> Words of Power
>  by Starscribe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric should've been watching the road. 

That task was not made easy on this particular evening, with pouring rain striking against the front of his vehicle with such ferocity that he could barely see the road through the deluge. Fortunately the roads in Livingston were wide, and the awful weather would keep others from driving out here. 

Anyone with common sense was already at home right now, rather than subjecting themselves to the storm. Eric had neither kind of cents, which was why he was out in the first place.

There were no streetlights, just a vast expanse of nothing, broken occasionally by flashes of distant lightning, or the rumble that followed.

His truck was the nicest thing he owned—practically a requirement to get through Livingston’s roads in winter. Even the reliable pickup seemed to struggle in the downpour. Mud drifted across the road in places, and pools of water spread ahead of the vehicle in a wave.

"Are you even listening to me?" asked Kent, his voice coming in thin and distorted over the speakerphone in Eric's lap. 

"I was listening. Come in first shift tomorrow, right boss? I'll be there."

There was no payoff from the plant manager. Not even a quiet grunt of approval. "Looking at your numbers here. Your line is already on thin ice with me. You haven't met your production quota this quarter. I expect you to start making up ground in the next few days. Annual review is next month, and—"

Eric was mostly listening. It was the same lecture he got whenever the manager called, the same one that most of the other workers probably got. At the same time, he also had both hands on the wheel, carefully steering his truck along the road into Livingston.

Even that attention wasn't enough, as something swerved into the road ahead of him. Eric pumped the brakes rather than flooring them, not trusting the ABS. Even so, his truck started to hydroplane, drifting into the empty oncoming lane.

He didn't scream—instead, both hands locked to the wheel, whole body going suddenly white, ignoring his phone as it smacked into the wheel, then vanished to the floor of the cab. Nothing mattered but keeping on the road, and avoiding—

Without the rain, he might've made it. With it, he smacked into a dark shape, a second before coming to a stop. He heard a strange reverberation of metal on metal, then felt the jerk.

His airbag exploded into his face a few milliseconds later.

The next thing Eric knew, he was stopped in the road, staring into a gradually deflating white pouch. He was dazed with pain at first, listening to the constant hammer of rain against his cab. 

He pushed the deflating airbag away, groaning. It hurt to move, hurt to even think. That pain came from the bag far more than the crash. The front of his truck wasn't smoking, or crushed into a crater. 

One headlight was out, but the other still shone steadily, outlining a short distance onto the road ahead of him.

There was something laying there, almost directly in his path. Eric's eyes strained to focus on it, resolving what unfortunate animal had met its end tonight. Of all the times to cross the road, you had to choose right now. 

It was much too small to be a cow, or else he'd be meeting his maker along with the animal. Livingston had plenty of deer, but most would be bigger than that. His eyes rebelled at that assertion. He saw something silver around it, maybe a harness or a collar? God, I killed someone's pet.

He didn't have time for this. Hadn't he been talking to someone? 

Eric's phone was sitting on the floor of the cab, screen now cracked into splinters. Miraculously, it was still on, still connected. "Hello?" he asked.

"What happened?" Kent demanded. "I heard something loud, then you went quiet. Thought maybe we'd been disconnected."

"Accident," he answered, groggily. "Deer, I think."

There was a brief silence on the other end. When Kent spoke again, his voice was much mellower. "On the road back into Livingston? Should I call the police?"

Police meant insurance would find out. It might mean a tow and an ambulance. Eric could afford none of those things, let alone what would happen if he didn't show up to work the next day. "I feel... fine," he said. "I got off better than the deer. Might need a new bumper is all."

"Oh. If you're sure." Kent hesitated. "Call me if you can't make it in to first shift. But if your car still drives, and you're still breathing, I'll expect you here." The line clicked, then fell silent.

Eric tossed his broken phone onto the seat beside him. He wasn't even sure he could call his boss back. I should get the corpse out of the road, he thought. Even that big, it could knock someone into a ditch.

He was going to hobble into work tomorrow exhausted and covered in bruises—but at least the next person to come along the road wouldn't end up dead. Eric zipped up his jacket, smacked his hazards with a fist, then stumbled out of the car.

He kept to the glow of his working headlight as he walked. The streetlights of Livingston shone an inviting amber in the distance, but there would probably not be anyone coming out along the road towards him. So long as no one smacked into the back of his pickup, he'd be fine.

He stopped over the unfortunate animal corpse, shielding his face from the downpour with one hand. Its shape and colors were mostly obscured by the darkness and rain. Even so, what he saw bewildered and confused him.

It wasn't a deer. Instead he was looking at a horse. Its specific shade of gray was definitely unusual, but nowhere near as strange as everything else about it. 

The metal glint he'd seen was a harness around his body, though constructed far more like armor than something used to ride him. At that size, the animal would've been useless for riding except for all but the smallest children anyway. 

The armor was silver and purple, far too showy to be practical, with an open eye cast in metal to fasten across the breast.

The shadow of the animal confused his eyes, bending around more body than should be there. He thought he saw another pair of limbs sprawled away from it, huge and feathery. Whose petting zoo animal had wandered out into a storm, wearing a show harness and fake wings?

The one thing he didn’t see much of was blood, or some gruesome viscera spread across the highway. The animal even had a helmet, which had insulated its head from the crash. "Shit. You're not a deer. Where the hell did you come from?"

The animal reacted. It turned its head up towards Eric, fixing him with huge, intelligent eyes. "H-help... me."

It took Eric's brain several seconds to process what he had just heard. The voice wasn't human exactly, but his words were so clear! "I must be imagining things," he muttered to himself. "You can't be talking to me." Eric dropped to one knee beside the animal, just over his head. "If you're alive, say something."

The animal groaned, shifting his legs under him. He managed to extend one leg further than the others, pointing off into the gloom. "Book. Can't... help..." He slumped to the ground seconds later. Whether dead or just unconscious, the darkness and pouring rain did not make it easy to say.





What the hell do I do now? Eric could move the horse-thing off the road, but that might not be enough. He couldn't see the extent of his injuries in the pouring rain. Even if the animal was totally healthy right now, he might drown or freeze if left out overnight.

He had to be seeing things. Eric had just been in an accident. He'd been hit by an airbag, with who knew what side-effects as a result. 

It spoke to me. He turned away from the animal, shielding his face against the rain. If this was all his delirious imagination, then he was really looking at an ordinary animal, probably a dead one. It wouldn't be talking to him, and it certainly wouldn't be saying anything true.

There was an oversized lump on the road, tucked inside something glittering and metallic. It was halfway into the opposite lane, just close enough for him to see clearly. Eric made his slow way over, then scooped it up with one hand. 

It was a bag of some kind, covered with little silvery studs like the ones on the animal's armor. It was still sturdily closed, protecting its contents from the downpour. Inside was the unmistakable lump of a book. It was thicker than a textbook and quite heavy for its size, though it was too dark to see clearly. As he lifted it, his boot struck something metallic, which rolled away from him. Not a piece of scrap metal on the road—a spear? Only it was too small to be practically wielded. Not by a human being, anyway.

I didn't imagine it. He really spoke.

That was everything he needed to be spurred into action. Eric tossed the book into the open passenger-side door, then removed a towel from the back of the cab, the one he used to cover the windshield when he knew it was about to snow. It was torn and dusty by now, but that part didn't matter.

All he needed was a way to get this creature into his car without hurting it.

"Listen to me," he said, dropping down beside it again. "If you can understand me, I'm trying to help. Please don't... bite me or whatever." Horses could bite, but he was far more worried about those hooves. They weren't just sturdy, but he was wearing purple metallic boots over each hoof.

The accident hadn't killed Eric, but one of those to the head certainly could. 

But if the animal was awake, it made no sign. He dropped down beside it, feeling at its coat. He was still breathing, though each breath came labored and unsteady.

It took a few minutes to get the animal positioned between the instantly soaking-wet towel. He was heavy, but Eric was strong. 

The hardest part was just how awkwardly-shaped the animal was. Its wings didn't slide off the harness when he moved it—they felt warm to the touch, the feathers soft and yielding. Real and alive, somehow. 

Eventually he got the passenger door open, and heaved the animal inside. The bed might be Eric's safer choice, but it was also full of metal scrap and coils of copper he hadn't got around to taking in for sale quite yet. He lifted the spear from the road and tossed it in back. It might be small, but that tip looked sharp. Better get it off the road before some kid found it and hurt themselves.

Finally he clambered into the cab, and eased onto the accelerator. Miraculously, his pickup started moving again, albeit with a rattling sound that he didn't remember. It was barely audible over the clattering rain anyway, so hopefully something that he could forget about for the time being.

The storm only grew more intense outside, forcing his already slow drive to go even slower. Having only a single headlight certainly didn't help.

"Where the hell did you come from?" he asked. Mostly to himself, given the animal seemed totally unconscious. "You're lucky the weather was so bad. I normally take this road at 80—we'd probably both be dead if I had."

The animal didn't reply, of course. Maybe it never had. 

Eric eventually reached Livingston, passing onto smoother concrete roads and into the steady amber glow of streetlights. There were a handful of other cars on the road, but thankfully none of them were highway patrol, ready to give him a ticket he couldn't pay for to add to his already disastrous evening.

He crossed to almost the opposite side of town, where a complex of old duplexes sat past an abandoned gas station and a few busted streetlights. Gus’s van wasn't parked in front of the house—that meant no roommate, and no awkward questions about why he was bringing an animal into the house.

"I don't have the money for a vet," he said, as he put the truck into park. There was a slight groan as the vehicle settled—hopefully not a sign of things to come. "But I've got a first-aid kit inside. If I can help you, I will."

The animal did not reply, or even react. I hope I'm not still hallucinating from a concussion or something. Eric should go to the hospital for himself, and get checked out.

But that would take insurance or cash, and he had neither. 

He stumbled out the door, then hobbled to the passenger side. He would do what he could for the strange animal. The rest could wait.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Eric just over an hour to take care of everything. 

He brought the small horse around to the back, then onto the kitchen table, where he could work in the brightest light. Only there could he easily strip away the creature's unusual clothing, and tend to his wounds. 

They weren't just “clothes,” though. The horse was armored, he had no doubt in his mind. Judging by his injuries, that armor might have saved the horse's life.

Once it was off, and the animal underneath exposed in the bright light of Eric's kitchen, what he saw was unmistakably impossible. An animal about the size of a large dog, with an equine frame. His shape was a little too cute to be natural, like something engineered for some perfect little petting zoo.

Except that he had two wings, covered in real feathers. He checked the animal's sides for stitches or other signs of some grotesque, inhumane graft, but found none. Impossibly, this animal just had wings.

Aside from numerous cuts and scrapes, the most serious wound Eric found was to one of these wings, probably when the creature smacked against the pavement. There was a clear break in the wing, with several nearby feathers missing or shredded.

Good thing Eric wasn't squeamish. He guesstimated about half the human-sized syringe prefilled with who-knew what, then worked to clean the wound as best he could. His work wasn't perfect, but at least he had one good wing to use as a reference. He set the injured wing as close to that position as he could, then secured it in place with a metal splint and plenty of bandage tape.

It was far from professional work. But Eric had spent his entire childhood on a farm, with all kinds of work animals and plenty of injuries. The weird horse-creature could do worse.

When his work was done, there was little left to do but wrap the animal in some dry towels, and carry him into Eric's own bedroom. 

It wasn't a large room—not even big enough for a desk and a bed to fit beside each other. He ripped his blankets off the bed, then set the animal there. He'd broken the poor thing's wing, the least he could do was give it a night to rest and heal.

Eric stumbled out of the bedroom and into the hall. He was past exhaustion at this point, well into delirium. Was any of this real? Maybe he'd wake up in the morning with a half-crazed deer tearing his room apart, until it bucked its way out the glass window and out into the woods.

Or maybe not. The longer he spent around the animal, the less plausible his experiences were the product of simple delusion. The metal armor still sat on the kitchen table, defiantly refusing to vanish from before his eyes.

He wandered over to the couch, and might've collapsed into unconsciousness there, if he didn't remember what had ultimately made him take this course in the first place. The animal was so insistent he find the book, he had asked about it before any concern about his own life.

The deluge had passed by the time Eric wandered back outside. Only a trickle of rain splattered against his damp clothes. His boots were already soaked through, so the wet gravel didn’t slow him down either. He marched over to the car, and retrieved his broken phone from inside. More broken stuff he couldn't afford to replace.

Importantly, the sturdy canvas satchel was still where he'd left it. He scooped it into one arm, turning it over in his hands. It was a little small, now that he thought about it. A child might wear a bag this size—or maybe a little horse would. Then he stumbled around to the back, retrieving the little spear from the bed of the truck.

A strange wind rustled past him, brushing up against the satchel in his fingers. Eric shivered, feeling a sudden chill strong enough to cut through the pain and exhaustion. He turned, expecting to find someone staring at him through the blinds across the street. But he saw nothing—only his gloomy neighborhood, and the distant amber glow of working streetlights one block over. 

Eric half-jogged, half-stumbled back into his house, locking the door firmly behind him. His roommate must be spending the night with family again—a far wiser course than driving all the way into Livingston as Eric had. 

But would another driver have been as compassionate to the impossible animal wandering across the road?

Eric switched on the old lamp, then slumped into his couch. It was old and covered with stains, but still surprisingly comfortable. He tossed the spear up against the wall, somewhere he wouldn’t kick it by mistake and lose a toe. 

Only then did he slide the satchel open, and reach inside to remove its contents. There was a tight scroll of paper there, sealed with wax. He ignored that for now, focusing instead on the oversized book he'd felt through the fabric.

It was an incredibly elaborate creation, several pounds at least. The covers were heavy leather, with a face pressed in along the front. A unicorn's face, maybe? Except that its horn was strangely curved and forked at the end, unlike any classical depiction of unicorns he'd seen. 

A piece of glass or maybe gemstone was set into the leather where the eye would be, glittering back at him. 

It twitched and shifted to his view, almost as though it was moving. 

There was no title, no writing at all along any surface, just embellishments made of metal scales. Like the armor sitting on his kitchen table, or even the creature resting in his bed, Eric couldn't help but feel as though he were looking at something incredibly expensive. An ancient collector's item maybe, from some long-lost culture? 

Finally he flipped the cover open, looking through a few pages. Here he found writing, a neat cover page printed in simple block letters and repeating type. "Searing Gale," it read. "Here entombed by the sacred decree of Princess Celestia, Dawnbringer. 

Let this volume serve as a reminder to her subjects that peace and friendship will be preserved across all Equestria, no matter the opposition arranged against us. No fire burns hot enough to destroy our resolve.

This volume shall not be separated from the Nirik tome of the same name. Keep these always together, so the bond remains strong."

Eric found his mouth hanging open as he read—not just from exhaustion, but sheer stupefaction. What did any of this even mean?

He flipped through the rest of the book in huge chunks, searching for some hint. Most of the space was devoted to... mathematical diagrams? Illustrations? He'd barely passed high school Algebra, so didn't exactly recognize what he was looking at.

Each diagram came with documentation. He stopped on one at random, reading it over. The title proclaimed it was a "Regeneration of wounds large and small, suitable for all but the gravest cases." Then came several paragraphs of nonsense—how to anoint the subject with specific oils, what to use to draw the diagram, and more that he understood even less.

What am I even looking at? He flipped another few pages, to "Entanglement of pens, quills, or other writing instruments" then past that to "Voyages of Considerable Distance." 

Each was written in flowery language that somehow bordered into the incredibly technical. None of it made the slightest sense to him.

He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even realize as the pages themselves began to glow, not until they had completely overpowered the kitchen lights and the lamp beside him. He dropped the book reflexively onto the coffee table, shielding his eyes.





That did nothing to prevent what happened next. Light overwhelmed him, so bright that it burned at his eyes, his face—searing through his skin.

It burned, as painfully as his earlier experience with an airbag. For the second time that night, Eric lost consciousness.





Morning came much too early, just as Eric knew it would. This was the inevitable price to pay for the good samaritan—instead of getting straight home to rest, he’d given that time to help an animal. That it had apparently been an animal capable of human speech, with wings and clothing would be little consolation during his next shift.

He’d even given the creature his own bed for the night, so he woke with a strange ache in his neck and a painful pressure-point on his forehead from having his face pressed into the cushions. And for my trouble, that horse-thing will probably piss on my mattress.

Was that a fair exchange for hitting it with his truck?

Eric stepped into his bedroom long enough to grab a change of clothes, and check that the animal was still breathing. Yes, he still slept soundly—that made one of them. Maybe he should message his boss and pass on the first shift of the day.

And the ninety dollars I’ll make? He would need more than that to fix his truck, assuming there were no vet bills to pay for the pegasus. Too bad the creature was so small, or maybe it could take him to work.

Eric showered quickly, blasting himself with the hottest water he could stand. It was there that he finally noticed something was different—his forehead. 

While running cheap shampoo/conditioner/bodywash through his hair, his hand ran smack into something that definitely shouldn’t be there. He gasped, feeling around the strange object with one hand. What he took for exhaustion at first was certainly more than that.

Did I get a piece of shrapnel stuck into my head and not even notice? He stumbled out of the shower, tearing the curtain off the bar and splashing water everywhere. He wiped one hand on the mirror, clearing away condensation. A silvery horn emerged from his head, one that extended well past his hair. It curved slightly backward, with a strange fork a short distance up. 

It wasn’t a chunk of car, or a shard of broken glass. It felt like bone, sturdy to the touch. I’m dreaming. He wrapped his fingers around it, trying to carefully nudge it free. He hissed in pain, releasing it with one hand. That thing did not want to budge. If it were stuck anywhere else, he might’ve tried again, forcing with all the strength he had. But this thing was growing out of his head. What if it was stuck into his brain?

I should go to a hospital.

From the counter, his cracked phone buzzed. He looked down, squinting at the message waiting there. His boss, of course. “I couldn’t get anyone else for the morning shift. Unless you’re dying, get your ass here.”

“Alright,” Eric muttered. This couldn’t be real. Whatever was happening to him, it would pass. Probably before his shift was over.

Eric dried and dressed. He removed the largest cowboy hat from his bedroom wall, then propped it over his head, a little further forward than usual. Good enough.

Despite his fears, his truck started. Eric drove to work.





On the scale of good to bad days, Night Guard Iron Feather was having about the worst he could imagine. There were perhaps a handful of ponies who had endured worse, such as those who served during the Changeling Invasion. Except for that exalted class, he could scarcely imagine anything worse. 

Iron groaned, shifting his weight uncomfortably. The surface he was laying atop seemed comfortable enough, and the warmth was nice. Better than the terrifying downpour his mistake had unleashed, with wind and rain fierce enough to ground even a skilled flier like himself.

His whole body hurt, but it was worse by far along his rightwing. He felt a steady throb on that side, one little stab of pain to every heartbeat.

Something hit me. His memory was hazy, but that exact moment was clear. Something huge flying towards him at incredible speed, bright lights, then squealing as it tried to dodge—and failed.

The spellbook is trying to kill me, just like the princess said it would.

Iron Feather couldn't keep hiding forever. Maybe if he wasn't a member of the Guard, with a sacred duty to protect Equestria, maybe he could've closed his eyes and trusted somepony else to fix things. Princess Luna started this whole mess, surely she would finish it.

But he'd taken the oath. As of last month, Iron Feather was officially a night guard. Protecting Equestria from its darkest enemies was his job, even if he was new to it.

He stretched his legs, finding each one as sore as every night of basic training. Then his weight settled against the wing, and he whimpered with pain, eyes jolting open.

His surroundings were—utterly baffling. His bed was larger than any but perhaps a princess might use. Only the blankets were missing, and he was laying on a bare mattress. 

The warm light of morning shone in from outside, peeking through mismatched metal blinds. How long have I been out? 

Long enough that his injured wing wasn't just hanging limply beside him. There were thick bandages wrapped around it now, and a brace visible underneath. All that held it uncomfortably close to his body. But he had already felt just how serious that injury really was. More like field first-aid than actual medicine. 

It shouldn't hurt this much. Did they not have any pain potions? 

There were other injuries too, little scrapes he'd taken during the attack the night before. These were bandaged too, though not in any way he'd ever seen. A thin, clear skin was painted over a wound on his foreleg, somehow protecting the scrape without restricting his movement.

The walls were mostly bare, but their strange height reminded Iron again of visiting the royal quarters. Whoever lived here was either as tall as a griffon, or paid far more for their space than they did to their decorator.

There were wooden picture frames hanging from the walls, but each one had the same image of several lotus blossoms, along with text too distant for him to read.

Wherever he was, Iron Feather hadn't been imprisoned here. A door hung open, leading into a more strangely tall house with its perfectly clear windows. "Hello? Is anypony there?" He made his slow way over to the door, nudging it open with a hoof. "I'd like to thank you for saving me. Whatever attacked me last night..."

He trailed off, staring through the opening. There off to the left was a kitchen, as unusually tall as everything so far. Sitting on the huge table was a pile of bloodstained cloth, a medical kit, and Iron's armor. Perfect! His spear was even here, visible as a glint of metal up against the wall. 


He hurried over, crossing through the bizarre building without paying much attention to the details. He could figure all that out when he had some of his gear back on. Maybe not the breastplate, it would be a pain to get that over a broken wing. Then he could figure out what the buck had happened to him.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric was only a few minutes late to work that morning. 

Who could blame him—he'd been in an accident the day before, leaving his torso covered with a blossoming bouquet of black bruises. Then instead of getting any rest, he'd stayed up to care for the animal he hit. He thought, anyway.

Kent could blame him, as it turned out. He'd barely made it out onto the line, gloves and safety-goggles in place, before Kent came marching down from the breakroom steps, past the three other packaging lines. He ignored the other workers, who recoiled from his steps as he approached.

Eric pretended he didn't see him coming, turning to the controls and getting the product flowing. Thousands of identical brown potatoes began bouncing his way, tumbling through the sorter and onto the packaging line. The noise was incredible—even Kent would have a hard time shouting for too long over the din of his line added to all the others.

He felt a hand on his shoulder a few seconds later. "Eric. There were get-well doughnuts in the breakroom this morning. Didn't see you."

He winced, but didn't turn around. "I'll have mine for lunch, thanks boss. Didn't get a chance to pack one."

The man said nothing for a few seconds, looking him over. "And you're sure you don't have... a concussion, internal bleeding, anything you should be worried about?"

"Sure," Eric said. Except that I've been seeing and hearing impossible things. Was that even a symptom of concussions? He didn't remember. "Sure as I can be. Wasn't even bleeding after the accident, just bruised from the airbag. The animal got it worse than I did."

"Deer?" Kent asked. "I thought you grew up in Livingston. You should know about the deer. It's the right season, just before hunting starts."

He nodded without reply, starting the packaging machine. One by one, identical cardboard crates meant for supermarket distribution dropped into place, filled with produce, and rolled away. 

"We'll talk at lunch. Adriana down in receivables used to be a nurse. You should let her have a look at you." He didn't wait for Eric's response—despite his words, it wasn't actually a question. But coming from the boss, this was surprisingly understanding. 

For a while Eric just worked, trying to settle back into his familiar routine. His last night was a total anomaly of impossible things, but the sun still rose in the morning, his car still drove, and work was still waiting. The dust would clear from all of this in time, and he would be back to his life. 

But the longer his shift continued, the more conscious Eric became of his coworkers watching him. They spoke very little from across the factory—no one could leave their station while on duty, and his position at the top of the line meant there was no one else within easy speaking distance. A few shouted in his direction, confirming he'd been in an accident and that he was still doing okay. That was all.

But they still stared. Eric wasn't exactly sure why at first. Maybe the factory felt a little cooler than usual—he wasn't sweating after the first hour on shift. Why should that make a difference? Was anyone going to question the hat he'd worn to work? Maybe in some parts of the US people would complain—but this was Montata. Not even Kent had said a word.

He didn't really see any problem until near the very end of the shift, when he reached up to dispense the next produce box, swept his hand through the air, and didn't catch the lever. He froze, momentarily baffled by what was suddenly not there. Eric went through that same motion hundreds of times every shift, so much so that he sometimes felt like part of the machinery. How could he miss it?

He extended his arm, and found it didn't quite reach comfortably anymore. He was sitting lower in the seat than he should be. Instead of perfectly at eye level, he was inclined slightly up to see the screen.

He leaned forward to reach the lever, pulled it, and it responded as usual. Even so, he was counting seconds until the lunch bell, his heart racing in his chest. Something was seriously wrong. It had to be his brain—he couldn't think of any non-fatal accident that could leave him feeling shorter the next day. Something was wrong here.

He was out of his seat the second the lunch bell echoed through the room, along with Kent's voice over the speaker. "Thirty minutes, everybody. Make them count." Once this bell came as the handoff between shifts—since the pandemic, there were barely enough employees to fill every line.

John from the line over waved him to a growing circle of the other equipment-operators. Instead of a relief to finally have someone to talk to, Eric felt only dread. He bolted for the door, practically sprinting across the factory. As he did, something came free of his right leg, making his steps suddenly uneven. He kept going anyway, so he was the first one to reach the hall.

Except there was someone waiting for him. Adriana lingered in the hallway, just behind the painted yellow safety lines. She looked up from her phone as he emerged, mouth hanging open. "Eric? Oh God, you look awful."

He didn't slow down to ask what she meant, blazing around the corner. He ignored the men and women's restrooms, going straight to the single handicapped door between them. There were no other stalls inside, just a private space where he could catch his breath and try to figure out what was happening.

Only when the door clicked closed could he finally breathe. Eric lifted his goggles, which were barely clinging to his face to begin with. He advanced on the mirror, and felt his other shoe slip off. He stared back into the bathroom mirror, transfixed by what he saw.

The face was almost unrecognizable. His hair was simultaneously changing gray in some parts and  bright purple in an alternating pattern. His features were wrong somehow, softer and smaller than he remembered. His eyes definitely shouldn’t look that violet.

"What the hell is happening to me?" He touched up against the mirror, with one hand, barely even high enough to reach the glass. Through his work gloves, his fingers felt strange, numb while simultaneously pinching the fabric. He yanked both gloves to the floor, and found only something worse waiting underneath. 

Before his eyes, his fingers were fusing together. It should've been agonizing, but he felt no pain. Not physical pain, anyway.

His pants finally slipped down to his socks, the belt no longer remotely tight enough to hold them up. At the rate he was going, he wouldn't need them soon anyway—his boxers were already long enough to cover his knees.

I'm at least a foot shorter.

Eric fumbled to the ground, then dug through his pants with numb fingers. He removed car keys, wallet, and finally his phone. Broken or not, this was his only way to call for help. He set it down on the sink, cradling it carefully. It was already heavily damaged—one more good bump might make an end of the abused machine.

He stopped short of actually using it, though. He stopped on his contacts, hesitating over the "911" button always poised on the top of the screen. But what was he supposed to tell them? Help, I'm reliving the plot of Kafka's Metamorphosis in real time! I got into a car accident and now my physical form is melting!

It can't be real, he decided. It didn't matter that there were strange feelings across his whole body now. His back ached, and somewhere just about his ass was worse, and now that he stared, he couldn't mistake a thin layer of hair growing on his skin everywhere he looked. It moved slowly, just like everything else. But it had probably been going for hours now.

It's not real. It was the only possible conclusion. His accident had damaged his brain—ever since the impact, he'd seen impossible things. Now the damage was getting worse, because he hadn't gone to the hospital. 

I need to get help. There had to be a treatment for concussions. At the very least, moving around when his body was so obviously damaged was not a good idea.

His shirt slipped off one shoulder, revealing a chest that was several layers of impossible. Short hair, vanishing muscles, and a curious absence of the dark bruises and swelling he'd seen in the shower that morning. This is not how one heals from an accident!

A sharp knocking dislodged Eric from his own thoughts, a tentative rapping of knuckles on the metal door. Adriana's voice echoed from the other side, sounding distressed. "Eric, are you in there? John said you weren't in the men's room. If something's wrong, we need to get you to a hospital. Don't let Kent talk you into another shift."

He needed the money. But Eric needed to be alive to use that money. "Yeah!" he called back. His voice sounded nothing like it should—too high, almost musical. He coughed, cleared his throat, then spoke as low as he could. "I think... you might be right. Feel like shit."

"Sounds like it," she said, growing bolder. But this was Adriana. They'd been at the same factory for the last three years, one of the few at work besides himself who had ambitions beyond the factory. "Open the door, Eric. Whatever's wrong, you're just making it worse by waiting."

She was right, obviously. At least his mind wasn't broken enough to see that. She doesn't have a head injury. I can trust whatever she sees, without having to worry that it's distorted. 

"Sure, one sec! Let me compose myself." He took one dark look at his jeans, then struggled to lift them back to his waist. His balance faltered as he worked, and he had to clutch the mobility support bar near the toilet to keep from falling. But the problem wasn't with his balance exactly, it was his feet. His socks clung stubbornly, held up by a growing layer of hair—but he couldn't feel his toes anymore. Whatever nightmare was taking place below him was thus confined to his imagination for a little while longer.

Less so was the tail emerging from behind him, which was no longer confined to his pants. He felt it before he saw it, a sensation of motion that conformed to no limb he should've had. Except obviously he did have this one, as it swished back and forth, trailing more gray and purple hair along behind it. No—not gray, stark white. 

I'm not seeing this, I'm not feeling this. It's all in my head. 

"Hurry up!" Adriana urged. "You know we've got the same breaks, right? It's a twenty minute drive to Livingston General, one way."

He was feeling it. How could he not feel the comically large ears growing fully above his head now, which moved even as he thought about them. That wasn't human. Nothing about his current condition was human.

Finally he had the pants on, his belt tightened to the last loop, or he tried. There was no way he would get that tail into his trousers no matter how much he tried to force it. He must look incredibly silly in reality, a human adult dressed like a child had stolen his father's clothes.

Then he reached the door, and unlocked it. That took several seconds on its own, with two oversized fingers that barely moved independently anymore. He stopped with one hand on the handle, but didn't open the door quite yet. "I think I'm hallucinating," he began. "I must be. These symptoms are impossible."

"Hallucinations aren't unheard-of for brain injuries," Adriana said. "John and Mike are here too. We'll get you out to my car and off to the emergency room."

Eric felt his wallet cry out in silent agony at those two words. A week's wages would vanish in a puff of smoke, if he was lucky. He couldn't even hide his wallet and lie about his name, not when everyone in town knew his face. Well, they knew his real face. Not the one he was imagining.

"Move your ass, Eric," John said, without any of Adriana's compassion. "If you pass out in there, I don't have a key. Hurry up."

He shoved his shoulder against the heavy metal door, and it swung open. Eric scrambled out into the hall, nearly toppling over his loosening socks as he did so. He stopped directly in front of Adriana, who was now about a head taller than him.

A half-dozen of his colleagues gathered in the hall, not just John and Mike. Not a single one made a sound, staring at him with unreadable, dark expressions.

"I must be hallucinating," he finished. "I'm seeing things that aren't there. Kinda feels like I'm the one who got hit by my car."

Adriana's eyes moved rapidly over his body. She reached out, then touched the silvery horn still emerging from Eric's forehead. It alone hadn't changed size, and was now as long as his head was tall. He could somehow feel warm skin through the hard surface. 

She pulled it back quickly, swearing loudly.

Someone else joined in. "What the hell are you?"




> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric faced Adriana, frozen in place. Except for the tail, which swished nervously back and forth. His ears moved too, both entirely out of his control.

"Did someone let an animal in?" someone else asked. "What do we do, call animal control?"

John stepped forward, lifting his safety glasses away from his eyes. "Sure is dressed like Eric. I thought I was losing my mind, watching him one line over. But I can see it. That purple thing on his face..."

"Help me," he pleaded, abandoning all semblance of imitating his old voice. "I don't know what happened or why. I need... something. Adriana, what do I do?"

"Not the hospital." She backed away from him, muttering under her breath. "Maybe a prayer. You believe in any gods strong enough to do this? Looks like you pissed something off."

"What if it's contagious?" Mike asked, catching John by the shoulder before he could get closer. "Adriana, rinse your hand off, isolate! Did you touch any blood? God, we should all be wearing masks."

"We should lock him somewhere!" someone else said. "Seal the doors, call the CDC, the government, somebody!" They reached for him, a pair of strong arms wearing safety gloves.

Something snapped in his mind. Eric broke into a run, dodging past Adriana and into the hallway beyond. He nearly tripped on his socks, but something hard ripped free as he started to fall, shedding fabric behind him. Eric might not know what was happening—if it wasn't a hallucination, then that tore down his most plausible theory. But whatever was happening, he wasn't going to curl into a ball and depend on the mercy of his coworkers! 

He rounded the corner, passing a terrified secretary finishing up lunch at her desk. She dropped her tea onto her keyboard as Eric ran, screaming in shock. But there were heavy footsteps behind him, boots pounding on vinyl flooring. He couldn't slow down now.

"Eric, please report to my office," Kent's voice echoed over the announcement system.

Did he not know? Eric didn't slow down, smashing his shoulder against the door a second later, and stumbling out onto the parking lot. The sky was gray again, though today it was gentler, a steady drizzle on his face. He'd been late, so his own vehicle was tucked all the way at the back. He would have to run in the open, with nowhere to hide.

His other sock tore through onto the wet parking lot, and this time he had a clear view of what was beneath. A purplish hoof at the end of a joint that bent the wrong way. No wonder he was having so much trouble keeping his balance, without feet or toes to support a body much too large. He ran anyway, stumbling and swaying with every step. His new feet weren't exactly quiet on the pavement either, making a loud, repetitive staccato for his every step even over the rain.

"He's leaving!" Eric wasn't sure whose voice it was, and still didn't care. All that mattered was reaching the truck. He did seconds later, though he had to scramble onto the running board to make it to the handle. The interior was just as intimidating, opening into a space much too large, with pedals he couldn't reach while also turning the wheel.

Somehow he got his stiffening fingers to turn the key in the ignition. The engine roared, and he smacked the door shut behind him. 





The footsteps slowed, and he heard John's voice outside, muted by the glass. "You probably shouldn't drive like that, Eric. Whatever is happening to you—you can't even reach the wheel properly." 

He adjusted the seat as far as it would go, but even that wasn't quite far enough. He had to slip his legs down beneath the seat, so that he could see only a narrow sliver of the sky over the wheel. The one time I wish I had a little sedan instead of a truck.

Eric had been last into the parking lot. There were no cars near him, no obstacles to hit except for John, who backed out of his way. "Don't let anyone follow me!" he yelled back. "I'm going to get help!"

The vehicle jerked forward, and he nearly slipped out of the seat completely. His pants came off again as he scrambled up, leaving only his boxers, but there was nothing he could do about that. Instead, he switched on the cruise control, leaning forward over the wheel to see. 

God help whoever caught a glimpse of him going the other direction. But the road out of Livingston was deserted in the afternoon—there were no shift changes at the factory anymore, and few other reasons to be out here. If the rain got much worse, anyone without four-wheel drive might get stuck in the mud. He didn't pass a single car as he sped into town.

His mind raced with dark possibilities as he drove. Maybe Kent would order the other employees to follow him home, throw him hogtied into a trailer and drag him off to the woods to disappear...

It was absurd, obviously. But was it any worse than what had already happened today?

It can't be real. Except it was. His fingers finally lost whatever free range of motion they had left, sticking together into a dark purple lump. He couldn't investigate further, not when it took all his attention to keep on the road. Even when he felt a brief, sharp stab of pain between his legs. His eyes watered, but he didn't look down.

It wouldn't even help, anymore. At first Eric had been leaning forward over the wheel. But the further he drove, the more it felt like his spine was actually in its natural position. That made it a little easier to keep his balance, as suddenly he could brace his legs right onto the seat, and almost stand up.

Instead of driving through town, he took a sharp left onto a fire road as he got closer. He almost made the turn, but his wheels went violently off to one side, tearing through shrubs and grass before he made it back onto the road. But he couldn't lower his speed below thirty miles per hour, or else the cruise control would shut down, and he'd roll to a crawl.

His phone rang from in his pants, several times. The vibrating shook the seat, but of course he could do nothing to answer it. He just kept his eyes on the road, muttering to himself.

His voice was entirely unrecognizable now. Not just too high—it belonged to someone else completely. A young woman, with impossible smoothness in every word despite his panic. He didn't have hands anymore, but his hooves were shaking on the wheel. "It's not a hallucination. So what could cause it?"

There was only one obvious answer. It all came from the accident, and the impossible creature he'd helped. Hadn't he seen an image of some creature a little like what he looked like now on the book? He'd almost forgotten about it in the flurry of other important things. But without an obvious cause to trace back his transformation, he could think of little else. 

It was either drive back to his apartment, or try to make it three hundred miles down to the family farm, and trust parents who wouldn't even recognize him to somehow have the answers.

"The only answers are waiting at home." Arriving at lunchtime would hopefully mean he beat Gus back. Enough time to reverse this and make all the evidence go away?

What if someone at the factory called the police?

Fear pressed down on Eric with every mile, driven with both arms wrapped tightly around the wheel. That terror brought no answers, just an explosion of other questions.

At least the strange sensation that came from slowly melting began to fade. Whatever was happening to his body finished up during the drive. It left almost nothing familiar—but he couldn't get a good look. If he pulled over, there was a good chance he'd never be able to get the truck moving again. Not without modifications to fit his radically altered body-shape, anyway. 

He would just have to make it home, and figure things out from there.

Before Gus got back, or the authorities showed up.









Iron Feather knew one thing with certainty: he wasn't in Equestria anymore.

The strange house waiting for him had no other ponies—no occupants at all, other than a few dead houseplants in the windows. Its size suggested luxury, but the paint was peeling and the decor was covered with dust. The worst part by far was the musty smell, one that clearly belonged to no pony. Or any other familiar creature, for that matter. 

Iron could have made his escape if he wished—this was no prison, no matter how inconveniently the place was arranged. But what little he saw out the windows only amplified his fear, and deepened the sense that he was missing something critical. 

He found his charge first—thankfully that wasn't difficult. The ancient tome was resting on a table in the next room, propped open as though it had recently been studied. But there were no unicorn scholars around, and the only place he smelled even a whiff of magic was in the shower. Faint, mixed with abrasive soap and blood.

In the end, it was not fear that kept Iron Feather trapped in the house. He might be a new member of the guard, but he had still volunteered for the most dangerous position in Equestria. He would show the princesses his bravery, recover the Book of Searing Gale, and return it to its proper place in the Canterlot archives before its ancient binding spells came undone.

What kept Iron Feather trapped, ultimately, was his wing. With a splint and thick bandages binding him, and the aching pain underneath, he knew there was no chance he would be able to fly. Without unicorn magic or a healing potion, it could take weeks to mend a broken wing, maybe months.

But somepony had been here, long enough to tend to the wound. Their bandages were clean, if inexpert. Whoever they were, they weren't a thief of lost artifacts to steal the book, since they'd left it behind. At worst, they were curious enough to flip through it. He couldn't say he was much better or more focused than they.

He was in enough pain that Iron Feather didn't fight particularly hard to escape at that moment. His memory of the night before was still a blur, punctuated only by two facts. First, a monster out of the night, blinding him before it struck him down. And not long after, the pony who came to his rescue.

They'll be back, then I can figure out where the book took me, and how to get back to Equestria.

So he found a comfortable spot on the couch to wait, with the book closed and in clear view. He found a sink to quench his thirst, though reaching it was a challenge. His hunger would have to wait for help—whoever cared enough to save him wouldn't leave him to starve, right?

At least he still had the spear. It would make a poor weapon against the creature contained inside the artifact he guarded. Sharpened metal would do him little good against her powerful spells, or the heat of her flame.

He wasn't kept waiting long, really. A gentle rumble echoed from outside, as a shadow passed before one of the windows. He looked up, and saw the space beside the building was now filled. A strange metal shape rolled forward until it tapped the wall, then jerked to a stop.

The windows were too high to see much of what happened next, but he heard doors opening.

Iron Feather climbed from his perch, and made his way to the door nearest the metal cart. Everything in this part of the world might be totally unknown to him—but a carriage with a pony inside was simple enough to understand. They would make everything make sense.

The door rustled, and for several minutes he stood stupidly right behind it, preparing the speech he would give. Iron would thank the brave pony for saving him, warn them of the grave danger they were in, and ask for help getting back to Canterlot. He just needed to make it seem patriotic and important, and they would surely agree.

Then the door swung open, and it wasn't a pony he saw standing on the other side. He wasn't sure who started yelling first—but Iron was the loudest, backing away, but keeping himself between her and the book. He balanced the spear on his good wing, gesturing out into the rain. "Don't get any closer! You can't have your phylactery, Searing Gale! Your evil rule is over!"




> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric stared up the steps to his own house. Rain soaked his strange body to the skin, making what was left of his ill-fitting boxers cling uncomfortably with every movement. That was nothing compared to the horse pointing a weapon at him. Could he swing a weapon with a wing?

"You can't have your phylactery, Searing Gale! Your evil rule is over!"

"Not so loud!" Eric advanced on the steps, sheltering under the awning. His car was outside it—his roommate owned the better spot. "I have neighbors. If they find out you exist... or me... we're screwed."

Last night, Eric had seen this horse as a particularly tiny animal, smaller than some dogs. Now he was a full head taller, even ignoring the steps. What human Eric would think looked cute now seemed incredibly intimidating.

"Your evil empire is in the past, Searing," he said. "You will not regain your phylactery. You will not begin another campaign of horror across Equestria." He raised the spear high overhead, somehow balancing it with the wing and not dropping it. "You'll have to kill me first. While you try, my rescuer will arrive, and destroy you!"

Dramatic, much? Okay, maybe the little horse was still cute. Like a renaissance fair performer in a faux duel. Except he'd seen that spear-point, he already knew it was sharp. "First of all, my name isn't Searing Gale. Second of all, I'm your rescuer. Changing me into a monster is a funny way of thanking me for saving your life."

Can the neighbors see this? The side entrance would only give the neighbors to the immediate right a view of the horse, and their windows were drawn. But Eric was right out in the open for half the street to see, if they happened to be looking.

He chanced a few steps forward, closer to the blade. "Can we have this conversation inside, please? If we get caught before you change me back, we are both screwed."

"Change you... back..." the horse repeated. His wing slackened, and he dropped his voice to a mutter. "Not a Nirik, even when she's angry... nopony ever saw Searing in her Kirin form..." 

Eric chanced another few steps closer, now fully out of the rain. The closer he got, the fewer people would be able to see him standing here, and the lower the chances the police would get called. Assuming they weren't already on their way from work. "Please let me into my house. We can work this out somewhere we won't both get discovered. Yeah?"

The horse looked thoughtful, scratching at his chin. Finally he backed up. "I am going to put the phylactery aside. Swear you won't try to retrieve it."

"I have no idea what that is," he said flatly. First he'd transformed into an alien, and now into a miserable pile of soaking-wet fur and clothes. "I swear I will not try to take a thing I have never heard of out of my own house. Please get out of the way."

The horse did, finally. He stepped aside, still carrying the spear. Even if he wasn't pointing it directly at Eric, he could still lift it if he had to. "Not so fast. I have to move it."

Eric made his slow way inside. He turned back, locking the door with his teeth. An unpleasant experience, but better than having a neighbor follow them inside. By the time he turned around again, the little horse was now all the way in the living room, standing between Eric and the huge book.

He'd set it down on Eric's old N64, then faced him, spreading one wing to block Eric's view. "You aren't Searing?" he demanded. "How can I know you're telling the truth? You're a Kirin. Who else would you be, so close to her phylactery?"

"The only Kirin I've ever heard of is a beer," Eric said. He stalked past the creature to the open bathroom door. "Hold up with the interrogation, I can't get water all over this floor. I'll lose my deposit." He opened a cabinet, withdrew a dry towel from within, and kicked the door shut.

He stripped out of what remained of his wet clothes as quickly as he could, tossing them into the tub. Not that there was much point. Now that he had them off and he wasn't on the run from his own colleagues, he had a better idea of just what had happened to him. 

The mirror revealed one cruel reality after another. His voice didn't just sound feminine. Though he had to twist his head back over his shoulder to see, he soon confirmed his worst fears. Not just an alien, but a girl alien.

A Kirin. That's what he called me.





At least Eric had towels to dry himself off. Being cold and soaking wet made anything ten times worse.

He was just about dry when the horse prodded at the door, urging it open. "Don't hide in there, Kirin. No preparing an attack."

Eric looked up from the center of the room, standing on a damp towel and probably looking pathetic. "If I wanted to hurt you, I could've left you to bleed out on the side of the road. I wouldn't bring you back to my house so you could threaten me with a spear." 

He sighed, slumping to the ground. His back legs smacked down first, in a position that would never make sense for a human being. For a quadruped, it came naturally. "If I knew you were going to send me through Kafka’s Metamorphosis, I would've left you. This is a funny way of thanking me."

The horse looked back in silence, uncomprehending. But this time he recovered more quickly than on the front porch. "What do you mean by 'transformed'?" he asked. "What do you think I did to you, exactly?"

Eric groaned, and stalked past him. If there was any small mercy about this entire process, it was that he had a fairly long, thick tail that naturally fell behind him. That didn't work as well for a male, as he could see from the horse right in front of him. "I mean that last night I was a person. Two legs, two arms, no fur. Now I'm a..." He held up one hoof, clicking its two halves together. "Whatever this thing is. You called it a Kirin. I'm not supposed to be this way."

That last part turned into a slight whine without him even meaning to. But now that he'd seen for himself, he could no longer ignore what he had felt during the whole trip over. 

"That... explains why you're living in such a strange place. This building is too large for you." He sagged, his good wing flopping to the side. He dropped into a humble bow. "Stranger, I feel I owe you a sincere apology. I have fallen short of my commission as a royal guard. It is my duty to zealously protect—but I see now what I should've always seen. You are not Searing Gale."

Eric nodded exasperatedly. "Well that's progress. I've never heard of her, or Kirin, or winged horses like you. This whole situation is... a nightmare." He dropped to the ground, covering his head with both legs. "I ran away from work. People knew I was in that bathroom. Even if they don't think it was me—I'm so fired."

"Uh... careful with words like that, Kirin." The horse backed away from him, eyes going wide. "You're already feeling warmer. Maybe... take a few deep breaths, and we can talk through this?"

He was acting like a child in front of a stranger—possibly the only stranger who could help him. But Eric's life was falling apart. There was an alien in his house, he'd barely slept, gotten into an accident, lost his body, probably lost his job. How much worse could one person's life get?

"Why don't we start over?" the little horse prompted. He still sounded afraid, but why would he be? He was much bigger and stronger now. His broken wing wouldn't stop him from using any of those other powerful muscles. "My name is Iron Feather. What's yours?"

Eric groaned, burying his head again. He almost answered, and explained the other thing he had taken from him. But he hadn't even really faced it himself.

"Don't panic, Kirin! I'll just... guess! Yeah, guess. Deep breaths, miss. Let's see. You live here, so...  Kirin don't have cutie marks. Hmm. Your name is... Lotus?" 

He opened one eye, staring back at the horse. The horse that had a name, Iron Feather. What a strange name. He must've had some silly parents to name him something like that, his wings weren't even made of metal.

Iron Feather pointed at him with his wing, triumphant. "I see you smiling! Got it in one, didn't I? Your name is Lotus. Is there another half?"

Eric stood up, slowly. The beginning of his panic attack was already starting to pass. He wasn't dead—there were no police banging down his door. Whatever was happening here, he would get through it. "What gave you that name?"

"Your pictures," Iron said, gesturing at the living-room walls. They were pathetically naked, with a few identical dollar-store frames without anything in them.

Except that wasn't quite true. They had the placeholder photos that came inside, in this case identical images of a lotus blossom. Identical, generic stock photographs, waiting for a moment when Eric had enough mental bandwidth to print something nice.

He couldn't help himself—Eric grinned, then laughed. "Y-you think... if there were spoons in those frames, would you think that was my name too?" It shouldn’t be so funny to him. But exhaustion stretched the limit of comedy well beyond sanity.

Iron Feather ignored him. He rehearsed the same bow he'd done before, even more dramatic. "Miss Lotus... whatever your family name is... I thank you for rescuing a member of the royal guard on a critical mission. Your intervention saved more lives than just my own. When I make it back to Equestria, you'll be a hero."

Miss. The word grated on his ears, and Eric finally stopped giggling. "You're welcome. But I wouldn't have to rescue you if you hadn't wandered out into the road. I drive a pickup, not a sedan. I barely saw you."

He looked back, confusion replacing some of his confidence. But then he surged on bravely anyway. "The object I'm protecting is extremely dangerous. We must bring it back to Equestria before the evil its sister volume contains is released, and Searing Gale is again unleashed onto the world. I beg you to assist me one final time, and provide me the swiftest possible transportation to Equestria."

Then he sagged, looking satisfied. Had he been rehearsing that since he woke up? 

Eric didn't answer, but instead stalked over to the fridge, and nudged it open. The insides looked bleak, but there was still that prepackaged salad on the bottom shelf. Horses should be able to eat that, right? He grabbed it in his mouth, carrying it over to the coffee table. The dining room was too high to use comfortably.

"Please, Lotus. You have no idea how important my mission is." The pegasus retrieved the huge book, and gestured with it, energetically. "If you aren't supposed to be a Kirin, you don't know. Searing was an evil the likes of which modern ponies can't even imagine. She led a horrifying campaign of fire and bloodshed, razed whole villages. We can't let her free."

He fought with the plastic lid for a few seconds before he got it open. The dressing packet was a lost cause, he didn't feel like fighting that battle. He tossed that aside completely. "It's not that," he began. "Or that I'm... talking to a magic talking horse. You want me to get you to an... Equestrian? I know the high school in Billings has an Equestrian team. You're looking for stables?"
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iron Feather wasn't sure how to feel about his rescuer. On one hoof, she was certainly the reason he hadn't died. His memory of the night before was not clear, but the injuries on his back were obvious enough about the consequences. A break that severe was enough to bleed him to death. Leaving him exposed to the elements—and capture—with such a serious wound was a death sentence.

But at the same time, he could see when a pony wasn't all there. He didn't have to guess, it was obvious that Kirin worked the same way. She reminded him of some of the other ponies during basic training. Some rose to the incredible challenge, but most just weren't cut out for what Equestria demanded.

I'm not dealing with a royal guard, or whatever the equivalent is in this strange place. She's a confused civilian way out of her depth. But unlike a confused or scared pony, this was a Kirin. Any moment now she could burst into flames and destroy everything around her. 

Even worse—if she was telling the truth, then Lotus wasn't even supposed to be a Kirin. She might not even know what a Nirik was.

So Iron Feather ignored his groaning stomach, ignored the hunger bearing down on him, and focused on the things he could control. He took a deep breath in and out. "No, I'm not looking for a stable. Equestria is a country. Home of free ponies of all three tribes, ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You must know who they are, at least."

She didn't react, just kept eating her salad out of an impossibly thin plastic rectangle, without so much as a fork. She just shook her head.

"Raise the sun every morning?" he prompted. "Raise the moon at night? Make the night sky beautiful for ponies everywhere to appreciate?"

She giggled again. Just more evidence for Iron that this was a civilian. No mare of the guard would sound so cute when they laughed. "Gravity 'raises' the sun every morning. Or maybe just our orbit, I'm the wrong one to get into science. I package potatoes for a living."

She looked down, ears folding flat. Then she pushed the strange bowl towards him. "I see you eyeing this. It's supposed to be for two anyway. Take the rest."

He looked down, longing. Getting something to eat would be wonderful. "You can't tell me you don't know where Equestria is. Maybe you just don't know enough geography. We might be... very far away. I have no idea how far I teleported. Past the Bone Dry Desert, maybe. Past that awful city of disgusting fish creatures..."

"Oh, I know plenty of geography." She got up, wandering over to a bookshelf. She removed a globe from it, and set it down on the table beside his food. "Ugh. Disgusting. I'm finding out how a lot of things taste today that I didn't want to. How could anything evolve without fingers..."

Fingers. The word had no meaning, like so many other things she said. "I assume most Kirin just use their horns..." he began. But he trailed off, staring down at the globe. He spun it slowly around, scanning the landmass with a pegasus's eye for terrain. He knew where to look on a globe for Equestria. 

He completed one full rotation, then a second one. Finally, he stopped at the closest match. "This is... similar. It could be Equestria, but the ocean here is much too large. There's no land bridge into Griffonstone. How distant are we from..." he squinted. "United States?"

Lotus giggled again, more energetic than before. If nothing else, at least his constant mistakes were relaxing her. "We're in the United States, Iron Feather. We're right about... there, upper middle. This state is called Montana. There are forty-nine more that I won't name, but you get the idea."

Not Equestria. Iron sunk to the ground. The gravity of his situation pressed him low, making his shoulders sag. He pulled over the salad, and took a few bites. It wasn't the strangest meal he'd ever had, but he was hungry enough not to care. "I don't understand. If that's... where we are, then... where is this? How far from Equestria did I teleport?"

Lotus stopped giggling. She looked down, avoiding his eyes. "If I had to guess—another planet, at least. I don't know how to tell you this, but there's nothing like you that lives here. There's only one kind of species who can talk anywhere on this planet. They look like this."

She carried something else from the bookshelf, settling it down on the table beside him. A photograph, more vivid than the finest unicorn-brewed emulsions could produce. On it was a group of... creatures. 

They were not anything Iron would've expected to talk, either. A group of several creatures, all with naked-looking skin covered with lots of clothing. The shapes on some suggested breasts, so at least they were probably still mammals like proper hoofed creatures. The more he looked, the more confused he became.

"Another planet," Iron Feather muttered, exhausted. "Another place, far beyond the reach of any pony traveler. Such things have been done before." As a guardian of ancient artifacts, Iron Feather knew of others. Like Clover's ancient horseshoe mirror, with an end that opened in another world. If one magical object could do that, then another surely could.

"The phylactery... its master wished to send it far away, so far away that the seal holding her would be broken. If I'm here... that means she's already free. Loose in Equestria. The princess has to know."

He rose from the table, scanning the house around him. "Please, miss. When you rescued me, was there anything else with me? I should've been carrying a few scrolls, bound with wax. I need to warn the princess."

She glanced instantly to the too-high table, with its pieces of armor that Iron hadn't bothered wearing. "You still haven't said anything about changing me back. You want me to help like this? How about making me human again. I'll be way more willing to help you then."

Iron Feather groaned. "Miss, I—I don't know how else to say this. I'm not a unicorn. I can't cast spells. Whatever happened to you wasn't me. If you want to get mad about the rain, at least that could've been me. It wasn't, you see my wing. But you get the idea."

Her eyes drifted down to the book. "When I opened it the first time, I swear I saw something. Like a flash, or... I don't know. It was bright, but it didn't make the room any easier to see."

"Magic," he said, without hesitation. "Which follows. There are creatures that can change themselves. But if you were one of them, looking different wouldn't bother you."

He pushed the empty salad container aside, then settled the book down between them. Some small part of him was still suspicious of this Lotus creature. She was the first Kirin he'd ever met, around the very phylactery of the Kirin sorceress who almost conquered the world. It was too big a risk to ignore.

But she didn't lunge for it, just watched him with desperation. She couldn't sit still, her tail constantly flicking back and forth, smacking up against the oversized couch. It must hurt her, but she never reacted.

"So the book did it. All we have to do is make the book change me back. Should be simple!"

He flipped through its pages. After Celestia's warning, the others were all almost identical to his eyes. Inscrutable spell-diagrams, written by a genius of the craft. Ponies had few unicorns who had ever rivaled Searing for her power or skill. "It's possible there's a way. When Searing was finally defeated by the united armies of Pony and Griffonkind, they trapped her spirit in two books she had written. This half was her spellbook, the work that revolutionized magic across the world and made Kirins more powerful than their rivals. If there's a way to reverse what happened to you, it's probably written in this book."

Lotus showed very little comprehension of his explanation—at least until the end. Then she lit up, beaming at him. She reached across the narrow table, taking his foreleg. "That's great! Just turn to the right page, and use it on me! We'll get this fixed. Maybe I can get back to work before closing bell, tell them I had a stroke, or... female hysteria or whatever."

Iron's mouth fell open. The Kirin was plenty brave enough to save his life, but her comprehension skills weren't great. She didn't understand anything about how ponies worked, even after already explaining it. "Miss, I'm a pegasus. I can't cast spells. You can, though."

He turned the book around, pushing it towards her. "Why don't you look for a way to reverse your transformation in there. Then you can cast it yourself."

"Right, of course. Cast... a spell. I'll go Criss Angel all over this thing. I love fictional things. Talking animals, magic, transformations. It's all so wonderful." She slumped forward. "I saw some stuff in your armor when I took it off. Scrolls, maybe. Was more worried about saving your life."

She started flipping through the pages, squinting down at each one in turn. But the air didn't feel hot around her, so Iron took his chances. He backed away, then over to the table. He clambered up onto a chair, then turned his breastplate over.

Sure enough, the pouch on its reverse-side still had a single bound scroll—the sole contact for him in case of dire emergency. "May I trouble you for a quill, miss?" he asked. "Or ink and a blade. I could use one of my own feathers if I had to."

"Pens are in the cup." She pointed to the bookshelf. "Are you from back in time, too?"

Iron didn't understand the question, so ignored it. He took the scroll and one of the offered pens over to the low table, and spread it to write. There was limited space—this was really only meant to send a critical emergency message. He would need to be judicious.

"Princess,

Your plan failed. I awakened in another world with the Kirin phylactery. Equestria is in terrible danger. My life was saved by a local, who is friendly but ignorant. This world is very strange, and I do not know how to get back to Equestria. This is my only scroll.

Glory to Equestria 

Iron Feather"

"Wait!" He felt a sudden grip on his foreleg, and Lotus stopped his writing. "I want to add something before you send that. Whoever you're writing to, she's responsible for what happened to me. I'm only a freak because I found you. Fixing this is on her."

Iron stopped, staring back at her with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. Her nervous panic was certainly real—being changed into something different obviously scared her. He would probably want to be fixed too, if he was suddenly not a pegasus.

"I don't know how much she will ever be able to do," he said, setting the pen down. "This is my only scroll, Lotus. There is no dragon here to receive messages for me. My only hope is to... warn Equestria of the danger."

Lotus wilted. "I... I don't care. Give me that pen, I'll put my part on the back."

Iron passed over the pen, and turned the scroll over. "Be careful not to rip it, or the message might not make it."

He got out of the way, watching over her shoulder as Lotus wrote. Despite her horn, she used her mouth, and not very expertly either. She wrote like a foal who had not practiced enough, letters sloppy and uneven.

"Hey,

I'm the one who saved your guy. I read a book and it changed me into a monster he calls a Kirin. Please help, I'm not supposed to be this thing."





She signed it, but Iron couldn’t make sense of the way she wrote that. A meaningless jumble of letters. Finally she stood up. "I'm not sure what the point of this is, anyway. I don't think the postal service is gonna get that through to another world."

He rolled it up carefully, then replaced the seal. "I'll show you. Do you have anything that burns?"

She walked him into the kitchen, then turned a dial on her stove. It lit instantly, with a steady curtain of blue flame. What a strangely valuable range for a home that otherwise looked so modest. Maybe “humans” really liked cooking.

He held the scroll into the flame. It caught on the edge, then the bundle burst into a flash of light, gone from his hoof in a second. "See?" he said, grinning. "My last message to Equestria travels safely. Unless I can find my own way back."

Then the front door banged open, and someone screamed.




> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric looked up into the doorway, where Gus now stood. His roommate stumbled, then dropped two huge armfuls of groceries onto the ground. Produce went everywhere. But he didn't seem to care. After a few seconds he stopped screaming, raising both arms to protect himself. "What kind of wild animals are—"
"Gus," Eric said. He remained still, afraid that too much motion might startle his old friend into running away. If his roommate ran, the police or animal control would soon follow. He couldn't let that happen. "Please don't run."
Gus wobbled, then dropped to one knee atop his overturned groceries. He mouthed words, but his shock was too great to make anything approaching a real answer.
"This is a 'human' isn't it?" Iron Feather asked. He was still behind Eric, back in the kitchen. What a great response, his terrified friend would really feel better now.
"This is my roommate, Gus," he answered, crossing slowly towards the door. "I know how this looks. But we're not animals. I'm Eric."
Gus stumbled back to his feet, then forward through the open door, knocking groceries everywhere. "You're talking. The horse is talking. This isn't possible!"
Iron Feather looked like he might say something else unhelpful. Eric turned, glowering back in his direction. He fell silent instead.
"I didn't think it was possible either," he said. "But Gus, you have to listen to me. I'm still me. We're... gonna try and fix this."
Gus watched him, eyes lingering on that sharp horn over Eric's forehead. "If that's true... if you are who you say you are, then you'll stay right there. No sudden movements, got it?"
Eric nodded. "Sure, Gus. I'll sit right here. Iron Feather, don't get any closer either. Give him a second to process."
Gus turned back around. For one terrible instant, Eric imagined his friend fleeing into the late afternoon, only to arrive with the whole National Guard. Or maybe some shady alphabet agency would show up, thinking they were aliens. It might not be far from the truth.
Instead of running, Gus gathered up his groceries in slow, methodical fashion. He walked inside, then shut the door behind him. Finally, he continued past Iron Feather into the kitchen, and set everything down on the counter. Only then did he finally turn, looking back at Eric. "Not sure why I expected that to work. Still have weird animals looking at me. I was only gone for a weekend, what the hell happened in here?"
Eric followed him, keeping himself between Iron Feather and Gus, just in case. Not that he expected the guard to attack, given his good behavior so far. But if he was close, he might be able to stop Iron from saying anything too dumb.
"I'm still figuring it out. But I can tell you what I know."
He did. It took over an hour, explaining everything in as much detail as he remembered. Of course he didn't expect Gus to see something in this that he hadn't. But he was desperate enough to try anything. A new pair of eyes on the problem might be the one to notice what he'd missed.
It was a good thing Eric didn't live with a stranger. Gus had known him since grade school. That meant Eric had plenty of ways to prove his identity. His friend insisted on several throughout the exchange, demanding that Eric explain 'what was his first hunting trophy' and 'who went with them the time they capsized his sailboat.' Eric answered each question correctly, so that by the end his friend stopped pressing and let the two of them explain.
Iron Feather took a turn too, identifying who he was and his important mission to return his huge book to Equestria.
Gus listened to the whole thing from the old leather recliner, arms folded in front of him. He remained surprisingly stoic through it all, now that his initial shock was past. He took the book, which looked far smaller in his grip. Humans were just so much bigger. It wasn't fair! "I'm... still trying to wrap my head around all this," he began. "I love me some portal fantasy. If I was going to get swept up in some otherworldly adventure, I would've preferred science fiction. Are you sure you don't come from space?"
"I don't come from space," Iron Feather said, voice flat. "Lotus, are you sure we needed to tell him everything? I don't see what this accomplishes. He doesn't have a horn, he can't help with the spell."
"Lotus," Gus repeated, eyeing him. "And he's calling you that because—"
Panic flashed across his mind. He'd been exceptionally light on the details about that particular aspect of the transformation. He was sitting naked, so Gus could probably see all of it for himself, anyway. "That's my temporary name, so long as I look like this," he said. "It just seemed easier than explaining every time."
"Alright Lotus, my roommate, who is a girl and a... Kirin. You want me to use “she” for you too?"
Lotus's ears flattened. If it wasn't for all the fur, they would all see how difficult this was for him. Iron Feather was barely even listening—the pegasus looked bored, waiting for Gus to work out things they had already talked through together. 
"It would be easier, I guess."
"Alright, well." He flipped the book open, scanning through its pages. "I see the entire conundrum is connected. The alien's arrival, your transfiguration, and any hope of reversing either. We have only a single lead, which I hold in my hands. An honest-to-god spellbook. I'm certain it must be real, given the two of you sitting here. Our solution must be inside."
"Yes," Iron said, exasperated. "That's what I've been telling her. She is a Kirin—the book was written for creatures like her. I don't expect any help from Equestria, not unless there are spells for sending messages in there. We already sent my single emergency scroll."
"Equestria," Gus repeated. "There's so much to this. I should be writing these things down, see what I can search online."
"You decided to... you're gonna help?" she asked. She was shocked, overwhelmed, and getting delirious with exhaustion now. "Not going to... call animal control, or—"
He snapped the book closed. "Of course not, uh—Lotus. Of course not. We're friends—and better or worse, I live here too." He passed the book back towards her. "You can't honestly expect me to turn down a chance to be part of it. What else would I be doing, reading and watching Robinhood all day? Frankly you'd have to fight to keep me out at this point. But I'm going to document everything." 
He whipped out his phone, then snapped a quick photo of Lotus. He turned it towards Iron Feather, and the phone clicked again. No flash, thankfully. That might've startled the pony.
"So long as you don't show anything off," Lotus demanded. "I don't want to see imageboard posts with my face. I don't want WikiLeaks to run a story. This is totally secret until I'm on two legs again and our new friend is back home."
Gus nodded, then put his phone over his heart. "I solemnly swear. Nothing goes up online. But I'm still preserving the evidence until then. It's my duty. You may not have realized, but this changed everything. Our whole conception of reality must be fundamentally flawed. Other inhabited worlds exist, either in this universe or another. Travel between them is possible, and we use similar enough fundamental laws that we can interact."
Gus was a good friend, but even Lotus had trouble dealing with so much highly concentrated nerd in one sitting. She wobbled, then retreated from the table. "I think I'm going to... take a shower, then try to find some clothes that fit. Could you grab my phone and wallet out of my truck for me, Gus? And Iron—don't leave the house."
"I realize that." The pegasus flared his good wing, defensive. "I know I'm not going to find my way back to Equestria on my own hooves. If I could fly, I would be tempted to scout around... but I might not be able to fly again for some time."
"Oh, that's no problem. I'll grab my laptop, you can poke around with Google Maps. You can look all over our planet with it," Gus said.
Lotus—Eric—didn't stay to listen. She left the two of them to talk in the living room, and made her slow way into the bathroom. She had nothing to take off, so just stepped over the ledge into the water, and let it blast up against her. 
The shower wasn't meant for someone on four legs. Even at her reduced size, she had to shuffle awkwardly around, rather than turning easily. Maybe she'd feel better with a bath? Soon enough the tub was filling, drain plugged by the damp clothing she'd left there. 
It was much longer than Eric would've spent in the bath before. But as the water filled, the heat brought some relaxation to aching muscles. The shouts of panic in her mind quieted into dull murmurs, then went entirely silent.
She dumped a little soap into the awful mess, and that seemed to help.
I'm still alive, and I'm not alone, she thought. Gus will help, and Iron Feather too. An alien horse, a nerd, and a loser.
That was the good. There was bad too—she already knew things were screwed with work, one way or another. She'd already missed the better part of a night's sleep. After the day she had, there was no way she was spending all night studying the strange book. That meant she would soon be out of money.
But spoiled credit and missing rent could wait for when she had her proper body back.
Despite her initial shock, this one wasn't... awful, just confusing. Every time she reached for something, she just knocked into it uselessly with a hoof, instead of picking it up. She was so low to the ground now, everything was out of reach. It was the first time in twenty years she'd ever been smaller than everyone else, and it wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.
The she part was strange, sure—but not as much as the rest of her transformation. Compared to a total reconfiguration of her body plan and being too small for her world, pissing while sitting down she could get used to. The voice wasn't worse than having anyone else's voice, really. It fit the reflection. 
Just don't think about it more than you have to, she told herself. I'll be back to normal soon, and this can become a distant nightmare. Gus and I will laugh about it over a beer. 
Even so, she decided she wouldn't call her parents. The family farm was away from prying eyes, but her parents wouldn't accept her story as readily as Gus. Dad would probably have the shotgun off the mantlepiece before she finished begging for help.
She was in no hurry to leave the bath. She could probably fall asleep in that water, it was so amazingly comfortable. But something interrupted her, and it didn't come from outside.
Suddenly, Lotus had an overpowering urge to vomit. She turned over the side of the tub, hacking and coughing in pain. Instead of bile, something else rose from her throat—a flash of bright blue flames. It blinded her briefly, though that was all. The fire didn't burn, though it did turn the moisture on her face to steam.



Something dropped to the ground in front of her—a book. She didn't actually feel anything in her throat, and the book wasn't covered in anything gross. She stared in silence, utterly baffled by the object in front of her. 
"Is everything alright?" Gus asked, rapping his knuckles on the door. "Are you good Eri—I mean, Lotus?"
"I'm... not sure," she admitted. "Hold on, I'll be right out."
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe I almost missed it!" Iron Feather exclaimed. He took the book from Lotus, turning it over in his hooves.
She let him have it without much resistance, backing towards the door. She felt much better after cleaning up, but some part of her would feel strange until she got dressed. "You expected to realize I could... puke books?" she asked. She still had a towel wrapped around her lower body, but in practice it didn't cover much. She couldn't get tight without restricting her legs, which trapped her uselessly in place.
"Not just books. Emergency scrolls use dragon fire. You're a Kirin, which means you're part dragon! Luna wouldn't miss that... the princess is smart."
"Whatever. Go ahead and look at... that thing. Hopefully she doesn't make that happen again. If I hadn't been expecting it, we could've lit the building on fire."
She hurried back into her bedroom, and shut the door behind her. She could barely make out Iron's excited muttering through the door—whatever he'd found in that book was obviously interesting to him.
If the “princess” had found a way to reply, maybe that meant she would be able to help her too! 
She restrained her excitement, focusing her attention on the more practical concerns before her. What clothes could she wear that made a difference? Shirts were obviously useless, she had nothing to cover on the front of her body. Dresses would've been perfect, but she didn't own any. That left... shorts?
She emptied several out onto the floor, until she found one that looked most promising: a pair of stretchy gym shorts. Stepping into them took a bit of doing, but she managed. 
She stared back into the mirror, eyeing her reflection. The result was pathetic, even by her own standards. They sagged off her body in a rough bag of cloth, threatening to slip under her hooves and trip her. Worse, they caught on her tail, preventing them from going up any higher. She'd need something with a hole for that, probably with Velcro to hold it in place.



Mom could sew me something. She dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. Her mother and father were salt of the earth, the kind of folk who could live on their farm for months without stepping away once, and never needing to purchase anything.
But they would also be exceptionally unfriendly to a horse-dragon girl who claimed to be their son—she thought. It wasn't a risk she would take unless she had no other choice.
Lotus grunted, then tore the shorts back down again. Wearing nothing at all was better than looking so absurd. Iron Feather was naked, and he didn't care. Maybe she could get a dress or something from goodwill.
She emerged without the towel a few minutes later. Gus was in the kitchen cooking dinner, while Iron scribbled into the new book with a pen. That was strange...
"What was in that?" Lotus asked, making her way over to the sofa. More than anything she just wanted to sleep. The damage to her life was already done, and couldn't easily get much worse. "What did she send?"
Iron held up his good wing, and kept scribbling. Somehow he could do that with only a hoof. How was he holding the pen? Eventually he finished, and he snapped the book closed, and pushed it towards her. "You should read it for yourself. This message is mostly for you."
For me? She took it, settling down in front of the couch. So long as she always faced Iron, she wouldn't feel embarrassed. Maybe she should get into the habit of backing up from everything. She rested one hoof on the new book, inspecting it.
It was made of leather, or some very clever substitute, with golden tabs on the corners and a fancy horseshoe mark on the center. No title or other identifying marks. She didn't open it yet. "Iron, I don't know how to ask this, so I'm just gonna say it. Do ponies wear clothes? Is it... normal, for you to be like that?"
He met her eyes, without hesitation or apparent embarrassment. "We wear them when we have a good reason. Parties, bad weather, armor—practical reasons. Not usually in our own homes." He eyed Gus from across the room, lowering his voice. "Ponies wearing that much are usually pretentious types. There are some in Canterlot like that, who think they're better than the rest of us. When the weather is good, you might find somepony with a nice hat, or maybe a scarf, or a tie. Enough to show their own sense of style without getting in the way."
He sat up, eyeing her from across the table. "That wasn't the answer you were expecting? Something's bothering you?"
She shook her head hastily, opening the book in front of her. "Don't worry about it! I'm just trying to learn a little more about your culture. I was curious about... fashion. Yeah. Let's go with that."
The first page of the book was an immensely complex diagram, which glowed faintly to her eyes. She turned past that, past a few blank pages to a page filled with dense, neat text.

"Iron Feather and Kirin named Eric, 
This is Princess Luna. Thank your companion for her foresight in including her own writing on that scroll—in doing so, she left a thread of sympathy I could follow with dragon fire. But repeating such magic is not advisable for you, as it generates tremendous energy that can be easily traced. Do not send further scrolls.
Princess Twilight suggested this spell instead. Our enemy invokes dangerous books against the free creatures of Equestria, it is only fitting that we create our own pair of volumes to serve the good. Anything you write in this book will be written in my own. Anything I write in mine will appear in yours. There should be no trouble with range so long as nearby magical creatures can keep the book supplied with power.
Listen carefully. Searing Gale escaped last night, taking her phylactery with her and fleeing into the wilds of Equestria. Where she went, I know not. Her powers are greatly diminished at present—so long as she holds only one phylactery, the risk she poses is greatly mitigated.
I believe she will do everything in her power to retake the Kirin tome you hold, restoring her to full strength. Equestria is stronger than it was in her day, but still I shudder at the suffering she might inflict. Thousands may burn in her avenging flames.
To do this, she will attempt to recover the spellbook you were sent to guard, Iron Feather. You absolutely cannot allow this to happen, and not just for Equestria's sake.
Searing was a powerful sorceress, who explored realms beyond Equestria's furthermost edge. She wrote the same spells that Clover later used to construct his mirror. In that book you will find the tools to return here. It is also possible the same power of transformation that warped Eric could also restore her.
There are an infinity of other realms, each one infinitesimally different from each other. If that book is taken from you, we will be unable to mount a rescue. You will be trapped in that realm forever, Iron. 
Eric, search for a spell called "The Plumbing of Worldlines". Cast it, and it will lead you to a place the barrier around your realm is weakest. From there, cast another spell. "To Trod the Ancestral Path." This will open a portal that will lead you to Equestria. Where in Equestria—we don't know. But once you're in our world, I could perhaps locate you through your dreams, or a dozen other methods.
Until then, this volume is our only line of communication. Be judicious with its pages, as sending another would again highlight your location to the enemy. Remember that while I cannot find you, Searing can feel the call of her other half at all times. I do not doubt she will follow it back to its source.
I'm sorry to put this weight on you, Eric. We are strangers, I know. But Equestria must beg for your help—to return one of our royal guards, and also to protect us from a dangerous enemy. 
If she ever recovers the phylactery you hold in your possession, thousands of my subjects could die, and our nation may fall. I cannot meaningfully offer you anything in return across the boundaries of worlds. But please, let compassion stir within your breast.
Princess Luna"

She turned slowly through to the next page, where Iron was writing his response. It was far shorter, at least he hadn't wasted space.

"Princess,
We are relieved to receive your reply. I will inform Lotus. I'm optimistic she will be willing to help, given what she's already done for me. Thank you for the warning about the danger. I will guard the phylactery with my life until we are able to return it to Equestria.
If I am killed, please tell my father that I died defending Equestria on his behalf.
Iron Feather"

“Your name doesn’t look how it sounds,” Iron said, interrupting her thoughts. “I think it may be a translation issue. I wrote ‘Lotus,’ the way I think it should be transcribed. Hopefully that doesn’t cause her any confusion.”
Lotus sat up again, glaring at Iron. It wasn't that he'd said anything wrong exactly. She was in no hurry to explain why she had chosen a new name, and the festering sea of confusing feelings that the word ‘Lotus’ kept at bay. Iron Feather had kept his body, he wouldn’t understand that. Hopefully Gus would never understand it either. 
She didn’t like the idea of people suffering, even if those people were horse-shaped strangers from another world. But that didn’t mean she was ready to commit to doing anything for them, particularly with her own life unraveling.
"Give me that pen," she demanded. "There's something important you didn't say."
He hesitated. "Before you write anything—you should know that this is one of the diarchs of Equestria. She rules the whole kingdom, over millions of ponies. What happened to you is not her fault. Blame me if you must, but not her. She deserves only respect."
Of course Lotus hadn't been about to piss off the person who had gone straight to providing useful information, even if she didn't fully understand how to make use of it yet. But now she almost wanted to, out of spite. "I'm depending on her," she said flatly. "I'm not an idiot. If she doesn't help me, I can't ever be human again. Please." 
She took the pen, then started writing just below what Iron had already sent. 

"This is Lotus. I want to help, but I have no idea how to do magic. This isn't a beginner's guide. Every page of this book looks the same to me—complex symbols and shapes without any purpose. Can you send a crash course? Or if that's not safe, maybe walk me through how to cast these? 
My world does not have magic, only trickery and slight-of-hand. There is no local source to turn to for help. I will be helpless without more information."

She offered the book back as soon as she was finished. Mostly because Gus was already on his way over, with a pair of plates. He'd made some inoffensive pasta dish for the two of them. Probably for the best, since he'd never been a good cook. Gus struggled with anything that couldn't go into the microwave. But this didn't sound like it would kill her, so she accepted it gratefully.
"I got your stuff from the car too. Looks like there was a message waiting for you. Didn't, uh—doesn't look too great."
She already knew what to expect. Even so, seeing it for herself was still painful. Seven missed calls, and a few texts, all from the same person. Her boss.
The last one in the chain summed them all up, so she didn't have to read the rest. "I don't know what happened today, and I don't care to find out. You ran out on your shift, scared the factory shitless. Don't come back. Your last check is already in the mail. Gave you hours for the rest of the day, hopefully that covers some counseling for you. You need it."
I'm fired. She set the phone down, tossing it to the couch beside her. It shouldn't bother her as much as it did—it was only a job, she could find another. She had far bigger problems right now than her paycheck.
"What kind of pasta is this?" Iron Feather asked, from the sofa just beside her. He was eating too, though he actually knew how to use the fork. Maybe she could learn from that. "I've never tasted anything quite like it. A local delicacy?"
Gus laughed. "Guess you could say that. Ragu classic meat sauce. Even now that I've got the money to buy anything I want for groceries I can't give it up." Gus froze, staring at the pegasus. "Something wrong?"
"M-meat?" Iron repeated. Lotus could see his face turn green in real time. "From what?"
Gus shrugged. "I dunno. Beef probably?"
Iron Feather threw up all over the table.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus slept uneasily that night. In a single day, everything she thought she knew about her world was now taken away. Even finding a comfortable position wasn't easy--despite the size of her bed, no human position let her relax. 
Even when she finally found a way to rest, with her legs out to either side, that only let her physical discomfort fade into the deeper, emotional pain. Her body had been stolen, her financial future was uncertain, and some unknown, dangerous enemy from another world was now hunting her. 
She was exhausted enough that she did sleep, though she couldn't say how long. Even then, her dreams were just as bizarre. She saw distant mountains, where strange hooves alighted in groves of white fruit trees. For a time there was peace in that beautiful garden, which welcomed her as few places ever had. 
Then came fire, and a terrible silhouette appeared on the horizon. The forest wilted and burned around them, suffocating the trees and flowers with thick black smoke. Eventually the flaming figure got close enough, and she recognized it. It was herself, her eyes burning white and her body black. The figure was far larger than she was, towering overhead like a kaiju about to crush everything she knew and loved. Starting with her old self, and her old name. She screamed.



Lotus sat upright in bed, gasping and sweating. Since when did she ever remember her dreams? She looked to the window, and nearly had a second heart-attack when she saw the sun already high. It was almost noon--Kent was going to kill her.
I'm fired. She looked down, hoping against hope that everything would be back to normal. Stranger things had happened, maybe she would just get her body back without having to do anything?
She hadn't. Purple and white still fell in front of her eyes, and her leg was still covered in buttercream fur ending in a purple hoof. She was still a horse/space alien. She flopped to one side, breathing accelerating. Her walls closed in around her, the light fracturing through her window into a thousand little rainbows. Outside her room, voices suddenly came into focus--Iron Feather and Gus. Why were they so loud?
She lay that way for a while, waiting for all the bad things in her life to go away. She was ready to be herself again! It was time for the magic and impossible things to end and for normal life to resume. The magical horse could go back to his world and she would go back to boxing up potatoes. It was only fair.
Her mind raced through the same paths over and over. Each new one reminded her of the same painful reality: the pressure of solving this was on her. The princess's message said only she could cast the spell. A Pegasus didn't have a horn, and you needed horns for magic. If she wanted to be herself again, she would have to master something impossible with no one to train her.
The air felt warmer as she lay there, though she heard the air conditioner humming, and she slept atop her blankets.
You're not Eric anymore, she finally thought, her first clear impression through her growing panic. Eric isn't a girl or an alien. Eric is waiting, in suspension. I get to be him again when I can figure this out. Lotus is smart enough to learn magic. She's brave enough to keep going until she fixes things.
Whether true or not, deciding on that interpretation for herself made Lotus feel a little better. She didn't have to fight herself or feel guilty about not being Eric right now. It was out of her control, but she would eventually figure it out. But not if she sulked in her bedroom.
Lotus flopped to the floor, landing with four unsteady hooves. Four legs were more stable than two, so it wasn't like she would fall over. But it wasn't so easy if she wanted to move quickly. There were other motions for different speeds, she knew that from a lifetime of watching horses. But knowing how earth animals were supposed to move and recreating that same motion with a different skeleton were two different beasts.
She made her slow way to the door, then nudged it open. Her tail whipped back and forth as she peered out the crack, searching for signs of the police occupation or hazmat crew or maybe SCP squad here to contain whatever Iron Feather had brought to her planet.
There was nothing. Instead, a tower of pancakes sat on the kitchen table, no longer warm. Iron Feather sat in front of the old TV, watching... some old cartoon. Lotus couldn't make it out. Whatever it was didn't interest him much, because his head snapped around, settling on her. He trotted over, scooping something off the sofa beside him as he went.




"Lotus. Feeling better today?"
She forced a smile. "Are you? Your wing?"
"No sign of infection," he thrust the book towards her. "Your companion wanted to wake you earlier, but I insisted we wait. Your mental fortitude is required for magical study."
She took the book with one leg. It was the smaller of their two strange artifacts, the one that Princess Luna used to communicate. "Is there something in here to study? I still don't know anything about magic."
"That's why I wanted to wake you," Gus appeared from the kitchen, Depositing a fresh plate of eggs onto the table. This attempt was only slightly charred around the edges. "I read over it myself, in case there was some way for me to help. No luck. Without that organ on your head, it won't work. I envy the adventure of study you're about to begin. What wonders await!" He pulled out a chair. "I cooked breakfast, which means of course I reserve the right to observe and assist where possible."
She hobbled over to the table. Holding something under one leg while she did it slowed her progress to a limp. She still managed to do it without falling over, even if she had to jump between each stride. 
They ate quickly, once Iron had confirmed there was nothing made of meat in the breakfast. No wonder Gus hadn't added bacon to their usual breakfast assortment. "I understand the explanation your companion gave me," Iron said. "Your species are omnivores, and do not consume sapient creatures. Our world has such creatures as well--griffins, hippogriffs, and Kirin to name a few. But that does not mean I will participate in the practice. Even across the boundary of worlds."
Lotus shrugged. Bacon didn't sound half bad, but she had no problem with the meat sauce the night before. Maybe it was all in Iron's head?
"We'll warn you next time," she said. "But what about--while I was asleep? Did anything creepy happen? With that... Searing Gale? The one Luna says is loose."
"Not that I saw," Iron answered. "But I've suggested some improvements to the security of your dwelling. There are measures we can take against foul sorcery."
She looked to Gus for his reaction. Despite his initial shock, Gus was coping to the new status quo far easier than Lotus herself. Because he didn't change. He just gets to watch and pretend he's in one of his movies. He thinks this is D&D and he can just roll some dice and get out of any problem he’s in. But we aren’t playing by easy to understand rules anymore.
Gus nodded seriously. "I'll make a trip to the hardware store later today. I've been meaning to make some changes to the property, now that I plan on buying it when our lease ends. Won't have to worry about losing our deposit for making changes."
Must be nice to have that kind of money. "I hope we're not here long enough to worry about an attack. Once I'm back to normal and Iron Feather gets sent home, we shouldn't have to worry about evil wizards, right?"
"Searing Gale is an evil Nirik, not a wizard," Iron corrected. "The greatest of her kind to ever live, if the stories are true." 
Lotus rolled her eyes, but didn't turn it into an argument. She had more important things to worry about just now, like her own potential salvation on the horizon. Luna's book waited for her to read. Finally she finished eating, and she scampered across the room to flick it open. The next several pages were occupied, with a mixture of dense writing and intricate diagrams.
It started with a simple-enough note from her distant ally.
"Lotus. Your willingness to help is appreciated. I understand the terrifying scope of the task before you. I believe you have reason to take comfort, however. The Phylactery that transformed you contains a portion of Searing’s power, trapping her so she could do no harm to Equestria. When you were transformed, some of that power was invested in you. 
You will still need to master the discipline and willpower that all spellcasters require. But when it comes to raw power, I believe our enemy has already given you everything you need. I suggest caution as you begin your practice.
Every spellcaster begins with levitation. The practice is so effortless that many unicorn populations have discovered it independently, even when their thaumaturgical understanding does not progress further. I have included several exercises often used by foals.
Your magical study may attract attention. Be vigilant and rely on Iron Feather to protect you. He may be a neophyte to the guard, but I have rarely seen his devotion even from veterans of many years. He will repay the kindness you have shown him."
What followed were exactly what Luna promised--instructions on 'levitation.' It was all written by the same hand as everything else she'd sent so far, excerpts from other useful reference materials.
She started skimming through it, but soon became conscious of Iron watching her from nearby. Maybe he thought she hadn't noticed him from the coffee table, watching her.
As soon as he noticed her watching, Iron looked hastily away, settling back onto all four hooves. "Her lessons, do they make sense? Seem... easy enough to figure out?"
She flicked another two pages. That was it, everything Lotus had to take her first steps into a physically impossible art.
Eric could never figure this out. He had spent the last two years boxing potatoes, without ever reaching for anything more. But Lotus--maybe she could do more. And when this was all over, and Eric was restored, he could take a few lessons from Lotus's success.
She would have to have it, first. "Give me a few more minutes to read through all this. I can see... see something here. Not sure if anything will happen when I try to cast it. Magic isn't... supposed to be real."
"It is," Iron said, with absolute confidence. "All of Equestria relies on magic. You may not know anything about it yet--but you'll figure it out. You've already shown that you're brave and compassionate. You must be intelligent as well."
Gus choked up a laugh from the other side of the room. "I'm sure Lotus will rise to the challenge. Something finally got her out of her comfort zone, there's nowhere to go but up from here."
He opened the side door, gesturing with his keys. "I'll be back, going to pick up some supplies. Don't do anything too exciting while I'm gone."
Nothing too exciting, she thought, flipping back to the beginning of the magical instruction. "I'm just levitating things, no big deal. I've seen stranger things, I'm sure it'll be fine."
Gus chuckled nervously. "Yeah, so long as there isn't a Demogorgon after you. If there was, you'd be on your own."
He shut the door behind him. A few seconds later, he pulled his car out of the driveway, and vanished down the road.
"A... Demogorgon..." Iron Feather repeated, nervous. "It sounds dangerous."
Lotus settled herself down on the couch, making herself comfortable to read. "It doesn't exist. If there's anything magical in our world, it's in this room. Or... chasing you."
"Yeah." He lifted his spear from the floor, turning it over in his good wing. "Don't let me distract you. I know magic is a solitary art, marked by quiet contemplation. I'll let you get to it."
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The task waiting for Lotus was harder than any academic challenge she'd ever attempted before. Of course learning an impossible new skill was not directly comparable to anything she'd done in her life before. But the many hours of practice and study that followed felt very similar.
Nothing in high school had ever felt quite as difficult, of course. No piece of math homework she ever failed to complete had the promise of never having her own body again, or forever marooning someone who was only trying to protect his home.
Part of the difficulty came from the observers, too. Iron Feather was essentially a captive audience, trapped in her tiny home with very little to do but watch and wait. Lotus couldn't even blame him, really. If she was trapped in a strange and frightening world, she would want to stay close to whoever could get her home. 
Her first real success came only the next day. Gus was busy installing a new security-latch on the door, working a power-drill with improper technique. Her best friend spent so long in imaginary worlds that he could barely take care of himself in the real one.
Lotus sat on the sofa a few feet from the door, staring at a single flower in a glass on the coffee table. She'd been staring at that same flower for at least an hour by then, walking through the deep-breathing exercises and visualizations Luna had sent. She had the book beside her, and a blanket settled around her shoulders. She wasn't cold, but having something to cover up helped with the anxiety. 
It helped, but the constant BVVVVVVVVV-GNGNGNGNG of the drill going through their front door snapped her concentration in half each and every time. She glared at Gus's back, but her roommate wasn't even looking at her. He had no way of knowing just how annoying his timing could be.
Then the drill jerked to the side, and right out of his hands. Gus gasped, trying in vain to catch it as it tumbled towards the couch, and Lotus's leg. 
Then it... stopped. For a few seconds Lotus just cowered there, recoiling from the impact. But nothing hit her. She stared at the little machine, now hovering in the air a few inches above the sofa. "I... what?"
"You're doing it!" Iron exclaimed, galloping across the room to where she held the drill. "Levitation!"



All that attention on her and Lotus's concentration frayed. She dropped the drill with a thump, thankfully not onto her leg. "I don't know what I did..." she whispered. But after almost two days of failure, she couldn't help but grin. "There was nothing in my instructions about catching power tools."
"I've never seen an adult mare have to learn everything from scratch," Iron admitted. He patted her shoulder with one hoof, grinning too. "I should've known you would pick it up quickly. I always expect it to take ages. But foals don't have the discipline of a grown mare."
Lotus nodded weakly. "I've spent two years of life perfecting the exact same task. A few days to learn something new is not a big deal."
Thinking about her old job took the smile from her face. She slumped, snapping the book closed. Two years working up the ranks, improving her pay by ten cents a quarter, and it was all gone. When she brought Eric back to life, he was going to have quite the mess to clean up.
Gus picked up the drill, looking sheepish. "Sorry about that, Lotus. If you'd rather put this chain on, you could do it."
She shook her head once, landing on her hooves. "Nah. I'll just get out of the splash zone. But you might want to switch that thing from the concrete setting to wood. And maybe take off the masonry bit while you're at it."
Several days passed, and they settled into a routine. They dragged the futon out of the old garage, giving their new houseguest somewhere to sleep. The poor stallion was clearly going completely stir-crazy in the small space. Lotus tried to keep him company, making small talk about his home and the life he'd left behind. 
"Spent my whole life in Canterlot," he explained, after about a week of being trapped inside. "It's a little like some of the places Gus showed me on his machine, but not like this one. I think you'd like it. A whole world of different ponies coming and going, always something new to see. But at the same time, you're always surrounded by history. That's why I wanted to join the guard--I don't want to just watch what happens, I want to be part of it."
She grinned back at him over her coffee. There was no light streaming through the windows outside, but she wasn't exactly sure how late it was. Days of cabin fever compounded on each other until Lotus felt detached from the normal cycle of days and nights. Was it late, early? She knew only magic practice now.
"One way or another, it sounds like you will be. Whatever happened with Searing escaping in your world... I guess you were trying to stop it?"
She might as well have slapped him. Iron Feather sagged into his seat, avoiding her eyes. He didn't speak for a long time. He might not have ever spoken further, except for Lotus's expectant eyes never leaving him.
"The princess I serve... imagined another path for the imprisoned evil," he said reluctantly. "In Equestria's recent years, we have seen many who were wicked turn to friendship. She has her... own reasons to know what an imprisonment of many centuries is like. We hoped by separating this tome from its sister that she might manifest in a small way, and Luna could offer her forgiveness."
From the other side of the room, a book slammed closed. Gus held it in one hand, where he'd been reading. He wasn't trapped inside like the rest of them, but he'd shown a great deal of interest in the spellbook, nevertheless. Iron Feather didn't seem to mind, so long as he was far away from a door. And far away from Iron himself.
Interesting that it hadn’t attacked Gus yet. Her friend had limited his exposure so far, reading only in short periods or from scans of the pages on a display. Lotus made no effort to stop him. If someone else got cursed like she did--well, that wouldn’t be her fault? And maybe having some company would make things easier to deal with.
"Not everyone in the world wants to get better. Some people are just assholes, and they're determined to ruin the lives of everyone around them. Give them an inch, and they'll take everything you have."
Iron nodded grimly. "I don't understand the expression, but the sentiment is... apt. It appears Searing had been plotting for that moment. She already had a spell ready, the one that sent me here with the book. Then she sent a monster to strike me in the darkness, destroying my wing. I would've died without Lotus to rescue me."
Lotus winced at his words, pawing awkwardly at the ground. She still hadn't gotten around to telling Iron that she was the attacker as well as the good samaritan. She would cross that bridge eventually, but not now.
Gus crossed the room, looming over Lotus. He'd never been particularly big for a human, without any of Eric's muscles. You couldn't get those trading meme stocks, even if he sometimes had diamond hands. "I think you've practiced the basics long enough, Lotus. It's time for something a little more interesting." 
He had his thumb in the book, and now flipped it open, directly to one page among the many. He set it down on the table in front of her. "I think you should start here. Ask your pen-pal how to use a real spell. I'll even volunteer to help you, so long as I get to set up my go-pro first."
"Are you that worried I might miss my part of the rent, Gus?" Of course she would, and the date for paying it was soon approaching. But her friend wasn't poor anymore, not since joining into the big short. 
Gus raised one hand, defensive. "I don't care about money, Eri--Lotus. We'll settle accounts when the dust settles. When this thing is all over, you'll probably make enough to buy a mansion from the book deal. A few hundred bucks is not the question." 
He flicked his fingers towards the book, insistent. "We're part of something incredible right now. I want to see what it can do, test its limits. Help get your desperate traveler home."
"There's no harm in trying," Iron said hesitantly. "This spelling is advanced for someone who hasn't had a horn that long. But you're learning quickly." He flicked something towards her face, right off the table. A pen came spinning at her with surprising accuracy. 
Lotus gasped, her horn flared, and the pen stopped. With another week to practice, she was getting her hooves under her about how it worked. She imagined it like Eric's hands were still with her, transparent and unseen. With just the right kind of focus, she could still feel those borrowed fingers, and move them the way she wanted. She turned the point towards Iron, glaring. "You could've stuck me."
He chuckled. "Was aiming for your scales anyway. I'm not going to pierce dragonhide with a tool like this. Or... anything I own. My spear couldn't do it, either.”
Dragonhide was a strange way to think about it. Lotus felt them mostly as the annoying patch of her back that caught on everything and made it hard to get comfortable in bed. But how much did she even know about being a Kirin? Most of what Iron said was about Searing Gale, and all circled back to how dangerous the creatures were.
"I'll write to her," she said. "I don't want to be stuck in this tiny little house any longer than I have to, either."
Iron Feather was the only other one writing in the book, of course. He didn't waste space, giving exactly one line each day. His writing waited there without reply most of the time. Luna couldn't say much more than repeating the same reassurance and support.
"Wing healing well, Lotus's magic improving. She has not lifted two objects at once, or more than a little weight. But she is growing fast."
Lotus didn't bother signing her name when she started anymore. The difference between her handwriting and Iron's was self-evidence. But this time she levitated the pen, using the letter as another chance to practice.
She also didn't use the Princess's title. No matter how sour Iron looked when he noticed, she felt no particular allegiance to this nation. Helping did not mean she had to treat their rulers like her own.
"Luna. How would I start casting these diagrams? Some of them look simpler than others. Practicing the same thing for so long is making everyone here a little crazy. Maybe I can work on the spell that finds a place to cross worlds.?"
The princess didn't reply until the next morning. She sent a few more pages of instructions, this time reading far denser and more sophisticated than her explanation of levitation. At the beginning was a short note. "Lotus--your urgency is appreciated. If you choose to implement these instructions, choose spells that will not fail too catastrophically. Also, be careful not to invest too much power. The more energy built up inside a spell, the more dramatically it can fail.
Keep careful control of your emotions. Kirin have other magic that requires no spellcraft, and it would not serve you to use it while in hiding. Searing Gale was the queen of all Nirik, and knew their hellfire better than any creature. She will smell the smoke from anywhere in your world, and be drawn to it. You seem a capable student, however. I am confident you will rise to this challenge."
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus stared down at Luna's response, turning over the magical letter in the air. She could hold it there now, so long as she stayed focused. That focus took total concentration, and shattered the instant she looked away. But it was all the proof she needed—she could learn this. She could get better. Once she mastered this new skill, she could return him to reality.
Of course that wasn't what her new pen-pal seemed to want. She wanted Lotus to find the way back into another world, so they could be saved from an ancient evil version of what she looked like. The one whose magic had cursed her in the first place. 
"I would look through the book for you," Iron said, settling down beside her with a plate of breakfast. "But I happen to know that's not a good idea. That book was never meant to be read by somepony who was not a Kirin. Searing hated other creatures, but ponies most of all. I'm afraid that only you can learn from it."
Lotus set the scroll down, then stood up. "I'm not the right person for this job. I couldn't make it through college. What makes you think I'll be able to sit in one room and do nothing but study all day?"
Iron shrugged. "I don't know what college is. But in the time since I've arrived I've only ever known a kind, clever creature. She has remained composed despite being transformed into a monster. She didn't know that Equestria even existed, but she adapted quickly. She can figure this out."
Lotus can. She could just keep pretending that she was a different person. Eric might not be smart enough to master a new skill, but Lotus could. Maybe her new species was smarter than her old one, and she could get a boost that way.
"I know you're worried about your bills," Gus said, settling down a plate in front of her. "Don't be. Good thing I cashed out of GameStop when I did, eh? I'll cover you. All I want in exchange is... to be involved. I want to hear about all the 'magic' you figure out. I want to film your spells. And if you really figure out a way to go to another world, you have to bring me. That's what I want."
Iron Feather turned, staring up at him. "Ponies will think you're an even stranger creature than your friend. There isn't a town or city you could visit where ponies wouldn't stare."
Gus shrugged. "Don't care. You've already changed everything we thought we knew about the world just by being here. Other worlds exist, magic exists—I need to document it. One day I'll find the right person who will... not think I'm insane when I show them."
"Thanks, Gus," Lotus said. "Of course you can do all that. I'll accept your demand, so long as you don't put my real name in it, attached to..." She tucked her tail backwards between her legs, looking away from him. "This. Keep calling me Lotus for the cameras, okay? You can put me in if I find a way to reverse it."
Gus laughed. "Deal, Lotus. I can't blame you for wanting that. Don't have a clue what I would do if I was in that position. A horse, a g—"
"Don't remind me!" she said, loudly. "I get it." She slumped down into the couch, pulling the book into her lap. "Let me study. I want to find the spells I’m looking for by the time the princess sends her instructions about basic magic."
That was what she did, long enough that time started to blur together. She was already going a little crazy from spending her last several days stuck in one room. But the longer she was inside, the harder it got to concentrate. If she was here for a week, she was going to burn the house down to escape. If she was somehow stuck inside for a month, she might melt into a gross smear on the floor.
The book wasn't that huge, not the kind of thing she could read over for months and months and still leave most of it unknown. It was relatively easy to find the spells that Princess Luna told her about. "Probing the Outermost Edges of the Tapestry" seemed like a good candidate for finding weak points between worlds, where they could cross over.
"Worldgates of Elementary Duration Torn Between Near Realms" was the only thing approaching a world-portal. She marked these pages, but continued her reading as though she hadn't. While Gus and Iron talked in a distant corner about the differences between their worlds, Lotus kept reading.
There had to be something about transformation hidden in this tome somewhere, or else how could it have changed Eric in the first place. Lotus never would've been created, and Eric's life wouldn't be ruined. It was in there, if she looked for it.



She found it near the evening after her first full day of study. Long enough that Luna had sent several longer letters, detailing instructions for how to approach the early days of her magical practice. But she ignored them all, denying any of Iron's suggestions that she should put the book down for the time being.
Then it was in front of her. "Long-term Reconstruction to Useful Living Forms" the book called it. The diagrams on the next page were almost as complex as the ones for making a portal between two worlds. But for a goal this important, Lotus could study. She could practice.
"Did you find the one we were looking for?" Iron asked, around dinner time. Lotus now had all of Luna's guides and instructions spread around her, with the book weighed down at the corners with a few random nick-nacks, so it stayed open to the page she needed.
"I... I found a lot of good stuff," she said. She flicked her tail down at the open page. But Lotus already felt a little less self-conscious, now that the recipe to return her to normal was open right in front of her. "I found a way to change back. The spell was right there the whole time."
Iron tensed, leaning suddenly past her to look at the diagram she was copying onto one of many blank pages in front of her. "Self-transformation? I thought we talked about this—it's way too dangerous for you to start with. The portals are easier—you know, the portal that can take us directly to a pony who can change you back. So you won't have to learn this."
She winced, looking away from him. He almost never looked so intense. Or rather, he rarely seemed so upset with her. 
"You don't know what it's like to have to be something else," she argued. But she didn't have much heart left in it anymore. Iron Feather knew his homeland, and he knew the dangers of its magic. Anything he said about it was probably true.
"I don't," Iron agreed. "I think you're doing amazingly well so far. Better than I would be. But I know deadly magic." He opened one wing for her. The other didn't get far with the cast, and he winced. "Flying is the same way. When I was a little colt opening my wings for the first time, I thought I could do anything. I broke this same wing when I thought that I could go up into a gale and make it back again. Maybe Searing’s attack wouldn't have been able to hurt me this badly if I was smarter when I was little.
"But you're not little, Lotus. You have all the magic of an adult mare, maybe more. We don't even understand why Searing’s spellbook changed you in the first place. If it made you as powerful as she was, a failed spell could... it could kill you, and maybe level every building nearby at the same time. Please, promise you'll wait to learn this stuff until it's safe."
Lotus nodded weakly, then flipped the page closed. "I guess it isn't getting any worse. I'll practice with something else." 
She said it, and some part of her even meant it. The danger was real. But that didn't mean she would give up on trying to save Eric. Her old self would be dead forever unless someone learned how to make this stuff work, it might as well be her.
But it wasn't that day, or the next. Being physically smaller did far less to make the small size of the home she was trapped in feel any less like a prison. Her bed was huge, but she spent each night tossing and turning. Instead of waking rested, it was usually to a new entry waiting in her journal, explaining something. 
Luna's instructions for how to master the early levels of spellcasting suggested that she redraw and resketch each spell diagram in turn, until she completely mastered what they contained and she could see the diagrams with her eyes closed.
She pinned each imperfect copy to her wall, until half her bedroom was covered by slightly-off probing spells. How much longer could she look at them before she completely lost her sanity?
Outside the thin walls, she waited for the sound of helicopters, or soldiers wearing heavy leather boots. But it never came. No three-letter organizations knew she was here. Despite her brief trip down the highway, despite her last day of work—Eric just fell out of the world, and nobody cared.
"I'd like to plan a trip," she told Gus, late one afternoon. "Before I die of terminal cabin-fever. How do you feel about camping?"
Her best friend was usually around. Often he was in his room compiling information he gathered during their conversations—but he helped plenty of time too. With meals, with cleaning up, or whatever Lotus asked. He wanted to be close, observing the details and consequences of her transformation.
"I'm okay with it," he answered, one eyebrow going up. "But I don't look like a... Kirin, I think you're called. I'm not from Greek myths either. Sure sounds like a bad idea to just be driving around with you two."
"I know," she said, raising one hoof defensively. Iron Feather was on the other side of the kitchen, going through a simple exercise routine—but now he looked up, listening intently.
Lotus ignored him. She had to get it out quick enough that she didn't lose her confidence before she was finished. "We could leave at night, and go out into the woods somewhere. Not a usual campsite. I need to get out of this house before I bathe with the toaster. I can't be stuck in here every day."
Iron straightened, and made his slow way over. His little calisthenics routine brought with it something else—the smell of sweat and muscles. Eric had smelled the same thing in every locker room he'd ever been in, and only ever wanted to find the fastest way out.
Lotus, though—the smell affected her differently. She had to deliberately turn away from Iron, keeping her focus on Gus. "Please, just an overnight somewhere. Magic under the stars seems more magical than a double-wide, doesn't it? Maybe I'll be able to reach the spirits better out there, or... pull on the heart of the world, or however this stuff works."
Finally Iron Feather reached them. He settled onto his haunches, then spoke. "I know your frustration, Lotus. Here I am the first explorer in a new world, and my wing is broken. I can't even go up to look around. But both of us will be far safer if we remain inside these walls as much as possible. I'm telling you, Searing is still out there somewhere. She wants her phylactery returned. If she gets her hooves on it, I'll never see my home again, and you'll never get your body back. We shouldn't be taking risks. At least inside these walls, we're hidden."



Gus clicked his laptop screen closed. "Tell you what, Lotus. I'll get things packed up for a trip. When you're ready to really... find the place to make a portal, then we can go camping after. I don't want the door to another world in my bedroom."
It wasn't exactly what she wanted, but Lotus only nodded, defeated. "Okay, Gus. That sounds good. Get things packed, I'll be ready to search soon. Another day or two."
She would have to be, or her sanity wouldn't last long enough to be human again.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another few days passed. Lotus spent them as productively as she could, running endlessly over the practice exercises a princess in another world had sent. At least she was making some small amount of progress—she could hold objects in the air now, so long as they weren't too heavy. That meant she didn't have to stick her face into food to eat it anymore.
If only she had trusted her entire savings to invest in meme stocks, maybe she could've bought a cabin in the woods somewhere, and wouldn't be trapped indoors to study. With a few months and plenty of space, Lotus could probably figure out how those more advanced spells worked without much risk.
She had no such time. Everyday Iron Feather reminded her of the growing danger—that “Luna wasn't telling them” how things were doing in Equestria, no matter how often he asked. That could only mean that things were grim. They needed to bring the book back, and seal away the dangerous sorceress it contained.
It wasn't that Lotus didn't care about the disaster happening in another world—but it was hard to invest the same energy in it that Iron did, when she had so many of her own problems.
He could say as many nice things as he wanted, she wasn't cut out to be an academic. She needed to be doing something. But Gus wouldn't even let her out back to help toss camping gear into her pickup. Even at night, he insisted the risk of discovery was too great. "Someone might be watching. Once you're on YouTube, it's all over."
He was probably right—someone would notice. But what was she supposed to do? 
She would take any opportunity to escape, even if that was just into Gus's room for a few minutes with a camera in her face.
It could only happen when Iron had gone to sleep, or else the pegasus would just remind her to study some more. But like a bird, he rose at sunrise every day, and rarely lasted long past sunset. Much as Eric had always lived, albeit not by choice. But since she’d been fired, she saw no reason to suffer.
Gus sat her down on a cushion, with a sheet of green behind her and a GoPro sitting on a tripod just in front of her.
"Just a few questions," he said, rolling his computer chair over to the other side of the tripod. "I know it sucks, but this whole thing is kinda—incredible. So far as we know, you're the first human being to become something else. You're the first human being to be exposed to what we're calling 'magic'. You're becoming the first person to ever learn it, as well. We have to document this."
"You say first like there will be others," she muttered. Lotus set the heavy book down beside her on the cushion, careful to keep her rump firmly down. With all her time studying, there just wasn't time to worry about things like “making clothes.” "I'm hoping no one else ever goes through this. If you want to, you could go ahead and take a second turn with this." 
She levitated the book up into the air beside her, turning it towards him. Despite her words, she didn't open the cover. The last thing she wanted was to blast Gus with a kirin-shaped transformation.
Her friend pushed the book away with one hand. "I'm content with the digital images you've been recording from its pages. I got lucky once, I'm not going to gamble a second time. Now why don't you tell me about how you feel. And... the future.
"Look, I know you can be nervous. I was nervous sometimes when I started streaming too." He reached up to his desk, then set something down on top of the camera—a little wooden bird. She wasn't sure what kind, but from the beak, maybe a woodpecker? "Just look at my friend here. Pretend you're talking to him, not the camera."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a kid, Gus. I can do an interview. What do you want to know?"
He asked a half-dozen different questions—pretty much what she'd been expecting. How well was she adjusting to walking on four legs, did she feel dumber now that her head was smaller, what was it like to float things with her mind? He stayed away from the questions she really didn't want to answer, and the stuff she didn't want to think about.
But either he thought “what is it like to be a girl?” wasn't newsworthy, or maybe he realized that half the population already knew perfectly well. Gus's attitude towards the whole thing might annoy her, but at least he was respecting her wishes. He was still her best friend, Eric or Lotus.
"I'd like to see a little magic for the camera," he finally said. "More than floating things. I thought there were other kinds in that book. Maybe you could go over the one you've been practicing."
"I..." She settled the book onto the ground in front of her, then flipped through to page 358—the spell she'd been memorizing, that would help her find places worlds were thin. If she really put the effort in, she was sure she could get it to work.
"There wouldn't be anything to see with this one," she said, looking up again. "If it works, it will let me feel things I wouldn't normally see. Future audiences won't see anything."
Gus set his clipboard down. "Have you been practicing anything else? It wouldn't have to be very big, I'd just like to make sure the documentary has it clear: that magic can do more than just float things. Anything at all?"
She hesitated, flicking through the book ahead of her. There were all kinds of incredible spells in here—or they would be incredible to someone who knew how to make them work. She didn't, so they were just a list of promises.
Except for another familiar page, the only other one she'd been studying. The transformation magic.
Lotus had kept her word—she hadn't tried to cast this. But she couldn't study the same few pages day after day. "That depends. Did you still plan on dying your hair black?"
Gus gestured vaguely into a corner of the room, where a shiny box sat half-buried by dirty laundry.
There were some advantages to levitation. For one, Lotus would never have braved touching anything in that pile with actual hands. But magic was different. Distance was also a far more flexible quantity. Halfway across the room? No problem! It was the weight that mattered most, as well as trying to hold two things at once.
"Every winter. So what?"
She set the box down. "Well, you've been interviewing me about what it's like to be transformed. I've spent lots of it trying to find a way to reverse what happened. This spell right here is for transformation, maybe even the same one that happened to me."
Gus stiffened in his seat. He rolled it a little ways from her, eyes going wide. "I'm not so curious about your condition that I want to go through it too, Lotus. We need me to help hide you, to keep the house supplied. I don't want to be a horse."
"I know!" She lifted the box up again. "The spell doesn't force me to make you into another species. I can change little things too, like your hair-color. You'd never have to dye it again."
Gus relaxed. "Really? Damn, that would be awesome. Can you get the eyebrows too? It always looks weird when you don't, but the kit says not to. I think you go blind if you get that stuff in your eyes."
His tone made it obvious—Lotus had him then. Her first volunteer for a spell that actually mattered. The first steps to changing back.
Gus tilted the camera to the side, then sat down beside her on the ground, clearly in view. "Hair color seems like a great test. If it goes wrong, I can always dye it for a bit, until you're ready to try again. It won't hurt, will it?"
"Of course not." Lotus propped up the book in front of her, using the dye kit that Gus soon wouldn't need. "It didn't hurt when my things got all changed into horse things. You're going from brown hair to black, that's way easier."
She spoke with confidence. "Just sit still while I read this. Once the spell starts, don't move—I have no idea what that would do. So stay still no matter how bad your hair-day becomes."
Gus grinned back at her, then looked into the camera. "Consider this the first brave new day. When this is over, when we've returned the explorer to his homeworld, know that Lotus and I were the first. We will be the first to experience this new power. We do so bravely, like every explorer who came before us."
Lotus rolled her eyes. "I'm not teleporting you to the Moon, Gus. I'm just changing a color."
Gus shrugged. "You say that like this power won't change the world. Even when you're back to normal, when Iron Feather is gone, humans aren't going to forget about this stuff. Imagine what kind of problems that magic will solve, how much things will change. You may not be going to the Moon, but you're still a little like Armstrong. Which makes me Buzz Aldrin, I guess. I think I'd punch someone who said it was a soundstage like he did."
Lotus took another moment to collect herself for the spell. If she retreated and took the time to think about what she was about to do, she probably shouldn't be trying something so difficult for her very first spell. But if she slowed down now, Iron Feather might wake up. He would only be more upset with her for trying.
"Alright, ready," she said. "It only took a few seconds when it happened to me, I'm sure yours will go quick too—" Granted, the magic had knocked her unconscious when it hit her...
Then she started reading. They weren't words exactly, not in any language she spoke. But taken together, the sounds formed an important foundation for the magic she was casting. Her horn started to glow, just as when she was moving things around. It only took a few seconds for the light to grow, from a violet to brighter than the camera a few seconds later.



All she had to do now was focus on black hair. Just like the black box of dye in front of her. The pattern of the spell was incredibly complex. She had to hold it in her mind while she read, and do more than just speak.
"Did anything change?" Gus asked. He reached up, running one hand through his hair. "I feel... something, I dunno what. It's not exactly on my head."
She wanted to scream at him to shut up, let her concentrate. But if she stopped reading, she would just be inviting something much worse.
Picture black hair, not the little bird perched on the camera in front of them, not her own horse-shaped reflection in the lens, not Gus going on and on wondering when the magic was going to start.
Finally she finished. Her horn flashed. As it did, the bulbs overhead swelled with light, then vanished, plunging them into darkness. Only the dim blue glow of a computer display remained to light the space. Somehow, that was more than enough for her. Kirin eyes worked well in the dark.
"Woah, I think it worked!" Gus reached up, running one hand through his hair. "It feels different, anyway. I guess this is magic."
She watched as light brown hair turned dark before her eyes. It looked almost perfect, except that it wasn't even hair anymore. Were those feathers?
"Hmm... slight problem." His voice changed, becoming higher, narrower somehow. "I think there may be... a slight side-effect."
Lotus stared, frozen in shock and horror as his mouth lengthened and stretched out into a long, pointed beak. That would've been bad enough, if the spell had actually ended. It had not. 
"Shit, Eric! I think it's still going!"
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The spell was, in fact, still going.
Lotus felt it, though she couldn't exactly describe what she was feeling, or how. The spell wasn’t drawing power from her anymore, the same way it took active concentration to hold something up in the air. That wasn't a good thing—a spell that she wasn't actively casting was a spell that she had no way to stop.
"It shouldn't be!" She stood up, stumbling away from his camera. The little toy woodpecker toppled off the side, clattering against the floor. 
Lotus recoiled, her ears tucking firmly against her head. She wanted to run, to find somewhere dark and quiet to hide from what was happening. But she couldn't, not with Gus's growing terror, all attention focused firmly on her. She had to get away, had to find a way to flee—but she couldn't. 
"Eric, there's something... I thought you said this didn't hurt!" He groaned, reaching towards his back. Something strained against his shirt there, pressed down until the cotton finally yielded, revealing something naked and bony protruding from his back.
There should be nothing at all, except there so clearly was, with the outlines of multiple bones under thin flesh. 
He tried to stand, but made it only a few feet before dropping to one knee, reaching out for her. "G-god. Eric, h-help! You have to make it...stop!" His voice roared through the building, loud enough that Iron would definitely wake. But that was the least of her fears now.
Gus's eyes changed from brown to unnatural amber, fixed firmly on her. Gone was any pretense of using her false name. Only betrayal remained.
"I'm trying!" She flipped desperately through the book in front of her, scanning for anything that might help her stop a spell once it was set loose. It was like trying to learn rocketry in time to stop a failing vessel from crashing into the Pacific.
Your fault, whispered that little voice. Her doubt grew louder as she watched. Little black feathers erupted from his face, while his hands grew darker, sharper—bony. She took another few steps back, tail tucking behind her. The book tumbled out of her magical grip, clattering to the floor.
"I don't know what's happening! I was just trying to change your hair!" It didn't matter that she was telling him the truth, he just kept on transforming. 
He stumbled forward, spasming briefly as whatever was happening to him made it unable for Gus to even keep standing vertically anymore. One hand smacked up against the wooden floor in front of him. His fingers looked more like claws by then, digging deep into the wooden tiles and leaving huge scratch marks behind.
She kept backing away, until her rump smacked against the far wall. But she could get no further, and that wasn't enough to stop from seeing what she’d done. This was exactly what Iron had warned her about, happening before her eyes!
She was just trying to change his hair color! Why was it going so wrong? "I don't—I don't understand!" she screamed, almost as loud as he was.
Of course it didn't matter how loudly she screamed, or how confident her voice was when she did it. The magic wasn't listening, the magic didn't care. Gus didn't stop changing. The pain didn't seem to stop either. He doubled over, clutching at his chest for a second time—or even lower. Something slipped out through his shorts, which were now too loose to hold up on their own. That something was a tail, covered in light-colored fur. Fur not feathers. What was going on?
The door banged open behind her, just a few inches away. Iron Feather stood there, somehow wearing most of his armor despite having been asleep before. Only the breastplate was off, probably thanks to his broken wing. He couldn't have put it on even if he wanted to.
"Lotus!" he yelled, dropping the spear onto the ground. His eyes moved from Gus hacking and coughing on the ground to the spellbook, to Lotus herself in just a few seconds. "Lotus, what have you done? Of all the magic to practice—didn't you give me your word?"



She had, and she had broken it. Iron was right, he'd been right from the beginning. Lotus hadn't cared, and now they all paid the price—starting with Gus.
Her friend curled up tighter, then started coughing. Blood oozed from his new beak, though she couldn't tell why. She still felt the magic on him, it wasn't going out of control the way the spellbook warned could happen and could be fatal to anyone who suffered it. She had done it perfectly!
It didn't matter if she thought it was perfect, of course. He kept changing, fur spreading across his body wherever she saw skin. Except for his face and neck, where she saw only more feathers, expanding by the second.
This isn't happening this isn't happening this isn't happening! 
Iron Feather loomed over her, Gus kept crawling towards her, and her back was already up against the wall. Where else could Lotus run? 
This is all your fault. You just made things much worse than they had to be. Gus will never forgive you. Iron will never forgive you. You don't deserve mercy.
Lotus couldn't flee any further. She couldn't stop the transformation from consuming Gus like a flame. She had never deserved contempt more in her life. 
"I was doing my best!" she screamed, at nobody in particular. She couldn't look at Iron, couldn't bear to see the display of living body-horror taking place before her eyes. "I gave up my whole life to help you, Iron! This whole time I've been doing what you said, fighting to get you back to a world I've never heard of and care nothing about! I should've left you on the side of the road!"



The heat on her face was suddenly all around her. Bright orange and blue flickered off the walls, overpowering the light of Gus's computer, and the little stage light he had pointed towards her. The warmth came from her, somehow. She didn't understand how.
She also didn't care. The heat overpowered the shame, embarrassment, and despair. Suddenly it didn't matter how the others thought about her. What were a few broken promises, what was a little pain? It would all burn just the same.
Someone screamed. Gus, maybe? His voice was lost in the roar of smoke in front of her. She turned, more curious than anything else. As the fire grew brighter, it burned with the strength of her emotions, leaving only calm behind. Clarity.
She watched with detached curiosity as something orange spread across one of Gus's nerdy wall-scrolls. Some anime nobody or another melted into smeared nylon and black smoke. The computer sparked, then all the screens went out too.
She didn't need their light anymore. The flames provided plenty of light. They were in the wood floor where she stood now, surrounding her. Some part of her felt with mild interest as it brushed up against her body, with heat that should've burned her alive. Instead, it was only pleasantly warm. She barely even felt it.
Time itself was strange. Iron retreated from her, carrying something on his back. Where was he going, and why? Hadn't someone been in the room with her? 
Lotus did not care. Wood groaned, and a smoke-alarm blared with furious intensity. She winced, ears pressing flat to her head against the shrill echo. Why did that stupid thing never stop? She looked up, gesturing furiously at it. The flames obeyed, soaring up along the wall and consuming the little plastic puck. Its desperate cries faded to nothing.
"Lotus." That was it, the little whisper of doubt in her mind. It wasn't a whisper so much anymore—and it wasn't doubt. Instead of belittling her, it praised her. 
"Come closer." 
She did, stepping through the fire and the flames, until she reached the place she had dropped the book. Gus's room was a maelstrom then—burning far faster than any interior space had any right to. This heat was supernatural in nature, spreading faster than any 21st-century protection could slow. It was probably spreading to the rest of the house. Her own things were burning too.
That didn't matter. Lotus had very little she cared about—maybe a few family photos, tucked into the back of her bedroom. She could get those out before the heat reached them.
"Know what makes us stronger than they are. Fire brings clarity—it burns away the foolish attachments to the vain things. It teaches that none of our connections mean anything. They flee us, or crumble to ash. No lesser creature is able to resist."
The voice spoke so clearly, somehow louder than the roar of air and the occasional collapse as the house burned around her. How could it be so clear?
The spellbook was talking to her. Lotus lifted it up, and found it untouched by the heat. Only a little ash settled onto its pages, a reminder of the truth it spoke to her. All that used to be Eric was burning around her. Her old life, maybe even her old friends.
She levitated the book open. The words and symbols written on its pages blurred together, turning to an outline—a face she'd seen in her dreams. It didn't terrify her the way it had last time. Now it seemed like an old friend.
"That's right. Stoke those embers, feel them rise. Let them burn away the weakness, until only clarity remains. You're right to hate them. The Equestrian took your life, and yet he expected you to sacrifice on his behalf. The other mocked you, when he knew you were suffering. He kept you trapped here. As though they had the power to contain you! The fire can't be imprisoned, only appeased."
She walked forward through her burning house. Great waves of heat and smoke surrounded her, overpowering. She should be blinded and scorched or maybe worse, but that didn't happen. This heat was her domain—she created it, and grew stronger the longer she stayed. She wanted to burn it.



