Dreamwalker's Tale: Project Greenwood

I lay comfortable in my sleeping bag. At least until the Everfree decided to play yet another prank on me. And I closed my eyes, relaxed and content. I opened them in the dreamscape with a smile.

She was already waiting for me.

“Hey kitten!” I greeted her, sauntered over and pulled her head down to eye level with my magic. I closed my eyes as I kissed Luna and I swore I accidentally manifested the very wistful sigh I wanted to give voice to in the surrounding area. Her lips were as warm and welcoming as I remembered them and I had a hard time pulling back. For better or worse: She helped me with that decision as she did so herself.

A playful smirk danced across her lips, played in her eyes. “Well, well, well. Somepony is in a good mood.”

I grinned from ear to ear and nodded eagerly. “Yes! I just… I don’t know. Plans seem to work. I like that. And I always love seeing you again, of course.” I chuckled briefly as I imagined her reaction had I not added that last sentence. “How has the night treated you so far? Is it busy?”

She wore her full battle armor, of course. As usual. And even though we were patrolling the dreamscape side by side for decades now, I still admired it every single time. It was just so pretty. Black metal sheets, expertly woven into one another, layered to offer additional protection. One could slip a thin blade in between and would still have to break through the thin chain mail underneath. The plating went up her neck like a popped collar. The mail ran down her barrel, form-fitting without being restrictive. Her horseshoes looked wicked, with intimidating spikes protruding from them. The entire getup was a mock-reference to her daily regalia, but while that made her look regal and noble, just like intended, her armor made her look fierce and undefeatable.

“See something you like?” she teased.

I snapped out of my admiration and had the decency to blush slightly. “Sorry for staring.”

Luna merely giggled and bumped my shoulder with a leg. “Nothing to be sorry for. You are allowed to admire me, you know? In fact, let me encourage you…!”

She had that playful tone she always got when frisky thoughts were occupying way too much headspace of hers. With just a couple steps she skipped ahead of me, but continued on with the patrol as if nothing had changed. Except now she put some extra swing into her hip and occasionally, teasingly, invitingly swished her tail. Never enough to show, but always enough to jumpstart my imagination.

I chuckled and complied for a while. She was beautiful, tantalizingly so, from just about any angle. “If you continue this”, I eventually said, “we won’t get anything done, kitten.”

Luna looked back over her shoulder. That playful smile was still very much there. And I would have loved to pounce on her. I knew it would not satiate me fully. Sex in the dreamscape was funny, in a way. Since there was no limitation to what was possible, everything became possible as long as one could imagine it. But the absurdity this eventually resulted in also made it feel unreal. Because it was. Nothing in here was real. When I kissed Luna, it felt real because I wanted it to feel real. Because I remembered actual kisses we had shared on countless occasions over the years. Memory and imagination melted together.

But that teeny-tiny sliver of hollowness remained. I could try to rut her brains out to the point where she would be unable to form a single coherent thought. Yet I could only succeed as much as she would let me. She would always be as lucid in here as she decided to be. There was little in terms of actual consequences. And no matter how much fun it was, I knew I would wake up feeling that deep-seated want. And she was not with me in the waking world. No way to satiate that need over there.

She knew that. Because she was smarter than me, always had been. I was just lucky she decided against riling me up further, because I would have knowingly fallen into any and every trap she laid out for me. Instead, she slowed down a little until we walked side by side again. The soap bubbles of dreams lazily danced around us. Most of them were happy dreams. Some nightmares were at work, but they were small, weak. The dreamers themselves would most likely defeat them. Face your fears. Funny how many times we had to use that sentence. It was a staple at this point.

“I could use your help with something”, I restarted the conversation with a switch in topic.

“The project is running smoothly, I hope?” she replied.

I smiled as I remembered how useless I had felt today. And yesterday. All these ponies, busy with their tasks. Chopping down trees, gauging the quality of stone in the ground, erecting tents. “Yes. It’s fine, really, we’re doing great so far. It’s still early of course, but I think this will work out just fine. Maybe we’ll even get it done sooner than I thought. I do like the thought of coming home sooner.” Just for emphasis on that last statement, I manifested a hoof of translucent magic and gave her shapely rump a little slap. She yelped in surprise and stared at me, both amused and outraged. Only once she saw how I gulped and ducked my head was she mollified. Despite my grin.

Still. No regrets.

“If it is not about Greenwood, what do you require my assistance for, then?”

“An adjacent matter”, I continued. “When we arrived, I took Spike with me and we ventured into the old ruins to make sure it was safe. Turns out: It’s not. Half of what’s still standing seems to always be on the fence if it wants to continue standing. Anyway, we ran into a unicorn stallion. He’s an odd one. Very powerful. Like… ‘I haven’t met another unicorn this powerful’-powerful. He’s behaving a little quirky as well. One might want to call it shady. I’m trying to give him the benefit of a doubt. I’m also trying to befriend him. That said, I’m not willing to risk the future of Equestria or even the safety or health of a single pony if I can help it.”

Luna and I continued on our way. Her brow furrowed and I could see her mulling the information over that I gave her. “You seem to be quite worried about him. Can you tell me more?”

I reviewed what I had said and came to a slightly uncomfortable conclusion: I had made him look a bit like a boogeyman, didn’t I? “He’s very secretive. It’s hard to get a clear read on him and I think that’s how he prefers it. I don’t mind him being a very private pony, that’s fine. I don’t go spewing my life's story to anypony willing to listen either. But when was the last time you met a very powerful pony and he or she turned out to be a benevolent force for good? It might be wrong to be suspicious of him. He hasn’t done anything wrong, as far as I can tell. And I’d rather have him work with us than against us. But no matter my personal feelings, this could be larger than anything I came into contact with in a long time.” The more I rambled on and on and got hung up in my own net of worries and conspiracy theories, the stronger I saw that smile grow on her muzzle. Right up to the point where its mere existence irked me somehow. “Okay, what’s up with that grin of yours?” I asked.

Luna snickered for a while before she regained her composure. “I remember the day when I offered you to join the nightguard.”

“Offered, right…” I shot back with a lopsided grin. I had fond memories of that day as well.

“Back then, I deemed it a matter of simple necessity,” Luna continued undisturbed. “You had access to my realm. That had never happened before. The dreamscape was mine to patrol. The dreamers were my subjects to keep safe and watch over. The nightmares were my enemies to face. Alone. And the many laws and limitations of this realm were mine to know. It was an obligation I was proud of. Despite the immense weight of this responsibility. And then you just… popped into existence. And you meddled. Mother dearest, you just could not stop meddling in my affairs! I wanted to strangle you so badly!” I chuckled at her side and Luna quickly chimed in for a moment. “Your influence had to be contained. I needed to study you. And how you did that. I fell back on an old saying: Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.”

That gave me pause. I even stopped for a moment and looked at her. “You considered me an enemy back then?”

Luna stopped as well. She met my gaze with her own. She was calm. A spark of mirth was still within her pretty cyan eyes. “I told you to never underestimate how defensive alicorns get with their domains. I meant that.”

It baffled me. “But you… you implied that… when I chose your sister, you’d rather…” I could not even finish that sentence. Or give it proper structure. My internal workings had a spanner thrown into them. Everything came to a screeching halt. I remembered it differently. Luna had been miffed, sure. But this?

I was lost in my own little world when I suddenly felt the soft touch of her hoof, guiding my chin upwards. I had not noticed her walking over to me. She lowered her head and gave me a kiss. It was surprisingly tender. Soft and chaste and almost apologetic. “Things have changed for the better, firecracker. I am glad that they turned out the way they did, for I would not be able to enjoy your company otherwise. And I have a feeling that without your incessant meddling in just about anypony’s private affairs, I would have had to wait for Twilight to approach me for quite some time.”

I grinned. “You were that dead-set on waiting for her?”

Luna's smile widened a little and she nodded. “I was. You keep saying it yourself — I am a very passionate mare. I was afraid my affections would overwhelm her and sent her running for the hills.”

A swelling in my heart. I lunged for Luna and simply hugged her. I nuzzled her mane. Brushed my neck along hers. This was the dreamscape. And nothing ever felt truly real. But I appreciated the make-belief contact anyway.

When I finally let go of her again, I chuckled awkwardly. “That’s just me again, isn’t it? We started talking about doom and gloom and suddenly we’re discussing love affairs again. Maybe I should have been a crystal pony under Cadance’s rule.”

“You would have hated it,” Luna surmised. “Too cold in winter, too hot in summer.”

I guffawed. But I could not object. She knew me all too well. “Aaanyway, we were talking about Dawn, I believe. There’s something I can show you. That might actually be more helpful than me telling you that he seems to know a thing or two about alchemy.” And with that, I focused my mind. I pulled forth the memory of last evening, when Dawn — in a display of trust I was about to betray — let his illusion slip and showed me his real body. The one covered by dozens upon dozens of glyphs. When I opened my eyes again, I had successfully manifested a perfect copy of my memory into being. Luna was already busy inspecting him, slowly walking around him in circles. “He keeps them hidden under an illusion the likes of which I have never seen or even heard of before. He doesn’t even cast anything when he dismisses or reestablishes it. There is no colored aura on his horn, I don’t get any tingly feeling of magic nearby. That said, another curiosity I noticed: I saw him cast occasionally. It’s not like he doesn’t have an aura. But so far, I… I noticed two distinctly different ones.”

Luna stopped her inspection and looked up, over my Dawn-ponyquin and to me. “Two auras?” I nodded. I could see the gears turning behind her forehead. “That is quite peculiar indeed. Changelings are the creatures I usually associate most with the mastery of disguises and change. And even they cannot change their auras. That said, I do recognize some of these glyphs. Some are Zebrican. A couple of others are of different languages unknown to me. And this one is Olfant.”

“Never heard of that before,” I admitted.

“A language elephants speak,” Luna explained. “They are old and wise creatures from another continent. My sister once befriended one.”

I could not help but chuckle. It was so much like my love to do that. “Of course she did.”

Luna continued her inspection and stopped at Dawn's front. She leaned in and even tried to brush a part of his mane aside, but that was not how the dreamscape operated. “Are you sure you remember this glyph up here right? At the base of his skull, half-hidden beneath his mane?”

I rounded Dawn as well and sidled up to Luna's side to take a look myself. But despite this, I simply could not tell. “I tried to make the image as precise as I could, but… I’m not entirely sure, no.”

“Hm. Then again, it would be strange for you to create this symbol by mere coincidence.”

“You recognize it?” I asked.

