> Wishing Star: R-Type
>  by Quantum_Shift
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Ch01 - Wish Upon a Glowing Ball
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Walking home from work, Rose is tired, stressed, and a little lonely. After the break-up with her boyfriend a week previous, she’s just not had much time for herself, her family demanding more time spent working on chores around the house and the rest of the time being spent in school or at work.

“I can’t even sleep without dreaming about finances or tests... working those extra shifts isn’t helping much either.”

She sighs, and continues walking past some of the houses on her way home, a light catches her eye. The light shimmering in dozens of colors, like a rainbow. Looking into the short alleyway between houses, she sees a large orb, glassy and shimmering, on the ground.

She cocks a brow and steps closer, hitching her bag to a more comfortable position.

“Huh, never seen anything like that on Garbage Hill before...”

Rose shifts on her heels in the direction of the hill, taking a better look at the orb. It was strangely pretty, but still, the Garbage Hill was known for broken glass, left over drug needles, and God knows what else.

“It’s probably just a large marble or something,”

She turns back to the direction of her home, hearing the screams of her mother a block away.

“Bro’s broken something again...”

She let out a large sigh before glancing back at the ball. It wouldn’t hurt to see what the object was- anything that kept her from entering the hellhole she called home. Stepping carefully onto a wooden board sitting on the mound of trash, Rose sidles over to the glowing orb. From up close, she sees that it’s actually glowing on its own, like a crystal ball from a cheesy movie.

In fact, from the way it’s pressing down on the trash, it’s probably really heavy, might be actually worth something, if only on Ebay. Reaching out for it, her fingers make contact with the ball, its smooth, cool surface soothing after the heat of the day.

Rolling it towards her, Rose gets it to where she can pick it up, and does, resting it in her palms. The orb stops glowing, and she can see right through it, with barely any distortion. There’s no ‘made in’ stamp, and the glass is almost unnaturally smooth.

“Huh... well, if it’s not worth anything I could always just use it as a decoration.”

She frowned at the thought of her room, it mostly empty due to the fact that she had to sell most of her possessions online or at one of the many garage sales to pay for food or her car, which was a piece of shit anyways.



Rose said to the glass ball.

“Stupid peice of shit.”

She muttered to the white, rusted car parked in front of the driveway. It’s seen better days and reeked of smoke from it’s previous owners. Not to mention the seats were stained with sticky residue of soda and other flavored drinks from the many take out places it was guilty of driving though.

Sighing, she carefully sets the orb into her bag and carries it into the house.

Cringing at the sight of her mother shouting at her brother for his stupidity she quickly retreats to her room, a routine she does quite often due to the hostility in the home.

Setting down her bag, she pulls out the mysterious globe. Looking it over again, Rose realizes that it’s actually still glowing, ever so softly, in her hands.

A loud slam shakes the walls down the hall. her brother managed to run to his room and slam the door behind him before her mother was able to take away his phone.

“Open this door!”

Her mother is shouting as she banged on the door with her palm.

“Fuck you!”

“OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!”

The woman screamed again, this time banging on the door with the soft side of her fist.

“Another peaceful day,”

Rose speaks sarcastically to herself.

“Wish I could just get away from it all...”

She looked up at her wall where a picture of a forgotten time was frozen, her and a friend smiling. Back then things weren’t so complicated.

As if to answer her, the orb in her hands begins glowing. She looks down at the glass ball as a painful shock of electricity or something runs up form it, rainbow-colored arcs of energy wrapping around her arms as it crawls to her.

She screams, or tries to, as the world goes sideways, then is overcome by a rainbow swirl...



	

Slowly, Rose wakes up, her whole body aching slightly.

“Ugh...”

She groans, rubbing her head.

“What the hell happened?”

Slowly opening her eyes, a soft light greets them, a beam of moonlight falling in through an open window.

“Wha...? This isn’t... my... room.”

She quickly tries to get up and scope the area only to be stopped by her non cooperative limbs. Falling with a crash, she finds herself on a floor of oddly soft wood, a thin layer of dirt, or perhaps fine wood shavings coating it. The whole thing smells of pine wood.

As she contemplates this sudden development, she hears a door open on one side of the room.

“Miss, are you alright? I heard a noise.”

The voice is masculine, and oddly soothing, somewhere between ‘buff voice actor’ and ‘butler’. It’s also rather quiet.

“Wh-where am I? Who are you?”

Her questions were direct and quick, unsure whether or not to be scared.

“My deepest apologies, miss, the master found you outside during a rainstorm, and brought you back here, to his estate. I know that most Earths prefer to live closer to the ground, but he wasn’t sure where you lived. It is a fair distance to the nearest town.”

Her brow creased in confusion.

“What are you talking about? I was in my room and it wasn’t raining and- and-!”

Her head began to hurt and she put a hand to her head only to be greeted by a hard object, like a chunk of soft plastic.

“Ow!”

“Ah, sorry, allow me to help you up, miss.”

A pair of strong limbs settle under her arms as she tries to puzzle out what hit her. As she’s carefully placed on the bed, she looks around, seeing no-one until an equine shape, with a pair of large, brown wings flutters to the ground in front of her.

The creature appears to be a pony, smooth brown fur, striped with darker brown and a mane even darker brown than that. The wings, mildly insectile, like a moth or butterfly’s, settle onto his back.

“Are you alright miss?”

It’s a talking horse, a voice in Rose’s mind states firmly. A talking, mildly cartoonish horse. Looking down as she thinks to herself, she sees that, instead of arms or anything else human, she also seems to be a horse.

A rather fancy looking one, too. A smooth, velvety-soft looking mint-green sea of fur covers her belly and arms. Shifting her head slightly, she can see strands of metallic silver hair, fading to black part-way down the length of it.

“Wh- WHAT THE HELL! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!?”

Rose closed her eyes and shook her head viciously.

“I’m dreaming! I hit my head and got a concussion and now I’m having a really weird dream- yeah that’s it!... A really fucking weird dream.”

“Miss? Miss! Please calm down! You are alright, just calm down, please!”

She opened her eyes hoping her vision would be fixed but grunted at the unchanged scenery.

“No, no, no! Wake up! Just wake up!”

She’s pleading with herself, and the moth-pony thing takes a tentative step forward.

“Miss? Please- Just calm down. You’re not in any danger here.”

The guy is sounding a little shaken, but Rose is more than a little freaked out still. She looked up at the pony, seeing his reaction to her outbursts. He seemed sincere... and slightly frightened. Maybe she could trust him?

“How did I get here? I was in my room and then- and then... then...”

“I’m not sure, miss, but when the master found you, you were in smoking crater, wearing fine garments like he’d never seen before. It looked as though you had been struck by lightning.”

Rose’s eyes opened at the mentioning of her clothes and quickly looked down, trailing from the fur of her- hooves, and training down the length of her arm and below. No form of garments were present. At. All.

“Ah! WHAT THE FUCK! I’M NAKED!”

She quickly covered herself with her hooves and tried to run, only ending with her tripping over her own hooves and crashing down to the floor again. Still embarrassed she continued to scream, covering her flank with her hooves, trying to shimmy her way into a corner or somewhere where she could hide her exposed flesh.

“Miss? Are you alright? Your clothes are simply being washed. They were a bit filthy from the mud and rain.”

“WHY DID YOU TAKE THEM OFF ME IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU PERVERT! I KNEW IT! I WAS KIDNAPPED! GODDAMN IT MOM! I TOLD YOU THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WAS A BAD IDEA!”

She sits there, panicked and nearly hyperventilating, as the butler just stares for a moment, his expression a deadpan of unamused sincerity.

“Oh. You’re from one of those families.”

The butler pony sighs and rolls his eyes, turning around.

“Fine, take the bedsheet, if you must, though I’ll never understand what the point of all that frippery and extra fabric is about.”

Rose quickly stopped screaming at the butler’s rude comment and shot him a glare.

“What you talkin ‘bout Willis?”

“My name is Cedar Bark, miss, not Willis.”

The mare only slapped her hoof to her forehead before speaking again.

“What do you mean by one of those families, hmm?”

Her tone was strung with annoyance, her fear and confusion quickly forgotten for the moment.

“I’m simply saying, that I have never understood the faction of the nobility that sees the need to drape themselves in fabric that would be better being set aside for a banquet.”

He’s still facing away from her, and she slowly reaches for the blanket on the bed, only to realize she can’t grab anything with her hoof.

“Agh! Damn it!”

She muttered to herself, fumbling with the blanket, not used to her absence of fingers and thumbs.

“Is something the matter now, miss?”

“How am I supposed to grab things without any thumbs!?”

Rose held up her hooves in annoyance.

“I’m sure I have no idea how I would do so with thumbs, miss, I’m no dragon or griffin.”

“You’re not- ugh, never mind.”

She muttered vehemently, using her mouth to grab the blanket and toss it on her back. With rough movements and by catching the fabric on her hooves, she was able to wrap it mostly around herself.

“May I turn around, yet, miss? Or do you require still more time? I suppose lunch will be ready soon, and your clothes will be clean by the time we’re done with that, but I will state, simply for the record, that I still don’t understand the earth pony nobility’s fascination with clothing.”

“Just-! Stop talking!”

Rose growled between her teeth, finally setting the cloth in place to where she was covered. At least the movements were helping her figure out how to move the legs, they’re way more flexible than human arms, which is odd, because she’s a pony now.

Sighing, the butler-like moth pony slowly starts for the door.

“If miss is hungry, perhaps she would accompany me to the dining room for lunch?”

With a questioning glance out the window, at the moon still high in the dark sky, Rose bit her lip. She never got to eat anything during her lunch break and her arrival home was not greeted with a meal either, so by now she could feel her stomach eating itself in starvation.

“Yeah...”

Rose carefully got to her fee-hooves, cautiously stepping forward one shaky leg at a time. Wobbling after the butler, she had to stop numerous times to re-adjust her bedspread toga, gazing around as she did at magnificent wood walls and smooth wooden floors. Fine, gold-leaf patterns decorate the wood with pictures of ponies of all sorts doing various things.

A large painting, of a distinguished-looking mothpony and a pony with feathered wings, like a pegasus, sat next to each other, a small, almost murderously cute foal sitting on the ground in front of them, playing with blocks.

“So... What is this place exactly? And who are they?”

“This is the Herald Estate, and those are the current master Twilight Herald, and his late wife, Storm Front. The little one at their feet is young master Moon Herald, who is the one who brought you here after discovering you. He’s grown a bit since the portrait was painted though, just to warn you.”

“Okay? So... fill me in a bit. I’m not in a brothel or sex trade-”

“Miss! The implications of that statement are extremely rude! The Herald estate would never stoop to such base practices, even if it weren’t illegal!”

“Hey! Can you blame me? Over where I live- well, things like that happen a lot! And I don’t wanna end up as another Breaking News at Five.”

“What kind of barbaric lands are you from? And what nonsense babbling is this about destroying news?”

“Welcome to America.”

“Actually, this is the dining room. Please take a seat near the middle of the table, if you will, and some dinings will be brought along shortly. I believe young master Moon Herald would like to speak with you.”

“Good, I’d like to talk guy as well, maybe he can answer some of my questions.”

The butler bows, rolling his eyes, and backs away, rather suddenly fading from view as he turned away from Rose, leaving her in front of a pair of double-doors made from solid slabs of wood.

“Well, here goes everything.”

Carefully opening the doors, Rose steps inside, the doors themselves making no noise as they swing open effortlessly. Upon stepping through, they swing smoothly shut as well. In front of Rose is a large banquet table, almost devoid of anything, save for a set of triple-candle holders.

The oddest part of the table was that it appeared to be a part of the floor, the legs blending seamlessly with the polished brown wood and vanishing under the thin layer of wood shavings. sitting at one end is another male pony, a muted brown with ash-gray and black stripes, forming an intriguing tiger-stripes pattern along his back. A pair of similarly-colored wings lay folded at his sides.

Rose only let out a whistle at the sheer beauty of it.

“Man, we don’t have anything like this at home.”

The guy at the end of the table continues to look at her, his gaze unwavering since she had stepped in. He blinks, and smiles at Rose.

“That makes me very sad, not having a dining area of your own at your home. Please, sit down, I hear that lunch will be served momentarily.”

His voice is... oddly alluring. There’s nothing about it that should be interesting, but something about it is anyways. The candlelight and the moonlight streaming in through the large, clear glass panes running along the wall parallel to the length of the table illuminates everything quite well.

The male at the end of the table however, overshone the light.

He was... very attractive for a horse. Judging from the veins and shifting muscles underneath the skin she could tell he was very well kept, his coat was shiny and reminded her of dark coffee, striped with silver and black hues. The mane consisted of another brown, this one more chocolate and sweet looking.The eyes however, struck her the most with their vibrant hints of greens and golden yellows. Though she’s always seen horses as beautiful animals, shes never seen one as gorgeous as he.

“Are you alright, madame?”

“Uh, yeah, umm....”

She shook her head, shaking the thought of his striking features.

“What happened to me? All I remember is being in my room and then, I’m here.”

“I’m not sure exactly, but I found you in the forest, not too far away, while returning before a thunderstorm rolled through. If I hadn’t been late and caught up in the rain, I doubt I would’ve seen you. Whatever happened to you, you were laying in some sort of crater, such as what happens when a lightning bolt strikes the ground.”

“S-seriously? But how? I mean- What?”

“Well, I’m not sure myself. Again, I only happened to find you. Ah, and lunch has arrived!”

Rose simply turned her head to the door where the food was arriving from the kitchen doors. A group of ponies, most of them moth ponies, though a pony with extra limbs and and spider-like features also came in, each of them carrying platters, the metallic dishes silvery and brightly polished.

The mare simply watched the ponies set the table with the shiny silverware. While no actual utensils are set out, the platters are set down, including a large cake in dark brown, a small frosting moth on the top of it.

“Ah, I had been expecting to have this later in the evening, but perhaps it’s better to get this over with while there’s still moonlight out. Please, madame, sit down.”

The spider-pony pulls out a chair for Rose and gestures to it.

Rose bites her lip as she sits down, trying not to make any sudden movements to otherwise offend the spider creature.

The creature backed away slowly afterwards, as she settles into the chair. The first platter is opened up, revealing a fine plate of greens, large leafy plants within. The second is opened, revealing a small selection of fruits, including grapes, apples, and pears. The third has a pile of steaming veggies, and the fourth has a quartet of baked potatoes, split open with pats of butter melting into them.

Rose’s eyes light up at the sight of healthy foods. Ever since she started working late nights and going to school full time her diet has been along the lines of take out and McNasties.

“Yum...”

She licked her lips, trying her hardest not to lunge at the food. The working staff carefully moves the platters close to her, waiting for a nod or headshake, receiving nothing but nods, the food piling onto the plate set before her.

At last, there’s a mound of food. Looking over at her host, to make sure it’s alright to dive in, and see he’s practically face-planted in the food.

Rose looked back at her food and hesitated before placing her muzzle onto the plate. Opening her mouth she took the grapes first, using her tongue to pick up individual ones from its stem.

The grapes were juicy, and tart, and contrast very nicely to the very sweet tasting pear. The apple was very sweet-tasting, too.

The only sounds that escaped her mouth were the moans of delight she let slip from her slurping and crunching of the fruits. They tasted so delicious in comparison to all the crap she’d been forced to eat that she’d forgotten how to eat properly.

She only stops when a low, hearty chuckle passes over the table, and she looks up to see the guy at the end of the table smiling.

Realizing that she has some baked potato on her nose, she tries to wipe it off, carefully.

“It’s um, good.”

She didn’t know what exactly to say, her mouth still somewhat full of chewed food. He just chuckles and motions for her to continue.

“That’s alright, I just haven’t seen a mare with such an appetite in a long time.”

Rose opened her mouth to say something but quickly swallowed the remains of her food before actually speaking.

“I- I don’t eat very well...”

She trailed off, using her hoof to roll a grape to the other side of her plate as she began to think of all the unhealthy food she’s engorged in the past few weeks.

“While I find that very odd for any earth pony, I must say that you certainly don’t look very malnourished. Quite stately, in fact.”

“Well, I just don’t eat very... healthy.”

“Again, I hope you won’t take offense at this, but you seem to be at all unhealthy. I can truly only state my appreciation of your form.”

His voice was calm, and charming. It was also very difficult for Rose not to want to listen to it, and did happily.

“Th-thanks. That’s very... kind of you to say.”

She lifted a hoof and attempted to brush her hair back like she normally would do in these awkward moments, but failed miserably, forgetting her pony form.

“Well, I try to only speak the truth. It is, rather unfortunate what night this is, in the end.”

He looks sadly down at the cake set before him. Rose cocks a brow.

“Why’s that?”

“Well, after finishing this lovely cake, I am to be expelled from these grounds. I may be the eldest, well, only, child of Twilight Harald, but that makes no difference.”

“Expelled? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s tradition, that at the end of the night of a noble-born moth-wing’ coming of age day, they must leave their home and seek their life elsewhere. It’s supposedly to prevent the stagnation of noble blood, but I think it’s just the Living Gods preventing any of us from consolidating power in a family.”

“That sounds familiar. Kinda have the same situation back home. But, it’s a load of crap to be honest. Just because it’s said to happen, doesn’t mean it has to. Especially if the situation says otherwise.”

“I suppose I must agree, though not with such, ah, colorful terms. Shall we partake in the cake, then? Also, I realize I never asked your name, madame, might I ask what it is?”

The mare bit her lip. Guess she forgot her manners again, but can you blame her?

“It’s ah... Rose.”

“Rose? What a fitting name. A beautiful title for a beautiful mare.”

“B-beautiful?”

“Well, I could go into great detail about comparing you to things like flowers or fancy rock formations or the moon itself, but I believe a simple statement of fact to work better.”

“Y-yeah.”

At this point the female was completely lost. In a strange world where horses could talk and have traditions and have rude butlers? She finally shook her head and creased her brows, putting a hoof on the table.

“Look, I enjoy the food and the... compliments, but I really must be getting home. Thanks for your generosity, but I really must be going now.”

“I understand. Please, at least wait for your garments, though. They should be done shortly.”

He looks back down at the cake sadly, holding his silence.

“But I-”

She sees the sadness in his eyes and lets out a sigh.

“Alright, I’ll stay for the cake, but after that I really have to go home... However that is.”

“Indeed. If it would be alright, might I accompany you at least out of the forest? It can be a bit dangerous for those without as good of night vision.”

“Night vision? Can’t you just give me a flashlight?”

“A what?”

“A fl- nevermind. Alright, I’ll let you guide me through forest... but you’re leading.”

“Uhm... Alright. But isn’t it the mare’s job to be protective? I simply wished to make sure you got out safely.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

“Riiight...”

He doesn’t seem very enthused by this as he began to eat the slice of cake set before him, nibbling away at the small slice.

A more considerable slice was set before Rose, and she looked at it curiously before eating. There was two layers of different-colored chocolate cake, with a coffee-scented icing coating it and separating the layers.

Though she didn’t quite like the taste of coffee unless it was in the morning to wake her up, she took a bite anyways, trying to endure the bitterness of the flavoring. To her surprise, its entirely sweet, the coffee icing counterpointed by a creamy chocolate flavor, the swirls in the icing becoming apparent as white chocolate.

“Wow, this is the best tasting cake I’ve ever had!”

She took another bite, not hesitating to take in a large mouthful, leaving frosting all over her muzzle.

“I’m glad you enjoy it. This is my favorite flavoring, personally.”

As the cake was finished off, The two sat in companionable silence for a minute or so.

> Ch02 - Clothing Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Another pony, a gray one, 'like herself', Rose noted, 'without any wings', carried in a bundle. The pony set down the bundle next to Rose’s cleared place at the table, and she recognized that it’s her clothes. Another pony, this one with a horn, steps up next to her. He’s wearing a butler’s uniform, and sporting a fine mustache.

“Will madame require assistance with her garments?”

“Umm... no thanks. I’m pretty sure I can handle this on my own.”

“If madame needs any assistance, simply call.”

The unicorn (that’s what he has to be, right?) bows curtly and steps back.

Rose simply gives an awkward smile and attempts to grab her clothes with her hooves, forgetting her non existing fingers.

“Right, no hands.”

Frowning she uses her mouth to take the garments. Unfortunately, she realize she can’t put on a shirt of any kind using her mouth.

“Were du ah gu to channgu?”

“I’m sorry?”

Rose spits her clothes out and restates her question.

“Where do i go to change?”

“Change what?

“Into my clothes.”

“If madame requires somewhere to change, would a lavatory suffice?”

The butler speaks up again from his position by the door.

“Is it private?”

“Ineed.”

“Then that works.”

She pushed away from the table and grabbed her clothes with her mouth, carefully following the unicorn butler as he leads her towards another door. He stands at attention outside it once arriving.

“If madame will require assistance, I could call ms. Maidsquire to help madame into her garments.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine, it’s just clothes after all...”

Five minutes later, Rose is trying to untangle herself from the choking confines of her jeans, her forelegs bound together by her tank-top. Somehow, the jeans had managed to find their way over her head.

“Agh! Damn it!”

“Does madame require assistance now?”

The butler had remained outside the whole time, it seemed.

“No! I don’t need any help! it’s just a pair of jeans and a shit! I mean shirt!”

“As you say, madame.”

Fucking calm, composed ass-hat. So damn smug in his whatever-the-hell makes him smug! Rose silently railed at the unfairness of the situation, extremely confused as to how the hell she’s supposed to get the damn things off again so she can get the on right this time.

Using her teeth she attempted to pull the garments down only to hear the sounds of ripping fabric. There goes the collared shirt. Pulling the ruined cotton mess from her front legs, she sighs. Maybe I should ask for help, I’ve got one other shirt, and only one set of pants. And a pair of sneakers, but I can just slide those... wait, there’s four. Odd... but alright.

