//------------------------------// // Chapter 14. // Story: The Desert Prince // by Sparky Brony //------------------------------// I blink a few times. Defile? I haven’t defiled anyone, anypony, wait, anyhorse? Have I? I give my head a vigorous shake, looking up in confusion. The horse on top of me is suddenly enfolded in a glowing umbra and lifted up into the air. With a soft, almost doglike growl, Dawn scrunches her nose and muzzle while she moves him to the side with ease before she sets him down on the ground. Thrashing her tail, she then moves to put her body between him and me, squeezing with her magical grip, causing obvious pain. “Give me a reason.” She growls. “Just one reason, for me to not snuff your light out right here and now for attacking an alicorn.” I put a hoof on her withers. “Dawn.” “Not now, Ki.” She advances on the horse. “I have been tasked to protect him. Our lady would never forgive you nor us if he came to harm.” “Dawn!” My voice cuts through her tirade like a knife. “Let me handle this.” She freezes for a moment, before looking back at me. Apparently the look on my face is effective, she releases the horse as I embrace my own magic. I don’t take up holding him, but he can see I’m ready to stop him with a thought. “What is your name?” I see Dawn and Guerina hurriedly reloading their firearms and loosening their swords. Guerina flexes and unsheathes her claws. A crowd is forming with faces covered in scowls. They all wear headscarves with matching red diamonds and blue sashes. He ducks his head. “Yusuf.” “Okay, Yusuf, you accuse me of defiling your wife, Naziha, correct?” At his sharp nod, I continue. “Okay. I came to your town only a matter of days ago and all I’ve done was help her foals.” “You’ve done more than that, you must have…” He breaks down, tears flowing. "You must have been here before! There’s no other way that..." I cock my head to the side. “That? What? What’s going on?” “Otherwise, those foals would not have…” He points. “THOSE!” Tears are rolling down his cheeks. I cross my eyes, looking up at my horn. He’s pointing at my horn? “Your foal has a horn?” He nods, pawing the ground. “Both of them were born with horns. They are small but obvious. They are just like those on unicorns, or you. Naziha has sworn to me that she was faithful to me and me alone. There are no horses born with horns or wings. And yet, here are two foals, both with horns on their heads. This does not," Shaking his head vigorously, "No, cannot happen," he says before stopping and breathing heavily. I look over at Dawn. “I thought the Padishah said that ponies can’t make horses pregnant.” That gets a snort from Dawn. “Oh, Ki. The Padishah has no idea about the magic of genetics. Yes, ponies and horses can have foals together. When you finally wed Ghaliya, I expect to hear the sound of little hooves fairly quickly. Though before today, I would only have expected them to not have wings or horns. It may be different when it comes to alicorns.” “Whose side are you on!? But doesn’t that mean, with you and him?” I trail off, I know the Padishah has mounted her. She laughs loudly, glancing between the angry stallion and me. “I was not in heat, Ki. Very rare for a mare to get pregnant when not in heat. But if I had been, I know a few spells to prevent foals from being conceived. No worries there.” She looks at me, “I know you overdid it, but what did you do?” I frown. “They were fading, I pulled as much energy as I could, pumped as much magic as they could absorb into them.” That gets me a thoughtful frown. “Anypony else, I would have doubts, but you are an alicorn, Ki. You have abilities I can’t even suspect.” She looks back at the stallion. “Yusuf, my friend here saved the lives of your foals. Apparently there was some surprising side effects of the magic.” She smiles. “They are still yours, but now, for the first time, true unicorns are among the horses. Truly an amazing feat.” “What does that mean?” Yusuf asks, breathing heavily. Dawn tilts her head to the side then shakes it, mumbling. “It means Naziha’s going to have to deal with the wonderful fun of dealing with sparking foals.” He snorts. “Pardon?” She blinks a few times. “Sorry, what it means is your foals will need to be taught how to use their magic.” She frowns in thought. “I don’t know if they will get cutie marks like ponies do. I would tend to think not, since they are still horses. But this is truly a wondrous achievement.” She looks at me. “I wonder if pegasi might be in the future in your bloodline now. Ki, did you put magic into Naziha as you were feeding the babes?” I shake my head. “I don’t remember exactly, but I don’t think so.” “That’s fine, she may have been affected otherwise. Let’s go see the foals.” Yusuf looks at both of us for a long moment before turning with a flick of his tail. He canters off and we follow, Dawn and Guerina walking close and talking softly as Nisran moves up next to me. “Truly, will your miracles never cease, Prince Ki?” The crowd is following