//------------------------------// // 31 - Just Another Day II // Story: Evergreen Falls // by Meep the Changeling //------------------------------// Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH Evergreen Falls - Field Hospital “There’s no chance we’ll be able to cover this up,” Raven said as she stared across the field hospital at one of Faust’s many avatars. “Too many loose lips.” Flashes of gold light sparkled across the cobblestones. Each signifying an instance of Faust projecting an avatar, transporting a small number of nanintes to the dead, then moving on after making sure the pony had regenerated and awoken. And saying hello of course. Hundreds of ponies would be saved. Many suffering some memory loss, but not most. Most of them would remember dying, then waking up to see the goddess out of the most ancient of legends standing over them, and asking if they were okay. “Oh goodness no,” Source agreed, nodding his head. “That beast was large enough to be seen from Vanhoofer, and they’ll have felt the bombardment. I’m interested to hear what CARE’s Cover Story will be.” “I meant the resurrections,” Raven said with a faint smile. “Too many people to keep quiet. Too many for us to be certain we wiped every mind, if that were authorized. Which it isn’t, and I don’t care to do so. Celestia would never abide that, not here… So we’re stuck explaining that hundreds of ponies are being raised from the dead by god.”  “Ah, that.” “Exactly.” The two watched the light show for several long moments, then Source hummed. “The biggest concern is going to be pilgrims, yes?” “Right. The town’s illusions can handle ponies dropping by. But, they’ll want to see Faust. The more persistent ones will hear she’s under ground from somepony. Noone’s lips are that tight.” Source nodded and thought for another moment. “Well… A memorial for those we’ve lost is in order. Why not make a chappel? Put the memorial there, and convince Faust to make appearances? She seemed to want visitors.” Raven’s ears perked. “An excellent suggestion. We’ll see if she goes for it.” “If I’m being honest… I mostly wanted to save myself the commute,” Source admitted with a chuckle. “My order decided that sending anypony else to interview her is simply not going to happen.” Raven raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” “When CARE calls we send one of our best, ma’am.” “Thank you.” “Don’t mention it.” Source paused for a moment then sighed. “If you don’t mind me asking… How many were lost forever tonight?” “Around three hundred. We’ll know the exact number once Faust’s done.” “What about that one golem handler you called about?” Raven arched an eyebrow. “What?” “The one who was mortally wounded holding the line with the Princesses?” “Enox?” Raven asked. “I never caught her name. She’s short. Green. Very much not a pony. At least, not one from Equis.” “Enox,” Raven nodded. “She got transferred to Vanhoofer because some soldiers thought she was a normal filly. Last I heard, the medical staff panicked a little about a wounded alien, then some doctor named House noticed she’s made of yeast and stuck her in a bucket of water and sugar. Apparently, she might pull through. No guarantees though.” Source nodded slowly. “Good. What about the other one?” “Who, Dew?” Raven asked quizzically. “Precisely.” “She got lost in the chaos. She’ll be back eventually,” Raven muttered. “Ah. Well, at least her curse provides her with an escape route.” The moats of gold light drifting across the town square seemed to dim as a brighter gold light blazed to life in the form of a series of ascending hexical rings. Raven looked over her shoulder, wondering why Faust would teleport an avatar to them rather than walk across maybe six meters, only to recognise Violet and Sam as they materialized within the transport beam. Along with two unknown alicorns. Raven’s ears and tail raised in alarm. The field hospital was full of soldiers, but two alicorns could— Wait… Raven’s terror started to fade as she recognised the shades of pink and blue on the Cadence-sized alicorn mare. The stallion remained unknown, but the other felt familiar. Raven looked the pink alicorn up and down for half a second, then stared into her eyes for a moment, analyzing the face. “June?” she asked through a steep frown. “In a manner of speaking?” the alicorn mare shyly replied. Source turned to look as well, having been mildly lost in thought for the last few seconds. “Oh good! You’re ba—” he stopped mid sentence as he saw the two alicorns, cleared his throat, and sat down. “Oh. Well… Tonight’s been complicated all around hasn’t it?” “Who are you?” Raven asked, pointing to Medeis. “And June, how on Faust’s green Earth did you ascend?” Medeis cleared his throat for attention, then offered the two ponies a short bow. “Medeis, at your service.” Source’s eyes widened, he looked the archmage up and down for a moment then began to fetch his notebook from his robe. “For the sake of history, would you mind confirming—” “He is,” Sam answered. “He was stuck as a brain in a jar till we let him out so he could help us. This… Is going to take some explaining. Can we get the Princesses here? Please? So we don’t have to do this a whole bunch?” Raven nodded dumbly. “Yes. That’s absolutely what we need to do. I’ll get to a phone and—” Celestia materialized in a burst of solar fire, clad in custom half-plate bearing her iconography and a litany of wards. The armor she wore to war, and nothing else. She whipped herself around, searching for the immense arcane signature drawing out that of her sister, and slowly began to frown, taking in the sight of dozens upon dozens of copies of Faust’s golden avatar ministering to a legion of wounded ponies. “What…” She said slowly, her war face melting into a confused puddle. Raven cleared her throat and put on her most professional demeanor. “God showed up, ma’am. Turned out she was on our side.” “E— Excuse me?” Celestia asked, visibly shifting without a clutch. One of the avatars looked up, noting Celestia’s arrival and blinked its projection on and off to rematerialize next to Celestia. “Greetings: Monarch Celestia. I am FAUST. I admire your palace, however the gloss finish of the domes blinds weather satellites at noon. Please remedy this with polarizing transparent coating at your first convenience. Additionally, please desist permitting your ponies into Forest: Everfree for several months. It is currently overpopulated with monstrous creatures. I intended to use the opportunity to test a new creation and do not enjoy seeing ponies hur—” Faust’s head turned to look at Cadence, where she was laying unconscious on a cot with Mint at her side. The AI’s projection flinched. “Warning: Liver failure detected. Aborting conversation. There are too many wounded to attend to and too few processor threads for me to utilize. Please visit me later.” Celestia stared after the avatar as it blinked out of existence and back again, this time at Cadence’s side, where it immediately bent down and went to work healing the exhausted and battered alicorn. “Also, god is a computer,” Raven added. Celestia slowly sat down. “I— I think I need a minute… What in the world happened here tonight?! I thought this was a monster hunt gone wrong. Had I known the extent of this I would have told the Pharaoh to wait!” Medeis cleared his throat. “This was, objectively, a monster hunt gone wrong. You just failed to understand the degree of wrongness at play.” “Medeis?” Celestia asked, cocking her head as she looked the ancient archmage in the eyes. Medeis frowned. “Yes… How do you know me?” “How could we not know the king’s first advisor? But worry not, my sister and I were taught magic by a construct you left behind. It shared your appearance, though not your voice.” Celestia said before noticing