Hot Springs
I'd sent the 4th Light Infantry to support the 2nd Air Corp since once the pegasi got the griffons down, it was the Lord of Hel's own to take them out or at the very least cripple the griffons enough to keep them from fighting any longer.
General of the Army Louise-Renée de Kéroualle, The Griffon War, 1,091-1,093
14. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
On death ground, fight!
…
23. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.
If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve. Officers and enlisted alike will put forth their uttermost strength.
“The Art of War”, Appendix B, The Equestrian Encyclopedia of General Knowledge
I found myself on a vast, grey plain which stretched unbroken to the horizon in every direction. I looked around and saw somepony approaching, getting closer by the moment. Is this a dream? I wondered as the mare stopped a few feet from me.
She was a silver alicorn about Celestia’s size which put her a good head taller than I. Everything about her was a shade of silver from her polished horn right down to her perfect size 4 hooves. Even her eyes were a dark silver.
Well, better safe than sorry, I thought. I made a full bow and said, “My Lady. Benjamin Apple, at your service.”
“You’re polite as ever, Guardian,” said the alicorn.
My head snapped up from the bow. “My Lady Magic? Is that You?”
Lady Magic raised Her head and right hoof, showing Herself in profile. “What do you think, Guardian? Does this form please you?”
“Indeed it does, my Lady. I knew You were spectacular, but this…! Stunning, absolutely stunning!”
Lady Magic faced me and dipped her head. “Thank you, Guardian. I’ll come to you like this from time to time, particularly in the coming months.” Lady Magic looked at the ground. “You’ll have some difficult times and I can’t always help you, but I’ll never leave you, my Guardian. And know that I love you.”
“Of course, my Lady, and I love You as well.”
She stepped forward, smiled, kissed me on both sides of my muzzle and touched her nose to mine. “And now it’s time for you to wake up,” she said and started to fade.
“My Lady, wait! What sort of ‘difficult times’? My Lady…!!”
“Mr. Wizard? Time t’ wake up, sir. Mr. Wizard?”
I felt a hoof touch my left shoulder and I sat up. Sunlight flooded the car and outlined Roundhouse who was standing over me.
“Roundhouse! Are we there?” I said, yawning and stretching.
“Since early this morning, Mr. Wizard. Timothy and I slept in the caboose since we didn’t want t’…uh…bother you and the missus.”
I got up off of the couch. “Thank you, Roundhouse, that was very considerate.” I looked over to find AJ still sound asleep.
Roundhouse looked as well and smiled. “Heh, my filly done the exact same thing the day after we was married. Slept for two days, she did. Happens when Earth ponies get too worn out.”
“Cecilia,” I said, remembering the portrait.
Roundhouse’s head snapped around. “How did ya know…oh, that’s right, ya stayed at my house. Yeah, that was my filly. Died in the War,” said Roundhouse, looking sad for a moment. There was the Griffon War again, I thought.
“By the way, Mr. Apple, if’n you ever want to stay at my place again, you just go right ahead. When I got back I thought them dwarves had come down from Mount Ontake and left me a new house.”
I laughed at the reference to the mare’s tale. “Of course, Roundhouse, thank you. I may well take you up on that the next time I’m in Canterlot. Now then,” I said, reaching for my pouch, “what’s next?”
Roundhouse told me he and Timothy were headed back to Ponyville and on to Canterlot in a few minutes. He’d park the private car on a siding and AJ and I would hook up to a freight coming through early in the morning of 13th. The freight would drop us off, then return the private car to Canterlot.
I shook his hoof, then greeted Timothy as he stepped into the car. “My thanks to both of you,” I said as I put on my saddlebags, my pouch, AJ’s pouch and then put her hat on my head. Both Earth ponies watched in fascination as I lifted AJ with magic and put her on my back, still sound asleep. “Which way to the hotel?”
