(November 11th: 25th Day Since Neil's Discovery)

With a small groan and an unusually parched mouth, Rainbow Dash rolled onto her other side. She was in her nice and cozy cloud bed, but it was warmer than she intended as she fought against her body's need to wake up. Was the extra blanket she added for winter too much? It felt like it as her hoof breached the warmth of her bubble, and she reached out for the glass of water sitting on her nightstand. A careful few sips was all it took to cure her dry mouth before placing the glass back.

Rainbow squirmed and shifted underneath the sheets. Trying her best to reclaim her comfortable sleeping position and her vigorous dream of group training with the Wonderbolts, Twilight, and Neil. At least the parts she clearly remembered were filled with training and other, more hazy group activities. Unfortunately, the pronounced ticks of her alarm clock made it clear her mind became more alert and awake, not less, as time passed. Which was the exact opposite outcome a champion napper like her wanted.

Minutes later, Rainbow begrudgingly opened one of her scrunched eyes and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Her clock would have gone off three minutes ago at 8-AM sharp if she was working a morning shift. On her day off, however, she had it set for noon. Her body didn't want that extra four hours of sleep, though, as her stomach and bladder slowly made their presence known.

With her internal pressure rising, Rainbow gave up as her wing pushed aside her winter sheets. "So much for sleeping in," She grumbled, making the bathroom her priority. Once that need was resolved, she descended towards the main floor and veered into the living room.

Once there, she trotted over to her most recent addition to her house. It was a half storage cabinet, half bookshelf with glass doors, where she displayed her awesome collection of Daring Do books. On top of the credenza, as the salesmare called it, sat a small hooked stand with Tank's magical propeller resting on top. She made sure the device was fully charged for a full day's flying, then turned to Tank's large terrarium only to find him missing.

For a split second, worry tore through her heart. Sure, Tank could leave his home anytime, but he usually waited for her to put his propeller on in the morning. It was a safety feature in case he stumbled through the softer parts of her cloud house. Worried, Rainbow was about to dive through a window when she remembered he was already on the ground, hibernating. Meaning the propeller harness in her hoof was useless and would remain so for the rest of winter.

She only had a whopping eighty-two more days to go until Winter Wrap-Up and Tank's wake-up call.

With that not-so-cheerful thought, Rainbow put the propeller harness back on its stand and meandered her way toward the kitchen. A plain bowl of cereal wasn't exactly a meal fit for winners, but with how her current morning was going, it was the quickest and simplest she could make at the very least.

That gave Rainbow more time to think and plan her day out as she crunched down on her frosted oats. The obvious choice would be to hit the day hard and fast with some early morning practice, then enjoy an afternoon nap. She hadn't had much chance lately to practice her signature tricks like the Buccaneer Blaze. She could also work on adding the reverse corkscrew she had meant to work into the routine. On the other hoof, she just had team practice with the Wonderbolts reserves yesterday, and doing strenuous training every day without rest days in between wasn't good for a pony.

What else could she do this early in the morning? She could visit the weather office and check in on Clear Skies and Thunderlane. However, Rainbow dismissed the idea with a mild snort as soon as the idea came to her. There was no doubt in her mind that those two had the weather handled easily. The only thing showing up unannounced would do is make them think she didn't trust them with a couple of days of easy weather.

Ponyville's weather schedule called for mostly clear skies for today and tomorrow (She always kept a cloud or two above the Whitetail Wood on an otherwise clear day for napping). Sunday was supposed to bring in some cloud cover for an upcoming snowstorm, but only half of those clouds were being delivered tomorrow night. The rest were scheduled to be delivered the following morning.

The only thing that could pull a pinion from the plan would be a burst of wild weather moving in from the Everfree. If that happened, she would be called in without a doubt. Then, she could have some fun breaking up a few chaos clouds... But, with Fluttershy being cuddle buddies with Eris of all ponies, the odds of that happening were slim to none.

Rainbow was about to give up on finding something to do when her mind drifted back to her book collection and the rumors spreading amongst the Daring Do community. Rumors whispered of a Hearth's Warming special edition adventure that A.K. Yearling was planning to drop in the next month or two. How Daring Do got caught up in anything Hearth's Warming related, she didn't know. But she was excited to read about her hero kicking Windigo butts! And the first pony to learn about the release date (outside of the publishing company) would probably be Twilight.

Thinking of Twilight, Rainbow knew for a fact that her egghead friend would be up this early and probably working on one of her many schedules. She had no idea how a mare could live her life scheduled to the last minute, but Twilight somehow managed to do it. But, if a good friend decided to spice up Twilight's schedule by adding a surprise visit for some Daring Do talk? Well, that was just being a good friend and ensuring Twilight's day wasn't too dull.

With her morning plans set, Rainbow haphazardly placed her empty bowl on the counter and, with a flap of her wings, zipped towards the front door as a blur- Only to stop halfway, turn around, and rush back up to the bathroom. She wasn't a proper mare like Rarity by any stretch of the imagination, but visiting a friend when you stank like old sweat wasn't right, either. She needed a shower first, then she could leave to see Twilight.

She also needed to find a thinner blanket so she wouldn't overheat while sleeping, but that was a problem for later.

One relaxing and thorough shower later, Rainbow took off from her home like a blur. Leaving her signature rainbow trail in her wake, as any amount of halfhearted brushing she did for her mane and tail was almost instantly undone and replaced by her standard windswept look when she blasted out of her front door.

With a lazy loop around her home, Rainbow quickly hit the apex, curved around the back of her house, and angled herself towards Ponyville. Even in the morning sun, the Castle of Friendship stood out like a sparkling, sore crystal hoof in the otherwise quaint village. Not that she minded since it was a declaration of how awesome the Elements of Harmony and their bearers were, herself included.

She took less than a minute to reach the castle at subsonic speeds. Slow by her standards, but after one too many unnecessary rainbow explosions above Ponyville, Mayor Mare made her pinkie promise not to travel near the town at rainboom speeds unless it was an emergency. She was also kind enough to add a few other dull legal exceptions, such as when she was officially requested to do a rainboom in Ponyville airspace, but that was neither here nor there.

As Rainbow approached the rapidly growing castle, she could have landed on the smaller front balcony above the main doors and walked inside like a normal pony. But Rainbow Daring Dash was anything but normal as she swerved expertly through the entrance. The halls inside were a little empty to be called a proper obstacle course, but it was fun as she twisted and maneuvered throughout the halls while also bleeding off some of her speed.

At this time of day, Twilight would likely be in the library, the map room, or Celestia forbid, the kitchen. Rainbow decided to check the library first since she not only entered on the same level, but the doors would be coming around any second now, anyway.

Three single doors passed underneath her in the blink of an eye before a set of green crystal double doors appeared ahead of her, as she knew they would. Immediately, Rainbow spread her wings. Creating as much drag as possible. She almost managed to touch both sides of the hallway near the arched ceiling as she came to an abrupt, near-instantaneous stop. After that, she simply angled her wings and used the last of her momentum to swoop down next to the library entrance.

Rainbow pushed aside one of the doors with her wing without knocking and entered. A glance around the library itself revealed nothing out of the ordinary. The shelves were almost overflowing with rows upon rows of neatly sorted books, most of which she had no idea what they were about. The front desk was also left unmared, as usual, unless you counted Twilight's pet owl, Owlowiscious, snoozing on his little perch set on the corner of the desk.

Seeing him there, Rainbow felt a second slight pang of emotion in her heart. Her pet was also sleeping, but unlike Owlowiscious, she wouldn't be able to see Tank until next spring. However, she shook her head before that tiny hint of jealousy could fester. It wasn't Twilight's, Fluttershy's, or anypony's fault that she couldn't stop Tank from hibernating. It was nature, and nopony could prevent that. But... since she was in a library, perhaps she could borrow a book full of bedtime stories and read them to Tank later today?

Rainbow pushed that idea to the back of her mind for later since it wasn't the main reason she was here. Finding Twilight was, and if her Egghead pal had been in the library, she would have parked herself next to the table stacked with multiple piles of books and paperwork. Nopony was there, though, meaning Twilight was in another part of the castle. Turning around, she faced the doors she just entered from. Next up on the Rainbow's list of rooms was the map room.

