Dreamwalker's Tale: Last (!) Adventure

Chapters

Friendship is Complicated
Yay, Adventure...
I Like Trains (Most of the Time)
First Flight
This Ravine Just Goes On Forever
Getting Captured Is Easy
The Issue With Credibility
Aftermath

Friendship is Complicated

I was nervous. A simple fact, but with dire consequences. I tried to hum a little tune to myself, but I could not focus on the melody or rhythm properly. My steps carried me through the streets of Canterlot, on a path I knew decently well enough not to get lost by now. The sun was sinking, dipping the sky in a beautiful, golden glow and the color scheme of a flame merrily burning away in a fireplace.

I had no reason to be nervous in the first place, I told myself. Which did little to calm me down, as was to be expected. Yet the attempt itself kept my mind busy for another couple of steps. Until I finally arrived before Moondancer’s house and with a couple steps more, its door. “Calm down, idiot,” I chided myself in a quiet hiss. “You’re just going to have a nice, quiet evening with a friend.” I straightened myself out, took a deep breath. I even tried Twilight’s breathing technique. Or Cadance’s, rather.

After that failed as well, with no impact noticeable, I shrugged and checked my breath for the last time. Hopefully. I had brushed my teeth twice before coming here. Nervousness might have played a part in that, mostly by making me forget that I had already done it once. I had brushed my coat as well. Rarity continuously insisted that it made a difference. One I did not, could not, see. But then again, maybe I was just blind. I quite vividly remembered the outrage of not noticing Rarity’s new coiffure immediately.

Speaking of hair: I had brushed my mane and tail as well, of course. Which had been a bit of a painful affair, to be honest. That tangled, frizzy mess did not wish to cooperate at all. And I once again failed to see any difference to how it had looked before. Especially now that a lazy breeze had had ample opportunity to mess it up again.

Can’t be helped, I noted with the attempt at nonchalance and raised a hoof to knock. Tap, tap, tap.

I briefly heard her muffled voice from inside and assumed it was something along the lines of ‘coming’, ‘I’ll be right there’ or ‘on my way’. And a minute or so later, the door opened to reveal Moondancer. She was not wearing her usual, dark gray sweater. She was not wearing anything at all. Well, aside from her black, thick-rimmed glasses. She had her hair done up again. ‘It’s pragmatic’, she had told me several times. So her hair would not get in the way of her reading. As a side effect: It looked good. Her coat had a distinct sheen that usually was not there.

She simply looked pretty, all around. And she smiled bashfully. “Hi.”

I held back a snort. I could not even tell what had been so funny about this. I instead grinned from ear to ear. “Hey. Are you ready?”

She looked down at her hooves and then at her back before she nodded. “Well… as ready as I can be? You have not told me much about what to expect. I hope I will not need any dresses? Because I don’t have any.”

“Don’t worry, you look great. No dress required.” Despite the simplicity of the assurance, she stopped for a couple of seconds and just looked at me. As if she was searching for something. “Uh… you alright there?”

“I’m… yes, I am fine. Lead the way.”

I was glad to get our evening started, so she did not have to ask me twice. She closed the door behind her and we strolled along the sidewalk at a lazy pace. We had no reason to make haste, after all. “So, how have you been? It’s been a while since we last talked.”

“Ten days since you returned,” she specified.

I was genuinely surprised by her remark. “Oh? So you counted the days I was gone?” I teased her a little.

I had hoped for a smile. Maybe a faint blush. But she instead closed her eyes and exhaled for a moment. The joke did not land and she obviously did not consider the entire topic all that funny to begin with. “Despite your ‘great plan’, I was worried. You do realize that the ‘Forbidden Jungle’ does not carry that name because it sounded funny, right? It was named that way as a warning to stay clear of the general area.”

I knew that she had been worried. She had expressed as much even before I had departed. But I had apparently underestimated just how much it troubled her mind. Even though I had successfully recruited The Princess Celestia to my side. I had swung by the library twice in those past ten days, of course. Once the day Sunny had to open Day Court again. Just to let her know that I was still alive and that her help had been greatly appreciated. And once two days ago, when I had finally settled on an idea to show her my appreciation and gratitude. The latter visit had admittedly been quite brief. I just told her to be ready for pick up this evening and not to make any wild plans involving her books.

“I’m back, though?” I meekly offered. “And I’m fine?”

She sighed again and nodded. “Yes, you are. Now, if you don’t mind, what exactly are we going to do?”

I briefly considered keeping up the suspense and leaving her in the dark, but I knew a thing or two about Moondancer. She did not like surprises. A trait I could relate to. That she was willing to go along with my request was already a nice statement, but I would most likely be better off telling her now. She would eventually start to brood over it otherwise. “We are starting off with a visit to the Tasty Treat. I hope you haven’t eaten yet? And after that, we’re going to watch a movie. And after that… I’m not quite sure yet. It will be late then. I could bring you home. You could come with me. We could visit Donut Joe. I say: We decide on that once we’re there.”

Finally — finally! — I saw her smile. It was a demure little thing, but fragile only on a superficial level. There was genuine, heart-felt joy in her eyes. The kind of reaction I had been hoping for. “So you are taking me out for dinner,” she stated. And I simply nodded. I had not told her to take some bits with her. I carried a little satchel with my purse inside. Enough to splurge a little this evening. I was decently sure that we could not eat and drink as much as we would need to to empty my pockets. “You do realize that this sounds an awful lot like a date, right?”

I wanted to laugh a little, but that sounded strangely artificial in my head. And I felt a small wave of warmth flood my face. “Well, y-yes, I suppose. But it’s not. A date, I mean. It’s not a date. Well, it is, just, not like that.”

It was strange seeing her smirk. “Wow. And I thought I was nervous.”

“I just want this to be a nice evening for you,” I quickly reassured and as I saw her eyebrow slowly rise, I just as hastily corrected myself. “For us.” Us. That really did not help my case, did it?

She avoided eye contact for a while. As did I. It was ridiculous, I told myself. I was just trying to have a nice evening with a friend. This awkwardness should not be here. Between us.

And I dreaded what was brewing in her head. I caught glimpses of it every now and then. Her smile persisted, sure. But her eyes told a second story. One that evolved parallel to us having a nice evening. She was worried about something. And that obviously worried me.

“Dreamwalker… why are you doing this?” she asked as Restaurant Row came into view.

“I wanted to thank you,” I replied. “You did so much to help me out. I could not have done this without you.”

“But you did thank me,” she objected.

“Oh come on. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t quite cut it for what you’ve done. You translated an entire book basically overnight,” I insisted.

I knew her next objection even before she made it. Because I had not been precise enough with my phrasing. “I had an entire day, if you remember. And it was not ‘an entire book’. I merely had to translate a single passage from said book.”

“You know what I mean,” I grumbled.

We continued to walk for a moment in silence, before she sighed and swayed a little to the side to bump her shoulder against mine. I was quite surprised by her sudden confidence, to say the least. “I know,” she said with a smile. “But you could have just given me a book, you know?”

“Oh yes, that sounds like a terrific idea! Give a book. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? Just give a book to the librarian… it will be a unique and memorable occasion,” I jerked around.

“I like books,” she objected with a shrug. And her smile grew in width, telling me that she knew exactly what she was doing. And maybe she wanted to rile me up a little.

“I knooow,” I whined a little more dramatically than was strictly necessary to play along. “And you would have appreciated it. And you would have thought about me every time you looked at it. And that’s nice and all, but it’s so… obvious. It’s plain and it’s boring and I wanted something special for you.”

She had been just about to chide me for calling books boring, I knew that. But as soon as I finished my last sentence, her mouth shut and she did blush a little. And I playfully bumped her shoulder back.

We had entered the home stretch by now. The little side alley. The Tasty Treat was in sight. “Hey, have you ever actually been here?” I asked.

I could not remember ever talking to Moondancer about restaurants. And she did not strike me as the type to go eat at a restaurant. As a voluntary semi-recluse, I expected her to prefer the peace of her home. Yet to my surprise, she giggled a little. “I’m a regular, Dream. I do not deal well with spicy food and Saffron knows that by now.”

I was surprised. Even more so when we entered and Saffron trotted over to us and greeted Moondancer with a hug after she placed the two bowls she carried in front of her customers. Moondancer seemed to freeze up a little, but relaxed somewhat a moment later. And Saffron did not notice or did not care. Either way, it looked like there was a certain familiarity at play. “It’s so nice to have you back,” Saffron welcomed her, before her eyes darted over to me. “Ah, and you brought Dreamwalker along.”

And she hugged me as well. It was a nice, albeit quick gesture and I felt welcome — as I did every time anyway, honestly. The hug merely made the scent that permeated the entire room more noticeable. A scent that clung to Saffron with increased intensity. A unique and powerful blend of spices and herbs. I could feel my stomach rumble a little and was quite relieved that none had heard that, apparently.

“Actually, I am bringing her along,” I insisted with a grin once Saffron gave me free.

“Oh?” Saffron just replied and looked towards Moondancer for confirmation. As soon as she nodded, Saffron grinned even wider and led us to an empty table, neatly tucked away in a corner of the room. “Well in that case, I will be with you in a second with the menu and I will try not to disturb your date too much.”

She was already briskly walking towards the kitchen when I realized the implication. “It’s not—“ I started, but quickly realized that she would not even hear me, “—that kind of date,” I quietly finished.

Despite her faint blush, Moondancer giggled at the other side of the table. “That’s what you get for bragging.”

“I am not bragging!” I objected indignantly. “You’re not some kind of trophy to be shown around, Moonie. I was just… I thought I…” Good question, actually. What did I think? I could not quite explain why the implication that Moondancer had brought me along had rubbed me the wrong way. She was a regular. I was one as well, was I not? Had this been a measuring contest? Who had been here more often? Who was in better standing with Saffron? That would have been quite ridiculous.

I was torn from my increasingly snarled thoughts as Moondancer leaned a little over the table and touched her hoof to mine. “As far as I am concerned, it is quite alright.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and sighed. “Right. Fine.” She retracted her hoof and smiled. It was strange — for a pony so socially inept, she kept having these moments where she said or did exactly what was needed.

“You know… I cannot help but notice that you failed to answer my question,” I restarted in an attempt to keep the conversation going.

“I did?” she answered in mild confusion.

“Eyupp. I asked how your last couple of days had been. Well, I actually asked how you have been, but that’s close enough.”

“Oh. Right. I never really answered that.” She furrowed her brow before shrugging it off. “The Archives have been quiet. But then again, they are always quiet. That is one of the many reasons I like it there. I have my peace of mind and I can read as much as I want. Not much ever comes up. Certainly no ‘adventures’.”

I grinned. “Do you never ask yourself if you might be missing out on something? Maybe there’s the next Daring Do slumbering right beneath the surface, just waiting to be awoken by a sharp kick of adrenaline? Maybe you would enjoy stalking the jungle?”

We held each other’s gaze for a couple of seconds before we both giggled. “Certainly not,” she insisted as we calmed down. “No jungle for me, please. And no Daring Do. Do you ask that yourself?”

I still smiled as I shrugged. “Sometimes. It has been quite some time since Twilight was called for a friendship mission. But ponies come and go. Last week, Rainbow was paired up with Berry and the map sent them to Las Pegasus. I don’t… mind. I really do like my indoor adventures. But there’s a strange feeling I don’t have a name for quite yet. It only surfaces when they return from whatever latest adventure they had and they start telling me about it. There’s this great and magical world out there, full of dragons and treasures and ancient ruins and forgotten knowledge. It sounds really exciting. Thrilling. Like stuff that you want to see for yourself and not just read about.”

Moondancer grinned a little, probably remembering a few bits and pieces from our short conversation after my return. “And how did that work out for you?”

I chuckled and shrugged. “Meh. To be fair, I think it was worth having that experience. Just so that I can say: I know that this lifestyle isn’t meant for me. Things got a little muddled because we combined adventure and vacation, but by now, I think I can safely say: The vacation part was awesome. I loved every second of that. The adventure part though… not so much. We cut quite a few corners when it came to actual adventuring and even the parts we didn’t cut weren’t all that great. I mean… I have seen mosquitos the size of rats. Rats, Moonie. I could really have lived without that knowledge.”

I had started to wildly gesture around. And to my delight, Moondancer giggled. “Sounds awful,” she said in between.

I felt decently encouraged to put on a little show, so I did just that. “You might think: Oh, but there’s so much exotic food to taste. And that’s true. If you can find the stuff! We stumbled through the greenery for hours. And when we found an avocado tree and started to pick the ripe ones, we quickly learned that in the jungle, everything is bigger. Including spiders. Bird-sized spiders. I screeched like a filly!” Her giggle rose to barely restrained laughter. “And the heat. Moonie, You have no idea about that heat. Everything is constantly damp because of the incredible humidity and the heat is just relentless. It feels like being cooked alive. Slowly. Steamed to perfection, with a hint of saltiness. Don’t mind the occasional ‘braaaiiins’-mumble and bon appetit!” I was not a funny stallion by nature. But every dog has his day. Moondancer giggled for a while and I was content with that. I did not mind Saffron returning to hoof us the menus, and true to her prior promise, she stealthy left as quickly as she had appeared.

“So,” Moondancer started while she quickly scanned the familiar menu, “oversized mosquitos and spiders and cannibalistic pony-recipes aside… how was it? What happened? Did you get your materials?”

I did not bother looking at the menu to begin with. I knew what I was going to order anyway, which left me with a good moment to study my companion. Once she had made her choice and put the menu down, I nodded. “Yes, I got it. However, I really suck at interpreting prophecies. Or the jungle trial instruction manual, or whatever that was.” And so I started retelling the story of my first and hopefully last adventure. Some details were conveniently left out, of course. Moondancer did not need to know about my nights with Sunny and I ventured a guess that she very much preferred to not know about those as well. In the same vein, I did not mention Soft Step at all — or any other bat ponies for that matter.

“So… Ahuizotl is real?” It probably should not have come as a surprise that this was her first question.

I smiled. “Yupp. I mean, Miss Yearling has this small preamble where she remarks on how she researches topics before writing about them, but I usually don’t pay them much attention. It seems like she’s not kidding though. He’s real, and he’s… honestly a bit of a jerk. I get why, I think. But that doesn’t excuse his behavior.”

“Well… if I were a stranger to you,” Moondancer started with a wry smile, “you would probably think I am a jerk as well, would you not?”

“Nah,” I immediately shot back. A little bit too quickly, as we both realized. “You’re a little gruff at times. A little rough around the edges. But there’s a lovely, lovable mare under that veneer.”

Her blush was a bit more noticeable than before this time. A deeper shade of red. And given that we had ordered our food a good while ago and Saffron had once again sneakily delivered without disturbing our conversation, Moondancer had no menu to hide behind. “Maybe he is a kind soul beneath all the obligations as well?” she tried to deflect the compliment.

I shrugged. “Maybe. I doubt I will ever find out, as I doubt that I will ever encounter him again.” I watched her struggle for a moment as she shifted around in her seat a little. And a devious idea sprang to mind. “How are your tomatoes?”

She looked down on her grilled vegetables, her brow furrowed, before looking up towards me. And that tint deepened just a smidge more. “R-Red. Very red,” she played along and avoided eye contact.

I chuckled a little. “You don’t say.”

Her smile persisted, despite her shaking her head. “You are awful.”

“So I’ve heard,” I shot back with a grin, before sighing a little. “No, really though. How are they?”

“Very herb-rich. With a hint of chili. Want to try some?” She levitated her fork over, with a piece pierced on it.

I accepted the proposition with a shrug and a nod and took the piece. “You know what fillies say about drinking from the same glass, right? It’s like kissing with extra steps. Can’t imagine eating with the same fork is any better.” I chuckled once more as I saw her roll her eyes.

“Maybe Applejack was right and you are obsessed,” she murmured.

“Hey… who told you that?!”

“… you did.”

“Oh.” I rubbed my neck a little and tried to get over the slight embarrassment. Admittedly, not everything had to be some sort of innuendo. But the fact of the matter was: Flirting could be a lot of fun. As could joking around be. And Moondancer was easy to catch off-guard with either.

We remained silent for a while and simply enjoyed our meals and the company. When the plates were empty, Saffron once again appeared out of nowhere and took the plates away. “How about a dessert for you two?”

I looked over to Moondancer. “What about you? Do you still have some space?”

“Something small, maybe?” she replied with uncertainty.

I nodded and grinned after giving it some thought. I knew a lot of the desserts the Tasty Treat offered. Simply because I had a bit of a sweet tooth. And maybe because every time Celestia and I came here, we ordered more desserts than actual main dishes. Moondancer on the other hoof was not all that gung-ho about sweets. I had done some research and knew that Mysore Pak could be less sweet than several other options available. And I quite liked the texture. It somehow reminded me of shortbread. A crisp, crumbly exterior and a smooth and tender inside. It was usually flavored with sugar and cardamom, but Saffron gave most dishes her own little spin. “Say, you don’t happen to have some Mysore Pak around that’s a tad less sweet, do you?”

Saffron just grinned and nodded. “Gotcha!” And with that, she left.

“What is that?” Moondancer naturally asked.

“It’s like… uh… a cookie? Sort of? Ah, don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough.” And indeed, our final order arrived shortly after. While Moondancer inspected the ‘cookies’, I used the opportunity to shove an outrageous amount of bits in Saffron's direction. “That way, you won’t have to come over here again,” I remarked as I knew full well that these hours were quite busy. A simple look around further reinforced the practicality of my proposal, as the Tasty Treat simply did not have any empty tables anymore.

“That’s still too much though,” Saffron replied with a furrowed brow after a rough count.

“It’s a tip.”

“Yes, I know, but it’s too much for a tip,” she objected.

“Whoops,” I just said with a grin and gently shoved the bits she wanted to return to me in her direction.

I could see it in her eyes. She was not willing to let this go. But before she could start to argue, another customer raised his hoof. And another. Her attention was required elsewhere. And once she would be finished with those two tables, the next ones would have come up. If she left now, this was done. “Next time you come here, you get a dessert on the house,” she grumbled with a smile.

“That’s fine with me,” I answered and after a brief hug and a quiet ‘thank you’, she hastily retreated.

Moondancer had either not noticed the exchange or did not feel any need to comment on it. She instead carefully took one of the three pieces in her levitation and contently nibbled away at it.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” I asked. She nodded and I took my own piece. Although I was a lot less self-restrained than her and took a good bite out of it.

“Can I ask you something?” she spoke up again as we unanimously divided the last piece in half.

“No.” She blinked, both surprised and confused and I could not help but chuckle a little. “I always wanted to try that.” After washing down the last crumbs with a gulp of cherry juice, I smiled at her. “You can ask whatever you want, of course.”

“Why are you taking me on a date?”

I felt my smile freeze, and then slowly drain away. Judging by her slightly apologetic look, she knew exactly what she was doing. And there it was again, that question. It really gave her a lot of trouble, did it not? “I already told you, Moonie. As a ‘thank you’. If you feel uncomfortable with this setup, please just say so. Please. Because that’s just about the last thing I want.”

“No, no. That’s not it,” she quickly replied and even raised her hooves defensively.

“Then what is it?” I pressed.

“You keep… flirting with me. All the time,” she quietly explained and I did not quite appreciate the carefully measured tone she kept. “Surely you are aware of that?”

“I am. So?” Maybe it was time to get this out of the way? Once and for all, hopefully?

“Do you flirt with your other friends as well?” There was this uncertainty again. Both worry and hope.

And I felt my blood freeze a little as I started to ask myself: Had I led her on? Had I somehow conveyed the wrong impression? Had I insinuated something? Too much, maybe? I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath to calm myself down. My heart raced and I did not like that. This was supposed to be a nice, quiet evening for the two of us. As friends. Just friends. “I do,” I answered. And my answer seemed to surprise her enough that I felt a need to elaborate. “Well not with all of them of course. Pinkie is a devious flirt. She packs more innuendo in her daily speech than I have in store in general. But she’s always careful with it. She knows who she can flirt with. I don’t flirt with Fluttershy. It would be easy, honestly. But I don’t. She’s inexperienced. And even though Pinkie is trying to change that, it will probably take her years to feel comfortable with that. And I don’t think she will ever feel comfortable with flirting with ponies she’s not committed to. Flirting with Rainbow is a lot of fun. She plays hard to get. That she’s better than me. I don’t flirt with her in front of Applejack though. And I don’t flirt with Applejack in front of Rainbow. Both can be quite jealous and I respect them too much to even risk triggering that. And honestly, I usually don’t initiate flirts with them either. Which also means that I don’t flirt with Applejack quite as much. I suppose that would feel weird, honestly. She’s like a sister to me. I flirt with Berry, on occasion. We don’t meet that often. I relentlessly flirt with Derpy and I always come up short. She’s such a tease. You would never expect that from seeing her. She has this innocence about her, this naivety. However, just beneath the surface, she’s everything but. So yes. I do flirt with quite a lot of my friends.” Moondancer was silent for some time. I noticed her eyes darting around. She continuously scanned the many, many ponies visiting the Tasty Treat this evening. “I already paid. Maybe we continue this on the streets, where it’s probably less crowded?”

She nodded, and we stood up. We waved goodbye to Saffron, who looked quite stressed now. Prime hour. And soon after, we once again slowly strolled along the sidewalk. “So it’s just a pastime to you?”

That question hurt, despite no tone of voice of hers being responsible for that. She sounded curious, at best. Not hurt, not appalled, not confused. Just curious. And yet I could not help but read too much into it. “No. It’s not ‘just’ a pastime. I admit, I do it because it’s fun. I try to be mindful of who I flirt with and who is present as well. As I said, I don’t tend to flirt with somepony in front of their significant other. That’s just mean. And it gets you kicked in the gut. Rightfully so, as I might add. But it’s a nice way to compliment somepony, too. It would be cringey at best if I were to walk up to Pinkie and compliment her on how incredibly soft her hugs are. How much I appreciate the care she takes with each and every present. How appealing her scent is. I think she’s really, really pretty. Beautiful. She has curves in all the right places and that’s so incredibly alluring. But I know my limitations and boundaries and I stick to them. I can’t just walk up to her and tell her that. What I can do though, is flirt with her like there’s no tomorrow. And when doing so, I can tell her these things. I need a proper setup for some stupid one-liner or something, but I can construct these, or she provides me with them. We push each other, in a way. It’s good for your self-esteem, I think. It’s certainly been good for mine. It might sound horrible, but… when Celestia says that she thinks I’m attractive, it’s uncomfortably easy to dismiss with lines like ‘well of course she thinks that, she loves me after all’. I don’t claim to understand how, or why, that works. It really shouldn’t. But at times, the fact that we’re an item works against my ability to believe her. With Pinkie — just to stick to the example — it’s different. I’m not entirely sure how or why, again. But it is. I have an easier time believing her.”

Minuette. Lemon Hearts. Twilight. The list of Moondancer’s friends, as far as I was aware of them, was rather short. “Listen, Moonie. You wanted to know why I did this. I did it because I like you. A lot. But I’m not trying to get under your tail.” We walked side by side with a few inches between us. Enough that I could see her tuck her tail down a little further as she suddenly became aware of herself even more.

“But you are inviting me to your bed.” There was no malice in her statement. No accusation. Not even a real question.

“I… did,” I hesitantly acknowledged. “And I am, I guess. Is that… a problem? I don’t—… I never meant to—… I don’t want to lead you on. Am I leading you on?”

“I… I am not sure. I don’t think so?” she quietly replied.

So she was not entirely sure herself. That really was a problem then. I sighed deeply. “As I said, I don’t want to lead you on. I like you. A lot. I invited you to my room because I felt like you needed company. I wanted to help you.”

“And you did,” she quickly interrupted. “I just… I crawled into your bed for almost an entire week and it felt nice. I expected to tire of this sooner rather than later, but I just… didn’t. And then you were gone, ‘adventuring’, and I found it difficult to readjust.”

Craving company. Could I not understand that? Did I not understand that a lot better than I cared to admit? I had found no sleep for almost an entire week after my arrival here, not a single night. I had managed to sleep once I was lying down next to Fluttershy. Pinkie. Rainbow. Applejack. Twilight. Anypony. It was quite frankly utterly ridiculous. Something was not quite right with my head. I needed company. Physically needed it. And I suddenly felt bad. Really, truly terrible. I might not have wanted to lead her on. And maybe I did not. My initial fear that she somehow might have fallen in love with me seemed less and less likely. For which I was grateful. But I did show her how it could be with a special somepony. The attention. The affection. The flirting. The company. Did I not understand the value of something so simple as not having to sleep alone more than she did? I had invited her and then I had left her. And somehow, somehow, I had thought she would be fine. What misery.

And what a predicament.

I was responsible for this mess. At least partially. “Maybe you do need a special somepony?” I asked her with a wry smile.

She grimaced. I knew her stance on that matter. Her household was organized in a very peculiar way. And she was utterly unwilling to change anything about that. Every fork and spoon, every book and sock had its place and drawer. A significant other was a time sink. A commitment. And, as was obvious with any introvert and recluse, a constant source of potential exhaustion.

To a certain degree, that was bullshit. Introverts could build relationships just fine, no matter their specific kind. They just had to account for their respective circumstances. Instead of moving in with each other, maybe they would keep separate homes. There were plenty of options to make it work. She was just unwilling to consider any of them. The required investment of time and effort and energy did not seem to be worth it. And maybe I had changed that. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I honestly just wanted to help you out.”

She sighed and closed the couple of inches separating us. “It is fine. I should have known it would not be that easy.” We continued on in silence for about half a minute before she started to smile again. “Say, you would not be in the market for yet another mare to add to your collection?”

We both giggled. It was refreshing. Relieving. And the fact that she could tease and joke about it so soon after was something I was willing to take as a good sign. “Heck no,” I replied with a chuckle. “See, the only reason I can make it work with three mares — and I cannot stress enough that this truly is the only reason —, is that each one of them basically only has, like, a third of a life. If they weren’t princesses, I’d be screwed. You want to know how my relationship with Celestia works? It’s based on late afternoons and early evenings. Because that’s basically all the time we get together. And sometimes, it’s even less than that. I love her. Dearly. But there’s plenty of times when I wish we could have more. A morning with breakfast in bed. A stroll in the park after lunch. Little occasions like that. It would be nice, I’m sure. But that’s just not how it works. She has Day Court and mountains of paperwork after that. She gets out of bed when I’m still asleep and I get to see her in the afternoon, if — and only if — I’m lucky. It’s not that different with Luna either. Sure, if I get lonely, I can crawl into bed with her over the course of the day. I’m always welcome, according to her. But when she sleeps, she’s dreamwalking. She’s basically doing one half of her job. And as soon as she wakes up, she has to prepare for Night Court. Breakfast, paperwork, and off she goes. And with Night Court ending, there’s more paperwork before she crawls into bed. And then there’s Twilight. You might think: Well, she’s less involved with state affairs. Surely she has more time to spare, right? Wrooong. I mean, true, she can make more time. She has more wiggle room. For now. But the Princess of Friendship is surprisingly busy. I constantly keep telling her that she needs to stop micromanaging Ponyville. Her drive for perfection means that she cares about each and every problem, no matter how small. She distributes and redistributes forces and bits and whatnot, she keeps up appearances at social gatherings, she hosts the occasional event, she keeps track of her library, which is basically the entire castle, and she has a very large, very active circle of friends. Oh and she has occasional friendship missions as well, which keep her away from Ponyville for days, sometimes weeks.”

Moondancer stared at me in both wonder and bewilderment. “Wow.” After a longer pause, she hesitantly and quietly added, “You… sound really frustrated.”

I stopped and blinked a couple of times. Did I?

In retrospect, I had admittedly grown a little bit agitated. My voice had taken on an irritated edge and mixed with a slight increase in volume, I could see how this impression had come up. “I’m not,” I answered. But as I said it, as I heard my own voice snap a little, it did not quite feel right. I furrowed my brow and grumbled. “Okay, maybe I am. A little.”

“You have been in the castle for the last ten days, right?” Moondancer continued.

I sighed. “Yeah. Wait, how do you know?”

She smiled and shrugged. “You might find that thought outrageous, but we librarians do talk. And some of them are better connected to the other castle staff than I am.”

“Oh. I see. Well, I had been home for about a day before I returned to Canterlot. And everypony was so incredibly busy. Celestia took over Day Court again and had to deal with a lot of stuff that required her attention and Luna was still dealing with some nobles she was not allowed to throw out of windows, so I was kind of… stuck.” I stuck my tongue out in dismay. The last few days had been a bit trying. But I endured. I had been through worse. Far worse. This was nothing.

“So why was Ponyville not an option?”

I grimaced some more. “Remember what I told you about the Tantabus? That thing—… sorry. The Tantabus is the newest resident in Twilight’s castle. She has taken it on like some kind of student or something. And right now, she’s teaching it aaall kinds of stuff. Problem is, the Tantabus is confused by me. Not sure why. Not sure how. It just is. And Twilight has noticed a severe dip in its ability to concentrate and absorb new information with me around. It has something to do with my dream magic, supposedly? Maybe? Either way, the decision was made to transfer me to the Canterlot Castle for now. Until the basic training is done. And hopefully, it will then be less confused so that I can actually go home again.” I sighed deeply. Okay. Alright. So maybe, I was frustrated. Quite a bit. And maybe I had not been aware of it.

We walked in relative silence for a while. Moondancer eventually broke it again. “I am not just a stopgap, am I?”

I sighed and stopped walking. I even went as far as pulling her back with my telekinesis so that I could grab hold of her and hug her. “No. No, you’re not. You never were, and you never will be. Moonie, where… where is this coming from? You’ve always been a lot more confident than I ever was. A lot more confident than this, anyway.”

“This is different,” she sighed in reply. And in a way, I could understand that. She was, first and foremost, knowledgeable. Few ponies could hope to stand a chance against her when facts were concerned. Logical thinking. Pure power of mind.

But this was her heart’s desire. Not the flower.

The embrace was tight. Almost like she held on for dear life. And in turn, I squeezed her just as much. “I’m in a bit of a pickle,” I whispered without letting go of her. “You see, on one hoof, I really don’t want you to feel like ‘just a filler’. Because you’re not. But on the other hoof, I fear that if I continue to go with my gut, I might end up hurting you badly. And I really, really don’t want to do that.”

“Thank you.”

It was just such a disjointed reply that it caught me completely off-guard. “W-What for?” But instead of answering, she just buried her muzzle in the crook of my neck and melted a little further into me. Without knowing what to do, or understanding how the situation had changed, I just held her. And I tried to be fair to her. I tried. Very hard. Because this close, she smelled like iron and ink, like paper and dust. Like home. Like Twilight. And as I had noted many times before — that just was not fair.

Of course there was an underlying scent beneath all of that. Something quite unique to her and her alone. Something I tried to focus on. Yet despite my efforts, I was just too used to Twilight’s scent. And I had been without her warmth for more than a week. That was not unheard of. It happened occasionally. But every time it did, the effect was the same.

“Maybe we should… continue,” Moondancer offered. “We… might miss our movie otherwise.”

I was grateful she did not comment on it. We disentangled ourselves from each other and she took a step back. And I was just glad as she stayed close enough to provide some cover, just in case any passersby would glance in our direction. “Sorry,” I mumbled while I cursed myself internally.

“Don’t be,” she replied with a smile and eventually sidled up to my side again. “I take it you are a little pent up then?”

“Let’s maybe not discuss this further. I don’t want to embarrass myself more than I already have.” I sighed. A nice, quiet evening between friends. Well that plan had gone sideways. The evening was admittedly far from over just yet. And so far, nothing substantially horrible had happened. My mind was just exaggerating again. Playing up the drama for increased effect.

“Would you change it?” Moondancer asked and thereby offered a new topic to focus on.

I had mostly dwelled on my own thoughts. I quickly looked around, reoriented myself and focused my attention on her. “What do you mean? Change what?”

“You admitted that you are frustrated,” she elaborated. “Let us say that, by some miracle, you would get the opportunity to change the responsible factors and circumstances. You could make it so that Princess Celestia has a lot more time. Or Princess Luna. Or Twilight. To nopony’s detriment. Would you?”

I grimaced. “You’re too smart not to know how incredibly complicated that question is. It sounds simple on a superficial level, sure. But there’s so much piggybacking on that question. ‘Give Celestia more time’. How? How would you even do that? Equestria is her… her everything. Her foal, sort of. She conceived it. Nurtured it. Raised it. Taught it to be peaceful, mindful, to defend itself, to be stable and happy. You can’t make her ‘not care’. You can’t take Equestria from her. Ever. Well ‘ever’ might honestly be too much. The metaphor is actually quite decent. At some point, the foal will emancipate itself. Having parental guidance is nice and all, but you eventually simply outgrow this supervision. Maybe she will retire when that happens. Maybe she will travel the world, go adventuring or something. I don’t know. It's actually quite hard to imagine. Equestria isn’t ready yet. Not by a longshot. And ignoring the weird implications for a moment, Luna is participating in this just as much. She might not be Equestria’s beloved and impeccable mother figure. But she has responsibilities. And she cares about them. Deeply. When the time is right, Luna might actually have an easier time letting go. But as I said, that's a looong way off.”

“I know that it’s complicated,” she argued with a sigh. “It’s just a thought experiment. Some kind of time spell, some kind of duplication magic, some kind of mystical artifact and boom — she still cares for Equestria, but she can do all her day's work in just the blink of an eye. Would you like that?”

I actually stopped walking as I felt the need to properly think this through. It was ‘just’ a thought experiment, like she said. And yet it deserved a proper answer, did it not? Some chain of thought was behind this question. Something had led her to ask that. And Moondancer, for the most part, did not do nonsense small talk.

So I tried to conjure the scenario up in my head. It obviously sounded like sunshine and rainbows at first. Having her there when I woke up? Eating breakfast together? Sharing our time. Doing what we wanted, whenever we wanted. No external influence telling us that, sorry, but we only had a two-hour time window today and our chosen activity was too much for that, so maybe another day.

Routines would eventually settle in though. It was only natural. It was how things worked. Eating breakfast would not become old as much as it would become familiar. Expected. It would inevitably lose the splendor and exclusivity it held right now. Breakfast would become just that. A meal shared between partners. That was obviously not a bad thing. Routine, familiarity, reliability. It eventually resulted in a sense of increased security. But it also posed the risk of the relationship getting stale. The moment itself would be less enjoyable. Because it would become less and less special.

And there was another angle that worried me. I knew myself well enough. I was clingy. At least a little bit. What if I would eventually smother her? Or worse still, tire myself out? What if I, in an attempt to offer everything I got, would simply run out of fuel? Could one even run out of love? Could one tire of showing affection to loved ones? A truly terrifying prospect.

And with no duties to keep them busy — they would need to fill that time. No matter how madly in love one was, staring into a lover’s eyes was only entertaining for so long. A day’s hours eventually wanted to be filled with something. And the hours of the day after as well. And the day after that.

Deep down, Celestia could be a bit of a thrill-seeker. Maybe that was just a mechanism to compensate for her rather bland ‘profession’ of mothering an entire nation. I had my doubts about that though. Would she take up painting? Knitting? Arena-fighting? So many possibilities. And I saw quite a few that were both likely and of a kind that I would not be able to share in. Which again was not all that bad, per se. Lovers were not joined at the hip, after all. They had, no, needed alone time every now and then. Something just for themselves. But I could not deny that there was a certain uneasiness I felt when I considered all those possible pastimes.

I did not like surprises most of the time. And I usually did not like change. I understood its inevitability. Its necessity. And the futility of frantically holding onto the status quo.

After a few minutes, I had wrangled an answer from the mess of my thoughts. It was not as well thought out as I would have liked it to be. But honestly, this question warranted a lot more than just a couple of minutes of consideration. One could write entire books about that. About ‘what if’s and hypothetical scenarios. About the many branches of this rabbit hole. What I had managed to scrape together was something I was satisfied enough with for now, given the allotted time frame and my own expectations.

“No.” Even after speaking, I still probed my own answer. Listened to my own voice with intent and focus. It sounded right. It felt right. And with my conclusion being reinforced by my gut feeling, I elaborated at least a little. “If I could just magically snap away all of her time sinks, it would break just about everything. On a personal level, I mean. Things need to evolve. Change happens, yes, but most changes happen naturally. Over time. And those few that are a lot more volatile, well, they usually entail a lot of dire and often nasty consequences. Having a lot more time with her sounds great on paper. But I fear that, once put to the test, it would eventually fall apart. It’s wrong to say that we ‘eased’ our way into this relationship. It honestly started as kind of a mess and maybe with a quicker pace than it really should have. But we managed to make it work. We slowed down. We ironed out some of the quirks and flaws. We had a lot of important relationship talks, both big and small. Changing her life in such a profound way, without even consulting her? That would be wrong. On so many levels. And honestly, at the point where I talk things over with her… at the point where we consider options and possibilities… it kind of defeats the point of the scenario, does it not? Yes, I am frustrated with how little time we have. Yes, I wish we would have more. But at the same time… what little we get makes these moments special. And it doesn’t even matter if we’re talking about Celestia, or Luna, or Twilight. Same goes for all of them. I wouldn’t change anything — not like that anyway —, because it feels wrong. If we really, truly, desperately wanted to change something, we could. We could talk about it, we could make decisions. The way such things are meant to happen: Together.”

She mulled my reply over while we continued on our way to the movie theater. “You know, that is very thoughtful. And incredibly cheesy.”

I smiled. “I guess so, yeah. But it’s not surprising, is it?”

Moondancer sighed. “No. Not at all.”

“So why did you ask?” I inquired out of curiosity.

She fell silent again as she walked beside me. Our coats occasionally brushed. It was a nice feeling. And she did not seem to mind either. “I am not entirely sure, honestly. I am still trying to understand how… I don’t know. How you tick? And I cannot imagine how that works.”

“How what works?” I inquired.

“Your relationship. Or, relationships. Do they not interfere with each other? Princess Luna is supposedly prone to jealousy, is she not?”

I grinned and a moment later, a quiet chuckle bubbled up my throat. “Oh, she is,” I confirmed. “Quite so.” A few incidents came to mind. At one point, I had kissed Twilight at the breakfast table. It would probably have been less of a problem had it not been the breakfast table in Canterlot Castle. Twilight had visited Luna, I had visited Celestia and neither of the two sisters had been present. That was until Luna strode into the dining hall and caught us in the act. As far as kisses went, it had been relatively harmless. But there had been fury and the promise of vengeance in her eyes. Her wings snapped wide open and her entire expression was a mask of indignation. I was actually somewhat proud of myself for not cowering at that moment.

With a nostalgic smile still gracing my lips, I shrugged as best as walking beside Moondancer allowed me to. “We are adults though. We make it work because we want it to work. So far, good will and the willingness to compromise have been enough. Within our weird little constellation, we don’t share information much. Each relationship is treated as its own entity, there’s barely any mix-up. We agree to dedicated times and we stick to the plan. If I go visit Celestia for a few days, I could sneak into Luna’s chambers throughout the day. But I don’t, unless that was agreed upon. I suppose I’m in a bit of a lynchpin-situation there. So I mostly stick to what they allow me. That obviously doesn’t mean I can’t ask for stuff, but if they say ‘no’, well… ‘no’ it is. If you’re involved with more than one pony, caution becomes even more important.”

She mulled my reply over for a few minutes. “It sounds very… hm… organized?”

I grinned. “Well it is. Plans can change of course. I still need a certain adaptability. If I plan a nice dinner for Celestia and myself, but Day Court is especially tiring — I have to live with a plan foiled. Or maybe, if Celestia is fine with that, I just ask Luna if she would like to have dinner on short notice. It sometimes works out that way. I’m honestly more curious about Rarity’s… uh… whatever she got going on. Because quite frankly, as organized as that mare is, I cannot imagine her applying that organizational skill to her romances. She’s too much about ‘passion’ and ‘the fire of love’ and whatnot. It sounds a lot more…”

“Messy,” we both concluded in unison. We both giggled after a quick exchange of glances.

“Pretty much, yes,” I agreed. “But then again, she keeps insisting that chaos can be a hotbed for creativity, which I can’t really object to? And it does seem to work out just fine so far.” We rounded another corner and the movie theater finally came into sight. It was a relatively small building compared to some of the surrounding structures. Despite my absolute fascination with movies, it was not a technology that had achieved its breakthrough throughout Equestria just yet. I was sure it would at some point, as I could see so much potential in it and I doubted that it would take long until others with deeper pockets would see the potential as well. But for now, this was the only movie theater I knew of. Maybe some of the other bigger cities had some as well. A single hall, with a single projector. Two movies per night, in succession, with a decently long break in between. The first one had already run its course while we were at the Tasty Treat enjoying our dinner and we arrived in time for the break.

“Say, where does this sudden interest come from?” I asked Moondancer. “Pure academic curiosity or something else?” And just for good measure, I waggled my eyebrows a little.

“You are flirting again,” she noted.

“You want me to stop?” I asked in return.

“I did not say that,” she quickly, albeit quietly replied. She answered my grin with a smile. Which eventually dimmed down a little. “Do you think I am lonely?”

It seemed like it would still take some time to get rid of the heavy stuff. But if talking about it helped, well, I would be here for it all. “Yes,” I replied unanimously. “Very much, actually. And I’m trying to help with that pain. And it is pain. Before you object: I’m well aware that there is a huge difference between being alone and being lonely. You don’t mind being alone most of the time. That’s fine. But it hurts to feel lonely. Especially if you can’t change that.”

“So what? Are you offering to be my wingpony, then?” she asked in slight disbelief.

I chuckled for a moment and shrugged. “You know, I never thought of that. But hey, if you need one — sure, give me a call, I’ll be there. In all seriousness though, I don’t—… I’m probably not the best pony to ask for advice. I don’t entirely understand how my relationships came to be, to be perfectly honest. I joke and flirt around a lot, sure. The former without actually being funny, and the latter without being any good at it. And I think neither of those two helped me with getting where I am. So maybe consider writing a letter to Princess Cadance? I think that might be less cringey than asking friends to hook you up with whatever single stallion they know. And I’m quite convinced you don’t go ‘clubbing’. Your best chances to find somepony are usually through work and hobbies, as that eats up most of your waking time, but your work means being stuffed into a library nopony visits all day, and your hobbies do the same thing, but at your house. It’s just… you don’t put yourself out there much. And with such a tiny contact surface, meaningful interactions are hard to come by.”

“Could you shut up, please?” Moondancer interrupted while she grimaced slightly. “Your analysis is getting depressing.”

“Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to.” We stopped in front of the clerk and with a nod and a few words exchanged, I bought us two tickets for the second movie. The hall was sparsely visited. A few single ponies dotted here and there, even fewer couples in the front rows. I ushered Moondancer up the stairs to the back rows. In my humble opinion, the best seats in the hall. Last row, smack dab in the middle. Perfect.

Well almost. “Shoot, I forgot something! Be right back.” And with that, I hastily left the hall again, went back into the little foyer and looked for the snack bar. It was easy enough to spot due to all the weird looking machinery. I was just confused to find nopony waiting in line. Their loss. “Hey, good evening, I’d like to have some popcorn? A big one. Salted. Aaand… I think I’ll just take a water, medium.” And with my prizes in tow, I went back to Moondancer. “There we go, now we are stacked,” I announced with a grin.

“I do not really like popcorn,” she noted with a quiet sigh.

“Because it’s sweet, right? This one isn’t though. It’s salted.” After tentatively giving it a try, she deemed it ‘fine enough’ and that was, well — fine enough for me. Truth be told, it was just about the only thing the concession stand had on offer that would align with her tastes. The other things were all too sticky, too sweet or too spicy. Or, worst case scenario, all three.

The movie started and in the first couple of minutes, an entire class of loudmouth teenagers was gruesomely dispatched. Neither Moondancer nor I bet an eye. “You know, I don’t mind openings like these. But ever since I learned that they implement that as a tactic to ‘keep the attention of the bloodthirsty’, I still grew to dislike them a little bit. It just seems so unnecessarily manipulative.”

“If you think about it, everything is a form of manipulation at some level,” she replied with a small smile. “You ask me: How are you today? And already your tone of voice, the circumstances of our meeting, the years of memories shared between us, everything colors that question. And it all has certain implications. So the mere act of asking that is already a form of manipulation, at least on a subconscious level.”

“You can’t not manipulate,” I summarized and she agreed with a nod.

A few minutes later we had made it through the introduction of the main character and all the side characters, also known as the expendables. The first one had just successfully managed to knock the supposed killer unconscious and was of course fleeing. Upstairs. “Ugh, I hate that,” Moondancer grumbled beside me. “That is so stupid. I get that she does not end his life if it is not strictly necessary, but she could have unmasked him, at least! Or tied him up! Or, you know, run out of the door.”

While she muttered some surprisingly mild curses under her breath, I grinned from ear to ear and scooched a little over in my seat, closer to hers. “You know, I’m constantly learning new things to love about you,” I teased with a quiet chuckle. Despite the darkness in the hall, I could see her cheeks darken even further as she avoided looking towards me.

“They are being stupid. The script is stupid,” she instead insisted.

“Absolutely,” I agreed. “And if I were the killer and intend on finishing them off, I would honestly simply discard the knife at the first opportunity. He had come by so many better options by now, it really makes no sense to stick to this stupid knife. The reach is abysmal, the actual blade isn’t really that long and you have to get in close if you want to deal some actual damage. Heck, he could have just shoved her off the roof there. She would have been dazed, at least. Maybe broken a leg, which would significantly slow her down.”

“She can levitate,” Moondancer noted.

“Nah,” I objected. “Her magic is too weak to hold something that heavy while it’s in motion. Levitating yourself is actually even harder.”

I grinned at the big screen, and admittedly felt a little smug. She caught me off-guard when I suddenly felt her kiss my cheek before she laid her head on my shoulder. “I think I like this,” she mumbled quietly. And honestly, so did I.

We continued to rip the movie to shreds. And that was surprisingly fun. We tried to be quiet for obvious reasons, but we had something to criticize in almost every scene. In the end, this horror movie provided us with plenty of material to talk about and to get agitated over. When we left the theater, the popcorn was gone, the water was gone and the heavy mood seemed gone as well.

“No, no, no,” she interrupted me, “what I mean is: She should not have gone for her sister in the first place. That was her first mistake!”

I laughed and shrugged. “Yeah, sure, obviously. But at that point, the entire premise falls apart and you work with… I don’t know… just a random, aimless psycho. That’s kind of boring, isn’t it?”

“It would have been more realistic though,” she objected.

“Sure, but honestly — nopony goes to watch a movie because they want ‘realism’, do they?”

To my surprise, Moondancer shrugged. “I would not know — it was my first movie.”

“Wait, really?” I stopped and watched her flabbergasted while I searched for any signs of a trap. But no smirk came forth, no twinkle in her eyes betrayed her game. “Wow. I thought… with you living here and all… okay. Cool. Actually, that’s cool. So you had your first time with me then?”

While I could not refrain from laughing, it only grew louder when I noticed her undignified snort and how she laughed herself. I had managed to catch her so unaware, surprised her so much, that her usual self-control simply failed. “You. Are. Awful,” she chided me as she still laughed up a storm.

“You’re welcome,” I sang with a grin.

“You are a bad influence!” she insisted.

“You like it,” I argued.

And then she became surprisingly bashful all of a sudden. I considered teasing her some more, but honestly, there was a good chance that she had just suddenly become aware of our surroundings. That being, half-sitting, half-standing in the middle of the streets. It was nighttime, sure, but a few ponies were still milling about and there were probably some residents in these houses surrounding us. Ponies could most definitely hear us laugh and clown around.

We moved on — metaphorically and quite literally — and reached her house a few minutes later. And the inevitable moment came wherein we both stood in front of her door and awkwardly shifted around while we still grinned. “N-Now about that first time,” she started.

It was honestly a valiant attempt. I grinned and turned to face her. “Wo-ho-ho, please. Please continue that sentence, I’m dying to hear how that one ends,” I teased her relentlessly. And I mentally marked down another victory as she blushed furiously. Once again deep enough that even despite the moon being far from full and some of the stars being hidden behind a thin veil of clouds, I could see it. In moments like these, I could understand why Luna had so much fun teasing me all the time.

She was still downright evil for doing so, of course. But I could understand it.

“You… you could come inside,” she started again after she had managed to recompose herself.

And this time, it was not a joke. No teasing, no flirting. An honest invitation. And while I still stood by what I had said earlier, I was worried at the same time. She was lonely. I wanted to help her with that. But sharing a bed with me was a poor substitute for what she truly needed. I would not be able to give her the companionship she truly craved. And one could fix a broken leg with bandages only for so long.

I sighed. And hugged her. “While I would love to… do you really think that’s a good idea? After today?”

She fell silent for some time. A couple of seconds turned into a minute, turned into two, turned into who-cares. I knew that she was reveling in me just being there, holding her. The same way I was enjoying her closeness right now. It was such a weird and quite frankly, utterly unwelcome thought, but: Was this what those freaking bug-monsters felt like all the time? Being starved for love and affection to the point where clinging to somepony else felt like such a nice thing that maybe, just maybe, a comparison to the next shot of some drug was legitimate?

I sighed and tried to push these thoughts aside. I inhaled deeply and this time, I allowed myself to fall back into memories. The castle. Home. Twilight. Snuggling up to her, holding her, kissing her, feeling her breath tickle my muzzle in the morning. Tasting that awful, awful brew she called ‘coffee’ when I kissed her and yet not regretting doing so. Another deep sigh, and this time it was mirrored by her. I was wondering what was going on in her head. And I would have loved to know. But I was not about to ask.

“You are probably right,” she claimed.

“Probably,” I replied with yet another sigh, albeit a quieter one. I was ready to admit that there was some regret mixed in this time. I was not sure if I would have denied her request a second time. No, her invitation. Did it really matter what I called it?

A part of me, fearful as always and worried and disturbed, was daring to ask: What if I had made a terrible, terrible mistake? And was continuing to do so? What if getting close to her, befriending her, was putting everything I had in danger?

I was not a cheater, I told myself. I despised cheaters. But. I really liked her. And given a chance, given sufficient temptation, would I call myself strong of will? Did I consider myself blessed with sufficient willpower to resist?

She was lonely. And I was constantly craving companionship. I was clingy, to a certain extent.

How could a friendship be a mistake?

I was sure Twilight had some thoughts on that. Maybe I ought to have a talk with her sometime soon. Maybe she would be able to disperse my fears and doubts. Or maybe I should have that talk with Luna instead. She had a knack for reassuring me. She somehow always found the right words to do so. Or the right actions to distract me.

“Thank you, Dreamwalker,” Moondancer spoke up again. “It had been a nice evening, and I had a lot of fun.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll probably stick around Canterlot for a while, so, you know. Don’t be a stranger.” I smiled, and lucky me, I caught myself leaning in before anything could happen. I noticed her eyes, wide as dinner plates, her expression frozen solid, but her smile still persistent. I took half a step back. “Egh. Sorry, I just… yeah. Sorry. I’m an idiot.”

A friendship can’t be a mistake, I told myself. It can’t be.

She unfroze herself within a couple of seconds and although her smile was a little shaky and a little sad, it persisted despite my idiocy. “As I was saying, it was a nice evening. We should do that again sometime.”

I swallowed the urge to sigh yet again. Truth be told, she was probably right. We should. Because if we did not… at this point, it would be easy to avoid each other. Out of fear of what might happen. We had to do this again. Just to prove to ourselves and each other that we were stronger than this.

What a weird, weird situation.

“I hope I’ll see you around soon,” I finally bid my goodbye and stepped off her doorstep. I felt her watch me go and just because of that, I did not dare turn around or look back. It should have been silly, really. It should have felt silly. But it did not. It instead felt vital not to look. Important. Necessary.

While I walked towards the castle, I saw myself confronted with the prospect of yet another night spent alone. Another night lying in bed wide awake before exhaustion would claim my consciousness. Another night in a cold, empty bed. I could crawl into bed with Celestia. I could. Maybe it would actually be a good idea tonight.

Being clingy came with its own issues. I required a lot of attention, but I did not want to suffocate my loved ones. In that regard, having three of them helped. And despite my frustrations with that, them being busy all the time helped as well. It helped to avoid said suffocation. But I did not want to appear needy. I did not want to appear clingy, no matter how true it was. I was perfectly capable of sleeping alone. I had proven as much before.

