//------------------------------// // 22 - Of Curses and Covenants // Story: A King's Return // by Maulkin //------------------------------// Something was very, very wrong. I looked around, confused and trying to get my bearings, panic rising in my chest. “What's the hell is going on here?!” I finally shouted, my frustration getting the better of me. Somehow, the mad draconequus – or, well, mad draconequus somehow disguised as an ordinary man – had once more taken all my expectations, wrapped them in a pretty bow, added a bit of garnish, polished them up nicely, then dashed them across the floor. The man.. the thing, just smiled for a moment. I flinched when he reached up a pressed a small button on his arm, expecting an alarm to blare, but none came. “12:13 AM – no, make that 12:14,” he said in a clinical tone that was utterly unlike him. I wouldn't have realized it was him talking if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. He continued, unperturbed. “Three unknown subjects have broken into main living area – standard male 'pegasus' variant, what appears to be a mutated male 'unicorn' variant, and a female with both unicorn and pegasus traits – possible mutation, or a chimera of some sort? More study is needed.” The three of us stared at him, at a loss for words, but he just smirked and continued. “Unicorn subject appears confused and violent, and has incapacitated the guards. Telekinetic capability confirmed. Guards...” he bent down, examining their faceplates, and nodded, “...are breathing, but unconscious. I'll now attempt to defuse the situation and calm the subjects.” I stared at the man, bewildered, and blinked several times. I had expected our first encounter – our first real, live encounter – to be violent, bloody, and possibly lethal. This... I had no idea what to do what the thing that stood before me. Before I could formulate a coherent sentence, however, he knelt down at eye level and put on a smile usually reserved for mental hospital patients. “Easy there fella – you're safe. See?” He held out his open hands, showing they were empty. I bristled, flattening my ears, but he continued undaunted. “No one's going to hurt you here. How about some introductions? I'm Dr. Isaac Jord, see?” He pointed to the nametag on his chest. “Yes, it's Scandinavian,” he chuckled. Dr. Isaac Jord(1). Discord. I grimaced – that was lame, even for him. I took several steps back, still unnerved and repulsed by his apparent friendliness, and checked his magic again. Yes – it was still a chaotic maelstrom, right where that man was standing, identical to Discord's. And yet... “Just let these ponies go,” Mary said, with more firmness and conviction than I could have mustered at that moment. “We don't want any trouble – just let them leave.” He cocked his head, smirking insufferably. “Let them leave? Well, I can't exactly allow that – that's dangerous for society, letting a bunch of infected people wander about, unable to help themselves, potentially infecting others. No, we have rules after all!” I was sure I wasn't the only one to hear the mocking tone, but the captive ponies either hadn't noticed or didn't care. “But, well... Have you considered asking them if they even wanted to leave?” He leered unpleasantly, and I could practically feel the snare closing in on us. Mary looked around, confused. “They're here... willingly?” The man-creature beamed like the Cheshire Cat. “Of course! Why wouldn't they be here? They're sick, and we're taking care of them as best we can – they can hardly take care of themselves, after all... Poor dears.” He simpered, folding his arms over his chest smugly. “Really, being in here is the best thing for them.” Naturally, none of us believed a word he said – yet none of the ponies spoke a word to the contrary. How couldn't they see through his facade? Everything about the situation seemed... wrong. Broken. Sick. I singled out one of the ponies, telekinetically dragging him forward. Several others muttered there displeasure, muttering about rudeness and thuggish behavior, but I ignored it. “You – do you want to be here?” I asked firmly. He looked down, shuffling his hooves. “No,” he mumbled forlornly. “Then you want to be outside, right? To come and go as you please?” “NO!” he yelped, as if the very concept caused him terror and pain. I reared back, confused, and let him go. “Sorry... what? You don't want to be here, but you don't want to be outside?” The pony nodded glumly. “Yes... Sorry. It's just...” He looked out one of the high windows, and shivered. “It's like Dr. Isaac said; we can't live out there. I mean... look at these things!” He whined, holding up a hoof and wriggling it around like a dead fish. “They're useless! I...” He groaned, holding his head for a moment, and calmed down. “Look – what did you do before you... changed?” he asked, as if pleading with me to understand. I