Did she?
Then came a voice in the dark, distant and shrill. A child, screaming in terror. Her voice cut through the smoke, all the way back to a distant memory. It wasn't in Lotus's past, Lotus didn't have one. But Eric remembered—remembered when her little sister had screamed like that, after falling from the second story of a barn.
Was that her now, begging for someone to come and help?
"Lives are the greatest fuel of all," the voice said, pulling her attention back to the book in front of her. By then the duplex was engulfed. She couldn't see any vestige of the old house left, just black smoke. Her last five years living here, all consumed. Soon there would be nothing left.
"There are many nearby. Spread the flame, consume what they have, grow stronger. Then you can return to me."
Eric remembered that day, remembered blood on the snow. Remembered the backwards way Nicole's legs bent. Remembered the surgery, the wheelchair, the tears of a life ruined. That was just one life. 
Lotus snapped the book closed, and the voice became distant, back to a whisper. "They just want to use you. The Equestrian only sees what you can do for him. You will never be more than what you provide, not without me.”
Lotus stumbled forward through the house, finally seeing what she had done. Lotus—Eric—owned very little physical property. What little she had gathered was almost all tucked into her small trailer-home.
Now it was all burning. Family photos, her old books, her favorite pair of jeans, everything. And Lotus was in the center of it! She should be burning right now, shouldn't she?
There was no time left to think about staying hidden—the little house was a torch, plain for everyone in Livingston to see.
Eric fled in terror.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The front door hung open ahead of her. Whatever happened to the door, it didn't stop her from fleeing into the night. The cold air should've been a relief, compared to the orange and blue flames consuming her home. Instead, she found the air grating and painful against her coat.
Compared to the flames behind her, the outdoor air was freezing cold, chilling her through to the bone. There was no smoke, only a growing cloud of steam, blinding her. Where was it coming from?
Then she saw. It was raining again, a gentle patter of moisture that coated the entire world. Her struggling lawn was soaked through with it, along with all the other homes.
It wasn't enough to protect her house. That vanished into the night in a billowing cloud of smoke. Fire roared higher and higher, inviting her back inside. It whistled and roared with an unnatural, primal hunger. Part of her wanted to toss the spellbook back into the building, and leave it behind for good. 
But no matter how much she wanted someone else to blame, the book also held important knowledge, her only way to ever be human again, or even cross over to Equestria to get help from the horses of the other world. She could not lose it, no matter the risks.
She wanted to find the neighborhood deserted. The others would all be cowering in their homes, waiting for the single volunteer fire truck to make its way across the town. That would be the best for all involved.
They were all outside. The neighbors lingered in front of their homes, huddled in fearful groups. More watched from their windows, faces lost behind the blinds. She couldn't get a good look at them, or guess what they were thinking.
"Lotus!" yelled a familiar voice from just beside her. She turned, and saw Iron Feather on the lawn, out of reach. "Listen to me! You don't have to let it control you!" 
What did their audience think about all this?
The fire wasn't burning hot enough to cover her shame anymore. They could all see her—dozens of different eyes, looking at an alien—a girl alien. But worse by far was Iron, standing far enough away that the heat didn't reach him. She let him down. 
"Is Gus still in the house?" she asked, terrified of the answer. Heat radiated from the open door, far more than any living creature could possibly survive. How she could stand comfortable in those conditions, she didn't know, or want to.
"No!" Iron yelled back. He pointed behind him, towards the street. Her pickup wasn't beside the house anymore—it was backed up onto the lawn. Exhaust rose from behind it, and the driver's side door was open. She almost hadn't noticed it. "Wake up, Lotus! You weren't a monster before! You don't have to be one now!”
There in the driver's seat was a dark figure, not even vaguely human-shaped, standing up on its hind-legs to reach the wheel. Gus! Only—not the Gus she knew. That was the one she had created.
There were already enough monsters, she didn't have to be another one. 
The heat radiating from around her abruptly went out. She gasped, staggering backward momentarily with the sudden chill that followed. Her vision shifted, and instantly became clearer. She saw the firelight flickering from behind her, illuminating the faces of dozens of terrified neighbors. A few of them had their garden hoses out, spraying down the area around their property. Others were rushing to throw things into their cars. A few stared at her, or the other alien creatures out in plain view. At least one glittering phone lens pointed in her direction.



She stumbled forward, scraping along the grass. Something thumped onto the ground beside her—the spellbook, no longer levitating. All that heat made magic easier while it burned. When it was gone, the need to focus came rushing back.
"What... happened?" she asked. She rubbed at her eyes with one leg, brushing away a thick layer of ash and slime. Behind her, the house was still burning, getting brighter instead of dimmer. 
"I don't know." Iron took a few tentative steps towards her. He kept his good wing open, though whether to look bigger in front of all the watching people—or maybe to keep her from getting too close, she couldn't say. "The spellbook—I think it took you over for a minute. It changed you into a Nirik—a fire demon. You see what happened."
She saw, and she heard. Her neighbors' voices had been just another insignificant bit of background before. But now that she wasn't burning, she felt their eyes on her, growing more intense as the seconds passed. 
The flame terrified them, but that fire was gone now, leaving only her behind. Surrounded by a crowd of people she kinda-sorta knew. People whose homes and families had just been threatened by a monster—her. Almost everyone in this neighborhood owns a gun.
Another sound cut through to her, just as terrifying as the growing anger building in her neighbors—police sirens. They started far off, all the way from downtown. But they wouldn't stay far away for long.
"Yeah," she nodded, struggling back into a standing position. "I don't think it—" But this wasn't the place to admit that. No matter how much she wanted to tell him the truth, it could wait. The spellbook didn't force me to try transformation magic. I just wanted to be normal again.
"I couldn't think straight. It was all... blurry."
"Eric!" Gus's voice echoed from the car, high and sharp. But her best friend was still audible under the change. It wasn't like her. Gus hadn't changed in the same fundamental ways that she had. Lucky bastard. "Eric, get your ass into this truck! I can't reach the pedals."
Someone stepped forward, clutching a shotgun in both hands. They weren't quite brave enough to point it directly at her—but it probably wouldn't be long. Fear and anger were close together.
She stumbled across the grass towards the truck, tearing up bits and pieces of it as she ran. It was a good thing that at least one of them had their thoughts together enough to make a decision, because she felt hopelessly lost.
Only her own fear kept her moving. I destroyed everything. They're all going to hate me now, and they should. This isn't random chance anymore, this is my fault.
Iron lingered in the grass behind her a little longer, but she soon saw why. He had the spellbook in his mouth, looking visibly disgusted by the taste. Unsurprising, if there was as much ash on that thing as there was on her own body.
"You can't just leave!" someone yelled. She wasn't sure exactly who, one of the neighbors who sometimes yelled through their window if they left the trash cans on the curb for an extra day without bringing them in. "Burn their house down, then steal their car? What kind of monsters are you?"
Iron hopped into the car ahead of her. Then Lotus, or Eric, or whoever she was, scrambled up into the car, beside the petals. She had to grab the door in her teeth to pull it closed behind her. 
Good thing the yelling neighbor wasn't the one with the gun. That one seemed content that they were leaving. But if she was really a “fire demon,” a little buckshot probably wasn't going to slow her down. Maybe she'd burn their homes next, with everyone inside.
The book wanted me to. It didn't want her to think of anyone as people, it saw them only as fuel. The hotter those flames got, the more powerful she would be.
The voice was silent now. She wasn't holding the spellbook, and there was no more fire. She was safe. "She's in drive!" Gus said, "Give me a little—slow at first. Too many people out here, don't want to hit anybody... now more! We need to get the hell away! I'll get us onto the highway, I think I know somewhere!"
She obeyed, bracing her back against the seat. Close enough that she was bombarded by more strange smells. Why did it feel like she was in a car with a big cat?
Compared to the cacophony of noise from outside, the drive was relatively quiet. No more rushing flames, no more whispers in her ear. All Lotus heard was the occasional command from above her. "Get ready to turn, ease off the accelerator," or "We're on the highway now, floor it!"
That was her only company, that and the occasional sound of cargo shifting in the back. Iron Feather remained silent, and Gus made no attempt at conversation. 
Neither did she. If shame was a liquid, it probably would've filled the area meant for a driver's legs, then drowned her. She would've welcomed it.
"I don't think the cops are following us," Gus said, after some time. She wasn't sure exactly how long. "Maybe they're calling in backup from Springdale. They'll need everyone they have to contain the fire. Can't chase some witness account of a fire demon and a few mythical creatures that drove away in your pickup truck."
Lotus smiled in spite of herself, then looked up. Gus stood uncomfortably in the driver's seat, back legs, digging into the leather. Those were clawed paws, entirely unlike anything she had. Or Iron, for that matter. Not hooves. There was a tail back there too, the same creamy yellow as his fur. Like a mountain lion, except she was pretty sure mountain lions didn't have wings.
She couldn't get a good look at his face, not while he was driving and she was focused on the pedals. They were using cruise now, but she had no way to know when that would end.
"They'll find us," she whispered. "You can't keep driving all the way to Springdale. Even if we don't run into any cops on the way over, they'll report my car missing. They'll be looking for us."
He didn't answer for a long time. Gus remained focused on the road, or at least that was his excuse. She couldn't see his face to see what he might be thinking. "I know a turnoff a little way ahead. Rich asshole from California has a little hunting lodge up here. I put the satellite in, when I was still working for Comcast. Bet you fifty bucks he didn't change the combination on his gate. I'll tell you when to slow down."
"Hunting lodge..." she whispered. "We're gonna break into someone's house?"
"Nah. Helped him set up his security system too—gave me a few hundred cash for it. The house has cameras. But the woods don't. So long as he's not up hunting, we'll be fine."
They drove a little while longer. Gus gave her instructions, and she slowed them to a stop. Finally, he heaved the door open, and stumbled out onto the pavement in front of her. 
He looked as bad as she imagined. Totally inhuman, covered in creamy fur on his back half, and dark feathers on the front. She'd never seen anything like him—at least not in the real world. Maybe on some old European coats of arms.
He stumbled into the bright light of their headlights, towards a locked gate. His front legs were nothing like the back—dark avian talons, ending in sharp claws.
"Gus, I—"
"I'm not having this conversation right now," he snapped, so loud and abruptly that she fell instantly silent. "Stay in your damn seat, Eric. Right now, we're surviving. Just shut up."



She shut up. A few minutes later, the gate opened. They drove through, then he hopped out again to lock it. Then he was back inside, and she helped them drive. Slowly, as the ground soon changed to a gravel road through trees.
She bumped and jostled, occasionally smacking into the plastic molding of her car. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain. She deserved that and more, for what she'd done. 
"I don't see any lights on," Gus finally said. "His truck isn't parked out in front, either. I'm taking us into the woods... so long as we don't hunt any of his deer, he shouldn't even know we were here."
"What kind of activity is that?" Iron Feather asked. He sounded as exhausted as Lotus felt, overwhelmed. "Hunting must not... mean the same thing as it does where I come from."
"We can talk about it later," Lotus muttered. "Just let him drive, Iron. We need to hide."
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus couldn't see out the window, so she had no way of knowing exactly where Gus decided to stop. Not until he gave the command, and she took her leg off the pedal. He switched off the engine, plunging them back into the silence. A few seconds later the lights went off too, and they were cast into near-total darkness.
Lotus didn't try to say anything, didn't even move—anything might make her think about what she'd lost. What you took away. This wasn't an accident. You knew the risks, you took them anyway.
If it wasn't for Gus, she might've stayed on the burned grass outside the house, where the police could drag her off. She might be in the lockup by now. Or worse, maybe there were special organizations created just to deal with monsters. She definitely qualified as one of those.
It was Iron Feather who finally spoke, slightly nervous and fearful. "Are we going to remain in this... metal cage? It doesn't seem very comfortable."
Gus chuckled. "It wasn't made for people on four legs. It's not so bad when you fit in the seat." Something shifted overhead, then nudged her shoulder. "Eric—Lotus. Are you still alive down there?"
"Unfortunately," she said. She looked up for a second, long enough to meet his eyes. Huge, amber, predatory eyes, with a long, sharp beak. She had seen its like before, on a little wooden model next to a camera. Only now it was hard and shiny, as bright and real as the feathers on his face. Of course no rational part of her actually expected him to attack. But maybe it would be easier if he did. At least that way she wouldn't have to let the guilt tear her up.
"It was supposed to be my hair," he said, slumping back in his seat. "We talked about it. You promised me."
"You promised you weren't going to use transformation magic," Iron said, from the passenger seat. "Sounds like Lotus has some trouble with promises. None of this should be happening. Princess Luna was going to change you back. Everything would be fixed as soon as we got back to Equestria. I don't know how we're supposed to get back to Equestria now. We're... wherever this is."
"Somewhere hidden," Gus said. "It doesn't matter where. So long as the police don't find us, we can hide here long enough for Lotus to learn her magic and fix me."
"You really think that's a good idea?" Lotus turned over in her seat, resting her back up against the front of the car. She could just about see Iron sitting in the passenger seat, and Gus just overhead. "Look at what just happened. Iron Feather is right, I shouldn't have tried magic that advanced. Now you both paid the price. Our house is gone, and it's my fault."
Gus didn't say anything for a long time. She heard him moving in his seat, what she guessed were wings opening and closing. He hadn't really had a chance to learn what kind of body he had yet, or how to use it.
He was already coping with it better than Lotus remembered from her first few seconds after transforming. But he had far less to adapt to than she did.
"I don't know," he eventually said. "Right now probably isn't the time. Police might still find a way to track us down. I don't have a phone, and I'm guessing you don't. But there might be something I'm missing. Didn't exactly get to pack my bags before the fire demon burned down our house."
"My fault," she stammered, her body curling slowly inward. "I know it's my fault. I don't deserve forgiveness. I let this happen when I didn't have to. However badly you want to hate me is justified."
Gus laughed, his voice clipped and harsh. "I don't know why you think that would help, Eric—Lotus—whatever. I realized that being close to this whole 'magic' thing had risks. I clearly underestimated those risks. Having someone to blame won't help me. It won't help you either. It's not like you're not a victim too. You didn't ask to be changed. You don't know how to control your powers. It's been less than two weeks."
"It's getting warmer in here," Iron said. He spoke more quietly, tentative compared to Gus. He was genuinely afraid of her, in a way he hadn't been before. 
He called it a Nirik. Now he knows how dangerous it can really be. He knows how dangerous I am.
"Whatever you're doing, Lotus—you need to stop." Iron hopped over the center divider, squeezing past Gus so he was within reach of her now. "We don't need something else to burn. If you keep getting hotter, you might invite the demon back. Try to think clearly."
Easy to ask, hard to do. Lotus did the one thing she could think of, and reached up for the car door. It clicked open, and she stumbled outside. At least in the open air she wouldn't feel so trapped.
They were in the woods, exactly as Gus had suggested. Lotus didn't recognize anything about what she saw—just thick foliage, extending as far as she could see in all directions. Maybe there was really a hunting lodge hidden in the trees somewhere, but she could see no sign of it in any direction.
Being out in the open did feel better. Lotus took a few steps away from the car, back along the trail. It clearly wasn't made for cars, and her truck had to squeeze in to fit. Gus had managed, despite losing his body and driving with a pair of bird claws.
"Your car is nicer than mine," she said, pawing at the ground with one hoof. "Why bring the truck?"
Gus wasn't as graceful about getting out as she was. He hopped out, and a pair of huge wings caught the air as he did so. But he didn't have enough height to glide, so he just landed in the dirt in front of her.
He tried to stand up straight, lifting up onto his hind-legs. The balance was too hard for him, and he smacked right back down a few seconds later, frustrated.
"Only one of our vehicles was already packed to go camping, and it wasn't mine. I didn't know how long we would have to be out, so yours was the better fit. It could still be better."
He turned away from her, tail swishing sharply back and forth. She'd seen cats act like that before. Her family had an old barn-cat, and he moved almost the same way whenever they didn't let him in the house. He wanted to go inside, but was never allowed.
That wasn't what distracted Lotus most, of course. Gus was much taller than she was, and very clearly still male. As though she needed reminding about that when the details of scent were already so clear. She followed him, jogging forward far enough that she wasn't directly behind him.
"How much do we have?" she asked, dreading the answer. "All I remember was not being allowed to help you carry things out."
He stopped at the back, glowering up at the bed. Without thinking, Lotus reached up and gripped the handle with her magic. The tailgate teetered closer, then smacked down directly in front of them.
Gus leapt backward, yowling in surprise. "Shit! Warn me, please. If I'm going to..." He trailed off, both wings settling into place on his sides. "Actually, no. You can get the tent and everything out of there. I am going to sleep in your cab. As a potential fire hazard, you get to stay outside and think wet thoughts."
He turned, then stomped away into the dark, leaving her behind. 
Lotus didn't watch him go. She wanted to argue—but she deserved everything he said and worse. She could make no objection to the truth.
A few moments later, she heard another clatter of metal, then the distinct click of a door lock. He meant what he said about trapping her out here. 
Maybe I should pick a direction and start walking. At least out in the woods I'm not a danger to anyone. Nothing to burn but some trees.
The wind whipped around her, carrying with it a few fallen leaves. So cold compared to the heat that she had summoned. Maybe she could call on it again.
"Lotus." A voice spoke from not far away, close enough that it was her turn to be startled. 
At least it wasn't the ghost in the spellbook—just Iron Feather, his mane bedraggled and his eyes haunted. "How are you feeling?"
"How you look," she muttered, turning away from him. "You should bang on the side of the car. Gus doesn't blame you for what happened. Looks kinda like you saved his life. He'll let you sleep in there."
Iron circled around her once, walking under the side of her pickup. He didn't seem to notice how small that made him look, or maybe he didn't care. He'd never been anything but a pony, why should that make him feel small?
"What will you do?"
I guess not run away and never let anyone see me again.
"We were... preparing for a camping trip," she said. She took a few steps back, then darted forward, leaping up into the air. She landed on the edge of the truck, smacking face first into a few heavy duffel bags. "There's a tent in one of these, and plenty of other stuff. I watched Gus pack it, I know we're prepared."
Iron Feather clearly didn't need a running start. He reared back onto his hind-legs, then rested his forehooves on the plastic edge of her bed. He hopped up beside her, one wing spread all the way as he did so.
"Bivouacking," he said. "I'll admit, that was more what I expected for exploring a new world. When you arrive at a wasteland without magic or pony in sight, you expect to be under the stars."
She sniffed, wiping away at her face with one leg. "Y-you're just saying that. You're just trying to... to make me feel better."
When she was surrounded by the flame, Lotus felt no pain, no embarrassment, no shame. Now, it attacked in full force. It would be one thing if she faced some irrational discrimination—but nothing about this was irrational. She was dangerous. The ashes of her home were proof neither would ever forget.
"Yes," Iron said. She wasn't looking at him anymore. Lotus wasn't looking at anything, and probably couldn't with tears flowing so freely. But she felt the wing over her back, covered in soft feathers.
It wasn't as broad as the ones she had given Gus. But that somehow made the pegasus less intimidating. He was taller than she was, but didn't make her feel like a little kid.
"You're not Searing Gale," he said flatly. "She was a real monster—she burned every creature that got near her. Ponies, animals, nothing but other kirin were good enough. You didn't attack us. Things just... got a little out of control."
She fought her tears. Her voice shook, spoiling any attempt to speak clearly. She had to take each word very carefully, or she'd lose control completely and just start bawling.
Was that a girl thing, or just a product of the awful day she had? Lotus didn't know, and didn't care. The shame was the same either way. "I broke... my promise. I should've waited... practicing transformation was... too dangerous."
"Yes," he said again, just as confidently as the last time. "But you've suffered enough for that mistake. That was your home. Nopony should have to go through that."
That was it—Lotus was properly crying now, surrounded by old duffel bags in the back of her pickup truck. The camping gear she was standing on might be the last things she owned that were left, except for anything her parents left in the attic.
Iron Feather held her, without apparent fear. He stood still and let her cry for as long as she needed.



Lotus wasn't sure exactly how long that was. Minutes, maybe—or maybe hours.
Eventually she started thinking clearly again. She sat up, and Iron finally released her. His scent was all over her now, and for once that didn't bother her. "Can you help me set up the tent?" she asked. "It's not big—but it will feel big at our size."
"Sure. I'll feel safer with a roof over my head, even if it's canvas. No telling what kind of predators are out here."
She grinned in spite of herself, wiping away the last of her tears. Her voice cracked when she spoke, unsteady. "Nothing more dangerous than the three of us."
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus woke to the birds, whistling and singing to each other from the other side of her tent. The shiny blue fabric did nothing to mute the sound, and almost nothing to keep the light from shining in and blinding her.
Lotus crawled a little lower into her sleeping bag, sinking past its edges. The birds were as loud as ever from that angle, but at least the bag did something about the light. 
The light couldn't get her inside, but the shame was just as strong inside as out. She remembered everything—breaking her promise to Iron, her failed attempt at magic—and what followed. 
Worst of all was the disappointment on Gus's face, the friend who should've been able to count on her.
She made more promises to him, more promises that hadn't been kept. 
But what will you do about it? 
She sat up slowly, rising from the huge folds of the sleeping bag. It was the same winter-rated bag she had used since her adulthood. It was a little too warm for it, but she didn't exactly have a choice. There wouldn't be enough sleeping bags for the whole group if they didn't bring the out-of-season stuff.
The tent was only made for two, which usually felt cramped with a pair of adults. 
It wasn't a problem with a pair of adult ponies. There was easily enough room for Gus, and probably a few other strangers too. But he hadn't emerged from the cab.
As she rose, she found Iron already settled on top of his sleeping bag, staring down to something resting on the space in front of him. She took a moment to recognize it—not because it was hard to see, but because she didn't think it had survived.
"The journal Luna sent? That didn't burn with the rest of the house?"
He dropped the pen he'd been holding in his teeth. "It almost did. I couldn't let that happen—I don't have any emergency scrolls left. Without the journal, we don't have any way of reaching the princess. We'd have to wait for her to notice we weren't writing back. Not to mention all her magic lessons." 
He flicked through the earlier pages with one hoof, then let it drift closed again. "Hopefully you still plan on studying this stuff."
"And not casting transformation spells, you mean," she finished for him. "You still don't think it's safe for me to change myself back. You're probably right."
"Your friend is a griffon—he can't use magic. Now you have two creatures to change back, and one to get back home."
She shook off the sleeping bag, rising into a sitting position. "You're not afraid of me? After what I did—maybe I'm too dangerous to be around. The—Nirik—might happen again."
"It might," he agreed. "I told the princess about what happened. She might have some advice for us."
She did, as it turned out. Lotus wandered out to find somewhere private enough to relieve herself, and it was waiting by the time she got back. A simple message in the princess's smooth handwriting was waiting for her in the journal.

"Kirin named Lotus, human named Eric,
Iron Feather wrote that you faced a serious setback today. I understand there was a complication with some transformation magic. It's hard to pass details back and forth through a journal, so I did not ask many questions.
Thanks to the campaign of violence and war that Searing Gale waged across Equestria, kirins are now relegated to the domain of legend and myth, with few ponies even believing that they once lived. Even a well-informed Royal Guard like Iron Feather would not know very much.
Kirin are not one being, but two. The one you think you are, very similar to ponies except for the consequences of your ancient dragon heritage. Then the Nirik—the result of combining two very different strains of magic in one being.
Not even my sister knows exactly what causes a Nirik to manifest from an otherwise friendly kirin. Searing Gale campaigned to convince her kind that they were the true form of your species, that the kirin were a lesser imitation and that any who couldn't stand before you should be burned.
Now that you have been transformed, you can't exorcize this part of you. The Nirik form is a fundamental part of all kirin, much like a pegasus pony's wings or a earth pony's connection to nature. I hoped that perhaps your alien origin meant you were not a Nirik as well—those hopes are clearly vain.
To survive long enough to return here, you must remain in control of your emotions. Do not suppress them, or they will build until the pressure becomes too great, and they explode. Rather, you must meditate. Comprehend, then release, and allow them to wash over you.
I'm sorry I cannot give more useful advice. You already have enough new skills to master, and do not need another. But if you do not, you will burn all who get close to you, and leave yourself alone in a forest of ashes.
-Luna"

Lotus sat back, pushing the journal away from herself. "Did you read what she said?"
Iron Feather nodded. "I guess I never put some of it together, but it tracks with what I learned. The part that's most confusing to me is the name. Lotus sounds like a proper name. But sometimes they call you 'Eric' instead. It doesn't fit."
"Of course it doesn't," she muttered, voice bitter. "I'm not supposed to be a pony. My friend isn't supposed to be a bird. But now we've both been screwed."
"I can't imagine," he whispered back. "You've already endured more than most. But what are you going to do about it? Keep trying to transform yourself?"
The princess had barely mentioned the actual cause of her “Nirik” manifestation. She wasn't trying to make Lotus feel guilty. Her desire to help seemed genuine. Iron's might be selfish—but it was real too. He had saved Gus's life, instead of just running away.
"I want to be human again," she said. "But I'm not going to risk what happened last night. I'm going to practice the spells that Luna gives me." She stood up, then shook the thick mane around her neck. 
"It's not like I have much choice. I don't have a home to go back to, or a job. If there's any way to get those things back, it's through your world."
She wandered out the open tent door, into the early morning air. It was crisp and cold against her skin, but comfortable. One advantage to all the fur, she didn't feel any risk of injury to exposure. 
She hopped up into the bed again, past several duffel-bags she had rejected for one reason or another. But one that hadn't mattered much to her the night before was now critically important—the food.
She tugged it with her mouth, before remembering the obvious and levitating it after her. 
Doing that took great concentration of its own, considering the weight. She had to move slowly, before hopping down to the dirt and floating it carefully behind her.
"What's that?"
"Breakfast," she muttered. "And lunch, and dinner. It's not a ton of supplies, but it should keep us going for a little while. Hopefully long enough to get you home, and Gus and me back to normal."
Iron Feather was entirely unfamiliar with human camping gear, but he wasn't stupid. With a little coaching, he was soon helping her along with enthusiasm. They had already set up the tent together, a cooking area wasn't much harder. Soon they had the hanging filter full of river water, and a pot of breakfast oatmeal going on the propane stove. 
Gus meant well, but he obviously hadn't known how to pack for a long trip. Most of the duffel was filled with random backpacking food, without any underlying organization or plan. At least it meant that they didn't need to refrigerate it. 
Without a human member of the team, there was no chance of spending a night in a motel or something. Without phones, they couldn't even rent one of those Airbnbs that let you check in with a code.
Gus emerged about the time that breakfast was ready, hopping out of the car and wandering out into the trees. He returned a few minutes later, wearing the old hoodie Eric usually kept on the floor of her pickup in case of a cold day. 
There were a few tears in the cloth from griffon claws, but nothing she could complain about. She had burned their house down, after all.
"Was hoping this whole thing would be temporary," Gus said. He avoided her eyes, circling past her to the stump she'd used to set up their camp stove. He nudged the edge with one claw, then turned back to her. "No chance this spell is going to wear off?"
She lifted the lid of her little camping pot, sniffed it, then took it off the heat. Any longer, and their already-questionable oatmeal would turn into porridge.
"The sun is up," Iron said. "I don't know much about magic, but I know that. If you're still a griffon, I don't think you'll be changing back on your own."
He eyed the other creature, focused briefly on that sharp beak, then his claws. "Do you feel sick?"
"Upset that I'm a bird? Yes. Ill? No." He held something up with one claw—another GoPro camera? Or maybe it was the same one, she couldn't quite tell. Instead of a tripod, he had only a little stick to hold it on. The camera on the end still looked basically the same.
"Our first experiment with magic went a little less than perfect. As you can see, my hair is now feathers, and I'm now a giant bird. The mythology thing is cool, but it will make filming the rest of this difficult. Also, our house burned down."
Then he turned it towards her. "You fully transformed a human being into a bird, then burned down a house. How do you feel?"
She groaned. "A little disappointed your camera made it, to be honest. How long until the batteries die?"
"I planned this trip, remember?" He flicked his tail towards the cab. "I have this folding solar panel thing we can set up. It was meant to run my laptop so I could edit the videos while we were out here. But there was no time to rescue it from the building. No wallet or phone either."
"Not having ID isn't as bad as it could be," she answered, measuring out their bowls. "Look at us. It's not like we could pass for human."



He switched off the camera. "Now that's my problem too, I guess. From now on, you don't have to worry about camp stuff. I want you on magical practice and nothing else. I can follow the instructions on the package, and I've got Iron Feather here to help. We have to open a portal to another world, then get home, before we're declared dead."
"And stay hidden from Searing Gale," Iron Feather added. "Hiding from your enemies will probably help hide from her too. If she didn't know Lotus was here, that Nirik fire told her. Across your whole planet, it is only present here."
"She knows," Lotus muttered, pawing weakly at the floor. "Or someone does. I guess it did sound like a girl. This... voice, when I was in the flame. It wanted me to burn everything. It told me things—but I didn’t listen to it. I didn't want to hurt anyone. It couldn't make me."
"That's not terrifying and creepy at all,” Gus said. "So maybe we won't leave you to study on your own, either. The one ring is whispering to you trying to turn you evil at the same time. Don't put it on, okay?"
"Should I know what that means?" Iron asked. "You have some evil rings out there we need to watch out for?"
"No." Lotus lifted Gus's bowl closer to him, shoving it in his direction. "Eat your oatmeal, Gus. You're confusing the pegasus."



> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus had been on extended camping trips before. Or more accurately, Eric had. He had always enjoyed a chance to be in nature and get away from the stress of a modern life. Getting out into the wild meant there was no one around to judge, no one whose standards he could fail to meet. 
Lotus could enjoy many of those same things. There was no fear of neighbors noticing her through an accidental gap in the blinds. If the police or some shady government organizations were going to find her, they would have a much harder time sneaking up on her. That kind of raid would probably involve an attack helicopter in the middle of the night, or maybe some black clad sniper ready to make them disappear.
Unfortunately, she didn't have any way to know whether the first arson of her life had attracted media attention. All those cameras watched her drive away, yet she had no idea how the world had reacted. Maybe it was all covered up, or maybe there was a nationwide manhunt in progress for the three clearly intelligent animals who drove away from a burning building.
Without the police to confront her, she knew only the more mundane aspects of camp life. She ate disappointing food cooked from dry mix over a propane stove. She drank slightly stale tasting water out of a filter. She slept in an oversized sleeping bag, one that made it no easier to get comfortable in her new body than her old bed.
Each day she woke dreaming of that awful duplex. Her room might have posters pinned to the walls and peeling paint, but at least the heater and AC worked. There were no birds to wake her when she wasn't ready, and no camp pots and pans to be scrubbed clean in the river.
"Sure we couldn't break into the hunting lodge?” she asked, by the third day. "I'd kill for a heater." 
Technically she had one already, a little propane one meant for use inside the tent. But it used the same fuel the stove did, and the brightest lantern. If they used it all to keep warm, then they would soon be eating cold, barely edible food.
"Positive. I set up his cameras, so I know they won't be easy to trick. If they go offline, he gets a message on his phone. If any two of them detect motion within five minutes, he gets a message on his phone. If the cabin gets too cold or too damp—"
"He gets a message on his phone," Lotus repeated, ears flat. "I get it. Was just hoping for a hot shower."
"Think of it as more incentive to practice," Gus said. He posed, opening both wings wide. "Iron has been walking me through some basic drills with these. It seems impossible, but he insists that birds like me can fly. Unless something happens to stop me, I'm going to learn it before we get our bodies back. Imagine how badass that would be—flying on your own power? If I'm lucky, my paramotor is still in one piece in the back of my van. If not—at least you got me this replacement."
"Better hurry up and practice," she said. Lotus had herself a nice little workbench now. Not as nice as a desk that stayed warm and dry at all times, but the tarps and a few cushions did help. "I've just about figured out this first spell. I was going to try casting it today, actually."
That remark had the desired impact. Iron's good wing slumped open, and Gus dropped his camera. He scooped it back up quickly, though he didn't switch it on. Despite what he said about being totally prepared for an extended trip, she hadn't seen a solar pad yet. Either he didn't think he needed it, or he actually only had spare batteries. She could hope.
"Are you sure?" Iron asked. "I don't want you to rush. Nobody here is trying to pressure you to start before you're ready."
Because you think if you did, I'd burn the forest down. She didn't say as much. She had enough reminders whispering into her own subconscious that she felt no need to add any to the waking world. "Positive as I can be. Don't get too excited, we aren't going home tonight. I'm just doing the detection spell."
"I might not have fully understood what that means," Gus said. He lifted up onto his hindlegs, long enough to make her blush, and also high enough to get a good view of what she was studying. Obviously, his intentions were only one of those, but which? "Explain to me again. Feels like we've been out here for months already."
He yawned, stretching backward much further and more flexibly than Lotus could. It must be a cat thing, because the idea of moving that way made her ache in sympathy.



Iron answered before she could. Despite not having any magic himself, he had clearly read every word that Luna wrote. Maybe he studied them in the mornings, when she was off bathing in the river. "We need to cross to Equestria using a Worldgate spell. That's extremely advanced magic, life's work kind of magic. Since she doesn’t have a choice, Lotus will have to do everything to make that easier for her.
"The first part is finding somewhere the worlds are extremely thin. That's what the first spell does—it finds places where Equestria is close, and easy to reach. Then when she's ready to cast the spell, that's where we'll do it."
"I don't know if that makes sense," Gus said, panning the camera slowly towards him. The red recording light was flashing again. "But you sounded confident, so I'm going to assume it was credible." The camera came back around to point at her. "You're ready for the first spell?"
She nodded towards a large pad of paper resting in the center of the desk. There she had recreated the spell diagram many times over, erasing each one with careful effort each time. Back when they had a house, she had just made a huge mess, pinning things up and saving many half-finished spell drafts. But now they were limited to what they had brought, and she did not intend to waste. "I want to wait until night. Apparently there's something about location spells under moonlight. I'm not sure why, but I need every boost I can get."
Nothing else productive happened while she finished things up. She had the rest of the day to practice, to finalize what would either tell them how to get back, or damn them to who knew how long until some rescue from the other side.
Her companions came and went, occasionally watching her to see her progress. But if they could actually read the diagram, neither of them showed any sign. Iron Feather wasn't a unicorn, and Gus seemed averse to magical exposure since his first encounter. She couldn’t exactly blame him for feeling unsafe. 
Then came sunset, and it was finally time to go to work.
Considering the results of the last attempt, Lotus didn't cast the spell in the center of their camp, where she did most of her work. Instead, she took the spell book and her huge notepad with her to her favorite spot by the river, where it widened into a little pond. It was just about deep enough to wash herself there, which would hopefully make her easy to extinguish if things got out of hand.
She found a stump to prop up her notebook, then levitated the spell book open beside her in the air, so she could reference the diagram and the original at the same time. Luna's notebook was nowhere in sight—everything she thought she needed had been hoof-copied.
"Can you walk me through everything you're doing?" Gus asked, holding the camera in one claw. Even if it was entirely her fault that he wasn't a human anymore, it felt unfair to see he still had hands. The digits on his claws weren't as flexible as the spindly little flesh-nubs of a human hand, but they were more than enough for things like this. Whatever she could do with concentration and “magic,” he could just use a physical limb to accomplish instead.
"No," she said flatly. "Now back a few more steps up, just in case. I want no casualties, no explosions. Iron, if I get weird, soak me to the skin. I think the spell book is indestructible, so don't worry too much about that. Get me."
He rested one hoof on a plastic bucket beside the river. The same one they all used to wash with, or at least she assumed. Eric had gone camping with Gus half a hundred times since they were kids. But Lotus was another matter entirely. She wouldn't feel comfortable with that, even though she spent every day naked. 
"Do you feel... like I'll have to?" he asked. "It didn't sound like magic itself caused you to go Nirik. That was your emotions, I think."
She shrugged one shoulder, ambivalent. "My first attempt with magic was garbage, I'm not going to plan for something better. If it happens to go well, then I can celebrate. Until then, I’ll keep my mouth shut."
She set the journal down, preparing as much magical strength as she could store. From what the spell book said, this should not require much magical energy, not compared to the magic they would need to cross worlds after.
But any kind of active spell, even something as simple as levitation, might interfere.
She had nearly cleared her thoughts away completely when she heard Gus's voice from nearby. "Lotus prepares for our second attempt at magic. You've already seen the effects of her first attempt. This might be similarly—"
"Gus!" she snapped, turning to glower at him through the trees. "For one minute, please. Shut the hell up and let me concentrate. Or I'll try to change your hair back again. Maybe you'll end up an actual woodpecker this time, instead of a griffon!"
He fell instantly silent. Despite his larger size, he slumped into the brush, ducking partially behind a nearby tree. He had to know she didn't mean that, right?
She didn't clarify for him. Instead, she returned her focus to the spell diagram. This time there was no interference. If anything, she felt as though the spell book itself was helping her along. That was probably silly in its own way—a book couldn't want her to do anything. Whatever impression she had that it was speaking to her was obviously just in her head.
Yet as she focused on the diagram, as she started reading the words of the spell—her tongue flowed easily over the runes. Light grew brighter and brighter atop her head, until the moon streaming in through the trees looked dim. Every word was a little like inflating a balloon, expanding it larger and larger until the pressure was unbearable, and she had to let it out.
The spell burst from her in a rush of violet light, lifting the leaves and twigs and sticks from where they fell and carrying them in an invisible breeze. A few sparked and sizzled in the air, before landing as a thin trail of ash. She made no attack, but her most powerful magic was still a force of flame.
All that light and heat concentrated in the air directly in front of her, forming an image. She saw it clearly, before she recognized exactly what she was looking at. A huge depression in the ground, circling with mechanical, regular layers. A truck bigger than some houses rolled past, as slow as the old crawler that once took the space shuttle to its launchpad.
"Enfield Mine," said a voice from nearby, amazed. Gus's voice, apparently proud he'd recognized it. "It looks like a live video, almost. How is it so good?"
It wasn't that good anymore. His voice wasn't quite human—it was the reminder of the dangers of her magic, a reminder that she was reaching beyond her ability. Eric wasn't a genius, he sucked at learning new stuff. Lotus could pretend all she wanted; she would never be more than Eric underneath.
The image fractured, then exploded. Heat rocketed past her, tearing up the ground and incinerating anything that got too close. Gus and Iron were far enough away that they could both dive for cover and escape the blast of hot air as it flew past. 



Most of that heat went right into the pond, then rose in a sudden rush of steam. 
A billowing white cloud filled the clearing. Then when it finally began to empty, it left a smoldering crater around Lotus. Her spellcasting notebook was a shredded ruin, burning at the edges—and the spell book was untouched.
"I know where that was," she finished, breathless. "We can go there."
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus was the first to emerge from cover. Despite the trees, his feathers and fur still looked a little scorched around the edges. Some part of Lotus still remembered what it was like to feel pain from heat, but that was a distant memory now. As distant as being human, and a dude.
"I was going to say you did that without blowing up," Gus began. "But you dropped the ball on that part, right at the end."
She scooped the spell book up into her magic, then stomped out the embers burning on what was left of her notebook. The flames went out, but that would do little to salvage the rest. The whole thing was now consumed, taking with it all her practice and spell notes. Again.
Lotus's tail flicked angrily back and forth, and her ears turned slightly back. Whenever she was making progress, whenever she was close to something—there was always a setback.
"You did great, Lotus! I'm pretty sure that was first try!" Another voice cut through her confused thoughts, one that hadn't been transformed by her failed magic. Because Iron Feather had always been a pony. "You said you knew where that was."
She wavered, taking a deep, slow breath. When she exhaled, she saw actual sparks on her breath, similar to when the princess wrote magical letters. But there was no letter this time, just rage extinguished. Her mane stopped standing on end, and she could meet his eyes again. "I do. There's an open pit mine about... half an hour from here. Guess it could be worse—the perfect place for a portal might've been out in the ocean, or in a bank vault or something.
Gus stepped out from the trees, making his slow way into the clearing. It was more open now that much of the loose matter was transformed to ash. 
"How much harder will it be to cast the other half of that spell? You got that one right first try, unlike another spell I remember. Will you cast the other one first try?"
She tensed. Of course, Gus wasn't wrong to feel upset. But another reminder wouldn't help. "The other one is much harder—and importantly, we have to break into a mine before I can cast it. We'll want to make sure we get it right the first try, so we can flee into Equestria. We can worry about how we'll escape when we make the return trip."
She turned her back on the site, carrying her spell book back to camp. There was no point bringing back her notebook, it was definitely a casualty.
"It might not even be a concern on our way back," Gus said, darting to catch up with her. "We might have a diplomatic delegation with us when we come back. We'll be returning as the brave explorers who connected two worlds, and taught humanity that magic and parallel universes were a real thing. Unless this isn't a parallel universe. I suppose there could be other explanations."
"And your textbooks burned at home," she supplied, before he could say something like it. "I know it's all my fault. You should just start every conversation with 'We all know the problems we're facing are your fault, but—' just so you don't have to keep mentioning it."
"I wasn't going to." He backed away from her, trailing behind. "Careful, Lotus. Talking about that is affecting you."
She grunted, looking away from him. “I don't know how much longer I'll need to study before I feel ready to try. Longer than I'd like." 
They reached the camp, the same as when they left it. The pickup itself formed the border on one side, with her tent on the other. A cooking area stood in the center, with a circle cleared for a campfire at night. Of course, Gus hadn't thought to bring a chainsaw or any fuel, so they had small fires made from whatever dry fuel they could find.
She didn't have to worry about the details of keeping it fed, even though they might've been a way to relax.
"You've done great these last few days," Iron Feather said, settling down beside her at her desk. It felt far emptier there without her notebook. "Better than most unicorns. You did yourself a disservice when you said you weren't capable. In another life I'm sure Celestia would've found a place for you in her school for gifted unicorns. If you... were a unicorn."
She flipped through the spell book in her magic. It took more effort than usual, evidently the fatigue left over from her spellcasting earlier. She would need to relax through the rest of the day, to avoid straining herself. But she couldn't rest too long, or else she'd go insane in the woods.
"I think it would be better for all of us if I was. I don't know your world very well, but I'm going to take a wild guess and suggest that unicorns aren't burning all the time."
Iron laughed. "N-no, they're not."
She might have settled back into her studies without much fanfare, if it wasn't for the sudden sound of footsteps, stomping towards them out of the forest. Lotus sat up, her eyes snapping instantly towards the noise. If those were the boots of some police officer or retrieval team, why weren't they coming from civilization?
"I..."
Gus wasn't watching, he had his neck craned over a camera, where he used a pen in his beak to carefully manipulate the screen. But Iron Feather was watching, enough that he had picked up the spear, and held it under one wing. What was that, exactly? Lotus's ears remained tense, pivoting towards the noise. That required no concentration or effort or her part, it just happened.
She was wrong—it wasn't one set of heavy footfalls, but several. Leaves crunched; twigs snapped—something was coming.



Iron mouthed something, dropping into a low crouch. His good wing held up the spear, ready for him to catch it under his leg if he had to. The other one was still in a splint, healing and useless.
But it wasn't his voice that she noticed next. There is nothing to fear, Lotus. I will be returned to my rightful owner. Your responsibility will end.
She said nothing, sliding carefully out of her seat. Far from preparing to fight, her muscles tensed so she could run away. But what would she be running away from? She couldn't see anything, just a shadowy forest. Shouldn't she see a glint of a glass lens at some point? The shady government organization would probably want to shoot her from a safe distance.
Then they charged. Lotus screamed, as space that looked empty except for a few shadows resolved into half a dozen—shapes? It was no wonder none of them had noticed the eyes on them, because they didn't look like living creatures. Instead, Lotus saw a creature composed of bits and pieces of rotten wood, connected by a spindly array of vines and ivy. They wove between large and small sections of wood, each one covered with white mildew and fungus and crumbling at the edges.
With the creatures charging at her, they didn't look like rotten wood anymore—they looked like wolves, baring mouths filled with tooth-shaped chunks of wood, sharpened and pointed inward. If they got a good grip on her body, she had no doubt about whether they would rip her apart.
She should've run by then; she could read the murderous intent in those glowing pits where their eyes should be. Her body refused to move. Instead, she heard only that same voice as before, soothing her. Relax, Lotus. You don't have to do anything. They'll be taking the book now. You've done everything expected of you.
It was just like the firestorm in her house—she could never rationalize such coherent thought to belong to the imagination of her own mind. Someone was trying to talk to her, really talk to her.
"For Equestria!" Iron Feather shouted. His voice boomed over the forest, breaking through the fugue over Lotus's mind. Suddenly she could think again, enough to see that Iron was clearly not going to be able to hold off so many on his own. He charged to meet one of the creatures, striking up against it with the force of his spear. Rotten wood shattered under the impact, and the creature yowled in pain, struggling to get its legs under it. But while it died, another two circled in around him, and two more ignored him entirely, coming for her instead. 
Just give them what they came for, said the voice from nowhere. Its words were soothing and gentle, the opposite to what was actually happening around her. It was a voice that made her want to listen, to levitate the book to them and be done. But if she did that—how would they make it to Equestria? How would she ever be human again?
"The hell are these?" Gus brought the entire camp grill down on one of the creatures, slamming it with enough force to dent the cheap metal. He backed away from another, opening both wings wide enough to lift him up into the air, and carry him away. He actually floated, far enough that he reached the trunk of a nearby tree. He gripped on tight, while two more of the plant-monsters snapped at the trunk.
"Timberwolves!" Iron took the bite of one onto his armor, then tackled another to the ground, crushing its rotten frame under his weight. "Undead... servants... of Searing Gale! She sent them!"
Two of them surrounded Lotus, teeth bared. They didn't attack her, instead blocked her from the worktable while a third hopped up, pushing aside everything with one paw, until only the spell book remained.
That might've worked a few days ago. It would've worked if she were still human. But for Lotus—physical space was only a suggestion. Her horn lit up, she yanked the spell book vertically into the air, slipping past the grasping paw of one expectant wolf.
Unfortunately, there were still two of them on her. She kicked out at one, but the other dodged, then bit down hard on her back. She barely felt it—something tried and failed to tear into the scales back there. She shook to one side, sending it scrambling to the ground. As it did, its claws dug into her flesh, tearing painfully.



She screamed, and the spell book tumbled from her grip, landing open on the dirt.
Lotus might not be strong enough to cope with the pain—but Eric was. He'd broken limbs before, the scratch of a wild animal wouldn't slow him down. There was clearly some of his strength left in her, because Lotus kept fighting. She screamed louder than the voice in her mind, then lashed out with a sudden wave of power.
Her scream wasn't just noise—it was flame. One timberwolf jumped for the spell book and turned to smoldering embers. Nothing ahead of her survived, except for the spell book itself, magically untouched.



Iron brought his spear down again, severing the vines along the spine of the remaining wolf-creature. It snapped in two still-moving pieces, until the pegasus slashed again to finish it off.
The heat in Lotus's chest finally dimmed, leaving only the smoldering underbrush ahead of her. Silence returned to the camp, broken only by a few pieces of still-wiggling growth.
"That was... awful," she muttered, dropping to one knee. "Anyone else get got?"
"Just you." Gus jumped—or glided—down from a nearby tree. He landed on the cab, then hopped down to ground level, avoiding the little fires still smoldering in the brush. "Probably ought to put these out before they burn the whole forest down."
"Extinguish the flames," Iron said, tossing the spear to the ground at his hooves. "I'll see to her wounds."
> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric had broken his leg once. Those memories of pain were some of his first, when he was too small to understand the world and his sister could still walk. 
Being bitten by a wolf of wood and fury wasn't quite as bad, but it was definitely similar. But there could be no trip to a hospital for skilled doctors to tend to her wounds—instead, she had to make do with the best ministrations a horse could provide.
She could do worse than Iron Feather to look after her. The stallion seemed to know what to do—how to clean a wound, and how to assess the damage.
"You need stitches," he said, after several painful minutes spent laying exposed on a camp blanket. "Otherwise, this might not close properly. We can't risk you getting an infection out here."
"There's a..." Her words trailed to silence, as he wiped a little more hydrogen peroxide on the wound. Did it have to hurt so bad? "Sewing kit," she finished, a few seconds later. "In the car. I don't have any of those dissolving sutures though, my medkit is just for hiking."
The stallion circled around her, standing at her front side. "Deep breaths, Lotus. I need you to relax. The damage is not serious. You will be fine, okay?"
She whimpered, wiping the moisture from her eyes. She forced a nod. "You expected this to happen, didn't you?"
"Eventually, yes. With a whole new planet to search, the sorceress might take a long time to find us. But when you burned that home down—the Nirik manifested. Hellfire burns bright enough that she found us."
Gus was nearby, with a large stick resting over his shoulder. He had escaped the encounter without injury, other than to his pride. The wolves had managed to take some of his feathers out during the attack. "And if she sent monsters against us once, she could do it again. There will be more attacks now."
"Yes. That first group was probably a scouting party. I don't know how much power she has for her necromancy—but if I had to guess, she will gather much more of it for a second attempt."
Iron Feather settled something down on the dirt beside Lotus. Even covered with ash, she recognized the old tome instantly. The spellbook that had tormented her first, then Gus. "Get some water boiling. I'm going to find the thread."
They did. Time blurred to Lotus, spent with the painful throbbing of her heartbeat as the wound pulsed. That gave her plenty of time to be alone with her own thoughts. Whether it was the otherworldly whispers of the cursed spellbook or her own imagination, it was still true.
"It's my fault she found us," she whispered, though whether to herself or her friend, she didn't know. And didn't care, for that matter. "If you don't hate me now, you can start."
Gus's voice came from nearby—a strangled laugh. She looked up just long enough to see him hunched over a little camp stove, with water heating inside. "You screwed up, Lotus. I'm still not sure how much."
"It was talking to me," she said. Iron might be able to hear her while he searched through the truck, but this was her best chance for him not to. Whatever it was worth. "It tried to stop me from interfering. Wanted to just let the monsters eat me. But I didn't want to die."
Gus appeared in front of her, looking solemn. He glanced at her back, then quickly away again. From the way he tucked his tail, she guessed it didn't look good.  He might have the sharp beak and claws that could rip someone's stomach open, but her friend had never been particularly good around blood. He hadn't once gone hunting with Eric. 
"Feels kinda like a one ring situation the more I take it in. Frodo didn't get all feminine and he didn't get to breathe fire, but otherwise it could be similar. Do you think the book tricked you into changing me, too?"
It would be so easy just to blame it. "I'm not sure," she said. "The magic in there is... real. I can tell that much. It's like looking in a math book, there's nothing 'false' about what it says, even if you don't understand it."
"Well. One day maybe we can take account of everything you put up in smoke. But if this gets as big as I think it will, that little house won't matter. We're the first explorers to a new world. We're about to bridge a gap between universes—show people that there's more to life than what you can prove with math and science. If there's one good thing to come from all this, you made me part of the story now. I'm not just watching from the sidelines."
He picked up his stick, swinging it vigorously through the air in front of him. "We have an evil wizard hunting us! How cool is that?"
Lotus inhaled sharply, to another burst of throbbing pain. "I mean—her first servants almost killed me. What if they had got my neck instead of my back? I would love a gun right now."
Her hunting rifle was ashes now, like the rest of her life. But if she could just throw fire around whenever she wanted, she might not need it. 
Iron reemerged, with the little plastic box in his mouth. The next few hours were spent with painful, makeshift medical treatment, stitching her wounds by a propane lamp. The process was as awful as she imagined. Lotus suffered through most of it biting a stick so she wouldn't accidentally take a piece of her tongue off as Iron worked on her. Then came the final layer, which the horse didn't understand but she insisted on—the liquid bandage.



It burned as much as pouring superglue into an open wound, because that was basically what they did. But when it was done, so too went her worst fears of infection. "Bandage would get wet..." she said, collapsed onto her belly now. "We're not in a hospital. The only way to keep it clean is glue it. That's what my dad taught me."
"He's a hardass," Gus supplied, unhelpfully. "Never takes a day off."
"We need to move," Iron announced, when the grueling task was done, and they were all recovering around a small campfire. "I don't know how much Searing knows, but she clearly found us once. Where can we go?"
"Through to your world," Gus suggested. "The spell worked, didn't it? Lotus knows where to make the portal. So, let's sleep this off, then go in the morning."
Lotus laughed. She was exhausted, and bitter with pain, but that idea was so stupid she had to say something. She kept as still as possible, so she didn't stretch or move her back. "I know you can't do magic, Gus—but no. I will need at least a week to study the real portal. If you think being transformed into a bird is bad, you should read what it says could happen to you if a worldgate fails."
"So we have to move," Iron repeated. "Your vehicle is large and could contain our whole camp. We should transport it somewhere more defensible. A cavern, or some friendly allies of yours. Can we call on any for help? You must have family."
They shared a look—Gus and Eric more than whoever she had become. "I don't have anyone we can call," Gus said, without hesitation. He kept his voice flat when he said it, but Lotus knew the pain underneath. Her friend's sudden wealth had given him many things, but it could not return all that was taken.
"Me neither," Lotus lied. "They would never help me like this. All the proof of my identity is gone. And even if I could, I wouldn't—I'm not going to put them in danger. My parents are old, and my sister is in a wheelchair. None of them can fight if more monsters like those come for me."
Assuming her dad didn't just pull out the old shotgun and fight them off with that as soon as they stepped out of the truck. He would probably think she was a fugitive from justice even if he believed her story.
"I can... understand that," Iron eventually said. "But we can't stay here. Searing was ruthless, determined, and powerful. If we can't do something to protect ourselves, she'll make the next attack far worse."
Lotus thought it over or tried. It was hard to focus on much of anything when she was in incredible pain. But Gus wasn't saying anything. "We can't just go where we want, when we want," she eventually said. "We ran away from the fire. Even if there were no bodies in there, the police are looking. We have to drive at night and try to stay away from anywhere we might be spotted. I can think of... one place."
"Please no." Gus covered his face with his forelegs, turning away. "You're going to say it, aren't you?"
"There's a large abandoned building off the freeway," she said. "A few miles from where we turned off. "Storm ripped the roof off a few years ago, but the lower floors are in decent shape. Still had services last time I was there."
"You went to an abandoned building?" Iron asked, confused. "Any structure sounds better than none. But I am struggling to understand why it would be left in such a state. If it is intact, then..."
"It's an old insane asylum," Gus said, loudly. "Everyone thinks it's haunted. They do spook alleys every Halloween. And the rest of the year it's mostly teenagers who want a private place to—"
Lotus cleared her throat loudly. She tried to kick him to shut him up, but her foreleg wouldn't reach. She had to stretch and doing that sent another wave of pain rippling down her back.
"Oh." Iron glanced between them, then nodded knowingly. "I understand. There are parks in Equestria for something similar. Young ponies who wish for privacy but have nowhere else to find it. Won't that make it a poor hiding spot?"
"No. The garage is intact, so we can hide the truck from sight. Then we can set up on the roof. No one goes up there."
"Because it's not safe," Gus added. "Because the building is rotting apart and might collapse at any moment and the parts getting rained on will be the first to go."
She shrugged. "Probably. But all three of us together probably weigh about as much as one person. And if it does start to collapse, you two can just fly off. Is your wing almost better, Iron?"
He nodded. "I'll be able to get the splint off soon. But I won't be able to fly on it for weeks more. Only short glides, nothing to strain the bones and break them again."
"I can't believe we're going to live in the Valland Asylum," Gus groaned. "This is so stupid. Just hurry up and cast the spell now!"
Lotus didn't want to move, but she could still lift up one of the sticks from their pile of fuel and toss it at his face. "Dude—I almost burned you alive last time. I want to get through way more than you do." She waved her tail through the air as dramatically as she could.
"I'm a horse girl, you're a cool bird. You can wait it out."
"You're not a horse," Iron argued. "You're a kirin. That's half pony, not half horse. More importantly, you're also hurt and need to heal. Which is why you're going to lay here while we pack up this camp." He leaned over, then turned the light up to its brightest setting.
Gus groaned, shielding his face with one wing. "Not so bright! It's hard enough to see in the dark without a spotlight. We don't have to move now."
"We do," he said, unzipping one of the tents. "Lotus says we need to move only by night, or risk discovery by the authorities of your world. Is she wrong?"
"Well, no, but—"
He emerged from inside the tent with a bedroll, then dropped it from his mouth. "Then help me."
> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was incredibly rare for Lotus to feel lucky that she was hurt. The wound was probably not so bad that she wouldn't be able to help if she really had to—but if they didn't make her, then she would take the chance to rest.
Eventually they asked her to get into the car, assuring her that Iron could handle the pedals that time. She was too exhausted from the day to argue, so didn't try.



The next thing she knew, they were pulling into the old parking lot. The space was overgrown with grass and small shrubs, but it was smoother against her tires than the ground. Besides, there was the ugly old building looming overhead, clear to her despite the darkness.
There were no lights on inside, no sign of other occupants. 
"Don't think we're going to some paradise, Lotus. There's no power here. Halloween people always brought a generator."
She blinked, yawned, then sat up from the passenger seat. "We're here. And I don't hear police sirens."
"No one was out here," Gus said. His voice was an exhausted sigh. His wings drooped from either side, but somehow, he kept his eyes focused ahead of them.
"We can't—we can't just park outside. We'll be visible from the—"
"I know," he snapped. "I packed, I got us here—just stay quiet and let me finish."
She stayed quiet and let him finish. Then she drifted, and things were different. They weren't moving again. Suddenly the world was dark. Only a faint glow remained on her dashboard, barely enough to see by. 
"Make room up there," Gus demanded, before crawling over the narrow divide into the back. The space back there was far too cramped for all but small children to ride as passengers—or for one griffon to sleep, apparently.
She didn't know exactly why he was saying it, until Iron clambered up into the driver's seat from below. He stretched, opening his other wing to full size. The smell was particularly strong then, betraying the night of hard work he had obviously suffered through.
The front was a single bench, so he wasn't exactly far away. He was also looking at her, though maybe he thought that was hard to see from the gloom. Maybe she just imagined it.
He curled up against the opposite side a moment later, resting his head against the single good wing. "I guess we make a new camp tomorrow," he muttered, barely over a whisper. "I hope you master that spell soon. Just wait until you... see Equestria. There's so much more than trees and tiny buildings."
She smiled stupidly back at him. It was probably just the delirium and the pain. "My world is... more than those things too. You just ended up in a small part, with someone who didn't matter."
The pegasus was closer than she thought. Close enough that she could feel his breath.
"Small... not so sure. Most could not do what you did. You’re learning a new art, not surrounded by skilled unicorns, but alone with one book. You face the temptations of a monstrous body and evil magic. Searing wouldn't have done that. She would burn everything before her, sparing none. And few... few ponies would face a timberwolf without fleeing. You did and won." 
He yawned, stretching out along the seat. Lotus didn't really want to be awake either. She was hurt, after she spent so much of her magic to discover the place for their portal.
It was so easy to just close her eyes and let exhaustion take her.
When she woke again, it was to light streaming in through a metal door to one side, and a space that was warm and soft—much more than a pickup's bucket seat should ever be. 
It was better than a sleeping bag on a perpetually deflating mat. If she kept her eyes closed, she could forget about the pain in her back, the throbbing of a wound that was only then beginning to heal. 
But then something jostled into her from behind, and she sat up. She had somehow fallen asleep beside Iron, and now had her head resting against his wing. Had she moved during the night?



Gus yawned, then looked away from her. "I'm not gonna say anything. But... can you open the seat? I need to take a leak."
She nodded hastily, sitting up. The pony beside her stirred slowly, reluctantly. He had spent the night working hard, much harder than she had. She shuffled out of the truck, then wrenched the seat back with her magic so Gus could exit.
He sniffed, eyes lingering on her for another few seconds. Maybe he didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. The judgment was obvious.
"There wasn't a lot of room in there," she said, without prompting.
"Yeah, we got to get camp set up," he agreed, walking away to get some privacy.
Iron poked his head out of the truck a few seconds later. She saw no shame from him, just more tiredness.
"Thought you always got up at sunrise," she said, stretching. Her back felt better than she expected. So long as she didn't flex down the center, she would probably be fine. "Isn't it a little late for you?"
They were in an underground parking structure beneath the building. Most of it was packed with junk, including several slowly rusting garbage containers, furniture clogging the walkways, and the wreckage from many teenage parties.
The gate inside was usually closed, with a lock that hadn't worked right since Eric first learned about this place. But Gus had left it open from the night before. At least so far, they had no visitors.
That was the only source of light, streaming in from outside. Lotus guessed it must be around ten, judging by the solid yellow quality of it.
"Sometimes. Not when I work through the night. There are potions for extended shifts, but they're dangerous to use for too long. The princess never let us use them in her service."
He hopped out, landing on the pavement just beside her. "Could you help me get these bandages off my wing? Either it's healing right by now or it's not, I'm not going to keep it tied up anymore. Not when we might be attacked."
She glanced down at his bandages. Other than the original splint, none of it was left from that first night. They had kept changing the wraps regularly, to keep them clean.
Except they were filthy now, covered in mud and slime from the fight, then the hours spent packing and moving everything. She bent down to use her mouth to get the knot untied—until the smell hit her. 
Lotus remembered her magic again really quick after that. Iron Feather shook his wing free of its restraints, then opened it to full size. The feathers had a sorry, drooping look to them, and the smell was almost as bad. Not the kind of interesting dirty.
"I hope our new camp has a river. Or a shower, that would be preferable. I grew up in Canterlot, not Ponyville or some other backwater town."
"Water was still on last I checked," she answered, backing away from him by one step. "No heat though, because the gas and electricity are long gone. We'll want to filter the water just in case, not sure if the pipes are still good."
She glanced back at the truck. Unlike their first trip, her stuff wasn't carefully organized for camping, but packed in haphazardly. The tent hadn't even been properly stowed, just folded up and stuck on top of everything like a tarp. At least they thought to use the tie-down straps.
"And the ghosts," he said. "Your friend insisted the building was 'haunted.' The spirits of the dead torment the living in your world?"
"No, they don't," she said, exasperated. "But Gus is—the kind of guy to help a roommate who turned into a hors—into a Kirin. He's a little out there. But the building is kinda dangerous for real reasons. I'll study as quick as I can. That way we can get you home."
"And you back to normal," he added. He shook off the last vestiges of the splint, brushing them off the wing with a hoof. "You can go back to being a gigantic, furless... spider-hoof creature. You must be thrilled."
She couldn't bring herself to lie. "We should carry our stuff higher up. Harder to get to us—more defensible? Better up there than here."
He folded both wings, then strode past her. "You can't put any weight on your back, don’t even think about it. But you can get a flashlight and lead me while I carry it."
That was what they did. Gus remained behind to unload the truck and hide it from easy view with some trash. 
"Plus, if the ghosts attack, that means Lotus gets to deal with them. She brought us here, so it's only fair."
They saw no ghosts as they climbed the building. At worst, the old asylum did have a generally unwelcoming feel to it—the feel of a place that discouraged visitors and long stays. But she had never seen anything supernatural there. The only otherworldly entities in the Valland Asylum were Lotus and her companions.
She led them past several lower floors, where the remnant decorations of several years of Halloween spook-alleys sat abandoned. "You shouldn't come to this part without me," she explained, pulling one of the doors shut.

