//------------------------------//
// 11 - Something//Comforting 
// Story: Misplaced Wings 
// by FIygon 
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Lovelight passed through the halls of the intensive care section of the hospital. A tiredness coursed through her that she couldn’t understate, even as she had just finished her last check of the day. 

Lovelight loved her job; she had the cutiemark to prove as much, but there were only so many requests from patients that she could take before going crazy. She did not consider the fifth request to help them fix the bed’s reclining feature—which was perfectly functional; they were just using it wrong as always—to be reasonable whatsoever. But it was her job, so she did it with a smile and a calm voice.

The few days she’d been assigned to Mellow had been pure bliss. One patient to care for, reasonable requests, and she actually felt like she was doing something the whole day. Trying her best to make a terrified and abused foal feel welcome and safe. Not to mention she’d considered him positively adorable.

But those moments had passed, and it was back to it. 

Lovelight approached the front desk and sat down in a chair, writing down her report for the day in hopes of making it home in time to take a nap. She’d barely noticed her boss, Redheart, sit down in the chair next to her, and when she spoke, Lovelight nearly lost grip on the file. "Ready for your weekend, Lovey?"

Lovelight rolled her eyes lightly at her friend’s nickname: "Of course, positively ecstatic. I was actually wondering-"

"Lovelight," Redheart said with a disappointed sigh. Lovelight turned to her friend, who had a hoof against her forehead, "Please for once. Can you just enjoy your day off?"

Lovelight scoffed. "You make it sound like I’m torturing you; can you not stand my presence anymore?"

Redheart hummed dismissively, working on her own paperwork with minimal concentration. "You never do; you know that."

Lovelight sighed. "So, I was wondering if you’d let me come in again tomorrow-"

"Absolutely not!" Redheart retorted with disbelief. "I’d rather have my nurses well rested, and if anyone deserves a well-rested weekend, it’s you."

Lovelight fidgeted nervously, "Please, Redheart. Maybe like a half shift?"

"Nope."

"Okay, uh… Give me an overnight!"

"Not gonna happen, Lovey~" Redheart said with a hum.

Lovelight groaned: "Fine, I’ll take one day off. But you better have a full shift ready for me the day after."

Redheart rolled her eyes and fixed her friend with a worried look. "Why don’t you spend time with Haze? Take the full two days off, I insist."

Lovelight let loose a few tears, and a strained voice came out. "I-I can’t!"

Redheart was now fully aware that this wasn’t a simple workaholic issue. Walking over and placing her hoof around her friend’s neck. "Lovey… What’s going on with you? I know you like to work a lot, but this is becoming unhealthy." Redheart’s eyes widened suddenly. "Haze isn’t hurting you, is he?"

"No! It’s nothing like that!" Lovelight said quickly as she backed away from the hug and wiped her tears. "I’m sorry… it was nothing."

Redheart scowled at her with a raised brow, "Now I know you don’t think I’m that dumb."

After a few moments of intense staring, Lovelight released a shaky breath. "They raised my rent again."

Redheart sighed, "Lovelight…"

"We barely made it last month and…" Lovelight buried her face in her hooves. "And Haze… He’s having trouble coming up with money lately, and-" Lovelight’s tears streamed down her face.

Redheart quickly embraced her again. "That’s still going on? Seriously? Haze really should write a report of this to Celestia or something."

Lovelight gave a small nod, "I-I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m going to have to get a second job if it keeps like this-"

"Hey," Redheart gently lifted her friend's head upward, "no, you won’t. I’ll see what I can do with the higher-ups to get you a possible raise. But I know one thing for certain: you need to relax for a few days. So please take these next two days off. For me and for Haze."

Lovelight sighed and sat still for a while, then eventually gave her friend a smile and a solid nod. "Okay, I’ll try."

"You will." Redheart corrected. "And I know just the thing to cheer you up." 

Lovelight raised her head questionably, and Redheart smirked at her, "Go visit your little kirin friend. I’m sure he’d love to see you."

Lovelight looked back down at her hooves, "I-I do… But I don’t know if he needs me anymore. The princess of friendship is looking after him."

Redheart scoffed, "Now you’re just trying to depress yourself! That colt loved you being around; at least go and say hi!"

Lovelight slowly stood up and nodded. "Okay, I will."

Redheart smirked as her friend gathered her things. "Plus, if that list you entered ends with you as his future mama, I’m sure he’d appreciate the thought."

"Redheart!" Lovelight said with a deep blush. She scoffed and walked towards the exit, "You know that won’t happen! Why do you have to remind me?"

Redheart shrugged, "Because you two would be perfect parents. Haze, especially when it comes to Mellow."