cocked my head and cautiously answered. “Well... I worked at a shop, and I was trying to get into computer programming-” He cut me off, growing more distraught. “Done any shopkeeping lately? Written any good programs? Can you even work a fucking keyboard?!” His eyes were misty, and I started to understand. That explained some of it, but not all of it. Discord placed a hand on the pony's hand, stroking his mane. “Shh shh shhhhh – positive attitudes, right?” he said with a half-smirk. “Look at all you have here – safety, food, shelter, entertainment, everything you need...” The pony looked at the ground, shuddering, and mumbled, “Y-yes Doctor Isaac... Thank you.” I frowned. I was missing something, something critical... and then I saw it. Well, felt it, anyway – the pony's magical signature began to bleed up and into Discord's, leaving it duller, weaker... and vulnerable. A moment later, a tiny spark of magic crossed in the opposite direction – this one bearing Discord's chaotic signature – and wormed its way into the holes left by the leaching. I recognized the end result, and snarled. “Stop that!” I hissed, baring my teeth, but it was too late; the pony's eyes were gray and haggard, and he looked lost. “Stop helping them?” the creature asked with feigned horror. “Perish the thought!” I was familiar with the condition, but it was less severe than the last time I'd seen it – deliberately so, I suspected. When I was still a young colt in Celestia's court, there were areas that remained under Discord's influence, places where nature was turned upside down. This extended to ponies as well, their personalities inverted until they were little more than antisocial, violent beasts – mockeries of their former selves. I had helped to restore many of them, removing Discord's influence and helping them to remember who they really were, and that was very much what I saw in the ponies Discord held captive. In the case that stood before me, however, the effect was much more... subtle. Indeed, looking around, they were all under his subtle influence. Instead of a full personality inversion, he was stifling the things that made ponies... well, ponies. Their curiosity, their hope, their self-reliance, their confidence, it all seemed to be muted. In their place, he had put... I searched carefully, but I could feel nothing. He'd left them with nothing in their place. They were shells of their former selves, meek animals to be penned and tended to rather than people with dreams and aspirations. Worse, it was all done under the pretense of care and compassion. I felt sick to my stomach; it was cruelty for the sake of cruelty. There was no purpose to it, only malice. “Mary,” I hissed, “we need to get out of here. They are beyond our help. Not with him here, anyway.” I glowered up at Discord even as I tried to pull my friend away from the foul creature. “I'm not giving up on them!” she said desperately, shrugging me off. I could feel her reaching out with a magic I could barely detect, but what she found evidently didn't please her. She knew, on an instinctive level, that something was very wrong with them. “I... This isn't right! What did you do to them, Discord?!” He pressed the button again, once more adopting the clinical tone. “Chimeric subject appears disoriented-” “I am NOT a chimera, I am a Princess of Equestria, and you know it!” she shouted, furious. “We all know who you are, and I demand-” He merely continued to talk into the microphone. “Correction; subject appears to be suffering from delusions of grandeur – possibly hallucinations as well. I'm retreating to the observation booth for my own safety, and because my presence seems to agitate them. I will observe from there.” He depressed the button and slowly backed away, still smirking, and climbed into a heavy-duty booth. I watched him carefully, still trying to work out what he had planned. Where was the trap? Why bring us here? Mary and Luke, however, continued trying to talk sense into the others. “Please, just listen to me,” Mary pleaded with a pony nearby, who merely looked at her gruffly. “Look, Lady – I used to be a butcher, okay?” he replied gruffly, moving away. “Now? I can't even stand the sight of raw meat. I loved my job... I just wanna go back to the way things were.” He whimpered and sat down, looking down at his hooves in misery. Luke was faring no better. “Hey, come on now – haven't you tried running in a field, or, I dunno, something? You're an earth pony, you should love stuff like that!” The mare he was trying to reason with wore an odd sort of poncho, and she just glared at him. “And wear what, exactly?” she said in disgust, gesturing down at her body. “I look ridiculous – I can't go out like this! I'd be seen!” “Listen to me – this is really what you are, who you are. You've just forgotten-” “I had a family! A wife! Kids! I can't-” “I know it sounds strange, but