"Obligations." I sighed out that word as I dug out the keyboard. I had every excuse in two worlds to just toss the thing in the trash and be done with it.

But there was someone still waiting...

I started an email, to my brother.

Hey. I'm still here. You want to live in that house, I assume? We're going to have to work together to make that happen. If you don't care, well, let me know that. Just tell me either way, we have to get moving. Me, mostly, come to think. You just need to keep doing what you're doing.

I didn't even have a 'hi' to start or 'sincerely' at the end or anything. Just words. I smashed send, or imagined smashing send.

I switched focus to a life insurance site, and began reporting that my mother had died, and started getting those wheels turning. That money would make it work, if it was going to work at all.

I laughed bitterly at that. I had gotten the insurance. I had gotten life insurance on my own mother. She had gotten some, just enough to cover burying her.

I had gotten more, to try to keep that damn house. Whatever... I was there, so I did my daily words dutifully. They didn't do anything to deserve my ghosting just yet.

With all my respons... Oh, that was fast. I opened the email my brother had sent. A lot of it was breathless ranting, but he did want to stay in that house. Good... Good... Fine.

I hit the reply. "Congratulations, the house is yours, all of it. I suggest renting some of it. Please put half of whatever you make aside. Send it to me, and I'll use it to pay the mortgage. When the mortgage is paid, I'll give you the house properly."

I pulled my hooves away with a sigh, my magic shoving the keyboard under my bed. "Handled."

I leaned back afterwards, emotions churning inside. Securing the house brought some relief, but sadness too that I couldn't be there for mom during hard times.

I glanced out the window where Spike and Twinkle played carefree, removed from Earthly problems. Even across dimensions, new connections took root - yet old ties still bound me in bureaucracy.

I couldn't unravel all those knots now when new duties called. Provide help where I could, or let another relationship fade? The choice followed me between worlds.

With heavy steps I moved to join friends beckoning me outside. Dark clouds lingered, but sunny days awaited too if I kept moving onwards. I stepped into light leaving regret locked behind me for now. There was still good I could cling to.

I, at least, got outside the library before I combusted. I had learned to feel when the fire wanted to come out. I could hold it back, but I could feel it, building rapidly. The nirik wouldn't be denied for too long. Burning, I circled around to where I had seen Spike and Twinkle.

Spike spotted me first. "Our resident fire pony is visiting." He patted me, not at all bothered by the licking nirik flames. "Still upset, huh?"

The petting was... nice actually. I stilled a moment to accept it with a little smile. "I'm working through it. One step at a time, we'll get things settled, and I'll leave things better than I found it." I took a soft breath, the flames dimming a little. "That's all I wanted to do."

Twinkle inclined her head. "That fire is not normal... I would love to study it."

"Go ahead?" I raised a hoof at her. "I'm right here, not complaining."

"Well..." With a pop, a bottle appeared next to her. "Since you're offering." She swiped at me, gathering some of the flame inside somehow and bottling it up tight with a cork. She had a bottle of nirik flame, still crackling inside. "I'll be studying this." She trotted off with a pleased expression.

I chuckled as Twinkle made off with some of my weird fire. Guess my flaming mood improved somehow seeing her so curiously excited. I rolled my shoulders, feeling calmer with Spike's comforting pets.

I looked around the undamaged yard - seems I got worked up before but didn't actually torch anything. This new fire magic probably just needs steady guidance, not freaking out.

I met Spike's waiting gaze. "Help me train better control over these powers?" I asked plainly. "You are a dragon. You know fire magic inside and out. You showed me that."

Spike nodded, waving towards an open field perfect for magical practice. I followed after him with a growing smile. My fires dimmed as my mood improved. I was legit looking forward to learning my fire magic. "Um, silly question..." I hurried to his side instead of behind him.

"How do I look?" I twisted a bit, showing off various parts of me, tasseled tail swishing eagerly. "I'm all kirin now."

Spike looked me over with a smoky huff as we reached the field. “You’re looking more badass dragon-style with all the scales and flames.” He adjusted my curly mane. “Just needs some fierce scales here and here...”

I held still as he pointed out places for color changes to add drama. I guess this shape was still a work in progress if dragon mentors had tweaks to make the look more impressive. I doubted nature would oblige him, but it was amusing to imagine.

“Yeah, some badass touches and you’ll awe folks for sure!” Spike assured with a fangy grin. To emphasize, he casually lobbed a huge boulder overhead. “Now toast that rock before it lands, newb, if you can!”

I tracked the tumbling stone, excitement rising. I didn’t need anger or fury - this was just a game to bond over magic with a master. As power gathered in my horn I realized again what wonders Spike could unfold if I leaned into this unexpected guidance without arrogance or ego getting in the way.

I punched at the rock, or it felt like I was doing that. A bright bolt of fire lept from me and struck the rock, leaving a scorch mark, but the rock was very intact.

Spike launched himself up to catch the boulder before it crashed into something and he brought it down to me. "Good aim... But your strength still needs some work." He set the rock down with a dull thud. "But good aim. That counts."