“No. Not gonna ask for help. I hardly know them and I still have no clue of where I’m at exactly- nor why the hell I’m a freaking horse.”

Muttering to herself didn’t help though, and she couldn’t figure out how to get the damn things over her hooves and head without catching on anything. After a further forty minutes of trying, she’s still not gotten any closer to figuring it out. It just does not seem possible.

But how the hell is that unicorn going to do it? lift the stuff into place with his horn? How could they think these are real clothes? How are these supposed to go on? They look like they’re for a pony...

“Oh right, I’m a horse.“

At this point the garments were before her in a mess, the jeans inside out and the tank top in a knott. Frowning she tried to undo the knot with her teeth, again being greeted by the sounds of tearing fabric. She let out a yell of frustration and finally gives up.

“Ah! that’s it! I’m just gonna walk out naked! I don’t care anymore! I’m just gonna be a nudist from now on!”

Looking down at the clothes on the floor, she sees one article of clothing she’s pretty sure she can put on: her velcro-strap sneakers. They were on sale, and the right color, but it looks like that bargain shopping might just come in handy now.

Slipping the now boot-like shoes over her hooves, she found that they fit snugly, and don’t even need to be adjusted.

“At least one of these things fit...”

Looking at the mess she created, Rose groaned in annoyance and quickly slipped on the shoes before taking the ripped garments in her mouth and preparing to toss them aside. Before she does, the butler calls from outside.

“I take it madame is finished clothing herself? If so, I have madame’s bag here for her.”

“Thanks.”

Her words were strung with annoyance from her failed attempt to dress herself. embarrassed by her inability to do a simple task as put on a shirt she dragged her hoofs to the main door.

Outside is the unicorn butler, and what he was doing shocked her.

Levitating a bag without holding it. Fucker didn’t even need hands.

Stuffing the shredded clothes into the bags with a growl, she waits for a moment as the butler lifts the bag effortlessly, and lets it sit on her back, where it seems to settle naturally.

“Man, why couldn’t I have been turned into one of you guys?”

“It’s doubtful, madame, that anypony would wish a noble-born child into being a servant, outside of fairy tales.”

“Right...”

“If madame would accompany me? I’ve been instructed by the lord of the house to escort madame and the young master from the premises.”

“Do you guys really need to do all that stuff? I mean, really? It’s just over there.”

Rose stops for a moment, having realized she’s not actually sure of where the exit/entrance to the place is.

“Yes, madame, it is required. In your case, because the master of the house has requested you leave, now that you have recovered, and in the case of his son because it is commanded by the Living Gods, long may they reign.”

“Living Gods? You gotta be kidding me...”

“I am not. Queen Tenebrous herself rules this land.”

“Geez, this sounds like my grandma’s religious force feeding all over again.”

“If your grandma was perhaps deluded into thinking such heresies as disbelieving in the Living Gods divinity, I must wonder at how she survived to produce foals. The Queen raises the moon every night, after all. The King of the Imperium Sol raises the sun. Such is the way of the world.”

Rose opened her mouth to argue but just grunted.

“Just get me out of here.”

“Of course, madame.”

The butler stiffly walks off, Rose following behind. The sneakers really made walking easier, gripping the wood-shaving floors and cushioning the soft inside of her hoof, making it hurt a lot less.

A few minutes later, Rose had arrived at a massive double-door, Moon Herald waiting there as well. He smiled at Rose, making her blush, though she wasn’t exactly sure why, and she turned back to the massive door as a gray aura envelops the butler’s horn and the doors, as the doors swing open.

Followed closely by the butler, Rose and Moon walked to the edge of the property, over rolling green hills, accented beautifully by the moonlight, until they reached a gate, which was opened by that gray glow again. They stepped through, and the gate closed slowly behind them

Rose took one last look back, and gasped as she realize the entire mansion was actually a huge, squat tree, with at least four floor’s worth of windows, a few of them with lights on in them.

“Woah... That- that’s a nice treehouse.”

“Mahogany Manor was grown by my father, as a wedding gift for my mother. She said it was the silliest and nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. He made his fortune by helping others and making a business of it. It’s going to be a tough legacy to follow, but one I hope I can exceed it one night. Even if I never make a coin from it.”

In the moonlight, his corded muscles and smooth coat positively gleamed, and Rose felt her breath catch for a moment when she saw his wings open, a brilliant, fiery orange and black pattern on the underside, like dancing flames.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. I mean, you’re a nice looking, uh, guy. Plus you know how to act so I’m sure it won’t be too hard for you to get somewhere fast.”

“I suppose. But I really just want to help others. Not much room in the world for a self-sufficient stallion, though. Most mares just want a buck who’ll stay in the kitchen and cook, or look nice and give her foals.”

“So, this place expects the guys to be... housewives?”

“I believe the term is ‘housecolts’, but I believe you have the right idea. It’s rare for someone like my father to only herd with a single mare, but she never minded him taking care of her, even if society said it should be the other way around.”

“Man, that’s the complete opposite of where I’m from- well, kinda. Back home the girls are more the stay at home type and guys go work, but things are evening out between the two.”

“Must make it hard for the mares to find bucks, then, if they all stay away from the few out there to tend the home.”

“Not exactly.”

She gave a little laugh.

“You don’t really have a hard time meeting people because they’re everywhere. I mean, it’s hard not to since it’s so over populated.”

“Ah, you’re from one of the cities, then? I hear there’s nearly three thousand ponies in some of the largest.”

He sounded entirely sincere, and the two of them began walking as they spoke, the beautiful moonlight shining down on them.

“You don’t get out much do you? Three thousand is a small town in comparison to what I’m used to. Try millions of people in a single place.

“Impossible! Except maybe in the five capitals, there’s nowhere in the world with enough space for that! A single city would have to stretch out over hundreds of thousands of miles for that many ponies to live in it all at once, not including travellers passing through to elsewhere. I may be noble-born, but I took my studies seriously. Even with the tallest non-magic, pony-made living area structure duplicated endlessly, there’d still be no room for more than perhaps a hundred thousand ponies in one city.”

“In your world maybe, but I’m not from here, rememeber.”

“Hmph, whatever nation you’re from, it’s simply impossible to build a structure over sixty hooves tall without it collapsing or requiring magical support, or being made of very large bricks! Even castles are rarely more than a hundred hooves in height, and usually only sit on higher elevations to make up for this.”

“My world is also bigger than yours. Plus, our living spaces aren’t as... generous as yours. Most of the time it’s only a few feet and a toilet.”

“A few what? I’ve seen the living quarters designed for cities, my father is an architect, that’s what he does, and yes, they are tiny. Usually barely as tall as they are wide, I know.”

“Well, imagine what your dad does but, ten times bigger.“

“I can imagine that just fine, it sounds like what used to be my room.”

“You- nevermind.”

Looking around, Rose saw that they had left the woods. Looking back, they’d actually left them a bit ago. There was no sign of the moon either, but it looked like the sun was preparing to rise.

“Ah, we seem to have stayed up rather later than anticipated. Sorry, I hadn’t meant to make you stay awake for the day. I- I have a tent, if you’d like to borrow it. The day will be rather warm, I believe, so I won’t mind sleeping outside.”

Moon makes the offer generously, even though he really didn’t have to. Rose’s eyelids are a bit heavy, after all the walking and all the good food, and everything.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

She gives him a smile, realizing how generous and handsome he was finally. Why couldn’t anyone be like this back home?

Moon Herald carefully set up the tent as the dawn slowly sets in. Rose yawns widely, looking at the poor, suddenly-deposed buck, empathy ringing in her heart. He’d have to go straight from luxury to sleeping in the grass, all for her.

“How big is that tent?”

“Well, it’s technically a couple’s tent, big enough for two if they don’t mind being, uhm, close, but I figured you’d want it to yourself.”

“That’s really nice of you... But you don’t have to give it up for me- I mean, I’ve slept on worse. Besides, you’ve done enough for me so... you take it.”

“I couldn’t, you seem to have even less than I do, and really... I’ll be alright.”

He seemed to genuinely believe Rose deserved the tent more, for some reason, in spite of her protests. The early morning light, all purple and gold, reflects off his dappled coat, his muscles visible in the dawn glow.

“Well, I’d feel bad if i kept it to myself...”

She bit her lip eyeing his form. He was quite magnificent, really... for a horse.

“Do you wanna split it?”

She quickly pressed her lips, not meaning to say her thoughts aloud.

“I- uhm... I would be honored... but you shouldn’t feel pressured to, i-if you d-don’t want to, th-that is.”

He had started stammering and blushing, his brilliant jade eyes wide as his gaze matched with hers.

“No, it’s- it’s fine, really. I uh...”

She looked down and kicked a rock shyly, silent for a few moments.

“I’m just gonna go to sleep...”

“Do- uhm, that is, uh, do you want me to accompany you?”

Moon sounded hopeful, his ears, one smooth brown and the other silver and black, perking up. Rose looked back to see his hopeful eyes, biting her lip again.

“Just... Just get in here before I change my mind.”

He scuttles in after her, as she wriggles into the small tent. As advertised, Moon Herald has to lay with Rose pretty much in his arms for there to be enough room to breath. He bright eyes almost seem to glow in the dark of the tent.

Feeling his warmth on her neck sent chills down her body, something she hasn’t felt in a good while. She gulps and take a deep breath, her mind wandering and beginning to fantasize.

As her mind begins to traverse the darker, warmer alleys of her thoughts, Moon Herald simply holds her, his strong form a source of comfort as the two lay down in the quiet warmth. Taking a risk, he nuzzles her ear, then waits for her reaction.

Rose’s body tensed up instantly, her body freezing in position. Not quite sure of what to do as she twitches, Moon simply holds her, hoping he didn’t mess up.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, anything to make the male back off, but she hesitated, thinking about his situation. He was exiled because of a stupid ritual or tradition, and now he’s being forced to sleep in a tent with a complete stranger... which he saved. Her.

“T-thanks for saving me from, well, dying in the cold.”

“It’s what anypony should do, even if most wouldn’t.”

“Well, you’re a really nice guy and, I’m glad it was you...?”

She was lost for words, the awkwardness making her sound stupid.

“Well... I’m glad it was you I saved. There’s a saddening few in this world who wouldn’t simply take advantage of me being of the weaker gender, who would help keep me safe through the forest and make me laugh instead of run in fear.

“I’m glad I saved you, Rose... I’m glad I met you, even if it was the night... I became nopony important...”

He was falling asleep and pressing his face into her shoulder, tears running down his face into her fur. The female took his words in carefully. From what she gathered, it seemed that females were the dominating race, something she would otherwise jump for joy from but strangely isn’t.

“Nopony important?”

Nobody important. she frowned at his depression.

“Look, don’t go feeling down in the dumps because your ‘rents decided to follow some old crap from an outdated book. It only causes problems and conflict.”

“Outdated book? The proclamation is renewed every year by Queen Tenebrous. If any family tries to break the laws of the proclamation... well, let’s just say it hasn’t been done in the last two thousand years for a reason. Tenebrous has never been a very lenient ruler.”

“Bleh, she sounds like that crazy old geezer on my street who thought the world was gonna end in 2012 with Natzis riding dinosours strapped with AK-47s.”

“That would have been awkward if she did, considering she was busy preventing the world from collapsing, with the other Living Gods. The Spider Legion was defeated in a mere decade of battle.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“It happened. There’s six immortal beings who corroborate the story, it’s taught as a part of history, and there’s lots of evidence, such as the Legion Remnants in the old forests.”

His breath keeps ticking her ear. It almost made her want to keep him talking just for that reason alone, but it was wrong. She had to shut him up before her body could react to his overall temptation.

“Well, whatever you believe, it’s your call. If you wanna be an outcast to your parents th-”

“Parent.”

She stopped and held her breath.

“Mother or father?”

“My mother died to get me away from one of those Legion Remnants you’re refusing to believe in. I was seven at the time.”

“I- I’m sorry.”

She bit her lip and stayed silent.

“Don’t be. It won’t bring her back. All that can be done is remember her.”

He hugs her tightly for a moment, his muzzle still buried in the crook of her neck, the tears streaming into her fur more quickly now.

Oh, real smooth you idiot!

“I-I know how you feel.”

It was a lie. But it was the only thing she could think of to make him feel better.

The poor buck just clung to her, though, like she was a life-preserver in a stormy sea, as if his life depended on it. Her mind raced trying to think of what she could do to make the colt feel better. A hug? She quickly squirmed around, their eyes meeting. A sorrowful gleam rests in his otherwise dulled eyes, their glow diminished.

She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it knowing her lack of cheering-up skills. With what little movement she had in the cramped tent, the mare wrapped a hoof around the male, patting him gently on the back.

“It’ll be okay...”

“Y-yeah, I g-guess. But no mare would want me... I’m too learned, and I can’t cook at all. I haven’t got a coin to my name... I’m nothing...”

“Well then it looks like you and I are on the same boat. So... How about we stick together? I mean- Who knows how long til i get home right?”

Rose’s voice trailed off, realizing the truth behind her statement. Damn.

He just sniffles, holding her close.

“Y-yeah... I guess... And I c-can stay with you ‘till then, right?”

The unspoken please? hid behind his words, and she realized he’d opened his heart and soul to her, in the dark confines of the tent.

Rose gave him a slight squeeze before looking back up at him, seeing the glow in his eyes returning.

“Of course.”

I just hope you can handle it, I barely can.

The two of them slowly drift to sleep as the sun rises over the mountains in the distance.

> Ch03 - Quiet Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rose slowly came to in a warm, fuzzy embrace, the air warm in the tent. Opening her eyes she sees a sleeping colt, the one from before whom lost everything.

I was kinda hoping it was a dream...

She hadn’t expected to still be in the tent with the colt, but wasn’t like she could do anything about it now, she made a promise to him. Trying to shimmy her way out of his embrace, she exited the tent, seeing the full scope of the land; crisp, clean and very green.

The sun was just beginning to set, brilliant oranges and reds as the sun sank behind a ridge of mountains. 

“Man, this view is great. Wish I had a camera or something, you don’t get views like this in the city.”

She sat out there for a few minutes, the sun slowly receding to purples and blues as the jagged teeth of the mountain range darkened. Slowly, the stars appeared, a glittering sea of lights high above, full of constellations like nothing she’d ever seen before. Even as she watched, in fact, tiny, gleaming threads of light connected stars to one another, forming literal constellations in the sky.

She smiled at the view, then a frowned at the thought of the night. It was dark out and she had no idea of what kind of things could creep out at this time.

“I better get back in the tent so nothing-”

“Good evening, Rose!”

“Oh shit!”

She let out a curse, her skin jumping at the sudden voice as she whirled around.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you! I was just leaving the tent, and you were just sitting there in the starlight... Uhm, sorry...”

“It’s fine, just don’t scare me like that, I hate being scared- makes me feel helpless.”

“I know that feeling...”

Rose turned to the striped buck, seeing him looking down at his hooves, ears down.

“Woah, woah woah! No getting depressed! We’re happy, see!”

She put on a big smile and pointed to it with a hoof hoping to cheer him up. Seeing the buck still unhappy, she frowned and stepped before him. she stared at him intensely, almost angrily... then suddenly slapped both her hoofs to the side of his face and lifted his cheeks, giving him a huge, almost creepy smile.

“There we go!”

The colt laughed at her antics, and reached out tentatively for a hug.

Her smile vanished as at colt embraced her, not knowing what to do for a moment. She then let out a slight sigh and a real smile formed on her lips as she embraced him back. He certainly wasn’t the strongest of males she’s ever met, but he certainly was the most sincere.

“So now what do we do?”

“Well, we pack up the tent and get moving. WE only have so many hours of night, after all.”

“But isn’t it better to travel during daylight? I mean, it’s a little late now but still- it’s dangerous. Who knows what’s out here.”

“Well, during the day, I can’t see too well, and there’s a lot more things that are dangerous then. I mean, like bandits, Spider Legion remnants, clowns...”

He shuddered at the last one, looking utterly horrified.

“Clowns?”

“Please! be careful, they might hear you!”

The colt seemed absolutely sincere, looking back and forth nervously.

“You’re afraid of clowns? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“They’re creepy, alright! With those big, evil grins and those giant, soulless eyes... those weird, oversized hooves...”

“I think i’ve just lost all respect for you.”

The colt sniffled and drooped his head and ears, looking utterly embarrassed and ashamed.

“I mean- umm... I’m afraid of spiders.”

The buck looked up at her, ears still down, to speak.

“M-me too...”

“Well then, I’ll protect you from the clowns and we’ll just run like hell from the spiders, agreed?”

He nodded, and hugged her again.

Alright, this is getting ridiculous.

“C’mon dude, if we hug every five minutes, we’ll never get anything done.”

“S-sorry... Anyhow, I’ll pack up the tent, and get out some breakfast.”

“Need any help? The faster we get things done to sooner we can get out of the dark.”

“Oh, sure! Thank you, Rose.”

The two quickly took down the tent, rolling it up and packing it into one of his saddlebags. Afterwards, he pulled out an apple wrapped in a few layers of what looked like cotton and handed the apple to Rose.

“What are you gonna eat?”

The mothpony simply responded by stuffing the cloth into his mouth, and chewing.

“That can’t be healthy.”

Moon finishes chewing, and swallows the cloth.

“Well, not as an ‘only’ food, but cotton’s tasty and easy to store.”

Rose just eyed him with a puzzled look before slowly taking a bite of her apple.

“Whatever you say... But if you start throwing up don’t come crying to me.”

After eating the juicy red fruit, the colt staring at her the entire time, Rose sat back up, and the buck did too, stuffing another length of cotton into his mouth as he began to walk.

“So how exactly do your folks expect you to survive if you’ve never, well, worked a day in your life?”

“Well, I guess I go find some mare who’s got a business, start a herd, and try getting enough to be considered a noble again. Maybe join a herd that’s already started... I don’t really know, but at least I’ve got someone to travel with for now, right?”

“Of course, but how much dough do you have to make to be considered noble again?”

“I have no idea, but I don’t think being a baker is a good way to make enough money.”

Rose opened her mouth to question his response only to pause and facehoof.

“Nevermind.”

Moon simply shrugged and kept following her as she walked along.

“So where exactly are we headed? There a town around or something?”

“I- I’m not actually sure. I think there’s a mostly earth-pony settlement a few miles away.”

“Any place that will accept us for work?”

“Well, I doubt I’d be allowed to work, being a colt and all, but you could probably get some work somewhere... I suppose I could work at a bar, but I don’t really want to be a tavern wench...”

“Woah, woah, woah- back up! What do you mean you won’t be able to get a job because you’re a gu- wait, tavern wench? Do you mean... oh my god! What’s wrong with this world!?”

“I- I don’t know. That- that’s just how it works.”

Rose just groaned and pressed forward.

“This is gonna be a long night...”

“I- I’m sorry if I offended you!”

Moon sighed deeply, and followed.



	

Several hours of walking had passed, and the two travellers had finally spotted the town ahead. The lights of the town were a little dim, but streetlights were on, and there was a few pony-shaped silhouettes wandering the village.

“Guess we’re here. So, now what?”

“Uhm, there is one thing I’d like to ask...”

“Yeah?”

“Well, as a currently unattached male, I’d be seen as more of a commodity than a person... Would- would you maybe be- uhm, that is, would you be willing to-”

“Just spit it out!”

“W-wouldyoupleaseherdwithme?”

“What!? Dude! I just met you I- I mean seriously!? I expected more from you! I mean- asking me to SCREW you not even 24 hours after meeting you?!”

“I- I just meant- I mean that- I-I just don’t want some random mare g-grabbing me, a-and using me... I just want you t-to be there, and make them leave me alone...”

The colt looked absolutely miserable, ducking down and hiding under his hooves, ears flat.

Rose kept her eyes at the colt, glaring at him for his request.

“I’m not having sex with you.”

“I- I wasn’t asking for that... J-just that you would stay with me... a-and say you were my lead mare. T-to protect me. W-we wouldn’t need t-to do anything, if you didn’t want to...”

“You- you-”

She shook a hoof at him for a few moments before throwing it down in annoyance.

“No. No way. I don’t believe you and how helpless males are in this world.”

He just looked up at her with really big, sad eyes. After a moment, he looked back down to the ground, and nodded.

“O-okay...”

“I’m sorry Moon, but that’s just-”

“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.”

Moon’s response cut off Rose’s, but his voice was dead and flat, and refused to meet her eyes as he stood up and started walking towards the town.

Rose watched as he dragged his hooves towards the town, feeling sorry for him but refusing to give in. She looked away and began walking in the opposite direction trying her hardest not to think of the male’s request but simply kept coming back to the conclusion that she should stick with him, for her own benefit if anything.

“Oh! God damn it!”

She turned around and began retracing her steps to the town square where the two parted.

“Moon? Hey, Moon? Where are you, you helpless-”

The striped buck was barely visible in the bright starlight, his dappled coat blending with the shadows and shifting grass.

Finally spotting him, almost forty feet ahead of her, she galloped forward, falling into rhythm naturally. She barely caught up to him near the edge of the town, his head down and wings shuffling slightly as he walked along.

She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated and kept to the shadows, perhaps she could just follow him for a while just to make sure he was alright.

Walking after him for several minutes, she noted that he was certainly getting a lot of appraising looks from the passing mares, almost all of them without horns or wings or anything, though one had a pair of feathery wings, marking her out a pegasus, and was wearing a suit of chainmail and leather armor.

As Moon Herald passed the pegasus, she stepped out in front of him, her wings flaring to prevent him from moving around her.

“Well, hello there handsome. Where are you staying tonight? I’ll give you a hint, the answer should sound like you saying, ‘your bed, ma’am’.”

Roses eye’s widened at the bluntness of the pegasus. 