It was possible.

I just did not quite understand how. And in those past few days, I had failed to successfully replicate it.

I walked through Canterlot streets on autopilot. The streets themselves were somewhat familiar, this area at least was. And I eventually returned to the palace. The occasional greeting with some night guards aside, the palace was silent and empty. And soon enough, I stood in front of my guestroom’s door.

With a deep sigh, I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. And I was met with quite a surprising sight.

“… Luna?” My heart skipped a beat upon seeing her. I felt a little flutter in my stomach. Maybe this night would not turn out so bad after all...

I noticed her saddlebags lying on the floor, right beside the entrance. I could tell that those were hers due to her cutie mark being stitched onto their flap. They bulged, filled to the brim with… something. And right beside them were my saddlebags. Equally full. My saddlebags, which I had left in Ponyville.

Even more confusing was Luna's getup. Or rather lack thereof. It was nighttime and she was wearing nothing. Nothing at all. Considering she was lying on top of my bed, that might not seem quite as surprising, but she should wear her regalia right now. Which was nowhere to be seen. And she should preside over Night Court.

As I had opened the door, she had raised her head and looked at me. She watched how I carefully took in all the details around me. I almost felt like I was back on the training fields, with Wither Rose commanding me around. Was I supposed to puzzle together some kind of coherent story here? Was I being tested? I furrowed my brow, but could not spot anything else out of the ordinary.

I eventually took another step into the room and she lit her horn to close the door. As soon as it did, a bunch of enchantments aligned and reactivated. Enchantments that were not supposed to be here. These guest rooms were not secured in this manner. So she had gone to quite some lengths with whatever this was.

And now that I thought about it, I had not encountered members of the Night Guard outside my room either. So she had either slipped out without her guards knowing or she had commanded them to stay behind.

I really did not like the sight or even thought of these saddlebags. “Luna, what’s going on?”

She had remained silent so far, but now that I addressed her directly, she smiled. It was warm, welcoming and barely managed to veil the predatory glee beneath it. Oh boy.

“How was your evening?” she asked and simply ignored my own question.

“I had a wonderful time, thank you for asking. How has your evening been so far?” I asked back and slowly walked over to the bed. When I reached it, I simply climbed up on top and sat down in front of her. Now, one could argue that this was again my idiocy showing. A fly in a spider’s web struggled to get free and flee. It did not, most certainly not, crawl right to the net’s center to greet the spider. However, if this particular spider wanted to catch me, she would. Attempts at escape were futile. So why prolong the inevitable?

She seemed quite satisfied with my choice and even gave me a brief kiss as a greeting. “Oh, you know, nothing too unusual. The dreamscape was quite calm, breakfast was a bit of a boring affair, my sister droned on and on about your adventure and whatnot.”

I looked over my shoulder, back at the entrance. Specifically at those saddlebags. Oh no. I slowly turned back to face Luna and just as I had feared, there was a mixture of glee and hope in her eyes. “Ready?” she asked.

I was not.

Yay, Adventure...

“Ready?”

It took me a moment or two, just to get my bearings again. I had an uncomfortable suspicion that I knew exactly what she was asking. Yet I did not know why. I knew myself well enough to realize that within the next few seconds, I would start puzzling over this. And once it got going, there was no stopping it. The part where I tried to unravel her motivations was not the issue. The inevitable part where I started to construct more and more ridiculous horror scenarios was.

I took another look towards the saddlebags, bulging with what I assumed were her adventure preparations. When I refocused my gaze towards her, I noticed that she had become a little nervous. Maybe impatient. Either way, that initial glee of hers dimmed down the longer I made her wait for a response. It was not exactly the nicest of feelings. Having to nip her ambitions in the bud. But then again, there was no easy way to do this either.

I sighed. “Luna, I… I don’t usually like surprises very much. And you know that. So what is this about?”

It was a lack of spontaneity. Of mental flexibility and adaptability. I liked to be prepared and if left unchecked, I prepared as far in advance as I could. My Ogres & Oubliettes-sessions were a prime example for that. I vaguely knew what the storyline was supposed to look like. I planned ahead for months. In detail. As usual, plans rarely survived exposure to reality. However, the mere fact that I had a plan was enough for me. It could be redirected. Adapted. Reconstructed. I could work with what I had. But being thrust into a void and having to work with nothing, probably under time pressure as well — that was horrible. I knew that some ponies thrived on this. I most certainly did not.

She knew that of course. We had been friends for some years now. And lovers for more than half a year. There was a reason she thought this was a good idea. That this would work.

“We’re going to have an adventure of our own!” she proclaimed with utter conviction.

I successfully stifled that groan, as I had seen it coming a mile away. There was a lot to unpack in that one very enthusiastic statement. The first and most obvious thing my mind got stuck on was that ‘our own’. “But Lu, I don’t even like adventures,” I replied with a silent sigh.

That made her do a double-take. “You do not?”

I really wished there would have been an easier way to do this. Something I could say or do to let her down more gently. I simply hated killing her enthusiasm. She had prepared for this. She had come here. She had waited patiently for my return. And now that I was finally here, I was trying to turn her down. And I hated every second of it. But being dishonest now would only lead to problems later on. “No, I don’t. I’m honestly a tad bewildered that you thought I did. Which leads me to assume that Sunny—, I mean, Celestia… she’s been talking about our recent excursion, hasn’t she?”

“Extensively,” Luna answered with a quiet sigh and an eye roll for good measure. And if that had not already been obvious enough, her wings rustled a little in mild irritation.

“We’ve been back for ten days,” I started and silently thanked Moondancer for providing such specific information, “and in that time, I have seen neither hide nor hair of either of you two. Ah! Let me finish, please. I don’t blame you. Of course not. And neither do I blame Sunny. You two are busy mares, I know that. Especially now, with the aftermath of this little trial of ours. And judging by the looks of these saddlebags, I assume you have been busy preparing whatever your plan is on the sidelines as well. But come on, kitten. You know me. You regularly tease me about my unwillingness to budge on something I had set my mind on. Can’t buy that toothpaste, it’s not the right brand. Can’t easily switch to another main dish, because the kitchen lacks some ingredients for my usual order. Does that really sound like a thrill-seeker to you? But on the other hoof, you know your sister better than I do. Her early days especially. When you two ran around side by side, when you scared monsters away, entered the battlefield alongside each other, poked your muzzles into ancient ruins full of traps and whatnot. I assume she’s been raving about this trip of ours. Because she is very much into this.”

My heart bled a little as I watched her deflate. Her smile slowly dimmed down further and further and finally died a mournful death. “Oh.”

It was an admission of sorts. That of a simple misjudgment. I had not been present for their usual shared breakfasts. Way too early in the day for my tastes. But I could imagine Celestia recounting the tale of our exploits. Despite her usual serene smile and calm demeanor, when she was alone with somepony she actually trusted a lot, she could be quite lively. It was heartwarming. It brought joy to my very being to know how much she had enjoyed our time together. Truth be told, even after our return, it had remained a fear that continuously gnawed away at my fonder memories of these days: The fear that my constant muttering and grumbling and complaining about the heat and the insects and whatnot could have dulled her enjoyment of the ‘field trip’. It seemed that was not the case.

But now I had to deal with Luna who, as a result of this, had come under the impression that I was just as keen on ‘adventures’. I stood up, resettled at her side and softly leaned into her. It did not take her long to drape a wing across my back. I nuzzled along her neck, but despite this, I could see the cogs and wheels turning. Maybe she was reevaluating her prior encounters with her sister. What Celestia had said and what she had gleaned from that. However, there was still the issue of ‘our own’ remaining, and I felt it was time to address that as well. “Luna?”

“Hm?” It was an unusually absentminded response.

I snuggled up to her a little more. I even dared a small kiss on her neck before I mustered the courage to ask what I felt had to be asked. “Are you jealous?” And the very moment I did, her entire demeanor changed. It was subtle, but unmistakable. Her body stiffened a little, her wing tensed around me and her face simply froze in whatever thought had last managed to get processed.

I considered my next step. What to say, what to do. Truth was, I had never encountered her at her lowest. I knew that she was the jealous type. And to some extent, I could relate to that. I was not prone to jealousy on a superficial level, but it was still there. It could be tickled to the surface quite easily. But I was not sure how to deal with it. How to help her.

Luna remained silent for a good while and yet she was the first to talk. Maybe it was cowardice that had kept me quiet? I tried to tell myself that this was a difficult topic. That words had to be chosen carefully. But no matter how hard I tried, that still sounded suspiciously like an excuse.

Luna inhaled deeply and with a long and silent sigh exhaled. “She made it sound very enjoyable. Desirable, even. I will admit that in retrospect, she was mostly speaking about her own take on things. It just did not occur to me that you had less of a positive experience than she had.”

“There is an important division you have to make,” I brought up. “We basically had two things going on at the same time. A vacation and an adventure. I needed help with my adventure. And I thought it would be a good idea, a good opportunity, to take her with me. So this trip could double as our first real vacation. And maybe that had not been the best idea, I’m still undecided on that one. But with these past few days, it became easier to separate the two. And judge them by their own merits. The vacation with Celestia, I absolutely loved. Every second. Funny thing, I told the same Moondancer just a bit earlier. I loved having her to myself for a while. I wished I could have that more often. Not just with her. I… I still feel lonely sometimes. It’s stupid, I know. I don’t like feeling that way. Seems kind of unfair. But I would love to have more time with you as well. And with Twilight. I obviously can’t make that happen just by wishing. This ‘trial’ worked out well so far. So maybe we find a way to do something like this more often. I really hope we do. But the adventure part? That was just…” I struggled for words for a moment and helplessly gestured with my hooves. Until I eventually let them drop with a sigh. “I don’t know. Unnecessary? Exhausting? I was sweaty and tired the whole time and not in a good way. The constant buzzing of insects around me. The monotone green all around. The critters that just would not shut up, ever. I don’t see the appeal. For me, this ‘adventure’ was a means to an end. I got what I wanted and I don’t exactly…” … want to do anything like that ever again. But I cut myself short. Because I had seen those saddlebags and I could not stop thinking about them and I had already disappointed her enough. I did not wish to make it even worse.

“I would love for us to have a vacation,” I started over. And I was as honest as I could have been. “Heck, I would be quite keen on that.” Especially after those last days alone. And maybe even more so after tonight, as my difficulties with Moondancer still lingered in my mind. “I’m just not all that thrilled about the prospect of another ‘adventure’. I don't think I'm cut out for this stuff.” Her shoulders sagged a little and that was enough to tell me a thing or two about what exactly she had had in mind. I sighed. “So you are jealous then?”

She still hesitated a little, but after a moment nodded. “I suppose so.”

Don’t, I tried to tell myself. But the fact of the matter was: I had no idea what to do with that information. I wanted to make her feel better, sure. But I did not get the impression that talking it out would be all that helpful. When it came to Luna, action was usually worth more. I tried to retain a calm expression and cringed mostly inwards as I carefully assembled the question that would ultimately spell my doom. “Well, would whatever that is,” I started and vaguely gestured towards the saddlebags. “Would that help?”

Planning ahead was a crutch for those unable to wing it. It was a colloquial expression of course. One that broke down significantly what could be said with a lot more words, which would have sounded a lot smarter. It was a divisive statement, too. I had three decent examples supporting this theory and one against it. Celestia was not incapable of adapting on the fly. But it was true that she struggled doing so and very much preferred not having to do so. I was pretty much the same, just less extreme. Mostly because I lacked the intelligence to plan as much and as far ahead as she could. And I had a memory like a goldfish to boot. Luna on the other hoof had… ‘plans’. Rough shapes and ideas at best. But she made it work. She did not lack the ability to plan ahead, but to her, it was a waste of time and effort. It was tedious and unnecessary. She rather ran straight into a situation and adapted to whatever presented itself.

And then there was Twilight. But she was my little, special snowflake anyway. I was not entirely sure how much gravitas I could attribute to her defying this simple ‘rule’. She prepared and she planned and she adapted on the fly with ease. She had admittedly learned the latter through a lot of trials over the past decade or so.

Luna did not suspect ulterior motives. Not from me. But she usually had an inclination to take things at face value. She remained silent for a while because she mused over her own feelings. Not because she tried to gauge my motives behind the question. Or what would or could result from her answer. She eventually made up her mind and nodded. “I believe it might.”

Not quite a ‘yes’, but it was good enough.

We were playing ball and her latest move meant that it was my turn once again. I grimaced a little and hoped that she would not notice. I even tried to make sure of that by ‘hiding’ away as I once again nuzzled her neck and into her wavy mane. I did quite enjoy her warmth and closeness. My gaze was eventually drawn to those damned saddlebags again. Like a moth to a flame. Alright, fine. “Well you clearly had something in mind with all of this. So… tell me.”

She tensed up again. Due to vastly different reasons this time. She craned her neck and I saw her smile. Cautiously. “I may present you with ‘the pitch’?” she asked in a hopeful tone.

I chuckled a little and pulled her down further to kiss her. And I sighed into this kiss as I felt my worries and anxieties drain away a little. This felt right. It would never not feel right. And it was just so incredibly adorable when she found some new term or expression or idiom and tried to implement it into her speech to get accustomed with it. I nodded once we pulled apart. I could still feel myself smiling. “You may give me the pitch.”

Her smile grew into a grin and she regained some of her prior confidence. She opened her mouth and… stopped. A moment later, she closed it, and with a furrowed brow, addressed me again. “It would benefit my attempt to win you over greatly if I were to show you something first.”

I was certainly not about to tell her that she did not have to ‘win me over’. Despite my struggles, despite my wish for the other, I had already made my decision. She was jealous and I could understand why. She had been so excited and I had almost destroyed that. She had obviously planned ahead, which was kind of a rarity, and she had invested some time and energy into this — and I had tried to let her down.

Hook, line and sinker. I would be going along with this adventure of hers no matter what. I just could not say ‘no’ to her. “Alright, fine. Show me then,” I replied.

She charged her horn and lowered her head. As soon as her horn touched mine, I felt her magic surge through my body. It enveloped me like a lover's embrace. Seeped into me. My mind became heavy and I felt my eyelids fall shut.

I stood in the dreamscape. Unsure of what exactly I looked around for Luna and she appeared by my side a few seconds later. I was patiently waiting while she concentrated and just as I had assumed, she had called for somepony’s dream bubble.

The sphere came close to us and now that I got a chance to inspect it, I furrowed my brow. “Is that yours?”

“It is,” she simply confirmed.

There was something weird going on with this dream. If the dreamer was asleep, it should have contained a colorful mixture of swirling mist, shaping itself into all kinds of forms and dissolving the very next moment. Dreams were highly chaotic things after all. And with the dreamer awake, the same mist should have been dull gray, and barely moving. This sphere contained neither. And both. It almost looked like the sphere itself did not exactly know what to display. And Luna being the dreamer made the most sense — she was both asleep and not shaping her dream.

We both carefully placed a hoof against the sphere and slowly started to sink into it. And it was quite an enjoyable sensation doing so. Luna had once told me that a dreamwalker could get a first glimpse of what the dreamer thought about the visit — or intrusion — with enough experience. Fluttershy’s subconsciousness could be both timid and fierce and her reaction to me snooping around in her dreams could thereby fall into either surprising amounts of resistance or attempts to avoid me. With Luna though, it was a lover’s embrace, like her magic flowing over me had before. I felt warmth and passion and I was welcome in the same way she sometimes looked at me when luring me to her bed. It was alluring, promising and a little bit intimidating. But all around enjoyable.

Once the dream had swallowed us, we exchanged one void for another. Instead of a star-studded night sky, we had an empty black void with a bright full moon overhead. “Give me a moment,” she asked, “I will need to focus to reconstruct the memory.”

A memory? How curious. Especially if it was one she had to work for. Maybe an especially old one then? I kept my patience and the inky blackness around us started to gain color and shape in due time. The both of us were surrounded by a nice, oddly familiar landscape soon enough.

Green grass. Rolling hills. Half-timber houses nearby which formed a small village. It did not look too different from Ponyville, actually. Town hall was missing, the most prominent feature of Ponyville. Aside from Carousel Boutique, of course. So this was not Ponyville, but something quite similar. Luna seemed to see no immediate necessity to explain anything and so I saw no reason to ask for now. I instead just watched. Observed. And tried to read clues my surroundings provided me.

The most obvious one being the massive expanse behind us. The Everfree Forest. These woods were vast and a couple of settlements bordered onto them. Most prominently: Ponyville, of course. But I knew that Appleloosa was not too far off either and I vaguely remembered a couple of charts and maps I had seen which depicted maybe three or four other villages close-by as well. They were smaller than Ponyville and did not have the luxury of hosting a Princess of Equestria, which led to them rarely showing up on maps. We were in one of these small villages then.

It was hard to tell which time we were in, though. From the shapes I could see moving about in the village, pony tribes seemed to be just fine with living with each other, so this had to be some time after Equestria had been founded and the initial hurdles and distrust had been overcome. But I could not tell if this was from before her banishment, or after her return. Then again, why would she have difficulties reconstructing a memory that was this recent? Old Equestria then. And something about this had to be relevant to our adventure.

“There she comes,” Luna whispered.

My ears perked up, swiveled around and intently focused on the new sounds drawing closer. Laughing fillies? And indeed, three foals came running along the path leading out of the village. Three unicorns. Two fillies, one colt. One of the fillies reminded me of Lyra, but her eye color was different. Purple instead of amber. The colt had a bluish coat and mane, and red eyes. And the other filly had a dark orchid-colored coat, a rose-colored mane and opal-colored eyes. They seemed quite happy as they ran along and used their telekinesis to play with the ball.

And they ran straight into the Everfree. That can’t be good. Maybe a rescue mission then? I felt a pull as Luna mentally dragged me along and since I saw no reason to resist, I just let her. We switched scenes. A couple minutes later, I suspected, and we saw the three foals still playing — until one of them got a little over-excited and threw the ball further away. It landed, bounced along and rolled straight into a cave. A cave that had been marked as dangerous with various signs. All three approached the cave, all three fearful. And a quiet, hasted argument broke out. Just leave the damn thing in there, I mentally begged the projections, It’s just a toy. You can get a new one. Just turn around and walk away…

With this being a memory, however… that was clearly not going to happen.

Their little dispute ended with two of them convincing the third filly to venture into the cave to retrieve the lost toy. Luna dragged me further along into the cave. Darkness enveloped us. The filly lit her horn in an attempt to see and she found the ball not too far away from the exit. Just leave. Be quick. Nothing good ever came from a cave in the Everfree.

And indeed, a low, disgruntled growl rose from the depths of the darkness. Run, little one. Run.

Alas, she did not. The light of her horn was overpowered by the light emanating from the stars. Stars captured by the body of an Ursa Minor. The bear-shaped creature roared, displeased with the interruption of its sleep, with the intrusion upon its lair. And a single swipe of its claw was enough.

The Ursa was not hostile. Not really. Had it been, the filly would have been dead. Simple as that. The Ursa was simply disgruntled. But that swipe still connected. Not to the filly itself, but to her horn. And with strength like that, it simply shattered.

I grimaced in deep, deep empathy as I saw it break. And it was even worse to hear it. The crack followed by her cry of pain and agony. I was lucky enough that, according to my fractured memories, I had never, ever managed to crack my horn. But I had heard a few things about that. The recovery usually took months. Sometimes years, depending on the severity of the case. And casting magic with a cracked horn was a foolish and dangerous thing to do. Magic became unstable, unreliable, volatile without a proper conduit. A unicorn unable to cast its signature spell was similar to losing one’s cutie mark.

And that horn was not just cracked. It was straight up broken off.

I felt the pull as Luna used her dream magic once more. It was not a pull within the memory this time, but something deeper, more profound. She tried to wake us up. This had apparently been all there was. All I needed to see.

I woke up and blinked a few times. I felt strangely groggy for a moment, but the tiredness soon lifted itself. One question immediately came to mind though. “How?” I asked as Luna awoke beside me. “That wasn’t one of your memories, was it?” I had not seen her anywhere nearby after all. And I had specifically looked out for her.

“No,” she confirmed, “this was a memory I have managed to copy from somepony else.”

I grimaced at that. I had tried to talk with her about privacy concerns on the odd occasion. Equestria’s modern age was changing. Concerns about her intruding upon others could rise. Would rise eventually, I was sure of that. But she remained firm on the matter. It was her duty and she would do as duty demanded. She usually saw fit to remind me that it was my duty as well. A point I had never contested. It was a bit of a sore topic for us, one that got both of us riled up quickly. But copying memories? I had not even known that she was capable of such. And unsurprisingly, it did not help ease my worries.

In my darkest visions, I saw the public come after her. Again. This time, they called her a tyrant. A nightmare that enforced her dominion by attacking from an angle nopony could defend against. Nightmare Moon would rise again. Or maybe they would simply try to oust her.

I honestly feared for her well-being. And it frustrated me how easily she dismissed my concerns sometimes.

But I was not about to open that can of worms again. Not here, not now. “So whose memory was that?”

“Tell me, Dream. Have you ever heard of the Storm King?”

I already shook my head when her gaze intensified a little. And I sighed internally. Fine, I mentally grumbled and started to check my other memories. It was difficult to sort through that broken-up mess when searching for something so specific as a name and whatever related to it. I did find a few pieces after a couple of minutes though. “Some… some sort of hostile nation?” I recounted, “He’s their leader. He wielded the Staff of Sacanas in one of my cycles, but I doubt he’ll be able to this time.”

“The Staff of Sacanas?” Luna repeated in confusion. Interesting. So Celestia had collected some of these artifacts without even her sister knowing. And seeing as the staff had been in a secret vault in the old castle, she must have collected it before Luna’s banishment.

“It’s an artifact. Well, it was. Doesn’t matter much, the thing is burned to a crisp. I’m not even sure if any ash remains,” I half-explained with a shrug. I tried to deflect a little with nonchalance. It would maybe get a little stickier if she started to question this further. “Anyway. He’s a warmonger. Quite a successful one. His army is well-trained, well-equipped. They can even deal with enemies capable of magic. He has a surprisingly large fleet of airships. It’s all very… steampunk-y. However, in none of my memories did his advanced technology ever help him to defeat Equestria.” I shuddered a little as a specific memory came to the front. A landscape of lava and slag. Molten mountains, burning forests and clouds on fire. And above all the devastation, she loomed. I tried to push that specific memory away, with middling success.

Luna had meanwhile listened and seemed to approve of my account. “The Storm King is a threat. His kingdom devours neighboring countries at a rapid pace and grows in size. There have been enough tragedies due to his continued warpath. We do not know where he originated from. Or what precisely he is.”

“Some kind of weird yeti-ape-thing?” I interrupted with a lopsided smile.

She replied with a smile of her own and a shrug. “Maybe. I honestly care little about who or what he is. I am sure that Twilight, were she to know of this, would love to attempt the diplomatic route. Many have tried before and failed. I am unwilling to risk her well-being. However, I have intel that suggests that the Storm King is preparing to push north. The Arimaspi Territory and the Forbidden Jungle are currently all that stands between him and us.”

That was news. I swallowed hard. My memories told me of darkening skies. Fleets of steel and smoke. Clattering of armor. No, according to my memories, he had never won. But that did not mean that he had not tried. Tried hard. And that there had not been losses on both sides.

War was coming. And it was a frightening prospect.

“What do we do?” I asked with trepidation, surprised by how meek my own voice suddenly sounded.

Luna tightened the grip of her wing around me. “Do not worry too much. Sister and I have always kept Equestria safe and we shall continue to do so.” Don’t worry, she says. That’s always easier said than done, I grumbled mentally. But she meant well and I could not fault her for that. “The memory I showed you is one of the earliest foalhood memories of a mare who calls herself Tempest Shadow. The only pony within the Storm King’s empire. She was shunned after she lost her horn in that incident. Ousted. She felt betrayed and left behind. She ventured far to the south and grew into quite a prickly mare and a fierce warrior. She is the only general of the Storm King’s army. She leads, they follow. She commands, they attack. She does not hide behind rank, she is quite a formidable opponent. One I honestly would not mind sparring with. She is a very smart mare as well. She quickly learned and learned a lot. She is shrewd and cunning and cautious.” The more she told me about this pony, the stronger the impression that she was admiring her. Yet I remained silent. “However, there is one thing that spells her doom. A single blind spot she has and that is currently used to great effect to manipulate and gaslight her. She serves the Storm King not because she believes in his cause. I honestly doubt that he even has a cause to begin with, aside from gaining more personal wealth and power. She follows him because of one simple promise he made her.”

“Her horn,” I spoke up when Luna fell silent and obviously waited for my conclusion on the matter.

She nodded. “Indeed. He promised that he would restore her horn.”

“How long has she served him?” I continued.

Luna smiled. “Too long.”

While all of this was very exciting, I still failed to see the connection. I felt like I was still missing a vital piece to this puzzle. “So what’s the plan? You show her he’s a big meanie and she’ll abandon him just like that? Or do you intend to nab yourself a general?”

“Their relationship with each other is potentially volatile,” Luna explained. “Tempest is a mare of her word. She took an oath to serve him as long as he held his promise. However, the Storm King for his part quickly realized the issue. Tempest is a surprisingly effective leader, a skilled fighter and by now the backbone of his military success. He cannot afford to lose her. While he is quite smart himself, he lacks her tactical brilliance. And due to his chaotic and selfish nature, he already was the kind of creature that only saw itself bound by promises for as long as that was beneficial and worked in his favor. I do not claim to know if replacing her horn is possible by any means he possesses or knows of. What I do know is this, however: She will never get her horn back. Not from him. It is the figurative carrot on a stick. And the day she realizes his true intentions, she will lose all value to him and he will ruthlessly backstab her. We can offer her something better. A true solution. And in no small part due to your efforts.”

That caught me off-guard. “Wait, what? My efforts? I didn’t do anything!”

But Luna just grinned and leaned down to place a soft, brief kiss on my temple. “Quite the contrary. This ‘moon-blessed silver’ and ‘sun-blessed gold’ you retrieved from the Forbidden Jungle? It has some remarkable properties.”

“Oh. So that’s where the sample vanished to?” I half-accused her. Celestia had mentioned losing it.

At least Luna had the decency to blush a little while she grinned. “Guilty as charged. You planned to craft a piece of jewelry with it, yes?”

I pouted at her as hard as I could. “No.”

“No?” she replied in confusion.

“No. You’re not going to get it. It’s mine. Get your own!” Only when Luna broke out into laughter did I cease my little show. Honestly, a part of me was quite unwilling to part with my spoils. But this was meant as a Hearth’s Warming present. And the other option apparently was sparing Equestria from war. Despite my personal feelings, the choice was rather obvious.

After she calmed down a little bit, she shook her head. “I can assure you I have no intention to rob you blind.”

I sighed a little and leaned against her once more. “I wouldn’t mind getting robbed by you though.”

“Because I already stole your heart?” she ventured a guess. And I grinned in reply. She giggled a little and nodded. “I see. Well in any case, I was being serious. I do not wish to take what you worked so hard for. My sister will send qualified ponies to the Forbidden Jungle to take up diplomatic relationships with the guardians. I am sure that she will manage to get more of these metals in due time. Especially since they claim to be able to produce it.”

I was fully aware that I was letting myself get distracted. I nuzzled her neck and got drunk on her scent. I placed a little kiss on it. I just reveled in her closeness. I had missed her. “I wanted to make an enhancer,” I explained without further prodding from her. “For Twilight, I mean. She can already do so much with her magic. Just imagine what she would be capable of with an enhancer. With the right enchantments, I think it could be a power boost of up to fifty percent. Maybe more.”

I closed my eyes to focus even more on her scent, on the feeling of her warmth and her body. “These materials can do more though. I believe that, if handled by a decent smith and enchanted by somepony powerful enough, they could act as a horn prosthesis.”

Ah. There it was. The final piece.

So to drive a wedge in between the Storm King and his general, we simply made a better offer. Well, maybe not that simple. Luna had already mentioned that Tempest was a pony of her word. She would not easily abandon the Storm King just because we offered a better deal. She would still have to be convinced that the Storm King would not uphold his end of the bargain. But that was something Luna could do quite easily, I suspected.

I groaned a little as realization hit me. “Oh nooo,” I whined, “so we’re heading back to the jungle to get more of the stuff?”

I did not quite appreciate that she snickered beside me. But me poking her with a hoof only served to amuse her even more. “No, do not worry. We will not head to the jungle.”

While that did ease my concerns in one area, it raised them in another. “Come on. Spill it.”

That had been quite enough prelude for my taste. And she seemed to agree. “My intel says that she will be in the northern reaches of the empire soon. Most likely to control the border patrols. We will make contact and capture her. Well I say ‘capture’, but we are really trying to convince her.”

I might have forgotten to breathe for a few seconds.

“What?!”

I violently tore myself away from her to look her dead in the eyes. I tried to find any sign of a jest on her part, but no. No, she was serious about this. And that was even more frightening. “Luna! Come on! You can’t be serious!”

Her wings rustled a little and she puffed her cheeks out. “Can’t I?” she echoed indignantly. “And why not?”

“I’m not a soldier!” I continued with my voice still slightly raised and with a little shrill edge to it. “And you would need one. Or better still, a hundred! You’re talking about infiltrating a hostile nation and basically kidnapping their highest-ranking officer! You need a soldier, or a-a… a spymaster or… something.”

“No I do not,” she argued.

“You—… wha—… you can’t jus—… are you mental?!” Calm down, I tried to reign myself in. But to little avail. Her proposal was simply too outrageous. This? This was decidedly not an ‘adventure’. This was state business. This was a secretive mission, to be undertaken only by trained professionals. And not some runaway hobby-smith.

However, Luna’s gaze hardened considerably and I knew what that meant. I ducked my head a little and bit down on my lower lip to hold in any further stupid things I might have said otherwise. “I—… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just… my point stands though. Does it not? This isn’t just some stupid little adventure, this is serious stuff. Important stuff.”

To my surprise, she lowered her head and laid it atop mine. Her closeness was calming as usual and welcome as always. And yet right now, jarring at the same time. “You have a certain clumsy honesty. Tempest is a pony with an incredible force of will. I struggled greatly to find and enter her dream and even more so to get that memory. She will see through any illusions I might put up. She will not be easily swayed or misled. And I have reason to believe that she will distrust me greatly. I can deal with most of what might come our way. But I need you by my side to deal with her. I do not need soldiers or spies. I need you.”

Certain phrases had power. Because we subjugated ourselves to them. We granted them the very power they held over us. I need you. Three magical words. Not that different from ‘I love you’. She was not playing fair. Maybe she knew that, maybe she did not. What had been said could not be taken back either way. “Does Celestia know?” I dared to ask. My last-ditch effort. I knew it had little chance of success. Even before Luna doubled down.

“She knows as much as she wants to know. Other than that, she trusts me.” I knew it was coming. And in a futile attempt, I tried to brace for it. “Do you?”

Trust me.

I loved her. So much that it hurt at times. I would have gone to the ends of Tartarus for her. I would have tried to find other ways of course — I was not overly brave, I was not a hero and I was not an idiot. But when it really came down to it? I would have gone to Tartarus and back for her.

Given that — what was I supposed to do? Or say? What else beyond ‘yes’ was there?

The mystery of the bulging saddlebags was finally solved. Tempest would be near the border ‘soon’. We would not teleport, I was quite sure of that. Luna had difficulties with long-range teleportation. We would not fly either. While she loved flying, carrying me and our supplies would exhaust her too much. But we needed to be faster than traveling by hoof. The train then. We would take the train from Canterlot station, then Ponyville, then… Appleloosa, maybe? I knew that there was a discontinued train track leading south, across the Macintosh Hills. An unfinished railway that was the residue of some long-abandoned frontier exploration attempt. We would be on hoof from there on out. Past the Arimaspi Territory, past the Forbidden Jungle. Nestled in between those two, actually.

It was funny how my mind immediately went to work and started to plan routes and tried to calculate travel times and supply requirements as soon as I gave up and stopped struggling against the inevitable. Especially given that I still had basically zero practical experience and those saddlebags told a story of these things having been done by her already.

Maybe it was just another form of procrastination.

I sighed. I had left her hanging long enough. She knew the answer as well as I did. She was not even impatient. It was an inevitability and she knew that. She really was not playing fair. “I do. And I always will.” While my statement lacked any fervor to speak of, it was still spoken in conviction. “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about your decision,” I quietly grumbled.

And I was still very much willing to frame it like that. It was her decision and hers alone. I had no idea how long it took her to figure all this stuff out. Celestia and I had been back for ten days, give or take. In that time, Luna had learned of the materials I gathered, nabbed those samples, researched their properties, made the connection to Tempest — information which she must have had beforehoof already — and prepared for this trip of ours. That was… a lot of work in a short amount of time.

Maybe I should have been less surprised. When I prepared my first adventure, I had mused about this very thing. I had taken days, weeks even, to make small steps. Find a material catalog. Cross-reference the chosen materials. Attempt to translate a book. Figure out the best campsite with dusty old maps. And all this time, I had been wondering: Just how much quicker would somepony like Luna have been?

Maybe this was the answer.

I struggled with the nature of our ‘adventure’. Getting myself almost killed for a Hearth’s Warming present was ridiculous, sure. But that was more in the spirit of adventuring than preventing war. Different scope, different scale.

“Are you angry with me?” I heard her ask. And my shoulders sagged a little. Just because her voice sounded so vulnerable. Timid. Luna was not supposed to sound timid.

I took a deep breath. “No.” With some effort and some wiggling about, I managed to roll over onto my back and close the distance between us at the same time by slightly rolling against her. The distance I had ensured just a couple minutes prior. This position made it a lot easier to look up to her. “I’m not angry, kitten. I’m just… I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m the right stallion for the job. I… I can see what you’re going for. The same vacation-adventure-mix I had going on with Celestia. But this is… it feels different. Because it is different. Going into the jungle to search for some old ruins in hopes of finding a material to craft with, that’s… that’s ‘usual adventure stuff’. There’s not much at stake. Worst that could happen? I don’t find my stuff. Yes, I know that there could have been worse results, but… this? We aim to destabilize a hostile nation by bribing their general. There’s so much that can go so horribly, horribly wrong. What if she doesn’t bite? What if she captures us? What if the Storm King gets his grubby little hooves on us? On you?”

“Hands,” she interrupted.

“Whatever. What if they decide that you’re a great bargaining chip and that they should invade immediately? And even if we are successful, what if he invades as a retaliation? Will we really be back in time to fortify the border against that? I think I have seen his fleet once. It’s impressive. Sure, Tempest could be a valuable source of information to prepare our troops. If she’s willing to spill the beans, that is. If she’s honest about it. If she commits to our side. There’s so many factors to consider and so much that could just go wrong. There’s so much at stake. And you are so… so intent to have me involved in this.” I was starting to feel physically ill. In a way, it was a good thing that I was lying on my back. Made it harder for the urge to vomit.

Luna wiggled her way down until she could comfortably lay her head on my chest. She even levitated a pillow over to place under my head so that we could still see eye to eye. “You fret and fuss and worry,” she sighed. She briefly raised her muzzle, angled it down and placed a kiss on my chest before she laid her head on top of it once more. “At times, it is a quality of yours. On other occasions, it seems to be your curse. You might barely have any confidence in yourself. But know that I do not share your opinion on the matter. I believe in you no matter if you do. And I have reason to do so. You have a good heart, Dreamwalker. You try to do right by everypony. You try to protect those dear to you. You are always willing to give, even if you have barely anything left. I need a good soul by my side for this. Because I do not trust in the goodness of my own heart. There is a familiar darkness there. I know it well. And I freely admit that I fear it. But when I am with you — or Twilight, for that matter —, I do not feel afraid anymore. The beast loses its teeth and claws. And in all these years… sure, mistakes have been made here and there. But not once have you let me down.”

Take Twilight with you, then. It was a foolish thought. One that perished fractions of a second after it had been conceived. I would certainly not facilitate any endeavor that would put two of the ponies I loved most in grave danger. And it would not have worked anyway. Luna had already figured as much. Twilight would insist on trying the diplomatic approach. No sneaking around. No potential kidnapping. A friendly offer, but no bribing. And taking her along would not help with Luna’s jealousy either.

I believe it might, she said. Once we made it back, she would have her own story to tell. Celestia would be proud of her. And happy for her. And she would listen to her retell this story over and over, patiently and happily. It might help. I shuddered a little at the thought that maybe Sunny had known what she was doing when she boasted to her little sister. Maybe this right here, with Luna dragging me off to another adventure, had been her intention.

“Her real name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”

Her remark was so utterly unexpected and bewildering. And that name... goodness, that name. Luna’s head bobbed up and down as I snorted and continued to laugh afterwards. She grinned at me when I slowly regained my composure. “Really?”

“Mhm.”

“Hm… I would’ve chosen a different name as well then,” I concluded. “It’s a pretty name for a pony. But… yeah. It’s very ‘pony’. I suspect that’s less than ideal for the folks she’s surrounding herself with.” I never quite managed to understand why so many other races thought of ponies as weaklings. We were certainly not the cosmic punching bags. Pegassi were fierce warriors capable of astounding speed. Earth ponies could take a beating like no other and they would simply spit some blood to the side and continue to maul their opponents. Unicorns could muster some of the most dangerous magics out there. And on top of us all, the alicorns wielded powers beyond most mortal comprehension.

And yet. Yaks declaring war on us. The long-lasting feuds with griffons. Dragons deeming us weaklings. And they were not alone.

With more minutes passing by, I slowly calmed down. My mind drifted around more or less aimlessly. How did she put it? Ah, yes. I was fretting, fussing and worrying. The holy trinity. But there was only so much of that one pony could do and continuing to panic eventually became too exhausting, too taxing. The panic had run its course as far as it could.

I took another deep breath and sighed. “So what happens now?”

As I looked down, I noticed her grin return with a certain playfulness. “First, I shall try to rescue what is left of this mood. And we should probably sleep afterwards. We depart in the morning with one of the early trains.”

As expected. I liked to be right. Even if departure by train had been the rather obvious choice. However, I furrowed my brow as the rest of her intention trickled through. “Wha—“ was all I managed before I gasped. Her hoof had snuck its way up to my rump and despite carefulness of her motion, there was firm pressure and intent behind it. Once I regained control, I looked down and saw her smirk rather smugly. A moment later she raised her head from my chest and slowly dragged it down across it until her chin brushed against my sheath.

Another sharp inhale as she gave it a slow, measured lick and I finally left my worries wherever they had last been. I tried to sit up, because quite simply, I wanted to reciprocate the attention. But she just pushed me down again with a tendril of her magic. “Let me,” she asked. My unwillingness to comply was held at bay as her magic did not just fade straight away. With my member coaxed out into the open, she refocused her attention with agonizingly tender kisses. Unwillingness slowly morphed into impatience and only after I involuntarily failed to stifle a throaty whine did she relent. She closed her lips around its head and a pleasurable mixture of warmth and slick wetness enveloped me. I put a hoof to my muzzle to bite down on just so that I could deny her the satisfaction of hearing me moan and despite her focus consistently being someplace else, she still managed to catch it. What had been a singular tendril firmly placed on my chest lifted, if only for a second or two before it split in two to pin down my hooves right beside my head.

I knew what she wanted and I tried to make sure that she had to fight me every inch of the way to get it, despite my own neediness. And she did. Unrelentingly, inch by inch, until I felt dizzy from my ragged breathing. These last days alone really did not work in my favor. “Lu,” I managed to whisper in between panting. Spurred on by it instead of deterred, she retreated almost fully, only to swallow as much as she could in a single go. It simply was too much to bear. I was not sure if I had cried out or not. I blanked. For a couple of seconds, there was only sweet release, a tremble shaking my whole body and the scent of her arousal filling my nostrils.

And despite my orgasm slowly receding, there was only one coherent thought manifesting in its wake: I want her so badly.

That might not have been an option right now. But I was not about to let her get away that easily. She retreated and laid down beside me, still with that rather smug grin on her face. Luna leaned over and in my post-climax haze, I did not mind the salty taste as I kissed her deeply, passionately. “You’re so in for it,” I whispered. I saw her tail swish from side to side, almost like a cat. She did not even try any funny business as I repositioned myself. I placed a small trace of kisses and little love bites along her back and flank before I noticed just how drenched she was.

I looked up in surprise and saw fire in her eyes. “I missed you,” she huskily let me know.

“Oh I missed you too,” I quietly replied before I grabbed her rump. She shuddered a little in mere anticipation and despite my intention to keep her in suspense a little longer, I could not help but give her a good, long lick across her nethers. I was rewarded with a stronger tremor and a soft moan. She tried to press her rear back to keep contact, but I held her in place and chuckled quietly. “Come on, you really think you’re the only one capable of teasing?” I threatened. And yet I had to devote no small measure of willpower to keep myself away from her. Her scent was intoxicating, her taste still on my tongue and goodness gracious me, did she look delicious.

“Please…!” I heard her whimper.

It was a hard hit against my determination. How bad was it that it took this little for her to beg? Maybe it was worth finding out? I closed in again, much to her delight, and traced the tip of my tongue around her folds. Another whimper was followed by a sharp gasp as I licked across her clit. I inched closer still with a wide grin and brought my mouth firmly against her tender flesh. And sucked just that little bit. Her reaction was delightful. And I could already tell how incredibly close she was. She showed me mercy at this point when our roles had been switched. I was willing to do the same for her. I grabbed her rump with both hooves, spread it a little and retreated just enough to exhale my hot breath against her sensitive parts. And just as she was about to whimper again, I dove back in and attacked her clit without mercy. I chuckled a little as I felt my muzzle being flooded, but I did not relent as she cried out and came. I continued my assault through wave after wave and listened intently for her erratic breathing to catch just the right moment to stop. I eventually found it. Her climax subsided. The waves rocking her body eased up. And I retreated.

My head was in just the right space. Everything about this was bliss. I licked my lips, enjoyed her taste and stood behind her to marvel at my work. She rolled onto her side and raised her head just enough to look at me. I grinned. “More?”

She laughed and let her head fall back down onto the bed. “You are greedy,” she accused me and gestured for me to come closer. I lay down in front of her, and she effortlessly pulled me in and snuggled me against her.

“You would be as well with a mare like you in your bed,” I argued.

“Hmm… I cannot tell… I never had the pleasure with myself,” she replied with a giggle while she was still busy catching her breath.

We remained silent for a moment. It felt so incredibly nice to be held by her right now. “I love you.”

She hummed appreciatively before she leaned down. “Me too,” she replied.

I chuckled. “You love yourself? That’s nice. I was always told that’s important, you know?”

“Do not be cheeky or I might need to… punish you,” she ‘threatened’ in a sultry voice and breathed down my neck.

“Oh no, the horror, whatever shall I do?” I answered in the worst demonstration of acting I had presented in a long, long while. Because I usually did not try to consciously act badly.

She took my ear in her mouth and nibbled a little at it. Just enough to be both pleasurable and a tinge painful. “Let me rephrase that,” she whispered. “Do not be cheeky or I will not tell you about my surprise for you…!”

I chuckled a little and further pressed backwards into her. In return, her grip around me tightened a little more. “A surprise, you say. Hm. Is it a good one, or a bad one?”

“One I think you will very much enjoy,” she answered and although I could not see her face, I imagined her expression was just as confident as her voice implied.

“Hmmm. A good one then. Fine, fine, you have me convinced… no cheek from me.” I wiggled a little, just enough that she loosened her grip and I could turn to look at her. I was surprised by just how much passion and lust had already returned to her smoldering gaze. Whatever it was had her riled up quite a lot.

She leaned down and we shared another passionate kiss. We only pulled apart when the need for air demanded it. And that fire had only grown. When she leaned down again, she aimed for my ear this time and quietly whispered. “I have not taken my contraception… and my heat started two days ago…”

I pulled my head back just enough to look her in the eyes. A fresh wave of heat flushed my face and made my ears glow up to the tip. I was struck speechless for a couple of seconds while my brain tried to catch up to what she had said. We had talked about this twice and her stance had been the same on both instances. Not yet. I had been trying with Celestia for years now, with no results whatsoever. Alicorn fertility was apparently quite low compared to ‘regular’ ponies. With an immortal species, that probably made sense.

Maybe I should have asked what had brought on this change of mind. Just to make sure that this was not another spike of jealousy or something. I really should have. Maybe I would have, had she not put on her best, irresistible bedroom gaze and uttered those words. “Breed me, firecracker.” I swallowed, and could already feel my grin threaten to split my head in two. I also felt myself stiffen again at an impressive speed and judging by her eager kiss, so did she. “Do it…”

I was not about to make her beg for that one. The next couple of seconds were a bit of a frantic haze. Rarely had I been this driven. She rolled onto her back, her tail already tucked to the side, her delicious rump on full display, her folds glistened invitingly. She wiggled her rump just a little bit, as if that had been necessary at this point. And with an eagerness that surprised myself, I lined up and drove into her. With the first orgasm already out of the way, I at least did not climax immediately. I wanted this to last. I wanted to feel her, to hear her moan and whimper, I wanted to drive her mad until she was pawing at the sheets, biting down on them. I wanted to take her. And more importantly, I really did want to breed her.

It was such a delight to see this desire mirrored in her, to feel how she pushed back against me every time I drove into her. Our moans intermingled in the same rhythm our bodies did. Images I had fantasized about flashed before my eyes. Luna with a huge, well-rounded belly. I had no words for how sexy it looked in my head, and I had no idea why it turned me on so much. The thought of a little filly or colt running around, costing us precious sleep and every single last nerve we had. The image of us lying in bed, tired, exhausted, but with happy smiles, and a little bundle of joy between us.

I still came earlier than I would have liked. In fact, I disliked it enough to give ‘powering through’ a shot. And while that rarely worked out for me, it did this time. Judging by her outcry, she felt it. Felt every contraction, felt even more fluids flood her womb and despite the sweat and exhaustion, she was utterly unwilling to stop — just like me. I bit down on her neck at one point and elicited another cry of pleasure from her. I even managed to scrape enough concentration together to carefully play with her teats a little. And my concentration failed me the moment a new batch of images flooded my mind. They would swell in preparation of nurturing our foal.

I eventually came a third time. And I was well aware that this would be the end, if I wanted to continue or not. Sweat on my brow, exhaustion in my bones and my legs threatened to buckle while I held firmly onto her hip, buried as deep inside her as I could manage, while every little tremor that shook my body meant another little trickle inside her.

I cautiously withdrew from her and once done simply collapsed to the side. I was utterly spent and smiled in bliss. She crawled over to me and with an equally exhausted huff laid down in front of me. Even without being this tired, I would have lacked the strength to simply pull her towards me. So I instead scraped together what I had left and scooched closer. Just enough to close the gap between us and to entwine my legs with hers. To hold her.

I buried my nose in her mane, inhaled deeply and exhaled in a satisfied, happy sigh. There was so much on the tip of my tongue. I love you. I missed you. Goddess, I still want to rut you so badly. But for the moment, I was content to just lie there and breathe and enjoy her scent and the immense heat she radiated and her happy sigh and how she stroked my hoof with her own. It was bliss. All of it. All of this.

“I lost track of how many times I came,” she quietly whispered, followed by a brief giggle.

I kissed her neck with a smug grin and only smiled even wider when I saw that even this little, innocent kiss made her shudder a little. “Glad to hear it,” I replied. “I… uh… probably should have been a bit more careful. I just… lost myself to fantasies, I guess. I didn't hurt you, did I?” I tried to look at her neck, but lifting my head was too much of an ask right now.

She patted my hoof. “Do not burden yourself. I am perfectly capable of voicing my displeasure if necessary. And I can assure you, no displeasure was had…”

I nuzzled along her neck and placed a little kiss on her ear. “Everything about you is so incredibly intoxicating… your scent, your taste, how you feel, how you sound, what you do, who you are…”

She giggled once more. “Tell me about those fantasies of yours. Let us see if they measure up to mine.”

“I imagined you pregnant,” I started and disentangled my hoof to slowly stroke along her belly. “Carrying our foal. You were biiig,” I teased a little and chuckled. To my surprise, I saw her clench her hindlegs shut. Maybe our fantasies aren’t so different after all, I mused. “You were so sexy… so, so hot… somehow even more than you are now… I imagined how your teats would grow…” And again, just for good measure, I pinched them with a tendril of magic before I tenderly caressed them. And I heard her breath hitch.

She slowly turned around until we were lying muzzle to muzzle. She looked exhausted, but that fire in her eyes cared not one iota. “Doth thee has't another round in thee?”

I felt her gaze trail down and she quickly took note of my member standing at attention. I would be so, so, so horribly sore tomorrow. Luna quickly leaned in and we shared another deep, longing kiss. Greedy beyond words, too. And with that, the decision was made. Soreness it was.

Worth it though.

I Like Trains (Most of the Time)

Equestria’s future is at stake, I tried to tell myself. War might be coming. Who knows how many could get hurt… or worse. I really tried. I did that a lot. But this time, it was to no avail. I could not stop grinning like a madpony as I heard yet another wave of unbridled laughter from her. She chased ahead of me and I was hot on her heels despite my better knowledge. She giggled whenever I missed to tap her on her lovely rump and snorted in unrestrained amusement when I tapped yet another illusion of hers.

Luna pranced along the streets of Canterlot in one of her disguises and had the gall to occasionally nibble at her donut while I was thoroughly occupied with trying to catch up to her, pulling my poor breakfast substitute with me. A few of the higher-class ponies grumbled and complained about almost being hit by the levitating sweet treat, but even they were surprisingly restrained in how vocal they got. Maybe they recognized Luna’s disguise. Or maybe her good mood was just infectious enough to keep them quiet.

Our morning had been a bit of a mess. The dreamscape had been unusually busy and even with our plans, there were certain duties that would not be set on pause. Luna would not just stop raising and lowering the moon of course. And neither would we stop patrolling the dreamscape together. Last night however, we had all our hooves full. So many creatures tried to be sneaky or crafty or cunning. So many of them had been surprisingly hostile as well. It was as if they had caught wind of our plans somehow and invited themselves to our farewell party.

It took quite some time until the wave of additional work finally relented. Until the late morning hours, to be precise. Which also meant: We already ran late when we woke up.

We hastily stumbled through our morning routines, skipped breakfast and reduced my preferred triple check of supplies to only a single surface glance before we slung the backpacks onto our backs and ran for the hills. Luna teleported a little bit ahead to catch us some donuts from Joe’s, just so that we could have something in our stomach. Too bad we were too busy playing catch to actually eat them. Well, I was.

I actually looked forward to the train. Since I had never visited places like Las Pegasus, Baltimare or other far-off cities, I had never needed to board one of these long-distance trains. From what I vaguely knew through passive absorption, they sported two to three additional wagons. A dining car, a water tank and I assumed something to deal with personal hygiene. Toilets, sinks and whatnot. Hopefully some showers. And each compartment was designed with bunk beds. I had never slept in one, so that would be quite interesting as well.

We made it to the train station just in time and I could already see our train waiting. It appeared that very few passengers were left to exit or board, the sidewalk was almost empty and we ran side by side. I would have loved to say ‘at top speed’, but the fact of the matter was that I had less strength, stamina and overall speed than her, so she was clearly holding back for my sake. That was until we heard the whistle of the conductor. “Wait!” she yelled with surprising force and volume and indeed, the nice stallion gave some sort of signal to the driver.

“Runnin’ a lil’ late, missus?” he greeted us with a chuckle and stepped to the side to allow us entrance.

“Thank you!” Luna replied a little out of breath. I gasped even more for air and did not manage to say or do much aside from briefly and gratefully smiling in his direction.

We boarded the train and for a few precious seconds did little but stand there in the middle of the hallway and just take a moment to catch our breaths. As soon as her breathing became less erratic, Luna started to giggle again. “W-What…?” I panted. I tried hard to resist the urge to laugh alongside her, but I failed miserably. I didn't even know what was so funny. But her mirth was just so infectious.

It took her a while to answer me. “You are the worst,” she claimed with a wide grin.

“What? I am? What did I do?” I looked around in bewilderment for whatever she might be addressing but found no clues.

“Missing something?” she continued to tease me.

And only then did I notice. “Oh shoot. Where is it?!” I stumbled back to the door while she broke out into uproarious laughter once more. I looked out the small little window in the door, but saw nothing while the train made a little yank and slowly started to move.

