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// Chapter the Eleventh: Shifting Trajectory 
// Story: Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Two: Nature's Blessings 
// by Kiernan 
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Fluttershy was exhausted. What she'd offered the bears was a back and shoulder massages in exchange for their work and protection. Kai had watched for the first several minutes, partially out of concern for her safety, but once he was sure she'd be fine, he dropped off to sleep and had a particularly deep slumber. Now it was morning, and the bears felt wonderful as they went back to their homes in the forest. Fluttershy had been up all night, and just as she was lying down next to Kai, the sun was rising, and that meant that it was time to go.

Luckily, Nik was very understanding of her sacrifice for the group, and he opted to let her sleep all morning long while Twilight helped Kai take them out of the forest. He wasn't going to make her stay awake. When they sat down together in the back of the wagon, she very soon slumped over and fell asleep against his shoulder. He thought it might be bad for her neck, sleeping in such a contorted manner, so he moved over slightly so she could rest her head on his lap. He let her sleep there for a good six hours before they stopped for a break.

After they resumed their journey, Twilight, on a whim, decided to look through the stone Kai had given her, to see if they were anywhere near a ley line. What she saw was very confusing, and flew in the face of what she thought she knew about them. "Hey Kai?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "What does it mean if a ley line is moving?"

"They shouldn't be moving," replied Kai. "They should mark the straight lines between all manner of magic-based landmarks."

"Well, one of them is moving," replied Twilight, offering the stone to Kai. He held it up to his eye and saw the ley line moving under the ground. "I didn't know that they could move." 

Kai was flummoxed. He'd never heard of a ley line moving like this. They weren't subject to change. They were anchored to multiple points all over the globe. If the ley line was moving, that meant that the anchor point was moving. He had no idea what was happening. 

"I don't know what's going on with it," admitted Kai. "There are some things about magic that even I don't underst-- Hold on. It just changed directions." He returned the lens to Twilight. "Check this out."

Twilight held the lens up to her face and looked through it. "That's weird. That's weird, right?"

"Very strange," agreed Kai. "Keep an eye on it for me, would you please?"

"As long as I can," nodded Twilight. As the realization hit her, she squealed in delight. "I love field research! This is so cool! Do you think we can name the effect after me? I've always wanted to discover something so big that they let me name it!"

Kai chuckled. "If we don't find any record of a ley line moving, and we happen to find out why, and it doesn't already have a name, I'd be more than happy to have your name attached to the findings."

"Well, you can be attached, too," smiled Twilight. "I don't mind sharing the credit. A big scientific discovery like this would be a huge feather in your cap."

"No feathers for me, thanks. I'm not in it for the glory, the recognition nor the respect of my peers. Any research findings I publish are for the good of the scholars who read them, and for the good of anypony they teach. I just want Equestria to be a better place."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You're not at least trying to attract a little bit of attention for your contributions?"

Kai was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath before responding. "You know how I feel about Fluttershy. I want her to look at me and think that I'm somepony worth her time. In the past, I've done some terrible things to her that I can never undo or make up for. You know I have. And in return, she's only ever been kind to me. I very much want her to like me, but when she smiles, I just... I feel like I'm some kind of monster. I see it when I look in the mirror, Nik sees it written all over my face, and it's fallacious to think that nopony else can see it. I'm a coward, I'm cruel, and all I want is to change that; to be worthy of her affection."

Twilight hadn't intended for her probe to cut so deep.  She'd just been intending some light teasing to make him blush, but now he looked like he was about to cry. If she didn't need it for walking, she'd have put a hoof on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't see you as monstrous. At every turn, whether I've agreed with your methods or not, your intentions have always been good. It's very clear that you care very much for Fluttershy, that you want her to be happy and safe. From how she's acted every time you sent her a letter, I think it's safe to guess that she's forgiven a lot of your actions. I think it would be a good idea if you two had some time alone to discuss your feelings with each other, rather than keep assuming. I can't really say that I want the two of you to be together, but if it makes you both happy, I'd hate to be the one standing in your way."

Kai slowly nodded, but his head was down. He'd just poured his heart out to Twilight, and hearing it aloud had made him realize that it was all true. Deep down, he really did think of himself as some sort of foul creature, clawing his way up toward the only light he knew. In his mind, he could see Fluttershy, smiling down at him and offering her hoof, and he wanted to take it, but he couldn't reach it. She was so high up, and he was sinking further and further into despair.

By midafternoon, they reached the edge of the forest. Kai was still staring at the ground with a sour look on his face, and Twilight wanted to fix it. She pointed to the sky. "Kai, do you see that?"

Kai looked up, but other than a few clouds, he couldn't see anything. "What am I looking for?" 

"The sky," answered Twilight. "See how blue it is? As we move forward, we'll be just fine. 'Blue skies ahead' is a common saying, meaning 'everything's going to be alright.' I see blue skies ahead. I see no storms, no hardships, and no problems that need to be immediately addressed. What do you see?"

Kai looked ahead of them. While the sky was indeed very blue, as was common for good weather, on the horizon, he saw some dark clouds looming. The wind was pushing them out of the way, but there they were, moving north. "It's a blue sky," he sighed, "with a bunch of clouds scattered about. There is a storm on the horizon, but it's not headed our way, and by the time we..." He trailed off. A realization suddenly hit him. "Twilight, what direction is that ley line moving?" 

Twilight looked through the stone. "North. Why?"

A smile crept across Kai's face. "Because I just figured out why it's moving. Change of plans, we're following that ley line. Which way, captain Twilight?"