Lotus stared stupidly back at her reflection in Autumn’s mirror. Any second now this vision would end and she would wake up. She'd be Eric again, smacking his phone to stop the awful beeping of his alarm before another dismal day of work on the factory floor. Then he'd drive home again to a beat up old house he could barely pay for, and do it all again.
Lotus's reflection remained, no matter how long she looked back. Her borrowed silk dress remained, dark patterns broken by a splash of white from the occasional stitched lotus blossom.
The style reminded her a little of what she'd seen in Japanese kimonos, though of course that had to be her own biases in play. There couldn't possibly be any cultural connection between an ancient species in Equestria and an Earth civilization, could there?
Her new friend had helped her comb the mane down under control. Of course she would have some tricks for managing it, considering she'd grown up with all that fluff. The right conditioner and the right kind of brush, and she could get all those tangles under control.
No Searing Gale to whisper dark lies into my head. That book would probably be promising to make her into a princess, or something else equally overblown and melodramatic. But Lotus didn't want to be a princess. All she needed was stability, and maybe some direction for where to go next.
Her old life was ashes—partially her own fault, partially the work of the dark tome she was forced to carry. That brought plenty of regret, but also potential to plant something new. If she wanted.
Autumn Blaze emerged around the corner, poking her head through the doorway. "Lotus? Are you... perfect, you're ready. If we don't head over there right now, we're going to go the whole festival without food. Come on!
Wearing a dress should look absurd on a horse. Her old self would be laughing hysterically if he could see. But reflected in the mirror, the absurdity just wasn't there. It must've gone to live with all the disgust she felt at the thought of intimacy with Iron.
"Now about all that stuff you told me." The kirin's house looked surprisingly recognizable for being in another world. She had no electricity, running water, or other signs of technology—but otherwise she had all the same amenities: a couch, books, a kitchen, albeit with dried and preserved vegetables instead of refrigerated ones.
The other kirin was far more graceful than Lotus. She moved without seeming confined in her dress, instead gliding through the house. The back never lifted with an annoying twitch from her long tail.
"Not wanting to go after that stallion because of some old self—magic spells, changing into other things. Right?"
She nodded awkwardly, following the mare out into the streets of Hono. There was no sign of others who might overhear—everyone was already at the festival, packed into the central temple or gathered around it from the outside. "I figure I might have a different perspective. Maybe a better one."
Lotus nodded nervously, tail whipping back and forth into the dirt behind her. "I don't know what you could've figured out."
"Oh, all kinds of things! But here's the important one. This guy, Iron Feather. Does he know all this same stuff about you? Changing back, other worlds, magic sorcerer stuff?"
She nodded awkwardly. They didn't cut straight for the temple, instead winding around the village's row of tree-buildings. The place was beautiful, but far smaller than she had first thought. There might be room for a thousand kirin, assuming enough of them were families. Could they really be the only members of the species left?
"So maybe you should think about him too! He already knows how things are. If he still decides to be with you, then he's accepted the risks. You don't have to go into every relationship like you're gonna get married and build a treehouse together! It's okay to just go along for the ride and see where it leads. Maybe it leads you home? Can't imagine why it would, if you would have to change into something else..."
She stopped in her tracks, glancing sharply sideways. "Wait a second! That's why you don't have a last name, isn't it? There's no other kirin in your family. Are there even any other villages in your world?"
Lotus froze. A few lies flicked into her mind, all equally plausible. But could she really lie to the creature who had loaned her a dress, taken her on a tour through the town, and even offered to get Iron out of prison?
"None I ever saw," she said. "I didn't believe magic was even real until I got involved with Iron. It's about that book—but I'd rather not talk about that."
"Tomorrow." Autumn touched her shoulder with one hoof, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "Rain Shine can deal with that tomorrow morning. I'd rather get something to eat if that's okay with you! I know it is, you had to walk just as far!"
Lotus nodded weakly. "Y-yeah. That sounds pretty good."
The temple turned out to be more of a large versatile space, with tables and chairs packed in around a few huge stewpots and a single outdoor kitchen. Much of that seating was empty as they arrived, but someone had been saving them a seat.
Gus, along with a small group of other kirin. He sprawled back in his seat, his camera resting on the table beside him. "Lotus. Looks like you're... just in time. Kitchen said they were closing things down."
"Lotus... what?" asked a creature across from him. A kirin, yet there was something different about her. She was taller than any other in the room, somehow thinner and more delicate. Her simple presence kept the entire table a few degrees hotter than the rest of the room. When she looked at Lotus, some of that same warmth settled on her.
She didn't have the books anymore, but Lotus could guess what they would say. This was magical will manifested, then condensed into a single soul. Was this their version of a Princess? Celestia and Luna were supposed to be powerful enough to move the sun.
