Twilight awoke to birdsong. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before blinking slowly, the room coming into focus. The guest room was fairly spartan but didn’t completely skip out on comfort as the smooth silk sheets under her ensured she’d slept well through the night.
She got out of the bed and took a moment to stretch before walking over to the bathroom opposite the bed. Inside was an almost perfect replica of a shower from medieval Equestrian times, consisting solely of a large bucket of water, a piece of cloth trying to pass itself off as a towel, and a bar of soap that smelled absolutely awful when she took a whiff. Trying to take a familiar bath routine with the proffered tools resulted in more than a little water being splashed around the room, but she’d managed to make herself suitably clean by the end of it, though her mane still needed a good combing.
The comb on the bedroom’s oaken vanity was markedly different from the ones she was used to back home, being made of wood rather than plastic and with less flexible teeth, but she found it to still be adequate for the job. Once she was done, a good look in the brass-bordered mirror told her she was ready to start the day.
Deciding to wait until Hector or Florina fetched her, she strode over to the window. The guest rooms overlooked the Ostia castle town and Twilight marveled at the utterly gorgeous scenery below her. The town was already sprawling with humans going about their business; trading, chatting and connecting in other various ways. The sun was cresting the distant horizon, casting its golden rays across the land in a picturesque view that made Twilight’s breath catch in her throat.
Here she was, in another world, with a whole new culture. New people to meet and make friends with. New places to see. New knowledge to gain. New more things than she could count on–
Twilight was snapped from her musings by a knock at the door. “Twilight!? It’s me, Hector!”
She turned around. “Come in!”
The door opened to reveal Hector wearing the same heavy armor and clothes as the previous day. He looked surprised upon seeing her. “Is that saliva running down your chin?”
Twilight blinked then rubbed a hoof across her chin, pulling away a thick glob of what was, indeed, saliva. She felt heat creep into her cheeks. “Uh, heh heh.” A nervous smile split her muzzle.
Hector raised an eyebrow. “Anyway…” He gestured behind him. “We need you to cast the spell on everyone before they can leave their rooms. I’ve ordered the servants to keep clear of the guest wing of the castle and prepare supplies for our journey.”
Twilight nodded. “Right.”
Stepping out into the hall, she saw Florina standing next to Hector. The elegant dress she’d been wearing yesterday was replaced with what she recognized as the same outfit she’d worn during the Great Convergence: white skirted tunic, long blue stockings, smaller blue armor plates on her shoulders and thighs — the only difference was that the blue chestplate she currently wore covered her entire upper torso, whereas the one she’d previously worn only covered her breasts. Looking at how much armor Florina was wearing, Twilight questioned whether it was too much for a pegasus knight; wearing too much armor would weigh down her mount too much to fly.
“Did you sleep well, Twilight?” Florina asked with a sweet smile.
“Yeah, I slept great,” Twilight responded. “I’m fully charged and ready to travel, to learn all about this world that I can.”
“As long as you’re motivated to make the journey,” Hector said. He gestured to the next few guest rooms where her friends were staying. “Let’s get a move on.”
Twilight nodded again. “Right.”
One by one, they greeted her friends and gathered them together in the hall where Twilight cast her spell to disguise them. Seeing Hector’s surprised reaction to the transformation elicited a giggle from Twilight. Whether he wasn’t prepared for the magic on display or he wasn’t expecting to see her and her friends wearing the same clothes as Florina, she couldn’t say and didn’t feel the need to ask.
“So, is everyone ready to go?” Hector asked at the end of it.
“Of course,” Twilight reassured him.
“Sure am, partner,” Applejack said.
“Sure, I guess,” Fluttershy said softly.
“Still not looking forward to not being able to fly,” Rainbow groused. “But yeah, I’m ready to go.”
“Then let’s move out.”
Hector and Florina led the group through the markedly empty castle— Hector was true to his word. Twilight’s friends whispered amongst themselves about such and such while she mostly tuned them out, swimming in the ocean of her own thoughts and eagerness.
What new people would she meet on their journey? What new kinds of magic might she get to witness in this alien world? If she found someone as into reading and magic as she was, she’d be hesitant to return to Equestria. Hearing the story about the Eight Legends only further whetted her appetite for knowledge of Elibe and its people and by Celestia she was going to sate it!