up. Between the two of them, my companions have three shots total, and then it’s down to swords against a crowd of more than two dozen. Even if I can save myself, they may be overwhelmed. I feel my face heating. “It’s not a miracle, just magic.” I find myself muttering. “It’s not like I was walking on water.” “Well, that’s a strange expression. You can walk on clouds, and most pegasi can trot on water using their wings. Even unicorns can do that with magic.” Dawn says offhandedly. I can only groan. “Oh, no, this is so much more than just magic, Prince Ki. To change the aspect of a horse so radically. It won’t take but a moment of testing to see if they can actually use their horns for magic. But I have no doubt of that ability. Surely you have done something wondrous, Prince Ki.” “I wish you’d stop calling me that, Nisran.” I mutter, “It doesn’t feel right.” “You should know that’s impossible now, Prince Ki. I have witnessed enough miracles that you have performed. Nohorse can do what you can. And I am sure you have many other miracles just waiting to be discovered.” I glance over at him, though his happy smile is hard to ignore. “I just do what I can.” Guerina falls back a bit. “Well, if you are counting miracles, he changed the very nature of those birds. So, there is that.” “Not helping,” I growl through gritted teeth. Nisran nods. “And what would mages from the city have done? Killed them or drove them off.” He lowers his head. “It is a true honor to be in your presence, Prince Ki.” I shoot a glare at Guerina before I follow Yusuf through the door and up the stairs. We pass the room where I helped Naziha, the plant growth I had somehow fostered in the wood flooring is still verdant and lush. I shake my head as we get to the end of the narrow hall, Yusuf glances back at me, a forehoof on the latch for the door. He opens the door and walks in, with me on his heels. Naziha is lying on her side, holding two little bundles of life in her forehooves. I could feel them from outside the room, the filly and the colt, both radiate with magical energy. Dawn moves past me, her horn lighting. “With your permission,” she murmurs, looking over at the stallion, who nods curtly. The colt is picked up in her magic, she sits down to hold him in her forehooves. The colt is sleeping peacefully as she inspects the horn on his head. “Well, you should be able to feel it as much as I can, Ki.” At my nod she suspends the colt again in her magic, using her hoof gently to prod the appendage. “The formation is right, and the growth plates are large. I think he’s going to have a nice large horn.” “It gets longer?” Naziha gasps. Dawn nods. “You probably noticed the extra tissue covering it when they were born.” That gets a nod. “That was to prevent the horns from damaging you and to allow them to be born safely. They were also relatively soft immediately after birth. Though they are firming up nicely now.” She glances at the filly, a lime green horse with a shockingly yellowish white mane. “Both of your foals are beautiful unicorn horses.” She smiles. “As opposed to unicorn ponies like me.” She pulls the dark yellow colt to her chest. “They are beautiful, Naziha. But have no worries, your foals are healthy and strong. They will be good children for you.” “And their horns?” Yusef asks. “Can you remove them? Get rid of them?” Dawn steps back, gasping, her eyes wide as her ears droop. “How could you ask us to mutilate your children? Whatever for? Imagine if somehorse decided to chop off your nose.” Looking down at the foals, Yusef sighs, “They would be the only ones with those horns. They would be seen as deformed, shamed by their peers, likely ridiculed in the ways children can be so cruel. Their lineage would be called into question constantly. I have not the might to duel every palfrey to cast an insult, and I will not condemn them to an early death defending their own honor. All I can see in their lives is hardship and rejection because of those horns. And one is a filly; shame enough on our clan!” Dawn’s horn sparks a bit. “Removing their horns would be the worst thing possible for them. You could remove the horn, but that doesn’t remove their magic. That is throughout their entire bodies, it’s a part of them.” Sighing, Dawn shakes her head. “The result of such maiming of a unicorn, pony or horse, would be horrendous. It would certainly do more harm than good.” Sitting down, Dawn wraps her tail around her rear. “These foals have magic within them, it’s not generated in their horn, but that horn helps control, and focus, that magic. So, if you remove their horn, they will still have magic, but it would be wild, chaotic, explosive.” She shakes her head, noticing her horn had lit while she was talking. She extinguishes her magic. “These foals could hurt themselves, or others around them. The horn is a channel for the magic, a focus. If it’s broken, or removed, that focus is gone.” Yusuf looks thoughtful. Dawn turns towards him, her barrel is heaving. “These two are precious