//------------------------------// // 11: Home Sweet Home // Story: The Chaotic Touch of Harmony 2: Bonded by Fire // by law abiding pony //------------------------------// Intelligence reports. They walked a fine line between critical for national security and being duller than a bowling ball. At least they would be for most people. Luckily, Twilight Sparkle found them exhilarating, and eagerly poured over each scrap of paper. Every so often, she would call out an important fact for Spike, who was seated next to her, to jot down and add to the dizzyingly complex web of world politics. That web covered nearly every inch of her study’s walls. Photos of VIPs were all connected in pinned twine. The threads were multicolored to denote the particular relationship each person had with another, a system known only to Twilight and Spike. “Warlord Bent Beak must be a glutton for punishment, Spike, this is the fifth time he’s tried to usurp Emperor Steel Talon.” The young dragon rolled his eyes at the news. “Can’t say I’m surprised, the featherbrain’s a real nut job. The Dusk Guard has a pool going on Talon actually getting rid of Beak this time.” Twilight levitated a tankard of cider over for a long drag. It’s hard to imagine AJ’s cider’s even better than it used to be. “Oh?” “Two hundred to one odds he’ll be executed this time.” “You’d think after suffering the Mark of Disownment he’d have lost any support.” Twilight offered the tankard to Spike who happily guzzled half of it down. “Thanks, I needed that. Are you done for the night?” he asked hopefully. “Hmm… Yeah, for now. I’ve got some research to do.” Spike hopped off his chair, and started putting his work away. “Great! I’ll be back later tonight; please don’t burn the lab down again.” Twilight giggled while pulling the young dragon in for a squish. “No promises.” Spike returned her affection before scampering out of the tower. Twilight stood up and stretched to pop the cricks out of her joints. Once finished, her mood fell as her thoughts drifted to the nature of her research. I’ve got to find something to help her. Summoning her resolve, Twilight trudged over to the laboratory annex. Conrad’s last visit cast the lavender alicorn in a grim shadow. Poor Alex. I know what those Mions were doing was reprehensible, but to be so… twisted in her retribution. Conrad’s latest gravely worried report, and far more information about the anatomy of a Mion than Twilight ever wished to know, troubled Twilight to no end. Shaking the sudden chills out of her system, Twilight searched for her latest research tome. Come on Twilight, keep it together, for Alexia’s sake. Spike’s shelving skills were up to par, and Twilight found the book with ease. When it came to matters of the arcane, Twilight’s laboratory had it all: all manner of obscure reagents, elaborate tools, crystal samples of every style of magic know to ponykind, more books than you can shake a stick at, and more alchemical paraphernalia than even she knew what to do with. Twilight’s domain deserved every letter of the deceptively simplistic name ‘Arcane Tower’. With her prize in hand, Twilight made her way to a well-worn, almost flat pile of cushions. “There’s got to be something here that can help her…” The night melted away, along with the candles as page after page failed to yield any solutions. “Viper’s method is unethical, Wanda’s Farday for the same reason, Sinestro’s Guile won’t work across such a distance, and Filament’s Theorem is just plain moronic unless you want to create a mini Discord!” “Did somepony call my name?” a jovial voice echoed throughout the chamber. Twilight scanned the area, but found nothing out of the ordinary, yet. “What do you want Discord? I’m busy.” The draconequus’ mad hatter eyes appeared on the tankard in front of Twilight. “Doing woefully boring stuff I’m sure.” He flashed into existence, coiled around Twilight and her book. “You’re reading? I’m stunned, truly!” Twilight gave him a deadpanned look. “You should try it sometime. I hear it’s all the rage in libraries.” Discord guffawed at her snarky tone. “So you do have a sense of humor.” He teleported to the center of the room and conjured several flying pigs. “I knew this day would come. The end times are here!” Twilight deemed fit to honor him with an unamused scowl as Discord stuck a fork in one of the pigs and pulled out some bacon. “What do you want Discord?” “An adoring fan