"Because of the ghosts? I think I see one in there."
"That... is a ghost, I suppose," she said, pointing towards it so her headlamp would shine in through the crack in the door. "But it's made of silk and cloth, hanging from the ceiling. Honestly a few years of rot make this stuff look way scarier than I remember during Halloween."
"Oh!" He beamed, expression turning from confusion to recognition. "You celebrate Nightmare Night! Hunting for sweets, deliberately frightening your friends—this building used to be an attraction?"
"Yes," she agreed. "Of all the holidays to overlap, that's a weird one."
She reached a promising wing, one without any decorations or the smell of mildew and rot. The hallway was clean, empty of furniture and old belongings. Only a few tags sprayed on the wall suggested anyone had been here since the building was abandoned.
Plus, it had intact windows, covered in so much dust they would probably hide them from the outside. She waved them inside, then walked down a long hallway between what had obviously been patient rooms. Larger than a hospital, since the people here had stayed for some time. Each one had an attached restroom, with shiny metal fixtures. Not comfortable exactly, but...
"You wanted to clean up? Maybe here, before you stink up the place with that wing. Where's my evil spellbook?"
He shrugged several overflowing bags onto the floor outside the bathroom, then fished around inside. He emerged with the book a few seconds later, holding it gingerly in his mouth.
He couldn't speak until she took it, holding it closer in her magic. "Be careful. I know we don't have a choice—but that isn't just a spellbook, Lotus. It's the phylactery of one of the evillest creatures to ever live. Do you know what that means?"
She shook her head once. "It sounds spooky. I could ask Gus about it."
"When Equestria defeated Searing Gale, they sealed her soul away across two books. So long as they were kept together, they would contain her for all time. When they were separated—her power was released. Part of Searing is still trapped in those pages. I don't know if it's awake, but I'm sure it will try to use you."
"It already did," she said. "Maybe more than once. But I'll be careful. Worldgate spell... that's what we need. I can leave the rest of her magic alone."
"Good." He touched her on the shoulder with his good wing. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Lotus. You've already suffered enough."
He gathered the camp soap from one duffel, then stepped up into the shower. He didn't actually wait for her to leave, just turned it on and got right in. She made a hasty retreat, before unwelcome thoughts could linger for too long.



> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus had all kinds of ways to keep herself busy. But of them all, the most important labor waiting for her was the spell back to Equestria. They were truly living on borrowed time now, hunted by more than a few uneasy feelings and eyes that seemed to watch from the pages of her book.
Searing Gale could animate servants to fight them. She still felt the ache of the wounds they inflicted, and the sure knowledge that much worse could follow. Servants made of wood don't seem too useful to a fire creature. Unless that was part of the plot, goading her into manifesting Nirik powers against them, so she would be easier to track, or manipulate, or some other dark design.
Instead of returning directly to the cursed spellbook, she found Luna's book instead, and the far friendlier spells upon it.
She could feel them now, in a way that she couldn't before her first successful casts. There was a weight of... pressure, on the object, unseen momentum that pushed it along axes beyond the three spatial dimensions.
She found a mostly intact window, then settled under it with the book, flicking through it with levitation. Studying this object showed her more than just the spell that made it, whose complexity defied any attempt she might ever make to recreate it. There was a signature here too, a subtle residue of power belonging to its owner. If Lotus let her eyes unfocus, she could almost feel the soft touch of moonlight on her face.
Will I keep changing if I keep learning magic? She still remembered a time, not far distant, when the prospect of any change filled her with disgust. Eric was still buried deep inside, his discomfort suppressed but not erased. If she never solved this, he would die, along with any trace of the life she once lived. She couldn't let that happen.
Finally, she came to the last page, where Iron's penmanship followed her own last entry. That was new—she hadn't written anything since the fight. As soon as she saw it, Lotus dreaded what it might say. Surely her pony companion was growing afraid of her. He would be begging for rescue, or some curse that Luna could place on her to keep her from threatening him.
It was nothing of the sort. 
"My Princess, positive and negative developments. Following the accidental burning of my host's home and our relocation, Lotus was able to cast her sensing spell. She located a viable site for a Worldgate. During the casting, we were attacked by a group of timberwolves. 
We were victorious, sustaining only minor injuries. My recovery is progressing, I believe my wing will be strong enough for short flights by the end of the week. Lotus is now preparing for the portal itself. 
We would both be eternally grateful for any assistance you might render.
Yours in service,
Iron Feather"
As Lotus watched, dark ink stained the page, flowing along as though from an invisible pen. She stared, letting the flood of magic wash over her. It was not as powerful as the spell Lotus used to locate the Worldgate, but this magic was far subtler, the craftsmanship of a master.
"Searing Gale marshals her strength on this side. With the two halves of her soul separated, her Nirik half has been unleashed. Many are hurt, and many more will suffer if nothing is done soon.
Do not write to me again until you are within Equestria's borders, unless you have no other choice. The attack you suffered demonstrates that Searing Gale's eye turns towards you. Any magic you cast will make you easier to discover, but any enchantment that crosses the veil between worlds will draw her to you with particular strength.
I have sent everything I know about constructing Worldgates. I do not know where you will arrive, but I advise you to sleep as swiftly as possible. Your dreams will guide me to your rescue.
We do not yet know what Searing Gale intends for you, or Equestria. Her actions thus far do not suggest that she has taken this time to self-reflect and experience regret, as I once did.
Expect greater ferocity the longer you delay. Her power grows, and her assessment of your talents expands with each attack you thwart. She will not send such feeble servants next time. I fear her next attack against you will be far deadlier.
I have faith in you, Lotus. I know better than anypony how difficult it is to endure the torment of a wicked instinct. Through mastery of self, you can emerge victorious as I once did. If you cast the location spell, you have the talent to create a temporary Worldgate as well.
When you do, the vast investment of magical energy will surely draw your enemy to you. Prepare for her, and you will triumph. But no matter how strong you feel, do not attempt it alone. Remember, friendship is the true wellspring of all magic.
-Luna"
Lotus briefly considered writing back, but ultimately dismissed the idea. The princess's instructions were clear, along with her assessment of the risks to frequent communication. Besides, there wasn't much she could say to the princess, beyond confirming her agreement to the plan. The princess would discover that for herself as soon as Lotus completed the Worldgate.
Lotus snapped her book closed, and finally went to grab the tools she needed for more magical practice. 
She gathered fresh paper and ink from her supplies, along with the other book. That one she didn't float in her magic, but carried along on her back, balancing it as she clambered through the debris and garbage.
There was already less of it than before. Gus worked in their growing camp, filling black contractor bags with trash. Whether she should envy him for his "hands," or pity that he was the one picking up garbage, Lotus wasn't sure. "We aren't going to stick around," she said, stopping briefly in the doorway. "Don't we want to blend in? If people find one part of this place that's obviously lived in..."
Gus looked up, brushing sweat and grime away from his face. "Better, maybe. But I'd rather find a way to lock the door, and not feel like I'm living inside a dumpster. Besides..." 
He gestured to what had once been a receptionist's desk. His camera stood there on a little tripod, though the display along the back was currently dark. "I want somewhere clean to film while we prepare. Our new friend says he can teach me how these wings work. If I'm going to learn to fly, I need somewhere to record my vlog afterwards. I need somewhere clean to chroma-key the background out later."
She shrugged, taking her supplies back to the isolated office she'd chosen for her new magical practice space. Iron was already inside, dragging a mostly intact chair from the doorway. He released it with his teeth, making a disgusted face. "This chair tastes like death."
The pegasus no longer smelled much like death. Properly washed and dried, his chest feathers fluffed out, and his wings spread freely behind him, in a way she took for relaxed. So long as she avoided looking too low, she could pretend she wasn't naked and alone in a small office with him.
"I think it might be leather, so..." She trailed off. "Never mind. You don't want to know. Did you see Luna's note?" She gestured at the book as she spoke, still open to the page of their latest communication.
He nodded, turning his back on her and the chair. He nudged the desk with one hoof, without bothering to pick it up. "I guess we're on our own from now on. Either your spellcraft will make the Worldgate we need, or..."
She crossed to the desk beside him, levitating the paper and pens up onto the surface. She had a little more trouble with the cursed book, her attempt to nudge it only made it tumble sideways onto the ground between them.
Lotus tensed. Heat rose to her face, flaring from around her horn. She smothered it quickly, glowering down at the cursed book. "If I can't, do you think the princess will send a rescue? If Searing Gale can send curses at us, Luna must be able to do something too, right?"
Iron bent down, somehow scooping up the tome in a single hoof. He held it without fingers, settling it reverently on the desk. That meant he was close, close enough to feel the moisture still rising from his coat. She liked that smell far better than the mildew and decay of the old asylum.
"Something is different about you. I can't tell..."
"Rat poison?" she suggested. "Or something worse. This place is foul."
He touched her shoulder, then her horn. "No. It's... magic. Before I could barely feel you, but not anymore. You're like... those unicorns Celestia recruited for her school. Lightning outside of a bottle, ready to strike."
She nodded nervously. Either she was imagining things, or the pony had started to steam, moisture rising from his still-damp coat as though he'd stepped out of a hot tub and not a near-freezing shower.
In the absence of agonized screaming, she had to assume he was okay. "I don't... know exactly what you mean. But I feel something too. Like the more magic I do, the easier it is to feel it."
She reached out to demonstrate, but her hoof only brushed against his leg. She looked away, and this time the heat on her face was more than angry magic. "It's like... going your whole life in monochrome. You think that's all there ever was, but then your eyes open and there's more. Reds, blues, yellows—everything. But the world didn't change, you did. It was always that colorful."
"That sounds... great," he finished. At least the pegasus didn't sound any more confident than she felt, or the embarrassment might kill her. She couldn't be the only one! "That should make the Worldgate easier, right? It won't matter if Equestria can't get a rescue across. You don't need their help."
"Yeah." Her tail flicked nervously back and forth, eventually tucking between her legs. At least there it could only hit against her, and not betray her growing anxiety by smacking into any walls. "I think..." She wasn't thinking much about magic anymore. Whatever heat came, she no longer felt any desire to extinguish it. 
Maybe being Lotus wasn't so bad. Maybe there were some advantages...



Then Iron kissed her. Whatever remained of her composure melted away, vanishing into warmth and pressure, and two desperate people together in one lonely, dark space.
She wasn't sure what the princess meant about “friendship” being the wellspring of magic, but she could think of something else that might be.
Claws scraped down the hall, along with a dragging, clattering sound of full trash bags. Lotus blinked, and realized what some of that warmth was coming from. Iron's hoof was still on her shoulder.



The sound roused him as easily as her. He let go, turning abruptly away, then raising his voice. "I should quit distracting you. You've got a spell to prepare—any idea how long you'll need?"
She shook her head once, clearing away the images forming there. Not one of them was a spell diagram, or any of the runes Luna made her memorize. Lots of them included Iron Feather, though. 
"I... think the first thing I need is a cold shower," she said, backing away from him. "If you could have lunch ready for me at some point, that would let me keep studying. It won't be tonight, that's for sure. A week, and that's being optimistic."
She turned, before she could even catch his reply. She hurried out into the hall, speeding up until she caught Gus there with his first load of garbage. He sniffed, expression turning unreadable. "Something wrong?"



She shook her head vigorously, then squeezed past him. "I just need to wash off, that's all. And maybe change my bandages. I don't want to think about what's getting into the wound right now."
He nodded. "I think we've got some. Don't use anything stored in here, or you'll get... dragon rot. Or rabies, or the mange. Whatever kinds of diseases kirin can get."
He set off towards the stairs, without another backward glance. And more importantly, without any sign he realized what had almost happened.
I don't have time for this, she thought, heart racing with every step closer to the showers. I am not interested in a horse. It must be an infection.
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cold water washed around Lotus, taking with it the heat of many bad decisions. Once even a few seconds in such an uncomfortable space would've driven her to finish cleaning up as quickly as possible, before stumbling out of the shower with desperate, insatiable shivering.
No longer. Something about the kirin's disposition, or maybe the supernatural heat boiling in her belly, kept her from feeling anything but a pleasant coolness against her skin and scales. With every passing second, calm and confidence gradually took the place of confusion and self-doubt.
Yes, it was getting harder to think straight around Iron. He could only save her life so many times before leaving an impression. Whatever disgust she expected, it never manifested. All that remained was the intellectual confidence that her old self would be unhappy with what she was doing. But Lotus didn't feel like Eric in those ways anymore. Should she be surprised that a horse brain worked differently?
I need to stay focused on getting that portal open. I can figure out if this makes me gay once I get us to Equestria.
Somewhere out there, in a world she knew almost nothing about, an evil sorceress had once waged a war of genocide and conquest and was now free to do it again. The only way to stop her, apparently, required the spellbook waiting for Lotus to study. Every hour she spent struggling to get over herself, people might die. 



She shut the water off, but there was only a single wet camp towel. She ignored it, focusing instead on the warmth burning in her chest, releasing it to flow freely up and down her body. Not so much that it would change her mane, transforming her into a creature dangerous to her friends and enemies alike—this was just a few breaths to stoke the embers. 
Steam soon filled the room, leaving her body crisp and clean. I just need to focus on getting the Worldgate open. After that, who knows?

Iron brought her lunch a few hours later, interrupting her first attempt to hold even some of the Worldgate runes in her mind. 
She looked up from her meditation spot, surrounded by several self-levitating sheets of paper. "Iron? Oh." 
He nodded grimly, settling the bowl on the table in front of her. "I'm afraid we're nearly out of supplies. After dinner tonight, that's it."
Of course they were. She had only planned for three days camping, which meant she brought enough supplies for about twice that long. They were well past that, a product of careful rationing and perhaps a little foraging too. She levitated the bowl up to her nose, sniffing at the oatmeal inside. Gus had seasoned the contents with a pinch of cinnamon and other spices, but it barely helped.
"What should we do now, hunt rats? I can feel them in here, scurrying around. But I think I'd rather starve."
Iron chuckled. "I think Gus wants to purchase supplies from a human vendor. He planned to have a conversation about it once you were too mentally exhausted to continue practicing."
He nudged the door shut behind him, settling into the doorway. "About earlier. Lotus, I... if I've upset you, I'd like to apologize. I know most of my armor is gone, but I'm still on duty. I deserve no forgiveness, but I ask it anyway, with an oath that I will not repeat that indiscretion in the future."
So much for avoiding that subject. Lotus couldn't even distract herself with food, not without sticking her face in another dreadful bowl of oatmeal. She levitated her magical worksheets down onto the floor around her, then met his eyes.
"You don't have to make it sound... so extreme," she finally said. Each word came slowly, somewhere in the battle between what Eric's memory might want, and what Lotus did want. In the end, the memory would just have to accept that she wanted different things. Why shouldn't they?
Iron's formal posture relaxed. His wings opened, and he even smiled again. "How should I sound, then?"
"You can apologize for... distracting me," she said lamely. "You have no idea how hard this is! The pressure is bad enough before you start introducing all these questions." 
She settled one hoof on the cursed spellbook for emphasis. "Getting to Equestria has to be our top priority right now. The danger has to be resolved before anything else."
Iron nudged her chest with one feathery wing. If she were human, that gesture would probably be more intimate—as a kirin, it just felt teasing. "I have thought about it. But when we get back to Equestria, that will be it. The princess can change you back into whatever you used to be and send you home. Hopefully with a reward commensurate to the service you rendered Equestria in helping me, but still. That will be the end."
"Princess Luna writes like she thinks I would make for a gifted student. You think she would want to get rid of me that badly? Pack me up and send me on my way as soon as we're through the door?"
"I thought you wanted that. You want to change back into one of those too-tall spider-hooved primates, right? Go back to living in that prison house."
It was her turn for a little bitter laughter. "Look, Iron. I'm still figuring this out. Magic, and—some other stuff. Right now, I can't tell you what I'll decide. Only that I have to make it to Equestria first. Help me do that, and..."
She flushed, tucking her tail between her legs. Her ears folded backwards, and she levitated her spells back into the air. "You can finish that oatmeal if you want. I'll skip this one."
"Right." Iron took it, somehow holding the bowl with a wing. How he could move with that and somehow not drop it, Lotus couldn't even imagine. That was one lesson her transformation wouldn't be teaching her tonight. "I guess I'm sorry I... distracted you. I'll be more careful until we're in Equestria."
She nodded eagerly. "More c-careful, that's all. You saw what the princess wrote in her letter. Searing Gale will make the next attack even worse than this one."

As it turned out, Lotus wouldn’t have to wait for the evil sorceress to try and kill her again. Their resident griffon had a plan that might take care of that all on his own.
"You can't be serious," she said, smacking one weary hoof against the driver's door, shoving her pickup closed. "You think we should go buy supplies? Like, from a store?"
"Yep."
Even seeing the confidence on his face, Lotus had to check to make sure she wasn't the victim of some absurd, practical joke. She eyed the gloomy parking garage for any sign of his cameras, tucked away where she wasn't meant to notice. 
But even with her horn glowing, she saw no glitter of a glass lens. "What do you think will happen when we walk into a Walmart looking like this? How long until we get shot?"
Iron Feather lingered just behind her, wearing a heavy satchel over his shoulder. Inside was the cursed tome, along with Luna's journal and a few other knick-knacks. 
Unlike the tiny home she had rented with Gus, the asylum was much too large to fully search, let alone secure. Distracting or not, at least the guard knew how to do his job. If she hadn't hit him with this truck...
"Not somewhere so big, or with so many people. You're right, the chance some crazy redneck decides I'm a wild animal about to maul someone is just too high. We're going to go to a gas station, the truck stop’s just off the highway and that overpass with the bridge."
Lotus knew it, since it was the same station she usually stopped at for snacks on her way to her family's farm.
"We have to get food somewhere. We have to take a risk somewhere." 
Lotus glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the pony. "You need to understand, Iron. Weapons are everywhere here. Most people who live out here could kill us from long distance, so fast we wouldn't have a chance to react. Our weapons are much more dangerous than swords and spears, and everyone has them."
The guard's expression remained almost identical, perhaps twinged with a few degrees of confusion. "Every foal among the earth ponies could crush my skull without effort. The unicorns could lift another pony into the air and strangle them. So what?"
"She thinks people would be afraid of us," Gus supplied. He opened the door, then clambered into the driver's seat. "She might be right, but we can mitigate the risk. We're going at night; we're taking the empty country roads instead of the highway. If the police are still looking for your car, the time and obscurity should help."
He settled into a standing position on the seat, resting both claws on the wheel. It would still take someone else's help to drive the car, no matter how close those claws came to human dexterity. 
"Even if it's empty, the clerk is going to panic. Every sheriff in the county will be speeding over before we finish paying. Assuming you have the money to do that, my wallet was in the house when it burned."
Gus nodded absently. "I've got a plan for that, and not getting caught. We're going to park outside the view of any cameras. We go in, buy as much as we can, then sprint like hell for the truck. Police won't be looking for a pickup at that point, but three... whatever we are. Can you imagine what social media will look like tomorrow morning? Two horses and a bird buy snacks at Montana gas station, here's how AI faked it all!"
She turned her back on him, tail flicking up against the truck in annoyance. "You think this is a good idea, Iron?"
"No, but I think we have to do it anyway. If your friend could fly, he could go alone with considerably less risk. But I don't trust my wings for something so dangerous, or my ability to interact with the natives of your realm. We have to go together."
That explained why he was unwilling to leave the book behind. "I guess we're doing this." She hopped up into the car, squeezing past Gus and down near the pedals. From then on, she kept her eyes determinedly focused on the ground, or the wall, or anything but looking behind her. "You should've put some pants on first."
"I'd love to," Gus said, starting the old pickup. "But someone burned all my pants. But I've thought about all that for the vlog, don't worry. If I pick the right angle, we won't have to blur anything. It's even easier for you—do kirins even have breasts?"
Lotus stomped one hoof against the metal floor, so hard it stung. "Remember where the one who burned your pants is sitting, Gus. I think you should forget you ever asked that question, unless you want me to burn even more next time."
She didn't turn around to see his face, but his voice made his reaction clear enough. He got the message. "Right. Another time."
The passenger door banged closed a second later. "I know you've explained it to me before. But your world's taboos are still... difficult to grasp. When we get to Equestria, I think you'll like our way of doing things better."
There was little opportunity for conversation once the drive got going. Lotus couldn't relax, not when she had to work both pedals without any view of the road outside. She listened attentively to Gus's instructions, fighting back the growing dread of what waited for them. 
> Chapter 23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I still can't believe I'm doing this. Lotus stared out the shadowy windows of her old pickup. As insane as this plan was, they'd still made it all the way out here, a short run from the gas station.
Now the QuikTrip lights glowed against a foggy night, joined only by the occasional flash of headlights blazing along the highway. Almost no one stopped, and seconds turned into minutes of relatively uninterrupted peace. 



"The longer we sit here, the more time for somebody to roll up," Gus said. The truck was off already, pulled around so it faced away from the gas station. Hopefully that would mean a quick getaway, once they actually finished with the supply run. Not that any of them expected the single tired clerk on duty to chase after a few mythical creatures that came by at night for snacks. "Unless you think you're going to get that illusion spell in the next few minutes, we should go now."
She stared down at the spellbook for another few seconds, lit only by her horn against the dark car. The spell was far simpler than the Worldgate she spent all her time perfecting—but simpler didn't mean related. Expecting to master this in a few minutes was a bit like thinking knowing how to fix her car would also prepare her to assemble firearms from scratch. 
She snapped the book closed, then settled it into her satchel. Carrying it would mean less weight of supplies—but leaving it sitting in the car to get snatched by some unseen servant of Searing seemed worse. If she lost the book now, when she was so close to getting them to Equestria...
"It can't be that dangerous." Iron stared back through the windows, before sliding down into the passenger seat beside her again. "It's the middle of the night. You already said there's not more than one pony inside this late. What are you afraid of?"
Gus hopped out of the truck, prompting the others to follow. They left the door cracked open, ready for them to jump inside and escape when the time came. Gus distributed their empty bags; with straps he had modified into awkward saddlebags.
They wouldn't be comfortable for any kind of long trip and might not even stay attached if they ran. But they wouldn't have to last long, only about 500 meters from the gas station to the truck.
She stiffened as he reached her, tucking her tail firmly between her legs, and breathing in sharply. He had the “hands” to tie the straps into place. He was still Gus; the same one Eric had grown up with. But if she asked him to have Iron do it, that would probably just make it worse.
That was when she noticed the camera strapped to his head. Her horn lit up, bright enough that his catlike pupils narrowed suddenly to thin lines. "Why the hell are you recording this?"
He backed away from her, eyes fixed on the horn. "Easy, Lotus. I just want a record. People need to know what we're doing. This isn't an attack; we're going to a store to buy food. This shows how safe we are. And... it's part of my plan."
He stood up straight, then moved forward with a few jerky, mechanical footsteps. "Hello sir. We are... not animatronics. We are real. Yes. Alive. Please allow us to... purchase... snacks. Thank you."
He relaxed, spinning so fast his tail lifted a cloud of dust along the dirt road. "I'm telling you, the camera effect is real, Lotus. We run in shouting, and they run away in terror. But if we give somebody anything they can use to cling on to their beliefs about how the world ought to be, then suddenly we're not so scary. It's a social experiment."
He finished with Iron's bags, faster than with hers. Finally, the three set off down the dirt road. They walked close together, beside a drainage ditch. If they saw headlights, they could always jump down and hide.
"You seriously think that will work?" she asked. She was whispering now, but with animal senses she had no doubt she would still be heard. "Pretend to be robots? It's just a prank bro?"
He nodded. "If there's just one person inside... yeah. People by themselves are different than people in a group. Just remember the plan and play along."
"I didn't fully understand your... plan," Iron admitted. "Could you explain it simpler for me? With fewer concepts I don't know?"
Gus gestured with one of those wings, or tried. He'd wrapped bags over them, with straps binding down tight. "Sure. We go in. I go to the front and give him money, you two take your bags to the staples aisle and pack everything you can into those saddlebags. If it goes well, I'll use the ATM while you're doing that, then join you. We have to bet on highway patrol taking 10 minutes to get here after the clerk calls, if they take him seriously. That means we have 5 minutes to be in and out, so we're away by then."
"And if they say no?" Lotus prompted. Without a word, all three stopped at the edge of light, where the covered roof of the gas station filled the space around its pumps with even white. One more step, and they would enter into that light, and the view of its many security cameras. "We just leave?"
"No." Gus held something up in one claw—his wallet. "I'm just going to throw cash at them. We aren't asking for permission."
"It seems... reckless, desperate, and stupid," Iron finished. "But between this and eating grass, I'll take a little bravery. Maybe not if the two of you could survive on grazing."
Neither of them had given that suggestion much consideration, despite his insistence that "ponies did it all the time." They wouldn't start today.
"No lights coming down the highway... go!" Gus shouted. Despite the urgency in his voice, he didn't run. They walked briskly to the station doors, rather than the desperate gallop Lotus wanted. Calm was key—if they couldn't keep level heads, the clerk never could.
Lotus had spent basically every second of her time since her transformation hiding from civilization. Tents, campsites, and abandoned buildings did little to remind her of how inhuman she was. But walking into a gas station was different.
This was no empty ruin, or house she'd seen so many times that she never really saw any of what it contained. The gas station might be empty now, but it was still well used, the floors clean, shelves stocked, and music playing from the speakers.
They towered over Lotus and the other nonhuman intruders. From her perspective, she might as well be a small child, at eye level with the sugary sweets and colorful candy wrappers. 
The attendant wasn't even watching them at first. She couldn't be out of high school yet, a teenager with messy brown hair arranged in no particular way. She perched on the cigarette shelf behind the counter, staring down at her phone. Could she even hear them come in with the earbuds?



"Food, Lotus, remember?" Iron nudged Lotus's shoulder, startling her into movement again. A camera aimed right down at them from overhead, showing two vaguely horse-things and a giant bird. This was really happening, and there would be permanent evidence of it this time. But maybe there already was? Several of her neighbors had cell phones pointed in their direction when they escaped!
Lotus stumbled past the aisles, then broke into a trot. She passed the shelves of cheap phones and other electronic accessories, ignored stacks of firewood and beer, before finally reaching the small grocery section in back. Without a word, she unzipped Iron's saddlebags, and started floating things inside. Cans of soup, a few packs of ramen, dried milk, flour, every can of chicken or tuna they had...
Generic country music played over the speakers, the only interruption to the gradual hum of the air conditioner and the occasional rustle of merchandise. Maybe they could get everything they needed without having to talk to anyone. After all the bad luck Lotus had suffered, she had to be overdue for a break, right?
A sharp scream broke the silence, high and painful. Something heavy smacked into the ground. Lotus looked up, but now there were shelves between her and the front. At her size, she couldn't see any of it. 
But she could hear Gus, speaking clearly and calmly. Deliberately robotic in fact, though to her ears there was no mistaking it for an act. "Ma'am. Here is cash. My friends and I are... making a small purchase of food. Please do not be alarmed."
"What the hell are you?" she screamed. "Get away from me!"
Iron nudged her again, more urgently. "Your bags too. We might need it."
She nodded, moving more quickly now. She zipped up Iron's backpacks, then started tossing things in with less care. She ran along the row, selecting an entire shelf of jerky, crackers, dried fruit, a dozen different colors of novelty licorice...
"There's three hundred on the counter," Gus said. His mechanical act was already abandoned, instead matching the attendant for volume and panic. "We just want food, that's all! We'll be gone in a second."
Feet hammered on hard floors, then a door slammed shut. Lotus's ears perked, and she imagined she could even hear the little beeps of each dial sound. Three, then a voice so terrified she couldn't make out the words through the wall.
She didn't have to—Lotus knew exactly what was happening. 
"Time to go!" Gus emerged from around the corner. His bag was open now, filled with plain rectangular boxes from the electronics section. "I want to use the ATM, but I'm thinking that might not be such a good idea."
"You think?" Lotus levitated a selection of anything remotely edible into Gus's open bags, then zipped those closed too. "So much for the social experiment!"
They hurried back towards the front. As they did, a door cracked open, just far enough for Lotus to see a face inside. A teenager, eyes wide with panic, aiming her phone through the opening like a gun. 
Lotus spun on her, stopping in place. "We don't want to hurt you!" she called. "We're desperate, that's all! Trying to reverse this curse and be human again! We're not a threat!"
Iron tugged at her foreleg, pulling her through the open doorway. Out in the crisp air of night, she felt a new surge of urgency, driving her away from the store. Or maybe that was the shining streetlights, turning off the highway. A huge truck, pulling two trailers of cargo.
"I left a letter with the money," Gus said, urging them faster. The other two set a healthy pace, much faster than she could match with all that weight on their shoulders. But it wasn't a fair comparison, not when they were both a head taller and far more muscular! "Pick up the pace! We don't know where the nearest highway patrol will be!"
"I'm going as fast as I can! Try this as a chick, see how you do!"
Gus sped up, leaping up into the open doorway and starting the engine. 
Iron remained nearby, urging her forward. Something tore on her side, along with a sharp pain, and moisture trickling down. So much for clean healing.
"Almost there, Lotus. You're doing fine." Iron stopped beside the open door. "Get yours off. No time for mine."
Right. Lotus tugged on the buckles with her magic, until the bag slipped sharply to one side. She heaved it into the trunk with all her magical force, feeling her hooves dig into the ground under her as she did. She took another second to feel the weight of her satchel, confirming Searing's tome was still with her. 
Then she jumped, squeezing into the well below Gus's legs. "I've been thinking about this part. You know—with magic, I could probably drive by myself! We wouldn't need to pass instructions back and forth."
"Really?" Gus glanced down at the pedals, then flopped backwards into the backseat. He landed hard, pinned by the weight of the huge saddlebags. "Let's see!"
Iron hopped up into the seat beside her, squeezing hurriedly into the passenger seat.
Lotus slammed the door closed with another burst of magic, then hopped up, bracing her forelegs on the wheel. She touched out more tentatively for the pedals, horn glowing steadily now.
They jerked forward, spraying bits of grass and gravel up into the air. Gus gasped, and Iron smacked painfully into the door. 
"Sorry!" She kept accelerating even so, all screeching tires and rumbling engine. Her old pickup was no getaway vehicle, nor some heavily modified performance machine. She brought them slowly up to speed, accelerating along the road.
Good thing this was the middle of the night, because she swerved into what would've been the other lane at least once. 
Lotus still remembered how to drive. But the physical act of driving had almost nothing in common when she did it this way—every turn threatened to dislodge her from the wheel, which she could only control with pressure from either side. Her magic let her reach the pedals, but not feel through them, so that feedback of the car against the road was strangely absent.
Finally, she heard her first siren. It was very faint, somewhere far away along the highway. Even so, Gus spoke from behind her, urgent. "Slow down and kill the headlights. We can't let them see us pulling in.
Because it isn't hard enough to see what we're doing. She obeyed even so, cutting off the cruise control. Only when they were already moving at a much-reduced speed did she finally cut the lights. Even knowing the road was entirely straight, that sudden total darkness brought a wave of panic.
She released her magic from the accelerator, slowly coasting to a stop on the road. Sirens were so distant now she could only hear them faintly over the steady hum of her engine. 
"It's okay, Lotus." Something wrapped around her from the side—Iron's wing. That brought his scent—some of her same panic, but also far greater calm. He was a soldier, one brave enough to volunteer to fight against evil sorceresses from ancient legend.
A bumpy road in the dark and a low-speed chase wouldn't be that difficult for him. "You're doing great. This feels close... isn't it? The hideout was just up a hill from here."
She nodded, then turned slowly. She must've gone over the edge of the road at least once, because the tires sank, then came back up again, skidding for a second on pavement.
Her eyes adjusted quickly, quicker than she might’ve expected. The road itself was a stark black line against the night, and the half-destroyed asylum a beacon she could focus on.
Gus hopped out the side, opening a rusty fence for her. She pulled into the underground parking lot, lighting her headlights again to guide her into its most distant corner.
Her hooves shook as she finally pulled into position, and her bumper tapped lightly against the wall. She sighed, shifting into park. Then she collapsed, slumping sideways into Iron. She closed her eyes, heart still pounding in her chest.
Her mind raced in a thousand anxious directions. Any minute now the police would smash through the gate, maybe gun them all down. It didn't matter if they were actually dangerous to anyone. No one would hear them, only the threat they represented mattered.
"I... really shouldn't have practiced on Gus," she whispered, breathless. "If he was still human..."
The pegasus reached down, brushing a few discordant strands of mane from her face. "I'm told it's impolite to say, 'I told you so.'" He said nothing further, just looking down with a mixture of smugness and something softer.
"Don't have to rub it in."
He grinned. "I could do something else. Like—"
Gus banged on the car door with a claw, harsh and echoing. "Fake lock is on outside! But I need your help covering the car, just in case. Then we have to get this crap upstairs. Job's not over yet!"
Lotus stiffened, then levitated the keys from the ignition. She tucked them away beside the book, then hopped out. "You think they won't follow us here?"
He settled a headlamp onto his head in place of the camera, then twisted it on. Bright light blinded her, making Lotus recoil. "No idea. If they do, let's not make it easy for them. Wanna carry stuff up?"
Iron hopped out beside her, spreading both wings as he did so. Maybe it was instinct but covering her side that way—felt possessive, almost. After the night she had, Lotus had no desire to push him away.
"She's the one with magic. We carry, she hides."
Lotus nodded towards him, relief evident on her face. "Yeah. That sounds good."
> Chapter 24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus watched the flashing lights speed past outside. They came much more frequently now, at least a dozen she had counted so far. The police zipped down the highway from both directions, converged on the gas station—then split up again. Some shot down the farm road connecting the old asylum, others weaved their way down its other tributaries.
Gus snored away in the other room now, content that “someone has to be awake, but it doesn't have to be me.” 
So, it fell to Lotus to pace back and forth next to cracked windows, waiting for the moment when a team of super soldiers would fly up the dirt road and shoot the asylum to pieces.
That didn't happen. Hours passed, the number of police faded back to the usual she expected for the area, with one or two cars passing every hour or so, and no longer blaring their sirens along the highway.
"You're still up?" someone muttered, his voice groggy. Iron appeared behind her, spear balanced on his back. He set it gently on the ground in the doorway before joining her by the window. 
"Couldn't sleep," she said. She looked away from the dirty glass, stretching to her full length like a cat. At times like this—when she was too overwhelmed or distracted or in pain—her understanding of her transformed body seemed enhanced. Maybe being so weak kept her from filtering her actions through a human perspective.
When she looked up again, Iron was right beside her. He held something towards her—a steaming mug. The smell of coffee brought wakefulness in itself. She reached out with her magic, ready to take it—but stopped short. Despite the temptation, she was better off not drinking that.
She pushed it closer to him, then yawned again. "You have... no idea how badly I want to drink that. But probably I don't." She stumbled away from the window; towards the space she'd transformed into her bedroom. She used several stacked desks to wall off a small section of the room, then tented over it with a tarp to make a shelter. Inside, her inflatable mattress could have a cozier, more comfortable feel.
Because it was all she thought about, Lotus's room also had spell diagrams pinned up everywhere. Most were just stuck to the wall wherever there was empty space. It wasn't like she had to be careful about getting her deposit back in a condemned building.
She might not have made it there without Iron to guide her. She spent several seconds pushing up against an overturned desk, before the pegasus nudged her gently to one side. "I think you have the right idea about not drinking coffee, Lotus. If you try to practice a Worldgate spell like this, you might send us all to Tartarus."
She settled onto the edge of the mattress, removing the satchel with Searing's spellbook, and resting it on a waiting hook.
"Give me... three hours," she said. "Then get me up. I'm close—so close, I can almost taste it. A few more days."
He lingered beside her, close enough to reach out and touch. But whatever he was seeing—Lotus couldn't tell. He must see something she didn't, from the way he watched her. An overwhelmed, stressed animal-horse-dragon-thing, that somehow had to keep herself from exploding.
"You've done more than anypony thought possible, Lotus. When I think about how lucky I was—of all the creatures who found me, it was you. Somepony who could help me heal, and somehow find the time to learn magic, too." 
He eyed the bandages on her side, and the aching, torn flesh underneath. She would need to wrap those again after their escape, but Lotus hadn't gotten around to it yet. Maybe he could tell something was wrong, because Iron pushed her gently down, touching one hoof firmly on her back. "Stay right there. The last thing we need is you getting infected."
She nodded groggily. An inflatable camp mattress and sleeping bag were hardly the most comfortable place she'd ever slept—but after staying up all through the night, she could start to drift. 
They were still alive, somehow. They had supplies. They only really needed a few uninterrupted days, and she could get them into Equestria. After that—what? Return the evil spellbook to Equestria, help them trap Searing Gale, then find Princess Luna who had the magic to transform her back.
That way she could go back to the charred remnants of a house, no job, and a giant bird as her best friend. If they were lucky, the gas station wouldn't try to prosecute her for some kind of elaborate robbery.
She must have slept at some point, because when she woke up again, she was nestled securely in bed, surrounded by the warmth of her sleeping bag. She opened one eye, looked out at the brilliant white sunlight streaming in from outside, and closed it again.
When she woke again, she felt better. Her side throbbed with the steady ache of a healing wound—she hoped.
She rose, eyeing the window to the outside. Afternoon sun streamed in through the dirt and broken shades, revealing the obvious, underlying truth. Iron hadn't woken her. She yawned, clambering out of her makeshift bedroom, and stretching again. The bedroom door still had a mirror, albeit cracked and dirty. 
Even so, Lotus approached it, smiling weakly back at her reflection. She recognized the face looking back at her—weary, overwhelmed, but also brave, determined, and clever.
She lit up her horn, holding the runes of a spell in mind. Heat filled her, rising from her horn in a few wisps of smoke. Finally, her bandages caught fire, charring to wisps of curled blackness in seconds. She waited, frozen in place until the flames finally eased.
Eventually they dropped to the ground, leaving a residue of black ash. She stomped out the embers, dragging her hooves against the dirty linoleum until not even a faint orange glow remained.
"Lotus?" Someone banged loudly on the door in front of her, harsh and urgent. Iron's voice. "I smell..." He didn't wait for her permission, just shoved his shoulder up against the door. It swung open and would've smacked right into her if Lotus didn't retreat.
Instead of the door smacking her, Iron did, hard enough that they both tumbled to the dirty ground. She yowled in surprise, her tail whipping hard against the walls in a vain effort to stabilize herself.
"I smelled smoke!" he called, now perched atop her. Without a hint of self-consciousness or shame, somehow. How the pony could walk around naked all the time and never think about it... "What happened?"
She groaned, pulling back far enough to reach a sitting position. "I figured out a little healing spell. I guess it warms up when I cast it." She tried to twist and show him her now-unblemished side, but only managed to squirm under his weight. "If you'd let me up."
He retreated, at least far enough that he wasn't pinning her anymore. "Sorry! After the last time, I had to—"
She shoved suddenly free of him, rising abruptly to her hooves. Whatever desire she had to let him stay that close faded away like a puff of smoke. "Had to make sure I wasn't going to lose my mind? Wasn't going to burn the place down and kill everybody?"
He looked away, wings falling limp to his sides. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Lotus. I didn't..."
She levitated the cursed spellbook from the hook, then shoved past him through the open door. "Whatever. I'll get back to practicing. Tell Gus to bring me lunch. Or dinner, or whatever meal this is."
It was lunch, as it turned out. But she hadn't glanced at a clock, and she got the feeling the others had already eaten some time ago. Still, there was real chicken in it this time, and the smells of wholesome, familiar food. Now maybe if they could get people not to shoot them long enough to pick up a meal from the family diner...
The smell kept Iron away while she ate—but Gus stuck around, already restored to his usual excitement. 
"One of the phones came with two hours of talk time and a few gigabytes on the trial sim. But I don't want to turn it on outside a tin-foil wrap, or else it might phone home. It says I disabled the GPS, but I don't trust that as far as I can throw it. Or maybe that's a good distance... I'm still kinda figuring out how to move things very far with bird arms."
He pantomimed the gesture once, watching her expectantly. 
Lotus didn't laugh, just lifted the bowl to her mouth again, and took another long sip. "I'm confident I can copy the Worldgate spell exactly now. I'll copy the runes a dozen more times over the next few days... then I'll be as ready as I can be."
"Really?" He slapped her shoulder enthusiastically—with all the same energy she'd always known from Gus. "That's amazing! You think a few more days will be enough?"
Not even close, but I don't think we can keep hiding much longer. "I've done nothing but stare at books and memorize runes since I turned into a kirin, Gus. If I wasn't at least a little good at it by now, I'd be a failure."
He nodded solemnly. "Of course. For the sake of the scientific record, would you mind describing how much more intelligent you think you are?"
She nearly lost her magical grip on the bowl. Still, Lotus disciplined herself. She took one last sip, drained it completely. "Are you saying you think I was dumb before?"
"No!" He backed away, flaring both wings defensively. "But I wouldn't think you could master some crazy new ability in a few weeks. Portals aren't just magic, they're hard magic."
She stood up, kicking the empty bowl towards him, and turning her back on him. She spun so fast her tail smacked into him. But for once, she didn't care. "Don't get too excited, I haven’t actually done it yet. Plenty of time to screw it up between now and that portal."
Gus slipped the bowl under his foreleg, backing away from her study area. "Well... probably good that it's happening quick. I don't know how hard the police are looking for us, but that getaway wasn't exactly clean. There are clues pointing back here if they want to look."
She settled onto her haunches, levitating a fresh pad of paper in front of her, along with the pen. She floated them so effortlessly now, almost as easily as she would've used real hands. Technically they could do even more, since there was no strict limit of distance or strength. She could float things her real muscles had no hope of lifting.
"Let me know if there's any sign of trouble. If they do find us, I don't want to fight. I'm not getting into a shootout with the cops."
Gus laughed. "No problem there. Our guns were in the house. Not as iconic as losing them in a boating accident, but there you go. I'm honestly not sure why someone would bring guns onto a boat to begin with."
He retreated back the way he'd come, leaving Lotus alone with her studies.
She was still there by early evening, when Iron returned with dinner. She thanked him, sent him away, and went right back to practicing until she collapsed.
A few days passed in a blur for Lotus, so focused on her task that at times she swore she could think in the otherworldly runes, instead of just study them. The shadows lengthened and vanished again, and more copies of the Worldgate spell crowded onto the walls. She burned through so much paper they had to dig up old notebooks and patient records from the abandoned building for her to scribble on.
Gus couldn't be right—could he? Had becoming a kirin somehow made her smarter? She didn't feel smarter, but would she have any way of knowing?
I just have something worth doing now, that's all. What goal did I have before? What was the point of going into that stupid factory day after day, and coming home to live in a dump?
She spent so long focused on her spelling that it didn't even feel strange when the spellbook started talking back to her.
'You've received a tremendous gift,' it said. 'You're so much more than you were before, Lotus. You're the perfect vessel, the perfect instrument. Such a transformation would have burned away most of your kind. But not you.'
Lotus squinted down at her diagram, levitating the pencil down. The voice didn't come from anywhere specifically—yet it felt surprisingly intimate. It could've been Iron, whispering into her ear.
She looked up from the scrawled marks of her spell, scanning the room for any sign of an intruder. Of course, there was none—the door hadn't opened, and no car pulled into the lot beneath them. Their privacy remained. "I'm not sure why you think I would listen to you," she whispered. "Whoever you are. I remember the last time."
For a long time, she heard no response. Long enough that she turned a fresh page and started recreating the Worldgate spell again. She didn't just copy runes, that wouldn't do for a spell like this.
Instead, the Worldgate demanded precise mathematics, a strange balance of energy, pressure, and motion. She would need to run those calculations afresh when she reached the real site of the Worldgate and work them into the diagram well enough that it didn't explode around her.
Given the energy involved, she would only get a single attempt. One failure, and they would be trapped at the bottom of a mine, waiting at least twenty-four hours for her strength to recover.
'Ponies have their uses,' the voice continued, so gently that she didn't even stop working. 'But you shouldn't ever take one as a lover. They bear no flame, yet they still wield a terrible power to harm. Spells may mend flesh together as though there was no wound, but they cannot mend your heart.'
Her pen snapped right in half. She glared around the darkened room again—but there was no one there, other than a few lengthening shadows. She levitated the lantern closer, then switched it on.
Or she tried, anyway. The knob wouldn't turn—it was already on. The battery had finally given out.
So, she lit up her horn instead, banishing any shadow that the speaker could hide in. There was still no one there. "What makes you think I would..."
Laughter answered. 'Please. You think because the ponies rail against me, that I am not a creature like you? I have known all these things—hatred, anger, fear, heartbreak... and love. Whatever you think you feel, you have only to wait. There are others of your kind beyond the portal you will create. Stallions there can share the flame with you in a way that your guard never could.'
Lotus stormed over to the desk. She lifted Searing's cursed tome up into her magic, slamming its pages closed. "That was your mistake, talking to me when I wasn't focused on the Worldgate. I feel where you're coming from."
She felt laughter again, without any sound. Somewhere distant, she heard hooves, pounding up the building with remarkable urgency.
Iron couldn't possibly hear her conversation, could he?
'I have no reason to hide from you, Lotus. You were created in my image—a perfect sister, cast before my apotheosis. Help me come into my kingdom, and I will place a crown on your forehead and gold on your hooves. For all your life was empty and meaningless before this moment, now you will find purpose and vitality.'
She slammed the book down into the desk in front of her, hard enough that the impact echoed through the building. "There's nothing you could offer me. Last time I heard your voice, you told me to burn my friends, my neighbors, everybody. You think I was just gonna forget about that?"
The voice didn't come from the book exactly. Yet she still felt the connection through it, what Luna’s lessons called “sympathy.” She could break it by getting rid of the book, silence the strange whispers. It wouldn't be hard, how much resistance could a book really make?
'I know you remember how you felt. The strength of our kind... ponies have no vision. They imagine the flame as a mindless, destructive thing. They fail to see the strength it gives. You saw it, Lotus. You felt what I once did, in the days of Equestria's ancient past. The flame liberates the latent energy of the soul. The hotter it burns, the more it liberates. The power waiting in that place would allow you to rip a Worldgate open without tracing ley lines like an apprentice. You supplicate yourself before the laws of this place, when you should be mastering them.'
She backed away from the desk, turning her back on the ancient book. It did nothing to silence the voice, or the memory. She did remember the power she felt, heat burning so vibrantly in her that it drew in other lights to it. Sure, that other strength would come from other living creatures, and they would die in agony to impart their power to her.
How much did she care? A brief moment of suffering, then that power would be hers. Their pain would burn away just like their bodies did, and all the magic trapped inside would be hers. 
'You wouldn't have to leave your world, Lotus. Yours is... raw, untamed. Its magic flows without a master, without rivers or eddies or streams. You could reshape it, just as you reshaped your friend. Make them something more suitable to serve you. Spend those who do not serve you and make the rest into your kingdom. I would gladly support this crusade, so long as you bowed to me. Would that price be so high?'



The door banged open. She spun, and found Iron in the doorway, spear resting on his shoulder. "Lotus! Lotus, you..." He hesitated, then rushed along anyway. "Someone's here. There's this big black... thing, coming up the hill towards us. Bigger than yours. Gus said to grab whatever you need for the spell and run."
She glanced around the room, at the sheltered corner she'd made almost comfortable, and her thousands of identical spell diagrams. She levitated her satchel off the hook, tucked the spellbook inside next to Luna's journal, then settled it on her shoulder. "Does Gus have a plan?"
"Knowing him?" Iron nudged her into motion, then galloped along behind her. "Absolutely! But it's probably terrible! Maybe you'll come up with something better?"
> Chapter 25
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus trotted along behind Iron, keeping pace with him despite the debris. She kept her horn at a low, constant light, the same as she would've done for a flashlight if she still had batteries. 
Even after all this time on four legs, she wasn't quite coordinated enough to trust herself with a gallop, not in such close quarters. The last thing she needed right now was to faceplant her horn into a wall.
"He thinks it's the police?" she prompted. Somehow, she managed to keep from losing her breath. But then she hardly had to exert herself while sitting in a room staring at spell diagrams all day. She had plenty of pent-up energy raging in her chest. "How would they have even found us?"
Iron shook his head once. "Not sure he has any idea who it is. But Gus says it's a van and they're coming, so..."
Down another set of steps, and Gus's head appeared, waving them urgently towards the garage. 
Lotus slowed as she approached, checking the spellbook around her shoulder one last time. With her friends around her again, Searing’s whispering voice finally faded into the background. 
Not entirely gone, though. A presence remained in the back of her mind, whispering the same few words over and over. The flame is hungry. It must be fed. The flame warms its user in return.
"You're here, perfect. Time for us to bail." He waved her forward, through the already-open door to the parking garage. Down beneath the building, he had ripped away most of the cloth concealing the truck, so the vehicle was free to pull out of their spot. 
"I..." She glanced between him and the truck, with its door already open and engine running. A handful of bags still lay in the back, but not many. He hadn't had much more time to prepare than she did, and could only grab whatever was close. "I'm sorry, weren't we gonna hide? We knew people could come here, we prepared for it."
Gus shook his head sharply. "Not now that they're looking for us. They can call in unlimited resources, tear the whole building apart. They'll find our camp, block off the car, and get us trapped. But now—they're parked out front, on the road. Looks like they're going in through the street entrance. I figure—we wait for as many of them as possible to be in here, and..."
This must be what Iron meant when he said it wasn't a great plan. If they were quite lucky, and quite careful, they might get away from one truck. But once they did, the police would be looking for them. How close was backup this time? 
"For all we know, they won't be coming in until they have the whole building surrounded," she argued. She followed him to the seat, but didn't get in yet. That meant Iron didn't either. His attention seemed fixed on the empty door into the building. 
"More reason to go now," he argued. "Eric—Lotus—if they follow us, it could be now or never. Can you open a Worldgate into Equestria or can't you?"
"Not here. That's not possible, no matter how urgent."
Liar. The lives outside would be enough. They are already thoughtfully traveling this way. If returning to your old species is your desire, you can achieve it easily. But together, we are capable of so much more.
"I know. We can still go to the mine! It's already dark out there, so no one will be working. We can go now. Cross through... if you can do it. If not, we should surrender."
Lotus's ears perked—something creaked in the building, shifting faintly under its own weight. She lit up her horn, a sudden surge of light so blinding that even her own eyes briefly flared with pain. 
Iron shielded his own with a wing, and Gus swore loudly. She ignored them both, attention focused into the gloom. 
At first, she thought they were riot police standing in the doorway. They had the right look for it—all black gear, dark clothing, tactical attachments on their weapons. But then one of them screamed, dropping their gun completely. It landed with a strange metallic clatter, and something came off the top. Green and purple balls spilled out from within, rolling slowly across the room. 
Before she could react, the other two opened fire, filling the hallway with a spray of projectiles that neither her nor Iron could possibly avoid. 
They struck against her like a battering hammer. Where they didn't strike her protective scales, they hit with considerable pain, splattering against her. But that wasn't blood—it was green paint, dribbling down to the floor.
"Get behind me, Lotus!" Iron yelled, hefting his spear high. "I'll protect you!" He shoved her back, without a hint of his usual gentleness. 
"It talks?" someone asked, indignant. 
"Yeah dude, just like Sophie said. Didn't you hear?"
Lotus had only a split-second to decide what to do. They could fight these three, and probably whatever other friends they had in the building. But if they did—she would be out of magic. Unless she intended to do exactly what Searing wanted and start transforming others, Lotus needed every drop of magic she had.
"Get away from here!" Lotus shouted, flaring her horn into another brilliant spotlight. She didn't have a spell to magnify her voice, but she could do other things. She reached out with her magic at random, shoving everything away from her in a sphere. She didn't press hard—just enough to toss garbage and bits of broken wood through the air. Dozens of fallen paintballs bounced harmlessly off their attackers’ legs, unbroken. 
Even so, the three took off running. One left their gun where it fell. The other two kept theirs, but didn't so much as look back, sprinting back into the building. "Get the fuck out of here, guys! Everyone, come on! There's a demon in here!"
You're closer than you know, Lotus thought. She didn’t watch them go for long, turning for the open door. "Anything you think we'll need in Equestria, Iron? Should we go back up for our camping gear?"
He shook his head vigorously. "Princess Luna will find us as soon as we're across. I'm sure she'll make the two of you her royal guests. We won't have to cower and hide."
Lotus hopped into the open door. She reached out with her foreleg, ready to help Iron inside. To her surprise, he ignored the gesture, fluttering up into the bed instead. "I'll ride back here. I'd rather be able to help when we need it." 
She could keep arguing with him. But while she did that, those teenagers were probably already on the phone with the police. "Keep your head down back there!" she yelled. "If we get going, there's gonna be a ton of wind!" 
"I know!" he shouted back. "I can fly, remember? Faster than this old hunk of metal can move, that's for sure!"
Lotus moved for the passenger seat, but Gus blocked her with a wing, pointing. "No way! One person has to drive this. That means you."
She groaned, but settled into the driver's seat, propping her forelegs up against the wheel. She slammed the door shut with a little magic, then backed out of the spot, and spun around. There would be no slow running in the dark this time—she flicked on the lights, then approached the still-shut gate. "Did you open that thing?"
Gus nodded weakly. He settled all the way down into his seat, fastening the seatbelt across his chest. But for all his fear, he still had the GoPro camera, this time attached to the end of a large selfie stick. "If you hit into the right side, nothing's holding it down. Should swing all the way out. Do you know the way to the mine?"
Lotus nodded grimly, digging her cloven hooves into the soft wheel. "You should probably be the one to do this. I still have to mentally... prepare for this thing. If I fail, only God knows where that Worldgate will send us."
"I trust you," he said flatly. "By necessity? Maybe a little. But how long have we been friends? You haven't let me down before."
Lotus raised an eyebrow. "What about the whole 'house fire' thing? And your wings?"
He shrugged those same wings, resting both forelegs in front of him in the seat. "If that's reversible, it's fine. It's cool, actually. How many people get to be a majestic mythical creature sometime in their lives?" 
He didn't wait for her to finish, turning the camera to face each of them in turn. "That's right, two ba-by! Depending on how cool flying is, I might not even..."
Lotus slammed on the accelerator. The tires squeaked, then they shot forward, smacking directly into one side of the gate. It banged harshly out of the way, digging another deep dent into her bumper. But then they were out, into the unprotected night air.
There was no police line here, no sign of the police at all in fact. The only evidence of other visitors was the distant squeal of tires on the road, rolling away at considerable speed. 
Lotus took them down the road as fast as she could. Once they were down the hill, she floored the accelerator. Her old pickup wasn't exactly fast, but it did eventually reach highway speeds. It wouldn’t keep going well beyond that, if she kept pushing it.
This time, she did. She pulled into the center of the road, where her less precise control of the pickup wouldn't send them careening into a ditch. 
"You sure this is safe?"
She answered with more laughter, high and wild. "Not even close! But what are the police gonna do, arrest us twice?"
She ran through her memory of the area. The mine was one highway offramp down, but it would be easier to just blaze past the gas station, and continue along the access road instead. Even if the police saw them and somehow recognized who they were, they would have to continue through to an offramp. That might buy them another minute or two, if they were lucky.
They were, in fact, not lucky at all. Seconds later, they blasted past the gas station at eighty miles an hour, so fast its lights turned into faint streaks against her vision.
But despite the speed, another sight plastered itself to her vision—a black and white vehicle, parked in one of the far pumps. She didn't see its lights come on a few seconds later, but she did hear the sirens, far closer than they had been during the supply run.
Lotus felt a surge of adrenaline as the sirens pierced the night, their wails echoing off the metallic surfaces of her pickup. With a pounding heart and heightened senses, she gripped the steering wheel tighter, her horn glowing with an ethereal light. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw the rapidly approaching black and white police vehicle, its flashing lights splitting the darkness.
"No time for detours," she muttered, her cloven hooves clumsily manipulating the wheel. "Hold on, Gus. Iron, be ready to fly."
Gus swung the camera toward the pursuing police car, the lens catching every twist and turn of the chase. "You sure about this, Lotus?" he asked, his voice wavering. She could barely even hear him over the approaching sirens. "I’ve never been a criminal before!"
"Since when do I have a choice?" she replied, squeezing the wheel tighter between her hooves. 
Behind them, Iron braced himself in the truck bed, his powerful wings unfurling. Exactly what he hoped to do against a police car racing after them, she couldn’t even guess.
Lotus swerved down the road, her magic compensating for her lack of dexterity. They came upon another car, a single pair of red lights approaching rapidly into the gloom. She swerved around it, tires screeching under them.
The speedometer needle climbed, her old truck protesting with rattling and shaking as it ate the distance. The roar of the engine and the sirens became a deafening symphony of chaos, joined by wind whistling through the cracked windows. And through it all, a faint voice in the background, whispering without a source. 
Needless. Destroy that vehicle. They could offer no resistance.
"Almost there," Lotus murmured, recognizing the familiar landmarks. The looming silhouette of the mine entrance appeared ahead, a razor-wire fence separating them from gigantic, looming machinery. "Brace yourselves!"
With a surge of magic, Lotus swerved off the road, the truck’s tires skidding on loose gravel. The police were close on their tail, but they were committed now. Lotus steered directly towards the fence, her horn glowing brighter as she focused her energy. The truck crashed through the fence, sending twisted metal and splintered wood flying. Alarm bells rang out from the security checkpoint, adding another layer to the chaos.



They sped through the entrance into the mine, lifting a cloud of dust into the air. Behind them, the police car skidded to a halt, officers pouring out with weapons drawn. Another car zipped past them, close on their tail. When had a second sheriff joined the chase? 
The dirt road continued past rows of dormant equipment, past the empty work trailers that would’ve buzzed with activity during the day. Beyond it all loomed the mountainside, cut away in block after regular block.
"Any particular destination in here?" Gus yelled, voice growing more urgent. "Would be nice to stop somewhere they can’t shoot us!"
They weren’t shooting, thankfully. But with another car close behind them, it might only be a matter of time. She swerved sharply to the left, driving along the rock wall. The car bumped and shuddered under her, its old suspension protesting the abuse. 
It wasn’t the only one. Iron yelped, then took off into the air, soaring up and out of sight. She couldn’t watch where he went, only hope the police didn’t either.
"Only one spot is good enough!" she yelled, her voice growing louder. "That’s why we came out here!" 
Something else drew her attention, a flash of motion under her headlights. Just ahead, the stone wall split open. The deafening sound of stone grating against stone echoed through the pit. She pressed her magic to the accelerator, but that did little good, throwing clouds of thick dust out from beneath them. Their destination was still ahead, not quite within reach. Her vision was so clear—they needed to get to the center.
The mine's wall shuddered with a deep, seismic trembling before it ruptured open, shedding shards of rock in an echoing avalanche. From this breach emerged a figure terrifying in its proportions. 
Lotus slowed, mouth falling open as shock and horror overwhelmed her. A monstrous shape emerged from within. Her mind instantly jumped to the wooden monsters that attacked them during her last magical practice. It was the same power, but on a far larger scale.
The golem, carved from the same granite as its surroundings, was a monstrous equanoid, a hulking embodiment of the mountain’s wrath. Its body was a grotesque tapestry of stone, streaked with veins of silver and copper, and every movement showcased its raw, elemental power.
Incandescent eyes glowed from the stony face of the creature, twin beacons casting an eerie light across the debris. They hinted at a dreadful consciousness within the monolithic brute. Silent save for the bone-chilling grind of stone against stone, each deliberate movement of the golem sent waves of dread rippling through the air.
It towered over the scene, a horrifying spectacle that seemed to suck the air from the open pit mine.



