The Castle of Happiness

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“It’s weird for the river to be frozen in November,” Star Dasher said. “Let me go first and check to make sure it’s safe.”

“Wait, it’s November?” January Joy said, his ears perking up. “Oh my sparkles, it’s November!”

“What’s so important about November?” Star said. She used her mouth to tighten the straps on the last of her four ice skates. She wobbled down the cobblestone stairs that led from the bank to the river’s surface. The ice was solid, at least this close to the bank. But she would have to get closer to the center before deciding if it was safe enough for other ponies. She didn’t mind the danger. They were in the middle of town, so they could easily get her to a warm fire if she fell through the ice.

“Be careful!” January Joy exclaimed behind her. Star glided forward slowly, inspecting the ice as she went. A bitter arctic wind had swept through Glad Valley last week, coating everything in a layer of lacey frost that still hadn’t melted. The sky was gray and overcast, the days were short, and the larches had dropped their leaves. Puffs of smoke rose from every chimney in Joyville, mounted on sharply slanted roofs that still had a dusting of snow on the north sides. Winter was coming, and it was going to be as charming as ever.

“What’s so important about November?” Star repeated. “Tell me, tell me, tell me!” The ice was solid, even as she went farther out. She was a third of the way to the Castle of Happiness already, the arched bridge leading to it visible on her left. The castle was proudly perched on an island in the middle of the river, its brilliant yellow walls visible from anywhere in town.

“Oh, right,” January said. “November Nights’ birthday is this month.”

Star sped up and did a twirling jump. Her skates thudded against the ice as she landed. It was a solid sound, and it looked like the ice held up fine. There was probably water down there, but there was definitely enough ice to skate on. “The ice is fine,” Star called back. She skated to the bank. “Let me show you how to skate. Come on, I know you’ll love it.”

“Okay…” January said, awkwardly stepping down to the ice.

“Hold on to me to start. We’ll just glide along until you get a feel for it.” Star had a whole list of winter activities that she wanted to try out. Things that were new for either her or her friends. She loved anything new! January put a hoof on Star’s solid withers. He wobbled and yelped a bit as Star gently propelled herself forward, taking January with her.

“November Nights’ birthday!” January said. “I have to throw a surprise party for her!”

“Oh? You’ve never done a birthday party for her before.” January Joy was the party planner at the Castle of Happiness. As one might imagine, that was a very important position. His family had been in that business for generations, ever since they founded Joyville. At least, that’s what January said.

“That’s exactly the problem!” January said. He nearly lost his balance, but Star caught him.

“Careful. Spread your hooves apart a little more.”

“Okay… I don’t know when November’s birthday is. Well, I know the month, of course, but not the day. So every year she goes without a party. She’s probably alone and sad on her birthday. This must be rectified!”

That wasn’t true. November Nights only invited her closest friends for her birthday, including Star. She had also asked that Star not reveal the date, which was a week from now. November hated loud social gatherings, and she didn’t like being the center of attention. “Well, you don’t know that,” Star said cautiously. “If she wanted a big birthday party, she’d probably tell you.”

“Wait, you’re her friend,” January said. “Do you know her birthday?”

“Um, why don’t you ask her directly?” Star said, getting nervous. She didn’t want to break her promise, but she didn’t want to hurt January’s feelings, either. January wasn’t just the town party planner; he was friends with everypony in Joyville. If he knew November had a birthday party without him, he might be upset.

“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise! It has to be a surprise. Imagine if after all these years, we surprise her with a massive party with everypony in town! She’ll be so happy!” The red garnet in the center of January’s cutie mark—a blue party hat and noise maker—shined brilliantly, indicating that he was happy.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Star said. January let go of Star’s withers.

He wobbled for a moment, but he managed to stand by himself. “I did it!”

“Wow, good job! Now watch the way I move my hooves.” Star skated a couple of circles around January.

“I need to start planning—oh my sparkles—right now! Her birthday could be today, or tomorrow. It’s already November!” January’s blue eyes made contact with Star’s. “Do you know November Nights’ birthday?”

“Listen, I don’t think she’ll like this party,” Star said. “She doesn’t like big crowds.”

“I know she’s a quiet pony. But I’m sure she’d appreciate knowing how much we all care about her. And think about it; how often do you see her gem shining?”

Star had seen it glowing at November’s last birthday party a year ago. “Um, maybe once or twice a year.”

“Not nearly often enough! That pony needs cheering up. Please, do you know when November’s birthday is?” January’s eyes were gleaming, little hearts reflecting in his pupils. Star could tell that January genuinely wanted to make November happy. He just had a limited understanding of what happiness looked like.

Star tried to answer as tactfully as possible. “If I did know, I’d want to ask her permission before telling anypony. I think it’d be best if you dropped the surprise idea and spoke with her directly before throwing her a party that she might not enjoy.”

January sighed. “I understand.” The light in his gem died out. “Um, can you show how you were moving your hooves again?”

“For sure, you got it,” Star said. She skated forward slowly and deliberately, emphasizing the movement of each of her four hooves. “Now you try it.”

January hesitantly moved forward. He fell, and Star rushed to pick him up. “Are you alright?” Star said.

“Yeah. Let me try again.” January crept forward, gradually putting more confidence into each movement.

“You’re doing it! You’re skating!”

“This is great!” January said as he slowly moved forward.

The white diamond in Star Dasher’s star-shaped cutie mark lit up. She skated excited circles around January. “You got this!” she said. “You can skate! That’s one activity off the list. This is going to be the best winter ever!”

* * *

Star Dasher slipped her yellow knitted leg warmers over her cannons. She stretched in preparation for her daily run. At this time of year, she had shifted to make this an afternoon thing. Star liked lots of things. She was always trying new hobbies and dropping old ones. But one thing never changed: She was an athlete, and her best and favorite event was cross-country running. She finished her stretches and took off at a canter.

