//------------------------------// // Chapter 55: The Hearts of Maidens, Part Three // Story: Princess Essenta // by Pone_Heap //------------------------------// Antecedence Arc Leaving the raging Delia and the much-elbowed Essenta behind, Cassia entered the next area. Still, she noted nothing of consequence. Considering the noise, she wouldn’t be all that surprised to see somepony awake. She found Wilka was still snoring but Ama and Loress were up. Zyra was giving mixed signals. Ama was curled up facing a wall. Cassia heard her crying. The Mazan wasn’t even aware they had a guest… As with Loress, it wasn’t the noise that woke her… Loress, herself, was staring into space with blank eyes. They were near-catatonic—and had probably been awake for some time. Cassia heard Zyra stir and brought her horn to a fast glow; doing so hurt and she felt her legs buckle at the transfer of energy. But Zyra slept on. As she’d just told the princess and the janitor, she had a bone to pick with Loress; she certainly did but she weighed her options. It’s not as if Loress had to go first. Sensing an unusually peaceful vibe from Wilka—given everything going on—she’d do her later… The Knollwing’s words didn’t mean a whole Helluva lot to her. Zyra… was the biggest threat. But Cassia wasn’t strictly a business-before-pleasure sort and seeing Ama again—a mare she came to like very much in their brief meeting—she wasn’t sure there’d be much to see. The big mare was suffering and would likely afford only pain. Cassia didn’t want to hurt Ama; she was hesitant to even connect with her. Cassia turned eyes to the Terran; she’d do Loress first. Approaching the wall-eyed mare with a lot less enthusiasm than she’d been feeling, she dropped Loress off for a snooze. She’d been ready to run Loress through the mill, for what she’d done… but the peculiarity in Dechaa’s mind put quite a damper on her already-dwindling spirit. Cassia knew Loress had caused the gas "escaping" in the city. There wasn’t much else she figured the Terran could “tell” her but she’d see. Just what were these mares made of? Cassia sniffed the “air”. Maybe it’s more than a few in a hundred that can conjure smell… Terrow—a placed Cassia had never been but certainly knew about—looked better than it smelled. At least it was so where she was. It wasn’t as if the entire city smelled like shit, but Cassia found herself near the stockyards and stables. A large trading and cultural hub, all the different races of ponies could be found, as well as other species. Griffins, deer, minotaurs… In the distance, Cassia espied the Fortress of Terrow—an imposing structure of brick and steel. The gorgeous, much-praised city rose up away from where she was, but things looked pretty sorry at her level. Distinguishing the stink of pig and cow shit was impossible; it mingled in the air as their noises did. At least the “ground” was solid beneath her hooves and she was not unhappy seeing herself so young again. Such a wonder… this needy mare… But the sometimes-fragile Loress—for one reason or another—could really conjure up one Helluva mindscape! Cassia hardly had to do a thing! Naturally, nopony and no other creatures could see her. Nothing but Terrans around her, Cassia considered them: they were on average much taller than normal Earth ponies and notably bulkier… but they weren’t as unhandsome as reputed. Still, they were ass-ugly compared to the little streak of cream and black that sped by her. It had Cassia jump back, in spite of herself. “Loress!” Cassia looked over, her eyes leading to the door of a rather humble, yet comfortable-looking home, like yet unlike many others on the same road. There stood a mare, tall and statuesque, who was almost as beautiful as her daughter. Appearing to her sides were numerous foals—already large but obviously young—who weren’t all that bad to look at either. Little Loress, wearing a worn-out-looking vest, turned and answered, “Quid opus est, Matri?” That’s right… Terrans… It was a good thing Cassia knew the language. Cassia watched Loress run back and saw Loress was little. In chatting with Loress and the others, she learned Loress was a big sister in age only and that was a fact—she was no bigger than the little ones! Something in the air… stank. Like, really stank… Cassia wondered what it was. It smelled of soil, hard work, and sweat. Mrs. Claystable hoofed Loress a sack, “Your father’s lunch, dear… Could you deliver it on your way?” Loress chuckled, “He forgot again?” “As with most days, dear.” “Will