The Cycle of Kirin

Last night... What was that? For how awful of a time he’s been having since being imprisoned, to have the worse of the two halt their nightly ritual of forcing him to his bed was bizarre. It had become a worrisome thought. Why would she stop? Is she getting bored with him? Buck, why is he thinking about the why? Her stopping is something he wanted, and now it’s at an end. For now, at least. Given all the loads he pumped into her, she was almost certainly pregnant. And that was something he’d rather not think about.

The past three weeks had been a complete blur, sporadically broken up by his chats with Damp Droplet about the goings on in town. She... was something else. He couldn’t deny that the mare had taken a serious liking to him, even if she was still skittish after the incident two weeks ago. The strangest part - and what he couldn’t understand - was why she wasn’t trying to force herself on him. Out of the two, she had the most access, yet her hooves stayed away from his junk, even if her magic molested it for that first week.

Then there was Flaring Honeydew, the mare who couldn’t help herself from pinning him down to take his seed into her. No, that wasn’t right. She restrained to once a day and sometimes was even reluctant. Perhaps her conscience was getting to her, or maybe there was something else going on. Hard to tell sometimes. The weekly gifts were something he appreciated. Chocolate-nut bars, some sort of jam, and a vanilla-cinnamon-chocolate mound that looked like a turd but tasted like the stars themselves. And he was still keeping the illusion that he didn’t know who it really came from.

A part of him wished he could outright ask her, but knowing them, she’d lie her way out of it to spare her weak plan to get him to fall for her friend.

A knock at the door broke up his thoughts, his eyebrows creasing at the oddity. They came and went whether or not he cared. It unlocked and opened to Droplet peeking in; her smile picking up at the sight of him. “You all done your morning stretches?”

“About an hour ago, I think.” He took in a breath, keeping his eyes on his window to the outside. The stretches every morning helped to break up the tedium, one of the few things he could do on his own. That, and pace around his room like a mental ward patient.

“That’s good. Very good...” Her expression slowly dropped, Chance taking the opportunity to look at her. “Rain Shine thinks you’re ready for the rites. Your burns are healed enough, your leg can walk, and... you’re ready.”

He tongued the inside of his cheek as he tried assessing what was eating up at her so much. What were these ‘rites’ exactly? Him being forced to the ground and used? That was getting to the point of being standard here. Was it... public? While it twisted him up, it’s not like he hadn’t already been raped in front of all of them.

“What am I expected to do?”

“I...” Her head wavered a little as she seemed to fight back some explanation. “Rain Shine can explain it. Please don’t resist. It will go easier if you just...”

“Just what?”

“B-Breed them.” Her ears fell back on her head, his mouth twitching and nostrils flaring.

“So this is it? What you and them will do to me for the rest of my life?” He threw a hoof lazily toward the window. “Some ‘rite’ in front of everypony? Keep me locked away in this room for the rest of the time to get taken out and abused like some sex toy?”

“I-It’s not like that.” Her eyes dropped to the floor, his muzzle twitching into a weak snarl.

“Then explain to me how it’s supposed to look, because all I see is you asking me to betray my wife by willingly bucking one of you.”

“I-If you’re compliant, you get to leave the room more.” Her pathetic gaze raised to meet his, his anger fading at the tears in her eyes. “Please don’t make this any harder on yourself. Hasn’t the last month been hard enough? If you do this for us, you’ll get to experience more of what the village has to offer that isn’t... this.”

While his heart pounded at the idea of being allowed something better to do than live inside his prison, he’d have to throw away any sense of returning to normalcy if he was rescued or escaped. He could never look Optic in the eye and tell her he’ll never cheat on her and never has. He’d be saving his own hide and well-being while sacrificing his principles. Maybe she’d understand, given the circumstances, or maybe it would be just as hard for her to meet his own gaze. Assuming he could get back to her.

