I took my time floating through the air this time, rather than zoom straight to the Dreamwarden's house. I was still projecting, but I was taking things easy. I was also making a show of pretending to be flying while still visible. My headache had receded down to a dull throbbing, and I felt confident I could complete my promise.
Nightscape flew beside me, and I made sure that I didn't leave her side. She intended to walk me in.
"Now, when we get there, you need to stay clear of Charlotte, Arachne, and Nightmare Moon," Nightscape explained. "They're going to be in full protective mode after you scared their mother. I know they whine about her not being fair, but she's still their mother."
"But they're just a bunch of teens. I don't think they're that scary," I replied.
Nightscape snorted. "The three of them may only be thirteen years old, but they are three of the most dangerous thirteen-year-olds you'll ever meet. Tempest and Crystal have trained them since they were small to fight, and they can kick the flank of any night pony in town, including mine. We all make fun of Crystal, but she is tougher than any of the guards except Tempest, and I know Charlotte at least has fought Crystal to a standstill before. And that is impressive."
"I'm not even really here, so I don't think it’s going to matter," I said as I broke the illusion of flying to float just ahead of her for a moment.
She blinked. "Right, forgot that. Hard to adjust to."
I resumed my fake flight next to her. "When they aren’t ready to jump me, what are Phobia’s foals like? It seems like they have a hard life. Ever since I first learned I might become a Dreamwarden; I have been scared of having a family of my own."
She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that what the whole committed virgin thing is about?"
I gave a sad nod of my head.
She frowned and then looked forward. "Huh. That's the first time you've come out and said you might become a Dreamwarden to me. I knew, and I knew you knew that I knew, but it feels good having that out in the open with us. Just keep it between us, okay?"
"Yup! You know, Jess and Robby know, my parents' new neighbors who moved in to guard them know, Wild Growth, and my parents. That's it."
"Tempest too," Nightscape replied. "She was there when Phobia was assigning me the job of watching you. Tempest vouched for me being a strong enough fighter to defend you. I'm not sure who your parents' new neighbors are. I assume they're Yinyu's guards for you. I know she had some."
"So what are Phobia's foals like?" I prompted again.
She shrugged, which was always interesting to watch while a pony was flying. "Charlotte and Arachne are very competitive with each other. Arachne can make bugs and spiders do what she wants, mainly spiders, which is creepy. She can be a bit of a snob, thinking she's better than everyone else because of her family connections. She'll also sometimes act like she's a ditz without a brain in her head, but it's just a manipulative act she does to get people to think she's all innocent and do what she wants. Don't buy it for a minute. She's made it clear that she wants to make a name for herself since she has a famous mother, grandmother, and aunt, and doesn't want to always be overshadowed."
"So, she's conniving and ambitious?" I asked.
Nightscape nodded. "Yep, a regular chip off the old before she reformed Sunset Blessing's block."
"That sounds bad."
Nightscape tilted her head in agreement. "Maybe she'll grow out of it. As for her twin sister, Charlotte is a fighter to the core. She'll get into verbal sparring matches with her parents, so she’s kind of a typical angsty teen in that regard. Charlotte and Rosetta—that's Phobia's spouse, spend a lot of time talking together, and Rosetta usually can calm her down if Charlotte gets upset about something. Charlotte is kinda a mommy's filly, fights with her parents, but also goes running to them if she needs to cry."
"And the colt?" I asked curiously.
"Nightmare Moon, or call him Moony. He's quiet and hates seeing people get hurt. Even keeps bandages and stuff around to help patch anyone up right away. He wants to be a doctor. He's a real sweetheart."
I arched an eyebrow at her. "That seems different than what I saw. I saw him doing a duel with Jordan, and he seemed—I guess the word is savage."
Nightscape laughed. "It's an act. It's like a pegasus fluffing their feathers to look more intimidating. Yeah, he goes in growling like an animal and looking like he's going to tear someone apart, and he's going to be an ox of a stallion when he's all grown up, but he pulls his blows if he thinks they might connect. Charlotte and Arachne don't know how to tell when enough is enough; they only understand doing whatever it takes to win; he understands when it's gone too far."
I sighed. "It sounds horrible; having them have to get better at fighting constantly."
"Night ponies take pride in being able to fight. It's what our tribe does," Nightscape said defensively.
"You're an artist and an architect. That's a creator, not a fighter," I pointed out. "And it sounds like they get drilled on fighting far more than other night ponies."
"I still learn to fight. Tempest puts the rest of us through drills, too," Nightscape grumbled. "I've had Charlotte and Arachne bloody my muzzle more than once."
"But is that how you define yourself, or do you define yourself as an architect?" I asked. "We shouldn't be like that, treating our tribes like they’re all we can be."
"Would you feel the same way if you could do weather magic?" Nightscape retorted, then her eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. That was rude and unkind."
