Nikolas, a human from the magical land of Kansas, is about to be killed by an assassin. At the last moment, a mysterious force pulls him out of harm's way... and into Equestria. Just as he starts to relax, however, he finds that Equestria has its own team of assassins, and they're under the same orders to kill him!
Armed only with the knowledge of how his own world works and accompanied by his newest friends, Nikolas must brave the perils of being hunted down, or end up as Equestria's first dead human.
Nikolas awoke to an acrid smell. When he had gone to sleep, he was sure that smell hadn't been in his apartment. He rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. He was sure it was just a skunk digging under the foundation, or his neighbors staying in all morning smoking again. Didn't they understand that he needed his rest? He had to be up by the afternoon so he could go to work.
Unfortunately for Nikolas, the smell was neither a mustelid nor his stoner neighbors. Someone, having watched him for the last several days, had broken into his apartment just as he was nodding off a few hours ago. With a swiftness, the intruder had picked through the lock, not with a traditional lockpick, but with a bump key. Slipping through the door, they had made their way into the kitchenette, turning on the gas for the stove, but without lighting any of the pilots. With a few wet towels, they blocked all of the vents, preventing the gas from escaping the apartment. While it would take quite some time to fill up, Nikolas would soon find his small apartment filled with a deadly gas, if he didn't suffocate first.
Finding that he couldn't go back to sleep, Nikolas rolled out of bed and made his way to the toilet. As he drained his bladder, he felt some of his tension disappear. He knew that his coffee pot would start up soon, so as far as bad days went, at least is could have started worse.
He flushed the toilet and looked at himself in the mirror. He was two metres tall with long brown hair and a big, pointy nose. He had hazel eyes that hid behind his tangled eyelashes, situated in gaunt, dark sockets. His body type changed depending on what part you were looking at. His arms, for example, were thin and wispy. His torso was a bit plump, with his gut hanging over his waistband. His legs, however, were muscular and well-toned. Every day was leg day for him. It was three miles to his work, and he didn't own a car. His favourite feature, though, was his beautiful mutton chops. He kept them well-trimmed and combed them thrice daily. Sure, they hid the earing in his left ear, but that was a small price to pay for their magnificence.
Exiting the bathroom, he saw that the automatic drip function on his coffee maker was already working as it had promised. He decided that, today, he would keep his breakfast simple. A nice toaster waffle wouldn't cause too much strain on him. Placing it in the tray and pressing the lever down, he walked away to find his shoes. However, as the heating element started to turn red, the gas that filled the apartment ignited, setting the entire place ablaze. Nikolas toppled over, the small explosion sending him to the floor. The shock wore off quickly, and he took stock of his situation. The walls were all ablaze, all of his furniture was on fire, the window had been blown out and everything he owned was disappearing before his very eyes. Standing up, he rushed into his bedroom. He grabbed his phone and his wallet. He had a small fireproof safe that held all of his important legal documents, so that would be safe. For now, he just had to leave quickly.
Grabbing the door handle, he pulled the door open. It was only then that he noticed the wet towel holding the door closed. With a swift kick, he pushed it out of the way and ran into the hallway. He pulled the handle to the fire alarm, alerting the other residents of his building to the fire. Running down the stairs and into the parking lot, he dialed his phone to emergency services to report the fire.
Engines were on the scene in less than five minutes, and the blaze was quickly contained. No other apartments were damaged, save for the plumbing and electrical work that ran in sequence with Nikolas's abode. Despite the quick response, almost everything he owned had been destroyed. He found his landlord and told him that he would send for his belongings as soon as he found a place to live. The landlord was very pleased to be rid of him, after this incident.
Nikolas went to his local department store. He was only barely clothed, and he would need to remedy that situation right away. While he didn't appreciate the dirty looks given to him by the clerks, he didn't really care. The sooner he put on pants, the better off he'd be. He hadn't even left the store before he was wearing his new clothes, consisting of a pair of blue carpenter jeans, a grey pocket tee shirt, black crew socks and a comfortable pair of non-slip shoes. He'd also bought a new hair brush and comb. He was glad to have had the idea of setting aside five hundred dollars in his bank account for emergencies.
He decided to head into work early, reasoning that he needed some time to think and someone to talk to. He knew his manager would, at the very least, give him advice. He signed in, left his recent purchases in the plastic bag from the department store in his locker, and made his way into the kitchen. To his relief, his manager was already there.
"Afternoon, Nik." James clearly enjoyed his desserts. He was hefty and fairly sweaty. His chef's jacket and commis cap were stained yellow from years of absorption. His cravat would have been, too, were it not a dark blue. Despite how stained his jacket was, it was still clean. He washed them regularly, he was just a sweaty guy.
"Afternoon, Jim."
"You're certainly here early."
"Yeah, some circumstances arose, and I felt it best that I come in early and talk to you."
"In that case, grab a peeler and work on those carrots. I need about four pounds."
Washing up and donning his hair net and jacket, Nik took his place at the table. Without a moments hesitation, he dove into his task, finding a comfort in the simplicity of his labor.
"So, what's on your mind, Nik?" asked Jim. "Something bad happen?"
"You could say that. My apartment went up in flames this morning."
Jim dropped the potato he was peeling in shock. A moment later, he picked it back up and continued peeling. "How'd that happen?"
"I don't know. One minute, there's nothing wrong, the next, there's a loud bang, and fire everywhere."
"Are you injured at all?"
"Tinnitus and a few light burns. I'll be fine."
"Yikes." Jim shook his head. "Do you need a place to stay?"
Nik nodded. "I was hoping you'd ask. Don't worry, I'll find a new place soon. I just need a place to crash until I can start moving in."
Nikolas stayed an extra four hours after his shift ended. Not that he minded the extra time; he very much enjoyed his job. Either way, he had to wait for Jim to finish his shift. As Jim was the manager for their kitchen, he had longer shifts than most of the other employees. When he was done, the two piled into Jim's car, a beat-up old sedan. The backseat was filled with junk, most notably the muffler that had fallen off the car a month prior. The trip to Nikolas's burned out apartment was very loud, but they didn't have a lot of choice in that matter. They picked up his safe and returned to Jim's place.
Despite the extra income, Jim was still living in his dad's basement. It was well-furnished, with carpeted walls and a chandelier. It was clear where all of his money was going as soon as Nikolas descended the stairs. A large television was bolted to one of the walls, with wires shooting out in every direction to the speakers in every corner. A large futon with doubled up mattresses sat in the center of the room. A small bathroom could be found just next to the stairs.
"It's not the greatest setup in the world," chuckled Jim. "But it's mine. I kind of miss having natural light, but at least it's cheap. I'm sure I have a bedroll around here somewhere."
"It's fine, Jim. Beats my place right now by a wide margin. Even on its best day, this place is leaps and bounds ahead of my old place."
"Glad you like it. Breakfast is at eleven, dinner's at two."
Dinner that morning was a biscuit and gravy casserole. Devouring it as if it were his last meal, Nikolas realized he hadn't eaten since he had woken up. Thanking Jim's father for the meal, he retired to the basement, finding the bedroll and laying it out. He lay down and closed his eyes, anticipating some much-needed rest.
Rest did not come to Nikolas, however. Instead, just as he was nodding off, he heard a loud crash from upstairs. He stood up and cautiously approached the stairs, only to duck out of the way as Jim's body came tumbling down the steps. Rushing over to him, Nik checked his pulse. He was alive, but the fall had knocked him unconscious. He was about to call out to Jim's father, when he spied a cloaked silhouette at the top of the stairs. The figure had a long blade in one of its hands, and it slowly began its trek down the stairs.
Not wanting any more harm to come to his boss, Nik tossed Jim over his shoulder. Not an easy task, when considering Nik's poor arm strength and Jim's substantial weight. He rushed into the small bathroom, locking the door behind him. He had trapped them, certainly, but it could be argued that they were already trapped, as the stairs had been the only exit to the basement. He hadn't even picked up his phone before coming in; it was still plugged into the wall outlet near the couch.
There was a loud banging against the door. Nik knew it was the cloaked figure trying to enter. He had to formulate a plan. By the time the sword had penetrated the first wooden panel, Nik knew that there was no good plan. He was going up against an armed assailant, and his hands were empty. The best he could come up with would be to ram the bastard with a shower curtain rod, but Jim didn't have one. His bathtub had a sliding glass door. Nik couldn't ram with that.
The door splintered as it split in half. Without a second thought, Nik put his head down and slammed his skull into the figure's gut, hopefully knocking the wind out of him. Nik didn't have time to look at the results, as he had to rush to the phone to call the police. However, the intruder had already broken the devices in anticipation of this, and Nik was left without a means of calling for help.
He decided to just run away. He felt guilty about leaving Jim behind, but it couldn't be helped at this point. He couldn't carry him up the stairs, let alone into the neighbor's house. Nik rushed to the foot of the stairs, only to find that his path was blocked by a second cloaked figure, cleaning his blade with what must have been a white cloth a moment ago.
Nik was backed into a corner, both figuratively and literally, as the two cloaked figures slowly approached him. Now that he wasn't rushing in the opposite direction, Nik could see that their cloaks were not completely black. On their chests was a red insignia depicting a red claw wrapping around a skull.
The second figure placed the tip of his blade against Nik's sternum. "Any final words, Nikolas?"
Nik swallowed hard. "How do you know my name?"
"We'd be pretty poor assassins if we didn't know our target," chuckled the first. "A fine choice of last words, though. We'll make sure it's engraved on your tombstone."
The assassins raised their blades, and Nikolas closed his eyes. He didn't want to die, and he certainly didn't want to see it happen. Just as he had resigned himself to a painful death, however, the floor collapsed beneath him. He opened his eyes just in time to see the world fall away into a white void. As he turned around, he found that there was a second point in the white void, and he was approaching it fast. As the new location came to life around him, he landed on his back in a cobbled alleyway. He looked around, taking in what information he could.
The ground he was lying on was cobblestone, as mentioned before. To his left was a brick building, two stories tall. To his right was a plaster and thatch house. Filling the alleyway were trash cans, a large dumpster and a bound stack of corrugated cardboard. At either end of the alley was a paved street.
Nikolas slowly stood up and hobbled over to one end of the alleyway, looking out into the street. Landing on his back had knocked the wind out of him, so he couldn't move with any respectable amount of haste. He looked up and down the street, finding it to be mostly empty. Such was the norm for nighttime. A few street lamps flickered here and there, but Nik could not quite make out who was walking down the street. Not that he would be able to, anyway, as he had no idea where he was. He had traveled back in time, for all he knew.
He laid out the cardboard between the dumpster and the trash cans. He would be sleeping on the corrugated material because it was the best option. He had no phone, no wallet, no money, and no idea where he was. His best chance right now would be to wait until morning and beg for help from anyone who would listen. In the meantime, he needed to sleep before he went into cardiac arrest.
Wherever Nikolas was, the assassination attempts had not yet ended. He was awakened violently from his slumber to the feeling of a steel wire wrapping tightly around his neck. Grabbing at it as he was forced to sit up, he pulled at it desperately, trying to loosen his garrote. It was at that moment that a second cable wrapped around his neck, this time clamping his hands down, threatening to break the small bones if it tightened any further. As Nik struggled, his shoulder hit a pole, and he suddenly knew what was wrapped around his neck. It was one of those leashes at the end of a rod that animal control officers used to restrain violent animals.
Hooking the rod under his armpit, Nikolas ripped the rod aside, trying to wrench it from the grasp of its holder, whoever that may be. He was unable to see due to a cloth bag that had been placed over his head somehow. He didn't manage to make them drop their pole, but he did manage to loosen their grip enough to free his hands. Gripping the pole even tighter now, he did manage to pull it free from his assailant's grasp, slipping it off of his neck. Feeling the other pole's position, he could guess the general location of the second assailant, and he took a swing with his newly acquired control staff. He felt the shock as the pole hit, heard the grunt as his aggressor dropped her rod. Now able to breathe, he pulled the bag off his head and the cable from around his neck, bolting in the opposite direction. He was unable to go more that four steps before he felt two stings; one in his back, the other in his neck. Within moments, he was out cold.
He woke up again inside the back of a rickety wooden cart. His wrists and ankles were bound. He could hear voices coming from the top of his cart, indicating that he wasn't completely alone. He was about to call out, when he found that there was a shackle around his neck. Obviously, they weren't going to do anything for his benefit.
What he couldn't understand, however, was why they had captured him. The first time they had him cornered, they had tried to kill him and make it look like an accident. The second time, they were more direct. Why then did the third attempt involve a cell, albeit a mobile one? Were they trying to make him suffer? He remained quiet for the rest of the ride, going through his thoughts and writing an imaginary farewell letter to everyone who cared about him. It was unlikely they would ever see him again.
Eventually, the carriage stopped, and he was unbound from the wall by an outside source. the door opened, and he guessed that he was supposed to exit through it. Crawling on his elbows and knees, he kept his head down, finding himself on a polished concrete floor. Steel bars surrounded him on all sides. At least he had a roof over his head. The door behind him slid shut, and the cart disappeared. He was unable to see who had closed him in, as the only being standing nearby was some kind of miniature horse. Someone had dyed its mane and tail a gaudy shade of purple. They had also branded its flank with some swirly lines resembling a flower. He felt sorry for the creature, having to put up with such humiliating punishments. Contemplating what punishments he might be in for just made Nik depressed, and he curled up in a fetal position. In the last few days, his life had gone from one of complacent contentedness to frenetic panic.
"What manner of creature are you?" asked a voice. Nik looked around, not knowing where the voice was coming from. Not finding anyone, he returned to his position, guessing that the voice hadn't been talking to him. "I've never seen anything quite like you before. What do you eat, I wonder?" Hearing a clattering of metal bowls, Nik looked to the sound, finding that he had been given two food bowls. He crawled over, his limbs still bound, to look inside of them. The first was full of raw meats. The second, being vegetables, was far more appealing. Had he been in the mood for eating, he would have cleaned out the vegetable bowl, but he was far too depressed to be hungry. Perhaps later, when he was feeling better. He lay down again.
"Well, that's no good. I'd better call in an expert." The sound of hooves disappeared through the door as the pony exited the room. Now Nik was alone again. A quick glance told him that he had been given no water, no privacy if someone came in, and not even so much as a pile of newspaper to use as a toilet.
An hour passed, and the pony came back. "I've called in an expert to take a look at you. I see you've not touched any of your food. Well, it'll be there when you're ready for it." Nik felt something, a tingle in his wrists. He looked down to see a violet light surrounding them, and the bonds were undoing themselves. His ankles followed, and then his neck. Looking around again, he saw nothing, just the pony. He stood up, now able to, and walked over to the door of the cage, kneeling down to have a closer look at her.
She was cute, though she might have been cuter with a natural mane and tail color. Her eyes were a lovely shade of violet, though they looked at him sternly. He was unaware that horses had such large eyes. The last thing to come to his attention was that some sick person had somehow melded a single horn onto the poor creature's head, as if to trick people into believing it was a unicorn. Nik knew that unicorns didn't exist. Feeling sorry for the creature again, he grabbed a carrot from his food bowl and held it out to the pony, trying to coax it in. Perhaps, if it came close enough, it would let him pet it, and he could try to remove that uncomfortable-looking fake horn.
"No, no, that's for you to eat."
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" shouted Nik, as he stumbled backwards, dropping his carrot on the floor. "YOU JUST TALKED!"
"Of course I did," said the unicorn, stepping closer. "I've been talking this whole time. If anything, I should be the one surprised that you can talk. You haven't said a word since you came in."
"Horses don't talk!"
"First of all, I'm a unicorn pony, and second, yes they do." Sitting down, the mare adjusted her mane. "Now, since you can talk, you have have a lot of explaining to do."
Fluttershy woke up and gave her limbs a comforting stretch. As she did, her hoof gently nudged the box on her nightstand. Inside it were all the letters Kai had sent over the last eighteen months. All of them were marked with both symbols she had come to associate him with: A silver eye with a capital Y instead of a pupil and a blue pentagram. The eye was his cutie mark, and Rarity had embroidered it onto a cloak for him.
She readjusted the box so that it was straight once again and climbed out of bed. After her morning wellness ritual, she exited through her front door and made her way down to the mailbox. She was hoping for another letter from Akaitora, as it had been almost a month since she had heard from him. Unfortunately, there was nothing there from him. Instead, the most notable letter was from Summer Bloom, proprietor of the Manehattan County Zoo.
To Miss Fluttershy of Ponyville:
I wish you well on this fine Tuesday afternoon. First and foremost, I wish to thank you once more for your assistance with our silver breasted sparrow exhibit. They're now eating the proper amount of food per day, and are healthier than they've ever been.
That said, we need your assistance once again. Early this morning, the city's animal control officers received a call about some unknown creature sleeping in an alleyway. They managed to secure it, though it seems very violent. As my enclosures are built stronger than most, I was charged with holding it here until we could find out what sort of creature it is and whether or not we can return it to its home. If we cannot, then I'm afraid it will have to stay in captivity. It injured two of the animal control officers, so we know it's too violent to keep around Manehattan.
We tried feeding it both meat and vegetables, and it hasn't touched either of them at the time of my writing this letter. We don't want it to starve, whatever it is. We were hoping you could come by at the earliest possibility.
Wishing you great health and haste, Summer Bloom Manehattan County Zoo Proprietor
It was no longer Tuesday afternoon, but Wednesday morning. Fluttershy checked the post date, and confirmed that it had indeed been sent overnight. As interested as she was in going to Manehattan to see what aid she could lend, now wasn't the best time. Applejack's dog, Winona, had recently fallen ill, and Fluttershy had to ensure her health. She wouldn't be able to take Winona with her, nor could she leave the poor pooch on her own. As much as it pained her, she would have to refuse.
Summer Bloom had just finished tending to her herpetological house when a scroll wreathed in green flame popped into existence in front of her and landed at her hooves. She picked it up with her magic, unrolled it, and read it.
My dear friend, Summer Bloom.
I am glad to hear that your birds are doing well. I would like to come by and see them soon.
Unfortunately, I'm a bit tied up at the moment, metaphorically speaking. I'm currently tending to a sick dog who needs my regular attention. I can't bring her with me; she's too sick to travel. I also can't leave her here on her own, so I won't be able to come out for a few days, at least.
However, if you can find some way to bring your mystery creature to Ponyville, without causing it any harm, I'd be glad to look into it for you.
Looking forward to your swift reply, Fluttershy
"Well, that settles it," smirked Summer Bloom. Signing off all of her duties to her assistant, Summer Bloom went to go see Nikolas. He hadn't done much since last night, being confined to a small cage with only some food and not much water. He looked very uncomfortable. "Rise and shine, human."
"I'm already awake, Miss Bloom," replied Nikolas, holding his gut.
"I have good news and bad news"
"Give me the good news first."
"No. The good news is only relevant once you've heard the bad news.
"Fine. Tell me the bad news, then."
"The expert we called in is unable to make it."
"That's not so bad," replied Nik, going down on one knee. "I probably already know more about humans than they do, if we're as rare as you say."
"The good news is-- Is something wrong with you?"
"I need a lavatory. As soon as possible."
"Just use the floor. We'll hose it down, don't worry. It's non-porous."
Nik scowled. "That's disgusting."
Summer shrugged. "It's what all the other animals do. Usually the opposite corner of where they keep their food."
"Will you just go on with the good news already? I could really use some right about now."
"Right. the good news is that you're being relocated temporarily to Ponyville. That's where our expert lives. She'll be able to solve all of your problems."
Nik rolled his eyes. "I doubt it."
"I'll be back in shortly with your crate." Summer turned and left the room, leaving Nik alone again. He relieved himself in the way she had indicated, trying to keep as much of it out of the cage as he could. True to her word, she soon came back with a smaller version of the cell he was in, though this one had wheels. After hooking it to the frame, she grabbed a long rod, poking him into the smaller enclosure, despite the fact that he was climbing in willingly.
The cage was designed to hold a lion, tiger, or other similarly-sized creature. While they could fit in here just fine, Nik was quite upset to be back on his hands and knees, crawling around like a child. Finding a corner in which to curl up, he resigned himself to his new life inside a cage. His depression was starting to set in again, and he wondered if he would ever feel contentment again, much less joy. Though he doubted this expert could help him, he secretly hoped she could. At the very least, he hoped she would listen to him.
After a long, bumpy train ride, Nikolas had his cage unloaded from the train and was paraded through what he assumed was Ponyville. Having his first real glimpse of his surroundings through the bars, he was able to discern that he was in a world were ponies seemed to be the dominant species, and Summer Bloom was actually one of the more normal-looking ones. He would have to come to terms with the fact that unicorns and pegasi were very real things in this world. He certainly felt like a caged animal, as ponies would look on his enclosure with awe, fright and joy, gossiping and giggling to each other at the sight of the new thing that had come to their town.
The trek through town didn't last for very long, and soon they were in a more rural area. The houses and the pony populace became less dense as the roads became less paved. Soon it was just dirt paths and gardeners. They came to a stop in front of a dull yellow cottage, with a bright green roof that looked like it was made from actual foliage, as if the whole place was supported by a large tree. Leaving Nik in his cage, Summer Bloom walked up to the cottage and knocked on the door. A bright yellow pegasus with a pink mane opened the door. Nik couldn't hear what they were talking about, but with all of the gesturing, he could only assume they were talking about him.
Summer Bloom returned as the pegasus closed the door. "You're going to be living here for a few days, human. Fluttershy is a good pony. I want you to be on your best behaviour under her care. Do we understand each other?"
"I understand you," nodded Nik. He doubted she understood him, as he had told her his name multiple times, but she still insisted on referring to him by his species.
"Good." Summer wheeled the cage over the small bridge and into the large yard behind the cottage. The pegasus was already there, a clipboard at the ready. With the promise that she would be back in a week to check in, Summer left, disappearing behind the cottage.
The pegasus approached the cage. "Summer tells me you can talk. Is that true, human?"
"My name is Nikolas. And yes, I can talk."
"Well, in that case," She pushed her hoof gently toward the cage. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nikolas. My name is Fluttershy."
Nik smiled. This was the largest decency he'd been afforded since his arrival in this world. Rolling onto his hands and knees, he took her hoof in his hand, giving it a small shake. "The pleasure is all mine, miss Fluttershy."
Fluttershy smiled briefly, then it quickly turned into a small frown. "I'm sorry to leave you alone so soon after we've met, but I'm afraid I have to step out for a moment. I'll not be gone long, I just need to go visit the library for a moment. I want to know if there's more information about humans I should know before starting in on your care. Are you going to be okay waiting here until I return?"
Nik nodded. "I'll be fine. I just spent the entire train ride here talking to suitcases in a baggage car. At least the rabbits and squirrels move on their own, so it'll at least be less boring."
Fluttershy smiled. "Good. I'll be right back, don't worry."
Nikolas settled in for a long wait, expecting her to to be gone for at least an hour. She was back in ten minutes, with another mare in tow. Nik scowled, not being on the best of terms with purple-maned unicorns, but smoothed his face out. If ponies were anything like humans, you couldn't accurately judge who they were based on appearance.
"Nikolas, this is my friend, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Nikolas. He'll be staying with me for the next week."
Twilight looked curiously at Nikolas. "And you say he... she... it talks?"
