purpose."

You see some nodding, considering your words. Others seem skeptical or afraid. But none have left yet. "I don't know exactly where this path leads. But I must walk it. If you will join me, together we may go further than any could alone. Will you help light the way forward?"

The question hangs in the air. This is a pivotal moment. Some seem ready to take that step, to embrace hope and purpose again after so long adrift. Others waver, the comfort of old habits holding them back. But the choice must be theirs to make. The future rests on their answer.

The large man you had met the first time, at the door, raises a hand. "That is a lot of horseshit you're tossing our way." A few voices raise in agreement. "What proof do you have that any of this means anything to any of us?"

Nick thrust a finger at him. "She already shared a gift with me. Pony gifts can be shared. If nothing else at all, she was right about that."

The tide of the conversation shifts, though still quite turbulent. The inertia of the ponies would not be so easily swayed. "What are you scared of?" You fix the larger man with a stare, focusing your honest energy at him. "Tell us the truth. Nothing but it."

His teeth set, struggling against the sudden magic being tossed his way. "Dirty... pool. Bloody hell." He slams a fist against the ground. "There are a thousand things to be scared of. We lost the lotto. Coulda been blenders, like the werewolves, or seen the answer to the universe like the mages. Nope! Not even gothic bloodsucking. Just a bunch of friendship ponies." He batted his lashes overly dramatically. "Like that matches. Why aren't you scared is the better question."

You consider his words carefully. There is truth in them - being a pony in this world is difficult and dangerous. But fear cannot rule you.

"You're right, there is much darkness surrounding us," you reply. "I would be a fool not to feel that weight. But living in fear accomplishes nothing. We must have courage to seek the light, even glimpses of it, and let them guide our hooves."

You turn your gaze to encompass all present. "The magic we once wielded is nearly forgotten. Our gifts, our purpose - lost to time. Yes, that loss haunts us still. But though the road is hard, I believe these virtues can be ours again if we commit to walking it."

Gesturing to the amulet, you continue passionately. "This relic of our past proves that magic is not gone forever. Its return is possible, if we strive together to earn it. We are 'just' ponies, yes - but that does not make us powerless. Our hearts and hooves can yet make a difference, if we let them."

Looking around the room, you see your words having an impact. There is still uncertainty, but also growing resolve. "I don't know exactly where this path leads either. But I see now it's one we must walk, not flee. Will you join me? The first steps are the hardest - but imagine what heights we might reach together."

You extend a hand in invitation. The big man hesitates, then firmly grasps it in his own. "You drive a hard bargain. But... you're right. Sitting on my hands solves nothing." Others move to join hands too, connecting in shared purpose. The energy in the room is shifting, fear giving way to anticipation. "Learning how to fight still isn't a bad idea though..."

You burst into a little laugh. It isn't a cruel one, just legitimately amused. "You're not wrong. Knowing how to defend ourselves is a good idea, and sharing these gifts is a part of it." You fall to all four hooves, tail lashing with eager energy. "There are a thousand little tricks we've been hoarding to ourselves. And by ourselves, I mean each of us seperately. You want to know how to do that honesty trick? I'll show you. But, there is a catch."

The ponies groaned. There was always a catch. "Don't look like that." You step forward with a light clip-clop. "Each gift is part of a virtue. If you don't feel that virtue, the gift isn't coming. So, if you want to do honesty tricks, you have to feel honesty. I bet some of you already know some gifts, a lot of them I don't know. I want to see and learn them. I want to show you mine. This should be an open and eager exchange between us all."

An older pony that had been silent sits up and half the room looks towards her. "You are a kindness."

"Yes?" you admit. It hadn't been a secret. "Why?"

"But you just did what you called an honesty." She brought her hooves together slowly. "How many virtues have you put your hooves into?"

"Five?" You can't help that your voice sounds a bit nervous. "Is that bad?"

The elder pony considers your words thoughtfully. "Pursuing multiple virtues is unusual. Most focus only on their primary purpose."

You nod in understanding. "Perhaps we've become too narrow in our thinking. The virtues can support each other - honesty aids kindness, laughter lightens loyalty's burdens. If sharing gifts means exploring multiple virtues, so be it."

The elder ponders this, then responds, "Or you're seeking the top?" She nods at your amulet. "A new ruler of us all, do you imagine a crown in your future?"

Author's Note

More questions than usual, but the general consensus is pretty strong in taking and putting it on. What's the worst that could happen?

Wait, where'd our magical montage go? Well, this is interesting too...

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40 - Leaving it

"No. That's dumb." You wave the whole idea away. "We don't need a leader. We need to start looking out for ourselves and each other more than surviving another day. We have the tools."

New voices raise in confused wonder and a unicorn sat up with a wry grin. Moon Streak is there, Little Arrow right next to her. "I know she isn't lying. I didn't... Make a big deal about it... But I already traded."

Little waves a hoof excitedly. "We swapped." He sticks his tongue at you. "I don't want any kindness though, ew..."

Laughs resound at the child's refusal, but he is bringing up a good point. "Nobody here, not one person, is being forced to learn something they don't want to." You wave to the door down the hallway. "You can always go. You're here because you want to be. But... There's so much here we can figure out, and enjoy. Even if you don't give a hoot about the world as a thing, just for yourself, this is worth it."

Moon Streak nods, brushing back her mane. "She's right. I was skeptical at first too. But even just exchanging a simple trick or two has opened my eyes." She levels a hoof at the others. "Don't knock it 'til you try it. What have you got to lose except stale routines?"

Murmurs spread through the gathering as ponies consider her words. Some still seem hesitant, but you sense momentum growing.

"Well, if you're just handing out tricks, I wouldn't say no to that," says a scruffy pegasus named Dusty. A few other voices chime in agreement.

You smile, glad to see minds opening. "I don't mean to push anyone faster than they're comfortable with. But progress starts with one step." You lift your hoof in emphasis. "Like this."

Setting your hoof back down, you continue gently, "For those interested, choose a virtue that resonates. Reach out and connect to someone who embodies it. Open your hearts, share your gifts. That's where discovery begins."

The large pony grunts. "Look, two things. They're obvious. I don't know why no one here sees the obvious things." He shakes a hoof at you. "First, you said we can do it, but you haven't shown us how. Second, share something with me that'll do something I care about. Two birds, one stone." He raised a brow. "You got it in you?"

You consider the gifts you know quickly. Healing, forcing honesty, big heal over an area... "I think you have some kindness in you."

His expression falls. "You're kidding me. I'm not soft."

"Kindness isn't soft." You raise a hoof gently. "Kindness can be the powerful warrior that is ready to defend an even weaker creature, caring so hard for it they're ready to fight with everything to keep it from being hurt. You want everyone else here to be safe, it's all you talk about."

The large pony considers your words, though his expression remains skeptical.

"Alright, maybe I have a shred of that in me somewhere," he finally admits begrudgingly. "But protecting the weak ain't the same as fixing every sob story that comes begging."

He paces in a circle, thinking. "Still, being ready to throw down for those who need it...I can respect that angle. So what's this gift then?"

You focus, calling on the healing warmth within. "May I?" you ask, extending a hoof tentatively.

The large pony eyes you warily, then nods. You place your hoof on his foreleg. Closing your eyes, you direct a pulse of soothing energy into him. At first he flinches, then blinks in surprise as bruises and aches fade away.

"Huh. Gotta say, that's...something," he rumbles. He flexes, testing his restored leg. "Takes more than that to put me down, but having that bit of extra fight in me when it counts...that could save lives."

He meets your eyes, realization dawning. "You really weren't kidding. This stuff's real, ain't it? You're really saying I could pull a kindness, and still do my thing?"

Around you, the others watch in fascination at this demonstration.

"Alright, color me interested," the large pony declares. "Maybe it is time we got off our haunches and figured this pony magic out. Where do we start?"

You smile, glad to see openness taking root. There will still be much to do, but you've gained a powerful ally this day.

"We start by sharing what we know, and rediscovering what was lost," you say. "Together."

The large pony grins. "Now you're talking my language. Let's get to it!"

A cheer goes up, and you know you've turned the tide. He thumps you in the chest. "That starts with actually showing me. Everyone here has to see it, or we have nothing."

"Right." You hold out a hoof. "Hoof."

"Hoof?" He presses one of his larger hooves to yours. "Now what?"

"Now you wait. I focus on the gift, the feeling of using it. I imagine it as an actual thing, inside." You take a slow breath, working through it as you explain it. "You send it to the other person... along with some of that virtue, like grease, or water on a slide, and let it tumble..."

He yanks his hoof away suddenly. "That felt wierd!" He shakes the hoof as if it had been shocked. "The hell?"

"Does it hurt? It shouldn't..." You smile slyly. "But, if it does, you know how to fix it."

"What?" He looks around for a victim and brings his hoof on a helpless pegasus. "Be healed or whatever!" The best part, perhaps, was that it worked. With his desire to use the gift, it came, and healing energy rushed out into the surprised, but not entirely displeased, pony.

"That shows two things." You raise both hooves. "One, you already have some kindess in you. It's past the part where you can argue, we all saw the proof." Some snickers spread. "Quiet down, it's not a crime to care about people. But I want to remind that gifts are those virtues. They'll work better when you do them in their name, and not work at all the other way around. Throwing healing at someone who really doesn't want it isn't kind. Forcing honesty from others to cover your own lies will make it go stale very quickly."

The large pony looks thoughtful as you explain the deeper nature of the gifts. He glances down at his hoof, then back up.

