Biblo and I waited in the lobby of the dome for Hot Sticks. We were being unashamedly lovey-dovie with one another, gazing into one another's eyes, hugging, cuddling, kissing, all that sickeningly sweet stuff. Biblo was so crystaly, and lit up, she looked like stained glass with the sun shining through it. I was being a silly pony, and didn't even care.
Onlookers gave us looks and comments. Typically the non-ponies reactions would range from signs they thought it was adorable, to comments to go get a room. Pony reactions typically were veiled to open disgust. Likely because a perfectly nice Crystal Pony was clearly involved with a nasty dirty Thestral. Ponies could get themselves bucked to the moon for all I cared. I had a marefriend and I was happy.
Hot Sticks finally returned around sundown and gave us a curious look. "I guess you two have been having fun. I see you have figured out you have a sexual preference for hyperactive Crystal Pony mares?"
Biblo and I didn't say anything. I blushed while she giggled. I liked hearing her giggle. Hot Sticks continued. "Well, you two will have to wait a while to continue your frolicking. Next airship to Harmony leaves in just over an hour, and we have been given passage. When we get to Harmony you two might be needed for study. That is why you two are on this trip instead of guarding cocoons, waiting to see what pops out, with Tulip."
I did wonder why he brought us along, and left Starlight's Folly so poorly attended. It made sense. I had magic that resisted this, Biblo was more often than not filled with that magic, and Biblo had also recovered from what was afflicting the other townsfolk. Fairly obvious, when I thought about it. Hope it didn't involve any more needles though.
We traveled quickly across town to the air dock. It had about a dozen air ships moored on the side of the cliff. Ours was a simple transport ship without many passengers and perhaps a dozen members of crew. There were few enough passengers that we likely doubled the non crew on the ship with our inclusion. The other passengers looked to all be government officials, or some other type of important ponies.
The crew was almost entirely Pegasi with a lone Minotaur who could be seen adjusting various ropes. It made sense on one hoof that they were all Pegasi, but it also seemed strange because why did Pegasi need to worry about airships when they could fly themselves.
After we boarded we took to the railings for the view. It was pretty high up, and we were still docked for the moment. When we took off it would only get higher. I may have wings, but the thought of being so high was mildly scary.
Biblo laughed at me. "Why so worried about flying in an airship. You have wings so flying should be natural to you."
I tried to keep getting myself used to the height while looking over the rail. "I can't fly as well as a Pegasus. Thestrals are more gliders and low level flyers. We don't typically get this high up. We have a harder time dealing with the wind, and we can't naturally cloud walk." I could likely glide from up here if the ship was going to crash, but who knows where I would end up landing. Lunar guards and some others were trained to glide, or even fly, from this kind of height. I wasn't one of those.
"I'll be fine," I continued. "When we get moving, and away from these cliffs, I will feel better. I think I am just imagining get bashed against the cliff side by the wind."
She gave me a hug and a quick kiss, laughed, and then began exploring about the deck. Biblo was on an airship, on a flight to Harmony, in order to help save a town. All right after escaping the illness herself, and then gaining a love interest. Biblo was having her adventure, and having the time of her life.
I on the other hoof was nervous. Yeah I was on a trip to Harmony too, and I had just gotten into my first relationship. Both exciting things, but I was worried about what could be going on back in Starlight's Folly. Had more townsfolk gone into cocoon state? Had something emerged from that first cocoon? Would the Alicorns be able to find a solution in time? What if something breached the northern gate in the meantime? Looking down and still being nervous about high winds ending my life didn't help either.
I took out my pipe to settle my nerves, and tried to banish my worries from my mind. The sense that this was going to end badly wouldn't relent though. I hoped my intuition was wrong.
***
I was woken up by a pony shaking me. I had apparently fallen asleep where I had sat gazing by the railing. Looking to my side I noticed Biblo right away, sound asleep as well, apparently having curled up next to me sometime after I had drifted off. Turning the other direction, I found the identity of the pony who had shaken me awake, Hot Sticks in an unusually happy mood.
