//------------------------------//
// Chapter 44 
// Story: Words of Power 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Lotus Cinder knew the day the other team had finally solved their spell from the sudden transformation in everypony's moods. The unicorns spent every hour in such grim focus that they spoke about little else, and never smiled.
But then she heard polite applause from their half of the room, along with loud cheering. Even if she couldn't hear what they were saying from across the room, part of her suspected.
The princess appeared in the doorway a few minutes later and vanished into a conference room with the unicorn team for almost an hour of intense discussion.
Lotus switched to the desk nearest to the room, where she could catch a few bits and pieces of their words, along with the occasional feeling of magic radiating out from inside. Whatever they'd figured out, they obviously wanted to give it a proper test.
She felt magic through the insulated walls, albeit none targeted at her. That magic brought a strange radiance, incredibly powerful yet undirected. It felt a little like hearing gunshots on the range, knowing full well that standing on the wrong end would get her instantly killed. But behind the benches and shooting tables, Lotus remained perfectly safe.
Do you know what they're up to? she wondered. Not that she expected the little voice to answer her. After almost two weeks of work, she wasn't even sure it could hear her all the time. It felt like each time they spoke took deliberate effort, like she was waking a child from a nap for even the brief conversations they shared.
I know what they want to do, not how, she said. Not Searing Gale—Searing Gale was a powerful monster, not a little magic tutor who occasionally went on a futile rant about how evil ponies were deep inside.
Lotus was still trying to come up with names. Spark seemed like a good choice, if only because it sounded like the right size. 
What do they want to do? Lotus asked. Not an argument so much anymore—even when Spark had stupid things to say, it was usually easier to just ignore those, and quietly direct her to more positive thoughts instead. Besides stop Searing Gale, obviously.
The spell we almost made with Twilight... you worked so hard to keep my half alive. The other won't be. Searing is... ragged, scorched, threadbare. Only the flame sustains her. There's too much raw power to put out the fire. But this is another kind of—wound.
The door opened. Twilight emerged first, turning towards her. "Lotus Cinder! Are you still up here? There's something—"
"Yeah, right here." Lotus stood up from the desk, closing the notebook. "What's up?"
The other unicorns emerged from the door behind Twilight, slipping past her. A few waved in her direction, or just nodded politely. Only the one called Starswirl lingered, a few steps behind the princess.
Twilight followed Lotus's gaze, turning to glance over her own shoulder. "Starswirl?"
He shuffled forward a step. "I just hoped to express my... encouragement, to the young mare. Aspiring spellcasters such as herself are a rare breed even among ponies. In my day, so many kirin preferred burning a scroll to reading it. I hope you'll continue your studies when the danger is passed. And to wish you good luck."
"Thanks." She held out her hoof to shake—but the elderly stallion vanished in a flash of magic, gone before a hoof got close to him. 
Twilight sighed. "Yes, well. Starswirl has a very complex spell to prepare, and not long to do it. You should consider that very high praise. Few unicorns are worth his time."
She shrugged. "I assume something good must've happened. I'm just... not exactly clear on what it is. You figured out the second spell?"
Princess Twilight nodded. "It will take them a day to prepare the spell at meaningful scale. That should be long enough for the Gungnir to get here from its deployment in the north. We'll board, then fly to Searing Gale. Assuming we have the other spell ready in time." 
She eyed Lotus's notebook, then flicked it open. It wasn't like she'd been asked to do the whole thing herself—Twilight did much of the hard work, leaving the gaps for Lotus to fill in based on what she could figure out on her own. 
She squinted down at the pages for a few seconds, flipping through them. "How close do you think we are?"
"Very," she answered. "Spirits are delicate.”
Twilight took another few seconds to study the notebook, then snapped it closed again. "I think I can have this ready by tomorrow morning. Take the night off. We'll cast the spell as soon as the Gungnir gets here." 
She turned, then froze in place, spinning back around. "Oh, one more thing. Your griffon friend Gutsy wanted to come along when we left. It wouldn't be right to separate you from your friends at such a dangerous time. But I wanted to make sure he could be there without causing trouble."
I'm usually the reason Gus is in trouble. Lotus suppressed a giggle at the name. Even Twilight was saying the wrong one now. "If he knows the danger and wants to come anyway, he won't be a problem."
"Well I can see where he gets the name," Twilight said. She waved her wing at Lotus, towards the door. "Spike will bring you up here tomorrow morning. Get lots of rest, it will be an incredibly difficult spell. More than most ponies could manage."
