//------------------------------// // Chapter 15- Myrmelsday // Story: To be a Breezie // by Obsi //------------------------------// The next week with the Highbreeze-clan was a bizarre mixture of ups and downs. On the third day, Honeydew developed a fever, just when we had all thought his recovery would go over without complications. For two days, he’d been tied down to a bed with a skull-splitting headache. It fell to me to nurse him back to health, as his mood would sour dramatically whenever Hippe tried to visit him upstairs. For two days, I was stuck between their animosity, trying to at least get them to talk things out, but Honeydew would barely even consider before rebuffing my suggestion. Then he rolled up, only grinding his teeth as he rode out a particularly nasty pulse of headaches, while I could do little more than bring him cool water and hope the sickness would pass soon. I even awkwardly tried a prayer to their gods, hoping that I could gloss over not knowing which one was about healing by just addressing all of them. I felt weird, silly even, whispering pleas to the ceiling, but then, what else could I do? When the fever began to pass enough that we could rejoin daily life, we found ourselves with something on our hooves which I haven’t had since my departure from Equestria. Free time. In the Highbreeze-clan, instead of a hectic rush to prepare for an oncoming winter, they were calmly stowing away the last produce of the year, all the while excitedly chatting about Myrmeslday. None of them deemed it necessary to ask for help, leaving us with plenty of free time on our hooves. And so, naturally, I spent the days around the clan, finally able to indulge that half-starved spirit of exploration within me as I worked my way through the seemingly endless list of question I had amassed over the last weeks. Despite their primitive lifes, the more I learned about their lives and culture, the more deep and interesting it became. In their beliefs, the world was inhabited by hundreds, if not thousands of spirits, each with their own stories, myths and motivations, often intertwining with one another in a grand tale I was probably only scratching the surface of. Then there were rituals or pleas directed at them, naturally woven into the breezies lives. I learned that back in the clan, Honeydew had gotten up even earlier than I previously thought, as he brought a drop of morning dew to each member of his family, symbolically reinforcing their bond as they all drank from it together. There was more than beliefs and rituals, however. I learned about different and sometimes far-away clans, all of which had their own strategies for survival. The Moorwanderers, who hunted large crayfish. Or the Tidechaser-clan, who cruised the oceans in the inside of giant coconuts they used as ships, which were said to be able to dive underwater for days at a time! Sadly, no-one seemed to have ever heard of the portal. Not that I’d really believed in it, if anyone would know, it’d be my own clan. Plus, I was getting a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn’t be able to leave until I fulfilled my part in Kalypso’s vision anyway… Strangely, while the clan was becoming ever more vibrant in gleeful anticipation of their festival, Kalypso was growing more tense with every passing day. Soon after breakfast, she would always leave, passing by the clan-members as they erected a large wooden platform near the crown of the tree. And it wasn’t like they were unfriendly, in fact, whenever I saw her interact with one, they showed a reverence close to my own when I’d first met Princess Celestia! And yet, Kalypso seemed intent on keeping every conversation short, and then leave at the first opportunity. To be honest, I was getting a bit worried about her. Ever since she’d let out that strange remark about Honeydew on the morning after our arrival, we’d barely exchanged a couple sentences with each other. So, when I woke up on Myrmelsday, I was determined to remedy that. As usual, I’d gotten up late. I may have acclimated to their worldview and working ethics, but those ungodly waking hours… I doubted I’d ever be able to adapt to it. Furrowing my brows, I blinked against the beam of light coming from the open door. Why was it open? And why was it so quiet? Speaking of, where was Honeydew? Since he’d recovered from his fever, he’d fallen back on his habit of waking me, but he was nowhere to be seen. I staggered out of my tiny room, looking around the empty, quiet house. Strange… with a queasy feeling, I helped myself to a slice of blueberry, decidedly not looking at the jars of sweet aphid-gunk… yuck. It wasn’t much different on the outside. Where dozens of breezies had fluttered around in joyful anticipation the night before, the village seemed completely deserted now. There wasn’t even a noise, apart from the rustling of the few remaining