Ponyfinder: Burning in Ashesby David SilverChapters7 - Turning Up the Heat1 - Mugged in Ash2 - A Warm Welcome3 - Do What You Can4 - Trotting in Ash5 - What We Found6 - No Rest8 - Kirin Being7 - Turning Up the Heat"We have a—" The harried defender put a makeshift bullet into their gun. "—thriving community going on here. Get out with your nonsense!" They fired at a raider trying to scale their walls. "What even keeps things like you motivated?!" Spring flared up, flames leaping all around her as she advanced on the wall, eyes on the nearest raider. "Burn!" She let herself go, and her flames lashed out for the nearest target. Her blue-black flames wrapping around them in a rising crescendo of burning and screams. "Burn." She stomped them to the ground, landing outside the gate, not that the enraged nirik seemed to care. Kit's eyes went wide at this change. "Oh." He raced for the gate, but it was closed tight. He could only knock and bang on it, not that the defenders moved to open it for them in the middle of the attack. "Burn." It was one word, and it was the only word she had as she raced around the attackers as bullets flew around her. Those aimed properly barely touched her with metal hot enough to bubble away from her burning form. The pain of the contact only served to infuriate her further. The attackers recoiled and tried to fall back as Spring flared brightly and burned them all. They had little defense against her, but they had each other, and one managed to get off a shot that slammed right into her. The bullet didn't do much, but the impact was felt and forced her to falter. With a roar of apex fury, she smashed into the marksman, driving them to the ground as they and the ground around them burned under her furious flames. "Burn!" The attack was off. The raiders were fleeing for their lives instead of trying to get inside the town. She chased them, stomping down any she found until, eventually, her flames ran out. Her pelt was a mess of scorch marks, ash clinging to her, and her mane and tail were little more than ragged ends. She wobbled in place before collapsing into the ash, huffing for the breath she had lost a few minutes back. Kit bolted out the moment the great clunk of the lock was undone. He raced across the stirred ash to Spring's side. "You're okay! I thought you were going to be shot dead!" She panted heavily. "That was crazy! They didn't get hurt by your attacks?" Kit inclined his head. "My attacks? You were the one to take care of them all this time." He gathered her close, hugging gently. "You were very brave, but maybe a little thoughtless." "Scary," Spring mumbled, ears flat. "Thoughtless and scary." She looked at him. "They would have come for me if I had done nothing. I have to defend myself." She shivered gently. "And our new friends. I couldn't let them get hurt." "Shh." He slowly rose up, her in his arms. "You did fine, Spring." Lucky, he thought to himself, but he kept that quiet. "In fact." He didn't need to say another word. As he carried Spring back into the town, the cheers of the residents were loud enough to do all the talking. They had seen what she did, and they were happy enough to call and holler as she was brought back in. They reached with hands and hooves to brush her on the way past, calling out their compliments and thanks. "Let's get you cleaned up," Kit whispered to her. She looked around with a broad smile. "Did that really just happen?" He nodded, hugging her gently. "It did. Can you tell me what exactly was that?" He flipped an ear back. "I didn't know you could do that." "Oh, ha. That's a kirin thing, actually." She looked away, curling in Kit's grip. "When we get really mad." Her eyes shut. "We get all burny." She shivered gently, then looked at him. "Sorry." He laughed softly. "I'm happy you're okay. You did well, protecting these people." He kicked open the door, hoof to metal, to gain access to the dorms. "Just be careful. What's amazing today can be scary tomorrow. We don't want them getting nervous you might turn on them." She shook her head as he put her onto the bed. "Thank you." She licked across his face, her eyes on his. "I was worried, but I had to do something. It got so bad, I couldn't hold back." She cringed, teeth clenched as her thoughts went back. "When a kirin gets that bad, it's real hard to do a lot but let it go." He smiled and gently nuzzled against her face, trying to relax her. "I was worried. I don't want you to get hurt, and that was very dangerous." His ears flattened. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" "I hurt a lot, actually." She felt over herself with her cloven hooves. "But not that sharp real hurt. Just a lot of sore, like I ran too long." She laughed gently and rubbed her chest as he nuzzled back. "Thank you for coming after me." Kit smiled, eyes closing as he breathed deep, then looked into her eyes. "Of course. I said I'd be with you until you were safely home." He brought his ears up. "I meant it. We're stuck together for now." He touched his nose to her cheek. "And I'm enjoying our time. Rest, for real. Stop talking with me." She giggled gently, curling her legs under her chest and neck as she lay on her side. "Night night." She shut her eyes. He settled down in the bed beside her, a paw on her back. There he waited patiently until her breathing was slow and even. For safety, he waited a bit longer before he slowly crept to the door and snuck outside. "Brave little thing." Kit started, realizing there was a large form looming over him. "Oh, um, hi Miss Mayor. Can I help you?" The hippogriff nodded firmly, looking down at him. "That was quite something, seeing the little kirin fight like that." She rubbed her beak-like mouth. "Reminds us that there's a world out there beyond this little town of ours." She leveled a finger at Kit. "The way she said it, you were the scarier one of the two. Can you do more than that?" Kit's eyes widened and he shook his head rapidly as he rose to all fours. "No! She was exaggerating. I'm not scary at all." "You don't look very scary," she admitted with a shrug. "But then, neither did she." She suddenly pat his head. "What, are you scared I'll chase you out of town? Pah. You saved our asses and we don't have the luxury of choosing who our allies are. You want to survive, and you want us to survive, so we all have a common interest, hm? I came here to ask her a question, but I guess you're just as good a target." He rubbed his head where she'd tapped him, eyes on her with confusion. "A question?" She nodded firmly. "It's simple, really. What would it take for the two of you to stick around?" She pointed at him, then beyond the wall to where she imagined Spring was. "Scout, guards, you two could do either I imagine. And we'd be lucky to have you at either assignment. As their mayor, they're looking up to me to see if we can't make that happen. They'd rest easier, knowing I had your word you aren't just blowing on through." He looked away. "We want to help. But." He gestured to Spring with a paw. "We don't belong here, we need to go back home." He looked into the room towards her, his ears flicked forward again. "We're waiting for a clear day." "That could be a long time." Mayor folded her arms. "Or it could be tomorrow, blast it all. Got a few that think they can predict it, but they only get it right half as often as they get it wrong, so I don't put much word in that." She clacked her beak. "Still, thanks. Figure a lot would have lied right about then. You shot straight. Don't like where that bullet landed, but I'll take it. Until that clear day comes, you'll be here?" "That's right," he agreed, looking her in the eye. "And we'll do what we can until then." The hippogriff nodded. "Great to hear." She turned and walked off, tail lashing behind her. "All I can ask." She reached the front door and opened it to reveal a host of hopeful eyes. "Are y'all waitin' that badly?" She slammed the door shut, but Kit could hear her shouting all the same, "They're stayin' 'round until the next clear day at least. Want to earn their favor? Tell 'em when it's a clear day. After that, up to them!" He could hear soft mutterings, muffled by the walls, and things became quiet. Kit backed against the door leading to their room as others began to enter. They nodded towards him on the way past, but mostly just minded their own business as they took up other rooms or crashed in the common area. He turned to go back inside and almost bumped into Spring as she opened the door from the other side. "You should have stayed sleeping." He sat on his rump, looking into her face. She giggled softly, shaking herself off. "But I didn't." She slipped into the main room with a bright smile. "A little powernap really changed things. I feel a lot better now." She shook herself out, just to freeze. "Ow." Kit saw something on the ground, shaken off in her last motion. He reached for it and held it towards the light. "This is one of your scales, isn't it?" "Oh!" Spring reached for her neck and rubbed it gently with a hoof. "Yeah, that's mine. Why was it on the floor?" He frowned with a soft muttering. "Because your scales were strong enough to stop you from getting hurt, but not enough to stay whole." He reached for her, turning her around. "There." He tapped just beside the bald spot on her back. "Here's where it came from." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Oh. I guess that makes sense. They fall off eventually, anyway. It's just fine. Don't worry about it." She smiled and turned to face him directly, nuzzling his chest. "You can keep it, if you want. A little souvenir." He made quite the face, but he second-guessed himself quickly. "Actually." He tucked it away into a pocket. "I think I will. But you need to be a little more careful. That could have been you being hurt, instead of one of your scales. You're lucky you got hit there." He imagined the force it took to knock a scale off applying to the rest of her soft and fuzzy form. "I want you to get back safely." She looked down at her hooves. "Sorry. I don't have any practice fighting. And they were all running from me, like I was scary or something. I guess that was scary." Kit barked out a laugh at that. "You were very frightening. They ran away." A few cheers went up. "And they liked that." He waved at those that had cheered. "Saved the day, almost got yourself hurt. Congratulations, you're a hero." He pressed a finger against her snout. "Cut that out." She giggled, then turned away from him. "We should probably check on the others. See if they need our help. We're heroes now, they might have something else they need help with." He gaped at her a moment before chasing after her. "I just said to cut that out." He followed alongside her onto the street. "Besides, what can you do? You're not a doctor." "No." She shook her head, horn glowing along its curious lines. "But I can help in other ways." She flagged down a passerby. "Excuse me, where do they bring creatures that are hurt real bad?" That got a point, which was good enough for her. "Thanks!" She trotted down the road with Kit close behind. "Spring, please, listen to me." The two arrived at a building with several smaller outbuildings that looked more like sheds or shanties than actual homes. It was where they had set up a quick triage for injured defenders. Medics were doing their best to apply ointments and bandages as needed to their suffering patients. Author's Note Spring wants to help, but how will she? A smile is good medicine, perhaps? A thank you to my Supporter Patrons: Zap Transfer and Dapple!👋🏽 Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 1 - Mugged in AshShe trailed patterns in the dirt at the end of her cloven hooves, tail lashing behind her. "This time...." She was alone, but she didn't mind that. Dancing back from her intricate pattern, she clapped. "Let's try it!" The kirin's ornate horn glowed with power. "It's time for kirin magic!" Magic burst forth from her, and a portal opened, shining with light. "It's a portal, which means...it's time to go through the portal! And that's what I'm gonna do!" With a giggle of anticipation, she trotted towards it. "The very first kirin portal. Wonder where it goes?" She eyed it a moment, then shrugged. "One way to find out." With a great leap, she jumped through it. *** "Alright, pup." She ruffled Kit Tune's head gently. "You may be my child, but today, you're an adult. Still my kid. You'll always be there." His tail wagged with vibrant energy. "Of course, Mom. You'll always be my mom too." He jumped forward, grabbing her in a firm hug. "But, yeah, um." She laughed gently. "Today you get your first mission." She curled her fingers, summoning a floating display. "We have an Equestrian that just got herself lost. She'll be landing on Everglow, Ashen timeline. Nasty place. She'll need a good friend to keep her safe. Think you're up for it?" Kit nodded firmly. "Of course! Saving ponies is the best thing we can do. We'll be friends forever!" She smiled. "I know you will, Kit. I know." She turned to her console, typing. "If you can make a friend, bonus. But your mission is to keep her safe until she gets back home. Do that, success. Make a friend, that's extra. Come back with a foal, I will give you such a look, but technically not banned." Kit colored brightly at that. "I just want to make a friend, mom, not get a wife." He rubbed behind his head, clopping with his pony hooves. A creature both fox and pony, he had bits of both, with hooves below and curious fingers above. "I'm ready! Let's go!" He wiggled back and forth. His mother nodded. "I'm opening the portal for you, now. You know how to use your magic. Good luck." With a flare, the portal opened. "You can call me, but only if it's an emergency. Use your own head, Kit. I know I gave you a good one of those." Kit charged for the portal, just to slide to a stop. "Tell Mom where I am." She snorted at that. "I'll keep Octavia in the loop. She'd get cross with me if I let her son wander off without doing at least that." He grinned at that. "Thanks." With that, he dove in. The swirling portal closed behind him. *** The kirin landed, not on grass, or leaves, or even a city street. It was a strange substance that gave beneath her a little. She raised a hoof, smeared with the stuff and took a sniff. Ash? She looked to the sky and gasped. Not the sky, but a ceiling of ash. The sky itself was a dull grey that seemed to be raining down. She held out her hoof and caught some of the substance. It felt like she had arrived in a world of ash. Not wanting to be rained on, she trotted forward into it, looking for some cover, any cover. "Spring Shower, what have you gotten yourself into?" She squinted against the driving rain of ash. It had gone from pleasant warmth to a burning heat. Fortunately for her, kirin didn't mind heat overly much. Ahead, she could see a cave, a rocky outcropping that promised some shelter from the unrelenting ash. Her hooves kicked up clouds, her tail leaving a streak that slowly settled, like she was running through dust. She got to the cave and slipped inside. Her horn glowed, the magic around it bursting into a ball of flames that illuminated her surroundings. "Hello." A figured emerged from the dark. It had pony hooves, but fingers at the end of its arms. "Bad weather, huh?" She stepped backwards, the flames flaring in her surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." He wasn't a kirin, and she didn't know how to react. Kit spread his arms. "This isn't my cave. I'm visiting too. You can come on in." He gestured to the back of the cave. "I don't have a campfire, but I can offer a few snacks?" He sat on the rocky floor. Digging into a pocket, he pulled out a parcel of plastic. Within it, subtle hints of something sweet began to emerge. "I have chocolate." Chocolate? She'd heard of it, but never had it before. "Sure. I'd be glad to have some." She trotted up to him, then folded her legs, laying on the ground. "Um, so, hi. I'm Spring Shower." She curled a cloven hoof to point at herself. "Who are you?" Kit smiled. "I'm Kit. Kit Tune. A pleasure to meet you." He broke off a section of the chocolate, offering it to her. She gingerly accepted it in her hoof, then brought it to her mouth. "Isn't it great?" He took a bite directly with his teeth, breaking off a chunk and chomping with a glad smile. "Mm. Wow, it's really coming down out there." She chewed on the chocolate, feeling it melt away in her mouth, leaving only a pleasant taste. "It is. I've never seen anything like this before." She glanced towards him again. "So, uh, you live here?" "Nope." He folded his arms with a smile. "I'm new here too. I never saw it rain like that. What even is that?" Curiosity getting the better of him, he scrambled for the exit on all fours and shoved a hand out to feel the ash rain on it. Withdrawing it, the ash was clinging to his fur, and he shook it to dislodge it. "It feels like dust, but warm." She'd never seen someone on all fours like that. Not anyone that preferred two legs anyway. "You're a curious one. But a nice creature, I think. There are worse sorts to run into." "Like us?" A boot thrust out from the sheet of ashes, kicking Kit Tune back into the cave. Following it came a griffon with a scowl, another just behind him. "You two have crappy luck, or we have good ones, take your pick." He raised a gun, something Spring Showers looked confused at, a Kit shrank from. "Now kindly get to dropping everything you got." Spring shower's eyes went from curious to angry. She rose to her hooves. "Or you'll do what? I'm not scared of you!" She stamped her hoof, her tail lashing. "Oh, that one has spirit. I hate it." The griffon raised his gun at her and took a shot with no delay. Spring rocked back with the impact, feeling nothing at first, just stunned. What had he done? She raised a hoof to where a mild stinging was coming. Oh, she was bleeding. She stared at her blood, feeling her mind go blank. Kit Tune's eyes snapped to his fallen companion, then at the two griffons. They'd already started to circle. "Just hand over your stuff, and we'll be going. Hopefully, you're a little smarter than your friend over there." He rose to his hooves, his hands clenching and unclenching. "You...shot her." The air around him seemed to get heavier, the light dimmer. The griffons paused, staring at him. He took a shot, but the bullet wrapped around some unseen sphere, unable to connect with the kitsune-pony. "How dare you!" Spring shower watched as the two griffons were flung through the air, landing in the ash, then dragged back towards the cave. "Whoa." She watched with wide eyes, the kitsune-pony walking forward on two legs, his tail lashing behind him. "Bad people! Bad!" Despite his almost childish speech, he battered the griffons with quite adult precision. His magic wrapped them, making them dance like puppets, slamming each into the other, into the ground, and into the walls. Then he tossed them, sending them flying into the ash, where they landed with a puff of dust that was soon covered by more. Their guns, he kept. "Hmmph. You alright? Of course you're not. Bad Kit." He slapped his own forehead, rushing over towards her. She was a little intimidated. This had not been how she'd expected the fight to go, but she was a bit glad, too. She smiled nervously. "That was amazing." His ears were pinned back. "I'm not a fighter. My mom said I should, um, only do it when I really needed to. I hope this counted." He dug out a satchel with a big cross on it and started tending to Spring's new wound. "Just stay still. This will sting a bit, but it'll be better when I'm done, promise." His voice had a soft, gentle tone. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Spring Shower wasn't sure how to handle the apology. He hadn't done it, so why was he saying sorry? "T-thank you, really. I'm not sure what I wold have done if I ran into them before you came." He finished getting a bandage over the cleaned and otherwise tended wound. "This is a dangerous world. Why did you come here?" "I didn't mean to." She looked down, a little ashamed, her tail lashing. "I was trying to open a portal and see what was on the other side." "You got this side." He smiled despite the situation. "Can you make a portal going back?" "I don't know. Maybe? I need to see the sky. It'll take time to do it." She glanced at him. "I didn't get your name, um." "Kit." He pet Spring gently along her mane. "I said that. You must still be shocked from getting, you know, shot like that. Does it hurt?" "No." She wasn't sure if it didn't hurt, or she just couldn't feel it. Either way, she was fine with that. "We just need to wait until this storm stops, then I can see the sky." He looked ready to pounce on her, but he aborted the motion. "I'll try to get a fire going." He went about the cave, digging into the griffon's bag, then a few bits of dried grass from outside. A spark, then another, and the fire took. She watched him, then scooted a little closer to him. "So, you came here from somewhere else?" "Yeah." He didn't volunteer more about it. "Well, we're both here now." His tail slowly resumed its wag. "Let's stick together until you get home, okay?" She nodded. "That sounds like a plan." A yawn escaped her. "Sorry, I'm tired." He pet her. "Then rest, okay?" He looked out at the rain of ash. "Rest helps with being hurt." He looked back to her to see she had already passed out. Watching the ash grew tiring in time, so he nestled in with her, soon hugging as he joined her in getting some rest. They could look for better things after they were ready to go looking for it, or so he decided in those final moments of being awake. The two slumbered in that little crevice, at least safe from the ash. When Spring Shower woke, her companion was still snoring. The rain had stopped, so she slipped outside, hoping to get a view of the stars, maybe even a glimpse of home. She looked up, but the haze was too great. It was as if that world was just always ready to rain more ash, but it wasn't in that moment. "At least there's that." She turned back for the cave. "Kit? You awake in there?" No, no he was not. She could hear his loud snoring. With a roll of her eyes and a smile on her lips, she slipped back into the cave and gave him a nudge. "How long were you awake after me? You're out." Kit's eyes slowly opened, then closed again. "Just...another hour..." She snorted at him. "Oh no. We've got to get moving. I'm sure there are better places to get stuck on this world than this one." She shook him with a laugh until he was up and moving. "We have a bright day ahead of us. As bright as it gets around here anyway." Author's Note And so we begin. Hello, dear reader. Please, sit and enjoy this tale with us. There was a reason Kit was sent to this place and time, clearly. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 2 - A Warm WelcomeThe two had been traveling for some time, trying to find a place that would serve as a good base from which to work with. The ash seemed never-ending, and the sky was always covered, so Spring could never see the stars. She moved in closer to Kit, trotting besides him. "How can a world just not have any stars?" He looked up at the sullen grey sky. It wasn't falling down at least. "Sorry." As if he had some personal responsibility. "I think that's just how it is around here." He reached out to pet Spring slowly down her head. "We can't lose hope! Look." He pointed to the left of their walking. There, in the gloom, a few specks of light. "Light means people." "People." She nodded. "That's a better start than no people." She followed his lead, going towards those lights in the distance. "Hope they're nicer than the ones that hurt me before. Real jerks." "Real jerks," Kit agreed. "I'm not letting any jerk touch you again." He smiled, looking to her, and he touched her wound, bandaged, but still tender. "How do you feel? Better?" She nodded. "It's not hurting much any more. I've had worse." She thought about the time she had to get stitches from falling and hitting a rock with her horn. "I mean, getting shot sucked, but it's not the worst thing I've felt." She dared a tense smile at those unpleasant memories. "I'll survive! Thank you, again, for the help." She delivered a full-body hug with her magic, squeezing Kit. Kit exploded into merry laughter at the curious sensation of being compressed from every way all at once. "You give great hugs." He delivered one far more normally with his hands around her midsection, not losing his walking pace. "We'll get you home. I promise." He let her go, his ears perked forward to try and pick out the slightest noise ahead. "I think the light is a town. A city, even." Perched at the side of steep cliff, the settlement they were approaching did seem to be large and bustling. Most of the inhabitants had wings, and took flight on occasion. Most of the time, they walked along. The streets were swept clean of the ash. Those responsible for that task looked to be at the bottom of the rung, wearing dingy clothing and not looking at, nor being looked at, most of the others. They were met at the gate by a guard, a griffon in armor. "Halt. Who goes there? Kirin, eh? And what's this other thing?" "I'm a pony." Kit's tail wagged, clearly not a pony one. "Hello! My name's Kit!" "I'm Spring." She pointed to herself. "May we come in?" "No rule against it." The griffon peered over the two. "Just keep your beaks clean. Usual rules, plus one. Nobody's allowed out at night. Find shelter. If the ash doesn't get you, we will." He stepped aside, letting them in. "Thank you, officer!" Kit bowed, then skipped on ahead, happy to be in civilization. "Oh look!" His ears perked towards a food stall. "I wonder what the local eats are. Smells interesting." Spring Shower watched a few things in quick succession. One, that the guard didn't seem to care that Kit was gone, two, that Kit made his way right to a food stall, and three, that the kitsune-pony was about to spend the last of their funds on some grub. She hurried to his side. "As much as I'd love to try that with you, shouldn't we check for shelter first? That was the one rule they had." "Food, then shelter." Kit grinned, getting to the front of the line and hopping up towards the vendor. "I'd like to try one please!" The vendor scooped out some of the soup, or was it stew? It was hard to gauge its thickness as the vendor thrust the bowl at Kit. "One to a person. Next!" Spring went up next, confused. "It doesn't cost anything?" The vendor ladled out a new bowl. "Mayor's orders. Starving townies aren't helping anybody. Everyone gets basic eats, no questions asked. You eat, then you help." He thrust the bowl at Spring. "We're in this together." Kit slurped from his bowl with a grin, his ears perking. "Wow! What an amazingly kind town!" He turned to Spring. "You were right, though. We need to get a room." Spring took a moment to examine that vendor curiously. "What do they mean help? What do you need help with, sir?" "Help?" The vendor's brows went down. "You two must be more fresh than I thought. You got to work." He hiked a talon of a thumb. "Depends what you're good at. You could help patrol for ashen beasts, farm what little fields we have, or maybe go cliff fishing if you're bold. All kinds of things to do. Good with a hammer? Plenty of repairs to be done, things to be forged, all sorts." The griffon waved Spring along. "I have to feed more mouths. On with you." She nodded and turned, trotting to Kit's side. "So we have to earn our stay. I can work with that. We'll get to stay here, and then we'll have time to figure out how to get back." Kit bobbed his head at that. "Yes. I can work with that. We'll be good guests. They've been very nice to us so far." He took a fresh sip of the soup and licked his snout of what stuck to it. "And this, is delicious." He smiled. "This place has nice people." She smiled at him and took her own sip, feeling the warm soup trickle down her throat. "Wow, you're right. That is nice." They wandered together down the road, taking in the sights of the city on their search for somewhere to shelter for the growing evening. "Where are you from, Spring?" He looked up from his food to peer at her. "I'm from Equestria." She looked at him. "You?" He shrugged his shoulders, his tail lashing. "Not there. My mom's Equestrian though! I hear that's a super nice place." She nodded. "It is. I'd like to get back to it, but I guess this isn't a bad second." Her eyes flicked towards the sky. "I don't know why it's so ashy here." Kit brushed against her side. "Something really bad musta happened here. But we can get back home." His tail wagged. "I won't give up until we do. Promise!" Spring nudged back on Kit. "Glad I ran into you. Oh! That looks promising." One of the many stores had a big picture of a bed on it. No words, but the icon seemed clear enough. "Let's try there." They trotted to it and slipped in. Inside was a small room with a desk and an old griffon sitting at it. "Can I help you?" Spring trotted right up. "Hello. We need shelter? It'll be night soon." "Yup." The old griffon was quiet a moment, sitting there. "Why are you staring at me?" He gestured towards the inside. "Go on in. If you're together, grab a room. If not, crash in the commons. So long as you don't see someone else's stuff there, it's open for the taking." "That's so generous." Kit's tail was wagging. "This place seems so nice. Thank you!" He trotted for the opening into the main room of the shelter. Inside were several rooms along the wall with a big communal room. The commons had several beds in use and some unused, though there were plenty of people just on the floor. The kitsune-pony trotted forward and grabbed one of the beds, climbing onto the simple sheets and curling on them. Spring poked him with a smirk. "He said we could take a room if we're together, which we are." "We are?!" His cheeks colored vividly. "Um." She laughed at his expression. "We're not dating or anything, but I do trust you. Come on." She threw her arms over him and hauled him right off that bed. "Let's get a room." Kit's tail was lashing with the excitement of the situation. She trusted him enough to share a room, and that made him happy, even if it wasn't a date. "Okay, let's!" He jogged with a happy smile as they went to the first door and knocked. "Occupied," came a voice from within. "Sorry. Um, have a nice day." Kit dashed to the next one and was about to knock when Spring got in the way and pushed him back. "What?" She pointed to a little sign on that door. Occupied, it read quite clearly. "Don't bother them if you don't have to." "Oh. Okay." He trotted to the next one. "This one is good, I hope. I'm tired. We did a lot of walking." He knocked on that next door. Nothing. He turned the knob and found no resistance. Pulling it open, he could see the small room beyond. It was a single room with two beds, a dresser, a desk, and a lamp. "Hello? Anyone home?" No one was there, so he skipped inside, then flopped onto the bed, rolling onto his back. "So comfy..." He closed his eyes and relaxed with a long sigh. Spring Shower came in after him, kicking the door closed behind her. "Wait a moment." She turned around and around in place. "There has to be, oh." She reared up and her horn glowed as she worked the lock with a dull kathunk. "There, now other people will know there's somecreature in here. We should get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day." Kit rolled over onto his side. He was facing her, but he was already fast asleep, his tail wagging slowly in time with his breathing. "You are too cute." She giggled gently as she trotted towards the other bed. "See you in the morning." She crawled under the covers of the other and nestled in to join him in slumber. *** Spring woke to the sounds of a busy city outside, her ears twitching to it. She yawned, rolled, and looked to Kit. She jumped in surprise, realizing he was already looking at her. "Oh, you're awake." She rolled and stretched out on the bed. "Good morning, sleepyhead." "Morning." Kit was sitting upright, his tail flicking back and forth. His eyes were wide open. A voice called out, shouting from the streets, "Night Guard successful! One injury, Zero fatalities!" Spring glanced towards the sound. "What's that mean?" She turned to Kit. "Do you know?" "Bad stuff." Kit slid from the bed and stretched. "Let's go find something to do. Maybe we can help." He shook out as any fox might. "We could join that night guard, but I don't think you'd want to do that. Fighting. The soup griffon told us about it." He paused with a little frown. "What are you good at, besides making portals to other worlds?" She shrugged, stretching out again. "Not much else. I'm a kirin, and we have special powers, but they're all meant to let us live in harmony with nature, not really to help people. I can get really hot when I try." She held up a hoof, glaring at it angrily a moment before her hoof and lower leg burst into flames. "See?" "Wow! That's so cool!" He trotted to her and leaned in, sniffing at her flame. He reached out to touch it, but she pulled her hoof back. "I bet that could come in handy. Oh! Yes." He almost danced in place. "They said they need help forging. You can make fire. I bet they'd really like that if you can get hot enough." She smiled, then sighed. "That's probably as good a use of my powers as we'll find around here. I guess it's that. How about you?" He shrugged. "I'm a pony, a kitsune, and a fox. I'll find things to do." He giggled gently. "Promise. Um, let's promise to meet back here when it starts getting dark. If this room is taken, we'll meet in the commons." He pointed the way. "And we can decide which room to take then." She nodded, stepping up and giving him a hug. "Thank you, again, for all your help. I'd be lost without you." "I'd be bored." He returned her hug, then let her go and tried to open the door, but it refused to open. "Is this stuck?" Spring's horn glowed as she undid the lock she had engaged the night before. "You have to unlock it first, silly thing." "Oh!" He laughed at himself as the door swung open. "Well. Let's get going." He stepped out with her, and together they made their way through the commons and outside. "Alright, I'm off." Author's Note After that rocky start, this town seems to have its priorities straight. Not a single creature has asked for bits so far though. Good? Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 3 - Do What You CanSpring followed the sounds of metal being smashed with hammers towards the metal working being done. She had expected a roaring fire and somecreature working busily pounding some sheet of heated metal. What she found was a single griffon trying to bend some old and dented sword back into place with some low cursing under her breath with every movement. "What in the hell are you looking at?" The griffon's eyes snapped to Spring, her head turning slowly after. She was a rather large, powerful-looking griffon, with an extensive network of scars across her body. "You're not on the guard, I know them. You need a tool or something?" Spring took a step back. "Oh, no. I'm here to help. I can make a flame." She held her hoof out and lit it on fire, her tail lashing slowly. The griffoness let out a soft aborted chuckle, a single syllable. "Can you now? Most people I know who can do things like that offer to help on the guard, or go wandering off into the ashes, trying to hit it rich." She set her bent sword aside. "How hot can you get, and how long can you keep it?" She closed her eyes, focusing. "I think I can do this." Her flames flared brighter, shifting from yellow to orange, then orange to red, and finally to white hot flames. She held that only a few seconds before her flame went down and she stumbled back, panting. The griffoness shook her head. "Blast it all, that looked hot, but if you can't keep it hot, then it's not much use, is it? How hot can you get and keep it there for a few hours at least?" Spring thought on that a moment. "I can probably do a nice red hot flame." She demonstrated, her hoof flaring up. "I can keep that for a long while." She glanced to the griffoness. "Will this help?" Rather than speaking, the griffoness grabbed that bent sword and swung it around over that fire. "Keep it steady. Steady." She watched as the heat made the sword slowly glow with heat. "Not as hot as I'd like it, but hotter than I was getting without you. The name's Sally. If you're serious, we'll be working together." She pulled the metal free and slammed it down with a hammer, flattening it out and straightening the blade. Spring's tail lashed behind her, watching the metal working. "I'm Spring, Spring Shower." She kept her flame going, bringing in her other hoof to hold it steady and make it easier. "Glad I could help." "You sound greener than most plants I ever saw." She swung the sword around for a new round of heat. "Where the hell are you from? I'd recognize something like you." With a few fresh strikes, the sword looked almost new again. "The hell are you, actually?" "I'm a kirin. My people live in Equestria." "Equestria?" The griffoness peered at Spring, her brows drawing down. "That's a myth." She waved off the idea like it was pure fantasy. "Nothing but rainbows and hugs every day? A tale to share with a sad looking chick, not much more than that. No such place." The griffoness continued to work the blade, straightening the tip. "A kirin. Never heard of them. I'm Sally, griffon, if you didn't already figure that out." "Nice to meet you." Spring inclined her head. "I've heard of griffons, but you're the first I worked with before. I know Equestria is real though, I come from it." Sally abandoned her sword, grabbing Spring by the head suddenly and ruffling her mane. "So, come to deliver us from this little nightmare then?" Spring squirmed back, shaking her head to straighten her hair. "I don't think I can. But I can try to help out. I'm trying to get back to Equestria, but I can't." Sally clucked her tongue against her beak, a low whistle following. "Lost from paradise, here? What terrible luck you have, Spring. Still, you come from somewhere that blessed, must mean something." She threw the sword off the table it had been on into a bin. "That's good enough, and you're too good. Go talk to the mayor. I bet she has a more pressing job for you than sitting here with me." Spring shook her head. "I'm supposed to work with you. I can't just wander off." Sally gestured at the door. "If I'm not using you, you're not working for me. Besides, this is survival. We work where we can, as hard as we can. We all do that, we live to see tomorrow. Ain't not one of us have formal duties. This is a town of desperate folks doing whatever it takes to keep going. If you've got a talent, use it." *** Spring wandered the streets, not sure where the mayor would be. "I wonder if I should even look?" She wandered towards a human sitting beside a building. "You don't look busy. Excuse me, sir? Where can I find the mayor?" He didn't look at her. "Um, sir?" She reached out to tap him, and her hoof passed right through him. "Whoa! You're a ghost!" He turned his face at her with a dull chuckle, his voice dry as dust. "We'll win this war," he rasped out, fading away. Spring shivered, looking around. The flow didn't seem to change, as if only she had spotted that phantom. With a swallow, she went for a griffon walking instead, striding alongside them. "Excuse me? Sir?" He turned to her. "Yeah, whatcha want?" His eyes looked tired, and his voice was flat, like he was ready to pass out right then and there, but he wasn't. "I'm looking for the mayor. I was told she'd have a job for me." Spring pointed at herself and tried her best smile. "Huh." The griffon was quiet a moment, but he did point at least. "Good luck." That said, he turned and resumed his walk, not another word for her. She followed his direction, going down a street and into a rather large building, at least compared to many others. It had two stories! Inside was a griffon, larger than most. She was seated at a desk big enough for her, where she typed with noisy taps of the machine at work. She looked up the moment Spring entered. "Oh, what is this?" She pushed the typewriter aside. "A new resident? Don't recognize you. Don't recognize you, and you don't recognize me, so you're brand new to the city. Well." She stood, her wings spreading wide. "Welcome to Buzzard's Bluff, I am Mayor Black." She gave a formal bow. "And you are?" "Spring Shower." Spring stepped forward, her tail lashing. "I'm here because my boss said I have a talent, and I should talk to you about it. Said you could use me." "Did they?" Black settled back in her seat, eyes on Spring. "What a curious creature you are. Share your story and I bet this will become clear." "Well, I'm a kirin. We can control fire, in our own way." She held up her hoof, making it flare to life. "I'm new to your city. Me and my friend Kit came here just yesterday, but we're willing to work. Oh, I'm from Equestria, which is not a foal's tale!" She stomped her hoof angrily, a little wisp of smoke rising. "I came here by a spell that went wrong. I'm here for now." Black's expression was impossible to read. Her feathers were ruffled, but she didn't look at all happy. "Equestria." The word was spoken slowly. "A little angel." She steepled her fingers. "An Equestrian angel visited another town, long off. They still whisper tales, like a myth at this point. If you're lying, this is your chance to admit it, and I won't hold it against you." "I'm not lying." Spring shook her head with a frown. "Equestria is a real place, not some fairy tale." Black smiled at last, but it was the sort of smile that had nothing to do with happiness. "If that is what you believe, I can see why they sent you to me. Is that friend of yours, Kit was it? Are they also from Equestria?" Spring inclined her head faintly. "I think so? I didn't ask. That's a good question." "Can they do anything unusual?" She gestured to Spring's still burning hoof. "Like you are doing?" Spring thought a moment, her tail lashing behind her as her mind worked through the possibilities. "Oh! Yes. When they got angry, they used magic and beat up a whole group of griffons at the same time. That was scary, but also kind of amazing. Glad he's nice." She giggled gently, then shook her head to get herself back on track. "Sorry, yes. He's magic. Can't make fire, but he can do, um...other things." Mayor Black nodded lightly. "Then your talents are being wasted helping around town. I appreciate industry, but in these times, we have to use all our talents. All of them. Doing things beneath you is wasting valuable resources. Get your friend and report back here. I'm sending you two into the ashes. I have a site that needs scavenging and I'm short on scouts to send, or I was until you came trotting in." Spring swallowed hard. "Into the ashes? But, um. I'm new here." Her voice was weak, her tail lashing behind her, and her ears were drooping. "Why not send someone from the town?" Black raised a brow. "You are from town. You came to me, not the other way around. Have you eaten here? Have you slept here yet? If so, you're as much a member of our community as anyone else, and we expect everyone to do all they can. Now, you have a gift and I need it used. Get your friend and report back to me. I'll give you a mission. It's easy. You just go, you find anything that isn't ash, you come back. Bring back goodies and we'll cheer for you. If you can't, we won't scold you, but the cheers will be a lot quieter." Spring's ears folded back at that. "But I don't want to go in the ashes." Black stood, walking around her desk and right over to Spring, where she looked her in the eye. "You had to go into the ashes to get here. I know they aren't fun, or safe. Work is work, it's not easy for anyone, but we do it, so we can all survive." She leaned in. "Equestrians are supposed to be helpful, aren't they?" Spring nodded. "They are. We are. Okay. I don't know where he is. Is that a problem?" Black pointed past Spring. "Time for your first mission, find him. I'm sure you can do that. Come back when you do, and not before. Go on." She turned and walked back to her desk. "Get to work. You're on the clock, now." Spring squeaked, whirling around. "I won't be late!" She hurried out of view, as if afraid she would be somehow late for the unspecified time limit of finding her friend. *** Kit had found himself in a building with a long table, and many griffons seated at it. At the end of the table was an older, rougher griffon with a scar across his face and a missing eye. The older griffon was laughing low. "It came towards us, mouth dripping with the sorrows of a life wasted in the ashes. We stared, and we knew. This was it. This was the end of the line. There was no getting past this horror." He looked at the others, but they didn't react. He drew a sword that crackled with electricity from his side. "I wasn't ready to die! I charged it, but the thing matched my speed. We were going to clash. My sword was at the ready, its claws were ready to strike! It came at me, and I at it. Then, in an instant, it was gone, and the ground before me was a gaping hole." Kit's eyes were wide as saucers, taking in the story of that ashen survivor. He had no idea he'd have a chance for his own ashen exploits. Author's Note I rather like this town. It's my first time really getting to 'bring it to life' as it were. Welcome to Buzzard's Bluff. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 4 - Trotting in Ash"We have to go!" Spring had finally found Kit in the mess hall, at the table of a group of hardened looking griffons. One of them had been sharing a story when she interrupted. "We have to go, right now." Kit inclined his head. "Now?" But he was already being pulled to his feet. "Okay. Is something wrong?" He jogged along at her side as she picked up speed. "I'll explain on the way." She hurried along, hoping she wasn't too late. She knew exactly where to go, but didn't know how long she would have to get there. "So, I went to work with the smith, but she said that I was too good, and then the mayor gave us a job. We're supposed to find things in the ash." She glanced back at Kit. "There's an old building that the mayor said would have things to scavenge, and she wants us to find it." Kit rubbed behind his head as he hurried alongside her. "That sounds dangerous." "Probably," she squeaked out, thinking about it for the first time. "But I don't think she cares." They arrived at city hall, and she shoved the doors open. "I'm back, and I found him." "Hey!" He gave a little wave, then looked around the office, his tail wagging. "A hybrid." She nodded, not looking alarmed or offended. "But not the sort I'm used to seeing." She sank to her seat and put her hands together. "This town has griffons, ponies, and proof that the two are getting along pretty well." She pointed at Kit with a clawed hand. "But you aren't a griffon, but I do see pony. What are you, exactly? Your kind of hybrid I've never seen." "Kit!" He put a hand to his chest. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He considered a moment. "I'm part fox, part pony. I heard you wanted us to go looking for things?" "I did." She leaned in, her wings folding a bit. "You both have magic, and that means you're both more useful to us than normal residents. I don't need you to cook food or make weapons." She rolled her hands over one another. "I mean, you may, when you're not busy doing something more pressing. We have lights, if you didn't notice, lovely things." She reached to caress a small lamp on her desk that fought off the gloom. "Power's going out if we don't find the parts to keep that generator humming. We have people working feverishly with what we have, but we need more." She pushed a slip of paper over her desk. "Here's a list. Mind, you see anything else that looks useful, grab it too. We're not that picky." Kit took the paper, glancing at the list, written out by hand. "We can do it. We'll bring this back." He took the paper, holding it in both hands. "Thank you, ma'am." She nodded. "Good. Go on then." She lifted a tuft of feathers one could assume an ear hid in. "I'm not promising any fancy pay. Money's gone out of style. But people will look up to you if you come back with anything that helps keep the lights on." Spring nodded. "We'll try. Let's go." She turned and trotted for the door. Kit followed her out of city hall. "Where are we going, anyway?" He glanced at her as they trotted into the street. She froze. "I, um, don't know." She grabbed the paper with her magic. "Maybe this has something." She flipped it over from the list and there was a crude map. "See?" She pointed. "We're here. Um, so we have to go, that way. Come on." She turned and trotted down a side road. Kit followed her out of the city and towards a hillside. They walked in silence, his tail wagging as he watched the ash fall around them. "At least it's not coming down as hard as that first day we arrived." His ears flattened against his head. "That was scary." He shuddered. "Still is. How do they live here?" "They have no choice. They have nowhere else." Spring shook her head with a sigh. "They have to fight, or they die." She shuddered with the thought. "You came here. Can't you just go home, and take me?" Kit laughed awkwardly at the idea. "I am not allowed to do that. I am here to help though." He closed in at her side, hand on the far side of her barrel. "We'll get through this, okay?" She leaned into him, walking close together. "I hope you're right." She shivered gently, looking around the ash-covered hills. "I don't want to stay here forever." He looked out across the ash covered land. "It is a pretty sad place. I'll do what I can to help. Promise. We'll be friends." He held her close, his tail wagging. It was a curious blend of fox and horse parts, which made its movements interesting. "Oh, look." He pointed to a building sticking free of the carpet of ash. "I think that's it." She trotted towards it with him. "The mayor said that place had something, but she wasn't sure what." She looked at it. It was a building, mostly intact, with only one section having caved in. "Or maybe somecreature just hoped there was." "We'll find out." He slipped into the building and shook off, sending ash falling from his pelt. "Nice to not be being rained on. I mean, as nice as ash can ever be." Spring nodded, stepping inside after him. "Sure is. Look at all this stuff, and it doesn't even have a sign outside. I wonder what this place was for." The building was filled with dusty furniture, a few shelves, and a few boxes. She pointed to the nearest one. "Let's see what's in there." The two hurried over, even smiling for a moment. The box was, in a way, a gift box just waiting for them to open it. It glowed with Spring's magic, popping open for them to look inside. Kit pulled one of the things inside out. "Tapes, wow. I'd only heard of these." He turned the audio tape this way and that. "Wonder if there's a player in here. If not, maybe they have one back at town?" Spring nodded. "Good idea." She dug into the box. "More tapes, a few books, and a couple of other boxes." She picked one up. "Oh, look." She turned the box so Kit could see it. On the side was writing, but long since faded. She popped it right open to reveal a thick nest of wires. "Huh." He leaned in, his tail lashing. "Wonder if they could use that in town? Probably, right?" His ears flopped forward. "I mean, they could probably make something from that, couldn't they?" He came out with a small wooden box. "The others were all cardboard. This one must be important." He popped it open and soft music filled the air. Inside were momentos and cards. "Oh." Kit shrank a little. "I wonder who's memories these used to be." He closed the box, silencing the song, then put it in the box. "This is history, not useful to us, but it should be saved." He closed the box back up. He took a soft breath. "But not what we're here for. This won't be the big help they're hoping for." "No, you're right." Spring looked through the box of books, but they were all ruined. The damp had soaked the pages and frozen them together, making a useless brick of pulp. "They wanted us to find something specific, and these aren't it." She turned her attention to the other boxes. "Okay, hm. You." She picked a box and floated it over, top popping along the way. "You're my lucky box!" Inside was more ruined stuff, and a long knife with a leather sheath and handle. "Oh, neat." Kit reached into the box to lift the blade free, looking at it. "I could use this, couldn't I?" Kit inclined his head. "Have you ever used a knife before?" "It's good for cutting food." She slipped it right around herself, securing the sheath and then the knife within that sheath. "Way better than trying to use your hooves." Kit blinked softly. "Oh, um. I thought you meant as a weapon." He shook his head, smiling. "But that too!" He went back to looking through boxes. There were many little treasures, but nothing they had come for. The two dug through box after box, making a small pile of things they intended to take with them. They tucked away that pile into Kit's backpack to carry with them. "This is just the first floor, we're not done. Let's look for stairs, up or down." He walked along, eyes peeled for some sign of a way to go either way. Spring looked in another room and made her discovery, an old set of stairs leading up. She poked her head back out, waving him to her with her magic. He started at the magical hand pointing the way, then laughed as he followed it. "I didn't know you could do that." They ascended to the second story. It was in worse shape, having been exposed to more of the elements than the ground floor had. "We'll have to be careful," he cautioned her as they walked across the creaking boards. Spring creeped across the floor, one squeak at a time, trying not to bother it on the way to a small pile of boxes. One of these boxes was long and thin, and had a hole in the side that let her see the contents were not wet like most others. She popped open the top and reached in. "Oh!" She pulled out a long bulb from inside it. "Look at this." Kit checked the list. "That's on the list, surprisingly." He pointed at that line. "Take it for sure." She nodded and tucked that away, smiling. "We can do this. Oh, look, one more." She trotted to it and picked up another, identical bulb, tucking that away as well. She saw a glint, possible a third, and went after it like a trail of crumbs. She found her way to what looked like a sort of bed. The mattress had been torn apart, but something sparkly was still sitting there. It was a golden locket with some kind of gem inside it. "This isn't going to fix anything, but it is pretty." She held it close between her cloven hooves. "I'm glad we found it anyway." Kit took it from her gently and placed it around her neck. "There, now you have a treasure." She smiled at him, her ears perked. "Thank you." She leaned in to lick across his nose. "You're a nice creature. As scary as this world is, I'm glad you were here to greet me." Kit's cheeks warmed, but he laughed softly at that. "I'm glad I was here. I just wish you didn't have to get stuck with me." Spring turned to continue her hunt. "I was stuck before I ran into you. You didn't make me stuck." She prowled into the dark, only her lit horn fighting it off. He looked around at the darkness. "This is kind of creepy. Are you sure there's something up here? This place is falling apart." His eyes picked out what looked to be a door and, beside it, a set of stairs. She saw the door as well, and went right for it. "If it's scary, that means other creatures didn't want to look either, so we may find something good, like those long things." "Light bulbs?" He shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe there are monsters in there and we're the prey." His ears flattened, tail lashing. "I wouldn't put that past this place." Spring threw open the door with her magic. "If there are monsters in there, you have to tell us. Those are the rules." "I wouldn't want to be called a cheater," replied a new voice, rasping and dry. Author's Note Oh, right, this is an adventure story. I had almost forgotten. At least the monster's polite about it. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 5 - What We FoundKit sprang into a fighting stance, lightly bouncing on his hooves. "Who is that?!" "A very bad ambush predator." The voice sounded amused. "Giving myself away like that." Spring's nose twitched gently. "Hello? I'm Spring Shower. This is Kit Tune! Nice to meet you." "I had a name, long ago. Haven't used it in ages." The darkness before them shifted as something emerged from it, a pony made of little more than ash itself, and not that much of it. "Nice to have someone ask me for mine, even if I don't have an answer." Spring recoiled at the first sight, but her curiosity proved a far stronger emotion. "Oh! Oh wow. Hi. I'm sorry. Why are you made of ash?" "Things live here now," the ash pony mused. "You'll find them. They eat up all the moisture in things, leave them dry." They raised a hoof. "Most are pissed off, for good reasons. They lived hard lives, died suddenly, painfully, and we all became one miserable family. Whatever your ties, you're together in ashes in a sick way." The ash pony turned, trotting into the darkness. "Come along. We'll talk. You can tell me what you are looking for, maybe I've seen it. Or at least, where you can find it. There's a little more to find here in this place than the rest." Kit fell back to all fours, glancing sidelong at Spring. "I'll protect you." "From what?" Spring trotted after the ash pony into the darkness, though her horn's glow scared away that dark. That made what was once a spartan bedroom come into view. "Is this your room?" "I hope not." The ashen pony shook his head, his tail lashing. "But I'm afraid so." He sat on the bed and patted it with a hoof. "Made of the same stuff we are. I don't recommend you sit down. Neither of you have the usual stink, other than living." She nodded, trotting closer. "That makes sense." She smiled and sat on the bed, or would have, if she hadn't sank right through it like it was a cloud of dust. "You did warn me." She gathered herself back to her hooves. "We are alive, but what's the other 'stink?'" She snuffed herself, checking for offensive odors. "Everycreature has a stink to those of us here." He waved a hoof. "This world smells different when it's all ash and dust." The phantom leaned in, eyes flickering to life with a dull glow. "Distant promises of a life removed. Ancient threats, given new life. The hope of escape. You two are different. Now, let's get on with it, what are you searching for?" Spring pulled out the list. "This stuff. Do you recognize any of it? The mayor wants it." The ashen pony glanced at it. "We were a military town. That's a lot of military gear." He pointed to what may have been a box long ago. "Look in there. I think you'll find a few still in one piece." Kit looked at the box with some trepidation before hurrying over and peeking inside. "Oh, he's right." He dug out a few large bulbs and a mess of resistors. "Did you work here?" "No, I was bored." He waved his hoof in a slow circle. "So I counted what was here. It was an easy way to kill a few years. You don't exactly sleep anymore, once you've gone away." The kirin giggled. "I suppose that makes sense." She smiled, then glanced to her side. "Oh." She reached for a small plastic device and held it up. "What is this?" She turned it about in her magic, trying to make sense of it. "A game." He looked at it flatly a moment. "Useless, without a battery. Most have more pressing need for batteries than games. It will probably sit, silently waiting for its player to return to it." The ash pony's head lowered a moment before he straightened up. "I can help you find things you're looking for. You've come to the right place." He laughed, an unnerving sound of sliding ash and dust. "Like a battery. I know where one's hiding, but there are others, far less kind than me." Spring smiled, trying to push past her discomfort. "You seem nice though. How could you be less kind?" "We were not nice creatures," the ash pony intoned, letting out a soft sigh. "We fought and killed until the world itself got tired of us and finished the job for us." That made him laugh. "Now, we are a world of dust, of ash, all of us. We can't fight each other anymore. But the monsters out there are still real. They'll hurt you, given the chance. You don't have our smell, but that doesn't mean you aren't worth hunting." Kit moved between Spring and the talkative ghost of ash. "That's why I was on guard. A battery is on the list, with a maybe. I'm guessing they don't expect it, but would like one. Is it far from here?" The pony shrugged. "Not far enough you can't get it, but far enough you might be noticed." He pointed down, then in a general direction. "Basement. There are boxes, with military labels. Once you go down past the ground floor, you will draw their attention, and, like I said, far less kind than me. They won't ask questions, or give answers other than pain. Don't go if you're not ready to fight." Kit looked at the ash pony. "You're trying to protect us from these others?" "They're not kind," the pony said again, shaking his head slowly. "Not like me." Kit patted Spring on the shoulder. "If we go back with what we found, they'll be happy." "If we get that battery, they'll be even happier." Spring stepped from one hoof to the next in an excited little prance. "This isn't a game." Kit advanced on her, pressing her back against a wall. "You could get hurt. Worse, possibly." He flipped his ears back thinking about it. "You don't even know how to fight." She pushed him away gently, frowning. "You can teach me. I'll be fine." She tossed her head, her mane trailing. "If they need it so much, I want to try." Kit smiled a little at that. "I will gladly teach you, but that takes time. Let's bring what we found back, then I can show you." He rubbed her shoulder lightly, looking into her eyes. "It will give us something to do until I can open a portal for you to get home." She leaned in to nuzzle him softly, then turned to the phantom of ash. "Thank you. You've been very helpful." "Hm." He was quiet a moment. "Hm. Yes." He stood up, eyes on Spring. "I think I've wanted to be helpful. It feels." He paused, frozen. "Nice." Kit turned to the phantom. "Can't you come with us?" The ashen pony snorted softly at that. "You have a long way to go before you understand this place, if you think that. Those that sent you would dash me apart on first sight, and they'd be right to do so. Leave me here. If you plan to come back for the battery, we'll meet again then." Spring backed towards the stairs with a frown. "I'm not okay with them hurting you like that, but I don't know what else to do." He chuckled lightly. "They won't be hurting me, just sending me along." He settled on his lightly damaged bed of dust. "I can wait. Patience is one thing this life has taught me." Kit and Spring nodded, then slipped back downstairs to the main floor. She glanced to Kit. "Why can't he come with us?" Her tail lashed anxiously. "That's not fair." "No." He brushed against her, side to side. "But the others are scared. They'd see an ashen monster, and they'd attack. We can try to help them past this fear, but we can't do it all at once." He squeezed through the front door and shook off. "Let's head back and see how much this helps." Kit led the way back towards the relative safety of town. "Besides, we don't know if that's a good idea. He's nice to us, but we smell 'different' then the others. Maybe he'd get very mean around the others. Maybe they're right to be scared." Spring shook her head as they walked. "He was very nice." She sighed softly. "But I guess you're right." She followed him back towards Buzzard's Bluff, their path a little easier with the trail they left coming through. The trip back was quiet with only the sound of their steps until they got to the town itself. The guards nodded at the two as they came. One called out, "Two scouts returning! Find anything good, scouts?" "Found some things!" Kit held up the backpack stuffed with goodies. "We're going to go talk to the mayor!" "Thank you!" A voice called from one of the windows in a distant building. A pony stuck his head out. "Thank you, scouts!" Other cries of thanks echoed from the left and the right as they went. A successful venture was reason enough to have some cheer in the town. Spring perked her ears. "That feels good." She giggled gently, her tail swishing. "I like being useful." Kit laughed softly and patted her on the back. "You do it well." He thought back. "A pity. That ash ghost likes being helpful too." A new figure landed before them, eyes bright and a smile on their beak. Spring thought them a griffon, but noticed something odd. Their back end ended in hooves. "A hippogriff?!" The new bird recoiled in surprise. "Yeah? There a problem with that?" "Oh! No." She shook her head quickly. "Just, um. You're the first I saw here." She giggled nervously. "Open your eyes." The new bird waved her hand over the town. "More of us are hippos than not. Ponies and griffons get along, and when they get along, you get hippos." That brought a mild blush and bubbling laughter from Spring. "I never heard it called 'hippos' before, that's funny. Why would ponies and griffons getting along make more hippogriffs?" The hippogriff stared at her blankly a moment. "Don't know where you're from, but it must be strange. Look, when a pony and a griffon love each other enough to spend a night together, a hippo might happen. Or if you get two hippos. Either way, that's me." She gestured over herself. "Part griffon, part pony. Mayor asked me to check what you brought back and make sure none of it was the sort of thing that'd hurt the town. Scouts have made mistakes in the past, brought back the wrong kind of things." Spring looked to Kit, then to this new person. "What do we call you?" She smiled softly. "I don't see why that's relevant." She paused. "But my name is Bright Eyes." She tapped at her chest. "Nice to meetcha. Now put down what you found so I can inspect it properly." Kit slipped the bag off his back. "Here, take a look." He offered it up and she grabbed it quickly. She set to work, pulling out items and setting them in rows on the ground, muttering to herself along the way. Bright eventually came to the end of it all and clapped her taloned hands together. "Great haul. Nothing that'll kill us or hurt anyone. Where the hell did you find all this so close to us? Figured the scouts would have torn through anything that close by now." Spring giggled gently. "We found a military building with a whole bunch of stuff." She pointed back the way they came. "A few miles, maybe five or ten. I don't know how far it is, only how long it took us to get there and come back." Kit slipped in front of her. "There are ash spirits haunting it. We were lucky." Bright whistled, ending with a clack of her beak. "That explains why the other scouts haven't gotten it all. Ash spirits are trouble. Good on you two for not dying." She gathered up their items. "We'll get this set for storage and distribution. You should head back to the mayor and let her know what's going on." She gave a little wave of one of her wings. Author's Note At times, there are perks to not being a local. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 6 - No RestKeyed to look for it, they could see the mayor had the back end of a pony, with two hooves, not two talons. It was easy to miss with her usually seated at her desk. But when they returned with their news, Mayor Black came around to hug the both of them. "I had a feeling. It was a distant one, but nobody's gotten badly off by showing an Equestrian a little faith." Spring giggled and hugged right back. Kit blushed at the idea and let the mayor hug him. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm happy we helped." She nodded. "Helped is putting it mildly." She grabbed a bit of paper off her cluttered desk and showed it to them, a densely scrawled list of things. "This is what you brought back, and so close? I can see why. Most scouts just don't bother trying to upset an ash spirit if they know it's there. You just walk in and take it all without a problem? Ha, that's made my day." "I wanted to help." Spring looked at the list with a broad smile. "We found some other stuff. We didn't bring it because we weren't sure if you wanted it. It's not on this list of things." Kit gestured downwards as if pressing something towards the floor. "They were also heavy. We took what we could carry." Black waved it off. "You brought plenty. Taking too much is just another way to die in the ash, and I'd rather you get back so you can try again later. You fight anything out there, or just walk in, grabbed it, and got out?" "There was a nice ghost." Spring sat, her tail swishing. "He helped us, showed us where to find some of that stuff. We found other stuff that we took. We didn't get hurt, or fight anything, but there were other scary things that live there." Spring raised a hoof to her chin. "Do you think he could come here, the nice ghost?" Black stiffened. "That." She prodded Spring in the chest. "Isn't happening. They were nice to you, little otherworldly thing. They wouldn't be so 'gracious' with the rest of us." Her voice was flat, eyes steady. "Ash spirits are nothing to toy with. You didn't come home wrong. Some creatures have. They come home wrong, they can never be made right again, and they're put down like feral beasts. If they even get home at all." She looked to Kit. "You seem the one with more sense of the two, that strike you as a good idea?" "No." Kit shook his head firmly, looking Black in the eye. "I don't want that anywhere near us. If I had my way, we wouldn't have spoken to him at all." Spring scowled at Kit. "How can you even say that?" She turned away, rearing up just so she could fold her arms. "He was very nice to us." "And that's how you get in trouble." Black shook her head. "A little honey gets the fly to the web." She shrugged. "That's life in the ash for you. Better to live and let whatever is happening out there stay there than bring it here and ruin everything." With a muted clopping, she returned to her spot behind her desk. "You two did good. Take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, I'll have a new target for you, so be ready for that." Kit nodded, but Spring's scowl softened into something sadder. "He was so nice." "Maybe he thought he was being nice." The mayor sat heavily in her seat, hands clasped before her on the desk. "But the anger of the Ash isn't something the ashen creatures can put down. All we can do is suffer it." She waved the two away with shooing motions. Kit and Spring left the town hall, walking back into the streets. He glanced sidelong at her as they went. "You're taking that so hard." He patted her on the shoulder. "We can't fix everything." "That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fix something." Her eyes were on everything but the road ahead of them. "I smell something good." "Food is food here." He perked his ears up, nose twitching. "I think it's that way." Neither objected to their silent agreement, hurrying over to what seemed like a cart with a buzzard behind it. The buzzard wore a gas mask, obfuscating his voice. "Welcome, newcomers. Don't remember seeing you before. Hungry? Everything here is free for good members of the community." Her mood brightened immediately. "I'm always hungry!" She leaned in close to look at what was cooking. "Oh, that smells so good!" "I'll take what you're making," Kit added as he moved up alongside her. "Great answers both." He took out two buns, long ones, and put a sausage of something in each one, then various toppings on each of them with a little humming as he went. "Two everything's, made with that little extra." He held out the two, one in either hand. Kit took his and took a bite. His ears shot up and he smiled brightly at the taste. "That's an everything, all right." She took hers, then took a big bite of it, almost half. "Oh! Woah." She sank to her haunches, trying to process what she was still chewing. "Woah. What is that?" She swallowed it all down. "It's amazing! My tongue's still tingling." The buzzard grinned under the mask. "Our secret spice blend, keeps your mouth happy and your belly busy with all sorts of things." He waved the spatula he held. "Food for everyone, because everyone has to eat." He put the spatula-wielding hand against his hip. "I'm no daring scout, like you two, but I do my part to keep this place working." The two nodded in unison before tearing back into their hotdogs with vigor. Kit swallowed his bite down before replying, "This is fantastic! Thank you!" The buzzard nodded, turning back to his cart with a smile. "If you're hungry and you see me, ask for another. No, you can't take one for later." "I didn't ask." Spring wriggled her nose, though empty of any food in her magic. "Thank you!" "Thank you!" Kit waved and turned away with a smile. The two went on their way, heading towards the shelter they were sharing. "That was a nice meal." She bumped into Kit's side lightly as they walked. "Thank you for coming here. It would be scary alone." She hugged him close for a moment. Kit warmed with a little giggle. "You're fun to help. Maybe tomorrow the clouds will open enough for your spell." "That'd be nice," she said with a smile, tail swishing. "At least it's not raining ash right now. But I like being here with you." He smiled. "That's good, because it's going to be a little longer." The two stepped into their shelter together and he gave a soft sigh. "We did make the place better though, and they appreciated it." He gestured around at the other people around. "This isn't a soft place. Let's find a room for ourselves. Maybe the one we used yesterday is open?" The room wasn't densely populated, most of them out, doing their various jobs. Spring walked to the small room in back where they had slept. "Oh, good." The cot was still there, but it looked better. New sheets, a thicker mattress, even an extra pillow and blanket. "Somecreature went and freshened it all up." Kit pointed just to the left of the door. "Look." There, a sign. It read clearly, 'Scouts.' "I think they gave this room to us, or any other scout, I guess." He smiled at her. "That's nice of them." Spring's tail flicked gently. "It is, and that's good." She walked over to the bed and flopped down on her belly, eyes on Kit. "Come inside." "Right!" He scurried in, closed the door, and engaged the cumbersome lock that kept it closed. "There." With that handled, he sank onto the other cot, rump first. "So, we're scouts. How does that make you feel?" "Scared." Spring's ears flattened. "The ashes, whole thing. It's a little much." Her eyes were on the door. "I want this whole building to be a place that keeps out the scary things, but I don't think it's very safe." Kit made a nervous noise at that. "I don't think anywhere here, right now, is as safe as you'd be back home. That's why I'm here until you get there, home that is." He gestured with a paw in her direction. "You can count on me." She smiled warmly. "That's good." She leaned back against her pillow and blanket nest, eyes flicking to Kit. "You're a nice creature, even if I never saw another like you before." She waved a hoof between his two halves. "Fox, pony, fox, pony. The griffons here are half pony a lot of the time." "Ah, well, that's just me." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm pretty unique." She nodded, then sighed gently. "I really like your help. I don't think I'd like being here alone, and I don't know what we're going to get into, but I'm happy to be getting into it with you next to me." She giggled as she burrowed under her blanket. "Gonna take a nap. You rest too." "I will," agreed Kit as he curled up into his own bed. "Good night, Spring." "Night!" She yawned softly into her pillow. "We can figure everything out later, I guess." Kit was slower to go, watching her in the quiet with only someone's muted coughing or a sneeze reaching them through the wall. He was about to fade himself when a loud banging reached him. "Raiders!" came the muffled cry. "All hands, defense!" "Oh no." Kit leaped to his hooves and patted Spring on the back. "Spring? We have trouble." "Huh?" She looked at him through sleepy eyes. "Trouble?" She shook herself from head back to her tail. "What happened? How long was I out?" "A minute or two." He hurried for the door, unlocking it with the heavy lever. "They're being attacked by other people." "Oh." Spring took a step forward, but then hesitated. "That's awful, but what are we supposed to do about that? I've never fought anycreature before. I can't do that." Kit hesitated with her. "If they fight and win, they'll come and hurt us next. That wouldn't be good." He didn't outright tell her to fight. "Oh no, that's true!" She got to her hooves and followed him outside. "I guess we should help." The two moved together through the shelter's main area. The place was entirely empty, the rest clearly having run towards, or away, from the loud banging and calls for defenders. The two stepped outside, looking around as the other residents gathered near the gates, which rattled with each impact. Kit's ears flicked towards Spring. "We should get ready to run if this goes badly." "Run where?" Her horn glowed with preparing power. "Back into the ashes, with nowhere to go? I don't think that's a good place to be." She gestured towards the others. "Let's try and help, maybe we can do something." "Right!" Kit walked towards the others, his tail lashing anxiously. As they approached the gate, the loud snapping pops of firearms could be heart. Above, they were firing down at something they couldn't see. One of the defenders squawked, falling backwards right off the wall. Fortunately for them, they were caught by some of the other citizens by the base of that wall. "It's the raiders!" someone shouted, pointing as something crawled over the wall, only to have its head blown apart by the defenders. "They're coming over the walls!" People screamed and scrambled around, trying to organize themselves. Like magic, they armed themselves. Some with things that could be weapons, others with whatever they could get their hands on or teeth on, if they didn't have hands available. Kit glanced to see if Spring had panicked, but she was too busy breathing hard, bits of flame rising through her pelt as her tail lashed behind her. Author's Note Don't wake a kirin from a deserved nap, or they may go reverse on you. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat! 8 - Kirin BeingA hippogriff made quite the face as she peeked under some covers. "Blasted raiders. If they want what we have, they could just work for it like everyone else! We'd take 'em in." Her eyes lifted when Spring approached. "And what do you want?" Spring took a step back, looking up at her, then to Kit. "I want to help." She rubbed her cloven hooves together fitfully. "Please." The hippogriff looked from Spring to Kit and snorted lightly. "Well, you didn't go runnin' into their guns." She waved the two in, pointing to a smaller shed that was set up with more beds than it ought to have had. "Well, 'least not in any way that got you hurt. Got any medical know how?" "No." Spring looked around, eyes wide. "But I do know magic." Kit stepped closer, looking to the medic as well. "She's helped so far. I have faith, and I'll keep an eye on her." The medic gave quite the laugh at that. "You do that. Don't push any of them past where they are. They're all good members of the community, hard workers. We don't want to hurt them any more than they've been hurt." She shook a talon. "But if you can help even a little bit, go ahead." She turned and walked out of the small shed, leaving them to the patients. Kit followed after Spring as she dashed towards one. "Not to be negative, but what do you have in mind?" She reached for the first victim's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm going to help you feel better." Her horn glowed softly as she focused on the patient. "It won't last all day, but it should help." The patient did relax, sinking into a less fitful sleep under her smiling watch. She hurried on from patient to patient, not treating them, but banishing the pain and replacing it with simple sleep. Kit watched it all with clear amazement on his face. "Clever! I thought Equestrians didn't usually have healing magic, but you figured out a nice way around that. Not healing, but taking the pain away and giving them rest. That's almost as good." He smiled as they left the last patient behind. "I'm proud of you." She beamed up at him, eyes shining. "It's just something that felt right to do. They were hurt bad." She clapped her hooves. "And I found a sleep spell before I came here. It was, um, a bit of an accident." She laughed at the memory, ears bouncing along with the rest of her. "Put myself to sleep for the rest of the day, woke up refreshed and confused." He shook his head quickly, ears flipping. "It was lucky you didn't run into something worse than me. But you've put them to rest. That's nice. I think we should get some food in ourselves, then you can check on them again." He brushed gently against her side. "You did good today, even if I'd rather you weren't so risky." She nodded, walking alongside him with a smile. "I'll be better in the future." She nuzzled his arm, giggling. "It's nice to have someone looking out for me." That got a smile out of him, but an ear twitched all the same as a voice whispered to him, "Kit. I thought they'd be well removed from your point in time/space, but they're coming." Kit's ears danced as he took in the words. "Who?" "You!" Spring bumped into him with an airy laugh. "I saw your ears. Are you talking to me?" She grinned up at him. "Or is this a secret conversation I'm not supposed to know about?" "It's." Kit shook his head hard. "You are very perceptive sometimes." He grabbed her snout suddenly. "Go get something to eat. I bet they'll give you extra for your work today. I'll meet up with you later, okay?" He released her and ducked around her before she could argue. "I'm going to check on a couple of things! Trust me!" Spring called after him, "Where are you going?" Her ears flicked as she looked around, trying to figure it all out. With a sullen huff, she made her way towards one of the food carts to see if he was right on that part or not. Kit raced around a corner out of sight in a small alley. "Who?" He put a pawhand by his ear. "Who's coming?" "I should have seen this coming. He's been there to catch falling Equestrians before. But he isn't a champion, wasn't a promise." Some papers were rustled around. "Trust in your mom, Kit. I'm looking up what I can. Name's Error, big pony. Has a companion, Bullette Belle. She's, hm." More papers rustled. "Nice, robot, alarmingly lethal. Both are dangerous, but only if you get on their bad side." "And how, exactly, do we avoid getting on their bad side?" He looked over his shoulder, then back at the alleyway wall. "By not doing bad things to people around them," came the response as a sheet of paper fluttered down from above, landing beside him. Kit snorted gently. "Well, neither Spring, nor I, like doing bad things to people, unless those people are being even worse to other people. Um, speaking of that, she's surprisingly able in battle if she feels motivated enough. You didn't mention how, hm, capable kirin can be." "Because it won't help you." A chair squeaking. "A kirin has to be beyond mad for that, and you can't rely on that. Enjoy that you got to see it." "I didn't! Not directly." Kit rubbed behind his head. "But I was close enough, heard it, and saw the aftermath." His ears lowered. "I really need to talk to her about that at some point. But we have more immediate concerns, don't we?" "Yes. They'll arrive shortly in your immediate vicinity." There was a tapping sound. "Sorry your first mission has to have complications. Speaking of that, how are you doing keeping her safe? She trust you?" Kit nodded, then sighed. "Yes." He sat heavily. "We're getting along fine. We get along well. She's a nice creature, even when she's being curious at the worst moments." Kit smiled thinking of her. "If I wasn't on assignment, I'd make her a friend." "Watch out." Kit's mom's voice got louder, leaning in. "You will have to leave. Don't get too attached. She has to go home, and so do you. You can't take each other home." He flattened his ears. "I know. But she's nice to be with, and we're making progress. No clear days yet, but that's okay." "I love you, Kit." A kissing sound, not that she could physically land it so far away. "Be good. I'll let you focus on what's around you." Kit stood up, brushing off his rump. "Okay." He turned to leave the alleyway, ears flicking when someone spoke to him. "Tell her I said thanks." An older griffon nodded at Kit as he emerged. "Too old to fight proper, but ah heard what she did. Young people who can deserve a thanks if nothing else. Where is she?" "Oh." Kit pointed in the direction of the medical building. "She's over there, helping ease some of the pain and giving them sleep. She really does like helping others, even when I'm trying to tell her not to be so risky." The older griffon laughed, swatting the ground behind himself with his tail. "She can't stop doing good for people? Makes me happy and sad at the same time." Kit drew to a stop, confused. "Why sad?" "She'll fit right in here," came the answer. "And I'd hate for her and you to stay where we'd have to keep risking her." He looked down at Kit. "I think I see why she'd trust you, fox pony." He reached down to give Kit a pat. "Besides, seen it before. You two won't stay for long enough." "Seen it?" Kit looked up at him as he was pat. The older griffon nodded firmly. "Seen creatures like the two of you. Get old enough, you start to see patterns." He rubbed at his chest with a little hum of thought. "Looks too good, it's because they're too big, can't fit in this little planter of a village. You'll move on. Good for us. Good for you, too." He chuckled as he walked away, tail swaying behind him. "But that doesn't mean we aren't thankful." "I like this place." Kit folded his arms. "We'll be your home for as long as you feel it. You'll move on when you don't. That's life." The griffon waved a hand. "Ah'm off, won't bother you none more." He walked off, leaving Kit on his lonesome. "Hm." He looked up as a shadow fell over him, and he had to gape for a second. A pony was looming overhead, blue with black spots on his flanks. "Excuse me." The large pony looked down at Kit and smiled brightly. "Oh, hello. Not often I see something as rare as I am." He brought down a massive hoof on kit's head in a light patting. "Hm, fox and pony? Don't see that often. Cute. Where're your parents?" Kit blinked up at him. "You must be Error." The large pony paused, looking startled. "That's not my name. Interesting one though. Error. A callsign?" His smile grew brighter. "I'm not sure I approve. If anyone's supposed to be an error, it's my friend." He pointed towards the food carts, where a smaller pony was getting herself a plate. "She doesn't mean nothing, but we big ponies, we protect." With a firm nod, he set off to keep an eye on that mare he'd apparently decided to watch over. Kit watched him go, then looked around. "Now I'm looking everywhere for them." He forced a calming breath. "Calm down. Besides, big pony and robot. I only saw one of those. Relax." He hurried towards Spring, tail lashing. He saw her balancing a heavy plate as she sat down. "Oh, did they give you more food?" Spring nodded, her mouth already full. "They said it's for helping out. And I guess it is for you, too. You're getting extra for being there with me." Her cheeks bulged out as she chewed joyfully for a moment. Working on that, she pushed the plate over where Kit could reach it. Kit picked up some food to nibble on himself. "We should probably rest again soon. We'll want to keep up with this helping if we're going to earn our place in town." Spring nodded, looking around at the people going about their business. With a big swallow, she let out a breath. "Phew! Yeah, today took a lot out of me, but I helped." She clapped her hooves with a bright smile. "So I'm pretty happy. I knew kirin magic would be worth learning. It's not the same as unicorn magic." Kit blinked, perking his ears forward. "What's different about it?" "It's like this." She gestured with her hoof. "I'm still figuring it out, but unicorn magic calls on stuff and changes stuff. Kirin magic is more about being. So making somecreature relaxed and take a little good nap? Easier for a kirin. Harder for a unicorn. Make sense? I'm only figuring this stuff out myself, so I could be wrong." She shrugged and resumed eating. "I think that makes sense to me." Kit smiled. "So what's something you want to try to do once we get home?" Spring threw a hoof up. "I want to become the first kirin wizard, so I can teach other kirins how to do kirin magic. Then we'll all be wizards, and we'll make everything better." She giggled softly. "Maybe they'll even make me the queen of Kirin." Kit snorted at that. "The queen of Kirin. I'm not sure what that would entail, Spring, but I imagine you'd do your best if you were given that chance." She nodded, eating another bite. "I'd be the best." Her horn flickered, and she waved a hoof. "Oh, I gotta check on them again." She swallowed, then set the food back down. "They should sleep today away, poor things." She waved at Kit before she dashed off towards the medical tents with clear purpose. "See you soon!" Kit watched her go, finishing up his own meal as he rose to join her. "Oh. Hello!" His ears shot straight up as a much smaller robot pony came alongside him. Author's Note A new costar is arriving on the scene. In fact, why not two? It's a two-for-one sale! A thank you to my Supporter Patrons: Zap Transfer and Dapple!👋🏽 Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