"He," responded Nikolas. "I am a male of my species. And yes, I talk."
"Fascinating," responded Twilight. "Is that... Are you wearing clothing?"
"I am."
"Why?"
"Where I come from, it's common decency. If you walk around nude in my hometown, you will be tackled by armed officers, and thrown into a prison cell. Sadly, it's bigger than the one I'm in now."
"So, what do you think, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy.
"Well, I don't recall reading anything about humans before, but I'll check again. I'll also have Spike check in with the Canterlot Royal Library to see if they have any materials on humans."
"Thanks, Twilight." The two shared a hug, and Twilight strolled off, presumably to look for research materials. Fluttershy turned back to Nikolas. "So, I'm guessing you haven't eaten since breakfast?"
"I have not."
"What do you humans like to eat? Are you herbivorous? I was told you didn't eat meat."
"Actually, humans do eat meat. However, the meat I was given was raw. It's unsafe for us to consume raw meat, in most cases. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, we have to cook it first. We're omnivores."
"But you can eat vegetables, right?"
"We can. In fact, there are some humans who eat exclusively vegetables."
"Are you one of them?"
Nik shook his head. "Not at all. I keep my diet balanced. I'm mostly healthy. I'm a taxpaying twenty-six year old man with a job and rented apartment, I eat whatever I choose." He looked away. "Though now I'm just a twenty-six year old male. No job, no apartment and my food is given to me by whoever feels like feeding me at the time."
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean, mostly healthy?"
"My blood pressure. It's higher than it should be, though not quite to any level of dangerous. If it were, I'd be a great candidate for medication, as I already follow most of the regular guidelines."
Fluttershy grabbed her clipboard and wrote that down with the pencil between her teeth. "I'll take care not to add any excess salt. Is there anything you'd like me to make for you?"
Nik thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me out of this cage? I may not look it, but before I came to this place, I was a line cook at a hotel. I'd be happy to assist you in the kitchen, if you'd allow me."
Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. "I'm told you injured two animal control officers. How true is that?"
Nik rubbed his neck. "They wrapped steel cables around my throat, miss Fluttershy. I didn't want to be strangled to death." He placed his right hand over his heart, pressing his chest forward uncomfortably so that she could see. "I swear to you, on my honor and on my life, that as long as no intentional harm shall befall me from your hooves, no intentional harm shall come to you from my hands. You have treated me with the utmost respect; it would be the poorest of forms were I not to reciprocate accordingly."
Fluttershy nodded, making her way to the back of the cage. "Consider this your trial run. If you hold to your word, Perhaps I'll let you out more often, but for now, you're on a short leash, Nikolas."
The door swung open and Nik crawled out, his joints popping as he stood up and stretched out. Now that they were on equal ground, they could both see just how big he was in comparison to her. Just as Fluttershy was having second thoughts, Nik smiled down at her. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. Shall we go inside? I'd like to see your kitchen."
After being granted full access to Fluttershy's kitchen, with supervision of course, Nikolas made the two of them a delicious tomato soup and a few grilled cheese sandwiches. Fluttershy didn't really have any meats readily available at the moment, but she promised to have a new shipment in soon. She would regularly have shipments from the local dog food factory so as to feed her carnivorous and omnivorous animals. A fresh shipment would be in tomorrow.
Nikolas sat down on the couch. He was tall for a human, being just over two metres in height, but he was very tall when compared to these ponies. He had to keep his head down so that his scalp didn't drag along the ceiling. He had to duck just to pass through the doorways. As he sat, he was relieved to be straightening his neck and shoulders.
"I've changed my mind," chuckled Fluttershy, sitting next to him. "I now believe wholeheartedly that you used to cook for a living."
"I'm glad to know you believe me now," smiled Nik. He was really starting to like Fluttershy. She was the epitome of kindness.
"So, why did you leave that behind?"
Nik's smile faded. "It wasn't by choice. Some other humans tried to kill me. First by setting me on fire, then by cutting me to ribbons."
Fluttershy was shocked. "They set you on fire!?"
"They tried to. I escaped with only a few burns."
"Show me."
Nikolas lifted his shirt, revealing a few minor burns on his stomach. He had more, but he wasn't ready to remove his pants just yet.
"Those look pretty minor. All I can tell you is to keep them clean and open. I have some ointment, but it seems a little late for that."
Nik put his shirt down. "The damage to my person was minor. But the fire consumed my place of residence."
"That's awful. Just horrible."
"My boss offered me a place to stay with him, and the people who tried to kill me tracked me down again." As he went over the details in his mind again, Nik had only just now realized that the second assassin at Jim's place had been wiping blood off of his sword. He hadn't considered it in the moment, but now that he had time, he questioned whose blood that had been. His face went pale as he put the pieces together. "They... They killed his dad."
Fluttershy placed her hoof on Nik's shoulder. She hadn't intended to upset him so with her questions. She had only meant to have him open up. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't want to keep going, we can stop here. I don't want to make you feel bad."
Nik shook his head. "No, we can keep going. I just... He was such a sweet old man. He was a retired aviator for the military who spent his golden years knitting and playing poker. He didn't deserve what happened to him."
"I know. Many that die deserve life. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us."
Nik could have sworn he'd heard that line somewhere before, though he couldn't quite place it. Still, he knew Fluttershy was right. He would just have to continue living his life. There was nothing he could do to bring back the dead. Even if this world had necromancy, Jim's father deserved to be left at peace. As did Jim, he thought, reasoning that they likely wouldn't just let him go. He would mourn their loss when he could stop worrying about his own situation.
"Do you have any idea why they were after you, Nikolas?"
Nik shook his head. "None. No one came to talk with me about changing my behaviour. I can't think of anything I did to hurt someone else. Maybe I did do something to hurt them and didn't realize it? If so, I guess that makes me a bad person, but if they'd come and talked to me, I would have at the very least opened up a dialogue with them, whoever they were."
Fluttershy nodded. "I believe you, Nikolas."
"You can just call me Nik, if you prefer."
"Nik?"
Nik nodded. "We're friends now, right?"
Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way. In that case, I'm glad we could be friends, Nik." She reached around him, wrapping her hooves around his soft belly, being careful not to rub against any of his burns. He was glad to return the hug.
They sat there for another few minutes before Nik yawned. While he hadn't done much in the way of activity today, he was emotionally and mentally exhausted. He could feel himself nodding off.
Fluttershy noticed his behaviour. "Are you tired?" Nik nodded, yawning again. "I'm afraid that means you'll have to go back into your enclosure. On the plus side, I can offer you a pillow and blanket, if you'd like."
Nik groaned. He wasn't looking forward to going back into the cage. "I suppose a pillow and blanket would make my jail cell a little nicer. If I may ask, before I go back into my cage for the night, might I be allowed to use your lavatory?"
After his bathroom break, Fluttershy put Nik to bed outside. She knew, from her experience with Kai, how uncomfortable it was to be stuck inside of a cage. Granted, she had been allowed to stand up. Nik was not afforded the same luxury. The very moment she was convinced that he would do her no harm, she vowed to find him a better place to sleep. But for now, she had work to do.
Nik wanted to wear clothes. She would have to find his measurements and make new clothing for him. After all, there weren't any stores where you could buy human clothes here in Equestria. Nik wanted out of his cage. She would need to find a place for him to sleep and a place to stay for moments when she couldn't watch him. Perhaps the latter of these would become irrelevant, but regardless, she would need an extra large bed that could be stowed away.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Nik would be needing protection. If those other humans found him here and tried to kill him again, countless ponies could be injured or worse in the process. She couldn't drive them off, she was neither strong nor a fighter. She would need assistance from the royal guards. At the very least, until she was absolutely sure he was safe.
She wrote three letters. The first, to Rarity, requesting a shipment of fabric and stuffing with which to make a durable bed. She would also need to ask Nikolas what fabric was used for human clothes. His shirt looked like a knit, and his pants looked like denim, but she wasn't sure about the rest. The second letter was to a local pet store, asking the standard dimensions for an extra-large dog bed. The third was for Twilight, asking if she could do anything to offer Nik the protection he needed through either her brother or the princesses. She couldn't risk having a group of assassins visiting Ponyville. Placing them in her mailbox with the flag up, she checked in on Winona a final time before heading to bed herself.
Rarity was the first responder, bringing with her a wagonload of materials. Denim, linen, upholstering fabric and quilt batting in large rolls poked out from under the tarpaulin. She knocked on the door, expecting Fluttershy to answer. Instead, she was quite shocked when Nikolas opened the door and poked his head through. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Rarity took several steps back. "Oh, um, good day, my fine... fellow. I was just coming by with a delivery for miss Fluttershy." She chuckled nervously. "She wouldn't happen to be here, would she?"
"She's out back with Winona. Are you from the dog food factory?"
"I most certainly am not," responded Rarity, finding her nerve. "I am Rarity the unicorn, owner and proprietor of Rarity's Carousel Boutique. I was asked to bring by some fabric for clothing and bedding."
"I see. Well, as I've said, she's out back. Will you be staying for breakfast?"
"No, thank you. I'll just be around back..."
As Rarity walked around the house, Nik returned to the kitchen. He was making latkes and prepping a set of rolls to enjoy with dinner. As Fluttershy had no proofing cabinet, he would have to let the dough rise for several hours before baking. If they were rising too fast, however, he could always slow the process by refrigerating them.
Twenty minutes later, Fluttershy was back inside, and the two new friends sat down to enjoy their breakfast. Fluttershy was once again impressed with Nik's abilities. If he could be a common citizen of Equestria rather than a caged animal, she would have been glad to help him find a job at a restaurant.
"Rarity told me you two met at the front door," said Fluttershy, sipping at her tea. "What did you think of her?"
"Honestly?" Nik took a deep breath. "My first impression was that she's terrified by my presence. I have to wonder if you're the only pony on the entire planet of Equestria that isn't terrified of me."
Fluttershy swallowed as her brow furrowed. "Equestria's the name of the country, Nik. It was founded when the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies all came together in harmony."
"Oh."
"It's fine, don't worry about being confused. You're new. You've only been in Equestria for a few days."
Nik nodded. "So, what is the name of this planet?"
"That's easy, its--" Fluttershy was interrupted by a heavy pounding at the door that made her jump out of her chair. "I wonder who that could be?" She stood up and made her way to the door.
As the door swung open, she was face to face with four royal guards. "Are you Fluttershy?" She nodded. "Are you harboring a hoo-man in here?" Fluttershy nodded again. "You're under arrest for endangering public safety by means of unleashing a wild animal."
Nik's opinion of Rarity took a rather sudden drop. He made his way to the living room, about to tell the guards that he wasn't planning to cause any harm, but he instead found himself with a cable wrapped around his neck again.
"Don't hurt him!" called Fluttershy, as Nik was pulled to the ground. As much as he wanted to fight against his captors, he felt that doing so would be bad for Fluttershy. He opted to cooperate, for her sake. They were loaded up into a cart and secured to the interior walls. As the wagon began to move, Nik silently cursed Rarity for turning them in.
In truth, it was all a misunderstanding. Rarity hadn't been involved in the slightest. When Fluttershy had asked Twilight to petition the princess for protection, there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line. Protection had become protective custody, protective custody had become custody, and custody had become criminal custody. It was all just a matter of poor interpretation.
That said, knowing the truth would not save them from their fate. They sat in silence for most of the ride, the only sounds being the rattling of the axels and the quiet sniffling from Fluttershy. Nik wanted to dry her tears, but he was chained to the opposite wall. He couldn't reach her.
When the trip ended, they were unloaded from the cart and escorted into a dungeon cell. It was filthy. Compared to what Fluttershy was used to, it was small. Nik, on the other hand, noted that it was larger than his cage. Honestly, it was a step up from his zoo enclosure. It wasn't quite Fluttershy's cottage, but at least he could stand mostly upright.
"So, tell me, Fluttershy," said Nik, sitting down in the corner. "Do you know how long we'll be in here, and can you attest to the level of care we might expect?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "I've only personally known one pony that's been in one of these cells. He said they only give you food that's gone bad."
"So, there's no level of care. We're just being left here to die slowly..."
Nik's words started up Fluttershy's tears again. This time, Nik had the ability to comfort her, as they were sharing the same cell. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he gently rubbed her back, humming a soft tune as he did so. She hugged him back, pressing her dripping face against his shirt. Nik had never been a comfort to anyone before. He didn't know how to do any more than this.
The air was stale and musty, and the sound carried for quite a distance. If you listened closely, you could hear the sounds of the guards chuckling and playing cards at the entrance to the dungeons. A few other prisoners were pacing around their cells. One was even singing a slow, sad song on repeat. There was no light being let in from the outside, and the inmates were restricted to rushlights glaring down on them from outside the cells, presumably to keep the inmates from setting themselves ablaze.
Nik sighed. He had gone from a small cage to a smaller cage, then to a kitchen and finally a jail cell. His life had taken a steep dive when his apartment had burned down, a fact that he was quite unhappy with. Still, given the circumstances, he was at least still alive. That said, at the end of the day, when a tray with a loaf of stale bread was kicked at the two of them, a part of him wished that he had fallen to the assassins.
Four days passed in that dark, dank cell. Every day, the guards would come by to replace the rushlights and refill their bucket of water, dropping off their food as they went. It was a horrid existence, but it was what Fluttershy and Nikolas had come to expect from their captors. They hadn't even been granted a trial yet. When Nik had asked, the guard had walked off, laughing. That was never a good sign.
They were going through their new daily routine, which consisted of Nikolas quietly telling Fluttershy a story he had pulled from an old role playing game he was regularly in attendance for, when there was a banging against the bars of their cell. A very well-dressed prison guard with a goatee was standing at the door, a baton at his side. Three more guards were right behind him.
"Are you Fluttershy and Nikolas?" asked the well-dressed guard, pulling out a scroll. Fluttershy nodded in response. "I'm Captain Pear from the Belican Restorative Navy. I'm here because miss Fluttershy is being charged with theft of private property. That property would be you, mister Nikolas." He unrolled his scroll. "Under statute thirty-seven beta, subsection eight, I am authorized and obligated to escort the two of you to the Court of Raids, where you will be submitted to trial."
"I'm no one's property," growled Nikolas, standing up to display his height.
"The Court of Raids will decide that," responded Captain Pear, seemingly unfazed by the display of dominance. "Now, place your hands through the bars so we may shackle them."
Nik begrudgingly pushed his hands through the bars, where his wrists were once again bound. Fluttershy followed suit, and they once again found themselves being loaded into a wagon. This time, however, rather than looking scared, Fluttershy seemed confused.
"What's wrong, Fluttershy?" asked Nikolas.
Fluttershy shook her head. "I know I've seen this Captain Pear somewhere before, but I can't place it. I know it's not from Belicos, because I've never been there."
"Keep quiet," called the captain from outside the wagon. Not wanting to heap any more trouble on top of themselves, Fluttershy and Nik did as they were told. The trip was short, as they weren't going very far for the first leg of their journey. It was a quick trip down to the docks, where an airship was waiting, bearing the standard of the Court of Raids, the highest authority in Belicos at the moment. As the country was without a ruler, it was subdivided into factions, and the court of Raids was essentially a ceasefire zone right in the middle, arguably the safest place in the entire country. They were loaded onto the ship by way of a crane and winch, being lowered onto the deck of the ship, where their cart was secured.
"Good luck holding these two," chuckled one of the guards from the dungeon, who had accompanied them to the ship.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Captain Pear. "Did you not tie them down correctly?"
"No, no," The guard sounded flustered. "I mean, yes, I did. They're tied down exactly the right way."
"What about their bonds? Are they secure?"
"Well, yes, but--"
"Then why in Equestria would I be in need of luck to keep these two situated?"
There was a long pause. "I guess you wouldn't."
"You guess?"
"I mean, you don't need any luck, sir. They are secured as can be."
"What's your name?"
"Brass Latch, sir."
"Brass Latch. If anything should happen to these two while in transit or during their unloading process due to your incompetence in tying them down, I will have your head. Are we clear?"
"Y-yes sir."
"Good. Now, if you would kindly disembark my ship, we need to be underway presently." Nik and Fluttershy heard the sound of hooves leaving the ship, then felt themselves drop as the ship was released from the moor and was cast adrift.
"I thought Canterlot was on a mountain?" asked Nikolas. "Why are there ships launching from it?"
"We have airships," responded Fluttershy. "They can move through the sky or on the water. Canterlot, being the capitol, has quite a large docking station to account for this."
Nik nodded. He wished he could see out of the wagon. He'd always loved having the window seat when he had flown on airplanes. The visual of soaring through the air excited him like nothing else. But being stuck in here, unable to see it was closer to what he had come to expect from Equestria.
What he didn't expect was what came about ten minutes into their flight. Captain Pear had come below deck, and was now entering their wagon. "Hello again." He wore a smile on his face as he took off his hat. "I hope your trip so far hasn't been horrible."
"It has," grumbled Nik.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news."
"Can we have the good news first?"
Captain Pear nodded. "You're not going to the Court of Raids. You're not even going to Belicos. In fact, you're not even under arrest." Producing a key, he unlocked Fluttershy's shackles, freeing her from the wall. "The other good news is that those guards picked you up just in time. Ponyville is now being occupied. That's the bad news; you can't go back to Ponyville."
"Occupied by who?"
"Occupied by whom," the captain corrected. "And they're a bunch of ponies in black robes. They're looking for a human."
As his bonds came undone, the colour flushed from Nik's face. "Black robes?"
The Captain nodded. "With a red claw grasping a skull printed on the front. I'm pretty sure they want you dead, mister Nikolas."
"Not that I'm complaining, or anything," interjected Fluttershy. "But I'd like to know why you broke us out of prison, and why you're telling us this."
"That's easy," he chuckled. "Kai asked me to."
Fluttershy's eyes lit up. "You've been in contact with Kai? Where is he?"
"I would guess somewhere around San Palomino. That's where he wants you to go. I'm going to run interference for you, try to throw them off your trail."
"You'd do that for us?"
"Of course. Oh, and I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier. I couldn't risk you recognizing me with all of the real guards around."
"I forgive you," smiled Fluttershy. "But I'm still not sure where I know you from."
Suddenly, another unicorn appeared in the doorway. He was large and pale. "Captain Usu, we're over the castle now. We need you up here so we can land."
Fluttershy immediately recognized the new unicorn, as he wore no disguise. "Tundra?" Tundra nodded, then took his leave. Fluttershy threw her arms around the captain's shoulders. "Usu! It's so nice to see you again!"
Usutora returned the hug, but had to separate from her. "It's wonderful to see you, too. However, duty calls. I need to be topside so we can land."
As they landed at the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, deep within the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy and Nikolas stepped up onto the deck. As they were about to disembark, Fluttershy was tackled from over the side of the ship. When she looked to see what was happening to her, she saw Twilight Sparkle hugging her tightly.
"I'm so glad you're safe," she said, small tears of relief forming in the corners of her eyes. They were wiped away shortly after their appearance. "When I heard that those cloaked ponies were looking for you, I was so afraid of what they'd do to you."
"How did you know about them, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy, returning the hug.
Twilight pulled out a scroll from her saddlebags. It bore the two insignias from Kai's letters. "I have no idea how he knew what was going on, or how he knew you were in prison. I'll be honest, he scares me sometimes."
"As you should be," interjected Usu, lifting the wagon out of the ship's hold. "If he doesn't frighten you, even slightly, then you have no idea what he's capable of. Being a pure-bred unicorn gives him a strong lead in magical ability, being alone for twenty years makes him crazy and unpredictable, and most importantly, I've seen him use black magic. A more dangerous combination is hard to find."
"Now hold on a minute," responded Fluttershy. "He's not crazy. He has a frightening presence until you can understand him, to be sure, but he's mostly harmless."
"Harmless doesn't mean without danger." It was Nik's turn to interject. "Just because a dog is calm and friendly does not mean its teeth aren't sharp and its jaw isn't powerful. If this Kai character is benevolent, that's a good thing, but it doesn't mean he can't hurt someone. He may even be capable of killing a pony. All they're saying is that he's capable of causing harm, not that he does it regularly."
Fluttershy shivered and closed her eyes, knowing full well that Kai was capable of ending a pony's life. She had seen him do so, even though she knew he was desperate at the time. The group fell silent for a few minutes while Usu finished unloading the prison cart. With a quick adjustment, he had reformatted it for their journey. "It locks from the inside now. That will keep most ponies out. The wheels lock in place, so you can pull aside and rest for the night. And a quick splash of paint will keep away prying eyes, so nopony will suspect that you're with the Canterlot Royal Guards."
Twilight nodded as she set herself up to start pulling. "Don't worry about your animal friends, Fluttershy. All of our other friends are in on the plan, and Rarity has graciously volunteered to take over for you."
Usu gave Fluttershy and Nik a large, heavy box. "Your destination is San Palomino. The Drunken Dragon Inn, room nine. Keep Nikolas hidden from sight whenever you need to be on the roads. I've provided you with dried foods for your journey. You can stop for water when necessary. Best of luck."
Fluttershy gave Usu a final hug. "Thank you. If ever there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know."
Nik's brow furrowed. "Wait a second. Why can't you just take us to San Palomino on your ship?"
Usu pulled up the gangplank. "I'll be running interference. Keeping them off your trail. Drawing their attention away from you."
"How?"
"By spreading rumours of human sightings in every town from here to Las Pegasus. Since I know what you look like now, I'm pretty sure I can make a fairly convincing fake human."
As the ship floated off into the distance, Nik turned to the two mares. "I'm assuming you both know where San Palomino is?"
Their first day on the road, though short, was not without its problems. As they had taken to the roads, Nik was unable to leave the confines of the cart. To make matters worse for him, Fluttershy had opted to pull alongside Twilight for expediency. This left Nik completely alone in the back of a prison cart. Despite the fact that he was free to leave at any time, it was at the risk of his own life, a price he was not willing to pay. He felt as if he was a prisoner of the two mares escorting him. There weren't even any windows, so he couldn't watch the scenery go by. All he had to occupy his time was to sift through the box Usu had given them.
They stopped to camp for the night far off the side of the road. With a rapping on the door, Fluttershy alerted Nikolas that it was time to come out. The door swung open, and Nikolas stepped out, an axe in his right hand and a small satchel in his left. "I'm ready to help set up the camp. What needs doing?"
"That all depends on what experience you have in camping," replied Twilight. "Do you know how to pitch a tent?"
"I do."
"Excellent. You can start on that while I fetch some firewood."
Using the backside of the axe, Nikolas drove the tent stakes down into the ground and set up the poles to keep the tent elevated. He'd been camping several times with his parents when growing up. His mother had taught him how to pitch a tent and set up a campfire. His father had tried to teach him how to fish, but they'd never caught anything. Neither of them had taught him how to split firewood, though. That was a skill he had learned from a book.
By the time Twilight had returned with a load of firewood, The tents were already pitched, and Nik was almost finished with digging the firepit. "Wow, you work fast," she commented, impressed by his skill. "How'd you manage to set all of this up while I was gone?"
"It's simple stuff," responded Nik. "Two posts, some rope, a tarp and six stakes. What part of that was supposed to stump me?"
