Striving for Adaptation

Chapters

A change of scene
Magic in the magic world, finally.
Truth
Stuck (Edited)
Descent into the abyss
Truly, a meeting
The scariest monster
Things seem to be getting better
Around and about
Even further from home. . .
Operation Breakthrough
It got hotter
The race between development and threat
The calm before. . .
Operation Storm Pt.1
Operation Storm Pt.2
The birthday of the scariest monster
A dramatic change
The shot that. . .
Whole Equestria heard
The chase has begun
Between waves and steel
Sharp turn
Brief stop

A change of scene

"She should have come by now," I muttered, looking at the time on my phone. Now I was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, on which a pony movie was on pause.

It's amazing that she's already seventeen years old, and she's still a fan of little ponies. Although, I should be grateful for the easy way to spend time with my little sister. And the cartoon is not that bad.

Sighing, I leaned back on the sofa and glanced out the window, which was dripping. It was pouring rain outside and the rumble of a coffin could be heard periodically. And my sister went there to buy popcorn and Coke.

"I should have resisted your assertiveness and gone myself." I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest and holding the phone in my hand.

Suddenly, it vibrated, forcing me to quickly turn my attention to it. There was a rather brief message from my sister: "The elevator stopped working."

There was another flash of vibrations and the following message came: "You live on the seventh floor."

"Should I pick up the popcorn and Coke and just go home? It sounds simple :)" She wrote another message and stopped writing.

Well, it's not fun at all.

I glanced briefly at the corner of the room where my sister's umbrella was. Grinning, I quickly wrote: "You can. But I have your umbrella."

"Damn :(" she wrote almost instantly, making me roll my eyes. She will never grow up at all.

"And I said I'd better go get some food." I wrote back before putting the phone aside and putting my hands behind my head. Despite the fact that it's raining outside, it's still nice to spend time with my sister. It is not always possible to do this.

"It used to be a lot easier," I sighed as my gaze slid to the TV. My sister and I have watched this pony movie at least five times. Although she could have watched it on her own several times. Considering how much she likes this series with little ponies and everything related to it.

I will never forget the moment when she was about seven years old and she asked me: "How do I get to Equestria? I want to hug Rainbow Dash!"

"I wonder if she still wants to go there?" I thought aloud, turning my gaze back to the window. Covered on the other side with raindrops.

To my surprise, as if in answer to my question, lightning thundered outside. Much louder than usual. Even more strangely, the sky remained bright for more than a moment. Is it going to go out at all?

Frowning, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the window again. No, it's still bright, even white. Even more strangely, some kind of ringing began to sound in my ears, like in the movies after the explosion. Carefully getting out of bed, I rubbed my ear and started walking to the window, trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe some kids on the street turned on flashlights just for fun?

Getting as close to the window as possible, I opened it and looked out. Instantly, a few drops of rain fell on my head. Looking from side to side, I saw that, for some reason, the bright area was interrupted in some places.

And the result is a sphere. Is it a huge white sphere!? Ball lightning!?

I recoiled from the window in shock and backed away, but suddenly the ringing in my ears became much stronger, my eyelids became heavier. Due to inertia, I continued to back away and suddenly felt the ground go out from under my feet. Just a moment later, I felt a powerful pain in the back of my head join the pain in my ears. I hit my head on the couch. By the way, he is not soft at all.

"I just wanted to spend the day with my sister . . ." I could hardly say before everything went dark.

POV: Arthur Davis
Time: 6:54
Location: ???

"Aah, uhh, uff." Burst out of my mouth when I felt the sunlight begins to fall on my eyelids. Unfortunately, along with my mind, pain came to me in the back of my head and in my back. What happened?

Oh, yeah. A strange white sphere. Lightning. Ball lightning. Something like that. Although it would be much more realistic that it was just a dream. After all, I don't think a Ball lightning can be that big.

Releasing a painful groan, I opened my eyes and was instantly blinded by the bright sunlight. Turning over on my stomach, I carefully knelt down and leaned with one hand on the nearest thing I could reach. After blinking a few times, I finally saw what I was clinging to. Sofa.

"Uh, I probably just fell asleep next to the couch after college. Yes, it was. I said to myself as I slowly got to my feet. After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to straighten up enough to look at the surface of the sofa.

There was a phone there. There was a phone on the couch. Right in the very place where I threw it after I texted my sister. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands to my head and said quickly: "Okay. Okay. All right! It was a big ball lightningl. A very large and abnormal ball lightning. Yes, it was her! Some people survived from ordinary lightning. What's the problem with surviving a ball lightning?"

By the way, this explains why the TV is turned off. So my theory is absolutely correct. There is only one thing left to understand.

"Where's the sister, damn it?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and looking around the hall. The sofa, the phone, the TV turned off, the sister's already dried umbrella. There's no sign that she's gone. Frowning, I began to think where to go to look. I can go to my room, but I don't think she's staying there. And even so, I wouldn't want to interrupt her sleep.

"That means only the hallway and the kitchen remain. Checking the bathroom will be weird. Especially if I find my sister. " I said to myself under my breath, shuddering at the thought for a moment. I am a normal, kind person. I don't have any weird or nasty thoughts.

It's just that the ball lightning strike makes me think a little weird.

With a slight nod to myself, I started to walk out of the living room, staggering slightly with each next step. This is probably absolutely normal for a person who was hit by a fireball and who hit the back of his head on the sofa. Sighing, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath and muttered, "As soon as I have the opportunity, I will have to go to the hospital."

"At least there's clearly something wrong with my back," I muttered, rubbing it lightly and wincing at it. It feels like something small and narrow is fluctuating there with every movement I make. It's probably just a consequence of the ball lightning.

"Yeah." I said slowly before finally moving away from the wall and finally leaving the hall. When I entered the hallway, I saw only my bomber jacket hanging on a hanger, which should have been put in the closet for a long time. Anyway, my sister is definitely not at home.

No, no. Don't forget the umbrella. My sister is probably in the kitchen.

"Wendy! Do you hear me?" I asked loudly while I turned right and went to the closed door to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I was not met with any response. Just silence and light coming from under the door.

"I forgot to turn off the kitchen light again. I snorted as I put my hand on the door handle and opened it. I saw a very spacious kitchen with a stove, microwave and a switched-off lamp on the ceiling. Oh, that's right. Lightning also cuts off all electricity. The light comes from the sun

"Oh, I'm really getting dumb," I said with a sigh as I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and propped my head on my fist. My sister is nowhere to be found. Moreover, she left her umbrella here, which, well, just doesn't make sense. I don't have any ideas.

Wait. Was it my imagination, or was there something green in the window?

Turning my head quickly, I saw outside my window the only things I didn't expect. Grass, trees and small wooden houses. Grass from the window of an apartment on the seventh floor? Shaking my head in disbelief, I got up from my chair and took a few steps to the window. Before I reached it, I said to myself, "This is real grass. It's like my apartment suddenly moved to the ground floor. "

I shook my head again and said, rubbing my temples, " No, no, there must be an explanation for this. I guess I'm still sleeping. Yes, I'm still sleeping! Probably the ball lightning caused a coma or just a very well-designed dream. Yeah. "

" We still need to check what happened. " I sighed before quickly turning away from the window and quickly starting to walk towards the apartment exit. Along the way, one question couldn't help but pop up in my brain.

What are these wooden houses in the distance? I'm not sure I've ever been to the village at all.

"Although, should only familiar images be in a coma?" I thought about it when I went to the exit door, but quickly shook my head. There are more important things to do now.

Slowly, I turned the handle and the door swung open with a slight creak, since I hadn't closed it. Well, so that my sister can safely come as soon as she buys popcorn and chips. Oh, that's not really relevant right now, is it?

Sighing, I took a couple of steps outside and stopped, trying to process my surroundings. Bright green grass, lots of trees and, unusually, clear sky. There is literally not a single cloud. Only warm, but not too much, and, surprisingly, not blinding the sun. Is it... soothing?

Yes, indeed. I don't want to go. Generally.

"But we need to understand what's going on here. Maybe along the way I'll just, poof, wake up." I muttered to myself as I began to walk carefully through the grass towards the wooden houses. For some strange reason, my desire to move forward was falling from the second. And the desire to run home, on the contrary, grew.

"That's nonsense. There's nothing here at all. The only thing that threatens me is back pain." I answered by raising my hand and consciously stopped myself from rubbing it. It will only make it worse. It's just like continuing to go there.

"Okay, okay, brain. I'm standing," I muttered as I stopped and closed my eyes for a moment. Of course, it's very stupid to trust some kind of premonition. But I can't just feel something is wrong, right?

"Hi! " A female voice suddenly exclaimed right in front of me. It was so sudden that my heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Where did she come from? And why does the voice sound so familiar to me?

Frowning, I slowly opened my eyes and took a breath to start talking. But he stopped without saying a word. There was a pink horse in front of me. Considering her height, it would probably be more correct to say pony. It's already weird, but I swear I've seen her before!

In that animated series that my sister likes to watch. I saw her in that pony cartoon series! Did my brain choose this one out of all the images!? It's just weird, incomprehensible, wrong.

"Hello? Are you sleeping? Although it would be strange if you slept standing up and with your eyes open! But I've seen some ponies do that before. They probably just don't want to waste time getting out of bed in case the party starts! By the way, this reminds me of a story. " The pink pony began to rant, but my mind was completely focused on one disturbing thought.

What if, just maybe, it's not a coma? And the strange sphere was some kind of portal?

Swallowing nervously, I began to back away to the apartment. Obviously, I need to get some sleep. Get a lot of sleep. I think it will take me at least a month to comprehend the information I am receiving right now. With a slight nod to myself, I turned away from the pink pony and walked briskly towards the house.

"Um, don't you want to talk right now? It's okay, I'll prepare the party anyway! My name is Pinkie Pie, by the way!" A female voice behind me said enthusiastically, before sounds like some kind of ball or something were heard.

"Yes, I will definitely need at least a month," I muttered, speeding up my pace and trying to stabilize my breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale. . .

"Oh, I almost forgot! What's your name? I need it for the poster." Pinkie asked, suddenly appearing right in front of my face and touching her hoof to my hand. This touch feels so real. My heart skipped a beat, the hairs on my body stood on end and my brain was already starting to slip, trying to process the situation.

To run. Hide. Run into the house and hide.

Barely aware of what was happening, I pushed the pony aside slightly and ran with all my might to the open door of my house. The pain in my back only got worse, either from active movement or from my panic. Although I have a feeling that both at once.

"There is no time. I exhaled sharply when I was only a couple of steps away from the door. In less than a second, this distance was covered and my hand slammed the door hard behind me. But despite this, my breathing remained rapid and my heart tried to jump out of my chest. As if there was a real danger here.

"There should be a normal explanation for this. Hallucinations caused by ball lightning, coma, sleep, what's going on!" I cried out nervously as I held my face in my hands in a desperate attempt to gather my strength. Touch, light, grass, even the air itself. It felt too real.

Slowly, I slid down the door until I was sitting on the floor. One thought in my head extremely persistently crushed any of my guesses and suggestions. And in the end, the absurd question turned into an almost rhetorical one.

Am I in the world of the pony cartoon series?

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: 17:24
Location: a tropical island off the eastern coast of Equestria.

"Well, in short, after that she told me that it was an incredibly stupid idea, we talked for a while and we went to do more important things." I replied while lying on a chaise lounge under the scorching sun.

"Uh, yeah. This whole redemption thing is really weird. But it's still better than if you were in prison, right, Daniel? " Bat pony, who was just sitting on a chaise lounge to my right, replied uncertainly. His name is Rising and he is, well, just good. You don't need to know more.

I raised my hand to the sky irritably and said quickly: "Of course it's all cool. But what was Celestia counting on when she decided to make Luna read me bedtime stories? I'm twenty years old!"

Rising slightly looked away and muttered softly: "I would like the princess of the night to read me a bedtime story."

I wouldn't mind giving you this opportunity.

With a snort, I adjusted my glasses and looked back at the terribly bright setting sun. Yeah, I woke up super early. Ahem, anyway, a trip to a tropical island with nice people is not a bad reward for putting up with all this redemption stuff.

"Madman!" a voice called out to me from the side. I'm still not sure that he deserves to be in the category of pleasant people.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced in the direction of the changeling and asked calmly: "What happened this time, Flying?"

"My name is Abdomen and you know it!" The changeling corrected me irritably, stamping his holey hoof on the ground.

"First of all, this is not the answer to my question. Secondly, you know perfectly well that I only talked to you while you were in disguise. It's just more familiar to me," I replied stoically without moving a single muscle.

In response, Flying snorted and with his magic brought some kind of scroll to my face. Before I could ask, he said, "While I was walking from the bar here, some mare asked me to give this letter to you. Well, I'm a kind person, so I agreed."

Yeah, you're a good guy.

Sighing, I quickly opened the scroll and quickly scanned it with my eyes. After a few seconds, I jumped up from the chaise lounge and said, stretching my back slightly, "Well, the vacation didn't last long."

"What happened?" Rising asked worriedly, sitting up slightly on his chaise lounge.

"Are you leaving here? Now who should I keep an eye on and have fun with?" Flying asked with a hint of real sadness in his voice. Don't worry. It's just a hint.

Rolling my eyes, I crumpled the scroll and said: "A new human appeared in Ponyville this afternoon and he locked himself in his house. The great heroes haven't been able to knock him out of there for hours, so I'm needed here. "

After my words, there was complete silence in the space. The only sound was the crickets waking up and music from somewhere on the other, more crowded side of the island. Finally, Rising said slowly, " You're talking about it like there's nothing special about it."

Well, that's how it is. It's elementary.

I shrugged and said, moving on to kneading my shoulders with one hand, "It's obvious. If I got into Equestria, then what prevents other humans from doing it too? That's right, nothing. So I was expecting this."

After a couple of moments, both of my interlocutors nodded slightly and Flying asked: "So what are you going to do when you come then? Will you start a philosophical speech? Will you arrange torture? Or will you just start a fight because you can? "

" Me? Never! I have a tutorial on social interaction. " I said abruptly, pulling a crumpled notebook out of my pocket and almost poking it into changeling's nose.

"This joke has never been funny." Flying replied by rolling his eyes and slightly pushing my hand away.

"But it's still good that you're trying to get better! That's great in itself, Daniel." Rising encouraged me by getting up from the chaise lounge and looking into my eyes.

It's nice to have support. After all, I really need my right hand.

Sighing, I put the manual in my pocket and said, raising my head: "So, the best in the world is back at work."

"Oh, the ultra arrogance mode is activated. Less than a day has passed." chuckled Flying.

However, Rising looked at me with concern and cautiously asked: "Aren't you afraid of the reaction of ordinary ponies? In the end, they should still remember well everything you've done. "Letting out a long exhale, I said quickly, shaking my head, " I'm moving forward. Sooner or later, the world will start spinning too. There is no fear. There is a goal, the obstacles are insignificant. The world is fair. "

" So your mantra is read. " Flying replied, putting on the most serious face possible. But just a second later, the ice cracked and the corners of his mouth lifted.

With a brief chuckle, I glanced towards the sea that separated me from Equestria and said softly: " Don't be afraid, I have everything under control."

The main thing is just don't resist.

Magic in the magic world, finally.

Finally here. And I think my legs are going to fall off.

I was breathing heavily when I finally reached Ahirata's castle at the bottom of Tartarus. I had an old backpack on my back that I had found somewhere in the closet, filled with food and water. Where did I get the supplies? Well, I had some money left over from selling the first painting. After buying all this, it's gone.

After taking a few deep breaths, I threw my head back and shouted loudly: "Ahirata! I came, oh, learning!"

"LEARNING, learning, learning." My voice echoed up the great spiral staircase of the castle. The echo went higher and higher, but no one answered. Did I come too early?

"Huh? Oh, Arthur, get up! I'm on the second floor. Ahirata's voice answered me sleepily, as if she had just woken up. But it would be better if she didn't answer me.

The second floor. How many steps are there? A lot, considering I can't see any doorways from where I am. Just an endless staircase.

After a few more heavy breaths, I found the strength to adjust my backpack and start climbing the stairs. On the way, I took a quick inventory. The phone that Twilight kindly charged for me? There it is. But I'm not sure what I need it for. A few more acorns to make sure Ahirata will forgive me? There are some. Everything else is in the backpack. By the way, it's good when your back doesn't hurt at all.

"This way, Arthur." Ahirata called from the side. Turning towards the voice, I saw that I had almost passed a rectangular opening. Behind it was a room with several red cushions on the floor, a pile of books and Ahirata himself. An interesting observation. The castle walls and stairs are pitch black, but this room looks gray, like an ordinary stone. Maybe she create it recently?

Nodding quickly, I entered the room and immediately asked with some impatience, "Can we start learning magic already?"

Ahirata smiled slightly and said, "Well, first you have to learn how to control all this. If you're lucky, that will take a few minutes. "

"What if I'm unlucky? " I asked cautiously as I took off my backpack and placed it in the corner of the room.

Ahirata folded her hands and said with an awkward smile, "Well, if you're not lucky, then, well, probably never?"

It doesn't sound great at all.

Noticing the frown on my face, she quickly said, waving her hands: "But I believe you will succeed! After all, I've placed your soul in the most perfect place possible. Something like that."

What did she say? Shaking my head slightly, I decided not to pay attention and just walked over to the pillow in front of Ahirata before sitting down. For a few moments after that, there was only a silence in the room. I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment and said slowly, "I thought you were going to explain to me what magic is and all that."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've never been a teacher. I need to collect my thoughts." She replied, scratching her cheek with a claw. I gave a quick nod without much thought.

Is it just me or am I pushing myself too hard today? Probably seven thousand steps plus a ladder makes me not very friendly.

Finally, Ahirata cleared her throat and said slowly, "So let's start with the basics. Magic is divided into two main groups. Ordinary and Natural. In our case, we will only talk about the first and its specific type. Runes."

Unfortunately, I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked: "Why don't we touch on natural magic?"

"Because it is impossible to use in most cases. Of all the creatures I know, only Daniel uses natural magic to the fullest. And maybe the ancient spirits do too, but I don't know. Just my theory. There are also special golems, but they have not been made in a long time and they only use natural magic for seeing. " Ahirata replied somewhat awkwardly. Probably due to a lack of data.

"Daniel has overtaken everyone again. " I said and rolled my eyes. Ahirata chuckled slightly and paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to continue the lecture.

"So how did that guy get another privilege?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Ahirata recoiled from my question for a moment, but after a few moments, she recovered: "Well, there is such a thing as a test of will."

It sounds a bit like an anime thing.

I was able to hold back a short laugh and Ahirata continued, seemingly unaware of it: "A test of will is when a person's body is on the verge of death and his soul tries to escape. However, if the will proves to be strong enough, the soul will remain in the body and begin to actively gain its power. I suppose this happens to try to escape the body again. Um, I'm distracted. The soul is expanding at such an active pace that the body can, well, burn out a little. Very strongly. Only after a few hours will the body be strong enough to keep the soul intact. And since the test of will most often comes in battle, those few hours may simply not be there. "

"And how does that relate to my question? "I asked a little embarrassed.

Ahirata quickly scratched her scaly neck before she said, "Daniel has been through this. Twice, as far as I know. And somehow, during that process, the orb of a golem connected to him. This allowed Daniel to feel the natural magic around him. It's much easier to use something if you can at least feel it, isn't it?"

I stared at her for a while, trying to make sense of it all, before I slowly asked, "There is one thing that bothers me. Daniel has been on the verge of death twice. And both times, he overcame this so-called test of will only to become stronger in the end?"

Ahirata seemed to sense my indignation and answered with an apologetic smile: "Well, if it's any consolation, Daniel is not the only one in history to have overcome death twice. Were there, uh, ten more ponies? About that. "

This is not very encouraging. This guy didn't deserve to be so lucky. And I definitely have no intention of repeating his exploits to match his strength. I will surpass him with my mind.

Suddenly, Ahirata clapped and said hurriedly: "So we got distracted. And I promised to teach you something! So, the runes."

She cleared her throat slightly and picked up the book with her hand before continuing: "Runes are actually a method of using spells for creatures without organs to focus magic on a single point. The essence of runes is to draw magic from the body, form the right combination of circles and make it work. Is that clear yet? "

I scratched the back of my head slightly before answering slowly, "Sort of. "

Ahirata nodded quickly and said, "So even the most basic rune requires you to form two circles and a symbol in the center using only your magic. So our first lesson is magic control!"

I think she's really nervous right now.

She put the book aside, without even opening it, and said slowly, "So, to learn how to control magic, you, Arthur, have to feel it. So, meditate and everything will be fine."

Hearing this request, I replied a little embarrassed: "Uh, I have no idea how to meditate. "

Ahirata stared at me blankly. It is very, very difficult to read emotions from her absolutely motionless eyes. Finally, she hesitantly offered: "Well, I could try to excite your nerves so that you can feel the magic flowing through your whole body. After all, our first task is to feel the magic. "

"A trick? " I asked cautiously, fingering my fingers.

"It won't be very pleasant. " Ahirata said very slowly, slightly covering her face with her hands.

It feels like this world is the epitome of no pain, no gain.

Snorting, I let myself think for a moment. What did I come here for? To learn magic. And for what? To become stronger and to defeat King Sombra when he appears. Why would I do that?

I want to rub Daniel's nose in it. And prove that this is the really world of the cartoon. That all the time I spend with my sister is not a hallucination.

I took a deep breath and nodded: "I agree. Start."

Ahirata stared at me in shock. I just nodded again, but lowered my eyes slightly, knowing what I would agree to. For a few seconds, there was just a funny fluttering in the room, before she slowly said, "Okay, everything will be fine now. And I'm sorry I can't offer you something better. I really learned meditation so long ago that I can't remember how I learned it. "

" It's okay. " I replied, swallowing nervously as I watched her slowly extend her clawed hand toward me. For a moment, Ahirata held two fingers on my left hand before slowly pulling it towards her. And so she pulled a line from my hand that glowed with a bright green light. It seemed to tremble slightly, as if Ahirata's fingers were holding some kind of rope in tension.

"My magic? " I asked, staring fascinated at the line that began and ended in my hand. Ahirata nodded slightly at me and released her fingers after a moment. Almost immediately, the magic returned to my hand. And I felt a terrible tremor throughout my body. It's as if there were a kilometer of wire in my body, swinging from side to side, touching literally everything.

I think I'm going to be sick.

When I reflexively put my hand over my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting, Ahirata tapped me lightly on the shoulder and said in an instructive tone, "Concentrate on the strange feeling. This is your magic."

Despite the instruction, I only felt a growing tremor inside. After a few moments, however, it began to slow down a bit, allowing me to concentrate at least a little. The wire, as I described it earlier, seemed to be intertwined in one place. Somewhere on my chest, next to my heart. And that place is so, so warm. I hope it is not because of the blood.

Slowly but surely, the sickening feeling disappeared, but I still kept my attention on the warm feeling in my chest. Ahirata slowly removed her hand from my shoulder and asked carefully: "Do you feel it? Your soul."

Taking a deep breath, I ran my free hand over my sweaty forehead and said, swallowing, "Y-Yes, I feel it. What's next?"

"Are you sure you want to continue? Maybe that's enough for today?" She asked with concern in her voice.

No, I have to keep going. At least so that my efforts to come here would not be in vain.

"Yes, I'm ready. What do I do next?" I asked, closing my eyes so as not to distract myself from the warm feeling in my chest.

Ahirata was silent for a few minutes, probably worried about me, but finally she said slowly, "Okay. First, try to feel your soul better. You have to find the part that's the least hot. There should be an exact line between dark magic and normal magic. "

I frowned, trying to find something like that. In the end, disappointed words came out of my mouth: "It doesn't work. The temperature is the same on all sides. "

"Okay, okay. Uh, let's skip this point. It's nothing serious. Just try to pull your soul out so that a small line comes out of your body. "Ahirata said nervously.

It seems to me that she does not understand what she is doing. And anyway, how am I supposed to get my soul out?

Almost reflexively, I tried to scratch the place where I felt my soul. Of course, nothing worked.

Frowning, I tried to mentally give the order. Like, move! And to my surprise, it turned out to be a warm feeling, as if the truth was stretching slightly towards my left hand! Delighted with the first successes, I gave another command, and another, and another.

Finally, I opened my eyes and focused on my left hand before giving the last command. Fascinatingly, a green glowing line, almost like a stalk, rose from my palm. My magic

Unfortunately, as soon as I allowed myself to smile, the stalk vanished into thin air. And very quickly, the warm feeling returned to my chest. But that didn't stop Akhirata from cheering: "Well done, Arthur!"

Now it seems to me that she treats me like a child.

With a slight snort, I asked with a grin, "Well, thank you. What's next?"

Ahirata picked up the book she had put down earlier and finally opened it before she slowly said, "Now we're going to make runes. I'll try to be brief. Each rune must have at least three elements. The outer circle, which stabilizes the magic and determines how the final run will work. Like a recording of yourself and so on. "

Clearing her throat slightly, she continued: "The second element is the central circle. It provides additional stabilization and an additional effect to the rune. For example, if the central circle has the effect of petrification, then an arrow will petrify when it is hit. That is, if the central circle of petrification exists at all.

Judging by the fact that she has already mentioned three elements twice, it is impossible to do less.

I nodded slightly and Ahirata, returning the gesture, continued: "And the third element is the symbol in the middle of the rune. It defines the action itself. Shield, arrow, invisibility and all that. It's simple enough."

For a few moments after that, she was silent, as if considering her next move. Finally, Ahirata placed her book in front of me, and I saw that there was an image on its pages, presumably runes. The outer circle had spikes pointing inwards, the middle circle had no pattern and there was a plus sign in the middle.

Ahirata cleared her throat slightly to get my attention and said: "This is the rune of self-healing. I thought it would be quite simple and useful for you. "

I frowned slightly and asked with some embarrassment, "And do I have to form all this out of my magic? "

"You don't have a time limit, don't worry. I'm in no hurry to make the changelings more, uh, safe. " Ahirata replied with a small smile.

Safe changelings?

"Can you explain?" I asked, not even daring to try to make a rune yet.

Ahirata rubbed her hands lightly and looked away without answering. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and said, "I have experience casting spells in a large radius. And I have experience in, uh, radically changing living organisms. That's why the princesses asked me to figure out how to make the changelings safer, right after their army was captured in Canterlot. "

"But I am not in a hurry with this project! So don't worry, I can devote my time to teaching you. " Ahirata finished, raising her hands and forcing an awkward smile.

I stared at her for a while, not feeling particularly convinced. Suddenly, the words came out of my mouth: "You don't really want to do this, do you?"

Ahirata was taken aback for a moment. I don't blame her, I don't really understand how I could have guessed that before. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Ahirata who said with a heavy sigh: "To be honest, I dream of turning Tartarus into a garden and closing the doors forever. Besides, I don't want the last thing that will be remembered of me to be the reshaping of the nature of an entire species. "

This is quite understandable, I suppose.

Sighing, I looked at the rune in the book again and slowly said, "Okay, I'll try it now.

Taking another breath, I began to mentally command the warmth in my chest to move. After a minute or two at most, a line of green magic appeared from my hand. Frowning heavily, I began to push it further, trying to form a ring. But the process became slower and slower, and moreover, my magic began to sway like a stalk in the wind!

After a few moments of struggle, I exhaled and all the magic vanished into thin air. Ahirata noticed my mood and cheered me up: "Hey, don't worry, you still have a lot of trials left. In fact, it's almost infinite."

"Okay, okay. " I replied before taking a breath and trying to focus on the warm feeling in my chest again.

I feel like it's going to take a lot longer than I thought.

At that time, a sad and humiliating event took place in the Dragon Lands. A large lava lake was completely drained. In addition, many dragons, under the command of the lord himself, melted and moved rocks in the nearby mountains to redirect the flow of the rivers there. No one was happy about this.

The Dragon Lord, Torch watched all this with a frown on his face, his injured hand resting on his knee. He probably didn't want to do it any more than anyone else present. But the wound was a constant reminder of the deal he had made. With a short snort, Torch raised his whole arm to give the order to move the last stones.

But suddenly the dramatic silence was broken by a dragon hanging in the air next to him: "Dad, this is stupid. What can some outsiders do if you refuse?"

Torch glanced at his daughter Amber before sighing and saying, "I don't want to risk losing my other paw. Besides, it's just a lava lake. "

"Then let me go myself and find the creature that did this! " She replied irritably, flapping her wings to keep up with her father's head.

"No, you stay here. You're too small. " Torch replied before finally waving his hand. The dragons in the nearest mountain responded, albeit reluctantly, and moved the boulders. In the next moment, rivers poured into the drained lake, soon to fill it.

The battle for life in Tartarus is over. It remains only to take advantage of the victory.

However, the battle for life is just beginning very close by.

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: Noon
Location: Ponyville

Everything is going according to plan.

After shifting slightly on the stump, I couldn't stop looking at the thing in my hands. A bank statement. We can say that this is a beta version of paper money. If I take this piece of paper to a certain bank, they will give me as many bits as it says here. That is, ten thousand bits.

"Ha, when I was a captain of the guard, I got several times less in a few months of work. " I chuckled before putting the precious paper in my pocket and looking around. The ground was covered with the nutritious ashes of burned plants. Soon this plot will be a farmer's dream. All I have to do is hire someone to plow it and I can rent it out.

And then, ten years later, to build a house here and grow a vegetable garden yourself.

"Yes, in about ten years." I said as my eyes fell on the town ahead. Ponyville. The home of our fears and defeats. And above this place is Canterlot, perched on a cliff. The home of our rebirth.

Suddenly, my relaxation was interrupted when my eyes caught something black and moving in the distance. Quickly wiping my glasses with a finger, I looked again and saw the changeling. With a bunch of cups floating behind him. Flying. What is he doing here?

"Well, we ran out of wood to burn anyway. So I can engage in social interaction. "I said with a shrug before getting up from the stump I was sitting on.

Then I stood on my former seat and shouted with my only raised hand: "HEY, FLYING, COME HERE!"

Fortunately, I was loud enough for the changeling to stop and notice me. Then he shook his head and began to walk slowly toward me. At the same time, he did not release a whole collection of wooden cups from his magic.

They say that it is indecent to dig into other people's money. By the way, I have no idea why. But still, how much is he being paid for betraying Chrysalis at the most crucial moment? It feels like a credit card or something was invented specifically for him.

Snorting, I put my hand on my hip when I saw that Flying had come close enough for us to talk. But before my mouth could open, he said irritably, "You called me wrong again, madman. "

Rolling my eyes, I replied calmly, "We've already discussed this. It's much more convenient for me. I've been calling you that for half a year, and now I have to start calling you something else? "

"Yes," He replied immediately. Okay, let's solve this problem the same way any modern person would. I mean, just don't solve the problem. Ugh, what a disgusting mentality they are imposing on me. And with relative success!

Nodding slightly to myself, I asked with a raised eyebrow, "By the way, what are you doing in Ponyville anyway? I thought you'd prefer Las Pegasus or something like that. Tropical islands as a last resort. "

"Well, first of all, I came here for this. " Flying replied before raising one of the many wooden cups to his mouth and tilting his head back. His beetle wings fluttered slightly, seemingly with pleasure.

That's right, cider. It's the end of August, so some of the apples should be ripe. And some of it could be used for a drink.

"Would you like some cider?" He asked, suddenly bringing the mug he had just finished drinking from close to my face.

I pushed it away with my hand and replied: "No, alcohol only three times a year. And judging by the fact that you drink it at all, this definitely falls under that rule. "

"Ugh, but you say you gave up the whole thing with Perfection. In my opinion, only the level of pathos has changed. " Flying replied with a roll of his eyes and then took another big gulp.

Maybe it's been a part of me for too long. Maybe the idea of Celestia with redemption and the desire to teach me how to live in society is doomed from the start.

Shaking my head quickly, I asked with a frown, "So you said first. What other reason do you have for being here?"

"Oh, right. Celestia asked me to give you something. He replied before taking another sip from the cup. Yes, this Pony Beetle can drink an entire wooden cup in two sips.

I waited patiently for him to finish his drink and give me an answer. It seems that Flying sensed my mood, because he quickly turned away from the cup and said quickly: "No, Arthur still needs the assistance of someone more experienced. However, we can consider your request in a week when I come to Ponyville myself. That's what she said.

Okay, not everything is going according to. . .

Suddenly I froze as I felt something behind me. Something absolutely indescribable. The only description I can think of is dangerous. I quickly turned around and looked at the row of trees I hadn't cut down yet. Despite the lack of any obvious signs of danger, my whole body was tense. For a moment, I even wanted to lunge at those trees and destroy them all. A preemptive strike.

Gritting my teeth, I asked without taking my eyes off the tree line: "Listen, you're going back to Canterlot soon, aren't you?"

"Yeah. The clubs are supposed to open there tomorrow. Why do you ask? Do you want to come with me?" Flying replied in a cheeky voice.

I just rolled my eyes at his joke and said, "I need you to contact Rising. Tell him, as captain of the guard, to be ready to send tanks where needed. "

"Oh, I get it, you want to bring tanks into Ponyville again! Well, this time, when we have twice as many of them and there is no Discord, everything will definitely work out! " Flying laughed before suddenly becoming quiet as he started drinking his cider again. I did not respond to his remark. I know myself that Ponyville is my unlucky place.

Celestia really wants me to try to resolve conflicts peacefully. Well, I will definitely ask how it should have been resolved when it is all over.

Truth

"Hah, hah, hah." I was breathing heavily, trying to gather strength to catch up with Ember and the tank, which presumably had Daniel inside. With every turn of the tracks, the tank scattered snow and sand in all directions. There was no hope of catching up without wings.

"Come on, let's go!" I mentally commanded myself as I watched them both move further away. By the time I had flown halfway across the beach, they were already almost on the asphalt road. But words didn’t help. My wings were simply too tired after the flight over the sea.

"Alright, alright, my legs should still work," I whispered to myself, starting to dive. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I immediately took off at full speed. Of course, I still felt the need to stop and catch my breath. But at least my muscles weren’t cramping, and I didn’t risk falling from a height.

After a while, both friend and foe reappeared in my field of vision. Ember was flapping her wings with all her might in a futile attempt to catch up with Daniel. His war machine was moving slightly faster and gradually pulling away from us.

I need to come up with something, fast.

Perhaps it was time. Continuing to run, I reached into my bag and, without looking, opened one of the pockets. Inside were books on magic. I had planned to learn something from them on the ship, but things had gone wrong. So, I’d have to learn runes on the go.

Pulling out the first book I found, I glanced at the cover. Defensive Spells and Their Runic Transcription. Thanks, but I need something that can pierce that tin can!

"How the hell are you running so fast, especially with extra weight!?" Ember asked tiredly from above. Looking up, I saw that I had already caught up with her and even slightly passed her. My physical abilities, plus the rune of additional muscles, gave me an incredible boost!

Shaking my head, I said as I returned the book to the bag, "Never mind! The important thing is that we need to find a way to break through that thing!"

For a moment, the air was filled only with the clanking of tank tracks on the asphalt and the frightened screams of pony pedestrians. Suddenly, Ember asked, "Remember that sphere thing you made to stop quickly? Can you do the same to that thing?"

That. . . is a good idea. At least, it sounds like one.

Looking back at Daniel’s tank, I shouted, "To test it, I need to get closer. Try not to fall behind!"

Zipping up the bag, I tried to run even faster. For a moment, I felt like the fastest runner in the world. My body was leaning forward so much that it seemed like I was about to faceplant into the asphalt. The winter wind grew even colder, and—

CRUNCH

I clenched my teeth, holding back a scream as I felt a terrible pain shoot through the big toe of my right foot. Naturally, with such an injury, my running slowed significantly. But how could this even happen!? I just started running faster!

If I think about it, the rune gave me extra muscles. My bones didn’t get any stronger. Maybe pushing my limits like this is just too much for my body?

Nervously swallowing, all I could do was watch as Daniel got further away. But suddenly, I felt someone grab me under my arms. Ember had picked me up and, before I could even ask, threw me forward with all her strength!

As absurd as it was, I managed to land right on the roof of the tank. Taking a few quick breaths to calm the pain, I grabbed the hatch handle with my left hand and pulled. Bad luck, I'm going to have to stop this thing.

Taking a deep breath, I began releasing streams of magic from my right hand, merging them into a single sphere that hovered in the air. Unlike the first time, this stage went by relatively quickly. Good. Gripping the hatch cover as tightly as I could, I commanded the streams to stop stretching.

Immediately, Daniel’s tank began to skid in place. Success, though I paid for it with excruciating pain in both arms, as if they were about to tear off. However, opening my eyes slightly, I saw bad news—the streams of my magic were still stretching slightly.

They can’t defeat this war machine!

Just as I thought about my failure, it happened. The magic streams snapped, and the tank I was sitting on quickly regained full speed. However, Ember had managed to significantly close the gap. There were probably about thirty feet between us.

Switching hands, I raised my left hand and released a few streams of magic. They wrapped around her mid-flight before pulling her toward me. Fortunately, Ember instantly understood and didn’t resist. In the end, we both ended up on the tank.

"How’s your throat?"

"Fi—" Ember tried to answer, but suddenly Daniel’s tank hit a bump in the road. Reacting instantly, I grabbed her paw with my free hand.

"Ahem, don’t expect any thanks," she coughed briefly as I let her go. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and released a powerful stream of fire onto the steel. The strange smell of molten metal immediately filled the air as the tank’s armor began to melt.

After a couple of seconds, she coughed briefly and stopped breathing fire. Looking through the hole Ember had made, I saw. . .

Another layer of armor?

Yes! There was a second layer of armor, golden to be precise, and the dragoness immediately declared, "I can’t melt this."

"Why?"

"Um, gold absorbs any magic and becomes harder because of it. Didn’t you know that?"

Did Daniel deliberately not tell me anything useful!?

Sighing, I moved slightly closer and raised both hands high above my head. If I could break through a ship’s hull, then some gold wouldn’t be an obstacle. Exhaling, I brought both fists down on the golden plating and, of course, punched right through. However, when I tried to pull my hand out for a second strike, I realized they were stuck.

Suddenly, Daniel’s tank began to swerve violently. Before I could turn around, Ember was thrown off and fell into a crowd of ponies standing at a crosswalk. Was this his trap!?

Clenching my teeth, I braced my feet against the armor and tried with all my might to break free. My wings flapped a few times, but it did absolutely nothing. Nervously sighing, I looked around and saw that the tall skyscrapers had been replaced by small two-story houses. It seemed we would soon leave the city.

Finally, an idea came to me, and I took a breath. Then, streams of magic began to flow from my shoulders, merging into a sphere. But this time, I mentally commanded the streams to bend like a slingshot and launch the sphere behind a house. Why?

Well, if it works.

In the next moment, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulders, as if I were being torn apart. But when I heard the snap and saw Daniel’s tank start to spark against the asphalt, it became clear that it was all worth it. The sphere acted as an anchor, and the house as an additional support. This thing just wasn’t designed for such sudden braking!

Although my hands remained stuck in the golden plating of the war machine, I smiled happily when I saw it slowly coming to a stop. At first, I began to distinguish individual houses nearby, then individual pedestrians, and finally. . .

A steep slope. By inertia, the tank reached it and stopped only when the front half lost ground under its tracks. Below, I could see a forest and a frozen river. Shuddering, I turned around and, fortunately, saw Ember. Overjoyed, I couldn’t help but shout, "Hey, I stopped it! Now let’s—"

Physics didn’t wait for me to finish. The front half of the tank outweighed the back, causing the machine to tip over. Naturally, it flipped. In a panic, I started flapping my wings again and, thank goodness, managed to free myself from the golden cage, though my wrists were bleeding profusely. Aaaah. . .

Don’t look there, don’t look there, don’t look there.

After flying a few feet, my wings cramped again, and I landed on the slope. Rolling down, I could see the tank clattering and swaying from side to side, leaving a trail of broken tracks, pipes, and other debris. The climax came when the back of the tank hit a tree and began to flip over as it continued down the slope.

"God, don’t let him die like this. I need answers," I pleaded as the descent finally came to an end. Getting to my feet, I glanced at the tank. Upon landing, it had knocked down several trees and now lay on its side, completely crumpled.

"I hope he’s in pain in there," Ember snorted. Turning, I saw her standing to my left. Apparently, while we were rolling down the slope, she had flown ahead.

"Didn’t you want to fight him one-on-one?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahem, I meant to say I hope he’s in pain but still alive," she corrected herself before snorting again.

Chuckling, I reminded her, "Well, I hope you’ll let me ask him the necessary questions first."

She rolled her eyes and said, taking a step forward, "We’ll see. First, we need to open this tin can."

I followed her lead, as if agreeing, but suddenly there was a screech of metal against metal. Looking up, I saw Daniel’s flame-like blade cutting through the part of the tank I had pierced. I wasn’t mistaken—he was here.

After making a horizontal cut, he kicked out the piece of metal and stood before us at full height. His sword was tightly gripped in his prosthetic hand, and his eyes were just. . . empty? He looked at us both without any enthusiasm, mockery, or anything else. Just emptiness.

Pull yourself together. The main thing is to get him to answer questions. Then I’ll figure out how to stop Ember.

Taking a step forward, I loudly cleared my throat and said, "Daniel. I have a few things I want to ask you."

For a few moments, he just continued to stare at me emptily. But eventually, he asked listlessly, "Well?"

Swallowing, I began, "All the things you did in Equestria. Were they for Celestia? Burning ecosystems, 'helping' me adapt, and other things?"

"Yes," he simply replied without moving.

Wow. Uh, it’s a bit harder to hate him now.

Shaking my head, I asked the next question, "When you told me not to pursue you and to beware of water, what did you mean?"

Daniel sighed and said slowly, shaking his head, "I just didn’t want to see you or be reminded of you."

Taking a shaky breath, I asked one of the burning questions, "Why exactly do you hate me?"

It seemed like my words paralyzed his body completely—not a single muscle in his face or arm moved. It seemed like he even stopped breathing. We just stood in silence as the winter wind gently swayed the tree branches.

"I don’t hate you."

"But you said—"

"I said I feel hatred when I see you. But it’s not directed at you," Daniel sighed, lightly tapping his forehead.

"Then why?" I asked cautiously.

He lowered his head. Silence. A second, two, ten—it felt like an eternity. He tightened his grip on his sword and said without raising his head, "Because of me, you ended up in Equestria."

W-What?

Daniel ran the tip of his sword along the ground before saying, "I assume you’ve seen the stone covering Celestia’s chest. You see, that was done by me. To be precise, by my spell that copies the elements of harmony."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Akhirata told me that the elements of harmony, when used, create holes in the world’s magic. When these holes naturally fill, things from another world end up here. Or beings, in our case."

Raising his gaze and slightly averting it, Daniel concluded, "I was experimenting with my copy of the elements of harmony to remove the stone covering Celestia’s chest. Every second, I subconsciously understood what this could lead to. But I only stopped when I received news of your appearance."

Y-You. . .

I clenched my fists and hissed, "You knew what this could lead to."

In response, Daniel just nodded, which made me bare my teeth and continue, "YOU know firsthand what it’s like to be ripped from your own world. Even if you had no one on Earth, it’s still a shock. But I had someone."

A nod. Again. Growling, I took a step forward and said, "YOU’re just a bastard. There’s nothing human in YOU. If YOU get fixated on something, YOU’ll destroy everyone for it, you piece of shit."

I paused for a moment to take a breath and immediately cut off any possible justification, "I don’t care how much YOU love a princess from a cartoon. YOU completely destroyed my past life. And YOU understood that every second."

Breathing hoarsely, I took a step forward and said, "If your pathetic appearance even slightly matches how you supposedly regret it, then just kill yourself. Right now."

Daniel exhaled slowly, leaving a bit of steam in the air. Then he sheathed his sword and said, finally meeting my gaze, "Arthur, I want to save Celestia. At any cost. I won’t die here. And if you intend to take revenge on me. . ."

"I’ll just have to kill you here," he coldly replied. Trying to scare me, huh!?

Let’s go. I’ll stomp you into the mud.

With my wing, I gently pushed Ember forward. For a moment, she didn’t move, but then she began to walk in step with me. As Daniel stood in place with his hand on the hilt, I took off my bag and threw it at the roots of the nearest tree. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate on finding new spells in a fight like this. The rune of additional muscles was still holding—I was at my peak.

Sighing, I leaned forward and pushed off the ground with all my strength with my left foot. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough strength to get behind him as I wanted. Seeing him pull his arm back for a thrust, I braced my feet on the ground, skidded to a stop, and threw a handful of snow in his face.

To my own surprise, Ember flew at full speed into Daniel, who was blinded by the snow, and slammed him back against the tank. Hitting his head against the steel armor, she raised her fist but was interrupted by a sudden kick that sent her sprawling onto her back.

In the next moment, he charged at me at full speed. Clenching my teeth, I ran toward Daniel. The distance between us rapidly closed. Ten feet. Six feet. And!—

A sharp pain shot through my forehead as his sheathed sword suddenly struck it. Even though the whole world started spinning in front of my eyes, I tried to land a straight punch with my left hand. But Daniel stepped aside and stabbed me in the nose with the scabbard a second time.

Hitting where it hurts, huh!?

Despite the fact that my head fell back, I managed to keep my balance and hooked Daniel. Well, I tried. At the last moment, he lifted his foot, dodging the cut, and stepped on mine, making me scream. He stepped right on the spot where I broke my toe!

Fortunately, at that moment, Ember returned. She grabbed Daniel by the ankle and opened her mouth to bite. But at the last moment, he shifted his foot from mine to kick the dragoness in the face, sending her flying back again.

For just a second, I saw his gaze shift to check the recent threat. Instantly, my body rose to its feet, and my right hand delivered a side blow to his skull while my left covered my face. Again, Daniel dodged by ducking. But when he stood up, I felt unbearable pain.

This bastard hit me in the groin!

I took long, heavy breaths, trying to soothe the pain as my legs buckled on their own. Daniel took a couple of steps back before turning fully to Ember and asking, placing his foot on her chest, "So, who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"Ember. And I came to avenge the dragon lord you crippled!" she growled, grabbing his leg with both paws, trying to throw him off. Apparently, her fire breath hadn’t recharged yet.

Finally gathering my strength, I quickly lunged forward, leading with my shoulder. Only at the very last moment did Daniel notice and take a small step back. Gotcha! I pushed off slightly with my right foot to maintain my speed, but he just took another small step back. Wait. . .

Suddenly, he sidestepped and delivered another blow, this time to the back of my head. Unable to keep my balance, I fell flat on my face. All I could see was how he hit Ember on the horn, causing a small crack and making her scream, "DON’T TOUCH IT!"

This is no good. At this rate, he’ll just beat us like kittens and keep us on the ground. He’s like a robot, everything he does is perfect and every move is maximally efficient.

As I pushed myself up with my hands, I heard the dull sound of a scabbard hitting the ground and Daniel’s words, "Now that everything’s clear, I can say this. Both of you need to be eliminated."

Turning around, my eyes saw the blade already descending, but where exactly was unclear. But if he’s going to kill me quickly, then he must be aiming. . .

"HERE!" I growled as I caught the sword just an inch from my heart. Naturally, my hand immediately started bleeding from the movement. But the fact remains—I managed to predict where he would strike!

"Tsk," Daniel clicked his tongue before pulling the sword back and taking a step back. Due to the wavy shape of the blade, the cut on my hand was so deep that I could see the thin muscles barely holding my palm together. But pure hatred suppressed my fear of blood.

I want to kill him. Here and now.

Rolling back, I got back on my feet and raised my fists in front of me. Daniel, as always, stood arrogantly straight with his sword lowered, my blood dripping from it. Shifting my weight to my left foot, I sharply swung my right, sending a new snowball into his face. Think, what’s the most efficient way to use the blindness? Strike from the blind spot!

Ducking, I saw the sword fly a quarter of an inch from the tip of my head. Then, I took a step forward and clenched my right hand into a fist. For just a moment, our eyes met. Through his glasses, I could see Daniel’s eyes tense with obvious rage. Smirking, I struck with all my might right into his smug face. The glasses cracked and shattered under my knuckles. A new weakness revealed.

Obviously, he wouldn’t let me stay close for long. Daniel slightly raised his leg. From this angle, he couldn’t hit my groin, but he probably couldn’t reach my head either. So he’ll aim. . .

"HA!" I shouted right in his face as I blocked my kneecap with my bloody hand at the last moment. Seizing the moment, I struck again with my hand, this time to the head. This made Daniel stagger slightly, allowing me to step back and look around. Ember had taken to the air. Apparently, she was waiting for her fire breath to recharge. If we time it right, we can at least leave this monster with a bunch of burns.

However, I can’t help but wonder. Why isn’t he using magic? Is it related to his crumbling soul?

Screw it. If he dies from us, good. If he dies from his soul, also good.

Lowering my hands, I ran toward Daniel, releasing multiple streams of magic along the way. As soon as he raised his sword for a vertical strike, I forced some of the streams to merge into a sphere just in front of my head. His eyes widened as the attack path was blocked. Chuckling, I led with my shoulder to knock him down. . .

Suddenly, his left fist crashed into my lower abdomen. An incredible, staggering pain ran through the upper half of my body, my stomach, and my back. Reflexively, I bent over and only straightened up when Daniel grabbed me by the hair, "You forgot about the second hand."

After these words, he slammed me down onto his knee. Instantly, I felt my entire face flood with blood, and my eyes rolled back. Naturally, when he let go, my body collapsed backward onto the cold snow. Daniel immediately lowered the blade, aiming to pierce my eye.

But at that moment, Ember appeared. She flew into him at full speed and began grinding him into the ground. They only stopped when his head hit a nearby tree. Then, her mouth opened wide before unleashing a wide stream of fire!

For a few moments, she continued to breathe fire. But when she stopped, there was nothing left except Daniel’s sword. Sensing danger, I immediately ran forward to Ember. And rightly so—behind me, I heard the quick crunch of snow.

This demon wanted to strike me from behind!

Reaching Ember, I quickly grabbed the sword and, bracing my foot against a tree, turned around. Daniel had stopped his pursuit about thirty feet away. Now that we were united, our chances were much better! Taking a quick breath, I whispered, "Listen, I have a plan. Let me engage him, and when I can land a hit, fly into him. Just don’t breathe fire—throw him forward after a while. Got it?"

Surprisingly, there were no objections or questions. Just a nod. Great. Sighing, I pushed off the tree. The pain from my broken toe had long been suppressed by adrenaline. At full speed, I charged at him, spreading my right hand with the sword and my left, clenched into a fist. If he’s such a genius, he’ll notice that both limbs are tense and ready to strike. There’s no way to dodge to the sides. Your only path is...

Instead of sweeping my legs as I expected, he made a superhuman jump. Alright, alright, still under control! I raised the sword and, as Daniel began to descend, delivered a quick thrust. But he, just like I had earlier, caught the blade with his hand.

The only difference is that he has a metal prosthetic!

As I tried to pull the sword back, it slipped from his grip with a shower of sparks, and Daniel landed on both feet. Without waiting a second, he stepped forward and delivered an uppercut. I swung the sword in response, and in the next moment, I saw the sky. The blow was perfect, snapping my head back. But the blade had hit something—I could feel it.

After a few moments, I managed to recover. Just in time, because Ember, following the initial plan, flew into him again at full speed. This time, there were no trees ahead, just a short slope leading to a frozen river. Great, now for the final stage.

Taking a breath, I ran at full speed slightly to her right, partially hidden by the tree line. Daniel was delivering powerful blows to the dragoness’s grip, literally crushing her skin and immediately exposing muscle. But she held on. Only after a while did she scream, strike him in the temple, and throw him forward dozens of feet.

As soon as he landed, kneeling on one knee, I ran out from the tree line and delivered another blow to his temple with all my strength. This made Daniel gasp and stagger back. But there was no 'perfection' in these movements as before. He wasn’t in control. Taking a few quick steps, I swung wide before sending the sword toward its owner’s neck.

I hope you suffer in your last second, you bastard.

The recent attack had completely unsettled the former captain of the guard. The connection between the brain and the rest of the body was almost completely severed. It is impossible to move not a finger, not a toe.

It was at this moment that an old memory awoke in him.

I remember something like this. . .

It seems the connection between me and my body is completely severed. Plus, without my glasses, I can’t see anything at all. However, something appeared in the air—a mirage of some sort. It distorted for a while before taking the shape of a kitchen table with three people sitting at it: a man, a woman, and a boy.

"Hmm, well, today I got a B+ in geometry at school," the boy said emotionlessly before swallowing a small spoonful of salad. He had weight issues, his stomach slightly protruding from under his clothes. What a nasty little freak.

"I hope you understand that this is below your level of knowledge," the man noted coldly. The woman just nodded slightly, continuing to eat.

The boy swallowed and said, looking down, "Yes, Dad, I’ll try harder next time."

Taking a long breath, the father asked calmly, "Did anything else happen at school today?"

"Nothing. . ."

"You’re lying to me," the man said harshly, making the boy look up in fear.

"Let me explain again. Hiding your mistakes from me only makes things worse for you. Only I can give you the right advice. For example, that your lies are completely pointless. This way, you won’t be able to get a job when you grow up," the father explained, pointing his fork at his son.

The boy swallowed and admitted, fidgeting, "Well, today in the drama club, we were assigning roles for the next play. I really wanted the lead role. But one guy said I was a stupid fatso and didn’t fit the part at all. At best, I could play a rock..."

"And? Finish the story," the father demanded impassively.

The son swallowed and said, trembling, "I got angry and hit him. Everyone in the drama club saw it. Then. . ."

"OW!" he screamed when his father slapped him sharply on the cheek. The skin immediately turned red, and tears welled up in his eyes. Such a slap was extremely painful but didn’t leave bruises.

This is my childhood.

The child version of me sniffled, barely holding back tears, but the father demanded harshly, "Stop crying. Men don’t cry. If you did something like that in public, everyone would remember you as a loser."

Of course, this didn’t calm me down at the time. I clenched my teeth, trying not to cry loudly. For a few moments, my entire child’s body trembled in fear and tension. Predictably, a second slap followed, making the boy fall off the chair onto the floor.

"I hope you remember that I allowed you to join the drama club only so you could learn to control your emotions. But it seems it would be better if I took care of that myself," the father said, and suddenly the mirage stopped. Something deep inside me twitched.

Keep emotions under control.

For half my life, I was forced to keep my emotions under control. The other half, I lived only by my rage and hatred. Plus, the last few months, I’ve been living. . . with nothing, emptiness. Even when I openly opposed my father, I couldn’t release my emotions. I, a fucking idiot, couldn't put these ideas aside for a very long time.

Emotions, feelings, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative, became my shadow. A shadow I radically refused to accept. At most, I was willing to accept tiny particles of this shadow. Everything else was always put in the closet and used as an example to portray a 'personality' for the people around me.

And if all emotions were my shadow, then who am I? What does this so-called "I" want? Why, when I strived for perfection and looked down on everyone, did every small defeat, every small deviation from the plan, destroy me?

S̵̢̻̖̥͕̟̖̫̥̘̮͈̹̗̘͛̐̔̚t̴̢̘̗̫̞̳̠͙̣͇̩̞̠̪̙̉̽̏͑̿́̕͠ͅͅó̷̜̭͔̰̮̆̏̚ͅp̶̢̢͇͖̣̦̝̺̠̰͚̝̱͑̎̎̋̐̈́̓͑͆́͋̀́̅̆͜͝͠.̵̡͈̖̖̹̀̽͑̃̔̾͆̇͌̊͠͠

Because eternal victories were the only way to maintain an initially incomplete self! The only way for me to become whole is to integrate the shadow. Fully, unlike all previous attempts.

I want to try. To act and follow every impulse. Without filtering anything.

As soon as I felt the cold steel touch the back of my neck, my body braced its hands against the ground, and in the next moment, my legs spread apart. My heels felt a clear impact—one with something soft, a face. The other with something hard, probably a horn.

Pushing off the ground, I landed on my feet a dozen feet away from both opponents. Arthur was standing, clutching his cheek with his hand, trying to soothe the pain, while Ember was on one knee. Her horn was her weak point, after all.

Don’t think. Act on impulse.

Exhaling, I took a step back. And in the next moment, I ran at full speed toward Arthur, bending my legs low to get under him. Getting close enough, I grabbed him by the thighs and lifted him in front of me. Continuing to run, I shouted, "Ha, didn't you ever expect to get a pass between your legs, huh!?"

Before Arthur could respond, I relaxed my arms, letting him fly forward by inertia. His body smashed through one tree and only stopped when it hit another, about twenty feet away from me.

Ember, from behind, raised her arms above her head. Without thinking, I turned on the spot and led with my head. A shiver ran through my entire brain as both her fists hit me right in the forehead. However, her clenched teeth clearly showed she was in pain.

I want you.

With a quick motion of my left hand, I struck her where a human’s solar plexus would be. Her breath caught, and as soon as she opened her mouth to inhale, I grabbed her horn with my prosthetic and pulled her toward me. Before she could react, I opened my mouth wide and bit down on her lips and everything nearby. A bite.

With all her strength, she flapped her wings, allowing her to break free from my teeth and retreat to Arthur. Taking advantage of the pause, my tongue slowly ran over my teeth. My canines were almost completely covered in blood, with dead skin—or perhaps Ember’s lips—on my lower jaw. On my upper jaw, I could clearly feel scales with a bit of flesh. She had pulled away too sharply.

Spitting out the debris onto the snow, I said, glancing at the dragon, "You’re not tasty."

Ember covered her mouth with her hands as blood continued to seep between her fingers. Arthur briefly glanced at her before pointing at me and saying, "You’re insane."

What kind of people can be crazy and selfish?

Following the idea, I quickly made a simple rune, creating a ball of my magic. My left foot carefully rolled over its surface, making the ball slowly roll forward. Ha, such a strange feeling. Ball, ball, do you want to play?

"Arthur, let’s play football! The kind of football the whole world plays, not the American kind!" I said, starting to dribble the ball forward while keeping my eyes fixed on it. Oops, should I have said 'soccer' so he’d understand?

Anyway, when I got close enough, I pushed Ember forward and bounced the ball back into Arthur's face. As I focused on the dragon, I saw that she had opened her mouth to release the fire again. Chuckling, I stretched out my hand to the side and focused on the natural magic around me.

As soon as I saw the flame coming from her mouth, I cast my magic through the streams of nature. For just a moment, they flashed my magic and went through Ember like circular saws. In the next instant, I forcefully pushed her forward, slamming her into a tree and knocking her out.

Then, I turned back to see Arthur catch the ball. But instead, he disappeared somewhere.

"Do you think I’m completely stupid!?" Arthur asked from behind me. Turning around, I barely blocked the sword with my prosthetic at the last moment. However, the force behind the blow was excessive.

I was sent flying through the cold air, and the ball left me. Sigh. Sighing, I grabbed a branch with my left hand, and as soon as it creaked, I let go. Landing, I turned around. Arthur’s kick had sent me flying over the frozen river—the distance between us was definitely over a hundred feet. Apparently, his muscle-enhancing spell hadn’t worn off yet.

But I want to even the odds even more.

Glancing at my prosthetic, I saw that Ember’s strike had caused some parts to crack. Of course, it was still functional, but I didn’t want to risk it. Sighing, I undid the strap securing the device to my arm with a light motion. Then I carefully placed the prosthetic on a branch to come back for it later.

Looking back at Arthur, I could barely make out that he was standing there. Although, if I were in his place, I would go back to the bag. I think there's something useful in there.

Focus on emotions. Screw tactics.

Taking a deep breath, I took off and ran toward him. It seemed he noticed my movement because he also started moving toward me. The cold wind suddenly picked up, cutting through me to the bone and making the snow on the river roll slightly to the side. The ice under my feet creaked but held for now.

As the distance closed, Arthur made a horizontal slash with the sword toward my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his foot shift slightly forward, as if preparing to strike as soon as I ducked. Too bad. . .

With a sharp motion, I stopped the blade. With my teeth. As soon as Arthur tried to pull the sword back, I clenched my jaw tighter and pushed him back a few steps with a blow to the chest. As a result, due to Arthur’s powerful grip, the sword broke into two pieces—the blade in my teeth and the hilt.

Spitting the blade onto the ground, I turned my body toward Arthur. He also threw his part of the sword on the ground and raised his fists in front of him. What do I want at this moment? Do I need to kill him?

I want to knock him out. Then check on Cozy Glow.

Exhaling, I slightly shifted my right foot back. And in the next moment, I pushed off the ice, causing it to crack. Arthur threw a straight punch, probably the easiest to dodge. But I let it hit my shoulder while I struck his face with the top of my head. My hair became wet with blood.

As he stepped back, I suddenly started to fall. A cut! I crashed onto the ice, causing cracks to run through it. However, Arthur wasn’t fazed and sat on me. Before delivering a blow to my face. Lift, clench, strike. Again. And again.

Suddenly, there was a loud cracking of ice. In the next moment, we both found ourselves in the cold water. This interrupted Arthur’s last attack because he started flailing in the water as we both continued to sink. He can’t swim?

Shuddering from the incredible cold, I grabbed him by the neck and teleported to the shore. My ears rang with sharp pain from the sudden pressure change, and the air only intensified the cold throughout my body. Throwing Arthur onto the ground, I reflexively felt my face.

His attacks didn’t do any damage. It seems he was using the muscle-enhancing rune. But it’s worn off.

"Do you think one good deed justifies you? You’re just a manipulator!" Arthur shouted between breaths. Looking at him, I felt no bloodlust. Only regret.

"What, standing there like a statue? Did you think I’d really fall for that?" he growled, leaning forward. In response, I again didn’t move. Clenching his teeth, Arthur struck me in the face with his fist. Then he pulled his arm back and delivered another blow to my chest. And a final kick to the knee.

"Arthur, that’s enough," I asked without moving an inch. In response, he delivered an uppercut to my jaw. The blow didn’t even make me close my mouth.

"You bastard, fight! I won’t calm down until one of us is dead!" Arthur demanded, spinning around and delivering a blow with all his strength to the bottom of my ribs. But this only made me take a small step to the side.

Sighing, I took a quick step forward and cupped Arthur’s face with my palm. Before slamming him into the ground, I whispered, "The fight’s over. No one died."

Once on the ground, Arthur began taking deep breaths as his eyes slowly closed. Without a word, he fell asleep. Exhaling, I walked forward toward the fallen tank. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Ember. My defensive spell had melted most of her armor, but she had managed to remove it before losing consciousness. The only wound was a strip of charred skin on her chest.

I’m not feeling too well. . .

A strange sensation in my chest, near my heart, stopped me. For a few moments, nothing happened before I started coughing. When I tried to cover my mouth with my hand, it was overwhelmed by incredible pain, as if it were being melted by acid. In the end, a large clump of mucus, shimmering blue and yellow, fell to the ground. It had begun.

Taking a few breaths, I quickly headed toward the tank. As if sensing my approach, Cozy Glow ran out from it. She looked at me worriedly as I coughed up larger and larger clumps of magic. Apparently, for now, my body could safely expel them. But soon, it would melt me from the inside.

"What happened?" she asked, taking a slight step back.

"Remember how I promised you power? The time has come," I replied, placing my hand on her chest and concentrating. Almost immediately, I could feel her soul. So small and weak. It would be much easier to fully exchange.

Cozy’s veins, filled with new magic, began to glow slightly. On the other hand, I felt the magic in my body rapidly diminishing. In the end, when the procedure was complete, I sat on the ground and looked at Cozy. Her entire body was glowing slightly, and she was trembling with a smile, as if trying to contain all the power.

I think she's still alive. Great, you did well, filly.

After taking a few deep breaths, I put my hand on my forehead and said, "Now, can you wait a little? Phew, I need to catch my breath. "

"Mmm, no," she replied slowly. When I took my hand away, I saw her standing there with a toothy smile and wings spread wide.