lives. They are the Creator’s gift to you!” She paws the floor. “To destroy what makes them special would be one of the worst crimes I could think of, Yusuf. They will need a strong stallion in their lives, to show them the honor, the way of the sand living here. Please, Yusuf.” He looks at me. “And what do you say, Great Prince?” “Me?” My voice comes out as a squeak. I clear my throat. “I don’t know nearly as much about magic as Dawn does.” “She’s a mare and a pony. They are subject to exaggeration. To some, dirt on cloth, or a broken flower stem, is grounds for a panic attack.” Dawn flinches, getting me to put a comforting wing on her withers. “I would much prefer to hear from you, Great One.” He is tearing. “Today I am twice shamed. A foal of my wife is born female. Both foals of my wife are born strange. Let me bury the filly, saw clean the colt and foster him where his birth’s shame will not be known. Please!” I find myself swallowing heavily. Dawn’s mane is moving in an unfelt breeze, I can feel heat from her, as well as a large gathering of her magic. I pull her a bit with my wing, bringing her closer to me. “Yousuf, I trust her counsel and word. You heard the mare, and I have zero doubt in my mind that she is correct, and in no way exaggerating the situation.” I can feel her anger subsiding a little and at the same time a thought hits me. “If you harm these foals in any way due to their being different. You will answer to me.” My voice ends in a growl. He immediately ducks his head, meekness in his voice. “My apologies, Great Prince. I was merely…” “I understand your concern yet, proposing to maim them right after birth?” I finish savagely, slamming my hoof to the ground hard enough that a slight tremor is felt. “That is something that I will not tolerate or consent to. Do you understand me?” His resistance broken, he falls down on his knees. “I beg forgiveness, Great Prince. Truly you are wise beyond all the horses.” Dawn bristles for a moment before turning away from the stallion with an almost audible snap of her tail, to focus on the mare as she floats the colt over to her. “Feed them and teach them. It will be some years before their magic starts to truly manifest. Don’t be shocked or panicked if you see things floating or moving on their own, check to see if their horn is glowing before you panic. Nisran will…” Blinking, Dawn looks around before letting out a huff, “Ok, where did he vanish to? For a horse without teleport, he disappears fast enough.” I glance around as well and slowly raise an eyebrow; the scholar is nowhere I can see, and I didn’t even notice him leave. Dawn shrugs looking back to the mare, “Once they are ready, he can start on their training. And they can go to the city for full their training. Having born magic users can be of great help for your family, and for your home. When they are of age, take them to the capital and seek the court of the Padishah. Tell him that Sayedina Guerina Al-Sumudiyya’s servant have given them her blessing” She looks at me, “Let’s go, before I say something I would later regret.” I leave the prone stallion and the mare holding her foals, following Guerina and Dawn. We walk slowly down the stairs, I can see in the way she walks, Dawn is furious. I move up next to her. “As much as they try and say I am, really I’m no more important than any horse or pony.” I say softly. “And remember, in Equestria the ruler is a Princess, Mare…stallion…really we are all equal.” That gets Dawn to shake her head. “Ready to kill and maim his own children over something stupid like this…” She barks a short laugh. “Sorry, Ki. I’m just reminded about how things were back in Equestria many centuries ago. Some attitudes that persist to this day. It is quite the reversal of here. For the longest of times, a stallion was to be in the fields working, or in the bedroom servicing the mares. Saddle Arabia is quite different from my home. I have to remind myself of that from time to time. We worked hard to give stallions equal rights.” She breathes a heavy sigh. “It looks like they have some work to do on that here with the mares.” “Do they have slavery in Equestria? Like here?” She shakes her head. “Princess Celestia ended that centuries ago when the three tribes united.” We walk out into the bright evening sunlight. Our little party stops. Nearly the entire town is standing there. Nisran is standing at the head. He lowers is head and every horse follows suit, the entire population of this town is now prostrate before me. “Great and noble Prince. Word of your miracles has spread across our village like wildfire. Your greatness is as undeniable as your power. Please, lead us going forward. Help our lands grow strong and powerful. We wish for you to be our Shah.” Putting a hoof over her muzzle, Dawn giggles softly. I take a step back, lifting one foreleg looking at Dawn then at the crowd, “Nisran.” I say gently, “I’m not a leader.” “Oh, but you are. You put yourself in harm’s way for our safety. You saved us all. You