the pink alicorn to Medeis’ left. “Who are you?” “June,” Violet answered for her sister. “We needed an alicorn, and Medeis was out of magic. He was stuck as a brain in a jar and—” Raven cleared her throat and whispered looked Celestia in the eye. “This went ploin shaped. I want Luna to be here too, can we wait for the medics to wake her? We can speak by her cot. It’s just over there.” Raven pointed a short distance to where Luna lay unconscious with an IV placed directly into her barrel to feed her a supply of an off-gray fluid which glowed with a sludgy blue inner light. “Ah…” Celestia said slowly, her heart falling at the sight of Luna’s battered form. “I see… She doesn't seem safe to wake.” “Let’s find out,” Raven said, waving over a nurse who was trotting by, carrying a stack of newly empty body bags which were in need of cleaning. “Doctor? Luna needs to be awake and coherent immediately. It’s a matter of debriefing June’s team, which… Has become politically and theologically complicated. Obviously.” The nurse smiled happily, riding the high of being called a doctor by the regent. “That should be possible, ma’am! Princess Luna is stable and woke up from her concussion only to fall back to normal sleep. I think it’s safe for her to be awake for a little while. Oh! Um, Princess Twilight is doing well. The SkyTech surgical team says she’s good to go. Should I get her as well?” “Surgical team?” Celestia asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “What happened to Twilight?” Raven coughed awkwardly. “She… Saved the town. Cost her a second of maneuvering, which got her caught in an explosion.” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I should have ended the debates… We were working overtime as it was.” Unable to help herself, Celestia turned to June and gave her a quick once over, nodding as she determined this new alicorn to be roughly the same power as Cadence. “How did you ascend?” “We’re waiting on your sister and Twilight to arrive before the debriefing, Princess,” Raven said with the firmness of the one pony who knew she could tell Celestia what to do, at least, within reason. Celestia sighed and nodded. “Yes. We should wait. How long will—” Luna stirred on her bed, prompting Clestia to quietly watch her sister sleepily listen to the nurse, nod, then stand up slowly, trembling, and in obvious pain, then trot over. “Sister,” Luna greeted, turning to look at everypony one by one. “Raven. Violet. Trixie. Not-Cadence. Medeis. Wait… What? Not-Cadence?” Raven cleared her throat. “We’re waiting for Twilight before these two explain themselves.” Luna nodded and sat down, wanting nothing more than for the drugs keeping her awake to work better or buck off so she could sleep. The archmage nodded to Luna as she sat down. “Hello. I’m told you learned magic from one of my constructs. Did it survive the ages?” “No,” Luna said. “Pity. Good to see you out of that tank, by the way. I wasn’t sure if you’d managed to get out in all that chaos I’d arranged. Oh! Do you have a limp? I kept telling them your design—” “I rebuilt my hip when I was forty,” Luna answered, narrowing her eyes slightly. “What the buck happened tonight?!” “A lot.” Sam summarized. The fluttering of wings from above caught everypony’s attention. They looked up just in time to see Twilight floating downwards, her lower half now made of interlocked smooth plastic plates given a quick spray-paint job to sort of match her coat which unfortunately suffered from a few runs and excessive orange peel. She dropped to the cobblestones, landing for an instant, only for her bionic legs to misread her mind’s signals and collapse under her in a clatter of polymer-on-stone. “Sorry, haven’t figured out how to walk on these yet,” Twilight apologized, her cheeks quite flushed. Celestia gasped, her jaw growing slack with horror. She clearly hadn’t interpreted Raven’s statement to mean ‘blown in half’. “What happened?!” “Got my rump too close to an explosion…” Twilight muttered. “But hey! You’ve been meaning to show me how to make potions for alicorns. We could start with regeneratio—” “I keep telling you to NOT think about doing stuff, just do it!” Sky yelled at Twilight from across the plaza. Twilight blushed more and turned to call back to Sky with something witty, only to suddenly notice the two strange alicorns. “Oh! Uh… Hi?” Luna had spotted them immediately on exiting the shadow, and locked eyes on Medeis. “I feel like Cadence should be here too,” Raven said just loud enough for everypony to hear. “She’s literally being tended to by… What appears to be Faust?” Luna grunted. “So, she’s occupied. Can somepony explain, but keep this brief? I used eight mana potions tonight and—” Celestia winced. “Eight!? How could you have possibly gone through—” Raven cleared her throat and knocked her hoof against the cobbles. “We’re here to debrief everypony, Princess. We’ll get there. Suffice to say the monster was indestructible until a magic circle was disrupted. Why don’t I begin with the last few months leading up to these events, then June can explain how and why she’s ascended and where on Equis Medeis has been hiding…” Raven sighed and closed her eyes. “This started with a plot by the late Doctor Grape Vine, who may have been possessed, to exploit a magical relic…”  ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ Raven laid out the story as she understood it, drawing on Primary Source’s knowledge of Safety Locke’s notes as needed. She explained how years ago Doctor Grape Vine had learned of the astrolabe’s existence and sought to exploit its ability to open gates between worlds to steal knowledge and inventions to become rich. She explained the device’s secondary purpose of sealing away an ancient evil, at which point Medeis spoke up, offering knowledge of the monster’s nature. “It’s the thin greasy remains of a once-great tyrant from another universe, made Voidborn by the manner of its death and expulsion from its reality of origin. It cannot be destroyed, it was baked into the universe when it began, like the point-one percent of germs that survive the cleaner of your choice. It's no threat when sealed away, provided its prison is regularly maintained… But when free, it can be an immense danger to everything around it. It can burn worlds, but it is doomed to fail at its goal of returning to the status of the one true god of a universe. I keep it powerless by shunting its power off into random acts of kindness across the multiverse.” His explanation was little comfort to the Princesses, resulting in a half hour divergence from the debriefing for the archmage to explain the details of his containment system. Once finished, the two were reasonably certain that had Medeis not been imprisoned, the monster could have never reached out of its prison to begin freeing itself. Though he was forced to promise to show them the astrolabe and its pedestal later. Just in case. Then it was June’s turn to tell her part of the story. She insisted on Sam, Violet, and Trixie telling their own parts. Raven could tell she felt awkward and distant… Partially from exhaustion from the night’s events, but mostly from something else Raven couldn’t quite grasp. More interestingly than that, she could see that Princess Twilight seemingly understood why. The lavender Alicorn looked at June with a sort of shared, sisterly empathy. Perhaps there’s something about ascending that I don't know… Raven reasoned as June reached the climax of her tale. “— so, we let Medeis out of the tank, he discovered we needed alicorn magic to power it back up but is basically dry…” June paused and blinked, then looked over to the archmage. “About that, how are you… Standing up and doing things?” Luna frowned. “Point of order,” she said slowly. “I’m on my hooves by the grace of a