She only made it two steps toward the door before every facet of the crystal wall in sight lit up with a muted but reflective flash of purple light.

"Rainbow Dash?" The familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle asked before Rainbow could spin around and find the source of the light. She sounded confused but pleasantly surprised to find Rainbow in her library. "What are you doing here so early?"

Turning to face her friend, Rainbow found Twilight standing beside the cluttered table as if she had appeared out of thin air... This was likely the case since Twilight often teleported whenever she could get away with it. She looked magnificent, as usual. Her mane and tale looked prim, proper, and meticulously brushed as was expected of a Princess, without a single hair out of place. A stark contrast to Rainbow's signature messy look. She also had a stack of paperwork about three hooves tall floating beside her.

"I couldn't sleep in for some reason, which is a little weird after doing Wonderbolts drills yesterday," Rainbow admitted with a shrug as she hopped into the air and lazily flapped her way over to the table. "So, I figured I'd drop by and see how you were doing. I was also wondering if you've heard from Daring Do lately?"

"That's very kind of you, Rainbow," Twilight lauded with a smile as she pulled out a cushion and sat in the center of her cluttered mess. At the same time, she placed her newest batch of paperwork down in the nearest space. "I had a breakthrough with one of my research projects last night, and I need to verify what I've learned. Once I do, I can't wait to share it with you and the rest of the girls! As for Daring Do, I haven't seen or heard anything from her recently."

"That's, er, great to hear about your research thingy?" Rainbow encouraged, doing her best to at least try and sound interested in Twilight's bazillionth research project since coming to Ponyville. However, after hearing about the lack of news from Daring Do, her tepid smile fell into a look of mild despair. "But, you haven't heard anything from Daring Do? Not even a hint about her newest, super secret Hearth's Warming adventure?"

"No, Rainbow," Twilight stated, rolling her eyes as she moved around and repositioned multiple piles of books and paper on her work table. "No matter how often you ask, I don't get any preferential updates just because I'm a princess."

Rainbow couldn't help but groan at her answer, "Awww." What good was it to be a princess if you couldn't get a few small perks from the job? Like keeping tabs on your favorite book writer, for example?

"However, later today, I will be working on the final draft of a letter that needs to be sent to Daring Do." She mentioned, as her magic split one of the towering piles of paper in half and set the top portion in one of the few remaining empty spaces on the table's surface.

"Wait, you're sending Daring Do a letter?" Rainbow asked as she zipped next to Twilight's side, trying to spot anything that resembled a letter. Her sudden burst of speed caused a few papers to ruffle, but she was restrained enough to make sure the piles didn't topple over. This time. "If you need somepony to deliver it, I'm your mare! You and I both know where she lives, after all."

"I know, and thank you for the offer, Rainbow. Once I get all of this paperwork done," She admitted, lifting both halves of the pile she recently split with her magic and the third pile that teleported into the library with her, "I'll get to work on Daring's letter. It should be ready to send tomorrow."

When it came to Daring Do, tomorrow just wouldn't cut it. If Twilight was sending a letter, her adventurous, archaeological hero would need to see it as soon as possible! But, Twilight wouldn't let her deliver the letter until it was ready. And, the only way it would be ready, as Rainbow looked over the piles of paperwork... She audibly gulped, gesturing towards the piles with her hoof and asking, "Do you, uh, need help with that?"

"No, but thank you for the offer," Twilight giggled. After all, Rainbow's dislike for paperwork was one of the worst-kept secrets around the weather office and Ponyville. "If you still want to help, I have two other letters that need to be delivered to Princess Celestia and Neil. I was going to ask Spike to send them, but he chose today of all days to sleep in."

"At least somepony got to sleep in today, even if it wasn't me." Rainbow grumbled to herself, as she landed next to Twilight. Looking over the organized mess on the table, however, she couldn't see any sealed envelopes or official-looking, rolled-up scrolls ready and waiting to be delivered.

"After all the hard work he's done around the castle lately? He's earned it." She affirmed with a smile. "If Spike is still asleep by noon, though, I planned to stop at the post office and mail them on my lunch break."

"There's no need for that. You worry about that letter to Daring Do, and I'll get those letters to the castle before you know it!" Rainbow boasted, hopping onto the table with her front two legs and giving the table a second look from her slightly higher vantage point. "Just, uh, where are they?"

"On my bedside table, waiting to see if Spike wakes up," Twilight told her as she closed her eyes, and the tip of her horn sparkled with magic. "Here, let me get them for you."

After a moment's build-up, during which her magic grew marginally brighter, a flash forced Rainbow to blink. When her eyes opened again, two tightly rolled scrolls, each with a red ribbon and gold wax seal, were now floating roughly a foot above the table's surface between some of the taller stacks.

With her targets finally in sight, Rainbow excitedly grinned and launched into the air. Going to extreme speeds from a standstill in a fraction of a second always got her heart racing as she felt her innate magic divert the sudden influx of air pressure around her. Deftly, she scooped both scrolls out of the air with a simple wing roll, storing them safely under her wing, before instantly coming to a stop above the table in a victorious pose!

... only to see an ocean of paperwork spilled out all over the floor, and an unamused Twilight looking directly at her. "Eheh, whoops? I'm... going to go deliver those letters now. Talk to you later?"

Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow rushed out of the library. Within seconds, she burst through the crystal doors (without cracking them this time), zipped through the halls, and exited the castle through the larger, grand-looking balcony opening. She also narrowly missed the flag as it whipped and fluttered around its pole due to being caught in her wake. Now that she was outside, however, she could increase her speed to subsonic levels as she whirled around the castle, and set her sights on Canterlot.

Given the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot, and her current speed, Rainbow figured she would make it to the castle within five minutes. Ten at the most, even if she slowed down a little and enjoyed her flight. After all, nothing was more invigorating than flying through the crisp winter morning air in Rainbow's mind. Well, almost nothing. Flying at supersonic speeds was always an adrenaline rush, no matter the time of year.

For some strange reason, thinking about the morning air reminded Rainbow of a saying from way back during her flight school days. Sunrise Smile was one of, if not the only instructor Rainbow disliked during her time there. No matter how early in the morning it was, and her classes were always held an hour after dawn, she used to say in an overly cheerful voice 'The early bird gets the worm!'. This was the exact opposite of Rainbow's belief since she was still half asleep during most of her morning classes.

Still, as Rainbow closed the distance between herself and Canterlot, she felt that things were coming full circle. Today, at least, she was in Sunrise Smile's place as her mind drifted to one of the letter recipients, her newest student, Neil. Was he up at this early hour? Being an Egghead like Twilight, she assumed he was. There was also the question of whether or not he had anything planned today.

After delivering both letters to their recipients, she could see herself spending a few hours with Neil. Unfortunately, they would also have to stay in Canterlot. Any meaningful flight practice would place Neil in full view of Canterlot, putting his super secret existence as an Alicorn at risk. Which was something she promised the Princess she absolutely wouldn't do. If she wanted to squeeze a few hours of training in, they would be restricted to physical training, like wing-ups.

Rainbow was willing to admit Neil's wings were long, majestic, and very appealing to the eye as her cheeks gained a small amount of warmth. However, compared to a normal-looking pair of stallion wings, which were stronger and more muscular looking, Neil's were very feminine. They were very similar to Princess Cadence's lithe, almost dainty-looking wings, now that she thought about it.

Maybe it was an Alicorn quirk to have pretty wings, whether a mare or stallion? It could also mean Neil's wings were underdeveloped and needed more exercise to increase his muscles and flight capabilities. She tried to picture Neil with strong, masculine wings. The best she could imagine was a pair of regular stallion wings, but stretched, which looked mismatched to Neil's larger body and longer legs. Add in Neil's abrasively mare-ish attitude, and the image in her mind quickly shifted to an Alicorn mare, earning a humorous snort.

Sure, if Neil was wearing his cloak and a pony looked at his wings alone from a distance, Neil could be mistaken for a mare. But, she was one of the few ponies to see him up close, without his disguise. And, no matter how hard he tried, tails weren't designed to hide certain things.