that follows me everywhere I go, even if he falls off a cliff a few times.” “You could always carry a lump of salt at the Salt Saloon, that’ll get you some fans in a hurry.” she groaned, Twilight was inches from falling asleep. That caught Discord short. He scrutinized her carefully. “You’re being awfully friendly for a change. Is this the part where you ask me for a favor?” Twilight’s faint smile evaporated. “I was actually going to go out searching for you, but since you came to me, that saves time. Alexia needs help.” A lounge chair materialized, allowing Discord to rest. “No can do, Twilight. Rules are rules, and I’ve already bent them enough for my liking in aiding her.” “Are you serious? You left Alexia as the only ageless being on her planet! You cared enough about Earth to help… in a fashion. But you have got to know that kind of loneliness will eventually drive her mad.” Discord turned around in a huff. “And what would you know about loneliness my dear? I don’t remember you being a statue for a thousand years.” Twilight walked around to be in front of him. “You’re right, I wouldn’t, but…” She stabbed an admonishing hoof at Discord. “You would! Are you willing to inflict that kind of suffering on her?” Discord manifested a wad of pink cotton candy, and started nibbling on it. “She has her children at least,” he replied dismissively. “All I had were bird and tourists.” Twilight scowled at him while levitating the painting in front of Discord. “I know you care for her, in some semblance of the word. You really want her to live through that hell?” His indignation softened a little. “I suppose I don’t. But as I said, I’ve already helped enough.” He flicked the half-eaten cotton candy at Twilight. It bounced off her snout before becoming stuck on her horn. “Alex will just have to learn how to live with her children.” Twilight growled as she freed her horn from the snack. “What’s that supposed to—” Her sentence was cut short by Discord vanishing as quickly as he came. “ARRRGG! Why does a spirit of chaos bother with self-imposed rules anyway!?” Twilight’s eyes fell upon the discarded cotton candy. The spun sugar refused to give away any semblance of reason from its creator. She was about to throw it away when a thought occurred to her. “Why did he keep referring to Alexia’s children? Even they will pass away… in time.” She cantered over to her cushion pile, with candy in tow, to brood. “Is this another one of his games? Giving hints and trying to get me to guess? He would do that.” Twilight sat there, mulling over it all. “I get the feeling this candy wasn’t one of his random buffoonery. So what’s the connection between this, Discord, and Alexia’s foals?” It took her a few minutes before a thought so crazy hit her that she gasped. “No flipping way.” After safely tucking Menville away in Section Nine’s five star accommodations, Alexia’s herd was free to return home. It was well after midnight when Loki pulled the family car in the driveway. As she expected, the house lights were off, save for Elizabeth’s room. Loki parked the car a little haphazardly, but it got the job done. “Alright everybody, home sweet home.” She looked at the others with a sidelong grin, everyone was asleep. Operation Burning Nostrils is a go. As quietly as equinily possible, Loki shut the car off, and crept all the way into her room. From there, she retrieved a few certain unlabeled packages and tiphoofed her way back to the car. Shoving a hoof in her muzzle to keep from giggling manically, Loki dropped all four stink bombs in the car, and locked the doors and windows. She galloped over to the door, and waited for the magic to happen. Alexia was fully in dreamland’s gentle grip until four loud pops, akin to gunshots jolted her awake. “Huh—wha?!” She scanned her surroundings, seeing nothing but the moonlit trees and house. Conrad had also been awakened by the noise, but Crimson still slept in the backseat with him. Conrad relaxed back into the seat. “Must have been—*sniff* Ugh, what died in here?” Alexia’s bile rose at the stench of rotten eggs and putrid meat permeating the car. “Loooooki!” She fumbled with the uncooperative door handle. Crimson shot awake as the horrifying stench of gaseous evil burned her nose hairs. “Gah! What the actual hell!?” Alexia glared at the resisting door. “Don’t you know locks don’t work on me?” she growled while teleporting everyone onto the front porch. All