7 - Turning Up the Heat"We have a—" The harried defender put a makeshift bullet into their gun. "—thriving community going on here. Get out with your nonsense!" They fired at a raider trying to scale their walls. "What even keeps things like you motivated?!" Spring flared up, flames leaping all around her as she advanced on the wall, eyes on the nearest raider. "Burn!" She let herself go, and her flames lashed out for the nearest target. Her blue-black flames wrapping around them in a rising crescendo of burning and screams. "Burn." She stomped them to the ground, landing outside the gate, not that the enraged nirik seemed to care. Kit's eyes went wide at this change. "Oh." He raced for the gate, but it was closed tight. He could only knock and bang on it, not that the defenders moved to open it for them in the middle of the attack. "Burn." It was one word, and it was the only word she had as she raced around the attackers as bullets flew around her. Those aimed properly barely touched her with metal hot enough to bubble away from her burning form. The pain of the contact only served to infuriate her further. The attackers recoiled and tried to fall back as Spring flared brightly and burned them all. They had little defense against her, but they had each other, and one managed to get off a shot that slammed right into her. The bullet didn't do much, but the impact was felt and forced her to falter. With a roar of apex fury, she smashed into the marksman, driving them to the ground as they and the ground around them burned under her furious flames. "Burn!" The attack was off. The raiders were fleeing for their lives instead of trying to get inside the town. She chased them, stomping down any she found until, eventually, her flames ran out. Her pelt was a mess of scorch marks, ash clinging to her, and her mane and tail were little more than ragged ends. She wobbled in place before collapsing into the ash, huffing for the breath she had lost a few minutes back. Kit bolted out the moment the great clunk of the lock was undone. He raced across the stirred ash to Spring's side. "You're okay! I thought you were going to be shot dead!" She panted heavily. "That was crazy! They didn't get hurt by your attacks?" Kit inclined his head. "My attacks? You were the one to take care of them all this time." He gathered her close, hugging gently. "You were very brave, but maybe a little thoughtless." "Scary," Spring mumbled, ears flat. "Thoughtless and scary." She looked at him. "They would have come for me if I had done nothing. I have to defend myself." She shivered gently. "And our new friends. I couldn't let them get hurt." "Shh." He slowly rose up, her in his arms. "You did fine, Spring." Lucky, he thought to himself, but he kept that quiet. "In fact." He didn't need to say another word. As he carried Spring back into the town, the cheers of the residents were loud enough to do all the talking. They had seen what she did, and they were happy enough to call and holler as she was brought back in. They reached with hands and hooves to brush her on the way past, calling out their compliments and thanks. "Let's get you cleaned up," Kit whispered to her. She looked around with a broad smile. "Did that really just happen?" He nodded, hugging her gently. "It did. Can you tell me what exactly was that?" He flipped an ear back. "I didn't know you could do that." "Oh, ha. That's a kirin thing, actually." She looked away, curling in Kit's grip. "When we get really mad." Her eyes shut. "We get all burny." She shivered gently, then looked at him. "Sorry." He laughed softly. "I'm happy you're okay. You did well, protecting these people." He kicked open the door, hoof to metal, to gain access to the dorms. "Just be careful. What's amazing today can be scary tomorrow. We don't want them getting nervous you might turn on them." She shook her head as he put her onto the bed. "Thank you." She licked across his face, her eyes on his. "I was worried, but I had to do something. It got so bad, I couldn't hold back." She cringed, teeth clenched as her thoughts went back. "When a kirin gets that bad, it's real hard to do a lot but let it go." He smiled and gently nuzzled against her face, trying to relax her. "I was worried. I don't want you to get hurt, and that was very dangerous." His ears flattened. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" "I hurt a lot, actually." She felt over herself with her cloven hooves. "But not that sharp real hurt. Just a lot of sore, like I ran too long." She laughed gently and rubbed her chest as he nuzzled back. "Thank you for coming after me." Kit smiled, eyes closing as he breathed deep, then looked into her eyes. "Of course. I said I'd be with you until you were safely home." He brought his ears up. "I meant it. We're stuck together for now." He touched his nose to her cheek. "And I'm enjoying our time. Rest, for real. Stop talking with me." She giggled gently, curling her legs under her chest and neck as she lay on her side. "Night night." She shut her eyes. He settled down in the bed beside her, a paw on her back. There he waited patiently until her breathing was slow and even. For safety, he waited a bit longer before he slowly crept to the door and snuck outside. "Brave little thing." Kit started, realizing there was a large form looming over him. "Oh, um, hi Miss Mayor. Can I help you?" The hippogriff nodded firmly, looking down at him. "That was quite something, seeing the little kirin fight like that." She rubbed her beak-like mouth. "Reminds us that there's a world out there beyond this little town of ours." She leveled a finger at Kit. "The way she said it, you were the scarier one of the two. Can you do more than that?" Kit's eyes widened and he shook his head rapidly as he rose to all fours. "No! She was exaggerating. I'm not scary at all." "You don't look very scary," she admitted with a shrug. "But then, neither did she." She suddenly pat his head. "What, are you scared I'll chase you out of town? Pah. You saved our asses and we don't have the luxury of choosing who our allies are. You want to survive, and you want us to survive, so we all have a common interest, hm? I came here to ask her a question, but I guess you're just as good a target." He rubbed his head where she'd tapped him, eyes on her with confusion. "A question?" She nodded firmly. "It's simple, really. What would it take for the two of you to stick around?" She pointed at him, then beyond the wall to where she imagined Spring was. "Scout, guards, you two could do either I imagine. And we'd be lucky to have you at either assignment. As their mayor, they're looking up to me to see if we can't make that happen. They'd rest easier, knowing I had your word you aren't just blowing on through." He looked away. "We want to help. But." He gestured to Spring with a paw. "We don't belong here, we need to go back home." He looked into the room towards her, his ears flicked forward again. "We're waiting for a clear day." "That could be a long time." Mayor folded her arms. "Or it could be tomorrow, blast it all. Got a few that think they can predict it, but they only get it right half as often as they get it wrong, so I don't put much word in that." She clacked her beak. "Still, thanks. Figure a lot would have lied right about then. You shot straight. Don't like where that bullet landed, but I'll take it. Until that clear day comes, you'll be here?" "That's right," he agreed, looking her in the eye. "And we'll do what we can until then." The hippogriff nodded. "Great to hear." She turned and walked off, tail lashing behind her. "All I can ask." She reached the front door and opened it to reveal a host of hopeful eyes. "Are y'all waitin' that badly?" She slammed the door shut, but Kit could hear her shouting all the same, "They're stayin' 'round until the next clear day at least. Want to earn their favor? Tell 'em when it's a clear day. After that, up to them!" He could hear soft mutterings, muffled by the walls, and things became quiet. Kit backed against the door leading to their room as others began to enter. They nodded towards him on the way past, but mostly just minded their own business as they took up other rooms or crashed in the common area. He turned to go back inside and almost bumped into Spring as she opened the door from the other side. "You should have stayed sleeping." He sat on his rump, looking into her face. She giggled softly, shaking herself off. "But I didn't." She slipped into the main room with a bright smile. "A little powernap really changed things. I feel a lot better now." She shook herself out, just to freeze. "Ow." Kit saw something on the ground, shaken off in her last motion. He reached for it and held it towards the light. "This is one of your scales, isn't it?" "Oh!" Spring reached for her neck and rubbed it gently with a hoof. "Yeah, that's mine. Why was it on the floor?" He frowned with a soft muttering. "Because your scales were strong enough to stop you from getting hurt, but not enough to stay whole." He reached for her, turning her around. "There." He tapped just beside the bald spot on her back. "Here's where it came from." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Oh. I guess that makes sense. They fall off eventually, anyway. It's just fine. Don't worry about it." She smiled and turned to face him directly, nuzzling his chest. "You can keep it, if you want. A little souvenir." He made quite the face, but he second-guessed himself quickly. "Actually." He tucked it away into a pocket. "I think I will. But you need to be a little more careful. That could have been you being hurt, instead of one of your scales. You're lucky you got hit there." He imagined the force it took to knock a scale off applying to the rest of her soft and fuzzy form. "I want you to get back safely." She looked down at her hooves. "Sorry. I don't have any practice fighting. And they were all running from me, like I was scary or something. I guess that was scary." Kit barked out a laugh at that. "You were very frightening. They ran away." A few cheers went up. "And they liked that." He waved at those that had cheered. "Saved the day, almost got yourself hurt. Congratulations, you're a hero." He pressed a finger against her snout. "Cut that out." She giggled, then turned away from him. "We should probably check on the others. See if they need our help. We're heroes now, they might have something else they need help with." He gaped at her a moment before chasing after her. "I just said to cut that out." He followed alongside her onto the street. "Besides, what can you do? You're not a doctor." "No." She shook her head, horn glowing along its curious lines. "But I can help in other ways." She flagged down a passerby. "Excuse me, where do they bring creatures that are hurt real bad?" That got a point, which was good enough for her. "Thanks!" She trotted down the road with Kit close behind. "Spring, please, listen to me." The two arrived at a building with several smaller outbuildings that looked more like sheds or shanties than actual homes. It was where they had set up a quick triage for injured defenders. Medics were doing their best to apply ointments and bandages as needed to their suffering patients. Author's Note Spring wants to help, but how will she? A smile is good medicine, perhaps? A thank you to my Supporter Patrons: Zap Transfer and Dapple!👋🏽 Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
1 - Mugged in AshShe trailed patterns in the dirt at the end of her cloven hooves, tail lashing behind her. "This time...." She was alone, but she didn't mind that. Dancing back from her intricate pattern, she clapped. "Let's try it!" The kirin's ornate horn glowed with power. "It's time for kirin magic!" Magic burst forth from her, and a portal opened, shining with light. "It's a portal, which means...it's time to go through the portal! And that's what I'm gonna do!" With a giggle of anticipation, she trotted towards it. "The very first kirin portal. Wonder where it goes?" She eyed it a moment, then shrugged. "One way to find out." With a great leap, she jumped through it. *** "Alright, pup." She ruffled Kit Tune's head gently. "You may be my child, but today, you're an adult. Still my kid. You'll always be there." His tail wagged with vibrant energy. "Of course, Mom. You'll always be my mom too." He jumped forward, grabbing her in a firm hug. "But, yeah, um." She laughed gently. "Today you get your first mission." She curled her fingers, summoning a floating display. "We have an Equestrian that just got herself lost. She'll be landing on Everglow, Ashen timeline. Nasty place. She'll need a good friend to keep her safe. Think you're up for it?" Kit nodded firmly. "Of course! Saving ponies is the best thing we can do. We'll be friends forever!" She smiled. "I know you will, Kit. I know." She turned to her console, typing. "If you can make a friend, bonus. But your mission is to keep her safe until she gets back home. Do that, success. Make a friend, that's extra. Come back with a foal, I will give you such a look, but technically not banned." Kit colored brightly at that. "I just want to make a friend, mom, not get a wife." He rubbed behind his head, clopping with his pony hooves. A creature both fox and pony, he had bits of both, with hooves below and curious fingers above. "I'm ready! Let's go!" He wiggled back and forth. His mother nodded. "I'm opening the portal for you, now. You know how to use your magic. Good luck." With a flare, the portal opened. "You can call me, but only if it's an emergency. Use your own head, Kit. I know I gave you a good one of those." Kit charged for the portal, just to slide to a stop. "Tell Mom where I am." She snorted at that. "I'll keep Octavia in the loop. She'd get cross with me if I let her son wander off without doing at least that." He grinned at that. "Thanks." With that, he dove in. The swirling portal closed behind him. *** The kirin landed, not on grass, or leaves, or even a city street. It was a strange substance that gave beneath her a little. She raised a hoof, smeared with the stuff and took a sniff. Ash? She looked to the sky and gasped. Not the sky, but a ceiling of ash. The sky itself was a dull grey that seemed to be raining down. She held out her hoof and caught some of the substance. It felt like she had arrived in a world of ash. Not wanting to be rained on, she trotted forward into it, looking for some cover, any cover. "Spring Shower, what have you gotten yourself into?" She squinted against the driving rain of ash. It had gone from pleasant warmth to a burning heat. Fortunately for her, kirin didn't mind heat overly much. Ahead, she could see a cave, a rocky outcropping that promised some shelter from the unrelenting ash. Her hooves kicked up clouds, her tail leaving a streak that slowly settled, like she was running through dust. She got to the cave and slipped inside. Her horn glowed, the magic around it bursting into a ball of flames that illuminated her surroundings. "Hello." A figured emerged from the dark. It had pony hooves, but fingers at the end of its arms. "Bad weather, huh?" She stepped backwards, the flames flaring in her surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." He wasn't a kirin, and she didn't know how to react. Kit spread his arms. "This isn't my cave. I'm visiting too. You can come on in." He gestured to the back of the cave. "I don't have a campfire, but I can offer a few snacks?" He sat on the rocky floor. Digging into a pocket, he pulled out a parcel of plastic. Within it, subtle hints of something sweet began to emerge. "I have chocolate." Chocolate? She'd heard of it, but never had it before. "Sure. I'd be glad to have some." She trotted up to him, then folded her legs, laying on the ground. "Um, so, hi. I'm Spring Shower." She curled a cloven hoof to point at herself. "Who are you?" Kit smiled. "I'm Kit. Kit Tune. A pleasure to meet you." He broke off a section of the chocolate, offering it to her. She gingerly accepted it in her hoof, then brought it to her mouth. "Isn't it great?" He took a bite directly with his teeth, breaking off a chunk and chomping with a glad smile. "Mm. Wow, it's really coming down out there." She chewed on the chocolate, feeling it melt away in her mouth, leaving only a pleasant taste. "It is. I've never seen anything like this before." She glanced towards him again. "So, uh, you live here?" "Nope." He folded his arms with a smile. "I'm new here too. I never saw it rain like that. What even is that?" Curiosity getting the better of him, he scrambled for the exit on all fours and shoved a hand out to feel the ash rain on it. Withdrawing it, the ash was clinging to his fur, and he shook it to dislodge it. "It feels like dust, but warm." She'd never seen someone on all fours like that. Not anyone that preferred two legs anyway. "You're a curious one. But a nice creature, I think. There are worse sorts to run into." "Like us?" A boot thrust out from the sheet of ashes, kicking Kit Tune back into the cave. Following it came a griffon with a scowl, another just behind him. "You two have crappy luck, or we have good ones, take your pick." He raised a gun, something Spring Showers looked confused at, a Kit shrank from. "Now kindly get to dropping everything you got." Spring shower's eyes went from curious to angry. She rose to her hooves. "Or you'll do what? I'm not scared of you!" She stamped her hoof, her tail lashing. "Oh, that one has spirit. I hate it." The griffon raised his gun at her and took a shot with no delay. Spring rocked back with the impact, feeling nothing at first, just stunned. What had he done? She raised a hoof to where a mild stinging was coming. Oh, she was bleeding. She stared at her blood, feeling her mind go blank. Kit Tune's eyes snapped to his fallen companion, then at the two griffons. They'd already started to circle. "Just hand over your stuff, and we'll be going. Hopefully, you're a little smarter than your friend over there." He rose to his hooves, his hands clenching and unclenching. "You...shot her." The air around him seemed to get heavier, the light dimmer. The griffons paused, staring at him. He took a shot, but the bullet wrapped around some unseen sphere, unable to connect with the kitsune-pony. "How dare you!" Spring shower watched as the two griffons were flung through the air, landing in the ash, then dragged back towards the cave. "Whoa." She watched with wide eyes, the kitsune-pony walking forward on two legs, his tail lashing behind him. "Bad people! Bad!" Despite his almost childish speech, he battered the griffons with quite adult precision. His magic wrapped them, making them dance like puppets, slamming each into the other, into the ground, and into the walls. Then he tossed them, sending them flying into the ash, where they landed with a puff of dust that was soon covered by more. Their guns, he kept. "Hmmph. You alright? Of course you're not. Bad Kit." He slapped his own forehead, rushing over towards her. She was a little intimidated. This had not been how she'd expected the fight to go, but she was a bit glad, too. She smiled nervously. "That was amazing." His ears were pinned back. "I'm not a fighter. My mom said I should, um, only do it when I really needed to. I hope this counted." He dug out a satchel with a big cross on it and started tending to Spring's new wound. "Just stay still. This will sting a bit, but it'll be better when I'm done, promise." His voice had a soft, gentle tone. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Spring Shower wasn't sure how to handle the apology. He hadn't done it, so why was he saying sorry? "T-thank you, really. I'm not sure what I wold have done if I ran into them before you came." He finished getting a bandage over the cleaned and otherwise tended wound. "This is a dangerous world. Why did you come here?" "I didn't mean to." She looked down, a little ashamed, her tail lashing. "I was trying to open a portal and see what was on the other side." "You got this side." He smiled despite the situation. "Can you make a portal going back?" "I don't know. Maybe? I need to see the sky. It'll take time to do it." She glanced at him. "I didn't get your name, um." "Kit." He pet Spring gently along her mane. "I said that. You must still be shocked from getting, you know, shot like that. Does it hurt?" "No." She wasn't sure if it didn't hurt, or she just couldn't feel it. Either way, she was fine with that. "We just need to wait until this storm stops, then I can see the sky." He looked ready to pounce on her, but he aborted the motion. "I'll try to get a fire going." He went about the cave, digging into the griffon's bag, then a few bits of dried grass from outside. A spark, then another, and the fire took. She watched him, then scooted a little closer to him. "So, you came here from somewhere else?" "Yeah." He didn't volunteer more about it. "Well, we're both here now." His tail slowly resumed its wag. "Let's stick together until you get home, okay?" She nodded. "That sounds like a plan." A yawn escaped her. "Sorry, I'm tired." He pet her. "Then rest, okay?" He looked out at the rain of ash. "Rest helps with being hurt." He looked back to her to see she had already passed out. Watching the ash grew tiring in time, so he nestled in with her, soon hugging as he joined her in getting some rest. They could look for better things after they were ready to go looking for it, or so he decided in those final moments of being awake. The two slumbered in that little crevice, at least safe from the ash. When Spring Shower woke, her companion was still snoring. The rain had stopped, so she slipped outside, hoping to get a view of the stars, maybe even a glimpse of home. She looked up, but the haze was too great. It was as if that world was just always ready to rain more ash, but it wasn't in that moment. "At least there's that." She turned back for the cave. "Kit? You awake in there?" No, no he was not. She could hear his loud snoring. With a roll of her eyes and a smile on her lips, she slipped back into the cave and gave him a nudge. "How long were you awake after me? You're out." Kit's eyes slowly opened, then closed again. "Just...another hour..." She snorted at him. "Oh no. We've got to get moving. I'm sure there are better places to get stuck on this world than this one." She shook him with a laugh until he was up and moving. "We have a bright day ahead of us. As bright as it gets around here anyway." Author's Note And so we begin. Hello, dear reader. Please, sit and enjoy this tale with us. There was a reason Kit was sent to this place and time, clearly. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