"I guess you have a point," she shrugged, dumping the wood near the hole Nik had dug. Pulling the axe from the loop on his now filthy carpenter jeans, he began splitting it down further into small, easy to burn pieces. As he finished cutting it, Fluttershy stacked it for him, and Twilight started the fire. Before long, they were enjoying the crackling flame as they munched on their fruit leather. While Nik would have preferred to be searing a juicy, tender steak over the open flame, he could at least take some amount of joy in the knowledge that he wasn't eating stale bread right now.
Despite Nik voicing his concerns the following morning, he was not given the luxury of something to occupy his time. The day passed the same as the afternoon before, with Nik having nothing to do but wait for his next lavatory break. During one of these breaks, he was given the good news that they were making better time than expected, and they'd likely be at the inn tonight. If the room was big enough, they'd even try to sneak him in so he could sleep in a bed.
Just before sunset, they pulled over again, despite the fact that they hadn't even been on the road for half an hour since their last stop. While this made Nik nervous, he calmed down as Fluttershy called to him from the outside of the cart. Stepping out, Nik found himself standing at the top of a small cliff. Fluttershy directed his attention to a wide gorge nearby.
"We thought you might like to see our destination from a distance," explained Twilight. On closer inspection, Nik could see carvings in the cliff faces on either side of the gorge. These carvings resembled buildings. Nik was rather skeptical until he saw a door open and something walk out. From this distance, it looked like just a speck, but he could only assume it was a pony of some variety.
"Is that the city of San Palomino?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Located inside the walls of the San Palomino gorge. It's a nice enough place, if you like stone structures."
Nik was indeed a fan of stone structures. He was amazed sometimes by the ancient castles of his own world, and how they had stood for hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years. That said, his time spent in Canterlot had not been a pleasant one. He wasn't as fond anymore by the idea of being completely surrounded by stone.
He loaded himself back into the wagon, opting to go into the city, rather than just look at it. He had the possibility of sleeping on a real bed. That was too exciting to pass up at this point. He hoped that there would be one big enough to hold him.
Fluttershy waited with Nik outside while Twilight entered the Drunken Dragon Inn. Most of the patrons had already gone to bed for the night, a factor that Twilight was very glad to calculate into her plans. It meant fewer eyes for sneaking Nik inside. Finding the innkeeper behind an oak bar, she approached.
"Hello, there."
The Innkeeper looked over to see who had addressed him. "Good evening young lady. Can I interest you in a drink?"
"No, that won't be necessary. My friends and I just need a place to stay for the night."
"I'm sorry, miss, but all of our rooms are full for the night. I can recommend a place not too far away, if you like."
Twilight's brow furrowed. "But I was told to stay here, in room nine?"
The colour flushed from the innkeeper's face. He leaned in, motioning for Twilight to do the same. "You're here with that freaky mage?" he whispered.
Twilight nodded. "We were told to meet him here. We know we're a day ahead of schedule, but if the rest of our party is already here, we'd like to see him."
The innkeeper swallowed hard. "One unicorn, one pegasus and one large creature, right?"
Twilight nodded. "That's correct."
The innkeeper ducked beneath the bar and fumbled around a bit, coming up with a small key. "I should tell you, though, there's been a slight change of plans. When your mage friend arrived, room nine was already occupied. You've been moved to room six."
As Twilight made her way back outside, the innkeeper rushed around to all of the remaining patrons in the front area, urging them to return to their rooms as fast as they could and to lock their doors. He would prefer not to cause them any harm, and he felt that a dangerous situation was about to unfold with the introduction of the human.
After entering room six, Nikolas took off the sheet he had covered himself with for entry into the building. Looking over the beds, he was relieved to see that one of them was big enough that he could fit if he curled up. The other bed could be split between the girls. That only left Kai. That said, Nik couldn't see him.
"Where's this wizard friend of yours?"
"I don't know," answered Fluttershy. "He was supposed to meet us here."
"We were also not supposed to show up until tomorrow," reasoned Twilight. "He might not be here yet. However, if that's the case, I wonder why the innkeeper was acting like he was already here. He even called him a freaky mage, so I know they've met."
"He's not a freak," scowled Fluttershy.
"I didn't say he was," replied Twilight. "I only said that's what the innkeeper called him."
Nik sat down. "Whatever the case may be, he's not here right now. We followed his instructions, and we're a day early. Let's all just wait and rest. When he arrives, we can ask him then what he can tell us about what's going on." The girls agreed to the arrangement and picked out their spots on the bed. Just as they were starting to find their comfort, though, they heard the door lock click open. Nikolas sat up. "You see, ladies? That's probably Kai now, using his own key to enter."
Nik stood up to greet their new party member, but as the door swung open, he scrambled backward. The entrants were all ponies in black robes. They wore on their chests the insignia that Nik had been having nightmares about since the day he came to Equestria. A bright red claw, wrapped around a skull of the same colour. However, rather than a human skull, Nik had to assume this was a pony skull.
The four ponies entered the room, swords drawn. Fluttershy, being strictly anti-combat, dove under the bed. Twilight leapt to her hooves, charging her magic missile. Nik had no weapon to speak of this time, and since their room had been carved from stone, there was no window. Even if there was, it would only grant him a view of more rocks. The only escape route was through these assassins. They had no choice but to push through them.
Being the only member of their party with any ability for fighting, Twilight stepped forward. In her head, she was doing countless calculations, trying to find some way to knock all of their opponents aside long enough for everyone to escape to the cart. She was sure there was some way to end this fight without causing too much harm, but that meant they would have to hide out until Kai could find them again.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the first two assailants charged forward, swords swinging. She had little choice but to dodge left. As she rolled aside, she found herself in a good position. A frigid blast shot out of her horn, freezing the first one against the wall. The second was still active, and swinging at Twilight, the greatest current threat.
He soon found his blade blocked. Nik had rushed forward after Twilight had frozen the first assassin and stolen his sword. Now armed, he had a means of assisting. He was able to block the blade long enough for Twilight to blast the second assassin aside. As a team, they were winning.
"Drop your weapon!" shouted a voice from behind them. Nik turned to face the speaker, and was mortified to see that, while they had been fighting off the first two, the third had been sneaking around behind them. his blade was now pressed firmly against Fluttershy's throat, having pulled her from under the bed. "Now!"
"Do what he says, human!" shouted another voice. When Twilight had turned to face Fluttershy, the fourth and final intruder had come up behind her. Now, she too had a blade pressing into her neck. "Or your friends will die first!"
Nik was backed against a wall, figuratively. He had a clear line to the exit. He could turn and run, and he'd save his own life. Unfortunately, doing so would mean the deaths of these two ponies he had come to know over the past week. Twilight had just saved his life moments ago, and Fluttershy was the first pony to ever treat him with any amount of respect. He couldn't bring himself to the justification of their deaths. They were good ponies, and they deserved to live. Tossing the blade to the ground, he fell to his knees and lowered his head. "You win. Take my life, but let them go. They don't deserve to die in my place."
"A wise decision," said the second, finally standing back up from Twilight's blast. "Anything in particular you want on your tombstone?" Nik shook his head. "Suit yourself." Raising his blade, the assassin took a stance over Nikolas.
Just at that moment, three powerful magic blasts shot into the room through the door, striking and stunning the cloaked figures. Looking to the doorframe, The three friends saw a shadowy stallion with a large, bouffant mane. "Come on! We have to leave, now!"
"Who are you?" asked Nik, standing up.
"What does it matter!? Come on!"
Twilight grabbed Fluttershy's wrist, and the four of them ran out of the room. "Where is Kai? He was supposed to be here!"
"He couldn't make it, so he sent me to pick you up. I think, anyway. Purple unicorn, yellow pegasus and something bipedal called a human. I assume you're Twilight, Fluttershy and Nikolas?"
"That's us."
The strange stallion strapped Fluttershy into one of the harnesses for the cart and himself into the second. "Nikolas, Twilight, pile into the back. If they start following us, I'm going to need you to subdue them. Fire magic at them, throw rocks, crossbow, I don't care how. Just keep them away."
He reared up, and began escorting them out of town at a very high speed. Fluttershy was already sore from pulling all day, but the fear she felt was pumping adrenaline through her veins. There was nothing that could slow her hooves right now.
They galloped for almost an hour before the stallion slowed them down. "I think we're far enough that we can stop for the night."
They didn't bother with tents, as they were taking refuge in a small cave. The minute Fluttershy was atop the bedroll, she was out like a light. Twilight, who had also been pulling the cart all day, was soon to follow. But Nik wanted answers. Sitting down next to the unicorn at the cave's entrance, he asked his first question.
"So, you're not Kai?"
"I am not, no. My name is Terra. I work with Kai."
"I heard he was scary."
Terra chuckled. "If I were classified as the least scary pony in that library, Kai would be the silver medal for sure."
"Library?"
"Yes, the Library of Gim. That's where I'm taking you."
"Do you really think the library is safe from all of these killers? This was their third attempt on my life in the past week."
"Yeah, I don't know what happened back at the inn. I was waiting for you in room nine, but you never showed."
"We were told by the innkeeper that we'd been moved to room six."
"I never transferred you to room six."
"How did you know where we were, then?"
Terra's eyebrow shot up. "Really? They're in there, yelling for the human to stand down loud enough for the whole town to hear. How could I not know where you were?"
Nik leaned back. "I guess that makes sense." Looking up at the stars from the mouth of the cave, Nik searched for recognizable constellations. He found a few, which suggested to him that this world took up the exact same space in relation to the rest of the universe as his own world. That information didn't help him at all, but it was nice to know.
"You should rest, Nikolas. We still have some ground to cover tomorrow. Don't worry about your safety, I'll stand guard for the night."
"You sure? Don't you need to sleep, too?"
Terra chuckled. "Of course. But more important is that I don't allow you to come to harm. Kai's orders."
"I thought you said he was the second least scary pony in the Library of Gim?"
"There's only three of us. That makes him the second scariest, too. And that's a much thinner margin."
"Should I be afraid of the scariest one?"
Terra shook his head. "Just keep this in mind, and you'll be fine. If you hear upbeat popular music when you're alone, run for your life."
When the remaining party members awoke the following morning, Terra had organized everything inside their cart and looked over any damages that had accrued as a result of their hasty retreat. He had felt, as he was pulling the cart, that one of the wheels was out of alignment. He was relieved to find out that it was just a broken wedge on the axel. That was an easy fix.
Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy had been awake last night to hear the conversation that had taken place between Nik and Terra. Many of their questions were similar in nature to those of the previous night. When Twilight found out that their destination was a library, she became quite excited at the prospect of seeing the countless books that lined the shelves. She couldn't wait to see it. However, there was one thing that had her quite confused.
"I've never heard of the town of Gim. If the library is as impressive as you say, shouldn't it be well known?"
Terra finished his grapefruit. "It's not called the Library of Gim because of its location, but rather its owner. Gim-Palarcanus, the father of thaumaturgy, built it to house his collected knowledge throughout the millennia."
"What's thaumaturgy?" asked Fluttershy.
"It's another word for magic," responded Twilight knowingly. "But it also pertains to conjury, invocations, sorcery and supernatural elements."
"That's right," nodded Terra. "Entrance is prohibited without invitation, however. The knowledge we house is dangerous stuff. If we were to misuse it, the amount of damage we could cause would be devastating."
"And you just plan on letting us in without vetting us first?" Nik leaned forward. "I've been referred to as a dangerous creature. Who's to say I won't cause any damages?"
"You're with Fluttershy. She's not under duress, so you have Kai's approval for entry."
"That seems like a lousy security system."
"What does the security system matter?" asked Twilight. "It's a library."
"It needs to keep out the assassins. If they can just walk in, then there's nothing stopping them from attacking us again."
Terra stood up. "As soon as you see the door, you'll change your tune. And on that note, we should be on our way."
Terra lead them through the hills and bluffs, over streams and through woods, finally coming to a stop at a nondescript cliff face. For the first time since they'd met, Nik could see clearly Terra's face with enough light to appreciate it. It had been too dark the night prior, and also within the cave. He was of average height, for a pony, and his green mane was arranged into a puffy pompadour with yellow highlights. Over his dark brown coat he wore a cloak with two insignias. The first was an oak tree on a hill, the other was a blue pentagram.
"Here we are," he said, approaching the cliff face. "This is one of the six entrances to the Library of Gim."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about? It's just a wall."
"To the untrained eye, but for those who know where to look, it's clear as day." Standing up on his hind legs, Terra reeled back and slammed his front hooves against the wall.
Nik was expecting the cliff to part, leading them all into a room filled with books. However, that did not match what had happened at all. Nik and the girls just stared at Terra in silence as nothing changed around them.
"That's not supposed to happen. Let me try again." Reeling back again, Terra slammed his hooves against the stone. Still nothing.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" asked Twilight, cocking her head to the side. "Because it seems that nothing's happening."
Terra sat down and rubbed his hooves together. Nik saw a small spark form between them before fizzling out. "I'm out of mana," he said, having come to understand why the door wasn't responding to his attempts. "You need to use a spell to open the door, but I've run out."
Twilight approached the wall, pressing her hoof against it. She could feel some manner of energy pulsing from behind the stone, a phenomenon she was wholly unfamiliar with. "There's definitely something beyond this wall. What kind of spell is needed to open the door?"
Terra rubbed his hooves together. "It's a complex set of eight spells triggered in exactly the right order. If you'd permit me the use of some of your magic, I can open the door posthaste."
Twilight nodded and her horn took on a mild glow. Grabbing her horn in one of his hooves, Terra felt her power flowing freely into his grasp. Rubbing his hooves together, her slammed his hooves against the wall a third time. This attempt was met with success. Lightning shot out of Terra's hooves and ran across the wall, forming a pentagram. The shape rotated clockwise, slowly falling into the cliff and unrolling into a stone path meandering through a purple void.
"That's more like it." Terra turned back to the group. "This is the entrance to the Library of Gim. At the other end of this bridge lies the collected knowledge of the father of thaumaturgy. Anything you could ever want to know about magic, miracles, summoning demons or incantations lies within."
"Why in Equestria would we want to know how to summon demons?" asked Twilight. "We're not evil."
"Neither are many of the thralls you can call forth," explained Terra, starting down the path to the library. "They're just there to do the bidding of their master. Whether they take joy in doing so is up to them."
The quartet walked carefully across the bridge, with Nikolas pulling the cart behind him at the rear. There was plenty of space on the bridge to ensure that he wouldn't fall off the sides, but he still felt nervous as he walked. That feeling dissipated, however, as he found himself at the other end of the bridge.
Gazing into the library, they saw mountainous piles of books, stacked higher than even Nik could reach without a ladder. These literary pillars twisted and writhed in every direction, forming a maze of papers. There were no shelves to hold the information, there was no card catalogue to sort out the mess, just an endless intertwining maze of limitless knowledge. Nik would have been concerned about these books reaching the ceiling, but there was no ceiling. Above them were swirling grey clouds, with lightning periodically arcing between them.
Twilight felt a rush of energy as she entered. While it could be argued that her burst could have been triggered by the excitement of just how many books there were, or the rage she felt from the complete lack of organization and apparent care for the books therein, she could feel the flow of magical energy was higher here than anywhere she had ever been. Even the simplest of spells would have been immensely powerful if she were to cast them in this library.
"My esteemed guests," smiled Terra, stepping in front of them and turning to face them. "Welcome to the Great Library of Gim-Palarcanus."
Leaving the cart at the entrance, the group weaved their way through the piles of books, glad to have Terra around to guide them. Had they been here on their own, they'd have lost their way for certain. This was especially apparent when they ran into a wall of books that Terra said hadn't been there when he left.
Twilight couldn't contain herself anymore. "Why isn't this information organized? How do you find anything in this mess of pages?"
"Locator spells," answered Terra, shifting a tall stack of loose pages aside. "Our spells recharge so ridiculously fast in here that we can just keep pinging for the books we need."
"That's a terrible way to run a library. What if somepony other than a unicorn was looking for a book?"
Terra turned back to face Twilight. "It's a private library. We don't often host visitors."
"That's no excuse. You need somepony to clean up this mess right away. They belong on their shelves."
Terra chuckled at that. "What shelves? There are no shelves. Your best approximation would be the lecterns and tables that dot the area, but they're not nearly large enough to shelf that many books."
With a final push, the wall of books that had impeded their path slid aside, revealing a unicorn mare on the other side. She had a pale lavender coat and a smooth black mane with dark blue streaks. As she turned to face them, her eyes shot open. The colour of her irises could have been described as red, were it not for two grey streaks running from her pupils to her limbi on the lower exterior side. They were comparable to the needles on a dial, indicating that her left eye was full, and her right empty.
The mare scowled. "Terra, why did you bring new ponies in here?" She pointed to Nik. "And what is that thing?"
Terra cleared his throat. "These are Kai's guests. They're the subjects in a project he's been working on for the last few days. Ladies, Nik, this is--"
"Golden Sky!" shouted Twilight, bursting forward and grabbing the mare's hoof to shake. "You wrote a treatise on the resonant frequencies pertaining to their effects on the ebb and flow of magical energy!"
Sky sneered. "Yes, I did. Thank you so much for reminding me why my peers cut my research budget. I had almost forgotten why I had to leave Canterlot in disgrace," she growled sarcastically.
Twilight pulled back, confused. "But, you were right. There is a link between oscillating frequencies and the resulting flow of magic. Right now, there are researchers developing tools to bombard unicorns with sound to change the power of their magical capabilities."
"I know I was right!" snapped Sky. "I've proven it time after time! I've even proven that it has nothing to do with the emotional tone of the music played."
"How did you do that?"
A small smirk formed at the corner of Sky's mouth for just a moment before disappearing again. While she wouldn't normally admit it, she was fond of being questioned by inquisitive minds. "I enlisted the help of a deaf unicorn. She couldn't detect the tone, so she was rather shocked by the effects of the experiment. Would you care to see my notes?"
Twilights eyes went wide, as did her smile. "I would absolutely love to see your research."
As the two began to walk away, Terra grabbed Twilight by the shoulder. "I'm under orders to bring these three to Kai right away. I can't let you take her, Sky."
Golden Sky chuckled. "Kai's asleep. Didn't even make it back to his study this time. He's not going to mind if I take one of his subjects for just an hour."
"Besides," interjected Twilight, "I was told that I was being brought on for Fluttershy and Nikolas's safety. If they're as safe here as you say they are, then there's no problem, right?"
Terra sighed. "Fine. Have it your way, but be it on your heads."
The two unicorn mares walked away, not waiting any longer than the first corner to begin discussing their subject matter. Turning the opposite direction, Terra brought Nik and Fluttershy further into the library.
"Is she going to be okay?" asked Fluttershy.
"I'm also concerned," added Nik. "You said she was the most dangerous of the mages here. Is it really a good idea to just let Twilight go off with her?"
"She may be the most volatile of the ponies here, but I don't think she'll cause any harm. In fact, I think Sky likes Twilight. I'd almost swear to it. She should be fine."
They rounded the final corner. In the corridor they now found themselves in was a small pile of books, compared to the rest of the literary mountains. Of note for this pile of books was that it was snoring. Or rather, the pony beneath it was snoring. Terra shifted the top aside, shaking awake the pony beneath.
This was a new sight for Nik. He had seen unicorns before, and he had seen pegasi, but the groggy stallion before him had both wings and a horn. However, the wings were not natural. They were prosthetics, though they seemed to be directly bolted into his body, rather than strapped on. Nik supposed that this was to make sure his wings didn't fall off mid-flight, but he had to wonder about the long-term effects of having mechanical parts permanently secured to biological parts. In his world, too much heavy metal in the bloodstream would mean a slow, painful death. Maybe the ponies of this world didn't work the same way.
He was light blue in colouration, with an almost black and white mane and tail. His eyes were a deep blue, and on his hip was the same blue pentagram that had adorned the temple entrance.
As the stallion shook the sleep away, Fluttershy ran up and tackled him. "Kai!" Her hooves wrapped tightly around his shoulders. "I missed you so much!"
Kai stood up, gently brushing Fluttershy's shoulder with his hoof. "I missed you, too. I'm really glad you're not still mad at me."
"Why would she be mad at you?" asked Nik.
Kai's attention turned to Nik, and he separated himself from Fluttershy. "You must be Nikolas, the human from Kansas."
Nik furrowed his brow as he shook Kai's outstretched hoof. "That's correct." How had he known that? Nik hadn't even told Fluttershy where he had come from.
"You must have so many questions." Kai looked around. "Wasn't Twilight supposed to be with you?"
"She's with Golden Sky," replied Terra. "She'll be by later, I should think."
"Is that so?" Kai turned back to Fluttershy. "Well, in that case, I suggest we adjourn to my study. I doubt I can answer every question you have, but I'll certainly give it my best shot."
"What if you pass out again?" asked Terra. "You have a tendency to not sleep as much as you should. That's why you keep collapsing in the hallways."
"Kick me," answered Kai. "This is important."
"Can I ask the first question?" asked Fluttershy, filing in at Kai's left side. He nodded in response. "Why is your cutie mark different than how I remember it?"
"How did you change your cutie mark?" repeated Fluttershy after they returned to Kai's study. "That's not something you can just do lightly."
"You're right," answered Kai. "It's not to be taken lightly. There are, in fact, three ways to change a cutie mark that I know of. There may be more than that, but for now, let's focus on the two that may be at play here. First is the change of personal interpretation through sheer force of will. If you change who you are so completely that you can't recognize yourself, your cutie mark will change with you. The second is through ridiculously powerful magic interfering with the latent magic within every cutie mark."
"I'm still not sure exactly what a cutie mark is," confessed Nik. "Humans don't really have them."
"It's an outward expression of your own interpretation of yourself," explained Kai, displaying his. "For most ponies, it's an identifying trait. When you find yourself, and you know who you are to be, it just shows up. While I was here, however, I've read reports of cases where cutie marks were swapped, added and removed. Changing one's cutie mark is a very dangerous thing, if not done correctly. But enough about me, Let's talk about you, Nik."
"I'm an open book," chuckled Nik. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know, first and foremost, how and why you came to Equestria."
Nik's head dropped. "I'd like to know that, too. One minute I was under attack, the next I was here. I don't know how it happened."
"Well, what about this attack? Why were they after you?"
"I don't know. I was actually hoping you could tell me. You seem very knowledgeable on my world, more so than anypony else. You somehow even knew that I was from Kansas. I haven't mentioned that once since I came here, and you just knew somehow. How did you know that?"
Kai reached back and rubbed his neck. "I'll be honest, I feel a little guilty about this. When the portal to your world opened, I rushed to its location, but by the time I arrived, they were already hauling you off. Had I been there half an hour earlier, you might have been here days ago, and we'd already be on our way to fixing your problem."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Right. I looked back through the portal gate on my arrival. There were still a few traces of magic kicking around. That's how I found my information on your world. Which reminds me..." Turning around, Kai walked over to the cloak Rarity had given him and fished around in the pockets. Finding a wad of duct tape, he tossed it to Nik. "I don't know if you dropped this, or just didn't know that it fell through with you, but after seeing the contents, I'm fairly certain that it's yours."
Nik caught it and opened it up. "My wallet? I had left it on the table in Jim's basement. How did it fall through the portal?"
Kai shook his head. "I have no idea. But it was on the ground, about five metres from where I would guess you landed."
Nik slid the wallet into his back pocket. "I suppose that'll be useful if ever I make it back home. Although, I have to wonder if that's even possible at this point."