fall leaves. “Hello?” I asked, first as an awkward whisper, then as a shout. “HELLO? ANYONE HERE?” I tried to look in every direction, to find anyone here, to soothe my worried mind. There was no way they could all leave, right? But even then, Honeydew would have made sure not to leave me behind, unless… unless they’d been taken by force. But for all of them to disappear, and without a trace or even waking me up, that would require powerful magic. I tried to rack my brain over what being could have such power, but most likely, it would be something I’d never heard of! “HELLO?!” I shouted once more, my voice shrill from panic. “Twilight, why are you shouting like a madmare?” A voice came from right above. “Kalypso!” I exclaimed, craning my neck to see her land on a nearby branch. “Sorry, but where is everyone?” “Oh, you don’t know?” she shrugged sullenly. “It’s Myrmelsday-” she paused, her eyes resting on my face. “You… don’t know what that means, do you?” “N-no.” I admitted, awkwardly pawing at the ground. “So, where are they?” “Oh, they’re all here, just keeping quiet in their homes-” “And you don’t?” Kalypso’s face fell. “I’m getting to that.” she said heatedly, her feelers gleaming for a moment. “Do you even know what we’re celebrating?” she rolled her eyes at my shaking head. “Thought so. Myrmelsday marks an end to the battles between Jörgd and Heistin. The land was tired from their fighting, from a year of constant change from the bitter cold of the sister’s dark army of ice, and the baking heat of the sun-spirit Myrmel, who defended Jörgd’s realm. But Myrmel, from high above the world, saw the damage both siblings couldn’t, and so he spoke to both gods, convincing them to meet on the highest mountain of the world, where the consequences of their battle were clear to see for both. The siblings were horrified, but Heistin still did not want to return to her cold domain. She pleaded to her brother that though she may rule a great realm, it was a lonely reign, and that she wished to partake in the beauty of his land, if only just for a bit. It is said that Jörgd sat in silence for the whole day, contemplating. And then, at nightfall, he reached his hoof out to hers, offering his sister one season to rule the land, where the creatures could rest, and he could be at her side, and see what beauty she could create.” she took a long breath. “And thus, on Myrmelsday it had become tradition to spend the beginning of the day with your family, in silence, and prepare yourself for the festival at night.” “W-wait, so Honeydew’s back home? With Hippe?” “Upstairs.” she agreed. “No, don’t go to them, you’re… not family.” I stopped in my tracks, feeling like I’d just been smacked upside the head. “Yes, of course…” I muttered as I carefully watched Kalypso, who was rubbing her temples. “You’ve been avoiding us, lately.” “Have I?” she muttered, closing her eyes for a few seconds before she breathed a sigh. “I guess I have. Feel like we should’ve left days ago.” “We couldn’t, Honeydew-” “I know!” she exclaimed, her teeth gritted. “But the clan won’t know why we’re late, and with the coming winter-” “Maybe it won’t be so bad,” I suggested. “Considering how friendly the weather is here.” “It will be bad!” Kalypso suddenly shouted. I jerked back as she gazed at me with her two-colored eyes widened. “The visions, Twilight, they’re getting worse, every time, my dreams get colder. And I fear that it’s coming closer.” Just as sudden as her voice had risen, it dropped to a whisper. “They’re more frequent now. Almost every night, I wake up and expect everything to be covered in snow. And I don’t understand why it’s so mild here! Is there a curse on my clan, is that it? But if there is, why won’t the gods lift it, or tell me why? Frinjiòn likes me, right? Why else would I have all these visions? Why else would I have these eyes?” she took a long, shaky breath. “If only I could know things instead of suspecting them…” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. In all honesty, her outburst had taken me by surprise. “I’m sorry-” “No.” Kalypso shook her head. “My failings as frindrì aren’t your concern. But I need to get a clearer picture. I need to… I need to speak to elder Mormo.” she closed. “Do you need my-” I began, but she shook her head. “No, no I don’t. She will forgive me for breaking the tradition of Myrmelsday, but she wouldn’t make the same exception for you.” With that, she took off into the air, starting her circles to ascend into the upper layers of the tree. I sat down, watching her rise higher and higher, feeling my antennae dangle as I huffed in frustration. Seriously, would it hurt her to not wrap her words in four layers of mystery? Or was that an occupational illness for anyone in the future-telling business? With a groan, I leaned my back against the rough bark, preparing myself to wait for the evening- “Twilight?” I