She followed a trail that started just outside Joyville and did a loop around a nearby hill. She did this trail most days, except when she wanted to mix it up with some different scenery. She was pretty sure that her daily hoofbeats were the main thing that maintained the trail. She crossed the plain and headed for the hills. She was trying to build up the endurance to cover the whole trail at a canter. She had a feeling that today was the day. Her heartbeat rose and her breathing settled into a rhythm. A chilly wind swept through the plains near the river, whipping her pink and white hair. The bare larches didn’t provide much buffer. A few rabbits fled from the trail as she thundered past, their fluffy white tails receding into the still-green cranberry bushes.

The trail went slightly up as it rounded the hill and went behind it. Star breathed more heavily, but she didn’t break her canter. The trail was muddy a week ago, but now the mud was frozen. She heard a few crows caw as she blazed past. She knew she was about two fifths of the way when she got to the spruce stand. Unlike the larches, the spruces would hold their dark green leaves all year.

“Hello?” a voice called ahead of her. It was so unexpected that she broke her canter and froze. She felt a flash of disappointment at not finishing the loop in a nonstop canter. Curiosity and a smidge of caution came next.

Star walked forward and said, “Hello?” Beads of sweat had formed on her neck from the effort of running. The spruces blocked her view until she was right in front of two other ponies. She stood there for a moment, catching her breath and taking in what she saw.

The thing that really caught her eye was a yellow creature, slightly smaller than a pony’s head, hovering at eye height. It was in the shape of a pony, except for the iridescent wings and white antennae. So three ponies, then, the other two being full-sized ponies, not insectoid like the small one. Star Dasher didn’t recognize them, which was odd because Joyville was a small town and they didn’t get visitors. One was purple with green, pink, and white hair. The other was lilac with deep purple hair with iridescent streaks in it—“tinsel,” hair stylists called it. She had a bracelet with several mismatched charms. Both had big packs, and all three were bundled in winter clothes. “Yes, yes, yes!” the purple one with multicolored hair exclaimed. “Another pony!”

“Hey, who are you? My name is Star…” She trailed off as she noticed something. The purple one had a present for a cutie mark, but there was no gem. The lilac one with deep purple hair had two lanterns for a cutie mark, but no gem. “Are you zombie ponies?” Star whispered, thinking to nursery rhymes of creatures that would take naughty foals’ gems.

“What?” the purple pony said. “No, no, no! We’re earth ponies. My name is Razzaroo.”

“I’m Kimono,” the lilac one said.

“And I’m Silly Lilly!” the flying one said with a high-pitched but male voice. “I’m a breezie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Star,” Kimono said.

“Star… Dasher. But… your cutie marks, where are the gems?”

“Oh, yours is like Gem Blossom’s,” Razzaroo said. “How precious! Well, we’re not zombie ponies. This is just the way our cutie marks are. No gems.”

Star looked at them, baffled. “Huh… I thought ponies’ gems held their life forces. But I guess I was wrong. Where are you from?”

“Ponyville,” Razzaroo said. “We’re looking for the Castle of Happiness.”

“Well you’re in luck! I live right next to there. Follow me!” Star cantered off, her heart still pounding from the run.

“Wait!” Razzaroo called. “Not so fast.”

Star looked back and remembered that they had those big packs. Her body wanted to run, but she was too curious about these ponies. “I was supposed to be getting my daily exercise now,” she said. “Let me take your stuff.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Razzaroo said. Star stood next to her, and they transferred the pack.

“I don’t doubt your strength,” Kimono said. “But these are bulky, so there’s just not room for two packs on your back.”

“Eh, fair,” Star agreed. She led them down the trail, choosing to complete the loop, since they were about halfway there. She pranced with Razzaroo’s load, still wanting to pump her legs.

Silly Lilly flew ahead of them down the trail, giggling. “Stay with us, Silly!” Kimono called after him. “We don’t want you to get lost.”

“Fine,” Silly said with a sigh. He came back and seemingly for the first time noticed Star’s cutie mark. He flew up to her right rump. “Oooh!” he exclaimed, looking at the white diamond in the center from different angles.

“So how’d you end up out here?” Star said. “I’ve never heard of Ponyville before.”

“That is a good question,” Kimono said. “We have a castle in Ponyville as well, the Castle of Friendship. We found a map in there that told us about six other castles. We wanted to find those castles, see if they’re inhabited, and make friends with anyone there. If the ancient earth ponies knew about other cities, I can’t imagine why they ever lost contact. We could learn so much from each other.”

“That does sound neat! So after here, you have five more castles to visit?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Razzaroo said. “The Castles of Rainbows, Music, Laughter, Kindness, and Family. It’s going to be quite the adventure.”

“You must tell me all about Ponyville, and about your trip!” Star said.

“And Breezie Blossom!” Silly said. “That’s where I’m from.”

That conversation took up the whole trip back to Joyville. The thing they highlighted from Ponyville was their wonderful friends, who had made Kimono’s eight-charm bracelet. Breezie Blossom was right next to Ponyville. At the center of Ponyville was a pink castle with a deep library. Many of the books were written in an ancient language that nopony understood, but Kimono had found a map showing six other castles. The three of them had decided to find these castles, but the map was vague, and they had been meandering towards the Castle of Happiness since the start of fall. They mentioned that they had never experienced such extreme cold before.

Star Dasher laughed. “There’s more where that came from! It’ll get colder, still.”

“I’m surprised, because we haven’t traveled all that far north,” Kimono said. “I suppose we gained some elevation on the trail, though.”

They came within sight of Joyville. There was a momentary break in the cloud cover, during which the yellow castle on the island radiated with light that reflected off the glittery frozen river. “Ooh, it’s so nice!” Silly Lilly said.

“Isn’t it?” Star said excitedly. “Let me show you the town!”