"I think I'm starting to get it," he rumbles. "These gifts ain't just parlor tricks - they're tied to how we act and who we are. Can't just use 'em any old way and expect things to turn out right."

He smirks wryly. "Reckon I've got some learning and living to do before I'm a proper master of kindness. But now that I've got a taste..."

He turns to the pegasus he inadvertently healed. "No hard feelings? Maybe lay off the hayburgers a bit, eh?" The pegasus chuckles good-naturedly.

Addressing the group, the large pony continues. "We've been bumbling around in the dark, trying to get by. But there's a whole world of understanding we've lost. High time we got to rediscovering it!"

Murmurs of agreement ripple through the gathering. You see faces alight with curiosity and hope. There is so much potential waiting to be unlocked.

"Where do we begin?" asks a young mare eagerly.

"By coming together," you reply with a smile. "None of us have all the answers. But each holds a piece of the puzzle. Share what you know, open your hearts, and let the music guide your hooves."

"Well said!" the large pony cheers. "Now, who's got a trick to trade? I'm itching to see what else is possible!"

The atmosphere is radiant with energy and enthusiasm. You know this is just the start, but an important threshold has been crossed today. The future is uncertain, but brighter than it was this morning. And that alone is cause for hope.

Your mention of music prompts someone to get some lively music filling the room. People bob, wings flap, and horns dance as people move with the first smiles you've seen in the meeting so far.

They seem to be happy, really happy. Perhaps best yet, depending, they're talking about you. Many are the ponies that come up to chat with you.

Some just want to talk, but many want to swap tricks with you. It's rapidly become a wild marketplace of magical tricks. The ponies were not wizards with their Magic, doing whatever they felt like doing.

Gifts came in specific packets, but there were plenty of them worth having.

The first groan of defeat breaks the joyful trading. Eyes turned to see Little Arrow. "I can't learn it..."

Moon pats him on the back gently. "You just said you don't want any kindness."

"But I want that one," he whines out, stomping his hooves in a tantrum. "They can't give it to me."

"What's it do, little guy?" Moon held him with one arm, rocking as he seemed to calm bit by bit.

Little Arrow sniffles, wiping at his eyes with a hoof. "I just think her healing trick is really amazing. I want to help ponies that way too."

He demonstrates by pretending to lay a hoof on an imaginary injured friend. "Make all the ouchies go away!"

Moon Streak ruffles his mane gently. "That does sound really helpful. But remember how she explained it - to use the gifts, you have to feel that virtue strongly."

Little Arrow pouts. "I don't wanna be generous or kind or anything. I just wanna fix ponies!"

Chuckling, Moon nuzzles him affectionately. "I know, I know. We all want the fun parts. But real magic comes from in here." She taps a hoof over his heart.

"How about this - instead of gifts right now, let's just enjoy the music and see what we can learn. There's all kinds of neat tricks being shared!"

Little Arrow considers this, then nods reluctantly. "Okay, fine...ooh, what's that pegasus doing with the bubbles?!"

He scampers off excitedly to investigate, previous disappointment forgotten. Moon Streak smiles and shakes her head. Kids bounce back fast.

She comes over to join you. "Look what you did!"

Moon waves at the room. "You got cheer all over my usually dim and boring pony meetings..." She narrows her eyes at you. "Are you trying to take my place as the laughter pony around here? I'm onto you..."

You give her a shove, laughing all the while. "I'd never. You know that. Oh, wanna swap?"

"I was waiting so long for you to ask." You and her touch hooves to begin the exchanges. She slips secretitive tricks to peer into minds and distract people. "Be careful with that first one, especially. Also... You really do have laughter down, I think."

"I do?" You reclaim your hoof, having shared a few healing tricks in return. "What makes you think that?"

"I've been listening, that's how." Moon rolls her eyes. "And they're talking." She throws her head at the other eager traders. "When you give a gift to someone who isn't feeling it, it's harder, or even impossible, like with Little Arrow."

You direct a hoof at yourself. "It was easy for me?"

"Like turning a faucet on." She made such a motion with her hoof. "The water just splooshed out! Oh! How was it giving me kindness gifts? Was it easy? Also I really really want that honesty one. I will have so much fun getting the truth out of a few people I know..."

She had accepted the gifts easily, and you tell her as much, to her delight. There was still more trading to do with your new friends, starting with Moon's request.

It was in that happy place that you notice something...

Author's Note

This isn't about crowns, it never was. This is about the only thing that matters, friends. Let's get some of those!

Wait, where'd our magical montage go? Well, this is interesting too...

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41 - What's Bothering You?

You're tired. Trading gifts comes with a price, as you had learned by doing it so eagerly. You felt... drained. You had been stocking up on those virtue powers, only to run through them.

Completely tapped, but happy, you sit back and check out the room. You're not the only one with a similar expression of fatigued satisfaction.

One face sticks out. A lanky 30'sh year old stallion is playing with their hooves and not talking to anyone. They don't look tired like many of the others. It was like they had just not traded at all.

That wouldn't do. You stand up and wander over towards them. "Hey."

They flinch at your word. "Oh, uh... the star of the show." He laughs tensely. "Hi..."

"I'm no big deal." You sit next to the new pony. "Just giving a push. It's everyone else's choice to move or not. You're not. Something wrong, or just hate the idea?"

"The whole thing." He threw a hoof wide and it came down as a hand. He's a human, an unclothed human. "The whole pony thing confuses me. I never got it."

You decide to casually ignore that. He's not making it stranger than it has to be, why should you be the one that starts? Not like everyone there had the magic trick to keep their clothes attached... "Oh, want me to fix that?"

"Fix what?"

You wave over him. "I can make your clothes stick to you, through the changes. It's not a big trick, once you know it."

"That another pony thing?" He sighs with some defeat. "I don't get it..."

"Don't be stuck on one line." You snort softly. "That's a unicorn thing, actually. Not a general 'pony' thing. You were an earth pony, right? I didn't see extra parts."

The stallion shakes his head. "It wasn't always like this. I was just...me. A normal guy, y'know?" He gestures helplessly. "Then one day - bam. Woke up like this. I still don't understand how it happened or why I'm stuck this way."

He looks down at his hooves in confusion. When did he swap back? "The others told me I gotta 'embrace my purpose' - whatever that means. But I don't have a dang purpose! I just own a hardware store. How am I supposed to do magic or save the world or any of that?"

Frustration colors his voice as he runs a hand through his hair. Did he...? "They keep saying if I just try, it'll all make sense. But I have tried...and it never does. I'm no hero or chosen one. I'm Bill. Just Bill, who wants his normal life back. But no one here gets that."

He glances over, embarrassment flickering across his face. "Aw jeez, sorry for dumping on ya. You got everypony all excited with this gifted stuff, and here I am raining on the parade." He manages a weak chuckle. "Don't mind me - party on."

Forget that! You want to know more, and to help. "You have a real gift already. It's impressive."

"What?" He flicks his tail, which he didn't have a moment before. "What gift?"

"That." You point to the tail. "You are damn good at changing, quickly, and over and over. I'd be exhausted trying that so many times like that, and so fast I feel like.... Too fast." You shake your head with an impressed expression. "That's not built in. Pretty sure you're the fastest one in this room."

He glances over his shoulder at the twitching tail. "Oh, really? I thought that was normal..."

You do your best to show your own changing. You can stand up and fall to all fours, but each step is effort, and after a few, you're panting for breath.

"Neat. You really do keep your clothes."

You laugh at that, settling on your haunches. "I was hoping you were watching how fast and easy the changing was."

"I saw that too... Huh... I still don't 'get' the pony thing."

About that... "You didn't get a virtue?" You point a hoof at yourself. "I'm a kindness."

"Hi Kindness, I'm bill." You groan at that tired dad joke. "Seriously, no idea. This just happened to me and nobody was rushing to walk me through it."

"Get out." Imagining entering the world of ponies without a single person to help was daunting, at best. "Well, I'm somebody, and I rushed over to help, so, there's that?"

Bill offers a faint smile at that. "Heh, appreciate it. Sorry if I'm being a drag - just hard wrapping my brain around all this."

He glances around at the other ponies. "They make it look so easy. Then there's me bumbling around, no clue what I'm doing or why I'm stuck with hooves and a tail."

Looking back at you, he adds, "But hey, if you really think there's something special about how I'm flipping back and forth...maybe you're onto something." A spark of curiosity enters his eyes. "Sure would beat feeling totally useless all the time. What do you think that means? Is it some kinda gift?"

Jumping on that opening, you blurt out, "Yes." You clap your hooves. "No idea what virtue that falls under... If we can find yours, then we'll know."

An idea comes to you. "Or... If you're up to being a bit bold about it, you can try pushing it to me and I can try to feel it."

"Does it hurt?" He looks genuinely worried about that.

"I'm tired from giving so many away." You offer a hoof. "But no burn marks or anything. I'm fine, just tired."

"I thought you were Kindness?" You swat at him for the continued joke. "Sorry, sorry. If it doesn't hurt, I can try it..." He presses a hoof to your hoof. "And just... pretend it's... What again?"

"Imagine that gift is like a ball in your arm." Your point with your free hoof at your leg. "And push it down into where our hooves are touching."

It's his first experiment with much of pony anything aside of the shapeshifting. It's not even surprising that the transfer is messy. He used too much internal energy, and it spills out into you with the gift. The energy feels strange. Like you had been offered a thousand exotic flavors of ice cream until then.

And this guy's just offering up pure vanilla. Not a bad flavor, but it's new. When did they come in vanilla?!