"Sorry to wake you up," he said, "but we are coming in sight of Harmony, and I thought you two would want to take in the view. If you have never been to Harmony the first view of it coming into sight can really take your breath away."
I looked up over the rail and my mouth dropped at what I saw. I had heard the stories and descriptions. The wildest ones didn't do this justice. I was looking upon something that seemed impossible to exist.
The first thing you noticed was the Great Tree. There was no failing to notice the Great Tree. It was massive beyond any other structure ever crafted, or forged by magic. It stood as high as a mountain. From it's trunk spread massive branches that extended out extremely far, and were so massive everything you knew of physics said they should fall to the ground and shatter the ground thousands of pony lengths below. The whole thing was a bright crystalline white. This tree was crystal not a thing of plant matter, but somehow it seemed more alive than any other tree ever was. Against all reason and defiant against reality the thing cast no shadow. It was the most real and unreal thing all at once.
I shook Biblo awake, while still keeping my eyes glued on the wonder. I heard her waking up, but did not turn away to look. A moment later she must have gotten up to see what I was gazing at. "Holy Twilight!" It seemed an appropriate response from her in my opinion.
We just kept our eyes glued to it. I took notice of other details. Each branch was marked in multiple places. I recognized the marks of Luna, Starlight, and Paleo. Each branch bore a different set of markings. I didn't recognize most, but could only assume they were the marks of each of the Alicorns. At the far end of each branch were massive, highly ornate buildings, the high temple of each Alicorn. The craftsmanship and size of each of these buildings would have made each a wonder into themselves. The buildings were mere accessories of the tree, like ornaments on a Hearth's Warming tree.
"This makes the Crystal Spire back home in Crystal Heart look like a toothpick," I heard Biblo say. I had never seen the Crystal Spire so I could not compare, but I could easily believe her comparison. Nothing could rival this, nothing could even come close.
I was finally able to turn my attention to the city below. The city itself stretched far in all directions. It had to hold more ponies than I had imagined lived in the whole world. Millions of ponies, perhaps tens of millions of ponies, must make their homes here. The buildings were of untold number and variation. They ranged from simple single story buildings to massive complexes bigger than most towns, fifty or more stories in height.
There were multiple air docks throughout the city. The airships moved out of the city in all directions, and also to and from the branches of the Great Tree. There were hundreds of airships in the air, yet they looked like gnats flying around the Tree.
This was the capital of the Twilight Realm, and it silenced all questions of pony might. Gazing upon this city you knew ponies were masters of this world. Nothing could stand against the power of those who had built all of this. To even contemplate perceived weakness here took insanity. I felt extremely small seeing it, but also full of pride that I too was part of this.
Hot Sticks spoke to us, "Welcome to Harmony! This is my old stomping grounds, and I admit I have missed it. We will be landing in the city soon, and hopefully soon after we will get the help we need to save Starlight's Folly."
***
We landed in the city below minutes later. Having the branches of the tree hanging overhead was disconcerting. Disconcerting both because there was a vastly huge thing above that seemed like it should collapse under its own impossible weight, and also because that impossible structure was casting no shadow. I had grown up in Hallow Shades, and my hometown was a place that reinforced the idea of shadows cast by large structures. The lack of shadow from the tree and its branches was extra unnerving to me as a result.
Hot Sticks spoke with us as we exited the air dock into the city. "Since we are petitioning Alicorns, we must go up the Tree. Unfortunately, only air ships from certain docks are allowed to travel to the branches. Thankfully a proper air dock is only a few blocks away to reach Meadowbrook's temple. I don't know for sure if she will be in her temple at the moment. If she is not we will have to travel back down to the the city again and take a separate air ship, from a separate dock, to the general petition location."
This sounded like it could take a long time to get anything done. "Why is it so needlessly complicated to let the Alicorns know what is going on and we need their help?" I asked.