do,” Loress stowed the sack lunch with the other contents of her bag. “Thanks, Loress. Better hurry. And all the best to you!” Loress’s cheeks reddened, “Thanks, Mother… I’ll try.” “We know you will,” the older mare grinned. “Go.” “Right!” “Aaaaaand one more thing, Loress!” her mother’s voice stopped her. “Yes…?” Loress looked back mischievously. Her mother sparkled haplessly, “You’re not coming back into the house until you bathe yourself… you and your lucky vest.” Joyful, the young Terran puffed her chest, hoofing the ratty thing, “You won’t be seeing my lucky vest again… I won’t be needing it anymore.” Her mother looked confused but pleased. Cassia had been wondering what the stench was. Loress took off to the chorus of goodbyes from her younger siblings, a smile pasted to her face. Cassia saw Loress was just a hair taller than her as she passed. Anywhere else on the continent she’d merely be the most beautiful mare in town… and not the shortest too. Loress was fast—faster than just about any Terran she’d seen. Cassia was almost daunted to find she’d have to follow the speedy Loress. But with a tireless body and the fact she was walking a mindscape on her side, she leapt up and followed. It was nice to levitate, even if it was superficial; she’d never been very good at it. Keeping close to Loress, it was a strange view; perhaps it was what a dog or a cat felt, bounding about underhoof of all the other creatures. But Cassia kept up. A few ponies tossed Loress a “hello” or a “good morning” but most didn’t even seem to notice her; they had to look down to see her. “Good morning, Mrs. Elderhut!” Cassia had to stop to avoid gliding too far; the tiny Terran had stopped. “Oh, good morning, Loress… How are you, dear?” Before Delia stood a mare that made her decrepitness look positively youthful. Hunched and bent, she was still a little taller than Loress. “I’m in a bit of a rush, Mrs. Elderhut, but here’s the pan back—the one from the brownies you gave us. The little ones loved them!” The old mare beamed, “Oh, bless them, I’m glad… Not that I baked them… my servant Paubi did.” Loress shined, “Oh? She showed me how to make a great egg-cream last week!” “I know you showed her that recipe for pistachio-puff. That was certainly a hit. I guess you wouldn’t know yet, but she’s expecting her second foal!” Loress smiled, “Congratulate her for me! It’ll be great for Edda to have a little brother or sister!” Mrs. Elderhut snorked, “Hopefully the next one’s less of a flyer than the first… Those little Pegasi get into everything…” Cassia had to remember the Terrans, like quite a few other ponies in the world, practiced slavery. It filled her with all sorts of unpleasant feelings… ones she’d tried to get away from her whole life. And Loress was an innocent, thinking nothing of it, chatting happily about all the baking she’d done with the young Paubi recently. She wanted to like the old mare, but… it was difficult. Loress then hoofed Mrs. Elderhut the container, “Well, here you go.” “I… oh!” Loress chuckled, watching her old friend heft the pan. “Oh… do I smell…?” “You sure do! I wouldn’t give it back empty!” “One of your famous carrot cakes!” Mrs. Elderhut almost squealed. “You shouldn’t have!” Loress smiled big, blushing and hoofing the ground, “I wouldn’t call it famous… I made the cream cheese icing fresh this morning. And no walnuts in this one, of course! One of my sisters is allergic and I know you are.” “It’s famous enough!” the old mare stated, eagerly hoofing the lid off the pan. “How many shops wanted to buy the recipe?” Loress simpered, hoofing the back of her neck, “A couple… I just gave it to them. They sure sell enough of it though… ‘Claystable’s Carrot Cake’ they call it; that’s enough for me.” Scooping a morsel of the cake, Mrs. Eldershed looked gleeful as she took a bite, “You know, Loress, if soldiering isn’t for you, you’d make a heck of a baker!” Loress took on an air of discomfort, “Oh, I’ll be a soldier! And I like baking but… even then, I’d be stuck with my family’s work, first…” “Do say ‘hello’ to your father from me, when you see him.” “Stopping there first!” “…First…?” the older mare chewed cake. “Oh, right…! Today’s the test!” Loress puffed up, still shorter than the old one, “It sure is!” “Well, don’t let me keep you.” Loress was already on her way, “Bye!” Smiling at the otherwise delightful Mrs. Eldershed, Cassia took off after Loress. This is rather nice… not great, but all right. Cassia knew Loress was a stable maid but had no idea for whom: the city’s surroundings grew increasingly nicer until they came upon the royal stables. That was slightly surprising. “Father!” Loress called out on approach. Out of a window came the head of a decently handsome stallion; he shared Loress’s black mane, “Oh, hello, honey!” Loress closed in and her father realized why she was there; he knocked himself playfully on the noggin, “Ah… Again! I forgot… Hmm… Smells like… sewage today.” Loress would’ve been hurt if it wasn’t a recurring father/daughter joke, “Oh, Father!” Mr. Claystable guffawed, “It’s alright, dear… When I was your age, I had this lucky headband I never washed… I wore it until I made the infantry when I was 17.” “Well, this lucky vest of mine is seeing the end of its career today…” He dimpled at his daughter, “I’m sure your mother will be pleased.” “Enough of that!” Loress pattered her hooves happily. “You haven’t guessed your lunch, yet!” “I know… I know… Hmm… some kind of puff-pastry… I can still sniff it out.” He came out of a side-door. Cassia’s jaw dropped; he was tall. Loress’s ear-tips didn’t even reach his shoulder. Exaggeratingly sniffing the air, Loress’s father guessed, “Turnip pasties!” Loress giggled, shaking her head, “Well, I suppose it smells a lot like it… Today’s shepherd’s pie.” “Again?” he took on a look of mock-despair, ruffling her mane. “You’re going to bury us in the stuff…” “Blame Mother,” Loress grumbled. “We had a little of everything and not much of one thing, so that means the pie.” “It’s fine, dear… Nothing beats you in the kitchen!” he glowed. Loress was tickled pink to hear this—and she certainly heard it a lot. “Well, get it on ice. Gotta go!” He halted her, “You know… if you wait a moment, I’ll come with you.” Loress’s eyes glowed, “But you said…” “Your mother’s busy and your brothers and sisters have their own lessons, but I’ve got a couple hours. Let me stow this delicious lunch and come with.” Loress gushed, “You mean it? I mean… you don’t have to if it’s in the way… You’ve come to most of the others.” Mr. Claystable cracked a smile, “It’s your 15th physical test! One for every year! And this is a big one! Most will have family in the peanut gallery.” Loress almost jumped for joy, “Oh, thank you, Father! Let’s go!” Mr. Claystable had to dig in to keep from being dragged by his “tiny” daughter, “The lunch!” Cassia thought a moment, having heard what she had; she looked again at Loress and her father… and the rest of the Terrans nearby. 15?! Loress is 15-years-old here?! It was difficult to fathom… little foals already the size of adult stallions. And Loress had so many “little” siblings. Wow… Cassia mused and followed father and daughter. The parade grounds at the fortress were set up with several stations and an obstacle course. The crowd assembled happily bustled about. Cassia knew a little about Terrans: from the time Terrans could walk they trained to grasp their great physical strength. Throughout their lives they were monitored and at a certain age it was determined if they were fit for military service. If a Terran had the aptitude/desire to enter military service, it was cultivated in the later teen years. In prominence was a banner: “15 anno-IV” Group four of the 15-year-olds… Cassia did not yet know the significance of the day but would soon learn. “Better get in place, Loress,” Mr. Claystable’s voice pulled Cassia from her observations. “Yes, Father,” Loress trotted off. Cassia elected to follow Loress. If the size-difference with her siblings was surprising the difference seen compared to her classmates was staggering. Most of them were larger than Ama. And none of them were particularly attractive! It seemed Loress’s family was the exception. Judging by Loress’s approach, Cassia knew the little beauty was in for some ridicule. And she wasn’t wrong. “Well, if it isn’t the shrimp in her stink-vest!” a colt crowed. “Good morning to you too, Pip,” Loress sighed heavily. “You even know what a shrimp is?” Pip halted a second; he smiled, “I know it’s something small!” A crowd guffawed, not entirely unkindly, and Loress appeared to stew. A filly—easily twice Loress’s size—ruffled the small one’s mane, “The grapevine says you’re finally losing your lucky vest, today. That true?” Loress shook out her mane, seeing it fall back into place, “You heard right, Aemilia.” Another colt chuckled, hoofing the vest as if handling something dead and decaying, “Yeah… I’ve only seen you take this thing off during sparring… You’ve worn it for… What, three years?” Loress