//------------------------------//
// Ch.34 Learning Things the Herd Way... "Huh. I Wonder How This Is Going To Go." 
// Story: Cold Fire 
// by Arcanum -Phantasy 
//------------------------------//

Just like the last time I was brought here, the cave was cool and dimly lit. Unlike the last time, the scented candles lighting the place up were normal. Or, if they weren't, then they had a lot less drugs mixed into them than the last batch that Sid used on me. Fine by me, as far as I'm concerned. Last thing Sid or I needed was our girlfriends trying to kill each other over me getting another bad trip.
Speaking of ...
"So, you're going to be teaching me how to use my status moves?" I asked.
Wallflower nodded, a small smug smile sitting on her muzzle.
"Okay?" I blinked. "Not that I doubt you or anything, but why? Is Sid okay?"
"O-Oh! No problem," she sheepishly giggled. "I understand. Sid would be a better teacher, but he's....busy today."
I wanted to ask, but decided to shrug it off and move on.
Sid's pretty cool, but he did get into some pretty shady shit from time to time back home. Not sure what kind of mob stuff happened in "Magic Horse Land", but I'm probably better off not knowing. Did make me wonder if there was a pony version of the Breaking Bad crew though. Was crack even a thing here?
Probably. LSD seems to be a thing here.
No kidding, I thought, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. Buuuuuut just to be sure-
"These aren't the same kind of candles as last time, right?" I asked, waving a paw around the room.
"No," Wallflower sighed. "These are just regular aromatherapy candles. After what happened, we agreed that using those on you again would be too dangerous."
"Good," I smiled, letting out a relieved sigh. "Cuz let me tell ya'; that whole thing was not fun."
"I...heard," she nodded, looking like a kicked puppy.
Goddamn it, why do these ponies have to look so fucking cute?!
Because the universe likes to fuck with you and me in the most hilarious ways.
Noooo kidding.
"Hey, it's all good," i chuckled. "You guys didn't know that was going to happen and I got better. Some harm, but no foul. Right?"
"Do you really mean that?" she asked, a little bit of hope shining in her big round eyes.
I nodded and said, "Yeah. I mean, we're friends, right?"
She looked shocked for a second for some reason, then gave me a meek smile and nod.
Has she...never had a friend before? God I hope that isn't the case. I mean, I guess that whole memory thing would make it hard, but....oh man. And I thought I had it rough.
"So, uh, how do we go about this?" I asked...awkwardly.
Smooth.
Shut it.
Whatever Mr. Sandpaper.
Eat a dick.
I'd tell you to do the same, but neither of us are cannibals.
.....Okay, how is it that you are my brain, but you have better comebacks than me?!
Might help if you used me more. Now, focus.
Taking... my own(?) advice, I forced myself to give Wallflower my full attention. If she noticed the change, she didn't show it. Still smiling, she sat down on her haunches, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
"First, we meditate." 
I raised a brow at that.
Sure, I've heard about meditation and all of the crazy bull its supposed to do for you, but I never really thought much about it. Shrugging, I tried to imitate Wallflower's poise and closed my eyes. Then....I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do. Before I could let Wallflower know what was up, she started to clear that problem.
"Take long, deep breaths," she calmly said. "Let your mind drift into a calming lull, like a leaf floating on a gentle stream. Abandon all of your burdens; push them to the back of your mind as a faint memory. All that matters right now is the peace of this cave and your breathing."
I nodded and tried to do as instructed.
It was a bit tricky at first, but I eventually started to get the hang of it. The whole thing felt... pretty weird. With each breath I took, I felt my heartbeat echo out through my body at a steady rhythm. At the same time, I felt my energy flow through me in a slow, but constant stream. With all of that happening, it felt like I was dreaming, but I was aware enough to know that I was awake. It was all really weird, but also soothing in a way that I hadn't felt in a really long time.
All of that almost got thrown out of the window when I noticed something.