drug cocktail, and even then only just. How low are you? You must have enough to activate a simple device!” Medeis blushed faintly. “I could lift a teacup, but little else. And the astrolabe is not energy efficient… Sorry for impressions, I may not appear to be in pain, but rest assured I am. Fortunately for me, the sheer joy of being free is allowing me to push on. Well, that and the adrenaline, terror, and despair for what was necessary this evening. Rest assured that once all is settled here I plan on going home and sleeping for the first time in twelve thousand years.” June flinched. “Y— You were conscious? Like, the whole time?” “Yes. Don’t worry. It wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as the time I stranded myself in the Dark Ages.” Luna raised one eyebrow. “I don’t remember any mention of you back then.” “Not those dark ages,” Medeis corrected. “Free advice: if your time travel spell uses moongates, make sure you don’t accidentally get the phase state misaligned by more than negative twelve because you won't be able to open a moongate during the time before stars existed, let alone moons. That was a fun wait, let me tell you.” Twilight blinked twice. “You… Do you not need to eat?” “I do.” “Then how—” “I made myself permanent. If I die, I come back. Eventually. I simply repeatedly suffocated until I could cast the spell again. I tried to invent a better time travel mechanism, but was in too much pain to do so. What with the vacuum of space and starvation and dehydration… It as much more fun going through that the first time, when I had an atmosphere, and ground, and food, and things to do. Look, we’re getting off topic. Can we please let her finish?” A long horrified silence followed the archmage’s statement as everypony stared at him. Including several of the wounded soldiers who just happened to be nearby and were very, very, VERY interested in this likely classified conversation that was just, happening. Right here. For them to see. “On the upside, no one will ever beat my high score at bottles of beer on the wall.” Medeis said to try and relieve the tension. Raven made a mental note to avoid time travel all together even harder than she had been while June resumed her report. “Uh… So… Anyways… Since I’m distantly related to Cadence, Medeis thought he could draw out the alicorn in me and, well, it almost worked. Kind of. Vi and Sam got… Sucked into the spell, because apparently alicorns are multiple people? But Faust separated us. She couldn’t put me back back, though. His spells are powerful. So… This is me now. I’m still getting used to it.” “It takes at least six months,” Twilight said to her as kindly as possible. “First month is the worst. Was for me anyways.” Raven saw a look of horror then sorrow cross June’s face. “I’m sorry…” “Well, at least you’re not also having to get used to being a princess,” Twilight offered as a silver lining, only to instantly backpedal as she realized how it sounded. “I’m sorry! That made it sound like I’m trying to out difficulty you. I’m not… Why do we use ‘could be worse’ as a way of comforting ponies? Who decided that was a good idea? Argh!” June smiled faintly. “Thanks for clarifying.” Celestia hummed. “Well… Regardless of if there was another way or not, we have to live with the die fate cast for us,” she said decisively. “An unexpected alicorn, two in fact, could do a great deal of good for Equestria. June, would you like to be brought into the court? Equestria demands alicorn leadership. I am going to retire soon, once I believe Twilight is ready. Her current role could be yours once she sits on my throne.” Luna winced. “Celestia, look at her. She needs time to accept the change. To be normal. Not all of us were cultivated for the role.” Celetia looked into the now terrified mare’s eyes, and nodded. “Of course. Forgive me. It’s been thousands of years since We took up this responsibility. I often forget how others think of these things. How much I gave up when it was me.” “We still need to know what to do,” Twilight said casually. “We probably don’t want ponies knowing about the factory. We could omit that part and say she ascended like Cadence did, right?” “We could,” Celestia agreed. “But that depends on how much Medeis wishes to be a part of the world.” She looked the archmage in the eyes and asked what she felt was a key question. “Now that you’re free, what is it you wish to do?” Medeis almost rolled his eyes at just how much Celestia’s question implied her worry of him being a threat. “The only things I do which might be a problem for you, noticed by you, or even something you’d be interested in, politically speaking, happen in intervals of tens of thousands of years. I’m running a very, very, very long experiment involving evolution of magical species. Most of what I’ll do with the interim between checking on my results is tinkering in my workshop… And since I get to be young again, popping into the pub to catch a nice gentleman’s eye or two.” “I don’t quite believe that—” Celestia began, intending to finish with ‘but I’ll trust you for now’. Medeis however, interrupted her with a frustrated sigh. “Alright then. Let’s say we come to blows. I helped design you specifically. I know your weaknesses. If you kill me, I’ll come back to life. If you imprison me, well, I’ve had worse for longer. As for power, while I do admit that the sun is an excellent reservoir, do remember that I buried a city in lava. I think you’ll find me to be a difficult foe indeed. Which is fortunately extremely unnecessary because I simply do not care what you do with the world you’ve created. If you wish for proof, you can watch me leave, sleep for a few weeks straight, then get back to manufacturing nano-pex so I can put the plumbing into the bird house I’ve been waiting to get back to for several millennia. It was just sitting there… Unfinished. Taunting me. Those poor birds are stuck in a home with copper piping, ma’am. Copper!” Celestia cleared her throat. “You’ve given me no reason not to trust you…” she said hesitantly. “You mean… Are you making a bird house following conventional building codes of your era?” Medeis threw his hooves up in the air. “I accidentally made a flock of sapient immortal philosopher sparrows, okay?! They deserve nice homes to balance the existential drudgery of deep time!” Twilight and Luna couldn’t help but giggle at his outburst. Raven cleared her throat for attention once again. “Everypony, while archmage Medeis clearly intends to keep a low profile, he did say he wishes to visit pubs and have relationships. Shouldn’t we also inform the public of his existence?” Medeis’ ears perked. “Oh! Well…. I reverse engineered changeling shapeshifting ages ago. I’d be happy to walk the streets of Equestria as a unicorn until we decide how to handle “Celestia wasn’t the first”. Wouldn’t bother me at all. I’m rather fond of trying different shapes, actually.” “We could simply tell ponies now there was a First Kingdom survivor trapped with the monster,” June proposed. Luna hummed, rolling the idea over her tongue before putting it into words. “I prefer that idea. Best to handle everything as one package.” Celestia thought for a moment, then nodded. “Agreed. I need to rest, but in the morning I will address the nation, tell them of this battle, of your existence Medeis, of June’s ascension—” “W— Wait,” June said, flinching lightly. Raven frowned again. There’s something I don’t know about alicorn ascension for sure. That’s deep trauma of some kind. I’ll have to remember to offer her a psychiatrist in the morning. Celestia turned to look at her. “Yes?” “I— I feel… Awkward. Being called June. With how much changed. Could you…Maybe call me Nike in that address? Please?” she begged. Twilight’s face fell. She understood completely. It