gave a self-deprecating smirk, “Since our 12th year? Yeah. S’not like I’ve grown much…” Aemilia patted Loress’s back—not much of a reach, “Your legs have gotten longer!” The group laughed and Loress blushed. “I guess…” Loress snorted. Pip chimed in, “But today’s the big day, Loress. You’ve only just met the bare minimums for advancing to service candidacy—and only in a couple things! Do you really think you have a chance when we step it up?” Loress looked as if she knew something, “We’ll see, I guess.” The “merriment” broke up as a fanfare sounded. The young mares and stallions quickly got into a formation. The crowd watching silenced as a pony came into prominence. “I welcome you, 15th Years, to the annual procession!” a uniformed stallion called out, his voice aided by a unicorn servant “amplifier”. Cassia listened to the speech; looking about she didn’t catch all of it. From the time Terrans were young they were placed in a group—Loress’s being the fourth—of ponies born the same year. The 15th year was a monumental one: it was at this point the first “cut” would be made, determining which ponies would go on to be groomed for the military. From here ponies would be split up based on this, staying with their age-group. And not all ponies would make the final “cut” at the age of 17, to become military. Cassia continued to look about. The course was extensive: there was a long jump, a vertical leap, a vault, an obstacle course, and several things Cassia didn’t identify. After the formalities, the young ones lined up for a weigh-in, while a list of their accomplishments was read. The first colt was presented. He was a lanky fellow, but his physique betrayed great power. His record sounded impressive, though Cassia had no idea what to compare it to. He was weighed. “64.1 stone!” Cassia did a take; that was just shy of 900 lb! But she recalled something. She found it easy to forget: Terrans were about twice the weight of anypony their own size, due to their muscle structure… and there weren’t many bigger than a Terran. Young ones came and went, their records stated; there wasn’t a whole lot of difference in much, other than between colts and fillies. Terrans weren’t known for anomalies—there were only a few very exceptional outliers. Speaking of anomalies, a certain beauty’s turn came up. Her record was… less than impressive. Her lack of height and power caused her catalog to suffer. The only thing she was good at was sparring… and she was undefeated in that. The attendant looked Loress up and down, unsure what to make of her even after all the years, “I guess you don’t need to remove your vest… doesn’t weigh anything.” But Loress grinned, looking about. She undid her garment and dropped it to the ground. Whump! A cloud of dust rose up. This got a little attention. For more than a few seconds all was silent. Cassia took in the sight… and knew something was up. A colt paddled up, “This has been bugging me…” Loress watched him… and so did a lot of others. He casually hoofed the ratty vest and stopped short, “…What…?” All eyes turned to him; he looked a bit stunned. “It… won’t move.” What…?! Another colt chuckled, “It’s not like our hooves are useless.” He ambled up and poked at the vest. Looking confused, he got a hoof underneath and was surprised to find it more than a little heavy. Terrans were strong. They were a lot stronger than any other race of ponies but heavy was heavy. “Holy shit!” the colt exclaimed, dropping the vest and jumping to avoid crushing his hooves. “What’s this weigh?!” Loress shook her body, grimacing and cracking a few things, “About 75 stone…” Gasps came up from those in attendance. “No way!” “Nopony that small could walk, much less stand up straight in that!” Cassia had to do the math… 1,050 lb.?! Loress was carrying more than twice her bodyweight… Her hooves supported a weight greater than that of any of her classmates… and equal to some of the largest of Terrans. And she did this constantly, only taking it off to sleep, wash, and spar… and when her mother didn’t want the thing in the house. One could suppose she took it off in private, to test her actual abilities. “But it’s cloth!” exclaimed another. “How?” “Magic,” Loress said. “Where’d you get it? Your family can’t afford any servants, much less magical ones!” Loress didn’t answer any more questions. But Cassia had already figured it out. Loress had friends that were magical… as much as a freepony and a slave could be friends, that is. The little mare stepped onto the scale, free