"I can feel the power boiling inside me!" She exclaimed, laughing as she experimentally flapped her wings a few times. Apparently, her body had already begun to adapt slightly to the new volumes of magic, as she rose to the same level with the treetops with one swing.

Before I could say anything, she giggled and asked: "Dread League, are the necromancers in northeast Griffonia speaking? Do you think they know how to make me an alicorn? Or even an adult!?"

Without giving me a chance to respond, she flapped her wings once more and flew off at full speed.

Being betrayed. It wasn't my first, but. . . she was really sweet. I should have trusted my intuition.

Sighing, I lay down completely on the ground, pulling my arm to the side. Due to the battle and the drastic drop in magic, I feel incredibly tired. So, in winter, at the site of the battle, in the wilderness, two people who had recently been in the river and one dragon with burns lost consciousness.

In the last moments before going to sleep, I muttered: "Let's see how the one who wakes up first will realize his capabilities."

Stuck (Edited)

The last few hours or perhaps the whole day has been spent in a fog, or even it would be more correct to say in hell. A couple of times some girls knocked on my door, whose voice I knew as well as the pink pony. But I didn't open it. Moreover, I closed the windows, moved the cabinets and strengthened the door by blocking it with several chairs. I'm not sure how reliable this is.

"Can this coma be over already? I asked, holding my head in my hands and looking at the ceiling with an empty stare. Surprisingly, my question was answered in the form of a rumbling stomach.

I'm hungry. It seems to me that this is another confirmation that I am in another world. Although it was clear a few hours ago. Oh.

"I don't want to think about it that way. But I probably should." I sighed in frustration before slowly pulling off the covers and sliding off my bed. It was painful, because of my back, but after a few hours of trying to sleep, I had already managed to get used to it. It's not like I want to live with it for the rest of my life.

"Although I would still like to solve this problem as soon as possible. " I sighed before walking next to the sofa and picking up my phone. As I put it in my pocket, a brief and unpleasant thought flashed through my mind.

Sooner or later, it will discharge.

"I have so many problems. Don't make it worse, brain." I sighed before leaving the living room and heading to the kitchen. Along the way, one disturbing thought couldn't help but occur to me. If my house is in another world, then it shouldn't have any electricity, right? Right. Then how long will the food last in my fridge?

"It looks like I urgently need to either learn how to make electricity or start eating three times more than usual. I said to myself as I stepped into the kitchen and slowly headed for the refrigerator. When I opened it, I saw. . . nothing.

Exactly. I eat mostly from the delivery. I have zero supplies in the fridge. Uh, but the plus is that nothing can rot, I suppose?

"Well, no, this is some kind of nonsense. I must have at least some supplies!" I said irritably before starting to methodically open all the drawers of the refrigerator in an attempt to find food. A vegetable drawer? Empty. A meat shelf? Empty. The other shelves are also empty. Oh, I only have the freezer left.

With a snort, I bent down and opened the freezer, which was at the bottom of the refrigerator. And, surprisingly, I found the food! Well, this is a popsicle, the packaging of which is wet, most likely due to melt ice. But this is the most similar food that I have.

"Getting into another world, lack of electricity and food supplies. What else is going to happen? I grumbled in disappointment before grabbing the popsicle and quickly removing the packaging from it. I saw a very melted ice cream, the filling of which slowly flowed down a wooden stick.

Well, it's better than nothing. I won't be hungry for at least a few minutes.

"Or even a few hours!" I exclaimed, trying to cheer myself up. Not very effective. With a quiet snort, I sat down on a chair and took a small bite out of the spreading popsicle. And immediately I felt my mouth filled with sweetness. The feeling would have been even more pleasant if small pieces of ice cream hadn't caught on the corners of my mouth. Well, I can tolerate that. Quite.

"But where should I look for food afterwards? This looks like the main problem." I thought out loud before taking a second bite. Sugar gave my brain a small energy boost that allowed me to at least start thinking. Where can I get food? Uh, I can go to the forest and try to find a berry. No, no, I'll get lost there. Then, uh, ask the pony for help? Like, how bad can cartoon characters be?

Suddenly, three powerful and loud knocks hit my door. Each of them seemed to make the walls tremble. Naturally, it made me freeze in place, right in the middle of the third bite.

Who is it?

As if in answer to my mental question, after a few seconds a hard male voice said from outside: "So, Rising, there is a problem. I can't complete the first point of the training manual."

"Uh, please remind me, Daniel, what is the first point?" The second, much softer male voice asked cautiously.

"Start a conversation on a voluntary basis. Considering that I knocked on the door and the owner of the house does not give signs of his existence, he obviously will not speak voluntarily." The hard voice said again.

"How do you know? Maybe he sleeps now? It's five in the morning after all." The soft voice noted in soothing tone.

Five in the morning? It looks like I was sitting in bed and was as nervous as possible for a really long time.

There was silence for a while on the other side before a hard voice said, much calmer than before: "Okay, I was wrong here, he can really sleep. But now my head is occupied with a slightly different question. We will fix it now. "

There was only a moment's pause on the other side before the same voice asked: " Twilight, why didn't you just teleport inside? "

" We don't want to scare him! Personally, I don't want the first meeting with him to look the same as with you. I don't want to shout and fighting. Especially now. " A familiar female voice answered sleepily.

Twilight. This is familiar to me. A unicorn, like? Heh, my sister never liked this nerd.

Unable to resist, I briefly chuckled and almost immediately followed by an excited response from a hard voice: "AHA! I heard you laughing, macaque!"

My eyes widened a lot, and my grip on the popsicle loosened a lot. How could he hear it behind the wall, the door and the barricades? It's just, it's just absurd!

"In short, I don't have time for this. I'm going to go in there and make him go outside. It's simple." A hard voice stated decisively when soft footsteps were heard outside. I don't know why, but with every sound, my back started to hurt a little more.

Uh, he's not coming in, right? I've set up barricades everywhere. I have to be safe.

Scared, I turned from side to side as if he, whoever it was, could appear at any second and at any point. No, no, he definitely won't be able to enter! He's just good at scaring. I don't remember such a character in the animated series, but he's just some kind of scare expert. Yes. . .

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by an extremely unpleasant feeling. It's like someone's looking at me. Very intently. Almost studiously. Swallowing, I slowly turned in the direction from which I felt the gaze. My head turned and my eyes focused on a small part of the window that wasn't covered by barricades. Just for a moment, I saw one black eye looking at me from the other side of the window. But the next moment, it fortunately disappeared.

Phew, I was just nervous. Everything is fine. I. . .

"Good morning." A voice suddenly said from behind me, causing me to quickly jump up from my seat. Turning around and stepping back a few steps, I saw another human. He was about a head taller than me and was wearing a beige raincoat with very long sleeves. For some reason, the sleeve on the left arm was rolled up enough to make the palm visible, but the right arm was completely hidden by the sleeve. But the most important thing is one thing. He's as human as I am.

Before I could form any words, I noticed that I had left my popsicle on the table. I must have dropped it by accident. Damn, the table is going to be dirty.

Suddenly, the human took a few quick steps and with a quick movement threw it somewhere far away, towards my barricades. Before I could express my indignation, he clicked his tongue and said, "Sweets are bad for your health."

But I don't have any other food!

I swallowed slightly, trying to contain my irritation. In the end, I sighed and said, tentatively holding out my hand, "Um, okay, let's forget it. Hello?"

The human in front of me chuckled briefly and took a few steps towards me. Barely restraining the instinct to retreat, I tried to look into the eyes of a much taller interlocutor. Finally, when we were only a couple of steps apart, he grabbed my hand and said, "My name is Daniel. What's your name?"

"Me? Uh, my name is Arthur. Uh, nice to meet you?" I answered hesitantly, obviously not ready for such an ordinary development of the dialogue.

Although maybe he's trying to calm me down?

Daniel almost immediately released my hand and said, resting his left hand on his side: "So, I guess we should start asking questions. Let's try something simple. Why did you barricade yourself in?"

I swallowed and said awkwardly rubbing my neck, "Well, you know, I got into the world of the animated series! And I just wanted to, well, get some time to process it all. I'm sure you had the same thing when you got here. "

Daniel studied me for a while before tilting his head to the side and slowly asking, " What animated series are you talking about?"

I was a little taken aback by this question. There was silence in the air for a few seconds before I finally started saying, "Well, you know. An animated series about ponies. My little pony, like? It's strange that you don't know about it, I remember that a few years ago it was really popular."

I've explained it all right. Kind of.

There was silence in the room for a few seconds after my words, before Daniel briefly shook his head and asked: "So, let's summarize. Are you saying that this world was in an animated series that you once watched?"

"Well, yes," I replied with a slight nod.

"I won't tell anyone about this. I recommend the same thing to you. Daniel said with a click of his tongue.

I shook my head in embarrassment and asked quickly: "Why?"

"Because it's not in my best interest to go to a mental hospital and have a cheap way to scare ponies. And you?"

"Probably not," I replied, slightly averting my gaze.

I feel like he thinks I'm crazy. If the ponies outside heard my words, they probably share this opinion.

I shook my head, trying to concentrate and asked: "Uh, okay. Anyway, how did you end up here?"

"Teleported away." Daniel replied instantly, lightly rubbing his head. It was only now that my eyes decided to focus on his face. Daniel's haircut was very short, but his gaze almost immediately focused on another detail. There was a small scar on his right cheek that looked almost like an extension of a smile. I'm not sure I should ask where he got it from.

Finally coming back to reality, I rolled my eyes and said: "Teleported? Do you really think I'm going to believe that you just teleported here?"

"You don't have to believe it. It's kind of just your problem. Daniel chuckled with a shrug.

Uh, okay. What now?

I put my hand on my hips and looked around awkwardly before asking, "So, why did you come here at all?"

For just a moment, Daniel was silent with a completely blank expression on his face. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket with his left hand and pulled out a black notebook. Raising an embarrassed eyebrow, I asked a little irritably, "What are you doing? And how does this relate to my original question?"

Opening the notebook, Daniel began to read it and finally answered my question: "I'm trying to figure out if I can already say what I need and not have any complaints about myself, or if it's too early."

A fantastic ability. He answered the question in a way that I didn't understand.

With a snort, I put my hands on my hips and frowned at Daniel while he read with complete equanimity. After a few seconds, I started tapping my foot lightly on the floor. No, no, I'm in no way rushing a stranger who 'teleported' into my house.

Suddenly, Daniel threw the notebook on the table and said confidently: "So, Arthur, how old are you? I'm twenty. "

For a moment, I was taken aback by such an inappropriate question. But in the end he answered: " I'm older than you, I'm twenty-one. But what does this have to do with, well, everything? "

It seemed that he completely ignored my question and just asked the following question: " What are you interested in? For example, I am interested in history. Do you like history?"

Uh, no. It's too cruel for me.

Shaking my head slightly, I replied, feeling growing irritated: "No, I don't like the history. I'm much more attracted to fantasy books and drawing."

Daniel seemed to stop for a moment. Either because of my answer, or he finally decided to clarify the situation properly. I really hope that the second one.

Suddenly, Daniel grabbed the notebook and started reading it again. Unable to restrain myself, I let out a loud enough, disappointed groan. Fortunately, Daniel soon put the notebook in his pocket and said calmly: "Arthur, what do you hope for when, as you put it, you process the new information?"

This . . . good question.

Putting my hand on my chin, I started looking at nothing and trying to come up with an answer. Let's say a month passes. I'll find food and get more or less used to everything that's going on here. Then what?

"I'd like to go home!" I said out loud as soon as the answer appeared in my head. Yes, it was actually the most obvious solution.

"It won't work. You're stuck here. " Daniel replied instantly, clicking his tongue. Wh-what?

No, this is some kind of nonsense. If I somehow got here, I have to leave somehow! Is that right?

While my stress was growing exponentially, Daniel calmly turned towards the exit and said with a wave of his left hand: "Well, okay, I gave you an incentive. You'd better go outside now. After all, there is no escape from the new world."

Suddenly, I felt an incredible wave of pain shoot through my back, many times exceeding everything that had happened before. Groaning in pain, I barely took a step after Daniel and shouted: "You can't just drop that kind of information and get out!"

By the time I said that, he was already in front of my front door and with one hand, with frightening speed, he was pushing aside the furniture that made up the barricades. After a few silent seconds, Daniel cast a cold glance in my direction and asked: "Would you seriously prefer if I hid this knowledge from you for several months and then suddenly told you?"

Well, no . . .

"Or better yet, would you prefer that I always hide it? For the rest of your life. Have you been convinced that work is underway on a non-existent spell somewhere out there?" Daniel asked, pushing back the last chair and already having direct access to the front door. But he doesn't have the keys.

"Well, no, but. . . " I said with difficulty, but Daniel quickly cut me off.

"So what the hell do you want from me, Arthur? What do you want from me?" He asked irritably, causing the pain to intensify again. I think I'm going to pass out from the pain.

Do I want to be comforted? No, no, it sounds too weird. Like, super weird.

Before I could think of an answer, there was a click. He was trying to turn the handle. Then there was another click. But judging by the fact that Daniel is not leaving, the result was the same. I took a deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts. Before he starts demanding the keys, I need to come up with something decent to say.

"I am. . . "I tried to start, but suddenly I heard a powerful blow that felt like it shook my whole house. This was followed by a light that suddenly flooded the hallway where Daniel had been standing until recently. Did he just kick down my door?

"Are you completely fucked up!?" I shouted angrily as I staggered down the corridor, trying to at least look after Daniel. And try to throw a shoe at the back of his head.

Did he deserve it?

"Yes, he deserve it. Sort of." I mumbled with difficulty through clenched teeth as I hobbled towards the exit of the house. As he moved, the pain in my back refused to recede in any way. But fortunately, at least it didn't progress any further.

In the end, I was able to get to the exit of the apartment and the broken door, which was lying on the ground. There were six vaguely familiar ponies in front of my eyes and one stranger with blue eyes that looked very much like a cat's. Shaking my head, I tried to find Daniel and soon saw his retreating figure. Breath. . .

"STOP IT! We haven't finished talking yet!" I shouted, leaning with one foot on the fallen door. Technically, I'm still inside the house.

Uh, I don't think that's a very important thing at the moment.

Before I could nod to myself, Daniel turned to me and asked, holding his left hand aside, "What? Have you already figured out what you want from me?"

I swallowed when I heard such a question and slightly looked away. There is only one answer in my head, but it is absolutely crazy. Although. . . This whole situation is crazy!

With difficulty gathering a little determination, I took a deep breath and said, pointing my finger at Daniel: "I want you to show some human sympathy! And did not leave me alone immediately after the revelation that I would not return to Earth."

After that answer, everything seemed to freeze. All the ponies stared at me in silence and even Daniel did it. The only sound was the rustling of the foliage of the lush trees surrounding me.

Suddenly, Daniel turned around and said with a wave of his left hand, "This is not a very worthy reason. Besides, if I handled the whole situation on my own, then so can you. Let's say goodbye, I'll see you sometime."

Just like that? I just can't believe that a person can be so rotten.

A heavy sigh escaped from my mouth as I rested my head against the wall and tried to keep myself in control at least a little. But my thoughts began to treacherously move in a different direction. A new world. A new world where the only representative of my kind is so rotten. A new world where my parents won't help me. A new world. . .

Where my sister is not. After this thought, I felt my heartbeat quicken and it became even more difficult to control my breathing. How can she cope without me? How am I going to cope without her?

Somehow, I was able to hear a man's voice say softly: "Daniel, I don't think it was a very good decision."

"Why?" Daniel asked instantly, but without aggression. It feels like he didn't like me in particular.

"Well, you have so many things that you regret and plan to atone for. And, really, do you need such a thing?" The voice asked very cautiously.

Whoever he is, he obviously knows Daniel even less than I do. I don't believe that such rot regrets anything!

Suddenly, there was a very long exhalation from Daniel, followed by the words, "Okay. What do you want me to do, Rising?"

"Um." The so-called Rising closed for a moment. Whatever he does, I'm not sure I can muster the strength to shift my gaze.

"How about, well, do as he asks? Show some sympathy, sit down, talk." Rising said gently. I swear, for a moment, an association with his voice appeared in my head.

Smile. Very small, but really sincere.

Not that it has completely stabilized my condition. My breathing is still rapid, the pain in my back is unbearable and it seems to me that right now I will lose consciousness. Maybe all I'm hearing is a hallucination at all.

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of my shoulder being tightly gripped. This was followed by Daniel's hurried words: "Listen, I'm sorry for the door. I'll give you money for repairs later. But for now, how about we go to the kitchen and make a plan for what you're going to do next? I can tell you which characters are worth getting to know and all that."

That's not exactly what I wanted. But I have no right to complain now, right?

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a very soft and gentle voice: "How are you feeling?"

The voice was so soothing that even my back seemed to calm down a bit and stopped hurting. I looked up to see Fluttershy standing in front of me with a worried look on her face. Huh, my sister thought she was boring.

Mentally shaking my head, I slowly replied, "Physically? Not really. Mentally? Absolutely terrible."

Fluttershy carefully stretched out her hoof and offered with a gentle smile, "Would you like to go to my house and have some tea to calm down? If you like, my other friends can join us. "After a quick glance at the pony behind her, I couldn't help but smile a little. That sounds very nice.

"It is out of the question. Arthur is under my jurisdiction. " Daniel replied sternly, his eyes narrowing over Fluttershy.

It looks like he really wants to ruin my mood.

With a slight sniff, I nodded and carefully moved away from the wall. Then my legs started to carry me back to the kitchen and on the way, it came out of my mouth: "I still think you're a very bad person."

"I have the arch of redemption. Wait a month or two when I apologize to everyone and then you just won't recognize me. " Daniel replied with a wave of his hand so fast that I felt a slight breeze. Or it's because of the broken door.

Definitely because of the broken door.

Eventually, I made it to the kitchen and sat down on a chair with a groan. The back pain had eased significantly, but it was still too significant to do anything normally.

Anyway, Daniel stood next to the table and threw the notebook on the table before saying with his eyes closed, "Arthur, be kind and tear out a blank sheet from here."

"Can't you do it yourself?" I asked awkwardly, tilting my head to the side.

"It is very difficult to tear a sheet out of a notebook with one hand. And I don't have the second one," Daniel replied with a click of his tongue. Uh, what?

" Did you just say that you have a disability? If so, why do you need clothes with such long sleeves in the summer, if not to hide it? " I asked, putting both hands on the table.

Uh, can I call this a mockery of him?

I shook my head slightly, and almost immediately after that, Daniel replied: "I'm just looking for a new style. I'm not allowed to wear the Captain of the Guard's coat anymore."

"The Captain of the Guard's coat?" I asked, confused.

Daniel waved his hand and said with a chuckle, "All in good time, Arthur. It will take too much of my time if I explain to you everything that happened to me in almost a year in Equestria. So now, tear a sheet out of the notebook."

With a startled sigh, I abruptly tore a sheet out of the notebook and put it on the table. Then Daniel took a pencil out of his pocket and asked, turning it slightly in his hands: "So, Arthur, unfortunately, in any world you need acquaintances to survive at a comfortable, for most, level of gravity. So what kind of acquaintances do you need first?"

Unconsciously, I rubbed my aching back and immediately hissed in pain. Closing my eyes, I quickly muttered, "I would like to find a doctor who will look at my back. As soon as I got here, it hurts terribly."

Daniel chuckled briefly and while writing on a piece of paper, said: "I know a girl. I think since she was able to assemble a new body for herself two whole times, then there will be no problems examining your vertebrae. Although if you want, I can just break it for you. No bone, no problem."

I hate you already.

Shaking my head, I said with a sigh, "I prefer a doctor. But what will happen next?"

Daniel tapped his pencil lightly on the table before quickly saying, "Get your paperwork done, get you a job, connect your house to local utilities, and at the end, a party at Pinkie Pie's. "

"Sounds like the plan for the most boring week of my life." I commented with a disappointed sigh.

"Oh, don't whine. You have me." He replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

And that's why it's even worse.

Descent into the abyss

"Huh?" I exhaled as I suddenly realized that I had woken up and returned to reality. Looking around, I saw that I had fallen asleep on the couch with a phone on my chest for some reason. Then my eyes darted to the window where the sun was shining. I'm still in Equestria.

"It's not that surprising." I sighed and put my hands on my chest, staring at the ceiling as I remembered what happened before I fell asleep. First, Daniel and I discussed what the hell I should do. On the one hand, thanks for the information, but on the other hand, the first impression is still very unpleasant.

"Like, uh, I don't know. It is unpleasant when they tell me at the first meeting that I will never come home again. I muttered in frustration before continuing to remember. After completing the list of things I needed to do, Daniel left and said he would come tomorrow.

And I don't have any food! Even the ice cream, someone threw it away.

As if in response to a sweet memory, my stomach made a low rumbling sound, clearly indicating a desire to eat. Putting a hand on it, I muttered, "Yeah, I agree, I don't like him either."

With a snort, I finally forced myself to sit up and reach for the phone. When it was unlocked, yesterday's correspondence with my sister opened before my eyes. A correspondence that will never be continued. Placing the phone on the sofa, I took a deep breath and asked into the void: "I wonder how you are now?"

I wonder how you felt when you saw that there was just a void where my apartment used to be?

Suddenly, unfortunately, a familiar voice came from outside: "Arthur! Come out, it's time to fix your back."

Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and called back, getting up from the couch: "Give me a few minutes! I need to at least wash up before the day starts. "

In response, I heard fast but heavy footsteps running towards me. I didn't even have time to turn around when I heard Daniel's voice, which was much closer this time: "First of all, there is no water in your house. Second, I'm not going to wait for you. I have things to do as well. "

" Hey, I didn't invite you! You. . . " I said, turning to Daniel, but stopped when I finally saw him. Unlike yesterday he was wearing a simple white shirt and for some reason he was wearing ordinary glasses. Of course, yesterday he had said something about looking for a new style, but I hadn't expected such drastic changes!

Gathering my strength, I put my hands on my hips and asked with a hint of irritation: "Do you know what private property is? Or didn't your parents teach you that?"

"What are you going to do if I say I wasn't taught that?" Daniel asked and repeated my pose. Well, with one hand for obvious reasons.

Uh, what? No, he's probably just messing with me. He's mocking me.

I shook my head quickly, trying to hide the embarrassment in my voice, "Okay, it doesn't matter. Can you just not come into my house without permission anymore?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, leaning against the wall, "Well, I don't know. First of all, you don't have a door. And second..."

I interrupted him with a frown, "I don't have a door because you kicked it down! "

" I'll pay for the repairs, don't worry. " Daniel replied in a calm but not reassuring voice.

"And when will you do it?" I asked urgently when the frown on my face became even more pronounced.

"When the new tank is built. A week at the most." Daniel said with a shrug, in a voice as if it was nothing special.

A t-tank? I am a thousand percent sure that did not happen in the animated series. It's by definition a fantasy or something, so it shouldn't be like that!

In the end, my thoughts broke out in the form of a surprised question: "Where are the tanks coming from!?"

Daniel rubbed his ear lightly and replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice: "First of all, don't shout like that. Second, the tanks were developed here in Equestria, thanks to the work of several unicorns and myself, who raised money for the project. I was a producer, let's just say."

I just stared at him for a while, trying to process this information. Like, is there even technology here to build something even close to a tank? I doubt it very much. And where would Daniel get the money to do it? He doesn't look like a man who knows how to make a lot of money.

For a moment, my eyes focused on him. Despite the shirt, very large muscles were visible. Not to mention how weird those glasses look on him.

Speaking of glasses. They obviously weren't there yesterday.

Sighing, I let go of the remnants of my irritation and asked carefully: "I understand that I'm stalling. . ."

"Yes, that's right. " Daniel interrupted me in a calm voice and nodded quickly.

I snorted and continued: "But why do you have glasses? You certainly didn't have them yesterday."

Daniel lowered his glasses for a moment and looked at me with his black eyes. Uh, why? I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment, and Daniel put the glasses back on and said: "I can't see very well with my glasses. In fact, I couldn't see a single feature of your face at all yesterday."

"Then why didn't you wear your glasses yesterday?" I asked, a little irritated. Why does it take me so long to get a normal answer?

Daniel shrugged and said: "In case I get a sensory overload from seeing a human face for the first time in a year that is not mine."

Well, I won't ask any questions here. He's been in Equestria for a year now. Oh, and this year won't be the only one for him or me.

Sighing sadly, I asked, rubbing my neck lightly: "So now we have a list to give to the girl who should be able to help me with my back, right?"

Daniel smiled back and said with a quick nod: "Yes, your memory is fine. So, let's go? Or do you have any more stupid questions?"

Before I could even snort, he said, "Smart, well thought out and appropriate questions. Aren't you going to whine now?"

I wasn't going to whine.

I rubbed my face lightly, trying to shake off the drowsiness, before finally picking up the phone and reluctantly answering: "Okay, let's go. I already feel that my back is starting to torment me again."

"Don't worry. She will definitely think of something." Daniel replied with a wave of his hand and headed for the exit. Sighing, I took a quick look at myself and after making sure I was really asleep in my clothes, I followed him.

A few moments later, I was outside the house and took a deep breath. The sun is much brighter, but not blinding. The grass under my feet is so green. Are the trees so, I don't know how to say it, so alive?

It all feels unnatural.

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Daniel start to run while I was standing like an idol. I quickly shook my head and started to run after him, only to catch up with him after a few seconds. After a few moments, I realized where he was taking me. Into the forest.

"A great doctor who will help me with my back in the forest? Are you taking me to a shaman? " I asked indignantly, raising my voice slightly. And the next moment I felt a sting in my back. Ouch.

Daniel snorted and waved his hand dismissively: "First of all, don't whine, it annoys me almost as much as waking up in the afternoon. Second, she does not live in the forest, only the way to her house leads through the forest. Calm down?"

Not really. Mostly because of your attitude.

"Yeah, yeah, I calmed down." I answered with a disappointed sigh. I don't have any other options, like.

"Just look around you! It's a completely different world that I can't get out of. My family, my degree, my knowledge. All this will have no value here! I need to vent my frustration somehow, you know? "I asked, spreading my arms to the sides.

Daniel let out a tired groan before answering, putting his hand in his pocket: "No, I don't really understand you. The first few weeks here, I was just trying to survive. I probably just didn't have the strength for stress from the mere fact that I was in another world.

This. . . sounds extremely wrong.

I turned my head to Daniel and stared at him as we walked forward. There was silence in the air for a few moments, broken only by the sound of footsteps, but finally I asked slowly, "Do you understand how strange this sounds? As if you came to another world and just shrugged your shoulders? "

Daniel rolled his eyes and actually shrugged before he said, "You could say that. I tried, according to the training manual, to get into the situation and speak honestly. As you can see, it doesn't work. Redemption is such nonsense, really. "

" Oh yeah, that's right. You also mentioned something about redemption yesterday. " I said, staring blankly ahead.

I'm not sure I want to ask. At least for now.

Sighing, I looked at myself and let out a disappointed tone: "Damn, I'm in my house clothes. For the sake of decency, I should have at least put on another T-shirt."

"I wouldn't let you. If I'm here, I'll pick you up." Daniel replied calmly, shaking his head.

"You act like you're better than me and like you have everything under control here." I said, looking at him irritated.

In response, he just calmly turned to face me as we continued to walk forward through the endless forest. Daniel just stared for a few seconds, which frankly made me uncomfortable. Suddenly, he looked away from me and said, pointing his finger forward: "Oh, great! We're here."

What a good way to avoid the question.

Rolling my eyes, I looked where Daniel was pointing and was, to say the least, astonished. In front of me was a high gate with a red pattern that vaguely resembled the sun. It was also slightly ajar. So this gets even stranger.

I took a deep breath and slowly asked with my hands folded: "Please answer this question honestly, Daniel. Is there a girl outside this gate who can help me with my back pain?"

"Yes. Can we go now?" Daniel answered before he yawned heavily. This doesn't seem like very respectful behavior.

No, no, no. All of this looks not only unrealistic, but suspicious.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms and said firmly, "Okay, I'm not going anywhere until I get an answer. Who is she? Why is she living outside these gates? And how does she treat patients? "

Daniel let out a heavy sigh before asking disappointedly, "Can we at least discuss this on the way? I don't want to waste a second. "

After a few seconds I nodded reluctantly, but still asked a slightly different question: " Okay, we can do that on the way. But why are you in such a hurry? If you have something important to do, could you, I don't know, leave me an address? "

Daniel stepped forward to the slightly open gate and said with a wave of his hand: "Celestia said that helping others would help determine how well I am coping with redemtion so far.. So it's my duty to be your big brother in the near future."

Celestia. If I remember correctly, she is the most important pony or something? Yeah, yeah, I remember. A princess who does nothing and loses every battle. Nodding slightly to myself, I finally replied with a roll of my eyes, "Wonderful.

"I totally agree," he said with a slight nod.

Well, at least some understanding has been reached.

After the last exchange, there was silence in the air and we quietly reached the slightly ajar gate. Daniel walked calmly through it, as if there was nothing strange about it. Like the gate, which is at least four times bigger than me, is somewhere in the forest next to a rock?

"I guess I have to show some trust." I muttered before taking a deep breath and following Daniel through the gate. I saw a stone corridor with blue crystals attached to the walls, glowing brightly enough to illuminate everything.

After I took a few steps on the stone floor, Daniel said as he walked on, "Hmm, she did some repairs here. Although I liked it better when there were torches here."

Almost without paying attention to his words, I began to stare at the crystals in fascination. Not only do they look beautiful, but they are also very unusual. For example, how do they work?

Well, if I have to spend time with this asshole, I'll let him be my guide. As compensation.

Chuckling softly, I asked, pointing my finger at the crystals, "Since you've been here for almost a year, can you explain how it works?"

"Magic is poured into a special object and it begins to glow because it cannot hold the entire volume inside. There are no infinite engines, so with some magic there will be too little in the crystal to glow and you will have to fill a new one. " Daniel replied very quickly. It took me a few seconds to process all the words.

"It feels like you've been preparing for this like an exam. I don't think a living person would answer like that. I chuckled and focused my eyes on Daniel.

" Arthur, I assumed you'd ask the stupidest questions. That is why I really prepared for everything yesterday. " He replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

I don't think normal people do that. At least I obviously wouldn't.

Snorting, I continued to follow Daniel, trying to distance myself as much as possible from the pain in my back. This was made easier by the sounds coming from somewhere further down the corridor. It was as if the three creatures were snoring. And very loudly. I swallowed, trying to keep my voice calm, and asked: "Do you hear that?"

"Yes. Cerberus is sleeping again. What a useless guard. Daniel replied with a shrug, as if nothing had happened.

" Cerberus!? Is there a damn Cerberus here? " I exclaimed, eyes wide and frozen. Of course, I should have known! It was clear from our first meeting that he didn't have much sympathy for me.

Daniel turned all the way to me and said, putting his hand on the small of his back: "Oh, relax. Cerberus is sleeping now. And even if he's not asleep, we're invited. And even if he hasn't been notified, I have already defeated Cerberus. I can do it again."

Squinting, I asked, pointing my finger at the mistake, "Was it when you had two hands?"

He nodded quickly and opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off: "Then I doubt very much that you will be able to repeat the success."

"Damn it, Arthur, listen to cool advice. If people say they can do it, let them prove it, even if you don't believe them. Believe me, this approach saves a lot of effort." Daniel replied and pulled his hand away.

Yes, yes. Very convincing.

I rolled my eyes, making it clear that I didn't believe him. In response, he closed the distance with lightning speed, grabbing my wrist tightly before walking forward down the corridor. Of course, my first reaction was to try to escape. But his hand closed on my wrist like a pair of pincers!

"LET ME GO!" I shouted and hit him with my free hand. To no avail. Who is this guy?

Daniel just continued to calmly drag me forward without saying a word. At the moment, all I could do was stay on my feet while being dragged forward. After a while, I saw out of the corner of my eye what looked like a bend in the middle of the corridor. A few steps later, I saw what was around the corner.

A huge dog. A huge three-headed dog. A damn real and breathing Cerberus!

I swallowed nervously and tried to pull myself out of Daniel's grip. But he didn't pay any attention to me and said, nodding to Cerberus, "Yo, doggie."

Cerberus just gave a short snort and stayed in his place. But I still didn't get a very good impression. It's special because they keep on dragging me. Taking a deep breath, I yelled and hit Daniel's wrist again: "That's it, that's it, we've passed Cerberus. Let me go!"

"Are you here again?" An old man's voice asked irritably from the side. As they continued to drag me, I was able to turn my head towards the source of the sound and saw something like a centaur in the cage. Only very thin. Uh, one of the villains, if I remember correctly?

"Good day to you too, Tirek. By the way, I finally found the time to check out your advice with the runes. Very cool." Daniel replied without even turning around.

"You promised to let me out in exchange for this advice! The so-called Tirek shouted angrily.

I feel very superfluous. Like, I don't know, as if I just came to the party when it was over? Although, damn it, I've never been to a party.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp turn to the side that almost caused me to fall. But there is good news in this, it covers everything! Daniel's grip loosened slightly. A sharp slap at his wrist freed me and I pressed myself against the wall to keep my balance. I took a deep breath and said as irritated as I could: "Don't ever touch me again. Especially like that."

Daniel just adjusted his glasses with one hand for a few seconds, but finally answered: "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. However, I am interested in resolving all issues as soon as possible. "

After taking a few deep breaths, I finally calmed the pain in my back and said, looking at Daniel, "Now you definitely have to answer all my questions. "

At that he snorted and said, turning away from me: "Okay, let's go. Just be careful, there really are a lot of stairs ahead of us."

Are there many stairs? Uh, I have to climb them later!

Sighing in frustration, I followed Daniel, and soon we were descending a very long staircase that seemed to be twisted around a large column. After a few seconds of walking quietly, I finally asked, "So who is this girl who can heal my back?"

Daniel clicked his tongue and said with two raised fingers: "First of all, this is incredibly not a specific question, so I will give you the same bad answer. Second, her name is Ahirata and she built this place. "

" This whole place? " I asked in surprise, looking around at everything around me. Looking up, I could barely make out the ceiling of what appeared to be a huge cave. Yes, it is a huge cave. Looking down carefully, I saw that if I fell, it would be a very long fall that would end when I hit the ground. And it probably seemed that way to me, but at the bottom you can see a kind of black spot that looks like a castle.

I wish I hadn't thought about it . . .

Finally, Daniel took a deep breath and reluctantly replied, "Yes, she did everything. You see, Ahirata specializes in two things. Controlling land rocks with the help of magic and various biological tricks."

That last part piqued my curiosity, for obvious reasons. I slowed down a bit and asked cautiously: "What exactly do you mean by biological jokes?"

Daniel put his hand on his chest and said with a raised nose: "Creating new creatures from parts of others, transmigrating souls from one body to another, something like necromancy but not quite, and so on. But don't worry. She's going through redemption now, too. For me, you can see that the person going through the atonement is extremely kind and responsive.

Yeees. . . Of course . . .

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I finally replied, "You know what? I just want my back pain to go away. I've been here less than a week, but I'm already tired of half my thoughts being occupied by pain. So I'm not going to be put off by your edgy behavior."

"Edgy? Instead of solving problems, you started making up new words? " Daniel asked, continuing to walk, but turning his head slightly towards me so that I could see his raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and replied with a slight nod: "It looks like it."

"I'm glad nothing's changed. At least I haven't missed anything really important. " Daniel commented with a shrug.

Should I make fun of him? Hm

"Actually, no, a lot has happened! A meeting of all the countries of the world was held in London, where they agreed to completely disband their armies and stop all wars! "I replied, trying my best to feign awe and pride.

Daniel chuckled briefly and said: "First of all, your voice is unconvincing. Second, your idea is not convincing. At least since the International Conference. Why London? I doubt very much that absolutely all countries of the world will come there. "

" You could at least appreciate my attempt," I muttered, crossing my arms. He bothered me yesterday, I'll answer now. But in my own way.

Unfortunately, instead of a cheerful reaction, Daniel stopped and said, turning to the right: "Great! We reached the gate to the lower part of Tartarus. Just a little bit short of our goal."

Of course, this place is called Tartarus. Uhh.

Sighing, I asked urgently: "I just want to clarify. Are we going down to Tartarus, where a bunch of dead people are in eternal torment?"

Daniel waved his hand dismissively and said: "Don't worry, they're making repairs here. Look, she even put in a round staircase!"

I blinked in embarrassment, raised an eyebrow, and took a few steps closer to Daniel. There, my eyes quickly found the gate, wide open and covered in some kind of soot. Behind it was a small platform leading to a circular staircase, like a lighthouse.

I leaned over the edge for a second to estimate the distance to the ground. And he immediately abandoned the idea. It's enough for me that it's a lot of steps. I don't need a specific number.

Anyway, I feel like my legs are going to give out on me by the end of the day.

Suddenly Daniel tapped me on the shoulder and said as he started to descend, "Ready? No? Great! The less energy you have to ask questions, the better."

"You're insufferable." I replied, rubbing my shoulder irritably before following him. On the way, I couldn't help but notice one thing. The steps here are not the same height. Each one is different from the one before. It's not comfortable at all to go down. I think it won't be easy to get up either.

Snorting, I asked attentively, looking at the steps: "Listen, what does this Ahirata look like? I want to be at least a little bit prepared for the meeting."

Daniel shrugged again and said hastily: "Well, in short, in this world some dragons walk on two legs. "

I frowned, trying to remember such a detail in the series, and finally remembered. Spike. Twilight's pet, right? Yes, he definitely walked on two legs. As if sensing my mental nod, Daniel continued, "Well, she looks like a green dragon, only without wings, and her eyes look like rubies. Very similar."

Eyes like gems? Heh.

"Are you in love with her?" I asked teasingly.

Daniel turned back to me and continued to walk backwards down the stairs. He adjusted his glasses slightly and asked calmly, "Arthur, do you have a problem with your head? Are you autistic, mentally retarded, or anything like that? "

" Uh, no," I replied embarrassed. Why this question? Was he really that upset by the simple teasing?

Daniel closed his eyes and smiled before he asked: "Then I'm sure you understand my words, Arthur. Such statements that have no basis in reality irritate me incredibly. And you can't even imagine what kind of relationship I had with Ahirata before, which makes your words even more idiotic. So stop thinking like that, or I'll have to go to great lengths to make it clear to you. Is that clear?

Gulp.

"I'm glad we understood each other. You're such a smart guy, Arthur," Daniel said before turning around and walking up the stairs in a normal position. Do I need to tell you how I felt?

A chill ran through my entire body. It feels like summer has suddenly turned into a very late fall, barely distinguishable from winter. My legs trembled slightly, making it difficult to walk up the uneven stairs. My hands were also shaking.

Suddenly I realized a small detail. This cold is real. In fact, the lower I go, the colder it gets. Rubbing my hands lightly, I asked cautiously, "Is it just me, or is it cold in here?"

"Too deep to be warmed by the sun and too high to be warmed by the center of the planet. " Daniel replied as if it was absolutely expected.

Shouldn't there be, well, lava in Tartarus?

As soon as I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment, Daniel said with a loud sigh, "Victory. We have reached our goal."

With a satisfied sigh, I stood next to Daniel and saw an unexpected image. A wasteland appeared before my eyes, like a lunar landscape, with a large castle towering over it. Out of the corner of my eye I could even see the dried-up villages. How did they even get here?

"Well, let's go." Daniel spurred me on with a quick step forward.

"Wait, wait! I've walked too much. Let me rest, please." I sighed tiredly as I sat down on the last step of the stairs.

Daniel snorted loudly and asked with his hand at his side, "How much time do you need?"

"At least fifteen minutes." I exhaled as the fact of how many steps I had taken finally caught up with me.

"Seven and a half. That's four hundred and fifty seconds. That's enough. " Daniel said categorically.

"Okay, okay, monster. Seven and a half minutes. I'll even set a timer." I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket and quickly setting the timer before setting it down next to me.

Oh, I feel like meeting this Ahirata won't go well.

Author's Note

I thought it would be better to split this chapter so as not to overload it with information. I'm sorry if it came out too suddenly.

Truly, a meeting

My legs hurt, my back hurts, everything else is shivering from the cold. Is the chance to heal my back really worth it?

Suddenly a melody sounded loud next to me, telling me the unpleasant news. The rest is over. It's time to go again. I hope there will be no stairs this time. Well, at least there won't be so many of them.

"Time's up, get up." Daniel urged me on as my hand reached for the phone to turn off the timer. As soon as the annoyingly loud melody stopped, I took a deep breath.

After a few seconds I finally got up from the step and said firmly, "Okay, let's go. But if there is a ladder, I refuse."

"Oh, let's not whine." Daniel replied with a dismissive wave of his hand before starting to walk forward towards the castle that towered over the scorched landscape.

The first impression was absolutely right.

Snorting, I followed him and saw a small path leading down the hillside and on to the castle. Raising my eyebrows in embarrassment, I asked as I caught up with Daniel, "Okay, now I believe that repairs are really being done here. What exactly are they going to turn this place into?"

"A perfect garden for innocent animals. This is what my beautiful Tartarus was always supposed to look like. That is how Ahirata described her plans." Daniel answered with a shrug.

"That is definitely a strange idea," I muttered and took a quick look at the castle in front of us. Do I need to say that I felt a little uneasy?

Like, is a person with such strange ideas going to treat my back? Seriously?

"I guess I don't have any other options," I muttered, bowing my head and continuing to follow Daniel. By the way, for some reason my legs don't hurt as much anymore. There are only two possibilities. Either I had a really good rest in seven minutes or my limbs were just too frozen to feel any pain.

Rubbing my hands together to keep warm, I asked nervously, "I hope they give me some warm clothes. Otherwise I'll be treated for frostbite right after my back."

Daniel adjusted his glasses and was silent for a few seconds before he finally said, "As you can see, I don't have any clothes. Perhaps Ahirata will invent something especially for you. Or maybe not. "

"That's great," I replied with a desperate sigh.

"Or Twilight will think of something," Daniel continued with a shrug. Wait.

Twilight. The purple unicorn. She seems to be the most important of the six main characters. Hmm. This will be my first real interaction with a pony. Pinkie Pie doesn't count.

As I watched the distance to the castle shrink, I noticed how gothic it looked. Like it was literally the black castle of some terrible villain. After processing all this, I couldn't help but ask: "So, what's under the ground, in a place with hellish cold and in a terrible castle, did forget the pony?"

Daniel grinned and said, turning his head to me, "Arthur, you have no idea how many things there are. Although I think it's the library that Twilight is interested in."

The castle library? That sounds too boring. Rolling my eyes, I asked jokingly: "Let me guess. This library contains scary books about dark magic and such."

Daniel put his hand aside and said with a short laugh: "There are, but there are better copies. For example, the last time I was here, I found a Necronomicon!"

I wasn't serious. . . .

"Do you really think a pony from a children's cartoon would be interested in something like that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.

There was silence for several seconds, broken only by the soft sound of our footsteps. Of course, there wasn't even any wind. Finally, Daniel snapped his fingers and said: "Exactly. I remembered what you said. Well, I can only say that your fantasies are not fully thought out.

Rolling my eyes, I began with a challenge in my voice: "I have watched the series with my sister so many times that I know the exact chronology of events. For example, tell me any event in which Mane Six was involved, and I'll tell you how it ended. "

Daniel chuckled briefly and said, "The changeling attack on Canterlot. "

Ha, one of my sister's favorite episodes, and therefore the most reviewed!

I calmly spread my arms to my sides and said with a grin: "With the power of love, the princess and her brother Twilight created a huge explosion that threw the changelings and their queen extremely far away!"

Daniel stared at me for a while with his eyes wide open before he slowly replied, "You definitely have a fantasy. But it has very little to do with what happened. "

" What?" I asked, suddenly stopping and freezing.

Daniel stopped a few steps away from me before he clicked his tongue and said, "It's a long story. But in super short, I dropped a chandelier on Chrysalis, disarming she. Then, after a while, tanks came into the city and the changelings surrendered."

Is everything so different? Damn, it turns out I don't get any benefit from knowing the series, but I feel weird realizing where I am.

As soon as I sighed, Daniel continued to look thoughtfully at the castle: "Interesting, no one knows what to do with the captured changelings and their queen. Feeding them won't work and letting them go is definitely not an option. It's good that Ahirata and the princesses are dealing with this problem. "

After hearing the last sentence, I looked nervously at the castle and asked: "Are you sure she'll have time to treat my back if she's so busy? "

Daniel took his hand aside and said with a sneer: "You know, Arthur, she's the only one in the neighborhood who even remotely knows what a humanoid is. Yes, there are doctors in Canterlot who have treated me a few times, but it's far away, you know. And here, everything is within walking distance. "

"Walking distance, if you don't count seven thousand steps. " I replied, rolling my eyes.

Daniel just shrugged and started walking again: "Okay, we talked and grabbed. We need to fix your back, right?"

Damn, he didn't get the reference.

Sighing in frustration, I also moved and followed Daniel along the path, which looked much less smooth and tidy. It looks like they started the repairs at the entrance. It's weird, but okay. I've never done repairs before.

Despite everything, we finally reached the entrance of the castle. Surprisingly, there were no gates. You can just log in. But there is one thing that crushed me. STAIRS! ANOTHER ONE! Falling to my knees in frustration, I declared almost hysterically: "I'm not going up there! You can't make me!"

"So your back doesn't matter?" Daniel asked calmly.

"The back is important, but not at the expense of my legs! If it's your duty to help me, then call her or something. But I'm not climbing another ladder!" I replied, actively waving my hands. Mostly in the direction of the stairs.

Daniel rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before yelling loudly, "AHIRATA, COME HERE!"

Oh, it worked. I didn't even think about it. Well, I think this is an extremely insignificant but still a response to our first meeting.

Chuckling softly, I slowly got to my feet and raised my head, expecting to see, uh, my doctor? Yes, that would probably be correct. However, I didn't see her. All my eyes found was another round and very long staircase.

Suddenly I heard a strange POP next to me and a bright flash blinded me for a moment. After blinking a few times, I turned back to where the sound came from and saw two people. I know Twilight Sparkle from the TV show, with the saddlebags on her back. Still a unicorn, by the way. And next to her. . .

Ahirata. What a name. Ahem, despite the distance of more than a dozen feet, I can already tell that she is taller than me. A head taller. Just as Daniel described, her two eyes look like rubies. Literally like gems set in the place of the eyes.

It's creepy. If it weren't for one detail.

On her head was a large woolen hat covered with green scales. Something like a hat with earflaps from the movies. Fighting back a laugh, I tentatively held out my hand and said cautiously: "Hey, hello? Is that you, Ahirata, I presume? "

She stared at my hand for a moment without blinking and replied in an uncertain voice, "Yes, you guessed it. And are you the human who ran away when he saw the pink pony? "

" That's not very polite, Ahi. " Twilight whispered, nudging the wingless dragon lightly.

"I couldn't remember his name!" Ahirata whispered in reply, spreading her arms slightly to the sides.

I'm not sure that's what I wanted to hear.

As soon as I was distracted, a hoof appeared in my hand and Twilight said quickly: "Nice to meet you, Arthur! Uh, you probably noticed me yesterday, right? Well, I didn't say anything because I didn't have time to wake up. Oh, and my name is Twilight Sparkle!"

" I know. . ."I started, but I stopped quickly. It's not worth revealing that now. So instead of answering, I just nodded quickly and took my hand off Twilight's hoof.

"Well, I'm off. I promised Spike I'd be back an hour ago. Thanks for the books, Ahi!" Twilight replied with a quick wave of her hoof before running past me towards the exit of Tartarus.

Uh, for some reason it seems to me that it would be more correct for me to communicate with her. Not with this, uh, man.

As if I wasn't there, Ahirata put her hands on her hips and asked, "So, Daniel, please remind me why you brought another human here?"

Daniel put his hand on my shoulder, which made me shiver, and said with a grin: "Well, I remember very well how you masterfully assembled a well-functioning humanoid body for yourself. That's why I thought you'd be the best person to understand why Arthur's back hurts. You might even be able to fix it. "

Swallowing, I said irritably and pushed his hand away slightly: "Don't touch me. It just makes my back hurt more. "

Daniel snorted loudly at that, but suddenly Ahirata interrupted with a slightly indignant voice: "How do you think I'm supposed to handle someone's back? I don't do that. No more biology. "

" Did I come here for nothing? " I asked, feeling a growing mixture of sadness and irritation.

I have taken too many steps to walk away with nothing!

Daniel took a step in front of me and said, raising his hand, "Just do some kind of scan or something. Just something. At least for reporting purposes."

Ahirata crossed her arms, or in her case her paws, and looked away slightly. After a few seconds she said slowly, almost with a snake-like hiss: "Arthur, please come to me.

Nodding, I took a few steps towards her and asked, trying to ignore the difference in height, "Well?"

"Yes, it will do." Ahirata replied, taking a deep breath before her eyes began to glow a faint shade of red.

This is a very strange treatment. I don't feel anything at all.

Suddenly, Ahirata took a step back and said with a click of her tongue, "The soul is stuck between the vertebrae. Unfortunately, I've seen it many times when I've created new bodies and creatures. "

Slightly startled by this, I asked cautiously: "Can we no longer discuss all these things concerning new bodies and very strange science? "

She nodded slightly and I blurted out the next question, this time in a much more embarrassed tone: "Now please explain how the soul between the vertebrae, whatever that means, is related to my pain!"

Ahirata stared at me for a while, again without blinking. Does she blink at all? Suddenly she turned her gaze to Daniel and asked, tilting her head, "He's been here for more than a day and you didn't bother to tell him about magic and all that?"

Daniel shrugged and said calmly: "I didn't consider that important information at the moment.

Yes, magic in the world of colorful ponies and other fantastic creatures is absolutely not important.

Ahirata sighed heavily and said in a hissing voice, "Please tell him about the case. You're better at leaving out unimportant details than I am."

Daniel snorted and said with a few snaps of his fingers, "Arthur, look, there's going to be an explanation."

"I'm not stupid." I replied irritably, turning to him and waiting for an explanation. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel impatient. After all, magic is one of the most interesting concepts mankind has come up with!

Daniel took a deep breath and said, gesturing with one hand, "In short, every living being has a soul. Some have less, some more. Either way, it is there and there is pure magic in the soul. From there, this magic circulates through the blood vessels and, let's say, is processed. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

It seems to be, yes . . .

As if ignoring my uncertain expression, Daniel continued snapping his fingers, "In short, there are two major groups of spells. Ordinary and runes. Ordinary ones use processed magic, and only unicorns and such can use them. And then there are runes, which can be used by anyone. But runes use pure magic, so do you know what happens if you overdo it? "

"What?" I asked slowly, trying to process the information that was coming at me.

" You're going to die. You'll just take it and die without a second chance because the soul will completely exhaust its resources. But you're very lucky. Since you are not a unicorn, the only magic you will use will be runes. "Daniel replied with a grin and pulled his hand aside.

I opened my mouth slightly after hearing this revelation. I have magic, but I risk dying to use it? Doesn't sound too good. I lowered my head in thought and Daniel turned to Ahirata and said: "I have completed the basic course.

Maybe there is some kind of, I don't know, magic reserve indicator? Someone had to figure out how to figure out how many spells you had in stock, right?

My thoughts were interrupted by Ahirata's sigh, followed by calm words: "Now, back to the matter at hand. I can definitely say that your soul has somehow shifted to your spine and got stuck between the vertebrae. "

I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment and asked tense: "Well, can you somehow, I do not know, move it? I really don't want to walk around with a sore back for the rest of my life. "

Ahirata scratched the back of her head lightly with her clawed paw and said slowly, "Normally, when such defects occur, I simply make a new body and replace the bones.

We agreed not to discuss such topics!

I asked, gritting my teeth in frustration and shaking my head in disbelief: "So I just have to endure and suffer? Is there no medicine at all?"

Ahirata bit her lip and looked away: "But I could very carefully move your soul to where it should be."

"But?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and starting to tap my shoe lightly on the stone floor in a hurried manner.

"If I move too much, I might accidentally just rip the soul out of your body. And not be able to put it back. So this procedure will have to be done a little at a time. I'd say less than an inch a day." She replied awkwardly, rubbing her paws.

I frowned and said, pointing my finger behind my back, "I'm not going down that infernal invention again. "

Ahirata quickly waved her paws in front of her and said with all her might, pretending to smile: "No, no, it's okay! I have to go to the surface a lot anyway. I can just come in, do the procedure and leave. Just, well, understand that I don't have the power to solve your problem right away. Only through gradual treatment.

Her smile. It's so weird. Not just because of the abundance of teeth, but also because of the unnaturalness, or what? Uh, I guess I'm just getting paranoid.

Sighing, I nodded and said: "Thank you very much. Will the first session be today or tomorrow?"

Ahirata took a step forward and raised her clawed paw. A red aura appeared around her and she said calmly, "I'm ready. And you?"

I sighed happily and said, closing my eyes: "I just want it to be over as soon as possible.

Instead of answering, I suddenly felt something strange. It was as if something in the area of my back was stretching forward, causing severe pain in my extremities along the way. For a moment, because of the darkening in my eyes, I thought I was going to lose consciousness.

But it stopped.

"Are you okay?" Ahirata's voice asked slowly as I felt a cold touch on my shoulders.

After blinking a few times, I was able to clear the darkness from my eyes and said with an awkward smile, "Uh, yeah, I'm okay. Kind of. Can you please let me go? You're very cold."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ahirata replied, taking a step back and letting out a long breath. Everything seems to be fine now.

The main thing is not to think that I will tolerate this for a very long time.

Daniel finally remembered his existence and asked, patting him on the shoulder: "So. Is the problem solved, Arthur? Can we get out of here?"

I paused for a few seconds before answering slowly, "Well, yes. The problem is solved. But I have a few questions."

"Well?" Daniel asked hurriedly.

"How did the soul get stuck in the spine in the first place?" I said as confusingly as possible.

Daniel shrugged, but fortunately Ahirata answered by raising her paw: "Maybe your body has changed a lot when you moved to another world. It is quite logical, considering that there is probably a completely different composition of air, gravity and so on."

Hmm, so I may have developed some incredible abilities? Interesting. . .

Deciding to leave this topic for later, I sighed and turned to Daniel and asked, "So, what's on our list for the next day?"

"Paperwork for you." Daniel replied with a chuckle.

Oh, my God.

The scariest monster

I'm scared.

That was probably the only thought in my head since I woke up today. Fortunately, this time I have something to focus on without being distracted by hunger. Thank you, Ahirate, for the fruit bowl.

"But for the seven thousand steps, I rescind the thanks." I snorted and rubbed my leg lightly. Now the pain in my calves had joined the slightly eased pain in my back. Hooray, two for the price of one!

I'm not sure if that's the right way to put it, but okay. I have to get back to the main point.

"I'm scared," I muttered before grabbing an apple from the tray and taking a bite to fuel my thoughts. The first reason for my fear is that I have to do paperwork today. The second reason is that I have to do it with Daniel.

"What does he even know about paperwork? I thought aloud after swallowing a piece of apple. I don't think he understands anything about it. Most likely he will just be mercilessly sarcastic until the whole burden falls on me.

"No, Arthur, don't be pessimistic. Hope fades last." I tried to cheer myself up before taking a bite of the apple. How effective was it? Actually, it worked, I feel a little more cheerful. I seem to be good at motivating myself.

Or it's a sweet apple. One of two things.

Shrugging my shoulders, I took another bite of the apple and tried to pull myself away from my thoughts. Just get some rest. If I'm constantly nervous about being in the world of a cartoon and not being able to get out, I'll just go crazy, right?

Suddenly I heard a loud thud that made me choke. A moment later, I unfortunately heard Daniel's voice, interrupted by deep sighs: "Arthur, uh, I'm here. Come out, uh. Or I'll enter your, uh, house myself."

Wow, he knocked. How polite of him.

With a light tap on my chest, I managed to swallow a piece of apple and got up from my seat. Luckily, I was ready to go out this time, so I put on black pants and a white shirt. After all, you have to look decent when you're applying for documents in a magical land in another world, right?

Grinning, I quickly walked down the corridor, the sounds of Daniel's heavy breathing becoming more and more audible. I want to feel sorry for him, whatever happens to him. But I quickly remember our first meeting. What's an eye for an eye, I guess?

As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, the corners of my lips lift slightly at the thought. Anyway, I finally got to the place where my front door was missing. And right in front of the door stood Daniel, this time wearing a black tuxedo. With a top hat.

I don't think it's good, it's for paperwork. At least the top hat is definitely superfluous.

We just stared at each other for a few seconds before I crossed my arms and finally decided to ask, "Why are you breathing so hard?

Daniel ran his hand over his forehead and said quickly: "It's a funny story. I was looking for this costume for so long that I missed the train to Ponyville. So I had to walk here from Canterlot. "

Blinking several times in surprise, I asked with restrained curiosity: "And how far is Canterlot from Ponyville? "

" About thirty miles. I'm really sorry I was five minutes late. I was supposed to arrive at eight o'clock in the morning. But, damn it, I haven't run in a long time. I'm losing my shape. "Daniel replied, finally catching his breath and forcing a grin.

Wow. Entering another world has turned my sleep schedule upside down. I usually wake up at five. Five o'clock at night.

I shook my head quickly as a new thought popped into my head. A delay of only five minutes compared to a train ride? That doesn't sound very realistic.

Nodding slightly to myself, I asked incredulously: "So you're saying that at a distance of thirty miles you're only a measly five minutes behind the train?"

Daniel clicked his tongue and said with a raised hand: "Yes, entering another world, interacting with magic and other factors made me faster than Usain Bold. If it's any consolation, I'm not interested in setting world records and taking up half the book with my name. "

It's comforting, just a little. But doesn't it feel a little, well, free? It's too easy.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Daniel beat me to it: "If it seems very simple to you, then wait until I explain the workings of local magic to you in detail. Is it a deal?"

Reluctantly, I nodded and asked with restrained excitement, "Okay, that sounds like a more or less honest agreement. But when exactly are we going to study magic? "

Daniel smiled toothy and said with closed eyes: "Learning magic will be worth it right after you have done the paperwork, hooked up your house to the local utilities, gotten some kind of job, and attended a Pinkie Pie party. As you can see, I've arranged everything in order of increasing complexity."

Oh my God . . .

Rubbing the bridge of my nose lightly, I asked slowly, "So the most interesting thing in the fantasy world is going to be the last thing?"

"Hell, if that's what you want, you can come with me to test the new tank when it's ready. We plan to destroy hay dummies, brick walls, and other things. And we will also do off-road tests. "Daniel suggested, pulling his hand aside.

I swallowed quickly and rubbed my neck, "No thanks. I don't really like all that military stuff. "

I don't like the fact that tanks appear in fantasy at all.

Daniel chuckled briefly and asked, taking a step aside: "Well, then I don't really understand what you want from me. Can you clearly formulate your wish this time and preferably substantiate it with facts?"

I snorted in annoyance and took a step out of the house, before I slowly said: "I want to make at least some use of being in the fantasy world. You know, vivid impressions, happy memories, unforgettable experiences and the like! An adventure, in short. "

I was met with silence and an absolutely unimpressed look from Daniel. Then he said, slapping me lightly on the shoulder, "Okay, as soon as I have to go somewhere unusual, I'll call you. At least once."

I certainly don't take your word for it. And anyway, I'd rather have a light adventure with the local ponies than with you. But thanks, I guess?

Nodding quickly, I said reluctantly, "That's a good idea. I agree."

Then I let out a long sigh before turning my gaze to the city in the distance and asking reluctantly: "Now we have to go there, right?"

"Yes. Then let's go." Daniel said, waving his left hand and started walking quickly towards the city. He was definitely lying, he couldn't walk like that after seven thousand steps and a thirty mile run.

"Slow down! My legs hurt after yesterday." I said loudly with a hint of irritation in my voice as I started to follow him, staggering with every step.

Instead of stopping, or at least slowing down, Daniel only seemed to speed up. As soon as I let out an exasperated groan, he turned around and said he was going backwards: "Come on, come on, keep up the pace. Pushing the limits! Swing your legs! Move faster! And save money on trains."

I hate you. And I feel like I'm going to repeat this many times.

Barely able to bear the pain in my calves, I asked irritably, "Can you get your notebook out again or something? You were somehow more appropriate with it."

Daniel clicked his tongue and said, "Celestia said it was extremely unnatural and would do more harm than good in the long run. It's better to try to follow your heart. So I carry a manual in my pocket, but I don't use it, cool, right? "

" And what is your heart telling you? " I asked sarcastically when I finally caught up with him and stood next to him.

" My heart says knock knock. Because it's too busy pumping blood. I'll try to call my heart back tomorrow. " Daniel replied, putting a hand on his hip.

I don't even know if I should laugh at a very bad joke or be annoyed at the lack of a normal response.

Snorting, I said disappointedly, "Okay, expecting a normal answer from you was really stupid of me. Let's just go to town and deal with those damn documents."

"Excellent plan, Arthur," Daniel replied, snapping his fingers before abruptly turning and continuing his trek towards the city. I have to hand it to him, he walked a little slower this time. But it's still too fast.

Gritting my teeth, I quickened my pace and managed to catch up with Daniel. Thanks to that, my eyes were able to take in the view of the city. Ponyville. What a stupid name, but somehow cute. And indeed, the wooden houses look quite cozy.

Deciding to engage in at least some semblance of dialog, I asked, looking straight ahead: "So, how was your reception here? Was it difficult? "

At first Daniel grunted hoarsely for a few seconds, like the roar of a wild animal. But finally he said with a shrug: "At first I lived here for a whole year without any documents. Only two weeks ago I got a passport and similar papers.

Seriously? Then I'm probably lucky that it was taken care of so early. Although the documents still suck.

"And how did that happen?" I asked after taking a quick look at him, only to see a completely calm face.

Daniel cleared his throat briefly and said while flexing his fingers: "Well, the first month I was in the forest without any civilization at all. Then I was in the castle and under the tutelage of Princess Luna I studied combat, magic and strategy for several months. After that, I was appointed captain of her personal guard and was among the recruits for several months. "

I quickly waved my hand in front of me and said with a sigh, "Okay, that's too much detail. Round it up to the fact that you were too busy to get the paperwork. "

" As you wish. " Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders and not even turning to me.

Of course I want to know the details. But with his way of speaking, I'll just fall asleep from all the little details.

Just as my thoughts ended, I felt a shadow fall upon me. A quick glance was enough to understand the reason. A wooden house. It looks like we've already entered the city limits.

Looking around, I saw a lot of ponies walking back and forth, talking to each other or just relaxing on the terraces of their houses. But with the next step, this whole peaceful picture froze. Absolutely every pony in my field of vision was staring at Daniel. Or at me. Either way, it was very uncomfortable.

Finally, the tension in the air reached such a high level that I couldn't bring myself to walk any further and just stopped in the middle of the road. Daniel, on the other hand, just kept on walking and only asked after a few seconds: "What happened this time, Arthur?"

Didn't you notice!?

Swallowing nervously, I slowly ran my hand through the air, pointing at the ponies around me, and said, "They look at us like some kind of villains or threat. It's really stressful!"

Daniel let out an audible groan before coming over to me and whispering, "Right now, don't move. I have an idea."

I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment, for obvious reasons. What good could he come up with? Nothing. But I don't think I can stop him.

Daniel took a few steps away from me and took a deep breath. Then he slowly removed his top hat. Suddenly he put it to his chest and bowed before he said loudly, "I am fully aware of what each of you thinks of me. You have every right to hate and fear me. However! I must go beyond the bounds of decency and ask each and every one of you to trust me. Without exception! If it is too morally difficult for you to do me such a service, then at least do another human being, Arthur, a favor.

Oh. I didn't think for a second that he would say something like that. Is it possible that this is at least a little bit sincere?