"Al-i-corn." Lovelight said in a patronizing way as she opened the door.

Redheart returned the same tone, “Ki-r-in.”

Lovelight just sighed with a grateful smile. "See you next week."

"Take care, Lovey." Redheart replied with a short wave.

As she left the building and walked through the town as twilight struck, the dwindling rays of light guided her down the path towards the crystal tree. Lovelight let what Redheart said flow through her mind again. She did want children, desperately so. But with her constant work, she and Haze hadn’t had nearly enough time.

She thought about Mellow again, and a wave of happiness flowed through her. She wondered for a moment if she was being selfish. Was she visiting Mellow because she was hoping Mellow would sway the choice towards her? Would it even be fair for Mellow to be with her? The thought of being unable to provide for the colt if things got much worse washed through her. She was in no position to be a mother. They were just silly aspirations that would someday fade.

As she got closer to the castle, she heard murmuring throughout the nearby crowds, most of whom were looking towards the crystal tree in confusion. A few of the words she picked up made her feel intensely worried, ‘kirin’ and ‘on fire’ being the worrying ones. But then again, it could be literally any kirin.

It was only when she got closer to the castle’s doors that she felt a pit form in her stomach. She heard yelling and stopped at the door, raising her hoof to knock but hesitating. 

She heard bits and pieces—nothing very conclusive—until she heard Fluttershy's pleading. "W-Why are you acting like this, Twilight?" She’d never heard Fluttershy ask a question this way. And definitely not in disbelief at one of her best friends, though she barely knew them.

"Because he’s dangerous, Fluttershy!" 

Lovelight's blood ran cold for a moment. Twilight sounded exasperated and angry. But what shocked her was how confidently she said the words. Lovelight hoped she was wrong and that they were talking about someone else. Practically praying in her mind. But things were adding up too well.

She heard the words she wished she didn’t: "I hate you!" That was it. Lovelight was sure of it; that voice had been Mellow. 

Lovelight didn’t know what had transpired; she didn’t know what they’d done. But inside, her blood began to boil with rage, and she cursed herself for letting them place Mellow with the princess. She’d never heard Mellow speak like that, and surely the colt himself was speaking with emotion.

She shook her head and growled to herself before opening the door with one swift motion, which slammed shut right behind her. "What’s going on here?"

She analyzed the situation, quickly gaining the answers to all of her questions. Mellow stood there, bubbled by Twilight in his nirik form. The princess and her two friends were still shocked, both by what Mellow had said and by Lovelight’s entrance.

"Lovelight?"

Her head locked back on the colt. His flames retracted a bit, and he genuinely seemed happy to see her.





I couldn’t believe it. Lovelight was here; had she heard what I said? Was she here to make all the yelling stop? Please tell me she’d make it stop.

I looked over at her with a worried and slightly relieved expression. "Lovelight?"  And she looked at me as well, giving me a small nod and smile.

"Nurse Lovelight?" Twilight spoke worriedly, "W-What are you-"

Lovelight fixed her with a sharp glare. "I’m not a nurse right now. I’m a worried friend of Mellow’s." She took a few steps forward, each filled with a bit more rage than the last, as the three mares in the room seemed to shrivel.

"And right now, I want to know why my friend is bubbled, on fire, and crying out against the people that were supposed to be his guardians. Telling them that he hates them. And I want an answer." Lovelight said with a cold stare. 

She was defending me? But that was wrong; I may stand by my declaration of hatred, but I was definitely causing problems! I’m the real problem here!

Fluttershy started, surprisingly, "There was an accident… in the park."

"What happened?" Lovelight pressured.

Fluttershy withered, "I-I’m not sure. He came back crying, and I froze a-and-" she stuttered, a few tears forming in her eyes.

Lovelight switched gazes to Twilight, "So how does that escalate to hatred, princess?" She practically spat.

Twilight sighed, "I’ve just been stressed today. And he came back on fire, which only made it worse. I argued with Fluttershy and said that he could’ve hurt others-"

"Did he?" Lovelight snapped.

"W-Well… no."

Lovelight took a few more steps forward; she felt a bit of protectiveness overtaking her emotions. "You yelled and said he was dangerous over nothing! You betrayed his trust so badly that he hates you?"

Twilight looked back and forth between her two hooves. "I-I don’t know-"

"Of course you don’t know!" Lovelight yelled. "You don’t know how to treat a foal, let alone one with mental trauma. You don’t know how others feel. Hay, you barely know how to be a princess!" Lovelight was huffing out her words with long breaths. "Yet you think you know everything! It’s unbelievable!"