* * *

Kimono followed Star Dasher down the path. Star was a muscular mare with a shiny, dark purple coat and messy pink and white hair. Like most ponies, she had a heart design on her ankle, pink in her case. She was evidently some sort of athlete. She spoke quickly and walked energetically, even with Razzaroo’s luggage. She gladly introduced the newcomers to everyone she saw, but she didn’t linger with any of them too long. The others all had gems in their cutie marks and were equally surprised to see ponies without gems.

Kimono preferred the quiet beauty of nature over the noise of towns and the weird antics of other ponies. She lived just outside of Ponyville for a reason. Still, she couldn’t help but appreciate the pleasing aesthetics of Joyville. The cobblestone streets were narrow and the buildings tall with sharply pointed roofs. Inviting storefronts with friendly signs met them on the ground level, with residencies apparently built above the stores. Occasional parks filled with birches and that strange, deciduous conifer interrupted the tight, cozy town. Elegant black posts with streetlights lined their way. At one street corner, a white pony in warm clothes was perched on a chair, playing the accordion. Star Dasher seemed a little flustered by the music, awkwardly dancing for a moment before rushing on by.

They came on to a pretty bridge supported by a stone arch underneath that crossed a river to access the castle. On the bridge, they ran into a pony that seemed especially excited to see them. He gasped and said, “I’ve never seen you here before! Welcome! My name is January Joy.”

“This is Razzaroo, Kimono, and Silly Lilly,” Star Dasher said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” January said, nuzzling each of them. He was a white pony with red hair with tinsel streaks. He had cute, red and white fuzzy boots, a winter hat, and a scarf. “Where are you from?”

“Ponyville,” Razzaroo said. “It’s about a month east-southeast of here. Or a couple of months, if you get lost like we do.” It was too bad that they hadn’t been able to travel here by hot air balloon. The trade winds didn’t come this way.

“We haven’t had visitors in so long! This calls for a celebration! Oh, but I’m so busy… Well, let me show you around the castle, at least. We’ll have to throw the welcome party later. You are staying, right?”

“At least for a while,” Razzaroo said. “What has you so busy? Maybe we can help. I am a party planner in Ponyville.” Their group of now five ponies crossed a drawbridge to enter the castle. The interior was clean and well-lit by electric lights. It gave a different impression from the Ponyville castle, which was dusty, saw little use, and contained old secrets and tales in its many libraries and tapestries. This castle, by contrast, seemed to see a lot of use. Different signs gave off the impression that the various chambers were used as meeting places for festivities and social events.

“A party planner?” January said excitedly. “Well…” Kimono noticed he glanced at Star Dasher. “I can’t ask you to plan your own welcome party. We’ll get around to it soon enough. In the meantime, you’re welcome to explore the town. We have guest rooms for slumber parties in the castle, so you can stay in one of those. I’ll show you.”

“We’re grateful for your hospitality,” Kimono said.

They arrived at a bedroom with two bunk beds and a wooden floor. There was a fireplace—not in use, yet—a closet, and a narrow stained-glass window that depicted a deciduous conifer turning brilliant yellow, bathing the room in warm light. “You can stay here for as long as you want,” January said. “Honestly, with this weather, I’d be happy to keep you here at least until spring!” Kimono dropped her pack. It had been on her back for so long that she felt strangely light without it.

“Do you have any flowers?” Silly Lilly said.

“Any… flowers?” January said. “No, they’re all out of season.”

“Oh… I guess I can sleep on a bed.”

Star Dasher carefully placed Razzaroo’s pack on one of the beds. “I still feel like running,” she said, rearing back. “Anypony else?” Anypony? Kimono thought. She had never heard that word before. But at least they spoke the same language. She hadn’t been sure that would be the case.

No one spoke up in response. “January, do you have any invitations that need running?” Star said.

“Yes! The invitations for Peri Winkle’s birthday party. They’re in a bag by the mailbox.”

“I’m on it!” Star said, darting out of the room.

“Thank you!” January called after her.

“She’s… energetic,” Kimono noted as the sound of her hooves on the stone hallway receded.

“She gets bored quickly,” January said with a chuckle. “But we love her for it! Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a party to think about.”

“I thought you were too busy to do our welcome party now?” Razzaroo said.

“Oh, yes, because I have another party to plan.”

Razzaroo gasped. “Maybe I can help!”

“Probably not. I don’t know the pony’s birthday, just that she was born in November. So I need to figure out who does know.”

“Can’t you just ask the pony?”

“That’s just it!” January said. “I want it to be a surprise party.”

“A surprise party?” Razzaroo said, getting excited. “Those are my favorites, yes yes yes! I can help!”

“Hmm… I guess it would be nice. I need to figure out a way to get November Nights’ birthday without her realizing that I’m planning a party for her.”

“Ooh, I have some tricks I’ve used for just this sort of thing!” Razzaroo shuffled through her things and got her saddlebag and notebook.

“Brilliant!” January said. “Let’s go to my party planning room. You can tell me once we’re there. Kimono, Silly Lilly, do you want to come?”

“Yes, of course!” Silly said.

“No, thank you,” Kimono said. “I’d like to get settled in, first.”

“Oh… I’ll stay with Kimono,” Silly said. He had been having a hard time since leaving Breezie Blossom, and he had become attached to Kimono to the point of being inseparable. Kimono wasn’t exactly thrilled with the arrangement, but she couldn’t push away Silly in his time of need.

“Okay, we’ll see you later,” January said. He and Razzaroo walked off.

“They hit it off well,” Silly said.

“Yes…” Kimono said. “Did you notice that January Joy didn’t talk about the birthday party until Star Dasher had left?”

“Who’s Star Dasher?”

“The first one we met. The purple one who runs.”

“Oh, right,” Silly said. “Nope, didn’t notice!”

Kimono watched as January and Razzaroo turned a corner. Her intuition told her something was wrong here.