When I let my mind settle on the flow of my energy, it felt like there was a spot that was blocked. I could feel these currents my energy was running through all over my body. Most of them were centered on the core in the middle of my chest and the one at the back of my head. The only place were that wasn't the case was my heart. 
When I let my focus wonder there, I didn't feel any energy streams running through there. Thing is, it felt like there should be something there.
That's.....probably not good.
Putting a pin in that, I shifted my focus to the core in my head.
It was smaller than the one in my chest with about a quarter of it having energy running through it. The rest of it had streams connected, but it felt like there was some kind of blockage keeping them from giving it energy. 
A loud clop snapped me out of my trance.
"The fuck?" I groaned, rubbing both sides of my now spinning head with my paws.
"S-Sorry," Wallflower cringed, an apologetic look in her eyes. "B-But it's...um....lunch time."
"Lunch ti-?"
My numb thought was cut off by a deep growl from my gut. 
"Huh," I blinked, staring down at it. "I... guess....? "
Mental note: time flies when I do this stuff. Do not meditate alone.
She gave me a small giggle, stood up, and stretched like a cat.
As soon as she straightened up, she asked, "Is there a place you like to eat?"
"Not really," I grunted, popping some stiff joints with the same kind of stretch she did. "Autumn usually packs me a lunch or I just grab something from the nearest place on the way to the castle."
"I see," she frowned, rubbing her chin in thought.
That turned into small smile as she asked, "Do you like pasta?"
"Love it," I nodded, licking my chops.
"Perfect," she beamed, walking past me towards the cave exit. "I know this really good neightalian restaurant in town."
"Awesome," I chuckled, tailing her.
While we made our way through the tunnels to get out of here, I mulled over what kind of things I could probably order. I wonder if they even had the same dishes here. Sure, they probably had pun names, but I couldn't really give much of a shit about that. Then again, if Wallflower was recommending it, the stuff was probably pony-centered. Not that I had anything against veggies, but I don't think my body can digest things like flowers or hay.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice that we were stepping out of the tunnels until-
"Fucking sun!" I growled, putting a paw over my burning eyes as I staggered past the threshold.
"Yeah," Wallflower said, bitterly to my left.
After we took a few minutes to get out eyes to adjust, we started making our way down the path back to town.


***


Ever sense Dahlia came to Equis, she had been forced to endure trials that pushed her in ways she didn't know were possible. She went blow for blow with dragons surrounded by scorching active volcanos. She broke away from an abusive kitsune noble. She crossed claws with Sandra in countless fights to the death. She even sailed with her brother through one of the most destructive hurricanes in the Wild Tide to slay an elder kraken. In spite of all of that, the kirin sitting before her scared her more than everything she's faced combined.
Autumn was left in a similar state, staring up at the visibly nervous vixen before her with an uncomfortable frown. She still didn't know how she felt about her. Dahlia hadn't made any moves towards Alex outside of the whole slime incident and even that didn't move past a little drunken teasing. While she was fine with that, the pain she saw in the vixen didn't sit right with her. She genuinely wanted to help her, but she had no idea how to go about it in a way that didn't cause more problems for both of them.
As such, the silence that filled their training grounds was as thick as dried tar, the two of them sitting across from each other at its center.
C'mon, say something! Dahlia stressed, trying to get the words out of her mouth. You practiced what you were going to say on the way here, right? So stop being a chicken-shit bitch and TALK DAMN IT!
Before Dahlia could force out her voice, Autumn found her words first.
"H-How are you?" she nervously asked.
Dahlia flinched, then forced a small smile and said, "Better, thanks."
"That's good," she nodded, a small smile gracing her muzzle. 
A familiar knowing tilt formed in Dahlia's smile before she added, "Looks like things have really heated up between you and Alex recently."
Autumn's face instantly turned red, a look of shock flashing across her face.
"Wh-What makes you say that?" she nervously chuckled, looking away from her.
Dahlia just softly chuckled and pointed at her nose.
Autumn's blush grew even hotter at that.