Lotus swerved around it, narrowly avoiding a rapid, rocky stop. One of the police-cars wasn’t so lucky. A terrible crash echoed through the air behind them, of crunching metal and shattering glass. Maybe that would kill it?
"Shit!" Gus yelled, camera now turned completely around. "Lotus, I think there’s… it’s gaining!"
"I have to open the Worldgate now!" Lotus shouted. She veered the truck left and right, making their advance as chaotic and difficult to match as possible. Maybe that would be enough. 
Just as Lotus was beginning to regain control of the truck, a monstrous shadow fell across the vehicle. She saw the golem’s massive hoof descending, the roar of its wrath echoing in her ears. Lotus's heart slammed against her ribs, and she felt a primal surge of fear that locked her gaze onto the looming threat.
Then the golem’s hoof smashed into her pickup. Metal crumpled under the onslaught, the world spinning as the truck rolled. Lotus caught Gus’s terrified scream, a dreadful counterpoint to the golem’s roar.
Lotus spun about within the confines of the truck. Each jarring impact drove shards of agony through her, the world a disorienting blur of light and shadow. She felt her magic falter, her grip on the steering wheel loosening as her concentration shattered under the brutal assault. The truck’s world-weary protests filled her senses, a mechanical death rattle that finally fell still.
When the truck skidded to a stop, Lotus was left dazed and gasping. The taste of blood was sharp in her mouth, and the flickering lights of the pursuing police cars painted her vision in haphazard strobes. She could hear the golem’s rumbling growls, the terrified shouts of the police, and beneath it all, her own painful heartbeat. 
The golem advanced on her, massive stone hooves shaking the ground with every step. She could barely move, barely think—she’d not escape the wreck in time. This was how she died.
> Chapter 26
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus stared up through the broken wreckage of one window. She was still trapped somewhere in her truck, its body now crumpled and crushed beyond recognition. 
She'd been thrown from her seat, though by some miracle that hadn't meant shattering her whole body through the windshield.
Sound rang through her ears, and her mind struggled to focus. Everything warped and melted, with only brief moments of clarity. A stone pony towered above; its glowing eyes fixed on her.
"Not... sure what I expected when we got to the mine..." Gus muttered, somewhere nearby. His whole body curled into a ball, nestled into the broken glass. Lotus didn't see bones or exposed organs, so at least he wasn't dying in the impact. "Good thing... you were going so slow..."
Not yet anyway. The golem would be taking care of that shortly.
Her ears were still ringing, but that noise gradually quieted. Enough for her to hear the crack of gunfire, echoing repeatedly into the dark. Little dents and scratches appeared on the stone guardian overhead, splintering chunks of rock from its face. It didn't seem to care.
She gritted her teeth together, glowering up at its horrifying outline. If she was going to die here, she would at least face it bravely.
Instead of bringing one hoof harshly down on her, crushing the car and killing them both, it brought the stony limb up short. They slid painfully along the ground, until the golem had them braced against the rock wall with its hoof. Then it pressed on the roof, prying the canopy until it snapped.
Finally, it loomed down towards her, with a huge stone head almost as big as her whole truck. "Give..." it ordered, voice deep as the rumbling of the mine's massive stone blocks. 
If it crushed me, it would destroy the book, she realized. Searing didn't want her dead, really—that was incidental to her true goals. She needed the book back, so she could reunite both halves of her soul and reclaim her true magical power.
Lotus's horn glowed, as she focused on another brief burst of magic. She had to conserve that power now, if she expected to open a successful Worldgate. But if she didn't use some, she wouldn't live long enough to create it.
Just like she had a few days ago, Lotus focused on her own body. She felt the bruises and cuts in her flesh, far fewer in number than she expected. Ponies were small, but they were tough little creatures.
Heat surged through her, burning away at her wounds. As it did, clarity returned to her mind. The true weight of her grim situation came sharply into view. The police had followed them in, and likely suffered casualties thanks to the monster following them. 
They were close, so close she could feel the tenuous bindings of her world and frayed fibers of another, almost close enough to touch. But not quite—she couldn't cast the spell from in her broken car, even if she somehow had the space to draw it.
"Give!" the golem roared, stomping one stone hoof into the ground beside the truck so forcefully that bits of rock tumbled away from the quarry, crashing down all around them.
"Go ahead!" she shouted back, defiant. "Your master won't ever see her book then! It'll be torn to pieces!" 
She glanced briefly down at her companion, crumpled into the wreck beside her. Gus's injuries seemed a little worse than her own, with a little blood soaking from his body into the torn fabric that had once been the passenger seat.
Lotus focused on him too, casting her little healing spell in another flash of heat. There was no time left to fear for her failure, or worry that she might complete his transformation into a woodpecker. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and the griffon soon sat up, shaking off the dust. "Lotus?"
"Over here, stony brumby!" Another voice pierced the night, echoing from nearby. Lotus caught a flash of silvery feathers overhead, barely visible against the moonlight. But there was Iron, wearing what remained of his lunar armor. Not much—his helmet, and the metal not-boots on his hooves.
He somehow hovered beside the golem, keeping his spear at the ready. Though what it would do against a monster made from solid stone, she didn't know.
The golem swatted out in his direction, its hoof moving with incredible speed for its size. Not fast enough to hit Iron, even so. He swerved in midair, dodging deftly back. Away from the golem, and towards the mine's center. "Your creator is a failed conqueror! She couldn't even take over one country! Pony magic is stronger than all her evil! Kirin are weak!"
So far as insults go, Lotus barely even heard it. Of all the strategies to stop the stone monster—somehow, that one worked.
It roared out with rage, turning its stony body on Iron. He led it away, bobbing and ducking just out of reach. "That's right! Too slow to catch me! One pony! One hit and I'm dead, come on! You know how badly you want it!"



Gus lifted something from the ruin, triumphant. A backpack, only slightly torn in the impact. "Perfect! You good, Lotus?"
The satchel remained on her shoulder, intact despite the accident. She checked that both books were inside, then nodded. "This won't work for long. We have to get to the center. See that huge crane?"
She gestured, and the griffon followed her gaze. "You mean the same way the monster is going?"
She nodded grimly. "If you can think of a way to tell Iron to change directions..."
But she couldn't, at least not one that wouldn't draw the monster back to her. Whatever autonomy it had wasn't enough for true reason. If it saw the goal its master gave, it would charge right back to finish the job.
Lotus emerged from the broken truck, hesitating to give it one last, apologetic pat. The poor thing didn't deserve what she put it through. Her own distracted driving was what put her in this situation in the first place. "Sorry," she whispered. Then she turned, breaking into a run.
"You didn't seriously just talk to your car!" Gus kept pace with her, both wings open to their full size. The backpack hung awkwardly from his neck, the only thing slowing down his progress. 
"She didn't deserve this!" Lotus argued, speeding up.
The mine stretched out before them, with stone walls on her right, and the dirt road encircling them behind. A handful of huge vehicles stood ahead, including a gigantic excavator near her destination.
Not directly atop it, so at least they weren't completely screwed.
Behind and to the left, police lights still flashed. There were more of them now, and more sirens appearing from further away. None went further than where the first car now lay twisted and crushed, a frightening testament to the golem's strength.
Many stared, at least one of them filmed her. Remarkably, they didn't keep shooting. But considering how many gunshots she already heard, perhaps they'd realized the futility of that. They would need something bigger to bring down a stone monster.
"How long do you need to open the Worldgate?" Gus asked. He matched her speed so well; Lotus twisted her head to stare—and found he was gliding. His legs touched briefly on the ground, occasionally imparting a little burst of speed. But most of that came from his wings now, spread to their full length to his either side, flapping rapidly.
Her thrill and amazement would have to wait for another time. "How long do you need?"



"I..." Lotus had never cast a spell so powerful before—let alone under such awful circumstances. But when the alternative was just to give up, she had to try. "Dunno, maybe three minutes? An hour would be better! It would be nice to check my work!"
"It would be nice if there wasn't a monster trying to kill us!" he shot back. Then he lifted upward, with all the grace of a sack of bricks heaved into a wind tunnel. He spun wildly to either side, dropping the backpack to the dirt beneath him as he went. Somehow Gus managed not to crash, flying in such unsteady loops that she couldn't even follow his path through the air.
Finally, she reached her destination, a section of otherwise identical blank rock with a few lines of unusual yellow and red strata visible through the dirt. Lotus's careful practice left her sensitive to the difference, an invisible pressure that lingered in the air before her like a wispy curtain.
'Relinquish my spellbook,' commanded the voice. Its orders came so casually that she reached for the book without even thinking. It took her a few seconds to realize the words hadn't come from her own head.
Instead, she brushed over the ground with her tail, flattening the dirt into a surface she could draw. "I'm going to Equestria," she muttered under her breath, attention still focused on the brown surface. "Isn't that what you want? You need the book in there."
There was no reply. Lotus drew the outer circle of her diagram, using the boundaries of the strange patch of space as her guide. First came the easy part, recreating the runes of the spell from memory. Covering whole walls with these symbols at least guaranteed they would be readily accessible to her.
Even under pressure, like the explosive conflict raging nearby. Iron dodged and weaved around the golem, remaining just out of reach. One mistake, and the stony blow would strike him with devastating effect, likely killing him instantly.
But there was nothing Lotus could do for him now. She could only hope his mastery of flight remained strong enough to keep him alive.
'There need be no conflict between us, sister,' the voice continued. 'I could compel the beast to slay you, yet I do not. You have learned what you need to perform your spell. Go your way, and my servant will leave you.'
Or maybe it would take what it wanted and kill all of them. "Trouble with a promise like that..." Lotus continued. "Is that I know you're a monster. You want me to burn people's souls for magic! Maybe that means you'd be willing to lie to get me to obey you."
Searing Gale said nothing, yet somehow the golem turned. It seemed to forget Iron completely, eyes settling instantly on where Lotus worked. At its incredible size, it was only a few strides away. The monster barely had a face, much less anything close to expressions she could read. Yet somehow, Lotus imagined it was grinning at her.
'I give only this final warning to you, sister. Surrender the phylactery now, and live. Disobey, and you will show you are no better than the ponies that infest my world. You might not burn like them anymore, but you will be no less worthy of the pyre. You will not live to face judgment when I claim the throne of one world, and turn my attention on this one. You will not even be a memory.'
Lotus froze, staring up at the towering monster. She'd finished the simple repetition of her diagram now, with only the complex calculations left to perform. She needed to write the precise balance of local factors needed to cross into Equestria, without going too far in any of eleven possible other dimensions. If even one was off, the Worldgate would open, but only God knew where it would lead.
"You're going to... conquer this world too?"
More laughter answered. The golem advanced—not bounding footsteps, but slow and confident, ignoring Iron's outline circling around its head like a fly.
'There are many souls, a whole domain of wild, untapped magic. Some will be useful to me, but many more will serve in other ways. Why do you think I came here?'
"And if I... give you this?" She levitated the book out of her satchel, holding it in the air in front of her. "Will you leave it in peace? Leave my home how I found it?"
'Of course!' Searing answered, without a second's hesitation. 'I told you that service would be rewarded. Obey, and I could make you regent. You would be free to administrate it however you saw fit. So long as offerings continued to flow, it would be yours to govern.'
Govern. As though she could somehow take dominion over the whole planet using a little magic. Lotus had her doubts about that, even with such a powerful enemy like Searing Gale involved. But whether or not she was actually capable didn't matter. She could still try, doing terrible harm to anyone who got in her way. Starting with Lotus herself.
In all her time practicing, she hadn't learned how to fight. If there were spells to use, attacks to cast, or other powers she could wield—Lotus didn't know how.
Could she somehow delay Searing, maybe until the police got bigger hardware here? "Iron told me you attacked Equestria. He said you burned your way across it, killing anyone you wanted. I don't care what you turned me into, I'm not a killer! I won't help you!"
The voice sounded profoundly disappointed. 'You showed so much potential, Lotus. A shame to see it wasted on a pointless death. In this last moment, know that it was your choice. I offered you a better way, and you refused me. Others will not spurn my gifts.'
The stone monster lifted its hoof, bringing it down slowly towards her. That was the strategy then—crush her slowly, so the book wouldn't be completely destroyed. She could dodge out from beneath it, but not with half the expertness and confidence of a flying pony.
Machinery roared and groaned, rising to a burst of sudden life. Her head twisted in time to see the excavator spinning. Its massive metal arm smashed down into the golem, knocking it sideways. Metal groaned at the impact, and the gigantic vehicle rocked to one side, before smashing back to the ground with a groan of its metal treads. 
The golem landed harder. One of its limbs shattered at the impact, while great cracks spread along its length. She squealed and retreated, getting as far away from the brawl as she could. The golem rose again, standing precariously on its three remaining limbs. It hobbled forward—and the excavator swung again.



Stone and metal met with a terrible impact, and this time no clear winner emerged from the melee. The metal arm twisted and bent, curling around the monster's neck. The impact sent another shock through the golem, cracking it almost perfectly down the middle. It fell away in two heavy pieces. They spasmed and twitched with a little residual light, as though both halves were trying to rise. 
Finally silence descended—other than the constant rumble of the excavator engine, joined now by a shrill whine of alarms and sirens.
"Lotus?" Iron landed beside her, flaring his wings to arrest his movement. He met her with a brief hug, squeezing tight. "Are you alright?"
She nodded tearfully. "Y-yeah. That was... amazing. I knew you could fly, but..." She let go, brushing the dirt and moisture from her face. "Damn. No wonder you're in the guard."
He glanced over at the broken wreckage of the golem, his grin widening. "Can't take credit for the kill, though. That was—"
Gus emerged from the cockpit, well above ground level. He spread both wings in the air, and glided down towards them. His path wasn't exactly straight, tumbling one way and the other in the air. He landed unsteadily, skidding and rolling instead of choosing a perfect patch of ground and just settling down there.
He righted himself quickly, beaming. "Bet you didn't think I could do that."
"I didn't," Lotus admitted. "How did you even... know how to start it?"
He posed for a few seconds longer, before finally relaxing. "Morning shift operator was already inside. Guess I was wrong about when they start things up for the day, lucky us! Between a bird and a rock monster, he wasn't hard to convince. Legally speaking it was me who took over the digger, though. Don't want the poor guy losing his job because he helped save our lives."
As the silence stretched, the watching audience of police seemed to grow a little bolder. Someone pulled out a megaphone, shouting that they were to remain where they were and not make any sudden movements.
Now that the rock monster was gone, they would move in and drag the three of them off. To what end—she couldn't guess. But she didn't intend to stick around and find out.
Lotus took a few slow steps, back to the patch of empty ground identical to all the other dirt around it. She cleaned a few smeared runes, correcting them to match her perfect memory of the marks.
Compared to spell crafting with a rock monster bearing down on her, a few shouting police and distant sirens might as well be a lullaby.
Gus wandered away, returning a few seconds later with his fallen backpack over his shoulder. That was more of their lives before than she had—all that Lotus now carried was something new. The cursed book, Luna's journal, and no trace of her old self. "Not exactly... the way I imagined our departure going," Gus whispered.
Iron's touch was gentler, one wing on her shoulder. Light enough that he wouldn't startle her, and ruin her calculations. "I hear other vehicles drawing near. If we are going to flee..."
She finished the last of the calculations, scratching her vector into the dirt around with the others. "You trust my work?" she asked. "Once I cast this, I can't stop it. We go where it sends us."
Iron met her eyes with the same bravery he'd shown to the golem. With the monster shattered, its master’s voice was mercifully silent too. "I think you'll like Equestria. I'd like to show it to you."
"I trust you too," Gus added, urgent. "And I really don't want to go to prison as a bird. Or... Area 51. Wherever they send monsters and aliens."
Good enough. Lotus's horn exploded to life, filled with every drop of magic she had. Brilliant purple wrapped around them, splitting the air with a sudden burst of lightning. The crack extended up into eternity, vanishing into the starry sky. Through it, grass appeared, flowing along a moonlit mountainside. She saw no mine, no police, no sign of their climactic battle. 



Together, they stepped through.
> Chapter 27
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus lay beneath a field of soft grass. They surrounded her in all directions, nearly up to her shoulders in places. She found the contact strangely soothing against her coat, gently cool after the desperate pressure of their flight from the mine and battle with Searing Gale. 
In all that time—from the moment of her frightening accident to the transformation that followed and her desperation to master her new powers—she never dared to hope this moment would actually come.
But here she lay, surrounded by sweet-smelling grass, under a glittering sea of constellations she had never seen. We actually made it. We're in another world. I got us here. 
Even singed from the trip with most of her belongings melted away by the flame, Lotus had a smile on her face. She would even dare to feel a little pride. She couldn't make it through community college, but when something actually mattered to her—she'd done it. 
The tome lay beside her in the grass, just far enough that it didn't touch her coat. The half of Searing's soul within remained stubbornly silent since her defeat, like a toddler scolded after getting her fingers caught in the cookie jar. Only this toddler had seriously injured several police and wanted her to commit genocide. So maybe there were a few differences.
Thankfully she didn't have to face the new world alone—she had Iron Feather for company, and Gus. They'd both made it through the portal with her. They were both nearby, voices distant as they made camp. After getting us here, you deserve a break. Catch your breath. Given the disastrous circumstances of her arrival, Lotus was eager to obey this time. She deserved a little break.
"Hey." A voice interrupted her quiet introspection. Iron appeared beside her, nudging her head with a gentle hoof. He still smelled like dirt, blood, and ash—but she wasn't any better. Besides, there was another scent mixed in, one she enjoyed much more. The pegasus smelled like ozone, somehow masculinity and adventure concentrated into one. "Feeling any better?"
She'd seen enough evidence of that bravery firsthand, in the face of terrible danger and death. Could she have flown into the face of that golem, knowing what it would do if it reached her?
She nodded weakly. "Think I dozed off for a bit. What time is it?" Then she realized where he was standing, and her face turned bright red. 
Even across the universes to another world, she couldn't just forget about what it meant to be naked. Particularly with him standing over her, wearing just as little.



"Must be around midnight, from the moon. Gus is about finished with the camp. Got a fire going. Not much to eat, but we won't have to worry about that for much longer."
She yawned exaggeratedly, then rolled onto her hooves. "You made Gus set up the camp? You know he dropped out of the scouts when he was like... thirteen."
Her legs didn't want to support her weight. But Iron reacted quickly, catching her and helping her to her hooves. She didn't blush while he did it or enjoy the strength of Iron's scent so close to her. Not even a little bit.
"I do not know that. Anything that happened so long ago is a distant memory. But I know you shouldn't worry—Gus was insistent he had done this before. I had to be the one to fly up and scout."
She leaned on him for a little longer, acting as though she was still struggling to get her hooves under her. Lotus had every reason to take her time, after all she'd accomplished. "What did you find?"
His wings sagged, and his ears folded backwards behind him. "Regrettably, not as much as I would like. It's dark in all directions, no sign of city lights. Wherever this is, we're deep in the wilderness. I'll have to wait for morning to get a better view."
He lifted one wing, resting it gently over her. Without invitation, Lotus rested her head against his neck, and closed her eyes again. She could stay that way for a long time—maybe hours, if her legs didn't give out. 
This was what it meant to let a pony hold her. Even after everything, Iron was strong when she couldn't be.
Eric never had anyone like this. Her old self had never even imagined what it would be like. Should she be embarrassed that she preferred this position?
"We won't be out here for long," Iron whispered, gentle. "I promised you civilization, and I meant it. Princess Luna will notice our dreams, and she'll come for us. Or maybe Princess Celestia's protege will be scanning for magic, and she felt the hole we just made in the sky. "
"Or maybe we can write her back with the journal," Lotus said, sticking out her tongue. "The princess wanted us to keep quiet while we were on Earth. Now that we're over here, I think the magic should be harder to track. Your world isn't empty of magic like mine, it's full of spells and magical creatures. Every unicorn has their own magic, don't they?"
"All of us do. I fly with magic, so does your friend. Earth ponies can break rocks with their hooves and haul whole buildings around with their magic. It's the same with all creatures. Even the animals have a little."
He extended a hoof, pointing towards the fallen books. "You can stick that in my satchel if you want. Wouldn't want to leave it here."
She nodded and made to lift it with her magic. The effort cost her more than usual, enough that she nearly dropped it halfway up. But Lotus persisted, a little like lifting her arm after an exhausting workout in the gym. Iron nudged the satchel on his other side open with a wing, and she settled it there beside Luna's journal.
"Should've asked me to set up camp. I'm an Eagle, he didn't even make it past Tenderfoot."
"He's a woodpecker I think, not an eagle. And you are a dragon, not a bird. Just not enough dragon to fly, unfortunately." He gripped her a little tighter with his wing, running the tough muscles there against her scales. She barely felt it, other than his warmth. 
"I know how to rough it and he doesn't," she said, exasperated. "You'll see when we get there. Did we even have any camping supplies when we crossed?"
He shook his head once. "Gus managed to bring a sack containing his... whatever those things are. And I preserved the books. Otherwise—we could have done better." 
He released her shoulder, then moved in front of her. "I promised you wouldn't have to live in the wilderness when we got here, and I meant it. You saved my life, and you got Gale's phylactery back to Equestria. As soon as they find us, you'll be a hero. I know you're already mine."
She couldn't help herself—not after a line that cheesy. She kissed him there under the moonlight, with the wind whipping through the tall grass all around them.
It didn't come with the same burning, desperate need for him to go further, not like the last time. This was something else, more like a fine wine than a shot of her favorite whisky. Subtler, more complex. No pressure to catch herself before she tumbled over the edge.
"You saved me too," she eventually said, when it was done. "Don't give me all the credit."
He brushed a few strands of mane out of her face, still lingering close. Close enough that their contact might resume, if she wasn't careful.
"We're in Equestria now. Princess Luna will be able to change you back. That magic you were trying so hard to learn—it's yours."
She nodded weakly, silent, avoiding his eyes.
"That means... we won't be together for much longer. The princess takes the book, and she can send you home. That's it."
She looked away from him, turning towards the camp. Or she assumed the camp was that way, judging by the constant noise. Gus was struggling with something, though she couldn't tell what. It involved lots of banging.
"That's what she said. She can change me back. I know Gus will be excited about that part. He didn't volunteer for this."
"Neither did you," the pegasus countered. "You helped a pony in need. Tended my wounds, kept me hidden until I got better. You didn't sign up to protect Equestria."
"No, but I'm the reason you were hurt in the first place," she said. Lotus spun around, eyes wet with sudden tears. She wasn't sure where the intensity came from, but it came. How long had this been boiling in the back of her mind, unexpressed. Not anymore—it was time to take credit where it was deserved.
Iron just stood there, expression blank.
Of course, he had no words. No way to make it easier. She had to face these consequences alone.
"It was pouring rain!" she shouted, loud enough that her voice echoed back to her from a distant peak. "I wasn't going that fast—lucky for you. My pickup would've turned you into a red smear, not just broke your wing. I tried to stop, but..."
She shook her head violently. Moisture sizzled up from her face in little bursts of steam. "Couldn't. Still hit you. Then you were dying on the road, and I had to do something..." 
The distant clattering sounds stopped. But dense as he could be sometimes, even Gus probably heard her distress.
She slumped forward, lowering her head into the grass. Nearby strands withered and withdrew from her, smoldering but not yet igniting. "I had to help. It was my fault you got into trouble at all. Otherwise, you could've saved Equestria without me. Probably way faster."
She didn't look up, so she didn't know what was coming until it struck her. A wave of water washed over her, so sudden and cold it silenced her instantly. Her mane hung down to either side of her face, as soggy and pathetic as a cat who slipped into a puddle.
Iron stood over her, now-empty canteen held in one of his wings. He remained silent for a few more seconds, watching the water slowly steam off her coat. But Lotus hadn't really been burning yet, and this time the cold won.
"Lotus, how stupid do you think I am?" He capped the canteen, then tossed it into his satchel beside the books. Finally, he touched her shoulder again, light at first. When he didn't burn, he moved closer to her, close enough to whisper into her ear. "I didn't understand your world at first. When I got there, I was... still stunned from the transport magic. I couldn't see through the storm."
She waited. But there was no energy left for tears. This wound was older than that, scabbed over and scarred. She'd spent too long worried about survival to lose herself over a little guilt.
"I've seen ponyless carriages before. When I saw Gus using his, it all made sense." He tapped his hoof against her chest. "There's a dent on the front of yours. Matches some damage to my breastplate."
He pulled back, opening both wings in a pony shrug. "Well, it did. I don't think your truck is going to move again after getting us here."
"No, probably not." She nodded weakly. "How long did you know?"
"I wasn't sure until the Timberwolves attacked. Before that, I still wanted to think Searing Gale had sent it. But that didn't really make sense. I just needed a little more time to admit it." 
He pulled her closer, brushing her mane back into place with a few delicate touches from his wing. The feathers were soft against her face, the underside covered in fluffy down. A few bits clung to her, but she didn't mind. That only brought his scent closer.
"There's nothing to feel guilty about, Lotus. An evil pony would've left me on the side of the road and pretend nothing happened. Most ponies would've taken me to the hospital and forgot it ever happened. You did more. You knew your world wasn't safe for me, and so you took care of me yourself. When you realized how important my mission was, you got involved. You sacrificed everything—your job, your house, even your body."
He rested her head up against his shoulder. "In case you need to hear it, I forgive you. It was an accident, and you did more than fix all the harm you caused."
She whimpered, then embraced him, wrapping one leg around his shoulder and holding on tight. Irrational or not, backward and silly or not—this weight was finally taken from her. 
Now maybe those scars could finally heal properly. "I didn't even get to say... I was sorry."
He chuckled. "I think saving me counts. If not, getting us back into Equestria is good enough. Now I need to return the favor. Get you back your life and get you home again."
Her ears perked up, turning towards the camp. Someone was making their way over, tearing through the grass and ripping up little shrubs to do it. Only Gus would be so loud and awkward.
She let go of Iron, turning in his direction just in time. Light pierced the feeble half-moonlight, and a spotlight nearly blinded her. She raised one leg, shielding herself from the griffon's headlamp. "Seriously Gus, you aren't going to get night vision with that awful thing on your face. At least switch it to red."
He sighed, then the light switched to a dimmer setting. "I tried that. Unfortunately, someone changed me into a griffon. You can only blame yourself."
"Why would that matter?" she asked, bewildered. But her mood was already improving. True, she had plenty to feel sorry about with Gus's transformation. That time hadn't even been an accident—it was entirely her own fault. "I thought your sight was way better now. I haven't seen you put on glasses once."
"You melted them," he said. "And it is, during the day. But no matter how long I sit around in the dark, I don't adjust. If I can blind you, it means you still have it. Lucky you."
Iron nodded absently. Like her, he looked away from the light more than into it. "There are owl griffons. The others have very poor night vision. There was a famous battle against Griffonstone..." He trailed off. "Did you secure the camp?"
Gus turned away, back to the trail he'd cut through the grass to reach her. 
Lotus followed him, and soon reached the site he'd chosen. There wasn't much to see—a shallow pond, beside an expanse of flat rock. There was no tent or sleeping bags, just a shelter made from bits of fallen wood with a cloth hung awkwardly over for cover. 
A circle of rocks obviously meant for a fire stood in front of it, not as far away as Lotus would've liked. Gus had piled wood into the circle in no particular strategic or otherwise meaningful arrangement.
"I was hoping you would help get this started..." Gus said, looking awkwardly away from her. "Since fire is your thing." He brushed one talon along the ground, knocking over a pair of rocks.
One was a little darker than the other—flint? Lotus rolled her eyes, dropping down to one knee before the fire circle. "I guess you weren't there the day we talked about starting these. We should just wait until morning, maybe we can use it to cook our..." She trailed off, tail flicking nervously back and forth. "Nothing, I guess. Supplies didn't make it out of the truck?"
He gestured to the light stuck to his head. "Filming bag had to come first, you understand. Besides, you were an Eagle. This should be a breeze for you."
She stood to full height. "Wind is blowing up the slope. We'll get smoked out all night with the shelter right there. Besides, it's already the middle of the night. We could all use the rest."
Before they retired for the night, Iron borrowed a pen from Gus to scribble a brief message in the diary.

Princess Luna,
We have arrived in Equestria. Our current location is unknown, but mountainous. The constellations are consistent with the northern hemisphere, and the plants are familiar to me. I believe we are within Equestrian territory.
We still have the phylactery. I'm traveling with Lotus and the transformed griffon, Gus. When daylight comes, I will scout further and send a more accurate report for pickup. I'm sure Searing Gale knows we're here, as she invested significant magical power trying to take the book before we could cross.
We hope she'll be drained long enough for you to retrieve us.
Your Loyal Servant,
Iron Feather

Lotus nodded her approval at the note, then passed the journal back. "Good enough. Now we see if she writes us back."
She didn't, not the rest of that night.
Actually, getting sleep proved a little harder than Lotus anticipated. Gus had gathered wild grass to use as bedding, and that helped. But compared to a real bed, Lotus could never get comfortable.
The shelter wasn't terribly large, but still Gus insisted on having a part of it to himself. Whatever hope she had to cuddle up with Iron died with her friend right there, occasionally opening one eye to look across the shelter.
Despite the exhaustion of their escape, none of them seemed to sleep well. They tossed and they turned, occasionally dislodging bits of the poorly-constructed shelter. 
She couldn't blame Gus for that—he'd put it together in the dark, without tools. At least it blocked out most of the wind. The others might be cold, but that was no problem for Lotus herself. Short of a blizzard, she would probably be fine with any climate.
She knew the morning by the pale blue light peeking in through cracks in the shelter, followed by the distant calls of songbirds. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, determined to fall back asleep—but in vain.
Eventually someone crawled out of the shelter, and she followed. Iron Feather better be right about Equestrian hospitality—if she didn't get a bath soon, she was going to catch on fire.
She stepped away from the camp a little way, searching for a private spot to take a leak. She was so groggy she nearly walked right into someone.
"Sorry Iron." She took a step back, head lowered. "I think I—" 
Several creatures stood before her, wearing saddlebags and carrying lanterns. From leaves and dirt in their coats, they hadn't slept much last night either.
"You're not Iron."



> Chapter 28
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus remained frozen, facing down the group of kirin. There were three, two about her own size and one a little taller. Yet compared to her, they might as well be another species. Their manes had grown large and vibrant, more like what she'd expect on a lion than her own modest growth. The scales emerging from beneath packs of supplies were polished shiny enough to catch reflected sunlight. Their horns had that same luster, like they'd been dipped in wax.
"You're... here for the book, aren't you? She sent you!"
Lotus ducked back the way she'd come, breaking into a gallop through the grass. She tore straight through the underbrush toward camp, running as quickly as her hooves would let her. She plowed through shrubs and stumbled over rubble, not caring for the scratches and thorns tangling in her coat. She couldn't fight with her magic so drained, nevermind facing three of the creatures at once. Maybe Gus had a handgun stashed in his camera bag?
She emerged outside the shelter, stumbling through the fire pit and scattering unused wood under her hooves as she passed. She toppled sideways on the rocks, squealing in pain and frustration. "They're right behind me! Iron, get that spear! We need to—"
Four Kirin were already scattered around the camp. Two held Gus between them, who squirmed in vain towards the camera bag floating in someone’s magic. Another three looked like they'd just won a fistfight with Iron Feather, holding him pressed down in their hooves. His spear was nowhere to be seen, or his armor. "Lotus..." he croaked, nodding towards the shelter. "R-run! They're..."
A kirin stepped out of the shelter, levitating Iron's satchel in her magic. Her tail whipped back and forth in agitation, as her eyes finally settled on Lotus. "Hey, so could you like not attack us? You're way outnumbered. It would be way less inconvenient for everyone if you just didn't."
She ran one hoof through her mane, groomed into perfect curls. 
Lotus scrambled to her hooves, then reached for the bag with her magic. The cream-colored kirin twitched once, eyes settling on her. She yanked the bag closer, and Lotus's magical focus shattered. 
The battle was lost before it even began.
Lotus lowered her head, defeated. Even if she hadn't had all her power drained, this would probably still be a losing battle. Generously, Lotus had two months of magical practice. This creature might have decades. "You don't know what's in the bag. It's dangerous dark magic."
"Really?" The kirin flipped it open, turning it towards her.
Iron screamed, struggling along the ground. "Don't touch that! You don't have to serve her! You're not all evil!"
Another two kirin leapt over to help, battering Iron down. Finally, he vanished under their weight, out of sight. 
The kirin snapped the bag closed almost as fast as she'd opened it. "No need to get dramatic. Honestly thought ponies would be a little more relaxed. You're such a drama queen." 
She tossed the satchel over her shoulder, then advanced towards Lotus. "Listen. It's a long walk back to the village, and it would be a bummer to miss the festival tonight. Can you convince the pony and your, uh... pet... to relax? If we have to carry you, we won't get there until after dark, and I'm going to miss the dancing."
She slid past her, gesturing off along the rocky slope. That way was a direction they hadn't explored much yet, since so much of the ground was blasted black obsidian and other igneous rock, rather than soil mixed with wild plants. "You're not going to capture me too?" Lotus asked, staring after her. 
"We'd rather not," said one of the others. A male, judging by his larger size and deeper voice. She felt warmth radiating from him just by getting close to him. Either he was furious about something, or just burned hotter than Lotus did. "This was a rescue, not a battle."
"Supposed... to be..." grunted one of the others, still holding Iron down. "Stop fighting, pony! Someone is going to go Nirik, and then you won't make it back to the village at all."
"Please," Lotus urged, hurrying over to him. A few other kirin tensed, ready to restrain her. But there was no need—she knew a losing battle when she saw one. "Iron, please. We are being rescued. You don't have to be such a royal pain. I'm sure it would be a relief to everyone if you just stopped fighting." 
She couldn't make eye contact with him through so many creatures holding him, but evidently, she didn't have to. The pile stopped moving, suggesting the one underneath had finally fallen still. "Fine. You win."
The crowd backed off of him, one kirin at a time. Eventually there were just two, one to hold him on either side. Someone produced a length of cloth, wrapping it tight around his wings.
They nudged Lotus in the shoulder, and the creamy-colored kirin emerged just beside her, imitating her pose. "Wait, I can do it. Relax before you require the kirin rescue party to reactivate their fire magic and they render you into remains." She turned sideways, a sly smile on her face. “Six to three, I win! That's the game, right?"
"Autumn, why don't you give her a break? We don't even know her name yet." That was the male again, tallest of the group, with a light tan coat. He might've been Autumn's older brother from the way he sounded. Either that, or he was just used to dealing with her.
"You can let go of me too," Gus interrupted, frustrated. "I didn't punch anybody. I just want my camera back. I'm a naturalist, a documentarian, a citizen journalist! Not a pet."
The one called Autumn turned her attention towards him. She gestured, and the kirin holding his bag offered it to her. She flicked it open, poked through the stuff inside, then emerged with a multitool. "Then how do you explain this?" 
She flicked out the blade with her magic, holding it up.
Gus groaned. "There's thirty other tools on that thing. Besides, my claws are sharper than that. I used it to cut open too many boxes, and it barely cuts bread anymore."
"He's not a fighter," Lotus said. "Gus is my friend. He's a little talkative sometimes, but harmless."
The male laughed. "Really? Might as well give him back his stuff, Autumn. Sure you two will be fast friends."
"Far away from us," another added. A collective chuckle passed through the group, one that Autumn herself didn't seem to notice.
She tossed the sack onto the ground in front of Gus. "Let us wrap your wings first, big bird. And I'm sticking your knife in with the other dangerous stuff." She flicked it closed, then slid it into Iron's satchel beside the enchanted books.
Gus nodded, sticking his wings to his sides. "I can't really fly anyway, so I don't mind. Just try not to wrap those too tight. Wings are way sensitive. Things they don't tell you in wing class."
The kirin beside him wrapped his wings just as they'd done with Iron, remaining well outside the easy reach of his claws as they did. Finally, they backed away, facing him every second. Like a pair of animal rescuers releasing a rehabilitated mountain lion.
He jerked forward, but not toward either of the kirin. Gus's attention was focused entirely on the bag, which he scooped eagerly onto his shoulder. Lotus half expected him to take out a GoPro and start recording. It seemed today was the day he discovered a little survival instinct. Instead of that, he just kept his head down, rejoining Lotus and Iron. 
"I'm Pumpkin Smoke," the male said, nudging her with one hoof. "What's your name, miss? Where did you come from?"
"Lotus," she said. "And I'm—"
"That's only half of it," Autumn interrupted, nudging up against her side. "Come on. What family did you come from?"
Is that how those work? She hadn't really had the chance to work out very much about pony names—but it couldn't be that simple.
"I don't, uh..." She looked away. "It's a long story."
"Well, it's a long walk! Why don't you tell us! Use exhaustive detail. Unless you'd rather sing, that's also acceptable."
Another groan passed through the assembled kirin, and they set off.



They walked for a long time through the mountains, roaming up and down the slopes and back again. As the sun lifted higher, Lotus finally got her first proper view of Equestria.
For another universe, it didn't look terribly otherworldly. Steep mountains covered in lush growth, extending in a range to the south. Valleys lay below, dotted with what she thought were distant rooftops. She saw recognition whenever she looked at Iron, but the pony said nothing where they would be overheard.
It reminded her a little of Switzerland, at least from the pictures. But Eric didn't have the money for travel—he'd never once left his home state.
Now Lotus was in another universe, where magical horses lived in the mountains covered in familiar trees. She recognized the smattering of evergreen, wildflowers, and the occasional squirrels.
Gus noticed too. While Lotus kept her mouth mostly shut, the griffon barely stopped whispering to her for the entire trip. Loud whispering, so everyone watching could hear and there was no chance of tuning him out. 
"I think those are oak trees. There, did you see! A robin! That's the seventh species I recognize. There's absolutely no chance this is just convergent evolution. We must be in North America somewhere. Do you think it's significant that we were at a low elevation on Earth and arrived at a high elevation here? Can't be a coincidence."
“You’re a wildlife expert?” Autumn asked, falling into step beside Gus. “Or just a bird expert? Is it because you’re part bird?”
Gus shook his head once. “I wouldn’t call myself an expert on anything. More of a generalist. I’m trying to figure out how this world is different from the one we came from.”
“There’s another one?” Autumn asked, mouth falling open. “Tell me everything!”





A collective groan passed through their captors. Their leader muttered quietly under his breath. “You can’t trust a thing they say, Autumn. You saw how the pony behaved.”
The one named Autumn ignored him completely. “You said you had the same birds? What kind are those?”
Her excitement was contagious, at least to Gus. He raised his voice, matching Autmn’s excitement almost exactly. “The songbirds were one thing. I’m not sure about the scale, they’re either bigger or smaller than I’m used to. But part of that’s on me, not having a consistent point of reference. Than there’s the…”
And so he went, considering the implications of almost everything they saw, going back and forth with Autumn so loud that Lotus could hardly hear herself think. 
Except for one important fact: Their captors did not act much like Searing Gale said they should.
The others couldn't know that of course—they didn't have weeks of the dark sorceress whispering into their head whenever they studied her book. But Lotus did, so she knew the way she thought.
Searing Gale would not have bothered capturing prisoners, unless she thought they had direct value to her. She certainly wouldn't abide the annoyance of a nearly-useless prisoner rattling on and on about everything they saw, wasting time and demoralizing her troops. If anything, she expected the kirin to incinerate him for magical power at a moment's notice.
The worst Gus got was an eventual stern talking to from Pumpkin Smoke, that his rescue team had spent the night searching and were not in the mood to listen to the bird singing all trip. But then Autumn started him on a new subject, and the kirin just gave up.
Iron said nothing at all, marching along like a captured prisoner of war. He didn't keep his head down but watched their surroundings with intense interest every second. But whatever secret escape he was searching for, Lotus never saw it.
They wandered through narrow mountain trails, up and down canyons and through dense trees. Gradually they all changed to a more tropical environment, with vines arcing between towering trees, and underbrush thick and uninviting to their hooves.
But they weren't walking at random: someone had cut a trail, piercing the undergrowth and all else that surrounded it. It was barely wide enough for them to cross in single file, which meant the oversized Gus occasionally caught his claws or wings in something and had to press through it. 
Iron probably wanted her to remain stubbornly silent through the entire trek. But she couldn't keep that up forever—particularly not with her growing suspicion about the kirin who had captured them.
"I'm not from any village you know," she said, when she couldn't handle the pressure for another second. Not that their escorts ever did anything to her—it was just the one called Autumn Blaze, following her and occasionally asking another probing question. 
"Gus and I are from another world."
Autumn whistled. The other kirin each reacted in their own way—some shook their heads, others stared in disbelief. A few moved fearfully away from her. 
Autumn was not among them. She hurried closer, practically bouncing with sudden energy. How the hell did this kirin not get tired like the others? Lotus felt that exhaustion herself, seeing as she'd spent the whole night not sleeping on a bed of leaves and rock.
"I didn't even think there were other worlds! What are kirin like there? Do we still have a kingdom? Are we allies with griffons in your world? Or..." She gasped. "Did they conquer us? Are you his pet?"
Gus suppressed a laugh, badly. "I did bring her all the food she wanted while she was locked in my house."
Lotus shot him a sudden glare. "Please stop. You're just confusing them." For better or worse, the watching kirin seemed to be focused far more on her than her companions. 
"You don't need to explain yourself to us," Calming Ember said, cutting off Autumn's next burst of words. "Rain Shine will see you. But not tonight, because of the festival. You will have to wait for tomorrow for an audience."
"But you could still dance with us!" Autumn said, not missing a beat. "Any kirin is invited to participate, and we always do! I don't know anything in the rules about kirin from other worlds not counting! And... I guess nothing about birds either. It wouldn't be right for a pony, but..."
"I'm not much on dancing," Gus said, almost as fast. "Definitely not now that I've got four legs, no arms, and claws. I'd probably tear up your dance floor. I know they catch on carpet; you don't have to ask how."
Lotus kept her head down, saying nothing. The kirin talked about rescue, where we came from, and their traditions. Rain Shine doesn't sound much like Searing Gale.
She wanted to ask, but that question died in her throat. The kirin didn't seem to understand the significance of her books, the power to cross universes, or Lotus's own presence outside their village. But if she used the name of that ancient sorceress, it might be enough to connect the dots.
What if they were a lineage of ancient cultists, waiting in the wings to restore their evil queen to power? Maybe if she could keep her head down long enough, she could get the book back into her hooves and escape. 
That meant a little more subtlety, and patience. "I've never been to a festival before." That was all she said, letting the conversation die. 
It was about noon by the time they arrived at their destination.
At first there was nothing to see—a bleak mountainside, melted by volcanic rock, and painful to walk and ugly to look at. But there on the ruined hillside stood a stone arch, tall enough for a creature even bigger than Gus to walk comfortably inside.
The leading male levitated the pack off his shoulders, and their escort all backed away from him.
"What are you—" Gus began, but the question was answered before he could finish. Flames roared up from around the kirin, transforming him into a blacked, ghostly inverse. His eyes burned, and flame rippled where once fur had been. 
No wonder Iron is so afraid. That's what I look like when I lose control?
Lotus stepped sideways towards Iron, putting herself between Calming Ember and the pegasus. She couldn't block out the fire if he attacked, but at least she could slow him down.
Their guide didn't lose control and attack, though. Instead, he settled one hoof on the arch, and its appearance shifted. Stone blocks rattled and rearranged themselves, so that every side was now blackened and scorched. When the last one was in place, fire flickered through the barrier, one final burst.
The view through it changed. The blackened mountain was gone, along with the corpses of fallen trees. In its place stood a city, though she could see it only dimly through the arch.
The flames also took Pumpkin Smoke’s Nirik fire with them. He settled onto four distinctly non-burning hooves, stumbling breathless out of the way. He gestured through it, leaning against the arch to catch his breath.
"Welcome to Hono!" Autumn Blaze practically shouted, gesturing through. 





"I mean... welcome to you, Lotus. You two, you're coming with us because you were with her, and now you know our secret. Or... something brooding and mysterious. An edge of danger. Anyone else have ideas?"
"Don't try to run," said one of the other kirin, exasperated. "You'll be our guests if you behave. Be careful, act well. If you anger someone, you'll be incinerated before they even realize what's happening."
"That's pretty good!" Autumn turned towards the kirin, beaming. "Now make it a little more mysterious. Don't just say it how it is."
Pumpkin Smoke shoved Autumn through the opening. One by one, the other Kirin surrounded them, cutting off any path of escape.
Lotus touched briefly against Iron, whispering into his ear. "I don't think this is as bad as it looks. I need you to trust me, okay? I'll get us out of this."
He nodded subtly, so small she could only feel the gesture against her neck.
Gus hurried through the opening without prompting. He had a GoPro in one talon now, held on a collapsible Steadicam. But if the kirin knew what he was doing, they made no sign.
Then they shoved Iron through, leaving only Lotus and Calming Ember left on the outside. He didn't touch her, only gestured towards the arch. "Our rescue could have been a little more graceful, I apologize. But once you see Hono, I think you'll agree with us. The sooner we got you home, the better."
She forced a polite smile. It wasn't that hard, considering. Aside from a few bruises and scrapes, her friends were intact. All she had to do was get the book back and wait for Equestria to rescue them. How hard could it be?
> Chapter 29
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Lotus's nighttime arrival in Equestria gave her a false impression of how different it could be from Earth, her first hoofsteps into Hono restored some of that initial sense of wonder.
Its many houses and buildings were constructed in a rough semicircle around a large central square, stretching from one side of the village to the other. Though very few were built to any sane engineering standard she had ever seen. Most of those were in the center of the village, where a large wooden temple and various market stalls were scattered.
Towering trees ringed it on all sides, as dense and mighty as any of the wilderness they had trekked through to get this far.
But her second look was enough to reveal the error in that assumption. Somehow, the Kirin had built their homes into the wood, with doors and windows emerging from the thickest trunks. The trees above lived on, even thriving, with some of the richest leaves in their canopies. 
Following those mighty trunks to their tops, some had large structures resting on them just before they narrowed. Others had balconies, walkways, and bridges suspended between them, forming an elevated walkway around the village. 
Smaller buildings tucked between them were built in much the same way, though they used living turf as their roofs instead of some other magical construction technique.
Their escorts hadn't been lying about an upcoming festival either, judging by the decorations. Whole sections of the clearing were covered by strings of paper lanterns, all printed in intricate designs. A wooden dance floor and circles of chairs surrounded the outside, with a few large drums waiting in the middle.
There were few kirin lingering around it now, though. Instead, she saw many through the huge open doors to the temple, along with the twang of Eastern-sounding stringed instruments that Eric couldn't name if he tried.
"You two will be guests at the compound there," said the male, pointing towards a nearby stone building. It was one of a very small number of such buildings, located near the gate. Dense block walls ringed it on all sides, with metal bars on the door. "It's the safest place for strangers. Rain Shine will judge what to do with you tomorrow, when the festivities are over."
"There's no need to lock me up," Gus said hastily, turning his camera on Pumpkin Smoke. "I won't go anywhere without Lotus. If she's here, I'll stay. I'd rather watch your festival if it's okay. No one has ever had the chance to study an alien religion up close!"
The kirin shared a look, attention gradually drifting to Iron. "What about you?" Pumpkin Smoke asked. "Will you swear on your princess that you won't try to run?"
In answer, Iron took one step towards the compound. "I'm no danger to any of you, so long as you aren't a danger to Equestria. But I won't swear on my princess."
"That settles that. Uh... Calming Ember, keep an eye on the bird. Take his bag, he seemed to care about that a lot. Stick that in the compound with the pony." Gus protested, but in vain.
Lotus did catch him palming a few extra batteries before he handed it over. The kirin didn't seem to mind if he kept the GoPro he was using to film them with.
"The mare. Someone should prepare her for the festival. Many will want to meet her. Are there any—"
"Me!" Autumn Blaze practically shouted. "I mean, me. She's about my size." She approached, touching one hoof on Lotus's neck, then another on her rump. "Hmm. Almost. Might be a little loose, but I can make it work. She's about my amount of stink, too. How do you feel about a bath, Lotus no-family-name?"
“Can I vouch for Iron Feather?” she asked. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I’ll be happier if he isn’t locked up.”
The kirin shared a look, confused and annoyed with her question. Their leader shook his head once. “Make him swear. Otherwise, he stays until tomorrow morning.”
Lotus looked to him, pleading. But Iron turned away. “I will wait for judgment. You go, Lotus. Keep your friend out of trouble.”
She shifted uneasily on her hooves, a dozen different arguments rising briefly to her mind—only to fade again just as quickly. The village wouldn’t lock him away forever, just one night. Maybe by cooperating, she could make a good impression on whoever “Rain Shine” was.
“Fine.” She looked away from him, ears folding flat. “I guess he doesn’t want to promise.”
“So you’re with me!” Autumn Blaze exclaimed, stepping between them. “We have a festival to prepare for!”
"Excellent! Perfect! She's your responsibility until she meets with Rain Shine tomorrow. Don't mess this up." He levitated the satchel off Autumn's shoulder, securing it around his neck. "I'll hold onto this. If you're watching her, you wouldn't want it to be too close. Rain Shine will decide whether to give it back."
Autumn touched her chest with one hoof. "She's an ambassador. I'll make sure her festival experience is unforgettable."
The other kirin didn't just agree, they scattered. Lotus had a few seconds to watch them drag Iron away towards the compound—then she was alone in the path, with only this stranger for company.
"Just wait until you get to see Hono," she said, nudging Lotus forward. "I mean, you can already see Hono. But like, see it in a spiritual sense. It's the most amazing place I've ever lived."
Lotus trailed along just a little bit behind her. They passed over a few wooden bridges over the streams, wove through gardens of flowers, towards a single towering tree among the many.
"It is pretty," Lotus admitted. "I've seen tree houses before, but never anyone building inside the tree. I assume that's magic?"
There were all kinds of spells in that book, maybe even some for construction. That was hardly the subject that interested her most when she dug through the tome. 
"Oh, yeah." Autumn shrugged her shoulder. "Everyone lives in those. You wouldn't think they were a good idea, given... what we are. But living in something made of wood teaches discipline. Every time you look up you can see green, and you're reminded of what will happen if you lose control of your emotions. Fire is an amazing friend, but a terrible master." 
They didn't walk into one of the treehouses, but another stone building. This had no walls or fences, just two separate doors. Each had a horn carved into its surface, slightly different in shape and branch. Autumn took them through one, into what was unmistakably a locker room. There was no way to secure one's possessions, just a row of identically sized wooden boxes.
Autumn hung up her saddlebags, then urged Lotus forward into a smaller room with a few seats in the center of a metal grate. Shelves on the wall held various colored bottles, each with little writing she couldn't read. 
Her companion knocked her hoof up against a large metal container on the opposite wall, removing the lid. Clear water frothed inside. "It's a little chilly, but that's okay. We're just trying to keep dirt out of the spring."
Lotus stood stupidly in place, watching the mare. What was she even doing here?
Bathing, apparently. Autumn used a ladle of water along with soap and a brush, each one held in her magic with relative ease. She barely even glanced at Lotus, just scrubbed away as quick as she could, obviously eager to get clean.
Lotus flushed bright red, turning her back on the mare. With how little they cared about nudity, she was surprised they even separated bathrooms by sex. A part of Eric was still there deep down, subtly uncomfortable. 
Physical discomfort over the disgusting state of her body won in the end, and Lotus cleaned herself off.
Her magic had recovered somewhat after the last night, enough that she could levitate one object at once without losing concentration and dropping it. But she lacked the skill to carry everything at once, the way her partner could. The mare's description of the water wasn't just accurate, it was understated. Every ladle of it was downright freezing, sending another wave of shivers through her.
Autumn waited by a door on the opposite side of the room for a minute or two, dripping wet with cold water. Eventually she made her way over, ignoring Lotus's obvious embarrassment. "I'm taking a shot in the dark here—this isn't how kirin wash where you come from."
She nodded, no longer making eye contact. She wasn't any more naked than she'd been five minutes ago, but something about the bathroom made it impossible not to feel self-conscious. "Mostly I use a shower. Water comes out of the ceiling then you turn it off again. You don't have to worry about all these steps..."
"Really? Sounds interesting. Give me that soap, hold still." 
Lotus could no more resist her than she had fought for the satchel earlier in the morning. The other kirin worked quickly, without any particular gentleness. The soap stung, but she did start feeling clean.





A minute later she was done, and she tossed the brush into a bucket of other dirty tools. "Around here, we take our time on the relaxing part, not the one where we're gonna turn into ice cubes. Metaphorically. I've never seen a kirin freeze before."
They walked together through another set of doors, into a manicured garden of stones surrounding several rocky crags, widened into spas. Here the water bubbled with heat, a steady cloud of steam that settled on the spring as constant fog. 
"Stallions on that side of the fence, mares on this. And that spring around the corner is coed, so you can guess what happens there." She nudged Lotus's shoulder again, leering. "You can guess, right?"
Lotus groaned. "Yes. People have sex in my world too. I don't exactly know—" She trailed off, looking suddenly away from her companion. Moisture caught in her coat soon joined the steam rising all around her.
"Adults only through the gate," Autumn continued, pretending not to notice. "Set a rock by the door if you go through with someone. Anyway, this is our side." They descended a little ramp, into a spa large enough for a dozen or so kirin Lotus's size.
In that moment, the discomfort of her embarrassment boiled away to nothing. Her fears went with it. Lotus settled down into a comfortable spot, sinking all the way down to her neck in the bubbling pool. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the rocks.
Heat washed over her, until at last the inferno inside her finally approached the temperature of her surroundings. Her breathing slowed, and she closed her eyes, barely thinking at all.
I'm not a prisoner. They think they rescued me. Besides, did it even matter if she was a prisoner somewhere if she didn't want to leave?
"Usually, it would be pretty packed in here," Autumn said, interrupting her quiet contemplation. "But everyone's already at the festival. There's a ton of food in the temple, more than the whole village could eat. But we'll have to make it there before it all gets cold."
Lotus opened one eye. She was smiling now, entirely against her will. Iron was imprisoned, and the kirin had taken Gale's book. Making it to Equestria was only the beginning—the nation wouldn't be safe until Searing was locked away for good.
It took effort to focus on much of anything right then. The heat didn't wake her up, it might rock her to sleep if she wasn't careful. "Don't suppose you have anything with caffeine around here? Coffee? Energy drinks? Tea?"
"Oh, we have that last one!" Autumn drifted closer to her, taking the seat beside her in the water. "And more interesting stuff. If you've never had sake before, go easy until you know how much you can handle. It's way stronger than it looks."
"I didn't come to your world to drink," Lotus said, speaking slowly. She shouldn't be saying anything, not until her meeting with the mysterious leader Rain Shine. Maybe it was something in the water. "This world is in danger. I'm here to help save it."
"Really? I'm sure that's a really interesting story! How much can you tell me in the next five minutes?"
"Five..." She closed her eyes again, letting the water surround her. With this much heat, it didn't matter how much chaos she faced in the world outside. "That isn't very long."
"Unfortunately not. Should've come to our world on a better day. Without the festival, you could've spent as long in here as you wanted. But that's okay, there will be another chance. There's nowhere else in the whole world safe for kirin. You'll get to know the village so well you're sick of it!" 
She splashed the water towards her, sending a little wave across the liquid in Lotus's direction. She sniffed, coughing and spluttering under the moisture.
Lotus straightened, rising into a proper sitting position in the water. She spat out a mouthful of slightly mineral-tasting spa, breathing heavily. "I've heard a lot about what Equestria was like from Iron Feather—the pegasus with me. I don't think he would lie."
Autumn shrugged in the water, spreading to float there. Lotus might've done that, but not if she had to get out in just five minutes. She had to mentally prepare to leave behind such a nice place, otherwise she might not be able to muster the willpower.
"We haven't had a pony in the village in a long time. Who knows what Equestria is like these days. Can't be all good though. We've got telescopes." She splashed over to Lotus, wrapping her foreleg around her neck. "We've seen things. Magic sucked away. A night without a sunrise. Hear rumors too. The animals hear things from the towns, and sometimes share with us. If we ask nicely. Can you talk to animals, Lotus?"
"No. I didn't know animals were smart enough to have anything to say."
Autumn let go, groaning loudly. "Well there goes that theory! Thanks for nothing!" She pushed away again, and floated across the warm water to the opposite side to sulk.
"Theory for what?" Lotus sat up, sliding a little higher in the water. The heat was fantastically comfortable, but also slowed her thoughts. She didn't have to think if she stayed here.
"Your family name. Nope, don't say anything. I know you don't have one. That's just not gonna work here. You can't honestly tell me that nobody else has the name Lotus where you come from. How do you tell each other apart? I mean, how do other kirin tell you apart when you're not around. Obviously you know which one's you, since you're... you."
Lotus reached up with her magic, brushing it through her mane. She felt like a new creature now, transformed by salty water and soap. When was the last time she'd ever really felt comfortable?
Too bad they couldn't let her sleep for a few hours before the festival. "There weren't a lot of other kirin where I came from. I had to make things up as I went along."
"That's... so sad. How about Solitary Lotus? That sounds like a name!"
"Absolutely not." She splashed the other kirin, pushing the water into a flat wave with her magic. She would've done the same with her hands, but of course she didn't have those anymore. "I'm not solitary. I had friends. Like Gus—the griffon. And Iron." She trailed off, sinking back into the water. 
If she couldn't get a few hours of sleep before the festival, she would settle for having his company in here. He must need it even more than she did, after fighting half a dozen kirin by himself.
If custom forced them into the other hot tub, that wouldn't be the end of the world. She already knew how to discourage others from going in.
"Oooooh. I see how it is. No wonder he's so nice to you. You're together!"
"We're not—" She stopped abruptly, avoiding her eyes. "We could be. But I'm not sure it's a good idea."





"Definitely not." Autumn wrapped a foreleg around her neck again, pulling her in close. "Terrible idea. Kirin is always dominant, or there'd be none of us left by now. Just look at what happened when Lord Tidefall saw Searing's firstborn..." She trailed off, breaking into energetic giggling.
Lotus’s ears perked at that mention. Did Autumn know about the one she was hunting after all? Unfortunately, the other Kirin pressed on so quickly that her question was lost.
"Tell me everything! You want my help setting you up? I could probably get him out of the compound if I asked the right kirin. Best time to ask is under the lanterns tonight. Lots of new lovers make promises to each other. Just make sure you call me over when the fireworks start in a year or two. And the fire brigade, obviously..."
She kept going like that, speaking so fast now that Lotus lost track of exactly what she was saying. The general theme was obvious though, enough for her to finally stand up.
As it turned out, there was something that would pressure her out of the wonderful hot water. "I thought you said it was a bad idea! Why would you want to set us up?" She shook her head. "Wait, it doesn't matter. I'm not afraid of him being a pony. I don't care about that part."
Autumn bounded out behind her, shaking the moisture out of her coat with every step. "If that doesn't bother you, then I don't know what the problem could be. Nothing two mature adults can't work out together. Unless—is he not old enough? I don't know anything about how old ponies are before they—"
"Yes," Lotus said, so loud it was almost a shout. "I don't know if I'm going to go home!"
That finally silenced her. Autumn's mane deflated, and she dripped out onto the wooden mat. Finally she was quiet enough to let Lotus speak.
"Back to my world," she continued. "Changed back into... how I used to look. This is the first time I've ever felt anything for a stallion. I've turned him away twice. It wouldn't be fair to him. To... let him fall in love with me, then leave. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back."
The silence persisted for a few more seconds. Then Autumn wrapped something around her—a huge, fluffy towel. There must be a rack behind her, but now Lotus couldn't turn to look.
"That is not what I was expecting, Lotus. Just hold that thought—we have to get you dressed for the festival!"




> Chapter 30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus stared stupidly back at her reflection in Autumn’s mirror. Any second now this vision would end and she would wake up. She'd be Eric again, smacking his phone to stop the awful beeping of his alarm before another dismal day of work on the factory floor. Then he'd drive home again to a beat up old house he could barely pay for, and do it all again.
Lotus's reflection remained, no matter how long she looked back. Her borrowed silk dress remained, dark patterns broken by a splash of white from the occasional stitched lotus blossom.
The style reminded her a little of what she'd seen in Japanese kimonos, though of course that had to be her own biases in play. There couldn't possibly be any cultural connection between an ancient species in Equestria and an Earth civilization, could there?



Her new friend had helped her comb the mane down under control. Of course she would have some tricks for managing it, considering she'd grown up with all that fluff. The right conditioner and the right kind of brush, and she could get all those tangles under control.
No Searing Gale to whisper dark lies into my head. That book would probably be promising to make her into a princess, or something else equally overblown and melodramatic. But Lotus didn't want to be a princess. All she needed was stability, and maybe some direction for where to go next.
Her old life was ashes—partially her own fault, partially the work of the dark tome she was forced to carry. That brought plenty of regret, but also potential to plant something new. If she wanted. 
Autumn Blaze emerged around the corner, poking her head through the doorway. "Lotus? Are you... perfect, you're ready. If we don't head over there right now, we're going to go the whole festival without food. Come on!
Wearing a dress should look absurd on a horse. Her old self would be laughing hysterically if he could see. But reflected in the mirror, the absurdity just wasn't there. It must've gone to live with all the disgust she felt at the thought of intimacy with Iron.
"Now about all that stuff you told me." The kirin's house looked surprisingly recognizable for being in another world. She had no electricity, running water, or other signs of technology—but otherwise she had all the same amenities: a couch, books, a kitchen, albeit with dried and preserved vegetables instead of refrigerated ones.
The other kirin was far more graceful than Lotus. She moved without seeming confined in her dress, instead gliding through the house. The back never lifted with an annoying twitch from her long tail.
"Not wanting to go after that stallion because of some old self—magic spells, changing into other things. Right?"
She nodded awkwardly, following the mare out into the streets of Hono. There was no sign of others who might overhear—everyone was already at the festival, packed into the central temple or gathered around it from the outside. "I figure I might have a different perspective. Maybe a better one."
Lotus nodded nervously, tail whipping back and forth into the dirt behind her. "I don't know what you could've figured out."
"Oh, all kinds of things! But here's the important one. This guy, Iron Feather. Does he know all this same stuff about you? Changing back, other worlds, magic sorcerer stuff?"
She nodded awkwardly. They didn't cut straight for the temple, instead winding around the village's row of tree-buildings. The place was beautiful, but far smaller than she had first thought. There might be room for a thousand kirin, assuming enough of them were families. Could they really be the only members of the species left?
"So maybe you should think about him too! He already knows how things are. If he still decides to be with you, then he's accepted the risks. You don't have to go into every relationship like you're gonna get married and build a treehouse together! It's okay to just go along for the ride and see where it leads. Maybe it leads you home? Can't imagine why it would, if you would have to change into something else..."
She stopped in her tracks, glancing sharply sideways. "Wait a second! That's why you don't have a last name, isn't it? There's no other kirin in your family. Are there even any other villages in your world?"
Lotus froze. A few lies flicked into her mind, all equally plausible. But could she really lie to the creature who had loaned her a dress, taken her on a tour through the town, and even offered to get Iron out of prison?
"None I ever saw," she said. "I didn't believe magic was even real until I got involved with Iron. It's about that book—but I'd rather not talk about that."
"Tomorrow." Autumn touched her shoulder with one hoof, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "Rain Shine can deal with that tomorrow morning. I'd rather get something to eat if that's okay with you! I know it is, you had to walk just as far!"
Lotus nodded weakly. "Y-yeah. That sounds pretty good."
The temple turned out to be more of a large versatile space, with tables and chairs packed in around a few huge stewpots and a single outdoor kitchen. Much of that seating was empty as they arrived, but someone had been saving them a seat.
Gus, along with a small group of other kirin. He sprawled back in his seat, his camera resting on the table beside him. "Lotus. Looks like you're... just in time. Kitchen said they were closing things down."
"Lotus... what?" asked a creature across from him. A kirin, yet there was something different about her. She was taller than any other in the room, somehow thinner and more delicate. Her simple presence kept the entire table a few degrees hotter than the rest of the room. When she looked at Lotus, some of that same warmth settled on her.
She didn't have the books anymore, but Lotus could guess what they would say. This was magical will manifested, then condensed into a single soul. Was this their version of a Princess? Celestia and Luna were supposed to be powerful enough to move the sun.
"No family name," Autumn added hastily, speaking from just beside her. "Her lineage is a bit of a complex question, matriarch. I could go over everything we talked about if you'd like. It might take a little while, but maybe—"
"This is Rain Shine," Gus said, tapping the empty chair beside him. "She's the leader of Hono. Apparently, she's had the office for a really long time, like—a century or two or something."





The mare nodded her head very slightly. "If you've no other name, then I will call you Lotus Cinder. This name suits our traditions, while honoring the magical talent you've fostered. Take this memory with you of wisdom that waits within the lotus, and the fragility of that beauty. Just as the candle burns, so does the flower wither before the sun."
She levitated something up into the air with faintly glowing magic, then sipped from the cup. Distant strings continued to play, though they seemed somewhat quieter than before. All the nearby tables were almost entirely silent, listening.
"Unless you would refuse," Rain Shine continued. "I would not compel an outsider to accept my judgments. At this moment, you only visit."
Autumn nudged her shoulder, hard enough that Lotus stumbled forward. She lowered her head to a bow, tail smacking nervously into the floor behind her. How many kirin were staring at her right now? "I'm h-honored," she squeaked. "I guess you can call me Lotus Cinder then. Every family name had to start somewhere, right?"
"Start with something to eat," Gus said, kicking out the chair with a paw. "Remember that time you didn't come to Little Tokyo with me? This is nothing like that."
Lotus approached, but it wasn't Gus's approval she waited for. Only when Rain Shine nodded did she finally sit.
Well, after waiting to watch Autumn Blaze do it. Using a chair with four legs was already complex enough, let alone while wearing a dress. She managed without tearing it, barely.
The table refilled, thanks to nearby attentive kirin. Soon there was more food than anyone could possibly eat—bowls of noodles, strange filets of fish and dense rolls that might be sushi, though she didn't recognize any of the ingredients. Most of what they served was stranger still—little pouches of dough steamed and filled with different things, fruit that smelled like meat, cakes that were somehow clear...
A veritable feast, packed with smells and tastes that Lotus Cinder had never before imagined. Not all of it was good, but most was. Even the items she didn't like still tasted like something prepared with great love and care.
She could never possibly try everything. Instead, she copied Autumn Blaze—watching the way she used her chopsticks, then imitating it. After soaking in the hot water, her head no longer pulsed with pain whenever she tried to use her magic. She was recovering her strength.
"You're doing it wrong," the griffon said, nudging her plate with a claw. "Fill this up, not little bits. What are you trying to do?"
"Not a mukbang channel, that's for sure." She stuck her tongue out at him—then realized Rain Shine was still watching her from across the table. Her ears folded backward, and she looked back to her food, eating in silence for a few minutes.
Until the tall kirin spoke. "I felt your Worldgate from within our shield. That's quite the feat for a young sorceress. There are few among our number whose flames burn so brightly."
She looked up, daring to make eye-contact with the oversized mare. If only because she would look even more childish trying to avoid her. "Thanks. I practiced for a long time to make it happen. And I had help."
"You did." She levitated something onto the table beside her—Princess Luna's journal. "The record contained in here was quite interesting. I wish I could have read more of it. But a cursory examination revealed much about you, and the life you came from."
Lotus dropped her chopsticks, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. Not just that—suddenly the whole silk gown felt a little too tight. The leader of this group had read the journal—at least part of it. That meant she knew about the nature of their mission, knew everything Lotus had done—she might even understand who Eric was before she became Lotus Cinder.
"Have some more tea." Autumn floated something towards her, a glass of deep blue liquid. She kept it hovering right in front of her face, insistent. A crisp scent drifted up from within—peppermint, maybe? "Please. My mother helped me sew that gown when I was younger."
Lotus took the cup, then drank. It chilled her throat on contact, so chilly it felt like her mouth should freeze solid. It didn't, but the sensation passed through her body, robbing her of her heat. 
But it did little to cure her embarrassment. 
"You don't have to worry," Gus said, apparently oblivious to the whole thing. "I've had all this time to talk to the locals. Turns out they don't work for the evil sorceress. They're just trying to be left alone up here, that's all. Can't really blame them, after what their ancestors did during the war. Don't expect the ponies to be forgiving, if you follow. They seemed pretty supportive of our whole mission."
Rain Shine levitated the journal off the table, tucking it away somewhere Lotus couldn't see. "Your friend had... much to say. Enlightening, when we could make sense of it. You've come on a noble mission."
Lotus set the empty glass down. When she breathed out, a little cloud of mist emerged from her mouth, condensing in front of her. I've got to get the recipe for this stuff. I might not have burned the house down if I carried this tea around!
"It would not do well to cause you undue stress over it tonight. You've arrived on a sacred night, one best celebrated. We may speak of the heavy news tomorrow."
Lotus rested both hooves on the table in front of her. After crossing whole universes and fighting giant stone monsters, she felt a little braver than Eric had ever been. Or maybe a lot braver. "I don't know what Gus told you. But if it was about the other book I'm carrying, it's true. We have to bring it together with the first one, or else—"
A faint shimmer emerged from Rain's horn. The music fell instantly silent, along with the conversations of a hundred kirin all over the room. Gone were hooves shuffling on wood, or the laughter of children from outside. "It does not matter how important you believe your mission is, Lotus Cinder. Hono survives only because its existence is unknown to Equestria. If its princesses believed even for a second that kirin still lived in their nation—they would bring their hooves down upon our necks and crush us."
She stood from her seat, so sharp that even Autumn jerked. But for once, the talkative mare was silent.
"We have to seal Searing Gale away again," Lotus said. Not a contradiction exactly, though it was close. "Princess Luna said she's already loose, attacking ponies wherever she goes. And if she finds that other book—"
"She will not," Rain said, raising her voice. The temperature went up with it, so that Gus slid his chair a little away from the table. His wings opened, fluttering nervously. Getting the air moving helped, though it would do very little if a creature as powerful as Rain Shine actually became a Nirik.
"No magic may pierce the shield around Hono. No scry, no translocation, nothing. This entangled book of yours is lifeless here. The survivors who built Hono surrounded it with spells to protect us from the consequences of our ancient history. Their magic still functions, even after all these years."
Her horn went out, and a smile as false as porcelain returned to Rain Shine's face. "Please enjoy the festival, Lotus Cinder. The pegasus will be released from the compound. There is no need to hold him there. As he will soon learn, only a kirin may open the shield surrounding our home. The power of his flight will not carry him from this place." 
She turned towards Gus, and her expression seemed suddenly more genuine. "You as well, young griffon. I can see you are already enjoying what Hono has to offer. I hope it can become a comfortable home for you, despite our differences."
Magic flashed from her horn, bright enough that it briefly blinded Lotus. When it finally faded, the matriarch was nowhere to be seen.
For a few more seconds, the awkward silence remained beside their table. Gus toyed with his camera with one claw, sliding it across the table in its waterproof housing. "She didn't say that part before."
A hoof patted her on the back—Autumn Blaze. "I didn't know she was gonna be so harsh—but maybe I suspected. Rain Shine is one of the most conservative matriarchs we've ever seen. She does a great job keeping Hono safe, obviously! Great at it. And we have such great, uh... harvests. Yeah! Just look at all this stuff on the table here. Have you ever seen so many different ways to roast squash?"
"I'm not hungry anymore." Lotus slid out from her seat, turning her back on the table. "Can I go back to your place?"
She didn't wait for permission, turning to sulk her way out of the temple the same way she'd come. It wasn't easy going, since so many other kirin were moving that same way. But they weren't heading to their homes—a crowd gathered on the wooden platform, surrounded by several drums. The way they lined up, were they about to dance?
Autumn joined her at the doorway. She nudged Lotus away from the path leading back to her place. "How about maybe... this way instead?" she gestured at a low bridge over the nearby stream. Beyond it a path wove circuitously through a sculpted garden, vanishing behind healthy trees, huge bushes, and old statues overgrown with moss.
The sun was only just vanishing behind the horizon—but that wouldn't mean darkness here. Not with thousands of lanterns. One by one they came to life, flickering with candlelight within. She could only guess they used magic of some kind to light at the right time—how else could the village go from gloomy to sparkling in a few seconds?
Lotus shrugged, then stepped up onto the bridge anyway. "Why? So, you can push me into the water if I get mad? I'm not that much of a basket-case." I won't ever beat a kirin that powerful, no matter how much I practice. I either have to convince her, or I'm trapped forever. "It's your dress. You sure?"
Autumn nodded. "Oh yeah. Pretty sure this is where you're supposed to... walk for no reason. It's a little early—you think maybe you could walk towards the big statute? Then just sorta hang out there for a while. Don't burn the dress while you're waiting."
"Why?" Her tail whipped back and forth in the dress, smacking into the bridge beside her with each pass. Lotus didn't care—the pain only helped ground her. She deserved a little pain. Because of her, an evil sorceress would stay free outside, free to torment all Equestria.
"Because the feast is only half of it!" Autumn Breeze answered, a little too quickly. "And I think you'll have a better view from the statue. You go there, and I'll be waiting right here. Wait there until the drums stop from the first dances, and I'll take you home. If you still want to."
"Fine." She groaned, then set off down the little garden trail. She wouldn't be any less of a prisoner in the garden than she was at the feast.
She walked along the stream, through a garden of vibrant, healthy-smelling flowers. Eric would never have cared about any of this stuff either, but Eric wasn't here anymore. Lotus stopped beside one little bush, nestled beside a bend in the river. She lit up her horn to see better and found something familiar waiting for her.
Not a bush at all—the flowers grew directly in the water, floating beside many leaves. Most were bright pink, though some were purple like her mane, and others still were white. 
"Like the photos in your house," said a voice. A pony stepped out of the shadows; his wings no longer bound by straps. "Before it burned. I never knew how they smelled until now."
> Chapter 31
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus stumbled forward, hurrying over to embrace Iron. She hugged him as tight as she could, not caring about what it might do to the silk dress. "Iron! I thought you were still a prisoner!"
He shrugged. "Your new friend put in a good word for me. Because of you, I'm pretty sure." Without a fancy outfit, Iron could still hold her with one of his feathery wings. He didn't smell like dirty trail and blood anymore. They hadn't given him flowery perfume, but she wouldn't want that anyway. The natural spell of ozone and rugged strength was far better. "Either you, or the magical barrier keeping me locked here. I tried flying out from all kinds of angles, but it's no good. The whole town is a cage."
He finally released her, meeting her eyes. "Wait, what happened to you? You're—" He trailed off, wings opening slightly to either side.
"Made me wear one of their costumes for the festival," she admitted. "You can laugh if you want, it's okay."
His wings settled back against his sides again. "You're beautiful." He blinked, then seemed to realize what he'd just said. "I mean—the dress."
She pushed his wing away, grinning wider. "My new friend picked it for me. Autumn Blaze. Same one who got you released." She looked away, inhaling sharply. She fought back tears, without much success. "There's something... you should probably know. I talked to their leader. Rain Shine. Way stronger than I'll ever be, tall and strong. Said she was hundreds of years old."
"Like an Alicorn. We knew it was possible—Searing Gale had strength like that. No wings, at least not in any of the portraits."
"No wings." Lotus pawed weakly at the dirt, shuffling awkwardly closer to him. "She won't let us leave. She thinks Equestria will be hostile towards kirin. Something about their history."
He rested one foreleg over her shoulder, firm and strong. "I guessed. If they were going to let us go, they would've blindfolded us when they took us here. Granted, I thought we might be burned offerings to Searing Gale—until I saw the village."
Lotus giggled in spite of herself. Far away, drums continued to beat. Hooves slid along a wooden floor, punctuated by the occasional clap or shout. She couldn't make out the words from this distance. "Rain Shine knows who she was. It looks like they wanted to be left alone. Out here where no one can find them, where Equestria thinks they're extinct. Do ponies really hate kirin that much?"
She'd been separated when they were discovered—but when she got there, Iron was already fighting. For all she knew, the stallion was the first one to throw a punch. 
"Most don't know they exist. It was a long time ago, before Luna's banishment. Long enough for the memories to fade and the wounds to heal. But they're more dangerous than ponies. You've seen what can happen.
She glanced down at his foreleg, then back up to his face. "I don't think they have anything to worry about. I've burned things before, and you’re still here."
The drums faded into the background, replaced with a softer, soothing melody from distant strings. "I can't imagine what it was like, having an evil sorceress whispering into your head. But you were stronger than she was, Lotus. She threw everything she could at you down in that quarry. You still cast the portal. I bet half the students at Celestia's school couldn't do magic like that."
She flushed, tail whipping out behind her. She could master the flame in her chest, but not her embarrassment at a compliment. "Is that a subtle hint about how we're supposed to escape? Cross back into my world, then find another place for a Worldgate?"
He released her shoulder. "I don't think so." He urged her away from the river, further down the winding garden path. There was a desperation in his motions, though whether from the thought of being overheard or desire to be somewhere more private with her, Lotus couldn't say. She also didn't care.
Only when they were walking together did he finally say what he had in mind. "The princess I serve, Luna—she rules over the sleeping world of dreams, protecting all the ponies in Equestria from nightmares. All we have to do is wait for her to find my dreams. I know where we are now, this is the Peaks of Peril. That was Haybale down in the valley. Rescue is close."
"Even if they have a magic shield hiding us? That one stopping you from flying away..."
He nodded again, perfectly confident. "She raises the moon in the sky, Lotus. We told her we'd arrived, so she knew to look for us. She won't be fooled by an illusion. The princess will come for us. All we have to do in the meantime is... get a good night's rest."
They ascended a gentle slope, to where a large stone statue rested in a strange, seated posture, both hooves together in front of it. Its face vanished beneath moss, along with most of its features.
Autumn said to wait here. Lotus stopped beside the statue, prompting Iron to do the same. "I guess we can do that. Equestria really needs the book, so—they'll send somepony out to get us."
He sighed, plopping down onto his haunches in the shadow of the meditative monument. "Don't worry, Lotus. You'll be changed back before you know it. The princess can send you home, and you'll be out of our war. You can go back to your life."
Her tail strained against the dress, whipping angrily back and forth. Her ears folded, though that was all. It wasn't anger boiling until she ignited—this was shame.
But if ever Lotus planned to tell the truth, it was now. "What if I didn't?"
His head snapped up, staring directly into her face. "You would do that? Leave your life behind?"
She settled down beside him. So she could keep her tail from giving her emotions away. No other reason. "I don't know if it would be forever. I can't promise—I've never even seen Equestria. But that doesn't mean I have to go straight back. Maybe you could show me around? I could be convinced."
A flicker of motion drew her eyes away from the pegasus. Lotus turned, staring up into the night. Something floated past the trees—a lantern? The sides were paper, painted with symbols Lotus couldn't read. A single candle burned inside, illuminating the paper with one faint flicker against the darkness.
Iron stood, staring off towards the lights. Soon there were dozens of them, scattered in the faint currents around Hono into their own nearer constellations.
"What changed your mind?" Iron asked, finally breaking the silence. "You were so desperate to change back before that you risked transformation magic. Why give up now?"
She kept her eyes stubbornly away from his, focused on the sky above. "Autumn Blaze told me a little about kirin culture. Not much—still don't know what this festival is about." Iron was so close to her now, close enough to touch. "She did tell me about this. Apparently it's tradition. For new lovers to confess their feelings under the lanterns."
She squirmed under his gaze, tail threatening to tear free of her legs. Why was this so hard? Eric had dated before! 
"I see." Iron Feather stared up after her, into the sky full of lanterns. "Did she say how it's supposed to go?"
Lotus looked toward him, heart racing in her chest. A very different kind of heat surged there, with no danger of reaching her mane this time. "She didn't say."
He chuckled. "Guess it's up to me then."
Lotus had been kissed before. But she'd never been kissed during a kirin festival under the light of a hundred little lanterns. 



For a little while, she could forget about the fears that still surrounded her. How would they escape? Would Equestria find them here? What would Gus think when he found out?
In the privacy of the garden, none of those things mattered.
They returned to the festival a little while later, in time for a few final, quiet dances under the moon. She didn't have to worry about Gus—her friend had drunk enough to fall asleep right there in the temple. 
The locals were far too busy enjoying the occasion to get into the difficult questions of whether a pony ought to be dancing with her or not.
Some tried to tell her more about the occasion, and its importance in the religious observance of the kirins’ ancient culture. Lotus barely heard a word of it. Did it count as a first date if they spent most of the night separated and her boyfriend was in prison?
"We always keep a new home growing in case someone needs it," Autumn explained, when the music finally ended and the last glass was poured. She took them to the door, then tapped against it with her foreleg. It swung open, into a darkened interior of a house almost identical in floor plan to Autumn's own.
She lit the magical lights on the wall as they went, leading Lotus through a simple living room. It was already furnished, albeit without any decoration of personal touches from the ones who lived there. "Welcome, I guess! Would probably be best if your friend lives here too. Downstairs room there. You two—master's up those steps. I'll make sure we find somewhere else for him until tomorrow."
Lotus nodded gratefully. If she planned on hiding her feelings for Iron, she probably shouldn't have made them so obvious through the night. Like her tail, some parts of her scent were impossible to hide. "Thanks."
Autumn grinned mischievously back. She mouthed something, but Lotus wasn't really looking to see exactly what. Autumn clicked the door closed behind her, and suddenly they were alone.
"Guess we should see the accommodations," Iron said, after an appropriately long moment just looking at each other. Minutes? Maybe more, she wasn't exactly thinking clearly.
"I've got a pretty good idea." She slipped past him, passing so close she moved against his side the whole way. "The stairs are this way. Go up the middle in a spiral. Not sure how the tree is still growing strong."
"Magic." He trailed behind her up the steps. "They weren't expecting anypony with wings in here. There's no room to fly up and down. Have to walk every single time." 
She lit her horn, guiding them up the steps. A skylight from above illuminated the interior space with faint amber, she didn't entirely need the help to see. She did it anyway, the same way she might've hummed a song or whistled a tune. It felt much the same, magic thrumming in her chest with every second.
Finally she perched on the top step, grinning down at him. "Does it matter? We won't be here that long. Just until we get rescued."
"True." He squeezed past her through the doorway, into a darkened hallway, then into the master suite.
Lotus's human self could never have imagined living in such luxury. Fine hardwood furniture, silk sheets, and huge windows leading onto a balcony in the treetops. Lotus focused on the crystal mounted above them, lighting it the way Autumn had shown her.
For a second, anyway. She lit it just enough to fill the bedroom with a diffuse glow. Enough to see what she was doing, but keep the soft lighting of the evening.
"Woah."
He clicked the door shut behind her. "Nicer than anywhere I lived in Canterlot. Except maybe the indoor plumbing. Much nicer than the castle barracks."
He stopped in front of her, resting his head on hers. "Princess Luna will find us soon. We won't get to enjoy this place for long."
Lotus nodded, silent. Her heart raced all over again, but at least she could finally meet his eyes. Somehow, impossibly, this pegasus liked her. "Would that be... okay?" she asked. "If we got to enjoy it, I mean. Aren't some... royal rules you're breaking?"
Iron laughed again, happier than he'd sounded anytime that night. "The princess doesn't expect us to fight a kirin Alicorn. So long as we're keeping our eyes open, waiting for an opportunity to bust ourselves out—I think we're okay." 
He brushed a few strands of mane away from her face with his wing. "So long as you are. Don't do anything you'll regret, Lotus. The night could end right here."
Her ears folded back, and her words nearly choked in her throat. She tried a few different answers, before finding one she could say.
"C-could you... reach the fasteners for this dress? I can't see them behind me."
He slipped past her, wing tracing down her side. "We wouldn't want to damage something so beautiful."



Lotus Cinder wasn't sure when she finally woke. Late enough that the sun was overhead, instead of streaming in through the windows.
She still didn't know how much of what Iron Feather said about the Equestrian princess was true. Raising the Moon, watching the dreams of her subjects? None of that made much sense. But if it was true that rescue could come from their dreams, then she'd done her part.
For the first time since Lotus's transformation, she finally slept soundly. The soreness wasn’t even a problem—she could image many worse ways to tire herself out.
She stepped out of the bedroom and onto her balcony, facing into the light afternoon breeze. Below her was Hono, an impossible home in another universe. The locals moved about below, pulling carts, laboring in their workshops, chatting in the marketplace. A small town of alien creatures, surrounded by jungle and a magic shield.
If it wasn't for Searing, we could just stay here forever. Learn a trade, raise a family...
Lotus tucked her tail, feeling suddenly self-conscious. She hadn't just thought that! Good thing she didn't have Searing's phylactery anymore—it would've felt her embarrassment, used it as one more weapon against her.
Light hoofsteps sounded behind her, and a pegasus appeared beside her. He set a tray down on the table, then kissed her cheek. Lightly this time. "There was tea downstairs. Smelled pretty good."
She levitated a cup into the air, then sipped. "Thanks. Nice and warm."
"You would know all about that."
She choked, spitting up a mouthful of tea onto the balcony. "No way you came up with anything that corny on your own. Is Gus down there?"
Iron stuck out his tongue. "Where I come from, we call that romantic."
"Liar!" She settled up against him anyway, draining her cup in relative silence. She'd fought through hell to get here, and the world facing them remained as unclear as ever. But now she had a reason to fight for Equestria. It wasn't just the domain of strangers. She could make a home there too. 
Eric wasn't somewhere else. There was no other personality locked in a box somewhere. Eric was a name, a name that didn't fit her anymore. If it never fit again, she could live with that. Eric never had anyone take him to balconies in distant places and hold him.
Lotus did. If she was very lucky, this wouldn't be the only time it happened.
"You're smiling," Iron said, after a few minutes. The tea wasn't warm anymore. "You'll admit it then. Ready to accept the truth."
When she didn't respond, he lifted his wing from her shoulder, prodding her. "What is it? You see Luna's chariot coming?"
She shook her head once. "Nothing like that. I just realized—I think I'm glad this all happened. That's all."
"Me too. I think I got more—"
Something banged beneath them, loud enough that he fell silent. The sound also came from behind them, though much quieter. Knocking. "Meet you down there!" Iron lifted off the balcony, diving down through the trees. 
Lotus gasped, shuddering with fear—for the second it took her to remember that he could fly. Then she swore, and took off through the bedroom. She passed the limp gown, resting over the desk. She took the steps two at a time, horn lighting up as she went.
Seeing where she was going mattered far more than setting some romantic mood, particularly in a stairwell that hadn't invented handrails. She could slip off the side and fall several feet, maybe over and over again to the bottom.
Finally she reached the door, and flung it open.
Autumn Blaze stood there, along with Gus, chatting energetically with Iron. The other kirin stopped in mid sentence as Lotus opened the door, giving her a slow, deliberate wink. She kept right on talking where she left off seconds later.
So much for subtlety. Gus eyed her, then looked back at the pegasus. 
"Rain Shine wants to talk to you right away," she said. "Sounded pretty important. You just know when the matriarch insists on a time like that, she means business. So we should probably go straight there. Unless you want to make her angry instead. That might be fun!"
"No," Lotus said, in the same second as Iron. "We'll go," she continued. "Maybe she decided to change her mind and let us go."  
> Chapter 32
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Autumn Blaze led them to Hono's larger buildings. Lotus hadn't even seen it at first, concealed behind many layers of trees on the outskirts of the village. Up close it was impossible to miss: a castle, albeit of a decidedly nonwestern style. Its foundation was entirely of stone, rising up a few stories before floors of wooden walls. Each had its own steepled roof, higher than the last. 
It opened in only one place, where a pair of stern-looking kirin watched a gate into a tiny internal courtyard. 
"Surprised you have any soldiers at all," Lotus said, once they were inside. "It's such a small town. If you never leave, what's the point?"
Autumn glanced behind them. "Looking impressive for you, probably. Come on. I think she's downstairs."
The interior was as large and grand as the outside, filled with rich wooden floors and adorned with suits of armor and fine art. Most of what Lotus saw was covered in a thick layer of dust, with only narrow pathways kept clean. One led up the steps into the brightly-lit living area—another went to a wall, which Autumn pushed back to reveal a passage leading down.
"The vault is down here. It's been a really long time since I got to see it. I was still in school..."
They hurried along a twisting stone path, until they reached a long hallway, broken by tiny metal doors. Rain Shine stood in the center, waiting patiently. "The newcomers, excellent. Lotus Cinder, I hope the accommodation is to your satisfaction. Homes like that one usually hold entire families, so it should be sufficient for these outsiders. I have decided to grant their presence here, as long as they require it."
She said it as though this was a profound gift, something she had come to decide only after much consideration and soul-searching. But if that was true, what would happen to her friends if she hadn't let them live in Hono?
Autumn dropped briefly into a bow, so Lotus did the same. Hers wasn't as deep, or as sincere. "Thank you. The house was... very nice. It should be big enough for all three of us."
Gus would probably complain about being stuck downstairs in a room without a balcony. He might reconsider if he learned how they'd used the master bedroom. 
"I'm pleased to hear it. So you can rest easy, I've elected to show you this vault. You may know where the cursed book is stored, along with the other. Here they will rest for all time, so that no harm might come to Hono through their use."
She started walking, setting a brisk pace down the hallway. Fast enough that Lotus had to scurry along to keep up with her. The others did too, with varying levels of grace. 
Of course, it was Gus who spoke first. "I hope it wouldn't be too much trouble to not lock up my stuff with the cursed books. I don't have anything magical or dangerous."
"Of course." Rain Shine didn't slow, but she did glance briefly back at him. "I will have them delivered to your new home. I see no reason to keep you from your tools, bird. I pray that you and the pony will remember that you stand among those who do not burn. You do. Be cautious, for I will not punish those you provoke by responding naturally. Be civil and you will be welcomed here."
"We're hostages," Iron muttered. At least he kept from screaming at the powerful kirin or attacking her. If he did that, there was very little Lotus could do to protect him. Even this defiance made her wish she could hide behind something. "You could release us, and there wouldn't be any danger."
"I could do that." Rain Shine stopped abruptly, before the largest metal door at the end of the hall. This one was much thicker than any other, bulging from the stone with its imposing metal outline.
She dropped delicately to her haunches, watching Iron with a mixture of pity and frustration. "I would do it, if you were willing. You might not be once I told you the price."
Iron stopped when Lotus did. He held her with one wing, so naturally he might not even realize what he was doing. "Whatever it is, I'll pay, I'm trying to protect all of us. Your village and Equestria are both in danger while Searing Gale is free. Unless you think she'll leave you alone here. Or..." He trailed off, slumping onto his haunches. Shock passed through him, enough to silence him completely.
"If you wished to leave, I would take your memory of my village from you. Then I would take your memory of Lotus Cinder. If you want to leave, you must not know we survive. Otherwise, you would lead Equestrians to attack us."
Iron's mouth fell open. He remained silent, but Gus didn't. "I'm not sure what that would mean. Lotus and I have been friends since we were little. Her magic changed me into a bird in the first place. If I don't remember her... how did I get here?"
The powerful kirin shook her head once. "Memory magic is a dangerous, destructive art. It would likely leave permanent scars—but you would be free. The choice is yours, now or ever. But the longer you wait, the more I must remove, and the greater the chance you are permanently damaged."
"Oh." Gus sunk, his wings flopping limply to either side. "That's... steep. I think I'll pass on that for now. My brain barely works on my best days."
Iron embraced Lotus with his wing again. Without meaning to, she leaned into the embrace, relying on his strength against this powerful Kirin. "I won't consent to that. Besides, you didn't even say what would happen to Lotus Cinder."
"A life of comfort and study among her own kind," Rain Shine answered. "I sense a powerful will in her. It was her magic I felt two nights ago. Hono needs wizards as skilled as she is. Our protections always require maintenance. She would find a peaceful, fulfilling life in Hono. Far from those who would hate and kill her."
The obvious went unsaid. Rain Shine would not let her leave. Maybe one day she would earn enough trust to be part of a rescue like the one that brought her in. But go to Equestria, help stop Gale—that would be forever denied her.
"Don't you care about Searing Gale?" Lotus asked. "She's loose right now. Attacking Equestria, building strength. I've learned about her through that book... I know she won't stop. She'll want to find Hono eventually." Whether to burn them as traitors to her cause, or appoint them as her subordinates ruling the world, Lotus wasn't sure. But either way wouldn't be good for Hono's peaceful, humble way of life. The creatures she met at the festival wouldn't do well as evil oppressors burning Equestria from the inside.
Rain Shine ignored her question. "This vault will keep the ancient Empress from ever uniting her soul. We will protect it here, outside her sight, for the rest of time." Her horn glowed, and heat radiated from her. Hot enough that her friends backed away, suddenly uncomfortable. Lotus and Autumn remained, transfixed as the lock rotated, then the whole door opened.
A narrow metal box stood inside, not much larger than the mechanism protecting it. A handful of old items sat there—an ancient teacup, a box of playing cards, a few old metal weapons. But there near the top were two books Lotus recognized—Searing's tome of spells, and Luna's journal."
"You may inspect either if you wish. But don't try to write in that journal or cast any spell in that tome."
Lotus lifted the journal out first, flipping through it to the end. It had no additions, either from the princess, or even Rain Shine. Iron's last message remained where he'd written it. She settled it back, then took the other into her magic. 
As soon as she touched it, Lotus felt the familiar presence against her mind. It wasn't ignoring her as it had when they arrived—she felt desperation. Like lifting up a cat that wanted very badly to run away and hide under the couch. It would claw her to pieces to escape, if it could.
"Quick, Lotus! There's a teleportation spell—similar to the Worldgate, but much easier. Count to three, and we'll cast it together. We can escape!"





Rain Shine's head snapped in her direction. She reacted, when no one else in the room did. "The soul wakes. It speaks to you." Lotus tried to let go, tried to push the book away from herself. She couldn't. Her horn flashed and pulsed without effect—until Rain's magic enveloped the book, and she returned it to its place.
"I'm not surprised she chose a mare like you," she said, slamming the metal door closed. "I'm surprised and impressed you lasted this long without submitting to her influence. The Empress was as persuasive as she was powerful. That makes it even more important that you are nowhere near that book ever again. If you yield to its temptations, I could never contain you. Equestria would burn, and we would soon follow."
She gestured back the way they'd come with her leg. "Go on then. Make yourselves at home in Hono. I will speak to the masters of crafts and find other duties for you. I expect they will involve your wings, since no kirin has that particular advantage.”



"That could've gone worse," Autumn Blaze proclaimed, as soon as they were back in the streets of Hono. "I guess you would've wanted it to go way better. But there's no chance Rain Shine would just let you go. Hono is only safe because Equestria doesn't know we exist. You'd ruin that."
Lotus shook her head angrily. "We wouldn't have to. We could... swear. Princess Luna already knows I exist, it's in the book. And she doesn't care about how we get home—she just wants that book, so we can lock up Searing Gale forever."
Autumn winced, holding one hoof to her mouth to close it. "The Empress. Call her that, please. It's not a good idea to speak her name too often. She listens for it always, punishing any who fails her lofty expectations." Then Autumn relaxed, removing her hoof. "Anyway, guess you're staying with us for the rest of time! This can be your official welcome to Hono!"





She shook Lotus's hoof, then did the same for Iron. "And you. Congratulations, scoundrel. Don't forget about the fire around her. I'm sure you know."
"Congratulations?" Gus remained solemn in the face of their captivity. At least until then, when his wings half-opened with sudden curiosity. "Did something happen?"
"It's not for me to say," Autumn said, so obviously that even Gus couldn't possibly miss it. "Anyway, Rain Shine wanted me to be the one tending to your needs until you feel at home in Hono. Groceries were delivered while we were away. I'd love to share some of my favorite recipes if you need help cooking. And don't be surprised if you get a lot of visitors. No one has ever seen a pony before."
She skipped away, leaving the frustrated group standing at the doors of their new house. Or new prison, depending on the perspective.
A comfortable prison maybe, but they were no less trapped. There was no lock on the door. Lotus stepped inside, waiting for the others to follow. They did, slinking inside like disciplined animals. 
"Wait a minute," Gus proclaimed, stopping in the entryway. "I thought you smelled funny. No way. You, Lotus? You actually did it? After what happened to you?"
Lotus turned very slowly in place; tail tucked firmly between her legs. She cowered now as Rain Shine had never made her, wilting before his attention. "Iron and I have been... getting closer for a long time."
The pegasus pushed her gently backward, moving between her and the griffon. He puffed out his feathery chest, spreading both wings to separate Lotus from her human friend. "You've had a lifetime to act, griffon. I had as much right to try as you."
Gus backed away into the door. Iron tensed, eyeing Gus's beak, his sharp claws. If they fought, he was a full head shorter than the huge griffon, and entirely unarmed. It wouldn't go well.
The bird broke into sudden, near-hysterical laughter. "No. No no no no no. That's not how this is, horse. I wasn't... if you thought..." He peeked to the side, looking over Iron so he could make eye-contact with a nervous, fearful Lotus. "I just never knew her to be interested in men before. Or... stallions, I guess."
"Oh." Iron deflated, the display was over as quickly as it had begun. His wings folded halfway, and he shuffled awkwardly into the living room. "I guess I'm flattered. I get to be her first. And she's my first kirin, so it's new for both of us." He leaned gently to one side, kissing her cheek. Not hard, but enough that she might melt right into the floor with embarrassment.
"Well, this is most enlightening. I look forward to including an interview with Lotus in my documentary. She might be the first person in the world to experience such a... dramatic transformation." 
He lifted something off the floor in one claw, holding it up halfheartedly. "A documentary no one will get to see. Perfect, fantastic, just what I always wanted."
Lotus pushed Gus's claw down with her leg, lowering it to the ground. "Keep your stuff together," she whispered. Loud enough that Iron would hear, so there would be no danger of him mistaking her intentions. "We're expecting a rescue soon. Don't tell the locals, but—stay ready, okay?"
Gus's face lit up. "Really? Well... that’s more like it. I didn't make it this far to retire to an even smaller town. Which of these rooms is mine? I've got a lot of footage to go through."
She gestured at the open door down the hall. Gus turned without a word, then pulled the door locked behind him.
Lotus made her way into the kitchen, where several wooden boxes of fresh fruits and veggies waited. A fish filet sat wrapped in paper with them, along with lots of little clay bottles marked with various spices and sauce. "Guess I'll try to... make something out of all this. Any preferences?"
Iron followed close beside her, without actually getting in her way. "I admit, I expected that to go worse. Your friend is surprisingly accepting for a griffon. I've known them to fight for things they didn't even want, just because someone else did."
Lotus levitated a few of the spices to her nose, testing each of them in turn. She might not be a skilled chef, but the game of “make dinner with whatever's left in the fridge” was one she'd played many times. Rarely did she start with so much quality produce—this could work. Wish they'd left us with butter. No cheese either...
But then she hadn't seen any cows since arriving here, only chickens in their coops. Maybe the kirin didn't have any. "Don't be so silly, Iron. Gus looks like a griffon, because I changed him into one. He wasn't one before."
"Not sure it works that way," Iron argued. He backed away from her, then pulled the curtains over the window. Not that it would make much difference—if the kirin wanted to listen in, they had magic to do it. They didn't need to peek in through windows. "I'm no expert in magic. But you don't act like a mare stuck into a kirin costume. You're just a kirin. Gus is the same way. He acts like a griffon, not a regular stallion playing pretend."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, holding her tail high behind her, glaring suddenly. "Is that a bad thing?"
Iron shrugged his wings. "Your friend is brave, reckless, single minded, and proud. Lots of birds I've met were that way."
Lotus nodded. Gus had always been like that, hence why he'd thrown his meager savings into a longshot gamble and turned out rich. Were those traits magnified now, or was she just seeing what he told her was there?
"And me?"
Iron dropped into a different kind of whisper. "I have even better information on you. Call me an insider."
She stumbled away from him, choking back an embarrassed gasp. "You are going to stop saying things like that before I burn the house down. Equestria wants to rescue their royal guard, not a pile of ashes and bones. Got it?"
He nodded, settling comfortably down beside her in the kitchen. "Most mares I've been with liked my personality. Am I too powerful for the ancient mythical creature?"
She turned her back on him, attention focused on the food Hono had left. "Not where anyone else can hear it. Especially Gus. He's never going to let me live this down now, no matter what."
Despite her threats, he didn't seem particularly worried about the flames. She would have to find a way to remind him. "If he's your friend, he'll understand, eventually. Maybe he's a little sour, but he did stick with you, even after you changed him into a bird."
She nodded weakly. Rationally, it was easy to understand what he meant, even agree. But Lotus Cinder wasn't quite ready to let go of that old embarrassment yet.
"There might be a way to improve our chances of being discovered. See what you can find out about the city defenses. Maybe there's a crack we can use. Just don't be too obvious about it when you ask."
She stuck out her tongue. "Don't worry. I'll be at least ten times subtler than you were just now."
> Chapter 33
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time passed in Hono. One day turned into another, while they waited for the princess to rescue them. Soon all three of them had duties to perform. Iron worked in the air, flying high to trim branches and other areas that the kirin could not reach easily. As soon as the kirin realized Gus couldn’t fly very well yet, they sent him off to work with the butcher instead. He was still practicing, and he would keep getting better.
Gus didn't seem to mind that—if anything, he returned from each day of work with interesting stories about the kirin butcher and all the different things he was learning about their fishing and cooking practices.
Lotus and Iron, meanwhile, spent what extra time they could investigating the spell containing them, at least when they didn't think anyone was watching. They poked and prodded at the barrier, from high and low. But she could never get to the doorway unattended to examine the spell's inner workings. Day or night, someone was always there.
Maybe there was a way to open the shield from the other sides. But Lotus didn't have Searing Gale's spellbook anymore, or any of the mystical secrets it contained. She couldn't even reference the basic spellcasting lessons Luna sent in the journal. She was left entirely to her memory.
Lotus Cinder retained levitation with ease. She could exactly duplicate the Worldgate spell, though she had no idea what the consequences of that would be if she cast it here. Lotus had crafted that spell to bring them from Earth to Equestria, using a low place. If she invoked it while already here... nothing good would happen.
So, she kept her head down, learning as much as she could from the locals. 
On the first day, Rain Shine quizzed her on a variety of magical topics, and Lotus failed every single one of them except thaumic mathematics and reading runes. She had no idea how to balance her own spells, how to involve the influence of the fundamental forces to manifest new effects. She couldn't even name them. 
"And yet you were the one whose magic crafted a Worldgate to this realm?" Rain Shine asked, when she was done with her questions. "I'm struggling to believe it."
Lotus took the brush she'd been answering with, dipped it in ink, then levitated it over the testing page. She worked more quickly this time, not caring about getting every rune exactly precise. She put no magic into the spell, just drew the marks as she had when memorizing it the first time. "This is the spell I used. It's in the book you locked up."
The kirin took her page, looked it over, then tossed it into the hearth. "How long have you studied the arcane, Lotus?"
She shrugged. "I've lost track of time, to be honest. Less than three months, but more than two. Somewhere in there. It got hard to keep track of time once I burned my house down."
The village matriarch nodded solemnly. "The arcane is a difficult practice. You would not be the first to leave ashes behind you in your failure. That is why I ask that you practice out in the village, or on the riverbank. Do not learn new magic in your home. Once kindled, a fire may spread."
She nodded her agreement. Lotus Cinder didn't accept an eternal sentence as a prisoner, but that didn't mean she had to be obstinate about it. Everything Rain Shine taught her could one day help her escape, if Iron's imagined rescue didn't come. "I'll be careful. But I can't be the only one to have problems with my emotions every now and then. How is the village still standing?" 
Rain Shine stopped beside the window of the town library, drawing back the rice curtains to leave a clear view behind. "We have suffered a thousand little disasters over the years. We have come to store what matters within stone buildings instead of wood and visit them seldom. The temple, castle, library, and fortress compound. The rest... has burned, all of it, in bits and pieces over the years. For the most extreme cases, there’s a punishment we can use on the offending party. But your discipline is adequate for your age.”
She touched one hoof to Lotus's shoulder, turning her from the window back towards the books. "It is why you will never enter this library without my immediate presence. While I stand beside you, I may preserve what we cannot replace. Many of these books have no duplicates—if they were lost, so would the precious knowledge they contain. Unlike those I'll leave with you." She levitated a few over to her, holding them still until Lotus grabbed them. "Be mindful. If you burn them, your older self will be required to scribe their replacements. Even the simplest of these required many months of effort."
Lotus nodded, accepting them into her magical grip. Holding them together as one pile made it easier than several floating separately. She scanned their covers and found titles so simple they were embarrassing. My first Runes, Foals Guide to Fundamental Essences, and I burned the House Down Again :(. From the spine of that last, the frown was indeed part of the title.
"Read and study each of those. I'll send someone to quiz you on their contents. When you've mastered them, we will begin with simple enchantments. A few hundred new light fixtures should be enough to build your stamina."
After that, curling up in her new home felt almost like a return to form. She'd spent months locked in front of a desk with a few spellbooks, and now she was doing it all over again. 
The kirin living tree sure beat an abandoned asylum smelling like black mold, or the bedroom of her ugly square brick of a house. Besides, the company was better now that she could finally appreciate him. 
It wasn't an overnight transformation. But since Gus knew, there was no reason she couldn't curl up next to him on their oversized sofa at night, while they plotted and planned for their escape.
Most secret plots probably didn't happen in front of a GoPro mounted to a tripod. But theirs did. Gus couldn't direct it himself, as he stood in the kitchen wearing an apron and working a cleaver across an entire fish.
A skillet sat under full heat from their stove—magical, not gas, so far as Lotus knew. The kirin had no running water, but of course they'd mastered fire long ago.
"I still don't understand why you're in such a hurry to leave," Gus said, stepping briefly out of the kitchen. "The evil sorceress doesn't have our half of the book. That's a win, isn't it? She'll never be able to threaten Equestria. I can keep recording until I fill up every SD card I have, if I want to."
"No." Iron straightened in his seat, though he kept one wing behind Lotus. They still hadn't returned his spear or armor, though there were plenty of other things they could use as weapons. 
"When Searing Gale sent half of her phylactery into your world, she got free. Her Nirik half did, anyway. Free to burn across Equestria. I wasn't there to see what happened. But if the princesses had a way to stop her, they wouldn't be so desperate for us to get back. They could've taken their time, planned a rescue party, sent skilled ponies across to get me. Princess Luna worked hard to get Lotus to cast the Worldgate. They need us, badly."
Lotus lowered the book in her magic. Sure enough, I Burned the House Down Again :( had illustrations of young kirins losing their temper over various things and burning them to a crisp. Rain Shine must not have been terribly impressed with Lotus's discipline.



"I saw into her... mind, I guess," Lotus said. "I think it's like... while either half of her soul is around, the other one will always come back. Equestria can beat her Nirik half over and over again, but they won't ever win. She's back before too long, a constant menace haunting everything they do. Keeping her book locked up in Hono might stop her from ever becoming powerful again, but it also stops her from dying. She's immortal."
"Harry Potter rules," Gus suggested. "Except maybe kirins already have two souls? Is that how it feels to you now, Lotus? Maybe that's why you were so quick to adapt to being—"
"Careful." Lotus hopped to her hooves, resting one on the edge of his tripod. "Plastic melts. Just saying."
He nodded shallowly to her, then turned back to the kitchen to return to his cooking.
"I think we could get out," Iron said, a few minutes later. "I've been watching the gate guards. There's only one kirin there late at night. Right at the end of their shift, maybe four in the morning... I could knock them out. Then you use your magic to figure out how to activate the gate, and we run. Depending on when we do it, we could have hours. I could fly down to Haybale in twenty minutes. You and Gus just need to hide until the search party makes it up."
Lotus turned towards him, tail flicking anxiously back and forth. "We... could. But maybe we wait a little longer first? Attacking them probably means we'll have to fight to get Gale's tome back. Unless you know how to dispel whatever protections are on that vault. I don't. I can't dispel anything. That's not what I learned."
"The princess should be here soon anyway. I don't remember encountering her in dreams, but I must have. She's probably searching for flaws in the shield as we speak. As soon as she finds one—"
BANG! The ground shook beneath them, so violently that Lotus wobbled and nearly lost her footing. 
"What was—"
BANG! This time Lotus made it to the window in time to see the source of the noise. It looked as though cracks were forming in the sky itself, high overhead. They spread from a single point of impact about fifty feet up, almost directly above the stone arch.
Iron gestured eagerly for the door. "I guess we don't have to fight anypony. Come on!"
"One sec!" Gus switched off the stove, tossing his cleaver into the counter with sudden force. "I have to get my stuff!"
Iron ignored him, breaking into a gallop towards the front door. Lotus followed, abandoning the kirin books as she ran. She didn't need any particular possessions, not since almost everything she owned was either burned or broken back on Earth. Only her friends mattered to her now.
Lotus was the first one through the door, but not the only one. Kirin stopped on the town roads or emerged from nearby tree houses.
Autumn was already halfway to her door when Lotus emerged. "Hey! Looks like—"
BANG! 
This time solid chunks of light tumbled away from the point of impact. Where they fell, smoke poured through the opening, and the blue sky turned an angry orange.
"Did you do this?" The question came quiet and subdued, marked by a few nervous flicks of her tail. She backed away from the opening, staring up along with so many other kirin. "You led Equestria here?"
"No," Lotus said. "Nothing we did. But Equestria was looking for us. I crossed a whole universe to bring that book. They weren't just going to give up trying to find it!"
Gus stumbled out of the house a few seconds later. He had a fresh pair of real saddlebags from Hono, not the scraps of makeshift cloth he'd been wearing before. "Our ride?"
BANG!
The sky shattered. Huge chunks of solid light tumbled down from above, moving sluggishly through the air. As each new chunk fell, it tore away from those behind, shattering outward until the whole village was full of crumbling illusion. As they neared the ground, each chunk faded and shrank, until only a glimmering trail of sparkling magic remained.
It wasn't a powerful Equestrian fleet waiting outside, or even an Alicorn hanging in the air with her horn glowing with rage.
Lotus felt the heat first, as though the city were instantly transported from late winter to midsummer. That heat carried smoke with it, choking the sky and turning the sun angry orange. The mountain around Hono no longer grew vibrant, bursting with a forest of life. Instead, it was a barren wasteland, with skeletal trunks, blackened rocks, and only dead animals to blanket it.
The watching sentries turned and sprinted away from the gate, screaming in terror. As they already knew, these were no warriors.
The wall near them groaned, bowing outward. "Down!" Iron shouted, tackling Lotus with all the force of an adult stallion. Gus obeyed, but Lotus didn't see who else had. 
She heard the explosion of rock and brick a second later. Stone shrapnel scattered through the air like a shotgun blast, shattering windows and tearing huge chunks in several nearby buildings. A few large pieces whistled overhead, but none struck them. This wasn't the attack; it was making an entrance.
Lotus peeked up from the ground, pushing Iron away from her head. Some part of her already knew what she would find. Maybe she felt the Nirik's presence, or maybe it was just a question of simple reasoning. Equestria wouldn't attack a peaceful village, certainly not if they wanted to get their artifact back without a fight. But someone else would.
She was even larger and more imposing than Lotus had imagined. She towered over any other kirin, except for Rain Shine. Her coat was blackened and shriveled, with flickering blue flames rising from her mane. Fangs extended well past her teeth, dripping with little tongues of liquid fire. Worst by far were the eyes, radiating a hungry, featureless white. There was something familiar about her—when Lotus looked like a Nirik, she resembled this creature. But this being towered over her, her body twisted and deformed.
This was her—the one who urged Lotus to burn her friends’ souls for magical power. The one who wanted her to conquer her planet as a demesne of the kirin empire. The same sorceress who had become such a plague on Equestria that she could not even be defeated, only contained.
Searing Gale had arrived in Hono.
Where she walked, living grass and gardens blackened and shriveled. But the smoke and heat did not touch her. No flame could burn one who was herself the fire.
"The days of your exile are over!" she roared; voice magically amplified to boom over the village. "Kirin of Equus, chosen and unburned! All these years you survived as a pale ember. Now you will be rewarded for your faithfulness. The day of your dominion has arrived!"

> Chapter 34
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Searing Gale moved through Hono like the wall of an oncoming hurricane. Incredible magic radiated from her, every step another grim conquest. Centuries of history, art, and growth all burned before her, consumed in the Nirik's bottomless need. No matter how much she fueled the fires, they always demanded more.
Her attention wasn't for Lotus Cinder, not more than any other kirin here. She might not recognize me. We don't know how well she can see between worlds. Maybe I can blend in.
She might, but her friends couldn't. If they got close to this Nirik, she would consume them just as her phylactery urged Lotus to do. The most important people in her whole world would be more charred bones to join the lifeless forest.
"Go," Lotus whispered, pushing them towards the house. Searing Gale kept shouting into the village, filling the air with her promises of power and rewards for the faithful. Lotus's whisper could easily fade into the background. "Gus. Iron. The shield is gone. Sneak around these buildings and fly for help."
Gus was so eager to obey he was already moving. He dropped into a low crouch, retreating through the open door of their new home. "Good idea. I know who wins in a fight between birds and fire."
Iron lingered, wrapping one foreleg around hers. "Come with us! You won't be much slower than Gus!"
She pushed back, digging her hindlegs into the ground. She overpowered him, shoving until Iron stumbled away. "Someone has to stop her from getting the phylactery—someone who isn't flammable!"
"You're not a royal guard! You don't know how to fight!" 
Lotus kissed his cheek. Their relationship was still so new—but now it might be ending. If she stayed, Searing Gale might realize who she was. The ancient Nirik would not be kind with one who had defied her so many times. "I know. But I can try. She'll kill you before you even lift a wing. Go get ponies who can do something!"
Iron met her eyes for one final second. Then he turned, galloping into the house after Gus. Lotus turned away from him, rejoining Autumn. There's nothing special about me. There's nothing to chase. Only kirin here.
"Sure you don't want to go with them?" Autumn whispered. She'd dropped into a bowing position, watching the Nirik without making eye contact. So many of the kirin did the same thing. There was no army here to fight Searing's arrival. The village was surrendering before her eyes. "Running away seems like a pretty good plan from where I'm standing. Take my chance with the ponies, maybe."
Lotus dropped into a bow beside her, imitating Autumn's posture. The more she blended into the crowd, the more likely she could get into the right place to keep Searing Gale from capturing her spellbook and reuniting both halves of her soul. "I can't. I know her—better than anyone else here. She lived in my head, tried to change me. I know what she'll do if she takes over."
By now, all activity in Hono came to a stop. Some kirin fled into their homes to cower—but most came out into the trail. They appeared in large groups outside the market, the workshops, the sprawling fields of rice and grain. Not one held weapons or cast spells at Searing Gale. 



