The halls of Castle Ostia echoed with three sets of footsteps as Hector, Florina, and their retainer traversed the halls, heading into the deepest reaches of the castle.
Hector had traded his blue robes for his favorite, similarly-colored heavy riding armor, plates strapped to his chest, shoulders, hips, and shins over his brown pants. Strapped to his back beneath his red cape was a silver combat axe, the blade half as large as his chest. He held a small brass key in his hand. Florina had undergone no change of attire aside from electing to remove her jewelry.
Their retainer strolled alongside the two royals, dressed in rusty red armor similar to Hector’s own, lance in hand, with only his head exposed, revealing his short brown hair and chiseled facial features. His gaze remained stoic, dutifully pointed straight ahead and focused.
The three made their way down two flights of stairs, passing by a couple of maids and even a castle chef as they passed the cellar, all of whom bowed to the royals and earning eye rolls from Hector each time. Their destination lay around a corner just beyond the dungeon; a small, for all intents-and-purposes plain-looking supply room. Had it not been for the sentries stationed on either side of the door, no one would have assumed it housed anything of interest, much less a gateway to other worlds.
The two sentries expectedly bowed as the trio approached.
“You are dismissed,” Hector stated. “Return to the barracks and await further orders.”
The sentries nodded and left down the hall. Once they were out of sight, Hector used the key to unlock the door and open it.
The sight that greeted them filled Hector with both dread and intrigue. Floating in the air a few centimeters off the ground, obstructing all the random supplies strewn about behind it, was a rectangular gateway; a Window, lighting up the otherwise darkness-ridden closet, leading to a point outside of this world. On the other side was a vast expanse of stark whiteness, a hub that housed gateways to other worlds. He’d yet to witness them firsthand, but he trusted Florina’s word. Knowing that another gateway to a separate world already existed in the form of the Dragon’s Gate on the Dread Isle made this all the more believable.
“So, this is the gateway to other worlds?” the retainer said, the slight awe in his voice cracking his professional demeanor.
“It leads to the Singularity, which itself houses gateways to other worlds,” Florina clarified.
Hector sighed. “This is going to be demanding, I can feel it,” he remarked. If he was being honest with himself, this whole situation was too surreal to his liking. As dumbstruck as he’d been upon discovering the reality of dragons back during the war against Nergal, standing before a Window leading to worlds populated by talking equines, electric mice, and giant pink puffballs with bottomless stomachs straight up unnerved him. It was why he’d insisted upon bringing his axe, despite Florina’s assurances that the ponies whom they were seeking aid from were friendly and kind.
“Far be it from me to question your decisions in official matters, my lord,” the retainer said, drawing the royal couple’s attention. “But are you sure seeking aid for Ilia is important enough to resort to…” He trailed off for a moment, his eyes going to the Window. A flicker of doubt flashed across his eyes, something Hector was too accustomed to seeing from him by now to bother reacting. “To this?” He finally finished.
“Oswin, if it wasn’t for the fact that my reputation among the populace is shaky at best, I would’ve sent off a caravan full of supplies and that would’ve been that.” Hector paused, giving Florina a reassuring smile; she returned with her own grateful one. “One way or another, I’m helping Ilia, even if it means visiting an alien world full of talking, multicolored equines.”
Oswin simply nodded. “I understand, my lord.”
Hector clasped Florina’s hand in his own. “Stand guard until we get back, Oswin. Don’t let anyone through here, either way. I’m not sure how long this will take, but we’ll try to be back before sundown. We might be leaving first thing in the morning if all goes well, so be prepared.”
Oswin nodded. He closed the door, leaving the royal couple alone with the Window. Together, hand in hand, they strode across the room and stepped through, coming out on the other side effortlessly and painlessly. The sensation was surprisingly plain for Hector. He’d just stepped out of Elibe into an alien world, but he might as well have stepped through his bedroom door for all he felt. A part of him was disappointed, but mostly he was just grateful the action was simple and streamlined for how significant it was.
He turned his attention to the expanse of white before them; the Singularity, as Florina had called it. Even now that he was actually inside it, it didn’t look very impressive. Dozens more Windows were spread out across the blank landscape with seemingly no rhyme or reason to their placement. Looking down revealed nothing but more white as if the two of them were standing on nothing, even though he felt solid ground beneath his boots.
A black spot in the distance caught his attention. Squinting his eyes, Hector thought he could make out slight movement. Probably another soul here wishing to travel to another world. A part of him wondered if they were nervous too.