Hot Sticks grumbled. "Bureaucracy. Bureaucracy and concerns for security. This land has existed over seven thousand years since the unification of the three tribes that formed its core. Rules have been piled on rules over all that time. More and more gets complex as time goes on. It isn't just in the city, it is through all the land. Seemingly simple things can drive you to madness trying to understand the convoluted logic of why they are that way."
"I can't think of anything really complicated back home," Biblo said. "Everything makes perfect sense back in Crystal Heart."
Hot Sticks laughed. "Alright my shiny friend. Let me show you how complicated things are where you live if you haven't realized yet. Simple question, what year where you born?"
Biblo looked confused. "What do you mean? I was born twenty-four years ago." She was a little older than I thought. I thought she was at least six or seven years younger, instead she was about three. I tucked that information away in my mind.
Hot Sticks looked smug. "But what year was it?"
Biblo still looked confused. "What do you mean what year was it? It was the year twenty-four years ago."
Hot Sticks started laughing again. "Let's try asking the question a different way. What year is it now?"
"This year of course," Biblo replied. She looked frustrated and embarrassed, her ears were lowered. "What am I missing with your question? You are making me feel stupid."
The doctor was apologetic as he replied. "You aren't stupid for not knowing what I am talking about. We have a calendar for tracking exact dates. Most ponies don't bother to learn it, because it is so needlessly complicated. At some point in the past it was simple, each year numbered in order without any complications. But as it stands now I would have to go to a calendar specialist to figure out how long-ago a given date was because it is a complex thing of cycles, that don't make sense to anyone who doesn't study it specifically for a living. We have to keep it or a whole division of jobs would vanish."
It seemed like keeping ponies employed was a good thing to me. I think I would just keep to referring to things so many years or moons ago. I am not sure ponies had any real need to learn such things. If it was needed, he said that there were ponies who could do it. I failed to see any problem with this. I guess it did illustrate that things had reasons for why they were done a certain way, even if it didn't seem to make sense at first glance. Best to just accept that we would have to go through extra steps.
Hot Sticks continued. "In the case of the air docks. There are certain ones with special contracts to do the transport to the Tree. It ensures they always have business. They at the same time can't do transport in and out of the city, which creates the need for a separate set of air docks that can do that. So, you end up with twice as many jobs."
Alright, that made sense after the previous explanation. I guessed that a great many arrangements had to make sure there were jobs for this many ponies. My mind still reeled that so many ponies could live in one place. Biblo seemed to understand the explanation as well, proving that she wasn't stupid.
The travel to the dock was indeed a short distance, at just a few blocks. There were street signs marking the names of streets, but nothing indicating where certain locations might be found. You had to know where you were going to get anywhere, or you could wander aimlessly for days on these streets and still not find where you were wanting to go. From the glances that Hot Sticks gave up at the Great Tree I guessed residents figured out their location in this labyrinth of streets by using the tree as the ultimate land mark. I looked up at the Tree to try to at least learn our own current location, but I wasn't familiar enough with the tree to really get much of an idea.
When we got to the dock it was marked with a symbol of a doctor's mask like the ones that Hot Sticks had. Looking up I could see a similar mark up on the closest branch of the Tree. This must be the cutie mark of Meadowbrook. If she was Alicorn of Medicine, it seemed an appropriate mark.
We were quickly transported up to a docking site up on the branch. Again, my nervousness about heights came into play. This was higher than I felt comfortable, and worse there was no breeze. The lack of breeze might have made it easier to control a glide, but it also reminded me of how unreal this place was. This high up there should be a breeze of some sort. The lack of it wasn't natural.
Meadowbrook's temple was a large structure with huge columns leading into the entrance, and two connecting domed structures. Balconies dotted the entire structure. The entire thing was painted in colors of blue, green, and red. Her cutie mark was displayed proudly on the front of the building.
"Is this where you used to work?" I asked Hot Sticks.
"Technically my office was here," he replied. "More often than not I was elsewhere. Alicorns don't just sit around in their temples all the time," He paused and then added. "Well, most don't anyway. Meadowbrook was very frequently away, and it was my duty to be where she was. I got to see a fair number of places, though most were swamps or marshes."