2 - A Warm WelcomeThe two had been traveling for some time, trying to find a place that would serve as a good base from which to work with. The ash seemed never-ending, and the sky was always covered, so Spring could never see the stars. She moved in closer to Kit, trotting besides him. "How can a world just not have any stars?" He looked up at the sullen grey sky. It wasn't falling down at least. "Sorry." As if he had some personal responsibility. "I think that's just how it is around here." He reached out to pet Spring slowly down her head. "We can't lose hope! Look." He pointed to the left of their walking. There, in the gloom, a few specks of light. "Light means people." "People." She nodded. "That's a better start than no people." She followed his lead, going towards those lights in the distance. "Hope they're nicer than the ones that hurt me before. Real jerks." "Real jerks," Kit agreed. "I'm not letting any jerk touch you again." He smiled, looking to her, and he touched her wound, bandaged, but still tender. "How do you feel? Better?" She nodded. "It's not hurting much any more. I've had worse." She thought about the time she had to get stitches from falling and hitting a rock with her horn. "I mean, getting shot sucked, but it's not the worst thing I've felt." She dared a tense smile at those unpleasant memories. "I'll survive! Thank you, again, for the help." She delivered a full-body hug with her magic, squeezing Kit. Kit exploded into merry laughter at the curious sensation of being compressed from every way all at once. "You give great hugs." He delivered one far more normally with his hands around her midsection, not losing his walking pace. "We'll get you home. I promise." He let her go, his ears perked forward to try and pick out the slightest noise ahead. "I think the light is a town. A city, even." Perched at the side of steep cliff, the settlement they were approaching did seem to be large and bustling. Most of the inhabitants had wings, and took flight on occasion. Most of the time, they walked along. The streets were swept clean of the ash. Those responsible for that task looked to be at the bottom of the rung, wearing dingy clothing and not looking at, nor being looked at, most of the others. They were met at the gate by a guard, a griffon in armor. "Halt. Who goes there? Kirin, eh? And what's this other thing?" "I'm a pony." Kit's tail wagged, clearly not a pony one. "Hello! My name's Kit!" "I'm Spring." She pointed to herself. "May we come in?" "No rule against it." The griffon peered over the two. "Just keep your beaks clean. Usual rules, plus one. Nobody's allowed out at night. Find shelter. If the ash doesn't get you, we will." He stepped aside, letting them in. "Thank you, officer!" Kit bowed, then skipped on ahead, happy to be in civilization. "Oh look!" His ears perked towards a food stall. "I wonder what the local eats are. Smells interesting." Spring Shower watched a few things in quick succession. One, that the guard didn't seem to care that Kit was gone, two, that Kit made his way right to a food stall, and three, that the kitsune-pony was about to spend the last of their funds on some grub. She hurried to his side. "As much as I'd love to try that with you, shouldn't we check for shelter first? That was the one rule they had." "Food, then shelter." Kit grinned, getting to the front of the line and hopping up towards the vendor. "I'd like to try one please!" The vendor scooped out some of the soup, or was it stew? It was hard to gauge its thickness as the vendor thrust the bowl at Kit. "One to a person. Next!" Spring went up next, confused. "It doesn't cost anything?" The vendor ladled out a new bowl. "Mayor's orders. Starving townies aren't helping anybody. Everyone gets basic eats, no questions asked. You eat, then you help." He thrust the bowl at Spring. "We're in this together." Kit slurped from his bowl with a grin, his ears perking. "Wow! What an amazingly kind town!" He turned to Spring. "You were right, though. We need to get a room." Spring took a moment to examine that vendor curiously. "What do they mean help? What do you need help with, sir?" "Help?" The vendor's brows went down. "You two must be more fresh than I thought. You got to work." He hiked a talon of a thumb. "Depends what you're good at. You could help patrol for ashen beasts, farm what little fields we have, or maybe go cliff fishing if you're bold. All kinds of things to do. Good with a hammer? Plenty of repairs to be done, things to be forged, all sorts." The griffon waved Spring along. "I have to feed more mouths. On with you." She nodded and turned, trotting to Kit's side. "So we have to earn our stay. I can work with that. We'll get to stay here, and then we'll have time to figure out how to get back." Kit bobbed his head at that. "Yes. I can work with that. We'll be good guests. They've been very nice to us so far." He took a fresh sip of the soup and licked his snout of what stuck to it. "And this, is delicious." He smiled. "This place has nice people." She smiled at him and took her own sip, feeling the warm soup trickle down her throat. "Wow, you're right. That is nice." They wandered together down the road, taking in the sights of the city on their search for somewhere to shelter for the growing evening. "Where are you from, Spring?" He looked up from his food to peer at her. "I'm from Equestria." She looked at him. "You?" He shrugged his shoulders, his tail lashing. "Not there. My mom's Equestrian though! I hear that's a super nice place." She nodded. "It is. I'd like to get back to it, but I guess this isn't a bad second." Her eyes flicked towards the sky. "I don't know why it's so ashy here." Kit brushed against her side. "Something really bad musta happened here. But we can get back home." His tail wagged. "I won't give up until we do. Promise!" Spring nudged back on Kit. "Glad I ran into you. Oh! That looks promising." One of the many stores had a big picture of a bed on it. No words, but the icon seemed clear enough. "Let's try there." They trotted to it and slipped in. Inside was a small room with a desk and an old griffon sitting at it. "Can I help you?" Spring trotted right up. "Hello. We need shelter? It'll be night soon." "Yup." The old griffon was quiet a moment, sitting there. "Why are you staring at me?" He gestured towards the inside. "Go on in. If you're together, grab a room. If not, crash in the commons. So long as you don't see someone else's stuff there, it's open for the taking." "That's so generous." Kit's tail was wagging. "This place seems so nice. Thank you!" He trotted for the opening into the main room of the shelter. Inside were several rooms along the wall with a big communal room. The commons had several beds in use and some unused, though there were plenty of people just on the floor. The kitsune-pony trotted forward and grabbed one of the beds, climbing onto the simple sheets and curling on them. Spring poked him with a smirk. "He said we could take a room if we're together, which we are." "We are?!" His cheeks colored vividly. "Um." She laughed at his expression. "We're not dating or anything, but I do trust you. Come on." She threw her arms over him and hauled him right off that bed. "Let's get a room." Kit's tail was lashing with the excitement of the situation. She trusted him enough to share a room, and that made him happy, even if it wasn't a date. "Okay, let's!" He jogged with a happy smile as they went to the first door and knocked. "Occupied," came a voice from within. "Sorry. Um, have a nice day." Kit dashed to the next one and was about to knock when Spring got in the way and pushed him back. "What?" She pointed to a little sign on that door. Occupied, it read quite clearly. "Don't bother them if you don't have to." "Oh. Okay." He trotted to the next one. "This one is good, I hope. I'm tired. We did a lot of walking." He knocked on that next door. Nothing. He turned the knob and found no resistance. Pulling it open, he could see the small room beyond. It was a single room with two beds, a dresser, a desk, and a lamp. "Hello? Anyone home?" No one was there, so he skipped inside, then flopped onto the bed, rolling onto his back. "So comfy..." He closed his eyes and relaxed with a long sigh. Spring Shower came in after him, kicking the door closed behind her. "Wait a moment." She turned around and around in place. "There has to be, oh." She reared up and her horn glowed as she worked the lock with a dull kathunk. "There, now other people will know there's somecreature in here. We should get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day." Kit rolled over onto his side. He was facing her, but he was already fast asleep, his tail wagging slowly in time with his breathing. "You are too cute." She giggled gently as she trotted towards the other bed. "See you in the morning." She crawled under the covers of the other and nestled in to join him in slumber. *** Spring woke to the sounds of a busy city outside, her ears twitching to it. She yawned, rolled, and looked to Kit. She jumped in surprise, realizing he was already looking at her. "Oh, you're awake." She rolled and stretched out on the bed. "Good morning, sleepyhead." "Morning." Kit was sitting upright, his tail flicking back and forth. His eyes were wide open. A voice called out, shouting from the streets, "Night Guard successful! One injury, Zero fatalities!" Spring glanced towards the sound. "What's that mean?" She turned to Kit. "Do you know?" "Bad stuff." Kit slid from the bed and stretched. "Let's go find something to do. Maybe we can help." He shook out as any fox might. "We could join that night guard, but I don't think you'd want to do that. Fighting. The soup griffon told us about it." He paused with a little frown. "What are you good at, besides making portals to other worlds?" She shrugged, stretching out again. "Not much else. I'm a kirin, and we have special powers, but they're all meant to let us live in harmony with nature, not really to help people. I can get really hot when I try." She held up a hoof, glaring at it angrily a moment before her hoof and lower leg burst into flames. "See?" "Wow! That's so cool!" He trotted to her and leaned in, sniffing at her flame. He reached out to touch it, but she pulled her hoof back. "I bet that could come in handy. Oh! Yes." He almost danced in place. "They said they need help forging. You can make fire. I bet they'd really like that if you can get hot enough." She smiled, then sighed. "That's probably as good a use of my powers as we'll find around here. I guess it's that. How about you?" He shrugged. "I'm a pony, a kitsune, and a fox. I'll find things to do." He giggled gently. "Promise. Um, let's promise to meet back here when it starts getting dark. If this room is taken, we'll meet in the commons." He pointed the way. "And we can decide which room to take then." She nodded, stepping up and giving him a hug. "Thank you, again, for all your help. I'd be lost without you." "I'd be bored." He returned her hug, then let her go and tried to open the door, but it refused to open. "Is this stuck?" Spring's horn glowed as she undid the lock she had engaged the night before. "You have to unlock it first, silly thing." "Oh!" He laughed at himself as the door swung open. "Well. Let's get going." He stepped out with her, and together they made their way through the commons and outside. "Alright, I'm off." Author's Note After that rocky start, this town seems to have its priorities straight. Not a single creature has asked for bits so far though. Good? Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
3 - Do What You CanSpring followed the sounds of metal being smashed with hammers towards the metal working being done. She had expected a roaring fire and somecreature working busily pounding some sheet of heated metal. What she found was a single griffon trying to bend some old and dented sword back into place with some low cursing under her breath with every movement. "What in the hell are you looking at?" The griffon's eyes snapped to Spring, her head turning slowly after. She was a rather large, powerful-looking griffon, with an extensive network of scars across her body. "You're not on the guard, I know them. You need a tool or something?" Spring took a step back. "Oh, no. I'm here to help. I can make a flame." She held her hoof out and lit it on fire, her tail lashing slowly. The griffoness let out a soft aborted chuckle, a single syllable. "Can you now? Most people I know who can do things like that offer to help on the guard, or go wandering off into the ashes, trying to hit it rich." She set her bent sword aside. "How hot can you get, and how long can you keep it?" She closed her eyes, focusing. "I think I can do this." Her flames flared brighter, shifting from yellow to orange, then orange to red, and finally to white hot flames. She held that only a few seconds before her flame went down and she stumbled back, panting. The griffoness shook her head. "Blast it all, that looked hot, but if you can't keep it hot, then it's not much use, is it? How hot can you get and keep it there for a few hours at least?" Spring thought on that a moment. "I can probably do a nice red hot flame." She demonstrated, her hoof flaring up. "I can keep that for a long while." She glanced to the griffoness. "Will this help?" Rather than speaking, the griffoness grabbed that bent sword and swung it around over that fire. "Keep it steady. Steady." She watched as the heat made the sword slowly glow with heat. "Not as hot as I'd like it, but hotter than I was getting without you. The name's Sally. If you're serious, we'll be working together." She pulled the metal free and slammed it down with a hammer, flattening it out and straightening the blade. Spring's tail lashed behind her, watching the metal working. "I'm Spring, Spring Shower." She kept her flame going, bringing in her other hoof to hold it steady and make it easier. "Glad I could help." "You sound greener than most plants I ever saw." She swung the sword around for a new round of heat. "Where the hell are you from? I'd recognize something like you." With a few fresh strikes, the sword looked almost new again. "The hell are you, actually?" "I'm a kirin. My people live in Equestria." "Equestria?" The griffoness peered at Spring, her brows drawing down. "That's a myth." She waved off the idea like it was pure fantasy. "Nothing but rainbows and hugs every day? A tale to share with a sad looking chick, not much more than that. No such place." The griffoness continued to work the blade, straightening the tip. "A kirin. Never heard of them. I'm Sally, griffon, if you didn't already figure that out." "Nice to meet you." Spring inclined her head. "I've heard of griffons, but you're the first I worked with before. I know Equestria is real though, I come from it." Sally abandoned her sword, grabbing Spring by the head suddenly and ruffling her mane. "So, come to deliver us from this little nightmare then?" Spring squirmed back, shaking her head to straighten her hair. "I don't think I can. But I can try to help out. I'm trying to get back to Equestria, but I can't." Sally clucked her tongue against her beak, a low whistle following. "Lost from paradise, here? What terrible luck you have, Spring. Still, you come from somewhere that blessed, must mean something." She threw the sword off the table it had been on into a bin. "That's good enough, and you're too good. Go talk to the mayor. I bet she has a more pressing job for you than sitting here with me." Spring shook her head. "I'm supposed to work with you. I can't just wander off." Sally gestured at the door. "If I'm not using you, you're not working for me. Besides, this is survival. We work where we can, as hard as we can. We all do that, we live to see tomorrow. Ain't not one of us have formal duties. This is a town of desperate folks doing whatever it takes to keep going. If you've got a talent, use it." *** Spring wandered the streets, not sure where the mayor would be. "I wonder if I should even look?" She wandered towards a human sitting beside a building. "You don't look busy. Excuse me, sir? Where can I find the mayor?" He didn't look at her. "Um, sir?" She reached out to tap him, and her hoof passed right through him. "Whoa! You're a ghost!" He turned his face at her with a dull chuckle, his voice dry as dust. "We'll win this war," he rasped out, fading away. Spring shivered, looking around. The flow didn't seem to change, as if only she had spotted that phantom. With a swallow, she went for a griffon walking instead, striding alongside them. "Excuse me? Sir?" He turned to her. "Yeah, whatcha want?" His eyes looked tired, and his voice was flat, like he was ready to pass out right then and there, but he wasn't. "I'm looking for the mayor. I was told she'd have a job for me." Spring pointed at herself and tried her best smile. "Huh." The griffon was quiet a moment, but he did point at least. "Good luck." That said, he turned and resumed his walk, not another word for her. She followed his direction, going down a street and into a rather large building, at least compared to many others. It had two stories! Inside was a griffon, larger than most. She was seated at a desk big enough for her, where she typed with noisy taps of the machine at work. She looked up the moment Spring entered. "Oh, what is this?" She pushed the typewriter aside. "A new resident? Don't recognize you. Don't recognize you, and you don't recognize me, so you're brand new to the city. Well." She stood, her wings spreading wide. "Welcome to Buzzard's Bluff, I am Mayor Black." She gave a formal bow. "And you are?" "Spring Shower." Spring stepped forward, her tail lashing. "I'm here because my boss said I have a talent, and I should talk to you about it. Said you could use me." "Did they?" Black settled back in her seat, eyes on Spring. "What a curious creature you are. Share your story and I bet this will become clear." "Well, I'm a kirin. We can control fire, in our own way." She held up her hoof, making it flare to life. "I'm new to your city. Me and my friend Kit came here just yesterday, but we're willing to work. Oh, I'm from Equestria, which is not a foal's tale!" She stomped her hoof angrily, a little wisp of smoke rising. "I came here by a spell that went wrong. I'm here for now." Black's expression was impossible to read. Her feathers were ruffled, but she didn't look at all happy. "Equestria." The word was spoken slowly. "A little angel." She steepled her fingers. "An Equestrian angel visited another town, long off. They still whisper tales, like a myth at this point. If you're lying, this is your chance to admit it, and I won't hold it against you." "I'm not lying." Spring shook her head with a frown. "Equestria is a real place, not some fairy tale." Black smiled at last, but it was the sort of smile that had nothing to do with happiness. "If that is what you believe, I can see why they sent you to me. Is that friend of yours, Kit was it? Are they also from Equestria?" Spring inclined her head faintly. "I think so? I didn't ask. That's a good question." "Can they do anything unusual?" She gestured to Spring's still burning hoof. "Like you are doing?" Spring thought a moment, her tail lashing behind her as her mind worked through the possibilities. "Oh! Yes. When they got angry, they used magic and beat up a whole group of griffons at the same time. That was scary, but also kind of amazing. Glad he's nice." She giggled gently, then shook her head to get herself back on track. "Sorry, yes. He's magic. Can't make fire, but he can do, um...other things." Mayor Black nodded lightly. "Then your talents are being wasted helping around town. I appreciate industry, but in these times, we have to use all our talents. All of them. Doing things beneath you is wasting valuable resources. Get your friend and report back here. I'm sending you two into the ashes. I have a site that needs scavenging and I'm short on scouts to send, or I was until you came trotting in." Spring swallowed hard. "Into the ashes? But, um. I'm new here." Her voice was weak, her tail lashing behind her, and her ears were drooping. "Why not send someone from the town?" Black raised a brow. "You are from town. You came to me, not the other way around. Have you eaten here? Have you slept here yet? If so, you're as much a member of our community as anyone else, and we expect everyone to do all they can. Now, you have a gift and I need it used. Get your friend and report back to me. I'll give you a mission. It's easy. You just go, you find anything that isn't ash, you come back. Bring back goodies and we'll cheer for you. If you can't, we won't scold you, but the cheers will be a lot quieter." Spring's ears folded back at that. "But I don't want to go in the ashes." Black stood, walking around her desk and right over to Spring, where she looked her in the eye. "You had to go into the ashes to get here. I know they aren't fun, or safe. Work is work, it's not easy for anyone, but we do it, so we can all survive." She leaned in. "Equestrians are supposed to be helpful, aren't they?" Spring nodded. "They are. We are. Okay. I don't know where he is. Is that a problem?" Black pointed past Spring. "Time for your first mission, find him. I'm sure you can do that. Come back when you do, and not before. Go on." She turned and walked back to her desk. "Get to work. You're on the clock, now." Spring squeaked, whirling around. "I won't be late!" She hurried out of view, as if afraid she would be somehow late for the unspecified time limit of finding her friend. *** Kit had found himself in a building with a long table, and many griffons seated at it. At the end of the table was an older, rougher griffon with a scar across his face and a missing eye. The older griffon was laughing low. "It came towards us, mouth dripping with the sorrows of a life wasted in the ashes. We stared, and we knew. This was it. This was the end of the line. There was no getting past this horror." He looked at the others, but they didn't react. He drew a sword that crackled with electricity from his side. "I wasn't ready to die! I charged it, but the thing matched my speed. We were going to clash. My sword was at the ready, its claws were ready to strike! It came at me, and I at it. Then, in an instant, it was gone, and the ground before me was a gaping hole." Kit's eyes were wide as saucers, taking in the story of that ashen survivor. He had no idea he'd have a chance for his own ashen exploits. Author's Note I rather like this town. It's my first time really getting to 'bring it to life' as it were. Welcome to Buzzard's Bluff. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