The hotel was about a half hour’s trot from the station, so I thought I could hoof it easily enough even with AJ on my back. I waved good-bye to my railroader friends and headed down the dusty road. I could see the Macintosh Mountains on the horizon about 10 miles away. It was hot but not that unpleasant this early in the year. There was grama and bluegrass but also cottonwood, ash, maple, juniper and walnut. I also noticed elderberry and soapberry, two trees I’d only read about but never seen before. Water here somewhere, I thought.
I’d worked up a good sweat by the time I got to the hotel. It was a large white stone building with two wings and a facing portico, a clean and simple design. Twilight had told me it was once a private residence but was now property of the Crown and open to the public. It backed up to the hot springs and included the springs along with all the other amenities and spa services. There were several small wooded hills about 200 yards away which gave some relief from the heat in the afternoon.
I walked into the expansive marble lobby and rang the bell at the desk. A young unicorn mare came out from the back, then stopped, smiled and put one hoof up to her mouth.
“How adorable! Is she asleep?” said the mare, looking around at AJ.
“That she is, miss,” I said, looking at AJ fondly.
The mare beckoned to the left and an older unicorn mare came out from a small office off to the side.
“Mrs. Calloway, look!” said the younger unicorn, pointing to AJ.
Mrs. Calloway smiled the smile of someone who had seen it all and enjoyed it, then looked at me. “You must be the Apples. Welcome to Hot Springs. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We’re glad to be here.”
The older mare turned to the mail slots and pulled out a key. “We’ve put you on the first floor not too far from the baths.” She handed me the key and I signed us in, elated to use my married name for the first time. “Enjoy your stay and if there’s anything I or the staff can do, please let us know. We serve meals for two hours in the dining room starting at 6:30, 11 and 6. You should have just enough time to make breakfast.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Calloway, for your hospitality.”
The older mare smiled, a pleasant and sincere expression. “Yes, sir. And Mr. Apple, know you’re not the first to bring in an Earth pony asleep. Sometimes we have to send the wagon for Earth pony couples and put them to bed ourselves.”
We had a good laugh at that, and I used magic to tip AJ’s hat, then followed the signs to room 106. I unlocked the door and found myself in a very pleasant room mainly in white with a double bed, a small sitting area with a writing desk and a palatial bathroom with a double shower. I put AJ to bed, cracked the window to let in a pleasant breeze, put our pouches on the dresser and unpacked the saddlebags. I pulled out my thank-you list and added “Tia/hotel room” to it. 42 thanks-yous to write, now. When I’d barely hinted to Mrs. Grass I was going to use the new typewriter I’d bought for the business to write my wedding thank-yous, she was scandalized. So, I’d brought the list with me to start the notes while we were here.
I used the bathroom and had a quick shower, closed the plantation shutters over the two windows, checked AJ one last time then closed the door and headed for the dining hall. As I trotted down the hall to the lobby, I almost ran into a sky-blue pegasus mare who was carrying towels from a linen closet.
“Apologies, miss, I didn’t see you,” I said, stepping aside.
She gasped and looked at me with huge blue eyes. Odd coloring, I thought, all blue without a trace of another color; even her mane was blue.
“I beg your pardon heartily, sirrah,” she said with an odd accent I couldn’t quite place. She darted around me and disappeared into a room. Sirrah, I thought as I walked on. Most unusual. I’d only heard that at Court and not all that often.
The dining hall was a large room surrounded by windows, several open to the morning breeze from the East. There weren’t many diners since it was late for breakfast but I did notice an extremely attractive and very poised middle aged unicorn mare reading a paper and having a cup of coffee. She was a pale green with a white mane and intelligent dark brown eyes. I couldn’t see a cutie mark but she nodded to me as I sat down a few tables from her. I smiled and nodded back, and then ordered a substantial breakfast when the Earth pony waiter came to take my order.
