//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: Checking In 
// Story: Return of the Ancient Mage 
// by Zoshe 
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With a pop, Random reappeared back in Cloud Kicker's house.

He didn't bother to put his disguise back on. It was getting tiring to keep reapplying it and since the other ponies in this house had already seen him without it, there wouldn't be any point to putting it back on.

He made his way to the upstairs bedroom to find both the pegasus Cloud Kicker and the changeling Blossomforth still lying in bed together. Cloud Kicker looked like she was about to bolt out of bed when he entered and she would have if she hadn't recognized the stallion she had last seen covered in vines.

"You startled me," she said. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"It's evening," the golden unicorn said. "I was last here this morning."

"Is it?" Cloud Kicker strained to look out the window but forgot that they had drawn the curtains for privacy. "I must've nodded off."

"How's she doing?" Random came in and laid down down beside the bed. "Has she woken up at all?"

"She did for a little bit," she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the changeling's forehead. "She must still be really out of it." She gave a small chuckle, "I was kind of expecting her to panic when she woke up as something other than a pegasus, but she just nuzzled into me and went back to sleep after a few minutes."

"She must really trust you if she still feels safe even when she's exposed like this," he said.

"We've been friends for a really long time. I'm sure she's had her reasons why she didn't tell me." She leaned up and looked at him, "so this is what you really look like? I only caught a glimpse of it before back at the library."

Random lowered his hood and nodded.

"You look good." She blushed a bit. "Grey and green aren't really your colors anyway. You must have your own reasons for wanting to stay hidden. I'm not gonna pry though."

Random chuckled a bit, "I appreciate that. It's nothing too exciting though. Just know that there are certain ponies that would recognize me in an instant and that's something I would rather avoid right now."

"Well I know you can't be a bad pony," she said. "A bad pony would've left us to our fate. You even went and found a doctor that can keep quiet."

"Doctor?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Smokey?" Cloud Kicker looked at him nervously. "You did send for him right? Blossomforth started breathing easier after some potion he gave her."

"Oh him..." Random quickly amended while starting to sweat a bit. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

"How did you find a pony that knew how to treat changelings?" She asked.

"Oh you just have to know who to ask the right questions." He started sweating a bit. "Where is this doctor now?"

"Did you not see him on the way in? He said he was going to wait for you to return," She said.

"I must've missed him on the way in," he opened the door and stepped back outside. "I did teleport right to the stairs. I'll go talk to him now. You get some rest."

He quietly closed the door behind him, not giving the pegasus a chance to ask any more questions. As soon as the door was closed, he raced down the stairs and began checking every room. The place was small and he didn't have to look for very long before he found the doctor just relaxing in the kitchen while playing with vials of various components.

"Doctor Smokey, I presume?" He asked with an annoyed tone.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," said the light green earth pony stallion wearing a white lab coat and silver spectacles. He rustled his blonde mane as he blew out a small puff of smoke from the lit cigarette in his mouth. "I was starting to think you forgot about that poor nymph."

"How are you up and about?" Random looked at him, confused. "I know I only activated Storm Chaser's crystal."

Smokey used some tweezers to pull some sort of plant out of a boiling pot before adding it to one of the vials. "I think you can thank Whisper for that," he said as the liquid changed colors. "She must've seen the trouble you were in and sent help."

"Does she have to stick her nose in my problems?" Random asked no one in particular.

"She's worried about you," Smokey said quietly. "She's worried that holding onto that thing for so long is having an effect on you."

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow at him.

"She saw the way you snapped at Twilight," Smokey observed. "She hasn't seen you lose your temper like that in a long time."

Random turned away, embarrassed, "she's probably right. It has been taking a lot out of me just to keep him restrained. It probably would be easier if I just got some help like she keeps telling me to."

"So why don't you?" Smokey asked somberly as he went back to stiring.

"I can't really forgive the way the Equestrians betrayed me," he recalled. "Nor can I so easily forgive Celestia after what she did to Luna."

"What do you think Starswirl would think of your actions?" Smokey asked him.

"Heh," Random laughed. "He'd probably still be berating me for making the amulet in the first place. He was always worried what would happen if I lost it."

"As it turns out, he was right," a small smile found its way onto the earth pony's face. "That thing has been nothing but trouble."

"Laugh it up," said the unicorn. "Go on about how losing it was the worst thing that could've happened, second only to creating the thing in the first place."

Smokey took a long draw on his fire stick, "nah. Berating you may have been enjoyable once, but it got old some time ago."

Random gave Smokey an annoyed look, "anyway. There's also the mess that Storm Chaser started up," he said, changing the subject. "He went and started a brawl in Canterlot while finishing his mission."

Smokey chewed on the end of his cigarette, "did he now?" He seemed unsurprised, "well you did foresee some trouble once you got our spell working. How badly has that blown up?"

"It's not that bad," Random continued. "It happened in the middle of the night and Spectrum's already cleaned it up before too many had a chance to notice."

"Hmmm," Smokey nodded along. "He finished his mission though?"

"He did," Random said hesitantly. "But then he had to go steal a kiss from Luna while he was at it."

Smokey's face lit up, showing more emotion than he had up to this point. "Did he now?" He said with a smile. "I bet that's got you all kinds of bothered. Anyway, I've already spotted a pony with the magic I need to power our... Contingency."

Random raised an eyebrow at this, "already? That was fast. Did you already...?"

The earth pony shook his head. "I'm not Storm Chaser. I'm not about to go and start a mess unless it can't be helped," he said. "That pegasus has always been a bit impatient. That's not a problem I should have to deal with though."

"Good thing too," the unicorn said as he flinched before quickly drawing the lower part of his cloak around him. "Spectrum may be really good at what he does, but I can't expect him to be in more than one place at a time."

The action didn't go unnoticed as Smokey gave him a serious look and held his hoof out to Random. "Let me see it," he said.

"It's fine," Random insisted. "I just got bit by a timberwolf earlier."

"You're a terrible liar," said Smokey as one of his hooves shot into the cloak. "You and I both know that flesh wounds hardly bother you."

As the injured hoof was pulled from inside the cloak, Smokey's eyes went wide as Random looked away, ashamed. Shadows were crawling all over his golden fur and a foul stench was coming off it. "How bad is it?" The unicorn asked.

"You know how bad it is," Smokey said seriously. "But since you want me to tell you the bad news, I will. I give you a day at the most before the seal breaks completely. Less if you keep pushing yourself."

"I guess I better hurry then," said Random as he once again vanished from the room.