Guess Moon wasn’t kidding about being a hooker...

As the colt backed up a bit, the pegasus mare stepped forward into the light of a streetlamp, looming over him. A frightening grin was plastered across her face, and Rose caught a glimpse of a sword sheathed across her side.

“I- I-”

“That’s not the answer I told you to give me, stud.”

The pegasus’ voice was dark and threatening. Rose bit her lip, not knowing what to do. Though she was at an advantage to simply just walk away, she couldn’t because she made a promise.

“I’m gonna regret this...”

She stepped into the circle of light, her brows creased in a poker face. The pegasus mare barely recognized her presence with a flick of a wing in her direction.

Rose stood there continuing to stare, hesitating.

“Leave him alone.”

There was a slight crack in her voice as she spoke, and the pegasus finally took notice of her, tilting her head in Rose’s direction slowly.

“Why should I? You’re just some dirt-pony. You gonna make me leave him alone?”

“Dirt-pony? Really? Is that the best you got, bitch?”

She’s gonna kill me! God damn you, Moon!

The pegasus narrowed her eyes and took a menacing step towards Rose.

“I don’t need anything better, you filthy, mud-rutting dirt-pony. You’re not worth insulting any better.”

Rose took a half step back in fear, shooting a quick glance over at Moon, the colt shivering in fear, though a hopeful gleam lit his eye when she looked at him. Steeling herself, in case her next idea got the buff pegasus to hit her, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“Your mother isn’t worth insulting.”

The pegasus simply stood there, stock-still in the sudden silence, the three ponies staring at each other. One with a look of mild shock, one with a look of confused terror, and one with a look of anger.

“Heh, you’re alright, for a ground-pounder.”

A slow grin spread on the pegasus’ face, and she stuck out a hoof in Rose’s direction.

“Not many earth ponies would stand up to a centurion. Hoof-bump.”

The last words weren’t said as a request, but an order. Rose was struck with utter shock, but kept her face hard in a poker face as she stepped forward and lifted her hoof. Tapping her hoof to the the one offered, she then quickly set her hoof back down.

“So, you wanna share him, then?”

“Sorry, but I’m a my way or the highway kinda girl. He’s. Mine.”

“Fine, whatever. Kinda wish you’d share that nice piece of horse-meat...”

The pegasus turned sharply, and began walking away. Rose continued to keep her lips pressed until the larger mare was gone, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

“Holy shit.... That’s the first time that’s ever gotten me out of an ass kicking.”

She looked over at Moon and walked to him, stopping before him with a smile.

WHAMP!

“What the fuck dude!”

Moon just cowered down on the ground, holding his face where he’d been struck. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he sniffled.

“Oh no! Don’t you even think about crying right now! You almost got me killed!”

“I- I-”

He can’t even finish his sentence, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at Rose with his eyes huge. Something inside Rose crumbles, and she can’t look at the colt without feeling horrible, in spite of what he nearly got her into.

“I swear...!”

she takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, calming herself down.

“Look, I know you’ve been raised to be completely helpless, but that’s not gonna fly with me, got that?”

She held out her hoof to him. He cautiously took her hoof, and she drew him up. He nervously leaned forward, and nuzzled her cheek, making her blush and recoil a bit.

She’s found it almost infuriatingly difficult to retain any anger towards him, though, as he stepped near to her, but not quite next to her.

“C’mon, lets get out of here.”

“O-of course.”

His voice is quiet and demure, unlike normal. He followed behind her as she walked, looking back and forth between the largely deserted streets. A few of the shops were still open, but most of them were dark.

“Aw man, looks like we’re gonna have to wait ‘til morning to do anything.”

Moon somberly nodded in response, still staying close to her.

“What’s up with you? You were fine until that ogre came along.”

Moon looked up at her, eyes still not as bright as they ought to be.

“Y- you didn’t believe me... But you came back for me. I- I don’t know what to think right now.”
 
Rose looked to the ground with a guilty face, biting her lip. she had to say something to cheer him up.

“Look, all you have to know is that I won’t leave you alone again.”

Moon looked at her, a small smile peering out from his somber expression. He nods slowly.

“But that doesn’t mean that you can lean on me for everything, got that! If this is herd thing is going to work then we have to work as equals, got that?”

He lifted his head to gaze at her, his own emerald-green eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Slowly, he nods, the starlight bright enough to let her see the smile on his face. He steps forward to stand with Rose, and puts his neck over hers, and it feels like a normal hug for a moment, until he pulls away.

“Alright, Rose, that sounds really nice, to me.”

She couldn’t help but blush at his gesture. He’s so helpless... It’s almost adorable if it wasn’t so sad. The two begin to walk once more, surveying the few stores that are open, finally finding what appeared to be a bar, or maybe-

“A tavern? Maybe you could find some temporary employment here, Rose.”

“As a bartender? Huh... I suppose. Not like I’m gonna be drinking while I’m here anyways, things are already too fucked up for my tastes- I don’t even want to know what it’s like when I’m shitfaced.”

“Well, they’d probably want someone like a cleaner or a cook, actually. Usually, the owner of the tavern is the bartender.”

“Well, that’s a little better, I mean, think of all the crap the bartenders have to go through during happy hour. Ugh.”

“During what?”

“Nevermind. C’mon, we aren’t gonna get anywhere if we just stand around.”

He nods, then steps forward with her as she opens the door of the tavern, the door held shut with a latch that opened easily enough with her hoof.

Inside the warm, medium-lit main room, it was obvious that the first half of the lower floor was all dedicated to the bar, with only two patrons in the room.

One was wrapped entirely in rags and sat in front of the fire in the fireplace, an untouched mug of liquid next to them. The other was a burly pegasus, this one a different color from the one earlier, in leather armor and drinking from a mug.

Rose simply scoped the place, trying to locate the owner of the joint, finally seeing someone that was probably her as the diminutive unicorn stepped up behind the bar, horn glowing a stark white. A quartet of large barrels floated in behind her, and were settled into holding blocks along the back wall.

“I think that’s her. Stay close, okay? I don’t need to get into two fights in one night.”

Moon Herald simply nodded, and shuffled a little closer as they walked towards the bar. The short unicorn on the other side looked over at them, blank white orbs for eyes. The rest of the unicorn was brighter, being a pastel-blue-coated, neon-green-maned pony.

“So, what’re y’all here for?”

The small unicorn’s voice was just a half octave away from ‘adorably squeaky’, but the barrels now resting at the wall behind the bar probably weighed more than Rose and Moon combined and doubled. Each.

“We’re from out of town, know any places that are hiring?”

“Maybe ah do, What ‘cha looking fer, job-wise?”

“We’d be able to handle anything you can offer.”

The small unicorn chuckled.

“Well, ah cain’t think of any, ah, polite uses for the buck, but ah think ah can let’cha rent a room... if ya don’t mind washin’ the mornin’ dishes, cleaning the bar after the happy hour, and helpin’ me carry a few of the drunker folks upstairs or outside. Sound like a deal to you?”

“Deal.”

“Now, this won’t cover drinks, but I’ll give y’all a little extra extra if y’ do well fer a week.”

“Give us breakfast every morning and we’ll leave this place so clean you won’t even recognize it.”

“Sounds fair ‘nuff. I guess I should show y’all to yer room, then.”

The little unicorn turned, and stepped out from behind the bar, going down a small set of stairs to reveal that she was actually only a bit taller than a young filly. As the little mare began walking down the hall, Rose could only stare, as she realized that not only was she taller than the miniature mare, but that she’d been looking every pony so far in the eye, minus the buff pegasus soldier.

“Oh... my...”

Rose’s lips curled into a huge smile, her eyes widening at her sudden realization. She. Wasn’t. Short. Throughout her life on earth she’d always been the runt of the family, just shorter than everyone but forever cursing her with endless midget jokes.

Finally beginning to follow the shorter mare, Rose practically bounced along, a near-literal spring in her step.

Ha! Eat it Cole! No more short jokes for you!

The thought of one of her best friends from earth killed her buzz by a lot, as she remembered the good parts of living there. Sure there was work, and school, and bills, and annoying family... but then, there was her friends, the ones she’d met and almost considered her real family.

“Oh Cole...”

The elation faded, Rose followed the short unicorn, stopping when she reached a door on the second floor, which the little unicorn opened up with a telekinetic push. Inside was a small room, about eight foot by ten, with a single bed and a single small table and a thin wooden chair.

“There y’all are, and I expect you two up braht an early, no matter how much y’all tire each other out.”

“Right, see you in the morning.”

She sounded depressed and automatically headed for the bed, flopping down on it before curling into a ball, thinking of earth.

The door closed behind her, but she barely noticed as Moon slipped into the bed next to her. She only reacted when he reached around her to embrace her.

“Not now Moon, I just wanna sleep.”

“I- I was just going to give you a hug...”

Rose opened her mouth to apologized but decided against it, too depressed and tired to even bother.

The two lay in the mildly uncomfortable bed for a while longer, eventually falling asleep once more.

> Ch04 - Sex Ed (CC)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Just to mention, in case you didn't notice in the description, this chapter contains clop. If you don't wanna see that, jump fromt he line of purple text to the next line of purple text.


Nearly a month passed of Rose working in the tavern, quickly getting the hang of doing dishes with her hooves, along with the rest of the chores assigned her. Occasionally, she was asked to do other things around the tavern, such as get firewood, mind the bar for short periods of time, kick out a patron when she got rowdy, etcetera.

Around three weeks in, she realized something that made her truly freak out: she had completely forgotten about her period, and hadn’t had any symptoms of it.

“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”

Rose repeated the phrase as she bent over, spreading her folds before a shiny piece of metal as a mirror, trying to inspect herself.

“Why haven’t I gotten my period yet?!”

At about this time, Moon walked into the room, stopping when he saw her ‘interesting’ position, her face almost close enough to look into herself directly. He froze in place, not sure of what to think about the situation.

Rose replicated Moon’s reaction, freezing in place, their eyes meeting awkwardly, her womanhood presented to him in an almost inviting way, minus the mirror.

A full minute of awkward silence passed, Moon studiously avoiding staring directly at her, and he managed to look everywhere but at her for the time, his eyes eventually sliding back to lock with her gaze before he could break the tension.

“A- am I... interrupting something?”

“Moon! You fucking pervert!”

Rose began screaming frantically, picking up the metal mirror and throwing it at him before diving in the bed, underneath the covers.

“W-w- what?!”

“Get out! Get-out-get-out-get-out-get-out!”

Moon just backed away confusedly, completely confused and totally unsure of what to do.

“I said, get out!”

Rose grabbed the pillows from the bed and began throwing them at the colt as he backed out, shutting the door, a look of abject terror on his face.

Hiding under the thin covers for a while, Rose was utterly embarrassed, as she wondered why she hadn’t had her period, since she most definitely hadn’t been with any males in a while, and she hadn’t woken with any signs that Moon had done anything to her in her sleep.

“Oh man, what the hell am I going to do? I haven’t gotten my period and Moon just saw me spread eagle! Fuck!”

Rose peeked out from underneath the covers to see if Moon was still in the room, the colt gone from the space. She slowly got out from underneath the covers, continually looking around to make sure the buck was not hiding somewhere.

Seeing no-one around, she let out a breath and began trying to inspect herself again, her newfound flexibility helping, but not enough without the mirror she’d thrown from the room.

“Oh, damn it.”

Without thinking the mare began trying to feel around inside herself, hoping that perhaps poking around inside would start the long postponed bleeding.

Using the soft underside of a hoof, she spread herself again, her other hoof being used to feel around. First came the clitorus, rounded and sensitive, a spot she’d always enjoyed being touched by her past lovers. Next came the urethra, though she’d never tried playing with this hole in particular, she’d always been curious as to see what it felt like to try out sounding. Further down came the final and hole she was looking for. Trying to stick her hoof down the hole, she winces in pain, too dry and un-aroused to enter.

“Well, I haven’t played in a while, not since I got here. And Moon is gone.... and I do need to see why I haven’t started yet. Maybe if I do it for just a little bit it’ll start...”

Taking another quick glance around the room to make sure she was alone, Rose’s lips curling into a sinful grin and she began to play. Though she lacked fingers, it didn’t hinder herself from using her old tricks of pleasure, using her other hoof when needed.

She began by slowly rubbing the clitorus, biting her lip as she began to squirm from the pleasure of her body, something she hasn’t felt in a few months due to her busy schedule. She then brought up her hoof and gave it a small bite, a fetish she’s kept secret from everyone but her past lover. The hoof at her slit began to move faster, the mare letting out a small moan of pleasure at the jolt of pleasure.

“Oh... It’s been so long since I’ve done this....”

She let out another moan, letting her hoof travel to her nipples, giving them a squeeze and a twist, another set of gasps and moans escaping her. By now she was beginning to drip. It’s been almost 4 months since she’s had sex, let alone touch herself, and the sudden sensation of pleasure was driving her wild.

Her breaths were heavy and loud now, moans and whimpers escaping her lips as her hoof finally entered her hole.

“Oh man...! Oh man it’s been too long...! Oh!”

From the other side of the door, Moon’s voice called out, trembling slightly.

“A- are you alright in there?”

Rose was too caught up in her own pleasures to hear the colt, her moaning progressively getting louder, thinking he’d left.

“I- I’m g-going to come in if y-you don’t answer me...”

She let out a small yelp this time, hitting the sweet spot inside her tight, wet cavern.

“I-I’m coming in now...”

As the colt slowly opened the door, he was faced with the mare bent over on the floor, her hoof sliding in and out of her lips and her other hoof teasing her clitorus. She was almost at her limit, her juices dripping and sticking to her legs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

This time, he spoke at the top of his voice, catching her attention just before she could do any more. Rose’s attention quickly went from her slit to the buck before her, her neck lifting too quickly ending in her, pulling a muscle, making her shout in pain and roll over, pressing the pulled tendon.

“Ow! Shit! Moon! Ow! AGH!!!!”

She began rolling around in pain, the screaming not helping the pulled tendon. Moon Herald just ran over, chanting the word ‘sorry!’ over and over again as he tried to help, neither of them noticing the door closing.

As he ran, Moon put a hoof in Rose’s scattered fluids, slipping in the puddle and knocking into her. The two of them ended up in a tangled pile, her tendon thankfully not in as much pain, as he had hit a nerve cluster by accident.

“Ow...”

Rose groaned, opening her eyes to see Moon under her, right before her numb leg goes out. She collapsed atop the colt, her womanhood landing right below his mouth at his chest, her scent hitting him almost instantly.

As she tried to figure out what was going on, she felt something nudge her flank. Looking back, she saw what her scent being in his nose had induced: a very noticeable reaction.

Her mouth dropped at the sight of his long member poking her behind, never seeing genitalia so long or thick in her entire life.

“Oh my...”

She could only stare in awe and utter astonishment at it before snapping back into reality, realizing what just happened.

“Oh my God!”

The mare suddenly began to squirm and scramble to her hooves, kicking Moon in the face in the process. She ended up at the other side of the room, her back to Moon.

“Damn it Moon! I told you to get out of here!”

Her voice was threaded with cracks of embarrassment. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to respond, as the combination of slamming his head into the floor and her kick to his face had left him stunned.

“Moon! Damn it! Answer me!”

With the silence lasting for more than a few moments, she called him name again, this time looking back to see him frozen in place.

“Moon! Moon get up! Moon...! Moon...?”

The mare quickly crawled over to the stunned buck and poked his face.

“Moon? C’mon Moon! This isn’t funny!”

She continued to poke his face, her eyes trailing down his strong body to his enormous member, it almost tempting her. She quickly shook her head, trying to block out the lustful thoughts.

“Get up! C’mon!”

At this point it was useless, the colt was too erect to even answer her.

“Well now what?”

She looked back down at his member, the lustful thoughts returning. Rose bit her lip, feeling her tongue dance behind it.

There was a knot in her throat now and butterflies in her stomach as her mind began to race, beginning to fantasize about the buck that was presented right before her.

Damn it... Why are you so tempting?

Almost without her control her hoof was reaching towards his member, inches away from touching it before snatching it away.

No! Bad!

A strong, almost spicy scent hits her nostrils, and she finds her gaze locking on the length of male waving in front of her hypnotically. Her eyes followed the glistening tip, and she gasped again as she saw it flare, the end now mostly flat, the entire length tube-like.

Her body began to tense up as the scent almost called to her, begging her to bring her dripping slit over into an entry. She’d never been this horny before in her life, so why now? Without hesitating, she climbed atop the colt, placing her crotch at his chest, where it was before, straddling his upper body. Her scent hit his nostrils again, resulting in it flaring again.

Her body squirmed as his member pressed against her flank again. She wanted it so badly, but she couldn’t simply ride him.

“Moon! Please get up! I need it!”

Perhaps it was her voice, or maybe it was the wash of pheromones pouring into his brain, but his eyes refocused, and he blinked up at her.

Her eyes lit up at the sign of his recovery.

“Please Moon, I’ve never asked anything from you before but I need you to do me this one favor!”

He just looked up at her for a moment, before a calm smile took to his face, making her heart flutter in the moment.



His hooves rose to her hips, settling gently into place. Rose only gulped, preparing herself for the entry of his large length. She lifted her hips up slightly, Moon’s hooves holding her as he slowly pressed her flank back into his member, the tip soaking in her juices for a moment before entering, slowly slipping his length into her.

She let out a gasp, the entry always being her favorite part of intercourse, but this time it was different. It felt strange and tight around his shaft, almost like she was a virgin again, being touched and penetrated for the first time.

“Moon! You- You- ah!”

She was lost for words, the pleasure engulfing her, making her lose her sense of reality and perception as she began to ride him, moving her hips up and down and letting out a moan at every drop.

“S~s~sorry i~if I~I’m nah~not do~doing it rah~right.”

“Just shut up and keep going!”

She didn’t need to hear any of his antics or apologies. She just wanted to fuck. Fuck hard. 

Shifting her weight she began to drop down on his rod with harder thrusts, feeling him stretch the inside of her virgin pussy. Another gasp pulls itself from her throat, as he rocks beneath her, adding his own movement to hers, his length still only half in. Her walls clenched around him, and she could feel his shaft twitch inside her, making her lick her lips. She wanted more.

Shifting her weight again she rolled over and brought Moon atop her, letting his meat enter her further. As he landed on top of her, he slid another quarter of the way in, and his wings unfurled with a loud fwump!

Rose looked up as she gasped deeply, both from the sensation and from the sight of the underside of his wings. While the tops were simple browns, silvers and blacks, the undersides were a blazing orange and gold, with swirls and whorls of black in them, forming a pair of massive eye-spots on the undersides, the tips of the wings nearly brushing the sides of the room, majestic and immense.

The sudden hard thrust from the colt quickly distracted her however from the sight, the mare closing her eyes in pleasure as she continued to bounce from underneath. Again she could feel herself reaching her limit, but for once it was without aid of toys. She let out another moan, pleased for once during sex.

“Moon! Fuck me from behind! Please!”

She rolled over, still impaled on him, and gasped as she felt the sensation of his length twisting inside her. She felt his forehooves settle onto her shoulder as she pressed her face to the floor, her hoofs opening up her fleshy curtains for full penetration.

At long last, she felt him press his body against her back, his teeth nipping the back of her neck as he fully mounted her, the last quarter of his shaft sliding into her as he bottomed out in her. She felt his hips slap hers, and she gasped as he began to draw out, stopping about halfway before sliding back into her, his flared tip scraping delightfully along her walls, spreading her folds as she moaned into the pillow on the floor.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I’m gonna- Oh my god!”

Rose’s breaths were quick and heavy as she began to reach her limit again, biting and moaning into the pillow.

Suddenly, she tensed as she felt him begin to fill her, the sensation of him expanding slightly driving her over to the edge, but not quite over. A moment of despair hits her, as she expects for Moon to stop...

But he didn’t. He didn’t even pause afterward, his grunts of exertion the only marker of his effort beyond the building climax inside her.

The feeling of his cum inside her felt intense and slick. It was warm and his movements became smoother, and more natural, the warmth of his seed spreading down her legs as he thrust into her harder and faster than before.

She couldn't believe the pleasure she felt with the scent and dripping warmth surrounding her inside and out, it was amazing.

With a good hard thrust as she mimicked Moon’s movements, she let out a loud moan as she went fully over the edge. The sensation was wonderful, a perfect mix between the release of the tension she built up for so long and the tingles of a million tiny beads falling and slipping across and through her body.

At the end of her orgasm she collapsed on the floor, her legs shaky as Moon continued to thrust inside her. She was actually quite surprised by his stamina but was just barely too tired to care. She felt him shudder as another burst of his warm, sticky cum filled her to the brim, spilling out in earnest.

Finally, he snuggled against her, his teeth releasing their grip on the nape of her neck.

She let out a delighted sigh and smiled, actually glad to snuggle with Moon for once.

Then she realized something. Rolling over she looked up at him angrily.

“You came inside. Twice.”

He nuzzled her on the chin, oblivious to her angry tone or glare. Panting slightly, he responded.

“Yeah... good thing... you aren’t... in heat...”

“Heat? huh? What do you mean? Did you just knock me up or what?”

“Y’know, being in heat? That one time of the year a mare can get pregnant?”

“How do I know when I’m in heat?”

He looked down at her, eyebrows quirked in confusion.

“For one thing, you didn’t force me to have you earlier, you’ve been thinking rationally... and I can smell that you aren’t.”

Rose cocked a brow and lifted an arm, quickly smelling her pits. She couldn’t smell anything unusual, except that her sweat was vaguely pine-scented, something she’d noticed a couple of weeks previously.

“So... Do you know when exactly I get into heat, or how long its lasts?”

