Summer was Irradiance’s least favorite season. The heat burning down on his horn and hooves both absorbed and reflected the sunlight, causing him to overheat easily and irritate passersby (he’d reflected sunlight into one too many unsuspecting eyes on accident). He stayed indoors as much as possible, but with friends who enjoyed the outdoors, it was inevitable that he’d have to handle the heat eventually.

“Come on Irradiance! The best place to harvest frog eggs is the creek in Everfree, you know this!” Marigold complained about the stallion’s slow pace, her golden hair just as puffed up with the humidity as Irradiance’s (if not worse) though she seemed completely unbothered. Marigold loved living in Everfree and her pony species was very in-tune with nature, he knew this, but still. It was exhausting. Irradiance had grown far too used to spoiled castle life.

“I’m going as fast as I can, Marigold,” The Unicorn groaned, trudging through the dirt, hooves thudding along the forest floor.

Blue eyes glared behind at the purple stallion, “No way,” Marigold snapped, yellow coat seemingly absent of any sweat at all. “You and I both lived in this forest just as long as the other. I know you got used to the heat and collecting herbs just like I did.”

“I stayed in the shaded region of the forest!” Irradiance defended.

“What are you, a Vampire Bat Pony?”

“Ha, ha,” Irradiance rolled his eyes, laughing drily. Marigold was a beam of light during the confrontation with Luster Dawn. Why couldn’t she be more empathetic now? Irradiance supposed he should have brought Hibiscus if he wanted someone to match his energy…

“Hurry up!” Marigold had kept walking and was already several paces ahead of Irradiance. The stallion sped up to stay in line with her, already exhausted.

After Luster Dawn’s defeat and reinstatement as a princess, Irradiance’s friends had gone their separate ways once more. Amber and Leviathan were often in contact, sending letters home to Irradiance, Cobalt and Hibiscus were living together now, both commuting to their jobs and internships. With everyone pairing off, it only made sense for Irradiance and Marigold to hang out, united thanks to their shared experience of banishment to Everfree.

He missed Leviathan terribly. Irradiance had been so involved in his studies and the Changeling had been so focused on helping his Hive further adjust to “creating their own magic” that neither had much time for their partner. Love letters would do, for now, they supposed. Until the next villain reared its head (Irradiance always joked and Leviathan always cursed him, saying he was jinxing it. The Unicorn didn’t believe in jinxes).

“This has to be a record heat wave,” Irradiance gasped, finally approaching the creek Marigold was after. “It’s this hot in the forest?”

“Cast a chilling spell on yourself or something,” Marigold rolled her eyes, unclasping her saddlebag and reaching into the shallow water to scoop up brightly-colored frog eggs.

With a blast of purple, Irradiance summoned a cloud of snow above his head, sighing as he relished in the cooler temperature.

“Why are we after frog eggs anyway?” Irradiance asked, watching the yellow Earth Pony collect her fill.

“Anti-hallucinogen potions have been in high demand,” Marigold explained, swishing her tail, “and frog eggs are the main ingredient. Summer is the season they’re all spawning, so it's best to collect them when I can.”

Anti-hallucinogen potions? Irradiance felt like that was a strange thing to request in bulk for the city. Was there some sort of sickness taking over the citizens of Canterlot?

“It’s mostly Princess Twilight putting in the orders. Have you heard anything from her about why?”

Irradiance paused. Twilight was ordering anti-hallucinogenic potions in bulk? “Noctis Steel,” The stallion spoke suddenly, catching the mage off guard.

“What?”

Shaking his head, Irradiance explained, “A little while ago, after we came back and I was in the castle, I saw this guard, Noctis Steel.”

“What, was he new or something?”

“Yeah, but that’s just the thing!” Irradiance exclaimed, stamping his hooves on the ground, “No one had heard of him before. Not Leviathan, not Luster Dawn, not even Twilight. All the guards need Twilight’s approval before they can enlist as a castle guard.”

Marigold’s expression changed from confused to nervous quickly after her friend’s explanation. Irradiance felt his stomach turn. “Am I sick with something? Am I hallucinating ponies that aren’t there?” He folded his ears back, suddenly embarrassed.

Marigold rushed to comfort the stallion, eyes wide, “No! No, no. There’s been no comment on ponies hallucinating anything, just the order for the potions. But if you’re seeing a pony that isn’t there, maybe something is going around. I doubt Twilight would think you were crazy.”

“Twilight thinks I’m crazy?”

Marigold sent an unimpressed expression at Irradiance, who flushed, “Sorry.”

“Just talk to her once we get back from collecting these. I’ll make the next batch and I’ll just send it back to the castle with you.”

Irradiance nodded. That was a good idea. He’d discuss the unmentioned hallucinations that Twilight was worried about and she’d give him a straight answer. He was her prodigy, after all. The Guardian of Harmony, Twilight had named him. Big titles like that meant that he was entitled to some additional information. Taking a breath, Irradiance steadied himself. Collect the frog eggs, brew the potion, and ask Twilight about why she’s ordering them. Everything was fine.

