Spike/Lasher - A Game of O&O

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Lasher was a rather polite creature, Spike quickly learned. His alien companion had been intimidated into serving Riot before, and he craved power as many symbiotes did, but he was still fairly mild-mannered compared to the others.

He seemed content to stay in the present, not snooping through Spike’s memories unless invited to, and even then he only looked at what he was asked to and didn’t pry into other things.

Lasher also quickly found a fondness for the comics Spike liked to read, and would happily discuss them with him and even make up his own theories and scenarios for the characters.

Spike soon learned just how imaginative his new friend was, and it made him especially eager for the next O&O game he was having with Discord and Big Mac.

The session took place only a few days after Lasher and Spike bonded. Spike told him they were going to go play a game with a couple friends, and Lasher was more than happy to see what they were doing. Spike didn’t give him all the details, wanting it to be a surprise. He just said it was a fantasy roleplaying game, where you and your team go on an adventure together.

Sounds intriguing, Lasher’s deep yet soft voice, as familiar as Spike’s own thoughts now, commented in his head. You seem to have great fondness for this game. I look forward to it.

You’ll love it, you get to be real creative and battle people and solve problems… it’s loads of fun.

He could feel Lasher’s interest at fighting, but he seemed even more interested in getting to be creative.

They were meeting at Sweet Apple Acres for the game, where Big Mac was hosting it in the barn. Spike elected to fly there rather than walk, as Lasher loved flying. They shared control on their way over, Lasher reveling in how the air felt flowing past their body, laughing as they did a few dips and twirls.

All too soon it was time to land, and they glided in and touched down smoothly in front of the barn. The doors were propped open, and Spike walked in to see Big Mac already waiting at a table with some snacks and drinks.

Next to him was Applejack, who seemed to just be hanging out. Her symbiote, Phage, was partly out of her body as well, a juice box in hand as he chatted with Applejack and Mac.

“Hey guys!” Spike called, jogging up to the table.

“Mornin’, Spike!” Applejack greeted him.

Phage was taking a drink, but he aimed a finger gun at Spike in greeting.

“Good day so far?” Spike asked as he hopped onto a chair.

“Eyup,” Mac said, and pushed a small bowl over to him.

“You got me sapphires? Oh you’re the best!” Spike happily grabbed the handful of small sapphires out of the bowl, tossing them in his mouth.

Lasher emerged from his side and nodded to Phage. “Phage.”

“Lasher,” the other answered bluntly.

Spike had learned that the symbiotes in Riot’s gang weren’t especially friendly with each other, instead treating each other with a curt respect based on strength. But he hoped to ease them into being more friendly, and Lasher was making attempts.

“Have you and Scorn made much progress with our ship?” Lasher asked.

Phage gave a shrug and set the juice box down, now empty. “We’re doing what we can though we may need to order supplies to fix some of the external damage.”

Lasher nodded. “I wish you luck. I’m not the best with repair but I can help if you need.”

“We’ve got it.”

“Very well.” Lasher settled his chin on top of Spike’s head and looked away.

Spike coughed awkwardly and looked at Mac. “Heard from Discord?”

“Nope.”

“Ah, well I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

Applejack gestured to Phage and spent a few moments looking into his eyes, and a silent conversation must have happened because she then said, “Well, Phage and I reckon we ought to get to our chores. Have fun with your game, Big Mac, just make sure you give the pigs dinner tonight!”

He agreed and she headed out.

Once the two were gone, Spike said to Lasher, “So, Phage seems to be doing well.”

“Yes, well enough. I see he’s still quite proud, though. Doesn’t like accepting help from others. But he’s always been that way.”

“Just like my sis,” Mac commented. He smiled. “But she came around to letting ponies help her and that alien of hers will too.”

“Oh so you can say more than one word at a time!” Lasher teased.

Mac snorted. “Fellows like me prefer to let our actions speak for us.”

“Ah, we are not too different then, friend. I often prefer silence to speaking. But when I do speak, I want my words to be important.”

Mac nodded in agreement.

“Oh he says that, but you should hear how he geeks out about comics when he’s alone with me,” Spike said.

“That’s a secret,” Lasher admonished him, slapping a couple thin tendrils against his shoulder.

Spike and Mac laughed, and after a few moments he even joined in with some soft chuckles. “I do have my passions,” he admitted. “It’s nice to be able to speak without hearing Riot tell me to shut up.”

“I’m surprised you guys didn’t just kill him,” Spike said.

“Trust me, we considered it. But he was quite a bit tougher than many of us. And if he was taken down, well… Carnage likely would have succeeded him. And none of us wanted that.”

Spike didn’t know much about Carnage. Just that he had gotten out of the museum before Twilight and Venom went to rescue the symbiotes, and has been on the run since. He could still be in Light Touch, but maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he wasn’t even in Equestria anymore. There was no way to know.

But Lasher has told him a bit about Carnage. He was brutal. Sadistic. Bloodthirsty and born to be a member of Riot’s team. He knew nothing else but force and domination. Riot at least had some tact. He was a good planner. Carnage simply longed for destruction.

Spike gave a little shiver at the feelings of apprehension that Lasher still had for his old teammate. Lasher rubbed his back. “Indeed, we would have been doomed if Carnage led us. But let’s not speak of him, hm? It’s over. I and the others can live our own lives and I’m thankful for it. I can choose when to be quiet and when to talk at length. It’s quite refreshing.”

Spike tapped his claws on the table as he looked around, and sighed. “Where is Discord? It’s past time to get started…”

“Did someone say Discord?” And just like that, the tall draconequus was silently popping into existence next to them. Spike and Mac were used to it, but Lasher recoiled a bit.

“What the-”

Discord spotted him and grinned, leaning down to inspect him. “Ah! You must be one of those symbiote creatures! I’ve been eager to meet one of you. I’m Discord!” He held his paw out.

Lasher gave Spike an unsure look, and Spike nodded to him, telling him in thought that it was okay, Discord was a friend. So Lasher relaxed and lifted more strands of his body out of Spike’s, forming them into an arm and a hand so he could shake Discord’s paw. “I’m Lasher.”

Discord enthusiastically shook. “A pleasure it is to meet you! Always a joy to meet friends of my friends, and you and Spike already seem to be bosom buddies, haha!”

Spike chuckled and Lasher couldn’t help but smile. “Oh yes, we’ve connected quite a bit.”

Discord practically howled with laughter. “And you’ve got jokes! Oh we’re going to get along swimmingly. So, my extraterrestrial friend, are you ready to enter the world of Ogres & Oubliettes?”

“I don’t know what to expect, I intentionally didn’t check Spike’s memories of the game, but I’m looking forward to it,” Lasher replied.

“You’re in for a treat.” Discord rubbed his hands together. He snagged an apple off the table and tossed it into his mouth, crunching it in one bite. Then he said, “Well, Spike and Big Mac? Shall we begin?”

“Eyup!” Mac replied.

“Yes, let’s go!” Spike cheered.

Discord snapped his fingers. Immediately their surroundings changed, the barn disappearing and the dank walls of a dim cave surrounding them.

The temperature dropped to chilly, and Lasher exclaimed in shock, curling tighter around Spike. “What the fuck?” he demanded.

Big Mac was surprised by his language but Discord only beamed. “Finally, someone else who fucking swears.”