sat up. Honeydew was there, followed by a nervous looking Hippe. “There you are.” he said, looking visibly relieved. “Startled me when you left without telling us.” “B-but I thought on Myrmelsday you’re just with family!” I exclaimed. “You knew that?” Honeydew rose an eyebrow. “I don’t think I ever told you.” “Kalypso just told me.” “Well, she’s right, but you don’t know about Myrmelsday, so we have to loosen the normal rules a bit.” A grin emerged on his face as he took my hoof. “Now come, we need to get you ready for the celebration.” “R-ready? How?” I bit my lip, wondering what I’d have to do. Maybe some sort of test? “You’ll see.” Honeydew grinned, dragging me back into the house. I shot a questioning look to Hippe, but only saw her light smirk as she chuckled in amusement. ---- Honeydew’s room was no longer empty. Surrounding his mossy bed were bowls and containers of differing size. Some held samples of plants, others of strangely colored sand, while some emitted an acrid smell. Dispersed amongst the bowl laid instruments, some made of wood, others forged from or with chitinous plates. Drums, horns, flutes, maracas and something that looked like a primitive violon amongst others that I didn’t know a name for, it looked like a very thin windchime made of cricket-legs. Honeydew chuckled at my marvelling stare before he picked a familiar looking bowl from the mess, filled with a thick, orange liquid. “Do you need help?” I asked automatically. It would give me ample opportunity to ask him about everything in this room. “No, no, Twilight, today we’re painting you.” Honeydew responded with a casual smile as he placed several more bowls beside the first one. “What color would you like?” “M-me?” I stared down at the colors, ranging from his orange to a bright blue. Was there a right choice? I’d never been good at color coordination! I gave him a sheepish look. “Uhm…” “You’ve never been painted before, have you?” Honeydew chuckled. “Don’t worry, I suspected that.” “G-great…” I muttered, eyes darting back to the colors. “Do they mean anything?” “Oh, yes.” Honeydew said with a stern nod, then gently dipped his hoof into an emerald-green color. “It is very important that you choose the right one, otherwise you will be sending a signal!” “W-what kind of signal?” My lips quivered, and I had to bite them to keep them still as Honeydew leaned in, his eyes narrowed. His hoof suddenly shot forward, tapping the tip of my muzzle. “That you’ll look silly!” he guffawed, before flicking the rest of the color off his hoof. “Don’t worry so much, today we’re having fun. Green is not your color though, you might wanna lick it off your nose.” As I squinted at the green drop, he chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s edible.” My tongue creeped forward, giving it a tentative lick. It tasted a little bitter, definitely not a main dish. Shivering, I looked for a sip of water to get the taste off my tongue. Instead, I heard Honeydew gasp as Hippe’s head poked through the staircase. Her eyes met Honeydew’s stern glance, and she bit her lip “Sorry, I thought we were painting ourselves now…” she muttered. “She doesn’t know how. I will be painting her.” Honeydew responded evenly, looking conflicted as his eyes darted from me to his squirming sister. Then, to both our surprise, he waved her over. Hippe’s expression exploded into a relieved smile. “Thank you.” “Well, while you’re here, you can help Twilight. I think she’s having trouble deciding.” “Oh, are you?” Hippe glanced down at me. “There’s a spot of green on your nose. I don’t think it suits you.” “I know.” Groaning, I let my tongue slip out once again, accepting the bitter taste as I watched Hippe sift through the various colors. “Choosing a color isn’t that hard. It mostly comes down to what you want to express.” With that, she picked up the bitter green and dipped a feeler into it. “You’re choosing the colors of life.” Honeydew observed, his feelers twitching curiously as he watched his sister start to paint her side in a complicated pattern of green lines. “S-so all these colors have a meaning?” I stammered, feeling more and more overwhelmed with every second we were talking. Honeydew nodded. “Yes. The most important one being that you like that color.” His feeler tickled against my ear as he giggled. “You’re thinking too much, Twilight, no-one reads much into colors these days.” “W-well, then…” I chuckled awkwardly, trying very hard to suppress the urge to try and catch his dangling antennae in my mouth. “W-what about your colors?” I could hear Hippe’s painting ceasing for a split-second, while Honeydew gave me a strange glance. But just as fast, the moment was gone and he was picking up his well-used colors. “I think they’d look good on you, too.” He rolled off his mossy bed, gesturing for me to lie down as he coated his hoof in the paint. “Hmmm… Do you want it just