For a while after Daniel's words, there was silence in the air as he continued to bow. Finally, one pony dared to look away from us and whispered something to another. The next moment, both ponies started walking away from us. Then several others repeated this action. Extremely slowly and tense, the ponies looked away from us, and some even returned to the conversation.

Daniel let out a long held sigh, put his top hat back on his head and pointed his thumb behind his back before he said, "Let's go. The destination is close."

For a few moments, I couldn't take my eyes off the ponies, who were returning to their activities with great intensity. Finally, I shook my head and asked: "Okay, but how could you be sure that your speech would work?"

Daniel forced a grin and said: "I wasn't sure. I just said and did what I thought was appropriate for the situation."

I don't even know why I didn't expect that.

With a snort, I followed Daniel, who had managed to take a few steps away while I was thinking. I quickly caught up with him and could allow myself to think for a moment. Why were the ponies so frightened? Certainly not because they saw an unfamiliar sight. After all, Daniel had been living here for a year. I hope he wasn't lying.

So the ponies were frightened just by his presence. Which, by the way, is supported by his own words. Taking a deep breath, I asked, turning my head to Daniel, "Why should the ponies be afraid and hate you?"

"Because I have done bad things. Objectively not good. "Daniel replied calmly and continued to walk forward. To be honest, it's not pleasant when you're not being looked at during a conversation.

" And what exactly have you been doing, Daniel? "I asked with some concern in my voice as I continued to stare at him.

"Ai, ai, ai, Arthur. If there's one good thing I've been taught lately, it's personal space and information. Here I have the right to refuse to speak for no logical reason. " Daniel replied, wagging his finger at me.

Bruh.

Snorting, I just shook my head and said: "Okay, I won't get an answer from you. But as always. Then I'll find out for myself what you've done so terribly."

Daniel just shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the front, before he tiredly asked: "Tell me, does this look like a town hall? I seem to have forgotten my glasses again."

After blinking a few times, I finally noticed the detail. In fact, he doesn't have glasses right now. But he didn't forget to put on his top hat! With a brief chuckle, I turned in the direction he was pointing and saw a tall wooden building in front of me. There were simple roads in all directions from it, not even dirt roads. It is hardly distinguishable from the most elementary paths.

It definitely looks like a town hall.

Suddenly an idea came to me and I said, shaking my head, "No, no, this is definitely not the town hall. I think we've passed it."

"Understood, we have the city hall in front of us. Come on, let's go." Daniel replied before slapping me hard on the back, making me groan in pain. My back was not completely healed yet.

"Don't ever do that again. And stop touching me anyway. This is strange. " I replied with a voice full of irritation. Unfortunately, Daniel only gave a short grunt and walked silently towards the town hall.

Asshole.

Taking a deep breath, I followed him at a fast pace and soon we entered the town hall. And in front of my eyes was a very large hall for, I guess, meetings or celebrations. It doesn't really look like a place to get documents.

Daniel took a quick look around and said, suddenly turning to the right: "Well, it looks like their office is here. Come on, if you're quiet enough, we'll find out real quick."

Despite my reluctance, I couldn't help but be curious about his words: "Is it good to be quiet? What do you mean by that? "

" The fact that you must remain silent until you are directly questioned. Clearly understand who is playing what role in the dialog. Are you smart? "Daniel replied, tapping his fingers lightly on his temple.

More or less. Although I doubt very much that you will do anything good.

In the end, I didn't say anything and we walked calmly to the door. When I entered the room behind it, a large table with a lot of papers appeared in front of me. A bespectacled mare with a gray mane and fur the color of coffee and milk was sitting at the table. Mm, coffee and milk is my favorite.

"Mayor, there is a case. Two cases to be exact." Daniel said calmly, lightly tapping the door frame with his fist. I wonder if he's practicing his newfound knocking on the door? Or did he just like to enter my house without asking?

My thoughts were interrupted when the mare looked up from her papers and adjusted her glasses slightly with her hoof. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds before she let out a surprised sigh and said, "Oh, former captain of the guard! I didn't expect to see you."

I wonder how he was able to magically advance at least a little in the army? He doesn't seem like the responsible, disciplined type.

Daniel took a few steps toward the table with the papers, and from his pocket he pulled out a rolled scroll with a seal in the shape of a sun. After twirling it a bit in his hand, he placed it on the table and said: "Sorry to waste your time with small talk, but I need you to take this document."

The mayor grabbed the rolled-up scroll and quickly ran her eyes over it. So quickly that after a few seconds she asked me: "I take it you are the foreign citizen who urgently needs to be granted citizenship?"

"Uh, yes, probably?" I replied uncertainly, clearly confused by the wording. This does not look like a standard document.

The mayor nodded slightly and focused on the scroll again before grumbling, "Okay, I agree and will now give you a questionnaire to fill out. Oh, I hate decentralization. Why do I have more responsibilities than some griffon president?"

The Griffon President? Oh, another deviation from the series. I hope the next deviation from the canon is not a world war.

While I was thinking, the mayor managed to get up from her seat and bend down to open the desk drawers. While she was busy, I turned to Daniel and asked as quietly as I could: "How difficult is this questionnaire?"

"Well, there is one difficult question. About the cutie mark. Daniel said, placing a finger on the cheek. My cheek.

With a sharp movement, I threw his hand away and snorted before saying with restraint: "The cutie mark reflects the pony's special talent, if I remember correctly. How can we even answer that question? "

Daniel chuckled briefly and replied with his hand in his pocket: "Personally, I wrote that my special talent is a quick solution to all difficult tasks. And it was accepted! So, just write in the questionnaire, at least a few related words. You can do it, right?"

Are you asking?

Before I could snort, the mayor cleared her throat loudly and said: "Please fill out the document and in a few days you will be able to obtain citizenship."

I took a deep breath and looked at the questionnaire and the pencil next to it. I grabbed the last one and started to fill in the answers. First name, last name, so far it's easy. Reason for your arrival? After blinking a few times, I asked, turning to Daniel: "What should I write in the reason for my arrival?"

"Forced to leave the previous state due to personal circumstances beyond my control." Daniel replied calmly.

Uh, that sounds good enough. It seems to be.

Reluctantly nodding, I quickly entered his answer and moved on to the next item. Your date of birth. But a second before I typed the year, I changed my mind. Suddenly there's another calendar. This time I turned to the mayor and asked politely, "Uh, excuse me, Miss Mayor, but what year is it?"

"One thousand and one years after the expulsion of Nightmare Moon." The Mayor replied immediately while she was immersed in her documents.

After blinking a few times, I was able to force myself to shrug and just write: "July fifteenth, nine hundred and eighty."

It turned out to be easier than I thought.

I looked down again from the next item. State your education, if any. After thinking for a few seconds, I decided to do it all myself and wrote: "The teacher of fine arts.

Finally, I came to the last question. The one Daniel said was the most difficult. Well, I draw for a living. I paint as a hobby, sometimes. One day I will definitely have the courage to teach others to draw. So what other talent can I have besides drawing?

Without coming up with a decent answer to this question, I quickly wrote that my talent is drawing. Then I put the pencil down on the table and said: "I'm done. Now what? "

The mayor nodded quickly and muttered without taking his eyes off his papers: "Considering your special case, nothing more is needed. Come and pick up your passport in a few days. You'll paste the photo yourself somehow. Well, if you want to."

Wow. It was very, VERY simple.

I stared at the mayor in disbelief for a few moments before Daniel suddenly spoke: "Now that this case is settled, I have a second case for you, Mayor."

The mare looked up with difficulty and forced a smile on her face, as if urging him to continue. Noticing this, I looked at Daniel with some irritation. It almost looks like manipulating someone else's kindness.

Anyway, Daniel pulled a second scroll out of his pocket, this one with a crescent seal. He put it on the table and said, "Princess Luna is concerned about the situation in Everfree Forest. Since I plan to conduct preparatory activities on the territory of the administrative unit you administer, I need a signature in the form of a consent."

The situation with Everfree Forest? Of course, I remember from the animated series that he is very dangerous, but still. Wait, my house is located very close to this forest. I don't want him to do any activity next to me!

The mayor picked up the scroll with her hooves and began to read, but I took the moment to say, "And how exactly are you going to solve the problem of the forest? If there is one? "

She cleared her throat and said in a tired but businesslike tone: "Yes, I don't quite understand why you need a permit for individual enterprise to solve the problem. "

Daniel calmly put his hand on his hip and said: "I have counted the money allocated to me to solve the problem, and it is clearly not enough. So in order not to rob the city treasury, I am only asking for business permits. "

Silence hung in the air after these words. I don't know what was in the mayor's head, but mine was full of mistrust. I don't believe a word of it. Probably the document is fake, there was no request and he just wants to do strange things to annoy others.

But the motive. What's the motive? Doing strange things sounds too strange, even by this guy's standards.

"Okay, we will arrange everything in the near future. Right after we take care of, well, this." The mayor said wearily, waving her hoof in the direction of a pile of papers.

In response, Daniel quickly took off his top hat and said, turning on the spot: "Thank you, Manager! I will definitely tell all the ponies I know to come to Ponyville to vote for you. "

A small laugh escaped the mayor's lips, but no words followed. I, on the other hand, did. I saw Daniel leaving the office and said awkwardly, "Uh, yeah, I will vote for you too, if they give me a pass!"

What nonsense.

Feeling a wave of shame at my own words, I quickly turned away from the mayor and quickly walked away. To make matters worse, a sharp pain shot up my back. That's it, I realized it was stupid to try to copy Daniel! I get it, I won't copy idiots anymore!

While I was chastising myself, Daniel and I managed to leave the town hall and stopped on the street, at a fork in the road. Scratching my chin lightly, I realized my position. My brain didn't bother to remember the way. Sighing, I asked very reluctantly: "Will you take me home? I don't remember the way. "

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, pointing straight ahead, "Go there. You'll find something for sure. "

" It's too vague! " I replied irritated and turned to face Daniel. Only to see the emptiness. Pulling myself together, I tried to look around. But that didn't work either. He had simply disappeared!

Things seem to be getting better

Ugh, it's like I've been reborn.

This was the thought that went through my mind as I lay on the couch drying off after a shower. Yesterday, I had a heater and running water installed in a fairly short period of time. As I understand it, with the help of magic. Like, water from a river or a sewage plant is teleported to my house instantly. I think if everything were like on Earth, I would not even get water next month.

"Although it would be even cooler if ponies had affordable electricity." I said after taking a quick look inside my room with the door open. The turned off monitor on my desk reflected the light of the morning sun. It's a shame that my recently upgraded computer now looks like a brick. It's even more frustrating that I can't prove to Daniel that everything here is an animated series.

As Daniel said, electricity is so expensive here that no one will allocate funds for me to have it. An incentive to work, I suppose?

"I think that since Daniel has been relatively tolerant for the last two days, he will take it back a lot today. Well, at least the shower makes me feel better. I sighed and turned away from the monitor to look at the ceiling. Ahirata's fruit bowl ended yesterday. Yes, she really gave me a lot of food.

I put my hands behind my head, closed my eyes and began to speak thoughtfully: "How can I adapt my work to this place? It is unlikely that I will be able to find clients as easily as on Earth. For example, how many ponies will want to do drawings with their original characters?"

My thoughts, which had not really begun, were interrupted when I heard several loud knocks. Daniel was coming, obviously. Who else could have come to me at this time?

It would be better if ponies introduced me to all the things here. And anyway, work and documents are certainly good. But it seems to me that in order to adapt to the new world I need to, I don't know, learn cultural differences?

"And I don't think this guy's going to do it." I muttered before getting up from the couch and heading out of the hall. On the way, I lightly dusted off my white shirt to make it look a little tidier. Yes, I decided to use the same set of clothes for the job search as for the paperwork. I don't have anything else.

Snorting, I finally made it to the corridor leading to the exit and saw Daniel waiting for me. This time he wore a dark green coat with bright red pants. And by the way, he wore glasses today. I'm almost happy for him. Almost.

After a few more steps, I stood on the threshold, just a few steps away from him, and asked, tilting my head to the side, "Don't you think this outfit is a little strange for a day when you are supposed to help me find a job?"

Like, really, it looks like something inspired by avant-garde paintings.

Suddenly Daniel pulled what looked like a pistol out of his coat. But this one had several tubes, straps and a capsule with some kind of liquid. Smiling broadly, Daniel began to speak, almost like a salesman: "Would you, young citizen, like to purchase a new innovative antistress? I assure you, the flamethrower is a unique way to relieve stress and deal with internal contradictions without harming others. It can be purchased on credit and. . ."

" How, what, why? Who even starts a conversation like this? " I asked, raising an embarrassed eyebrow and shaking my head. He finds new ways to surprise me every day.

Daniel snorted and said, putting the 'flamethrower' in his pocket: "I wanted to practice selling. After all, I have a lot of flamethrowers that need to be sold to deal with Everfree."

Tanks, flamethrowers, what's next? Nuclear weapons?

For a moment I shuddered at the thought of what HE would do if such a thing were invented. But after a moment, he gathered his strength and asked slowly, "Daniel, explain one thing normally. Why in the world of cartoons about ponies did you invent a flamethrower and decide that it was ANTISTRESS? "

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and said, completely unperturbed, "Well, first of all, ponies have a certain lack of sources of pleasure compared to Earth. Accordingly, they accumulate more stress. Second, the laws. Gunpowder weapons are forbidden here, except in the navy. But there is nothing about flamethrowers. I'm sure that in fifty years the ponies will come to the flamethrower sites just as we come to the shooting ranges.

Wait, is firearms prohibited? It's a relief, of course, but. . .

"What kind of tanks can be here if gunpowder weapons are banned?" I asked, raising an embarrassed eyebrow. I think he lied and thought it through very badly.

Daniel smiled toothily and said, taking his hand aside, "The role of the main weapon is played by a flamethrower. The tank is driven by a steam engine. Fortunately, the caterpillar tractor has already been invented. Fewer things to tax the brain. "

I was silent for what seemed like an eternity, trying to process this idea, before I crossed my arms and asked with a chuckle: "You really like steampunk, don't you? "

He just blinked silently for a few moments before saying calmly, "I don't understand slang. And I guess it changed during the time I was in Equestria. So try to speak the language that was relevant a year ago. Try to jog your memory.

Did he really live under a rock or what?

Quickly shaking my head, I asked, following my concern, "Okay. But do you really think that at least one pony will buy a flamethrower? And will he use it as an antistress?"

"Yes, I think it will work. Besides, Rising and Flying, although in their own style, said that the idea has a chance. " Daniel replied, completely unperturbed.

I blinked a few times and tried to remember the names. It didn't work. There were no characters like that in the cartoon. So naturally I raised an eyebrow and asked: "Who are they?"

"My friends. That is probably the easiest answer. " Daniel replied, putting his hand on his hip.

I'm sure that a man like him can only have imaginary friends.

With a slight chuckle, I put my hands on my hips and said hurry up: "Okay, okay. Just be more or less tolerant as you have been for the last two days and answer the questions. Is that a good option?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and held up a finger. He paused for a few moments before clicking his tongue and saying, "You missed a nuance."

"Hmm?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow and frowning slightly.

"I haven't come up with a plan for today. So I'll have to improvise. Accordingly, I will not have enough mental strength to keep the new rules in mind. " Daniel said, completely unperturbed.

Damn.

I rubbed my temples lightly and took a few steps forward to finally leave the house. My gaze caught briefly on the door, which was STILL lying on the lawn. Snorting, I wondered aloud: "How can I be a digital artist in a world where electricity is very expensive and technology is not even close to being developed?"

At first, all I could hear was the wind blowing through the branches of the trees. But it was for the best, because after a few seconds Daniel finally spoke: "So you're drawing with a tablet or something, right?"

I took a deep breath and turned to him: "Yes, yes, that's right. Do you have any options?"

Daniel rubbed his chin lightly with his hand and asked slowly, "Can you only draw with a tablet? Or can you at least do something with a simple brush and a piece of paper?"

Well, a long time ago I held a brush.

Sighing, I looked away from Daniel and said reluctantly: "I don't think I can draw anything with a brush. A pencil is still possible because it is generally similar to a pen."

Daniel leaned against the doorjamb before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Hey, are normal paintings even drawn with pencils?"

I opened my mouth to give a quick answer. But he froze. I don't have an answer to that particular question. Even though I'm sure I knew it! I said with a disappointed sigh: "Actually, I have no idea."

"Maybe you're a pioneer?" Daniel offered, holding out his hand. What a strange gesture.

Well, it kind of sounds like an option. But it's kind of embarrassing not to be able to use my teacher's diploma in any way. Again.

I rubbed my forehead lightly in thought before I said slowly, "I think this will work as a temporary measure. I'll draw to order, and when the ponies start to trust me, I'll try to work as an art teacher. "

Almost immediately after I finished speaking, Daniel twirled his arm slightly, as if to warm up. After a few moments he asked: "Do you have everything you need at home? "

I rubbed my hands awkwardly and replied with a forced smile: "Well, I need some kind of white cardboard or just special paper, pencils, and that's it. "

" Okay, wait. " Daniel said before a blue glow enveloped his palm. And with a short flash it was gone.

Yesterday, Ahirata told me that I need at least another week of treatment before I can safely use magic. Oh.

"Why did I get a magic lock in the near future when I entered another world? It just sounds so unfair." "I muttered in displeasure, covering my face with my hand and quickly shaking my head.

" Equipment delivery. "Daniel said, making me jump for a moment. Did he do it that fast? I mean, teleportation is cool and all. But so fast?

With a startled sigh, I decided to accept the situation and took my hand away from my face. Daniel was standing in front of me, holding a large box with sheets of paper and a box of foal pens in one hand. I took the things from his hands and looked at him dispassionately: "Are you kidding me? Children's pencils?"

"It was the first thing I found. And I want you to know that I am buying them out of my own pocket." Daniel replied unperturbed.

I have the feeling that you didn't think for a second to look more closely.

Sighing, I looked at the accessories and asked with a hint of disappointment in my voice: "Of course it's cool. But how am I going to find customers? Walking up to every passing pony and yelling that I'm an artist is, well, weird."

"I don't know, that's how I want to sell flamethrowers." Daniel replied with a shrug. Ugh.

"I'm sure you can't sell anything." I said, clicking my tongue and looking down at him. Which is not very realistic, considering that he is a head taller than me.

I feel that constantly communicating with him has a bad effect on me. Uh, there's nothing positive about this guy.

Suddenly Daniel snapped his fingers and suggested with a hint of excitement in his voice: "Draw me. I don't really like the painting that is currently hanging in my room in the castle. I think my portrait will be an ideal replacement. "

I stared at him for a few seconds without blinking before slowly asking: "How much of a narcissist are you? "

Daniel lifted the corner of his mouth slightly where the scar was before wagging his finger and saying, "I've never been to a psychologist. So attributing any mental problems to me has no normal basis. "

Have you never seen a psychologist? That sounds like evidence that you're in trouble.

Stifling a short laugh, I finally took a few seconds to process the idea. My style of drawing is not suitable for portraits. After all, I mostly paint in the avant-garde or abstractionist style. How am I supposed to do a portrait?

But I want money. At least a little bit. Just to eat and not to walk up seven thousand stairs. I don't really like the image of a hungry artist. In the end, I sighed and said slowly, "But okay. I'll draw you a portrait. Just remember that this is not my specialty, so the result will be unexpected."

"It will do for me. Then you draw here and I'll take care of the sale." Daniel said before quickly starting the march to Ponyville. Wait.

Are you dumb?

"Are you stupid? How am I supposed to paint your portrait if you're not here?" I asked with a strange mixture of annoyance and amusement in my voice. But the first was much more.

"Oh, yes, my mistake. I'll fix it now." Daniel said before he took out of his pocket the thing I least expected. A smartphone. As I watched in surprise, he quickly swiped his finger across the screen several times.

"Take pictures." Daniel commanded calmly and suddenly threw the phone at me. Caught off guard, I only managed to drop the paper and pencils on the floor. There was no time left and the smartphone fell next to me, right screen down.

On the one hand, I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't catch it. And on the other hand, what the hell is going on?

Shaking my head quickly, I picked up the smartphone from the ground and took a quick look at it. The screen, though a little cracked, was illuminated and the charge was at eighty-nine percent. Turning my attention to Daniel, I asked, extremely embarrassed: "How can your phone be almost one hundred percent charged when you've been in Equestria for almost a year?"

Daniel put his hand on his hip and said, as if it were elementary, "Twilight developed a weakened version of the lightning spell to charge my phone. It's sort of a payment for letting her study it. "

I just stared at the burning phone screen for a while without blinking before I said irritably, "Why didn't you tell me about this before? Can you imagine how bored I was when my phone died two days ago? "

In response to my indignation. Daniel just rubbed his ear with his hand and said calmly, "First of all, don't shout. Second, you didn't say you needed it. So stop whining and take a picture of me. Then I won't have to stay here and waste my time."

"You're obnoxious," I muttered before picking up my phone and taking some quick pictures of Daniel. They turned out to be very poor quality and blurry, as if the camera had never been wiped. But honestly? I'm too lazy to take new ones.

I reluctantly held up my finger to tell Daniel that the photos had been taken. He gave a quick nod and turned back to Ponyville before saying, "Okay, I went to sell flamethrowers. I'll check on you in a few hours. "

I wish you wouldn't sell anything.

I took a deep breath and looked at the photos I had taken. I have no idea how to draw this. Especially with my style of drawing. Especially with my primitive equipment.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head. Extremely unethical. Extremely dubious. And just a stupid idea. I hold Daniel's smartphone in my hand. At worst, I might get some inspiration from looking at the information on it.

"And at best, I'll be able to understand why he acts, well, the way he does," I mumble hesitantly, holding the phone in my hand. This is, well, really wrong. I wouldn't like it if someone tampered with my phone to find out something personal.

I'm just looking at the gallery. Yes, just that. Just to look at Daniel from different angles and get a better idea of how to draw a portrait. No personal information.

Sighing, I nodded to myself and pressed my finger on the gallery. The first photos were the ones I took a few minutes ago. Nothing interesting. With a quick flick of my finger, I scrolled through the gallery of older photos.

Nothing. The gallery just didn't scroll down. Before I took the photos now, the gallery was completely empty. It seemed like forever I was just sitting there, actively blinking at it. Like, what kind of person can use a phone and have ZERO photos on it?

No, well, now I definitely have to find something. Nodding to myself, I pressed myself against the wall of my house and left the gallery. But even here I was haunted by a certain emptiness. The only non-standard application was SoundCloud. There is NOT even a YouTube!

It just looks so lame and weird. What kind of person doesn't have YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or something on their smartphone these days?

I stared blankly at the phone screen for a while, trying to think of something. Maybe this is a sign that I should stop and not go any further? Or are you still trying to get into the notes?

"Okay. I will focus on the fact that Daniel is cut off from the outside world. That's enough for me to be inspired. "I mumbled quickly before putting my smartphone in my pocket and finally picking up some pens and a box of pencils from the floor.

As I walked to my house with all my things, I suddenly remembered something and muttered in disappointment: "Damn, I should have asked Daniel to get something to eat."

I guess I'm really going to be a hungry artist for a while.

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: Two hours after the meeting with Arthur.
Location: Ponyville.

Who knew I could sell a whole batch of flamethrowers in a town that hates me?

"As always, people are willing to drop absolutely anything if it benefits them." I grinned as I walked to my 'younger brother's' house with a huge sack of gold on my back. Yes, the ponies had bought flamethrowers fast enough. I didn't even have to set up a counter or anything. I just went in and sold.

"No matter how I feel about Pinkie Pie, I am very grateful that she bought a flamethrower along with fifty fuel capsules." I said with a satisfied sigh, feeling the weight of the golden bag on my shoulder. It's almost hard for me!

"Thank you, Daniel, for the opportunity to light so many candles for the cake at once!" The familiar mare's voice squeaked excitedly. After a quick glance, I saw that she was leaning out of a hollow tree. By the way, there were a lot of flamethrowers sticking out of her mane, which she had bought.

I think she can teleport, too. She just doesn't demonstrate it as vividly as I do.

With a snort, I raised what was left of my right hand slightly in a kind of greeting. And then he said in a restrained voice, "Hi, Pinkie. Can you please go away? Your high-pitched voice is giving me a headache."

"Of course! Anyway, my friends and I will have all the time in the next chapter, at the party!" Pinkie squeaked happily before climbing back into the hollow. I guess she teleported from there.

Shaking my head slightly, I continued walking towards Arthur's house with the bag of gold on my shoulder. Thanks to the glasses, I could see that he wasn't on the doorstep. At least this meant that he had not stood still for two hours trying to find inspiration.

In the worst case, he sees me in the window and quickly draws something and calls it an abstraction.

"Well, hope for the best and prepare for the worst." I said to myself when I was only a dozen feet from the entrance to Arthur's house. I admit, the weight of the bag of gold made me take distances a little more seriously.

Anyway, after a few moments, I finally crossed the threshold of the house and tried to find the artist. A quick glance to the left didn't give me much to think about. He's not in the kitchen, so he's somewhere in the hall.

Nodding to myself, I quickly walked down the hall and saw Arthur lying on the couch. When he noticed me, he let out a yawn and said, holding up a piece of paper: "I'm tired of waiting. And I almost fell asleep! Eh, here's your portrait."

By the way, his yawn is completely fake. I speak like a person who was in a drama club as a child.

Deciding to ignore it, I threw the bag of gold on the ground and picked up my portrait. But before I could even focus on it, Arthur asked in surprise, "Wait, where did you get that bag?"

Grinning, I triumphantly raised what was left of my right hand and looked him in the eye: "I sold the first batch of flamethrowers. Another success."

Arthur looked at me in disbelief, but said nothing. With a grunt, I finally turned my eyes to the portrait. In the center was a human figure painted in various shades of red. Starting from maroon, somewhere where the face should be, to almost pink at the fingertips. It should also be noted that there was some sort of mist around the figure. Or maybe it's just that Arthur did a lot of laundry in one place. In any case, everything except the human figure and the mist was just black.

Of course, I would prefer a classic portrait. Well, at least one where my features are visible. But there is something here. I think the maroon part of my face is a scar.

I stared at the painting for a while before I said in a measured voice, "This is not even close to what I wanted, but okay. A new painting in my room is not that serious a task. And it could always be worse. "

Arthur snorted irritably and asked with folded arms, "Maybe you'll pay me then? I would not refuse compensation for moral damages. "Yes, it's easy to insult an artist. How much do you want? " I asked, rolling my eyes. Arthur is just incredibly terrible at portraying emotion. I'm ashamed of him.

Unfortunately, he did not answer immediately and said uncertainly: "Um, I have no idea what the exchange rate is between the local currency and the dollar. Can you tell me?"

I've done anything in Equestria. But definitely not an attempt to determine the exchange rate.

"How much did you charge for such art when you were on Earth?" I asked calmly.

Arthur was confused for a moment before he rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, I would charge about twenty dollars for such a drawing. About that."

It takes too long to count down. With a snort, I pulled the bag of gold I arrived in town with today out of my pocket. I threw it at Arthur's feet and said calmly, "I'm too lazy to count it exactly. So consider it payment, moral compensation you don't need, and pocket money."

"Little brother," I finished with a tiny, toothless grin.

"Ugh." Arthur replied, making it clear that it was better not to say that anymore.

Actually, it didn't work out very well. I can tease people better. Much better.

With a barely perceptible nod to myself, I grabbed a large bag of gold and said, heading for the exit, "Okay, I'm leaving. I have to continue working on the Everfree issue."

"And what are you going to do?" Arthur asked, suspicion in his voice.

I turned my head slightly towards him and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Arthur. It's an excellent idea. And I promise that your house will not be damaged. "

Without giving him a chance to answer, I turned my head toward the exit and continued walking forward. A few seconds later, my foot stepped outside of Arthur's house, which allowed my eyes to look at the tree line. Everfree forest.

A great place to take another leap forward.

Around and about

Mm, finally a full meal.

Now I held in my hand one of the packages of French fries I bought yesterday. Yes, it's harmful. Yes, I bought fast food with the first money I got in this world. And yes, I haven't found any new clients who need me to draw anything.

"But I'm full. I replied calmly before grabbing a couple of French fries with my teeth. Um, it looks weird from the outside, I admit. But I really don't like to get my hands dirty, okay?

Why do I always make excuses? Shaking my head, I decided to just keep eating fries and looking out the window. So, I'm going to a party tonight. Among the ponies. In fact, this is my first real interaction with a pony. Meeting Pinkie Pie and getting fast food yesterday don't count.

Yesterday actually turned out to be strangely funny. Neither I nor the cashier dared to speak. So I just pointed at the dishes on the menu and he nodded.

"Perfect communication for an introvert, perfect communication for me. " I chuckled briefly before picking out at least five more French fries with my teeth. But suddenly there was a knock at the door. Damn, I really don't want to interrupt my meal.

But even less do I want Daniel to enter my house without permission. Sighing, I slowly got up from my chair in the kitchen and made my way to the hallway, quickly finishing the potatoes on the way. But this time without much joy. Sadly.

"Is this even the right address?" A man's voice, coming from the threshold of my house, asked with displeasure. Do you know what's wrong with him?

It's not Daniel's voice. Who could come to me today besides him and the main characters? That's right, no one.

Alarmed, I pressed myself against the left wall of the corridor to have more time to react if it was a monster. Probably? I do not know, I just wanted to justify why I was pressing myself against the wall. Just concentrate.

After a few slow and quiet steps, I could finally see what was standing in front of my door. It looked like a pony, but had very creepy holes in its hooves and bug wings. After a few moments, I finally remembered its name. Changeling. But what is he. . .

"You know I can see you, right?" Changeling asked with a smug smile on his lips. Oh.

Very carefully, I straightened up and said, clearing my throat, "Uh, no, I didn't know that. Well, let's get acquainted then? My name is. . ."

The changeling waved his hoof dismissively and said, "Yes, I know you're Arthur. Anyway, I'm really hungry, so just take this thing and I'll be on my way."

It wasn't very pleasant. Do all non-canonical characters have to be so rude? Or in the case of Ahirata, just weird.

While I was thinking, the changeling pulled a very thin book with two alicorns on it out of his saddlebags. I took it carefully, opened it, and a quick glance inside was enough to give a confident answer. This is my passport.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the changeling had already turned and started walking away from my house. Unable to contain my curiosity, a loud command burst from my lips: "Stop!"

In response, the changeling groaned loudly and asked, turning his head toward me: "What do you want from me?"

Trying to shake off my embarrassment, I took a step outside my house before saying, "Well, first of all, I would like to know your name so that this meeting can at least seem a little more normal."

The changeling snorted loudly and said, "My name is Abdomen. But if the madman mentioned me, you might have heard of me as Flying.

Flying? So Daniel really has friends? Wow. Just wow.

After taking a few more steps toward the changeling, I said, looking down at him awkwardly: "Uh, sorry, but the name Abdomen sounds really weird. So I'll call you Flying."

"Asshole." Flying hissed irritably, squinting at me. Honestly? When a pony-sized bug looks at you like that, it's really a little scary.

In an attempt to calm the situation, I suggested with a slow gesture: "Listen, Daniel said that you're kind of his friend. Maybe you can tell me why he's acting so, well, tough? And in return, I'll call you whatever you want."

Flying rolled his eyes and said, covering his mouth with a hoof: "Heh, you think I understand what's going on in his head? Ha, naive!"

S-Seriously? Even the one he calls a friend doesn't understand his behavior?

This is just nonsense. Shaking my head in disbelief, I asked with my hands on my hips, "Are you sure? There must be something you know about him."

Flying looked at me for a moment before calmly saying, "Fifteen bits of information.

I blinked in shock at this demand and asked incredulously: "Are you serious? Money for information? "

" Yes. I want to treat myself for being a courier today. " Flying replied with a smile that let his fangs protrude slightly from his mouth.

First, it's creepy. Second, it's weird. And third, please let me check my pockets.

I quickly put both hands in my pockets and found a bag with the rest of the money in the right one. As much as I hated to admit it, Daniel paid a lot for that portrait yesterday. Sighing, I held the bag right in front of the changeling's face and asked: "Could you please count out the necessary amount yourself? I'm a little uncomfortable touching gold coins. "

Flying shrugged, and a green glow quickly enveloped the bag before snatching it from my hands. He opened the bag and looked inside for a few seconds before lifting his head and saying, "Mm, I'll take as much as I need later. Okay, I'll try to tell you something. After all, I was supposed to keep an eye on him earlier. "Keep an eye on Daniel? " I asked, raising an interested eyebrow.

" Well, it's a really long story that I REALLY don't want to tell. Let's just focus on the fact that my last queen was very fond of forcing some of her subjects to keep an eye on others." Flying replied, shifting slightly in place as if giving a sign not to ask any further.

But I have to be sure. Sighing, I asked in an almost apologetic tone, "So Daniel used to work for Chrysalis?"

Snorting loudly, Flying nodded very quickly, as if he didn't want to say it out loud.

That is, he literally collaborated with the villain. Although he says the collaboration ended when he dropped chandeliers on Chrysalis, that does not negate the fact.

Despite the desire to ask hundreds more questions, I decided to change the subject. Shifting my weight to the other leg, I asked, "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Flying tapped his chin thoughtfully with his hoof while holding the bag of money with his magic. Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips and he said: "I can show you a place where he will never go in his life. Judging by the fact that you're even asking about him, you're clearly in the mood to hide from him."

My eyes widened slightly and I couldn't help but smile back: "A place where Daniel will never come? Of course, show me! I might even be able to copy this place and he definitely won't enter my house without permission anymore! "

" Great, let's go. " Flying said in an almost commanding tone as he lifted himself slightly into the air with his beetle wings and slowly flew towards Ponyville.

I don't even know how to describe how strange it looks, a horse with beetle wings holding a bag of money with magic.

"I have to adapt to a new reality." I said to myself before following Flying. Surprisingly, he flew slower than Daniel walked. Probably even a pony bug has more decency than this guy.

As I approached Ponyville, I couldn't help but notice how few ponies there were. No, that's not the right word. There's not a single pony here! Maybe I woke up too early? I squinted and looked up at the sky.

No, on the contrary! This time the sun is almost at its zenith. Where could the ponies have gone? So far, the only possibility I can think of is that they are even more afraid of changelings than Daniel. Which is not very logical in my opinion.

For example, in my opinion, an evil and strange guy who is clearly over six feet tall is scarier than a pony that looks like a bug. A little, but scarier.

"Well, look to the right and see!" Flying said excitedly, hovering in the air and pointing to the right with both hooves. Unable to hold back a smile, I turned to where he was pointing and saw a pastry shop in the distance, if I remember correctly. Well, and houses on both sides of the road.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about. Which of these things is supposed to be a place Daniel will never enter? " I asked, rubbing my neck in embarrassment.

Flying chuckled briefly and said without diminishing his enthusiasm: "A pastry shop in the middle of the street. Here's the thing. Daniel has a terrible fear of sweets. He would rather say something nicer to me than enter the pastry shop. "

" Seriously, such a fear? Does he really have a phobia of sweets? I'm not sure such a fear even exists. " I replied, casting an incredulous glance at my interlocutor.

In response, he snorted loudly and said, crossing his hooves, "If you don't want to believe it, don't believe it. But the first time you accidentally offend him, you better remember my advice.

I certainly don't believe in this nonsense. Not a drop. But I don't have any other options, right?

Taking a deep breath, I asked, pointing to the pastry shop: "Can you take me there? So I know where I'm going to hide?"

Flying chuckled and said contentedly, "Of course. But for such a favor, I will take even more gold from your bag.

Immediately after saying this, he stopped hanging in the air and began to fly toward the pastry shop, still holding the bag of money with magic. Snorting, I followed him and couldn't help but mumble "Thief".

"It's just honest payment for work!" Flying said loudly when the distance between us was over ten feet. And I spoke almost in a whisper!

This guy seems to have good hearing. Oh.

I decided to change the subject and asked quickly: "So why are you even friends with Daniel?"

One of Flying's eyes widened slightly. I guess that is an alternative to raising an eyebrow. Well, because he has no eyebrows. Anyway, his eye quickly returned to normal, and he replied thoughtfully, looking ahead: "Well, it's interesting to him, you know? A madman knows how to surprise. Sometimes in a good way. Sometimes, well, not so good. "

"I looked at him incredulously and asked confused, "Don't you think that's not a very good reason? I'm sorry, but from the first impression, he is a selfish and very scary person. To say the least. "

Flying shrugged and said with a slight smile: "That's the second reason. I think if he has some crazy idea, at least I'll know about it first. "

" Like the idea of selling flamethrowers? " I asked, unable to suppress a grin.

"Yes, that too. " Flying replied, rolling his eyes.

Despite the fact that changelings look creepy, this guy is clearly nicer than Daniel.

As this thought flashed through my mind, I realized that we had finally reached the pastry shop. It looked like a gingerbread house, like it was made of candy. I think there was something like that in the show. But I can't remember the name.

Without saying a word, Flying landed next to me and walked up two steps at a fast pace before entering the pastry shop. Despite the slight embarrassment of his silence, I followed him. I saw a cozy room with several tables and a display case with lots of donuts, cupcakes, and the like. If Daniel is really afraid of sweets, which I don't think he is, then this place should really scare him.

But the only thing that scares me here is the complete absence of anyone. I think there should be at least one cashier in a place like this. Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked, glancing at Flying: "Do you know where everyone could have gone? The town was very busy yesterday."

Flying just blinked for a few moments, as if he hadn't thought of it. Then he said slowly, "Ah, yes, that's right. I guess everyone at work is on their lunch break right now and they're, uh, on a picnic?"

It sounds very strange. Lunch break is understandable, but on such a scale that the city is completely empty? Strange.

I took a quick breath to express my doubt, but Flying suddenly flew up to be level with me. Taking advantage of my momentary embarrassment, he crossed his hooves and said, "Listen, you just got into this world. So trust me and let me be the hero today. Is that okay?"

I took a deep breath and asked, not too impressed, "Okay, hero. What should we do now? I was supposed to be invited to a party today, but how can that happen when all the ponies are at a picnic, according to you? "

A brief grin appeared on Flying's face before he said, "Well, hmm, how about finding a book on magic or something to kill time? The library's right around the corner."

Well, just yesterday, Ahirata told me that magic is contraindicated for now. But would it not be good to at least get some theoretical knowledge?

After a few moments of thought, I nodded quickly and said with a small smile, "Good idea. Come on."

"Ho, ho, great! That raises my pay even more!" Flying said happily before flying away from the pastry shop. That's what? All this was just to get more money out of me.

"Now I understand why you are friends with Daniel. They're on a similar level of evil! "I said irritably as I ran after Flying to keep up with him. Fortunately, my back has almost completely stopped hurting. So the only thing that keeps me from running all the time is shortness of breath. You could say that I always have a timer for fifteen seconds of continuous running.

I don't really like sports, okay?

As this thought flashed through my mind, my breathing became much heavier and I said, slowing to a walk: "Oh, that's it, no more running. I can't keep up with you."

Flying hovered in the air and grinned: "Yes, now it's clear why you don't like Daniel. He makes you tense all the time, doesn't he?"

When I reached Flying with slow steps, I said with a heavy sigh: "Yes. He literally walks faster than you fly! I'm an artist, not a runner, to move that fast. "

After my answer, something like disappointment flashed across his face. But before I could pay attention to it, he said in a hurried manner: "Well, then retrain! Until you have wings, running will be the cheapest way to get around.

In general, it would be nice to have wings. I guess if I like flying in an airplane, then I should just like flying. Well, I guess.

"Well, that's it, the break is over." Flying said, suddenly starting to move away from the pastry shop again. Oh.

Taking another deep breath, I began to follow him at a brisk pace, this time deciding not to start a conversation. No, this has nothing to do with the fact that I am moving at the limit of my abilities.

Snorting, I decided to pay attention to my thoughts for a moment. Flying definitely behaves strangely. Of course, you could say that a non-weird person would not be friends with Daniel. But there must be something more interesting, right?

By the way, why wasn't Daniel here today? Did I ask that question? I don't think so.

I can't believe I forgot that. I sighed, barely hiding my shame, and asked: "This question should have been asked half an hour ago. But why are you here today instead of Daniel?"

Flying's ear twitched quickly before he rubbed the back of his head and said, "You didn't ask, did you? Well, he's testing a new tank. Since I refused to come, he made me come to you. "

" A new tank? On the one hand, that's terrible, but on the other hand, he promised to fix my door afterwards. " I said with some pleasure. In response to my answer, Flying laughed briefly.

Although, no, I still don't like that such a military theme has started to develop in the world of the anime. For example, why did Daniel start to develop this in the first place?

Shaking my head, I looked back down the street and saw a large tree with windows and a door in front of me. The house of Twilight Sparkle, the main character of the series, if I remember correctly. Hmm. In my opinion, she is almost a recluse. She should be at home.

Flying, she slightly accelerated her flight to land in front of the library door and open it. With a slightly raised eyebrow, I decided not to say anything and just walked into the library. There was a table in the middle of the room with a large box of bottles on it. But there was no one alive inside.

"Oh, my reward!" Flying said happily, quickly running to the drawer and throwing the bag with my money on the table.

"Reward?" came out of my mouth in embarrassment.

"SURPRISE!" Several voices thundered behind me, shockingly loud. After a moment, there was also a lot of banging, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something fall on my shoulder. Confetti?

So it was all going to the party?

Still in shock, I forced myself to turn around and saw a crowd of ponies standing in front of the house. At the front were the six main ponies I knew from the cartoons. Twilight and Rarity looked tired for some reason. In any case, there were countless rows of ponies behind them. It was as if the entire city had gathered. Although, judging by the lack of smiles on some of them, not everyone was happy about it.

I stood there for a few seconds, unable to even move my jaw. Suddenness, attention of this magnitude and a loud greeting. What had I done to deserve such attention?

It seems that Pinkie Pie, noticing my difficulty in answering, jumped up and said excitedly: "Art, did you like the super-large and cool party I threw when I arrived in another world? Like, like, like?"

Suddenly, Twilight closed her mouth before saying with an awkward smile, "Um, so what do you think, Arthur? Did we overdo the party?"

This is probably the most shocking thing that has happened in my life. Except coming here, of course.

Swallowing, I could barely say: "Yes, everything is very cool. But how did you all hide so that the city seemed empty?"

"An invisibility spell. Twilight replied with a sweet smile despite her slightly closed eyes.

"It's very difficult, by the way. I'm afraid I won't be able to lift my hat to go outside tomorrow! Rarity said indignantly as she came closer. Her eyes were also slightly closed, by the way.

I didn't know unicorns could do the same spell together. Interesting.

"Um, my name is Rarity and I am a seamstress. So if you need clothes, please contact me, I'm always happy to help." Rarity said, clearing her throat. Wait, Arthur, don't tell me you know everyone here.

Taking advantage of my momentary inspiration, Fluttershy stood next to Twilight and said quietly, covering half of her face with her mane: "Um, hello. My name is Fluttershy. "

In an instant, Rainbow Dash flew closer and said, crossing her hooves, "Hmm, another human? You don't look like Daniel. "

She quickly pointed her hoof at herself and then at me before saying, "But I, Rainbow Dash, Equestria's fastest flyer, am still watching you.

Not the most polite greeting. Especially for my sister's beloved pony.

Finally, Applejack was standing next to Rarity and opened her mouth to speak. But suddenly a loud and familiar voice rang out: "Arthur, I have come to keep my promise!"

"I was hoping Daniel wouldn't be here today," I muttered, looking ahead to where the voice was coming from. And after a few moments, the ponies parted to the side and stared at Daniel with wide eyes. This time he wore a simple black t-shirt and white jeans with a scabbard attached.

Daniel walked impressively along the strange corridor the ponies formed, keeping his hand on the scabbard to prevent him from seeing what was there. After a few tense and silent seconds, he finally stopped in the middle of the street. He took a deep breath and said: "Arthur, remember I promised you an adventure? That's it."

An adventure? But why now, when the whole city has gathered for me!?

Even the main six separated, as if to leave me alone with Daniel. Swallowing, I looked down and said, rubbing my hands, "Uh, that's cool, man. But now's not a good time. I've got a party to which the whole town is invited and all that..."

Daniel took a deep breath and stared at me coldly. Then he took some extremely fast steps and said, almost bumping his forehead against mine: "I give you ten hours. Exactly after that time, I will come to your house and take you on an adventure. If you don't agree, I won't call you again, understand?"

Stunned by this intrusion into my personal space, I could only nod quickly before taking a step back. For a few seconds, Daniel stood motionless, as if waiting for new words. But in the end, he still turned away from me and said with a faint hint of amusement: "Have a good party, everyone. Especially you, Abdomen. You deserve it."

How sweet, damn it.

For what seemed like an eternity, Daniel walked off into the distance and no one dared to move. It was only when he disappeared around the bend that I let out an unconscious sigh. Several other ponies followed. But the tense atmosphere in the air remained.

The silence was finally broken by Flying in an almost solemn tone: "Did you all hear that? He called me by my REAL name! Ooh, I have to drink at least half of this box for that."

Quickly, I turned my head to see him lift a bottle out of the drawer with his magic. It was a bottle of wine. With a broad smile, Flying opened the alcohol and immediately started drinking straight from the mouth.

Wait, he called it a reward earlier. So he took me around town for a case of wine?

Trying to hide my disappointment, I turned to Pinkie and asked with a sigh, "Um, can we get on with the party, please?"

Her face immediately lit up and she grabbed my hand with her hooves: "Of course! Come on, there's plenty of snack tables outside. Oh, and I've also prepared lots of records so you can find some groovy music. Or even a new favorite song."

Soon she began to lead me forcibly forward into the street and continued to speak very quickly. Even though her words were hard to understand, the atmosphere was still pleasant.

Sis, I really want to tell you that I'm doing pretty well here.

Even further from home. . .

"Oh, that was something." It came out of my mouth as I finally got to my bed and collapsed on it. The party Pinkie Pie threw was really something. Although the amount of snacks she wanted me to try was a little too much. Just a little.

"Well, it's better than starving. I muttered, rolling onto my back and yawning. Judging by the fact that it was already pitch dark outside, the party went on for a really long time. It was a little sad, though, that even after such a long time, the only ponies I wanted to talk to were the main characters of the show. I didn't dare approach the others. First of all, they were completely unknown to me. And secondly, most of them looked at me with a kind of, uh, apprehension.

Even though a green unicorn was looking at me intently, she did not come up to me. I wonder why?

"It doesn't matter. It's time to sleep." I said shaking my head before adjusting the pillow slightly and covering myself with a blanket. However, the stupid smile couldn't leave my face because of the aftertaste of the party. In a good way, oddly enough, the pony versions of the songs I'm used to, Pinkie Pie's antics, and just the fact of the attention. It's... nice.

But suddenly I had another feeling that kept me from sleeping. It feels like someone is watching me. Someone is staring intently. I haven't felt that since I left my parents' house and my sister stopped making fun of me. So it gets a little tense.

Alarmed, I finally propped myself up on my elbows in bed and looked around. But my gaze almost immediately stopped at the window of my room. There, in the light of the moon, was a human figure standing like a statue. At first I thought it was Daniel. But then the figure put both hands on the window.

Daniel d-doesn't have a second hand.

"What the hell?" I screamed in fright, abruptly jumping out of bed and pressing myself against the wall opposite the window. As if sensing my fear, the human figure reached its arms to the bottom of the window and abruptly lifted it. Along with the quickening pace of my heartbeat, I closed my eyes and defensively put my hands in front of me.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Daniel's familiar voice asked, making me freeze in shock for a moment. But then I saw that the man outside the window had TWO hands!

Still impressed, I slowly put my hands in my pockets and said, taking a deep breath, "Me? Nothing. I just wanted to sleep, that's all."

Daniel leaned one hand on the windowsill and calmly interrupted: "Arthur, I saw you pressed against the wall. Why are you so scared?"

I replied with an exasperated snort and looked away: "It's okay. I just thought something was weird."

But was it really just a hallucination caused by the desire to sleep?

Daniel, to my surprise, laughed briefly and asked: "You used all ten hours I gave you for the party, didn't you?"

"I really didn't want to go, okay?" I answered awkwardly, rubbing my neck.

He was silent for a while, adding to the awkwardness of the moment. But finally he bothered to shake his head and say, "Okay, I don't really care. Do you want to go on an adventure? Just remember, if you refuse, I won't call you next time. "

I crossed my arms and asked a little irritated, "What kind of adventure? I'd like to know what I'm agreeing to. "

Daniel put his hand on the scabbard and said quickly: "Ahirata wants to know where the lava in Tartarus came from, as she is sure it did not exist before. "

I blinked slowly before expressing my embarrassment: "I don't remember there being lava in Tartarus. On the contrary, it was very cold there. "

Daniel snapped his fingers and replied immediately: "Ahirata blocked the lava flow by creating new rocks. "

Oh, that explains the coolness.

Shaking my head quickly, I asked with a hint of disappointment in my voice, "Okay, is that all? Doesn't sound like much of an adventure."

Daniel smiled, the moonlight reflecting off his white teeth. I'm a little jealous, to be honest. Ahem, after a short pause Daniel finally answered: "The lava flow is coming from the southeast. Do you know what else is in that direction? The land of dragons. "

For a moment this news stunned me and he continued: "Everything is obvious, I think. There was once a great lake from which water flowed to Tartarus through an underground river. But the dragons filled the lake with lava for their needs. "

Despite the strong interest, I couldn't help but ask a more mundane question: "Dragons are cool, of course. But what am I going to do in this adventure? I'm not allowed to use magic yet, and my back still hurts a little. "

Daniel put his hand aside and replied calmly: "I missed the part where that's my problem. You need an adventure and I suggest you go. At worst, you'll just watch as Ahirata and I solve problems. "

It sounds really boring. And it's a shame. And unpleasant. And there are many other ingredients in the cocktail of bad feelings.

But just looking at the adventure is not bad. With a snort, I reluctantly and slowly replied, "Okay, I'll go with you. But for the sake of decency, at least try to find something for me to do."

Daniel smiled contentedly and said, holding out his left hand, "Great, now take my hand. "

Almost unconsciously I held out my right hand and before I could figure out what was wrong, Daniel asked with a grin: "You understand that it's not very comfortable for me to grab like this? But okay, I'll manage. "

" What?" I only managed to say before I was stunned by a strange feeling that ran through my whole forehead. It's vaguely similar to the feeling I had when I arrived in Equestria, but not as intense. Oh, my head is spinning anyway.

Suddenly, I realized that I was no longer in my room. I was facing a very long flight of stairs. Trying to ignore the sharp drop in temperature, I looked around and quickly realized where I was. Tartarus.

"It's cool that I learned to teleport with someone, huh?" Daniel asked smugly, putting his hand behind his head.

As much as I hate to deny it, it's really cool. At least because I didn't have to go through seven thousand steps.

"Oh, I was beginning to think that you were going to deceive me and not come." I heard a woman's voice from above. Looking up, I saw Ahirata standing at the top of the stairs. But this time, most of her scales were covered by a very strange armor. Well, they were made of wood, leaves and vines. On her forehead, the vines intertwined to form a kind of wreath.

Ahirata took a few steps down the stairs and asked at the same time, her gaze fixed on me: "Mm, don't think it rude, Article, but why are you here?"

"My name is Arthur," I said, crossing my arms in mild indignation. Does she come to me every day to touch my soul, and yet she doesn't remember my name? Hurtful.

In response, she smiled guiltily and said slowly, "I'm sorry. It's really hard for me to remember names. But you still haven't answered the question.

I don't even want to be mad at her. Unlike Daniel, she did only good.

Nodding slightly, I finally answered, looking in Daniel's direction: "Well, he said you wanted to understand where the lava in your Tartarus came from. And since I wanted an adventure for myself, he invited me to go with you."

To my surprise, Ahirata stopped a few steps from the end of the stairs and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. She let out a long sigh and asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "Daniel, I know you're not stupid. Why did you take a man who can't even use magic on such a so-called adventure?"

Glancing at Daniel, I saw that he had managed to lean against the nearest wall while I was not looking at him. With a short chuckle he said, completely unperturbed: "First of all, he asked for the adventure himself. Second, with the two of us, objectively, nothing on this planet can threaten him. And third, I want to show off a little."

Seriously?

"Really?" A soft word escaped my lips as I raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Ahirata asked loudly, frowning heavily. Ha, full synchronization.

Daniel replied by extending his left hand forward, as if giving a stop sign. After a few moments of silence, he finally said, "Yes, I want to show off. I have been practicing fencing with Luna for two whole weeks. I want to see what happens against a big gate. Imagine what an impression it will make on someone who just arrived in Equestria a few days ago. "

Ahirata snorted loudly, without smoke to my disappointment, and said firmly, "I will solve this problem peacefully. I will not allow bloodshed in any form, especially such an unjustified one. Do you understand me? "

Daniel sighed tiredly and said very reluctantly: "Just remember to nod when you find your methods ineffective. "

How cocky, damn it. As if the decisions of others are always wrong.

With a snort I decided that I had been quiet enough and asked: "Okay, when are we going? I'm getting cold already."

Ahirata sighed and finally went down the last stairs. Then she walked past me to the exit and said calmly, "Follow me. I have prepared everything so that the movement will be fast enough."

"I hope you prepared warm clothes." I said, starting to follow her and hugging myself to warm up a bit.

"You won't need them." Daniel replied, rolling his eyes.

How can you stand it? All you have on is a T-shirt and jeans.

Rubbing my eyes lightly to rid them of sleep, I followed Ahirata in silence. On the way, my eyes couldn't help but be distracted by the sights of Tartarus. Despite the fact that this place is deep in the ground, you can still see the dried-up trees in the distance, but still. And in the extremely high ceiling there were holes through which one could see the first floor.

Suddenly I bumped into something and apparently stopped completely. Yes, I was looking in the wrong place. Taking a step back, I saw that Ahirata had stopped in front of the wall and didn't even seem to notice that I had bumped into her. Instead, she just stood in front of the wall for a few seconds. Uh, is she okay?

Suddenly, a piece of the wall was covered in a red glow, and a sound like chalk on a blackboard filled the air. After a few moments, my eyes widened at the sight of the stone wall moving apart. And almost immediately, hot steam began to flow through the widening gap.

Well, I wanted it to be warmer. It looks like I got what I wanted.

Soon the steam dissipated and I saw what was behind the wall. A huge river of lava with a wide stone platform of a certain shape. It vaguely resembled a ship, but it was flat. Ahirata took a step forward and asked standing on the platform: "Is everyone ready?"

At an extremely fast pace, Daniel walked past me and said, jumping onto the platform: "Let's go faster, okay?"

On the other hand, I couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Don't you think we're going to suffocate? Like, a confined space, a river of lava and all that. "

" If you get stuffy, just tell me and I'll make a tunnel to the surface so you can breathe. " Ahirata replied, folding her clawed hands in front of her in an almost pleading gesture.

Um, I'm not sure that's even possible. But maybe I need to get used to magic?

Sighing, I took an uncertain step onto the platform and took a few more steps to get away from Daniel. Ahirata stared at both of us for a few moments before her eyes glowed red. Suddenly, the platform shook beneath my feet, causing me to ask in a frightened voice, "What are you doing?"

"Don't scream." Daniel said coldly and grabbed my hand. It seemed that the shaking of the platform had no effect on him.

While I desperately tried to keep my balance, my eyes discovered a detail. The platform was moving right through the lava. Very slowly, but damn it, it's moving. Still confused, I opened my mouth a little, but Ahirata interrupted me with a strained voice: "Keep it down. It's been a long time since I managed such large structures."

As if in response to my raised eyebrow, a large paddle suddenly appeared from under the lava, which was as stony as the platform. Then the paddle made another turn. And another. And more! At some point, the platform started to move really fast!

I don't even know what to say. Like, I never thought I'd see giant paddles guiding me down a river of lava.

Daniel suddenly released my hand and said to sit in the lotus position: "Okay, this shouldn't take long. You can sleep if you want to."

"I'm not sure I could sleep in this environment." I replied, mesmerized, looking at the lava that our strange ship is making its way through.

"Listen, don't you find it strange? As if the air next to the lava should be so hot that it even hurts to breathe. Well, it always seemed that way to me." I said, turning my head towards Daniel.

He closed his eyes and said with a hand on his leg, "I'm used to strange things happening in Equestria. Get used to it, it's not Earth anymore. "

Sighing, I quickly changed the subject and couldn't help but chuckle: "Are you going to meditate now? You look like a monk. Especially with your super short haircut. "

" Meditation is useful for developing control over magic. " Daniel replied before taking a deep breath and exhaling for a long time.

You could have played along at least once.

With a snort, I simply sat down on the platform. After a quick glance at Ahirata, whose eyes were burning bright red, I asked a little nervously, "Um, is everything okay? She's almost like a statue."

"Yes, she's fine. It just takes a lot of attention to control something like that. "Daniel replied calmly and quickly waved in the direction of a large oar. By the way, after a quick glance in the other direction, I saw a second such paddle. It makes perfect sense.

After this revelation I did not know what to say and there was almost complete silence. The only things that diluted it were the sounds of the oars and Daniel's measured breathing. After playing with my fingers a little, I asked boredly, "Do you have any cards or anything? I'm bored, a little. And, as I said, I can hardly fall asleep in this environment. "

Without opening his eyes, Daniel just took the scabbard from his belt and threw it at me. He didn't say a word, but I have to admit that I'm quite interested. What kind of weapon could he take on such an adventure?

I am sure that this is something as barbaric as possible. Although a huge two-handed sword can hardly fit in such a scabbard . . .

"Okay, let's see," I muttered softly before carefully placing my hand on the red handle. There was a long and very menacing spike on the pommel. The front of the hilt was decorated with a gold chain protecting the hand that holds the sword.

"Show off." I grumbled briefly before carefully pulling my sword from its sheath. To no avail. I grabbed the scabbard itself with my other hand and pulled hard, but again to no avail. Gritting my teeth, I pulled with all my might, but still managed to free the blade only slightly. That was enough to open my eyes.

The blade had a strange undulating shape that vaguely resembled a flame. Perhaps that is why it is so difficult to pull out of its sheath. With a snort, I put the sword back into its sheath with some effort and said slowly, "It's cool, of course, but it doesn't really look like entertainment.

There was no response. Daniel didn't move at all. Only his breathing showed that he was still alive. And suddenly it dawned on me.

He gave me a sword to distract me and he completely went into meditation!

I wanted to curse this guy, but suddenly I felt a pleasant coolness and a bright white light. Turning to the source, I saw that this cave finally ended and that there was an exit to the surface ahead. Hmm, that was really fast.

As the stone platform emerged into the white light, I saw an incredible sight. A huge lava lake and sleeping dragons on its shores. The whole scene was illuminated by a large moon in the sky. Looking at it all, I could only say one thing: "Wow".

Almost immediately after my words, Ahirata sighed loudly and heavily. Worried, I quickly turned to her and at the same moment, she fell to her knees. I quickly approached her and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a little tired. " Ahirata exhaled and rubbed her forehead with one of her clawed hands. Despite the not very distorting eyes, it seems to me that she understates a lot.

"Oh, have we arrived?" Daniel asked slowly, as if he had just woken up from a dream. Then, without paying any attention to Ahirata's condition, he simply went to his scabbard and hung it on his hip.

With every minute I spend with him, I'm more and more convinced that he doesn't care about anyone but himself.

After a few heavy breaths, Ahirata stood on both feet and asked wearily: "Daniel, can you teleport us to the shore? I don't think I'll be able to concentrate for long."

With a snort, he put his hand on her shoulder and suddenly there was a blue flash. They both disappeared. And I'm still here. On a stone platform surrounded by lava. Outraged, I asked loudly, "Hey, what about me?"

As if in answer to my question, there was a flash to my right and Daniel reappeared. Before I could blink, he grabbed my arm and my head suddenly spun around. His eyes went dark as well. I don't seem to be able to handle two teleportations a day.

Oh, how strange it is . . .

Suddenly the strange feeling stopped and I staggered, but fortunately did not fall on the rock. After stabilizing, I was able to let my eyes explore the new location. I was standing on a small hill overlooking the lava lake and the stone desert around it. From here, the platform on which we were sailing looked very insignificant.

As I continued to survey the view, Daniel hurriedly asked: "So we made sure that the lava in Tartarus comes from the lava lake. And even the assumption that it was in the land of the dragons turned out to be true. What now?"

Ahirata just took a deep breath for a while before she said uncertainly, "Um, the dragons have a lord, if I remember correctly. Maybe we should ask him for permission to normalize this lake? "

" Just in case, I'll ask. Do you really have to turn Tartarus into an underground garden? " Daniel asked when I finally looked away from the lava lake and at them.

In response, Ahirata put her hands on her hips and said firmly, "Yes, I want to do it. "

But why ? Isn't it easier to just buy a house on the surface and make a garden there?

Daniel cupped the bridge of his nose with two fingers and asked slowly, "Okay, but why can't you find another lake as a water source?"

"Because all the necessary tunnels have been dug. With my condition, it will take at least ten years to make new ones. Turning this lava lake back into a normal one will be much faster. Ahirata said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But how will we find the Dragon Lord? If there even is one." I asked, raising an embarrassed eyebrow.

Daniel chuckled briefly and said, looking at the sleeping dragons along the shore, "Well, we could ask them."

Ahirata quickly shook her head and said, "No, that is a bad idea. If they ask why we are looking for him, they will not be satisfied with an honest answer. And I don't want to lie. "

" Yes, me too. " Daniel said with a quick nod.

I didn't think they would be so focused on honesty.

Finally, I hesitantly decided to offer: "Maybe we'll just, well, find the biggest river that flows out of this lake and follow it? If I understand correctly, dragons love lava, so their master must have a lot of it."

They both focused on me, making me tense for a moment. Did I say something stupid? At least I have an excuse. Daniel didn't bother to explain anything properly!

Fortunately, Ahirata finally spoke and rubbed her chin, "It's not a bad idea. Everything sounds logical. So I think we have to find the biggest river that flows out of this lake. "

Daniel adjusted his glasses and asked, pointing ahead: "Is this branch big enough?"

Ahirata and I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a wide river of lava flowing somewhere far away. Just to clarify how wide it was, the largest sleeping dragons were not even a quarter of its width.

Yes, I think it will do.

We both nodded almost simultaneously and Daniel said, starting to walk quickly: "Well, everything's fine. Come on. "

Taking a deep breath, Ahirata followed him as well, but I couldn't contain my curiosity: "Can't you just teleport us a long way at a time so we can get there faster? "

Daniel laughed loudly and said without turning to me, "When the battle starts, and I'm sure it will, I'll need all the magic I can get. So I don't need any extra expenses. "

It looks like my legs are going to hurt like hell again the next day.

Operation Breakthrough

Oh, my God.

I didn't have much energy for other thoughts. The three of us had been walking along the lava river for hours. A few times I found the strength to ask for a rest. But Daniel and, surprisingly, Ahirata refused. It's really strange, considering that she's still breathing heavily.

By the way, we're not much different in that respect. Sighing heavily, I gathered my strength and looked up. The sun had already started to rise above the horizon. Yes, the walk was really long. And I really want to sleep. Oh.

"Seriously, can we stop for at least an hour? I feel like I'm going to fall right now." I complained, casting a weary glance at Ahirata and Daniel's backs.

"To make a useful rest stop, you need to find food. Do you see any food here? "What is it? "He asked rhetorically without even turning to me.

"Besides, I do not want to stay in the open. " Ahirata went on with a tired sigh. By the way, she didn't turn to me either.

If this goes on, I'm going to collapse from exhaustion. I have to think of something.

I took a deep breath and scanned the area, hoping to find at least one thing that would motivate them to stop. But all I could find were rocks and a river of lava. There aren't even any dragons in this land of dragons!