Lasher looked rapidly between the three of them, and added, “And what the hell are you all wearing?”

Spike, now with a full mustache and beard and carrying a staff, said, “I am now the wizard Garbunkle!”

Big Mac, clad in armor and now carrying a large sword using unicorn magic (he had a horn now!), nodded and said, “I’m the knight, Sir McBiggun.”

Discord was wielding a bow and his mane had changed into a flowing blonde one, and he wore a green tunic. “You may call me Captain Wuzz, the leader of our little outfit!”

“We’ve been over this, you’re not our leader,” Spike said with a scowl.

“Well if not for me we never would have gotten this deep into the cave without dying!”

Spike looked at the clearly confused Lasher and explained, “This is a roleplaying game. We’re all playing as characters we’ve created, which lets us be different from how we are in real life. And Discord is using his power to bring the game world to life. Which means I can now use magical spells like a wizard can, Big Mac is now a unicorn knight with sword fighting skills, and Discord gets to be an archer and solve problems with his wits instead of just snapping his fingers and fixing everything.”

Fiddling with an arrow, Discord said, “I’ll admit, it’s quite fun having to restrict myself to this weapon.”

“I see,” Lasher said. “I’ve been in simulations much like this, though they had more of a focus on training and quite real pain when you’re harmed.”

Discord immediately fired an arrow and it clanged off Mac’s armor, but Mac winced and growled at him. Discord smirked. “There’s still pain here.”

“Couldn’t you have proven that without shooting him?” Spike demanded.

“Calm your beard, I didn’t fully draw the bow, he’s fine.”

Lasher inspected their surroundings. “So we’re in a cave.”

“We’re hunting for treasure,” Spike explained. “So, now that you’re here with us, would you like to play a character or just hang out and see how things work?”

“I’d like to play.”

“Alright, just tell Discord what kind of character you want to be and he’ll change you into it.”

“What kind…?”

“Yeah, so… I think it’d be easiest to choose an alignment first. You could be good, neutral, or evil, and then lawful or chaotic…” Spike took a few minutes to explain the alignments, while also letting Lasher look at his memories for more information.

After some thought, Lasher suggested, “Perhaps I could try chaotic neutral-”

“Absolutely not, there’s only room for one chaotic neutral in this party and that’s me,” Discord interrupted.

Lasher gave him a look, and Spike sighed and said, “He’s pretty defensive. I think he just doesn’t want to be upstaged.” Discord snorted but didn’t deny it. Spike went on, “Just choose something else, nothing’s stopping you from still playing like a chaotic neutral if you want.”

Lasher considered, and said, “Fine then. Lawful evil.”

Mac stared and Discord whooped. “Excellent! Haha, you and lawful good Sir McBiggun over there are gonna butt heads a lot.”

“I’m neutral good so you’ll probably get a lot of pushback from me too,” Spike commented. “But that makes the game interesting! Now, for your class… hm.”

“Since he’s attached to you, we might have to modify some rules,” Discord said. “We could say that during our last battle, you were possessed by a demonic creature who lives within this cave, but turns out it would rather share your body and go along on our adventure! Supplementing your magical power with its own!”

“We can, if Lasher is okay with being a demon.” Spike looked at the other. “What do you think? Maybe you can be a demon, and also get the power to cast your own spells.”

“I like it!”

“A lawful evil demon sorcerer it is,” Discord said. He gave his fingers another snap, and Lasher shivered as a strange feeling swept through him. “As we recover from our last battle, Garbunkle realizes that something, or rather someone, seems to have taken advantage of his weakness to fuse with his body!”

Spike quickly got into character, aiming his staff at Lasher and demanding, “Who are you, foul beast?”

Lasher grinned and said in an ominous voice, “I’m known by many names, mortal, but you may call me Lucidoth, defiler of dreams.”

“Nice,” Discord whispered.

Spike swallowed nervously but kept his aim steady. “What do you want with me, dark one?”

“Nothing too terrible. You are part of a capable team of fighters. I would like to accompany you.”

Spike glanced at the others.

Discord said, “And what can you bring to our team?”

Lasher chuckled. “Knowledge, Captain Wuzz. I know these caves far better than you do.”

Discord lifted his bow partway. “How do you know my name?”

“I know everything he does, now,” Lasher replied, pointing a tendril to Spike’s head.

“Why should we trust you?” Mac demanded.

Lasher gave them a smug smile. “You shouldn’t. But do you have any choice?”

They relented, admitting that without a cleric, they had no safe way of removing him from Spike.

They continued on their path, and Discord broke character to tell Lasher how good he was at this.

“Thank you. I like getting to use my imagination like this.”

Lasher settled into the character of “Lucidoth the demon” quite quickly and naturally. He began referring to the others by their character names, and he picked up the rules easily. His presence caused all of Spike’s spells to be stronger, and he also provided a faster healing rate. He was capable of his own magic as well, and during encounters with hostile creatures, would blast them with cold ice spells that tended to freeze them long enough for the other three to defeat them.

He spent most of the session extended out of Spike’s body, forming himself into the upper half of a stereotypical demon with horns and sharp-clawed hands. At one point, inspired by Spike’s wings, he even popped his own little set of bat wings out of his back.

According to the others, he looked quite unsettling. They liked it though, joking that he should make himself look like that outside of the game. He laughed and said he would consider it.

Eventually they made it to a large cavern, where an ornate but rusty chest sat in the center. Water dripped down around it from stalactites, and precious gems filled bowls in front of it.

“Don’t get excited yet, Garbunkle,” Lasher said. “It’s guarded.”

“By what?” Spike asked, taking a few steps into the cavern with Mac and Discord right next to him.

A screech echoed through the room and the walls shook, and a cascade of rocks suddenly came down and blocked the tunnel they came from.

Lasher sighed. “By that.”

A huge lindwyrm crawled out from a nook to the side, screeching at them again. Its powerful arms dragged it across the ground while its tail lashed angrily.

Discord nocked an arrow and Mac unsheathed his sword, while Spike charged his staff.

“You know how to beat it, right?” Spike asked.

“Why would I? I never came down here, I wasn’t going to piss that thing off.”

The lindwyrm draped its long lower body around the chest to guard it, and hissed at them.

“We’ve fought worse than this!” Discord declared, charging forward and loosing his arrow. It flew true, striking the lindwyrm directly between the eyes.

And bouncing off and clattering to the floor, the arrowhead shattered.

Spike, Discord, and Mac all gasped. Lasher just yawned. “Its scales are harder than steel. No regular arrow can pierce it.”

“Regular arrow, huh?” Discord reached back into his quiver and retrieved a different arrow, readying it and taking aim again. “Let’s see how it likes this!”

“Aren’t those the manasteel arrows you got from the elf village?” Spike asked.

“Indeed! Take this!” Discord fired it.

The lindwyrm roared and the arrow struck the roof of its mouth and embedded deep inside. The roar turned pained and several stalactites fell from the ceiling. The party dodged them, though Mac got clipped in the hoof by one and grunted as it cut his ankle, and Spike had to whip his tail out of the way of another.

“Well done. You’ve pissed it off,” Lasher remarked.