The worst part of it all was that part of him wanted to accept it and move on, as if the past four years of love meant nothing. It was always temptation. He couldn’t call himself a pure stallion if he failed even once. They were devoted to one another as they exchanged at their wedding vows. That was the promise he made to her when she came to him to say she was pregnant.

Chance let out a trembling breath, getting to his hooves to go to the door. Droplet backed up to enter a room to the side, letting him proceed ahead of her. He dragged his hooves as he took the stairs down onto the first floor and to the door. He hesitated at it, taking several intakes of air before pushing down the handle and opening it to the outdoors. The crowd around the square was positively brimming with energy, excitement heavy and chatter louder than normal.

Straight ahead of him, at the edge of the crowd, was Honeydew. The mare perked up at their exit, calling out over the rest: “Clear the way!”

Some got it immediately, others had to be ‘persuaded’ by a push of Honey’s magic as she led him forward and to the stone slab. Rain Shine stood ahead, her usual cheerful attitude gracing him even as part of him felt like it was wilting and dying from merely accepting being taken out here. Chance walked forward until he was atop the stone, looking back to see his two caretakers were staying in the front row but not going any further.

“Silence, please.” Rain Shine raised a hoof, the crowd quieting down save for a few scattered whispers. “For the past week, you’ve all dedicated yourselves to learn the Rites and Rituals of Survival, and today we get to see through the first of many in the coming decades. Our new father, Fleeting Chance, stands before us all today to usher in what we hope will be a member of the next generation. As is sacred, come forth, rite matrons, and bestow the ancient’s grace and beauty.”

A humming resonated through those assembled. “~In the heart of the mountains, across the glimmering seas~” A kirin stepped forth from either side with a series of flowery accessories in their magic as the rest of the crowd sang. “~To the home of our kind, free and prosperous please~” Both moved to Chance’s sides to put on the loops of flowers over his neck. “~It is by the ancestors’ grace and peaceful now~” They fitted stray flowers into his mane and tail. “~Our lives shall be devoted and under strength give our vow~”

A wreath went around his ears as he stared up at the grin of Rain Shine. “~Be it land or sea, we shall always wield our absolute certainty~” Both mares stepped back to bow deeply toward him, the leader motioning for him to turn. “~By the command of the empire, to the queen and to the all-being~” He turned to see a light brown and dull red one had stepped forward to bow to him, two other mares arranging the flowers on her. “~This is our true path, of the knowing and seeing~” Both other mares bowed to her, shuffling back for her twinkling eyes and beaming smile to turn up to him. “~Never will one suffer under our harmony~”

She moved forward to brush along his neck, working her way back. “~Never will the light be extinguished or the true done ill~” The mare’s tail stuffed into his nose to take in her scent as she rubbed her way around his stiff body. “~And never will the bowls of our foals lack fill~” She came around to brush up her head along his neck, a purring picked up by his ears as the horn caressed them. “~Because even should we fall and fracture~” The mare stepped passed to fall into a kneel, her tail moving aside and rear propped in the air. “~Our hopes shall live on, now, and forever after~”

Horns lit up among the crowd, hormones rushing through his body as he felt them give him a nudge to take her. The humming died out as he stared at her glistening rump. Her vulva gave a wink of her pink jewel, the song ending and an eerie silence descending as the crowd waited with bated breath. Chance looked back at Rain Shine, her nodding to him. “She’s yours. As according to tradition, you must mount her and complete inside her cave. If you wish to make this more difficult, she will be granted permission to make use of you inside your room.”

His vision returned to the mare, a deeply unsettling, creeping dread forming over him. There was no way out. His body - or rather his dick and balls - said yes, that he must do it, while his mind fought against itself. It didn’t stop him from stepping forward, a light scent of her sweetness hitting his nose and drawing another step forward. His uneven breaths continued even as he pushed himself up from her rear, a magic glow positioning him for entry.