She eventually pulled me away from the window and just hugged me to herself. “Even when you are panicking, you are very orderly. I have not seen such a demonstration, ever. It is quite adorable.”

“What did I do?” I whined while my belly grumbled, finally mourning the loss of my breakfast.

She tried to tell me. Thrice. And each time, she had to stop because she was about to laugh again. When she finally managed to restrain herself enough, I could still see her mirth bubbling right beneath the surface. “You placed it on the horn of a unicorn as we were running by.”

Her composure broke immediately after she managed to say so. And honestly, the mere image floating around in my head made me join her rather quickly. “I did?” I asked once more out of breath.

Luna nodded. “Do not worry, however — he did not seem all that perturbed. I think he might have understood it as a prank or a gift.”

“Well… that’s something, I guess,” I replied with a sigh and dragged my hooves across my face to get rid of the ache in my cheeks. “However, now I’m all out of breakfast.”

“Worry not, I said,” she insisted with a grin and we both stood back up, “the dining car should be further down that way. You gave me something to laugh at, so I shall give you something to eat.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “So is that how that works? I ought to remember that for later.”

“It is now,” she claimed and with a wing firmly hugging me to her side, we started to make our way to a new breakfast attempt.

We had not booked tickets, per se. Luna was of the opinion that she knew exactly what to do and how to do it and that she knew a couple of tricks. She claimed that the last train compartments usually were less popular. Simply because when exiting the train, one would have to walk — gasp — a few dozen steps more. In my mind, that was such a stupid thing. But I could not argue with the results — the further down the train we walked, the less passengers we encountered. We eventually reached the last wagon and made ourselves comfortable within the last compartment. We placed our still bulging saddlebags on the top beds and sat down on the lower ones. As far as I could tell, the entire wagon was empty, aside from us. The dining car was somewhat in the middle of the train and the showers — thank Celestia they had showers! — were only one or two wagons behind that. The water tank was actually the last wagon of the train. I had no idea how that worked. Pipes, probably? Magic?

For the moment, I was just glad I had something in my stomach.

“Feeling better?” Luna asked with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

“A lot, yes. Thank you.” I smacked my lips for good measure. I could still taste the powdered sugar.

“Good. I was worried you might starve to death while we were waiting in line,” she teased.

My belly had admittedly grumbled around a lot. I felt my face flush a little, but decided not to engage her in ‘combat’. I instead looked out the window and watched as Canterlot shrunk down further and further. The view was impressive — aside from the city, I could see far and wide. The valleys at the foot of Mount Canterhorn, rolling hills all around and that speck in the distance might have been Ponyville. Maybe. It would take us half a day or something like that to find out — long-distance trains were slower for some reason. After Ponyville was a long, long stretch of seemingly empty land. The tracks followed the curve of the tree line of the Everfree Forest. A few small villages were along the way, as far as I was aware. We would cross the bridge spanning over Ghastly Gorge and in five or six days, we would reach Appleloosa. Almost an entire week. Cooped up in a train compartment.

I looked behind me and saw Luna rummage around in her saddlebags. Her hips swayed softly from side to side in excitement. Her wings occasionally rustled a little.

A week cooped up in a train sounded boring as heck. But a week cooped up in a train with her?

My mind involuntarily wandered to last night. Breed me, she had said. Somewhere between a beg and a command. I felt a little tingle just thinking about it. Maybe there was a reason why she had chosen this somewhat secluded compartment for us. I was admittedly looking forward to finding out.

Luna did not seem to find what she was searching for. She gave a little huff, levitated the one saddlebag up again and brought the other one down, only to immediately bury her muzzle in it. Her impatience could be quite endearing at times. And due to her agitation, her tail swished from side to side, never revealing anything, but still teasing just enough.

I tore myself away from the window with a mischievous grin and sneakily walked over to her. That was easy enough with her being this distracted. I leaned down and gave her flank a kiss, followed by a long lick at her dock and another kiss just above her tail. I chuckled a little as I saw her go rigid and her muzzle emerged from her saddlebag just a moment later. She was still in heat — I could see as much. That fire in her eyes had been sparked within mere seconds. And already I could smell her arousal. Maybe it was cruel to tease her like that?

“Careful,” she whispered in a husky voice, “you would not want me to pounce on you immediately, would you?”

I wouldn’t mind. It was on the tip of my tongue. And she knew. There was a dangerous spark in her eyes, a threat, a promise. A dare. But while I loved the idea of us having sex for six days straight, I backed away from the reality of it and smiled. I stepped closer and nuzzled her cheek. She welcomed the contact with a happy sigh. Truth was, I was still a little winded from our run through Canterlot. And I was a little sore after yesterday. The mind was willing, but the flesh was weak. Luckily, she had already informed me with a hungry smirk that she packed some sort of ointment to treat that.

Luna eventually returned to searching around in her saddlebag and this time, after mere seconds, she drew a stack of sheets from it. With some strange markings and numbers and whatnot. “Aha!” she announced her find.

“What is it?” I asked and tried to get a better glimpse of it.

To my surprise, Luna's expression was caught between a grimace and a smile. “Diversion,” she answered. “And homework, I suppose.”

I could not help but laugh. A Princess of Equestria did not get homework. Not unless she was willing to accept it as such. Which already told me a great deal of what this was. Twilight had prepared something for her and probably promised something in return if she would do it. “So, what are we dealing with? Or is this a ‘Luna only’-thing?”

She turned around just enough to show me her devious grin. “Well technically she never forbade me from asking for help. Which is why I took this with us.”

Cheeky mare. I grinned and nodded. Luna levitated the saddlebag up to its counterpart again and scooched a little over to make room for me. I sat down next to her and finally got a proper look at what we were dealing with. And it was honestly a delight to see. “Ohhh… I see.” The first few pages were filled with empty grids, with a few numbers in a certain arrangement on the left column and the upper row. A nonogram. “Heh. I love these. Please tell me she’s got some Sudoku prepared as well.”

Luna swiftly pulled a few of the sheets out that were further down in the stack. “She did,” she replied and showed them to me. A three by three grid, with each section further divided into three by three. A few numbers here and there. Sudoku was simple enough. Each section had to contain each number, from one through nine. But at the same time, each row and each column had to contain the same. The emptier the grid was the harder the game usually became.

And I could see Twilight's hoofprint all over this. They started hard — and got harder from there. “Wow. She’s not fooling around, is she?” I noted as I sifted through the sheets. A waft hit my nostrils and they flared as I inhaled deeply. It was such a deeply satisfactory scent.

“What is it?” Luna asked and briefly levitated the sheets up to smell them herself.

“Twilight made them,” I noted the obvious. “Smells like home.”

Luna smiled lopsided. “Wait, you can… smell that?”

I grinned and shrugged. “My sense of smell is usually pretty terrible, but yes. Paper, ink and… something else. Something unique to her. I sometimes associate it with her magic as well.”

“You can differentiate ponies by the smell of their magic? Huh. How curious. Maybe we should look into that at some point.” I just shrugged again and indulged a little, taking another deep breath with the sheets held to my nose. I eventually put them down as I became self-aware. I was not certain if this sense of smell was anything tangible or just my imagination running wild. And I honestly did not care either. It just felt great to be reminded of home. And her.

Luna had meanwhile sorted her homework — the mere thought still made me snicker — into a couple of piles, sorted by the nature of their games. Four piles, to be precise. Nonograms on the left, followed by Sudoku. Those were the larger piles. Followed by crossword puzzles. “So you are good with math?” she asked and I did notice that hopeful undertone.

I snorted and grinned. “Well, I’m not Twilight, if that’s what you’re asking. But I dabble. I actually like those,” I pointed towards the piles on the left and grimaced a little as my gaze fell onto the crossword puzzles. “Those, however… eh. For some reason, I get easily frustrated by them. Or bored. Or both. But I like to attempt them from time to time.” And finally, there was that fourth pile. Without the usual grid, the arrangement of numbered circles had me stumped for a moment. “Not sure what those are…?”

“She called them ‘hashi’,” Luna explained.

“Oh! I know those!” I rejoiced.

“You do?”

A laugh bubbled in my throat as I nodded. “I live with Twilight. I can’t not know these. Exercise is important for both body and mind,” I quoted Twilight in my best impression of her lecture-tone. “She’s constantly searching for new puzzle types and challenges like these. And to be honest, I like a lot of them. She has to dial the difficulty down a bit for me, but I like them.” I chuckled a little as I remembered Spikes frequent reactions to her attempts to get him into this pastime. “So, mind telling me why you got homework?” And I still snickered using that word.

Luna rolled with her eyes and poked my side with her wing. “Cut it out,” she pleaded before she looked back down at the several sheets of puzzles. “Well, I do like puzzles. I prefer riddles, to be honest, but I might have brought this onto myself by unintentionally misleading her a little bit? We were stargazing the other night and I told her about a few constellations that are not visible anymore. She started attributing numbers to stars at some point, according to size categories, brightness levels and so on. I think she was just showing off. And it was quite adorable, to be honest. But then she made one of these out of it,” she explained as she tapped the fourth pile, “and I was a little bit stumped.”

I chuckled and nodded. “I assume she was elated to show you a new kind of puzzle?”

Luna's eyes glazed over with love and admiration. “Very much so. She was so passionate about it, I could not help but be swept up by her enthusiasm. But I must admit, I might have… focused my attention more on her than on her explanations.”

I snorted again. “Don’t worry, that won’t be a problem,” I quickly assured her and scooched a little closer. I softly leaned against her as I levitated the sheets into the air and grabbed her pencil. “Usually these things have a grid as well that helps visualize the arrangement. I suppose she left that out to make it harder, because Twi’s gotta Twi. So, you have these circles, each one bearing a number. That’s the amount of lines connecting to that circle. You can make connections to any other bubble, but it must be up, down, left or right. Ninety-degree angles only. And connections can’t cross or overlap. Oh and you can have no more than two connections in one direction. So, see this one? Three connections. You could draw two down to this bubble, but that one says it only has one. So you can only draw one down there. The other two… hm, let’s see. One left, one right would work. The one on the left has two more connections, the one on the right one more.”

Maybe I just got lucky. Or maybe Twilight had realized that Luna had maybe been a little bit preoccupied. Either way, the first of these puzzles ended up being relatively easy. A few minutes and only one or two mistakes and we had it down. It was a good demonstration. And after solving one as an example, Luna quickly concluded her fondness for this kind of puzzle. So we made a deal. I took the first two piles. She would start to solve them and at any point, whenever she ran into trouble or started to get frustrated, she could ask for my help and I would try to get her out of that ditch. In turn, I started solving the crossword puzzles and could ask for her help whenever I got stuck. The fourth pile we kept separate for now and decided to solve last. She had the most fun with those, so we wanted to solve them together. And I silently vowed to take a little bit of a backseat, just so that she could enjoy them more. After all, while she had planned to secure my help with these, they were still meant for her. I would not lie to Twilight if this were to ever come up and I suspected Luna knew as much.

“You know,” I started after puzzling over another part of the crossword. “You still haven’t told me what you get out of this.”

Luna smiled again with a great deal of fondness in her eyes and shrugged. “I do not know yet.”

A surprise then. Clever Twilight. She knew how to push Luna’s buttons.

It was not that we consciously tried to prolong the inevitable. There was just a certain restlessness when cooped up on a train for prolonged periods of time. We wandered around. Got some snacks from the dining car. Fooled around in our compartment. Had a shower. Had a nap. But eventually, a day later, Luna’s homework was done. All solutions had been marked down, all sheets had been rearranged, neatly stacked and put back into her saddlebag. Our new pastime emerged in its stead. With what we had ahead of us, I assumed most of the weight was attributed to the tent and food. And I had a suspicion about the latter which only elicited a tired and defeated sigh from me at this point. I had really hoped to not have to see or taste that again for quite some time, but oh well.

However, Luna had reserved a bit of space for a single book. A fantasy novel about a young farmer’s son living in a village so small that barely anypony had ever heard of it. His father was a highly respected stallion and shrouded in an aura of mystery. The village was eventually attacked by strange creatures made from black goo and purple mist. And the village's old coot quickly turned out to be a powerful wizard tasked to protect the prophesied savior who, as a little foal, was given to a caretaker. A once famous war veteran in retirement who settled down as a farmer.

We read in just the same manner than I would have done with Twilight by my side. Each of us followed the story at their own pace until a single tap eventually signified that the page could be turned.

However, I noticed Luna’s growing resentment.

Holding a book up in levitation was not a big deal. Doing so as still as possible while being on a moving train and doing so for hours got a little tiresome however. So we switched every now and then. As I was currently holding the book, it made my decision a lot easier. I closed it and put it down in front of us.

“I was not done yet,” she grumbled.

“I know. And I’m sorry,” I apologized and guided her muzzle down to me with a tendril of magic. I felt a little of her unease and discontent drain away as I continued to kiss her. I still had to be careful not to tempt her desires too much or she really would pounce on me. Not the worst fate of course, but I had something else in mind.

I eventually pulled away. And I was polite — or cruel — enough to ignore her little, dismayed whinny. “So. Tell me what irks you.”

She huffed with a deep breath and eyed the novel with a side glance. “Is it that obvious?”

“Pretty much, yes,” I admitted with a smile.

“I seem to develop a distaste for this… this drivel. It is just too… too predictable,” she explained.

Too predictable. Well. I fancied myself as a storyteller as well sometimes. Not a writer, nor an author. And there were differences between each. In my mind, at least. But a story being predictable might have been a fair criticism. I could foresee certain developments as well. The grumpy old soldier who had taken in an orphaned colt had last been seen tumbling from a high bridge as he took the enemy’s general with him. But there was a river at the bottom of that chasm. He would obviously return at some point.

The old wizard had done his part in defending the village. But his speeches had already alluded to a deeper conflict within him. And he had not used his strongest spells against the invaders, which could have saved lives. He was the remorseful traitor. His betrayal would be uncovered at some point soon and he would get a little side arc, a redemption story. And the young colt was a prime example of the ‘chosen one’-trope if I had ever seen one. That general the old hero had taken down to the river would probably turn out to be some sort of long-lost family member who tried to convince the hero to join their side at some point before being redeemed themselves. And the overarching puppet master had yet to be revealed.

It was very predictable. Familiar story beats, wrapped in familiar descriptions. But this was not a mystery novel. It was not supposed to shock its readers. It was about the journey. And the characters. And so far, I thought the author had done a decent job. I liked our young stallion protagonist. I liked his gruff and grumpy father that had such a hard time showing affection. I even liked the old coot, despite his implied betrayal. I knew what was coming, but I still wanted to read it. I wanted to witness them trot down that familiar road.

“I like it,” I simply stated. And to nopony’s surprise, Luna gawked at me for a moment.

“You cannot be serious,” she claimed.

I chuckled a little. “I am, though. And I’m honestly not sure if you… don’t get me wrong, but I think you might be pinning your frustration on the wrong spot. I don’t think predictability is what irks you. The story works with tropes, sure. But then again, so does every story. The redeemable villain. The inexperienced hero. The wise old scholar. The teacher, the father, the protector. You’ve read about them thousands of times. Heck, you being you, you’ve probably seen these tropes thousands of times. Like every story ever, each trope has a small grain of truth to it. I say small, but it’s actually varying in size. And yet you still love to read. In this day and age, with so many ponies around, so many books around, such ease to print and distribute your own ideas all around Equestria, it’s getting harder and harder to find something you could consider ‘truly original’ — and at that point, you probably involuntarily wrong somepony who had died hundreds, if not thousands of years before you, because he had the very same idea and it just never caught on like our iteration of it might. I’m not going to tell you ‘you’ve seen it all’. I don’t think you have. But you have already experienced so, so much. I don’t think you get bored by recurring patterns. It’s a new spin every time. A story evolves, depending on who tells it, who is listening, when and how and where and why it is told. I think that’s ‘new enough’ for you.”

I smiled and kissed her neck a couple of times here and there. I had seen her grimace a little, but her actual frustration levels were slowly sinking. “Make your point then,” she whispered with a sigh and leaned more into my little ministrations.

I grinned. “I think you’re dissatisfied because there’s not enough drama for your tastes.” I chuckled a little as I felt her tense up.

“You think I'm a drama queen?” she demanded to know and withdrew from me.

I pouted a little about the latter, but it could not be helped. “I mean… you’re not on the same level as Rarity is. Not by a long-shot. But you do prefer things going a little over the top. And despite its high fantasy premise, this novel just… doesn’t. There’s spells and battles and whatnot, but most of it is character-driven, dialogue-heavy and most importantly, they all act somewhat reasonable. No villain speeches. No extensive, unnecessary drama. No over-the-top plans. When they don’t see eye to eye, they talk it out. I like it. It feels more… hm… realistic, I think. But you need that fire. You need conflict.” A part of you craves violence. “For you, most of these conflicts get resolved too quickly, too easily.”

Luna did not answer. She simply stared at me with an expression I found difficult to read. I expected her to argue with me at some point, but she did not. And I eventually became nervous and fidgety. “Okay, what’s up with the long stare?”

“I cannot decide if you are really, truly this old, or if you are just plain boring,” she whispered.

I just sat there for a moment and was utterly dumbstruck. It took me a moment to notice that devious spark in her eyes. How she kept her expression neutral. I quickly became certain that she was playing a game. Maybe this was a test, just to see what I would do. I started to grin despite myself. “Is that so?” I asked in defiance. “I’ll show you ‘boring’!” I threatened and nipped the skin on her neck a little.

I heard her inhale sharply, but she remained stoic. “Please do,” she challenged me.

I grinned and lit my horn. I formed a small wave of my magic into a sheet and let it ripple across her back. It was a poor substitute for a real massage, but in her current state, it was enough to elicit a reaction. A quiet, stifled gasp and a single swish of her tail. Just enough that her arousal became apparent. I had been reading — and what had she been thinking about meanwhile?

I made my wish clear with little effort required. She rolled onto her back and I climbed on top of her. Without any need for a single gesture on my part, her hindlegs spread and I was not about to let myself be asked twice. A soft moan escaped her and I grinned even wider. I wondered at which point she had decided on this outcome. Because I had no doubt that she had been aiming for this. Luna did not plan like Celestia did. She worked with what she got. Maybe I had underestimated her. That would not have been the first time…

Despite the bunk beds being rather small and narrow, especially for two ponies, especially for one with a larger frame, the novel was quickly forgotten on the sideline.

Luna hummed appreciatively as we slowly walked back towards our compartment. “That hit the spot,” she quietly noted.

I grinned and tore my gaze off the windows we passed by to look at her. She seemed quite satisfied. “It was decent, yes. Better than I ever expected from food that was prepared on a moving train. Still, it’s no comparison to Spike’s cooking. He spoils us so badly one might think he has abandonment issues. If he makes himself irreplaceable, we wouldn’t dare leave him, right?” I chuckled and shook my head. “But in all seriousness, he’s so incredibly talented.”

“I know. We actually offered him a place in the palace kitchens once,” Luna replied with a smile.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. He refused, however. He would have made for a fine addition.”

I failed to imagine him there. Busy as a bee, listening for other chefs and their underlings calling his name or orders or questions or whatnot. He did not belong there. “I don’t think that would’ve worked,” I concluded with a shrug. “He lived under Twilight’s care for so long, he’s developed some of his own peculiarities. How things in his kitchen have to be sorted and stowed, for example. And he works at his own pace. He hates it when we tell him to hurry up or to slow down. I mean, Twilight is still banned from the kitchen anyway, as far as I know, but the point still stands.”

Luna giggled. “Has she set the castle on fire again?”

Despite how awful things could have gone, I could not help but chuckle along. “Well, not since the last incident… what was it… three months ago? Four, maybe? I still don’t understand how she managed to set crystal on fire.”

“She is a mare of tremendous capabilities,” Luna replied in a grave voice.

We looked at each other and shared a giggle. “That, she is.”

We eventually returned to our compartment. The book still laid in the windowsill, a bookmark stuck out from between its pages. The solved puzzles lay to its left as Luna had not put them back in after rearranging the contents of her saddlebag at one point. And to its right was a small can with the same balm Celestia had brought to our previous adventure. According to Luna, it was meant for treating burns primarily but could also be used to help recuperation from cramps, muscle soreness and napped skin. We had barely half of our train ride behind us and I had already used a good amount of it. Mostly due to Luna’s insistence. Quite honestly, I really did not mind all that much. It was easier not to think about the supposedly impressive price tag when being distracted in such a fashion.

And truth be told, even seeing the can made me smirk. Something Luna took note of as she grinned herself. “Something on your mind?” she asked with that alluring tone of hers.

I chuckled and shrugged. She knew exactly what was on my mind, so I saw no reason to answer her. And we had just eaten dinner. I felt a little R&R was in order. She sat down on her bed and I made to follow her. “So, what do you want to do?” I asked. We had options, of course. While the puzzles were gone, we could try the book again. Maybe make a couple of pages progress before she would inevitably be annoyed by it again. We could talk for hours, too. The sun was already sinking and soon enough, her beautiful night sky would be overhead, which was always worth admiring. We could walk around the train and see if we found something else to distract ourselves with or we—

“You?” she answered with a smirk. And yet despite her mirth, her gaze quickly turned hungry.

It took me a couple of seconds before I caught up and connected the dots. Which resulted in me snorting. “You know, Applejack called me obsessed with romance. You, on the other hoof, you are just lewd!” I reprimanded her without any real bite. And how could I when I grinned like the idiot that I was. How did she always get away scot-free calling me an insatiable menace when she was like this?

“Well excuse me,” she shot straight back in faked indignation, “I was stuck on the moon for a thousand years! It gets quite lonely up there!”

It was banter, I had to tell myself. I still occasionally needed to remind myself of that. It could be jarring to hear her speak of it so casually sometimes. But it was her history, her past. And it was decidedly a good sign that she was able to joke about it.

“Well as far as I’m aware, you weren’t really conscious up there! Or do you wish to change your story now?” I shot back.

“No,” she replied with a hint of hesitance. And I could not tell if that had been genuine or part of the act. “But while I was stuck up there, all by my lovely little lonesome, things down here have changed so much… I have missed out on so many things!” Lovely little lonesome, hm? She had purred those words into my ear and she knew exactly what that did to me. I already struggled thinking straight.

“Things?” I echoed. “Things like what? I’m pretty sure sex is still sex. I’m pretty sure it’s done these days roughly the same way it was done back in your days.” Despite the amusing banter, I could feel my face heat up. I was not used to speaking this plainly and openly about the topic. Her tail teasingly swished from side to side again. I stood close by and I could already tell the effect it had on me. Her hungry eyes trailed down my neck, my shoulders, my barrel and her gaze intensified in sheer lust even further once she spotted what she was working towards. She did not have to lay a single hoof on me and I pleasantly shuddered anyway.

I realized too late that I had fallen for her tricks again. She had effortlessly maneuvered me to exactly the point in the conversation where she wanted me to be. “Well,” she started in a husky voice while her tongue traced along her lips. “Back in my days, it was still rather frowned upon to take it up the ass.”

I swallowed hard. And despite my efforts to not grant her the satisfaction, my gaze was drawn to her rear. I was pretty sure that my entire face was glowing red like the evening sun at this point. And I felt a certain, needy twitch downstairs that already betrayed any and all possible attempts to deny my willingness. I had never quite managed to figure out just how she did it. How she was so irresistible.

“Do not think that I did not notice your fascination,” Luna purred in my direction and gave her posterior a little wiggle for good measure.

I gulped once more. “W-Well… it’s a fine rump… a very fine one,” I half-stuttered, half-mumbled.

My heart was racing. Any post-meal tiredness was long forgotten. She almost growled at me with half-lidded eyes. “Say it and you may have it.”

Her tail swished enough that I could see her eagerness. Her folds were dripping, the sheets beneath already stained. And her scent was intoxicating and heady and strong. Despite everything she threw against me, I still had to weigh in on her behalf, battle against my own inhibitions to utter a single word to her liking. “It’s such a fine ass,” I mumbled. I had not deemed it possible, but the heat I felt radiating from my face somehow increased even further.

“Claim me,” she simply commanded. And with a flick of her horn, a spell washed over her.

I was probably looking like an idiot again. With such a joyful grin, I managed to ignore that almost painful throb in my nether region, stepped closer to her and put her tail to the side with a flick of my magic. “Let me just care for my kitten first,” I mumbled excitedly. I felt stupid saying it, but I could not help but grin. I was not into dirty talk and any attempts on my part had been disastrous, albeit quite hilarious. For her. This, much to my dismay, was the best I could do. All I managed. And she giggled as she always did. For me, the important part was this: She enjoyed it. I tried hard, for her sake, and she enjoyed it. She was laughing because of me, not at me. And the first time I had managed to even remotely play along, she had called it adorable. Which had admittedly not been what I was going for, but in retrospect… I could live with that. I could very much live with being deemed adorable. And by now, we both came to appreciate my pet name for her quite a lot. I oh so loved hearing her purr for me.

I lapped at her folds with renewed vigor and unrestrained greed. Her moans only drove me further as I pressed my muzzle deeper in. My tongue darted across her sensitive flesh, drew small circles around her clit and occasionally plunged into her depths. And I was delighted by her moans. Only at one point did I withdraw enough to utter a couple of words, much to her dismay. “Silence spell?” I asked to mollify the nagging voice in the back of my head.

And Luna laughed despite being in a daze. “You think about that now? If anypony can hear us now, they heard us yesterday! I say let them,” she concluded with a growl. She did not mind the risk. It thrilled her. Heck, she might not have minded an audience. But while I could agree that the risk of being caught was exciting to a certain extent, I drew a sharp line for the latter.

Right now, her reply was enough. More than enough. My politeness had demanded that I ask, at least. The thought had simply not occurred to me any sooner. But my impatience quickly overpowered any other impulse and I resumed my play. I sat down on my haunches, straight before her bed, and pulled her rump into a more comfortable position with my hooves. Holding her like this also allowed me to spread her open a little and in turn to drive further in. Her moans eventually became louder, her breathing hitched and with a final outcry, she came for me. I did not stop lapping up whatever she spared for me, nor did I stop teasing her clit as she shuddered and twitched, riding each wave to its fullest.

She eventually collapsed. She panted and fruitlessly tried to catch her breath. I pulled her a little further off the bed. Her legs barely supported her and occasionally buckled a little. I stood up and aligned myself. “Ready?”

“I—… wh—…” She looked back, her mind foggy, her eyes clouded. And a happy, dazed smile on her lips. “Do it.” She once more cried out as I plunged into her. I was too riled up myself to exert much restraint or finesse. I pumped into her a couple of times, just enough to get myself started. As if that had actually been necessary. And just as quickly, I withdrew and realigned. She mewled as I left her empty. I felt like my heart would simply explode any second now as I carefully, slowly tried to push past her sphincter. I slipped twice. The third attempt was guided by my magic. And to my surprise, hers as well. I looked up and saw her grin from ear to ear. And it only made me want her even more. “Come on, stud — rut me,” she whispered hoarsely.

This time, I did not slip. With both guiding tendrils in place, I was simply not allowed any other way as I slowly pressed forward and she finally yielded. A deep, throaty moan escaped me as I suddenly sank into her ass. “Oh goddess you’re tight!” I placed both hooves on either side of her and dared to push even deeper, eliciting a cry from her. My ears were trained on her throat. With my eyes shut, I focused on the mere sensation of her body, of the immense pleasure it held in store for me, but I was not about to forget myself. Even the slightest hint that I was going too far or too fast or that she was in pain and I would snap out of it. I hoped.

But sweet Luna, did she feel heavenly. Her warmth gripped me with such tightness that the friction alone threatened to overwhelm me. I even stopped moving at one point to give both of us a breather. She was such a snug fit. The smallest movement made both of us gasp. And to my surprise, she pushed her hips back against me, marking the end of said breather, before I had a chance to do so. I resumed with a deep breath and we quickly found a rhythm that worked for us. It did not take long until I went about things faster until I was eventually doing just what she had asked of me — I was rutting her senseless.

I was retreating as much as my stance allowed me and reveled in the feeling of her body clenching around me before I drove back in with force and was welcomed back. I quickly lost any sense of time. Or space, for that matter. There was no train. No compartment. No bed. No potential witnesses. Just her. Her scent filled my nose. Her taste still lingered in my mouth. Her lustful gaze occasionally turned towards me, her eyes still smoldering. Her body presented me with such pleasure. And with a deep moan, I pushed into her one final time as my climax swept me away. My back legs went rigid as tremors hit my very core and pulse after pulse, I could feel myself twitch inside her, as much as I felt her insides twitch around me. Our intermingled moans slowly died down and I collapsed on her back with an exhausted but ultimately blissful sigh. I was not thinking about the added weight. If it might bother her. If it inconvenienced her.

We both gasped for air for a moment. “I can feel you inside,” she noted, followed by a faint giggle. “You are so deep... hm... I love it.“ I delighted as she purred again and lazily trailed her hoof along her barrel.

As she wiggled her rump a little, I gave a grunt in response. “That was incredible,” I remarked groggily. We returned to our companionable silence. I could feel my member shrink, still buried within her rump. However, despite the refractory period, just thinking about these circumstances made me twitch and bulge a little again, as if to prolong what was, or to restart what had yet no chance. I sighed deeply. “I love you sooo much.” And with that, I lazily kissed her back. As high up as I could reach.

“Especially right now?” she asked and once again wiggled her rump a little.

I was unwilling to let her get away with it scot-free again, so I scraped together what I had regained in strength, lifted myself off her back and pushed deep into her. We both moaned once more, though she had clearly not expected it. I used the opportunity to withdraw from her completely and levitated her up to place her down on the bed properly. Once done, I climbed in beside her and finally deigned her question with an answer. “Yes, right now especially, you unscrupulous tease!”

“Unscrupulous tease?” she echoed with a smirk. Before I got a chance to retort, she pulled me in for extensive cuddling. “Funny you should say that,” she continued while I happily sighed against her chest.

“Hm?” was my eloquent, totally attentive response.

“Twilight called me an ‘unrelenting, ruthless temptress’ last week.” She smiled while she furrowed her brow at the same time.

“Did she now… I wonder why,” I replied with a quiet chuckle and nestled against her. It took a moment to realize that something in her story did not quite add up. “Wait. When did she call you that?”

After Celestia's and my return to Canterlot, I had tried to go home. That had worked for less than twenty-four hours before Twilight basically ‘exiled’ me back to Canterlot for the time being. To be fair to her, she had done so with a heavy heart and it brought her no joy whatsoever. But a part of me was petty enough to wish, despite better knowledge and judgment, that she had thrown the Tantabus out instead.

“We write letters,” Luna explained. “Did she not tell you? Maybe she does not want you to know because you could get curious about their contents? I do love to use them to rile her up just as much as she loves to be riled up by them.”

Depending on the day or her dreams the prior night or which hoof she climbed out of bed with first, Twilight's love for books could border on obsession. And I would never have put it past her to reach climax just from reading a spicy letter. Or thinking about something she had read. The same way I instantly accepted that Luna could write a letter capable of instilling such burning desire. At the end of the day, I usually thought of that as a very good example of the power the mind had over the body. A vivid imagination was capable of quite impressive feats.

But then my mind wandered a little and tried to find out where this newly revealed knowledge could be applied to as well. And curiously enough, the longer I thought about it, the more instances I found that looked suspiciously fitting. I found Twilight taking a bath maybe two months ago. I had not known and merely stumbled into the bathroom without realizing. And judging by her quiet moans, neither had she realized the intrusion, up to the point where I tried to retreat and she finally noticed my presence. Things quickly escalated from there. And she had taken a scroll with her on her way out once we were done.

“Oh,” I voiced my realization, “so that’s—…” … what these moments were about. Well, maybe not all of them, obviously. It was hard to tell when exactly she was riling herself up, when it was my achievement and when it was Luna’s.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I hastily replied. Probably a little bit too quickly. The refusal had been born from a simple wish. It was Twilight’s business. Either Luna knew, or Luna was not supposed to know. And I did not wish to spill the beans on something that Twilight might have considered embarrassing.

There was a long stretch of silence. I continued to nestle up to Luna and enjoyed every second of it and eventually even allowed myself a happy and relieved sigh. And in that moment, she broke the silence. “She masturbates to them, does she not?”

I forgot how to breathe for a moment. I choked and coughed. The situation was not helped by the fact that Luna had sounded… well, curious. Maybe even surprised? “I-I didn’t say anything!” I replied.

“Oh my moon and stars, she does!” Luna exclaimed in a sudden turn of mood. Because now, she sounded so incredibly joyful. She was figuratively speaking over the moon.

Bad Dreamwalker. Bad joke. Not now.

In a futile effort to preserve some of Twilight's modesty, I foolishly repeated myself. “I didn’t say anything!” Being more insistent with it would not help my cause, I knew that. Even worse, apparently it helped her draw a couple of other connections in this narrative.

“… and you use that!”

There had been no accusation in her tone and yet I felt the incessant need to defend myself. “No! I don’t—… I’m not—… I don’t ‘use’ that! I don’t!” I felt her body shake a little as she giggled. And goodness gracious me, she did not stop for a while. I could already feel my face heat up again, just out of sheer embarrassment.

“And what, pray tell, would you like to call it then?” she eventually asked me.

I had not thought about that and much to my dismay, in a fit of panic, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I’m, uh, helping her out?”

It only made her giggle harder while I wished I could crawl into this bed and just vanish. “You are such a chivalrous stallion, my fair Dreamwalker! Helping that poor maiden in need!”

There was a line. Always. When crossed, simple banter and joyful teasing turned into something that had the potential to actually hurt in some way. My cheeks were flush, my ears were glowing and I had shut my eyes as hard as I could. I had basically crawled against her, half into her, to the best of my ability and I wanted to sink into the ground. We were close to that line. Uncomfortably close. So I gave a desperate little whine, as I doubted my ability to string words together right now. And she understood. Just like that.

She pushed me away just enough to make me look her in the eyes. And while I saw a lot of mirth dancing around in them, there was genuine care and a tinge of worry. “You know I am only teasing you, right? Both of you.” I nodded. And so did she. “Good.” A moment later, she turned me around and pulled me back in. With my back against her chest, I was the little spoon. And I felt safe. More so once her wing extended and came down like a blanket. “I love you.”

I sighed. That was one way of communication. “I love you too,” I replied and kissed her wing. The only part of her that I could feasibly reach right now. A few minutes later, I had calmed down considerably. “Luna?” I asked, unsure if she was even still awake.

“Hm?” she replied drowsily.

“You will tease her about this, won’t you?” I asked. In theory, it should have been a purely rhetorical question. But despite better knowledge, a part of me hoped that maybe, just maybe, teasing me half to death had been enough? And that she would spare Twilight. Those hopes were swiftly crushed of course.

“Until the end of her days,” she whispered and kissed my ear.

We had maybe one more day on the train until we reached Appleloosa. The puzzles were gone. The novel was abandoned. Luna’s heat had receded. And we were kind of bored. I had proposed mingling a little with the other passengers, but she was less than thrilled with the idea. Her illusion was decent enough at first glance, but on closer inspection, there was a good chance somepony would see through it. I did not understand why that was a problem until she explained that, officially, she had retreated to her chambers to sort out some paperwork or something. So ponies noticing her this far south would prompt some questions she was unwilling to face.

“However, there is one thing we could do. Something we probably should do,” she said and reclined against the wall of the cabin.

We sat on my bed for once as the sheets from hers were still in the laundry. I looked over to her. The landscape had changed considerably and I was glad that we had windows on this side of the train and not the other one. Because over there, through the windows in the hallway, we would have seen the Everfree Forest. For days and days and days.

“And what’s that?” I asked.

“Training,” she simply replied with a shrug. And she had fully expected me to grimace. And really, who was I to disappoint her?

Her idea did not exactly find my approval. “You said you don’t need a soldier by your side.”

She nodded firmly. “I did. And I stand by that. If it comes to any sort of combat, I am quite confident that I will be able to defend the both of us. And while you are not exactly a soldier as such, I feel you have benefited greatly from training. You learned a good deal and you know how to handle yourself in a fight.”

I sighed. “If I have to, yes. I’d rather prefer it wouldn’t come to that, though.”

“As would I, obviously.” Would you, though? I stifled another sigh. Luna was not bloodthirsty. She was not some random barbarian charging into battle at the drop of a hat. That was the job of Derpy's and Rainbow's Ogres & Oubliettes-characters.

That being said, it was easy to provoke her into action at times and she did relish the opportunity to face off against worthy foes. Something she rarely got the opportunity to do. “What kind of training do you have in mind then?” I sort-of-relented. Because at the end of the day, I would not refuse her. The same way I had not refused this entire adventure. And this was not about a missing spine. Arguing with her could get nasty at times and I was glad we rarely ever needed to do that. It was more about her reasons probably being legitimate.

“I would like to get some exercise in coordination and improvisation,” she explained. “I have little concerns about the former. We have a few years of experience with that by now and so far, we have been an excellent team on the field. But a little refresher does not hurt. And I do know that you struggle with the latter.”

I grimaced. It was hard to deny, as I knew that all to well myself. That obviously did not change how utterly unappealing that whole affair sounded. But just as I had suspected, she had sound reasoning behind her proposal. I finally sighed after I struggled a little against myself. “Fine. And how do you propose we do this?” It would involve the dreamscape, that much was certain.

“I would like to take you through some of my memories of previous battles. The memory will only serve as the scenario and will develop independently from there, of course. That way, our exercise should be undisturbed and safe.”

I sometimes hated myself a little bit. Juuust a little bit.

I was not Twilight. She would have gushed over this opportunity in an instant. Actually seeing, experiencing Luna’s memories? Even if it were those of battlefields she had crossed at some point. Being part of history, even if it was ‘just’ in a make-believe world of dreams and willpower. She would have loved this to bits. And I honestly could not deny its allure myself. No, I was not Twilight. But even for me, this presented a decently delectable looking carrot on a stick. Adding to that, I not so secretly loved to admire Luna in her full battle garb. She looked stunningly beautiful. Powerful and impressive and invincible. Of course that could be a little bit of a detriment to our planned training, but it was just a dream after all. What was the worst that could happen?

“Alright, I’m in. Let’s do this.” I sat up straight and nodded.

Luna giggled a little before she pushed me with a hoof. For some reason, it took her two attempts before I realized my mistake and laid down on my side. Only then did she lower her glowing horn, swirling with that familiar cobalt blue of her magic, and touched my forehead with it.

I did not have to wait long in the dreamscape for her arrival and we soon after switched into her dream. The initial void quickly gave way to a landscape I felt strangely familiar with. Softly rolling hills, knee-high grass, mixed with occasional flowers and herbs. We stood on the crest of a hill, side by side. A playful breeze carried the scent of spring. Her ethereal mane was flow—… not anymore. Her mane was bound into a rigid pigtail. As was her tail. And she wore her armor. Her scythe and a couple of spears levitated right beside her.

“You might want to duck,” she said with a wink in my direction.

“Goddesses, you’re pretty,” I mumbled and admired her in all her glory. Right before her words registered. “I what?” A second later, I noticed figures all around us materializing out of thin air. Right. Battlefield. And a massive centaur stood right beside me and swung an impressive looking hammer.

Horseapples…

I managed to conjure my own armor just in time before the hit sent me flying. Literally. Down the hill. Straight into the syncline where a bunch of ponies and several other centaurs were already fighting. I even bowled some over. “Alright, fine, I get it, concentrate,” I snapped as I stood back up and conjured my sword. Funny enough, her dream refused to yield as I tried to conjure more than one. I usually used them as projectiles in the dreamscape. Something that would never work on a real battlefield. Which was probably why she refused to allow me such tactics here. It only made me grumble some more as I dodged the first strike.

Knowing all this was a dream helped. My heart was still racing. A brain was easily tricked by what it saw, especially if the other senses lined up as well. And Luna gave this exercise her all, I could tell. I could feel the grass brushing against my legs, the soft dirt yielding under my hooves. I felt the breeze on my face and heard the cries of battle and pain.

But another part of me knew: All this was fake.

Being hit would hurt. Because she would make it hurt. To teach me to take things seriously. But she would not truly hurt me. And in a way, this safety net allowed me to be a bit more bold.

That would eventually turn out as a mistake. And I probably should have known better. The entire idea had been to simulate a real battle. And in a real battle… I would not have been any bolder than was strictly necessary.

I charged one of the centaurs, veered to the side and rounded behind him, just in time to provide a distraction as one of the pegasi came down and sliced his wing blades across the centaur’s entire back, dock to neck. The creature howled in pain and whipped around with his hammer, but the pegasus was already gone, back high up in the air. And the centaur’s distraction was enough for me to move in and bring him to his knees with a couple of swift slices against his legs. Close enough to the ground that one of the earth ponies could charge him and with a full-frontal assault like that… the powerful kick of his hooves sent the centaur onto his back and with his unarmored underside on open display, he was done for.

Next.

I spotted Luna fighting what appeared to be a centaur, but bigger. Maybe their chieftain or something. King? Leader? Whatever they had. I ducked under another hammer swing and sliced the hands holding the weapon. This time, I did not bother to bring the foe down completely. May others have the honors. I was just concerned with reaching Luna. And after I dodged another attack, I managed just that.

“Hey, missed me?” I yelled with a grin and charged the chieftain head-on.

He was probably surprised. I was quite obviously a unicorn after all. Unicorns could charge with their horns, sure. It was stupid as heck, but possible. However, I had levitated my sword in a wide, high arc behind his back and just as he readied to strike me down, I propelled it downwards, to me. With his back in the way. Oops.

Of course his back was armored. But that attack was enough to disrupt his own. Which in turn meant that I successfully got under him. While my sword flew heck-knew-where to, I blasted his unprotected belly with two bolts of energy. He reared up in pain. And thereby exposed more of himself. For a Luna who was ready to strike.

“That was… both impressive,” she praised as her enemy fell to the ground, “and reckless,” she condemned.

I was a little bit unreasonable at this point. I nodded and accepted her judgment, but despite that, I saw no reason to change anything. And why would I?

She conjured a new scenario. We fought griffons, this time. They were fearsome foes. Just from what I saw and heard, they were truly worth every word that had been said about their battle prowess. And in a way, I suspected that Luna was punishing me. She showed me just how awful large-scale fights could get. Maybe. Or maybe I was wrongly accusing her.

I stuck close to her side this time. I went where she went. I fought who she fought. And with short, precise commands, we aligned our attacks, managed our tactics on the fly and changed approaches as needed. It worked. A lot better than the first time around, admittedly. And a part of this was my intense focus on her and our immediate area. Because the less I focused on the rest of the field, the less would later weigh on my conscience and dreams, I suspected.

It was a horrible thought, after all. That she truly had been there. Had seen this, heard this. And that after all this time, the memory of this battle was clear enough in her head to be conjured back to life like this.

We wandered from battle to battle for what felt like hours. It started to wear me down. No regular combat ever took this long, I was pretty sure. No fighter, no matter how skilled or experienced, could have that much stamina. But here, in her dream, my stamina was only limited by my mental fortitude. And I slowly grew tired. To the point that the screams had dulled and the blood was little more than red on green or red on brown or red on gray.

We currently fought changelings. And that really should have elicited more of a reaction than it ultimately did. I had problems with changelings. I had a history with changelings. Or rather some of my past lives had and I could not stop that from bleeding into my thoughts. But in my current state, they were just another obstacle to be overcome. They were not using their morphing ability properly. They could have caused so much chaos and confusion with that. But they instead resorted to magic, flight, weapons and armor. Like every other regular army.

Luna and I had made our way across the field. We tried to engage the queen. If she were to fall, so would her hive. We got separated at some point, but it was not all that bad. I could still see Luna. She was doing fine and effortlessly held her own. Just another minor inconvenience. A minor setback.

And then she died.

A few drones charged her from the back. Luna managed to fight them off, but as soon as she turned back around, the queen charged her. And drove a lance straight through her chest. To the point that the bloodied blade emerged on her back.

No.

It was all I could think.

I knew this was not real. But my legs quivered, trembled, until my knees threatened to buckle. My entire body shook, as a flash rolled over my consciousness. They were getting rare these days. I did not miss them one iota. And there it was. Luna dying.

I had never considered the possibility. Even though I knew that it was possible. On a technicality. Her body could die. And I saw it. Time and time again. How many? Two? Three. Four. Five?

Lines blurred.

My heart felt like it was both racing and stopping. I did not breathe. I felt dizzy. Everything felt surreal. And I just lost it.

The very moment I lost control, I felt something pull. It took me a second to realize that I was the one pulling. And whatever I pulled towards me arrived quickly. I felt ice creep up to my heart. It quickly formed a hardened casing around it. I saw Luna sag on that spear. The queen laughed in her disgusting, disturbing weird despicable bug voice that needed to be crushed, ripped out of her throat…

The grass around us died. Frozen solid in mere seconds. A field that continuously expanded as the effect picked up speed as it grew while we reared up on our hindlegs. We saw that monster and we felt such intense hatred and grief and denial. “No!” we yelled with two voices, both mine and yet not. The echo sounded far and wide and with all our might, we brought our hooves crashing down onto the ground. A shockwave ran through the dirt. The brittle ice, grass and changelings and ponies and the dirt itself broke to pieces. And finally, the dream itself shattered.

I came to my senses with a panicked gasp.

And I immediately tried to get away from… whatever that was or had been. I flailed with my limbs and tried to stand, immediately crashing my head into the bottom of the upper bunk bed. Luna snapped out of her sleep fractions of a second after me. The entire cabin, every single surface in it, had a thin sheen of rime. It already melted. I tried to tumble out of the bed, still completely out of my mind, but Luna would not let me.

Without a single word, she grabbed me in her telekinesis. It only served to unsettle me further. I was under attack!

She swiftly sat up, pulled me to her and embraced me forcefully. She held me tightly in a way that simply did not allow for me to struggle as much. I was certain that I had kicked and punched her a couple of times before she managed to properly secure me. She cared little as she closed her wings around me like a cocoon and all light faded.

“Breathe,” she commanded into the void.

Yes, breathe. Listen to her, I tried to tell myself. I panicked again. Did I try to tell that myself? Did I try? Was that my voice? Had it been?

“Breathe,” she repeated. Calm. Commanding. My head spun. I realized that my erratic breathing would soon make me lose consciousness. And that thought frightened me even more. I did not want to sleep, I did not want to sink into the void again, I did not—

“Breathe,” her voice cut through my tangled mess.

She repeated herself. I quickly lost count of how many times. And I tried to free myself, I believed. Twice, maybe? But I was no match for her sheer physical strength. If she wanted to restrain my movement, she simply did so.

At some point, I just stopped. I had struggled to the point of exhaustion. My muscles ached. I had a nasty cramp in my shoulder. My head was light and spun. My skin prickled. But I felt her. I felt her coat on my back. Her feathers on my muzzle. Her powerful hooves gripped my body. With the panic slowly receding, I managed to get away from the thought that she would crush me any second now. That she would snap my neck or break my bones or squeeze the air and life out of me.

She is not the enemy. Was it my voice? I felt too tired to ask. Too tired to care. I fell into some kind of lull. My breathing eventually evened out. My head started to hurt terribly. But the pain displaced the tangled mess responsible for all the panic. And I changed my tune. I tried to crawl into her instead of trying desperately to get away from her. I was a mess. I still shivered occasionally. Her coat was damp, so I supposed that I must have cried at some point. Please tell me that’s not snot.

And she still held me. Firmly.

Do you trust me?, her question randomly came up from my recent memories.

After even more minutes, I eventually gave her a gentle push. Just enough to let her know that I was trying to… I did not even know what I was trying to do here. But she let go of me this time. I could feel her tension. She was ready to pick me up as soon as something would go awry. But she gave me some wiggle room.

I looked up at her and… goodness me, she was a blurry mess. I wiggled my hoof free and rubbed at my eyes until I could see her somewhat clearly. “S-Sorry,” I mustered with a hiccup.

Her expression was dead serious. She did not even try to smile. She raised a hoof and carefully stroked my mane and down my neck and back. It made me shiver and I wished to just bury my face on her chest again. But I resisted the urge. “What was that?” she finally asked.

What was that. What was what, precisely? Her stupid exercise? My recklessness? Her dy— Her d—… H—…

I choked and barely held back a fresh batch of tears. “Do. Not. Ever. Do that again!” I demanded with a strength in my voice that surprised her — and frankly, even me. It only took me a second or two to meekly add “Please!”

And for some stupid reason, I wanted to apologize. Because she looked so incredibly guilty in an instant. “I am deeply sorry,” she apologized. “I… it was a grave mistake on my part.” Sunny would have called it a miscalculation, a part of me mused. “I promise you I will not do anything like this again.”

Improvisation my ass! What had that even been? Was that supposed to teach me something about improvisation? Or had it just been one of her pranks gone horribly wrong? Would it change anything either way? I swallowed and nodded. “You’re not allowed to d—…die either,” I meekly whispered and looked at her chest instead of her eyes. She sighed. And I looked back up with as much determination as I could muster. She did not promise this time. She could not. I knew that. But she nodded. She at least acknowledged my plea.

I released what I hoped was the last shuddering breath of this evening a few minutes later. “You still have not answered me,” Luna quietly reminded me.

I sighed. “Sunny didn’t tell you?” I inquired, but I did not wait for her answer. “Guess not. Makes sense, I suppose.” My voice felt strangely hoarse. And I shuddered at the thought that I might have screeched like a banshee at some point. But at least nopony had come to visit, as far as I was aware. Then again, these last few… what? Minutes? Hours? They were kind of a blur. A vague, surreal blur.

“It’s less ‘what was that’,” I started again, “and more ‘who was that’, I think.” I kept quiet for a moment, but no further prodding from her came. She was patiently waiting though. I knew that much. “You said you harbor a darkness within you. I like to believe we all do.”

I felt her shift slightly. I could not imagine this specific topic being all that comfortable for her. And I would not insist on continuing this conversation, but… I could understand why she did it. And I was even grateful for that. “Does he talk to you?”

Why does she assume his gender?, I wondered for a moment. Maybe she had seen something. Back in the dreamscape, in her dream. When crap figuratively hit the fan. “You mean like… ‘let me take control and I will fulfill your wishes of world domination!’ or something like that?” My poor attempt at gallows humor fell on deaf ears. Unsurprisingly. “No. I have never seen him or heard from him or met him. He might not even be real.”

I could once again feel her shift. She tilted her head and just this once, I craned my neck to follow her gaze. To the window, where a small patch of rime remained. I was not experiencing any cold because she still held me in her wings and shielded me. But the room temperature seemed to have dropped considerably and was only slowly rising again. “Looks pretty real to me,” she simply stated. “So he never interfered with anything?”

“Not that I know of,” I replied. “When… when we were in the jungle, Celestia and I, we were at one of these temple ruins. The trial of kindness. Or benevolence or whatever. There was this hallway with long mirrors. It showed us distorted versions of each other. I had to deal with Daybreaker. A Celestia driven mad. A vengeful being, lonely and angry and desperate. She lost you again and that broke her. But on the other side, Celestia encountered something made from me. He fought her. I don’t know why. Maybe the hallway made him do it. Or, well, as I said. Maybe it was just an illusion. They had really powerful magic in these places.”

Luna sighed. “I will have to talk to my sister upon our return.”

“Am I in trouble?” I half-heartedly asked.

She shook her head and cuddled me again. “No. But she usually knows more than she lets on. And I will not tolerate her secret-mongering in this regard.”

I wanted to defend Celestia. But I simply found myself too tired to properly think of something to say. “Luna? Do you mind if we just sleep tonight?”

“No,” she replied after a moment of hesitation. “I think I would like that as well.” And with that, she slowly laid down again and pulled me with her. I put up no resistance and we managed to free the blanket from beneath us and put it over us with a little wiggling around.

We all have our demons. Some snarl, some smile, some never utter a word. Some are vague, and some fully formed. Some are mere concepts, and some have names.

Hello darkness, my old friend…

First Flight

The landscape had changed in the last couple of hours.