Leaving the chest behind, the lindwyrm raced toward them. They ran to meet it, engaging it in combat. It was a fierce opponent, most of their attacks glancing off its scales, and it was able to bite faster than they could react. It tore bloody gashes in them and they cried out in pain, but didn’t give up the fight.

Several times, Spike had to cast healing magic for the party, then get right back into offensive attacks.

The lindwyrm seemed tireless, continuously slashing at them with its arms and snapping with its teeth, and Spike began begging Lasher to tell him something, anything that could give them an advantage.

Lasher eventually relented, saying, “Well, I suppose our adventure will end if I let you all die. So, flip the beast onto its back and stab its underbelly.”

“Of course!”

It took effort from all four of them, but they managed to wrestle the creature over onto its back, allowing Mac to bury his sword into the soft skin of its stomach.

With a final loud scream, it died and went limp.

“No blood? Lame,” Lasher said as Mac retrieved his sword.

“You could have helped us sooner, you know,” Spike muttered.

“I thought we were just having fun with it. Doesn’t everyone know the stomach is the weak point?”

The others grumbled, and they stepped past the carcass to reach the chest. Spike picked up one of the bowls of gemstones to look through, and Discord tried to open the chest itself. The lid didn’t budge.

“Locked,” he stated. “McBiggun, you packed lockpicks, right?”

“Eyup.” Mac turned his side to Discord, who opened his saddlebag and rummaged through it to get a lockpick.

“Discord has the highest dexterity out of all of us, so he’s least likely to snap a pick inside a lock,” Spike explained to Lasher.

Discord got down next to the chest and began working to unlock it, while Mac searched the lindwyrm for valuables.

“Its hide could make a better armor than what you’re currently wearing,” Lasher informed him.

Mac blinked. Then grinned and began cutting the hide off.

“Glad to have you along, Lucidoth,” Spike said.

“Glad to come along. I think this will be a lucrative partnership for both of us.”

“Agreed.”

Discord successfully opened the chest. He tossed the lid up and whistled. “Jackpot. Spellbooks, enchanted arrows, even a sword!”

The others crowded around to look. Mac gleefully traded out his sword for the new one, which had higher stats. Spike collected the spellbooks and learned the abilities within, and Discord added the arrows to his quiver.

There was also a pretty sum of gold at the bottom of the chest, which they distributed between them along with the gems.

When they were done collecting everything of value, they closed the chest and began examining the cavern for an exit.

Mac, now wearing armor fashioned from the lindwyrm’s hide, pointed toward the far back of the cavern. “That looks like a way out.”

“Yes, there should be a small tunnel back to the surface that way,” Lasher confirmed. “May be hard for Wuzz to fit through standing up, though. He’ll need to crawl.”

Discord scoffed. “Wonderful.”

They headed out. The tunnel was cramped and slick with water, but it sloped steadily upward. Discord had to go down on all fours to keep from hitting his head and Mac had to crouch slightly.

They were sweaty and panting when they finally climbed out, right on the banks of a lovely river.

“That’d explain the water,” Discord commented.

“The lindwyrm probably came out here to fish,” Spike said. He wiped himself off and looked up at the bright blue sky. “Well! Another successful adventure!”

They cheered, and Discord said, “I love a good spelunking!”

“Wanna head into town to do some shopping or should we wait for next week?” Spike asked, looking mostly at Lasher. In thought, he told him that was his way of asking if they should stop or keep playing.

“Shopping!” Lasher declared.

They spent a good few hours continuing to play O&O. They walked to the nearest town and sold off some of their gems, and then explored the shops. Discord got more arrows and a fresh tunic to replace his tattered one. Mac took his new sword to be sharpened, as there was no telling how long it was in the chest or what happened to it beforehand.

Spike and Lasher merely looked around before deciding to go to the local tavern for a well-earned meal.

“It’s amazing how Discord was able to bring all this to life,” he commented. “He has so much power, and he uses it for games like this.”

“Yeah, way more fun than just imagining all this, huh?” Spike replied through a mouthful of rice.

“Yes, but I’m surprised he chooses to do this instead of, I don’t know, trying to rule Equestria like the princesses do.”

“Oh, haha, trust me… he’s tried. But he wouldn’t make a very good ruler. He’s too chaotic. He prefers using his power to just have fun and entertain his friends. Being in charge is no fun and if he does make it fun, then ponies will get hurt. He doesn’t want to hurt anypony anymore. So yeah, he’s happy where he’s at now.”

“I see. Well, as long as he’s happy.”

They were joined after a while by the other two members of their party, and after dinner they went on a mini quest that basically just involved fetching someone’s lost necklace from a dangerous forest, but it was fun enough.

After returning the necklace, they decided to finish up the session. With a wave of the hand, Discord returned them all to the Sweet Apple Acres barn.

Their clothes and weapons disappeared. Mac returned to being an earth pony, Discord no longer had flowing locks. Lasher could no longer thrust a hand forward and shoot ice out of it. He was mildly disappointed.

“Have fun?” Spike asked him.

“Loads of fun,” he answered. “I never got to do anything like that when I served Riot. Thank you so much for including me. We must play again soon.”

“And we will,” Discord replied. “Next week we can get together again.”

“Excellent.”

“It was a joy having you along, Lucidoth.”

“Yeah, never knew a demon could be such a good companion,” Spike laughed.

“You would have been lost without me,” Lasher said smugly.

They discussed the game and settled on a place to meet next week. Then they went their separate ways, and Lasher sank under Spike’s skin for the flight back, sharing the control with him like they did on the way over.

He only emerged once they were back in Twilight’s castle, and Spike noticed that he had a little pair of wings still sticking out of his back when he did.

“Aw, are you keeping those?” he asked.

Lasher gave them a flap. “I find them pleasant to have. Do they fit me?”

“You look good with them.”

They passed Twilight on their way to their room, and she stopped to greet them.

“Hey, how did Ogres & Oubliettes go?” she asked.

“Wonderful,” Lasher spoke up. “It’s a very imaginative game and I enjoyed getting to play as a magical demon helping a trio of adventurers explore a cave.”

“Helping is an overstatement,” Spike said. “But we did find the treasure we were after and killed a lindwyrm.”

Venom stretched his body out of Twilight and asked, “Aren’t lindwyrms a relative of your kind?”

Spike shrugged. “Ah, it was a fantasy lindwyrm, nothing wrong with killing one of those.”

“I see.”

“I’m glad you both had fun,” Twilight said. “Maybe Venom and I should join you one day. I used to get dragged into playing that with Shining and would usually be a cleric.”

“We could certainly use one of those,” Spike said. “Good alignment, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Fitting,” Lasher said. “Personally I enjoyed being evil.”

“Ooh, one can be evil in this game?” Venom asked. “Now I really do want to try it.”

Twilight laughed. “Of course you do. You’d probably like it.”

“We’re playing next week and stopped at a town, you could totally hop in, finding a way for your characters to meet us would be super easy,” Spike said.

“We’ll have to think about it. Thanks for the invitation.” Twilight looked at Venom, then said, “We’re going to get dinner started. Want to help?”

“Sure!” Spike fell into step next to her as she headed for the kitchen, and they discussed the game along the way.

He and Lasher were eager for next week.

Applejack/Phage - Healing and Repairs

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“You ain’t very talkative,” Applejack commented to her symbiotic companion as she walked away from the barn.

“Must I be?” Phage replied dully.