“So, now what?” he asked. The sound of his own voice actually felt alien in this strange world. Perhaps it was just because the Singularity was so utterly quiet.
Florina turned her head all around, apparently searching for something. “I… let me think… we need to… um.” She bit her lip, a nervous frown crossing her face.
Hector sighed and pulled her against him, earning a small squeak from his wife. She looked up to meet his firm gaze.
“Focus, Florina, just focus,” he soothed, hoping he was succeeding for once. “This is as much your mission as it is mine, so don’t go doubting yourself when we’ve just started. Okay?”
Florina blinked a few times, digesting his words. Her confidence had been growing ever since their time spent in Eliwood’s army, but she still had a ways to go before stuff like this was buried in distant memory for good. Normally, he wasn’t a patient kind of man, and he had no qualms about admitting such, but things were different when it came to Florina. For her, he’d resolved to become, as many people often called him, less of a ‘brutish oaf’. He could only hope and pray he was succeeding with each passing day.
Finally, Florina drew a deep, relaxing breath, exhaling and furrowing her brows in a show of confidence. “Right,” she said. She resumed scanning their surroundings, this time with more precise head motions. “If I remember correctly, there should be some Guides here to point out the correct Window.”
“What do they look like?” Hector asked.
“Well… they’re darkly-colored.” Florina put a finger to her chin, eyes drawn upward in thought. “And… they take on the shape of a floating set of spheres in the pattern of a cross.”
Hector craned his neck around, eyes on the lookout for something matching the strange description. He thought such an object would be easy to spot against the white void around them, but was having trouble seeing anything of the sort. Not until he turned his head to look up and behind them did he find what he was looking for.
“There.” He pointed to it.
The two made their way over to the Guide. It had no reaction to their presence, floating in place above their heads. Another wave of discomfort washed over Hector at the prospect of actually talking to this thing. Every second he was in the Singularity was a second he didn’t like being here. A brief glance down at Florina indicated she might’ve felt the same way if the worry in her eyes was anything to go by.
“Is there a special procedure for requesting permission to enter another world?” Hector asked.
Florina shook her head. “We need only say where we wish to go, and the Guide will summon the corresponding Window for us.”
Hector raised an eyebrow. “That seems unnecessarily risky. Do these Guides just allow anyone who wishes so to walk through a Window?”
“I don’t know,” Florina said, her voice laced with uncertainty. “I think I remember something about the Windows only working by ‘divine order’, but I forgot the details.” She shrunk a little into herself. “I tried to forget about a lot of the stuff that happened to me during that time.”
“Well, we made it this far, so I guess whatever force rules over this place is on our side,” Hector reasoned.
“I guess so,” Florina replied, a little confidence snaking into her tone.
Hector stepped up to the Guide. “We come from the land of Elibe,” he said, speaking with all the authority and conviction he could muster in spite of his discomfort. “We request permission to enter the land of Equestria.”
Immediately, the Guide lifted its leftmost sphere which vaguely resembled a hand being raised. Hector and Florina’s eyes widened when a Window darted into their field of vision from the left, coming to an abrupt stop right below the Guide, which then lowered its sphere hand.
They both blinked rapidly. “Oh my…” Florina breathed.
Hector shook his head, resolve crossing his face. “Let’s go, I don’t want to spend another second in this place.”
Florina nodded. Together, they stepped through the new Window.
The room they came into was as dark as the castle’s supply room, the only source of illumination coming from the Window behind them. And just like the supply room, various supplies were haphazardly tossed around here. Before them was a plain wooden door, but instead of a doorknob, a circular, metallic indentation was set into the door where one would’ve been.
Hector raised an eyebrow, curious about the odd device. Then he remembered that this world was populated by talking equines; it made sense that they couldn’t use traditional doorknobs if they had hooves like the equines he was used to.
Reaching out a hand, he firmly pressed the indentation. It pushed inward and a soft click was heard. Then Hector quickly retracted his hand when a couple of startled shouts sounded on the other side of the door. He heard Florina gasp beside him, instinctively drawing her close for protection.
The door swung open and Hector almost blanched at the sight of two small, gray-coated equines before him. They wore gold armor plates across their backs and chest, as well as golden horseshoes and helmets, the latter of which having strips of blue bristles across their lengths. Their tails were similarly blue, while their eyes were brownish-gold.
Their eyes were what threw Hector off the most, being three times the size of even the largest measurements for human eyes back in Elibe. They stared up at him with clearly defined, mixed expressions of confusion and fear. Their mouths hung agape, no doubt awestruck by the alien beings standing almost twice their size before them.