I sighed in disappointment and rubbed my eyes: "I just have one small question. Do we even have any water? "

I was greeted by the most frightening thing in this situation. Silence and the sound of footsteps. Seriously? Did we bring water? Unfortunately, Ahirata silently confirmed my fears: "I didn't think it through. "

"Catch it. " Daniel said dryly, and the next thing I knew, a steel flask flew right into my face. The next moment it hit my forehead before falling to the ground. It doesn't kill, but it hurts.

Leaning over the flask, I muttered irritably: "First of all, it hurts. And second, you could just hand it over!"

Oh, why am I even trying to talk to him? He doesn't even look. He's just walking forward.

With a snort, I opened the bottle and took a quick sip. The most delicious water of my life. Maybe because it gets hotter by the hour in this stone desert. But even better, the water gave me the energy to remember something.

The torch. That's the name of the current Dragon Lord, judging by the fact that Twilight is still a unicorn. And Ember, the Dragonlord's daughter. What will she give me now? As an answer to my own question, I could only mumble slowly: "I don't know. . ."

And then I suddenly had an epiphany. The Dragon Lord has a staff with a crystal in it. Whoever has the staff is the most important. In the worst case, we can just steal it, make a quick order, and return it. Everything will be peaceful. Only because of my knowledge.

But how am I supposed to tell them? Ahirata will hardly believe that this world is an animated series, and even if he does, he will be shocked. Daniel thinks I'm crazy in general. But I'm going to try anyway.

After taking a quick sip of water from a flask and rubbing my eyes, I found the strength to pick up the pace. After overtaking Ahirata, I caught up with Daniel and said softly, handing him a flask: "Remember how I was talking about the anime and this world?

Daniel glanced at me briefly before grabbing the flask and asking without enthusiasm, "Yes, I remember. Would you like to try again to prove that this knowledge is real? "

Barely suppressing an exasperated groan, I slowly shook my head and replied: "Look, you said yourself that when a person says he can do something, you have to believe him. Or something like that. So give me a chance! "

In response, Daniel turned his head to me and just studied me. In response, I just looked at him as tiredly as I could, for a moment letting the desire to sleep show on the outside. At the end of this duel, Daniel chuckled briefly and said quietly, "Well, state your ideas."

"What are you talking about? Ahirata asked confusedly from behind.

Damn

"Nothing, we're not talking about anything!" I assured her, turning my body halfway around to meet her gaze. And to be honest, lying to the face of an absolutely unblinking dragon is very exhausting. But when she finally nodded slowly, I was able to exhale.

I looked back at Daniel, began to gesticulate uncertainly, and after a few moments found the strength to speak slowly: "I remember from the series that dragons have a staff with a red stone. If the dragon lord doesn't want to talk to us, we can, well, take his staff for a second, give the order for the lava lake and return the staff. "Unfortunately, he just stared at me for a few seconds before asking, "And what's to stop the Dragon Lord from just telling us to get lost and bring the stuff back? "

" I'll tell you! The owner of the staff will become the Dragon Lord. Everyone else will obey him. I replied irritably, barely keeping myself from raising my voice. I guess the lack of sleep has made me a little less restrained.

Daniel just blinked calmly for a few seconds before he said slowly, "If your plan doesn't work, consider that I'm taking back my trust in you on credit. Are you confident enough to risk that?"

You talk about your trust like it's the most valuable thing in the world.

Once again demonstrating the wonders of patience, I simply nodded at Daniel's question. In response, he briefly adjusted his glasses before standing up and saying loudly: "Okay, I think we need to rethink our plan."

"A rest stop?" I asked in surprise, but I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice. As soon as Daniel waved his hand in answer to my question, I immediately collapsed onto my back. It hurt a little, but under these conditions, even stones are the best bed.

"Just don't fall asleep." Daniel grinned and crouched down next to me.

"So. What exactly are we going to think about?" Ahirata asked slowly, hesitantly kneeling down and putting her hands on my lap.

I sat up slightly to start speaking, but Daniel beat me to it: "We need to think about what to do if the Dragon Lord refuses your request."

I swear, if Ahirata could have narrowed her eyes, she would have done so now. For she clenched her clawed paws into fists and said slowly but harshly: "Violence should be the last resort. Absolutely the last."

Daniel shook his head quickly and said calmly: "We have another idea. Steal the Dragonlord's staff or whatever it's called."

Ahirata seemed to calm down a bit, but asked with her head tilted to the side, "And what's the point?"

"As Arthur said, the owner of this staff becomes a Dragon Lord immediately. You take the staff, give the order to return the thing to its place." Daniel replied calmly.

Are you kidding me!? It had to be disguised somehow, I do not know!

While I was mentally expressing my disappointment, Ahirata turned to me and asked with curiosity in her voice, "Art, where did you get this information? I didn't think you'd been here long enough to find out."

Art? Probably not the worst variant of my name. Mentally shaking my head, I tried to think of a quick solution and finally said nervously, "Well, we had a party in the library. And in the end, when there were very few ponies left, I decided to read something. And I found a book about dragons! What a coincidence, can you imagine?"

Ahirata stared at me without moving and, as always, without blinking. Finally, she said with a merry laugh, "Ha, I've never liked books.

"We'll discuss that later," Daniel whispered in a voice that made me shiver. The discussion will clearly not be polite and pleasant.

Suddenly, Daniel cleared his throat loudly and said, "Now that you know about the staff, Ahirata, I can begin to explain my operation.

I'm already scared.

With lightning speed, Daniel pulled his sword from its sheath and twirled it slightly in his hand. How did that happen? I could only pull the sword out slightly with both hands, but he pulled it out completely! Ahem, anyway, Daniel scratched L D A and a on the stone floor. I'm afraid that little a is me.

After taking a short breath, he began to explain slowly, "Now, the idea is this. You, Ahirata, will negotiate with the Dragon Lord, since you look most like a dragon. Meanwhile, Arthur and I will hide somewhere nearby and try to see where the staff is. If the negotiations fail, I will quickly grab you and teleport you to the staff. It's that simple. "

I crossed my arms and asked a little indignantly, "Why is my only job in this regard to hide? Will you take me and let me take the staff? "

"Do you think the Dragon Lord might not be a dragon? " Daniel asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

Um, I'm not sure. This detail was not mentioned in the series.

When I didn't answer, Daniel snapped his fingers and said with a grin, "That's right. We have to maximize the chances of success for this dubious plan. That's why you stay safe, I'll ambush, Ahirata will negotiate. Any other objections?"

Awkwardly rubbing her knees with her hands, Ahirata asked uncertainly, "Can't I negotiate? I'm not very good with words, you know. "

Seizing the opportunity, I raised my hand and said: "I can negotiate! To the best of my knowledge, I will definitely be able to speak respectfully and correctly to the Dragon Lord. "

To my surprise, Daniel laughed a little and asked: "You really want to take every available place in the adventure, don't you? "

"Yes! " I replied with an immediate nod.

Oh, I seem to be a little eccentric when I don't get much sleep.

Daniel held his grin for a few moments before he returned to a serious face and said, looking at his scribbles: "Well, I'm not going to redraw, so we're working on words. Arthur will negotiate, and Ahirata and I will lie in wait and look for the staff. If Arthur can't do it, and he can't. . ."

"Hey!" I interrupted indignantly with a frown.

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued unperturbed: "If Arthur suddenly collapses, I will teleport Ahirata to the staff, she will become a lord and order to do what she wants with the lake. It is advisable to return the staff to its rightful owner at the end, so as not to provoke a conflict and draw too much attention to yourself. "

"Fair enough. " Ahirata said quietly, nodding slightly.

"And just for fun, I'll call it Operation Breakthrough. " Daniel said calmly, as if this was standard procedure.

Well, it looks like everything is planned. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to say to the main dragon myself.

Before I could even begin to think, Daniel straightened up, put the sword back into its sheath and asked: "Ahirata, have you recovered enough to build some kind of tower? I would like to see everything from above."

"The Dragon Lord should be sitting on a huge rock," I said, getting up from the ground very reluctantly. By the way, I can't remember. Was that rock surrounded by lava in the show or not? What if it wasn't and we've been walking along the lava river for nothing?

Ahirata took a deep breath and said with a slight wave of her hand, "Take a step back, both of you.

Before I could process her words, Daniel tugged at my shoulder. Snorting, I took a few steps back on my own and shrugged off his hand with a movement of my shoulder. Fortunately, this time he decided not to cling to me with a death grip.

When we were a few steps away from Ahirata, she took another deep breath and a red aura appeared around her hands. With a quick movement, she placed them on the stone floor. And in the next moment, the earth began to tremble with increasing intensity.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ahirata's feet began to rise into the sky, forming a kind of pillar. This is certainly unusual.

Yes, I am really surprised by every second use of magic. Probably because I can't do anything like that myself.

After a few seconds of watching the stone pillar rise into the sky, I finally decided to focus on a more important issue. What should I say to the Dragon Lord to convince him to turn the lava lake into a normal one? Maybe I should just talk to him very, very politely?

No, I don't think that will work. He'll probably just laugh at your request. Or even get angry because I want to take away the dragons' beloved lava. Maybe he will say something about the lake being cursed? No, that's complete nonsense. Hmm. . .

Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted when the stone pillar began to descend with an unpleasant screech. Soon, it shrank to about my height and Ahirata calmly jumped down. Then she turned to me and said with a tired sigh: "I saw a big rock and a dragon of almost the same size behind the hill. No lava at all.

Uh, yeah, it was awkward.

Daniel shook his head and asked calmly, "Over what hill exactly?"

Ahirata simply raised her hand and pointed to a small hill. If we had continued walking as we had started, it would have been directly to our right. Realizing this, I couldn't help but grit my teeth. I had really messed up with my idea.

Fortunately, Daniel only gave me a quick pat on the shoulder before telling me to hurry up: "Okay, let's go. I don't want to be boiled alive when the sun comes up."

"Yes." Ahirata confirmed, adjusting her wreath slightly before following him. I, on the other hand, just closed the line and started walking without saying a word. Though following Daniel is not very pleasant.

Like, I really have a feeling every second that he's going to take us all somewhere wrong. And anyway, what can you expect from a person who doesn't have YouTube on his phone!?

Shaking my head slightly, I just kept walking, trying to think of a plan. How can I convince the Dragon Lord to at least give up the lava lake? Ideally, he should also help us, but I think this is too high a bar. So we think. . .

Uh, offer the dragon lots and lots of crystals? If I remember the series correctly, they really like to eat crystals here. And I think if Ahirata's abilities are tied to rocks, she could dig up some pieces. So is that maybe a viable option? Oh, I still feel like I have to come up with something better.

Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted when we climbed the hill and I could see my destination. A dragon sat on a huge rock in the distance, periodically releasing clouds of black smoke. Probably asleep.

How am I supposed to wake up such a big thing?

Daniel put a hand on his hip and asked slowly, "Ahirata, we are doing all this because of your wishes. Tell me, do you still want to try to solve everything with words?"

She immediately replied in a firm tone, "Yes, I want to do everything right. "

Sighing nervously, I slowly walked forward and said, "Okay. Just don't leave me if he attacks me, okay? "

" Don't worry, Arthur. If he attacks you, I'll take a good chunk out of him. " Daniel replied before grabbing Ahirata's wrist and walking with her to the side, to the stone.

I do not want to see someone get hacked to pieces. . .

Taking deep breaths, I began to get closer and closer to the giant dragon. Along the way, my mind frantically gathered the available information and invented ideas. Lord Torch. Lava lake. Please drain it in exchange for many precious stones. And if it's not hard, fill it with water. Somehow.

In the end, I got as close to the dragon as I could. The fact is that the rock he was sleeping on and I were separated by a huge trench. From my position, I couldn't see a bridge across it. So we'll have to talk about this.

Stifling a yawn, I asked slowly, "Eh, Dragon Lord?"

There was no answer. Taking a deep breath, I said a little louder, "Lord Torch!"

Again, no reaction. Despite the tension, I took another deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs, "TORCH, GET UP, WE NEED TO TALK!"

Unfortunately or fortunately, the dragon let out a loud groan and began to move.

There is no going back. Pull yourself together, Arthur, come on.

As I tried to regain my confidence, the dragon slowly rose. Finally, he stood up to his full, fantastically impressive height and looked around a bit. After a few tense moments, he lowered his snout and slowly asked in his deep voice: "What kind of dragon are you?

He's so big that he can't see me properly. Swallowing slightly, I replied in a raised tone, "Well, I didn't want to bother you too much, Lord Torch, but my friend has a request. Uh, payment for a huge amount of crystals is attached!"

He just stared at me with his orange eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he said irritably, gritting his teeth: "I won't even listen. I have more than enough crystals. It's insulting that you thought I was in need. "

"But. . ." I tried to object by raising my hand.

"Don't bother me anymore, little dragon. I still need to sleep. " The torch replied by lowering its face slightly, only to let out a puff of smoke. As soon as I started to cough, he moved away, but continued to look at me from above, as if he expected me to leave. The negotiations failed quickly. And I didn't have time to think of a backup option.

After all, I live.

As this thought flashed through my mind, I noticed that my hands were shaking. The rest of my body is also shaking, but not nearly as much as my hands. I don't think I can even move right now. So we can only hope that Ahirata and Daniel were able to see the staff.

When I found the strength to look up, I finally noticed a very tiny red dot on the head of the torch. This meant to me that it was only a crown. But after looking a little closer, I was able to see that the staff itself was there! It is very hard to see against the background of his red crown.

To my delight, there was a tiny blue flash on the head of the torch. Maybe you can't see it from this distance, but I know for sure they saw the staff too! However, the torch seemed to sense my happiness, for it asked irritably, "Are you leaving, annoying dragon?"

I opened my mouth slightly to reply, but was interrupted when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, I saw that it was Daniel, and Ahirata was standing next to him, holding the staff with both hands. Before I could smile, he said, wagging his finger, "No, no, the former Dragon Lord. You must do as she asks. "

Ahirata smiled very slightly and said slowly, "As the new Dragon Lord, I would like to drain a lava lake and fill it with water. "

Win!

Torch, the former Dragon Lord, stared at the three of us dazedly and blinked. Slowly but surely, his eyes narrowed and his claws balled into giant fists. He's obviously angry. He lost his title and there's nothing he can do about it!

Suddenly, he brought his snout as close as possible and said through clenched teeth: "You will return the staff immediately, apologize, and hand over every jewel you have. Otherwise, I'll kill you all. It was long and painful. "

" How can you talk like that to the new Dragon Lord? "I asked indignantly, not backing down. He's just freaking out. But I know how it works from the show.

In response, a bubbling sound came from Torch's mouth and he slowly said, "I see.

The next thing I saw was a big blue ball forming around me. And then the whole view was blocked by fire. He was just trying to burn us down!

B-But I remember everything correctly. The owner of the staff is the dragon Lord. I did everything right!

As the fire continued to beat ineffectually against our shelter, Daniel looked at me and said slowly, as if holding back his emotions: "So, Arthur, your knowledge has proven inadequate."

Immediately after his words, I heard the most unexpected sound. A sob. Then another. And more. Turning to the source, I saw Ahirata trembling, holding a staff in her hands and sobbing. Despite her lack of tears, it was clear that she was ill. Then she said between gasps: "I just wanted to do everything well. To be kind. W-why can't I do that? WHY!?"

I feel like such a bastard. My hand went to her almost instinctively to comfort her, but Daniel beat me to it. He put one hand on Ahirata's shoulder and said quickly, "Hey, hey. Please put this aside for later, for a more appropriate setting. Would you like me to call Rarity when it's over? You seem to have a good relationship with her."

At that, she shivered and said, seeming to calm down a bit: "I know what you want to do. But please, I beg you, don't kill him! I can't stand another victim for the sake of my desires! I-I just can't stand it."

Daniel took a deep breath and reluctantly replied, pulling his sword out of its sheath: "Okay. I'll do my best. "

I feel like such a bastard. We are now in a dome surrounded by fire and the girl who treated my back is crying. I did everything wrong.

After a few seconds of suspense, the fire with the magic shield stopped and then it dissipated. Daniel began to walk forward and said, pointing his sword at the torch: "I suggest another direction. You will fight me. And you will fulfill the girl's wish if you lose."

At that, Torch laughed and asked with a hint of interest: "A little thing like you? Let's say so. What do I get if I win? "

"Absolutely everything. If you want, I'll bring you one of the Equestrian Princesses. I have access to the castle. " Daniel replied and continued to take slow steps forward to the edge of the moat.

Torch smiled toothy and said, raising a fist, "Good. I'll play with you for a while."

This guy, Daniel, is completely insane. How is he going to defeat a dragon whose only eye is bigger than his entire body!?

Instead of answering my question, Torch immediately brought his fist down on Daniel, causing the ground beneath my feet to shake so violently that I collapsed to the ground. Despite some pain, I managed to see how Daniel seemed to dodge the blow and started throwing quick punches at Torch's fist. But what difference does it make if they are even smaller than mosquito bites?

In response to the minimal damage, the dragon raised his other hand and brought it down on Daniel without clenching it into a fist. But in the last second before contact, there was a barely perceptible black flash. It was as if night had fallen around Daniel for a second, within a radius of a few meters. And in that instant, the palm of the torch turned into a mangled, bloody mess that lay on the ground around Daniel. Charred flesh, broken claws, and even the ground smoked.

H-How did he do it? What kind of monster is he!?

Unable to look at such an amount of blood, I turned away and squeezed my eyes shut as soon as I heard the torch's painful scream. Almost immediately, I covered my ears to muffle the sound, but to no avail. He was in great pain.

Suddenly, Daniel's loud and irritated voice rang out: "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

These words seemed to remind Torch that there was a fight going on and silenced him, at least for a moment. Daniel took advantage of this and continued to speak, still in an irritated voice: "While you were feeling sorry for yourself, you have already lost several times. You have nothing but physical data. And I'm sure you haven't earned it through hard work. You're nothing but a disappointment.

A-Are you are provoking him!?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Torch raise his other hand, but Daniel interrupted him with an angry shout: "Don't act like an idiot. Admit defeat and do as they ask. Do you think losing two limbs will prove anything? Yes, you will prove something. YOUR BLUNT STUPIDITY! "

It seemed that Daniel's anger was enough to make the torch retreat. He put his whole hand on what was left of his palm and asked with a hiss, "Which lava lake do you need to fill with water? "

Daniel pointed behind him and said calmly, "There is a lava river behind that hill. Go against the current and you will see the right lake. "

The torch let out some fire through its nostrils before lowering its muzzle almost directly at Daniel and saying with suppressed anger, "So that I never see you and your friends again. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Daniel just nodded and turned to face Ahirata and me. Despite my attempts to turn away, my eyes couldn't help but stare at him. The blade of the sword was almost completely soaked in blood, and there were traces of blood and small pieces of flesh on Daniel's body itself. But despite all this, his gaze was completely blank.

The monster. Whatever he did at that moment, it was absolutely monstrous. I... I can't describe the extent of my fear.

Ahirata's sobs subsided slightly, but not completely, as she said in a trembling voice: "You are incredibly cruel, Daniel. Monstrously cruel. But, th-thanks for helping."

Unfortunately or fortunately, I couldn't find the words to respond. I could only force myself to finally get up from the floor and look away somewhere.

My ears caught the sound of footsteps, followed by a yawn and Daniel's words: "Okay, let's go back to the platform. I don't know about you, but I'm planning on sleeping while we sail back to Tartarus."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again. " I murmured quietly, not daring to look at Daniel again.

You see, I'm, well, afraid of blood. A little bit. Just a little bit.

My thoughts were interrupted for a moment when Ahirata carefully placed the staff on the ground and opened her mouth to say something. But she froze, her gaze piercing me as soon as she realized what I was looking at. Obviously, she didn't like the outcome of my idea.

But in the end, she turned away and said in a restrained voice, "I am truly sorry, Dragon Lord. I promise I won't bother you anymore with my presence."

I nodded slightly, not daring to look at the torch, and turned away. As soon as my eyes discovered that Daniel was already a dozen steps away, I looked away and quickly began to catch up with him.

Yes, I'm afraid to be around him. After all, he turned the palm of a giant dragon into a bloody mess in an instant. Who knows what else this guy can do with such an ability!?

But I still have to follow him. At least for the next few hours. Oh, just don't look at him. Just don't think about what he can do in less than the blink of an eye. Just get away from it, Arthur.

"So, Arthur, let me summarize the results." Daniel said slowly, making me tense up for a moment.

He paused for a moment before he said with a click of his tongue: "As you probably understand yourself, your conviction that this world is represented in the cartoon series is counterproductive in the adventure. So if you want adventures in a new world, look for them yourself."

"I would also like to point out that I suspect you of lying. In my value system, you'd be better off raping someone instead. " Daniel said coldly. What are you offering me? To tell someone from this world directly that this is all an animated series!?

"Any questions? " Daniel asked, and I swear it seemed to me that he turned his head in my direction.

I tried my best not to look at him and said slowly, "I'll prove to you that I'm right. "

"And how?" Daniel asked calmly.

For a moment, a lump formed in my throat. Really, how am I going to prove it to him? Why do I want to prove so badly that everything here was in the cartoon?

What if I hit my head really hard and my little pony doesn't exist?

No, everything exists. I know it. I remember every second with my sister when we watched the show. And I want to prove it because I'm right and these memories are real! And also. . .

I want to break this guy's confidence. I clenched my hands into fists and whispered determinedly: "I will become stronger. Thanks to the cartoon, I will find out where, when and how the next villain will attack. And I will defeat him before you even know of the threat!"

Daniel was silent for a while before he happily said, "Good. I'll check on your progress. Do I need to recommend any teachers to you? "

"No! I will achieve everything myself. I don't need you, you conceited idiot. You're not even half as important as you think you are. " I replied harshly.

"Excellent, Arthur. Excellent. " Daniel said with a satisfied sigh.

I won't tolerate your attitude anymore.

It got hotter

Darkness, hot steam all around, and goose bumps. This is the first thing I felt when I regained consciousness. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw a horrible scene in front of me.

The wooden houses of Ponyville were burning around me, and the ground beneath my feet was smoking and even slightly reddened from the spears. But the worst was yet to come. In front of the town hall, the bodies of ponies, dragons, and even humans lay scattered, pierced, and torn. And on the steps of the town hall stood the hero of the day. Daniel.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me, smiling as big as he could. I stumbled slightly and tried to take a step back. But to end the situation, Daniel grabbed my wrist. And his grip got stronger and stronger. Suddenly there was a small click. And more. And many more.

"Come on, come on. Here you can use your flamethrowers in peace and get refueled for only ten bits an hour!" Daniel's voice sounded completely inappropriate for the situation. What?

Almost instinctively, my body straightened and my hand was lightly on my chest, trying to calm my accelerated breathing. After a few moments, I was finally able to calm down and look around. I'm in my bed, in my room, in my house. In the world of the cartoon.

It was all just a nightmare.

"A discount? No, young man, I'm selling at a loss to myself. Perhaps you would like to sell your flamethrower to take a rented one and burn firewood for relaxation? Of course, the price will go up to fifteen bits, but do you have any other options?" Daniel's voice replied from the street. What's going on over there?

I threw off the blanket, stood up with difficulty and went to the window, trying to ignore the pain in my legs. There I saw how many trees near my house had been felled and were lying on the ground. The damage was really big, the trees were just left somewhere in the distance. Maybe a hundred feet. And in front of this graveyard of vegetation was a sign, Daniel, and a huge line of ponies.

"What the hell?" I muttered, trying to process everything I was seeing. Maybe I'm still dreaming.

I don't think I have a dream inside a dream. But if this is reality, then how could he cut down so many trees while I was just sleeping!? It's not that long!

Frowning in thought, I stood for a few more seconds, trying to come up with an explanation. But my newly awakened mind couldn't come up with anything.

While I couldn't think of anything, my eyes continued to follow what was happening outside the window. A small pony approached one of the felled trees with a cheerful gait. Then she pointed a hoof at it, which was attached to a flamethrower that Daniel had shown me earlier. The next thing I knew, part of the trunk was engulfed in flames.

"If this activity continues, it will stink like hell near my house." It slipped from my lips as my slowly waking mind finally caught up with the situation. And the next thing I knew, I was gritting my teeth.

I've only shown my displeasure to Daniel once, and that's what he's doing? Wants to poison the air around my house!?

"We have to do something about it. And fast." I said before taking off and walking briskly to the exit. Unfortunately or fortunately, yesterday I was too exhausted to change my clothes and limited myself to taking off my shoes. But now there's no need to waste time getting dressed.

As I walked through the living room, my gaze was momentarily diverted by the phone lying on the couch. We have to get it to Twilight. Daniel mentioned something about a way to charge it. But that doesn't make him a good guy.

Shaking my head, I quickly grabbed the phone and followed the same pace to the missing front door. Yes, Daniel said he would restore it as soon as the new tank was tested. We passed the test and I don't have a door.

Another reason not to back down.

Nodding to myself, I crossed the threshold of the house and turned back to where Daniel's voice came from. From my new mono position it was a little easier to estimate the length of the queue. Astonishingly long, to put it mildly. I can't believe that ponies actually used flamethrowers as anti-stress toys.

Sighing, I began to take slow steps towards Daniel, trying to collect my thoughts on the way. Unfortunately, the initial burst of energy that had allowed me to get here so quickly was almost gone. Well, what do they say in personal growth training? Overcome yourself? I need to do something like that.

When Daniel and I were about a dozen feet apart, he finally noticed me and said loudly: "I have to take a short break to speak with an important guest. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but those of you who have not yet paid for your presence in the zone, please step aside. Don't forget your place in line!"

Strange. I thought he would specifically speak next to a crowd of people to get support from customers. Although Daniel is still a jerk.

Eventually I got so close to him that we were only a few feet apart. Daniel leaned his hand on the sign and asked with a grin: "Good day, Arthur. You were really tired last night, weren't you?

I shook my head and asked with barely suppressed irritation: "What are you doing here?"

Daniel glanced at the ponies, who were slowly burning logs. Then he came back to me and said with a satisfied sigh: "I'm doing slash-and-burn. Uhh, that smell of burning. All the free trees are just overflowing with all kinds of useful things. I don't even have to wait for the rain."

For a moment, I was taken aback by his words. Slash-and-burn agriculture? What is that? I quickly shook my head and asked a much more important question: "But why are you doing it right next to MY house? You know I don't like the smell of burning!"

Daniel blinked slowly and said calmly: "This place is the most convenient. The slope is not too crooked for the ponies to get here safely. High concentration of trees per square meter. "

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, but that didn't stop Daniel from snapping his fingers and saying, "And by the way, it's to your advantage. With so many ponies around you, you can just yell and someone will definitely want to buy a painting from you."

Uh, does that actually sound quite nice? No, he just wants to distract me.

Crossing my arms, I said calmly, "It's very cool, but what's the point if there's a hell of a smell from burning wood next to my house?"

Daniel looked up as if asking heaven itself. But as soon as I raised an eyebrow, he asked, resting his head on his fist: "Why should I, all the customers, and the factory that makes flamethrowers be interested in your opinion?"

I opened my eyes in shock to hear such contempt from him. Slowly, the feeling of bewilderment turned to irritation and then to anger. But before I could express it, Daniel continued, "Well, look. As an entrepreneur, I and the plant are interested in maximizing profits. And the customers are, well, the customers are interested in an affordable place to buy services. So do you want all three sides to make their lives worse just for you?"

Well, no, it's kind of selfish . . .

Suddenly he brought his face close to mine, almost touching our foreheads, and asked slowly, "When you go into a dream, you inevitably break or just disturb someone else's dream. What is your dream, Arthur? And how many strangers are you willing to break for your own?"

I pulled away from him and asked confusedly, "What is this all about? The problem is that I don't want to suffocate from burning logs near my house! "

Daniel shrugged and said, returning his hand to the sign, "I wanted to have a moment of philosophy. You don't have to get used to it. I plan to go to Celestia today and tell her that I will no longer be your big brother watching over you.

At least some good news. But I really must think of something to stop this event. Before too many ponies get here.

After only a second of silence, a mischievous smile played on my lips, followed by soft words: "If you don't stop this, I'm going to tell everyone about your fear."

"Okay, tell me." Daniel replied, holding out his hand with a raised finger. Yes, I didn't fully appreciate his self-confidence. Damn.

Taking advantage of my delay, Daniel sat down on the shield and asked: "By the way, how is your path to the goal going? Have you become strong enough to defeat the next villain that appears?"

So Chrysalis won here. But Twilight is still a unicorn. So I think I'm somewhere between the second and third season right now. King Sombra is next.

Nodding slightly to myself, I said with crossed arms: "Unlike you, I know roughly where, when, and which villain will appear. I don't have to become super strong to show you that you are not the king of life.

Daniel sighed with satisfaction and just stared at me for a while. But suddenly he looked away and said, raising his hand, "Oh, hello, Rarity."

Raising an eyebrow, I followed his gaze and saw the aforementioned unicorn approaching us. She was wearing a black hat with a red ribbon on her head. She seemed to be trying to ignore me as she just walked up to Daniel and said slowly, "Hello, Daniel. Mm, Ahirata asked me to tell you that she is grateful that you invited me to talk to her.

Exactly. The failure of my plan really upset her a lot. How will I talk to her when she completes the treatment of my back? And what if she just decides not to do it. . .

While I looked down shyly, Daniel asked with a subtle note of curiosity in his voice, "How is she?"

Rarity mumbled aloud before slowly saying, "She's, uh, not feeling very well. She said she doesn't want to do anything anymore."

"So that her wish doesn't hurt others, more. Hmm." Daniel said thoughtfully.

"How much longer? I really want to burn some logs!" A stallion asked from the side. Indeed. Why would Daniel need a sign if he was only selling with his full participation?

Unable to contain my curiosity, I quickly asked, "Really, why can't you just stand aside while customers throw gold into a bag? You even have a bag for that. "

With a quick movement of his foot, Daniel pushed aside the bag containing a large amount of gold coins. Then, leaning slightly toward me, he said, "I don't trust them. One hundred percent, some will want to save money."

Ugh.

Sighing, I asked with irritation in my voice, "Okay, I'll deal with you later. Can you at least tell me how to apologize to Ahirata?"

"Are you the reason for her bad mood?" Rarity asked, looking at me in surprise. Oh. I hope this doesn't ruin my relationship with the main ponies. Things are not going very well.

Daniel waved his hand slightly at Rarity, as if to order her not to interfere. Right after that, he said with a snort, "She likes animals and plants. Shall I go to Tartarus and call her?"

For a moment, I was taken aback by such an offer. I kind of challenged him yesterday, insulted him and all that. And he's just offering to help. Finally, I asked with narrowed eyes: "You're not doing this for nothing, are you?"

Daniel grinned and said, jumping down from the sign: "Serve the customers. Just stand next to the sign and make sure everyone leaves ten bits. If they ask about renting the flamethrowers themselves, tell them they are not available right now. I carry these things with me. "

Is this guy serious? He is well aware that his 'business' is making the air around my house disappear due to smoke. And now he's offering to help me with this!?

But my comfort can be put aside for a moment when it comes to apologizing to Ahirata. And as a little bonus, I can try to convince her to teach me magic. At least she can teach me how to move stones. Magically.

Sighing, I said reluctantly, "Okay. But try to hold her back, okay? So that I have at least a few minutes between selling and finding a gift to compensate. "

Daniel just smiled and walked with an almost bouncing gait towards the distant trees that had not yet been cut down. With a snort, I stood next to the sign and looked at it briefly before saying out loud: "That's it, you can give the money back! Ten bits an hour for burning trees. "

Almost instantly, the ponies rushed to the open sack of gold and began to pass by in a rapid stream. Need I say that my eyes simply did not have time to see the pony, let alone notice the coins?

Well, I'll just take it on faith that all the ponies who bought flamethrowers and decided to burn logs for money are good people. It would be even better if. . .

Suddenly, I coughed violently as the smoke from the burning logs blew toward me. A quick movement of his hands dispelled some of it, but the sensation was still not very cool. Rarity wrinkled her nose slightly and said, "Well, I think I'll get out of here. And you, Arthur, try not to offend anyone else, okay? "

"Yes. " I replied with a hint of shame in my voice. As soon as she started to leave, my brain started to figure out what to do. Well, Ahirata loves plants and animals, right? You could tell from her clothes. Ahem, and she also wants to turn Tartarus into a garden.

And then I noticed something. A lot of acorns lying on the ground. It seems that when Daniel was cutting down trees extremely fast, he didn't care about such little things.

If I remember correctly, you can somehow grow a tree from an acorn. I think Ahirata will be glad enough to help with the landscaping of Tartarus. As strange as it may sound.

Nodding slightly to myself, I walked away from the sign and started to walk past the ponies to gather acorns. Of course, I was hampered by the smoke from the burning logs. I won't say more, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger!

"How can anyone find anything relaxing about that?" I asked, covering my mouth with my hand to at least slightly reduce the risk of poisoning from all the smoke. The ponies around didn't seem to notice and just kept on burning logs. Unfortunately, their flamethrowers weren't powerful enough to burn a log with just one shot. No, it will smolder slowly and painfully for me.

When I picked up another acorn with my free hand, I realized that I couldn't fit any more. But I don't think four will be enough to make it up to Ahirata. After taking a deep breath, I moved my other hand away from my face to pick up a few more acorns.

I hope Ahirata really appreciates it. Although, if I were in her place, I would hardly forgive just for a few acorns.

Fighting the urge to catch my breath, I grabbed the last acorn that would fit in my hand and began to take quick steps away from the endless smoke. Along the way, I occasionally encountered ponies that seemed to keep coming back to the flamethrower field. But surprisingly, none of them started to argue with me. How polite they are.

Finally, I broke out of the cloud of smoke and took a deep breath. After a few moments of savoring my victory, I looked down at the acorns in my hands. Only ten of them. Yes, it's such an impressive result that I don't want to tell others what this 'feat' looks like.

I snorted and looked around. Of course, acorns are good, especially if you're a squirrel. But what should I do now? It doesn't look like Ahirata will be coming anytime soon.

I could go to the Twilight Library and get some books. But first you have to put the acorns somewhere. I don't want to look like an overgrown squirrel.

With a short laugh, I walked up to the house and discovered a small problem. Smoke from the many logs is pouring into the house through my missing front door. I can't even open the windows to ventilate the room, because more smoke will come in!

"Fuck you, Daniel." I muttered irritably before carefully placing the acorns on the nightstand in the hallway. After making sure nothing was rolling around on the floor, I nodded slightly and hurried back outside.

Only to see Ahirata and Daniel come out of the forest. Meanwhile, I'm standing on the doorstep of the house. I clearly don't look like someone who is doing Daniel's bidding. The situation is definitely there.

On the one hand, I really dislike this guy. On the other hand, I've been lying a lot lately.

Awkwardly rubbing my hands, I dared to look up to meet Ahirata's eyes. And I was greeted by an absolutely devastated expression. I would have felt better if she had gritted her teeth and growled. But no, she just looks empty.

The tense silence was broken by Daniel when he took a deep breath and said, "Well, it looks like everyone is already burning logs. And I'm pretty sure you weren't watching, Arthur. "

Before I could think of a normal answer, Daniel walked over to the bag, from which a decent pile of gold was sticking out. Smiling, he turned to the pony and asked, "Any of you want to relax with the flamethrowers for another hour? "

"Yes! " Several ponies replied in unison. Seriously? Why do they like burning logs so much?

Daniel sat down on the sign again and said, waving his hand in my direction: "Well, then I'll be here for a long time. Ahirata, can you come to Arthur's house? He wants to talk to you about something. "

I could have drawn attention to myself, thank you.

Taking a deep breath to gather my strength, I grabbed the acorns I had collected and retreated a few steps deeper into the house. Then I clasped my hands so that Ahirata couldn't see what I was holding. The most important thing now is to try not to think about the absurdity of the whole situation. Yesterday, I offered to steal the staff from the Dragon Lord, but the situation did not go according to plan and some guy turned his palm into a bloody mess in an instant.

As soon as I was startled by this memory, Ahirata appeared on the threshold. However, she didn't say anything and didn't move forward. I have to start a dialog. I don't really like that.

Clearing my throat slightly, I said slowly, "Uh, hello."

"Hello, Arthur," Ahirata replied distantly. Hooray, she remembered my name.

But obviously in a negative way.

Very quickly, I couldn't help but say, bowing my head slightly: "I'm sorry it happened that way. With the dragon lord."

"It's okay. I had to curb my ambitions long ago. It's just another memory. Ahirata answered with a heavy sigh. Do I have to tell you that this doesn't look like the truth?

Extremely unsure, I held out my hands, looked away and said, "Uh, I heard that you want to turn Tartarus into a garden. If I remember my biology class correctly, you can use these things to grow trees down there. Well, I guess so."

I was met with absolute silence. Ahirata didn't react at all. But suddenly, I felt a cold touch on my hands. My gaze shifted to her to see an interesting image. She held my hands tightly in her clawed hands and looked at the collected acorns. She even opened her mouth slightly.

Like it was some kind of treasure. Is that kind of reaction even a little bit cute?

In the end, Ahirata carefully took the acorns from me and said gratefully, "Thank you. For reminding me. After all, I try to give the smallest creatures a good place to live."

I smiled back at her slightly and said, scratching the back of my head, "Uh, nothing special. I just really wanted to apologize for yesterday. "

"No, no, it's okay. It's just, well, I take my second chance more seriously than Daniel does, you know? It makes me a bit of a perfectionist, I guess. "Ahirata replied with a shake of her head, but a smile formed on her face anyway. A little creepy because of the fangs, but still a smile.

Now, the part where I feel arrogant and insensitive.

Finally, I dared to ask slowly, "By the way, what about the final cure for my back?"

"Oh, I completely forgot! Give me a second." Ahirata said before carefully placing the acorns on the bedside table. Then she raised her hands and a red glow formed around them.

Judging by the fact that she didn't move after that, my permission was needed. I nodded slightly and the next moment, Ahirata placed both hands on my chest. A wave of trembling ran through my body. Compared to the first time, the pain was absolutely insignificant.

However, an unfamiliar feeling soon appeared. It was as if my whole body had become a red-hot coal from the inside. But the pain in my brain was especially severe. I put my head in my hands and groaned from the new kind of pain, but Ahirata said in a soothing voice, "It's okay. It's just that your soul is finally in the right place and beginning to connect with the nervous and circulatory systems. "

I don't feel like this is 'okay' at all!

"Did Daniel have that too? Please say yes." I asked with a painful groan.

"I'm afraid I don't have that kind of knowledge. Sorry. Ahirata replied, taking me gently by the shoulders and sitting me down on something. Most likely the night table in the hallway. Wow, it's the main character today. First there were acorns on it, then there were acorns on it again, and now I'm sitting.

Despite the pain, I couldn't help but smile a little. It seemed that this little charge of positivity allowed me to gather the strength to ask: "Ahirata, can I, oh, ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Can you teach me magic?" I said quickly. By the way, the pain is slowly fading away. Now I can at least concentrate a little on what is going on around me.

It's absolutely horrible anyway. Why does everything in this version of Equestria work through pain? What have I done to deserve this?

Unfortunately, no one interrupted my thoughts. Ahirata was silent and thought very carefully about her answer. It was only when I was able to gather the strength to concentrate on her that she finally answered: "You see, Arthur, I don't remember the runes very well. I simply don't need them. To me, the eyes are like the horn of a unicorn. "

I lowered my head slightly, but she replied with a strained smile, "But I can help you master the control of magic. And you can borrow some old books with runes to study on your own. Even Twilight didn't take them. For now. "

When the burning sensation faded into the background, I said, unable to contain my excitement: "Great! When do we start? "

Ahirata smiled slightly at my reaction and said, carefully taking the acorns: "You need some time for the soul to merge with the family of your body. Come back tomorrow. Take food and water if you wish. I don't mind teaching you for a whole day. "

Wow. Just wow.

"I thought you were offended by me. I said, scratching my head.

Ahirata sighed and said, looking away, "You certainly made a serious mistake yesterday, Arthur. But I think the main problem lies with me. I get too attached to goals that I can't even explain to myself. "

She always seems to blame herself for everything. That doesn't sound like a good character trait to live with. Before I could sympathize, Ahirata took a few steps back and said: "Well, I'm going to Tartarus, okay? Come back tomorrow. "

Of course, I don't want to go through seven thousand steps, but it doesn't look like I have many options.

Sighing, I took a few steps out of the house and took a quick look at the flamethrower site. There was already a very large crowd of ponies and an equally large cloud of smoke. Now it's going to be really awkward to disperse them all.

"Well, then I'll try to run. And it is possible to ask the main characters of the series if they need paintings. The money is running out." I muttered to myself before hesitantly starting to jog. And as soon as I started to move, a thought popped into my head.

I will avenge today's incident, Daniel. Somehow.

Author's Note

Hi! Unfortunately, I have to report that the release of chapters will slow down due to college and my desire to take a little break from this story. So it is unlikely that a new chapter will be released in the next week or two.

However, I would really appreciate it if you, the readers, would write a critique of the story so that I know what to improve in future chapters.

With that I say goodbye. Have a nice day!

The race between development and threat

Oh, another failed attempt. What's the score? Fifty-sixth? I've already lost count, to be honest.

I sighed in disappointment and shook my head slightly. I have tried to make this one rune so many times that I have managed to eat a little, get tired, sleep, and try again. Even Ahirata has gone somewhere. I'm already starting to feel like I shouldn't have decided to develop magic.

"Come on, Arthur, everything will work out. " I encouraged myself before taking a deep breath and starting to think. Am I doing something wrong? I can't be completely incompetent, can I? And Ahirata said that it was a very simple rune.

Suddenly, a lonely idea flashed through my mind. What if you had to release magic from several places at once? Like releasing a line from each finger and weaving them into the circles and symbols needed for the rune.

It sounds just fine. I'm so smart after all.

"Excellent. " I murmured with a smug smile before starting to implement my idea. I stretched out both hands and closed my eyes to mentally command the magic to move. With a slight frown, I managed to make the magic branch out into ten streams and move towards my hands. When they reached my fingers, I opened my eyes to better follow the progress of the process.

I blinked and started to connect all ten green magic streams. Surprisingly, it worked quite easily, and as soon as the inner spikes of the outer circle were finished, I moved on. Lines of magic flowed out of the spikes and began to form a central circle without any symbols. As I understand it, this is only necessary to stabilize the magic in my rune. No effects.

Ahem, I almost got distracted and broke the rune! I took a deep breath and directed the green magic lines to the final stage, which I had never reached before. The symbol in the middle. At that moment, goosebumps ran down my skin and began to crawl over my body, and the structure I had already built began to waver. However, the magic was still able to form into a plus sign. Right in my hands, there was a bright glowing green rune. I could do it.

But how do I activate it?

Realizing my ignorance, I exclaimed nervously: "Ahirata, I was able to make a rune! What's next?"

Silence. At the moment of my small triumph, only silence answered me. As if to complete my mood, the rune began to swing even more from side to side. I sighed in disappointment, realizing that I couldn't hold it, and just relaxed. No, I don't want to cry. Well, maybe a little.

However, my eyes fell to the ground and I noticed a strange detail. The bright green light had not yet disappeared. Looking up, I saw that my rune was still in the air, even though I had stopped controlling magic. But no sooner had the questions left my lips than it disappeared in a flash.

But I feel better. It's like I've never walked seven thousand steps.

For a while, I was just trying to figure out the whole situation. I used magic. Very simple magic, and I put an absurd amount of effort into it. But the main thing is that I used magic. Without any intention, my hand went up and I solemnly said, "YES!"

For a few moments, I just sat there, enjoying my triumph. But in the end, I lowered my hand and muttered as I stood up: "Well, this is no longer funny. Where is Ahirata?"

Stepping out of the door of the red pillow room, I looked around. Hmm, an infinitely long staircase up and a slightly shorter staircase down. What should I choose?

Snorting at my attempt at a joke, I leaned over the edge of the stairs to look down. And I wasn't wrong, because somewhere below I saw a green figure. Bingo.

But, what is Ahirata doing there anyway?

Confused, I started walking down the stairs, which felt extremely easy after my spell. When the distance between me and Ahirata was a little more suitable for conversation, I asked, "Hey, why are you here?"

Silence. Is the distance still too great? Despite my growing embarrassment, I walked further down the stairs and said with raised hands: "By the way, I made my first rune! I still can't believe it, to be honest."

Silence again. Well, this is weird. Frowning, I continued down the stairs and soon reached the end. Cautiously reaching out to Ahirata, who was standing at the threshold of her palace, I touched her shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Suddenly, she jerked her shoulder away and inhaled sharply before turning to me. Slightly taken aback by this reaction, I stepped back and raised both hands in surrender. Ahirata sighed after a few moments and said apologetically: "I am sorry. It's just that I was staring at the view, a little. "

Staring at what?

My gaze shifted for a moment to what was behind Ahirata. And I saw the water. The place, which, I remind you, is called Tartarus, now had many streams through which water flowed. To be honest, it's a bit fascinating.

Shaking my head quickly, I said with my hands down: "Uh, yes, apology accepted. I understand why you were staring at the view. You don't see a dried-up underground place filled with so much water every day. "

Ahirata smiled slightly and nodded at me before returning his attention to the view. However, I couldn't help but ask, rubbing my hands lightly, "By the way, are you planning to do something about the local cold? While I was busy studying, I didn't pay attention to it, but Tartarus really isn't a very warm place. "

"Mmm. " She muttered aloud, not looking up from the view. I'm not sure if that counts as ignoring or not.

I shouldn't spoil my relationship with her either. So far, she is the only person I know who is not a canonical character.

I nodded slightly to myself, and as if in response, Ahirata said after a few moments: "I could try to keep small streams of lava under water. But it will take a lot of effort. And I'm not sure if there are any suitable lava lakes around Tartarus."

"I see. " I replied slowly and decided to look at the views of Tartarus with Ahirata. But my mind immediately turned to more important things. What is happening on the surface? How polluted is the air around my house? Or has Daniel found a new way to annoy me?

I took a deep breath and asked Ahirata, "Um, can you explain something to me? About Daniel?"

She looked at me and replied kindly, scratching her cheek lightly: "Well, we're not super close friends. But I might know something. What are you interested in? "

I closed my eyes for a moment to collect my thoughts and finally asked: "Do you remember when he fought the Dragon Lord? How he, for the life of me, destroyed his palm?"

"Oh, that's what you mean." Ahirata said slowly and turned away slightly.

I really need to find out what it was.

Ahirata adjusted the wreath on her head before answering uncertainly, "He doesn't talk about it much. Probably for reasons of secrecy. But as far as I know, Daniel gathers natural magic around him and fills it with his own. Because of the severity of the technique, he can only keep it stable for a moment. But in that moment, the natural magic, charged with Daniel's magic, becomes an absolute defense. "

"Only for a moment. " I said, looking far away at the rivers flowing through Tartarus. Absolute protection, damn it. Judging by what's left of the Dragon Lord's paw, it would be more accurate to call it a parry. Or an absolute attack. Anyway, another reason to stay away from Daniel.

Rubbing my frozen hands, I asked, deciding to change the subject: "So, I made my first rune! What's next on the plan?"

"Well, I think we can move on to. . ." Ahirata started, but suddenly stopped. Then she turned her head to the side, as if she had discovered something much more important than me. My eyebrows raised in embarrassment, my gaze followed hers and found almost nothing.

Is there a chance that my eyesight has deteriorated but I haven't noticed it for a long time?

I don't want to think about it. Sighing, I asked with a hint of embarrassment in my voice, "Ahirata, what are you looking at?"

In response, she slowly raised her claw to point up, and after a few moments, she replied with her own embarrassment, "There are roots. I am sure they are not meant to go so deep as to reach Tartarus. "

I looked again where she was pointing, but still did not notice anything sticking out of the conditional ceiling of Tartarus. I quickly looked at Ahirata in case she was joking. Judging by her face, she was serious. Looking up again, I frowned and tried to think of something.

Tartarus is under the Everfree Forest, right? This is absolute nonsense, of course, but what if the seeds that Discord planted decided to grow now and not at the beginning of the fourth season? What if Daniel's burning of the trees had somehow provoked them?

I think the only explanation for why this is happening is Daniel's antics. Like, he awakened the seeds at the cost of danger. They're probably magical or something.

We still have to check it out. Besides, it's really cold in here. Exhaling, I quickly asked, "Uh, can you give me some books about runes and stuff? It seems like I need to get to the surface to at least get a little warm. "

Ahirata nodded quickly and said: "Okay, I'll take you home. I don't like these strange roots. And you're my responsibility now. "

Frowning, I said with a hint of irritation in my voice: "I don't..."

". . . A child. "I finished, but at that moment, Ahirata had already teleported away from me with a red flash. Yes, it's unpleasant. On the other hand, I have no right to complain. After all, she's teaching me magic.

As soon as I let out a reluctant sigh, another red flash appeared in front of me and in the blink of an eye, Ahirata appeared in front of me. She held my backpack in both hands and patiently handed it to me.

Is it just me or has it gotten bigger?

I grabbed the backpack with my hand and immediately let out a shocked breath. It's gotten much, MUCH heavier. Ahirata smiled apologetically and said, covering part of her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry. I decided to take all the books with runes that I found. Well, so you don't have to come back to me too often."

"It's not that I'm against your company! I just know that you don't like to walk up the many stairs of Tartarus. " She quickly corrected herself.

With a heavy sigh, I hung my backpack on my back and said with a slight wave of my hand, "It's okay. But it seems to me that you are really worrying too much about nothing. "

"Probably. "Ahirata replied, forcing a small smile. After that, there were no more words. Not from her, not from me. The only thing that diluted the awkward silence was the flow of the newly formed rivers in Tartarus.

So, who's going to speak now?

After a few seconds of growing awkwardness, I rubbed the back of my head and asked, "Shall we continue?"

Ahirata nodded quickly and asked with a polite smile: "Shall we take the stairs, or shall I teleport you closer to the exit? I guess you're not used to teleportation yet, so I'm asking. "

Almost immediately, I set my priorities and answered: "Anything is better than climbing seven thousand steps. Anything. "

She just nodded and her eyes lit up with a bright red aura. For a while it didn't go much further than her eyes, but suddenly it began to expand rapidly. Almost instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut, but that did not save me from the next moment of severe dizziness and trembling all over my body.

I'm not sure you can get used to it at all.

After a few seconds, I finally dared to open my eyes and saw the familiar corridors with glowing crystals in front of me. And to my right, I could hear a chilling snore. Cerberus. Yes, I'm still afraid to walk next to him.

Ahirata tapped me lightly on the shoulder and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath and answered in a whisper: "Yes. But why did you have to teleport here? Right next to this? "

She quickly followed my gaze, which was focused on Cerberus. Then she grinned and said, "Well, for one thing, he's asleep now. And secondly, I was afraid that teleporting further would be difficult for you. So I decided to stay here."

It seems to me that one day I will have to point out to her that I am not a child.

Stifling a snort, I adjusted my heavy pack and asked for a bit of a hurry: "Can we just go? I really don't like this dog."

Ahirata shrugged and said as she walked past me: "I was going to give him something to eat, but I guess that can wait till later. After all, Cerberus has somehow managed without me for centuries. "

My eyebrow arched in curiosity as I began to follow her, and the question came out of my mouth: "What do you mean, centuries without you? "

Almost immediately, Ahirata replied in a dejected tone, "I, uh, lived longer than I should have. Much longer. And, well, Cerberus was created by me. A long time ago. If I remember correctly. "

I blinked a few times in embarrassment before asking a seemingly too simple question: "How old are you? "

She let out a heavy sigh and said, looking straight ahead, "I have no idea. It's been too long to remember. "

Wow. Like, it was probably on the surface most of the time. But still. Wow.

As more questions began to form in my mind, my eyes noticed the natural light coming from the front. However, there was something strange about it. It's like it's darker than usual. But maybe it's just evening now? After all, I had no way of knowing the time down there.

"Wait, I have a phone." I muttered before reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone. Ninety-two percent. On the one hand, it's good that I forgot about it. I was completely focused on the runes. And on the other hand, damn, at least I could look at the time! Why else would I set my watch to local time when I was in Ponyville?

Shaking my head in disappointment, I looked at the time. Ten o'clock in the morning. Frowning, I looked at Ahirata and said with a slight smile: "I thought you would react somehow to modern technology?"

"Huh? Well, I'm sorry. I don't like technology at all. An old habit. " She said with an awkward smile as she continued walking forward.

Heh.

In the end, I put the phone back in my pocket and the two of us walked through the gates of Tartarus. And on the street I found a landscape that had changed significantly. More roots were sticking out of the ground and the trees seemed to be growing taller. Or are there more of them? Or are both options even true?

"You can see that something has changed too, right?" I asked nervously, leaning into Ahirata's ear. Not very easy, considering she's a head taller than me.

"Yes. Any idea what it is? " She answered slowly, looking cautiously at the trees in front of us.

Despite the relatively simple question, I thought hard. Last time I showed that relying on knowledge of the series is very risky. Basically, I can use it for chronology. But judging by what is happening now, the chronology is completely broken!

But you can't just take a step back. I just want to prove my point. I want to, and that's it.

After a very long silence, I finally said: "I have an idea how to solve this. But I need to see Mane Six."

"The sixth mane?" Ahirata asked, confused. Oh, oh!

"I meant the heroes of Equestria. Twilight and her friends, you know?" I quickly corrected myself.

Despite my correction, she studied me for a while, as usual without blinking. But in the end, she nodded slowly and said wearily, "Okay. I'll take you to Ponyville. Just, well, try not to let the last time happen again, okay?"

I promise. I'm not going to make plans based on knowledge of the series. Just chronologies, suggestions and be sure to get an exhaustive source.

"Yes, let's go. " I said quickly, nodding decisively. Ahirata stared at me for a few moments, as if to make sure, but eventually she walked forward through the endless trees.

I put my backpack back on my shoulders and followed her, trying not to trip over the many roots along the way. But with each step, it was less up to me and more up to my luck. Finally, it was getting really dark in the forest. And significantly so.

Suddenly I heard a click behind me. It was as if something had snapped. Startled, I quickened my pace to get as close to Ahirata as possible and asked nervously, "Did you hear that? A kind of click. Like a branch snapping or something."

"Hmm?" - She mumbled, turning her head towards me - "I didn't hear anything. "

Am I losing my mind already? Have I cast the first spell of my life and am I already turning into a mad wizard?

Then at least give me a cool suit, a castle or something. To match the picture.

Despite my joke, I couldn't even manage a grin. Each step through the dark forest seemed more and more tense. Especially since there was nothing alive except Ahirata and me. Usually, there are at least birds in the forest, right? Well, they're not here.

Suddenly, I heard a kind of grinding behind me, as if someone was sawing wood. Swallowing nervously, I moved to the same level as Ahirata, so that at least my left side would be completely protected. Not that it could distract me from the complete silence.

Arthur, try to calm down. There is, uh, a wingless dragon next to me that can do all sorts of magical things. Everything's fine.

"Yes, it's. . ." It came out of my mouth, but I was cut off.

"RAAAAAWR!" There was a sound behind me that made me turn around quickly. And as if in slow motion, I saw a very strange wolf had already managed to jump towards me with its mouth wide open. It was literally made of wood, but there were protruding roots like thorns on its back and paws. In my opinion, there were such wolves in the series, but definitely without thorns.

The time for reflection ended when the wooden wolf finally covered the remaining distance and jumped on me, knocking me to the ground. Its claws dug into my flesh, making me scream in pain. Almost instinctively, I grabbed the wolf's open mouth with my hands, a moment before it could bite my face off.

"RRRRR." It burst from the wooden wolf's mouth as it continued to try to get to my face. Realizing that I would not be able to hold the wolf for long, I was able to kick it away with my foot. Although I was able to move it less than a foot away, I was still able to gain the opportunity to roll to the side.

Where the hell is Ahirata!?

By the time this thought crossed my mind, the wolf had already recovered from my resistance and was preparing to attack again. But as if in response to my question, a red glow suddenly appeared beneath it. In an instant, the earth bent and a wide stone spike emerged, impaling a wooden wolf on it.

I took a few heavy breaths and looked in the direction I had last seen Ahirata. She was standing with her arms outstretched, covered in a bright red aura. I was about to say something, but the wolf, despite his position, let out another growl and even began to scratch at the thorn with his claws. In the next few moments, several more stone spikes emerged from the ground, leaving more than one whole spot on the enemy.

"I don't think we should stay in the forest." I suggested before I put my hand on the ground to stand up and immediately hissed from the pain in my shoulder.

Ahirata held out her hand to help me up and said in a strained voice, "That's a good idea. I'm afraid there might be something more dangerous in this forest. "

I don't even want to think about it.

As I stood, I rubbed one of my injured shoulders lightly. My blood was there. And it continued to flow, albeit slowly, from the wounds. Swallowing nervously, I said in a hurried tone: "Can we go now? As fast as possible. "

Ahirata nodded and suddenly grabbed my hand. Before I could even squeak, she ran forward, pulling me with her. It was probably a miracle that I managed to stay on my feet and not trip over some random root.

It seemed as if the Ahirata was accelerating as the wind began to ruffle my hair and the trees around me became blurred. The only thing that stayed still was the light coming from somewhere ahead, like a light at the end of a tunnel. But in the end I shouted nervously, "Too fast! Slow down!"

To my surprise, unlike Daniel, she actually started to slow down and asked when she had reached the speed of a fast step: "Is everything okay?"

She really messes with me like I'm a kid. . .

I sighed and adjusted the backpack on my shoulders: "I'm sorry. I was afraid of the speed. I don't want to trip over a root and rub my face for a few dozen foots, you know?"

Ahirata let go of my hand and said with a slight nod, "It's okay. I don't blame you. Oh, and look, we're almost out of the woods! "

"Good," I replied, nodding back and quickening my pace slightly to catch up with her. After just a few moments of walking, we finally came out of the dark forest into a bright light that made me close my eyes for a moment.

After a few moments, I looked around. Despite the bright light, the atmosphere was still tense. There were a lot of felled trees around, symmetrically placed at the same distance from each other. To be honest, it feels like Daniel is preparing a new field for flamethrower lovers. But this time it's as if he's put in twice, if not three times as much effort.

Is this psychopath really going to destroy an entire ecosystem? And no one wants to stop him!?

As soon as I thought about him, I saw Daniel sitting on a tree stump, staring at me intently. Or the forest? Uh, it doesn't matter. Almost reflexively, I walked over to him and yelled irritably: "Stop cutting down trees! You know, in modern society it is customary to respect nature at least a little! "

Daniel blinked several times and said calmly, raising his left hand: "Good morning, Arthur. And you too, Ahirata. "

"Yeah. " She replied somewhere behind me. She didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation. Or did she just sense my mood?

Shaking my head, I finally got close enough to Daniel to have a dialog. But my attention was suddenly drawn to something else. Next to the stump was a huge square with antennas, switches, light bulbs and the like. Before I could ask a question, Daniel had already answered: "This is a walkie-talkie, in case the forest will do something dangerous."

So you KNOW that something is happening to the forest, but you KEEP burning trees!?

I snorted irritably and said, clenching my hands into fists: "Daniel, don't you think there's something wrong with the forest just because you're burning it in large chunks?"

He scratched his chin and said, "Well, first of all, that is a very dubious assumption. Second, Luna asked me to deal with a potentially dangerous forest, so if it starts to actively resist, then I can use more radical methods. And finally, all of Everfree is now my property. I do what I want. "

I gritted my teeth and demanded, "Before things get really bad, tell me where the elements of harmony are. So that as soon as your mistake bites your side, I can. . ."

Suddenly Daniel interrupted me with a calm voice: "The Elements of Harmony have been destroyed. Probably the data in the book you could have read is already outdated. "

Wh-What!?

Daniel stretched slightly before continuing: "And if you planned to turn the whole forest into stone, then it will hardly fail. I've never seen Elements of Harmony cover a large area. "

I tried to recover from the shock for a while and finally managed to formulate a short question: "How did this happen? "

He crossed one leg over the other and looked thoughtfully into the distance: "That depends on who you ask. Let me tell you Celestia's version, because it is the most kind to me. "

Daniel took a deep breath and said distantly, "An evil, terrible being captured Daniel during the invasion of Canterlot. This being was so powerful that it was able to defeat Celestia in battle and destroy the Elements of Harmony with its magic, copying their principle of operation. However, Daniel was able to defeat the being and expel it from himself. "

Then, he sighed and finished, "A very sweet fairy tale. "

Really 'cute'. But I don't think I'm going to feed your narcissism with more questions right now.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out what to do. There are no harmony elements to put in the tree. All right. Uh, Discord! Right, he was the one who planted all those seeds, if I remember correctly.

Inspired, I said with a wave of my hand: "Then we must free Discord!"

"Well, that's not for me. I only know how to petrify things. " Daniel said and pulled his hand away. Seriously? Uh, I really hope he's just lying. Because otherwise this guy is just absurdly given a lot by fate.

But if there is no Discord, no elements of harmony, what should I do?

I have nothing. The chronology of the series is completely broken. All the necessary elements are blocked. I have no physical strength. I have only recently begun to study magic. I have no idea how to deal with Everfree with my meager skills. Maybe that is not possible in my case.

Maybe this whole idea of wiping Daniel's nose was a mistake? Did I ever believe in myself too much? Maybe I just have to be an artist and consider it my maximum to become an art teacher one day. . .

No. I want to do it. I'm not sure I've ever wanted anything so much in my life. Everyone around is acting like Daniel is some kind of god who can't even be touched. I want to shake it up.

I took a step toward my house and said firmly, "As soon as the forest starts moving toward Ponyville. . ."

"I'll beat you in everything," I said and gave Daniel a predatory look.

Daniel smiled back predatorily and said, licking his lips: "I expect the best from you, Arthur. Don't disappoint me. "

Try not to look too weak when the forest starts to run amok.

The calm before. . .

The next day, after the first training session.

"Hm?" Ahirata suddenly muttered when I got close enough to her. Despite the stock of books she gave me, I had to go down to Tartarus again to clear something up. Well, at least the healing spell compensates for the pain in my legs.

Ahirata turned her head toward me before she waved her gloved hand and said, "Oh, hi. Did you want something, Arthur?"

Despite the very direct question, I couldn't help but look at her glove in embarrassment and ask, "Uh, yes, hello. What are you doing here?"

She smiled broadly and took a small step to the side. There I saw a small flower planted in the ground next to the river. After a few moments of silence, Ahirata decided to explain: "I decided that the trees will grow for a very long time, so now I can make flowers, just for the sake of beauty. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Yeah, it's really nice. Especially for a place called Tartarus.

I let out a short sigh and asked a little uncomfortably: "Uh, I'm sorry I didn't come to admire the views. But I have a problem with a rune. "

Ahirata tilted her head to the side and asked, absolutely not offended, "Can you show me this rune and tell me exactly what's wrong?

With a quick nod, I pulled the book out of the bomber jacket I was wearing and handed it to her. While she studied the open book, I explained the problem: "In a nutshell, I tried to make a fireball because I thought it was a classic. But in the end, it turned out to be a strange thing."

"Did you make the central circle wavy to imitate a flame?" Ahirata asked without taking his eyes off the book.

Hmm? Who do you think I am?

Despite my embarrassment, I nodded quickly, and she continued: "Are you sure you made the ball symbol in the middle?"

"I'm a little offended. " I replied, crossing my arms in mock annoyance.

Ahirata didn't seem to get the joke and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure out what went wrong with you. Can you reproduce this rune?"

I nodded quickly and took a deep breath before stretching my arms out in front of me. In just a few seconds, I managed to release green lines of magic from my fingers. After a few more moments, they intertwined to form a circle with spikes on the outside, a wavy circle in the middle, and a sphere symbol in the center.