"No family name," Autumn added hastily, speaking from just beside her. "Her lineage is a bit of a complex question, matriarch. I could go over everything we talked about if you'd like. It might take a little while, but maybe—"
"This is Rain Shine," Gus said, tapping the empty chair beside him. "She's the leader of Hono. Apparently, she's had the office for a really long time, like—a century or two or something."
The mare nodded her head very slightly. "If you've no other name, then I will call you Lotus Cinder. This name suits our traditions, while honoring the magical talent you've fostered. Take this memory with you of wisdom that waits within the lotus, and the fragility of that beauty. Just as the candle burns, so does the flower wither before the sun."
She levitated something up into the air with faintly glowing magic, then sipped from the cup. Distant strings continued to play, though they seemed somewhat quieter than before. All the nearby tables were almost entirely silent, listening.
"Unless you would refuse," Rain Shine continued. "I would not compel an outsider to accept my judgments. At this moment, you only visit."
Autumn nudged her shoulder, hard enough that Lotus stumbled forward. She lowered her head to a bow, tail smacking nervously into the floor behind her. How many kirin were staring at her right now? "I'm h-honored," she squeaked. "I guess you can call me Lotus Cinder then. Every family name had to start somewhere, right?"
"Start with something to eat," Gus said, kicking out the chair with a paw. "Remember that time you didn't come to Little Tokyo with me? This is nothing like that."
Lotus approached, but it wasn't Gus's approval she waited for. Only when Rain Shine nodded did she finally sit.
Well, after waiting to watch Autumn Blaze do it. Using a chair with four legs was already complex enough, let alone while wearing a dress. She managed without tearing it, barely.
The table refilled, thanks to nearby attentive kirin. Soon there was more food than anyone could possibly eat—bowls of noodles, strange filets of fish and dense rolls that might be sushi, though she didn't recognize any of the ingredients. Most of what they served was stranger still—little pouches of dough steamed and filled with different things, fruit that smelled like meat, cakes that were somehow clear...
A veritable feast, packed with smells and tastes that Lotus Cinder had never before imagined. Not all of it was good, but most was. Even the items she didn't like still tasted like something prepared with great love and care.
She could never possibly try everything. Instead, she copied Autumn Blaze—watching the way she used her chopsticks, then imitating it. After soaking in the hot water, her head no longer pulsed with pain whenever she tried to use her magic. She was recovering her strength.
"You're doing it wrong," the griffon said, nudging her plate with a claw. "Fill this up, not little bits. What are you trying to do?"
"Not a mukbang channel, that's for sure." She stuck her tongue out at him—then realized Rain Shine was still watching her from across the table. Her ears folded backward, and she looked back to her food, eating in silence for a few minutes.
Until the tall kirin spoke. "I felt your Worldgate from within our shield. That's quite the feat for a young sorceress. There are few among our number whose flames burn so brightly."
She looked up, daring to make eye-contact with the oversized mare. If only because she would look even more childish trying to avoid her. "Thanks. I practiced for a long time to make it happen. And I had help."
"You did." She levitated something onto the table beside her—Princess Luna's journal. "The record contained in here was quite interesting. I wish I could have read more of it. But a cursory examination revealed much about you, and the life you came from."
Lotus dropped her chopsticks, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. Not just that—suddenly the whole silk gown felt a little too tight. The leader of this group had read the journal—at least part of it. That meant she knew about the nature of their mission, knew everything Lotus had done—she might even understand who Eric was before she became Lotus Cinder.
"Have some more tea." Autumn floated something towards her, a glass of deep blue liquid. She kept it hovering right in front of her face, insistent. A crisp scent drifted up from within—peppermint, maybe? "Please. My mother helped me sew that gown when I was younger."
Lotus took the cup, then drank. It chilled her throat on contact, so chilly it felt like her mouth should freeze solid. It didn't, but the sensation passed through her body, robbing her of her heat.
But it did little to cure her embarrassment.
"You don't have to worry," Gus said, apparently oblivious to the whole thing. "I've had all this time to talk to the locals. Turns out they don't work for the evil sorceress. They're just trying to be left alone up here, that's all. Can't really blame them, after what their ancestors did during the war. Don't expect the ponies to be forgiving, if you follow. They seemed pretty supportive of our whole mission."
Rain Shine levitated the journal off the table, tucking it away somewhere Lotus couldn't see. "Your friend had... much to say. Enlightening, when we could make sense of it. You've come on a noble mission."
Lotus set the empty glass down. When she breathed out, a little cloud of mist emerged from her mouth, condensing in front of her. I've got to get the recipe for this stuff. I might not have burned the house down if I carried this tea around!
"It would not do well to cause you undue stress over it tonight. You've arrived on a sacred night, one best celebrated. We may speak of the heavy news tomorrow."