"Why swamps and marshes?" Biblo asked.
"A combination of reasons," Hot Sticks answered. "Those areas are more prone to outbreaks, they have a high number of medicinal herbs in them, and she just likes those kinds of places."
We had finished walking into the entrance as he finished his explanation. His face fell as he looked about.
"Bloody Tartarus! There are no acolytes about. That likely means she is not here right now," he said with clear frustration. "It was a small hope that she would be in her temple, but we had to check. Now we have to do this the hard way."
***
We were back on the air ship and flown back down to the ground quickly. As we got off Hot Sticks addressed us. "This is going to take until at least tomorrow for our petition to be heard, bloody bureaucracy! We best check in a hotel for the night. After we get checked in I will go out and make the petition. There isn't any need for you to come along for that. You two can do as you like in the meantime. Just make sure you are up and ready an hour after sunrise to head out again."
Biblo and I looked at one another. We were being left to our own devices yet again. It was nice having time to just relax, but it made us feel rather unnecessary for the entire trip. I knew our time would likely come where we would be examined, and likely poked with needles. So, I guess I wasn't that eager to be needed. Still didn't help me feel useful for the moment. On the other hoof I did get to spend time with my new marefriend. Definitely wasn't going to complain about that opportunity.
Biblo wasn't complaining about the opportunity either. She gave me a hug and said, "Yea! More kiss and hug time!"
"If that is what you intend to spend your time doing that's your business," Hot Sticks said. He motioned us to follow and we did. He apparently knew where he was going despite not having been here for a few years.
We came to the hotel. I wouldn't have known it was a hotel without Hot Sticks telling us it was. A three story building which would have been the biggest building in town at most places I had been to. Here it wasn't anything of note with it's size. It had a name hanging over the entrance, Sunbeam Bouquet, which I didn't know of it was name of the hotel, the owner, or both. Entering in the lobby was large enough to fit my house into. There was a pair of Earth Ponies sitting behind what I assumed to be the check in desk, with several bellhops of various tribes standing at the ready.
Hot Sticks went up to the desk and said. "Hello, I will need two rooms, one bed each, I am not sure of the extent of the stay yet, just put it down for five days for right now. I might have us leaving earlier, but that feels safe."
"One bed each? There are three of us," I said to Hot Sticks.
He turned to me and said, "I did make an assumption there, but you two had been sleeping together to this point, and I assumed your change in relationship status just increased the likelihood you would be sharing a bed. Do you prefer two beds?"
I drew a blank. What was I supposed to do? Yeah, we had been sleeping next to each other nonstop. But now we were a thing, and we might be expected to do things. I wasn't sure I was ready for said things. I had just figured out I liked mares. Did Biblo expect things to happen? Would she try to make things happen? Would she be upset if I didn't feel comfortable doing anything yet? Was I making her upset now about being hesitant about sharing a bed with her suddenly?
I looked over at Biblo for some sort of idea how she was reacting. She was giving me a bit of a puzzled look, not a hurt look, just a puzzled one.
She went to her go-to way of figuring out what was going on and gave me a hug. After ending her hug, she tilted her head as if listening for a moment, sorting through my emotions. She then gave me a little smile and hugged me again.
"It's okay, I understand," she said. "It's all new to me too, and I didn't even think of all that yet. I hadn't planned on doing any of that, yet. I do want to be able to keep cuddled up with you though, like we have been."
I gave my pink marefriend a grateful smile. I was so lucky to have my first romantic interest be some pony who could tell for sure how I was feeling. No trying to convince her, she just knew. I gained new sympathy right then for the average pony who did not have such a benefit in their relationships. It also occurred to me that she had to trust that I believe her, since I couldn't read her feelings the same way she could do mine. There had to be trust in a relationship.
I turned back to Hot Sticks and said, "One bed is fine."
