Striving for Adaptation

"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?"

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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.