really, it's not so bad. You're meant to be this way-” “Don't touch me, cretin! I used to be an artist – now look at me! I can't even-” We were getting nowhere. I started to think the 'trap' was really just a dispiriting waste of time – or another trick for his amusement. Looking around at the growing chaos, the inmates growing more and more agitated at our presence, this seemed the most likely. One was even cowering on the ground, his eyes squeezed shut, curled into a protective ball and twitching. I slowly made my way towards him and patted his shoulder – I might as well try to help, if I could. “Look, uh...” I started awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Truth be told, I would have been devastated to wake up as an earth pony. “I dunno what to say. I get it, you got a pretty raw deal, but... Hello?” He hadn't responded in the least. I poked a bit more firmly, but he was still unresponsive. I turned to Luke, starting to worry. “Hey, uh – is this guy alright? I think he might really be sick...” Before my brother could respond, however, the pony gasped and crumpled into a heap, and looked about in confusion. I bent down, meeting him eye to eye, and cocked my head. “You alright there?” I did not expect what came next, and I'm not sure my ears have fully recovered to this day. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” The pony let out an ear-piercing shriek of terror, scrabbling away away from me as fast as he could, and started to sob. “K-k-k-k-” “Easy, easy!” I winced, holding my ears. “Crap, I just wanted to know if you were okay, I didn't-” He was hyperventilating, but even so he stuck out an accusatory hoof. “KING SOMBRA!” I stopped dead, and once more felt the familiar sense of doom. How did he... “HE'S BACK! OH CELESTIA HELP US!” I looked to Discord, knowing he had something to do with it. He simply smirked back at me from his protective booth, his fingers held up as if he had just snapped them. He then pressed the button on his arm again and spoke into the microphone. “12:20PM – I suspect one of the mutant variants is at least partially infectious, and has started to cause delusions and hallucinations in all patients. Requesting backup.” He released the button grinned like a devil, then started to snap his fingers, again and again and again... and each time, one of the ponies around us dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball. My stomach grew cold as I realized what was happening. “They're remembering!” I shouted to Luke and Mary. “He's making them remember!” I backed away slowly from the huddled balls on the floor, beginning to feel real fear. In a few moments, every crystal pony in the room would remember who they were... and who I was. I only had one real hope – that their love for Mary, or rather Princess Cadance, was greater than their hatred for me. I sprinted to Mary before the crowd got their bearings, and hid behind her. “Put out your wings, hide me!” I whispered desperately, and was grateful when she did so without hesitation. Luke joined her, and soon I was hidden from view while Mary was the focus of their attention. The crowd of ponies gradually calmed, and each of them looked deferentially towards Cadance. What followed was... confusion. They looked up at her, and down at me, and had to be wondering just why their kind and benevolent ruler was shielding a despot that had made their lives hell for so long. “Please, calm down,” Mary said in a carrying voice, and soon the room grew quiet. She blushed, realizing all eyes were on her, but plowed on. “Look... This must all be overwhelming. I'm still adjusting myself-” “What's he doing here?” one voice asked, and I saw an angry face and accusatory hoof pointing at me. “James- Sombra, is no longer a threat,” she said firmly. “You're all aware of what happened to you, correct? Of Discord's curse, and of our present state in this world?” There was a general murmuring of assent, and she continued. “Well, he was cursed, too. We are... allies in this,” she said. I breathed a sigh of relief – if she had said 'friend', the crowd would have probably lost it entirely. As it stood, there were a great deal of muttering and scowling and disbelief. “How can you trust him?” “He's no better than Discord!” “Will he stand trial after this is over?” “Kick him out, we don't need him!” “To the mooooooon!” Mary looked flustered for a moment, looking out at the crowd, and grimaced. “I don't know what he did to you – I don't even remember who I was, I can't imagine what he put you through-” The murmur of discontent rose to a roar. They didn't like that. I couldn't even make out the words, but they started to push forward. “No!” she yelled, desperately trying to regain control of the situation. “This won't help anything! We're all in danger-” They paid her no heed, simply pushing her out of the way; she wasn't the Princess