“No, you’re free to be whoever you are, I was just makin’ an observation, that’s all.”

“Hmph. This world is still strange to me. So open. So friendly. You and your friends are very different from Riot and my other teammates.”

“That’s for sure. But I hope you’re able to settle in here. Or at least, if you do plan on goin’ home once that ship of yours is repaired, that your stay here was comfortable.”

“I would prefer to return to my planet. It may have its faults but it’s familiar. Scream is also likely to join me in returning. And possibly Scorn.”

“You think the others already want to stay?” Applejack asked as she entered the orchard, inspecting the trees for any problems.

“Well let’s see. Riot is dead so there’s no more mission for us, and we certainly can’t expect a warm welcome back home. Venom is infatuated with his host and will absolutely stay with her. Lasher has already seemed to become quite close to that dragon host of his and Slasher has also bragged about the strength of their host, talking about how they’re sure it will be a lifelong bond. I haven’t spoken much with Agony but they were discontent with our mission before, so I can’t see her returning to our planet. You remember when I spoke to her about if she’ll assist with the ship repairs, yes?”

“I recall you having me meet with Rarity but then you and Agony didn’t really talk out loud, you just reached out to touch each other and I guess talked like that?”

“Oh yes, that’s right. I guess we did. That’s a common form of communication between us when we are without hosts. Old habits die hard. Well, our discussion was brief. She was never good at maintenance. She’s a creative type and struggled on our team, providing little except additional firepower when we carried out our attacks on various worlds. She told me outright that bonding with that unicorn was the best decision she’s made and that she was leaving her old life in the past. So no, she would not be assisting with the ship. That was when I said goodbye, disconnected, and had us leave.”

“Ah. No wonder you were disappointed.”

“Yes. But no matter. It is Agony’s decision and it’s good that she’s found a place for herself. Now for the others. Scream always reveled in destruction. She was vicious in a fight and she made people fear her. She was cocky and she deserved to be. And now she’s in the nicest, most peaceful pony around. She’s restless. When I talked to her about the ship, she said she would like to help when she can but her host has a busy schedule, with many animals to look after, and her free time was spent relaxing and socializing with friends. Scream said Fluttershy would be happy to go to Canterlot when she could but it likely wouldn’t happen very often. Scream has made it very clear that she would be on the first trip home as soon as the ship is fixed.”

“She definitely seemed to clash with Fluttershy when they met,” Applejack said. She inspected a hole in one of the tree trunks that seemed new. After some examination, she determined it was from a woodpecker and shouldn’t do any lasting harm. She kept walking. “But Fluttershy also seemed to impress her by standing up to her.”

“She was impressed. But she is still bored and has little in common with her host’s interests. Maybe they will find something to bond over. But likely not, and Scream will return home.”

“And how about Scorn? You said she’ll probably go back?”

“Yes. She’s highly intelligent and craves challenge in her life. She handled all our logistics and strategies. She maintained the technology and computer systems on the ship. Sure, Riot was our leader. If you asked him who his second in command was, he’d praise that psycho Carnage to no end. But we all knew who was really running things behind the scenes. Scorn.”

“I see. Then she sounds like a perfect match for Princess Celestia. Running a kingdom isn’t easy. Celestia is constantly facing new challenges, but with her patience and wisdom, and her strong friendship with her people, she finds solutions. I think the two of them can learn a lot from each other.”

“Hm, you raise a good point. Celestia is a ruler. One who is beloved and powerful, as I can see in your memories of her. And when we checked out the ship together the other day, Scorn already seemed in harmony with Celestia. Scorn kept her informed about everything we were discussing and she asked intelligent questions about our technology. Yes, Scorn might want to pursue new horizons back home. But then, she may just stay here where she can have experiences that Klyntar could never give her. I can see her going either way.”

Applejack nodded in understanding. “I hope when the time comes for her to make that decision, she makes one she’s happy with, then.”

“Indeed. Maybe I’ll ask her about it this afternoon. Will you still be able to take me to Canterlot?”

“Yep, I made sure to set aside the afternoon for ya. Will anyone besides you and Scorn be there?”

“Unlikely. Though Slasher may swing by. Their host is fast and may fly to Canterlot to assist us for a bit.”

“And how 'bout Pinkie’s symbiote? How is Hysteria feelin' about all this?”

“Impossible to say. Hysteria is an enigma. Her thoughts are known only to her. And Pinkie now, obviously.”

“Whew, those two sure belong together like red on a barn.” Applejack got up on her hind legs and placed her front hooves on one of the apple trees as she looked up into the branches. The leaves didn’t seem as vibrant as they should be. “I see them prancing around town all the time, happy as can be. Usually suited up, as Twilight calls it. I wonder what they’re up to. You didn’t have me meet with them.”

“Nope. Hysteria is like Agony, a poor mechanic. Scatterbrained, too. Loud and giggly. Her only redeeming quality that kept her on the team was her sheer talent in killing whoever Riot told her to. It would be quick, merciless, and she’d do it gladly. So she got to stay.”

Applejack froze. “Oh. Ah. That’s… something.”

Phage swirled a bit under her skin. “You seem uncomfortable. But we were a team of killers, as you should know.”

“I know but there’s a difference between me knowing y’all are killers, and hearing you outright admit to Hysteria killing people. Happily, at that.”

“Yes, quite frankly it was disturbing. She did make us laugh sometimes with her antics, though. Riot never cared much for morale but Hysteria usually kept us entertained.” Phage looked up into the branches with Applejack for a few moments before saying, “Do you need a closer look?”

“I might, this tree’s been sick before and it might be feeling under the weather again, I’ll need to get a ladder so I can check the branches up there for-”

“Ladder? Nonsense. Allow me.” Phage extended four strong tendrils and pushed them up off the ground, lifting them halfway up the trunk before Applejack could react.

Once she did realize her hooves were off the ground, she flailed and reflexively tried to grab the tree to balance herself.

“Relax, I’ve got us.” Phage kept them balanced, using three tendrils to stand on and lifting the fourth to wrap around a branch. “Now, is this high enough?”

Applejack checked how far up they were and then nodded. “Yeah, this is good. Thanks.” She began testing the branches to see if they felt weaker.

“You’re welcome.”

“Though next time you decide to make us taller, could you ask first?”

“Sure.”

Applejack kept making conversation as she worked. She had been a little unsure about Phage when they first bonded but now she was glad to have someone she could chat with at any time. “So, out of curiosity, can your species bond with any organism?”

“If it’s cellular life, yes, we can bond to it.”

“So not just critters, then. You could bond to, say… a tree?”

“Hypothetically, yes. But I wouldn’t see why anyone would want to. Trees aren’t capable of much movement nor do they have attack capabilities. There are certainly plant species I’ve come across on other worlds that can move and attack, and I would make do with such a host, but this kind of plant?” Phage knocked on the tree trunk. “No. Bonding to this would be a waste of my time.”

“I was just curious.” Applejack frowned at what she found in her examination. “It’s weak. There’s a blight we get sometimes that makes the branches grow weak and they sometimes snap under their own weight. And the apples tend not to reach their normal size.”

“There’s a medicine for the blight, yes?”

“There is but we’re gettin’ low and it’s pricey. But we’ll have to make due. We always do.” Applejack patted the tree trunk gently. “Poor thing. Don’t worry, we’ll get you right as rain in no time.”

