//------------------------------// // Chapter 24- Home is Where your Heart is // Story: To be a Breezie // by Obsi //------------------------------// The ground raced past as I flew, the dull sound of my wings the only sound to break up the silence. Occasionally, I’d halt to search for a landmark, but then it was back to the wordless journey. Exhausted from our excursion and her recent exposure to the windigo’s ice magic, Kalypso was now content to rest inside my right ear, where she was shielded from the wind and kept warm by the heat of my body. I wasn’t sure whether she was awake or not, though at times I thought I heard her mumble something incoherent. Not that I begrudged her the slumber… heck, I’d take that opportunity myself if our roles were reversed. Meanwhile, the distance seemed to melt away like it was nothing, as I covered in barely an hour what had taken us six yesterday! The sheer speed with which I weaved from tree to tree still brought a rush of excitement to my heart, and I wasn’t even racing! It made me wonder how much Rainbow Dash would enjoy this if she was in my place- then again, she probably couldn't bear the slower pace of a breezie for a month. A grin broke out on my face as I saw the familiar, inconspicuous tree and the snow bank underneath. With a muttered warning to Kalypso, I tilted my head slightly to better make out the entrance as I approached. I’d have to find it before I got too close, lest I risked accidentally stepping on the village. When I found it however, my eyes were struck by an unexpected sight. Two breezies were engaged in a fierce wrestling match, tossing snowflakes into the air as they rolled around, trying to gain an advantage. The upper breezie’s head reared up, gasping for air before he shouted something at his opponent that my ears couldn't make out. Then he was pushed off the other breezie and I let out a gasp as I recognized Honeydew’s tribal markings. Before his foe could react, Honeydew leapt ontop of the other, twisting the other’s hoof around the back to prevent him from getting up. Instinctively, I took a step forward, intending to break up the fight, when my brain caught up and I stopped, my hoof hovering in mid-air. Should I back up? I could try to transform now, but no, Kalypso is still inside my ear, who knows what would happen if I did the spell with her that close to me! But if I back up and convince her to jump out, I could safely- A horrified shriek tore my out of my thoughts. Honeydew’s opponent had finally caught sight of me, his hoof jutted right at my face. Before I could react, Honeydew whirled around, his scream matching that of the other breezie as he stumbled back into the snow, seemingly trying to bury himself. The other breezie had already disappeared back in the tunnel. “I reacted better than that.” Kalypso chuckled in my ear. “Because I saved you from the windigo.” “I thought you were eating me.” she replied drily.  “Fair point… but you still didn’t react that much better.” There was no response, but I wasn’t waiting for one anyway. Lowering my head, I gently lifted the snow from Honeydew’s body. His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he watched the white mass float away, exposing him to me. Breathing heavily, he stared up at my head, and I could only imagine what I must be like for him. I still remembered the awe, the instinctual fear I felt when I saw the old dragon-lord for the first time, but at least I’d had the benefit of knowing that something like him existed! To Honeydew, I was something unthinkable! “I-I’m sorry, Honeydew.” I blurted out without thinking. He blinked, confusion spreading on his face. “How do you know my-” suddenly, he got up on his hooves, and to my surprise, actually stepped closer! I was almost about to back off in response as he asked: “T-Twilight? Is that you?” he asked, his high-pitched voice wracked with uncertainty. It was like an electric shock had through my body, causing my heart to flutter. He recognised me! “Heh… I-I told you I was bigger as a pony.” “Y-you said you were as big as a rat!” Despite his accusatory tone, he laughed nervously. “O-oh, wait, it’s because you don’t know  what rats are, right?” With that, he held up his leg, and I had to squint my eyes to make out the bandages wrapped around his hoof. “The thing that bit me, that’s a-” “I know what rats are.” I protested, causing him to flinch back, probably from how loud my voice was. Taking a deep breath, I sat down in the snow before attempting it with a softer tone. “I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t believe me when I said I was as big as one, would you have believed it if I told you I was as big as-” My voice broke off as I blanked on an example, at least one Honeydew would understand. “-as