I pulled my hood lower, trying to avoid eye contact with the two guards watching us. Or more specifically, just me, as they’ve done nothing but stare at me ever since I entered the building.

The building, of course, being the home of a high ranking official, one who was apparently in direct contact with the lord of the state. The lord who was vicariously funding the search for, development of, and function of various gem mining operations across the country. It was safe to say that he was rather fond of crystals.

I was made purely of crystal, hence my current disguise.

I decided that I would rather stick with the mercenaries than be sold off to the lord, and most of the others agreed. In order to do that though, we needed to convince both the lord and his cohorts that I wasn’t worth his time or money. So right before entering town, we went in search of a nearby source of water, where I promptly slathered myself in mud.

In the anime and manga, the gems used a powdered makeup to mask their luster. It was done as a cosmetic choice, not out of necessity. I didn’t have that liberty, nor did my new friends have any makeup to use, so we used the next best thing.

It worked well enough as ‘skin’, and as long as it didn’t dry out too much it wouldn’t crack when I moved. I was thankful that the sun was mostly gone when we arrived. My hair however, was a different story. It wouldn’t accept enough mud to cover its shine, and bright teal strands poked through at regular intervals. The mud wasn’t strong enough to simply cake on, and it would immediately slip off when it wasn’t being held in place.

So instead of trying to cover it up, we added to it. We stuck leaves and flowers in my dirtied locks, even going so far as to add patches of grass in some places. We made it look more like a plant than a gemstone, and following that theme, we stuck strips of bark to my arms and legs, and more leaves to my joints.

I thought it looked pretty decent, but upon arriving at the manor I was shrouded in a cloak and shuttled inside, where I was then put under the scrutinizing gaze of the guards.

“Don’t mind them,” Indigo leaned over, speaking just loud enough for the guards to hear, “They’re just not used to seeing a nymph like you.”

‘Nymph’ was the term I had suggested, a forest spirit. My cover story was that I was investigating the forest near the border of the volcanic lands, stumbled upon the gem deposit, and was promptly attacked by a nearby dragon. The mercenaries arrived in time to save me, but not my arm, which was burnt away by the dragon’s breath. We burnt the tips of some of the bark along my arm for authenticity.

“This isn’t going to work.” I whispered back, “I should’ve stayed with the cart.”

Incredibly grateful for being saved, I offered the group my assistance, even pledging to leave the forest in order to repay them. They accepted, and now we were here, waiting for Captain Morningstar to finish his report in the other room.

“That wouldn’t have worked either.” Indigo replied in a hush, “They’re very thorough with this kind of thing. Our cart’s most likely being searched right now, and they’ll probably be monitoring us to make sure we don’t go back and collect a hidden stash. It’s better for you to be right here right now to disprove any of that.”

I stayed quiet, gripping the part of the cloak that covered my knees. I was being careful not to move too much, as every slight movement caused another dusting of dirt on the cushion I was sitting on. I suppose that was part of the reason I was wearing a cloak to begin with; they didn’t want me dirtying up the place.

The official’s manor was immaculate by the way. White painted walls with golden trim, large windows, high ceilings, lanterns evenly spaced along the walls, white and black tiles on the first floor, polished hardwood on the second. All the furniture was well made and well decorated, with velvety cushions and lacquered surfaces. It was the type of thing you’d see in a story book, or one of those isekais that I remember seeing a lot of.

The door on the other end of the room clicked open, and Captain Morningstar stepped out, followed by a much more refined looking pony. They wore a maroon long coat with ruffled cuffs, had an off-white coat, a ridiculously thin pencil mustache, and a slicked back mane.

“Sir Manuscript.” One of the guards said,

They bowed, then so did the rest of the ponies in the room. I took that as a cue to bow myself, placing my good arm under me and the other facing away.

“I would like to see this ‘forest nymph.’” Sir Manuscript said,

“Right over there, sir.” Captain Morningstar pointed at me.

I looked up, and met eyes with Sir Manuscript. I tried as hard as I could to smile, but I don’t think it came out very well.

“Stand up.” He commanded,

I stood up.

“Show your face, remove your cloak.”

I hesitated, but did so, pulling the hood back, grabbing the clasp, and taking it off. I could see some of the dandelions we stuck in my hair spring up, and a couple blades of grass flitter down. Sir Manuscript looked at me from top to bottom, keeping a level gaze and a stern eye. In an attempt to cover up my non-existent private parts, I pasted a bunch of leaves around the areas. Indigo then took the chance to add some vines, which made the whole getup look fancier, and drew attention away from the obvious prints in the mud from where I applied it.