He notices the confused expression on your face. "Did I do it wrong?" He looks worried. "Sorry... Um, we can try again?"

"No! No, it worked fine." You feel like you got what he was sending, just with that odd flavor. "I think... You really don't have a virtue."

"Oh." Bill sinks miserably. "So, I'm broken?"

"No, not at all." You pat him on the shoulder. "It means you get, unlike the rest of us, a chance to pick a virtue, I think. You're riding on neutral, waiting to pick a gear."

"Really?" He turns his hoof to look at it as if it had the answer. "So what virtue is that gift then?"

"I don't think it has one either." You snap up onto your feet, not standing, just human, like a snap. "Wow..." That felt odd, but it was a giddy rush of sudden change. "I like it. Thank you for sharing it with me. I feel awful, but I'm tapped. I can't really share a gift back."

Bill waves a hand, looking relieved. "Nah, you've done plenty of sharing. Just glad I could give you something useful after everyone else brought their A-game."

He glances down as his body shifts back to bipedal form. "Still wrapping my brain around this 'no virtue' thing. All the other ponies made their purpose seem so...I dunno, set in stone."

Looking back up at you curiously, he asks, "So if I really can just choose one...how the heck do I pick? They all sound kind of abstract to me. Except yours - helping folks is pretty concrete."

He pauses, brow furrowing. "Oh jeez, that ain't me trying to grab your thing though. You wear kindness really well. Just saying it makes more sense to me than 'laughter' or 'loyalty' or whatevs."

Scratching his head, he adds "I gotta give this more thought. But maybe I can stop beating myself up over it, if it's really okay I don't have a destiny yet."

He offers a lopsided smile. "Seriously, thanks for coming over. First time I've felt even a little hopeful since this whole pony situation started. You're alright!"

You can't help but smile back, buoyed by the progress made with this troubled soul. There is still much uncertainty ahead, but the first seeds of understanding have been planted. By choosing empathy over apathy, you have lit a small candle in a dark place. And Bill sees it - for now, that glimmer of light is enough.

The hour grows late and ponies begin dispersing, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. The day's shared miracles linger in the air, kindling tentative dreams once more. And you know that though the road stretches long, for the first time in a long while, you and your people walk it together side by side.

You head to your car and have company, the same you came with. You meet, hand to hand in a high-five. "Get some cool stuff?" You ask as you settle into your seat.

"That was great." Nick closes his door. "That was fucking great, if you don't mind. Man... Those meetings are a drag half the time, and a waste the other half. I'm actually looking forward to the next one."

The two of you pull out, heading back home. "It really was great... I have the answer, I think. I'm ready to face her."

"Her?"

"The changelings." You grip the wheel a bit tighter. "It's time to face them without looking like I had no idea what I even was. I feel like I have that, so we can move past that."

"Good on you." He swats lightly at your side. "I tell you, it's a bit... odd. I know you do odd stuff at that candy store, but I really don't remember it much. Your friends are odd."

"Very odd," you agree with a soft laugh. "And they need help, and I plan to give it."

"Damn kindess." He doesn't sound upset at it despite his words. "I hope it works. Do they know how lucky they are to have you?"

You color faintly at the praise. "I think... they do. That's why they've been so patient with me getting things straightened out."

You pull into the driveway, minds swirling with possibilities after the momentous gathering. As you walk inside, Nick speaks up again.

"Gotta ask - where'd that amulet come from anyway? I don't remember you having bling before." He chuckles. "Looks good on ya though."

You touch the pendant thoughtfully. In all the excitement, its origins had faded to the background. But now your encounter with Pauline rushes back - the startling transformation glimpse, her cryptic warning.

You relay the tale to Nick, editing certain disturbing portions. His eyebrows rise at mentions of ancient mystical orders and magical artifacts.

"You don't do things by halves, do you?" He shakes his head with an admiring whistle. "Can't say I've ever met a real live witch before. But if that necklace is helping you tap into more pony power, guess the scary meeting paid off."

You nod slowly. "It was unnerving, but she gifted me a piece of our legacy in the end. There is still much we don't understand." You meet his eyes. "But restoring magic and purpose to our people now feels truly possible, not just a fantasy."

"Color me onboard." He grasps your shoulder. "You're charting strange waters, but you've got good instincts. And whatever comes next, you won't face it alone. Just try not to vanish on any more unexpected magical quests, yeah?"

You exchange a smile. "No promises. But I'll always come back with stories to tell."

As you begin preparing a late dinner, your thoughts return to the gathering. For the first time in too long, your disconnected, downhearted people felt like a tribe again. And you realize with quiet awe that in some way, you helped weave that first fragile thread of unity just by sharing yourself...quirks, chaos, questions and all.

What dreams might you continue spinning into being by boldly sharing the fullness of who you are - without fear, without shame, without apology?

This world often punishes those who dare glow brighter. But hiding your light helps no one. There are virtues still to unveil, gifts to exchange, magic to reclaim - and so much more love within to give.

What will you ignite next in those around you by simply embodying the ever-unfolding miracle that you are? The future awaits, bright with promise...

Author's Note

You helped someone, yay! Feel those kindness bits, only bit you have right now.

You were fairly sure it was time to go back to the changelings. Let's march with purpose.

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42 - Medic On Board

You show up with Nick and a smile. You leave him in the front and go hopping through into the back. You hit the ground on four hooves and trot energetically into those stately hallways. Not seeing any changelings right away, you head to where you're likely most needed.

The door opens for you, thanks to your magic. "How are things going?" You step inside to see a patient already being cared for.

You hurry over the sickly troll spread on the bed. "What happened?" You look towards Pigi, the rabbit looking a bit tired.

"I think he ate something he shouldn't." She sighed out, leaning back on her chair. "He may be sinking into bedlam, and there's not a lot I can do about that..."

That sounds... bad? You sit on your haunches. "Catch me up? Bedlam?"

Pigi raises both her hands. "One side, cheer and iminagination and wonder, yay." She switches which hand is highest. "Balance in all things." She rocked one hand up and the other down, back and forth. "But..." She lowers one hand dangerously. "Uh oh..."

She switches which is down. "Oh no... Either way is bad. Eating what you find in the dreaming can push you..." She lowers both hands to rest in in her lap. "The only real cures, if he's really in it, is to give him a big boot." She kicks at the air for emphasis. "Bad times."

You consider the sleeping person. They were too far on the dreaming side? They were... full of fantasy? Flights of fancy? You rear up and reach over to give him a prod on the face. He catches your incoming arm, eyes snapped open instantly. "They've sent assisans? I'll never surrender!"

With a squeak, you bounce back, reclaiming your arm.

"Why am I laying here?" He sits up. "The quest yet awaits me, beyond the gate." He starts to stand up, just to slump over, passed out.

Pigi lets out a sigh. "Yep... That kinda proves it. I'll get the boot." She rises to her feet.

You aren't ready to give up on this person, even if you just met them. You reach out gently, taking hold of his head between your hooves. "Be at peace," you whisper, rubbing slowly in circles on his temples. "Peace..."

You have no idea what you're doing, but you're just not willing to give up.

Warmth begins glowing from your hooves as you massage the troll's temples, radiating healing energy. His tense expression relaxes, the frenzied light in his eyes dimming, which was more of a feeling you had than what you're seeing, his eyes closed.

"There now, just rest," you murmur. Focusing your intent, you visualize drawing out the chaotic excess, restoring harmony within him. The righteousness of compassion fills you.

Gradually his breathing evens into a natural rhythm. You sense balance and clarity returning in place of turmoil. At last you release him, swaying slightly from exertion but smiling.

"How do you feel?" you ask gently.

The troll blinks, gazing up at you in wonder as he awakens anew. "I was...lost in dark dreams. But you brought me back." He carefully sits up. "The visions are quiet now. My thoughts are clear again. Your magic is a blessing."

He bows his head gratefully. Beside you, Pigi lets out an awed whistle. "No one's ever talked a bedlam case back from the edge before. At least not that I've seen. You continue to impress!"

She checks the troll's vital signs, nodding in satisfaction. "He'll need rest and future care, but the worst danger has passed. Thank the stars you stopped in today!"

Your patient voices fervent agreement. As Pigi prepares a hospital bed for him, you exchange parting words. The troll clasps your hoof, emotion shimmering in his eyes. "I owe you my life and sanity. Should you ever require aid, you need but ask."

Promise made, he departs to heal. Pigi gives you an admiring pat. "You have a healer's true calling - meeting suffering with compassion. I'm blessed to work alongside someone so gifted." She winks suddenly. "Or I'm about to be out of a job, damn..."

Touched by her words, you respond simply, "I'm grateful my gifts can be of service. Especially to my new friends here."

Pigi smiles, a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze. "Speaking of new friends...now that you've saved Toric from bedlam's brink, you could explain the wings?"

Wings? You look over your shoulder to run snout-first into a fluffy, feathery wing. The wing flutters in reply. It's your wing. You just ran into your wing. When did you... "Did I walk in here with these?" You try spreading your wings, and they obey. They are your wings.

Pigi's ears twitch on her head. "Are they surprising to you too? Huh!" She hops to her feet with a giggle. "Well, since we're exploring." She reaches out and casually starts feeling your wings from the base to the tips. It all... It's new, it's sensitive, and she's just doing it.

You scramble a few steps back, hooves striking the wood floor. "Stop that."

"Sorry." Pigi grins impishly. "But nice wings. Seriously though, why? Do ponies do that?"

Not any pony you'd seen... aside yourself that one time. You bat at your pendant with a hoof. Was it to blame? "I'm glad Toric's alright..."