I finished and was enjoying my black tea while I stared out the window when I heard a low, dulcet voice say, “Pardon, Monsieur, are you ze one who just arrived with ze sleeping Earth pony?” Without my noticing, the unicorn mare had walked over to my table and stood next to me. She sighed and gave me a dreamy look. “Vous êtes tellement romantique!”
I rose and gave a half-bow. “I had that honor, madam,” I said in French. “Benjamin Apple, at your service. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Ren,” she answered and extended a size 5 hoof. I bowed over it as she continued in the same language. “You speak French very well, sir.”
“I often practice with my friend Pierre who owns a café in Ponyville. Please, do join me,” I said, pulling out a chair and holding it for her.
“I thank you, sir, but I’m headed to the baths,” she said, gesturing to the other side of the hotel.
“Ah, excellent. Would you show me the way, madam?” I said, pushing the chair back in. “I’ve just finished my tea and am ready to take the waters.”
“Certainly, sir. This way, if you please.”
I signed my receipt and included a 20% tip, then walked with Ren to the lobby. She had a slight hitch in her left rear leg and when I extended my healer senses, I found extensive scar tissue from an old wound. I was wondering idly if I could cut it away when she spoke again.
“Oh, of course, of course! Pierre du Lac, he is the café owner you mentioned?”
“The same, madam.”
“How marvelous! He and I went to the Académie together.”
“He has told me of this school. Apparently Lady Silver von Stroheim-Featherstone was in his class as well. He told me he and his classmates glued her hooves to her desk once.”
Ren gave a mischievous grin. “Did he also tell you we also turned Lady Silver’s dorm room upside down? Or dyed her mane puce?”
I laughed. “Indeed, no, but I daresay…”
We were crossing the lobby and just then an Earth pony in fatigues raced out of the manager’s office.
“I won’t go and you can’t make me,” he yelled, looking back over his shoulder. He headed for the service passageway, opened the door and slammed it behind him.
“Running Bear, come back at once!” The manager ran out of her office but was too late. She huffed out a breath, then noticed us.
“General, Mr. Apple, I’m terribly sorry you had to see that.”
General? “A problem, Mrs. Calloway?” I asked.
“A line break somewhere between here and the tank.” The manager looked up and realized who she was talking to. “Apologies, to both of you. I shouldn’t bother guests with this.”
“A moment. Do you mean the water tank about 200 yards behind the hotel next to that small hill?” I asked. I’d noticed it earlier as I walked in.
“Why, yes, that’s the one. Without it, we can’t run the cold pool and the guest rooms won’t have water. I’ve tried to send several of our staff but they’re all afraid of the wild pegasi.”
Twilight had mentioned this as well. “I thought the hotel and surrounding towns had a treaty with the wild pegasi?”
“Yes,” said the manager, clearly annoyed, “and we even have some on the staff. We haven’t had any trouble in over 50 years and yet the rumors persist. Mares around here raise their foals on stories of wild pegasi scalpings and the Magic knows what else.”
The baths could wait, I thought. “Is the line clay or cast iron?”
“Clay, Mr. Apple, but I don’t see what…”
“Do you have any spare sections of pipe?”
“Yes, in the storage shed next to the tank. Why do you ask?”
“I’m a mechanical engineer, ma’am,” I answered. “I’ll take a look and see if I can fix your water line.”
“Oh, Mr. Apple, you’re a guest. I can’t ask you to do that!” said Mrs. Calloway, looking distressed.
I had my answer ready. “This is a Crown property, Manager, and I’m a Protector of the Crown. This falls well within the purview of my duties.”
The manager smiled, then, a relieved smile. “Well, if that’s the case, I’d certainly appreciate your help.”
“Very good. Let me check on AJ, then I’ll head to the water tank.”
“May I come as well, Mr. Apple?” asked Ren who’d been listening the whole time.
“Why, of course, Ren. Most likely it’s just a mundane repair, though.”
“I will meet you on the front steps, yes?” she said, and turned toward the other side of the hotel.