* * *

Razzaroo checked the address in her notebook. November Nights’ shop should be three more buildings ahead. Her idea to learn November’s birthday without arousing suspicion was to do a townwide survey. She hadn’t asked everyone in town, but she had asked enough to make it seem that way. She got to see more of Joyville, which she thought was super cute; they had a bell tower! And hopefully November wouldn’t suspect anything.

Razz had to admit, the cold was biting her ears. She was ready for this survey to be over. Her clacking hoofsteps on the cobblestone echoed off the tall buildings on the narrow street. She stepped up to the shop, which had a painted wooden sign that read quite simply “November Nights’ Tea Shop.” Razz opened the door.

The air inside was comfortably warm. Faint scents of countless teas wafted to Razz’s nose. “Welcome,” a pony at the counter said. “I’ve never seen you here before.” The pony was light purple with striking golden hair like aspen leaves in autumn, the tinsel streaks evoking an image like sunshine sparkling off rainwater.

“I love your hair,” Razz said. The store pony looked down with a blush. “My name is Razzaroo.”

“November Nights,” the store pony said quietly.

“I just got into town. I’m visiting from Ponyville.”

“I thought you were new. Would you like to try a tea?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you!”

“Here’s a list of our flavors,” November said, gesturing to a sign. “Anything tickle your fancy?”

“Hmm… what’s caravan tea?” Razz said.

“It’s a blend of several preparations of black tea. It has a strong, smoky flavor.”

“I’ve never heard of it. I’ll give it a try.”

“I’ll get that ready for you,” November said. She left the counter and headed to the back of the store. Razz got a look at her cutie mark, an orange gem encircled by flowery pink swirls and green leaves. November was gone for a few minutes, during which Razz pulled out a survey slip from her bag and awaited her chance.

November came back with a very aromatic teacup balanced on her head. She placed it on the counter. “Enjoy,” she said.

Razz carefully sipped the hot tea. It was too much flavor for her, but she was courteous. “Hmm, that’s interesting. Hey, would you like to help me with something?”

“What?” November said.

“I’m doing a survey for my first friend here, January Joy. He’s hoping to get his calendar ready before the new year, instead of scrambling at the last minute like he normally does. He wants to get everyone’s birthdays written down, so he can plan more efficiently for next year. Would you mind filling out this little slip?” She put the paper on the counter along with a pen and sipped some tea.

November looked at it and made a soft squeak. “Um…” She grabbed the pen with her mouth. But then she put it down. “I—I’d rather not. I don’t like big crowds. And my family and friends know my birthday already.”

“Oh,” Razz said, disappointed. “I understand.” She didn’t, really. Big parties were the best! But November had given her tea. She had to be friendly.

She finished the tea quietly. November wasn’t much of a talker, it seemed. The tea had an aftertaste, too. Definitely too strong for Razz. She thanked November and left.

Well, Razz’s plan hadn’t worked. It was time to try January’s.

* * *

Star Dasher stopped at the top of a hill, looking down at January Joy. A snowstorm had arrived overnight, and it was still coming down. Everything was quiet. Joyville lay below them, blanketed in snow. The air was cold, but the exercise kept them warm. January couldn’t make it up the hill as quickly as the athletic Star, but he was no slowpoke, either. He made it to the top soon enough.

“Thanks for inviting me to go skiing,” Star said brightly.

“You’re welcome,” January said. “I had to repay your favor after you taught me how to ice skate.”

“You know how I love helping my friends try new things. Especially sporty things.” Star shrugged the skis off her back and laid them in the snow. January showed her how to put the skis on, with two hooves on each ski. They awkwardly shuffled to the slope where they would ski. January started them off on the back side of the hill, away from Joyville, where the slope was gentle and short, leading to a little wooded vale between hills.

January explained how to steer and control speed. “It should be easy for you, since you have such a good sense of balance.”

“Do I?” Star said. “I never win the gymnast stuff during the Games.”

“It seemed like you were balanced when we were on the ice earlier,” January said with a shrug. “You’ll be a natural!” He slowly slid down the hill, showing Star where to go.

Star slid after him. This isn’t too hard, she thought. Well, until she found herself heading off course towards some trees. She swerved too hard to correct, ending up almost perpendicular to the slope. She teetered but managed not to fall. She came to a stop halfway down the little slope, facing the wrong way. “Umm,” she mumbled. She shuffled to straighten herself out and continued to the bottom.

“You made it!” January cheered. “You didn’t even fall.”

“Let’s try again,” Star said. “I’m sure I could do better.” They removed their skis and hiked back up.

“So, what do you have planned for this weekend?” January said as they climbed.

November Nights’ birthday party, Star thought. She needed a lie to avoid making January feel left out. “Um… nothing much,” she said, thinking on the fly. “I have to do some shopping for… winter clothes. This came so suddenly, you know?”

“Hey, Star Dasher, we’re friends, right?” They had reached the top of the hill.

“Of course,” Star said as she started to put on her skis. “Just last week, you let me take you ice skating, and you’re teaching me how to ski! I love it when we hang out like this.”

“Can you keep a secret for me?”

“Um, sure.”

“Don’t tell November Nights, but I still want to throw a surprise party for her.”

Star felt a flurry of emotions. She had advised against this, but January was going ahead anyway? Why? “I told you it wasn’t a good idea. Don’t you trust me on that?”

“Listen, I just want to make November happy. Don’t you trust me to know how to do that? It’s in my name! And I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out when her birthday is. Please, will you tell me if you know?”

Star had crouched down to fasten her skis, while January was still standing. Star didn’t look up to meet January’s eyes. “What makes you so sure that a big surprise party will make a pony as quiet as November happy?”

“Because then she’ll see how much we all care about her,” January said. “She’ll know that we all want to be her friends.”

“Maybe some ponies prefer to have just a few friends.” Star stood up and shuffled to the gentler slope on the back of the hill. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to help with this.” She pushed off and started down the hill.