He didn't comment or even raise an eyebrow at the little exchange between me and Biblo. I appreciated his easy going, accepting ways of doing things. He still deserved a serious bucking for other things. But he was a good friend in that regard. I figured he would be busy, but I wondered if I could get any more advice out of him tonight.
We checked into our rooms and Hot Sticks took off right away to do what needed be done for the petition. Biblo and I just kind of meandered around the room we were given. It wasn't very interesting or large. It consisted of a bed that could hold us both easily, a wash tub big enough for one pony, a sink, a single chair, one lamp, and a lone window that looked out on the street below. There wasn't much decoration. Just a lone area rug with a daisy design, and a picture of a Sunrise.
"Well, what do you want to do?" Biblo asked. "This seems a kind of boring place to just sit around. We can talk, and learn more about each other, but we can do that somewhere more fun than this."
I gave the room one final look around. Yeah, it was okay for sleeping, but I didn't really feel like spending hours awake just sitting around here. There was the biggest city in the Realm right outside. There had to be things to occupy our time.
"Food seems like a good idea," I replied. " I have plenty of it packed away still, but something freshly made would be much better. Maybe a second restaurant date?"
She smiled and gave me a hug. "That sounds good. I did have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to buy me a book at the bookstore? I don't have much for bits, and there are some things I really want to read up on."
That wasn't a big deal. I had plenty of bits to spare. "Sure thing. I am sure there has to be bookstores around here. I am happy to spare a few to get you something."
She smiled and gave me a quick kiss. I could definitely get used to having kisses added to our routine shows of affection. "Your sweet! I promise to try to not get anything to expensive!"
"Do you read a lot? What kind of book were you looking to get?" I asked as we made our way back to the door.
She paused and blushed, turning a bright red instead of pink. "Well, no I don't read that much. Which I am going to try to change. I feel like the dumbest pony in the room sometimes, and I don't like feeling stupid. I am going to try to educate myself."
That seemed worthwhile. I could do to learn a bit more myself. "You aren't a stupid pony Biblo. But it sounds like a good idea. What did you have in mind to start with reading?"
Her whole body turned red and her face was almost purple. "Um, things. Pertinent things. Things like what you do with a marefriend."
That made me blush. I would have to borrow her book.
She continued. "I am really new to this, I had never gone on a date before yesterday. You were having feelings about doing stuff, and I realized that I don't even know what to do with that, or when the right time is, or anything! I know you don't either, but I just really don't want to do something stupid and have you upset with me."
I turned around and gathered her up in a two foreleg hug, wrapping my neck around hers, and held her. She leaned into my embrace and returned it tightly. I could feel tears on my shoulder. I smoothed her mane with one of my hooves. "It’s okay, you are doing great at it. At least as great as I would know. You are making me feel special and loved. That isn't something I am used to. I like seeing you happy, and I want you to feel the same way you make me feel. Minus the insecurities, insecurities can go away for both of us, but we will work through that together. I haven't ever had a marefriend, or stallionfriend, or even thought about having one. You are great. Don't put yourself down so much, I want you happy. I like seeing you happy. You make me happy."
She sniffled and continued to hug for a moment more before releasing. "I am going to do my best to do this right. Anyway, let’s go get lunch. I am starving!" she said.
"Let's avoid the fish this time around," I laughed. "We don't want to go upsetting ponies."
"But I like fish!" And we exited the room to go explore Harmony.
***
We managed to find a restaurant with little trouble. We didn't order any fish, or any other type of meat for that matter. We didn't have an option to anyway. Nothing on the menu was available for carnivorous appetites. This was a city of ponies and it did not cater to any but ponies.
During our meal I got dirty looks from the other patrons. Well, I got dirty looks from every pony but Biblo everywhere we went. I tried not to let it get to me, but it was hard. No pony would talk to me. They would talk to Biblo but not me. When the waitress took our order she asked Biblo what I was having. Biblo gave the order after I told her to just roll with it and order for me. She did look unhappy with how other ponies treated me though.
