SL-5: Love, Fluff, and Thunder

by RadBunny

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Romance, Original Character, Bat Pony, Horror, Adventure, Griffons, Violence, Sex, Death, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 55800

Having escaped the Silos, Arcane, Astral, and Sassi try to adjust to the normal life that now awaits them. But evil never sleeps, and when it digs its claws into Equestria, the three friends are on the frontlines. But they've got lots of ammo.

With the nightmares of the Silos behind them, Astral and Sassi begin to adapt to a world that lacks any understanding of the horrors now buried underneath glass and stone. The only creature in their life who can serve as a confidant is Arcane. However, the chaos-unicorn is busy learning to adapt to a world and society now alien to him. But they have each other, and their lives start to settle into a form of pleasant normality.

As life in Equestria and the Gryphon Empire continues on, Twilight and Tanzil are forced to confront troubles both within and outside their borders. Sometimes peace is but a thin, false veneer over chaos, and the two rulers quickly discover that their budding relationship may be the least of their troubles.

When a familiar horror emerges from the shadows, Astral, Sassi, and Arcane are forced to confront a terrorthat looms not only to engulf their new home, but all of Equestria and beyond. With their nightmares no longer confined to their minds, the three ponies desperately try to save who they can from the oncoming storm. When faced with some threats, all you can do is run and pray that it doesn't find you.

But for the two Thestrals, a unicorn, and their friends, they're sick of running. And they've got lots, and lots of ammunition.

Spoilers for We Don't Go to Sub-Level Five, Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin

Published 2023-09-02 15:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2025-01-11 16:05:08 UTC

Chapter Two: Sunrise

Astral’s heart was nearly beating out of his chest. The stallion ducked behind a corner, the smell of damp carpet filling his nostrils. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The glare from above coupled with the stench of mildew sent pain digging into the Thestral’s temples.

A set of dark claws reached around the corner, digging into the wallpaper above his head. A fungus-filled face slowly turned to look at him, wide mouth parting to expose a thousand needle-like teeth.

The creature laughed as Sassi’s detached face hung from its fangs, bloodied mouth moving in a disembodied whisper.

“Why didn’t you save me, Astral?”

Astral practically fell out of bed as he woke up with a yell. He barely made it to the bathroom before heaving up what was left in his stomach. A cold sweat plastered the Thestral’s fur to his frame, Astral flopping over the toilet as he heaved.

Just when things started to settle down something always snapped him back to reality. A nightmare, a panic attack; just some reminder that he wasn’t ok. He probably wouldn’t be for a while.

And that’s not a bad thing inherently. But this is awful.

His limbs were weak, the stallion rinsing his mouth out before tottering back to his bed. Considering a few aches that now began to manifest along his flanks, the stallion settled in for a miserable remainder of the night. Their half-day, half-night schedule was useful but made falling asleep once the sun was up a bit difficult.

Not that it mattered in this case.

As he hugged a pillow, Astral tried to calm the shivers wracking his frame but to no avail. The episodes were starting to increase. While his body was largely healed from the stab wounds, there were still moments when the RASP modifications and prior rapid healing caught up with him. Sometimes it was random. Other times brought on by heavy exertion or a panic attack. Of course, an onset meant a day or so of feeling under the weather at annoyingly regular intervals. The longest had been for a week.

Naturally, that was all in addition to severe nightmares and other unpleasantness.

Just peachy.

A soft knock made his ears perk up, and his favorite mare trotted in, immediately hopping up on the bed with a yawn. Their hive mind link tended to wake the other when nightmares cropped up, for better or worse. Astral felt horrible that it woke Sassi, but he was grateful for the extra comfort.

Sassi frowned Seeing his fur soaked through. She quickly retrieved a towel before returning.

“Nightmare?” Sassi whispered, toweling him off before covering the stallion with a blanket.

“Y-yeah,” he admitted between chattering teeth. “And d-don’t feel so hot…”

“I gathered. But you’re doing great, Astral. Even if you feel lousy.”

He managed a pained chuckle, Sassi carefully wrapping herself around him protectively, placing her chest against his back. Her tight embrace made the shivers subside ever so slightly.

“S-sorry for waking you,” he whispered, “this w-was a bad one…” The mare tightened her hold with a disproving huff. The stallion couldn’t keep a soft whimper from escaping his lips, the pony desperately trying to forget the nightmarish images.

“Don’t apologize for that. Ever. I’ve done the same to you,” she said firmly. “I need you during those bad nights. So, I’m not about to let you go through this alone. If you ever want to share, I’m here. Nothing you tell me is going to scare or scar me. I’ve had plenty of my bad days, and I’ll have plenty more.”

“Pretty sure I’ve had more bad nights than you.”

Sassi yawned, adjusting her position to nuzzle Astral’s ears.

“Well, obviously. But I grew up in the trauma. You got a condensed version after a somewhat normal life. I’m able to adjust to a life of “always better”. You get extreme whiplash. So, I’m not surprised you’re having a rougher time.”

“So basically, what our therapist said?”

She nodded, nuzzling the side of his head.
“Exactly. Now if you can, let’s get some sleep.”

Even with the nightmares and his body wracked with shivers, Astral managed to doze off. Having the best pillow ever certainly added to that fact, Sassi nuzzling his ears as her hug tightened around his middle.

“Love you, Sas.”

“Love you too, Astral.”

Sassi woke up with a gasp, the stallion at her side jerking awake as the mare took a few deep breaths. She didn’t remember the nightmare, mercifully. But the feeling of the control spell still lingered, and the mare shivered.

It happened, more often than not. A strange contagion in their hive mind. If one of them had a nightmare, chances are, the other would too.

Astral didn’t move for a few moments, waiting for Sassi to reach over and hold his hoof. Another thing she loved about him, the stallion constantly remembered that for most of her nightmares, she didn’t want immediate comfort.

As she squeezed his hoof, Astral mumbled, scooting a bit closer.

“Sorr-”

“Don’t you start again,” Sassi whispered, rolling over to hug him. “I’ve given you plenty of nightmares.” Even though her special somepony was a sweaty mess, he still didn’t smell horrible as Sassi used his side as a pillow. Either she was used to it, or that was just Astral.

Maybe a bit of both.

He yawned, still clearly halfway between wakefulness and dozing.

“Plenty of nightmares, but plenty of dreams too,” he mumbled. “Worth it. My dream mare.”

Even half-asleep her stallion was adorable. It made the last claws of the nightmare vanish, Astral hugging her as he dozed off again.

We’ll get through this.

“Dude, you look like crud,” Gabbro said, looking at the Thestral across the small table. “Like, more than usual.”

“Love you too, dude,” Astral grumbled, adjusting the sunglasses on his face as he sipped a dangerously caffeinated soda. “Just the usual stuff.”

The two friends had tried to catch up every few weeks, Gabbro meeting Astral at a simple yet tasty diner on the outskirts of Tall Pines for lunch. Other times, Astral would travel to Canterlot. Both trips were easy with portals. Thankfully, the Thestral’s flu-like rebound hadn’t lasted more than a day and a half, leaving him a bit of time to recover before the meeting with his friend.

“I just want you to feel better,” the hippogriff admitted, shrugging his wings. “But at least you’ve got Sassi.”

“She’s, yeah. She’s the one,” Astral said, a tired but dopey grin meandering onto his face. “And I hear you’re finally thinking you found someone steady?”

“I think so,” Gabbro admitted, the usually perky hippogriff drumming his claws nervously. “I mean, I’m thinking about it. She’s thinking about it. We’re both kind of just seeing how things go.”

“Huh. Never seen you nervous about your special somegriffs before.”

“Because I wasn’t!” Gabbro exclaimed with a huff, slumping onto the table. “That was just a fun night or two. This is like, potentially all of the nights of my life if things keep going as they are. Which is awesome! But scary.”

Astral casually took a fried chunk of potatoes and gently shoved it into his friend’s beak, the hippogriff chewing rebelliously.

“There, there. Drown your sorrows in deep-fried, carby goodness,” he chuckled. “But seriously, I’m happy for you. Scary can be good.”

“I haven’t really asked you much, because of...y’know,” Gabbro admitted. “But was it like this with Sassi? Or totally not relatable?”

The Thestral’s brow furrowed, Astral taking a few moments to think.
“It’s both relatable and not. We just learned to trust each other in the Silos so much, I can’t imagine that with anyone else,” he explained. “Nobody else knows what went on down there, even with films and such. It kind of just happened.”

Seeing his friend still thinking, Astral reached over to poke his shoulder with a hoof.
“But the whole “together forever” thing is still a bit nerve-wracking. I’m going to talk to Flask this week. Get his blessing and all that.”

Gabbro’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
“WaitwaitwaitWAIT!What? This week? Why didn’t you lead with that?!” he exclaimed, Astral holding up a hoof in defense.

“Because you clearly were troubled! And we got there eventually!”

“Fair enough.”

The hippogriff chuckled, shaking his head.
“So, you’re really going to ask her? I mean, I don’t totally understand your situation. You both know someone will propose, but it’s the actual asking that’s the fun mystery? A semi-planned proposal?”

“Something like that. She’ll probably want to try and talk to my parents, for however that’ll go. But you’ve pretty much got it. There’s nobody else I’d want to spend my life with, so, yeah.”

“Dude.”

The simple exclamation made Astral chuckle, his friend shaking his head again.
“Well, congrats! To be honest, I still don’t really know how you do the whole “living together but not” thing. That’d drive me nuts,” the hippogriff chuckled. “Talk about a distraction. Living like that, we’d not get anything done like, ever! Probably never leave the bedroom.”

“That’s fair enough, but it’s kind of hard to think about sex when I see dead ponies at night, including Sassi,” Astral said casually, his mouth making an audible snap as it shut, seeing the mortified look on Gabbro’s face. “Wow. I-sorry,” he muttered, ears flattening to his skull. There was often a mental buffer Astral had when speaking, a filter between what the truth was, and what the other creature could fully understand.

Sometimes it was just too much energy to catch it all.

“Stars. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was…” Gabbro’s words trailed off, the hippogriff shrugging. “I’m sorry. That just sounds awful.”

“It is. But that’s why I didn’t tell you. Or anyone,” Astral said, finally looking up to his friend. Thankfully, Gabbro was more concerned than anything. “The stuff I saw, that we saw; I don’t want to burden anyone else with that.”

“I wish I could say that I’m happy to listen. And I want to. But I think my stomach already did a flip-flop,” Gabbro said defeatedly. “I’m happy to do my best though.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Astral reached out his hoof, Gabbro bumping it with his clenched claws. “I still need someone to hang out with. We’ve got a paid therapist for all the other stuff.”

“Fair enough. Then how about a toast to whatever the world has planned for us and our special somecreature’s?”

Astral raised his soda glass to Gabbro’s with a grin.
“I’ll cheers to that!”

“You’re looking better,” Flask said with a gentle smile, the stallion sitting next to his daughter. The two of them were outside, the small yard next to his designated home in Canterlot providing a surprisingly nice meeting place.

“How so?” the mare asked, trying to not shift nervously. It wasn’t Flask- not specifically. But without her armor, Sass just felt incomplete. It was why she usually wore a slimmed-down breastplate at the very least.

“Just in general. You seem more relaxed. Well, until we get talking,” Flask said, a regretful expression on his face. “I really…” emotion clogged the stallion’s throat abruptly, Sassi’s father taking a slow, deep breath. “I’ve come to realize seeing me brings up a lot of stuff. I know you said that you still want to meet, but if not, I get it.”

“I have to deal with it all sooner or later, Dad,” Sassi said, shoulders slumping. She scooted over, leaning on his shoulder with a huff. Flask was one of two stallions where the mare wouldn’t flinch as he gently lay a comforting hoof across her back. “It’s going to take a while. I see you, and I’m back in that place. But it doesn’t happen with only you. So, don’t think you’re that special.”

Flask managed a chuckle at that. “Well, that makes me feel a bit better. I don’t-you’ve been hurt enough. I don’t want to be another cause of it.”

“You aren’t. Not completely,” Sassi said with a sigh. “I mean, the therapist says it’s good to see you, both because you’re one of the few good role models I had-” she raised a hoof to point at her dad “and you were. But they also said it’ll help pin down what exactly I’m trying to process. Or something like that.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’s just hard sometimes. But I’ve got Astral.”

“He’s a good one. I’m glad you’re able to help each other.”

“My life is pretty, well, normalized at this point. But how are you holding up? House arrest doesn’t sound terribly fun,” Sassi asked, Flask letting out a huff.

“I think it’s a very lenient sentence. I still don’t feel comfortable with it,” her father admitted. “But apparently, it’s one of the stricter punishments. So, I keep myself busy helping out Vial and the other scientists when assigned. Otherwise, reading books and writing my memoirs.”

“Oh?”

“Well, someone has to know what happened. Besides, haven’t you made mountains of bits selling your brief accounts?”

Sassi couldn’t help but laugh. “Ok, fair enough! I actually have a training after this. Well, a question-and-answer session at least.”

A guard trotted around the building, poking their head over with a nod. Flask let out a sigh, waving to the fellow earth pony.

“Visiting time up?” Sassi asked, standing up with her dad.

“Yep. But I’m grateful I even get this.”

The stallion drew a shaky breath as his daughter hugged him, Flask not able to resist a smile.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too, Sassi.”

He let her go, the mare trotting off and casually activating a portal crystal. Flask would have been fully content in a jail cell if it meant knowing his daughter was safe and happy.

In his current situation, every day felt like nothing short of a gift.

“Ms. Satin? What tactical strategies did you find both useful and useless during your escape?” a stallion asked.

Sassi tapped a hoof to her chin, the mare sitting in the center of a large classroom. The recent military Q&A sessions with members of the Guard had been surprisingly high-quality. It paid well and added structure to her day. The increasingly in-depth and specific questions from the participants had been a pleasant, if not interesting development.

Which, given what the mare had gleaned from rumors, lined up with her suspicions.

“Strategies? I’d say close-quarters strategies proved to be invaluable. Medium to long range is an ideal engagement distance when dealing with the usual threats down there, but all of that goes out the window when you’re in an enclosed hallway,” she explained. “Even with my saddle guns, I had to know how to move on every surface to keep out of range. So, if it was an above-ground engagement, I’d emphasize keeping one’s distance and, failing that, close-quarters combat. Not all enemies you face will have ranged weaponry. In the case of the Silos, they used claws and teeth.”

The royal guard nodded in thanks, scribbling a few notes as Sassi scanned the crowd.

“I think we’ve got time for one more question. Anyone else?”

“What’s something you learned that’s both applicable to life and military tactics?”

Sassi let out an impressed hum, looking over the Pegasus mare. That was a good question indeed.

After a few moments of thinking, she smiled.

“You can only get so far without a team.”

A chime then sounded, every creature packing up their items and orderly filing out of the doors of the circular classroom. Astral had likely finished his get-together with Gabbro, and hopefully, the Thestral had remembered to pick up the groceries.

Speaking of which…

“Hey, Astral? Can you snag those fruits we forgot?”

“Way ahead of you. Done with the Q&A?”

“Yup. See you at home soon.”

It was starting to become second nature, using their hive mind link to check on the other. The warm glow in the back of her mind always made the mare smile. They had done some tests, and the range was impressive. Emotions and direct thoughts could reach at least across two cities before fading to just basic emotions. Obviously, there were “a few more experiments that needed to be run” on them.

The scientist who had uttered those exact words had immediately turned pale at seeing the look on Astral’s face. Apparently, the Thestral had unconsciously glared at the pony for the rather…insensitive phrasing.

Sassi had admitted later to Astral that even though she knew the phrase logically wasn’t any threat, it still had made her skin crawl. That sensation had been shared with Astral over their link, hence his glare of death.

From what she understood, the scientist in question had nearly wet himself. Astral’s enraged expression had been out of pure reflex; all out of concern for her.

I love that stallion.

The current situation abruptly captured her focus again in a very specific manner. Despite their somewhat normal routine, the past few Q&A’s had Sassi on edge. As the creatures passed by her and began to file out, her senses heightened, the RASP modifications kicking in slightly to give her a laser focus on certain observations.

Nodding and accepting the thanks many sent her way, Sassi was the picture-perfect guest speaker. Yet her mind was in overdrive as the ponies filed out of the classroom. Things were noticed, cataloged, and a conclusion drawn in her mind.

They’re almost in formation. Moving in time, forcing themselves to spread apart and not be too close.

You can’t force natural randomness. When you do, it looks off to those who are watching.

There were other tells. A few of the soldiers moved a tad clumsily on their hooves. The specific manner they did so was a sign of not acclimating to armor-assisted movement just yet. Wear the stuff too much, and normal movements seemed like an over-exaggeration. Some others walked with a specific gait, one that indicated the usual bounce of a side saddle was missing.

All of these things were the result of long training hours, rapid acclimation, and a mix of veteran and new soldiers.

The conclusion?

I guess there is something to those reports of increased tensions. Equestria knows something out there, and it has the world on edge. They’re trying to train more troops, and fast.

Her mind wandered as the mare tapped a teleportation crystal, the spell yanking her back to the house.

Twilight has been annoyingly vague. I’m thankful she’s kept the nosy paparazzi away, and I know she’s keeping us in the dark to heal. But there’s a point where I want to know how much ammo to stack.

Of course, to that end, they had a basement full of the stuff. Among other things.

Not that we’d ever say that out loud.

She shrugged off her saddlebags and the minimalist armor that accompanied the mare wherever she went. Even though she was home, it still felt odd to not wear armor. But it was so much nicer to cuddle without it.

It was so strange to have a home that was hers, stallion and all.

“Fruits are in the fridge! Can’t believe we burned through that many already,” Astral said as he meandered over from the kitchen to the living room.

Trotting over, Sassi wrapped her stallion up in a hug, unable to contain a happy squeak as he did the same, burying his muzzle into her shoulder with a loving sigh. It never got old, being able to wrap up the stallion she loved in a hug. That hadn’t changed in the slightest. If anything, as they continued to process everything, it just made the gesture mean even more.

He was the only creature she could hug without reservations, and that alone meant the world. The kiss he then gave Sassi made the mare’s head spin, his soft lips making her wings flare as she eagerly pressed back. The blush on her cheeks drew a rather proud grin to the other Thestral’s face. He gently let her go, partitioning the groceries into their massive fridges.

Astral paused as a twang of annoyance hummed through their link.

“Astraaaaaaal…”

The stallion winced, already knowing what Sassi was looking at.

“Sorry! I just forgot!”

Despite her nonchalant shrug, Astral could tell the mare was a bit miffed with him. To be fair, it wasn’t the first time he had forgotten to put the blender parts in the dishwasher, leaving a fair pile of them in the sink.

If he was being honest, it was probably the tenth. Or twentieth?
Or more?

“Just-mmmmf!” Sassi grumbled, shaking her head and flopping on the couch as Astral put said blender parts in their proper place. He really didn’t mean to forget. It was difficult shifting from “I’ll put them away when I get back tonight,” as a single stallion, to “I need to put them away right after we use them.”

Should be simple. In reality? Not so much.

Once the dishwasher was chugging away, Astral joined his marefriend on the couch, her ears perking up as he scooted closer. A smile quickly slid onto Sassi’s face as he draped himself over her shoulders; the world’s best weighted blanket.

“So, how’d the Q and A go?”

“It went rather well. The questions have been getting better and better. Which is a bit worrying,” she admitted, frowning as Astral hissed in pain, his side spasming briefly.

“Sorry. Just the usual tweaks and stuff. I did get impaled,” he said, seeing her concerned glance.

“That you did,” Sassi said, unable to stop her body from tensing at the mention of it. Astral’s hoof caressing her ears immediately helped that matter, however.

“Sorry. And blender parts aside, you are one tense mare,” he remarked, Sassi reaching over to hold his hoof. After a lifetime of necessary aversion to physical touch, being able to have someone she trusted so close was still incredibly new, scary, and utterly relieving at the same time.

“What’s up? I know there have been rumblings. I assume they haven’t caught whatever they are looking for. You’ve been getting tenser with each session.”

“It’s that obvious?” she sighed, “It’s just the continued reports and rumors. I’ve started to notice signs that the soldiers are showing signs of rapid training. Like, extremely rapid. And I can tell some of them are special forces, royal guards. Sure, they’re mixed in with newbies, but they’re more and more common. The world is preparing for a storm. And we don’t know if it’ll be over in a day, or engulf the entire world.”

Sassi’s words made Astral let out a long breath, hugging her closer.
“Is there anything we need to do?”

She shook her head, enjoying feeling Astral’s sides rising and falling against her back.
“I don’t think so. What we need to do is not focus on that stuff so we can heal. We’re both hurting. But how can we not think about it? We wouldn’t be any use until they found the creature that escaped. So, all we can do is be here and wait. But I don’t want to just do nothing! Like, ugh…”

Astral shifted around, angling so he could wrap his marefriend up in a hug as she lay next to him. All Sassi wanted to do was just forget about it all.

Her head resting against Astral’s chest, the mare actually was able to relax. The scent she had grown so used to pleasantly clouded out everything else, and Sassi felt her eyes starting to grow heavy. A gentle, comforting rub on the back of her neck made the Thestral slip right into a doze. Underneath a scarred chest, a familiar heartbeat lulled Sassi right off into a pleasant sleep.

It was brief moments like this where Astral was usually able to relax. He had hoped escaping the Silos would reduce the stress. And for a time, it had. But after Twilight had given them both a rather terse summary of the exchange with Joro, the stress never left.

He had to give the Princess credit though. She had banked on being honest with them being a priority. That was certainly appreciated.

Astral winced, adjusting his wings as he held his marefriend close, Sassi completely passed out on his chest. A happy, warm glow of affection radiated from their little hive mind. The stallion finally felt the mare relax, muscles finally loosening in sleep.

The whole situation had her worried. But she wasn’t alone in that.

Alone.

That just wasn’t a word in his life that held any weight anymore. He and Sassi had discussed a lot of things the month after they escaped. One of those was being honest. If there was a stressor, they’d share it to meet it head-on, no matter how uncomfortable the initial talk may be.

Their hive mind meant such things couldn’t be hidden, not like normal ponies would. Astral was thankful for that. It just taught them to be honest. Not just with each other, but with themselves. It was still an adjustment, essentially living together aside from more intimate stuff.

Both of them were learning to get along with each other outside of a survival situation, but they were managing. More than managing, thriving. But it was still an adjustment, and that would have been the case even without the trauma.

Sassi mumbled in her sleep, the mare tensing. She immediately relaxed as Astral shifted, hugging her a bit closer and resting his neck across the mare’s shoulders. The stallion let his mind wander, a slight frown meandering onto his face.

He wasn’t a fool. Seeing Sassi suffer in any way ignited a dangerous protective streak in him. There were other, random instances where the stallion knew that his internal emotional barometer was off. The more common surges of anger had nearly gotten the stallion in trouble a few times, a fire of rage nearly burning out of control over small, insignificant things. A late appointment, a dropped bag of groceries…

It all forced Astral to realize a very humbling fact.

I’m not ok.

Sassi was dealing with the adjustment far better than he was; she had been spot-on the other day when she re-hashed what the therapist had noted. True, she had bad days. But hers were a linear increase. She had days of things building up before something snapped. For Astral, it was getting hit by a freight train of trauma at the drop of a hat, and it could continue for a few days due to the physical health effects.

The fine line he walked day to day between feeling terrible and somewhat alright was a thin one indeed. But he had quickly realized Sassi had her own protective streak. When it had become clear that Astral was going to have a rougher time adjusting than she was, Sassi had always made sure to have his back. Not in an overbearing way, for which Astral was thankful, but just like in the Silos. Paying attention when he had bad days, and just being open.

She was always there when he needed her, and Astral made sure the opposite was true. While her bad days were less frequent, the mare still had times when she needed a comforting hug. He wanted to protect her, and it was humbling when his capacity to do so was minimized.

That thought was aggravating to no end. But Sassi had (repeatedly) reassured the stallion there wasn’t anything to be annoyed about. He was there when she needed him, and that didn’t mean guns blazing or being 100% okay.

It meant giving her a hug when she was crying, or simply letting Sassi know he cared.

He could do that.

Maybe being me, is enough.

Whether due to the Silo or just being able to open up with someone, Astral wasn’t sure. But that thought made his eyes water as he hugged Sassi closer. At the very least, they were free and safe. Even with all the bumps and bruises ahead, and the occasionally-forgotten blender parts…

We’ll get through this, together.

Author's Note

This is nice. :yay:

Chapter Three: Dynamic Diner Discussions

Twilight appeared in front of the diner with a puff of magic. The royal guard had previously swept the area, but she trusted her magical scans a bit more, of which she had done many. True, there were regular customers, but the concealment spell would surround their table quite nicely.

The mare had to stop herself from smirking. It was a spell the mare was proud of. A typical external layer showed an illusion of the occupants, and then an inner layer that was adapted to portray the moving disguises of the occupants of the bubble, constantly adjusting to match the external spell. It also completely obfuscated their words, translating conversation into a fluid back-and-forth of small talk. It was the perfect spell for those who wanted to meet in public and interact with other creatures without risking being seen or heard.

She sat in the agreed-upon seat, thanking the unicorn waitress as they set out some water.

Spell holding steady. And now I can focus on the actual meeting.
Date.
Thing.

Events hadn’t calmed down after Astral and Sassi had escaped those many months ago. Well, they technically had, once the perimeter had been established and the site was slated for decontamination, each part being burned to glass bit by bit. That was a journey that would take years, if not longer. But the overall issue still loomed, which weighed heavily on the mare’s mind. It was a constant back and forth to manage the fear and preparations, and try to find whatever it was. It was maddening and was wearing down Twilight’s nerves something fierce.

Today’s meeting was double-duty. She needed to talk with Tanzil about international relations, but she also wanted to get to know her friend in a more personal way. They didn’t have that much time, unfortunately. Not even half an hour with their busy schedules.

But she did like him, after all. Yet it all was swirling around in her head like a never-ending-

“Is this a bad time?”

The mare nearly jumped out of her seat as a blueish-white, ethereal figure materialized beside her. Twilight blew out an exasperated breath as Harmony winced.

“I take that as a yes?”

Twilight leaned her head on the table with a soft *thunk* and a groan, the magical mare next to her looking rather befuddled.

“A bit of a bad time, yes. I’ve appreciated our weekly check-ins, but this isn’t the best moment. Tanzil should be here shortly.”

Harmony blinked at that.
“Ah. Apologies. I just wanted to see if we could reschedule our lunch tomorrow, for the next day?”

To Harmony’s credit, she was trying. In a way, the Guardian of Equestria reminded Twilight of her own social manners ages ago. Whatever Harmony was, they just took a lot longer to learn such mannerisms.

Considering Harmony had started out as a tree, Twilight was willing to cut the mare some slack in terms of adapting to social norms.

“That’s fine. I appreciate the heads-up. I assume this was a good time for you due to the concealment spell?”

The mare nodded, visibly jerking in surprise as another figure slid into the seat across from them.

“Twilight. Guardian,” the gryphon rumbled. A flash of magic crackled away, and Tanzil’s concealment spell vanished, leaving only Twilight’s.

That was the least of the mare’s concerns, however.

“Wait. You know her?!” Twilight exclaimed, gesturing to Harmony, who looked a bit uncomfortable.

“I do,” the dark-blue gryphon replied smoothly. There was a weight to his tone as if it wasn’t a subject he was comfortable discussing. “She has checked in a few times during my rule to ensure my actions weren’t threatening Equestria. It was an informative, nice wake-up call.”

“I’ll…leave you to it,” Harmony stammered, vanishing abruptly. Tanzil’s amber eyes were still narrowed at where the mare had been, the gryphon shaking his head slightly.

That was odd; a question for their lunch, perhaps?

“I think things are a bit awkward between Equestria’s Guardian and myself,” Tanzil admitted, smiling tiredly. “It’s good to see you, Princess.” There was an immediate warmth in the gryphon’s eyes, one that made an odd flutter rise in Twilight’s chest.

“It’s good to see you too, Emperor. I’m sorry we haven’t been able to meet face-to-face recently.”

“Well, we’ve both been a bit busy with our nations. I haven’t taken any offense. I assume this meeting is a more formal one?”

“At first. But if I just was interested in building international ties, a conference room in Canterlot would have sufficed.”

The Emperor smiled, relaxing slightly in the plush chair.

“I’m glad to hear it. I suppose I can go first?” he suggested. “I know you’re not one for small talk. One of the many reasons I enjoy your company.” Tanzil couldn’t help but cheer internally, the slightest of blushes rising to Twilight’s cheeks as she nodded.

“Well, in terms of diplomatic matters, there’s not much to report other than some unrest on my end,” he admitted, claws starting to drum on the table. “Interestingly, it has nothing to do with the situation concerning the disease carrier or another coup. Those are rather normal threats, as far as gryphons are concerned. Change in leadership? Some sort of hostile creature? The population is rather at ease. However, a normal threat can be amplified by other factors. In this case, having Equestria ruled by multiple ageless ponies. In their minds, it makes them question how secure the situation is. It makes the majority of the population nervous now and again.”

“Really? I’m surprised that sentiment persists,” Twilight mused, Tanzil sighing.

“Oh, it’s ever-present. It just tends to increase when external threats arise. It usually can unite the population, but that’s often at odds with doubt and unease,” the Emperor explained. “For example, while the Crystal Empire is fairly removed, they’re still lumped in with Equestria. So, having your brother and Princess Cadence still ruling, even as general figureheads, makes it seem like all of Equestria is ruled by ageless individuals in my people’s eyes. Celestia and Luna’s involvement in helping sterilize the Silo area has further illuminated that.” He raised a claw, then wincing. “I really don’t mean to say this asking for change. I’m simply trying to indicate how there are tensions I really can’t do much about, and that’s a bit frustrating. I don’t see an issue with it, but I can understand it.”

“I mean, it’s a logical fear,” Twilight admitted. “Myself, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining…all the rulers are technically ageless. I can empathize with how that may unsettle creatures. Interestingly, the reverse can be true of ponies. They see gryphons as rather gruff and uncivil and lacking in harmony,” the mare couldn’t help but giggle. “Yet such a description can also apply to ponies, more often than not. Thankfully, here we are, our nations closer than ever before.”

Another smile, Tanzil taking a moment to place his order, Twilight doing the same. She had a hayburger, of course, and Tanzil went with a large fish-and-chips dish.

“I admit, Princess, I’m unsure how assuage my subject’s concerns. They feel vulnerable, as we’ve gone through hundreds of rulers over the time Equestria has had two. They worry the Empire will fragment, and yet I must continually provide that stability.”

Twilight quickly learned two things.

One: Tanzil’s use of a word or two that qualified as even slightly “advanced vocabulary” made her cheeks blush far, far more than the mare was comfortable admitting.
Two: he was being rather brutally honest, which deserved a reply in kind.

“If I may offer some advice?”

“One of the reasons I’m here,” he said with a chuckle.

“Apply the same things you just said to me to your subjects. You were extremely honest about your concerns. By and large, the public will respond to a confident leader even if they have concerns. It’s a fine line, but you can build confidence by being open with challenges and rallying them together to meet them, as opposed to deflecting.”

Tension bled from Tanzil’s shoulders, the gryphon’s brow furrowing. He nodded, claws freezing on the table for a few moments.

“Wise words indeed,” he mused. “I suppose I need a reminder of that, amidst the song and dance of politics. Thank you, Princess.”

“Anytime. I don’t really have any other diplomatic business other than checking in, not to have things be lopsided. Astral and Sassi are acclimating as best they can, but we don’t want to put them under specific surveillance. But the RASP armor projects are progressing, as you know. Your scientists have been very helpful.” Twilight then let out a rather frustrated groan. “Unfortunately, in terms of the biggest issue, we’re still searching for that creature.”

“Likewise. Still nothing on our end.”

“I did have one question for you.”

The Emperor’s fluffy ears perked up at that, warm eyes looking over to the mare.
“Oh?”

“It’s about during the rescue with Sassi and Astral,” Twilight explained, clopping her hooves together nervously. It was an odd question, after all. “Why and how did you give the rifle to Astral so quickly? I admit, I froze. Embarrassing, but I did.”

An odd look came over Tanzil, the gryphon’s gaze cooling. There was an abrupt edge in his amber eyes, the ruler taking a moment to pause.

“Gryphons, myself included, are far more accustomed to violence and injuries than you are, Princess. That’s why I wasn’t fazed. For better or worse, I might add. Our history is one of selfishness and conflict. That produces a bit of desensitization. As to why I did it? That’s a fairly simple answer.” His voice then softened, and there was an odd turmoil in Tanzil’s eyes despite his demeanor remaining passive.

“Astral would have killed any of us that stood in his way if it came down to it. He was willing to do anything to save the mare he loved. I wasn’t about to stand in the way of that.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed as their food arrived, a nice segue as the two thanked the waitress. Tanzil then chuckled, tossing a hot chip into his mouth. Even if it was a slightly stilted conversation, it was with a friend. That made it all somehow a bit easier. At least the Princess had relaxed slightly as they spoke.

“A bit of a heavy question, but that’s the most honest answer I can give.”

“Well, I appreciate it. Celestia and Luna have far more experience with the brutal realities of war than I do. I’m still learning,” the mare admitted.

“Join the club. It never ends,” Tanzil chuckled, drawing a smile from Twilight.

He really did like that smile. Not too confident, but that of a pony learning and trying to do better. It was genuine, something lacking in politics and much of the world. Her professional, confident demeanor had started to flake away, something the gryphon had amusingly seen multiple times when speaking with Twilight.

The Princess was very savvy and professional. The normal pony underneath that necessary, ruling mask was, in his opinion, far more genuine and interesting.