"So, don't know, huh?" She flopped back onto the chair. "The glowing butt's a nice touch too."

Wrenching your head around, you can see that symbol has returned, the embraced heart. You were... ponying it up pretty hard. "I don't know what that means."

Pigi inclined her head. "Then you should go see the viscountess. Bet she wants to chat!"

The butterflies in your stomach awaken as Pigi recommends facing your superior about these startling developments. What will the viscountess make of flaming cutie marks and spontaneous wings? But the pooka is likely right - this merits investigation from someone more knowledgeable than yourself.

Thanking Pigi for her discretion, you make your way toward the viscountess' office, garnering a few double-takes from passersby. Knocking tentatively, you call out, "Your ladyship? I...have something curious to discuss."

The door opens sharply, framing the viscountess' impatient glare. "This better be...good..." Her annoyed expression shifts to outright astonishment. "Bloody hell?! What's all this then?"

She ushers you hurriedly inside, closing the door for privacy. Circling with incredulous mutters, she takes in every impossible inch. "Start talking, fuzzball. The long story, not the short."

Drawing a bracing breath, you explain the bedlam patient and how, in curing it, you ended up that way and the theories it might connect to your amulet. She listens intently, eyes sharpening at mention of the relic. "Well, that's muddled as all get out. An alicorn out of legend, a witch's bauble...next you'll tell me elf knights are real!" She snorts at that. "That is a joke, of course they're real."

Your nervous chuckle elicits wry head shaking. "I am not a horse." She prods you in the center of your fuzzy chest. "But I have one as an associate, and I have been reading since I met her. It's time to stop running away, even if that's a pretty horse thing to do."

You reach a wing towards her. "Okay, not running. What do I do with these?"

"Fly?" She shrugs at that. "I don't think it's much of a matter of what you do with them, directly. It's more a matter of what they mean." She reaches for the amulet, but pauses. "May I?"

The viscountess was asking you permission? You push it up with a hoof. "Sure?"

She curls her fingers around it, inspecting it, then turning it towards you, even with your eyes. "Butterflies."

"Yeah?" You look back at your wings. "Wrong wrings."

"Still wings." She releases it to fall against you. "You've been up to a lot... Getting your little hoofs deep in all kinds of trouble... Fine medic... Oh, you did it again, by the way."

"What'd I do?!" You glance around as if it may become clear if one just looked hard enough.

"You did the impossible. Yanking someone back from bedlam without the soul-crushing banality bath? That's a trick..." She snaps her fingers. "One thing seems clear to me. You need to lean into the wings, and that." She points to your hovering symbol at your rump. "I've seen that a few times now."

Leaning on her desk, the viscountess fixes you with an intense stare. "Here's my read, pony - you're getting tuned to a destiny frequency most of us can't hear. Forces are moving through and around you whether you invited them or not."

She jabs a finger at your wings. "So damned well use them! Whatever hand you've been dealt, play the blasted cards!"

Rising to pace, she continues, "Wings mean mobility, elevation, perception. That mark means purpose. Together they say 'action'. So get active!"

Wheeling back to you, she concludes, "I'm sending you to see some people. Eyes and ears in places I don't have the reach. If answers exist, they will know or find them."

She scribbles something on parchment, sealing it with wax. "Take this to the Crimson Masquerade. Ask for the farseer twins. Just tell them old Razzmatazz sent you."

Handing you the scroll, she firmly steers you to the door. "I can't unravel this knot, but I'm now invested in the pattern that's weaving. Don't fail me, pony."

With a final inscrutable smile, she sees you off. You emerge blinking into the hall, message in hoof, wings fluttering nervously...yet also with anticipation. Forces have conspired to set you on this course without consent. But the viscountess is right - folding your cards helps nothing.

It doesn't help that it hasn't faded away. All the other times, that symbol, and those wings, had gone away about as quickly as they came. You still have both. They were... you? You rise up to two human feet. The wings are gone. You hurry to a restroom and have a peek.

There, on your rump, the mark. It's engraved there like you went to a very high quality tatoo artist. Feeling over it, it wasn't swollen or bothered, just... marked. You were branded.

In color, no less. It was a wonderful bit of art, that you didn't ask for. "Destiny?" The word had been mentioned. Had destiny put a cold iron on you and left that mark? It felt as likely as anything else... You let your pants snap back into place and step out onto the hallway, striding towards the exit. Another day, another time you were sent off without working a proper shift.

If you weren't retired, you'd be annoyed at the missing pay... They wouldn't stifle your ward, would they? That felt unlikely... She was the one sending you around. You're still doing what she asked!

Your mind swirls with destinies and portents as you make your way out of the freehold, viscountess’ mysterious missive in hand. Lost in thought, you nearly collide with a figure hurrying through the candy shop entrance - a familiar face.

“Hey, sorry ‘bout that!” Nick steadies you with a grin. “Was just coming to grab you for lunch. Everything alright?”

You explain the shocking developments as best you can along the way - healing wings, persistent cutie mark, veiled summons. Nick lets out a low whistle. “You don’t do things halfway, do you? What’s next then?”

Checking the parchment, you relay your assignment to visit the Crimson Masquerade and seek out the “farseer twins” at the viscountess’ behest.

“Crimson Masquerade...” Nick muses. “Swanky joint downtown. Guess we’re going clubbing!” He nudges you playfully. “After we fuel up. All this destiny business works up an appetite!”

As you walk to lunch, laughter eases your tension. But mysteries loom ahead at this insider haunt. Who frequents such an establishment? And what might the twins discern about the unusual forces swirling around you when even you cannot grasp their import? For now, you take comfort in simple companionship. The road ahead can wait...at least until after dessert.

Author's Note

No to the dreaming... But a lot of the other options sound nice...

As life gets more and more wild, it's nice to have a friend, right?

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43 - Honor the Masquerade

You head with Nick into downtown, to the building with soft thumping music coming out through the thick walls. A stern guard stands watch in front, arms folded. He glares at you as you come up. "You ain't on the list," he begins without prompting. "Get lost."

Well, shoot, that was fast... "Razzamatazz said--"

"Oh." He huffs and steps aside. "Head on in. What happens in the Masquerade stays there."

Nick chuckles at that, staying close at your side. "Alright..."

You feel like you're the one playing guard, leading him inside past the scary doorman.

Inside feels like a charged but grungy punk sort of place. Most people are chatting quietly with each other, easily going unheard over that loud music.

"You look lost." A sauve looking 30'sh year old man has you fixed with a look. "Where'd you wander in from?"

Nick pulls you back, suddenly brave. "We're looking for some twins."

"Only one of me," laughs the stranger. "World couldn't handle two."

Working on impulse, you flick your vision from normal to spirit. Oh... The entire place feels like the back room of a slaughterhouse that should fail every health code they had and cause a few new ones to be drafted. The man, previously handsome, was covered in bugs and rot. Nothing in that place looked... good.

An icy shudder runs through you as your spirit sight reveals the true macabre nature lurking beneath the club's stylish veneer. The once-handsome stranger is a horror of decay, the lively patrons now ghouls and spectres.

Swallowing back dread, you maintain a neutral facade. Whoever these monsters are, they clearly wish to remain hidden. An unwise place to cause offense.

"Apologies, my companion misspoke," you say evenly. "An associate of Razzmatazz suggested we meet someone here. The farseer twins?"

The bug-riddled figure smiles widely, displaying a distinct lack of decay befitting the rest of him. "Razzmatazz, is it? Haven't heard that name in an age. You've caught me intrigued..."

He sweeps an arm towards shadowy booths along the back. "Seek the silver mirror. The twins will know what you seek." He leans closer, and you smell earth and centuries-old bone. "Do return and regale me with your story sometime, my dears..."

Skin crawling, you steer Nick wordlessly towards the booths. He glances back with an uneasy chuckle. "Friendly fellow." At the booths, patrons leer hungrily through you. One wall holds a prominent silver mirror. Nick's reflection shows your true forms - two ponies on guard. "Is this it?"

You nod grimly. What awaits on the other side? With hands clasped, you step forward together... into the unknown.

Nick and you land on the other side, falling to all fours without being asked. The music is gone, the beat along with it. You're in a room that feels like it belongs to a roomy cottage, not part of a seedy bar. "Coming," calls a gentle female voice.

Nick laughs tensely. "Well... we're in it." He flicks his tail with obvious nervousness. "Can anyone walking past that mirror see us?" He turns back to see nothing. There's no hint of where we came from."

"No." A... crone? Is there a better word? She fit much of the sterotypes, wrinkled, mildly monstrous, but entirely friendly at a glance. Even in the spirit realm, she seems harmless. "You only see what you need to see in that mirror, and most of those who come past it have no need for us."

"Do we have guests?" A second pops her head out, but for as old as the first was, the second looked like she belonged in kindergarten. "Ooo, horsies!" She darts around the first to get at you and Nick with a big smile.

You exchange bemused glances with Nick as the unlikely pair appraise you both. The gleeful child and wizened crone seem an odd duo, but one matches the viscountess' description.

"Greetings, honored seers," you say politely with a slight bow. "I am Sally, and this is my friend, Nick. The viscountess Razzmatazz sent us to you."

"Razzmatazz!" crows the younger, clapping excitedly. "Haven't seen her in simply ages."

The elder hobbles over, squinting. "Let's have a look at you dearies..." Bony fingers tilt your chin left and right as she peers critically into your eyes. At last she nods. "Yes yes. Such bright souls behind those eyes...so much unfolding all at once!"