of her vest. “33.5 stone!” called out the mare attending the scale. A few laughs could be heard. She was by far the lightest, by more than 20 stone to the next. But most of those present knew they were about to see something they’d never seen before. And they surely did. Loress jumped farther, higher, and with more skill than all the others. Nopony could outfight her, outrun her, or outmaneuver her. She cleared rooftops and fields. She set every record that day but one. And it was the only thing that might cook her goose: horsepower. It was the one thing she couldn’t “manipulate” with her training. Cassia had never made sense of it but Terrans measured strength based on a unit of a “normal Earth pony stallion”. And she knew a Terran mare needed a score of 18-horsepower to be military material. Terrans grew a lot in their later teens so at this point a “10” was acceptable for a mare; greater strength came later. Horsepower was determined in three exercises: the “pull”, the “carry”, and the “lift”. It was as simple as it sounded: they had to pull a slab of rock, carry a weighted frame a certain distance without touching the ground, and wedge themselves under a lever and lift whatever they could. Loress just managed to squeak by here but the crowd was wowed, considering she outperformed a few of the fillies in her age group. Some didn’t make the cut, but Loress managed 10.5-horsepower. While the future looked dire for Loress, she’d done what nopony expected. Her ponies—her family—couldn’t have been prouder. And Loress couldn’t have been prouder of herself. Cassia saw the next year fly by. Loress, gaining more respect from her peers and uppers, saw her strength increase. And she grew some too… as much as she ever would. The “cut-off” was higher the next year: 13-horsepower for mares. Loress achieved 13.1, the lowest of the scores. Some passing in horsepower failed anyway; it wasn’t the only attribute measured. Loress excelled in all else. Things got “cloudier” for Cassia, the last year being much a blur. A lot of frustration plagued the young Loress. She trained more obsessively, shirking her love of baking and her friendships. “Loress…” a stallion’s voice came clear. Cassia recognized him as the stallion that had announced the 15th and 16th year observances. “Yes, General?” Loress, looking more beautiful every year but also much more beat-up, stared back evenly in the general’s office. The general sighed, “Loress… Don’t you think it’s time to stop this?” Loress tried to hide her anger but it was thin, “Never, General.” “Your aptitude just isn’t up to snuff. You’ve defied all expectations given your inherent lack of our race’s size and raw strength. But I don’t like what the council is suggesting!” “Sir! My official horsepower is at 13.7. I will make 14! The test is a month away and that is time enough.” “You topped out at 13.8 soon after the last exam and fell from there; you plateaued almost 10 months ago. 10 months at a 13.7 is unacceptable. This is your 17th year; you can’t plateau now.” Loress gulped, “Sir… the council-” “The council answers to me! I don’t answer to them and I have the final say in matters! They want to make an allowance! They want to lower the standards! For you?! You may be the most exceptional mare I’ve seen in all my years of service, but I have been against their choice from the start! Those standards have stood for centuries and they have stood for a reason!” Loress looked scared, choosing her words carefully, “Sir… I mean no disrespect. The king bestowed upon you your rank for a reason, and-” The general looked unmoved, “Why do you want to be a soldier, Loress?” Loress had rehearsed the answer; she was caught unaware but stated, “I want to serve Terrow, General!” “Why do you want to be a soldier, Loress?” The general repeated himself, with special emphasis. Loress didn’t have a good answer for this; she almost mumbled, “Because that’s what Terrans are supposed to do…” “A child’s answer…” the general breathed. “That toxic creed is the one thing I despise most—of all our faults as a race! I resent it!” “…” “Do you know what to serve is?” Loress looked up, shrinking, “I… know.” “Do you?” he asked. “Do you really?” Loress couldn’t answer, “…” “Your father served. He ever talk much about it?” Loress could give an emphatic answer, “No. No, he doesn’t, General.” The general sighed, “I want you to think about what it means to serve… and think hard.” Loress almost whispered, “Yes…” The general stood up, ushering Loress away, “Think