three of them snorted to try and clear their noses while wiping the tears from their eyes. Loki pouted at the scene. “Ah no fair, you cheated.” Crimson groggily helped Conrad to hooves. “You’re dead, Loki!” “Uh oh.” Loki busted the door open to escape Crimson’s retribution. “Come back here you cretin!” Crimson fumed. “Forget that!” Conrad limped over to Alexia’s side. “They’ll wake the whole house with all that shouting.” Alexia rested her chin on his head. She didn’t need to seek revenge when Crimson was bound and determined to mete out proper punishment. “I wouldn’t worry; the foals sleep like the dead, and the others would want to see us anyway.” Several loud crashes and incoherent shouting later, the upstairs lights all started to come on as Elizabeth ran over to the banister with a pistol. She took aim at the poorly lit pair of ponies as they entered the house, only to pull the gun up. “You’re back! For a second there I thought—” *CRASH* “—you guys were thieves.” Alexia watched Elizabeth put the gun in her pants, and run down the stairs to greet them. “Not this time. Glad to see the place was in safe hands while we were gone.” Elizabeth knelt down, and hugged her sister for all she was worth. “When you only called us once, you had us worried sick.” “Couldn’t be helped,” Alexia shrugged. “How are the girls?” “VS melted the patio furniture yesterday, literally, and you don’t want to know what Aurora did to the diaper can." Elizabeth released the hug to give one to Conrad only to gasp at his injuries. “What happened, are you alright?!” “I fell down some stairs,” Conrad fussed at the young woman’s concern. A wiry grin crossed Alexia’s face as Elizabeth shot him a sardonic look. “Right, a pegasus fell down some stairs. Why can’t you just tell me?” Any answer was cut short by Loki with Crimson hot on her heels. She ran up the stairs only to nearly run into Bella at the top. She tripped on the last step in an attempt to avoid a collision and smacked against the banister. “Oh ah, hey Mrs. A. We’re back!” Bella glowered at Loki, and then at Crimson. “I see you couldn’t bother yourselves with calling ahead of time.” From her angle, the middle aged grandmother caught sight of Crimson’s shaved back, and the numerous stitches. She covered her mouth in shock. “My word, honey!” Belle knelt down while Crimson walked up to her. “Sorry to worry you, momma.” “Worry me!?” Bella cried as she inspected her daughter’s injuries. “You got hurt, and you didn’t call me? How bad is it? Any broken bones or internal injuries?” “Just my skin and muscle damage, momma, nothing too serious.” “Nothing too—!?” Bella blanched before wrapping her arms around Crimson. “My poor baby. I’m just glad you made it home in one piece… more or less. How about I buy you a nice silk garment in the morning? Its freezing out there, and I don’t want you catching a cold until your fur grows back.” “Thanks momma.” Bella gave Crimson one last squeeze before letting go. “Where’s paw and the kids?” “Sleeping like the dead,” Bella huffed, more at her husband than the children. “There could be a war going on outside and he’d never know. I’d ask how your ‘business’ trip was, but something tells me you can’t, or won’t.” Crimson scuffed the carpet with a hoof. “Sorry, momma. You know I can’t.” Bella’s frown softened as her eyes started misting over. “I wish you would quit this line of work. I couldn’t stand to lose you, and Dusty needs his mother.” Loki and Crimson embraced the silently weeping woman. “It’s only for another year Mrs. A, then Alex and the rest of us can quit the game.” Bella held her daughter as tightly as she dared. “You’d better, you hear me? Crimson, you need to settle down into a nice practice in the hospital, not gallivanting around the world trying to get yourself killed.” “I will momma, but just not yet. How’s Dusty? He’s in his crib right?” Bella didn’t like the forced topic shift, but let it slide. “Right along with his sisters, yes.” Loki detached herself from the group and trotted over to the nursery, leaving Crimson alone with Bella. “Thank you so much for caring for him whiles I was gone, it means the world to me.” Bella waved her gratitude away. “Oh posh, you act as if I wouldn’t spoil my grandson rotten to the core.” “Such is a grandparent’s duty, right?” Crimson chuckled. “One I shoulder with pride. Go on and see him, I’ll make you all some breakfast in the morning to celebrate