I gave her a small strained smile. "It's okay. You're right; I might feel differently about it if I could do everyday pegasus things. Heck, I still love to fly, and I can't even do that well—but I wonder if me not being able to define myself that way opened up other doors for me, and I'm not just talking about this magic I have. When we don't fit a definition, we have to find a way of defining ourselves on our own, and there's something special in that."
She shook her head. "I define myself. I include being a night pony, and all that entails in that definition. Just because I'm one thing doesn't mean it says everything about me, but it does say some things about me."
"Maybe it doesn't have to be any part of your definition, or you can define what being a night pony means differently," I suggested. "Phobia Remedy doesn't learn to fight."
She gave a loud snort. "Phobia Remedy is one of the most feared ponies on the planet. She technically has the power to destroy a pony's mind with a thought. When she enters a room, everyone gets wary. Phobia Remedy doesn't need to know how to fight."
"Yet, silly little me can about cause her a heart attack," I countered. "I didn't mean to, but the fact remains that for all that frightful image people have of her, she's still not someone you could define under standard night pony terms."
"Is there a point to this?" Nightscape asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know. I'm just figuring things out loud for myself. Sometimes hard to define thoughts work better if you talk them out."
"Well, we're about to land. You can think about that stuff later. You're the one who might end up a Dreamwarden, not me, and I'll leave the big questions to Dreamwardens and preachers."
Nightscape came in for a landing in front of the house, and I descended with her, doing my best to keep up the illusion of a regular landing from a flight. It wasn't a perfect imitation of a landing in my case, since my typical landings involved a lot more tumbling and people dodging my rolling body, but it was a believable landing.
Crystal came marching out the door and straight to us with a scowl on her face, and her eyes fixed on me. I involuntarily cringed as she approached. She was still translucent and glowing from when she sapped my magic.
She pointed a hoof at me when she was only a pace or two away. "You! What kind of nerve do you have using magic to enter a Dreamwarden's home unannounced and scaring poor Phobia like that? You're lucky I only shorted out your crazy spell and didn't do some permanent damage to you because I was ready to try to suck you dry. You don't invade our home or make my boss feel threatened; you got that?"
"Um, yes, ma'am," I said meekly, hoping she didn't decide to banish me again. I wasn't sure if she could drain more than just whatever held the projection away from my body, or if she could reach across whatever thread tied me to my body and drain me directly, but I didn't want to find out.
None of the night ponies on the roof were making a peep. Several of them were staring nervously at Crystal. I understood why. There was some primal fear all ponies shared of having their magic ripped away, and Crystal had just absorbed another pony's magic. It may have been in defense of their beloved Dreamwarden, but it was still an act that made any pony want to squirm away in fright. Plus, there was the fact they no doubt were worried about being chewed out for somehow letting a fat little pegasus get by them into the house unnoticed, and then get out of the house and away with just as little notice. They were probably going to be wondering how I did it.
Jess and Robby exited out of the house together. Jess took the lead with her brother close on her heels. She had a determined expression on her face as she approached us.
"She's learned her lesson, Crystal. You don't need to scare her or threaten her," the human said firmly.
Crystal turned and glared at her. "It's not your concern or place to tell me what I can and cannot say to her. It's my job to see to Phobia's defense and the defense of everyone in this family. I'm not going to let her off the hook without at least making it clear that it will not be allowed to happen again."
Jess didn't flinch away from that glare. "Do you want me to go get Tempest?"
Crystal gave a mirthless laugh. "I thought you were a genius. Do you think Tempest is going to be any more forgiving than me? She's lucky it’s me and not Tempest who is out here right now."
"She's right, sis," Robby quietly said as he laid a wing against his sister's leg while looking up at her. "Just let her get it all out cause the longer you interfere, the longer this is going to take."
Jess blew at a stray strand of blue hair and crossed her arms. "Okay. I still think it's a pointless waste of time, though. Rebecca isn't dangerous. Phobia just spooks easily. True, she should have announced herself rather than just wafting in, but what's done is done, and she got a nasty migraine to teach her a lesson."
"You did get her good," Nightscape told Crystal. "She fell out of bed, moaning and crying. Our other roommate had to hug her tight to comfort her."
Julie would hug me if any excuse were given, so that wasn't worth mentioning, and I was pretty sure I wasn't crying. I wasn't going to contradict the pony who was my friend, roommate, and bodyguard. Maybe she knew some ancient secret bodyguard code that could smooth this over faster with Crystal.
Crystal grimaced and gave me a measured look. "No more sneaking in. You're to come through the front door, invited and announced, or you won't be allowed on this property again in any shape or form. I don't take kindly to trespassers. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear," I replied meekly. I briefly considered shifting shape to something smaller and cuter, but all the night ponies were watching. As far as they knew, I was standing here for real.
