The next few days passed by in a grey haze. Even after the potion I'd brewed for him had taken effect, Sebastian was in no condition to return to school life... not with so much on his mind.
He spent nearly the entire time holed up in my Room, only leaving for meals when he absolutely couldn't stand his empty stomach any longer. During one of these excursions Professor Weasley finally caught up with him, gently letting him know that his uncle had died heroically while dealing with the curse within the catacombs that summoned all those Inferi. Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief... there was zero mention of Sebastian having been responsible for it, and I didn't sense anything in her words that might've suggested any suspicion. It seemed that Ominis had been successful in convincing Anne not to turn him in, and the cover story that had been created tied up every loose end.
In the meantime I was happy to collect his homework for him from his various classes, and I helped him complete it all however he wanted - whether he did want to give it a try himself, or he'd simply dictate his answers to me and I'd write them down. And I was fine with him remaining in my room, of course... it felt indescribably sweet that he wanted to hide out here when he was at his lowest point. It allowed me to keep an eye on him, to get him anything else he might've needed - whether that was a Draught of Peace, or another book to read to distract his mind, or simply a kind word of encouragement, of unconditional love...
...Love. I still couldn't believe the feeling that enveloped my heart and soul, made them burn ever brighter and warmer... let alone that I'd admitted those feelings to him. Unlike the times before when I'd questioned or outright denied what I felt for him, this emotion was crystal clear, and there wasn't a single doubt in my mind when I thought about it. I didn't even need to wonder if it was the ancient magic influencing my thoughts... it didn't matter.
Hell, I'd started expressing it openly the night we'd spoken to Ominis, and I'd convinced him against getting Sebastian expelled and... worse. It was after 11pm, and he was reading a book on the chaise lounge while I got ready for bed. After so long in a school uniform, a light and airy set of pajamas felt amazing on my skin.
His eyes flicked upwards from his book, and he froze. "...Are you in pajamas?"
"Uh... yea? I'm going to bed. It's late, you know."
"...I see," he mumbled, hiding his pinkening face back in the book. I disregarded it and walked over to my bed, its softness seductively calling to me. I sat down on the right side of it, on top of the covers...
...And I glanced back at him. He'd barely moved from the couch for almost three straight days. Even as plush as I'd conjured it, his back must've been killing him at this point.
A thought popped into my head.
"Hey... you know you don't have to sleep on the couch, right? It can't be that comfortable... the bed's more than big enough for the both of us." Sebastian's eyes snapped open as his head whipped around.
"I... y-you... wha?" His voice trailed off as every visible part of him turned bright red. All he could manage after that was a strangled grunt.
"I mean, this probably isn't a good time to really break it in," I casually glanced to the side while shrugging nonchalantly. "But if you're gonna stay here for a while, then I'd like to at least make sure you're getting enough sleep." Not to mention, if we were theoretically a couple now, then... why not? He could definitely use a cuddle.
...
...
...
For a moment I thought he was going to faint from the sheer implication. People in this world were so weirdly bashful about intimacy. It just made it so much more fun to tease him, he was... cute when he was flustered.
"A-Are you sure? You really don't mind?"
"Yea. C'mon," I replied plainly, beckoning. Still wide-eyed like a scared fawn, he stiffly stood up from the couch and shuffled over to the left side of the bed. He stared at the spot as though he'd forgotten how to sit down. "Uh... I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to-"
"No! I do," he quickly answered, nodding frantically. "I just... this is so... intimate. I've never... er..."
"Huh... is that so?" I leaned back, supporting myself on my arms. "What, never even crawled into bed with your parents when you were little?"
"I've done that," he groused. "I meant with another woman."
"Oh... so you've cuddled with other men, have you-"
"You know what I meant!" he yelled, the smirk on my face growing wider as I laughed. His face was nearly the same shade of red as my hair. "You really do give Garreth a run for his Galleons, sometimes."
"I'm just teasing you," I grinned, seeing a glimmer of a smile appear on his lips for a moment. "C'mon, sit, lay down. I won't bite... unless you're into that." I laughed again as he choked on nothing; if he turned any redder, his nose might've started bleeding. "Alright... no more innuendos. Promise."
"...I swear, you will be the death of me," Sebastian shook his head as he finally sat down on the edge of the bed. He sighed as he conjured himself a pair of pajamas, then without any pomp or circumstance began unbuttoning his waistcoat and shirt.
Naturally I watched with great interest as the clothes came off, and I found myself swooning... he wasn't particularly toned or muscled, and his skin was so pale it was nearly blinding, but he still cut a handsome figure. The freckles on his face extended down the back of his neck and across his shoulders, forming a hundred delicate constellations on his back like a negative of the night sky - I blinked as I noticed a decently-sized swath of old scar tissue on his right shoulder blade.
"Ooh... what happened there?"
"Hm?" He turned his head towards me, and I reached over and poked the scar. "Oh, that..." he turned away. "Those that have seen it, I've always told them it was a birthmark, or from an old dueling accident."
"...But that's not really true, is it?" I hummed. He let out a deep sigh, his head bowing.
"Not entirely. It happened in my second year, during the Christmas break... Ominis and I were practicing our dueling, while Anne watched. We had just mastered Confringo, and I... made the mistake of using it in front of Uncle Solomon."
My heart sank. "You're saying...?" He nodded bitterly.
"...He was so angry that I'd learned it, that he cast it on me when my back was turned. Of course, he... didn't offer any sort of aid afterwards, either. Said it was to remind me of the cost of using Dark magic."
Rage began building up inside me, without anything or anyone to take it out on. It was then that I noticed that there were actually quite a few faded scars on his back, some cleanly cut and others jagged and torn. ...You know what? I'm not sorry that bastard is dead now. I wondered how many more were on the rest of his body, needing to take a few deep breaths when I felt myself wishing I could bring Solomon back from the dead, just so I could strangle him to death again with my own bare hands.
I held my tongue, however. "...I'm so sorry that happened to you." Sebastian shook his head.
"Well... I suppose he's paid for it, in the end." He slipped on his nightshirt, then stood up while grabbing at his belt buckle. After a moment of fiddling with it he paused, seemingly thinking better of the action, and with a wave of his wand simply Transfigured his belt and trousers into pajama pants. He kicked off his shoes and socks, then lifted the blankets to slide in, letting himself fall back against the pillows with a heavy sigh of relaxation.
I wasn't quite sure of what to say to that... I simply got under the covers, scooted over and laid an arm over his chest, resting my head beside his. I felt him tense up for a moment before he moved his arm around the back of my neck, letting out another, happier sigh.
"There... that's not so bad, now is it?" I smirked.
"Not at all," he hummed, his arm squeezing me tighter. "And you're right... this is much more comfortable. I could get used to this."
"Ah, perks of having a girlfriend, huh?" I replied smugly. Sebastian's eyes slid over to me, wide and questioning. "What? If we love each other, then isn't it logical to assume we're a proper couple now?"
He blinked a few times before shifting over to face me, grinning softly. "I suppose it is."
"Good." My hand grabbed a fistful of his nightshirt in a playfully possessive manner. "'Cause I'm not sharing you."
"Neither am I," he chuckled, his free hand reaching over to stroke my cheek. My eyes fluttered at his gentle touch, a surge of warmth and affection rushing through my entire body.
I no longer questioned or feared this feeling... quite the opposite, in fact - I craved it. It felt better than absorbing ancient magic... was more addictive than casting a Confringo. While I was off in my own little world, he leaned over to kiss my forehead.
"Goodnight, my dearest Sunset," he whispered. Another surge rushed through me, punctuating as my head tilted upwards to kiss his jawline.
"...Goodnight, Sebastian. I love you."
"Love you, too."
We nuzzled into each other, letting out contented sighs. However, my eyes reopened a few moments later... suddenly I wasn't quite so tired after all. It brought another random thought to my mind.
"...Would you believe that back home, we have something called 'cuddle therapy'?"
"'Cuddle therapy'...?" Sebastian repeated, less sleepily than he had been moments ago. "What... you mean people pay to have total strangers cuddle with them, like they do talking to each other?"
"Yea... you could say we're doing that right now," I smiled. He snorted a huff of amusement.
"Your homeland is a strange place."
~
I woke up feeling a lot warmer than I was used to... it took me a moment to remember the reason why.
Gazing over to my new boyfriend, it was definitely worth waking up a little sweaty and damp. The longer strands of his hair hung down over his forehead, warmth blooming within my heart at the sight. I couldn't help but lean in close and kiss him awake.
"Ah... good morning, love," he mumbled sleepily, smiling.
"Morning," I replied, squeezing him. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better than I was," he said as he lifted his upper body and stretched, then flopped back down on the bed, rolling onto his side to face me. "Although..."
"Hm?"
"I... had the strangest dream last night," he mumbled as he ran his fingers through his bangs and pushed them out of his eyes. "It started out as... well... a-a nightmare. About what happened in the catacomb... But then suddenly I found myself in a dark room that slowly filled with colorful shapes, with... I think it was the song Korobeiniki playing in the background. Then I realized I could manipulate those shapes, and suddenly I felt compelled to arrange them to form a solid surface. Once I'd done just that it vanished, and the shapes gradually fell faster the more times I'd repeated the task."
"Oh, good, that means the potion's working," I breathed in relief.
"It is?" I nodded and poked him in the center of his forehead for emphasis.
"Yep. It works by seeking out the neurons in your brain that hold a recently-created traumatic memory and coats them, so the next time you think about it, the potion automatically overrides the memory with that specific spell. You can push past it if you really focus, but otherwise it'll keep you from thinking about it until the rest of your brain can handle it."
Sebastian simply blinked for a few moments, his expression vacant.
"How far did you get?"
"Erm... I believe the highest I achieved was a 'level 56' before the shapes fell too fast for me to handle. Then it simply started anew."
"Hey, not bad," I grinned. "There's a... different version of that spell that lets anyone play it anytime. I can usually get to level 60 or so myself."
"People... play it for fun?" he blinked again. "...I suppose it was entertaining enough."
"Yea. There's lots others, too... unfortunately, though, I can't replicate those spells here," I shrugged, inwardly pleased with how I'd managed to explain video games. "Takes an unbelievable amount of enchantment work by multiple people simultaneously to make one. I can admit something like that is beyond my abilities."
"I see..." A curious look washed over Sebastian's face before his eyes abruptly lost focus, then flicked rapidly in all directions. A few moments later his focus returned as he mentally set the spell aside. "Fascinating... I can't think of anything like it I've ever seen in any spellbook or Potions manual."
"Neither have I," I placed a finger on my chin and looked away as I thought about that fact. Perhaps if I never managed to learn how to extract emotional pain with ancient magic, I could simply patent that potion and use it to make my own fortune... though first I'd have to convince the entire wizarding world of the merits of mental health. It was clear that nobody cared about it here.
I glanced over to my alarm clock - 5:52am. I groaned realizing how early it was and laid back down. "Ugh... I'm going back to sleep. It's too early to think so much."
"Brilliant idea," Sebastian agreed, yawning. "...Because I don't wish for you to get up and leave," he added with a sultry, crooked grin, wrapping an arm around my belly and pulling me closer. Warmth and affection bloomed within me again like a stoked flame, the tingles pulsing through my veins along with my heartbeat and exciting me to my deepest core.
I smirked at him as I snaked my arms around his back and closed the distance.
"...Then I won't."
~
Eventually I did manage to tear myself away and get to class. The day passed normally until dinner - while putting together a plate of food to sneak out for Sebastian, Natty and Poppy stopped by the Slytherin table. They'd managed to find a lead on a cave near Irondale that seemed promising, and after some surprising correspondence involving Persephone stealing Poppy's letter meant for Dorran and running off into the forest with it, she'd later received a message back from the centaur telling her he'd meet with us when the time was right. Kneazles were apparently much smarter than anyone generally gave them credit for.
"We're going Friday after classes, right?" I confirmed as I stood up to leave. "I'll have to ask Lucan if he can postpone my quarterfinals match." Not a hard ask, the third-year was perfectly willing to move matches to the next Crossed Wands meeting if someone couldn't make it that week. That was largely the reason why he usually only held one or two of them per meeting.
"Yes, we are," Poppy nodded, Natty nodding as well as she sighed.
"There's going to be quite a few matches during the next meeting... you and Isaac Cooper, Crickett and Lawson... Sallow and I, if he's up for it."
"How is he doing?" Poppy frowned in concern. "I haven't seen Sebastian in class for nearly a week, now."
"He's... taking it as well as he can, I guess," I pressed my lips together, staring down at the plate of food. "He's barely left his dorm, let alone our common room."
"It's truly tragic, what happened to his uncle... but at least he was able to save Feldcroft from all those Inferi," Natty bowed her head. "He sounds like he was a great man."
Oh, you have no idea, I snarled to myself in disgust.
"What will he do when the school year is over?" Poppy mused to herself. "...What about Anne? His uncle was looking after her, wasn't he?" I hid an uncomfortable swallow as I began walking out of the Great Hall, guilt and worry forming a pit in my heart.
"...I don't know."
~
Soon it was Friday. After Transfiguration ended, Natty, Poppy and I got on our broomsticks and flew to Irondale, to a lovely patch of greenery at the base of the hamlet's cliffs. Boulders arranged in a circle, some with carvings on them, surrounded a stepping stone path that cut through a shallow pond and led towards a cave. Vivid early-spring flowers further added to the charm and cheeriness, buzzing with bees.
"It took a few hours and some eye-watering maps, but I think this might be the cave Dorran told us about," said Poppy.
"I hope so. He sure didn't give us much to go off of," I hummed.
"Well, I am not quite convinced this is the cave, but it did seem the most promising," shrugged Natty.
"I stumbled across some folklore about a cave in the area that people avoid. Seemed the perfect place to hide something of value," explained Poppy.
"But who would want to avoid such beautiful scenery?" Natty breathed as she threw out an arm, gesturing at the lush verdance. Indeed, I was finding it quite difficult to refrain from dropping to my knees and smelling all the plants and flowers myself. And Sebastian wasn't around to tease me about it, either.
"It's a bit of a leap, I confess," Poppy smiled. "But might a mysterious item such as a special moonstone be hidden in an equally mysterious cave? I think I'm desperate for anything at this point." I blinked uncomfortably as the word "desperate" graced my ears. The last time I had sensed desperation in someone...
...No, I had to stay focused. I shoved the thought from my mind. "Well, we're here... might as well see if you're right."
"Can you believe the villagers avoid this cave because of a baseless rumor?" Natty chuckled as we crossed over the stepping stones. "They say those who entered the cave were driven mad, and yet we could not find a single credible account from someone who had been inside."
"I wonder if you'd go blind from staring directly at a moonstone," Poppy hummed, putting a finger to her chin. We passed underneath the cave's threshold and walked inside, the ground sloping gently downwards. The walls had long ago been fortified with slabs of stone, resembling...
...the catacomb...
...
"You don't actually believe those rumors, do you?" I grumbled, averting my eyes from a shelf that looked too much like a crypt for my liking.
"I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" stated Poppy. Thankfully, the journey through the cave was largely uneventful. Unlike the catacomb, this place was full of life - patches of sunlight streamed through cracks in the rocks above, offering places for more ivy, grass and flowers to grow underground. At one point some neon-colored wild fwoopers soared above our heads and into an alcove, to which Poppy offered a theory on how the cave had earned its reputation: a fwooper's birdsong was known to drive anyone who heard it insane.
"If the moonstone is here, as well as fwoopers... I wonder if it is under protection," said Natty. The further we ventured, it seemed as though she was correct - soon we came across a large, empty room. There were four massive, enchanted slabs of stone with a pair of carvings on them, and between those were smaller slabs with a single carving and a rusty metal hook. The carvings on the smaller slabs correlated with those on the larger - a puzzle, albeit a pathetically-simple one.
Accioing the hooks in the correct order revealed a pair of enchanted moth automatons, formed from brass and a translucent green crystal. They seemed to be most affected by Lumos, to which they followed the light wherever it went. At the other end of the room, flanking the exit were two strange machines formed from the same materials, each with a moth-shaped indentation in them. Once I canceled my Lumos the moths sank themselves into the indentations, and the machines clicked as though something unlocked. Upon further inspection I found that the machines were a sort of winding-lock device, and after Depulsoing them both a couple times, the thick metal bars that blocked the exit slid out of our way into the walls.
It led into a breathtaking grotto - water sloshed from an underground spring and pooled into a lower part of the chamber, submerging the empty stone crypts, shielding them from my view with lily pads and lotus buds. Ivy and other vines soared up the moist, mossy walls, the air perfumed by an abundance of flowers in various shades of purple.
There were also two more of those strange machines, but no moths to be found. Thinking quickly I cast Lumos again to coax the ones in their niches back to me, then led them to the two new machines. Smacking them around with Depulso caused a bridge to rise up from the water, letting us cross to the other side without much effort. The door at the end of the short walkway had three moth indentations on it, and another one had helpfully appeared when the bridge had risen. It was a simple matter of casting and recalling Magelight to bring all three of them over to me so I could lead them to the door.
"That was easy," I smirked as the disc holding the three indentations spun, unlocking the door. Opening it led to another large chamber that gradually sunk beneath the water. It seemed like a dead end.
"Look, where the water's bubbling!" Poppy called out, pointing to a spot in the deeper end of the pool. "How odd. Shall we take a closer look?"
"Ah... good call," I grinned at her. Bubbles forming like that could only mean there was a tunnel beneath the surface that led somewhere... I guess even the simplest among us can have moments of brilliance.
We waded into the cold water, cast a few charms to make the experience more comfortable, then dived. With Lumos I found the tunnel easily enough, and cast a few Magelights along its length to guide my companions as I forged ahead. Just as I was beginning to run out of breath, I saw light from above, and surfaced.
The sight nearly made me forget to inhale. In the center of a palatial cavern rose a small mountain from the clear water, shining brightly in the sun. Trees grew along its tan stone sides along with the vines, mosses, grass and flowers, a pristine piece of nature I hadn't seen since I'd left Equestria. A colony of fwoopers were perched in the branches, chattering quietly as they ate or groomed each other, their bright plumage glowing like a rainbow aurora near the sky.
"It's got to be here... I just know it," breathed Poppy as she gazed at the peak's summit. "Given what fwoopers are known to do, I never thought I'd be so happy to see this many of them."
"I don't know. I have been listening to them for a while, now, and I'm starting to lose my mind," Natty grinned as she glanced over to Poppy, who smiled back.
"...Very funny," she snorted. "I was just thinking how it's proof that poachers haven't been here... assuming this is where the moonstone is." Quickly we ascended the small mountain's spiral path and reached the top - at the base of its tallest tree sat an ancient pedestal of carved stone, atop which an orb of iridescent, shimmering crystal sat.
"Welp, that's definitely a moonstone if I ever saw one," I grinned widely as I picked it up and held it to the light. It was heavier than it looked, and seemed to almost hum in a low, soothing tone at my touch.
"Well done, Poppy!" Natty beamed as she wrapped her arms around her in a celebratory side-hug. "This was indeed the right cave after all!"
"A good thing, too," she sighed in relief as she returned the gesture. "We need every advantage over the poachers if we're to get to the snidgets first. We should do as Dorran suggested and bring the moonstone to the henge."
"Do you know where the henge is?" I asked. Poppy nodded emphatically.
"If we leave now we should make it there by nightfall."
"Then let's go," said Natty, already hopping onto her broom.
~
The sun was just beginning to set as we flew out from the cavern, and twilight had fallen by the time we reached the Forbidden Forest. Poppy was silent until she spotted the henge in a clearing, and waved for us to follow her down. We landed at the base of the hill where the lonely arrangement of stones lay waiting.
"That's the henge, precisely where Dorran said it would be," she sighed. "But now that we're here... I'm not entirely sure how to feel."
"How come?" I asked, bringing the moonstone out from my pocket dimension.
"Well, we knew we were at the cave for the moonstone, but Dorran didn't tell us what to expect when we placed the stone in the henge."
"Well... whatever it is, it better have to do with snidgets," shrugged Natty.
"The clock is ticking in that regard, isn't it?" Poppy nodded. "But we're nearly at the end of this." We carefully made our way up the hill in silence for a minute or two, until Natty piped up with some small talk.
"Oh, I meant to ask earlier... How is your Gran doing lately?"
"Nothing keeps Gran down," Poppy chuckled airily. "She set up a Caterwauling Charm and threatened to make a coat out of the next poacher that set foot on her doorstep."
"O-Oh..." My head shrank back in alarm as Natty cackled with laughter. As jovial as she was, though, Poppy's face quickly fell.
"...I still feel terrible that I'm the reason they went there."
"Surely she'll be pleased you've gone after the snidgets?" Natty replied as she quieted back down. After a few moments the little Hufflepuff girl nodded firmly as her hand reached for hers, their fingers intertwining.
"I hope so. Gran understands how important it is to... protect those who need it." Natty stared at her for a moment before smiling and nodding as well. From the two of them I could feel the warmth of deep affection radiating like the sun, and I smiled, too.