The group eventually exited out an east entrance of the castle. The royal couple led them alongside the castle wall, eventually turning a corner where the ponies got their first look at a pegasus of Elibe. Oswin and various other people Twilight assumed were the castle servants were busy loading the wagon with various weapons and supplies.
The pegasus had a body shape similar to the pegasus ponies she knew, but taller and leaner all around. Whether they were male or female, she couldn’t tell, but if this was Florina’s personal mount, it was a male since Florina always referred to Huey as ‘he’. Their coat was white, as was their mane and tail, and armor plates similar to Florina’s own were strapped to various parts of its body along with a harness for pulling the wagon. What really struck Twilight, however, were its eyes; blank and lifeless, devoid of intelligence.
The sight gave her pause and she stopped in her tracks as did her friends. Hector and Florina looked confused for a second before realization seemed to strike and awkward expressions crossed their faces.
“Um, are you going to be okay?” Florina asked.
“Yeah, yeah,” Twilight said. She put a hoof to her forehead, trying to steady the growing whirlwind of emotions within. “It’s a lot to take in all at once, is all.”
“Ah gotta agree there, Twi,” Applejack said, similarly overwhelmed. “Ah mean, I was expectin’ it, but… I guess I couldn’t ever be prepared.”
“It is a strange feeling,” Fluttershy said, though there was a hint of interest in her tone as she watched the alien pegasus.
“I gotta say,” Rainbow said, “it doesn’t look all that athletic.” She strode up right alongside the pegasus and began examining it all over, eliciting no reaction from it whatsoever. After a few moments of inspection that Twilight thought was surprisingly Rarity-esque, Rainbow nodded and turned away. “Actually, I take that back. Maybe he’s not so quick on the ground, but if those wings are as strong as they are big… he still couldn’t beat me in a race.” She laughed. “But still, I’m impressed.”
“Wait, how do ya know that’s a stallion?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow’s cheeks flushed and she cast a sideways glance. “I saw his... you know…”
Twilight felt her own cheeks flush and looking over to Fluttershy and Applejack revealed the same with them. Florina’s face turned awkward again while Hector smirked and snorted a laugh.
“W-well, thank you for the compliments,” Florina said shakily before she composed herself. “I’ve ridden Huey ever since I was a little girl and we’ve seen our fair share of combat. It’s because he’s so strong that we’re both alive today.”
“Hey, don’t forget me now!” Hector wrapped an arm around Florina’s shoulder. “Who’s the big lug who protected you from every archer that dared look at you back during the war against Nergal?”
Florina blushed and smiled, twirling a lock of her hair. “You are.”
At that moment, Oswin noticed the group. He strode to meet them as fast as his bulky armored body would allow. “Good morning, Lord Hector. Is everyone ready to set off?”
“We’re ready as soon as the wagon is loaded,” Hector replied. “Has the messenger left yet?”
“Just before you arrived, sir.”
“Good.”
Oswin turned to look at the human-disguised ponies, his face remaining stoic. “I see the ponies are sufficiently disguised.”
“It’s all thanks to my magic,” Twilight said. She lifted her hoof to point to her horn, but quickly remembered it currently wasn’t visible to him, and lowered it. “Just be careful not to let anyone touch us, otherwise the illusion will be broken.”
Oswin nodded. “Very well, I will ensure that doesn’t happen.”
The last supply crate was loaded onto the wagon. Tired and sweaty, the servants took a few moments to catch their breath before being dismissed by Oswin. They happily returned to the castle, giving the human-disguised ponies a few curious glances as they passed. Twilight surmised that they weren’t briefed on who she and her friends were.
“Well then, let’s get a move on,” Hector said.
“Before we go, I got a question,” Rainbow said. “Is that pegasus — Huey? Right? — going to be pulling the wagon all by himself? Isn’t it a little much for him? Shouldn’t he be unhitched so he can fly? Why not let one of those guys pull the wagon?” She pointed to the stables where various horses were sticking their heads out of the stalls.
“We’ll be leaving the city as inconspicuous as possible,” Oswin explained. “Therefore, we need to minimize how many retainers and steeds we bring with us.”
“But didn’t ya say you fight by ridin’ on Huey’s back?” Applejack asked Florina.
She shook her head. “Hector has been teaching me how to fight unmounted combat for over a year. I can protect you just fine on the ground, I promise.”
“But what if you end up having to ride Huey anyway?” Twilight asked. She decided to voice her earlier concern. “Isn’t all that armor too heavy for him?”