“Well, unless I knew when you were in heat the last couple of years, no I can’t beyond guessing ‘sometime in the spring, likely’. As for how long, about eight to eleven days, usually, though a few mares have shorter or longer ones. That tends to run in families.”

Rose simply put a hoof to her chin, thinking to herself. A wide grin then crossed her face.

“So I only go into heat for about a week and a half, give or take, and it only happens once a year? And that’s the only time I can get knocked up?”

“Uh, knocked up?”

“Pregnant.”

“Oh, right, that’s correct. That’s the one time a year a mare can get pregnant. Most of the time, the mares in a herd will synchronize their heats naturally with the lead mare, resulting in a single season for breeding a year. As well, most of the time towns and villages will slowly synchronize over time, eventually ending up with everypony starting off at about the same time.”

Rose’s grin only grew wider, her hooves rubbing together menacingly.

“Uhm... why are you doing that? It’s a little sca-”

Rose didn’t let the colt finish as she tackled him to the floor, straddling him again like before.

“You’re one of the only guys to make me cum without any help... round two. Now.”

A blushing Moon smiled and acquiesced.

> Ch05 - Dark Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Two weeks later, Rose and Moon had saved up enough coins to last a while, and they prepared to leave, the innkeeper giving them a wave and an offer to come back and work anytime.

On this outing, Rose had finally figured out how to get her jeans on, with the delighted help of Moon Herald, and even gotten her tank top fixed enough to wear. Though the garments were a little different than how she remembered them, the button on the jeans having migrated to the back to clasp over her tail, holding the jeans up, and the tank top now built for an equine torso.

She’d given the cotton collared shirt to Moon, who had found it delicious, saving the rest for later after finishing off both arms and the collar. Rose was still a little surprised to learn that moth-ponies could do that and be fine, but in retrospect it made sense, sort of. after all, moths did eat cotton clothes on Earth.

Setting out at sunset, the two lovers trotted along the dirt path, tails entwined.

“So, Moon, where are we headed to now?”

“I’m not too sure, but I was thinking of maybe heading towards a larger city, maybe even the capital. From what I hear, it’s an eternal warm night in the capital, and it’s possible we could even find you some work that you’d really like. You mentioned painting, maybe you could take that up again?”

“Maybe, but I haven’t painted in, well, months! And I don’t even think I’d be able to with these.“

She held up a hoof, missing her thumbs and fingers.

“Ah, oh well... The only things I excelled at were math, history, and military science, nothing good for colts to learn.”

 “You know, the fact that those skills aren’t useful here still baffles me. I mean, seriously, do you know how many girls would kill for a guy like you back home?”

“Why would they? All a colt is supposed to need to know are things like cooking, knitting, sewing, maybe take up math to help with the finances, but nothing particularly strenuous. Unless he’s a pegasus, then he ends up a scout or an officer in their little militaries.”

“Because back home we’re all equ- actually, men still rule more slightly, but for the most part it is equal between girls and guys. Both genders cooperate together.”

“Wow, that sounds a bit like the Diamond Dogs, except they’re not usually very intelligent.”

“Diamond Dogs? Are those the same ones I’m thinking of?”

“Tall? Almost bipedal? Shaped vaguely like gorillas with very ugly mothers? Tend to dig around and foalnap ponies to pull carts because they’re too lazy?”

“Gather a bunch of gemstones?”

“Yeah. They’re a dangerous nuisance, but they’re also diurnal, so it’s good to travel at night.”

“So, if they’re the Diamond Dogs that I think I’m thinking then... No. Way.”

Rose looked down at her hoofs then at Moon. Her gaze then went to her flank where her tattoo was plastered on both sides, rather than on her right arm where she got it. Why hadn’t she realized it before? It was so obvious!

Moon looked to her, his dappled face shining softly in the glow of the moonlight.

“Is something the matter?”

Rose opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.

He’d think I’m crazy if i told him I knew this place from a TV show. Hell, he doesn’t even know what a TV is! But still... Best not to scare him.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, I just, uh- remembered something, that’s all.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Anyways, so how long until we hit the next town?”

“Idunno. Still, it’s pretty quiet out here, and peaceful. And best of all? I get to share it with you.”

“Aw, Moon, you’re such a dork.”

He chuckled unsurely, obviously having no idea what that meant.

They walked along in the moonlight, Rose shouldering most of the load, as she had found herself to be almost ridiculously strong. Eventually, the two of them came across a fork in the road. One direction pointed towards a forest, and was labeled in some unintelligible gibberish, and the other pointing towards some mountains not too far away, that sign also in gibberish.

“Well, we can go left towards Ochre Forest, or right to get to Funeral Mountain.”

Moon seemed to read off the signs just fine, puzzling Rose slightly.

“I just realized something else, I can’t read anything.”

“That’s alright, not everypony can. So which road should we take?”

“Seriously? Huh, figured everypony did since, well, it’s kinda a good skill to have, but I guess not everyone can afford an education.”

“It is rather expensive to get an education past basic reading and math, unless you live in the Imperium Sol, then it’s relatively easy.”

“I suppose, but not being able to read is kinda bugging me, makes me feel, I don’t know, stupid. Think you can teach me?”

“Sure! But we should probably wait until we’ve found somewhere to settle down for a while.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright. Hmmm... I say we go to the forest, easier to find food there.”

Moon nodded with a smile, and the two began walking down the dirt path towards the forest. Upon reaching it, the strong smell of a pine forest filled their nostrils, a clean scent, free of pollution. Stepping in, however, soon proved difficult, as the light quickly diminished.

As dark as it was, the only thing that Rose could see was the twin circles of Moon’s eyes, glowing in the shadows.

“R-Rose? You’re still there, right?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Can you see anything?”

“N-no, not really- wait, I think I can see a light!”

“Where? I don’t see it! wait- Moon? Where are you?”

She catches sight of the twin discs of light a short distance away.

“S-sorry! It’s this way. Come over here, w-we can hold tails, and I’ll lead you.”

Rose quickly followed the colt’s voice, hooking their tails, Moon leading the way. The two of them stumbled in the dark towards the light that the moth-pony saw, until Rose could see it, too. It looked like a glowing green orb, like the light from a unicorn’s horn.

“I can’t tell what that is... is it a horn? Moon?”

“I- I’m not sure. B-but... it’s really pretty...”

His voice trailed off, and Rose would’ve thought he had disappeared if her tail wasn’t still wrapped with his. Another light faded into view in Rose’s vision. This one was a soft, soothing blue.

“Hey look, another one!”

Moon didn’t respond, merely kept walking forward. A third light flickered into existence, this one red, then another, in a different shade of green. Each of them floated at different heights, and bobbed slightly.

Rose opened her mouth to comment on the lights and how they remind her of Christmas but was cut off my Moon’s pulling of her tail, leading them towards the array of lights.

Another light flickered into view, this one white, followed by one in purple, one in blue... they just kept appearing, one after the other. Soon, Rose saw that they were entirely surrounded, along with something even more worrying:

The lights had stopped getting closer as they walked.

“Moon... I think we should head back.”

Rose waited for a moment, a bit concerned when he didn’t respond, only the constant tug of his tail in hers letting her know he was even there. Before she could ask anything further, she felt a soft, tingling sensation dance up the back of her neck.

With a start, she turned, almost stumbling again as she did, to see a glowing orb of orange light hovering over her.

“Moon! I think we should really get out of here!”

She tugged on his tail, trying to get his attention with no luck.

“S- so beauti-ful... so... b- so...”

His voice was vague, like he was talking in his sleep.

“Okay, if you won’t listen to me then I guess I’ll have to go to plan B.”

Feeling around with her hoof she grabbed his face a shook it, screaming.

“Snap out of it!”

The shaking must’ve done something, as the colt’s eyes lit up, and she could see his face in the dim light of the orb behind her. As if on cue, every one of the lights surrounding her and him winked out at once, plunging them back into total darkness.

“Moon, can you see anything?”

“N-no? W-what happened? I- How did it get this dark? I thought I saw something in the dark... then... then you’re yelling at me!”

“Just shut up and get us out of here! This place is giving me the creeps...”

“I- I don’t know which way is out! I can’t see the trees, I can’t see the moon, I can’t see anything!”

As he spoke, a soft thud caught Rose’s attention. Another, slightly louder, was heard a moment after.

“Shhh! Did you hear that?”

Rose’s brows creased as she lowered her head, trying to listen for the sound again.

“N-no? Hear wha-”

An audible crash, accompanied by a sound like a fire starting, echoed through the woods, silencing the buck.

A ring of baleful green orbs, like flaming orbs of green light, appeared around them, just barely lighting up their location. Rose could just barely see Moon in the gloom of night and the pitiful lighting.

“We don’t have time to decide which way is the right one! Just pick! Hurry!”

All chances of deciding a direction were rendered moot by a massive sphere of glowing light, a trail of noxious green tendrils of fire dragging behind. The orb had light up suddenly, and showed that the pair were in a large stand of trees. As they stared in shock and terror for a moment, the orb slowly unravelled a tentacle of light towards them, the tendril passing through a tree with an evil hiss in the process. With a thud and a crash, the tree began falling, a shiningly smooth stump remaining in the ground.

“I think I know which direction not to run in!”

“Well don’t think about it! Just run!”

The two ponies began scurrying away in the half-lit gloom, the smaller balls of light keeping pace. The massive sphere of doom chased the two, burning away trees and small hills as it drew ever closer.

“Quick! this way!”

Rose headed towards an opening to the right that the creature behind them had made in its demolition, her breath heavy as she sprinted, not daring to look back. As the ring of lights followed their every movement, the orb shifted direction without pause, eating away the ground and the ancient trees all around, greenish flames marking its path through the forest.

With Moon Herald flagging and gasping for air, Rose slowed slightly, got behind him, and then flipped him onto her back. Not stopping for a moment, she sped onwards.

The acidic hissing and the fire-like crackle of the oncoming kill ball didn’t let them stop or slow, even as Rose’s own breath began coming only in laboured gasps, her lungs and legs burning from the exertion.

“Oh... thank... God!”

A faint sliver of moonlight was ahead, and that vague hope rekindled the fire in her heart, spurring her to redouble her efforts.

That hope soured into despair, however, as she saw why the light began there... A cliff, part of a large gash in the earth from eons previous, lay ahead, a likely unsurvivable drop beyond it.

Having nowhere else to run, Rose simply closed her eyes, hoping that maybe Moon would be able to fly away, possibly even carry her to the bottom, however far it was.

“Moon! I... need you... to fly!”

“B-but I can’t carry you! I’m not strong enough!”

“Just... do it!”

“Not gonna!”

A faint flicker of orangey-red light peeked around the edge of the canyon cliff, and Rose shut her eyes tightly, there was no time to argue, and likely no time to say good-bye. Eyes shut in anticipation, her charge carried her over the edge of the cliff...


...


A faint thudding caught Rose’s attention as she continued running. Opening her eyes, she found herself over the gorge, a fiery bridge of orange light under her hooves and phasing into existence before her, fading out behind her.

She only let out huffs of disbelief, trying to process exactly what was going on. But she knew that the surface underneath her was magic. who it belonged to, was beyond her, but it didn’t matter, she simply kept running, not trying to look back.

The fiery trail of light slowly began a gentle curve to one side, sloping down into the gorge in a wide arc. The green light monster from before was nowhere to be seen as she descended into the moonlight chasm.

Below her was a bright, cheery fire, large in size and a magnificent orange and red.

Following the trail down she began to scope around, hoping to find the pony who saved herself and Moon from utter destruction. At the end of the trail she collapsed at the base of the fire, letting out heavy breaths, Moon still atop her.

A heavy, metallic voice, with a feminine ring to it, spoke out from the other side of the fire.

“Deeply sorry, I had to find a place the will-o-wisps wouldn’t go.”

“W-will-o-what...?”

The soft, loamy soil at the bottom of the chasm was coated in a layer of cool moss, and dotted with small bushes. All in all, it felt really nice to just lay there, Rose thought. She was still trying to catch her breath, then realized Moon’s weight atop of her. She groaned.

“Hey! Get off!”

Moon scrambled to get off of her, sliding off to one side of her. She looked up to glare at him, until she saw a long, melted-looking gash along his back, just barely missing his left wing. It was accompanied by a vicious mark along one of his forelegs, the flesh and fur looking like it had been scoured from his muscles by bleach and copper-wire brushes.

“Oh my god! Moon!”

She put a hoof over his wing to get a better look, pulling the skin slightly to get a better look.

“Don’t move okay? You’re hurt...”

The buck winced and hissed in pain, the wound glowing a faint green for a moment, before the glow faded.

“I- It almost got you... so I tried to hit it away. Th-the second time, I just got in the way of it.”

“Wait- got in the way? Moon did you...? I-I’m so sorry. I’ll get you fixed up, I promise.”

The buck just tucked his injured foreleg in, holding it against his chest. The other voice, the one with the vaguely metallic ring to it, spoke up, again, sounding out from beyond the fire.

“I can help with that. Will-o-wisp and Ghast burns are similar, and I’ve had to treat both in my time. It’d be best to do so quickly, before it gets worse.”

The fire crackled and began to fade, a thick cloud of smoke erupting from it. Rose turned to where the voice came from, not knowing what much else to do besides let the stranger fix him.

“Just hurry... please.”

There was a knot in her throat, and she couldn’t help but feel useless. Moon got hurt because of her- her stupid decision to go through the forest.

In response, the fire stood up, a mare wreathed in blazing flames and featuring two large, chocolate-brown eyes seeming almost out of place in her color scheme of brilliant oranges and shining reds, as the fires surrounding the blazing pony. Six long, stone-like rods, each glowing cherry red or bright orange from the intensity of the heat, began to orbit the mare, three in one orbit, and the other three circling the base of her tail.

Rose just stared in awe at the mare, admiring the entirety of her. She was just so beautiful. Athletic too, her muscles sculpting to her body well, not completely masculine but very strong and empowering to her image. The mare strode confidently over to the injured Moon Herald, his face lit up with either terror or admiration, Rose couldn’t tell.

“Now hold still, colt, this will hurt, very much, but it will prevent it from getting worse, alright?”

The mare’s voice, in spite of the metallic tinge to it, was smooth and comforting, like something a nurse or psychiatrist would be expected to have. The buck’s ears were flat against his head, but he nodded slowly, reaching his uninjured hoof to Rose as one of the glowingly hot rods drifted close to the wound on his back.

Rose took Moon’s hoof and held it, knowing the pain he was about to endure. Back on earth, she was very familiar with burns due to her past job as a frycook, though she only knew of the pain for a moment or two, she cringed at the thought of enduring what Moon was about to.

The blazing cylinder of stone pressed its length against the twisted, marred flesh of Moon’s back, drawing a scream from him as the flesh boiled away, the skin and fur nearby blackening to a crisp and blood crackling in the gouge, the rod making quick, surgical passes to get it all.

“Just hold on, okay Moon?”

Her voice cracked, the knot in her throat pulling itself tighter.

The glowing shafts of stone pressed against Moon’s back one more time, and a chunk of blackened, charred meat sticks to one as it pulls away, drawing another hoarse scream from the buck, before he passed out entirely, head falling into Rose’s lap.

“That’s enough!”

Her eyes began to tear up and she forced herself to look away. The flaming mare turned to Rose, the six fiery satellites orbiting the mare’s head.

“I am sorry to cause him so much pain, but it must be done. If the afflicted flesh is not burned out, it will consume him... entirely.”

“Wh-what do you mean? Is he going to- no!”

She grabbed the colt’s face and began to scream at him, her knot tugging at her.

“You better not die on me damn it! If you do I swear I’ll kill you! You hear me!”

A pair of the stone rods descended once more, their burningly hot tips burning and tearing away the melted, diseased flesh, which was already turning green. The colt barely twitched at the contact, barely moving in response. Rose squeezed his hoof, though he was unconscious, she still needed to let him know she was there with him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of torment, the job was done. Rose lay, sobbing, against the wall of the canyon, cradling the still-unconscious colt’s head in her arms and holding him to her, the orange mare’s flames having died down, the stone rods turned to mere stone orbiting her head and tail, the only parts of her still alight.

Rose only stared at his face, brushing his hair back with her hoof.

“It’s all done, okay? Now wake up, please.”

The colt continued to remain blacked out, his breathing shallow. The fire-colored mare placed a hoof on Rose’s shoulder.

“You must give him time to rest, and recover, or he won’t be able to do either. I can see in your eyes and actions you care for him, but the best you can do is leave him be.”

Rose looked up at the mare, then back down at Moon, knowing she was right.

“I-I know.”

She placed his head down atop the rolled up tent, using it as a pillow, before giving him a kiss on the cheek and brushing a strand of hair back. She sniffed and turned away, dragging her feet as she walked away from him, sitting down a few yards away.

The fiery mare sat down next to her, sharing the silence with her for while. The two simply watched the stars above for an hour, Rose crying softly.

“He’s done so much for me... And all I ever seem to do is hurt him.”

She bites her bottom lip, trying to keep in her tears.

“I’m no better than I was when I was home.”

The fiery mare beside her leans over, providing a warm shoulder to lean on, the fire from her mane and tail oddly not burning.

“And yet, you care enough for him to entrust his life to someone on the hope that they can help him. And he trusts you to find a way to help him, and reaches for you when he’s frightened.”

“But look what I’ve gotten him into, I’ve got him almost killed numerous times and he still- I just- I don’t know. Sometimes I just think it would have been better if he never saved me that night...”

The fire-maned mare sighs.

“Perhaps you are lucky, then? I can say right now, that I wish I could be a part of such a... a beautiful relationship. You two trust each other, faults aside. And think to yourself, if you had not been with him, can you say he would be better off?”

A sudden flash to the pegasus soldier she’d seen when they first went into town, or the bar patron who had tried to corner him while she was washing dishes. Both times, she’d had to save him, and it was also unlikely he could have run away fast enough or long enough in the forest, or snapped out of his trance.

“I- I guess you’re right.”

A slight smile curled on her lips as she let out a laugh, wiping away a tear at the thought of what situation he would be in had she never intervened in his life.

“He’d probably be on the pole if it weren’t for me.”

She let out another laugh.

“He’d be the saddest stripper I’d ever seen, probably one of the worst too by the way he acts.”

The mare she leaned up against seemed a little confused by the remark.

“A what now?”

“Nothing.”

Rose just let out another laugh, looking back at the colt with that same smile, imagining him awkwardly trying to strip for a group of mares in an overly glittered thong- most likely a bright pink.

The warmth of the mare next to her was comforting, and she noticed three of the stone cylinders starting to circle her own head as well.

“so, what are those things?”

“Those? They are... well, I suppose the pony term is ‘servitors’, but they are a part of me, like the horn of a unicorn or the wings of a pegasus.”

“So, you’re a magic type, right?”

“A magic-  I- I suppose so. I practice magic, yes, in spite of what most of my kind believe is right. I seek to help others, when I can, but most ponies are scared of a mare that is alive with the flames.”

Rose looked over the pony, getting a better look at her flame tipped mane. The base hair color was actually a bright blue- like the base of a very hot flame. The actual fire seemed to be only starting from about an inch up, and burned smoothly, like the flame from a Zippo lighter. The entire thing was warm, and radiated warmth softly.

“I think it’s kinda cool. As a matter of fact...”

Rose got up and gathered a few branches, putting them in a pile before returning back to the mare with a single twig, holding it over her mane. Slowly, the end of the twig began to smolder, and the mare looked at it with a critical eye. Without a single expression change, the flaming mane burned higher and brighter for a moment, a tiny flame engulfing the end of the twig.

To Rose’s surprise, the little fire grew four small legs, moulding itself into the shape of an inch-high pony. It scrambled across the twig, and took a bite out of the wood.

Rose automatically dropped the twig in surprise, not expecting the flame to literally come alive.

“Woah!”

Rose leaned down and watched the flame in curiosity, dumbfounded by the magical act. The tiny flame pony rolled off of the twig, dwindling rapidly as it looked about frantically for some wood.

Rose quickly looked around for another twig, grabbing a new one from the branch pile and bringing it back to the flame, dropping her head slightly for it to reach the new wood. Unfortunately, the little flame faded away before it could reach the wood, reaching desperately for it as it flickered and went out with a small pop.

“I truly did mean what I said. Fire is alive, even more so when it acts through one of my kind.”

The fire-maned mare looked at Rose, her chocolate-brown eyes drawing in Rose’s gaze. She blinked a few times, gawking almost, before shaking her head slightly, realizing she never asked for her name.

“I never got your name.”

“And I never got yours.”

The flaming mare smirked playfully. Rose reflected the same smirk, paired with a light humph.

“Rose.”

“I am called Pyrelight, and it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Rose.”

“So, you think you can do that trick again?”

Rose picked up a twig in her mouth and nudged it to the mare with a smile. Pyrelight smiled, and nodded. Rose’s stick was lit, and a single, tiny pony made of flames was transferred to the wood pile.

It sat there, happily devouring the wood and growing larger and brighter. It finally stopped, almost a half hour later, when it was about a foot taller than Rose, a healthy looking buck of living flame. By that time, Rose had dragged most of a tree over, which he had gleefully gnawed on for a while.

“That’s... Just amazing.”

He yawned sleepily, and curled up in the fire pit, the sticks and pieces of wood in his belly burning slowly away as Rose watched, snuggled close to Pyrelight for warmth.

“How can others be scared of you when you can do something so amazing? I mean- I’d kill to be a pegasus or a unicorn than a regular ol pony. I mean, think of how much more useful it’d be to use magic like that or to fly?”

“And if you had been, do you think you would have escaped the mother wisp that chased you? And I hope you are jesting when you say you would kill for that chance- many have tried just that.”

“I’m not sure to be honest, but, it definitely would have helped, I’ll tell you that. And don’t worry, it’s just a figure of speech. Although...”

Rose put a hoof to her chin in thought for a few moments before laughing at her joke.