Lotus slipped out of the lab. Iron Feather joined her on the steps—whether he'd been listening from inside, or guarding the door today, she didn't always know. The stallion wasn't always within sight—sometimes he circled the building, other times he flew overhead. He took his guarding duties with the same dedication he had doubtless approached protecting the spellbook, before Searing Gale burned it.
In a way, protecting her was guarding the spellbook. And more.
"I was beginning to wonder if this was a dead end," he said. "Weeks staring at books and chalkboards. Do you really think it could end a war?"
She nodded without thinking. "The same thing happened in my world a few times. Some new discovery so incredible, so dangerous... it changes everything."
He touched her side with his wing, prodding at her belly. But if there was any sign of the physical change within, Lotus still couldn't feel or see it. Maybe she was slightly swollen compared to before, or maybe she was just eating too much and not staying physically fit with her endless days in the magical laboratory.
Iron seemed able to see what she couldn't. "I hope you're right. After this—we need to make a trip to Canterlot, so you can meet my family. They're chomping at the bit to meet the mare who saved my life, and is carrying my foal."
She sped up, walking just ahead of him. "I'll be happy to meet them, Iron. But let's go light on details until Searing Gale is... wherever Twilight plans on sending her. I need to stay focused for tomorrow."
He shrugged. "Sure, right. Counting the snowflakes before they freeze and everything, I get it." He removed the helmet, moving up beside her. There was nopony else on the ramp—at least no one close enough to see. The unicorns on Twilight's magic team were already most of the way down by then.
Besides, Iron Feather hadn't exactly kept his feelings for her secret since arriving in Ponyville. Half the little town knew about them by now, if not more.
"But Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony have already saved Equestria from all kinds of dangers. I already know how strong you are, after getting us here from Earth. It's not a question of whether we can beat Searing Gale or not—just planning for what we do after."
His confidence is commendable. He is lucky I could not kill him during the escape. I... almost did. More than once. Those little wings circling, so close. Ready to crush with stone hooves. But I couldn't look at him without seeing Moonforge. If I did it, you might never see the truth yourself.
They walked down the steps together. Lotus didn't just let Iron hold her, she welcomed his touch. She didn't hide that from Gus, even if she hadn't told him about the other important developments. If she died trying to save Equestria, she'd never have to.
The truth is that Iron loves me, and won't leave if my foal is a kirin.
Spark radiated only confusion. I do not... remember. I know I was confident once. I knew all that could be known of ponies and their ways. Maybe I was wrong.
They found the griffon waiting in their suite a few minutes later, pacing back and forth just inside. He looked up as they approached. "Did you forget? Lotus, we're gonna be late if we don't hurry. You know she was going out of her way to do us a favor."
She winced. "I... what?" 
"The fashion designer?" Gus pressed. "The one who said she would make us both some clothes after the whole burning our whole lives thing. Not being naked all the time?"
"Oh!" Lotus smacked herself with a foreleg. She remembered the conversation only vaguely—any subject that wasn't directly tied to her magical research was likely to fade into the background, only dimly felt.
It's just like when I was getting ready to cross universes with a spell. Only now I'm ripping an evil kirin apart from the inside. She might feel more guilty about it, if Searing Gale hadn't personally tried to kill her own kirin half. If one was going to survive, she was increasingly certain it ought to be Spark.
"We can go. Kinda... stopped noticing that as much. When everyone's doing it, it's a lot harder to care."
Gus tugged her foreleg back down the steps. Iron followed, slipping his helmet back on. Whether he'd be going on this appointment as her watchful bodyguard, boyfriend, or something in-between, Lotus welcomed his company.
"I'd give you the whole lemming thing about jumping off cliffs, but we all know Disney made that up. Maybe the rest of us aren't as eager to be part of a National Geographic documentary. On the mating habits of mythical creatures."
She stuck her tongue out, defiant. "Before you go back to Earth, I challenge you to spend a few weeks in a griffon village. See if you don't find any interesting birds."
Both of Gus's wings opened on his sides, just a little. But whatever that meant, Lotus didn't have the wings to guess herself. "They're called Aeries, actually. And yes, I planned on it. I've been improving my flying, practicing every day since we landed here. Not that it has anything to do with what you just suggested."
They reached the expansive bottom floor, where several groups of visitors lingered. A few government officials hovered near the map room, with its large crystal thrones. Lotus had only peered inside a handful of times, and never with much interest. 
Learning about how Equestria's government worked was no doubt a fascinating subject—but there was no time to master civics while also inventing an incredibly delicate spell from scratch.
Spike appeared out of the crowd as they made their way out, falling into step ahead of Gus.