Florina shook her head. She placed a hand on her chestplate. “This armor is custom made from materials imported from beyond Elibe. It’s designed to be lightweight while providing sufficient protection from hard strikes.”
Hector wrapped his arm around her again. “Money’s no object when it comes to protecting you, dear.”
Florina blushed and twirled a lock of hair again, smiling.
“We will need to scout our surroundings to make sure our route is safe to travel,” Hector said. “Unhitching the wagon isn’t a big hassle.”
“Makes sense,” Twilight agreed.
“So, are we all ready?” Hector asked, turning to look at everyone. They all nodded their affirmation. “Great, let’s get moving. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”
Huey was hitched to the wagon and the humans all selected weapons and sheathed them at their sides: swords for Hector and Florina and a lance for Oswin. Twilight took note of the slim design of the swords compared to the ones she’d seen and read about back in Equestria. It went against her expectations, as she figured humans would want broader weapons to fit their larger frames, but she didn’t believe the choices were bad ones; the humans had far more experience in combat than ponies, so clearly they knew what they were doing.
The group fell into step behind Hector and Oswin as the two of them led the group toward a dirt path next to the stables. Looking down the hill, Twilight saw the path led away from the castle town and met with a crossroads of paths before eventually curving back through a nearby small forest— Twilight assumed the path met up with the one leading into the castle town on the other side.
A light breeze blew across the grass, brushing Twilight’s face and flowing through her mane. She smiled. That was an alien breeze. It had even felt a little different from a typical gust of wind in Equestria! Maybe there was a difference in the atmospheric pressure? Was there an entirely unknown variable at play here? Or maybe–
“Uh, Twi?”
Twilight blinked, coming out of her musings. She turned to see Applejack giving her a sly smirk. “Yes, Applejack?”
“You were staring off into space.” Her gaze turned half-lidded. “And, ya got that look in your eyes.”
“What look?”
Rainbow Dash sidled up next to them. “That look you get whenever you’re thinking about egghead stuff that isn’t Daring Do!” She laughed. “We just started the adventure! What could you possibly be drooling over already?”
Twilight blinked. She wiped her chin. Saliva. Again.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash devolved into a fit of giggles while Twilight’s mouth formed a pout.
Fluttershy joined them, giving Applejack and Rainbow Dash a furrowed gaze. “Now girls, be nice,” she scolded lightly. “There’s a lot to be excited about. We’re in another world, so who knows what kinds of flora and fauna we’ll see and meet here? I’m sure there’s something about this adventure that you’re looking forward to as well.”
Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, I guess it’ll be cool to show off my weather-working to aliens.” Her eyes lit up. “Actually, you’re right– I’m gonna put on a show for everyone in Ilia when we get there.” She began making swift, sharp gestures with her wings but showed enough restraint to not take off into the air. “They’ll be amazed by my aerial awesomeness so much their jaws will fall off their faces. I’ll blow their minds so much their brains stop working. They’ll pass my name down in legends for generations– Rainbow Awesomesauce Dash!”
“Sounds like a whole lotta wishful thinkin’ on your part,” Applejack said, eyebrow raised and mouth turned up in a playful smirk. “‘Sides, we’re gonna be workin’ the whole time we’re there, so Ah dunno where you got the idea that you’ll have time ta put on a show.”
“Hey, I can find the time,” Rainbow insisted. “Really, it’d be a crime to not let them see my amazing flying tricks!”
“I’m sure they’d enjoy seeing them, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “But we’re here to help people first and foremost; let’s not forget that.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Rainbow said with a dismissive hoof wave.
The ponies were quiet for a while after that, content to enjoy the scenery around them as they followed the humans down the path. Twilight could see a couple of houses in the distance set against the backdrop of a great mountain range on the horizon, all the while Castle Ostia got gradually smaller as they traveled. Similar to Equestria, Elibe had vast open stretches of land in between small, yet densely populated settlements. It was an interesting sense of familiarity for her, yet knowing there were so many new things to discover was still more exciting.
The group eventually reached the forest, entering and silently walking through. Almost immediately when they entered a small fox scurried across the path, stopping for a moment to stare at the caravan before dashing into some bushes.
“Oh, look at it!” Fluttershy cooed.
She ran up to the bushes, bending down and parting them. “Come on out, little guy. Don’t be shy.”
The fox’s snout stuck out of the bushes, whimpering and wailing. Fluttershy gently patted it, cooing and whispering soft words of encouragement. After a few moments of small conversation between them, the fox exited the bush, rubbing its head against Fluttershy’s leg and eliciting a giggle from her.