“Five minutes, then,” I said, nodding, and went check on AJ. I found her still sound asleep. She’d be hungry enough to chew wood when she woke up but I expected the hotel staff had handled that before. I put on my pouch and headed for the front of the hotel.
Another Healing…Or Two
The 4th came in a wave just as I’d ordered only to meet fierce resistance. I’d expected that but knew the army had to regroup and that this was our only chance. The 4th knew it as well and fought on; never have I seen such bravery in combat.
General of the Army Louise-Renée de Kéroualle, The Griffon War, 1,091-1,093
Regard your soldiers as your foals, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons and daughters, and they will stand by you even unto death.
“The Art of War”, Appendix B, The Equestrian Encyclopedia of General Knowledge
I found Ren waiting for me and noticed her cutie mark was a five-pointed silver star, one I didn’t know. Ren led me to a path which circled around the back of the hotel and up into a wooded ravine. We climbed for about 10 minutes before we reached the tank. It was a big one and wasn’t in the best of shape. I fixed some rotten planks and removed the rust from the shut-off valve. I guessed nopony had used it for years; no excuse for such neglect, I thought. I pulled out a small can of oil and oiled the wheel and gearing, then, with Ren’s help, finally got it to turn. I could hear the shutoff valve creak into place and the water soon stopped flowing.
“That’s got it, Ren. Let’s see if we can find that break.”
We used magic to trace the pipe from the tank. The original contractors had buried the pipe about three feet deep and Ren and I followed it 20 yards before stepping into a small bog which had formed from the break. With Ren helping we dug up the pipe and both noticed the crack right away.
I nodded to Ren, then went back to a little storage shed next to the tank. I pulled out a section of pipe which, thank the Magic, was standardized. I went back to Ren who had pulled out the clay pieces, then fitted the pipe in between the other sections. It clicked into place and I appreciated the factory which had built such precision into their product.
Ren and I filled in the hole, then turned the water back on at the tank. I suggested we follow the line back to the hotel to make sure there weren’t any other breaks. Ren nodded and I realized what a pleasant companion she made, talking little but always knowing just what to do to help. We set out, our horns glowing. We were concentrating on the water line and didn’t notice we had company.
I stopped when I saw blue hooves in front of me, and then backed up quickly. There in a semicircle were four blue pegasi stallions, all the same color or so close it didn’t make much difference. If they flew right over your head on a clear day, you wouldn’t even see them since they’d blend with the sky.
Ren backed up as well, and then pulled out a dirk I didn’t know she was carrying. She merged her magic field with mine, a wise precaution since joined unicorns were extremely effective fighters and could sense enemies in a complete circle. It also meant, of course, we shared a good deal more than that. I could feel Ren’s desire for me, a general sadness and an old guilt buried deep in her mind. She could sense my desire for her as well.
I’ll deal with that if we survive, I thought, and readied myself.
The center pegasus stallion stepped forward. “We mean thee no harm. Art thou the healer?”
Ancient Equestrian! They were speaking Ancient Equestrian! I’d only read the language but never heard it spoken before. That’s what it was though, I was certain. And how in the name of the Lord of Hel did he know I was a healer?
I took a breath. “Thou sayest,” I said and hoped my accent was close.
He nodded. “Thou must...,” he said, then stopped and corrected himself. “Wilt thou and thy companion come with me, prithee?”
Used to giving orders, this one, I thought. Ren thought the same through the link.
Dirk, I thought to her and she put it away somewhere. Even slicker than Carl, I added, and she sent me amusement.
Well, nothing for it. “Thou hast need of a healer?”
The leader just nodded.
I looked at Ren and she also nodded, slowly withdrawing her field.
“Lead on, Centurion,” I said.
The other three stallions launched themselves into the air and disappeared so quickly I wouldn’t have thought it possible without magic unless I’d just seen it. The stoic leader (I guessed sergeant) just started walking toward the second small hill. Ren and I followed him about half an hour until we got to a makeshift camp. Temporary it might be but so well done unless somepony had led us there we couldn’t have spotted it from three feet away.