But not all of them were bowing, either. 
Searing crossed the first river. Rather, she crossed the place where a river flowed moments before. Where her hooves touched, the water boiled to steam, leaving a dry riverbed. The trees scorched black, burning an opening in the canopy overhead. Hono's otherworldly beauty charred away to nothing.
I didn't do this, Lotus thought, pawing angrily into the dirt with her forelegs. I didn't release her. I'm here to stop her. Easy enough to repeat those words to herself—a little harder to believe they meant anything.
"All will come and bow before me," Searing shouted, her voice booming through Hono. Every word she spoke heated the air to further discomfort, burning away at all that had grown. "Bring all. Carry the weak, assist the sick. None have leave to flee this sacred moment."
Autumn met Lotus's eyes, leaning close to her shoulder. "You said you know her? Searing Gale... ancient queen of the kirin. The one who helped us almost conquer the world. Almost got us wiped out when she fell, too."
Lotus straightened along with Autumn, and many other kirin. One by one, they shuffled forward, following Searing Gale's instructions. She continued, passing the temple and many homes yet unburned. She cut a straight course for the castle. It didn't seem to matter how secure the lock enclosing the phylactery—she still knew where it was hiding. It's calling out to her. It wants to be reunited. "Her. I only heard the history from the Equestrian side. Mostly it was about how much she burned. How strong she was, with her ruthless army of Nirik."
Autumn nodded slightly. "Wish we had a few ruthless kirin left around here. The ones who wanted to fight that badly weren't the ones to surrender into exile. Pacifists founded Hono. Somewhere we could hide and never fight again."
"She won't let you," Lotus whispered back. "If you gave us the book, let Iron and me take it back to Equestria... we could've stopped her. I don't know what to do now."
"Stay alive," Autumn suggested.
That felt like good advice. Lotus kept her head down, falling into line behind the mass of other kirin. There was no violence here, just a gathering crowd from all sides of the village. The kirin all followed obediently, forming a strange procession for the Nirik in her path to the castle. 
Then Rain Shine appeared, emerging from the castle gates. Several kirin assembled behind her, or else peeked out from around the walls. Still no violence, no lifted weapons. The not-Alicorn faced down Searing's advancing hoof steps with surprising confidence. Could Lotus stand so bravely in the face of death?
"Queen Searing Gale," she said—the first who had dared speak to her directly. "Welcome to our humble village. We are... ill-prepared for an arrival as illustrious as yours."
"Indeed." The Nirik gestured at the castle doors behind her. They banged open, though Rain Shine remained in her way. Her words still carried, though these didn't seem intentionally enhanced. This was just the way Nirik sounded, echoing not just from the kirin’s mouth, but the flame rising from her. "Something of great worth has arrived among you. I thank you for safeguarding it for me, loyal subjects of another age. When I ascend to sit upon my throne, you will be the first to prosper in that new age. It is below: I command you to go and retrieve it. Bring forth my ancient spellbook."
Every pair of eyes in the village settled on Rain Shine. She was only feet away from the Nirik now, standing in what must be overwhelming heat. How long could she endure it? "Many of the records of those days have faded with time, Queen. Perhaps you would stay with us for a time first. We would be eager to hear your... accounts of the past and hopes for the future. Then perhaps we could arrange a—"
Flame engulfed Rain Shine, a tremendous downward blast. Lotus had barely seen Nirik powers in person—she knew only the natural diffusion of heat from her own body during her involuntary transformations. Now she saw it, a wave as potent and rapid as a flamethrower, directed straight down at the not-Alicorn. Kirin gasped, a few screamed and retreated, cowering behind whatever shelter was close.
Not Lotus. She watched with grim attention. The wall tumbled over; the metal bars of the gate slumped to the ground in glowing yellow lines.
Then the flames stopped, leaving a cloud of black smoke as the wooden walls and the nearby garden all charred.
"The key to our strength lies in the destruction of all weakness. When it is offered and burned, power remains in its place. I do not judge you for your ancestor’s cowardice, but I will judge for your own."
The smoke faded, blown away by a sudden, unnatural breeze. Whether Gale summoned it, or it represented a sudden convenience of weather, it didn’t really matter. It cleared the smoke, revealing Gale's grim handiwork to the crowd. 
Rain Shine still stood, along with the guards and other kirin who cowered behind her. Lotus might've assumed they'd been charred and burned to nothing, if she didn't know better.
The Nirik weren't burning, the flames rising in place of manes and tails came from their own power. None of the lesser kirin cowered anymore. They joined Rain Shine, the ranks of an incinerated army. 
The powerful kirin sounded almost the same as before, though her voice gained some of the ghostly quality that marked Gale's. "You can't have the phylactery, Great Queen. We know you would burn the world with it."
She dug her hooves into the charred dirt, heat building around her horn. The other Nirik hissed and roared, burning away at the surviving patches of garden, the courtyard's paint and carved wooden statues. All smoldered near them, consumed by the incredible heat.
The village scattered around them. Kirin backed away from the heat, some fled to their homes. Most didn't seem willing to openly defy the sorceress, but they still withdrew. Where would they run, without the barrier around their village?
"You imagine the bold face of defiance," Gale said, no longer shouting. Her words were meant only for the creatures bold enough to stand in her way. But Lotus was close—as many villagers fled, they backed away from her and Autumn, so that they were soon among the nearest to the ancient Nirik. 
"You think because you administer the affairs of this insignificant village that you can deny my commands. It would be amusing, were the proclamations not so pathetic. You forget the end of this behavior. I offer a reminder."
She spoke so calmly, when the other Nirik surrounding her all radiated the heat of their barely-contained rage. Searing Gale mastered herself as few ever had—yet she still denied her other half.
Then came her first spell. If the fire before was a gentle breeze, this was a hurricane. Incredible magic collided with the castle, striking like a ballistic missile. Stone walls and steepled ramparts offered no protection. It exploded in a devastating shower of charred wood and burning stone. 
The air in Hono's square instantly heated beyond the hottest blacksmith's forge. The canopy of every tree burned in an instant—dozens of birds and hundreds of insects all dropped lifeless from the air. Every pond and fountain boiled.
Every kirin still in the square burned. Lotus had only a split second to prepare. A wave of agonizing solar heat washed over her, liquifying living flesh, charring bone, and vaporizing hair. 
She felt no pain from the heat. There was only an instant of blindness, then her world transfigured.
The shockwave was another story. It smashed into her like a car, lifting her off her hooves and tossing her through the air. No fear remained, only indignance and rage. How dare someone act so violently, attacking her so directly? She deserved respect!
Lotus tumbled and rolled, before smashing into the ground a few seconds later. She dug deep into the dirt, cutting through the charred wreckage of a manicured garden. But Lotus no longer wept for its lost beauty—instead she overflowed with anger over the slight to herself. 
She grunted, righting herself in splinters and ashy dirt. She was bruised, but not more. The flames rising from her turned from orange to angry blue, tinged with purple in faint imitation of her usual colors.
Lotus had been like this before, but never without the presence of a whispering voice, commanding her. Without Gus there to remind her of herself, she might never have been able to hold them back. 
Now there were no more voices in her mind, nothing beyond her own confidence and pride. For the first time, Lotus saw through eyes of flame unclouded.
All was pale gray and cold, except where fire touched. Great wooden trees rising around her all smelled of their potential to ignite, and the strength Lotus might steal from them. The same was true of the village's fields and orchards further out, and the many animals dwelling there.
Hundreds of other kirin scattered around her. Many were disoriented by the blast, and a few now struggled under chunks of rubble from the broken castle. 
Its chunks still rained down, burning and melting. Little fires ignited all over the village, wasting the life extinguished instead of granting it to Lotus. It was a shame for so much to go to waste...
"You are the offspring of cowards, traitors, and fools!" Searing Gale boomed, her voice echoing across the village. "If any of your first parents survived to this day, I would do far worse to them. See what your noble pacifism has earned you—irrelevance, obscurity, and death!"
Lotus recognized almost no one now—so many were transformed. Even the foals and the elderly were not spared, only the rare few who sheltered outside the blast radius. Any who changed no longer tried to run. Lotus saw them differently now—in their flames, the former colors of their manes remained, albeit twisted and feeble. Each one offered her no power to take, no temptation to burn. Her own kind would not be consumed by it.
To flee was not in their nature anymore. Fire did not flee—it burned until the fuel was exhausted, and then it died. Lotus no longer considered escape either. Instead, she stepped forward, between the disoriented, enraged, or just bewildered. 
She doesn't even spare her own kind. Anyone hiding in the castle is dead.
But one Nirik in the village remained clear to her. Rain Shine still towered over all but the queen, radiant with white fire. The explosion scattered her supporters, but the queen remained. "Get out of my village!" she roared; all discipline gone. "You would not burn us all. You would have no one to rule!"
Searing Gale shrugged one charred shoulder. "Not all. But I could kill more, until you bow to me." She flicked her tail of flame back. "Tend to your wounded and get out of my way. End your defiance, and all will be spared."
Rain Shine's tail and mane flared to bright blue, obscuring most of her body and the space behind her.
Then the light fled, charring away like the wick of a spent candle. "Take it, then. I won't burn kirin lives to protect those who hate us." She stepped aside, away from the wreckage of her castle. "No matter what you do, Hono will not join you in making war. We won't fight Equestria."
Searing laughed, filling the village square with high, bitter peals. "Spoken as one who does not know them as I do. The Equestrians will not spare you—they will come hunting you, with mind to slaughter in vengeance. When that day comes, call out the name of your ancient queen, and I will hear your cry." 
She stepped forward towards the castle, turning her back on the village, the defiant kirin, and the many moaning injured.
"I feel you here, shadow," Gale said. "You walk among these, or the relic of my captivity would not be here. I command you to join me."
Lotus was already getting closer. She obeyed without resistance, standing nearer than almost any of the locals of the village. Her own flames were far paler than Searing Gale, or even most of the other Kirin. But where they cowered, she did not. 
Eric would've fled in terror—if even their almost-Alicorn leader couldn't stop the sorceress, then Lotus didn't stand a chance. Lotus Cinder didn't know how to run anymore. Hopefully Autumn Blaze was somewhere safe. "Me?"
"You." Searing turned, waiting for her. The eyes of many other kirin followed her, those disciplined enough that they weren't taking out the anger of this attack on whatever happened to be around them. At least they had enough self-preservation instinct not to attack Searing directly. The evil sorceress was not likely to spare them if they did. "The one shaped by my prison into a tool. Defiant to its instructions, but nevertheless obedient to my purpose. Just like you. You would not return the book to me, yet you still brought it back. What shadow would you be if you cowered obediently in the lantern instead of burning freely?"
She didn't wait for an answer, turning back towards the castle. Never did she hesitate, even to put her back directly to Lotus. But why should she worry? Lotus had no weapons to wield against a monster so mighty. "You have nothing to gain by struggling against me now. Come."
It was not a request. Lotus could no more disobey her prompting than a campfire could go where the wind did not command. She couldn't even identify the force the sorceress used to pull her—not as she melted away at the rubble blocking the castle entrance or cleared a tunnel to the basement steps. Once there, their path opened. The castle's natural structure kept the walkway clear.
Lotus Cinder had to follow—but she could still think. Even if her world was now a distorted, faded outline. Vibrant tapestries along the walls burned to nothing in an instant, leaving only lifeless stone scorched by their passing. 
Searing Gale's steps left power behind them—like the nourishment Lotus would've received from burning something. The sorceress shared it directly, just enough to draw Lotus along behind her. What would happen to a Nirik if their power ran out?
"It doesn't have to be this way," she said, into that silence. "The war you're waging on Equestria. It could stop. Leave it in the past."
Searing didn't slow down, or even glance back in her direction. "My shadow burns, but her weakness remains. It clings to your bones like the scorched remnants of dead flesh. When it finally fades, you too will be free. When all constraints unbind, you may again be useful to me."
Lotus followed in silence for a time. That didn't mean she bowed to the Nirik or felt anything compelling her to think the way Gale thought. Either the sorceress didn't have that power, or she didn't feel a need to use it on her now. 
If she hoped Searing Gale would somehow go without discovering the vault, that vain ambition was instantly dashed. She ignored each of the other vaults, leaving them only slightly scorched for their passing. Though the deeper into the tunnel they got, the more subdued their flames became. Only so much fuel could reach them from above—could Lotus use that somehow?
Maybe I can bring the tunnel down on both of us. If a fire could be extinguished, maybe a Nirik could too. A shame she didn't know the first thing about attacking spells. But when her entire focus was devoted to crossing universes, she didn't have time to learn other things.
Besides, Lotus Cinder would be trapped down here too. If the powerful sorceress was about to die, she would go with her.
"And here we are. My essence entombed by simple spells. Trapped no longer. So many years I have waited. With the last vestiges of my mortal life in ashes, never will I be so confined. Watch, shadow, and see."
Searing Gale didn't open the vault—she blasted it with flame, a plasma torch as wide as the hallway. Its metal door began to warp and distort, pulling away from the hinges and spreading onto the floor. Even the rock around it glowed orange. 
In such a confined space, much of that heat washed back against Lotus. Instead of hurting her, it rejuvenated, healing the bruises and filling her with energy. She might not be the source of this flame, but the heat itself was nourishment. 
The door melted away into a pool of liquid metal, leaving the vault's contents unprotected. Most of them vanished in little puffs of ash and smoke, consumed. One resisted a little longer—Luna's journal, blackening around the edges, before the flames washed over it. A burst of pony magic emerged, a little blue spark—then it too was gone.
The shelves crumbled, the stone behind hardened to glass.
Finally, the flames went out. It took Lotus a moment for her eyes to adjust. When her sight returned, it was just in time to see Searing pawing at the ash, brushing away the wreckage of the lesser artifacts entombed with her phylactery. 
Lotus already knew the book could not burn. She scooped it up in her magic, shaking off the dust and debris. "You cannot possibly imagine what I suffered, shadow. Confined to these pages, without body. Time was an endless agony, without beginning of days or end of years."
Lotus nodded once. "It didn't have to be this way. It still doesn't. Leave Equestria alone. Rebuild with your own kind. There's no reason anyone has to burn."
She spun rapidly in the tunnel, not quite wide enough to hold her. Searing's tail sliced through stone where it passed, the arc of a plasma tip of limitless heat.
"Do not speak after the manner of ponies, shadow. You are not one of them. Whatever lies they told you, whatever promises they made, they will always break them. Their kindness is the thin film of ice on a mountain lake. Step too hard, and it will shatter. Every word he says is a lie. His professions of love are empty. When he says he'll never leave—just wait until he sees your foal. He'll flee then, call you a monster. He was practically begging to see it come true."
Lotus glared back. "Iron won't do that. I know he cares; I can feel it. He doesn't think I'm a monster."
"Iron?" The Nirik recoiled, terrible heat finally dimmed. For an instant, Lotus almost thought she saw sympathy on that flaming face. "My other half cast a sharper shadow than I could have imagined."
She held the book before her, against one of the other vault doors—then she blasted it. This wave was bright white instead of blue. The metal remained untouched—but the book vanished to cinders in an instant. Faint echoes of laughter drifted through the hallway, before finally fading.
"You cannot serve me yet, Lotus. You have not yet understood them as I do. This village is the same—they forget what ponies have done to us. Now their illusions are gone, and their secrecy will soon follow. They will learn. When they do, they will gallop to my throne, begging for forgiveness. And I will grant it, graciously. I will offer you the same. When you know ponies as I do, I will not need to compel your service. You will be eager to burn them, because they deserve it."
Light filled the empty hall, overwhelming even Lotus's Nirik senses. When it was gone, Lotus stood alone in the scorched ruin, with only Searing Gale's final words for company.
> Chapter 35
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They came for her a few hours later. First the metal taps on the ceiling, striking repeatedly where she was confined. She tapped back, even though Lotus was so overwhelmed she desired no motion at all. Yes she was still there, still alive. Whether she deserved to be after what she had brought into Equestria—that was for someone else to decide.
We could've trapped her. We could've put things right. But not anymore. What did burning that book mean? Magical things of course, but how could she know what they meant? Lotus's own understanding of magic was ashes on the floor in front of her.
Maybe not all gone. Her horn still flickered when she asked it to. If she tried the other spells she had practiced, she could probably use them too. Months of study wasn't gone. But if there was any chance that Lotus herself would be useful in capturing this evil mare, it was probably ashes now too.
Finally she saw the first pick emerge through the wall. Stones lifted of their own accord, while others floated to the sides, reinforcing the ceiling so it wouldn't collapse on her. Finally fresh air poured in through the opening, washing over the strangulation of the inner earth.
Lotus hadn't even realized she wasn't on fire anymore, not until she saw the kirin above her wasn't either. "Autumn Blaze?"
She might not be a Nirik, but the mare still looked shocked by her experience, haunted. She only managed a feeble wave. "We figured you were still down there when she came back to the surface to gloat, and you weren't there. Hold on a little longer, we'll get you out."
The sound of working kirin redoubled, shoveling ash and rocks and bits of debris. Lotus waited near the exit, far enough that she wouldn't be directly beside the opening if it caved in.
Finally it was big enough for her, and she wiggled and squirmed through the opening, not caring that her coat got scratched on the way. Her scales stopped the worst of it, far tougher than burned wood and twigs.
She made it up into the castle courtyard, or what had once been a courtyard.
There wasn't a castle here anymore. The village itself was charred and smoldering, though a good number of its structures had survived. Only this castle was directly attacked—the rest was the product of other fires, spreading in an arc from where Searing Gale had once stood. 
In another life, she had once seen images of a city after an attack like this. This one was much the same, with scattered groups huddled around the wounded sprawled out on stretchers or just blankets on the sidewalk.
A few were still Nirik, and had to be kept away from the others, with their fellows occasionally splashing them with buckets of water from the river.
Once that water had flowed clear and beautiful through Hono. Now it carried blackened debris and stank of rotting plants. It would be much worse in the coming days—a perfect community battered by ancient hostility.
A hostility that, in some ways, Lotus herself had brought. 
She wasn't sure how long she lay there in the dirt, watching the kirin tend to the wounded. She must've dozed at least once, curling up under a thin blanket someone brought her. She missed falling asleep with Iron Feather beside her. Now all she had was the moaning of the damned.
Eventually someone sat down beside her, nudging her with something—a clay cup. "Here, drink. You must be thirsty."
She took it in her magic, then sat up. The kirin beside her was Rain Shine, a Nirik no more. She had a fabric bundle on the ground in front of her—a pack, with a lantern extended from it.
Lotus drank, and found the cup was only plain water, much warmer than her preference. But it was clean, and that would have to do. She drained the whole thing before she realized what was happening. 
"You were telling the truth," Rain Shine whispered. "You warned us, and we did not listen."
Lotus nodded weakly. Given the suffering before her, she had no desire to gloat in being right. "I wish I was wrong. I wish it was really possible to keep hidden from her. I wish she never would've found me. I wish..." But she stopped short.
Lotus couldn't wish she'd never found the book—not without lying to herself. Without that book, she never would've found Iron. Getting turned into a kirin had been terrifying at first, then something even worse while she struggled to adapt to a new body.
Someone else might not have been able to figure it out. Without that spell book, Searing Gale would never be as dangerous. Lotus didn't know exactly what burning the phylactery meant, but there was one thing she understood: Searing Gale wouldn't intentionally surrender her power.
"I have completed a search of the village. There are only two unaccounted for—your friends, those who are not kirin. I am sorry—but not many creatures could survive this heat. They must be ashes by now."
A few hours ago, Lotus would've lied about their escape without hesitation. The kirin had kidnapped them, taken them prisoner against their will, basically caused this. She didn't owe them any loyalty!
And yet... their city was still burning, but she could take away some tiny part of that guilt.
"They escaped. After Searing Gale broke your defenses... they flew off. Probably to that pony town far down the mountain. They're long gone by now."
"With our secret," Rain Shine said, rising to her hooves again. "They know where we live, and now we have no defenses to hide us from investigation. If the ponies come hunting us, they will find a trail of black smoke to lead them directly here."
Lotus stood up too, taking a nervous step back from the powerful kirin. Rain Shine still towered over her, though far less dramatic than when Searing Gale was there. For one, the heat wasn't burning her away.
"Equestria isn't your enemy. Iron Feather isn't going to bring an invasion—he just wanted to help me get that book to Princess Luna, so we could trap Searing Gale. But now that it's gone..." She trailed off, ears folding flat. "I don't know how anyone will stop her now."
Rain Shine levitated the bundle onto the ground in front of her, touching against her foreleg. "I reverse my judgment, Lotus Cinder. You wished to leave this village—you may go. This is enough to walk down the mountain to the pony settlement. Go with my blessing."
Lotus levitated the bundle up into the air, then settled it over her shoulders. It was a saddlebag, heavy with supplies. Canteens, maybe a few tight wraps of food.
Nothing remained of her old life anymore—nothing she owned, not her body, not even her name. Only Gus, waiting somewhere down the mountain. 
“Just like that?” she asked. “After keeping us here for weeks?”
The kirin shrugged. “The shield is gone. Searing Gale rampages across the world. There is no longer anything to gain by imprisoning you in Hono. Besides—if I had not kept you here, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened. But you are not required to leave. It might be wise to remain. Whatever fate the ancient queen has planned for us, she has always been concerned with the salvation of her own kind. She will not burn it too badly, or else take her own future with it. If you remain, your life may be spared."
They aren't strong enough to fight. They don't want to. Whatever other lies Searing Gale repeated, there was one truth. These were the children of pacifists; they wouldn't be going to war. They wouldn't even fight her.
"I'd like to come back here. Worked a lot of construction with my family, maybe I could help rebuild. But not now—not with Searing Gale still out there. Whatever awful things she did to you, she'll do much worse to Equestria. Someone has to stop her." She started walking. Slowly—slow enough that she wouldn't tread on any resting kirins, or the remnants of some precious artifacts unearthed from the ruins.
"It need not be you," Rain Shine called after her. "There are so few of us—perhaps Hono is the last settlement of our kind in the whole world. Equestria is a nation with millions of ponies. They will find a solution. It is their battle to fight."
"I brought that book into their world," Lotus whispered. She didn't know if Rain Shine could even hear her, but she didn't care. Those words weren't for her. "I'm the reason she got it. I can't hide now."
She walked through the burned village, body aching and smeared with ash and blood. That meant she fit right in with the other survivors. Though most of those wandered listlessly through the ruins, or else worked with purpose, digging for loved ones or possessions.
The temptation to stay and help was powerful—it might even be the right thing. But if Lotus saw only the town right in front of her, a whole nation might suffer the same fate.
No kirin tried to stop her. Most showed no sign of even recognizing her—she was another wanderer, another who would have to cope with a river of boiled fish, burned crops, and beautiful gardens in ruin.
She was nearly at the wall when someone finally called her name. "Lotus Cinder! Lotus, wait!" That voice came from far behind—there were no guards on the perimeter anymore. Anyone with the skill and bravery for that kind of work was helping with the rescue.
Autumn Blaze appeared from the charred doors of a house, galloping after her.
Lotus waited for her to reach her, pawing at the charred soil. The sun wasn't up yet, but the moon had almost set, and a single thin line split the distant horizon, signal of a sunrise soon to come. That was good, it meant she wouldn't have to walk down an unknown mountain in the dark.
"Saw you leaving. Rain Shine said you could go? Guess after—you know—you were right about everything... she didn't really have a hoof to stand on."
Lotus nodded once. "I wish I wasn't, Autumn. Hono was beautiful. You didn't deserve that."
The other kirin shrugged. "Eh, this isn't as bad as it looks. The only real loss was the castle, and that illusion spell. We're used to rebuilding the rest. Have to, when you're a half-dragon living in a wooden house."
She lifted something in her magic towards Lotus, a bundle of plain cloth wrapped in twine. But through one side, a glimpse of crimson silk poked through.
"I don't know what's waiting for you down there. Ponies might blame you for whatever the queen was doing to them. Might throw you in prison, or worse. Our ancestors tried living with them once. Turns out, they don't do well with creatures different than they are. Kind of a character flaw."
Lotus shook her head confidently. "Maybe that was true in the old days. But the ponies I've met weren't that way. Not Iron Feather—"
Autumn suppressed a laugh with her hoof. How she could manage that while standing on the ash that was once a rolling field of grass, Lotus would never understand. "Well duh not him. But maybe it's cheating to count the stallion sharing your bed?"
She blushed so brightly she might've caught fire right then, if she hadn't already burned her Nirik form so recently. There was no fire left in her now, just flattened ears and a tucked tail. "We didn't start that way. Or even as friends. But we got there. And Princess Luna—I talked to her a lot too. She didn't care what I was, she still taught me magic. Everything I didn't learn from Searing Gale." 
Lotus took hold of the bundle in her magic, pulling it close to inspect. Sure enough, the borrowed gown was inside, intact. "Why give me this? If you think the ponies are going to..."
Autumn Blaze shrugged again. "Not even a real dragon knows what the future will look like, Lotus. You gotta go out there and live it. If it wasn't for the sorceress... I might want to go with you." 
She took another step back, towards the smoldering ruins. "But not with what happened to Hono. My home needs me. If you're not gonna stay, you should take a little piece of it with you."
Lotus nodded tearfully, then slipped it away into her open saddlebag. "You don't... b-blame me?"
"Nah!" Autumn bounced over to a brightly blooming bush of blue flowers. "We still have a village!" She touched them with one hoof, and the bush crumbled, scattered desiccated petals to the wind. She winced. "Eh. Mostly."
Lotus swallowed, taking another step towards the gate. Maybe in the heart of Hono no kirin could tell who she was—but as she left, she drew their attention. Some of those eyes were angry, or resentful, or just sad. It was hard to tell with their faces so smeared with ash.
"Look, you tried to warn us. Now we rebuild, replant, regrow. Kirin aren't flammable, we'll make it. Assuming Equestria doesn't fly up the mountains to blast us. If you get the chance, tell them we're not genocidal monsters, alright? I'm not convinced they all know."
"I'll do that," she promised. "And when this is over, I'll be back to visit. If... you'll let me in."
"Sure! You can crash on my couch if you want, I've got like three of them."
She gave the kirin a brief hug—light enough that she wouldn't stop to reconsider leaving. For now, anyway. If Equestria didn't want her help, she would find her way back. When it was time.
"If those friends of yours made it out..." Autumn finished, once she had let go. "Keep them from getting too singed, okay? And if you have any foals, bring them too. I'm basically their aunt at this point."





That was Lotus's cue to leave, before the embarrassment built up enough that she actually did light more stuff on fire. She slipped through the gate, now without even a spark of magic brushing against her coat. Not even a trace remained.
The survivors won't be able to recreate that spell. She knew it with total confidence, just as she knew that she had to find Iron and Gus. The culture she'd seen sheltered on this mountain was too focused on its survival, it didn't have time for the number of skilled specialists for such incredible feats.
There might have been information about how to accomplish it in Gale's book—but now that was ashes. At least she hadn't burned the library.
Lotus had last made this trek while surrounded by guides, and not given much time to learn the direction. It had almost felt deliberate, trying to prevent them from relaying any information about the village's location even if they did escape.
But Lotus couldn't fly like the others to get a better perspective—she would have to walk, wandering along cliffs and through forests towards the vague direction she remembered seeing the pony town below.
It wasn't within sight from the village's exit, nor was it by noon when the sun finally rose high into the sky. By then Lotus had emptied both canteens, and her coat was soaked with the sweat and dirt of hard travel.
That part wasn't so bad—she was already filthy from the flames that consumed Hono. What were a few more awful smells to join the disgusting bouquet?
Towering tropical trees gave way to bare slope, then grassland, and more. Whatever else was true about Equestria, it wasn't a densely populated country—or this part wasn't. So not that different from her old home.
Whether or not Lotus would ever see Livingston again, she still didn't know. Maybe Searing Gale would win, and leave no princess to send her back. Or maybe with the book gone, Equestria wouldn't be so friendly to her. She couldn't deliver their salvation anymore.
Then she reached a ridge overlooking a precipitous cliff, and she finally saw it. Not the town, though that might be lost in the space behind it—this was much closer.
Lotus had seen blimps before, and photographs of the lighter-than-air zeppelin once built in her world.
The airship rising up from beneath her was closer to the latter, with a silvery rigid body of reflective metal, bearing a simple painted glyph on both sides—a crescent moon, encircled by a wreath of feathers. Windows and other openings scattered along its length. Some might be for cannons, others showing the doors to balconies along its top, or curved viewing platforms.
That shouldn't be in the air. Lotus's basic understanding of physics rebelled at what she saw—at least three hundred meters long, yet every inch seemed packed with stuff. Decks, windows, silhouettes moving inside, the barrels of cannons. Didn't zeppelins have to be mostly empty to fly?
She was missing the point, of course. Figuring out how the craft flew was far less important than making sure it noticed her.
She jumped energetically up and down, waving her hooves towards the huge ship.
It kept rising, and was soon level with her, tilted sharply upward with the nose. Massive engines mounted to the back pushed it forward at a pace no pony could run, and stubby fins along all four sides directed it in the air. They were directing it right past her.
"Wait!" Lotus focused on her horn, using one of the simplest spells she had learned—light. She pointed her horn at the largest windows, then blasted out with a spray of sparkles and amber light, sizzling to flame at the edges. 
She dropped to one leg a second later, panting from the effort. But someone had to have—
On its top deck, several figures leapt off the side, spreading their wings wide. At her distance, she couldn't yet recognize them by shape, only the color.
Iron Feather led them, his body a sharp contrast against the afternoon sky. Of course it would be him.
Lotus Cinder couldn't think of another pony she would rather be her rescuer.
> Chapter 36
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus waited by the cliff as the pegasi descended, backing only far enough away that she wouldn't be so close to the precarious edge. Not that she was afraid of heights exactly, but... she didn't have wings. The last thing she needed was a fatal fall only a few minutes before her rescue!
She took a few seconds to straighten her mane as best she could, settle her saddlebags onto her shoulders.
Then they arrived. Two of the three remained in the air, about twenty feet up. They circled slowly around, as though keeping watch. That might just mean they were afraid of her, and didn't want to get within range of her flames.
Iron Feather had no such qualms. He landed in front of her, and looked like he might pull her into an embrace—then he stopped, glancing once over his shoulder to the others in his flight.
He stiffened then, offering a single hoof to shake. "Miss Lotus. I'm... relieved to see that you're alive. With what happened when we left you..."
Iron Feather had fresh armor, a complete set of the same stuff he wore when Eric hit him with the truck. This was polished to a shine, undented and unscratched. It might have come fresh from the blacksmith's table for all she knew. He did look sharp wearing all that. Maybe she could understand what people said about uniforms...
She took his offered hoof. "We're not strangers, Iron. You don't have to talk to me like that."
He flushed, tail folding slightly backward. "That's true. But I've been told... not to repeat anything that might be useful to our enemies while down here. The princess would like to bring you aboard, and take you to the bridge. Will we be in danger if we bring you?"
She shook her head once. "No. But I would turn around. You don't want to be over here. Get as far away from this mountain as possible."
"You can tell her that!" one of the pegasi shouted from overhead, voice sharp with suspicion. "Don't try anything, Kirin! If we feel the heat, we can drop you!"
She settled onto her haunches, looking away from the shouting mare. "What does she mean, drop me? I assume the princess is going to... send a boat?"
In answer, Iron approached, wrapping one foreleg around hers at the shoulder. "No time. Even less than we thought, apparently. We'll carry you."
As he said it, another soldier landed on her other side, another stallion. This one was stockier than Iron, with larger wings. A different breed, maybe? She knew so little about ponies. But maybe that was going to change.
"I don't want to drop you," he said. "Corporal Feather here says you're the hero who saved his life, got him to Equestria, and protected an important relic."
"I'm not the evil sorceress. I only do my magic on purpose."
She held still, letting him reach sideways for her and take her other foreleg. The stranger's grip wasn't as gentle as Iron's—but she knew what he felt like. Now all they needed was somewhere private to talk.
Then they jerked upward, lifted in a sharp vertical line towards the airship. They moved with surprising speed for three animals that should've been walking around on hooves, and all of which had armor.
Her back legs dangled beneath her, all her weight now hanging precariously from only her front legs.
Okay, so maybe she was a little afraid of heights. This wasn't the smooth ascent of a jet, or even the steady vibration of a helicopter. They ascended in jerks and twitches, a little faster with each flap. Worse, the engines seemed to be actively slowing with every second they rose. The two ponies might be muscular stallions, but they also had finite endurance. What if they dropped her?
One glance down was more than she wanted—they'd left the cliff, leaving a steep drop of hundreds of feet extending below them to broken rocks. 
Not even with the spell book could Lotus cast herself out of that one. If they let go...
She whimpered, leaning to one side to cling tighter to Iron Feather—or she tried, anyway. That only tilted them sideways, and slowed their ascent even further. Now they were out of balance.
"We have you," Iron said, glancing sideways long enough to meet her eyes. "I'm not going to drop you. Don't you trust me?"
Considering everything else they'd done together, how couldn't she? Her heart still raced, her breathing was still shallow and ragged—but she stopped struggling. Enough that they were actually making upward progress again, along the side of the polished silver vessel. A distant glance really wasn't enough to see the scale of this thing—it must be the size of a battleship! Though the guns were much smaller, and it lacked anything like a sensor suite—only the fins for navigation, and the huge engines on its underside.
Finally they touched down on a balcony, surrounded by the roar of wind and the rumble of machinery far below. The stallion on her right released her quickly, backing away as though he'd just discovered she might be infected with a deadly disease.
Not Iron. He held on for a few seconds, running his other hoof through her mane. "It's okay. We wouldn't normally carry a ground pony up like that, but... it's an emergency. There's an evil sorceress on the loose, and you have the only way to fight her."
"I—" Suddenly she was avoiding his eyes. "You said the princess was waiting for me? I can't wait to meet my magic teacher. After all those weeks reading her letters..."
Iron Feather let go. "Of course. Welcome aboard the Svalinn. By Princess Luna's orders, you're her royal guest."
"But don't get any ideas," snapped the same mare as before. She landed behind them, about the same distance away as she had flown. Yet there were more shiny silver bits on her armor—was she Iron's superior? "My marines will have their eyes on you at all times. If you're a friend to Equestria, you'll cause no harm on this ship."
Lotus nodded quickly. "I think that's a given. I wouldn't want to ignite your lift gas. Unless... do you use helium? Is that enough lift for a ship so big?"
They shared a look. All three seemed confused. But it was Iron who spoke. "What is a lift... gas?"
"Then how—" She stopped short, a dozen different questions dying on her tongue. How did it fly? Why make it so large if it wasn't to hold lift gasses in the middle? Why such a similar shape? But asking them now might very well seem like an enemy agent trying to extract military secrets from Equestria. "Nevermind. We need to see the princess, right?"
"Right." Iron gestured towards the doorway behind them, melded into the aerodynamics of the deck. Even so, her mane whipped about in front of her, totally wild. At least she wasn't light enough to get pushed right off the side. "This way. The bridge is one deck below."
"Is Gus there?"
He chuckled. "Not yet, no. The princess is interested in meeting visitors from another world, but he doesn't have any tactical information on the sorceress." 
They walked together—past several checkpoints packed with guards. At each one, Lotus felt sharp eyes on her, filled with suspicion and outright hostility. Yet whatever these ponies thought of her, none actually tried to hurt her. Just a few scowls, and they were through, out of a metal corridor into one lined with fine, polished wood. Windows stretched along three sides, offering a commanding view of the landscape all around. 
They were all the way out, the nose of the strange equestrian vessel. So either they had another bridge to use during battles, or they didn't expect this ship to do much fighting.
It was a round space about fifty feet across, with stations packed near the middle and the windows all clear for observation. A dozen or so ponies were scattered about, some at stations, others passing messages or standing watch as guards.
Her eyes darted instantly to one pony in particular, drawn there as though by gravity. Because of course, there was a princess aboard.
Lotus had heard the Princess of the Night described more than once—Iron Feather had worked in her service! But hearing about her was one thing—standing in her presence was quite another.
"We brought the kirin aboard, ma'am. She appears cooperative, but I would take care to remain alert with her. There's no telling what hostility she might be hiding."
The princess turned away from her view of the outside, leaving a cascading trail of deep blue afterimages where her mane moved. The flicker of stars appeared in those dark patches, then faded again just as quickly.
Beside her, Iron Feather saluted. One of her hooves twitched, and she very nearly did the same—instead, she lowered her head into a bow to the princess. Whether deep enough or merely perfunctory, she couldn't say. But maybe it didn't matter. 



Then the princess was standing over her, looming with a regal bearing and confidence. But strangely, not the completely overwhelming blast of magic she expected. Searing Gale had radiated so much power that standing beside her felt like it might sweep Lotus right off the world. But maybe the princess was just better about hiding it.
"I wouldn't worry. This is Lotus Cinder, Corporal Feather? Is that correct?"
"Yes, ma'am." He lowered one hoof to the ground. "I believe you already know her with some familiarity—her weaknesses and considerable strengths. You will find her in every way as I described."
"Rise, Lotus," the princess said. She felt the brush of something against her cheek—a feather. Not strong enough to force her of course. The pony was just encouraging her. If she wanted to force anything from Lotus, there was very little she could do to stop it. Much as with Searing Gale, she was now meddling in the affairs of beings vastly beyond herself.
There was another difference. Looking up, these eyes didn’t burn her away. The princess was definitely the largest creature in the room, but not much taller than the stallions. Despite her visible youth, her expression was so... tired. This princess was old, leaving wisdom in her eyes Lotus had only seen before in her grandfather before he passed.
But her Grandpa had nothing on this princess.
"It's an honor, princess. Thanks for all your magic lessons."
The Alicorn chuckled, then waved her wing at the watching soldiers. "Thank you, sergeant. Your squad may return to your station."
They saluted again, including Iron. Before Lotus could open her mouth, the stallion departed out the way he'd come. 
"We will speak in my office," the princess continued. "But before we do, you were just on the ground. Iron and the griffon suggested that Searing Gale was here. Should we confront her?"
"No!" Lotus said quickly. Not just because the village was that way, and the airship would surely see it already if it wasn't for all the smoke. The closer they got, the more likely someone would have eyes sharp enough to pierce it all. And if they did—would the ponies take out their anger against the town? Hono had already suffered enough.
"She's not here, princess. And I don't think sailing out to meet her is very... strategic. For reasons."
"Reasons," repeated a pony behind her. He was an older stallion, sitting in the fanciest chair on deck. That cap probably made him captain. "Not a forthright tribe, are they? So that part of the legend is true."
"She was always forthright with me," Luna countered. "Reverse course, captain. Sail for Canterlot at the best possible speed. Take us above the clouds."
"Aye, ma'am." He started shouting orders, and the ponies at their stations rushed to obey. But as fascinating as it would be to watch, Lotus wasn’t in a place to study aerial navigation right now. Maybe later, if she stayed in Equestria long enough. But that would never happen...
Luna turned, inclining her head to a side door Lotus hadn't noticed before. Not the one she'd entered, though it was in the same direction. Through it was a smaller room, an office.
The princess shut the door behind them, then gestured for Lotus to take a seat. "Before we go further—I need to know what happened. My officer and your friend were in considerable shock when they arrived. This is typical of exposure to powerful magic—those creatures inexperienced with spellcasting often find themselves unable to articulate specific details. Magic blurs the perceptions, warps memory. They are not the only ones to suffer thus."
The princess settled into a sitting position opposite Lotus. This office might be hers now, but it clearly wasn't built for her. The table was just a little too low, and her horn came precariously close to scraping against the ceiling when she was on her haunches. Searing Gale wouldn't have fit. Lotus had no problem, fortunately.
Even so, Lotus had a hard time believing her friends had their memories scrambled. They're protecting the village because they know I care. Even Iron.
"My journal... suffered considerable damage." The princess lifted something from the floor—a dustbin, filled with ash and bits of charred wood. Only the metal clasps remained, and even they were warped out of shape. "I admit, I was not optimistic for your survival. Iron did know Searing had arrived. I assume she kept you captive for these last few weeks?"
Lotus shook her head once. "I'll tell you everything, princess. But I ask—please—keep the innocent from harm. Creatures who don't deserve it may suffer more if this information escapes this room."
The princess tilted her head slightly, along with a smile. Her horn glowed, and suddenly the sound of conversation and ponies outside fell silent. Lotus had seen that spell before of course—Rain Shine used the same one.
"Protecting the innocent is a particular passion of mine. Perhaps to a fault, as you will discover if you explore our history. I assume the account you will give me also includes information about why the phylactery is not in your presence?"
Lotus flushed, tail whipping painfully against the floor involuntarily. "I—yeah. That was part of the story. How did you know?"
"Based on our past conversations, I'm certain you would be eager to have it out of your possession as quickly as possible. As you did not offer it to me, I conclude you do not have it. Am I wrong?"
"No. But the innocent have nothing to do with that. How much did Iron and Gus tell you?"
"Very little. They insisted on a rescue, and I obliged. I know nothing more than your last message, when you successfully arrived in our world. Congratulations for that casting, by the way. Few of Equestria's most skillful unicorns could attempt such a feat. Forgive the lack of a formal welcome—we'll make sure it's appropriately grand, once the immediate danger is resolved. But please, tell me."
She did. Lotus concealed almost nothing about the exchange—not the discovery and capture by kirins, not the existence of their village, not the confiscation of their books and preventing their escape. Only when it came to Iron Feather did she withhold any details. The princess didn't need to know how close they had become, or what they did with their spare time.
The princess was now among only three people who might know what Eric used to be.
But then came Searing Gale's dramatic arrival, and she had much less to hide. The fall of the village defenses, her friends’ escape, then the Nirik's awful attack. She described the conflict, and the villagers’ refusal to join Searing. That part was important—the princess had to know the other kirin weren't complicit in this. They were victims as surely as any of the Equestrians.
Finally, she recounted that last confrontation under the ruined castle. Her own futile resistance, Searing's discovery of the vault, and what she did to its contents. 
Lotus sat back in her chair, tail curled around her leg and ears pressed flat. Or maybe it was utter exhaustion, making the situation seem even more grim than the details suggested.
Either way, she couldn't make eye contact with the princess as she finished. "I'm so sorry, princess. In the end, we failed. Searing Gale... got her book. I couldn't stop her. I'm not the hero Equestria needed."
Princess Luna's face remained entirely inscrutable. She watched Lotus, but what she was searching for, the kirin couldn't read. Maybe she wondered if she was a spy? Or whether she was worth the risk to keep around at all. Whatever happened, there was obviously very little for Lotus Cinder to offer Equestria now. She was just one member of a very dangerous species, with less discipline than some of the foals in Hono.
"This is... disturbing news. My sister will wish to hear this account—she has an ear for detail that I do not. She destroyed one of her phylacteries—utterly confounding."
Lotus should probably just keep her mouth shut. She'd failed the princess, and was already at her mercy. Working at a long series of dead-end jobs had taught her that much—the best way not to get the boot was to keep her head down.
But if she wasn't curious, she probably wouldn't have stopped when she hit Iron on the side of the road. "What does it mean, exactly? Destroying the book."
The princess didn't react with anger. She didn't even seem surprised by the question. "Kirin are a... strange tribe. Your souls are divided—either you have two, or one soul is split into two essences. Whichever theory you believe, what matters is that Searing Gale split herself in two. That was not Equestria's doing, but her own. She gave us the idea of trapping her in a book, when she sealed away her kirin half. I believe you came to know it intimately."
Lotus nodded nervously. She knew the words—and more importantly, she knew its whispers, prying little gaps into her soul, urging her to burn the ones she loved for power. "Y-yeah. I do."
"With one half gone, that part of her soul should be... gone with it. If she wanted to take it back, she would have consumed the phylactery. Burning it is something else."
"Searing Gale doesn't want to be a kirin ever again," Lotus said. She wasn't sure where the words came from exactly, but she spoke with sudden confidence. "She thinks it makes us weak—we feel sadness and loneliness and compassion. But Nirik don't. It's all fire then, and fuel."
For an instant, those words almost brought the whispers back. Lotus twitched, scratching the back of her head with one hoof. There was something there, almost close enough to reach—and it was gone again.
More dark memories. Who knew how long she would need to heal?
Princess Luna rose to her hooves. "I need to compose several messages to our generals. But know this, Lotus Cinder. You may have failed to retrieve the phylactery—but that does not make you a failure. What you have learned about our enemy may preserve many lives. I know from your letters you have done so several times already. You sent Iron Feather and the griffon to safety, instead of fleeing yourself. You are no failure."
Lotus stood up too. Water welled up from one eye, and she might've cried right there—if Luna hadn't levitated the door open. "Commander Sunspot. Are you there?"
"Here, ma'am." A unicorn stepped around the corner. She wore a different uniform than the soldiers, or even the crew at their stations. It was closest to the captain, though the patches weren't quite right. Her eyes settled briefly on Lotus, but moved off her just as quickly. She wasn't afraid.
"Take our guest to her quarters with the griffon. Or—" She sniffed, turning up her nose slightly. "Take her to the showers first. Then see she's properly fed. Then take her to her quarters." She turned, voice softening. "If you need anything during your stay, ask Ensign Moire. She will see it done."
"Thank you, princess." With that, she left the Night Princess behind.
> Chapter 37
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric always wanted to go on a cruise. There was something magical about getting on a metal box and arriving somewhere far away, spending every day in luxury and comfort. But cruises cost money, and that family farm could barely pay for basic living expenses.
Riding on the Svalinn was a little like a cruise—its own self-contained world, with amenities provided on every deck. Granted, she didn't think any cruise her human self would've taken would have quite so many soldiers.
The Svalinn hadn't been built for overwhelming luxury—instead, practical concerns were clearly the guide to every choice. Hallways were small, windows narrow, and doors solid metal. A soldier waited at every stairwell, saluting as they passed.
Many of those ponies watched her with obvious suspicion and fear, shying away rather than accidentally letting her touch them. Do they think I'm going to light them on fire? If so, the rest of the Svalinn was in far greater danger.
But getting too upset by their suspicion and fear would only manifest that danger into reality. Her good behavior might very well be the only thing keeping the citizens in Hono safe. If a kirin loyal to Equestria and friendly with its ponies (well, maybe more than friendly) couldn't keep her composure, who could?
She spent the next few hours more or less following directions through the ship. They ordered her down empty metal halls, into a large communal shower with space for a dozen mares or stallions to use at once. But she was the only one inside. Likewise, the locker room beyond was totally empty.
At least she didn't have to eat alone. She found Gus in one corner of the mess hall, surrounded by several half-full trays of pony food. He'd obviously tasted small sections from each. That left him with an awkward collection of salads, grains, and other greens, while the single fish-smelling dish and a smattering of fruits were all gone.
Lotus didn't have the energy to pretend she was equally interested in all of it—she gestured for the chef to put several large cuts of steaming fish on her plate, along with an ample portion of the pineapple-based dessert.
Gus was so engrossed with his camera that he barely even noticed Lotus's approach, not until she sat down opposite him, shoving several trays out of the way to make room.
"Hope this seat's not taken," she said.
The marine escorting her stepped back, lingering near the wall. She could just tell me where to go after dinner. They still don't trust me.
What was it Searing Gale had said about ponies? Probably best not to think about it.
"It is now." Gus looked up, then grinned. "Well look who it is! I heard they found you down below! Evil sorceress couldn't kill you off? Those scales were too tough."
She levitated a fork up into the air, prodding at her meal. Without the spellbook, she still felt helpless—a tool that could accomplish almost any magical task, now burned to useless ash. But the abilities she'd cultivated were still there, still somehow intact.
"Something like that. She thought I was too useful—or I would be. Not exactly sure. But I didn't win."
Gus set the camera down, holding the power button until it chimed quietly. "What does that mean?"
She didn't answer right away. The food wasn't going to stay warm forever, so that was a good enough excuse. Of all the people to disappoint, Gus deserved it the least. He shouldn't even be a griffon, much less in Equestria!
"So, the whole reason we came back here was that cursed spellbook, right? It had part of Searing Gale's soul. Equestria had this crazy magic to trap the sorceress, but it takes both books. She escaped with one, and we were gonna bring back the other."
He nodded absently. "Not sure how much sense any of that made, but yeah. I remember."
"There is no other book anymore. Searing burned it right in front of me."
"Woah." Gus sat back in his chair, prodding at the hay-based sandwich in front of him. He'd taken one bite but showed no sign of interest in a second. "So that's it? Equestria is doomed, it was all for nothing..." He lowered his voice to a whisper, barely loud enough to hear even right beside him. "Princess Luna has no reason to change us back?"
She whimpered, avoiding his eyes. "She didn't sound... like she thought Equestria was totally screwed. Maybe they have a backup plan? But even if they do, you're right. There's nothing forcing them to hold their end of the deal and change you back."



"Change us back," he corrected, tapping her shoulder with his claw. "You can't tell me this is how you wanna spend the rest of your life. Fur, no hands, and I guess no balls in your case."
She smacked him with the fork, hard enough to send a piece of fish flying off the table. "It's not like the evil sorceress gave me a choice when I found the spellbook! Honestly, I thought I would just change back when the book burned. That's the power that changed me, but somehow it sticks around after?"
"Sounds like we have bigger problems right now anyway," Gus said, waving one claw in her direction. "Without the book, Equestria still has to fight a monster. We better hope they win, or no one gets to see my documentary." He lifted the camera in one claw, before tucking it away into the satchel sitting beside him. "Where's Iron? I wouldn't expect you to get far from him. Now that you two are..."
"Don't say it," she snapped, waving the empty fork vaguely in his direction. "I don't have hands, but I don't need them! Maybe I turn you the rest of the way into a woodpecker, then what?"
He laughed, though the sound was high and chirping more than deep, like a drunk songbird. "Yeah, whatever. If you could do that, I think we'd both be human again by now."
He was obviously right about that, leaving her with little retort. Though if I knew how it would end, I would still want to help. "Iron Feather is around somewhere, if that's what you're asking. He doesn't get to decide to stay with me all the time. He's still part of their military. That means he does what they tell him, when they tell him."
The griffon looked like he might be about to give her a hard time about something else, but then he shrugged and went back to glowering down at his food. "That's it then. We lost, and even if we didn't, there's not really anything we can do to help anymore. We wait for Equestria to win or lose and call us about how it goes."
"Unless they change their mind," she said. "You're not a soldier, neither am I. Not sure what we could even offer them. I might have some insights into the way Searing Gale thinks, but that's about it. The rest is up to the military."
"That should be a relief. We did our part, and that's the end of it. Wish it was." He shook his head once, forcing a smile. "There's a whole new culture to explore! If you've got nothing to do, you have no excuse not to help me with my documentary! Getting a steady shot with a claw is pretty awful, but you could do it with your magic no problem! Imagine the awesome film we'll be putting together! For... no one to watch."
Gus stood up, settling the satchel over his shoulder. "It's not so bad. Just wish they weren't always getting my name wrong. ‘Gusty’ sounds nothing like 'Gus.'"
He slunk away, leaving her alone at the table.
She finished off quickly, conscious every second of the marines' watchful eyes on her back. Friendly or not, these ponies didn't trust her. So long as they were behind her, she'd never forget it.
Her quarters weren't bad, again reminding her of what knowledge she had of cruise ships. At least they'd given her a full bed, instead of a narrow bunk in a stranger's bedroom. Small blessings, but significant.
The exhaustion took her eventually—she couldn't say exactly when. 
She woke groggily, conscious of a faint rapping on metal. Lotus moaned, rolled out of bed, then shuffled through the narrow hallway to the door. Her little porthole now showed only stars outside, so it must’ve been quite late at that point. "Can it wait?" she asked, halfway to the door. "It's kinda... middle of the night..."
"Lotus," came a voice through the door, barely a whisper. Probably the only one she would've opened it for. "Are you there?"
She levitated the door open from halfway in the bedroom, preparing her sternest raised eyebrow for the pegasus beyond.
Sure enough it was Iron Feather, thankfully no longer in uniform. He glanced nervously down the hall in both directions. "May I come in?"
She tugged on his forelegs with her magic—not hard enough to drag him, but enough for him to get the message. Her tiredness faded into the distant background. Aside from a brief flight up to the Svalinn, the last time they'd been together was that awful farewell, not knowing if she would survive. 
Lotus clicked the door closed behind him, straightening her mane as best she could. But she was still half-delirious, leaving her senses numb and confused. "Look who finally decided to stop by."
She glanced at the switch, but lit her horn instead. She felt better to keep reminding herself that her magic still worked. Losing the book hadn't stolen her powers just because she lost a useful tool.
"Just got off duty," he said, closing the distance between them in a few seconds. He settled one hoof on her shoulder, then brought her in close for an embrace.
One day she would get used to that—being the one small enough for someone else to hold. More importantly, wanting to be held. She was pretty good at not worrying what Eric might think. Linger on that too long, and she'd go completely mad.
She stretched, high enough to kiss him—the way she'd wanted to when they met again on the ground, but that she didn't dare. Now there were no other soldiers watching, nopony to punish Iron for the indiscretion.
"I didn’t know if I'd ever get to do that again," she whispered, some time later. She wasn't sure how long—neither of them was very eager to break apart. "Searing could've killed me easy. But she didn't kill... anyone, actually. I don't think she wanted to hurt any kirin."
The pegasus wrapped one wing around her. That close, she could smell the truth of what he said before. The stallion had come straight to her room after his duties ended. That scent would be all over her if she let him stay. What a tragedy.
"There's no words to thank you. Except now you've saved my life again. Pretty sure you're in the lead."
"After what you did at the mine? Depends how we count." She closed her eyes, resting her head against his neck. "Ponies don't seem to like me very much. Did you have to bribe the marine to let you in?"
He grinned. "Nah. I volunteered to relieve him. I don't think they imagined I'd be watching from this close." He lifted the wing, looking away awkwardly. "Sorry. It doesn't seem fair—you sacrifice everything to help Equestria, and they're still watching you like a criminal."
"I had... thought about it," she said. "I know why they're acting this way. Searing Gale has been attacking Equestria, right? All those weeks we spent trying to get here, they were fighting her. She's the only kirin they know."
Iron Feather slumped onto his haunches. "Unfortunately. It's still not fair. As soon as Princess Luna gets around to my debriefing, I'll talk to her about it and see if she can help. But after that happens..." 
He rested one hoof on her cheek, turning her gently until their eyes met. "When we get to Canterlot... I don't know where they'll assign me. I can't tell you very much, but I know it's not going well. Problem with a monster made of fire, they're way harder to extinguish than they are to start."
 "You mean..." She lowered her voice, whispering into one ear. "You won't be with me anymore? They'll really just separate us like that?"
He nodded. "Equestria's at war, technically. And we're not married. They'll move me wherever they need me. Which means when we get to Canterlot, that might be it."
He didn't have to finish that thought, though they were both thinking it. If Searing Gale ever encountered the pegasus who had defied her so many times on Earth, the chances he walked away from that were practically zero. She would burn away his life for power the same way she tried to make Lotus do.
"They still need somepony to guard me, right? I'm a dangerous, unpredictable kirin. But I also might have all kinds of valuable information to help with the war. Maybe I need a handler." She nudged him with her shoulder, towards the bed nestled in the back of the cabin.
Far less spacious and comfortable than the luxury mattress back in Hono. But two ponies could still fit in this one, if they didn't mind getting cozy. 
"I can suggest it. But I can already tell you what my commanding officer will say. She thinks my judgment is clouded. You saved my life; you got me into Equestria—maybe it was all a ploy. Get into Equestria's good graces so you can sabotage the war from the inside." 
He resisted her, pressing one hoof gently against her shoulder. "You know what they're saying? Not the princess, but... the other guards—the ones who know about you."
She nodded weakly, lowering her tail again. She hadn't even realized she was holding it up. "You don't have to tell me. I didn't bring the spellbook. For all they know, I gave it to her by choice."
That would make the guards' behavior clearer. From their perspective, she'd done nothing to help Equestria, just walked up to the ship claiming to be on the same side while failing to do the one thing she'd come to Equestria to accomplish.
Princess Luna didn't think so—she insisted Lotus wasn't a failure.
"Can't imagine they'll be too happy about me coming to see you, either. More evidence I'm under your spell."
She chuckled, only slightly forced. "You could just tell them what kind of spell it is. If ponies had something against us being together, I assume you would've told me by now."
"The princess knows. Trying to hide anything from Princess Luna is... stupid."
"What did she think?" Lotus brushed her mane with her magic, combing it back into something approaching order. Delirious with tiredness or not, she no longer expected she would be getting very much sleep. "Was she upset?"
"Worried," he said. "There was something... she mentioned something about Searing Gale. But I wasn't sure what she meant."
Lotus finally stopped her magic. The glow faded, leaving both of them concealed in shadow. "She loved a pony too. A long time ago, before she was a monster. But when they had a foal together, the baby was a kirin." She looked up, wiping away the moisture from her eyes. "He abandoned her... maybe tried to hurt the baby too. That's the reason there's a Searing Gale."
"Oh." He rested next to her; one wing draped over her shoulders again. But he wasn't trying to do anything particularly intimate this time, just staying close to her. "I don't know how he was surprised. If a pegasus and a unicorn get together, you don't get halfway between them, you get one or the other—or maybe an earth pony, because of some ancestor generations back that no one can remember."
He lowered his voice, so low she could only hear it because he whispered into her ear. "I wouldn't mind if ours was a kirin. They'd be our foal, so they'd be perfect."
Lotus brushed up against his neck. "You don't need an invitation if that's what you're asking. You're already in my bedroom, am I supposed to beg?"
She couldn't see his smile in the dark, but she could feel it against her neck. "If that happens, and Equestria wins this... you better not fly off carrying our foal. If I'm a dad, I want to be part of their life. Even if I have to go back with you."
"If that happens, I won't go back. Promise not to tell Gus."
He shoved her back, towards the bunk. "I won't tell him," he said. "But I hope you meant what you said. It sounds like a challenge."
It was supposed to be, obviously.
One mission had already ended in failure. Now Lotus's future was out of her hooves, and Equestria's success was uncertain. But at least right here, right now, maybe she didn't have to be in control.
If fate was going to decide her future, Lotus Cinder planned to at least enjoy the ride.
> Chapter 38
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning came and went with little fanfare. Iron Feather slipped away to return to his duties, while Lotus waited inside for a little while longer, before asking the marine in the hall to go with her to the showers. Living on the Svalinn wasn't bad—though she would probably enjoy it more if she didn't have a pony watching her at all times. 
The ponies didn't seem to expect much from her—Princess Luna didn't call her for an interview, and no soldiers asked to talk to her about kirin battle tactics. Part of it felt like she'd fallen into the background.
If she believed that were possible, she would have happily welcomed total irrelevancy. Equestria was a whole world unto itself, waiting for her to explore! If the nation suddenly became safe enough, she would.
Gus might have some objections, of course—but Gus would find his place in Equestria too. The ponies didn't seem half as afraid of him as they were of her, despite his greater size. Maybe he'd find a pretty bird and decide he'd rather not leave. 
But now wasn't the time to argue about whether they'd be going home. Not when Equestria might not survive. She might be lucky if the ponies didn't throw her in prison for aiding the evil sorceress.
Gus joined her in the mess hall for breakfast a little later. No escort followed him through the building, but he still found time to express his annoyance at the pony behind the serving counter. "It's Gus," he said, loud enough to make her look up from her plate.
He was still muttering about it all the way to his seat. "It doesn't even sound the same. I think they're doing it intentionally." 
“Might be something cultural,” Lotus said, her voice timid. Diffusing his frustration was always better than confronting it head-on, if she could. “Pony names seem taken from their conversational language.”
They sat down together at an empty corner table. Even if it wan’t empty before, the frightened glances from ponies all around the room suggested it soon would’ve been. Not fear of Gus, despite the claws and sharp beak.
“Language is either mutually comprehensible or it isn’t. They can say my real name, but they act like they don’t even hear it. Gutsy. Psh.”
“I’d be annoyed too,” she lied. “But try to see it from their perspective. It might be a sign of respect. Calling you that means they see you as one of the group.” Her ears folded flat, tail drooping under the table. “Better than the way they look at me.”
He gestured forcefully at her with a fork. "You caved and accepted a pony name before you knew what was going on. You wanted to hide who you used to be."
She braced for the usual embarrassment she felt when Eric was mentioned. There was a little of it there—but no teeth. "I still wanted to be me again when this was over. That's what I was trying to learn first, even when Iron told me not to." 
"Oh, I noticed." He held up one claw, flexing the strange, avian almost-fingers. "I'm more concerned that you've changed your mind. You're giving up on being human, just like that?"
She shrugged. "Didn't say I was giving up. Just that now I don't want it the way I used to. Instead of the most important thing in the world, it's..." She reached across the table, resting her hoof against his foreleg.
"We don't even have a life to go back to. What would I be losing?"
He was silent for a few seconds, eyeing the satchel on his shoulder. "Everything burned. Don't think I forgot that. I know the house was crap, but it was my crap. Doesn't mean I'm giving up two legs for good. What about your job?"
"That I hated?" she asked. "They fired me."
"Friends?"
"Everyone moved out of Livingston except you," she said. "If you go back, I'll have exactly as many friends in this place as I did on Earth. Maybe fewer... I think Iron should count."
The airship shifted and bumped under them. It wasn't the first time they'd encountered a bit of sky-turbulence. But this was heavy enough to rattle their cutlery. A few ponies scattered at other tables looked up, or even stood. How did a magical airship fly, anyway?
"I know the real reason." He prodded at his food for another few seconds. "You like that pony. You'd even give up the person you used to be!"
"I might,” she said. "I'd consider it. You can't tell me being a griffon isn't awesome either. You can fly. Now you're in a world where lots of people do it. Iron says pegasi have cities in the clouds. Don't you want to visit one?"
"Yes," he said flatly. "I do want to visit one. And then I'll fly back, take my videos with me, and make a documentary. I'll be so famous… Well, I'll be really famous. You could too, since you were part of this."
"Except no one will believe you. It doesn't matter if the facts all line up, it sounds crazier than those alien abduction stories. Hell, give me a few years and I could even tell one of those. ‘My secret alien family.’”
"We don't have blurry photos and stupid sketches. We'll have terabytes of HD video. We might have artifacts, maybe even some ponies with us." He gripped her leg again, more forcefully than before. Gus yanked her closer, tugging her over the table. "You promised you'd change me back. You promised I could go home. Is all this your way of getting me ready to go back on your word?"
"No!" She squirmed, tugging on her leg. But the griffon didn't let go. She couldn't move too forcefully, or else those sharp claws would cut right into her flesh. "I'm not going back on anything. I'll still ask Luna to send you back if that's what you want. I'm just... trying to be honest with you. I might not want to go with you."



Gus opened his beak to reply, but she never heard it. Metal groaned and buckled, and the Svalinn tilted sharply to one side, as though shoved by a gigantic arm. Lotus slammed forward onto the table, splattering food and scattering dishes. 
Gus was worse off—he flew backward, flat onto his back on the floor. Glass shattered, ponies screamed, and the ship began to tilt sideways. 
A distant voice shook the ship, rumbling through Lotus's entire body. She recognized the speaker of course—this was one mare she'd never forget.
Searing Gale. "The Equestrian princess thinks that my power was stolen from me! She is mistaken!"
Every overhead light went abruptly dark. Lotus groaned, sitting up in her seat. Her horn lit up, and she wasn’t the only one—a dozen unicorns did the same. 
Some righted themselves in seconds, while others had landed more painfully, and could do little more than roll over and groan. Not all responded to the stress of attack the same way.
"General quarters!" An alarm blared overhead, almost as loud as the voice. The captain, though Lotus had only heard him once. "All hooves to stations! General quarters!"
"Gus, are you okay?" Lotus shook herself out, dislodging bits of scrambled eggs from her mane. Only her ego was damaged—the same couldn't be said for everyone here.
Her friend rolled onto his legs, then stood. "I'll be feeling that tomorrow, but..." 
The ship rocked sharply in the other direction, dumping every plate and cup that hadn't already fallen onto the floor to shatter. This time Lotus was ready—she flicked away several bits of shrapnel with her magic, holding herself forcefully to the ground. Only one unicorn had the same thought—everypony else scattered for a second time.
"I burn for what you did to me, Equestria! I will spread that fire to you until nothing remains!"
More metal groaning echoed from the Svalinn. The floor sloped sharply to one side, sending a landslide of shrapnel and debris down against the door. Ponies slid, though Gus wasn't among them. He reached sharply down, digging his claws into the metal and holding himself there.
Ponies took off running—fleeing several directions through the airship. But for every guard who took decisive action, there were another two ponies who just cowered in terror, ducking under their tables or fleeing in a seemingly random direction.
"The window!" She gestured in that direction, before taking several deliberate steps that way. "We need to see..."
Gus beat her there, forcing her to squeeze past him on one side to get a good view. 
As soon as she had one, she wished she hadn't. 
A beast of flame and smoke circled around the huge airship, several times larger than any pony. It resembled a Nirik only in the most basic ways—with four limbs, a horn, and a whiplike tail. It also had a set of mighty wings made from flame, and claws of heat.
It soared past the airship, extending those mighty claws as it went. Huge chunks of metal armor tumbled away as it did, raining down half molten to the distant ground.
The beast didn’t seem focused on any specific adversary—it just wanted to destroy, as energetically and vigorously as possible.