“Huh, so she can charm animals?” Hector asked.
“Sure can,” Rainbow said with a nod. “It’s her special talent, like mine’s weather-working and flying. And being awesome.” She smirked.
“There ya go strokin’ your ego again,” Applejack said.
Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her.
Fluttershy returned to the group after a couple of minutes, carrying the fox on her back; it was visibly more relaxed, less afraid of the group.
“Are you gonna take that little guy with us, ‘Shy?” Applejack asked.
“He’s such a cutie,” Fluttershy said, scuffing a hoof. “I’d like to, i-if you all don’t mind, that is?”
“I wouldn’t mind having him along,” Florina said. She walked over and ran a hand along the fox’s back, eliciting a soft purr from the vulpine. “You said you can talk to animals, right?” she asked. “Did he say anything?”
The corner of Fluttershy’s mouth fell a little. “He says he came here from a faraway place after his brother went missing. He’s wary around humans since they've been known to hunt and eat foxes.”
Florina’s lips pursed. Looking at Hector and Oswin, Twilight saw similar reactions come from them. She was ashamed to admit to herself that it was a little amusing to see humans’ diets being called out on by a prey animal, but she empathized with both sides equally. She was looking forward to seeing and trying new things in this alien world, but eating meat wasn’t one of them. Although, she wouldn’t cringe if she had to watch one of the humans digging into a piece of dead, spit-roasted animal.
Hector cleared his throat, his features turning neutral. “The fox can come along, but make sure it doesn’t get into our food, okay?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Good then. Let’s continue moving.”
The group had only taken a few steps forward when Twilight’s ears flicked. “Wait,” she said.
Everyone turned to her. “What’s wrong?” Oswin asked.
Twilight’s ears flicked again in response to a light sound coming from behind them. She turned around, but there was nothing there. It hadn’t been much, really, just the snap of a small twig on the edge of her hearing. One look to each of her friends showed her they’d all heard it too. It could’ve just been another animal, but considering what they’d been told about roaming bandit gangs in this world, she couldn’t stop the paranoia currently overtaking her.
She motioned for the humans to come closer to her, which they did. “I think we’re being followed,” she said softly, so as to not be overheard by their potential pursuer. “I can’t be sure, though.”
Hector’s eyebrows furrowed. Everyone watched as he strode forward a few paces, unsheathing the sword at his side and holding it out in front of him. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat at the abruptness of the action. No consideration. No debating. It was just like with the timberwolf; he didn’t even think twice before pulling out his weapon.
“Whoever you are, show yourself!” he barked, his tone brimming with challenge. “If you’re a foe, you’d best turn tail and flee before I cut you down!”
“No fair! How’d you know I was behind you!?” cried a feminine voice.
The group watched as a young girl emerged from behind a tree. She wore a long white robe and matching silk gloves with a small purple cape flowing behind her back. Her pink hair was tied with purple bands into long pigtails while her blue eyes were filled with despair. In one hand she held a small brown travel pack, while in the other she held a number of bronze staves tipped with orbs of various colors. She was red in the face with exhaustion, her legs wobbling with each step she took.
A look of surprise flashed across Hector’s face which was quickly replaced by anger. “Serra!?” he said, the anger seeping into his tone. “What are you doing here!? Why aren’t you back at the castle?”
The girl, ‘Serra’, huffed, her mouth forming a pout. “I can’t believe you, Lord Hector! How could you even think of leaving on a journey without me?” She took a few steps forward, holding up her staves. “What if one of you got hurt? How would you heal yourself?”
“We packed plenty of vulneraries,” Hector said.
“But what if that’s not enough!” Serra argued. “What if someone gets poisoned?”
“We also packed antitoxins.”
“What if you fall victim to a Sleep spell?”
“Those spells are too slow to be a real threat.”
“What if your magic gets cut off?”
Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise and alarm at that question. Hector just shook his head. “None of us are combat mages. If anything, you’d be the only one in trouble if someone cast a Silence spell.”
Serra’s lips trembled for a moment before she put on a brave face and ventured forward, stopping just in front of Hector. “Lord Hector, please let me accompany you on this journey. You haven’t called upon my services since the war against Nergal.” Her gaze turned downcast. “I… I want to be useful to you.” A small choked sob escaped her mouth. “I e-even ran all the way here in my sandals! I don’t need to be carried like a princess! I’ll walk the entire way. Without complaining, even!”