The leader left us and Ren and I stood for just a moment. An old pegasus stallion leaning on a staff hobbled up to us. Rheumatoid arthritis, I thought. This won’t take long.
“The Elect make welcome the Guardian of the World and his Companion,” said the old stallion in accented Equestrian, smiling at us. He called over his shoulder: “Warriors! Stand!”
Every pegasus in the camp snapped to attention.
“Salute!”
Every right hoof pounded on the ground twice in perfect unison. I’d seen murals in the Canterlot Museum of Ancient Equestrian armies and here was one alive again standing before me.
“Dismissed!”
The pegasi went back to whatever they were doing. Then it registered with me what the old stallion had said.
Guardian of the World.
He knew.
Lady Magic! I called, but she wasn’t there.
“You…seem to know me well, sir,” I said, not really knowing what else to say.
The old stallion nodded. “I am the shaman of the Elect. I have dreamed of you and your friend since I was a foal.”
More things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy, I thought, even here. How about that?
I looked at Ren who was taking it all in, then back to the shaman. “Your soldier asked for a healer, sir. How may I assist you?”
“This way,” he said, and turned toward a low shelter a few yards away.
“The healing isn’t for you?” I asked as I followed him.
“Oh, nay, nay, nay! My time is short and I need none of your gift, Guardian. This is the one who needs your help.”
He lifted a flap on the shelter and there lay a pegasus filly, I guessed 16 or 17 years old, very pregnant. She was bathed in sweat and panting.
I extended my healer sense. Breech, I thought. No, something else. Breech and…twins! Both still alive but just barely. Pegasus mares almost never survived twins; their wombs were simply too small. And then I Knew why Ren was here.
“Ren,” I said. “Deep Merge, please.” A Deep Merge was the most intimate possible magical contact between unicorns, something which unicorn parents usually shared with their children or married unicorns did on their wedding night. The French were far more relaxed about Deep Merging than most other unicorns, though. I also knew from earlier Ren wouldn’t mind.
Ren extended her magic field and merged it with mine as if we’d been doing it all our lives. Her eyes widened.
“Is this what it is like to be a guérisseur?” she asked, marveling at what she sensed.
“Mmm. What’s the filly’s name?” I asked the shaman.
“Morning Star.”
“Morning Star, go to sleep, hon,” I said and the poor filly, totally exhausted, dropped off at once.
I slowed her heart rate, and then braced myself.
“Ren, do you sense the breeched foal?”
“Yes.”
“Concentrate on her. I’m going to teleport her out of the womb.”
“What?!? I have only heard of that in stories!”
“It’s impossible with one mage but not with two. I can manage it, just. The minute the foal appears, I need you to break the caul and clear her nose so she can breathe. The other foal should slide out normally.” I hope. “Ready?”
“Go.”
I did and the foal appeared at Ren’s forehooves. I gasped for breath and fell to my knees. That was one tough spell! Most likely I’d have fainted if Ren hadn’t stayed merged with me.
The shaman handed Ren a cloth and she cleaned out the foal’s nose. I drew on her strength through our joined fields and moved around to Star’s tail. I lifted it and saw a tiny nose and hooves peeking out. There you are, I thought gleefully, and used just a touch of magic to help the other foal into the World.
The second little filly started to wail at once, very much alive. Ren was holding the other in her forehooves and blew very gently into her nose. Her reward was an almost identical wail. She grinned at me and held out the foal in triumph.
“Alive! She is alive, Maker!”
I grinned back. “So she is, Ren. Let’s get them to their mother, alright?”
I picked up the other foal just as two pegasus mares appeared out of nowhere. One took one foal and one took the other. They had a basin ready and washed both, then set them next to Star.
“Wake up, Morning Star! You’re a new mother,” I said.