4 - Trotting in Ash"We have to go!" Spring had finally found Kit in the mess hall, at the table of a group of hardened looking griffons. One of them had been sharing a story when she interrupted. "We have to go, right now." Kit inclined his head. "Now?" But he was already being pulled to his feet. "Okay. Is something wrong?" He jogged along at her side as she picked up speed. "I'll explain on the way." She hurried along, hoping she wasn't too late. She knew exactly where to go, but didn't know how long she would have to get there. "So, I went to work with the smith, but she said that I was too good, and then the mayor gave us a job. We're supposed to find things in the ash." She glanced back at Kit. "There's an old building that the mayor said would have things to scavenge, and she wants us to find it." Kit rubbed behind his head as he hurried alongside her. "That sounds dangerous." "Probably," she squeaked out, thinking about it for the first time. "But I don't think she cares." They arrived at city hall, and she shoved the doors open. "I'm back, and I found him." "Hey!" He gave a little wave, then looked around the office, his tail wagging. "A hybrid." She nodded, not looking alarmed or offended. "But not the sort I'm used to seeing." She sank to her seat and put her hands together. "This town has griffons, ponies, and proof that the two are getting along pretty well." She pointed at Kit with a clawed hand. "But you aren't a griffon, but I do see pony. What are you, exactly? Your kind of hybrid I've never seen." "Kit!" He put a hand to his chest. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He considered a moment. "I'm part fox, part pony. I heard you wanted us to go looking for things?" "I did." She leaned in, her wings folding a bit. "You both have magic, and that means you're both more useful to us than normal residents. I don't need you to cook food or make weapons." She rolled her hands over one another. "I mean, you may, when you're not busy doing something more pressing. We have lights, if you didn't notice, lovely things." She reached to caress a small lamp on her desk that fought off the gloom. "Power's going out if we don't find the parts to keep that generator humming. We have people working feverishly with what we have, but we need more." She pushed a slip of paper over her desk. "Here's a list. Mind, you see anything else that looks useful, grab it too. We're not that picky." Kit took the paper, glancing at the list, written out by hand. "We can do it. We'll bring this back." He took the paper, holding it in both hands. "Thank you, ma'am." She nodded. "Good. Go on then." She lifted a tuft of feathers one could assume an ear hid in. "I'm not promising any fancy pay. Money's gone out of style. But people will look up to you if you come back with anything that helps keep the lights on." Spring nodded. "We'll try. Let's go." She turned and trotted for the door. Kit followed her out of city hall. "Where are we going, anyway?" He glanced at her as they trotted into the street. She froze. "I, um, don't know." She grabbed the paper with her magic. "Maybe this has something." She flipped it over from the list and there was a crude map. "See?" She pointed. "We're here. Um, so we have to go, that way. Come on." She turned and trotted down a side road. Kit followed her out of the city and towards a hillside. They walked in silence, his tail wagging as he watched the ash fall around them. "At least it's not coming down as hard as that first day we arrived." His ears flattened against his head. "That was scary." He shuddered. "Still is. How do they live here?" "They have no choice. They have nowhere else." Spring shook her head with a sigh. "They have to fight, or they die." She shuddered with the thought. "You came here. Can't you just go home, and take me?" Kit laughed awkwardly at the idea. "I am not allowed to do that. I am here to help though." He closed in at her side, hand on the far side of her barrel. "We'll get through this, okay?" She leaned into him, walking close together. "I hope you're right." She shivered gently, looking around the ash-covered hills. "I don't want to stay here forever." He looked out across the ash covered land. "It is a pretty sad place. I'll do what I can to help. Promise. We'll be friends." He held her close, his tail wagging. It was a curious blend of fox and horse parts, which made its movements interesting. "Oh, look." He pointed to a building sticking free of the carpet of ash. "I think that's it." She trotted towards it with him. "The mayor said that place had something, but she wasn't sure what." She looked at it. It was a building, mostly intact, with only one section having caved in. "Or maybe somecreature just hoped there was." "We'll find out." He slipped into the building and shook off, sending ash falling from his pelt. "Nice to not be being rained on. I mean, as nice as ash can ever be." Spring nodded, stepping inside after him. "Sure is. Look at all this stuff, and it doesn't even have a sign outside. I wonder what this place was for." The building was filled with dusty furniture, a few shelves, and a few boxes. She pointed to the nearest one. "Let's see what's in there." The two hurried over, even smiling for a moment. The box was, in a way, a gift box just waiting for them to open it. It glowed with Spring's magic, popping open for them to look inside. Kit pulled one of the things inside out. "Tapes, wow. I'd only heard of these." He turned the audio tape this way and that. "Wonder if there's a player in here. If not, maybe they have one back at town?" Spring nodded. "Good idea." She dug into the box. "More tapes, a few books, and a couple of other boxes." She picked one up. "Oh, look." She turned the box so Kit could see it. On the side was writing, but long since faded. She popped it right open to reveal a thick nest of wires. "Huh." He leaned in, his tail lashing. "Wonder if they could use that in town? Probably, right?" His ears flopped forward. "I mean, they could probably make something from that, couldn't they?" He came out with a small wooden box. "The others were all cardboard. This one must be important." He popped it open and soft music filled the air. Inside were momentos and cards. "Oh." Kit shrank a little. "I wonder who's memories these used to be." He closed the box, silencing the song, then put it in the box. "This is history, not useful to us, but it should be saved." He closed the box back up. He took a soft breath. "But not what we're here for. This won't be the big help they're hoping for." "No, you're right." Spring looked through the box of books, but they were all ruined. The damp had soaked the pages and frozen them together, making a useless brick of pulp. "They wanted us to find something specific, and these aren't it." She turned her attention to the other boxes. "Okay, hm. You." She picked a box and floated it over, top popping along the way. "You're my lucky box!" Inside was more ruined stuff, and a long knife with a leather sheath and handle. "Oh, neat." Kit reached into the box to lift the blade free, looking at it. "I could use this, couldn't I?" Kit inclined his head. "Have you ever used a knife before?" "It's good for cutting food." She slipped it right around herself, securing the sheath and then the knife within that sheath. "Way better than trying to use your hooves." Kit blinked softly. "Oh, um. I thought you meant as a weapon." He shook his head, smiling. "But that too!" He went back to looking through boxes. There were many little treasures, but nothing they had come for. The two dug through box after box, making a small pile of things they intended to take with them. They tucked away that pile into Kit's backpack to carry with them. "This is just the first floor, we're not done. Let's look for stairs, up or down." He walked along, eyes peeled for some sign of a way to go either way. Spring looked in another room and made her discovery, an old set of stairs leading up. She poked her head back out, waving him to her with her magic. He started at the magical hand pointing the way, then laughed as he followed it. "I didn't know you could do that." They ascended to the second story. It was in worse shape, having been exposed to more of the elements than the ground floor had. "We'll have to be careful," he cautioned her as they walked across the creaking boards. Spring creeped across the floor, one squeak at a time, trying not to bother it on the way to a small pile of boxes. One of these boxes was long and thin, and had a hole in the side that let her see the contents were not wet like most others. She popped open the top and reached in. "Oh!" She pulled out a long bulb from inside it. "Look at this." Kit checked the list. "That's on the list, surprisingly." He pointed at that line. "Take it for sure." She nodded and tucked that away, smiling. "We can do this. Oh, look, one more." She trotted to it and picked up another, identical bulb, tucking that away as well. She saw a glint, possible a third, and went after it like a trail of crumbs. She found her way to what looked like a sort of bed. The mattress had been torn apart, but something sparkly was still sitting there. It was a golden locket with some kind of gem inside it. "This isn't going to fix anything, but it is pretty." She held it close between her cloven hooves. "I'm glad we found it anyway." Kit took it from her gently and placed it around her neck. "There, now you have a treasure." She smiled at him, her ears perked. "Thank you." She leaned in to lick across his nose. "You're a nice creature. As scary as this world is, I'm glad you were here to greet me." Kit's cheeks warmed, but he laughed softly at that. "I'm glad I was here. I just wish you didn't have to get stuck with me." Spring turned to continue her hunt. "I was stuck before I ran into you. You didn't make me stuck." She prowled into the dark, only her lit horn fighting it off. He looked around at the darkness. "This is kind of creepy. Are you sure there's something up here? This place is falling apart." His eyes picked out what looked to be a door and, beside it, a set of stairs. She saw the door as well, and went right for it. "If it's scary, that means other creatures didn't want to look either, so we may find something good, like those long things." "Light bulbs?" He shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe there are monsters in there and we're the prey." His ears flattened, tail lashing. "I wouldn't put that past this place." Spring threw open the door with her magic. "If there are monsters in there, you have to tell us. Those are the rules." "I wouldn't want to be called a cheater," replied a new voice, rasping and dry. Author's Note Oh, right, this is an adventure story. I had almost forgotten. At least the monster's polite about it. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
5 - What We FoundKit sprang into a fighting stance, lightly bouncing on his hooves. "Who is that?!" "A very bad ambush predator." The voice sounded amused. "Giving myself away like that." Spring's nose twitched gently. "Hello? I'm Spring Shower. This is Kit Tune! Nice to meet you." "I had a name, long ago. Haven't used it in ages." The darkness before them shifted as something emerged from it, a pony made of little more than ash itself, and not that much of it. "Nice to have someone ask me for mine, even if I don't have an answer." Spring recoiled at the first sight, but her curiosity proved a far stronger emotion. "Oh! Oh wow. Hi. I'm sorry. Why are you made of ash?" "Things live here now," the ash pony mused. "You'll find them. They eat up all the moisture in things, leave them dry." They raised a hoof. "Most are pissed off, for good reasons. They lived hard lives, died suddenly, painfully, and we all became one miserable family. Whatever your ties, you're together in ashes in a sick way." The ash pony turned, trotting into the darkness. "Come along. We'll talk. You can tell me what you are looking for, maybe I've seen it. Or at least, where you can find it. There's a little more to find here in this place than the rest." Kit fell back to all fours, glancing sidelong at Spring. "I'll protect you." "From what?" Spring trotted after the ash pony into the darkness, though her horn's glow scared away that dark. That made what was once a spartan bedroom come into view. "Is this your room?" "I hope not." The ashen pony shook his head, his tail lashing. "But I'm afraid so." He sat on the bed and patted it with a hoof. "Made of the same stuff we are. I don't recommend you sit down. Neither of you have the usual stink, other than living." She nodded, trotting closer. "That makes sense." She smiled and sat on the bed, or would have, if she hadn't sank right through it like it was a cloud of dust. "You did warn me." She gathered herself back to her hooves. "We are alive, but what's the other 'stink?'" She snuffed herself, checking for offensive odors. "Everycreature has a stink to those of us here." He waved a hoof. "This world smells different when it's all ash and dust." The phantom leaned in, eyes flickering to life with a dull glow. "Distant promises of a life removed. Ancient threats, given new life. The hope of escape. You two are different. Now, let's get on with it, what are you searching for?" Spring pulled out the list. "This stuff. Do you recognize any of it? The mayor wants it." The ashen pony glanced at it. "We were a military town. That's a lot of military gear." He pointed to what may have been a box long ago. "Look in there. I think you'll find a few still in one piece." Kit looked at the box with some trepidation before hurrying over and peeking inside. "Oh, he's right." He dug out a few large bulbs and a mess of resistors. "Did you work here?" "No, I was bored." He waved his hoof in a slow circle. "So I counted what was here. It was an easy way to kill a few years. You don't exactly sleep anymore, once you've gone away." The kirin giggled. "I suppose that makes sense." She smiled, then glanced to her side. "Oh." She reached for a small plastic device and held it up. "What is this?" She turned it about in her magic, trying to make sense of it. "A game." He looked at it flatly a moment. "Useless, without a battery. Most have more pressing need for batteries than games. It will probably sit, silently waiting for its player to return to it." The ash pony's head lowered a moment before he straightened up. "I can help you find things you're looking for. You've come to the right place." He laughed, an unnerving sound of sliding ash and dust. "Like a battery. I know where one's hiding, but there are others, far less kind than me." Spring smiled, trying to push past her discomfort. "You seem nice though. How could you be less kind?" "We were not nice creatures," the ash pony intoned, letting out a soft sigh. "We fought and killed until the world itself got tired of us and finished the job for us." That made him laugh. "Now, we are a world of dust, of ash, all of us. We can't fight each other anymore. But the monsters out there are still real. They'll hurt you, given the chance. You don't have our smell, but that doesn't mean you aren't worth hunting." Kit moved between Spring and the talkative ghost of ash. "That's why I was on guard. A battery is on the list, with a maybe. I'm guessing they don't expect it, but would like one. Is it far from here?" The pony shrugged. "Not far enough you can't get it, but far enough you might be noticed." He pointed down, then in a general direction. "Basement. There are boxes, with military labels. Once you go down past the ground floor, you will draw their attention, and, like I said, far less kind than me. They won't ask questions, or give answers other than pain. Don't go if you're not ready to fight." Kit looked at the ash pony. "You're trying to protect us from these others?" "They're not kind," the pony said again, shaking his head slowly. "Not like me." Kit patted Spring on the shoulder. "If we go back with what we found, they'll be happy." "If we get that battery, they'll be even happier." Spring stepped from one hoof to the next in an excited little prance. "This isn't a game." Kit advanced on her, pressing her back against a wall. "You could get hurt. Worse, possibly." He flipped his ears back thinking about it. "You don't even know how to fight." She pushed him away gently, frowning. "You can teach me. I'll be fine." She tossed her head, her mane trailing. "If they need it so much, I want to try." Kit smiled a little at that. "I will gladly teach you, but that takes time. Let's bring what we found back, then I can show you." He rubbed her shoulder lightly, looking into her eyes. "It will give us something to do until I can open a portal for you to get home." She leaned in to nuzzle him softly, then turned to the phantom of ash. "Thank you. You've been very helpful." "Hm." He was quiet a moment. "Hm. Yes." He stood up, eyes on Spring. "I think I've wanted to be helpful. It feels." He paused, frozen. "Nice." Kit turned to the phantom. "Can't you come with us?" The ashen pony snorted softly at that. "You have a long way to go before you understand this place, if you think that. Those that sent you would dash me apart on first sight, and they'd be right to do so. Leave me here. If you plan to come back for the battery, we'll meet again then." Spring backed towards the stairs with a frown. "I'm not okay with them hurting you like that, but I don't know what else to do." He chuckled lightly. "They won't be hurting me, just sending me along." He settled on his lightly damaged bed of dust. "I can wait. Patience is one thing this life has taught me." Kit and Spring nodded, then slipped back downstairs to the main floor. She glanced to Kit. "Why can't he come with us?" Her tail lashed anxiously. "That's not fair." "No." He brushed against her, side to side. "But the others are scared. They'd see an ashen monster, and they'd attack. We can try to help them past this fear, but we can't do it all at once." He squeezed through the front door and shook off. "Let's head back and see how much this helps." Kit led the way back towards the relative safety of town. "Besides, we don't know if that's a good idea. He's nice to us, but we smell 'different' then the others. Maybe he'd get very mean around the others. Maybe they're right to be scared." Spring shook her head as they walked. "He was very nice." She sighed softly. "But I guess you're right." She followed him back towards Buzzard's Bluff, their path a little easier with the trail they left coming through. The trip back was quiet with only the sound of their steps until they got to the town itself. The guards nodded at the two as they came. One called out, "Two scouts returning! Find anything good, scouts?" "Found some things!" Kit held up the backpack stuffed with goodies. "We're going to go talk to the mayor!" "Thank you!" A voice called from one of the windows in a distant building. A pony stuck his head out. "Thank you, scouts!" Other cries of thanks echoed from the left and the right as they went. A successful venture was reason enough to have some cheer in the town. Spring perked her ears. "That feels good." She giggled gently, her tail swishing. "I like being useful." Kit laughed softly and patted her on the back. "You do it well." He thought back. "A pity. That ash ghost likes being helpful too." A new figure landed before them, eyes bright and a smile on their beak. Spring thought them a griffon, but noticed something odd. Their back end ended in hooves. "A hippogriff?!" The new bird recoiled in surprise. "Yeah? There a problem with that?" "Oh! No." She shook her head quickly. "Just, um. You're the first I saw here." She giggled nervously. "Open your eyes." The new bird waved her hand over the town. "More of us are hippos than not. Ponies and griffons get along, and when they get along, you get hippos." That brought a mild blush and bubbling laughter from Spring. "I never heard it called 'hippos' before, that's funny. Why would ponies and griffons getting along make more hippogriffs?" The hippogriff stared at her blankly a moment. "Don't know where you're from, but it must be strange. Look, when a pony and a griffon love each other enough to spend a night together, a hippo might happen. Or if you get two hippos. Either way, that's me." She gestured over herself. "Part griffon, part pony. Mayor asked me to check what you brought back and make sure none of it was the sort of thing that'd hurt the town. Scouts have made mistakes in the past, brought back the wrong kind of things." Spring looked to Kit, then to this new person. "What do we call you?" She smiled softly. "I don't see why that's relevant." She paused. "But my name is Bright Eyes." She tapped at her chest. "Nice to meetcha. Now put down what you found so I can inspect it properly." Kit slipped the bag off his back. "Here, take a look." He offered it up and she grabbed it quickly. She set to work, pulling out items and setting them in rows on the ground, muttering to herself along the way. Bright eventually came to the end of it all and clapped her taloned hands together. "Great haul. Nothing that'll kill us or hurt anyone. Where the hell did you find all this so close to us? Figured the scouts would have torn through anything that close by now." Spring giggled gently. "We found a military building with a whole bunch of stuff." She pointed back the way they came. "A few miles, maybe five or ten. I don't know how far it is, only how long it took us to get there and come back." Kit slipped in front of her. "There are ash spirits haunting it. We were lucky." Bright whistled, ending with a clack of her beak. "That explains why the other scouts haven't gotten it all. Ash spirits are trouble. Good on you two for not dying." She gathered up their items. "We'll get this set for storage and distribution. You should head back to the mayor and let her know what's going on." She gave a little wave of one of her wings. Author's Note At times, there are perks to not being a local. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