“Don’t tell November, at least!” January called after her. Star focused on her skiing, swerving gently to get a feel for how to turn. She picked up a bit of speed, and the wind started to whip her mane around and bite at her face. As she got the hang of it, she enjoyed the feeling of gliding on the snow, relying on gravity to do the work. She made it down to the vale without any mishaps. January was right behind her.

“You did it!” January said.

Star Dasher whooped. “That was fun!” she exclaimed, grinning. “Let’s do the big slope on the other side!”

“Already? Sure, if you want to.” They started hiking up again. “Hey, you’re still on for Peri Winkle’s birthday party tomorrow night, right?” January said.

“Oh,” Star said. The skiing had pushed birthdays out of her mind for a minute. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”

* * *

January Joy was not a give-up kind of pony. The sooner he figured out when November’s birthday was, the better. Any day now it could be too late. So it was time to try his next plan. For that, he needed Wondermint.

Wondermint was hard to find, though, and time was ticking away. January trotted down street after street, looking for the ever-wandering accordionist. He finally found her at the marketplace, sitting on a stool as shoppers passed by. She grinned at January as he approached. The white pony’s pink and purple hair spilled out of a brown hat that covered her ears. She had probably been out here for hours, playing folk tunes, so she had to dress for the weather. Her front hooves held the accordion, turning to select different notes on the rotating keyboard.

January sat in front of Wondermint, waiting for the end of a song. But she just kept on playing. January heard the distant bell tower strike eleven. “Wondermint, I need your help!” January said over the music. Wondermint nodded and switched to play a slower, much softer song.

January was friends with everypony in Joyville, but Wondermint was a special case. She was his best friend, one pony he could trust with anything. “You’re going to Peri Winkle’s party tomorrow, right?” he said. Wondermint smiled and nodded. “I need you to do a favor for me…”

* * *

Star Dasher lay in wait for Peri Winkle. Everypony who was attending the surprise party had taken up positions hidden in the rocks and spruces surrounding the aptly named Rainbow Spring. It was a hot spring in the hills that had rings of color, starting with azure blue in the center and ending with reddish-brown on the outside where the water overflowed out of the spring and cooled down. It was hot, but not too hot for ponies to bathe in, which made it especially nice when the weather was freezing like today. The sun was just setting, which was when March Mischief was supposed to bring Peri Winkle here. Peri Winkle loved to bathe here more than anypony else, but she didn’t know that there was a whole party waiting for her tonight.

The sun was just setting. Star couldn’t see the sunset from her hiding place, but she could see the streaks of green in the sky nearby. Clouds of steam rose thick from the water, and wind sounded in the trees above them. Rainbow snails lazily moved around the shallow edges of the spring, leaving bare white patches in the mats of colorful bacteria. The scent of mineral water filled the air. Star shivered fiercely. She wanted to be moving or in the water, not freezing her haunches off crouched behind this rock. And this whole not talking or doing anything else while they waited thing? It was driving her insane!

Fortunately, just as she was about to flip her lid and start stretching or maybe singing, Peri Winkle and March Mischief came into view on the path that led to the spring. Moments later, January Joy gave his signal, an uncannily convincing crow caw. Along with everypony else, Star leapt out of her hiding place and yelled, “Surprise!”

Peri Winkle whinnied and jumped straight into the air, her hooves coming up to March’s withers. She landed and laughed. The sapphire in the middle of her cutie mark—an elegant blue and purple swirling pattern—started to shine. “Oh, goodness,” she said, panting. “You got me good.”

“Happy birthday, Peri Winkle!” they all shouted.

They let Peri Winkle get into the hot spring first. Star Dasher took off her leg warmers and left them on a rock. The others all seemed to want to get in at the same place, where the path met the spring, but Star was too impatient to wait in that line. She climbed over some rocks to get into the water elsewhere. She put a hoof in, and pulled it right back out. She hadn’t been here in years, and she had forgotten how hot the water was! But she was cold, and she wanted in, so she tried again.

It took some time to adjust to it, but gradually she was able to step forward and submerge more of herself. Her muscles relaxed in the hot mineral water, and soon she melted into the spring, submerging herself up to the withers. She slowly walked to the others, ready for a night of party fun.

They chatted and bathed until after dark. Star Dasher found that the water was so hot that she had to occasionally get out and cool off. She thought sitting naked and wet in the freezing night air would be uncomfortable, but the water warmed her up so much that she would sit on the rocks for several minutes at a time before getting back in. It was a pleasant cycle of hot and cold that went on for hours while beautiful stars twinkled overhead. Star couldn’t see much of the sky with the trees around, but she did catch the Star of Stars, one of her favorite constellations. It had five stars arranged in a pentagon… or a five-point star, if you used your imagination. It looked a lot like Star’s cutie mark.

The conversation devolved to a game of truth or dare. Star was on the rocks cooling off when Peri Winkle dared Wondermint to cannonball into the water. Wondermint did just that, splashing hot water on everypony. Star laughed, her face feeling hot. She had a massive crush on Wondermint. She was stunning to look at, her sleek white coat contrasting with her silky purple and pink hair, which now floated on the water in a sprawling display. Her cutie mark, a pink garnet with three mint leaves around it, was striking against the white background of her rump. The green heart on the outside of her front left ankle had a similar effect. She was a skinny pony with visible ribs, sharp leg joints, and pronounced withers. Star had a thing for that. But it was more than looks. Wondermint’s personality was enchanting. She literally roamed through the town playing an accordion in public spaces. Star found that incredibly hot. She was zany, she was unpredictable, and she had a unique ability to find the beauty in small things.

Star was starting to feel cold, so she slipped back into the water. To her surprise, Wondermint turned to her with those deep purple eyes and said, “Truth or dare, Star Dasher?”

“Gyah, dare,” Star said. Her heartbeat picked up immediately.