A long silence descended upon the group after that. The abruptness of Serra’s reveal and immediate confrontation left Twilight reeling with a number of questions, but one thing was immediately apparent; these two had a complex history and relationship.
Finally, Hector sighed and sheathed his sword. “Listen, Serra, if you want to come along, you’ll need to promise to keep a huge secret. It goes without saying that you’ll be expected to follow our orders without complaint, as well.”
A huge smile split Serra’s mouth and she nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. I’m the best cleric in all of Lycia! So, what’s the secret? Whatever it is, I can keep it!”
“Her mouth is a little too big for that second part,” Twilight heard Rainbow mutter, prompting a sharp jab from Applejack. “Ow!”
“That first part is debatable,” Hector said. “But okay, I’ll tell you.” He turned and pointed to each of the ponies while stating their names in turn. “This is Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy— we’re escorting them to Ilia to provide aid to the Union.”
Serra turned to look at the ponies, seemingly just then noticing their presence. Her face twisted into a look of confusion as she examined them. Twilight heard Fluttershy whimper next to her.
“What kind of names are those?” she asked, bewildered. “And why are they wearing the same clothes as Florina? Are they pegasus knights too? Why don’t you have more pegasi with you?”
“There’s only one pegasus anyone could ever need,” Rainbow said, chest puffing. Her wings spread and she shot up into the air above everyone’s heads. “The one and only Rainbow Danger Dash! Weatherpony extraordinaire and resident flank-kicker of Ponyville!” She smiled with relief, likely at the chance to get off the ground.
The effect was immediate. Serra’s eyes bulged and she stumbled back, her items clattering to the ground. “What!?”
Rainbow laughed heartily, holding her hooves to her chest. “You should see the look on your face!”
Serra’s face switched between Rainbow, Hector, Twilight and the rest of her friends, her face a constant mask of confusion while incoherent ramblings spewed from her mouth. Twilight took note of how she was taking the existence of her and her friends with less grace than the other humans. It was amusing on an admittedly dark, sadistic level, but Twilight decided their time would be better spent moving forward instead of watching the poor girl suffer.
“Listen, Serra, there’s a lot still to tell you,” she said, trying to be as soothing as possible. She lit up her horn, enveloping all of Serra’s belongings and lifting them before her, eliciting a startled squeak from the girl. “But for now, just know that we’re here to aid the people of Ilia in a time of crisis. Let that show our intentions are good.”
Serra blinked. Slowly, as if afraid the items would kill her at the touch, she grabbed the floating pack and staves out of the air. She then stood up on shaky feet, brushing some dirt off of her dress, her eyes never leaving the ponies. When she’d finally recomposed herself, she gave Twilight a long, hard look, as if trying to comprehend her true being. It made Twilight feel really awkward— she wondered if this was what it felt like when she got to pestering people with questions.
“I want you to tell me everything,” she finally said in a haughty tone. “Everything. Where you’re from. What kinds of weird magic you have.” Her expression turned baffled. “And why you’re so colorful.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to get you caught up on what’s happening along the journey,” Hector said. He turned around and resumed his place at the front of the group alongside Oswin and Florina. He instructed Rainbow to come back down which she begrudgingly did. “We’re aiming to make it to Laus by tonight. We’d better get a move on if we want to make good time.”
Serra placed her belongings in the wagon before the group resumed their journey. She sidled up alongside the ponies and immediately continued pestering them with questions, much to their collective annoyance and Fluttershy’s discomfort.
Twilight briefed Serra on the entire situation; Ilia’s food shortage, the recruitment of she and her friends, how their magic could help— Serra’s reaction to the existence of the Window and the Singularity was about what she expected: disbelief. How she could deny the possibility when there were alien talking ponies conversing with her, Twilight couldn’t even begin to guess. Maybe Serra was still in the process of adjusting to the concept.
The group broke through the forest, coming out onto a wide, open plain, oceans of swaying grass as far as the eye could see all around them. The group made their way up a small incline. To their right, they saw Castle Ostia standing tall and proud in the distance and the distant silhouettes of people bustling about were visible within the walls of the castle town.
The group proceeded onward in silence. As they walked, Twilight noticed Rainbow’s wings twitching in a telltale sign of impatience. Her brief flight before evidently wasn’t enough to satisfy her craving, but at least she wasn’t complaining. For now, at least.