"Even if it is, I wouldn't dare send you back."
Nik scowled. "Why not?"
Kai scowled back. "The ponies currently coming after you and the humans who previously tried to end you. They're still out there, and they'll stop at nothing to see you destroyed, and your remains ripped apart. It doesn't matter who sent them after you, the fact that they were the ones chosen to hunt you down puts you in extreme danger, as well as those around you. Before I send you anywhere, we need to remove whatever spell they're using to track you. We've managed to stay a step ahead so far, but we still need to keep running for the goal."
"Actually," interjected Terra. "They were a step ahead in San Palomino."
Kai grabbed Terra's shoulder. "How so?"
"They arrived before us and convinced the innkeeper to help them," answered Nik. "We're not sure how."
Kai let out a heavy sigh. "Looks like we need to tighten up our plans a bit. The good news is, I'm joining your group from here on out, so any communication will come directly through me."
"And the bad news?"
Kai looked at Nik. "What bad news?"
"Every time one of you ponies has given me good news, it came with bad news."
Kai shrugged. "I guess the bad news can be that we're not going to end up going into towns anymore. I prefer nature over city life, anyway. Spending time in the forest is my preference. What about you, Nik? Is this bad enough news for you?"
Nik chuckled. "I suppose I'd prefer it that way, too. Less hiding required."
"What about food?" asked Fluttershy, having been silent for most of the conversation. "If we don't stop for supplies, what are we going to eat?"
"The land will provide for us," answered Kai. "Even with Nikolas's diet, I'm sure I can use my expertise and experience to ensure that we're all well-fed. Even if it's not the best tasting, it will keep us alive."
"With my diet?" questioned Nik. "I'm omnivorous. I've been eating exclusively vegetables since I came here."
"You need protein, Nik," responded Kai. "Meats. Or more likely, fish. That's something I can help with."
"When will it end, though?" asked Nik. "I don't want to die, but I don't want to keep running forever. That would destroy your lives. Do you really want to spend the rest of your years running away with me?"
Kai shook his head. "We're not running away forever." Shoving several stacks of books aside, Kai pulled out a map of Equestria. A long twisting line dictated the path he intended to take. "I've plotted a route that takes us to all the places we need to go to have any chance of finding your freedom. I'm prepared to take that path."
"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy. "These ponies after him are very dangerous. They had no qualms about slitting my throat back at the inn."
"I can defend us," assured Kai. "And I can make sure Nikolas is well taken care of." He walked over to Fluttershy and placed his hoof on her shoulder. "If you feel it's too dangerous, Nik and I will undertake this journey on our own. His life is already in danger. Yours doesn't have to be."
"Neither does yours. I'm coming with you."
"I'd prefer it if she came with us," said Nik. "Even if she's not capable of fighting, she makes me feel at ease. If she wants to come on this journey, I will stand behind her decision."
"I'd be a really shitty friend if I didn't watch your backs," chuckled Terra. "I'm coming with you, too."
Kai nodded. "In that case, our first stop is right here. Allow me to escort you to the chamber of trials."
The chamber of trials was the only section of the library not filled with paper. It was a large, stone dome with a bronze plating over the bricks. Bronze had proven an effective insulator for magic, meaning any stray spells from inside could not exit, nor could any spells from outside enter. It also kept spells from ricocheting off the walls and bouncing around the room. It collectively meant that any and all magic performed in this room had to be aimed and cast deliberately in order to have any effect. On either side of the room were small dugout boxes with a protective mesh so viewers of the spells cast within, be they spectators or second opinions, could watch and take notes in safety, and perhaps even learn something.
Kai stepped forward. "This is the first trial we'll have to face in order to remove Nik's curse. As it is a test of one's ability to perform magic, I will volunteer to face it for you."
"I suppose that's fair," shrugged Nik. "I can't really perform magic, anyway. Unless you count the magic of baking, that is..."
Kai shook his head. "That's not at all what I meant. The first test is a magic duel. One from the side of the challenger, which is myself, and one from the side of Gim, which he will decide for himself, will take our places and test our capabilities. At the end, if Gim-Palarcanus should deem us worthy with an audience with his master, then we shall have earned our first key."
At the other end of the room, Twilight and Golden Sky walked in. Twilight immediately ran over to join her friends. "Golden Sky gave me a copy of each of her research tomes!" she gushed, showing that her saddlebags had been stuffed with notes. "Isn't that just wonderful?"
Fluttershy smiled broadly. "Wow, Twilight. That's great news! Knowing you, I'd bet that you'll have them all memorized within a week." Twilight squeaked excitedly in response.
"Settle down, Twilight," chuckled Golden Sky. "I know you're excited, but there's a storm brewing in this room. I suggest you take your friends into one of the protective viewing booths."
Soon, the only ponies standing in the center of the room were the residents of the library. Each of them raised a hoof to the sky. Kai's hoof was the first to be effected, as a blue ring wrapped itself around his wrist. He had been selected as the challenger's champion. Before long, a red ring appeared around Terra's wrist. He was Gim-Palarcanus's selected hero. This seemed to come as a bit of a shock to all of them, as they had assumed Golden Sky would be the champion. With a nod, Kai chose to interpret this as having already earned his master's approval, and that the duel was more a formality than a real trial.
Golden Sky joined the others in the viewing box. "It seems your journey will be easier than Kai expected, Nikolas."
"What makes you say that?" asked Nik. "I thought Terra was quite skilled in magic?"
As Terra threw his cloak aside, revealing that his cutie mark was exactly the same as Kai's, the battle began. Kai struck first, lightning spewing from his horns to his wings, imbuing them with the power of electricity. Terra responded by slamming his front hooves against the floor, encasing them in stone. Flapping his wings forward out of sync with each other, Kai sent wave after wave of electricity at Terra, who was able to beat off every blow with his stone hooves.
"He is," answered Sky. "Terra is the most powerful mage of his class. That's how he ended up here. However, Kai is still leaps and bounds ahead of him."
It was Terra's turn to lash out. With another stomp, Terra sent a shockwave through the floor at Kai, knocking him into the air. However, Kai was light enough on his hooves that he was able to turn the launch to his favour, turning his wings from conduits for magic into implements of flight. Now, with every flap of his wings, a vortex of wind was formed, kicking up large clouds of dust in their wake.
"What do you mean, class?" asked Twilight. "Are you referring to the field of magic that he researches?"
"Not at all," responded Sky, shaking her head. "I am referring in this case to their ability to perform magic. While Terra is a master of his craft, and Kai is merely above average in his field, Kai has a certain quality that Terra can never hope to match, despite his best efforts."
"And what's that?" asked Fluttershy.
Terra had accentuated Kai's dust clouds with his own, causing a nebula through which Kai could not see. He could hear Terra moving around, and he could see the large boulders being lobbed at him as the exited the veil, but he could not pin down Terra's location. As a boulder flew dangerously close to Kai's face, he decided that the dust cloud had to go. Diving to the ground, Kai boosted the amount of air his wings could move, blowing the shroud away in a single flap. Terra slammed his hooves repeatedly against the ground, launching boulder after boulder at Kai. As Kai drew closer, he saw a golden opportunity, freezing Terra's hoof to the floor as he kicked another hole in the floor. Terra tried to pull free, but Kai was too quick, freezing his other front hoof. Now right on top of Terra, Kai set his own hoof ablaze, lashing out a final time at Terra.
"Stop!" shouted Fluttershy, rushing out onto the field. Kai's hoof stopped mere centimetres from Terra's face. "Don't hurt him! You're supposed to be friends, right?"
Kai nodded. "We are." The fire surrounding Kai's hoof exploded backward, erupting in a pillar of flame that didn't cause any harm to Terra. "I'd never actually hurt him."
Terra tried to regain his balance despite his hooves being bound to the floor. "Nor I him. This was merely a test of skill, and Kai won."
With a small burst of magic from his horn, Kai released Terra. "Besides, he wouldn't be much help to us if he were to spend the rest of our journey in the hospital."
"After all, It was pretty obvious that Kai would win that fight, anyway."
"What makes you so sure?" asked Twilight, stepping out onto the field with everypony else. "Why couldn't Terra have won that battle?"
Terra and Kai exchanged glances. Raising his now freed hoof, Terra pushed his puffy pompadour back, pressing it flat against his head. Twilight and Fluttershy gasped in surprise.
Nik was confused. "I don't understand. What's shocking about this?"
"Magic is the province of unicorns," explained Golden Sky. "Their shock comes from the fact that Terra can do magic at all. He's the most powerful earth pony sorcerer that ever there was."
Twilight and Fluttershy were quite in awe. Twilight was the first to pick her jaw up off the floor. "How can you be a sorcerer, Terra? You're not even a unicorn!"
Terra chuckled. As he released his mane, it popped back into place, hiding very well the fact that he had no horn. "I suppose that certainly is a valid question. Come, let's dicuss it over a nice cup of tea."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Kai, blocking his path. Raising his hoof, he displayed the band that still clung to his wrist. "You need to end the trial before we leave."
"Right." Terra walked back to the center of the room and raised his hoof to the sky. "As a representative of the grand thaumaturgist, I hereby recognize your capabilities as a spellcaster, and bestow upon you his favour."
The bands flew from both of their wrists, colliding above Terra and forming an orb about five centimetres in diameter. Taking it in his hoof, Terra tossed it to Kai, who gave it to Nik. Nik inspected the orb, finding that it was mostly transparent. It distorted light like any glass orb would. This one had a bluepentagram inside it, a shape that Nik was becoming a bit bored with. However, as he shifted the orb around to view it from different angles, the shape remained unchanged. The pentagram would stare him in the face no matter how he twisted it.
"Hold onto that stone, Nikolas," instructed Kai. "That's your ticket to safety. There are nine others we need to obtain in order to release you."
"So, nine more magic duels?" Nik shoved the stone into his pocket, creating a bulge against his thigh. "I'm not a spellcaster of any persuasion."
Kai shook his head. "This is likely the only time magic will be entirely necessary. That doesn't mean we won't be using it, though. Through my research, I was able to find only three challenges. The trial at the Evereaper's tomb is just finding your way out, and the lakebed trial involves holding your breath underwater for half an hour. I don't know if you humans can do that, but we're allowed to use any means we like if not."
"Tomb?" Fluttershy looked worried. "We're not going to be around dead bodies, are we?"
Kai nodded. Twice, I'd wager. Once at the tomb, and again at the mausoleum. If you have reservations about that, you're free to sit those two out. Since those two are right next to each other on the map, we'll consider that a respite for you."
Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks, Kai. I appreciate it."
Kai pulled her in for a hug. "You're very welcome. Now, let's go have that tea."
The entire group adjourned to the commissary. There were still books and papers everywhere, but these were more akin to potion formulas and recipes. Kai and Nik set a kettle on to boil while Terra sat down next to the girls. "So, about my magic.."
"I've never heard of magic being performed by an earth pony," admitted Fluttershy. "Honestly, I thought it was exclusively the province of unicorns and alicorns."
"In most cases, you'd be absolutely correct," responded Terra. "I'm a rather special case. I was born to two unicorn parents, the youngest of four. All of my siblings were unicorns, and tracing back my family tree eight generations revealed only more unicorns. I'd have gone back further, but beyond that, what's the point? Anything that far diluted is buried so deep that it wouldn't matter. Less than half of a percent. Apparently, none of the doctors could explain how it happened.
"Anyway, I grew up being treated like a unicorn. My mother had me grow an afro to hide her shame. She even hid from my father the fact that I wasn't a unicorn. He was away on business often. So, since everyone assumed I was a unicorn, they had me study magic as if I was one. My teachers would be so irate when I refused to use the magic I didn't have. So, having no self-worth, I studied harder than anypony in my class. I could ace every written exam a year in advance, but when it came to practical exams, I would always come up short. That little indiscretion lead to my expulsion from magic school, because they assumed I was cheating."
Kai and Nik came back to the group. "We made mulberry and raspberry. We also have honey and lemon juice."
"That doesn't explain how you're able to use magic," said Twilight, taking a cup of mulberry tea. "That's just where you came from."
"I assure you, it matters," replied Terra, dripping some honey into his tea. "Thus far, I've been explaining how I learned the fundamentals of magic. Even if you have a horn through which to channel your magic, it won't do you any good if you can't control it."
"Thank you. Now, being in an illustrious family of unicorns, there was no shortage of magic textbooks floating around, both figuratively and literally. Despite the fact that I had no horn, I was desperate for any kind of magical ability. I knew I could do amazing things with it, if only I could grasp it. Every choice I made was in the interest of learning magic. I wanted my mother to not be ashamed of me. I wanted my father to know who I was. I wanted my siblings to stop covering for me. I was a stain on their existence, or at least, that's how I saw myself.
"That all ended shortly before my sixteenth birthday. I'd had a recurring dream for months, telling me that I could solve my magic problem if I went to a certain location. One night I just packed up my belongings and left, leaving behind a note that I would be back when I found myself. I walked for a week and a half, running myself ragged. I stopped at the entrance I brought you through, as that's where my dreams had lead me. When I fell asleep, my dream finally changed. A cloaked figure with a long beard and no face wrote out a series of runes in front of me, telling me to carve them into my hooves. I was convinced that I'd gone crazy, a thought that only became more convincing when I woke up to find them carved in the ground all around me when I woke up the next day. They hadn't been there when I went to bed. Thinking I had nothing more to lose, I spent the day carving them out as directed. Not deep enough to cause harm, it's just keratin. It would grow back. I had another dream, where the cloaked figure dipped my hooves in ink. When I woke up, this was what I found."
Terra showed his left front hoof. Countless tiny runes were carved into the keratin, and filled with ink. Unless you were looking right at them, you might guess that his hooves were simply a darker colour than his coat. Even if you were to give it a passing glance, you might think they were just weird freckles.
"Now, despite the fact that I had the knowledge of magic, and had just been given the means, I still had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. I considered giving up and going to San Palomino, as it was nearby, but I had no money. So I took a walk through the woods to clear my head, when I ran into a bear. I stood no chance against it, so when it began to charge, I held up my hooves in a flaccid attempt at self-defense, only for a blast of magic to come shooting out, sending it flying. After retreating back to my camp, I tried to recreate the blast. I found that the runes in my hooves would glow in the same way a unicorn's horn would when they cast spells. I found that I was capable of casting spells as long as I focused them through my hooves rather than through my absentee horn."
"That's amazing," said Twilight, now enamored. "I bet your parents were very proud."
"Actually," admitted Terra, "I never went back and told them. I've been here ever since. I've been trying to find some way of duplicating the results, or some kind of brilliant breakthrough that will change the field of magic as we know it. something that will cause my mother to forget that I was nothing more than a burden. Something that will impress my father so much that he'd be proud of me despite the fact that I spent my entire life hiding my race from him. That's all I want, and I'm not leaving until I've made some kind of noticeable difference."
"I certainly hope you find it soon," smiled Fluttershy. "And when you do, I'm sure they'll welcome you back wi--"
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud explosion from the far side of the library. Kai and Fluttershy flew into the air for a better view, and Nik climbed a pile of books. What they saw horrified them. The section just on the other side of the chamber of trials had gone up in flames, and ponies in black cloaks were approaching fast.
Chapter the Seventeenth: Immolation of Intelligence
"How did they find me here!?" shouted Nik, sliding uncomfortably down the pile of books.
"I don't know," answered Kai. "But they're not going to take you. Not while I still draw breath, at any rate. We're going to escape their fire. Terra, do you think you can make it to your study to gather your research notes and still meet us at the door?"
Terra shook his head. "I don't need my notes. I'll just have to rewrite them later."
"Good. Sky, can you--"
"Twilight Sparkle has a copy of all my notes," interrupted Golden Sky. "I trust her not to lose them."
Twilight stood up proudly. "I promise, they're in safe hooves."
Kai nodded. "That just leaves me. The rest of you, follow Terra and Sky to the exit and leave. I'll catch you up. If I don't make it, head for the grove of dreams."
Fluttershy grabbed Kai's shoulder. "I'll come with you."
"No!" shouted Kai. "I'm flying headlong into danger. Nikolas is your responsibility, especially if I fall. I'll catch you up, I promise."
The look in Kai's eyes scared Fluttershy, but not as much as the thought of the assassins catching them. Reluctantly, she nodded. "Okay. I trust you." She wrapped a hoof around his shoulders. "Promise me they won't destroy you?"
Kai returned the hug. "You have my word." Just then, the hooded ponies came into view. Kai turned and shot huge blasts of purified magic from his horn, knocking them out of the air with assistance from Sky. "Go!"
Kai split from the group and flew back toward his study, blasting assassins as he flew. Despite their attempts to kill him with return fire, Kai refused to do any harm above stunning. He had only just returned to Fluttershy's good graces, he didn't want to kill somepony and provoke more of her ire. He landed in his study, now engulfed in flames. Several of his research materials were already destroyed. He would have to replace them. His map, however, was still untouched, so he grabbed that. He also snagged a few books on the areas they'd be going to, if the damage thus far was minimal enough. The last things he grabbed were his cloak and the stand it sat on, as it was actually an overturned glaive. Having everything he would need for the journey, or so he thought, he bolted for the door, leaving a series of stunned intruders in his wake.
The rest of the ponies were faring no better. The assassins had caught up to them, and Sky had her hooves full trying to hold them off. However, as she was restricted to the ground, she was unable to see when they ran right into an ambush. Surrounded on all sides, the group huddled together. "Twilight," she asked, bumping shoulders with her new friend. "Do you have any ties to the Canterlot university of magic?"
"Yeah," answered Twilight. "But I don't think they'll be able to help us out of this one."
Sky shook her head as a drum beat began to sound around them. "I want you to take my notes to the head of the research department." Like the fire of a cannon, Sky's horn blew a massive hole on the enemy, destroying a stack of burning books in the process. An electric violin joined the warsong. "Go! I'll hold them off!"
Terra nodded, leading Nik and Fluttershy out of danger. Twilight, however, stayed, sending out her own blasts, smaller though they may be. "I'm not leaving you behind, Sky!"
"Yes, you are!" With a firm kick, Sky sent Twilight flying through a gap in the enemy's ranks, where she was caught by Terra. Despite her objections, Terra held Twilight down as he carted her off toward the exit. As she looked behind her, tears in her eyes, she was left in awe. As an electric guitar joined the harmony, the magic Twilight now saw could have shamed Celestia.
They arrived at the door through which they had entered, and Fluttershy and Nik piled into the back of the wagon that had been left behind. Twilight latched herself into the harness, her resolve shining through. Golden Sky's dying wish was to have her notes brought to the Canterlot university of magic. On top of that, she was willing to put her life on the line to protect them all. If this was to be the final stand of a brilliant scholar, Twilight would do everything she could to ensure that it wasn't all in vain.
It may have been all for naught, though, as Terra was too preoccupied fighting off the encroaching assailants to open the portal. They were pinned to the wall and couldn't reach the key. To make matters worse, Terra's energy was beginning to run low. He was the weakest of the mages that lived here at the library. If Golden Sky hadn't dug in and acted as a barrier, He never would have been able to break them through the enemy's offensive line.
Luckily for him, he wasn't fighting alone for long. With a bolt of lightning arcing through the cloaked ponies, Kai had arrived. "I'll cover you!" he shouted, turning to face their foe. "Open that gate and pull them out of here!"
Terra did as he was told, opening the way out. He and Twilight rushed across the bridge, resulting in a bumpy ride for Fluttershy and Nik. Slowly, Kai retreated after them while facing the foes still advancing, intermittently looking back until he was sure his friends had made it outside. When he saw that their wheels had touched grass, he ran. Once he was outside, he could hold them all in while Terra closed the gate.
Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan, especially when you just make up the plan as you go along. The instant Kai landed his hoof outside, Terra had unhitched himself and leaped over Kai's head. As he flew through the air, he rolled, facing behind him. With his magical hooves, he clapped, pulling the sides of the portal together quickly, resulting in a massive explosion that sent everypony flying.
Kai picked himself up and looked back to the gate. It was now closed. Permanently, as the entire cliff face would need to be reformed in order to open it back up. Terra was nowhere to be found. He had been inside the portal when it had collapsed. Best case scenario, he was back in the library, surrounded by assassins and fire. If the explosion hadn't pushed him back through, he was most certainly dead. There was no way of knowing. Not until they had the time to find one of the other entrances.
Hearing the cart rolling upright behind him, Kai quickly threw on his cloak. He didn't want Fluttershy to see the injuries he'd received from the explosion. Not yet, anyway. Meeting up with Twilight, he released her from her harness. "You're injured," he said calmly. "You should climb in back. Fluttershy has medical knowledge, and there should be a first aid kit back there. I will handle our escape."
"Are you sure, Kai?" Twilight asked. "You have a few injuries yourself, and it's almost dusk. We should rest before we head out."
Kai shook his head as he secured himself to the cart. "They knew where to find us, somehow. They know we came through this door, and even though they can't follow us through it anymore, they know where we are right now. We need to disappear before they arrive. Otherwise, this will all be a waste of our time. Not to mention the lives of Terra and Sky. They gave us this opportunity. I refuse to let it go to waste."
Twilight took a deep breath and nodded. With trembling hooves, she climbed into the back of the wagon to have her wounds treated. Kai set off toward the south, his next destination at the front of his mind. If he focused on that, mayhaps he could forget the tears running down his face.
All through the night, and into the following morning, Kai pulled the cart, looking behind him every few minutes to ensure they weren't being followed. It was only after an hour of walking past sunrise that he allowed himself a brief respite. His passengers had awoken in the interim, and had requested a stop. Despite the fact that Kai had seen no sign of being followed, he stood watch the entire time they were stopped. He kept his hood up, not allowing the others to see his face, and he said nothing unless directly addressed.
Not long after they'd stopped, it was time to be underway again. Twilight approached Kai. "I can take over for you, if you want," she offered, hitching herself into the harness. "You've been pulling all night on top of your injuries. Why don't you go to the back and rest for a bit?"
Kai shook his head. "Not yet. I've neglected to mention a key factor in my pathfinding. I set out from our starting point thirty degrees off from our intended path. I've been leaving behind several hints of our trail."
Twilight scowled. "You mean you've been giving them a means of following us?" she growled.
Kai nodded. "That path ends here, though. I assume Fluttershy is well-rested?"
"I am." Fluttershy came forward, having been listening to their conversation from the back of the cart. "How can I help?"
"Look behind the wagon," instructed Kai. "We've been leaving behind a trail of crushed grass since we left the library."
Fluttershy nodded. "The only way we could have avoided that was to go onto the roads."
"Precisely. But that means every traveler we ran into would be able to pinpoint our previous location and our vector. That's why we needed to take to the plains."
"I understand," said Fluttershy. "But that doesn't explain why you need me."
"It's quite simple," explained Kai. "In fact, it's the same reason I needed you two years ago: You have wings."
"You're suggesting we fly?" asked Twilight. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It will take them off our trail," Kai reasoned. "I also suggest we turn and start in toward our real destination. We're far enough out by now that if they keep following the path I laid out for them to follow, they'll miss us by several miles. And even if they're smart enough to split up their forces in case we turned, the scouts that find us will be spread thin enough to be an easy target. Unless we don't catch them, in which case, I'd wager at least twelve hours for them to regroup and come after us again."