me?” “No, I would’ve never believed it.” he whispered, staring up at my face. “I-it still feels like I’m dreaming.” “I can fix that.” Kalypso’s voice announced before she leapt off my head, using my horn as a jump-off point. Floating down to a baffled Honeydew, she slapped him across the face with a resounding smack. “Still here?” she grinned as he held his cheek. “Then I guess this is reality.” Groaning in displeasure, he shot her an angry glare. But not for long, as his eyes once again travelled up my body, forcing him to crane his neck until he was looking almost straight upwards. “Why did you just leave?!” He suddenly snapped, drawing anxious looks from both me and Kalypso. “What was that? No warning, just suddenly you two are gone! Windchime was so worried, Kalypso. Everyone was worried!” With a quick glance up to me, he added: “I-I was worried. A-and you took the food, the elder was furious! Because of you, he said that no-one was allowed to even get close to the entrance! He didn’t want to risk anyone else looking for you. Not even you, Kalypso.” he paused, as if to let that sink in. “W-wait, but you and that other breezie were outside!” I pointed out. Biting his underlip, Honeydew looked from me to Kalypso, seeming conflicted. “I-I was going to look for you anyway. I-I’m a scout, it’s my job to do these things. Thought that maybe I could follow your tracks-” “We flew, Honeydew.” Kalypso rolled her eyes. “I had to try!” he exclaimed. “That’s what I told Marsh Grass, but he wouldn’t listen-” “So you fought him?” I gasped, placing a hoof on my chest. “For me?” “F-for both of you, of course!” he blurted out. “Awww, that’s so cute.” I cooed, then broke out in a chuckle as his feelers began to glow with a soft, red tinge. “S-stop that!” he hissed. “You didn’t tell me why you left!” Just that moment, there was a commotion in the entrance, as three breezies, including the elder, poked their heads out. Two breezies at either of his sides wielded wooden spears that looked mildly less threatening than toothpicks. In utter astonishment, they stared at the scene, where Honeydew and Kalypso were almost casually conversing with possibly the biggest creature they had ever seen. “I-I think you’ll have to wait a bit longer, Honeydew” I nervously chuckled. “Because this might take a while to explain.” Lowering my head so I could better look at the terrified breezies in the entrance, I added: “But I promise I’ll make it worth your while, elder.” Rummaging through my saddlebags with my magic, I drew out my other sandwich, placing the somewhat stale thing on the snow. “This time, I brought some food from my world.” A shiver went through my body as the explanations went on. There was now so much of the falling snow stuck in my fur that it looked like white was part of my natural coloration. My offer of a sandwich, a substantial amount of food for a clan of breezies, had been enough to convince the startled elder to at least listen, but he did not take my words as easily as my friends did. “A world full of spirits, just a couple day’s travel away. Almost unbelievably that we never found it.” he said, trotting in a circle. I let out a sigh. I’d given up on correcting him that I wasn’t a spirit a while ago. “Maybe it did not want to be found.” Windchime pointed out. The priest had appeared after the elder, but he at least had believed my story fairly quickly once Kalypso had confirmed it. “Spirits can be mischievous, as you know.” With a shake of my shoulders and a subtle shrug of my wings, I broke the snowy piles gathering on my back. Still, I saw the breezies jerk back in response to my sudden motion. Even Honeydew. Swallowing drily, I forced my eyes back to the elder, wondering who could endure the cold for longer, him or me? “C-could we maybe continue this conversation inside?” I finally asked. “I’m cold and tired, and I’m sure Kalypso would also like a chance to rest for a bit.” Kalypso only gave a curt nod of her head, but the exhausted was clearly written in her face, her the way her feelers hung lower than her chin and the way she was resting most of her weight on Windchime’s side. “I agree,” the priest immediately spoke up. “Permitted or not, they both need to rest from their journey.” turning his eyes up to mine, he added. “I cannot imagine how tired you must be after facing one of the ancient spirits.” “That may be,” the elder retorted, his hoof pointing up to me. “But how do you expect the clan to shelter her?” Wearing a soft smile, I lit up my horn, going through the familiar motions of the spell. “Just as last time.” I said- before realizing I was practically on the other side of a sports field now. “I see your point.” The elder sighed as I’d finally made my way over. It was clear he still wasn’t happy