She pats your cheek fondly before returning the amulet's scrutiny. "Curious, curious...does Razzmatazz believe we can unravel this knot for you?"

Unsure, you explain the situation as best you can - the healing, the wings and marks, the veiled senses of destiny. "I confess I'm quite overwhelmed by it all. But the viscountess felt you may offer insight?"

The two confer in whispers before the crone responds. "Insights we may offer, but know that clear answers often lie not at journey's start...only time reveals their shape."

She draws a card from her robes - an image of sunset. "You stand at a threshold, dear one. What dawns next depends greatly on the choices made in this moment."

The child bounces excitedly. "Oh, it's so delightfully interesting! What ever will you do?"

Nick steps forward with a light clop. "Look, I know things are... Wait, do you even know what we are?" He gives an equine snort. "Two little horses just show up and you're alright with that?"

"No." The older reaches to brush one of your wings. "It's not every day a princess comes calling. I'm being rude. Royalty deserves a snack, at least. Do you prefer something sweet?"

You color faintly at her almost babying words. "I'm alright, thanks. Princess?"

Nick curls, as if to protect you with his body. "She's just caught up in this." He hitches. "And it's my fault. I'm... sorry." He looks to you. "I'm sorry."

The little girl suddenly grabs Nick's round equine cheeks. "Aw! Such a good horsie. She needs a brave horse friend or two. Will you stay right by her side?"

Nick blinks in surprise, then gently nudges the child's shoulder with his muzzle. "I don't need to go far to be by her side. And as long as she'll have this pony around, wild horses couldn't drag me away."

He smiles wryly at you. "We already stared down a vampire together. At this point, following you into destiny's great unknown sounds like a heck of an adventure." Sobering, he continues. "But yeah...I don't fully get everything happening either. As long as you want me around, I'll be there with a steady heart and an honest word."

The elder seer chuckles. "Such a noble steed! Small wonder our fair visitor keeps your company."

Clasping your shoulder, she adds gently, "The cards suggest you stand poised upon the cusp of magnificent things, should you seize their tide. But take care - not all that glitters leads toward grace. Discernment must guide blind ambition."

She smiles, patting your cheek fondly. "Yet nobility illuminates your essence, dear one. Stay true to that spirit, no matter the prominence."

You spread your new wings. "Does it have to do with this? Or that?" You direct a hoof at your glowing mark. "I didn't have these before."

The child lunges under your wing, hands on your strange new mark. "It's nice."

"It is nice." The smile on the hag's face was sad. "Too nice... But that is the fate of your kind. Will you share it? Perhaps... you will overcome it."

Nick gently swats the child's hands away. "You have a lot of questions and few answers."

"Yes." The crone leaned back. "It can feel that way, but I've said a lot. Little ponies, you rise together, or fall, alone. Which will it be?" She levels a wrinkled finger at you. "Your crown dangles off one of your ears. Put it on properly, if you wish."

Her words ring with portent, though their meaning hangs obscured. Glancing at your equine ears, no crown dangles there. Yet clearly this is figurative - she implies destiny awaits should you choose to grasp it.

Nick watches you intently as you consider the crone's charge. Whatever this "crown" represents, wearing it means embracing leadership and authority over your people.

Are you prepared for such a mantle? It would be a grave responsibility, yet also profound purpose. Perhaps this moment, this choice, is the true threshold upon which you stand.

The childishly ancient seer regards you with quiet expectancy, as does Nick. The decision of whether to leave the crown dangling unclaimed or seat it firmly upon your brow rests solely with you now...

As the silence stretches, you feel a strange quickening in your pulse. Time seems suspended, with all paths still potential. But it cannot remain so forever - eventually one must walk forward into the unknown, for good or ill.

With a deep breath, you steady your thoughts. The ignorant deride fortune as fickle, but perhaps the wise know her simply shy, awaiting invitation's kind grace to unveil her noble face.

"Can... I think?"

"Think." She waves you away, and you go away, just like that. You hit the ground on a human rump before the covered mirror. People around rise with surprised alarm. The loud music is thumping, and the smell of smoke is in the air.

You're back in the bar, and its residents don't seem pleased to have you or Nick back among them.

Your pulse quickens as unfriendly eyes turn your way. Beyond the decayed glamour you saw before, these spirits seem far from friendly company. Best make a discreet exit before offense takes root...

Rising casually, you extend a hand to help Nick up as whispered speculation ripples around you. He glances about warily but takes your cue, moving for the exit.

You pass the well-dressed spectre from before, his sunken features twisting in a hungry smile. "Leaving so soon? Pity..." As you brush past, his fingers graze your wrist, colder than death.

Suppressing a shudder, you maintain a placid facade. "Another time, perhaps."

The double doors open onto blessed daylight, the club's miasma shut behind. Only when several blocks away do you release a shaking breath. Nick steadies you, brow furrowed. "What the hell was that place?! You looked like you saw a ghost!"

Composing yourself, you choose your words carefully even here. "Let's just say that establishment caters to an...eclectic clientele. I believe the less said of it, the better."

He studies your haunted eyes, then nods soberly. "I think I catch your drift. At least we got what we came for, yeah?"

Rubbing your wrist pensively where spectral digits brushed, you reply, "After a fashion, though I confess their words perplex as much as clarify..."

You trail off, feeling suddenly exposed in this public space discussing arcane matters. "Come. Razzmatazz will wish a report regardless."

As you distance yourselves from that house of decaying vampires, the weight of the seers' opaque prophecy lingers cold upon your mind.

Nick bumps against you. "We never got that snack she was offering, or lunch. I say we get something to eat at least. That place was a total bust."

You can't help but laugh at that. "Seriously, you're hungry?" But the distraction feels welcome. You head off with Nick to get that food. "Seriously though, crown?"

"I'll follow your orders, my liege." He dips his head in a faux bow as the two of you walk towards a corner store offering prepared meals. "Just be gentle, and I'll fight to the bitter end."

"A crown comes with great responsibility...am I truly ready for such a burden?" you wonder silently. To guide an entire people would require immense wisdom and discernment - do you possess those qualities deeply enough yet? Or would embracing leadership now be premature?

You had to make a decision, but that could wait until you picked your choice off the glowing menu over the bored-looking man. Keeping him waiting didn't feel very fair. "I'll take that." You pointed. Would that all decisions were so simple.

Author's Note

Right to the twins. What could go wrong?

Dang it, the vampires came back for an encore. Alright, it's really choice time.

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1 - Retired in Peace

You stretch in the warm sun, reflecting on the pavement of the road in front of your small house. You'd done it, a fine long life of moderate success that had let you retreat to Florida to enjoy your golden years. Calling it that was, perhaps, a bit presumptuous. You were pretty sure you had plenty of years left in you! You weren't that old! Well, compared to some perhaps, but you were moving around without help and rubbing your only mildly wrinkled hands. You were practically a baby!

Okay, not a baby. You brushed a hand through your grey hair, interrupted by a chirping coming from your pocket. that was a joke you played on the world before, making a chirping bird your ringtone. It was like Twitter, but it chirped for you specifically. It was funny at the time. You dug out the phone and poked the answer button. You knew the name that had flashed on the screen.

"Nickey!" you called into it, "What's up?"

"Hey! You're not busy, are you? We're having a game over at my place." The voice was younger than you. You had never asked for his specific age. Was it any business of yours? He was early middle ages, you figured, with you being at the tail end of that.

"That depends on the game." You turned to look down the road as you talked. There weren't any cars driving on it, which was fairly normal. You lived in an out-of-the-way house, almost in the middle of nowhere. But so did he. You liked the company, and so did he. "What've you got in mind? Who else is showing?"

"Thom and Jannie are ready for it. Did you hear? Jan's back in town." A mutual female friend. "It's may, so I was thinking we hit up the Wars movie in a marathon while we shoot the shit."

"Fun enough, but not a game. You messing with me?" You turned back to your small house. One story tall, one bedroom, enough for you. "What's the game?"

"Well... While that's playing, I was thinking we could play some cards. A little distraction from the Serious Business. You in?"

Cards was a popular enough game. Usually, poker, but there were plenty of options. Your schedule had room in it. "Sure. When?"

"Tonight."

Tonight?! Usually he gave more warning than that. "Shit."

"Don't have to be fancy, just be there." And the phone went dead with the click of the ended call.

Dang it... Well, Nickey was usually a good host. He got good beer and he had a quality stereo and he was a nice guy overall. So... why not? You got on a jacket for later, when things cooled down, and you headed out. You could have gotten in your car, and you were tempted, but it was a party. You might not have been in the right condition to drive back, and he wasn't that far anyway.

A few minutes of hiking wouldn't hurt you! You were there in no time at all. He was about a block away, but this was a country block instead of a city block, so that still meant something. You rapped on the door with the back of your hand. Even if he was annoying, he was a true friend. He didn't have to invite you over, or cover your back, but he did both of those. He was a good guy!

You felt a soft warmth in your chest. Heart burn? You beat it lightly just before the door opened. "Nickey!" You met hand to hand, stepping into his cooler house. He had good central AC that beat the heat of the day handily. Another reason to enjoy visiting. "Who's already here?"

"You're the slow poke." He patted you on the back and kicked the door shut in almost the same motion. "He's here! The party can get really started." Another point in Nick's favor, he always made you feel like the special one, no matter how many people were around. Why he picked you, you weren't sure. Was a grandfather thing? You were old enough to be his dad, by your figuring, but you were old enough to be most people's dads, so that meant little.

You were overthinking it! It was party time, and you were ready for it.