“You speak to it as though it’s listening to you.”

“I reckon it is. Trees may not speak or move like us ponies, but they’re alive, and they watch and listen in their own way. These trees know they’re being looked after and they give back.”

It was a weird perspective to Phage but he simply said, “I see.” He could hear in her thoughts how much nature meant to her. He wasn’t going to disparage it.

Applejack smiled at him and then looked back to the tree. He felt her try to assert control over their tendrils and mentally stepped aside to allow her. She was a bit wobbly but she figured them out quickly, moving around to the other side of the tree to keep examining it. “Y’all can heal your hosts, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a good power to have. Now if only you could heal a tree.”

“Who says I can’t?” Phage took hold of the trunk. He knew from Applejack’s memories of treating this disease what the tree needed. And as he connected to the tree he confirmed what was wrong. It was being afflicted with a fungus that was steadily feeding off the tree’s energy.

It only took seconds for him to send tendrils carefully up the trunk and into the affected limbs, rearranging cells, filling the chloroplasts with some of his own energy before unceremoniously plucking the fungus from the bark and tossing them with all the indifference of a pony removing an old scab.

With that done, he returned the branches to their original, healthy strength and did a final check before withdrawing himself from the tree and returning entirely to Applejack.

From her perspective it had just looked like he was touching it, but a few moments after he pulled back, she realized what he had done. “Wait, did you…” She felt the branches and then brightened. “You did! You healed it!”

“It was quite simple,” Phage replied.

“It’s still incredible. Thank you so much.”

Phage had to admit, it was nice being appreciated. He inclined his head.

They lowered back down to the ground and kept walking. The rest of the inspection went very well, Phage and Applejack talking about the orchard and occasionally lifting up high on their tendrils to check trees more closely. If any of them needed to be healed, Phage was able to connect and help them.

It made the inspection go incredibly fast and it was only a few hours past noon when they returned to the house.

“I’ve been able to get my work done so much faster since you came around,” Applejack said as she grabbed a few small chocolate candies to snack on; Phage was craving chocolate right now and making her want some too. Besides, it was actually healthy for him. “I’m glad I met you.”

“It’s been an interesting few days for sure,” Phage replied as he unwrapped one of the chocolates for himself. “Your life is strenuous but rewarding. I am happy to play some role in making it easier. You’ve done me a great kindness in letting me share your body and I want to pay it back.”

“Aw shucks, I appreciate that but you don’t need to feel obligated to help me. Kindness is its own reward.”

“I know. But this is just how I am. If I receive help, I prefer to help in return.”

“I feel the same way.” Applejack finished her chocolate and watched as Phage enjoyed his. “Maybe we should have a proper lunch before going to Canterlot.”

“I could certainly go for a bite. What are you thinking?”

“I’ve had a bit of a hankering for some of our apple jelly all day, so how about peanut butter and jelly?”

Phage would have liked meat but he was very familiar by now with how ponies felt about that. “Sounds tasty.” Food was food, he supposed.

The sandwich didn’t take long to make. Applejack was quite generous with the jelly and Phage convinced her to put in plenty of peanut butter too. The end result was a rather messy sandwich that leaked out the other side the moment Applejack took a bite.

Phage formed an arm and reached out of her with it, swiping his fingers across the plate to pick up the jelly and give it a taste. It was sweet and delicious. In his short time with Applejack he’s already gotten to taste a number of homemade Apple family foods and they were all great. Even something as simple as this sandwich that foals could make was hitting the spot.

He let himself share Applejack’s sense of taste as she ate, enjoying the sandwich right alongside her. They had some chips too and drank a few glasses of water before indulging in, of course, apple juice.

Once they were done with lunch, they went ahead and washed their dishes then got ready for their trip.

Phage didn’t need to bring anything, saying all the repair supplies were on the ship itself. Applejack decided to bring her saddlebags anyway along with some granola bars for the train ride. She also made sure she had the pass that permitted her onto the military base where the ship was being stored.

Once the pass was secured, they said goodbye to Apple Bloom and Granny Smith before heading out. They briefly looked in the barn but it was empty aside from a sort of distortion in the air that tipped them off that Discord was manipulating reality. Still playing Ogres & Oubliettes with his party, then. Applejack quietly closed the door and continued on.

She headed into town at a trot, not wanting to miss the train. She was pretty familiar with the schedule of trips to Canterlot and knew there would be one in only ten minutes. If she missed that it would be around an hour until the next one.

Though maybe if that happened, she could just ask Twilight to teleport her. She was pretty proficient with that spell these days.

Applejack could see the train pulling into the station as she came into view of the building. She broke into a gallop.

Easy, it’ll be stopped for at least ten minutes, Phage commented in her head. He had gone completely under her skin for the trip as his appearance tended to creep ponies out. Equestria may have been informed of the existence of the symbiotes but it’s only been a few days and ponies were definitely not used to it yet.

Applejack didn’t reply to Phage’s remark, just continuing to run. He chuckled and casually extended his control to share with her, making them run even faster. Their hooves hardly touched the ground with how fast they were galloping. Phage kept their breathing even and their head held steady, eyes on their goal.

Next thing they knew, they were skidding to a stop and clambering up onto the platform next to the train. Ponies were giving them amused looks.

Applejack grinned. “Didn’t want to miss the train.” It’s been a while since she ran like that but she wasn’t even breathing hard. She thanked Phage in thought and then hurried to get a ticket. Once she had it, she made her way onto the train and went to find a seat, sighing in relief.

It was only a couple minutes later that the train began to move.

We made it with plenty of time, Phage said.

Applejack shook her head. It was pretty close. Let’s be more careful next time.

Fine.

The trip was pleasant. The two relaxed and looked out the window for most of it, sharing their thoughts with each other. Phage found Equestria beautiful. It was like nowhere else he’s ever been and he would miss it when he left.

You can always visit, Applejack pointed out.

Yes, I suppose so. Phage did kind of want to stay. But he felt like he would become bored with this place quickly. Sure, Applejack and her friends have had lots of exciting adventures, but otherwise his host seemed to live a fairly mundane life. Being a farmer just wasn’t his style.

They went through about half of the snacks Applejack had packed for the trip and decided to leave the rest for the return trip. When they arrived in Canterlot, they set off for the Royal Guard base near the palace. They’ve only been here once before and that was only while helping in the transport of the ship from the Baltimare Science Museum to here. The symbiotes had run diagnostics on the ship and then made some quick repairs on the spot before deciding to get together later to begin the difficult repairs. There would be a lot to do.

It wasn’t difficult finding the base and when they approached the gate, Applejack took the pass out of her saddlebags and offered it to the guard.

He accepted it and scanned it closely, and upon seeing Celestia’s seal, smiled and passed it back with a tip of the head. “Go on in, ma’am.”

Applejack thanked him and walked through the gate. She hesitated once inside the base, looking around at the many buildings and the different directions the road took. It had been night when the ship was brought here so she hadn’t gotten a clear look at where they had gone, she just knew the general direction.

Luckily, Phage had an excellent memory along with night vision and directed her on where to go. He stayed hidden under her coat but nudged at her nerves, asking if he could take over. She allowed him and he took control, trotting down the street. He’s done it a few times but it was always weird to Applejack having her body controlled by someone else. It felt like she was moving herself, yet at the same time, there was a disconnect from her limbs. But she trusted Phage. They shared control of her head and eyes, though. Phage only occasionally looked around himself to get his bearings. Otherwise, Applejack was able to freely check out her surroundings.

This base was where new Royal Guards received their training. That was mostly done in a separate area but she occasionally saw the trainees being marched by their instructors or traveling on their own in pairs or small details, identifiable by the lack of a unique crest on their helmets that matched their mane colors, instead all having a standardized blue color that matched the star on the front of their armor. Apparently the unique helmet crest was received upon completion of their training.

She eventually moved away from the areas trainees visited altogether, passing through another gate into a secure, fenced area that contained maintenance depots for various Royal Guard vehicles and equipment.

There were also nondescript, windowless buildings with their own dedicated guards that she was certain were used for intel purposes. Who knew what sort of secrets the Equestrian government could be hiding there.

I’m sure there’s plenty they’re hiding from you. Perhaps we could sneak in one night and take a look, hm?

We’ll do no such thing, do you know how much trouble we’d get into?

A lot, which is why I said sneak. We won’t let them catch us.

A place like this definitely has cameras. They probably got that fancy infrared. They’d see us no matter what we do. And it’d go up to the princesses, and they’d recognize us.

Ah, you’re no fun. What’s life without a little risk?

I’ll take risks but only when there’s a reward in it. I see no reward in findin’ out secrets I couldn’t even share.

Whatever you say. I still think it’d be a fun adventure.

They found Celestia waiting outside the hangar the ship was stored in with a couple of her personal guards on either side of her. She stood taller as Applejack approached. “Ah, Applejack and Phage, good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Princess,” Applejack replied, going down slightly on one of her front legs and inclining her head.

“Thank you but you don’t need to do that,” Celestia chuckled.

“Sorry.” Applejack straightened. “It’s a habit.”

“I greatly appreciate the meaning behind the gesture, but I consider us good friends. There’s no need for such formality whenever we meet.”

“Right. I’ll try to remember.” Applejack felt awkward as she followed Celestia into the building, the guards remaining behind to watch the door. She’s met with Celestia many times now but it was still hard not to bow upon meeting her. It just felt right.

Such subservience to such a kind being. This world truly is odd.

It’s not subservience, it’s simply a sign of respect. She’s a princess and that’s the customary greeting, that’s all.

Lowering oneself and presenting the back of your neck as a greeting? That is absolutely a show of submission, no matter how you try to explain it now. It’s placing yourself at her mercy. She could easily slay you. And you know it, so you respect her power.

That’s not why I respect-

Perhaps not consciously. But you’re an animal. A herd animal at that. Your instinct is to submit to the leader of the herd because they’re stronger than you. That will likely never truly leave the depths of your psyche.

Applejack couldn’t help but snort. You’re overthinking this.

Am I? Or are you underthinking it?

Applejack didn’t have an answer for that. She just shook her head and ignored the other’s voice, focusing on where they were going. The door they had gone through led into a plain hallway on the side of the hangar and Celestia was stopping next to another door, tapping a code into a keypad next to it and then pushing it open.

They entered the main room of the hangar. The huge space contained only the broken ship. No guards were in the room and Applejack figured it was because of how much security one had to go through to get here in the first place.

“It looks pretty beat up,” Applejack said.

Phage stretched himself out of her skin so he could speak out loud. “Yes but the damage is mostly cosmetic and structural. Some vital electronic components have also been broken but nothing Scorn and I haven’t handled before.”

Scorn emerged as they approached the ship. “We only have so many supplies inside the ship, though,” she stated. “We may need to request supplies from Klyntar to fully repair it. Hence, we should begin with the communication center.”

“You reckon we could just make whatever you need here?” Applejack asked.

Scorn and Phage exchanged looks and then laughed. Scorn said, “Your civilization doesn’t have the technology to machine the parts we need. We use specialized alloys, complex circuitry, why even the guidance system alone is-”

“A simple no would have sufficed,” Applejack replied.

Scorn shrugged and looked back at the ship. “Apologies. Figured I should be specific. But no, most of what we’ll need can’t be made here. Not without a lot of work, we’d need to prepare specialized facilities, gather resources… it’s far more than our small team can manage.”

“I’m sure ponies will help you out if you need it.”

“It’s alright,” Scorn said. “We’ll make do with what we have stored and can simply request the rest. Hopefully the repairs won’t take more than a few months, even taking into account how long it’ll take Klyntar to send us supplies.”

The ship’s ramp was already down. They climbed inside. It was fairly roomy. Everything inside it seemed to be in plain, neutral colors. Applejack again let Phage take over control of movement though he also kept part of his body extended out of her, reaching out to check various panels that they passed, reading screens that displayed a language she couldn’t understand. He would likely explain if she asked but she didn’t want to distract him.

They reached the bridge and Scorn moved Celestia to briefly sink onto one of the chairs, letting out a sigh. Scorn ran a hand over the large console in front of her. “Feels like it’s been so long since we were in space. This is where I’d work to chart out our courses. I would get everything ready for the hyperspace jumps and transfer the information over to the main computer, over there.” She gestured to a huge monitor in the front of the bridge. “And Riot would punch in the final command to make the jump. It’s a delicate system. One wrong digit and you might find yourself re-entering regular space and plowing straight into a star.”

“That must be a stressful job,” Applejack said.

“It is. But I like to think I’m excellent at it.”

“This truly is a remarkable vessel,” Celestia commented as she reached out a hoof to tap a button, bringing the navigation display up. “I hope we’ll have something like it one day.”

“I don’t doubt that one day, you will. The only question is when,” Scorn replied. “Perhaps if we ally, that day will come very soon.”

Phage went to the main screen and turned it on. He brought up the diagnostic report that they had run before, looking at the list of everything that needed to be fixed. It had been a discouraging sight before and it still was.

“Ya know what they say,” Applejack said as she felt her partner’s dread. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

“I suppose so. Let’s get to working on the navigation, then.”

Applejack watched for a bit as they began working on the computers. She had no clue what they were doing but it was interesting, their typing filling the screens with symbols and images. They consulted Celestia on details about the solar system and she explained how the magic of Equus sustained it.

“Such a weird place,” Phage muttered, shaking his head.

Once they had everything they needed from Celestia, they focused back on their screens and left the two ponies to their own devices.

Applejack checked out other parts of the bridge but that didn’t take long. There were other chairs and consoles here that she assumed had their own functions. She sat next to Celestia and talked to her for a bit, comparing their experiences so far with their partners.

“Scorn has been a lovely companion,” Celestia said. “She’s very bright and insightful. She has provided a lot of assistance in matters relating to the Life Aura Center, helping me keep my thoughts together as I contact the families of the patients and collect statements from the employees to use in court later. She’s also helped me with many of my daily duties. It is an honor to have her at my side.”

Scorn was pretty focused on her work but she still glanced aside and smiled at that before looking back at the screen.

“She sounds wonderful,” Applejack said. “Phage is pretty swell, he can be a little, hm… blunt at times, but we get along well enough. He’s been a big help with my chores and today he even healed several apple trees that were suffering from the blight they usually get this time of year. One touch and he healed ‘em like it was nothing. I know he wants to go home once this ship is repaired and I respect his decision, but I’m sure gonna miss him.”

“I can visit,” Phage said. “Sometimes. When I have time. Depends on what sort of job I get back home.”

“What kind of job do you want?”

“Something in maintenance would be preferable with all the experience I have in it. This sort of work is tedious but it’s familiar and always in demand. Perhaps I can get set up on a nice intergalactic vessel. I enjoy long trips in space.”

Applejack nodded. “You’ll do very well for yourself in a job like that.”

“Yes. I only hope my history does not discourage a crew from taking me on.”

Celestia cast him a sympathetic look.

“Perhaps I will establish my own transportation service,” Scorn mused. “I would gladly accept you as my second in command.”

“Are you making this offer out of pity? If so, I am not interested.”

Applejack groaned and even Celestia raised her brows.

Scorn actually turned from her screen to address Phage. “What? You think this is pity? It is not. I respect your skill and would like someone I know to be on my crew. You enjoy long trips, yes? That is exactly what we’ll go on if we transport cargo.”

“Hm. I’ll consider it.”

Scorn turned away. “Let me know what you decide.” The two continued working quietly.

Applejack sighed. “Whew, that got a little tense.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, I can tell Phage does not like being pitied.”

“It makes him feel weak. And weakness was not tolerated in Riot’s crew. Those days are over but the memories are fresh. He treats bein' helped like a debt he has to repay. I was the same way once, so I get it. But I want him to learn more about friendship. About how friends help each other without expectin' anything in return.”

“If anypony could teach him about that, it's you,” Celestia replied.

Applejack blushed a little. “I'll try my best.”

They spent hours in the ship, getting through the repairs slowly but surely. Scorn reported that the guidance system's programming was fixed but there were some physical components she would need to repair or possibly replace. While she began looking into that, Phage said he would see what he could do about some of the structural damage from the crash. Applejack stood and left the ship, being directed around to one of the sides. It was heavily dented and the paneling was torn open.

Phage ran a hand against it. “Hm. We may be able to seal this back into place. But first, we need to fix the metal lattice underneath.” He pulled it further open and leaned in to look.

“Whew, that's a lot of wires,” Applejack commented as she looked in too.

“Yes, the entire hull contains a network of sensors and equipment. Some of these gather data from our surroundings, some report on damage to the ship, and some are responsible for shield generation. It's a complex system. And look at how many of these have snapped.” Phage sighed as he held the ends of two especially large cables. “These conduct signals from the bridge to the side weapons. And this one is snapped. We have the supplies to repair this sort of damage but it will be tedious.” He set the cables down for now and pressed deeper into the ship, thinning out his body as needed to fit where he needed to go. Eventually his front was out of sight, so Applejack just stood there awkwardly next to the ship, hearing him occasionally curse as he examined the ship, his emotions occasionally reaching her through their bond. He was frustrated but still confident that he'll be able to fix most of what he was finding. Sometimes she felt him using brute strength to pull the ship's frame back into alignment.

She occupied herself with checking out what she could see of the ship from here, examining the turret mounted on the side. It seemed like a formidable weapon but she wondered how difficult it was firing such a thing while moving at high speed.

It can be tricky shooting targets while flying but that's why it has a targeting system, Phage thought to her. Generally as long as it can pick up on the heat signature of the enemy's ship, it can hit it. Still, its operator needs to have quick reflexes and keep it aimed in the right direction nonetheless. After a few moments of silence, he commented, Scream was rather good at the weapons station.

Sounds about right.

It wasn't long though before Applejack ran out of things to look at and just sat down, figuring she might as well relax. She let her thoughts wander, thinking about various tasks she still needed to do back at the farm, and also thinking more about the symbiotes and how much life might change for her and her friends because of them, regardless of who decided to stay in Equestria and who went back to their planet.

After several minutes, Phage wiggled his way out of the ship's hull and informed Applejack that they needed to move toward the engines so he could see what the damage was in another badly dented section. She got up and walked to that end of the ship, sitting again and watching as he dove through the gap in the paneling. Well, as bizarre as that was from her perspective, it must make doing repairs much easier.

She was leaning against the ship dozing off when the door to the hangar opened and she heard hoofsteps. She looked over to see Rainbow Dash trotting across the floor, her bright blue symbiote draped along her back with their head resting on top of hers.

“Howdy!” Applejack called to them.

Rainbow waved and opened her wings to fly the rest of the way over. “Hey, I finished my shift with the Wonderbolts so I figured I'd bring Slasher over to work on the ship. Where's Phage- oh, never mind, there he is.”

Applejack chuckled and glanced at her partner. “Yeah, he's doin' something with the ship's frame. Some of it needs to be completely replaced but some parts just need to be aligned, he said, so he's doing that now.”

“Cool, cool.”

“Where's Scorn?” Slasher asked, lifting their head up.

“She's inside, in the bridge,” Applejack said, nodding toward the ramp. “Working on that fancy computer system of yours.”

“Hah, fancy? It's obsolete garbage no matter how much Scorn tries to update it. You can polish shit all you want but it's still shit.”

Phage pulled himself out of the hull and turned to glower at Slasher. “Don't talk like you have any sort of expertise in this subject. We hardly even let you use the computers because you always managed to break them somehow.”

“Right. Because they're shit.”

“Because you keep connecting to the intergalactic web when you should be working and apparently don't know how to download anything that's not full of viruses!”

“And why doesn't the ship's firewall protect us from that? Oh, right. Because it's shit.”

“You know nothing about cybersecurity!”

Slasher looked ready to keep needling the other but Applejack interrupted, “Alright you two, this isn't helpful. Rainbow, why don't you go find Princess Celestia and Scorn on the bridge and see if there's anything you and Slasher can help with?”

“Yeah, good idea. Come on.” Rainbow trotted off toward the ramp.

Phage groaned once they were gone. “They constantly shirked their duties in order to play games and they have the audacity to blame the computers for being obsolete. Ugh. I intentionally tried throttling their connection to get them to knock it off but they never got the message. I swear, if Slasher wasn't such a capable fighter Riot would have tossed him out the airlock ages ago.”

“I feel like Slasher and Hysteria have a lot in common,” Applejack remarked.

“Slasher is more level-headed than she is and though they're lazy, they can focus on a task if someone forces them to. But still, yes, the two of them were often getting up to trouble together.”

“Which is unfortunate considering that Rainbow and Pinkie also like fooling around,” Applejack said. “We'll have to keep an eye on them.”

“Wonderful.”

Scorn ending up only giving Slasher a few small tasks to do, not trusting them with anything complicated. Applejack occasionally saw them and Rainbow outside the ship working on a few different components before going inside for further instructions. After a few back and forth trips, Rainbow and Slasher came back out for good.

“Okay, Scorn doesn't really have anything else for us,” Rainbow said. “Do you guys need anything?”

“We're good,” Phage called. There was a slight metal grinding sound as he pulled on some metal and then a snap, followed by swearing.

“What happened?” Applejack asked, trying to peer into the hole he had gone into.

After a few moments, Phage reappeared, holding a straight, wide piece of metal with jagged ends. “This will need replacing,” he stated with a sigh, dropping it. It clattered to the floor, quieter than Applejack was expecting.