“You always pick dare!” Wondermint protested.

It was true. Star was willing to try just about anything. “Um…” Star had no words.

“I’ll offer you a deal. It’ll be your turn next. If you pick truth, then you can dare me to kiss you.”

What, she knows?! Star thought, panicking. How does she know that I have a crush on her?! “Truth,” she squeaked out, eyes wide. She was shaking and felt lightheaded. Wondermint was going to kiss her?

“What was that, hun?” Wondermint said.

“Truth,” Star said louder.

Wondermint grinned, and there was that crazy glint in her eyes that Star found so attractive. “Okay, here’s the truth you have to tell. When is November Nights’ birthday?”

Star stared at her, slack-jawed. She glanced at January Joy, but he was in a conversation with Razzaroo on the other side of the spring. He must have put Wondermint up to this. Star looked back at Wondermint, who still had that funny, asymmetric grin. Water dripped down her beautiful mane, and her ear flicked expectantly. Another time, Star might have had the strength to say no. But her guard was down. She had relaxed completely in the hot water, it was late and she was sleepy, and Wondermint was just irresistible…

* * *

Star Dasher walked up to November Nights’ Tea Shop. It was the morning—well, almost noon—after Peri Winkle’s party. She wanted to forget it or believe that it was all just a dream. But she knew what she had done, and she had to confess. She walked into the shop.

“Hi, Star!” November said cheerily. “It’s been a while since you were here. What’s up?”

Star sat on a stool and flopped her head onto the counter. “I messed up,” she moaned.

“Hold up, I’ll get you something.” November went to the back and returned with sumac tea.

“Thanks,” Star said, smelling it but not sipping. She gulped and quietly said, “January Joy wants to throw a surprise birthday party for you.”

“Oh, no,” November mumbled.

“I told her—um, him—you don’t like big parties.” Star was still getting used to January’s new pronouns. “He didn’t seem to care, and he’s been trying to find out your birthday for a while now. He must have gotten Wondermint in on it.” Star started to tear up, sobbing between words. “At Peri Winkle’s party last night, we were playing truth or dare, and Wondermint asked me a truth in exchange for letting me dare her to kiss me. She asked me when your birthday is, and I told her. I promised I wouldn’t, but I told her!”

“Oh…” November mumbled. She stood in silence at the counter for a minute. “Well, what’s done is done,” she said, pausing again. “How was the kiss?”

Star whined, “I don’t deserve you as a friend!”

“Of course you do! We all make mistakes.”

Star sniffled. November knew that Star had a crush on Wondermint. They sometimes spoke about their crushes when they hung out—mares for Star, and stallions for November. “It was wonderful,” Star whimpered. It was a short kiss, but it had left Star feeling electrified. Wondermint had kept it brief, but true to form, she had gone all in. Star remembered every sensation. “But I feel so bad.”

“Maybe we can have our party at March Mischief’s house instead?” November said. “January won’t expect that.”

Star sniffled again. “Let’s make a plan tomorrow. I can’t think straight. I need to run.” She stood up, avoiding November’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Star left the shop and took off at a flying pace towards the edge of the city. She needed to be somewhere alone where she could cry some more.

* * *

Kimono stood in the middle of a park, meditating. She was bundled up in boots, a hat, and a scarf. The only sound around her was sporadic rushes of wind and distant walking hooves. She felt a dried leaf pass by her face. She had a lot to think about.

She had met a pony named Crystal Lace who claimed to know much of the history of Joyville, preserved in stories told down the generations. Oral history was often inaccurate, and once the Castle of Happiness had contained a great library. Joyville was once ruled by a line of dukes and duchesses, and one had burned all the books in the castle’s library. Apparently different ponies had different interpretations on what happiness meant and how it should be celebrated and maintained, and one duchess’s idea of happiness had been particularly exclusive and destructive.

Crystal Lace had plenty of stories of various heroes and villains in the history of Joyville, and while that was interesting, Kimono was mainly focused on the founding of the castle. The jewel ponies kept the same calendar as the earth ponies; Kimono had kept track since leaving Ponyville, and it was 7 November here and there. That was interesting enough, as well as the fact that they spoke the same language. These towns clearly had cultural ties. But the jewel ponies also added a year: 459. The earth ponies just counted backwards from whatever was the current year. Kimono was born thirty-one years ago, for example. But here, she would say she was born in the year 428.

“What are you thinking about?” Silly Lilly said suddenly.

Kimono opened her eyes and found Silly balanced on a birch branch, staring at her intently with tiny yellow and green eyes. His wings buzzed in anticipation. “It’s hard to think about anything when you keep asking me,” Kimono responded sharply.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, I’m so used to knowing what my friends are thinking.” Silly was a breezie, and breezies were capable of sharing thoughts with each other. Silly had gone on this adventure simply because the Castles of Happiness and Laughter sounded fun. He hadn’t realized how accustomed he was to that constant telepathic information exchange, and he was having a hard time adjusting.

Kimono sighed. “I should be sorry. I was thinking, they call it the year 459 here. It wasn’t until I met Crystal Lace that I knew what that meant. She says that 459 years ago, the Seven Castles were founded. She listed the same castles we have on our map, so that adds credibility to the story. But she doesn’t know much about why or how. How could seven castles in such distant locations all be founded at the same time? And why make castles to celebrate all these different concepts: happiness, friendship, family, kindness, music, laughter, and rainbows? And why did they lose contact with each other?”

“You don’t know?” Silly said. “I thought you knew everything.”

“If that were true, I wouldn’t have needed to go on this journey at all.”

Kimono’s ears flicked. “Quiet, something’s wrong,” she said. Silly said nothing, and his wings even stopped fluttering.

Kimono didn’t know what she had heard for a moment. The park was essentially a stand of birches, larches, and spruces cut through by paths, with a pavilion in the center. Kimono had walked off the path to have some privacy.

Eventually she heard a pony come running into the park and stop somewhere on the path. Not a strange occurrence by itself, until Kimono heard sobbing. So it was her precognition that had warned her that something was ahoof. She walked back towards the path to find the crying pony. She caught glimpses of a purple pony through the trees. She came onto the path to find Star Dasher, lying in the snow and crying. “What’s wrong, Star Dasher?” Kimono said.

Star mumbled into the snow. “I broke my promise and ruined my friendship.”

“What happened? Do you want to talk about it?”

Star gasped and hysterically cried, “January Joy wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for November Nights but she’s a quiet pony who doesn’t like big parties and I promised her I wouldn’t tell anypony when her birthday was but Wondermint let me dare her to kiss me if I told a truth and the truth was November’s birthdaaayy!”

Kimono felt a shiver of indignation go down her spine. She had known January Joy was up to something. And Razzaroo had been helping him since the day they arrived! “Silly Lilly, will you please wait here with Star Dasher,” Kimono said coolly. “It’s time we put an end to this.”

* * *

January Joy was in his party planning room in the castle, writing out invitations for November Nights’ party. Now that he finally knew the date, he had one day to get everything together. A knock sounded at the door, and Razzaroo entered. “Hey, Razz,” January said. “Did you get the ingredients for the cake?”

“Um, no,” Razz said. “I ran into Kimono, and she demanded to speak with both of us. She was stern.”

“Where is she?”

“She told me to meet her in the park on the north side of town.”

January groaned and said, “I wish she had just come here. We’re so short on time.” Still, he stood up and put on his winter hat. They trotted to the park. They wandered the paths a little until they found Kimono. January stiffened when he saw that November Nights and Star Dasher were with her. Star was lying in the snow, staring abjectly at a tree trunk. Silly Lilly stood next to Star’s head, but he took off and landed on a branch when January and Razzaroo arrived.

“What’s going on, Kimono?” Razzaroo said.

January had a guess what was up, and he started to feel sick. He had gone too far, hadn’t he? “I found Star Dasher crying here,” Kimono said. “She told me she had broken a promise and revealed November Nights’ birthday. I’m giving you four the chance to talk to each other and work out your differences.” She sat down.

January felt like his head was spinning. Kimono had pretty much spoiled the surprise, but that was the least of his concerns. He only wanted to make November Nights happy. Instead he had made Star Dasher cry, and he had gotten Razzaroo and Wondermint entangled in it. January looked around and said, “Is Wondermint coming?”

“I wasn’t sure how involved she was,” Kimono said.

“She wasn’t involved at all,” January said. “She just did what I asked, and I didn’t tell her that Star had objected to the idea. Please don’t blame Wondermint. You know how she is; she’d kiss everypony in town if they’d let her.” He chuckled awkwardly. “And don’t blame Razz, either. She’s new here and doesn’t know everypony yet. This was all my idea. If November or Star is going to be mad at somepony, it should be me.”

November looked at him. He swallowed and continued, “I wanted to throw you a surprise birthday party, November. Star told me it was a bad idea because you don’t like big crowds, but I didn’t listen. I needed to know your birthday, but I couldn’t ask you directly or it would spoil the surprise. Razz helped me plan and prepare for the party, but it was my idea to pressure Star into telling me your birthday. And when she wouldn’t give in, I got Wondermint involved because I knew Star liked her.”

January was addressing November, but it was really Star that he had wronged. Star still wouldn’t look at him. “I’m sorry, Star,” he said. “November, please don’t be mad at her, either.”

“Why wouldn’t you listen to me?” Star mumbled.

“I… I just wanted to make November happy,” January said weakly.

Star stood up and snapped, “I told you that kind of party wouldn’t make her happy!” Her blue and green eyes met January’s. “You’re being narrow-minded and stubborn! You thought she was lonely? Did you know that she has a party every year, but she keeps it small? I couldn’t tell you because I was afraid that you’d feel left out. You want to be everypony’s friend, but you never ask what your ‘friends’ want. You just assume you know what’s best for them. Well, newsflash: There’s more than one way to be happy, Mr. Joy!” Star snorted angrily, her ears folded down, her lips drawn back, and tension rippling through her powerful body. Silly Lilly hid behind Kimono’s mane.

January was devastated. What if Star was right? This wasn’t just about November’s birthday. It was about his whole tenure as the Castle of Happiness’s official party planner. Had he forced ponies to be happy his way? “I’m sorry,” January said. “Oh my stars, I’m so sorry. Can I do anything to make it up to you?”

“I have an idea,” Razz said. “We call off the surprise party. Instead we finally plan the welcome party you talked about, and we schedule it for the same day as November’s birthday. We announce it to everyone. Even if someone heard about November’s birthday from Wondermint, they’ll be invited to the welcome party instead. That way, you two can have November’s party without interference.”

Everypony looked expectantly at January. “If that’s what would make you happy,” he said. “November, Star?”

“That would be wonderful,” November said.

Star’s angry posture relaxed. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

* * *

Star Dasher arrived at November Nights’ house at sunset. She went past the shop to the living quarters upstairs. November and March Mischief were already by the fireplace with the tea set ready. “You made it!” March said, standing up. Like Star, March was an excitable pony. He was November’s #1 customer, not surprising given his cutie mark, a steaming teacup with an aquamarine in the center. It was odd that November ended up making friends with such energetic ponies when she was so quiet and reserved. Well, March really liked tea.

“Sit down and join us,” November said. Star sat on a cushion next to the table, soaking up the heat of the fire. Normally she got bored easily and always needed to be moving. But she found it oddly calming to be with November. She sat there, sipping tea, mostly listening to the crackling fire and March’s endless tangents as he tried to tell the story of his weekend camping trip with Juniper Jade. Star noticed November’s orange topaz softly glowing on her rump.

Star cut in and said, “We should do this more often. We don’t have to wait for November’s birthday.”