With a clap of your hands, you greeted your friends and joined the festivities. There was no specific holiday other than Nick's call for one. You drank and ate snacks and you weren't a bad showing at the cards.

Some time later, you requested, "Be right back." Nature was calling, and she would leave a message if you tried to leave her to voice mail. You scurried to the bathroom as the room erupted into cheers at an exciting part of the movie. You clapped the door shut and got to business, but you weren't being left alone to do that.

Your body was tingling as thoughts of your friends refused to leave you. They were kind souls, Nick especially. They cared for you and thinking about that just couldn't be shaken as the warmth in your chest blossomed outwards, penetrating out in tingling waves that felt... almost kinda good, if one could throw off the fear that it was something awful. You tried to call out, but little more than a choked gasp escaped.

You remembered something that seemed entirely irrelevant. You were with Nick, at a water park. It was a fun day. He missed a high five and hit your nose instead. It wasn't a hard impact at all, barely a brush, really. He had laughed it off, and so had you, and there it was, in your mind again.

Ripping clothes reached your ears, the sound echoing off the walls as you collapsed forward. Your limbs were changing and the clothes couldn't keep up, especially your legs, rapidly becoming pony limbs as you stepped free of your pants, wagging your short but rapidly growing tail. "Help," you tried to call, but your voice felt so small. You had only a few choices at that point.

Author's Note

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14 - Back to the Grindstone

You get an interview! But will they accept your ID, and your story? You're going through a transition. That wasn't even a lie, right? You still looked like yourself, if you had been born with an XX instead of an XY. You just cross your fingers and head in hoping for the best.

You hadn't forgotten your new friend. The new job may help with that! They were a non-profit that specialized in helping people get off the street. Absolutely perfect! Why did you get a cold wash down your back when you stepped through the sliding doors?

Nervous. You had gotten so used to being retired; you forgot most of what it's like to work, even part time, assuming you even get hired.

You walk up to the counter with a hopeful smile. "Hello. I'm here for an interview."

The bored person at the front perked up. "Oh, yeah. Through there." He pointed through a door and scratched at some rash he had along his arm. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Some small part of you wanted to help with that rash, but that'd come off as super strange, and attract the wrong attention, and also, did we mention, it'd just be weird. Nah. You walk past, pushing through into the back hallway. The front had been well lit and clean. The back, dim and far less spotless. Was it even the same place? You see a door with a 'meeting' plaque on the right side. That has to be it, right?

Inside is a fairly normal office desk and some chairs. You help yourself to one and settle down to wait. It doesn't take long for a knock to announce the arrival of a man in a sharp business suit. "Welcome." He says your name. "On time, even early. Already a good first sign." You'd worked long enough to know showing up on time was the bare minimum requirement! A pity they had a hard time getting people to even do that. "Found us alright?"

"No problem at all." It had just been a short drive from your house. Quite convenient really. Just a ride towards the nearest city. "I'm looking forward to helping some people out."

"How charming." He made a note on a clipboard. "Now, the basics. Can you lift 50 pounds?" You nod. Regaining your youth had returned that to easy. "Stand for extended periods?" You nod. "Can you provide legal proof of your ability to work?"

Crap. You fish out your ID. "Here you go."

He takes it with a flick of his fingers, turning it in the motion to face himself. "This... is not you. Now, look. We get undocumenteds once in a while, no big deal." He folded the ID away.

"I need that." Losing your ID wasn't part of the plan. "And that's really mine."

"I said it's no big deal." The door opens behind him, allowing two other men inside with strange looks in their eyes, as if they were past hungry. "You're hired."

There are no good feelings coming from this. "I... still need that ID, but I'm glad to hear that."

"No, you don't." He turned away from you as the others advanced.

Sharp teeth and malicious intentions are the end of you.

But that's hardly where we want to end this story. Let's turn back a page or two. There were a few hints, a few other paths we could have taken to avoid this lamentable fate.

You slide your vision, tuning the channel. You had learned how to see into the spirit world properly, but that's not where you're headed. Sundown comes into view, looking terrified. He has not entered the building. He sees that you see him though. "Get out!" he yelps, waving back onto the street. "Go go go!"

Sundown hasn't led you astray yet. You check your watch as if just noticing something and grunt, heading right back outside. The people at the counter don't even look up. Outside, you start walking away from the place, towards your car. "Can you tell me why I'm giving up that job so quickly?"

"I never felt so many heebies!" He hurried up at your side. "I was afraid you'd go in there and never come out..."

"That bad?" You struggle to imagine what was lurking in there. "I just want to earn a few dollars and help."

"You have a good heart. I'd like it to not get eaten..." He worries his hands together, walking along on his hind feet. "Try another, and let me check it out before you come, just to be sure. I'm your dream. If you go, I may go too."

Was that how that worked? You had no evidence one way or the other.

"Lady," grunts a familiar voice, a figure from the shadows emerging with a familiar blade. It's that chimeric job, held by the one in the red cap. "You are sending me real crossed signals, and I hate it. You also made me chase you halfway across the state." You did not drive that far! "And I hate it..."

"You hate a lot of things..."

"And I may hate you." He takes a step towards you. "But we're gonna find that out. First, that." He angles the dagger towards Sundown. "You can see that, right?"

"You're scaring him." He's scaring you too! But Sundown's shivering form is a convenient other thing to think about.

"That's a yes, and I hate that..." What didn't that guy hate? "Follow me, or I have my answer." He flicks the blade into a withdrawn state, no longer threatening you with it. "Or run. Running's an option, but I already know where you live."

Wow, you are not getting good feelings from this guy. Still, when you take a step, Sundown does too. He wouldn't follow you into the job interview. A sign? You decide to take it as one. "Do you threaten everyone you run into?"

"The people I like, or the people I hate." He only leads a short distance into the alleyway, out of easy sight of the road. "Now, you are not one of us, so what are you?"

Sundown slips to your side. "She's a really nice person that's trying to do nice things."

"Only reason we're talking." He leans back against the brick wall. "So out with it."

Well, advertising to the world was not the idea, but he was clearly not part of 'the world' in the normal sense. Still... "Just a little off balance."

"And hoarse!" pipes out Sundown.

The man peers at our 'pet'... dream? dragon. "Was that a pun?"

"Maybe." Sundown did his best to look innocent.

"You're a pony? I heard of those..." He tucks the dagger away. "Don't hate those." Oh, finally, something he doesn't hate. "The fuck is a pony doing walking into that place?"

Did everyone on that side of things know about that place? "I was trying to get a job?"

"You don't want any job they're offering." He cracks his knuckles, glaring at you viciously. "If you're lucky, you just don't come out. Most aren't lucky, and wish that happened. Think I'm being dramatic? I ain't, hate that." Another thing to add to the hate tally. "You an artsy type?"

Artsy type? "No... Helpful, as Sundown said."

"That's me." Sundown looks so proud to have been called by name.

"Yeah... So who were you helping?" He shrugs, one hand going up in a shrug. "Don't see that place helpin' anyone but someone get hurt, or a few dollars. which were you aiming for?"

"Neither of those options..." That sure wasn't the plan. "I know a homeless man, thought I'd get involved in a--"

"Shit." He pushes off the wall. "Shit. Fuck... Damn... You fell for it. You took the hook and they were reeling you in. This is why there aren't that many horses around." He kicks a can down the alleyway, sending it bouncing off a trash bin. "Fuck!"

"Feel bad for you, really do." He turns back to you. "But this ain't my problem."

"Hello."

"Fucking hell..." He glares at Sundown. "Your little friend is reminding me it is my problem. I hate that... Whatever. Fuck, whatever... You want to help, go home. I'll arrange something with people that know that kind of thing better than me. Listen, I fuck shit up. It's what I do! I like to think I'm good at it, but that isn't what we need today, right? I'm not stupid. So go home."

You could argue with the angry man, or just head home, and one of those felt like the smarter idea. He doesn't stop you from leaving the alleyway. You never find out if you would have gotten the job, but you don't bother calling in to find out.

You hurry for the door and its light knocks. "Coming!" Throwing it open, you are face to face with a smiling young adult man. "Hello?"

"Hi! I hear you are a real expert on horses and I could use some help with that." He steps inside and closes the door as if that's a normal thing to do. "Can you help me?"

A strange start at best... "Depends on the horse?" Were they a pony? You had no trick to detect a fellow pony.

"A real rascal! Gets into trouble, all the time really... but he isn't so bad, usually." He rubs at his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm..."

You flip to life vision, and he's a bright young form of vibrant energy. Spirit-side, perfectly normal. Sundown appears, and the man changes as you switch to that frequency. He has two long pony ears sprouting up through his hair. He still looks cheerful and welcoming, if uncannily inhuman. "Oh. You're like that person with the red cap?"

His eyes widened. "Oh!" he echoed as you did. "So you can... I felt something, a whisper, a scream? You are at least half awake, seeing the dream in that funny way." He wriggled a few fingers at you. "But I'm here because I hear a good horsie wants to get a good job, helping people!"

Sundown hops forward at the horse person. "You smell nice." He sniffs at the horse-eared person without a shred of reservation. "I like it."

"I like it too," the horse man giggles out. "What a special horsie, having an imaginary friend. Very special... or insane. One or the other."

"What does that make someone who has a conversation with the imaginary friend?"

He considers your words. "Good point... So! Job. You wanted one?"

He's putting out way less creepy vibes than that place you almost went into. "Sure, if it can help people out." You extend a hand, but he isn't reaching to take it, instead looking at your pictures on the wall.