your mostly safe return.” Later that night, Crimson entered the nursery to find Loki cradling a sleeping colt. Watching Loki’s caring face made Crimson forget most of her irritation for the stink bomb. She quietly trotted over to join her herdmate. “You know, if you want a foal so badly, you could always have one yourself.” Loki teased a lock of Dusty’s mane, cooing as he nuzzled into her fur. “Why bother when I have this little guy?” As much as Loki tried to hide it, Crimson knew her well enough to pick up on the emotional warble. “Because at the end of the day, he’s my little guy. I know the world’s going down the toilet but—” “That’s why I can’t,” Loki interrupted with a brief lapse in her ever-present joviality. “Come on Crummy, we have the same security clearance, you and I both know the world’s falling apart, we couldn’t even fly over the Midwest on the way here.” Crimson nuzzled her dissonant mate. “We’re not going to let them win, okay?” “…Maybe,” Loki admitted. “But… I—I just couldn’t handle it if I miscarried because of injury or I was forced to stay behind while you three went on another mission. How often did Alexia come a hair’s breadth from losing the twins?” “Loki, I’m not saying you should have a foal just so you’d leave mine alone. I just want you to be happy.” “I can do that by just being an aunt,” some of Loki’s mirth returned. I hope you’re right Loki, I really do. The following afternoon, Alexia giggled cheerfully on her bed as her daughters climbed all over top of her. “Did you miss mommy?” “Ya ya!” Violet Spark cheered as she tried to climb onto her mother’s belly. Aurora was squirming around Alexia’s mane, tossing azure strands into a tangled mess. Alexia flinched as Violet accidentally poked her with that little stub of a horn. “You know mommy has to study, right?” Neither filly understood the request, not that they would have complied anyway, and kept right on bouncing and playing around their mother. My little sunshines. Resigning herself to be the foals’ play pen for the next couple of hours or so, Alexia levitated the tome above her so she could read. She went straight to the Dusk Guard section only to find Twilight’s beacon blinking. “Oh good, maybe I can ask her about this alicorn worship nonsense. If I can’t stop them, then at the very least I want this song out of my head.” Try as she might, Alexia kept hearing that intoxicating melody come and go at semi-regular intervals. Got to have a plan B. She activated the hologram to find Princess Twilight hunched over a workbench. She twisted her head around as the spell solidified. “Alexia!” she greeted while pulling herself away from her work. “Its good to see you, and awwww, they are just too precious!” The two furry distractions could derail a villain’s monologue with the innocent looks they gave Twilight. Alexia put the book down, and wrapped her daughters in a smothering hug. “Aren’t they? I was absolutely miserable being away from my babies for so long.” Between the squealing foals, and Alexia’s profound joy, Twilight felt a primal cord being tugged at the scene. No, keep it together Twilight. You have super important news to give. Clearing her throat, Twilight’s expression felt flat. “Alex, do you remember your first meeting with Discord, and the cotton candy he gave you?” Alexia had to pull a clingy pegasus filly off her face to think. “Umm… yeah I remember, it’s the stuff that turned me into an alicorn. You asked me about that a year ago if I recall. Why do you ask?” Twilight rubbed her foreleg nervously. “Were you pregnant when you ate it, by chance?” Alexia’s warm expression shifted to deep musing. Given all the unprotected sex Conrad and I were having… “Probably. You’re not seriously suggesting my fillies could be alicorns, are you!?” “I double checked some things with Celestia. An unawakened alicorn is nearly indistinguishable from a normal pony, save for a few things. As foals, they have unusually powerful mana surges. Only unicorns are supposed to have these surges at all. If I’m right, your daughters are alicorns.” “That’s…that’s.” Alexia looked at her daughters who were perched on the edge of the bed near Twilight. “Is there any way to be absolutely sure? I’d rather not get all worked up if this is some kind of mistake.” Twilight slowly rubbed her chin, barely restraining herself from making silly faces for the very curious foals. “As I said, unawakened alicorns are