She snorted and stepped to the side. "You may follow Robby and Jess inside, don't go wandering off."
Nightscape and I followed the Middleton siblings onto the house. There was no sign of Phobia in the living room, but her three foals were all sitting together by the stairs and watching me with predatory gazes. A human man was sitting on one of the couches that I assumed was Mister Middleton.
Jess looked over at the three teenaged night ponies. "This is kind of private, you three. Do you mind going somewhere else for a little while?"
"It's our house, so why should we?" Arachne answered flippantly.
"She hurt Mom," Charlotte said while glaring at me.
Jess groaned. "Rebecca didn't hurt your mom. She just startled her. Something I know each of you has managed to do far worse at one time or another. I've done it myself at least once. You know how your mom gets when someone comes up to her unexpectedly or too quickly."
"You aren't a stranger; she is," Moony said grimly.
"I assure you, she's not a stranger to your mom, even if she's a stranger to you," Jess said calmly but firmly. "You trust me, right? All of us have been friends for years. Believe me when I tell you she isn't a threat, and she didn't mean any harm."
The three siblings looked at each other in silent exchange before Arachne turned back to us. "We trust you, Jessie, and Robby, of course, but that doesn't mean we should have to get up and leave. How about you trust us with letting us see whatever is going on here?"
"You're really going to do this?" Robby asked in exasperation.
"Mom's in her room," Arachne replied.
"And Tempest is with her," Moony added on.
"Crystal is outside, and Mama is away," Charlotte continued.
"And none of you are the boss of us," Arachne finished.
Jess looked at her brother helplessly. "You're an adult that lives here; you can't overrule them?"
Robby shook his head. "Nope, my authority in the house begins and ends in my room. Dad doesn't live here, and neither do you."
"Jessie is only a year older than us anyway," Arachne reminded us smugly.
"Only if you're counting linear time," Jess snapped. She then looked over at her dad, who promptly put his hands up as if to say he wasn't getting involved. She then put her hand up to her face and pinched her nose.
A moment later, there was a knock that seemed to have no source.
"Who is it? The Dreamwarden is busy," a disembodied voice asked.
Jess replied without taking her hand from her face. "It's Jess. I'm not actually up there; I'm just twisting sound around. The demons want to stay down here and watch."
"Not my problem," the voice replied.
"But Tempest—" Jess whined.
Tempest cut her off with a stomp on the floor that could be heard in the living room. "My duty is to Phobia Remedy, not Rebecca Riddle. You're a big girl; resolve your problem yourself."
Jess huffed and lowered her hand. "Fine." She then turned to me. "This is going to be your call. We can either do this thing with them watching, or we can try taking off somewhere and trying to do it someplace else. What do you want to do? I can say they are trustworthy, even if they’re a pain sometimes."
"Hey!" Charlotte objected, but her sister put a wing over her to shush her.
I looked at them. They stared blankly back at me—except for Arachne, she grinned. I looked back at Jess. "I guess so, if they can keep this to themselves and not tell anyone."
Charlotte spread her wings. "Who would we tell? We get homeschooled and spend ninety percent of our life cramped up at the house."
Arachne slapped her sister with a wing. "Will you stop before she decides not to show us?"
"Don't you slap me! How about you stop grinning like an idiot before she thinks she's dealing with some madmare?" Charlotte shouted.
"I'm not an idiot, you bi—" Arachne instantly had her sister's hoof in her mouth, blocking out the curse word. Moony shook his head and looked down.
"How do you deal with your sisters and keep sane, Moony?" Robby asked in amusement. The colt just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in exasperation again.
"You really are quiet," I observed.
He looked up at me and raised his head high. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. From Abe Lincoln, it's my favorite quote. Getting involved with their fights is nothing but trouble and only escalates things, so I keep my mouth shut."
Nightscape leaned over and whispered in my ear. "He's going to be quite the charmer with the mares when he's older. Instantly the most eligible bachelor the second he turns eighteen. There's already some of the older fillies eying him."
"Would you have eyed him if you hadn't gotten me?" Robby asked.
Nightscape smirked. "You bet your tail I'd have gotten in that contest if I were still single in five years. I think I got the better option, though, unless you dump me."
"Not planning on it," Robby replied. "It's so hard to find night ponies who are interested in art."
"So you're stuck with me then," Nightscape giggled.
The twin sisters were grinning at their brother's evident discomfort at being discussed in such a way. "Aww, look at little brahter blush," Arachne teased.
"He's only a month younger than us," Charlotte corrected.
Arachne shrugged. "Still our little brother, just like I'm still the oldest."
Charlotte flapped her wings. "By thirty seconds!"
Arachne gave her twin a level look. "Thirty-two, and don't you ever forget it."
Moony shook his head again. "Should have kept my mouth shut."