Luna stared at it for a moment longer before she answered. “I do. It is written in Old Ponish. A specific unicorn dialect, to be precise. One exclusively used for curses. And from a time well before the three tribes came together in peace. Even before the Exodus.”

“What does it do? Or tell us?” And why would Dawn carry an ancient pony curse around?

Luna sighed deeply. “I am unsure. It tells us, first and foremost, that he has traveled far and wide and for a long, long time. He is much older than a regular unicorn has any right to be, and almost all options to prolong a life to that extent come at a terrible price.” I involuntarily squirmed a little in my own skin. Luna noticed and put a wing over my back to offer comfort. “I will research these spells. And I shall share any findings of mine with you whenever we see each other next. If anything dire comes up in my quest for answers, I will inform you post-haste.”

I closed my eyes again and dismissed the illusionary replica of Dawn. And I let her winghug calm me. “Thank you,” I offered. Without specifying what exactly I thanked her for. When I opened my eyes again, it felt easier to smile. “Well, I’m just relieved. At least he’s not another villain from your heyday who returns after being banished for a thousand years to enact his terrible revenge!”

I felt decently accomplished when I heard Luna snort in amusement. “Yes, that would be an old hat by now. Also, I do not think Twilight would appreciate it much.”

“Well you could try to take care of it yourself for once…!” I teased her and immediately got my comeuppance. Luna retracted her wing and bumped me a little off with her hip. I struggled to find my balance again and involuntarily gave a sad little whinny. “Okay, okay, fine, I’m sorry! Don’t break with tradition, I get it!” She grinned and offered me to return to her side, and under her wing.

“If you can manage,” she briefly returned to a more serious topic, “try to get a better glimpse at those glyphs you missed. My impression is that he collected spells from all over the world and throughout the ages. There must be a reason for his quest, and a pattern to his selection. One might help us decipher the other.”

I nodded and was about to quip how I was glad to be able to present her with something that tickled her curious mind, but right as I opened my mouth, several dreams around us started to quake and quiver and nightmares began to emerge. I sighed and conjured my armor and weapon. “Why do they always think they can ambush us…?”

The rest of the night was less relaxed and when I finally woke up, I did so with a deep sigh. “Could’ve been a really great night, but nooo~” I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling of the tent. I could already hear all the others being busy outside. Even Aurora was gone, being the morning pony that she was. She clearly got that from her mom.

So I started another day in paradise with a visit to the river and its icy cold water. Once I returned to camp, I looked around. I had a plan for today, but I wanted to ask something and everypony just seemed all over the place, literally. I therefore decided that it was a great idea to head towards Spike, who currently looked a bit lost himself. “Hey buddy. How’s your morning so far?”

He looked my way and smiled once he saw me. “It’s decent. I think. Gabby wants to accompany Graphite to the dig site again and I’m supposed to stay here and keep everyone else safe. Thing is, I’m not entirely sure how to do that. Do I just… sit here and watch?”

I chuckled and hugged him. My forelegs did not even reach halfway around his barrel anymore. “More or less, yeah? It’s an easy and chill job so long as the torches do theirs as well. That said, once something happens, you better spring into action like, well, a coiled spring. Or something. Don’t worry, you got this. I have faith in you.” Spike puffed his chest out in pride and grinned a little more confident than before. Good. “Now, I can’t whistle to save my life. Would you mind? I need their attention for a second.”

“Sure thing.” And a second later, Spike whistled. It worked like a charm, too. Everypony came to the center of camp, their tasks temporarily halted. Even Dawn appeared from within the ruins.

“Thank you everypony and don’t worry, I won’t keep you long,” I started. “I will take the cart back to Ponyville today. I intend to fetch some tools and supplies and stuff. So if anypony needs anything, now would be a great time to tell me.” What I had not expected was the reaction. There was a lot of stuff missing or that could be improved or they wished they had. Aurora quickly retrieved some of her writing supplies and started organizing a shopping list for me. For most of the stuff they wanted they could even name the shop where I could fetch it, and even the price it would cost me. Tools for the job aside, there were more personal interests at play as well, of course. I was to go to Roselucks shop, use the key they provided me with and fetch a few of her personal belongings. Honey and Hefty had left some stuff in their workshop as well. Stuff that they considered useful now that they knew better what they were dealing with. Spike sheepishly remarked that having some reading material would not be too bad, given that he was supposed to sit around a lot. And Aurora already needed a couple more ink wells and feathers.

The list I was hoofed at the end was surprisingly long, even though the price tag of all the items combined was probably — hopefully — still low. And with that, I put the harness on and offered a last invitation for anypony who wished to accompany me. Despite the offer, I was glad that everypony considered their jobs more important and they all politely refused. Some alone-time sounded rather nice. Even if it was a stroll through the Everfree. But that would at least allow me to make sure that the path really was safe due to the enchanted torches.

I pulled the cart around and was surprised to encounter Dawn at the exit of the clearing. “You wanna come with me?” I asked with a smirk. “Offer still stands.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Thank you, but no thank you. However, I had another possible point for that shopping list, if you don’t mind. That said, you might want to refuse due to budgetary constraints.”

Something expensive then? I was curious. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

Dawn seemed relieved that I would even hear him out, which struck me as odd. But he constantly displayed odd reactions and behavior. “I got a chance to study those enchanted sapphires last night. Do not worry, I did not mess with them. Their protective charms should be perfectly operational. In fact, I was surprised by how sturdy and energy-efficient the runework was! The enchantment is simply remarkable!”

I chuckled and nodded. “I will convey your raving praise to Twilight. She’s the one who crafted the enchantment. I merely contributed the idea.”

Dawn considered the new information, but he seemed to be fine with that. “After studying their effect, I came up with an idea. I might be able to help around the village in a more significant way if you would allow me. However, I would need a couple more of those enchanted gemstones.”

Dawn was… strange. I wanted to laugh as much as I wanted to grab him by his shoulders and shake him until hopefully some straight answers would fall out. He was willing to help. Yay. Great. But at the same time, he seemed unwilling to tell me how he intended to help. He just told me what he needed. But maybe that was the point. Trust. Maybe he was testing me. Trying to find out just how much he could get away with?

“How many would you need?” I asked.

He mulled it over, then shrugged. “The more, the better. But I understand that they are quite expensive.”

I nodded, fetched the shopping list from the cart and was about to call out for Aurora when Dawn offered me a pencil.

“Ah, perfect, thank you!” I did some mental acrobatics. All my savings taken into account and how much I earned with my night guard pay. All my expenses for the ponies currently in my employ, plus the food and a nice little reserve for a rainy day. I marked down five sapphires. Not exactly a fortune, but I should be able to afford them without the sting feeling too painful. I gave Dawn his pencil back, offered him to accompany me once more with a hoof gesture and grinned when he declined again. And then I finally moved out of Greenwood and into the forest itself.

The first couple of minutes were still spent thinking about the camp, about the tools and supplies, the most efficient route through town to fetch all the things and doodads, mixed in with a theory or two about Dawn's plans of helping. But eventually, my thoughts started to wander and I relaxed a little. Even in the middle of the Everfree.

I was by myself. Nopony around. I had no reason to keep up appearances. No expectations were leveled at me. I simply could not disappoint anypony. Because nopony was here. I breathed easily. I smiled easily. I occasionally closed my eyes, my head held high, so that I could fetch the few beams of sunlight that made it through the thick canopies overhead. And every time the sunlight tickled me and made me want to sneeze, I grinned. It made me feel closer to my love. And I wondered where she currently was. And what she did. If some noble got on her nerves again. If the mountain of paperwork tired her out yesterday. If the ponies in court were nice to her. They better be!

I only tripped thrice. And crash-landed only once. The other two times, I managed to regain balance before I fell. Yet I still continued to walk short stretches of the road blindly.

It was just such a nice day.

It was just warm enough. The forest broke basically any and all gusts of wind that made it down here. The birds sang their songs. The air was humid. It smelled of fresh and fertile dirt, of flowers of all kinds and grass after a rainfall.

Every now and then, I walked past another torch. The soft blue hue of their glow was barely perceptible in daylight. Only when I walked through deeper darkness, patches where the trees stood closer and the canopy made it impossible for daylight to get to the ground, did I see their almost ghostly presence in full glory. Their shine made me think about what little I knew about artistry. Blue was considered a cold color. And cold colors were described as calming and soothing. I certainly felt calmer. But maybe that related more to the fact that I knew what the torches did?

Idle thoughts that kept me busy. All the torches were still in place. Every single one. It was impossible to walk out of sight of one torch without having the next one in sight already. Just as intended. It ensured that the entire road between the edge of the forest and Greenwood was secured. Safe for travelers and — one day, hopefully — merchants.

When I exited the forest, it was early afternoon. Considering how many stores I needed to traipse around, maybe I would be better off returning to Greenwood tomorrow, after sleeping in a real bed. And maybe at Twilight's side. The thought was compelling. I longed for both — a bed and her company. But I tried to resist as best as I could. It did not feel fair to the others to get a proper bed while they still had to make due with sleeping bags in tents. And having this one night with Twilight by my side again would only hurt more once I had to say goodbye again.

My first stop was Fluttershy's cottage, right outside the forest.

I unclasped the harness and let the cart behind where it stood. I knocked on her door, ignoring the quiet conversation going on within and waited. The door opened a moment later and Pinkie beamed at me, her muzzle mere inches away from mine. It made me grin instantly. “Hey Pinks!” I flicked my tongue across her muzzle. It was her own fault really, for coming so close. I could not remember how many times I had told her about private space. She knew. She understood. She simply chose to ignore it.

She grimaced and giggled heartily at the same time. “Hiya!” And within seconds, she grabbed me, pulled me into the cottage, closed the door and broke all my ribs with one of her crushing hugs. And I still melted into it like that magical first time.

Her mane smelled of cotton candy. And it was just as floofy.

“If you continue hugging me like that, Fluttershy might get jealous,” Pinkie whispered with evident mirth in her voice.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I teased back and squished her a little more. She merely giggled in reply and we finally pulled apart. Seeing her face made me sigh, even though it could not diminish my smile. So many wrinkles from so much laughter.

I looked around the living room and quickly spotted the other two ponies. Fluttershy sat on the couch near the window. A few squirrels were currently busy braiding her luxurious pink mane with the help of a couple of blue jays. The arrangement of cups and plates with cookie crumbles on top indicated that she and Pinkie had occupied the couch together.

Meanwhile Whisper sat on one of the wing chairs. Where Fluttershy smiled warmly and greeted quietly, Whisper shifted around with her rear, almost nervously, and shot me looks of hope and distress.