even injured yourself in saving two foals before they were even born. You are a miracle worker. We offer our humble lives to your service. Truly you are a great and powerful prince.” I glance back at Dawn; she seems to be a strange combination of shocked and bemused. Guerina on the other hoof, has a claw over her beak, barely able to contain the laughter, the mirth in her eyes watering a little as she flicks the tip of her tail. I look back at the horses. “Stand up!” I shout. Of course, my shout gets absolutely zero response. I inhale and light my horn before slamming my hoof to the ground, “I said, STAND UP!” My voice echoing and reverberating off the ground, causing sand and dust to fly, carried by the soundwaves. “Oh, nice. The Royal Canterlot voice.” Dawn whispers, rubbing an ear with a forehoof, “That will win them over.” Guerina calls out to Dawn, rubbing the side of her head, “WHAT?” I shake my head a bit before stepping forward, “Now!” One by one, the horses all slowly gain their hooves, Nisran last of all. Though their heads remain down. “Look, I’m not a ruler, I'm not a Shah, I'm not some god. I don’t deserve any special treatment. I’ve just done what I could to help. I did what was right. Nothing that anyhorse here wouldn’t do if they were able. You have traveled the desert, looking for help. That takes courage, strength, and stamina. You asked for my help and trusted that I wouldn’t take advantage of you. I did not, and I will not, betray that trust.” I look at all of them, their ears are flicking back and forth in thought, as well as several tails swishing. “I’m not looking to be worshipped. I have no desire for any kingdom.” Nisran takes a step forward. “Truly you are wise and honorable, Great Prince. Perhaps the Padishah would be cross with you if you decided to try and carve out part of his kingdom for yourself.” He stops, looking back at the other assembled horses. “But I will tell you this, you will always have a home here. You will always have a kingdom here. You will always be our Desert Prince.” I feel as though my face is on fire. “Thank you for your kind words. But before I go I must stress something. Those foals in that house.” I point behind me. “Are a wondrous gift. They have horns, they have magic.” A few voices seem to object, I hold out a hoof to silence them. “Any harm to them would have to be considered harm to me, understood?” I can see by the flicking ears and tails that they are thinking over my words, time to move on. “I will have Ghaliya send a caravan for trade of your bountiful harvests in the near future.” Nisran flinches. “But Prince, the birds may be gone, and yes, we have planted. But it will be months yet before we can harvest, it will be quite late this year.” That gets a smirk from me. “Don’t be so sure.” This is magic that I know I can do easily. I look out at the fields. I clear my mind, summoning the void and my magic. The life, the beautiful life of this valley. It’s merely waiting now, my eyes flash white as I pull deeply on my magic. A bright flash of light emanates from me, heading out to the orchard and the fields. I can feel my hooves leave the ground as I work, and only a short time has my hooves settling back on the ground. The fields are now lush and green. Instead of barren fields, crops are in full bloom, the trees of the orchard creak with heavy bountiful loads of fruit. I pant a bit, admiring my work. “I think the harvest will be sooner than you think.” I lead Dawn away from the horses that are slowly milling through the verdant fields. Dawn frowns at me. “Ki, you’ve already overextended yourself enough, did you really have to show off like that?” Her horn lights and my saddlebags appear. I shrug my wings. “I helped them, and they will have a bumper crop this year.” I light my horn and bring over a large water barrel, bringing up the dipper, I swallow a mouthful of water, then a second. “And lives are saved. Between the food they bought, and the harvest that will be happening soon, these horses can sustain themselves.” I nudge her with a wing. “I am here to foster the life, right?” It only takes moments for me to don my usual garb, I take care in forming the wrap around my head, in the harsh desert sun, it does protect the eyes. She grumbles a bit. But stops when I smile. “Okay, you wanna take Guerina? Or should I?” “Where?” “Back to the caravan. I miss Ghaliya, I want to see her.” My stomach grumbles. “And maybe get some food?” “Hold it!” This from Guerina gets both of us to look at her. She spreads her wings. “I’ll fly, thank you very much, I trust my wings far more than your magic.” Dawn rolls her eyes. “We know exactly where to go, Guerina, don’t be a little filly about it.” The griffon shakes her head emphatically. “It was fine for short hops into a battle situation. It may take me a couple of days, but I’ll fly there.” She chuckles. “Might give me a chance to hunt something on the way.” I shudder, I’ve seen some of the food she kills disappear down her gullet. “Fine.” I