“I did have another question if we’re being honest,” Twilight said, her ears flattening nervously. “Or rather, an observation. When we were attacked by those Skitters, you were far faster than you should be.” A fire ignited behind Twilight’s violet gaze as she looked up at him, caution and curiosity battling in their depths. “If not for my time dilation spells, you’d have been as fast as me, an alicorn. That’s not normal. Not even our most advanced mages can do that with such precision.”

A lead weight settled into Tanzil’s chest. He had played his cards close for so long. Eventually, cracks would form.

“No, it’s not normal at all,” he said calmly. “I know there have been rumors surrounding me and my abilities.”

The mare nodded, keen eyes locked onto the gryphon. “Quite a few rumors. Like the fact you’re supposed to be in your late fifties, but don’t look a day past your thirties? I’ve seen the videos of dueling challengers to your rule years ago. It wasn’t even a contest. It might have fooled almost everyone else, but I know when a creature is holding back. You could have ended each fight seconds after it began, yet you dragged it out to please the crowds.”

He nodded, not able to meet the mare’s eyes.
“I certainly won’t try to refute any of that.” Tanzil finally managed to look up at the Princess. He wanted to tell her. So much…

But not yet.

“Princess, I can promise that such things will be clarified in the future. I can’t say any more, and I’d prefer, respectfully, that you don’t ask any more about it,” Tanzil said as kindly as he could. “But you aren’t wrong in what you observed, and I promise it poses no threat to you or your nation.”

She blew out a frustrated breath at that.
“I suppose that’ll have to do then. We all have some secrets.”

I can’t leave things like that.

“While I can’t explain some things fully, Princess. I can, perhaps, be a bit more honest right now.”

With a wave of his claws, Tanzil removed the cosmetic touch-up spell around his figure. The bags under his eyes would likely now be visible, and the streaks of silver and white feathers on his dark-blue chest weren’t the most well-arranged. That was, of course, the consequence of coming straight from a previous meeting that ran far too long.

Twilight looked at him, smiling as her horn glowed. Abruptly, the mare across from Tanzil became so much more real. He wasn’t the only one with bags under his eyes, and a few faint blemishes from stress dotted Twilight’s upper cheeks.

He couldn’t help but smile, a warmth glowing in the gryphon’s breast. It just made her all the more attractive, real. Flaws and all.

Perhaps that’s why I like her original form more.

“Well. I appreciate the honesty, and can return it in kind,” Twilight said with a nod. “I guess we both could use some more sleep?”

“And food. Which, speaking off…” Tanzil took a few bites of the fried fish happily. Sure, professionally-made dishes were technically superior in every way. And yet, the imperfections made foods like this even better. It wasn’t the healthiest thing, but it tasted so good.

Twilight’s blissful bites of the hayburger nearly had Tanzil laughing. Apparently, the mare also had a sweet spot for the greasy food.

“A pity the chefs in the castles don’t appreciate these sorts of things,” he managed to say with a chuckle, Twilight blushing. There was quite a bit of sauce on her face, which was rather adorable.

“Sorry.”

“For enjoying food? No apologies needed for that.”

The two ate silently for a bit, Twilight then being the next to speak as she snacked on the fries.

“Where do we go from here, Tanzil?” she asked, her shoulders slumping. It wasn’t often that the leader of a nation appeared vulnerable. And this was different. This wasn’t the Princess opening up. This was Twilight.

“In general?” he asked, not wanting to misunderstand anything.

“In general, and with us. I don’t-I’ve learned that I’ve not been the best Princess of Friendship. As you may have heard about the changes I’ve enacted,” Twilight admitted, averting her eyes. “But that includes not going out and making friends.” She held up a hoof as he opened his mouth to speak, looking up at the gryphon.

It made Tanzil pause, seeing a flicker of genuine fear and nervousness in Twilight’s gaze.
“I don’t want to mess this up, Tanzil,” she whispered. “I mean that in terms of being friends and seeing if there’s something more. But I want to see where it goes.”

He picked up his water glass, holding it over to her.
“Then how about we toast to that?” Tanzil suggested with a kind smile. “To see where it goes?”

She clinked her glass against his, a nervous smile replacing the pensive one.

“You know,” he mused, “you’re not the only one worried about messing this up. Not even close. I’d say we’re neck and neck if we’re having a competition.”

“Really?”

Staring at her, Tanzil could only nod with a rather deadpan expression.
“Just because I appear calm and collected doesn’t mean I’m not internally screaming.”

*Snrk*

Twilight tried to stifle a laugh, then utterly failed as she held her sides. Tears eventually trickled down her cheeks, the mare settling into giggles as Tanzil chuckled along with her.

“I should frame that and put it in my bedroom,” she sighed. “Thank you, Tanzil.”

“Any time. But I’m serious. I don’t want to mess this up either,” he said. “This isn’t a normal way to explore a relationship by any measurement, especially with us being leaders of nations. But I’d still very much like to see where things go.” He felt a bit of heat rising to his face, feathers fluffing slightly. “You’re a very attractive mare in many ways, Twilight, and I care about you. So, safe to say, messing things up is one of my primary worries.”

It was only a split second, but Tanzil saw something else in Twilight’s eyes. It made his heart immediately ache because he knew the feeling. It was the look of someone who was struggling to accept a compliment, but it seemed to reach far deeper than that.

But then it was gone, a bit of a mask being put into place. But it seemed to be out of reflex to avoid any awkwardness than anything.

“I…” Twilight began, shaking her head as if trying to focus. “Thank you, Tanzil. Really. I just-I think too much. So, I’m honestly not sure where to go.” She looked up at him, and the brief flash of vulnerability returned.

“I like you too, for quite a few reasons. But I have no idea what to do about it.”

“I mean, saying yes to a more formal, official first date would be a start?” he suggested.

His response shattered any nerves, the mare giggling softly.
“Ok, well, my answer is absolutely yes. But I wasn’t even sure if you’d want that,” Twilight gestured to herself. “Different form and all that. I know you briefly mentioned it, but I wasn’t sure if you were just being polite. I’m curious about your thoughts.”

“Do you want my honest opinion that may or may not make you blush? I promise it’s nothing crass.”

The analytical mare was intrigued, nodding to the gryphon. Tanzil had put in quite a bit of thought about the matter.

I mean, how could I ignore it?

“I prefer you like this,” he admitted, voice soft. Even so, it held a bit of nervousness. “You seem much more expressive and genuine. Before, you were…I don’t know how to say this. Removed? More royal? Professional? No, that doesn’t really cover it,” he admitted with a frown. “You were still you, but your mannerisms seemed more split. You came off as trying to be more like Celestia than Twilight, if that makes sense.”

“Oh?” Twilight leaned forward, clearly interested.

“Always calm, collected, and not as expressive as most creatures would be. Understandable if you’re a ruler. You can’t fly off the handle in public. At least you shouldn’t,” Tanzil continued. “And while you still have that professional mask, it’s not as big of a divide anymore. You seem much more like a pony now. A fellow creature with aches, pains, dreams, and worries. Then there’s Princess Twilight, an impassive ruler of Equestria. Celestia’s perfect pupil.” He couldn’t help but smile, claws fiddling with each other. “Personally, I like the former quite a bit. And besides, now we’re almost at the same height. Neither of us will get a neck cramp looking at the other.”

Twilight stared at him, her cheeks rapidly reddening as she stifled a giggle at Tanzil’s last words. At least he had been on the money for some of it.

“That’s really sweet, Tanzil. I wasn’t expecting that,” she admitted. “I think some of that has to do with me realizing how I’ve messed up things. But I’ve been worried about what you would think, if I’m being honest.”

“I’m flattered, but you needn’t have worried. I find your new look very…” his words trailed off, the first word coming to mind not exactly being a soliloquy. “Erm, approachable.”

“That is not what you were going to say,” Twilight said with a rather pink face. “But you get points for recovery. So? What was it?”

“It’s not exactly a mature term in terms of descriptiveness. You’re really going to pry it out of me?”

She levitated a fried bit of potato like a sword, waggling it in front of the gryphon.
“Don’t tempt me.”

He groaned, knowing his face was already starting to puff.
“Very well. But you asked. I find your new, or rather, original look very cute. It’s an adorable balance to your rather intimidating intellect.”

Tanzil had thought Twilight had already been blushing. He was proven quite wrong by the bright pink color on the mare’s cheeks, and he couldn’t help but grin.

“You asked!”

“I…did,” Twilight admitted, unable to meet Tanzil’s gaze. The increasingly attractive, genuine demeanor returned, the mare smiling shyly as she glanced up at him. “Thank you, Tanzil,” she whispered. Her voice was far softer, and it was rather endearing. Knowing they both were in uncharted waters was a pleasant comfort.

But apparently, Twilight was utterly not used to these sorts of compliments. Tanzil made a mental note to change that. The mare had significantly relaxed, and a definite shyness poked through. It was a relatively new emotion to be seeing in the usually-confident princess. But it certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

The gryphon couldn’t conceal a huff of annoyance as a soft chime emanated from the crystal bracelet on his left wrist, a similar tone echoing from the concealment spell.

“That wasn’t long at all,” he muttered with a frown. “I suppose mixing business with personal matters isn’t the best idea, and we cut this one a bit close. Maybe we can keep them separate, so we have longer?” The Emperor then paused, a few nerves itching at his heart. “If you’d like for there to be, perhaps, an official first date? Or second? One and a half?”

His words made Twilight giggle.
“I’d say this is a solid one-third date. So, the next can round it off?” she suggested, Tanzil chuckling.

“I like that plan indeed. Would later in this week be too presumptuous?”

“Day after tomorrow? Same time?”

Her eager reply settled the nerves, Tanzil unable to keep a smile off his face.
“That sounds good to me. I have an idea for the date, too.”

“Oh?”

He chuckled, conjuring up an image of a scroll.
“Try to find some of the worst poetry ever written. I’ll bring my best competitors, and we can decide what poem is truly the worst.”

A familiar *snrk* reached his ears, the mare already in thought.
“Ohhh I like that idea. I have a few in mind already,” Twilight said. “Can’t ever say I’ve done a poetry competition before!”

“I can certainly come up with a few more literary-focused ideas.”

The Princess’s ears drooped slightly, hooves clopping together a bit nervously.
“You don’t have to do that on my account,” she whispered. “I know I’m a bit over the top with my love of books. But if you have other ideas, don’t put them aside on my account. I do appreciate it, though...” Her words trailed off as she saw Tanzil looking at her curiously.

“Twilight, what makes you think you have a corner on the market of bookworms?” the gryphon said with a smirk. “I grew up reading Daring Do, and I cleaned out the library’s “adventure” section within a year as a cub. The Arcane Theory section took me a few more years, but it fell prey to my talons all the same.”

The mare stared at him in shock, Tanzil stifling a cackle.
“In fact, I can get through a few dozen books a year if I put my mind to it. Did you really think our book battle years ago was just for diplomatic amusement? I was dead serious about winning!”

The return of the pink blush was in full force, and the gryphon filed that away for future amusement. In fact, he was fairly certain a soft squeak was uttered.

“So, how about a question to start off our next date?”

“S-sure!”

The mare blushed even further as her voice squeaked, and it took all of Tanzil’s self-control to not chuckle. It seemed Twilight was incredibly composed in familiar situations, but the moment she was thrown off balance with personal topics, she struggled to try and regulate her response.

It was adorable in the best way possible.

“What would an ideal evening look like for you? If you had six hours of completely free time. No limits.” He then held up a claw with a wink. “And no essays.”

The pout she fired his way was legendary, and Tanzil couldn’t help but laugh.
“I suppose I wrote my own essay, though, considering how much I talked,” he admitted, Twilight giggling softly.

“I didn’t mind at all, Tanzil. I promise to return the favor on our first official date…again,” the mare said with a genuine smile. “This all is just- it’s not what I expected.”

“It is a bit unorthodox. But I suppose that’s fitting for our situation?”

That earned an agreeing nod, the two paying the bill and walking out underneath the concealment spell. The diner had a small outdoor section underneath a canvas roof. At least for now, it was empty, granting the two some general privacy in addition to the spell.

“Tanzil, even if this was all a bit…” the mare gestured in the air with a hoof. “Odd in terms of starting things off, I really did enjoy it. Just spending time with you…” her voice drifted off, a bit of a shy smile now on Twilight’s face as she glanced up at him. “It’s a nice break from everything.”

“I’m-” words abruptly failed the gryphon, Tanzil finding a lump in his throat. “I enjoy it as well. It’s also nice to know neither of us are facing this threat alone.”

Twilight was a smart mare, and Tanzil could see her reading between the lines easily enough. The gryphon’s defenses were always down around her; he couldn’t help it.

Perhaps not having many trusted friends has made me soft in that respect. He thought.

Any further musing was cut short as Twilight walked over and promptly wrapped Tanzil up in a tight hug, surprising the gryphon.

“If nothing else but a friend, Tanzil, if you need a listening ear, I’m always here,” Twilight said softly. “Ruling is so isolating. I get it. I fell into that trap,” her hug tightened ever so slightly, “I’m still pulling myself out of it.”

After a moment of hesitation, he returned the embrace, the Emperor finding his thoughts melting away.

When was the last time I had a hug?

“Thank you, Twilight,” he whispered, finding himself not wanting to let go. Was he truly so isolated that this could make him melt?

Evidently, yes.

Another bonus of Twilight’s new look? It made her very huggable. With the mare being a bit taller than usual mares, and Tanzil not being one of the bigger gryphons, it made for the perfect hugging height. She was surprisingly strong, making the mare’s embrace all the more appealing. It didn’t feel like Tanzil would accidentally squeeze too hard. If anything, the Alicorn matched or, more likely, far exceeded his own physical strength.

“Y’know, gryphons really need to adopt hugging more,” Twilight said with a soft giggle. “You guys have all of these fluffy feathers. Everyone is missing out.”

“Agre-ed.”

Tanzil hadn’t meant for his voice to crack partially, yet embarrassingly, it did. He pulled away from Twilight with a shake of his head, concern glimmering in the mare’s eyes. She let go, but one of her hooves drifted down against his right arm as if reluctant to release him.

It took all of his willpower to step back, but if he hadn’t, Tanzil knew that tears would have started to flow from his eyes. He wouldn’t have minded staying in this lovely mare’s embrace for far longer than appropriate on barely a first date.

I have to go.
If I linger, I’ll crack. I can’t. Not here.

Sitting in front of him, Twilight didn’t raise any questions, only nodded once. Her caring gaze was still brimming with concern, but she didn’t pry.

“Time to go?” the mare asked. It was the first time she had seen the gryphon ruler visibly and audibly deviate from his usually confident demeanor.

“For now,” he admitted, finally trusting his voice. “I believe there’s a lovely park down the street; same time the day after tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there. And I’ll bring the worst poems I can find!” Twilight said with a cheerful smile, yet there was still an air of concern in her demeanor.

“I’ve got quite the arsenal. Gryphons are not known for their poetry,” he chuckled, nodding to the mare as he spun up a spell around his left claw.

“I had fun, Tanzil. See you soon,” Twilight added, nodding to the Emperor.

“Likewise, take care, Twilight.”

He reappeared in the castle, the gryphon abruptly slumping. His cozy quarters automatically lit up, the blue-flamed magical candles flickering on.

“Very nice,” Tanzil hissed, walking over to a large wooden desk and leaning on it as his claws scored the wood. “Quite the composed Emperor until you get a hug? What is wrong with me?”

A fresh stack of papers lay to his right, magically-delivered reports that needed his attention. He took a few deep breaths. Unfortunately, that did nothing to clear his head. The fact that things went well was soured by his unsettled lapse in decorum at the end.

Was he overthinking it?

His mood had flipped disturbingly fast, one of the many red flags to the gryphon that he was reaching his limit of emotional stamina. Perhaps he had pushed things too much. Tanzil looked at the top paper, anything to distract the growing anxiety in his mind. Unfortunately, the first two reports did anything but.

Discrepancies with castle guard patrols and troop transfers? But the audit reveals nothing? What is going on?

The next paper was from Ridlar, one of the lead Counsel Gryphons responsible for helping Tanzil dissipate the potential coup attempt.

Tax reductions for individuals involved in high-asset transfers and increased for those not involved…

He set the paper aside with a growl, a headache immediately forming in his temples.
“What are they thinking?!” Tanzil growled, shunning the desk to lay on a rather plush beanbag. “They try to obscure tax breaks for the wealthy and increases for the poor with fancy language?”

Talking out loud had always helped Tanzil think. More often than not, his voice was the only one that persisted through the decades when others guttered out.

As he massaged his temples, the gryphon took a shaky breath. The room seemed to close in on him, the once-composed emperor forcing back a few tears. How he had forged ahead this long without everything crashing down, the gryphon still wasn’t sure.

The façade of a completely confident and held-together emperor had been cracking for years. It couldn’t crumble now. It mustn’t. And yet…

“I can’t do this alone,” Tanzil whispered. “The rumblings of a coup attempt were resolved; I haven’t heard anything since then! But I don’t feel safe even in my own castle! Military discrepancies, the council acting increasingly out of turn. What is going on?”

The gryphon covered his face with his claws, wishing he could just sink into the beanbag and forget it all.

“Why is it falling apart now?”

There was a soft knock on his desk, which meant the arrival of a friend. Only one individual knocked on the inside of a room, after all.

“I tried to warn you, Tanzil, of the isolation that would come. It’s the price any ruler pays, especially one such as yourself after we met,” a kind, deep voice rumbled. A spectral gryphon materialized in front of the prone emperor. Its form was tall and broad, and the ghostly gryphon wore both ceremonial armor and a crown upon his head. The eyes, even though transparent, shone with wisdom and, now, also pity.

“Oh yes, you warned me. But I haven’t been in a position to remedy that!” Tanzil said with a bit fiercer of a snarl than he intended. “I’ve barely had time to pull this nation together with tape and prayers, let alone find friends! It’s taken me decades just to establish our own culture again. Stars above, it’s been generations, and our kind is still learning how to naturally forge relationships not based on coin and profit!”

“But they are learning.”

The spectral gryphon’s reply made Tanzil sigh.
“They are learning,” Tanzil repeated in confirmation. “But I can’t do this alone, Garret. Today was the heavy stone that cracked the foundation. If I can’t rely on the council, and my strength is failing, who can I turn to?”

The other gryphon chuckled, reaching over to place a set of claws on the distraught emperor’s shoulder. His grip wasn’t entirely tangible but felt slightly cool to touch.

“Tanzil Ironclaw, you’ve had feelings for the Princess for some time, and yet you haven’t learned one of the most important lessons that ponies can teach us,” Garret chuckled. “If your strength is failing, and the council is fracturing, trust in your friends, in the creatures that care about you. You have more than you think. I would argue you have, in a rudimentary sense, tens, no, hundreds of thousands of those such friends. You are loved by the creatures under your rule. I have never seen our people more united in both the praise of a ruler and finding their own purpose.”

Garret’s voice then became a bit graver.

“But if nothing else, Emperor Ironclaw, do what you must to secure the future of our people. You have tried to show our kind a better way. But perhaps they aren’t ready. Sometimes, your subjects don’t know what’s best; that is true. Other times, however, you must give the people what inspires hope and security, all while being prepared to learn from the past to build a better future.”

“And what if building that future requires rivers of blood?”

Garret’s eyes dropped to the floor, the gryphon sighing.
“I wish I could refute your concerns of the council, but they have been acting erratic as of late. If there is a threat to the future of your people, then make sure you wield the sword in their defense and do so in righteousness, not in greed or the seeking of selfish power. That was one of my many undoing’s during my reign. You can do better. You already have.” He looked up, beak set in a firm, determined smile.

“You have my trust, Tanzil. And you have that of the people. Such a thing is not easily earned nor thrown aside. Go forward and do what you must.” Garret bowed his head with a sympathetic smile. “I sympathize with you, I really do. You may not have the close friends you desire, but you have a nation of creatures who want to see you succeed. If your strength fails, and your plans are dashed…rely on the strength of your subjects and of your friends.”

Author's Note

Hmmmm :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Four: Questions

Astral yawned, the mare in his embrace giggling before she followed suit.

“Ugh. Now you have me yawning!” Sassi grumbled, scooting up a bit to nuzzle underneath Astral’s head. “But still, I’d say these times are worth it. Even if we are nocturnal.”

The two Thestrals were currently perched on their favorite hill overlooking both the rolling fields and the distant city. A large tree overshadowed them, and the sun had started to rise. It only happened once a week, but the rapid switch from day to night was eased with a slow, beautiful sunrise and sunset. It was one of the few official times Celestia and Luna continued their age-old duties. But it certainly made for quite the sight.

Astral and Sassi were exhausted, sure. But sacrificing a bit of sleep for their bi-weekly dates on this spot was worth it.

But that was the point, to visit this spot occasionally as they recovered. It was a barometer of sorts when the two of them could evaluate how well they were recovering when underneath the tree.

Of course, today, Astral had a specific topic for discussion.

Unwrapping one hoof from around Sassi (with a rather annoyed huff from the mare,) Astral fished around in a nearby saddlebag. He withdrew the desired item with a grin. To say he had been practicing was an understatement.

The braided vines circlet had an arrangement of pink and blue flowers on it, and the Thestral had gotten significantly better at braiding them since the Silos.

It also never failed to cause Sassi to smile and tear up. That alone made the hours of practice worth it.

Gently pushing Sassi back a bit as she looked at him, Astral held up the circlet for her to see. Her eyes flooded with tears, the mare sniffling as he gently set it on her head, brushing her adorable bangs off to the side.

He had plans for another one, but it was being forged by the royal blacksmiths in Canterlot. A beautiful circlet of silver, complete with flowers set with gems. The order had already been placed, of course. The Princess had offered to do it for free, but Astral refused. It didn’t feel right, not for this.

The Thestral’s thoughts flat-lined as Sassi gave him a kiss, the mare wrapping him up in a hug. Astral still didn’t believe that she hadn’t taken kissing classes. He’d never get tired of her soft lips on his.

She broke the kiss, gently reaching up to tap the circlet.
“I love these. I wish they lasted longer.”

He could barely conceal a giggle at that and had to force his thoughts to not broadcast to the mare. Oh, there’d be a circlet that wouldn’t ever fade, just not yet. But soon. Very soon.

“Well, it just means I have to keep making them. And I’m getting better and better at it!” he proclaimed, Sassi smiling. Her lips then trembled, the mare sniffling.

“You know how much it means to me. So, thank you,” she whispered. Astral only nodded, hugging her close to snuggle up with his special somepony again. He hadn’t forgotten that moment in the Silos when Sassi had started to see herself as a pony.

“I did have something I wanted to talk to you about,” he admitted.

“Oh?”

“I’m going to speak with Flask today. About something rather important.”

Sassi froze, but she then immediately hugged him tighter.

“O-oh?” her voice squeaked.

“Yup. So, if I’m not in the city, that’s where I’m at. I have to keep some things pleasantly secret.”

She smiled, the mare looking up at him. Her expression then shifted into that of a rather smug smirk.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about visiting your parents for the same reason,” Sassi replied. She reached up and tapped his muzzle with a hoof before Astral could speak. “And I know it might go badly. Doesn’t matter. If they don’t want to talk to me, then fine. But I’ll have made the effort, and anything else is on them. Is that okay for me to do? I don’t want to make things more complicated than they already are.”

“You’re welcome to try and speak with them. It won’t make things worse at this point,” Astral said with a sigh, nuzzling her ears. “Thank you for at least making the effort. It means a lot.”

“Hey, you’re worth it.”

Sassi paused, listening to her stallion’s heartbeat with a happy smile. Maybe it was due to the RASP modifications, but she loved being able to be aware of every little touch, every subtle movement as he hugged her close.

She had no idea how to speak with his parents, only that it needed to happen. If nothing else, they deserved the courtesy of being informed.

“Y’know, I like how it’s not an “if” I’ll marry you. It’s a when,” Sassi mused as Astral began to chuckle.

“It does make it a bit easier. Less of a surprise. It’s really not a question in my mind. I guess we’ll figure out the whole “how long” later.”

“Well, we need to still recover. But not too long.”

Sassi couldn’t help but laugh at seeing the cheesy grin on Astral’s face as he pulled back, settling down to rest against her shoulder as they leaned on each other.

“Oh yes, not too long,” he admitted, his ears then flattening. The Thestral’s expression then darkened.

“Gabbro mentioned something that made me think. How he’d go nuts in our current situation. Which isn’t to say we haven’t needed an occasional cold shower. But…”

The mare at his side waited patiently, immediately clued in that this ran a bit deeper than a mere observation.

“The fact we have boundaries is weird to so many, but I’m glad we do,” Astral said softly. “Even if it doesn’t make sense to others, or myself at times. Just,” he looked over to Sassi, resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t want our first intimate moments to be an escape, a distraction. And right now, that’s what it’d be. So, I’m just thankful you’re okay with it.”

“I think that’s very sweet,” Sassi replied after a moment’s pause. “And I completely agree. I’m just happy you share my view about being married first as well. I know so many creatures think it’s outdated.”

“To be fair, Gabbro came around. He now thinks it’s very romantic. Kind of the whole “the old way is now cool” sort of thing.”

“Did he now?”

The two of them chuckled, Astral shrugging his wings.
“I know that if we wait to be totally okay, our relationship won’t move forward,” he said softly. “So, it’s just getting over the initial hump. I’m going to be dealing with this trauma for the rest of my life. But I want to share that road with you in every way. So, not too long of an engagement.”

“That is one of the more romantic things you’ve said to date,” Sassi whispered, moving over to hug him, the sun now casting its rays on them. “And I agree. Not too fast, not too slow.” The city below began to slowly wake up. Sassi gave him a long kiss, a reassuring smile on her face.

“I guess this week is going to be a busy one?” she asked.

“Eyyyyyup.”

Oddly, Astral didn’t feel nervous. Not as much as he would have thought at least.

The Thestral was sitting outside of Flask’s home, the stallion having been given rather spacious accommodations. Considering he was under house arrest other than scheduled outings once a week, it could have been worse.

The door opened, and a guard nodded to Astral as he trotted in. There was an amusing bit of awe, whenever guards or creatures occasionally saw the Thestral. Understandable, but also misguided.

I can’t blame them for it. I’m some comic-book hero to many. What I’ve gone through isn’t really publishable…

Waiting in the carpeted entryway, Astral took a few deep breaths as he was led into a cozy living room lined with bookshelves and a softly-burning fire in the fireplace. That wasn’t the focus of today. Right now, a certain mare was on his mind. Hence the visit.

Perhaps that’s why I’m not nervous. It’s not a matter if we get married. I just would like Flask’s blessing.

Sassi’s question about visiting his parents had been a genuine surprise. He appreciated the gesture if nothing else. Maybe his boneheaded parents would at least acknowledge that much.

Nope. Can’t think about that. I’ll just get angry. And that’s far too easy nowadays.

Of course, the idea of proposing to Sassi erased any negative emotions. There were nerves, but not of if she’d say yes.

I just want it to be special.

“Hey, Astral!” Flask said, the orange earth pony shaking the Thestral’s hoof as the two settled down on some dark crimson cushions. The guards nodded, taking their leave and returning to their posts outside. “I appreciate the visit. It’s nice to have some conversation. The guards are warming up to me though,” the stallion admitted. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I had a question for you, a rather important one,” Astral admitted. Flask’s ears perked up at that.

“Oh?”

“I’m going to ask Sassi to marry me,” the Thestral said, unable to stop himself from smiling. “And, if you’re willing, I’d like your blessing to do so.”

The earth pony stared, brown eyes starting to well up with tears.

“W-what?” he whispered. “I…” The stallion took a deep breath, struggling to compose himself. “I don’t understand. You’d marry her no matter what I say. I don’t understand why you’d want a blessing from someone like me. You shouldn’t want that, not after what I’ve done,” Flask said, his posture slumping as his brown eyes drifted to the floor.

“True, I don’t need permission or a blessing; we’d get married regardless,” Astral admitted. “But I want it, if you’re willing.”

Flask looked up at him, confusion, and a sliver of hope swimming in his eyes.

“Look, Flask. You did some horrid stuff. That’s on you. But in a world of suffering and pain, you tried to make Sassi’s life better. That was out of genuine love.” Astral then pointed to the stallion with a hoof. “That’s also on you. You saved her from a life of unimaginable agony and were there for her when nobody else was. You’re her father, and she loves you.”
Tears began to stream from Flask’s eyes, the earth pony’s lips trembling.

“So, of course, I’d like your blessing,” Astral said, chuckling softly. “I mean, you’re also the reason I’m alive and were more of a parent to me for a few years than my own flesh and blood. I’d say between saving my life and keeping Sassi as safe and happy as you could, you’ve proven where your heart is.”

The older stallion across from Astral began to sob, his head hanging as struggled to try and speak. Despite both Astral and Sassi’s efforts, Flask obviously was struggling to see himself as anything but another horrible creature of the Stairway Company.

“I’m…I don’t deserve this,” Flask cried. “To be happy. To be there with both of you. I’m not a good pony, not even close!”

“Okay, but are you trying to be better?” Astral asked with a shrug, Flask looking up at him in surprise. The earth pony nodded firmly as he wiped his eyes.

“Then you’re doing better than most. I don’t hate you, and Sassi certainly doesn’t.” He paused, expression softening. “Flask, whether or not you feel like you deserve it...look, your daughter wants you there.”

Flask managed to compose himself, eyes wide in genuine surprise.
“We’ve talked about what the ceremony would be like. Small, and simple.” Astral found the words catching in his throat, a warmth in his chest threatening to turn into tears. “Sassi wants her dad to be there for her when she gets married. Think you’ll be able to make it?”

Tears ran freely from the older stallion’s eyes. Flask got up and walked over to Astral. He held out a quivering hoof, Astral shaking it firmly.

“I’ll b-be there,” the earth pony said, struggling to stay composed. “And I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law, Astral. You have my blessing. And…” his words trailed off, Flask looking to the ground as he tried to prevent himself from crying again. “Thank you for making my daughter the happiest I’ve ever seen her,” He lifted his eyes, a genuine smile on his face. “I only ask that you continue to do so.”

“I promise. Thank you, Flask. Astral then wrapped the other stallion up in a warm hug, Flask letting out a choked laugh.

“Best. Day. Ever.”

Night had settled over Fillydelphia, and Sassi glided towards a large, residential home. It matched the occupants; minimalistic, and not too gaudy. The white home was lit on the outside with ornate lanterns, and a simple flag of the Night Guard flew in the yard.

This…would be interesting. From their brief interaction, Halberd Sentinel had been far more open than Edge, his wife. The Lieutenant had been, to say the least, extremely hostile towards Sassi when Astral had completely cut ties with them a few months ago.

And he had kept his word. Zero contact until Lieutenant Edge apologized for referring to Sassi as an “it.” It had hurt, but Astral had privately admitted not having any pressure to speak with them removed a massive weight from his life. They had no more influence; he had taken control.

She didn’t have high hopes, but the mare needed to try. Sassi knew she’d regret it forever if she didn’t give them a chance. And she had faced far more intimidating creatures.

Perhaps that’s another reason Edge also hates me. I’m not scared of her, and she has to earn my respect.

She landed, the minimalistic RASP armor on her frame having been buffed to a shine. This was one instance where having a sort of “uniform” would play in her favor.

With a final deep breath, the mare knocked and waited.

“Coming, coming. This early in the night?” a voice said.

The door opened, and a light-purple Thestral stared.

“Ah,” Halberd said with a blink. “Edge? Erm…”

“I’d like to speak with both of you. If you’re willing to listen,” Sassi said calmly.

“I don’t get surprised often,” Edge huffed, the dark violet mare trotting to the door. “So, congratulations on achieving that. What do you want?”

As pleasant as when we last talked.

“I’d like to speak with you about a very important matter regarding Astral if you’re willing to listen. Nothing more. I can say my brief piece, and leave. You’ll never see me again if you want.”

Edge paused, finally letting out a frustrated growl. She motioned for the armored mare to come inside. The Thestral gestured to the living room, the teal-painted home adorned with paraphernalia of all sorts. It was all related to the military of course. Medals, and ancient flags, but not in an overwhelming fashion.

In a different circumstance, Sassi would have found it fascinating.

Sitting on a plush carpet rather than the couch, Edge’s judging gaze scanned over Sassi as she did the same.

“Alright. What is it you want to say?” the Lieutenant huffed, Halberd staying silent.

“I’m here to inform you that I’m going to ask Astral to marry me. Well, assuming he doesn’t ask me first, which he probably will.”

Edge stared in utter shock, but Halberd’s lips curled up in the faintest of smiles.

“What?” the older mare hissed.

Sassi shrugged her wings casually, despite the venom in Edge’s tone.
“You deserve to know as his parents. I’m not asking for your blessing or permission, because even though I’d appreciate it, I doubt you’d ever give the former based on our last conversation. And, to be blunt, Lieutenant, I don’t need the latter.” Her words drew an angry growl from Edge at that.

“But as a fellow soldier and his parents, you should know. You deserve that professional courtesy.”

Edge’s anger visibly cooled. Not entirely, more like the blast from a volcano to a forest fire. But it did lessen.

“I...suspected this would happen,” she muttered. “With what you did to-”

“I didn’t do anything to him!” Sassi interrupted. “All I did was listen and love him! And the more I listened, the more I realized what an incredible stallion your son is! Do you think I intended to fall in love with your son?” The mare took a deep breath, cooling her nerves as best she could.

Edge stared at Sassi in shock. Whether due to being interrupted or Sassi’s words, she didn’t know.

“I hope this entire conversation isn’t because you’re pregnant,” Edge said almost bitterly. Her eyes widened as Sassi abruptly laughed.

“What? No! We aren’t ever going to have kids. Don’t want to, and thankfully, neither of us medically can, for multiple reasons. You already know that after the RASP modifications.”

“Not have kids? I suppose that’s something you convinced him to avoid as well? With that treatment and all? A nice side effect?”

The genuine sadness in Sassi’s eyes and demeanor seemed to surprise Edge even further as she shook her head.