Twilight shook her head and spoke so quietly that she barely heard. "I know I don’t know everything…"

Starlight suddenly stood in front of Twilight defensively, "Hey, let’s… calm down. Twilight made a mistake here, yes. But this won’t solve any problems." Starlight gently nodded her head towards me.

I was watching the entire scene with horror. I’d cause so much pain and suffering for others; I never wanted any of this. I felt like the worst possible pony ever—whoever the last worst pony ever was had competition. Because I had to be the absolute worst!

Lovelight turned to me and had a guilty expression. She slowly approached with her head low, "Mellow, sweety." She walked a bit closer to the bubble, "It will be okay. You are not dangerous!"

My tears came back. "That’s just not true, and you know it…"

She shook her head and reaffirmed, "You are not dangerous. You just need someone to understand you and help. I promise."

I could already feel my fire slowly dissipate at her calming voice: "But what if I do hurt someone? I’d be the worst; Twilight’s right, all I can do is hurt other people."

Lovelight got close enough to put her hooves against the bubble. "Everyone has the capacity to hurt others." She glanced in Twilight’s direction before looking back to me. "It’s about how we work to keep others from being hurt that matters."

I crumpled against the side of the bubble where her hooves were, "I just want to be normal! I hate magic—I hate fire—I hate myself!"

Lovelight seemed shocked as her eyes widened and her mouth was agape. "Stop that," Lovelight reprimanded me as tears formed in her own eyes. "You are fine just the way you are Mellow. I know the world for you now must be confusing beyond belief, and you’re still scared of your past. But please, don’t hate yourself; none of it was your fault."

I looked at her sadly as she sniffled. Tears came out of her eyes and fell on the bubble. "Because if my friend hates himself, then that’s just a shame! Because I love that same friend with all my heart. And it hurts me when that friend is hurting."

I placed my hooves on the edge of the bubble, right on hers. "I don’t want to hurt you though, Lovelight. Aren’t you scared of me?"

"Scared? No, I’m just worried about you." She smiled and placed her forehead against the bubble. "And I trust that my friend would never hurt me." She looked at me happily and said, "Do you see how that works? You don’t have to hurt others or be a burden. You can let others help you through the trouble when you’re down."

I slowly nodded. "I just want all the yelling to stop." I muttered.

She smiled, "It’s over, I promise."

I saw the last wisp of my fire eek out, and I felt heavy. My limbs felt weak, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that my friend was here to make everything better. She wasn’t scared of me, and she believed I wouldn’t hurt anyone. Lovelight turned sharply with one glance. Twilight’s horn quickly dissipated energy, and I dropped gently right into Lovelight’s two front hooves.

"Am I still warm?" I asked curiously.

Lovelight giggled as she held me at arms length, "like a little campfire."



Lovelight quickly embraced me, petting the back of my head, "You’re safe now, honey."

"Lovelight," I squeaked quietly as tears came flooding out of my eyes. I threw my hooves around her neck and buried my face into it. Letting out childish wails that I wish I could keep in.

She didn’t even hesitate to reciprocate with gentle nuzzles. I felt her tears fall on my back as well, but I didn’t care. "Shh… you’re safe. I’ve got you, little one."

"P-Please don’t stop being my friend. I-I… I don’t want to be alone. Please don’t get rid of me." I could barely get my words out through shakiness and hiccups.

She squeezed me even tighter to herself, "Never. I’d never do that to you."

The others seemed to recover from everything as they all sighed. Twilight took a step forward, and Lovelight held me towards herself defensively. "No. You can deal with your own issues. Mellow’s coming home with me."

They all seemed shocked, even as I looked up at her with a tilted head. "I am?"

She gently nodded at me. And looked at them again with anger, "I’ll deal with it; you don’t even need to worry yourself, princess. Just… forget about us and continue on. As you seem to want to do anyway."

Twilight didn’t even say anything; her face was covered by the shadow of her mane. She only turned around and quietly retreated further into her castle.

Lovelight nuzzled me gently, placing me on her back. "Is that okay with you?"

I looked between her and Twilight, then at Fluttershy, who couldn’t even look me in the eyes. Then I slowly turned to her and nodded, "Yes."

We slowly left the castle; Starlight seemed to wander after Twilight, and Fluttershy sat in the entrance very quietly. She did glance my way one last time, and I could tell that she felt awful. I did as well; she was a nice pony, and I hoped she didn’t hate me now.

The streets were quiet, filled with the sound of locusts and the occasional chirping of a cricket. I shuffled uncomfortably on Lovelight’s back, even though all I wanted was to lay down and fall asleep on her fur. "I-I…" I started quietly, "I’m sorry."