While last night had been somewhat tumultuous, the morning had been everything but. I woke up in the softest feathery embrace, lulled in by a quiet and steady breathing behind me. It was blissful and I indulged in the moment for a couple of minutes. I just closed my eyes and listened. I could even feel her heartbeat against my back. The ‘perfect morning’-spell had to be broken eventually though. My bladder was not quite as cooperative, my stomach started to wake up and I knew that sometime soon, Appleloosa would come around. So I successfully snuck out of bed. Because despite her usually impressive perceptiveness, once Luna truly slept, it would have taken the entire train to derail to wake her up.

It allowed me to get my morning routine done and fetch some nice little pieces for breakfast from the dining car. Breakfast in bed was supposed to be a luxury. A rare occurrence used to reward and spoil. In the last few days however, it had almost become the standard.

I did not mind much.

And after we had our fill, we simply sat there. She leaned with her back against the wall and I leaned against her. With her hooves around my shoulders and little more sound in our cabin than the rattling of the train along the tracks. We watched the landscape swoop by. Green slowly faded out as a sandy yellow started to fade in.

The relative silence was not unwelcome. Every so often, she stroked a hoof over my belly and I quietly sighed in contentment. I tilted my head up enough to nuzzle her before we eventually returned to watching the probably least dramatic movie through our window. In a weird way, it felt almost cathartic.

Then the speakers crackled. There were none in the cabins themselves, but we heard the noise from the hallway outside. “Dear passengers of the Friendship Express, we will shortly reach our next stop, Appleloosa. For everypony exiting the train: Don’t forget your baggage and safe travels! We hope you had a good time with us. Exit will be on the left.” Another crackling signified the end of the announcement.

I silently chuckled a little. Luna noticed and made the quietest questioning noise I had ever heard. “Sorry,” I replied barely audibly, “it’s just the accent. That came as a surprise.”

She hummed for a moment and I was not sure if she would reply. There was really no reason to. After a few more seconds however, she did anyway. “It must have been the driver then. I cannot remember the conductor having one.”

I smiled nestled against her a little closer. But our exit was coming up and we could not stay here like this forever. Though now that a part of our journey came to an end, I had to admit… I felt a strange tinge of sadness about that. Certain events from yesterday aside, it had been quite a joyful ride so far. Worthy of being called a vacation, most certainly.

We disentangled ourselves from each other and climbed out of bed. My legs were a little stiff. The only thing I could reasonably nitpick about were the very narrow beds. I did not mind snuggling up close to Luna. But these bunk beds were designed for one — potentially larger — pony.

We levitated our saddlebags onto our backs, fastened the straps and slowly made our way to the exit. Very few other passengers waited and I doubted that many would join before the train arrived. Or would leave again. A couple of minutes later I was validated in that regard. Five, maybe six ponies along the whole length of the train stepped out onto the station platform with us already being two of those.

“Huh,” I remarked as we stood side by side and took in the scenery. “The town has changed.” It was a relatively ‘new’ town founded on the frontier. By the Apple Family, no less. Or was it? It was admittedly easy to assume that. The Apples seemed quite busy with founding villages. To the point where being farmers and dealing with orchards sometimes seemed more like a side gig.

I dismissed the entire conundrum with a shrug. It had gotten bigger since my last visit. Which was not that hard to do, since I had visited once. Years ago. Back then, less than two dozen houses were aligned along a single dirt road.

The roads were still dirt, but now I could reasonably use plural. From the looks of it, Appleloosa was maybe a third of the size of Ponyville now? Maybe half, if I was being generous? The town’s ‘core’ had not changed, however. And neither had the town’s atmosphere. A rustic, wild-west scenery, wooden houses with swinging doors, everyone and their pets wore hats and neckerchiefs. In that regard, one could argue that Appleloosa had more of a defined identity than Ponyville ever had. There was no distinct ‘theme’ back home.

“Where do we go?” Luna asked and snapped me back out of my musings.

“You don’t know?” I replied. She smiled in return which told me that she did know. I did not mind giving her a little tour though. At least according to what I knew. So we stopped just outside the train station and in between waving to reply to the friendly greetings from the townsfolk around us, I named the buildings I vaguely remembered. The Salt Block I reserved for last, as I was pretty sure that was our destination. Back when I had visited, it was still ‘just a tavern’, or saloon, as they called it here. However, they had already made plans to extend the upper stories to transform the building into more of an inn. With more and more ponies visiting, it was a reasonable enough decision and from the looks of it, they had finished translating that plan into reality a good while ago.

We made our way over, passed through the saloon doors and looked around for a moment. The place had changed, indeed. There were curtains now. Really, really nice curtains. They looked quite expensive. And the rustic wooden tables had tablecloths that looked equally high quality. The chairs had cushions. The walls were decorated. Or redecorated, rather. Small, hoofmade tapestries displaying the symbols of all four princesses. Sun, moon, heart, stars. Various designs for their backgrounds. Some oil paintings of the outback. It felt like some kind of high-class hotel, but not like a western-styled saloon. Curious.

Still, the patrons were the same, pretty much. Hat-wearing townsfolk playing cards, drinking cider, talking, enjoying their time here. And none bet an eye for the newcomers. Good.

We walked over to the bar counter. The barkeep had been busy serving another customer, but shortly after our arrival, he made his way over. “Welcome to the Salt Block, weary travelers! Oh, you must be—… hm… Dreamwalker, was it?”

I blinked. What? I took a closer look at the stallion, but I could not recognize him. Dirt-brown coat, a strangely curly, light orange mane and his cutie mark seemed to be some kind of fabric roll, maybe? “I’m deeply sorry, I seem to have forgotten your name,” I answered with a little cringe.

He laughed for a moment and shook his head. “Not to worry, not to worry. You can’t remember what you don’t know yet, after all! Name’s Royal Splendor, at your service.” He grinned and was clearly having way too much fun with this. “I’ve heard a few things about you. And who might be that lovely companion of your—“ He turned his attention to Luna and furrowed his brow as he cut himself off. I could see the cogs and wheels turn and his face evened out just as quickly to display and a demure and humble smile gracing his lips. “It is an honor to welcome you to my humble abode, my fair lady.” The space behind the counter did not allow for a proper bow, so he made due with lowering his head for a moment.

I looked over to Luna and inspected her illusion for a moment. It seemed fine to me. Still just a regular unicorn. She admittedly had yet to learn to be subtle about her color palette, but that was simply something she refused to learn. So maybe Royal Splendor had a rather impressive force of will? Or…

Royal Splendor, I repeated in my head. Maybe he was familiar with her disguise?

“And I am grateful to be here,” Luna replied meanwhile. “I take it that you can keep a secret, Royal?”

He grinned in excitement. “I shall not spoil your whereabouts to a living soul, fair lady.”

“Then you shall have my gratitude,” she said and both curtly bowed to each other.

It was such a weird exchange. Like I had suddenly fallen into a novel or something. “Wait, so, uh… you two know each other?” And both shook their heads. “But how—… what? How do you know me? How did you recognize her?”

He chuckled a little. “Oh that is actually completely unrelated,” he explained. “You see, us tavern owners have our own little convention every few years. I say ‘convention’, but in truth, it’s a rather regional affair where a couple of us meet up to discuss business, exchange some tips and tricks and maybe share some news.”

“You’re gossiping,” I concluded with a smug grin.

And he laughed and shrugged. “Guilty as charged. But you see, Appleloosa isn’t that far off from Ponyville, and I had a few words with Midnight Mint and Berry Punch.” He was watching me closely when he dropped those names and despite my media training — which provided some tactics to deal with an interrogation like this —, I saw no reason to hide anything. Midnight and Berry were friends, simple as that. Maybe not the closest friends I had, but friends nonetheless. I had no idea why they would talk about me, or what they had to say about me, and I was not about to ask despite my curiosity. I tried to be content with the knowledge that whatever he might have heard about me was coming from a friend of mine.

“And, uh…” I vaguely gestured towards Luna.

“Ah, yes. Well, that’s even simpler. I was an apprentice to the royal seamstress a few years ago.” He nodded as if that would actually explain everything. And I was sure that in his mind, it did? Somehow?

“I remember now,” Luna voiced, accompanied by a sigh.

“How did you end up here?” I asked further.

He chuckled again and gestured for a patron on one of the tables to be patient for a moment longer. “Well I was admittedly ill-equipped to deal with the whole backsta—… uhm, with all the ponies talking back in Canterlot and felt a little alienated. A friend of a friend of a relative and so on, you know how it goes, he had contacts to somepony else who needed help and I eventually took a train and never returned. I worked for Ginger for a year or so before she passed ownership of the Salt Block to me. And here I am.”

I grimaced quite a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

And out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Luna grimacing as well. “No need to hold your tongue, dear Royal,” she addressed his little ‘stumble’, “I am well aware of the snake pit that the palace can be at times and how tiring it can be to deal with said cold-blooded creatures.”

He sighed in relief and nodded in her direction before he shrugged in mine. “I’m not. Sorry, that is. I don’t mind where I ended up. I love this place. And I made it my own. I like to think I’m doing quite well for myself. I have my own business, I get to know all kinds of interesting ponies and hear all kinds of interesting stories, and at the end of the day, there’s a certain very sweet and caring farmer waiting for me.” He gave me a wink and subtly nudged one of the cider bottles in his bar. Marked with the Apple brand, of course.

It still took me a moment to remember the name, though. I smiled. “Good for you and good to hear. Well in any case, we don’t want to keep you to ourselves any longer. We actually need a room for the night. But maybe we can talk some more later? I’m pretty sure we have some stories to contribute.”

He grinned and quickly hoofed us a key. “Upper story, down the corridor, right at the end. Bathroom is just beside it, but there’s only one, so you’ll have to share.”

“That’s fine, it’s just for one night after all,” I replied with a grin. “How much?”

I already lifted the flap of my saddlebags as I failed to immediately realize that I still had no idea what Luna had actually packed and thereby, if I was even carrying any bits whatsoever. But before I could properly realize that, he shook his head. “Nope. Wouldn’t be right to squeeze some measly bits out of you two.”

I really wanted to argue, but Luna graciously bowed her head and took all the wind out of my sails. “We are most grateful.”

Luna ushered me towards the stairs while Royal Splendor went about his job. “We’re still going to pay him somehow, right?” I whispered as we made our way up the steps.

“Absolutely,” she answered with conviction and grinned.

Our room was… how would Fluttershy have put it? It was nice. No, really. It was. The same pretty curtains we had seen downstairs, a fancy bed cover, high-quality sheets and blanket, nice, fluffy pillows, a table — with tablecloth of course — and a couple of chairs, a closet, a dresser, we even got a standing mirror. “I feel like this place got quite a spruce up when he took over,” I mumbled as I explored the small room. While his chosen décor clashed a little with the theme of Appleloosa, the patrons downstairs did not seem all that irked by it.

“Dump your saddlebags,” Luna instructed while she already placed hers on the table. “We will not stay here for too long.”

“We won’t?” I asked and simply put mine beside hers.

I watched her retrieve a couple of vials from one of her bags. They seemed to contain a purple liquid. “I have been cooped up for long enough. I had a plan and I intend to follow through on that.”

I stepped closer to her with a smile and placed a small trail of kisses on her neck. “Is that so? Does your plan veer more on the ‘vacation’-side of things, or is it more about our ‘adventure’? You know, I’m quite tempted to take a look at what else you have in there.”

She stopped fiddling around with the saddlebag after the first kiss, closed her eyes and sighed in contentment as I continued to pepper her neck with small kisses in between sentences. “But you will not,” she whispered.

“I won’t?”

“No.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I ask you nicely.”

I chuckled a little and nodded. “That’ll do, I guess.”

I pulled away from her and enjoyed that beautiful smile of hers as she reopened her eyes and regarded me with such warmth for a moment. “It is part of our vacation,” she answered. That was good enough for me. I nodded, we made our way back downstairs and after a wave in Royal’s direction left both the Salt Block and shortly after Appleloosa. We walked in a companionable silence for a bit, maybe half an hour. It was still midday or early afternoon when we reached the outskirts of town. No buildings, no townsfolk. Just a wide and flat barren. “Drink it,” she asked and levitated one of the flasks over to me.

“Alright. Do I want to know what it is beforehoof?” I asked in return but took the vial nonetheless. I opened it and smelled its content. I had not expected it to smell like grape juice. That made me snicker.

“I could tell you, if you insist. But I think it would be more enjoyable if you simply drank it.”

“More enjoyable, she says,” I echoed with a smirk. “More enjoyable for you or for me?” Her smirk was all I needed to know. And yet I simply shrugged and downed the entire content. Heck, it even tasted like grape juice.

As soon as the brew was down, it started to work its magic. Literally. “Oh shoot that’s strong,” I wheezed as my whole body quickly started to tingle. The sensation became so overwhelming that the best I could do was stand stock still and wait for whatever this spell was to pass. I felt it focus more and more on my head and my back, my forehead and my shoulders and I started to realize what this stuff might have done. I pressed my eyelids shut and waited it out until the tingling finally subsided.

“Phew,” I whispered with a sigh. And just because I had a feeling, I looked around for the empty vial. It was lying on the ground. I tried to levitate it and nothing happened. I crossed my eyes, ignored Luna’s snicker and saw nothing. So I reached up with a hoof and indeed, my horn was gone. I craned my neck and looked back and sure enough, I had a pair of wings now. Feathery, brown wings. I sighed. “That’s gonna be sooo annoying,” I grumbled quietly and tried to find out how they worked. My initial attempts to spread them open were… less than successful. I hopped up in hopes they might snap open on some instinctive level, but while they did rustle a little, they certainly did not open. I tried stretching next. And that opened up some new alleys. It was as if my head had not quite realized yet that there was a new pair of limbs and still had to draw the connection, both literally and figuratively.

The moment I managed to open my wings, I was confronted with a new problem. They were open now. What next? I tried for several minutes to make them flap. And I tried in vain. Sure enough, I could open and close them now and according to Luna’s continuous, barely restrained laughter, it was a spectacle to see me prance around in strange patterns and movements as I tried to get a grip on these appendages. I did not mind her amusement as long as it was just her. But I knew that I would get annoyed eventually.

A while later I finally gave up. “Luuunaaaa,” I whined. “How?”

She broke out in laughter once more and levitated the empty vial over to take a look at it. “How strange. As far as I am aware, it should not have affected your capabilities of coherent speech at all.“ She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes.

Her mirth was apparent and while I enjoyed seeing her have fun, I slowly grew frustrated. But I was willing to play along for a moment longer. “Luuunaaaa, wings how!“ I whined a little louder and more insistent.

She almost keeled over for laughter. After she got rid of some tears, she shook her head and came over. “You need to relax a little. Let me show you how—“

And as soon as her hoof touched my wing, it quickly retracted, only to immediately snap out again and give her a face full of feathers. I cringed a little as she sputtered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—“

And she was laughing again. Alright. She had her fun. She needed a moment to reign her latest bout of giggles in before she straightened up and… snorted and giggled again. She held a hoof up to excuse herself, and after yet another moment, she finally managed to recompose herself. “You looked so, so, so adorable!”

I was pretty certain I flushed crimson red in an instant. I certainly puffed out my cheeks as a sign of my slight-but-not-really-real annoyance. “You did this to me. Now help me!” I whined.

With a grin wide enough to border on the maniac, she leaned in and nuzzled my wing. They reacted on their own while I gasped. I turned even a deeper shade of red as a certain spot she did something with elicited a quiet moan from my throat. And right afterwards, she started to explain as if nothing had happened. The longer her lecture took, the better she had herself under control. Her amusement did not die down as much as it was sidelined for the moment.

An issue came up quite early. One she had apparently expected. Flying was a passion of hers, despite her illusions usually showing a unicorn. Weirdly enough, Celestia was quite reliant on her magic and usually transformed herself into a pegasus when she snuck out. Maybe I should ask about that someday. Point was: Many things worked on the basis of instinct and experience. For her. She was quite certain that having these instincts was part of the transformation spell, but they were a new and foreign addition to my mind, so our earliest exercises were all about finding and implementing them.

And no matter how amused she was, no matter how much she loved me, no matter how hard I tried, Luna was still Luna. Her impatience started to rise. Slowly at first. But I could tell that she was quite eager to fly with me. “It doesn’t last long, does it?” I finally dared to ask.

“Three hours per flask,” she explained. “So it should be enough to keep doing this until tonight.”

I tentatively flapped with my wings. It felt so incredibly weird. I was still constantly trying to watch them do their work, just in case something might go awry. It felt like supervising some kind of machinery instead of working with my own body parts. I had certainly never felt like this when casting a spell. “I assume taking all vials at once would decrease the effect or something?”

She nodded. “Or something,” she replied. “The duration only stacks to a certain degree.”

She snickered once more as I took a run-up and jumped as far and high as I could manage. My wings spread open and I managed to glide, sure, but I had done that before. A single attempt to flap them and I crash-landed belly first on the ground. “Ergh.” I stood back up, dusted myself off and returned to her. “I wonder why this stuff isn’t more widespread, though. I never even heard of this possibility.”

Luna walked around me and carefully extended my left wing with her magic. It felt tingly and wanted to retract on an instinctual level, but I consciously worked against that and kept it spread. And I inhaled sharply as she brushed with her muzzle over some parts of it again. This time however, she merely took care of it as she evened out and realigned disturbed feathers. It was barely a foretaste of preening, but it already sent a shiver down my spine.

“It is a brew Zecora is capable of crafting,” Luna explained. “I would not have known about it were it not for Twilight. She is researching ways to substitute the rarer ingredients with something more common and less problematic to gather. We hope that we can eventually make it available to the public. It would certainly help those clashing with their identity. If concentrated high enough and maybe assisted by a spell or two, this transformation could be made permanent. Or so the theory. So far, all other options to change your race are spells and those are temporary.”

She finished her inspection of my wings, satisfied with their current state, and I gave them a few tentative flaps. It did feel better. And her explanation had brought a certain familiar warmth to my heart. Of course Twilight would try to ‘fix it’. She would not rest until everypony, literally everypony, was as happy as they could be.

All my lives I had been lucky enough to be content with who I was and what I was. I knew my race, my sexuality, my gender and everything was fine. But I knew that some ponies out there struggled. “Maybe I can help her,” I wondered aloud. “I mean… I don’t know much about alchemy, but an outsider’s perspective can help sometimes. Wouldn’t be the first time some offshoot-comment of mine did that.”

She nodded and sat down before me. “Come on. Climb up.”

I quickly put one and one together and could not help but laugh. “Oh wow.” I shook my head and did as she had asked while I grinned. Her impatience was apparently getting the better of her. There had been too many futile attempts to get me into the air. Lift-off was just not going to happen anytime soon.

She levitated another flask over to me. “Drink up.”

And I did just that. Which was a little bit awkward. I was so used to levitating things that the bottle almost fell. I had to take it in my hooves and fiddle around with it to get the opening to my muzzle. And it would probably have been even worse were it not for friends like Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Derpy. I usually subconsciously adapted to my surroundings and used my hooves more for menial tasks when my company did so as well. Had I spent too much time around Celestia, Luna and Twilight, I would have embarrassed myself even more, surely.

With the second bottle emptied, Luna took off. We quickly gained altitude and now, after a couple of hours with basic flight training, I found a new appreciation for riding on her back. I could see her muscles contract and ease, see how her wings angled and her joints bent. A new perspective. Everything about these motions made a little bit more sense now. And it was even a decent example to learn from.

That was until she unceremoniously dropped me, that vile prankster.

I screeched at the top of my lungs and flailed wildly with my limbs — all six of them — and she showed mercy and caught me in her levitation. She slowly glided down to me and circled around me with a smirk on her face.

“Never. Again!” I demanded, as my heart was still racing in panic. She giggled and did not even look a tiniest trace apologetic. The nerve.

She turned me over and allowed me to get my bearings. Her levitation field shrank down and she barely provided some security measure beneath me while I tried to get the hang of this whole ‘flying’-thing.

It was a lot harder than it looked.

I had to admit, though: it was a lot of fun. I did not mind failing miserably time and time again because we were out here and nopony else was seeing us and failing in front of her, with this, was somehow different. Her warm, encouraging smile always perked me right back up. There was no ‘failing’ as such. Only trying. And trying and trying and trying again. Was that not what I claimed to do all the time anyway? I tried a lot. I did not always succeed. But I kept trying.

I lost track of time at some point. The sun did its thing and wandered along her unseen path, the wind picked up and slowed down and clouds flew past overhead — and sometimes under us. Curiously enough, having wings did not provide me with the ability to walk on clouds. Luna, always the devious trickster, had suggested that I try as she claimed she did not know herself. And I once again screamed at the top of my lungs as I simply fell through. I heard her laugh all the way as she raced to catch me. She yelled ahead that I was to close my wings and then crashed into me mid-air. I was even proud that I managed to follow her order just in time, despite my panic. Then she caught me, held me tightly pressed against herself while her majestic wings spread wide again and she followed an arc that brought us back up above the clouds.

She landed on a cloud in a weird maneuver that made my head spin a little. She was lying on her back and I draped myself over her. My mane was a mess and I had some difficulties getting my breathing back under control. And I grinned like mad despite that. “You, missus, will be the death of me!” I accused her and pointed my hoof at her. She giggled, pulled me down and kissed me. And at that moment, any and all complaints died anyway.

I snuggled up to her and we just stayed there for some time. A beautiful, blissful piece of a lazy afternoon as we floated high above the ground on a cloud. It was fine. Peaceful even, as long as I managed to distract myself from thinking about the height. I eventually realized another thing pegasi had and that I lacked though: I was not accustomed to the cold or in any way fortified against it despite the transformation. Luna’s body heat kept me warm enough, sure, and she closed her wings around me as we prepared to take flight again to warm up my back and wings, but it was yet another point I had not accounted for. If I were to help Twilight with this formula, I really needed to make clear that this had to be incorporated somehow. A pony that desperately wanted to be a pegasus would most certainly feel alienated by this halfway solution. Too many pegasus-'things' were missing.

I tried to make a mental note for that before I focused on Luna again. It was time to fly off again. Knowing a thing or two about flying by now, I grew a little more ballsy this time. I tried to fly on my own. And it worked... a little bit? She swooped in and out of my field of view, she flew circles around me and made barrel rolls right above my head and it was just so incredibly satisfying to watch. “You’re majestic!” I yelled against the force of the wind.

“What?” she yelled back as she had apparently not heard me.

I sighed. And watched her do a backflip with such ease and grace that I knew hardly any words for it. “You’re beautiful!” I tried again.

She flew in my direction with another loop. “What?” she yelled again. But I saw that mischievous twinkle in her eyes this time and knew that she had heard me. She had probably heard me the first time as well. Cheeky mare. I snootily raised my muzzle and continued to fly ahead somewhat blindly. But it was the sky. What was supposed to happen? I could hardly fly into a lamp post, right?

Cloudsdale is a thing, a part of me reminded me.

Oh. Right.

We landed on the ground a few minutes later. Luna with grace, as she flapped her wings and ended her flight in a happy little prance. And I… started to panic about the vector I was coming in on and ultimately overshot my target and face-planted. “Ow.”

I heard her giggle again as she drew closer. “Are you hurt?” she asked with a tinge of honest worry in her voice.

“Just my pride,” I replied as I picked myself up. After rubbing some dirt and sand from my chin and carefully checking for scrapes, I turned to her with a wide smile. “And what’s your final verdict? I’m pretty good, eh? I think I might be a born flier. Never saw another pony fly such a straight line! Heck, I’m probably better than you. Didn’t see you fly a single straight line!”

She cracked up and I was satisfied. It took a minute or two before she had recomposed herself and all this time I grinned smugly. “Yes, certainly. You are unable to start or land, but you fly straight lines like I have not seen any other winged pony do, ever.” Her ‘praise’ was accompanied by a constant, half-stifled snicker she could barely contain.

She quickly pulled me in for a hug and I gladly snuggled up to her. “That was a lot of fun,” I concluded. “Thank you.”

We stayed in our embrace for a moment until she pushed me away just a little bit. And there was a spark of excitement in her expression that I found both alarming and intriguing. “Who says we have to be done here already?”

True enough, the second potion was still in effect. And I knew that there was a third one in her bags. Luna did not plan field trips, adventures and vacations the same way Celestia would, no. But Twilight was continuously rubbing off on her. She had known that our train was due to arrive in Appleloosa in the late morning hours. We had only arrived around midday because of some sheep that had blocked the tracks for a while. And seeing how elated she was to fly with me, I suspected that her original plan had covered an entire day with flight, flight training and mocking my miserable failures.

“You have something in mind, don’t you?” I suspected.

She blushed, much to my surprise. Just the faintest tint, but noticeable enough due to how close we were. “Maybe,” she replied coyly.

It’s Luna. What’s the worst that could happen? Of course that was exactly the line of thinking that would get anypony into hot water. But I honestly did not mind. The messes she created were usually still quite enjoyable. “Alright, fine. I’ll follow your lead.”

She looked pleased with my answer. Happy, even. Very, very happy. It made me curious what exactly I had just agreed to. But before I could decide if I wanted to ask, she was up in the air again. “This time, it’s all you. Meet me at the top.” And off she went, straight up in the air, higher and higher.

I watched her rise. She seemed so eager. Even for her. And that fact alone filled me with anticipation. “This will be good,” I mumbled to myself and my gaze fell down to my surroundings. Aaaand I immediately grimaced. “Hah. Once I get there,” I added.

I had managed to fly a straight line. No fancy maneuvers, certainly no barrel rolls. But the point was: I flew a straight line. I did not glide. So I looked around and scanned for some kind of rise or hill. Anything that would allow me a bit more elevation to start with. I quickly made my way over to the next-best hill and tried to jump from its top. I face-planted thrice. On the fourth attempt, it finally worked out as I had imagined. My hooves were still dragging along the ground for a few seconds longer than I would have liked and my muscles ached due to the violent flapping I did, buuut, it worked. I slowly started to gain altitude and even allowed myself to breathe again.

What I most certainly could not do was rise into the air in a vertical line. I had no idea how she did that. Something about angling her body vertically while her wings were angled horizontally or something. I instead did what worked for me: I flew wide spirals. Some three hundred or four hundred feet above ground, I finally caught up to her. “I did it!” I yelled in excitement. “I started on my own!”

She grinned, both proud and amused, while lazily gliding in smaller circles. “I saw,” she teased. And her tone made perfectly clear that it was a tease. She had seen everything, including the failed attempts. But again, I found it surprisingly hard to be embarrassed by that.

Once I truly was at the same height as her, she aligned her flight pattern with mine and we flew lazy circles together, almost wingtip to wingtip. “I want us to try something,” she continued more seriously, “but it is difficult and it can be dangerous. Do you trust me?”

I snorted. It was the unavoidable initial reaction. She really was serious in asking it, just as serious as her warning had been. But there was no doubt in my mind about the answer. “I do,” I replied after a few seconds.

She held my gaze, as if to test my conviction. After several seconds, she allowed herself a smile and nodded. “I will fly towards you. Mimic my movement and do not evade.”

I nodded and she angled herself away from me. She flapped her wings a few times to gain altitude and speed and flew a wider circle before she aimed towards me, just as she had announced. I saw her horn — still invisible due to the illusion — light up, but whatever spell she had cast, there was no visible effect. And then she angled herself in that weird way again.

Trust her, I told myself. She had seen me fly. She knew how bad of a flier I was. She knew my weaknesses, as there were plenty of them. She knew exactly what I was capable of. I tried to mimic her as best as I could. Both front hooves and back hooves outstretched towards her, as if I was standing on a vertical surface. My wings were unused to this angle and got confused immediately. But before I could actually start to tumble, those precious few fractions of a second, that was enough. Luna reached me and her hooves connected with mine. I felt a little jolt run through my legs as they firmly held together. Almost like… like magnets?

Her wing power alone was more than enough to keep us hovering, but she did so only for the briefest moment. “Trust,” she reminded me right before she did some kind of wing trickery. We suddenly turned upside down. And we did start to fall. Head first.

My heart immediately started to race, as panic set in. My wings tried to keep me afloat, but that did not work out as intended. And my eyes were drawn to her. She was calm. Serene. Beautiful. And she smiled. With the same warmth and encouragement she had shown me this entire time. And so I tried. After all — I did that a lot. I tried to not be wary. Not to panic. While the wind howled in my ears, while the clouds shrunk down above us and the ground came closer below us. And to a certain extent, I succeeded. I sank into her eyes and I managed to keep on top of my panic. I managed to keep the lid closed. Just enough, barely enough, due to her calmness.

We plummeted downwards in a spiral. Luna used just enough of her wings to make sure of that. Somewhere in the back of my head, Twilight’s chipper voice continued a lecture I had heard at some point. Another life, maybe. It sounded distant. About the mating flight of bald eagles. How they flew a wider spiral up into the air and then crashed into one another and interlocked their claws before tumbling towards the ground in a tight spiral.

I was pretty sure I was not as good a flier as a bald eagle.

But that mattered little as Luna leaned in and kissed me. It was brief. It was chaste compared to the many kisses we had shared so far. “Fly,” she whispered. Due to the wind rushing past us, I heard not a single word. But I could read her lips well enough. And she pushed us apart. I managed to turn over, spread my wings and flapped as hard as I could. Fly, she had said. So I tried.

I panicked considerably once again as I realized just how close the ground had truly been before she pushed us apart. But I managed. I managed to not crash-land again. I instead landed in a canter and slowed down to a trot and finally stood still. My agitated wings folded and unfolded continuously on their own accord, my heart tried to break out of my chest and I was not entirely sure what exactly we had just done. But Luna was with me within moments and before I could utter a single word, she kissed me once more. It was a lot less chaste this time. A surprising amount of passion bled into the gesture and with my adrenaline this high… I reciprocated without thinking.

Despite her being larger than me, I found it surprisingly easy to push her onto her back. Our kiss only deepened, barely ever interrupted for breath, and my hooves eagerly traced along her toned form.

“Take me,” she quietly moaned.

And with no further foreplay, I complied. Her gasp and mine intermingled and her panting and moaning and her body writhing beneath me was all I cared about soon enough.

Minutes passed. The evening sun slowly grilled me. But I couldn't care less. I clung to her side. Satisfied, spent, still somewhat thrilled. The adrenaline rush subsided slowly. My head cleared away the haze. This... it had felt different. I was used to spur of the moment decisions with her. I was used to getting overwhelmed or surprised. Luna somehow always managed to coax out my more spontaneous side. But this? “Phew,” I said quietly and nuzzled her side.

She giggled in reply. “Yes.”

“So… mind telling me what that was all about?” I asked with a chuckle as I kissed her neck, then her jaw, and finally her cheek.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled in a content sigh. “Back when I was young,” she started…

… and I immediately interrupted her with a chuckle. “So in ancient times.”

“I could throw you back to Canterlot, you know?” she threatened me with a smile. She pulled me tighter against herself so that she could reach my ear and gave it a soft nip. “Or I could grind you into dust,“ she purred quietly. The tip of her tongue slowly traced along the edge of my ear and made me shudder in delight. “I think I would like that.“

I pulled my ear free and angled my head up to kiss her longingly. “So would I.“ Even though we were both more than willing, it would not work out. We knew it. We flew for hours. And the adrenaline was still receding. Maybe her stamina would play along — mine certainly would not. So I sighed and gave her a peck on her nose. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”

Mollified, she did just that. “It is a wedding custom.” That left me speechless. “Or it was. ‘In ancient times’, I suppose.” She smirked and winked at me. “Even back then, it was considered too dangerous by many pegasi. But some who were daring enough, brave or foolish enough, kept the tradition alive. From what I can tell, it is mostly forgotten these days. But I had always wished to experience it, to have a traditional—… well.”

As my brain slowly caught up, I chuckled quietly. “Did we just marry?”

Luna smiled. She looked so overjoyed, so happy and full of passion and love. “Not according to any documentation or legal procedure.”

I grinned and pulled her in for another kiss. And maybe a bunch more after that. I let go of her once I had enough. For now. “We totally did,” I concluded and snuggled up to her once more. “And we consummated our marriage as well. I mean… we’ve always been moving quickly, I guess…” A wedding custom. Tumbling from the sky, interlocked with each other. Thinking about it now, with a clearer head… yes, it was quite dangerous. I was pretty sure that Luna had navigated for both of us. I could not remember my own wings doing much while we spiraled down. But as far as I was concerned, that was okay. And it totally still counted. “The answer is yes.”

“Hm?” she asked.

“Yes,” I repeated, “I would love to marry you. You’re usually supposed to ask that before the wedding, but hey, I don’t mind.” And truly, I did not. I would at some point marry Celestia. Officially. With… what was it? Documentation and legal procedure. And maybe laws would change someday. And I could marry her as well. And Twilight. But as far as proper documentation was concerned, I had one fiancé and one only.

Who gives a crap about that. I kissed Luna again. “So, according to legends,” I started again, “you’re now going to transform into a dragon, right?”

She giggled. “That might be something interesting to test later. They supposedly have some very interesting anatomical differences.”

That was not what I had meant. And she knew that perfectly well. Still, I chuckled despite myself and nodded. “Hm. Looking forward to it.”

It slowly dawned on me as we were lying there that technically, somepony could have seen us. A lot of ponies could have seen us fly around all afternoon and evening. But more importantly, somepony could have seen us consummate our marriage. Somepony could most certainly have heard us. The barren was wide and flat and with little obstructions. Sound traveled fast and far. And Luna was quite a loud lover. Something that was thrilling and exciting and now served perfectly to get my anxiety started. “We, uhm… we should probably head back to the inn?”

We got up, dusted each other off and walked back. In my case because, honestly, I was beat. Having wings had been fun and all, but I looked forward to having my horn back. My entire back ached. My wings ached. My legs ached. My everything ached. And while she did not say anything, I highly suspected that Luna’s wings could use some preening after our latest activity. Lying on the ground in a sandy barren was something else than lying on a smooth, soft bedsheet. The adrenaline and the excitement had surely dulled it a little, but I could not imagine it being all that comfortable.

I was genuinely relieved that we did not catch any odd looks when we reentered town. Nopony giggled or whispered behind an upheld hoof, nopony blushed or got out of the way. Everything seemed fine. Normal. Nopony cared, or better yet, maybe nopony had noticed. I would gladly accept the latter as my new head canon for what had happened. That is, nothing.

We entered the Salt Block and Royal was behind the bar counter. It was late evening and, well, the Salt Block was packed with customers. All of Appleloosa seemed to be here. Royal Splendor and two other ponies, probably employees, had all hooves full. They ran around between packed tables and served drinks and food and whatnot. That certainly did not look like we would be telling stories anytime soon. Another time then.

There was an upside to this though. With everypony down here, I highly suspected that barely anypony was upstairs. “We could take a bath,” I whispered to Luna who quickly and quite eagerly approved of the idea. So we made our way to the stairs and waved a little greeting in Royal’s direction as he noticed us sneak away. The bathroom was a simple affair, but the plumbing was decent enough. Steaming water quickly filled our large wooden tub and we eased ourselves into the warmth with a satisfied groan from each of us.

The heat seeped into my bones and made it all the more apparent how dead on my hooves I was. Luna was a bit better off with her alicorn stamina, but she still relished the chance to relax a little. We soaked for a few minutes, but of course somepony came and knocked. We had closed the door and used the key so that nopony would just barge in, but we could not just let whoever was outside wait forever. “A moment please,” I called out.

“It’s fine, don’t rush,” the voice of a mare replied.

I looked over to Luna and smiled lopsided. “Well, it seems like the bath time is over. But I have another thing in mind. Do you want to join me?”

As I reached out with a hoof, she smiled and took it. “With pleasure.”

We exited the tub, dried ourselves off with a few towels and let the drain consume the water. We were surprised to find nopony waiting in the hallway. “Huh. Maybe she went down again?” I wondered but ultimately shrugged and ushered Luna to the end of the hallway and into our room. “Lie down on the bed please.”

She obviously already knew what was coming and preemptively already expanded her still damp wings. And I got to work. The upside of having intimate relationships with three alicorns was — aside from numerous and obvious other benefits — that I had a lot of practice by now when it came to preening. Adding to that was the fact that I remembered some minor little hints and tricks from previous cycles concerning Luna’s preferences and I actually felt well-equipped to transform what was a simple matter of personal hygiene into a decently good time. And she was enjoying herself quite a bit, if her happy sighs and content hums were anything to go by.

Once I was done, she carefully folded her wings on her back. “Thank you. That was quite pleasant.”

I smiled, took care of a few little things and finally crawled into bed beside her. We were lying muzzle to muzzle. She closed her eyes and dozed a little while I watched her for a couple of minutes before my mind inescapably started to wander off.

I was a little apprehensive about the next few days and what was to come after that. A small voice in the back of my head told me in no uncertain terms that the vacation part of our journey would most decidedly end as soon as we reached hostile territory. And since I could not just stop thinking, but barely managed to offer a certain direction to think in, I turned my attention to the past and the way we had already come. It quickly devolved into a jumbled mess of course, as my thoughts seemed to jump from memory to memory without apparent rhyme or reason. But one thought eventually stuck out. One memory, to be specific. And I really wished it had been something else. Anything else, really.

But right there, before my mind’s eye, was the very moment I bid my farewell to Moondancer and I, the idiot that I was, leaned in. To kiss her presumably. Even now, I could not tell. I could not tell what my own intentions had been. That was a disturbing thought. It always was. I considered myself a very self-reflective pony. I was aware of my inner turmoil and conflicts, of my urges and impulses, of my emotions. I knew what I did and why. Uncertainty was rarely left unchecked, rarely allowed to linger. I dissected it. Studied the circumstances of its creation. Until I eventually figured it out. And I usually did.

This time however, I was stumped.

It was not this moment alone of course. It was the whole Moondancer-conundrum. This one moment only represented the greater whole. A symbol for something that was wrong and that I did not understand.

“You are brooding,” Luna’s voice suddenly cut into my, well… my brooding.

“I’m not,” I defiantly stated a little too hastily. I looked at her and noticed that her eyes were still closed. But my reaction elicited a soft smile on her lips.

“Mhm.”

“How would you know,” I tried to keep up my argument.

Her smile grew a little wider. “I can hear you think.”

I sighed. She trolled me again. Hopefully. That would be a lot of noise I had made in the past otherwise and would probably continue to make in the future. “Can I ask you something?” I finally relented after a good deal of hesitation on my part.

I suspected it was that tone in my voice that made her open her eyes. Beautiful cyan. “Of course.”

I sighed. I wondered for a moment why I started sorting my thoughts only now. As if she would potentially have denied my request. I quickly realized I needed some sort of preamble again. That was easy to come by at least. “You’re beautiful.”

She smiled. “Thank you. However, I doubt that this was your ‘question’.”

“No,” I replied, “but you are. And I don’t just mean pretty on the outside. There is so, so much to love and adore about you. To admire. Your grace. Your elegance. Your confidence. Your intelligence. Your humor. I can’t be the only one seeing it. In fact, I know I’m not the only one. Twilight sees it, too. Maybe not the, you know, the exact same stuff. But she sees it. She understands it. And that’s a… a precedent, then. I know of a few guards that have deeper feelings than mere loyalty for Celestia. It’s… it’s always a bit awkward. And I can’t imagine that there’s nopony else interested in you. That Nopony else is trying to court you. Maybe nobles. Maybe members of the night guard? Neither you nor your sister ever talk much about that. I don’t mind. I don’t ask, to be fair. I’m not sure how to handle that, what to make of it. But I just… I assume it’s there. The gifts. The offers. The… opportunities, I suppose. And without wanting to imply anything — truly, I don’t! Are you ever… you know… tempted?”

She remained silent for a while. Maybe she tried to decipher my intentions and motivations. What my point to all this was. I could not tell. “I went to a benefit gala last month.“ I even remembered that. “I cannot remember who hosted the event. It was yet another drab and boring affair, and I would have loved to have Twilight or you by my side. Alas, you were both busy.“ It was an example. I knew that. Yet despite this, I grimaced slightly. She had told me about it. Lady Valencia's Gala for Everypony. A distinctly exclusive event. Twilight could not attend because she was with Celestia. They had searched for weeks to find a day where they could just meet up and share some time. I could not remember for the life of me what I had been busy with. I could remind Luna. But that was not the point. She had already made that much clear. So I kept my silence and let her move on.

“It was not the first time I found myself in such a predicament, of course. I can make due with what I have. In this instance, a lovely mare came to my rescue. I suspect you are familiar with Fleur de Lis? She is a model, as far as I know. For all intents and purposes, she is gorgeous. Many consider her the epitome of beauty. And I do not think they have that opinion because of her looks alone. Though I must admit, she is quite a sight.” The very same moment I grimaced slightly, Luna softly giggled. Retribution was had. “She is a lovely mare, from what I can tell. Kind-hearted and soft-spoken, but confident and shrewd. She is a notorious flirt and a relentless tease.”

I smiled, despite the small twinge of jealousy. “Reminds me of somepony.”

Luna leaned in and kissed me briefly. It was chaste but I relished it nonetheless. “There are others that… propose. But was I tempted?” She only briefly fell silent before she shook her head as best as she could. “No.”

While a part of me was relieved, an even bigger one felt guilty. And now of course, an unspoken question lingered in the air. Why do you ask, her eyes questioned me. “Do you know Moondancer?” I managed to overcome my hesitation.

Luna furrowed her brow as she searched her memory for that unfamiliar name. “She is one of Tia’s librarians, is she not?”

I chuckled. “You do realize that those are your librarians as well? Since, you know, those are your Archives as well?” She grinned for a moment and made a dismissive hoof gesture. Details. Honestly, maybe that was for the better. Despite the lack of visitors, there were too many ponies claiming ownership of the Archives as is. “But, uhm… yes. That Moondancer. I…” I sighed. And for a brief moment, I thought back to when we had been flying. Right before we started to tumble to the ground. It’s about trust. “I might have maneuvered myself into a bit of a pickle?”

“Have you fallen in love with her?” Luna straight up asked.

I should have expected as much. She was straight-forward if given the choice. She would never beat around the bush. I grimaced and once again spoke too hastily. “No!” But was that true? “No, I…” I sighed. “I don’t think so?” And I felt ashamed. I don’t think so. Where was that self-reflection I was so proud of? Was that really the best I could do? I sighed once more and dared to look into her eyes again. There was no judgment. No anger or distrust or feelings of betrayal. Nothing visible, anyway. “Are… are you mad?” I meekly asked. I needed to know. I needed to make sure that I had not hurt her.

To my surprise, she softly giggled in response. “Mad? Why would I be mad?” Before I got a chance to reply, she just as softly kissed me. “We had more sex in the last days than in the last two months. You never seem to grow tired of fawning over me, or complimenting me. And I think I know sincerity when I see and hear it. I like to think that I know you. I never talk about my suitors because I know that it makes you feel uncomfortable. You do not know how to handle that, and I see no reason to force you to. You trust me and that is enough for me. And just a few hours ago, you married me. You could have backed out as soon as you learned of its significance, yet you did not. You accepted me and my silly little fantasy with all your heart. Without hesitation or doubt. I think I am quite certain of your dedication and love.” I felt my face heat up a little. “Please. Continue.”

Continue, she says. Like it’s that easy.

I took a moment to recollect myself. Again. It was not exactly the most fluid conversation we ever had, but then again, the difficult ones rarely were. “She is a friend of mine. I would like to call her a good friend, but that's honestly hard to tell. She’s a bit of a recluse. Very knowledgeable. Always has her muzzle in some book or twelve. She’s… a little rough around the edges, to put it diplomatically. I don’t meet up with her that often. She rarely initiates meetings with friends herself. It’s mostly us dragging her out of her library, or her home, which is almost the same thing anyway. In many ways, she reminds me of Twilight. Prior to crown, wings and resocialization. But there’s a lot more that reminds me of her. She’s a friend and I just… I don’t want to hurt her. Or any of you for that matter.” Please help me. It was implied, right? There was no need to actually say it if it was strongly implied. I was pretty sure that was how it worked. I sure hoped so.

“How aware is she of your… hm… concerns?” Luna asked with a little bit more hesitation. Probably due to the difficulty of finding an appropriate term for that mess. Something I struggled with as well. It was not just about my feelings. There was a lot more playing into this.

I grimaced. “After last time? Uh… very. I’d say, she’s very aware of it now.” Maybe I should not have left her like that. Maybe I should have asked if we could go inside and talk about it more. Maybe I should have tried to… well, what? Brute force the issue?

“Do you want her?”

Luna’s question caught me completely off-guard. “I—… what?” But she did not elaborate, nor did she take anything back. I shook my head a little more violently, just in an attempt to clear it. I blinked, as if that would help. And slowly tried to work through my shock. “I don’t… know? I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling, or what I want, or what… any of this means, I’m just confused. All I can think about are these issues that seem more important and at the same time less important. Like… I haven’t said a single word to Sunny for now. Because I didn’t—... I convinced myself that this wasn’t an issue. For quite some time, I think? A-And same goes for Twilight. And it’s so hard to keep them separate, like, when we’re close, I mean? Twilight and Moondancer, I mean. It feels familiar, and it really shouldn’t. I think I keep projecting onto her or something. And burden her with expectations I have for Twilight, that’s just so incredibly unfair to just about everypony…”

Luna sighed and raised a hoof to stroke down my neck again. A familiar gesture that helped to calm me down. “As long as you cannot tell with certainty what you are feeling, what you want from her and for her, there is little I can say or do to help you.”

I felt like choking. My throat was tight and my voice quavered a little. “What if I mess up?” I whispered. And my voice sounded so deathly afraid. It was a surprisingly good mirror for what I felt.

“My niece used to say: Love should never be wrong,” Luna replied. “And I dare say that Twilight shares this sentiment when it comes to friendship.“

Just thinking about Cadance added a little stomach pain to the whole mix. I was not meddling in her affairs again this time. So that was a plus. And maybe asking her was not the worst idea ever. I just dreaded it. For some reason I could not explain well, I dreaded asking her. Cadance was imposing. Intimidating, even. And I had no idea why.

We fell into silence. Each of us followed their own thoughts for several minutes. I tried to come up with a plan to contact a certain Princess of Love. I tried to psych myself up enough to actually do it. And Luna apparently mulled the scenario I had presented her with over.

“There is another possibility,” she spoke up again.

“What do you mean? Possibility for what?”

“For what you might feel towards her,” she answered. I looked at her and patiently waited for her explanation. “I am no expert. The scientific field of psychology did not exist as such before my banishment. But I think that you might simply be attracted to broken things.” I grimaced. That sounded horrible on so many levels. “For all I can tell, you are a supporter. It defines the core of your very being. You raise up those around you as best as you can. You help them achieve. You secure. You give comfort. You help mend wounds. You give all you can and in some cases all we allow you to give. While rarely asking anything in return and rarely taking anything. You have once told me about your first encounters with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in this life. In a way, they were hurt. And you did what comes naturally to you. My sister claims proudly that she is not broken. And that it is not your place to ‘fix’ her. And yet I see wounds slowly being mended that she refuses to acknowledge. And I see them mended through smiles you are responsible for. And I… well. Let us just say that we all have our cracks and scars. That is the price of living. Maybe you do not love Moondancer. But neither did you love Pinkie Pie in a romantic way, did you? You mentioned being attracted to her, yet you still knew… how did you put it? ‘Where she belonged, and where your boundaries were’. From what little you told me about her, she sounds, above all else, lonely. Maybe even caught in a cage of her own design. What she seems to require is companionship. And since she is dear to you, your instinct is to provide. To give what you can. Only this time, what you try to give might no longer be yours to give freely.”

That theory would align with me choosing Celestia over everypony else. I grimaced slightly and turned my muzzle to groan into the pillow. It made sense? To a certain extent? Sure sounded very reasonable right now. It just did not help, did it? It was not exactly a step-by-step instruction manual on how to proceed from here. “What do I do, Luna?” I asked, still muffled due to the pillow in my face.

With a quiet sigh, she pulled me in and thereby away from my muffler of choice. “You wish to provide warmth and comfort to a pony that is important to you. As long as precise boundaries are set and upheld, I see no reason to discourage you from doing so. But as you already know, I am not the only one you will have to talk about that with. I have managed to make my peace with you courting Twilight and I admittedly even enjoy the thought of it at times. I usually refrain from thinking too much about my dear, beloved sister in that regard, but even that did not prove as much of an obstacle as I expected it to be. And I say this because I do think that, out of the three of us, I would be the one most likely to object.”

“So you’re giving me a license to snuggle?” I tried to lighten the mood a little. My own, mostly. It was still a measly joke. And one in poor taste as well, probably.

Luna smiled and nodded. “Within reason, yes. We will have to talk about this in detail of course. But as I said, I am quite certain who your heart belongs to. And that gives me peace of mind.”

I still had a lot of soul-searching to do. I needed to figure out what I wanted, just like Luna had said. She slowly levitated the blanket over our embraced bodies. I was looking forward to dreamwalking for the first night. The first night side by side with my wife. And that thought alone managed to perk me up and filled me with excitement.

This Ravine Just Goes On Forever

Author's Note

There are two longer passages written in italics in this chapter. The first one I would tag with 'death', 'gore' and 'violence', just to be on the safe side. There's way more gruesome stuff out there on FiMFiction, but it get's a little nastier than I usually write. Reader's discretion is advised.
Since it's only that one passage so far and I don't see myself writing more in that vein within the confinements of this story, I won't tag the entire story as such, as that could mislead readers.

This Ravine Just Goes On Forever

The dreamscape had been busy once again. I woke up with a sigh. Despite my mild annoyance, I had to smile as I heard my gesture repeated behind me. “I tell you, they know,” I mumbled. And for another minute or two, I simply refused to get up. Or even so much as budge. Luna seemed to struggle with her start as well as she simply held onto me and we cuddled for a while, slowly regaining our will to actually start a new day.

We eventually realized that we could not stay in bed forever. I felt it in my bones that this early hour was strictly against my nature, but we had a long way ahead of us and it would not do to waste daylight hours like that. Traveling at night would have been preferable, actually. The enchantments on my armor allowed me a better vision and Luna was nocturnal by nature. However, there were certain predators that loved to hunt at night and the armor would slow me down.

So we got up, quietly used the bathroom and packed our things. We sneakily stepped down the stairs and had made our way halfway across the Salt Block’s ground floor when I stopped and hissed “Wait!” When Luna turned to me, I vaguely gestured towards the bar counter. “We wanted to pay Royal Splendor!”

She grinned and nodded. “That is already done,” she replied and gestured towards a display cabinet a little to the side of the counter. It proudly presented Royal’s collection of fancy mugs, cups and tankards. “Half of them are filled with bits,” she explained with a soft giggle.

I needed a moment to comprehend. And quite honestly, to count the various drinking implements. Now, she had said ‘filled’, but did she really mean filled-filled? Because if so, we had just lost a couple of pounds of weight and overpaid the stallion by a lot. Not that I minded the latter, I just did not wish to give the poor guy a heart attack. But maybe she only left a few coins in each? Or only filled them halfway?

Luna is a mare of excess and passion. She does not do ‘half-measures’, I reminded myself. I had to actually work hard to reign myself in so as to not chuckle too loudly. “Good,” I simply replied and continued towards the exit. I was really bad at estimating somepony else’s age, but I thought Royal looked about my age, plus minus ten years or so? A heart attack would not be that likely, right?

We successfully snuck out of the inn without causing a ruckus and waking everypony up. A few farmers were up and about from the looks of it, but most of them kept to themselves and their business, despite the inherently friendly nature of Appleloosians. A few smiles, as words were hard to come by this early, a few nods and we managed to escape the town. With such flat land all around us, it was easy to find the tracks of the abandoned railway line and once we reached those, we quickly fell into a nice, simple rhythm for our trek.

Of course at that point, it took an hour or two until I remembered that yes, we had left somewhat hastily and without breakfast. My stomach rumbled a little and I laughed quietly as Luna’s belly answered in turn. “Breakfast break?” I asked.

“Are your hooves still good?” she asked.

Fair enough, really. I was not used to walking for hours. And today would most likely end in me complaining up a storm about how everything hurt or ached or whatnot. But so far, I was fine. “Still good,” I answered honestly.

She acknowledged that and opened her saddlebags with her magic. And out flew what I had dreaded: Allfood. Two slices of it, for the time being. “In that case, I will fix us something and we can continue on our way?”

I was not exactly looking forward to Allfood, but I found no fault with her proposal since our options were somewhat limited. “Yeah, sure.”