any more, not at that moment, just another pony who'd forgotten who they were. They did likewise with Luke, and soon I had nothing between me and what I was sure was a lynch mob. I caught a fleeting glimpse of Discord, cackling away in the observation booth, before he was blocked out by the press of the crowd. I backed into the corner, fear rising in my chest. Was this how I was going to die? Torn apart and trampled? I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut, and almost on instinct reached out with magic... ...and took command. I had done it without even realizing it; old habits die hard. I had grown so used to dominating threats, turning enemies into slaves, dominating the wills of others... It just came naturally. It was a small comfort that they were no longer going to kill me; I was already proving them right. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered, looking around at the faces as they turned from angry to confusion, and from confusion to terror. They were under my control once again; most of them would have probably preferred death. Several of them were silently crying, and I could feel that many were suffering terrible anxiety attacks – most of them, I realized, had bad cases of PTSD, and I'd just 'triggered' them in a very real sense. I'd failed. Again. I'd proven them right. But I still had to do right by them. I opened my mouth, struggling to say the words. “Go – go outside of town,” I said, my voice trembling. “There's a clearing, you should be safe there.” I had a sudden, desperate idea, and gave them another command. “Mary... Princess Cadance, she will be there,” I looked to Mary, who was hovering above the crowd, staring at me in confusion and horror. “She's a much better leader than I ever was, even if she can't remember. Please, trust her.” I sent them a mental image of the location, and they turned as one to walk to the clearing against their will. Mary and Luke landed beside me once the crowd had dispersed enough to give them the room, and looked at me in shock. “What did you do?” Luke whispered. “The same thing I did to them before,” I mumbled, and looked up at Mary. “I'm sorry I hooked you into this... but they need help. They need someone they can look up to,” I said dully. “I... I can't be there. I can't be there when you do it. They'll have a hard enough time trusting you without me screwing it up.” She looked like she wanted to say something, but only nodded grimly. A sudden movement caught my eye, and I looked up. Inside the booth, Discord glared at me with a sour expression. Well – at least he wasn't pleased by the situation either. I don't know what he expected, but apparently things hadn't gone as he'd hoped. Without another word, I teleported Mary and Luke one-by-one to the clearing – there was no way I'd leave them with Discord, no matter what sort of game he was playing. Then I teleported myself back to the campsite and released my hold over the crystal ponies' wills. I was sure most, if not all, would simply disperse. I was too emotionally drained to care. *** A few hours had passed, and most of the stars had disappeared from the sky. There was a faint pink on the horizon, where the sun hadn't quite begun to rise. I continued to lay there, staring up at the brightening sky, too tired to move but too restless to sleep. At least a few ponies must have shown up, I thought to myself – otherwise Mary and Luke would have returned long ago. Speaking of... I saw a familiar blue speck approaching, and sat up. What was Luke doing back – was he bored with the proceedings? He landed, panting, and prodded my side. “Come on dude – they wanna talk.” I frowned. “Who? The crystal ponies? I think you've confused 'talk' with 'lynch'...” “Don't be a pussy,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, they just wanna talk. Something about an agreement.” What? No, that didn't make sense. “...You're joking.” “Yeah, I didn't pay much attention, it was boring as fuck.” I fully believed and accepted both statements. “Anyway, Mary needs you there, so quit being a douchenozzle and get your flank over there.” I stared at him for a long moment, and blinked. “You're actually serious, aren't you.” He rustled his wings in agitation and impatience. “Yeah, and it's kind of, you know, time critical? Unless you wanna leave Mary to handle that friendly bunch on her own.” He had me there. Grumbling, I stood up and stretched. If Mary needed me there, I owed her that much. “Fine,” I muttered, concentrating and tuning out the world as I focused on the clearing. Mostly, I was surprised that they even wanted to see me. “Wait!” I flinched, startled. “What?!” He moved in place beside me, laying a foreleg over my barrel, and nodded. “I am NOT flying all the way back there.” I rolled my eyes... then snickered. “Sorry, what was that you called me earlier? A douche-something?” He glowered. “Don't