Fluttershy nodded and took her place in the harness. "Twilight, I want you to make sure you and Nik are properly secured for this flight. It may be a bit turbulent."
Twilight unhooked herself from the harness and piled into the back. With the passengers and cargo tightly secured, Twilight knocked on the wooden wall of the wagon, indicating to the pegasi up front that they were ready. With Twilight's confirmation, Kai and Fluttershy galloped forward, taking to the sky. Or rather, taking to an area below the canopies of all nearby trees, but far enough up that the cart would not interfere with the grass. They couldn't leave a trail, but they didn't want to be easily spotted, either.
The flight lasted for two hours before they touched back down on the ground. They had the energy to keep going, but Fluttershy had insisted. Kai's cloak had blown backward during flight, revealing his injuries to her. While she knew they had to flee from their assailants, she would go no further until he was given proper treatment. Besides, she wanted to make sure he would rest. Having spent time with him in the past, she was well aware of the fact that he often refused to sleep when he needed it, resulting in him passing out from time to time due to exhaustion.
Twilight stepped out of the back as they came to a stop. "Are we safe now?" she asked, not seeing any trail behind them aside from where they had landed. "Safe enough for me to help, anyway?"
Kai nodded, releasing himself from the harness. He pulled out his map and unrolled it in front of her. "We are here," he said, indicating a small smattering of trees. "The wagon is pointed towards our destination now. Just keep going in this direction. Our fake trail is back here." Drawing a line with his hoof, he indicated a line that was pointed a fair distance away from them.
"It looks like we should reach our destination tomorrow evening," guessed Twilight.
"I would wager tomorrow afternoon," replied Kai. "But perhaps my judgement isn't sound. I tend to take fewer liberties with my journeys."
"You have to remember that you're not travelling alone," reminded Fluttershy. "And you also have to tell me when you're injured." Grabbing his hoof, she directed him into the back. After making sure that Twilight would be okay pulling the cart on her own, Fluttershy climbed in after Kai. With the door now closed, they were off again.
Kai had taken a seat across from Nikolas. They both looked to be quite worn down. Nik hadn't changed his clothes in well over a week, and Kai was covered in bruises and cuts from yesterday's explosion. The fact that neither had slept well in the last two weeks may have also had something to do with it.
Fluttershy set to work immediately in cleaning and bandaging Kai's wounds. Even though she knew he'd only been after their best interests the entire time, she hadn't slept well the night prior, as Twilight had told her about Kai's injuries when Fluttershy had treated her.
"These are even worse than I'd imagined," Fluttershy lamented as she wrapped up a laceration on Kai's leg. "I know you're only trying to keep us safe, Kai. You're a very caring and sweet stallion. But what happens if you die? We'd have nopony around to protect us."
Kai had no answer.
"It's irresponsible to take care of everypony else so much that you forget to take care of yourself," she continued. "We depend on you. You're the only pony that can take us any further on this quest. You're the only one that knows what we're supposed to do."
Again, Kai had no response.
"And the worst thing you can do is try to shoulder all of the responsibility yourself. I'm the one who promised to take care of Nik. His health is my responsibility. I know you want to help, but that doesn't mean you have to do all of the work. Place your trust in me, Kai. Let me make your life easier. Can you do that for me?"
"Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy turned around. "What is it, Nik?"
Nikolas pointed to Kai's face. Shortly after Fluttershy had begun cleaning his first cut, Kai had passed out from exhaustion. He hadn't been awake to hear a word she'd said. Reaching up and gently kissing his forehead, she laid him on his side so he wouldn't fall over. She continued to treat his wounds in silence.
Kai managed to sleep for the next six hours, his rest ending when they ran into a hole. As the wagon wheel dropped into the pit, it tilted rather quickly, tossing Kai off the bench. As he hit the floor, it didn't injure him, but it did manage to rouse him from his slumber.
Fluttershy jumped to his side, helping him up. "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt."
Kai dusted himself off. "I'll be fine. How long was I out?"
"A few hours," answered Nik. "Fluttershy and I were hoping you'd be out a bit longer. Lack of sleep is bad for you."
Kai shook his head. "I'll sleep tonight when we make camp. We should have a strong enough lead, still, so we can afford to stop for the night. I'm sure none of you slept particularly well last night." Fluttershy and Nik nodded in agreement. A bouncy, constantly shifting wagon was not nearly as comfortable as sleeping on the ground. "On that note, I'm going to go scout ahead."
"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy, concerned. "You didn't sleep as long as you probably should have."
"I'll be fine," repeated Kai. "You'll see me when you arrive at camp." Kai stepped out of the back door and made his way up to Twilight. After finding out how far they'd come in his sleep, he judged the distance they could cover in the remaining daylight, and designated a spot on the map for her to head for. With their waypoint now set, he grabbed his spear and flew off, leaving the trio behind as he rushed ahead to set things up.
"I know I'm new to the land of Equestria," said Nik, "But I'm able to relate to you and Twilight rather well. Hell, I was even able to understand Terra's point of view. However, despite the fact that he's responsible for our safety, I don't have any read on this Kai character. I know you two are friends, but I don't understand why."
Fluttershy smiled. "He's not such a bad pony. He's just under a lot of pressure right now. It's obvious that he hasn't been sleeping very well. I don't think he really knows how to, to be honest. His home just went up in flames, and his colleagues just sacrificed their lives to save us."
Nik sighed. "I suppose he and I have a lot in common, when you put it that way. Still, you'd think he'd be more upset, right?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "Not at all. I mean, most ponies would have broken down. Even Twilight couldn't keep her sorrow hidden last night. But Kai is emotionally stunted. He didn't have the same upbringing as most ponies. Most of us had help growing up, but he had to do everything himself."
"Why didn't anyone help him?"
"Nopony could. He lived alone. I didn't meet him until he kidnapped me."
"He did what!?"
Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably. "He... He broke into my house in the middle of the night, tied me up and locked me in a small cage."
Nik scowled. "Why would you trust someone like that?"
"He didn't mean any harm. He even apologized for it later."
"That doesn't justify his actions."
"I know, but his heart was in the right place. He also saved my life. Three times in one night, in fact."
Nik shook his head. "That doesn't sound like something a kidnapper would do. I don't buy it."
"It's true. Some other ponies had kidnapped me, and they had tortured me. They were even going to kill me. But Kai stopped them."
"How do you know he wasn't in league with them? That could all have been an attempt by him to confuse you, or make you indebted to him."
Fluttershy shook her head again. "Kai was stabbed through the chest in the struggle. If the guards hadn't showed up when they did, he'd have died. I refuse to believe that he was involved in their plans."
Nik folded his arms. "I wouldn't trust him after that."
"You should. He broke you out of prison. He didn't need to do that. He set us up with a wagon for transport. He brought us into his home, and when it erupted in flames, he made sure we made it out safely. And to top all of this off, he's the only pony who knows how to stop these assassins that are after you. If you were to tell him that you didn't trust him, I'm sure he'd be insulted. But he's a good pony, so I'm sure he'd continue to help you anyway."
Nik had no response to that. It was true that Kai had helped him already, without asking for anything in return. Then again, he hadn't known Kai for very long, either. Until yesterday, Kai had been his puppet master, pulling the strings from the shadows. Now that he had a face, Nik's feelings on the matter were conflicted. Perhaps he should give Kai another chance.
It was about half an hour after sunset when the trio finally arrived at the campsite Kai had indicated. A fire was already going, and around it were two trout fillets, skewered on green hickory branches. They looked to be lightly seasoned. There were also four plates, two with assorted roasted nuts, the other two with fresh wild greens and berries.
With Kai's help, the tents were up and ready to go very quickly. It helped that he'd already cleared the area by the time they'd arrived. Before long, they were all sitting around the fire, the boys eating fish and nuts, the girls eating grass and berries. The reason Kai gave for his own meal was that the trout he had caught was so large that he didn't want it to go to waste, but the real reason was that he still very much enjoyed eating meats. It was the first meal he had ever made on his own, after running away and being lost on the forest. Granted, that was salmon and this was trout, but that didn't diminish his enjoyment.
After their meal, they piled into their tents. Kai didn't have a tent, so he laid back against a fallen log, draping his cloak over the top of himself. It would serve as his blanket, one of the intended purposed Rarity had thought of when designing it for him. Just as he was nodding off, he heard hoof steps approaching. He grabbed his knife, which he kept tucked away inside his cloak, and turned his eyes toward the sound.
He relaxed as he saw Fluttershy, her eyes glowing in the moonlight. "Kai? Are you still up?"
Kai sat up. "Is something wrong?"
"I was just wondering if... That is, I think it would be best if..."
Kai shrugged. "I can't answer if you don't tell me what's wrong."
Fluttershy swallowed hard. "I thought it might be nice if you had a tent to sleep in. If you like, you can share mine?"
Kai stood up. "If you would have me, I'd be quite glad to share your tent." He followed her back to her bed curling up next to her. He had missed this. Sleeping next to her brought back all the memories of when they had lived together. He had no more trouble falling asleep that night.
The next morning, Nik was the first to wake. He tore down his tent and packed it back into the wagon. Twilight awoke next, and Nik assisted in packing up her tent. This would place the two of them right next to each other as Fluttershy walked out of her tent, accompanied by Kai. They were both wearing smiles of comfort. Twilight was suspicious of this, but Nik jumped right to his conclusion.
Sensing the incoming accusations, Kai spoke up. "You're both wrong about last night's events," he explained, not waiting for them to speak first. "Fluttershy didn't want me sleeping on twigs and rocks with my injuries, so she offered me a bedroll. We spoke and we slept. Nothing more."
"Are you sure about that?" asked Nik in an accusing tone. "Because I'm told that the two of you have a romantic history together." Fluttershy shrank down. She didn't like being the center of blame.
"So what?" asked Kai. "If we have, it's not going to effect you in any way. Unless you're claiming we kept you up all night. Is that what you're claiming?"
Nik scowled but said nothing. He angrily climbed into the back of the wagon and sat down.
Twilight helped Kai and Fluttershy tear down their tent. "I won't claim that I approve of this, but I'm not going to stop you if this is what you want."
"I understand," nodded Kai. "But I promise you, nothing untoward happened. We just had a conversation, and fell asleep."
"We did used to have a relationship," chimed in Fluttershy. "Back before we were sent to the hospital."
"Well, if it's alright with you, would you mind keeping it under the radar while we're all stuck in such close quarters?" asked Twilight. "It seems to be upsetting Nik."
Begrudgingly, Kai nodded. "I've waited two years to have her back in my life. If it bothers you that much, I can wait another month or two."
Before too long, the camp was cleaned up, and they were back underway. Kai and Fluttershy didn't want to risk a fight in the back of the wagon, so they decided that it was best that they pulled the cart with Twilight trying to calm Nik down. That would not be an easy task, as Nik was quite upset.
"Why do you insist on defending him?" Nik asked, half an hour after their journey had begun. "He's a criminal."
"Not so much a criminal as you might believe," replied Twilight. "He may have killed that other stallion, but it was in self-defense."
"He's a killer, too!?"
"Only because he didn't have a choice. If he hadn't acted, Fluttershy could be dead right now, or worse."
Nik sneered. "I don't know how you can sit there and condone his actions."
"And I don't know why you're so insistent on disliking him. What did he ever do to you?"
Nik was at a loss for words. Kai hadn't done anything to harm him. In fact, He'd been nothing but helpful so far. So why was it that every time he saw Kai's face, he grew angrier? His gut kept telling him over and over that Kai was a bad pony, and would cause him no end of suffering, but the evidence so far pointed the exact opposite direction.
"I suggest you give him a chance," said Twilight, leaning back. "Like it or not, we're stuck with him until we can shake these assassins. He's here to help us."
Ten minutes of silence followed before Nik spoke again. "Who did he kill?"
"Excuse me?"
"You said Kai killed a stallion. I want to know who he was."
Twilight thought back to that day. She hadn't been around to see the events unfold, but she had heard from her friends what they had seen. "Fluttershy could tell you more than I could. She was directly involved. When I arrived with the guards, Stain was dead on the ground with a pitchfork in his back, Kai was passed out from blood loss, and Fluttershy's hip was broken."
"So, all you know is that his name was Stain?"
Twilight shook her head. "That's all I saw with my own eyes. If the rest of my closest friends can be trusted, Stain had implanted an explosive inside of Fluttershy, and Kai had dug it out. After that, he'd left her with her friends to escort her to a hospital, but she insisted on making sure Kai was alright. He was, but after he tried to leave with Fluttershy, he was stabbed with a pitchfork. Stain then grabbed Fluttershy and started physically assaulting her, but Kai managed to stab him in the back with the same pitchfork before collapsing. That's when I arrived."
"That's what your friends say happened?"
Twilight nodded. "I doubt they'd lie about that. Besides, Stain had countless assault, kidnapping, murder and grand larceny charges against him. One of Equestria's most wanted criminals. Maybe he didn't deserve to die, but I absolutely believe that he assaulted Fluttershy, and Kai succeeded in saving her. That's how I can condone his actions."
Nik sighed. "I don't know why I hate him so much. He's protected me, fought on my behalf, fed me and even now he's escorting me to something that he says can bring me to peace. I have no good reason to hate him, but every fibre of my being tells me that he's evil."
"I understand," nodded Twilight. "My friend, Applejack met him a month before the fight, and she said there was something wrong with him, too. Rarity also said she didn't much care for him at first, because he seemed rude. However, he stepped in when Stain was trying to rob her, and then again when Stain tried to kidnap her. She changed her mind after that. Even Pinkie Pie said she felt threatened when he was around, and Pinkie loves to make friends with new ponies. You're not the only one who has a bad feeling about him."
Nik chuckled. "Is there anypony you know of that did like him right away?"
"Just one. Rainbow Dash was over the moon about meeting him."
The rest of the day was silent. Nik needed to be alone with his thoughts. In the afternoon, he decided that the right thing to do would be to apologize to Kai for his actions. He had been in the wrong, and he needed Kai's help. He didn't know what he'd been so angry about, but Kai didn't deserve it. He spent the rest of the day formulating an apology.
When the wagon came to a stop for the night, they were in a well-tended clearing, despite the fact that the surrounding woods had no sign of ever being disturbed aside from the path they had just made coming in. Kai was nowhere to be seen, and questioning Fluttershy revealed that he had flown off to gather their dinner and firewood. She also instructed them that the ground was not to be disturbed within the grove, meaning no tents. It also meant that their fire would be in the large stone basin in the middle of the clearing.
It felt strange standing in the clearing. It was almost mystical, like none of it was real. However, it was very much real, as Nik found out when his hand fell on what he thought was a large tree in the darkness, but in closer inspection, was a stone statue. As Twilight lit up the area with her horn, Nik saw that there were five statues. Three stood alone, the other two were right next to each other. None of them knew why they were here, or who had brought them or carved them. All they could know was that when Kai had seen the statues, he had told Fluttershy that this was their destination.
The statues looked almost nothing like each other. To the north was a painter earth pony. Twilight identified him as Remy, a world-famous artist from centuries ago. To the south was a ballet dancer. None of them knew who exactly it was supposed to be. To the east were the two statues that were together. They depicted an elderly mare and stallion. Their placement made it seem as if they were looking into each others eyes. To the west was the strangest of all. It looked to be a young colt in the fetal position, a terrified look in his eye, desperately clawing at his long, ragged mane. He looked absolutely traumatized, as if every moment was filled with fear and agony.
Nik was feeling a bit fearful himself. "What is this place?"
The statues were very unsettling, especially the terrified child. The rest were merely unsettling due to how detailed they were, and how accurately they portrayed their subjects. There was a rustling in the bushes to the east, prompting everypony to turn and face the disturbance. It was only Kai, carrying wood on his back, and a basket of greens under his wing.
"Good evening," he said, setting everything down.
"Why did you bring us here?" asked Nik, a scowl forming on his face. "This place is creepy."
"You're referring to the statues?" Nik nodded in response. "I brought you here because this is where they stand. While it's true that their reach extends beyond this clearing, this is the epicenter of their power. Do you remember that orb I gave you back at the library?"
Nik fished the orb out of his pocket. "I have it, here."
Kai nodded. "If all goes well, you'll find another one here."
Twilight was confused. "There's another trial here?"
Kai nodded as he lit their fire. "This is the grove of dreams. I'm sure you noticed that the grass doesn't grow here?"
"It does look freshly trimmed," admitted Fluttershy.
"That's because this place is pretty much a pocket in space, anchored to these statues. If you exit to the south, you might even find a few paving stones leading down into a ghost town."
"Why the statues, though?" asked Nik. "Who in their right mind would carve these?"
Kai smiled. "I'm not going to answer that quite yet. If you still have that question tomorrow morning, I'll answer it then."
"Why?"
Kai chuckled. "You'll see."
After eating the salad of leaves Kai had brought back, the group laid out their bedrolls, sans tents. With the fire dying quickly, Fluttershy began to shiver. While Kai wanted to warm her up, he had given Twilight his word that there would be no more sleeping next to her until their journey was over. Instead, he pulled off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. In turn, she gave him her bedroll, opting to sleep on the grass. Kai agreed this time, mostly because the ground around here was very soft and clean. There were no rocks or twigs, just smooth dirt with grass growing out of it.
They all picked a statue to sleep under. Nik lay down under the terrified child, Kai under the lovers, Fluttershy under the ballerina, and Twilight under the painter. Each with some degree of difficulty, whether it be nerves, the chill wind, or the eerie atmosphere, they fell asleep.
Nik awoke to a loud crash. He looked around, and saw that his friends were still asleep. Looking up, he saw that the sky had turned red and had cracked. Through the fissure, a giant fish-like creature climbed through, swimming though the air as if it were water. It was headed straight for them.
Fearing what may come, Nik ran over to Kai and tried to shake him awake. Before he could do so, however, another being appeared out of nowhere. It stood between Nik and Kai, glaring at him with its wide, twitchy eye. Its mouth opened, and a foul-smelling liquid dripped from its gnarled teeth.
Nik turned and ran. He stood no chance fighting that creature, whatever it was. If he could make it into the tall grass, perhaps he could lose it. However, as he passed the statue, he was unable to draw himself any closer to the grass, no matter how hard he ran. To make matters worse, the creature twisted around Nik, placing himself in front of his prey.
Nik fell backward, landing in the lap of a beautiful mare. Nik wasn't into ponies, but he felt he might break that rule for this one, were he not running for his life. She smiled down at him before looking up at the beast. "Now, Sieggy, look what you've done. You've frightened the poor thing." The beast responded with loud, guttural roars. "I understand that. Really, I do. But you tend to come on too strong."
"As do you, dearest," chuckled a male voice. Nik looked to the source to find a handsome-looking stallion trotting up behind the mare. "Not that he minds."
Nik was more confused now than he had been in all his time in Equestria. "What's going on?" he asked, trembling.
"Why, you asked for Sieggy's help, and he tried to help you," explained the mare.
"I never asked for anyone named Sieggy," said Nik. "I don't even know anypony by that name."
"Oh?" The stallion wiped his hoof across the air, revealing an image of Nikolas sleeping under the terrified foal statue plinth. The statue was missing. "Tell me, is this you?"
Nik was shocked. "Yes, but where--"
"That's right," interrupted the stallion. "You're lying there in the grove, that means you wanted our help. I'd wager you're after this." Holding up his other hoof, the stallion showed that he carried an orb. Unlike the first, however, this had no pentagram. Instead, a cyan squiggle ran from the center to the top.
"And you're just offering it to me?" Nik asked incredulously.
The stallion burst out laughing. "No, no. You have to earn it. Or, if you have a proxy, they can stand in for you."
Nik shook his head. "I don't know what you mean by that. I'll do what I have to. Just tell me what I have to do."
The stallion pointed to the beast. "This is Siegfried. He is the embodiment of terror. You will be facing off against him."
"I have to fight him!?"
"You have to face him," smiled the mare. "Incubus and I will be watching with your friends." She indicated behind them, where Kai and Twilight were sitting, along with the painter. Fluttershy was still asleep under the statue of the dancer.
"If we find that you've sufficiently proven your worth against our Siegfried, we'll stop the fight," added Incubus. "Feel free to face him as many times as you want. Good luck." He picked up the mare. "Come along, Succubus. We've interfered with his trial long enough."
The mare and stallion took their seats on either side of Kai. Nik turned back to the face of fear standing in front of him. He had no idea how he would ever be able to win this battle.
Nik cowered as Siegfried rose to just his hind legs. His front four legs spread out wide, making him look massive as he let out a mighty roar. There was no way he could win a fight against something so huge. Still, he had promised that he would do so.
"Shouldn't we be helping him?" asked Twilight.
"He chose not to have somepony stand in for him," answered Kai. "He chose to face this battle alone."
"But what if that's the wrong choice?"
"It is the wrong choice," responded Remy. "Having somepony you trust fighting beside you makes all the difference in the world. We'd even allow that."
It was all Nik could do to avoid the gnarled claws that reached for him from Siegfried's arms. The beast may have been big, but it certainly wasn't slow. To make matters worse, the ground kept shifting, meaning that no matter how he tried to escape Siegfried's range, Nik kept being pulled back in. "If only I had a weapon," he thought aloud to himself. He would be just as helpless with a weapon, though. He wasn't a fighter. He had no idea how to effectively use a sword or spear. All he knew was what everyone knew; The pointy end goes into the other guy.
"What if he's hurt?" asked Twilight, growing more concerned by the minute. "Those claws look really dangerous."
Incubus shook his head. "Siegfried knows when to stop. He won't really harm your friend. None of us here would want that. At worst, he'll just scare him a little."
Finding himself unable to dodge one of the claws, Nik was grabbed by Siegfried and lifted into the air. despite his struggles, he found himself unable to break free of his captor's grasp. Siegfried lowered himself until five of his legs were back on the ground, the exclusion being the one holding Nik. He brought Nik right up to his face and opened his maw. Down his throat, Nik could see a mass of writhing tentacles. He knew for certain that he was about to be eaten. He closed his eyes and prepared to face his doom.
Doom never came, however. Instead, one of the tentacles pressed against his forehead, and Nik could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He could feel himself drifting off to sleep.
It was at this moment that Fluttershy awoke, and was escorted by the ballerina to the rest of the group. "What's going on?" she asked. "What's happening to Nik?"
"He's just begun his trial," answered Remy.
"Wait a second. I thought you said fighting Siegfried was the challenge?" asked Twilight. "Doesn't this mean he just lost?"
Succubus chuckled. "No, my dear, facing Siegfried was the trial. We said nothing about fighting. Siegfried is the closest thing there can be to the physical manifestation of fear. To win, you just need to face that fear."
Without moving the tentacle from Nik's forehead, Siegfried looked up into the sky. A display opened in front of him, and they could all see into Nik's dream.
In Nik's dream, they saw another human. A male, much larger than Nik was. His hands were gloved, and he was wearing a stocking on his head. He was facing away from Nik, and carrying something large in his arms. With the click of the latch sliding into place, Nik watched through the doorway as the burglar stole into his mother's bedroom. There was a scream, followed by silence. The burglar exited the room, and entered the next door. This was his sister's room. Nik bolted out of his bedroom and ran from the house, his bare feet slapping against the pavement. He would normally have been too embarrassed to run down the street in nothing but his briefs, but fear had overtaken him. At any rate, it was the middle of the night, so there was no one to see him.