With a heavy sigh, I relaxed and the rune hung in the air before the ball fell to the ground, engulfed in green flames. Ahirata raised an eyebrow in embarrassment and asked, taking a quick step to the side, "And what exactly is going wrong here?"

Can't you see?

I raised my hands in embarrassment and replied: "Don't you see what's going on here? It's a fireball! It must flying forward, exploding and all that. But it's just lying there like an ordinary basketball. But fiery."

Ahirata stared at the fireball created by my magic for a while, periodically glancing at the open book. Suddenly, she laughed out loud and put her free hand to her forehead. To be honest, it was a little creepy, because of her numerous teeth and her generally unusual behavior.

Eventually she calmed down and said with a last laugh, "Arthur, this is how the spell is supposed to work. In order for the ball to fly and explode, it needs additional circles and additional effects. At the very least, there should be a separate levitation circle and a separate explosion circle. "

Ouch.

"So I shouldn't have come here, huh?" I asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head.

Ahirata chuckled slightly and said, "Well, at least you amused me. I really appreciate it."

I couldn't help but smile and said, carefully taking the book out of her grasp, "Well, okay, I went to practice. Uh, good luck with the garden in Tartarus! "

"Good luck with the runes! " Ahirata replied and waved goodbye.

Yeah, it was awkward.

Another day later.

So, this time I decided to change my tactics a bit. Instead of stopping in front of every rune I see and suffering through it for several hours, I'll skip what I can't do right away. Yes, I plan to outnumber Daniel. Cool, right?

The nuance is that with this tactic, I was able to go through ALL the books Ahirata gave me in a few hours. And learn zero runes. So I'm standing here. In front of the library where Twilight lives. If I remember correctly, someone said that she took some books for herself.

"Try not to think of it as talking to a cartoon character," I muttered to myself as I stood in front of the entrance and gathered my strength. Which is difficult because of one obsessive thought. Should I just turn around and go home, go back to the old tactics?

Before I could even shake my head in response to my thoughts, the library door opened a crack and a small purple lizard stepped out. Uh, I'm sorry. I meant to say dragon. Spike, if I remember correctly?

Wait, I'm not supposed to remember that! I recoiled slightly from the dragon coming out of the library and asked, trying to sound surprised, "Hey! What are you?"

Damn, it turned out to be stupid. Well, the word can't be taken back.

"First of all, I am a dragon and I am alive! And secondly, my name is Spike. " Spike replied, standing on tiptoe to appear taller. Not that it really mattered.

I was silent for a few moments, trying to pretend that I was trying to process the information I had received. As soon as Spike raised an embarrassed eyebrow, I quickly said, "Uh, my name is Arthur. Is Twilight in the library? I'd like to ask her for some books. "

"Mm, no, she went on a picnic with friends. But I can help you! What books do you need? " Spike suggested with a small smile. Somehow his mood changed too fast. But maybe it's just the peculiarities of some children?

Well, my sister didn't behave like that when she was younger.

Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to just answer: "Well, okay. I need books with runes. Ahirata said Twilight took some of them."

Unfortunately, Spike raised an eyebrow in embarrassment and said, scratching his cheek with a claw: "Uh, that's the first I've heard of it. "

Damn it. Holding back a heavy sigh, I asked after taking a short step: "Can I go to the library and try to find something myself? "

Spike crossed his arms and reluctantly said, stepping aside, "Okay. Just don't turn everything upside down, okay? I was just getting everything organized and wanted to at least go for a walk. "

"Why can't I do it while you walking? "I asked with a little embarrassment in my voice as I entered the library and looked around. Where can I find the books I need?

While I was thinking, he replied with surprising honesty: "Well, no offense, Arthur. But I'm afraid you might be like Daniel. When he first came to Ponyville, there was a hole in the wall of the library in the shape of Twilight!"

My God, are there limits to what this guy is doing!?

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to one of the bookshelves and replied with restraint, "Okay. I don't think I'll be mistrusted forever."

"I don't know." Spike replied from the doorway. Sighing, I stood in front of the shelf and put my hands on my hips. There were many books arranged in the order of the palette. That is, the books formed a kind of rainbow that went from one color to another very smoothly. It's nice, but in my case it's completely useless. Especially when you consider that many books simply do not have a title on the spine.

"Do you think it would be funny if I pulled out a random book and stupidly used spells from it for the rest of my life?" I asked, turning slightly to face Spike.

He chuckled and said enthusiastically, "Well, I hope you get lasers out of your eyes or something cool like that. "

Me too, me too.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and suddenly picked up a random book. Then, with a quick movement, I opened it to a random page and looked inside. Surprisingly, there are runes and very interesting ones. As soon as a smile formed on my lips, Spike came closer and asked: "What's there, what's there?"

"Something very good. " I said and turned the page. And after seeing a few more interesting runes. Oh, that's even better!

I will definitely try it the next time I see Daniel.

Outside the library window, the early autumn wind was fluttering, so far, green leaves. In a month, maybe less, the ponies would hold an autumnal race to help nature prepare for winter.

On the outskirts of Ponyville, however, next to the home of a recent arrival, was a scorched field. It stretched for many meters in all directions. The smell of burning was in the air, and the few surviving blades of grass were covered in ash. Over the past few days, Everfree had been mercilessly destroyed.

CRACK

The root of one of the few surviving trees broke through the foundation of the building. Very little. Definitely less than an inch. It is unlikely that the owner of the house will even notice this "attack". But the message is more than understandable.

Nature does not plan to give up so easily.

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: Midnight
Location: Royal Castle of Canterlot

Ten more days, another report.

"She's late. " I grumbled, even though I was resting my head on my fist. My brain often had to remind itself why I should be sitting here instead of in Ponyville monitoring the activities of the forest.

The fact is, every ten days I have to tell Celestia about the past days so she can understand how my redemption is going. The problem with these meetings is that it takes a really long time to wait for her. Princess, an uncertain schedule and all that. So much wasted time.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and took a quick look around my room in the castle. A wardrobe with clothes, a double bed, a desk with drawers and a door leading to the bathroom. In fact, the only thing I've added to this room since I moved in is the painting Arthur painted and the calendar.

Interesting fact. The calendar is practically useless. Because I don't wear glasses in the room. Sometimes I want to remember the times when I could see well without them.

Suddenly, the door creaked, breaking the silence of the night. The next moment, the bright light of the corridor lamps flooded the room and a familiar silhouette appeared in front of me. As soon as I heard a breath, I waved my hand slightly and said: "I know you have an unstable schedule. Everything is fine. "

In response, I saw a brief nod of the head, followed by a movement of the silhouette. Soon Celestia was sitting on the bed next to me, close enough for me to see her clearly. And almost immediately she asked, trying to hide the weariness in her voice, "So, what has happened since we last met? "

Okay, you always have to start with the bad news. It sounds the most logical from the bottom up. I rubbed the back of my head lightly, gathering my thoughts before asking, "Did you hear about the Dragon Lord losing a paw?"

Celestia nodded slowly and asked with her head tilted to the side, "Yes, I've heard. There are rumors that some dragons are trying to find their Lord's assailant. Why do you ask?"

Move forward, stay whole.

"For I am the cause of this incident. I faced the Dragon Lord in battle and destroyed his limb. " I said, carefully studying Celestia's reaction.

At first, her tired eyes opened slightly as she stared back at me. Then she turned away and looked out the open window. Finally, Celestia let out a long sigh and asked with a hint of disappointment: "You know it was wrong, right?"

I clenched the hand that was resting on my knee into a fist and just kept watching Celestia. She turned to me and asked with frustration in her voice, "Why did you do that?"

"You said I have to help others when I see they need it. Apparently, sometimes people are afraid to ask for help, so you should be the first to offer it. I helped Ahirata with her idea to turn Tartarus into a garden. " I replied without moving under the Alicorn's gaze.

Celestia sighed and said with a slow shake of her head, "Daniel, it doesn't really work like that. . ."

"Then WHY can't you explain? I'm tired of doing useless nonsense day after day, trying to get better, as you call it. I regularly engage in some kind of nonsense at your direction. And I don't feel any change. " I interrupted irritably.

Absolutely zero benefit. Sometimes it seems to me that I have nothing else to do in Equestria.

In response to my outrage, Celestia quickly placed one of her wings on my back and stroked me lightly. As soon as a long, irritated growl escaped my mouth, she said softly, "It's okay, that's why we're here. So I can listen to your complaints and better understand how to help you and what you haven't fully learned yet. "

I unclenched my fist and restrainedly said, "Okay, okay. Is there anything else you need to know? "

She nodded slightly and asked gently, "Yes, I'm interested in Arthur. That's his name, right? How is he? I'd like to have an idea of what to expect when I arrive in Ponyville. "

My hand almost reflexively reached for my chin to stroke it before I gave my slow answer: "Well, it seems to be okay. There is a house, there is citizenship, there is a way to make money. Arthur has recently begun to study magic. I don't know what success he's had so far. "

Although I wouldn't mind if he found a way to super-effective workouts.

Celestia nodded in response to my brief report and asked another question with a hint of apology in her voice: "I'm sorry for always suspecting you. But do you know anything about Luna's personal guards acting strangely lately?"

"Oh, I just told Rising to have the tanks ready in case the forest starts to attack. After all, I cannot hold Ponyville and fight the forest at the same time. " I replied calmly.

However, Celestia frowned worriedly and asked, "Are you sure everything is under control?"

"Celly, I'll take care of Everfree. A several trees will not be able to defeat the guards, whose backbone I have formed, and myself. " I replied confidently, tapping my fist lightly on my chest.

Celestia sighed again, but decided not to speak. This gave my gaze time to wander to her breasts. More specifically, to her new jewelry. If she used to wear something that looked like a necklace, now it looked like a full-fledged golden breastplate. Completely covering her chest.

Obviously, she doesn't want to expose what's underneath.

I looked directly into Celestia's eyes and asked: "Are you all right?"

She raised her eyebrows slightly and replied with embarrassment in her voice, "Well, I was a little late today because of another dispute between the nobles. But in general, everything is fine. Why do you ask? "

I shifted slightly in my seat before pointing at her gold breastplate and saying, "I just want to make sure I can fix this. "

Celestia looked where I was pointing before smiling warmly and praising me with a gentle smile: "You do have a soft side, though. "

Before I could answer, she wrapped her other wing around me, holding me in a kind of hug. Sighing, I asked with a hint of dissatisfaction in my voice, "Are you going to keep me like this for long?"

"Until I'm sure you've had enough hugs. " Celestia replied immediately, seeming only to tighten her wings around me. Most reluctantly, I put my hand on her wing and rubbed the feathers lightly.

Keep moving forward. For her sake. For the sake of my GULP friends.

Operation Storm Pt.1

Quiet. And dark. The only thing I felt were my tired muscles. These are probably the consequences of mastering the runes I took from the book I borrowed from Twilight a few days ago. Well, I think it was worth the effort.

After a few deep breaths, I was able to gather enough strength to open my eyes and look around the room. Guess where I fell asleep last night? Yes, on the couch. Damn, if I fall asleep so often in the living room, should I rent my room out to someone? I've already run out of money. And my food is not endless. . .

Yes, I really should have thought more about money when I started doing magic. Although the idea of a room sounds good.

Suddenly another, much cooler idea popped into my head. Try out the runes I've learnt, show Daniel his place and finally get the money. How will I do that? Ahem, arm wrestling. Fortunately, one of the runes I have seems to have been created specifically for such tasks.

After a few quick breaths, I was able to force my burning muscles to rise from the couch. Quickly searching my pockets, I realised that the only thing there was my phone. It's probably still charged, as I've hardly used it. Well, I really got into a state of flow with all the training.

"Although it would be nice to wash up." I muttered, looking down at my clothes, which I hadn't taken off for days. Can you at least change before you go looking for Daniel?

Oh, no. It's better to worry about money here and now. I do not know how often taxes are paid in Equestria. Maybe they collect them every two weeks? Then I'm finished if I don't find the money by tomorrow.

I really want to try a new rune against Daniel, okay? I sighed before finally leaving the house. As I pushed the door open with my hand, a satisfied sigh escaped my mouth on its own. It's really nice to finally have a door. I guess it's one of those things you don't really appreciate until it's taken away.

Shaking my head slightly, I came back to reality and kicked it lightly with my hand so that it at least looked closed. Then my eyes scanned the area in search of my target. So, the earth is covered in ash, more earth, and, of course, even more ash. Seriously, it seems to me that this guy has already destroyed a square MILE of forest!

Oh, here's the hero of the hour. Daniel was once again sitting on a stump that was very far away from me. So far away, in fact, that there was a possibility that I had imagined it. Well, even if he's not there, at least I'll stretch my muscles a bit after sleeping. It would also be nice to start feeling them.

Yes, but it's going to hurt most of all. My muscles are still sore. And for some reason, the healing rune does nothing for that pain. Damn the balance.

"Oh, Arthur. Are you glad that there are no trees left to burn near your house?" Daniel's voice asked suddenly. Well, first of all, no, because everything around my house still smells of burning. And secondly, what?

I turned at the sound and saw that he was sitting on a branch of one of the trees in the line of fire. It was as if a clear line had been drawn between the trees that were to be burned and those that were not to be touched.

Anyway, Daniel had his very large walkie-talkie on his feet, and he was wearing the same black T-shirt he wore when he invited me on my first adventure. Then I had a quick look to see where the stump was. And finally, an embarrassed question escaped my lips: "Don't you usually sit on a stump after your great work of cutting down trees?"

Daniel snorted and said, putting his hand on the walkie-talkie, "There are no customers. Looks like the people of Ponyville are used to flamethrowers by now. It's a shame, I wanted to plant at least an acre. "

Slowly shaking my head, I asked with a frown, "Did you destroy an entire ecosystem just for the money? "

In response, Daniel wagged his finger and said with a grin, "Very bad thinking, Arthur. I need the money to fulfil my goals. Besides, I'm the one who rents out the territory. In the future, a house will be built here where I will live first and then many, many generations of my relatives. "

Are you serious?

"You do realise that there are only two representatives of the human species in all of Equestria, right? And we're both men. " I asked slowly, unable to contain my indignation.

Daniel waved his hand dismissively and said, "There will be ways. Sew on a horse's penis, temporarily transform into a pony, or simply raise a child in a test tube. I'll think of something when I find someone to marry. "

"I don't think ponies are big fans of bad guys. " I replied with a snort and couldn't help but grin.

Daniel rolled his eyes and replied with his head on his fist: "OK, what did you want? You obviously wouldn't come to me just like that. "

As soon as he asked the question, my eyes widened slightly and I replied with an active nod: "Exactly! I wanted to arm wrestle you! For money. "

For the moment, all I could see were his eyes, which blinked slowly, making me doubt my idea more and more. And finally he asked: "What is arm wrestling?"

Wait, is this a joke? Is he so far away that he doesn't know what arm wrestling is? Like, what!?

Unable to contain my embarrassment and curiosity, I asked: "Daniel, you're an asshole. But can you please answer one of my questions absolutely honestly?"

"I've always answered you honestly, but you don't like it. But okay, ask me." He replied with a shrug.

"Have you been living under a rock on Earth? Why the hell don't you know the usual games, don't understand the references and your phone is completely fucking empty?" I asked, confused. Hang on.

I didn't want him to know that I'd gone through his phone looking for personal information.

Fortunately, Daniel didn't seem to be angry. Or he was very good at hiding his emotions to give me an emotional boost. In any case, he slowly raised his single left hand and said, counting his fingers: "An extremely conservative father, a lack of peer relationships and, perhaps most importantly, a contempt for culture as such. Does that answer your question? "

Despite the strangeness and, frankly, disappointing brevity of the answer, I nodded: "Yes, it's more or less. You won't get any thanks. "

" Well, then answer my question. What are you planning to do when Princess Celestia arrives here, in a hour or two?" Daniel asked, causing me to stagger slightly. I wasn't prepared to face a creature that controls the sun so early!

"Is the princess coming today? Why didn't you warn me?" I asked, irritated and nervous.

Daniel snorted and replied calmly: "If you had known in advance, you would have prepared for the meeting. But this is primarily necessary to evaluate how I have helped you adapt. There should be no falsification. "

On the one hand, it seems logical. On the other hand, wouldn't it be worse for you if I showed myself badly?

Then I shook my head quickly. It's not worth wasting your energy trying to figure out this guy's crazy thoughts. So I just asked, rubbing the bridge of my nose, "Can you give me some advice for the sake of decency?"

Daniel tapped his hand lightly on the walkie-talkie before saying in all seriousness, "Try to concentrate on how nice she is. There is no need to focus on the fact that she is far from the best ruler."

"Okay, that almost sounds like a normal answer. I said, nodding slowly. Daniel repeated my gesture and we remained in silence, which allowed me to consider my next move.

I clasped my hands together and said, gesturing with them in parallel: "In short, arm wrestling is when you grab like this, put your elbow on something and try to push your opponent's arm to the side. You can't lift your elbow".

I seem to have explained everything normally.

Unfortunately, Daniel just grinned and said, looking into the distance, "What a stupid game. And you want to play it for money? Arthur, gambling is a dubious activity. It is one of the few things that everyone and I know."

"Damn it!" I hissed irritably, preparing to argue, but suddenly Daniel raised his hand to stop me. Then he turned towards the forest and stood motionless. It was as if he was looking deep into the darkness.

Suddenly, in a flash, Daniel disappeared from a branch, along with his huge walkie-talkie. Before I could react, I heard his voice behind me: "Hello, Rising, do you read me? Over."

I turned to see him crouching in front of the radio. Several lights were flashing in different colours and the antennas, which had been hidden, were now proudly protruding. Suddenly there was a slightly familiar voice on the other side: "I hear you, Daniel. Has anything happened? Over."

Exactly! This guy convinced Daniel to help me out when I first arrived in Ponyville. I should probably thank him sometime.

While I was thinking, Daniel glanced at the forest before saying, "I feel like something is happening to the forest. It's as if its magic is, er, vibrating. I think it's time to start Operation Storm. Over."

For a while there was a tense silence on the other side. The wind blew hard, knocking some leaves from the trees and making me shiver with cold. Daniel took a deep breath and asked tensely, "Rising, do you hear me? Commence Operation Storm. Over."

Suddenly there was a hiss on the other side of the radio and the words came through: "Roots! Tanks. . .retreat . . . it's not worth it!"

My eyes widened slightly, but Daniel said loudly into the radio: "Stay in Canterlot, protect the princesses! I'll take care of this myself. End of communication. "

Immediately after that, he pressed a button and all the lights on the radio went out. Slowly, Daniel ran a hand through his hair before letting out a frustrated groan: "UAAAAAAAAAA."

I'm even kind of embarrassed.

"Bitch." Daniel growled irritably, pulling his leg back in an apparent attempt to hit his walkie-talkie. But he still stopped and let out a heavy sigh.

Daniel rubbed his glasses and said, looking at me indifferently: "Arthur, tell the heroes to stay in town and help the civilians. I'll work here. "

"Why on earth are you the boss here? "I asked, crossing my arms.

In place of an answer, a pitch black root suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed Daniel's leg. Judging by the spikes on it and the fact that it seemed to be tightening its grip, it must have been painful at the very least.

"AAAAAAAAA!" A furious roar erupted from Daniel's throat before he grabbed the root in an instant and pulled it sharply towards him with one hand. Further and further he pulled it out of the ground until suddenly I heard a loud rumbling from my side. A quick glance was enough to make me gulp.

One of the trees just collapsed on its side. He pulled the root out so much that it lost its support.

Daniel threw the uprooted root to the ground and quickly drew the sword from its sheath, which I had not noticed before. With a sharp movement he cut the root and turned to me with crazy eyes: "Arthur, now is not the time to show off. Do as I say!"

Slightly startled by the sudden realisation that he had taken a weapon, I took a step back and turned around: "You're not the boss anyway."

Before he could say anything to me, I took a few steps back and held both hands out in front of me to form a rune, which I had intended to use against him, but now the situation was also appropriate. So, as my feet carried me forward, lines of magic came out of my fingers and began to weave themselves into the correct signs. An outer circle with spikes inside, a central circle without effect and, at first glance, meaningless, a symbol of three interconnected lines.

As soon as the rune was finished, I relaxed, but the magic continued to flow from my fingers for a while. As Ahirata explained to me, when the magic used to create the rune itself is not enough to activate it, it draws as much as it needs from the body. I don't want to think about what will happen if it takes more than it needs.

Anyway, when my eyes closed slightly from fatigue and the rune finally activated, I felt as if my limbs had become a little bigger, more voluminous and, to put it simply, stronger.

So, I think it's already possible to reveal the cards.

My foot hit the ground, leaving a dent in the shape of my heel. The next thing I knew, I was running forward at a faster pace than I had ever run in my life. This rune creates extra muscles from magic. Of course, this is only temporary, and when the action is over, my whole body aches. But it's still very cool.

I ran between the buildings on the outskirts of Ponyville and found myself on a straight road to the town hall. Luckily, it was still early enough for the ponies to continue sleeping. So I can start thinking about who exactly I'm going to run to. Although the choice is not great. I only know where Twilight is and where Pinkie Pie is. Hmm, I should have walked around Ponyville a little longer earlier, right?

Suddenly, the street became much brighter, as if the sun had suddenly appeared at its zenith. It happened absurdly fast. I lifted my head and opened my mouth slightly. The sun and the moon were in the sky at the same time. It wasn't an eclipse, but as if they were in some kind of confrontation. With a bright road on one side and darkness behind me.

The only thing that is one hundred percent canonical. I would prefer everything to remain uncanonical, so that nothing gives me hope.

"No, Arthur. You shouldn't allow yourself any depressing thoughts right now." I commanded myself as I reached the town hall and quickly turned left, making my decision. Twilight Sparkle. Not that it's difficult. Seriously, how is Pinkie Pie going to help me in this situation, other than some kind of joke?

My thoughts were interrupted when several roots suddenly began to sprout from the ground. They were very small at first, like weeds, but they quickly made their way out of the ground. After taking a few deep breaths, I tried to speed up, just to get away from all the danger. And it seemed to be working.

Suddenly, when I took the next step, it seemed to me that my right leg was not moving at all. Before my brain could properly comprehend the situation, my face was already heading towards the hard ground below and, even worse, another thorny root began to appear right where my head should fall.

Well, extra muscles come in handy here too.

In the final moments, I managed to avoid a head injury by crushing a root sprouting from the ground with a whiplash. Then my gaze shifted to my right leg and I noticed that several very small roots were wrapped around my leg. And some of the more distant roots were beginning to grow towards me. It was as if I was their main target.

With a little effort, I managed to cut off all the small roots, but the only result was the scars on my leg. With a painful sigh, I planted my foot on the ground and hurried out of the library. But there was one detail I couldn't ignore. There were more and more roots.

When I finally reached the door, I opened it without hesitation, but with such force that it hit the wall loudly, and shouted without hesitation: "Twilight, have you seen what's going on outside!?"

Is it natural enough? It seems to be.

It was only after these words that my eyes properly processed what was happening in the room in front of me. All six of the main characters were seated at the round table, which was convenient, of course. What wasn't convenient was that they were all staring at me with their eyes wide open. Judging by Fluttershy's position, over Rainbow's shoulder, I must have scared them quite a bit too.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I straightened up and said, rubbing my neck, "Um, hi. I don't want to get in the way too much, but there's nothing good happening out there on the street. And if I remember correctly, you're sort of local heroes!"

The ponies were surprised for a moment and just blinked. But suddenly Rainbow flew into the air and said to Twilight, "You see, Twi? There's no point coming up with a super complicated plan when this is happening to Ponyville!"

Before Twilight could reply, Applejack lowered Rainbow to the ground, grabbed her tail with her teeth and said, "Calm down, Sugarcube, You shouldn't act so rashly. "

Twilight rubbed her temples wearily with her hooves and said, "I just don't know what to do. These roots just keep growing and growing. I don't think we can just rip them out and be done with it. We need a proper plan to stop this. "

It's nice, of course, but it seems to me that very soon the roots will grow so much that it will be impossible to break through further.

Clearing my throat, I decided to push her into action and said slowly: "You know, Daniel asked me to tell you to stay in the city and protect the civilians."

"Hmph, as always, he thinks there's nothing we can do. " Rarity snorted, lifting her nose and closing her eyes. This caused a few ponies to roll their eyes, but not much else. Okay, we'll have to push them harder. The main thing is that I look at least a little natural. Otherwise there will be questions I am not morally prepared to answer.

I took a nervous breath and tried not to tremble: "I heard that you used to have magic things that represented friendship. Maybe you don't need them? Maybe your friendship is a powerful thing in itself?"

At first, all the ponies stared at me with wide-open eyes, making me freeze like a statue. There are too many of them. Twelve eyes piercing my soul. They must think I'm stupid. Maybe they'll even ask me where I got this information, and then it's over!

In the end, after looking around, Twilight asked, "We don't really have any other options, do we?"

"Well, I'm definitely not going to let this guy push us into the background." Rainbow replied, crossing her hooves.

So we have the main characters on our side. Hmm, does that mean the story armour is working now and I can be afraid of nothing while I am with them?

I shook my head and looked at the open door. During our brief conversation, the roots had grown, to put it mildly. To the extent that they were comparable in height to the buildings of Ponyville. Swallowing hard, I said, "Can we go somewhere from here? The plan can be worked out on the way."

"It's kind of dangerous there. And it's scary. And it's dark. . ." Fluttershine whispered, covering her face with her mane. Well, I wasn't expecting much enthusiasm from her.

Fortunately, Rainbow responded by taking to the air again: "I'll figure it out. I suggest you watch this, hooman!

"It is correct to say. . ." I tried to say, but was cut off as she flew past me straight to the exit door. The other five ponies sighed in shock at such recklessness and ran to the exit to see what had happened.

Do I have to tell you that it's a bit uncomfortable to be surrounded by ponies?

Sighing, I pulled myself together and looked towards the road. There, Rainbow Dash was flying extremely fast between the tall roots, probably kicking them with her hooves. The speed of her flight made her appear to me as a blurred rainbow. Ha.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a purple glow. And the next thing I knew, a big laser of the same light was going towards the roots. To my surprise, it easily cut through several of them, clearing the way for us to continue!

Rainbow Dash suddenly hovered in the air and said, "Twi! I could do this myself! "

Twilight smiled awkwardly and replied: "I'm sorry! I really wanted to try at least one of the spells I found in the old books. I didn't think the ancient spells would be so powerful. "

Why are ancient spells always so powerful? Shouldn't they be, well, primitive?

I shook my head as I saw the ponies begin to move forward. But as soon as my right leg tried to take a step forward, I let out a moan of pain. Fluttershy immediately turned to me and asked worriedly, "Oh dear, are you hurt?"

Unfortunately, the other ponies noticed this and stopped a few paces away from me. Applejack was the first to speak, in a tone of instruction: "Um, Arthur, right? I think you should stay in the library or somewhere safe. We'll figure it out. "

" After all, you just arrived in Equestria and are hardly, er, ready for any challenges. Besides, your leg doesn't look too good. Twilight continued cautiously.

"And if you keep running, it's only going to get worse and you won't be able to come to my next party! And that's absolutely, absolutely, horrible!" Pinky remarked as she jumped up and burst into my personal space.

But I want to rub Daniel's nose in it. Besides, I'm not a child! I can do things for myself.

I took a deep breath and quickly created a treatment rune. Before the ponies could say anything, it was activated and I felt the pain in my right leg diminish. With a deep sigh, the words came out of my mouth: "I'm fine."

"Then why are all four of your hooves so red?" Rainbow asked unimpressed. Damn, the extra muscles won't last forever.

"It doesn't matter! Let's do something! I shouted before suddenly taking off and running past the pony. And judging by the hoofbeats behind me, I was listening.

The roots continued to burst from the ground, but this time they were growing much faster. Fortunately, Twilight's lasers quickly destroyed them from a distance. I'm sure Daniel can't do that.

Speaking of him, when we turned right from the Town Hall and went straight to my house, I could see him. Daniel was surrounded by a lot of thick, spiky roots, but he dealt with them surprisingly quickly. A swing of the sword - three down. A kick from a U-turn - five more roots crushed. And then another swing and a high kick. It's as if each action flows into the next.

No, it doesn't matter that he fights hard. He's still a bad person.

When I and the six main characters were close enough to Daniel, I opened my mouth to say something. But he cut me off as he continued to fight: "I told them to stay in the city! How are you going to counterattack the forest if NO ONE is defending the city? "

Twilight quickly shot out a beam of magic, destroying several roots, and replied, seemingly on behalf of the whole group: "Well, we're worried that you can't handle it alone. That's why we've all come to help you.

"And anyway, if you want to protect the town so badly, do it yourself! " I replied, a little annoyed at how polite TWilight was being to him.

" Yeah, what makes you think we'll follow your orders anyway? Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her hooves as she hung in the air. I took a quick look at her.

Indeed, my sister knows how to choose her favorite pony.

As soon as a small smile appeared on my face, Daniel asked through clenched teeth: "Okay, offer your ideas. Show your strategic genius!"

Almost immediately I replied, trying to sound uncertain: "Well, the forest must have some kind of core or something! You just have to go in, find it and do something. "

Daniel's eyes pierced me as he hacked at the roots with his sword. He obviously understands where this idea came from. He can reveal everything now. It's going to be so awkward, so uncomfortable. And it's generally weird! Why did I do it in the first place!?

To my surprise, Daniel sliced through all the roots in front of him with a wide sweep of his sword before slamming it into the ground. Then he stretched out his left hand and what little was left of his right hand and said irritably, "Okay, devils. I will push back the forest to give you enough time. Cover me, Twilight."

Push back the forest? How can you even imagine that?

As if in response to my question, he began to release blue lines to form a rune. But he was releasing them from all over. Fingers, palms, wrists, the stump of his right hand and even his face! At least half a hundred lines of magic began to weave into a rune as Twilight fired lasers from the horn into the approaching roots.

"Hey, let me help you too!" Pinkie offered, and without waiting for anyone to answer, she pulled a festive cannon out of nowhere and fired it at the largest of the roots, which were the size of the trees. Perhaps as some kind of reinforcement?

My eyes darted back to Daniel to take in this incredible detail. He was weaving several runes at once, as if layering them. And he did it so that it looked like a glowing blue ball. Very much like. . .

Tirek, from the show. If I remember correctly, he also created orbs between the horns before he started shooting magic. Did Tirek really give Daniel advice about runes?

Before I could even begin to think about it, Daniel suddenly shouted loudly, "STEP BACK, THE ARTILLERY IS WORKING!"

The volume of the voice made me take a step back almost reflexively. And as soon as all six ponies repeated the action, a thick beam of magic shot out of the blue sphere Daniel had formed, somewhere to the left. The next moment, a huge explosion shook the ground and my hands instinctively reached for my ears.

But it was far from the only one. Another beam shot out of the blue sphere. And more. At least a dozen! The ground began to shake so violently that I staggered and dropped to my knees. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Fluttershy and Rarity had both fallen to the ground.

The mini apocalypse finally subsided, allowing me to remove my hands from my ears and open my eyelids. The tree line had been replaced by a moonscape. Trees, grass, bushes, roots. Everything had been destroyed, leaving only a few craters that together formed one large crater. Here and there, the ground was littered with broken and burnt tree bark.

Daniel pulled the sword from the ground and turned his head so that I could see his half-closed eyes. Despite his obvious fatigue, he said, piercing me with an emotionless stare: "I hope you all understand why I didn't want to do this."

You wanted to rent out the whole area. But because of these explosions, hardly anyone will agree to pay for it. Despite the fact that you put so much effort into it. . .

I had to suppress my sympathy so that I could step forward and reply sarcastically: "If you didn't want to save or sacrifice anything, then you couldn't have come here."

As soon as my words had hung in the air, the ponies leaned between Daniel and me. Rainbow Dash had an approving grin on her face. But the others looked much more tense. On the one hand, I could understand them, but on the other, someone should at least put him in his place!

Finally, Fluttershy said quietly, "Can we go? I want this to be over as soon as possible."

"But where to? The forest is huge. " Twilight said thoughtfully, looking at the trees on the other side of the craters. It seems that the destruction caused by Daniel has stopped the progress of the roots, at least for a while.

I took a deep breath and pushed again: "Can we look for anything remarkable in the forest? There used to be a castle or something. "

The ponies looked at me again and, to my utter dismay, Pinkie Pie asked: "Wow, Arthur, have you been with us since the first season?"

Damn, damn, damn, damn! What if they take this as more than just a Pinkie's joke?

Suddenly Daniel cleared his throat loudly and said, shaking his head: "Let's stop this nonsense. I've spent too much time and magic to be able to get distracted."

Immediately after his words, he walked forward towards the crater, scraping the ground with his sword. As if he wanted to make his decision unthinkable. In any other situation, I would point out how selfish and arrogant this was.

But as the other ponies sighed and began to follow him, I couldn't help but whisper under my breath, "Thank God. "

Exhaling my gratitude, I quickly followed the group forward to the many craters Daniel had made. As soon as we reached them, the ponies began to help each other down. Twilight was the first to descend to the bottom of the crater with Daniel's help. Then she used her magic to help her friends get down safely. Rainbow, of course, just flew over.

But when Fluttershy came down and it was my turn, Twilight had already turned away and was walking along the bottom of the crater. It's like I'm not even here. Outraged, I jumped down and landed at the bottom of the crater, staggering slightly. But the matter is being discussed.

Did they just forget I was coming? Or did they already dislike me for something?

I shook my head quickly to dispel any negative thoughts and started jogging to overtake the pony and get to Daniel. When I caught up with him, he asked without even looking at me: "Anything you want to tell me?"

Looking at the part of the forest that had not been damaged by Daniel's magic, I asked tensely: "Tell me, psycho, what were you planning to do? Judging by your eyes, that one super rune has already pushed you to the limit. "

Daniel clicked his tongue and said calmly: "In fact, it was more than a hundred runes that I combined into a single system. "

"Does that change the situation in any way? "I asked, looking at him with a sarcastic grin.

In the blink of an eye, Daniel suddenly stepped forward and struck with his sword. Shocked, I took a step back and saw that he had sliced through a thick root that had appeared right in front of me.

Don't get distracted by talking.

I swallowed hard and, for the sake of decency, kicked the severed root with my hand. Fortunately, my magic muscles were still working and the pieces flew far, far away. Daniel commented anyway: "You've never fought in your life."

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. But instead of answering, Daniel turned quickly and squinted towards the forest. Following his gaze, I saw the roots moving towards us. But that wasn't all.

Wolves made of wood began to emerge from the tree line and leap into our crater. Since our last encounter, they have acquired many vines with thorns all over their bodies. It is completely unclear how to attack them without weapons.

But that's not all! Many Manticores flew over the trees and soon landed in the crater. But unlike in the cartoon, instead of eyes, they had thick roots that pointed straight ahead, like strange peaks. Also, the Manticore's snout was covered with a thick mask of trees that seemed to have eaten into the animal's flesh.

And there are more and more of them.

I swallowed at the sight, but Daniel didn't give me a chance to speak as he ordered loudly: "You six, keep doing what you're doing. I will solve this problem."

"Do you think so?" Fluttershy asked quietly from behind.

"You're obviously out of shape. " Rainbow remarked as she fluttered in the air. I remind you, there are many of these creatures. They didn't attack us because they are gathering more and more forces.

"And as always, you overestimate your abilities. " Rarity said with a snort.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! I will attack, and Twilight will teleport you all behind them, deep into the forest. All of you. " Daniel said irritably, before heading off towards the huge crowd of monsters and plants.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, worried and, I must admit, scared. Instead of answering, Daniel plunged his sword into the surface of the crater and continued walking forward with his bare arm. The message is clear.

"Take it and fight"

The sudden sound of lightning behind me made me jump. And a quick glance back was all I needed to understand what had happened. Twilight and her friends had gone along with Daniel's plan. I can't believe it.

Swallowing, I gathered enough courage to pull Daniel's sword from the ground and walk beside him towards the growing crowd of enemies. When I reached him, I asked slowly, "Are you going to kill me? Because it seems that way."

"If you don't want to fight, then go. I won't stop you. Do you want to go?" Daniel replied, completely unperturbed, and continued to move forward. And you know, I thought for a moment. My house is not far away. These craters have definitely protected it from the roots, at least for a while. I can just sit here and wait for the heroes to win. They always win, right?

No. In this world, the canons of the series practically do not work. For the heroes to win, you have to make an effort. And I'm no exception. Besides, I'm going to show this idiot that I'm not a weakling or a coward. Besides, what would my sister think if she saw how her older brother hiding like this? What would the ponies think if they saw that among humans there were only bastards like Daniel and cowards like me? What would they even think of me if I ran away?

"To hell with it. I'm staying." I replied resolutely, raising my sword and preparing for any movement from the crowd of monsters.

"Excellent, Arthur." Daniel exhaled with satisfaction before adjusting his glasses and quickly assuming a fighting stance.

Really, that's excellent of me. And it seems like . . .

the stupidest thing I've ever done.

Operation Storm Pt.2

It seemed like an eternity as I stood there, next to Daniel, in front of a huge crowd of monsters. For some reason, they hadn't made the first move. Which was a shame, considering my magic muscles could run out at any moment.

For a moment, my gaze slipped to Ponyville. If the forest breaks through Daniel and me, the town and all its inhabitants will be doomed. Oh, every moment it seems to me that this was a very bad idea. I wish I'd stayed in town.

It doesn't matter anymore. I'm already here.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Daniel was starting to make some kind of rune. Two runes, to be exact. With his entire left hand he created the familiar ball, but without fire. And with the rest of his right hand he created a rune I didn't recognise. The outer circle with strangely curved spikes, the middle circle with four hands, vaguely resembling a clock, and finally the bomb symbol.

As soon as Daniel had created a ball with his magic, he hit a rune with a bomb, and then turned around and threw the ball into a crowd of enemies. However, the ball only hit the muzzle of the distorted manticore and fell to the ground. Outraged, I asked tensely, "Why did you do that?"

As if to answer my question, the ball suddenly exploded loudly, turning the monsters in the centre of the formation into burnt logs. Or in the case of Manticore, burnt, torn bodies.

It's going to be hard.

Swallowing at the sight of blood, I asked, leaning slightly towards Daniel: "Can we come to an agreement? You fight the Manticores, and I fight the wolves. The roots are fifty-fifty. "

Daniel gave me a brief glance before returning to the monsters standing in place and saying, "Inside these wooden wolves, there are spheres that glow. If they are not broken, they will not die. "

Exhaling, I slightly twisted the sword in my grip. The handle was too small for me to hold it with two hands. Perhaps it was specially designed for the one-armed Daniel. Taking a breath, I took a step forward and asked irritably: "How long can I wait!? Attack already!"

Naturally, the monsters did not react in any way to my attempt at provocation. They probably didn't even understand what I was saying. Daniel snorted behind me and said, starting to walk forward, "Okay, it looks like they want to go on the defensive. Then, we'll make the most of the initiative."

I feel like you consider yourself the boss among the two of us.

Before I could express my indignation, Daniel ran straight into the formation of the monsters. Right into their centre, which had just been blown up. Not wanting to be left behind, I twisted the sword once more to make it more comfortable and ran after him. But even with magic muscles, it was hard to keep up with him.

Suddenly, when the formation of monsters was only a dozen steps away, a dozen roots came out of the ground at once. Before I could react, they had wrapped themselves around my legs, arms and even my neck. Worse, the spikes dug into my skin, causing blood to gush from the wounds.

I tried desperately to breathe, but all I could manage was to stick out my tongue. I wanted to do something humiliating. To call Daniel for help. But all that came out of my mouth was a wheeze. And my eyes started to go dark.

Will I die like this? Will some roots grab me and suffocate me? So early? So stupid? Is it so, so pathetic?

Suddenly I felt strangely dizzy and the next moment I realised I could breathe normally. Almost instinctively, I opened my mouth to take a deep breath, and that was when I heard Daniel's voice: "Do you understand? They set a trap for us. That's why they didn't attack us. Well, until now."

I looked up with difficulty and saw that I had been teleported about fifteen feet back from the roots that had almost killed me. And a huge crowd was running towards us, a distorted manticore, wolves made of wood and roots popping out of the ground.

Before I could get to my feet, the first Manticore was too close. The long roots protruding from its eye sockets looked like spikes ready to pierce me. But at the last moment Daniel stopped the Manticore. He put one foot on the tree-covered snout and did not let the animal move!

I'm not sure I could do that, even with magic muscles. . .

In the blink of an eye, Daniel raised his left arm and sliced through the Manticore's wooden defences. For a second, both creatures stood still. Then Daniel withdrew his hand and blood gushed from the pierced spot.

Swallowing, I raised my sword and looked around. Wooden wolves were running around us, pinching us in a kind of pliers. It was unclear where we could move from our position.

Suddenly Daniel grabbed me by the neck and threw me somewhere to the right. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that the roots had burst from the ground, right where I was standing a second ago. But the suddenness of the movement caused my legs to fall off and I rolled over on the ground.

Without giving me time to recover, a wooden wolf attacked me, trying to reach my face with its wide mouth. Gritting my teeth, I held it with my right hand, despite the thorns digging into my skin, and with my left I felt Daniel's sword. Without hesitation, I sliced through a wooden wolf with my sword. This move did not slow down it, but a green glow came from the wound.

This is probably the area that Danielle was talking about!

Throwing the sword away, I put my left hand into the hole it had made and quickly felt something spherical. With a sigh, I threw the wolf back and snatched the orb from its grasp before crushing it in my fist. It showed no sign of life after that.

I picked up the weapon from the ground with one hand and pushed myself up with the other. Unfortunately, I was already surrounded by many wolves. I couldn't tell where Daniel was. We could only rely on ourselves. I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat.

Three wolves broke free as if from a chain and ran towards me with their mouths open. The middle wolf lunged forward and attacked me, but I reacted quickly and struck it with my sword while it was still in the air. Taking a deep breath, I turned slightly and threw it at the other two wolves from the tree. Strike! All three hit each other and shattered into splinters.

Wait, I forgot to break the spheres with them!

My eyes quickly spotted three orbs lying on the ground, collecting the newly destroyed timberwolfs with a green glow. I quickly ran towards them, hoping to smash them before it was too late, but just then more roots grew out of the ground and wrapped around my legs!

Letting out an irritated growl, I grabbed the pesky plants with my hands and pulled them towards me, tearing them apart. Suddenly, a growl from behind me stopped me from even getting up. Instead, I turned and swung my sword in the direction of the sound. Surprisingly, I hit the wolf and cut it in half. Between the two halves was a ball oozing with some kind of green goo, which I crushed with my foot.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A loud noise came from behind me, making my ears ring for a moment. I let out a short groan of pain and turned around, sword at the ready. And I saw a wooden wolf. But it's not simple. No, it was a combination of the three I had destroyed earlier. This one was about three times the size of the others, and the snout looked, how shall I put it, more menacing.

In my opinion, the big Timberwolves were also in the series. It seems to be.

Before I could think, the monster jumped at me. Almost reflexively, I rolled to the side, but the weight of the new thing was so great that the ground shook when I landed. As if sensing the slightest hint of instability in my position, the huge wolf suddenly waved its paw, which was half the size of my body.

Unable to think of anything better to do, I swung my sword at the approaching paw, hoping to slice it in half. But instead the sword got stuck in it. Thankfully, my magic muscles allowed me to maintain parity with a larger creature.

Suddenly I felt my muscles ache like hell. As if they were on fire. No amount of restraint helped me to hold back a loud moan of pain, which turned to despair as the wolf began to push me back with his paw.

Gritting my teeth, I put my other hand on the blade of the sword, trying to use all my strength to stop the monster. But it only caused a lot of pain in my muscles and did nothing to stop the huge paw. In the end, I was too weak and was thrown back.

No more magic muscles. But I have another good rune and not so laborious.

I was thrown back several dozen feet and rolled several times on the ground, rubbing the bruises on my back. I finally stopped when I hit the back of a wooden wolf, right on the spikes. It seems that the adrenaline suppressed all the pain, because almost immediately I began to create a rescue rune. An outer circle with spikes inside, an empty central circle and. . .

A huge paw landed on my chest, ending all concentration. A cough of blood came out of my mouth as the owner of the paw brought its huge mouth closer. I don't know what I was hoping for, but I raised both hands and put them on the front of the snout, trying to pull back the huge wooden wolf. But it only pressed harder against my chest, causing more blood to flow from my mouth.

It looks like the other wooden wolves decided to join in too, as I felt my outstretched arms being bitten in many places. Unfortunately, my darkened, clouded vision could not properly assess what was happening around me. I can't even see the thing that's going to kill me.

I don't want to die. I could do so much more! It can't be that in my whole life I haven't made more than one friend, found a soul mate or at least achieved something completely on my own! I have to live!

In utter desperation, I tried to push something with my hands and feet, with my head, with anything! But I felt absolutely nothing. Also, my vision went completely black, I was in total darkness. But if I'm still thinking, able to imagine and analyse the situation, then I'm still alive, right? Come on, I can't die like this!

Maybe it was a hallucination, but I saw a stream in front of me. In this absolute darkness I was in, a stream of green liquid began to flow from nowhere and flowed into nowhere. My hands seemed to reach out to it of their own accord, and when they touched the water, something changed.

I blinked a few times until I found myself lying on the couch. But it wasn't my flat, no. This was my home, where I was born and raised. It was the middle of the night outside the window, there was a staircase to the second floor on my left and a television on my right. Which was showing a cartoon about ponies.

You know, after a while in Equestria, it feels very strange. It's like looking at the real world through the prism of an animated series.

Suddenly I saw my younger sister, Wendy, sitting on the other side of the couch. However, she looked much younger than the last time I saw her. Probably twelve years old. You could tell by her natural blonde hair.

I don't know why, but I wasn't surprised. It was as if something deep inside me felt that everything was as it should be. Slowly, I sat down on the couch and looked at the television, which was coming to the end of its screensaver.

But the cartoon paused on the last frame of the screensaver and the nurse said in her soft voice, "Oh! I didn't realise you were here. "

An old, dusty memory flashed through my mind and I said, half jokingly: "Were you going to sit in front of the TV again while everyone was asleep? "

" No, not at all. I was going to watch until Mum got home. " she replied evasively.

Considering how much she works, it's at least until one o'clock in the morning.

Sighing, I ruffled her hair slightly and said carefully: "Wendy, you know you have school tomorrow. It's better to go to bed early."

She grabbed my hand with two of her own and said, puffing out her cheeks: "Oh, well, this is boring! And school is boring too! I've already learnt to write and count, there's nothing for me to do there! "

I sighed, understanding her insistence perfectly, and asked, without taking my hand from her hair: "What do I have to do to get you to go to bed, Wendy? "

At that she gripped my hand even tighter, smiled slightly and asked with her eyes closed: "What makes you think I'm still alive?"

Ah!?

I was, to put it mildly, absolutely stunned by such a question. But my sister did not let me recover and continued: "Where was I when your whole apartment was teleported to another world? Maybe I was standing right at the front door. I was about to open it, but everything disappeared. And I fell from a deadly height. "

I swallowed at the thought of it and said, shaking my head, "No, that couldn't happen. It just couldn't. "

Suddenly, Wendy pushed my hand aside and coldly asked, bringing her face closer to mine: "What if it is? Why do you even exist if I'm not around? You didn't have any friends, you don't have any, and you never will. You graduated from college so as not to upset your mother. Your 'own' apartment is basically just a mom's birthday present. You're just pathetic, Arthur."

I . . .

Wendy quickly moved away from me and said, spreading her arms out to her sides: "Hug me, huh? Then you can do the one thing you're good at and join me."

Join the younger sister. In the light of what has been said, it looks as if I am going to die. Maybe it's true? About the fact that I'm only good at spending time with my younger sister. Maybe someone paid for my drawings on the internet just because I'm cheap?

"Sis, spending time with you isn't the only thing I'm good at. " I replied with restraint. In response, she simply crossed her arms, clearly and without words expressing her disagreement.

There was a lump in my throat for a few moments and I began to speak slowly: "Maybe I'm not the strongest person in the world. Perhaps I'm not the most brilliant artist. Maybe for now I haven't achieved anything in my life completely on my own. "

I looked up at Wendy and replied boldly, "But I think I have a special interest in helping others. Really helping. It's just that I've always projected it onto you. Maybe if I try a little harder I can become a friendly neighbour? Or even a hero?"

"Are you serious? Are you going to come and help ponies you barely know? Help ponies that you think are just fictional characters?" She asked with obvious scepticism. And to be honest, I really hesitated for a moment.

No, I'll do it. Because it's the right thing to do. I will help others, because it's not a fact that anyone else will.

As if reading my mind, Wendy sighed in exasperation and said, before hitting me on the forehead: "I think you're just absurdly idiotic. "

As soon as her fingers touched my head, the entire environment began to turn into a green liquid. After just a few moments, I was back to reality again. A huge wolf made of wood held its mouth a couple of inches away from me and my limbs were being bitten by other, smaller wolves. However, one thing has changed.

A thin layer of my green magic enveloped my hands. He was steaming like evaporating water and I swear I felt an unknown tickling all over my body. I think I understand what's going on.

Test of will. I remember Ahirata telling me about this thing. Even though it made Daniel powerful, I didn't want to follow his path.

Suddenly, I slapped the ground with both hands to throw the wolves out of me. And in the next moment, my forehead collided with the open snout of a huge monster, crushing it. As soon as the main threat had receded from me, I quickly got to my feet. The energy in my body seemed endless, yet it only increased.

Almost intoxicated by the new ability, I took off and brought both my fists down right into the belly of a huge wooden wolf. Both hands, surprisingly. They easily broke through a thick layer of roots and wood, revealing three interconnected spheres that glowed green. Without thinking, I pulled my hands away and kicked into the hole that had formed.

I felt my foot crumple all three spheres and the next moment I was standing on both feet again before I looked around to see what was happening. The Timberwolves still had me surrounded, but they didn't look so brave. And the sword was conveniently right next to me.

Although I don't like all this aura around me and the steam coming out of it. And it bothers me that it's only getting bigger. . .

Shaking my head quickly, I grabbed the sword with one hand and ran quickly towards the remaining opponents. None of them even had time to move as I smashed the snout of one of the wooden wolves and plunged a sword through its neck. As soon as the orb was destroyed, as the lack of movement indicated, I spun in place and slammed the carcass into other Timberwolves, shattering all four or five into pieces.

Not wanting to make the next mistake, I bent my knees to be close to the ground and with a wide swing from left to right, cut absolutely all the balls in half. Almost instinctively, I turned around and looked at the remaining Timberwolves. But as soon as my leg moved forward to continue the fight, they took a step back. The next thing I knew, they were all running into the forest.

Finally, I could see the whole crater and what was going on. It would have been better if I had not, as a huge pile of manticores with holes in various parts of their bodies appeared before my eyes. Blood was pooling beneath this mountain of cruelty, forming a huge puddle.

Daniel was holding some sort of root spike that had belonged to the last Manticore. Before I even had time to think about helping him, he bent it and drove it straight into the beast's skull! It died instantly, of course, and Daniel rolled over on his left leg, tipping the manticore onto its side, right next to the pile of dead brethren.

Oh my God . . .

While I tried to force myself to look away from the sea of blood, Daniel approached me at a brisk pace and said thoughtfully: "Hmm, so you really died from those wooden wolves?"

I swallowed slightly at the sight of his black clothes turning red from all the blood and his face stained with the same liquid. Finally, looking at the aura and the steam around my aura, I said, "It's a test of will, isn't it?"

Daniel chuckled briefly and said, pulling my hand, "We'll talk on the way, we don't have much time. "

Unlike that time with Cerberus, I was able to throw him away with both hands and say harshly: "I can walk on MY own. "

Daniel sighed and started jogging towards the forest: "Okay, okay. We just really have to hurry. "

I kind of figured it out when I realized that more and more steam was coming from me. And the green aura does not decrease at all.

I ran after him, and as soon as we had caught up, Daniel finally began to clarify the situation: "Yes, you have passed the test of will. The aura that surrounds you is the result of your soul expanding wildly and your body not keeping pace. "

I nodded slightly and asked, concentrating on the road ahead, "Can you explain what kind of vapour it is? "

" New amounts of magic are burning through your skin, muscles and so on. I suppose you've used magic a little more thoughtfully than I have, so your body can handle it a little better. But it won't last long, don't worry. "Daniel replied thoughtfully.

I swallowed slightly at the thought that my whole body would soon start to burn like a match and asked: "How much time do I have? "

Daniel shrugged and said, speeding up a little, "Ten minutes. Maybe a little more. At any moment, at any point, your soul will stop expanding and with it the burning of your body will stop and you will lose consciousness almost instantly. "

And then what will be left of my body?

The two of us ran past a lot of trees and soon a couple of Timberwolves appeared in front of us. But before I could do anything, Daniel snatched the sword out of my hand and suddenly picked up speed. In the next second, he jumped on one of the Timberwolves and plunged the weapon into its back. Daniel used the sword as a lever and jumped onto the second with all his weight, crushing him!

I couldn't resist the urge to snort and did so, running past him before yelling, "Stop showing off!

After my words, I just ran on in silence for a while until Daniel suddenly appeared on a branch in front of me and said: "That's nice, of course. But you're going the wrong way, Arthur. We need to turn right."

Damn. I can feel you holding back your laughter.

Suddenly, as I turned in the direction Daniel had asked me to go, my nose caught the smell of roasting meat. It looks like what he was talking about earlier has begun. This test of will really is a very dangerous thing. The only thing that pleases me is that I don't feel any pain. But it seems to me that this is only temporary.

Not daring to look at my skin, I just kept running. Soon I heard heavy footsteps behind me and eventually Daniel caught up with me. Continuing to walk forward, he said, "So are you ready to listen to my plan or are you going to show off?"

I just snorted, which Daniel seemed to take as an answer: "Great. You see, I feel our dear heroes. We will get to them and support them if necessary. If not, I'll send you to the doctor. Or to Ahirata. We'll see."

I wonder what she's doing at the moment.

I didn't have time to think because an abandoned castle appeared ahead of me. And just below it must be the Tree of Harmony. This is where I find out whether my idea was absolutely terrible or not.

"Ha, I didn't know there was a ladder here. " Daniel grinned, suddenly turning slightly to the right and slowing his pace as he started down the stairs.

"Didn't you live in Everfree?" I asked without much curiosity. Actually, I just wanted something to distract me from the growing smell of fried meat. Don't look at yourself. Don't look at yourself, don't look at yourself.

"Damn, I didn't notice. I'm sorry. " Daniel replied with a shrug. Damn, can you at least give normal, detailed answers sometimes? Not about something violent!

Snorting, I finally descended the last step and from my position I could see a small light coming from the cave ahead.

If there's light there, then the tree hasn't died yet, right?

I took a deep breath, feeling the tension building in my head with each step. Time seemed to slow down when the cave was only a few metres away and Daniel said, "Get ready for battle, OK? I sense something much stronger than these six.

Immediately after these words, we found ourselves at the entrance to the cave. There I saw the Mane Six standing in front of the Tree of Harmony, which was covered with many roots. There were elements hanging from its branches, but they were small. It was as if the tree was trying to grow new ones, but was interrupted by a sudden catastrophe.

It seemed that the main characters were unaware of our presence as they began to talk to each other. However, from a distance it was impossible to hear exactly what they were saying. As expected, Daniel decided to break in with the words: "Hello, heroes. How are you doing? Are you winning?"

Do you have some kind of vendetta against them or something?

I frowned, but took a few steps deeper into the cave with Daniel anyway. Well, I tried to be more precise. My legs gave way and I collapsed onto the stone floor of the cave. The smell of burnt flesh had become omnipresent, unbearable. Although the feeling of infinite energy remained, I'm not sure if I'm able to realise it in any way.

Daniel suddenly stopped and asked me, crouching down beside me: "How are you? Do you need to be carried for treatment yet?"

His sudden concern took me by surprise for a moment. Probably because I had no time to answer, Twilight suddenly spoke, seemingly addressing the group: "I understand! The Tree of Harmony has created our Elements. Elements that together symbolise friendship. To save this tree, we must show that power, without symbols!"

To be honest, my brain was starting to boil from all the sensations of boundless energy, the smell of burnt flesh and, most importantly, the pain that was starting to build up. It's possible I didn't understand any of Twilight's words.

Damn, it's terrible. It's just disgusting. It's like I'm going to fall apart into a thousand pieces right now.

Suddenly, all six mares were surrounded by bright light and they soared up, almost to the ceiling of the cave. Then, a bright rainbow appeared around them, which swirled around them for a couple of moments before crashing right onto The Tree of Harmony and creating an even brighter light that made me close my eyes.

As soon as I felt that it was possible to look, my eyes saw how The Tree of Harmony threw away all the roots and moreover, the small elements of the garomnia became full-sized! The piles of smaller plants on either side of the tree also evaporated and exposed the two princesses. To be honest, looking at them up close, I felt a kind of awe. I would even say an almost irresistible desire to bow in their presence.

Although Celestia's mouth opened to say something with a gentle smile, I didn't hear it. Moreover, I suddenly felt my eyelids getting heavy, as if all the endless energy had suddenly run out. However, I was able to see one shocking thing. Celeste's chest was covered with a layer of stone. It was as if they wanted to turn her into stone, but they didn't do it to the end.

Does this have anything to do with Daniel?

As soon as I thought of him, he was there in front of me. Daniel's teeth were clenched and one eye was fixed irritably on everything that was going on in the cave. But then he said with a heavy sigh: "Relax, Arthur. I'll make sure you're all right."

Despite my sincere desire to stand up, be sarcastic or just grin, only one thing came out. I fell onto my back and unconsciously looked at my body. My hands were charred black and my clothes were full of holes, revealing other damage.

"Help." I exhaled heavily before finally throwing my head back to the ground and losing consciousness.

Operation Storm.

Objectives: Defeat Everfree, improve your reputation with the civilian population and test new tanks against the backdrop of a sudden disaster.

Achieved: NOTHING

Losses: One old tank and a significant amount of land being prepared for agriculture.

Conclusions: Arthur's unwanted coma has given me time to do something. Maybe it's time to make real peace. Understand your enemies and accept them.

P.S. Why the hell am I writing this? Structure my thoughts? Give the princesses a convenient way to see what's going on in my head? HOW IS THIS GOING TO HELP ME CHANGE?! It's useless, pointless. Nothing works. Maybe Celestia and Luna aren't even trying. And really, why should they FIX me?

~~Manipulation~~

~~Containment~~

~~Revenge~~

~~L~~

Me. I'm going to spend time with my friends. And I'll think about what I want from my birthday.

I WROTE IT, DANIEL, NOT ANYONE ELSE.

Author's Note

Important announcement: the story goes on hiatus until the end of October (maybe a little more) I need to take some time off and write something, uh, different. So, uh, have a nice day!

The birthday of the scariest monster

Why am I even sitting here?

This thought was running through my head as I sat on a chair and looked at the sleeping Arthur. Although it would be more accurate to describe his state as a prolonged medicinal sleep. Ahirata did this so he wouldn't feel pain while his body recovers from the test of will.

"Although you're recovering quite slowly." I sighed, looking at the many bandages binding Arthur's entire body. Do you know how long he's been lying like this? Already two months. Just for reference, I recovered from my first test of will in two weeks. It took Rising a month to fully recover.

My gaze slowly slid to the window. While on the surface, nature has almost completely prepared for the coming winter, here in Tartarus, everything is in bloom. Along the many streams are numerous multicolored flowers, small bushes, and even trees that have just started to break through the surface. Not to mention that Ahirata has adjusted the temperature, making this place warm enough but not too much.

I'm afraid Ahirata will soon just stop going out of here.

Leaning back in the chair, I closed my eyes to go deeper into myself. Or rather, to think about something that happened quite recently. November 4th.

My birthday.

I was quickly making my way through the castle corridors. My quick steps echoed in all directions, and the few ponies I encountered along the way nervously glanced at me. Quite understandable. Usually at this time I'm just going to bed. Or I'm not even in Canterlot at all. And in general, I rarely go anywhere so purposefully. But today the situation is different.

After passing through one of the inconspicuous passages, I found myself in front of a very long spiral staircase. The path to Celestia's personal quarters. Without slowing down, I began to ascend, taking three steps at a time. Not that it was really difficult. Ponies don't have very high steps.

Eventually, I found myself in front of a white door on which the sun symbol was engraved. Straightening my glasses, I knocked sharply on the door, waited exactly two seconds, and entered on my own.

Inside, I was met by an open window, an open door to the balcony, turned-on lamps. In general, everything indicating that the inhabitant had woken up. But a direct refutation of this theory was Celestia, who was lying on the bed, her hooves hanging down to the floor.

No, no, no. You couldn't just die like that!

In a few long strides, I closed the distance and without hesitation shook her by the shoulder, before saying loudly, "Celestia, Celestia, wake up!"

"Mmm." Only a sound escaped the mare's lips. Whew, she's alive. Although this still doesn't explain what happened.

Sighing, I slowly sat down next to her on the bed and asked, shaking her more actively, "Hello, are you there, wake up!"

No reaction. Snorting, I thought for a moment about what words could wake her up. In the end, I decided to start with the most absurd: "Your daily banana cake for breakfast will be thrown away if you sleep for another five minutes!"

"Huh?" Celestia suddenly raised her head and opened her eyes wide.

I didn't even know she really has a cake for breakfast every day.

Nervously swallowing at the thought of this, I placed my hand on her knee and said slowly, "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Celestia slightly rubbed her face with her hooves and said, groaning a little, "Mm, as usual. I don't want to sit on the throne all day, listen to the same conversations over and over again, and fill out stupid papers."

Nodding slightly in response, I looked around the room before returning to her and asking, "What happened? You raised the sun and seemed ready to start the day. But here you are, on the bed, as if you've just woken up. In the throne room, people are already getting nervous."

"Oh, well, you know how it is. The bed in the mornings is so soft and inviting. I just sat down for a second and fell asleep!" Celestia joked, waving a hoof slightly. But something inside me perceived it differently.

Don't try to lie to me. In all the time I've known you, this is the first time. Something is happening to you.

I frowned, looking at the stone slab that had long ago become Celestia's chest. Despite the absence of any obvious negative signs from her, the main problem is what it blocks. Sighing, I put my hand to my chest and pleaded sincerely, "Celestia, please, if you're feeling unwell - tell me."

In response, she slightly averted her gaze. However, I didn't feel the need to ask anything else. She knows there's no point in lying. I know. Everyone knows.

"I. . . I. . ." Celestia mumbled under her breath, as if saying the next words was absolutely impossible.

"I feel unwell, Daniel. With each raising of the sun, I feel it becoming harder and harder for me to raise it. It seems that next week, Equestria will be plunged into eternal darkness. And it's not some cataclysm that has made the sun heavier." Celestia sighed, not looking at me.

"The thing is, I'm weakening." She finally turned to me with a sad look in her eyes.

These words are not for me. I already knew that perfectly well. These are words for her.

"I'll fix everything. " I said, gently rubbing her knee. I just need to put in a little more effort. A little more, MORE, MORE."