clicked for Raven an instant later. Of course! Alicorn brains are substantially different from a normal pony’s brain. The poor mare’s recontextualizing everything… There’s a term for this… Buck me I swear I know— No, skip it, Raven. Just remember to call her Nike for now, and be double sure to get her an excellent psychiatrist. Medeis’ eyes brightened. “Taking my advice to have a public persona? Atta girl! Makes things much easier on the old noggin.” Celetia thought for a moment, then nodded once. “A fitting name, as you flew to victory tonight. Very well. Equestria will know you by your chosen name. The only remaining question is how do we explain Faust’s existence?” Raven smiled and turned to nod towards Source. “This Library Mage, who has been invaluable to the night’s efforts, had an idea for that. We make a chapel, convince her to appear at it from time to time—” Medeis winced. “Oh goodness no!” “Is there a problem with that?” Luna asked, arching an eyebrow. “She takes anything anyone says to her quite literally and will do exactly as asked if you reach an agreement,” the archmage explained. “In your arrangement with her, you’ll need to expressly tell her not to take clients at this chapel. Otherwise she’ll cheerfully do nearly anything which won't harm her or ponykind in general, she loves you all dearly, but let’s say somepony with a fetish for being a giant asks her to make them big. She would. Immediately.” “Ah,” Celestia said, wincing. “Noted.” Raven hummed. “Then… If we need help—” “Go down and ask. Bring a winter coat, her core chamber is quite cold,” he warned. “Again, I don’t care what you do. Unless you start to go down the path of institutionalized malice like the so-called First Kingdom. Then I’ll have to end your civilization like I did theirs.” Celestia smiled and nodded in satisfaction. “I do not remember much of those days. Luna knows more than I. But please, should such hatred take root, purge away.” “I believe we can be good friends,” Luna agreed. “Can I use your library?” Twilight asked, swishing her tail eagerly. Medeis thought for a moment, squinting at Twilight then shook his head. “No… But I will lend you a few spell books. Master them, then maybe you can use my library.” Twilight nodded, accepting the challenge. “Then it’s settled?” Raven asked, her shoulder slumping with exhaustion. “Can we adjourn until the inevitable follow up meeting?” The group discussed it for a moment, then all agreed. A simple address would happen in the morning, followed by a more detailed announcement once it was written. It would all be told of as it was, just another moment in Equestrian history. Albeit, toned a little down and with the treason scrubbed out to avoid as much panic as possible. “Great. I’m going to sleep. I’m beyond exhausted,” Nike said as the group began to go their separate ways. Raven winced as she remembered a certain something. “Oh! Uh… About that.” The new alicorn frowned. “Was… Was the observatory—” “Heavily irritated, with most outbuildings damaged or destroyed,” Twilight said, flicking her wings. “That’s how I lost my legs, which, by the way. Can we make sure that we say legs in the report? Yes, I lost my butt too, but I’ve got nothing but friendly ribbing for that from Sky and his wife, and every other nurse today. Yes, it’s kinda funny I guess. But I got zapped in HALF! I don’t want my butt to be the butt of national jokes.” Nike flinched at the mention of the observatory being gone. “Oh… Uh—” Luna put a leg around her shoulders and pointed towards one of the hills. “I have a hunting lodge just up there. You and yours are welcome guests, make yourself at home! For as long as you like. You’ve certainly earned royal accommodations until your home is whole once more,” she offered, deciding to hold off on telling the young mare that given her deed and status as a noble’s daughter, she was more than qualified for knighthood. “Are the beds, you know… Big enough?” Luna nodded. “Of course they are. I used to live here.” “Good,” Nike nodded, sighing like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. “A new room sounds great, thank you.” Raven pursed her lips, debating on wether or not to offer psychiatric care immediately or not. I should, but I shouldn’t be targeted with it. “Hey, Luna? These mares were made Mares-at-Arms, does this entitle them to military healthcare?” Raven asked casually. Luna nodded and rubbed at her side. “Naturally.” Raven turned to the small group and made sure to look each of them in the eye one by one. “As half your number are civilians, and the soldier in your ranks is retired, I would recommend seeing me in the morning and setting up an appointment with a psychologist. We’ve already sent Fluttershy to a CARE counselor… She didn’t handle the firefight well.” “No shit!” a stallion’s voice called out from a short distance away. Raven turned her head to see Sky, who was trotting over with a small stencil loosely held in his mouth. “Seriously, did nopony tell her that once linked she could have left? All of those systems have wireless transceivers,” he muttered bitterly. “I know I didn’t, but somepony should have. Like the technician I had give her access and hook her into the network.” “Her computer is wired only,” Violet commented off hoof. “Ah…” Sky said, flinching. “Note to self, the Equestrian market could use some radio transmission modules. Anywho, Twilight! Got the cutiemark stencil done. Wanna get these painted on or should I wait a bit?” “We’re done here, I think,” Twilight said, shakinly standing up and limping her way towards Sky. “Let’s get that done. See you girls later!” “I’ll… I’ll take that psych appointment,” Sam murmured to herself. Nike frowned and bent down slightly to look at Sam. “You will?” “Yeah. I don’t feel anything wrong, which is a red flag for sure. At the least, I should tell somepony everything to decompress. Actually, all of us should. Take it from me, mental health is important and post-op checkups should be standard.” Celestia blinked and looked over to Luna. “Are they not?” “If not, it is now,” Luna said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “At least for special forces. Group counseling at the platoon level might be affordable for other branches.” Celestia nodded in agreement. “I’ll see if room can be made in the healthcare budget to train more psychologists. We do it for guards, we should do it for soldiers.” Raven opened her mouth to agree, then closed it quickly. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to simply encourage general infantry to seek out existing military counselors? Spec-Ops should absolutely be required to have checkups, but we’re talking about nearly a million ponies in terms of the infantry alone. The cost of—” A wooden crate hit the ground with a loud thud, making everypony jump. Raven turned towards the noise and was somewhat shocked to see a dirty, bedraggled, and tired Night Sky standing near the medical supplies. “J—June?!” Night stammered as he timidly walked towards his daughter. “What happened? How did—” “She sealed the monster back in its prison and ascended,” Luna said, knowing if her sister spoke first there would be problems. “Yeah,” Nike agreed, wincing slightly as Night ran forwards then reared up to wrap her in a close hug. “Thank you!” He said, tearing up slightly. “Thank you for showing me… There will always be new heroes. I needed that, June.” She squirmed again then returned the hug. “Uh… Thanks,” she said slowly. Night looked up into her eyes, frowning. “What’s wrong?” “C— Could you call me Nike? I meant to change my name back when, you know… And I just… It really doesn't fit me now. So, please?” Nike said, biting her lip nervously. Night thought for a moment, then nodded. “I understand. But it will be hard for me. I can’t promise to change