A few seconds of tense silence passed between both parties. Hector could almost physically feel the anxiety radiating off of Florina beside him, and he couldn’t deny to himself he wasn’t feeling much the same right about then. From the way their legs were slightly trembling, it looked like the equines were in the same boat as them.
Finally, one of the equines gulped. “And, who might you be?” The voice was masculine.
Hector stepped forward, placing a hand on his armored chest. “I am Lord Hector of Ostia, leading territory of the Lycian League, located on the continent of Elibe.” He gestured to Florina. “And this is my wife, Lady Florina. We request an audience with your ruler.” Trying to speak formally was more aggravating than he’d thought it would be.
The equines blinked slowly. Then their gaze slipped past the two of them before their mouths formed an ‘o’ of understanding. The Window must not have seen much use if they weren’t yet used to alien beings popping out of it.
“State your purpose for visiting, please,” the other guard said, eyes turning stoic and professional.
“We come requesting aid from the inhabitants of this world,” Florina spoke up. “We mean you no harm.”
“We need to check any personal belongings before we allow you to see the Princess,” the first guard said, stepping forward.
“We haven’t got–” Hector stopped himself, remembering the axe strapped to his back. He grimaced. “Okay, we have one item.” He turned around and lifted his cape, giving the guards a good view of the axe.
“Please remove your weapon,” the second guard ordered.
“Will you take us to your ruler if I do?” Hector asked.
The guard nodded.
Hector grit his teeth. “Fine.” He quickly removed the axe from its scabbard and presented it to the guard, who took it in his teeth. Hector narrowed his eyes at the action.
“Follow me,” the guard said around the axe, turning and walking down the hallway, beckoning Hector and Florina to follow. The other guard remained by the door, his gaze becoming a mask of professional calm not unlike Hector’s own guards.
The guard led the royal couple down hallway after hallway, passing by maids and sentries who all stopped dead in their tracks upon witnessing the two alien beings, eyes wide with surprise and terror. Hector did his best to ignore them, but couldn’t help but notice how often Florina shied away from their stares. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her close after some time, which seemed to calm her down a great deal. It certainly helped him calm down from the odd sights around him.
They were in another castle, that much was plain to see from the surrounding architecture. Unlike Castle Ostia, or indeed, any castle Hector had visited in his entire life, this one boasted vibrant colors and elegant design work. There was the typical plush red carpets and banners depicting this land’s emblem — stylized sun and moon symbols with two equine figures sporting wings and horns circling them — as well as great, tall windows that let the sun’s rays easily shine through, but everything had a much greater sense of flair to it than what Hector was used to.
Some of the color choices were rather odd, as well. Many of the floors were a light shade of purple, while darker shades and blues made up the many tapestries hanging from the walls. Doorways were painted gold, and the many stained glass windows they passed were especially vibrant with color.
They passed down one hallway which sported stained glass windows that seemed to depict specific events. Many of them involved a set of six equines of various colors; two with horns, two with wings, and two regular ones. Hector surmised they were either ancient legends or even contemporary national heroes of some sort, judging by the contents of each window and how in each one they seemed to be defeating various imposing figures.
Finally, the guard stopped at a set of tall double doors. He knocked with a forehoof. Both Hector and Florina were startled when the door was enveloped in a glowing golden aura and gently opened, seemingly all on its own. “You may enter,” a soft, feminine voice called from inside.
The guard stepped inside, beckoning Hector and Florina to follow again. They did so, hand in hand, and were awed by the sight that awaited them.
They were in the castle’s throne room, indicated by the massive gold and red throne sitting at the far end of the massive room. It was constructed without armrests and with a larger backrest, but the fact that it sported the same colors as the throne back in Castle Ostia hardly registered to either of them, as their attention was focused on the equine sitting upon it.
She was tall and white-coated, wearing golden regalia embedded with purple gemstones. A pair of white wings were folded against her sides, while a long horn protruded from her forehead, which itself was enveloped in the same golden aura as the doors were. The scroll and quill levitating before her indicated she was making them float with her power. The most striking feature about her, however, was her ethereal mane and tail; they flowed in an unseen wind, sporting a tri-hued green, blue, and soft pink color scheme.