My eyes grew a little as she retrieved a small little jar from her saddlebags. I knew that shape. I recognized the jar before I even saw the Apple-brand. And even more telling was the technicolor content. A swirl of rainbows. Zap apple jam. “How did you—… actually, just, how?” I inquired with a chuckle.

Luna giggled and shrugged. “Did I mention that my sister dearest has quite the sweet tooth? I plundered her private chamber’s not-so-secret stash. However, I am quite certain that she has plundered it herself from the palace kitchen, so I do not believe that a guilty conscience is required. Stealing from a thief is a gray area after all, is it not?” She winked at me with a mischievous smile and spread some of the jam on both slices.

I was not exactly sure if that would fit together, on second thought. Allfood was mostly made out of beans and vegetable and other, heartier stuff, was it not? But as she levitated my slice over, I gladly took it anyway and gave it a try. And to my surprise, there was not a trace of beans. Or peas. There were carrots in there, I was decently sure of that. But what I tasted most of all were… raisins? Apples. Bananas. “Huh. You changed the recipe?” I asked in surprise.

Luna proudly puffed her chest out and grinned in satisfaction. “I did! Do you like it?”

“Actually, yeah. It’s great!” And with a chuckle, I took another, bigger bite. Combined with the really unique taste of zap apple jam, it was quite the experience. And it tasted sweet enough that I made a mental note that I had to get a few pieces of this and offer them to Pinkie. I was pretty sure she would love this stuff.

“I am glad to hear that,” Luna answered happily after another bite. “I was not certain about the inclusion of some of the ingredients.” That remark made me pause for just a second or so and I eyed the Allfood from below. But I could not pick out what she meant. Not on a visual level. And I had certainly not tasted anything peculiar. So as long as she did not tell me about her more dubious ingredients, everything was fine. “I did make both versions,” she continued and gestured with her horn towards the other saddlebag, “as I had my doubts that we would appreciate such a sweet meal with the same fervor for dinner.”

“Good call,” I replied. “What about water?”

She raised a single bottle. A familiar one. “I refilled it. I thought that one might be sufficient if it contained enough?”

I smiled and nodded. “Sure.” I took a gulp, gave the bottle back and refocused my attention on my breakfast. Despite Spike's best efforts, eating while moving was something I had quickly grown accustomed to. I loved a good breakfast, a real one. Where everypony was sitting down at a table that was laden with all sorts of delectable stuff. Everypony took their time, the meal was to be enjoyed after all, and we would talk and mess around and such. It was a time-consuming affair, but as far as I was concerned, that was time well-spent.

Not every morning could be this indulgent though. Sometimes stuff had to be done quickly and efficiently. And while I greatly appreciated these long, lazy breakfast-mornings, the other ones were simply closer to my nature, it seemed. And to Luna's, judging by her content smile as we continued on our way.

We made a couple of smaller breaks here and there and my hooves obviously started to ache from all that walking at some point. I tried not to complain too much and I was quite successful in that regard. I would most likely be less so in the coming days. However, my attempts to obscure that fact on a non-verbal basis were less successful. I was slowing down. And no matter how hard I tried, I could not keep up. No amount of berating myself helped. No conscious effort to walk faster again would stick for more than a couple of minutes. And of course, all these efforts had the telling side-effect of me talking less and giving shorter answers. All things considered, Luna was surprisingly patient with me.

“I will have to raise the moon soon, we should set up camp for the night,” she offered.

And while a large part of me rejoiced with relief, my inner defiance demanded I not let it show too much. “If you say so,” I replied and grimaced a little. The tone had been a tad too dismissive for my tastes. Like I was implying that I could go on for miles still, while she was the one caving in. To my relief however, she merely smiled and left it at that.

Finding a decently sufficient campsite was not that hard. We had passed most of the Macintosh Hills today and were on the southern side of the mountains. A single glance to the sides told me in no uncertain terms what an arduous journey it would have been had we crossed the mountains at any other point. The train tracks carved a nice little valley through the mountains, using the natural terrain and improving upon it in places. Following the tracks really was the easiest choice. And now that we had made it through, we were still in the foothills. Too far away from the Forbidden Jungle to worry about big cats, and too far away from Arimaspi Territory to worry about stray centaur encounters. Maybe a bear or something like that could live somewhere around here. But I was decently sure we were capable of dealing with those.

“Sooo… tent?” I asked and Luna pointed her hoof to one of the saddlebags I carried. That left only one saddlebag with ominous content. The other three were breakfast, dinner and our shelter. I made a mental note of that and grinned a little to myself as I put down the bags and started to unpack our tent. It was done quite quickly. Because it really was just one tent. A small one at that. The kind Applejack used when they went camping.

Setting up a tent was still tedious though. I had no instruction manual to guide me, which I would have preferred greatly, and a bunch of rods of varying sizes were meant to secure the tent on the ground and hold up its frame. And while I fiddled around with the damn thing, Luna put together a nice little fireplace and ignited it with a spark of magic. “Do you need help?” she asked. And even though there was nothing but sincerity in her voice, my first instinct still was a snappy remark.

So I bit down on my tongue and took a deep breath. No reason to lash out with my frustration. “I think I’m almost done, but thank you,” I replied instead and indeed, a few more minutes and the damn thing was done. The upside: Now I knew how to do it. The downside: My hooves did not ache less.

“Lie down on your side,” Luna instructed me. “I have a little something for you.”

“More ointments?” I asked with a smirk. The last can we had emptied due to vigorous activity. I wondered if the fourth saddlebag was our first aid kit, so to speak of. Or maybe it was just ‘the other stuff’ and contained just about anything that was not food or camping supplies.

Luna did not answer. She instead retrieved another can, as expected. A different size and shape. No label. And she levitated a little bubble of water out of our bottle and spread it into four smaller ones. Which she put on my hooves. It felt really nice, but at the same time made me aware of how hot they seemed. They almost throbbed, now that their task was done. For today, anyway. And the water seemed to drain that excess heat out of them.

She sat down at my side, took one of my legs and started to give me a hoof massage. I blinked in surprise before I softly chuckled. She grinned and continued on undisturbed. “Thank you, Luna.”

A few minutes later, my hooves were sore. More than they had already been. But they did not hurt anymore, which was a good thing. “My turn?” she asked with a small smile and I replied in kind. After all, despite the incredible alicorn stamina — when had been the last time she had walked this much? And even if she only played the part, that still would have been fine with me. Who doesn’t love a massage? And I sure loved to give them, especially to her. Maybe I had been a spa pony in some iterations?

“Your turn,” I happily agreed. And I returned the favor. Her hooves radiated heat and I imagined they ached just as much as mine did. The relief plastered all over her face certainly supported that notion. After I was done with the water, the cleaning and the massage, I took one of her hooves and raised it up once more. Applying the balm would have been the next step, but I hesitated for a second or two, before I simply leaned forward and cautiously licked the underside of her hoof. I heard a soft gasp as I slowly drew my tongue across its surface and grinned from ear to ear when I looked down to her. She was surprised, but not averse to the idea. It was always a delight to see how easily I could get her going.

“I will have to raise the moon soon,” she whispered with some regret tinging her voice.

I snickered and shrugged. “What a shame. But I’m sure it won’t be the last opportunity,” I replied and opened the can with the ointment.

“I will make sure of that,” Luna replied with a sultry smile.

I carefully applied the balm and put her last hoof down to let them rest and recuperate. And I sat down in front of her. “Better?”

“Much better,” she answered with a smile and pulled me down for a kiss.

I simply followed my gut. I slightly angled my head to deepen the kiss further and probed her lips with the tip of my tongue. A request quickly answered and our tongues intertwined in a little dance of their own. Our breathing deepened as passions rose. I stroked along her neck with a hoof.

“I need to raise the moon,” she whispered after pulling away.

“You’re raising a lot right now,” I replied, still in a daze. And I would probably have kept my mouth shut had I actually thought about what I was saying. I had no time to be embarrassed though as she craned her neck and gave the head of my member a quick kiss. A light shudder ran through my body.

And relentless tease that she was, she got up and turned away from me with a wink and a smirk. “Enjoy the show,” she told me. I was pretty sure she meant the rising moon, but my eyes were fixed on her rump for a moment longer, her tantalizingly swishing tail covering what I craved right now.

It took some restraint and a few deep breaths to reign myself in. Bad timing is bad, I whined.

Maybe half a minute later, I had accepted my fate and managed to recompose myself. Luna had apparently needed a moment to do the same. She looked back and a loving smile graced her lips right before she started. A few steps to the left. Light steps. Like stepping on snow and not wanting to disturb the cold layer. Her wings twitched slightly. A few more graceful steps. Her eyes were closed, I noticed. And a serene smile persisted. I eventually realized what I witnessed.

She was dancing.

It was a slow dance. Meant for two. But her partner was missing. And yet, she kept in sync with a melody that I suspected only she heard. Her wings slowly unfolded. Not like a peacock presenting his beauty to impress, but like a lover’s embrace. The motion itself, the care and caution demonstrated by it, was such an intimate display. Her dance reached a crescendo as she took a few quick steps and with wingbeats so soft that I was surprised she could lift off at all, she was airborne. And yet her dance continued. She flew slowly and rose higher. There was a beauty to it that I could never hope to describe. And with another crescendo, the airborne part of her dance peaked. A wide gesture with her hoof and a part of the now blackened sky lit up.

Many scholars and even more writers had described this spectacle before. Yet I found most of the descriptions I had read somewhat lacking. The stars did not pop into existence. Their light did not increase in strength. They did not appear. It instead seemed like they had always been there. Waiting to be seen, to be noticed. Patiently. And all she did was to cut through the clouds. To part a mist that had obstructed them from view.

Another gesture with her hoof and another part of the sky lit up. Like a wave. As if she was splashing in water and the ripples chased along the sky, towards the horizon. And with each tiny dot that came to life, that returned to view, her beloved moon peaked a little higher over the horizon. This grand silver disk of pale light. I loved moonlight. It was soft. Almost teasingly.

I noticed that Luna's dance had followed a different pattern. I had seen the summer sun celebration and I had seen the winter solstice. Official holidays with official celebrations and both princesses raised their respective celestial bodies in front of thousands. The festivities were a bit much for my taste, but I could get behind the intent, at least. But on those days, Luna raised the moon in a similar fashion as Celestia did. Where was the difference?

When Luna landed, she seemed both proud and surprisingly shy. “What do you think?” she asked.

It was inevitably another one of those moments. No matter how hard I tried, I was utterly dissatisfied with each and every attempt to describe what I had seen. “It was magnificent,” I tried anyway. I did not want to let her wait for too long, lest she would get anxious. “It was impressive. It was gorgeous… you were gorgeous.”

She blushed. The faintest tint in her cheeks gave it away. The moonlight only accentuated it. “Thank you,” she softly replied. “I am glad you liked it. It is rare that I get a chance to display it like that.”

I patted the ground next to me and she followed the invitation and sat down. And without hesitating a second, I pulled her into a kiss. I could feel her anxiety. I didn't quite understand what had her so on edge, but I was glad to notice it slowly bleeding out of her. “About that. What’s up with that anyway? I’ve seen you raise the moon on the winter solstice. And from your balcony. It never looks like this.”

She sighed. And it was the kind of ‘a long and partially regrettable past is being dragged into light’-sigh. “My sister, for as much as I love her, casts a very long shadow.” She fell silent and I was not sure if she wanted to explain any more than this. I considered if I should ask or not, as I knew that she occasionally still struggled with her past, but she continued before I could reach a decision. “We are very… different.”

I chuckled softly. “I’ve noticed.”

Despite my interruption, she seemed at least appreciative of the attempt to lighten the mood a little. “My sister raises the sun like a great burden she carries. It is fitting. Her responsibility is giving life. Without the sun, plants would not grow. Neither trees, nor crops. Without plants, entire ecosystems would break apart. She is well aware of what her duty means. And she raises the sun with that knowledge in both mind and heart.”

“Wait, are you calling the sun fat?” I interrupted again.

This time, I got her. She cracked up and after a rather undignified initial snort, she laughed quietly for a good moment. “I mean, have you seen the size of that thing?” she went along with the banter.

I huffed a little in faux-indignation. “Before you dare, I feel I must warn you: Do not, under any circumstances, allude to any correlation between the size of her celestial body and the size of her, well, celestial body.”

I cracked her up even more this time. It took her a minute or so until she was able to speak again and I even offered her the bottle to take a sip. “Thank you.” She closed it afterwards and put it down nearby. And then she watched me. Studied me. “So what you are saying is… that you prefer my sister’s plump posterior to mine?”

Had I not noticed that playful and mischievous twinkle in her eyes, at least the edge in her voice would have given her away. “No, not at all. In fact, I prefer your sister’s plump posterior alongside your finely toned rump,” I quickly tried to wiggle my way out of the noose. And just for good measure, I put a hoof on her cutie mark and let it wander around a little while suggestively smiling in her direction. “That being said, I will not stand any insults to either of you, no matter the source. I would have to valiantly defend her honor and dignity and that can only get messy.”

Luna smirked and leaned down just enough to sultrily whisper into my ears. “I like it messy.”

I snickered and tilted my head up to fetch a kiss before she could pull away again. “Well, speaking from experience here, I like you messy.” We both giggled for a brief moment before a comfortable silence settled in between us. Eventually though, I tried to coax her to get on with the conversation. I did want to hear her explanation, after all. “The moon is no burden to you though.”

She smiled and looked up to the sky where her beauty shone bright. “No. It is not. For many, the night is a time of rest and relaxation. For others, it is a time of sneaking around, stalking and whispering. It is a time of forgiveness and secrets. When raising the moon, I dance. I coax it out of its hiding place. It almost feels like talking to it. With motion instead of words.”

“It is quite a spectacle,” I quietly agreed. “And the solstice?”

Her gaze fell. Back down to me, accompanied by a sigh. “Long shadows. And admittedly, insecurity on my part.” I furrowed my brow. It was not like her. To be insecure. That being said – everypony was insecure about something, sometimes. Even the most confident pony. “After my return, ponies had come to expect a certain tradition. The first time I publicly raised the moon, some hecklers in the crowd started to whisper and question what I was doing, that I was doing it ‘wrong’. I had tried to be my own pony and thus had refused to have Celestia present. In retrospect, I wished she would have been there. The next year, I raised the moon as was expected of me. I wish to return to what it used to be. To the way it should be. But I have yet to find the confidence to actually do it.”

I grimaced. It was just another example of how a few loudmouths could cause so much trouble and issues. But at least I thought I had a decent idea to fix it. “Does Twilight know?”

She nodded. “I told her a few months ago.”

‘A few’ was not exactly a precise statement. Maybe that had been before the last winter solstice, maybe after it. I shrugged. “We’ll be there next time. We’ll bring Pinks and the gang along as well. We place them in the crowd strategically and you shouldn’t have any problems at all. Rarity especially knows a thing or two about crowd control. Literally.”

Luna smiled. “You would do that for me?”

I snorted in response. “Are you kidding me? Is that even a real question? Because it shouldn’t be. You’re not supposed to bend yourself like that for others' sake'. The winter solstice is supposed to be a day where we celebrate you. You slave away for our sake each and every day. I think that’s one day to many. So yes, of course we’ll be there. And I know Applejack has two hooves very eager to make acquaintance with any hecklers’ face.”

“I—… thank you.”

I grinned and leaned over to briefly nuzzle her cheek. “No worries. I’m pretty sure Twilight already planned something along those lines anyway.”

We simply sat there side by side and watched the moon and the stars. When the night air chilled a little, she draped a wing across my back and while musing about the stars, I returned to my prior frustration about her marvelous display. “It’s such a shame,” I quietly said. “No matter how much I learn, no matter how much I read, I will never be able to do it justice. There are numerous ponies out there who are perfectly content with describing something as ‘it was awesome’ or ‘it was pretty’. But that’s just their personal experience with it. It’s biased. I wish I could describe with objective clarity what I was granted to witness. In a way that leaves no room for imagination, because I feel like… no matter how vivid it might be, no matter how good it might be, it would warp and distort what I am trying to invoke. I wish I could present exactly what I had seen. I wish I could find the right words to paint the exact scenery in other ponies’ minds. So that they may experience the same awe and wonder I did. But then again, that’s the point, isn’t it? They might not feel the same awe and wonder. They might not be as inspired by it, as astounded and enthralled. Heck, they might not even care. And I suppose that’s fine. Or… it should be fine, really. But it ain’t. Because I want to share that so badly.”

Luna had listened silently. And once I stopped rambling on, she softly leaned against me and squeezed me a little with her wing. “Thank you.”

I wanted others to see her like I did. Which was a weird thing, really. If they did, they would fall in love with her, would they not? And I would probably get jealous. Eventually. So was this wish an act of self-sabotage?

I did feel like she was underappreciated by the general public compared to her sister. But then again, Luna had missed a couple of years. Years in which Celestia, willingly or otherwise, had ingrained herself into the consciousness of the entire nation. Maybe Equestria would come to appreciate Luna just as much as I did in time. Maybe I was just impatient.

Either way, I was frustrated with the many obvious imperfections of language. This notable lack of precision irked me. On some days more than others.

“We should get some sleep,” she spoke up again a few minutes later. I honestly had been half asleep anyway. The hoof massage, the pretty moonrise, the long day of walking — I was beat. I gladly crawled into the tent next to her and did not even have much time to wonder about how awful it would most likely be to sleep in a tent before I already opened my eyes standing in the dreamscape.

The next morning came early after yet another busy night. And the day was a trudge. The train tracks were situated in a long ravine. We had the Arimaspi Territory to your right and the Forbidden Jungle to our left, but neither really reached down here. What did reach down here was the rain that started around midday.

On one hoof, it was a welcome reprieve from the unrelenting heat that we had endured yesterday. On the other hoof, we were in a ravine. In the middle of a hefty downpour. Soon enough, the ground was muddy. That could be countered easily enough – we simply switched to walking on the wooden beams securing the tracks. But the puddles all around us only grew and at some point formed little streams that eventually grew into small rivers, forming larger lakes. Parts of the tracks were flooded. A small syncline, maybe thirty feet across, was now a lake of muddy brown water. Luna picked me up and we flew across it, sure. But that was not the only obstacle the rain presented for us.

And then there was the part about being wet all day. Drenched to the bone, to be precise. While I felt that we still made good progress, walking for hours with every step making a slightly disturbing slurping sound was a miserable experience. I was pretty sure that Luna had a couple of decently useful spells, just as much as I was sure to know why she did not use them. They cost her a certain amount of energy and concentration and she would most likely not be able to keep them up for the entire duration. Or maybe she could — for today. But what about tomorrow? This close to the jungle, there was no telling how long this rain would last. Which really was a miserable prospect in its own right.

Another side effect of the thick gray cloud layer above our heads was the difficulty to tell when exactly it started to get late. Luna obviously knew when to raise the moon by instinct, but other than that? And we usually tried to set up camp before that point.

Luckily, though, the rain stopped in the late evening. The cloud cover was still there, still dark gray, foreboding and heavy, but the rain had stopped for now. It was… enough. Small mercies, yadda yadda.

We used the break to find a little ledge in the ravine’s walls that was elevated enough. Luna flew up and out of the ravine to retrieve some wood for a fire. There was little hope to find anything dry enough, but again: Magic was a game changer when it came to camping. Applejack would chide me for relying on it so much, though.

We had a little fire going soon enough, our tent was set up and secured and the overhang above us would hopefully provide enough shelter once the rain inevitably started again. This time, she pulled out all the stops. Spell after spell to dry the tent, to dry the wood, to dry us. When we finally settled in front of the fire, we were once again beat. The exhaustion from the first day had made sure that neither of us could complain too much about having a sore neck of back pain or anything like that, and judging by my own levels of fatigue, this night would be no different.

Luna eventually brought her horn to life and raised the moon with a soft glow of her magic. Not that either of us could see it, sadly.

“No dance tonight?” I asked with a wry smile.

She returned the smile and shook her head. “I have been doing this each and every night, three hundred and sixty days per year, for more years than I care to count. Not every night can be special. And quite honestly, I think I will be glad once this particular one ends.”

“Really now?” I joked around. “Whatever happened to ‘the night shall last forever’?”

While Luna grimaced slightly, she did also smile. “Let us just say that the nightmare had little knowledge of our world. She did not understand the futility of such a desire and the repercussions of enforcing its execution. Did we not talk about this yesterday? My sister is the life-giver. I am the one offering recuperation.”

Our understanding of dreamscape creatures was slowly changing. Evolving, maybe. Twilight was such a driving force behind many scientific studies. And she constantly spurred us on to do better. To be better. And to seek out greater understanding of the world around us. For a long time, both Luna and I had simply accepted the dreamscape as it was. But creatures like the Tantabus put into question what we thought we knew. About this realm, about its inhabitants, about its mechanics.

And I had not failed to notice that undertone in Luna’s voice. “You still struggle with this, don’t you?”

She searched for an answer for a few moments before giving up with a sigh. “How could I not? A great many things can be said about what was said and done back then and what could or should have been said and done. In the end, however, it all comes down to this: I witnessed the nightmare rampage, I witnessed her lash out against even those close to me and I did not struggle against her when I should have. It is hard to forgive ending lives, Dreamwalker. And impossible to forget.”

Her words hit me surprisingly hard. I knew that at some point, she started watching me. I felt it. Yet I remained silent as I struggled to free myself from the swamp of my memories. Images I dared not to take a closer look at vied for my attention. Sounds I dared not to listen to tried to make themselves heard. And I ultimately felt… empty. I shivered a little due to the sudden cold. “I wish I could agree,” I mumbled. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and released the air slowly, in a measured and even way.

“You killed?” she asked. There had been a significant pause between her last statement and this question. And she had apparently heard my whisper. For a fraction of a second, I regretted getting into this topic at all. But I had to remind myself that it was Luna I was talking to. Who would understand, if not her? There was already no judgment in her voice. Just genuine surprise.

“I did,” I answered. Many, many times.

“You never told me.” Still no accusation. Not even a trace of the burning curiosity I would have expected from Twilight, or the slightly manipulative undertone Celestia would have employed to coax more words out of me.

I sighed. “No. Nor have I told anypony else. Ever. And why would I? It’s not exactly a decent topic for banter and small talk.” It never comes up. And I was glad about that. Let bygones be bygones.

“Does Tia know?” she asked nevertheless. Was she concerned? For her sister’s sake, or mine?

I had already answered that question. But it was important enough to ask anyway, apparently. “No.”

We fell silent for a while. And we watched as the rain started to fall again. The ground of the ravine had not managed to absorb all the water yet, so some smaller lakes were still there to be refilled, streams swelled to rivers again and at least for now, we remained dry. As long as the direction of the wind would not change, we were safe.

“Would you tell me?” she continued.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had hoped, truly hoped, she would not ask. I did not expect judgment from her. Twilight would have the most issues with this information, I guessed. She knew that I had reservations towards a certain race. And that there was more than just bad blood. Or bad memories. But she had never asked and I had never told her. Celestia would understand the causality of it all of course. But I did not want her to understand. And Luna? Luna probably understood the best why I did not want that. Because I felt guilty. And deserving of punishment. And here I was, constantly preaching how she should forgive herself.

I sighed once again. “Would you really wish to know? And I don’t mean like ‘put me through this’, more like… don’t you fear it might change… things?”

She fell silent again. A minute passed by. I listened to the rain fall. How it pitter-pattered onto the ground. I listened to the rush of the water in the small stream below our ledge. And to the occasional crackling of the fire.

“I like to think that I know you,” she eventually spoke up. “And with everything I know about you, this cannot be something that has happened in this life. You know I advocate for you to use your memories. And I will continue to do so. But there is an important distinction. A line to be drawn. These other lives are separate from this one.”

“And that should equal forgiveness?” I asked more harshly than I had intended. I quickly dipped my gaze. “Sorry.”

I heard her wing extend and a few of her soft, beautiful primaries came to rest under my chin and raised my head again. It hurt. Seeing genuine love and affection in her eyes, even now, especially now, hurt. I swallowed and tried to keep myself from tearing up.

“Please. Tell me.”

I tried to battle through my inner turmoil, but quickly realized that that simply would not happen. There was just too much to be addressed. I instead resigned to tell whatever I could remember. And each memory, well. They were all too eager to finally get some attention and recognition. So I started with a breathy voice. “We lived in Greenwood. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize the name. The village doesn’t exist this time around.”

I had always felt drawn to those ancient castle ruins. For me, as a writer, it was an inspiration. But there was so much more to it. I felt like I could still see the history this place had. Take part in it. Shape and change it. They never truly felt like ruins to me.

Some incidents took place. I am not entirely sure what exactly, I can’t quite remember. I was not married at the time, not engaged either, but I had gotten you pregnant. We knew that a public outcry would follow. And we wanted to hide, in a way. I had already toyed with the idea of rebuilding the castle. And now that we had a reason to do so… well. It is astounding how much can be done in comparatively little time when ponies really put their minds to it.

Greenwood started as a couple of tents for the masons and carpenters and other workers. We had secured the road with enchanted torches to keep predators at bay. Fluttershy had somehow managed to wrangle the manticores in the surrounding area to help us. Pinkie kept up morale. Applejack helped the first farmers to tame the land. It was grueling work. And Rainbow helped tame the weather. We worked with volunteers only. But our lifeline was Ponyville and Ponyvillians are a strange bunch.

In time, tents were replaced by houses. Greenwood was an opportunity. For misfits. For con-artists and other minor criminals wanting to start over. It was a true frontier town. And we attracted some strange fellows. Flim and Flam opened up a tavern. It worked well enough, they got the business side of things down. But they realized too late that they had no actual interest in the tavern-side. That was when Trixie entered the picture. They agreed on some sort of co-ownership. She dealt with the entertainment, they kept the books in order. And whatever coins they had spare, they invested in their workshop. They built machines helping with construction. They assembled a conveyor belt from the quarry to the ruins. Every task was a challenge and they thrived and rose to each and every one. They learned so much in the process... grew so much as ponies.

We even saw the return of Lightning Dust. Such a pain in the flank. And yet, under Rainbow's leadership, she turned over a new leaf. She quickly gained our trust. And became a leader of her own weather team. Applejack trained a new breed of hard-nosed farmers. Ponyville had never been anything but accepting and welcoming to same-sex relationships. And despite that, Lily and Daisy only dared to open up about it once they moved to Greenwood.

Derpy moved with us as well. ‘Somepony’s gotta make sure you get your mail on time’, she used to say. I think she really just missed us. Dinky was the first filly running around the place. Exploring. Adventuring. She later introduced all the newcomers to the various different nooks and crannies she had found.

And with months passing, we rebuilt the castle.

It was hard work. Sweat and tears and blood. We had to fight for every grain, every drop of water, every meal. It was such a fulfilling, satisfying time.

With the castle rebuilt, we moved in. And we had your little foal. Things were looking up.

There is a changeling hive within the Everfree Forest. Somewhere in the south-eastern parts, I believe. Their queen is called Forsestri. I never learned her name back then. Heck, I don’t even know if she was their queen in this cycle. All I know is that they felt threatened by our ‘expansion into their territory’. Things escalated quickly. Changelings are not exactly known for their diplomatic endeavors. They did not try talking. A patrol was ambushed, but managed to flee and inform us. However, the ambush had not aimed to capture them. They wanted to make them flee. Back to base. So they knew where to strike.

We had some really smart ponies in our ranks. We managed to catch wind of their plans before they executed them. They readied their forces, and with little time to react, so did we. Greenwood was still young. A town in its infancy. We were not ready for a war. We certainly were not warriors. But we were a feisty bunch and we loved our home. We had carved this niche ourselves. Raised these houses ourselves. We would defend what we had built.

Changelings are subversive though. Devious and tricky. The assault was just a front, a distraction. To keep us busy and occupied. What they really wanted was a bargaining chip. Something they could dangle in front of us to make us go away. They wanted their stupid, hostile forest back.

So they tried to take our foal.

You forbade me from fighting. I was a writer back then, not a warrior. I had not held a sword in my entire life. I tried to trick you, with expectable results. You went to war. To lead an army of farmers and weather ponies and a few night guards. And I was basically under house arrest. For my own safety.

It meant I was one of very few to notice the drones sneaking into the castle. One of the guards managed to alarm me before he got knocked out. And I ran. I ran for all I was worth. As fast as my hooves would carry me. And a single drone faced me. A single drone stopped me. I tried so hard to break through, but that god-forsaken bug just kept me at bay with ease.

While the other one cocooned our foal. And took off through a window.

I failed.

I failed to keep my family safe. I failed to overcome even a single enemy. You had been right all along — what use was I on a battlefield? And I grew angry. So very, very angry. So desperate. They had taken the only thing I loved even more than you.

At the time, I didn’t think about it. Something happened. Some sort of power boost. Some sort of transformation. What did I care? I felt invigorated. I didn’t mind the blinders, they helped. A single focus, a single thought. I squashed that drone like it was nothing. I remember that look in its eyes. Surprise. Pain. Horror. I snapped its legs like twigs. I broke its horn off with a stomp as it dared to defy me. I yelled. Demanded to know where their hive was. I ripped its wings out with my bare teeth and spit its vile blood onto the floor in disgust. There was no empathy within me. No pity, no compassion. I trampled its broken legs until the sheer pain made it talk. Just enough. And once I knew, I smashed its head.

I don’t know exactly how I made it there. Especially given that the battle was already ongoing. But I reached a hive that was almost abandoned. The hive was not as big as I had thought. And almost every drone was on the battlefield right now. Except for the very few guarding the spawning chambers.

And I left none of them alive.

I had never felt any association with ice. And yet I threw magically enhanced spears of them, pinned a bug to a wall like a butterfly in a display. I pinned its legs as it scrambled around. Until it stopped twitching.

Another one tried to flee. So I made the blood in its body freeze. The water expanded when it turned to ice. It was a horrifying sight. The exoskeleton burst open. Frozen solid, rigid, it cracked in numerous places and small ice spikes protruded from those cracks.

The chambers were full of eggs. A new generation of the hive, waiting to mature. The future of their hive, right before me.

On some level, I had realized that our foal wasn’t here. Their queen was leading the charge. And with you holding her at bay, they probably brought their ‘bargaining chip’ straight to her. To initiate ‘negotiations’.

I smashed the eggs. I froze entire caverns. There was no resistance. No drones alive. And with the hive utterly annihilated, I turned my attention to the battlefield.

This anger, it did not subside. I came from behind. The battle had already stopped. Just as they had expected — the moment they presented their threat, the real threat, you stopped. A mother will always put her foals first. Always.

As should a father.

I crashed into their rear lines like a hurricane. Like a force of nature. I reared up and with a cry for blood, stomped my hooves onto the ground, and in a half-circle before me, ice spikes shot out from the ground. Straight through chests and legs and wings and heads.

At that point, my memories get even fuzzier. I don’t know how many I killed. I don’t know how the battle ended. I don’t know what happened to me. While it is not a visual memory, no sound either, I do know that we got our foal back. For some reason, this singular thought was important enough to stick past the threshold of what I can remember.

And the really horrifying thing about all of this are not the vivid details in which I remember some of the atrocities I committed. No. It is the fact that… I remember versions of it.

I remember that first drone looking shocked. Too surprised to display any other emotion.

I remember that first drone being scared. Terrified beyond belief.

I don’t know how many there were. How many ‘first drones’. How many battles. How many spawning chambers I devastated. How many changelings I skewered on that battlefield. Only that it happened in multiple cycles.

When I finally stopped, I felt sick to my stomach. My breathing had become erratic and I felt the streaks the tears had left on my cheeks. I felt like choking and puking and fainting and at the same time, I felt so incredibly tired. Heavy and exhausted.

My memories retreated slowly. Back into the depths where they lingered. Until they would vie for attention once more. Or maybe… maybe that was it. Maybe I was done with this now? It would have been a mercy. One I might not have deserved.

“Back then,” I finished with a hoarse voice, “I did not have a name for it. For… him. I did not care to ask or think about it. But I would venture a guess what his name is.”

Throughout the entire retelling, Luna had remained silent. To a certain extent, she had even played the same game Celestia so often employed. Unwilling to let me see her reactions in full, she had put on a stony façade. A mask. And at the time, I had not minded much. It made it easier to get all of it out in one go.

Now however, I could not help but ask myself. What was she thinking? What had she been thinking this entire time? I still failed to spot any judgment in her eyes. There was only sympathy, much to my dismay. I was pretty sure that it was not sympathy I deserved. But then again, these feelings of ‘deserving punishment’, they usually only lingered when I was getting too close to these specific memories.

One of the reasons why I usually tried to keep my past lives strictly separate from this one. I was Dreamwalker, I was my own pony, and I was not that guy in those memories. I would never commit genocide.

It was a lovely lie to tell myself.

And I was quite decent at convincing myself, too.

“Is that why you avoid the castle?” she finally spoke again. That brief moment of confusion must have shown on my face as she quickly elaborated. “Twilight told me that after your defeat of the farmer, you rarely ever visited the ruins again. Despite your joy about finding some strange, misplaced trees there.”

“Apple trees,” I specified with a sigh. “Not just any apple trees, either. These very trees stand in Applejack's west orchard. And I mean: They stand there, right there, right now, and they stand in the ruin's courtyard. We taught Stardust flying in the courtyard. He would jump from the lower tree branches and flap his tiny little wings. And either you or me would help him along a little. We taught him climbing as well. I know these trees. Maybe not as good as Applejack. But I know their branches. The patterns in their bark. They are the very same trees I recognize from some of my memories. Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. This kind of crossover should not be possible. And yes, I was overjoyed to see them. For a few precious moments, it felt like… like everything was connected. I wasn’t just this incoherent, jumbled patchwork. And I had not abandoned or lost countless loves and lives and families. For a moment, I could believe that they were still there. Somewhere out there. And maybe I could reach them. I… I’m not sure if I really thought about returning. It was less of a conscious thought. But as time went on, doubt started to slowly creep up on me. I remember Greenwood. I remember it quite fondly. There’s so much we managed to achieve. I’m not sure where Flim, Flam, Trixie and so many others are these days. In this life. I haven’t bothered to look into that. But I remember them as hardy, complex friends. Good friends. And they aren’t. I met Lightning Dust a couple of years back when I started my night guard training, with her in my class no less. I think I can call her a friend. And I sometimes wondered: Is this what she did before she came to Greenwood? Or is this what she would have done instead of Greenwood? I don’t know. And these musings aren’t exactly productive. I can’t keep busying myself with what ifs. I really shouldn’t. I have a life to live. Friends to meet, loves to make happy and a home I quite enjoy. I can’t make heads or tails of this stuff… and I’m unwilling to waste time and energy on it. Not when…” I sighed deeply. I was missing the point. Or rather, I was talking circles around it. To avoid it. “I fear a repeat,” I finally addressed it directly. “Every memory of Greenwood, as good as they are, always seems to be connected to this kind of disaster. I know that Twilight has already established diplomatic connections with queen Forsestri and that the hive has been nothing but compliant so far. But I just can’t… this anger, it’s still there. Somewhere. And I am not risking what I have.”

Luna watched me in silence for a while. Eventually, she sighed. “We share some concerning traits,” she stated with a sad smile. “This anger you feel. I know it well, I think. And if I am not mistaken, I am the harbinger of bad news. It will never go away. In every decision I make, and many times even in the words I chose, I have those same regrets and fears play a vital part. Or at least they try to influence me. I count myself a lucky mare. I returned to my subjects redeemed. By my future love, no less. The love of my life. I have loved before, many times, but never like this. I have her and I have you and I am accepted for who I am. The times have changed and my beloved sister welcomed me back. She forgave me, and things are looking up, as they say. And all of it feels…”

“Fragile,” I entered into the void she deliberately left there. “Like it could fall apart every second now. All that bliss and happiness, just a prelude to more horrors.”

Luna smiled and nodded. “Exactly. We fear to be happy for we fear to be hurt. It is a drab way of thinking. You can learn to live with those fears. With that anger. The same way I had to learn and honestly still do. You dread to repeat those mistakes, yet you claim that you are not the same pony of those memories. Is learning from the experiences of others objectionable? If you truly believe that the Dreamwalker in those other lives is not the one sitting right beside me, right now… then what difference does it make to learn from his life and his mistakes, than from anypony else's?”

I chuckled. Despite the dire topic, I could not help myself. Of course she would still advocate using these memories. Despite everything I had told her. Despite the pain and fear and guilt and anger awaiting within them. But that was what she did, was it not? She had been Nightmare Moon. She had felt guilt and remorse and she had repented. Nowadays, she could jest about it. Laugh about it. Nightmare Moon had killed ponies or contributed to their deaths. I had no numbers to pin to this horrifying statistic, but did I really need those? It was a disgusting thought that one day, I might reach that same spot. The point where I would be able to joke about that.

Was it wrong? Was it right? What did those words even mean anymore?

I sighed deeply. “I’m just trying to be a decent pony. I had honestly never expected that to be this hard…”

She ruffled my hair a little. “You are a decent pony. You just get confused a lot. But that is what you have us for, is it not?”

I shook my head, but had to smile at the same time. “Sure. Who am I to disagree with my pretty moonbutt?”

She laughed. And with every second that she did so, I felt the heavy blanket lift a little and breathing became that tiny bit easier. After she calmed down, she laid down on her side and pulled me along with her. “Time to get some exercise,” she quietly said.

I was so not looking forward to yet another busy dreamscape night. Especially not with all the emotional turmoil we had brought up and that was obviously still lingering in my head, just pushed to the sidelines for now. But maybe… maybe a distraction was exactly what I needed right now.

A few days of travel later and those worries and concerns were all but forgotten. The ravine seemed to go on forever and ever and ever and we found plenty of smaller ledges and even some decent caves to make our camp.

The dreamscape kept us busy at night. And the trek south kept us busy throughout the day. We had even found a little routine for ourselves. While I assembled the tent, Luna took a quick detour to the jungle and tried to find something to spice up our Allfood. After all, that zap apple jam had barely survived day two.

Due to this idea, we now had an arrangement of fruits in our bags. Avocados, first and foremost. But an almost ripe pineapple and two mangos as well. The latter she could have all to herself for all that I cared.

We were running a little late this evening. It had taken us some extra time to find a spot for our camp with which we were satisfied. Luna raised the moon after dinner and with the campfire merrily crackling away, I got to work on the last chore of the day.

Which really was not a chore any longer.

I slowly massaged along her foreleg, feeling for any tension in her muscles and potential little knots and slowly getting rid of them once found. Once I was done with her leg, I kissed the underside of her hoof and lowered it down to repeat the process with the next one.

When I reached her second hindleg, I held it aloft even after I finished and, remembering that first night on the tracks, slowly traced my tongue around the edge and across it. And I had her full attention in no time. I answered her smirk with a grin of my own. “Do you like my hooves?” she sultrily whispered and pushed it closer to my muzzle.

I’m actually not into this, I wondered. Really, I was not. And I would have bet that, given other circumstances, it would not have worked. But here and now and especially with her? It just did. For some reason, Luna could get me going with stuff I never perceived as even remotely sexy. “I do like them,” I confirmed quietly. “But then again, I like just about any part of you.”

Is that so?, her smoldering gaze seemed to ask as she slowly rolled onto her back and spread her legs. Show me.

I kissed and licked a little trail down her leg and worked my way towards my goal. Her gaze followed me all the way to her thighs and finally, her nethers. I traced the tip of my tongue around her teats in small circling motions and spiraled inwards in a teasing manner. I suckled just a little while I busied my hooves with exploring her rump thoroughly and eventually made my way to her tail and upwards, across her sphincter to her folds. My tongue followed down there and after some teasing to get her all hot and bothered, I dared to explore her further and pushed my tongue into her before trailing it upwards over her clit in a long stroke.

Her breathing grew heavier as I continued. I fixed her legs wide open with my hooves and pushed my muzzle even further against her. I got drunk as I inhaled the scent of her arousal and tasted her on my lips. I even got a little adventurous and, seeing how her juices flowed down over her sphincter, dared to let my tongue circle around it for a round or two. And I was rewarded with a gasp and a giggle.

“How bold,” she uttered in between pants.

“You always make it a delight,” I muttered in reply and returned my attention to her clit. Seeing as I knew halfway decently what I was doing, I had some control over the speed with which she was getting closer. And I slowly raised it until the moment I felt a little too intoxicated myself and just dove straight in, aiming for the finish line. She pawed at the ground in surprise about the sudden onslaught, but her moans only increased in volume and intensity until her hips bucked and she started to tremble. Her erratic breathing hitched and a long, otherworldly howl escaped her throat as she climaxed.

I could feel how stiff and rigid I was and the mere thought of taking her right now was so incredibly hard to resist — but I wanted her to get the most out of it and so I remained where I was, greedily lapping up whatever she gave and extending her bliss for a couple seconds longer.

I only pulled back after she collapsed, her arched back fell to the ground and her forelimbs went slack.

“How are you so much better at this than Twilight,” she breathlessly whispered much to my surprise. “… it does not make any sense…”

I had to fight hard to keep myself from snorting and laughing. I even considered if I should address her comment at all. She clearly was not in her right mind. Maybe she was not even aware that she spoke out loud? Either way, such comparisons were unusual. We obviously made them in our heads. It was impossible not to do that occasionally. But we kept quiet about it, because, well — it could be quite hurtful. Twilight would most certainly not approve of her comment, I was sure of that much. But at the same time, I felt my chest swell with pride. Because this time, I had not been the one to get the short straw.

Her question, if it even had been one to begin with, was admittedly easily answered. I had loved her in more than one sense of the word many times. Many times more than Twilight, as I was still inevitably using some of that knowledge from previous lives. I was relying on experience that I should not have.

There was an interesting thought in the midst of this, however. Maybe one day, if things would change and we would not keep each relationship quite as separate from the others, I could teach Twi a trick of two. Right now, in my highly aroused state, it certainly presented a very desirable scenario. Twilight stuck between Luna and me. Her muzzle buried between Luna's folds while I took her at my own leisure.

I felt an impatient throb from downstairs and chuckled. No wrong way to fantasize, I reminded myself.

“I have an idea,” Luna said. For a confusing second, I had thought that I had said that. That I had lost control and started to give voice to my depraved little fantasy. But no, Luna had returned to this mortal realm and her gaze was still very much on fire and currently fixed on my throbbing little issue.

“I’m all ears,” I replied with a smirk.

“Come here. Stand over me,” she instructed and subsequently continued to adjust my position until she brought her hooves up. Their touch against my member sent a jolt right up my spine and a moan out of my throat. This is so not my kink, I reminded myself in soon overwhelmed bewilderment as her strokes quickly picked up speed. Leave it to my kitten to make it work anyway.

I felt my legs stiffen as my climax drew near. I knew she watched me. Watched every second, every reaction she could elicit. I had not realized when or why I had pressed my eyelids shut, but I forced them back open and stared straight into hers, straight into her unashamed desire. And I could see how much she enjoyed it. Just how much it turned her on to watch the pleasure she caused me. It was almost too much to bear to witness the intensity of her desire. “I’m close,” I tried to warn her. “I don’t—“

I shut my mouth and grunted in an effort to resist as her strokes only quickened once more. Her grip tightened as well. “You do not wish to make a mess of me?” she guessed with such a playful, teasing tone. I nodded and my eyes snapped back open as she kissed me. Her tongue eagerly danced with mine, she delighted in every moan her ministrations sent out of my throat and she only pulled apart to go for the finishing blow. “I already told you, firecracker. I like it messy!”

Not fair.

There was so much genuine lust in her eyes in that very moment she spoke, so much wanton desire, that it pushed me well past the edge. I clenched my eyes shut again, but it was too late. My hip bucked on its own and my very core trembled as I shot string after string in between us. And just like I had done with her, she kept going with her hooves until the very end, until she almost risked overstimulation.

When I came back to my senses, I was panting like crazy. How does she do that every. Single. Time?

I looked down at her and grimaced for a brief moment. Oh yes, she was a mess, alright. My grimace was quickly replaced by a goofy grin though. In my post-climax haze, she was admittedly the most beautiful mess I had ever seen and seeing more or less her entire body covered was so incredibly hot right now. There was some in her mane and a little bit on her chin and I cared little as I dove for a ferocious kiss. She had this adorable, genuinely joyful smile that I could not resist at all and only after I managed to pull away for air did I even think about anything else again.

And my little kitten purred in utter satisfaction and grinned like a madpony. “That was something I had wanted to try for some time now.”

“It was?” I asked bemusedly. She nodded. “And your verdict?”

She looked down on herself and traced over the mess I had made with an idle hoof. The sigh that followed spoke of deep content. “Most definitely worth a repeat.” The tone of her voice was enough to make me twitch again and with a quiet chuckle, I took a step back. She fixed her eyes on me and that sultry look returned. “Care to help me clean up?” she grinned.

I nodded and levitated the bottle of water out of her bag, only to find her pouting. Only then did I catch her intention and grimaced. “I love you. Very much. But you’re not getting me close to that.” I had kissed her after climaxing in her mouth on more than enough occasions. Heck, I had kissed her a few seconds earlier and for all I knew—… point was: There was a distinction between following my gut in the heat of the moment and deliberately going out of my way for it.

Probably.

Luna just grinned and apparently took that refusal as a challenge. “I will convince you someday,” she just stated in her impressive, albeit not unfounded confidence.

And that was the exact reason I grimaced again. “Probably,” I admitted. She was the one I was trying the most new stuff with, after all — and occasionally risky and/or weird stuff as well.

At least I was decently happy that we both seemed quite satisfied. On any other normal day, I would have loved to go for a second round after a short break, but honestly, those last few days of trekking in the ravine had been exhausting and no amount of nice hoof massages and snuggles could outweigh the sheer fatigue that came with it. Especially with our dreamscape duties being so gosh-darn busy as well.

So I helped her clean up as promised and we made ourselves comfortable near the fire again soon after. We had a cave to work with, so the tent was erected but unused so far. I sat near the exit, turned to the outside so I could see the stars and Luna used my haunches as a pillow. I knew that this was quite comfortable with Celestia. And Luna. And Twilight. But a mare’s hips were a little bit more plush than mine. However, she seemed perfectly fine, so I mentally shrugged and let her be.

That was until I felt her shift a little and knew that she looked towards me. “What is it?” I quietly asked.

I grinned as I felt her lips press against my cutie mark, right before she settled down again. “Would you spin me a tale?”

An unexpected request. But not unwelcome. “Do you have something in mind?” I asked.

But she shook her head. “No.”

A tale. Any tale. While I thought about possibilities, my gaze was drawn up to the stars. With the sky clear, one could probably see for miles. From one horizon to the other. Even down here in the ravine, we could see a good deal of her pretty work. Of her talent at play.

They twinkled. And they sometimes seemed to dim down just a little only to glow stronger the next second. As if they were talking. Maybe with each other. Or with us. Little light signals to communicate. And what was communication if not telling stories?

Horrible segue, I chided myself while I smiled.

“Sure. I think I have one,” I agreed before I quickly added, “You might want to watch the sky for it though.” Just in case she had her eyes closed. I lit up my horn and played a little color by numbers with a tendril of magic as I connected stars like dots with small lines of light, eventually drawing the shapes of my protagonists and their exploits into the night sky.

“This is the tale of two constellations, the shaman and the scholar,” I explained. And since it was usually easiest to stick to the familiar and I was certainly no artist, I kept it simple. Something vaguely resembling Zecora was my shaman, while Sunburst — bless his heart — was my scholar. Shipping ensued.

A long, long time ago, there was a village at the edge of a wild and untamed forest. The forest was said to be the home of many spirits. Some called it blessed, others called it haunted. Few ever dared to enter the woods. And why would they? They had everything they needed. They were an honest lot. Hard-working and devout. They toiled, and the land rewarded them and provided.

The lone hut at the very edge of the forest however was home to the village’s shaman. She was a young one, but already wise far beyond her years. She was a strange one, too. Not shunned or outcast, no. The villagers appreciated her hard work, her dedication and her wise counsel. But the shaman had difficulties relating to the villagers. Something as simple as keeping up a conversation appeared impossible at times.

The forest, however. Oh, the forest. She perfectly understood that realm. All the intricacies. The correlations between breeding seasons of small critters and the numbers of predators. How the birds sang songs to alarm each other of danger. How snakes guarded their nests only for a while and how protective a sounder of wild boar could be. She understood the poisons in these mushrooms and how delectable others were. She understood how the water flowed beneath the ground and how the rocks grew out of it.

The Villagers had a point, of course. The forest was dangerous to those uneducated and they had little interest to listen and learn. The shaman brought home her herbs with every trip and provided them with remedies of all kinds. And they were grateful to have her.

But in that forest, an ancient guardian spirit woke from his long slumber. His destiny was to guard, to keep the forest safe, healthy and growing. And he had slept for long, as no threat was around and his days were empty. He wandered his domain in search of distraction. For a reason not to sleep for a few decades longer. And he soon witnessed the shaman enter his realm.

His wariness quickly melted away as he watched her interact with his subjects. He always stayed hidden from her as he felt that she was able to see him. For you see, few are ever born with this rare gift and our mortal realm and the spirit world are meant to be separate.

As the days passed by and he saw her careful steps, he grew fond of this strange visitor from beyond his realm. From beyond the borders he could not cross. He wondered where she went when she did. Or where she came from when she did.

As his feelings deepened, he eventually started to see her as one of their own. And as such, his wariness was no longer warranted. So one day, he stepped out of his hiding spot.

The shaman had seen spirits before. Spirits of the recently passed. Minor spirits of the forest. But she had yet to see a spirit like him. She addressed him with both respect and curiosity. And they quickly grew fond of each other. Days turned to weeks and weeks into months. What once was a friendship only deepened further to a level that had no name yet. They both shied away from giving it one as they knew all too well: The mortal realm and the spirit world are meant to be separate. Her gift was a quirk, a stray from normalcy. They would never feel the other's touch.

One day, the shaman entered the woods in search of herbs for her remedies. She expected the spirit to find her eventually, like he had done so many times before. Yet it was her that stumbled upon someone else. Deep in the forest, lost for days after his supplies had already run out, she found a stranger. Dehydrated from thirst, poisoned by the berries he had consumed in his hunger and wounded from one too many tumbles.

She took the stranger home and cared for him. She slowly nursed him back to health with water, food and hospitality. And in his gratitude, the stranger shared his story with her. A wandering scholar he was. He traveled the lands out of wanderlust and curiosity. The land was wild, untamed and full of magnificent beasts and lore. Just like her, he had so many stories to tell, despite his few years. And just like her, a deep-seated thirst for knowledge burned within him.

He kept her entertained and in awe with his many stories of faraway lands and mystical beings. He made her laugh with his recollection of failings and successes. And they talked and talked for hours and days and weeks and months.

And love bloomed where fertile ground was provided.

One day, the scholar’s recovery was finished and while his thirst for travel was quenched for the time being, his thirst for knowledge was not. Much had she told him of this magical forest, of its many intricacies and wonders. And side by side, for the first time in a long while, they re-entered the forest.

For as relieved as the spirit was to see her again, he remained wary of this other being. This stranger at her side, this unwelcome, bumbling fool who did not understand or care to tread carefully. And how jealousy filled his heart when he realized that this stranger had stolen away his beloved!

In a bout of rage, he called out for the forest to aid him, and unjudging, unerring, the forest answered the call. Squirrels sprang from the trees to bite at him and doe came running to kick him and foxes scurried about to gnaw at his ankles and a bear roared and swiped at him.

The shaman was shocked. What madness had befallen the forest and all these animals? But there was no time to ask, was there? No. She had to defend the scholar who was yet to be educated on the many ways of this forest, who was yet defenseless against the beasts. And so she stepped in. And she tried so hard to spare as many lives as she could.

And she did.

But she could not spare all.

The animals cried out for help, cried out in pain and confusion. Why, spirit — they asked. Why are we to attack the one who is welcome? One of our own? Why is she attacking us?

And their cries of pain and the loss of some pierced through the haze the spirit had fallen into.

He finally snapped out of his trance and he dispersed the creatures of the wild and he showed himself to the shaman. He pleaded his case and he begged for her forgiveness. But all the shaman could see was the blood on the leaves of the bushes and the tiny little bodies, unmoving on the ground, and she wept and fled in grief and despair, fled the forest without a second thought to the scholar who had become lost in here once before.