6 - No RestKeyed to look for it, they could see the mayor had the back end of a pony, with two hooves, not two talons. It was easy to miss with her usually seated at her desk. But when they returned with their news, Mayor Black came around to hug the both of them. "I had a feeling. It was a distant one, but nobody's gotten badly off by showing an Equestrian a little faith." Spring giggled and hugged right back. Kit blushed at the idea and let the mayor hug him. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm happy we helped." She nodded. "Helped is putting it mildly." She grabbed a bit of paper off her cluttered desk and showed it to them, a densely scrawled list of things. "This is what you brought back, and so close? I can see why. Most scouts just don't bother trying to upset an ash spirit if they know it's there. You just walk in and take it all without a problem? Ha, that's made my day." "I wanted to help." Spring looked at the list with a broad smile. "We found some other stuff. We didn't bring it because we weren't sure if you wanted it. It's not on this list of things." Kit gestured downwards as if pressing something towards the floor. "They were also heavy. We took what we could carry." Black waved it off. "You brought plenty. Taking too much is just another way to die in the ash, and I'd rather you get back so you can try again later. You fight anything out there, or just walk in, grabbed it, and got out?" "There was a nice ghost." Spring sat, her tail swishing. "He helped us, showed us where to find some of that stuff. We found other stuff that we took. We didn't get hurt, or fight anything, but there were other scary things that live there." Spring raised a hoof to her chin. "Do you think he could come here, the nice ghost?" Black stiffened. "That." She prodded Spring in the chest. "Isn't happening. They were nice to you, little otherworldly thing. They wouldn't be so 'gracious' with the rest of us." Her voice was flat, eyes steady. "Ash spirits are nothing to toy with. You didn't come home wrong. Some creatures have. They come home wrong, they can never be made right again, and they're put down like feral beasts. If they even get home at all." She looked to Kit. "You seem the one with more sense of the two, that strike you as a good idea?" "No." Kit shook his head firmly, looking Black in the eye. "I don't want that anywhere near us. If I had my way, we wouldn't have spoken to him at all." Spring scowled at Kit. "How can you even say that?" She turned away, rearing up just so she could fold her arms. "He was very nice to us." "And that's how you get in trouble." Black shook her head. "A little honey gets the fly to the web." She shrugged. "That's life in the ash for you. Better to live and let whatever is happening out there stay there than bring it here and ruin everything." With a muted clopping, she returned to her spot behind her desk. "You two did good. Take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, I'll have a new target for you, so be ready for that." Kit nodded, but Spring's scowl softened into something sadder. "He was so nice." "Maybe he thought he was being nice." The mayor sat heavily in her seat, hands clasped before her on the desk. "But the anger of the Ash isn't something the ashen creatures can put down. All we can do is suffer it." She waved the two away with shooing motions. Kit and Spring left the town hall, walking back into the streets. He glanced sidelong at her as they went. "You're taking that so hard." He patted her on the shoulder. "We can't fix everything." "That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fix something." Her eyes were on everything but the road ahead of them. "I smell something good." "Food is food here." He perked his ears up, nose twitching. "I think it's that way." Neither objected to their silent agreement, hurrying over to what seemed like a cart with a buzzard behind it. The buzzard wore a gas mask, obfuscating his voice. "Welcome, newcomers. Don't remember seeing you before. Hungry? Everything here is free for good members of the community." Her mood brightened immediately. "I'm always hungry!" She leaned in close to look at what was cooking. "Oh, that smells so good!" "I'll take what you're making," Kit added as he moved up alongside her. "Great answers both." He took out two buns, long ones, and put a sausage of something in each one, then various toppings on each of them with a little humming as he went. "Two everything's, made with that little extra." He held out the two, one in either hand. Kit took his and took a bite. His ears shot up and he smiled brightly at the taste. "That's an everything, all right." She took hers, then took a big bite of it, almost half. "Oh! Woah." She sank to her haunches, trying to process what she was still chewing. "Woah. What is that?" She swallowed it all down. "It's amazing! My tongue's still tingling." The buzzard grinned under the mask. "Our secret spice blend, keeps your mouth happy and your belly busy with all sorts of things." He waved the spatula he held. "Food for everyone, because everyone has to eat." He put the spatula-wielding hand against his hip. "I'm no daring scout, like you two, but I do my part to keep this place working." The two nodded in unison before tearing back into their hotdogs with vigor. Kit swallowed his bite down before replying, "This is fantastic! Thank you!" The buzzard nodded, turning back to his cart with a smile. "If you're hungry and you see me, ask for another. No, you can't take one for later." "I didn't ask." Spring wriggled her nose, though empty of any food in her magic. "Thank you!" "Thank you!" Kit waved and turned away with a smile. The two went on their way, heading towards the shelter they were sharing. "That was a nice meal." She bumped into Kit's side lightly as they walked. "Thank you for coming here. It would be scary alone." She hugged him close for a moment. Kit warmed with a little giggle. "You're fun to help. Maybe tomorrow the clouds will open enough for your spell." "That'd be nice," she said with a smile, tail swishing. "At least it's not raining ash right now. But I like being here with you." He smiled. "That's good, because it's going to be a little longer." The two stepped into their shelter together and he gave a soft sigh. "We did make the place better though, and they appreciated it." He gestured around at the other people around. "This isn't a soft place. Let's find a room for ourselves. Maybe the one we used yesterday is open?" The room wasn't densely populated, most of them out, doing their various jobs. Spring walked to the small room in back where they had slept. "Oh, good." The cot was still there, but it looked better. New sheets, a thicker mattress, even an extra pillow and blanket. "Somecreature went and freshened it all up." Kit pointed just to the left of the door. "Look." There, a sign. It read clearly, 'Scouts.' "I think they gave this room to us, or any other scout, I guess." He smiled at her. "That's nice of them." Spring's tail flicked gently. "It is, and that's good." She walked over to the bed and flopped down on her belly, eyes on Kit. "Come inside." "Right!" He scurried in, closed the door, and engaged the cumbersome lock that kept it closed. "There." With that handled, he sank onto the other cot, rump first. "So, we're scouts. How does that make you feel?" "Scared." Spring's ears flattened. "The ashes, whole thing. It's a little much." Her eyes were on the door. "I want this whole building to be a place that keeps out the scary things, but I don't think it's very safe." Kit made a nervous noise at that. "I don't think anywhere here, right now, is as safe as you'd be back home. That's why I'm here until you get there, home that is." He gestured with a paw in her direction. "You can count on me." She smiled warmly. "That's good." She leaned back against her pillow and blanket nest, eyes flicking to Kit. "You're a nice creature, even if I never saw another like you before." She waved a hoof between his two halves. "Fox, pony, fox, pony. The griffons here are half pony a lot of the time." "Ah, well, that's just me." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm pretty unique." She nodded, then sighed gently. "I really like your help. I don't think I'd like being here alone, and I don't know what we're going to get into, but I'm happy to be getting into it with you next to me." She giggled as she burrowed under her blanket. "Gonna take a nap. You rest too." "I will," agreed Kit as he curled up into his own bed. "Good night, Spring." "Night!" She yawned softly into her pillow. "We can figure everything out later, I guess." Kit was slower to go, watching her in the quiet with only someone's muted coughing or a sneeze reaching them through the wall. He was about to fade himself when a loud banging reached him. "Raiders!" came the muffled cry. "All hands, defense!" "Oh no." Kit leaped to his hooves and patted Spring on the back. "Spring? We have trouble." "Huh?" She looked at him through sleepy eyes. "Trouble?" She shook herself from head back to her tail. "What happened? How long was I out?" "A minute or two." He hurried for the door, unlocking it with the heavy lever. "They're being attacked by other people." "Oh." Spring took a step forward, but then hesitated. "That's awful, but what are we supposed to do about that? I've never fought anycreature before. I can't do that." Kit hesitated with her. "If they fight and win, they'll come and hurt us next. That wouldn't be good." He didn't outright tell her to fight. "Oh no, that's true!" She got to her hooves and followed him outside. "I guess we should help." The two moved together through the shelter's main area. The place was entirely empty, the rest clearly having run towards, or away, from the loud banging and calls for defenders. The two stepped outside, looking around as the other residents gathered near the gates, which rattled with each impact. Kit's ears flicked towards Spring. "We should get ready to run if this goes badly." "Run where?" Her horn glowed with preparing power. "Back into the ashes, with nowhere to go? I don't think that's a good place to be." She gestured towards the others. "Let's try and help, maybe we can do something." "Right!" Kit walked towards the others, his tail lashing anxiously. As they approached the gate, the loud snapping pops of firearms could be heart. Above, they were firing down at something they couldn't see. One of the defenders squawked, falling backwards right off the wall. Fortunately for them, they were caught by some of the other citizens by the base of that wall. "It's the raiders!" someone shouted, pointing as something crawled over the wall, only to have its head blown apart by the defenders. "They're coming over the walls!" People screamed and scrambled around, trying to organize themselves. Like magic, they armed themselves. Some with things that could be weapons, others with whatever they could get their hands on or teeth on, if they didn't have hands available. Kit glanced to see if Spring had panicked, but she was too busy breathing hard, bits of flame rising through her pelt as her tail lashed behind her. Author's Note Don't wake a kirin from a deserved nap, or they may go reverse on you. Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
8 - Kirin BeingA hippogriff made quite the face as she peeked under some covers. "Blasted raiders. If they want what we have, they could just work for it like everyone else! We'd take 'em in." Her eyes lifted when Spring approached. "And what do you want?" Spring took a step back, looking up at her, then to Kit. "I want to help." She rubbed her cloven hooves together fitfully. "Please." The hippogriff looked from Spring to Kit and snorted lightly. "Well, you didn't go runnin' into their guns." She waved the two in, pointing to a smaller shed that was set up with more beds than it ought to have had. "Well, 'least not in any way that got you hurt. Got any medical know how?" "No." Spring looked around, eyes wide. "But I do know magic." Kit stepped closer, looking to the medic as well. "She's helped so far. I have faith, and I'll keep an eye on her." The medic gave quite the laugh at that. "You do that. Don't push any of them past where they are. They're all good members of the community, hard workers. We don't want to hurt them any more than they've been hurt." She shook a talon. "But if you can help even a little bit, go ahead." She turned and walked out of the small shed, leaving them to the patients. Kit followed after Spring as she dashed towards one. "Not to be negative, but what do you have in mind?" She reached for the first victim's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm going to help you feel better." Her horn glowed softly as she focused on the patient. "It won't last all day, but it should help." The patient did relax, sinking into a less fitful sleep under her smiling watch. She hurried on from patient to patient, not treating them, but banishing the pain and replacing it with simple sleep. Kit watched it all with clear amazement on his face. "Clever! I thought Equestrians didn't usually have healing magic, but you figured out a nice way around that. Not healing, but taking the pain away and giving them rest. That's almost as good." He smiled as they left the last patient behind. "I'm proud of you." She beamed up at him, eyes shining. "It's just something that felt right to do. They were hurt bad." She clapped her hooves. "And I found a sleep spell before I came here. It was, um, a bit of an accident." She laughed at the memory, ears bouncing along with the rest of her. "Put myself to sleep for the rest of the day, woke up refreshed and confused." He shook his head quickly, ears flipping. "It was lucky you didn't run into something worse than me. But you've put them to rest. That's nice. I think we should get some food in ourselves, then you can check on them again." He brushed gently against her side. "You did good today, even if I'd rather you weren't so risky." She nodded, walking alongside him with a smile. "I'll be better in the future." She nuzzled his arm, giggling. "It's nice to have someone looking out for me." That got a smile out of him, but an ear twitched all the same as a voice whispered to him, "Kit. I thought they'd be well removed from your point in time/space, but they're coming." Kit's ears danced as he took in the words. "Who?" "You!" Spring bumped into him with an airy laugh. "I saw your ears. Are you talking to me?" She grinned up at him. "Or is this a secret conversation I'm not supposed to know about?" "It's." Kit shook his head hard. "You are very perceptive sometimes." He grabbed her snout suddenly. "Go get something to eat. I bet they'll give you extra for your work today. I'll meet up with you later, okay?" He released her and ducked around her before she could argue. "I'm going to check on a couple of things! Trust me!" Spring called after him, "Where are you going?" Her ears flicked as she looked around, trying to figure it all out. With a sullen huff, she made her way towards one of the food carts to see if he was right on that part or not. Kit raced around a corner out of sight in a small alley. "Who?" He put a pawhand by his ear. "Who's coming?" "I should have seen this coming. He's been there to catch falling Equestrians before. But he isn't a champion, wasn't a promise." Some papers were rustled around. "Trust in your mom, Kit. I'm looking up what I can. Name's Error, big pony. Has a companion, Bullette Belle. She's, hm." More papers rustled. "Nice, robot, alarmingly lethal. Both are dangerous, but only if you get on their bad side." "And how, exactly, do we avoid getting on their bad side?" He looked over his shoulder, then back at the alleyway wall. "By not doing bad things to people around them," came the response as a sheet of paper fluttered down from above, landing beside him. Kit snorted gently. "Well, neither Spring, nor I, like doing bad things to people, unless those people are being even worse to other people. Um, speaking of that, she's surprisingly able in battle if she feels motivated enough. You didn't mention how, hm, capable kirin can be." "Because it won't help you." A chair squeaking. "A kirin has to be beyond mad for that, and you can't rely on that. Enjoy that you got to see it." "I didn't! Not directly." Kit rubbed behind his head. "But I was close enough, heard it, and saw the aftermath." His ears lowered. "I really need to talk to her about that at some point. But we have more immediate concerns, don't we?" "Yes. They'll arrive shortly in your immediate vicinity." There was a tapping sound. "Sorry your first mission has to have complications. Speaking of that, how are you doing keeping her safe? She trust you?" Kit nodded, then sighed. "Yes." He sat heavily. "We're getting along fine. We get along well. She's a nice creature, even when she's being curious at the worst moments." Kit smiled thinking of her. "If I wasn't on assignment, I'd make her a friend." "Watch out." Kit's mom's voice got louder, leaning in. "You will have to leave. Don't get too attached. She has to go home, and so do you. You can't take each other home." He flattened his ears. "I know. But she's nice to be with, and we're making progress. No clear days yet, but that's okay." "I love you, Kit." A kissing sound, not that she could physically land it so far away. "Be good. I'll let you focus on what's around you." Kit stood up, brushing off his rump. "Okay." He turned to leave the alleyway, ears flicking when someone spoke to him. "Tell her I said thanks." An older griffon nodded at Kit as he emerged. "Too old to fight proper, but ah heard what she did. Young people who can deserve a thanks if nothing else. Where is she?" "Oh." Kit pointed in the direction of the medical building. "She's over there, helping ease some of the pain and giving them sleep. She really does like helping others, even when I'm trying to tell her not to be so risky." The older griffon laughed, swatting the ground behind himself with his tail. "She can't stop doing good for people? Makes me happy and sad at the same time." Kit drew to a stop, confused. "Why sad?" "She'll fit right in here," came the answer. "And I'd hate for her and you to stay where we'd have to keep risking her." He looked down at Kit. "I think I see why she'd trust you, fox pony." He reached down to give Kit a pat. "Besides, seen it before. You two won't stay for long enough." "Seen it?" Kit looked up at him as he was pat. The older griffon nodded firmly. "Seen creatures like the two of you. Get old enough, you start to see patterns." He rubbed at his chest with a little hum of thought. "Looks too good, it's because they're too big, can't fit in this little planter of a village. You'll move on. Good for us. Good for you, too." He chuckled as he walked away, tail swaying behind him. "But that doesn't mean we aren't thankful." "I like this place." Kit folded his arms. "We'll be your home for as long as you feel it. You'll move on when you don't. That's life." The griffon waved a hand. "Ah'm off, won't bother you none more." He walked off, leaving Kit on his lonesome. "Hm." He looked up as a shadow fell over him, and he had to gape for a second. A pony was looming overhead, blue with black spots on his flanks. "Excuse me." The large pony looked down at Kit and smiled brightly. "Oh, hello. Not often I see something as rare as I am." He brought down a massive hoof on kit's head in a light patting. "Hm, fox and pony? Don't see that often. Cute. Where're your parents?" Kit blinked up at him. "You must be Error." The large pony paused, looking startled. "That's not my name. Interesting one though. Error. A callsign?" His smile grew brighter. "I'm not sure I approve. If anyone's supposed to be an error, it's my friend." He pointed towards the food carts, where a smaller pony was getting herself a plate. "She doesn't mean nothing, but we big ponies, we protect." With a firm nod, he set off to keep an eye on that mare he'd apparently decided to watch over. Kit watched him go, then looked around. "Now I'm looking everywhere for them." He forced a calming breath. "Calm down. Besides, big pony and robot. I only saw one of those. Relax." He hurried towards Spring, tail lashing. He saw her balancing a heavy plate as she sat down. "Oh, did they give you more food?" Spring nodded, her mouth already full. "They said it's for helping out. And I guess it is for you, too. You're getting extra for being there with me." Her cheeks bulged out as she chewed joyfully for a moment. Working on that, she pushed the plate over where Kit could reach it. Kit picked up some food to nibble on himself. "We should probably rest again soon. We'll want to keep up with this helping if we're going to earn our place in town." Spring nodded, looking around at the people going about their business. With a big swallow, she let out a breath. "Phew! Yeah, today took a lot out of me, but I helped." She clapped her hooves with a bright smile. "So I'm pretty happy. I knew kirin magic would be worth learning. It's not the same as unicorn magic." Kit blinked, perking his ears forward. "What's different about it?" "It's like this." She gestured with her hoof. "I'm still figuring it out, but unicorn magic calls on stuff and changes stuff. Kirin magic is more about being. So making somecreature relaxed and take a little good nap? Easier for a kirin. Harder for a unicorn. Make sense? I'm only figuring this stuff out myself, so I could be wrong." She shrugged and resumed eating. "I think that makes sense to me." Kit smiled. "So what's something you want to try to do once we get home?" Spring threw a hoof up. "I want to become the first kirin wizard, so I can teach other kirins how to do kirin magic. Then we'll all be wizards, and we'll make everything better." She giggled softly. "Maybe they'll even make me the queen of Kirin." Kit snorted at that. "The queen of Kirin. I'm not sure what that would entail, Spring, but I imagine you'd do your best if you were given that chance." She nodded, eating another bite. "I'd be the best." Her horn flickered, and she waved a hoof. "Oh, I gotta check on them again." She swallowed, then set the food back down. "They should sleep today away, poor things." She waved at Kit before she dashed off towards the medical tents with clear purpose. "See you soon!" Kit watched her go, finishing up his own meal as he rose to join her. "Oh. Hello!" His ears shot straight up as a much smaller robot pony came alongside him. Author's Note A new costar is arriving on the scene. In fact, why not two? It's a two-for-one sale! A thank you to my Supporter Patrons: Zap Transfer and Dapple!👋🏽 Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon! Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could Join my discord to chat!