It also looked like I was wearing a bikini, if not just lace underwear.

I don’t think there was ever a time I wanted to cover up more than I did right then, but I managed to hold still as Sir Manuscript finished his observations.

“What is your name?”

“Uh- Phyll, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Phil as in Philip?”

“C-Chlorophyll, sir.” I corrected,

A scientific name in a fantasy setting, sue me.

“Ah, that makes much more sense.” Sir Manuscript said, “And am I to understand that you are from the forest bordering this town?”

“Yes sir.”

“And that this group of mercenaries saved you from a dragon?”

“Yes sir.”

“And you have decided to assist them in return?”

I feel like if I had both hands I would be clasping them so tightly my palms would crack. I only had the one though, so I had to deal with repeatedly rubbing my fingers against my palm.

“Yes sir, I will do whatever I can to repay my debt to them.”

“Verywell.” He looked me up and down again, his scrutinizing gaze landing at the ring of dirt dust gathering around my feet, then following the trail back to my seat. “Nervous?”

I froze, “It’s uh… my first time out of the forest.” I briefly made eye contact with him, “I’m not used to these uh… strange dwellings.”

I could only hope that my terrible lying came off as just nervousness and anxiety.

“How often do nymphs leave the forest?” Sir Manuscript asked,

“It’s- It’s unheard of,” I stuttered out, “N-Nothing outside the forest requires our attention… Um, until now that is.”

“And why haven’t I heard of your kind before? To my knowledge, there’s a whole community in this town that relies on the forest’s bounty to survive. Why have none of them even mentioned seeing ‘forest nymphs’?”

This was the question I was dreading, it was the major hole in my cover that we couldn’t patch.

“W-We don’t show ourselves to ponies often. Usually only when it concerns the fate of the forest as a whole… Ponies that forage or cut down a few trees aren’t seen as a problem.”

It was still better than going as I normally was though.

“And despite all the species of the forest being well cataloged, your kind has never been seen once? Not even accidentally?”

“We have ways of concealing ourselves to… prying eyes.” I clutched my stump, realized something, then held it up. “It uh… doesn’t seem to work on dragons though.”

Sir Manuscript inspected the charred wood surrounding my broken arm for a moment, “I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your arm.”

“Oh, um… don’t worry… it’ll grow back… I think…” I added on at the last second.

“I wish you a swift recovery then,”

“Th-Thank you,” I bowed, causing a bit more dirt to flake off,

I think I saw Sir Manuscript’s eye twitch, but his face remained composed,

“Alright, I’ve seen enough. You may leave now. Thank you for your report, Captain Morningstar, I will forward it to Lord Tungsten with haste. Your payment will be delivered upon completion of inspection.”

“Yes sir,” Captain Morningstar bowed again, “Let’s go.”

The rest of the team stood up, and I readily grabbed the cloak to put it on again.

“And if there really are dragons in the area, then we may have further use of your services still.” Sir Manuscript concluded,

“Yes sir.”

We all shuffled out of the room, then were guided by the guards through the hallways, back to the foyer, and down the central stairs. Along the way there were several maids scrubbing the floor. They were cleaning up my mess, as I was walking around barefoot while covered in mud. Most of it had worn away on the way back, making it so my feet clicked on the tile with every step, but at least I wasn’t making it worse. I wanted to apologize to them, but we were practically shoved out of the manor and onto the street without another word.

As soon as the doors closed behind us, a variety of held breaths were released.

“I cannot believe that worked,” Fletch began, hurrying to the outer gate, “I was so sure that the disguise would fall apart, or that Manuscript would see through it.”

“I tried really hard not to move too much.” I admitted,

“And you looked great,” Indigo said, “You looked like some plant creature through and through, a real forest nymph.”

“You looked like you were going to crumble to pieces the entire time.” Rusty commented,

“I was nervous…” I looked away,

“I know, and it was hard to not believe you myself.”

“You think?” I asked,

“I’m glad we got out of there so fast,” Dr. Duck added, “I don’t think Sir Manuscript wanted you tracking dirt through his house any longer.”

“It’s almost completely dried out,” I flexed my hand a few times, causing the mud shell to crumble away. “I think that went pretty well.”