Before I got into that, I turned to Pinkie again. “I need two of your special surprise cupcakes. Would that be—“

“Oki doki loki!” she exclaimed and vanished in a puff of confetti and glitter.

Right. Pinkie. I chuckled. “Never change.” With that taken care of, I was willing to see if I could help Whisper out. “So. Hi. What’s going on here?”

Whisper silently mouthed ‘Help me!’ She clearly had hoped her mom would not see — and she had missed the mark. She was surrounded by birds and mice and other small critters who were all merrily chirping and chitting and chatting and Fluttershy understood it all. There were no secrets in this house before her. Knowing that, I smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Whisper, but I don’t think your mom would appreciate my meddling in her dastardly plans!”

“Oh come on!” Whisper exploded. “Your meddling made me!” Both Fluttershy and I turned a little red. Sure, Whisper had not meant it quite that literally, but it was hard not to think about it.

“My plans are not dastardly!” Fluttershy complained in an attempt to change the topic. “… are they?” It took her a moment of silent contemplation before she realized something else and her eyes turned towards her daughter. “I don’t even have plans to begin with! I just asked you some questions!”

Feeling that it was safe to approach now, I took another seat and joined their conversation for a while. I could still hear the clatter of Pinkie working in the kitchen, mixed with her occasional giggling whenever she overheard parts of our conversation that tickled her funny-bone. “And what questions, if I may pry?”

Fluttershy turned her attention back to me. “You tell her! We are parents, right? We just want our children to be happy. Whisper let slip that she is seeing somepony and I thought that was wonderful news, but now she does not wish to tell me who it is. She does not want to tell me anything at all!”

Oh. Oh boy. I chuckled awkwardly and rubbed my neck with a hoof while I shot another apologetic look in Whisper's direction. “I fear she’s right, sweetie. Pestering you about who you’re dating is kind of a parents obligation, you see. We want to make sure you’re happy and we know it better than you. And you know it better than us. Which is a bit of a problem. Believe me, I fully understand your situation. Stardust got so annoyed with me when I kept asking about his marefriend. But that’s just how it is. You can tell Fluttershy you’re happy and she’ll be glad to hear that. But she will still want to judge your happiness for herself. At some point, when you’re a parent, you need to let your children go. You need to allow them to spread their tiny little wings and fly. They will make mistakes, they will hurt themselves. And when that happens, you’re there. In an instant. You help them get back up again. You offer them safety and protection and support. But you need to encourage them to take another leap as well. That’s a part your mom struggled with. A lot. Luckily your other mom has a lot less issues with that. Balanced out quite nicely, if you ask me. Point being: You never fully let go as a parent. You’re always ready to jump in again. To help out. To comfort. It just never truly ends.”

Whisper let me ramble on and on with a secretive smile on her lips. She was most likely just glad that I kept talking. Every minute she did not have to face her mother was a minute survived. When I eventually ended my little speech, she rolled her eyes, albeit accompanied by a smile. “You do realize I’m not twenty anymore, right?”

I raised my brows in surprise. “You thought about having foals?”

Once the question was out, Fluttershy tensed up quite a bit. And Whisper noticed it, of course. “I-I… uhm… no?”

Oops.

A couple of seconds later, another revelation seemed to strike Fluttershy as she suddenly started to blush furiously and uttered another question, albeit a lot quieter. “You do use… p-protection, don’t you?”

Pinkie giggled in the kitchen. I was sure that she could not have heard Fluttershy's words. I sat across from her and barely understood them. But then again — Pinkie. And Whisper seemed to die a little. She blushed a healthy tomato-red as well. With her hot pink coat, one might deem it less impressive, but there was no transition any longer. Some areas were now just — bam! — red. Her cheeks. Her muzzle. Her ears. Parts of her neck. “M-Mom!” she objected to the question itself.

A tray sneakily appeared beside my chair and slowly lifted itself up. The two ordered cupcakes were on top. I had not been here for that long, I was pretty sure. Did these things not take, like, at least twenty minutes in the oven?

Pinkie peeked around my backrest. “I had them prepared this morning. Just needed to get the frosting right!”

I snickered silently as I grabbed both treats in my magic and put them into the bag Pinkie helpfully offered me. Their colorful sprinkles vanished and so did the tray. “Thank you, Pinkie!” I leaned over and hugged her.

“Now fly, you fool!” she whispered in my ear.

I looked over to Fluttershy and Whisper. They had started to discuss the necessity and importance of proper protection in a more agitated, lively manner and I was sure that I did not wish to get dragged into that. Not only because it would take considerable time to free myself from this web, but also because those were to mares arguing about the topic and my non-mare-perspective could probably land me in hot water without me even trying.

Pinkie helped me slip out of the chair unnoticed and escorted me to the door. She opened it silently and let me slip through the crack. Once I was out, she giggled. “That was a lot of fun!”

I smiled, but sighed as well. “It was. I’m so sorry though, for not having much time. I swear I will come by soon and fix this.”

Pinkie furrowed her brow and looked back to her wife and her offspring. “I’m not sure you can fix this.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that, I meant—“

“Hey, where has Dreamwalker gone?!” I heard Whisper suddenly exclaim.

Pinkie turned to me again and in the midst of her rambunctious laughter, she yelled “Run!” before slamming the door in my face.

And I did run. For about five steps, before I realized that I didn't really need to run at all. But it was just so easy to play along. To go with the flow. Especially with Pinkie.

With another fond memory added, I secured the harness again, levitated the bag with the two Pinkie specials into the back and moved on.

My next intended target was less fun. And less funny.

With the exit from the Everfree forest, a few things about my surroundings obviously had changed. While I still walked on an occasionally uneven dirt path, I no longer had the protection of walking in a forest's dim light. The sun was bearing down on me with all its might and as much as I loved Sunny and her day and all that, I did not share in her resistance to heat. Neither were my eyes fully accustomed to this level of brightness, being the basement dweller that I tended to be. That said, despite my newly invigorated appreciation for the beauty of night — including the lack of bright light and heat rays —, I did appreciate the occasional gust of fresh air that ruffled my mane and stirred my body. It helped me cool down too, and the wind carried the scent of life being revived, of a cycle starting over and new creatures and plants alike coming into full bloom.

I used those sensations to distract myself while I walked along a fence. Until I reached the familiar point where said fence opened up. “Right,” I muttered quietly to myself. “Here we are.” I hesitated for a moment before I slipped out of the harness again. I decided to leave the cart here. There were a few clouds in the sky, sure, but for them to grow into a veritable storm capable of moving an entire cart, that would take hours. And I did not intend to spend hours here.

And theft was, according to my world, something that only happened in big cities. Certainly not in Ponyville.

I walked along yet another dirt path. In between rows and rows of apple trees. My heart grew heavy every time I came here for the past couple of years, even though this felt like a second home to me. I was always welcome here and I still remembered plenty of occasions where I had fled here. To hide from a spat I had with Twilight, to hide from myself or the ghosties I persuaded myself of. When she was still with us, Granny scolded me for being a coward. And she did it in the most heartfelt, warm, loving way I had ever experienced. Big Macintosh listened to me when he was not busy. And Applejack was… well, she was Applejack. The Applejack. She was family. She was my sister. Not by blood, but by choice. She was dependable. She was always there.

Even if she would not always be there.

I stopped. I reconsidered, even. And maybe I was about to turn around, decide that this was an entirely stupid idea and flee the orchard. Run away from home. How silly I could be sometimes. But before I could make that decision, I heard a soft, familiar snore. I grinned, looked around in the canopies of the surrounding trees and quickly spotted a multicolored tail sticking out from one of the higher branches.

That sight alone was so heartwarming. It assured me: Everything was right in the world. This was how it was meant to be.

I quickly trotted over and inspected what I was working with. There was no way in Tartarus that I would let such an opportunity slip by unused. Rainbow lay on one of the sturdier upper branches with her favorite pillow. There were a couple of thin branches beneath her, but nothing that should hurt her or give me a hard time catching her.

So I put all my maturity on display, quietly cleared my throat, breathed in deep and yelled: “All Wonderbolts, in line in three! Two! One!”

The profound effect it had was hilarious. Dash shot up. I dampened the impact with my telekinesis as she crashed head-first into an upper branch. Something I had not foreseen. Then she flailed with her hooves as she tried to ‘get in line’, only to lose balance. She tried to steady herself with her wings, but failed and fell. I caught her in my telekinesis before she even made it halfway down and sat her onto the ground carefully.

“Gotcha,” I said with a snicker.

She was still dazed, but quickly came to. Rainbow looked around, miffed about being got. “What the heck, Dream! Can’t a pony just nap in peace!” Her voice cracked. Twice. And the way she said my name. How she instantly remembered it. There was a flood of nostalgia in my brain. This was like the old days. Before her mind deteriorated to the point where she had difficulties recognizing the face of her wife or child. She was back. She was herself again. More than she had been in years.

I did not trust my own voice. And I did not care about anything at this moment, I simply lurched forward and hugged her. Fiercely. I breathed in as much air as my lungs could hold. They started burning. She smelled like apples and electricity. And I released my breath slowly.

I was so glad to have her back. So glad to feel her reciprocate the embrace. Especially since she did it with an old, familiar awkwardness. Rainbow had never been so mushy, as she used to call it. She was very physical with her affections, but never mushy. Shoulder bumps, hoof bumps, a friendly shove. But hugs? Hugs were Pinkie’s thing. Or Fluttershys. Or Raritys. Or Twilights.

Well — or mine.

“Stop it,” she whispered quietly. “You’re making me look soft!”

I held her for a moment longer before I gave her free. And I placed an accordingly rueful smile on my face. “Sorry for disrupting your nap. I just saw your tail stick out and the opportunity was too good to pass up.”

Rainbow snickered and nodded. “I completely understand. That said, I’m still gonna get you back for that one!”

“Fair enough,” I replied with a shrug.

I watched how she flew back up into the tree again. How she made herself comfortable again. And how easy that seemed to be for her. Experience helped, I surmised. She had decades under her belt. Decades of attempting to sleep on precariously thin branches. The sense of balance of a pegasus was legendary, but I suspected that that in particular was still a challenge. But I also remembered what Applejack had mentioned at the Silver Shoals retirement home. That Rainbow's balance was not what it used to be.

I watched her closely. If only I knew more about pegasus physiology. Was it normal that she clipped her wing ever so slightly? Or was it simply unavoidable when flying in the midst of a canopy this dense? At the end of the day, I had to convince myself: She was doing fine.