His sack was a prime example as it came to her mind, along with the massive pair of Alicorn-sized balls they held. Not only were they Earth Pony huge like Big Mac's, but they promised to fill a smaller mare like her to near bursting. Add in Neil's increased recovery rate thanks to his Alicorn nature, and she could only imagine what he would be like during estrus. Day after day after day... Rainbow felt a full-body shiver travel down her spine, and not from the cool morning wind as her mind went straight into the gutter.

She couldn't help but remember the last time she felt a stallion's special touch, which was also during flight school. It was during the spring of her final year. Fluttershy dropped out the previous year, meaning she had to deal with her heat on her own for the first time without a good friend by her side.

She was left feeling unfulfilled, frustrated, and a little lonely for over a month. Only for a royal blue Pegasus stallion from her class to come up and offer to help with a bit of shared fun in the mix. Being the reckless young mare she was, she quickly accepted and ducked into the nearest bathroom. One thing led to another, and she eventually found herself sprawled out on her dorm room bed with seed leaking out of her sated tunnel.

That was her first and only time with a stallion during estrus, and it felt amazing. No doubt, her time in flight school was top three on her list of best sexual experiences, for sure. What wasn't so awesome from that encounter was the false positive on her pregnancy test a month later. One single test changed her life. Forcing her to drop out and find a job in the same podunk (or so she thought at the time) little town Fluttershy moved to the year before. To this day, only Fluttershy knew about her first pregnancy test. Thankfully, her second, more accurate test at the Ponyville General Hospital was negative.

After that not-so-little scare, Rainbow used coolers and only offered herself exclusively to mares during heat season. Still, as she reminisced about her only proper mating, she couldn't help but imagine Neil on her back instead of the colt that bailed on her after their heated session. With his large frame, his stamina, and larger... well, she didn't know what his penis looked like. Not entirely, at least, leaving that part of her imagination blank. But, after feeling up his massive wings, she caught a glimpse of the tip after he partially stood up.

If she were honest with herself, she liked what she saw as even more of his Pegasus heritage revealed itself. Giving him a streamlined, aerodynamic head and crest that could easily slip into any mare lucky enough to make him hot and bothered. He even had an adorable splotch of grey on the tip that matched his fur.

Even better, Rainbow may have only caught sight of his balls on occasion and the tip only once, but she was pretty sure she was the only mare alive that knew what an Alicorn's member might objectively look like. That thought alone boosted her inner smugness, knowing that most single mares (even some herding mares) looked Neil's way during their casual walks through Ponyville. They all thought he was a massive unicorn, and pictured him with the equipment to match. At least, that's what Rarity said while spilling her typical gossip.

She knew better, though, as she finally noticed a familiar dampness beginning to seep into the fur of her inner thighs.

Sadly, she couldn't keep fantasizing about her Alicorn student. Not only was it frowned upon (so long as she remained his flight instructor), but she could easily pick out the individual towers of Canterlot Castle. She would be at her destination in less than a minute, and it would be really uncool of her to show up and deliver the Princess' letter smelling like a horny two-bit whorse.

Changing direction, Rainbow pulled up and bled off some of her speed with two consecutive loop-de-loops. It helped to get her mind off Neil's stallionhood and return to her current task. However, she also threw in a few daring dives, followed by a couple of corkscrews, and finished with pinpoint, accurate turns as she neared the mountain. It wouldn't do to crash into the base of Mt. Canterhorn and injure herself. Or worse, if she lost the letters she promised to deliver. However, she spent the next ten minutes, twice the entire length of the trip, doing daring tricks until her body cooled down and felt presentable again.

Only then, with a massive burst of speed that teased the beginnings of a Sonic Rainboom, did she circle the mountain's base, looking for the familiar train tracks from Ponyville. Once she spotted them, she dove close (but not so close as to pose any danger to herself or an oncoming train) and followed them up the mountain. She could have flown straight up until she was level with the city's elevation, but that was boring compared to following the winding tracks up the side of the mountain.

Sooner than Rainbow would have liked, though, she burst out of an enclosed stone tunnel and into the outskirts of Canterlot. She immediately veered upwards, angling away from the train station and the Pegasus guard patrol watching the area. They wouldn't be able to catch her. But, if she got too close, they could recognize her signature rainbow trail and report her, something she did not want to deal with on her day off.

After gaining a small amount of altitude, she pulled an abrupt ninety-degree turn, angling herself towards the city's center and the distinct towers of Canterlot Castle. At her current speed, she was nothing but a rainbow blur to the ponies walking below, some of which she caught looking up at her. The fact that she was noticed made her smile as she neared her destination.

Before she could fly over the walls and zip into the castle courtyard, she remembered at the last second that she wasn't wearing her official Wonderbolts flight uniform. That would have made the local guard patrols angry with her for sure. Instead, she forced herself to divert around the wall and landed abruptly at the front gate as her hooves slammed into the cobblestone. A landing like that hurt her hooves a little, but the payoff was worth it as she kept her cool landing pose.

Besides, sore hooves were easier to deal with than the first time she accidentally flew over the walls without a proper uniform or permission. Not only was she subjected to a changeling test, which left her feeling tingly in all of her most sensitive places, but she also had to fill out paperwork on top of that!

"Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, Wonderbolts Trainee, yadda, yadda, yadda." She immediately briefed the guardsmare blocking the gate, waiting for her to move aside. When the guard refused to move out of the way, Rainbow narrowed her eyes and continued, clearly stating the reason for her visit. "I'm here to deliver two urgent letters from Princess Twilight Sparkle. One is for Princess Celestia, and the other is for Neil."

Of course, when she mentioned an urgent letter for Princess Celestia, the guardsmare quickly did her job. In the blink of an eye, the armored mare jolted to the side of the gate, almost as fast as Rainbow could fly, and pulled a lever. The previously closed gate started to open with a loud but well-maintained-sounding mechanical clunk. Rainbow waited only long enough for the gap to equal the size of her barrel before taking off and slipping through the gap at the bottom of the gate. After which, she quickly swerved through the open doors of the castle itself and dipped into the hallway leading to the throne room.

Even this early in the morning, before the gates officially opened to the general public, ponies were walking about. And not just the castle staff, either. Rainbow spotted a couple of groups of mares gathered inside and out. Most were dressed in fancy gowns, likely nobles and other important ponies that stayed the night in the castle.

Also, there was a group of humble-looking ponies that reminded Rainbow of AJ and her family, dressed in their country best and walking through the hall toward the throne room. Judging by the lone Earth Pony stallion in the group's center, they were also a herd. Without a doubt, they were from out of town. They probably had been given a guest room in the castle after missing their chance to meet Princess Celestia yesterday.

Still, Rainbow flew above and ahead of the group, quickly entering the reception hall, and angled herself towards the throne room door. Already, half a dozen posh-looking ponies were standing in line. But, she ignored them despite their loud, obnoxious sounding 'My word's' and 'Oh my Celestia's', as she landed at the front of the line.

Before the Unicorn guardstallion could even ask why she was there, Rainbow pulled out both letters from underneath her wing and loudly stated, "Letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle, for Princess Celestia." She caught out of the corner of her eye some of the nobility closing their mouths or silently harrumphing due to her statement. Still, she couldn't take the time to gloat as she identified which letter was Celestia's and offered it to the guard.

"Princess Celestia has yet to enter the throne room," The guardstallion told her in a dull but official-sounding tone instead of taking the letter. "As such, Day Court has yet to start. As the Element of Loyalty, it would likely be best for you to see Her Royal Highness in her private dining chambers. Lieutenant Brass!" He called out, his voice echoing throughout the room as Rainbow caught the barest hint of a grin and a minute sideways glance towards the ignored and otherwise annoyed-looking nobility.

The sight was short-lived, however, before Rainbow picked up on the sound of measured, well-trained military hooves as they broke from their position and trotted up behind her. When she turned around, a puff of bronze magic took hold of the letter to Celestia held in her wing and plucked it from her grasp.

"If you would follow me, Wonderbolt Dash?" The guardstallion's deeper, baritone voice invitingly asked as he stashed the letter inside his armor with his magic. The fact that he recognized her rank as a Wonderbolt had her swelling with pride as she quickly followed him out of the room and back down the hallway from which she came. However, she couldn't help but feel a little irked by the fact that he also took the letter from her.

It was probably some protocol, or procedure Rainbow was unaware of. Most of the time, if she delivered a letter for Twilight, she just took it during Sun Court and they allowed her to pass through the door. This was the first time in her life that she managed to show up before court began. As they walked into the grand entry hall and made their way up the main staircase towards the second floor, she also remembered the second letter she had to deliver.

Neil's room was the closest of the two and only a short detour along the way to Celestia's private dining room. It would make sense to drop that one off first, as she asked, "Hey, can we make a short stop before delivering that letter to the Princess?"

Instead of turning around or stopping, Lieutenant Brass asked, "Where would you like to stop?" As he continued to climb the staircase.

"I have a letter for Neil as well, and his room's mostly on the way." She told him, automatically gesturing her snout towards the correct route, even though he couldn't see her. "Might as well drop his off first."

"Ambassador Neil's room?" The guard seconded before he stiffly adjusted the angle of his ascent up the grand staircase towards the smaller set of stairs branching off to the right. "Very well."

After that, it was a quiet, slow journey through the castle. Without her Wonderbolts uniform, Rainbow wasn't tied into the wards. Instead of flying directly to Neil's ambassador quarters, like she usually would, she was forced to stay close to the stallion escorting her. Despite how slow he walked through the halls, she couldn't deny that he had some serious muscle for a Unicorn. She was reminded of Prince Shining Armor, with the armor enchantment turning his coat white and his shorter-than-average tail blue.

Eventually, they found themselves in the area of the castle that housed the ambassador suites. Not long after that, she spotted Neil's front door. Once more, her impulse was to fly up in the blink of an eye, but she had to restrain herself, and follow her escort instead. It was almost torturous, watching as the door and the two guards flanking it slowly grew closer with each measured disciplined step.

Once they were within ten-ish feet of Neil's front door, Rainbow skipped in front of Lieutenant Brass and landed in front of both guards. She didn't recognize either of them as Neil's overly muscular Pegasus guardstallion. However, if they were stationed at his door, they were likely a part of his guard detail.

A quick look at their helmet plumage revealed the stallion on her left had the rank of Sargent, so she turned to address him. "I've got a letter for Neil from Princess Twilight Sparkle if you want to tell him?" As she said that, Rainbow also pulled the letter out from underneath her wing and offered it to the guard.

"I'll advise Ambassador Neil of your arrival, Miss Dash, and see if he's willing to accept visitors this morning." Neil's guardstallion informed her gently as smokey magic swirled around his horn. For the second time that day, the letter she was delivering was taken from her wing and stuffed into a stallion's armor as he turned around and quickly slipped through the door without a sound.

For a split second, Rainbow could see the inside of Neil's living room through the gap in the door. She didn't spot Neil himself or see anything that was out of place, but she did pick up the warm flickering light of a well-stocked fireplace reflecting off the white walls. Odd, but this was a castle. She wouldn't be surprised if things got a little chilly, given the walls were made out of stone.

Roughly a minute passed before the door opened a second time. However, instead of holding the door open and inviting Rainbow in, the guardstallion opened it just enough to slip through and promptly closed it with his magic. "Neil would like to thank you for going out of your way to deliver that letter. Unfortunately, he also had a really bad day and night, yesterday, and would prefer to take it easy for the rest of today."

Rainbow couldn't deny that she felt her good mood deflating a little. She was hoping to chat with Neil at least, if not convince him to do more training with her. However, as she learned why he wasn't taking any visitors, she was even more worried about this supposed lousy day he had. "Neil didn't hurt himself again, did he?"

"Despite Neil's best efforts, no, he didn't seriously injure himself," the Sergeant calmly reassured her before switching the topic to something else, "In any case, would you like to schedule a training session sometime during the next week?"

"I'll think on it," Rainbow told him after a second or two of thought. She knew she had tomorrow off but after that? She would have to look at her calendar and see what was going on. "Also, the next time you go in tell him I hope he gets better. I won't go easy on him during our next session."

"I will do exactly that, Miss Dash," He stated with a nod as he slipped back into the position he started and stood at attention. "Have a good day."

"I will," Rainbow told him, as she turned to see her guard escort standing at attention across the hall, on the opposite side of Neil's door, and across from the guardsmare. If not for the stiff pose, Rainbow might have assumed they were in the middle of a tedious, if slightly dull, staring contest. However, she had things to do and at least one more letter that needed to be delivered today. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself two feet into the air. "Okay, time to go see the Princess now. And this time, let's go faster!"

~~~***~~~

Focus, and willpower. Those were the two main aspects of casting that all Unicorns and Alicorns needed to work on to master the basics of their innate magic. Young Unicorns typically spend years slowly honing their craft. First, they started by drawing magic to their horn, which would then be released as harmless magical sparks. Once that step was achieved, they began the grueling task of shaping magic to their will. Typically, most foals struggled with the second part. But not Neil.

Being an adult helped with the focus and willpower aspect of casting magic. Unfortunately, being who and what he was also complicated things. Whether it was due to random chance or the fact that he was a human deep down, something about his magic was volatile and unpredictable. If he wanted to safely cast telekinesis or any other spell he felt inclined to learn, he had to add a third, more advanced aspect of casting to the mix.

The way Cadence described it, this technique was used in the guard and by journeymare mages to make casting more efficient and less wasteful. An average Unicorn utilizing this technique could cast more spells and focus on them for longer periods without increasing the size of their center. As a nice side benefit, it also helped hone their mental fortitude.

Neil didn't care about that second aspect. His sole reason for learning to regulate his magic was to prevent his magic from pooling at the base of his horn. That way, he could stop a second fireball detonation from happening in the first place, or worse, somehow setting himself on fire with rainbow napalm.

As he strained to mentally manipulate the thermos held in his aura and twist the lid off, he had to increase his magic flow. But he couldn't increase it by too much. Otherwise, his magic might pool and explode his god-damned morning coffee!

With a frustrated growl, Neil cut off his telekinesis when he felt the cold sensation of his magic beginning to swell at the base of his horn. Instantly, the bright, electric blue glow surrounding his horn and the thermos cut off. Severing his control of the metal container and allowing gravity to drag it down an entire inch before it hit the wooden coffee table with a dull, metallic warble as the coffee sloshed inside.

Without an ongoing spell to restrict and redirect his magic flow toward the tip of his horn, Neil felt the cool, icy chill of his magic flow away from his forehead and down his neck. It rapidly warmed until the essence of magic reached equilibrium and fully faded away inside his body. It was deceptive in a way, feeling calm, cool, and relaxing; all the while, he knew its explosive potential.

After casting a fireball yesterday, Neil had to begrudgingly admit that Celestia had been right. His magic was apparently dangerous, enough that he felt obligated to tame it as soon as possible for his safety and those around him. Which meant practice, practice, and more practice, leading to the situation he now found himself in as he stared at his coffee thermos.

He could lift the container and put it back down. That was easy enough, taking a minimum amount of time, effort, and risk. It was when he tried to increase the duration of the spell or do any amount of physical manipulation, like removing the lid or pushing it toward the other end of the table, that his control over his magic began to waver. It was surprising to learn that such little things increased the magical demands of the spell while also forcing him to alter the flow of magic to his horn. Incorrectly, most of the time.

After Neil's latest failure to lift the thermos, undo the lid, and pour himself a cup of coffee, he gave up on doing the task with magic. Instead, he reached out with a wing and manually poured himself his fourth cup of coffee. Was it technically cheating to do so in the middle of his self-imposed practice? Yes. But, he needed his morning coffee, and somehow, the ponies managed to brew it without any hint of bitterness.

Taking a sip, Neil leaned back and relaxed in the comfort of his reading chair. The fire that had been stoked by Luna the night before somehow still burned brightly into the morning. How that was possible, he didn't care enough to guess. All he knew was that he hadn't added a single log to the fire since he woke up, and it still threw off more than enough crackling light and heat to make the room feel extra cozy.

A large cup of coffee, a happily burning fire, and he hadn't opened a single stupid book the entire morning. If Neil were honest with himself, this was one of, if not the most relaxing morning he'd experienced so far during his time at the castle.

He might have even dozed off for a moment or two after finishing his cup because the next thing he knew, he heard someone next to him gently clear their throat. Eyes opened wide, Neil instinctively jolted up in his seat and looked to the source. Calm, somehow, was silently standing beside his chair with a sealed scroll hovering next to his chest.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Neil, but Rainbow Dash is here to deliver a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle." Calm informed him as the guardstallion effortlessly placed the scroll on the coffee table with his aura.

"A letter from Twilight, already?" Neil asked without thinking. He didn't expect any progress to be made that quickly regarding their shared project, let alone enough to fill a letter. After setting his empty cup aside, which his wing still held for some reason, he scooped up the meticulously rolled scroll. Before he had the chance to open it, however, he remembered the reason it was here in the first place. "Is Rainbow still here?"

Calm gave a single, firm nod before answering his question. "Rainbow Dash is waiting patiently at the door, last I saw."

"Huh," Was all he said at first since he was slightly confused by her actions. From what he knew about her, she acted like life was one big race. Once a task was done, she'd rush off to the next one as fast as possible. "Did she say anything about training?"

"No, she only mentioned the letter," Calm confirmed before focusing on the recently delivered letter. "Should I ask Rainbow Dash to wait for a letter in response?"

'Only if you want to make her pissed off at me,' Was left unsaid as he thought over his options. If he needed to respond to Twilight's letter, he could just hop on the train to Ponyville and speak to her directly. Besides, whether he sat on a train watching the scenery go by, or sat in his apartment reading useless books, he was wasting time either way. At least the train was relaxing. "I don't think so. Tell her I said thanks, but I'm taking it easy after almost burning my apartment down."

Calm gave a silent salute and stated, "As you wish," As he almost hit his helm with his armored shoes. After that, he turned around and headed straight for the door.

With that taken care of, Neil settled into the comfort of his chair for the second time and brought the scroll still held in his wing closer. This wasn't his first letter from Twilight, and he had enough experience dealing with wax seals to remove them with his wings without making a mess.

Once the red ribbon was free, Neil quickly unrolled the letter. However, as he did so, three smaller pieces of paper fell out. Two of them fluttered down and landed on the armrest, while the third landed on his stomach.

For a split second, he was confused as to what they were. But after looking directly at the one on his stomach, he recognized all three of them as unused train tickets. Was Twilight expecting him to go to Ponyville? And when? He was tempted to look at the time on the ticket but figured everything would be explained in the letter.

Once the letter was fully unrolled, Neil narrowed his eyes as he began to read Twilight's ordered, neat, if a little too small, unified writing:

Dear Ambassador Neil,

Hello! I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. If not, then I have some great news that will help cheer you up. I believe I have found even more information that is critical to finding your home country. However, before I divert all my spare time and effort into following this lead, I would prefer a second opinion at the earliest opportunity available. Together, if possible.

To accommodate this, I've rescheduled my five o'clock appointment to later this week, giving us the rest of the evening to review all the information I have available. I've also taken the time to look over today's train schedule. Unfortunately, the soonest available train from Canterlot to Ponyville leaves at one o'clock in the afternoon. If you don't mind experiencing a slight delay in Ponyville, you'll find three round-trip tickets already paid for and attached to this letter.

If you are unavailable today or wish to reschedule to a more convenient time, please send a letter informing me of such changes. I'll try my best to accommodate your schedule. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you at five tonight!

Your Fellow Researcher,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.

The moment Neil finished reading, there was little doubt in his mind. Whatever this critical information might be, if there was even a sliver of a chance of finding his way back home, he would take it. Something was off, though. If this information was so critical, why wait to share it in person? Why not tell him immediately in this very letter? After a second or two of thought, he figured the answer lay with how she ended the letter. your fellow researcher. She did not want the information to spread accidentally, or she wanted to show the process leading up to her conclusion.

With that in mind, he quickly plucked all three tickets from where they fell with his other wing and sat upright in his chair. It wasn't quite nine in the morning yet, meaning he had a few hours to prepare. He also had to tell Calm about the sudden change in plans so his guards could get a heads-up. After placing the letter and the tickets on the coffee table, he slipped out of his chair and approached the front door.

The two-hour wait would be annoying, but apparently, he was going to Ponyville today...

~~~

Without warning, the shrill, high-pitched whistle of the Friendship Express gave its final warning as the doors leading into the passenger compartments began to close. Unlike his first trip to Ponyville by train, its sound was partially muted by the various noises being made by other nearby ponies. Whether it was the rhythmic clomping of multiple hooves along the wooden loading platform, luggage being loaded into carts of varying sizes, or the excited greetings of ponies seeing each other for the first time in ages before devolving into conversation, the train station was buzzing with activity.

Thankfully, most of it was directed away from Neil as he slowly walked through the crowd. With Bulk and Squall at his sides, the most recognition he would receive would be an odd look or two, focused on his guard's gleaming golden armor and spears, before being ignored. Whether they thought he was a dangerous pony being escorted or that he was on some sort of official duty for the crown, he didn't know. But he took full advantage of the crowd's trepidation as he slowly made his way to the platform's edge.

What he would do once he left the train station was still up for debate. He had an official meeting scheduled in two hours, but until then, he had no idea what he would do to fill the gap. The most obvious option was to walk around town and see what was happening. If he took a stroll around town hall, would he find Lyra playing her lyre? Rarity's shop was also an option, although he couldn't think of any particular reason he needed to visit. Plus, he did not want to be subject to another one of her bouts of inspiration. If worst comes to worst, he could go straight to the castle and do some light reading.

That was his least favorite option since he managed to avoid any books so far today. Still, with what little he knew of Twilight, she was very thorough, to say the least. So, it was more likely that she had a stack of books for him to review during their meeting than not.

As Neil left the train station and followed the quaint path that led into town, he again took in the idyllic, snow-covered cottages that appeared to have been ripped out of a picture-perfect postcard. He was no stranger to Ponyville, but this was his first time seeing the wintry village with a bright, clear blue sky in the background compared to the depressing grey cloud cover he usually associated with winter. He even stopped momentarily to capture the memory, even if two glaring blemishes didn't match the image of a small, northern town blanketed with snow.

The first and most glaring was the shimmering walls of Twilight's large crystalline tree castle. It was a veritable beacon of reflective light that drew the attention of anyone looking vaguely in its general direction. However, it was a Ponyville staple, so he begrudgingly ignored it.

Interestingly enough, the second thing he noticed that was out of place was both smaller and presumedly easier to deal with. A little puff ball cloud was hovering over the northwestern edge of town. It was the only splotch of white he could see marring the otherwise perfectly blue sky. Even odder, there was a short, scruffy-looking, tail-length rainbow hanging off the side, leaving little doubt in his mind about who was ruining the view.

Regaining his casual jog, Neil slipped past the first layer of cottages and veered northward. Even if he couldn't dissuade Rainbow from her cloud, at least he could distract himself for a few minutes before moving on to something else. As he closed in on the area directly below her perch, he found himself beside the large snow mound with the burnt sign and brass plaque next to it.

For a moment, he thought about putting his new telekinesis to the test and pulling on her dangling tail. But he decided against it in the end. On the off chance he lost control, he didn't want to light a fire under her ass, or worse, blow it off entirely as if he set off a claymore next to her. The best way to get her attention would be the old-fashioned, boring way, as he called up to her. "Hey, Rainbow, you alive up there?"

After five, maybe even ten seconds passed, the only indication she heard him was a minor, insignificant twitch from her otherwise limp tail. He was just about to call up a second time, only for two slow-moving hooves to reach beyond the edge of the cloud and curl down. Digging into the edge of the cloud as if it were a thick, fluffy blanket before pulling it back and forcing the physical vapor to scrunch up.

Soon enough, Rainbow's drowsy and somewhat irritated face poked over the edge, looking directly down at him. "I'whaz having a nap, Neil." Was all she managed to get out before being interrupted by a loud, obnoxious-sounding yawn. He also saw the tips of her wings and her back legs poked out over multiple edges of the cloud, suggesting a deep, flexible stretch. "Weren't you staying in Canterlot today?"

"That was the plan until I read Twilight's letter," Neil admitted, studiously ignoring the sliver of her blue-furred butt poking over the back edge of her small cloud as well. "She reworked her schedule to set up a meeting today, and it sounded urgent. So, here I am."

"Urgent? As in, the end of Equestria as we know it urgent?" Rainbow asked, blinking away the last remnants of sleep from her eyes before her cloud descended. Halfway down, she wore a determined, if slightly arrogant grin as if she was anticipating a fight, only for a look of realization to hit. "Nah, that can't be it. Today's a Friday, not a Tuesday," She admitted out loud, as her grin seemed to wilt a little.

"Whether it is or not, I'm meeting her at five," Neil informed Rainbow as her cloud became level with his back. Leaving him eye to eye with her so long as she remained prone on her cloud. "Which leaves me with a few hours to waste, if you're willing?"

That seemed to cheer her back up as her arrogant grin returned with full force. "Volunteering for a full two hours of hard training? Some stallion sure is getting a little cocky."

"That's not what I said, Rainbow," Neil rejected firmly. "I was thinking some light flying practice, only. I don't want to be a sweaty mess when I meet with Twilight later today."

"Are you sure?" Rainbow doubled down, a hint of teasing in her voice. "A sweaty stallion might be exactly what an egghead like Twilight needs," She joked, trying and failing to hold down her laughter.

"I'm sure, " Neil said, ignoring her half-smothered laughs as he began to walk around her cloud. "But if you want to joke instead of fly, I could always go and visit Rarity instead."

That seemed to do it, as her cloud veered to the side with a light flap of her wings, cutting him off. "You'd ditch me for Rarity? As if! Now, let's hurry up." Rainbow told him as she gave a second flap and spun her cloud around. "The sooner we get to the clearing, the sooner you can drop the cape and fly."

For a mare who was having a relaxing, if lazy, day off on her cloud, Rainbow was quick to take the lead as they headed into Ponyville proper. A third, almost breast-stroke-like flap had her cloud shoot forward at a brisk, jogging pace, and Neil was quick to follow. There was only one problem. With the cloud remaining at its current height, he was faced with a very sleek but prominent rainbow-tailed butt only a few feet away from his face. Forcing him to look anywhere but in the direction they were heading.

Still, it was an opportunity to look at the surrounding buildings as they passed through Ponyville's streets. Unlike his last trip, this area of town was a mix of cottages and essential shops. One of which was an odd, gingerbread-looking building he recognized as the structure that almost crushed him before Lyra and Bon Bon saved his ass. He noted the name, Sugarcube Corner before they passed it by.

Not long after they passed Sugarcube Corner, Neil's eyes settled on another strange-looking building as they approached. The front half was a large, two-toned green cottage that was two floors tall. Two large bay windows took up most of the first floor facing the street. Both displays were packed to the brim with different flowering plants, most of which were in full bloom or budding despite it being winter. Underneath the windows sat large, almost boxy-looking snow drifts. Possibly hinting at extra boxes, shelves, or planters built underneath the windows, which were covered with snow.

Above the front door, a small, antique wooden sign hung freely with blooming, vibrant flowers engraved and painted into the wood. The shop's name wasn't displayed on the sign, but the idea that this was a flower shop was easily discerned. The oddest thing about the building wasn't the cottage itself. It was the long, attached greenhouse, at least two hockey rinks in length and as tall as the cottage itself that caught his attention.

Neil could only imagine what was being grown inside, besides just flowers. As he contemplated the possibilities, an unknown female voice interrupted their relatively quiet jog through Ponyville. Even stranger, it didn't originate from his right or left, but from above as the mare called out to the pony leading their little group. "Hey, Rainbow!"

Before he or Rainbow could adequately respond, a Pegasus mare came in for a hard landing to his right. She wasn't a blur like some Pegasi he'd seen before (mainly Rainbow Dash). However, the impact was still hard enough to scatter the light powdering of snow around her and make her legs bend at the knee as she absorbed the shock, even if she tried to hide it.

Her fur was an odd, faded purple-blue colour, but her mane and tail drew most of his attention simply due to how striking they were. They were the colour of ice and snow, with plenty of volume and windswept. Giving her what Abby and Ken would describe as an anime duck-butt hairstyle. She also had a shooting star on her flank to finish her look.

Following the purple-blue mare's entrance, a second, almost identical Pegasus came in for a softer landing in the center of the street. She had the same fur colour, but her mane and tail were long, silky, and well-maintained, judging by the pink bow she wore just behind her ears. After a second, he also noticed a greenish sheen to her hair, giving it a more teal look and differentiating it from the ice blue of the first mare. She had three dragonflies pictured on her flank to further distinguish herself from the first mare.

"And, hello there, Tall, Dark, and... really, really tall." The softer of the two Pegasi followed up with an adorable, child-like voice, despite being a full-grown mare, as she angled her gaze up and looked directly at him. Neil had little doubt as to who she was addressing as she spoke.

"Smooth, Flitter," The first Pegasus added afterward, sounding more than a little sarcastic as she audibly face-hooved.

Looking between the anime mare and Flitter, Neil felt a hint of wariness deep in his chest. Something about how they landed in front of him on either side gave him a vibe that they were... corralling him. Maybe not that, exactly, but a sense of them closing in or blocking him off, even though he was at the side of an otherwise open street.

At least Rainbow seemed to recognize them as her cloud abruptly stopped the moment both mares landed. She didn't appear surprised in the slightest. As Rainbow spun her cloud around to look at the anime mare, she seemed more annoyed than anything else at their sudden appearance. "Flitter, Cloudchaser, what are you two doing here? Aren't you on cloud patrol?"

Flitter, and Cloudchaser? From what Rainbow just said, it was clear that they were part of Ponyville's weather management. Why were they here, though? Had something come up, and they needed to report to Rainbow, even though she told him it was her day off? He hoped that was the case. As he let Rainbow deal with them, he also couldn't help but mentally ask, 'Any relation to Cloud Strife?'

Unfortunately, his mental question went unanswered. Instead, Flitter began to explain, forcing Rainbow to crane her neck and look back at her. "We are. But, we were just about to take our break,"

Only for Cloudchaser to pick up seamlessly from there as she looked at him with a salacious grin. "Then, suddenly, we spotted a large, grey, and electrifyingly handsome cumulonimbus that might need our attention. It might even take our entire break to properly wrangle him to our satisfaction. If he wants us to, that is?"

Flitter picked up from there, echoing the question with big, hopeful eyes. "If you want to join us on our break?" Making it crystal clear what they were propositioning him for while also leaving no doubt that he could accept or deny their offer. But still, asking a random stallion on the side of the road for casual sex!?

The instinctual wariness in his chest spiked, along with confusion and a jumbled mixture of other emotions. Some of these were positive, like pride at the idea of being called handsome, oddly enough, which disturbed him far more than the actual situation he now found himself in.

Before he could even think of anything to say, Rainbow took over as she gave Cloudchaser a critical look. "Who's covering for you two and watching Ponyville right now?"

Cloudchaser looked past Rainbow and caught Flitter's eye. After a second of silent communication passed between them, as if they were communicating telepathically, she then turned to address Rainbow. "Well, we figured since you're right here?"

"We were wondering if you could cover for us?" Flitter finished as she trotted up to Rainbow's side, distracting her with those same hopeful eyes... as her tail twitched and shimmied off to the side. Momentarily, she revealed herself in full view of Neil as a fleeting glimmer of reflective sunlight originating from her damp but most certainly aroused flesh in the midday sun.

Neil immediately withdrew his eyes, looking away from the effect he had on Flitter while trying to find anything else to distract himself. Unfortunately, his eyes locked with Cloudchasers, who promptly waggled her eyebrows at him with a knowing, perverted smile. Which fell slightly the moment Rainbow gave her verdict.

"No," She said sternly as her eyes darted from him, and towards Flitter's tail. "One of you can take a break while the other covers like you're supposed to. It's my day off, and I plan to show my friend around town before he meets with Twilight."

That specific name drop seemed to catch the attention of both mares, and any hint of scoring a good time with him vanished as Flitter's ears perked. "The Princess?" She asked, sounding mildly surprised.

Only for Cloudchaser to follow up and ask herself, more so than anyone else, "So, this is Elements business?" At the same time, she looked over to Flitter before anyone could give her an answer. "Flits, you mind if I take the first break then?"

"Oh! Um, sure," She said, sounding slightly off-set as she worked through their sudden change of plans. "I guess I'll be in our regular spot when you're done?"

"Sure thing," Cloudchaser confirmed before flapping her wings and taking off. Before she was out of earshot, though, she called back, "I'll grab you a snack on my way back."

Which brought a small smile back to Flitter's muzzle before taking off with a single, light flap of her wings. Instead of taking off toward their regular spot, however, she spun around to face him directly as she spoke. "I guess I'm still on the clock. Hopefully, my sister and I can get to know you better at a later date. Bye, everypony!" With that said, she flew off at a far slower speed compared to Cloudchaser, towards the northern part of town.

Yet, Neil didn't particularly care to watch as she flew off. His mind was still stuck on the last tidbit of information Flitter shared with them. 'Sisters!? She was willing to fuck me with her sister?' Which spawned a slew of other thoughts, adult or not, that could explain some of the backward thinking he'd seen in Equestria. After all, if incest was allowed out in the open like that...

Before he devolved down that path too far, he reigned in his train of thought. He assumed they were asking him for a quick fuck, but were they? He didn't know for sure, which is why he immediately turned to Bulk and asked, "Just to make sure I understood what was going on, those two were asking me for sex, right?"

As if he was answering a question about the weather, Bulk gave him a slow but casual nod. "Eeyup."

"And," Squall jumped in on the conversation with a giggle that somehow betrayed his perverted thoughts on the subject, "The mare with the windswept mane was pretty hot. I wonder if she was dripping like her sister?"

"Is that normal?" Neil asked loudly, feeling just as uncomfortable now with the image of Flitter's moist lips refusing to remove itself from his mind as when the two mares were initially hitting on him. "Or, is that just a Ponyville thing? No one in Canterlot's stopped me on the side of the road and asked for sex!"

Never mind the fact that, if they were human, he might have taken them up on their offer. There was a reason a threesome with sisters was a staple for most men's bucket lists. But, as ponies? Unbidden, a matching pair of nether lips came to mind, but with Cloudchaser's tail swept aside. Doubling up the unwanted imagery in his mind, as a shiver of revulsion traveled down his spine.

"Pfft! Is that a Ponyville thing?" Rainbow interjected with a laugh. "Don't let those hoity-toity ponies in Canterlot fool you. They might not be open about romps in the hay like a normal pony, but what do you think all those boring, frou-frou parties are for? Talking?" She asked rhetorically before devolving into laughter.

While he could picture the nobility gathering together at every opportunity to party and brag about their wealth, he didn't even want to entertain the thought of Rainbow's accusation being true. Before his mind could conjure up a grand ballroom of equine anatomy, he focused on the rainbow-maned Pegasus currently laughing her ass off instead. "And that's normal? Have they asked you for a romp in the hay, as you put it?"

"That's not any of your business, but yes," Rainbow eventually admitted with a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "We've helped each other beat the heat a few times since I moved here."

While beat the heat wasn't a saying he was familiar with, its meaning was clear enough, given her blush. He could only imagine how uncomfortable doing such a strenuous activity on a hot day while covered with fur could be... as the image of a twitching, moaning pile of multi-colored fur and wings on top of a white fluffy cloud started to form.

Neil groaned internally as he physically shook away the image of Rainbow, Flitter, and Cloudchaser in the sky, having a threesome from his mind.

"Anyway, we've wasted enough time talking about this," Rainbow stated, sweeping the subject aside verbally while also waving her wings to get her cloud moving once more. "The moment we reach that clearing, we're going to work on your mid-flight turns."

Neil eventually followed after her, catching up with Rainbow's cloud with a vigorous jog as he did his best to ignore the uncomfortable emotions within his chest. Once in the air, he looked forward to casting aside his thoughts and emotions tied to the last five minutes. He could focus on other, better things, like the feeling of the wind passing over his feathers.