like mine, or can I try something?” “Uhm…” I gave him an uncertain look. I didn’t like those decisions where I had no real idea of the outcomes. But Honeydew was giving me a hopeful smile, framed by those adorable feelers… In retrospect, it’s not much of a choice at all, I thought as I gave him my go-ahead. It wasn’t easy to sit still while Honeydew applied the paint to my body. His hooves tickled and there was the awful urge to sneeze, but I needed to endure, to keep still, I wanted to see what the end result would be! Finally, Honeydew’s hoof withdrew from my cheek, he’d been painting my face for the last few minutes, forcing me to close my eyes. “H-how do I look?” I whispered, slowly opening my eyes. Honeydew was just wordlessly smiling at me, observing his work. Unlike Honeydew’s straightforward marks, he’d painted me with curved, flowery lines, with out-reaching roots growing over my forelegs before blossoming into elegant patterns over my chest. “So, uhm… do you like it?” Honeydew wore a nervous smile as he closely observed my reactions. You tell me, I still need a mirror. My brain burst out, but there was nothing properly reflective in sight! But if it was anything like the tendrils on my stomach- “It’s lovely.” I assured him. “Great.” his voice proclaimed more than a bit of relief. “Well, you should wait for it to dry before you go to bed.” He exchanged a look with Hippe, who was still quietly observing my painted hide. I shook my head. “W-wait, bed?” “We’ll be up all night!” Honeydew laughed. “You don’t want to be tired.” ------ Me, Honeydew, Hippe and Greenfly moved out when the last sunbeam disappeared over the horizon. The wooden platform the breezies had built near the treetop was already bustling with life as clan-members gathered in growing groups. Some flew around the tree, either trying to get a better look or chase each other around in elaborate maneuvers. Food laid in large piles, seemingly open for everyone to just take what they wanted. I gave Honeydew a tentative look as we landed on the outer edge of the platform. I had no idea what a breezie celebration was made of, even less where we could fit in. This wasn’t even his clan, I remembered as I opened my mouth to ask. But Honeydew’s eyes were fixated on something in the middle of the largest crowd. Just that moment, a breezie wearing yellow paint in angular shapes held up a drop of water in one hoof, slowly letting it tip over and run down his leg. And then, with the onset of rhythmic drumming, he began to dance, somehow guiding the drop over his body with flowing, wave-like motions, first over his shoulder to the other foreleg, then somehow making it slide up his feeler, down his arched back before he tossed it back into his foreleg, expertly catching it, causing the water to wobble dangerously, but it stayed in its droplike form. Others around him began to mimic his hypnotic motions, perfectly in sync with the drumbeat. I had no idea how, as the music seemed to change in pace every few seconds. The first dancer now grabbed the drop in his hooves, gently sliding it forward and back as he closed in on the breezie to his right. I put my forehooves on Honeydew’s back, allowing me to eagerly look over the heads of the surrounding breezies as the dancers pushed their drops together, combining them into one bigger ball of water. The breezies seemed to struggle with the large drop at first, swaying from side to side, yet still in perfect tune with the music, their hooves pushing into the drop. My jaw hit the ground as I saw the water change shape, becoming flatter, elongated. In rhythmic motions, the dancers were transforming the drop into a water… water-sausage! I couldn’t believe my eyes, but with a quickening drumroll, more breezies were joining in the dance, bringing more and more water, elongating the shape of the water now held by dozens of hooves as it curved around on itself. How were they doing this? How was this even physically possible? I stared intently as they angled the ends of the water-sausage in on it itself. They were going to create a ring. MADE OF WATER! I wanted my notebook, I wanted anything to write on while I observed- Suddenly, I felt a hoof pushing my open jaw shut. Honeydew grinned up towards me. “Are you going to watch all day, or are we joining in?” “Wha- join in?” I gasped, the idea had never even occurred to me, I was supposed to watch, to observe. But Honeydew’s hoof had already already grasped mine, and the next moment I found myself next to him as he grabbed one end of water-shape, drawing his hoof over it to spread out the liquid. For a moment, I could only watch in amazement, before I felt a poke on my shoulder. I stared in shock at the breezie on my other side, who offered me the other end of the water-line. My mind raced as my hooves shot out, I’d never been good at holding water! Still, I somehow managed to hold