I continued towards the looming farmhouse. I could already see Applejack from a distance. She sat on the porch, in Grannys old rocking chair. When she spotted me, she went inside. I did not know how to take that, or what to make of it, but before I reached the porch she returned outside — with two glasses of lemonade.

We both sat down side by side, overlooking the orchard. We both took occasional sips, while minutes of comfortable silence trickled by. It was really good lemonade.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she finally asked.

To be fair, I had looked and not seen. The mass of trees blended together, just a mixture of color. Brown at the bottom, green in the middle, blue on top. My thoughts had kept me occupied. Memories flashed before my eyes. This feeling of familiarity lulled me in. Everything here wanted to calm me down so much. Everything here was so soothing.

I briefly wondered if green or brown were considered cold colors as well.

Orange surely was not. I leaned against her. Laid my head on her shoulder. In reply, she leaned her head against mine. I still had difficulties seeing the orchard. This time due to the blurry vision I had to contend with. “It really is,” I replied with a choked voice. She probably heard that tremble as much as I felt it.

“Thank you, sugar cube,” Applejack murmured quietly.

It did not really matter what exactly she thanked me for. I heard her voice. After years and years of barely any contact. Of her stubbornness getting the better of her once again. But that did not matter anymore. She was home. She was with us again.

“Schhh, it’s okay,” she whispered and laid a foreleg around me.

I could only imagine how Rainbow felt when they were together. Being held by Applejack, to me, felt like nothing in this world would be able to touch me without her allowing for it. She was the great protector. The shield. A safe harbor. And I allowed myself to be weak. There was so much I desperately wanted to tell her. How much I had missed her. How much I had feared that one day, there would be a letter in the mail. Just telling us she passed on. Silently, in her sleep. Or due to an accident. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. How afraid I was, seeing her old and withered. How much I dreaded the day when she would follow Granny Smith. How I feared that day would break me. I wanted to tell her how glad I was to see her reunited, truly reunited with Rainbow. How happy it made me to get recognized by her. I wanted to ask her how it felt for her. If things really had gotten better as much as it seemed. I wanted to ask where everypony else was. Big Mac was probably busy in the east orchard, because Marble's gemstone fields were there. Maybe Ambrosia was taking care of the west orchard then. I wanted to ask if she had visited Granny at her resting place already, between the long rows of trees. How it was. If she missed her as much as I did.

Sweet Celestia, there was so, so much I wanted to ask and talk about.

I failed to utter a single word. Instead I wept. Silently. Tears streamed down my face without hindrance, leaving hot streaks on my coat. They dripped from my jaw and chin, onto the wooden porch. I did not acknowledge their existence, and neither did she react to them.

Minutes passed.

The sky was blue. The sun was warm. The birds were singing.

Eventually, the waterworks ran out of water. Curious how that worked.

“Will you be here when I come back?” I asked, my voice still shallow and weak.

“I’ll always be here,” she replied.

I reminded her of that. Her tears, her sweat, her blood drenched this land. She was this land. “I know. But will you be here?” I wanted — needed — something more tangible.

She sighed and looked down at her own hooves. “Ever since I returned home, I feel… at peace again. I can’t believe I had forgotten how that feels. And Rainbow’s been better than ever.” She raised her gaze to meet mine. “I’ll be here. Brother.”

I hiccupped and felt a rather insecure smile spread on my lips. I considered uttering a playful threat. Something along the lines of ‘don’t you dare vanish before I return, or I will—‘, but the truth of the matter was that I did not have a smart punchline. Or what? I was so unwilling to even think about that scenario.

It made me remember Roselucks statement when she showed up at my Arrival Day party. We would have to deal with goodbyes several more times before we would get used to it, or something like that. Her attitude made me shiver. And strangely enough, it made me hope that Applejack's death, for it was unavoidable, would hurt. Because it should. It should feel like my heart was ripped out. It should feel like there would be no sunny days ever again. It should feel like everything was broken and in pain.

At least for a while.

I hugged Applejack. With desperation I did not have the strength to cover up, deny or find a suitable excuse for. My friends called me obsessed. Because it was so gosh-darn easy for me to somehow misdirect every conversation to the topic of love, in one way or another. But I simply could not help it. My life, my thinking, my very being was centered around family. Maybe because I could not remember anything before the cycles started. Maybe because I had no clue about where I came from. I lacked any memory, no matter how faint, of there ever being a father or a mother. Maybe I had siblings — I was not able to tell.

As somepony constantly threatened by his many, many fears, being alone was the worst of them all. And friends… friends are the family one chooses.

Don’t we all strive to not be alone?

The memory of how exactly I had gotten home was a bit blurry. I still felt both elated and dazed as I once again got rid of the harness and left the cart standing out in the open. I climbed up the stairs to the massive double door and entered without hesitance. The cool air inside the castle greeted me like an old friend.

I briefly considered yelling “Honey, I’m home!” down the hallway, but ultimately decided against it. I had no idea where Twilight was. If she was even at home to begin with. That said, she was the reason I came here, so I started searching. I eventually came by the comic book section, remembered Spike's plea for some entertainment and skimmed through the selection the library had on offer. I did not know exactly which ones he had already read. There was a good chance that the answer was simply: all of them. And while he did not mind reading comic books several times, that was something that I did not like. So I tried to find a couple of more obscure ones to bring along.

I found no traces of Twilight in the library, the kitchen or even her study. Which left me baffled. Surely she would not spend all her time in the bedroom? It took me only a brief glimpse inside to confirm that. So that begged the question: Where was she?

Then I remembered that I had failed to check the basement laboratory. And as soon as I opened that door, I was greeted with a cacophony of wildly mixed machine sounds, beeping and booping and whirring and stirring. I came down the stairs and saw her fully engrossed. She was transfixed on the readouts of one of her machines while a pencil scribbled down notes in a notebook nearby.

So she was busy. Fair enough. And I would not have had any issue with that at all, were it not for the damn boxes.

I counted them. I knew roughly what Twilight ordered when she ordered food. I knew roughly how much she ordered. And with her completely in her own realm right now, I could even walk around freely and take a look at them. Some were… older.

I had been gone for what? One day? Two? She must have started ordering basically immediately after. Two meals per day.

I grabbed one of the anti-magic horn rings from the security box and walked over to her, but not too close. “You do realize that Spike will roast your rump for this, right?” I asked. Unsurprisingly, she yelped in surprise. I acted quickly, as I knew my Twilight. I slid the ring on her horn and counteracted whatever sudden burst of magic she unconsciously tried to send to her defense. It meant that her pencil clattered to the floor, but that was fine as far as consequences went. I removed the ring immediately after and shot her a wry smile. “Hey there.”

She still breathed hard and grasped at her chest with a hoof. And she shot me such an annoyed look that I wanted to kiss her. It was an interesting life that led to this reaction feeling completely normal. “You! You… you startled me!”

I chuckled and held up both hooves. “Guilty as charged.”

I could already see it in her eyes. Three. Two. One. Her brow furrowed. “Are you okay? Is everything alright with Greenwood?”

My mere presence indicated something went awry. Apparently. I sighed, smiled and shook my head. “No, no, nothing like that. The road is secured, the camp established. It’s a roaring success so far. I went for a shopping trip today, to fetch some supplies and such.”

She seemed quite relieved. “Oh, oh good. That’s great news!”

I grinned, closed the remaining distance and hugged her. My eagerness was met with her warmth. However, I still needed to address this mess. “So would you mind explaining to me why I take Spike with me — who supposedly had your vote of confidence — and you immediately start stuffing yourself with junk food? For all meals, no less? Don’t you remember that you were the one who got me into healthier food? What about those cooking classes we took? Those were fun, weren’t they? And we were actually, well, decent at it.”

Still held by me, Twilight sighed and slumped a little. “I knooow. But cooking for just one pony is hard. It is no fun! And it takes so much time!”

I snickered. “You could invite somepony over, you know?”

“Yes, but then it takes even more time!”

She started playfully whining and my chuckle quickly grew into laughter. Just as she intended. I fought for control as best as I could and tried to look serious and scolding, even though I probably failed horribly at both. “Promise me you’ll eat properly and I won’t have to call Cadance as an alicorn-sitter!”

She gasped. “You would not dare!”

I grinned and pulled back just enough to set us up muzzle to muzzle. “Try me.” Twilight still hesitated for a good while. So I doubled down. “Promise me. And Spike won’t have to know about this lapse in judgment.”

Twilight again started to whine. “But when I promise I will actually have to keep that!”

The more drama she put on display, the less control I had remaining. I snickered again, shook my head and leaned forward, putting us forehead to forehead, with our horns crossed. “That’s the point, peanut. And just think about who else I could put on your case!” She pouted. And it was the most adorable thing I had seen in a long time. I sighed, but shook my head. “Not getting out of this one.”

She pouted extra hard, but sighed herself after just a couple of seconds. “Fine. I promise I will… hm… find a different solution.”

I smiled and kissed her nose. “Good enough.” We pulled apart and I looked at her notes. Unsurprisingly, I understood nothing. “What are you working on?”

The question instantly revived Twilights ‘mad scientist’-side. “Oh! Right! I’m working on improving the spellcage for the enchantment we created with the sapphires. I had the suspicion that I might be able to manipulate it to the point where I could use it with different spells, which could open up an entirely new way of improving enchantment safety!”

I even understood that. Huh. “Funny you should mention the sapphires. I will send an order for five more to Pristine in Canterlot. Would it be alright if I have them sent here and you enchant them as well?”

Twilight grinned from ear to ear, which already told me that I somehow played to her strengths. “That would be great, actually! It will allow me to really test the limits on how efficiently I can enchant them. But why do you need more? Are you already at the stage where you can expand the village area?”

I coughed in surprise and shook my head. “No, no. I wish! We’re not that quick. We met a unicorn at the ruins, Dawn. I think you would find him fascinating. She’s an oddball, scholar, very studious, probably a very impressive wizard. He thinks he can help us with an idea of his. Wouldn’t tell me what exactly, but it requires some more of your gemstones. By the way, he studied them and was thoroughly impressed. I said I would convey his raving praise to you, so here you go.”

Twilight beamed proudly and a little tint snuck up in her cheeks. “Thank you! I mean, please thank him, in my name!” After I assured her that I would, she once again jumped to another topic with ease. Her mind was capable of such acrobatics — mine occasionally struggled to follow behind. Not this time though, luckily. “So assuming you did not have Pinkie Sense and therefore came here to scold me about my recent eating habits, what part of your shopping trip brought you back home?”