grumble. Then I look at Dawn. “Shall we?” She nods as her horn lights, mirroring mine. Together we surge our magic and wink out of existence. Dawn smiles brightly at me as we reappear, standing next to the crystal driven into the soil. Dawn picks it up, dismantling the pole so it fits into a set of saddle bags easily. “You did good, Ki.” She murmurs softly. “KI!!!!” That voice is unmistakable. I turn and a whirlwind of youthful energy impacts me. I hug the colt tightly. “Oh, Hadi!!” I murmur softly, holding onto the young colt. “You’ve been gone way too long. Mistress Ghaliya was very unhappy over your absence.” His voice is a bit muffled, his face being buried in my robes. I nuzzle him, he is truly a pleasure to be around. “Well, everything is done. And we can certainly send a caravan their way, to pay off their debt, and even make a decent profit. I think they will be producing bumper crops for a while.” “Did you put your magic in their fields? Like you did with that oasis?” He pulls away to look up at me. I nod with a smile. “They will have bountiful crops, likely for the next several seasons.” “You are too nice, Ki. Even at the expense of yourself.” This is the voice I’ve been wanting to hear the most for the last few days. I look up at the mare, a soft smile on her face, her eyes absolutely beaming with joy and love. I squeeze Hadi close one more time before moving over to Ghaliya. I bow before her. “I don’t think I need to go anywhere else away from you.” Her chiming laugh is music to my ears. “See that you don’t. Though we need to have words over how much you did.” She glances over at Dawn, then back at me. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.” She steps closer. “I need you, Ki.” She whispers fiercely. “I want you as my husband, the sooner the better.” I fight to keep my wings at my side as I can feel my face turn red, with an audible gulp I nod slowly. As she speaks in a low velvety and almost musical tone, the heat in her voice is unmistakable. As she turns and heads towards her tent, she flicks her tail just the right way, making my heart race. Hadi comes up and walks next to me, tilting his head and blinking. Rearing up, he waves a hoof in front of my face. "Wakie Wakie." Blinking, I shake my head and look down before starting to move again, as we head towards the head of the caravan. She ducks into her tent, though Hadi joins me in mine, talking a mile a minute about the two times bandits tried to attack their caravan during the time I’ve been gone. “You wouldn’t believe it!” Hadi said, bouncing on the spot, “Their leader was wildly waving his sword as they galloped towards us.” Waving his hoof in the air as if carrying a sword, “Faris had two ranks of guards ready as they approached.” Almost singing the colt hunkered down, “They fired on high, but the bandits kept on coming, their determination was all they seemed to know. They fired again, yet bandits held their charge, though there wasn’t as many now as there was a moment ago. They fired once more and bandits will was broken, half their number gone, to the hills they seeked to go.” The colt is on his back, laughing. I frown, looking up at Dawn, who is lying down comfortably on her own pallet. “Two attacks in one stretch?” She looks at Hadi, then at me. “It’s the hardships of a desert. Bedouins do not love the desert; it is harsh and little lives in it. Food and water are scarce and limited here. Farmlands are coveted by families who have held them for generations. The poor, who can’t find jobs, can’t make a life in towns often have no choice but to turn to being bandits. Some do it for greed, but others do it because they think its their last hope for survival. I’ve never been that desperate, but I can see how some could chose that. They were probably turned out by their clan, or orphaned.” Tapping some sand from her hoof, Dawn shakes her head, “Farris has sentries posted for a reason. This is a known caravan path, so groups gather in the hills to see across the lands, and plan attacks. I have no doubt that there are likely bandit scouts watching us right now given the area we are in. Ghaliya said that if it weren’t for how much gold and jewels we are profiting by this, she wouldn’t take this run. But this will be one of her most profitable runs of the year, if not the decade. That’s why she was reluctant to send even the few guards she sent with you.” She smiles. “She even had to hire some former mercenaries to add their weight to the group.” I stop for a moment. “Your group?” She nods. “At my suggestion, she’s got some of my best heavy hitters, along with my best med staff. All in all, she’s employing about three quarters of my band.” Her ears flatten to the sides. “She said, though, with my current circumstances, I cannot lead them, they report to Farris. In a way, that’s fine with me, they are caravan guard, while I'm Royal Guard.” Her ears perk forward. “But I do get to see Sparks and some of the others.” "Royal Guard?" I blink and look at her funny. With a smile