How easy it would have been, the spirit considered. How easy to get rid of him, once and for all, now that he was defenseless and lost once more. But enough blood had been shed and enough life had been lost. The spirit resigned to let his regret be his teacher. And this bumbling fool was but a child: Curious but uneducated.

So he resigned to teach him. He taught him of danger when the birds sang their songs. He taught him to find the streams to quench his thirst. And he taught him to tread carefully.

And through these lessons, the scholar learned more than the spirit had intended. Much had the shaman told him about. Of beasts and herbs and spirits alike. He had not imagined her being literal and yet all these coincidences, these whispers in the winds, these animals so focused on leading him on.

And so the scholar devised a plan of his own. Lost in a forest he might be, but was he not a scholar? Was he not knowledgeable? Had he not survived many adventures?

While he mixed poisonous berries and water from the stream, herbs from the ground and mushrooms from the trees, he explained his plan to the air around him and all the animals listened and the spirit understood. Two vials were produced. One would stop his heart. And one would reignite it.

The spirit had led him so far, the scholar concluded. He could have killed him many times. He had not. It was time to be an adult and talk. So he emptied the first vial and crumbled to the floor. His spirit unshackled from his body. They would not have much time before either the antidote was administered or the call of the Great Beyond would draw his spirit away forever.

Time was of the essence. So they talked quickly and spoke frankly. And they reached an understanding. They even reached an arrangement with which both could live happily, for the scholar respected the spirit and his feelings and was willing to share. Willing to allow the spirit to explore a world beyond his forest. Willing to take him on as a passenger, so that the spirit may control his body when the scholar slept.

Two souls, bound in a mortal shell, returned from the forest to the village on their own. They found the shaman still in grief and dried her tears. Long nights followed and harsh words were spoken and yet love is a hardy bloom not easily crushed.

They lived happily ever after, as they say. Until the day they did not any more. For the mortal realm bears its name with good reason and our shells are designed to fail us one day. To unshackle our spirits and make way for a new generation of life.

When their bodies failed and death finally did part them, the forest guardian was released once more. Free to return to his duties and yet bound by memories. He lifted the shaman and the scholar, lifted their spirits high into the sky and into the heavens where they became stars. So that he could see them every night and remember them for all of eternity and they would be with him, gazing upon his forest from above.

With a flicker, the last remnants of my magic traced the same picture in the starry night sky as it had done at the start. The picture of the shaman and the scholar. My voice was a little raspy as I finished with the obligatory “The end.”

I smiled. I was fully content at this moment. Content with myself and the world and my work and… everything. Everything was fine. And for a few precious seconds, I could believe that. It was not just a phrase I told myself to keep calm.

I was at peace.

My smile spread into a little grin as I heard Luna sniffle quietly. Or maybe I had imagined it? I craned my neck and saw her look at me. Her expression was hard to read. Gratitude. Empathy. A certain amount of sadness. But her smile was genuine. “May I ask you something?”

‘You just did’ was at the tip of my tongue, but I held it in. I just nodded instead.

“I knew what kind of story you would tell me. I knew it before I asked,” she admitted. “And as beautiful as this story was, I have to wonder… why a romance story?”

I smiled guiltily. Asking myself if I really was that predictable was getting old. It was getting predictable. I was pretty much an open book to just about anypony and I saw no reason to change that. Rarity often insisted that a certain mysterious flair would add greatly. Both to an otherwise bland personality as well as to any and all romances. I never saw the point in it. “Because romance stories are the best stories, in my humble opinion. They are profound. Just about any other story can benefit greatly from including some romance. There’s a reason for that. We have basic needs which directly result in our wish to avoid certain consequences. We can die of thirst, hunger, wounds. And our survival instinct tells us: Get food. Get water. Rest. But life is more than just that. We are not meant to be alone. We crave company. We thrive with company. Some need less than others, sure. But we all desire to not be alone. Because deep down, we know a simple truth. You can die from loneliness too. And it is the most gruesome of deaths. It is agonizingly slow. Torturously painful. We are not meant to be alone. And as a storyteller… I want to inspire hope. I want to inspire hope in that it does not have to be that way. Those that are lonely don’t have to stay lonely. That there will always be a way. It might be unconventional. Quirky. Maybe even frowned upon. But there are ways to not suffer loneliness. And seeing someone be happy in good company is a nice feeling. Especially if it is someone you care about.”

Luna furrowed her brow a little. “I am not lonely,” she stated in a mixture of mild confusion and disagreement.

I smiled and sparked my horn to life to softly caress her cheek. “Yes you are. We all are sometimes. But that’s okay. That’s what we have each other for. And why I tell stories.”

Getting Captured Is Easy

“Wakey-wakey,” a soft and comforting voice beckoned me. “A new day awaits us.”

“New day can lick my shiny rump,” I grumbled quietly and only further buried my muzzle in the warm softness that was my blanket. And my pillow. The sheets, however, were surprisingly hard and rough. It was enough of an irritation that my mind slowly started to work out that maybe those were not my sheets. Or my bed. Or my anything.

And because Luna was ruthless, she did take my word for it and licked across my cutie mark. The sensation ran up my spine like an electric jolt. I involuntarily kicked, but much to my relief, I did not actually manage to hit her. She giggled and regarded me in amusement while she finally retracted her wing. And thus, my blanket was gone, only adding further reason to be sad.

“I hate mornings,” I grumbled some more.

Luna bent down and nuzzled me. “As do I, my firecracker, but it cannot be helped.”

I blearily looked over to her and blinked out of synch for a moment before I rubbed my eyes. Despite the early morning hours and her nocturnal nature, she looked just fine. More than fine, really. Beautiful. As if fatigue and sleep deprivation had never so much as touched her. It just was not fair.

I slowly tried to get up, but a sudden pain made me take it slower still. “I swear, my back is trying to kill me,” I mumbled and carefully, caaarefully stretched until a quite satisfying but mildly nauseating pop was heard. “I will gladly admit to being a spoiled brat and that I miss Rarity’s pompous tent more than I ever imagined I would if it would bring that damn thing to us this instant…”

Luna smiled patiently and shook her head. “You would raise it, crawl inside and hide in the bed for a day or two.”

“Minimum,” I interjected.

She nodded. “Exactly. And we cannot have that.”

I sighed and gratefully accepted the water bottle. A bit of cold water in my face, both to help me wake up and wash, and a bubble to drink. While I did not necessarily feel better, I at least felt more awake now. “You know, we haven't encountered much resistance so far. For which I’m really glad, don’t get me wrong. I know that you’re supposed to have epic fight scenes or whatever in most adventures. Daring certainly had her fair share. But considering how sleeping in a cave messes me up or how jungle heat drains me, I’m kind of glad for both the train and this ravine. Seamlessly leads us to our goal. Almost feels like just getting to the post office to retrieve a package.” I smiled as I imagined Derpy behind that familiar counter, happily waving as I entered. And I had to chuckle a little as, in my mind, she vanished below the counter for a second to retrieve a Tempest Shadow, bound in ribbons, and placed her on the counter ready for pick-up.

“I do have to disappoint you then,” Luna said with a lopsided smile. “Because we are exiting the ravine today.”

“Oh? Alright, I’m all ears, what’s next?” I sat down at the small fire she had relit and tried to work out some of the kinks and knots in my muscles. I felt stiff and that was not exactly the best state to start walking again.

“I am sure you noticed the mountain?” she asked.

“Eyupp.”

“That would be Mount Aris,” she continued. “I will fly us up to the jungle. We close in on the mountain under cover of the canopy and thicket.”

“… and then we climb it?” I asked as Luna remained silent.

“And then we climb it,” she confirmed.

“So… Tempest Shadow, general of the Storm King’s army, a worthy foe to you… waits on top of some random mountain? That seems a little bit weird, doesn’t it?” I unenthusiastically nibbled away at my breakfast and had already started to deconstruct the unused tent and pack our stuff back into the saddlebags. However, I was not budging from my place at the fire for now. It was nice and warm and moving still felt awful.

“It is not some random mountain,” Luna corrected rather insistently before she sighed. “Mount Aris bears the ruins of the latest success of the Storm King’s continued warmongering. There is a plateau on top of that mountain and on it was a town. The last vestige of the hippogriff kingdom.”

“What’s a hippogriff?” I furrowed my brow. I vaguely remembered the name, having heard or read about that at some point, but I could not remember when or where. It sounded a lot like griffons, and those guys were difficult to deal with, at times. To put it diplomatically.

“Right,” Luna sighed once more, “you would not have heard of them. They are not dissimilar to ponies. But their front legs end in eagles’ claws, they have wings like a pegasus and a beak instead of a muzzle.”

“So… some kind of pony-eagle-hybrid, then. Similar to griffons, just… switch out the lion-part with a pony?” I concluded and tried to somehow mash these two creatures together in my head. I followed what Luna had told me, but the resulting image just looked freaky.

“I suppose you could say that,” she shrugged. “Although hippogriffs and griffons have very little in common. Hippogriffs lack any inherent greed. They were a proud nation. Fiercer warriors than the pegasi of old, from what I heard. Their kingdom spanned across a large and peaceful land, not dissimilar to Equestria. However, the Arimaspi Territory and the Forbidden Jungle always posed a rather daunting barrier between our nations and as you have seen, the old railway never got this far south.” Her expression suddenly shifted and she grimaced a little. “I do not wish to make excuses on Tia’s behalf.”

Alright. Show some effort. I stood up and swallowed that old-stallion-groan back down, moved over to her side and leaned against her in hopes of offering at least a little bit of comfort. “You don’t have to. I know of some of her failings myself and I know that she usually has everypony’s best interests at heart. It doesn’t always work out and she’s not perfect. She makes mistakes. ‘Miscalculates’, as she would call it. She is just a pony, after all. So it’s fine, don’t worry. You said they ‘were’, so I guess it really is just ruins up there? What happened? Do we know anything?”

A small smile graced her lips as she put her wing around me and pulled me further against herself. However, that smile faltered with my questions incoming. “News had a difficult time passing the jungle. Celestia had made contact with Queen Novo some sixty or seventy years ago. The Storm King had invaded their lands. According to my intel, he had been a cunning and brilliant strategist at some point. He outmaneuvered stronger forces and struck critical targets with precision before retreating without taking a single hit. He brought down nations with this kind of warfare. But as his empire grew, he had less and less need for such tactics. And by the time he reached the borders of the hippogriff kingdom, his empire had grown to such size that there was no need for finesse anymore. He simply waged a war of attrition. One that, given the abundant resources in conquered lands and heavily defended supply lines, he could not lose. The hippogriffs king lost his life early on as he defended his people side by side with his soldiers. When that line broke, the Storm King advanced. Although he could have, he did not rush devouring the nation. A single frontline that slowly and steadily advanced north, day by day. The hippogriffs had to watch as their nation crumbled. Some tried to resist. Many others fled north. Further and further. Their capitol fell. And Mount Aris was eventually the only city left. The northernmost settlement, the only thing remaining. The town was packed with refugees. Too many to accommodate properly. That was the time Celestia made contact. She offered Queen Novo refuge for her and her subjects. But hippogriffs are a proud race and Queen Novo refused. Despite my best efforts, I have not managed to gather much about what exactly happened. I have found some indicators that strongly implied that they somehow managed to get away. They abandoned their last city and fled. Mount Aris borders on the Forbidden Jungle and the Southern Celestial Sea. Maybe they found a new home in the thick jungle. Maybe they constructed ships and sailed to new shores.”

Seven decades ago, it rattled in my mind. That’s a long time to prepare for the next conquest. Maybe the Storm King had waged war in another part of the world in the meantime. He was not exactly picky according to Luna. He saw land that was not under his control and he changed that. I could only imagine—

No. Actually, I could not. I had no idea what a force like this would look like. I had vague fractions of memories, blurry images and feelings of dread, but nothing that got as concrete as I would have preferred. I knew of his massive airship fleet. What an impressive, frightening sight it had been. But I could not remember actually seeing his troops. His army. His many and varied other war machines.

My shoulder sagged as I exhaled. For some reason, I felt defeated. And the battle had not even started.

Luna squeezed me a little with her wing. “Fret not, Dream. Tis’ a tragedy beyond comparison, yes. But there is hope. It is a lesson to learn from and not a story to be frightened of. From what my sister told me, Queen Novo was fierce and proud, but also cunning and wise. I do not think that she would spurn Tia’s offer without having something better in mind.”

I solemnly looked out the cave entrance. There was little to see there, of course. The walls of the ravine were high. So I just stared at more stone. A gap in between, but a stone wall on the other side. “It still feels like we’re going to walk on a graveyard today,” I quietly answered. And who in their right mind could keep his spirits high when doing something like that?

Luna sighed, but did not comment further. Maybe because she had to agree.

We extinguished the fire and packed up the rest of our stuff. We stood on the low ledge of the cave entrance a few minutes later. The ravine seemed to stretch forever to our left, back north. And a good deal further to our right as well. However, the southern parts were on an incline. Slowly leading up to the height of the surrounding area. It made me think about these last days.

The first thing I noticed was how I had completely lost track of the number of days we had been in here. Four? Five? Seven? I did not know. The ravine was long. Very, very long. Rough stone on the bottom, rough stone on the walls. No vegetation. Barely any animal life. Birds, sure. But there were no bears or wolves or any other creatures one would expect to make use of caves like these. Caves we had used in those past days time and again. Every living thing that dared to make itself comfortable down here was of such nature that it could flee the region in an instant. Birds could simply fly up.

Maybe this ravine was cursed? Haunted? Dangerous in a way we could not perceive? Plants had a difficult time growing on solid stone, sure. But some plants did not care about that at all and made themselves a home wherever. So why not down here? How long exactly had this ravine been here?

The train tracks we had initially followed across the Macintosh Hills had led straight into this chasm. And then it just ended. But Luna had said that these tracks had been from a time before her banishment. So this ravine had to be more than a thousand years old. It was a scar on the crust of this world and no other living thing dared to infest it with life?

What a strange place.

"Ready?” Luna’s soft voice ripped me out of my musings.

“Hm?” I eloquently replied before I reoriented myself. “Oh, yeah. Sure.” I climbed aboard the Lunar Express and nestled between her wings. A long, satisfied sigh escaped my throat and I heard her softly giggle in reply. I wished I could stay like this for hours. But she was airborne with strong wingbeats and in a few minutes time, she set down hooves onto the soft ground up on the jungle side. And I gracelessly slipped back down again. I smiled as she bent down and pressed a little kiss to my forehead.

We walked through the jungle. It was not as hot or as humid as I remembered it from my vacation with Sunny. Probably because of how close to the edge we were. Luna walked in front and in her wake, it was an easy enough task to just simply follow. Like a fish, swimming in the wake of a boat.

“Lu?” I asked after a couple of hours had passed. The sun was high in the sky. Not that I could tell with certainty — the jungle’s canopy was still quite thick.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Why are we heading there?” It had only occurred to me after we had started our little jungle trek. After the impromptu history lesson and the significant dip in mood, it had simply slipped my mind. But with minutes passing and my hooves doing their job in a routine, my mind had started to wander and finally caught up to some minor inconsistencies. Tempest Shadow would not wait on top of that mountain for us. And climbing a mountain was a tiring task. Onehad to get up. And then one had to get back down. Luna could simply carry me and glide down of course. But I somehow doubted that we would fly up.

“Mount Aris shares some similarities to Mount Canterhorn in that they are both single mountains surrounded by vast stretches of relatively flat land,” Luna explained. “It is a good vantage point. I have a spyglass with me and I hope we can maybe spot the arrival of Tempest's airship.”

I fell silent for a moment as I sorted through what that meant, what that implied. “Wait,” I restarted, “you don’t know her route? We don’t know where exactly she’ll be?”

Luna did not stop, but she did look back over her shoulder and I really, really did not like her amused smirk. “It would be less of an adventure if everything was already painstakingly planned out and done, no? That would make it a heist, I believe?”

I grimaced. For a fraction of a second, I wanted to reply that, if Celestia had planned this excursion, everything would have been planned to minute details. But such comparisons were unfair and potentially hurtful. I knew what she was going for and why she did this and why we were here. And I tried to go along with it to the best of my ability. Snapping like that would not help anypony. So I instead simply dropped that part and focused on something else, hoping that finding Tempest would somehow magically work itself out. Maybe Luna was right. Airships were not small, were they? Maybe we would simply spot her arrival.

“So what is the plan after we found her?” I asked.

“We talk,” Luna simply answered. Her attention had returned to the path ahead.

We talk, I repeated in my head. Tempest Shadow. Rightfully feared warrior. Right hoof of the Storm King. Who served him for years, to the point that she had made herself irreplaceable. And we… what? We would waltz in, tell her that we could give her her horn back and she would simply abandon years and years of hard work and dedication?

I knew what the plan was. Sure.

To goat her. To tempt her. To bargain with her. We basically wanted to bribe her. Give her the prospect of getting what she wanted. And to make that a viable strategy, we had to somehow undermine her trust in the Storm King. Luna was certain that she could do that. Somehow. The cracks were there. She just had to put a wedge in and give it a solid kick. But was it really that easy?

“And what if she won’t listen?” I asked.

I heard Luna snicker a little before she once again looked back. “Then we need to talk harder.” She winked at me and turned back to the jungle once more.

I don’t like that plan, I simply realized. I was used to meticulous planning. Gathering not just some information, not just the useful information, but all the information. I was used to Twilight, in that regard. And Celestia, to some extent. I knew how Luna operated. How she planned. But it put me on edge to think about her ‘let’s wing it’-strategy.

She knows what she’s doing, I told myself. She brought me along and she knew full well what I can and cannot do, I added. And yet none of that helped with my rising levels of anxiety. Maybe that was the point. Maybe she needed some bundle of nervous energy. Or maybe she considered this very thrilling and hoped that I would agree at some point.

It took a few more hours to make it out of the jungle again. It was a weird phenomenon. It was decently hot, humid and everything around me was once again buzzing. Damn insects. But just a couple of steps further, and the air cooled down significantly, the humidity settled down to more reasonable levels and the insects realized that they had entered an area they were not meant to be in and vanished back to their rightful place.

I could see what Luna had mentioned earlier. A wide expanse of rolling hills and flat farmland. It did not look as bleak and barren as I had expected. It instead looked like… well, just another piece of land. That could have been any patch of Equestria, really. Certainly did not look war-torn. And I could not help but wonder who cared for those fields and orchards I could spot.

A massive army had a massive appetite. It made sense to farm food near the frontline. Shorter supply routes meant less need for supply durability. Luna had mentioned that some hippogriffs stayed when the enemy advanced. They wanted to fight for their home, sure. But maybe the Storm King had somehow converted them? It would not have been unheard of. King Sombra had used some sort of brainwashing to get loyal soldiers as well. Or maybe the Storm King was using some sort of forced labor?

It made more sense to leave as much of the enemy population and infrastructure intact as possible, right? Scorched earth tactics neatly emphasized your villainy, sure, but it did not get one any bonus points to continue the conquest. An army needed to be fed. But it also needed to grow. It needed fresh recruits. It needed weapons. Armor. Which meant forges. Which meant smiths and smelters and miners. And they needed to eat, too. Which meant bakers, cooks. Farmers. Farms. Windmills. And all of them needed to be housed decently enough. Because sick workers, hungry workers, dead workers, they were less than useful.

I recoiled from my own thoughts.

For a second, for just a second, I found myself thinking that maybe the Storm King’s war was not all that bad. Certainly not as bad as I imagined it. This land was not burning. No charred, blackened earth. No dead trees and corpses littered the ground. He had good reason to kill and maim as little as possible. Every enemy soldier could be another farmer feeding his army once the dust had settled. Surely. Surely he would spare as many as possible. All, maybe? And return all the prisoners to their home. To work for him. And the better the infrastructure was, the better his army would be equipped, with better morale and better supply lines. So surely, surely, he had an interest in developing the land he brought under his rule. Build schools to teach his unwilling subjects to be better at their jobs.

I almost found myself justifying the actions of a tyrant. I found myself attempting to turn him into something he most likely was not. I had no reason to believe that there was any benevolence whatsoever about his rule. Or any mercy in his heart.

Maybe that’s just the pony way, I sighed in defeat.

Mount Aris was a steep climb. Luckily, hippogriffs had chosen wisely and acted accordingly. Flying up the mountain certainly was a possibility and it would have been a massive strategic advantage had that been the only way up there. However, Mount Aris had not been settled with a militaristic mindset. A single, steep and long staircase had been hewn into the mountainside, zig-zagging all the way to the top. Securing the staircase with boulders, tar and traps could provide some decent security measures. It could hold off invading ground forces for a good while and buy time for people preparing to flee. But at the same time, it meant that a ground force assault was even possible in the first place and an enemy with enough determination would break through eventually.

As we made our way around another corner, I felt an uncomfortable sensation. I had been on edge the entire time. Luna’s flimsy plan was something I tried to put up with. I trusted her. She would make it work somehow. But the feeling of walking on a grave was disturbing. And it clashed so much with what my eyes told me. And I was anxious because I apparently had to be wary of my own mind. I could not allow myself to make excuses for a warmonger. There were so many more tiny things and it all added to me being on edge. Being anxious and fidgety. “Luna, wait,” I whispered harshly.

She stopped and looked back, but sighed as soon as she saw my state. She still tried to be patient though and since that was not exactly her strong suit, I was grateful for her attempts.

My hair stood on end. My ears swiveled this way and that way as I tried to hone in on something, anything, everything. A crack here. A bird chirped. Some stones rolled downhill. Why? What had made them roll? Wind whistled. Was that wind? Wait, why was that bird chirping like that? It sounded angered. Surprised, maybe.

“Somepony’s coming!” I hissed while my eyes darted up the path to the next bend of the staircase. I tried to spot any changes, any intruders, anything at all.

Luna listened for a second or two before she sighed. Everything had gone silent again. “Nopony is coming, Dream,” she quietly replied. It would have been less of a deal had I announced my suspicion for the first time. But like the foal yelling wolf, I had been certain I had heard somepony before. A fluke. It had been nothing. Yet once again, I was certain. What else was I supposed to do? “You are being paranoid. And frankly, you are starting to unnerve me as well. I should not have told you about their plans to head north. Rest assured that I am quite certain that nopony is this close to the border. It is simply a vantage point to get a good look at the land south of here.”

My blood was rushing. My ears still swiveled about. She turned, walked a little bit back and leaned down to kiss me. And for a few seconds, I followed familiarity. I closed my eyes and I tried to focus on her. I tried to calm down. I inhaled her scent. I felt her warmth and love. I even smiled while I kissed her as memories of the last few days rose to the surface of my mind.

And then I heard a rock crack and an angrily chirping bird hastily flew off. “I’m not paranoid!” I hissed. “Illusion! Illusion!”

Luna had heard it as well this time. She quickly grabbed me with a wing and ushered me to the side, right at the edge of the path. It was a long and very painful looking drop down from here. Then she lit her horn and hopefully did something, because whatever the spell was, I did not notice any change. But I could feel the familiar tingle of her magic all around us. A less concerned part of my mind chuckled in amusement over the fact that I was holding Luna's muzzle shut. While she did the same with mine.

And now we could see them.

Two… I had difficulties categorizing them. Two creatures came into view. They lazily strolled around the next bend as they came down the path from up above. And they came closer and closer as they talked with each other. It was the first time that I saw a soldier of the Storm King’s army.

And I was quite intimidated.

They were large creatures. Probably larger than Celestia. They would certainly tower over her, were it not for their posture. They walked hunched over. Their wide shoulders led into massive arms and their hands held a wicked, spiked shield and some sort of trident. Their shoulders were armored and the metal plate sported the symbol of their army. That thing I actually recognized.

I was not quite sure if the white fur that covered their shoulders, their head and most of their back and front was actually just a piece of clothing or armor, or if it genuinely was their fur. And they wore some strange masks that made them look alike and obscured their facial features. And their eyes glowed eerily in a blue hue behind that mask.

Their main body armor was a light one. Too smooth for bark. Some kind of fabric? I could hear metallic jingling. A chain shirt woven into the fabric, maybe. A belt. Again marked with the symbol. Their legs looked almost comically tiny in comparison to their upper body and arms. But I knew better than to let myself get lulled into a false sense of security by that. Those were runners' legs. Thin, but durable. No muscle more than required and certainly no fat to speak of. And they ended in clawed paws. They had a tassel on the tip of their tail which vaguely reminded me of something else, but I could not remember what.

All in all, they looked like really, really buff diamond dogs. It was the best comparison my mind could come up with. Really buff and really big.

“… not sure this is necessary,” the left one said. In my language. That made sense given who their general was, I supposed. It still caught me off-guard. “I mean, there’s not been any activity for what? Five months? And it was a false alarm last time anyway.”

The other one growled, which only further strengthened my association of these guys with diamond dogs. “I told the chief before, and I’d do it again! There was a massive… fish…thing in the water! And it had some glowing thing around its neck!”

“Fish don’t have necks, you idiot,” the other one chided with an amused chortle.

“Screw you. I know what I saw. And I know what I heard.” He stopped. They stood less than ten feet away from us. Ten. Feet. I had stopped breathing a good while ago and so had Luna.

Both of them looked around and listened intently before the first one shrugged and gave his companion a bump against his shoulder. “I don’t mind the walk. It’s nice to get out for once. So maybe let’s head down to base level and then return.”

The other one growled quietly, dissatisfied. “I swear I heard someone talk,” he insisted.

“Sure you did,” the former shrugged and gave him a shove. They slowly started moving again and continued their way down.

Only after we saw them turn the bend further down and after they vanished out of sight did we allow ourselves a deep, albeit quiet breath. It was actually not that easy to gasp without making too much noise, but goodness me, my lungs burned. I was not used to holding my breath for extended periods.

“Ohhh, those are big boys,” I whispered with mild fear lacing my voice.

Luna craned her neck to look me in the eyes. “I presume Sergeant Wither Rose has trained you better than this.”

Just her name made me cringe a little, but I dutifully nodded. “Size doesn’t matter,” I recited from memory, “if anything, it works against them. Yes, yes, I know. It’s just… first impressions and all. Those are big boys, Luna…”

She nodded as she was satisfied with my recital and sighed. “Yes. Yes, they are. I honestly had not expected them to be this big either. And I must apologize. You were right.”

I shook my head. “Second time around. You were right, too. Anyway, I’m just glad they didn’t immediately catch us. What did you do?”

Luna smiled and shrugged. “We were a boulder.”

Of course. What else. I shrugged and smiled. Fine by me. But my smile soon faded as my gaze was drawn up the path and ultimately, towards the top of the mountain. We had managed to climb it three quarters of the way already. But now I was a little hesitant about going all the way up. “Seems we might not be alone up there.”

She nodded. “Indeed. Although I think we ought to take a look at what we are working with before we make any decisions. We can retreat after an initial assessment, yes?”

I simply flipped a switch at this point. It was about high time I did this anyway. For as much as I loved her, Luna had taken me along for a journey that was less of an adventure and more of an actual mission to secure Equestria’s safety and now matter how confident she was, I would take it as seriously as I deemed necessary. From this point forth, she was my commanding officer first and foremost. I nodded in affirmation and we continued to sneak up the mountain, now more conscious about any noise we made and how easily we might be spotted from higher up. We barely talked to further reduce risk of detection and managed to climb the rest of the way despite our slower pace in a decently short time span.

Once we were up, we left the easy to walk staircase and instead climbed a little to the side to find a more secure spot away from the path. The two guards on patrol would return eventually, after all. The steep walls of the mountain rose up a good deal higher than the plateau itself, at least on three of the four sides, with the only ‘open’ side being the southern one where the staircase led up. It meant that the little fortified outpost sitting in the middle there was obscured from view unless one were to fly in from the south or from directly above. At which point the outpost could probably see whatever or whoever was coming as well.

The outpost itself was a collection of a couple of houses, joined together by an exterior wall. And everything was made from metal. Metal plates of varying sizes, qualities and even materials, welded together. A little walkway above the entrance gate was manned with two more guards. A small tower rose in one corner of the outpost and sported another guard on top. A spotter, probably. The fortification was too small to be called a fortress, but still large enough for maybe a dozen of them, plus minus. Most likely a forward operating base then. Strangely enough, there were no ruins to speak of. Maybe the invaders had cleared out the remnants of the settlement after their final conquest?

“I think they had the same idea,” I whispered to Luna. It was a good vantage point, indeed.

We silently retreated a little bit further down the slopes. Any hope to find a ledge or something like that was quickly dashed. I didn't quite understand how this mountain had been formed. But it certainly did not look natural. More like a spike that protruded from the earth. And mountains were not supposed to stand alone in the middle of flat land anyway. Then again, these three towering walls surrounding the plateau, that did look suspiciously like a caldera, did it not? Maybe Mount Aris was a dead volcano?

“We might need to rethink our approach here,” Luna whispered as we settled halfway comfortably on the slopes. “I had not expected an outpost this far north.”

A part of me wanted to be smug about it. What? No trust in your ability to wing it? But she kept her voice serious and maybe even more importantly: She looked dejected.

My gaze was drawn to our saddlebags. We still had plenty of food left, as far as I could tell. Enough for maybe another week or so. And a tent. Luna had planned some parts of our journey. She had planned for us to travel by train for almost a week. She had planned for us to walk through this ravine for days. A ravine that had provided us with shelter on more than enough occasions by presenting ledges and caves and being surprisingly safe. We had not truly needed that tent at all.

And now we were here, on top of a mountain, in the middle of nowhere, with no civilization around for miles. The walls kept the winds at bay, sure, but it was still a little cold up here. And with no roof, rain would be an issue. But I suspected the starry nights would have been impressive.

She had planned for us to camp here, had she not? For a few days at least until Tempest showed up.

I honestly felt bad for trying to be smug in the first place. I wished I could just hug her and cuddle her, but our current situation was a little difficult and I needed to stay aware of our surroundings.

I could not make the outpost disappear. If she had planned for us to camp here, that plan had failed. But I knew that Luna was tough. She was perfectly capable of working with changing plans and circumstances. She was certainly more adaptable than me, both with her plans, and with her enjoyment of things. I once more looked at the small little outpost.

They have roofs, I noted with a mental shrug. And that sparked a very, very stupid idea. One Luna might enjoy a lot. I would enjoy it less so, but I deemed it worth a try for her sake. “Hey, so, um… I have a proposal.” I was expecting something along the lines of ‘but we are already married’. She just nodded instead and waited for me to elaborate. It only further highlighted that she needed a little morale boost. “I don’t know how many bits you’ve packed or what else is in those saddlebags. Somepony didn’t want me to peek. But, you know… they have this lovely looking inn here, so maybe we just check in and see what the service is like?”

Despite her initial confusion, she still started to grin. Just because I tried to make fun of the situation. And I just loved that. It took her a few seconds to put one and one together and she briefly looked over to the outpost before her attention returned to me. “That could backfire,” she simply stated. It was not so much an argument against the idea. She simply stated the obvious.

I grinned and shrugged, despite the nervousness forming a knot in my stomach. “I know. But I have my brave and valiant protector with me, right? So I should have nothing to fear?” Her smile turned into a proud grin. “And with such esteemed guests as us, surely they would ask themselves: Why did they choose our humble resort instead of something more high-class, right? And they would surely send word to inform the higher-ups about our visit. And maybe that would make them visit as well. Just to make sure that our stay at their humble inn is to our utmost satisfaction.”

Luna snickered quietly. My nervousness bubbled in my throat and weirdly mixed in with the butterflies as I enjoyed seeing her spirit lifted up. Worth it. “And you would do that? You would go along with that?” she asked as she briefly returned to a more serious tone.

I grimaced only slightly as my self-control managed to keep most of that bottled up. “For you? Anytime.”

Luna smiled warmly and leaned in. We shared a nice, long kiss before she pulled away again. I missed her lips immediately. And in the back of my head, a voice berated me that it was probably not appropriate to make out with your commanding officer in hostile territory — right at the doorstep of an enemy base, no less.

“So how are we going to do this?” I asked her.

Luna looked towards the outpost once more. “I will switch the illusion with invisibility. We walk up to the gate and I drop it. We surrender immediately.”

“What if they attack? Out of surprise, maybe?” I interrupted.

“I think I should be able to throw up a shield quickly enough if necessary.” I nodded. Her confidence in herself was good enough for me. “They will probably take us to the most secure room they have. I am honestly not certain if an outpost of this size has a prison cell. If they have, we will get to know it. Either way, I agree that it should be highly suspicious already. Maybe we can add a little cheek here and there to make it even more suspicious. It should unnerve them quite a bit. I agree that they will most likely send a message to inform someone else at that point and with her in the region for inspections already, I think it should be more than sufficient to attract Tempest to our position.”

“What if they arrange for a prisoner transfer?” I tried to cover the next weak link I saw. “Maybe to get us further south where an escape would yield less immediate opportunities to slip from their grasp. Or they send us straight to the Storm King.”

Luna considered the possibility for a moment before ultimately shrugging it off. “The Storm King is far away. If they do, we should be able to gather that information before we reach our destination. At which point escaping should be less of an issue and we can try something else.”

“You said they can deal with magic users. What if they disable yours?” It was the last real concern I had for now. Minor issues swamped my mind, sure, but most of those were just panicky thoughts that quickly fell apart when tested.

“I know a thing or two about how they do it,” Luna replied. “Spell-reflecting shields, magic-dampening rings, anti-magic cells. They are perfectly viable against regular magic. But they never faced an alicorn. The amount of energy I can put out… I do not believe their equipment can handle that.”

This back and forth really did prove that we worked as a decent team. She was not just patient with my constant nitpicking and all the issues I brought up. She was grateful for it. I thought of things she did not consider. Or did not deem worthy of consideration. And in turn, her confidence and vast experience soothed my nerves. I saw problems and she provided solutions.

“And if their equipment can deal with it, we’re down to your wits and good looks alone?” I asked with a lopsided smile.

“Something like that,” she confirmed with a grin.

“Well aren’t I lucky that I brought such a pretty mare along then,” I complimented her with a quiet chuckle. Even in that brief sound, however, I could hear my own nervousness.

That was most likely the reason why she placed a hoof on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “We have each other’s backs.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “We do.” And another. “Alright. Let’s do this. Before I decide that running down the slopes screaming is the better option.”

For a fraction of a second, her horn dimmed down, before immediately glowing anew. And we carefully stood up and moved forward, inch by inch. And we really did have to crawl a little, because while invisibility — one of Spike’s favorite wizard spells in Ogres & Oubliettes — provided a flat bonus to stealth checks against all senses, the real deal really just did what it said on the tin and any loose stones could be heard just fine. Adding to that, neither of us was keen on tripping and falling off the mountainside.

We reached the gate and even though I had placed every single step consciously and with quickly rising apprehension, we had still made it here. “Are you ready?” she whispered as quietly as possible.

I looked up at the guards. They looked incredibly bored. But they were still very much big boys. And I tried to focus on Wither Rose’s voice. Her training. How she relentlessly yelled her lessons down our ears with enough force that our bones rattled. I gulped and gave a shallow nod.

And that comforting glow around her horn faded.

It took the guards a solid twenty-six seconds before they even realized that we were there. That was sloppy on a level that neither any Day Guard captain nor any captain of the Night Guard would have tolerated. But when they finally noticed our presence, they acted quickly. Some sort of blaring alarm was sounded. They aimed with their weird, oversized forks in our direction and, much to my dismay, electricity sparked between the fork teeth.

“Hold! Who goes there?” one of the two guards on the walkway demanded to know. That one question alone sounded so incredibly stilted that I almost chuckled.

Don’t think about war and consequences, I repeatedly told myself. Think about cheek. Just imagine them as guards. Day Guards. Just another guard.

I shared a quick side glance with Luna before replying. “Uh… pizza delivery service?”

The two guards on the walkway stared at each other before I faintly heard one of them quietly ask, “What’s a pizza?”

I deeply pitied them for a moment.

The alarm fell silent and had apparently attracted someone else. The solid metal gate cracked and creaked and slowly swung open as three more guards emerged from the little courtyard that seemed to be behind the gate. One of them wore a fancier shield. It was larger and less spikey, but bore more runes and arcane symbols. Probably one of those shields Luna had mentioned.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked in slightly broken Ponish after he stopped a few feet away from us. His posture was neither overly aggressive or defensive. He held one of those zap-staffs, but he did not appear battle-ready at all. However, he was flanked by two of his underlings and they looked very much ready.

“We surrender,” Luna offered.

There was a prolonged silence as we saw no reason to elaborate and they had difficulties trusting their ears. “You… surrender…?” the supposed officer asked in utter disbelief.

Luna furrowed her brow and looked over to me. “Did I stutter?”

Be cheeky, I reminded myself. So I swallowed that lump in my throat and tried a nonchalant shrug. “I heard you loud and clear. But they do have a weird accent. I don’t think they’re very familiar with our language. Here, let me try.” I turned my attention to the officer and despite another gulp, I managed to continue. “We give up. No fighting. Yes?”

He did not seem to buy it, unsurprisingly. “So Equestria just… gives up.”

Luna giggled and shook her head. “Oh no. No, no, no! Just the two of us.”

“Why?” he asked, accompanied with a slight growl. We made the entire deal look silly. I would not have liked that either.

However, Luna continued her charade unabashedly. “Oh you know. My sister is perfectly capable of ruling alone and she never wakes me up when something thrilling is happening and she gets all the cake to herself, it really is just a lot of minor inconveniences adding up.”

I shrugged as his burning gaze hit me. “I’m just her lap dog. I follow her around.”

His growl became a little bit more pronounced and I had to struggle with myself to keep my composure. No enemy soldiers, just another guard…

“Strip them,” the officer commanded. A simple gesture kept the two guards on top of the gate at the ready while his two flanking buddies put away their weapons and shields and started to take away our saddlebags. They searched through them and despite my burning curiosity, I did not flinch or turn. Some items they held up for him to briefly inspect, but most of it was just the food, the remaining bits and the tent.

“Cuff them,” was his next order.

His two underlings exchanged a look before turning to him again. “We don’t have—“

“Then go get them,” he barked.

And boy, could they run. They reappeared within a minute or so and carried a small casket. They opened it up and took out several implements. Four cuffs for our front legs and back legs, connected with a chain between them. And of course, two dampening rings they put on our horns. And one of them fruitlessly tried to bind Luna’s wings together with a simple rope. Fruitlessly, because she continuously messed with him. Subtle enough that he did not assume conscious resistance, but instead seemed to assume that he was accidentally triggering some sort of involuntary pegasus reflex. In the end, he bound the rope loose enough that Luna could simply step out of it at any moment. The officer either did not notice or did not care.

“Follow me.” His guards now flanked us, with their weapons at the ready again, and he turned and led us into the outpost. He did not seem comfortable with that, but what choice did he have? It was too good an opportunity to pass on and the higher-ups most likely would not approve of such a choice either.

It turned out that even an outpost of such a small size had a prison cell. Singular. One.

Cheek, I reminded myself for the umpteenth time as I spotted the hay-filled bed. “Uh! Luna, look! They have a real bed!” I tore free of the guard loosely holding my shoulder and ran ahead into the cell and threw myself onto the bed and I wiggled around like a pig in mud. “Oh sweet Celestia, how I have missed a proper bed!”

Luna stepped into the cell and sighed. “You know, we really ought to talk about that. Is it too much to ask for you to say ‘sweet Luna’ instead?”

I pouted a little at her and smirked as she could not keep her face straight. “I’ll try, I promise.”

I noticed that short side glance of hers as she stood with her back to our guards. We both heard the officer instructing one of his soldiers to ‘send a message’. They apparently knew perfectly well where to, or to whom, because nothing else was said apart from it being ‘of the highest priority’.

After he gave his order, the officer had a brief chat with another guard. Our jailor, I presumed. “Keep an eye on them at all times. Something about this is fishy. The entire post is on high alert, so act accordingly.”

While the jailor nodded, Luna craned her neck and slid the rope from her wings. And then she just sparked her horn. I could see how the ring attracted the glow of her magic, consumed it. But her spark started to glow brighter and brighter as she poured more and more energy into it, eventually overpowering the ring utterly. It sparked, literally, and burst into a small shower of harmless shrapnel the next second. “Hah, that feels so much better,” she noted and settled down on the bed next to me.

Both the officer and the jailor stared in shock, slack-jawed.

I sighed and got back up, much to Luna’s dismay. “Come on, Luna. Don’t be mean to the nice jailor.” I stepped up to our cell bars. The door was closed and locked, sure. I knew that. So did they. And yet the jailor still took half a step back. It almost made me chuckle again. So far, our plan worked splendidly. “Excuse me, mister jailor sir, could we maybe have another of your fancy jewelry thingies? It appears my princess accidentally broke one.”

The jailor looked to his commanding officer who only growled deeper in response. “Give them one,” he begrudgingly allowed before he turned away and walked off. He probably understood that we could — and would — come and go whenever we wished. And the only thing that kept his captives in this cell was their own wish and compliance. I could not imagine that to be a nice feeling.

The officer left and slammed the door shut with enough force to make the jailor’s desk jump a little — and even the desk was fashioned from metal. The jailor himself withdrew a small casket not dissimilar to the other one from one of the desks drawers and retrieved another ring. He walked over to the bars and tried to hand it to me. Problem was, with my hooves in chains and the dampening ring on my horn, I could not accept it as easily.

“Ehrm… could you maybe bring it a little bit closer? That way, I could pick it up with my teeth.” And how he squirmed for a few seconds due to the mere thought of my muzzle getting this close to his precious hand. As if I were some kind of wild beast, willing and capable of ripping his entire arm straight from its socket.

After he overcame his hesitance, I gently picked the ring up and mumbled a “Thnks” before I returned to the bed. “Now b nice and don struggl!” I gently slid the ring over Luna's horn and grinned like a madpony as she tried to keep her composure. I let my tongue draw along the length of her horn excessively and agonizingly slowly as I withdrew my muzzle.

Luna's eyelids fluttered. She shuddered a little and threw a warning glare without any real fire in my direction and I only grinned wider. “There, there. It’s all good now.”

And with that done, I laid down at her side once again. Luna pulled me in and hugged me to her body like a pillow, with which I could live just fine. The only thing we had to do now that we were ‘captives’ was to wait. Our cell was not exactly a luxurious hotel room. A single window, barred of course. Drab gray walls. No mirror, no desk, no chair, just a single, simple bed. But hey, we had a toilet. We even had a sink and flushing water. So it could already have been worse than what we actually got. Of course it could not quite measure up to Luna's initial plan, if my suspicions were right. But maybe this passed as the next best thing.

My mind wandered off. I thought about travel times. What means of transport these guards might have. How fast they could reach Tempest. How fast airships traveled. A lot of it was guesswork, obviously. And in the middle of it, Luna softly started to hum. It unexpectedly lulled me to sleep, without me even becoming aware of it…

The Issue With Credibility

Being a prisoner was not too bad, so far. I was decently sure that it would have been an entirely different story had Luna not been present, but with her initial demonstration of power, the jailor left us alone, the guards did not bother us either and we had peace and quiet in our little cell.

I woke up sometime in the evening, right on time for dinner. The outpost was not outfitted to hold prisoners, though. Or maybe they just did not want to share their precious supplies with us. Either way, they fed us with our own rations. Which meant more Allfood. And this time, Luna sadly could not just make a quick detour to the jungle to get something to spice things up.

Our little window allowed us to watch a small part of the night sky when Luna followed her duty and raised the moon. The jailor had become quite wary as soon as her horn sparked to life, since he had not noticed me as I removed the ring again. And his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when he drew the right connections between the rising moon and Luna’s magic and that neat little symbol on her flank. While a part of me wanted to be smug about the fact that yes, just take a look, my companion is that powerful, she raises the freaking moon! Another part was just irked by the jailor staring at her flank, really.

Once the show was over, I placed the ring on her horn once again. She obviously did not like that. Neither did I like my ring, but they were admittedly easy enough to remove. I suspected that there were different kinds of these things. Some that would only be able to be removed via command words or something. But again: Why outfit some random little outpost in the middle of nowhere with tech like that?

After admiring the star-strutted sky for a while, snuggled against each other and in companionable silence, we retired for the night and once again found the dreamscape to be especially busy. The morning brought unwelcome sunlight directly to my face and a few minutes later our breakfast in the form of more Allfood, of course. And a guest.

The officer returned as we finished our last little morsels off. “You’re fed and awake, good,” he greeted us without much fanfare. “Step away from the bars, please.” He addressed Luna directly and after a short exchange of glances between us, we both shrugged and she complied. “Now you, step up to the cell door.”

However, I grew a little fidgety at that point. I had a bad feeling about that look in his eyes. “Why?” I heard Luna ask before I had a chance.

“I decided not to waste time until the general arrives,” the officer explained, “I don’t have high hopes of getting anything useful out of you, your highness, but I might as well interrogate him for a while.”

He spoke with such serenity that I was almost convinced that his concept of interrogation was a nice and quiet conversation over a glass of water. Maybe because of that, my eyes were drawn along the form of his body. His hands were wrapped in leather stripes. Ideal for punching without inflicting too much pain on yourself, I realized. And one of those zapping forks dangled on his belt, all too visible.

I felt her presence before my senses caught up. She stepped close to me again. No extended wing, no single glance in my direction. Just the act of stepping to my side was defiance enough. “No,” she simply stated.

The officer slightly tilted his head. “No?” he echoed. “You’re our prisoner. You don’t get a say in this.”

Even without looking up, I felt it. I knew what she was doing. That tingling sensation crawled up my spine, that faint buzzing lay in the air. She overcharged the ring again. However, she stopped barely before it exploded again. “No,” she simply reiterated.

The officer did not look too surprised. Or surprised at all. “No,” he echoed again as if he had to test the word, its taste and feel. “But you are our prisoner, are you not?” Luna did not answer this time. He simply nodded. “So that begs the question then. Are you our prisoner? Or are we yours?”

“Guess.” Luna’s reply lacked any urgency. She did not stress that single word and yet, her voice was as cold as ice and she spoke with the same certainty that a thrown stone would always fall to the ground. I had rarely heard this voice. And it never failed to give me goosebumps.

The officer still did not seem surprised whatsoever. He merely nodded instead and turned. He walked towards the door and only stopped when it was open already. He half-turned towards us again. “Your expected visitor will arrive tomorrow, your highness,” he informed us. There was restrained anger in his voice. Subtle, but noticeable. He spit his words in our direction like acrid bile, but at the same time remained quiet and civil. It was an impressive feat.

And then the door shut, with him gone. He did not slam it. He simply closed it, quietly, calmly, properly. And I could only imagine what bubbled right beneath the surface.

“She is closer than I thought,” Luna mused several minutes after the officer had left.

“Or maybe airships are faster than I thought,” I objected. She considered that and probably reached the same conclusion I did: Maybe it was a mixture of both or neither. It did not matter. Now we knew how long our stay would last. And it was not all that long. “I hope you are not too disappointed?” I asked as my eyes wandered around the barren, gray walls of the cell.

She followed my gaze and smiled despite her sigh. “It is admittedly not exactly what I had in mind. But I can work with this. We can adapt. And while my initial vision of this stretch had been significantly different, I am looking forward to this next part.”

“Meeting Tempest?” I asked.

She nodded with a distinct eagerness. I tried to be happy for her, tried to tell myself that I loved to see her excited, but her excitement had me worried on some level. And I could not tell with certainty why. Because after all, my sweet and tender Luna was not bloodthirsty... right?

Another day passed without any incidents. The officer did not return for another attempt. The jailor still remained wary of us, but dared not to even speak to us. We were stuck in our little cell and I did my best to keep Luna entertained. She was not exactly the most patient mare by nature and had always veered more on her pegasus nature than anything else. Being cooped up like this was not doing us any favors. So we played little games. I spy with my little eye was a good one. Whisper down the lane and the floor is lava were less successful. Truth or dare had been funny, but we quickly ran into issues, since she preferred to be dared and most of my ideas required more freedom of movement than this cell allowed us.

In between, we talked. We exchanged little anecdotes about observations we had made while on the train. We spitballed some theories about the nature of the ravine and why plants might refuse to grow there. I tried to keep in mind that the jailor constantly listened and probably took notes to report to his superior. Luna seemed less bothered by that, at least on a superficial level.

Night fell again and we settled on the bed for another round of whack-a-foe. I really wished I knew why the dreamscape was in such an uproar. Ever since we had started our little journey, things had been busy, busy, busy, and it was getting exhausting.

I was quite happy with me being the little spoon again and shifted ever so slightly closer to her. She sighed happily, gladly held me tighter and placed the ghost of a kiss on my horn. It tingled nonetheless and gave me a pleasant shudder. I closed my eyes and got ready to dreamwalk when we suddenly heard the door open. I cracked an eye open and peeked in the direction of the cell bars and my eyes shot open wide when I quickly realized that it was not the officer coming in again.

I scrambled to my legs, stumbled out of the bed and tried to stand firm in the middle of the room. It was both a mad dash and at the same time a hilariously futile attempt. Tempest Shadow, in all her glory, already stood there. She waited patiently

She was not quite what I had imagined. Wherever I could see her dark orchid coat, I could also see faint traces of scars betraying a life of violence and strife. Her rose-colored mane was shaped into a spiky mohawk. It made her look considerably taller and she was already quite tall. Taller than me anyway. Her opal eyes exuded indifference. The armor she wore was impressive, dark and gloomy and quite sturdy and her horseshoes looked wicked, with a bunch of little, spike-like protrusions. Getting kicked by those probably hurt a lot. Of course, the most notable feature was her horn. Or lack thereof. I had seen her memory, the moment she had lost it, which honestly helped me quite a lot not to stare. That would have been unbecoming.

But despite the colors and features matching perfectly, there seemed to be little that connected the playful young filly that ventured into the Everfree Forest with a couple of friends to the mare that stood in front of our cell. She was a fierce and cold warrior. Her analytical stare bore into my skull.

Luna slowly rose from the bed as well. She saw no reason for haste and it took a good couple of seconds until she stood by my side again.

I was not sure what to expect from Tempest. Certainly more than what I got. “Speak.”

Not an order. And certainly not an invitation or request. A prompt, at best. And Luna took her sweet time to answer, which made me believe that she simply did not intend to. “Uh… what?” I replied as I could no longer bear the oppressive silence.

Tempest's indifferent gaze shifted slightly as she focused her attention on me instead of Luna. “You invaded our territory and took over one of our outposts. I was informed that you wished to meet. Here I am. So stop wasting my time and speak.”

Although her voice was calm, there was a noticeable edge to it. As if she spoke with a foal, but insistently warned it at the same time that she explained something. However, I was more focused on her comment. We had invaded?

Well, technically, that’s true, I had to concede. And Luna did make clear that we were no prisoners, despite sticking to our cell. For just a second, I glanced up to her. I wished I could sigh freely. But I controlled myself. We had to be careful now. Careful what we said and how. Careful about what we did and what we let her see. Her indifferent demeanor made it difficult to get a proper read on her. “Well, let me start with this then,” I offered. “We are not your enemies.”

She kept a straight face. She did not even raise a single eyebrow. She simply looked over her shoulder instead, back to the door. Aside from which the officer stood waiting. Much to my surprise. I had not noticed him entering, or being there. Tempest had just such an overwhelming aura, her presence somehow filled the entire room, that it was surprisingly easy to overlook others.

“Doubtful,” she simply commented.

I sighed and with a shrug decided to ignore it. “We—“

“Who are you?” she interrupted. Her voice was still calm and evenly measured. And I ventured a guess that this might have been a conscious effort on her part to coax a reaction. It irritated me, sure. But I was not about to lose face just because she was impolite.

I offered a hopefully not too forced smile instead. “I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Princess Luna. And I am Dreamwalker.”

Her attention shifted entirely to me again. “Rank and function.”

I furrowed my brow, but seeing as Luna did not indicate anything after several seconds, I answered as best as I could. “I’m technically a regular night guard,” I started.

“Technically?” she interrupted yet again.