B̶̧̰̜͑͗̎͐͌̃̓̿̌̆͗̑͠r̶͖̺͉̱̦̳̰̜̤͍̞͔̾̃͛͐͆̓̋͒̓̋̂́̂̐́é̴̢̠̙̪̠̩͓̀̊͑̊̓͆͗͗̀́̽̚͝͝â̴̭̘͔̜͚̟̤̦̻̖̝̓̎͗͛̓͗͊̉͂́̐͋͝͝k̵̨̛͖͓͔̙͋̽̅̅͐̀̈́̏͆̕͘ ̶̩̞̼̪̖̰͔̽̑̈́͌d̷͉͂̀͝ȍ̸̢̡͇̱͙͙̼͌̓͆̔̀͝͝͝ͅw̶̢̢̪̻̳̝̉̾̃͑́̂͗̆̕͘ń̵̛̫̥̹̳͓͖͉̙̼̦̼̲̳̫̒̔͋̉̎͊̕͝ͅ,̴̧̨̡̻̞̬̬̲̯̭̻̜̠̞̙͉͕̎͊̓̉̂̊̈̚ ̶̭̭̪̥̠͙͖̓́̔̔̎͒̾̑͑͑͘ͅb̶̺̠͓͉̰̹͙̯̫̳̮̍̀̓̌ư̶̡̜̜̤̭͕̼̒̃̀̓̚t̵̢͍̬̥͓̥̩̖̟͖̩̀͂̾̈́͒͑̀̌̿̍̈́̕͘ ̸͚̲̗͖̪͙̳͙̭̳̪͓̼̞́͂͐͜a̶̡̡̠̗͕͖̪̐̉̇́͂̇̈́͐̀͂̇͒̕͝c̷̢̺̙̲̬̗͆̈́̓͠͠ͅh̷̛̲̠̺̱͖̙͉̣͉̹́͗̓͊̓̾̇̐̊̓̕ì̴̝͉̰͍̈͛̓̓̆̑̃͆̇̓͋̉͆͝͠͝ͅȩ̷̛̛̛͎̹̝͚̗̗̤̲̘̦͈̃̓̓̏̍̐̓̈́́̈̉̏ͅͅͅv̶̨̯͉̲͚̖̞̱̫͔̞̗̈́̽͌e̶̢̦͖̋̄́̿̒̂̂̈̕͠ ̴̞̬͉̹̺̙̇̄͐̽͌̚͝t̶̡͔̦̣̱͙̗͎̰͉̺̳͙̘̗̊̈́̈͊́̿̔̒͛̎̀̕͜͜h̶̢͙̮̼̻͕͍̭̟̤͕̭̪̍̑̎͒̾͐̊̍̿́̏̉͛̅̋͘̚é̵̜̤̞̤͍́̑͆̊̂̆̏̈ ̶̭̀̇̐̽͑͛̔̃̔̏́͝g̷̺̤̹̭͕͆̔̅̈̊̃͋͋̄͝o̸̯̻̿͗̈̍̀͆̚͜͠͝ậ̶̻̹̣̻͎̜͋́͋̀̈́͂͒̔̈́̾̀̑̏͌̅̍l̷̪͎̹̯̥͙̝̩̮̳͉̫̼͔̼̭̾͂̈͊̉̑͋̔̎̋̽̚͜͠.̴̥̳͚͕̹̠̖̜͕̼͕͎͋̑̿

Celestia placed a hoof on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality and said with a gentle but tired smile, "I believe in you, Daniel. You'll definitely make it. And even if not, you at least tried."

"Don't talk like that." I said slowly, shaking my head. In response, Celestia just sighed and removed her hoof. It seemed that for an eternity the room was plunged into absolute silence. However, closing my eyes, I heard one such distant but familiar sound. The gurgling of water, the pounding of hooves, the screeching of metal against metal. Below, another training exercise is underway.

Suddenly, Celestia spoke up, as if the previous conversation had never happened: "By the way, happy birthday to you! Have you already figured out how you'll be celebrating?"

Sighing, I couldn't help but smile a little and replied, "Well, I made arrangements to meet Rising and Flying under Canterlot, where the tank crews usually train. And on site, we'll come up with something."

She smiled and said, raising both hooves up in a stretch, "Ahem, an excellent plan. Happy birthday, Daniel. And don't worry about me, I'll get up now and take care of things."

Just. . . Just hold on a little longer. Please.

Exhaling, I got up from my seat on Celestia's bed and headed towards her open balcony. However, a sudden thought escaped my lips: "Do you have any restrictions on me teleporting from your balcony?"

Celestia chuckled and said, suddenly standing right in front of me, "Of course there are! There is no place for any magic on my balcony, except for raising the sun!"

"Well, then I'll go from here." I chuckled, concentrating magic in my left hand and looking over Celestia's shoulder. There, I saw another tower of the castle, judging by the dark coloring, belonging to Luna. Frowning, I focused my magic more precisely on that spot.

In the next moment I found myself right on Luna's tower and quickly grabbed the spire that was sticking out of it, so as not to fall. Unfortunately, right now I won't be able to chat with the tower's inhabitant, it's too early.

Well, I'll talk to her in the evening. Not the biggest loss.

Leaning over the edge of the tower, I tried to see the tanks from here to teleport directly to the meeting place. However, this could not be achieved. I'll have to do it in several stages. Sighing, I glanced at the rooftops of Canterlot below, plotting a route to the cliff from which I would definitely be able to see the meeting place. I'm just afraid of unsuccessfully teleporting and breaking some kind of tank.

Finishing my thoughts, I took a deep breath and released the spire on Luna's tower. My legs began to slide down, but I teleported to the roof of some penthouse next to the castle before I fell.

Quickly oriented, I quickly ran to the end of the roof, before teleporting further, to some small building. However, the surface under my feet let out an extremely unpleasant creak. As if the roof could collapse under my weight at any moment.

Suddenly, I was distracted by a sobbing sound coming from somewhere to the side and below. Adjusting my glasses, I saw some pegasus mare who was looking helplessly at a chessboard hanging on a branch. How did it end up there? Although it doesn't matter, it won't be difficult for me to remove it-

Wait, is this 'right'? Maybe there's some rule that only a child's mom and dad can help them? Like forming basic connections, clearly distinguishing who is a friend and who is an enemy and all that. What if by interfering in the problem, I violate the formation of her personality?

Screw this large-scale planning.

Without much effort, I jumped off the rooftop, onto the tree branch. Without any particular problems, maintaining my balance, I reached the chessboard and, looking at the filly below, asked, "Is this yours?"

In response, she took a step back and stared at me with wide eyes. I sighed, fully understanding the reasons for such behavior. Since this is Canterlot, there's a chance that she not only heard, but also personally saw how I fought with Celestia and what things I said. As a last resort, her parents could have told her about it.

After several silent moments, I briefly scanned the area where the mare was standing. It looked like a kind of playground, only enclosed by a tall fence. Maybe it's a kindergarten?

To my surprise, the mare still swallowed and spoke up: "Y-Yes, it's my board. Those foals threw it up here!"

'Those foals?' Maybe bullies? Not sure she can handle them the way I used to. . .

Frowning, I carefully threw the chessboard in the direction of the mare. She quickly reared up and caught it with both hooves, although she still looked at me with a certain wariness. Not that it was unfounded. However, my curiosity still made me ask, "Listen, why didn't you ask an adult to get the board?"

The mare awkwardly averted her gaze and sat down on the cold ground before reluctantly answering, "Well, the caretakers won't help with such things. And the ponies my age, well, they're bad."

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the windows of the dilapidated building. Despite the lack of direct evidence, I couldn't shake off one thought. This is an orphanage. A place where cruel parents abandon the most unwanted children. Even crueler than mine.

Turning to the next house in my route, I asked, "What's your name, filly?"

Despite her fear, she answered almost instantly, "My name is Cozy Glow."

This name. Why does it feel so. . . weird?

Quickly shaking my head, I glanced briefly at the sun. Oh, I seem to be running late already. I raised a finger up, so the mare behind me could see it, and said, "Okay, I'll stop by to see you. It's not like you'll only be dealing with bullies, right?"

"Uh, well, I don't mind!" Cozy replied surprisingly positively. Anyway, in the next second, I teleported forward to some building. Then to the next one. And one more. In the end, after several teleportations, I found myself next to a small tree that was desperately clinging to the edge of Canterlot, right above the abyss.

Putting my hand on one of the few branches, I leaned forward, trying to make out the meeting place. And to my surprise, this was extremely easy! Next to the trail of tank treads stood two ponies. One of whom was clearly a changeling, judging by the holes in his body.

Chuckling, I made the final teleportation and found myself right behind their backs. The first to react to me was the yellow-eyed bat pony with purple fur. Rising Moon, the current captain of Luna's personal guard. He smiled, seeing me, and ran up to me, saying, "It seems like an eternity since we last met in person, doesn't it, Daniel?"

Sometimes. Sometimes I miss how he used to call me mister sir boss.

Unable to suppress a smile, I said, holding out my hand forward, "Yes, it's been a long time. Although I think it's easier for me to notice that you've gotten older."

In response, Rising lightly shook my hand and chuckled awkwardly, "Well, since the invasion of Canterlot, there have been a lot more volunteers. So I constantly have to train new and new soldiers."

Suddenly, Flying decided to make himself known: "Can we leave the sentimentality and get straight to the celebration?"

"Well, have you two come up with anything while waiting for me? Then we can celebrate. With drinking, like you love, F- I mean, Abdomen." I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

He snorted and said smugly, "Of course I came up with something! Your birthday fell on one of the few days when strip clubs are open in Canterlot. It's a sign, you know? It's time for you to lose your virginity already."

I regret having told you about this before.

I frowned, but Rising interjected before I could speak: "Well, I suggest we visit Manehattan. After all, that's where we bonded, remember?"

"And that's where you drank absinthe on New Year's. Remember, you madman?" Flying asked, looking at me with a mischievous grin.

"You do remember that my birthday is not on the list of days when I drink alcohol, right?" I asked, crossing my arms. After I said the last word, the changeling's face finally darkened completely. Apparently, he didn't remember.

Suddenly, he rose from the ground on his insect wings and said, starting to circle around me, "Maybe it's time to put aside all this thing with super-restrictions? I mean, what really changed since you 'rejected' perfection?"

Before I even had time to formulate an answer, Rising spoke up: "But that's just right thing. Drinking alcohol is harmful. And the idea of touching mares for money, well, it's kind of wrong."

My boy. I love him. Those words just increased that love by one hundredth of a percent.

Flying snorted and, still hovering in the air, crossed his hooves before saying, "Okay, you two are absolutely no fun. What do you propose then? Except for Manehattan. I hate trains."

Suddenly, Rising asked me a question I least expected: "And what do you want yourself? As I heard, on a birthday, the birthday pony usually does what they want. Well, within reason."

"What do I want?" The words quietly escaped my lips as my gaze fixed on something far away. Farther than the tanks practicing their next maneuvers, farther than the hills hiding Ponyville. Farther than all these worlds and dimensions.

Finally, I sighed and slowly said, adjusting my glasses, "I want to be with you. Both of you. Despite how long we've known each other, we've had little time at peace. Maybe we can just go somewhere and just talk? I know one place in Canterlot that serves delicious meat."

"Are there normal drinks there?" Flying asked, still keeping his hooves crossed.

This is exactly the question I expected from you.

"There's definitely beer there." I immediately replied, quickly nodding to the changeling.

In response, he raised both hooves up and said with a sigh, "Finally, a normal option! Not as good as mine, but still good."

Rising watched for a while before suddenly asking, "Uh, nothing bad if you don't know about this. But can you smoke there?"

In response, I could only raise my eyebrow in confusion, to which he quickly waved a hoof and said, "Nothing, if you can't do that there! I just wanted to know. I, uh, don't like the smell of smoke in a room."

"Listen, smoking is harmful. I know that from my own experience," Flying said, giving him a serious look. Unusual for him.

"Yes, smoking damages the lungs, brain, skin, bones, nervous system, heart, reproductive system, and many other things," I replied with a concerned look.

"I'm nervous, okay!? I need some way to relax," answered Rising, when his wings reflexively rose slightly.

No one needs you to shorten your lifespan.

I stretched out my hand forward and said calmly: "Rising, give me your cigarettes, please. Preferably absolutely all that you have."

He stared at me for a while, then sighed. He then stuffed his wings into the saddlebags at his sides before pulling out two packs of cigarettes. I held them between my fingers and Flying asked, raising an eyebrow: "Are you going to smoke them all yourself? That's your style, of course, but I'm going to suffocate. Literally."

Snorting, I put the cigarettes in my pocket and said raising a finger: "Anyway, Rising. Sorry, but I want you not to kill yourself today, on my birthday. And in the future we'll find a common way to deal with stress."

He sighed and said reluctantly: "Okaaaaay. Just return these cigarettes to me, okay? They're expensive."

Speaking as a former guard captain, it's amazing he was even able to find the money to buy himself such things.

"So, have we discussed everything? Can we immediately teleport to the diner you recommended?" Flying asked slightly hastily.

Upon hearing his question, I briefly snapped him on the nose and replied with a smirk: "No. I will teleport us to the outskirts of the city, but from there we will get to the restaurant on foot. I would like to chat along the way."

In response, he snorted and flew a few feet back to be out of my reach. But Rising nodded and said: "Okay, I don't mind. And after all, this is your birthday."

Thank you. Thank you for even agreeing to spend time with me.

Taking a deep breath, I touched the remains of my right shoulder to Flying, who was still hanging in the air, and with my left hand to Rising's mane. Then I looked at the tree next to which I had stood just recently and exhaled.

In the next moment, the three of us found ourselves on the edge of a cliff and right in front were the narrow streets of Canterlot. Flying landed on the ground and said slightly staggering: "I don't understand why ponies complain about hangovers but at the same time come up with such spells."

"Hangover?" Rising asked, slightly raising his eyebrow. Despite smoking and all, he still remains the cleanest of us.

"Hangover is when a human has a headache after drinking." I explained in response to which Rising slightly opened his mouth in realization before briefly chuckling.

Never thought I could explain someone else's joke.

With satisfied sigh, I started walking forward and almost immediately the two friends began to follow me. Due to the early time, there were no other living beings on the street. Ponies are sleeping, rats probably too, and birds have already flown away. It's good that the place we're going to is open 24/7.

"So, Flying. You said you know the harm of smoking from your own experience. You used to smoke, I gather?" I asked, slightly turning my head towards the changeling.

In response, he loudly snorted and said: "Today. Only today will I let you call me by the wrong name!"

I just silently nodded, after which Flying sighed and answered reluctantly: "You know that feeling of irritation when you're hungry? Like any scout who barely visits the damn hive, I felt that CONSTANTLY. That's why I started trying different things to somehow compensate for it. But cigarettes are harmful. Really. Every puff of a cigarette literally chokes me. And it's not a matter of skill, it's just a bodily reaction."

Thoughtfully humming, I suddenly asked him: "Listen, you're the only changeling in all of Equestria who can walk around freely. All other representatives of your kind are either in prison or hiding, until the princesses decide what to do with all of you. And, well, how do you feel about that?"

"Are you really interested in this, madman?" Flying asked in disbelief, his eyes wide open.

Yes. I want to know what's going on in your head and whether I can at least understand it.

It seemed he understood the general intent just from my face and slowly sighed. For several seconds the three of us just walked in silence, before Flying finally spoke: "I don't like the idea that while we're here walking and talking, all the changelings from my hive are sitting in a dungeon."

For a moment, silence hung in the air, but he quickly corrected himself: "Don't get me wrong. I'm still sure that betraying Chrysalis was the right decision. That bitch deserved imprisonment for not valuing me. But the other guys, especially the scouts like me? Oh, I wish they were free."

After that, he fell silent, apparently finishing speaking. However, before I could come up with a worthy answer, Rising finally spoke in a soft, comforting voice: "I'm sure we'll figure out how to make changelings live peacefully and freely sooner or later."

As soon as Flying slightly opened his mouth to respond, I quickly added from myself: "Yes. I'm sure the changelings will be released. In the worst case, they'll get community service or something like that before that happens. And Chrysalis will be kept in a golden cage."

"Hmm, I'd prefer if she was kept in a regular cage." he snarked, but couldn't hide the smile touching his lips.

Seems to have turned out not bad.

Mentally nodding to myself, I looked at Rising and asked, raising an eyebrow: "So, how's the role of guard captain?"

In response, he raised his head, showing me his tired eyes in full and said in an irritated voice: "It's incredibly difficult. Someone is always trying to pull some stunt. Literally two days ago, someone tried to remove the treads from a tank and replace them with wheels! And the worst part is, even I don't know how to fix it. No one in all of Canterlot knows! Me and a bunch of other soldiers had to sit and think about how to fix it."

For a moment, he stopped to heavily sigh and shake his head before muttering quietly: "I don't think I'm suited for this role. You somehow managed to discipline and unite everyone better."

I slightly rubbed my cheek with my finger before saying: "Rising, how are you any worse than me? What can make you a worse leader than me, who never led a group before becoming a captain?"

Suddenly, Flying answered the question posed: "Well, you know how to cook deliciously and quickly. Like, dude, you haven't let anyone near the campfire in a long time! Of course, I mostly ate at the expense of the, ahem, hidden love in the squad. But for the rest, you were just like Mum, the only source of food we needed to survive."

Um, thank you. . .

Noticing the slightly awkward expression on my face, he asked mockingly: "Confess, like any cool chef, you have a pink apron with some inscription somewhere."

I rolled my eyes in response and said: "For your information, until the nineteen-forties, pink was considered a masculine color. I can wear a fully pink suit and say it's the style of the thirties."

"I didn't understand anything." He chuckled, quickly shaking his head.

Briefly chuckling, I turned to Rising and offered: "Listen, the only thing that sets us apart as captains is cooking. Maybe we'll cook together? Like, gather in the kitchen at a certain time and cook the first thing we find in the book."

"And what if it doesn't work out?" He asked slightly tensely.

"What does it matter? The kitchen is in the castle, not ours!" I answered with a sharp wave of my hand.

In response, Rising couldn't hold back a brief giggle and answered with a nod: "Okay, I like this idea."

"Oh, can I be the one who tastes your food in this scheme?" Flying asked, raising his insect wing.

"Specially for you, I'll prepare chicken in white wine." I replied, running my finger along his horn. Why?

I'd like to know that myself.

Fortunately, he quickly moved his head and said solemnly: "I remember this. We all remember this. Now you'll never get out of it."

Snorting, I looked forward and saw that we had already reached our destination. A restaurant of griffin cuisine. Interesting fact, even though I've been learning German for a very long time, I still can't read what's written on the sign. I just can't find these words anywhere in the dictionary.

"Okay, we're here. Follow me and try not to say anything. The local griffins don't like it when someone speaks not in griffin." I warned before putting my hand on the left part of the double doors and walking inside. For some reason the room was completely dark. I understand that at this time there are almost no visitors, but usually at least the light is on. Wait, I feel something.

"SURPRISE!" Loudly clamored a multitude of voices together with the suddenly dissipated darkness. Blinking in shock a few times, I saw seven ponies in front of me. Twilight, her 'friends' and Princess Luna. Right behind them was a long table covered with various types of food. At the head of the table there was meat of various kinds, and in other places there were more products suitable for ponies.

And not a single sweet product. Amazing. Not a single bright poster. Excellent. Not too big a crowd of people. Incredible.

"Well, how do you like it? I tried to take into account everything I know about you to make the perfect party for you, Dani!" Pinkie said excitedly, jumping to be at eye level with my face.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find any flaws. Sighing, I said gratefully with a nod: "Yes, everything is really good. Thank you."

Pinkie gave me an extremely wide smile and cheerfully chirped: "I'm always happy to make my friends happy!"

After that, I let out a satisfied sigh and briefly glanced at the two friends. Judging by the smirks on their faces, they knew all about this surprise. However, I couldn't confirm my guesses, because I heard a familiar voice: "It seems we haven't talked in a long time, have we?"

Yeah, it looks like it. . .

Sighing, I looked up and looked at Luna. Today she wasn't wearing any jewelry or the like. Just like an ordinary pony. Awkwardly smiling, I asked: "Well, um, how do you feel about everything I've been doing lately, Princess?"

Luna was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, putting a hoof on my shoulder: "First of all, you no longer have to call me a princess. And secondly, despite the fact that you don't always do well, I understand that your intentions are good. You just need to learn how to be good the right way."

I pondered her answer for a few moments, but she interrupted me with an offer: "Maybe we can all sit down at the table, give you a present, before we start long conversations?"

"Okay." I nodded, after which Luna removed her hoof from my shoulder. With a unhurried step, I reached the place at the head of the table, next to which there were many meat dishes. One of them is a burger with shrimp. Often, I only come to this restaurant for it.

Satisfying, not too unhealthy, not too expensive, can be eaten while walking. . .

Simply delicious. That's enough. Sighing, I finally sat down in my place. To my right sat Rising, to my left Flying. Then came Luna and Twilight. Then Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Applejack, Rainbow and finally Fluttershy. The latter was on the opposite side of the table.

"They're arranged by how good my relationships with them are. The worse, the further away." The idea flashed in my head, but it was quickly overshadowed by an incredible feeling. Exultation? Anticipation? Triumph? I don't know how to express it other than...

"What will my birthday present be? What will my first birthday present in my life be?" These thoughts kept repeating in my head. Every moment of waiting made these thoughts even more obsessive. Judging by the smirk on Pinkie's face, she liked to see this impatience.

Eventually, Luna spared me and briefly nodded to Rising. He, with his wings, reached into his saddlebags and pulled out three boxes. Two were about the same size, and the third was smaller, about the size of a palm.

What's in them, what's in them, what's in them?

"You can op-" Luna began, but just chuckled when she saw that my only hand had already reached for the boxes. In less than a second I opened all three and simply couldn't believe my eyes. It was a prosthetic arm disassembled into three parts: shoulder, forearm and hand. I... I thought something like this was just impossible here. I thought that until the end of my days I would have only one hand at my disposal!

"Would you like me to help assemble it?" Rising asked, slightly leaning towards me with a concerned smile. Not that it was unfounded, I have trouble fastening my belt.

However, despite this, I answered with a wide smile as I reached my left hand towards the set: "No, no, everything is fine. I would like to savor the moment."

In response, he nodded and let me study the entire set. There were some protrusions, depressions and a rotating mechanism on the shoulder and forearm, as if it were a lock. However, on the hand there was nothing of the kind. How to attach it to the entire structure?

Okay, we'll deal with problems as they come.

Slightly nodding to myself, I carefully began to try to connect the shoulder and forearm. While the process was slowly progressing, Luna began to explain: "You see, everyone in this hall in one way or another participated in the development of this prosthesis. I, for example, helped with the fingers. After all, I saw how you move them while I was training you."

"And I helped with everything else! After all, I once turned into you. So for that you could promise me two chickens in white wine. Or just give me two bottles." Flying replied, raising his hoof.

With a click, I managed to secure the two parts of the prosthesis together. Then I turned the forearm clockwise, which caused a series of small clicks, like a locking lock. I smiled at this and the spoken words.

Thank you.

"I helped with the control system for all of this. In the end, we settled on the option that you can use your magic to wrap around the special protrusions on the prosthesis to move it." Twilight quickly noted with a nod.

"I helped with the design to make it look cute!" Pinkie Pie chirped, slightly bouncing on her chair.

"I helped with the design to make it harmoniously look with you." Rarity replied modestly.

"Me and AJ did a test drive to make sure this thing doesn't fall apart at the first sneeze!" Rainbow answered before raising her hoof to be hit by Applejack a second later, in agreement.

"Well, I, uh, helped a little bit. I just suggested where the mounts should be placed so that it looked, well, natural." Fluttershy said, covering her eyes with strands of her mane.

And what did my favorite boy do?

As if feeling my question, Rising smiled and said: "And I, I proposed the idea of the prosthesis. I think this is exactly what you wanted."

"By the way, the hand is attached to the entire structure with a magnet. After all, you need to be able to rotate it, don't you?" He suggested with a slight chuckle. Dang, I should have figured that out.

With a light movement, I pressed the palm to the forearm and to my surprise it calmly attached. The prosthesis is assembled. Taking a deep breath, I removed the right half of my coat and rolled up the sleeve of my shirt to expose the little shoulder joint that remained of my right hand. But right now. Right now this will change.

Exhaling, I quickly fastened the belt, securing the prosthesis. Then I released several lines of my magic. To my surprise, I almost instinctively felt where to lead them and what to wrap them around. It was as if I was stretching a new layer of muscle between the metal parts, a perfect copy of the old one. As a result, in just ten seconds I managed to reach the tips of the new fingers.

Trembling, I slightly pulled all the lines towards myself. And the mechanical hand bent at the elbow. I moved the lines a little to the side in the area that was further away and the palm turned slightly in the same direction. Probably no words could fully express the expression on my face at that moment.

The word happiness does not fully encompass this.

After a few seconds of my silent exultation, all the ponies said together the words. Words that I probably hear for the first time from so many people: "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, thank you. I, I'm glad you're all here." I muttered, lowering my face down. They shouldn't see this now.

My tears.

Rubbing my eye lightly with my left hand, I came back to reality and looked at Arthur. Of course, he was still unconscious. Sighing, I looked at the prosthesis attached to my shoulder and said, "You know, Arthur, I wish you were there. We could talk. About how you're doing here, what your plans are, what you're going to do with your newfound power. "

Exhaling, I looked out the window again and muttered to myself, "Or about why you can hate me forever. But I guess I'll tell you anyway. Soon. "

I just need time to gather my strength and say it.

Author's Note

Well, I'm back. Uh, the break was a bit long, but I'm ready to write chapters. And I have good news, the pace of the story will pick up and the adventure tag will finally be fully justified! (Better late than never, I guess?)

This is the end of my message. Have a nice day!

A dramatic change

Huh?

Completely suddenly, I felt my body lying on something soft. There was no dream, but I was definitely unconscious for some time. I can feel it. With difficulty, my eyes opened slightly and were immediately blinded by a blindingly bright light. Wow, I'm a tautology expert. Reflexively, I tried to cover them with my hands, but they simply wouldn't move.

"Good, I managed to wake you up. How are you feeling?" Asked a familiar female voice that seemed to be right in front of me. My brain needed several seconds to precisely remember who it belonged to. Ahirata.

"Ahem, Ahirata, could you please turn off those super bright lamps? I'd like to at least open my eyes." I groaned, keeping my eyes closed and trying to wave my hand in the direction of the presumed light source. In the end, I only managed to move a finger.

In response, I felt something soft touch my hand, followed by Ahirata's words: "Hey, it's okay, there's almost no light here. You've just been asleep for over two months, and your eyes need time to even remember what it's like to see."

OVER TWO MONTHS?

"What happened to me!? I blacked out when the mane six won and freed the princesses. I couldn't have been badly hurt after that!" I said panically, suddenly opening my eyes. But quickly closed them when I felt the bright light again.

"Shh, shh, calm down. I deliberately kept you asleep so you wouldn't feel the pain from your own burned skin. Yes, you could have woken up much earlier, but you would have felt terrible pain. So, at least you're not in pain now, right?" Ahirata said soothingly, judging by the sensation, rubbing my hand with something soft. Maybe a glove?

I swallowed slightly and reluctantly admitted: "Yeah, nothing seems to hurt. Well, only my back feels kind of strange."

Suddenly, Ahirata removed the soft thing from my hand and said in a very careful voice: "Yes, about that. I think I figured out why when you arrived in this world, your soul settled somewhere around your vertebrae."

I don't like how this sounds.

Before I could do anything, there was a sudden brief click and Ahirata said: "I turned off the lamp. Now, try opening your eyes."

Despite some nervousness, I slowly lifted my eyelids. For a few moments, my vision was blurry, but after several seconds, it finally focused on Ahirata, who was now wearing white gloves, very similar to medical ones. Interesting where she got them from?

Ahirata swallowed and said, pointing behind my back: "Whenever you're ready, just look back."

"Okay, you're probably just building up the atmos-" I started saying, slowly turning my head but froze. From the upper part of my back protruded wide wings, with a span about twice the length of my arms. They were blonde in color, just like my hair. This. . .

This is just unnatural. I, I feel wrong! This isn't mine! This thing shouldn't be there!

Apparently, Ahirata noticed the growing emotions on my face and hurried to explain: "When Daniel brought you here, you had multiple injuries. But the most serious ones were around your back. There were literally areas where you could see the spine. Well, during the healing process, I discovered that these wings were, like, there all this time, under your skin and muscles. When I put your soul in the right place, it broke the magical connection with the wings, paralyzing them. That's why your back stopped hurting."

"Could you just leave the wings there, under the skin? Or cut them out altogether!?!?" I asked, slightly raising my voice. I don't want to walk around with this monstrosity!

Ahirata sighed and said, shaking her head: "Arthur, that's just dangerous. These wings are tightly connected to your spine. And, I want to clarify, I have no idea what a normal skeleton of your species should look like. A small mistake could lead to disability."

I slightly opened my mouth to repeat another part of the question, but Ahirata quickly raised her hand and said: "And no, I couldn't leave them there. Releasing your wings outside, like, filled the holes that formed in your back. Consider that the wings gave you a new set of back muscles."

Letting out a dejected sigh, I surprisingly managed to move my hand enough to put it on my forehead and asked: "And on top of everything else, they're just dead weight?"

"Well, I could connect your soul to the wings, so they would at least start moving. But if you don't want to, then yes, it's just decoration," said Ahirata, slightly rubbing the lower part of her muzzle.

Oh god, why is all this happening to me?

I sighed heavily and with some effort threw off the blanket and pulled my knees to myself. Putting my head on them, I asked, glancing at Ahirata from the corner of my eye: "If you connect these wings, will they immediately start moving frantically or something?"

"Uh, maybe? I'm not very familiar with this specific aspect, honestly," Ahirata answered, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. Seriously?

"I thought you once had wings but lost them," I said, pointing my finger at her. Like, Ahirata looks like a regular local dragon in every way, just without wings.

She briefly looked behind her back before turning back to me and saying, rubbing her hands: "Maybe I once did. Maybe I was born this way. I honestly don't know, Arthur. A huge part of my life is absolute and complete uncertainty."

Oh, how can all this get any worse?

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice from somewhere in the distance. Daniel's voice. But it sounded unusually cheerful and, even more surprisingly, it seemed he was singing: "Für die Freiheit, für die Arbeit."

The voice got closer and I managed to hear quiet bouncing of something. A ball? While I was pondering, Daniel continued his cheerful singing: "Für die Freizeit, für die Einigkeit."

"Führen wir Streit!" Daniel sang triumphantly as he entered the room with closed eyes. However, my attention was quickly captured by something new in his appearance. To his right arm was attached a prosthetic made of gray metal, through small gaps here and there some blue glow could be seen. Oh, and in his palm he was holding a basketball.

Where did he even find something like that in this world? Like, is there anyone in Equestria who can play such games?

Finally Daniel opened his eyes, which slightly widened at the sight of me conscious. But eventually he shook his head and said, raising his left hand: "Oh, hey, Arthur. Feeling alive?"

I sighed and said, with difficulty rubbing my face with my hands: "I can barely move. And these things on my back are just horrible."

"Hey, it's not that bad, Arthur. Um, they match your hair?" Ahirata tried to comfort me. Hm, now I believe that she communicates with Rarity.

However, Daniel said, leaning against the wall: "Honestly? When I saw these wings, I immediately covered you with a blanket. So I wouldn't have to see that."

"Okay, I'm almost ready to agree with you," I sighed, casting a brief glance at my wings. Yes, I would like to cover them with a blanket, so I never have to see them again.

"Do both of you have some kind of problem with wings or what?" Ahirata asked, confusedly looking between both of us.

"It just looks unnatural! Everything in my head screams that a human shouldn't have wings, that it's not right, that it needs to be removed," I answered frustratedly, raising both hands up.

Daniel hmmed and said, shifting his weight to his left leg: "And that's not mentioning the whole bunch of muscles you'll have to work out for proper wing function. Arthur, do you want to build a second set of pectoral muscles?"

WHAT!? What nonsense are you talking about?

Apparently, Daniel noticed my facial expression and said, raising an eyebrow awkwardly: "Look. Pectoral muscles are involved in raising, lowering, and rotating arms. Basically, wings are just arms but a bit different. So in order to move them, you either have an extra set of pectoral muscles to train, or you just have to make a very strong chest. Which do you prefer?"

Nervously swallowing, I looked at my chest, which was covered by a simple white tank top. Sighing, I said quickly looking away: "I'm not going to check. I probably won't even use these things anyway."

Ahirata sighed and said, rubbing her bridge: "Anyway, I still don't understand your problem with wings. So, Arthur, just tell me if you ever decide you want to use the wings."

Before I could answer, Daniel suddenly bounced the ball against the floor and said, catching it: "But first you need to stretch your muscles. After two months of lying in bed, you need, let's say, therapy."

I think you just want to mock an almost disabled person and test your prosthetic.

Speaking of the latter, I struggled to swing my legs off the bed and asked, pointing at his metallic arm: "Where did you get something like that? I don't think anything like this is possible here."

Daniel smiled broadly, looking at his prosthetic. However, there was something strange about it. It wasn't a predatory or sadistic smile. Just, well, normal.

Finally, he sighed and said contentedly: "I thought so too. But on my birthday, my acquaintances decided to collectively surprise me."

What did people find in him to give such gifts on his birthday? Just as I frowned, Ahirata quickly said with a nod: "I actually helped with choosing suitable materials. Sorry I couldn't come to Canterlot."

Daniel gave her a brief glance before smirking and saying: "It's fine. You have lots of work here in Tartarus."

Without leaving a single second of silence, he suddenly turned his head to me and said: "So, Arthur, are you coming with me to stretch your muscles? Or will you wait for them to somehow magically remember how to work?"

I agree. But only because I'm afraid you'll sit with me if I choose the second option.

"Only because I want to get away from you as quickly as possible," I snorted before rising from the bed and shakily standing on both feet. However, the weight of the wings immediately pulled me back and down, back to the bed. The next moment I was right back where I started.

"That's why the only logical angel is the biblical one." Daniel chuckled, extending his metal hand to me while holding the basketball with his real one. Reluctantly accepting his offer, I couldn't help but notice that the metal hand was very warm. I would even say, almost hot.

Before I could guess the reason for this, Daniel pulled me by the hand and said in an elevated tone: "Come on, get ready. I asked Ahirata to organize such a sports ground, whew! You'll just be amazed."

I frowned at how he was once again leading me by the hand, but after a few seconds just sighed and asked: "Why do you even need a sports ground in Tartarus?"

Daniel turned slightly towards me and smugly said, adjusting his glasses: "Three reasons. For your recovery after the coma, for testing the prosthetic, and for relaxing the brain. Now guess in what order of priority these three stand."

The correct answer is only for testing the prosthetic. Because first, you don't seem like the caring type. And second, how the hell can sports relax the brain? Rather, cause pain throughout the body.

Finally, we went down a long staircase and ended up right at the castle exit. A small stream flowed in front of us, with lots of flowers and bushes on either side. However, something else took over my mind at that moment. Surprisingly, after descending the long staircase of the castle, my legs don't hurt at all. Looks like I really got stronger. But at the cost of two months of sleep. If I were a student, I would consider this a win-win situation.

"So, here we are!" Daniel said, releasing my hand and pointing forward with both hands. There, I saw a stone sports ground. There were two basketball hoops, several bars of different heights for pull-ups, and other scary things. But on the other hand, I can't deny that I feel slightly stiff.

"Am I correct in understanding that you really want to humiliate me in basketball?" I asked with a disappointed sigh when I looked at Daniel's smiling face expression.

"Hey, you can just work out here all alone. I'm just offering to warm up in a playful way. And anyway, do you really consider a disabled person a serious opponent?" Daniel asked, laughing.

You're the most dangerous disabled person I know. Plus, I have a huge load of ballast on my back.

Noticing my gloomy expression, Daniel briefly coughed and asked: "So are you going to play or not?"

Sighing, I said reluctantly, taking a step toward the center of the court: "Only to warm up. I still consider you a guy who someone needs to put in his place."

"Cool," Daniel responded impassively, raising his left thumb, before following me to the center of the court. After a few seconds, he placed the ball on the ground in the center of the field and took several steps back.

"Shouldn't there be some kind of referee or something, so we catch this ball right in the air?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh don't worry Arthur, we'll improvise. But if anything, you're the referee. After all, I don't know the rules at all," Daniel replied dismissively waving his hand. Wait, I understand that you seem to have always lived under a rock, but to such an extent?

Like he clearly looks athletic. He must have played on some team in school or something.

Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my face with my hands and said: "You're just driving me crazy. Just let me count to three and we'll start."

Daniel quickly nodded in response and removed his glasses before putting them in his pants pocket. Interesting, is he trying to show how cool he is this way? Snorting, I leaned slightly toward the ball, trying to ignore the weight of the wings and began counting: "One. Two. . ."

"Three!" I said reaching for the ball with my hand. But Daniel like lightning quickly grabbed the ball with his metal hand and ran around me from the side, dribbling the ball. When I turned around, he had already jumped and sent the ball straight into the hoop. WITH HIS FOOT!

"That's against the rules!" I shouted while the ball hit the stone hoop exactly and passing through the net, hit the ground.

"Oh really? Damn." Daniel muttered, walking up to the ball and carefully throwing it at my feet.

What a strange guy you are after all.

Shaking my head, I picked up the ball from the ground and asked somewhat tensely: "In basketball, you can't hit with feet or fists. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Daniel responded loudly, still standing right under the hoop. Hm, maybe I can take advantage of this a bit? I was never good at basketball, but at least I know the rules.

Taking a deep breath, I took two long steps before carefully jumping on my tiptoes and sending the ball straight into the basket. However, Daniel simply grabbed the edges with both hands and headed the ball back in the opposite direction. And damn it, I could clearly see his smug smile through the mesh of the basket.

Wait, did he break a rule here? And if so, which one?

I frowned in contemplation, but Daniel didn't let me concentrate. He ran towards the ball that he had headed off, clearly intending to take it. However, this time I managed to react and ran to intercept. To my own surprise, we seemed to be moving at equal speed. No, more than that, I was overtaking him!

With a smug smile, I reached out my hand, ready to grab the ball. But I didn't take into account one thing. Daniel is taller than me. And therefore his limbs are longer. With a sharp step forward, Daniel pushed the ball forward, ducked and ran right under my outstretched arm.

Gritting my teeth, I tried to run again to intercept the ball. But it was too late. Daniel was holding the ball in his left hand and hanging on to the basket with his right. The next thing I knew, he was throwing it into the basket and shouting: "GOOOOOAL!"

"What the hell kind of goal? We're playing basketball!" I shouted irritably while running up to him to prevent him from pulling any more unrealistic tricks.

"Oh, really? Then what do they shout when they win?" Asked Daniel, still hanging on the hoop with one metal hand. I don't know what irritates me more in this situation. The fact that he can hang like that on something.

Or the fact that I have no idea how to answer his question?

Like, probably you need to shout something when you win. But what?

Finally, I sighed dejectedly and said reluctantly: "Fine, I guess you can shout goal."

Daniel finally got down from the hoop and with a light motion pushed the ball to me and said: "Good. Now, I have a proposal. You run to that hoop over there and try to throw the ball in. And I'll give you a head start before I start chasing. Cool?"

At first, I wanted to just nod. But some feeling, a thought stopped me. Why the hell should I accept his head start and feed his ego even more? No way. Snorting, I put the ball at my feet and said, stepping aside: "No way. We'll start from the same spot and try to intercept the ball."

For a few moments, Daniel just looked at me before shrugging and saying, standing next to me: "Well, if that's what you want, fine. Start the countdown or something."

Hm, thought you'd say something like 'excellent' again.

Exhaling, I started counting slowly, while thinking about what to do with Daniel: "One."

Suddenly an idea came to my head. Maybe these wings are completely unnatural and immobile, but I can use them. I just need to turn quickly at the right moment. Mentally nodding to myself, I shifted slightly forward, just an inch closer to the ball. Daniel didn't even react.

"TWO, THREE!" I quickly finished counting before turning my back to Daniel, blocking his view with my wings. I felt his fingers collide with them, he didn't manage to react! Breathing out with satisfaction, I grabbed the ball from the ground with my right hand and started quickly dribbling it towards the hoop.

But Daniel appeared right next to me with his eyes wide open, watching the ball. How is this possible? A few minutes ago he was slower than me, and now he's as fast or even faster! Growling, I looked at the basketball hoop, which was still too far away to throw. But suddenly an idea popped into my head.

Daniel is currently without glasses. So he sees worse than usual. Hmm.

As soon as Daniel put his hand out to try and knock the ball out of my hands, I suddenly started running sideways, getting further and further away from Daniel. Instead of running straight after me, he ran straight into the ring to prevent my ball from hitting the ring. Just as I needed to do.

I quickly moved the ball from hand to hand, trying to knock Daniel down as he stood in front of the ring with his hands up. After a few seconds I took a step forward and turned my body so that the wings blocked the hand with the ball. Then I turned abruptly, passed the ball to my other hand and threw it into the ring.

Daniel, to his surprise, was able to react and jump up to catch the ball in flight with both hands. However, they were too far apart, and the ball flew between them before solemnly flying into the net. Almost reflexively, I pumped my fist in the air and shouted "GOAL! "

Okay, I admit it's really not the worst idea.

To my surprise, Daniel uttered no cry of disappointment, justification or anything else peculiar to narcissus. He just picked up the ball from the floor and said to me: "That was cool, Arthur. Especially with wings. Can I ask a question off topic? "

I frowned slightly, preparing myself for something terrible, but said anyway: "Okay, you can. "

" What do you dream of, Arthur? What do you want to achieve in life? "He asked, looking at me calmly and very seriously. Why is he asking me this?

I thought for a few seconds about how to answer his question before I reluctantly replied: "I want to find my talent, so to speak. Well, it's more correct to say what I'm good at and what I like to do".

Daniel blinked before tilting his head to the side, "Isn't your talent drawing? That's what you earn money with. "

I snorted and replied, averting my eyes slightly: "You know, it's harder than it looks! I've been trying to figure it out for a long time. I like the money for drawing, the grades I get when I post something online, or the process itself."

"Well, um, why did you start drawing at all? Daniel asked in a tone as if he wanted to help. Not that I really believed him.

But I feel like you just won't leave me alone.

"I was jealous. " I answered reluctantly, crossing my arms.

"What?" Daniel asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I was jealous, you know? There was this guy at school who drew and everyone called him a genius. I looked at his doodles and decided that I could draw better than him and get more recognition for it! So I started training to draw better than him." I replied with an exasperated sigh.

Daniel blinked a few times before asking the most terrifying question: "And to show that you don't scribble, unlike that guy, did you choose an avant-garde style?"

"I WANTED TO BEAT HIM ON HIS OWN FIELD! " I snapped irritably, before quickly covering my forehead with my hand.

"Sorry. I'm just not feeling well. I've been asleep for two months, then, these damn wings and your questions, finally. " I said with a sigh.

Daniel was silent for a while before he took a step back and said with a strange look, "It's okay. Let's just play a little more to warm you up and I'll go about my business. "

He looks almost. . . disappointed?

I was confused for a couple of moments before stepping aside and saying, "Okay. But do not hope that you will be able to get into the ring at least one more time. "

"I didn't count on it. " Daniel replied unperturbed.

Yeah, yeah, keep pretending.

With a snort, I stood some distance away from him and prepared for whatever he might do.

For the first time in a long time, there was real activity in Tartarus. The ball flew quickly through the air, bouncing loudly off the sides of the basketball hoop. With each passing moment, the seconds of silence grew shorter. Both players were warming up. Although one of them was clearly thinking about something other than the game.

Further away, many miles to the east, was the source of all the water for Tartarus. A great lake in the land of dragons. But no one had been near it for a long time. What would a dragon do with simple water?

On a small hill nearby sat the daughter of the Dragonlord himself, Princess Ember. She was clad in golden armour up to her claws. The perfect material for reflecting magic. It is quite traditional for dragons, which have often clashed with ponies in their history.

Over the past few months, Ember had interviewed everyone she could to find out at least something about the creature that had taken her father's hand. All she has learned is that it was as tall as a pony princess and had black hair. Very little information.

Sighing, she rose into the air and muttered to herself, "Looks like I'll have to look outside the lands. "

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: The day after the basketball game, 9:00
Location: Canterlot

Right now I was standing in front of the dilapidated building where I met the filly on my birthday. Cozy Glow was her name, right? Yeah, I think so. In any case, my initial assumption proved correct. This is an orphanage.

"Why did I even come here?" I asked myself. However, my own voice was muffled by the rain that mercilessly beat down on my head. Not that it really mattered. Even in a perfect environment, I would hardly be able to answer this question. I never liked children, and I'm not ready to adopt anyone for many reasons. So why?

For several seconds, I took a deep breath before quietly muttering to myself: "To prepare a backup. Just to prepare a backup in case Celestia gets really bad. A backup for an absolutely impossible scenario."

Exhaling, I began carefully walking around the orphanage from the side. The thing is, I'm sure the ponies inside simply won't allow me to get close to the children. Especially in Canterlot. Here, everyone saw what I did when the changelings invaded. So, I can only hope that the only being I sense in the backyard is Cozy.

If not, then I need to be ready to teleport as far away as possible. It won't do anyone any good if people think I like sneaking into orphanages.

Snorting, I walked up to the metal fence and looked through the bars. However, the raindrops falling on my glasses made it impossible to see anything clearly. I can only rely on my senses. Cozy is right ahead.

Sighing, I teleported to get to the other side of the fence and began slowly walking forward. With difficulty, through the raindrops, I managed to see a sandbox in front of me, over which stood a large umbrella. And right there, sitting on the sand was a filly with pale pink fur and pale blue mane. Her gaze was completely focused on the chessboard, which had only white pieces. The black ones were simply missing.

After quickly looking around to make sure no one was nearby, I slowly sat down on the sand in front of Cozy before saying slowly: "Hey."

"Ah!" Cozy quickly exhaled, looking up at me and freezing for a moment. Perhaps the child simply forgot that I promised to return.

After a few seconds, she moved back just a little, along with the chessboard, and mumbled quietly: "Hi."

Yo̡̱͓̟͌̑̽̿u͈̿ ̳̰̜̩̺̑͆́̊̾ẇ̢̟͆͆͢i̜̝̇͊l̼̒̐͑̒͢͟ͅl̨̬͎̙̜̀́̒̽͂ ͖̋̓͟n̛͓̠̥͛̕e̮̮̾̏͑͜v̥͎̺̦͒̔͗̉e͕͍͗̕r̮͐ ̗͕̈̆b̛̥͉͎̃̑ē͓̗̓̀͜͡ͅ ̯̯̒̃f͘ͅo̞̟̙͊͐͞r̢̳̭͂̍͡ǵ̝̩͞i̧͙̰̭̇̊̀̚v͉̒é̗n̬̻̣̍̈̇̋͢,̺̹͖͂̅͋ ̡͈͕̋̈̇c̨̪̝̘͌́̊͐ṙ̡̳̻̲̃̍̑ȳ̛̤͍̺̔́͜͠ͅb̫͙̹̤͛̂͑͝a̡̖̮̹͊̀̎͂by̧͖̋̄.̘̮͒̾

Quickly shaking my head, I decided to quickly start the conversation and asked: "Why are you sitting here? I think you should be having breakfast or something at this time."

Cozy sighed and reluctantly exhaled, slightly moving a piece on the board: "I don't want those colts to get to me again. So, I quickly grabbed breakfast and came here while no one was looking."

Slightly shifting my gaze, I saw a plate with something that looked like porridge, which stood in the corner of the sandbox. Judging by its appearance, the food hadn't been touched. Returning to Cozy, I asked another question: "Why are you always with your chessboard?"

Her wings fluttered awkwardly as her hoof moved another random piece again, and she finally began speaking: "Well, chess is kind of my talent. Even though I haven't won any competitions. And, well, I just feel good when I move the pieces wherever I want."

That explains why there are no black pieces on the board.

Suddenly, Cozy asked surprisingly innocently: "Why are you even talking to me? I'm just a simple filly, and you're, well. The caretakers say you're a terrible monster who defeated Celestia herself."

Oh. I can't answer normally right now. Sorry.

Sighing, I asked while slightly wiping my glasses: "Honestly? You managed to interest me that time. In some ways, you remind me of myself when I was younger."

"Really?" Cozy asked in surprise, lifting herself slightly as if wanting to get closer, but something was holding her back.

Closing my eyes, I said slowly: "Well, in some ways. I was also bullied by peers for a long time and couldn't respond. Even though I had parents unlike you, they didn't really help me. Mother just did nothing."

Exhaling, I looked at Cozy and finished: "And father tried very hard to teach me the rules of behavior in society. By 'very hard,' I mean by absolutely any methods. Beatings, deprivation of food, sleeping outside at night and all that."

Cozy awkwardly remained silent for a while, only slightly moving pieces with light hoof movements. But eventually she asked: "And, how did you end up dealing with it in the end?"

I think it's better to tell it like it is than lie for something that I don't understand myself.

Exhaling, I reluctantly answered: "I became stronger. Every day I trained, set rules for myself, created additional difficulties. In a few months, I transformed from a fat guy into a real athlete. And with this power, I started fighting with absolutely everyone I didn't like. Bullies, popular girls, absolutely everyone. I even broke my own father's nose. Everyone around was struck with fear or, rather, disgust towards me."

Cozy looked at me for a while before saying with a smile: "I knew it! Only power, strength will allow me to deal with those colts. I just need to figure out how to get it."

I shuddered hearing these words. Right now, right this second, did I push her onto my path? Was it me who pushed her to the final decision! Gritting my teeth, I wanted to shout, grab her hooves and tell her that she completely misunderstood everything.

But the desire for power is exactly what's needed from someone who will form a backup. In the end, I would like someone to volunteer for this role.

Quietly letting out a dejected sigh, I said slowly: "Listen, Kozy. This is a very bad idea. At first it will seem like a real success. The feeling that you can do something will be intoxicating. But only until you can find a new dose, new victims, so as not to think about those who have suffered from your actions."

Exhaling, I finished: "But if you still think this is the path you want to take, then I'll help. I know a way that will let you feel power. Even if briefly."

"REALLY!?" Cozy exclaimed, jumping up and placing her front hooves on my legs. Not a trace remained of the initial fear.

Carefully, I removed her hooves from my legs and said slowly while standing up: "Really. Just, please think seriously about this, Cozy. I don't know when I'll return to you, but by that time please, think well about whether you want power."

Cozy nodded very actively and squeaked, looking up at me: "Okay, I'll think!"

I... I regret that I still want to thank Celestia for everything she's done for me.

Sighing, I waved my mechanical hand goodbye and looked to the side, at one of the castle towers. In the next moment, I appeared at its top and quickly grabbed the spire with my left hand.

Suddenly, shivers ran through my entire body and my breathing became difficult, convulsive. I lied. I pushed a child down my path, the path of destroying other personalities, for the sake of keeping my own afloat. Slowly, I sat down on the tower, still holding onto the spire and put my glasses in my pocket. Then, my metal hand covered my face in an attempt to calm me down. UNSUCCESSFULLY.

"I-I'll go to Celestia. As soon as I calm down and sleep," I muttered to myself.

Hold on. Without perfection, you're just a normal person. With ups and downs. With moments of weakness. Keep going, Daniel, everything's fine.

The shot that. . .

Softly~

My head was resting on something incredibly soft and warm. Any thought simply dissolved under the influence of this sensation. It's kind of like the feeling when you can't solve a geometry equation for half an hour. But a pleasant version. Finally, there was a pleasant calm in my head. It felt like I could fall asleep at any moment.

"Well, now you definitely can't say you don't like my caresses," Celestia chuckled. From her breathing, my head, resting on her belly, lifted slightly. Not that it was critical or unpleasant in any way.

In any case, I didn't bother myself with any response and continued enjoying the complete calm in my head. However, my senses decided to tear apart this idyll. I heard Celestia's heartbeat. And it was slow. Unhealthily slow, I'm sure. When you hear something like that, you can forget about rest.

"Aren't you afraid that one of my little ponies might notice us? The maids sometimes enter my room without knocking," Celestia asked, slightly rubbing my head with her wing, as if trying to wake me up.

Not that there was any need for that now.

I opened my eyes and slowly sat down on the bed before noting: "If you were really worried about that, you could have just said no to my request."

"How could I refuse you? When you came to me and asked to lie together, you looked like you were about to cry," Celestia said with a slight chuckle.

I adjusted my glasses and grumbled: "I wasn't going to cry! I just came to you as soon as I woke up."

Celestia smirked and asked with a grin: "Maybe you'd look better if you slept in your room instead of on the roof of my tower?"

How did you know!?

Apparently, she roughly read my thoughts and answered, maintaining her expression: "Sorry, Daniel, but to keep the nobles from going completely crazy, you're regularly being watched. Of course they often lose sight of you, and of course I asked them not to watch anything very personal. But in general, there is always somepony watching you from a distance."

It took me just half a moment to realize that she must know about the meeting with Cozy Glow. Again, Celestia read me and said, nodding seriously: "Yes, I know you met with some filly from the orphanage. However, I don't fully understand the reason for this. Would it be difficult for you to explain it to me?"

I took a deep breath. There would be no point in lying. And breaking myself every day is simply beyond my strength. Putting my hands on my knees, I said: "I plan to transfer part of your soul that's stored in me to someone else. So it doesn't destroy me while I figure out a solution."

Celestia thoughtfully hummed and asked: "Why did you choose a filly specifically, and not someone familiar?"

I took a long, deep breath. Absolutely every particle of my body doesn't want this. Absolutely every particle screams that this shouldn't be said. But I said it: "I don't want to risk my friends. Not one of them. It's just easier for me to put at risk a filly I barely know."

P̸̨̢̟̰͈̣̼̜͚̦͊ͅe̶̛̦̯̼̪̟̖̊̈́̉̑͂͑́̊̀̒͘͜ȑ̴̻̭̭̾̑͘̕f̴̡̧͓͚̙͖̻̣̟̟̩̹̰̞͖̜̂̈́͊̿̈́́͐̀̐̆̏̓͋̈́͝ḛ̷̺̗̫͖͚͕̘͙̯̓̀̓̍̉̍̐̚͝͝͠ͅc̷͍͔̥͕͊̀̈́̅͗͋̎̾̈́̕͘͝t̷̢̛̛̺̟͔̪̹̥̠̰̅̿̑̆̉̈̽̇̈͆̍̓͘͝ì̵̡̲͈̙̖̘͕̰̦̫̬͎̲̽̉̽̿̌̏̇͝ͅơ̵̦̠̥̼̼͓̥̜̲̻͌͊̉̎͐̃̈̐͗̍̓̕͝͝n̶̬͈̝̫͉̪̻̝̼̲̠̜̋̅͊ ̴̛̗͚͍̩͚̱̦̑̂͆̋̒̇͌͂͊͐͆̋̓͑̕͘ẃ̷̢̠̻̯̘̻͑̊̉͘o̶̬̻̼͎͆͆̎͊͘u̸̢̢̘̯̰͒̊͊͂̊̆́͐́͆̑l̴̢̨̧̝̤͔̦̭͍̦̮̥̼̼̹̫̠͂͋͆͐̀͊̿͊̅̓͊̒͛͗̌͝͠ḍ̸̨̢̧̥̠͔̻̜͉̫̬͉̼͚̭͆͋͂̿ ̶͚̝̥͚̘̯͐̇̍͆́̾̃͜͠ͅn̸̛͕̟͈̟͈͍̰̣̣͖̰̲̈́̃̈́̾͗͋̉̈́̚ö̷̡̻̺̜̘̱͇͙̠̻̯̗̳̳̥́́͋̒ţ̶̪̤͉̻͍͔̰̤̹̣̯̭͗̉͂̌̀̃̂̔̚͠ͅ ̴̹̫͙̍ã̸̢̯̥̝̝̮̮͇̫̳͖͙͚̑͆́̿̓͊̍͐̈́̄̆̒͘͜͝͠l̶̛̛̮̖͆̇͊͒͌̃̂̈́̆͋̿͐̌l̴̗̘͉͖̳̜͉̠̈́̊̇͌́̒͜ö̷̡̡̱͖̪͔̼̘͚͎̰̒͒̀͒̀̅̑͝w̵̜͖̒̏͊̽̓͗͊̆̌͂̑̽́͝͝ ̵̱̬͉̬̭͈̺̟̝̟̫̑̀̌͌͗̾̅̌̓̈͐̈́͆̒͘͘͝s̵̘̗̤͖̭͚̟͕̤̬̣̅͋̃̿̏͒͜͝ͅù̷̡̨̘̼̘̞͖̙̻͚͛̽̽̈́ͅͅc̵̢̜̝͔̺̯͑͋̆̿̀͜͠͠h̶̤̒̿͗̿͌̄̆̚͝ ̵̡̢̬̦͓̅̃͋͆͋͘a̶͚̝͖̯͙̜̘͚͚͖̠̐̍͋̋̏̀ ̶̧̙̩͇̻̙̜̺͔͈̘͉̙̞̋͌̌́̎̔͒͂͑̓̒̊̚̚ẁ̸̛͙̖̹̬̝͔̘̦͎̭͖̀́̂̚͜͝ͅȩ̵̢̛̼͍̦̳͔̈́̆̿͑͂̋̊̿̋̌͒̔͂͜͝ą̶̛̟̲̮͎̜͙͍̘̪̩͍̐͂̄̂̈̄̈́̂͊̆͘͜k̸̡̹̤̳͍̬̭̠͇͉̬̖̟͚͗̒͐͐̈́̊̊̾̂̚̕ń̵̛̼̤̠̓͐̔̂͒͐̊̋ͅe̴̜̫̰̜̼̗̙̣͔̖̱̦͖̘̖͙͍͂̎̾̕s̴̨͉͙̯̘̜̳̟̹͍͓͍̗̀͂̅s̴̟̙͚̰̠͊̽̈́̚͘.̷̧̤̘̹̳̮͓̥̙͈̭̠̗͎̪̠̓̓̂ͅ

Celestia sighed and with a light hoof movement, turned my head so that I was looking at her tired but sincere eyes. A few moments of silence held between us before she said: "Daniel, I understand you. During the time I've ruled Equestria, I too have made many questionable decisions. Sometimes, there just isn't a right option. Especially when the topic is someone close."

I opened my eyes in surprise and asked incredulously: "You really don't think this is something disgusting?"

In response, she forced out a small, tired laugh and answered self-deprecatingly: "Judging by what they told me, you at least didn't pressure the filly and didn't try too hard to present your option as good. That's already much better than some of my actions!"

Is she putting herself down so I feel better? Blinking, I quickly shook my head and abruptly changed the subject: "Celestia, no, Princess, may I ask a question?"

Please say no. I'm not ready to ask this, let alone get an answer.

Unfortunately, Celestia removed her wing and asked gently: "You don't have to use my title, my little human. And yes, you can ask me any question."

I let out a disappointed sigh and grabbed my head with one hand before slowly starting to speak: "I know that it was you who came up with the idea to make me captain of the guard. I know that it was you who prevented news about certain things I did from reaching the press. And I know that it was you who made the decision that I needed to be reformed."

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Celestia with one eye and asked: "Why do you take care of me so much? What's the point?"

Don't answer, don't answer, don't answer.

But Celestia did exactly the opposite of what I wanted. She moved slightly closer to me and put her head on my crown in a peculiar embrace. Several moments hung in, I can't deny it, pleasant silence, but Celestia finally spoke: "I admit, at first you seemed like a very annoying young colt to me. I thought that you had a direct path to villains and the role of captain would allow me to, well, at least slow you down. I'm sorry I thought that. "

Celestia took a short breath and said lightly stroking my back with her wing: "I saw something in you, Daniel. Almost all your qualities are good. Honesty, openness, striving for justice, and so on and so forth. They're just damaged, like you yourself, by the cruelty of others. And I just want to fix you and protect you from further damage."

I sighed and placed my left hand on her stone-covered chest. Along with the exhale, a question escaped my lips: "You specifically want failure to cause maximum damage to my psyche."

"No, no. I'm just answering your question. And I think you really needed to know this. Before it's too late," Celestia sighed, carefully, barely noticeably rubbing my back.

I̷̞̍̈́͒̎͋̏̔͊́̈́̈́̈́̊̉͗̌͐͆̎͘ ̵̼͉͕̘͓̟̻͕͔͖̠̝̭͕͕͚͇̟̥̘̘́͐͐̋͘f̴̗̦̩̜̊͋̾͗͜e̷̛̱͉̯̺̖̹̫̫̐̃̀͂̑͒̊̉̐͑̂͐̓̆̑͌̋̀̈́̓́͘͠ë̶͈͖̭͉̥̋̇̉̽͑̀̉́̑̽͑̿̈̃͋̊͗̃́̓̍̏̓̂l̸͙͉̈̈́͐̂̄̈́̍̂́̈́̾̒͗̕̚͝͠͝.̵̢̨̛̯̳̠̦̹͇͎̩͈͙͉̙͚͉̲͙͒̎̓̃́͋̑́̉̈́͊̀̐͘̕̚͜͠͝.̴̢̡̨͉̰̮̟͙̳͙̳͚̥̩̗̠͔̗̊͊̽̐͂̏̓́͊̅̅͛̊̓̑͋́͂̎͗̀̍̕͜͝.̶̧̨̨̺̥̱̞͈̣̻͙͇͓̫̪̩̠͔̯͓͉̈̾̀̋͂̔͊̉́̌́̌̀̿̉͐̈́̚̚̚͠

With a careful movement, I hinted to Celestia to move slightly away from me, which she did without problem, albeit with an embarrassed look. Shaking my head, I asked carefully: "Listen, this is a bit strange. Maybe sleeping on the roof was really a bad idea. But I feel like you're going to ask me something."

For less than a second, Celestia's eyes widened in surprise. But the next moment, she returned to a neutral expression. Suddenly, Celestia's horn lit up and the dresser standing next to her bed opened. A scroll flew out, and when it began levitating between us, she finally started explaining: "You know, I was also developing backup plans. But I feel that you simply won't allow it to happen in my original version."

I just raised an eyebrow with interest but decided to let Celestia speak. She nodded gratefully to me and said: "I planned to make my student, Twilight Sparkle, an alicorn through this scroll. According to my plan, I just need to send her a letter and say that this is a spell made by Star Swirl and it needs to be completed. Nothing more."

This is omission. A lie, essentially. Not to mention that this is, in general, a true fatalist's plan.

Celestia apparently noticed my expression and said with a slight smirk: "I assumed you would think poorly of this plan. So, do you have other suggestions?"

With a quick movement of my left hand, I snatched the scroll from Celestia's magical grip and said confidently: "I'll go to Ponyville and talk to Twilight. We'll examine absolutely every aspect and nuance together. Being your backup plan should be her choice."

She looked at me with some disappointment, but also resignation. Suddenly, a laugh escaped Celestia's lips followed by the words: "Amazing, isn't it? You're so young, we've known each other less than a year, and you've infected me with your honesty!"

In response, I couldn't help but smirk and say back: "And you infected me with damn empathy. Aren't you ashamed of spreading such an infection?"

For just a moment, we just stopped, exchanging fake annoyed glances. And then, we both burst into laughter. Such light, simple, carefree laughter. An incredible lightness of being, the weight was finally shed.

But like all good things, this ends. Our laughter first slowed down, then died down, leaving the room without any sound. Finally, Celestia decided to pierce this atmosphere: "Do you promise to tell her all the reasons why she should agree?"

"I promise to tell her all the pros and cons," I said, finally getting up from the bed and heading towards the exit of Celestia's room. However, a strange sensation hung in my chest. A sense of righteousness? Confidence? Anticipation? Anxiety.

No, it's something that can only be described by a phrase.

The best in the world is back at work.

When the human left the princess's room, a stream of wind ran through the castle corridors. Passing guards and servants couldn't even see its source. Because finally, he decided to knock on his limits.

While a fast stream of wind was moving towards Ponyville, in another place in the south, a slow, sluggish process was taking place. Princess Ember was walking through the streets of the largest city in southern Equestria, Baltimare. Here the sky was completely gray due to emissions into the atmosphere from factories. Not surprising, here is Equestria's largest shipyard, here is the largest metallurgical plant, here is the largest train car manufacturing plant, and so on and so forth. If Manehattan is the center of Equestria trade and construction, then this city is the center of industry.

Here, Ember was looking for information about who deprived her father of his arm. Rumors she heard in one village said that a creature matching the description had appeared several times in this large city.