How about that... a simple idea I had long ago to make things easier for Natty had turned out to make quite the successful match. Something else that might've never happened without my ancient magic.
We reached the top of the hill, the center of the henge. In one of the stone monoliths was a slot in the same perfect shape as the moonstone. "Heh, no doubt about where this thing goes," I remarked as I slid the massive jewel inside. Almost as soon as I had the moonstone began to glow with pale green light, nearly as brightly as the moon hanging above.
Something chirped behind us. Turning around I saw a mooncalf bravely approaching us - it was a strange, usually shy creature with four webbed feet, shaped like a two-foot-tall llama with massive eyes that took up nearly its entire skull. It wiggled its ears as it sniffed at us, then focused intently on the moonstone's glow.
Before I knew it, more mooncalves ran out from behind the henge's stones, and all of them stood up on their hind legs and began to dash back and forth, this way and that. The three of us laughed and gasped in awe as we realized we were being treated to one of the rarest natural phenomenon a witch could witness - a Mooncalf Dance. Glowing mushrooms sprouted instantly in their wake, forming a symbol of some sort as they danced. Once it had been completed the mooncalves darted back into the underbrush as quickly as they appeared, disappearing from sight.
"That was a Mooncalf Dance!" Poppy breathed reverently. "Do you know how rare it is to see even one?! They only ever happen under a full moon... though I suppose the moonstone allowed it to happen now."
"Is the pattern they left behind on the ground... normal?" Natty asked as her eyes swept back and forth, tracing over the lines of the symbol.
"All part of the dance," nodded Poppy. "No one pattern is ever the same, though... we'll need to draw this one to get a better sense of it."
"No problem," I grinned as I swished my wand, immediately conjuring a quill and a large sheet of parchment. I waited for the quill to arrange itself over the parchment, then light beamed out from my wand in a cone as I swept it over the mushrooms, the quill slowly transcribing what the magic saw onto the parchment.
"Can't wait to tell Gran I've managed to see not one, but two Mooncalf Dances... she'll be jealous," Poppy smiled giddily.
"You've seen this before?" asked Natty.
"It was pure luck the first time. I was on Highwing or I'd never have spotted it. It was the night-"
I glanced over to Poppy when I heard her cut herself off. Suddenly she was staring at the ground, wringing the edges of her cloak's sleeves in her hands. Her face was twisted with guilt.
"...Well, the night I met Highwing, actually... I..."
"Are you okay, Poppy?" Natty frowned as she drew close to her. Her lips pressed together into a thin line as her shoulders hunched.
"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," I offered. After a few moments, Poppy exhaled sharply and shook her head.
"No... I'd like for the both of you to know," she barely whispered. "About five years ago, Highwing had been captured by poachers. At first they planned to sell her, but soon decided they wanted to kill her, instead... more money, I suppose." She hesitated for a moment to sniffle. "...I'd finally had enough. I freed Highwing, and we ran. We'd flown for ages when I spotted mooncalves dancing below, and we landed to watch them... It felt like an omen. A good one... a sign that the worst was over."
"Poppy..." Natty breathed as we put the pieces together, our mouths dropping open. "You mean to tell us...?"
"Yes," she closed her eyes, a tear falling to the ground. "...You see, the night I freed Highwing was also the night I ran away from home... a poacher camp. I come from a family of poachers."
In an instant my hackles rose. Poppy came from a family of poachers?! Her own family hunted, slayed and butchered poor, innocent beasts for a living?! No wonder she fought with such cruel tactics, such brutal ferocity! Now I knew for certain why she knew so much about field dressing and skinning, even flaying her enemies alive!
But- ...what if she knew about me? About my true form?! For the briefest of moments, I honestly, openly feared that little Hufflepuff girl.
But as I stared, transfixed in horror... thoughts of our shared experiences returned to my mind. Poppy had only shown me kindness and respect, even without knowing that I was really a Unicorn in human guise. She was so thoroughly disgusted by the act of poaching, the mere thought of any innocent creature being captured or harmed by anyone enough to send her into a rage.
No... I knew for a fact she would never harm me. The only creatures Poppy would ever harm now were those foolish enough to be caught within fifty feet of a poacher camp in her presence. I breathed a sigh of relief and allowed myself to relax. A pony's natural instinct to always jump to conclusions and assume the worst was, admittedly, quite foolish.
"I see..." Natty trailed off, her eyes unfocused as she stared into the distance. Poppy looked over to her painfully, biting her lip as she wondered, ached over what she was thinking. For what felt like an eternity, Natty was silent.
And then she sighed, and wrapped her arms around her, cradling the back of her head in her hand.
"Merlin... I don't know what to say, Poppy," she whispered miserably. "I cannot imagine what that must have been like for you." A few seconds later Poppy wilted into Natty's embrace, barely holding herself up with her own arms.
"I never fitted in... but the older I got, the more apparent it became," she closed her eyes. "Gran tried for years to convince my parents to let me live with her... suffice it to say, when I left with Highwing I flew straight for her house."
"That was so very brave of you," Natty soothed, nuzzling her cheek against Poppy's. "I'm so glad you escaped."
"So am I... There were so many creatures I was unable to help when I was younger... Now that's all I want to do." Natty lifted her head to stare directly into Poppy's eyes, her hands gently cradling and caressing her wet cheeks.
"...From everything I have seen, you are doing precisely that," she smiled warmly. After a few moments, Poppy smiled, too. The two shared a brief but tender kiss that caught me off guard; I would've been happy to look away or move elsewhere to give them a moment, but it was over as quickly as it happened.
"Thank you... I've never told anyone any of this, but I'm glad that you know," she said quietly. "It's nice to have someone to talk about it with."
"Of course, mpenzi," Natty breathed, gently brushing a strand of hair behind Poppy's ear, bringing a bashful smile to her face.
"Yea... I can understand why you hid it for so long," I spoke softly. They both seemed surprised by the reminder of my presence... now I kind of knew how Ominis felt when he was around Sebastian and I.
Awkward.
"...We should get the drawing to Dorran somehow, he'll need to see the symbol," Poppy blinked as she broke away from Natty, wiping away her tears. Above me the quill and parchment had finished its transcription spell, the quill Vanishing itself while the parchment hovered down to my level, allowing me to grab it.
"Got it. It looks like... some kind of bird," I mumbled, studying the drawing.
"Didn't the journal say that 'the key to finding the Snidgets lies in the moonlight'?" asked Natty. Poppy's eyes flashed in realization.
"Of course, that's it! So Dorran has to see this... not that I'd know where to find him at this hour."
"Then it is fortunate that I foresaw this very meeting," a familiar deep voice boomed from the left. Turning in its direction, the elder centaur in question strode out from behind one of the monoliths, approaching us.
"Well, that's extremely convenient," I smirked as I handed him the parchment. Dorran studied it carefully, his hardened face gradually softening with surprise.
"...And they made it after you placed the moonstone," he hummed, gesturing off into the distance - perhaps on his way here he'd seen one of the mooncalves run past, the fruits of their efforts still visible on the ground near us.