hard.” The scene faded out, rematerializing not a few days later. “It’s my life!” Loress cried out. “Don’t take this from me!” “And it’s my army!” the general coldly stated. “It comes down to me, in the end, and this is my final decision. The standard will not be lowered. It is physically impossible for you to attain 18-horsepower in three weeks—if at all—and you will not be participating in the last examination.” Stunned murmers broke out among the class of 17th years. A lot had been made of lowering the standards… for the most exceptional mare of the generation. Loress looked crushed; she was beyond tears and appeared to go into near-shock. “General!” a stallion called out. Cassia saw it was Pip; he was definitely older, a proper military-type. “Yes, Pip?” the general asked evenly. Pip stood before the general, “Sir… Nopony could match up to her! Nopony worked harder! Nopony was a better friend! Nopony…” “What, Pip?” the general had waited a few seconds, Pip fading to silence. “Nopony’s ever wanted this more!” Pip choked out. “Why now?” The others waited with bated breath. Loress just stood there, not hearing much. The general said with flatness, “It’s my decision. That is all, Pip…” Pip retreated, looking both stunned and upset. The general turned to the forlorn Loress, “Loress Claystable: I dismiss you from your military candidacy.” Whether Loress heard or not, she turned and began to slowly paddle away, staring at the ground. Her friends and classmates watched as she left, her head hung and tail drooping. Their dismay was a thing all its own. … … … Cassia floated about Loress’s mind. She wasn’t sure what to do. She was even less keen on reaming Loress after all she’d seen. Confused and upset, the only future she saw for herself dashed, Loress had retreated into herself. Unmoved by her family and friends, she took off from Terrow one day, in tears, with only a rucksack on her flank. Cassia knew Loress wasn’t the same child anymore—she was much wiser and not the same filly that ran off from her home. She’d been through a lot since then. It didn’t make much sense to Cassia how Loress had come up with the idea to break the gas-lines in Nuinhof but she herself was beyond holding it against her. She really was just a mare, in need of friends and lost in many ways. Deciding it was time to “meet” Loress, Cassia went searching. She found Loress on a beach. Cassia approached the Terran, sitting in the sand and staring out at the sea. Loress heard her approach; she looked Cassia up and down, “Oh… Cassia.” Cassia, knowing Loress had mind enough to create such a space, didn’t have to wonder why Loress recognized her, “Yes.” “…” Cassia sat down next to her, “Where’s this?” “Before going west I went east… until I hit the sea. I’ll never forget seeing it for the first time.” “I remember the first time I saw the sea… I was almost sold across it, but a bidder ‘saved’ me.” Loress winced, “I wouldn’t have guessed you were a slave.” Cassia sighed, “Don’t concern yourself with that… I’ve seen your life, you know…” “This is a little more impressive than it was with Noach,” Loress admitted. “Yes, I have a talent for ‘making the most’ of a pony’s mind,” Cassia said. Loress sat a few minutes, choosing her words. “It took a while—after all that—for me to figure why I had the rug pulled out from under me…” Cassia thought this was a rather immature way to state this but… it wasn’t untrue, “I can’t imagine why, Loress…” “Can’t you?” Cassia said, “No. I really can’t.” “I think it was my father.” Cassia did a take, “Why say that?” Loress shuffled hooves, “He never wanted me to be a soldier; he didn’t want it for any of us. And the general? He served with my father, years ago… They were good friends. My father retired a captain; he’d served as subordinate officer for all their careers, up until the general was a major. The general respected the council more than he let on… He might’ve embraced the change. But my father? He’d side with him in a heartbeat.” “You think so?” Cassia mused. “He convinced him?” “I do… Whether he actually requested it… or if the thought just rubbed off on him… That’s the part I’m unsure about.” Cassia stared at the sky, “What if you’re right?” “Oh, I’ll ask him… when I see him again,” Loress leaned back. “I forgave him already, if I’m right…” “I’m glad to hear that,” Cassia let things settle out. “Your father must be quite a stallion.” “He is…” A sudden sniffle jostled Cassia; Loress was crying. “What is it?” Cassia asked. “…Do you know what it means to