“Can you help carry a jar or two?” Marigold mumbled, holding a jar of frog eggs in her mouth. Irradiance grabbed it with his magic, levitating it into his own saddlebags, which Marigold had insisted he bring. She needed to stock up, she’d said. Just one saddlebag wouldn’t be enough.

Both ponies filled their bags with about twelve jars total, until they couldn’t collect anymore and until Marigold decided it was enough that the frog eggs in the creek would be enough to spawn frogs for the season.

“Can’t diminish the population too much,” She said as she closed the final jar. “Alright, let’s head back to Canterlot!” Smile on her face, Marigold led the way once again and Irradiance was forced to remember he was dying of heat following behind her, even with the snow cloud above him.

“Do you think Cobalt has to fly in this heat?” Irradiance mused, looking up to the canopy of trees, imagining Cobalt flying with the Wonderbolts. Marigold shrugged.

“Probably. It’s cooler the higher up you go in the sky, so he’s probably perfectly chilly while training!”

Cold…

“Did you hear that?” Irradiance stopped where he was, the cloud disappearing with a poof!

“Hear what?” Marigold queried, turning to the stallion, eyebrow raised and blue eyes concerned. “Are you feeling alright, Irradiance?”

The stallion looked around, confused as to where the sudden noise had come from. When no further sudden words came to mind, he shook off the experience with a deep breath. Maybe he was finally suffering from heat exhaustion.

“Never mind,” Irradiance laughed it off, waiving a crystalline hoof at the Earth Pony, who shrugged and continued on down the path out of Everfree.

As the pair of ponies finally exited the dark forest, Irradiance couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Noctis Steel showing up, Twilight ordering these potions, and suddenly he’s hearing things? His stomach rolled and the Unicorn had to fight the urge to throw up his lunch. He’d speak to Twilight and everything would get figured out, right? Yeah. Yeah, it would be fine!

Marigold’s apothecary and apartment were in the same building, and she already had the rest of the materials she needed to brew the potion that required frog eggs.

As they walked through the city, both ponies were greeted by nearly every citizen they walked past. They’d grown used to the fame by now– having been memorialized in the new stained glass portrait in the castle, earning the title of Elements of Polyphony, and Irradiance already having his memorial in the School of Magic? It wasn’t unexpected that ponies would want to stop them for a quick greeting or photo.

“Irradiance! Irradiance!” A colt called, running from his front yard toward the stallion, who stopped Marigold with a tap on her flank as the young pony approached them.

“Hey!” Irradiance grinned, glad to have something to distract him from the spiral he was going down in his mind. The colt turned nearly crimson after having been acknowledged and Irradiance couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did you want a picture with the Element of Enchantment?” A mare walked up behind the colt, chuckling. This must have been the mother. She was a similar shade of blue, though the son was a bit more muted. The colt nodded excitedly.

“I can stop for a picture!” Irradiance assured, smiling at the mother and her son. The mare sent an appreciative look to the stallion before turning around and addressing someone behind her.

“Noctis, dear!” Irradiance’s heart dropped. From inside a cottage (the colt’s home, most likely), out stepped a grey Unicorn with a red-tipped horn, mane pitch black. “Would you take Umbra and my photo with the Elements? You know how big of a fan he is!”

Noctis looked directly at Irradiance as he responded, “Of course, darling.”

As the Unicorn held up the camera to snap the photo of his wife, son, Irradiance, and Marigold together (one with and one without her), the purple stallion couldn’t help but feel sick. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he posed and something in him wondered if this family was even real. This was Noctis, wasn’t it? Marigold could see him, could see the whole family. Irradiance wasn’t hallucinating, was he?

“Thank you, so much,” The mare spoke, watching as her son ran inside alongside Noctis, who was no longer looking at Irradiance. “He’s such a big fan, you know. He’s always wanted to attend Celestia’s school. In fact, he’d visit your statue every day! He went with Noctis when I wasn’t able to go. I think he wishes you were his big brother!” The Unicorn laughed loudly, amused at her son’s antics.

Irradiance laughed along awkwardly, trying to convince his stomach to stay still, “Well, I’ve always wanted a sibling! Maybe I can take him out sometime.”

“Oh, really?” The blue mare gasped, “That would be so sweet of you!”

“No problem at all,” Irradiance assured, expression blank. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Marigold’s expression growing more and more concerned for her friend. “Well, we’ve got potions to brew. Great meeting you!”

With an urgent shove to Marigold’s flank, Irradiance pushed the pair further down the street, managing to wind up in the Earth Pony’s apothecary, and slamming the door shut with his magic. Safe in the house, Irradiance rushed to the nearest bathroom and threw up.

Author's Note

presnetly hoping i get a co-op at gulfstream btw. literally an engineer writing mlp fanfiction. i cannot underestimate how silly this feels. but hey you need something fun during all this stress.
sorry for the lack of consistency. chapter 2 is in the works now. enjoy!