“He did all of that to save me. I wouldn’t ever try to change his mind on something as important and personal like kids,” Sassi said softly, then lifting her gaze. "But he never wanted them either. He tried to tell you that, but you didn’t listen. We haven’t even slept together. I don’t know why you’re so focused on that. I’d never try to manipulate him in any way. Especially like that.”

She shook her head, sitting up a bit straighter.
“I just wanted to inform you of my intentions,” the mare continued firmly. “I just hope I can make your son as happy as he makes me. I don’t know if I can, because I’m far from perfect.” Despite Sassi’s best efforts, she heard her voice start to quiver with emotion. “But I’ll try my whole life to do so. I just want him to be happy. So, consider this my formal stating of intent to marry your son,” she looked up at Edge, an impassive mask on the mare’s face.

“I’m not asking to be friends. I’m simply stating it’d be nice to not be enemies,” Sassi said. “I’ve put my life on the line to protect Astral, and I’d do it again without hesitation. You’re a fellow soldier. However much of me did or didn’t come from a laboratory tube is irrelevant. The bonds that are forged in battle mean something. When the life of your friend is on the line, when the ones you love are threatened on the battlefield, fighting for that is something that can’t be broken. And I’ve fought many, many battles with your son.”

Sassi paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. “If you say that my words mean nothing, that the battles we have fought together are meaningless, I won’t believe you.”

She let out a breath. That was it. For the briefest moment, the mare thought that she saw a glint of respect in Edge’s eyes, a crack in the impassive expression.

“That’s all. You don’t have to like me or even think I’m a pony. You don’t have to ever accept me as a creature. I can live with that. I’ve lived with those types of creatures my entire life. I grew up with that mindset drilled into me as a foal. That I’m just an anomaly whose worth is measured in bits, and nothing else.” her words made Halberd physically recoil, and Edge’s anger seemed to have faded to an odd, masked indifference.

“But I’ll always be grateful for you raising Astral how you did. I wouldn’t trade him for the world. Your son showed me what it’s like to be loved and valued outside of what I was created to be.”

She stood up, walking a few steps to the side.
“I’m sure I’ve interrupted your evening. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Halberd nodded, Edge then holding up a hoof.
“I’ll…walk our guest to the door,” she said, a nod to her husband a signal enough for him to meander off.

Odd.

Edge opened the door, Sassi calmly trotting out and spreading her wings to leave.

That went better than expected.

“Wait.”

The mare turned around, Edge appearing visibly uncomfortable. For the first time, the Thestral looked at Sassi with unease in her eyes, genuine worry. The stern demeanor was gone, the mare looking genuinely unsettled.

“Is…Astral doing okay?” Edge asked with a trembling whisper, not able to meet Sassi’s gaze. “He’s never refused to talk to us before like this. No notes. Nothing. But he looked troubled in those interviews, the few he appeared on. I know what trauma looks like. I could see it in his eyes. It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Sassi was frozen for a moment. The shell of the Lieutenant had cracked; a caring mother started to shine through, in her own way.

So, there is a good pony underneath all that fear.

“He’s still healing mentally and physically,” Sassi said calmly, measuring her words carefully. “But he has bad days. He’s not as hardened as you or I. He saw and went through things in that place which hurt him, badly. The nightmares and panic attacks are often severe, and he’s still physically healing in addition to psychologically.”

It was for a moment, but Sassi saw Edge’s eyes dampen ever so slightly.

“He’s a sensitive stallion, and he never lost that. That alone makes him a far stronger pony than anyone would initially assume. He’ll get through this, but it’s a long road. I just wish I could help him more. I just…” Sassi took a deep breath, setting her jaw. “But he’s doing ok.”

Turmoil was written across every aspect of Edge’s character. Her previously ramrod demeanor was slouched, and her expression was torn between that of genuine worry and a mask desperately struggling to stay in place.

Sassi thought Edge was simply going to stare at her until she flew off, but the older mare finally spoke.

“Thank you, Sassi,” Edge finally said, abruptly turning and walking inside.

As the Thestral flew away, the Lieutenant closed the door, sitting down in their entryway.

“Well, that was…” Halberd said, words trailing off to sit next to his wife. “Edge?”

“Am I a bad mother?”

The stallion’s eyes widened in shock, Edge looking at him with desperate sincerity.

“No,” he said firmly, the mare’s shoulders relaxing. “But I think we both fear what we can’t understand, and that has caused us to not look at what makes Astral happy. And while I don’t understand what Sassi is, I do understand that she cares a lot for our son. I do think we’ve made some serious mistakes,” the stallion took a breath, letting it out slowly. “We wanted what was best for Astral. But I think we got lost in what was best for us.”

“Astral is in trouble, Halberd,” Edge whispered, the previously stoic mare hanging her head as her shoulders began to shake. “Sassi told me as such. It’s so much worse than she said. I could see it in her eyes. Our son is in pain, and even that mare wants to help him! She wants him to be happy, to help him. But what are we doing?” she paused, eyes widening in genuine horror. “What am I doing?”

Halberd placed a caring hoof on Edge’s back, the mare leaning over to rest against his shoulder for a few moments.

“I…” she abruptly moved away, head shaking. “I need to think.”

As she retreated to her study, Halberd couldn’t resist a loving, knowing smile.

Author's Note

It's about time you two! :yay:
And some very worn gears start to turn. Sometimes it takes someone a bit...

Intermission: Shifting Gears (Author Comment)

Hello everyone! Radbunny here.

So, I'm at a bit of an impasse, and thought I'd share my thoughts; a bit of a stream of consciousness that hopefully makes sense.

A recent comment on SL-5 prompted me to think things over, and honestly, I can't thank them enough for it. Due to life circumstances, updates to this story have been sporadic (obviously,) and the comment also caused me to think about, or rather, accept a few things about this story.

I've got a significant portion written, 200 pages in a word document to be precise. And yet, there's an underlying problem with it all.

While yes, there's not much motivation on my part right now, that's due to multiple factors. I've got a bunch of other RL projects I am working on. That actually includes getting the first of an entire series of books ready for formal beta-reading, editing, and publishing, which takes priority over FimFiction stuff, but that's not the entirety of it.

What I realized, is that I want to, and need to shift gears.

SL-5, and the "Radverse" Series in general was a fantastic journey and a blast to write; I also learned a ton from it! However, SL-5 had a lot of problems, mainly stemming from me not planning ahead and building up various things, or having certain arcs drag on far too long. Stakes were raised more and more, and without proper background, it just became fragmented. Which, to be fair, makes sense. The original trilogy that influenced this one (Timeless, Sunspots, Cure for a Toxin,) was meant to be self contained. As the stories have progressed, so have the stakes and scope been raised and elevated. I've stayed with the similar universe and characters for a long, long time over multiple stories. The "Radverse", if you will.

What I really enjoyed from this comment was that they noticed things started to fall apart as soon as those stakes and overall scope was increased; and they were right. I can write high-stakes and extremely powerful creatures, but it needs to be planned out to avoid the pitfalls of just being more "high stakes, more power, more EVERYTHING" for the sake of tension. And that planning wasn't there from the start, and I tried my best to fill in the gaps as I went, with obviously mixed results.

Which comes to the impasse with this story.

I know how I'd want this story to continue to go; I've written a good amount and have an outline. But that's just it though- it would be more of the same. It'd be a fun romp, to be sure. But there's nothing that new about it compared to SL-5, not in the same way that SL-5 introduced things. This story has action, romance, freaky creatures, sure. But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized it's a re-blended SL-5, and is starting to show some of the same failings. And that's not terribly fun to write, nor to read.

I want to put things out for people to read that I have fun writing. If I don't have fun writing it, it's likely not going to be terribly fun to read. And there's some more ideas that I've already got 30+ pages written in that take a new direction, and one that would involve the readers as well! (Such as voting/commenting on events to occur in the next chapter or two.)

And I'd love to get started on that. But, I don't want to just cancel this story and say that's it.

There's very few, if any stories I leave unfinished on this platform. But this might be the one. So, I leave it to the comments to decide how you'd like me to proceed. I can stop the chapters now, or I can publish what I have up to the decent stopping point, and mark the story as complete at that good point- which is about 12 chapters from here. (There's more I've written after that, but there isn't a good stopping point.) It'd naturally be a cliffhanger in some respects, but it also would serve as a nice and satisfying conclusion in other respects. I assume that's what people would want, but I wanted to make sure, as the adage for "he who assumes" holds true.

So, I'm curious on your thoughts on all of this. It has been a bit of a crazy few weeks over here, and while this is more of a journal, it's applicable to this story, hence why I'm publishing it as a chapter.

The two potential stories to be next would be these; and I'm curious if either sound more or less interesting. I'm leaning towards the first, but both have very different settings and characters.

The Frost: (A good number of comment-driven chapters/arcs are planned.)
Alloy Aegis started at the bottom. No parents, no money, and no chance of being anything but one of 'those pony orphans' in a big city with a non-pony majority. At last, after years of grinding labor, he had finally secured a well-paying job as a fabrication technician. Life was good, and he even had a date!

Sure, there were rumors of a harsh winter, but everyone dismissed that as fearful gossip. Surely that's all it was...right?

Four words hidden within a job contract made Alloy wonder if all was what it seemed. They loomed far more threatening than the storm-clouds on the horizon.

"Save who you can."

The truth of the disaster hit his life as fast as the frost did. When the lights go out, Alloy is shown what the cost of survival truly is.

How much will you give when hope freezes over? What will it take to thaw both physical walls of ice, and the frost that settles into the hearts of all survivors?

Beneath the Clouds: (Few, if any comment-driven chapters/arcs planned.) Equus is a hazardous wasteland. After decades of environmental pollution from the powerful Flim Flam corporation and multiple magical mishaps, a world once inhabited by ponies, kirins, gryphons, and more, is now utterly toxic to all life. In their desperate flight to an orbiting space station, the survivors of the exodus picked up a viral hitchhiker which now sickens much of the previously-healthy population.

Fern Lopper is the next in the line of dozens of scouts sent to the surface to prepare for another large-scale expedition. No family, few friends, a broad skillset, and thus the perfect candidate to secure a new landing site.

His life expectancy? Measured in days.
The dangers? Too many to count.
The local flora? Usually deadly to the touch.
Command assured the stallion that he was the only intelligent creature on the entire planet. He was completely alone.

For Fern’s sake, it’s a good thing they were wrong.

Chapter Five: Friendly Neighborhood Monster

The cozy atmosphere of the bar shifted as the night fell. While other establishments would become rowdy and obnoxious, this one changed to a more mellow tone. It was a place to get a few drinks, yes. But it was also known to those in the nightlife as the restaurant to snag delicious food, rain or shine, day or night. And tonight was, to many, a dreary one. A drizzle of rain fell outside, the streetlamps illuminating the droplets as they fell.

Arcane loved it.

The stallion relaxed in a secluded chair, the general disguise on his figure good enough for a casual glance. He wasn’t here for the booze or the food. Well, perhaps some of the latter at a later time. Instead, he just wanted to hear some conversations and see normal creatures. He didn’t usually venture out this late, so this would be interesting.

Just a bit of creature-watching, as it were. A book on meditation was an additional distraction as well.

He thanked the waitress, a young unicorn mare, as she refilled his water.

Sure, he could have created a meal for himself or even cooked a different dish at home. But the point was to be out among creatures, and food created with magic didn’t taste the same.

It was a simple pastime, and it helped him feel normal. Even if it was just for a moment.

Nilli drew the cloak around her tighter, the tired gryphoness meandering into the restaurant. She wanted to sleep, but that wouldn’t come for many hours. A headache throbbed in her temples, and a slight shiver ran through her lithe frame.

Waking up from a nap with a nameless, formless nightmare wasn’t on the gryphoness’s plans, nor was the dreary atmosphere that soaked her feathers. She had half a mind to stay indoors, but her stomach demanded hot, restaurant-quality food.

This was the only place she could get the salmon seared the perfect way, after all.

She meandered into the sparsely-populated restaurant with a huff, shaking her cloak off as Cream Jug, the unicorn bartender, waved to her.

“Hey, Nilli! The usual?” the bartender asked.

“Yep. And some of that hot chocolate. Load it up with whipped cream too.”

“On it!”

Cream was one of the few creatures that Nilli had found that recognized her from her career. But he hadn’t breathed a word to a single creature, the loyal stallion having completely understood her predicament.

Of course, it also helped that Cream’s coltfriend was a total fan of Nilli’s work, and the protective Pegasus had nearly had blown a gasket when learning about her reasons for moving. She didn’t know the pair well, but they were nice enough to respect her desire to be incognito. And they were friendly despite her initially prickly demeanor. She had learned that was worth quite a bit nowadays.

The gryphoness relaxed on the chair, leaning over the counter with an exhausted sigh. These days were becoming more common, insomnia digging into her emotional and mental reservoirs which were in drought conditions on a good day.

“Long day?” a voice called out from behind her. The gryphoness let out a huff, too tired to turn around. The voice was from a booth that looked away from her. Unless the creature was turning around, they wouldn’t see her, and vice versa. Even if they did see her, the cloak covered almost the entire gryphoness.

“You could say that,” she replied. “You?” the gryphoness half-expected it to be someone who recognized her even with the cloak. That was the last thing she needed; it was one of the reasons she moved around far outside of the Gryphon lands.

Wouldn’t that fit my mood? I’ll throw them through a window if I have to.

“Long-ish day. Not too bad myself. A pity the tension that’s everywhere can’t be bottled and sold as a soda. It’d probably be a hit.”

As the creature talked, Nilliana couldn’t help but recognize the voice from somewhere. It was a male, as far as she could tell. It also seemed a bit distorted, but her magical senses didn’t pick up anything. There simply wasn’t anything magical about the creature behind her at the table. It was about as bland of a signature as could be. A unicorn perhaps?

She didn’t mind. It was oddly nice to talk to someone without having to look at them. Just two nameless creatures in a bar. Her usual prickly barriers were muted; no reason to be antagonistic here.

“Is the hot chocolate good here? I may snag some of that,” the creature mused, Nilli nodding.

“I come here for the salmon and hot chocolate. So, I’d suggest it.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll take an order!”

The bartender waved in affirmative, Nilli shaking her head.

“You’re quite the chatty one.”

She could almost sense the physical wince from the creature.
“Sorry. I’ve not had the chance to speak with creatures for a while. Still getting used to it. Talking, that is.”

That’s a loaded sentence if I’ve ever heard one.

“Fair enough. I’m too tired to care if I’m being honest. I doubt you come here for the conversation. Or is it the booze?”

There was an audible “yuck” from the creature, animated enough to have a smile twitch at Nilli’s beak.

“Neither. I find it a nice place to read and just get the general flow of the public. I’m not a drinker. Never will be. I’ve seen too many creatures do bad things when they get a few bottles in them.”

There was an odd weight to the creature’s words as if they were forcing themselves to censor words unsaid.

“Well, at least we can drink hot chocolate as a toast to that,” Nilli said, taking the steaming beverage and sipping at it. “I won’t touch the stuff. I’ve had to break quite a few gryphon’s beaks for not understanding what “back off,” means, and countless others decided to try and win me over after downing a few shots.”

“Not a fan of drunken soliloquies?”

That drew a snort from Nilli, along with the ghost of a smile. It had been a while since a stranger had said something that nearly made the gryphoness laugh.

“Pretty sure a bunch of puckwudgies banging on a typewriter would produce better pick-up lines than those idiots. I moved away to get as far from that stuff as possible.”

She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but not sleeping for more than a few hours for a week had worn the gryphoness’s mental barriers to a hair.

“Sounds frustrating,” the voice said. “I’m sorry to hear that, for whatever a stranger’s sympathy is worth.”

“It’s worth more than some,” Nilli huffed, shaking her head. “I’d rather be a stranger to most, honestly. The attention is exhausting. And I don’t say that to brag.”

“I can somewhat relate,” the voice said softly. “Not completely, but it’s why I come here. It’s nice to be just another face in the crowd.”

“A celebrity? Or just another creature running?” the gryphoness mused. “Huh. Well, what are you running from then, fame?” she then waved a set of claws in the air. “Nah. Too personal. Sorry I asked.”

The voice didn’t respond immediately, but Nilli’s sharp hearing picked up a shaky intake of breath, the creature letting it out slowly.

“Some things always catch you. Doesn’t matter how far you run,” the voice said. “I don’t get to escape it. I have to learn how to deal with it. That involves learning how to talk to creatures again.” A mirthless chuckle left their mouth. “So, sorry if I talk your ears off. Feel free to tell me to shut it. I won’t mind.”

“Nah. You’re good. I haven’t shot the breeze with someone in…” her voice drifted off, and Nilli’s ears flattened. “A long time. I can do with some mindless chatter, no offense.”

“None taken.” The voice paused. “What do most creatures talk about in a bar? I haven’t spent enough time during other hours to know.”

The innocent question made Nilli snort in amusement. Quite the sheltered creature, this one.

She envied them.

“Depends on the time of day. Booze, mates, sex, politics, money, basically anything that isn’t usually discussed at a family dinner,” the gryphoness said with a tired huff. “That sort of thing.”

“That sounds interesting at least. Live entertainment if nothing else.”

Nilliana chuckled, taking a bite of the seared salmon with a satisfied hum. Whoever this creature was, they provided the exact balance of conversation she didn’t mind. The type that didn’t require a lot of thinking, but wasn’t entirely mindless. Perfect for a sleep-deprived and headache-ridden gryphoness. She didn’t have to be on guard as much.

“Oh, very interesting. Don’t get me started on creatures trying to pick up stallions, hens, mares, whoever. Sometimes it works, other times it’s free entertainment. It’s fun to watch until it’s you in the crosshairs.” Her tone was far more bitter than originally intended, the gryphoness then turning to her meal. To the other creature’s credit, he didn’t immediately respond.

“Ah. Hence the moving? This is a big city, but a fairly new one at that.”

“Your levels of perception are astounding,” Nilli replied with a bit more sarcastic of a snort than she intended. “But more or less. I’d like to think this is the place I can settle down, but we’ll see. Only been here a few months.”

“Well, I can safely say there’s one creature who has no idea who you are,” the voice said with a chuckle. “Pony, kirin, gryphon, not a clue. And I suppose there’s a nice comfort in that. I don’t really care who someone is, as long as they’re kind.” A soft laugh echoed from behind the gryphoness. “Sounds so childish. But sometimes the simplest approach is the correct one.”

“Well, aren’t you quite the philosopher,” Nilli said with a soft laugh. “Wouldn’t expect to find your type at a restaurant this late.”

“Eh. I don’t have a normal sleep schedule,” the creature admitted.

“Well, as an insomniac myself, welcome to the club.”

An amused hum was the creature’s reply, the two of them delving into their various foods. The fact they ate salmon was a clue to Nilli- that meant not a pony. Or at least one who was far more adventurous than most. Judging from the lack of gagging, the stranger wasn’t a pony; they couldn’t have eaten an entire salmon meal straight-faced.

Funny enough, she didn’t care who they were. Well, not at this moment. But for the future, she was curious indeed.

“Alright, here’s a question for you, faceless stranger,” Nilli asked, having finished her meal. “What’s something you’d never say to a pony? Or a hippogriff? Or whatever society you grew up with?”

The voice chuckled; it was a rather pleasant sound. It had a deep, genuine tone to it, but not to the point of being obnoxious.

“An appropriate question between strangers I suppose. Alright. My answer fits the current setting, from what you described.”

“Oh?”

Another chuckle, a soft sigh echoing out.
“Well, I’m far more at ease around predators such as gryphons, rather than creatures similar to myself,” the voice said softly. “That includes romantic interest and generally writes off almost all ponies. No offense, if applicable.”

So. He’s a pony or a kirin then? Maybe hippogriffs, but they’re less predatory.

“None taken. But that doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. Not with all the integration and travel back and forth nowadays. Plenty of creatures have preferred company.” Nilli mused, rather happy to discuss the topic as long as it wasn’t focused on her.

It was a bit refreshing.

“Oh, it isn’t that a big deal to many,” the creature admitted. “But I…scare creatures.”

“Oh? Big, scary philosopher? Color me surprised.”

Another chuckle, but this one had a darker undertone that abruptly made Nilli’s hackles prickle. And then it was gone. A definite tinge of sadness was in the air.

“I don’t know you, and you certainly don’t know me. Maybe that’s for the best,” the voice said, its tone rather soft and melancholy. “It’s hard to relate to creatures like ponies when their worst fears are having a rain storm ruin their manes, or the power shutting off for a day and ruining a single meal. By and large, they know nothing of-” The creature stopped talking, and Nilli could have sworn she heard the gritting of teeth. “Sorry. That turned into a rant.”

“Eh. A valid one I suppose,” Nilli mused. “Most creatures, ponies especially, are soft, but they can teach those of us who lack their friendship and life-is-good structure of living. Pleasant, but not in overwhelming doses.” She then let out a chuckle, draining her hot chocolate mug. “Eh. You don’t seem that bad. Besides, not like you’ve killed anyone.”

The following pause was the definition of an awkward silence. She almost missed it, but her sensitive hearing picked up a very long, slow exhale of breath.

“Ah,” Nilliana finally said calmly. Despite her casual tone, a dozen defensive spells began to creep along her frame. For a split second, she felt like prey, rather than the predator.

Out late at night, alone. Of course. I should have seen the red flags. I was stupid for letting my guard down.

I never can. I should have learned that by now.

The bartender had a few emergency options, that much Nilli knew when he ran off a few drunken idiots every month with a metal baseball bat.

Somehow, the gryphoness didn’t think that’d do much good. Her spells could bring down an airship, she knew that much. So, unless this guy was something the Elements of Harmony should be dealing with, she could handle him. All she had to do was-

“And that’s the reason why I don’t usually talk to creatures. Something always slips out. You won’t need those spells. I’ll leave.” The soft voice abruptly cut off Nilliana’s frantic thoughts. It sounded almost like the creature was near tears; quivering and scared.

“I can’t even pretend to be normal for long. I just don’t want to be feared,” the voice said, struggling to keep an even tone. “But I’m so tired of lies.”

The creature got up, hugging the isle opposite Nilli. Whoever they were, they were making an active effort to stay as far away from the on-edge gryphoness as possible. She hadn’t even done anything yet other than have her spells on a hair-trigger. Detecting her efforts would require significant skill in mage-craft indeed.

The creature neared the door, and a heavy sack of coins gently landed on the counter as the barkeep stared.

“Sorry for ruining your evening. That’s the bill and a tip.”

“Now wait just a-” Nilli began with a bit of a snarl, turning to look.

They were gone. There wasn’t the sound or signature of a teleportation spell either. The creature may as well have never been there in the first place.

“Ok, who in the world was that, Cream?” Nilli asked, rounding on the shocked unicorn. The barkeeper staring.

“Uh, I have no idea.”

“What, he’s never been here before?”

“No, it’s the same guy. He’s just different every single time,” the waitress piped up, the mare sitting down with a conflicted expression. “Sometimes he’s a pony or a gryphon. Other times a kirin or hippogriff. But he always acts the same, so it’s easy to know it’s him. He’s always really nice though, if not a bit chatty. Just orders non-alcoholic drinks, and various meals. He sits in a corner booth and reads. Sometimes seems to be napping or just listening. His tips are beyond generous too. I didn’t think he was unhinged or anything.”

Nilli let out a frustrated grunt, her head shaking.
“Well, that doesn’t add up. A changeling perhaps? But there’s some crazy-powerful magic at work here. I should have been able to sense it. But there’s nothing, not even a spark.”

“Do you want me to ban him from the place?” Cream asked cautiously.

“No. That’s-he didn’t do anything. Just sounded like he was dealing with some stuff,” Nilli said. “Quite frankly, I know you’ve entertained sketchier company than him.”

“Fair.”

The gryphoness ordered a dessert, her mind musing over what had just transpired.

Who in the world was that?!

The unicorn tottered on his hooves, his limbs trembling. Slumping down with a *thud* on the living room floor, Arcane tried futilely to wipe away the tears streaming from his eyes.

Stupid.

He couldn’t escape it. There was always something. A sentence, a mannerism, something always gave away his tortured past and inexperience with society. He could change his form, his voice, everything that creatures could see, smell, or touch.

But he couldn’t change what was underneath. He couldn’t change him.

It ate into the unicorn’s mind. The memories and horror eagerly pounced upon the weakness, threatening to overwhelm him. It was so hard to not monologue, to engage in small talk.

Fluttershy was trying to help. But when nobody listened to you for fifteen years, it was an almost desperate, gripping fear that you’d never be heard again. And so, the words just ran out of his mouth. It was a difficult mindset to break.

But, as in the past, when the memories and trauma were overwhelming, Arcane did the only thing he knew would help.

Chaos. Give me someone to help.

In his city, a spinning wheel rotated around franticly. Eventually, it settled on a random event, and a portal opened in front of Arcane. A single word guided him as he jumped in.

“Save.”

Jumping into an alleyway, Arcane looked around. It was a large city, darkness shrouding every nook and cranny off of the main street.

A group of ten ponies stared at him in response; all stallions. A terrified squeak then made him turn, and Arcane saw two young mares cowering against the dead-end of the alley. They had been crying and running. Makeup ran down their face as they struggled to catch their breath. A young stallion was wheezing next to them, his face bloodied as he struggled to stay awake.

“What the- who are you?” one of the stallions barked. “Take a hike!”

Arcane saw them wearing matching bracelets and headbands; gang identification. A simple orange color, with some sort of markings on them. A few of the ponies were holding rope…

And the leader had a teleportation crystal on them. It was pre-charged to take a large group to a warehouse in the city industrial area.

They’re trying to take them.

A simple spell confirmed the basest emotional intentions of the group.

Lust. Greed.

“Oi! Are you deaf? This doesn’t concern you! Last chance. Get lost!”

Arcane snarled, his form convulsing as the concealment spell from the bar shattered. Arm-like tendrils sprouted from his back, the unicorn’s multicolored eyes erupting with a crimson glow.

“And if I don’t?” Arcane growled, fangs showing as he stared down the group.
Three of the stallions turned and ran, the rest of the group freezing.

“It’s t-the chaos monster. Run!” a younger earth pony stammered, abruptly scampering away in terror.

“Oh, that do-gooder. I’ve seen the news,” the leader huffed, “so, what? You’re here to ruin our fun and business? All this for these two? Is it really worth the effort for these two nobodies?”

Shadowy streamers of magic abruptly yanked the stallion and his two closest lackeys off of their hooves, slamming the would-be assailants into a wall. Arcane’s form stretched to fill the alleyway, the rest of the group dashing away.

“Nobodies?” Arcane growled, liquid flames dripping from his mouth as he stared down the stallion. “I’m just a nobody!”

Anger was easy.
This situation was simple. Black and white. Good and evil.
There wasn’t room for memories. For pain. There was only a singular purpose.

Send a message.

Only once the ponies began to blubber in horror did Arcane let them go, the stallions slumping to the ground. A simple flare of magic created three recording crystals. The chaos unicorn affixed each one to the chests of the three terrified stallions.

Monologues were silly and embarrassing in normal conversations. But with villains? Oh, how they worked. Equestria’s underworld practically ran on the stuff.

Arcane was happy to oblige, especially to a rapt audience. He hadn’t been listened to for fifteen years. More than a decade of his cries and pleas had gone unanswered.

Now, he could command the attention of creatures, of those who needed to hear him. He would demand it.

“These will drop off once you meet with your boss. Whoever that is, they will then send them to every backwater group they know of,” Arcane growled. His two eyes were affixed on the recording crystals, but a third sprouted from his chest and stayed locked onto the mortified stallions.

His magic lifted the heads of the terrified creatures. “I don’t know what group you are, but either you didn’t get the memo about who is watching for you types, or you don’t care. I hope it’s the former. I’ve visited every single province and every capital, but maybe my message hasn’t reached you yet. These lackeys of yours are being unharmed to deliver this message. And they’ll do so promptly. Isn’t that right?”

A simple, terrified nod was their reply.

“Very good. If you don’t believe me, then ask what happened to the creatures running a trafficking ring in Manehatten. They’ll tell you, if their teeth and bones have grown back by now. So, listen closely. I don’t report to anyone. I’m not some royal guard or police pony. Creatures need help, and I show up. I’m not a hero with some sacred code, and I’m certainly not the Elements of Harmony who will blast you with rainbows,” Arcane leaned closer, glaring at the crystal. His gaze then shifted to look at the ponies. “Do you know what that makes me? Yes, or no?”

“N-no?”

“Then let me explain to you, your boss, and every single trafficker or creature who preys on others. Because eventually, every one of you types will hear this message,” Arcane hissed, burning tears dripping from his eyes.

“What it makes me, is the monster under your bed,” the chaos unicorn growled. “Everyone has those days. The times the closet door opens just a hair and you see something moving inside. The feeling that you didn’t lock the door, but you really should have. I’m that shadow in the mirror, the reason you hear a floorboard squeak. I’m that flicker of movement in the corner of your eye just before you turn the lights out.

Whoever is listening to this message, I will make this very clear. If you make a living out of harming others, out of preying on the nobodies, I’ll find you. And when I do, I will break you.”

The unicorn’s eyes bored into the terrified ponies, and then shifted to look at the crystal, and whoever would be watching.

“You have until we meet to turn your lives around. When I find you, and I will, you’re going to have one chance to convince me that you’re mending your ways. And creatures like you are going to need all the time you can salvage. So, start running.”

His fangs parted into a horrifying, eager smile.
“Tick tock…”

With a simple heave, the unicorn sent the ponies flying out of the alleyway and into the street. Bruised, but unharmed.

Arcane’s form flickered, the unicorn taking a few deep breaths. Considering their intentions, he had gone easy on them.

They deserved worse. I’ll wipe slavery out of every single city block by block if I have to!

As an afterthought, he tapped into the crystals the three panicking lackeys were carrying. The new spell was simple. A temporary, shadow-induced hallucination for whoever was close by when they reached their destination. The entire criminal group would literally be seeing movement in the shadows for days, and no innocent creatures would be affected.

Chaos magic was helpful like that. Targeting only who he wanted. Those who sought to put others in chains. It was a sore spot, for obvious reasons. Creatures who traffic others for sick goals. He wouldn’t kill them, not unless there was no other choice.

But oh, how Arcane wanted to!

Arcane knew what it felt like to be tied up and locked in a dark room. To be used. To be trapped. The rage began to bubble again. The memories. The fear. The mindless terror as-

“S-sir?”

Arcane’s thoughts flatlined, one of the mares carefully approaching him.

“T-thank…” she stammered, abruptly leaning forward and hugging the stallion tightly as she bawled into his chest.

He tentatively placed a hoof on her shoulder- nothing more. The other mare helped the wounded stallion up, Arcane’s magic sparking to life.

Fractured bones. Bruising. Risky to heal.

Arcane didn’t dare try to heal a living creature, not yet. He could, but it required a lot more focus than the stallion currently had available. A spell for the pain was simple enough, and the stallion let out a sigh of relief almost immediately.

“Do you two have somewhere you can go?” he asked. “Your friend needs to get to a hospital.”

The mare pulled back from his hug, nodding.
“Our mom’s place is just down the street,” she said, looking up at him. “I k-knew she wasn’t lying. T-thank you.”

The stallion managed to stand on his hooves, nursing a swollen face.
“They jumped us,” he mumbled, swaying on his hooves. “Without you, they’d have…” a few tears trickled from his eyes. “You’re the chaos pony saving creatures, right?” he asked. “You saved our mom two months ago. That train derailment. I can’t thank- just-” words failed the stallion, the young colt trying to hold back more tears. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Arcane managed to say, an odd, pleasant numbness in his chest. “This one’s on the house.”

The stallion managed a weak chuckle as the trio trotted off, and the unicorn was left alone in the alleyway. Looking down at his form as light flickered across the walls, Arcane’s brown furrowed at seeing his usually black magic shining a bright golden.

Huh.

The numbness in his chest had spread into a comforting warmth. The golden tendrils spiraled around his body like spider threads floating on a breeze.

It was beautiful.

Gathering himself up into a crouch, the unicorn jumped. The cobblestones melted instantly, reforming back to normal as the pony tore through the sky, a golden trail marking his path.

Sometimes, he didn’t feel like a monster. Maybe in time, Arcane could believe it.

Author's Note

I'll be publishing the chapters up to a good-ish stopping point (around Chapter 18). Then will shift to a new story!

Chapter Six: Stars and Stormclouds

Sassi could barely contain her excitement.

I can’t wait to see his face.

Birthdays weren’t something she had ever really celebrated that much, but Flask had always made the occasion at least a bit pleasant. Astral’s family hadn’t made a huge deal of it either.

But as his special somepony, Sassi wasn’t about to let today pass by without a simple gift. Sure, they’d have some cake later. But that wasn’t the focus.

The day had been fairly standard; relaxing with Astral and watching a movie or two. He must have suspected something, but little did he know Sassi had planned this for a good month or two.

Thankfully, a certain purple alicorn owed her. Well, sort of. There weren’t too many strings to pull for this.

“Ok, Sas. What’s going on?” Astral sighed as he was led into the Observatory. The massive telescope was shut down, and the fairly vast space was partitioned off into various study areas for work and, occasionally, tours put on by the stallion.

“What’s going on, is your present. You didn’t think we’d just have some cake, did you?”

“If you wanted to kiss me blindfolded, I wouldn’t complain,” the stallion mused. “Or are we saving the blindfolds for later?”

Sassi gave him a shove, the stallion catching himself and cackling.

“Do I need to get a spray bottle?”

He made a zipping motion with his hoof, then stood still as Sassi gently pressed against his chest with a shoulder.

“Alright. Ooooone second,” she said, rummaging through a pile of innocent cardboard boxes. The gift wasn’t hidden in them, of course, but the large safe in the floor under said boxes.

She pulled out the wrapped item; a thick square about the width and breadth of a nightstand.