“It never ended well. And for all my magic, and the powers of my race, even I could not have dueled the mother wisp with magical prowess. Be confident in your abilities, earth pony Rose, they are more numerous than I think you realize. A smart, beautiful mare like yourself should not doubt herself so.”

“Eh, I guess you’re right. But still, don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to be, you know, someone else?”

Rose looked back at the flame, thinking about her own question and then to her time back home.

“I was chased from my home by my own family, for the awful crime of shielding a pony child from their assault. All the child had done was wander onto their land to follow a wayward toy. I have long wondered if I would be the same mare today if I had been different, and I know I would not. Rose, if you were someone else, then you would not be you.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. That’s just- awful. But you can’t blame yourself for trying to protect the kid, I mean- I would have done the same thing. But as for not being me if I wasn’t me, well, I guess you’re right. If I wasn’t me then who would I be?”

Pyrelight smiles in response, her brown eyes twinkling. She leaned forward and nuzzled Rose on the cheek.

“A question truly unanswerable, because if you were someone else, then you would be them, and they would be you.”

Rose thought about the mare’s response for a moment then let out a laugh, the entirety of the conversation starting to sound like one she had long ago with her brother, at the time he was hooked on drugs. She then realized that the flaming mare was alone, no herd or friends to help her.

“So you’re all alone out here?”

“I have lived here for several years now, and yes, I am alone. I occasionally travel into town, using magic to conceal my form, if I must buy things I cannot make on my own. I miss being able to speak with others, but I speak little, in case my voice disrupts the illusion.”

The fiery pony heaved a sigh, looking down at her hooves.

“So, you don’t have a single friend out here? Nothing? That’s just so... sad.”

“As I said, I have not previously met a pony who did not find my form and powers frightening.”

“Well, I don’t find you scary. And besides! You saved me and Moon back there! So you’re the complete opposite of scary to me!”

“I am unsure of what the ‘opposite of scary’ is, but thank you.”

She looked up at Rose, smiling. Rose smiled back. She was so sweet, and beautiful, it was strange really. Looking at her made her feel so... warm. Maybe she could tag along?

Though the tent wasn’t big enough for the three of them, having her around would mean they could earn more bits for food and a bigger tent later on. Plus Rose was getting a bit tired of having to be the backbone and do everything herself, Moon too useless by society standards to do much other than prostitute himself around.

“Well, me and Moon are on our way to the next village, and that bastard in the forest made us lose all our food so... wanna tag along?.”

Pyrelight looked up at Rose, eyes wide with wonder.

“You- you would accept me into your herd?”

“We owe you for saving our asses back there. And besides, it’s about time we had another girl in the group, Moon over there isn’t very good at anything so I need a little help with the funds and such. Sound good?”

Pyrelight bowed deeply.

“I would be honored, Rose, to join your herd.”

“Then it’s a deal. And if anyone gives you any grief, I’ll deal with them, got it?”

Rose gave the mare a nod and smile, holding out her hoof for Pyrelight to take. Pyrelight takes it, kissing her lightly just above the edge of Rose’s shoe. The green pony cocked a brow at the gesture but let it slide, knowing how awkward it would be to point out how weird it was, at least to her anyways.

“Well, now that that’s established, I say we hit the hay and travel in the morning when Moon wakes up. He won’t like it, but it’s not like we have much of a choice.”

Rose got up from her spot and went over to the colt, dragging him to where the fire was sleeping. She then began to set up the tent, when it was fully together she dragged Moon inside, tucking a blanket over him to keep him comfortable.

“Lets get some sleep, okay?”

“As you say, Rose. Shall we sleep together? I know how easy it is for other races to catch cold.”

“Well, Moon does have one of the only blankets so I suppose we could share mine. Plus I’m sure you’ll be warm enough for the both of us.”

Rose let out a laugh and laid on the ground, putting half the blanket atop her, the other half open for Pyrelight. the warm fire-pony snuggled in close, setting her hooves around Rose to hold her close, the warm, fluffy embrace incredibly comforting.

Rose smiled at the gesture, feeling like a child again at a sleepover.

“Night.”

“Goodnight, Rose.”

> Ch06 - Reforged in Earth and Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun’s light pierced between Rose’s eyelids, forcing her from her slumber. The warmth of the mare snuggled in her grasp was nice, but the air was a little cold after the cloudless night.

“Ugh... I hate mornings.”

The mare groaned and pulled the cover over her face, hiding herself from the sunlight. Her sleep-blurred eyes met the peacefully asleep face of Pyrelight, the soft light of her mane bringing a comforting glow. The beautiful contours of her face were portrait worthy, soft and feminine while still showing the firmness of self-reliance.

Man, what I wouldn’t give to paint her. Wish I still had fingers...

“Morning.”

The fire-mare shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer to the earth pony, her muzzle only an inch or so from Rose’s.

“C’mon, we better wake up Moon.”

Rose groaned again and threw the cover off, dragging her feet as she slumped to the tent.

“Moon. Wake up. Moon. Hey. Moon. Hey. Hey. Hey.”

A groan issued from the tent, sounding both sleepy and pained at the same time.

“C’mon, we have to get to town if you want some ointment for that burn.”

A few shuffles emanated from the tent, and a bleary, limping Moon Herald peeked out from the tent.

“C’mon sleepyhead, we gotta get moving.”

“A- alright, R-Rose...”

His voice was hazed with pain, and his normally glossy coat was dull and matted with sweat. His eyes, now a pale green, as opposed to their normally brighter coloration.

Rose let out a sad sigh, helping the colt out of the tent.

“Just get some rest okay? Hey, Pyrelight, thing you can help me pack up?”

“I can do that. Give me a moment.”

Pyrelight’s voice was tired, but chipper. Around twenty minutes of packing resulted in everything being ready to go, and the three ponies began to walk to the narrow end of the chasm. At the end, there was a cavern, dark and unlit. The fire-pony Pyrelight and Rose had created last night led the way, chewing a log held in his mouth.

The fire had gotten larger over night, and stood almost twice the height of any of them. The blazing heat and bright light of his form prevented the group from following too closely. As they exited the tunnel, they found themselves near the edge of the forest, the flame-stallion outside, having knocked over a tree and begun chewing on it, an almost impossibly happy expression on his face as he devoured the wood.

With a sigh, Pyrelight looked at the fire-colt. She shook her head, her servitors floating out to swirl around him. As they began to orbit him faster and faster, she sighed and muttered something under her breath.

“I am deeply sorry...”

With a whirling of the stone bars, the pony made of flames was torn apart, the fire being dragged away into the whirlwind and quelled.

“You okay ‘Light?”

“It is always saddening, to snuff out a life, no matter its origin.”

“You’ll see him again, don’t worry.”

Rose patted the mare’s shoulder, giving her a smile before continuing on, nudging Moon a bit to see his condition, missing the sad look from Pyrelight.

“How ya holding up?”

“D-doin’ well, I g-guess...”

The colt’s voice was shaky, but he was trying to sound fine. Rose shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me. I know you about ready to drop. C’mon...”

The mare bent over a bit, flipping the colt onto her back, hitching him up just to where she was comfortable with his weight. He yelped at the sudden movement, but held on tightly enough with three of his legs as best he could.

“It’s only a few more miles to the next town, just hang in there, okay?”

She felt him nod, settling his head onto the back of her neck, his face buried in her mane. She and Pyrelight continued trotting along, meeting the dirt road and following it to the next town.

When they reached the top of a hill overlooking the town, they saw it was a bit larger than the last, having an actual stone wall around it and tiny dots indicating the movements of what were presumably guards.

“Think they’ll let us through?”

Rose thought aloud, and Pyrelight shrugged. They continued walking as they spoke.

“Perhaps. I can only hope they assume I’m not a threat since I’m accompanying you. As for him, well, he’s a colt, so he’ll probably be ignored, for the most part.”

“We’ll see about that. C’mon, I don’t think he can take much more of this.”

The two mares move swiftly towards the town, observing the river that ran past and around it. The three herdmates gathered at the main gate, most of the ponies in the area either already in or mostly just milling about.

At the gate, a unicorn mare in armor and carrying a spear stopped them.

“Halt, and state your business.”

“My mate is badly wounded, I need to buy some medication for him.”

“Fine. What about that one?”

The guard mare pointed at Pyrelight.

“My friend.”

“Friend? How so?”

Pyrelight spoke up, obviously guessing where the guard was going.

“I am a part of his herd, but I lack the medical knowledge to help him further.”

The guard glanced suspiciously at Rose for a moment, who continued to stare, almost glaring at her. Moon was in enough pain, he needed medical attention now. The guard stared for a moment more, before acquiescing.

“Hmph, fine. Just don’t let the candelabra set anything on fire while you’re in there.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t be here long.”

With that, Rose stepped inside, picking up her pace once she entered the town market. Looking around she noticed signs with pictures of various goods, one of them of what looked like a roll of gauze bandages.

“I think that’s it. C’mon, let’s hurry.”

Rose galloped to the door, Pyrelight waiting outside, in case of combustibles. Inside, Rose saw that the shop was a little crowded with materials, but there was a counter near the front with a white earth pony standing behind it, idly knitting something. The white mare had a bright orange-and-green mane tied into a bun, minus exactly the first half-inch, which was pointed forward and over one eye.

The mare looked up sleepily, until she saw Moon Herald. After seeing the injured buck, the white mare jumped into action.

“What happened?”

The mare was more than a little shocked at the sight of the burned and bleeding colt on Rose’s back.

“We had a run in with a- a, um... What was it called again?”

Rose turned to look at Pyrelight,  to ask her for the answer. Unfortunately, she saw that the blazing mare was still outside. Right, possibly flammable shop... Shit, it was a will-something-something... Will-o... will-o...

“Will-o-wisp! Yeah, that’s it. We ended up getting lost in the forest and that monster ended up finding us. It managed to get in a good blow to my friend, and we were hoping you could help us. We were able to cauterize the wound but...”

“Good thinking, cauterizing it, but it’s going to be difficult to treat. Stitches! Get in here!”

The white mare called over her shoulder, and a unicorn colt, light brown in coloration, with a bright, blonde-colored mane, walked in. Seeing the injured colt, he gasped.

“Stitches, get me the burn kit, and start checking the drawers for any of the heavy salves, these are some pretty bad burns.”

The unicorn nodded, running into the shop once more, as the white mare began to lead Rose and Moon to a small gurney-like table.

“Set him down here. Good. Wow, these are some pretty bad burns... Stitches! Where’s that burn kit!?”

The colt came thundering back, a box held in his telekinetic aura. Setting it down, he stopped. Hovering close in behind him was a bag, labeled with a fire symbol on a heart.

“Good, now help me hold him steady, and get me some light, you lazy lump!”

The colt complied, and the duo began working, Rose feeling a little left out and useless as they worked. She almost jumped out of her skin when a quiet voice from behind her asked a question.

“Uhm, if you’d follow me, please, we need to figure out the billing, and what to do if he... ah... doesn’t make it.”

The speaker was a mildly short, fluffy griffin-like creature, but with a pony back.

“Billing? Ah, fuck. What’s the damage?”

“Well, it sounds like he’s got severe burns and possible muscle damage from the Will-o-wisp infection, along with the damage caused by the burns destroying said infection... But I figure you already knew that. As for the bill, though, we’ll know the full extent when those two are done.”

“Alright. Just make sure he’s fixed, okay?”

The hippogriff began walking towards the front counter, and offered a quill to Rose, setting a large book opened and in front of her, a list of names written on lines down the first few pages.

“Please sign on the first available line, just your name if you know how to write it.”

“I, uh, okay...”

The mare took the quill and attempted to write her name in the best handwriting she could. Though of course it was her english alphabet, something she doubted anyone but her could read, and written with her mouth, it was the best she could manage.

“Uhm, I can’t read that... I can write it if you need me to.”

The hippogriff spread her hand-like claws as she spoke, indicating how she’d write.

“That’d probably be best.”

Rose was a bit saddened by the fact that she couldn’t even manage the simple task of writing her name, but it was the least of her worries at the moment.

“Rose. And my friend on the operating table is Moon Herald.”

The hippogriff took the quill and scribbled something down. Next to that, she scribbled something else, and finally stopped with two blank spaces left.

“And now for the hard part... If he doesn’t make it, then the rule of charge is that you don’t pay for the operation, just the materials used. Stitches and Wraps are honest, and they’ll try their best. But if he doesn’t make it, you’ll have to pay the funeral costs. We’ll do embalming if you want in that case, but that costs more as well.”

Rose bit her lip and looked through her stash of saved Coins. There wasn’t much, especially since most of it will have to be spent on restocking their food. She made a displeased face.

“What’s the cheapest way?”

“Letting him die, but I doubt you want to go that route. Otherwise, just hope for the best. I suppose if you need some spare coins, you could probably ask around, there might be a few places that need ground labor. And Wraps will let you take time to pay if you’re really that desperate.”

“Unfortunately, we are. But either way, do whatever you can to save him, got it? I’ll be back with the cash...”

The hippogriff nodded, offering a claw to shake. Rose took it automatically, giving a reassuring nod before going back to the operating room, taking a quick peek on Moon.

He was in pain and unconscious, still being treated with a variety of needles, scalpels, and ointments. She let out a sigh of despair and exited the small hospital, and sat on the edge of the road, putting a hoof to her head as she thought.

“It’s a madhouse in there.”

Pyrelight looked over at Rose worriedly.

“And we don’t have enough cash to pay the bill, so we’re gonna have to find jobs, and fast.”

The fire-pony hunched her shoulders, looking like she was ready to cry, ears down and eyes dull.

“I’m sorry, I wish I had known the spell to cure him, but all I had was the cauterizing... I’m sorry I failed.”

“No, no. You did all you could... It was more than I would have been able to do.”

Rose felt that familiar knot begin to tie itself in her throat again, the mare trying to swallow it whole so it did not bother her, but her attempts were null and void. Pyrelight looked to her and nodded, grabbing her and drawing her into a hug.

“Then let us search for work to do, but first, you should tell them we are going to do so, if you haven’t.  They will want to know in case they finish before we’re done.”

“I told the girl at the front desk I’d be back with the money.”

Rose cleared her throat and got to her hooves, taking a deep breath before stepping forward into the town square where she began her endless questioning of shopkeepers.

None seemed to need her help, until they found a large, black, insectile pony, with holes in its hooves. It was working a forge, smashing a piece of metal into shape.

Wielding the bar of glowing metal in an aura of green magic, he pounded the heated metal with a hammer held between his teeth. The heated bar flattened quickly into the shape of a pickaxe’s head, the tip tapering sharply, and the other end quickly turned flat and wide, with strong, even strokes. Finally dunking the new tool into a bucket of water, the changeling turned to the duo.

“What kin ah do fer ye?”

The first thing to run through Rose’s mind was something like ’holy shit, it’s a changeling!’ while the second thing to run through her mind was approximately ‘fucking hell, he’s ripped.’

Following those thoughts, though, was a third, less cogent one: why does he sound like a dwarf?

“I, uh...”

She quickly shook her head, clearing the questions in her head enough to state her business.

“I need a job, got any openings? I’d be able to handle anything you can throw at me, plus some.”

“Wiel, ah culd yuuse some help wit de forge, if’n yer firey leedy friend there don’ mind. Kin ye shape ahny metals, lass?”

Rose just stared at the Changling, not knowing what exactly he said, but probably guessing it had something to do blacksmithing.

“Uh, yeah, umm... Did you catch any of that?”

She leaned over and whispered to Pyrelight, hoping she understood the large male.

“I- I think so... uhm, I think he wants help with the forge, yes?”

“Aye, lass, thas abou’ it. Can yer eartheh friend wurk metals at all?”

“Ah, I think he’s asking if you can do any metalworking. Can you?”

“Um... Well I’ve been around hot metal before so I can try. But I can’t promise a masterpiece.”

She stepped forward and looked over the metals and tools. An old friend of hers did research on forging before, so hopefully what she remembered from his long ramblings about it would help her.

“Ahlrigh’, ah’ll hold th’ metal still, an ye can shape it. Blaze lass, c’n ye put a livin’ flame inta th’ forge?”

“I- I can... will you promise to keep it safe? And Rose, remember to strike it with your hoof, not the frog.”

“Aye, lass, it’ll stay ‘ere as long as possible.”

“Don’t gotta tell me twice, been burned enough to know to be careful.”

As Pyrelight began to coax the fire in the forge to life, Rose let out a breath, in her mind trying to recall the steps as to how to forge anything. First comes the heating of the metals into a liquid, pouring it into the base, after it sets comes the striking, cooling, reheating, striking, cooling, etc.

Carefully shirking a shoe, Rose raised a hoof, hoping the blaze pony knew what she was saying by using her hoof. As a rod of metal was placed in front of her, glowing from the brilliant heat of the forge, she brought her hoof down with a shout, the shape of a blade in her mind’s eye.

A loud clang, shiiiing! resounded through the shop as her hoof bounced from the metal, a portion of the bar pressed into the beginning of a long, spade-like shape. With another series of grunts and smashing blows to the bar, it formed rapidly into a sword, the only pause in her movements when it was pulled away and cooled for a moment, heated moments later. In just under ten minutes, a gleaming blade, shining in silver and an odd, orange-tinged ripple pattern in it, had emerged.

In the orange light of the forge and the brilliant sunlight, the blade shone with an almost unearthly glow, smoothly gleaming in the light. There was a slight bend to it, and the arc of Rose’s hoof had left an imprint about halfway up the blade, but nothing too bad. The hand had turned out mostly perfect, only an odd twisting on the end marring its shape. The edge was already sharp, something that should have been impossible from mere hoof-blows, let alone shaping solid metal with a hoof.

Speaking of, Rose’s forehoof was smoking slightly, blackened from the soot, but entirely unharmed beyond that. In addition, she was slightly out of breath, but in a good sort of way.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad. Seems pretty good for a first try right?”

Rose gave Pyrelight a smile, shaking her hoof before stomping it on the dirt ground to put of the smoke.

“Tha- thass yer furst tra, lassie? Ah think ye might be a smithy at heart. Ye think ye c’n make another er soo b’fore ye leave? In fact, would ye’ be willin te stay?”

“Well, back home I was somewhat of the crafty type, being an artist and all. But yeah, we don’t mind staying- that is, if you’re willing to pay.”

“Lass, te fire-spirit in me forge alone I’d pay for. This? Ye make a hunnerd coins each one ye make. If’n they improove, ah’ll pay two hunnered apiece.”

Rose’s eyes widened and her brows raised in surprise.

How much!?

She quickly did a mental comparison of her job at the bar to the one offered. She had made about forty coins in six weeks, working odd jobs most of the day. And right now, her first attempt at metal-working had already earned her one hundred coins for ten minutes of, admittedly difficult, enjoyable work. And she was being offered more right away, if she did it again.

She’d been away from Moon for about three hours now, maybe she should check up on him, and come back... Yeah, take her first payment and get him taken care of, come back, get more money. Maybe leave Pyrelight here to talk, or something.

“We’d love to!.. But just give us one second.”

Rose quickly grabbed Pyrelight and pulled her into a huddle.

“This guy’s offering a bunch of cash for our work. We need this job for Moon, plus food... And whatever else we need. Look, just keep him busy for a few minutes while I go run and check on Moon, okay? I’ll back in fifteen minutes.”

Pyrelight nodded, and patted Rose on the shoulder with a smile. Rose responded with a nod and a reflected smile.

“Alright, we’ll stay and work with you, but first things first- I have a friend in the Wraps’ shop right now and he can’t get anything done unless we pay the bill first. I need the cash we just made now and I’ll be back in fifteen to work again. Promise. But in the meantime, Pyrelight will stay here and begin the heating process while I’m gone to keep you company.”

“Alright, lass, tha’ sounds workable ta me. Ah’ll get yer coins real fast, hold on.”

The large changeling walked up a small set of stairs, returning moments later with a sack of coins. The pony floated the bag to Rose, who took it.

“Ah also put in tha pay fer tha fire-spirit in there.”

“Kay-kay. Be back soon.”

The blacksmith nodded, a bit confusedly. Rose quickly trotted to the shop where Moon was, entering the small building in a hurry. At the front desk was the white earth pony, Wraps.

“Oh, good, you’re back. I’ve got good news and bad. Which would you like first?”

“Good. Give me the good news.”

“Well, the operation was a success. Mr. Herald will live. As for the bad, though... well, for one, the operation was rather expensive. I know you were saying you’re low on money, so I’m willing to give you a week or so to try paying it, but the payment is going to be sixty-three coins, and we had to use a healing potion that cost another twenty, bringing the total to eighty-three in the end.

“The second piece of bad news is that he’s going to have the scars from this for the rest of his life. The burns, while effective, were not the best possible method, though few unicorns of any kind know the proper spell to use even if you did have one with you. He’ll probably also have a limp, but in the end he’s lucky he wasn’t cut entirely in half by the wisp.

“And lastly, even when you do get him out of here, he’s going to have the bandages on for weeks, and need lots of anti-contagion potions, but thankfully those are pretty cheap. I suppose that’s it for the bad news... Were you able to find anywhere that would pay?”

Rose just threw the bag containing the coins on the counter, her eyes serious as the coins rolled out of the opening.

“Give me all the bandages you have in stock.”

“I don’t think you have enough room for that many bandages, I keep my store very well stocked. My, my, you certainly made a lot in the last few hours... I hope it was legal. As for the bandages, we can easily supply you with those, and even an additional bag to hold them and the other medical supplies. Do you have someplace to stay while you wait for Mr. Herald to be able to move himself again?”

Rose simply rolled her eyes at the legality comment.

“The good news is that yes, it was legal. I seem to have found a talent for blacksmithing. And as for the bandages, just give me whatever you can. But the bad news is that we don’t particularly have a residence to stay in for the night.”