I pointedly let the pile of comic books float over. “Reading material. A day has many hours, but a pony — or griffon or dragon, for that matter — can only work for so many. Spike was the first to ask. That said, I could use your help in this matter as well. In your function as a librarian.”

Her eyes widened and she got that giddy look. Only thing missing was her squealing of delight. “Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

I chuckled. “Dawn seems a bit… driven. I think I managed to get a decent read on him in one regard, though. Seems to me that he used to read a lot. No surprise there, really. But I doubt he’s into the whole ‘adventuring’-shtick. I want something similar if possible, but something that tickles the mind a little bit more. Maybe a thriller? Mystery?”

The gears were turning at rapid speed. Twilight did not even have the need to go upstairs and actually browse the library. An exact replica of it existed in her head. “No Daring Do?” she asked, just for clarifications sake.

“No Daring Do,” I confirmed.

“Well, I think I have a good suggestion.”

Her proud grin already told me that this was most likely the book I would leave the castle with. After all, even knowing Celestia and Moondancer, I had never met somepony who was this adept at being a librarian. “Alright, tell me.”

“It is a relatively new series, only three books in,” she started. “The first one came out… I believe it was five years ago? The main protagonist is Cunning Can, who is — in my humble opinion — an outrageously fictionalized version of Starswirl the Bearded.” I broke into laughter immediately. Of course she would read anything and everything that even had a vague resemblance to her favorite character, historic figure, idol and wizard. “Cunning does not go on adventures as such, but many know of his impressive arcane repertoire and his brilliant mind. Thus many ponies constantly seek him out for advice or aid or try to rope him into their machinations. He usually ends up in the middle of schemes without his knowledge or input and has to find his way out again. He wins his battles by outwitting the enemy. Usually. Book two had a little dip in the middle where he straight up blasted a couple of problems to smithereens, but I think that was just the author being fed up with a narrative roadblock. For the most part, the series acts like a mystery. You get clues and can form your own theories of what is going on from them, and with every new character introduction, you have to adapt your theory or create a new one.”

“It’s perfect,” I concluded with an enthusiastic nod. “I’m pretty sure he’ll love it. If they are available right now, I’ll take all three of them.”

Twilight suddenly grimaced. “Well… Sure Foot has the third book right now, and I would not want Dawn to end the series on the second book. It is the current weak link of the series so far. So maybe just take the first one?”

I had no idea who Sure Foot was. But this was a public library. Ponies were free to come here and get some reading material, be it entertaining or educational in nature. Or both. So I was out of luck there. That said — “I think the first one will do.”

We went upstairs and I deposited the pile of comic books and one book on a table in the main library. And then I insisted on taking her out for lunch. She had been cooped up in her lab for the entire time, I could tell. Twilight tried to put up some resistance, but she gave up surprisingly quickly. And lunch at Café Hay was always lovely. Suave Grace, Savoir Fares' son, knew us almost as well as his good old dad did.

I was content with getting some decent food into Twilight. And spending time with her really gave me a breather and allowed me to fully recuperate from visiting Applejack. I had not noticed how much baggage I was still carrying around with me from that short stopover.

We bid our farewells at the castle door. She needed to get a few solid hours of work in to demolish the mountain of paperwork somewhat before she intended to get lost in the basement again. I really, really wanted to stay. It would be so much fun, I knew that. I could keep her company. I could ask her to explain to me what she was doing and while I would barely comprehend any of it, I would just love to listen to her voice. It was always apparent how much passion she had for her projects.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

I had a project of my own. And I needed to return to it. Being a responsible adult — or at least being supposed to be one — really sucked sometimes.

With my last major stop done, I started on my actual shopping rounds. I hurled the cart from one shop to the next, once across town until my hooves started to burn and feel heavy. And then, in the evening hours, I was done. The cart was considerably heavier. Tools. Supplies. Stuff. I had even bought half the sweets and treats Sugarcube Corner had on offer. That was the reason one corner of the cart was exclusively laden with bags upon bags full of cookies and cupcakes and actual cakes and pies and whatever else they had.

And a bell. I bought a bell. It was… somewhere in there. I could not always ask Spike to whistle for me, but the bell should fix that problem quite nicely.

Problem with buying half the stock of Sugarcube Corner was: Either I would return to Greenwood now, which was the smarter choice. The one I had originally planned with. It would mean all the sweets and goodies were still decently fresh and ready to be enjoyed. That said, it would also mean we would enjoy them as midnight snacks. After everyone was already dead beat due to a day full of hard work.

Ooor, I could return to the castle. Sleep in a good bed. Enjoy Twilight’s company. Probably make Twilight sleep. At some point. But it would also mean having to say goodbye again. And doing that earlier had been tough already. And saying goodbye to a good bed as well. And at least some of the treats would be a bit stale tomorrow.

Would I really brave the Everfree Forest? At night? Alone? While strapped to a cart in a harness?

I found myself standing before the tree line. The ghostly blue glow of the torches were visible so much better than before. “Well, if this doesn’t prove my trust in your craft, then nothing does, peanut!”

With every step I took forward, the world grew darker. The trees closed in around me, their canopies slowly devouring the sky until only a thin scar overhead remained. And in time, even that remaining line would vanish. It had already started. Bright blue turned to yellow and orange and would eventually fade into darker blues and finally, an all-encompassing, all-devouring black. Maybe I would get lucky. Maybe I would be able to spot a lone star every now and then. But I knew that even further in, the forest grew denser still, and that wobbly line of sky above me would fade as well.

The forest itself already changed with the encroaching nighttime. Birds went to sleep, their pretty songs replaced with the hoots of owls. The rustling in the bushes around me slowed down, just to pick up in a different way. Many of the small critters went to sleep, and the many hunters, big and small, awoke. My ears swiveled around, trained themselves on anything that came particularly close. But the torches did their job. Nothing attacked me. Nothing suddenly broke through the underbrush to scare me.

I walked alone with my cart uncaringly rattling behind me and the forest was kind enough to tolerate my presence and passing. That was until I had to stop.

I could still see the glow of the last torch from behind me. It illuminated parts of the path ahead. Enough so that I realized in time that the chain of torches was broken. There was a patch of utter darkness ahead. No fireflies illuminated the trees, no ominous glow of timberwolves either. Just a pitch-black that swallowed everything.

“Great,” I muttered and removed the harness. I quickly checked the current load of the cart. First in my mind by revisiting what I had bought and brought along, then by actually rummaging through its contents. But nothing in here would serve me to deal with this issue. I had not been smart enough to pack a single firefly lantern.

The torch was gone. So was the light it was supposed to emit. I did not have any alternate light sources with me. And more importantly, no means to actually light it. I could just take a branch from the surroundings, wrap a couple of dried vegetation around it and hope for the best. But I didn't even have the means to set it alight, because I was too weak of a unicorn to even produce sparks.

Which is a detail you told him, I might add.

“Keep your paranoia to yourself and let me think!” I hissed in reply. Only silence answered. Good.

I was roughly halfway to Greenwood. Turning around would take ages. I would probably arrive at the castle around dawn. With no sleep at all. And could basically just turn around immediately. It would be safe though.

I looked ahead. The darkness was all-encompassing.

Ooor. I could just move on. I had a rough estimate of how much of the way one torch covered. Issue being: While walking through the dark, I was a moving target. Especially with my cart strapped behind. And worse still, I didn't even know for sure if it was just one missing torch.

Be reasonable.

“Oh now you want me to be reasonable? Buck you. Seriously.” I returned to the cart and grabbed the bell. Ringing it to heaven come if anything went awry was my best shot. I did not hope for help to arrive in time. I simply hoped that if something were to attack me, I would be able to scare it off with the tremendously loud noise.

The cart, for better or worse, would have to wait here for now. I could not afford to be quite literally tied down.

The relaxation was gone. No peace, no whistling a quiet tune, no calm stroll through the woods. I was tense, ready to jump in whichever direction to avoid whichever assault. The bell floated behind me, faintly illuminated by my magic. I could have used it to light the way at least a little bit better — but I rather used it as a distraction, hoping that if something came for me, it would go for the properly visible bell instead of me.

Then again, something hunting in this darkness would probably have means to counteract the lack of light. Ah well.

It took a couple of minutes. I felt like I was sweating buckets. Every gosh-darn cricket gave me half a heart attack when they suddenly decided to start. Or stop. Or hop. I prowled along the almost invisible dirt path. And found the torch. “Huh.” I thought it would have been gone. Completely. But no, there it was. Just right beside the path, faintly reflecting parts of the light my magic aura gave off. And better still, I could see a very faint, bluish glow from up ahead.

I moved off the path and to the torch. I even recognized the point where I had tried to ram it into the earth. It looked like the torch had just… toppled over. Which was completely unfathomable. Their magic prevented them from just falling. It anchored them according to the flow of gravity. And Twilight did not fail in the construction of the enchantment itself. None of the other torches had fallen.

I quickly glanced around, only to note that I still could not see anything. “Right. Let’s get you set up properly again,” I mumbled, grabbed the torch and placed it upright once more. The sapphire started to glow faintly, the torch levitated on its own and the glow gained strength until the torch was up and running again.

Oily.

“What?”

The torch.

I blinked and stared at it. I did not see any oil, of course. I was still so high-strung that it took me a moment to realize what he meant. Touching the torch with my telekinesis felt different, yes. There was some sort of magical residue. It felt sticky. Blackish. Oily. Very similar to, if not exactly like, the aura I had felt from Dawn's shield.

I sighed. “What is your plan, Dawn?”

Isn’t it clear? He’s trying to kill us.

I shook my head. “No. No, I don’t think so. You felt it too, when I shook his hoof. He has power. If he wanted to get rid of me, he could’ve done so then and there. There was no need for him to defend us against those oozes.”

Which were probably his creations to begin with.

I had no reason to argue there. I fully agreed. I, too, thought that they would make for decent guard dogs. Surely there was something a capable unicorn could do to keep them under control.

He only defended us after we mentioned the village.

I furrowed my brow and tried to remember the exact chain of events, and even more difficult — the exact words spoken, and what had happened in which order. It was hard to remember it with the required precision. It was entirely possible that that had happened like he claimed. Even so. What did that tell me? I still refused to believe that this was a hit on me. After all: Why remove one torch? Why not two? Three? Ten? Why not lure a pack of timberwolves to the opening with some blood? Or lure a manticore in my path with… whatever lures manticores anywhere?