Star blinked awake, saw the foals and wept for joy. She was too weak to do more than cradle both foals but did look at me with gratitude.
The shaman had watched all of this without saying a word. He gestured and we moved outside the shelter. The mares came back with clean water and Ren and I washed off the blood and mucus from the birth.
The old shaman smiled at us, sighed and said, “Now I can die in peace. The foals will help you save the World the second time, Guardian.”
I wasn’t as tired as I expected but I really wasn’t in the mood for any more prophecy.
“Well and good, sir. I’m glad we could be of service.”
“We the Elect thank you, Guardian and Companion.” The old stallion bowed and every other pegasus we could see bowed with him at exactly the same time. “Fly well!”
A dismissal if ever I heard one. Eh, well, I wasn’t expecting a medal.
I gave a half bow, turned and started walking, Ren right next to me. What the shaman said finally penetrated my brain and I turned back.
“Just a moment, what did you mean when you said ‘the second time’?”
There was no camp.
Mouth agape, I stepped forward and moved aside some bushes. Nothing. No camp, no shaman, no newborns, no Elect. Just woods and birdsong.
I just stood and stared for a moment.
“Ren?”
“Hmm?”
“Ever feel like you’re in a mare’s tale?”
Ren rubbed under my chin with the top of her muzzle. “At the moment, mon ami, I do, oh, I do.”
I laughed since I was still merged with her and felt her joy in saving the foals. “Come, Companion! I’d dearly love to spend some time in the hot springs now.”
We walked back toward the hotel in a pleasant silence, keeping the small hills on our left. Sooner than I expected, I could see the hotel’s roof.
When we came to a clearing, we were still merged. I gave a light tug to my magic field so I could reclaim it. Ren released me, withdrawing into herself. I walked around so we were face-to-face.
“Ren, do you know the Defender of the Realm?”
Her ears perked. “Alvarez? Of course.”
“I met him at the last Gala. Do you know what he said when I asked him what he did during the war?”
Ren just looked curious.
“He said, ‘I was with the Iron Mare’. Just that, nothing else. And he said it with enormous pride.”
Ren looked away from me and two tears tracked down her muzzle. “I sent them to die, Maker. I did. Nopony else.”
I put my left hoof on her right shoulder. “Ren, you made a command decision which saved your army. And then you led from the front and won the war.”
Still looking away, she shook her head and said, “I ordered them to their deaths. They hate me.”
“You’re wrong, Ren. We had several of the veterans of that battle in the Guard. When they talk about the war, every single one says, ‘I was with the Iron Mare’. Not ‘I was 4th Infantry’ or ‘I was 2nd Air Corp’. No, it’s always ‘I was with the Iron Mare’. That’s you, Ren. If you don’t believe me, go ask them yourself. Your guilt and self-loathing is all in your own mind. You’ve isolated yourself all these years for no reason.”
Ren looked back at me, eyes shining. “It is true?”
“Would I lie to my favorite Companion?”
Ren leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss which I returned, tasting leather and charcoal which wasn’t at all unpleasant. “Non, mon ami, you would not. Shall we finish checking the water line?”
I’d almost forgotten about it. We retraced our steps and found where we’d fixed the line, then started walking back to the hotel checking the pipe as we went. I heard the hotel clock chime 11. We bantered about our personality quirks as we walked. I’d done the same with Shining Armor, Rarity and Lady Astrid after we’d merged for the second or third time. It was a sort of release from the shared memories and intense emotions.
“How is it such a smart stallion is so terrible with ze money?” Ren asked as we walked along.
“It’s dull. Why do you think I have the mares do it? At least I’m not addicted to chocolate éclairs.”
“One a week, that is all I have, just ze one!”
“Sure, sure. Want to play hearts later?” That was Ren’s favorite pastime.
“Oh, yes, mon ami! I have another couple and we were looking for a fourth.”
We walked in silence a little longer.