“Alright! You can take it off.”

Astral did so, blinking as he looked at Sassi. She was concealing her excitement rather poorly.

“Aww, a square? You shouldn’t have,” he chuckled, the mare rolling her eyes.

“Oh, just open it!”

Carefully setting the item down, Astral slowly undid the pine-needle patterned wrapping paper. “Oooooh what is this?” he muttered, seeing a picture of some stars starting to be revealed. “This looks…wait.”

His eyes darted down to the bottom of the picture frame, the Thestral all but tearing off the wrapping paper with a flurry of motions.

“S-sas?” Astral whispered, eyes locked onto the baseplate of the framed photograph. “W-what is this?”

“You’re the first outside of the science team and the Princess to get a look,” Sassi said with a wide grin. “That is the first set of high-resolution photos from the Bubble Space Telescope, Mark 2. They focused on a specific part of the sky where there wasn’t anything visible like the old model did. There’s a digital frame in there too. You just need to promise not to show it to anyone else until they officially release it next month. I haven’t seen it, actually.”

Scooting over to sit at Astral’s side, Sassi saw his forelimbs shaking as he gently propped up the massive photograph. The mare couldn’t help but gasp; innumerable dots spread out across the black expanse.

“There’s…so many stars,” she whispered, a familiar feeling creeping into her chest. “It’s like that video you showed me. But there’s so many!”

The stallion at her side began to cry, gesturing to the image with a shaking hoof.

“Not stars, Sas,” he whispered. “Galaxies.”

The mare’s jaw dropped, and Astral gently retrieved the smaller digital frame from the package. He pressed the crystal and electronic datapad, eyes widening as he saw a few options. His hoof tapped one of the small buttons, and the room immediately brightened.

Spread out above the two Thestrals, thousands of galaxies spun around them; a rendering of the new photograph.

Tears ran down Astral’s face as the Thestral looked around in wonder, his hoof tightly grasping Sassi’s. After a few moments, he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss that made the mare’s wings flare. Parting briefly, she had barely taken a breath before he kissed her again, this time a gentle, chaste gesture as he gently held her hoof.

Pulling back, Astral reached up to gently rest a hoof against Sassi’s cheek, a wide smile on his face.

“Thank you, Sassi,” he whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

“Happy birthday, Astral.”

The stallion didn’t try to stem the tears that flowed down his cheeks. Sassi hugged him close, the two of them cuddling next to each other as they continued to look at the galaxies whirling above them.

As Astral gazed on both the stars, and the love of his life, a single thought cemented itself in his mind.

He knew exactly how to ask Sassi to marry him.

“The second mysterious death continues to baffle local authorities. The only identifiable markings from the body were dental records and DNA samples. As with the prior victim, a suspected cause is an illicit spell matrix…”

Sassi shook her head as she walked out of the shop.

Another death?

Such things were rare in Equestria. Less so in the Gryphon Empire. But this was just…odd. Then again, a magical spell could easily liquefy a body if it was tuned wrong. And with crystal matrices being used in everything from electrical power to recording a song, there were bound to be weird events.

She knew it was being investigated, and that every abnormality didn’t mean a worse-case scenario. Yet it still made her fur prickle.

Ugh.

It was one of many reasons she and Astral had been training. They had enrolled in multiple tactical courses, learning how to work together in a more formal structure. Sassi already knew the basics from the Silo and their training programs, and Astral had his experience as a guard. But having to run courses in a more formal setting let them iron out the kinks, learning how each of their styles blended.

Astral had been unsettled, but he had pushed through it- he had wanted to push through. He knew that to ignore it all would just make it worse. And sure enough, after the first few weeks, the two of them were tearing through the combat courses like butter. It was liberating to have Astral know how she’s act in a combat situation outside of the Silos. If she swung a gun to the left, he knew to move- and vice versa.

She had also learned his affinity for long-ranged engagements, as well as how he used the shotgun side saddles. Yes, they had fought together in the Silos. But there was a big difference between close-quarters combat against a horde, and pretty much every other engagement.

Now, they took a day-long course every week or two just for fun. Somehow, it just brought them closer.

We’ll get through this.

Meandering into a shop, Sassi immediately grinned at seeing her stallion browsing the shelves. It was an old antique store, the building joined with a more modern business front. But, like in many cases, the interesting stuff was in the back.

“Concealment spell ran out?” Astral asked, his own armored form shrugging.

“Yep. But eh, creatures are going to have to get used to us. And Twilight telling them to leave us alone carries some weight,” Sassi mused. “Find anything neat?”

He held up an item, and the mare’s face immediately lit up.

“And that’s yet another reason I love you,” Astral chuckled. “I hold up an antique bayonet, and you smile.

She gave his shoulder a bump, not able to resist a giggle.

“Love you too,” the mare added, looking at the knife a bit closer. “It’s a third generation of this type, I think. The markings are a bit worn though.”

“Indeed. You’re spot on. It’s about four decades old, third generation,” a gentle voice chimed in.

A large blue and grey stallion walked over, white mane making his yellow eyes stand out from behind some spectacles.

“Sorry to intrude. But it’s rare I get visitors who both are interested in the items and know what they’re talking about,” the stallion said with a friendly nod. “Dusty Gear; I’m the owner of the shop. Been in my family for generations.”

“Well, it’s quite a lovely one,” Sassi said kindly. “I’m a bit of a military-minded mare myself.”

Dusty chuckled, waving a hoof at a rather old television crackling away in the corner.

“I imagine so! I’ve seen you and Astral on the news,” he said. “I won’t pry. Doesn’t matter who you are. If my shop can make someone happy with these odds and ends, then that’s good enough for me.”

He nodded to the pair, meandering to a small area behind a counter with an older-style cash register.

“I won’t bother you. Feel free to stop in; I usually get shipments once every two weeks, give or take. And I put the older stuff on sale if it has been sitting on a shelf for a while!”

The two Thestrals waved to Dusty, meandering back onto the streets after perusing the shelves for a bit.

Thankfully, the next pony to recognize them was a friendly face.

“Astral! Sassi!” Gold Mint said with a cheerful grin. “I won’t interrupt. I just hope everything has been working out well?”

Astral couldn’t help but smile. The Mayor was the pony who had leveraged the delivery of their land and the observatory, after all.

“It has been much nicer without having to worry about where we’ll live. I can’t thank you enough for the observatory and…well, everything,” the stallion admitted.

“Ditto. The paperwork would have been a nightmare.”

Gold waved away both of the Thestral’s words good-naturedly. “Think nothing of it! It was the least I could do after, well, everything,” he said, looking to the ground awkwardly. It was an expression many ponies and creatures had. Sympathy, but unable to relate to what the pair had endured.

“Regardless, I’m just glad I…” the stallion’s words drifted off, Gold letting out a groan at seeing some ponies in the distance. “Oh great, there’s the attendance for this afternoon’s meeting. More minutia,” he muttered, then brightening back up. “I won’t keep you both. Take care!”

The Mayor trotted off, leaving two chuckling Thestrals in his wake.

“He’s always amusing,” Astral chuckled. “Kind of scatterbrained, but he did get us our house.”

Sassi smiled, nudging his side with hers as the two of them walked along a side street.

“I agree. He means well though, and that’s more than most.”

She fished out a small crystal from her saddlebags, tapping the arcane creation and summoning a portal. It was a simple hop through, and they were at their home.

“Y’know, Astral,” Sassi said softly after the two shed the armor and relaxed on the couch. “Visiting your parents actually went well. About as well as it could have gone.”

“Really?” the Thestral’s ears perked up, but Sassi felt the anxiety immediately hum through their link.

“Your mom cares. It was…interesting.”

“She cares? That’s a first,” Astral muttered rather bitterly. He knew deep down it wasn’t true, but the sentiment was the same.

“Not at all. I just think she’s really, really lousy at knowing how to show it, and knowing how to adjust to what’s going on. Like realizing their son would be miserable if he followed in their hoofsteps.”

“You’re not going to tell me the specifics?”

She snuggled up underneath his wing, shaking her head.

“Not yet. Just like you wouldn’t tell me the specifics about talking with my dad.”

The mare let out a squeak as Astral flopped over, wrapping his arms around her middle and grinning. She pursed her lips in the best attempt to pout, but utterly failed as Astral gently kissed her nose.

“That’s fair enough,” he chuckled. “But now we’ve got time for an afternoon nap.”

“I never liked naps,” Sassi grumbled, poking Astral’s chest. “But I have to say you make them a lot more appealing.”

The mare’s eyes then narrowed as she saw Astral yawn.

“You need a nap. Not me.”

“Both?”

She couldn’t resist the cheerful chirp of her stallion, Sassi reaching down to kiss him.

“Fine. We both can snooze for a bit. And then we can make smoothies.”

“Not a bad day…”

Dusty Gear flipped the sign on the shop to “closed”, the older stallion looking down at his shaking hooves.

He hated this. But what could he do? The anger did nothing, and the frustration just gave him heartburn. Any rebellious thoughts had long since died out. It wasn’t for a matter of wanting. But he couldn’t risk it. It wasn’t just about him.

“I did what you asked,” the shopkeeper said, looking at an old security camera in the corner of the shop. The device slowly turned to look at him, red light blinking. “But I won’t do anything more. I’ll activate the camera for you whenever they come back- but nothing else. Haven’t they suffered under your hoof enough?”

The camera looked away, and then the device slowly panned back. It eventually locked onto the stallion, lenses focusing on the pony with a soft whirring.

“I…” his voice failed him, Dusty looking at the wooden floor. “Alright. I know my role. I’ll let you know if they come back again, as we agreed. Just leave me be. Please.”

The recording light on the camera switched off, and the shopkeeper slumped to the floor in defeat.

“Who was that, Dusty?” A lime-green mare asked as she poked her head around the corner, orange eyes shining with concern. He had never lied to her about this. With a single word, the mare would know exactly who he had been talking to.

“Just…work.”

Dusty leaned into the hug from his wife. He only wished it quelled the despair in his heart.

Chapter Seven: Friendship Doldrums

Arcane blinked, his eyes aching as a bit of sun streaming in through a crack in the blackout curtains. The stallion shifted on the beanbag he was curled up on, hugging the pillow a bit tighter.

Morning.

It had been a bad night. The nightmares had jolted him awake multiple times, and sleeping spells only made the memories more vivid. He had another therapy session with Fluttershy in a day or so. It helped, but slowly. Fifteen years of daily torture couldn’t be undone with a few months of therapy, no matter how effective. The containment spell emitters had done their job in containing any magical outbursts at least.

Before he got them calibrated, Arcane had accidentally destroyed half of the house. Twice. Thankfully, that wasn’t a thing anymore.

The golden-hearted mare she was, Fluttershy had offered multiple times for Arcane to bunk at their guest house on bad days. But he didn’t want to keep intruding. It wasn’t Fluttershy’s job to comfort him, as much as Arcane appreciated it.

Sometimes, yes, if things got really bad. But he needed to figure out how to live on his own with that support system. That meant learning to cope with nightmares. The chaos magic helped; powerful runes built into the home helped make sure any energy surges were dampened and re-routed. No altering of realities or matter, just unpleasant dreams or memories.

He managed to get up and wash his face, a rather futile attempt to wake himself up. A headache already began to gnaw at the stallion’s temples.

Thankfully, he only had a single goal today; visit a magic shop and try to find their most powerful stabilization potion. Discord had suggested it’d help with the headaches and generally feeling like garbage. Something about the normal part of Arcane needing to be balanced with the chaotic side. But it had to be something that’d make a normal unicorn’s horn melt clean off. Once he had a reference, he could replicate it. Arcane didn’t want to bug Discord about this.

Find a magic shop. I can do that.

His defensive spells abruptly activated, the chaotic matrices spinning up with enough power to melt the intruder without hesitation. Arcane paused them, a pony shimmering into existence in his living room.

Oh. Well, better late than never, I guess.

“Huh. Harmony,” Arcane muttered. “What do you want?”

The mare frowned at his dismissive tone, looking at the stallion cautiously as he sat down in front of her.

“I am concerned about your interference,” she said slowly, Arcane stifling an abrupt laugh.

“W-wait, really?” he asked. An almost physical pain made the stallion’s chest ache, an emotional lump forming in his throat.

That’s what this is about?

“You’re concerned about my actions. Ok, that’s nice. And?”

The mare’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“I’d like you to do less of it.”

“Too bad,” Arcane huffed, anger driving out the despair in his heart. Both threatened to overwhelm him; he chose the fire instead. “I don’t play by your rules. I never will.”

Harmony blinked, sitting down as she looked at the chaos unicorn.

“You are angry,” she said slowly.

“Oh, that’s a very astute observation,” Arcane growled sarcastically, Harmony’s head tilting to the side.

“Why?”

The stallion stared at her for a moment.
“Wow. Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“The so-called Guardian of Equestria shows up, and the first thing they say is to tell me to stop meddling? And then you have the guts to ask me if I’m angry? Ok, one question for you. What did I do wrong?”

“I do not understand,” Harmony said, eyes darting to glance around the home. Chaos magic began to spark along the wooden walls with black tendrils, and the mare started to visibly become nervous.

“You help creatures, right? The Elements of Harmony, Twilight, Astral, Sassi, random creatures, and so forth, correct? You look out for those who need help.”

Harmony winced, nodding slowly.
“Yes, but I make mistakes.”

“Then you should have led with that,” Arcane said, bitterness creeping into his tone. “I can’t help but wonder if leaving me to rot in that silo was just a mistake. Or was that an active effort to try and get rid of me?”

“I didn’t know!” The mare exclaimed, her demeanor cracking. “I told Sassi this and she understood! I’m not omnipotent! I didn’t know she was in the Silo, and that lack of knowledge extends to you!”

Arcane looked at her with a barely held-back sneer.

“Well, the Fates with Last Light knew!” he said. “They knew all about me. But at least they showed up to explain.”

He wanted to believe the utter shock on Harmony’s face. Maybe she didn’t know about that. But that wasn’t the biggest issue.

“They appeared three months ago in tears after knocking at my door; they even had that courtesy. Fide had to do all the talking because Clari was crying too hard. They had to conceal where I was because the alternative was the death of myself, them, and tens of thousands of innocent creatures! I wouldn’t want them to have rescued me at that cost!” he then pointed a hoof at the shocked mare. “But at least they showed up and told me! They apologized, and even said they didn’t expect my forgiveness.”

His tone then softened, the unicorn lowering his head.
“But I gave it to them. I have an idea what it’s like to have so much power and need to set limits, lest the consequences be too severe,” he whispered. “I can understand their position, but I certainly don’t trust them.”

The snarl then returned, Arcane glaring at Harmony.
“But they at least had the guts to show up and apologize. That was the first thing out of their mouths! “We’re so sorry.” At least they treated me like a creature with feelings. Sure, you say you didn’t know. Okay, what about months ago? Or maybe the fifteen years before that?” he asked, his voice deadly calm and carrying an edge.

“What about the days I got my face punched in? It took everything I had to keep my magic from killing those bullies if I lost control. Where were you then? I was just as dangerous, if not more so! I could have hurt creatures- I almost did! Sassi is a very different case, so that’s not even relevant right now.” His tone then darkened, multicolored eyes sparking crimson. “You could have explained why you weren’t there before. Yet even now, it’s taken you three months to show up. Why?”

“I was worried.”

A dark chuckle left Arcane’s mouth, the unicorn rolling his eyes.
“Oh really? Is little old me able to make the Tree of Harmony worried?”

“Yes.”

The honest and immediate answer made Arcane’s heart sink into his hooves.
“I assume due to my chaos magic, hence wanting me to not interfere?”

“Correct.”

Arcane couldn’t keep the distasteful snarl off of his face, the stallion standing up as the migraine pounded inside his skull.

“Okay, Harmony. I’m already not having a good day, and you’re really starting to tick me off. I’ll spell this out for you as nicely as I can,” he said, gesturing around.

“After meeting with Sassi months ago to apologize, you show up here, out of the blue. After everything I’ve been through, the first thing the guardian of Equestria and Friendship asks me is to stop meddling. That’s the first thing you said. You didn’t check in to see how I’m handling fifteen years of daily torture. You didn’t even show up to say hello. You did that much for everyone else. Instead, you come here trying to get me to behave. Do you see anything wrong with that?”

Harmoney’s eyes widened ever so slightly in realization. Arcane’s form began to drip with chaotic sparks, the unicorn pacing.

“You probably should have led with something a bit more realistic. You know, like apologizing for the fifteen years your failure cost me. Clari and Fide at least dared to do that! But you, you apologized to Sassi within a few days. You seemed to care deeply about how your screw-up hurt her.”

He stopped moving, locking eyes with the mare.
“But I guess I’m different, huh? Your concern with me has nothing to do with my well-being. Is it just because I have power? Is that all I am to you? Some creature with power to be contained? Perhaps a resource to be used if needed? Y’know, I was held captive by creatures with the same viewpoint. So, I find your behavior disgusting. Vile.”

“No, I didn’t- I meant-” Harmony said franticly, shaking her head. The mare’s demeanor began to fragment, confidence shredding in an instant. Regret, horror, and borderline panic shone in her expression and gaze as chaos magic made the house creak.

She jerked in shock as the ethereal mare found her muzzle gently closed with a magical tap, the unicorn in front of her glaring.

“Shush. You don’t get to talk. You get to listen to me for once in your life. Here’s the thing,” Arcane said, his face a mask of disgust and anger. He felt dirty. Violated in some odd way the unicorn didn’t fully understand. To have someone like her just show up and not even care…

“You failed. Completely and totally. Tens of thousands of creatures died and I was tortured for fifteen years by an organization right under your nose. Clari and Fide don’t have specific jurisdiction in Equestria. You do. And even then, they made it a priority to explain and apologize for what happened.”

He shook his head. “You’ve done nothing to earn my trust, let alone show you care about my well-being, and today is no exception. You might not have acted maliciously, but it sure felt pretty personal I was begging for help as needles drilled into my bones. All those stories I grew up with about peace love and friendship? Some good-feeling, rainbow-hearted entity looking out for everyone? Yeah, that evaporated when I grew up trying to control my magic and only got shunned for what I was. When I lost my voice screaming for mercy in the Silos, all of those stories may have well died. I’m not ok, not even close.”

The unicorn’s anger abruptly faded, and Harmony couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. Genuine pain radiated from Arcane’s gaze, the unicorn’s lips trembling as he looked at her.

“I’ve been here for months trying to learn how to live again. Discord and Fluttershy are the only creatures outside of Astral and Sassi who have shown they remotely care about me. It’s taken an Element of Harmony and the God of Chaos to just begin to try and convince me that maybe I’m worth the effort to help. That just maybe, just maybe, I didn’t deserve what I went through. Even Fide explaining the cost of helping me made me feel better. But that’s just it, they were here. They at least tried to make things right,” he said, jaw clenching.

“I don’t have that many friends, creatures who actually care about me. I know that. Most creatures are scared of me. It would have been nice to add you to my small list of creatures who care. I really could have used another friendly face,” he said softly, expression then darkening.

“But instead, you were too concerned about how I was acting. Sure, maybe my actions right now are a way of me coping with what was done to me, but my goal is to still help creatures who need it. And then you show up here as if you have the right to ask anything of me? Who do you think you are to ask me for anything?”

Harmony’s mouth hung open, no words coming. Her eyes occasionally darted around before settling back onto Arcane, his magic encompassing every corner of the room as it begged to be unleashed. Yet it remained on standby, watching.

“I don’t know what you were thinking coming here and telling me to behave. You’re just another creature worried about what I can do, aren’t you?” Arcane said. “You’re just another scared pony desperate for control. My life, my struggles; all afterthoughts as long as you get to try and make me color inside the lines. Does that sound right? Does that sound familiar?” he said with a deep growl.

The tears starting to trickle from Harmony’s eyes did nothing to dissuade Arcane, even if the mare was crumpling under self-loathing.

“Let me make something very, very clear. We aren’t friends. Based on how you acted today, I don’t entirely trust you aren’t my enemy. So, stay away from me, and don’t ever intrude into my home again. If you want to talk, have someone else speak with me first. And no, I will absolutely not stop interfering. Just because you, or creatures like you, won’t help creatures in some sacred name of balance doesn’t mean I’m bound by that. Chaos doesn’t care about order, and if that means I can lessen some of the pain in the world, I will,” Arcane growled firmly.

“Whether or not that makes your kind happy really doesn’t matter to me. I’m not as powerful as Discord, but someday I will be, or more. I’ll try and grow stronger for no other reason than to prevent creatures like you from saying that I can’t help someone. I’ll surpass Discord’s levels of power if I have to!” His eyes narrowed. “And I know there are other fates out there. Clari and Fide told me all about them. And I hope they’re listening.”

The unicorn tossed his head with a wince of pain, the chaos magic in the room dispelling. He turned away, not wanting to look at the ethereal mare any longer.

“Now go away, and maybe practice saying “I’m sorry” a few hundred times. Don’t ever show up unannounced again.” Arcane’s voice then softened, shoulders slumping as his volume dropped to an almost regretful whisper. “I could have accidentally hurt you. I almost did.”

Harmony vanished without a word, leaving the unicorn alone in his house.

It took everything Arcane had to not break down and sob. Even then, a few burning tears slipped out of his multicolored eyes as he nearly choked trying to breathe. He was so close to losing it. The migraine thudded in his temples, despair clawing at his heart.

Even to a creature many believe is a god, I’m just some loose end. At least Clari and Fide had a cosmic reason for not helping. I wouldn’t have been able to live with the knowledge tens of thousands were sacrificed for me.

But if Harmony, the embodiment of friendship and magic doesn’t care how I’m doing, what does that make me?

Could anyone ever…?

He couldn’t dwell on that. It hurt too much. The unicorn cast a haphazard concealment spell and teleported himself to the outskirts of the city. Once he found a potion to at least dull the pain, Arcane could go home, wrap himself up in a blanket, and try to not feel so alone.

Nilli rearranged the potions on the wooden shop shelf with a wave of her claws. It had been a slow day, but her entire business was about quality, not quantity. A single custom potion could sell for ten times what a run-of-the-mill unicorn spell would.

The door chimed, an identification spell kicking in.

Single creature. Unicorn.

The gryphoness turned to look, and couldn’t keep herself from wincing. The most run-down pony she had ever seen dragged himself in, struggling to look up at her.

“Welcome, but wow, dude, you ok?” Nilli asked.

“Not entirely,” the yellow unicorn admitted, wincing. “Just looking for the most powerful arcane stabilization potion you have. Something way above what’s suggested.”

She let out a soft whistle, levitating a few options from a top shelf. His voice seemed familiar.

“I’ve got these,” the gryphoness mage mused. “They’re meant to be mixed and titrated with others. If you want to drink it directly, I can’t recommend that. It’d give you an immediate migraine and probably set your horn on fire.”

“I understand. I won’t hold you liable for anything. I’ll sign something if I need foo,” the unicorn said, words starting to slur. “Oh, horshaffles.”

His entire body shimmered, a concealment spell beginning to fade. Arcane crumbled to the floor. The unicorn struggled to take deep breaths as he barely stood on half a bent forelimb.

“Well. Crud,” he muttered to himself.

Nilli could only stare. She had been wondering how best to approach the unicorn, and he just showed up in her shop?

“You’re Arcane Flare, right?” she asked, the unicorn nodding.

“Yep.”

“I’ve actually been looking for you,” Nilli began, “would-”

Magical alarms abruptly chimed. The gryphoness’s green eyes widened abruptly as Arcane stared at her. Chaos magic flickered around his flame, a rainbow of colors swirling in his eyes.

“Why?” he asked with a narrowed gaze, fangs protruding from his lips. “Normal creatures don’t look for me. What do you want?” One of the unicorn’s eyes was nearly completely closed in pain, the migraine making his own magic blinding. The other was locked onto the gryphoness, suspicion swirling in their multicolored depths.

Nilli was about to reply, but then she got completely, and utterly, distracted. Her magic refused to respond, defensive spells or otherwise. For a second, she was terrified. But then wonder and curiosity drove away the fear with ease.

It was frozen. Every particle of arcane energy was suspended, non-moving. It should be impossible. Her shop’s spells were inoperative, along with every other particle of magic in the area. Even the potions were frozen! There was an odd weirdness to it, an oddity that permeated the gryphoness’s entire frame.

She loved it!

“This. Is. So. COOL!” Nilliana giggled, the usually impassive Gryphon jumping in the air. “My magic is totally paused! How in the world did you do that?! It shouldn’t be possible!”

“W-what?” he stammered, the stallion forgetting about his migraine for a moment as the gryphoness rolled her eyes.

“The magic! How are you doing that? It defies what I know about arcane physics! Oh my gosh, this opens so many doors!” Nilli gushed as she hopped around the shop examining runes and potions alike.

“There are spells that shouldn’t be able to be suspended just utterly stopped! I didn’t think even chaos could do that! If so many types of particles can be frozen, that means they…” her voice drifted off, an extremely bright blush now radiating on her cheeks. The gryphoness composed herself, not able to look at the confused unicorn.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she admitted. “Nothing formal or anything. I just was really curious about how chaos magic worked. I wasn’t sure how best to approach you, since you’re still working through stuff. I can’t imagine how hard that is.”

The chaos magic faded, the spells in her shop resuming as if nothing had been out of the ordinary. Arcane stared at her, confusion written across every part of his being.

“You’re not scared?” he asked. “I just froze your magic, rendered defensive spells utterly useless. And you got…excited?”

Nilliana shrugged, now more embarrassed than anything. She wasn’t able to look at the unicorn as her face feathers fluffed up, a pink blush still on her cheeks.
“I mean, y-yeah? Duh? H-how could I not?” she stammered. “I love magic theory and stuff, it’s why I run a shop. You weren’t going to hurt me,” she said awkwardly.

“How do you know?”

She actually laughed, waving a claw at him.
“Because you’re not a bad pony. I saw that much back in the throne room.”

Arcane stared at her, eyes widening in realization.
“The-that’s right. You were there,” he said softly. “I wasn’t very composed.”

She walked over to him, sitting down with a nod.
“No, you weren’t. But who would be? I still didn’t see a bad pony,” she said softly. “I saw a pony who was tortured beyond what I can imagine. But instead of lashing out, you showed mercy. And now you’re helping creatures. Why would I be afraid of a pony like that?”

The last thing Nilli expected was to see Arcane stare at her for a second before hanging his head to cry, the unicorn struggling to get control of himself. Just from his demeanor, it was clear that a lot was going on she didn’t know about.

Well. In addition to the years of torture. I’d be a wreck too.

Arcane’s limbs began to shake, and Nilli levitated a few potions off the wall. The unicorn was miserable and embarrassed. That much was obvious. She wasn’t about to try and ignore that.

“Arcane, look, I’m not going to ask if you’re ok. Because you’re not. But maybe one of these will help?” she suggested. “On the house. If you don’t want to chat, that’s fine. You’ve got enough to work through without me stirring stuff up. Just…” her words trailed off, the gryphoness sighing. The poor pony was the definition of misery, so her usually gruff demeanor naturally blunted itself.

“I hope you feel better, for what it’s worth,” she finally said.

Looking up at her, their eyes met. Arcane’s multicolored gaze bore into her own. The unicorn’s body abruptly stiffened, some sort of realization making the tears stem for a moment.

“It’s you,” he whispered. “I know those eyes.”

She didn’t fully understand what was going on in the stallion’s mind, but the look in his eyes made the gryphoness’s cheeks heat up again. There was an immediate warmth, a gratefulness beyond measure that made Nilliana’s heart thud in her chest.

The unicorn looked around as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. Wiping the tears off his face, embarrassment saturated Arcane’s demeanor before he vanished with a *pop* of magic. He left a rather confused gryphoness behind, Nilli rolling her eyes at seeing the potions missing and a pile of coins on the counter.

“Nice to meet you too, Arcane,” she said to herself with a smile.

Twilight relaxed on her throne, glancing through reports. Usual tensions aside, it was a slow day.

A hum of magic made her ears perk up, and the mare dismissed the guards. It was a recognizable signature, after all.

The last thing the Princess expected was to see Harmony appear in the center of the room, the magical mare’s lips trembling, a distraught expression on her face.

“T-twilight?” Harmony asked, sitting down with a faint *thump*.

The Princess immediately trotted down to sit in front of the ethereal mare. She was utterly unprepared as Harmony leaned forward and wrapped her up in a tight hug. Tears fell from Harmony’s eyes and evaporated into mist on Twilight’s fur as the ethereal mare bawled.

“I’ve m-made a mistake. A horrible m-mistake. I don’t know who else to talk to.”

Harmony’s next words pricked at Twilight’s heart.

“I don’t know if I can fix this.”

Author's Note

Poor chaos pone.

Chapter Eight: Webs of Friendship

Twilight blew out a long, sad whistle as Harmony hung her head. The mare had finished her tale, and to say it was a doozy was an understatement.

“I know I’ve messed up. I don’t- how do I fix this?” Harmony whispered. “I could at least show Sassi that I cared by helping Astral heal. I could at least try to show that I was better than what she thought I was. But Arcane?”

She shook her head, shoulders slumping as the mane fell in front of Harmony’s face.
“Arcane doesn’t need or want anything from me. He doesn’t even want to speak to me again. How do I make up for three months-no, his entire life of having him think I didn’t care? Because he’s right. I didn’t care, not nearly enough.” she paused, looking up at Twilight with a shimmering gaze.

“Y-you had trouble learning social rules. So, you know what it’s like. I’m at that stage. I think I’ve learned most of them, but there are so many. Different species, situations, races…I’m still learning. I don’t say that to gain pity, only that I feel you can understand my position. I should have known better. But I was worried. And I ignored that he m-might need a friend. He’s not wrong in hating me. I only paid more attention when he became a danger. Not w-when he needed me. Not when it mattered.”

The Princess took a few moments to think, measuring her words carefully.

“Well, it’s a doozy of a friendship problem, to say the least,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t think you can fix this right now. The best thing for this is time. Give Arcane some space, and then reach out as he requested. Time will be your friend. Slow and steadily trying to mend things.”

Harmony nodded in agreement, shoulders still shaking with emotion. The mare looked up and saw Twilight offering a hug, and the entity immediately accepted with a muffled yell of frustration into the Princess’s fur.

“Feel better?” Twilight asked after a few moments, Harmony taking a step back.

“Y-yes,” she said with a firm nod. “I think there’s someone else I need to visit as well.”

“Oh?”

“You…um, don’t know them.”

Twilight blinked, staring for a solid few seconds before sighing.
“I’m not going to know the specifics, am I?”

“Nope. Not yet,” the mare admitted with an apologetic shrug.

“Well, I have a meeting with Tanzil in a few hours to talk about things. From what I understand, there are some potential stability issues. Our trade contracts are going to be improved again today, but from the brief message I got after our last meeting, he could use a friendly face. I get the sense he’s not as okay as he says. I don’t know if you’re meeting with him or anyone in relation to him, but it’d be appreciated.”

Harmony’s rather guilty face was enough confirmation for Twilight that she was on the right path.

“We’ll talk soon?”

Twilight reached forward and gave the hesitant, spectral mare a hug.
“Yup. Just remember to breathe.”

The Guardian did just that, waving before she vanished. Twilight sat down in the throne room and took a long breath of her own.

“She reminds me of myself. Was I really that up-tight when I was younger?”

The Princess could almost hear her friends laughing at the question, and that alone brought a smile to her face.

Tanzil flopped onto the couch, massaging his temples. He had been distracted, to say the least. That was the story of the past two days. The meeting with Twilight had brought all of his anxieties to the fore, the encounter having thrown his entire rhythm out of whack. The worst part was that the Emperor knew he was overthinking it. Despite the casual note sent to Twilight regarding their trade routes, his anxieties refused to be quelled.

He hated it.

“You are one tense gryphon, Tanzil.”

The Emperor took a few deep breaths, turning around with a weak smile. The outline of an ancient Gryphon emperor sat in front of him, clad in the familiar ceremonial armor.

His friend was a welcome presence. Tanzil had known Garret Razortalon for nearly his entire life. While many things changed, the spirit-like gryphon hadn’t and could be counted on to offer what advice he could to the once-adolescent who had stumbled upon his artifact-ridden tomb. The ethereal gryphon was an oft-welcome voice of reason amidst politicians and greedy nobles.

Tanzil had been young and stupid when they first met. It was still a shock to him that things had gone as well as they had.

“Tense?” Tanzil asked. “It’s that obvious?”

“You’ve been spacey ever since your date. I thought things went well, but I assume your vulnerable moment has been eating at you?”

Tanzil sighed; ears flat against his skull. “To say the least. It’s been spinning around in my head. I might be overthinking it. But I know she might also be overthinking it. Overall, it was quite a bit more awkward than I intended things to be.”

“Oh? How so?”

Tanzil raised an eyebrow, the other spectral gryphon shrugging.
“What? I can’t be everywhere at once. I’m not like that Equestrian Guardian. I’m just here to help you as best I can. All I knew was that you had a meeting with the Princess, and then you had what appeared to be a small anxiety attack after needing her comfort. That hardly sounds inappropriate. Besides, don’t many creatures take their date to bed on the first date?”

Snorting at Garret’s words, Tanzil couldn’t help but chuckle at the gryphon’s indignant remark.

“Fair enough. I just I worry I came off as insecure or weak. I can’t…” Tanzil’s throat closed, the gryphon taking in a few deep breaths as he slumped over. “I…” A headache pounded at his temples, Tanzil’s mind abruptly running in a million directions. The walls abruptly closed in, pressure clamping down on the gryphon’s skull as his breathing came in short, panicked gasps.

A slightly cold touch gripped the Emperor’s shoulder.

“Breathe, Tanzil.”

Tanzil looked down at his claws, the digits shaking slightly as he gasped, the darkness in his vision starting to flee. Garret waved a talon, a small bottle of medication floating over before Tanzil waved it off.