I swear this will get aggravating quickly. “It’s complicated,” I replied with patience. “And I am not present as a soldier. I’m here because I’m a good smith.” I had hoped that mentioning this little fact would give her something to chew on. Something that might already clue her in as to what brought us here. After all, why bring a smith along when visiting the general of a hostile force? A general with a broken horn, no less? Luna had said that Tempest was a smart cookie. But I saw nothing of that brilliance as she seemed to disregard the information entirely. Maybe we had to get a little bit more direct. “Could we speak alone, maybe?” I asked her. After all, this conversation would probably be a bit more difficult with both the officer and the jailor present.

“Why?” she asked in turn.

“Afraid we might overpower you?” Luna spoke up for the first time. I was initially so glad that she finally decided to contribute to this conversation. So glad to hear her voice. But then her actual words registered in my head and I grimaced. What was she doing?!

If Tempest was offended, she did not show it. “Leave,” she simply instructed the other two guards, apparently firmly confident in her own abilities.

“But general—“ the jailor dared to speak up.

Her head snapped around to fix him in place with a withering glare. He shut up immediately and simply snuck out the door the officer already held open. The officer simply nodded in Tempest's direction before he closed the door behind himself. Her head turned back around and her face was once again a mask of indifference. And I slowly started to suspect that she was playing the same game Celestia played. Just that Celestia was a thousand times better at it and what Tempest wore beneath that mask was something entirely different. “Speak,” she again prompted. But this time, it did sound a little like a command.

“We hath heard thou art a valorous warrior,” Luna continued much to my dismay. Not only was she once again falling back into her old speech habits, which was already a clear sign of her mounting excitement. No, she deliberately poked Tempest, provoked her, tried to rile her up. And that was not how I had imagined this conversation.

We were not here to get her some action. But seeing how eagerly she prodded her potential opponent and tried to stir up some trouble, a few of her prior comments and behaviors made a lot more sense now. Had she been aiming for this the entire time and just left me in the dark about it? I had been under the assumption that we were here to convince Tempest, not to bludgeon her senseless and drag her helpless body off.

“Luna, no,” I quietly hissed in her direction.

Tempest furrowed her brow as she was obviously unaccustomed to Luna’s speech, but she quickly figured it out and I could already see fire rising in her eyes. A flame that struggled against the containment of her supposed disinterest. “And I heard that you are an insane monster, bent on destruction and imprisoned in the moon forever,” Tempest shot back.

This is going sideways fast, I noted with abject horror. What was I to do?

Luna merely shrugged with a wicked smile spreading across her lips. “I got better.”

Tempest subtly shifted her stance. Her hooves stood a little bit further apart to give her better footing, her muscles tensed a little, ready for a fight. “So did I,” she replied. And although she still contained it, she still controlled herself, I could hear that snarl just beneath the surface.

I stomped with a hoof onto the solid stone floor and thereby caught their attention at least for a few seconds. “A dick-measuring contest. Really? Are we really doing this right now?” I tried to chide them both. “We are here to help you!” I insisted towards Tempest.

Despite my efforts, she simply turned her attention back to Luna. “Your lap dog seems to disagree,” she noted with a faint, sharp smile.

I sighed. It was such a poor attempt. “Spare me the barbs. You can’t provoke me.” Because if push came to shove, I had an easy time to remind myself what was at stake. If we messed this up, war could come to Equestria. I had seen war. Maybe not in this life. Maybe my memories were fragmented. Maybe the distance between then and now was too large to allow me a realistic grasp on it, but even those jumbled pieces were enough to realize that it needed to be avoided at all costs.

“And what would you get from helping me?” she asked. There was no small amount of amusement in her voice now. Her mask was slipping. And I concluded that this was probably not a good sign. I had not dared to look up to Luna for a while now and I feared that she might have made faces or something like that. Anything to tip the scales in her favor.

“You leave this army,” I answered honestly. If she truly was as smart as Luna had given her credit for, then she could easily calculate the impact of this for herself. She had spent years commanding these soldiers. Enough that they had learned her language. She had made herself irreplaceable. It would cripple the Storm King’s army. If not outright throw it into chaos.

I could see the gears turning. But she just smiled in that condescending way that made me want to sigh. It would not be quite this easy then. “We should return to that ‘dick-measuring contest’ you mentioned,” Tempest remarked. “You seem to be more competent at that and at least it was entertaining.”

I wanted to scream in frustration. She was a general, was she not? Was she not supposed to care? To interrogate us, or something? To try to coax information from us? Surely this could not be her attempt at doing so, could it?

“Not as entertaining as that helpless flailing you call ‘fighting’ would be,” Luna chimed in. And while I was trying to be reasonable, she apparently decided to throw the entire damn barrel of oil into the fire. I clenched my teeth and decidedly stared a hole into the ground between my hooves, because right now, I was so close to losing my composure and lashing out.

If this was what an interrogation looked like, I had had a vastly distorted image of it until now.

I heard the telltale clinking as metal met metal and a creaking as the key turned and your cell door opened. “Step out, princess. I dare you.” Tempest's voice was as cold as ice. In no way inferior to Luna’s just a few minutes ago.

My head snapped up as I saw her legs move. “Luna?” I breathlessly asked.

She tilted her head to one side, then to the other, until a little pop could be heard. “I have been waiting for a good opportunity to let loose.”

“Is anypony even listening to me…?” I meekly asked, barely audible even to myself, while my legs were frozen in place. I panicked. Luna walked past me and I so desperately wanted to grab her. To hold her back. But I could not bring myself to move even a single muscle. She exited the cell and squared off against Tempest in the small hallway in front of it.

Don’t! But while I pleaded and begged and screamed in my head, not a single sound left my muzzle.

My head started to spin with all the possibilities. With the horror scenarios of what might follow now. And I realized too late that the tremble rising up from my hooves was another flash. Memories flooded my mind and quickly overwhelmed my sensory input. Nightmare Moon’s hooves came crashing down, splitting solid stone like it was nothing. A single, focused beam hit a pony in the chest. Silvery light enveloped the poor sod and left nothing behind but smoldering ashes. Eyes in the darkness. All-seeing. And bloody fangs tore flesh from bones.

This is not what losing control looks like, I tried to tell myself. She is gone. She was destroyed. Banished back home. Doesn’t matter. She will never, ever return!

Luna was not Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was not Luna.

But Luna was immensely powerful in her own right. Nightmare Moon had merely adopted her host's powers. Maybe focused them, maybe twisted them, maybe enhanced them. But most of what she had been capable of… was already there.

I slowly managed to struggle free of the memories’ grasp. I raised my head and saw Luna’s horn glow. I closed my eyes just in time as a fine shower of shrapnel extended in all directions. The ring was broken more violently this time. Luna looked content when I reopened my eyes. Her next step was literally just that. A single step. She had exited the cell with her chains attached. We could have gotten rid of them at any point, but they had not been too much of a hindrance to really bother. Now they were. She simply dissolved. Luna switched her state of being. Her form lost its rigid shape and gained a little bit of translucence. A dark, wobbly mist, vaguely pony-shaped and eerily similar to the Tantabus. With nothing to hold onto, the chains simply fell to the ground and Luna rematerialized immediately after and grinned.

I half-expected some snappy remarks from Tempest. ‘Nice trick’, or maybe ‘That won’t save you’ or anything along those lines. But a quick glance in her direction told me that she was too focused on the approaching battle. She was not the type of fighter to quip and spout one-liners in the middle of an exchange of swings at each other. I saw cold calculations going on behind her eyes and the will to enforce brutal efficiency.

And I was afraid. I feared for Luna’s fate just as much as I feared for Tempest. This is all wrong.

The proper fight was kicked off when Tempest retrieved a small pebble of sorts from somewhere. It all happened very quickly. An attempt to end the fight before it had even started. She threw the small, black sphere up into the air, just high enough to swing around and give it a solid kick. It flew in Luna's direction, but passed through her quickly resumed mist-form without incident. It collided with the far wall of the prison and exploded in some sort of smoke cloud. An eerie green glow radiated from the cloud, but did not seem to do anything else.

While I slowly regained control over myself, I started to hear screams from outside. And those were certainly not the kind of screams soldiers made when they engaged the enemy. Those were the kind of screams somepony made when scared out of their mind, when frightened to the breaking point of their sanity. And I knew who was responsible.

I rushed to the cell bars. “Luna, I swear by sun and moon, if you cause any lasting damage whatsoever…!” I warned her. But I did not know how to end that sentence. Then what? If she did maim these guards, kill them, traumatize them… then what?

This is war, little one, a nasty voice in the back of my head sneered. Can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Don't be such a sissy.

I was a firm believer that one should not bark if one was not willing to bite. Never threaten something you are not willing to follow through with. Because if somepony would call that bluff… it usually meant loss of credibility. And credibility was very, very important.

She spared me the need to finish that sentence.

Luna assumed her mist-form once more and retreated into the cell. She quickly flew towards the window and remained there for a brief moment. Her cyan eyes, usually so full of warmth and mirth, were cold mirrors.

“Luna, please…!” I pleaded beseechingly.

“Stay inside,” she urged me. Her attention shifted to Tempest. She stared at her for a brief moment. Dared her. And then she vanished out the window.

I hastily stumbled after her. “Luna!” I yelled out the barred window, but she was gone. And through that small hole in the wall, I could catch glimpses of what was going on outside. The screams had not stopped. And what I saw only made my blood run cold. I quickly turned around. “Don’t—“ I started in an attempt to stop Tempest, but she too was already gone.

Desperation gripped my heart. These screams drilled into my head and threatened to tear my own sanity apart. Unbridled, primal fear. That was what it sounded like.

I took a deep breath and tried to steel myself. Maybe that was why she had brought me along on this mission. So somepony could reign her in. So somepony could make her stop if she dared to cross certain lines. She was a warrior at heart. Maybe she needed this. But I was not willing to let these guards bear the brunt of her frustrations. Sure, they were technically enemies. Sure, they were soldiers. That did not make this right though. This was not a battle.

And my assumption was firmly confirmed when I exited our prison and set hoof into the courtyard of the outpost. A hemisphere of pure and utter darkness had enveloped the entire structure. I saw shifting masses and forms within this lightless void. My mind trembled and avoided thinking about their exact shape or nature. I saw thick banks of mist roll on the floor, crawl up walls and cover the roofs. I saw guards being dragged off by unseen forces, dragged into the mist screaming and clawing at the ground.

This was not a battle. It’s a massacre.

The two of them fought in the midst of it all. Luna had conjured her battle armor and effortlessly spun her scythe at her side. Tempest charged her head-on and procured three more of these faintly green glowing spheres from seemingly nowhere and threw them at her foe.

Luna threw up a shield and one sphere bounced off to the side to hit something in the mist.

The scythe blocked the second one and shot it upwards, high into the void above, never to be seen again.

The third one would have hit had Luna not assumed her mist-shape again.

The projectiles could have hit. But they had mainly served as distractions. Tempest barreled into Luna with considerable speed, but quickly learned that no matter her training and experience on the battlefield, she was no match for the superior strength of an alicorn. Luna was the unmoving mountain before her. She rushed her head down to head-butt Tempest, but the general reacted quickly and charged what was left of her horn.

The energy swerved wildly and discharged into the general area with quite a dramatic effect. Tiny explosions of light and color greeted Luna’s assault and another, larger charge detonated right in between them, throwing both opponents a few steps apart. Before Luna came to her senses again, still blinking from the assault, Tempest grabbed a nearby pipe and yanked it out of its bracing. She quickly swept Luna’s legs, but before she brought the thing down on her skull, Luna was gone. Not turned to mist this time, but gone in a bright, cobalt blue flash.

She reappeared instantly just above Tempest and brought her scythe down. The blade made a nasty screeching sound as it scraped along Tempest's armor.

Tempest jumped to a safer distance, quickly turned around in the process and threw the pipe in Luna’s general direction as an additional distraction. Luna watched it fly by with mild amusement before she turned her attention back to Tempest again. She charged her horn and split. Once, twice, thrice. Eight Luna’s flapped their wings to stay aloft and formed a circle above Tempest. All armored. All with a scythe by their side which they slowly rotated in their levitation. Which one was real? Which one was not?

When the assault started, Tempest held her ground surprisingly well. She was more than just agile. And so fast that I had difficulties following what exactly was happening. It was all just a whirlwind of blades and limbs, of dark orchid and dark blue.

Luna shot several energy beams and Tempest threw more of these weird little spheres. I managed to catch a glimpse of what they were supposed to do this time. Because Luna once again deflected one of them with a swing of her scythe and it hit a guard that ran towards the exit of the outpost square in the back. I saw it explode into that green glowing smoke again and to my absolute horror… it petrified the guard. Within seconds.

She had been throwing these willy-nilly this entire time.

I suddenly did not quite care as much for Tempest's safety. But I did care a lot about Luna. If only one of them would hit her, even partially…

This is a bad idea and you know it, I berated myself. Yet I could not stop. Only a couple of weeks ago, I went to the Forbidden Jungle with Celestia. I could not get that out of my head as I charged forward. Daybreaker. The version of her I had dealt with in that mirror hallway had been the direct result of losing her beloved little sister a second time. Could one come back from being petrified? If so, how?

Tempest threw more spheres. Where did she even get these from? How many did she even have? Luna shielded one again, but the other… the other she attempted to deflect with a wide sweep of her wing. Did she not know what they did? Did she not see how they worked?

My blood froze as I saw the sphere explode, as I saw that eerie glow encase her wing, as I saw the continued petrification crawl up her primaries and secondaries, along her wing joint and into her shoulder. Stop, I begged the magic, but of course it did not. The effect extended further and further, slowly encasing a surprised looking Luna.

Surprised. Not terrified like I was right now. And Tempest swiftly turned on her hooves, her back legs tense like a coiled spring, ready to—

My eyes grew wide.

“No!” I yelled and threw myself bodily in the way.

Pch. Such a cliché.

I had not been part of any serious scuffle this entire cycle. A curiosity, really. I vaguely remembered being part of a brawl when I was a writer. Even my iteration as a smith had to take some hits. But ironically, in my time as a night guard I had not been part of any actual fights.

Well, as long as one did not count the dreamscape, that is. The continuous battles against dreamscape creatures aside, I had fought Applejack. Or a guardian of her subconscious, rather. And in her dream, she had quite literally beaten me to death. It felt real. And I had died. The only reason I was still alive was due to Celestia bringing me back.

I saw Tempest's hooves coming. Almost as if time trickled by so much slower for just this moment. I grabbed the arcane line connecting me to my armor and yanked. I knew full well that I would come out with broken bones if that kick actually connected. Maybe ruptured organs, internal bleeding, death. And I doubted that Luna had the ability to resurrect the recently fallen.

My armor settled on my body just in time. The very second it manifested, Tempest's hooves struck true. A vibration rang from the center of my chest throughout the armor and into my body. And time resumed its natural flow.

I was swiftly kicked out of my prior trajectory. Literally. And landed with a nauseating crunching sound in a heap on the floor. I tried to ignore the metallic taste of blood in my mouth as I dismissed my armor again. It would serve me no purpose any longer. I tried to get up, but my legs buckled. Everything was pain. Breathing as a chore. And Tempest… well, Tempest.

Tempest was quick. And despite the length of their battle, she did not seem exhausted at all. She slowly stalked towards me. And why would she make haste? Luna was petrified. Frozen solid in stone. My vision was blurry due to the tears, both from regret and pain. Mostly pain at this point, as the realization had not hit with the full force of consequences just yet.

I needed to stop her. I desperately needed to stop her. And I was no match for her.

She stopped right in front of me and slowly turned around again, not leaving me out of her sight for even a fraction of a second and she readied another kick. And I realized with horror: She aimed for Luna again. She wanted to finish the job. She would defeat one of the two powerful rulers of Equestria. She would enrage Celestia and provoke her into action and hope to work with any mistakes she might make due to her grief. It was tactical. It was calculated. It was efficient.

And she made me watch. And that... was not efficient at all. It was cruel.

“F-Fizzlepop… Berrytwist,” I managed to cough between painful breaths. And I wanted to sigh in relief as her eyes grew wide. I was willing to bet that she had not heard that name in many, many years. “We—… I can replace your horn,” I continued my own version of an assault on her. “He never will. I would.” Her brows narrowed in suspicion. Her eyes darted up to Luna again. “Please. Please don’t. I beg you, please don’t.” My voice trembled. It was hoarse and meek and desperate and I hated that.

Seconds stretched into small eternities. I hated every one of them. She considered her options. After several excruciatingly long moments, she once again shifted her posture. Gone was the battle-ready defense. And back was the confident aura of indifference. “I feel like we should resume our conversation,” she stated in bitter coldness. She was in control now. Luna was defeated. The outpost was back under her command.

And not once in all this time had I actually stopped and wondered why the hemispherical void remained. Why the mist still crawled all around us. Sure, the guards had stopped screaming. Probably because there were no guards left. But I only started to realize Luna’s ruse when I saw the mist rising behind Tempest and it reformed into my beloved Luna.

It was such a relief to see her that I choked and sobbed and started to weep. With half another choke and half a laugh, I tilted my head down and put my forehead against the cold stone floor. I heard her scythe idly tap against Tempest's armor. “It was a good fight. But yes, we should,” I heard her say. I could not say why exactly, but hearing her voice again, hearing that damn nonchalance in it... I wanted to wail so badly. I wanted to punch her. I wanted to hug her. All at the same time.

I remained on the floor instead and silently sobbed while the chaos in my mind raged on unbridled. While my sides hurt with every breath. While I tried to banish the thoughts of a burning world out of my mind.

I felt her sit down next to me and a moment later, she draped her wing over my withers. “I was about to commend you on your performance,” she whispered quietly. And I could hear the deep regret in her voice. “You played along so masterfully. But now I see that you took it more seriously than I did. I am sorry.”

Those last three words broke me. I lunged for her as best as I could, buried my muzzle in the crook of her neck, squeezed my eyes shut and just let go. I gave up control and all the anxiety of these last days, if not the last week, bubbled to the surface. The anxiety. The pressure. All those fears. The panic. Seeing her die, as far as I was concerned. The stress and exhaustion.

The prospect of unleashing it felt daunting. But with my levels at an all-time high, there was no consideration left. I had not recovered fully from that stupid jungle and all the turmoil I had encountered there. I had lost Sunny. I had remembered a world burning. I had almost died myself. And now this. More exhaustion. A chance encounter with my darker side. I could have hurt ponies on that train. My mind still gnawed on those barely reshackled memories of me slaughtering dozens upon dozens of changelings. And now she had died. She had died right before my eyes. Again. Had she not promised me? Had I not forbidden her from doing that ever again?

Each sob and shuddering breath was a testament to just how broken I was. My head felt light. Floaty. And every time I thought I was done, a new batch of burning hot tears streamed down my face and into her coat. You promised!, I wanted to yell at her. Even though she had not. How could she promise me to never die? And that thought alone conjured horrors new and old. With Luna dead, Daybreaker could rise. With Daybreaker rising, this world would burn. With this world burning, my friends would perish. Everything I loved and held dear, everypony I cared about, everything. Gone.

I had no idea how long it took. I cared little for what Tempest thought of me. Or even what Luna thought, at that point. I calmed down eventually. Not because I was not panicking anymore. Or because I was not afraid anymore. But there was only so much panicking one pony could do before running out of gas. I was tired. Emotionally exhausted. I had no tears left to shed, no matter how I felt. Her coat was dampened by them. I mumbled an unintelligible apology, but she did not mind.

For the first time in a while, I raised my head and looked around.

The mist was gone. So was the dome of moon- and starless night. I spotted several guards, all petrified. Every. Single. One. And with Luna's prior statement, it started to make sense. Maybe she had known what these spheres did even before I saw it for myself. Maybe she had just improvised, like she was prone to do. Either way, she had successfully lured Tempest into using them again and again and deflected them. She had kept the guards at bay with illusory eldritch monstrosities. And with a flick of magic here and there, she could control where they were. And with each deflected sphere, another one was permanently taken out of the picture.

Tempest must have realized this as well. She still stood there. She waited patiently. Still like a painting. For a quick second, I despised her arrogance so much. Even though I knew better. Arrogance was just undeserved confidence, but Tempest… I had seen her fight. Her confidence, as aggravating as it was, was solidly earned.

Maybe Tempest was in on all of this as well...? No conspiracy theories now, please. I disregarded the thought and shook my head to dislodge it. And I was grateful that this simple measure seemed to work for once.

Luna shifted her attention to her former foe. “We art—We are well aware that you blame my sister for your condition. However, I believe it is your own fault. It was you who ignored the warning signs in front of that cave and you decided to never even ask my sister for her help.”

Please don’t provoke her into a second round, I silently begged Luna as I insistently brushed my cheek against her neck. She sighed, nodded wordlessly and accepted my plea.

“But now that I’m a threat, you come running,” Tempest shot back. She was still calm, but that edge in her voice was already back. Maybe Luna's and her charms did not mix well.

“Of course. Wouldst thee not doth the same?” Luna simply replied with a shrug. Tempest conceded the point and acknowledged its validity with a curt nod.

“L-Language,” I meekly whispered.

Luna nuzzled me in reply and whispered a little thank you before she turned to Tempest once more. “I am not my sister. Keep that in mind.”

And again, Tempest merely nodded. “Noted.” And then she turned her attention to me. “What did you mean when you said ‘He never will’? You seemed too certain about that for it to be a mere assumption.”

Thinking straight was still a bit of a struggle. Stringing words together to form coherent sentences was a chore. It was no surprise then that Luna answered long before I could. “The Storm King is no more loyal to you than you are of use to him. Your request is the prize he now dangles in front of your muzzle like a carrot on a stick. And for many years, that has been enough to drive you forward. Of course, with us being ‘enemies’, you have no reason to believe us. Even though I suspect that you do know a thing or two about the quality of his promises. However, I also believe that you would not still serve under his rule so willingly if you had realized that you do not have any special standing in his inner circle. Luckily for us, you do not need to trust or believe a single word we say. As the ruler of the night, I have other ways to offer. Instead of letting us tell you, why not ask him yourself? Ask him in a state where he will be most vulnerable. A state in which him lying is least likely. I can allow you to enter his dream and interact with his subconscious.”

Tempest's whole expression was guarded. She was wary of anything we said and anything we offered. This ‘alternative’ Luna touted as well. But I also saw recognition. She had at least heard of dreamwalking before. “Either Luna or I can bring you into the dreamscape,” I pitched in. “Once there, we locate his dream and enter it. Depending on the strength of his willpower, we might face resistance or so-called guardians. They are basically manifestations of the subconscious defending itself against intrusions like these. If we manage to keep them off our backs, we can make contact with the dreamer itself. His subconscious constructs the reality of the dream, but it constantly tries to keep an internal logic. This logic might be twisted or different from our real world, but to the dream, it is sound. If we, as external factors, come in and ‘offer’ something that does not align with the dream yet, the subconscious tries to implement these details to fit the internal logic again. That basically means that… if he’s currently dreaming about swimming in his hoard of riches and you barge in asking about your promised prize, his subconscious will work with that. Maybe the dream will shift and you will have a conversation in his private quarters. Maybe he will continue to swim in gold or whatever. It doesn’t matter much, it’s just the scenery that will change. The topic you brought up, though, is harder to twist and therefore more likely to be addressed by his subconscious directly. And that’s where honesty comes in. In our dreams, we’re at our most honest. There are certain mental illnesses and whatnot, but those aside, most ponies tend to be honest at least with themselves. And since these dream-intrusions aren’t exactly ‘natural’, we are used to having that space to ourselves and ourselves only.”

Luna sighed. “There are some… details we would need to address, but yes, for the most part, that is just about it.”

Tempest remained silent for a while, her attention shifted between the both of us and her internal considerations. I was both glad for the breather as well as the fact that she did not question the existence of dreamwalking in the first place. There were still more than enough ponies who did not know about it and refused to believe it could be a real thing. I considered this as a blessing in disguise most of the time. Here, with her, it could have been quite a headache.

Then again, maybe she really was smart and the only reason she did not disbelieve this part was the fact that we knew her real name. How else could we have gathered that information?

“Tell me about those details,” Tempest demanded to know.

“First off, I have already made contact with the Storm King’s dream before. Once. In preparation for this excursion, to find out if offering this option was even viable. His willpower is exceptional. I expected as much from someone who managed to come as far as he did. That being said, I figured out how I can make it work. I will remain in the dreamscape and continuously assault his dream, thereby keeping his subconscious busy defending against me. It should keep both the number of guardians and their attentiveness low. I will not be able to keep this charade up forever. To waste less time and get more precise results, I would therefore advise to apply the following scenario: Equestria was defeated by yet another of your brilliant campaigns. All princesses lie in shackles and you come to present my consort, the last captive that could have threatened your rule over this land. Surely a glorious victory such as this finally merits a promised prize, no?”

Tempest's analytical mind seemed to make short work of most of the information we fed her. She sorted through everything in quick succession before she stumbled about a single word. “… consort?” she asked and furrowed her brow. She looked at Luna first and followed her nod in my direction. She stared at me in disbelief. “… him?”

The incredulity in her voice offended me quite a bit. Sure, I might not understand the How and Why myself all the time, but that did not give her any right. “Yes, me. Got a problem with that?” I snapped quietly. “I might not look like it, but I have my talents.”

“Like what?” she asked. And even though she seemed and sounded genuinely curious, it infuriated me only more. “Smithing? Because I saw you ‘negotiate’ and that did not impress me.”

I knew it was coming, but I could not stop it. “He is a very devoted lover,” Luna quickly replied with a barely stifled snicker.

“Luna. Not now,” I insisted. I really was not in the mood for that kind of joke right now. Luckily, she quickly caught on to that and after a quiet cough, nodded in affirmation. “It doesn’t matter why, does it?”

Tempest mulled it over for a moment before she shrugged. “I suppose not.” She looked around the outpost once more. With every guard petrified and us the only living things up here, it was quiet. Peaceful. The soft, silvery light of the moon high up above us made everything look both beautiful and a little bit haunted. The statues especially. And with the three walls around the outpost breaking the winds up here, it was not even that cold outside. “So how exactly does this work?” she spoke up again. “I assume there are no further details I should be aware of?”

“I will put all of us to sleep,” Luna replied.

There were a few unavoidable seconds of silence and Tempest tensed and relaxed a few times. The entire outpost was taken out. Her airship was gone after it had dropped her off. And Luna had managed to fool her while she also gave her a considerable hard time in combat. I did not really factor into any of that, but I was not required to. The point was: If we had wanted to kill her, maim her, petrify her, kidnap her… we probably could have done so. “Fine. Do it.”

“Can we, uh… maybe get a bed?” I asked as both Tempest and Luna got ready. “I’m sure two hardened warriors like you two will be fine, but I had cramps and stiff necks and back pains for the past few days from sleeping on the ground or in sleeping bags. If we don’t have to, I’d rather avoid adding to that.”

After a quick consideration, they agreed and we rose to our hooves. My legs still felt a little wobbly. I looked around for the Luna-statue for a moment before I realized that it probably had only been another illusion. We walked over to one of the other houses. A dormitory for the other guards, judging by the bunk beds.

Tempest simply laid down in one of them. The first one she reached, right on the lower bed. I looked over to Luna. “I don’t—… we don’t have to—… right?”

To my relief, she smiled and nodded and levitated me to the upper bed. These bunk beds were meant to be climbed with hands and were not exactly pony-friendly designs. Once up on top, I waited for Luna to fly up and settle at my side. And I quickly snuggled against her. “Is everypony ready?” Luna asked.

“Ready,” came from below.

“Mhm,” I answered quietly.

And Luna worked her magic.

The dreamscape had been busy all week. And yet as I entered it now, it felt like I came home. It was a comfort to be surrounded by stars and dreams. Even though I knew perfectly well that we were not necessarily safe here. But it was deep into the night and I knew that my friends were somewhere around here. Sure, they slept most likely. And they were not even in sight. But just knowing that they were there helped already.

Tempest arrived right after me. Luna had to be around here somewhere as well as the dreamscape was already redecorated in her usual style. Tempest took the time to appreciate the intricate, star-strutted design and coalesced it all into one word. “Impressive.”

I smiled thinly despite the fatigue I still felt. “That describes it pretty accurately, yes.” I slowly turned to take in the entire panorama, not worried about the floating dream spheres at all. That is, until I finished my entire circle and saw Tempest kicking one of the dreams, which obviously immediately popped. “Hey!” I snapped at her in quickly rising anger. “What is wrong with you?!”

“What? Did I just kill someone?” she asked in mild confusion.

“What? No! No, you didn’t. But it’s quite telling that that is the first conclusion you’re jumping to,” I berated her some more before I sighed and my shoulders slumped. “Ever heard of ‘being considerate’? Bursting dreams wakes the dreamer up.”

“They wake up,” she echoed.

“Yes.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes,” I grumbled dissatisfied with where this was going.

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter then. They can just roll over and fall asleep again, right. They should probably work anyway.”

She was infuriating. “It’s the middle of the night,” I replied tersely. And she just shrugged it off. I tilted my head back, looked straight up and took a couple of breaths to calm down. In here, I could totally kick her flank, right? The dreamscape was all about willpow—…

Right. Maybe not.

I sighed. “Just… try to be less of a bitch, please?” I mumbled.

And immediately got her attention. “Wow. Did you just swear?”

I grimaced and considered apologizing for a brief moment, but I was pretty sure she found it hilarious and would not care either way. So I decided to ignore it instead. “We need to find Luna. Shouldn’t be hard. Just think about following me.” Maybe I would just lose her by accident. Oh no, what a shame. Whatever shall we do? But the reality was that we would simply wake up and she would be there and we would need to do this all over again. And I did not wish to make any trouble for Luna.

“You’re a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, aren’t you?” Tempest continued to be a nuisance. “So you’re not her consort because of your great humor, either.”

I shifted a little and tried to ignore that tingle running up my spine. “Can we maybe not? I don’t exactly feel comfortable discussing my relationship with you.”

“My guess is: She chose you, and you don’t get it either. That would explain a few things,” she continued unabashedly.

I wish I could just—

I stopped myself the very moment I heard her choking. I looked back only to see a half-manifested leg, the same color as her own coat, half-stuck in her throat. She was desperately trying to get it out since she apparently had not realized yet that breathing was superfluous as a being of pure thought. It merely took a second or two of focused concentration to dismantle the manifestation. “I’m so sorry about that,” I immediately apologized.

Tempest was more surprised than anything else. “What was that?”

—shove her stupid comments down her own throat.

I shook my head. “That’s… not important. Won’t happen again. We should move. There are hostile creatures in here and I’d rather not keep occupied with those.” We quickly found Luna. She had already summoned the Storm King’s dream sphere, and judging by the colorful mist that filled it, he was asleep and dreaming. “Sorry it took us so long.”

“Any incidents?” Luna asked. It was routine at this point. When we were dreamwalking together, we sometimes split up to take care of multiple nightmares in the same region simultaneously.

Tempest obviously did not know that. “I think he tried to kill me? But he sucks at that, too.”

Luna raised an eyebrow at me, but since I refused to answer the unspoken question, she decided to leave it be for now. “All the preparations are in place. Start whenever you are ready.”

I nodded and turned to Tempest. “Alright, listen up. You place one hoof against the bubble. Carefully. You do not wish to burst this bubble. It will offer some resistance. Push against it. Gently. You should eventually start to sink in. Be patient. When you have halfway decent grip, place your second hoof against it and repeat the process. His subconscious might try to trick us into bursting the dream. That’s sort of a ‘last ditch effort’-defense. Do not, under any circumstances, make any hasty movement or any violent thrust or any stronger push, okay?”

She rolled with her eyes. “You start to sound like a pencil pusher.” And her gaze drifted over to Luna. “It’s an interesting choice, to say the least.”

I really wanted to smack her head. I obviously refrained from doing so. Not least of all because I could not shake the notion that maybe, she still put up a façade and all this banter and being an annoyance was still just a play to get as much information out of us as possible. Even her playing along with our scheme could be a mere distraction to wait until her heavily armed airship returned.

And provoking me or Luna? It could serve to find out where our buttons were and how to push them. It could provide a strategic advantage in the next combat. She had already seen a good deal of Luna’s moves and tricks. She knew approximately how fast Luna was, how strong, what choice of weapon she preferred, what kind of armor she wore, how quickly she could summon either. If Tempest was on a reconnaissance mission here, she probably did great so far.

I stepped up to the dream and with a nod in Luna’s direction, both she and I placed a hoof against the sphere. Tempest followed suit shortly after. I saw Luna strain against the sphere and while I could not claim to understand how exactly she took most of the attention away from us, I could feel it work nonetheless. And yet despite her efforts, there was still a lot of resistance left.

Whoever the Storm King was. Whatever he was. His willpower truly was a marvel.

Of course, with enough care, caution and patience, that did not save him forever. We eventually made our way inside, albeit at a snail’s pace.

A biting cold gust of wind blew past me and messed up my mane. I shivered slightly and noticed the thin layer of rime on my coat. I could see the open sky through the massive pillars that carried the roof. We were so high up that I saw nothing of the lands below the cloud cover. Only specks of other mountain peaks rising through the blanket here and there.

My every hoofstep echoed in this grand hall. I gazed up at the ceiling where an incredible piece of artwork depicted the history of an empire from its conception to its astonishing rise to power in its region and finally to its imperialistic spread across borders like oceans and mountain ranges. Fleets of ships, at first. Airships, later on. Machinery of impressive size and complexity.

A slightly painful prod in my rear made me jump a little.

“Move,” Tempest demanded with her usual, uncaring expression. She had prodded me with one of their weird zappy forks, but without activating the electrical discharge. So maybe she was the ‘real’ Tempest and not just one of the Storm King’s subconscious manifestations.

This palace vaguely reminded me of Canterlot’s architecture. Not that I was granted enough time to study it further, as we had been thrown right into the throne room and Tempest was apparently quite eager to get this show going.

We walked along an ice blue carpet and stopped a few steps away from the first of several flat and wide stairs leading to his throne. A spiky thing fashioned partially from onyx or obsidian, I could not tell at this distance. What was it with villains and spikes, anyway? Or villains and black. Or red. Then again, blue seemed to be more of a theme here. Ice blue, specifically.

And sweet Celestia, was it cold. Windows would have been great. It did explain the fur on their soldiers, however. Apparently they hailed from mountain tops, maybe similar to yaks?

Tempest simply waited after we stopped. The Storm King sat on his throne, still not exactly the most impressive figure I had ever seen, and snacked on some grapes. He eventually shooed the servant off — just another guard who carried a silver platter instead of a shield — and looked down towards us. “Ah, Tempest, my dear. What is it you bring me there?”

Tempest gave me a good kick. One on the rear to make me stumble forward and one against my legs to forcefully make me kneel. “May I present to you, my king, the last fugitive. He appears to be Princess Luna’s consort. Due to his involvement with her, a few stragglers decided to follow his impressively incompetent lead. With him captured now, we should face no further resistance. Equestria is yours at last. With all princesses captured, their magic is in your hands.”

And true to his nature, the Storm King gave the exact kind of maniacally laughter one would expect. “Priceless! Oh that is priceless! What a wonderful day indeed. What is his name again?”

Tempest shrugged. “No clue. Didn’t bother asking.”

He laughed even harder. “Oh how I love it. You continue to impress me, my dear. Guards? Get rid of that pungent stench of weakness in my throne room before I rip his legs out and stain my carpet. And make sure our torture master catches his name.” A few guards came seemingly out of nowhere and flanked me on either side. They started to drag me away.

“What about the Staff of Sacanas?” I heard the Storm King ask in a more subdued voice.

I suddenly had an idea and started laughing from the top of my lungs. “You’ll never get the staff,” I shouted. He seemed to give some kind of sign to the guards as they dragged me a few feet backwards to face him once more.

“What did you do?” he asked and his face was veiled in barely restrained anger.

I grinned even wider. “Well. Considering your army’s equipment, I suppose you would know a good deal more about the kind of temperatures an industrial blast furnace can reach…”

His eyes grew wide. And so did Tempest's. My little swerve was utterly unnecessary for the story. All it contributed was to rile him up even further. And. And it let her know that I knew what he was talking about. And that maybe I was not lying about the fate of this artifact.

I just loved to see her dumbstruck. It was so satisfying to have her on this side for once. To see shock on her face.

A few seconds passed and the Storm King lost his internal battle. His mask shattered and he violently screamed in anger and frustration, punched the armrest of his throne, kicked at the stone beneath and yelled to the heavens. It was quite an impressive temper tantrum.

When he was finally done, he turned to the guards who still held me with a deathly cold in his eyes. “I don’t need his name anymore.” He nodded towards the side of his throne hall and the guards dragged me to the edge.

I looked down and saw… nothing much, really. Clouds. I suspected there was an entire mountain range just beneath it. I would smash against solid rock, all my bones crushed. Maybe I would just splat on the ground like a watermelon. Another red stain, until the next rain washed it all away. In one last, defiant act, I half-turned and grinned at him. “You won’t find so much as a morsel of magic left. We burned most of the magic items and spell books we had. And you. Get. Nothing.” And with that, I bit down on the vest of one of the guards and jumped, pulling him with me off the ledge.

I heard the guard scream in shock and panic as he fell with me. But more importantly, I heard the Storm King scream once more. It was delightful.

Of course I had no intention of actually dying. With a willpower as strong as his, I had to make minor adjustments only and I had to concentrate on them quite rigorously. So I closed my eyes and cut myself off from my sense of hearing. No blood rushing in my ears. No wind whistling by. I squeezed my eyes shut. I dismissed all feelings of coldness until my body was numb to any sensation. Until I was floating in a vacuum. And I made a sneaky little adjustment.

I piggybacked the second guard.

Instead of having ‘my own’ body, I transferred my consciousness into that of the other guard who still stood at the edge and looked down after his comrade. I did not assume direct control either. I just laid back and tapped into his senses. I just wanted to observe what came next.

Immediately after the spectacle, silence permeated the room for a good few minutes. Until the Storm King had calmed down. And Tempest dared to address him once more. “Despite this misfortune, we still managed another flawless victory,” she reiterated.

“We did,” he agreed reluctantly before he sighed and forced a smile. “We did, didn’t we?”

Without her expression ever changing, Tempest nodded. “Which leads me to my next question, if I may?”

He simply shrugged. “Be my guest.”

“About my horn,” she stated without even bothering to phrase it like a question at all.

And the Storm King immediately groaned. This was apparently a topic that — at least in his head — came up quite often. “Must we discuss this any further?” he moaned.

“We must,” Tempest insisted. “I have won countless victories in your name. Your army stands undefeated. And with this latest victory, you may very well have defeated gods.”

“Yes, yes,” he replied and waved his hand dismissively. “You do drone on about my great successes. I already told you that you did good, didn’t I?”

It was the first time that I got to see Tempest become ever so slightly irritated. “You promised,” she insisted.

“I promised you I’d do it sometime,” he replied with a snarl. “I never promised when that time would come.”

“I was a filly when you made that promise!” she raised her volume and stomped a single hoof for emphasis, but the Storm King, while still lazily lounging in his throne, took on a more sinister tone.

“Careful, filly. Ain’t my fault you were too young or too stupid to negotiate properly,” he replied. “There’s still a lot to do, Tempest Shadow. The dragonlands. The griffon empire. Or what’s left of that, anyway. Yakyakistan. The kirin.”

“Have I not done enough?” Tempest asked. “Have I not served you loyally? Do I not deserve a token of your gratitude?”

“A token of my—…” he parroted before he burst into uproarious laughter. “Bwhahahaha! Oh, that’s priceless! A token of my gratitude! Ahahahaha.” Eventually, he shook his head and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Listen, girl. I changed the deal. I can do that. Because I am the one making the deals. Oh come on, don’t look so shocked, filly. I change deals all the time. You know that. What makes you think you’re so special anyway, huh?” He lazily gestured with his hand, but ultimately let it fall down to draw idle circles on the ground next to his throne. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m still your only chance anyway. You will be a good girl and obey, sweetie. Don’t make me help you.”

Truth was: I did not like Tempest Shadow. I was not sure if I would like Fizzlepop Berrytwist, if she would ever reemerge from her horrible ordeal. But I had a great deal of dislike towards Tempest. She was confident to an extent that irritated me. She was smug. She was a lot better at controlling herself and constantly hid how she truly felt about any given situation. Maybe it was just a matter of incompatible chemistry. I did not care.

But despite this, I gained no joy from seeing her blanch. If she was still just playing along to gather information about Luna and me or to stall for time, she was doing an incredible job. Anything else meant that right now, she might have caught her first true glimpse of the Storm King. And it came packaged with some very uncomfortable truths and revelations.

I knew Tempest for a few minutes or so. An hour, maybe two at best. But I already expected her to revert to defiance. And I was not disappointed. “I won’t be much of a leader if you keep me chained to your side,” she spat. “Maybe I’ll just have to find some other way to do it myself.”

Her king was silent for a moment. Maybe he considered his options. Or maybe, he just tried to keep his amusement out of his expression. Because once those few seconds passed, he snickered quietly before he waved her goodbye. “Oh yes, sure, of course. You just go and have fun out there. After all, it’s not like this is the only life you’ve ever known, right? Well anyway, don’t let me stop you. I just hope you don’t need legs for your adventure.”

Tempest froze and looked down at her legs. They were there. Very much there. For now. “What?”

“Nice horseshoes,” the Storm King snickered. “Very fashionable design. Good weight to crush someone’s skull, right? The spikes were a nice addition. A little reservoir injects wounds with a numbing poison. I was so proud of you for that idea. It really is devious. Of course, if we’re building reservoirs anyway… ah, doesn’t matter, does it now? I just thought that it would be a shame if someone were to put explosives in there. You should be careful about that. Just a heads-up, of course.”

Numbing poison? Luna was an alicorn. She was quite resistant to most minor scratches anyway. The kind of injury that these horseshoes would cause and used to inject the poison. And she was immune to most poisons anyway. But Tempest had kicked me. I had been armored and she had kicked me in the chest. The very much armored chest.

I had not noticed anything, of course. But the thought was still unsettling.

And even more so the deviousness of his implications. This being a dream meant that it could be something his subconscious had made up on the spot. Could be. Then again, lying was a creative process. Creative processes usually took more time. And his answer, his entire reaction, had been seamless as far as I could tell.

Tempest fell silent. And took half a step back.

I did not know her well. But seeing her retreat felt significant. Even that half-step was still a sign of retreat. Her face displayed no shock, no horror, no fear. But I assumed she considered the same things I did. That she currently slept in a bunk bed and dreamwalked while she wore explosive devices on her hooves that the Storm King had fashioned to assure her continued loyalty.

Luna and I are lying just above her, I realized with a cold shudder.

“I devoted my life to your stupid warpath,” Tempest breathlessly mumbled.

“Ugh. Been there, done that. You know, I originally wanted to give you the week off. To celebrate a little. But your incompetence cost me the Staff of Sacanas. And a few spell books, apparently. So maybe get your ass loaded on the next airship north and see about those pesky yaks. I heard they love declaring war. It’s about time they actually got one.” He leaned down from his throne with a wicked smile on his face. “Shoo,” he said and gestured for her to leave.

Tempest was spared the humiliation of having to leave the throne room. I was not even sure if anything beyond this room even existed. The dreamer usually just created whatever he needed and for whatever reason, the Storm King seemed to be quite content to idly sit here and marvel at… the architecture? Or something? Maybe he just loved to watch the sun that neither rose nor sank.

It was not the dream that collapsed. But we were shunned out of it. We landed ungraciously on the dreamscape, muzzle first, and Luna strained in exhaustion for the few final seconds before she finally broke contact with the dream. And seconds later, the dreamscape itself fell apart as well as we woke up.

The very second I regained conscious thought and mental capabilities, I craned my neck to look behind me, directly into Luna's eyes. “Shield.” Without a question or a moment's hesitation, she complied, lit her horn and put a solid barrier of transparent cobalt blue magic around the two of us. “Tempest, don’t—“

I had scooched closer to the edge of the bed and looked over the side, but to my surprise, Tempest had not moved a single muscle. “—move.” All urgency vanished. She just laid there. Her eyes were open, so she was awake. I could see her barrel slowly and steadily rise and sink. “We’re coming down,” I announced. Though I had a suspicion she did not care either way.

I exchanged a look with Luna and we both climbed out of the upper bunk bed to eventually sit down in front of the lower one. Tempest still had not moved. “Alright, just stay… uhm… yeah, you’re doing great,” I mumbled as I grew increasingly insecure. So instead of dealing with her current state, I focused on her armor. Her horseshoes especially. My telekinesis was not as strong as Rarity’s. Not as dexterous as Luna's. But I knew what I was looking for and it was precise enough. I slowly lifted one of her horseshoes off of her hoof, brought the item closer to Luna's shield for inspection and after some very careful fiddling around, I managed to pry open a little hatch on the underside.

It was not just a fantasy.

Inside the teeny-tiny compartment was a single vial of something, connected to small metal tubes that probably led into the spikes protruding from the horseshoe. So that was most likely that ‘numbing poison’ he had mentioned. Although I was less certain that it was just a numbing poison. After all, Tempest was highly trained, very focused and extremely efficient. Why not load the vial up with a neurotoxin that kills within seconds?

The more important part was the surrounding area within the compartment. I thought it was just some sort of padding at first. Filler to ensure that, even under great stress, the horseshoe would not collapse in on itself. Because with the intricate design of it, that could have meant metal slivers ramming into Tempest's own hooves, which would then potentially expose her to the poison that leaked from a broken vial. It was an unnecessary risk and therefore a potential design flaw.

But no, I could actually identify this ‘filler’. And I sighed. Both in relief and in defeat. “It’s a compound,” I quietly announced. “Hard to craft. It’s partially metal, but a soft one. Less ‘smithing’ and more ‘alchemy’. It reacts to vibrations. I’m not sure if a single, regular hoofstep would already trigger it, but if you were to run… or worse, kick something. There’s enough in here to shred your entire leg to mush, yes. With all four charges going off, there might actually be even less left over to identify. However, that stuff should have gone off a long time ago. I saw you fight.” I furrowed my brow and carefully turned it to different angles. Until I spotted a little shimmer in the faint light Luna's shield provided. There was a rune engraved on the inside of the hatch. “Luna? Do you see this?”

I was less familiar with runic magic. Or enchantments. I knew that both areas could easily overlap, and I had no idea what I looked at. So I instructed her to fiddle around with the horseshoe until she saw it as well and after a minute or two, she shared her conclusion with us. “The rune keeps the explosive stable.”

I grimaced a little. Tempest was quick, agile, a fierce force of violence on the field — and a single lucky strike against her horseshoes, of all things, could disable the magic required to keep her from poofing into red mist. “But that doesn’t make sense, does it?” I argued and furrowed my brow once more. “If it’s meant as a security measure against betrayal… she can just not wear her horseshoes. She could have figured all of this out herself by simply opening the hatch and studying what’s inside. Wasn’t that hard to do.”

For the first time since we had woken up, Tempest shifted. She took her horseshoe from us, closed the hatch again and reattached it to her hoof before sitting up properly. “He knows me,” she simply explained. “He knows what I’m like. What I do and don’t do. How I think. Who I trust. I have an assistant. His name is Grubber. He maintains my gear, keeps it in pristine condition.”

“Including your horseshoes?” I quietly asked.

She closed her eyes for a moment and silently sighed. “Including my horseshoes,” she confirmed. “The Storm King chose him personally to be by my side at all times. I thought he was supposed to be some kind of assurance. I just misunderstood the kind of insurance.”

“I’m sorry,” I meekly offered. What else could I have said? This kind of manipulation was just despicable.

Tempest considered my words, but ultimately shrugged them off. “How do I know any of this is real?” she instead asked and looked at the pillow as if it could answer her. “This ‘dream’ I saw could have been a fabrication. An illusion spell. You are very astute and quite experienced with those after all, princess. Even your so-called discovery right now could be a fabrication. A lie to lure me into your net. I have no means to verify your claims. I can’t tell if this is explosive material or not, if this is a magical rune or not, if it does what you claim it does.”

While I wanted to groan, I controlled myself and simply refrained from expressing my renewed frustrations. Dealing with her was tiring. Aggravating. But at least I understood where she came from. This entire time, I tried to keep in mind that despite everything, she was the enemy. As long as we had yet to secure success, she remained an opponent. That we sat together and talked was very nice and all, but we were still enemies. She just did a better job at keeping it in mind.

I had to admit though: Her level of distrust was both understandable and an issue. Because I could see it already coming. Was there even a way we could convince her? Was there any option whatsoever to say or do anything to show her how genuine we were?

“It is not real. That is the point,” Luna replied as diplomatic as ever. “That being said, I wager you usually have a decent enough intuition. I understand that you may not wish to take any chances with this, considering what is at stake. There is the obvious alternative, of course. You could simply go back to your king and confront him for real. That comes with its own risks of course.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Tempest continued on her path of caution.

Luna merely shrugged. “You do not. However, I like to point out that we have been honest and upfront with you this entire time.”

That was not enough. I already knew it would not suffice. So I had to try to pitch in with my own effort. “I don’t claim to know you,” I addressed Tempest. “I have no idea who Fizzlepop Berrytwist really is. At this point, I’m not even sure if you know. But there’s a few things I believe in. You are a pony. That means, if you like it or not, there are certain similarities between you and me. And I don’t just mean the number of legs. You have been a warrior your entire life. You fought the battles of others. You shed blood and heard cries of aggression and pain. And you’ve reached the top. I have no idea how fast. How long you’ve been up there. But I imagine it’s lonely up there. Maybe my assumption is wrong. Maybe you’re perfectly fine with how things are. But honestly, I have a hard time imagining any deep, meaningful relationships in your life. That being said, you could come with us. And you could have a chance for a good, normal life amongst your kind.”

She looked offended. But I had a hunch that this was just a superficial reaction. Something she displayed, something she wanted us to see. Her entire demeanor was hard and aggressive, but I liked to believe that the Storm King’s betrayal had genuinely shocked her. And I believed that I had seen pain in her eyes. Even a few seconds prior, when she mentioned Grubber, there was a subtle sense of betrayal in her voice. Maybe she had seen him as a friend.

She just did not give off the impression that there was a normal, harmonious household waiting for her at the end of a stressful day. She was too driven, too single-mindedly focused on achieving her goal to not ignore anything good that might have crossed her path.

But loneliness had its ways. It wormed itself into every heart, no matter how fortified it might have been.

“And what kind of life would that be, hm?” Tempest asked with a slight edge in her voice. “The life of a branded traitor?”

Luna intervened and shook her head. “No. Do not assume too much — but do not assume too little either. We are not offering you a life in riches and splendor. You will gain no privileges from complying. You will be reintegrated into Equestrian society and you will have to work for your new life like everypony else does. However. Due to the southern border — northern for you, I suppose —, few ponies are aware that the Storm King even exists. Fewer still know of his rampage. And none, I presume, know of his second in command. Nopony knows the name Tempest Shadow. Although I would advise shedding that persona in case of your return. It would inevitably draw attention.”

Tempest's expression remained indifferent. Unchanging. Even though I felt like she grimaced internally. It could not be easy to imagine herself returning to being Fizzlepop after so many years. “And what would I even do with such a ‘new life’?” she asked.

I shot a quick glance to Luna and she nodded, letting me answer this one. “Well first of all, Equestria does have a military. And said military could probably benefit greatly from your experience. That being said, I… I imagine you could be sick of all the fighting? Tired of wearing armor for more hours per day than you sleep. And we obviously won’t force you into any position you don’t want. So if you like to take the chance to get away from military service, why not work towards owning your own farm? I suspect you know absolutely nothing about crops. You could learn. Maybe start as a farmhoof somewhere. Farming is not your style? No problem. Get an apprenticeship at a bakery. A few years down the line, maybe you own your own bakery. Still nothing? Don’t worry. Start writing. Maybe novels, or newspaper stuff. Or heck, why not go exploring and write about your exploits and adventures. Worked well enough for A. K. Yearling, didn’t it? And those are obviously just examples. It’s your life. Do what you want. Become what you wish to be. You don’t have to be the best. Nopony asks you to be the best farmer, or the best baker, or the best writer. Just do your thing and be happy. I don’t think you ever considered that a viable option, did you? To just work towards your own happiness?”