I paid for the meals. I left a tip just because they were nice to Biblo at least. They had served me, even if they refused to acknowledge me as they did so. I have had worse happen in towns. This counted as good service compared to my normal experiences.
Finding a bookstore was not as easy. We wandered around aimlessly through the streets. Biblo would ask for directions sometimes and vague answers, or answers that were completely unhelpful if you didn't understand the basic geography of the city or how to use the Tree to judge position. I tried once, I managed to get spit on for it. I didn't let Biblo see what had happened and I didn't react, other than wipe off my face.
We finally found our way to a bookstore. It was, like everything else in this city, the largest of its kind I had ever seen. Each genre of book had sections for sale larger than any full library I had ever seen. Biblo was less impressed, she said the library in Crystal Heart was far larger than this. I had never been to Crystal Heart, so I would have to take her word for it. It would have seemed unimaginable that a library larger than this place existed, but I was reassessing what scales of things were possible in the last day.
Biblo finally located a book that satisfied her. I didn't catch the title, but I was able to some very revealing illustrations. I blushed red when I saw them. Biblo saw me and blushed red herself, before closing the book quickly to hide the erotic material. We may not be planning on doing anything yet, but she definitely wanted to be educated on what to do when that time came.
Unfortunately the shop keeper had other ideas. He was a portly, black, earth pony stallion, with a white mane. He seemed fine with Biblo purchasing the book up until the point that I came to pay for it, then his entire demeanor changed.
He set the book aside and addressed Biblo. "I am sorry, I won't be selling you any books."
Biblo was confused. "Why?" She asked. "We have the bits. We aren't minors. Why won't you sell me this?"
He sneered. "I don't sell to ponies who go screwing bats. It's filthy having such relations. It is disgusting and perverted."
I knew there was no winning here. Best to leave without any further scene. It was my fault, I should have just given her the bits ahead of time. I opened her up to this with not thinking ahead of time. She didn't deserve this kind of treatment, but there wasn't anything we could do.
Biblo wasn't so easily dismissed. She got angry. I had seen her get frustrated before, and upset, but this was my first exposure to her honestly angry. She slammed her hoof down on the counter causing it to shake. "What in bloody Tarturus did you just say!" She screamed at the shop keeper. "What is your problem with my marefriend! And what business is it to you who I choose to go to bed with! You sell books! I am here to buy a book! We give you bits, you give us the book! That is how it works!" Her voice rose with each sentence. Every pony in the store and even some just outside it were staring at us now. I knew from experience we would not have any allies in those watching.
"Biblo," I said, "let it go. We can find somewhere else. He isn't going to sell to us. We are making a scene." I pleaded with her. I wanted to spare her as many ponies judgments as I could. This was daily life for me for most my adult life. I was used to it. I could understand her anger getting exposed to this for the first time, but I couldn't let her get herself in trouble.
"Listen filly to your bat-bed-buddy. She knows how this works. You aren't buying anything here. If you stay here I will call the guard to haul you off," he growled at Biblo. This was escalating. I did not want us to end up in a dungeon cell.
Biblo refused to relent. "We have done nothing wrong. Go on call the guard! I don't even want to buy from you anymore! I want you to apologize to Pearl though. Ponies should not treat other ponies this way."
"All I see is a dirty, stinking, bat and her dirty, stinking, bat-lover. I don't see any real ponies," he sneered back.
At this point I had to restrain Biblo. She tried to jump the counter and go after the shop keeper. She was a lot stronger than she looked. Pure rage was fueling her strength, and it was hard to hold her back.
Holding her did transfer my emotions to her. She must have been clear enough of mind to feel them. I was terrified for her. I didn't want her getting in trouble on my behalf. I didn't want ponies judging her. I was angry too, but more than anything I wanted her safe. She turned and looked at me. She was crying from the rage and the hurt. Then she pulled me with her as she took off out of the store.
We just kept moving through the streets quickly without goal. She just wanted to be away from that place. We finally came to a stop in an alley that didn't have any ponies around. She bent down and buried her face into her forehooves and sobbed. I came over next to her and wrapped my forehooves around her in embrace.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to her.