“I’m already at the max dose. Any more and it’ll be a tranquilizer.”

Frowning, Garret furrowed his brow as Tanzil sat upright, struggling to take deep breaths.

“I should have conquered all of this. I shouldn’t be this frayed. I’ve lived long enough to put it all to rest,” the younger Gryphon growled.

“Well, that’s a rather useless way of approaching it,” the spectral Gryphon huffed. “You act like you can ignore who you are. What you are, I might add.”

“I feel like an imposter!” Tanzil retorted. “I’ve had to learn all of this on my own! How to dance with politicians in their games, finances, armies, everything was on me- is on me! Without your help, I’d be just another orphan on the streets!”

A staff materialized in Garret’s claws, the gryphon sending it slamming to the carpeted floor with a rather loud THUD.

“I will hear you say no such things,” Garret growled. “I don’t know what transpired between you and the Princess, but you are not thinking clearly.”

“No, I am. That’s the problem! It’s just me in my own thoughts. I’ve got you to counter them, and who else? Who else in my life who can be a listening ear? The silence is deafening,” Tanzil said. “Ponies appreciate vulnerability and honesty. Gryphons see it as a sign of weakness. How am I to rally my people when I am crumbling, and the only creature who can appreciate that happens to be one whom historically, our people perceive as weak?!” The Gryphon’s voice then cracked. “Who else can I talk to about this? Is there anyone?”

Garret lett out a sad sigh, his shoulders lowering in slight sadness.

“Ah. I see,” he rumbled. “The isolation. It’s maddening, isn’t it? Time is not the same for me. It is easy for me to forget, but I tried to warn you.”

“Yes, you did. But it’s been getting worse,” Tanzil whispered. “Ever since the coup attempt. I can feel eyes in the back of my head. I envy Twilight; she can at least make friends. I’m stuck wondering if my newest acquaintance is trying to bleed money from the royal coffers. Even the council is distant; I can’t remember the last time we went out to have a friendly dinner with the gryphons I thought were my friends. Twilight is the closest…” his voice trailed off.

“She showed you a glimpse, didn’t she?”

Tanzil looked over at the ghostly figure.
“A glimpse?”

The ancient emperor sat down next to Tanzil, resting a clawed hand on his shoulder. The touch was partially tangible, the older Gryphon smiling sadly.

“A glimpse at what it could be like to rule with someone, rather than over,” he said calmly. “You know, Tanzil, I’ve always envied ponies. That’s one of my oldest secrets,” Garret said. “I had many mates during my life and many more fleeting lovers. And yet only a few captured my heart for a time. That same fleeting mindset bled into friends, family, and subjects. All of my relationships were corrupted by greed and gold. I can’t recall a single individual that loved me without any reservations. Nor can I say there are any I returned the feeling in kind.”

His ears flattened, the gryphon sighing. “Of all of my regrets, that is probably the biggest. Ponies can make connections so much easier than we can. That has always been true. For all of Equestria’s faults, they have so many more advantages over us.”

“You never told me any of that.”

The spectral gryphon let out a huff at that.
“You never went on more than a date or two. My advice in social matters is rather archaic, to say the least. But my point is this. If you’re now feeling the isolation of our society, of ruling, that means something happened to show you a better way. Isolation such as yours can’t exist in a vacuum. The status quo has changed in your life. All that I would ask of you is to try and guide our people to having a similar epiphany.”

“I’ve tried, Garret, I’ve tried t-”

“Tanzil, be quiet.”

There were no other creatures who could tell the Emperor of the Gryphon Empire to shut his beak and be listened to immediately, aside from Garret. Tanzil had learned long ago to listen. When your mentor was a few thousand years old, it usually was for the best.

“When you found me, I admit I didn’t see you as any different than the dozens of others who had supposed good intentions with my hidden wealth,” Garret said softly. “But I was wrong. You have proven time and time again you were the right creature for this burden. Shared blood had nothing to do with it. But maybe fate was well-intentioned for our people. You’re the only one who can get our people to see a better way. I’m still here because I trust you with that. You have stumbled, and fallen at times. But you have always gotten up. You must do that again.”

“Garret, I’m tired,” Tanzil admitted, his voice cracking. “I can only rise on my own strength so many times. A simple hug nearly broke me. I can’t remember the last time I was comfortable with someone being that close. With the coup attempt, and this new threat on the horizon, the entire kingdom looks to me for security. The council is acting out of line more often than not. I don’t even feel safe in my own castle!”

“Then go to her.”

Those simple words made Tanzil stare, Garret grinning.
“What? You care about this mare. So, tell her so. Our people deserve better than an empty shell for an Emperor. They deserve someone with a rich and fulfilling life. If Twilight makes you happy, then I’m not the one you should be confiding in.”

“What could she see in someone like me?”

It was rare that Garret was surprised by Tanzil, considering how well he knew the gryphon. Yet that simple statement uttered in barely a whisper, held a weight greater than any mountain. The younger Emperor couldn’t even lift his gaze, and Garret felt pity pull at his heart.

“When you tell her the truth, she will understand,” Garret said finally. “You’ve admired her for some time. Don’t attempt to hide it from her.”

“How could I not?” Tanzil choked, a set of claws reaching up to grab his chest as if it would help him breathe easier. “I wasn’t meant for this! I didn’t understand. You and Twilight are the two constants. Everyone else will just…”

His voice trailed off, Garren casually lifting the gryphon up and plopping him on the bed in the corner of the room.

“I cannot relieve you of this burden, Tanzil. But I can tell you this,” Garret said as the Emperor curled up in a nest of pillows.

“If I could tell our people, and you, one thing that would improve life in the Gryphon Empire, it’d be this. Be more honest, with yourself, your friends, and those you care deeply about. Don’t hide with insults and deflection. We have much to learn from ponies, and they from us. Perhaps you can show both sides just that.”

Tanzil nodded, Garret turning off the lights with another wave of his claws.

“Thank you, Garret.”

The older gryphon’s throat closed up, the former Emperor nodding once before vanishing. Tanzil was left in the dark, somehow a more comforting scene than the previously well-lit room.

He had enough of a mind to levitate over a pen and paper, setting it on the bedside table. He’d write a letter when he woke up.

Garret looked out across the Gryphon Empire with a sad sigh. Perched on top of the royal castle, the spectral gryphon remained unseen by even the closest observers. A pulse of energy drew his attention. With a wave of his claws, Garret manipulated the existing defenses around this portion of the castle to a neutral status.

He knew who this was, after all.

“Harmony. How have you been?” the former Emperor asked, the mare sitting down at his side. She didn’t respond at first. That alone was a warning sign. Usually, the mare said hello at the very least.

“I’ve really messed up, Garret. I’ve hurt someone, badly. And I don’t want that to happen again,” she finally said. “So, I’m here just to check in on things.”

“Well, we’re certainly on good terms. I always enjoy speaking with you. Are you here for advice or a sympathetic ear?”

“Simply a friendly hello. I want to check in with one of the few bridges I haven’t seemed to damage. You’re the Guardian of this kingdom, after all. And if I act anywhere here, I want to clear it with you.”

The gryphon let out a disproving huff, waving a set of talons at her.
“Stop calling me that. I’m not a Guardian or Fate or whatever. It’s not my duty, nor do I have even a fraction of your power,” he hung his head with a sigh. “I’m just an Emperor who was far too greedy and selfish during his life. It was only after my mortal body turned to dust that I realized my mistakes. I wasn’t even that good of a gryphon during my time, and that’s saying something,” he admitted, taking off the ethereal crown and looking at it.

“I’m not worthy to be some sort of Guardian. I was a lousy creature, a shameful Emperor, and it took death to make me realize what I did wrong. I just provide guidance, as much as I can. Sometimes I wonder why he even listens to me. He’s far more worthy of that title than I.”

“Because you’re his friend. And I think you’ve been doing very well, at least I think so,” Harmony chimed in.

“Well, I appreciate it. I just wish I had cared this much about someone when I was mortal. Maybe that’d have changed things.”

Garret glanced over to Harmony, the gryphon bowing his head.
“But what did you have in mind within the Empire?”

“I want to help.”

Harmony’s immediate response made Garret chuckle. “Oh? Well, you’re welcome to. Just don’t make Tanzil’s life any more difficult. The poor guy is reaching his limit. He seems to think his first date went horribly. He mentioned seeing you.”

The mare winced.
“I wasn’t prepared to see him again. I was rather blunt the last time we spoke when I warned him upon taking the throne. He was…curt”

“Yes, you were. Promising to intervene if the Empire had hostile intentions towards Equestria tends to do that. He certainly hasn’t forgotten it,” Garret chuckled. “If you want to soften things, give it a bit of time, and talk to him first. I certainly think it’d be a good idea, for however little that’s worth. Just wait. He’s troubled.”

Harmony’s eyes narrowed at that.
“Troubled?”

“He’s a very emotional creature,” the elderly Gryphon sighed. “Far more than our people are used to, or normally are. We can have big hearts, but that’s often corrupted by gold and greed. Tanzil is far more like you ponies. He wasn’t trained to rule. He feels like he’s living a lie.”

“Is he not?”

A hum of energy made Harmony back up, the mare waving a hoof franticly as energy crackled around Garret’s talons, the Emperor glaring at the pony.
“I d-didn’t mean it like that!” she said in a mild panic. “But just- you know! The situation is rather difficult! He isn’t being truthful, but I know it’s not that simple. I’m sorry.”

Garret took a deep breath, the magical energy subsiding. He probably couldn’t have given Harmony more than a nasty scratch, but the former Emperor had made his point.

“He doesn’t need or deserve your condemnation. Tanzil needs your help. Our help,” Garret whispered. “I don’t know how Twilight is doing, but I hope he can talk to her. My experience is limited. Perhaps she can comfort him where I cannot. He’s hurting, and he needs a sincere, close friend. I just am not the creature for that. I can only point him towards creatures who can actually help with this.”

A gentle touch drew his attention, Harmony then withdrew her hoof with a nod.

“I think they’ll be ok,” she said firmly. “Like many creatures, they just need to talk.”

That made the Gryphon chuckle. Sometimes Harmony could be so simple, yet so correct.

“Well said.”

After a few more moments, the mare piped up again, standing and stretching.

“Thank you, Garret. I always enjoy speaking with you.”

Harmony’s soft, genuine tone made the former Emperor pause, the gryphon bowing his head respectfully. Apparently, there was a lot more going on in the Guardian’s head than he realized.

“Of course. Take care, Harmony.”

“You too.”

Chapter Nine: Limelight

“Are you sure you’re up to this, Arcane?” Sassi asked, the unicorn letting out a soft chuckle.

“Not really. But I told Twilight that I’d give interviews after a few months. You guys being here makes it okay. And you handled yourself nicely.”

“Well thank you, I’ve had a bit of practice,” Sassi said, the two of them sitting off to the side of the stage as Astral sat in the hot seat. “I originally worried how Astral would feel during this, but he handles it like a pro.”

“I mean, the questions are pre-screened, so nothing too crazy?”

Sassi nodded in agreement, her special somepony describing what some of the creepy, mutated plant life was.

“Yep. Not much about feelings or struggles, or killing. Just the overall experience for now.”

“Smart.”

The interviewer, a pale purple earth pony named Flash Bulb, looked over at a scrolling display as Astral concluded. Even though it was a simple recounting of the alien flora, the two hundred ponies attending as the studio audience didn’t have to be told to be attentive; they were latched onto every word.

“If I may, Astral. There have been a few questions about things, from viewers. You’ve touched on them, but I don’t want to hit a sore spot.”

“Oh boy.”

Astral’s amused tone made Sassi snicker. The news studio was a fairly large one, and the cast was, well, a bit big for their own hats at times.

Judging from the annoyed look at the Director, a unicorn mare named Tune Fiddle; this wasn’t in the script. Tune looked over at Sassi with a slightly panicked expression. The Thestral simply waved at her, nodding once.

It wasn’t the first time an interview had gone off script. Sometimes they were fishing for a reaction, other times it was a genuine interest.

“Well, we can go off script for a bit. That’s alright,” Astral said with a wave, preparing himself for the worst. There was only so much they could demand from studios, especially when multiple interviews and reports had already been conducted.

“In Equestria, death is…well, it’s a morbid thing,” Flash said. “A common question that comes up for ponies who don’t know the whole story, is wondering why you had to kill the owner of the Stairway Company Silo?”

The studio was dead quiet at the question. The majority of the population knew the basics, but fewer had the stomach to learn the true horrors of what had gone on. Astral and Sassi didn’t blame them; the details would be upsetting to the average pony, to say the least.

It was known Split Tie was one of the leaders within the Silo. The details of the encounter hadn’t been published, not in full, as the majority of the related material was classified.

It was technically a valid question. However, in this case, it was clearly fishing for an emotional response. Both Astral and Sassi had been very clear that certain topics were to be off-limits as much as possible.

Killing Split Tie, and the events surrounding it, had been one such very clear red line.

Astral let out a soft hum, leaning back on the sofa. His expression was rather blank.
“So. Just to make sure I understand the question,” the Thestral said slowly. “Why did I kill Split Tie, a psychopathic pony who was the leader of a facility that experimented on children, killed tens of thousands, tried to kill me, and was mind-controlling the mare I love?”

Flask Bulb’s face immediately flushed; the stallion was only able to say one word.
“Yes?”

There was an audible “CLOP” as Tune Fiddle smacked her face with a hoof, muffling a frustrated scream.

Astral could only shrug, unable to suppress a rather snarky smirk.
“That’s a tough one. I’d have to say I killed him because Split Tie was a psychopathic pony whose facility experimented on children, killed tens of thousands, tried to kill me, and was mind-controlling the mare I love.”

“AAAAAAND that’s all the time we have!” One of the other staff said as the camera cut away from the embarrassed interviewer, the audience desperately trying to not snicker. “When we return, we have a special, chaotic guest! And I don’t mean Discord!”

“CUT!”

Astral abruptly burst out laughing, the Thestral holding his sides as he walked off the stage without a second thought. He gave the interviewer a simple, good-natured pat on the shoulder in passing. The poor stallion looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

“FLASH! YOU. OFFICE. NOW!” Tune snarled, the stage clearing briefly as Sassi trotted up to her stallion.

“That. Was. Awesome,” she said with a grin, concern flickering in her eyes. “You alright though?”

“Yep. That was an easy one. But I couldn’t resist making a point,” Astral sighed, giving her a brief kiss. He then turned to look at Arcane, the unicorn awkwardly sitting a short distance away and watching the stage. “Hey, you going to be alright?”

“I…maybe?” Arcane admitted, clearly preoccupied. “Do you all have to leave right away?”

“Huh? No. We were planning on waiting for you.”

The genuine relief in Arcane’s eyes and posture made the hearts of the two Thestral’s melt. Clearly, the poor guy was going through more than he let on.

“Sorry about that, Astral,” Tune said with a roll of her eyes. “I had a feeling he’d do something stupid. Serves me right for not listening to my gut. Is…everything good?”

It was moments like this where Astral had to remind himself a few things.
First, he was an augmented super-soldier.
Second, he had ties to some of the most powerful creatures in Equestria.
Third, the above two facts terrified most creatures if something went even slightly wrong.

It was both a bit humbling and rather amusing.

“We’re good. I’ve been asked worse. Just don’t go off-script for Arcane, yeah?”

The serious tone of the Thestral’s voice made the Director nod firmly.

“Powder Pane is one of my best. If she goes off-script, it’s only with the approved topics. This is a short, general interview, after all.” She then turned towards Arcane. “Everything good? The audience only knows it’ll be a charitable pony, as I mentioned. I don’t think many have even seen you outside of the news. We didn’t want to skew their perceptions in any way by packing the crowd or anything. You’re just a surprise guest.”

He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Quite frankly, it’ll be nice to maybe not scare as many ponies. That’s the goal. Even if they’re terrified to see me, at least I can show them I’m not just what they see in the news.”

“We’ll see what we can do. You can either just be sitting in the chair, or have a bit of a chaotic entrance,” Tune said. “We interviewed Discord a few years ago during a slow spell. He conducted half of the entire meeting speaking as the chair, mouth and all.”

Arcane’s mouth opened, the pony about to speak. He then paused, brow furrowing.

What do I want my first impression to be? A normal pony sitting in a chair?

But I’m not.

That final thought was a hammer blow to Arcane’s chest, the unicorn shaking his head. He couldn’t be what creatures thought was “normal” if he tried.

I just don’t want to scare anyone. I have to show them chaos isn’t scary.

“I have just the idea. It’ll be a simple portal. I don’t think cutting to me just sitting in a chair works,” Arcane chuckled softly. “That’s way too normal. And I’m not.”

The cautious looks from Astral and Sassi were comforting. They weren’t worried about him doing something crazy or harmful; they were only concerned about him.

A smile slid onto Arcane’s face as the stage lit up again. “I can see why you guys wear armor, by the way.”

A matching set of grins immediately dawned on the Thestral’s face as Arcane vanished.
“He’s going to ham it up, isn’t he?” Astral asked, Sassi giggling softly.

“Oh, I think so. He loves being a dramatic ham, but he’d never admit it though.”

“Of course not.”

Sassi then nudged Astral’s side, pointing off to the side. “We’re not the only ones interested in making sure he’s ok,” she whispered.

Unseen by everyone else, a pair of yellow, chaotic eyes peered out from an exit sign. A clawed hand reached up and made a “shhh” gesture, a familiar, snaggle-toothed grin showing for a brief moment.

“Welcome back to Equestria Unplugged; my name is Powder Pane,” the dark blue Pegasus mare said, blowing some white bangs out of her eyes. “Today we’ve got a special guest, to say the least. You’ve seen him on the news, but until today, there haven’t been any formal interviews allowed. So, please welcome, Arcane Flare!”

As the audience clopped their hooves respectfully, a portal ignited, a vertical, sparkling seam unzipping. Instead of the usual, bland background of swirling energy, a thousand stars spun across the surface- prompting a few excited whispers in the crowd.

Stepping out from the portal, Arcane’s appearance made the two Thestrals off to the side grin. He hadn’t changed from a few moments ago save a singular accessory. A bright silver breastplate was wrapped around his frame, the golden star of Chaos and red heart glowing in the center. Multicolored streaks spread across the surface, pulsing gently as if with a heartbeat.

The crowd was silent for a split second, the applause faltering. The studio then erupted into cheers, Powder Pane nearly jumping out of her seat at the volume as the ponies went wild. The pony behind the teleprompter shrugged, as it was still blank, but one of the shouts from a pony in the crowd immediately made the reason clear.

“You…you saved my kid!”

Arcane appeared utterly shell-shocked for a few seconds, the stallion not able to process the positive reception. He managed to wave, multicolored eyes watering as he trotted over to shake Powder Pane’s hoof before sitting down. The applause finally drifted off, and Powder couldn’t help but shake her head with a slight grin.

“It has been a long time since anyone has had that kind of reception here. But I’d say it’s deserved,” she admitted. “So, Arcane. Thank you for being willing to come. Safe to say, a few creatures know who you are.”

“Thank you for having me,” Arcane said, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “And yes, my recent activities haven’t been exactly low-key.”

“To say the least, but if I may be so bold, I think that’s a very good thing indeed,” Powder said, a few cheers from the crowd making the experienced interviewer smirk. “So, for those who haven’t kept up on things, can you tell us a bit about you?”

Astral and Sassi watched attentively, and rather proudly, off from the side. They had given him a few interviewing tips; all three of them having taken a few brief classes together to prepare after escaping. Arcane might not have noticed, but as he began to speak, he began to relax.

“He might be hurt, but he’s not a pony who wants to hide away. Sure, he’s an extreme introvert, but you wouldn’t know what he went through just by looking at him. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.”

Sassi nodded to Astral’s silent words. True indeed.

“Well, I’m in my mid-thirties, and grew up…well, in a few different places,” Arcane said calmly. “I was adopted by an amazing gryphoness, and she’s currently living in the Last Light Island chain. So, she raised me before the whole thing with the Stairway Company happened,” he then gestured to his eyes. “And to put any guesses to rest, yes. I can use chaos magic. I always have been able to. The difference is, that I’m not a Draconequus, just a unique unicorn. Discord and Fluttershy have been helping me adjust and I can’t really express my thanks in words. Same with Astral and Sassi.”

A few unprompted claps echoed out from the crowd, Powder nodding slowly.
“Sounds like you’ve got quite the support system. What do you do in your spare time? I think some may assume you fly around solving disasters all day.”

Arcane managed a smile at that.
“Well, I enjoy cooking quite a bit, so I’ve tried to get back into that.”

“Couldn’t you just create it?”

The unicorn nodded, posture brightening up a bit.
“Indeed. I could create a banquet if I wanted to. But it wouldn’t taste right. I can’t explain it, but conjured food just lacks a depth to it. Chaos magic is also finicky, so I might want to create a hayburger, but instead may just get a whole tomato with some buns. Or worse, it might start talking to me. I prefer to have my ingredients not questions my methods of cooking them. It’s…weird.”

There were a few chuckles at that.

“I’m an omnivore, so my diet is more like gryphons,” Arcane gestured to his fangs, “if these weren’t a clue. So, the bonus of that, is I can try the diets of pretty much every land! Gryphon, hippogriff, pony, kirin, and so forth. Maybe not dragons because, well, gems are still rocks.”

Powder laughed softly, nodding in agreement.
“And, apparently you decide to intervene in various disasters between your cooking experiments?”

“Something like that,” Arcane said.

“May I ask why?”

The stallion nodded, surprising himself at how his emotions didn’t surge.

Maybe I am making a bit of progress. Healing. Just a bit.

“I’ve always liked the idea of helping others. My mom is part of the Last Light Organization. So that played into it a bit,” he said. “Fluttershy says, and I agree, that part of my efforts now is a method of coping. Of healing.”

He shrugged, pushing back the ball of emotion in his throat.
“If saving creatures from disasters is how I can start to cope and heal from a decade of torture, I’d say that’s not the worst mechanism.”

Smiling gently, Powder nodded. “I agree. I know there are countless creatures already grateful for your efforts.”

There was a brief pause, and a sincere, but somewhat sober expression slid onto Arcane’s face.
“I know there’s a big question many creatures have had. I’ve heard it in bars, coffee shops, everywhere,” he admitted. “And I’m pretty sure it’s on that prompt sheet of yours. Mainly, if I’m helping, why don’t I stop all of the bad things out there? I’d rather get that question out of the way.”

Powder held up the sheet, nodding.
“It’s on there, but I wasn’t going to press. It’s a bit of a touchy subject.”

A soft sigh left Arcane’s mouth, the stallion shaking his head.
“First off, I want to say that it’s not just a matter of rules or something. It’s a lot more complicated than that. Some entities who don’t like me interfering. I am upsetting a balance, but I’ve told them to…” he cut off his own words, the stallion grinning sheepishly. “I’ve told them to go away, in broadcast-friendly terms. I’m not going to stop helping creatures. But there are some rules apparently. There’s also this.” He held up a bandaged hoof- a concealment spell having dropped.

“I’m not like Discord. I’m not as experienced with chaos magic. If I push myself, the chaos magic can damage my body. But as you can see, I don’t let that stop me.”

An abrupt ball of emotion stopped any words in Arcane’s throat. He had rehearsed what he’d say a few times. He should have been able to get through it.

“I want to help everyone,” he managed to say, not able to meet Powder’s gaze. “But I can’t.”

“Because of the physical stuff and the rules?”

Shaking his head, Arcane set his jaw.
“More than that,” he said, turning to look at Powder, and then the cameras (and the audience sitting behind them.) “I was locked up by the Stairway company for more than a decade. The ability to choose was taken from me. I had no agency. For…” he took a few deep breaths, the stallion composing himself.

“I have the magical power to technically solve huge, massive issues across the world. Just like Discord does. Just like the Alicorns do, but easier. I can snap away problems with just a thought. But I can’t fix the underlying issues, not without taking away the agency of other creatures.”

The stallion felt tears well up in his eyes. “And I won’t do that. It’s too easy to keep going. Where do I stop? Feeding creatures? Ok. What about housing them? What about then paying off every sliver of debt? Removing corrupt officials? Entire governments? Forcing criminals to act lawfully? Making sure everyone acts nicely?”

He shook his head. “It’s so easy for me to just keep going, I can’t do that. I won’t. But what I can do is support those who are solving the problems of this world. And I will. If anyone is wondering why I didn’t save someone, why I didn’t help…it’s not because I didn’t want to.” He couldn’t look at the cameras and audience anymore, eyes drifting to his hooves.

“I’m still only one pony. And while Chaos magic is limitless, I wouldn’t be able to stop if I tried to solve everything. I have a system where it’s random, so I don’t make the choice between one life or another. That would...” he had to pause to collect himself. “I have the power to make a world without pain. No money troubles, no sorrow, no crime. But a world like that would mean I have to force creatures to be good. And I’d never take away someone’s ability to choose. And even if somehow I did make a world like that, a world without pain is a world without knowing joy. It’d be false.”

A bit of magic sparked in Arcane’s eyes, the unicorn’s fangs showing in a snarl.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t help. I’ll help as much as I can. And while I won’t force creatures to be good, I can make the consequences really nasty for those wanting to hurt others.”

Powder stared, Arcane’s face abruptly lighting up with a blush.
“That was-sorry,” he stammered. “If you don’t shut me up, I’ll monologue. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. Thinking on a big scale is hard to describe.”

The mare took a look at her notes and promptly tossed them over her shoulder, shaking her head.
“No, that was great, actually,” she admitted. “Rather beautiful in a way.”

“T-thanks.”

“Anything else you’d like to add? That was probably the biggest question looming over everything.”

The background of the room abruptly swirled as if turned into a massive green screen. A white and gold city spread out behind them, innumerable stars shining in a purple sky.

“I want to give creatures hope,” Arcane said, his tone a bit shaky. “This is what I’m working on. I can’t be everywhere at once. But I can do more. This is Entropy. A city in my chaos dimension. In time, I hope to open it to everyone. If you don’t have anywhere to go, you’ll always be welcome here.”

He shrugged, the stallion looking at his hooves.
“Just because I got abandoned by the world doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon everyone. I’m not going anywhere. I think I’ve taken up a bit more than my time, so I appreciate you all willing to listen.”

A smattering bit of clapping made Arcane lift his head, the sound quickly turning into a loud thunder of applause.

It took everything he had to not look utterly confused.

I can’t save them all. I may have saved that pony’s kid, but there were so many I wasn’t able to.
But I want to.

As he shook Powder’s hoof, trotting through a newly created portal, a single thought made the stallion smile.

Maybe wanting to help is enough. After all I can do.

Author's Note

Ah, the joys of media...:rainbowlaugh:

Chapter Ten: Poorly Penned Poems

The council of gryphons laughed, raising their glasses in a toast. Ridlar jostled Tanzil with a friendly shove, the Emperor’s long-time friend grinning as they drank.

Tanzil downed his spiced drink. While others were a bit tipsy, he avoided any sort of alcohol for that exact reason. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy some time with his friends.

Yet doubt tugged at the gryphon’s heart. They had met many times over the years, just like this. Picking out a restaurant, discussing business, and then just talking and joking for hours. Tanzil had fond memories of such times.

But something had changed, something recently. The Emperor wasn’t sure what, but there was an undercurrent of something. It had eaten at his heart and mind at a few of their prior, recent meetings. But such a feeling now wasn’t present in the slightest. It was quite the opposite, making tension bleed from Tanzil’s frame.

Ridlar was his oldest friend, the council-gryphon now drunkenly throwing some darts at a board. He looked over to Tanzil, waving for him to join with a grin.

Maybe it was the stress. The odd gut feeling was utterly gone. This felt familiar, just like the dozens of times before. The Emperor was just able to be a gryphon with his friends. They were laughing and joking together. It felt nice, peaceful in a way.

“Best of luck, by the way!” Ridlar crowed, handing Tanzil some darts. “I know she’s a pony, but she’s an Alicorn! She’d pluck you faster than an arrow shot if you stepped wrong! So don’t get too touchy!”

“Hey now, I’m not the one who did get plucked! You remember when we visited that manufacturing facility, Ridlar. How much of your rump got nearly skinned off?” Tanzil retaliated with a chuckle.

The group roared with laughter as Tanzil threw a few darts, the gryphon unable to keep a smile off his face.

Even if perhaps we’re slowly drifting apart over time, it’s nice to have friends.

Twilight shifted from hoof to hoof anxiously. Sure, they had already technically had a date, but this was different!

I hope I didn’t bring too many examples! Or too few!

The stack of papers in her saddlebags was the best bad poetry works the mare could find, and that was only a tenth of them!

The meadow they were in was fairly close to the diner they had previously met at. A dense forest thankfully provided a good bit of privacy, and that was in addition to the spells Twilight had set up. She couldn’t be too careful, after all.

Sure, it wasn’t a “secret” per se. It was just confined to the upper levels of the hierarchy. Tanzil had said the council knew, and so they’d have to make some sort of announcement before it got spread around. He couldn’t just lie about his whereabouts as easily as Twilight could.

Not that she did. Just…there was a bonus to being seen as an all-powerful Princess.

A teleportation spell made the knee-high grass sway in a magical breeze. It was a remarkably tidy spell, one far more skilled than any mage Twilight had seen. Tanzil wasn’t hiding his skill, it would seem.

Appearing with a snap of magic, the gryphon looked around. His features immediately brightened as the gryphon’s eyes found Twilight.

It made a warmth flutter in her chest.

“Hey, Tanzil. Decent day?” she asked, the mare sitting down at his side. Tanzil nodded, setting down a few large books.

“Indeed. I got to meet with the Council earlier, just relaxing as friends. It was…nice. They got drunk by barely midday, but that’s their prerogative. What about you?”

Twilight’s go-to answer was that of general truth. But she bit her lip.

Maybe I can be honest.

“I’ve been trying to not think about this date the entire day. Every time I do, I spin around in an anxious circle,” she admitted softly. “Even now I don’t know what to think! I haven’t done this in a long time. And never as a Princess or anything! N-not that I didn’t want to think about it! I just…” her voice drifted off, muzzle rumbling in frustration.

A spell drifted off of Tanzil, and Twilight saw some rather pronounced circles underneath the gryphon’s eyes.

“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t sleep well either, if I’m being honest,” he said with a sheepish smile. “I’m not terribly adept at this either.”

“You seemed pretty confident when we met in the diner,” Twilight mused. The gryphon abruptly let out a snort.

“Well, sure! That was at least partially business. There was a slight schedule. But when we’re just here,” his wings drooped, and the Emperor radiated embarrassment as Tanzil wasn’t able to look at her. “I’m just happy to talk with you. Activity or not. I don’t know what to do with that.”

A sniffle made the gryphon’s ears perk up, Twilight blinking away a bit of dampness in her eyes.
“Well, for not knowing what to do, you’re doing pretty well so far,” the mare said with a gentle smile. “That’s one of the sweetest things someone has said to me in a long, long time.” She reached down, giving a set of talons a squeeze with her hoof.

“I find that hard to believe,” he admitted, the mare rolling her eyes.

“Why? Most creatures aren’t vulnerable around me. That goes double for any guys who might be interested in me, even more so when I hold a position of power.”

She glanced up at the flustered gryphon with a grin.
“I think your vulnerability is an adorable contrast to your confidence; because you certainly have some, whether you believe it or not.”

Tanzil’s claws tightened around her hoof slightly at that. The gryphon seemed to retreat into himself for a moment, but it passed quickly.

“Well, thank you, Twilight. I’ll trust your assessment rather than my own,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Now, on to the matter at hand…hoof…thing. I hope you brought your worst poems because I have quite the arsenal!”

The mare couldn’t resist a soft giggle, an array of books popping into the air with a puff of purple magic.

“I might have a few!”

Tanzil opened the first book with a smirk.
“Then let the battle of the awful poems begin!”

*One pile of poems later*

Tanzil had tears running down his cheeks, the beautiful mare at his side rolling in the grass with laughter. The first poems had been the opening salvo, and things had gone downhill rapidly.

Well, in a good way.

“Y-your eyes are like l-lasagna,” Tanzil wheezed, trying to read from the book in his claws between the laughter. “With layers and layers of sauce!”

“T-that-what?!”

“Y-your heart is l-like a rotten fruit. F-full of the remnants of l-life and…I can’t!” Tanzil gasped.

Twilight was laughing too hard to speak. All of the tension had bled out on reading the poetry that should have stayed confined to either history books or private journals rather than being published for all to see.

She was happy to admit gryphons wrote significantly worse poetry than ponies.

The gryphon at her side closed the book, shaking his head with another laugh. Seeing Tanzil able to be so lighthearted and free from stress made Twilight far happier than she’d have ever assumed. It was like seeing the gryphon underneath a heavy mask.

He was smart, funny, playful, and vulnerable. For some reason, that thought made the mare tear up.

“I think I’m willing to admit defeat, Tanzil,” the mare said, sitting up as he wiped away tears.

The gryphon knew he was staring, and he forced himself to look away. Seeing Twilight laughing was…

I just want to see her laugh more.

Garret had been right. This beautiful mare had given him a glimpse at what life was like with a friend, a companion. Something more.

She saw his look, of course. Twilight had a bit of a shy streak to her, and she glanced away with a bit of a blush.

“There is another part of this date I wanted to try if you’re willing,” Tanzil said softly, conjuring up a simple item from a holding crystal.

“Oh?”

The miniaturized record player was a new bit of technology; allowing the playback of recorded sounds from a crystal seamlessly.

Tanzil swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous. This wasn’t new.

“May I have this dance, Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, bowing with a formal flare of a wing.

The mare immediately trotted forward, taking his outstretched claws. Bipedal dancing was an art as much as the actual steps were, but Twilight had practiced well enough.

It was a simple classical song; the same they had danced to previously. No surprises, not in terms of music it would seem.