even think about it.” “And I distinctly heard the word 'pussy'... That's very rude, you know...” “Don't you fucking-” But my horn was already glowing, and a moment later he was clutching air. He stared at the spot where I had been standing only moments before. “ASSHOLE!” he shouted, causing several nearby birds to take flight. I stood behind him silently for a few moments – I had only teleported a few feet back – and watched him seethe. Finally I snickered, unable to hold it in any longer, and grinned when he whirled around at the sound. “Very funny, jackass,” he grumbled, while I tried to compose myself for whatever awaited me at the meeting. *** It was good that I did not arrive snickering and grinning over my own prank, as the mood there was... well, 'austere' put it lightly. The assembled crowd had all the levity of a murder trial and all the joy of a child's funeral, and I considered going right back to camp. “James! Oh thank goodness,” I heard Mary say, genuine relief in her voice. I winced, not envying her – she'd had to deal with this for several hours already. There were bags under her eyes, and she had the same haggard look she wore when dealing with unruly and demanding customers. Or perhaps a hundred unruly customers, I thought dourly, looking around at the stony faces of those around me. Right. My ears drooped as I realized there would be no teleporting away from this particular problem. She started leafing through notebook, and held it up. “They... Well, they don't like you very much,” she started delicately. “Understatement of the century, Your Highness,” one of the ponies called out bitterly. I closed my eyes briefly and breathed, trying to stay calm. I deserved that. “Right. But I vouched for you,” she said firmly with a raised voice, giving the interrupting pony a reproving look. She continued. “And they are willing to put aside their grievances, for now, and work together... on a few conditions.” The look on her face told me I wouldn't like them, but I grudgingly nodded. “Alright – what are they?” “The first item – you will do all in your power to protect all Equestrian citizens from Discord, from the governments of this world, and from any natural dangers.” “Fair enough,” I said, nodding. I would have probably ended up doing that anyway. Encouraged, she continued. “You also agree that you will do all in your power to assist all citizens of the Crystal Empire in whatever they need, in penance for your actions.” I winced, looking out at the assembled crowd... a crowd I had enslaved, and who now only demanded I help them as best as I could with their daily lives. Yeah, I deserved that. “Alright.” “Third...” She hesitated, looking down at the paper. “...Third. You agree to never to, ah, 'raise hoof or wing or horn' – sorry, is that right?” she paused, turning to one of the older ponies in the crowd. The stallion in question rolled his eyes and glowered at me before speaking. “'raise hoof, wing, or horn' – that is, you'll never hurt us or use any sort of magic against the Citizens of the Crystal Empire ever again – under ANY circumstances,” he said, his brow furrowed. I was about to agree, and then remembered the last clause... 'any circumstances'... “Wait. What about self defense?” I asked, frowning. He jutted his chin out defiantly, repeating with emphasis, “Any. Circumstances.” I looked out at the unfriendly crowd, wondering how they possibly expected me to agree to that – especially when they seemed all too ready to lynch me hours before. Before I could reply, Mary quickly broke in. “Hold on, hold on – number four! The citizens of the Crystal Empire agree not to bring any harm to you without just cause, irrespective of your past deeds. That is, if someone were to attack you or harm you in any way, they would be tried and punished just as if they had attacked an innocent pony.” She said this with particular emphasis to the crowd, and it took a long while for their muttering to subside. I bit my lip, looking about, and leaned in to whisper to Mary. “I don't trust them,” I mumbled, hoping I was too quiet for anyone else to hear. “How do you think they feel about you?!” she hissed back, exasperated and exhausted. “They don't trust you, and you don't trust them – that won't work. All they have is your word, and nothing else; you need to demonstrate that you trust them to at least uphold the law before they can trust you to uphold your oaths.” I grimaced, hoping I wouldn't regret it as I mulled it over. Finally, I grudgingly said, “Fine. If they agree that any unprovoked attacks against myself will be treated as attacks against an innocent pony, and that they will be fully prosecuted by the law, I agree to not bring hoof, wing, or horn against any member of the Crystal Empire,” I said, even using the archaic legal phrase. It had been old in my time, I was amazed it was still in use. I briefly wondered