But with such a long journey, it was only inevitable before the boredom became too much for not just Rainbow, but Twilight and the rest of her friends, to bear. Twilight busied herself watching the scenery for a while. Mostly, it was just grass and trees in the distance, but she spotted a few more houses as well, some of which had smoke rising from their chimneys. She had to question the safety of living away from large settlements since bandit raids were a legitimate and, apparently, not uncommon threat in this world.
After a while, the relative silence started getting under Twilight’s coat. Aside from their collective hoofsteps and the occasional cough or sniffle, there wasn’t any sound to fill the air. Even a simple walk through someplace like Whitetail Woods yielded sounds of wildlife or wind blowing through trees. Being out on an open plain allowed for none of this.
The action was subconscious at first; Twilight didn’t immediately register her suddenly irregular hooffall pattern. Her hooves tapped the ground in a controlled, upbeat rhythm, while a new sensation began coursing through her spirit. She started humming a little tune to go with the pattern, unrehearsed, yet focused and organized.
In her eye’s corner, she saw her friends take notice of her action. They fell into step alongside her, easily picking up on the rhythm and humming the same tune perfectly in sync. Their steps got louder, more pronounced. The sensation grew stronger, louder, enveloping her entire being like an adrenaline rush that couldn’t be subdued.
The quiet little hums exploded into full-blown lyrics and a new song was born from their collective souls.
Magic of Friendship
Radiant beacon, shining bright
Crafting bonds forever strong
Darkness falls under their light
Magic of Friendship
Bringing aid to the poor and weak
Hailing from a world away
Come friends with the hope they seek
In this new world, not our own
We march forth with heads held high
To meet new friends— there they are
Beyond the distant skies!
Twilight opened her eyes. Her right forehoof was outstretched toward the sky with the rest of her legs arranged in a marching pose. At her side, her friends were in similar positions, beaming smiles adorning each of their muzzles.
The humans were looking back at them with bewilderment and awkwardness finely etched into their faces. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between the two sides, broken only by a single snort from Huey behind the ponies.
Twilight blinked, slowly lowering her hoof and repositioning her legs. Her friends followed suit.
“Uh, sorry?” she said, confused. “Did we do something wrong?”
“Did you rehearse all of that?” Hector asked, amazed. “How’d you come up with all of that? Did you sneak out last night to practice?”
“No, we actually…” Twilight trailed off as words failed to come to her. She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind, it won’t happen again.”
“It was, um, uplifting,” Florina said, her mouth struggling to turn upward.
“It was… strange,” Oswin muttered.
“Is randomly bursting into song just part of your culture or something?” Serra asked.
Applejack laughed. “You don’t know the half of it, Sugarcube.”
“Why did you do it?” Hector asked.
“Because we were getting bored,” Rainbow said, plopping her rump onto the ground and throwing her hooves up into the air. “Like, seriously, are we just gonna be quiet the whole trip?”
Hector looked thoughtful for a moment before turning his gaze to Serra. “Serra! You want to be a credit to me?” He gestured to the ponies. “See to it that the ponies aren’t bored for the duration of our trip.”
Serra’s eyes lit up. “Your will be done, Lord Hector!”
“Now let’s get moving,” Hector said.
The group resumed walking.
“Hey, you wanna know something?” Serra asked the ponies.
“What?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m actually a highborn count’s daughter!”
“Oh, really?” Twilight said, curiosity piqued. “So, you’re royalty as well?”
“I should be,” Serra said with a sigh. “I mean, I have powers of cuteness over people who are taken by my charming appearance and personality, but not over any of them.” She gestured to the other three humans.
“Wait, if you’re a noble, then how come you’re not rulin’ over a kingdom yerself or whatever?” Applejack asked.
“Ah, I’d be more than happy to regale you with the tale of my upbringing and how I came to be Lord Hector’s favorite cleric.” The ponies heard a small grunt come from Hector in response. “It all started when…”
The ponies listened as Serra began recounting what was essentially her life’s story. At first, they listened with interest. Gradually, their interest devolved into neutrality, and eventually ambivalence when Serra started getting sidetracked with conceited monologues about how a person of her stature required only the finest vassals. Their mouths gradually turned down while their ears pressed against their heads. By the time they’d walked for at least two hours straight without Serra stopping, their expressions were that of clear cut annoyance.
Twilight sighed. Boredom suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore.