//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: A New Home 
// Story: A Wizards Path 
// by mari tech 
//------------------------------//

	Nikolai felt empty, he watched the stars go by, one by one. Some fast, some slow. The sun began to rise over the galaxy. A star shot past. A familiar star falling into a black hole and being spread across every dimension. A star hit him and was knocked into the same black hole, Nikolai felt whole again.

Nikolai woke up face up in the dirt. He took a glance around, Twilight lay beside him. She looks different now. She lays face down. Nikolai tried to sit up and had piercing pain in his back. Aw yes, the spikes. Damn you spikes. Why did spikes have to be so pointy? He was still in a haze and a bit loony. Nikolai shook his head back and forth, he rolled over on his chest and pushed himself up. One look around was all it took for Nikolai to realize where he is.

"HOME!"

Nikolai looked back to Twilight. It hit him then. She had turned human. She had pale white skin with the ever so slightest purple tinge. Her hair was short, but not too short that you can see her scalp, it was colored the same colors in Equestria. Nikolai also realized that he was staring at a unconscious naked girl. He took off his robe revealing his scarred chest and draped it over Twilight. Nikolai took another look around and saw scorch marks that made it look like they were tossed from a explosion. Nikolai checked himself for damage. Arms, check. Legs also check. Head, of course, Wings? Nikolai checked his wings, they had been shortened to a manage-able size. Magic? Nikolai made a spark with his hands. Yup. all that is in order now. Well, now what. Nikolai saw the tree that had taken him to Equestria had self destructed a while ago. Twilight started started to wake up. She was as hazy as Nikolai. 

"Ahh, my everything hurts. My arms are sore and.... Wait, arms?" Twilight looked down and saw her body, most notably that she had a lack of clothes except for the robe Nikolai put on her.

"What in the hell happened. This isn't like the me through the mirror."

"Twilight. Are you okay?"

"Nikolai? Oh thank Celestia you are okay."

"Don't worry about me, i worry about you."

Twilight put on the robe Nikolai put over her.

"Thanks for giving me your robe."

"Yeah, a lot of weird stuff would happen." Twilight saw a very light blush on Nikolai.

"Where are we?"

"Al'gathoria. in the Al'gathorian forest. Home to deadly plants and animals."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah, we should get moving."

"Heh, Déjà vu."

"Basically. But this won't be as long as last time. I know exactly where I am going."

"Good."

"Let's get moving."

"And thank Celestia that this robe goes down to my legs." Twilight tightens the rope across her waste.

"I dress to impress."

Nikolai took lead and started towards home. At the forest edge was ALWAYS something. Looking for easy prey like children and lost adventurers. As Nikolai and Twilight neared the edge He spotted a Talghier wolf. This wolf had cuts on its face. That was one of the wolfs that chased Nikolai. Nikolai was never a firm believer in revenge, but he is going to make a exception,

"Twilight, wait here. I need to take care of the bastard up there."

"Okay."

Nikolai snuck up as close to him. The wolf spotted Nikolai. The wolf got shocked until its fur stood on end. Twilight stood in awe at the beast, it struck fear in her heart. Nikolai came back to her.

"Twilight, are you good?"

"I think so. That thing is scary." 

"That is their tactic, stun and kill. You will be fine."

"Thank you Nikolai."

Nikolai took her hand and led her out of the forest. Her skin was silky and smooth. Both Nikolai and Twilight dashed across open field. The grass seemed to whip at their legs. Every so often Nikolai would get down on his knee, Twilight followed even though she didn't know why he went on his knee. 

"Twilight, look up ahead, tell me what you see."

"I see.... road, some cows, a wooden chest, and some dead bod..."

"That is a mimic ahead, nasty little bastard takes the form of a chest and lures 
greedy adventurers."

"That's a good strategy." 

"Truly."

Nikolai stood out of range of the mimic and sent some fire bolts at it. The bolts just deflected off. This time Nikolai froze it in place.

"That thing isn't going to come out."

Nikolai and Twilight went down the road. They eventually met some traveling merchants. The wife was small with brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The husband was larger with black hair, green eyes, and darker skin. They had a cart attached to a horse.

"Hello travelers do you need supplies?" the male asked them while he got ready to open the cart.

"Yes we do, i need clothes for her." He pointed to Twilight.

"Of course, Do you want to pick out the clothes." He asked Twilight.

"Yes please." Twilight went over to the male and looked around the clothes part of the cart.

"Also, I think we need a steam pistol if you have any."

"We do, we have 3 styles, overhand, double dragon, and double shot." The wife told Nikolai.

"I need one for her, she has never fired a pistol before." 

"Okay, here. The overhand is best. Do you need bullets or steam capsules?" 

"No i have some left from my last adventure." 

"Okay, that will be 63 silver or 40 dollars."

Nikolai hands her 40 dollars and she puts it in her pocket. She gives Nikolai the pistol. The pistol had a single barrel, brass body, and a steel barrel. Nikolai broke open the barrel and checked the breach. It seemed completely new.