Captain Morningstar stepped in front of me, stopping the group as a whole. “Why did you tell him your arm would grow back?”

“I-” I blinked, “It just kind of came up in the moment. I thought it would make me sound more authentic.”

“Okay, but what do you think is going to happen when he sees you again and you still don’t have an arm?”

“I… uh…” I shrank under his gaze.

“Relax, will you?” Rusty butted in, “Phos didn’t guarantee it would grow back, and besides, don’t trees take a really long time to grow?”

“Years.” Fletch answered from the back.

Captain Morningstar squinted, “Fine.” He pulled away, “but you better tell him that next time.”

“Next time?” I stood in place as the rest of the group passed by, “You mean I’m gonna have to dip in mud again?!”

“Oh yeah.” Captain Morningstar said, “And frankly, I think you should be covered up the entire time you’re in town.”

I looked at my rapidly deteriorating disguise as I caught back up, “But that means I’ll have to put on some more mud, right now!”

“And?” Captain Morningstar asked, “Would you rather be found out?

“But-” I glanced at the rest of the mercenaries for help, but they all held similar expressions.

“It’s the safest option, Phos.” Fletch said,

“Can’t I just wear the cloak?”

“What about your arms and legs?”

“Gloves and boots.”

“And your face?”

“A… mask?” I tried,

Captain Morningstar thought for a moment,

“We don’t have any of those,” Indigo rejected me instead,

“Can we get them?” I asked,

“Not now, and not soon.”

“We can’t afford them?” I guessed, “Aren’t we literally about to be paid?”

“We are.” Rusty corrected, “Not you. You’ll get your cut when you start doing jobs.”

“And where are we even going to get gloves and boots made to your size?” Indigo asked,

“...” I didn’t have anything else to say to argue, so instead I just pouted,

“Look,” Indigo sighed, “I can make you some gloves, but it’s going to take time, and shoes are a whole other issue.”

“Okay…” I muttered,

“And I’m sure we can find, or even make a mask for you.” Fletch added,

“Okay.”

“But until then, you’re going to have to cover up with mud.” Captain Morningstar finished,

I crossed my arms and looked away, but nodded, “Fine.”

It felt like I was being scolded, though I guess I was acting pretty immature. I adjusted my stance and uncrossed my arms.

“Good, then go and find some mud, then meet us at the inn.”

I blinked, “I don’t know where that is.”

“Right.” Captain Morningstar grunted, “Fletch, go with Phos.”

“Okay,” She stepped over to me, “I think I saw a puddle in the road that way.”

The rest of the group broke off, and we started heading in a different direction.

As soon as they were out of sight I pulled my hood back and started picking the plants out of my hair. I wasn’t too worried about being seen, we were already well into the night, and most of the lanterns around the buildings were out. The streets were empty, with only the pale moonlight to illuminate them.

“You don’t want to keep those in?” Fletch asked,

“They’re going to wilt by tomorrow, and I’m not going to take off my hood in front of anybody anyway.”

“What if we have to meet with Sir Manuscript again?”

“Then we’ll find more flowers,”

“Oh, then can you give me a few?”

“Sure.” I grabbed a couple dandelions and handed them to her, glancing over just in time to see her eat them.

She was a pony afterall, which I suppose made her an herbivore. Does that mean they ate grass?

“You like those?” I asked,

“I don’t mind the taste. Indigo hates them though,”

“Huh.”

It didn’t take long for us to reach the puddle, and with a quick check to make sure there were no other ponies around, I got to work.

“Shoot, the dirt’s a slightly different color here.” I realized,

“Is it noticeable?” Fletch asked,

“I can’t really tell in this light. We’ll have to see when we get back.” I said, touching up some of the more cracked areas.

Starting with my legs, I really only had to go along my joints, everything else stayed relatively the same. My torso didn’t need any work, it was going to be covered regardless, and the leaves were staying where they were. Next was my face, where I touched up my cheeks and lips, any part that moved needed attention. Lastly was my arm, and since I only had the one, I just stuck it in the mud and pulled it out.

“How are your injuries?”

“Better,” I answered, “I think most of the major cracks are gone, at least I can walk without issue.”

“I’m still amazed that you can do that, you were practically in pieces earlier today.”

“And as long as I have all the pieces, I can keep coming back.” I added, applying some more mud to the bark strips. “Okay, that should do it, I don’t know how I’m going to sleep in this though.”