"Gutsy! You're still here? Thought you were going to the Boutique today."
"Yes, me too." He eyed Lotus over his shoulder. Without even a word of complaint about the name. "We'll have to fly over I guess. Or... gallop. Do you still remember how to do that?"
More accurately, had she ever learned? Not really. Lotus had never needed to master physical skills, not when she spent every single day fully invested in magical study. She could gallop all she wanted, she'd never make it across universes. 
"Say hello to Rarity for me," Spike said, backing away again. "I'd come along to... supervise... but Princess Twilight has too much for me to do. Lots of inventory to pack tonight."
They stepped out into the early evening air. Ponyville did have streetlights, glowing with a flickering amber that pulsed unevenly. Power too dirty to recharge a laptop, apparently.
"I meant it about galloping," Gus said, taking off as soon as they were outside. "We can't be late. That unicorn is giving all this for free! If that's not generosity, I don't know what is."
"She's the Element of Generosity," Iron said. "What did you expect?"
Lotus broke into a trot behind Gus, then a canter. A gallop might get her there, though it was following him through the sidewalks of Ponyville. 
Good thing she'd come to know so many of the locals, or else some of them might be more afraid of her. Was that kirin running through town dangerous? Was she part of some new plan by Searing Gale?
Iron Feather flew ahead of her, instead of chasing behind. "I think it's this way! The huge round building..."
They stumbled inside a few steps later. Lotus panted and heaved, resting against the wall for support.
Saving Equestria from Searing Gale didn't leave her lots of leisure time, especially for shopping. Eric hadn't grown up with much money to spend, or very many things to spend it on. 
The closest thing Eric knew to the activity were the semi-annual family trips to JP’s Farm and Harvest. Maybe if he was lucky he'd get a new tool for the garage.
In some strange way, Hono was not that different. The insular village had merchants, traders, and craftspeople, but no stores. Every item was made to order, a creation of great personal investment and loving devotion.
She was thus completely unprepared for the Boutique's interior. This was wealth on display, every mannequin and case a gallery for the talent of its single star designer. A young filly greeted them with a polite wave, setting the broom aside in her magic. "Big sister's upstairs, if you're looking for Rarity. You must be her last appointment."
"That's us." Gus slipped past, reaching the stairs before Lotus. He was the first up the steps to a workroom, where the white and purple unicorn waited. 
Rarity showed no sign she cared about the time. "There she is! The hero of the hour, and the brave explorer! Here from another world and into the doors of my boutique."
Lotus nodded nervously. "Not sure about hero, but... yeah. Sorry if we kept you waiting."
The unicorn lowered a pair of glasses over her face, lifting a measuring tape and clipboard in her magic. Perhaps not the same depth of arcane mastery as Princess Twilight, yet she moved with no less confidence and control.
Lotus still needed to practice like these lifetime unicorns. Maybe one day she'd be able to move a dozen objects with the same effortless ease. 
At least I've already decided what to do. If I live, then... Then she would stay. Whether Gus decided to do the same was his decision. Maybe when the smoke cleared Equestria's Alicorns could come up with a way to send messages back. If she could give her family one of those diaries like Luna sent her, at least she could stay in touch.
"Say nothing of it, dear. When I heard about the tragedy of your arrival—the flames consuming so much of your old lives, well. With your heroic victory soon at hoof, I figured you deserved something appropriate to the celebrations to come. Along with anything else you might need."
She raised one hoof, silencing Lotus. "Before you say so, do not even think to offer to recompense me for my services. I require nothing but the satisfaction of assisting a pair of creatures in need."
She pulled a quill from behind her ear, licking the tip with her tongue. "Please explain what you require. I'll need to take measurements of course." She lifted the clipboard between herself and Gus, lowering her voice. Not nearly low enough to stop a griffon from hearing. Even human ears would be good enough that close.
"Between you and me, I've never had the opportunity to design maternity wear before. I'll probably include a few extra items to stretch my abilities. Assuming you're interested."
Her face lit up, so warm it spread to the rest of her body. Rarity knew—of course she did. She was close friends with the princess, who had no reason to hide this detail from her. If she'd been mentioned even once, it would probably come up.
"That seems a little premature," Gus said. "Lotus isn't that careless."
She whimpered, backing one step towards Iron. "Tell her what you want, Gus. I can go after. Probably don't need as much."
Gus met her eyes, expression as intense as any bird or pony could look. "Answer her question first, Lotus. Do you want maternity items, or not?"
"Yeah," she whispered, so quietly that she could barely even hear the words herself. "That would be great."