The guard bade them walk forward. It took a few moments for Hector and Florina to tear their gazes away from the equine, but they eventually began approaching the throne, hand in hand, doing their best to stay calm and collected. The equine didn’t notice them at first, absorbed in her work. Her mouth was dipped into a small frown and her eyelids were half-closed. It was the look of a ruler who took no pleasure in the bureaucratic dealings of ruling a nation, something Hector empathized with. The thought brought a small smile to his face and some of his tension melted away.
Finally, the equine took notice of their presence. She paused in the middle of her writing, staring wide-eyed down at the two humans. Hector and Florina patiently waited for her to speak, understanding her surprise at seeing them.
After a few moments, the scroll and quill vanished in a flash of light. “Normally, petitioners need to reserve a Day Court session in order to speak directly with me.” She smiled down at them. “Clearly, you two must hail from another world if you’ve been given special priority. Moreover, this world is home to no humans, so that Window must have finally seen some use.”
Florina stepped forward. “You’re Princess Celestia of Equestria,” she said, her bluntness surprising to Hector. “Do you, um, remember me?”
The equine, ‘Celestia’, cocked her head. “Hmm?” She paused for a moment before her eyes flashed with recognition. “Florina! Gosh, you look so different without your pegasus knight attire. How have you been?”
Florina smiled softly. “Um, I’ve been fine.”
Celestia turned to face Hector. “And you must be her husband, Lord Hector of Ostia, leading territory of the Lycian League on the continent of Elibe.”
Hector nodded his affirmation
“You two wouldn’t be here unless it was for something important, so please, let me hear your story.” Celestia sat up straight on her throne, focusing her gaze squarely onto them.
Hector blinked, surprised by both Celestia’s directness and serenity. Dealing with nobles from other houses tended to involve tons of idle chatter about frivolous nonsense before any actual political discussion could take place. Even worse was when said nobles decided to ramble on about personal matters or inflate their already over-bloated egos with all the self-centered praise and grandeur a single person could conceivably muster.
Hector smiled at the chance to converse with someone who understood what truly mattered.
He explained everything that had happened over the past couple of hours, starting with the message from the Knights Union of Ilia, all the way until their current meeting. All the while, Celestia listened intently, eyes never wavering from him and Florina, rapt with attention. As he went on, Celestia’s face took on a more thoughtful aura, as if she was already deep in thought as to whether and how to help them.
“Well, I certainly understand and empathize with your predicament,” Celestia said once Hector was finished speaking. She turned to Florina with a sly smile. “That was very clever of you, Florina, thinking to seek aid from my subjects.”
A slight blush crept across Florina’s cheeks. “Th-thanks,” she mumbled with a smile.
Celestia got up off the throne, standing tall and regal as she stretched some joints, her wings spread wide and majestic for a moment before she folded them back against her sides. She descended the throne’s steps, the carpet beneath muffling the sounds of her golden shod hooves. She turned out to be slightly taller than Hector on level ground, including her horn. “Why don’t we retreat to a cozier place to continue our chat?”
Hector and Florina both nodded. “Sure,” Hector said.
Celestia smiled and closed her eyes. Her horn lit in golden aura again. The royal couple’s world was suddenly consumed by a flash of white light. Colored spots appeared in their eyes, forcing them to shake their heads to clear their vision. Coming out of their blindness, they were surprised to see their surroundings had completely changed. The long, ornately constructed throne room had been replaced by a more modest, condensed sitting room with colored chairs and cushions. A table sat in the center with a tea set, and white, square-shaped pastries of some kind set upon it.
Hector turned his head around every which way, trying to make sense of what happened. “What was that!?” he asked, facing Celestia. “Was that a Warp spell?”
Celestia tilted her head. “So, you’re familiar with teleportation? Interesting. There’s a lot about your world I’d love to know more of, but perhaps some other time.” She sat down on one of the cushions in front of the table, bidding the royals to follow suit. They did so, shakily sitting down on two more cushions, still a little unnerved by the experience. She gestured to the pastries. “Please help yourself,” she said as she levitated the tea kettle off the table, preparing to brew some tea.
Hector and Florina each took a pastry off the tray, eyeing them curiously. Similar pastries weren’t the kind of thing one casually handed out to visiting royals back in Lycia. They popped them into their mouths as Celestia took out some tea bags. They ate in silence as Celestia prepared the tea. Sugar and cinnamon rolled over their tongues, bringing pleasant smiles to their faces as they savored the delectable taste.
“Did you like the pastries?” Celestia asked as she finished preparing the tea, levitating two full teacups over to the two of them.
“It was nice,” Florina said softly, taking the teacup in her hands.
“Yeah, I liked it,” Hector followed, taking his own teacup.