He didn't stop running until he was grabbed by the police. He was taken down to the precinct station where he was given a blanket and questioned. They asked him why he was out so late in so little clothing, as well as his name, home address and phone number. After calling his house and receiving no answer, they placed him in the back of a cruiser and took him home. The police were shocked to find the door open, though when they came back to the cruiser, their first question was whether Nik had someone else to stay with.
Nik moved in with his uncle. Two years passed, and seventeen more people died under the exact same circumstances. Each time, the victims were found with a pattern carved into their back. The detective in charge of the case noted that each house that was hit was following a pattern, and set up a sting operation at what he perceived to be the next target. His hunch was correct, and the killer was brought to justice.
The killer was a religious zealot, and he believed that if he carved the pattern into his victim's bodies, he'd be granted salvation in the afterlife. He cursed the fact that he was only four houses away from being saved, and spat at the detective that had found him. Nik had been present for the trial, and had recognized his face, even through the stocking. This was the same man from his house.
As the display closed along with Siegfried's eyes, Twilight and Fluttershy knew why Nik hated Kai as much as he did. While not everything was the same, the killer had the same eye color, brow, cheekbones and jawline as their resident sorcerer. Kai, not being as aware of his face as those who saw it regularly, did not manage to put it together.
"Why are you both looking at me as if I'm some sort of criminal?"
"I think I know why Nik doesn't like you, Kai," Fluttershy said as she shifted uncomfortably. "I think he's been drawing similarities between you and the human who killed his family."
Kai frowned. "Why would he do that?"
"Because you look just like him," answered Twilight. "Aside from you being a unicorn and him being a human, you're the very spit and image of the killer."
Kai lowered his head. "I see." He stood up and walked over to where Siegfried had laid Nik's body. As the tentacle retracted, Nik awoke. "I know you despise me. I know there's nothing I can say or do that can change your mind. But do you think that perhaps we can maintain an air of civility between each other?"
Kai helped Nikolas onto his feet. He turned and faced Remy the painter. "I want to help him. You said you had no problem with him accepting assistance?"
Remy shook his head. "You can't help him through this challenge."
Kai scowled. "Why not!?"
Incubus stood. "He faced his fear, and on top of that, we think he's learned something. At any rate, the rest of his party did. We consider that a success." He tossed the stone orb through the air.
As it sailed through the air, it was caught by the massive fish-like creature that Nik had seen breaking through the sky earlier. It circled around and landed in a clearing of its own making. It was massive. Its gills pushed forward, stretching out its face to be visible by everyone in the grove.
"I am Oneiros, the dreamstrider," It bellowed. "Every thought you've ever had, I've seen. Every dream, idea, or judgement you've ever made is the result of either myself, or those I've chosen to assist me. I am referring to those who live in my grove."
Remy stood up. "Lord Oneiros, we are humbled by your presence," he said, bowing. "But I'm confused. Did Nikolas not meet your challenge?"
"He did," boomed Oneiros. "He performed admirably. I have no objection to his success. That is not the reason I interfere with your ceremony. I come to you with a warning."
"Are we in danger?" asked Twilight.
"Not all of you. No more so than you know. That is, save for three of you." He turned to Nik. "Nikolas Jameson. I realize that your coming to Equestria was mere accident, but you must realize that you've set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped until you reach the end of your journey. As to what end that is, even the wisest cannot tell. But I can tell you the two likeliest outcomes. The first is the easiest. If you are to die, then all will be at peace. Your existence has caused a disturbance in reality. The other likely option is that your crew succeeds in severing you from your world. This will save your life, and those of your friends, both here and in your own world. You are the gateway through which the assassins are pouring. If you don't close this gateway, you will tear the very fabric of reality apart."
"How do I do that?" asked Nik.
Oneiros extended his long tongue, at the end of which was the orb Incubus had tossed. Nik accepted it, being surprised that it was dry. "You are already on the correct path. While I support your cause, I doubt that all of my siblings will. You have a long uphill battle. Despite this, I am confident that, between you and your newfound comrades, you will have no issue seeking an audience with our master."
Nik bowed his head. "Thank you. I'll try my best."
Oneiros turned to Kai. "Akaitora. I know you are the ringleader of this operation. You've planned everything out as best you could. However, I must caution you that even with the best laid plans, complications tend to arise. Especially the best laid plans. You're taking quite a gamble with this little venture of yours. You are well aware that if you were to simply end the life of your charge in his sleep, you'd save your world, and everypony in it?"
Kai stood tall and puffed out his chest. "I am well aware of that. I knew from the start that this was the more difficult path. But it's the right path."
Oneiros scowled. "Right and wrong are not so cut and dry as you may think, sorcerer. Could it be that your shortsighted attempt to impress Fluttershy is the reason why my brother's home has been reduced to ash? Could your selfishness be the reason your colleagues are trapped, or perhaps dead?"
Kai lowered his head. He had never intended to cause harm, but death was following in his hoofsteps. He was already beginning to question himself.
"Now, hold on a minute!" shouted Fluttershy, stepping forward. "Those incidents were not his fault! He wouldn't willingly cause harm to other ponies."
"You've known him for all of two months, eighteen months ago. Are you really in any position to speak as to his moral ground?"
Fluttershy said nothing, but she continued to stand next to Kai.
Oneiros grinned. "Good. Stand by him. Trust in your method, dear Fluttershy. Kindness is what he needs." He turned to the rest of the group, still sitting down. "Lastly, I have words for my acolyte, Incubus. You've been overstepping your bounds by quite a wide margin. I understand that you're the one who started these events in motion."
"I have my reasons," replied Incubus.
"And those reasons have cost these ponies dearly. If you want to be involved in their affairs, then I insist that you do so wholly. From this point forward, if any of them die, you shall follow in their wake."
Incubus jumped to his hooves. "What!? You can't do that!"
Oneiros scowled. "I can, and I will."
Succubus stood as well. "I'll not stand idly by and let my husband die!"
"Then I suggest that the two of you put together your efforts to keep them alive," growled Oneiros. "Otherwise, you'll be separated." With a flap of his fins, Oneiros flew into the air, heading back toward the crack in the sky.
Remy turned his attention to the visitors. "It's time for you all to go back to the waking world. You can't stay asleep forever."
"We've been asleep this whole time?" asked Twilight.
"The whole time," nodded Remy. "This is the grove of dreams, after all. You can only come here if you're asleep."
"So, can we come back?"
"It's unlikely that you'll be able to return to the grove," answered Incubus. "You shouldn't stay in one place any longer than a single night. We'll be in touch."
With those words, all of their vision faded to black, and they found themselves awakening together at sunrise.
Heeding Incubus's warning, Kai leaped to his hooves and began hurriedly packing away his bedroll. The girls, sensing the tension he was exuding, rushed to pack up as well.
Nik stood up. "What's going on?"
"Kai seems to be in a bit of a panic," Twilight responded, fitting herself into a harness. "And after that crazy dream I had last night, I don't blame him."
"You also had a scary dream?" asked Fluttershy. "What happened?"
"What does it matter?" asked Nik. "Dreams aren't real."
Kai turned to Nik. "I want you to place your hand in your left front pocket," he growled. "Show me what you find in there."
Nik did as he was told, fishing out the orbs that he found in there. The first was the orb he had known was in there, the pentagram in the center staring back at him. The second orb was new. It was the same orb that he had been given in his dream. "What?" He rolled the orb around in his hand. "H-how did this..."
"Exactly." responded Kai. "You heard Incubus. We shouldn't linger for too long in any location. To me, that means that the tragedy at the library could strike again right here if we don't hurry. Furthermore, if one of us dies on this quest, so does he. Do you want his blood on your hands, Nik?"
Nik shoved the orbs back into his pocket and shoved his bedroll haphazardly into the back of the wagon before jumping in after it. "Let's go. I want this journey finished yesterday."
Kai slipped into a harness next to Twilight. As soon as Fluttershy was in the back, Kai and Twilight took off, galloping at full speed away from the grove, trying to cover as much ground as they could.
They finally slowed down around noon. Having skipped breakfast, on top of hours of running, Kai and Twilight were exhausted.
Fluttershy disembarked to check on them. "How are you two holding up? Do you need help?"
"We just need a minute to rest," huffed Twilight. "Thanks for your concern, though."
"I think more than a minute," panted Kai. He looked up and pointed to a river in front of them. "We passed by a town about a mile back, before this wooded patch. This river is downstream of it. If just one of us goes into town, I don't think we'll draw much attention. Any volunteers?"
Fluttershy stepped forward. "I'll go. You two find some cover by the river. Soak your hooves for a bit, splash your faces with cold water, whatever you need to do to reinvigorate yourselves. I'll take care of the resupply."
"Here." Kai reached into his cloak pocket and presented Fluttershy with a sack of coins. "This should cover expenses. If it doesn't, I promise to pay you back when I can."
Fluttershy shook her head. "I have my own money."
Kai pushed it forward again. "Just as a backup, then. Just to be safe."
With a bit of hesitation, Fluttershy took the bag. "Okay. If it'll make you feel better, I guess it wouldn't hurt."
With Kai's money in her hoof, she turned and took flight toward the town they'd passed earlier. Kai and Twilight moved over to the river, finding a safe spot to hide their wagon from prying eyes. Only if you knew to look near the river would you be able to find them.
Nik stepped out of the back of the wagon. Other than lavatory stops and camping, he hadn't had much time outside of late. "Where's Fluttershy?" he inquired.
"She volunteered to go into town," answered Kai. "She's going to pick up any extra supplies we might need. She would know better than I would what we're missing."
Nik scowled. "You let her go into town alone? What if something happens to her?"
Kai shook his head. "No one's coming after her. Even if they were, I trust her implicitly. She'll be back soon, I'm sure of it."
Twilight placed her hoof reassuringly against Nik's hip. "She'll be okay, Nikolas. She's tougher than she lets on. You don't need to worry about her."
Nik sighed. "Alright. I suppose if there was a pony in whom I could place my trust, it would be Fluttershy." Walking over to the bank of the river, Nik sat down and took his shoes and socks off. They'd been on for over a week now, and they were starting to stink. Having a river to soak his feet in was quite refreshing.
Twilight walked over to the side of the wagon, where Kai had chosen to sit. He was sharpening the blade of his knife against a whetstone. "So, I've noticed that you don't have any problems when it comes to eating fish," she said, sitting nearby. "Is that something you do often?"
Kai didn't take his eyes off his blade. "Sometimes, you find yourself starving in the woods. When you can't tell what plants around you are and aren't poisonous, you resort to something that most civilized ponies would turn up their noses at. That's when you realize that it's not always a choice."
"Do you eat other meats?" At Twilight's second question, Kai stopped working his blade and looked up at her through his eyebrows. "I promise, I won't tell Fluttershy."
Kai sighed and returned to his blade. "I'm a fairly accomplished hunter and fisher. If you slice your meats thin and salt them, storing them away in watertight containers, they'll keep for quite awhile. Wild forage is scarce in the winter, so if you take down something big in the autumn months, you can supplement your diet quite nicely while you wait for spring to arrive. My enjoyment of meats comes from the reminder that I'd have died without them."
Twilight shifted to the side. "I suppose. But you must know what is and isn't safe to eat now, right? How else would you make sure to feed us properly?"
Kai fished into one of the pockets in his cloak and pulled out a book. "I'm told you like literature. You having this information should help to equalize us a bit more on this journey."
Twilight read the title aloud. "The Herbalist's Guide to Southeast Equestria."
"I also have the southwest guide and the Belican guide" Kai added. "Those are the three areas I expect we'll be moving through the most."
Twilight looked up. "We'll be going to Belicos? Do herbs even grow there?"
Kai unrolled the map he'd shown Twilight on the way to the grove of dreams. "The tail end of our journey will take us into the desert," he said, pointing to the last destination. "There's one or two more places after that, but I have no idea where they might be. I only know that one's nearby. The other tends to move around."
Twilight swallowed hard. Belicos was the last place she wanted to go. Then again, if Kai still carried the ring he'd wanted to give Fluttershy, it may not be so bad.
Fluttershy walked through the market, trying to keep herself looking calm, as if she were supposed to be there. She was aware of the odour she was giving off, having not showered for quite some time, and her unbrushed mane stood out quite a bit against the well-groomed crowd.
Smoothing out her mane as best she could, she approached the first vendor. She was selling hair products, including brushes and combs. Fluttershy bought three brushes and one comb for her party. She didn't know if they'd want more than that, but she hoped it would be enough. Her biggest concern was for Kai, as he had the shortest mane, and she had only bought a comb for him.
Her next purchase was some soaps. While Kai had said that they were unlikely to go into town, they would eventually need to bathe. Even if that meant standing out in the rain surrounded by curtains, she wanted to be ready for it. After catching a whiff of her, the soap vendor gave her an extra bar at no additional cost, and recommended her to a clothier, directing her attention to his fine assortment of terrycloth.
Fluttershy did indeed seek out the clothier. After purchasing a few towels for use with the soaps, She decided that her original plan to make new clothing for Nikolas was still an option, though she was unable to find denim for his pants. As that was not an option, she hoped that some quilted linen would do the trick. She also managed to find an old washboard and bucket, which she was offered for a song. All the fabric, along with the sewing kit and extra thread, exceeded the coin she had with her. Thankfully, she had Kai's purse as well. He'd been right to offer it to her.
Opening it up, she found much more coinage than she'd expected. Several of them were even from outside of Equestria. There was money from Course, a few crystal coins, a south draconian silver tab, five Zebrican auru, and even a few coins she recognized from the age before Equestria was founded. She fished out what bits she could find, almost not having enough to cover everything. Still, she had made her purchases, and she couldn't add any more with their current currency.
She was very ready to leave town at this point, as she was already hearing gossip about her ragged appearance. She wished that she hadn't come alone, but she knew that would have been just as bad an idea. If ever she did this again, she would ask to borrow Kai's cloak, and keep the hood up the entire time.
Kai had just finished sharpening his blade, taking it over to the river to wash it off. When he was satisfied with how clean it was, he tucked it back into its scabbard.
"How do you do your fishing?" Nik asked. "I've never seen you use a rod, nor have I seen any netting in your kit."
"A spear is useful for more than just defense," replied Kai. "While mine isn't the best at fishing, it can still perform that function decently."
Nik raised an eyebrow. "What makes it bad for fishing?"
Levitating his glaive over to them, Kai removed the scabbard and showed Nik the blade. "As you can see, there's only one point, and it's rather offset from the center. This makes it less useful for stabbing, though a strong thrust can still push through. The glaive isn't a formation weapon, but rather a dueling weapon. Having a friend close to me while I fight with it is a bad idea. Wide swings and chops are its strong suits. Best used against unarmored or lightly armored, but still usable against heavily armored."
"What about fish?"
Kai chuckled. "If I were using this in combat against a fish, I could cut right through it."
"Is that how you catch them?"
Kai shook his head. "Careful, deliberate thrusts. I can only catch big fish with it."
Nik smiled. "Can you show me?"
Kai nodded and strode into the river. "This is technique only. We'll probably stay near the river tonight, so I might show you again when we're setting up, if you're still interested."
Kai proceeded to give a step-by-step explanation of how to do basic spear fishing. He included a demonstration, though he intentionally failed to catch any fish. Once he was done, he waded back to the shore.
"Of course, as I've said, this isn't the ideal spear for fishing. I haven't really had the time to sit down and make one, either."
"I'd wager you don't have enough scrap metal, either," shrugged Nik. "How would you make the head of the spear?"
Kai shook his head. "With a tree branch, some plant fibres, and a sharp knife, I could make a decent fishing spear. If we'd had the time, I would have grabbed a harpoon. The backward prongs are great for fishing. They grip the fish, so you can pull it out of the water easier."
As he put away his spear, he shook himself dry. As he did, he saw Fluttershy flying over the canopy of the wooded area. He whistled up to her, making sure she knew where to land.
As Fluttershy landed, she found herself surrounded by her friends. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"
Fluttershy nodded, and returned Kai's purse. "I didn't have as much on me as I thought. Thanks for your help, Kai."
Kai took back his purse and stored it safely away in his cloak. "I'll pay you back for your expenses, I promise."
Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm the one who borrowed your money. I should be paying you back."
Kai sighed. He knew that if he replied the words he felt, they'd be there for hours promising back and forth to cover each other's expenses. He didn't want her to feel that she owed him anything, but they didn't have all the time in the world.
"I bought us all brushes," said Fluttershy, pulling them out of her saddlebags. "Our manes are all becoming knotted, tangled messes."
"No arguments there," chuckled Twilight, looking up at her own. "I'm also seeing soap. How do you expect us to bathe out here?"
"When it rains, we can shower outside."
Kai shook his head. "We'd be standing in mud. Sorry, Fluttershy, but that's not going to work."
Fluttershy looked dejected. She lowered her head.
"Your heart was in the right place," said Nik, kneeling down and gently stroking her shoulders. "We all need a good shower. We'll find some way to clean up, I'm sure."
"We'll workshop it," added Kai, lifting her chin. "We'll think of something. For now, though, We've lingered for long enough. It's time to go again."
Fluttershy had spent the entire afternoon with a needle and thread, hoof stitching a new linen shirt for Nikolas. Kai and Twilight had slowed down significantly, so the smoother ride kept her from sticking herself. By the time they'd stopped for the night, She'd already made two button-up blue linen shirts. She would start in on the pants tomorrow.
As they disembarked, Nik was pleased to find that they were near the river, just as Kai had promised. "Remember what you told me earlier, Kai?"
Kai nodded. "Of course I do. I don't make a habit of breaking my word."
"What did you promise him?" asked Twilight, having unhitched herself from the wagon.
"He's going to teach me how to fish," answered Nik.
Kai nodded. "With any luck, he'll be catching his own dinner tonight."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "What about Fluttershy and myself? Don't you usually gather for us, too?"
Kai shook his head. "I can't do both tonight. You'll have to use that book I gave you on wild forage of the area."
Twilight opened up the book Kai had given her earlier that day. "I haven't had a chance to go through it yet."
"Take Fluttershy with you. She's well-versed in a fair amount of edible flora. If you're unsure, I'll double check when you come back. I've spent a lot of time with that book during my forage sessions, so I know a fair amount of the plants already."
Twilight was about to retort, but Fluttershy spoke first. "We'll have it done in no time," she said, pulling out their tent supplies. "Whoever's done first can set up camp while we wait for the other team. After all, we can't always rely on you to feed us. What if you end up sick or injured?"
Kai frowned. "That won't stop me; I've worked through worse. Still, you bring up a good point. If we were to be separated, whichever team doesn't have me needs to have some way of feeding themselves."
"I suppose you make a good point," Twilight conceded. "We should all be capable of taking over each other's jobs in the event of emergency."
With the jobs now decided, Nik and Kai waded into the river. Nik took off his socks and shoes, and rolled up his pants to keep them from soaking in the river. Once they were situated and Kai's horn lit up the river in front of them, Kai reiterated all the points he had gone over earlier that day.
"The most important thing to remember is that your spearhead is offset from your shaft in this case. Aim lower than what feels like it should work. This isn't a fishing spear, so don't be too upset if you keep missing. Just be patient. That's the second most important part."
"I was always told patience was the most important part," said a confused Nik. "You put the worm on the hook, drop the line into the river, then sit still for a few hours."
"The fact that you were waiting several hours didn't tip you off that there may be a problem with your technique?"
Nik reached back and rubbed his neck. "I haven't been fishing since I was ten. I have to wonder if my dad was just really bad at it."
Kai nodded. "Always a possibility." He turned his attention back to the river. "I saw some brown trout in here when we stopped this afternoon. Look for brassy brown with a yellowish underside and a white belly."
Nik looked, but among the brown rocks, he couldn't see much. He was about to ask Kai if he had seen anything when he spotted one. "Is that what we're looking for?" he asked in a hushed tone.
Kai looked to where Nik was pointing. Sure enough, there was a decently sized brown trout swimming gently against the current. "That's it. Keep an eye on it, I'll try to bring it closer." Kai's magic pulled over a small twig from the shore. Gently, he tapped against the water's surface, trying to convince the fish that there was something tasty up there. It took the bait, swimming closer.
Kai gave his glaive to Nikolas. "Remember, aim low. Strike upward, from a point three inches below where your target looks to be. Skewer it, then rotate the handle so that gravity keeps it on the blade. Whenever you're ready."
Nik took a deep breath, then another. With his third exhale, he plunged the blade into the river. He was so shocked by the fact that he'd succeeded in spearing it that he almost forgot to pull it out of the water. He would have lost the fish if Kai hadn't grabbed the other end of the shaft and twisted it upright.
"I caught it," Nik gasped. "I can't believe it. I caught my first fish!"
Kai reached up and patted Nik's back. "Congratulations. Let's go cook it."
Kai set up the firepit while Nik prepared the fish. Since Kai had been doing all of the cooking, he'd been the one keeping all of the spices, but not anymore. Nik finally had a say in their meal, and he was determined to cook a tasty fish. It felt so very nice to contribute again. All he'd been able to help with thus far had been setting up and taking down the tents. Now he could do more. And if the girls continued to forage, he might even be able to eventually move on to stewing or frying, given the right equipment.
After the fire was lit, Kai moved to the tents while Nik started cooking the fish. Right as Kai pounded in the final stake, Twilight and Fluttershy came back with their forage.
"That book was very comprehensive," Twilight announced. "Everything I could want to know about the plants was right there at my hooves."
"Sorry we're late," added Fluttershy.
"Don't even worry about it," smiled Kai. "I don't mind being the one to set up camp."
"Even though it took longer to set up this time," added Nik, "We were trying new things. I'm sure that we'll be better suited to each task as time goes on."
"Right," confirmed Twilight. "Practice makes perfect, after all."
"And we certainly have the time to practice," chuckled Kai, looking over their forage. All of it was safely edible, though some parts would need to be cooked first. "Most of this is safe to eat as-is. Good job, girls."
They arrived at their next destination around midday, though one could be forgiven for thinking it was late. A storm was brewing, and the cloud cover was darkening the sky. To make matters even gloomier, the group found themselves tripping over stones at every turn. The graveyard they were walking through had long ago fallen into disrepair, and while some of the headstones were still legible, many more were worn down to the point where they could no longer be read.
"I wish we could see clearer," said Twilight, tripping over another headstone. "It seems disrespectful to be walking over somepony's grave. Especially hitting their tombstones."
"It can't really be helped," sighed Kai. "We don't have the time, nor the equipment to cut down all of this high grass. We'd have even less means of restoring the headstones."
"I know. I'm just saying, this doesn't feel right."
"Agreed. The moment we finish here, we let them rest peacefully once more."
They came to a stop at a particularly large tomb. Despite the unkempt nature of the rest of the graveyard, this one looked as if it were scrubbed clean. On top of that, two torches hung in sconces on either side of a placard. The text carved into the placard was written in an ancient language that was no longer in circulation. Twilight knew some of it, but not much. From what she could gather, it said something about only the strong being chosen for tasks, a concept that she took exception to.
Kai opened the back door of the wagon. "We need to discuss how we plan to proceed. This is a trial of combat, so I'm required to face it, being the only one with any combat training. Fluttershy, I know you want to stay out of this one."