Lotus rested both hooves on the table in front of her. After crossing whole universes and fighting giant stone monsters, she felt a little braver than Eric had ever been. Or maybe a lot braver. "I don't know what Gus told you. But if it was about the other book I'm carrying, it's true. We have to bring it together with the first one, or else—"
A faint shimmer emerged from Rain's horn. The music fell instantly silent, along with the conversations of a hundred kirin all over the room. Gone were hooves shuffling on wood, or the laughter of children from outside. "It does not matter how important you believe your mission is, Lotus Cinder. Hono survives only because its existence is unknown to Equestria. If its princesses believed even for a second that kirin still lived in their nation—they would bring their hooves down upon our necks and crush us."
She stood from her seat, so sharp that even Autumn jerked. But for once, the talkative mare was silent.
"We have to seal Searing Gale away again," Lotus said. Not a contradiction exactly, though it was close. "Princess Luna said she's already loose, attacking ponies wherever she goes. And if she finds that other book—"
"She will not," Rain said, raising her voice. The temperature went up with it, so that Gus slid his chair a little away from the table. His wings opened, fluttering nervously. Getting the air moving helped, though it would do very little if a creature as powerful as Rain Shine actually became a Nirik.
"No magic may pierce the shield around Hono. No scry, no translocation, nothing. This entangled book of yours is lifeless here. The survivors who built Hono surrounded it with spells to protect us from the consequences of our ancient history. Their magic still functions, even after all these years."
Her horn went out, and a smile as false as porcelain returned to Rain Shine's face. "Please enjoy the festival, Lotus Cinder. The pegasus will be released from the compound. There is no need to hold him there. As he will soon learn, only a kirin may open the shield surrounding our home. The power of his flight will not carry him from this place."
She turned towards Gus, and her expression seemed suddenly more genuine. "You as well, young griffon. I can see you are already enjoying what Hono has to offer. I hope it can become a comfortable home for you, despite our differences."
Magic flashed from her horn, bright enough that it briefly blinded Lotus. When it finally faded, the matriarch was nowhere to be seen.
For a few more seconds, the awkward silence remained beside their table. Gus toyed with his camera with one claw, sliding it across the table in its waterproof housing. "She didn't say that part before."
A hoof patted her on the back—Autumn Blaze. "I didn't know she was gonna be so harsh—but maybe I suspected. Rain Shine is one of the most conservative matriarchs we've ever seen. She does a great job keeping Hono safe, obviously! Great at it. And we have such great, uh... harvests. Yeah! Just look at all this stuff on the table here. Have you ever seen so many different ways to roast squash?"
"I'm not hungry anymore." Lotus slid out from her seat, turning her back on the table. "Can I go back to your place?"
She didn't wait for permission, turning to sulk her way out of the temple the same way she'd come. It wasn't easy going, since so many other kirin were moving that same way. But they weren't heading to their homes—a crowd gathered on the wooden platform, surrounded by several drums. The way they lined up, were they about to dance?
Autumn joined her at the doorway. She nudged Lotus away from the path leading back to her place. "How about maybe... this way instead?" she gestured at a low bridge over the nearby stream. Beyond it a path wove circuitously through a sculpted garden, vanishing behind healthy trees, huge bushes, and old statues overgrown with moss.
The sun was only just vanishing behind the horizon—but that wouldn't mean darkness here. Not with thousands of lanterns. One by one they came to life, flickering with candlelight within. She could only guess they used magic of some kind to light at the right time—how else could the village go from gloomy to sparkling in a few seconds?
Lotus shrugged, then stepped up onto the bridge anyway. "Why? So, you can push me into the water if I get mad? I'm not that much of a basket-case." I won't ever beat a kirin that powerful, no matter how much I practice. I either have to convince her, or I'm trapped forever. "It's your dress. You sure?"
Autumn nodded. "Oh yeah. Pretty sure this is where you're supposed to... walk for no reason. It's a little early—you think maybe you could walk towards the big statute? Then just sorta hang out there for a while. Don't burn the dress while you're waiting."
"Why?" Her tail whipped back and forth in the dress, smacking into the bridge beside her with each pass. Lotus didn't care—the pain only helped ground her. She deserved a little pain. Because of her, an evil sorceress would stay free outside, free to torment all Equestria.
"Because the feast is only half of it!" Autumn Breeze answered, a little too quickly. "And I think you'll have a better view from the statue. You go there, and I'll be waiting right here. Wait there until the drums stop from the first dances, and I'll take you home. If you still want to."
"Fine." She groaned, then set off down the little garden trail. She wouldn't be any less of a prisoner in the garden than she was at the feast.
She walked along the stream, through a garden of vibrant, healthy-smelling flowers. Eric would never have cared about any of this stuff either, but Eric wasn't here anymore. Lotus stopped beside one little bush, nestled beside a bend in the river. She lit up her horn to see better and found something familiar waiting for her.
Not a bush at all—the flowers grew directly in the water, floating beside many leaves. Most were bright pink, though some were purple like her mane, and others still were white.
"Like the photos in your house," said a voice. A pony stepped out of the shadows; his wings no longer bound by straps. "Before it burned. I never knew how they smelled until now."