Lovelight sighed, "Mellow Spark, listen, honey." My ears perked up as we crossed over a small bridge, and she stopped. The water rushed beneath us, and some frogs croaked nearby: "I know it might hurt, but… I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were with them. Okay?"

She began walking again, and I nodded my head to myself, "Sure, I can do that."





My story was jarring, if Lovelight’s abrupt stopping had anything to do with it. Slowly, she turned to me and asked, "What did these two ponies look like?" She asked carefully. "Did you know them?"

I shook my head, "Umm… one was brown with a silver mane. The other was violet and light blue."

She seemed shaken. "They didn’t do anything to you?"

When I shook my head, she breathed a large sigh of relief and nuzzled me. "I know it sounds mean. But if an older pony talks to you, I want you to get someone you know first. Okay?"

I hummed slightly with a sad expression, "Did they want to hurt me?"

She just smiled and nuzzled me again, "You can never be too careful. Some ponies are bad; I’m sure you understand that."

I nodded slowly. "But I’m a bad pony too…"

Lovelight sighed and whined a bit, "Mellow." 

I looked back up and huffed, "I-I know. I’ll be careful around others for you." I gave a sincere smile.

She began walking again, sighing to herself about everything I’d told her. She wasn’t very happy to learn that Twilight had upset me the previous night either. She told me that some ponies just like to hurt others when they don’t understand them. 

We came upon a small building on the outskirts of town. It was very small and quaint. It had rocky walls and a thatched roof. A couple of windows adorned the side, but overall it was very plain. But that wasn’t an insult; it was closer to home than I’d ever been. It reminded me a lot of my parents' house.

A pleasant scent seemed to drift from the windows within the house, and as we got to the doorway, Lovelight carefully placed me on the ground. She leaned down to my level and smiled. "Somebody very special lives here; his name is Haze. I think you two will get along really well. He’s very friendly."

I nodded slowly with a tilted head. "Are you married?"

She giggled and nuzzled me, "Yep." Then she moved to open the door, gesturing for me to enter first. The inside was cozy. One big room with a large gray rug, a fireplace in the corner, and a couch. There was a hallway leading to a single room in the back. On the left was a kitchen and a small dining table. But the denizen of the kitchen is what shocked me.

Inside the kitchen was a gray kirin with red-plated scales and a blonde mane that was much bigger than mine. I practically stopped in awe at seeing him—the first kirin other than me! And Lovelight knew him; this was great!

Lovelight walked in behind me, approaching her mate. He turned his head slightly as he stirred something in a large pot with his magic, which was bright red. "It took you long enough! I was afraid you fell in the river."

Lovelight giggled as she leaned in and they kissed each other, I averted my gaze awkwardly and stared at the decor. "I came across an… incident on my way home." Lovelight spoke carefully.

He dropped the spoon momentarily and looked at her worriedly, "What happened?"

She turned her head toward me and nodded. When Haze saw me, his eyes lit up like fireworks. He looked between me and Lovelight a couple times before smirking at her, "You didn’t tell me you were carrying, honey." He said smugly.

Lovelight rolled her eyes and pushed him playfully before making her way over to me. She laid down behind me and hugged me towards her chest, "This is Mellow Spark."

Haze carefully approached, "Oh! The little one you told me about." 

He laid down a few feet in front of me and smiled widely with a friendly face, "Hi there. I’m Haze Flash." He held a hoof to his chin, "There’s something similar about the two of us… But I can’t seem to place my hoof on it." He did a light shrug and a silly face where he stuck his tongue out.

I couldn’t hold back a giggle as I watched him, "Hello… I think you’re right. Maybe it’s the eyes?"

He smiled even wider and cleared his throat. "Yes, yes, of course! It just has to be the eyes; we’ve both got two of them." Then he crossed his eyes.

I laughed again, and so did he. A few seconds later, he leaned closer and asked, "Did you know that kirin’s noses are just as warm as a fire?"

I tilted my head curiously, then touched my own nose, which felt just as normal as any other nose. I squinted my eyes at him, and he shook his head. "Well, you can’t feel your own nose, silly! Here, feel mine." He said leaning a bit closer.

I looked up at Lovelight, who was only watching with a large smile. She nodded at me, so I slowly held my hoof out and touched his nose. All of a sudden he huffed, and a bit of fire came out of his nostrils. I retracted my hoof with a small squeak. It didn’t burn me, though, and it did feel like a campfire’s warmth. I couldn’t help but laugh at his joke.



He leaned down and started nuzzling my stomach, which only made me laugh even louder. After a few moments, he hummed curiously, "Now where did my mate go about finding an adorable little kirin like you?"