she points at me, "I keep you out of trouble, rather than the Caravan." My ears perk up. “I remember you talking about Sparks. When do I get to meet her?” Dawn smiles. “No worries, Ki, we are on our way back to the City, you’ll see her as we move. Her skills saved two lives in our caravan, and four of the bandits.” I frown. “Four of the bandits?” She nods. “Sparks is, well she's a healer first, her belief is that all life is important." "Well that sounds familiar," I say with a smile. "So friend or foe, she will do her best to heal anycreature, she calls it her Meadowbrook Oath." Dawn smiles, "It was something Ghaliya was opposed to at first, but Sparks made it plain if Ghaliya didn’t agree, she’d go and do her healing elsewhere. I let Ghaliya know it would be best having Sparks on our side. And she finally relented. The four she healed were released at Spark’s insistence." I nod slowly, "Not turned over to the authorities?" "Sparks thought that showing them kindness, would have them spread the words and we might be left alone. Ghaliya has decided they’re our captives now and will be for sale as slaves to whoever wants them. Maybe their teammates will ransom them from us? Never misses an opportunity, she does. Even I wasn't sure of that but on the return trip that band hasn’t been bothering us again. Farris thinks it was because we defended so effectively. Now I’m pretty sure it was because Sparks healed some of them and let them go.” She glances at the wall of the tent in the direction of Ghaliya’s tent. “I’m think Ghaliya sees it that way too.” That gets a laugh from me. “And Farris has been strutting around as if he was the sole source of protection on the trip.” Dawn laughs as well. “Oh, he’s almost insufferable. Two guards injured for over a dozen bandits dead. And those two injured are now up and working as though nothing had happened. Oh, he’s quite pleased with himself.” I roll my eyes, then I find a yawn overtaking everything. I blink a few times after it’s over. “Sleep does sound good to me.” She nods. Though to my surprise, she charges her horn and disappears with a pop. Hadi nuzzles me a few times, and exits my tent, heading for his bed next to Ghaliya. Though I find myself suppressing a huge amount of envy, how I’d much rather be lying next to her tonight. I shrug out of my robes and hang them up in the proper place. My mind slowly goes fuzzy. A scrumptious smell brings me back to myself. A large platter is sitting before me, far more than I can eat. Foodstuffs that I’ve pretty much become accustomed to on the move, just more than usual. I pick up a roll in my magic, dunking it in a thick vegetable broth before taking a huge bite. Dawn is doing the same, smiling at me as she joins me in tucking in to the meal. To my surprise, the platter is consumed in near total silence. Only punctuated by the chime of our respective magics, along with various moans and groans of pleasure as we eat. Finally, as we wind down, each of us with a cup of tea hovering before us, both of us sigh in pleasure. I feel that pleasant fullness in my stomach. “Oh, that’s nice.” Dawn nods. Is her belly distended from eating so much? I swear that mare is half my size, yet she probably put away as much as I did. She burps softly before blushing. “Sometimes a big meal is exactly what you need. You used a lot of magic, Ki.” I nod. “So did you. But the town is saved. That is what matters, right?” Her smile fades to a serious look. “Ki, I know we’ve talked about this a lot, but you really…” “Need to know and respect my limits.” I groan out. I look at her. “You have talked to me about it. “But it all worked out.” “Because I was there, because Guerina was there. We saved you from that last bird. We protected you and brought you back to the town. You overdid it. What if you are away from us? What if we can’t get to you? Someday you are going to tie your camel to a mirage.” I cock my head to the side. “But you have that tracking spell, you know how I’m doing, and where I am.” She huffs a bit. “Ki, you are an alicorn, I will age and die, you won’t. Celestia has been the sole ruler of Equestria for nearly a thousand years. And before that, she ruled with her sister for centuries before. I will not always be there to protect you.” That gets me to stop, I’ll outlive her? Outlive Ghaliya? I fight the beginnings of tears. “I don’t want you to die, Dawn. I don’t want to lose Ghaliya, or you, or Hadi, or…” That gets a sad smile from Dawn. “Ki, it is your nature. You cannot change your nature, your time here will be measured in centuries, if not millennia. Your only true peer when it comes to that would be Celestia. You may want to reach out to her, for that reason at the very least.” “No.” She sighs, her ears flattening to the sides. “Suit yourself, Ki. But in a few centuries, when Saddle Arabia is a completely different place. You might find that some permanence, something familiar, might be good, and at least befriending the only other known immortal on this planet might be a