"If this creature really appeared here, then this is the perfect place for such scum," ran through Ember's head as she walked through the central square while ponies, surprisingly, paid no attention to her at all. She probably didn't know this, but in such a large port city, it's absolutely unsurprising to see representatives of different races.

Suddenly Ember's gaze caught a pony who was heading to one of the large factories. He was dressed in a black suit, which contrasted with his gray mane and dull yellow fur. Perhaps it was intuition or just a desire to start a dialogue with someone, but Ember began approaching him.

"Hey, pony. I need to know about an unusual creature," Ember said when she stood right in front of the stallion. From the new angle, she saw that he was a unicorn with a surprisingly small horn. No wonder she didn't notice it at first.

The stallion blinked, looking at Ember. Maybe because of her audacity, maybe because of her appearance. But eventually, he snorted and said: "Information and my time are not free. Be kind enough to pay."

Ember's first thought was to threaten the stallion that she would scorch him with flame. However, glancing at her golden armor and, in particular, the removable golden gloves on her paw, she decided to try a peaceful approach. Ember took one of these off her right hand and asked, extending it to the stallion: "Is this enough to make you talk?"

In response, he slightly hummed before grabbing Ember's gift with his magic and saying: "You're lucky that my enterprise just happens to have a large deficit of gold. Who do you need to find?"

"The creature walks on two legs. Almost no hair on the body, only a mane. It's black in color, same as the eyes. Male," Ember quickly listed all the information that was known to her.

The stallion's eyebrows raised in surprise and he answered, almost instantly: "Ooh, that's Daniel Ctumer. A human with far from the best reputation, so I'm not surprised you're looking for him. But personally, I like him. Additional income is never superfluous."

Ember couldn't help but feel a certain triumph. This random pony she found gave her such necessary information. There remained only one important question, which she immediately asked: "Do you know where he can be found?"

The stallion slightly shook his head, as if hinting that this information would require additional payment. With an annoyed snort, Ember gave him the second golden glove and he replied: "Most often he can be found in central Equestria. Canterlot, Ponyville, and the like. Is that all you need?"

Ember didn't bother him with an answer and simply turned around on the spot. Her clawed paws clenched into fists. Soon, she would avenge what this creature, this Daniel, did to her father.

If she makes it in time, of course.

POV: Arthur Davis
Time: Noon
Location: Twilight's Library

"Uh, thanks for agreeing to pay me for this. I really need money to pay off the house debt," I mumbled while feeling the pencil in my hand. Pleasant, slightly rough wood. Due to its thickness, it somewhat resembles the stylus I used to draw with while I was on Earth.

"Oh, no need to thank me! I'm really interested in learning more about you humans. But I couldn't gather the courage to ask Daniel for a long time," Twilight replied with excitement in her voice. I swear, when I took a small breath, my ears caught the frantic scratching of pen on paper.

"So, can you remind me why I need the blindfold?" I asked, turning my head to where Twilight presumably was.

From the other side, I felt a hoof slightly moving my right hand. After this, Twilight answered excitedly: "It's very simple! Just draw. Without thinking about anything at all. This is needed, how to say, to understand how human imagination works in the absence of external stimuli."

Does it really work like that?

Whatever. This is probably the smartest pony in canon. Sighing, I carefully extended my hand, and as soon as I felt the pencil stop against something, I started moving it across the canvas. Following Twilight's instruction, I tried not to think about what I was drawing at all. Not that it was difficult. I was mainly thinking about my wings touching the floor.

Suddenly I heard several light and slow knocks on the door. Reflexively, my head turned toward the sound, but Twilight quickly said: "Don't get distracted, don't get distracted. I'll check."

I frowned under the blindfold but turned my head back and continued drawing. Several quick hoof steps sounded before the door creaked. This was followed by a male voice I didn't expect to hear: "Good afternoon, Twilight. Can we talk?"

Daniel never knocked on my door like that. . .

A couple of moments of silence hung in the air before Twilight said: "Well, I need to conduct research with Arthur."

Daniel was silent for a few seconds but quickly came up with a worthy response: "He's drawing with closed eyes? I think he'll need enough time for that, so you can talk to me and come back before he's finished."

"I actually think I'm just drawing a crooked line," I mumbled under my breath. However, it seems no one paid attention. Probably Twilight was thinking about what to answer to Daniel's suggestion. But it's really important, so it's probably okay that there's been silence in the air for ten seconds. This is a responsible decision, after all.

"Damn, you forgot to close the door!" Daniel said before loudly slamming the door. Damn, I didn't think that they both could talk so quietly that I wouldn't hear. Well, okay, need to continue drawing.

My hand was sliding across the canvas in front of me without any intent, while my wings hung motionless on my back, touching the warm library floor with their tips. Over the past day, I managed to get used to them just a tiny bit. Well, I've learnt not to look at them almost all the time. If I don't see a problem, there isn't one.

Okay, I'm tired of this.

Carefully raising my left hand, I lifted the blindfold and looked around the room. A canvas with random scribbles drawn on it, cold black tea on the table, and Spike sleeping in something that looked like a basket. Well, nothing interesting overall.

Completely removing the eye blindfold, I put it in my pocket and carefully stood up from my place, putting the pencil on the table. On tiptoes, I walked to the exit and carefully closed the door behind me. How convenient that Daniel and Twilight hadn't gone too far yet.

I followed them carefully, stopping periodically in the alleyways for safety. Although I'm not sure it's really necessary. The ponies moving away from Daniel form a kind of protective ring behind which he will hardly notice me.

After a while, I heard Twilight ask: "Can I at least know what you want to discuss?"

"Only when we're not in such a crowded place," Daniel answered instantly. And just as I took another step, he sharply turned his head toward me, with surprising speed.

What!?

I quickly went around the corner trying to hide. But only after a while did I think to turn so that my wings wouldn't stick out. My heart skipped a beat when Twilight asked confusedly: "What happened? Did you see something?"

I tensed up and pressed my back against the wall, despite how unpleasant it was for my wings. But to my great fortune, Daniel said: "It's not important now. Let's keep moving. Do you have any ideas about a quiet place?"

Exhaling, I carefully peeked out from around the corner and started carefully moving forward. Seems like I was safe now and could calmly listen to the conversation. Twilight answered with some excitement in her voice: "Oh, remember that series of explosions you caused when Everfree started growing? Well, something amazing has appeared in that place!"

Eh, honestly? Despite those explosions being near my house, I didn't bother to look at them yesterday and this morning. Like, well, I have other things to worry about!

Slightly shaking my head, I continued following them both until we reached the outskirts of town. That is, there would be no cover until we reach my house. I waited for some time, waiting for them to go as far as possible. And when the time came, I took a deep breath before running at full speed to my house.

Fortunately, no one paid attention to me. I calmly went behind the wall of my house and catching my breath, looked around the corner. Where two months ago there were craters, new trees had slowly started growing. However, one tree stood out. It had already fully grown and even grown about twice as tall as the old trees that hadn't suffered from the explosions.

"So, do you see this tree? First of all, it's strange that it grew so much in just two months. However, that's not the most amazing thing!" Twilight said with some excitement in her voice as she started approaching the tree. When she was just a couple of feet from it, it started slightly pulsating with blue light.

That's the color of Daniel's magic.

"Do you have any ideas why this grew?" Twilight asked, looking at him with a sparkle in her eyes. As if he would give her an answer.

In response, Daniel just shook his head and said, reaching into his pocket with his metal hand: "I have a couple of ideas. But now there's a much more important thing that needs to be discussed."

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw what he pulled out. A wrapped scroll. As soon as Twilight raised an eyebrow and grabbed it with her magic, Daniel said with a sigh: "This scroll contains an unfinished spell. If you complete it, you'll become an alicorn. Irreversibly."

What!?

Twilight stared at the scroll with wide eyes and silently opened her mouth, unable to think of what to say. Not that I blamed her. The chronology of this world is moving further and further away from canon. Maybe I really just made up the cartoon about ponies?

"I understand that this is difficult. But you must understand. This is Celestia's idea. She wants that in case she gets really sick, you could take on the role of princess. Luna won't handle it alone," Daniel said, slightly bending down before Twilight to be at the same level.

"But this is such a big responsibility. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. M-Maybe there's some other candidate?" Twilight asked nervously, slightly stuttering. When Daniel just shook his head in response, I felt a thought. Or more correctly, a suddenly resurfaced memory.

Once on Saturday, my sister and I were sitting and watching for the first time the episode where Twilight became an alicorn. And then she was just furious. For many reasons. Starting from wanting Rainbow Dash to become princess. And ending with the fact that Twilight would now outlive all her friends.

"The latter clearly won't please Twilight herself," I mumbled to myself while my brain slowly thought about what to do. On one hand, I should be in her library right now drawing with closed eyes. But on the other, should I really just stand aside while Daniel persuades her to make a terrible choice for his own purposes?

Shaking my head, I finally came out from behind the corner and started walking toward the strange tree with widely spread shoulders. When I got close enough, Daniel slowly moved his cold gaze to me and Twilight's ear twitched before she turned to me. Not giving either of them time to speak, I said: "You forgot to mention that alicorns are immortal?"

"I was planning to say that," Daniel answered impassively without moving an inch. Yeah, sure I believed that.

Quickly turning to Twilight, I said: "Sorry for running away from the experiment. But I had a very unpleasant feeling when Daniel called you for a private conversation. But now, I really think you should know about the consequences."

"I wouldn't want to part with my friends," Twilight answered, slightly swallowing when she looked at Daniel with some regret.

He frowned and said raising his hand: "I read that on average unicorns live about five years longer than pegasi and three years less than earth ponies. Thus, it turns out that the probability that you'll lose at least one of your friends is high. And, I know from personal experience, the death of a loved one shouldn't completely break you. You need to be able to overcome it."

From personal experience? I very much doubt that you can really feel empathy for anyone. Besides, who will talk statistics at such moments?Ugh, and in general. . .

"In any case, immortality is pain. Like, literally every plot about this topic says that. Immortality is boring, it deprives life of meaning and so on and so forth. No one would agree to this voluntarily," I said crossing my arms on my chest. Slowly, Daniel raised his metal hand. And bit into his finger as if trying to tear it off. At that moment, his eyes were wide open and moving very quickly in all directions.

After a couple of seconds, Daniel gritted his teeth and said, voice trembling with anger: "Twilight, I want you to know. Celestia initially planned to make you an alicorn and correspondingly a princess without asking permission. Possibly, this was planned even at the moment when you first met her. You understand yourself what this means."

"Trying to instill a sense of duty and guilt in her?" I asked coldly looking at Daniel. However, as soon as I took a breath to continue, Twilight intervened, in a quiet voice.

"I-I've read about leadership theory, about the responsibilities of ruling. . . but reading about something and being ready for it are completely different things. And the magical transformation itself - there are so many unknowns. Would it change who I am? How I think? My connection to magic itself?" She said before letting out a heavy sigh and continuing.

"I-I understand that Celestia wants this. And I understand why. But I just can't force myself to accept this. I don't want to be a princess, don't want to become an immortal alicorn. I'm just Twilight, a unicorn," she said carefully approaching Daniel and slightly extending the scroll to him.

I swear, I saw how the muscles on Daniel's face trembled as he tried to maintain a calm expression. Slowly he extended his left hand and yanked the scroll from Twilight's magical grip. She briefly nodded to him, nodded to me and quickly walked away, apparently feeling that something would happen between us. But lastly she said: "Daniel, please tell Celestia that I'm really very sorry. But this is not the door I want to open."

"Defeat is just a door we're afraid to open because of fear of the unknown," Daniel said when the veins on his neck bulged with tension. After his words, Twilight continued to hastily leave.

You're in such rage, aren't you?

I couldn't help but feel a certain triumph. Right now this guy, who at our very first meeting destroyed all my hopes, now stands and trembles with anger. Putting my hand on my side I asked: "What, couldn't use the pony in some of your plans?"

Then something incredible happened. At first, Daniel just stood in front of me. And the next moment, a terrible pain shot through my entire face. Squinting reflexively, I felt my head snap back before I collapsed to the ground and tears poured out of my eyes. Moreover, I felt something warm flow where my nose should have been. Blood.

My heart started beating faster. Either because everything around became blurry, or from fear of blood, or from fear of Daniel. As soon as I thought about the latter I heard his voice trembling with unrestrained rage: "Arthur, you don't even fucking imagine what hatred and in what volume I feel. What hatred I feel EVERY TIME I SEE YOUR FACE, EVERY TIME YOUR EXISTENCE INTERRUPTS PLANS."

With difficulty, I managed to wipe my face with my hand to remove tears and look at Daniel. He was now standing over me, with his left hand extended, which was clenched into a fist. Blood was clearly visible on the knuckles. My blood.

Daniel looked somewhere into the distance and asked twirling his finger near his temple: "Want me to make a prediction? You'll try to follow me. And you'll die shitting and pissing yourself. Most likely even before I die. Now I'm not even sure if I'll contribute to this or not. Probably not."

Slowly, he leaned right to my face and stuck out his tongue. When Daniel licked some blood from my damaged nose I shuddered, but still felt disoriented from the hit. Swallowing, he said in a quiet whisper: "Arthur, you better stay away from any water. It'll be worse."

W-What is that supposed to mean?

Before I could gather myself, Daniel suddenly disappeared like some nightmare. Teleported most likely. Without noticing it earlier, I had held my breath and now was trying to catch my breath while lying on the ground. But my brain was racing trying to understand the situation. Even before I die? Stay away from any water? Every time your existence interrupts plans? Something in all these phrases felt... wrong, unfinished.

With difficulty, I sat on the ground and covered my nose with both hands. However, this didn't prevent blood from continuously flowing between my fingers and falling on the dried grass. Gasping for air, I tried to somehow concentrate. But this single hit from Daniel seemed to completely scramble my brain.

I, I, I'll try to talk to him. There must be something more here.

Whole Equestria heard

I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my disheveled hair. At the moment, my body was resting on a small piece of my bed that wasn't cluttered from my yesterday's, ahem, outburst. Sighing, I looked around my room in the castle. The desk was shattered into many pieces scattered chaotically on the floor along with various papers. I really should clean them up.

Now there are more important matters to attend to.

Raising my left hand, I stretched out my magic to grab the radio standing in the dark corner. Placing it next to me on the bed, I turned to my side and pressed the switch. Instantly, a familiar voice came from the other side: "Hey, hey, madman! Can you hear me? We agreed to connect half an hour ago! I'm giving you one last chance to answer. Damn, what should I say before switching modes? Over?"

With a slight hand movement, I switched the transmission mode and said: "Sorry, Abdomen. I'm not feeling very well. But now I'm ready to discuss everything. Have you found the data folder? Over."

As soon as I switched the radio mode again, an irritated snort was heard from the other side, followed by the words: "Alright, I forgive you for calling me by name. Yes, I found the folder. Over."

Nodding slightly, I moved closer to the radio and started speaking quietly: "Good, here's my plan. As soon as you hear explosions, immediately infiltrate the dungeons and free the changelings you need. During this time, all the guards will disperse in different directions to find out what's happening. Rising will take care of much of this. Any questions? Over."

A couple of moments of silence hung on the other side of the radio before a mocking question was heard: "When we meet in Griffonia, will you make me chicken in white wine? Over."

"If we meet there, I'll make a liquor factory that will work only for you!" I said, laughing loudly into the radio.

In response, I was met with several chuckles before my changeling friend finally said: "I'll remember that. Okay, let's go, I'll get ready. Out."

After these words, the radio began emitting loud and unpleasant static interference. Exhaling, I turned off the device.

There's no turning back. Time to take truly desperate measures.

Gathering my strength, I got out of bed and made my way to the window, trying not to trip over the mess in my room. My hands almost reflexively rested on the windowsill as the cold, almost wintry evening fluttered my overgrown hair. Today is the first of December. According to my information, the Pegasi will begin to send snow to the ground around midday. I suspect they will need the help of the Guardians to cover such a large area. Another factor in favour of my plan.

Adjusting my glasses, I looked ahead, trying to spot the orphanage where Cozy lives from this height. But suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, deep feminine voice: "Are you already planning to leave, young man?"

Almost instantly, I turned around to face Princess Luna. She looked over my destroyed room with a restrained gaze before returning to me and saying: "Was this reaction caused by Celestia's condition or something else?"

WHAT!?

My eyes widened and I quickly asked, taking hurried steps toward Luna: "Celestia's condition? What happened to her!?"

Luna at first seemed stunned. She probably thought I had destroyed my room because of this. Then, she averted her gaze and slightly bit her lip, as if not daring to answer. One moment passed after another until she finally couldn't hold back.

"My dear sister didn't wake up today. She's still alive, judging by her breathing and heartbeat. But her condition is clearly not the best." Luna said with a detached look. It's hard for her too.

My entire body tensed upon hearing this news. Placing a hand on my neck in an attempt to calm down, I asked: "Can you maintain the appearance that Celestia, um, took a day off for some time? I'm afraid panic among the ponies might complicate my plans."

Luna instantly nodded in response and said: "That's what I was planning to do. However, I'm really troubled by a question. Do you really think you can find anything that could help on the griffon continent?"

I put my hands on my hips and said confidently: "I read that in northern Griffonia there's something called the Dread League. If an entire state of necromancers doesn't have a way to solve our problem with Celestia's soul, then no one does. The only reason I was postponing this was the possible commotion my disappearance might cause."

"And you think they'll just hand over this knowledge?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, I said reluctantly: "If necessary, I'll remember what it's like to kill. After all, necromancers probably must have written information carriers."

They must have.

Luna sighed and came closer to me before placing a hoof on my shoulder and saying: "Just be careful, okay? I want you to return and save Celestia. Note, whole and unharmed. If the task proves too difficult, don't break yourself and just come back. It won't do anyone any good if you die along with Celestia. If you come back with nothing, at least you can spend the rest of your time with your loved ones."

Nodding slightly in response, I carefully ran my hand over Luna's mane and said firmly: "Believe in me. I'll win. If you put in enough effort, any task can be solved."

She very slowly removed her hoof before saying in a restrained manner: "You may go. Good luck."

After these words, I was about to leave. But something stopped me. A shiver ran through my entire body, like a muscle spasm. For a few moments, my body felt like gears with something stuck between them, like you were trying to move on, but you couldn't.

I really want to do this. Every cell in my body wants to do this.

In a sudden movement, I grabbed Luna with both hands, forcing her to rear up and let out a surprised gasp. Taking a brief breath, I said, putting my head on her shoulder: "I want you to know. I love you. I love you and your sister."

Swallowing, I continued as goosebumps ran across my skin: "I know there are many types of love. And I honestly can't determine exactly how I love you both. I have too little experience in all this, after all. But, I just want you and, if possible, your sister to know. I love you."

After several seconds of silence, Luna carefully stroked my back with her hoof and said gently: "When this is all over, we'll definitely discuss your feelings. But I appreciate that you think of me this way. Really appreciate it."

Time to leave them behind.

Slowly, smoothly, I broke the embrace and pulled a bag from under the debris of the desk. Casting one last glance at Luna, I exhaled and teleported forward, onto some building's roof. After this, I stopped for a moment to ask myself a question. What did Cozy ultimately think about my offer? The offer to gain power?

"And what decision do I want from her?" I muttered under my breath. But in the next moment, I shook my head. I can't delay, the plan is counted by seconds.

Taking a brief breath, I teleported further, to the orphanage building. And, surprisingly, I could sense a small pony in the sandbox. Right there where I crossed paths with Cozy Glow last time. What luck. Snorting briefly, I completed another teleportation, right in front of the sandbox.

Just as I had assumed, Cozy was there. However, much had changed since the last meeting. All the pieces were on the chessboard, the plate of food lying nearby was empty, and overall, she looked somewhat more alive.

Seeing me, she rose from her place without any doubt or fear and said, approaching me: "Eh, hi! I thought about everything very carefully."

Yes. . .

Apparently, she took my silence as permission to continue speaking. Cozy quickly nodded and said: "I want power, might. I want to take control of everything. How do I get it?"

Probably right now I must look very disgusting from the side. Just nauseating. Sighing, I slowly stretched the bag hanging on my shoulder and said: "We're going on an adventure. For various reasons, we won't be able to travel by train for some time. So, you'll have to sit in the bag for a while while I run."

Surprisingly, Cozy just quickly folded the chess pieces into the chessboard, took it under her wing, and jumped into my bag. To be honest, I wasn't sure if she would fit in completely. Blinking a couple of times, I asked: "You don't have any problems with this at all?"

"No! I hate this place anyway." Cozy answered cheerfully. There's something in her answers. . .

Cute?

M̸̰͙̒̊̓à̵̢̜̞͙̮̠̙̱͕̠̪̻̥̞͙̦̎n̷̥̲̹̞̣̦̪̹̹̟̼͓̤̩̙̱̺̏̐̅͆̍̿̾͌̕͘̕͜͝͝͝į̷̘̣̖͇͎͍̽̒̿͋̅͊̈́̈̅̈́̾͝p̵̠̣͈͙̪̹̳̮̲͑̿̀̿́̏̏́͂̅͒̈́͊̕͘ư̶̧̱̟̪̰̹͙̦͐͗͂̋̎̔̾̈́̽̈́͂̆̏̄͝ḽ̵̢̧̢̢̲̞͈͎̲̮̣͚̺̺̤̪͗̆͆̀̓͘͝a̸̧̨̝͈̦̰͎̹̝͚̠͐͊t̷̜̩̦̳͎͈͚͇͍̺̖̪̩͋̑̚i̴̠̺̮̹̣͐͒̌̈́͗͛̿̕v̵̡̭̲͙͎̼̅̀͛̂̈́̈̔̂̈́̾̈́́͗͑e̴̢͍͎͈͎̩͎͖̘͓̩̬̩̫̪̯̖͆͌̀̐̀̌́̅̍̓̃̎͑.̶̡̙̬̪̎̈́̈́̽͌͂͆͑͐͊̕

Swallowing, I said slowly: "Okay, now I'm going to move really fast, so try to hold on well in the bag, alright?"

In response, Cozy lightning-fast nodded. Exhaling, I grabbed the bag with both hands so it wouldn't sway too much during movement. And taking a breath, I took off from the spot. In a brief moment, I crossed the orphanage fence and Cozy slightly screamed: "WOW!"

She's having fun, while honestly, my head is spinning. I haven't moved at my maximum speeds for a long time. Taking another breath, I adjusted my glasses and rushed forward through the streets of Canterlot. Although they were quite lively at this time, I easily avoided this by teleporting to the roof.

However, with each second of movement, I became more nervous. I still haven't fully learned to control how long the explosion rune will hold before detonation.

Honestly, I'm not even sure that runes can hold for several days and then activate. . .

All my doubts were crushed by multiple explosions that momentarily deafened my ears. From the corner of my eye, I saw trees, earth, stones, and other things beyond Canterlot flying high into the air. Looking at this, I couldn't help but feel some satisfaction.

The road is clear. The eyes of all Equestria will be fixed on the explosions thundering across the country and the escape of changeling scouts from the dungeons. Most importantly, the fleet will also be distracted by this.

"The road to Griffonia is open. Thank you, friends." I whispered to myself before finally reaching maximum speed.

In every major city of Equestria, at least several explosions thundered. Canterlot, Manehattan, Baltimare, and many many others. Local guard units rose to alert and split into small groups to assess the consequences. The Equestrian fleet even came out to the explosions that occurred near the docks.

However, after examining the explosion sites, the guards could only shrug. Absolutely none of the explosions caused any harm. The most destructive of them, in Fillydelphia, collapsed only one bridge. And it was abandoned a long time ago and probably would have collapsed in a couple of years under its own weight. Absolutely all of Equestria's forces were looking in the wrong direction.

To make matters worse, not all the runes exploded. According to the plan, such "useless" explosions will continue throughout Equestria until tomorrow morning.

But the explosion in Ponyville will have special significance.

POV: Arthur Davis
Time: Half an hour after Daniel's escape from Canterlot
Location: Rarity's Boutique

"Thank you, Ahirata." I muttered, trying to ignore the slightly subsided but still strong pain in my nose. Daniel hit me really hard yesterday. And today I came to Rarity's boutique so that she could make holes for wings in my clothes.

"It's nothing. I have nothing to do anyway while Rarity makes my dress." Ahirata answered, smiling slightly before putting the bandages on the table. Then, she sat on the same couch where I was sitting.

"But you should have come to me right away. It's dangerous to walk around for a whole day with such a nose." Ahirata advised, making me awkwardly look away. I'd never been hit in the nose before, much less so hard. How was I supposed to know what to do?

Silence hung in the air for some time, during which I was able to immerse myself in thoughts. What did Daniel mean by all the words he said yesterday? Especially about staying away from water? And when will I manage to cross paths with him, what exactly questions do I need to ask?

And how do I find money to live on? Doesn't look like I'm a particularly popular artist among ponies. And advertising myself on the street won't work, it's already cold.

When I thought about the street, my gaze quickly darted to the window. I don't know what they expected to see there, but it definitely wasn't snow. Slightly raising my hand, I asked nervously: "How is this possible? I came here probably fifteen minutes ago and there was no snow!"

Rarity momentarily distracted from her sewing machine and said, briefly chuckling: "What do you mean? Snow always starts falling on December first."

I put my hand on my head and said, leaning back on the couch: "This is all so strange. Here I was at the beginning of autumn, poof, and it's already winter. Feels like a huge piece is missing."

Ahirata carefully rubbed my shoulder and said soothingly: "I get that a lot too. Though on a much larger scale. Don't worry, sooner or later you'll get used to it."

Another thing to get used to in this cartoon world.

I hadn't managed to express my indignation when suddenly the bell above the door rang, and I heard a vaguely familiar voice: "Hey, pony. Can you make the. . ."

Turning to the sound, I saw a pale blue dragon with diamond red eyes. Her entire body, except for her paws, was encased in golden armor. But something else bothered me. She was looking directly at me, absolutely unblinking. Feeling the tension, Rarity stopped working on the dress.

Ember. Daughter of the Dragon Lord. As soon as I remembered who this character was, I opened my mouth, but she beat me to it: "Some kind of disguise magic, human? Looks pathetic."

"What?" I managed to ask just before Ember suddenly lunged from her spot. But I, to my own surprise, managed to react and quickly get up from the couch.

Could it be that after such a long time, the situation with Torch has come back to bite me?

Looking at how she dug her claws into the couch with bared teeth, I said, raising my hands: "Hey, hey, calm down. We can talk about all this!"

"Is that what you said when you took my father's arm!?" Ember growled before opening her mouth and releasing a rasp. For a moment, I saw a glow appearing in her throat. Fire!

I quickly jumped to the side but realized a second later that it didn't make much sense. Ahirata had covered Ember's mouth with both hands and, judging by her glowing eyes, activated magic. So yeah, I fell to the floor for nothing.

Okay, need to quickly think what to do. I don't think it's possible to hold her like this forever.

Quickly getting to my feet, I started thinking about what to tell her. Obviously, Ember wants revenge for the injury done to her father. And yes, I was there. And Ahirata was there. But we weren't the ones who caused the injury, right? And anyway, judging by the phrase about disguise, she's looking for someone else.

Barely noticeably nodding to myself, I took a quick breath before calmly explaining: "You've confused me with Daniel! I assure you, my hair and eyes are natural!"

Ahirata removed her hands, however, the air around Ember seemed to shimmer slightly. Perhaps because of this, she couldn't push off from the couch and open her mouth wide. However, after a couple of seconds, Ember still hissed: "How can you prove it?"

I nervously swallowed. Indeed, how to prove that I'm not Daniel? After a few seconds, I carefully ran my hand over my wings and said: "Uh, I have these things. And Daniel doesn't."

Ember looked at me squintingly for some time and said with a brief snort: "More."

What else am I supposed to say to make you believe me!?

Giving in to my first impulse, I pointed with both hands at my bandaged nose and said irritably: "He LITERALLY almost broke my nose yesterday! And I spent half the night not sleeping trying to understand what nonsense he was talking about. So be quiet, think, and stop ACCUSING me just like that!"

At my outburst, Ember closed her mouth and seemed to be thinking. Meanwhile, Ahirata and Rarity looked at me in surprise. Finally, the only pony in the room asked uncertainly: "Um, should I leave? I feel like I'm out of place here."

"Yes," Ember instantly responded, but suddenly let out a painful sigh.

Ahirata gave her a clearly disapproving look before clearing her throat and saying: "No, Rarity, you can stay. I'm sure this conversation will end quickly and we can return to the dress."

I think this is a demand for me. To conduct dialogue skillfully. One of many tasks that I shouldn't be trusted with under any circumstances.

"Can you cancel your strange magic, strange dragon?" Ember hissed, directing a deadly gaze at Ahirata. In response, she very slowly nodded, with an impassive expression before her eyes stopped glowing red.

In an instant, the air around Ember became normal again, and she asked, turning to me, "So if you're not Daniel, but he broke your nose, do you know where he is now?"

"Uh, if he's not here then he should be in Canterlot?" I suggested, scratching the back of my head.

Suddenly, Rarity spoke up with a slight smirk: "Not always, not always. A week ago I was in Manehattan on business and guess what? I met him there! Although, I admit, I didn't dare approach and ask why he was in the city."

"So you don't know where that vile creature is?" Ember asked with a snort, releasing a small cloud of smoke.

Looks like. . .

My train of thought was interrupted when a tremor went through the ground, making me stagger. And the next moment my ears caught a distant explosion. But that wasn't even the worst part. I can definitely say where it came from.

From the direction of my house. Without thinking, I grabbed the jacket from the hanger, which Rarity had altered so it could be worn with wings, and ran outside. Damn, whatever it was, the main thing is that my house wasn't damaged! There are too many important things there.

While I ran with all my might, the snow treacherously penetrated my shoes which weren't designed for such weather at all. Even more difficulties were created by ponies wandering extremely slowly on the street. Damn, this would be much easier if I had working wings!

. . .What did I just think about?

Sharply shaking my head, I continued rushing forward through crowds of ponies. Perhaps the only good thing Daniel ever did was scare the ponies. Now they part at the sight of any human!

Snorting, I finally left the city limits and saw my house. At first glance, absolutely undamaged. And at second and third glance too. Okay, my house is fine. Can't say the same about the surrounding area.

Where just yesterday there was a strange tree that reacted to approach, now there was a small smoking crater. Putting my hand on the wall of my house, I sighed and muttered under my breath: "My house is intact, that's cool and all. But why did the tree explode in the first place?"

Correction, magical tree exploded. Eh, come to think of it, that doesn't help me at all.

Suddenly I heard quiet crunching of snow behind me and some strange sound. Turning around, I saw Ember and Ahirata. The latter looked somewhat tense. Not sure I've ever seen her frown like that.

"Any guesses about what's happening?" I asked embarrassedly, not that I expected any answer from them.

However, Ahirata quickly approached me and said, leaning to my ear: "Arthur, I can explain what this is. Can we go into your house or some other inconspicuous place?"

I cast a brief glance behind Ahirata at Ember, who was clearly interested in what we were talking about. Barely noticeably nodding, I said in a raised voice: "We're going to step aside to discuss something, and you wait here, understood?"

"What are you hiding?" Ember asked, crossing her arms. Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

"A few minutes ago you tried to beat me up and accused me of something I didn't do," I stated impassively.

Just as Ember opened her mouth, Ahirata added firmly: "You're not in a position to demand anything. Want to know about Daniel? Fine, wait here."

"I am the daughter of the Dragon Lord, after all," Ember said, looking at Ahirata with a hard gaze. However, in response, she merely grabbed my hand and led me away.

As awkward as it is, I don't want to break free from her grip at all.

Ahem, anyway, Ember snorted loudly but didn't continue the argument. In just a few moments, we walked through the front door that I hadn't closed and reached the living room. Slowly we both sat on the couch and silence hung in the air for several moments.

"I want to say that I don't have the complete picture. I only have quite well-founded suspicions. Are you ready to listen?" Ahirata asked, looking at me carefully. Without thinking, I quickly nodded.

She smiled awkwardly and asked, extending her hands toward me: "My eyes concentrate magic in one point. Not very convenient for creating visual figures. Is it okay if I use your magic?"

"Uh, okay?" I agreed embarrassedly. In response, Ahirata carefully grabbed my forearm and I felt a strange cold. As if everything below stopped belonging to my body.

W-What are you doing?

Slowly, multiple green rays emerged from my fingers without my intent. In just a few moments, they merged into an opaque two-dimensional circle. After I looked at this for a couple of seconds, Ahirata began to explain: "Let's start from afar. This is a simplified projection of your soul. Inside is your magic, and the circumference is the boundaries of the soul, which prevent it from uncontrollably breaking into the organism."

"And what happens if it breaking into?" I asked, trying not to pay attention to the strange sensation.

Ahirata slowly nodded and said: "Right question. If this shell suddenly disappeared from you, your magic would scatter throughout all the internals of the organism. All of them, except the heart, wouldn't withstand this interaction and, well, would melt."

"What's the point of all this anyway?" I said, swallowing at the picture I imagined.

Ahirata was silent for a second and asked: "Did Daniel tell you how he became obsessed with his own dark magic?"

Yes, I remember something like that.

As if sensing my thoughts, she said: "So in the course of certain events, it turned out that at one point I was forced to cooperate with obsessed Daniel. And this means showing some of my spells. The problem is that in an obsessed state, he could copy absolutely any spell he saw."

She took a quick breath before continuing: "I showed him the soul replacement spell. Its essence is to detach a piece from your soul and replace it with a piece of the target's soul. And the target was Celestia."

Suddenly the projection made from my magic began to change. First, one of the parts of the circle became thicker and seemed to protrude like a tumor. Second, a second circle appeared which, conversely, had a sunken part. Making sure I had examined both projections, Ahirata continued: "As a result, Daniel attached to himself a piece of Celestia's much more powerful soul. It produces its own magic, which sooner or later will corrode the walls of Daniel's soul."

She nodded at the new circle: "And Celestia received a piece of Daniel's weaker soul, which sooner or later won't be able to contain the magic of the princess of the sun. Her situation is even worse, correspondingly death even earlier."

"But can't everything just be returned to its place?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"The stone covering Celestia's chest doesn't allow it. We simply can't reach her soul to perform another replacement," she explained with a disappointed sigh.

This is very disturbing, I'm not arguing.

"But how is this connected to the explosions outside?" I asked with more confusion than last time.

Ahirata dispersed both projections and said, leaning toward me: "I heard that recently Twilight was offered to become an alicorn. An obvious sign that Celestia won't last long. I suppose that Daniel, due to failure, decided to go somewhere himself in search of a cure. But here's the catch, due to his reputation, he's officially forbidden from leaving Equestria. This was not a problem when he urgently needed to arrive in the Dragon Lands, which are not very far away and the border with which is almost not controlled. But it looks like he decided to go to some more distant place."

Suddenly my eyes widened with realization and I asked: "You think that Daniel caused the explosion to distract everyone?"

In response, she solemnly nodded and finally released my hands. Awkwardly rubbing them, I tried to process all this. Could it be that Daniel was trying to help Celestia all this time? Could it be that all his actions were directed at this?

Could it be that he was burning trees and selling flamethrowers to earn money for this adventure?

Shivers ran through my body. I don't even know from what exactly, from how all his actions made sense, from the fact that he still continued to deal with me all this time, or from the fact that I still feel huge dislike towards him?

Putting my hands on my knees, I asked briefly: "Why tell all this to me?"

Ahirata sighed and said, looking into my eyes: "I understand that this sounds crazy. But I'm somewhat in debt to him. It's thanks to me that I'm now sitting before you in this form. Therefore, I want to keep him from danger."

She slightly chuckled and continued: "And why did I tell all this specifically to you? Because I think you're the only one who will be ready to listen to me for so long!"

Letting out a brief giggle, Ahirata returned to a serious expression and put her hand on my shoulder before saying: "So you can tell all this to the Elements of Harmony. I'm sure you'll manage to tell all this more concisely than I did."

Tell the Mane Six? They're probably ready for such an adventure, but. . .

"Ahirata, what if I want to get answers from Daniel? And what if I don't want him to be the only hero?" I asked, lowering my gaze to the floor.

"Arthur, you're not going to go after him yourself, are you? This is an extremely dangerous adventure. Not to mention that he might simply not answer your questions," Ahirata said in a mentoring voice. And indeed, there was something to her words.

"The last time we met, he told me to stay away from water. That means he caused multiple explosions near water. Probably, he destroyed a bunch of ships to take just one and set sail somewhere!" I said, clenching my hands into fists.

"Great, you can tell these guesses. . ."

"I want to follow him. To ask questions. And get answers. I feel with every particle of my body that he knows the answer to all the questions that interest me, even those I haven't thought of yet," I said, directing a cold, determined gaze at Ahirata.

For some time, she just looked back at me. It seemed like an eternity that I was having a duel with a dragon who never blinks. And finally, she turned away from me and asked: "You understand that you're acting unreasonably?"

"Yes. But I really want to trust this intuition."

Ahirata sighed and asked tiredly: "Will you at least let me help you before you set off?"

Help? Interesting, what does she mean.

"I don't mind if you help. What do you have in mind?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Make your wings functional. I think it will be easier to travel long distances with them," she said, carefully extending her hand. Immediately my eyes widened. Of course, there's truth to her words, but who will teach me to use them right during the journey?

"Ember," slipped from my lips. She's kind of humanoid, more or less. I think it will be easier for her to teach me to fly than for someone like Rainbow Dash.

"That's the dragoness's name? In any case, that's exactly why I'm offering this," Ahirata explained quickly. Oh.

I think sooner or later I'll have to accept them anyway.

Sighing, I said reluctantly: "Okay, do it. Just, please, be quick."

"I won't drag it out," Ahirata stated before I felt a tremor in my chest area. Then, this tremor began moving backward, to the spine to the wings. As it approached the wings, the movement of the sensation slowed down. Before. . .

Flap

My wings flapped by themselves. And I felt every part of it. Every muscle that shouldn't be in a human, but which was now in me. Slowly standing up, I said, trying not to pay attention to how my wings raised: "Oh god. This is just, just incredibly strange."

"I believe you'll adapt soon," Ahirata encouraged, standing beside me and forcing out a small smile.

"Thanks," I mumbled before taking a slow step toward the exit of my house. Then another one. And another one.

"Good luck, Arthur. Take care of yourself," Ahirata said, still standing behind. In response, I just nodded.

I'll definitely take care of myself, definitely.

Leaving my house, I saw Ember who was looking at the crater left from the explosion with a bored expression. Taking a couple of steps toward her, I said: "I'm going with you after Daniel."

She turned her gaze from the crater and examined me from head to toe. Then, she snorted and said: "You look kind of weak. Maybe you should just, nicely, tell me where to look for him?"

I sighed and took a small step towards her. The most important thing to remember when talking to her is that she is not a cartoon character and I have never met her father. Sighing, I said calmly, "Look, you want to avenge the Dragon Lord, right? And Daniel hurt him, right? So he's strong enough. It's better for both of us if we go together. "

Ember looked at me again, this time taking as much time as she could. Finally she said reluctantly, "Fine. You're coming with me. The main thing for you to remember is that I want to deliver the final blow myself. Where are we going? "

For a few moments I wondered where he was going. Probably some big city that's near water. And I only know one of them from the cartoons.

" We're going to Manehattan. " I said, nodding.

God, don't let me make a mistake.

Author's Note

Yes, I'm back. I hope the wait wasn't too long. I was busy writing the commission. But now I can devote time to this story again.
It's a bit unfortunate that I couldn't make some Christmas story or chapter, but I hope you had a nice Christmas.
That's all for me, see you later!

The chase has begun

"Let's try again," said Ember, nodding her head toward the tall hill that stood nearby.

In response, I let out a brief groan and asked, "Do we have to? I'm already tired of practicing flight and hitting my head against trees."

"If we started training, we need to finish it. Besides, if you can fly, you'll almost not be dead weight," she answered with a snort. As much as I didn't want to argue, there was logic in her words. Especially considering that I don't plan on killing Daniel in the end. Just ask questions.

"Fine, but could you at least, I don't know, fly to where I'm supposedly going to land?" I asked, reluctantly starting to walk toward the hill while the supply bag swayed on my shoulder. Yes, this was one of the uses Ember had found for me.

"We'll see. If you show yourself very well during flight preparation, I might even think about holding the bag. By the way, thanks for telling me about the white pony. I almost forgot to insulate the armor. " Ember replied before reaching for the bag and quickly pulling out a small crystal.

I cast a brief glance at her and asked, "I thought dragons were, like, immune to cold."

In response, Ember just looked at me while chewing the crystal, as if saying, "Are you stupid or what?"

"Well, like, you breathe fire! Shouldn't that warm you from the inside?" I asked defensively.

She swallowed the crystal and slowly said, running a claw along the chest plate of her armor: "You think we have nothing better to do than constantly breathe fire? Just so you know, it's very energy-intensive. Plus, even if we could breathe fire constantly, it would only warm this part."

Yeah, after such an explanation, I really feel like an idiot.

Quickly shaking my head, trying to forget this, we both finally reached the hilltop. From here, you could already see the high-rise buildings of Manehattan. However, there was no time to enjoy the view. I heard Ember take a couple of steps back, followed by a bored tone: "So, first thing to do before flight."

"Feel the air currents," I replied in a similar tone, carefully spreading my wings. I must admit, Ember taught me to feel them very quickly. It's hard not to feel a body part that's being punched.

"Why do we need to do this?" she asked in an unchanging tone. Looks like she decided to also test my theoretical knowledge.

Snorting, I answered quickly: "Unlike pegasi, we have normal bones. We're too heavy to start flight against the wind."

"In your case, you'll only fly with a tailwind," Ember emphasized.

Was it necessary to humiliate me?

Before I could come up with any comment, I shuddered at the feeling. The cold air ruffled the back of my wings a lot. Shuddering, I said, "I feel the wind. Directed straight toward the city."

"What's next in the plan?" she asked impassively. Well, thanks for bothering not to eat while my training is going on.

"Practice wing movements on the ground," I replied, closing my eyes to fully concentrate on my wings. Slowly, carefully, I began to spread them apart before making a couple of flaps.

"Damn, I'm already tired of repeating everything a hundred times. You know the next point," she replied with a note of irritation in her voice. In response, I just bit my lip.

"Alright, I get it. Next step, you run and start flying," she said, snorting impatiently.

Okay, okay. Calm down. I'm resilient enough. I won't die if I hit my head against a tree again this time. Besides, I really need to learn to fly.

As soon as the wind strengthened, making every feather and hair on my body flutter, I took a step back. And in the next moment started running forward, making strong wing flaps that even made the snow scatter to the sides. With each movement, I felt less attracted to the ground.

With a light push of my legs from the ground, I completely lifted off, but this doesn't mean I could fly normally. After a couple of seconds, I started actively descending and with a nervous sigh began changing the position of my wings. Well, I've never gotten past this stage before. In the last three attempts that I've already made, I just crashed into a tree before I could do anything.

Something incredible happened. As soon as the wind began to flutter across the entire surface of my wings, I stopped descending. I'm staying in the air, I'm actually flying!

"Hm, surprising that you managed this with the bag," Ember's chuckle was heard to my right. Looking up, I saw her flying slightly above me and pointing with her claw at the bag that was still slung over my shoulder.

I honestly forgot about it. . .

I swallowed as I looked at the tall trees ahead and asked nervously, "Do you want to tell me how to fly higher?"

Ember looked where I was looking before saying with a brief smirk: "Well, yeah, good idea."

"Well!?" I asked irritably, causing her to laugh slightly, covering her muzzle with her paw.

"Slightly bend your wing so it's pointing upward. And don't forget to flap. The wind won't do all the work for you," she finally said. I immediately followed her advice and surprisingly really started rising higher. If I had studied physics in school, I probably could even understand why.

Mm, no, I still think practicing drawing during physics lessons was a good decision.

When the treetop passed just a couple of inches from my belly, I sighed. Apparently no additional injuries for me today. And thank God.

Unfortunately, Ember crossed her arms while flying next to me and asked: "So, what are we going to do in this city? How will we search for Daniel?"

Hearing this question, I bit my lip. I don't think she'll highly appreciate if I say that Manehattan is just a presumed location for Daniel. Besides, I'm really not sure how to search for him or his traces in a big city.

Finally, I voiced the first thought that appeared in my head: "Maybe we'll go to the market and ask ponies there? I think Daniel might have made a few purchases along the way or at least passed by. Unlikely they wouldn't notice a guy of such height."

Ember briefly nodded, and we continued flying forward in relative silence.

Phew, dodged that one.

With each flap, the muscles of my wings began to ache more from the strain. However, looking at how quickly Manehattan was approaching, I forced myself to endure further. Can't let Daniel get too far ahead. The further he is from Equestria, the longer it will take me to return home after all this. And the greater the chance that my house will simply be confiscated.

Although, wait. I turned my head to Ember and asked: "Listen, do you happen to know what happens to a house from another world if the owner doesn't pay taxes?"

She looked back at me and slowly blinked before asking: "Taxes?"

It was my turn to be surprised. I raised my hands and said, uncertainly gesturing: "Well, you know, taxes. Money that you pay to the state so that it. Um."

So that it doesn't take away your house?

"Dragons don't have such a thing," Ember replied, shrugging while still flying. Really!?

"Damn, when this is all over, can I move to dragon lands?" I jokingly asked. However, even before she answered, I thought about this idea more seriously. If there aren't so many familiar characters from the series around, I'll feel a bit more comfortable. Probably.

My thoughts were interrupted when Ember burst into loud laughter for several seconds before saying in a cheerful tone: "Well, if you really want to, I don't forbid it. Just if someone burns, crushes, or does something else to you, I'm not responsible!"

I understand that my main profession is an artist, but I don't look that fragile, right?

I had to shake my head when we got close enough to Manehattan's high-rise buildings. Looking at Ember, I asked nervously: "I don't think I have the strength to fly even higher. Can you tell me how to turn?"

Ember briefly snorted and said, rolling her eyes: "Lean in the direction you want to turn."

Okay, I admit, I could have just thought for a second longer and figured this out myself. Sighing, I carefully started leaning left and almost immediately began flying left and down. Despite how much I tried to calm myself, my heart was pounding as the city's asphalt became closer and closer.

"Wow," escaped from my lips when I finally stabilized. I barely managed to dodge left, the windows of the high-rise building were literally at arm's length. Considering how similar Manehattan's skyscrapers are to the familiar ones to me, this feels doubly strange.

"Hey, look at the ground. We need to land soon," Ember suddenly appeared to my left. Thank God, I managed not to get too scared by her sudden appearance.

Slowly nodding in response, I looked down, trying to find something that looked like a market. Surprisingly, it was extremely simple. Right in front of the pier where many huge wooden ships stood, there was a wide dirt road with many different stalls on both sides. Most of them were made of wood, and I honestly feel sorry for the ponies standing behind them in this weather. There were a couple of stalls that looked more like small houses.

Without waiting for anything, Ember immediately started diving down. Swallowing, I uncertainly leaned forward and slightly shifted my wings so their tips were pointing upward. Unfortunately, I really started actively descending and to my horror, the wind began to strongly rock me from side to side. It becomes simply impossible to change position in any way!

Damn, damn, damn! Need to think of something!

The ground was getting closer and closer, and Ember who stood on it didn't look like she was going to help. But suddenly, for a moment infinitely less than a second, a memory flashed in my head. Daniel accumulated a lot of his magic in one point and it turned into a sphere that hung in the air. No idea how he did it, but my brain has an idea.

I raised my hands and started releasing two streams of my magic from each finger. By force of will, I managed to make them stretch but stay at the same point in the air where it all began. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the feeling of all these magic streams and began weaving them into a single sphere. And with a sharp inhale, they were ordered to stop stretching.

Sharp pain in my arms pierced me, causing my eyes to instantly open. Instantly my fall stopped and I myself hung about five feet above the ground. Looking up, I made sure. Indeed, streams of my magic stretched somewhere around thirty feet and held onto a small sphere woven from them.

"Could you always do that?" Ember asked, casting an appraising glance at my greatly stretched magic streams. Before I could even start thinking of an answer, they quickly faded and evaporated. And my face ended up in the dirt.

Mm, probably shouldn't have expected anything else from an ability I just made up right now. Surprising that it worked at all.

To my own surprise, I felt someone grab my shoulder and in the next moment forcibly put me on my feet. Ember examined me from head to toe before saying with a smirk: "You know, I almost don't regret taking you with me. You're amusing."

I quickly rubbed my face with my hand, removing dirt, and said awkwardly: "Uh, you're cool at teaching flying. Although I would prefer gentler training."

Ember slightly slapped me on the back and said hurriedly: "Okay, the session of useless conversations is over. Come on, let's ask these ponies."

It. . . doesn't hurt?

I don't know why, but I thought a slap on the back from Ember would make my whole body shake. Maybe it's because of the test of will that I passed, but still. Wow.

I quickly shook my head when I saw that Ember had already started walking toward the stall where some pony was standing. Catching up with her, I managed to hear how she asked the yellow earth pony standing behind the counter: "Hey, have you seen a creature that looks just like this but with black hair?"

"I don't think 'creature' is appropriate here," I mumbled while the pony carefully looked at me.

Finally, he shrugged and said: "Nah, haven't seen anyone like that."

Ember snorted and said, waving her hand: "Alright, let's go to the next one."

No, wait, at this rate we won't learn anything.

"Ember, I think we need wider coverage," I said, slightly raising my voice so she would definitely hear me.

Fortunately, Ember turned around and blinked, slightly scratching her cheek with a claw: "Yeah, you're right. Got any ideas?"

I don't know what I was thinking, but the first thought that popped into my head immediately came out of my mouth: "What if you lift me up and shout loudly, like, hey, have you seen a guy like this but with black hair and taller?"

"No, wait, this is stup. . ." I said in the next moment, but it was too late. Ember grabbed me by the shoulders and, seemingly with absolute ease, lifted me above the ground.

In the next moment, she took a breath and shouted so loudly that my ears started ringing: "Hey, you ponies! Have you seen someone who looks like this guy but a bit bigger and with black hair?"

No response followed. Silence.

Or am I deaf?

Fortunately, I heard Ember sigh disappointedly. Hurray, I'm not deaf. Ahem, anyway, she removed one paw and started holding me by the scruff with one hand. Is it comfortable? No, not at all. But I don't really want to bother her.

Suddenly behind me came the sound of an unbuckling belt and in the next second Ember raised up a golden plate, probably from her armor's shoulder, before saying: "Whoever gives information gets this."

As if possessed, many ponies moved from their places and headed toward us. A cacophony of sounds arose around, among which I managed to hear such as: "He bought lots of fruits from me, give me the gold", "He bought a fishing rod from me" and so on.

"I think we didn't quite think this part through," I said, leaning slightly backward, toward Ember.

"Yeah. At least now we know he was here," she replied, still holding me by the scruff. Meanwhile, ponies continued to crowd and shout around us.

"So, are you planning to let me go?" I asked, awkwardly fidgeting in her grip. Theoretically, I could break free. But I think it's better if she lets me go herself.

"Ah, yeah, sorry," Ember quickly nodded before putting me on the ground. Then she, to my surprise, threw the golden piece of her armor somewhere to the side and the crowd of ponies ran after it like dogs. However, it is worth noting that there are still ponies behind some counters. Not everyone is willing to die for a piece of gold.

I looked at her and her exposed right shoulder embarrassedly before asking: "Couldn't we just fly away from them? I think you'll need the armor."

"Hmph, don't want to start a chase. And that slug won't even reach my shoulder," Ember replied with a brief snort.

Or did you want to do charity?

As soon as I chuckled to myself, she suddenly asked: "So if at least one of those ponies wasn't lying, he was here. So what now?"

I mentally flinched at her question. The series showed only one city from all of Griffonia. If I remember correctly, not even a coastal one. I need a map. Quick.

"Uh, let's find a map somewhere. I think there should be one at the pier!" I quickly said before heading at a fast pace, almost running, to the designated place. Unfortunately, Ember caught up with me instantly. It will be hard to think when being pressured like this.

Okay, okay. Daniel was definitely here. Presumably, he was in Canterlot, set off a lot of explosions, went here, bought food and sailed away. The only chance to find him is to catch him on the coast. Like, I won't find him on the whole continent if I don't know where he's going! Even if he didn't choose the shortest route, then I definitely need it.

If he chose the long way and I chose the short way, then I will have a chance to prepare. Find a spell that will text me on my phone if Daniel shows up in a major city, for example.

Chuckling, I stopped in front of something that looked like a ticket booth. It was a small wooden structure with a small window and a cash register. Behind which sat a sleeping pony. I don't think it's worth waking her up. Khm, but the most interesting part to me was the map on which arrows of different colors marked routes to different places and their prices.

"So, where are we looking for this guy?" Ember asked behind me.

In response, I let out a quiet convulsive sigh before answering: "I think he headed from here to New Mareland, specifically New Manehattan."

"Why do you think so?" she asked in the next moment.

I smiled uncertainly at her and said awkwardly: "Uh, it's the shortest route I found on the map?"

Ember rubbed her forehead with two claws and asked: "We don't have other options, right?"

"Looks like it."

"Does it say the price?"

"Uh, three thousand bits?" I said, slightly scratching the back of my head. Sounds like a lot.

"I wouldn't want to sell all my armor," Ember noted with a brief snort. What to do?

Wait, we have wings.

I carefully ran my finger along my wing, causing the muscles there to twitch, and suggested: "What if when the ship arrives, we fly onto it from above and hide somewhere?"

To my surprise, Ember nodded approvingly and said, raising a claw: "Excellent option. Do we know which ship exactly we need?"

For a moment I was surprised by her positive reaction before looking at the map again. After reading the ship's name, I smirked: "We need a ship called Solaris."

Who even came up with such a name?

Ocean waves crashed against the pier's foundations, while not a single ship was visible on the horizon. It's unknown when Solaris will arrive, but it certainly won't be soon. Given that many ships decided to stay away from ports due to recent explosions, the wait will be truly long.

Dozens of miles south lay the city of Baltimare. Various unusual creatures are often encountered here. Although, in the last couple of days, this phenomenon has become somewhat rarer. After all, many were frightened by the events in Equestria.

But when Ember was here, she didn't even suspect she was helping her own enemy.

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Location: Baltimare
Time: Meanwhile

"Hey, how are you?" I asked, carefully running my finger through Cozy's mane, who was now lying inside a bag. In response to my touch, she let out a brief moan and stretched slightly, just like a cat.

"Mm, are we there yet?" she sleepily asked, rubbing her eyes with her tiny wings. At the sight of this, I barely held back a smile. Creatures are cute.

Taking a look at the daytime snow-covered street, I said softly: "Well, not quite. But very soon you'll be able to get out of the bag and sleep in a more comfortable place."

"Where exactly?" Cozy asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. Hmm, how should I explain this to her? I don't think every pony, especially of her age, has seen a tank.

Finally, I said slowly, so she would definitely understand: "Well, it will be like a boat. Only enclosed, with heating and the ability to move on land."

"Why do we need a boat?" she continued.

Okay. Need to stop here. Should she know where we're heading? What if she doesn't like it and starts to panic?

I don't want to lie.

Taking a brief breath, I said: "We're heading to Griffonia. You know, the continent where griffons make up the main population?"

Cozy stared at me with wide eyes for several moments before asking, slightly jumping in the bag: "So we're going on a worldwide journey for power!?"

I let out a brief chuckle at her excitement and said calmly: "Well, almost. I'm afraid to disappoint you, but our adventure will only cover Griffonia. And not even all of it."

"But I'll get power in the end?" asked Cozy, slightly pouting her lips. What is that supposed to mean?

Mentally brushing this off, I simply nodded and said: "Yes, you'll get power."

"Then everything's good!" she replied, judging by her smile, quite happily.

She's still a strange creature. Like all children. Like all creatures, probably.

Sighing, I again shifted my gaze to the evening, practically empty street and saw a wagon manufacturing factory in relative proximity. Just what I need.

"So, please hide in the bag. It would be very inconvenient to explain everything if someone notices you." I said, putting my metal hand on the bag's zipper. Cozy nodded without any questions and lowered her head, allowing me to close it.

"Just don't think about how this looks from the outside," I muttered under my breath, approaching the factory that was already so familiar to me. With each step toward it, its heat became more noticeable, having melted all the snow that had fallen near it. Not that this was too surprising. One of the largest factories in all of Equestria, after all.

Finally, I reached a simple metal door, which was the entrance to the factory. Yes, next to such a building, the ponies didn't even bother to put up a fence. Snorting, I opened the door and started walking deep into the facility, casting only a brief glance at the guard. He took a second to look at me and immediately returned to his business.

After all, this isn't my first time here.

Keeping my metal hand on the bag, I finally entered the main part of the factory. The smell of oil and hot metal immediately hit my nose, while stallions and mares walked here and there. Interesting fact, in Equestria they've already invented assembly lines, but the owner of this factory, apparently, doesn't want to spend money on updating production.

"Maybe when this production goes bankrupt, I can buy it? Will be passive income in old age," I muttered looking around while climbing the stairs leading to the big shot's office. Good idea, but I'm afraid all my money will run out as soon as I pay for the vehicle.

Briefly grunting, I climbed the last step, and at that second, the office door swung open and hit the wall. The next moment, a stallion with a very gray mane came out. Quickly passing by me, he grumbled: "What a beast. 'Take one day off - you won't get a bonus.' What if my wife is giving birth?"

R̴̗̻̭̙̤͑̌̿̅ȇ̴̲͈̫̞̩̝̈́͜͝ͅm̷͈͚̳̾͒́e̷͕̝̪͌͊̍̎̍̀͊̕͘m̵̛͇̺̲̹͗͂͋̽͌̀͘͝b̷̫̯̏̊͋̌͐͗̚e̵͎̰̿̈́͒̀͌̎̈́r̴̯̮̬̊̾ ̶͉̎̍̍̅͝h̷̨̢͇̜̮̒̾͘͘͜͜ö̴̘̮͐͘͜ẁ̶̬͉̯̻̟͍͒̈́ ̶͔͓̟͚̙͊̾͒̓́͆̌̆͜y̸̱̹͈͜͝o̴̢̞̦͑̄̕͝ų̷͈͌͌ ̸̬͊̈̇̈́͆̉̆̅͝w̸̹̄͑͊̊a̷͕̳̯̦͕͔̟͑̾̍̆͆̃n̴̛̹͚̂̊̔̓͝t̷̼̝͓̺̆̀̐̽̐͆͑͝ȩ̴̮͊̈́̕d̵̳̫̻͍̹͆̄̽͊́̚ ̵͈̦͚͎̹̝͎̱̌͂͒̏ͅt̵̡̛̥̙̜̖͇̤̜̘̑̎̔̽̿̉̇͠o̸͎̺͓̙͎̠͛̔̇͊̾̿̌̚͝ ̶̗͍͓̉͘̕c̸̢̨͈̲̞̮͙̗̄̓̇̍̔̇̑͘͘ó̵͓͇̲̬͈̹͍͎̍̓̉̌͊n̵̢͔̫̈́͒̾͝͝q̵̘́̊͌̕͜u̶͉̣̞̎͗̀̎̀ę̶̖̾́͝ͅr̸̹̔̑́̈́̾͠ ̷̡̧̧͔͚͕̱̈́̽t̵̩̖̞͕̝̓̅͊͒̊͒͋͘̕͜h̴̝͇͉̫̊͛̇̿̓͌̂ȯ̶̰̻̤̲̮̞̯̪́s̸̫̗͕͈̮̏̑͗́͑̉͘ĕ̶̹̹͍̣̿͠ ̴͒̏̄͜w̶̯̱̜̬̗͉̦̳̤̐̇̒̑̈́h̵̫̑o̷̤͔͈̜̞͕͔̫̿̏͛̓̔̂̾ ̷̮̙͇̞͕͍̩̣͋͂͌͂̓̄ą̸̬̗̬̭͋̋̽͂̀̿́͆̃l̶̨̺̪̳̟̘̰̮̝̿͒͝ḹ̵̨̪o̴͖̒̽̈͆̿̂͑w̷̱͎̣̃͊̈́͆̊̏̓͑ ̷̟̮̯̲̩͈̩̾͑͐͛͑̄͜s̸̪̍̂̄͘u̵͎̎̐̈c̷̲͆̏́̓̉̾́̐͆h̵̡͈̜̙̗̮͈͓̝̓ ̷̹̭̜͎̅̃̊̉͒̓͂͛͘ṭ̷̢̖͎̩̤̘̤͓̔̍̽̓̀̓ḧ̴͎̈͛̽̀ỉ̴̳̳̮̙̚n̶̞͓̦̪̖͐͠ǵ̷̮̈́̄̾̊̐͌̾s̷͍͚͉̲̑ͅ?̶̧̧̙̤̊̏̎̅

Taking a deep breath, I just walked further and entered the office. There sat the head of this entire factory, Dirty Rich. As funny as the name might be, but as I understood, in Equestria there's an entire Rich family who are really big shots.

In any case, upon seeing me, he rose from his chair, took several steps toward me, and said, extending his hoof: "Oh, Mr. Ctumer! How glad I am to see you. What brings you to me today?"

I quickly, barely touching, shook his hoof and replied calmly: "I wish to take the machine I ordered. I hope everything went according to plan and you finished production back in October."

Rich quickly nodded in response and said, with a peculiar nervous smile: "Yes, yes, everything's ready! Would you like to take a look?"

"I wish to look, pay, and sail," I replied, stepping slightly aside so he could go ahead. Fortunately, he didn't say anything and simply left the office with me on his tail.

Honestly, I don't think I'll have enough money. Knowing Rich, he'll increase the price several times, covering it with arguments like: 'custom order,' 'unforeseen production difficulties' and so on.

Finally, we reached a small platform, a sort of pedestal on which the machine stood. Instead of wheels, there were very narrow tracks, probably twice as thin as regular wheels. The metal body had rounded protrusions at the corners, which very remotely gave the whole construction the appearance of an inflatable boat. At the back, one pipe stuck out perfectly vertical, and two others were positioned horizontally.

Yes, this is an IFV. The only serious difference from its Earth counterparts is that it was designed with magic and the main task is crossing water. Well, it must be borne in mind that I had neither the money nor the time to create a completely new drawing. In fact, it's just a deep modification of the tank. Holding back some awe, I asked: "Have you already loaded coal and water inside?"

Rich quickly nodded and added: "By the way, you were very lucky but I managed to find cheap gold to satisfy your request for a second layer of armor."

"Excellent. How much do I owe you?" I asked looking down at Rich, while a completely different thought was spinning in my head. Would the little filly really just sit in the bag and not interfere with important negotiations at all?

He slightly tapped his hoof on his chin, as if counting in his head before saying: "I think fifteen thousand bits will be enough."

This is almost ten times more than the monthly salary when I was captain of the guard.

Letting out a long breath, I took a paper from the pocket of my insulated coat, quickly wrote the necessary amount and said quickly: "you're a modern pony, you know the scheme. Come to the bank and get the needed amount of gold."

As soon as he took the paper with a smile with his hoof, don't ask how, I quickly headed toward the IFV. Climbing onto the roof, I grabbed the lever on the hatch and sharply pulling it toward me, opened it. Whew, holds tight, hope the sealing is just as strong.

With a barely perceptible nod to myself, I climbed inside and closed the hatch tightly behind me. Inside, I was greeted by two levers, two pedals, a red start button, a humility button whose function I'm not entirely sure about, and a small gap to see from the outside. There was a small pane of glass in the back of the car, revealing coal and several cisterns above them.

Okay, now it's time to remember how soldiers made tanks work.

Sighing, I carefully put the bag on the IFV floor and opened it, in case Cozy wants to get out. After this, I moved closer to the levers and pressed the red button. The next moment, a quiet crackling of coal was heard from behind. Excellent.

"Where are we?" Cozy quietly asked, carefully peeking out of the bag. Well, until the coal ignites and the water starts boiling, this thing won't go anywhere.