Fluttershy nodded, feeling very uneasy. "I don't do so well with tombs."
Kai nodded. "That leaves Nikolas and Twilight. Time to decide. You can join me if you so choose, or you can stay out here with Fluttershy."
"I'll go," answered Nik. "I'm the most involved in this, and it's my life on the line. It behooves me to ensure that you make it through."
Kai nodded. "That's Nikolas, what about you, Twilight?"
Twilight shook her head. "Somepony should stay up here with Fluttershy. I'm not exactly the best when it comes to combat spells, but I should be okay for defending the entrance."
Kai nodded. "Don't worry about fighting alone. I wager the residents here would be more than happy to aid you if it comes to that."
"No," growled Twilight, a scowl forming on her face. "I refuse to let more ponies sacrifice themselves."
"Don't worry about them," replied Kai, shaking his head. "These are highly skilled warriors. They live for that sort of thing. That's why I'm a bit nervous about this trial. Almost all of my knowledge was gained through being attacked, and I try not to kill if I can avoid it."
"Let's go, then," said Nik, stepping out of the wagon and making room for Twilight. "If this is going to take multiple tries, we need to start right away. Sitting here isn't going to help us finish any faster."
Kai nodded in agreement. "We'll be back as soon as we can," he assured them.
"Uninjured?" asked Fluttershy.
"I'll certainly try," responded Kai, closing the door.
Nik stood in front of the tomb. "So, how do we enter? Shovels?"
Kai shook his head and placed his hooves against the stone slab sealing the tomb. With a hard push, it slid aside, revealing a stairway leading down. A burst of cold air rushed out of the tomb entrance and blew right into Nik's face. He grimaced and waved his hand to dispel the air, but to his great surprise, there was no foul smell.
Kai took the lead as they descended the stairs. It was five flights, almost straight down into the ground. Despite the lack of smell and the immaculate stairs, there was a large pile of severed limbs at the bottom. It wasn't particularly bloody or visceral. If Nik could compare the sight to anything, he would say they looked akin to a pile of torn apart action figures. This was especially true due to the multitude of colours.
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" shouted a voice from the other end of a hallway. Approaching them was a patchwork pony, seemingly made from spare parts from other ponies. "I had no indication of a new arrival today. Who are you?"
Kai bowed. "My apologies for the short notice, but we're in a bit of a rush. We're here for approval of your master for an audience with his master."
"What approval? I wa--" The patchwork pony was interrupted as part of his leg collapsed and he fell to the floor. He mumbled something to himself as he reached into the pile of limbs, rifling through it until he found one about the same size as the one that had just collapsed. Rolling onto his back, he tore the old one off and socketed the new one into place. "Sorry about that," he chuckled, rolling back onto his hooves. He still only had three, as the new leg ended in a griffin claw. "Now, what was it you wanted again?"
"We're here for one of these," answered Nik, pulling one of the stones out of his pocket. "Do you have one?"
The patchwork pony shook his head. "No, but my partner does. The androgynous one, not the clearly female one. Come, let's go find it."
The hallway was very short, and at the other end was a large rotunda, with several rooms leading off. It was spotless, and two of the rooms even had beds. It looked much nicer than the grove, and significantly nicer than the library. Those had been wide expanses with only the sky above, but this looked rather cozy. Not at all like a tomb.
"This isn't remotely what I was expecting," Nikolas thought aloud.
"You think that just because we live in a tomb, it has to be a terrifying nightmare scape?" Nik had no answer. "Two of us can't really blend in with normal society. I mean, I almost could, but that'd be short-lived. So, since we can't really live anywhere else, we decided to make our home a nice one."
"Big, too," chuckled Nik. "My head doesn't even hit the ceiling."
"It has to be," responded the patchwork stallion. "Bone is taller than you are, and he doesn't want to hit his head, either."
Kai stopped in his tracks. "There's a pony taller than Nikolas?"
The stallion turned around. "Well, he's not really a pony, per se... Not anymore, at least."
"So, what is he then?"
The stallion chuckled. "He's Bone. By the way, I'm Flesh."
Bone was down on the next floor, binding his war pick with a brand new handle wrap. He could feel it in his gut; There was a fight coming their way. After a seventy-eight year hiatus, he would finally be able to see the sun again. But before that could happen, he had to be ready. All of his weapons needed to be ready. His happiness soon faded, however, as Flesh once again strode into his workshop unannounced.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Flesh," Bone growled through his mandibles. "I'll come to dinner when I finish. You have your gymnasium, Blood has her lab, and I have my workshop. These places are sacred to us."
"I'm not here for dinner," Flesh explained. "You have guests."
Nik and Kai looked on in awe as the creature known as Bone turned around to face them. It was certainly not a pony. Much like Siegfried, Bone had seven appendages. However, Siegfried had seemed mainly quadrupedal. Bone was clearly bipedal. Instead of an extra pair of legs, he had an extra pair of arms. He was also without much skin, as much of his body seemed to be covered in an exoskeleton. There were bits of skin that covered muscle around every joint, but they seemed to have chitinous scales covering them. Most shocking was his face. The top half resembled a human skull, whereas the bottom half looked more like that of an insect. Neither his top nor bottom jaw were connected to each other, allowing him to open his mouth incredibly wide. Their only connection to the rest of his body was back near the holes where his ears should have been. Lastly, his eyes were covered up by two yellow transparent plates, making him look sinister.
"Guests, is it?" smiled Bone. As his jaws were covered in hard, bony plates, neither Kai nor Nik could see the smile. "Have you come to deliver news of war?"
Kai shook his head. "We've actually come to stop one from occurring."
Bone waved away Kai's statement. "That's no fun. Taking to the battlefield is what brings me to life! I want to feel my heart racing again, to taste the sunshine, to smell that irony spray. You would deny me that immense pleasure?"
"I'm certainly going to try."
The room fell silent. Kai and Bone locked eyes. The tension that grew between them could tear a tree out of the earth itself. Nik took a step back, not wanting to endanger himself unnecessarily.
Both Flesh and Nik jumped when the tension finally broke. Bone had burst out in a cackling, gurgling laugh. "You have a strong will, my friend. Keep that with you as you move forward. Come, tell me what it is you want."
As they returned to the lower rotunda, Kai refused to let go of the tension he felt. "We're here to seek a token of the mauler of bones. We need it to stand before the great green dragon."
Bone sighed. "So the fight I feel coming in the near future will be between you and I? How disappointing..."
"Mayhaps it is. If so, I apologize for driving your hopes up. I strive to be honest."
"That may be wrong," added Nik. "There could be an even bigger fight afterward. If the assassins are close, there could be a big fight just to have my companion and I escape."
A shiver of excitement ran down Bone's exposed spinal column. "I look forward to that."
The group came to a kitchen, and for the first time since he'd come to Equestria, Nik saw a beautiful, fresh cut of beef loin. "Is that a strip steak?" he asked, his mouth suddenly watering.
"It is," answered Flesh. "We have to keep on the up and up with our diets. What with our bodies changing constantly, we need to make sure we stay healthy. For instance, I had a lion as my left leg last month. That takes up a lot of protein. And even if my parts are falling off all the time, I'd still like to keep them for as long as I can. Always a hassle."
"Especially when he can't keep his head," added Bone.
"Excuse me? I'm always level headed."
Bone looked up from behind the cabinets he had opened up. "That's not some kind of metaphor. Your head quite literally falls off sometimes." Bone pulled out a basket of root vegetables. "You ponies are vegetarians, right?"
Kai shook his head. "Most are. I'm not. Why do you ask?"
Bone shrugged. "It's not good to fight on an empty stomach. Nor is it good to fight on a full stomach, but I won't be having any fun if you pass out from exhaustion right away. I offer you a quick meal before we begin our match."
Kai shook his head. "I fight better when hungry. Like a predatorial animal, taking down prey not for enjoyment, but to stave off starvation for another day or two."
"How lovely," remarked Bone, taking a large bite of carrot. As he did so, Nik caught his first look at Bone's lips. They were retracted behind his mandibles. "And what of your friend? He's not really a pony, is he?"
"I am not," confirmed Nik. "I'm a human."
"Not a creature I've ever seen," shrugged Flesh. "And I've seen much. Are you of this world? And more importantly, would you like some steak?"
"I would very much like some steak," Nik said, nodding enthusiastically.
"That settles it, then. You and I will have steak while we watch your friend being beaten by mine."
Worry crept across Nik's face. "He'll be okay, won't he? I mean, we're not the best of friends, but I'm supposed to make sure he comes back in one piece."
Bone chuckled. "Don't fret. Flesh is an expert surgeon who can reattach any limbs that fall off. And I promise not to hurt him too much."
All of a sudden, Kai was met once again with a familiar tightness in his abdomen. It had first showed when he had been thrown into a prison cell. He felt it again right before leaving Canterlot. Then again when he was assaulted by timber wolves, and the last time he'd felt it was when he'd set Fluttershy free. It wasn't quite fear, but it was close. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He had to win this fight.
The lower rotunda was empty. While the upper rotuna had some lounge furniture, the lower one was completely empty. With Kai and Bone inside, Flesh took Nik to a viewing area, where they could watch the fight with their meal.
"Normally, I make some sort of creature, and Bone fights it in there," explained Flesh. "It helps him to test his weapons against different foes. Even foes that don't really exist."
"You make your own monsters?" asked Nik, swallowing a mouthful of medium steak.
"That's right. We've written down our findings, too."
"So you're like Doctor Frankenstein?"
Flesh shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Is that a reference to your human culture?"
Nik paused for a moment. "I suppose it is. I don't know if there's a pony equivalent, but I'd guess you're as close as they come."
Bone returned his attention to Kai. He had grabbed his weapons, two swords and a mace, as well as a shield that was much too small for him, but would be massive in the hooves of a pony. "Are you ready, then?"
Kai pulled out his spear and took a defensive stance. "Whenever you are."
Bone leaned to the side, inspecting Kai's weapon. "Are you sure? That glaive looks to be quite worn down. Look here." Bone set down his mace and pointed to several spots on the blade. "There are chips everywhere. It certainly looks like you've tried to repair the damages, but you didn't have the proper tools to do so. Furthermore, this hook is facing rearward to be used against mounted foes, and the blade looks to be bent." He stepped back. "And to top it all off, you're using a pike stance, when the glaive clearly needs a polearm stance. Who trained you in combat?"
Kai lowered his weapon. "I'm self-trained. Most of my experience comes from fighting off wolves and bears. I have a dagger, too, but I didn't think it would be that effective against you."
Bone shook his head. "This won't do. Not at all." He disappeared once more into his workshop, returning with a similar-looking weapon. "This is a bardiche with forward-facing spike. The blade is kept in peak condition, and it may suit your fighting stance a bit better. Approximately two and a third metres long. Give it a try, see how you like it."
Kai accepted the new weapon, setting his down on the ground next to him. It was lighter than he was expecting, with a bit longer of a reach than he was used to. The blade was certainly not made of steel, but some other metal Kai was unfamiliar with. He gave it a few wide swings, as well as several rapid thrusts. "It feels nice," Kai admitted. "Though I have to ask about the integrity of the blade. Are you sure this material can handle combat? I'm not familiar with it."
"That blade was specifically crafted by me, for my own use. I guarantee its integrity." Bone held out his free hand. "If you so desire, I can repair yours after our little trial?"
Kai shook his head. "I need it to protect those I hold dear. I can't leave without it."
"Leave with the one you're holding, then."
Kai was taken aback. "You'd do that for me?"
Bone nodded. "Of course. I admire your bravery."
Kai nodded and levitated the spear up to Bone, who took it and placed it in his workshop. Taking their stances once again, Kai felt his confidence rising. "Now, I'm ready."
Picking up the flanged mace he had set down earlier, Bone flourished his blades as he moved closer. With the larger sword, he chopped down. Kai only just managed to slide out of the way, lunging the tip of his polearm at Bone's midsection, only to have it bounce off the chitinous exoskeleton. Kai pulled the weapon back to himself just in time to catch a swing from the mace.
Kai was expecting the hit to shatter the polearm's shaft, but it sprung quickly back to form. He would have marveled at the flexibility of the handle's material, but he had to pull himself away as the smaller sword was coming quickly at him. He jumped to the right, only to have the shield bash him in the face. He stumbled backward a few steps, using the butt of the poleaxe to steady himself.
"Your friend isn't a very good combatant," said Flesh, a disappointed look on his face. "Is he really the best you have?"
"He's better with magic, I think," said Nik through a mouthful of asparagus. "I've seen him shoot lightning a few times. Either way, I'm pretty sure he knows better than I do."
Kai spread his wings. with a powerful flap, he propelled himself forward. Being much smaller than his opponent, he managed to slip between Bone's legs, swinging at his ankle in passing. While this would normally be a good move, Bone was prepared for it, swinging his mighty tail in front of Kai, knocking him aside. As Kai stood back up and grabbed his weapon, Bone had more than enough time to turn around.
Kai tried the same maneuver a second time, now ready to watch for the tail. But Bone had learned from the last attack as well. Before Kai could slip between his legs, Bone had shifted all of his weight onto his other ankle, and with a swift kick, Kai was sent flying into the wall.
The blow had knocked the wind out of him. Desperately, Kai tried to stand, but he was having trouble breathing. As he struggled to climb back onto his hooves, Bone bore down on him, pinning him to the wall with his forearm. Kai had lost.
"That's enough!" shouted Flesh, standing up. "Let him go."
Bone pulled away from the wall, letting Kai catch his breath. "Already? The rules say we need to be impressed, and I've only barely begun."
"Well, I've seen enough. Look at your ankle."
Bone looked down. "It's just a mild cut. It'll be healed in no time."
"It's not the severity of the injury that matters, Bone," explained Flesh. "Look at the shape. He drew that blade exactly along the softer tissues, twisting around your ankle. It even looks like he nicked the tendon. If he'd pushed a bit harder, you'd be on one foot only."
"But he didn't," replied Bone. "I'm still standing."
Flesh shook his head. "Did you forget that he has no formal training?"
Bone stepped back and sat down. He took a closer look at the wound Kai had given him. It wasn't a killing blow, even if it had gone through all the way. This wasn't a warrior's move at all, especially against ponies. Furthermore, Kai was a large pony. Against any of his own kind, that maneuver would be useless, only serving to have him stuck beneath his opponent. Even though it hadn't been effective, Kai had been able to analyze his foe, and adapt to an effective maneuver. He even managed to stick to his ideal of non-lethality. Even the blow to his midsection wouldn't have killed him quickly enough to be effective. A stab that low would only serve to cause pain. Any surgeon would be able to treat such a mild wound quickly and easily.
After a few minutes of thought, Bone stood up. "I've made my decision. I'm not satisfied with this fight."
Kai picked up the bardiche, having planned out a new strategy for his second fight.
"However, I recognize that my opponent had no chance of ever beating me. The fact that he was able to think quickly and take note of his opponent's defenses on the fly earns him a small amount of respect from me. And even though I feel he has a lot of learning to do, I think he has, at the very least, matched the average pony, and at most, the average pony soldier."
In one of Bone's claws appeared the orb. It was grey, having two boxes in the center, with two horizontal lines going out in either direction. "To that end, I grant him this token of Vgaarklak's favour, as well as the personal gifts of the weapon he now holds, and a treatise on its use." He offered the orb to Kai. "You can read, can't you?"
Bone poked his head out of the sarcophagus and looked around. The chill of the rain invigorated him. "The coast is clear," he called down to Kai and Nik. "There's no army up here. Just rain. Unless they're hiding in that wagon."
"No," answered Kai. "Those are our companions."
Bone smirked. "Romantic companions?"
Kai remained silent. He wanted his relationship with Fluttershy to be a romantic one, but he feared that was still out of reach. He wanted it, but if she didn't feel the same, he would stay her eternal friend.
"None of us are sleeping together, if that's what you're asking," answered Nik.
Bone shook his head. "Ah, well. At any rate, I still feel a battle approaching. When that day comes, if you're the force I am to fight alongside, I shall be glad to count you as my compatriots."
Kai nodded as he stepped outside. "Until we meet again, Bone. Fare thee well."
"if we ever do meet again," corrected Nik, following Kai out. He carried with him a brand new deep river fishing spear with tension loop and a large kukri, gifts from Flesh for the purposes of gathering meat. They meant bigger fish, with an easier time catching and preparing them.
"If you want to weather this storm, head east!" called Bone after them. "There's a small hill with some large oak trees! That'll keep you at least a little bit dry for the night!"
"Will do!" called Kai, harnessing himself into the wagon. He waved as he took off, with Nik climbing into the back.
The rain only grew heavier as they went on. The ground eventually became so muddy that the wagon wheels sank into the dirt. Despite this, Kai kept pulling until he found the hill. It seemed that Bone's information was out of date. There were no trees here. Instead, what he found was a series of very wide tree stumps. These had long ago been cut down for lumber. Nevertheless, the rainwater would not pool here. This is where they would stay for the night.
With the wheels locked, he opened the backdoor to the cart. "This is a good a place as any to stop for the night!" he shouted, only just able to be heard over the roar of the rain drumming on the roof. "I know you're not going to like this news, but your best bet would be to stay inside the wagon! If we set up the tents, we'll all be covered in mud come morning!"
"We can't all fit in here!" called Twilight. "It's cramped enough with just three of us sleeping in this confined space!"
"I realize that!" Kai reached in with his muddy hooves and grabbed one of the tents. "I'll be outside tonight! The rest of you should stay in here!"
Kai closed the door, bringing the sound of the rain back to a dull roar. Fluttershy was the first to speak up. "I suppose that means we go back to the dried food?"
Twilight shrugged. "That is what it's there for. I suppose it's a good thing that Kai's been foraging for us, otherwise we'd be out by now."
"A real shame about this weather," Nik added. "I was hoping to try out my new fishing spear."
Twilight shook her head. "It'll have to wait until we come to a body of water that isn't falling from the sky."
Nik didn't eat much, reasoning that he'd had a large, delicious lunch. The girls also didn't eat much, but that was mostly due to the flavor profile. They knew that if they waited a day or two, they'd be back to fresh again.
As they were lying down, about to fall asleep, Fluttershy suddenly bolted upright, startling Twilight. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" she asked.
Fluttershy stood up. "I just thought of something important. I need to talk to Kai. I'll be right back."
Fluttershy opened the door, flooding the cart with the roar of the pouring rain. As she stepped outside, she was soaking wet in seconds. Closing the door behind her, she shivered and looked around. There were no rivers or lakes particularly close to them, but the flash flood had stranded them on a makeshift island. In order to leave without flying, one would need to go through the water. At the base of the hill, the water was about half a metre deep, rushing quickly over the grass to find its way to the lowest point it could.
On one of the stumps was a tent, staked directly into the wood. There was also a length of rope, which had been loose when Kai had tied it, which was now taut, connecting the wagon to the tree stump. Presumably, this was to keep the wagon from moving in case the water tried to wash it away.
Fluttershy made her way to the tent and poked her head in. While it was quieter here than it was outside, it was louder than the wagon had been. Kai sat upright with his back to her, hunched over an oil lantern. He hadn't seemed to have heard her yet.
"Kai?" Fluttershy's voice took Kai out of his trance, and he turned around. "I was just think--"
She was interrupted by Kai grabbing her hoof and pulling her all the way inside. "It's freezing out there. Come inside before you catch a cold." He wrapped his cloak around her, and soon she felt the chill of the rain leave her entirely.
"You know, I actually came to check up on how you were doing," she said, smiling gently. "It's nice to know that you care about me, too."
"Of course I care about you, Fluttershy. You make me want to be a better stallion. Especially since you care enough to come make sure I'm alright."
"Well, I just thought to myself that we were all in that wagon, eating dried food, and I felt so horrible that you didn't have any dinner. So I grabbed some and brought it out to you." Fluttershy lifted her wing, showing that she had brought a bag of dried seaweed and a mango melon strip of fruit leather.
Kai chuckled. "That's really sweet of you. By the time I'd thought of that, I guessed that you all were asleep, and I didn't want to risk waking you by opening the door." He reached forward and gave her a hug, feeling blessed to have her back in his life. Just as he was releasing his embrace, however, a bright light lit up the outside of the tent. This was followed by a loud, crackling boom that caused the ground beneath them to shake. Fluttershy leaped forward, wrapping herself tightly in Kai's front legs.
Kai thought back to the first time she'd ever embraced him. He'd come back home after doing her bidding for the day, and she'd confided in him that she was terrified of thunderstorms. Back then, he'd only wanted to calm her down so that he could use her. Now, he wanted her to feel safe. Having only a flimsy tarp and his cloak with which to protect her, he began stroking her mane and humming gently. It was the same melancholy tune he'd hummed to her before; A song of a soldier dying in a prison.
The lightning and thunder kept up through the night. While Kai wanted to keep his promise to Twilight, he refused to send Fluttershy back to the wagon in the midst of her panic attack. When Fluttershy finally did manage to fall asleep, Kai lay her down softly on the bedroll, covered her with his cloak, and curled up outside the tent. Though it was uncomfortable, he somehow managed to find a way to sleep in the rain for a few hours before the sun arose.
When Twilight woke up and saw that Fluttershy hadn't yet returned, her worry came back. She knew how Fluttershy felt about thunderstorms. Stepping out of the wagon and into the deep mud, she looked around. Neither Kai nor Fluttershy could be seen, just mile after mile of flooded plains. Every so often, a bush or tree would poke up out of the water. At least it wasn't raining quite as hard today.
She climbed up on the stump where the tent has been set up. Poking her head in, she was relieved to find Fluttershy, curled up under Kai's cloak. At least she was safe. However, Twilight had a new concern. If Fluttershy was sleeping alone in Kai's tent, where was Kai?
Twilight shook Fluttershy's shoulder, rousing her from her slumber. Fluttershy rolled over and looked up. "Twilight?" she yawned. As she returned to the waking world, she sat up. "Sorry. I know I said I'd be back, but I guess I fell asleep out here."
Twilight smiled. "It's fine. I'm just glad to know you're alright. After that storm last night, I was afraid you'd run off."
Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm okay now. Kai was around to help calm me down." She looked around. "Where is he, by the way?"
Twilight furrowed her brow. "I was hoping you could tell me."
Fluttershy looked down at the floor of the tent. The dried food she had brought for Kai were still there, sealed in their packaging. After she'd leaped into his embrace last night, he hadn't had the opportunity to eat. She felt awful. "He was here when I fell asleep. Maybe he went to look for breakfast?"
It didn't take long for them to locate him, as he was right outside the tent. What had kept them from seeing him was the tent itself. Fluttershy's hoof glided across his exposed shoulder, wiping off excess water as she woke him. As he stood up and stretched, he had to keep himself from shaking, as doing so would only serve to saturate the girls. "Good morning. Sleep well?"
"I did," answered Fluttershy. "Thanks for helping with that."
Kai looked around through the light drizzle. "You're all ready to go, then?"
"Go?" asked Twilight incredulously. "How do you expect to be able to go anywhere in water this deep?"
"I don't know," answered Kai. "Even yesterday, I was running into a lot of resistance with the wheels sinking into the mud. Now the ground is even softer. On the other hoof, I refuse to just sit around waiting for this flood to dry up. We should caulk up the wagon and wade. I think the water may be deep enough that a wagon floating on the surface won't sink into the mud below."