what I call you quickly. I’ve known you for over a decade.” Nike laughed. “Yeah… I— I know. It’s just, it doesn't fit me now.” Night paused for a moment, clearly thinking, then nodded. “I suppose?” he said letting go of her finally, then taking a step back and finally noticing Medeis. “Who… I’m sorry, but…” The archmage smiled down at Night and extended a hoof. “Archmage Medeis of Hereca ap Prynn, and who are you?” “Straight and married,” Nike said before her father could react. Night blinked twice. “He was only saying hello.” Every mare in a ten meter radius gave Night the ‘you’re an idiot’ stare for a good ten seconds while Medeis muttered “I’m guessing your name is Social Brick,” very very quietly. “Doctor Knight Sky, retired xenoarchaeologist,” Night said, not noticing the stare or muttering. “Ah. Well… Looking good for your age,” Medeis said, clearing his throat then looking to Violet. “Would you mind teleporting me home? I’ll be taking that nap now.” “Sure! I think I got the hang of it now,” Violet said, trotting over to the archmage, then placing a hoof on his leg and activating a transport beam. Medeis vanished in the golden rings, leaving Violet behind. She smiled as she sensed through the network that Medeis had arrived in his atrium unharmed. “Yes!” “Oh wow!” Night commented. “Her mane hides her horn completely.” “It does, doesn't it? I’m a little jealous,” Raven agreed to maintain the town’s cover. Celestia cleared her throat for attention. “Well. It seems all is settled here for the short term. We’ll need to meet a few more times to keep everypony up to speed on the press release, but that’s a matter for later. I am exhausted and am going to go to bed. Let me know when Cadence has recovered, I’ll bring her up to spee—” “Hold it!” Raven said, raising a hoof and giving Celestia her usual death glare. Celestia raised an eyebrow, remaining dignified despite understanding she’d somehow messed something up. “Yes?” Raven pointed to the group of mares. “They just saved our plots. With Cadence and Luna down, you away, and the rest of our military too far from town to get here in time, they are the reason we’re still here,” she said as bluntly as possible. “I can hand out the awards they are due, but it really needs to come from you.” Celestia blinked. “Yes? That said, it takes a few weeks for such things to be created and presented.” “But they should be told immediately. These are civilians we pressed into service, Princess. One of whom is not even a citizen, really.” Everyone turned to Raven, who pointed to Violet. “She’s an android. She wasn’t born, despite coming from Equestrian soil. Literally. But it means she’s not a citizen. After this, she deserves at least that much!” Celestia nodded in silent agreement. “I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even thought about her legal status as a person or citizen. Violet, I hereby award you full citizenship. You’ll get paperwork soon.…” she thought for a moment then looked to Sam. “Samhein, I award you the Medal of Heroism. The same for the rest of you. This was an act above and beyond the duties of a citizen of Equestria.” Celestia then turned to Nike and let out a slow breath. “I understand you want to avoid politics, but, your father is a noble and you performed an act of bravery, sacrifice, and honor for the sake of others. I have no choice but to knight you. Fear not, it will be an honorary title. No responsibilities attached.” Nike blushed. “I— What?” “You chose to risk death for the sake of the realm, and have come away permanently altered,” Celestia elaborated. “Such choices are rare, more rare when successful. If I do not award you the title it sends the wrong message to the general public.” “Oh. I— I understand.” “With that now said and done, I will retire for the night. Fair well,” Celestia said then lit her horn and vanished in a burst of light as she teleported away. Raven looked around at the group, then took a deep breath. “Well… She wants to sleep, and I second that motion. You know what? Let's all just not come in tomorrow. Take a day.” “Agreed,” Luna said as she popped her neck. “Ah! There’s the alicorn healing factor kicking in. Nurse? Might I be able to sleep in my own bed today?” “Maybe? Let me check your vitals,” A nurse said as she trotted over from the sidelines and began listening to the princess’s heart and lungs. Raven nodded and looked at the others. A chorus of agreements met her ears. “Great,” Raven said, nodding once before starting to walk away. Raven paused, thought for a moment, then turned around. “Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten since this afternoon, and… It’s after midnight now. There’s a bar called The Brewer’s Hive not too far from here. I’ve passed it every day, but never gone in. They’ve got a sign outfront advertising Shawarma. I have no idea what that is, but I want to try it. Would any of you like to go with me?” Cadence stirred on her cot and looked up weakly. “Somepony say shawarma? I’m do— Ow… Down.” Faust, helping her up, chimed in with “My demand for sustenance is several thousand times higher than normal, I shall be accompanying you.”  ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ Nike - 5th of Leaffall (11 days later), 4 EoH Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls Nike watched as Cadence’s blue shield cut a tunnel through the green containment shield dome placed over the scorched remains of the Hackamore Valley Observatory. The tunnel-like shield extended in through the parking lot and covered the dormitory building, providing a safe tunnel into the hot zone. By a small miracle, the dorms had mostly survived, meaning some of their belongings had to be intact. With Cadence there to hold back the thaumic radiation, the three could go in, collect some of their things, then return to their temporary housing at Young Moon’s. “Alright… It should be safe enough now,” Cadence said, gritting her teeth against the strain of her spell. “Just get out in half an hour.” “What happens then?” Nike asked with a worried flick of her tail. “I’m forcing a negative shield through another shield,” Cadence explained. Nike raised an eyebrow. “There will be some leakage. Half an hour gives you five minutes of safe exposure left to get out. Unless you want to die and or mutate into something horrible.” “Ah. Half an hour, got it.” Sam said with a sharp nod. Violet thought for a moment then shrugged. “I don’t have anything in there I want. I’ll help you two carry stuff out, okay?” Nike trotted into the shield tunnel, intentionally slowing herself so Sam and Violet could keep pace. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having to walk so slow… Maybe I should see if Medeis will make them some kind of amulets that make them faster? No… That would only cover my sisters. I’d still be doomed to the hell of slow walkers. Such thoughts were a good distraction from the other more serious ones which still plagued her mind. Nike practically tuned Sam and Violet out as she walked up to the observatory and pushed the doors open with her magic. She smiled as her pale green aura slowly opened the cracked and warped glass doors. Upside, magic is pretty cool. “I basically just want my clothes and hooflocker,” Sam said casually. “We can get that last. I’ll focus on getting Dew’s stuff out. She’ll want her bear when she gets back.” Nike nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.” Vi smiled and trotted towards June’s room. “Then that means I should help June get all her nicknacks out first!” Nike bit her lip again and walked forward a few steps before deciding enough was enough. “Girls? Uh… The whole name thing? I don’t mean it as just a public image thing. I wanted more time to think of a better name, or decide if I wanted to do that at all for real, but