on the other end, mimicking the fluid motions of Honeydew to my left. The water felt like jelly in my hooves, slowly reshaping into a longer end as I brushed my hoof over the top of the line. It- it wasn’t that hard! I moved in tune with the drumming, motion and music unifying to guide my hooves over the water until mine and Honeydew’s ends met. A sudden surge went through my hooves as the water now flowed freely through the ring we had created. The cheers of breezies filled my ears and I let out a victorious whoop. Even more now wanted to join in our ring, adding more water to the ever-growing shape as we moved to the quickening drums. A breezie managed to feed colorful floating stone into the ring, and we daringly took the challenge of making it float round after round by carefully raising sections of the water while another one pushed- something, I had no idea how it worked! I turned my grin to Honeydew, to ask a question or just laugh out loud, I wasn’t sure. Suddenly, an especially fierce drumroll emerged, startling me enough that I dropped the water- causing the entire ring to ripple apart, splashing outwards and soaking our coats. With eyes widened in shock, I turned to Honeydew, trying to shout an apology, when I saw him laughing. Out loud, heartily, as if he was having the time of his life. Then the other’s joined in, and I let out a relieved sigh. I-it was okay. Despite my screw-up, everyone was still okay, they didn’t even seem unhappy! Some of the drummers now left their posts, allowing the music to change into… a vast mess of different breezies playing random instruments without any coordination to speak of. With a large grin, Honeydew pulled me by my hoof, drawing me away as breezies surged into the middle of the stage, beginning to dance. Nothing fancy like the water dancer, just shaking their bodies in whatever way seemed the most fun! “It’s better not to take the dancefloor immediately.” Honeydew explained as he pulled me toward the piles of food. “Else you’ll get overrun. Oh, oh, you need to try this! Funny berries!” “Funny-” I began as he held out a blueberry to me. Shrugging, I took it in my hooves and bit a hole into its skin before drinking the juice that poured out- The sour taste immediately made it clear what he meant, the berries were fermented! I cast a quick look at Honeydew, but he was already drinking from his own huckleberry. Well, if those kinds of spirits belonged to breezie celebrations… I just hoped I’d be able to hold back, my experience with alcohol wasn’t exactly extensive. “So, what do we do now?” I asked, my voice raised a bit as to not be drowned out by the muddled music. “Whatever we want.” Honeydew grinned, bobbing his head with the confused rhythm. I took another sip from my blueberry, savouring the sweet, yet somewhat bitter taste as I tried to get a better look around. The breezies in the air had started some wild game, like a mixture of tag and aerial stickfighting, yet I couldn’t discern the rules from watching. Kalypso was nowhere to be seen, but I found Hippe dancing with Greenfly and chuckled at the sight of the large mare practically tossing her undersized husband around. “Do you want to join them?” Honeydew asked. “W-what, dancing?” Gnawing on my underlip, I gave the dancefloor a tentative look. The art of elegant motion had truly never been my forte. Then again, most of the breezies here weren’t performing any outrageous maneuvers either… “Well, if you-” But the thoughts of dancing vanished as I saw the pan flute he was holding close to his lips. “Do you play?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Of course I do.” he winked, then closed his eyes as he played a short, yet lingering melody. His other hoof meanwhile tapped the ground as if playing a drum. Could he do both? “What else do you play?” “A bit of this and that.” Honeydew shrugged. “Some flutes, the drums, clitterers and of course the rattles… but everyone can play the rattles.” “I distinctly remember you knocking them on your own head when you first tried them.” Hippe emerged from the crowd, breathing heavily as she sat down on the edge of the platform. Well, the way she was dancing, it wasn’t surprising that she’d be exhausted. A set of odd-looking bags were tied around her flanks. I was certain she didn’t have those while dancing. “That was supposed to remain a secret!” Honeydew huffed, crossing his legs. “And I learned quickly.” “Yes, you did. We used to play a lot together, remember?” Now that piqued my interest! I glanced to Honeydew, who stared down at his flute as he gnawed on his lips. “That was a long time ago.” “W-well, I’d like to hear you two play.” I suggested, nervously watching as Honeydew shot a look at Hippe and squirmed. “It would be like old times.” Hippe muttered, meeting his look with a nostalgic smile. “Well…” he stole a quick glance at me before he closed his eyes, his