Chance closed his eyes as he sunk into her blistering warmth. Like with Honeydew, the mare was hot from the inside out, his dick begging to pull out for the first several seconds of being in her before it had heated enough for it to get comfortable. He pulled himself back to thrust into her a second time, feeling his cock twitch within her. It wanted release from all the magical incentive it received. It wanted him to speed up.

With a careful inhalation, he pulled back and pumped her again. And again. And again... She kept mostly silent throughout the rutting; the crowd exchanging only whispers of awe as he bucked one of their own before their very eyes. All he could do was fight back the tears as he sped up, his balls slapping against her moistening, heated entrance and drawing the rare squeak from her. They weren’t easy to get off, that much was for certain. No matter how fast he went, she kept a level head.

The slaps of his body against hers filled the air of the square, making some part of him wish they kept humming that song. It would have been better to listen to than to hear his own oaths of loyalty crumble to ash with every pass he made into the mare. He made the choice. He chose to rut the kirin rather than to be raped by them. This wasn’t any better. No matter what he had to do it, the only difference was how much control he had.

And he made sure to push himself to orgasm without so much as a peep from his mouth. The flaring of his head finally sent a suppressed breath from his lungs, a sob escaping his throat as he felt the rushing of his semen flood from his other head into her depths, bottoming out in her as he caught his breath. Now there was no going back. He betrayed his wife, all for his own selfishness. The tears running down his cheeks in front of the village didn’t matter compared to that traitorous action.

His body trembled as he pulled out and backed away, falling to his rump as the mare got back to all four. Two more kirin came from the sides with each a necklace of some sort of white flower to put over the horn of the mare, her squealing with delight before hugging one of them. Some in the crowd cheered for her, others returning to conversations to fill the air with something that wasn’t the ringing in his ears.

Both of his mares came to him, Droplet wiping his face with her hoof. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

“Don’t worry. There’s only one more thing to do before we go back home.” Honeydew put a hoof around his withers and pulled him to lean on her. “You’ve got us. Know you’ll always have us if you ever need to let go.”

Chance sniffled before pushing back against her, separating himself from her embrace to the drooping of her ears, Droplet standing to offer him a hoof. He accepted it back up, taking his time to breathe as he looked around at the rest. It seemed a sizable portion was moving off toward the area behind where Rain Shine was standing; the chieftainess smiling over to him from her place on the other side of the crowd.

One more thing... He let out a shaking sigh as he followed Droplet over to the crowd, them parting to reveal planks of wood with all manner of fruit atop it. There must have been every color of the rainbow on display. Many types he recognized at a glance, but some he’s only seen since being foalnapped. Two dozen different types were on offer, cut open if they had hardened shells, sometimes made into slices or artsy patterns with the others.

He took his seat as his mates took their places on either side to him, Rain Shine waving a hoof over what was on offer. “You receive the honor of picking the first.”

His trembling hoof grabbed one of the green melon slices, holding it before him to stare at in utter confusion before moving it to his mouth. He took a bite of the sweet, watery fruit before the others at the table cheered, many now digging into the feast. Not all stuck around, as there really were only about thirty spots at the boards, but those that stayed laughed and chatted with the others while he was processing what was going on.

“Fleeting Chance?” Rain Shine grabbed his attention, the mare offering her same gentle - almost mother-like - smile to him. “As you didn’t resist during the rite, according to tradition, you don’t have any breeding responsibilities tomorrow. Feel free to walk the village with your bonded ones. We all appreciate how much you’ll be doing for us and wish to show it.”

“See? We’re not all bad.” Honeydew nudged him in the side, floating up a vine of what he could guess were red grapes. “Want some?”

He accepted the tiny round spheres, taking one off with his teeth to chew and swallow. He was right; they were some sort of red grape. Droplet floated down some of the further fruits to make a small pile for him to try. His heart was a stark contrast to the mood around the rest of the table. Inside, he felt hollow. He bucked another mare by his choice. That was something he never could go back on. Her scent still molested his nostrils from the fluids she leaked onto his now-hidden shaft.