At the end of the day, it came down to a rather frustrating conclusion: I still knew too little to make any educated guesses. But I firmly believed that this was not his attempt to kill me. Which I tried to reframe in a positive way: It meant that, whoever he was and whatever he was here for, he did not want me dead. And seeing how he was willing to even help with Greenwood, and how he defended us against his own creations, maybe he even wanted me alive instead.

That totally was a good thing.

Right?

I sighed, shook my head and unfroze my hooves. I returned to my cart, which by this point luckily had not been plundered by just about any inhabitant of the forest within a one-mile radius. I strapped into the harness again and pulled the cart along the path once more. A couple of hours left and I would be back home in Greenwood. I could not wait to—

Back home in Greenwood, eh?

I briefly stopped and smiled wryly. Greenwood had been my home so many times. It was only natural to think of it as such even this time around, when I had no intention of staying there. It would be hard, I assumed. Once everything was done. Once houses were there. Once a proper community had formed that strived for their own betterment, to carve a living out of this hostile environment. I would have started this. I would have watched them grow together, work together, defend each other. Leaving, after all that? Yes, I assumed that was going to be hard.

The thought kept me distracted in just the right way. Enough that I did not freak out anytime something rustled a couple of leaves somewhere, but not too much that my attention started to slack. I kept my wits about me and returned to the village in the dead of night. Probably even after midnight.

Unsurprisingly, everyone was already gone. The campfire was still burning, but nopony had given it new food in a while. The pot stood to the side, empty and already cleaned of all traces of dinner. Everypony was in their tents. Sleeping, most likely.

“Is anyone still awake?” I dared to ask anyway. Even though I kept my voice as quiet as possible. Which was silly, really. Either I wanted to be heard, or not. The crackling of the fire swallowed half of my question, so I had to repeat myself a little bit louder.

No answer.

I briefly considered using the bell. That would give just about anyone one heck of a scare. But I wanted to reward them, not prank or annoy them. So I resigned myself to a different path. I slipped out of the harness, unloaded parts of the cargo onto the supply depot and stashed the treats from Sugarcube Corner in Aurora's tent. With a little note not to spoil the surprise.

“Let’s see if Luna has found out anything useful,” I whispered to myself as I wriggled into my sleeping bag. Aurora was already snoring lightly on the other side.

The short answer to my question was: no.

Nothing particularly useful, but a bunch of stuff that was interesting, at least. She had managed to identify a dozen of the runes Dawn wore on his body. Most of them were defensive spells, building up resistances against environmental effects like heat and cold or granting him immunity against certain poisons and diseases. She also managed to track down the language used for a few other glyphs, but getting her hooves on a text that would allow her even a rough translation proved to be a lot more difficult. She would ask her sister at the next opportunity about it, but they had missed each other as Celestia was quite busy again and had to cut her meals short.

I was not particularly thrilled about the latter news and insisted that Luna threaten her on my behalf. Either she would eat properly, or I would need to abandon this entire project to make sure she ate properly. What was it with me caring for their eating habits anyway? That was a new development, was it not?

Luna and I joked around for the rest of the night. About how it would only encourage her to eat less to lure me back to her side. But we both knew the truth. Sunny knew how important this project was to me. She would never sabotage me so casually.

As the night ended, with several nightmares bested and several dreamers helped along, I opened my eyes to behold somepony grinning at me. Aurora's muzzle was mere inches away from mine.

“Creepy,” I drowsily teased her.

She giggled softly and retreated a few steps. “I found your note.”

“And you immediately took a peek, didn’t you?” I asked while I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

“Well yes, of course. What did you expect me to do? Follow your instructions?” she shot right back.

Her chipper mood was almost unbearable this early. “That would’ve been nice, actually, yeah…” I yawned mightily and slowly extracted myself from my sleeping bag. Everything felt like molasses. “Right. If you go out there grinning like that, everypony will know something is up. Let’s get this over with first, then.”

She nodded eagerly and opened the tent flap. I grabbed the large pot we usually used for dinner, turned it upside down and used it as an improvised table — with a few planks on top. We then got all the treats out of the tent again and arranged a nice little display.

Our work did not go entirely unnoticed. While almost everypony was busy again, Spike was not. Or, well — he was doing exactly what I told him to do. Sitting around watching everyone else. He tried to be sneaky about it as he closed in on our position, but Spike was not exactly as subtle as he liked to think of himself.

“Don’t touch anything yet,” I warned him. I did see his claw retreat rather quickly and pretended I didn't see it at all.

“Are you done? You’re done now, right? Should I whistle again?” he asked in a plain display of his eagerness. It was amusing, to say the least. But then again, no matter how good of a chef he was, he had to work with the supplies we had. And nopony could say no to treats from Sugarcube Corner.

“I… actually have a nice solution for that,” I answered and grabbed the bell. I rang it twice. A high, clear sound echoed across the clearing. It worked like a charm. I got everyone's attention, even Dawn emerged from the ruins once more. “Thank you all for pausing your work for a moment. I came back rather late last night. Too late for this, I fear. You were already asleep and I decided not to wake you up. Does anyone have any tricks up his sleeve on how to make these treats be at their best again? I fear some might have gone a little stale from those couple of hours.”

“If I may?” I heard Dawn's voice.

I smiled and stepped aside. Just the one I had been hoping for. He walked up to me, looked at the arrangement and furrowed his brow. “That is a lot of sweets. That said, I should be able to do this.”

I was curious. What kind of magic would he display this time? And judging by the tense looks everyone else had, they were just as curious. Dawn closed his eyes, focused his mind and his horn was encased in an aura of vibrant… violet.

Huh.

The color quickly shot out to all the different treats. He grabbed them with his magic, lifted them off the improvised shelf just a little bit and then we suddenly heard the ominous ticking of a grandfather clock. There was no direction to the sound, no source it emanated from. Only three ticks, but it was noticeable how it slowed down. I tried to understand what exactly was happening. The treats themselves did not change at all — visibly, at least. But given the display, the only theory I came up with was some sort of time manipulation spell. And surely, surely Dawn did not just cast something like that to upgrade our cupcakes.

Right?

“There. Like they came straight from the oven,” he claimed.

I grabbed a cookie and levitated it over. My brows knitted together, my eyes narrowed as I stared intently at the cookie. And true to his word, I saw a little plume of heat waft off. What the heck, Dawn?! I tried not to let anypony see just how flabbergasted I was. “Well,” I started and took a bite out of the delightfully fresh and warm cranberry cookie, “they are perfect! Thank you, Dawn! As for all of you — come get ‘em while they’re hot!”

I took a couple of precautionary steps back as everyone grabbed something. Gabby went for an entire apple-cinnamon-pie. Hefty grabbed some kind of cream tart. Honey snacked a whole lot of oatmeal cookies.

The best part about all of this were their faces. These deeply happy smiles. The delight as they took that first bite of whatever they had chosen. I picked a cherry cupcake for myself and joined in. And when Dawn shrugged and seemed about to make his own decision, I softly tapped his shoulder with a hoof. “I got something special for you, if you don’t mind.”

He seemed surprised, but nodded. And I retrieved Pinkie’s specials. “These are for you. Pinkie made them herself. She always says: Nothing is like that first one. But you want a second one immediately after. Therefore: Two.”

Dawn chuckled and I quickly chimed in. Nopony could ever hope to argue with Pinkie's logic. It was impossible. He accepted the treats and took a cautionary first bite. Almost as if I could have spiked his cupcake or something. When nothing happened, he focused his attention on the taste and I could see his mask slipping a little. His attention was fully wrapped up within seconds. Bite after bite vanished. “I have not had something this delectable in ages,” he muttered quietly in between bites.

I grinned from ear to ear, now fully satisfied. Everyone at camp was happy. Even Dawn seemed delighted. Full success.

The short break for sweets and treats quickly turned into another proper break. Everyone just sat around the improvised table. I had bought way, waaay too much. With the first choices gone, almost half the stock remained. So everyone slowed down and instead they made pots of coffee and tea and hot cocoa. And for an hour or two, maybe even three, we just sat around. Talked. Laughed. Discussed. And snacked.

They gave me updates on what happened in my absence. Nothing too thrilling, nothing out of the ordinary. But we made progress. With every hour and every day. Aurora and Hefty were confident that we could start the construction of their workshop soon. Graphite agreed, as her first, small quarry was almost ready to go as well. Gabby had no idea what a quarry was supposed to look like, but she assured me once more that she would keep Graphite safe. And we made a few jokes about how Big Mac and Marble would come after us should we fail in that regard.

I was even more elated to see how several of the others tried to make Dawn a part of our group. How they tried to drag him into their conversations. Asked his opinions. Left room for his contributions, if he chose to participate. And in turn, he tried. He really tried. It was quite apparent that he was not used to so many ponies being around. That he was not used to proper small talk anymore.

But everyone tried.

“Hey Graphite, once we’re done here, would you mind if I dragged you off for a moment?” I asked.

The mare in question raised an eyebrow and snickered. “Depends. What kind of ‘dragging off’ are we talking about? Kicking and screaming?”

I guffawed. The image in my head alone was enough for laughter to bubble up in my throat. Sure, I had the night guard training and an armor I could summon at will. But Graphite combined the bloodlines of Apples and Pies. A deep-seated connection to the earth and every living plant, multiplied with a deep-seated connection to stone and crystal. And both lines were known for the incredible feats of strength their members were capable of. “Yeah, no, let’s not do that. I can’t imagine that going well for me.”

“What a shame,” Graphite replied in faux disappointment and winked at me.

And of course, everyone else present hollered a little. I did not mind being the butt of the joke. I still found it funny. And I knew my limits well enough to be aware when something was way beyond my capabilities. Dragging Graphite somewhere, anywhere, against her will? Not happening.

“Fine,” she restarted. “Let me just finish this cupcake and we can go.”

I wolfed down another two cookies in that time, went to fetch my saddlebags and then turned to Dawn. “We’re heading into the ruins. I thought you might wish to accompany us?”

He considered his options for just a brief moment before he complied with a curt nod. He got up and the three of us left the rest of the group. We entered the courtyard and I led them through the main entrance hall back to the collapsed staircase to the cellar. “You’re our resident mason, right? I was hoping you could give me your assessment of this mess.”

Graphite nodded and walked ahead. She actually dared to walk onto larger boulders that blocked the entrance, though I noticed that she was very careful with each step. At one point, she stopped and closed her eyes. Graphite remained silent for almost a minute. I watched her and wondered what she was doing. Maybe she ‘felt’ the stone or something. Imbalances in the ground. Shifting tectonic activity. Honestly, I had no idea. I just watched a mare stand on rubble.

At least I was not alone. A quick glance to the side told me that Dawn was just as lost as I was.