if Luna had something to do with that, but Mary spoke again. “And number five...” She cleared her throat. “You agree that your adherence to the above will be taken into consideration for your... trial.” I flinched, and stared at her in shock. Trial? What trial? “If and when this current crisis is concluded, and at least one of the Alicorn Princesses has regained control of Equestria, and law and order have been restored to the land, and Discord has been appropriately defeated and punished, you will...” She cleared her throat. “...You will submit to justice and be tried in court, with the Princesses acting as your impartial judges. Furthermore, any resistance to this provision will void the entire agreement, and you will once more be considered an enemy of the state to be...To be dealt with as swiftly and permanently as possible by all remaining military forces, up to including the action of the Princesses.” I blanched. Trial? I thought back to what I could remember of Equestrian law... Executions were rare, but not unheard of – and they were exclusively reserved for unrepentant murderers. Well, at least it wouldn't be that... But then I thought back to another unicorn, one who's trial I'd witnessed firsthand. The unicorn in question was powerful, and willingly served Discord for the sake of greater power and a chance to rule under him. When Discord fell, he fled to live in isolation. Years passed, and he was eventually caught – indeed, a lost pony had stumbled upon him on accident. The one who discovered him was even cared for in what meager ways the unicorn could offer – food, lodging, directions – and the unicorn did not deny who he was when confronted, he only looked regretful. In fact, the court truly believed he meant it when he apologized, and swore to live a life of peace. Even so, the court ordered that he have his horn removed to ensure he could not use magic against anyone again. I grimaced, instinctively reaching up and touching my own horn. A few unfriendly smirks in the crowd told me that they knew exactly what I was thinking, and heartily approved. I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “And... and if I do not agree to the terms?” I asked. The crowd murmured angrily at this, but Mary quieted them with a raised hoof. “Please, James,” she said softly. “I don't like it either, but... you know better than anyone else that it's the right thing to do.” I did. Damn it, I did. I breathed out, and finally nodded. “Fine. Fine, I agree to all provisions.” She breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to the crowd. “Do each of you agree to abide by the conditions – err, condition – of this pact?” A smattering of 'ayes' came from the crowd, with several taking coming reluctantly or awkwardly late. She waited for all of the 'ayes' to finish before she continued. “And do any of you object? Speak now, or your silence will be considered assent and you will be bound anyway.” I turned to the old pony, who nodded grimly as she said it – apparently, he had been schooling her in matters of government. Silence greeted her question, though several ponies glowered mutinously. I tried to remember their faces so I could avoid them later. Most of them, however, seemed to be put at ease. The matter was settled, as far as they were concerned, and they began to disperse. I looked around, feeling as if a weight hovered above my head, waiting to fall. “Well. So this is what death row is like,” I muttered dourly to Mary, who only smiled halfheartedly. “I'm sure it won't come to that,” she said. “I think this will actually be good for you.” I snorted and glowered, but she just chuckled. “In the Biblical sense, James. I mean, didn't Jesus command His disciples to be servants to others? It might not be pleasant, but it's something you had to do anyway.” I grimaced, but, she was right. It was just so demeaning. Letting others tell me what to do, not being able to pursue my interests on my terms, it was like well... being a slave. I lowered my ears. Yes. I deserved that, and much worse. “By the time this mess is sorted out, I'm sure they'll view you in a new light,” she continued. “And even if they don't, well... I certainly won't vote for anything more than community service, and I'm sure Luna will agree.” I didn't have the heart to tell her she was wrong. Luna had presided over that unicorn's trial, and she had passed the judgement. I'd be lucky to get off with banishment. I didn't say that, however. “Yeah... Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine,” I mumbled. She smiled comfortingly, briefly hugging my side, before trotting after a few of the crystal ponies – apparently she still had lots to organize. A poke to my side brought me out of my depressing thoughts, and I found myself staring at the same wizened old pony from earlier – the one who'd clarified the 'hooves, wings, or horn' aspect of the pact. “Yes?” I asked cautiously, looking him over. He was a crystal pony, I could detect that whiff of Order magic on him, but despite that he bore a golden turnip on his flank. “Lotsa ponies around here. Lotsa ponies means lotsa grub.” I nodded, half-expecting him to pluck a wheat stalk from the ground and start chewing on the tip. I didn't like where this was going. “Riiiight,” I said slowly. He squinted at me, giving me a gimlet eye. “Well? Whatcha waitin' for? Get to it!” “Get to what?” I asked, confused. What could I do about that? “Farmin'!” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We need food, don't we?” He was clearly not the most patient of ponies. I blushed, looking around for anything else to do, or anyone else that needed help. Farming? Really? All of my magical power at his disposal, and he wanted me to farm. It was undignified. “I think there are others who may need my help more,” I said evasively, but... no one was lining up. Indeed, he was the only crystal pony left in the clearing. “Not gettin' out of it that easily,” he chuckled, smirking. “So, g'wan, get to it!” I blushed. “I don't know how,” I mumbled, looking down and scuffing the turf with a hoof. “Eh? Whassat?” he asked, cocking his ear. Apparently he was hard of hearing, too. “I said – wait. Hang on.” I had another idea, and brightened. “You can't hear very well, can you?” I said, perhaps a bit too delighted. He glowered. “Yeah, whut of it?” he asked warily, as if I was about to mock him for his age – strange, considering I was probably older than he was. “No, no, I can help with that!” I said brightly. Indeed, I could – prior to my draconic infusion, I relied mostly on Order magic to keep my body running properly. The biggest problem with growing old was not disease, but the fact that the 'machinery' began to fail; if it did not, most diseases were no issue at all. Regular, targetted infusions of Order to the portions of my body that began to fail, well... That's what kept me alive for so long. He raised his eyebrows, dubious, but reluctantly nodded. “Alright, fine... but if you muck it up, I'll knock you down flat – pact or no pact!” I nodded grimly, fully believing him, and began to run a diagnostic. I started with the obvious, gently probing with magic. The eardrum looked good... The tiny bones connected to it were likewise good... What was that spiraled thing called? Didn't matter, I knew what it did. Then I frowned. Rather, I knew what it was supposed to do, and it wasn't doing it; sounds were going going in, but it wasn't generating a strong nerve signal going out. I was familiar with that problem; I'd suffered it myself, and I knew why mine had begun to fail when they did. Careful examination revealed tiny, tiny hairs attached to nerve cells inside, and those cells and hairs had begun to die. I cautiously focused on the miniscule organ, gently coaxing it to regenerate and heal the damage age had done to it... There. “Is that any better?” I asked, releasing the magic. His eyes widened and he visibly started, sitting up straight, and his face broke into a grin. He looked about, noticing a pair of birds twittering, nearby, probably for the first time in years. He hollared like a stallion half his age, and laughed – and I couldn't help but smile with him. “Well hot damn, ah kin hear again! Shoot, ah-” he stopped abruptly as he saw my own smile, suddenly remembering who he was talking to, and his face darkened. He coughed. “Right. Still don't make up for all what ya did, but... Thank ya, all the same.” I nodded glumly, my spirits once again sinking. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. “Should I do the other ear?” I asked listlessly. He nodded, and I got back to work. That ear had an identical problem, and I soon fixed that as well. With both ears working, I got up without a word and started to trot off. Perhaps I could see what other old ponies needed that sort of help- “Where you goin'?” he asked, frowning. I stopped, confused. “I healed your ears; I thought I was done.” He rolled his eyes. “You ain't even started workin' the fields yet!” Dammit. I sighed accepting my fate. “Right, fine. Just, umm... one problem.” “Eh?” I blushed, lowering my ears and looking away. “I... I don't know how to farm.” I never had to learn it; either I had servants to do it for me, or I foraged for food, or I simply bought it from the supermarket. He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Come on then, I ain't got all day,” he said, trotting away. I reluctantly followed, keeping pace several feet behind. “Ungrateful old bastard,” I muttered under my breath. He whipped his head around and glared at me, never breaking stride, and snapped, “I heard that!” “Yes, thanks to me.” He blinked, but I'm sure I saw a brief flicker of a smile. “Snarky bastard,” he muttered. Perhaps working alongside him wouldn't be so bad.