"This is that special boat I told you about," I said calmly, when I briefly looked at the street through the slot. The factory gates are slowly opening. Usually this is done so that a train can leave, but here I can myself, ha.

Cozy looked around again and said, carefully taking an apple from the bag: "So, um, can I know where exactly we're heading for power?"

For a couple of moments I was silent before quickly answering: "The final destination is the Dread League, a state of necromancers in northeast Griffonia. But most likely you'll get your desired power along the way. I can't tell you at which exact moment."

I don't want her to start waiting for the moment when I become really ill.

Suddenly Cozy's ear twitched when the water started to boil. Satisfyingly sighing, I stretched out my leg and sharply pressed the gas. Outside came the screech of tracks, which for the first time in their life should move. After several moments, the front of the machine fell down causing Cozy to slightly squeal: "Ow!"

"OW!" She said a second time when the rear part of the IFV also descended from the platform. Making rumbling and screeching sounds, the machine began to accelerate and move away from the factory. Fortunately, the ponies figured out not to stand in the way.

Despite the rails that ran through most of the factory, the IFV managed to accelerate and drive through the open gates. Taking a brief breath, I pulled the left lever toward me, which caused the left tracks to stop turning. In just a few seconds, the machine turned left and right ahead was the pier. And behind it, the sea. And even further, Griffonia.

On the ground, the IFV began actively gaining speed and the screech almost disappeared. Through the slot, I saw that the few ponies who were on the street scattered to the sides just upon seeing the machine. Not that I blamed them. Not sure that even I could stop such a thing.

B̷̧̜̤̝̲̞̙̠̖͒̂͊̾̎̈́͆̈̈́̃̈͊̽̾̀́̐̕͜͝͠u̵̱͛͛̑̈́̕t̷͈͇̹̏̎̓̚ ̵̢͕̫͈͉̭̻̭̥̼̮͇́͗̀̏̑̂̈́͘̚͜͠͠ͅỈ̴̧̖̮̙̱̙̤̂̈́̍̏̈̒̀͘͜͜ ̵̘̆c̵͙͉̮̺̼̣̓̑̄̓͌͗̃̑͒͂̀͑͗̀̈̄̈́̾͘͜͝ạ̶͖̩͒͑͋̇͌̈́̎͘̚͜͝͝͠n̷̨̡̤̩̱̥̘̺͉͍̂̓̏͌̉̇͐̊͒͐̋̑̑.̷̢̧̝̱̭̬̞͎̲̥͚̺̻͈̠̾̆͒̄̎̒̌̈̄́͠͠

Sharply shaking my head, I focused on the approaching wooden pier. Not a single ship was docked in it, most likely they all went to investigate the explosions.

Just as I planned.

Finally, under the tracks came the painful cracking of wood right before the IFV broke away from the pier. Quickly breathing in, I pressed the mysterious blue button. No sound. Just nothing.

With a loud splash, the IFV began rocking on the water but to great fortune, remained floating on the surface. After several seconds came a sound distantly resembling a pump and I let out an excited breath. We're floating. This iron thing really floats! Hardly any ship would be able to notice this thing from afar.

Sighing, I said, slightly moving away from the levers and pedals: "That's it. For the nearest time we can just calmly float."

"Hurray!" said Cozy, not even swallowing the apple.

"Yes, hurray," I replied extending my hand toward her mane to pet. But stopped at the last moment. This would look disgusting from the side. Therefore I just put my hand on my knee and sighed.

This filly. This child really is cute.

Between waves and steel

Alright, now that I've gotten into it, it seems like a stupid idea.

"Yeah, sure," I muttered, gazing into the distance at the float bobbing on the water. My back was resting against the metal hatch of the BMP as if it were a chair. Since this machine moves through the water quite independently, I thought I could spare some free time to get some meat. Fruits are great, but I prefer meat. Even if it's fish.

"Your move!" Cozy suddenly exclaimed, still sitting inside the IFV. Ha, I forgot I agreed to play chess with her. But since there's no bite anyway, I can give it a bit more attention.

Carefully setting the fishing rod aside, I leaned over the hatch and looked down at the chessboard. Adjusting my glasses, I glanced at the position. Honestly, I forgot what it looked like before Cozy's move, but now it looked like this:

Move the queen to b7.

Why? Ah, yes, I see. In the next two moves, I can take both of her pieces, and further resistance will be pointless.

My hand slowly reached for the queen to make the decisive move. But at the last moment, I stopped. Why do I even need this victory? And why does Cozy need this victory? Objectively speaking, I don't need it. But an orphan needs some happiness in life.

But simply giving up would be wrong. To grow, you need a challenge. Let my time with her be as harmless as possible. Sighing, I finally said, "Cozy, maybe you should make a different move?"

"Huh?" she asked, looking up at me in confusion. Her scarlet eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the hatch.

"Ahem, maybe think about your move for at least two more minutes? Maybe there's a better option here."

"But you can't take back a move," she replied uncertainly.

"We're not in a tournament. I allow it."

After my words, Cozy slowly and quietly mumbled before turning her gaze back to the chessboard. Sighing, I turned away and looked into the distance at the fishing float. Nothing had changed; no fish. Perhaps the sound of the IFV is scaring them away. Looks like no meat for me today.

Disappointed, I sighed and looked up at the cold winter sun. For a while, my mind was completely blank as I gazed at it. Maybe it's just something associated with Celestia that calms me so much.

Am I doing everything right? Are you proud of me?

Of course, the celestial body didn't answer my thought. Sighing, I glanced back at the distant float. The only thing making it move was the small waves from the IFV sailing through the sea. It's good that Cozy broke the monotony with her slightly offended voice: "You saw that I made a bad move."

"Yes," I replied briefly, looking down through the open hatch again. Cozy was frowning at me, clearly displeased.

"Do you think I couldn't win without a numerical advantage?"

What a smart kid.

"Sorry if I offended your intelligence. But I thought winning was more important for you," I said, raising both hands in a calming gesture. I'm not sure if it actually has that effect.

"But if everyone lets me win, I'll never learn to play really well!" she exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the chessboard so hard that all the remaining pieces fell over. Except for the black king.

Right. She mentioned once that her talent is chess, but she hasn't won any competitions.

For a while, I just silently watched the upset filly, trying to come up with or at least feel what needed to be said. Finally, the words slipped out: "Listen, why did you even decide that your talent is chess?"

"Huh?"

"Well, ponies determine their special talent through cutie marks, right? Like the mark on their flank. Why did you interpret your mark as chess?"

In response, she silently shifted slightly. Anticipating what she was about to do, I quickly looked away at the sea and said, "Can you just describe it? I don't really want to look at that part of your body."

Cozy let out an embarrassed mumble before saying uncertainly, "My cutie mark is a red rook. Now can you explain your strange thought?"

For a while, I focused on imagining that image in my head and analyzing it. And like a waterfall, thoughts began to flow: "The color red means different things in different cultures. In Chinese culture, for example, it symbolizes success and prosperity. The rook, which is essentially a castle, can be interpreted as stability and protection."

I tried to snap my prosthetic fingers. Unsuccessfully. Damn, the moment's ruined. Sighing, I snapped the fingers of my left hand and said, "So your cutie mark could mean stable success, meaning your talent is achieving things at a calm, steady pace without suffering serious setbacks. It took me less than a minute to come up with that."

"That's . . . wow. I never thought of it that way."

All problems come from not thinking about something the right way.

"Can you come up with a few more interpretations? Pleeease," Cozy said, her voice suddenly taking on a pleading tone. And her eyes were big and very strange. I've seen that look in other ponies but still haven't figured out what it's supposed to mean.

Before answering Cozy's question, I glanced around at the sea. Not seeing any land nearby, I sighed and said, looking at the filly, "Well, if you really want, I can come up with a few more. Just, don't show me your flank again, okay?"

"Okay!" she exclaimed happily.

I wonder if all kids react like this when you actively engage with them? At her age, I probably would have tried to run away to my room from a conversation like this.

You didn't ask her age, you idiot.

Frowning, I raised my hand in a stop gesture and said, "Wait, Cozy. Before we start, I want to ask, how old are you?"

She seemed slightly disappointed but still answered, "I'm eleven."

Hmm, yeah, at her age, I would have run away from the conversation and hidden in my room. After mentally shaking my head, my train of thought continued, and a new improvisation quickly formed: "If I remember correctly, red was considered the color of life itself by ancient humans. And the rook, as a chess piece, could mean the ability to control life."

Or the ability to manipulate others.

Mentally, I flinched slightly, and the next moment Cozy happily clapped her hooves: "Oh, I like that one!"

"But can you come up with a couple more options?" she asked, her voice suddenly soft and innocent.

"Alright, let me think for a bit. If it's not too much trouble, can you pass me a banana?" I replied, unable to suppress a smile.

At least I'll have something to do while we're sailing.

Slowly, the wind picked up, creating waves that could hinder the movement of small ships. However, there was an object that, like a majestic rock, didn't react to the pitiful waves at all.

Just a mile north of the unknown metal object, the ship Solaris was sailing. This is one of the most, if not the most, majestic ships of Equestria. Being one of the few steamships, it is about 500 feet long, 70 feet wide, and 50 feet tall. The Solaris is a ship specifically designed for transporting goods to New Mareland, a semi-autonomous colony of Equestria in Griffonia.

Under the black metal hull of the Solaris were numerous compartments. Some of them were packed to the brim with all sorts of goods for sale. However, the largest steamship in Equestria could also afford to carry many passengers.

Although, in one unexpected place, a pair of stowaways was found.

POV: Arthur Davis
Location: Ship Solaris, between the lower and main deck.
Time: An hour later

"I think I'm going to develop claustrophobia."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, look."

"It's dark here, in case you haven't noticed. Where am I supposed to look?"

It's a figure of speech.

With a snort, I raised my fist slightly and brought it just an inch above my head, causing it to hit the metal ceiling of the deck with a soft thud. After squirming on my stomach, I finally explained, "We crawled between the decks into absolute darkness, and moreover, we can only move here by crawling."

"But we don't have to worry about any ponies noticing us and starting to scream," Ember replied calmly. Though I have no proof, I'm sure she shook her head.

Rubbing my face in mild irritation, I sighed, "How did we even get here?"

"I burned a hole in the ship's metal armor," she answered instantly. That question didn't require your answer.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and asked, "How are we even going to know when the ship stops and it's time to sneak out?"

"Wait, are we really not sure!?"

"I've never been on a ship!" Ember retorted angrily. Damn it.

I think it's obvious what we'll have to do. We need to get out of here.

Sighing the little air available in this crevice, I said, slowly crawling forward, "Alright, never mind, we need to get somewhere higher. Ideally, find a window and a place where there's at least enough room to sit."

To my own surprise, I didn't bump into Ember as soon as I started moving. Apparently, no clichés today. Quietly sighing, I continued crawling forward without stopping. And judging by the sounds behind me, the vengeful dragoness agreed to follow me.

"I never thought I'd be a leader," I muttered under my breath, though I couldn't suppress a small smile. I like this feeling. Control. Authority.

Confidence.

Suddenly, I saw a tiny bit of light coming from somewhere to the left. After a few moments of crawling in that direction, my eyes widened. It turned out we had been lying between the ceiling and a large crate with some cargo. Taking a quick glance at the lamp illuminating the strange room between the decks, I asked: "Ember, how did we get here, please remind me."

She awkwardly raised an eyebrow but answered slowly, "We snuck through an open window onto one of the decks. Then we found a huge, well-lit storage room. I burned a hole in the hull, and when we went through it, I closed it with a crate. And here we are."

"Don't you think it's strange that a ship you can buy a passenger ticket for has two cargo holds?"

"How should I know? I don't know much about ships. Especially metal ones."

"I'm no expert, but I think ships like this should have a fifty-fifty split. Basically, to carry enough cargo to be profitable and still sail fast enough so the route isn't too long. A second deck for storage is just excessive."

"What are you getting at?" Ember asked, confused, as I put a finger to my upper lip. Maybe the time in the dark made me accumulate a lot of energy, which I'm now spending on thoughts. Maybe I'm overthinking.

But I can't shake this feeling!

"I think these crates shouldn't be here. That explains the lack of lighting and the fact that we haven't seen a single pony passing by this whole time," I said, and without waiting for Ember's answer, I started sliding off the crate we had been lying on.

Stretching my arms forward, I began to slowly slide down until they finally hit the floor. However, the next moment, I lost my balance and fell on my back. Yeah, even with enhanced physical abilities, I'm clearly no acrobat.

"Ha. Well, the first half looked pretty graceful," Ember smirked as she slowed her fall with a couple of light wing flaps and landed calmly on both feet. Honestly, I feel a bit stupid for not thinking to do the same.

I still sometimes forget about my wings.

Sighing, I slowly got to my feet and looked around. In the center of the room was a small lamp illuminating numerous crates around it. The distance between them created makeshift corridors in four directions. However, their ends were hidden in absolute darkness. Not at all like the storage room we saw on the deck above.

My train of thought was interrupted when Ember asked, "So, assuming these crates really shouldn't be here. What does that mean?"

"We can open them and find something good? And it won't exactly be stealing," I replied, trying not to show uncertainty in my plan. It seemed to work, as she nodded.

Turning around, I came face to face with the crate I had just been lying on. After a deep breath, my right hand rose and clenched into a fist. I hope I'm not overestimating my own strength.

CRACK!

My fist punched through the wooden surface of the crate, causing splinters to fly in all directions. Exhaling, I grabbed the edge of the hole with my palm and pulled hard. With a second crack, the crate was damaged enough to see its contents in the dim light and take something if desired.

"Wow. There's a whole arsenal here," Ember said, whistling slightly.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh?" I asked, momentarily distracted from my hand.

"Your paw doesn't look too good," she noted, pointing at me.

Taking a quick breath, I returned to my right hand. My palm was stuck with numerous small splinters, and my wrist was slightly bleeding. My heart started beating faster, my chest rising and falling a bit quicker. For a moment, it seemed like my vision even darkened.

Quickly, I grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and pulled it down as far as possible to completely cover my hand. Taking a deep breath, I wiped my forehead with my left hand and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

This is one of the reasons I wouldn't want to fight Daniel. At the first sight of blood, I just freeze.

Ember watched me for a while before saying awkwardly, "Uh, well, you're stronger than you look, I'll give you that."

"Thanks," I said before taking another long breath and finally looking inside the crate. There were numerous spears, swords, axes, and other medieval weapons. However, one object stood out. It consisted of an empty tank and something vaguely resembling a tank barrel, only very short. Both elements were connected by a hose.

"I remember Daniel telling me something about flamethrower tanks, which he initiated the creation of. And though I'm no engineer, this thing really looks like a flamethrower. If video game experience is anything to go by," I muttered under my breath, not taking my eyes off the flamethrower in the crate.

But what is this thing doing here?

"So, what weapon are you going to choose for the fight?" Ember asked, placing her clawed paw on my shoulder.

"Heyyy," she said, shaking me slightly. However, I didn't let that stop my, frankly, unproductive thoughts. I have too little data to connect this to Daniel in any way.

Quickly shaking my head, I turned to the dragoness and said, "I don't think I'll use any weapons."

"Oh, you want to take this guy, Daniel, down with your bare hands? Respect," she replied, lightly tapping her chest with her fist. Well, how do I put this.

I awkwardly rubbed my neck before saying, "Uh, Ember, I think we need to discuss how we're going to act when we catch up with Daniel."

"What's there to discuss? We show up, we see, we win."

"And of course, when it's all over, you can try to move to the dragon lands," she smirked, slightly rolling her eyes.

Alright, this particular aspect isn't worth discussing. I see enough advantages in it: no taxes, few canonical characters, and all that.

Sighing, I slowly leaned on the nearest intact crate and began cautiously, "Well, I'd like to talk to Daniel. It would be better if, when we catch him, I could exchange a few words."

"Why?" Ember asked coldly, making me flinch slightly. How do I answer her in a way that she doesn't realize our goals are just a tiny bit different?

"Uh, to lower his guard, of course! We'll start talking, and you'll quietly sneak up behind him. And when I say a certain phrase, you'll attack him!"

Unfortunately, the effect of my words was the opposite of what I expected. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Too much honor for this slug. I'll stomp him in close combat, one on one. No tricks."

Damn!

Taking a quick breath, I decided to change tactics: "Alright, alright. Listen, we both don't like Daniel. But I really, really need to ask him a few questions. Please, when we meet him, give me at least two minutes to talk. Then you can do whatever you want."

In response to my, let's say, pleas, Ember frowned, clearly unconvinced. But when I folded my hands in an almost prayer-like gesture, she reluctantly replied, "Fine. Have it your way. You can chat with this slug for a couple of minutes if you need it so much."

"Thank you," I said, exhaling with relief.

After that, Ember briefly snorted and headed to the opened container. A few moments later, she came out with a two-handed axe. Feeling that the situation had been resolved, I slightly smirked and said, "I thought you were going to fight Daniel with your bare hands."

In response, she merely nodded firmly before saying, "That's right. The axe will be needed when the fight is over."

I don't think I'll survive watching someone die right in front of me without trying to intervene. Even if that someone is Daniel.

Sighing, I looked around and said, "I think we should get out of here before the owner of all this shows up."

"Oh, you're out of luck," came a voice from above that I absolutely didn't expect to hear right now.

Looking up, I saw the person we've been chasing for the past few days. Daniel. He was sitting on one of the crates with his legs dangling, looking at both of us with a strange, almost playful smile. Because of the darkness, it wasn't clear if he had a prosthetic arm or not.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" I asked, shocked, taking a step back. Ember, on the other hand, tossed the axe aside before opening her mouth wide. The next moment, a massive pillar of fire erupted from her mouth and shot straight at Daniel, who jumped to the side.

Wait. He can teleport. Why didn't he do that?

"Yo, Art-something," Daniel suddenly said as I felt his cold hand on my right shoulder. Almost reflexively, I pushed him away with surprising ease, hitting him in the face, and turned around, ready for further combat. But instead, I froze. He had two whole, normal arms. Moreover, a short stream of green liquid was coming from his nose.

For a few moments, memories flashed through my mind before I confidently answered, "You're a changeling. Uh, Abdomen or Flying, if I remember correctly?"

"The first option is correct," an irritated voice came from behind. Turning around, I saw a changeling, the same one who had given me a passport long ago. The only difference from our last meeting was the steam coming from his left ear. Obviously, he didn't dodge completely.

"What's going on here?" Ember asked suspiciously, her wings spread wide behind her for added intimidation.

Abdomen rolled his eyes, and as another changeling stood next to him, he said, "What's going on here? Well, first, me and the guys wanted to move away from the imprisoned queen-slut. But someone almost burned me and woke everyone up!"

"Everyone?" I managed to ask just before the air was filled with a buzzing sound eerily similar to bees. Then, from all sides, changelings began to emerge with clearly irritated expressions.

"Hey, guys, relax, they'll leave now," Abdomen calmed them, slightly waving his hoof. Is he their leader?

Seems like a pretty bad one, because the next moment, many changelings lunged at us. Fortunately, Ember grabbed me by the scruff and quickly ran forward through the completely dark corridor. Behind us, we only heard Abdomen's words: "Guys, I understand we haven't eaten in a week, but control yourselves! I'm ashamed of you!"

What the hell, out of all the ships, I had to choose the one infested with changelings!?

As we ran, one changeling jumped down from a crate above with its mouth wide open. Nervously exhaling, I sharply swung my wing and felt it hit the changeling. The next sound was the crack of wood and an absurdly large amount of dishes falling.

At some point, I broke free from Ember's grip and started running normally. Suddenly, she asked, "Do you know that guy?"

"Uh, sort of. He's Daniel's friend," I replied before covering my mouth with my hand. But the word was already out. The dragoness started slowing down, leaving long and deep scratches on the wooden floor.

Finally stopping, she shouted, "Then we should beat that guy up and interrogate him properly!"

No, that's reckless! There are infinitely many of them. Plus, the Solaris is still heading to the city we need to get to.

Quickly inhaling, I forcefully grabbed Ember's hand and started running forward. Despite her active resistance, I managed to maintain my grip and continue moving fast enough that the buzzing of the changelings became more distant.

"Let me go!" Ember screamed, hitting my arm several times in an attempt to break free.

Letting out a short groan of pain, I pulled her towards me and ordered, pointing forward, "Instead of acting recklessly, you should light up the corridor we're heading into."

In response, the dragoness clenched her teeth but, feeling my unrelenting grip, opened her mouth. Leaning slightly to the side, I could safely see the fire erupt from her throat and down the dark corridor. Along the way, it caught on several wooden crates, creating makeshift torches. A few seconds later, there was a splash of water.

Water started flowing across the floor and rapidly rising. Ember felt the same confusion as I did and stopped breathing fire. Everything became clear. She had melted the ship's hull, causing a large hole from which water was pouring like a waterfall.

We are located between the main deck and the lowest deck. Behind us is a huge crowd of hungry changelings who want to eat us. Well, to be precise, our love, but I don't think it affects anything. And now this.

"Do you know how to swim?" I asked nervously, letting go of the dragoness's hand and turning to her.

Her eyes were wide with shock and some awe. For a couple of seconds, it seemed like she was too stunned to hear my question. But that was a mistake, as Ember muttered, "No, I can't..."

I bit my lip, trying to suppress a cry of despair. Even if I somehow manage to swim from here to the surface while holding the bag and Ember, I won't be able to fly; my wings will get wet. So we need to get to a higher part of the ship and take off from there. The main thing is that Ember's fire doesn't hit anyone...

The buzzing of the changelings got much closer. They're approaching. Frantically inhaling, I pointed upward and asked, "Can you create a path for us to the storage room?"

"Yesss," she whispered before raising her head and taking a few raspy breaths. A second later, flames erupted from Ember's mouth, melting the metal separating this deck from the lower one in a few moments. The edges of the resulting hole turned into a red, jelly-like substance that dripped slightly downward.

I wouldn't dare touch that. Although. . .

Sighing, I spread my wings before making a small jump and a powerful flap. In just a second, the view before my eyes changed from almost complete darkness to a well-lit room with numerous crates. The next moment, I clenched my teeth in pain. My wings had accidentally brushed against the molten metal.

When I landed, Ember was already standing nearby, lightly stroking her neck. Looking up at the much higher ceiling, I said, "Now, one more time."

"Can't do it," she rasped before starting to cough frantically.

"You can't breathe fire continuously?" I asked, approaching her and gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I can! Just, cgh. . ." she tried to argue but was interrupted by her own coughing fit. We need to come up with another way to get out of here.

Finding a staircase would take too much time. Especially considering that changelings are chasing us. The only thing that comes to mind is to rely on something completely absurd. My physical strength.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly created a rune consisting of an outer circle with spikes inside, a central circle without an effect, and a symbol of three intertwined lines. Activating it, I felt my arms and legs grow slightly larger. If in my normal state I can punch through wood, with extra muscles, I should be able to punch through metal, right?

"Better work," I muttered under my breath before looking at the nearest wall. For a few moments, my brain thought about how much this would hurt even if successful, but the approaching buzz of changelings hinted that this was the only option. Alright, let's go.

I sharply exhaled before running to the wall and punching it with all my might. On the other side, my fingers didn't feel anything like water. Great. Taking a breath for the next action, I grabbed the edges of the hole with my palms and pulled down with all my weight. The ship's steel hull groaned before giving way and sliding down, revealing the endless sea.

I didn't think. Do we have enough strength to reach land? Especially considering we don't have a compass?

Ember, it seems, didn't think much about it and immediately flew out through the hole. Hearing the buzzing behind me, I turned and saw that the crowd of changelings from the lower deck had made it here and were looking at me hungrily. Ugh.

The next moment, I flapped my wings and flew after Ember. However, I couldn't help but notice that I was flying, probably, one and a half times faster than before. Apparently, this rune affects the entire body. Not that I'm complaining.

Finally glancing back at the ship, I saw that the changelings didn't fly after us. I dare to assume they don't believe they can chase us for long enough. Honestly, I don't believe we can fly to land either.

Finishing my inspection, I turned my head forward and made a few quick flaps to catch up with Ember. Noticing me out of the corner of her eye, she commented with a brief snort, "Alright, I admit. You're much stronger than you look."

"I never thought I'd hear that from anyone. But thanks," I awkwardly replied, lightly feeling my shoulder. Phew, the bag is still there. It's just that with all this commotion, its existence became unnoticeable.

"So, how's your throat?"

"I'm fine. If you had waited a couple of seconds, I could have melted that wall myself," Ember replied before covering her mouth with her paw and coughing again.

I don't think so.

After our exchange, silence fell, broken only by the flapping of wings. However, with every dozen feet covered, I felt increasing fatigue. Maybe due to the adrenaline wearing off, maybe each movement with extra muscles uses extra energy, maybe both. Either way, the result is the same—I'm getting tired.

In an attempt to squeeze out a few more feet, I grabbed the bag with both hands and asked, "Uh, Ember, can you please hold the bag?"

To my own surprise, she immediately snatched it from my hands and took a deep breath before briefly replying, "Yeah, sure."

Seems she's getting tired too. But she understands that for me, as someone who learned to fly less than a week ago, this situation is more critical.

The absence of the bag slightly eased the situation, allowing me to continue flying. But despite this, the sea was getting closer and closer. However, after some time, the coveted goal appeared on the horizon. The city. New Manehattan!

"Come on, Arthur, don't descend, we're almost there!" Ember tried to encourage me with her still slightly hoarse voice.

In response, I could only wipe the sweat from my forehead and briefly nod. The clear visibility of the goal gave me strength, allowing me to make more powerful flaps and, accordingly, move faster. Now I'm sure we'll reach the city and most likely Daniel! There will be time to recover and face him fully armed.

The wind ruffled my hair and the feathers on my wings. The sun beat into my eyes as if trying to stop me. But with clenched teeth, I continued flying forward at my maximum speed. The city was getting closer and closer. First, the outlines of the buildings became much clearer, and then the spot where I would land became visible. A snow-covered beach.

I must have been too excited because I started descending very quickly. Faster than necessary for landing. But before I could realize my mistake, something incredible happened. Ember grabbed me by the shoulders and started flapping her wings in the opposite direction, slowing me down. Everything was done so perfectly that upon landing, I didn't fall but simply stood on both feet.

We made it. Illegally boarded a ship, escaped a horde of changelings, and flew an incredible distance using only our wings.

"You were really good, human. Glad I brought you along," Ember said with a slight smirk, extending her fist to me. Without a second thought, I bumped her fist with mine. Yeah, we make a pretty good team.

After a few seconds of silence, I sat down tiredly on the sand and said with a smile, "Now, I think we have plenty of time before Daniel shows up here. What should we do?"

She slowly sat down next to me and said, lightly hitting my shoulder, "Don't relax too much. I think it's best to find some loud thing so we can split up and call each other when Daniel arrives."

And I thought I was the brains of the team. . .

Slightly smirking, I said, "Yeah, I think that's a good plan. But first, we need to res-"

"Huh? Something wrong?"

I didn't answer the dragoness's question because I was completely focused on a strange object in the distance. It was small, probably the size of a regular boat. However, it was made entirely of metal. And overall, the outline looked like something human. Something I might see in a movie.

It seems Ember understood where I was looking because she asked, "Do you know what that thing is?"

I remember Daniel talking about tanks he introduced into the Equestrian army. And this thing looks very similar to how I imagine it.

Trying to lean forward to take off again, I didn't move. My body was simply numb from today's strain. The only thing I managed to achieve was goosebumps. Damn.

She shook me and loudly repeated her question, "Do you know what that is or not?!"

With all my might, I wanted to answer her. But I didn't have the strength to move my jaw. A few seconds later, a massive metal machine rolled onto the beach, a couple of dozen feet from us. The first association that came to my mind was an old tank, the kind you see in history textbooks.

As the machine started rushing forward toward the city, I finally managed to say, "Daniel is in that thing."

"What!? Why didn't you say so earlier? He's getting away!" Ember said, tightly grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. After that, she flapped her wings and flew after the tank, apparently expecting me to follow.

However, I couldn't meet her expectations. I was barely breathing and standing at the moment, let alone chasing.

No, I can't be this weak. This useless.

Overcoming the pain, I forced my body to move. Taking a few quick steps forward, I flapped my wings and took to the air.

"Hang on. Just a little more," I encouraged myself as I joined the chase.

Sharp turn

Such a strange feeling.

Even though I seemed to have woken up, I simply didn’t have the strength to open my eyes. However, there was a quiet, almost lulling crackle of logs in a fire nearby. Probably Ember had lit it. Ugh, I just can’t remember how the fight ended.

Frowning, I tried to recall how it all ended. But all that flashed in my memory was the image of Daniel, and the strange feeling only intensified. It’s hard to describe. Such a fiery feeling and desire to destroy is angrily wrong. Depressed. Deprived of oxygen. On one hand, I desperately want to kill him for tearing me out of my world. But now, after sleeping. . . from his perspective, he’s right.

Like, he doesn’t know this is a cartoon world. From his point of view, Celestia is 100% a real person.

The knowledge that this is all a cartoon is my problem alone.

I couldn’t help but feel irritated with myself. Why the hell can’t I hate someone like Daniel just because he has a somewhat reasonable motive? It’s stupid to be this kind. Why am I so good!?

Not wanting to deal with my own thoughts, I slowly lifted my eyelids and looked in the direction of the fire’s crackling. My eyes met darkness all around. Night. Then, I saw a well-lit figure sitting on a felled tree, holding a branch over the fire. However, this was the last person I wanted to see right now.

“What the hell—?” I tried to say, propping myself up on my elbows, but I groaned as pain shot through my body. However, that sound was enough to catch his attention.

“Yo, Arthur. Want some meat?” Daniel asked innocently, holding out a branch with some kind of meat hanging from it. Despite its relatively fresh appearance, it smelled absolutely disgusting.

My body, despite the pain, instinctively crawled away from him. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ember lying bandaged on a bed of leaves. Raising my hand, I saw that she was also bandaged. Frowning, I turned to Daniel and asked, “What the hell is going on?”

He moved the branch back to the fire and, scratching his chin with his mechanical finger, said, “Hmm, let’s see. We had a fight. A really cool fight, I enjoyed it. After you and your friend passed out, I felt bad and went with Plan B. That is, I swapped souls with Cozy Glow. And she betrayed me as soon as she gained power. Cool, right?”

He seriously trusted that filly? God, in the one situation where the context of the show would have been useful to me, I wasn’t even there.

With difficulty, I raised my good hand to rub the bridge of my nose and asked tensely, “I’m more concerned about what was going through your crazy head when you decided to heal us. Did you think that would immediately normalize our relationship?”

“Well, look. I healed you purely for myself. To feel better, you know?” Daniel said with a slight smirk. There’s clearly something wrong with him. Like, more than usual.

“And her? Well, hmm. Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to heal that dragon? I just looked at her and really, really wanted to.” Daniel replied, pointing at Ember. Do you think I’d believe that?

He seemed to catch my skeptical look despite the darkness and laughed, spreading his arms, “Well, tough luck because that’s the only explanation!”

There’s definitely something wrong with him.

Taking a deep breath, I lightly rubbed my temple, trying to cope with the flood of memories from the battle. Daniel had slammed me into the ground. But he could have killed me. Strange, again. Sighing, I tried to play by his rules and asked a direct question: “What happened to you? At first, you were making good, calculated moves. Then you turned into some kind of idiot.”

For a while, Daniel just sat silently, staring into the fire. But eventually, he said, “Well, you know. When you hit me hard in the head, I kind of blacked out for a moment. And in that moment, I realized I wasn’t complete. I was missing something. Emotions.”

I snorted briefly and asked, “Do you realize how primitive that explanation is? You’re twenty years old, and in a critical moment, you realized you needed emotions?”

“I’m twenty-one. My birthday was on November 4th.” Daniel replied, shrugging.

Awkward. I hope he never mentioned it earlier.

“Alright. Let’s assume that emotions are too shallow of a realization. What do you think I should have realized instead?” Daniel asked, taking the meat off the branch and cutting off a large piece.

For a few moments, I blinked, trying to come up with an answer. But nothing came to mind. Sighing, I complained, “You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I just woke up. Otherwise, I’d have figured out what to do.”

Daniel shrugged and swallowed the piece before asking, “So, what do you plan to do next? Should I start running from your deadly desire to kill me?”

Rolling my eyes, I sat up with a brief groan and asked, “First, I want to understand your whole plan to save Celestia. To save you time, I’ll tell you that Ahirata told me all about the soul stuff.”

In response, he stretched with a satisfied sigh before starting, “Alright, alright. The main problem is that because of the stone shell, neither I nor Ahirata can reach Celestia’s soul to return all the pieces. At first, we tried to remove the stone.”

“But that led to me being here.” I interrupted, sighing in annoyance.

Daniel nodded slightly before clapping his hands and continuing, “So, I decided to find a more refined method of soul transfer that doesn’t require interacting with the chest. The only place where that might theoretically exist is the so-called Dread League, a nation of necromancers in the northeast of this continent.”

“Where did you get the information that they have something like that?” I asked, frowning. That wasn’t in the canon at all.

I was met with a wide smile and closed eyes, followed by a brief answer: “Absolutely nowhere, just a guess. I put everything I had on the only available slot.”

You’re absolutely insane.

Sighing, I asked, frowning, “So, what do you plan to do next?”

Tapping his fingers on his knee, Daniel said, “Well, let’s see. Apparently, Cozy is going to reach the Dread League. I need to intercept her, simply to take a piece of Celestia’s soul. So my plan remains exactly the same as before.”

“The only question is whether you’ll chase me, go to Equestria, or come with me.” He suggested, his gaze lingering on me.

“Are you completely stupid? Why would I choose anything other than the first option?”

Daniel spread his arms and began listing, “Let’s think. If Cozy Glow reaches the Dread League, theoretically, she could gain the knowledge to at least stabilize her body. Are you interested in the filly gaining power?”

“Nooo.” I reluctantly admitted.

Nodding a couple of times, he continued, “Plus, there’s a chance she’ll realize her ability to control the sun. Then things will get very, very inconvenient, especially considering Celestia is in a coma.”

“Really?”

“Oh, Luna really did a great job! Never doubted her.”

My eyes widened before I blurted out, “Who’s controlling the sun now?”

“Ahirata. She also has a piece of Celestia’s soul, but fortunately, she has no trouble holding onto it.” Daniel replied with a brief nod. I sighed heavily.

Cozy Glow in the show was dangerous enough just because of her intelligence. With magic, she’s even more dangerous. And really, I don’t want to imagine what she could do controlling the sun.

Exhaling heavily, I replied calmly, “I’ll help you. But don’t think that when this is over, our conflict will be resolved.”

“Of course, Arthur, of cour—” Daniel began, but suddenly there was a rustling of leaves from the side. And in the next moment, Ember flapped her wings and flew into him!

As soon as Daniel fell to the ground, he grabbed her snout with both hands and laughed, “Oh, you’re awake! Want some meat? There’s still a bit left.”

Ember tried to slash him with her claws, but she simply couldn’t reach him. Daniel kept her at a distance, then looked at me and asked, “Uh, don’t you want to explain the situation to her, Arthur?”

Honestly? Not really.

He seemed to guess my thoughts because he snorted and said, “Hey, Ember, that’s your name, right? Listen, I get that you want to avenge your father. But, like, killing me won’t give him his arm back.”

Judging by her look, she was absolutely furious, but she stopped swinging her claws. Sighing, Daniel continued, “Listen, Arthur and I discussed what to do next. He agreed to go on a cool adventure with me! So, it’s either you against two.”

“I’m not helping.” I replied, pushing myself up from the ground to slowly stand up.

“Ahem, one against one! And you couldn’t beat me even two against one. So, you can either come with us as a third wheel, not necessarily useful, but you’ll get to write yourself down as a great hero. Daddy will be proud. Or you can go home as a closer! You should have realized that you couldn't beat me one-on-one. The only way to make this adventure not completely pointless is to come with us.”

Are you an idiot? No sane person would agree to that.

For a few moments, Ember continued to squirm before reluctantly sitting down and saying, “Fine—”

“OW!” She yelped slightly, covering her mouth with both hands.

Daniel chuckled and explained, wagging his finger, “Yeah, my current magic is only enough to heal your external wounds. So for now, you’ll have to stay quiet.”

“Yeah, keep hoping.” I snorted before raising my hand and starting to create a rune. It consisted of an outer circle with spikes pointing outward, a central circle with no effect, and a plus symbol in the center. After activating it, the rune turned into a green beam and flew toward Ember.

“Huh!? What happened?” She asked before awkwardly running her fingers over her lips. Honestly, I didn’t think it would work. I hadn’t really tried combining known rune elements before.

Suddenly, Daniel was next to me and smirked, hitting my shoulder, “Ha, now you’re the main mage in our party.”

“Are you really that weak?” I asked, brushing his hand off my shoulder with a light motion.

“I almost died trying to heal her lips. Not surprising, walking around with a filly’s soul.”

“Ah, right. That’s why you’re acting so weird.”

Daniel briefly flicked my nose and said, “Unfortunately or fortunately, the soul doesn’t affect personality in this world.”

Too bad.

“Let’s speed this up. What needs to be done?” Ember asked, crossing her arms and looking at both of us with clear disapproval. I wonder who’s more unhappy with this alliance?

Daniel snorted and crouched down before saying, “Alright, first we need to explain what we’re going to do.”

He pulled out a rolled-up map from his pocket and unfolded it, revealing a map of the continent of Griffonia, the continent we were on. To my own disappointment, the only location I recognized was Griffonstone.

“So, first we need to get to my acquaintance to get supplies. And so I can fulfill my promise. We agreed to meet here.” Daniel explained, tapping his finger on a city labeled Skyfall. And, well, to put it mildly, judging by the map, the route there was twice as long as the distance we had sailed.

“How do you plan to get there?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Wait.”

“We haven’t considered all the problems yet.” He replied with a toothy grin.

Of course. . .

“You see, the direct route is the fastest. But the catch is that the direct path goes through the kingdom of Aquileia. Simply put, it’s the local France. The problem is that the only thing I know in French is ‘Vous vendez de la viande de cheval?’.”

“And what does that mean?” Ember asked, raising an eyebrow. Huh, didn’t think she’d even pay attention to that.

“Do you sell horse meat? My grandpa used to say that in Quebec, sellers at the market can give a discount for your knowledge of French.” Daniel chuckled briefly before turning his gaze to me.

“I don’t know French.” I sighed, shaking my head slightly.

“So, because of the language barrier, we’ll be completely dysfunctional. We probably won’t even be able to buy a train ticket. Especially considering the currency difference. So, I have a plan.”

Daniel ran his finger over the city we had recently left, New Manehattan, and said, “To our great luck, the local colonial administration of Equestria and the kingdom are on good enough terms to connect their railways. So my plan is quite simple. Hijack a train.”

Are you serious?

“Genius, how do you plan to hijack a train? And make sure it goes where we need it to?” I asked irritably.

Daniel smirked and replied, “Don’t worry, Arthur, big brother has it covered. We get to the station and board the train. By board, I mean right on the roof. We’ll let the train go for a while until it leaves the city limits. Then we’ll enter the cabin and uncouple the cars so we won’t be slowed down. The remaining coal in the tank will give us a bit more travel time.”

Before I could process his answer, Ember said with satisfaction, “Ha, I like it. Bold enough for me to say it’s draconic.”

“Yo, well, in the worst case, two against one. A rare situation where democracy leads to something good.” He replied smugly, not even looking at me.

“What do you plan to do if they just block the road? Or switch the tracks?” I asked irritably, stepping forward to get into his line of sight.

In response, Daniel calmly raised his hand and said, “You and your friend have wings. If needed, one of you can just fly ahead, switch the tracks, and come back.”

Ohh.

“Alright.” I reluctantly replied.

“Excellent, hold your bag. And mine.” Daniel said, quickly slinging two rather heavy bags onto me. Before I could say anything, he quickly turned and ran toward the steep hill where the tank had fallen earlier.

Disappointedly sighing, I flapped my wings and rose high into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ember doing the same. Exhaling, I leaned forward slightly and began flying forward, keeping an eye on Daniel, who was running up the slope extremely quickly.

“So, can you clarify why you even agreed to cooperate with him? Last time, you were planning to kill him.” Ember asked surprisingly calmly. As if she initially thinks my decision is reasonable. Hmm.

“Turns out, he’s been carrying around a little filly. A filly who’s very dangerous just because of her brain. Now, she has powerful magic. Plus, after sleeping, I calmed down a bit. Daniel’s a jerk, no doubt. But he has a tiny bit of justification.”

“What?” Ember asked, raising an eyebrow. DAMN!

Did I really need to say that last part?

Exhaling heavily, I tried to gather my thoughts. Calm down and speak, it’s easy to wrap this up. Just don’t think about this being a cartoon world. Finally, I said, “Princess Celestia is very sick. And he’s desperately trying to save her. It’s kind of stupid, but I feel like it partially justifies him.”

“Hmph, not a justification for making my dad disabled.” Ember replied irritably, snorting and lowering her gaze. Despite the extremely steep slope, Daniel continued running upward. I have to admit, at this moment, I’m glad I got wings.

Sighing, I suggested with a slight smirk, “Well, if Daniel’s friends made him a prosthetic, maybe they can make a similar one for your dad?”

“HA! Alright, that’s, ha, a convincing reason to tolerate his presence. I just want to see how the little ponies will assess the scale of the work.” Ember briefly laughed.

Let’s consider that settled.

After that, we continued flying in silence. Periodically, I glanced down to see where Daniel was and followed him. Eventually, this approach led us to a large building with a glass roof next to which a railway was laid. If this isn’t a train station, I don’t know what is.

Descending, I spread my wings, slowing down, and landed on the roof. Awkwardly staggering, I almost fell, but suddenly felt someone grab me by the scruff of my neck. This was followed by a brief chuckle from Ember: “I have to admit, although your landings are still amusing, they’ve gotten much better.”

“Uh, thanks. Great flight master?” I asked, straightening up. Before she could snort in amusement, a shiver ran through the glass beneath our feet.

Turning around, I saw Daniel, who had already climbed up here. Approaching both of us, he said, spreading his arms, “So, everyone’s here, no one’s lost. I hope you didn’t forget my simple-as-a-steam-engine plan and are ready to jump on the first train you see.”

“By the way, how do we know the train is going to Aquileia? There are several railways here, you know.” I pointed out, gesturing to the rows of tracks visible through the glass. Besides that, about a dozen ponies were visible. Yeah, waiting for a train at night.

Daniel shrugged and replied, raising his hands, “Why have a reliable plan? Just go with the flow!”

Snorting, he crossed his arms and said, “Alright, got it. You see, there is only one north direction in this city, to Aquileia. So, we just need to see a train heading north.”

Alright, you’ve managed to keep at least a drop of sanity, good.

"It’s funny that the ponies still haven’t noticed us," Ember snorted, pointing her claw at the glass through which the crowd was visible.

"Yeah," Daniel and I replied simultaneously. Wait, seriously?

"Literally just one person," he smirked, walking to the edge of the roof. Honestly, I expected a dumber remark.

Quickly shaking my head, I asked, "Where are you going? Doesn’t look like the train is close."

Daniel stood right at the edge of the roof and said, pointing to his eye, "If you haven’t forgotten, Arthur, I’m almost blind without my glasses. Blind people usually have good hearing."

I frowned, about to demand a full explanation, but suddenly a loud train whistle was heard. Turning toward the sound, I saw a small light in the distance, rapidly approaching through the night darkness. It was at that moment that Daniel added, "Yeah, I’m sure. It’s coming from the south to the north."

How convenient, the first train to arrive is exactly the one we need.

After a while, the train finally arrived and stopped. As soon as I took a step forward, Daniel said, "Oh, you want to hurry? Alright, let’s go."

"Wait, I’m just prepa—" I said, but it was too late. He jumped off the station roof onto the train. Why did you even bother making any kind of plan before this!?

Ember and I watched as Daniel landed, did a quick roll, and ran toward the locomotive. A loud gasp of surprise was heard from the crowd of ponies, to which he waved his hand and said, "Sorry, your trip will be delayed. Feel free to scream, I allow it."

"Do you think we should go down?" she asked, leaning slightly toward me as Daniel was almost at the locomotive cabin.

"Nah, let him handle it himself. We’ll fly over once the train starts moving," I replied, crossing my arms while continuing to watch. Reaching the locomotive cabin, he hooked onto the roof with his prosthetic and quickly jumped through the open window, disappearing from my view.

Eventually, from where Daniel had jumped just a few seconds ago, two hands emerged, holding a shocked mare. After setting her on the ground and running a hand through her mane, both limbs disappeared back into the window. The next moment, the train started moving again, and it quickly became clear that the cars had been successfully uncoupled earlier.

"Hm, he’s fast," Ember snorted.

"Now it’s clear how he managed to beat your dad?" I smirked.

Slowly, with a slight crack in her neck, she turned to face me and said completely calmly, "That was a really bad joke."

Uh, I should’ve thought about that earlier.

Awkwardly scratching my cheek, I replied, "Sorry. That really was a bad joke."

Ember slowly nodded before flapping her wings and flying toward the train. Sighing, I adjusted the bags on my shoulders before following suit.

When my feet touched the small platform in front of the locomotive cabin, I saw Daniel looking at the burning furnace with a self-satisfied smile, while Ember, on the other side, rested her claws on the window and gazed at the night landscape.

"I still think this is kind of gross. These ponies paid for the train, and now they have to wait who knows how long," I muttered, tossing both bags into the corner.

Unfortunately, Daniel turned to me with a smile and replied, "Arthur, the country with the largest GDP was born from people who threw tea into the sea. Sabotaging colonial administration is the key to success."

"Alright, try not to open your mouth anymore," I shook my head before sitting on the bags in the corner like a pillow and closing my eyes.

I need to tolerate him somehow. After all, I’ve wanted to steal at least part of his heroic image for a long time.

A lone train was making its way through the snowy wastelands. The ponies who were supposed to be riding in it could only make do with sitting in the detached carriages to warm themselves up a bit. Even if the local police were to come and investigate at this point, it was unlikely they could do anything. Besides, the criminals were already far away, and the local guard was tiny, even compared to Equestria's.

Speaking of Equestria. Far beyond the endless sea, the country continued to live on. Almost no one in all of Equestria suspected that something was wrong with Celestia. And why would they doubt it? If the sun rises, everything must be fine.

In reality, the Princess of the Sun was lying on a bed in her room. Her mane, which once flowed as if caught by an invisible wind, now lay disheveled on the pillow. The curtains were drawn, and the door was securely closed to ensure no one could see her dire condition. Beside her were Princess Luna and Ahirata, the creator of Tartarus.

"How is she feeling?" Luna whispered, as if a loud sound could disturb her sleep.

Ahirata carefully ran her clawed paws over Celestia's forehead and took a deep breath before methodically answering, "A high fever. Dangerously slow pulse. And rapidly declining magical activity. There's so little magic in her veins that I can't even intercept it."

Luna sighed heavily and asked, trying to remain calm, "Can you give me an approximate timeline?"

Ahirata sighed and ran her hands over her forehead before saying, "I'd say four to five days. What's certain is that due to the lack of tension, her soul is disintegrating quite slowly. It seems that before the collapse, she simply stopped producing magic."

"Do you think Daniel will succeed?" Ahirata asked, turning to face the princess.

Luna bit her tongue slightly before exhaling and answering, "I hope so. Just in case, I sent Captain Rising of the guard to assist him. Having friends nearby should at least lift his spirits."

In response, Ahirata slowly shook her head and asked seriously, "Let's think about a backup plan. If they don't succeed."

"They will succeed. They have to," Luna replied firmly, though her voice cracked slightly at the end.

"I can manage the sun if things go wrong. I'm kind of doing that already. But you know—"

"Don't say it," Luna whispered, lowering her head.

"I'm not immortal. I've lived this long only because the Elements of Harmony sealed me away," Ahirata finished with a slight hint of regret in her gaze.

"I know. . ." Luna sighed in disappointment.

"And what will we do?"

"I don't know. . ." she replied, almost in despair. After that, a heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by Celestia's labored and very rare breaths.

Our only future is to save Tia.

Brief stop

"Urr. . ." A sudden growling sound reached my ears as I began to regain consciousness. And in the next second, it was clear where the growling was coming from. My stomach.

Opening my eyes, I saw that we were still on the train. Ember had fallen asleep, sitting next to the stove with hot coals. Daniel was lying on the floor, his legs sticking out through the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the bags I had slept on had been moved to the opposite corner. As another growl escaped my stomach, I asked, "Hey, do we have any food?"

Daniel looked at me without getting up and said, "Check the bag, I think there were some fruits left. Or not. Check it."

Sighing, I got to my feet, stretched slightly, and bent over to the bag. But as soon as I touched the zipper, Daniel said, "Not that one, my bag."

"How do you even tell them apart? They're both black!" I snorted, turning towards him. He was still lying down but had arched his head to look at me.

"I don’t know. I guess I’ve just gotten used to the things I’ve owned for a long time," Daniel replied, shrugging. Still lying on the floor.

Shaking my head, I grabbed the zipper of the other bag and opened it. All I found inside was a chessboard. Disappointed, I sighed and asked, leaning against the wall, "So, we have no food. What are we going to do?"

"Hmm, maybe we’ll stop at some station and ask for some food?" Daniel suggested with a completely stoic and serious expression.

This was a serious question, you jerk!

It seemed like he perfectly read my thoughts because he then replied, "I’m serious. First, stopping at a station will help us figure out where we are. Second, there might actually be some food there. And third, if a fight breaks out, it’ll be a good way to stretch our legs."

I thought about his arguments for a while. And I had to admit, there was some logic to it. So, I exhaled and reluctantly nodded, "Alright, fine. How are you even planning to stop at a specific station? Trains aren’t known for their quick braking."

In response, Daniel just smirked dismissively before grabbing the edges of the cabin window. Pulling himself up, he sat on the windowsill and shouted, "As soon as I see something, I’ll tell you to brake!"

"How am I supposed to know how to do that?!"

"FUCK, Arthur, don’t be stupid, there’s a red lever, specially painted for idiots! The harder you push it down, the stronger the braking," Daniel shouted irritably.

He’s never been this angry before. No, no. When he got mad during our first meeting, he was kind of, I don’t know, restrained? Now he’s completely out of control.

Gulping, I looked around and saw the lever. But there was one problem. The path to it was completely blocked by the sleeping Ember. Sighing, I asked again, this time in a much less demanding tone, "What should I do about the sleeping dragon?"

Matching my tone, Daniel returned to his 'comedic style': "It’s strange that you even have questions. Just remember the experience of your ancestors. I’m sure your ancient ancestor, the Australopithecus, when he saw a woman, just picked her up and carried her to his cave."

"Are you comparing me to a monkey now?" I asked, frowning.

Daniel sighed loudly in disappointment and said, "Yes, you’re a monkey, Arthur. All humans are animals! A big functional brain is just one of the adaptation methods we’ve chosen. It’s not a reason to place ourselves in a completely new category."

Hmm. Honestly, I have no idea how to respond to that.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I looked back at the dilemma. No, I’m not going to carry Ember in my arms. Instead, I raised my right hand and released several streams of magic. After a few seconds, they all grabbed the lever, ready to pull it. All I needed was Daniel’s signal.

"I was hoping this would happen faster," I muttered to myself, leaning against the wall and yawning briefly. It’s a good thing my stomach growled loudly again, preventing me from falling asleep. But even that, at some point, I got used to and stopped paying attention. Hmm, maybe I should sleep a little more?

"BRAKE!" Daniel shouted, and I frantically pulled with all my weight. The lever was extremely heavy, barely moving, but when I lost my balance and fell, it creaked and fully lowered.

In the next instant, there was a loud screech as the train’s wheels suddenly locked. Turning around, I saw sparks flying in all directions as the locomotive shuddered, as if it could derail at any moment.

Finally, the sparks lessened, the screeching stopped, and the train came to a halt. For a while, there was silence before Daniel said, "So, I have good news. We’re in griffin territory."

Getting to my feet, I looked over his shoulder and saw that we had stopped right in front of a small square concrete building. In front of it was a table and two chairs where two griffins sat with wide eyes. They were silent for what seemed like an eternity before one of them leaned over to the other and whispered something. But I couldn’t understand a single word.

I can’t even pick out a single sound.

Daniel half-turned to me and asked, "So, before we knock them out, what joke should I tell?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I want to make a joke! But the problem is, I don’t know how."

Awkwardly scratching the back of my head, I decided to clarify, "Well, they’re French, right?"

"Yep."

"Make a joke about the white flag or something."

In response, Daniel’s face twisted in disgust, and he said, "Ugh, Arthur, that’s one of the most primitive jokes. It’s not even a joke. How could that even come to your mind? We’re dealing with real, genuine humor here!"

God, I didn’t know you were so sensitive about this.

When I snorted, Daniel pushed off with his feet from the window and landed on the table where the two griffins were sitting. As they stared at him in shock, he said, "I know you guys love frog legs. Luckily for you, I’ve found a good substitute."

In the next instant, he extended the middle fingers on both hands, slightly bent them, and delivered a quick strike to the temples of both griffins. Letting out something remotely resembling a croak, they collapsed onto the table, unconscious.

"First of all, that’s immoral. Second, seriously, frog legs? That’s really better than my idea?" I asked disapprovingly, crossing my arms.

"I felt like it," Daniel replied nonchalantly, turning his whole body towards me. No, wait. He’s looking somewhere lower.

"Damn, that’s a problem," he muttered, pointing at something near the train’s wheels. Frowning, I carefully climbed over the window, landed on the ground, and turned around. One of the wheels looked, to put it mildly, not great. It was covered in cracks, and I could see a few pieces had chipped off. So, our wheel isn’t round anymore.

However, at that moment, a completely different thought crossed my mind. Half-turning to Daniel, I raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you even notice that without your glasses?"

So, he fell silent, looking at me with maximum seriousness. As if another monologue was about to start, one that would play on my emotions. Or just a very long explanation. In any case, nothing good was expected.

But in the end, he just shrugged.

I don’t even know whether to admire your unpredictability or not.

When I shook my head in disappointment, Daniel finally jumped off the table and said, feeling the knocked-out griffins, "Alright, fun break’s over. Now, we need to look for a spare wheel. We just need to find the keys to this thing."

Sighing, I walked closer to the table, just to observe the process more actively. However, my gaze caught something for a moment. A piece of paper. On it, drawn with a simple pencil, was a portrait of what appeared to be a female griffin, judging by the eyelashes. It was perfect. Better than anything I’ve ever drawn in my life.

"He draws better than me," slipped from my lips as I picked it up from the chair to take a closer look.

Unfortunately, Daniel heard this and, muttering, leaned over to get a better look. After a couple of seconds of silence, he asked, "Don’t you draw in an avant-garde, surrealist, or some other style?"

Well, yeah, the styles are completely different.

"But he draws better than me. This griffin from a children’s cartoon draws better than me. How does he even hold a pencil?" I shuddered, unable to tear my eyes away. It was as if the drawing had hooked my brain.

Daniel squinted and said, "Uh, Arthur, you know the point of avant-garde is to throw all established principles of painting out the window, right? As an avant-garde artist, shouldn’t you feel disgusted by something so simple? Conceptually, you’re more original and better."

"Yeah. . . But this drawing is still better than anything I could ever hope to draw," I muttered as goosebumps ran down my spine.

Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. Quickly brushing it off, I clenched my fist, crumpling the piece of paper, and said, "Whatever, forget it. What do we need to do next?"

For a couple of moments, Daniel was silent before stepping back and saying, "Alright, I found the keys. Let’s look for the wheel. If we don’t find it, we’ll have to figure out which god to pray to so that the existing one can withstand the next braking."

Rolling my eyes, I walked beside him and decided to play along, "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"I don’t know much about religions. So, we’ll ask for help from a certain average arithmetic combined image of a god," he replied, shrugging.

Snorting in amusement, I just stood behind him and watched as he turned the keys in the lock. In the next second, the door swung open, revealing a room with a dimly lit bulb, two small beds, and a closed cabinet.

These guys weren’t living the high life even without us.

Sighing, I leaned against the wall, waiting for Daniel to open the cabinet. However, it only took a second for my stomach to remind me of its emptiness and let out a loud growl. Daniel briefly chuckled and said, "If you want, you can run into the forest and eat a rabbit. I don’t mind."

"Did you forget I’m afraid of blood?" I asked through gritted teeth as another, lower growl escaped.

"I’ve heard it’s good for people to face their fears head-on," he replied nonchalantly, opening the cabinet. However, due to his broad shoulders and tall stature, it was impossible to see what was inside.

I remember. You have some strange fear. Just as abnormal as you are. Now, now. Ah, I remember!

"Maybe we can stop by a bakery if we get the chance?" I asked with a malicious grin.

"I give up," he replied shortly. That’s just, what, too little?

Before I could sigh in disappointment, Daniel said, turning around, "Yo! In the cabinet, along with spare clothes, there are a few train wheels. What luck, huh?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied, and without waiting for an answer, I stepped outside. Partly to hurry him up. And partly because I hoped the fresh air would help distract me from the hunger.

A few seconds later, Daniel placed the new wheel next to the train and bent over the broken one. For a while, he just hummed thoughtfully before asking, "Hey, listen, Arthur. I’ve seen in some works of art that kids spend time in their fathers’ garages. Did you ever do that?"

I guess I mentally wished to speed up the process as much as possible. I don’t know how else to explain my answer: "I didn’t know my father. He left the family when I was six. I don’t really remember him."

"Oh," he muttered, slightly embarrassed and even. . . sad?

"Ahem, alright! The more pressing issue now is hunger. Let’s head into the forest!" Daniel quickly shouted, getting to his feet. Standing on tiptoes, I peeked into the cabin window. No, Ember still hadn’t woken up.

"Do we have any better options?" I asked, frowning.

At first, Daniel silently walked past me and only answered when he was behind me: "Well, you can just sit here and wait for me to bring back some food. I’m just suggesting we do this together so we can talk."

"Seriously?" I frowned as I reluctantly started following him.

"I feel like understanding you will help me figure out how to apologize better," Daniel replied, shrugging.

Don’t expect any pretty words to fix everything.

I sighed heavily but still followed him. If you think about it, once Daniel hears everything about me, he might just leave me alone and stop bothering me. The less he talks to me, the fewer reasons I’ll have to remember that it’s because of him I’m here.

After a few quiet seconds, during which we walked towards the tree line, Daniel finally asked, "So, your father left the family. What about your relationship with your mother?"

Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly answered, "She worked a lot to provide for me and my sister. By a lot, I mean it was considered absolutely normal not to see her at home for a week or two. On the rare occasions when I managed to cross paths with my mom, she was either fast asleep or barely able to string words together from exhaustion."

"So, you didn’t talk at all? Who raised you then?"

I sighed, slightly disappointed, and said, looking off into the distance, into the void, "I remember her taking care of me while my father was still in the family. After he left, my upbringing was handled by the school. But as you can see, my mom gave me a good foundation. Which I tried to pass on to my sister."

Daniel slowly nodded and asked a different question: "If I remember correctly, you got a specialized education. Remind me, what was it?"

"Art teacher. I’ll definitely gather the courage to work with kids someday," I said, sighing. Yeah, as soon as all this is over, I’ll get a job at a school. Right after I’m done with Daniel.

"Why do you need to gather courage to work with kids?"

"Well, how do I put it. I don’t really like them?"

"Then why did you decide to become a teacher?"

I-

"I know how hard it is to learn to draw, so I want to pass on the knowledge to someone else?"

"But you’re an avant-garde artist, the essence of your style is fighting against academic drawing. You can’t teach that to someone."

"I know the basics and remember them perfectly."

Suddenly, Daniel turned around, grabbed me by the shoulders, and said, piercing me with an indignant look, "Arthur, this is really hard to follow. Please, give me a full chronology of your drawing experience."

"I don’t have to," I growled, trying to break free from his grip. However, it only tightened, and for a second, I thought his fingers would pierce my skin.

"I WANT to understand you," Daniel replied through clenched teeth. The veins on his arm and neck bulged, becoming clearly visible. His completely black eyes, like abysses, scrutinized every tiny detail, constantly moving to take in everything.

Slowly exhaling, I began, "From an early age, I attended drawing classes. Even when my mother had to work around the clock to provide for me and my sister, she still spent money so I could keep going to the art club."

Sighing, I mentally moved to the next memory: "In middle school, I met a guy. He drew in an avant-garde style. I don’t know why, but everyone loved his work. While my drawings only got approving nods, his were admired by classmates and the teacher. So, I decided to change my style."

"Yeah, I remember that," Daniel noted slowly, probably to himself.

I somehow doubt that.

Exhaling, I moved to the final part: "Eventually, in the last years of school, I managed to beat that guy in a couple of competitions. Then I went to college and started training to become an art teacher."

Daniel fell silent and slowly relaxed his grip. He took a step back, closer to the tree behind him. It seemed like he was carefully analyzing before lifting his head and confidently declaring, "Your mother wanted to become an art teacher or just an artist."

"Huh?"

"The only thing nature gives a person is potential. So-called talent is the result of parents depriving a child of choice and forcing them to develop their potential to the maximum. Judging by the fact that no one else admired your work, you didn’t even have potential."

So, you’re saying my mother manipulated me?!

It seemed like Daniel completely ignored my barely contained anger. He licked his lips and continued, "It seems that at some point, you developed a desire for recognition. Due to, let’s call it, an alien talent, you could only see self-realization through painting. But for progress, you used envy."

"And even after defeating that guy, it seems like you didn’t feel much triumph. No wonder. You spent years developing driven only by envy, without it, you lost your motivation to move forward."

H-How do you?

For a moment, there was silence in the air. Even the wind didn’t interfere. Just a static picture, me with clenched fists and Daniel, who, judging by his wide eyes, was completely absorbed in the process. Almost manic concentration.

"You need your ego, Arthur," Daniel said suddenly, pointing at me with his left hand.

"What?" I asked, stunned, blinking.

He sighed and repeated, not changing the position of his hand, "You need your ego, Arthur. You got an art teacher education, most likely due to your mother’s soft power. Plus, you completely changed your style just out of envy. Those are your words."

"The conclusion is, your current ego isn’t yours. It’s built from others’ desires and low imagination, which can’t generate its own desire or aspiration for anything."

"I think you’re just insulting me," I replied, frowning.

It seemed like Daniel ignored this and said, pointing his mechanical hand at himself, "We’re similar in this regard, you see? Both of us ended up with non-functioning egos. The difference is that my ego was destroyed because I rejected my 'lower' parts, dismissively called id. Ideals were the only thing in my life. You, on the other hand, simply failed to realize your ego. Soft power made you believe that your mother’s desires were yours."

I shook my head in disbelief and asked through gritted teeth, "Since when did you become a psychoanalyst?"

Daniel took a step back and said, chuckling briefly, "I dabbled in psychology for a while. Of course, the main goal was to learn how to understand others’ behavior and hidden signals. But now I can use it to analyze myself. And at the moment, you."

I think you’re trying to do something in your own interest. Plus, even if I listened to you, it’s just immoral.

Hearing no words from me, Daniel snorted and said, "Just, find some time to think about all this. I admit, I want to use your experience to try and find my ego. But also, I want to help you."

"Hoping to compensate for the fact that I ended up in this world?" I growled, taking a long step forward.

In response, he briefly nodded before simply taking a step to the right and saying, "Let’s get back to pressing matters. We’re hungry. Given your fear of blood, you’d better do some gathering while I hunt. Do you have a problem with that?"

Snorting, I took a step to the left and replied, "No, unlike you, I don’t enjoy others’ pain."

After these words, I turned away and headed deeper into the forest. After a while, the sound of Daniel’s heavy footsteps disappeared, leaving only my own, much heavier ones.

Desires instilled by my mother. Tsk, what a storyteller.