Wraps nods, and yells towards the back of store again, this time shouting at what must’ve been her husband or something to fetch and stock a medical travel bag, to set up a guest room, come sort out the payment with someone named Triage, get started on dinner, and sweep the shop, all while yelling obscenities and insults at him.

The hippogriff stepped up to the front, weaving between shelves and the like carefully, as the beleaguered stallion ran up to the front carrying a brown leather bag with a red medical symbol in a white circle as the clasp. He was also floating a black-bound book, an inkpot, and a quill. As he began counting out coins and scribbling down notes.

Wraps looked up from this disinterestedly, focusing her attention on Rose once more.

“So, a talent in blacksmithing, eh? Didja work with that bug-eye up the street then? He’s a good worker on his own, but he really should find a mare to keep him. Colts need to be protected, after all, not left to work with forges and furnaces and stuff like that. He could get hurt!”

“Yeah, that’s him. But i wouldn’t be so sure about him finding a girl, he seems fine on his own. besides, I bet there’s one looking at him already. I know I like a guy who can take care of himself, so I’m sure he already has many secret admirers.”

Wraps looked at Rose with a look like she was silly.

“Oh, please, a colt couldn’t look after himself for long. I’m sure his muscles might attract a few, but he should get some mare to take care of him, instead of just having them admiring him. A stud belongs in the kitchen or the bedroom, unless told otherwise.”

Rose caught a glimpse of both Triage and Stitches wince at the word ‘stud’, the two carefully concealing their movements from Wraps.

“A stud belongs in the kitchen or the bedroom, unless told otherwise?”

Rose repeated the statement, emphasizing the places and demands, her law clenching as she thought of all the sexist jokes people made about women back home. It sounded awful, even if it was to males for once.

She opened her mouth to snap at the comment, call her a cold hearted bitch or something along those lines, but she held her tongue. Best she kept on her good side for Moon’s sake... but still, Rose needed to put an insult in a comment somewhere, just for her own righteous concious.

“He can take care of himself, just like you and I. Probably better with the all the cash he makes forging.”

The white earth pony sighed, and patted Rose on the back.

“Dear, I understand you think they’re smart like you and me, but they’re just males. He’s got it even worse, being a changeling and all. At least he isn’t sneaking into houses to steal away our colts and replace them. Still, if it happens, at least we know who to take care of.”

Rose’s mouth dropped at the comment, taking in a deep breath as she could feel her hooves curl.

“You remind me of Jim Crowe”

“Who’s that?”

“Just a political figure where I come from.”

“Well, thank you dear. Anyways, the room will be ready by tonight. Triage, honey, have you finished the counting out the payment?”

The hippogriff nods, and explains she already included the medical travel bag as well. Rose caught a glimpse of the hippogriff, Triage, snatching the floating quill from the air as Wraps turned around.

“Alright, Ms. Rose, would you like to see the room now, or do you have other things to do in the meantime?”

“Just move Moon into the room and I’ll be back, I have a few errands I have to run before I can turn in for the night.”

“Alright, then, I’ll get him moved. Here’s your money back, and I’ll see you later, then.”

Rose only nodded and grabbed her money, running out the door before Wraps could see her gritted teeth and red face.

Doing her best not to stomp on her way back to the blacksmith’s, Rose slowly cooled down, though she still wanted to peg Wraps in the face, maybe try re-shaping it into something less... less... Rose couldn’t even think of something it’d be better as, other than flattened like a pancake.

Calm at last by the time she arrived at the blacksmith’s again, she takes one last deep breath to finish calming down. Looking in, she shouted to make sure she got the changeling’s attention.

“I’m back! And I’m ready to punch something so lets just get to work, shall we?”

“Ah, ye’re back! Goo t’ see ye, lass. Yer Blaze-friend here is truly incredible with her magics, verra impressive. Much finer than m’ own control. Anyways, if yer ready to work again, let’s get to it. Just, ah, c’n we make a few tools this time? Blades’re fine ‘n danday, but most folks want tools they c’n use.”

“Not a problem...”

Rose spoke with a clenched jaw.

“I need to blow off some steam anyways, and pounding a few tools will definitely do the trick.”

I just wish I could tape that idiot’s picture to the tools so it’d be more fun to hit them.

A few hours of smashing the metal into place, she had definitely improved, and had taken a short break in between, chatting with the changeling smith, Pyrelight, and even looking into the furnace at the new living flame kindled within, a glorious, bright-blue mare of flame and embers, laying placidly in the furnace with a belly full of coal and metal ore, occasionally placing a new pouring of metal into a receptacle nearby from her hooves.

Several axe-heads, some shovelheads, metal stakes, even a fine set of hammer heads and an impressive trios of swords were forged, the best of the lot being gifted to Rose for all her hard work, the same orange-lined ripple pattern in every piece of metal she worked with.

“Anything else you need?”

Rose asked, rolling her shoulder. Her right foreleg was black to the knee, and the color did not seem to be fading.

“Ye’ve helped me so much alreedy, lass. Here’s the last ‘o yer pay fer yer work. Ye ever need work agin, an yer in town, stop by. It’s been a pleasure meetin’ ye, and a pleasure workin’ with ye. I hope ye find yer place to settle someday, ye’ve got the makings of a fine smithy, tween tha two of ye.”

The changeling chuckled heartily at the comment, then pointed at her blackened leg.

“Aye, lass, the forge ‘as already claimed ye, sure ‘nuff. I hereby give ye the title Blackhoof, as a sister smith. Wear it well, Rose Blackhoof, it suits ye.”

Rose let out a triumphant huff paired with a smile.

“I can guarantee I will.”

She lifted her blackened hoof for a shake, the changeling smith accepting it with a smile.

“As fer me, ye can call me Smith Smith. After all, ah be a smith, and Smith be a nopony name, aye?”

“Smith Smith? Well, I gotta tell ya Smithy, I’ve never heard a name like yours, but I promise not to forget it. See ya around.”

Smith Smith nodded brightly, and Pyrelight and Rose trotted happily back to the clinic shop. While Pyre got an odd look from Triage, they were let in, and led up to a room on the second floor. Inside was a couple of beds, a single storage shelf thing, and something wonderful:

Moon Herald, lounging in a bed, a tray covered in food scraps next to him. There were lots of thick bandages over his torso, shoulders, and left foreleg, but he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, chest rising and falling slowly.

Rose just smiled at the sight and went to the bed, touching his cheek lightly with a hoof only to leave a black mark from her blackened hoof. She let out a small laugh before yawning from the day’s work.

“C’mon, time to hit the hay.”

Rose let out another yawn and before walking over to the other bed and plopping down on it, falling asleep instantly from exhaustion.

> Ch07 - On Pain of Death
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Three weeks of waking up, paying the rent, and working with Smith Smith later, Rose and Pyrelight gleefully get to watch as Moon’s outermost bandages are removed, the puffy flesh underneath pale from lack of sun. Receiving much snuggles from both Rose and Pyre evidently helped speed up his recovery, and he seemed happy just that Rose was there, and Pyrelight, too.

“Well, after weeks of recovery you can finally walk around without looking like a mummy.”

“A what?”

He seemed a little confused by the comment, but Rose helped him through it. He seemed very determined to be able to walk as soon as possible. Rose decided it would likely be best if they stayed an extra week or so (in spite of Wraps’ horribly sexist views) to let Moon recover more.

“Wraps is really starting to get on my last nerves with this females are better crap. It actually surprises me that this kinda thing even exists here, with it being all happy and all from what I remember.”

Pyrelight perks up at this, quirking an eyebrow.

“Remember it from what? Or where?”

Rose bit her lip and thought quickly of an excuse.

“Back home it’s ah, it’s different from here. Everypony is equal not matter the gender and last time I was here it was different. Or at least I remember it that way... I think.”

“You don’t sound too sure.”

Pyrelight spoke calmly, and Moon looked perplexed.

“I- I thought you’d said you’d never been here before.”

“That’s why I said I think, because I can’t remember. I was young and I can’t remember if it was this place or somewhere else that I went to. But either way, its terrible how unequal things are around here.”

Pyrelight looked at Rose suspiciously, not looking like she quite trusted her words, before nodding slowly.

“It is pretty awful how the world is, but it has always been this way, for as long as any alive can remember. Colts are repressed, entire races are enslaved, and life goes on.”

“I know but still, it’s just- it’s so unfair!”

Moon shrugged and looked at Rose, and he looked both sad and resigned.

“You’d have to do something pretty impressive, like take down one of the Living Gods to make a change like that, though.”

Rose put a hoof to her chin and thought for a few moments before slamming it down and shouting at the sky.

“If that’s the case then god damn it that’s what I’ll do!”

Moon and Pyre both just stared at Rose for a minute, like she was crazy, or had blue lobsters coming out of her ears.

“What?”

“You... Let me get this straight; you want to make things more equal, right?”

Pyre asked the question cautiously.

“Well yeah, don’t you?”

“And you wish to accomplish this the fastest way possible, right?”

“Yeah...?”

“And you want to survive that accomplishment to ensure it comes to fruition, yes?”

“Yeah? Why? What are you getting at?”

“... And you want to do this by challenging a Living God, presumably to a duel or trial?”

“Uhm... sure?”

Moon looks back and forth between the incredulous Pyrelight and the stoic Rose.

“I like it!”

“That’s my boy!”

Pyrelight sighs and facehoofs dramatically, her flaming mane burning orange.

“It’s a silly plan, but why not? I don’t have much of a life beyond you two at this point, anyways...”

“That’s the spirit!”

The three sat together, talking and joking about the course now set before them. Since they were in Queen Tenebrous’ realm, they’d go to her, and try to get her to do one of the follow: Side with them, abdicate her throne to them, be defeated by them, or die of apoplexy at being stood up to. any of those would work, but the group had no idea how to bring them about.

“So, now that we have our plan of action, what’s next?”

“Well... I suppose we get some supplies, wait the last week or so until Moon is better, and we get on the road. Maybe along the way, we can recruit some ponies with more combat-oriented skills, something like that.”

Pyrelight’s suggestion was sound, and made sense.

“Makes sense, but what are we gonna do in the meantime? I mean, Smith did give us the day off today...”

Moon Herald looked up from the bed, and spoke in a whisper.

“You... you could try getting some lessons, on how to use that sword you’ve got. It- it looks like Volcanic Steel, I read about that stuff while looking up some military-use metals from a long time ago, around the time of the Flutter Treaty.”

“The Flutter Treaty?”

“Nothing important. After the Flutterkin tried to defy the Living Gods, they fought back, and Eosos and Rubeum crafted thousands of Volcanic Steel weapons for their soldiers. It was a pretty big thing, and afterwards, they destroyed most of the weapons. It takes Earth and Fire elementalism to create real Volcanic Steel, so it’s hard to make without a good talent for it. I think a few of the families of the generals of the Living Gods got to keep their weapons, but I’m not sure.”

“Huh, well I guess now I know why Smith was so excited to hire us in the first place, right Pyrelight?”

“Indeed, it does make sense. Those tools we made him are likely going to pay for his expenses for the rest of the year, if not more.”

Pyrelight yawned broadly, then used a Servitor to scratch her back.

“Mmph, I’m tired tonight... I think I’ll turn in early. Rose, would you care to do the same?”

“What? You’re tired already! But it’s barely....”

The green mare paused to look out the window, realizing it was dark already.

“Oh... guess I didn’t realize how much time went past. Derp.”

Rose got to her hooves and cracked her back slightly.

“Well, I’m not one to turn in early but it’s not like we have much else to do so... might as well.”

Rose and Pyrelight slowly clambered into the second bed in the room, sitting up to drink their glasses of water, something of a ritual they’d fallen into while they were in the hospital-like building. Snuggling close to one another, Rose slowly felt her eyelids grow heavy, as she cuddles in, warm and safe.





Rose’s slumber was disturbed by squeaking noises, a soothing voice in her mind telling her to go back to sleep. And she would have, if a muffled grunt, sounding familiar and noteworthy hadn’t broken through her sleepy haze. Rose let out a huff and opened an eye, it adapting to the darkness.

“Wha...?”

She groaned slightly, not wanting to wake up.

“Go back to sleep...”

The insistent, muffled cry caught her attention again. Pyrelight was still asleep, but she looked to the other side, seeing something that stopped her blood cold. Moon Herald, his wings tightly bandaged to his sides, was tied spread-eagle to his bed, a maniacal-looking Wraps sitting astride him. In the pale moonlight and the flickering candlelight, the tears on his face were starkly visible as they ran down his cheeks, stopped by the gauzy tie around his muzzle.

Rose, for an eternal moment, couldn’t do a single thing. She just watched as Wraps ground herself against him, soft moans emanating from her between clenched teeth. Rose’s horror and fury began to boil within, driving off the specter of sleep. She watched, for just a moment more, as Wraps visibly climaxed as she slammed a strong, earth-pony hoof into Moon’s cheek, just under the bandages already in place.

“What... The... Fuck!?”

Rose voice cracked in fury as she leapt from her bed, and grabbed onto Wrap’s mane with her teeth and yanked her off with a hard tug, slamming her face into the ground, her knee digging into her spine, Moon’s erect member sliding out with a ‘pop’.

“You fucking bitch! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?”

she gripped her mane tighter with every syllable, digging her knee deeper.

“I fucking treated him, so I get a piece of him! You and your fucking idiotic ‘equality’ horse-shit would try to think of his feelings! It’s a cock with legs, damnit!”

The white mare responded to the violence by slamming one of her back legs into the spot between Rose’s cutie-mark and the actual meat of her leg, and she went back as a crackling pop sounded through the room, her leg feeling like it was on fire.

Rose’s scream of pain was cut short by a hoof jabbed at her throat, and felt herself choking, tears forcing themselves from her eyes.

“You fucking bitch dared speak that shit in my store?! In my home?! Well, I’ll put you all in your places! That potion in your nightly drink may not have kept you out as long as I’d hoped, but you still can. Fight. Back.”

The white medical mare grinned as she raised a hoof above Rose’s head, evidently seeking to crush it. 

“Fu...cking... Bitch!”

Rose swung a hoof as she choked out the bitter words, the strike landing precisely where she wanted it to, thanks to the weeks of blacksmithing, and struck Wraps square on the underside of her jaw, a crunching sound and a splattering cough of blood heralding the hit’s landing. Rose, still recovering from the throat jab, rolled away, looking around for something to hit Wraps with.

All she saw was Moon, not conscious after the blow to his face, still tied to the bed. With a feral cry, Rose, on instinct, planted both front legs facing away from Wraps, nearly did a handstands and...

And then she bucked Wraps in the mouth.

The white medical pony flew across the room with a sickening, yet oddly satisfying ‘crack!’, sliding down the wall with a small streak of blood. Rose, hurting and limping (bucking someone like that with what was probably a dislocated rear leg was probably not smart) hobbled over to Moon Herald, getting a better look at him.

A massive, purpley-black bruise was forming across his left cheek, a large split from Wraps’ hoof running from his eye to his chin. More bruises ran across his chest, and there were some painful-looking cuts, probably from the edge of a hoof, near his genital sheathe. Likely, those were the sites of nerve clusters or something Wraps was using to force Moon to be up, because there was no way this particular colt would be up when he wasn’t awake.

“Moon... I- I-”

The mare was lost for words, her hooves curling and her jaw clenching. She was so tempted to turn around and beat the life out of the white whore, but she couldn’t, not without getting Moon Herald out of the restraints, starting with that muzzle.

But still...

With a half full glass of water, Rose poured the contents onto Pyrelight, waking her up suddenly. The normally fire-maned pony was dull and barely coherent as she woke, trying to stay focused as she stared at Rose with bleary eyes. Whatever that bitch had put in their drinks, it was strong.

“Get up.”

Rose’s voice was cold and her eyes were even icier.

“Wraps drugged us a-”

Rose went down as something crashed across her back, and she saw wooden splinters go flying. Very suddenly, her back and head hurt all over, and she a wooden chair leg roll by. A scarce second later, Rose rolled, not entirely sure what was going on, until she saw the bleeding, broken-faced visage of Wraps, her face a ruined mess of bone and blood, her eyes almost glowing demonically as she shouted.

“Fuck. You. Stupid whore!”

Rose let out a heavy breath before spitting blood at Wraps face, a grin curling.

“You hit... like a boy.”

The mare then grabbed the wooden leg that lay broken next to her in her teeth and swung it, managing to throw it and cut the side of the mare’s cheek. Though it didn’t do much, it managed to give her enough time to get on her hind hooves, using a counter to keep her balance.

“Looks like I’m gonna have to relocate my leg back if I wanna kick your ass.”

“You stupid plot-faced mule, it’s you- and your stupid kind- that make this world... so much harder... than it needs to be.”

The mare was gasping as she monologues at Rose, grinning as she reached to a boot she was wearing and withdrew a wickedly-sharp looking scalpel. Holding it firmly in her teeth, the rest of her face mashed and gross. She lunged at Rose, the point of the blade flying at her eye.

A second resounding ‘crash!’ intterrupted the fight, a panting hippogriff, holding most of an operating table in her foreclaws, looked down at the now unconscious madmare.

“Consider that my divorce notice, you fucking sexist.”

“God damn it Triage, I was just about to kick her ass!”

“And did you see she was planning on giving you a jab to your trans-occipital nerve cluster, effectively rendering you paralyzed for the next hour? No, because you’re not a surgeon.”

The hippogriff dropped the remains of the operating table onto the prone pony, with a satisfied ‘hmph’.

“Psh, I still woulda kicked her ass...”

Rose crossed her hooves in a pout before letting out a yelp of pain.

“Agh! My leg!”

The hippogriff stepped closer, looking at the awkwardly placed joint. Reaching out with her claws, she grabbed Rose by flank and leg, jamming them together with a click. Rose gasped, the movement sudden and painful, but the pain went away quickly.

“Doesn’t seem she spent any time to rip anything in there, just a clean disconnect. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go get some guardmares to come in and clean this up. If you’d like, feel free to take one of the other rooms, for now. I’m going to go comfort my husband after that.”

“Go on ahead, I have unfinished business here...”

“Alright, I need to go get the guards, as I said. I guess this nullifies my Hippocratic Oath...”

The hippogriff turned and left the room, breathing heavily. Rose was stuck resting against the wall for a moment to catch her own breath.

“You okay, Moon?”

The green mare used her teeth to rip through the bandages to free the colt, his body shaking as his tears fell from swollen eyes. All he could give for a response was a pained moan, even as Rose carefully unwrapped the bandages tight across his jaws. A thin rivulet of blood joined one of his tears as it fell.

“I’m here now, okay? She can’t hurt you anymore, I promise.”

She put a hoof to his injured face, stroking it gently. He whimpered and winced, before leaning into her ministrations, tears flowing freely.

Man, it’s times like this that I wish I was a unicorn...

She sat next to him for a few more moments, before casting a worried glance to where Pyrelight lay limply half-off the bed, sleeping from the potion’s effects.

“She’ll be fine, from what I can tell it’s just a heavy sleeping potion. She’ll just feel hammered in the morning, thats all.”

Rose then looked over to where Wraps’ body lay, she was still, but not deathly so, a raspy breath rattling into her lungs every second or so. Thankfully, it sounded like it was really painful.

“I swear, if I didn’t have a conscious I would go over there and beat her senseless... if she wasn’t already there, I mean. But still, that bitch deserves some sort of punishment besides getting a table broken over her head... hmmm...”

Rose’s train of thought was disrupted, however, by a group of mare in chain and leather armor stepping into the doorway and looking down at Wraps. The one in the lead, with a steel helm reminiscent of cooking pot, minus the handles, spoke first.

“Ms. Blackhoof, ma’am? Are you alright?”

The voice was scratchy, like the voice of someone with either a smoking problem or who had asthma issues when they were younger.

“Also, is this the mare that assaulted you and your herd this evening?”

The guardmare gestured at the mess of pony and table, a surprisingly small amount of blood on the floor for the amount of violence inflicted during the short brawl.

“I’m fine, and yeah, that’s her. Just get her out of here before I decide to do something stupid...”

“Alright, ma’am, just calm down. I’m sheriff Brighthooves, the other guardmares will be taking her down to the holding cells. This isn’t her first infraction of the town laws, but it is her most severe.”

“What!? You’re telling me she’s been let off the hook before!? Listen you! If you don’t get this bitch locked up for good this time I’ll make sure she’ll never see the light of day again! You got that!”

The guardmare stomped her hoof, a bright flash of tangerine sparks sputtering from them in the process. She snorted angrily at Rose, taking a step closer.

“Ms Blackhoof, calm yourself down, or I’ll take you in too! After this... disgusting breach of conduct and decency, I can pretty much guarantee she’ll likely only see two more sunrises. We don’t let this kind of thing happen in this town.”

Rose prepared an angry retort, until the words ‘she’ll only see two more sunrises sank in. Her brows creased in confusion for a moment before realizing what he meant.

“Death penalty?”

“In case you’re from a more lenient region, then I’ll explain it simply; rape carries the death penalty here in the Nightrealm. Doesn’t matter who rapes whom, they’ll hang for it. The assault, destruction of property, and attempted murder is just icing on the cake. Now, I have one more question, were you or your colt injured during or before the incident or the resulting assault and attempted murder? It’s rather important.”

“Yes. She dislocated my leg while we brawled. She also slugged Moon during the-”

She paused, her teeth clenching, before letting out a breath.

“She also poisoned us with a sleeping potion.”

Brighthooves nodded. Turning the the shattered remnants of the chair on the ground, she cocked an eyebrow at the pieces and splinters of wood in Rose’s mane.

“Was that all, or did you forget something?”

Rose shook her head a bit, splinters falling from her mane.

“Oh yeah, and the chair. Must have forgot since she broke it on my head.”