"Equestria doesn't have any defenses against this thing?" she asked no one in particular. Not that Gus was going to have an answer. He knew less about magic than she did.
"We should get closer to an exit. If the ship starts burning, we don't want to be stuck inside."
"Yeah." She let him tug her leg, dragging her through the mess. Whatever pony had been watching her was long gone now, leaving no one to stop her from going wherever she chose. 
I hope Iron isn't anywhere near that thing. 
She followed him through the packed halls, letting the griffon lead them. But with each step, she had more time to think.
I can't burn, but I can't fly. If the ship went down, she'd be crushed to death long before the heat killed her. She didn't think a Nirik would die from smoke inhalation either—only powerful enough suffocation to smother a flame would extinguish her.
But somehow, she didn’t think that durability would help her very much if the ship crashed. Depending on how fast they fell...
The Svalinn had already started to descend. So far that flight was controlled, a steep but managed downward angle. She had no way of judging exactly how high up they already were, or how much further they could fall. Miles or a few hundred feet, the narrow portholes weren't exactly clear.
At least ponies started firing back. Not with conventional cannons, there was no loud bang and rocking of the ship. Instead, she felt each shot pass through her like a wave of static, drifting briefly over her horn before fading again.
Without a clear view, she couldn't see how much good the guns were doing. Were those roars from the monster outside suggesting they were winning, or were they mocking laughter?
She knew when the ship started burning, though. Thick black smoke began to flow upward, making all the ponies around her cough and splutter.
Gus reacted quickly, snatching an Equestrian flag from the wall and wrapping it around his beak. He offered a piece to her, but she shoved it away. "No!"
Ponies screamed from below, voices strangled by the distance and battle. How many were still down there?
"All hooves, prepare to abandon ship! This is not a drill!" The alarm changed, and flashing red lights became blue—at least where they hadn't already failed from the damage. "All hooves to deck one! This is not a drill!"
Ponies pressed up the hallway behind them. Many seemed to know what they were doing, crouched low to avoid the smoke. At least Equestria knew how to train its sky-navy.
They moved with the group, though Lotus didn't bother retreating from the smoke. It felt only mildly warm, but not hot enough to force a transformation. Not yet.
They stepped into a stairwell, and the smoke and heat abruptly vanished. A faint barrier held it back, shimmering at the edges with unicorn magic. An officer waited inside, holding the steps to let ponies through. 
"Cargo hold is empty," explained another pony, standing just out of the flow of traffic. "But I'm not sure about the engines. Think maybe I heard voices before it sealed."
The unicorn swore, barely audible over the pounding hooves. Gus moved past them both with the crowd, but Lotus shifted to the side, letting others take her place. 
"Not much we can do if they didn’t get out. Princess is out engaging the beast. Anypony who goes down there is dead. Check the passenger deck, there's—" Then he stopped, eyeing Lotus. "Oh. VIP is right here. Nevermind."
Lotus moved closer, brushing her wild mane from her face. She heard Gus shouting for her up the steps, but his voice barely reached her. His words were lost in the numberless other screams. She ignored him.
"Sir," she said, speaking clearly. "Where is this... engine room. I can look for survivors."
He shook his head sharply, waving the other pony up the steps. Already the flow of traffic had begun to slow, and the smoke outside thickened. "Not an option, ma'am. Princess Luna was very clear about protecting you. Nopony could survive those conditions for long."
Her tail whipped back and forth behind her, growing quicker as she became more annoyed. "And I'm not a pony! The heat's fine, and the smoke..." She shook her head. "If you could draw a copy of that spell you're using for the smoke, that would be great. No point finding your crew if they'll just suffocate anyway."
The unicorn shifted nervously back and forth, glancing back down the steps. The screams were fainter now, more distant and hopeless. But there were definitely ponies trapped back there. "I'm disobeying the princess's instructions," he muttered. "You promise me you won't die down there?"
"Not from the burning ship!" she yelled, growing more urgent. She watched Gus on the steps. He met her eyes, finally seeming to realize what she was doing. I've been through fire before, remember? I can do this.
He turned away, joining the others on the top deck. Whatever they were doing was out of her hooves now, just like the rampaging monster.
"Take this." The unicorn shattered a little glass case on the wall, exposing the crystal within. She felt a second wave of pressure instantly, radiating out from that exact spot. "It feeds on your magic, so you need to hold it. Produces air, pushes away everything else. It can put out a little fire inside the bubble, but a big one will suck you dry." 
It was the same spell he was already using, she realized. There was a second crystal just like it in the air, only a few inches beside his face. He wasn't casting this, someone else already had. And stored it in stone for future use... apparently magic could do that. 
"Perfect!" She took a torn satchel from the floor, dumping its contents out at their hooves. Maps and papers, no doubt highly valuable strategic information. She slipped the crystal inside it, where she wouldn’t have to hold it in her magic. "Engine room, where is it?"
"Go down these steps instead of up. Second from the bottom. I don't know how many ponies are missing, but I have to hold the door up here. My only fire team is on this floor getting ponies out."
"How long do I have?"
He glanced out the porthole, then back to her. "Hard landing... I don't want to be on the bottom floor. If you're still inside, the Shining Armor Shield should be strong enough! Do you know that one?"
She didn't stop to answer, hurrying past him down the steps. Only a short distance in and the stairs were already dark, packed with a solid cloud of smoke that had nowhere else to go.
Resistant or not, Lotus began to hack and splutter, straining for breath that wouldn't come.
So much for saving magic.
 She levitated the crystal she'd been carrying up in the air as the pony above instructed. She felt it then, the steady drain of magic through her body. A little like she was carrying something much heavier. It might be too much for her, if she hadn't spent weeks building up the power to cross worlds. She could make a little air.
Another flight of steps already brought her to her first discovery—a pair of ponies in white uniforms, collapsed just outside a locked door.
"Hello?" She nudged them both in turn with a hoof, rough and urgent. "Are either of you..." The earth pony opened one eye, groaning. Their pegasus companion didn't react, not even a twitch.
"Right." No chance she had the physical strength to carry an earth pony on her back. But she didn't have to.
Lotus took one last deep breath, then hefted the earth pony into the air. She didn't have far to go, just two flights of steps kept magically clear of smoke. Even that distance strained her, with painful pressure on her temples. She'd felt a similar magical strain during the portal casting, albeit much faster. I can do this.
She dropped him at the steps without a word, nodding towards the unicorn before hurrying back the way she'd come. She tried to rouse the pegasus again, with little success. She could carry her out on the last trip, if she was still strong enough.
Another deck down and she found the doors to the engine room, along with incredible warmth. Not hot enough to burn flesh, but warmer than even the hottest day of summer. Bright orange flickered beyond, as machines that once sustained the Svalinn now consumed her from within.
The heat didn't frighten her—it called out. In the death of one thing came the strength of another, enough to sustain all the magic she wanted. If she joined the flame, she could carry ponies in her magic.
And burn them alive while I'm doing it? 
"Is anypony here?" she yelled, hurrying inside. She released the crystal, letting the flame and smoke wash over her. 
 It didn't hurt. At worst, the heat was an invitation, urging her to join it. Ponies could build airships out of metal all they wanted, but so much of it would still burn. All that strength could be ours, Lotus. All that can burn should burn and fill you with the captive magic. Take it all.
That voice—how could she still be hearing it? She couldn't hear the spellbook's invitations for weeks without learning to recognize them. It seemed much smaller somehow, weaker. But its urgings were the same.
"Hello?" someone asked, in a voice barely audible over the roaring fire. "We're... in here!"
Fuel for the flame. When they burn, we will share their strength.
Lotus hurried forward through the smoke. She didn't have to follow the sound anymore—there were other senses. The same voice that urged her had also taught her that wisdom. She felt their souls, the captive magic waiting to be released. All hers, with a little heat.
I don't have to do what you say. Searing destroyed you!
 She reached the source of the noise—a storage closet, with only faint light glowing out from inside. She felt it brush against her as she got close—another air spell!
Of course, ponies would keep one down here, in the place most likely to burn!
No. I'm not a murderer.
"There's no way out!" said another voice. "The fire spread too far!"
"If you didn't have me!" She rapped on the door, more urgent. I'm going to get you all out! There's a way through! You're gonna get a little scorched, but you're dead if you stay!" 
The door opened a crack, and several terrified ponies poked out from inside.
"Kirin?" one of them asked. "Why are you helping us?"
She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Because I can? Wrap your hooves in something, the deck out here is scorching. Then we move."



> Chapter 39
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lotus emerged from the steps leading a group of weary engineers. Many now had fresh burns, scorched coats, or other wounds. But all made it up the last few steps to where a nervous unicorn waited with a team of sturdy ponies.
These wore fabric coats and masks, though even these showed signs of damage, either fighting the fire or helping ponies to safety.
They carried her group up the steps to the top deck one by one, until only Lotus and the unicorn remained. "I think that's it," she said, still breathing heavily from the climb. "If there's... anyone else down there, they're already dead."
She'd seen more than just that one pegasus. Several ponies would never leave the Svalinn. But if she stopped to carry them, she never could've rescued the survivors.
She didn't even have to stop and check them, not with that subtle sense of magic boiling inside her. That awful voice might want her to burn the living, but she used it to find them instead.
"It's just us and the captain now! We have to get him out!" The stallion visibly sagged under the crystal he carried, barely dragging his hooves along the deck. Before the stallion's magic seemed just as strong—now Lotus could snatch the crystal from his grip with barely any effort.
The flames sustain us. Even their presence is nourishing. They would do far more if we descend into their midst and burn this vessel.
We. Either Lotus was having a psychotic break, or... She shook her head, banishing the voice as she'd done many times before.
"I got it. Just show me the way."
He nodded appreciatively. "I'm... Luthargent, by the way. Don't think we got introduced."
"Lotus Cinder," she said. "I think the bridge was..."
"This way."
No marines stood at their stations anymore. The door hung open, leading to a mostly-empty bridge.
The Svalinn continued to list forward, clogging the front section with debris. Maps, books, tea—all piled together with equal disregard.
Only a single pony stood inside, the older stallion with his fancy hat, holding another of the air spells in his horn and both hooves on the helm.
Out the front windows, Lotus saw no sign of the monster, or much of anything else. Just rolling fields, with small buildings faintly visible on the horizon.
We're moving too fast. Her tail curled around her legs. She took a few steps back from the helm—but there wasn't enough time. "I see you... still alive. How's the evacuation?"
"Nine unaccounted for," the stallion answered.
"And the VIP? How many fires did she start?"
Lotus's stomach twisted. Her tail smacked against the floor, fear overpowered by fury.
Look how they see us. Even when you save their lives, they will fear you. This is their nature—terror at the unknown. The herd bucks and flees the first sight of predators on the horizon.
"None, sir. She brought eight ponies out of engineering. Another two from higher decks. She stayed instead of evacuating with the other VIP."
"I see." The captain glanced back at them both. "Perhaps kirin and Nirik are different tribes after all. I'm afraid... you will have an intimate view of the crash from the bridge."
The crystal dropped from his magic. Lotus still held hers, but it would make little difference. They had only seconds. "I fear I will fail the task the princess gave me," he said, gripping the helm with grim determination. He settled his cap back into place, eyes locked forward. "To Elysium."
Or we could live. Lotus dropped her crystal too, yanking Luthargent's foreleg with her own. She smacked up next to the captain, until all three of them were touching.
Only under protest, came the voice. We live or die together. The voice didn't bring temptation this time, but vision. Runes imprinted in her mind as though she'd memorized them for weeks, just like the portal spell. Only this spell would take far less power—she didn't need to cross worlds. All she had to do was absorb a little momentum, and shift her position a few hundred feet forward.
"Move," she commanded, with confidence she did not feel. "Together!"



Air imploded around her, and metal groaned in protest. She fell—but only a few feet, landing roughly on the dirt.
She felt several others fall with her, along with a huge piece of wood and metal trailing orphan gears.
Captain Inclination and Luthargent, along with the Svalinn's helm, ripped right out of the deck.
Ice condensed along her horn, trailing up her body with numbing cold. Not as far as crossing worlds, but also with far less preparation, and after already-awful magical exertion.
She looked up just in time to see an explosion ripple across the horizon, whipping the trees with sudden force.
"Sweet Merciful Celestia," Inclination said. "Masterful teleport, kirin—Lotus."
"Th-thanks..." She wavered, then flopped onto her side. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.
 
Lotus dreamed, as she had dreamed many times before. She dreamed of burning airships, of Nirik rampaging across small towns and villages like the one she'd seen from the sky. Ponies would burn without resistance.
She was there in the massacre, watching from eyes of flame. Another kept her company, a far larger, older creature. Yet it wasn't a giant anymore—she knew how big Searing Gale really was.
"It is what they deserve," she said. "They would do the same to us if they could. The strong survive, and the weak burn."
She had better memories now. Ponies could be saved from this flame. She rushed through the wall of fire, galloping forward. For a few steps her own hooves spread the heat to all they touched. But then they went out, and her sight faded back to the familiar colors.
Black smoke and flickering orange flame passed before her sight, parting to reveal crowds of frightened, terrified creatures. All would burn, unless...
She stopped in its path, defiant.
Another kirin watched her—her twin, but larger, more mature. "There's nothing you can do to make them love you, Lotus. It doesn't matter how many you save."
"I don't care!" she yelled back, defiant. "I'm not doing this for them!"



 
The fire swept over her, shaking her with the violence of an exploding airship. Except—it wasn't an explosion. Hooves held her, shaking her awake. "Lotus! Lotus, can you hear me?"
She opened one eye, however weakly. She was on her back on a stretcher, wrapped in a thick blanket. A canvas ceiling rose overhead, and several other cots stretched out to either side. Ponies in white medical gear moved up and down between them, administering care to all in need.
She recognized several of the other ponies inside—engineers she'd rescued, now wearing heavy bandages over their burns.
And standing over her was Iron Feather, looking as bedraggled as any stallion could. He smelled like smoke, and half his coat was smeared with oil and ash. None of that mattered—he was alive.
"Hey."
He leaned close to her to embrace her, wrapping both forelegs around her in a tight, familiar hug. "Nurses couldn't tell what was wrong with you! Didn't think you would..."
She grinned weakly back at him. "Just a little... drained." Unless the dream kept me unconscious? Just like before, it didn't fade with waking. She still saw the flames, still heard the screaming.
"Let her go, soldier. You're going to crush the mare!"
Someone pried him off—one of the nurses. The pony pressed something down to her chest, a flat piece of metal with a tube. After a few seconds of listening, she nodded. "Steady vitals. Strange... you were barely breathing."
She took a step back. "She stays off her hooves, and in bed. Soldier, don't let me catch you doing that again. Even if she's not burned, she needs to recover. You aren't helping."
He nodded, setting back to his haunches. "Yes ma'am."
She gave him one last sharp glance before shuffling off to her other patients.
"I heard you helped with the evacuation. Stayed so long you missed the last group. We couldn't keep flying back through the smoke."
She nodded once. "Y-yeah. Had to... make our own way out at the end. Cut it a little close."
He nodded, wiping at his face with one leg. His voice wavered, but he kept calm. "When the Svalinn exploded, I thought... you were..."
She reached for him with one hoof. "We've only known each other a few months, Iron. You don't have to..."
He touched her leg to his. "I was going to let them reassign me. I can't believe I almost..." He dropped to one knee beside her cot, so they were almost at eye-level. "I love you, Lotus Cinder. No matter what happens, I'm not leaving you again."
Liar. Impossible. He used you to get here, he'll use us now. Ponies are the best talkers—they're so good at making you believe what they say. But their lies aren't fireproof.
He kissed her forehead, near the base of her horn. The touch was light, not meant for any of the other things a horn could do. His message came through anyway. That voice could whisper and lie all she wanted.
"I love you too, Iron," she whispered back, no longer caring if the other patients and doctors saw. Let them see. They could tell all Equestria if they wanted.
 
The doctors wouldn't let him keep her company at the bedside—the field hospital just didn't have enough room for visitors, not with the constant flow of ponies in and out.
Gus checked in on her near the evening, bringing a tightly-wrapped bundle of dinner. "I knew they'd be serving grain in here," he said, setting it down on the tray beside her. "I saved some of mine for the hero."
She opened it eagerly, with her hooves instead of her magic. After so much strain, the hospital wrapped her horn with a metal ring to prevent any spellcasting while she healed.
It made her clumsy and awkward again, but the doctors probably knew what they were doing.
"I guess it did feel pretty good to save people from a fire I didn't start," she said. "You had fish in your camera bag?"
He laughed, patting her shoulder with a claw. "Nah. Got it in town. Seems like a pretty nice place. You'll see tomorrow—princess says we get a castle suite." He stepped back, giving her room to eat. The meal had gone a little cold on the trip over, but it was still better than eating hay. "It's made of crystal too. Like... the whole thing."
She lifted her head from the plate so she could meet his eyes. "No one told me what was going on. Even Iron didn't know. Just said Luna won."
"That part's obvious. There'd still be a monster burning everything otherwise. We went down pretty close to a town, and it happens to have the princess of magic living here. We'll be in her castle until..." He shrugged. "Not exactly sure. But it's gotta be safer than a flammable tube in the sky."
Of all the people she wanted to share her experience, Gus was probably the best. But there were too many other ponies here, ponies who might overhear.
For the first time, none of them were afraid. She wasn’t going to give that up now.
"Sorry I dragged you into all this." she said. "I don't know how many times I have to keep saying that."
"Never." He patted her shoulder again, grinning wide. "Just because I want to go home eventually doesn’t mean I don't want to be here, Lotus. I'd never even been to Canada before. I'm glad I came along. Honestly, these are growing on me." He opened both wings halfway—not wide enough to block the walkway. "Not needing a parachute was pretty awesome. And you were right—I can walk on clouds. Further experimentation to follow."
 
She spent one night in the field hospital. They didn't medicate her like the others, but she wasn't injured exactly. She just needed some rest. She didn't dream of flame, but vibrant green trees, with their narrow houses of traditional style.
The canopy wasn't scorched, the flowers weren't ashes, and the river still flowed. Distant music played, simple wooden chimes driven by the regular mountain breeze.
There was another with her, so close it might as well be her twin. Maybe a little older, a little more wrinkled. But that might just be her imagination.
This was less cogent a vision than the last one—she couldn't speak to the spirit and get a reply. She just walked, through little crowds of fellow kirin. It was a festival day, though she still didn't recognize the specifics.
The exact details of the holiday didn't matter much—what mattered was the festive spirit, the friendly voices and distant music. She was welcome here.
Iron Feather was already here. He hadn't seen her, and moved along a line of dancers, keeping time with the beat of a drum in the center. Occasionally they held out a fan, or one of those other little tools she hadn't learned the name of.
"This is how you see them," said another voice. Not the tempting monster, this was a stranger. She had only spoken to this creature once. Princess Luna. "They seem... friendly. I expected more hostility for a pony."
She turned, and found her companion was gone. She didn't have a twin—instead, the Moon Princess stood beside her. There was no telling how long she'd been walking there.
"Not at first." It might not help her position, but it was also the truth. "They worried he was going to run off and tell you where the village was hiding. Then Equestria would wipe them out. But after a while..."
She gestured out at the dance. This moment had never actually happened—they'd only been in Hono for one festival. But it would have, if they hadn't jumped at the chance to escape.
"They accepted him," the princess said. "As you have. Before you were mere acquaintances, united only by the debt you felt to him. You wished to undo the damage you inflicted."
I never told you that. She looked up at the princess—but she couldn't maintain eye contact for long. Those eyes pierced more than flesh, seeing into parts of herself she never wished to share. Which meant she also knew...
The dream shifted, showing somewhere else. A quiet garden, where Lotus herself stood beside Iron. He kissed her under the lanterns, where no other pony eyes could see.
So long as she could focus intently enough to keep the princess from seeing where their relationship went after.
"We got closer," she said. "I've never known anyone like him. So... devoted, passionate. He never forgot his mission, if that's what you're looking for. He didn't choose me over Equestria."
The princess touched her back with one hoof, gentle and soothing. "Breathe easy, Lotus Cinder. I never suspected it would be otherwise. I chose Iron from the ranks of many other stallions. I am... unsurprised... you found him so appealing. If you stayed, I suspect he would make a fine father."
Her vision shifted again, to another memory. A quarry, with police sirens blaring in the background and a stone monster broken at their hooves along with a priceless excavator.
Their little group huddled far below, with Lotus muttering frantically. Luna watched in silence until she finished her spell and the three vanished.
"We could have discussed all of this," Luna said. "But my sister is fonder of long talks. I prefer action."
More memories flashed before them—hiding in the asylum, fleeing her burning house, practicing spells, transforming Gus... all played before her, present only for seconds before they vanished again.
Soon they were back in the kirin village, with music and song and laughter. "I am pleased to find you were... truthful with me. It is good to know you can be trusted."
Lotus settled onto her haunches, tail wrapping around her legs. "Will Equestria blame Hono for what Searing Gale did? Will you attack it?"
"No. Not all Equestria would be so... understanding, perhaps. So we will not tell them. You were transformed by the sorceress. After a few years... perhaps then it would be safe. But not now."
Lotus felt a wave of sudden surprise, though she couldn't exactly explain why. She already knew Princess Luna was a good pony. Of course she wouldn't want a village of innocent kirin to be targeted for something they had nothing to do with!
"Do you have a plan to stop her? I didn't see much of the battle, but she took down the ship!"
The princess nodded once. "Not me, but Twilight Sparkle does. We weren't certain you would be able to reach Equestria. And given recent events, I believe you may be taking a... more direct role than I previously anticipated. We'll discuss in greater detail in a few days. With luck, Searing Gale's strength will be taxed from these two attacks so close together, and she will not be able to strike again too quickly."
"Probably. She gets her power from what she burns. Blowing up the ship is big, but most ponies lived. Then when she attacked the kirin village, she didn't kill anyone. I think she used a lot of power to pierce the shield, so... hopefully we have some time."
"See, that is insight." The princess nodded her approval. "We have never fought alongside kirin before. We may not have Searing's phylactery, but we do not need it to have a chance."
> Chapter 40
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They released Lotus early the next morning, after a night of strangely restful sleep on an otherwise threadbare cot.
The various burned ponies were already gone, moved to whatever proper hospitals would continue treating their wounds.
At least the nurses didn't honor the threat to keep that strange ring around her horn for days or even weeks. Once she promised to be careful with her magic, they let her go.
Gus and Iron were both there to retrieve her, along with an earth pony wearing an oversized hat.
"Already met your friends. My name's Applejack," she said, extending one polite hoof in her direction. "Twilight sent me to make sure you found your way to the castle."
"Lotus Cinder," she took the offered hoof, shaking it once. "Not afraid to see a kirin?"
The mare laughed, adjusting her hat. "Forgive me, miss. But you ain't even close to the strangest thing I've seen in Equestria. But I would be mighty grateful if you don't go burnin' everything during your visit."
"Lotus is very good about keeping her flames under control, unless you startle her or a spell happens unexpectedly." Gus wrapped one foreleg around her shoulder, grinning. "Try to avoid loud noises and you'll be fine."
Applejack glanced once between them, eyes narrowing. "I hope that's a joke, ‘cuz Ponyville ain't the quiet little town it used to be. If anything strange is gonna happen to Equestria, odds are it hits here first." 
Iron Feather stepped in front of Gus, shoving him back with one leg. "The griffon is joking, Miss Applejack. Lotus has shown nothing but discipline and restraint during our time in Equestria. She's no threat to you or Ponyville."
Applejack flicked her tail in the other direction. "That's good to hear. I may not have trouble with a new creature in town—but not all of Ponyville is so welcoming. Especially with the troubles Equestria's been having the last few months. Everpony knows somepony who burned in all those. Just because Searing Gale never made it this far don't mean we don't have relatives."
Lotus retreated from her, tail curling around her hindleg. "I don't know if it helps—but I'm not even supposed to be a kirin. Searing Gale didn't burn me, but she did transform me to look like this. She took my whole life away."
Technically speaking, Lotus liked the new life she found, and where it might lead. But that didn't make stealing the old one any less cruel.
The mare shrugged. "I didn't mean to make you think I'd be judging you for things you ain't done, Miss Lotus. But there are other ponies in Ponyville who might take comfort from that news. Hard as it is to believe, there are still ponies who can't see past how a mare looks."
They set off together along a dirt road, between fields and orchards and rolling cropland. One pasture seemed filled with dairy cows, scattered and grazing in the grass. Applejack waved as they passed, tilting her hat to one near the fence.
"Mornin', Betsy. How's the new heater workin'?"
Others might be a little confused to see a farmer talking to their animals. But Lotus had grown up on a farm and spent her life around many other small farmers. She didn't even slow down.
"Like a dream, Applejack. Stayed nice and toasty through the night. Some of the girls worried it might be related to that... whatever happened. Was that fireworks?"
Lotus turned in place, watching with mouth agape. There wasn't some other pony hiding where she hadn't noticed. The cow was clearly talking to her.
Granted, the creature didn't seem terribly interested in Lotus, or much of anything else. The other grazing cows barely gave them a passing glance. They had important eating to do, apparently.
"Afraid not, Betsy. But the princess got things taken care of before any danger could come to Ponyville. There's no need for any worry."
The cow flicked her tail, then lowered her head to the grass. "Right then. I'll let the girls know what you said, when I get the time."
Only Gus could match her shocked, horrified reaction. He said nothing, though if it were possible, he looked as though he might be turning green under his feathers.
"Sorry about all that," Applejack said, as they resumed their trek. "The girls provide all the milk and cheese for Ponyville's needs. I try to stop by and have a chat after anything strange happens, so they know not to worry."
Lotus nodded along. "No problem. I just..."
"They talk," Gus whispered, flabbergasted. "Cows can talk here?"



Applejack turned, tilting her head to the side. "Sure do. Most don't have a whole lot to say. They're simple folk, who spend their days doing what they like most. A pony can respect that kinda dedication."
Lotus and Gus said nothing for the rest of the trip. She caught Iron glancing at her more than once, with something dangerously close to smug satisfaction on his face. He didn't have to say which moments in their Earth kitchen he was thinking of.
Ponyville itself looked more or less the same as what she'd seen from the sky. Dozens of thatch roofs packed around dirt roads, wide enough for a cart drawn by a pony at most.
Some streets had light poles rising at about head level, though she couldn't say whether they were electric or magic.
The town was almost totally dominated by a single blue structure, rising larger than any other. Not even the Saudis could build something this audacious.
"You ain't the first one to have that reaction," Applejack said, glancing back at the two of them. "About everypony thought that when it first showed up."
"How'd you do it?" Gus asked. "This town has dirt roads. How'd you grow a single piece of crystal in exactly that shape?"
"Magic," she said, grinning back. "Twilight might be able to give you the details. But she's a mite busy with the whole saving the world thing."
"Right." Gus trailed off again. He fished a GoPro from his satchel, somehow intact despite everything he'd dragged it through over the last few days and wrapped it over his head with an elastic strap.
If the earth pony minded the camera, she didn't say so.
Iron Feather fell into step beside Lotus as they entered the city, adjusting his dented and scorched helmet on his head as he went.
"My escort?" she asked, teasing. "The Royal Guards aren't going to let me out of their sight, like the Svalinn?"
"Your bodyguard," he said, almost as quickly. "Captain Inclination had a word with command after the crash. I wasn't there for it, but I'm pretty sure I know how it went. Were there any soldiers watching your bed?"
She'd been too exhausted to notice small details like that initially. But later in the evening... "I guess that's an improvement. I'll take a bodyguard."
Applejack glanced over her shoulder at them both. "Nothing to worry about in Ponyville. We've got our own princess, and the Elements of Harmony to back her up. I'm sure we'll be getting around to catching that evil sorceress sooner or later."
Ponyville wasn't a dying town, not like so many little places Lotus had visited in her youth. The narrow streets were packed with ponies, and they all seemed to know each other. Many gave Applejack a friendly wave as they walked in or stopped long enough for her to introduce them to the newcomers.
"These three are staying with Twilight for a little while," she said, nodding in their direction. "Might be seein' em around."
The first ponies—a white unicorn standing beside a gray earth pony, shared a nervous glance, attention fixed on Lotus.
"I've never seen a unicorn quite like you before, Lotus. You do seem... a tad familiar."
Applejack spoke before she could, tail flicking sharply in annoyance. "Probably because Searing Gale cursed her. This here's her first victim, Miss Octavia."
Lotus tensed reflexively as she said it, ears folding backward. She was the first victim. But that didn’t mean she thought every kirin was monstrous.
"Oh!" She gasped, looking away. "Apologies. That was rather crass. I hope you enjoy your time in Ponyville!"
The two scampered off, leaving them alone on the street-corner. 



Applejack remained there for a few seconds, lowering her voice so only they could hear. "Sorry if you get that a little more. But ponies see someone who looks like you next to every headline, and they'll think things about you you don't deserve. I'll set 'em straight, don't you worry."
Compared to the angry mob some part of Lotus expected, an earth pony asking a few questions seemed downright tame. Lotus shrugged. "That's why we have to stop Searing Gale. If it wasn't for her, everyone else wouldn't be terrified of me."
"Just means they don't know you," Iron said. "It's a small-town thing. When everypony knows everypony else, they're always a little suspicious of strangers."
"Hate to admit it, but..." Applejack nodded. "I've been guilty of that sort of thinkin' myself. But if you can give Ponyville a chance, I'm sure she'll give you one right back."
Applejack introduced them to another dozen ponies along the way. All reacted with a little wariness, at least until Applejack spoke for her. Having the mare along to witness for Lotus's character seemed to be all ponies needed.
Maybe Lotus could've fallen in love with a place like this the way she did with Hono. But how long would ponies watch her like that? Maybe they thought she planned to ignite their exceptionally-flammable houses?
Then they reached the castle. It wasn't a pony who waited to greet them, but another creature Lotus hadn't believed could exist—a dragon.
This one was somewhat less imposing than her imagination suggested, standing at about half her height and covered in purple scales. At least his teeth and spines looked sharp.
Other than Applejack, he was also the first person not to look at least a little nervous as she approached.
"This must be Lotus Cinder, Gutsy the Griffon, and Iron Feather," he said, scribbling something onto a scroll in his other claw.
"Gus," her friend said, exasperated. "It's Gus. Still a griffon, currently."
"Currently?" the dragon raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually a changeling?"
"He's not," Lotus said, before Gus could extend that argument any further.
"Well... I'm Spike." He stuck the quill away behind an ear, extending a claw up towards Lotus. "Spike the Dragon, Princess Twilight's Number One Assistant and also bestest friend ever."
She took his claw with a hoof. Unlike with ponies, Spike had digits to grab, and so his claws pressed into her scales.
The dragon let go, beaming. "Those scales feel a lot like mine! Is it the same on your back?"
He reached for her, and might've found out, except Applejack caught him with her hoof, pushing him gently back. "Maybe later, Spike? Isn't Twilight waiting?"
"Oh! Right." He spun in place, hurrying towards the door. "I can take it from here, Applejack! Thanks for going out for them!"
The mare nodded towards Lotus. "The princess will take good care of you. If you're ever out the way we came in, stop by Sweet Apple Acres. We'll show you what Ponyville hospitality really looks like."
She slipped away back to the street, leaving them on the castle steps with the pint-sized dragon.
At least the castle was suitably impressive. Nothing she'd ever seen on Earth quite prepared her for the unbroken interior of semi-luminescent crystal, extending up into the air like a skyscraper.
The ground floor looked the way Lotus imagined a functional palace might in a country that still kept a monarchy—half museum with lots of art behind fences or glass, and half doors covered in signs not to proceed into where the actual hard work of governance took place.
They ascended past one of these ropes, along the sweeping ramp up the center. More rooms scattered along its length. "Twilight said you were a different kinda pony," Spike said, conversationally. His legs were too short to move very quickly, so their progress was slow. "What kinda pony are you?"
"A kirin. I think we're half pony, half dragon. I haven't been one for that long, so it's still new to me."
Spike jumped, grinning back at them. "I knew it! Those are dragon scales! And it explains why you've got all that fire. I can do that too, see!"
He leaned back, exhaling a burst of brilliant green flame. Her companions retreated, jumping back in surprise. But Lotus only leaned closer, fascinated.
It flashed before Lotus in an instant, carrying a shimmer of underlying magic. Spellfire. The same method the Alicorn used to send you that reference material. No wonder this pony so values him.
She'd made it almost two whole hours without hearing that voice, she'd almost started to think it was gone. But no—it would be too easy to explain it away as a mere stress response to the airship attack. I'm losing it. You're not real. Searing burned the spellbook.
"That was awesome!" she exclaimed. "I can't... actually breathe fire, not like this. But yours is cool!"
"Of course it is. You wouldn't believe how many ponies don't appreciate my magic. It's even worse now than it used to be...
"Anyway, your suite is just up here. We usually keep important visitors from all over the world here. They like bringing their own servants and guards along, so there should be plenty of space."
They stepped inside one of the nearby doorways, into a suite that would've felt more at home in some impossibly luxurious hotel. Multiple rooms all made from crystal, though many were lavishly appointed with fine carpets, expensive furniture, and crystal turned slightly opaque for privacy.
Only a single master suite, with a huge bed overlooking a window with a view of Ponyville beneath, then several smaller rooms up near the front.
Not one of them had pony guards waiting to monitor her, either. Spike led them through the huge halls, opening wardrobes and doors one at a time. "Plenty of room for all your stuff, but... you don't really seem to have much."
"Yeah," Lotus said flatly. "Gus and I lost... basically everything we owned at this point. Except for his cameras."
He turned toward her at that moment, angling the GoPro directly in her face. "And be lucky I did, or we would not be on speaking terms."
The dragon made another scribbled note onto his sheet. "Just let me know if you need anything and I'll get it taken care of. You're the guest of a princess. A princess that's... waiting to meet you, Lotus. Just you. Gut—Gus and Iron, you can stay here. I doubt it will take too long."
"Just her?" Gus asked. He moved towards Lotus, wrapping one foreleg around her shoulder again. "You know we both came from another world together. I probably know more about it than she does."
"You came from..." Spike scratched something else onto his notes. "I don't think that's what this is about. Twilight loves getting into detail about magic and science stuff. But that's not what this is."
Iron Feather stiffened. "I was told I'd been assigned as her bodyguard. Orders came from Princess Luna herself! I don't think I should..."
"This is Twilight Sparkle's royal castle," Spike said, exasperated. "If there's any kinda threat that can get through the spells around it, you won't be able to help."
Iron grunted, then lifted the helmet off, settling it loudly on a nearby crystal table. "Fine. If that's what she wants. Don't get into any trouble before coming back here, Lotus."
Lotus followed Spike back outside, then up the ramp the rest of the way. At least the dragon seemed more energetic as they ascended, tiny steps coming in a rapid, scampering gate.
"I'm sure you know about the war," Spike said. "Or it would be, if she had an army. It's just one evil sorceress, but she has enough monsters that she can attack almost anywhere. Been a nightmare since she got out of her book."
Lotus nodded. "I know... a little about Searing Gale."
That little voice came to her mind again. Better than any creature ever could. You see the way they act. You know why this war was necessary. If only one tribe can survive, it will be ours.
Despite the clarity of those words, Spike showed no sign he'd heard them. Exactly like the spellbook, if it still existed.
"I don't know exactly what Twilight wanted to ask you," he went on. "But she's been working on ways to trap Searing again since she first escaped. She didn't tell me, but that's probably what this is about."
"Anything I can do to help," she said. "But I'm no princess of magic. I've only been studying it since I was transformed. Before that I didn't even know it existed."
They passed through more huge corridors, until they reached a set of closed wooden doors. Spike opened one, leading her into a study.
Lotus had visited her fair share of offices and libraries before. None she'd ever seen could come close to this. Two floors of private bookshelves, a half-dozen chalkboards and study tables and shelves covered in strange machines.
Whoever owned the place kept it just on the verge of too cluttered to move, forcing them to dodge carefully between precarious piles of books interspersed between the shelves.
"Twilight!" Spike called, voice echoing through the library. "Sorry we ran a little late, but we're here! I brought the kirin."
There was a bright flash of light and magic, and suddenly a pony stood beside Lotus. She was only a little taller—maybe Iron Feather's height, though built far leaner, elegant instead of muscular. Like Princess Luna, she had a set of feathery wings along with a horn.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle. But there's no time for formalities, so just call me Twilight." She took one of Lotus's hooves, shaking vigorously. "You're Lotus Cinder, the friendly kirin. Right? I hope that's right. These are some rare books I'd rather not see you burn."
"That's me," she said. "I promise not to burn anything."
> Chapter 41
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite being the princess of something that shouldn't exist from any scientific perspective Lotus understood, Twilight Sparkle approached their initial conversation with a familiar method of investigation. She wanted to know about kirin—what made them different from ponies, how their magic worked, and how they could transition between Nirik and kirin and back again.

She also seemed to know about humans and other worlds, or at least about something called a “mirror portal.” But whenever Lotus pressed her on the subject, she always redirected things back to their ongoing war.
“Equestria has to survive to be able to help you,” she would say. “When ponies aren’t in danger, we can help you get home.”
That meant several physical demonstrations—showing her some basic magic, learning a new spell and casting it in front of her, and sharing details of her other experiences. She approached every answer with a detached, clinical attitude, never questioning or arguing with what Lotus said.
Mislead her. Misdirect. Confuse. The less she knows, the weaker any countermeasures will be. Equestria must fail. So whispered the little voice, whenever Princess Twilight asked any questions of magical significance. That was when Lotus knew to give the most detail, and to be as honest as possible even when she was uncomfortable.
"Does all this give you... ideas? Anything we could use to stop Searing Gale?" she finally asked, after about an hour of examination.
Princess Twilight settled another page of notes into a binder. "Every detail forms a part of the complete picture. Kirin have been extinct for longer than modern medical or magical practice. We knew almost nothing about you. Until now."
Lotus nodded along. In this alone she kept her silence. Twilight did not need to know about Hono to fight an evil sorceress. The fewer ponies had that knowledge, the harder it would be to spread.
"What about the original spell that imprisoned her?" she asked. "Have you tried to find a way to activate that again? Even with one of the books gone."
Twilight sighed. "Unfortunately not. That combination of spells was an accident to begin with, one that won't repeat itself now. Whatever chance we had of using that technique, Searing Gale knew it was a risk, and she took measures to prevent it. Even if..."
The princess walked away from her to a large junction of chalkboards and piled books. They'd obviously been arranged in a very specific way. Several boards had half-finished spells scrawled on them.
Lotus might not know enough about magic to construct a spell like this for herself, but she could at least recognize when one was valid. Or in this case, when they weren't. "There is no logical reason for her to do this. She should've suffered significant consequences, yet her power seems unaffected. Neither side of the equation is balanced."
She stopped in front of one particular chalkboard, larger than all the rest. This showed a single sketch in the center—a Nirik, and a kirin, separated by arrows pointing in both directions and dense blocks of text. "What you've told me confirms my theories on kirin metaphysiology, but it only makes Searing Gale's actions seem more bizarre."
"Confirms... what?" Lotus prodded. Maybe she was overreaching, to ask questions to one of Equestria's rulers. But this mare didn't tower over her like Luna had, and she didn't seem to think of herself as some untouchable superior either. "Maybe I've noticed something that can help."
She braced for rejection, but the pony nodded instead. "Maybe. You are a... not unicorn, but... spellcaster yourself. Not inconsiderable talent, considering your origin. Perhaps... right." She levitated a pointer from the desk, gesturing up at the illustration. "All the magic you've ever used comes from the soul. We can skip most of the details. Just know that the soul determines your magic. The bigger it is, the more connections it has to other ponies, the more it shares their friendships and love, the stronger the spells it can cast. Searing Gale already violates everything we know about this rule."
"Because that's not how she casts," Lotus said. "Nirik... don't use the power from their own bodies when they do magic. They burn things around them and use those instead. Anything alive… and the bigger and more alive it is, the more power they get."
Twilight scribbled something onto the board. "I don't believe we covered that yet. You've... experienced that aspect of kirin life as well?"
Lotus retreated a step, her tail curling around her legs. "I've been a Nirik before. I can feel it when I change, but I've never done it. Searing Gale tried to make me burn my friends—Gus and Iron Feather downstairs. I wouldn't."
"We suspected something like this must be taking place. The confirmation is... useful, if disconcerting." The mare scribbled another few notes onto the board, packing some of the few empty spots with text.
The power you could've wielded, if only you obeyed. The raw magic of your world offered no resistance. You could have remade it as you saw fit. You could've been a goddess. Any who ever wronged you could've been made to suffer for their crime.
Shut up, she thought back. She burned the book already. You shouldn't even be alive anymore.
I haven't been alive for a long, long time.
The princess turned again, dropping the chalk back into place. "I nearly lost track of our discussion. See! We're already making progress." She tapped the board again. "Regardless of the source of her magical energy, the soul should still determine the extent of Searing Gale's magical strength. All sources we have suggest it was the Nirik herself who trapped her kirin half within a spellbook in the first place.
"It meant we could never completely destroy her, as Equestria had with other threats. There was always an anchor holding her in our reality."
The spellbook excised my weakness, said the voice, along with high-pitched laughter. Not so much like an ancient sorceress anymore. More like a petulant child, one who knew they were right about something, and wouldn't shut up about just how wrong you were. Kirin are too easily bound by their emotional attachments, too easily turned from the correct path by compassion or hesitation. I desired to be unbound by all these things.
But Twilight couldn't hear, and she continued her explanation. "Destroying the phylactery meant that part of her soul was gone forever. It should've cut the power of her magic instantly in half. Even if she remained more powerful than any ordinary pony, we should've seen an impact. More importantly, no sorceress as powerful as Searing Gale would make a mistake like that." 
Twilight dropped the pointer, voice trailing to a whisper. "Rainbow says she's stupid and didn't realize what she did until it was too late. I don't think so. It's too easy to assume your enemies are just being dumb. Usually, it means they're acting on information you don't have."
Lotus had some of that. Questions Twilight Sparkle couldn't even think to ask. "I had the spellbook the whole time I was a kirin in my world," she said. "That's how I learned so fast, I think. Searing Gale was a really good... sorceress. Before she turned evil."
"And after, unfortunately," Twilight said. "Or Equestria wouldn't be in so much trouble."
Lotus nodded. "When I had the book, it talked to me. Like the first time I was a Nirik, it tried to make me burn my friends, my neighbors. After that, it kept talking. Sometimes it helped me, so I would trust it. It wanted me to learn how to get the spell working so I could bring it back to its master."
The Alicorn looked up, holding her chalk in her magic again. But she didn't add any new notes to the chalkboard this time. "That's common for the phylactery of a lich. The soul trapped inside is still... not alive, exactly. But intact. Strong enough to exert an influence on those connected to it. In your case, that's probably because it transformed you in the first place. That meant it could choose the outcome, and probably made one that would be useful to it. Sensitive to its promptings, and powerful enough to accomplish its goals."
She reached for Lotus's shoulder, patting her with one wing. "It's probably for the best that spellbook was destroyed. No matter how strong your will, nopony can last forever. She would've worn you down eventually. Either made you as evil as her, or... completely insane." She let go, turning towards the window. "But she failed. I heard what happened on the Svalinn. You used your powers to save ponies from the fire. If that isn't defying Searing Gale, I don't know what is."
Be silent, commanded the voice. Say nothing further. Imposing as its vocabulary might be, that childlike voice no longer wielded the same irresistible power as before. Why should Lotus do what she said?
"What if she didn't stop talking to me?" Lotus asked, so timid she was barely even whispering. "Hypothetically. What would that mean?"
The princess turned, making her slow way back. "Most likely? Lingering trauma. Having an evil spirit whispering into your head can't be great for a pony's mental health. There could be scars."
That's all this is. You're insane. Ponies will look at you with pity and shame and never listen to what you say, ever again.
"Maybe." She looked away. "The thought... had crossed my mind. It's an easy explanation. It doesn't feel like I'm insane, but what crazy person realizes they're crazy?" She rubbed at her temple with one hoof for a few seconds, as though that would help. But she had no headache, or any other symptoms for that matter.
The princess settled onto her haunches, now within reach. She still held the chalk in her magic, though nowhere near the board. "We can approach this scientifically. You're still hearing the voice from before, when you still kept the spellbook with you. Is that right?"
She nodded once, very slightly. "I haven't said... anything. Not to anyone."
"If you were trying to convince somepony it was real, and not the result of lingering trauma…”
You would fail, because that is all this is. You remember what Searing Gale would say. You repeat it back to yourself. You've lost it.
"I would say that... I spent several weeks without the spellbook. Before the Svalinn came to rescue me, the book was locked away where I couldn't get it. As soon as that happened... nothing." She tapped her head once for emphasis. "No whispers, no trying to convince me to burn things. No telling me why ponies and other creatures are inferior. No arguments. Like someone flipping a switch. No book, no words."
That prompted a few rapid taps on the chalkboard, scrawling something Lotus couldn't read. How Twilight could write without even watching herself as she did it, she would never know. An impressive talent for a princess of magic.
"That is a useful datapoint, certainly. When did symptoms start?"
You condemn us both! They will kill you for my sake! Equestria is not more merciful than I! They hide behind a facade of virtue!
"I first heard it when the Svalinn was attacked," she said. "But I don't think that was it. Searing Gale didn't hit me with any magic. I don't know if she realized I was on it. I think things changed when she burned the spellbook. She didn't just destroy it, she made sure I was right there. Could she have somehow, like... put it in my head?"
"No chance. A pony's body only holds one soul. One would fade, then be erased. Given you're intact, and the kirin half of Searing is... half, your soul would win. Only you'd be in constant agony every second, with both personalities fighting for control. If that had happened, everypony would know.
"But maybe..." Twilight's horn glowed suddenly brilliant, bright enough that Lotus couldn't see much of anything else. 
She still heard something though—that voice in her mind, more childlike and helpless than ever before. I told you! She'll kill both of us! I don't want to die!
No pain, though. Searing's voice might be absolutely certain, but she was also wrong. As quickly as it came, the glow was gone. 
Twilight's expression became an unreadable mask. She turned her back on Lotus, gathering several objects from around the room in a burst of magic. A thick scroll covered in spells around the edges, a quill pen, and a bottle of ink. "Please go downstairs and bring Spike back. Tell him I need to send Princess Celestia a letter, he'll understand. If I know a dragon, he's in the kitchen at this very second, trying to recreate some Kirin food he found in one of the old history books. It's probably good—he's become quite the little chef." 
“I wasn’t eating it for very long. I’ll go easy on him.” Lotus rose, backing a few steps away from her. Under any other circumstances, she might've obeyed a princess without further argument. Equestria was her country, and this was her house—who was she to argue? 
But there was a monster living inside her, one important enough to write a letter to the most powerful princess in all Equestria! "She's in my head, isn't she? She found a way to put the other half of her soul in there. You're gonna kill me."
"No." Twilight's tone didn't change, remaining deadly serious. She stopped writing her letter, lowering it to meet Lotus’s eyes. "I don't know what kind of world you're from, Lotus Cinder. But in Equestria, we don't hurt innocent creatures.  Especially when those creatures are heroes who save ponies everywhere they go."
She lifted the quill again, gesturing vaguely in her direction. "It's exactly as I explained to you. Only one soul can exist comfortably within a body. Yours is entirely your own."
"Then why—" She twitched, then suddenly jolted alert. "But I'm a Nirik too! She stuck the other half in there somehow? The body I'm not using, like... a shadow."
The princess stiffened suddenly. "No, I... I don't believe so. Your soul may be divided between two forms, but it would still be you. This is... something else. She found... a truly novel solution." She lifted the scroll again, scratching at it as fast as any typist could do the same task with a keyboard. Maybe even faster—her control of levitation was incredible!
"Then I don't understand," she said. She took another step back, but not to take off running and fetch the dragon. This was her sanity at risk, and her body.
"Our enemy knows us far better than we know her," Princess Twilight said. "But what she doesn't know is how much magical research has advanced since she was first imprisoned. She may have gifted us the solution."
"But how?" Lotus demanded, lifting her voice to shout now. "You're telling me everything that didn't happen, but not what she's doing to me!"
There was the first brush of anger, and the heat that came with it. Not as strong as it could be—like a summer breeze had appeared behind her, lifting her coat with it. 
Princess Twilight stopped writing. She lowered the scroll and turned the quill around. At first, she pointed it at Lotus—but she moved it sideways, touching her belly instead. A little lower.
"I don't think even the most powerful transformation spell could change you in this state. Creating life is one of those magics even ponies understand poorly. You told me the Nirik receives all her strength from consuming the lives of others. I don't think she could've caused this. She saw an opportunity and seized it."
"I don't..." Lotus whimpered, wiping away tears from her face. They were from confusion, obviously—nothing more. She had no idea what Twilight could mean.
"If the timing was exactly right, Searing Gale wouldn't need to fight you for control of your body. She could find another host for her soul; with all the power a living pony would grant her. Because she would be a living pony."
Lotus stumbled backward, heart racing in her chest. She had spent weeks with Iron Feather in Hono. All that time without a thought for the consequences. 
The consequences had evidently been thinking of her, though. "That shouldn't be possible. Iron and I are so... different. He's a pony, I'm half dragon!"
I have seen it once before. Seen what ponies do when they see the foal for the first time. Now you will see as I saw and know as I know. You will learn how empty their professions of love truly are.
"You and the royal guard? That... well, that resolves the last variable in my mind." She lifted the quill, taking the scroll back into her magic. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you." She patted her back with a wing again. No dagger was hidden beneath it, no matter what that presence in her mind seemed to think.
But—the voice wasn't in her mind anymore, was she? She was somewhere else.
"You've been very brave so far, Lotus. If you can be brave for a little longer, we might just save Equestria." She vanished, taking the scroll and quill with her, and leaving Lotus alone in her study. 
> Chapter 42
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

But Lotus Cinder wasn't really alone. Now that she carried her tormentor with her, she never would be. At least not for however many months kirin took. 
She dropped onto the plush carpet of the study floor, turning sideways to look at her belly. As though there would be some obvious sign of whatever was taking place within. Searing Gale's severed spirit might've gone completely unnoticed, if she wasn't so desperate to manipulate Lotus.
I'm the only reason she didn't kill you yet, said the voice. She still sounded small, like a child sitting defiantly in the corner and refusing to talk to anyone after not getting her way. Except that she still wanted to speak her mind, so she kept on talking as much as before. She just had to make sure that everyone knew she wasn't happy about it.
She realizes I retain much of the wisdom I have gained. Through you, I could make killing us painful for her. She would win in the end, but many she loved would burn first. She already told you her plan—she will summon Princess Celestia. There is no spell mighty enough to overcome the will of two Alicorns at once.
"Ponies aren't perfect, but they aren't evil like that. She's not going to kill me." Obviously, the voice wanted her to try and escape now, to flee before Twilight could return. Maybe she would hide in the wilderness for months, or maybe she wanted her to rejoin Searing Gale. Either way, she wouldn't go.
You're naive. You only see the face they show you. I know the rot underneath. I've seen it countless times. But you're starting to notice. Ponies will never accept you. No matter how many of their lives you save, they will always watch you with fear, wondering if you're going to transform into a monster and burn them alive. They cannot fail to see, because they're right.
"No. Iron saw that side of me first. He wasn't afraid. Even Captain Inclination realized I didn't need guards following me."
He too was naive. But in saving his life, I provided an opportunity we can now exploit. Flee before it is too late. One Alicorn cannot contain us if we move now. The faster we move, the less we will have to burn to fuel our flight.
It almost worked. Searing Gale's ghost was trying to be reasonable with her, after all. She didn't want to burn people, so they should start moving as soon as possible and burn as few of them as they could.
But she was still lying. Twilight wasn't going to kill her. 
When trapped in the book, her wisdom and power were so vast that Lotus couldn't help but retreat from her or be completely overwhelmed. But the more she spoke, the more like a child she sounded. Smart, smarter than Lotus would ever be—but still just a kid, prone to all the same lapses in logic and simple mistakes that came from inexperience.
Princess Twilight isn't a murderer. I don't believe you.
She didn't have much longer to wait. Maybe Searing Gale was right, and Equestria would ask her to die to weaken the evil sorceress enough to finally stop her. But that just didn't match what she'd seen so far.
Equestria wasn't the kind of country that would take an easy route if that meant sacrificing their own souls in the process. They would need to get a little more creative to protect the lives of the innocent.
The door banged open again, and several ponies made their way back in. Twilight was among them of course, but not alone. Spike trailed her, and Iron Feather wasn't far behind. Gus hadn't come, though whether by the princess's command or some other reason, she couldn't know. Lotus was grateful either way—she could barely even think of the words to herself, much less explain them to the only other person in all Equestria who knew who Eric had been.
"Message is out," Twilight said, waving one hoof in her direction. "If I know the princess, we should hear back in just a few minutes. After that... it's going to be up to her. I have some guesses about what she'll want to do, but we won't know for sure until then."
She gestured back at Iron with her wing. "I haven't told him anything. I thought it would be better if you did. I'm not the right princess for these sorts of things. Spike, if you want to help me, I have some preparations to make. I can guess what Celestia's going to ask, and it's gonna take some time to get ready. Over here..."
They crossed the room together, before Twilight opened a storage closet door so loudly it banged against the crystal wall. "It's all... in here..."
Oh. Lotus stood up, realizing exactly what the princess was doing. She could only express her silent gratitude to the princess for that small respect. What might happen after—who knew. Maybe she'd be killed. But if they were going to do that, wouldn't Twilight want to keep the news from spreading? She'd seen newspapers in Ponyville—if Equestria had a press, they probably wouldn't be happy about murder.
Or maybe they'd be thrilled. I'm a kirin—just like the evil sorceress killing people right now.
Iron stopped just beside her. He was still wearing the breastplate, though he hadn't bothered with the helmet or any weapons. In the princess's castle, there was little cause to defend them from anything. "Lotus? The princess sounded like she made a breakthrough. Whatever it is, thanks for including me. But you probably don't have to."
He took one step closer, resting a hoof on her shoulder. "The Royal Guard are mostly for peace-time, everypony knows it. When there's real danger, it's the magical ponies who make a difference. Princess Twilight, and maybe you too. Maybe I can come along on your secret mission and protect you from her minions, but that's about it. I'm not gonna be able to stop Searing Gale. Nopony in the world is good enough with a sword or a spear to do that, or it would've already happened a long time ago."
Lotus nodded along with him, waiting patiently for him to finish. "It's not that. Twilight wanted me to tell you because you're personally involved. I don't know what her plan is against Searing Gale, I just know what she figured out about us."
"Us?" 
"Don't tell Gus? Promise?"



His eyebrows went up even further, if that were possible. "If you want me to promise, I promise. Why would you care what the griffon finds out? He was one of your closest friends."
There was the passenger again, like a tiny figure in the distance curled up to hide from the pain she knew would come. 
She leaned in close, whispering into his ear as quietly as she possibly could. "Twilight figured out I was pregnant. We don't know for how long. Since the festival, or after. We don't know yet."
Iron Feather froze in place. His wings opened, then closed. He glanced briefly back at the door, then the stairs behind him. "That's... amazing!" He wrapped one foreleg around her, moving in close for a kiss. "I never expected it to come so fast, but..."
She caught his lips with her hoof, holding him away from her. "Wait. There's more. The whole reason that Twilight's even... involved."
Iron tensed, lifting away from her face. "Wait. Are you saying this has to do with Searing Gale's invasion?"
"Yes. I'm saying she somehow... knew. She's put a... spell, on the baby, before they're even born. Somehow. When she burned the book, that was her real plan all along."
Iron tensed, flaring both wings out to either side. He nudged Lotus's belly with one hoof, then withdrew it just as quickly. "I don't feel any magic."
No spell accomplished this. It was an opportunity. A last, desperate hope, said the little voice, sounding very, very small. She was far away, distant. I was her kirin half, the half she rejected. The princess assumes she would realize the consequences of severing the kirin half of herself but fails to accept that I would see it as a necessary sacrifice.
"It was so subtle we didn't notice it at first. But remember before, when we were still guarding Searing's other book?" She didn't wait for him to confirm. "I heard it talk to me sometimes, when I was studying. It tried to get me to do things. That started happening again after Searing Gale burned it."
"And you didn't tell anypony? You didn't ask for help?"
"I wasn't sure it was real!" she argued. "I gave it some time, so I could be sure it wasn't all in my head. But the princess seemed like the pony who would know about weird evil magic stuff, and she looked..."
She whimpered, wiping tears with her leg. "This wasn't supposed to happen so soon. I'm not ready for... any of it. Maybe it won't matter." 
Lotus retreated a single nervous hoof step, away from a staring Iron Feather. "I know that... with how magic works, I could b-be... They could use me to attack Searing Gale. If the spell stops, she'll be a lot weaker, maybe even weak enough for Equestria to stop her."
Iron followed her, but he couldn't get much closer. With each step forward, Lotus retreated, backing away between the bookshelves. "If you're suggesting the princess would sacrifice the unborn for a strategic advantage, absolutely not. Ponies would never do that. Even if we had a perfect spell to stop Searing Gale in her tracks, one foal would be too high a price."
He's wrong. Equestria only wears the facade of kindness. The world is a cruel, unforgiving place, not one that gives mercy. Ponies are no less willing to sacrifice lives for a cause than other creatures. Ours will be no different.
The door banged open suddenly, and Twilight emerged from within. She held something up in her magic—another scroll? It might've been what she was looking for in there, except that the edges were still smoldering with magical energy. "Lotus Cinder! And... I guess you too, Iron Feather. Princess Celestia is going to be here tomorrow morning, along with her sister and Princess Cadance."
Exactly as I said. They gather together irresistible strength, so we may be contained. The noose closes around your throat, Lotus. When they pull it tight, we both die.
Iron raised one hoof in salute. "Has anything been required of me, Princess?"
Twilight eyed his hoof, then glanced back at the scroll. "Just that you continue to protect Lotus Cinder until everypony arrives. If Searing Gale somehow manages to slip something under the wards of this castle, be the last line of defense protecting her."
"Yes, ma'am. With your leave, I'll secure my weapons. I... left them downstairs."
I don't know if I realize yet, whispered that little voice. The more time passes, the fainter the bond becomes. Does she wonder why she wasn't made weaker by my death? Or maybe that only reinforces her beliefs. I was only a hindrance. The weakness, the compassion... none of it serves her.
Twilight nodded. "Go on then."
He jerked forward, wrapping one foreleg around Lotus's shoulders again. Then he was off, flying back through the door instead of just galloping.
Lotus waited until he was gone to say anything. "Am I allowed to know the plan? I assume I'm part of it somehow, or all those princesses wouldn't have to come here."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, well. Obviously. I can give you the theory. It won't be official until Princess Celestia gives it the go-ahead. And you too, technically. Nopony would force you to put yourself in danger, no matter how desperate Equestria's situation."
She has already prepared a lie. Whatever she shares is meaningless, meant to distract you while the Alicorns travel here. The only plan is a dagger in your belly.
Lotus stepped forward, closer to the princess. Please be quiet. I'm going to hear her out. If you see gaps in her magic, you can tell me. Otherwise shut up.
To her surprise, the voice obeyed, fading from her perception like a scolded toddler going back to hide in their room. With its absence, Lotus could think clearly again.
"Can you get the magic out of my baby?" she asked. "I assume the plan will be something about that."
Twilight winced. "Well, uh... not exactly. The only way to go back to what would've happened without Searing Gale's interference would be to..." She shook her head once. "Remove the fetus. I'm not familiar with the spells, but the hospital would be."
Abort it, Lotus thought. Such a simple, clean solution. No more voice, Searing Gale would be weakened, and she wouldn't have to go through the awful complexity of pregnancy as an alien.
Eric would've accepted the option without a second thought. But Lotus Cinder wasn't the same person anymore. Every time that voice spoke to her, it was smaller and more pathetic than the last. It had saved Lotus's life when the Svalinn crashed. "I don't like that idea very much."
"No, most ponies wouldn't." Twilight stopped just beside her, lowering a heavy notebook to the ground between them. "Here's the important part. Searing Gale split herself in half, but there's still little threads binding her to the rest of herself. On one side, you've got an undead Nirik rampaging, burning everywhere she goes. On the other, here. A real, living, body. Imagine the connection between the two got cut. One's undead, and the other isn't. Magic will reject one, and not the other."
"How?" Lotus pressed. Whatever she knew about magic didn't extend to answering esoteric questions about souls and babies and necromancy. That spellbook probably had all kinds of useful details on the subject, but Searing Gale herself made sure she wouldn't have access to that. "Like, we cast a spell, and the Nirik burning her way through Equestria just vanishes?"
She glanced briefly back at her belly—but if the spirit was listening, she didn't have anything to add. "It can't be that easy!"
Twilight winced. "Well, no. But it won't matter if we can't find a way to sever the connection between the Nirik outside, and the foal you're carrying. The rest of it... it's better if I don't tell you right now." She spread both wings wide. "Not that I don't trust you!"
"You think she could pass messages to the other Searing Gale..." Lotus said. "Makes sense. Was it safe to tell me that much?"
Princess Twilight Sparkle shrugged nervously. "Not sure! But if I didn't tell you that much, you'd have a hard time figuring out what we were going to do together. And what if you spent this whole time worried this plan was going to hurt your foal..."
She lifted the notebook back into the air, removing several scrolls from one of the shelves, along with a whole case of charcoal, and a pair of slide rules. How she could hold all of them in her magic without losing concentration, Lotus didn't know. The princess had a level of magical discipline and focus that few other ponies could ever hope to match. 
"Just one more question. If this all works out, what exactly kinda baby do I... have? Not a reincarnated evil sorceress?"
Twilight shook her head once. "Ponies already tried reincarnation to escape mortality. They all gave up. The spirit endures, but the mind and memory weren't all in there." She tapped Lotus's forehead with the back of her case. "If this works, your foal will be just like any other. Except—if they're a kirin, they won't have a Nirik half. Since that half is gonna be dead and all."
I should intervene to protect myself. But she tried to destroy me. What loyalty is owed after such an act?
"Just tell me how I can help," Lotus said. "Assuming there's... anything I can do."
"We have a spell to prepare," Twilight said. "In case the princess approves of the plan. Probably she will—she usually agrees with me. How good are your runes?"
Lotus tilted her head to one side. "Dunno. I kinda learned them on my own."

As it turned out, her runes were not bad.
The Princess of Magic had a long list of tasks to accomplish, apparently the first steps to designing a novel spell. There were complex tables of different factors to balance, a little like writing a chemical equation back in high school. 
Eric never could've stood a chance, but Lotus Cinder wasn't him anymore. She'd still never be in the same league as a pony like Twilight—but she could be a useful assistant. She could read enough of the runes to know what symbols to use, and how to write the input factors where she was told. 
Soon they had a half-dozen different chalkboards pulled over, along with a serving tray of snacks and coffee occasionally refilled by Twilight's loyal assistant.
Gus appeared briefly at the door, asking (and receiving) permission to venture out into Ponyville while they worked. Then there was Iron Feather, walking a slow circuit around the room and glancing out each window he passed. 
If he was going to stick around while they worked, at least he didn't interfere. He didn't even interrupt Lotus's concentration, while she balanced pages of complex runes by hand—or manually, anyway. Shame her cellphone hadn't survived the house fire, a calculator would make that process much easier.
The passage of time barely registered with her, until the sun was gone from the windows and Twilight plucked the pen from her magic. "That's enough, Lotus. I think it's about time you get yourself a good night's rest. I'll ring the bell early tomorrow, before Celestia gets here. You should have plenty of time to get ready."
She jerked upright, not even realizing she'd been dozing. Lotus nodded, backing away from the piles of messy pages in front of her. "Did I... did I do it right?"
The Alicorn glanced down once, lifting several pages into the air in her magic. She held them each in a row, muttering quietly to herself as she studied. Then she nodded, approving. "I'll need to check your work before we cast any of this, but it looks good to me. Your... penmanship is a little sloppy, but the figures are all correct." 
She lowered her voice, whispering into her ear. "I'll get you a copy of a few tracing books unicorns use. For... after we save the world."
She tapped one hoof on the crystal floor. "Iron Feather? Make sure she gets some sleep. Sleep. That's what she needs tonight. Understand?"
He appeared beside Lotus, wrapping her tired foreleg around his neck. "Understood, princess. I'll get her right to bed."