“You might get to taste even better soon.”
Hector and Florina took note of that but sipped their tea instead of replying. It was as good as the pastries.
“As to the matter of your request,” Celestia began, sipping her own tea, “I want to help, and will agree to grant you permission to recruit my subjects for your cause, but I need to be assured of something first.”
Hector nodded. “Fair enough.”
“I know how violent things can get in your world, which is why you felt the need to bring that axe with you.” She smirked, and Hector’s shoulders tensed. “I can assure you, such drastic measures are unnecessary here, but I understand the need to feel comfortable when traveling through unfamiliar settings.”
In a flash of light, Hector’s axe appeared floating in the air before him in Celestia’s magic, startling him for a moment. He poked it, checking to make sure it was safe to touch before grasping it and quickly placing it back in its sheath on his back. “Thanks,” he said.
“If I allowed you to bring some of my subjects over to your world, I would need reassurance that they will remain safe while in your custody. From one ruler to another, I believe this shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
Hector shook his head. “I completely understand, Princess. You have my word that any of your subjects placed under my care will have the personal protection of both myself and my wife, as well as our strongest retainer.” Florina gave a curt nod to show her affirmation. “I don’t let people die under my care anyway, so you have nothing to worry about, Princess.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Celestia took a giant gulp of her tea before continuing. “Now, as to who you’ll seek to recruit, I know some ponies who are perfectly suited for the job you have in mind.”
Hector and Florina finished off their own tea and placed the cups down on the table before leaning forward, listening intently.
“Down the mountain, there’s a village called Ponyville. It’s there where possibly the most talented weather pegasus lives, as well as a family of the best apple farmers in all of Equestria. If there’s anypony best qualified to help with your described predicament, it’s them. Respectively, they are Rainbow Dash and the Apple family.”
A sly grin crossed Hector’s face at the saccharine-sounding names. “Thanks, Princess.”
“Yes, thank you very much,” Florina said, smiling.
“Now for the matter of getting you down there.” Celestia stood up. “Unfortunately, the Royal Chariot is currently undergoing a new paint job, so using it is out of the question. But on the other hoof, that means you’ll get to experience riding a train for the first time!”
Hector and Florina raised simultaneous curious eyebrows.
Florina’s face felt like it was going to burn up. Every direction she turned she saw dozens of wide, colorful eyes staring at her, tracking her movement. Beads of sweat dripped down her face under all the attention. She couldn’t huddle close enough to Hector, nor could he grip her tightly enough to settle down her screaming nerves.
Princess Celestia had summoned an entourage of guards to guide her and Hector through the streets of Canterlot, leading them to the ‘train station’. Canterlot, being the capital city of Equestria, was chock full of ponies bustling about shopping, playing, and going about their daily lives— all of whom immediately dropped what they were doing upon seeing the two bipedal, alien beings to gawk and stare at them. Instead of the chatty overture of gossip being spread or casual conversation being had, the air around Canterlot was silent save for the sounds made by the entourage stepping on the cobblestone streets, as well as hushed whispers sounding from nearby citizens. She didn’t need to think twice about what they were speaking about.
Looking up at his face, Hector looked like he too was feeling overwhelmed by all the attention, but the grimace his face sported showed it wasn’t eating away at him like it was her.
Canterlot itself was a sight to behold, however. White and gold spires rose into the sky, towering over the cobblestone streets and strange, yet fascinating architecture. Square and round buildings lined the streets, boasting various wares and services— including some Florina didn’t understand like ‘House of Enchanted Comics’. Everything was just as colorful as inside the castle, if not more so, even excluding the multi-colored coats and manes of all the ponies. Even the sky above seemed to be a more vibrant shade of blue than the one back in Elibe.
The guards led the royal couple all the way across the city, eventually reaching a concrete platform covered with a tiled roof. What drew her attention, however, was the large, colorful contraption sitting on the other side. It sported a circular face, a tube-like body, and had a pipe sticking out of the top that billowed steam in short puffs. It was strikingly similar to one of her fellow captives she’d met during the events leading up to the creation of the Singularity, the 'Great Convergence' as it was known to everyone who was a part of it. Coming closer revealed several, more box-like attachments coupled behind it with windows built into the sides. The faces of several ponies could be seen through many of them. A look next to her showed Hector was awestruck by the sight of the complex, alien machine.
The entourage stopped once it reached the platform. The head guard broke away from the group and headed down to the end of the long machine where another pony with a mustache and wearing odd clothes stood. The guard and the other pony talked for a bit before the guard returned with a smile.