serve?” Cassia hummed, “As in military service? You wouldn’t like what I have to say…” Loress said blankly, “It is little more than to exert a government’s will… To kill.” Loress was no fool, Cassia had realized… at least in some things. “Yes,” Cassia agreed. “That’s more or less it… in the end.” “I came to that same conclusion… even back then. And it didn’t change my mind… at least then.” “You were young, Loress. Allow yourself that.” “It was my dream, you know…” Loress said. “It was,” Cassia acknowledged. “Still…” Loress’s tear-choked voice came strong. “Knowing what I know now…” Cassia lazily eyed the Terran maid, “Yes?” A mixture of certainty and pain clouded Loress’s pretty face, “I’m so very, very glad… I’m not a soldier.” They sat, the gulls crying and the waves crashing. Cassia sighed, “You girls have seen things most soldiers never, ever see… and they’re fortunate for it.” This was true. The raid outside of Renata… Facing a dragon… Not to mention some of the girls’ more personal experiences. The encounter with Radulf, in custody of those stallions that knew Noach, was a bit of a shock. She was most curious to know more but Loress didn’t know as much—she suspected—as somepony else might. Silence reigned another moment. Loress snuffled, “Cassia… I… don’t know what to say about Nuinhof. I… don’t remember much… Delia… she…” “You don’t have to say another thing, Loress… I know…” Cassia had realized Loress hurt more than even she could readily detect. Loress had been discerning, “She saved us… I’m not sure how she did it… and I think I know what you’re up to… but…” Cassia shook her head, unwilling to discuss what was increasingly clear to her, “I won’t harm anypony.” Loress stared between her hooves at the sand, “…” “Well… that’s not entirely true,” Cassia admitted. Loress perked up, bemused, “What?” “You’ll wake up later…” Cassia turned from the Terran’s worried face. It wasn’t as much that Cassia didn’t want to lie; she just felt very little love towards the irresolute mare. So, Cassia left Loress on the beach. She knew—she had for a while—the young mares had been forced into a corner and acted upon it. She didn’t wish to push things onto Loress. But her less than malicious thoughts towards Loress did little to pacify her actual hate, still directed at one pony in particular. She didn’t want to listen to what the girls had to say in some matters. If they started making sense… things would become even clearer. And where would that leave Cassia? Cassia came back to herself, aches, pains, and the knowledge of her dying back in full force. She gasped as her ribs sent a jolt of agony through her body. Almost collapsing she managed to keep her hooves. In the next passage she could hear Essenta struggling with Delia’s anger in their enclosed space. Mere seconds had passed in the waking world, while she’d been “gone” for hours. It was something she’d never gotten used to, not in all her decades of being able to “walk” through the minds of others. She turned her attention away from the two mares, helpless and harmless in the magic bubble, to the three remaining mares around her. Wilka was still snoozing; Delia had resolved to look in on her last and she hadn’t changed her mind. Zyra was closer to waking than Cassia had expected but Delia again halted, again seeing, hearing, and sensing Ama’s struggles. Her resolve—still weakening yet stubbornly remaining—had suffered a blow in her final moments with Loress. Her tired mind was insisting she lie down… sleep… and never stand up again. But her hardening heart ached for the big mare, weeping in front of her. Cassia had enjoyed Ama’s company greatly… She would have loved to have a friend in her. And she wanted to sooth her suffering if she could. That and the fact Ama was apparently Zyra’s closest friend among the girls compelled Cassia to enter Ama’s mind next. The things Cassia had learned about Zyra were quite unsettling. She didn’t know everything but had pieced together a lot. A “war orphan” with great power that had the resolve to cook a murdering assassin alive yet permitted her to peacefully walk away from a chance for justice—not revenge, but true and deserved justice to which nopony had likely ever been more entitled—was more than intriguing. And it was all the more intriguing to her to see it from another point of view… from the outside in… Ama was the key. Hoping that risking a couple “real world” seconds before going for Zyra wouldn’t be her final undoing—she needed no help with dying—she entered Ama’s mind.