“Alright, what do you want to know?” Graphite suddenly asked.

It was rather unfortunate timing. Startled as I was, she caught me off-guard in the middle of breathing. I tried to swallow a surprised shriek and some spit got down the wrong chute and I ended up coughing with my eyes quickly tearing up. “Sweet Celestia,” I croaked.

I was strangely aware of the contact when Dawn, of all ponies, suddenly patted my back in an effort to help me.

It took a moment, but I eventually got myself back under control. “Thank you!” I wheezed in Dawn's direction and turned to Graphite. She grinned from ear to ear. “Sure, be proud of almost killing me!” I tried to joke, but speaking still hurt a little. It was probably a weird mixture of a smile and a grimace on my face. “I want your opinion. Can it be cleared? What would that take? Is it safe? Can anything get in, or through?”

She furrowed her brow again and stared at the rubble beneath her hooves. “Yes, no, no, no.”

“Very funny,” I replied with my voice slowly returning to normal.

She slowly climbed back down and sighed. “It can be cleared. But that would take a lot of effort and no, it’s not safe. The upper stories are under constant stress from their own weight and the elements outside. Wind and rain, mostly. If you start digging up the staircase, you have a good chance that the next portion of the castle will bury you. Something could get in, I suppose. But it would need to be tiny. Like spiders or something. If you are worried about potential dangers down there, they will remain there for a while longer. I don’t think it’s worth our time to start digging for the basement now. Maybe one day, when the castle's ruin as a whole becomes the focus.”

Dawn remained quiet. His expression neutral. I nodded and thanked Graphite. And I released her from my grasp. She was free to roam the wilds again — or just go back to her actual workplace to continue on her quarry.

Which left Dawn and me behind.

“There’s a balcony one floor above us, overlooking the courtyard and the clearing,” I explained. “I checked the first floor with Spike and it seems stable for the most part, so… follow me?” I led Dawn up the stairs and once we reached the balcony I spoke of, I put my saddlebags to the side and made myself comfortable. The view from here was… decent. We could watch everypony work like overlords. A funny thought, until Dawn cleared his throat.

“I feel the need to address a matter of importance,” he started. Sounded important. I nodded and gestured for him to go on. “I think I may have misunderstood your initial offer of ‘friendship’. I am flattered, believe me, but I am not interested.”

In the back of my head, he started laughing. Unbridled, uproarious laughter. At my expense, of course. I also felt the heat surge into my cheeks as I opened and closed my mouth several times in failed attempts to comprehend and respond accordingly. Dawn stood back up and that finally sent a jolt through my system powerful enough to unfreeze me. “Stop.” He did. “I… that’s not… what I meant?”

He regarded me with patience. Not even curiosity, just… patience. “As far as I can tell, you have given me gifts, you have offered me special treats, shown your unsolicited trust and tried to get closer to me.”

I grimaced. At some point, this had gone horribly wrong, it seemed. My shoulders slumped a little, but I was unwilling to give up. “Hear me out? Please?”

Dawn hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and sat back down. “I am willing to listen.”

It was a start. Now to salvage this operation. “My barn door doesn’t swing that way, as a dear friend of mine would say. I… I genuinely offered you friendship. Nothing more. And to prove my point: How I treat you is not different from how I treat Spike, for example. When I go out to buy stuff, I occasionally remember him. Small things, really. I see a cupcake and think to myself: Hey, that hot pink would look pretty with some dark blue. Like sapphire. Which Spike loves. So I buy a cupcake with hot pink frosting, grind down a sapphire and give it to Spike. He’s always hyped when I bring treats.”

“And does he bring you treats in return?” Dawn questioned.

I shook my head. “No. But that would be weird if he did. Spike lives with us. He’s our chef. He cooks for us on a daily basis. I’m not saying it would be nothing noteworthy if he suddenly brought me food, but it would be less special. He shows his affection in other ways. Spike goes to these conventions. Sometimes two or three times a year. Comic books, action figurines, Ogres & Oubliettes, stuff like that. He knows I like some of that stuff as well, but I never accompany him. Because I’m not into this entire convention-community. I don’t like large crowds either. So, if he comes across something I might like, he buys me small trinkets. Like a new set of dice for example. Doesn’t have to be a birthday gift or Hearth's Warming Eve. Just… a gift, because he can. Because he wants to.”

Dawn looked around the balcony. It was free of rubble and dust, but that was the wind. The wind! “This is not a date,” I hastily clarified. He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not, I swear.”

“Do you take Spike to secluded spaces as well, then?”

He got you there.

Shut up. “No. We do hang out from time to time, though. We talk about books I read, comic books he liked, our next Ogres & Oubliettes games. Our plans for future storylines. We shamelessly gossip about our players and exchange ideas for traps. I took you up here because you seemed a little overwhelmed down there. It’s alright to expose yourself to something new. But you should do so in small doses. I thought this setting might be easier for you. Give you a breather. Time to recuperate. Also, I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t talk as openly or as honestly if others were around.”

Dawn seemed strangely tired for a brief moment. He rubbed his temple with a hoof and finally allowed himself to relax a little again. “Fine. I will admit that I am… I have become unfamiliar with… friendship.”

I smiled wryly and looked to the side, towards my saddlebags. But I decided that it was not the right moment just yet. “Well, if it's any consolation — I’m not exactly great at it either. But I’m trying. And from what I saw earlier… so are you. You’ve been alone for a long time, haven’t you?”

There it was again. That weight. That exhaustion. He silently nodded while he stared ahead into eternity. There was no forest where he looked. No clearing or tents or ponies either. He simply stared into nothingness. Or maybe into old memories. “May I ask you something, then? From one supposed friend to another?”

I still could not help but tense a little. Almost as if I feared an oncoming test. And no matter what his question was — weren’t all social interactions tests of some kind? “Sure.”

“You know that I am… capable.” I nodded. There was no reason to hide it. No sense in trying, either. “So why do you treat me the way you do?”

“You mean… like a normal pony?” I asked for clarification. It took him a moment to react, and a curt nod was all I got. It was enough, though. I sighed silently. “Because I feel like that’s what you need. I don’t know who you are. But I would like to change that. But I know how… lost you can get if you walk alone for too long.”

“Maybe I am already lost?” he suggested.

I shook my head, almost violently. “No. No, I don’t think so. I’ve seen you smile down there. I’ve seen you reach out to them. There is still hope within you. And no matter how little that is, it’s enough to work with.” The conversation had taken a strange turn. It reminded me of a similar talk I had a long, long time ago with my love. Sunny had been so scared of that conversation back then. “And to make that perfectly clear: You are not just a broken thing I feel a need to fix either. I’m… I’m a supporter, I’d say. It’s my nature. What I do. I am drawn to those who need help. And I help them. Same as you are a scholar, I think. You are drawn to knowledge. You have an insatiable curiosity about the world around you. It’s what you do. It’s what allows us easier ways to form connections. I tend to befriend those who I help. You probably tended to befriend those who you studied with.”

We both remained quiet for a while. Several minutes, maybe ten, maybe twenty. I followed his gaze out into the void. What I saw was different from what he saw. The forest stretched endlessly. The Everfree was endless. On a map, sure, there were borders to it. One could walk along the tree line and eventually make it back to the start. It was endless in a different manner. My cycle always started at the edge of the forest. It always led me into the forest at one point. The Everfree was inescapable. For me.

“I have done many things I am not proud of,” Dawn quietly confessed.

“Who hasn’t?” I replied. I could see him shake his head. He thought I misunderstood the severity of his implications. I had not. “My wife firmly believes that no creature capable of feeling and thinking is ever beyond redemption. Some of my own friends did… horrible things. They will bear the weight of that knowledge. Consequences will come for them. And we, as their friends, will stand by their side and help them along as best as we can. We will help them up if they get knocked down. We will help them right their wrongs. We will help them see the path. It’s what friends do. No creature is irredeemable.”

Dawn sighed again. “I cannot in good conscience subscribe to such foolish and naïve beliefs.”

It made me chuckle, honestly. He was so blunt in his judgment. “Believe me, no matter how old you are — she is way older than you. She speaks from experience and hope. This isn’t mere naivety.” Dawn fell quiet and with the mood being what it was, I dared to finally breach a different topic. “Would you mind telling me about her?”

“About who?”

“Your love,” I replied.

“My what?” Dawn snorted dismissively. But I noticed genuine surprise in his voice. Saw a sliver of vulnerability in his body language. “What makes you think there is such a thing?”

I was close to something important. And no matter how defensive his question was intoned, it was as much an invitation as I needed. “You’re old. And I don’t mean that as an insult. My wife is old as well. Positively ancient. She keeps her spirit young through a diverse range of methods. But I have lived with her, grown close to her. Enough so that I can see it in her eyes. I can see that same age in yours. Experience from decades, maybe centuries. I can see how it weighs you down with every breath you take and every step. When you feel unobserved, you reminisce. When you ramble, your gaze drifts off. And you look so… haunted when that happens. And I know that look as well. You lost something dear to your heart. Or… someone. You wear a mask of this suave, charming stallion. With just the right amount of a scatterbrained scholar mixed in to make you approachable, to make you appear trustworthy and harmless. But when you think nopony is looking, your shoulders sag and you breathe a sigh of relief. Because you’re not used to company, are you? And acting is exhausting, isn’t it?”

It was a gamble. To lay bare so many of my assumptions and theories was a huge gamble. He would have any right to storm off, insulted to the bone, if I got too much wrong here.

But Dawn sat still and remained. He seemed relatively unfazed, even. After half a minute, he heaved a deep sigh and looked over to me. Just out of the corner of his eyes. “You are a lot more perceptive than I gave you credit for.”

I felt relieved. His non-answer was an admission of sorts. And a grin threatened to split my head in two. “Thanks!” I chuckled briefly. “My friends usually call me obsessed. They tell me that no, not everything in life revolves around love. I get what they are saying, I just… I disagree, I guess. Well, not entirely. Not everything revolves around love. But much of what makes life life does. In an ideal world, you’re never alone. You love your family as much as your family loves you. You love your friends. Your pets. Your job. Your home. You love the life you live. Because your decisions made it into what you want it to be. I think we all want to be loved. And we all want to love. And that none of us want to be alone. I mean, in regards to you specifically, I’m still just guessing. So you may correct me if I’m wrong.”

A warm midday breeze passed by the balcony. It mussed our manes and offered the scent of rich flowerbeds. Dawn hesitated once again. Fought internal battles to answer the question: Did he wish to trust me? How much was he willing to tell? I wondered what he saw me as. Was I an enemy of his? An obstacle to be overcome? How did that interact with him seemingly trying to accept my friendship?