She picked the metal up and bounced it up and down in a hoof. “Huh, that's rather light.”

“It's light but strong. Flexible as well. Spaceships need to be able to compress when traveling at high speeds and then stretch back out upon slowing down. They need to be strong to handle entering and exiting the atmosphere. But they should be light for fuel efficiency. Much goes into ship design, you see.” Phage took the metal from her and held it up to the light. “We have some of this metal stored in the ship but it was only meant for minor repairs. Nothing like what we're dealing with now.” He tossed the metal back down and looked at Slasher. “Anyway. No, I do not require your help.”

“Okay, that's no skin off my back.” Slasher patted Rainbow's side. “Let's get out of here.” They sank under her skin and out of view.

“Uh, yeah, one moment.” Rainbow looked at Applejack, waiting until Phage's attention was back on his work before saying quietly, “You sure you don't need anything?”

Applejack shook her head. “I wouldn't know what needs to be done with the ship. If Scorn and Phage both say they don't need anything, they probably mean it.”

“Yeah but I can tell both of them are a bit full of themselves and don't think Slasher is smart enough to handle anything complicated. They poke fun a lot, sure, but they mean well! They want to stay here but they want the others to be able to leave, so they want to help.”

“I'm glad they want to help but for now Scorn and Phage seem set on doing this themselves. If they do end up letting one of the others help, it might only be Scream, maybe Venom. They ain't too confident with the rest. And I can't make em change their minds.”

“Well, alright then. Just let them know that Slasher and I are still available, though. If there's anything we can do, just let us know. We're here for them.”

Applejack smiled and reached out to pat her shoulder. “I know you are. Thank you.”

“No prob. Okay, I guess we'll get out of your manes now.” Rainbow spread her wings and took off, flying across the hangar back to the door and shooting out.

Applejack hummed and rested her head back against the ship, adjusting her hat a bit before gazing at the ceiling. Things were definitely strained between many of the symbiotes, but she hoped that one day they would all be much closer friends.

Night had fallen outside by the time Phage and Scorn decided to stop their repairs. They met inside the bridge to discuss the progress they've made and what all was left to do. The communications center was completely back online but they weren't going to ask for supplies quite yet. Scorn still needed to put together a full list of what they needed to order and she wanted her and Celestia to make peaceful contact with the Klyntar leadership first, to hopefully establish their two planets as allies.

But that was a meeting for another day. It would need to be carefully planned for. So Scorn wrote up some notes, saved them to the ship's files, and called it a day.

“Thanks for the help,” she said to Phage and Applejack as they walked through the hangar toward the exit.

“Just doing my duty,” Phage replied. “I wouldn't expect you to fix that entire ship alone.”

“Yes but it was nice having some assistance anyway. When will you be available to meet again?”

“Let me check.” Phage turned to look at Applejack, taking a few moments to silently discuss her schedule with her. Then he said, “We should be free in the afternoons this weekend.”

“Alright. Celestia?” Scorn asked, checking with her partner.

After some thought, Celestia said, “Saturday afternoon won't do, Luna and I have a prior engagement. But Sunday afternoon should work.”

“Sunday afternoon then,” Scorn decided.

Applejack and Phage agreed to that. They went outside and said goodbye, Celestia spreading her wings to fly back to the palace. Applejack watched her for a few moments before continuing on her way.

“Look how late it is,” Applejack remarked as they left the restricted area. There was a sign displaying the time nearby and it was nearly 11 PM.

“Yes, repairs are quite time-consuming.”

“I'm usually in bed by now. And we still gotta catch a train and travel back to Ponyville. I should have asked Celestia to teleport us...”

“If you prefer to be in bed sooner, I can try and make sure repairs don't run too long. I apologize, I wasn't even thinking of the time.”

“It's alright. The ship's gotta get fixed. It's not a big deal, I'll just be tired in the morning.” Applejack yawned and headed for the exit to the base.

“You could sleep on the train. I'll make sure we get up when it arrives in Ponyville.”

“That's kind of you to offer, but I'll be okay,” Applejack insisted.

The walk back to the train station was rather quiet. Canterlot was a big city so there were still ponies out and about, but the mood was subdued compared to daytime. Anyone out at this time seemed eager to just get to where they were going, no one was really stopping to chat. Phage chose to stay extended from Applejack's body, as no one was really paying them much mind. He could see through his host's eyes but he liked being able to look around for himself.

When they got to the train station, they found out it was going to be about half an hour until the next train to Ponyville. Applejack was disgruntled but bought the ticket, going to find a place on the platform to sit down.

“Unfortunate,” Phage commented. He could feel the other's exhaustion. He reached back into their saddlebags for a snack. Applejack did the same and they munched on granola bars as they watched the tracks. Maybe the train would arrive a little early.

It ended up arriving right on time, though, rumbling into the station and stopping. Applejack climbed to her hooves and trotted in as soon as passengers were done leaving. She found a comfortable seat and sank onto it, laying down and resting her head on her forelegs. As the train left the station, the gentle swaying of the car quickly made her even sleepier. She told herself she was just going to close her eyes and rest for a bit, she wasn't going to actually sleep.

Next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to see that she was nearly to the door of her farmhouse. She dug her hooves into the ground and stopped. “What in tarnation?”

Is there a problem? Phage asked her in thought.

Applejack blinked and rubbed at her eyes, wondering if she was dreaming.

You were asleep but you're awake now. You fell asleep on the train and I didn't want to wake you when we got back to Ponyville, so I took us home.

You mean we got off the train and all the way back here... without me even noticing?

Yes, we can control our hosts while they're sleeping. But if that bothers you I won't do it again.

No, no, it's okay. I just didn't know you could do that. Applejack opened the door and headed in.

Yes, it's tricky to keep the host from waking sometimes, but we can do it. Some even prefer it, as the host can't really argue when they're asleep.

Makes sense, I guess. Just... don't do that with my body without asking, okay?

Got it.

But for days like this, if you're just helping me inside after I fall asleep, well. That's alright.

Good to know.

Applejack found a note on the kitchen table from Granny Smith, informing her that supper was made and the leftovers were put in the fridge for her. Applejack's stomach rumbled but she was still pretty tired despite her nap. So after some thought, she decided she would get the leftovers in the morning and headed upstairs.

Setting down her saddlebags near her door, she briefly rubbed her back and then climbed into bed.

“Goodnight, Phage,” she said as she set her hat on the nightstand and settled in under the covers.

Phage stretched out of her and curled himself up on the pillow next to her. “Goodnight.” He didn't really need sleep, so he watched as she drifted off. Once she was out, he moved in a little closer to her warm body and sighed. He had thought he was sure that he wanted to return to Klyntar, but he was already quite attached to his partner and his feelings about his home planet were mixed. He had no one to return to there. At least here, he had one person he considered a friend. Leaving Equus and starting a new crew with Scorn had its merits, sure. But maybe he could have a rewarding life here too once he got used to things. He really didn't know what he wanted to do.

As he watched Applejack, he heard her mumble nonsense in her sleep and roll around a bit before beginning to snore. It made him crack a small smile. At least it would be many weeks before he would have to decide whether he left or stayed, and in the meantime, he was content.

Symbioteverse Tales

by SpyroForLife

Spike/Lasher - A Game of O&O

Applejack/Phage - Healing and Repairs