“Your trip to Ponyville is being paid for by the Crown, your Highnesses. You should arrive in Ponyville by four o’clock this afternoon, barring any delays or accidents.”
Florina and Hector blinked in unison. Realization dawned on Florina and she turned her awestruck gaze to the machine. “You mean... we’ll be traveling inside that thing?” she breathed.
The guard nodded. “Yep.” He pointed toward one of the open doors built into the side of one of the strange carriages. “Just get on the train and take a seat. I told the conductor the Princesses are paying for both this and your return trip, including anypony you bring along with you on the way back. All you gotta do is get on.” A loud, screeching whistle blew through the air from the ‘train’, causing both Florina and Hector to jump. “And from the sounds of it, you’d better get on fast before it takes off without you.”
Hector recovered from his startle first, followed by Florina. “Come on, dear.” He took Florina’s hand and began pulling her toward the train.
“Oh, um, okay,” she replied, still a little shaken, before falling into step beside him.
The guards all waved goodbye to them as the royal couple climbed the steps into the nearest carriage just as the train started moving. They came into the seating area and were instantly greeted by the sight of a dozen ponies staring back at them, jaws agape and eyes shrunk to pinpricks. They all sat petrified with fear, their bodies like statues as they silently regarded the two strange, alien beings.
Florina tried to bury herself into Hector’s side, to which he wrapped a protective arm around her. Instantly, she felt a little more comfortable, but having so many alien eyes trained on her still ate at her nerves.
“Come on,” Hector whispered. “We’d better take our seats.”
“Can we, um, sit behind everyone?” she asked.
“Good idea.”
They made their way down the aisle. As they came near, ponies seemed to snap out of their trance-like states, the ones on the aisle side leaning closer to the windows as the royals passed. Some of the ones who had open books or were wearing clothing tried to bury their faces, pointedly facing away from them. Nearly half the ponies had beads of sweat pouring down their faces. As uncomfortable as Florina felt, she felt doubly sorry for all the innocent ponies she was scaring with her mere presence. A quick glance up to Hector showed that, once again, he was taking it in better stride than she was, albeit he was still clearly unnerved by the treatment. Being constantly bowed to by servants suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore.
They took a couple of seats at the far back of the carriage, behind all the ponies. The cushions only just barely managed to adequately seat them. The soft fabric used to sew them felt especially comfy, even through their clothes.
Suddenly, everything went completely dark. Florina yelped and Hector took a sharp gasp. Their hands tightly clutched each other as confusion washed over them. Then the carriage was filled with light. They blinked, minds scrambled. Then they noticed several strange, ball-like devices built into the walls of the carriage from where the light illuminated. The fact that they weren't lit with fire was what amazed Hector the most. Was it advanced technology or magic? Either way, it was yet another oddity compared to what he was used to.
“We must be going through a tunnel,” Hector surmised.
Florina nodded her agreement.
Looking ahead, they could see several ponies’ ears nervously flicking as well as a few of their gazes peeking back towards the royal couple. They ignored the ponies and settled into their seats, their previous panic dissipating. A minute later the train exited the tunnel, allowing bright sunlight to filter inside, to which the artificial lights along the walls turned off.
“Well, we’ve made it this far,” Hector said, leaning against the backrest, which only caught the lower half of his back. “Hopefully our good fortune will continue.”
Florina cast her gaze downward. “Yeah, I hope so too,” she whispered.
“You’ve come a long way since the war against Nergal, you know? That sniveling, stuttering little girl who couldn’t go one sentence without saying ‘um’ or ‘eh’ is disappearing more with every day.”
Florina twirled a lock of hair. “Um, thanks– Er, I mean, just thanks. Or, I mean, um–No! I mean… I mean…” She trailed off, letting out a soft whimper.
Hector laughed. “Ah, well, you’ll get the hang of it someday. Just keep practicing.”
Florina nodded.
“Hey, look at the view.”
Florina turned to see Hector looking out the window. Following his gaze, she took a sharp gasp at the sight laid out through the window. Plains of grass and foothills stretched for miles below them. Beyond, she saw lush forests and beautiful, shimmering lakes dotting the landscape. She could even see a couple of towns among all the nature and, if her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, there was a huge formation of clouds that looked almost manmade. Or, rather, ponymade.
“Wow,” she breathed.
Hector smiled. “Just keep staring out the window, dear.”
Florina was all too happy to oblige.