Lovelight sighed slightly and nudged me from behind. I looked back only to be picked up by the scruff of my neck, which was an odd and new experience. I didn’t even know I had a scruff, but I guess it would make sense. She walked over to the couch, which rested next to the campfire, and placed me on it. "Why don’t you take a small nap while me and Haze finish dinner, alright sweety?"

I slowly nodded, and she leaned down, nuzzling my cheek and then kissing it. I stood there in shock as she walked away. That was something only my mother had done to me, so to have her do it all of a sudden made me feel emotional. I laid down and stared at the fire, letting old memories of my parents wash through me.





Lovelight finished explaining everything that had happened, as well as sheepishly explaining that he was an alicorn. Which he was not aware of beforehand. It was a shock to her that he had been so composed about the news.

Haze sighed quietly. "That’s… a lot. But I understand what that fire in the forest is now. If only I could tell the few that suspect me what the actual truth is."

Lovelight raised a brow. "You’d throw Mellow under the bus just like that?"

His eyes widened, and he shook his head. "No, no. The poor colt’s been through enough as it is."

Lovelight nodded and sat in the nearby dining chair as Haze made the last preparations for the stew. "I know I acted like I had it all handled a bit earlier… But I honestly have no idea what I’m doing."

"I know what you’re doing. You’re protecting your friend in a time of need." He said this without glancing as he continued to cook.

Lovelight hummed sadly, "Soon the princesses will take him back. I just hope it isn’t Twilight next time." Lovelight thought to herself after speaking that if the princesses really were missing, things might get bad soon. She hadn’t forgotten overhearing that little part of Twilight’s rant.

Haze looked at her sadly, "Aww... Can’t we keep him? Pwetty please?" He asked, approaching her with puppy eyes and a quivering lip.

Lovelight laughed and pushed his face gently. "You think you can handle being an alicorn kirin’s father, huh?"

He puffed his chest out proudly with closed eyes, "Clearly, I’m the best choice!" He opened his eyes again with a smirk, "And from the sounds of it, you are too."

Lovelight giggled with a small blush, "I appreciate the sentiment."

Haze returned to the stew, taking it off the fire and placing it on the table very carefully with his magic. Then he proceeded to use his magic to set the table with three bowls. All while he cleaned the counters with his hooves. 

Lovelight glanced at the couch, where Mellow was clearly sleeping. Though he did seem to have an unpleasant expression, "I’m going to wake him up. Even if it looks like he needs sleep."

She garnered a nod from Haze as she approached the couch. She gently nuzzled him over and over until the small colt began to stir. "Wakey wakey," Lovelight whispered, "it’s time to eat."





"It’s time to eat; get up!" I knew it was Lovelight’s voice, but the memory of them banging on my cell door as they slid food in with those exact words made me flinch. The moment I woke up, I recoiled in terror for only a second.

Lovelight’s stunned expression made me want to be smaller and unseen once again. "I-I’m sorry." I muttered, turning my face away.

“Mellow honey,” Lovelight said sadly.

“I know, I know.” I muttered under my breath. I saw her moving closer, and eyed her with suspicion. Eventually she leaned in close enough to kiss my cheek again. I blushed wildly and looked at her, "Why do you keep doing that?" I asked curiously.

She thought to herself for a moment, then shrugged with a giggle and said, "Because I don’t like seeing that sad little face. And I just felt like it. I can stop if you’d like."

I hummed understandingly, "It’s okay; I just… wasn’t expecting it."

"Hungry?" She asked while poking my belly.

I laughed a bit. "Maybe a little."

My stomach growled, and Lovelight smirked mischievously at me. "Oh my! I think your little tummy monster is famished…"

She leaned in with her muzzle as I kept backing away. "No, no." I said with a giggle.

She backed me into the corner, and all I could do was futilely back against the cushion over and over. With nowhere left to go, I looked back at Lovelight in anticipation. Lovelight squinted at my stomach, "Get out of Mellow, you foul monster!"

I laughed again. "It’s okay, Lovelight! He’s part of me."

She widened her eyes in horror. "You’re trying to take over his mind too? I will vanquish you before that happens, beast!" She said this as she thrust her muzzle into my stomach and blew a raspberry.

The onslaught of laughter and tickles from the attack was too much to bear. I doubled over, falling against the couch underneath me, yet she continued her assault. "Love—haha—Lovelight he’s gone—haha!" I yelled desperately.

She backed away for a moment and hummed suspiciously, "Is he now?" Then she placed her ear against my stomach, which almost immediately betrayed me with another noise. "Oh no, he’s completely taken over your mind! Don’t worry, Mellow, I’ll save you!"