brows furrowing. “Oh, toss it in a storm, why not?” he exclaimed before blowing once through each tube of his pan flute. “Are you ready?” Hippe beamed as she nodded, producing a set of bongos from the bags- no, the bongos had been the bags. “Ready as I ever was.” Honeydew took a deep breath, before starting with a long, calm note. Then, as he shifted tones, Hippe underlined his performance with a low drumroll. I leaned back, trying to tune out the background noise to better focus on their song as it grew more complex by the second. And yet, for the first time, the siblings seemed in perfect harmony as they swayed with the song, and I couldn’t help but sway with them. It was like they’d practised for years, not spend just as much time apart! Finally, Honeydew blew a long ending note as the drumming ceased. His eyes opened, meeting mine with a nervous look. “Did you like it?” “Like it?” I repeated, eyes wide in awe. “It was perfect! Where did you learn to play like this?” “O-oh, it’s not special, we just do it to pass the time.” he craned his neck to the sky as he waited for his breathing to calm down. “Would you like to play with us next?” “Me?!” My hoof thumped into my chest as I exclaimed the word. “I-I can’t play!” “Why not?” What kind of question was that? “I just can’t play anything.” Honeydew’s eyebrow rose. “Twilight, if you don’t want to, you can just say-” “No, I mean I don’t know how.” He blinked, confusion written on his face. “You mean, you can’t play any of these?” his hoof waved out to the many instruments seen in the hooves of dozens of breezies. “I don’t know how to play an instrument.” I explained slowly. “These, or any other.” The revelation seemed blow his mind, as his jaw dropped. “Then… then what did your clan do to pass time?” “Well-” I began, not sure what to say. I was pretty sure at this point that he wouldn’t have any idea what a book was. “Other things, I guess. Like, uh, telling stories? Stargazing?” “It must be a strange, boring place where you come from.” he muttered. Then, his expression suddenly shifted into an eager grin. “Then maybe I can teach you.” “Y-you would? Honeydew, I-I’ll sound terrible!” “So?” he laughed. “Music is about having fun, Twilight!” I had never assumed that music would be one of the things I’d learn in this world. But Honeydew was so eager, his enthusiasm so contagious that I couldn’t have refused. And so he showed his flute, taught me how to purse my lips as to create the smooth, clangorous sounds he could. He didn’t seem at all concerned about which note was right. In fact, I was getting the impression that there were no right notes for him, instead, he was perfectly happy just letting me play simple melodies of my own and simply laughed when I showed signs of annoyance whenever I got it wrong. He tried to show me other instruments too, like the clitterers, something that looked like a windchime made of cricket-legs, which were tied around the feelers. Then, when you lit them up, it would cause the legs to produce the same noises crickets were capable of. Some kind of electric signal must be connecting to the insect’s nerves, which would then cause the legs to move… Ultimately however, I was happy enough to stay with the first instrument. Learning one was already complicated enough. Time flew by as we joined in the overall music, then took a place on the dancefloor, which had gotten so full that we were practically just bumping into other breezies as well as each other. But our heads had gotten heavy from the fermented juice we were now guzzling from our second berries, dulling our senses and making everything seem funnier. With fuzzy memory, I think I recalled having to crawl under several dancing pairs in our attempt to get a break. “Let’s get to a quieter place.” I suggested, giggling as I pulled Honeydew out from under the hooves of some other dancing breezie. “Yes… lets.” Honeydew agreed after I helped him get up on shaky legs. The alcohol was really starting to have an effect on our sense of balance now. He blinked slowly, his eyes turning at the night sky. “Hey, Twilight, you said you liked stargazing, right?” “Y-yes!” I followed his eyes, but the lights of hundreds of feelers, as well as the gnarled branches of the tree did well to hide much of the otherwise starry sky. ------ We found a spot up high in the tree, where nothing obstructed our vision of the night sky. There was a nice area where a branch forked, creating a slightly curved surface we leaned against, pressed side by side, both due to narrowness of the branch and how chilly the nightly air was. But the view made me forget all of that. The surrounding mountains as well as the valley had been overtaken by thick fog, obscuring everything even slightly further down the mountain. The night sky however, unobstructed from horizon to horizon, it made my jaw drop in awe. Millions, if not billions of twinkling lights shone from above. Cosmic clouds of light that I knew were the arms of the galaxy, but which I’d rarely had a chance to see. I don’t think I ever saw anything like this in Equestria- no, I knew for a fact I’d never before seen a night as brilliantly clear as right here. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Honeydew breathed the word, as if he was worried he could upset the stars by speaking too loudly. “Incredible…” I agreed, unable to tear my eyes from the lights. “We have different stars where I come from.” The moment those words left my mouth, I regretted them, as Honeydew sat up with a look disbelief. “You have different stars? I can maybe understand somehow not knowing the gods, but a different sky?!” he tried to meet my eyes, pleading. “Where are you from, Twilight?” I tried to avoid his eyes, tried to look away, but found myself unable to do either. “I-” I couldn’t think of a way out, and definitely not a convincing lie, not with my head as heavy as it was right now. Briefly, I considered simply not answering, but… something in me was tired of telling those lies. And, if there was anyone I trusted with the truth, well… “I’m from a place called Equestria.” I whispered, my eyes centered somewhere on his chest. “It is a different world. The portal brought me here when I tried to visit… another place. And I’m- I’m not a breezie. I’m something you would call a pony.” I closed my eyes, hoping to avoid seeing the look on Honeydew’s face. And yet, I couldn’t help but envision the betrayal he’d feel. Anger? Worry as I finally convinced him that I was a nutcase?” “Y-you’re not a breezie?” I shook my head, unwilling to speak, wishing I could close my ears as easily as my eyes. Suddenly, I felt something reach around my shoulder. Before I knew, he’d slung his legs around me. And then they gently squeezed my chest. “W-well, I’m glad the portal took you here. B-because it means I met you.” I opened my eyes, seeing his face not too far from mine, his cheeks and feelers glowing as he awkwardly withdrew his forelegs. “Though you’re gonna have a lot of explaining to do later.” “O-of course.” I muttered. Was he not mad? Not… something? Apparently not, as he settled back down with a huge grin plastered on his face. “Do you really have a different sky?” “Mhmm. I used to love finding all the star signs in the sky.” I looked up at the stars, and began to pout. “Wish I could show you…” “I know our star signs.” he suggested. “Maybe I can show you, and tomorrow you can tell me all about your world.” “Deal!” I grinned, then grabbed his hoof, pushed it in the air, and smacked mine onto it. “That’s what we call a high-hoof in my world.” I informed the confused Honeydew. “Does it mean anything?” “It used to, but now we just do it for fun.” I giggled. Then I took my snuggly space at his side. “Now, first star sign, hop, hop.” “Patience!” he laughed, then searched the sky as he placed one hoof around my back. “This is the rat’s face!” He exclaimed, pointing his hoof upward. “See the stars that make up the incisors?” Soon, I feel into a trance listening to his voice as he tirelessly pointed out more star signs, some of which I found, others I could only scratch my head at. The tempest was shortly followed by the mantis, after which came the prophet, all narrated by Honeydew. His feelers glowed occasionally, usually after I’d found the star sign he was pointing to, giving us both a moment of warmth and brightness as we cuddled closer together, with me now almost lying on his soft, warm chest. Combined with the alcohol, it was almost enough to lull me to sleep, but I forced myself to focus on Honeydew, whose lips moved as he searched for the next star sign, his expression so bright and joyful as he found what he was looking for, the stars mirroring in his eyes as he caught my gaze, moments before our lips met. A second later, my eyes widened. What had come over me? My mind raced, while I tasted his sweet lips, smelled a natural scent of lavender in his coat- The alcohol, it must’ve been the alcohol! I wanted to jerk back, to apologize and explain somehow, as Honeydew broke the kiss, then slowly touched his lips as he regarded me with widened eyes. “I-I-I’m-” I stammered, unable to even say ‘sorry’, when his hoof suddenly grasped mine. “Don’t be.” he whispered, his antennae glowing in a shade of red I’d never seen before, lighting up his smiling features. “That was… surprising. B-but good!” He quickly added. “Y-you mean… you liked it?” I couldn't believe my ears. Everything about this situation felt like it was supposed to be happening to another pony, Rarity perhaps, but I was just Twilight! My heart nearly stopped as he leaned closer, his lips so close to mine- “Can I please… kiss you again?” he asked with a nervous smile, and my brain surrendered control to my heart as I tasted raspberry. ------ My mind was racing as we