The guardmare gave a harsh laugh at the joke, before turning to the doorway, the downed mare already taken away. She looked over the room, before departing, calling back over her shoulder as she did.

“I don’t mean to impose, but you should probably make yourself scarce, and soon. A lot of townsfolk looked up to Wraps for the same ideals that got her in trouble, and a couple will try taking revenge on you, stupid as their reasons are. Also... good luck, Blackhoof, you’ll need it.”

The guardmare was most of the way down the stairs by the time she finished her speech, and Pyrelight was just beginning to moan into awakeness.

Rose only huffed.

“I’d like to see them try.”

Stepping back to take care of Moon once more, Rose waited for Pyrelight, who wobbled over to the bed.

“R-Rose... what happened here? Why are you injured?”

“I’ll tell you later, just go back to sleep. We’re leaving in the morning...”

With that, Rose closed the door to the room and curled up next to Moon Herald, watching him sleep the entire time to make sure that nothing else creeped up on him during the night. slowly succumbing to sleep, she finally fell into a slumber of her own as the dawn’s light just began to peek in through the filtered windows...





Rose was looking up at Brighthooves, a black eye making it hard to see the guardmare on the left.

“Ms Blackhoof, we need to stop meeting like this. this is the fourth ‘Public Disturbance’ you’ve supposedly started, with numerous witnesses corroborating. I understand you want to keep Mr Herald in a bed he can heal from, but I doubt hearing you be stuck in the jail again is going to make him feel any better.”

It had been two weeks since Wraps had been hung, the sunrise after Rose had fallen asleep watching Moon protectively. Almost every few days after that, mares had been starting brawls with her, and then blaming her for them.

This wouldn’t normally be a problem, if a bunch of the supposed bystanders hadn’t started pointing hooves at the green mare. The first time, just Rose had been sent to jail, and only for two hours to ‘cool off’. but then the second brawl happened, and she and four others had been put in separate cells, each of her cellmates jeering at her the moment the guards weren’t near enough to hear it.

The third had drawn in Smith Smith, who had stood up for Rose and even stated that the others were lying about who started it. The liars had been thrown in the clink for perjury.

But this most recent one... she hadn’t even seen who’d started it, just a blue-gray hoof outta nowhere, and suddenly she had a cut over one eye and a shiner impressive enough to seal it shut and turn half her face blue and purple through her coat.

“I’ve already told you chief! I didn’t start it! I-”

Brighthooves had cut her off with a wave, but her expression was grim and serious as she spoke.

“I know, I actually saw this one start. Hence why I haven’t thrown you in one of the cells. Frankly, I think you should skip town. You’re just getting more and more beat up, and I doubt anypony in your herd wants to see you die from all this. I know I don’t and I barely know you.”

“I’m not gonna run out of town with my tail between my legs, chief. These people need to learn that this isn’t right, and if I have to go through hell to do it then so be it. Besides, at this point I don’t even feel anything!”

She stomped a hoof down and then winced, letting out a slight ‘ow’. Brighthooves sighed and shook her head, looking away from the mare with the black eye, sadness etched across her face.

“Listen, ma’am, you’re going to get yourself killed, and I won’t be able to do anything about that. And how long do you think it’ll be ‘till they go after Pyrelight, or Moon himself? What’ll you do if you get thrown in jail and come back out to find they’re dead, and you have no idea who killed them? Could you live with that on your conscious?”

The guardmare sounded like she was speaking from experience, and a wetness and sadness in her eyes gave Rose pause for a moment. Rose just looked down in anger, knowing the mare was right.

“Th-then what do you want me to do? Just forget this place and let it run amuck with it’s fucked up morals?”

“Leave, before it gets worse. I hear the smith is leavign too, because of issues he’s started having with some of these mares.”

She sighed again.

“Rose Blackhoof, don’t make me force you to leave town. Please. Try the capital, or something, try to change things from someplace it’ll happen in. Not here. Not where this kind of hate is damned near universal.”

“You know, back where I’m from it was the same thing, only it wasn’t because of gender, it was because of the color of one’s skin. They were no different from everyone else other than their skin, and they were hated all the same because of it. They couldn’t control it but they still fought against it because it was wrong. They were beat senseless and killed, hung by their necks in their front yards for all to see, but they never gave up and in the end they ended up getting their equality and freedom from the hate!”

She stomped a hoof down, ignoring the sharp stab of pain.

“A famous man once said ‘I have a dream.’ He dreamed that every man and woman, not matter what color, race, or gender they were, should be treated equally and respectfully, no matter what.”

She stared up at the officer.

“He died for his dream and was killed in cold blood because he believed in something so strong and powerful. But even then, his voice and beliefs went on and he became an idol, his name an icon to everyone who suffered. If I have to leave this town to protect my friends then so be it, but don’t expect me to leave and never hear from me again. I’m going Queen Tenebrous.”

The officer looked at Rose for a moment, hope flaring in her eyes. But that hope rapidly faded back into the dull pit of sadness. she looked at Rose with a wry smile.

“Jeez, Blackhoof, I wish I had lived where you used to. Maybe I’d still have a brother and sister then.”

Brighthooves sighed and turned away once more.

“I’m going to announce today that you’ve been locked up for a week this time. You’d better use tonight to get out, before you get any more injured.”

“Hey chief, I’ll take you there one day, I promise.”

The mare shuffled her hooves for a moment, naught but a short chuckle escaping her lips for a moment.

“Open Roads and Fair Weather to you, Rose Blackhoof. And may the earth bear you when you fall.”

Brighthooves gave a weary salute and a tired smile. Rose gave a salute back, nodding before running off to her friends.

> Ch08 - Towards a Brighter Tomorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sneaking into the store, Rose passed Triage, who had taken to sleeping down in the main room to keep out the rabble that occasionally tried to mess with Rose’s herd. The hippogriff’s impressive strength was simply unmatched, even by the earth ponies in town. Trotting up the stairs, the green mare walked into her room, to tell Moon Herald and Pyrelight what was going to happen.

Practically stampeding into the room, Rose saw that Moon was comfortably in the embrace of Pyrelight, who was stroking his mane soothingly.

“Sorry to ruin the moment, but we’re being forced to leave, for good this time.”

Moon Herald, for the most part, was healed, so it wasn’t too much of a problem. Pyrelight’s bruise from a thrown brick (they never did find out who threw it) had faded for the most part, and Rose herself was officially being exiled.



Moon didn’t seem too troubled by the news, instead squirming a bit to sit up on the bed. Pyrelight also looked up.

“I have to agree with Moon Herald, this doesn’t seem to change our plans much.”

“Well, pack your things because we’re leaving tonight.”

Rose let out a slight huff and hitched her pack up, it patched heavily from an incident with the locals. Pyrelight began moving to clear up her own supplies, and Moon looked around, feeling useless. After a moment, he asked a question.

“So... is there anyone here who can actually fight?”

Rose stopped for a moment, realizing that neither she nor Pyrelight had any real combat knowledge.

“I- I’m just asking, because bandits, and stuff...”

“Well... I can bark, but I don’t have much of a bite.”

Pyrelight and Moon Herald just looked at her for a moment at her odd choice of words. Rose just waved the moment away before continuing.

“Never got into a real fight before actually, usually I can just talk my way out of it or something.”

“Well, maybe we can find a freelancer? We have some money, at least, from the stuff you’ve made.”

“Freelancer?”

Rose cocked a brow. Moon, trying to explain, searched through his banks of terminology.

“Uhm, you know what a mercenary is, right?”

“I think so...?”

“Mercenaries are armies that fight for money, instead of loyalty to a holding. A freelancer is basically a singular mercenary, a lone person who fights on someone else’s employment. Mercenary companies cost more, and, well, they’re entire armies, but freelancers are just a person or two who fights because someone else pays them.”

Moon Herald stopped for a moment, and thought about how to explain further.

“Uhm, like guards you can hire. I probably should’ve started there.”

“Probably, but you learn something new everyday I suppose.”

The green mare said shrugging her shoulders.

“C’mon, we better hit the road before the locals get wind of what’s going on.”

Moon and Pyre nod, and Moon turned to Rose.

“Well, I, personally, think we should get a freelancer involved, if only because they tend not to care about locals. Unless the booze is really good. At the very least, that’s how it’s been for a few centuries of warfare and politics.”

“I guess, but how do we know if we’d be able to trust him? I mean, for all we know he could kill us in our sleep or steal whatever bits we have left.”

“Nah, freelancers wouldn’t get jobs if they did that. A freelancer showing up in a city with a lot of money and no client is a major red-flag ever since Blood-Plate the Brutal did just that for over a decade. Most cities are ridiculously paranoid about it happening, so it’s very unlikely.”

“Blood-Plate the Brutal? Someone obviously love thier child...”

“Well, ‘the Brutal’ is just a title he earned, and it’s dubious that Blood-Plate was his original name. Still, he earned it in the end.”

Moon Herald shuddered slightly. Rallying himself again, he went back to explaining to Rose.

“Just... go with the freelancer that isn’t being showy or flashy, they’re usually new. And don’t offer money up front, let them make the offer. The good ones will ask for a couple hundred gold, and can be haggled down a few dozen.”

“How many bits do we have left?”

“Ah... I think, at last count, after the fines, we have about...”

Moon did some quick mental calculations.

“Only about eight-or-nine thousand gold pieces. Somewhere in that range.”

His expression was serious, but Rose had seen a single gold purchase food for more than a week.

“That’s... A lot.”

“Not really, a standard contract stipulates twenty gold a day for a minimum of a week. That’s a hundred and forty gold pieces for the lowest grade of freelancer. Most mid-graders that aren’t part of a union or guild will charge closer to fifty, or maybe eighty a day.”

“Oh... well, we’re only gonna need him for a few days, at least until we can get out of dodge.”

Moon didn’t look like he agreed, but nodded anyways. As Rose was close enough to him, he reached out and embraced her, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.

“Just be careful, alright? I don’t want to lose you, Rose.”

The mare nuzzled him back, putting a hoof on the back his neck to bring him close before giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“Don’t worry Moon, you’re talking to the only and only Rose. Nothing can hurt me, remember?”

Moon just looked at her worriedly, but he cracked a smile and kissed her on the nose.

“C’mon.”

She ruffled his mane before turning to Pyrelight.

“You all ready to go?”

“Actually, it will take a little longer to gather my supplies. Perhaps you should go hire this freelancer while I finish packing?”

Pyrelight’s argument made sense, and it would be nice to have some protection on the road.

“Oh, alright. But where are we even gonna find one?”

Rose huffed, not wanting to admit that they were in need of help. Moon looked over to her as Pyrelight thought for a second.

“Go where any seasoned warrior visits in their spare time; the bar.”



	

The local bar was fairly large, given that it also served as an inn, and a job-posting area. Odd-jobs posters were tacked up on every available surface, listing the payment and details of the jobs or providing a picture-listing on how to get to the person to ask about the job (for those who couldn’t read).

Rose had looked around for the sorts of ponies Moon had described in detail just before she left. Though he’d mentioned his knowledge was at least a decade out of date, but the processes of identification hadn’t changed too much in a century, so it was probably alright.

Four prospective possibilities had been interviewed, and they had all either been too eager for the job (meaning they likely had no experience and wanted to prove themselves) or refused to sign on for less than a month, which would bankrupt Rose’s tiny herd.

Finally finding herself out of ponies that matched the criterion, Rose wandered to the bar. Having worked in a bar previously, she’d had the time acquaint herself with some of the sweet alcohols of the lands.

Ordering a large mug of something called an Apple Haybale, made from, well, apple- and hay-based alcohol, Rose prepared to drink slowly, knowing this particular drink well. It could hit you hard if you didn’t watch yourself, a bit like a hay bale to the head.

“Wonder if hiring a bodyguard is really a good idea.”

The mare muttered to herself, taking a sip.

“A bodyguard? What do you need such a thing for? You carry a volcanic blade, after all.”

The voice that spoke up was deep, but soft. It held some sort of majesty to it that Rose had never heard, and it felt like all the other voices in the bar had become muffled. Continuing to sip from her drink, she spared a sidelong glance and saw a fairly unimposing pony next to her, draped in a simple gray cloak over elaborate, but poorly maintained armor.

“Yeah, but my herd would feel safer if we had one.”

She took a larger sip.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not invincible.”

“The path to wisdom is littered with faults. What training do you have with that blade?”

The stranger’s voice was very even, and calm, but he’d put away two steins of a much stronger set of spirits while she’d looked him over. The only reason she could tell it was a he was that almost all the mares she’d heard had sounded female, and this pony definitely sounded male.

“Enough to scare off anyone who crosses me.”

The stranger chuckled, and downed another large stein of alcohol. Sighing, he spoke again, his voice making her feel oddly comforted, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

“If that were so, then what does your herd need of a guardian? And what has prevented you from finding one here? Most of these souls are at least fairly competent.”

“It’s not enough for them...”

Another big gulp.

“As for the guard, none of them fit my standards. They’re either too expensive or too green.”

The stranger chuckled again and waved for another set of steins to be set before him. While she couldn’t see a horn or any signs of wings or anything, she was fairly certain that he wasn’t an earth pony. And as such, that amount of alcohol should be doing something to him.

“So, you need somepony who is both experienced and funded enough to accept a lower price? I’ll admit, I’ve seen a lot, but a cheap, good mercenary isn’t one of them, even... even when I was warrior.”

His voice sounded pained on the last five words, and he immediately set about demolishing another pair of steins.

“You sound glum.”

She followed his antics with another sip. He sighed once more, polishing off his seventh stein of the evening.

“I have not much to do these passing seasons. No lord or master, no pull or needs. I- I suppose I could be your bodyguard? I truly have nothing else to do. If you would like my record, it is long and very boring at times.”

“At times? Is there something interesting on your record that I should know about?”

“Oh, nothing much... just a few dragon-slayings, heroics of varying types. They grow... tiresome, I suppose, with time. Too much of anything, as they say, is too much.”

“Well I have to say, you certainly have gotten my attention.”

She turned to him, finally getting a good look at him. The figure was solidly built, but largely covered by the gray cloak he wore. Both it and the armor it covered seemed to be old and travel-worn. The armor, barely visible through the thick cape, looked elegant and very high-quality, just very poorly kept. The hood of the cape still obscured his head, but a few wisps of soft-looking golden hair.

“You’ve been around, haven’t you?”

The way she said it made it sound like more of a statement, still slightly unsure of whether or not to trust the stallion.

Chuckling some more, the mid-sized male chugged another stein, nearly finishing off his present round.

“One could say that. I don’t have any particular need for money, so perhaps I could simply accompany you out of boredom? You get a free guard, I get something to keep my mind off of... things.”

As Rose though for a moment, the pony grabbed the last stein he had and threw back the entire stein of alcohol. In the process, his hood slipped back, revealing an exceedingly handsome face, graceful but strong.

The entirety of his mane was the softest gold, and spilled back from his head and neck to fill the inside of the hood. Rose was incredibly tempted to play with it, and had to stop herself from squealing as she saw that he had a beard and even a moustache. They were a little scraggly, and so was his mane in places, but they looked well taken care of. The soft gold of his hair provided very little contrast against his white coat, which seemed almost to glow softly in the dim light of the bar.

As he opened his eyes, she was amazed at what she saw. Vibrant irises of the purest royal purple encircled his pupils. The smile he wore, though, she saw did not quite reach his eyes. His eyes, in spite of their beauty, held a deep well of sadness.

She blinked in awe for a moment before clearing her throat and turning back to take another sip of her alcohol, about to bring it to her lips before suspecting that she might have beer goggles, setting it down automatically.

“If you feel that you would enjoy our company, and umm...”

She cleared her throat again, trying to keep her mind clean and her tone sophisticated.

“Feel that you would be of use to us then, I suppose you could tag along. We are a small group, so it wouldn’t be much of a task really.”

The almost impossibly handsome stallion just nodded and threw his hood back over his head.

“Well, I suppose we should at least be acquainted by name, then. My name is Custosael, and I am at your service, m’lady.”

He bowed and gently raised her hoof to kiss it, making her feel a little flushed. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one.

“Y-you got a nickname?”

“Ah... you may call me Keeper, if you would prefer.”

“Keeper? Keeper of what?”

“Nothing that is of any importance anymore.”

His sad words aside, he seemed competent... and rugged. Rose mentally slapped herself for that one.

“Well then, Keeper, you can call me Rose.”

She gave him a slight nod and smile, solidifying their deal. He nodded back, and they sat back down to let Rose finish her own drink (she had paid for it, after all) and chat for a little while. Expecting her herd to be ready, she and her new bodyguard hoofed it back to the small clinic, the freelancer picking up a saddlebag and slipping it on along the way out.

Moon Herald and Pyrelight both greeted Custosael courteously, and the four of them prepared to move out. Moon could walk again, so that proved to be nothing more than a slowing-down of the procession.



	

Two days later, they’d traveled a good long distance. Custosael never seemed to sleep, and even made breakfast for them most mornings.

“I know I have not had much chance to speak with each of you, but I would like to converse while you all eat, if that would be alright?”

The only reason that wasn’t suspicious was because the guard regularly wolfed down his food as soon as it was ready, and he always made his last. He still finished first, however, every time.

Pyrelight and Moon Herald both shrugged in response, and turned to Rose for confirmation. Rose only nodded, her mouth too full to speak.

“I have noticed that your group appears a little mixed. Is there any reason that a Salamander has left her home? It is a very rare thing, and I am rather curious about it.”

Pyrelight looked up at Custosael in shock at the use of the word ‘salamander’, prompting a short huff of amusement from the ever-armored warrior.

“Yes, I know of your kind’s old name. Still, I must wonder what prompted you to seek the company of other races. I have always known Salamanders to be very... insular.”

Pyrelight nodded in response, thinking to herself for a moment before speaking, slower than usual, as if to choose her words carefully.

“Several years ago, a small family of earth ponies, three adults and a child, were driven to the mountain territory my own clan had claimed as territory. I- I am not sure what had pushed them into the clan’s lands, as we were well known. But the clan’s aggressive elements immediately assaulted them for the trespass, intent on killing them.

As Pyrelight continued to speak, the shadows from the fire danced, forming the shapes of the things she spoke of, one by one. They were beautiful representations, each a clear outline of what they were meant to be.

“I saw what they had chosen to do, and felt it was unjust, and refused orders from my peers to assist in attacking frightened family. They- they turned on me. I took the assault gladly, though, as it gave time for the family to escape. I fled into the forest at the base of the mountain, and began travelling. Eventually, I came to the Dark Forest, and became trapped by the Mother Wisp that dwells within.”

“Rose, here, arrived, chased by the same wisps. By that point, I had found another way out, and used it on occasion to forage for food.. but that is not the point. When I saw Rose and Moon, I felt a yearning I had not experienced in a long time. I was lonely. So, I asked to join them, as Rose quite obvious cares for Moon Herald, and him for her. I am honored she has admitted me into her herd.”

Pyrelight’s story finished, the mare sat back, as if to avoid questions. Custosael and Moon Herald both nodded appreciatively at the story, while Rose sat in thought about it. It certainly explained a few of her own questions.

She plopped the last of her food in her mouth and gave it a few chews before swallowing, a few things crossing her mind.

“Well, we’re glad to have you with us, Pyre.”





The fire-colored mare smiled and blushed a bit, looking down at her hooves, but leaned into the contact slightly.

“Well, that does explain that well enough for me. Though I do not understand why your clan would be so... ‘narrow minded’ as to cast you out for doing the right thing, I must commend you for the valiant action you took.”





Rose crossed her hooves.

“I’m going there to try and smack some sense into the ruler. Over in the last town Moon was- um...”

The mare glanced over at Moon, seeing him nod at her to continue, as he pressed a little more closely to her side.

“He was taken forcefully by a mare. And needless to say, it wasn’t welcome. At all.”

“Understandable. I had seen some of the reactions to what the medical merchant had done. While I was not very surprised by the reactions, it did dishearten me to learn how many were in favor of her side of things. I had not known that you three were the injured party, however.”

“And that’s why we’re going to the capital. Even if that bitch is sent to death there are still ponies out there who think of stallions as just things for pleasure. It’s not right and it has to be fixed.”

The stallion nods in agreement. The four sat in silence for several moments. Custosael began to put away the cookware, and pack up the utensils and the like.

“Anyways, it shouldn’t be too much farther, right Moon?”





“So, you’re telling me that we don’t even know where we’re going?!”

“What? No, no, I know where  we’re going, just not how far we’ve gone towards it. There isn’t a lot of landmarks around here, you know.”

Rose groaned, and Moon patted her on the back as she spoke.

“Looks like we have to get a new set of maps in the next town.”

“I, uhm, don’t think there’s going to be any cartographers in the next town. If I remember, the next town is ‘Crafter’s Folly’, and they’re mostly a bunch of miners, I think. Well, miners and metalworkers, with some stonemasons as well. At least, they were about fifty years ago, so I doubt that’s changed much.”

“Well, at least there we’d have something to do. But no maps doesn’t leave us in a good place.”

She tapped a hoof to her chin.

“What about the next town over?”

“Uh, after that... I think the Fae Island should be passing by the road around that time, provided we don’t take too long. They might have a map, but I’m not sure we’d want to be buying from them.”

Rose cocked a brow.

“Is it like in the town we just left?”

Moon shifted uncomfortably on the log next to Rose before answering.

“Ah, no... but dealing with the Fae is always risky. It can be really rewarding, but it’s always a gamble.”

“I would rather we avoid the Fae races. They may hold to the letter of their word, but very rarely do they hold to the spirit of such laws.”

Custosael’s response was curt and sounded slightly upset, as if he had some sort of personal grudge against these ‘fae’.

“Right, uhm... well, first things first, we gotta get to the town first. At least there me and Pyrelight could earn some coins and maybe replenish our supplies.”

“That would be prudent. I may not be costing you anything as pay, but having funds to spend in an emergency is a wise precaution.”

“Alright, then its settled. Me and Pyrelight will take care of the supplies and coins while you and Moon scope around for maps.”

“That would be satisfactory. Also, Ms. Blackhoof, I believe you expressed some interest in sword training?”

“I did? Oh yeah, when I first met you. Yeah, uhm, what about it?”

“Perhaps tomorrow morning, we might commence with the first lesson? I believe just before breakfast would be a good time.”

“Before breakfast? I guess... but don’t expect too much.”

The warrior just nodded, and the group finished packing fully. They had eaten well, and every one of them began to move out once more. Over the two days she’d been around him, she’d come to respect the quiet strength of the stallion. He had started to take the weight the others couldn’t, carrying much of the cooking equipment from Pyrelight and making it so she could carry more of Moon’s burden.

And speaking of Pyrelight, she’d been getting more... sociable. Maybe not so much on the speaking end of things, though the fiery mare certainly had the ability to keep talking if she felt the need to. But she’d been much more likely to nuzzle and be near to the others, and Rose had occasionally stood next to her just to be enveloped in the warm aura the circling servitors held.

“You okay over here ‘Light?”

“Very much so, Rose. It is turning to be a good day, isn’t it?”

Pyrelight certainly seemed calmer at this point, and Rose found herself the target of a nuzzle from the warm mare. It was a little thing, really, but the contact always made Rose feel a little better. And warmer, but that was to be expected, the morning was rather cool, after all.

“Do you think tall, light and handsome will actually be able to teach me how to use this thing?”

Rose hitched her sword up, putting it back into place, it having fallen slightly from the long travel. The sword belt was magnificently comfortable, but she wasn’t sure how to put it on herself, and she had yet to ask for help yet with it.

“I believe so. He carries himself with confidence, much like yourself. It’s a sort of grace that seems to come naturally to you both.”

“I don’t know if ‘grace’ is the best word to describe me, ‘Light. I have four left hooves ya know.”

Pyrelight snorted with mirth. A moment’s thought brought her to a revision of her thoughts.

“Well then, it is a beauty that I can admire greatly. And it does come naturally to you both.”

“I guess, but come tomorrow morning, you’re gonna see a form of ‘grace’ that is, well... not very pleasant.”

Rose shuddered at the thought of training. She felt a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, and turned to see Pyrelight smiling at her warmly.

“Rose, I am sure you will do fine. There is not a thing you cannot do if you believe in yourself. Other than fly or cast magic; those require special organs and specialized powers. But you can at least be the best of yourself.”

The brief moment of silliness did a good deal to alleviate Rose’s stress by a great deal. Pyrelight might not be a fount of good cheer, but she had her moments.

“Thanks for the enthusiasm.”

Rose said sarcastically with a laugh. It never crossed her mind before, but things seemed so much more peaceful and overall more joyous now that Pyrelight was coming out of her shell.

The response she got was another nuzzle, making her flush a bit. Pyrelight was certainly more snuggly, and that was a good thing in Rose’s book.

> Ch09 - Burning Passion (CC)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day’s march had been fairly standard, and the four ponies had, once more, set camp by the road. Moon Herald had his own tent for the time being, and Pyrelight and Rose had been settled into the other. It was a bit larger than Moon’s, so they had a bit of space to move about in if they needed it. After they’d had time to settle down, neither mare had fallen asleep after an hour or so.

“Rose? I, uhm, have a question to ask you, if you’re up for it.”

Pyrelight sounded uncharacteristically timid. Rose herself wasn’t very tired, having gotten used to the constant walking after two days of it, and was more than willing to answer a few questions or whatever.

“Yeah, sure. What’s up ‘Light?”

“I- I know that you have been with Moon Herald. I just wish to know, uhm... A- are you...”

Pyrelight’s question sort of petered out, and she looked at her hooves awkwardly. It was seriously adorable to Rose. The green mare sat up and moved closer to the timid flame pony.

“C’mon ‘Light, you can tell me.”

“I was wondering if... uhm... a- that is, do you think I am... a-attractive?”

“Attractive? Why would you a-”

The mare stopped and thought for a moment before looking at her with a devilish grin.

“Oohh it’s cause you like the new guy huh?”

Rose poked the mare with a hoof playfully.

“He is pretty handsome.”

“Hmm? I suppose he is nice looking... Do- do you not... I- I like you, Rose Blackhoof. That is why I joined your herd.”

The confession rocked Rose back a bit. Pyrelight quailed a bit under Rose’s gaze, looking fearful of her judgement.

“Like me? like, like like?”

The mare was unsure what to do. She’d never been one to look at a female as more than just a female, never a sexual being, though she’d always been curious; especially since back on earth many thought her to be a lesbian.

“I- I am very attracted to both you and Moon. You are both wonderful, caring ponies. I know it is common for the mares of other races -that is, non-Salamanders- in a herd will share a bed... but I never thought I would want that until I saw how much you cared for Moon Herald. How... how you stood up for both him and



Rose watched as Pyrelight poured her heart and soul into her speech, sounding desperate and scared, of rejection or worse, Rose surmised. Rose gulped, choosing her words wisely.

“I-I’ve never been with, ah, another mare before.”

“Uhm... n- neither have I.”

“Wow, uhm... this is- well, not the first time this has happened to me but- uhm...”

Pyrelight’s eyes looked saddened, as if she was prepared to resign herself to being pushed away, an Rose’s last line of resistance crumbled. That saddened look always got her, impossible to deny.

She’d been in this situation before with a friend of hers, a young man whom she’d been friends with for a many months back on Earth. He’d asked virtually the same question and gave her the same, saddened eyes and Rose gave in, regretting sucoming to his desires later on.

“‘Light, I...”

Rose gulped, in the back of her mind knowing she would regret her decision.

“It- it is alright, Rose... I have- faced rejection before. I- I can weather it again.”

Pyrelight’s eyes filled with tears as she looked away, her expression crushed in defeat. The servitors surrounding her as always slowed in their paths, and Pyre’s mane burned lower, revealing the soft, short blue hairs that actually comprised her mane.

Rose bit her lip, not knowing what to do. This mare had saved Moon’s life and hers and had been with them for a while now, how could she deny such a great mare and friend?

Finally, before she could analyze the situation anymore, Rose simply grabbed the mare and pressed their lips together, hoping it would suffice.

Pyrelight looked into Rose’s eyes with disbelief, stiffening at the contact. After a brief pause, though, she melted into it, and Rose felt her lips soften and kiss back. Everything became warm all of a sudden, a pleasant, soothing warmth, as Pyre’s servitors returned to action, circling both mares.

Rose felt the other mare’s forelegs slowly wrap around her, bringing her gently to the ground in the aura of the Salamander’s magic on top of the fiery-coated mare.

“Rose? D- do you think I- I am attractive? P- please be honest...”

Pyrelight spoke softly as the two broke their kiss, Pyrelight now on her back beneath Rose. Rose couldn’t say she hadn’t enjoyed the kiss, but it hadn’t been very... deep either.

“‘Light, I’ve never seen anything like you. Your flame and power... it’s amazing.”

“Y- you only like me for... for my power?”

“No, no, uhm... what I mean, is, you’re so different, and it’s a breath of fresh air. You’re someone that makes me....”

Rose trailed off, thinking for a moment before realizing that she secretly did admire the mare, but was too ashamed to admit it. Though she’d never had a problem with homosexual relationships, she’d never considered herself someone to fall into that category, especially since she was always afraid of the outcome if she did try it. But regardless, ever since she’d met Moon and Pyrelight she’d felt...

“Happy.”

That one word, and Rose felt something inside unlock, and she realized she really did have feelings for Pyrelight. What, exactly, they were she didn’t know for sure. But she could think of a couple of enjoyable ways to try finding out.

“Light, I umm... I’m kinda new to this stuff but...”

“Rose~?”

“Yeah?”

“I- don’t really know... b- but I could t- try something. I- if you don’t mind, that is.”

Rose nodded.

“I-I trust you.”

Pyrelight responded by wrapping her legs around Rose and pulling her gently down. Wondering where ‘Light was going with this, she let the mare lead, giving her a kiss.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Rose felt something hard and warm press against her,  just under the base of her tail. Whatever it was, it throbbed slightly, and was already probing around.

Rose let out a gasp, her body tensing up slightly before letting out a breath and relaxing, focusing on kissing the firemare. The object, solid and warm, drifted slightly lower, and she felt it brush across her flower. Whatever it was, it was just above body temperature, and it was setting off every nerve ending she had back there.

In summary, it felt amazing.

Rose automatically began to squirm under ‘Light’s touches. Swallowing the knot in her throat and pressing herself farther into the object, she felt it press back, and it parted her nether lips ever so slightly. It was enough to drive her mad, and she could feel herself beginning to be wet enough for it to slide in unimpeded. At the same time, she could feel herself slide against Pyrelight, their clefts touching in mimicry of the kiss they shared.

A thought then crossed her mind and she looked back, realizing she had no idea what exactly was prodding her. All she could see was the fire-like aura of ‘Light’s magic, along with... one of her servitors. A flash of realization occurred in her brain as she realized what was about to penetrate her.

As if to accentuate her epiphany, the rod, bone-hard and covered in smooth ripples, slid into her. In response, she pressed herself to Pyrelight with a hiss and moan, as the foot-long shaft wriggled its way slowly into her depths. She could even feel herself close again as it slipped entirely inside.

She bit her lip and nuzzled her head into Pyrelight’s neck, breathing heavily into her coat. The Salamander held her close and moaned, and Rose knew, perhaps by instinct or some other primal feeling, that ‘Light could feel it too or was penetrating herself at that very moment.

“God damnit, I wish I was a unicorn...”

Rose groaned her words, shifting her weight so the shaft moved inside her Infuriatingly, however, the length simply stayed in place relative to her, simply keeping her walls parted. In order to get a response, she tried grinding against the firepony, who nuzzled her. Suddenly, the servitor in her Rose’s depths began to slowly rotate, the spiraling ripples pressing against her as if the whole thing was going ever deeper, without moving a single inch.

Rose let out another moan, this time biting Pyrelight’s neck, tugging at it in a plea for her to continue more vigorously. The sharp nips seemed to spur the mare on well, as the shaft began to bob back and forth, going deeper and retreating before starting again. And all the while, the whole thing spiralled endlessly, stimulating her walls as it did.

Rose couldn't believe how amazing the entirely of the situation was, the taboo of it somewhat arousing her even more, pulling the mare close and bringing her into another deep kiss, letting her tongue wrestle with her partner’s.

‘Light squealed slightly as the invasion of her mouth began, but she soon capitulated, moaning in Rose’s with abandon as the two pulled each other closer. Rose felt ‘Light grind against her slightly, and heard a sound like lips parting from between them.

The warmth of her lips touched Rose’s and the mare opened her legs slightly, grinding against it as their clitorus’ touched, sending jots of pleasure up and down both their bodies. Pyrelight moaned and pressed her cleft against Rose’s, rubbing the nubs together rapturously.

Slowly, Rose felt the shaft begin to exit her, the slicked material and spiralling ridges parting her as easily on the way out as the way in, this time spinning as well. Rose’s back arched slightly as the rod exited, the mare pressing herself against Pyrelight, trying to keep it for as long as she could.

To her dismay, it slid out fully, her folds too well lubricated to hold it. She saw the rod drift close to her and Pyre’s face, and watch with aroused fascination as Pyrelight licked the length of it, evidently revelling in the taste.

“How do I taste?”

“Mmm... delicious?”

Pyrelight’s response sounded as if she needed confirmation.

“You sound unsure.”

“M- maybe I need a better taste, then? F- from the source, as it were?”

Pyrelight tried a ‘saucy look’ but mostly managed adorable. Rose only let out a slight laugh at her attempt. ‘Light looked a little put-out from it, so Rose decided not to tease her too much.

“You’re too adorable.”

The Salamander looked like she was trying to blush and... was she blushing blue?!

“You blush blue? Well, that’s certainly interesting.”

‘Light just squeaked again, her blush an even brighter blue. Rose just chuckled, before pressing her lips lightly to the firemare’s, nuzzling her nose, feeling fairly comfortable with the lesbian encounter. Her lips then trailed down, tickling ‘Light’s chest, pausing in confusion only for a moment before going further. Finding the nipples just above the Salamander’s clit, she teased Pyrelight, giving a nipple a slight lick.

She could feel ’Light tense for a moment, relaxing with a moan. Rose then circled the nipple with her tongue, lightly flicking the bud with the flat tip, before latching on and giving it a suckle and slight bite.

The combination of sensations made Pyrelight moan again, arching her back. Rose could feel the temperature rise again, though it was still comfortable, like a warm summer’s day.

The nipple itself was an ordinary thing, medium-soft for the most part, except for the tip, which had hardened from her arousal. She moved to the other bud, repeating the same motions as before, flicking and suckling and nipping, making the Salamander squirm and moan in delight.

Rose could hear Pyrelight’s breathing quicken, and could feel the mare’s legs press against Rose’s side, and could almost taste the blood rushing faster beneath the skin of the little nubs as Pyrelight’s orgasm prepared to dawn.

“You’re gonna cum already?”

“G- going to w- what?”

“Nothing.”

Rose held a slight smile, rubbing a hoof against ‘Light’s slit. it was dripping wet and smelled almost sweet, like some sort of fruit.

The rubbing didn’t seem to do much, but ‘Light still hadn’t stopped squirming. She’d already mentioned she would want to get a better taste of Rose. Maybe now was a good time for that? Rose stared into ‘Light’s eyes as best she could, what with the other mare’s eyes being mostly closed. The servitors circled restlessly above them as Rose came to the conclusion that she should give the mare the chance to orgasm.

“What do you want me to do, ‘Light?” Rose pressed a hoof to her vaginal nub.

“W- whatev- ever y- you want, Rose Blackhoof. I- I’m yours.”

“Mine huh?”

Rose put a hoof to her chin, eyeing the floating lengths of rippled ivory. A devilish grin curled onto her face and the mare grabbed one with her mouth, eliciting a gasp from Pyrelight. The shaft of bone was almost painfully hot between her lips as it twisted slightly, the spiral ridges tickling her lips and tongue as she maneuvered it.

“Oh? You seemed to be quite attached to these...”

“Th- they’re like a u- unicorn’s h- horn... I c- can feel them l- like you feel y- your leg. P- probably better. Ooh... I never th- thought they c- could be used like th- this.”

Rose licked the tip before letting her mouth suck the top, her tongue circling around it. The wide, flat tongue she’d had to get used to now worked in her favor, allowing her to put most of it around the servitor, and draw it a bit further in. All of this proved too much for the poor Salamander, who writhed and squirmed, until a small puddle of fluid poured from her, puddling on the floor of the tent as Pyrelight bit her hoof to keep from shouting.

“Already? I’m jealous.”

Rose gave a pout, holding the servitor in her hooves to speak more clearly.

“I- I’ve never f- felt something l- like that b- before.”

“You’ve never cum before? Really?”

“I- I’d only been m- mounted by the clan stallions of my station a few times before I was exiled, a- and I was alone ever since. And I n- never felt something l- like that from any of them.”

Rose shook the ivory with her hooves.

“I have much to teach you young padawan.”

Pyrelight just looked at her curiously. She looked at the spiralled rod in Rose’s hooves and blushed again, a bright, almost sky-blue.

Rose only grinned before putting her mouth on the rod again, sucking and letting her tongue roam. ‘Light tensed again, but didn’t seem to react to it as strongly as before.

The green mare wasn’t pleased with the lessened reaction and tried a different tactic, taking another ivory and placing it between her legs. This time, the blaze-pony gasped a little as the pleasantly searing length of bone touched Rose’s nether lips.

She continued to lick and suck the rod from before, however, the new toy was used to rub against her lips, letting it prod and enter ever so slowly to tease the other mare. Once both lengths were properly slicked up, she felt the one between her legs begin to twist again, bringing back the delightful sensation of it drilling deeper without it needing to.

Pyrelight herself, directly untouched, was squirming again, but she couldn’t find any relief.

“You seem troubled ‘Light.”

Rose pointed the rod from her mouth at the mare, hiding her pleasure from the one inside of her.

“Mmm... I c- can feel you... b- but I c- can’t, at the same t- t- time...”

The salamander looked at Rose with pleading eyes.

“What? You want something?”

The mare twisted the ivory between her hooves. Pyrelight just continued to look at her, until she panted out a request.

“P- please stop t- teasing me... I w- want y- you, Rose! P- please!”

Pyrelight had gotten up at some point in the sentence, Rose wasn’t sure, and was mostly on top of Rose. Pyrelight’s eyes gleamed in blue and white, and she pressed herself onto Rose hungrily. Rose could smell the sweet scent of cooked apples and her own juices on ‘Light’s breath, though just a hint of the second one.

“Rose... if you d- don’t give me w- what I want, I will make you feel so good you w- won’t mind me taking it. I. Want. You. Rose.”

“Is that a threat?”

The mare’s voice was almost a purr, pressing the ivory to Pyrelight’s chest.

“No... that’s a promise.”

The response was in a voice that almost literally crackled with desire, like a fire burning on logs of tantalizing offers. The sheer level of sexual need rising from Pyrelight was palpable, and Rose found that it was making her more aroused as well.

“Don’t make promises you can’t ke-”

Rose found herself almost falling back as the servitor between her legs suddenly pressed in, spiralling and shaking hard enough to hit her g-spot nearly a dozen times in quick succession, before slipping fully into her. Another was close behind it, teasing open her folds again.

The mare could only give out a yelp of pleasure as her back tilted up, her body unable to keep itself from tossing and squirming. She felt a series of kisses, each full of fervor and want and hot enough to feel like they were searing into her forever, travel down her neck and to the junction of her legs.

There, the kisses began to grow stronger, and she felt the servitor that had been teasing her entrance be pulled away. In its place was a strong, agile tongue, searching and seeking within her.

Her body relaxed at the sudden flood of sensations, dilating down to focusing on the exploring tongue on Rose’s lower lips. In addition to that tongue, the servitor already lodged within her shifted and twisted, and she felt it press against and massage her g-spot repeatedly as the tongue swept across her clit and down her cleft, diving into her soaked pussy. She felt ‘Light’s lips press against the lips of her depths, hot and wonderful and setting off every good feeling she had down there. It was like a fiery kiss, but so much better.

Moans and whimpers escaped the green mare, her hooves somehow finding their way to the back of Pyrelight’s head, pulling it closer to her, begging for more. As her mouth opened to catch air, she felt the shaft at her lips press in, sliding along her tongue.

The length in her already and the tongue keeping it there, along with the lips keeping her closed and everything else besides soon became too much, and she felt herself shudder in ecstasy. She could feel the things working at her nethers simply continue, and she realized that the two had changed positions slightly, so that Pyrelight’s plot was directly above Rose.

The earth pony, in a mild haze of orgasm, dimly remembered she still had the shaft in her mouth, and that plot was just asking to be used, dripping onto Rose’s chin every few moments.

Using her mouth, the mare prodded the ivory at Pyrelight’s flank, teasing the holes before placing it in the dripping slit. Using her tongue, she pushed the rod into her partner, licking up the juices as it slid into the warm cave.

Both of the mares continued to lick, each with their own patterns, each filled with a length of heated ivory. Rose gasped as she felt Pyrelight pull back for a moment, only to whimper with pleasure as a second servitor joined the other in her nethers, the two spreading apart slightly to twist and turn in her so delightfully.

Rose’s hips began to grind against Pyrelight’s face, feeling herself finally begin to climax. The mare pressed her face into her partners slit and simply slurped, letting her tongue enter and roam the farthest it could, taking in the scent.

Drunk off the sensations and the entire experience, she felt herself orgasm hard enough that the twin rods within her hurt slightly from the contractions. Her walls pressed against them so hard, and she could feel her juices boil out and onto Pyrelight’s face, where they were slurped up and swallowed. She herself had to drink the torrent of sweet of fluids pouring into her own mouth, and she nearly passed out from it all.

Her body was weightless and her tensed with the sudden release. For a moment she forgot where she was and could swear her heart stopped for a moment, her mind following in a momentary clean swipe. Her head tilted back and she attempted to let out a scream but nothing came out, her body unable to process anything but the sensation that enveloped her completely.

The two mares, both completely spent, lay in a tangled mess as the servitors slowly pulled out of them, making each of them moan and clench again in much smaller and less... extreme orgasms at the sensations. She saw the three used by the two of them begin to circle around Pyrelight’s head, each on receiving a loving lick or suckle as they passed, like the mare was licking her fingers after all that.

Rose only let out a tired huff, rolling on her back.

“F- fuck I wish I w- was a unic- corn...”

She muttered the words wearily, only opening her eyes again when someone tapped on the main canvas of the tent.

“Try not to burn down the camp tonight, ladies.”

Upon hearing Custosael’s voice, Rose felt her own cheeks burn in embarrassment, as she realized how loud the two of them had probably been.

“Sh- shut up!”

The green mare shouted weakly, her voice cracking. The only answer from the travelling knight was a hearty chuckle and a ‘good-night’.

Rose’s attention was drawn back to Pyrelight as she realized the mare was completely asleep against her side, nuzzled close and warm in the confines of the tent.

She only shook her head, brushing the fiery mane back, petting her softly before joining her in sleep.

> Important Notice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well...

Thanks to the ONS crew, I'm too pissed off to RP with anyone right now, so I'm presently (and temporarily) discontinuing  the Wishing Star Series for the month. We will resume, hopefully, starting next month.

Deeply sorry for the delay my readers, I've been dealing with what amounts to a bickering old married couple for eight chapters of writing ONS now.