nearly impossible to detect, outside of unusually strong mana surges. While its normal for unicorns to have them, there have been extremely rare cases of pegasi having surges as well. The only way to know for sure is to awaken them with this.” A fabrication array materialized to Twilight’s left. “If you make a crystal with this, and have them wear it, the next time they have a mana surge the crystal will refocus the wild mana back into the filly. Their ascension will be triggered once their bodies become over-saturated with their own mana.” Pained memories of her own ascension roared to the forefront of Alexia’s mind, making her slowly tug her children into a protective embrace, only to have them squirm and cry out to escape. “They won’t suffer the same pain I did will they? I fixed their itineris systems before giving birth.” “I can assure you they’ll be unharmed, maybe startled by what’s happening, but otherwise they’ll be fine. It’s a normal part of every alicorn’s life-cycle.” “What happens if they aren’t alicorns, and I give them the crystals?” “Nothing major. The surging mana would fall away from them as normal, although the results could be even more unpredictable and dangerous.” Alexia nodded absently while bundling her wiggling foals a little tighter. “This is a lot to take in.” She looked down at her daughters’ quizzical faces. Is it possible? Could they…? “It is,” Twilight admitted. Every fiber of Alexia's being started tugging her emotions in a million different ways. Was this a godsend? A disaster waiting to happen? Maybe it was just Twilight misreading the evidence. How far would this affect her fillies' futures? How long of a future was there for them now? Alexia would have to spend a whole hour preening if Violet grew wings. Not to mention how long it would take Aurora to get used to having a spike on her head. It was the little things that niggled at Alexia's mind the most. And then there's the asinine religion that's formed around me. ME! I'm as fallible as they come, and people want to worship me as a god. She hung on that last thought for a few seconds. Oh hell. A cold sweat fell over her. If they're alicorns, then those worshipers will only get worse. Sensing Alexia needed time to think, Twilight broke Alexia out of her musings. “I'll get in touch with you later on, see you soon.” “Wait a second, please. There's one other thing.” A thin smile parted Twilight's lips. “Of course Alex, what is it?” "I need some advice about some worshipers of mine.” Later that day, Alexia carried her foals to the living room where Bella and Elizabeth were pampering the two wounded ponies. Coat brushing, mane trimming, hoof cleaning, massages, the works. Both injured ponies were being treated to spa-like accommodations by Bella and Elizabeth as Loki regaled of their adventure, without crossing into classified territory. “So there we were,” Loki proclaimed dramatically while standing on her hind legs and sweeping her forelegs in a huge arc. “Surrounded by twenty, no thirty monstrous beasties from beyond the tainted abyss. We were almost certainly going to be in for a tough fight, as more and more of them spawned from the lab we had fought tooth and hoof to reach.” “It was more like twelve,” Conrad corrected with a moan of pleasure at the hand that scratched his mane. “Who’s telling the story here?” Loki retorted while Alexia quietly claimed the sofa and let the fillies join Dusty Tinker in play wrestling with a few stuffed toys. “Anyway, so, certain doom was at hand when I remembered my trusty invention, the Fire Hornets!” “Oh God…” Crimson groaned, “not those things.” Bella lightly slapped her daughter’s ears. “Watch your language, young lady. Go on, Loki.” “I grabbed the hornet grenade—” “Mason jar,” Conrad quipped. Loki shot him a scowl before replacing it with a crazed grin. “I threw the grenade at the gathering shadow knights, and the hornets raced through them all like a match to gasoline. And that’s how I saved the team,” she ended with a triumphant smirk. Alexia let Loki bask in the glory while the two humans sang their genuine, if mildly stunned, praise. I could tell them how we have to out run the fiery swarm, but I’ll let Loki have her moment. Right now though, we have bigger issues. Sensing now was a good time to interject, she cleared her throat. “Guys, I just got back from talking with Twilight, and she’s given me some… news.” Most in the room