And now a piece of him didn’t want to return. What would there be left for him? He... He still had his daughter. He had to get back for her. Even if Optic hated him, even if he hated himself, he had to be there for his filly. No, he couldn’t give up. They couldn’t break him just yet. He’d fight them every step of the way, and when he escapes, he will leave all this behind him.

They wouldn’t win.

Chance sat himself up in bed, seeing the light trail in from the window, the chatter of the town beyond filling his ears. Another day. A day off from being forced to do things against his will. He could scout out the village, see what exactly this society was like when it wasn’t acting on tribal tradition. After a sneeze to start the morning, he took his time with the stretches. Droplet wouldn’t be by for another hour at least to give breakfast, and...

A series of hooves came up the hall, unlocking the door and looking in. “Hey, I thought I heard your bed creaking!” Honeydew entered to trot over and plop down ahead of him. “I was wondering if you’d like to go into town with me and Droplet. We were thinking of getting something for you to make it feel more like home here.”

He let out a sigh, his suspicious eyes looking her over. The grin she gave seemed to suggest something else, but he wouldn’t get the answer by asking. Was it much of a choice? He wanted to check out the town anyway, so perhaps using the excuse would be helpful.

“Where will we be going?” He asked, stretching out his damaged hind-leg, turning it to either side to get a good look at it. The scarring will never go away as long as he was with them, same with much of his body with the burns. The only good part was that it didn’t burn all of him, only the unimportant parts. Not his face, not much of his underside, not what the kirin were looking to use, and only minor burns on his head and neck. The pain lightening up was definitely an improvement.

“Well... I was thinking we take a stroll through the theater street to see what’s going on there. Then maybe go check out what some others have at the market. We have pottery, board games, sometimes there are stories...” She longingly stared off at the wall behind him. “Oh, there’s so much. I wish I could take you with me on my walks through the forests.”

“Why not?” He switched legs, feeling the strain on his muscles and pushing more to get it to stop whining.

“Rain Shine says she wants you to be more comfortable with the village before you’re allowed to go into the woods.” Honeydew returned her eyes to his, offering him her best attempt at a consolation. “Sorry.”

He took in a breath before flinging himself up to his hooves with a grunt. “We going now?”

“Sure!” She popped up onto all four, Chance leading her out and down the stairs to the main room where Droplet was mixing some sort of brew on the counter. “Droplet! Want to get breakfast while we’re out?”

She took a weary look back, sighing to push aside what she was working on, taking them out into the early morning light. Chance took in all the sensations. The cool morning breeze that smelled of the mountains, the sun’s gentle warmth that illuminated his burnt hide, the sounds of leaves rustling and kirin talking in the distance. They lived right next to the main square where the stone ritual slab was and where the fountain continued to spray water skyward to crash back down into the pond.

It was a naturist paradise. Minimal artificial constructs, no tall buildings to obscure the sun’s light, surrounded by others who lived simple lives without stressing out about affording enough to rent or eat. The trees above them were lined in a plethora of colorful fruits, with birds chirping among the branches. His blue mare led him out and over to a stand filled with orange balls, taking three into her magic to peel apart, passing one to him. He gave it a good whiff before cracking a small smile.

Oranges. He should have guessed so. While the other two could float the fruits along in their magic, he took his time eating his as they made their way toward one of the thicker paths. There were kirin to the sides who stopped and waved at their passing, or called out greeting them. It would be disingenuous to deny that they could be friendly when they weren’t stuck in their breeding protocols.

“Heh. Check it out.” Honeydew came up beside him to nudge him in the side, pointing off at a small gathering of kirin. The center of attention was the dull red one from yesterday having a giggle with the others. “Think she’s talking about the rite?”

“Probably,” Droplet answered from ahead, taking in a deep huff of air to her lungs. Chance looked her way before his eyes moved to her rear. While normally rude, he didn’t really care, and not like the others cared either. And it yielded the answer to why Honeydew wanted to take him. His first mate’s vulva winked right at him, eyes shifting back to the smirk on Honey.