I didn’t get that because of Celestia’s speech… But, um. I definitely do want a new name. Could you all call me Nike, please?” Violet nodded, immediately updating her software to implement the change. Sam, on the other hoof, paused then looked up at her friend. “Is it the same reason I stopped using Autumn?” Nike shrugged her wings. “Maybe? I— I feel like June was a close friend. Like a best friend. And that she died… It’s— It’s why I kept pushing back wanting to come here and get her stuff.” “You’re not all that different,” Violet commented. “That just makes it worse,” Nike explained. Vi thought for a moment, then flicked her tail. “Oh. I think I understand. I used to be a ship.” “I understand perfectly,” Sam said as she tried to open Dew’s door, and failed due to the frame being warped. “Great… I’ll have to kick this in…” Nike stepped over to the door and pushed her alicorn-sized bulk against the wooden door. It splintered and swung open. She winced as her shoulders nearly stuck in the door frame. Damn tiny-ass pony buildings… Now I know why everything in Canterlot is ‘huge’. Cuz that’s actually just how big they need to be when you’re not a little pony. “Thanks,” Sam said with a nod before looking up at Nike. “You’ll find some of her stuff that you’ll still think of as your stuff. Take it. It’s therapeutic. Trust me.” Nike thought for a moment. “That lines up with what my counselor said.” “Cuz it works!” Sam said as she trotted into Dew’s room and flinched at the shattered window and scorched everything. “Oh boy… Let’s hope some stuff is intact.” Nike and Vi crossed the semi-charred living room and tried the door to June’s room. It swung open with only a little protesting. The devastation wasn’t as bad as Dew’s room, but many things were smoke stained or lightly scorched. Do I feel like any of this is mine? Nike thought to herself as she stepped into the room, ducking to avoid smacking her horn into the door frame, then immediately worrying the room was too small for her to turn around in with all the furniture in it. Nike turned to her left, then sighed in relief as she discovered she had just enough room to turn without her tailbone scraping the wall or having to crane her neck to the side. Okay. Good. Let’s start. Clothes? Reference books? Tools? Blankets? No, but I should take the books. Computer? Actually… A little. That feels more like a friend than an object. She stepped to the computer and pressed the on button with a hoof. It slowly began to whir to life. Good. It’s okay. Nike took a moment to stare at her hoof and wish stores stocked manipulator gauntlets in her size. It will be nice once the custom ones come in. Maybe I can just shapeshift to have them like Sam can now… No, or at least, later. Focus. We need to do this. Keep looking. “Vi, can you pack up the computer for me?” “Sure!” Violet said as she trotted up to the computer, switched it off, and began to disconnect the mess of wires under the desk. Nike continued to look around. Battlemace minis survived somehow… Then again, they are Blight Watch. Those are Enox’s. I’ll take them to her when she’s out of the hospital. She spared a second glance at the minis. They’d been laid out on her end-table and— Wait. The end table is mine! Nike noted with a smile. So are the Cadite minis. The Ravenous Fifth. We were playing a game. I was almost winning. Her heart soared at a memory that felt like her own. She replayed it in her head for a few precious moments, then carefully collected the miniatures and placed them into her saddle bag. “The table is mine, I’m going to carry it out,” Nike said to Vi. Vi grunted in acknowledgement and silently cursed whatever idiot had decided to make monitor cables screw into things. Nike concentrated, lit her horn, and levitated the table up onto her back, clamping it with her wings. It will be cool when I trust my control enough to just float things around without dropping them. She thought as she trotted out of the dorms and down the tunnel. As she existed the dorms, she couldn’t help but see a small figure made tiny thanks to standing next to Cadence. She squinted, trying to see if it was Dew or— The sunlight glinted off a nearly transparent helmet. “Enox!” Nike shouted, breaking out into a smile. The alien mare’s ears perked. She ran into the shield-tunnel at surprising speed, meeting Nike halfway and hugging her leg immediately. “Hey! Digging the new look,” Enox said, her vox sounding a little more feminine then normal. Nike looked down, taking note of the patches on Enox’s silver suit and the slightly different computer strapped to the front. “More like… A whole new me,” Nike admitted. Enox nodded and let go, looking up at the now much taller mare. “I know. I can see it… It’s a thing we do. Part of being dark magic based.” Nike bit her lip and nodded slowly. “I— I see. Then you know that—” “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I’ll like who you are now too. I’m willing to stick around and see at least, but… I’m pretty sure you’re my tallest,” Enox smirked and snapped a joking salute. Well… I am very happy to see her, Nike mused, reflecting on the times she remembered being with Enox and— Wait! I remember being with her as me. YES! Thank you, thank you so much brain. Like, buck you for everything else, but thank you for this! I— WAIT! Nooooo…. Nike started to tear up, prompting Enox to take a step back and frown. “W— What’s wrong? Body dysmorphia? Sorry for biggening up your size. I—” Nike shook her head. “N— No! I— I remember being together with you as me, not as June. I do love you. It’s just…” she took a deep breath and squat down to whisper so Cadence wouldn’t overhear. “You’re less than a quarter of my size now and I just realized if we buck I’d kill you…” Enox blinked, snorted, then smirked up at Nike. “Pff! Try me, bitch! My species’ resilience is the reason several whole sectors have the saying ‘kill it with fire, nuke it from orbit, drown the ash in bleach’.” Nike continued to cry but looked into Enox’s eyes. “I—” “You know that getting stabbed through lungs and brain is why I was in the hospital, right?” Enox pressed. “I— Yes…. Wait, you seem fine?” “I’m a colony organism, not multicellular. All stabbing me does is disconnect things and kill a few cells off. I’d have been fine without a hospital, it just would have taken longer. I wasn’t joking about that whole kill it with fire thing. Blunt force, cutting, stabbing, doesn't really do anything to me unless you’ve done so much that I’m more of a salsa than a solid.” Nike blinked the tears from her eyes. “Oh. Then… I— I still don’t want to hurt you? I—” she blushed and whispered again. “I’m pretty sure I’d squash most of your organs flat.” Enox rolled her eyes. “Even if my organs didn’t function while flat, there’s like, a dozen solutions for that just one stop away. Which I’d like to try out with you later, if you can prove we need them.” Nike blushed more and looked over to Cadence who waved and called out to the marefriends. “Elasticity potions are a thing! They work on her. Learned that when we banged to spite Celestia once! Also alicorn hearing is very good, you should have realized I could hear you two, being one yourself.” Oh no… I really should have! I spent three days trying to not get pissed at hearing everything in town when I was trying to eat… Nike thought, flinching slightly. “They’re also permanent. Those potions she mentioned. You’re probably not much bigger than my favorite toys,” Enox admitted with a giggle. “Anyways, enough about my hobbies… You’re here to get your stuff. Anything other than that table feel like yours?” “Just some minis… Oh! I got your army. It’s somehow mostly fine? Mine need new paint. Vi’s getting the computer out. It kinda feels like mine. Nothing else does, though I did keep the