good thing.” I don’t want to talk anymore. I’m tired. I lie down on my cot, adjusting myself for warmth in the cold night air. “Good night Dawn.” My ears track her steps as she extinguishes the lamps in the tent, her magic brings the platter towards the entrance. And at first she climbs into her own bed. I don’t immediately fall asleep, lying there I keep my body still, my breathing even. I listen to the mare bounce back and forth on her bed. Finally, I hear her huff. I hear her hooves on the carpet, she moves close, I can feel her breath on my ear. “Ki?” “Mhmm?” “Please, let me be close to you. I’m cold this night.” I lift up my covering, which has her snuggled up against my chest in a matter of seconds. She snakes her forelegs around my barrel, and my wing folds over her. With her added warmth, I’m asleep in a matter of moments. *** “Good morning, Ki.” That smoky voice brings me from dead sleep to full wakefulness instantly. I can feel the warmth of Dawn still there, looking down, the unicorn is sleeping with her head snuggled against my chest. I look up and smile at Ghaliya. “Did you have a pleasant evening?” I know what she means, my smile broadens and she grins back. “Glad to know she’s taking care of you. Keeping your mind and your body satisfied.” “Ghaliya, I’m fine without such things…” That gets a laugh. “Oh, you stallions. Say you are fine with just the one you are in love with.” She nuzzles my cheek, the maximum she is permitted to do when it comes to showing affection to her new fiancée. “Though your embarrassment…” She puts a hoof on my withers to forestall my words. “You don’t need to say it, your face turns red every time I bring it up.” She smiles so brightly her eyes close for a moment. “It’s fine, Ki. Dawn doesn’t have the ability to steal you, and her being a pony, she’d likely prefer a couple of mares with her stallion. Ponies make herds.” I look down at Dawn, her eyes are slowly moving as a precursor to waking up. Ghaliya reaches over me and nuzzles the pony as well. “I did a good thing by claiming her when the Padishah confiscated most of your property. Not only training you in the use of your magic, but she’s been warming your bed as much as you need it warmed.” She starts walking through my tent, tidying as she goes. “As I was saying, ponies like their herds. Remember, I’ve been taught in the best schools in Saddle Arabia. I’ve learned about the ponies. Earth ponies typically have the largest herds, four or five stallions to ten or more mares, though sometimes it’s a bit smaller. Pegasi typically go with smaller, one or two mares to a single stallion. And unicorns fall in the middle. But it’s all up to personal preference.” She stops and smiles at me. “Dawn just might prefer one other mare and just you on the stallion side.” Dawn and I have discussed some of this, I know her preferences. “But…” Ghaliya flicks her mane back and forth. “No worries, Ki. She knows her place, just as we know ours. You get yourself ready, we will be heading out soon.” She exits, though her tail flicks hard to the side as she heads towards the flap of the tent, I can feel my body responding to the tantalizing view before she ducks through. “Boy, she really wants you to mount me,” Dawn whispers. She snuggles into my chest. “But you are too much of a gentlestallion.” I take a shuddering breath, the vision of Ghaliya painted in my mind. Which gets me a hard hoof to the chest. “What did you do that for?” She points down, and I scuttle off the bed, the coverings hanging off of me like a robe, boy, did she ever have an effect on me, my movements also have my wings extended and quivering. Dawn’s voice is full of amusement as she sits up. “You wouldn’t be the first stallion to wake up ready to go.” I lower my head. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. I saw that Ghaliya was displaying her wares for you.” “You saw them too.” “I don’t count, remember?” That gets a growl from me. “You count to me.” She hops off the bed, her horn lighting and the covers floating off my back. “I know that, Ki, but I don’t count in the society here. You don’t need to worry about that. You are pretty much ready to get yourself out there and join Ghaliya, I will clean up and pack up.” She rears up and kisses my cheek. “Thank you for keeping up this appearance. I promise Ghaliya would be furious if she found I wasn’t doing my duty when it comes to you. And no, it doesn’t matter that you refuse. It’s my responsibility, even handling a shy stallion like yourself.” I hang my head for a moment before her hoof comes up and touches my cheek. “Ki, you are a wonderful stallion. Don’t worry, you will have your marriage and Ghaliya will be your wife. Then I can just keep clear. We only have to pretend like this a short time more. After you are married, she won’t expect me to take care of you, unless she’s unable to, like being pregnant or some sort of injury. Go on out and start the day with the one you love. Okay?” I nod, taking a moment to nuzzle her cheek and whisper a