“What do you say?” She lowered her voice, licking her lips. “She’s been dying to try you out for days. Since you’re free today, don’t you think it’s a wonderful opportunity?”

He turned back forward, trying to ignore the frustrated mare and the mischievous nuzzles of the other one. The group came to a pair of stages, one smaller than the other and surrounded by two dozen of the kirin while... Is that the double green one? He could have sworn that the mare atop the stage giving some sort of speech was from the team that foalnapped him.

“Never again, I say! And those scoundrels will not have a single quarter of our fair village! So long as the sun shines high, and the grass grows green, we will push them back to the mountains and beyond! Think of all the opportunities lost by them, think of the heartache we all go through.”

He didn’t really know what she was going on about, but it was the large stage they went to, Droplet stopping to turn back. “This is where we have our weekly plays. You’ll probably have a few–”

“Oh, pfft!” Honey interrupted, waving a hoof through the air as Droplet’s muzzle twitched. “He’s fine! He’s not a wimp. Hey, wanna check out the props?”

“I, uh...” His eyes moved between them, Droplet’s annoyance dissipating with his indecision on the matter. It was a trap. Honeydew wanted him to check the props, but what exactly she planned to do remained a mystery. “Okay?”

“Wonderful!” She motioned Droplet forward. The healer led them forth around the side of the stage to a set of double doors that led into a plank shelter, opening them up to show a few dozen scenery boards and boxes filled with cloth and velvet costumes. There were even ceramic objects, like helmets and masks tucked away in the corner. Droplet entered to motion around to it.

“This is where we keep what we need to put on plays. We’ve added to it over the years and sometimes have to replace the ones that breakdown, but it’s lasted us a long time. I think the–”

Chance was shoved into the barn by a push of magic, the door sliding shut behind him to throw them into darkness. “HONEYDEW!” Droplet’s horn lit up to illuminate the dark, rushing for the door to pull open. Other than the crack of light coming from the outside, it was sealed shut. “Come on! Don’t–”

“Thank me in an hour!” Honey giggled from the other side, Droplet trying to open the doors to be met with some sort of binding on the other side.

“An hour?! Don’t you dare leave us in here!”

No response came, Droplet’s body going rigid before she looked back at Chance still standing there staring at her, returning her efforts to manipulating her magic remotely on the other side. “W-What did you do, Honey?! Please! Let us out!”

“I think she planned this.” Chance took a seat, Droplet moving her tearing eyes back to him before going back to pounding at the doors.

“Somepony! If you can hear me, let us out!” She slumped against the door, taking her time with her breaths. “P-Please...”

“What’s so bad about waiting an hour?” He asked, laying on the ground, watching her. The horn’s light slowly dissipated, leaving her trembling. “Wait, are you afraid of the dark?”

“Damn it, Honey...” She closed her eyes, focusing on her breaths even as the horn’s light faded to only a simmer. Or rather, flames licked up from the base to cause only a light illumination.

Chance watched her glow, trying to assess if this was new or old. Eh, maybe she would say. “Has she done this to you before?”

“I hate her! W-Why does she have to do this to me every d-damn lunar cycle?!” The mare choked out a sob, the flames stopping altogether to leave only a thin part of her lit up from the crack in the door. “E-Every time...”

“How long have you two been friends?”

She sniffled. “S-Since we were fillies. I-I liked staying near the glowing crystals deep in the c-caves. She would always come by and tease me, and...” Droplet let go another weak sob. “W-Why? W-Why today? We c-couldn’t have a p-peaceful time without her s-screwing it all up...”

Chance felt his chest tightening as he listened to her feeble sobbing. A creature capable of catching on fire, being afraid of the dark... now he’s seen everything. “Why don’t you, uh, catch on fire?”

“W-What?” She stopped, her frail voice sounding more confused than anything.

“You can control when you catch on fire, can’t you?”