With Twilight being a bit taller than the average unicorn, and Tanzil not being the largest of gryphons, it was a surprisingly close match-up in terms of height. He still looked down at her, of course. But not like a hippogriff or dragon.

His amber eyes were far softer and gentler than Twilight would have expected. There was usually an edge, a careful wall. As he led them through a few simple steps, those barriers were nonexistent.

The smile on Twilight’s face made emotion immediately swell within Tanzil’s breast. There was so much he wanted to tell her.

Someday.

“I never was a dancer,” Twilight said, clearly relaxing as her movements became more fluid. “That was always Rarity’s thing. I learned for formal functions of course. But it never was a big interest.”

She let go of his claws, pressing against the gryphon’s side in a more traditional pony step. He knew a few of them and was able to switch between the two styles easily enough.

“But I could get used to this. With you,” she added softly.

Her words made Tanzil’s heart soar- and yet it began to crack. There was a brief, almost physical pain in his chest before he caught himself.

Let me just enjoy this. Someone who cares.

The music softened, the song ending as a familiar hoof gripped his talons tightly.
“Tanzil?”

He looked over to Twilight, concern written across the mare’s face.

“Is this more stuff you can’t tell me?” she asked, ears drooping. “I get it, but I don’t have to like it.”

The gryphon’s heart nearly broke.
Don’t make me lie to you, Twilight. I care too much to do that.

“It’s…” he took a deep breath. “Yes. But not for long.” A set of talons pressed against his chest, the Emperor sighing. “If you hold something too close to your chest, it eventually begins to burn your heart. I’m starting to understand that.”

Twilight drew a surprised breath as Tanzil looked over to her. Her lips trembled at seeing the gryphon shrink. For the briefest moment, he looked terrified.

She knew that look. She had seen it in the mirror so many times. It was a look that said only one thing.

Will you still be my friend?

“Will you wait for me? Just a bit longer?”

The tight hug Twilight pulled him into made the gryphon gasp, the tension bleeding from his frame immediately.

“Of course, I will,” she whispered. “As far as first dates go, this was incredible. I haven’t laughed this much in a long, long time.” The mare gave him a tight squeeze, then pulled back to look up at him. “And knowing that you can be vulnerable and communicate is, well, that’s a pretty good thing in my book. We all have secrets. And it’d be a bit of a red flag if we got there on the first date.”

She then gave his chest a firm poke. “Besides. You’re not the only one who has troubles. You’re just more open about it with me. I…” the mare’s violet eyes widened as a rather surprising lump of emotion caught in her throat. “I really appreciate it. If you’re open about it, m-maybe I can try to be too. But that’s new for me,” she admitted, wings and shoulders slumping. “I can promise to try.”

“I’d say that’s a good way to go forward. Promising to try,” Tanzil mused. “Soooo does that mean I made the checklist for a second date?” he asked, a bit of cheekiness returning as the Emperor regained a bit of his composure.

“Oh, most definitely.”

There was a bit of awkward silence as they looked at each other, Tanzil finally shaking his head with a grin.

“This was a lot of fun, Twilight. Odd, but fun.”

“Ditto. But I wouldn’t call either of us normal. So, odd is good.”

Her magic snagged all of the neatly stacked books, the items vanishing into a portal as Tanzil did the same with a wave of his claws.

“Same time and place in maybe a week? Or less?” Twilight asked. “Preferably less?”

At seeing his shocked expression, the mare’s face turned a bright pink, bangs falling in front of her eyes as Twilight hung her head with a squeak. “If you want?”

It took every fraction of Tanzil’s self-control to not hug the Princess again. Flustered Twilight was adorable.

“Of course I want to. A week or less it is!” he said, trying not to speak too loudly, despite wanting to cheer. “Any theme or activity?”

“Hmmm. How about bringing a few copies of the oddest historical artifacts you have in museums? Nothing magical or special- just weird things,” Twilight’s hoof then traced the tamped-down grass in front of her. “We can compare those, and maybe dance again?”

He reached out and gently held the mare’s hoof with a smile; a final, affectionate touch before they charged up their teleportation spells.

“Sounds like a date.”

Author's Note

Chapter Eleven: Spilled Milk

Getting groceries shouldn’t send me into a mental breakdown.

Nilli leaned her head on the cool refrigerator, taking a few deep breaths. Three days of barely any sleep, and then having to push herself through a short modeling session had been bad enough.

Then some sleezy hippogriff had somehow gotten past security and grabbed down her side. He had been aiming for somewhere else. The gryphoness’s claws still hurt from the punch she had reacted with. Her blow had almost shattered his beak; at least broken it and given him two black eyes.

Garti had been needed elsewhere for that day, and the fact the temporary fill-in manager wasn’t very sympathetic told Nilli all she needed to know about their priorities. A quick call to Garti sorted that out, and the gryphoness didn’t envy what would transpire for the poor soul.

It had still kicked her already cruddy day off a cliff.

I don’t like being touched even on a good day.

Of course, the gryphoness didn’t have a ton of experience to base that thought on, only her initial impressions. She just wasn’t initially cuddly, and that matched her personality at least in part.

I’m not mean. I just don’t have the energy to be all fluffy and nice.

Whether it was an excuse or not, the gryphoness wasn’t entirely sure. When you operated constantly on a lack of sleep and headaches, being courteous eventually took a back seat over just getting through the day. Maybe she wasn’t naturally prickly like other gryphons; Tanzil seemed to think so. But day in and day out…what else could she do?

Putting a few necessary ingredients into her basket, Nilli accidentally sent a package of pasta onto the floor. In true comedic fashion, it sprayed out the contents across the whole aisle.

It was such a simple thing. All she had to do was reach down and sweep them up. A wave of her claws could do it with magic. Yet her logical thoughts refused to respond. Instead, tears gathered in the gryphoness’s eyes as she stared at the mess. She set down the basket with trembling claws, huddling into a corner. A simple cloaking spell covered the gryphoness as she cried.

Pathetic. You’re crying over spilled pasta.
Some strong gryphon you are.

The burning tears trickled down the usually stoic gryphoness’s face, Nilli’s temples throbbing in pain as emotion clogged her throat. It had been a while since she had a good cry, and it showed. Between the lack of sleep and the anxiety of everyone being on edge, she had been operating on a hair trigger for so long.

Tanzil had been a pleasant, regular influence in her life. But the occasional communications with him were clearly laden with stress as of late. Twilight made him happy, and Nilli was glad he had a sane influence in his life.

And yet…

I just don’t have anyone to talk to.

It was a harsh reminder of why the gryphoness moved away. Creatures she thought were friends were just in it for clout, for the fame. The first time had been a fluke she had managed to write off.

The second time her “friends” and early special-somegriff had showed their real colors, something inside the gryphoness had broken, and it was still healing. All she wanted was-

“Nilliana?”

A familiar voice made the gryphoness raise her head. Swiping an arm across her face, Nilli couldn’t help but hiss. “Of course. The one creature who could s-see through my magic. Perfect timing,” she muttered rather bitterly. “What do you want, Arcane?”

The pony took a few steps closer, swaying back and forth.
“Sorry. Can’t help it,” he admitted. “Have to focus to not see magic stuff. Ish kind of hard right now. Not much enerfy…” The stallion then looked at her closely, eyes narrowing. “Are you real? Hmmm. Sheems to be. Ok, good.”

Nilli’s eyebrows raised at the slurring of words. “Are you drunk? Seriously?” she half-snarled. That was the last thing the gryphoness wanted to deal with right now. “I’m not in the mood to chat, let alone with a drunkard.”

Arcane tilted his head as if thinking, blinking slowly as the levitated grocery basket at his side wavered slightly.

“Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to chat a lot. Not drunk, just burned out. I guess it feels the same. I dunno.” he explained. “Had an interview yesterday on the news. Pushed myself. Went home, almost blew up my house. Well, again. Inhibitors didn’t work as well,” the pony’s brow furrowed. “They should have worked better. Whooaaaaa one second.” Arcane wobbled on his hooves, steadying himself. “World shpinning.”

Looking up at her, Arcane seemed to be trying to mentally collect himself, as if every focused thought needed extra effort.

“I just wanted to ask if you’re ok. Y’know. Crying in a store and stuff,” he said. “I’m cloaked too. I made a copy of the aisle we’re in so nobody can know about us!” The pony then grinned rather cheekily, looking rather proud of himself. “I thought she’d appreciate that.”

“…what?”

It took a few seconds for Nilliana to realize that Arcane didn’t have a filter, and was narrating his thoughts. The situation was just ludicrous enough to make her tears stop. If not for her horrific day, it’d have been a rather amusing situation. So, there was that. His speech patterns were simpler and more direct. It was almost like speaking with a foal.

“I’m not doing okay,” she finally said, annoyance tempering down to general exhaustion. “I’ve had a horrid day, and just one of those times a little thing sends you over the edge. I haven’t had more than a few hours of sleep in days,” she managed to say with a huff. “I just wanted to get my groceries, but ended up crying over spilled pasta.”

“That’s not fun,” Arcane said rather simply, his voice clearing slightly. “I know how that feels. Being tired.”

“Oh, do you?” Nilliana asked sarcastically, any barriers to cordial discussion taking far too much energy. “I have to manage a shop, deal with my side career, try not to go nuts from everycreature being on edge, and go through day-to-day life half asleep! I probably am keeping the pharmacy afloat with my painkiller purchases alone! Feeling cruddy is the norm for me, and it’s exhausting! I don’t need your pity. I can get that for free when talking to any pony. So really, do you know what it’s like? I doubt it.” A bit of guilt pricked at the gryphoness’s heart as Arcane’s ears drooped, his demeanor sagging.

He was just trying to help.

“Yeah, I do know what it’s like,” he said softly, eyes clearing to match his voice. “I don’t sleep well. It was nice when Fluttershy was there to snap me out of it when I woke up screaming, but I can’t rely on her all the time. So, not sleeping sometimes helps. Not a lot of fun though. Have to choose between nightmares- well, memories I guess, or feeling exhausted.” The stallion’s eyes drifted to the ground. “Can’t tell anyone. I don’t want pity. Just someone to listen.” He then frowned with a frustrated grunt. “Too personal. Stupid. Shouldn’t have said that to her. Scares creatures.”

Nilliana could only stare. Then again, hearing how someone else’s day was even worse was a fair distraction. It didn’t help her feel better, but it put things in perspective.

Just someone to listen…

“Stars above, Arcane. I didn’t know it was that bad,” Nilliana said.

He simply shrugged, wobbling on his hooves. “Eh. Almost nobody does. Not a big deal. Not anyone’s job to care. But I can try to care. I want to. You helped me. So, I can at least say hi and see if you’re ok.”

“The potions? Well, glad they helped,” Nilliana said with a shrug, watching as a flicker of chaos magic scooped up the pasta and put it back on the shelf.

“The potions? Oh, yeah, they were great. Wasn’t talking about that though,” Arcane’s ears then flattened. “Stupid. She wouldn’t know. Obviously forgot. Or I’m wrong.”

“Not the potions? Does that have to do with what you said about my eyes?”

Nilliana watched as the light violet unicorn nodded, dark blue mane hiding his face as if out of embarrassment.

“Yeah. Is silly. Didn’t phrase it right. Sounded weird,” he admitted.

“Well, I’m exhausted, but in a bit better of a mood now. Can you at least tell me what that was about? You said something about knowing those eyes, and then vanished.”

She hadn’t seen many stallions get embarrassed. Not like this. Usually, it was the angry type of embarrassment. The blush that lit up Arcane’s face was something far different. It wasn’t rage or frustration.

Arcane’s mane was brushed out of his eyes, black pupils looking at the gryphoness as a shimmering array of light surrounded their depths. Despite the cacophony of colors, there was a familiar warmth. A genuine, innocent appreciation Nilliana recognized from back in the shop. It punched through her exhaustion and headache in an odd way that soothed her heart.

“Probably bad time to explain,” he said, shoulders slumping. “Can’t think right. But you asked. It’s silly. Maybe I’m wrong.” The stallion sat down, reaching up to rub a temple with a hoof.
“Don’t want to talk too much. Bad memories. The company tried to make me have burnouts for study. Dunno when it happened, but I saw two green eyes. Looked exactly like yours. Was n-nice for s-someone to see me. To hear me.” The unicorn’s lips trembled. “To know I e-existed.”

The pain in the unicorn’s eyes was frightening as he looked away. Arcane shook his head, standing up. “Bad memories. Don’t want to say more. Already chatted too much when you said not in the mood. Sorry. That was blunt. Not a topic for a good mood.”

Nilliana couldn’t speak for a few moments. Of the things she had expected, even from Arcane, that hadn’t even been close to one of them.

“No, it’s-it’s alright. Maybe you could stop by in the shop when we’re both feeling better?”

His demeanor visibly brightened, the stallion nodding as he picked up the grocery basket.

“I’d like that,” he said softly. “I won’t keep you any longer. Silly. Talked too much. I need to stop that. I always just ramble. Creatures won’t like that. She certainly won’t,” the last words were added as if an afterthought, a slight frown twitching at his mouth. “Hope you feel better, Nilliana.”

The world flexed, and the gryphoness was left alone in her intact cloaking bubble. With a wave of her claws, she dispelled it and calmly paid for her groceries. It was a simple matter to teleport back to her shop, the gryphoness finally letting out a long, tired breath.

“Well. That was something,” she sighed, flopping onto the couch. “He’s quite the character. I wonder if he’ll remember any of that?”

Oddly, Nilli realized that she wasn’t that frustrated or sad anymore. In his odd way, that stallion had made her day a bit better. If not from the experiences he had shared, simply being a neutral party.

He doesn’t want pity. Neither do I.
We just want someone to be there.

Pondering over her memories, Nilli frowned at first. She didn’t remember anything about seeing Arcane, or anyone like him, not even remotely recently.

He saw my eyes, or something like that. Maybe I would have just seen his?

“Surely I’d have remembered if-” She drew in a sharp breath, the gryphoness’s thoughts freezing.

She did remember seeing those eyes.

In a house near a large observatory, Arcane finished putting his groceries away, the stallion curling up on one of the large beanbags in the living room.

“That went well. At least I didn’t say anything silly,” he said with a happy, tired, sigh. “That would have been embarrassing.”

Chapter Twelve: Line in the Sand

The massive crystal chamber hummed, a gaggle of creatures looking at the leyline reactor with sunglasses on. The depths of the Last Light islands were one of the most protected areas in the world, housing their trademark reactors. Off to the side, two unicorns sat, looking at the see-through pillar as blue energy swirled in their depths.

Arcane looked at the reactor with a critical eye, another unicorn at his side waiting patiently. The heat sinks of the room bled the excess thermal energy out into the air and ocean, heavy-duty magical dampeners making up the tiled ceiling and roof.

Considering the heat energy was minimal, it was an efficient design to say the least, almost all of the conversion being from leyline magic into useable arcane power in this plane, along with electricity. It was like a hydroelectric dam, just with leyline energy, a passive method of producing power.

But this smaller reactor had a specific purpose, one Toxic had respectfully asked Arcane’s help with.

“And it won’t be used regularly?” the chaotic unicorn asked, Toxic Shield shaking his head firmly.

“No. This is only a protective measure. If there’s a threat from Limbo, a shield infused with Chaos magic is one of the few things that would be able to contain it. A polar opposite magic,” he said firmly. A glowing green gem set inside of a necklace softly pulsed as the unicorn spoke. It was a far cry from the older models, the enchanted gem functioning to mitigate the painful effects of Toxic’s natural voice to anyone in earshot; you’d barely know it was coming through the translation spell with the newer versions.

Director Shield had explained the overall function a few times to Arcane, and it made enough sense. Mally trusted Toxic, and Arcane had never sensed any ill will from the unicorn. And, the Organization had agreed to not use the reactor for anything outside of the specific, narrow functions. Once the Limbo threat had subsided, it would be dismantled. Toxic also promised that current operations would be shared with all other nations, the research not being restricted to just the Organization. That was good enough for Arcane.

Last Light had, in return for Arcane’s help, codified future trading routes, economic, and diplomatic ties to Entropy. Even if they were in their base stages, the foundation was laid, and the terms were certainly agreeable.

Toxic wanted to help; a once-mortal unicorn doing the best he could. Arcane could appreciate that. But, on the off chance something went into left field…Arcane could always just make the reactor vanish if the terms were broken. It was his magic, after all.

The magical shields around the circular chamber rippled, white energy coursing through the pillar-like structure rhythmically. It quickened as Arcane stared at it, the unicorn nodding. He still was recovering from his burnout a day ago, but this was a simple matter. A minor tweak. Discord had even helped with double-checking the safeguards on the chaos end of things.

“Stand back,” Arcane said firmly, magic flickering from his horn. It shouldn’t be difficult. It was the secret that Discord had told him, after all.

There is order to Chaos.

Multicolored energy infused into the reactor, the crystal chamber thickening as the material grew. Arcane grinned, the leyline energy smoothly mixing with the chaotic magic.

It’s not repelled by it at all. It’s working with it.

Somehow, that made the unicorn’s heart lift. Chaos magic, what he was, wasn’t rejected by the magic of this world. It wasn’t a polar opposite, just another force to guide life.

And this will help keep this plane safe.

The multicolored energy hummed, the various scientists looking at their readouts with a flurry of affirmative nods.

The crystals around the containment chamber stopped growing, the magical minerals firmly encasing the inner core of the reactor with an additional layer of security. The magic inside was stable and didn’t so much as fluctuate when Arcane added and subtracted some of his magic.

Perfect.

“There you go. The chaos magic isn’t able to go into the leylines; this type of energy only exists here,” Arcane said. “No danger to the leylines. And if containment is breached, it’ll all turn into cotton candy. Those shield emitters can link to the reactor from anywhere on the planet. Well, in theory.”

Toxic held out his hoof, the other unicorn shaking it.
“Thank you, Arcane. Really,” he said softly. “Having a shield against what’s coming…I hope it’s never used.”

“I’d be content with that.”

“I won’t keep you. I appreciate the stop-in to kick-start things. I’ll keep you in the loop if any further development is needed. We’ll just be fine-tuning the shield projectors. Then it’ll just be tests, nothing more. We won’t so much as scan the failsafe you put in. I take no offense to that precaution.”

“Sounds good, Director,” Arcane said with a firm nod.

“I won’t keep you. Thank you again.”

Arcane vanished with a puff of magic- but something interrupted the teleportation. He could have punched through, maybe.

“This is too far, Arcane,” a familiar voice said.

The unicorn rolled his eyes, resolving the scene in front of him. The two Fates had wanted to keep it as some nebulous, cloud-like landscape. Instead, cobbled stones splayed out from Arcane’s feet, a simple castle courtyard erecting itself around him and the two surprised mares in front of him.

He wasn’t going to be at their mercy, speaking on their terms. Arcane’s magic sparked across the ground; he could leave if he wanted to.

“Too far? I’d say I’m perfectly within your rules,” the unicorn said with a huff. “As I told Toxic, there’s no danger to the leylines, no danger to the mortals, no danger to, well, anything. It’s a shield only. And outside of that chamber, it’s not interacting with this world’s magic.”

“We can’t have chaos magic constantly be in this world! That’s against…” Clari’s words drifted off as Arcane grinned, a bit of an unhinged smirk making his fangs show.

“The rules?”

Fide glared at him, the taller mare shaking her head.
“We can’t explain why, it just doesn’t feel right! It shouldn’t be allowed; it’s not ok!”

“Because of Discord? Is that what this is about?” the unicorn asked. “Is it because you think chaos magic is inherently bad? Or are you afraid of what I can do if I really wanted to?”

It was only for a second, but guilt flickered across the Fate’s faces. Arcane could only chuckle.

“You all like to act so above mortals, so far removed. And yes, I know Fide you married one, well, Varti was once mortal at least. But that doesn’t count. You’re so much like us.”

“You’re not mortal.”

*WHUMP*

The displaced air rushed away, magical energy dumping into the ground underneath Arcane’s hooves. Fide took a cautious step back as the cobblestones underneath Arcane abruptly melted. The unhinged rage in the unicorn’s eyes made the powerful mares pause as he stared at them.

“Don’t you dare dismiss me like that! I was, once. I didn’t mean to change! But I’m making do,” Arcane growled. “And I told you and Harmony my answer to your rules. And I’ll tell you again. Your rules, not mine! We need a shield against what is coming, and this is how we power it!”

The two Fates looked at each other silently, an unheard conversation taking place. Arcane slammed a hoof down onto the stone and cracked it.

“You don’t get to decide when I can’t help creatures!” he said, tears abruptly welling up in the unicorn’s eyes. “Not after what I went through!” Arcane looked up at them, gaze narrowing as a fierce snarl slid onto his face. “This plane is under my protection! As much as I can give it!”

“Your protection? No, it’s under ours,” Fide countered. The mare almost seemed scared- but Arcane brushed past that.

Out of the corner of his eye, Arcane saw Harmony’s frame flicker into focus. She remained silent, simply watching the exchange. He didn’t blame her for tuning in.

“Oh, is it now?” Arcane asked with a sarcastic sneer, armored breastplate wrapping around his chest. “What have you protected it from? Genuinely? You’re on thin ice with me as it is. I understand why you didn’t reveal my location for the greater good. I agree with it. But that doesn’t mean I trust you!”

The chaos unicorn couldn’t help but laugh.

“So. You protect this realm? Ok, then name a threat! If you truly are protecting this plane, then tell me what you’ve fought off! I haven’t heard of anything, but I’ve been out of the loop for a while.” He began to pace back and forth, eyes never leaving the two mares. “What have you protected it from? Enlighten me! The Stairway Company? Tirek? A rogue changeling hive? Mercenaries? The overgrowth of the Everfree? Discord? The King of Shadows? WELL?”

The two fates stared at him, uncomfortably shifting on their hooves. Now the stallion was certain there was more at play. The two mares were very uneasy as they now avoided his gaze. He got the sensation they weren’t alone, that it wasn’t him they were worried about, but Arcane couldn’t stop himself.

“All of those were handled by mortals! So, what have you protected them from?! Tell me!”

“We protect this realm with others, by making sure things are in balance…” Clari’s words drifted off as Arcane laughed.

“Your idea of balance is flawed and childish at best. Try again.”

“Childish?! What we do is necessary!” Fide said with a snort, glaring at Arcane.

“I never said it wasn’t necessary. I only said it was flawed,” Arcane countered. “Ok then. So, let’s get our rolls straightened out for the next thousand years, shall we? You seem to be fine with letting me talk. Alright then. So, listen!”

An odd warmth pushed down any anxiety in Arcane’s chest, words easily flowing from his mouth. Where the confidence was coming from, the unicorn wasn’t sure. Some of the magical threads and sparks spiraling around his body began to shift to bright gold.

“This dimension isn’t under your protection, it’s under your guidance. I’m not going to interfere with that. But you’d better learn how to live with me because I’m going to be actively protecting this world and the creatures on it!”

“You can’t fix everything, Arcane,” Fide said softly.

“Can’t, and won’t are two different things. Didn’t you see my interview?” he replied. “I could force everyone into a mindless existence. I could go back in time and erase evil villains from ever existing. I could bring back the dead! I could erase death and pain!” he took a few deep breaths, shaking his head.

“But I won’t. I never will, because that’s wrong. You keep acting like I’m some petulant child without limits when I’ve been restraining myself my entire life. I know there are rules, and I have my own. They’re just different from yours.”

“Not bringing back the dead is a low bar for someone with your power, Arcane.”

The hatred in Arcane’s eyes made Fide clamp her mouth shut, the mare wincing as he glared at her. Chaos magic made the entire area quiver, the leyline energies yielding to Arcane’s will for a split second. The fact he was able to even control them a bit seemed to make the Fates uneasy.

“You dare mock me?” he hissed. “I have rules. I won’t bring back the dead. I’ll avoid killing if I can. I won’t magic away big mortal issues. I’ll work through existing structures to fix what’s wrong with this world. And, bear with me because I know this might be new to you…but I won’t ignore the suffering of creatures! Not like you or Harmony. Not like any other so-called Guardians, Gods, or whatever you all call yourselves! I don’t think you deserve those titles. They all imply protection, love; empathy.”

He knew he was being a bit unfair, but Arcane didn’t care. These so-called Guardians had gotten on his nerves for the last time. Between suffering from nightmares and physical pain daily, the unicorn’s patience was threadbare.

“I know I can’t ever get rid of everything bad in this world, not while letting creatures live their lives. There will always be evil. But I can rip out the festering groups that you refuse to tackle, that you ignore. I can make an environment where every evil leader who is making plans knows there will be someone watching.” The unicorn grinned, a rather sinister expression making the two Fates glance at each other with a bit of worry.

“No. I can’t fix it all. But I can be the monster under their bed. Before, they just had you. And they were right to not pay you any mind. You let them run free. You’re nothing to fear. You hide behind the promise of balance and harmony, using mortals to do your dirty work. But now they know that if they cross a line, there’s a chance I’ll show up and make their life a nightmare. Now, evil creatures have something to fear. Me.

You claim to care so much about the creatures here. But I know your story. I know how you treated Toxic Shield and Gelliana in the name of your “balance.””

Another wince from the Two Fates let Arcane know he was on the right track. Either they were content with letting him vent and monologue, or he wasn’t wrong. Or perhaps both.

“You know, I’m going to be a bit bold,” Arcane said, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. His gaze drifted to his hooves in thought. “I don’t think you really do care about the creatures here. Not individually. Not like a normal creature does. You care about them as a whole. If individuals have to be sacrificed to make sure everything plays nice, you’re okay with that, as long as it doesn’t upset the balance.”

His eyes lifted, and the neutral expression on the Fate’s faces made him snarl, anger glowing in his breast. They didn’t deny it. Their eyes widened as shimmering portals appeared behind Arcane, chaos magic showing the images of hundreds of creatures in rapid fire.

“These are the creatures I’ve saved. I don’t know all of their faces or names. But I care about them,” Arcane said, his voice quivering slightly. The symbol in the center of his breastplate glowed, the chaos magic coursing over his frame like a river.

“Nobody was there to help me when I begged for mercy, for a miracle. So, if I was you, I’d start thinking of a different way to run things, because I’m not going away. I will never let someone suffer as I did!”

His fangs showed, the pony starting to smirk at the two Fates, their expressions impassive. “If you could have easily stopped me, you probably would have. Don’t expect it to get any easier. If you won’t help me protect this plane, then I expect you to get out of my way.”

He took a deep breath, noticing the stones underneath his hoof were glowing.

“Maybe next time, try treating me like a living creature instead of a malfunctioning machine. From what I can sense, Harmony over there is your same level of power, but she’s allowed more leeway to operate,” Arcane said with a barely contained snarl. “I may not have experience, but I’m not some common unicorn, nor am I a child. A bit of common courtesy would be nice. Maybe start with the acknowledgment that I might actually have feelings? A low bar, but you three don’t seem to even be reaching that. So, next time, keep that in mind. Because if nothing else, you will respect the power that I have. Everyone will. I won’t be ignored!”

“That sounds like Sombra,” Clari piped up, and Arcane simply waved a hoof dismissively.

“Sombra was a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur. I could take over the world with barely any effort,” Arcane snorted dismissively. “I could force every nation to bend to my whims with barely a thought. Instead, I’m creating a city to serve as a home for refugees, and helping creatures in my spare time while recovering from trauma. If actions speak louder than words, then look at mine!”

He smirked at them, chaos magic wrapping itself around his frame, and began to punch through the magical never-land the two Fates held him in. The stallion wasn’t going to be anyone’s prisoner. Not again.

“It’s not just about us!”

Clari’s words made Arcane pause, the magic stilling.

“What?”

“We told you about the other Fates when we apologized. They’re watching all of this as well. Watching very closely,” Fide said slowly.

“Ok, and?”

“You wouldn’t like some of them.”

The fearful and soft, worried tone of Clari made Arcane pause. There wasn’t any fear in his heart at hearing her. No, there was the beginning of a terrible, uncontrollable anger.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he finally asked, the two mares looking up at him. What made Arcane’s emotions stay in check was that the Fates were looking at him as a peer. Sincerity now radiated from their demeanor instead of marked indifference. They looked worried, and that made his anger towards them shift.

“We’ve messed up, ok?” Clari admitted, now not able to look at Arcane any longer. “I won’t hide that. We’re still trying to change how we perceive what’s the best way to balance things. But we’ve done the same thing for thousands of years, and it’s hard! Mortals, creatures like you have born the consequences of us being slow to learn. But sometimes when we want to help like you do, to try and change how we’ve done things, we’re stopped.”

“Stopped?” Arcane said slowly.

“We are forbidden. We are not the most powerful. And our failures have caused…uncertainly concerning our competence.”

Arcane almost laughed in agreement. But Fide’s grave tone made him pause.

“They would stop you? They have stopped you?”

The two nodded once, and that was when Arcane’s anger tore through his mind. It wasn’t just these two who had failed him. And it wasn’t even just about himself anymore. Some unknown cosmic entities seemed to think allowing widespread suffering was balanced?

Life has suffering. That’s why we also have joy. But to let widespread pain and agony spread when you could do something about it…that’s not right.

“So. It’s not just you two who have failed in learning what balance is, but all of these other Fates?” he asked slowly, an almost malicious, fanged grin spreading across his face. “Alright. I assume they’re listening then. Here’s a question for everyone to chew on.

You’ve got the Elements of Harmony, right? Well, what about an Element of Chaos? Because I’m not going anywhere. Life has pain in it, but if you are ignoring a chance to help others, that’s just wrong. In my book, if these Fates are stopping me, or you from helping others, then what does that make them? It certainly doesn’t make them heroes. It doesn’t even make them a force of good in this world. Would that make them villains?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, the stallion’s piercing gaze not leaving the Fate’s.

“Oh, now that is a chaotic question indeed. I hope they’ve been listening very, very closely. And I hope they’ve been watching what I do to unrepentant villains.”

The chaos magic shattered the illusion, whisking the unicorn back to his home as he chuckled, but more out of frustration than mirth. Arcane didn’t know how to feel. He felt so out of place, yet at the same time, he started to see a place for himself in this world. If there was an overwhelming force against change, against helping mortals in a public manner, that needed to be balanced.

Maybe I’m not a mistake.

Reappearing in his living room, the unicorn promptly face-planted into a beanbag, letting out a soft groan. Had he been cocky? Rude? Snarky?

Absolutely. And it felt amazing. But there was a lot to unpack from their brief conversation.

“I don’t want to be mean. But they don’t care about me. If they won’t treat me as an equal, then I’ll demand it!” Arcane muttered to himself.

“Just don’t go full Sombra on us, and I think we’ll be good,” a familiar voice said. “May I come in?”

“Discord? Sure.”

Opening the nearest wall as if it were a door, the Draconequus stepped out, wiping away a few tears of mirth.

“I overheard your little exchange, and, my spunky little unicorn, I’m impressed,” he said, suppressing another chortle. “That was gutsy.”

“Was I wrong?”

The Draconequus floated off the floor with a hum.
“That’s a tricky question. Your delivery was something to be desired, but you weren’t entirely wrong, no.”

“Could they have destroyed me? Will they go that far if I don’t stop?”

The serious question made Discord visibly pause, the chaotic god frowning.
“I think it’s time we have a chat. Your place, or mine?”

Arcane opened a portal to his dimension, the two of them stepping inside. The immediate area was a pleasant meadow, the grassy hill floating through a purple, star-spattered galaxy above them as Entropy gently floated in the distance.

“Today is a good day. I’ll probably crash tomorrow, so it’s as good as any,” he said with a sigh.

“Well, to answer your question, could Harmony, Fide, and Clari, guardians or fates, whatever they call themselves, destroy you? Technically…I don’t know,” Discord admitted. “If they teamed up together, at your current level? Maybe. But I can’t think about how they would. They’re not a threat to me, because I’m not a threat to them. You’re unique; not a threat just yet. Instead, you’re someone that messes with their precious little balance. In time they could perceive you to be a danger, but at the moment, destroying you or me is just not an option for them, and likewise me to them. They probably wrote your little monologue off as just a childish rant, as foolish as that is for them to do.”

“I won’t stop.” Arcane’s words made Discord grin.

“I never said you should. Personally, I think they’ve forgotten that a world in complete balance and harmony is, in fact, not balanced. You need something to counteract that. Something like you. They are largely against direct intervention. You are. It’s rather natural if you think about it.”

Arcane couldn’t help but smile, sniffling as an abrupt wave of tears welled up in his eyes as he took a few deep breaths.

“How can I be stronger? I don’t want to fight them. I just want to be able to stop them from preventing me from saving someone. I want to have a countermeasure against them.”

Discord’s expression darkened.
“Would you ever attack them?” His tone was disturbingly calm and serious.

“I’d never strike first. I’d only want to keep them from interfering. But if I had to guess, you’d stop me if I was going to attack them first?”

To the unicorn’s surprise, Discord nodded, rubbing his brow with a wince.

“Correct, but things aren’t that simple,” he said with a sigh. “I overheard that last bit. Those two are right, there are other Fates out there. Dozens, hundreds, if not more. The fact that Clari and Fide are under increased scrutiny due to their mismanagement of what they perceive balance should be is troubling. Very troubling. These other fates; I don’t know them almost at all. Well, I know the de facto leader. We didn’t get along when we met.”

“Oh?”

“She can be…” Discord let his words drift off. “Difficult. When you get really old, you can let your past cloud your present. For example. Our first meeting in thousands of years was her lecturing me how my love for Fluttershy was horribly inappropriate, and saying all sorts of nasty things about my wife.” A familiar, almost malicious smirk twitched onto the chaotic god’s face. “So, I encased her hooves in concrete and sent her to the bottom of a chocolate milk lake for a while!”