I knew from Gilda and Rainbow that friends could be enemies at the same time. Celestia and Discord. Rainbow and Lightning Dust. Pinkie and Cheese. Well, some examples stretched the definition of ‘enemy’ a little.

I was about to offer him that he could simply remain silent. That not answering was his right. Then I noticed the cupcake wrapper in his hooves. He fiddled around with it, absentmindedly. “No, it is true,” he finally replied with another heavy sigh. “She was my everything. She scared the wits out of me on our first meeting, and she retained that ability throughout our time together. Just in… different ways. Her beauty was none I was supposed to yearn for. And truthfully, I had to learn to appreciate her physique. Such marvelous shades on her scales. Such unrivaled fierceness in her eyes. She always knew what she wanted. And she never hesitated to take it. But — she was never cruel about it. She tried to accommodate others. She was the most brilliant mind I was ever allowed to converse with. Her knowledge seemed as infinite as her wisdom.” The more Dawn slipped into his old memories, the more he relaxed. His body language became more animated, his expression livelier. Nostalgia clouded his eyes as he raved on about his paramour. A dragon, I assumed at this point. A unicorn and a dragon. Spike would have loved to hear this story. “She was always there for me. For anyone who managed to gain her affection. She was also the funniest creature I knew. I cannot fathom how many pranks she played on her kind. And a failed prank, to her, was always just an invitation to improve her plans and try again while a prank gone awry was reason to be humble and apologetic. A mighty dragon, a creature of strength and fire and power… and she was so restrained. Always careful. I still remember so many nights we just stared at the marvel over our heads. We talked for hours and hours until the sun came up again.”

I swallowed hard. More than once. Not just because what he told me sounded genuinely great and made me emphasize with him even more, but also because it filled my own heart with longing for my loved ones. It made me remember my own dates. Stargazing with Twilight on her balcony at the castle. We were wrapped in a blanket together. Luna had known about the date somehow and had arranged for a meteor shower. Twilight stared at the sky in awe. I stared at Twilight in awe. I saw the reflection of all those sparkly lights in her big, bright eyes. Made me fall in love with her all over again.

A nightly stroll with Luna in the Canterlot Palace Gardens. We walked so slowly that I assumed it would take us all night to return to the entrance. I did not mind. She told me stories about the constellations. How their meaning had changed over the course of thousands of years. How the virgin, once a symbol of sanctity, had evolved into a generalized symbol for femininity, only to further evolve into a symbol of chastity. Some of these transitions were truly mind boggling.

But it was not just contained to memories of this cycle. I remembered a walk with Pinkie after one of our weekly dates. We had to schedule them at some point, because life was life. Everything became busy at some point. We had work, shops to keep running, a filly to raise, friendships to uphold. The restaurant was great, the food was excellent. I claimed to walk her home, like I used to in the years before our wedding. She asked me if I missed these times. When we were less bound by responsibilities. Free to do whatever, whenever. I answered honestly: Sometimes, sure. She got that glint in her eyes, that sparkle of mischief. A few steps further down the path, she suddenly pounced on me, threw both of us into the bushes. She giggled like the silly filly I had fallen in love with so long ago.

I sighed heavily. And tried to free myself from that alluring swamp of memories. I could drown in them and die as a happy stallion.

But despite my momentary lapse, this was not about me. And Dawn very much seemed to deal with the same issue. He was trapped by better times. Because where I had the luxury of just walking home to Ponyville and kissing Twilight, or teleporting to Canterlot and cuddling Sunny, his love was nowhere to be seen.

“What happened?” I dared to ask. I felt like this was the crux. The one thing everything seemed to revolve around. Love. For better or worse.

Dawn's smile froze and slowly dimmed into a mild frown. His warm eyes cooled considerably. “Fate had different plans, it seems,” he spat. There was a hardness in his voice that was almost scary, had it not felt so strangely familiar. “We got separated. I made her a promise that day and I have been trying to keep it ever since.”

“That you would be reunited,” I assumed. ‘By all means’ was the implied part. I was unsure if he had noticed that, but he nodded either way. It felt wrong to see him so heartbroken, yet determined. I knew that I had to poke into these things, because I needed to learn more to help him. But I felt horrible for making him relive that, for forcing him to confront these memories once more. The least I could do, I decided, was to remedy this. To distract him, to offer him an easy way out of this mist of sorrow. “What do you do for fun?”

It was such a sudden shift in topic. My attempt to break the current mood. And it seemed I was at least successful in breaking his chain of thought. “Come again?”

I smiled. “You still remember what fun is, don’t you? You must have had hobbies, right?” He still seemed a little lost. And once more a bit overwhelmed. So I elaborated further, to give him a moment to sort himself out. “At some point, you will reunite with her. And no matter what you like to think or claim, you can’t just cuddle with her all the time. So. What do you do?”

Dawn stared at me like I had suddenly grown a second head. It made me chuckle. Then his brow furrowed as he gave the question some serious thought. The answer was sobering for him. “I… I have not thought about that for a long, long time.”

I, however, had expected as much and my smile therefore remained steadfast. “I assumed as much, yeah. That’s why I asked. Think about it. And maybe even more importantly: You will still need time for yourself. As will she. So if you can’t cuddle her all the time, and shouldn’t even spend all minutes of every day with her, what do you do with the rest? What did you do when you were younger? Before you even met her?”

Dawn fell silent for another couple of minutes. “The time I hail from was… vastly different from this modern day and age. As were the lands I grew up in. You are right, I was a scholar. Less of a teacher and more a collector of knowledge, arcane and otherwise.”

I grinned in what I hoped was a supportive way and made a ‘go on’-gesture, but nothing came. “That still sounds more like a profession and less like a hobby to me. What about throwing horseshoes?”

“Why would you throw those?” he replied in utter bewilderment.

I briefly considered explaining one of Applejack's favorite pastimes but quickly decided against it. “Hot air balloon racing!”

“Aren’t they incredibly slow?”

“Petting your pet!”

He grimaced. “I am not very good with animals. I constantly forget to feed them.”

“Skydiving!”

“How do you even—“

“Where are the CMCs when you need them?” I asked in mock-frustration and threw my hooves up in the air.

Sadly Dawn seemed to miss the joke and grimaced slightly. “As I already told you, I… things were different back then.”

I sighed and backpedaled a little. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m sorry. I was just messing with you and got a little carried away. Sorry.”

“You… you were joking?” he asked in increasing confusion.

I chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah. Kinda? I didn’t really expect you to be an active fan of skydiving. I do know a bunch of scholarly types, though. And almost all of them love reading. Have you ever read anything not to learn something new, but just for the fun of it?”

He grimaced again. “I was so caught up with my studies that there was no time for such frivolities, and once I—“

I held up a hoof and he cut himself off. “There’s no need to justify anything. You’re not on trial and it’s perfectly fine if you didn’t. That will make it more interesting.”

“Will make what more interesting?” he asked with a trace of suspicion.

I finally retrieved the two books I specifically brought along for him from my saddlebags and levitated them over to him. He took the first and opened it. Empty pages. All of them. He looked at me with mild frustration. “Is this yet another of your failed attempts at humor?”

I chuckled and ignored the barb as best as I could. “No. That said, it was admittedly a rather random idea I had. It’s a notebook. For you. You can write your thoughts in it. Or your story. You can tell the book your secrets or worries. It won’t judge. Or maybe you want to exercise your poem-writing skills for when you see her again? Maybe you wish to sort your thoughts so that the first thing that comes out of your mouth upon your reunion isn’t: Hey, how’s it going?” The latter thought especially somehow amused me greatly. Dawn grimaced, of course. He would never mess up like that. But then again, everypony thought that of themselves. Until it happened anyway. “I swear I will honor your privacy. I will never, ever take a peek into that book, no matter what. Oh, uh! Another great thing!” I grabbed the book in my telekinesis and ripped one of the pages out. “See? They can be torn out quite easily. So if you don’t think you need a journal, you can still take it with you as a supply of notes to scribble on!”

He took the book back and looked at it appraisingly. “It does have many potential purposes,” he admitted. After another couple of seconds of inspection, he sighed, closed it and nodded. “I accept your gift. Thank you. I am still not interested, though.”

I was flummoxed for a second or two. Then I noticed that wry smile of his and broke out into laughter. Him trying to make this initial misunderstanding into a running gag was the last thing I had expected. “Aw, what a shame!” I played along once I regained enough composure to speak properly. I wiped away a few tears and pointed towards the other book. “That’s the main prize for today.”

He lifted the other book to inspect its colorful cover. “The Calamitous And Curious Campaign Of Cunning Can,” he read the title out loud.

I cringed quite a bit. It sounded so dreadful. I simply had to trust Twilight's judgment. “Before you decide anything! It’s a book series, this is just the first book. The others get less gimmicky with their titles. It’s about a wizard who outwits and outmaneuvers his opponents who just can’t leave the poor sod alone and keep ensnaring him in their ridiculous plans.”

Dawn suddenly broke out into laughter. It actually startled me quite a bit, he was usually so reserved and quiet. It only lasted for a couple of seconds before he quickly clasped his mouth shut and held it shut with a hoof for good measure. He stared at me in unbridled amusement before the mask slowly slipped back into place. When he removed his hoof, he coughed politely. “Excuse me.” He cleared his throat. “You do not happen to have chosen this book for the parallels of its premise to current events, do you?”

I stared at him blankly for a few more seconds before the words arranged themselves in my head and everything made sense again. This time I was the one grimacing. “No! I’m not dragging you into my… ridiculous… okay, fine, maybe there are some parallels. I didn’t realize sooner.”

Dawn chuckled merrily and shook his head. “This is priceless. Even more so if it truly was unintended. Thank you. I have not laughed like that in… I cannot even remember the last time.”

I was unsure what to make of this. I felt both embarrassed and proud at the same time. Somehow. “You’re… welcome? I guess? Anyway, I wanted to read it with you.”

“Reading together?” he asked, bewildered once more.

“Yeah. You’ve never done that?” He shook his head. “Well. Then this is going to be your first time. Trust me, it’s fun!” I got up, only to sit back down again, but this time a bit closer to him so we could both comfortably read the text. I still left a good deal of space between us, as neither of us was generally a touchy-feely type.

Once we settled in properly, I flipped the book open to the first page.

“Still not interested,” Dawn mumbled.

I snickered and kicked his hindleg with mine. “Stop it.”

We both wore silly grins as we started reading the novel.