“This pipe won’t last another year. The hotel will have to replace the whole line,” I said, irritated at such negligence.
“You were most kind to Fall, Maker,” said Ren, walking next to me and occasionally bumping my right shoulder.
“You can thank Mrs. Grass for that,” I said as we reached the back of the hotel.
“I want to come visit you. I want to meet the Apples and the Brickles and Mrs. Grass. I want to drive the steam truck and to see Fall drive her racer. I want to preen a pegasus. And most of all I want to spend time with you and with AJ.”
“All this we shall do, my Companion,” I said in French. Then, switching back to Equestrian. “I’m famished. How about lunch and then a soak?”
“I will meet you in the dining hall at 11:30 after I take a shower,” answered Ren.
We walked back around to the front portico. “I’ll check with Mrs. Calloway. A mundane repair which took longer than expected, wouldn’t you say?”
Ren just laughed an open, delighted laugh. “Yes, it did!” Ren looked thoughtful. “Is this what you do, Ben, fix that which is broken?”
“Usually.”
“Until 11:30 then,” said Ren and ran up the steps. I followed more sedately and checked in with Mrs. Calloway.
I knocked on her office door and she looked up from a pile of paperwork.
“Mr. Apple! I can’t thank you enough! This is the best water pressure we’ve had in years.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Calloway. You’ll need a new line soon, though, most likely later this year if you want to get through the Winter. And some tank repair as well.”
Mrs. Calloway scribbled something on a pad, and then looked up with a smile. “Scalp intact, I see?”
I laughed. “A more routine repair you could not imagine, ma’am. And now, I’ll have lunch and then take the waters.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Apple. Please let me know if I personally can do anything for you.”
I waved a hoof, and then headed back to the room. I saw the blue pegasus maid I’d dodged earlier come out of a room and nodded to her. As I passed, I felt a hoof lightly touch my left shoulder. I turned to see the maid bow with both hooves crossed over her chest.
“Thou and thy Companion hast saved our Morning Star, O Healer. We thank thee,” she said in Ancient Equestrian.
Two other maids almost identical to the first came out of other rooms. “We thank thee,” they echoed and bowed as well.
I wasn’t about to ask how they knew about the foals. I nodded to all three. “I serve with joy Morning Star and the Elect,” I said or thought I did; my syntax wasn’t the best.
They smiled, and then raced back into their respective rooms. Magic, they were fast. I unlocked my own room and there was the Dormientes Pulchritudinem, I thought, still thinking in Ancient Equestrian. I tossed my pouch on the dresser, and then took a shower. The water pressure was indeed much better.
I joined Ren in the dining room and we had a fine meal. I secretly ordered four chocolate éclairs for dessert and when they came Ren’s eyes grew huge. She took one in each hoof and took small, eager bites from first her left, then her right, then her left again. I started laughing and couldn’t stop, wiping away tears.
“Stop laughing! Eet is not funn-ee! Stop eet!!” said Ren in between mouthfuls. The other diners, particularly the other unicorns, caught the spirit of it and smiled along with me. Ren of course ate all four éclairs as fast as she could. Once she’d stopped and gave a very ladylike burp, I suggested the hot springs and a massage.
We had both, and then I went back to the room for nap. I got up at 5, wrote a few thank-you notes, ate supper with Ren again and then joined Ren and another unicorn couple for hearts in the posh lounge. Ren and I shot the moon once and won once more while the other couple scored three wins. We had a very pleasant evening and topped it off with some 30-year-old Apple Brandy. I proudly showed the other unicorns the Sweet Apple Acres label and they applauded. Ren also regaled us with travel stories; she’d been practically everywhere with the Army.
We called it an evening at 9 since Ren had to head back tomorrow morning. I walked back to the room, yawning and thinking on the day, then laughed to myself while I brushed my teeth as I thought of Ren eating those éclairs. What a marvelous World we live in was my final thought as I fell asleep next to my new bride.