“I am so happy that we’re finally able to make this journey”, Golden said with a warm smile.

Some days have passed and what once had only been a plan, had now turned into reality. Golden and I were both sitting in a train heading to hono. My old home and the place where all kirins lived. We were sitting across from each other on either side of a window. Perfect to look outside a bit as the landscape started to become a bit more familiar to me.

“Me too. I am kind of excited”, I admitted.

It has been so long since I had left Hono behind. It had been summer then now it was late spring again. I had wanted to come back sooner for a visit but Kirin Grove was quit a distance away from Maren. Golden and I were taking a vacation especially for this.

But to be fair, another reason had been because I wanted to save the bits. The less bits I spent the sooner I could leave Maren. But now, I was more than willing to spend something so I could show Golden the place where I used to live. So often had she shown me things about the pony culture, but now I wanted to show her how kirins live.

“Do your friends know that you have a pony marefriend now?”, Golden asked.

I gave a nod.

“I told them a while ago in a letter. Not too soon but they still deserved to know. So yes, they are aware that we are a bit closer than just friends.”

“Do you think they will like me?”, Golden said and looked at the ground in shame.

It was really rare to see Golden nervous, so this meant this question really troubled her. I guessed it was because she was a bit afraid to meet all the kirins that meant so much to me. And I couldn’t blame her. These were more than just the other creatures of my kind. They were the family and friends who I spent most of my live together with.

I reached out my hoof and held her cheek. She looked up with her beautiful eyes to look into mine.

“I am very sure they will. Not only because of me or because they want to be friendly. They will like you for who you are. Because you are great the way you are.”

Golden smiled at my words and leaned into my hoof. We both held this pose for a while as we lovingly looked at each other.
“Next and final stop: Kirin Grove”, the sudden voice of the conductor came through the train compartment.

I didn’t know why he had to scream since me and Golden were the only ones in there. Even though the kirin was becoming more well known it still wasn’t a hotspot and barely had anypony traveling this far.

“Seems like we've reached our final destination”, Golden said and gave a kiss on my nose as she stood up.

“Home, sweet home”, was the only thing I said with a chuckle.

Golden offered me a hoof which I accepted. As the train slowly came to a stop, the door opened and we two stepped out. I still remembered last time the gate used to be just some old, rotten planks of wood. Together with a single little hut that had been in the same condition. The gate had been renovated. New wood and even a roof made out of bamboo. (Us kirins had most likely helped with that part.) It looked way more inviting now.

“I guess we have to go this way”, Golden called out and pointed at a simple pebble track leading to the mountain where Hono was located.

I gave a nod and said: “Well, that wasn’t there before.”

The two of us followed the path that even had a direction sign with the word “HONO” on it, in case you were not aware, where you’re actually heading. Soon, the path went a bit steeper up the hill and through the forest until it came to the cave that once had been used by Fluttershy and Applejack. The cave that leads right into the kirin village.

I noticed how Golden stood close to me and I could feel her nervous aura.

“Hey, dear. It’s alright. They will like you. I am sure”, I said encouragingly as I leaned against her.

“I know. I am sorry. I don't know what got into me today”, she replied and took a deep breath. “But so far, I like it here. It really fits your stories. A lonely, untouched mountain with trees and bushes I have never seen before.”

With one last moment to gather ourselves, we stepped into the dark cave and soon were greeted by the sunlight on the other end. And here we were. The border of Hono. My old home.

Everything felt familiar to me in an instant. The look of every house, every tree, every rock. The smell and feeling of the air. The sound of running water, singing birds and the kirins in the village, going about their daily lives. How much I had missed it.

“Oh look! There is Maple Brown. The kirin who sent me the letter with the nirik stamp on it. Do you remember her?”, I asked Golden and pointed at the green-brown kirin mare with yellow scales and a mane in… maple brown colour.

She was busy using her magic to pick some oranges from a tree and floated them in a basket. She had always been the one who took great care of the trees and bushes in the area, along with helping in the fields. And in her eyes the fruits were the way the plants said “thank you” for her hard work.

At the sight of her my speed automatically increased and I called out her name. When hearing her name Maple turned from her work and when she saw me approaching, she nearly dropped the orange in her magic grip.

“Spring! You’re back!”, she said and came towards me to meet me in a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you”, I said to her after we parted.

“Same to you. Happy to see you safe and sound. We all missed you very much”, Maple said and gave me a happy smile.

She then looked around and spotted Forest Fall, a light green male kirin with brown scales and a yellow-brown mane, walking by. He was the maybe the best friend I had had in Hono.

“Forest, look! Spring is back!”, Maple called out to him.

Forest’s ears perked up and when he saw me, he got a grin on his face and quickly came over.

“Spring, how are you?”, he asked and we two also shared a hug.

“Good, thank you. I am so happy to see you all again”, I replied.

“Same for us. I am sure everykirin will be over the roof when they see you again. It wasn't so easy without our favourite sewing kirin”, Forest chuckled.

“Now, you wrote in your last letter that you wouldn't be coming alone”, Maple came into with a big smirk.

“Indeed. Seems like you found your very special somekirin”, Forest said and punched my shoulder playfully.

I blushed a bit but couldn't hide a smirk myself.

“SomePONY”, I said. “She is not a kirin so you have to say somepony. But yes, I did.”

And just as they asked, Golden caught up to me on my right side. But she still stood a bit in the back.

“Meet Golden String, my marefriend and neighbour. She has wings which means that she is a pegasus. We two met after she moved next to me and after several meetings, we became good friends and later even more”, I introduced her to my two friends.

Golden stepped forward with a convinced smile, reached her hoof out and gave a: “Nice to meet you.”

“Didn’t think you were into ponies”, Forest laughed, earning a punch from Maple.

“Don’t be rude. Now Spring, where is she?”

“Well, here”, I said and pointed with my hoof at Golden.

“Where is here?”, Forest asked, a bit unsure.

This also made me confused and a look at Golden told me that she was too.

“Well, right here. Standing next to me. You know, this white pegasus pony with a long yellow mane?”, I said and pointed at her again.

Maple and Forest both looked at Golden but still didn’t accept her extended hoof. Instead, the two shared a wordless look at each other and then they looked at me.

“Spring… there is nopony there…”

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading.
I will give my personal comment about this chapter in the next one.