sensed her troubled tone, and forgot about pampering Conrad and Crimson. “About?” Alexia’s gaze fell upon her foals, and couldn’t drag them away to address the rest of her family. “Twilight is convinced that my daughters are unawakened alicorns.” Conrad’s good wing nearly thwacked Elizabeth when it shot open in surprise. “What makes her say that?!” Loki bounced over the table to sit next to Alexia. “Do you believe her?” “Well, I don’t know if she’s right.” Alexia went on to explain the various pieces of evidence Twilight shared, bringing everyone in the room to a quiet standstill. Every so often, one of them would glance at the fillies rolling around with Dusty. “But as I said before,” Alexia finished, “nothing is certain until if or when they awaken.” This could be it, Conrad thought excitedly. The answer to Alex’s agelessness! “Can they be awakened at will?” “With these,” Alexia nodded slowly, “yes.” She levitated a pair of small pale white crystals, barely the size of a thumb. “If they wear these the next time they have a magic surge, it should trigger an awakening, that is, if Twilight’s right about them.” “Are you going to try it?” Conrad inquired. “I—I don’t know…” Alexia fumbled with her hooves. “This is the entire future of Aurora and Violet we’re talking about.” Loki shared a knowing look with Conrad. “They’re your children Alex, and you’re the alpha, but I think you should go for it. If I were them, I’d want to grow up knowing for sure who and what I was.” Crimson blanched at the idea. “Now wait a minute, those fillies deserve to have a normal childhood. If they are in fact alicorns, then awakening them now would ostracize them in school. You know how cruel children can be.” She jabbed a hoof at Violet gnawing on Dusty’s ear, much to his protests. “Need I say more?” she asked while cantering over to free her son’s ear. “So what do we do then?” Loki challenged. “Either A, we don’t tell them they’re alicorns, and hope they don’t get super mad if they awaken unexpectedly one day; or B, tell them what they are, and let them sweat that one out for years on end. B’s even worse because if the fillies aren’t alicorns, they’d live their whole lives thinking they are.” “Its not like awakening will suddenly make them adults,” Conrad added. “They’d still be foals, right?” “Well yeah, the only thing you would notice differently about them would be like me. Their alicorn magic won’t start developing until puberty. If they are alicorns, the reason their mana surges are so powerful now, is because only one aspect of their magic is being expressed. Like for Violet, her unicorn magic is being tripled because her earth and pegasus abilities are stunted.” Bella had been silent up until now, but the last comment struck a particular concern. “Speaking of Violet’s little episodes. While you were gone, we had… difficulty keeping the little darling’s magic from causing property damage. Why just this past Monday she set fire to her bedroom in the middle of the night, and the day before that I sank halfway into the ground. If it wasn’t for Beth here, I wouldn’t have gotten out of there before the concrete resolidified.” Crimson wanted to argue against it, but her mother’s brush with death stilled her tongue. W-why didn’t she say anything soon? “I don’t know how much it means coming from me,” Elizabeth started, “but I think they should be awakened, if for nothing else than so they can grow into their abilities rather than randomly awaken later in life. There’s no telling what kind of trouble waiting around could bring.” Alexia absorbed every word, but mostly kept her own council. Primarily so she could avoid talking about the worshiper's song that caused her attention to drift. I have to get rid of this horrid music! I don't want this song corrupting my foals' minds. I'll have to wait for Twilight to acquire the dampening array from Celestia, but— It was at that moment when Alexia realized all eyes were focused on her. “Ahem, right, I want everyone to sleep on this.” She found the fillies running up to her crying for food. “These two don’t deserve any rushed decisions.” And besides, I have other business to take care of. Aurora tugged at her leg, babbling insistently for food. Alexia picked both fillies up and placed them in her back. “Right after I get you girls some lunch.” The next day, Reed felt electrified. Leading the service in Alexia’s name always brought him to the