"Do you know why, or what it means?" asked Poppy. "Does it have to do with the snidgets?"
"The breadth of one's knowledge can be as wide as the seas, and yet only run so deep," he replied, crossing his arms. "I am glad to see that you are all safely returned. I did question the wisdom of sending you on a path at a time when that path was unknown at best, deadly at worst... but the acumen of centaurs is neither personal nor partial. The skies tell us what is to come," he gestured to the glittering night sky above, "and often we do not know what we have seen until it has come to pass."
"You... knew the poachers would come for us?" Natty hesitated. "Would try to kill us...?!"
"I did not know, my young friend," Dorran shook his head. "But I shall say that I was not surprised. It was in much the same manner that I expected our first meeting."
"Is that so? How 'bout you explain to us from the beginning, then," I narrowed my eyes with a snort. Dorran smiled graciously at me, bowing slightly.
"Of course... I find it is often the best place to start, is it not? Many, many moons ago, I divined a series of events... their meaning long evaded me, until you brought news of the snidgets and their poacher pursuers. I believe the symbol created by the Mooncalves' Dance marks the place the snidgets are hidden, and, serendipitously, I believe that I know the very place."
"Serendipitous, indeed," nodded Natty. One of us must've had a sip of Felix Felicis earlier or something.
"I have seen that symbol only once: on a rock face on the cliffs of the forest. We should make haste there... the snidgets that have been kept there for so many years may no longer be safe," Dorran frowned as he turned to face the east. "We cannot afford to lose them once again."
"Then no time like the present, right?" I growled as I removed the moonstone from the henge and stored it away in my pocket dimension, pulling out my broom in the same motion. "Lead the way."
~
I'd assumed Dorran had meant the eastern edge of the Forbidden Forest, not the eastern edge of Hogwarts Valley.
It took the better part of an hour to get there, with Natty and I flying beside the centaur on our brooms while Poppy was allowed to ride along on his back as he galloped as fast as he could. Unlike ponies, such an act was generally seen as deeply disrespectful among centaurs, but Dorran seemed not to care, even chuckling to himself at Poppy's abject glee at being allowed to do so. She clung tightly to the leather strap of his arrow quiver, laughing breathily with the wind in her face.
But finally, the edge of the forest came into view. Dorran slowed his pace as we entered the woods, eventually approaching a clearing near some cliffs and stone ruins. Clearly visible through one of the moss-covered buildings was the same birdlike symbol my spell had scratched onto the parchment, painted in ancient carvings and vines.
"Could this actually be where the snidgets are hidden?" breathed Natty as she and I dismounted and put away our brooms, and Poppy slid off of Dorran's back.
"Oh, I'm glad we seem to be a step ahead of the poachers," sighed Poppy. "If we're lucky they're still poring over Gran's research... We, on the other hand, had Dorran to guide us," she smiled up at the centaur, who dipped his head politely at her mentioning. "Even if the poachers do somehow stumble upon this place, we shall be long gone." We ducked beneath some fallen columns and reached the center of the ruins, and I tilted my head in thought.
There appeared to be some sort of strange machine laid out on the ground; two tall pillars of carved brass topped with glass orbs atop circular rails, surrounding a shorter pillar in the center with a slot for the moonstone in it. Around the outer edge of the rails were carvings in the ground: of five of the astrological signs of the planets, another sun and another moon. About fifteen feet away from this apparatus was a semicircular tunnel bored into the cliffside, sealed by thick stone blocks covered in the same carvings.
"Do you have the moonstone with you?" asked Dorran. I nodded as I retrieved it from my pocket dimension. "Good... it is as important to what happens next as the three of you are."
"So what does happen next? What are these pillars here?" Natty asked as she gently placed her hand on one of them.
"A safeguard, I suspect. There is only one way to find out... and as for how to go about that, the three of you may know better than anyone."
"Oh, letting us mess with it in case it's dangerous, huh?" I snarked as I bent over to take a better look at the device. After deciding there was no cause for concern I went ahead and placed the moonstone into its slot. Torches in the distance suddenly flared to life, the light focused through a series of lenses and mirrors until it shined down in cones onto the central pillar.
A puzzle. But there was almost no instruction as to how to solve it.
"Hmm..." Gripping the pillars in my magic, I watched carefully as I manipulated them around the rails, hoping to uncover a hint. At one point the pillar on the outermost rails began to glow with light reminiscent of the sun - leaving it where it was, I began manipulating the other pillar until it suddenly glowed like the moon.
Okay...
"Ah! The pillars are catching the light from above and reflecting it onto the sigils below!" gasped Natty. "Move the sun pillar so the light touches the sun sigil, and the moon pillar for the moon sigil!" My eyes followed the trails of light, only barely missing the two sigils by inches.
...Well, would you look at that.
"Yea... I think you're right," I nodded with a smirk as I fine-tuned their alignment. Once the light struck the corresponding sigils they lit up with an arcane glow. I heard loud shattering and clattering coming from the tunnel's direction - the stone blocks covering the entrance were crumbling away.
I guess these two... friends of mine were smarter than I'd first given them credit for.
"That did it! Look, Dorran, a doorway!" Poppy grinned.
"I suspect we all know what lies beyond that passage," he nodded sagely, though he was beginning to turn in the opposite direction. "And now, I am afraid that I must leave you... at least for a time."
"You're not coming in with us?" blinked Natty.
"If the snidgets are here, the herd will want to see the truth of it for themselves," he explained. "Elek, especially. Go on without me... I will rejoin as soon as I am able." And with that Dorran galloped away, vanishing among the trees, his hoofsteps growing distant until fading completely.
"Well, we have to be close now," I bit my lip as I peered through the tunnel. It led directly into an underground fortress, a hallway leading downwards and to the right. With how much dust the rush of fresh air had kicked up, it was clear that nobody had been here in decades... maybe even centuries. "And I think it's safe to say that no one's been here before us."
"Let's hurry," Poppy puffed as she jogged inside, Natty and I close behind. As we descended it became clear to us that this was no ordinary oubliette - elaborate carvings of plants and animals lined every stone surface, and faded paintings of natural scenes in their gilded frames hung evenly spaced on the walls. The ceiling had caved in in some places, allowing moonlight to stream down upon patches of lush greenery. "Look at the murals on the wall... they're all creatures!" she breathed in excitement. "This place must have been built to protect them... they had nothing to fear."
"What makes you say that?" asked Natty. Poppy's expression fell as she walked, staring at the floor.
"The poacher camps... always felt oppressive. It's hard to explain... but the feeling was palpable, at least to me. But the sense I get here is of safety, and calm... quite the opposite of the poacher camps," she finished as she looked back up to her with a reassuring smile. We continued through the sanctuary, quietly admiring the carvings, the artwork, the brightly-colored tilework and mosaics, the miniatures oases of trees, bushes and flowers that sprung up wherever sunlight could reach during the day... at one point, there was even a small natural stream that dripped down from a crack in the wall, flowing through a shallow groove in the floor until reaching a hole where the floor had sunken a bit. Another room had a thick, sturdy tree growing in the center of it, a natural arch formed from its roots where we could pass through the overgrown brambles that surrounded it. There was even a comfortable-though-dusty hidden nook full of bookcases, each filled with books about animals magical and mundane.