After yet another round of exhausting tickles, I was left a mess on the couch. Small giggles escaped my lips every few seconds as I caught my breath. Lovelight backed up and nodded with a confident smile. "There! Now we should be able to get rid of him. And I know just that antidote!" 

I sat up, and she picked me up in one arm, carrying me over to the table and placing me in a chair. Haze had already stacked a few books so that I could reach the table, and it was the perfect height. Haze had been watching us with a smile the whole time, and when I was sitting at the table, he smirked. "Take this medicine, young one! I heard it can vanquish any beast with just one bite!" He told me as he poured stew into a bowl and set it in front of me. I was amazed by his control of magic.

I looked down at the stew with intrigue; it was a stew mostly consisting of potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onion, and celery. It smelled absolutely amazing. I looked up at the other two, who were already enjoying their meal. I carefully picked up the spoon and brought a bite to my mouth, and when I tasted the food, my eyes shot open. It was the best-tasting thing I’d had since I arrived in Ponyville. No, it was the best-tasting thing I might have ever had. Other than sweets, but that’s not fair to compare.

Haze laughed at my expression and asked, "Do you like it?"

I nodded rapidly as I lifted another spoonful. Lovelight hummed, "It’s hot; don’t burn yourself, honey." I heeded her warning, but it was really hard not to just throw my muzzle into the stew and gorge myself.

After a long and worthwhile dinner, I finally reached my stopping point at almost two bowls. The moment I finished, I laid my head on the table, "Haze, you cook really well."

He smiled, "Thanks! I’d like to think if I were a pony, I’d have a cooking cutie mark."

I suddenly looked back up with intrigue: "Cutie mark? Is it that thing on all ponies' backsides?"

Haze laughed, "Yep. They're weird, right?"

"Hey, I quite like mine." Lovelight commented.

Haze nodded, "Yeah, but yours is very nice and fitting. I feel bad for all the ponies who have a talent in-"

"Haze, watch what you’re about to say." She said with a warning glance, as she gestured to me.

I had no idea what they meant, but Haze sheepishly laughed and shrugged. "For the ponies who get a cutie mark… as a garbage collector. I’m sure there’s some poor stallion with a talent for it."

I laughed, but Lovelight just shook her head with a small sigh. Lovelight stood and walked over to grab my bowl. I almost immediately stood up and said, "I can help!" I offered.

Lovelight turned back around and nuzzled me, and when she drew back, she gave me a smile. "I’ve got it handled, sweetie. I wouldn’t want you to have another magic incident right now."

My face fell into a sad expression as I looked down at my hooves. "Oh, yeah."

"Oh honey," Lovelight placed the bowls down and hugged me, "It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Once you learn to control your magic, I’ll let you help with anything you want! Okay?"

I nodded slowly, and she returned to doing the dishes. Haze walked over and held his hoof out carefully. I realized he was hesitant to help me down without knowing if I was okay with his help. I nodded to him, and he helped me without question.

Being on the ground next to him while he was standing really put into perspective how much growth I still had left. My head barely came up to where his stomach was. One of his legs was taller than my entire body; it was interesting. He smiled as he began walking, looking back to see if I was following.

I quickly took a few short steps in his direction and said, "Hey, Haze? Is being your size normal?"

He smirked, "Well, us kirin grow about as much as a typical pony would. Stallions are usually taller than mares, though."

I hummed and thought to myself for a moment, "But the doctor said I was small for my age."

He laid down on the carpet in the living room, next to the fire. He looked at me up and down for a second, "Maybe because you’re an alicorn?"

"That’s what the doctor said. But he also sounded crazy." I huffed as I sat on the carpet in front of him.

He chuckled, "Alicorns do grow quite a bit more than ponies, so I wouldn’t worry about it, buddy." He said as he ruffled my mane with his hoof.

Suddenly a question came to mind—the one I’ve been wanting to ask him since I met him earlier. I looked at him worriedly, "Haze? How do you control your, uh… nirik form?"

Haze sighed sadly as he looked at me, "Well, for starters, you will never fully control it. If you have an emotional outburst, it will appear."

I laid down and rested my head on my hooves; of course, there was no way to make things better. I’d be stuck with this curse for the rest of this life.

"But," Haze continued, "that doesn’t mean it stays uncontrollable."

I looked up curiously, and he nodded in confirmation. "Controlling nirik is impossible. You have to learn to… coexist with it, sorta. You don’t want to think of nirik form as you becoming some big, scary monster. Nirik form is still you, just on fire."

I listened intently to his words as he continued, leaning in with intrigue. "Instead, when you go nirik, you have to control yourself. You don’t want to run around screaming for help or rampaging like an angry bear; that’ll just make things way worse. Whenever your nirik form comes out, you need to think internally about what you’re angry about. Then, decide whether you can solve it in nirik form or if you need to walk away and cool off somewhere else."

"That sounds way easier said than done," I said with a sigh.

He nodded. "When you’re in nirik form, you’re a predator. Not a prey. Which makes things worse when regular ponies fear you because it only makes your nirik form worse. Being looked at as a monster by ponies is… rough." I could tell he was speaking with experience, as he averted his gaze and seemed in thought.

"Tell me about it," I huffed annoyedly.

He smiled, "You can control your flames in nirik form, though. Which is great because it keeps you from burning things down accidentally."

"Really?" I squeaked excitedly.

He nodded. "Your flames in nirik form are just pure magic energy exploding out of your body. You can suppress the flames, but never extinguish them. However, learning to control your magic leads to controlling nirik form easier."

I groaned and fell backwards onto the ground, looking up at the roof with annoyance. "Everything loops back to stupid magic." I grumbled angrily.

Haze laughed, "I’m sure learning to control alicorn magic is rough. But you’ll get there, buddy; I believe in you." He said whilst nuzzling me.

I smiled and rolled to my side to look at him appreciatively. "Thanks for telling me all of that, Haze."

He waved a hoof dismissively, "Who would I be to leave another kirin in the dark? Plus, most of the kirins explain this to their children, and it’s a shame you never learned beforehand."

I nodded and sat up with another round of intrigue. "Are there a lot of kirin? I never see any. You’re the first I’ve met!"

He nodded slowly and sighed; it seemed to be a rough topic, which I felt slightly bad about. "There is a small village of kirin, deep in the Peaks of Peril." Well, that place sounds delightful.

He sighed yet again: "But it’s not that great of a place. After we destroyed our own village due to a large nirik outbreak, our leader forbade us to talk. And she wanted everyone to pass through something called the ‘Stream of Silence’ to make us unable to speak ever again."

"What? That’s crazy!" I said in surprise.

He nodded. "A good number of us thought the same, and those of us that did left and scattered throughout Equestria. Which is why I’ve been the only one in Ponyville until recently." He said, giving me a small smile.

"It’s a shame," he said sadly. "All of our traditions and culture are gone because of one bad event. Those that stayed behind are practically zombies with no emotion." I could tell Haze was genuinely sad, so I approached him and gave him a hug as best I could. Sinking into his silky and soft mane. He wrapped a hoof around me, "Thanks buddy. We continue on in this crazy world. Being a kirin isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but I loved my time growing up in the village."

I stepped back, "I bet you’re pretty popular being the only kirin around, right?" I asked with a small laugh.

That also seemed to be a sore spot, as he rubbed the back of his head. He looked at me seriously, "Actually, no." I looked at him sadly as he continued, "Ever since I’ve gotten here, it’s been a real struggle. I was officially given Ponyville citizenship, but it really doesn’t feel like it."

"How come?" I asked sadly.

A bit of bitterness appeared on his face. "Well, for starters, nobody will hire me at all. Ponies seem to think I’ll just burn their business down within a week. I land an odd job here and there with some of the residents, but over time the rumors and fear catch up and they fire me." 

He rested his head on his hoof with a long, drawn-out sigh. "It’s not like I can just change their opinions. They’re all scared of what would happen if I got angry. Even when they’d fire me, they would be actively taking steps back, even though I held a smile the whole time I got the news. It’s humiliating, honestly."

"That’s cruel," I said as a few tears appeared in my eyes. "You’re not a bad pony, Haze."

He pulled me in for a hug, "Thanks kiddo. You’re pretty alright too." I giggled at that.

Lovelight’s voice appeared as I heard hoofsteps: "I think you’re both pretty alright." We all shared a short laugh at that.

Lovelight laid down, and I found myself walking over to rub against her side comfortingly. She smiled and nuzzled me before I asked another question. "So why aren’t you scared of kirins?" I asked, giving her a curious look.

She smirked and huffed a laugh. "Well, this goofball-" she said, gesturing towards Haze, "got injured once. And while he was my patient, he had loads of stories. I trusted what he said about nirik forms not being as scary as everyone thought. Especially when he turned into one right in front of me, yet managed to keep his flames from burning a single thing."

Haze laughed, "I was in a rough spot, for sure. Plus, you kept sticking needles in me!"

Lovelight rolled her eyes, "Please, you were just trying to impress me. I saw your expression the first time I walked into your room; you were practically drooling."

Haze blushed at that and huffed, "Yeah, well… Considering how much you hid from doing your job just to talk to me while I was hospitalized, I’d say you were just as interested."

Lovelight leaned in with raised brows. "I was." She said confidently, "And I don’t regret a thing."