She stopped sobbing and pulled away. She got to her her hooves and turned to look at me. "You have no reason to be sorry," she said forcefully. "You were treated badly by those ponies, and you didn't do anything to earn that. You are a good pony, you give good hugs. You are not some monster."
I tried to find some way of explaining this to her. "Nothing can be done to change how they act. It's just the way things are. It's why I live in Starlight's Folly instead of some other city. Ponies just see a Thestral and they see a monster, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Part of why I like you so much is you don't see me that way, and that is so rare. I feel really guilty that a pony treated you that way too, just because you were with me. You might be better off not being seen with me."
She came over to me quickly and gave me a fierce hug. "No! I am not turning tail on you because ponies are mean. I am going to do a better job at making sure ponies don't treat you like that. I don't know how yet, I am not a smart pony. But I will find a way. It matters to me, and it should definitely matter to you, that ponies treat you with at least with basic respect.
I can feel what you are feeling. I know how much it is hurting you. I don't want you hurt like that. I don't want any pony hurt like that. You are worried about me, and I appreciate that, but I would rather deal with being treated meanly by mean ponies than not being able to be around you."
I sighed. "Maybe when this is all over we can go back to Starlight's Folly, or maybe Crystal Heart, and not have to worry about it. We can figure that out later. Right now it is really late, and we need to find our way back to the hotel."
She glanced up at the sky. Luna's moon was out. Out in the street, beyond the alley, the number of ponies had dropped dramatically as they went home for the night. She looked like She wanted to say more, but nodded instead.
We exited the alleyway and came to the immediate conclusion we had no idea where we were in relation to the hotel. So we started trying to retrace our steps back to the bookstore, and hopefully from there find our way back to where we are, and then back to the hotel. After several minutes of wandering we weren't having much luck. Nothing looked familiar, not that we had been paying much attention when we fled the bookstore.
I glanced up to try to see if I had gotten any better at judging location by the Tree. My breath caught when I did as I spotted the night patrol, making sweeps of the area off in the distance. Lunar Guard ponies, Thestrals, I could not have them see me. Biblo was this upset about how most ponies treated me, she could not be exposed to how Thestrals treat me.
"I think we should go this way," I said, half lying. I definitely thought we needed to move in a direction away from the Lunar patrol, I had no idea if it was the right way to get back to the hotel.
She followed without seeming to realize at first my concern. She wasn't in direct contact with me and her own emotions were a mess at the moment. I would have to avoid touching her until we got back to the hotel, or at least safely away from the patrol.
My pace increased and she began picking up on the fact that something was up. "Pearl stop! We are getting more twisted around," she said, bringing us to a halt. I glanced up involuntarily to see where the patrol was and her eyes followed mine. The patrol was extremely close.
Biblo spotted them and her face lit up. "Look Pearl, more Thestrals! They can give us directions. Hey! Over here! We need assistance!" She waved and shouted to my fellow Thestrals. Oh the things she did without realizing how bad an idea it was to do them. It wasn't her fault she didn't know.
Unfortunately she managed to get the patrol's attention. The patrol paused in mid air to look directly at us. Biblo didn't have as sharp an eye as me or vision that worked as well at night. Mine wasn't perfect, but I saw what she didn't. They weren't looking directly at us, they were looking directly at me. Their vision was almost certainly better than mine, which means they knew exactly who I was, word gets around Thestrals easily.
My heart quickened. We needed to get away now. I had to convince Biblo of the danger. I pulled her into an embrace. "Biblo, we need to get out of here now! I will explain later, but we can't let them get to us. Feel what I am feeling and trust me please!"
She didn't take long to realize the source of my panic. I am fairly sure my feelings were Crystal clear. She didn't ask questions, she just nodded with a look of fear on her face. She might not know why she should fear this patrol, but she knew how much I did. We took off again at a blind run.