"Your Gran would love it here," Natty commented to Poppy, who emphatically agreed, already anxious to tell her all about this place. Eventually, after about another twenty minutes of navigating the sanctuary we reached a palatial chamber open to the sky. Vines trailed down from above and wrapped around cracked railings surrounding hidden walkways, lining the walls decorated with faded verdant banners ravaged by time and nature. Off to one side was a large tree, its tender leaves and buds just beginning to grow in. More smaller trees and plants dotted the floor, almost making the room seem like an indoor forest.
Someplace like this had to house the natural treasure we were searching for. But as we approached the center of the room, a foreign voice suddenly called out tauntingly from above, spooking a flock of sleeping birds and sending them skyward.
"Little Poppy Sweeting... forgot how to cover your tracks?"
"What was that?!" Poppy bristled, searching for the voice's origin.
"Certainly not Dorran," scowled Natty. My eyes caught movement and I whipped around to see a large group of poachers leap down from above, slowing their fall as they landed. I could feel fear and horror pulse through Poppy's soul as she realized what had happened.
"No...!" she gasped. Natty cursed and raised her hands, ready to join her in the defense of this sanctuary. A snort left my nose as I readied my wand, annoyed by this sudden intrusion but having to admit that keeping their distance until now was pretty smart.
Of course, facing me was the stupidest decision they could have ever made. My eyes burned like stars as I channeled the ancient magic into my veins, and together we attacked. Poppy unleashed a swarm of Chinese Chomping Cabbages as a distraction while Natty and I struck down the poachers one by one, though my magic was far more impressive and destructive than Natty's. The poachers faced her with overconfidence and bravado, but once they saw me encouraging the vines on the walls to reach out and strangle their comrades, animating the banners to slap them out of the air as more dropped in from above, or even bringing the smaller trees to life, their branches swaying back and forth to mow them down... well, they tried to give me a wide berth.
They also came to deeply fear little Poppy Sweeting. She fought with a burning rage I had yet to experience before, her wand a blur as she ripped and tore the poachers apart. One unfortunate witch was strangled by another wizard's intestines, the pair of them then flung towards another group like a bola. Another poacher had their entire skeletal system pulled out of their flesh. Still another begged for mercy as she stared him down, his cries rendered into groans and gasps by someone's severed leg being used to bludgeon his head and face.
I almost felt sorry for these wretched criminals.
Five minutes had passed, and our enemies showed no signs of stopping their assault. More and more of them dropped down from above, almost like every single poacher in all the United Kingdom were here to lay claim to the snidgets. Just as I readied a wide arc of Diffindo a small volley of arrows sang through the air, striking my targets and burying themselves deep into their bodies.
"Ready your wands!" Dorran shouted as he nocked another arrow. "The fight has only just begun!" The elder centaur had returned with Elek and three others; bolstered by our reinforcements I turned my attention back to the battle. They proved to be vicious allies - besides their impeccable archery they trampled poachers underhoof, kicked and stomped with all the power of an Earth pony... even grabbed and lifted them off their feet with their strong hands, hurling them into the floor, the walls or at each other.
Finally, after another hectic five minutes of fighting, the last of our enemies fell to the ground with an arrow lodged through an eye socket. We all spent a few moments catching our breath, watching warily for any more movement.
But the air was still. "That must've been all of them," I exhaled. Elek made a gesture to the entrance of the room, and the three other centaurs separated and trotted off to stand guard, ensuring that no more interlopers could sneak up on us.
"Are you all unharmed?" asked Dorran worriedly. "I had hoped to return before it was too late."
"We're fine," Natty sighed, glancing over to Poppy who was staring at the floor.
"But if you hadn't got here when you did... I l-led them here, Dorran," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.
"You fought with us against your kind," Elek offered diplomatically, gazing down at her with newfound respect. "I am glad to have witnessed this... I now believe all that Dorran told me."
"They are the ones I saw, Elek," nodded Dorran. Elek turned to the elder centaur with a smile.
"Finish your work here, brother. All the events you divined have not yet come to pass." He motioned towards a door on the opposite side of the entrance to this room, emblazoned with two bronze discs depicting the sun and moon. He remained behind while Dorran and I made our way towards the door; Natty took a moment to comfort and reassure Poppy before joining us.
"Hey, it is alright now... The snidgets are safe, we and the centaurs have succeeded in defending them! We must have taken out every poacher in the valley to do so!" she hummed gently as she placed her hands on her shoulders. "You've done it, Poppy... I'm so proud of you." Poppy timidly looked up at her, smiling as she let Natty drag her towards the door. Dorran placed his palm on the moon disc, drawing back as it began to spin and glow with cool light. I heard the spinning and clicking of gears and pins within the door, and after the warm glow faded from the sun disc above it swung open at last.
The final room was much like the one before it, except the stained glass ceiling was perfectly intact, no doubt protected by countless charms that prevented the poachers from just breaking in earlier. Bright moonlight beamed down on the single large, stately tree in the center of the chamber; as we quietly approached I could just see the edges of a nest poking out from a nook in its trunk.
"There... there they are," Dorran spoke reverently. Looking closer, the nest contained three small gold-colored eggs, each about the size of a plum, each shivering gently like they were on the verge of hatching. Poppy let out a quiet gasp; Natty and I let her brush past us so she could view them... this was her endeavor, after all. They glowed subtly with light from within, cracks in the shells instantly healing themselves as though frozen in time. "Now, all that remains is to break the charm," he smiled warmly.
Poppy gasped again as she turned to face him. "You want us to...?" she asked softly, smiling when Dorran nodded. She turned back to the eggs and gazed happily at her new charges. "I only ever wanted to see them safe... which they are," she breathed as she raised her wand, carefully dispelling the stasis spell upon them. The light sparkled and faded away, and the eggs began to hatch at long last.
One by one the shells opened, revealing a perfectly-round, plum-sized chick with bright golden feathers and bulging eyes the size of marbles. I held back a slight grimace while Natty and Poppy cooed in amazement.
Oh... that's a Snidget? Not as cute as I'd expected.
"Merlin... they're lovely," sighed Poppy. The three chicks slowly opened their eyes and began chirping melodically as they focused on her, seemingly accepting her as their new mother. After a few more moments of admiration, Poppy's face suddenly fell. "But... what happens now? They can't care for themselves, and surely once word gets out about their reappearance-"
"No harm will come to them," reassured Dorran, thumping a fist on his chest. "The centaurs will see to that... you have my word." Poppy's smile returned, and she nodded.
"Thank you, Dorran... for helping us to find them, and to fight for them."
"It is you who deserves the merit, child," the centaur bowed his head. "You did what the poachers would never have... Remember that." Poppy nodded again graciously as Dorran turned towards Natty and I. "You all fought bravely today... Allow us to carry the mantle from here."
"Fine with me," I smirked in approval.
"If it's alright, Dorran... I think I'd like to stay and spend a little more time with the snidgets," said Poppy.