door of deification. Humility always reminded him that it was not his place to ever step past that threshold. That was the realm Alexia walked alone. However, Reed knew his purpose was equally important. He was kneeling in front of a magnificent masterpiece painting of his goddess, the Alicorn of Life, deep in prayer. “May She who guides us in this world and the next be strengthened by my unwavering devotion. May the faithful grow, and empower Her.” It wasn’t easy for the stallion to form a system of beliefs around a reluctant deity, but a few borrowed verses and rituals from several existing religions seemed to do the trick on the absolutely crammed pews behind him. The large basement under the farmhouse was under constant expansion, and even had multiple exits across the vast farm. Currently, over four hundred ponies were in deep prayer. Reed would have gladly prayed longer, but his phone’s alarm told said otherwise. Nevertheless, unquenchable faith surged through him as he stood up, and banged the pommel of his ankh crowned scepter on the ground. “I call the service to a close, may the will of the Goddess be with you.” Hundreds of murmured farewells passed between them as the gathered ponies quickly departed. Only a few hung around to talk to Reed, or continued to pray. Reed never bothered the latter, he’d be there himself were it not for his obligations. The surgeon stood near the ornate silver altar, bidding farewell to those who passed his way when someone caught his eye. “Young Miss, it’s always good to see a new face.” Tina shouldered her duffle bag, and gingerly approached him. “Thank you, um, sir.” Reed chuckled softly. “There’s no need to be shy, my child.” He beckoned her to join him on the front pew. “Tell me, are you new in town, are you not?” Tina fiddled with her forelegs, and was slow to respond. “I just arrived the other day, spent all my money on room and board for the month until I can find some work.” Reed nodded sagely. “You would certainly not be the first. I dare say that over half the townspeople started off much the same way. If you like, I could always use an extra hand, or hoof as it were, around the clinic.” A smug grin threatened to break through Tina’s bashful façade. “That sounds wonderful.” “Of course, my dear. So, was She of Life the one who brought you to Trinity?” “She is, actually,” Tina muttered cautiously. “But why do we worship her against her wishes?” “You are not the first to ask, and I doubt you’ll be the last. You see, my child, Alexia was once mortal as we are. She is not one to care about power, save for magical knowledge perhaps, so She doesn’t like the idea that She’s a goddess. After all, one can shy away from the truth for an eternity, but the truth, is still the truth.” Strange…that sort of makes sense. A shame She of Life will die before ever embracing her birthright. “I… think I understand.” Reed took pity on the seemingly introverted mare. “Why don’t you join me for dinner?” Tina shot him a surprised look. “I don’t think I want a companion this evening, but thanks.” Reed guffawed uproariously. “Heavens dear, no, no, no. I’m already in a herd. No, I just thought you’d like friendly company for a little bit. You’ve only just arrived, and a friendly face is exactly what you need.” Smiles and rainbows. “Oh… well I guess I can do that, if its not too much trouble.” “Of course not. Alexia triumphs the virtues of Harmony, and it is something I strive to follow. In fact—” Pack Rat stepped up from behind, and tapped Reed on the shoulder. “We’ve got a big problem, Preacher.” Tina instantly acted like a wallflower made herself small while Reed answered. “What’s wrong?” Pack Rat briefly glanced at Tina, seeing something odd in how the gold unicorn carried herself, but the issue made her ignore the eerie feeling. “I don’t know how, but Thompson found out about the Congregation. We should be prepared for the strong possibly that he’ll tell the Goddess about us.” “Oh don’t worry,” a voice roared out from behind them. All three turned around to see a heavily clothed unicorn mare, with a face so angry it could sour milk, stomp over to them. “I already know.” Reed and Pack Rat were horrified when the unicorn threw her clothes off, revealing herself to be none other than Alexia Tune. Tina slunk away, banking on the fact that most of Alexia’s attention was fixated on Reed and Pack Rat. YES! I get to see someone get murdered!