We ran for a few minutes, I kept glancing behind and up, but couldn't get a sight on them. That meant nothing. These were not just any Thestrals, these were Lunar Guard, they could pursue without being seen. They were trained to stay out of sight when engaging enemies. My instincts screamed at me to take to the air and fly away, but that was a bad idea on multiple levels. They were also much better flyers than me, and I was much more exposed in the air, not to mention I couldn't leave Biblo. So I just kept running.
We were running down an alley and it took a turn. Then certain doom happened, this alley had a dead end.
We turned around to try to backtrack, but it was too late. They were there, five Lunar Guards. Two of them landed in the alleyway blocking our exit, the other three landed on top of the surrounding buildings. We were trapped, even if we by dome miracle were able to get through the two in front of us, the other three would be down on us in an instant.
They were all stallions. One of the ones in front of us addressed Biblo. "You signaled us for help. I see you are in dire need. Seems you are being held captive by an abomination. Don't worry the Lunar Guard is here to help."
My anxiety and panic somehow rose further upon hearing the old condemnation again. Biblo wasn't taking it though. Her anger from earlier rose to the surface again, and she replied. "Don't call her that! Why is she so afraid of you? She hasn't done anything wrong!"
The speaker for the patrol sneered. "It is wrong by existing! It is named perfectly, named after a weed, it needs to be ripped out. This thing you call a mare is an affront to what is natural, it is an affront to holy Luna! It needs to be punished for betraying the natural order."
This wasn't going to be taunting. I didn't think this was going to even be a beating. They were murderous. "Biblo get away from here! They are concerned with me. Just go away and they'll leave you alone."
"Listen to the abomination, little Crystal mare. It's likely the best advice this thing has ever given. Go home and be a good pony," the stallion told Biblo.
"Please Biblo," I begged. "Keep yourself safe."
"No!" Biblo yelled at the guard. "I am not leaving and you are not going to hurt her!"
The leader signaled the other guard on the ground. "Suit yourself. You were given the opportunity to leave and be good. You'll just have to hang around for the show."
The other stallion walked up to Biblo and quickly pinned her forelegs up against the wall. This kept her from being able to properly buck with her hind legs. She let out a scream in defiance and he took one of his foreleg and punched her hard in the torso with it, knocking the air out of her scream.
Rage built up in me. "Don't hurt her!" I tried to run to Biblo's rescue but the three above were down on me in an instant pinning me.
The leader gave a short chuckle. "Oh the Weed did grow a spine at some point. Too bad you didn't keep your balls. Maybe you would have made a passable little half breed if you did. Still an embarrassment mind you, but some pony we would take pity on and let clean some latrines. You had to go and do something unnatural though. We have no pity for that."
Biblo tried to give out another shout, but another blow to her gut once again silenced her. "Biblo!" I cried out trying to free myself to come to her aid.
A forehooves came down on my muzzle hard causing my fangs to fig into my own flesh. Another came down on my back near the base of my wing, another followed in quick succession on the other wing base. I could taste my own blood in my mouth.
"Oh don't concern yourself with her, Weed," the leader chided. "You have your own concerns to worry about right now." He lifted a forehooves and brought it down hard against my face. I had trouble reopening my right eye.
I was in severe pain, and it only got worse. They took turns taking blows at me, making everything hurt, what didn't hurt was numb. They laughed as they struck me repeatedly with their forehooves, and took bucks at my sides. I couldn't even try to fight back. Nothing seemed to respond right in my body, it hurt too much.
Finally they relented. Though they still had me pinned. I could somehow hear Biblo gasping for breath despite the ringing in my ears.
"You want to be treated as a mare, maybe we should oblige you," the leader said with a laugh. Next thing I knew my rump was being held up and my tail held back. My mind screamed as I realized their intention, but I couldn't break loose.
"Let's give you a real lesson. One you won't forget," he continued to laugh.
He mounted me. I somehow pulled more strength from somewhere to fight, but it was for naught. My struggles were met with additional blows and soon ceased. A final pain erupted from my most personal of spaces, and then all was black.