reference texts.” Enox nodded happily. “Great! So, I was stuck in my own head for a few weeks while also being stuck in a bucket of yeast food and water. Nothing near as bad as what you’ve been through, but I’d still like some company. Can we netflix and chill?” Nike nodded and levitated the end table the rest of the way down the shield-tunnel, then floated Enox up onto her back. “Of course! Come on, let’s help Vi with the computer. Once Sam’s done we can go to my new place. Luna gave me a room at her lodge. I’m still going to work at the Observatory once it’s rebuilt, but… I don’t think I want to live here.” Enox thought for a moment. “Because they’re naming the new one the Junebug Observatory?” Nike shook her head. “No. I asked them to do that.” I’m glad Luna understood that June deserved a memorial she’d love. “Then why?” Nike blushed and shuffled her hooves. “In places made for normal ponies, my horn hits the light fixtures, I stick in narrow doors, I can’t sit on the toilets if I want to pee, and the dorm rooms here are so small I was worried I couldn’t turn around.” “Oh! Fair points.” Enox said thoughtfully. “They could make you a bigger room here?” “Yeah. I might ask them to. Depends on if Sam and Vi like staying at the Lodge better or not. We’ll be there a couple years at least anyways.” Violet exited the dorm building, carrying the computer minus its monitor on her back. “I like the forge! It's fun to make things with a hammer. Might even be my special talent! Not sure about the rooms yet though.” Nike’s ears flicked back. Why do all of my friends have great hearing? She turned around to look in Vi’s direction. “You’ve spent most of the week out back working on something… Care to show me later?” “Sure! I’m almost done too.” “Cool,” Nike said, nodding. “I’ll get the monitor out. We’ll see what Sam wants help with.” “Nothing. Everything’s toast in there except for her tablet phone thing and one plush. Sam’s getting her locker out right now,” Violet said as she passed Nike. Nike nodded then looked over to Cadence. “Most things are toast. I don’t think we need the whole half hour.” “Do a sweep anyway! And do remember we need to decontaminate everything you take out.” Cadence called back. “Is that why you said to empty our saddle bags?” Violet asked. Cadence nodded. “Yep. But seriously, do a sweep. If it's in there much longer it will decay… And I don’t mean they crumble away. Thaumic radiation is weird and inconsistent with objects. Things that made it through the thermal phase can transmute.” ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ Later that afternoon, Nike and Enox trotted out around the back of Young Moon’s Lodge, down the short dirt trail to the old forge which sat out back next to the smoke house. Enox was still riding on Nike’s back, since the mare’s alicorn strength meant her marefriend was effectively weightless for her, and the tiny alien mare rather enjoyed getting to look down on ponies for a change. “So what’s she been making?” Enox asked. “No idea,” Nike admitted. “She’s been out here all week, and the week before that Luna spent a few days showing her the basics of blacksmithing. Vi’s really taken to it.” Nike perked her ears and listened for a moment. “I’m kind of shocked I don’t hear any hammering, actually.” “She did say she’d be done in an hour, we gave her two,” Enox reminded. Nike giggled. “Yeeah… Got a bit carried away. Just, you know. Happy that something feels normal.” “It was way better than normal,” Enox huffed. “Also, you didn’t really need to pay me ten bits. I was joking when I made a bet it fit, hon.” “Meh! Happy to have lost that bet,” Nike corrected as the two turned the last bend in the trial before the clearing. The forge building was simple, practically just a timber roofed area over an old stone slab housing an ancient forge made from river rock, a single anvil atop a stump, and a long workbench covered in metal working tools. Its fire was extinguished, but the two could see the heat ripples coming off the forge. It had been lit until recently. More importantly, aside from Violet, Luna and Sam were present. The three were huddled around the work table, talking quietly to one another and clearly looking at something Luna’s bulk hid from Nike’s view. She frowned and cleared her throat. “Hey! Uh… Need more time?” Vi turned around and smiled. “Nope! We just finished. Come here, you’ll love it!” Nike trotted over and the three mares parted to let her see the benchtop. A piece of white cloth had been laid out to protect a long bladed silvery sword from scratches. It had a broad blade, a handle with a latticed gem-set grip to make holding it with telekinesis easier, and a series of green glowing runes inlaid into the length of its blade. That looks like it matches Heartfire, Nike noted, thinking of the axe Cadence had lent June, then given to her. “Woah…” she said out loud as the quality of the blade suddenly hit her like a truck. “That’s… How did you do this? It’s your first one and it’s perfect!” “Computer,” Vi said with a proud smile. “Luna just had to show me how to move metal once, then I read a few books, extrapolated the techniques, trained a sub-model on a few thousand hours of physics data, and bam! One nice sword. What do you think?” “It’s pretty,” Nike admitted. “I’d love to hang that up in my room.” “Great!” Luna said, smiling. “Because it’s yours.” Nike tilted her head. “But… It’s her first?” Violet cleared her throat. “Yes. But I made it because… Remember two weeks ago when you were sitting in the hall after reading about your formal knighting ceremony next month?” “You were upset you didn’t get a sword because it’s a civic knighthood,” Sam reminded. Nike nodded, then blushed. “Aww! Thanks. You really didn’t need to though.” “Yeah, well, I actually did. Somepony upset my sister! And I needed something new to do since I can’t work the telescopes till they exist again.” Luna stepped forwards. “It’s not solely her work. Sam and I delved into the ruins of Violet’s creator’s vessel and plundered her stasis field for alien alloys to make the blade from. Cadence duplicated Heartfire’s enchantments for me on paper, and I copied them to this weapon. It is a blade worthy of an Equestrian Knight of old.” “But more importantly, it’s a blade worthy of you, Nike,” Sam finished. “I mean, you don’t especially need a sword. But you wanted one, and we all wanted to put in the time and effort to show we love you. Like, you you.” Nike felt her eyes water up. “I— I don’t know what to say.” she said out loud. Have they really had enough time to decide they love me? Violet nodded to the blade. “Pick it up! See what you think. If you like it, maybe we could learn to fence together? I’ve noticed you like to get up in the mornings to go for a run, and I’m still training Sam with magic. It would be cool if the three of us could share an active thing.” Sam nodded. “Yeah! By the way, I know Enox is back on her hooves and you two probably want to have some fun… But I sort of rented some movies.” Nike blinked. “Movies?” she asked slowly. “We’ve already made sure we’re still a thing,” Enox said from Nike’s back. “We are, by the way.” Luna frowned, pondering the biomechanics of how on earth the two could work as a couple. “I thought we could have a family movie night,” Sam continued. “I heard you talking to Luna about movies you like and, well… I’ve never been one for nerd stuff, but I also never gave it a chance. I thought I should at least know what kind of movies you like. For birthday reasons.” Nike took a short step back. “Girls? You don’t have to try so hard to make me feel a part of this… I still feel like your sister. It's just—” Violet trotted over to Nike and reared up to hug her. “It’s not that. It’s just we know you’re going through a rough time and want to show you that we’re here for you. Like we said we would be.” “I may not have made such a vow,” Luna added, “However, I feel I owe you friendship. You pulled my plot out of a fire as much as anypony else. June may have chosen to become you, but you are the one who sealed the dark stain once more.” Sam winced and made the cut gesture at Luna. Nike shook her head and smiled. “Actually Sam, that helped. A lot. That part was me, wasn’t it?” Nike lit her horn and picked up the sword from the table. A small green gemstone set into the grip glowed as she lifted it, supplementing her telekinetic strength with her own and making it practically effortless to hold. She couldn’t help but swish the blade through the air like a little colt who just found a good stick, then flick it up into a classic fantasy swordsmare pose which made Luna wince. Nike frowned. “Is… Is this not a guard?” “It is not.” Luna said through clenched teeth. “May I please teach you how to use that?” “Could you teach all of us?” Nike asked hopefully. “Of course I can. We’re roommates!” Luna said with a pleased smile. “Great! But… Later,” Nike moved the sword down so she was holding but not wielding it. “Not now. Because that movie night sounds great, actually.” Sam sighed. “Cool. Mind if I invite Trixie?” Nike rolled her eyes. “Why would I mind if you invited your marefriend? She’s family too.” Vi’s ears drooped. “D— Does that mean Fluttershy can’t come over? We’ve uh… Turns out I’m just not really into sex with mares it turns out, and she’s still learning shapeshifting. So we’re kinda just besties until she’s got the resties? I think that’s how she put it.” “Besties are family,” Sam, Nike, Luna, and Enox said in unison. “Oh! Good,” Vi said, smiling happily. “How about Enox and I go for a snack run and then we start movie night?” Nike proposed. “I’m the fastest flier here with the most cargo capacity.” Luna huffed. “I still can’t believe you're faster than me…” “You out lift me, and out spell me, so there’s that for you,” Nike beamed back. “Get me some popcorn. I’m told that’s tradition for movies,” Vi said as she turned to look back at the forge, pondering what to make next. “Sure,” Nike said, holding the sword out to her sister. “Can you put this in my room for me?” “Of course!” “Hey, one sec,” Enox said to Nike before looking down at Violet. “Did… Did you really not understand you’re straight? That’s what you implied just now, right?” “I’m surrounded by lesbians!” Violet giggled. “I sort of didn’t even know that was an option. I thought Dew was just weird for wanting a boyfriend. Or that ponies grew out of it after having kids and then just wanted a same sex partner. I— I still don’t know all of pony behavior and culture you know? Twilight said she’d bring me some books on it but she has been out of touch since then.” Nike reached out and gave her sister a pat on the head. “It’s okay. It took me fifteen years to realize I was trans.” Huh. That memory still feels like mine. Cool! “Anywho, snacks! Back soon, girls!” Nike said, spreading her wings and taking off. “Hey, remember how I said there were better ways for me to fly than jetpacks?” Enox called over the rush of wind. “Yeah?” “Riding my girlfriend is now number one on that list. Just don’t do any barrel rolls okay?” Nike laughed. “Of course not!” ⁜ ⁜ ⁜ Later that night, after three films Nike was extremely happy to know she still loved, even if some of the reasons why were different, Nike and Enox retired to her bedroom for the evening. It hadn’t been decorated yet, though earlier in the day she’d moved the end table, minis, and computer into the corner under a shelf. The rest of the room was old rustic peeled log furniture with a general outdoorsy theme. “So… Are we going to say yes to Luna’s invite to her tabletop game next week?” Enox asked. “Duh,” Nike agreed bluntly. “Just like, tomorrow. Or after I get my army repainted.” I need to make this place more comfortable, Nike thought to herself as she trotted through the door. Luna said I could… But how would I even make it my space? “Sam was really into that last one,” Enox commented, thinking back to how the thestral was on the edge of her seat for the entirety of the First Starfighter. “Yeah,” Nike said, smiling. “I’m glad she likes it. I’m glad I like it.” “Wanna wait till she’s asleep then sneak her into my ship and wake her up so we can zip through a dense asteroid cluster for real?” Nike thought for a bit. “Nah, let her sleep.” Enox’s ears drooped. “We’ll do that tomorrow,” Nike added, taking note of her new sword laying on the room’s desk. “She was working hard today.” Enox’s ears returned to their usual playful perkiness. “Cool. Adding it to my calendar.” Nike walked over to her bed and squatted down, playfully pushing Enox off her back with a wing. The tiny alien mare squeaked. “Hey! I was sitting there.” “Yes, all day,” Nike agreed. “I like to see you, not just hear you.” “Fair.” Nike turned her head back to the corner with her old stuff. I could put my minis on the shelf maybe? She thought before levitating the wargaming army into position up on the shelf. She spent a moment to telekinetically rearrange the army into its proper ranks and squads, then frowned. No… No this isn’t me… This is her. But these are mine now. Humm… Nike sat down for a moment, thinking. Her wings flicked open as a sudden idea struck her. She reached across the room with her magic and took her sword, then set it on the shelf, leaning horizontally against the wall, then arranged the minis around it as if they were securing a giant sword as a part of some military operation. Once she’d finished fussing with the positioning, Nike stood up, turned around for a moment, then turned back to the shelf to take it in fresh, and smiled. “Yeah! That’s my style.” “What? Weapons decorated with nerd crap?” Enox asked. Nike nodded. “Yep!” “Wanna go to the mall then?” Nike turned to face her girlfriend. “Mall?” she asked, tilting her head. “Like, the Vanhoofer mall?” “Nah,” The tiny alien mare dismissed with a hoof wave. “The Grand Mall of Kal’Besh in the Scona System. Biggest mall in this sector, great variety of arms shops! I’ll buy you a plasma blaster to hang up, don’t actually use it by the way, stop by the comic shop for some cool spaceship models, then drop by some of the adult shops and get a mattress we both like with handy features you ponies don’t have like auto-cleaning and shape adjustment.” Nike raised an eyebrow. “What? This mattress is like a brick and I kinda want to stay over with you sometimes. Cuz duh.” Nike smiled and shook her head. “Nah, it’s not that. I just realized something.” “What?” “Well, one difference I like between who I was and who I am now.” Enox rolled a hoof for Nike to continue. “She… Kind of didn’t want any adventures anymore. She’d have been worried about getting lost in space or something going wrong. But… I kinda hope we run into space pirates? Is that an okay thing to hope for?” Enox’s face split into a devilish grin. “Oh buck yes! Dark-space hyperlane route confirmed! Won’t actually save us any time but it will attract attention!” she jumped to her hooves and zipped off the bed, taking Nike by the leg and making the alicorn stagger after her. “Woah, hold on! What are we doing?” Is she proposing we go on a quick adventure for a date night? I hope she’s proposing we— “Let me put it in a way that you’ll understand perfectly.” Enox cleared her throat. “Space: the wild and wacky expanse. These are the escapades of Enox and Nike aboard the Thunderbird, their mission: to navigate perilous cosmic highways, to stir up chaos in the name of road trips, and dash headlong into the thrill of the unknown!" “Oh heck yes!” Nike said, grabbing her sword off the shelf without disturbing her minis. Thanks, Enox. This is absolutely who I am.