"Who's that?" He's gaping at the pictures. Of you and of your departed wife. "Not very vain, huh?"

No pictures of your modern self... "Long story... Very long."

"I love long stories. A long story from a horse with a long face? The absolute best." He twirls to face you. "Regale me! I'll repay with telling you about the job. That's fair, right? Completely fair. Entirely. Only a fool would even consider denying it."

Sundown wilted. "Oh no... I guess I'm a fool then."

You pet the poor dragon on the head. "You're just fine. So, what do you know about ponies?"

Author's Note

The herd has spoken! Part-time job for you! That could have gone better, but you did end up getting a job, yay! You have a new longterm goal. Part of me is thinking this isn't really a decision point... Am I off on that? Lemme know!

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31 - So Much to Giggle At

Two fine friends, right there... But you're certain which of them you'd like to ask first. "Show me laughter."

"Easier said than done." Moon hops back a step. "Laughter's a way of life, but so are the other purposes. You see a group of people." She points at you and Nick. "One of your first thoughts: How can I make them smile a little harder?"

"I do that," you defend. "Being nice makes people smile, last I checked."

"Sure, sure. Most of the purposes make people happy, in a roundabout way.." She taps her fingers, studying you. "But this is more direct, and immediate. No money, no gifts, no fancy sacrifices. How can you turn their thoughts to the positive? That's the laughter trick. It may not always last forever, but sometimes... Sometimes..." She waggles her fingers in the air. "You get the hit at just the right moment, you can change a life."

Thoughts of laughter drift in your mind. "Like talking someone out of hurting themselves?"

"That would be pretty well-timed laughter," Moon easily agrees. "Breaking a tough situation or shattering the ice on a first meeting. Helping people get past tough spots so they can push on, that's us! Besides celebrating good times." She raised the roof in an emphatic push of her palms. "A good celebration can help keep morale up." She turned a finger to the remainder of the meal. "That. That was a good start. Broke the mood, shattered the ice. If you had a slick few words to go with it, laughter."

Nick nods along, clearly paying attenion too. "Huh... I usually worry about keeping people on an even keel."

"Loyalty." She swats him on the shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining. Keep on loyalty'ing everywhere, but if you want to grab laughter, you have to learn its ways." She snickers, looking you over anew. "This making any sense at all?"

"I... think so?" You consider Moon's situation. "Glad you could make it, and you escaped your little road bump."

"Right! Miss the guy though." She laughed in good spirits, moving for the kitchen and that food. "I'll try to bring him by if you want to say hello."

Was that a laughter moment? You didn't feel the tickle of a job well done, but that hadn't been a very big deal either. "Whenever you want. He's welcome around here. Right, Nick?"

"Who? Oh, the foal? Sure." He doesn't sound as excited as you. "No biggie."

Moon nudges you on the way by, wielding a glass of soda. "I think you've taken your first timid step. But, you're going to have to practice, on people who aren't me. I mean, if you figure out a way to put a big smile on my face, you go for it. But it's more about living the life around the clock. You have kindness pretty down, now walk the laughter life. When you get those little tickles, you know it's working. Now.... ideally... You'd be getting kindess and laughter kicks. You want to be both, right?"

Both, right. That was the trick. "A kind laugh..." A thought comes to you. "I can see how balancing this would get trickier with each purpose you tried to stack on top."

"Exactly," sang Moon. "Which is why I'm pretty happy with just laughter and calling it a day. I can just mess up one purpose instead of trying to foul them all up at once."

It is no mild task you're volunteering for, but... "What's the downside?"

"If you're asking 'will the universe will punish me for my hubris' kinda thing." Moon wobbles a hand, leaning back against a wall. "Nothing specific, but that depends on how you look at it. You get your headspace too cluttered trying to be perfect, you may get really good at never having a moment's peace to yourself, which can make you kinda bad at all of them at the same time."

Nick's interest visibly wanes. "That sounds less fun. You sure you want to do this?" He flicks the television off, not able to focus on it well with the two of you chatting next to him. "You're getting kindness down pretty well, why not live that up?"

"I don't plan not to," you retort, perhaps a bit more hotly than you'd originally planned. "I'll be careful. For now, laughs."

You pump Moon for the ins and outs she can offer, from mindset to what seems to be the triggers for getting a harmony high. Making someone smile on a rough day, little hit. Bringing someone back from a severe edge or sidestepping a huge fight with the right words to defuse the sitatuion, moderate hit.

But what qualified as a huge hit? "No idea." Moon looks you over with that thorough scan. "I'll be honest. You're the first pony in a while that even talks about that kind of thing. I was hoping you'd tell me. Have you felt it? A big one?"

Reflecting back on your experiences, One bit hops out at you. "I have a job right now, and most of my pay goes to a person I barely know, to give him a life he deserves to have, but wouldn't have. He doesn't even know I did it... But when I got that going, I felt... good, a real good." Putting a finger exactly on the feeling is hard, but it was the deepest kindness you can remember feeling. "Speaking of that, as nice as being an anonymous benefactor is, I really want to go say hi and check on him."

"Wild!" Moon pushes off the wall, launching herself ahead. "Way wild. That does sound like a Kindness thing with a capital K. Fits what I know. Major things don't come easy. Major laughter... Play peacekeeper between two gangs or countries ready to fill each other with lead? Make a whole hospital of sick kids smile and forget their misery?" She hums with a growing frown. "But dancing down the halls of a hospital would... maybe work once. A joke's less funny the second time you hear it."

"That's what she said," you return fire.

Moon freezes a moment before she laughs, pawing at you in mild swipes. "Oh, my, god, you did not just say that." Still, her smile implied she was alright with the humor.

You feel the faintest touch, the mildest high. You had broken Moon out of a teeny tiny negative spiral. Your first laughter. You can't even stop yourself from smiling what felt like a little too high. Your first laughter. If you could bottle it up to save somewhere, you'd consider it.

"That's a real smile." She waves a hand like a jazz hand. "Did I just see a first laughter?" You nod and she joins you in a happy smile. "Wow, maybe you really can pull this off. Look, just don't... leave me behind. I was getting jaded as hell... That's why I got all over you. You have a smell of something new, something unspoiled. I want to help that, and I want to be helped by that. A little selfish? Sorry."

You assure her that you're not mad at her. "We're all a little selfish. Even me. I helped the..." You were about to go on about the dreaming, but neither of them even knew about it, and it was supposed to be private anyway. "I helped some friends in a fight, but it was for survival. I wanted to survive as much as them. That didn't make it not kindness, lowercase, but it did make it not Kindness, uppercase."

"Checks out." Moon snaps her fingers and turns to finger guns at you in one smooth motion. "But what the hell were you doing in a fight? What's going on?! Is this secret? Should I not know?"

"Some of it is..." How to go over that eludes you. "But there was a fight, and we won with a big dose of kindness and bravery on their part. How I learned a new kindness trick."

Moon taps a foot lightly. "Huh... Well, if I was there, and I stopped the fight in the first place, I bet that woulda counted... Look, I don't know where you're working that this is a thing that comes up... But hook a lady up? That sounds way more interesting than what I'm doing right now."

Well... Dang. "Um! I can put in a good word?" She is a unicorn. She could learn the right spells. "You'll need a specific trick to even try. This is shoving a foot in a new, dangerous, pond. Are you sure?"

"If it means I get to hang out with you and try living, yes." She folds her arms, tapping at herself. "Put in that good word. You have my number. Also, do they pay well? I mean, if I'm signing up for a new job, I should at least ask."

"Yes," notes Nick suddenly. "At least they are for me, for a retail gig."

"So, yeah, want in." Moon sets her hands on her hips. "What have you got that I don't? Besides the kindness thing."

Well... "You could pick that up? We could swap." You motion between her and yourself. "Practice each other's thing."

"That is sweet of you... But I doubt it. Show me that trick though. Unicorn trick?"

"Unicorn trick," you verify. "Spirit, mind, unique blend. Just a touch of either." You tap the side of your head near your eye. "Takes a certain point of view."

"That sounds trippy as hell, and I'm signing on all the dotted lines you have." She grabs your hand and tugs you away. "Let's not bore your poor boy more than we already have. He doesn't need unicorn tricks."

"Oh, fine, see if I show you any earth pony tricks." He sounds like he's joking, waving you two off. "You can't hot swap those like purposes, gonna guess. You can't learn how to be something you physically aren't."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Moon sings as she leads you off to your bedroom for some magical study time.

Fortunately, she's already an expert in mind magics. It isn't too hard to get her to skew a little to the side to peer in the right direction, which is how she meets him. "Woah!"

"Hi," eagerly greets your dragon friend, Bright Spark. "Nice to meet you. You smell like raspberry."

Moon Streak raises a hesitant finger. "Do you normally start with what people smell like?"

"If I like them." Bright claps with unhidden joy. "It's so nice to talk to a friend of hers. And one that can see me! This is a great night. So, hello. I'm Bright Spark." He waves at himself with both hands. "I'm her imaginary friend, and she's mine. Are you imaginary too?"

You give Bright Spark a belly rub just the way he likes it, distracting him from speaking for a moment. "Bright Spark is adorable and loyal. Imagine finding out an imaginary friend you had as a kid was very real, and cares about you a lot."

"I'd love that..." She turned slowly as if searching for something. "I don't see any others... I don't have one. Shoot... Well, I have one at least."

Bright looks so thrilled. "We're friends? Good!" He noses over her curiously. "Hello, Moon Streak."

"I never said my name? How'd you know that?" But she lets him sniffle at her without complaint.