sat on opposite sides of the branch. Although the moment felt like it could have lasted forever, we eventually parted, trying to figure out the consequences. What does this mean from now on? My brain shouted again and again. Are we… together now? Does it mean he’s my stallionfriend? I wanted to talk to Rarity, she’d know for sure, but to me, it was completely uncharted territory, I’d never kissed a stallion before! And what about the breezie-side of things? How would Honeydew see it? Would he think it made us a couple? That I wanted to marry him? To carry his children?! “W-what does this mean from now on?” Honeydew asked, his expression a mixture of bliss and disbelief. YOU TELL ME! WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME?! My brain roared. “I-I’m not sure.” I muttered. “Maybe just… act like it didn’t happen?” “I don’t think I’d want to forget about it.” Honeydew said earnestly. “I don’t want this to be our last kiss.” My ears burned at the word, which I’d never even thought of in connection to myself… Twilight and kissing, it just didn’t seem to fit, but now, it somehow did! “Well, maybe we could try… being friends? I-I mean friends friends, I mean-” “I think I know what you mean.” he snickered. “And I think it will make our journey back home much more bearable.” Oh, Celestia, he was winking at me! Nervously laughing, I waved my hoof in the air, feeling both very silly, awkward and… happy. I had a stallionfriend! The thought still felt strange, like a sock that didn’t fit, but maybe if I tried it out enough, it’d start to feel better? Suddenly, we heard a commotion from below, surprised shouts as the breezies tried to open up a space in the middle of the platform, where one breezie stood before a large bowl filled to the brim with glimmering sizzlegrass. Honeydew followed my eyes, then gestured downwards. Nodding, I spread my wings, jumping off the branch. It was impossible to find a place on the platform, as crowded as it had become, and so we landed on a nearby house, just about managing to get an inch of space from another group squeezing on the same roof. The figure in front of the large sizzlepit was unquestioningly Kalypso, painted in red striped all over her body, eerily similar to those common on zebras. He forelegs were opened wide at the sky, as she chanted a song I somehow couldn’t understand, even though I constantly picked out some words I knew. The other breezies stared at her in awe, as she waved her hooves in a manner I’d usually liken to a madmare, while occasionally taking a deep breath from the smoke emerging from the pit. “What is she doing?” I hissed in Honeydew’s ear. “A ritual.” he whispered back, his eyes wide open. “She’s trying to reach the higher plane, to get a clearer picture of what the gods are trying to warn her about.” “And… that works?” I hoped my doubt didn’t show in my voice. “I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.” Well, it seemed to impress the highbreeze-clan at least. Even elder Mormo, who stood closest to Kalypso, her eyes showing deep reverence. “FRINJIÒN!” Kalypso shouted, her voice reverberating in the otherwise stunned, silent village. “JÖRGD! HEISTIN! BY THE DAY OF MYRMEL, I BESEECH YOU ALL!” Nothing happened. I bit my lip, feeling something cold against my shoulder as Kalypso shouted again, her eyes fixated on the smoke emerging from the sizzlepit. Then- the entire village gasped- the smoke suddenly thickened, taking strange, swirling shapes. At one moment, I thought I saw a head much like Princess Celestia’s, but then it was gone, leaving me to wonder if I’d just imagined it. But Kalypso appeared to see more. Her eyes widened as she stood on edge, shock written in her face while she stared into the smoke. “A frozen pool? Is it the entrance? Where-” then her expression blanched. “No! No, it can’t be-” She waved her hoof, and the sizzlepit extinguished just like that. Then, Kalypso pointed her hoof out into the distance. With a sharp motion of her hoof, the fog was pulled aside like a curtain, revealing the mountainside- Completely covered in snow. The clan freaked out, breezies shouting at one another how this was possible, others pointing at the sky, where clouds shifted themselves before the stars. They hadn’t been here before! How quickly had these clouds moved, could it even be natural without pegasi to push them? “EVERYONE, LAND, NOW!” Kalypso screamed, just as I saw it. Like an invisible wave, brushing over the treetops as it rapidly surged toward us. Breezies dropped out of the sky, all to get a grip before the storm washed over us like a physical wave, pulling on my wings, even though I didn’t even have them opened. “BACK TO YOUR HOMES!” Mormo shouted, her voice faintly heard over the storm, and we all rushed into the relative safety of the wooden walls, unable to do anything but watch as the storm brought the snowfall with it...