For the moment, however, he silently suffered with the lithe, sky-blue rump floating not even five feet away from his face.

~~~

As Neil approached the green crystalline double doors leading into Twilight's library, he mentally tallied everything that needed to be done before his meeting with Twilight started.

He maneuvered a single wing underneath his cloak and nudged the clasp that sat snugly against his neck, holding it in place. 'Cloak in place and secured? Check.' Not that it mattered. Everyone involved already knew about his wings. It was in case a random pony walked into the library as they were talking... which seemed like a slight security risk, now that he thought about it.

'Shower after Rainbow's idea of light training? Check,' He confirmed without much fuss. After all, his muscles weren't nearly as sore after a long, refreshing shower, and his damp, unbrushed hair still hung limply on one side of his neck.

Which left one last task up in the air. 'Early, but not too early? Hopefully, check.' To avoid the events of his first meeting, Neil felt it best to time his arrival closer to Twilight's expectations. Leaving him a three to five-minute window where he could still be early but not so early as to catch her unaware like the last time he was here. If she had new information that could help him find a way home, he didn't want to piss her off.

Once Neil reached the door, he pushed aside with his hoof. His first thought as the door cracked open was to look toward Twilight's messy table. Unsurprisingly, Twilight was sitting there just like his previous visit. However, unlike last time, the mess was gone. Instead of piles of unsorted books and paperwork, the table was uncluttered. And, instead of being hunched over a book with her back facing the door, she was sitting upright and waiting for him.

Before he could fully open the door, she raised a hoof and called him over with a light, energetic wave.

"Neil, welcome! I'm so glad you could make it to Ponyville today. Honestly, I was a little worried about sending an official summons like that on such short notice," She admitted, trying her best to appear professional. However, as her greeting dragged on, it was clear to see just how nervous, or excited she was about the information she discovered. "But you never sent a reply asking to reschedule, and here you are! I have so much to share with you."

Midway through her greeting, Twilight also drew on her magic and lifted a book from her back with telekinesis. It wasn't an old or elaborate-looking book, either. From what he could tell at that distance, it was a brown, leather-bound book with gold accents on the spine. Oddly enough, it also had a copy of Celestia's stylized sun emblem of all things on the cover.

Confused, Neil quickly jogged inside and made his way over to Twilight's table. As usual, Bulk stuck to his side while Squall stationed himself at attention next to the doorway leading into the library. "I hope there's more than just a single book?"

"There is, but this is a very important book," Twilight informed him as she placed it on the table to her right. He spotted other things on the table before Twilight as he closed the distance. Mainly a few pieces of paper and an envelope that sat flush with the table's surface. "Before we get to that, however, I need to share some more information with you first. Please, sit."

Once he reached her table, Neil did as she asked. And, to prove that Twilight was adequately prepared for him this time, there was a large, plump, comfy-looking purple cushion that matched her fur colour next to the table for him to sit on. "So long as it helps me get home, I'm all ears."

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Twilight promised, momentarily dropping her princess veneer with a smile that beamed pure excitement. "I have three important topics that I can't wait to share with you today, now that I have Princess Celestia's permission. The first is an update related to the Veil of Inspiration."

That admission caught him off guard, causing his heart to skip a beat. Sure, Celestia knew some things about him after he let them slip. But had Twilight revealed to her everything about their research project? He hoped that wasn't the case, but that didn't stop his eyes from narrowing as he focused on Twilight. "Celestia knows about this?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Twilight admitted, watching him just as intently. "Weeks ago, Princess Celestia requested that I look for a mysterious, hard-to-find country called Canada. When I first started, I thought it might be an old civilization left to ruin. When that ended with zero results, I turned to myths and legends like the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately, that also turned up nothing."

Neil listened to her explanation, but he couldn't help but mentally echo, 'Weeks ago,' As he thought back to the morning after the Tantabus incident. Even then, Twilight took time away from her breakfast to sift through books. Every single time he met with her since then, she was surrounded by piles of books. Was she looking for his homeland the entire time he knew her?

"However, judging by your lack of confusion," Twilight continued before asking him in a calculated manner, "Is it safe to assume Canada is also your home country?"

"That would be safe to assume, yes," Neil eventually admitted, allowing Twilight to light up with glee at being correct. However, there was still one missing piece of the puzzle that was glaring at him. If Celestia tasked Twilight with finding Canada, why didn't she also tell Twilight about his connection? "What else did Celestia tell you?"

"Nothing, really," Twilight admitted once she calmed down. "The Princess stated in the letter that this was an extra-curricular research project I could do in my spare time, so it wouldn't detract from my regular Princess duties."

"Okay..." Was the only thing Neil thought to add to that, still feeling somewhat confused by the information game Celestia was playing. After a further second of silence between them, he momentarily brushed all of that aside, and asked, "So, did you find Canada?"

"I haven't confirmed that yet, but it's tied to the third topic we need to talk about. First, I have an update on the Veil of Inspiration that I would like to discuss with you," She told him as she lifted the envelope off the table with her magic.

Looking closely through her shimmering aura, it appeared to have an elegantly written address on the front, along with a stamp of Princess Celestia in the top right corner. Unfortunately, the format didn't make much sense to him. The only thing he could pick out was the recipient's name, Ms. Daring Do.

Which struck him as odd since he had heard that name before... from Rainbow? The more he thought about it, the more he was sure Rainbow mentioned that name. But why? And why would Twilight be writing to them about the Veil?

"When it comes to artifact recovery, we'll need an expert in the field," She told him. "Given the severity of the danger presented by the Frozen North, I can only think of one mare talented enough and willing to recover the Veil. As such, I'm sending a letter requesting Daring Do to lead the expedition into Ancient Roam."

That answered one of his questions, at least. "If you're looking for me to approve her, I have no idea which ponies are qualified to do this or not. You make her sound competent enough to get the job done at least," He admitted, wanting to get this over with and skip to the topic that involved Canada. "What's next?"

"If you're worried about her qualifications, she has a best-selling book series detailing all of her various expeditions. If you like adventure books, I promise they're a delightful read," Twilight told him before a slight pause.

After a moment or two without any response, however, she moved on to another, more exciting subject, at least for her judging by the tone of her voice. "But, back to the matter at hoof. I planned to reveal my research project on Canada and dive into the details. However, we've inadvertently covered the basics already while also confirming one of my suspicions."

A red flag shot up in Neil's mind the moment Twilight admitted to having suspicions. He didn't say anything directly, but as she continued talking, he began to pick up more than just excitement in her eyes and tone of voice. There was a hint of something else. Almost like a manic glee, as she neared the finish line for some unknown, undefined goal. A goal that looked less appealing to him with every word she spoke.

"...Now, before we delve into the details of my third topic, I have one last question I need to ask you." She stated matter of factly while watching him intently once more. It wasn't a warning, per se, but he took it as such. "Have you ever heard about, or do you know, what a human is?"

Every single thought, whether it be related to getting home, or otherwise, came to a sudden, crashing halt the moment Twilight uttered the word human. How she could know that word, he had no idea. But she knew, as a single, viscous word overwhelmed and echoed within the space of his skull, overtaking his entire thought process.

'FUCK!'

She knew. Neil couldn't even fathom the how, or the reason why she knew about humans. But the knowing, an almost smug glint in her eyes told him she knew. Otherwise, why would she be asking him that question? His reaction didn't help either, as her eyes widened with a manic glee.

His first impulse was to bolt off his cushion and tackle her. The surprise alone might have been enough for him to run out the door. However, beyond a slight twitch of his limbs, he didn't act on it. Forcing himself to remain seated as he tried to think of any other way out of the sudden mess he found himself in. After all, they were, for all intents and purposes, in the middle of a large fucking room. Even if he ran all out, she would quickly recover and grab hold of him with her telekinesis. And, if by some miracle he did manage to reach the door, she could do something else to chase after him or stop him outright, like teleporting.

Then there was Bulk to contend with, who could just as easily take to the air and tackle him into the ground.

No, running for the doors wasn't an option. But he couldn't just sit there and do nothing, either. As his silence continued, Neil could tell it was just as damning as a yes. While he forced his breathing to stay relatively calm, panic welled within his chest. What was she going to do? Was she going to lock him up somewhere in the castle and inform Celestia? Or, being the scientific pony she was, would Twilight forego informing Celestia and strap him down to an operating table right away?

Amidst his panicked thoughts, Neil could feel his heartbeat, his breath, and even his perception of time slow down as he was overcome by indecision. Every second that passed, Twilight's triumphant smile, which was beginning to remind him of a mad scientist, grew exponentially slower. Revealing to him in vivid, almost frozen detail, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, precisely what he was.

He had to go, and yet, had no way out. No plan. Nothing. He was doomed to be a subject of experimentation as he stared at Twilight. Watching as the world itself around him began to darken and smear. He had to think! If only he could do what Luna did and teleport-

Only for a booming feminine voice to drown out his thoughts and reverberate through his skull as if he were standing next to a concert speaker. "It would seem as if you've found yourself in a bit of a pickle, Mon Capitaine!"

'Too loud!' He thought in agony as he tried and failed to look around for the source of the voice. Unfortunately, his body acted as if he, too, was stuck frozen in time like the rest of the world... as it slowly melted before his very eyes.

"I had to be." The voice pouted, although Neil didn't know how he could know it was pouting, as it continued to chastise him.

”You were so wound up with thoughts of being strapped down, used, and abused that I had to make a grand entrance. As a side note, if you want to do any of that, all you have to do is ask. But! Back to the enticingly long pickle you've found yourself pressed up against. You wanted to escape the Castle of Friendship, yes?"

Neil disregarded most of what the voice said, not wanting to even contemplate yet another offer trying to get into his pants ("You don't even wear pants, though!"). But, he desperately latched onto the question she asked as his last and only hope to escape Twilight's clutches. 'Yes! Twilight figured out that I'm a fake, so if you can get me out of here, please do it!'

"A fake? Mon Capitaine, you're just as much an Alicorn as you are a human," The voice stated clearly, revealing that It knew what he was, as well, "From the length of your horn to the size of your co- Fine, I'll stop with the dirty talk and innuendo just this once. Yes, I can get you out of the castle, but I need something in return."

'Of course, there was a fucking price,' Neil mentally groaned. There was always a price. He was desperate, but he could only imagine what kind of sick Faustian bargain he was about to say no to. Given how perverted the voice was, with its offer of bondage not that long ago, he mentally braced himself as he asked, 'What do you want?'

"As much as I would like to partake in your more depraved thoughts, I've moved on from Non-con as a fetish these days," The voice smugly informed him. "So, I'll simply ask for this. The next time you give your consent to me, I want to make things fun between us."

For the briefest flicker, before he could even contemplate the meaning behind the offer given to him, Neil thought he saw Twilight's half-melted purple eyes reform into a pair of crazed, red, and yellow orbs instead. Only for the red pupils to vanish before the yellow sclera started to rapidly undulate, and expand in all directions. Enveloping and claiming everything within sight into a singular, solid colour.

Once its conquest was complete, at least within his limited vision, Neil's entire world- gravity and all -collapsed into an implosion of gaseous mustard yellow.

Author's Note

-Excessive amounts of snow, check. ✅
-Injuring my shoulder due to shovelling said excessive amounts of snow, check. ✅
-Work calling me in on my days off, check. ✅
-Time being a cruel Mistress, and running out before I had the chance to finish this chapter by the end of December? Double check. ✅
-And for good measure, why not lose a weeks worth of writing due to a computer crash corrupting my file? That definitely helped my schedule.

Also, as an extra lore tidbit:
Rainbow was reminiscing quite a bit about various topics during her flight. Most of which revolved around her old school days (I cut a few of the topics in an attempt to not split the chapter in two. Fat lot of good that did, but after removing it, I wasn't going to rewrite all of it and add it back in). One of her major thoughts that I cut involved Derpy Hooves, and why Rainbow keeps her on as a weather reserve/helper, despite all of her accidents.

As shown here, not only was Derpy part of Rainbow's class, but she was a pretty good flyer at a young age:

Unfortunately, Derpy was forced to drop out of flight school the same year as Fluttershy did. Her reason for leaving Cloudsdale was very similar to the reason Rainbow left for Ponyville the following year. Unlike Rainbow, however, Derpy's second check-up at Ponyville General remained positive.

But, that's enough background lore that's unlikely to ever come up in the story for one reason or another. Stuff like this is why we have a Discord! So we can talk, and theorize about certain aspects of the story, or generally hate on me for being late with my writing.

You can find said Discord here: https://discord.gg/JhhwM89VPY

Oh, and throw my Editor Dat_Random_Fur a bone or something in appreciation. Maybe something festive, even, like a pack of cigarettes and a pistol under the tree (which is likely dead and rotting at this point) for those die hard American traditions. ;P