"You said it, I was there." He points at you. "I'm with her, always. If you told her, I heard it. Um, sorry if that bothers... I don't mean anything bad..."

"Don't look so sad." She pinched his cheeks and ruffled them gently. "You are so soft!" Smooth dragon scales, warm to the touch, and to her clear approval. "Nice to meet you too, Bright. We may be working together. What's it like, where she works?"

"The boss lady is really bossy!" He crosses his arms, pouting in the thought of the elf boss. "But she's alright. She doesn't pay me much attention. She really likes her though." He points at you. "So I don't hate her."

Author's Note

Laughter is the best medicine, they say. Let's learn to laugh and help others smile.

First laughter obtained, along with one precious point of harmony. We can do this! But maybe we'll gain a new work buddy?

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44 - As It Was Meant To Be

You make up your mind. Surely any given person makes up their mind about countless things every day, but this one means something a little extra. An elecrtic thrill runs through you, exciting and dreadful all at the same thing. The urge to drop to all fours is overwhelming, but you're literally in the car, so you hold that off until you get home and hurry inside, to Nick's confusion.

"What's the rush?" He trails after you into the house. "Bathroom emergenc---oh." He stops in place as you crash to all fours inside, wings spread, horn raised and a glow shimmering across the room around you. "Neat... What's with the light show?" He has the sense to close the door behind you. "And is this related to what they were going on about?"

With your mark glowing with fierce determination, you feel like you could tackle the world. You might not win that contest, but you felt ready to try, and that was a heady feeling all by itself. "Call the others. I know it's soon, but it's time for a pony meeting to end all pony meetings."

You float your phone over and press buttons rapidly. You know the numbers of some ponies, so you get the ball rolling. Little Arrow and Moon promise to be there at the house quickly, lovely souls they are. "Big Shot, time to stop playing idle defense."

"You are joking, but please tell me you're not," came the deep voice of that large pony a call away.

"No jokes. What am I, a laughter? Get everyone you know over to my house, the sooner the better. I have huge news to throw down."

"Better not be messing with us." He hung up, but he hadn't said no.

Eager wasn't hard. "Woah, seriously? You survived the visit then? I want to know what you learned." And that was that. He was coming just to find out what the mage meeting turned up.

Nick watches with bemusement as you make a rapid flurry of calls while magic crackles the air. Soon responses filter in from the contacts you've established - curiosity, excitement, and no small skepticism mix in their replies. But they're coming without argument.

As the last call concludes, Nick clears his throat. "Not to doubt your pony passion back in action, but um, you sure you wanna drop a herd of horses in our living room without warning?"

He scratches his head, eyeing your glowing regalia. "I mean I'm with you in spirit, but we might wanna tidy up a bit before-"

Three sharp knocks at the door cut him off. You both turn to see Moon Streak's grinning face in the window, waving eagerly with Little Arrow bouncing beside.

"No time like the present hm?" Nick moves to let them in. "I'll grab some snacks..."

Soon more hooves are clopping down your halls as word spreads rapidly through the local herd. Big Shot shows up cracking his knuckles with a toothy grin. "This better be big like you claimed. Folks were ready to tan my hide for stirring panic without cause!"

You assure all it isn't causeless as the living room fills to standing room only. Finally when it seems no more will arrive, you float to the room's center, horn aglow. Nick kills the lights so all attention fixes on your luminous form.

"Friends, we stand upon the cusp of a new era!" you declaim. "Too long have we wandered without purpose or unity. But at last the time has come...to take back our power!"

Murmurs of surprise ripple through the herd. Moon Streak and Little Arrow cheer eagerly. Clearing your throat, you prepare to drop revelations that will change everything.

"Let me start with apology. I was challenged, last meeting." You nod towards each knot of ponies gathered there. "And I backed off, not wanting to take it, but things have changed, and I keep having it mashed into my face."

I reach to your chest and tap at the dangling butterflies. "I will accept that crown. I will take that responsibility. It is the kind thing to do, but it will take some times where it doesn't look kind." The butterflies glimmered, then vanished. "What?"

The other ponies gasp at that, whispering wild rumors a moment before the shine returned, a tiara popping into being over your head and falling right between your fuzzy ears for all to see. You expand in a strange sensation, like you're being pulled in all directions and your body's going along with it as inches pour onto you.

Big shot snorts softly. "Did you call us over here to watch your glam-up? Not a bad look, but...?"

"No." Wow, your voice really carried there. You straighten yourself out, wings unfurled wide. "My fellow ponies. I ask that you accept me. I will guide you all as best I can. It's time we put our hooves in the dirt and start marching. If we sit and wait, we're just waiting for the end to come to us. We can choose which way we trot, and I'll take that over wallowing in the mud."

Gasps of shock and disbelief meet your startling transformation and rousing call to action. All eyes fix on your wings and tiara, the unmistakable marks of ascended royalty amongst ponies. Surely this is no mere flight of fancy, but destiny unveiled.

You draw a deep breath as hushed astonishment blankets the room. But words of address die upon your tongue as a lone clopping resonates from the corner. Moon Streak, defiant yet regal, strides forth to meet you eye to eye.

One could slash tension with a blade as everypony awaits her reaction. Will she bend knee in recognition of your new station? Or issue challenge against what some might interpret as a coup of questionable legitimacy upon ponydom's ragged but proud remnants? Her next actions may sway the herd to balk or rally at this pivot point.

She halts mere inches away, searchingly meeting your expectant gaze...then slowly sinks into a deep curtsy. Little Arrow mimics the obescience with comical exaggeration.

"The Princess honors us with her presence," Moon Streak proclaims, broad grin ascending. "All hail!"

The room erupts with cheers and frenzied shouts of your hastily-dubbed title. Big Shot bows despite his bandaged arm. "We heard your call and we goddamn came, Princess! Lead the charge and we got your six!"

Nick whistles loudly and waves from the stairs. "What he said! Though someone explain what's happening later, yeah?"

Even Eager Step grips a forelock and dips head in salutation. They came at a word, bereft yet hungry for direction, unity, revived magic and light....

And whether prepared or not, destiny has deposited that mantle squarely upon you. The future awaits, uncarved but bright with potential. There are kingdoms yet to build, battles yet to wage, and shadows yet to turn toward the sunrise at long last waxing anew.

The room crackles with reckless energy, joyous stamping drowning your voice unheard as all proclaim the awakening Princess of Ponydom, and you can feel your tiara almost vibrating in response to both your acceptance and the crowd's. "I will not let you down... We have to play the big game. We may be little ponies, but you're my little ponies, and I have your back, all of you."

You take a slow cleansing breath. "It's time to look outside ourselves. This world needs us. Let's start with the state, but it's not the end goal. Do you have friends inside Florida but not standing in this room? Time to reach out. This entire state should tremble under the clops of pony hooves. We are taking it back, one desperate person at a time."

Moon stifles a giggle. "Wow, look at you, but... Not to be a bummer, but that's going to take a lot of resources. You know, money? Manpower, the works? We can't just think good thoughts at people that need help."

You reach with a wing to pet over Moon's back. "We don't need manpower, we have horsepower." Groans rise at the pun. "We've been sitting on a solution for a long time, all of us, together. We are not alone in this dark world." You point at a pony. "You. You've made friends with the werewolves, haven't you?" They nod shakingly. "If a werewolf doesn't count for some 'man' power, not sure what does."

You turn on Eager. "You're friends with a few mages. They're kinda crazy, but they know you and they don't dislike your fuzzy butt. It's time to start calling them. They all make big noises about reshaping this world, time to put their money where their mouth is."

You turn a hoof on yourself. "I've already made friends with some changeling, and they have a surprising amount of money, and their own problems. Friendship flows both ways! We will help our fellow denizens of the dark corners, and we will call on them! We are not alone!"

Hooves stamp in rousing approval at your rallying proclamations, ponies neighing in excitement. Already their stunned stupor at your ascension shifts toward galvanized purpose.

Moon Streak grins admiringly. "Well now, listen to that royal 'we'! I knew you had fire in ya, but damn if it isn't bright now."

Little Arrow bounces in place yelling "Yay Princess!" as the energy swirls. You catch Big Shot punching the air, Eager Step nodding firmly, and other ponies whispering spiritedly, ready to commit might, magic, and passion wherever directed.

Truly they are catalysts awaiting but a bold vision to transform idle potential into kinetic change. The slumbering giant of Equestrian heritage, though fragmented and weary in this age, yearns toward awakening once more. If called by a voice of conviction, perhaps they shall find power still yet rippling in their limbs.

Raising a hoof for order, you continue. "Too long have we endured the shadows alone, each struggling to survive. But no more! Together we shall walk proudly as befits our kind - bringing comfort through adversity and light where darkness falls!"

Electric purpose courses the air as all stir restlessly, manes bristling, tails kinking with anticipation. Though the details remain veiled, trusting you possess guidance from realms beyond the mundane herd's ken, none now doubt radical upheaval fast approaches.

"You all bless me with courage equaling your own!" you trump out across uplifted faces. "With compassion steming despair's bitter harvest, we shall make this land anew - a sanctuary fusing magic born and made!"

Your voice rings with harmonic power that captivates mortal and fae souls alike. "Will you lend your gifts to realize this future with me, O ponies mine?"

A great cry shakes the beams above. "AYE!!!"

"Then it begins TONIGHT!" you bellow, raising your head regally as thunderous adulation greets Equestria's Princess reborn...!

Author's Note

It is time to wear that crown.

Listen to their cheers. It is the start of a new age. Oh, the equinity of it all.

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