“A l-little... b-but we’re in a shed filled with wood! I-I could burn it down and get banished for a dozen lunar cycles! I can’t... N-Not with you...”

He let it sit, getting to his hooves to move toward her, feeling his way with a hoof ahead of him until he was at the door. Chance slumped against it, facing in her rough direction. “What else does she do to make you say you hate her?”

“I-I don’t hate her, b-but I hate it when she does this. L-Last time, she took me out on patrol late in the day and got us lost. Night came around and... I-I couldn’t get a f-fire made, a-and...” Her uneven breaths picked up, a whimper coming from her. As he listened, he fought back what he was about to do. She was as guilty as the rest of them, keeping him locked up like some pet only to be used for their own amusement. And she was also the only one who didn’t look at him like he was a wolf eyeing up prey.

With a deep sigh out, he moved forward until he felt her, getting a squeak from the weeping mare. “C-Chance?”

“I’m here.” He grabbed a hold of her to pull into his side, hugging her to his body as her breaths went wild. “It’s only going to be for an hour, and I’m here.”

Her hooves wrapped around him. He could feel her breath on his neck, how she shuffled to be even closer, until she slung a leg over his. And then pulled herself up so she was in his total grip, and at his total mercy. He could feel her trembling breaths, the warmth she gave off, and the smell of her heat wafting to his nose. He took it all in, trying to push it out even as his lower head extended on its own.

There they sat. His erection wasn’t going away, poking between them as she held onto him. For just a moment, he could forget about all the bullshit and let it go. This was a mare who still had a foalish fear of the dark and needed comfort. Not his enslaver, or his caretaker, but a gentle, loving, and...

Buck, that’s why she wanted them locked away. At the very least, it would only be an hour before she came back. Wait. Did they even have clocks? How do they even know what an hour is?

“Droplet. How do you get to sleep? Doesn’t your room get dark?”

“I-I have a g-glowing crystal I keep in there.” She said, her voice quiet enough for him to strain hearing her. “H-Honey broke into my place one time... s-several times and took it right before I went to bed. S-She’s always doing this to me.”

“Do you know why?”

“S-She wants me to get over it, b-but I can’t. It’s... too much.”

A hoof of his made its way to the back of her mane, petting her as he heard that purring from her horn. One hour. That’s all he needed to hold her for. But the longer it went, the more she sunk into his embrace, and the more he held her to him. With her scent assaulting his nose, his erection was getting to the point of painful, dribbling both their fur in his pre-cum as he tried fighting down the thoughts.

He’s already cheated on his wife for selfish reasons, and he isn’t going to make it a habit. His eyes closed as he settled in against the door, his thoughts dozing off. His eyes fluttered open later to find that the door had been indeed opened on one side, Honeydew staring at them with a light pout that suppressed a smile from forming on her face. He looked to the mare in his forelegs, her breaths even as she slept against him.

“Thought you’d get further, honestly.” Honey admitted, keeping her voice low. “Looks like she had a rough sleep last night, but you seem to be the perfect pillow for her.”

“Honeydew... Go buck yourself. You know she’s terrified of the dark.”

“Oh, pfft! She needs to get over it.” She waved a hoof around before stopping it, a smirk forming on her face before it was consumed in flame. “Oh, yeah, and we can do this too.”

“She doesn’t know how.” He maintained his glare on her, Honey blowing out the flame to stare at the gentle rise and fall of her fellow mate’s chest.

“She does. We all do. I mean, we all get taught what it is to be a nirik. Take all those bad feels and stuff them away for later.” She slumped forward to lean on her hooves, her satisfied smile staying on the other mare. “She just doesn’t like being alone in the dark.”

“Does it matter if she’s afraid to be alone in the dark? Why do you have to torture her like that?”