Seeing Arcane’s stunned expression, Discord waved a set of claws franticly. “It didn’t hurt her! You can’t kill them like that. But it made her really annoyed to be stuck somewhere totally out of control. That’s something worse than pain to someone like that, to be powerless and at the mercy of someone else. I made sure she experienced that feeling for a long, long time.” He averted his gaze with a cough. “I can’t say it was one of my finer moments, but I don’t regret it. For her and the other fates, I just don’t ever interact with them because I don’t disrupt things enough.”

“And I might?”

With a nod, Discord spun a claw, a thousand different creatures being arrayed in front of them; the Fates, Arcane assumed.

“Yes. And if you tried to attack them, I’d have to stop you to prevent a wider conflict. You aren’t alone in your thinking. There are other powerful creatures such as Fates who think like you do. Apparently, Clari and Fide are trying to learn as well. But they’re the minority, yielding to the majority of letting things coast by…for now,” He stuck out his tongue. “It’s so boring. But it’s a balance I would have to chime in with. We don’t bother them; they don’t bother us. And yet now things are churning. They’re taking notice. It’s nothing like a life-and-death civil war, but rather a massive disagreement. A tipping of the scale may be in the mix. But we’ll see.”

The Draconequus giggled, waving a claw to Arcane. “But I think that’s a very good thing. You just need to be ready. Many of them are not as nice as Clari or Fide. Those two at least talk and show themselves, misguided as their view of balance may be. Other fates may strike first and apologize later.” He then let out a rather loud groan. “Quite annoying, honestly. We both want what’s best for the world but have different ways of going about it. That’s the true balance of everything. Yet we all want what’s best for Equestria and every other land.”

“They have yet to prove it,” Arcane grumbled. “But you said “us types.” You’ve implied I’m different, a shake-up of the status quo?”

Discord landed on the ground, standing next to Arcane.
“Oh yes. And that brings me to the next bit of news. A bit of a doozy, but at the same time, not. You know how I’m a Prince of Chaos?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think that makes you?”

The unicorn’s eyes widened, Arcane sitting down.
“Wait. Waitwaitwait. What are you saying, Discord?”

The Chaotic God spun a claw; a golden crown hovering above his head.
“A gaudy thing, isn’t it? You have one made of pure chaos magic as well. I saw it when we first met. When you screamed on that glacier months ago it appeared.” The Draconequus’s eyes were remarkably piercing as they locked onto the unicorn. “You are able to harness chaos magic as I am. That makes you a Prince of Chaos as well. There have never been two coexisting in the same plane. Users of chaos, that is. Usually, one wins out. This is quite new indeed. And it presents another weight to throw the scale off balance.”

Arcane could only stare, the unicorn shaking his head.
“The modifications, is that why I’m…?”

“Oh goodness no!” Discord interrupted. “The experiments just sped up a natural process. Regrettably, I might add. You were born this way. It’s part of you through and through. And the Chaos magic responds to you in a remarkably peaceful way. It’s a bit freaky, really. I’m used to it being all over the place. It’s more like a river to you. Most unnatural, and it seems to present itself to you in an almost animalistic way.”

“Would you say it’s chaotic?” Arcane said, Discord smirking.

“Touche. But to touch on your other question, there aren’t specific countermeasures. We don’t use spells like others do. It’s just the amount of energy you can control. You have access to the same amount of magic I do; the only difference is that I’ve got thousands of years of practice under my belt, and a body accustomed to chaos energy.” Discord pulled out his waist and snapped it back to punctuate his words. “I haven’t wanted to push you with the exercises to try and lessen the toll on your physical body. I don’t know if you’ll ever adapt to it, but there are ways to blunt the impact and begin to adjust to it all.”

“Well, I think we need to start those lessons,” Arcane said, holding up a bandaged hoof. “I’ve tried to go slow, like you said. And yes, I agree with having waited for a few months. But I need to learn how to control all of this. How to use more power, and how to control it. I don’t want to rip my body apart if I need to use more magic,” his eyes narrowed. “And I promise not to use any of this knowledge to attack first. But I won’t ever be at the mercy of another creature again. That includes all of these Fates, or whatever they are. If they want to stop me, I will fight. So, I would like your help to learn how to get more power the right way, rather than experimenting. Because I’m going to try regardless.”

Discord’s expression softened, a glint of respect shining in his eyes as he bowed formally.

“We’ll start this evening then. How about that?”

“Can we start now?”

The chaotic god grinned, waving his claws as he pulled them into his dimension, a massive gymnasium erecting itself around them.

“Indeed we can, my little pony.”

*A few hours later*

“Good. Notice how the pattern is stable? You can run an infinite number of those loops within your body,” Discord instructed, looking at Arcane with a keen eye.

The pony stood on the cobblestones, eyes ablaze with a painful amount of light. Outwardly, he looked the same. Yet Arcane could see the magic moving within his body from an odd, surreal third-person perspective.

The figure-eight loop of energy swirled within his chest, chaos magic dumping itself into the pattern. It swirled around, occasionally seeking to spike- and yet it was easily brought under control.

There’s so much!

“Try opening another pattern in your leg. Remember, don’t think about forming it into a shape, only that it moves around and returns to that same path. If the magic stops moving, that’s the problem and what leads to your injuries. If you keep it moving, even in a pattern within you, then you will always have control.”

The Draconequus’s eyes widened in surprise, a magical circuit immediately springing into existence. Then another, and another. A dozen looping pathways circled within Arcane’s body, the pony starting to chuckle.

“This. Feels. Awesome,” he said, beginning to laugh. “It’s not breaking out! It’s all stable!”

“Take it easy, Arcane. If one of those breaches, it’s going to hurt.”

Discord wasn’t surprised too often, not when it came to chaos magic. Yet he had to admit, Arcane’s affinity for the energy took him off guard. The looping magical circuits migrated together, layering on each other as they continued to absorb chaos magic.

He just replicated that technique a dozen times. And the patterns are stable. That was fast. The Draconequus mused.

The chaos magic liked Arcane, that was the only thing that made sense to Discord. The stallion had a willpower that should be the polar opposite of what chaos magic did, and yet it yielded to his desires easily.

It seemed to appreciate the unicorn. That was a word Discord would have never assigned to the odd magical force. In fact, the Draconequus would never have thought it’d act so kindly to another user, if at all.

“I’m going to try something,” the unicorn muttered. “So, watch out.”

“Watching.”

Arcane crafted a small ball of metal, eyes narrowing as he focused on it. Discord couldn’t help but chuckle as the pony shoved one of the patterns of magic into it-

The object exploded; the detonation powerful enough to shred a city. Thankfully, the chaos shields held as Arcane stared in shock.

“Inanimate objects can only hold so much,” Discord said. “Living things are more flexible.”

“I want to have a battery. If I need power and can’t focus enough for a pattern…”

“Well, you’ll have to dial in the magic then. The more resistant to magic the material is, the more chaos energy it’ll be able to hold if I had to guess.”

Arcane nodded, the patterns within his body slowly dissipating. One of them lashed out, a magical bolt of energy punching out of the pony’s side as he lost focus.

The stallion let out a hiss, focusing on the energy patterns as they continued to fade. Only once they were gone did he summon a magical bandage to accelerate the healing of the wound.

“That was stupid,” Arcane muttered.

“But now you see. Lose concertation, and it could kill you. Unlikely, but possible,” Discord warned. “And you don’t need a bandage. Your body has enough energy to heal itself instantly- or not take any damage at all, even from Chaos.”

“I know I know. But I can’t just suddenly “believe” I’m invincible! I know that’s how you do it, but it doesn’t work like that. I need to use existing stuff first,” the stallion hissed. The wound underneath the bandage was already closing. It was at least a small step towards not having his body act like a mortal one.

“Bit by bit then. I think that’s enough for today. I’m rather impressed, to say the least,” the chaotic god admitted. “I didn’t think you’d get even close to mastering one of the loops, let alone a dozen.”

“I’ll just keep hoping that’s a good thing.” Astral wobbled on his hooves, fatigue starting to set in. Discord waved a claw, a portal opening back to the pony’s home.

“It certainly is. We’ll keep up these lessons, but go get some rest for now, Arcane.”

The pony paused, his ears flattening. There was one thought that had continued to nag at his mind. He had mentioned it to Discord once before, but…

“Discord?”

“Hmm?”

Arcane forced the words past the lump in his throat.
“Creatures died because of me. Because of this magic when I was held at the Company,” he whispered. “Could I have prevented it? If I knew how to do this? If I had tried harder?”

To his credit, the Draconequus didn’t immediately respond, lips pursed in thought.
“No,” he finally said firmly. “From what I understand, your state of mind and magic back then, even if you had known how to use these energy loops and managed to contain them, the Company’s…efforts would have broken them. There’s absolutely no way you could have controlled your magic back then with your current magical mastery. Even if you had known how, you just weren’t at that level of control yet.”

The chaotic god’s demeanor and tone then softened.

“Stop blaming yourself, Arcane,” Discord added, the serious tone rather off-putting. “As someone who has used chaos magic since birth…there is nothing you could have done to stop what happened. No matter how hard you might have tried, it wasn’t on you. Those deaths are not yours to feel guilty for. And I’ll repeat that as often as you need to hear.” The Draconequus then awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Um. Fluttershy also wanted to say something along those lines. But she’s better at this than me.”

Arcane looked at the Draconequus, finally nodding and taking a deep breath. The ghost of a smile now managed to worm its way onto the pony’s face.

“Thank you, Discord. Tell Fluttershy I said hello, will you?”

“Anytime. Take care Arcane. And I will; our home is open to you if needs be.”

The stallion stumbled through the portal as Discord faded.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Arcane whispered, then managing a soft grin. “And that’s Prince Arcane to you.”

Discord’s chortle echoed in Arcane’s ears as he bellyflopped into a beanbag with a rather loud sigh. A few hours of practicing the energy loops with Discord had left him more drained than an entire day of stopping disasters.

Different magical muscles, I guess.

He doused himself in water, at least rinsing the sweat off before magicking the moisture away. As he tried to relax on the beanbag, a sorry-looking plant caught Arcane’s eye. He had started a nice little garden of the things, pots starting to dot the home here and there.

This one was wilted. He didn’t know why, as it should have been in perfect condition.

It was a passing thought. The stallion summoned up an energy loop- an itty-bitty one. With a glance, he carefully sent it into the wilting plant. Before his eyes, the plant brightened, turning a healthy green as a week’s worth of growth manifested. It stabilized, happily thriving.

The energy loop is stable.

Yet it only lasted a minute. The energy loop faded as the arcane magic was depleted. The plant immediately withered. Yet its new foundation from the growth due to the loop now seemed to prop it up slightly, and the leaves and stems didn’t look quite as sad as before.

Well. Isn’t that interesting?

Arcane abruptly found it difficult to keep his eyes open, the pony curling up on the beanbag with a sigh. If he could sleep, he’d absolutely take the opportunity.

Author's Note

Spicy chaos unicorn is being spicy.

Chapter Thirteen: Downtime

Sassi gave Astral a friendly nudge, the other Thestral chuckling as they walked along the city street. She couldn’t even remember the joke, only that it had made her smile. He always did.

Her body froze.

It felt as if her skin was crawling, the invasive mind control spell forcing the mare to stand stock still as Astral was abruptly slammed against a brick wall.

Two lab-coated unicorns calmly levitated a sword, making sure Sassi was watching as they sent the weapon into Astral’s chest.

Sassi wasn’t sure what she hit, but the shattering of something indicated it was fairly heavy as the Thestral woke up with a scream. Tears sprang from her eyes as the mare sobbed, her entire body soaked in sweat as she shivered. The door swung open- Astral pausing as he saw his special somepony crying on the bed. The fact he had a combat knife half-drawn made the mare smile through the tears.

My panicking must have felt different, like there was a threat instead of a bad dream.

She hadn’t had one of these nightmares in some time. Usually, it was a general fear, but rarely the horrific, disturbing control from the memories of the controlling spell.

Setting the blade down, her stallion hopped up onto the bed, giving her a bit of space as he always did. She appreciated his sensitivity, so much. But that wasn’t what Sassi needed or wanted at this moment. Astral let out a soft yelp as his marefriend wrapped him up in a tight hug, crying into his shoulder. His comforting embrace immediately soothed her fears, the stallion settling back onto some discarded pillows.

It was so illogical. Sassi knew it was a natural process of dealing with PTSD. Yet she couldn’t help but feel ashamed as her body shivered, the mare desperately wanting to just feel in control of herself again.

Astral’s comforting scent as he hugged her close helped. She could focus on that. On his breathing as she snuggled underneath his head. A heartbeat that she fought mutants and terrors to preserve.

“You’re ok, Sas,” a soft, comforting whisper made the mare’s fluffy ears twitch, and Sassi couldn’t help but choke back a few more sobs.

“W-wasn’t m-me I w-was scared f-for.”

He just hugged her tighter at that. “Well, I’m okay too,” Astral whispered, nuzzling the tops of her ears. Despite being rather rough from just having woken up, Astral’s voice still put her heart at ease.

She didn’t try to sleep- that was too much pressure. But Sassi was able to at least doze. Wrapped up in Astral’s embrace was one of the few places she felt truly safe, especially as a loving hum echoed through their mental link.

“Love you, S-sas,” Astral’s voice hitched as he hugged her tight. He couldn’t mask the worry over their link, a desperate desire to make her feel better. Drowsiness tickled at the edge of Sassi’s mind, the mare snuggling into Astral’s fluffy chest. He didn’t need to try so hard. Just being here was enough.

The fear was chased away as she listened to Astral’s familiar heartbeat, her head moving ever so slightly on each rise and fall of the Thestral’s chest. The horrid memories easily dulled to an obnoxious, but forgettable hum.

“Love you too, Astral,” she murmured, managing a slight smile as his hug tightened.

Sassi yawned, adjusting the sunglasses on her face as she walked with Astral down the suburban road.

“You falling asleep there? I wouldn’t blame you,” her coltfriend remarked.

“Eh. I’ll live. I got some sleep that was quite nice,” she said with a giggle. “You are like, the best pillow ever.”

She’d never get tired of making her stallion blush a bright pink.

“But I do like exploring these areas. Even if it’s some small shops and houses,” the mare added with a sigh.

“I don’t like the city, I’ve decided,” Astral said. “Too busy.”

Sassi nodded, walking over to press against her stallion’s side. Even the simple contact put her heart at ease, especially when Astral spread a wing over her.

“I can’t compartmentalize anymore,” she said softly. “Before, I had a mission when I was out of the Silo. I could ignore the noise and creatures. Now I just have to learn to process it all at once. It’s overwhelming. I can’t keep track of everyone.”

“Hence liking having a wing over you at those times? Helps to focus just on me?”

With a nod, Sassi reached over to give Astral a brief kiss. “Yep. And it helps. Just knowing you’re there makes it a lot easier.”

“Well, happy to help!”

His cheerful reply made Sassi giggle. “Another reason I love you. Want to key the home portal?”

Astral nodded, looking down as some discarded fliers stared at them on the ground.

He activated the portal, then picked up the gaudy advertisement before stepping through. As they reappeared in the living room, Sassi watched the shoulders of her Thestral slump. The stallion flopped onto the sofa with a soft grumble of frustration.

“What’s up?” she asked, dropping off her saddlebags and trotting over. With a hop, she landed at her stallion’s side, draping herself across Astral’s back and looking at the flier with him.

“Oh.”

Astral shook his head, setting the flier aside. “Maybe I’m just over-reacting.”

“I don’t think you are.”

He let out a rather dramatic groan, punching a hoof towards the flier.
“I know everyone is on edge and tired of it! But like, a multi-city gathering?! I know it’s for some big hoofball matchup, but that’s tens of thousands of creatures here! How will they handle security? Ugh. Next week is going to be a nightmare!”

A soft huff left Sassi’s mouth, the mare nuzzling into Astral’s ears.
“I don’t like it. But I don’t blame them.”

“I don’t either,” he admitted. “They’ve had what? Three? Five? At least that many big events with half as many creatures, and nothing. Not even a drunken idiot was arrested, let alone some limbo monster. Multiple gatherings of thousands which would have been a perfect target, and just…crickets.”

His ears flattened, and Sassi tightened her hug around his barrel.

“I just-It’s not over for me,” Astral whispered. “Until that thing is either proven to have left or dead, I don’t know if I can let it go.” A hoof reached over to grip one of Sassi’s tightly. “It certainly doesn’t help the nightmares.”

“I think I’m one of the few ponies who can say I know how you feel,” Sassi admitted. “I get the heebie-jeebies thinking about how much of a security nightmare it’s going to be. Let alone how uncomfortable that many creatures are. Just…I wouldn’t want to be there even without the freaky creature threat.”

“Not a fan of cheap food and screaming creatures?”

“Had enough of all of that in the Silos,” she replied with a deadpan, Astral abruptly torquing his head to look at her.

“Wow that was dark, Sas,” he said, his marefriend abruptly giggling.

“Yup! Dark humor is a great coping mechanism,” she replied cheerfully. “But my point stands.” The mare leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. “It’s okay to be freaked out and worried. I’ve just- I have to force myself to not think about it. I can’t change it, so I’m not going to freak out. I can be aware, but not paralyzed. I learned that in the Silos too.”

Astral let out a frustrated sigh, shifting to wrap Sassi up into a tight hug as he nuzzled into her shoulder.

“Well, our therapist agreed with you; I remember that. Right as always.”

“I have my moments.”

He took a few deep breaths, still not having any idea how she smelled like a lightning strike coupled with a fresh meadow without any perfume. But he wasn’t going to complain.

“While it’s not worth stewing over, doing something, even a small something, usually helps,” Sassi said. “So, want to go check the ammo stocks and oil the shotguns?”

Astral’s ears shot up so fast they might have generated their own electrical current. Sassi couldn’t help but laugh as she hugged him, the two of them hopping up from the couch.

The walk to their hidden basement was a short one; a bookshelf moving aside for a set of stairs. The massive set of rooms was extensive, the entire underground storage area about as large as the house itself.

And it was the smaller of the basements- the one under the observatory was as big as a stadium and stocked to the brim with supplies.

In this case, they had a specific large-caliber ammo room set behind one of many standard security doors. The ammo cans were stacked to the ceiling and magazines were pre-loaded for various side-saddles that were hung in an adjacent room.

The stallion had to admit, it put his mind at ease. They had checked things dozens of times, both the ammo and the other various supplies in the basement. But a simple, mindless scanning of the various supplies they had did settle his heart.

Oddly though, Sassi seemed troubled. He could feel something twanging away at their link, and the mare was distracted, even if she hid it well. It had cropped up a few times in the past week or two, an odd, specific sensation of unease. But Astral usually wouldn’t have paid it any mind. They both were dealing with trauma, after all.

Yet it had gotten worse the past few days. There had even been a nauseating spike of shame yesterday.

Did I do anything wrong?

His ears dropped at that. The unease on her end seemed to crop up at the oddest of times. Asking him to pick where to eat was a common one. Now that he thought about it, Astral couldn’t help but notice most of the time was when she was asking him to do something.

Why would she feel bad about any of that? I don’t get it.
Does she think I’m not capable of making a choice? So, she needs to push me?

Is she ashamed of me? That I’m dealing with stuff?

That thought hit Astral harder than he expected, the stallion pausing as he stared at a pile of loaded magazines.

Surely that couldn’t be it…

“You good, Astral?” Sassi asked, looking over to him as concern swam in her gaze. Yet there was something else.

We promised to be honest with each other. But how can I when I don’t know what’s going on with her?

“Yeah, just thinking,” he admitted. It was a deflection and not a lie. If they had to talk about something serious, he didn’t want to bring it up out of the blue.

The sooner they could talk, the better. Astral just couldn’t bring himself to say anything at the moment. And somehow, he had a feeling Sassi picked up on it because a hint of apologetic regret swam through their link.

I still love her. I just hope she can tell me what’s wrong.
I just hope it’s not me that’s the problem…

The unicorn danced back and forth, a cheerful grin on Arcane’s face. There wasn’t anyone around to see him, after all.

Arcane hadn’t known that disco music was something he needed in his life. One of the many discoveries as of late.

As the song wound down, he reached over to grab a freshly filled bottle of his newest culinary concoctions. He took a large swig-

“PSHAW!” Arcane gasped, blinking tears away from his eyes as he glared at the offending beverage. “That is…*cough* a bit much!”

He gingerly set down the bottle, then slowly inched a hoof back towards it.
“Wait. Why do I want more?” he muttered. “You just hurt me! And yet, it tasted so good.”

The stallion shook his head, looking back at the contraption chugging away in his backyard, just outside his “dancing area”. Some creatures would assume it was an alcohol still- and it certainly bore some resemblance. However, Arcane had cobbled together what looked like an assembly line of burners, boiling pots, mixing jars, and fruit presses into a strangely streamlined amalgamation of pipes, tubes, and fire.

He wouldn’t ever touch alcohol. But this wasn’t producing liquor. The chef he was, the stallion was trying his hoof at a gryphon delicacy; slightly carbonated, spiced fruit drinks. It was a very acquired taste- but spicy drinks were something he had grown up at least sampling when living with Mally.

And now he had a prototype to his own. Despite the pained look on the stallion’s face, he couldn’t help but nearly trot in place with pride as he took another sip. A blend of cinnamon, apple, hot pepper, cardamon, allspice, and a hint of sweet syrup. It tasted like an apple pie that then punched you in the mouth.

The bonus was that magic was only involved in turning physical levers and mashing fruit- otherwise, the process was entirely natural. He could have created something from chaotic scratch of course.

But using magic to complete usually physical cooking steps like crushing fruit just wasn’t the same. Sure, the chaos magic also ran the machine well enough- but the stallion certainly didn’t want to leave it alone. So, he shut off all the burners and magicked them away to a storage portal. Picking up one of the large jars, he put it in a saddlebag and took a few deep breaths.

There was another reason he wanted to get that project started today; a peace offering.

I’ve made a fool of myself twice in front of her. May as well try to salvage what little remains of my demeanor.

The lesson with Discord had helped; at least in some weird way. Arcane had actually managed to get some sleep, so he wasn’t a total wreck. Finding out that disco music made him feel oddly happy was another lift to his current state of mind.

As good of conditions as any.

With a *pop* of magic, he appeared outside of Nilliana’s shop, and already awkwardness flooded the unicorn’s frame. How would he even start?

He shook his head, walking in with another deep breath. There was a gentle chime of a bell, and a familiar voice called out from the opposite corner of the store behind the central shelves.

“Hello! One second…” Nilliana walked over in front of the counter, pausing as she looked at the sheepish unicorn. “Arcane?”

WHATDOISAY?

With words failing him, Arcane levitated out the bottle from his saddlebag and set it on the counter.

“Spiced drink?” he asked, managing a weak smile. “A peace offering for making a fool of myself at least once? If one out of three conversations can be somewhat normal, I’ll count that as a win.”

The gryphoness raised an eyebrow, shrugging as she examined the bottle.
“I appreciate the gesture, but I stay away from alcohol. Hasn’t mixed well with company, I’ve found,” she admitted. “But regardless, thank you. You weren’t that bad.”

“I broke down crying in your store and then was half-asleep when you were having a bad day with groceries.”

The deadpan delivery from Arcane actually made a soft *snrk* leave Nilliana’s beak. He had a point there.

“Alright, well, peace offering accepted.”

“Do you have a minute? I’m curious why exactly you were looking for me. Now that I’m not a wreck,” Arcane admitted. “And the drink has no alcohol. I won’t ever touch the stuff. It’s a take on Gryphon spiced beverages. It’s really spicy though.”

Her ears perked up at that, the gryphoness shrugging nonchalantly. “I’ve got a few minutes- not too busy now,” she said, waving a claw to turn the sign on the door to “back in a few minutes,” then popped off the top of the drink. “And really? Not a fan either? That’s nice to hear. I appreciate the warning, but I can handle my spicy foods.” She cast a brief spell to confirm there weren’t any dubious substances in the bottle (out of sheer habit,) and then took a sip, nodding in approval. “That actually really-OH SWEET *cough* STARS!”

Nilliana let out a choked gasp, eyes watering as she glared at the bottle as if it had personally offended her. It took a few breaths, and the gryphoness actually let out a choked laugh as she took another, more cautious sip.

“Oh my gosh. What is that?! I haven’t had something with that much kick since…ever! Did you get Celestia to spit in it or something?”

Arcane stared at her, Nilliana waving a hoof. “Eh. Sorry. Not the best analogy.”

“Well, sun princess, spicy, I’d say it works. I have a rather unique view of alicorns, as you may imagine.”

“Ooooh, right,” the gryphoness said in a hushed tone with a wince. “Right. But seriously. That was good. Not sure if you have more of the stuff, but I’d gladly buy some. Phew.”

She had to admit, the fact Arcane visibly brightened up was rather cute. He was awkward, to say the least. But he meant well, and that was better than most.

“Also, Arcane?” Nilliana said, her tone softening. “Thanks for what you did in the grocery store. Y’know. Checking if I was ok.”

“Bwa? You’re welcome?”

The utter confusion on Arcane’s face would have been utterly hilarious in any other circumstance. Instead, Nilliana couldn’t help but feel sorry for the unicorn. Arcane tried to hide it, but he didn’t have a poker face to speak of. There was just confusion written across his entire being, along with a significant amount of embarrassment. The stallion wore his heart openly, and Nilliana could appreciate the simple honesty. It was both surprising and rather refreshing.

“I can’t even remember half of what I said, but I’m glad I could help,” he finally mumbled, eyes drifting to the floor.

“Nothing bad. You were just adorably honest. It was a nice change from most creatures, actually. You also, uh, didn’t seem to have a filter between your thoughts and what you thought you didn’t say.”

Arcane’s face immediately turned a bright red, Nilliana holding up a claw. “I already said you didn’t say anything bad! It was just rather funny. It certainly made me forget about the cruddy day I was having.”

“Glad to…help?” the stallion managed to say through one word taking up most of his thought process.

Adorable?

“So. To answer your question, I want to be honest first. Since we’re having our first normal conversation,” Nilliana said, waving off a yawn. “Sorry. Not you. Insomnia. Anyhow. Part of the reason I was allowed to move here and have some funding to get settled, was to have official Gryphon Empire business. Emperor Tanzil has looked after me for a while, but he still has to justify stuff to the council. In this case, they were obnoxiously interested in you.”

“Me?”

She nodded, gesturing to the unicorn. “Well, specifically, they wanted info on chaos magic. I said sure, let me move here and I can learn what I know, and then tell you.” the gryphoness immediately held up a claw as Arcane let out a growl, eyes narrowing. The entire room flexed with chaos magic, and Nilliana winced. “Let me finish, please. That’s the official reason, as there had to be one on paper to give me the financial help, what little they allotted.

The other part of that is where I intend to tell them where to shove their intentions. I’ll tell them whatever you want me to. I wasn’t about to interrogate you. Not with those intentions. N-not after what you went through.” The gryphoness’s voice wavered ever so slightly, and she shook her head at annoyance of it.

“So. That’s the official reason, and one I want to be upfront with because when it comes to governments and shady creatures wanting to learn about chaos, I’m not about to hide that from you. Whatever I tell the Council I learned, even if it’s absolutely meaningless, they’ll believe me because of my position as a high-ranking mage. So, you have control over that. I’d suggest against relaying any way they could utilize chaos magic, personally. The council always rubbed me the wrong way, even if Tanzil trusts them.”

The unicorn’s posture relaxed, Arcane clearly cautious. “Well, I appreciate it.”

“The main reason is because I’m just curious. Totally selfish. I just want to learn how you do what you do! You stopped magic! Like. How?!” The gryphoness exclaimed, her abrupt, animated voice making the unicorn jerk in surprise. “It was awesome, and I have no idea how you did it! But I want to know! Chaos magic works in ways that defy all laws, but sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just so cool!”

Nilliana abruptly became aware of Arcane’s stare, the gryphoness’s cheeks brightening into a pink blush as her feathers fluffed.

“A-anyways. The other reason was to get away from stuff. Don’t want to be recognized due to some of my work. Just a fresh start. And, to be honest, I’d rather have a fresh dating pool.”

Arcane then raised a hoof, and Nilliana couldn’t contain a chuckle.

“Aye?”

“Uh, I think I’ve heard that before. Were you at a restaurant at night? “The Curried Noodle?” I didn’t see you. But, uh, if I’m right, you didn’t see me.”

Staring at the unicorn, Nilliana let out a groan.
“Well. So much for the faceless stranger. That makes a lot more sense,” she sighed. “Yep. That was me. And that was you…oh.”

The gryphoness’s ears pinned back, Nilliana letting out a hiss.
“Crud. I’m sorry, Arcane,” she whispered. “What made you leave, what I said. I didn’t-I just-”

“It’s alright.”

“Are you kidding me? No, it’s not!” Nilliana growled, shaking her head before collecting herself. “Look. I didn’t know, and I’m sorry. Unintentional or not, I stirred stuff up. And that’s the last thing I wanted to do.”

The forced, casual shrug from the unicorn pricked at the gryphoness’s heart as much as she hated to admit it. He was trying to play it off as normal despite turmoil in his demeanor and gaze. But how could he just do that? After everything he had been through?

Maybe he does that, or otherwise, he goes insane. I know I would.
He has to play it off as normal. If he dwells on it for too long…it eats him alive.

“So, yeah. That’s where we’re at then. So, maybe we can start somewhat fresh? No masked meetings at a bar?” she suggested, holding out a set of claws.

Trotting forward, he shook her hand, nodding with a weak grin.
“I’d like that. And you’re curious about chaos magic?”

“I mean duh! How could I not be?!”

Her exclamation made Arcane’s eyes widen, the gryphoness looking anywhere but the unicorn as she stammered, her fairly calm demeanor quickly returning as she shrugged.

“It’s interesting, alright?”

It took a few moments for Arcane to fully process things. It was so odd why Nilliana tried to cover her passion and interest in the subject. She seemed so much more animated, but then almost apologetic whenever she broke out of that shell.

She’s nice either way. Not sure why she’d want to hide all of that. Well, gryphons aren’t known for being so enthusiastic. Ponies are the animated ones; gryphons are more reserved and pricklier. At least, that’s what they want you to think.

“I can tell you a bit of stuff if you want,” Arcane said. “I can’t use fancy language with it, because I don’t fully understand it. I gleaned some stuff from the Silo studies and their reports, but a lot of it is just intuitive. But I can try.”

“Can I take notes?”

The last of the gruff demeanor Nilliana had abruptly melted away. There was just such an adorable eagerness in her eyes that Arcane almost laughed. It was childlike and just…

Happy.

He mentally slapped himself, trying not to stare. Those green eyes just sucked him in.

“Notes? I mean, yeah?”

With a wave of her claws, a pen and notepad appeared, the gryphoness visibly trying to stop herself from prancing in place.

“Maybe just start like, what is it? Chaos magic I mean. In what I sense it’s a different form of energy,” Nilliana said. Arcane could see the gryphoness physically restraining herself from trying to act too excited.

It made him both happy and rather sad. The reason for the latter feeling in Arcane’s chest was because Nilliana’s behavior had seemed oddly familiar.

Someone told you to stop acting so weird, didn’t they?

He shook his head, focusing on her question.

“So, yeah. It’s a form of energy, to say the least. Apparently, I can control it differently than Discord. It acts like an animal. A friendly energy that is happy to lend its power to you if you know how to ask,” the stallion explained. “As for how I stopped your magic, that’s the weird part. It was instinctual. I just wanted to freeze everything and have an advantage, so the magic just…did. I think a general thought, be it creating something or taking an action, and I let the chaos magic do whatever it wants to achieve that end. Order within chaos.”

The gryphoness scribbled onto her notepad, fluffy ears standing at attention.

“An animal? That’s interesting. I’ve never heard it described that way before. Only the bits from what Discord said,” she mused. “So, it works differently every time?”

Arcane found himself oddly surprised that Nilliana kept asking questions. He half expected her to just get immediately bored.

“It does. So, like, if I created a hoofball, for example. One time the chaos magic might just create a normal ball out of thin air. Other times, it might create a cotton candy cloud, rain down chocolate candies, and form those into a rubber ball.”

“That’s fascinating,” Nilliana murmured, ears still locked onto the pony. “And what about your chaos dimension? How does that even like, work?”

Arcane looked over to the door, a smile managing to take root on his features.

“How much time do you have?”

The sign flipped to “closed” with a magical wave, the gryphoness barely able to contain her excitement with an inviting grin.

“Long enough.”

How could I resist those eyes?

The stallion wasn’t sure how long they talked. It mostly was him explaining things, and Nilliana listening. At first, he kept expecting the gryphoness to shut her notebook and return to her shop. Most creatures were interested, yes. But once you got past the “it’s like Discord magic and enjoys manifesting in food-related ways,” their interest waned, and that was that.

Or they just thought he was a freak and avoided the stallion as much as possible.

But Nilliana just didn’t miss a beat. Answers were met with more questions and frantic scribbling in her notebook. Instead of stopping the pair shifted to a more comfortable table and chairs and continued to talk.

He didn’t go into too much detail- mainly because the stallion didn’t know the ins and outs of arcane theory, even if he found it interesting. Arcane just tried his best to delve into how he used chaos. Creating his city, how the dimension worked, or at least how Arcane understood it to work. He touched on the random nature of chaos magic bringing him creatures to help, along with how the magic helped or wasn’t able to help day-to-day life.

Arcane ended by elaborating on how the chaos magic drove physical processes in the spiced drink machine, how creating food from magic was perfectly safe and nutritious, but it just lacked something. It wasn’t even really a discussion on chaos magic as much as it was Arcane trying to learn more about cooking.

It was when he was explaining how the machine worked, that the stallion noticed something very, very odd. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but Nilliana’s demeanor had shifted. At some point, the gryphoness had set her notebook aside and just listened. She propped up her head up on her claws, fluffy cheeks puffed out as a genuine, soft smile had meandered onto her beak.