"Thank you very much. Also, just so you know. There is a mimic that i froze in place."

"Oh, then you must be a wizard."

"Yeah, one more thing, does this road lead to Castle Nathia?"

"Yes, just go the way we came from. It should be about 2 hours trip."

"Thank you so much."

The wife gave a nod and went to the cart. Twilight was still looking through the clothes, until she found a flight suit with armored padding in it. He didn't listen to much of the conversation. Twilight Went over to Nikolai with the flight suit in her arms.

"They gave me the clothes for free."

"That's nice of them. Can i have my robe back?"

"Of course." 

Nikolai turned around and let Twilight put on the flight suit. After she changed she gave him his robe back.

"Thanks, and you look nice in it."

The flight suit was made mainly of hardened leather, the sleeves were made of wool between linen. That should keep her warm. The weather can be chaotic. Especially around this time of year. The pants were made of full unhardened leather with a couple pockets. She also got some boots that were made of the same leather. Nikolai really liked how she looks in it.

"Aw thank you, but what exactly is this?"

"That is a flight suit with armored padding. That should keep you warm and protected."

"Warm? But it's summer."

"Well here, the weather can be chaotic. So you need to be prepared."

"Okay noted. Also, what do we need flight suits for?"

"That." Nikolai pointed to the sky. Airships of different shapes and sizes, some armed, some with cargo held by a rope below them.

"Woah, that's cool."

"Yeah, and when we get to the castle we can ride on one if you want."

"Oh hell yeah."

Nikolai laughed, she really wanted to ride an airship. 

"Well, we should get a move on, we just go down the road for around 2 hours, then we are home free."

"Okay lead the way."

"Good, before we go though." Nikolai takes out the pistol, loads a capsule of steam in the handle and a bullet in the barrel and cocks the hammer.

"Take this, and put it in your pocket. If something or someone hostile gets near you, pull it out, aim, then pull the trigger."

Nikolai gives her the pistol, Twilight nods.

"Good, lets get going." Nikolai waves to the traveling merchants and go on to the castle."

Nikolai and Twilight stay on the road and meeting other merchants and travelers. some recognized Nikolai. An hour passed on the road and not much had happened. Another hour left until they got to safety.

"Hey Nikolai, what is this castle like?"

"It is the primary trading hub and the most well defended. Normally it is hard to get in, but i'm friends with the guard out front, and I am a wizard so My friends and I can go through no problem."

"Good, because i am getting tired."

"If you are tired, we could take a rest."

"That sounds nice."

Nikolai found a tree a little off the road and made a lean-to against the tree made of rock. There was enough room for both Nikolai and Twilight. Nikolai went in and laid against the tree. As did Twilight. Twilight Closed her eyes and rested her head on Nikolai's shoulder. Nikolai decided that was a good idea. 

Not even 20 minutes later, the grass rustled as dark figures ran through towards the lean-to. Ready to rob whoever was in it. Nikolai heard the bandits and lied still and silenced his heart beat. He waited until the footsteps were right outside. Nikolai pumped magic through his hands and struck the rock causing a blunderbuss of earth shards to fire out. 3 bandits fell motionless in the grass. Twilight woke up with a shock and look to see that they were surrounded by 15 more bandits. She slowly took out the steam pistol and aimed at the nearest bandit forcing him to put his hands up. Nikolai threw a spear made of ice straight into the bandits head, he fell over dead. Nikolai took quick glances at each opponent. He made a slicing motion and made ice spears jut out from the ground and impaled five of the bandits. Twilight kept waving the gun back and forth trying to stop any from making a move. Twilight didn't notice one reach for his own pistol. The bandit lifted the pistol to Twilight who was completely clueless. Nikolai sliced the bandits hand of with a swift slice of his dagger. The bandit screamed with agony, Nikolai span around and back stabbed the bandit ending his pain. Nikolai merely glanced at the remaining bandits before they fled the robbery gone terribly wrong. A bandit took a potshot as he ran, he missed Nikolai but it clipped Twilight's side. Twilight screamed in pain. That scream was one of the worst things he had to hear. Twilight fell to the ground clutching her right side. Nikolai gave a quick look at it and saw that it hit nothing important. Twilight let Nikolai look at the damage, it seemed that the bullet grazed her side, thus not getting buried in her skin. There was just a little blood, but Nikolai could tell that she was in pain. Nikolai looked at his options. He began thinking about the bullet. It could have been poisoned or it had small barbs. He couldn't decide which. He took another look and was sure that it was little barbs. And the bards are metal so that they will work its way in. Well he needs to get her to a healer. Nikolai wasn't the healer type and looked very little into it. Nikolai held his hand over the wound and put a minor painkiller spell on it. Twilight lunged into a hug with Nikolai.

"Thank you so much. That was hurting really bad."

"It's okay, we need to get you to a healer to get the barbs out."

"Is that why is hurt."

"That's the most probable reason."

"Okay, we should probably get moving then."

"Right."

Nikolai and Twilight got back on the road and headed down towards the castle.