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.

Time to vote! Change, now they note, where applicable, what traits, if any, are sure to come up. Click here 👉https://forms.gle/tJRqavo3ARRKxiBRA

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