Nobody had ever looked at him like that before. Arcane wasn’t sure why, but it made a bit of heat rise to his cheeks. The two green eyes he admittedly adored were gently focused on him, yet they had a tender, sincere backing. A bit of amusement flickered in their depths, but genuine interest and an almost innocent, affectionate glimmer occasionally surfaced.

She was just listening. To him.

There were a few moments when Arcane had to catch himself. Fluttershy had said it’d happen, random emotional surges. But this was different. Someone actually bothered to hear what he had to say. Even if it was just to learn about chaos, he wasn’t being ignored.

The gryphoness seemed to catch herself, abruptly looking around and shifting to sit up a bit straighter. Her feathers fluffed, a light pink tone starting to surface on her cheeks. She was, admittedly, one of the more beautifully adorable creatures Arcane had seen in a while.

Of course, with his sheltered lifestyle, maybe that wasn’t saying much. Or maybe it was.

“I think that’s all that comes to mind,” Arcane managed to say, trying to tie his previous thoughts up without stammering. “I mean, there’s probably more. But I’m uh, not sure where that other train of thought went.”

“I think it’s really interesting. All of it,” Nilliana admitted, still putting on the forced nonchalance. “Thank you, Arcane. I really did find it fascinating, even how you made the drink both with and without magic.”

She got up and stretched, the gryphoness pausing. There was a clear hesitation as if Nilliana was having an internal conversation- the flicking of both her tail and ears was indicative of some sort of frustration.

“Hey, Arcane? About what you saw. My eyes and stuff?” she said, looking over at him. “I think I remember yours. Maybe we could talk about that next time?”

“What?!” he exclaimed, then looking over at her in genuine surprise. “You do? I’d like that, but, next time?” he repeated, head tilting in slight confusion. Nilliana waved a set of claws, the notebook flying to her grip.

“Well, yeah. If you want to, at least. I still have a ton of questions. Like, a serious list! If that’s ok.”

“No! I mean, yes! It really is. I’m just happy someone finds it interesting. Most of the scientists in and out of the Silo wanted to know Chaos’s application for military purposes. Not so much creating cuisine.” He admitted. “I’d be really happy to answer any more questions you have.” It took everything the stallion had to not choke up at the thought.

Someone wants to talk to me? Not some formal interview. Just someone who is interested in chaos magic?

And she said she remembered me? So, it wasn’t a hallucination? I had always feared…

“I mean, I’m not terribly busy the day after tomorrow? Same time?” she suggested, the gryphoness sending the notebook to float onto a counter.

“I’d like that. I can bring more of Celestia’s spit if you want.”

Nilliana abruptly laughed, the sound echoing off the walls before she caught herself and nearly choked.

“T-that’d be one marketable name for it!” she managed to say, holding out a set of claws. “Thanks again, Arcane. See you the day after tomorrow?”

He shook the offered claws, nodding with what felt like the first easygoing, natural smile in a long time.

“See you then, Nilliana.”

After trotting out the door, he vanished with a pop of magic; there were more drinks to create, after all!

After the stallion vanished, Nilliana couldn’t get the smile off her face. The guy was so odd. But in the best way. Even if he didn’t understand the intricacies of arcane theory, the pony tried. He seemed as bemused by chaos magic as Nilliana did.

Yet seeing the passion on his face as Arcane described his city and his chef adventures made the gryphoness smile again. It had been rather amusing, being able to see a rather cheerful pony emerging from his shell. The stallion was a pretty handsome guy, which made his genuine nature all the more interesting. No filter; it was just who Arcane was.

Handsome?

The gryphoness let out a hiss, shaking her head as she meandered back to the counter. That put an immediate damper on her thoughts.

I can’t think like that. He’s just a nice pony willing to let me ask questions regarding chaos magic. That’s it.

Nilliana wanted to believe it. But a set of claws reached up to grip her chest as she took a shaky breath. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. A simple, warm glow as Arcane had talked enough for the both of them about his spiced drink-making machine. Just listening to a passionate pony share his love of something. The excitement and joy in his eyes had been just…

She shook her head, the gryphoness gripping her chest tightly. Nilliana walked back to turn the sign back over, the physical action helping her think.

He’s just a new friend. I can’t go there. I won’t.
I can’t…

Introduction

Twilight took a few deep breaths, the mare looking out across the rainy Canterlot scenery. A migraine threatened to take hold, hardly a surprise due to the subject matter she had been immersed in.

Well, some of it.

This week is my official date with Tanzil. Yes, we’ll have concealment spells and an official reason to meet, but the news will get out eventually. I don’t even know how to handle all of it. I already had to postpone it once due to the news Joro sent me.

As the thought had a dozen times, the mare contemplated putting any sort of social activities off until the crisis was resolved.

Twilight couldn’t keep her shoulders from finally slumping, the Princess shaking her head.
I can’t keep putting it off. I need to make friends.
I just can’t do this alone. And with the scale of this potential disaster…

The crushing loneliness was nearly as dampening to her spirits as the rain outside. Twilight took another set of deep breaths; in, and out. She hadn’t realized how isolating her life had been, not until it all had come crashing down a few months ago with the harsh realization of her failures. A panic attack was looming, as was more often than not these days. At least every other day, Twilight had to force herself to read a book unrelated to everything. Even then, the evenings were the worst, and her mental health had been fragmenting.

I can’t keep doing this alone.

Currently, Tanzil was her main companion in this mess. Whether that was a healthy start to a relationship or not, time would tell. They had put off their initial date until this month, for obvious reasons. But all Twilight could do was be completely honest with the Emperor. That included both about herself, and the coming storm.

She had already sent over the general situation report to all nations so they could be on the same page. Equestria would have to lead the efforts, as they had the most magical resources.

That didn’t make Twilight’s job any easier, of course.

Her eyes drifted over to the documents that occupied her mind like a swarm of locusts. She had read them a hundred times by now.

“Simplified steps to contain outbreak of Limbo Pathogen (Fungal):

Do not use normal fire. It would carry the spores upwards

On confirmation of an infection, sterilize the city. Erect a quarantine zone at least two day’s flight around the infected city- as high as the shield can reach into your atmosphere

Superheat the entire quarantine zone. Ensure the land is burned to glass and the air is turned to plasma.

Drop the shield only after the land and air have naturally cooled to a safe temperature.”

Twilight sat down, reaching up and rubbing a hoof on her head. What she needed aside from more painkillers was a hug. A very, very long hug. Forget books or anything that required mental exertion; she just wanted to feel like things would be okay.

The stakes were astronomical and that alone was crushing. While there hadn’t been any signs that a pathogen had escaped, it wasn’t comforting. Because they knew something had escaped. What exactly it was, nobody knew. Only that it was out there and carried a potential ticking time bomb of disease. Magical scans over the entire continent and beyond yielded nothing.

At first, the heightened security had been easily justifiable. But as the weeks wore on, the population’s nervousness settled into a general annoyance. Small, medium, and then large sports and carnival events came and went. Gatherings of tens of thousands had come together and dispersed without so much as a single incident.

The doubt dug into Twilight’s analytical mind.

Is it even in Equestria?!

Her magic reached out, tapping a recording from the High Queen during their initial conversation three months ago. She had to. It was so easy to get lost in emotion. But this was the one matter where the Elements couldn’t help, that emotion would get creatures killed. It was odd, watching herself interact with the messenger sent by the Queen; but it helped the Princess analyze the situation and know how to act in the future.

“Superheat the air- one day’s flight? Two? That could kill more than a fifth of our population!” The mare exclaimed.

“Princess Twilight,” the Queen said with a grave tone. “I have seen similar fungal diseases here. Generations ago, a Limbo fungus mutated and began to infect my brood and outlying hive clusters- similar to your cities. We controlled a geographic area larger than three of your kingdoms, and far more populated.”

Twilight had only been able to stare in horror at the Queen as the messenger shook her head.
“The fungal spores spread through both tunnels and above-ground cities, ones that were completely isolated in every way except for air medium. It was at least a day or two travel between the closest cities at first, and yet they fell within a week to the infection. Infected individuals will likewise do anything to break containment and spread the contagion. That is why it all must burn. I do not give this recommendation lightly.”

A knife of pain slid across Joro’s expression, agony writing itself across her alien features.

“I paid a heavy price for trying to save everyone and for not acting on pure numbers and logic. The moment you confirm the method of transmission; viral, bacterial, or fungal, that is when you act. A virus or bacteria in your world can be contained. But from what I saw, it was fungal in nature, and not entirely stable. The spores wouldn’t act like normal particles in your world. They’d be energized with magic and spread far more like an aerosol. A single Pegasus at a high enough altitude could inject the spores into the wind.

Tears now trickled from the Queen’s eyes, desperate fear flickering in their depths as she met Twilight’s gaze.

“Princess, my hive was nearly a million souls. Due to my failure, we now number less than ten thousand. I beg of you, do not make the same mistake.”

Twilight took a few deep breaths as the recording ended, her eyes starting to burn. She needed to sleep. Such a thing hadn’t been common for the past few months.

But the fear was nearly all-encompassing. Last Light had stepped in to help quell various rumors and unease among various nations. The organization had generously opened up its ever-growing resources to add another surveillance net to look for the elusive foe. But Twilight had heard legitimate rumors behind the scenes concerning the island nation. While some nations were blowing off the threat, the Organization was preparing for the worst. High-tech shields, bunkers; things that would have been written off by the Princess as paranoid extremism but a few months ago.

Not anymore.

In Equestria, even with Celestia, Luna, and their spouses helping behind the scenes, the nation wasn’t ready for this. It never would be. If this pathogen took root, life would change forever.

The worst part about all of it was that all Twilight could do was prepare and wait for the storm.
Dragging herself over to the desk, she opened one of the drawers, staring at a single, simple object. A simple metal square containing a red button, and a speaker.

A certain mare had given it to her a month ago with a knowing look. Twilight’s efforts to increasingly, but quietly, draw upon Sassi Satin’s experience had not gone unnoticed.

“If you need us, call.
-Sassi & Astral”

Twilight curled up on her bed, tightly clutching a pillow between her forelimbs. The heavy weighted blanket provided some comfort, but she still shivered slightly. It was times like this that the bookish mare would have traded half her library for a warm hug.

Her dreams were mercifully blank.

“Zucchini?” Astral asked, stifling a laugh at the horrified look on Sassi’s face.

“Ew. No. Nooooo!”

“Another reason I love you. So long, slimy vegetable,” the dark-grey Thestral chuckled with a grin as he returned the produce to its shelf in the grocery store aisle. “Hmmm. Mangos, oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries…

“Pineapple!” Sassi exclaimed trotting off and snagging a few of the spikey items. “Cannot forget pineapple!”

“How could I forget those…?”

She giggled, taking the lead of pushing the significantly laden-down cart as they meandered through the stores. Her tail would occasionally swish to brush his side, the dark-blue Thestral clearly enjoying a constant bit of contact with her special somepony. At least as much as was reasonable and not overbearing.

Perhaps others would have found it annoying, but Astral had come to rely on it as a source of comfort.

“This…still feels so weird.”

Sassi nodded in agreement to Astral’s mental words, her violet eyes glancing over at him briefly.

“No freaky mutants. No objective outside of “get tasty food.”"

The stallion bumped his side against her, casually snagging some pancake mix.
“It’s nice, doing normal things with you,” he whispered.

While still able to walk next to her special somepony, Sassi abruptly had to make a significant effort not to cry. It was a more common occurrence than not, a bit of trauma mixed with finally being comfortable enough with someone to cry with. Despite her efforts, the mare sniffled as a lump formed in her throat.

“Sas?”

“Give me a minute.”

Thank the stars she was able to talk to Astral at least in one way without opening up the waterworks. They checked out their groceries, casually tapping a crystal adhered to their shoulder to open a portal back to their home. With the public still very aware of their escapades, being out and about was a journey in and of itself without concealment spells.

Before walking in the door, Sassi rest a hoof on Astral’s shoulder.

“Just. It’s the silly, stupid, normal things that get me,” she admitted, a wave of embarrassment making the Thestral mare look at the ground. “Shopping with you. Being able to just…do normal things. I always wondered what it’d feel like. And it’s just really nice.”

As Astral always did, he took a few steps forward and wrapped his special somepony up in a tight hug, nuzzling into her shoulder. It was a gesture that never got old, and, if anything, seemed to mean more and more as time went on.

Considering what they were still dealing with, neither pony was about to complain.

Not able to resist a smirk, Astral reached over and gave Sassi a kiss just as she started to speak. The half-annoyed, half-affectionate glare she shot his way made it worth it. It was a fun, cheeky thing to make her mind blank just as she was about to talk.

He loved how flustered it always made her. His green eyes sparkled with mirth as the mare sputtered and tried to regain her lost thoughts- only to always fail.

Worth it.

Sassi let out a long sigh, the mare relaxing as she reached over to nudge Astral’s shoulder with her own. The two hauled the groceries inside, their home’s lights flickering on automatically. In terms of a location to live, they had hit the jackpot.

Tall Pines was the lovely city nearby. They were on the outskirts, skyscrapers visible in the distance. It was a growing population center to be sure, but was quickly starting to rival portions of Manehatten. It had the energy of a city for those who like it, and then still offered rural suburbs. Sassi and Astral preferred the latter. The mayor, Gold Mint, had gifted them the property, happy that the run-down observatory and unused areas were being put to good use.

The two Thestrals had an initial feeling it was more for a PR move, but on further investigation, the property had indeed been empty for some time. Due to the refurbishment cost, it just wasn’t worth it.

But, to be fair, investors didn’t have a chaos-wielding unicorn to help out with that.

Their personal home was, essentially, two houses joined together with a long hallway, a large living room, and a kitchen in the middle. Each side of the home had multiple bedrooms and areas to make their own. The hallway allowed both closeness and a bit of distance as the two tried to acclimate to being…well, free.

On the outside, it looked like a large cabin-like structure, similar to a large visitor’s center at a nature park. Natural wood and stone blended together to give the entire house a very relaxed feel. The Observatory construction had finished a few weeks ago, and the dome was neatly hidden by a large artificial hill on the edge of their property. It allowed an uninterrupted view of the ocean nearby, along with gently rolling grassy knolls dotted with trees.

They needed clear lines of fire, after all.

“I gotta say, these industrial blenders are pretty great,” Astral chuckled. The items were bigger than his head and could process their various foodstuffs into the smoothest smoothies he had ever tasted.

“And we have two.”

“I mean duh? That’s how wealth is measured nowadays, right? By how many blenders you own?”

Sassi snorted in amusement, throwing a piece of dried mango at her special somepony. Managing to catch it, Astral casually trotted over to her…

With a rather well-practice heave, he casually swept Sassi off her hooves with a yelp. Landing with a slight wince, Astral couldn’t help but grin.

Perfect.

Reaching up and poking his chest, Sassi then adjusted herself to snuggle underneath his wing, rolling her eyes.

“You are getting way too good at that,” she sighed, cuddling closer and using Astral’s shoulder as a pillow.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Nope. I’m rather impressed, honestly.”

Stars above how she loved that roguish, proud grin.

“Movie?”

She reached up to give him a long kiss, thoroughly enjoying her coltfriend pillow.

“Movie. How about Floor-E?” Sassi suggested.

“We always could use a daily dose of robotic adorableness,” he reached down to gently boop Sassi’s nose with a hoof. “Well, in addition to you, that is.”

Her face went a bright red, and Astral couldn’t help but cackle. It was cheesy, silly, but also true. And Sassi knew it.

As far as recovering from a mutant-filled death cavern went things were going pretty well.

Author's Note

And thus a new adventure begins! But first, a bit of down time with our heroes, getting some well-deserved rest.

I do want to mention that, as I said at the end of SL-5, Astral/Sassi aren't the only primary focus of this story. They're absolutely main characters (I mean, duh, our favorite Thestral's aren't going anywhere!) but they're going to be sharing the spotlight and taking a back seat at times.

I don't want people thinking this is going to be just another solo Astral/Sassi-focused story and then end up disappointed when they take a back seat at times. Their arcs are still present, but aren't the only core focus. They've had their time in the limelight, so now they've got to share!

I hope everyone enjoys this ride into the sequel; Love, Fluff, and Thunder! As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

The next chapter will be uploaded in a few weeks, as I'm taking a break for a bit. As a forewarning, this is a slower-burn story at first. Larger chapters than SL-5 with plenty of events happening. It's a slow ride.

Well, until everything catches on fire of course. :trollestia:

Chapter One: Rocks in the Road

The lights were nearly blinding. If not for the enchanted contacts Nilliana wore, she’d have been seeing stars for an hour.

But this wasn’t her first rodeo.

Honestly, a rodeo would be more entertaining. The gryphoness thought, managing to suppress a chuckle as she walked down the model runway, making a simple, clean-cut turn. Even if it was itchy beyond all measure, the teal and cream arrangement around her neck stood out starkly against her white and grey colorations. The black and red streaks on her face and wrist only made the arrangements pop more, one of many reasons she apparently was “perfect” for such things.

Last one for the night.

It was a race between the gryphoness reaching the curtains and ripping off the itchy, flowery thing around her neck. Thankfully, for her paycheck’s sake, the former won. Even so, her dark green eyes narrowed as she neared the curtains. It was a battle, to say the least.

At last safe behind the obnoxiously lavender curtains, the gryphoness blew out a tired breath. Her manager, Garti, tossed her a bag of coins.

“Thanks, Nilli,” the brown gryphon said with a laugh. “I know the designers appreciate you not shredding this one.”

“Hey, that was once, okay, twice,” Nilliana retorted as she carefully unclasped the teal and cream-colored arrangement from around her neck and shoulders. “And it was their fault for leaving pins in the wrong places. I warned them!”

“Yeah, fair enough. I think that’s it for the next two weeks, but then there are three shows back-to-back. Usual pay plus overtime. I’ll send you a schedule when we’re a week out. They’re still nailing down the specifics. That sound good?”

Setting the shawl arrangement down on a table littered with the other items, Nilli nodded.

“I’ll be there. Take care, Garti.”

“Same, Nilli.”

The backstage area opened directly to a small park behind the downtown venue. The gryphoness ruffled her feathers and took a few deep breaths of the air. It wasn’t exactly fresh in the middle of the concrete jungle, but it was better than the stuffy interior of that runway area.

Sometimes it was a bit of a thrill, being able to show off. But at the end of the day, it was for the paycheck more than anything. To quote Gardi a year or two ago, “You’ve got a body type that is in demand, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. You can model scaled-up Kirin wear, slimmed-down Hippogriff garb, and Gryphon fashion all in one. And designers will pay handsomely for that.”

Considering the pay for a single event was more than Nilli made in three months running her magic shop, it was an obvious choice. Besides, the various designers (and her manager,) abided by her refusal to do anything too risqué.

Which ironically, was a thing even though races didn’t normally wear clothes.

I’m there to show off some fashion, not be eye candy. Even if that is a side effect, a big one.
Hence moving. Maybe this will be the last time.

She wrapped herself up in a teleportation spell, reappearing in her shop. The wooden and stone building was located on the edge of the city, but adjacent to a transportation hub which was starting to increase her customer base after a mere few months.

Of course, considering the shop was able to move cities at a whim also helped with that. The current location was new. It had been an easy matter to send her shop to the bought property. She had moved around before.

Having her home on the opposite end of the medium-sized property was an added bonus. All she had to do was walk a few minutes to open the shop. Unlike other cities, there was actually space to breathe in this area.

Flopping down onto a massive bean bag, Nilli let out a groan. Conjuring a small cube, she tossed the arcane item up into the air and caught it. The blue, magical creation reflected off of the few similarly-colored feathers across the gryphoness’s face. She always liked her blue feathers, even if they were just spattered here and there across her midsection and top half.

When you had to stare at yourself in a mirror when getting done up for events, you learned to appreciate things about yourself. Or drown yourself in the voices forcing you to learn the opposite.

She let the magical item fade, curling up on the beanbag with a frustrated huff.

Things felt different.

Emperor Tanzil was…off. It wasn’t just the fact he was interested in the pony princess. If Nilliana was being honest, the poor guy needed some sanity in his life. And Twilight at least had a sane, if not slightly neurotic head on her shoulders.

No, this was deeper.

There was a tension whenever she spoke with her once-mentor. When he had approved her transfer to Tall Pines a few months ago, it had been with a fair bit of caution. Yes, it was for research, and he had also understood the deeper reasons. But there was something else.

She got up, examining a military trunk in the corner of the wooden living room. It had been a non-negotiable gift from the Emperor a few months ago, along with a series of high-stress combat courses. Popping open the hinges, the gryphoness examined the large pistol with a sigh. A new rifle also lay in the foam in the case, multiple magazines already loaded with explosive rounds and packed side to side, lining the edges of the military container.

What are you expecting, Tanzil?

With a wave of her claws, the pistol was returned and the container latched. Powerful magic spread through her home, the gryphoness double-checking the various defensive spells coating every atom of the building. Even something nearly immune to magic would have trouble getting into the house.

Nilli shuddered, shaking her head. Her home and shop had defensive measures rivaling the royal gryphon castle.

So why do I feel like there are eyes burrowing into the back of my skull?

The home should feel cozy, with magic candles casting a comforting glow across the table, chairs, kitchen, and living room. And yet the gryphoness’s chest was tight with anxiety.

Another sleepless night, I guess.

She curled up on the beanbag again, levitating a few pillows to nest in. Insomnia was ever-present in her life. Sure, spells and drugs worked, but the gryphoness didn’t like waking up in a cold sweat from the nightmares.

Sleeplessness, or night terrors. Sometimes, she had to just get some shuteye, like tonight. With the world on a razor’s edge, she’d think herself into a tizzy. Everyone was just waiting for a threat that was out there. Waiting, but still going about their business.

A simple sleeping spell settled over the gryphoness, a final thought drifting through her mind.

I need a project. Maybe I’ll get started on that research this week.

Of course, that meant tracking down a certain chaos unicorn.

Arcane trotted through the air, the light-violet unicorn all smiles as the city sprawled out beneath him.

All of this is mine. But it won’t just be me, not forever.

Entropy was nearly complete. Plumbed with water, sewage, electricity, everything a city-state needed to provide for its inhabitants. Nobody was here yet, of course. But it was almost done. The infrastructure had triplicate of backups and could house tens of thousands without breaking a sweat!

For all intents and purposes, it was livable. Automated golems patrolled the streets and kept up with maintenance in the absence of citizens; they even grew and cooked food! All of it went into the warehouses and deep cellars of course.

Sure, magic could have made it so nothing ever broke. He could have made plumbing that was unbreakable, devices that never ran out of power, or plants that grew without being tended to, but then it didn’t feel lived in. Natural. It was an ironic statement for a city in the Chaos dimension. Entropy itself sailed through the stars, an arc of normality amidst a never-ending dimension of wonders. Plumbing would need fixing, electric outlets would need wiring, and tables would need serving. Keeping things grounded in a semblance of normality just felt right, especially when the inhabitants would be those who didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Yet he now found another purpose to the city.

Nobody had said anything, but the stallion had heard whispers. Something had gotten out of the Silos. Something bad. He had even tried to locate it, but the “thing” being from Limbo was resistant to chaos magic even trying to find it.

Discord was even unsettled, and his dimensional shields around portals had been strengthened significantly. Arcane had quickly learned to do the same.

The stone walkway and platform for the portal sites in his city had been refurbished. Pony-shaped Golems now waited to receive guests, and chaos-powered decontamination equipment surrounded the entry points. Automated turrets ringed the platform and edges of the city; a point defense system that would fry anything that got too close.

Arcane wasn’t sure if anything could survive in the chaos realm. But belt-fed autocannons with various payloads were a good enough insurance policy as any. The portal locations were similarly covered by their fields of fire. If anything bad managed to come through, it wouldn’t leave the entry platform in any form other than a fleshy paste.

He wanted to be wrong. But the anxiety of the world was getting to him. Even when living in his house down the street from Astral and Sassi, the stallion could feel something horrifically wrong with the realm. There was something out there that nullified his magic, something that shouldn’t exist in this plane. And it was waiting.

If my nightmares come true, I want a fallback point. Entropy is a safe haven, but it can also be a fortress against nightmares.

And Arcane had plenty of horrific dreams to go around.

He prepared all the same. Astral and Sassi were going to far greater lengths than; after all, the unicorn had installed and tested the majority of their equipment.

All of which was likely breaking every arms-control law in the book, even if the two Thestrals had permits. But they knew what dangers were in the Silos.

To that end, Arcane decided to take a brief trip. He conjured a portal, popping out near the observatory in Tall Pines. The structure had been completely rebuilt, an ornate wall surrounding it, and the distant house of his friends. The wall also cut off the observatory from the other part of the property, leaving the majority of empty fields around Astral and Sassi’s house for privacy.

Astral had said to test the systems whenever he wanted; Arcane appreciated that. It gave him purpose, something to do. The refurbishment of the telescope and observatory had been child’s play for the unicorn to accomplish. Rebuilding Sass and Astral’s house had been likewise simple, as had the structural reinforcements.

It was the only way they could be completely sure there weren’t listening devices in the walls, after all. It wasn’t such a paranoid thought considering the creatures vying to develop a RASP procedure of their own.

Yet now, all of the unicorn’s spare time was spent trying to figure out the answer to a very simple, yet infinitely complex question.

What do I want to do with my life?

At present, helping others was high on the list. That was why the unicorn had offered his magical services to Astral and Sassi. Well, and being part of their weird RASP family of course. All of the highly illegal, or at least dangerous, countermeasures within their property had a singular purpose.

They were to keep every creature inside the walls safe.

Even after everything Astral and Sassi had been through, they looked outwards. Of course, their home was their castle. But Arcane wasn’t a fool. There were things here and there that made him realize these two Thestrals saw a coming storm and weren’t about to abandon creatures to it. It was nice to know Arcane’s anxieties weren’t just in his head. Everyone was on edge.

The unicorn examined one of a few dozen pillars along the tall wall near the gated entrance. There was a small visitors center, the stone entry path leading to the observatory for tours and the like. Visibly, the simple yet elegant marble column was indistinguishable from the dozens within view. A simple, polished orb of stone adorned the top of the circular pillar.

Arcane grinned, blowing a dark blue mane out of his black and kaleidoscope-colored eyes as he looked closer at the item. In terms of creations, he was quite proud of this one. Astral and Sassi had given him goals, parameters, and overall specifications. And Arcane had gone to work. It was funny; one might think performing orderly tasks like creating a house or electronic devices went against chaos magic.

But what was more chaotic? Chaos being chaotic, or chaos being normal. The latter was far less expected. That was how Arcane saw it, at least. And so far, he had been right. You simply had to utilize the magic in a non-conventional way.

The pillar itself was armored to withstand everything short of an airship’s cannon blast, along with the walls. Inside housed within the orb, a reinforced minigun was cradled within an armored frame. Of a similar model to Sassi’s that she had carried through the Silo, the turret was tied into an entire automated system enveloping the property. Each pillar was fed by a self-replicating system of repair parts, ammunition, and targeting information with a dozen backup spells.

A similar defensive system was set around Astral and Sassi’s house, but the observatory was, as far as Arcane could tell, a fallback point.

While the unicorn didn’t know the first thing about electrician work, chaos magic did. He thought of something, and it was created, perfectly wired, and set up. It had all been tested, of course, a bubble having been erected around the facility each time. What began as a crude sketch and an idea for each segment of the device had come together in a beautiful array of technology and chaos magic.

Arcane wasn’t about to tell his friends, but the measures they had put in were a bit terrifying even to him. There were turrets, magical repulsion fields on the walls, bubble-shielding systems, and quite a few bunker-like structures underneath the observatory. It exceeded the security of almost every military base the unicorn knew of, only rivaled by the militant island of the Last Light Organization.

To Arcane’s knowledge, nobody knew about it, and he wasn’t about to tell a soul.

Besides, they had let him paint faces on all of the claymores. So Arcane was just as guilty in this case.

He’d have thought them crazy, if not for knowing full well what they were facing. If he was unable to flee to his own dimension, Arcane would have done the same thing. In fact, his own home down the street was hardened in a similar manner after the Thestral’s.

They could all feel it, and they were preparing as best they could. Sassi and Astral trusted him to keep them safe with these systems in an emergency, and Arcane wasn’t about to let them down.

They were his friends, after all.

It took only an hour or two, Arcane testing all of the turret systems, stocked tripwires, cameras, armored doors, and a dozen other rather interesting countermeasures. As expected, they performed flawlessly. Any bugs had been worked out a hundred tests ago. The automation was flawless and had multiple safety features to prevent any unfortunate accidents. In the end, a living creature had to give certain orders which prevented any deadly automated. That had been, of course, a priority. Astral and Sassi had been given their fill of homicidal AI’s.

With that done, that meant he could have the evening free.

Teleporting back to his house, the unicorn sat down on a rather ugly plaid, but plush, sofa. Free time should have been a freeing thought. Yet without a daily job (for now,) it meant…nothing. Yet “nothing” somehow meant everything.

Having nothing to do used to be such a horrible thing. It just meant I sat in my cell.

Even now, Arcane fought the looming urge to stay busy, anything to prevent the boredom from creeping in. It had taken some long talks with Fluttershy, but he was adjusting. Doing nothing was okay. There wasn’t any pain coming after doing nothing.

It was okay to think, to just be.

But that didn’t mean Arcane didn’t try to stay busy. He tried to help creatures every day. Even if it was something simple. In fact, the unicorn had created a crude system in his city to track various instances of need, which made it easy. A truly random selection of the most serious cases of creatures seeking help.

He couldn’t fix the world, but Arcane could try to patch what he could. Maybe in the future, he could do more. He would do more.

But first, I need to fix myself.
And that’s okay.

A rumbling in his stomach indicated Arcane’s destination would likely be somewhere out for dinner. It was something of a regular occurrence now. Sure, he could just conjure food, but it didn’t taste or feel the same. Eating a fresh-cooked meal out and among creatures was, he found, a low-stress way of acclimating back to what real life was.

Maybe I can also visit Mally.

The reunion with his mother months ago had been a relief, but slightly awkward. He was a different pony from before but his mom loved him all the same. She immediately had picked up on his nervousness and simply smiled.

“I’m just so happy you’re free from that place. I’m always here to talk,” she had said. “May I make a selfish request?”

“Of course.”

“Can you visit next month?” The gryphoness had been struggling not to cry, and Arcane had wrapped her up in a hug, even though he was still getting used to the whole “positive physical touch” aspect of life.

“I promise to try and talk every week and visit every month. At least for the near future while I’m figuring stuff out.”

He had, thus far, held up that promise. His mother thankfully understood boundaries, but Arcane appreciated someone checking in on him. Someone he could trust.

That list is few and far between these days.

Wrapping a simple blurring spell around his frame, Arcane teleported to downtown in Tall Pines. The spell wasn’t anything fancy, just something to hide his fangs and eyes. Pitch-black pupils surrounded with a scintillating, kaleidoscope of colors generally drew attention. Besides, enough creatures knew about him from his stint of helping publicly to be recognized.

Unfortunately, they knew him far more as the unicorn who could use Chaos Magic.

It had only taken him a week to realize how essential the concealment spell was. Even with Astral and Sassi vouching for him, Arcane saw the same reactions as he did in his youth. Fear, distrust, hostility. A few kind smiles, but when creatures actively moved out of the way to avoid you…it hurt.

Not much had changed since he was young.

It was a simple equation for many. Arcane used chaos magic. Discord used chaos magic. Discord was random. Chaos magic was random and often harmful. Therefore, Arcane was a ticking time bomb, extremely publicized good deeds or not. He wasn’t to be trusted, because chaos magic couldn’t be trusted. A swath of heroics couldn’t undo generations of mistrusting chaos magic. And even if all of that was to be ignored, Arcane certainly looked odd with his multicolored eyes.

To Discord’s credit, the Draconequus had shown genuine remorse when realizing the negative association wielding Chaos brought. But that was no matter. Maybe in time, creatures wouldn’t fear him, and realize he wasn’t Discord. Arcane had seen glimmers of that. He had ventured out without the spell a few times, and far more creatures smiled at him. A few even waved.

He didn’t really know how to respond to that.

For now, Arcane didn’t mind a simple hiding spell. It was disheartening knowing that creatures didn’t trust him, but at the same time, he felt so unbelievably awkward when there was a wave or a smile.

He just wasn’t ready to deal with it 24/7, not like Astral or Sassi could.

He meandered the street, looking down at the signs in the distance. There was a 24-hour bar and diner that was highly recommended, so that was the unicorn’s destination for the night. Maybe he’d stay and have a drink. Non-alcoholic of course. Some of the worst parts of Arcane’s life had been when the Guards had been drunk and decided to beat him senseless with their batons. He’d never touch the stuff as long as he lived, nor associate with that sort of crowd.

But perhaps, just some hot cider and listening to normal conversation would do him some good. It felt nice to be in society again. Even just sitting at a table in the diner and nibbling on appetizers all night felt freeing. Seeing usual patrons come and go, families have dinner, and then the night life kicking into gear before then settling down before morning. He kept his eye out for any magical creature with green eyes; a perhaps futile attempt to locate whoever saw him in the Silos those many years ago.

If nothing else, Arcane wanted to at least say thank you.

It gave him a reason to learn who each creature was who entered. It took effort to do so without magic, to pay attention to mannerisms out of the corner of his eye. Things that were difficult felt nice to accomplish after trial and error.

Even if that meant learning how to be a normal pony, sitting at a table, and ordering a meal. It had taken him a few tries to not stammer and squirm when placing a request. Eventually, he wanted to ask the recipe for a few of the dishes. The unicorn had started cooking in his own kitchen, and was slowly beginning to make a routine out of it.

A smile twitched onto the pony’s face at that. Just being able to experience the flow of normality around him felt good, a counterbalance to his chaos magic. But in the end…

It feels nice to live again.

Author's Note

Aaaaand we're off with some familiar faces!:yay: Slower upload schedule for now. Hope you all enjoy!

As always, feedback is appreciated.