I averted my eyes as they shared another kiss. It was really sweet how much they loved each other. It really reminded me of my parents, and for almost a moment, I felt myself choke on something. I realized I was tearing up, so I turned around and wiped my eyes quickly. I couldn’t hold back the small sniffle I made when I did so, however.

"Mellow, sweetie, what’s wrong?" How did she always know when I was upset? Jeez.

I shook my head, still not meeting her eyes, and said, "I-It’s nothing."

She wasn’t having any of it, as she nuzzled me into looking at her. When she and Haze did get to see me crying, I figured I had nothing left to hide, so I let the tears flow. "I-I… I miss my parents." I said sadly before crying a bit louder.

"Shh…" Lovelight tucked me against her side, "I know, sweetie. I’m so sorry." 

I tried to wipe the tears away and stop the crying. I felt so childish, but I couldn’t stop the emotions. "I don’t know why I’m crying," I started quietly. "They’ve been gone so long already."

Haze leaned in and said, "Pain and heartache are fickle. Time has never passed long enough that you can’t mourn your parents."

Lovelight nodded. "It’s important that when you feel that way, you have others to confide in. We’ll always be here to hear you out, Mellow."

Those words alone made me want to confess my entire story and where I was really from. But the risk seemed too high, and for the time being, I just nodded. "Thank you. That means a lot."

She nodded and kissed my forehead gently. "I love you, Mellow; remember that, okay?"

I blushed and nestled my face deeper in her side, "I-I love you too." I said quietly.

I felt my eyes drooping, the crackle of the fireplace and the feeling of safety that washed over me. They both looked at me with smiles and care that I never thought I’d receive in my life ever again. So while I wrestled with memories, the words of Lovelight telling me she loves me blocked them all and chased away my fears. Soon enough, I was out of the waking world.







Starlight had continued chasing Twilight; however, she had locked herself in the library with an intensely complicated spell. So she was left to sit outside the library worryingly, calling for her to open it. Twilight sat out of dinner and didn’t budge no matter who tried to talk to her. Fluttershy eventually left, returning to her cottage.

Yet Starlight paced, waiting for some sound from her friend. It was only many hours after dark that she heard the door lock click, and the door opened to reveal a very surprising sight. Twilight had dark bags in her eyes and had clearly been upset and crying for the past few hours. Her hair was a mess, and she looked entirely devoid of happiness.

When Twilight saw Starlight, she went to close the door again, but Starlight quickly blocked it. "Twilight, please. Can we just talk?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head. When she spoke, it was dry, and she had to clear her throat a bit. "I-I just wanted a glass of water."

Starlight huffed and got closer to her, "I’m sorry, Twilight. I know what happened is upsetting, but the longer we wait, the less we know about the two princesses' whereabouts."

Twilight sighed and turned away from the entrance, leaving it agape. She muttered while walking away, "Then get someone else; I’m sure they’d do better than me anyway."

Starlight walked in after her hurriedly, "Since when did the princess of friendship give up just because one colt dislikes her?"

Twilight stopped and gave her a sharp glare. "That ‘one colt’ was my responsibility. Celestia entrusted him to me specifically because she believed in me." She growled in anger: "I didn’t just disappoint Mellow; I disappointed Celestia, disappointed Fluttershy, and disappointed Spike. Even if Celestia is missing, I can still see how hard I messed up."

Starlight sighed and looked down at her hooves sadly. "You know, if you were this stressed, you could’ve vented a little to me. I’m your friend too."

Twilight looked at her with a few tears appearing in her eyes, "You’re right. I bottled it up and threw it all at an abused colt when I had friends all around me. I really am a terrible excuse for a princess." She slinked away again, sitting at her signature desk and resting her head on it.

"You know, I didn’t understand Mellow yesterday when he told me he hated magic. I think I understand what he meant now." Starlight approached slowly and sat next to her. "Because right now I hate being a princess, I hate friendship, and I even hate magic for scaring me into blowing up at Mellow."

Starlight just sighed, having no idea how to get her friend out of the rut. "Some days are just like that, Twilight." She said carefully, "But sitting around and wishing and hating things won’t make things better. I know you understand that more than anybody else I know."

"But where do I start?" Twilight spoke quietly as a new set of tears appeared.

Starlight hugged her gently, "Maybe with a glass of water like you were just about to get. After that? One step at a time."

Twilight smiled appreciatively at Starlight, then returned the hug. A few moments later, Spike came flying through the door to the library. "Spike?" Twilight tilted her head, but she noticed the scroll he was holding in his hand, and her eyes widened.

He finally stopped running and held the scroll up as he started panting, "It’s from… Princess Cadence!"