Not a muscle twitched. Not a single eyelash moved. But she did not answer my question. And it had been an honest question this time. I deemed it telling enough that she avoided answering. She remained silent instead. Mulled things over for a while. Luna dissolved the shield around us in the meantime. I was not exactly at ease to know that we were this close to explosives, but the additional barrier distancing us from Tempest was a bit of an issue conversation-wise.

A few minutes later, Tempest shook her head. “I’m not convinced. There’s too many unknown variables and no reason to believe a single word you say.”

Luna managed to get the first word out while I still struggled to decide on how I felt about that. Aside from frustration, obviously. “We have no further means to convince you. Given other circumstances, I would have taken the opportunity to negate your influence on the playing field.”

I sighed. And with a sadness I could not hope to hide, I looked up at Luna. Of course she looked at me. Of course she was. “Or in other words,” I quietly interrupted, “you would kill her if it weren’t for me.”

“I do not end life lightly,” Luna replied. While she clearly showed empathy, there was a certain resolve lacing her voice.

“That’s not a ‘no’, Lu.”

She hesitated for a second before she averted her eyes. “No. It is not.”

It felt like a boulder was rolled on top of my heart. I knew what was at stake. I knew what danger Equestria was in. What we potentially faced. And Tempest was a critical figure in all of this. She was the driving force behind so many successes of this seemingly unstoppable army. And yet everything within me, every single fiber, screamed in outrage at the mere thought of using that as an excuse to end her life.

“You would let me go?” Tempest asked with mild surprise. “Just like that?”

Come on, think, Dreamwalker. Think. How can we turn this around?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna nod. Glumly, but she did.

Stupid horn, I cursed. And suddenly an idea sparked in my mind. My head snapped up and I fixed Tempest with a look. “Get something to write.” Both Luna and Tempest regarded me with mild confusion, but I saw no reason to explain just yet and only repeated my instruction.

Tempest looked around the room and since she found no writing materials, she sighed and climbed out of the bed. She had to leave the room to fetch something from somewhere else. And Luna obviously took the chance. “You have an idea?”

I grimaced a little, but smiled at the same time. “I would call it a ‘last ditch effort’, but yes.”

She trusted me enough to simply nod and wait to see what I had in mind. It took Tempest three or four minutes to finally return and when she did, she settled down on the bed with a clipboard, a single sheet of paper and a pen. I stared at the paper and slowly shook my head. “Uhm… sorry, but no. You will need a bunch more than that.” She looked at her empty page and back up to me. She wordlessly asked for an explanation, because she otherwise refused to get up again. “I intend to give you instructions on how to craft your horn replacement. I will try to phrase it in a way that even somepony without prior knowledge of smithing can follow the instructions. And believe me, there’s a lot, and I mean a lot, of numbers in there. Numbers you do not want to get wrong. So would you please get more pages than that?”

Both of them were surprised. For very different reasons, I suspected. Tempest even looked over to Luna to gauge her reaction to this. Tempest got up again and vanished once more. And I already knew that Luna had an opinion about my idea. “Do you really think that is wise?”

I smiled a little lopsided. I was not sure if she suspected trickery on my part and wanted to know if I thought that trying to trick Tempest was clever, or if she asked about giving out the real deal. “It’s a gamble,” I admitted. “I know that I might make things harder on ourselves in the future. And if that comes to pass… I will kick myself in the flank. She’s got a point, though. She has no reason to believe us. We could have come here with months and months, even years of meticulous preparations. We could have made up a neat story, cast a few enchantments, maybe even wrote up some new spells just for the occasion. It’s hard convincing someone to whom distrust is second nature. Believe me, I would know. I find myself doubting everypony I love often enough. You know that. So I say: Instead of dangling the carrot in front of the pig, we just feed the pig and hope that it likes us enough to follow us. After all, we might have more carrots back home, right?” I sighed. Said out loud, it sounded stupid. And horribly, horribly naïve. “Instead of bribing her, we would try to make her into a friend. That’s better long-term anyway, isn’t it?”

Luna smiled and leaned in to nuzzle me. “Twilight would be proud of you.”

It mattered little if I agreed with that notion or not. The mere thought of it conjured the image in my head. How Twilight smiled when she thought I did good. How her proud smile looked when it was meant for me. It involuntarily made me smile as well and warmed my heart a little. It took a moment to tear myself away from that image. “Maybe,” I curtly replied. “That’s not the point though. After everything she’s been through, I think she actually deserves this. It’s simply the right thing to do. And for that to be true, it doesn’t matter if I like her or not. Because frankly, I don’t.”

It was comedic timing then that Tempest returned at that exact moment. Comedic timing, yet nopony was laughing. I had no idea how much she had heard. And seeing as she decided not to comment on anything, I vowed to do the same. I instead waited until she had made herself comfortable again and with her pen at the ready, I started.

“First of all, you need to be precise. You follow these instructions to a T and I will guarantee you that it works. If you’re sloppy with writing down what I tell you, that’s a you-problem. If you mess up the temperatures or fix the wrong cast, if you’re impatient when cooling the materials down or heating up the forge, if at any point you deviate from my instructions, that’s a you-problem. Got that?” Tempest clearly was not used to ponies talking to her like that. She threw me a warning glare, but this time, I had no difficulties shrugging it off. Because now I was the one talking about stuff I knew and she was the clueless novice.

“Let’s start with the material list,” I opted. “You will need to make an excursion to the Forbidden Jungle. Within the jungle are temple ruins. I can mark one specific site on a map, if you have one. These ruins are overseen by guardians. And these guardians have access to two metals you will need. Moon-blessed silver and sun-blessed gold. Don’t think you can just exchange them with regular gold and silver and spare yourself the hassle of scouring the jungle. It won’t work. You need these two materials. Now, next up. I’m not going to list every single tool you need, just the—… nah, scratch that. If we do this, we are thorough with it.”

And thus, I slowly sank into my own version of Twilight’s usual lecture-mode. Luna relaxed and laid her head on my rump at some point and used part of my tail as a pillow-substitute. And Tempest scribbled. A list of tools. A list of specifications for the kind of furnace she required. What materials to use for a cast. I even digressed to make a subset of instructions on how to clean and maintain tools in preparation for a bigger project and how to craft a mold. The rest of the material list eventually followed. And then we got into the nitty-gritty. Number crunching could be so much fun. Melting temperatures of regular silver compared to the melting temperature of moon-blessed silver. Just in case the guardians tried to scam her. A few hints about what to look out for. Warnings about common mistakes when working with metals. When forging in general, really. What fuel to use. How the humidity of the surrounding area might affect the crafting process. Because really, trying to craft her prosthesis right in the jungle was a stupid idea.

I rarely stumbled. Rarely took a break. I took a sip from our water bottle a few times throughout the next two or three hours. Tempest had been kind enough to bring us our saddlebags when she went to get a new pen. She asked a few questions in those short breaks. Usually meant to further her understanding of the crafting process. Or to be more aware of potential dangers. But she never interrupted me when I talked.

I assumed that dawn had to be close when I finished. I was certainly tired enough to guess that the night had passed with little to no sleep. “Let me see,” I demanded and took her clipboard in my magic without waiting. I skipped over most of her notes, lines of text flew by. I mostly checked the numbers again. And then one more time for good measure before I hoofed the clipboard back to her. “Looks fine to me. As I said initially. You follow those sets of instructions precisely, and you get your horn.”

She finally put the pen aside. And rotated her hooves. Stretched her neck. A series of cracks and pops could be heard. Her gaze fell upon her stack of notes and lingered there for a good moment before she looked up again. “You really are a smith, aren’t you?”

I was not sure how to take that. A part was angry, downright offended. Another part was amused. The latter won out and I quietly chuckled. “What a bright spark.” I smiled and shook my head before I turned my attention to Luna. I slowly lifted her leg, and kissed her hoof. I cared little for what Tempest saw or thought at this point. Luna did not wake up, so I continued a little trail up her leg until it became difficult to reach higher, because of how she was lying with her head on my back. However, I noticed the corners of her lips twitch upwards and I grinned. “If you wanted me to continue, you should have chosen a different position,” I whispered.

“Hmmm… but you are so comfy,” Luna mumbled in reply and cracked an eye open.

I was immediately greeted by a mischievous twinkle and chuckled in reply. “Well, I can imagine something more comfortable than lying on the floor, but hey. You’re more obdurate than I am.” I nudged her with a flick of my magic.

She complied, sat up again and rubbed at her eyes before she reoriented herself. “Are you done now?”

I looked over to Tempest, who already seemed focused on internalizing my list of instructions. “We are, yes.” Tempest looked up and quickly confirmed my statement with a nod as she carefully tucked the notes away under her armor. I cringed a little upon seeing that. The paper could get wrinkles, which in turn could distort numbers or letters. But that was a her-problem, not a me-problem. I had done the best I could. “So what is your decision?” I dared to ask her.

Tempest looked at the spot on her armor where the notes had vanished towards. Her attention returned to us and she quietly sighed. “After the messenger reached us, I gave my airship clear instructions. They were to drop me off at the outpost and come by again at dawn. Either to pick me up or to scorch the entire mountain. I will leave you two here. You should keep out of sight. And I will get on board again. There is an assistant I need to have words with.” She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t come with you yet. But rest assured that I will not forget this. And that despite my reputation, I do have an understanding of what ‘honor’ means.”

My shoulders sagged in disappointment. I didn't even try to hide it. Luna dealt with her impulses a lot better. She remained steadfast, nodded and seemingly accepted Tempest's decision. “In that case, we wish thee save travels and hope to see thee again someday. Under better circumstances, preferably.”

Tempest allowed herself a thin smile while she got up. She stretched her legs again and climbed out of bed. We could already hear the rumbling buzzing of machinery drawing closer. Tempest exited the house and closed the door behind her and while Luna simply relocated to sit on the bed, I rushed over to the small window to take a look at the airship itself.

I only saw a small part of it as it rose above the mountaintop. It looked a little as if somepony had taken inspiration from a hot air balloon, but had decided to stuff the passenger basket right up into the balloon itself, and then stretch the entire thing sideways until it vaguely resembled an actual ship. And built it out of metal. It looked weird, really. “I know,” Luna replied to my comments without showing any actual interest.

I was less of a fan of the thick black smoke it spewed into the air behind itself. “That would be the air pollution caused by their fuel,” Luna explained. I had seen and heard about machinery in Equestria. Flim and Flam constantly invented new technology. Pinkie supposedly hat some sort of flying device with a rotor. But what ponykind crafted was usually still at least partially infused with magic. And seeing the smoke the airship pumped out, maybe that was a good thing.

A few minutes passed by with the airship simply hanging around. I believed I had heard some machinery. But Luna did not know what that had been either. Maybe a ramp being lowered? Something other than the constant, quite noisy buzzing of the machines keeping this thing afloat.

Then the airship started moving again. It turned. “They are leaving,” I announced and once again felt my shoulders sag a little. I had somehow hoped something would happen. Something else than just her leaving.

“Do you think it’s safe outside? I think I’d like to watch them leave.”

Luna giggled and got up and out of bed. “I swear to the heavens, sometimes you are just like a little colt at a fair!”

I grinned wide despite her mild chiding and even she smiled. I quickly trotted up to her side, lovingly nuzzled her shoulder and she extended her wing with a soft giggle and pulled me in closer. “It should be fine,” she concluded. “I can cast a quick invisibility spell for us, just to make sure.”

We exited the house and shortly after the courtyard as well. We walked towards the path that led down the mountain, but remained at the top near the edge. And there we sat as the new dawn rose and the airship slowly shrank further and further down, leaving behind its faint trail of black smoke.

“Do you actually think we’ll ever see her again?” I quietly asked after a few minutes. The airship was still visible, but tiny in the distance.

Luna sighed. “I am not sure. I like to think that she was honest with us. And that she will remember this day. However, as a ruler of Equestria, I cannot afford to take such risks. I will talk to my sister and we will adjust our preparations after our return home. Just in case Tempest decides to invade anyway, now with a functioning horn.”

Had I not been present, Luna would have dealt with this threat to Equestrian peace. Worse still. Had I not been present, Tempest would have still lacked any knowledge or ability to restore her magic. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head and her primaries softly trailed along my back. “Do not apologize for trying to be good. ‘Tis a dark place from whence mine own decisions must come at times. I am not proud of it.”

With the airship only being a speck in the sky now, I was about to argue that point of hers, but decided against it. “I don’t think she unpetrified a single guard,” I instead noted while I looked around. “We could make camp outside the outpost, if you wanted? Maybe recover some of that time you initially hoped for?”

She sighed and was probably about to refuse when we suddenly saw the small speck grow in size. And a few seconds later, the soundwave of a massive explosion reached the mountaintop. We shared a look, our eyes wide, as we stared in disbelief at the airship. At this distance, it was hard to tell what exactly had happened. It looked like half of its side had been blown off. A tiny stream of fire and smoke emerged from the wreckage that was slowly going down. Above the sea, no less.

“They… they have lifeboats on those things, right?” I quietly asked. In my mind, I saw corpses line the hallways, half their faces ripped off their skulls due to the explosion. I saw screaming guards run along perforated corridors, still on fire. I saw the desperate jump from incredible heights, hoping the water might spare them from burning to death, only to realize on impact that from this height, water was as tough as concrete. I swallowed.

“I honestly do not know,” Luna answered.

We saw the burning wreckage make contact with the ocean’s surface. The fires were quelled immediately. And saltwater would meet fresh burns. I shuddered. “What in Celestia’s name happened…? Did… was that…” I looked up. I looked at Luna and for a few dangerous seconds, I considered if she had tampered with the explosives in Tempest's horseshoes. I felt so incredibly guilty just daring to think she would do something so heinous. And I averted my eyes in guilt and shame.

“Do not apologize,” she whispered and pulled me closer with her wing, “Even I considered if I had done it by accident.”

Neither of us rushed downhill. Neither of us made any move to reach the crash site. Because no matter how horrible this fate was, no matter the horrific fates my vivid imagination showed me: Deep down, I knew that we could not afford to be spotted here. To be involved.

“Look,” Luna prompted and raised a hoof. My eyes followed south where she pointed. And I noticed another speck. It was weirdly shaped and seemed to move fast as it quickly got bigger. It drew close enough that we could make out some sort of rigid wings within a minute. It was a glider of sorts. With a small rack underneath, sturdy enough to carry a single creature.

A single pony, in this case.

Using an updraft, Tempest landed a few feet away from us and folded the wings of the weird contraption on her back. It was strange to see her without her armor. She walked over to us and plopped her rump down like she belonged here.

While we speechlessly stared at her, she watched the last traces of the airship be swallowed by the ocean. “We had a little talk,” she offered quietly and her voice was as indifferent as always. “Decided to part ways. Wasn’t exactly what you’d call ‘amicably’. But things are in order. Now we can go.”

Aftermath

Burning. Drowning. Bleeding out. Jackpot if you got torn to shreds by the initial detonation.

They were not even visible. From up here on top of Mount Aris, any and all survivors were simply absent. Not even specks in the distance. As if the scene itself tried to hide the awfulness that happened right now. With any potential survivor vanishing from sight, it was so nauseatingly easy to forget all about them. They weren’t even there, after all.

“What have you done?” I mumbled breathlessly.

It was efficient.

It was cold.

It was heartless.

“What have you done?!” I screamed in Tempest's face as I whirled around and gave her a good shove. Not a punch, not a kick. For some reason, I had not thought of that. Then again, an actual solid attack she might have seen coming. She might have defended against. But I merely shoved her. She looked so incredibly surprised. It infuriated me even more, but I turned my focus away from her. I did not wish to escalate this into an actual fight. We were here to retrieve her, after all.

So my attention shifted to Luna instead. She still looked in the direction where the wreckage had sunk into the sea, but I knew that she noticed what was going on. “Luna, we need to help,” I stated with urgency. Parts of my own mind had tried to mollify me, tried to keep me quiet and make me sit down on the sidelines like the good little soldier I was meant to be. But this was wrong. And when she looked at me, I saw the very same battle I fought raging in her eyes. She knew it. She knew how wrong this was. And just like me, there was a part of her holding her back. I wanted to scream at her to look at what was happening, but I quickly reminded myself: Nothing. Nothing was happening as far as the naked eye was concerned. There was nothing to see. So I made a second attempt to speak instead and veered into a different direction, but with the same intention. “This isn’t us!” I insisted. “It’s neither you nor me nor is this the pony way! Luna, please, I implore you. Help them!”

A few more seconds of hesitation trickled by before she stretched her magnificent wings to their full span and with a fast run-up, she flung herself off the mountain and raced towards the sea. My heart raced as I watched her shrink down as well. She flew as fast as her wings allowed her.

Unfortunately, that left me alone with her.

I already knew what I intended to do next. What I had in mind to occupy my hooves and mind with until Luna’s return. And she would help me. “We have something to do, Fizzlepop,” I announced. It was not a question. It was not an offer. And I most certainly was not asking nicely for her help.

And she had the audacity to talk back.

“That’s not my name,” she insisted with her usual indifference.

It had not become any less aggravating. I had already turned around and taken a few steps towards the outpost, but I stopped when she rejected her own name. I had not heard any hoofsteps following me as well. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. I knew that if she wanted to, she could mop the floor with me. And neither was I keen on this kind of humiliation nor did I wish to fight her in the first place. There had been more than enough violence for one day. But her demeanor just irritated me in a way I found incredibly hard to dismiss.

So I slowly turned around to face her and tried to keep myself from snarling. “Well, you better get used to it, Fizzlepop,” I started with a barely veiled threat carrying my voice, “because after seeing what ‘Tempest Shadow’ deems a ‘good idea’, I really, really hope she went down with that Celestia-forsaken ship over there!” I angrily pointed a hoof in the direction of the coastline, just for emphasis. And I despised her even more for that mildly amused look on her face. “You might think I’m soft. That it’s a weakness. But we worked hard to afford this ‘weakness’. Because it’s a luxury. There’s a reason we don’t kill or maim or torture. There’s a reason why barely anypony knows that the dungeons even exist. There’s a reason why these dungeons are empty. And no matter if she knows it or not, Luna is out there to save a part of herself right now. A part I’m not sure you have even left to be saved. And if you’re done running your mouth, feel free to make yourself useful and help me deal with our other victims.”

I turned around again and stomped away. It was quiet behind me, only the wind occasionally whistled in my ear. As I had almost reached the outpost’s gate, I heard her mumble. “It was a strategically sound decision.”

That could have been something Luna said. I shuddered. I did not know if it was possible. Maybe I was too late already. But I felt this deep-seated urgency to at least save my little kitten from that.

“I don’t care.” I wanted to yell. I wanted to scream it to the heavens. I wanted to scream it down her ear in hopes it might pierce through that lifetime of strife and violence. But I managed to restrain myself. It would not do to yell like that. It would not help, it would not change anything, it would not do any good for either of us. So I sighed quietly instead, put my forehead against the metal of the door, let the coldness seep into my brain and quietly mumbled my reply into the gate. It surely cared as much as I did right now.

After having said my piece, I lit my horn and pulled the gate to the side again. I made my way into the courtyard and looked around. These guards were frozen solid. Petrified. But there were means to unpetrify them, I assumed. And at some point, somepony would come and do just that. At least that was what I hoped for.

But without proper understanding of their internal organization, I could not tell how long that would take. Weeks, maybe. And they were stone. High up on a mountain. Subjected to harsh weather, to winds and rain and birds and who knew what else. Despite my efforts not to think about it too much, my mind already told me what it would look like to unpetrify a guard whose arm had been broken off because a strong gust of wind tipped him over.

We needed to secure them. It was the least we could do to ensure their safety. They probably had families to return to. And maybe they would remember this. How we treated them when they were at their most vulnerable.

I chose the guard who was already closest to a building and tried a few ways of how to best tackle the issue. As a statue, they were way too heavy for me to lift with my telekinesis. I could drag them and I did try that for a few inches, but my mind screamed in panic as I realized that no matter how I grabbed hold of the statue, there was a risk of breaking something off. Dragging him along the ground in a standing position could put too much strain on his legs. Dragging him after carefully placing him on his back could literally grate his back to dust.

I had to be smarter about this.

So I visited some of the other structures. I had not been in most of them and I did not look around to puzzle out their function. No, I searched for ideas and usable materials. And I found what I had come for. A few wheels were easy enough to attach to a round wooden plate. I suspected that it had been a table at some point, or maybe it was a table in the making. Either way, it was a good enough platform to lay the soldier onto and with the wheels I could drag him without causing damage. I just had to saw off the sides. Because the stupid table was too wide to fit through the doorways, of course.

I was in the middle of sawing the left side off when I heard the door open. Confident hoofsteps closed in on me and after a moment of hesitation, she rounded the improvised workstation. Armed with another saw, she started on the other side. I did not trust myself to keep any potential bile in, so I did not comment immediately. We instead finished working on my improvised sleigh. Or was it a scooter at this point? It had no handle, it just—

Oh. Handle. Right.

It was not hard to find rope. It was a little bit trickier to attach it to the improvised cart, but we managed it eventually. And with that step done, we stood there for a few seconds. I looked at our creation with a mixture of pity and pride. It’ll do, I told myself. Even though I wished I could put it out of its misery and that Stonewood might never hear of this creation, ever.

“Am I a bad pony?”

Her question caught me so off-guard that I choked for a second. I avoided eye contact for the moment and tried to come up with an answer that was not just vitriol. After a deep sigh, I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe.” It was honest. But it left a foul taste in my mouth. Everypony deserves a second chance, don’t they? “I don’t know you,” I elaborated. “I already told you, I don’t know who Fizzlepop Berrytwist is. I’m not exactly a social butterfly myself. I would probably never have gotten to know her. I don’t even know a lot about Tempest Shadow. Rumors. Second-hoof knowledge. Stuff you shouldn’t base your judgment on. I saw you as a filly, in your memory. You looked so happy. And so hurt afterwards. I know a thing or two about… about what sadness and loneliness and pain can do to a pony, if left unchecked. Untreated. For years and years. I don’t know if you can heal.” For the first time since her question, I allowed my gaze to drift from the nondescript point in space I had tethered my gaze to. I looked her in the eyes. And I saw specks of vulnerability. Maybe there really was still a pony beneath all these layers of dust, blood and war. And I allowed myself a small smile. “But I sure hope so.”

She shakily smiled back after a moment.

It felt so incredibly fragile. This moment. Her smile. That faint understanding we might have reached. But it was enough. “Come on. Let’s get these folks somewhere safe.”

We spent the next hour or so working in relative silence. I dragged my poor little cart around, we slowly and carefully placed a guard on it, we dragged him into a nearby building and slowly put him somewhere safe. Usually along a wall or in a corner, so they would not be pushed over by someone entering in a hurry.

The outpost had twelve guards. We worked as quickly as I was willing to go and we only needed one guard to work out some kinks and establish a good, viable routine for doing things.

We had a little trouble finding the last guard, though. Luna had flung Tempest's stone spheres all over the place. She had usually aimed to hit another guard with them, but Tempest had thrown more than there were guards and, well, Luna had dragged them this way and that way. We found one of them on a roof. We needed to fashion an entire pulley just to get him down.

I found the last guard outside the outpost. Tempest still looked around inside. And I already inhaled to call for her when I noticed a little black sphere lying on the ground near him. Up close and without the cover of night, they looked surprisingly unremarkable. Black stones were weird, sure. But it still looked like a stone. Just a pebble. I carefully lifted it up with my magic and it did not immediately go off.

These things could petrify everything they made contact with.

She’s dangerous, a voice in the back of my head quietly suggested. I had a means to neutralize that danger within my grasp now. She had nowhere to run now. She blew her own ship up. She would need to venture what? Dozens if not hundreds of miles to reach the next outpost or settlement? Did she even have enough supplies she could scavenge from this outpost to make it that far? Could she survive off the land? We could transport her more easily if she were a statue, right? I would not have to endure her confidence. Her smugness and her uncaring gaze.

‘Am I a bad pony?’, her voice echoed in my head.

Am I?

I sighed deeply and rejected the notion. And I pocketed the sphere for now. “Found him,” I half-yelled. “West wall.” We carried him back into the outpost and secured him with his comrades.

Luna had decent timing. We noticed her spiral down from above just as we emerged from the structure back into the courtyard. She quickly looked around, but did not comment. If she even noticed the changes to begin with. She instead addressed Fizzlepop. “How many crewmembers were on board?”

“Twenty-eight. Plus Grubber,” Fizzle replied.

Luna considered that number and seemed content. “Most of them made it out then. They are currently split between two lifeboats and row towards the shoreline.”

Most of them. She avoided actual numbers, even though she knew exactly how many. And of course, Tempest saw the opportunity to once again defend her strategically sound decision. “I triggered the charges when we reached a specific part of the coast. There’s a current that should make it quite hard for them to reach the immediate areas. They will drift off a good distance before reaching shore. It will be days before they are capable of making contact with another outpost and weeks before their report reaches the Storm King.”

And Luna agreed. It was a simple gesture. A single, curt nod. But in my mind, I could see Tempest's poison seep into Luna's head. She was a bad influence. I stepped up to Luna and presented her with the stone sphere. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Fizzle's surprise. But more importantly, I noticed Luna's as well.

“Where did you find that?” she asked as she took it in her own levitation and put it into her saddlebag. In her search for an answer she also looked over to Tempest, who merely shrugged with the same curiosity plastered on her face.

Don’t. It was a weird mixture of Twilight and Fluttershy. Their voices intermingled to stop me. But they failed. And kindness lost another battle. “With one of your victims, ma’am.”

I thrust myself into another dichotomy. On one hoof, a part of me wanted to see her hurt. A part of me wanted to make it perfectly clear that this had not been a battle, I was no soldier, she was not my commanding officer and she had gone too far.

But at the same time, my own heart broke a little when I saw that pained expression in her eyes. When I witnessed how I got exactly what my other half wanted. I could not remember ever addressing her as a superior before. And I felt guilty. I wanted to apologize so badly, but no words came forth. The other side prevented me from doing it. I grimaced and averted my eyes. “Did you help them?” I asked softly.

“I did what I could,” she replied after a moment’s hesitation.

Another bout of worry made my head snap back up to meet her eyes. “Luna?” I asked cautiously.

She quietly sighed. “I promise you, I did all I could do to help them find their way to safety. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I held her gaze for a few seconds before I sighed in relief. “Thank you.” I wanted to kiss her. Or at least hug her. To show affection. To express without words that I felt bad for hurting her.

And I still could not.

I wanted to save her so badly. But the thought of apologizing was met with the mental image of her cyan eyes staring at me from a mist of stars as she flew outside. Against every warning, against all my attempts to work this out diplomatically, she engaged them all. I was no soldier, despite my training. Maybe there was a tactical advantage in all of this. Securing the outpost might have been a good decision. Especially now that it looked like Tempest had done all of this by herself, for whatever mysterious reason. Would her king even care?

But I could not get past the screams in my ears. The screams of terrified soldiers who believed that unspeakable, unfathomable monsters were coming for them. I knew that there was a warm and tender heart beating in my kitten's chest. I was so familiar with her warmth that despite my knowledge of her darker tendencies, I still felt shocked to have witnessed them in action.

Maybe this was a clumsy way of displaying a firm hoof. If it was, I was going about it the wrong way. I sighed and shook my head. This would need to wait for later. “We should search the outpost for gear,” I proposed instead.

“So stealing is alright then?” Tempest mocked.

Fragile indeed, I reminded myself while I tried to stay calm. “If we find some, I would like to take a single set of armor, one of those helmets or masks or what those are, one of those shields and one of those zapping-forks,” I explained to Luna and decidedly ignored Tempest's insinuation. “I assume we have some kind of defensive technology research department or something?”

Luna nodded. “Something like that. I can make sure it reaches the right ponies.”

Good enough for me. “Good. We still need to be aware of additional weight though. Even with our supplies dwindling, we should not carry too much or we will lose speed on our return.” I looked up at the sky. It was still early. “We should be thorough. Consider what we take and what we leave behind. That way, we can start our way home at dawn tomorrow.”

Despite the lingering awkwardness, Luna allowed herself a small smile and levitated her saddlebags over. She retrieved a single item from them.

The teleportation stone.

I stared at her dumbfounded. I regained enough composure to wordlessly ask her after a moment. How. Why.

“Tia mentioned that the two of you had cut some corners and that it probably had been for the better,” Luna explained. “I imagined our trek back home would be a bit tedious, so I only planned for a one-way trip. This should also help with leaving no additional tracks.”

Fizzle was completely in the dark about the whole thing of course. She had no idea what we were talking about and I saw no reason to enlighten her. She probably had gathered enough information to puzzle things out just by listening anyway.

I regarded the stone for a moment longer before I ultimately shook my head. It was tempting. We could just charge the stone — if it was not charged already — and be home in an instant. But I still had frustrations and anger and other less desirable urges and impulses brewing in my head. And my heart and my stomach. The latter twisted into knots every time I got half a second to remember that hurt expression in her eyes.

I wanted to apologize, but I could not. Not right now. I needed to calm down first. And if we returned home now, I would not apologize properly. It would not be the same. It would not mean the same. It would not carry the same weight.

Things would get busy. Tempest needed to vanish and Fizzle needed to be rehabilitated. Reintegrated into society. There were a lot of questions and decisions waiting for her. And Luna would be instrumental to most of them. She was Equestria's shield and sword, after all. How had I never seen it this clearly?

“I don’t want to leave,” I announced. “Not just yet, anyway. I still think we should leave at dawn. I don’t…” Honesty, I told myself. Honesty is plain and simple, but hard to achieve. “I don’t want to return home as long as I’m mad at you two. I want to try to sort a few things out before we return, if that’s alright with you.”

And I was relieved when they both agreed.

Luna and I let Tempest explain to us how these outposts were built and which section should contain what. Then we split up and searched for loot. With the teleportation stone at the ready, there was no urgency left for a quick getaway. We could be gone within a blink of an eye. Knowing that helped. It gave me a decent backdrop to calm down. To think about what had happened. How we each reacted. How I had messed up.

I heard Fizzle and Luna talk outside on a few occasions. They crossed paths. Fizzle explained what that thing was, or what this thing did. And Luna thanked her each and every time. I stayed clear of them for a while. I made my own rounds, searched my section and once I was done with that, I sat down outside, near the ledge where the pathway led down the mountainside. And I watched the sun move across the sky and eventually dip down.

It was beautiful.

“I hope you had a good day, love,” I quietly whispered towards the horizon, as the sky became tinted in colorful hues. With the sun setting, Spike would set the table for dinner. He would need to fetch Twilight and drag her out of whatever project she had buried herself in this time. She would whine a little because why could he not bother her a little bit later, when she was done with the next step? But he knew better. If he gave her an inch, she would take a mile. And she would not eat at all.

They would gather at the table. Owlicious and White Tip would settle down next to them, with little bowls containing their own dinner. And they would talk about the day and about their plans for tomorrow and maybe they would miss me a little bit. After dinner was done, Spike would gather up all the plates and busy himself in the kitchen, cleaning everything up before heading to bed. And Twilight would open the library window so that Owlicious and White Tip could fly all night if they wanted to. She would return to her book, her science project, her whatever, and lose track of time once more.

I got so incredibly homesick for a few moments that my stomach twisted itself into a knot.

It was time to get back home. I could feel it. And for that, I had to make up with Luna. I loved her. And no matter what I thought of her actions here on this forsaken mountaintop, we had shared an incredibly joyful vacation. Last time I had decided to stand beside Celestia even if she were to go crazy and burn the entire world to a crisp. If my dedication was absurd enough to decide on that without so much as doubt in my mind, then I could easily accept and forgive what Luna had done here. I was merely worried about her.

And I found another angle that helped me put a spin on everything. Maybe this had been a secondary point of this mission: She opened up further to me. Instead of talking about it, Luna did what she usually preferred. She let actions speak. She showed me a part of herself that was considerably darker. A part of her duties that required as much from her.

I sighed in regret and got up as the sun vanished and the moon started to rise. The temperatures dropped almost immediately and every little gust of wind was chilling now. Maybe they had been before, but now I noticed.

When I entered the barracks, Fizzle appeared to be asleep already. Maybe she was, maybe she was not. I would not put it past her to feign it. My attention turned to Luna though. She laid in one of the beds close to the exit. And she watched me. Her expression was hard to read, but even before I took a single step, she scooched a little bit more to the side of the bed and made room for me.

Was it an offer? A request? A demand? Just following a routine? Hope? A plea?

I shoved the uncertainty into a corner, walked over to the bed and settled down next to her. I had not even said a single word, but the mere thought of it already tightened my throat. “I’m sorry,” I managed to whisper despite that. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

She kept watching me and whatever she was searching for, she found it. A few seconds later, that familiar, kind warmth returned to her eyes. And we embraced each other after shuffling around a little. I held her as tight as I could and tried to keep my breathing steady. With moderate success.

“I was so worried about you,” I quietly continued. “I still am.“

There was an excruciatingly long silence before I was once again comforted by the sound of her voice. “We hail from a time in which conflicts were more commonly resolved with a sword instead of a trade embargo. I remember these times a lot more vividly than my beloved sister does. And I will freely admit that I cherish the thrill of battle. I did so a long time ago and I still do. That being said, I prefer sparring. Actual combat might be more thrilling, but I do not enjoy hurting others. And I can promise you, I do not waste life lightly. To end lives, even a single one, is a great burden. But it is also part of my duties. As much as it is part of hers.”

Was she speaking about Tempest? Or Celestia? I released a shuddering breath and nodded while I simultaneously buried my muzzle on her shoulder. Her reply reminded me of our conversation in the ravine. When we had talked about my own atrocities. “I know. And yet I don’t think I ever truly understood that.” My mind did not dare to stray far, but it was still far enough to consider the consequences for others. “I’m not sure Twilight understands either,” I mumbled. “May I—… is it alright if I talk to her? About this?” She sighed and I quickly piped up again. “You don’t have to agree,” I hastily let her know.

“I know,” she replied. And for just a moment, she squeezed me like a comfort pillow. “I know.”

“If you say ‘no’, I will respect your decision,” I added.

She pulled back slowly. Just enough to bring us muzzle to muzzle again. And for some precious seconds, we simply gazed at each other. She eventually closed her eyes and we shared a kiss. Chaste, but meaningful. “Talk to her if you wish to. You might understand it now. Better than I could ever hope to put it to words.”

I nodded and pulled her into another kiss. “I’m sorry about earlier. I never should have snapped at you like that.”

A small smile returned to her lips. “Just promise me to never call me that again.”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” This time, we shared a smile.

With the fatigue of the last week still firmly lodged in my bones, sleep was quick to claim me. And the dreamscape was once again, a bit of a hoofful. Due to these circumstances, I did not exactly feel all that revitalized when I woke up. The urge to just crawl further into Luna's warm embrace and stay there for a day or five was overwhelming and I would have gladly surrendered to it were it not for Fizzle being an early bird, apparently.

She was up and about, already tying our loot together with some rope into a neat little package. Our saddlebags were stacked as a pile beside it and the door to our house was open. It let the occasional, chilly morning breeze in.

I hated her a little bit.

But at least this time, I was less serious about it.

We crawled out of bed and both decided simultaneously to ignore Fizzle's chipper attitude. We instead splashed our faces with some water, took a gulp or two, washed our mouths and finished the routine off with a few pieces of Allfood as a poor breakfast substitute.

Sitting together to eat was as good a chance I would get, too. So I sighed and gave myself a mental shove. “I, uh… Fizzle? I wanted to apologize. For yesterday. I might have snapped and that wasn’t okay. Also, I kind of thought about petrifying you? And that wasn’t exactly friendly either. So… yeah… I’m sorry.”

I expected her usual indifference. Or maybe a smug smirk or something. What I had not expected was a stifled snicker. “Well, it’s all fair and square then,” she replied and let a small black stone roll into the center of our breakfast circle. “I was debating for half of last night what to do. I considered petrifying both of you. It would have been easy, too. With you being off on your dreamwalking duties and all that.”

I grimaced as I stared at the pebble. I had not spared one single thought to the possibility that she might actually still just play along. I had not considered that showing that thing off when I confronted Luna was not the brightest idea. As she could easily steal it when we were not looking.

“What made you change your mind?” I dared to ask. We were still here after all. Unpetrified. Maybe she tried to be a decent pony. Maybe she tried to be kind. Maybe she—

“I liked my odds more when sticking with you.”

I sighed internally and shrugged. One day. We’ll get her there one day. “Well. Glad to not be stone. I see you’ve been busy, too. I take it everything’s packed up, then? And we’re ready to go?” Tempest nodded. I looked over to Luna and swallowed that chuckle down that bubbled in my throat. She looked as worn out as I felt. “Right. I’ll make a last round then. See if all the guards are secured. And as far as I’m concerned, we can go home after that.”

Honestly, how Luna had survived this long without her usual coffee intake was beyond me.

We popped back into existence in the vault of the Canterlot Palace.

It was noticeably warmer here. Even though I could see the sky through the windows covered by thick, dark clouds. And heavy rainfall constantly pitter-pattered against the glass. “Ohhh, that’s perfect weather,” I announced happily.

Fizzle took a single look outside and was about to question my sanity when she noticed Luna's wide smile and eager nod. “Tis a most welcome sight indeed!”

“You two are weird,” Fizzle concluded.

I exchanged a glance with Luna and grinned. “Well we both like the smell of rainfall and storms and the sounds the rain makes on the marble tiles and the glass. Adding to that, she has an easier time to fall asleep when it rains. And I just like the general atmosphere.”

“Weird, like I said,” Fizzle insisted.

I shrugged. “Eh. Whatever.” I looked around the room and found nothing else out of the ordinary. All the pieces stored here were still present. No welcoming committee waited for us. So I turned to Luna once more. “I’m tired beyond words. I desperately need a shower. And I wouldn’t mind sleeping for a week. Care to join me?” I hoped to give our little adventure a more well-rounded, positive conclusion. I desperately wanted to make it up to her some more. And to end this 'adventure' on a higher note. And it looked like it would work too. For a few seconds.

But then her eyes wandered across the room and her attention settled on Fizzle. And her enthusiastic smile dimmed down and ended up less overjoyed, albeit still genuine. “I would love to, but you know I cannot.” My shoulders sagged in disappointment. “While many things can be delayed until tomorrow or the day after, a few other tasks do not allow for such laziness. I will need to inform my sister of our return and tell her how it went. Tempest will need to be assigned a guest room and it should be prepared as such. The castle staff will need to be informed as well. And I should probably get the gear we managed to retrieve to the ponies who can make good use of it.”

I sighed. “Alright. Fine. But… I can take a shower, right?”

“None of these tasks I could reasonably delegate to you and none of them will be done any faster with you present,” she answered with a sly smile. And with merely a glance, we stepped closer to each other and embraced once again. “So you may take your shower. I hope it helps.”

I grinned and did not ask if she meant help with the fatigue or if the smell was that bad. Once we pulled apart again, I smiled and guided her muzzle down with my magic to give her a little parting gift. “I hope to see you soon?”

She grimaced slightly. “The next few days will be quite busy. You know that.”

“I can still hope,” I insisted. After all, she had to sleep eventually. And nothing stopped me from slipping into her room.

“You may,” she replied with a quiet giggle.

I raised an eyebrow as I heard Fizzle groan from the sidelines. So I turned my attention to her. “As for you… behave yourself. I have three princesses I can set on your sorry rump if you don’t. One will lecture you about the benefits of being nice, one will twist your opinions without you realizing and one will spank you meanwhile. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Fizzle merely rolled with her eyes.

Luna however saw an opportunity and took it. “I thought you do not wish to talk about spanking?”

Her little tease came so out of left field that I snorted and laughed. I gave her shoulder a good shove, but of course: If an alicorn did not want to budge, she simply would not.

Instead of acknowledging that comment with any remark, I strode towards the exit and left these two to their own devices. I made my way over to my own room, threw my saddlebags onto the bed without a care in the world and went right into the bathroom next door. And after barely a minute, I stood in and enjoyed a hot shower.

With each droplet pelting my head and the heat seeping into my skull, I could almost feel the fatigue drain away. Of course that was a double-edged blessing. The tiredness would not truly be gone. Merely postponed. This was a quick fix. A band aid for the symptoms, not the roots themselves.

With my wet mane limply clinging to my neck and my tail stuck to my leg, I put my forehead against the cool wall of the shower cell and let my mind drift away for a moment.

We had been gone for what? Two weeks?

I involuntarily smiled like a madpony when I remembered that first week. Those days on the train when we still made our way across Equestria. There had been both ups and downs, of course. Freezing the cabin had been alarming, to say the least. But the ups were numerous and exciting. I felt my body react to my memories as I focused on one scene or the other. However, the flesh was willing, but the mind was weak. I was simply too tired to do anything besides reminisce.

And funny enough, with all the sex we had at the start of our journey — it was that little flight ritual that excited me the most and brought such immeasurable joy to my heart as I remembered it. I married her. The thought coaxed a silly little giggle from me. And my heart beat a little faster. And my smile grew a little wider.

I had married her.

Despite the joy it brought me to remember that part, I tried not to get stuck. Lest I would stay under the shower for hours. That had happened multiple times. I was prone to getting lost in my own mind.

The second part of our adventure had been less enjoyable. I did not mind taking a stroll. I loved to walk with Celestia in the castle gardens. They were so pretty. Just as she was. And I loved to stroll around Ponyville with Twilight. To meet our friends, see all those friendly faces and wave here and there. It was great.

But we had been trekking for another week or so. With a tent that was a lot less luxurious than Rarity’s. Sleeping on a stone floor or a thin sleeping bag was not exactly comfortable. Walking for most hours of a day on subsequent days was taxing. I was just worn out. Sure, snuggling up to Luna each and every night felt great. Holding her or being held. Waking up next to her. Not just a night. Or a morning. Or two. But for two weeks, I had her for myself.

And just as I had realized with Celestia before: I liked that. A lot. And I would not mind a repeat of that.

Just with less adventure-y stuff. Maybe a simple, straight-up vacation was in order for next time.

Sure, the last day or two had put a bit of a damper on things. But it was not too bad. Nothing a little bit of time and reflection could not clear up. I would talk with Twilight about it. And she would help sort me out.

When I exited the shower, I felt refreshed. Ready to tackle the day? Heck no! But ready to climb into bed, lazily read a book, watch the rain fall and occasionally doze off? Absolutely!

I returned to my room and was surprised to find both Luna and Twilight present. “Okay. That’s unexpected.” I walked over to greet Twilight and hugged her. And I immediately fell in love with her scent all over again. I wished I could just stay close to her and keep hugging her. But that would become awkward real fast, especially with Luna present. And they probably had something to discuss.

“Surpriiise,” Twilight quietly whispered as I pulled back from our hug. “I arrived in Canterlot two days ago. I hoped you would return sooner, but Princess Celestia kept me company.”

I looked in Luna's direction and had to fight to keep myself from chuckling. We both struggled to subdue our urges to roll with our eyes or sigh heavily. Someday, these two would need to sort things out. “Right. What about the Tantabus, though?”

Twilight's smile grew wider. “Oh, I dropped him off with Pinkie and Fluttershy for a few days so that he can learn more about all the kinds of animals and plants. And kindness.” She remained silent for just a few seconds, but her intonation had already made clear that there was more to come. So I patiently waited until she grimaced a little. “And baking. He is probably going to learn a lot about baking.”

I chuckled and hugged her once more. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it will be fine.” After I pulled back, those wrinkles on her forehead had smoothed out a little, even if they did not vanish entirely. At least she seemed less worried about the implications of exposing the Tantabus to Pinkie's unique being for an extended period of time. “So what brought you here, then?”

“Oh, right!” She straightened herself out a little and exchanged a side glance with Luna. Which was not suspicious at all. I followed her eyes and raised a single eyebrow at Luna. I wordlessly asked her what she had concocted. And she tried to put me at ease with a warm smile and a subtle nod. So I turned my attention back to Twilight, right on time for her to ask me a question that was never fair and only had one legitimate, correct answer. “Do you trust me?”

I inevitably grimaced. She looked so hopeful. With her big, pleading eyes urging me to say it. I had obviously lost that battle long before it even started. “Of course I do. Even though I dread to ask… why do you ask?”

Her joyful smile turned a little bit more apologetic when she lit her horn and levitated my saddlebags over. And with a pop and the smell of ozone, she made her own pair appear out of thin air. From the bulge alone I could already tell that mine had been repacked while I took my shower. And hers were bulging, too.

Why.

I cringed. And I tried hard to keep it internally. But I kept asking. Why was everypony close to me suddenly thinking that I was all gung-ho about adventuring? I hated adventuring! The more I did it, the less I liked it! Vacations were fine. I liked those. But for some unfathomable reason, everypony suddenly lined up to take me for a spin. As if they all had just been waiting for me to dare break the seal. And I did just that with my first adventure. The first one I had proposed and the first one I had willingly undertaken. And now I was trapped in an endless cycle of preparations, it seemed. Adventuring and post-processing, leading directly into more preparations.

I did not want to go on another adventure. Ever.

But it was Twilight who asked.

And she had introduced her proposal with the ultimate trick question. There was no way I would wiggle my neck out of this noose. No way I would reject her. Several precious seconds trickled by and I eventually gave up and accepted my fate. I tried to see the upsides of it. I really tried. It would be nice to spend some time with her, I told myself. Some nice quality time. Just the two of us. In whatever horrible setting she had in mind. With whatever horrible beast we would find or hunt or whatever. Probably some ancient ruins with an enchanted library full of hostile spell books that would sling their spells at us.

I braced with a heavy sigh and nodded. “Alright. Fine.” And I looked over to Luna. She looked just as apologetic as Twilight. And a bit pitying. She knew. Maybe she had been the instigator of this. Luna reminded me of her next few days without requiring a single word. Of how packed they would be. With tasks and preparations and a lot of Tempest Shadow. I could do without that. The latter especially. I just was not sure if going on an adventure straight after the last one was a better deal.

And I had admittedly really sold myself on the idea of visiting Luna at night. I could sneak around the castle and shamelessly cuddle her. Wave goodbye, for that idea just flew out the window.

Twilight sidled up to me and put my saddlebags on my back. Due to the last week, their weight felt irritatingly familiar now. And as if she could read my mind, she extended her wing and let her primaries soothingly trail along my spine. “This way,” she said and led us out of the room.

Fizzle and two night guards waited right outside. I pitied the poor sods. Not because of their charge, but because being awake at day while usually being nocturnal was a chore and a half. I simply nodded to greet them and again to say a bit more to Fizzle without saying anything at all. She replied in kind and Twilight led me down the corridor.

“I suspect we will have time to talk about your last two weeks on the way?” I asked.

She giggled softly by my side. “It will be a short journey, trust me. And once we are there, I would love to tell you all about what you missed. Highlights may or may not include Pinkie getting into a bake-off with the Cakes, the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting pranked by Big Macintosh and Marble into thinking they accidentally caused another love poison incident and Rarity single-hoofedly preparing a little stage play for the upcoming Sisterhoof Social Opening.”

I sighed happily. And how could I not? There was no damp, hot, sticky jungle. No ancient ruins or bat pony secrets. No wars and no feisty generals to capture. Just everyday nonsense. The usual madness. I loved it. It sounded like home. “I miss them.” I grimaced a little. It had simply slipped out before I could think.

Twilight simply smiled. “We missed you, too.” And she leaned into me just a little bit. As much as walking side by side allowed. And I was so grateful for it. “I missed you.“

She opened a door on our left. I had to take a look around to see where we actually were and I quickly realized that this door led into a broom closet. Which could have been weird were it not for certain rules of behavior. It was deemed impolite to teleport into or out of hallways of the castle, as it could easily spook the castle staff into messing something up or could give the guards a fright. Sudden intrusions were handled as less of a joke ever since the changeling invasion.

It took me a moment to realize why we were teleporting though. After all, the teleportation stone was on the same floor. But the other one Luna had taken with us. It was probably in Twilight's saddlebags right now to be returned home.

The unappealing prospect was of course to be teleported by Twilight again. She had tried to learn from Celestia and Luna how to do it without upsetting my stomach, but it had not quite worked out so far. Although I had to admit, she had gotten better at it.

I resisted the urge to close my eyes when she charged her horn and instead focused on her lingering smile. I tried to mentally brace for the initial wave of nausea. It worked… more or less. I did not feel quite as sick as usual when we exited this plane of existence only to immediately reenter it far, far away.

“How are you?” she asked with her usual worry apparent in her voice.

I smiled despite the sickening feeling in my belly. “I’m fine. You’re getting better.” ‘Fine’ might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she understood well enough and nodded. I looked around and realized she had teleported us straight into the artifact chamber. The very room in her castle where she usually kept the teleportation stone around. And just as I had suspected, she retrieved the stone from her saddlebag and placed it back on its pedestal.

“That was a pretty smart move on Luna’s part,” I remarked and followed a little hunch I had had ever since Luna showed the stone to me.

And as expected, Twilight blushed. “Yes. It was.”

I chuckled and hugged her. “Aw, it was your idea…!” Since she did not want to lie to my face, she remained silent and instead simply nestled against me. This time, with no Luna in the room, there was really nothing stopping us from hugging it out for a few minutes at minimum. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she replied. She nuzzled my neck and mane while I lazily traced a hoof over her wings and delighted in seeing them flutter a little.

Reason won out eventually though and I pulled back once more. I could already feel the tiredness slowly creep back in and we probably ought to get a head start on whatever adventure she had in mind. “Alright, where to next? Train station?”

She smiled mysteriously and shook her head. “No. This way.”

“I can’t help but notice that you keep evading my question,” I noted with a chuckle. And of course, she simply smiled and remained silent. I followed her through the hallways of the castle. I loved seeing the crystal floors again. The bookshelves lining the walls. The banners proudly presenting her symbol. And the entire thing just smelled like home. Wood and paper and ink. Not counting that one day with the Tantabus, I had not truly been home for a month or so.

And I was about to leave again.

I considered asking her for a delay. Just a few days to recuperate. A breather. But as I was about to open my mouth, we stopped. I furrowed my brow and looked to the left and the right and again at the door. It was the library door. “Alright. I’m the first one to admit it. I’m confused. What’s going on?”

She did not answer me. Twilight instead opened the doors with her magic. What I saw inside was so utterly surreal that I immediately broke out in quiet laughter while I slowly walked towards it. The shelves all around the room had been emptied. I had noticed some holes in the shelves lining the hallways as well, but I had not questioned it at all. And now, here they were. All the books. Neatly stacked according to size, to form impressive walls and battlements of a… a book fort. A real, actual book fort. Made out of books. With a book floor, and a book ceiling. It was a marvel of structural engineering that the ceiling was as stable as it appeared to be.

I poked my head inside and saw Twilight's bed standing in the middle. With her little night table beside it. It currently featured a single firefly lantern.

As I withdrew my head from the fort, I heard Spike snicker behind me. Both Twilight and him stood there side by side. They watched my reaction and grinned proudly. “We thought you could use some rest after all the recent excitement,” Twilight announced with a loving smile.

“I helped pick the books and stack the walls.” Spike puffed his chest out and grinned even wider. “Welcome home, Dreamwalker.”

I was tired. I deflected any and all blame as to why I was crying with that simple fact. I was just very, very tired. And thus, I made no effort to keep those tears of joy from streaming down my face as I pulled both of them into a crushing hug. “Sweet Celestia, I love you guys so much… so, so, so much…”

“Right now especially, I take it?” Spike asked with a snicker.

I vigorously nodded. “Right now especially,” I confirmed and squished him a little bit more.

“Come on. Let us settle in,” Twilight's soft voice urged me. And I was too eager to follow. We both discarded our saddlebags next to the entrance. The fireflies danced around in her lantern and drenched the entire inside of the fort in a soft, warm glow. The walls and ceiling were solid enough to allow no outside light in, apart from the open entrance. And I could still faintly hear the pitter-patter of rain outside. Apparently it rained in Ponyville as well.

I climbed into bed after Twilight and pulled Spike in with me. She snuggled up to my back and I happily squeezed my Spike-shaped comfort pillow some more. He really had to have missed me. Otherwise, he would have protested a long time ago.

A few moments later, she softly started to hum. I heaved another heavy sigh and started to relax. “When I wake up again,” I mumbled as I quickly drifted off, “we can have my kind of adventure.”

A smile tugged at my lips as I felt Twilight press a little, warm kiss to my neck. “I am looking forward to it.”