"As would I," agreed Natty. I glanced over to my two friends and nodded in agreement. We had spent a couple months working towards this goal, it'd be a shame to leave these little puffballs behind so soon. Even if they... weren't as cute as I'd hoped.
With an amused, gracious grin, Dorran watched as we spent the rest of the night admiring and playing with the little creatures.
~
The sky was just beginning to brighten with dawn as we returned to Hogwarts. Natty and Poppy hurried back to their common rooms while I made for my Room. I couldn't wait to tell Sebastian about everything that had happened!
Although whether he would be in the mood to hear about it was still to be seen. His emotional state had fluctuated, as expected, but fallen sharply since last evening; the potion I'd made for him was far from a permanent cure-all. He still had to grieve everything that had happened on his own, the potion just made it easier to do so healthily, with his sanity intact.
I let out a mournful sigh - I felt so terrible for him. I could feel his deep emotional pain strangling his heart like a garrote, strangling my own heart just as ruthlessly. It mirrored what I'd felt when I was banished from my home, disowned as Celestia's student and daughter, but magnified exponentially until I wanted to slam my head against a wall. It was so great I felt as though clawing out my own from my chest and removing the source of that pain was the only remedy.
I would give anything to help him. Anything to make him feel better. After all, that's what you do for someone you love so dearly... you move heaven and earth if it'll bring a smile back to their face, if it'll make them happy again. I wished desperately that I knew how to remove that pain from his heart, even if it required a dark sacrifice of my own-
A horrible thought popped into my mind. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I came to a halt, and gasped.
I... wasn't still using him, was I? Not to learn more about the castle, but to learn his darkest secrets... to steal and absorb, commandeer his knowledge of Dark magic? I stared vacantly at the floor, searching my heart and soul.
...
...
...
...No.
No.
I shook my head, relieved. Maybe that was the only reason I'd tolerated his presence in the beginning... but it didn't matter now, not anymore. Even if this horrifying experience had caused him to swear off that entire branch of magic for good, there were still so many other qualities of his I'd since fallen in love with. His kindness, his courage, his selflessness...
In fact, it was... actually kind of a good thing, if he did give it up. I still remembered the unnatural glow in his eyes when he cast Imperio on that troll, how deeply unnerved it made me feel. Maybe that was some long-buried shred of my subconscious feeling uneasy, maybe even disgusted he was heading down that path... or maybe it was because I'd feared that power myself on some base instinctual level.
But since then the shock had worn off... I didn't think it'd affect me as much to see again. And I simply couldn't deny the spell's usefulness - to let that knowledge wither away and become forgotten felt like an injustice.
What he decided to study was ultimately up to him. I could still sense that his personal philosophy about magic hadn't changed. It was mine, too, and I would be happy to study with him if it was something considered dangerous by the ignorant. This time, however, I would take far more precautions... his mind was something I didn't want to risk losing again.
I grumbled wordlessly and shook my head again, this time at myself... this wasn't the time to be thinking such things. We had all the time in the world to decide how best to move forward... at his pace.
Not to mention I could feel his despair long before I even approached my Room.
He was sitting, hunched over a desk, his chin resting on top of his arms, listening to the same record as he had been when I left after bringing him lunch. The volume was turned up as high as it would go, the horn of the phonograph only a foot away from his face.
A sigh of pity blew past my lips. I knew he was in a dark, brooding mood, and I truly felt awful for him... but did he have to be so cliché about it?
Everything falls apart, even the people who never frown eventually break down...
...
Well, I guess there isn't really such a thing as "vibing to depressing music" in this world. He's actually kind of a visionary, if you think about it.
...
And I'd give it all away... just to have somewhere to go to, give it all away... to have someone to come home to...
...
I let go, watching you turn your back like you always do, face away and pretend that I'm not, but I'll be here 'cause you're all that I've got...
...
Even though you're so close to me, you're still so distant, and I can't bring you back...
I couldn't stand it anymore. I walked over to the phonograph and removed the needle from the record. Sebastian gazed upwards at me, his eyes and cheeks a raw, painful red. "You'll blow out your eardrums if you keep blaring it in your face like that," I gently chided, pressing my lips into a thin line.
His only reply was a weak grunt, and he laid his chin back on his arms. I sighed quietly, wondering what I could possibly say that would help him feel any better. In the meantime I pulled over a chair and sat down, wrapping an arm around his back and laying my cheek on his shoulder. He barely moved; we sat there in silence together for what felt like hours.
...
...
...
"...I don't deserve you."
"What?" It took him a few moments to elaborate.
"I've ruined everything... Solomon's dead, and Anne... she's terrified of me, hates me for what I've done. I-I tried so hard to fix everything, I tried so hard to cure her... but I've only made things worse! So much worse!" His shoulders heaved and his voice grew weak and shaky. "S-She might even die now, because of me... because I-I failed her."
"Seb..." I tried to comfort him, but he didn't respond. He was gripped by misery, lost in his sorrow and regrets as tears stung his eyes, burying his face in his arms to hide himself away.
"I... I-I don't know when I'll see her again... if I ever will... if she ever w-wants to see me again. A-And I... I k-killed Uncle Solomon! I didn't... I-I didn't mean to... I d-didn't want to! How could anyone ever f-forgive me... either of you? I'm the w-worst person in the entire world, I-I don't deserve you or Ominis... I wouldn't be the least b-bit surprised if either of you left me, t-too-"
"Stop that," I demanded, wrapping my other arm around him and holding him tight as he began to wail in a panic. He squeezed me in return so hard it was almost painful, digging his fingers into my clothes and skin as though he were afraid I'd disappear any second, but I endured it for his sake. For a long while I simply held him, cradling his head, running my fingers through his hair... trying not to get too grossed out by my shoulder quickly becoming damp and gooey.
But slowly, gradually, his breathing slowed and grew less hysteric. I felt as though he would be able to hear me if I spoke again. I began my words with a fleeting kiss to his ear before pressing the side of my head against his.
"I can't say what Anne will do, just... give her time, I guess. She needs to process all that's happened," I sighed. "But I... I will never leave you. Not for what happened, not for anything you think you've done... not for any reason."
He said nothing, only weeping and hiccoughing quietly. I kept trying to reassure him, validating how he felt as a result of everything that had happened; not just since his sister was cursed but throughout his life, everything that had started out so unfair but still small and manageable, before gradually snowballing more and more until it crashed like an avalanche over him, burying him alive...
He'd been quietly suffering for so long, and he deserved absolutely none of it. He tried so hard to solve all his own problems, to not let his troubles affect his loved ones, but he was only one person. He needed so much help but never received so much as a single simple gesture. Only empty platitudes, and even more scorn for wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Without thinking too hard, the words swelling up from the depths of my heart were coming out easily.