"W-Well, I heard you put some changelings through the wringer recently," she sputtered out with a pout.
Dahlia's eyes widened.
"How the hell did you-?" she started, only for realization to suddenly cross her face. 
With a dull growl, paw met face as she asked, "Vermillion told you, didn't she?"
Sporting a smug smile, Autumn nodded.
"Figures," she sighed, letting her paw fall to reveal a rueful smile. 
The two shared a giggle, a great deal of the tension bleeding out of the scene.
"You know," Dahlia sighed. "It's good that you two have moved up. It makes what I'm going to ask a little bit easier to say."
"Huh?" Autumn blinked, tilting her head.
Taking a steadying breath, she schooled her expression and stared Autumn dead in the eyes as she asked, "Will you have me as a herd sister?"
Autumn froze, her mind needing a minute to properly process what she was asked. 
When she eventually managed it, she could only sputter out a dazed, "Wha?"
"I get that this is a pretty tall ask," Dahlia frowned, her gaze falling to the ground. "But....even if you say no, I...had to at least ask."
Autumn's shock shifted into a concerned frown.
Her own gaze fell as well, mulling over the vixen's request. She thought about all of the time they spent together. About how happy Alex was when she was around. It was plain as day that she cared about Alex, both as a friend and as a crush. It took a lot less time and effort for her to come to her decision on the matter than she thought it would.
With a kind smile, Autumn guided Dahlia's face towards her own with her magic and said, "I accept your request."
Dahlia's eyes widened, before a teary smile slowly formed on her face.
"D-Do you mean it?" she asked.
Autumn nodded, not a trace of doubt or regret on her face as she canceled her magic.
Dahlia took a shaky breath, then said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Autumn chuckled, then sheepishly added, "But don't get too excited. We still need to see if this whole thing is okay with Alex."
"Don't remind me," she snorted, trying to wipe away her tears. "I can only imagine how he's gonna take the news."
"That you like him or that you want to form a herd with us?" Autumn impishly asked, playfully nudging her with a hoof.
"Yes," Dahlia groaned, her whole body wilting like her namesake under the sun.
Autumn giggled at the display, earning a weary smile from Dahlia.
Things were going to be complicated in the near future, but that didn't dim the hope she felt in her heart.


***


Treehugger enjoyed a nice glass of iced tea, the peace and quiet within her wagon matching the zen in her heart. Sid sat across from her doing the same, savoring the moment just as much as his drink. The duo had let the silence own the room for the last hour, neither of them in any real hurry to get into the reason for their meeting. Unfortunately for Sid, the nagging feeling at the back of his mind refused to let him truly enjoy the moment. With great reluctance, he took a slow breath and broke the peace.
"Things are going to be dangerous soon."
Treehugger nodded, her dreamy smile falling away.
"I can see the bad vibes, soul brother," she sighed, refilling her cup. "Hopefully, Starlight's spell can keep them from touching the town."
"It should," he nodded, glaring into his cup. "I can feel that we have a lot of time on our hands, but I fear that the viper's poison will find a crack. She has in the past, and forever will until the fires of hell claim her hollowed soul."
"Indeed,," she frowned, a deep sorrow marring her features. "It will be time to stain my soul for the first time in years."
"It will be a small blot of ink," Sid said, offering a small reassuring smile. "A mare such as yourself has a soul too bright to stay tainted for long."
"Thank you, soul brother," she chuckled. "Your kind words does this old mare's heart some good."
"I speak nothing, but the truth," he smiled, taking a sip from his cup.
"Speaking of the truth," Treehugger smirked. "How long are you going to deny your feelings?"
He raised a brow at that.
"What do you mean?"
Treehugger's smile turned impish, a small chuckle passing her lips.
"Soul brother, I don't need to see aura to know how much Wallflower and you care for each other."
Sid chuckled.
"I do care for her, but that is as far as it will go. Anything more than that is....impossible."
"Because of what you are?" she frowned, raising a brow.
"Because of who I am," he snorted, a flicker of pain creeping in and out of his smirk.
Treehugger's frown deepened.
"More of Sandra's work?"
"It's....complicated," he sighed. "Let's just say, it's safer for her if we don't move beyond friendship."
Taking the hint, Treehugger dropped the topic. 
Mostly, at least.
"If danger is locking you out of love, could I try to be the key?" she asked, her smile returning with a slight impish quirk.
Sid blinked in shock at that for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Are...you making a pass at me?"
"Maybe," she shrugged, leaning forward slightly. 
"A...bit sudden, don't you think?" he awkwardly chuckled. "I mean, this is, what, the second time we've seen each other?"
Treehugger took a small sip of her drink, a tiny giggle rolling out of her.
"A mare likes what she likes, soul brother."
"I see," he snorted. "You have....odd tastes. Do you know that?"
"Is it odd for a warrior to be attracted to strength?" she asked with a playful wink.
Sid was going to comment on that, but stopped himself at the last second. 
He remembered what his sister had told him about his hostess's background. Specifically being that the mare had been adopted by a nomadic minotaur warrior tribe. Keeping that in mind, Treehugger's behavior made a bit more sense.
"Is it not a bit...sleazy to make a move on me?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink. "I mean, you already admitted that Wallflower and I are just short of being an item, after all."
"You also said that you don't want to be more than friends," she stated, still smiling.
Shit. She had me there.
"And you think that would change between us?" he asked, frowning over his cup at her. "Like I said, we barely know each other."
"Both can change," Treehugger chuckled. "Slowly, of course. I am not saying that we should become mates right now. I'm just letting you know I'm interested. I'm fine with being your friend, if you will let me."
Sid raised a brow, internally dazed by the turn this visit had taken. Sure, he did come to her looking for help in the coming battle, but this was not how he expected to get it. He had no problem having a skilled fighter like Treehugger as a friend, though he was sure that Wallflower would have an absolute fit if she learned about her intentions. 
Keeping that in mind, he calmly asked, "Do you think Wallflower would take this well?"
Treehugger's smile was unshaken by that. If anything, it gained a tiny air of smugness before she gave her answer.
"I feel she will be open to the idea. Especially if we became herd sisters."
Sid's eyes widened a bit, but no other signs of shock made it past his pokerface.
A resolute frown replaced Treehugger's smile, her posture straightening as she continued.
"Regardless of how things turn in the future, you will have my strength to summon. Be it friend or lover, I will do whatever I must to protect those I care about. This,  I swear to you; both as a mare and as a warrior."
Upon the conclusion of her oath, a faint pulse of magic washed over the room, sending a small electric tingle through Sid's body. Even without it, he could see the resolve in the mare's eyes and the unmovable aura her posture radiated. She was serious, absolutely and down to the core of her very being. A well of respect towards her convictions formed within him at the sight.
The fact that the nagging feeling at the back of his mind dimmed significantly only added to his impression of her.
Letting out a defeated sigh, he offered a tired smile and said, "I'm....not ready to date at the moment, but I'm glad to have you as a friend. If things with me change, then you, me, and Wallflower are going to have to talk things out."
"I understand, soul brother," she smiled, her posture relaxing. "Thank you for having me."
"You're welcome," he chuckled. "Though we should probably let Wallflower know about our friendship after this. Last thing we need is to get our minds scrambled because of a misunderstanding."
"I agree," she chuckled. "I like having my thoughts as they are."
Chuckling, he nodded and took a long pull from his glass.
Her impish smile returned with a small eye flutter as she added, "I hope I can be your cow in the future."
Sid spat the rest of his iced tea past Treehugger, the absol pounding his chest as he fought off his coughing fit. Treehugger lightly chuckled before she got up to get a towel, a small sashay entering her walk as did so. While he slowly recomposed himself and watched her tend to his mess, one thing became very clear to him. Things in his life were going to be very, very, very complicated for him from this point moving on.