“Because we’re friends?” Her grin picked up as her eyes shifted onto him. “Why else? Don’t think she doesn’t do things that make me all annoyed, like not finishing her fruits all the way, or thinking I’m way too rough and whining to everypony in the whole village about it. You think she’s perfect? Pfft, yeah, and she hasn’t accidentally fallen into the Stream of Silence twice.”

“There’s a difference between giving a friend a panic attack and having preferences.” His eyes narrowed, a light hum coming from his fuzzy prisoner.

“Mmm...” She fluttered open her eyes, straightening herself up to nuzzle his neck. “Hm. Honey, where’s your...” Her vision trailed up to him, a heavy blush coming over her face. “C-Chance?”

“What else do you two have planned for me today?” He asked, letting go of her for the embarrassed mare to back away and get to her hooves, taking a few moments looking the other direction. Honeydew licked her lips as she eyed his stiffy, his eyes narrowing on her. “That preferably doesn’t involve raping me.”

“Oh, please. I’m not even in heat anymore.” She got to her hooves and stretched out. “I was thinking we introduce you to some others around town. You’ll be quite the mare magnet. Oh! We’ve got to take you to the sticky rock!”

“Please tell me it’s better than it sounds.” He cringed as she grabbed his hoof and pulled him to all fours.

“Hey, Droplet! You coming along?”

“Y-Yes!” She perked up and turned around, trotting out while Honeydew closed up the storage barn, sticking by his side while they were led onward.

She pawed at his leg. “It’s a lot better than it sounds.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He said under her breath, resolving to withhold judgement.

This time, at least.

Honeydew let go a light giggle from next to him, nudging him in the side. “Weren’t just a little bit tempted to breed that?”

“Honey!” Droplet shot a glare back, her muzzle all scrunchy before she returned forward.

“What? Looks like you could use it. You got some on your leg and–”

“HONEY!” She stopped, turning back to them. “You take the lead!”

She happily went ahead, leaving Droplet to stick by Chance’s side as they returned to the main square and went down a second, thick path that took them through a wooded part of the village. Baubles hung from the trees. Ceramic pots, little glowing crystals, thin ribbons of fabric, colorful beads strung together. They certainly put a lot of effort into beautifying their home from what he could tell. Trees had carved displays on them, colored engraved parts outlining both kirin and what he could only assume were the ‘nirik’ based on the flames and his unfortunate first encounter with them.

The three of them came out into a smaller square with a lumpy rock in the center, pieces of metal stuck to it in a configuration to make some sort of abstract art piece. “Huh.” He moved up to it, moving one of the loose pieces of metal along it and feeling the push-back. “It’s magnetic?”

“Yup! We always have somepony messing with it.” Honey’s horn lit up to move the largest display along the rock, the entire thing crumpling over into a pile atop it. “Well, if they can get it to stay.”

“Doesn’t the wind ever blow it down?” He walked around the object. There were forks, railway spikes, bands of metal, rings, chains, and even what looked to be a spear all mixed in.

“Sometimes, but there’s not much wind that passes through here. Only when the really big storms pass through does this thing get messed up.” Honeydew followed him around. “I’ve tried making something on this, but it never turns out right.”

“That’s because you aren’t using enough support on the pieces.” Droplet rubbed her head on their way back around, Chance stopping next to her.

“Where do you even get this stuff?” He motioned a hoof to the messy pile.

“Our outer patrol team sometimes picks it up.” His first mate provided him a shy smile. “I don’t know how they find it, though.”

“Huh.”

While the idea intrigued him, and the objects gave him an escape plan idea, he knew he couldn’t. They were all magic users. A spear wouldn’t be useful without being sneaky. And while he certainly wanted to believe he was adept at sneaking around, the truth was he didn’t trust it enough to not get caught in the process of getting the spear. If he could somehow make use of the metal to unlock his door at night, that could be an alternative.

But that would have to wait. With both kirin by his side, there was no chance of sneaking something into his mane or tail. There will be more opportunities to explore before returning to this.

If they were being truthful, he’d have a lot more time to learn about this society of crazies.