"So many people failed you in so many ways... Solomon should've put his petty hatred of your father aside, manned up and raised you like you deserved, with compassion and respect. He should've known better than to treat you like that... should've been the adult he was, should've acted far kinder and more maturely than he did. And when Anne was cursed, surely the other professors were made aware of why she had to leave Hogwarts? They should've spoken with you, seen if there was anything you needed, any way they could have helped... it's a teacher's job to help their students if they need it, and you're their student too, right? And Ominis, he kept saying he wanted to help, but... I never really heard him come up with any ideas, you know? Did he ever even try to talk to you? I can understand why he wouldn't approve of our methods, but surely he could understand why we- ...you had to try. Anne's your sister, your twin sister, for Celestia's sake... the only real, blood-related family you have left."
And, frankly, your sister deserves part of that blame, I thought to myself. She should have tried a little harder to defend you from your uncle. You deserved that much from her. I wouldn't tell him that, though. Not for a good long while.
I felt his shoulders cease shaking; he let out a loud snrrrk as he tried to breathe. After conjuring him a handkerchief and letting him blow his nose, I cleaned off my shoulder with another bit of magic, then picked up his hands in mine, holding them tightly.
"Listen to me, Sebastian... I swear to you that I will never fail you. I stood by your side from the day you told me about your sister, from the day I met your uncle... and I'll always stand by your side no matter what you decide to do from now on. And I know Ominis would say the same if he were here... he cares about you, too. He loves you... I love you."
His eyes flicked up towards mine, and I grimaced seeing the pain and uncertainty within them. I wished more than anything in that moment to be able to take that pain away from him... to never let him feel that pain again. I stared into his eyes and put my hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly to make my point.
"You are a good person, Seb... that's why I fell in love with you. You deserve to have someone in your corner, especially after all these years you've suffered alone. You deserve happiness. You deserve friends. You deserve love," I reaffirmed. "And goddamnit, I'm not gonna let you throw that away." A pained, squealing sob burst out of his mouth as a new wave of tears fell from his eyes, and I wrapped my arms around him again, this time bracing myself for the strength with which he returned the hug.
I held him for another long while, in comforting silence while he cried out his agony. Eventually he quieted back down, and his hold on me loosened.
"...T-Thank you," he whispered. "...Thank you... I love y-you... s-so much." I smiled faintly and nodded.
"I know you do... c'mon," I murmured, gently pulling him off the chair. He moved like a ghost, easily following along in my wake, raising no complaints as I pulled him onto the bed with his head on my chest. Both of us sighed: him as he nuzzled into me and allowed his body to relax; I as I stared up at the ceiling, head swimming with thoughts.
For far too long he'd carried the weight of the world on his shoulders... a world that didn't care about him, didn't appreciate him at all. Most of that weight had finally been cut loose, since Solomon was no longer around to abuse, berate or humiliate him. But it had come at a terrible cost.
Sebastian wasn't evil... not in the slightest. He'd only resorted to Dark magic because he'd first tried literally everything else to cure his sister, and it was the only field of magic that finally offered him any hope. Those closest to him, to Anne, gave up on her so quickly, washed their hands of the entire situation and let her suffer... even she gave up on herself. And then I came along, not only willing to help him with his search but willing to help him do it safely, to minimize the risks that came with studying such magic, as... morally dubious as they still were. He never meant for everything to spiral out of control like it did. Everything he had done, he had done out of desperation... out of love.
And now the guilt, the shame... the remorse ate away at his heart and soul like a ravenous Inferi.
In a way, I reflected, he was so right when he said we were kindred spirits... more than he realized. Both of us banished, both of us interested in Dark magic for our own reasons... both of us no longer having a family to go home to.
...
...
...
I'd learned everyone's secrets by now... their deepest, darkest secrets. It was only fair I told him mine.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"...I never told you why I left Equestria, did I?" I spoke quietly. "...The real reason." Sebastian rolled over onto his side and dragged himself upwards until we were face to face.
"It wasn't simply because you touched a Portkey, was it?" he asked.
"No. The truth is... over a year ago, Celestia showed me an enchanted mirror that reflected my destiny within it. I saw myself as a fellow Princess, ruling the country on my own with more magical power than I could've imagined. But she didn't think I was ready to become a princess, and wouldn't elaborate on what I'd seen or how to achieve it, no matter how many times I asked. I grew obsessed with figuring out how to make the destiny I saw a reality, and spent every spare moment I had researching the mirror's enchantment on my own... She caught me in the restricted section of her own personal library, and... declared that I was no longer her student. She banished me from the castle, and even s-said that... no daughter of hers would defy her like I did."
"That's terrible," he breathed, blinking in disbelief. I nodded slightly.
"I went to my room to pack my things... but I was still determined to claim the destiny shown to me. So instead I packed only a few supplies and made a mad dash back to the mirror, throwing aside every guard I came across. I reached that mirror, and its second enchantment made itself known to me - it was also a Portkey to another country. In my anger, and all the pain I felt because of her... I didn't hesitate to pass through, thinking that the power I sought would be waiting on the other side."
"And it led you here? To Scotland?"
"It led me to the Magic Theory classroom, if you can believe it," I chuckled once mirthlessly. "Fig happened to be there, preparing his curriculum for next year... to say he was shocked to see me come out of the Mirror of Erised is an understatement. But he took me in and became my new mentor, after nothing more than a brief explanation. He's... really been great to me," I mumbled, suddenly feeling a tiny bit guilty. For as proud as he was of me, and for as much time as I spent with Celestia, I'd hardly spent any time with him in comparison... simply being together in the same room, talking about past, present and future.
I resolved to change that. Soon.
"I see." Sebastian's voice trailed off, the lassitude between us slightly unnerving. But simply existing alongside his emotions, I could feel that none of his feelings towards the tale were negative. We laid there in silence for a few minutes.
"...Well, what else were you supposed to do?" he finally asked. "You're likely the most inquisitive witch I've ever met... she should have known you wouldn't stop until you had your answers." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in, appreciative that he was so understanding. He knew exactly how I felt at the time... how I felt even now.
We really were kindred spirits.
"I know, and... you're right," I nodded once, sliding my hands behind my head. "If I just gave up and let things lie, I never would've been satisfied knowing I did nothing to find out the truth. It would've kept me up at night for ever, always wondering to myself 'what if...?' ...Just like how you couldn't just give up on Anne."
"...You're right," he nodded as well, looking downwards. "I would've never forgiven myself if it turned out Anne's cure was something so simple. Neither would I have if I'd given up just before finding what would work... I had to keep going, in case my next discovery was the solution I'd been searching for."
"Yea... exactly," I smiled at him, though it fell away as I sighed and stared at the ceiling again. "So we're... kind of in the same boat, here. We've both done things we really regret. And neither of us... really have a family because of them... not anymore."
Another long silence. Another opportunity for me to ruminate.
...
...
...
"...I'm glad you were banished," he finally said.
"Eh?"
"And I'm glad you went through the mirror," he continued, snaking his arms around mine so he could pull me closer until every part of us touched. "...I never would have met you if you hadn't."
And as long as you're by my side... I think that's all I'll ever need.
I gasped softly, then buried my face into his chest as a flood of happiness overtook me.
I had finally gained what I once thought impossible... what I once didn't even know had been missing from my life.
I had found, and now I had for myself... that unmistakable, unshakable, unbreakable bond.
Love. Respect. Trust. Acceptance.
"...Yea. Me too."