I smiled at that. "That... actually checks out. I was alright with skeet shot back home, but I could never punch anyone, ever... I'd sooner get beat up than do that."

Spike inclined his head. "Standing there getting beat up doesn't sound... ideal?" He shrugged. "You're a kirin. A fire pony. A dragon pony. I don't want to see you letting anycreature beat you up."

I scuffed a hoof, shrugging off old habit to avoid fights. Spike had a point - what use was all this magic if I just let ponies walk over me like before?

But... I didn't want... "Spike, I don't like the idea of hurting people."

Spike scratched at his cheek. "Well... me neither? I don't want to go out and hurt somecreature. But if they're hurting you, you have to do something, right? What are you planning?" He reached over me and swatted my tail. "Run away?"

"Running is an option." I shuffled in place. "Magic gives more options, besides hurting."

"Alright." Spike shrugged softly. "You're not wrong. There are more options..."

I relaxed as Spike softened. Violence left me uneasy even morally justified. My dizzying pony changes already brought enough turmoil without adding external fights!

Yet sticking heads in the sand solved nothing if injustice festered unchecked. I studied a hoof - what responsibilities now walked beside this newfound might? Wise voices called those with power to wield it responsibly.

I met Spike's gaze evenly. "Hurting folk stays last resort, whatever they've done." Spike rumbled agreement. "But you've got a point too - there's middle roads between cowering and violence worth exploring first with all my new options."

I surveyed the open field thoughtfully. "Friendship itself has real force here in Equestria from what I'm told. So understanding must come before any fixing faults." Spike nodded approval at that.

He loomed suddenly solemn. "Lessons everywhere for you now, dude. You're more than a kirin." He poked at me. "You have that book of yours, right? The earth tab's still there, right?"

"Good idea." I imagined that book, opening it up and running imagined fingers along the bookmarks. Earth, I flipped that one open. The rock toss was still there. "Yep, there it is." I threw a rock with a flash of my horn, proving I could still do that. "Yep."

Spike clapped once. "You're a fire pony, but still a pony. You were 'born' into earth, and gained fire. Actual kirins are born into fire, so they don't do earth at all. Want to defend yourself, or lock people in a timeout? Earth specialties."

I blinked, fascinated by Spike's shrewd insight around hybridized access to normally exclusive elemental spheres through my unique transformation sequence. Kirin gained pyromantic prowess in the womb, excluding alternative affinities - but I was both. I started with hooves in the dirt, and the fire came afterwards. Both felt natural.

"Spike, you're fricken brilliant - I hadn't even thought of that, and I feel stupid right now. Happy, but stupid." I glanced between hooves and the blazing mane of flames declaring fiery inheritance manifesting later. I was a creature of two worlds.

I grinned fiercely feeling fresh excitement towards the hybrid road untrod. "You're completely right - no reason to blindly conform to traditional talent tracks when I could be walking my own path!" Rearing again I concentrated, seeking sensations from my first days pony-fied. There! Rock fragments trembled answering arcane probes before catapulting skyward at my gleeful beckoning. "HA! Yes! Earth and Fire unite!"

Spike pumped a scaly fist grinning back. "Now you're getting it! Mash up and make some crazy fusion mojo!" He pointed to the original hefty boulder. "If you can drop that hunk of granite between us before my fireball arrives, dessert's on me tonight!" He wasted no time lobbing a dazzling projectile guaranteed to leave smoking holes unchallenged.

I squeaked in abject fear. Having things thrown at me, one of my few fears. Blindly, I threw a rock. That rock happened to be a boulder. The boulder smashed into the fireball, exploding into little fragments.

Sadly for Spike, many of those flaming chunks of earth were still coming at him, peppering him. He was laughing, though. "Wow... Nice." He clapped as he sat on his haunches. "I promised. Dessert, tonight, my treat. But that was earth. We're going to have to find some real combos. You can do earth, and fire, but what would a fire/earth look like? I never saw Twilight do one, so..."

So he had no idea. "Magma?" was my first thought, said out loud. "Good for making an area most don't want to walk through."

Spike shrugged. "That'll work for things without wings, or are dragons, who have wings, and also think lava's a great place for a bath." He leaned in. "Seriously, you can make lava? You owe me a dip. Learn that spell, yesterday."

I considered my mental book, just to get confused. "Do I even look for that under fire or earth?" I mentally felt over the two bookmarks. "It's technically both?"

Spike shrugged. "So it's in one... and the other just says 'look over in the other', right?"

I snorted at the idea. "If whoever indexed this did a good job. Sadly, they left me in charge of that, so we're doomed." I flipped through earth instead, just to be teased with hints of other spells awaiting my trial. "Spike, will you get mad if I just want to explore more?"

Spike leaned in. "You seeing more spells? That'll make Twilight and Twinkle's day." He snorted with a smirk. "Go on. I can wait a little for that lava bath."

Author's Note

A lighter chapter overall, I feel. We're stepping forward. David doesn't like the idea of fighting things though, even if capable.

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