thank you before turning and exiting the tent. As the tent flap falls behind me, I hear her magic start to chime. From experience I know Hadi is already out with the other early scouts as the camp mills about in the predawn light. The ashes from the fires of the night before are quickly buried, along with the surprisingly low amount of trash generated over the night. And by the time the sun has truly risen, I am walking next to Ghaliya as we head towards the City of Gardens. *** Two days pass, and in those days, with probably double my usual amount eaten, along with a lot of time spent talking to the tall mare about everything that’s happened while I was gone. She reacted with wonder at my changing of the nature of the birds. Along with the creation of two unicorn horses. To my surprise, she’s completely excited about the new foals. Having true unicorn magic users among the denizens of Saddle Arabia is an amazing thing according to Ghaliya. She wants to contact her uncle immediately, and I have to beg her to not disturb them. When they are old enough, they will be brought to the city. She does insist on sending messages to Nisran for the foals to be brought to the City sooner rather than later for testing. Even Dawn has been trying to council caution, let the foals be as normal as possible for as long as possible. Ghaliya has relented to our words. “I wonder.” She says, lying on a cushion in the large wagon, a hoof to her chin. “If some mare in the City were to be made pregnant, perhaps one of the Padishah’s harem, with his seed, you could perform that feat once again? I’m sure it would go a long way to restoring your reputation with him, bringing pure magic users into the Royal Family.” My eyes widen, but Dawn saves me. “Mistress, what Ki did was spur of the moment, and not under any control. He could burn himself out in the attempt, he could injure not only the potential foals, but also the mare. What he did was to save a life that was in direct danger.” Ghaliya looks thoughtful. “Perhaps when you go into heat next, should make sure he mounts you, perhaps some of his nature might give you alicorn foals?” Dawn’s face brightens in a blush. “Oh, I’m not ready for foals, Mistress.” “I could command you..” Dawn glances at me, then back at Ghaliya. “I don’t think you would, Mistress. You and I both know it would be improper for you to command your future husband to impregnate a mere slave.” Ghaliya nods. “That is true. But remember, he is an alicorn. Some rules are different for him.” “I don’t want foals with Dawn. I just want them with you.” The few times we’ve brought up foals, Ghaliya’s face has colored brightly. She ducks her head. “You know I shall want at least five foals, four strong stallions and one beautiful mare.” “Five?” My voice is strangled. She nods. “Hadi needs a full complement of younger brothers to play with, and a sister for all of them to care for and protect.” Dawn is snickering, earning a baleful glare from me. She clears her throat. “You do know, Mistress, that given pony genetics, the likelihood is that you’ll have more filly’s than stallions. It’s just the way pony genetics are…” “Oh nonsense.” Ghaliya says, getting to her hooves. “Everyhorse knows that there are ways to make sure you get a stallion versus a mare. Dawn, stand up, you too Ki.” We both dutifully get to our hooves, “Okay, Ki, make ready to mount Dawn.” After a few moments, she ducks her head down. “Ki, you’ve done this before, right?” “Ummm.” I take a few steps back. Ghaliya looks at Dawn, her face starting to redden. “Dawn, tell me true. Has Ki here, ever mounted you?” She takes a few steps back. “Mistress, I will not lie to you. Please, don’t make me…” Ghaliya’s voice is cold. “I asked you a question, bondsmare. Has this stallion mounted you and entered you.” Dawn looks at me, panic in her face. She ducks her head. “No, Mistress, he has not.” To be honest, I thought Ghaliya would explode at me. But her face gets a thoughtful expression. Her eyes darting from me to Dawn and back. After about a minute she finally speaks. “Well, I cannot accuse you of lying to me. You never directly lied even when I have asked.” She stops and shakes her head. “Though you know my express desire was for him to mate with you, both for his good health, and for yours.” She looks up at me. “Both of you allowed the servants and the workers of the palace to draw their own conclusions.” She sighs softly. “Well, fine. I’m here, and I am telling you, Ki. Take Dawn as the mare she is. Right now. Do your duty.” Dawn looks at Ghaliya, then at me. She shrugs. “Yes, Mistress.” She says, turning her rear towards me and lifting her tail, giving me a full view of everything the blue mare has to offer. I take a step towards her, my nose flaring. Then I stop, I can see the barely contained lust in Ghaliya’s eyes, she really wants to watch me mate this pony. I look at Dawn, she’s looking over her shoulder at me, a genuine smile on her face. “It’s okay, Ki.” I take a step back. “No, Ghaliya. I won’t.”