with the circumstances, but he only shook his head. “Rest. I want to see you in the evening at my home.” “Elder-” I bit my lip, wishing I’d waited and figured out what to say before blurting out the first word. “K-know that I am really thankful to you and the clan. I- I want to help if I can.” For a moment, the elder seemed astonished. Then, slowly, his lips curled upwards for a brief second before he turned toward the sandwich. It was nearly twice his height and many, many times his weight. “Rest.” he repeated softly. “You have already helped us.” As Honeydew came up to guide my stiff, frozen limbs into the tunnel, I could hear the elder call up the others to start carving the food into more transportable bits. Immediately upon our arrival in the familiar space of our shared hut, I dropped to the ground, tugging my hooves under my body as I did. Honeydew immediately went to work on our small sizzlepit. Soon, tendrils of warmth began to emanate from it, drawing me closer, until I felt his hoof blocking me from getting too close. “So…” he finally began, and I immediately tensed up. “You were… more than I thought.” “Sorry…” “Don’t be,” he whispered, his eyes drawn to the ground. “You are what you are, I-I can’t fault you for that. And you’re right, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me-” “Which I did.”  “Well, you didn’t try very hard to be clear either!” anger surged briefly in his words before he fell back on his haunches. “I just… it’s hard to believe that I saved you, is all.” “You did!” I exclaimed. “I told you, I would have starved, I don’t know where to find food!” “But why would you come here, then? I-I can’t even imagine what kind of place you would come from, but you must have known how to survive there! So why did you come?” Blinking confusedly, I answered: “I already told you, I wanted to learn-” “About us?” he interrupted loud enough to make my mouth snap shut. “What would you need to learn from us? What could I teach you that you would need, we’re… we’re so small compared to you.” with that, his features fell while his feelers drooped nearly to the ground. “Aren’t we just like bugs to you? Icky, little-” “You’re not icky!” I exclaimed in shock. How could he even think that? “I’ll let you know ponies think of you as incredibly cute-” “So that’s what we are?” he hissed, and to my surprise, I saw tears glistening in his eyes. “Just cute? Like a maple moth?” “A- a what?” I stammered, thrown back by his intense reaction. “It’s a colorful moth!” he explained as his feelers began to tremble. “I hear some distant clans keep them as clan-pets…” “I do not see you as a pet!” I gasped as I finally realized the root of the issue. Drawing myself up, I looked straight into his eyes. “You breezies are fascinating, Honeydew! It doesn’t matter if you’re small, you’re still surviving in a dangerous world! Kalypso told me of how your god saw the first breezie, and how he was inspired by your will to pull through all hardship. I look at you, and I feel the same thing. You want to know what you can teach me? I didn’t have the slightest idea how to avoid getting lost in a forest, you taught me that. Being here, I learned how to quickly dig a pit, how to better stave off the cold. You taught me how to play an instrument, Honeydew. Most ponies can’t do that.” With that, I placed a hoof on his chest. “I learned so much from you, how could I think any less of you just because you have feelers and may be a little shorter than me?” “I-It’s not just a little!” he stammered. “You’re like a mountain! How can you- and I-?” his words were lost in an unintelligible stammer as he directed his gaze back to the ground, blood rushing into his cheeks. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” I admitted as I bit my lip. “Eventually, I’ll have to go back to my world, and I don’t know when I can come back.” I took a shuddering breath as I tried to think of what to say next, how to possibly convince him- Instead, without really even knowing what I was doing, I leaned forward, locking my lips over his, drawing a shocked mewling from him. “You’re the only one I’ve ever kissed, Honeydew.” I gasped as I broke the kiss, leaning my forehead on his so that our feelers would entangle. “I don’t care that you’re not a pony and I don’t want another pony. It wouldn’t be you.” With a shaky breath, I closed my eyes, unable to watch as I left my heart in his hooves, his decision. Licking over my dry, shaky lips, I was suddenly worried I hadn’t said enough, that I needed to try better to convince him! “Honey-” In that moment, his hooves closed around me, and we gently sunk to the warm ground, our lips locked in an embrace that I wished could never end. I did not open my eyes. Touch was the only sense that mattered right now