//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Training montage // Story: Itinerant Kingdom // by Istaran //------------------------------// The next few weeks were like a honeymoon for us. I know, that's kind of weird. For one, we weren't officially married, not even Wind Chaser and I, and we weren't exactly being monogamous. Also, we were working twelve hours a day, and training eight hours a night. But when we were working the orchards we were free to talk through our spider networks, and we could even let them take over most of the thought behind what we were doing, essentially going on autopilot in a sense. And despite the might and magic that went into our work, it was fundamentally pretty easy to do. During the evenings we made love to one another until we were sure our hosts had gone to sleep. Fog Dancer held out for a few nights before seducing Wind Chaser, and then myself. We got a bit careless with our use of shapeshifting, trusting no one to walk in on us, and as far as we know we were never caught. During the nights, we went out among the trees and trained hard. Wind Chaser taught the rest of us how to fight. Midnight taught Wind and I to be effective with our horns, and Fog Dancer helped us master our wings and even taught us how to do things like cloud walking and manipulating weather. And through it all, I practiced being a conduit for our love, pushing power from one of us to another. We weren't even sure what we were training for. There wasn't going to be another Oak Breaker in our lives, and there wasn't that much likelihood of another train robbery. But it didn't matter. It was fun pushing our limits, growing our abilities, and bonding in our own unique way. There was a song we started singing, a couple days in. I can't remember the lyrics, at least not specifically. To my mind.. it feels like it spanned the weeks, summed them up, wrapped them in a little bow and made them a single, compact little package in my memories. It made the time fly by. It made it hard to remember the details of those days, but not the growth that came from them. Our hosts joined in at times, I vaguely remember that, singing parts that were just made for them, as if the song was written for their cameos. It just felt right at the time.. harmonic. I'm amazed I was able to keep up with my part of it, but it's like the spiders were singing in my blood and I just went along with them. It's hard to explain, and more than a little bit crazy. It's like the world was a musical, at least for a bit. But there was always going to be a time limit to it all. The Pears' orchard was big, but we worked fast. We finished their trees in a week and moved on to the next farm, and the next down the road, making our way slowly toward the east. Toward Gryphonia, where Bardrick lived, on the thought that perhaps he might join us in this timeline as well. It was strange, and started to prey on Wind Chaser's mind first, before the rest of us became uneasy as well. There was a lot of work to do for seasonal workers like us, and no other such workers to be found. Several of these farms should have been picked clean, or nearly so, by the time we arrived. The last farm we visited was desperate to have our help, and it was tempting to take their extremely generous offers, but I decided to insist on only taking the usual rates, and saving a little good will for the future. When we were done, we started moving on, only to cross paths with a small group of travelers. They looked to be a half dozen earth ponies, probably seasonal workers themselves, except that Wind Chaser instantly identified them as changelings. He excused himself from our group loudly, and went over to talk to them. "I'm going to run with this crew for a few weeks. I'll meet up with you later, bro!" he finally said back to us out loud. "Take the mares back home, and don't spend all our bits!" We waved us off, and we returned his friendly goodbye before continuing down the road. Meanwhile, we silently synced up on what was going on. [They don't seem to have recognized me personally, but they certainly recognize a child of their queen. There seems to be a major gathering in Canterlot. They didn't give me details, not sure if they just don't know or assumed I should. Make your way to the city and we'll reunite there.] We remembered the changeling migration when they were under attack by Ryan and his simulacra army in the time that was undone. This felt.. different. That had been a desperate escape, this seemed more coordinated, intentional. Like a stealth invasion. We still weren't sure what was going on, nor entirely of our loyalties in all of this. Wind Chaser was mine, heart mind and soul, but she had been raised in this hive, and they were still her siblings. On the other hand, we lived in Equestria, among the ponies, and while we were.. extra-legal, shall we say, we didn't wish any harm to our host nation. Without knowing their plans, though, it was hard to commit to a course of action other than showing up. When we were separated by enough trees, I took on the form of a larger pegasus stallion, restoring my favorite upside-down compass flank mark, and accepted Midnight onto my solid back. I drew on her love to help power my flight, easily lifting us both as Fog Dancer followed. We would be in Canterlot before Wind Chaser, travelling like this, but that was fine. Our spider subnets could easily communicate over long distances, especially since the Equestrians left large swaths of the radio spectrum unused. The head start was helpful, as we had time to land in lower Canterlot and seek out lodging. Rather than a simple inn, we decided to invest the time and bits to acquire a longer term lease on a modest but spacious home. There was a good chance Wind Chaser and I would be hoofing it again soon, but if Midnight Oil could get back into school, especially here in Canterlot, she could have a shot at getting into an academy, and eventually providing the Kingdom with the benefits of a full fledged wizard. Even if she didn't rejoin our travels, she could help a lot by sending us spell sequences wherever we happened to be, for Wind or I to play out on our horns. And having a safe place to return to would be desirable as well. It was two days before Wind Chaser caught up, time enough for Fog Dancer to find decent work as a foal sitter, and Midnight Oil to get admitted into a new school. The changeling unlocked the door with a magnetic swipe pushing aside the deadbolt, and walked in on an adoring and adorable family sitting around the dinner table with welcome smiles. He shuddered as the warmth of our welcome, genuinely aimed at him and not the disguise he wore, flowed over him. He was every bit as hungry as we were, and quickly took his seat, joining our dinner conversation, and getting his fill without the use of fork or plate, nor deception or force.