Twilight smirked. "Your information might be a bit outdated, Kai. Most modern prison transport wagons are already sealed. It helps to prevent escapes. That all started because of a prisoner that somehow managed to squeeze through the floorboards twenty-two years ago."
Kai raised his eyebrow. "Would this have been between Ponyville and Canterlot? En route to Canterlot?"
"So you've heard of the event?"
Kai and Fluttershy exchanged knowing glances. "You could say that, yeah. The prisoner escaped into the Everfree forest and was never seen again."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't know about that, but the point I'm trying to make is that this cart should already be sealed enough that water can't enter."
"Load up, then," responded Kai, stretching his back legs. "Let's be underway."
Fluttershy grabbed Kai's shoulder, causing him to tense up. "Not yet. You didn't eat anything last night. I insist that you have something to eat before we set out."
With a somber nod, Kai did as he was told, sitting down and eating his dried food while Twilight and Fluttershy struggled to take down the tent. The problem they were having was with the surface that the tent stakes had been driven into. Wood was stronger than dirt, and with water added to the mix, the stakes were tighter than ever. Only when Kai had finished eating did he stand up and help, employing the assistance of a prybar. In no time, he had the tent stakes out of the tree stump and packed up in the back of the wagon. But as he was sliding it into place, Fluttershy noticed that he was twisting and flexing his left shoulder a lot.
"Is something wrong with your shoulder, Kai?"
He lowered his hoof to the ground. "I probably just slept on it wrong. Once we start moving, it'll calm down." He harnessed himself into the pulls. "Are we ready?"
Fluttershy slipped into the second harness. "Whenever you are."
With a smile, Kai began pulling. He was glad to have somepony to assist him. They moved down into the water, feeling the rapids wrap around them. It turns out the water was higher than they'd initially thought, as they weren't wading, but swimming. Twilight was correct about the seals, however. The wagon was indeed floating, and the wheels were up above the ground.
Kai was glad to have his leg in the cold water. The murkiness of the water coupled with the ripples caused by the droplets still falling from the sky meant that they couldn't see more than half an inch down. No longer using his sore leg, Kai was making better ground using his wings to propel them through the flood. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, feathers were more delicate than metal plates, and she couldn't move the water as well without injuring herself.
They swam until afternoon. At that point, Kai had them pull out of the water and up another hill. It would do them no more good to stay in the water, as their target location was nearby. Another ancient graveyard stood on the other side of a nearby hill, slanted down so as to keep any floods at bay. At the base was a ravine, sending the floodwaters away.
When evening came, the rain had stopped, and the tents were all set up near the peak of the hill, just outside the cobblestone wall marking the edge of the graveyard. It was still cold and humid, but at least they were dry.
Kai stood up as soon as they'd finished dinner. "Tomorrow, we face our fourth trial in the mausoleum of wraiths. I won't lie to you, this is the trial that terrifies me the most. More than facing the embodiment of fear. More than walking directly into a volcano. More than facing an opponent that could tear me to pieces. This is the worst of the trials, and I will completely understand if you don't want to face it with me. I won't force you."
Nik swallowed hard. He had no idea what the trial was, but if it had Kai shaking in his horseshoes, it couldn't be good news.
Kai's words echoed in Fluttershy's head, keeping her awake. He was terrified of this upcoming trial, a feeling she knew all too well. She'd thought him exceptionally brave, having grown up alone in the Everfree forest, surrounded by monsters. She'd heard rumors of dragons in the deeper sections of the forest. He'd even told her once that he'd managed to narrowly avoid death at the claws of an ursa, and had the scars to prove it. What could be more frightening than that?
She stepped out of her tent. The moon was still high in the sky. She walked over to where Kai was sleeping, curled up under his cloak. Kneeling down gently next to him, she craned her neck down and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Brushing his mane out of his face, she looked down at him. He'd done so much for them. Nopony had even asked him to help them, he just did it on his own. It was time she returned the favour.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight had poked her head out of her tent. "You should be sleeping."
Fluttershy shook her head. "I can't," she whispered. "Kai needs my help. If this trial really does terrify him, somepony else should do it."
"Fluttershy, that's crazy. You don't even know what the trial entails. How can you hope to face it on your own?"
"I don't know. But I need to try. For his sake and mine."
Twilight emerged from her tent. She was already wearing saddlebags. "Well, you're not going alone. Whatever the challenge is, we'd be better off facing it together."
Fluttershy bowed her head. "Thank you, Twilight. You're a wonderful friend."
Twilight smiled. "As are you. Shall we go?"
The two mares made their way down the hill. Right in the middle of the graveyard was a small building. On the door was a large, carved symbol. It almost looked like a jellyfish hanging from a string, or perhaps a Nightmare Night ghost decoration hanging from a tree branch. It was situated inside of a large circle.
"All of the other symbols thus far have been simple shapes inside of circles," reasoned Twilight. "A star inside of a circle, a squiggly line inside of a circle, and two boxes and a line inside of a circle. Furthermore, the entrances have all been noteworthy and stood out from their surroundings. The most well-hidden one was a giant cliff face. These two facts lead me to believe that we have to enter here."
With a shaking hoof, Fluttershy grasped the door handle and pushed it open. A magenta light flickered inside. As the door swung open, Fluttershy was relieved to not see any skeletons or coffins. Instead, it was just a bunch of alcoves in the wall with clay pots in them. The flickering light came from a large brazier in the center of the room. A large counterclockwise spiral staircase lead down deeper into the darkness.
"It seems we're expected," said Twilight, looking down the stairs. "This must be the right place."
Fluttershy placed her wing on Twilight's shoulder as they descended the stairs. As they went, more magenta flames flickered to life, illuminating their path. As they went, Fluttershy began to tremble more and more, shaking visibly and audibly as their hooves touched the lowest landing. She was filled with anticipation, dreading the moment when something would jump out and scare her.
"It seems the only way forward is through that door," said Twilight, pointing to an old-looking wooden double door on the far side of the room. It was tall, and had a pointed arch at the top. Twilight placed one hoof on one of the handles, and Fluttershy took the other. With a countdown from three, they opened the door simultaneously.
They weren't at all expecting what they saw. On the other side of the door was a pleasant meadow. The sun was shining down, despite the fact that the girls knew it was the middle of the night. As they stepped through the door and into the flowers, they saw a small group of ponies standing off to the side, and decided to approach.
As they came closer, Fluttershy recognized some of them. "Those are my parents. And Zephyr!"
Twilight recognized a few as well. "Applejack? Rarity? Pinkie and Rainbow are here, too."
As they reached their friends, Rainbow Dash took flight, soaring around in circles above the empty meadow. in her hooves, she held one of the clay pots, and she would routinely reach in and pull out some kind of dust, which would be scattered over the plain. Rarity was seen picking a few of the flowers.
"I think it would be best if we all took a few seeds," she said, her voice trembling. "We take them home with us, and plant them in her honour. That way she can always be with us."
Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "I reckon' she'd appreciate that. These were always her favourite, after all."
Rainbow Dash, being done with her task, landed nearby. "I just can't believe she's gone."
"Who's gone?" asked Fluttershy. "What happened while we were out?"
Their friends didn't seem to notice her question. Instead, they all huddled together in a group hug. Tears and sobbing were seen and heard. Fluttershy stepped forward and joined the hug. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like seeing her friends hurt like this.
The pot dropped from Rainbow's hoof into the flowers below. Fluttershy reached down and picked it up, inspecting it. Clearly, it was important, but she had to know why. As she rolled it over, she dropped it to the ground and bolted backward in horror. She couldn't scream out in fear, as her voice had been petrified.
Twilight picked up the jar. This wasn't just some clay pot. It was a funerary urn. The date of death carved on the front was today's date. The name written just above it explained Fluttershy's fear, as well as Kai's. "In loving memory of Fluttershy." The ceremony they'd walked in on was the scattering of her ashes.
Twilight dropped the urn to the ground and rushed over to where Fluttershy was shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms tightly around Fluttershy's shoulders and hugged her tight. She wasn't the most empathic or tender of ponies, so Twilight did the only thing she could think of to dispel Fluttershy's agony. She was going to reason it out.
"This isn't real, Fluttershy. This isn't really happening, and I can prove it."
Fluttershy mumbled something, but Twilight couldn't quite make it out.
"First of all, you're here in my embrace. So that definitely wasn't you in that urn. You're here with me, not scattered around a field of lupines. Second, I find it very shocking that so few ponies cared to come to your funeral. There'd be dozens of ponies here, not just seven. Not to mention all of your animal friends."
Fluttershy sniffled. "R-really?"
Twilight smiled. "I guarantee it." Twilight helped Fluttershy to her hooves and directed her attention back to the group. "In fact, there's a pony missing from your meeting that I know for a fact wouldn't dare to miss it. She'd be right in the middle of that group hug if this were real."
"Who's that?" asked a teary-eyed Fluttershy.
"Me," answered Twilight. "If you thought I wouldn't mourn your loss, you'd be absolutely crazy."
Fluttershy sniffed as a warm smile graced her face. "Thanks, T-T-Twilight. That m-means so much to m-me."
As Fluttershy returned Twilight's hug, the sky turned black, and the world fell away. "You see?" remarked Twilight smugly. "All just an illusion."
Suddenly, the duo found themselves in a funeral parlour. Several more ponies were present this time, including Twilight's family. Shining Armor stood at the front of them behind a lectern, giving a eulogy. Behind him was a wooden casket, with a photograph of Twilight sitting off to the side, adorned in a wreath of red roses.
Twilight stood up as tall as she could and shouted upward to the ceiling. "Stop this at once! I know I'm not dead yet, so you can cease with your awful illusions!"
Just as she said that, she felt a tingling in her hooves. She looked down, and beneath her legs, she saw the floor. Her hooves were gone. She watched in terror as parts of her legs faded and dried, crumbling to dust beneath her.
Fluttershy reached forward and grabbed Twilight's middle, grasping and holding onto any part of her friend she could as she slowly turned to dust. The last sight she saw of Twilight was the look of crippling fear on her face as she let out a blood-curdling scream.
The parlour faded away, leaving Fluttershy alone in the dark once again. This time, when the room returned, it was a stone chamber with green mists. From behind a corner, a creature in a black hooded robe approached. There was no insignia on its chest, but in one hoof, it held a long scythe. It stopped when it came face to face with her.
Fluttershy was terrified, but she was also confused. Taking after Twilight's idea, she decided that the best way to dispel her fear was to understand it.
"Are you the reaper?"
The pony waved his hoof around, bobbing his head in multiple directions, indicating that she was partially correct.
"Am I dead?"
The reaper shook his head.
"What about Twilight? Where is she?"
The reaper pointed over Fluttershy's shoulder. Looking behind her, she could see the room they'd come from. Fluttershy saw her own lifeless body, with Twilight trying desperately to revive it.
Fluttershy turned back to the reaper. "Why did you show us these awful things?"
There was no response.
"Do you know why Kai was so afraid to come in here?"
The reaper nodded.
"Show me."
The room disappeared again, but the reaper stayed. Their new location was outside. Kai hung from a tree branch, his hoof caught in the crotch of the branch. He had multiple obvious stab wounds, and nearly a dozen arrows protruded from his body. He was purple and bloated. Nopony was around to mourn his loss.
"So this is what you do? You show ponies their deaths? Do you derive joy from that?"
The reaper shook its head.
"Then why?"
No response.
"Tell me why!"
The reaper said nothing, but held out its other hoof. Floating just above it was an orb. The symbol on the inside was the same as the one that appeared on the entrance to the mausoleum. This is what they'd come for. As it floated into Fluttershy's hoof, she understood.
"This was a test."
The reaper nodded.
"We need to understand what's waiting for us, if we should fail as individuals."
The reaper nodded again.
"If the whole mission fails, what then?"
The room became black again. Nothing came to replace it.
"The end of everything?"
The reaper nodded.
Fluttershy took a deep breath. "I'd like to go back to my friends, now." The reaper nodded, and they were once again inside the lower chamber of the mausoleum. Twilight was in tears by now, still trying to pump life into Fluttershy. As her soul was pulled to her body, Fluttershy turned back to the reaper. "When next we meet, I hope to have lived a long, fulfilling life."
Kai awoke the following morning to a silent camp. His shoulder was still sore from the day before. In fact, even more so. He wasn't sure why this was, so he attributed it once more to sleeping directly on the ground.
He stood up and looked around. The three tents surrounding him looked calm and unmoving, so he guessed that he was the first one to wake up. Rather than set off directly for the mausoleum to start the trial, he decided that some fresh breakfast was in order, and set out into the woods to forage for vegetation. He had wonderful luck this time, as he came across some wild mustard and peppergrass. There was also a patch of oxeyes he found in a shallow ditch.
When he returned to camp, Nik was already awake, sitting next to the ash pile that had been their fire last night. "Good morning," he said, stifling a yawn. "Find anything good?"
Kai nodded. "A few things. The girls still asleep?"
"Haven't heard a peep all morning. I say let them rest. We're not headed anywhere until you return from the trial, right?"
Kai nodded. He was dreading having to face the trial. "Enough of that for now. Let's make some breakfast."
Twilight fell against the wall of the mausoleum. Fluttershy was back with her, breathing, standing up, and walking around. She was so relieved to have her dear friend back to life. Fluttershy picked Twilight up and pulled her into a hug. For a few minutes, they said nothing, just reveling in each other's good health.
When they finally pulled apart, Twilight spoke up. "I was so afraid that I'd lost you. What happened in there?"
Fluttershy relayed to Twilight what had happened with the reaper, conveniently leaving out the part where she saw Kai's body. "So, really, I should be thanking you for coming along. If I'd been alone, I don't think I would have been able to finish this trial."
Twilight pulled back. "Finish? Does that mean...?"
Fluttershy nodded, holding out her hoof. In it, she held the fourth orb. "We've succeeded. Kai can rest easy, knowing that he didn't have to go through this trial."
Twilight started up the stairs. "We should return to him, then. Good news is meaningless unless you hear it."
Tucking the orb under her wing, Fluttershy followed Twilight up the stairs. "I can't wait to see the relief on his face. That's what good friends are for."
Up the stairs they went, exiting the mausoleum into daylight. They only just now noticed that they'd been underground longer than they'd thought. "Come on," said Twilight, waving her hoof. "We need to hurry back to the camp. I'm sure they've noticed by now that we're gone."
Breakfast was ready. Kai was very much enjoying his mustard greens. It was almost calming, having a meal before facing adversity. He would need a level head for this. Once his plate was clean, he stood up.
"Alright. I'm going to head down to the mausoleum. I know we said they deserve some extra sleep, but do wake them before breakfast is too cold, won't you?"
Nik nodded through a mouthful of leaves, and gave a thumbs-up. Kai had no idea what the hand signal meant, but he knew what a nod was.
Kai turned and exited the camp. He hadn't taken more than ten steps before he bolted down the hill. He'd spotted the girls walking back from the mausoleum. As he reached their destination, he slid to a stop. "Did you jus--" Kai was unable to finish his question, as Fluttershy had wrapped her front legs around him. He winced a bit, as she was squeezing down on his sore shoulder, but he hugged her back anyway. "What happened?"
"Fluttershy and I couldn't sleep," explained Twilight. "We knew you were stressing out about this challenge, so we went ahead and did it ourselves."
"Already?"
Fluttershy nodded and pulled out the orb. "See? All taken care of."
A smile spread across Kai's face. "You didn't have to do that. You should know by now that I'm not going to run from this, no matter what challenges stand in the way."
"We know," smiled Fluttershy. "But we don't want you shouldering this burden alone. We've been depending on you this entire time. We trust you implicitly."
"But we want you to trust us, too," added Twilight. "We're in this together, and we all need to do our part. You're not alone anymore."
Kai was almost moved to tears. These two mares had lifted away the cumbersome weight on his shoulders. Even so, he wasn't going to leave them to the task he had accepted as his own. He waved Twilight over to join in the hug, which she gladly agreed to. "The two of you amaze me. You're braver ponies than I, that's for sure. You faced down your own deaths and didn't go insane. From now on, I believe in your strengths. Together, we can conquer anything this army of assassins could possibly throw at us."
The hug broke apart, and they walked back to camp. The mood was bittersweet, perfectly complimenting their breakfast. Kai took care of the tents and other equipment while the girls took turns explaining what had happened to Nik. At the end of the story, Fluttershy offered the stone orb to Nik.
"That makes four down," he said, shoving them in his pockets. "How many more are there? I'm running out of room to carry them."
"Six," answered Kai. "We're just under halfway done. The rest should be a bit easier, though. Now we know the concepts a bit better, and we're growing accustomed to being on the road. We'll have this done in no time."
Twilight yawned. She and Fluttershy had been awake for over twenty-four hours straight at this point. "So what's our next challenge?"
"Well, that depends on what we run into next. The Lifewood is a few days away, but the Beacon of the Winds likes to move around. If we run into the Beacon at any point, I plan to do that immediately, as I'd hate to try tracking it down. After that, probably Mount Ignus."
Twilight's eyes shot open. "Isn't Mount Ignus an active volcano?"
Kai nodded. "Then we go to the bottom of a lake, and penultimately, the Sun Temple in Belicos. They might even know where to find the Hidden Haven. I'm not even sure where that is."
"That's a long way to go," said Nik, shaking his head.
"You've come a long way, already," said Kai in a reassuring tone. "And when we're done, you can go wherever you want."
Fluttershy had fallen asleep while sitting with her breakfast. Gentle as he could, Kai moved her to the back of the cart and covered her with his cloak. "I'll go nice and slow today. You've all earned a rest."
Spike trembled as he entered the throne room. Usually, he was following Twilight in, being here on her business. Now that he was here for himself, he was a bit nervous. It wasn't too late yet. He could still slip out unnoticed and write her a letter instead.
"Good afternoon, Spike."
Now it was too late. She'd seen him.
"G-good morning, Princess," he stuttered. Realizing his mistake, he shook his head. "I-I mean, good afternoon. Heh heh..."
Celestia waved him over. "Is Twilight with you? I asked her to come see me."
Spike shuffled his feet. "Right. About that..."
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Spike?"
Spike looked up at the princess. "Twilight's unable to come to Canterlot right now. She left on important friendship business two weeks ago."
"Important friendship business?"
"She wouldn't tell me exactly what it entailed. All she told me was that Fluttershy was in danger, and she needed to help."
Celestia's brow furrowed. "You say this was two weeks ago?"
Spike nodded. "Around that, yes. She hasn't been back at the library since. Not even Applejack would tell me where she went."
Celestia stood up. "I could have sworn I gave Fluttershy the protection she needed. I sent a contingent of guards to protect her and her new animal friend. A hoo-man, if I remember correctly?"
Spike shook his head. "The only ponies that go to Fluttershy's cottage right now are Pinkie and Applejack. There aren't any guards stationed there."
Celestia scowled and started for the door. "Come with me, Spike. We're going to find out why my orders have been ignored."
The two went from one guard station to the next, descending the chain of command until they could find out where the orders went. At every step, the wording seemed to change, and this eventually lead to a change in meaning.
"My apologies, Princess," bowed Spirit Tracks, a lower-ranking guard. "I didn't mean to cause any harm. I was just following your orders." He opened a small file box that he carried with him. "I hold onto them for three months, just in case I forget what I'm supposed to be doing. Here we are." He pulled out a small scroll and held it out in front of him. Spike took it and read it aloud.
"By order of Princess Celestia, the bearer of this document is authorized and obligated to take into custody Fluttershy of Ponyville and her human compatriot. The duo can be found at... yadda yadda... They are to be considered a danger to those around them. Proceed with caution."
"Those are the orders I received," nodded Spirit. "So I gathered up a few other guards and we set out to Ponyville to collect them. We took them to the dungeon."
Celestia nodded. "I can't fault you for following your orders, but these are not the ones I issued. Are they still in the dungeon?"
Spirit shook his head. "Some guards from Belicos came by and had them extradited."
"That explains it," nodded Celestia. "That's why Twilight said they were in danger. She must have gone after them."
"The odd thing was, none of the guards that took her had a Belican accent, and their airship was Coursian in design. I even asked my cousin in the Court of Raids how long it would be until we saw her return, and he said that they never sent for her. I don't think they ever went to Belicos."
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "A jailbreak?"
"That does explain a little bit," added Spike. "After all, just before Twilight left, she sent me to the royal archives to do research for her, and it only lightly touched on Belicos."
Celestia turned back to Spike. "What did she have you researching?"
"Some civilization before Equestria's existence. Belfan, it was called. I could only find so much."
Celestia brought her hoof up to her chin. "I've heard that name before." She puzzled for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. "If Twilight had you looking into this, then it must be important. Perhaps it will even help us find her."
Spike's eyes lit up. "Do you think so?"
Celestia nodded and smiled. "Come, Spike. We have research to do."
Princess Luna closed her eyes and slipped into the world of dreams. On most nights, she was tasked with keeping the dreams of the foals safe from nightmares. Tonight, she had a different goal in mind. Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy had gone missing, along with their human friend. She didn't know how to locate a human, nor if she was even capable of stepping into its dreams, but if she could find the two mares, she could ask them where they were.
She sifted through the countless dreams of her subjects, removing them from her focus if they didn't show Twilight or Fluttershy. After hours of searching, she found just a sliver of Twilight. She rushed to it, leaping to enter the dream, only to be tossed aside by some unknown force.
This was unheard of. There was no dream Luna couldn't enter. She tried again, only to be tossed aside. She knew Twilight was in there, she just had to go inside. After her fifth attempt, she found herself blocked not by an invisible wall, but a very visible young colt. He had a long, raggedly cut, oily mane.
"Stand aside, child," bellowed Luna. "I must enter this dream."
"No," growled the colt. "I can't let you in. Nopony is allowed in."
Luna puffed out her chest. "I am the princess of the night! I watch over the dreams of all of Equestria, and sometimes beyond. I am their protector, and you are to let me in at once!"
The colt stood up on his hind legs. An extra pair of legs capped with claws emerged from his middle. His eyes glowed red, and his teeth grew long and sharp. "I find that very hard to believe. If you were watching over and protecting dreams, I never would have existed! I spent my life in agonizing, crippling fear! If you were around to protect us, you failed!"
Luna's horn began to glow. "I offer my apologies to you. I may have failed you, but if you continue to stand in my way, more ponies will be in greater danger! Let me protect them!"
"Nopony is allowed inside!" shouted the colt, bursting with energy and growing into a six-legged nightmare beast. "I am Siegfried, ruler of nightmares! If you refuse to leave in peace, then I must awaken you!"
Siegfried's claws ripped through the air, only barely missing Luna. She let loose her spell, which was powerful enough to knock him off balance. She readied her second spell, but her head was pulled to the side by a third dreamwalker, this one a fully grown, admittedly attractive stallion.
"Nopony is allowed inside!" he yelled, echoing Siegfried's words. "If anypony goes in there, my life is forfeit!"
Before Luna could ask him what he meant, Siegfried's claws pierced through her body, waking her so quickly that she was thrown out of her bed and onto the castle floor. She picked herself up and looked herself over. She found only minimal damage, but what hurt most of all was her pride. Never before had she been bested on her own field, and she wasn't going to give up just yet. If Twilight and Fluttershy were in danger, she'd fight a thousand battles to return them to safety.