“Do you even need sleep?”

“Y… Yes?” I wondered,

It seemed reasonable to believe that I didn’t need sleep, but that’s definitely not what I felt like.

“I can say for certain that I’m tired.” I said, “And that sleep sounds wonderful right now.”

“Let’s head back to the inn then.”

“Lead the way.”

Fletch continued down the road, and we soon turned in the same direction the rest of the group went in earlier. We walked in silence for a bit, I was just enjoying the ambience of the night. I could see the stars in the sky surrounding a crescent moon. I could hear the chirping of crickets and the late night calls of some birds. A slight breeze rustled some nearby grass, bringing a chill to the mud I just put on, I didn’t mind it.

“Hey…” Fletch stopped in front of me. “Do you really want to become a mercenary?”

“I mean.” I slowed down as she turned to look at me, “It wasn’t my first choice, but it’s not like I’m not interested,”

“What was your first choice then?”

“Hmm…” I thought about it for a moment,

What did I want to do? What was the first thing I thought of doing since I got here? And before that?

“Anything. Anything and everything.”

“What?” Fletch asked,

“I want to sing, I want to dance, I want to see what the world has to offer.” I clarified, “I spent so long unable to do anything, and now I’m in a position to do something. As far as I’m concerned, it could be farming, mercenary work, or even slave labor. I don’t care, as long as I can do something. That’s why I want to stay with you guys, I don’t want to risk being put up for display in the lord’s manor or something.”

“Must be nice…” Fletch muttered,

“It feels pretty nice.” I spread my arms out and took a breath of fresh air, metaphorically of course.

“Ponies like us…” Fletch continued, “don’t get to choose.”

Oh.

This wasn’t about me.

“What makes you say that?” I asked hesitantly,

Fletch looked back, and lifted the padded skirt covering her butt… flank? There was a marking on her fur, and it was a bit hard to tell, but it looked like an arrow, a rather detailed one actually. I could make out the tip, shaft, and… fletching.

“Is that…” I squinted in the dark, “A brand?”

“It’s a cutie mark.” Fletch answered, “It shows all I’m good for.”

So it wasn’t just a coincidence her name was Fletch and she was good at archery. She said she loved archery though, so that wasn’t the problem.

“You don’t want to be a mercenary?” I guessed,

Fletch nodded, “Some ponies don’t care how they get to use their talents,” she hung her head, “but as a mercenary, I find my bow turned on other ponies more often than not.”

“Why not be a soldier- wait no, that would be even worse.” I thought for a moment, “Aha!” I snapped my fingers, “An adventurer!”

“Do you really think it’s that easy?”

I stared at her for a moment, “Well if you’re asking me that then it’s probably not.”

“Adventurers have to provide for themselves.”

“Isn’t that the same for mercenaries?”

“Adventurers don’t get paid.”

I frowned, “Is there no guild or something?”

“A guild for adventurers?” Fletch asked, “What would they even do?”

“Uh… Handle quests and payments, have rules and regulations?”

“Why would anypony do that?”

So this wasn’t just fantasy, it was realistic fantasy, despite all the colorful talking ponies.

“To legitimize adventuring as a job?”

“That would be nice…” Fletch trailed off,

“So you can’t just get a new job…” I tapped my chin a few times as I thought.

“I can’t just leave either.”

“What?” I asked,

Fletch froze, and looked away, “N-Nevermind. Let’s just get to the inn.”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

Phos needs to find someone a new job?!

Anyway, etymology is fun, and this is a good opportunity to learn more about our own Phos.

Chlorophyll: 'Chloro' and 'phyll', literally just means 'green leaf', coming from the Greek words 'khlōros' and 'phyllon'

Philip, derived from the Greek Phillipos, means 'horse-lover' with the words 'philos' and 'hippos'

I'm sure you can imagine that calling yourself Philip in front of an equine who knows what it means would be strange. Since proper spelling was never divulged, we can assume that Sir Manuscript sees Phos as 'Chlorophil', or 'green-lover', which isn't the worst thing to be called as a forest nymph.

Yay word jokes!

Edit: 1-21-2025

Got a bit of art here for ya folks, a friend of mine drew a sketch of Nymph Phos for free, how crazy is that?

...

Wait a minute. Phos, Nymph. Nymph Phos.

Nymphos?