“Oh, speaking of the birthday pony…” March reached into a bag. That story was never going to be finished, was it? He revealed a gift box.

“Oh, no!” Star said, jumping to her hooves. “In all the chaos, I forgot to get you a present.”

“Don’t worry about it,” November said, reaching up a hoof and pulling Star to sit her down again. “It’s your friendship that I really treasure.”

“Aw, that’s so cute,” March said. “But I’m still giving you this.” He passed November the box, and she opened it. It was a book. Star didn’t recognize the title, but it had a nice red cover with gold embroidery.

“Thank you!” November said. She nuzzled March. “And thank you, Star.”

“What for?” Star said.

“You went through a lot this week. You showed how much our friendship means to you.”

“By breaking my promise?”

“By taking your promise so seriously. By resisting for so long, and by feeling sorry when you messed up. You’re a good friend.”

“Thanks,” Star said, blushing.

November reached over and nuzzled her face. “This is the perfect birthday,” November said, jewel shining brightly. “I’m so happy to be here with you!”

* * *

Kimono looked over the party setup, impressed. The party started at sunset, but no one seemed bothered by the cold. These jewel ponies were hardy. They also had a good sense of décor. It was an ice skating party situated on the frozen river. They set up strings of lights on an arching bridge. Under the bridge were tables with refreshments. Ponies could skate out as far as they wanted on the river, but most didn’t stray too far from Wondermint’s energetic accordion music.

Kimono glided up to Razzaroo and January Joy. “This is a wonderful party,” she said. “I’m glad we could work things out. I hope November Nights and Star Dasher are enjoying themselves.”

“I think they are!” Silly Lilly said, following Kimono around as usual.

“Razzaroo, Silly Lilly, I was thinking, how long do you want to stay in Joyville?” Kimono said.

“Huh, we just got here?” Silly said.

“I know, but I’m planning ahead. We do have five other castles to visit.”

“Oh, you must stay for the winter,” January said. “You can’t travel in this.” It rarely got this cold in Ponyville, and it was still only November. Those last few days of travel before they arrived at Joyville were difficult.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Kimono said.

“I’m not ready to leave our new friends, anyway,” Razzaroo said. “So we’ll head out in the spring?”

“The early spring, I hope,” Kimono said. “As soon as it’s feasible. If we spend several months at every castle, we’ll be gone for a couple of years.”

“Great!” Silly said. Kimono had insisted that he stay in the air rather than skate, for safety reasons. He landed on Kimono’s back.

“I was also wondering if any of you jewel ponies might want to join our quest to see the other castles,” Kimono said. “As we were just discussing, it’d be a big time commitment. It could be dangerous. But there’s a whole world out there that we know barely anything about. And I think there’s a significant mystery to uncover in terms of why these castles were built and why they lost contact with each other.”

“Hmm, I’ll ask around,” January said. “But I can think of at least one pony who I’d bet will go with you.”

* * *

Four months later.

Star Dasher loved new things. That’s why she bore a huge grin as she saddled up her bags for the trip of a lifetime. The weather had warmed up, and the snow was melting. She, Kimono, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly were leaving Joyville. Star loved Joyville, but if there were six other towns like it, she had to see them!

January had organized a sendoff for them at the north end of the town. They were heading for the Castle of Rainbows, next. Ponies had gathered to bid them farewell. Kimono, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly had become quite popular in Joyville. But of course, saying goodbye to Star Dasher was harder for a lot of ponies, since they had known her for so long. Star Dasher said goodbye to her parents, then she turned to November Nights, who looked sad.

“Cheer up, November,” Star said. “This will be great. I’ll tell you all about our adventures when I get back. It might take a while, but I’ll be back!” They nuzzled each other.

“I’ll miss you,” November said. “Stay safe.”

“Of course!” Star said. “I love you!” She turned and faced the woods.

“Ready?” Razzaroo said.

“Born for it!” Star said.

The Castle of Rainbows

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Star Dasher hiked up the hill at a tölt, her preferred gait when carrying a load. The smooth gait minimized any bouncing of her pack, which was easier on her back. The hill was wooded, but the undergrowth was sparse, so Star had no trouble getting through. She rushed past little patches of melting snow in the shadier spots and fresh green grass in the sunnier spots. After months of winter, even this brisk April morning felt warm. The young sunlight quickly warmed Star’s dark purple coat. Birdsong filled the woods. Her heart rate increased, and her breathing settled into that familiar workout rhythm. She felt alive, like she could run forever. Unfortunately, she ran out of hill.

She stopped at the top, which was still wooded. The trees obstructed much of her view, but they were sparse; by moving around, she could catch glimpses of different parts of the landscape. The north-facing slope before her was much snowier than what she had just hiked up. Beyond was a wooded landscape—still mostly bare trees, for now. She took special note of the upcoming topography, since they would have to hike through the landscape before her on their way to the Castle of Rainbows.

Star returned downhill at a canter. She headed towards where she guessed the others would be. She had left them to scout ahead. She paused and neighed, listening for a response. She heard a neigh off to her right. She had come too far, overestimating how far they would have walked without her. She cantered off and found Kimono, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly taking a break in a grass patch. “There’s more hills ahead,” Star said. “If we bend right, we should get to the lowest pass I saw.”

“Is that how we get home?” Silly Lilly said.

Star cocked her head. “I thought we explained this yesterday. We’re not going to your home, not yet.”

“What?” Silly said with a gasp. “I don’t remember this.”

“We’re going to the Castle of Rainbows,” Star said.

“That’s northeast of here,” Kimono said. “All the other castles are south of Ponyville, so we’ll pass by Ponyville and Breezie Blossom on our way south.”

“Oh…” Silly said, sounding crestfallen. “That sounds like a long way.”

“Why do you want to go home, Silly?” Star said. “Didn’t you volunteer to go on this adventure?” She walked over to the grass patch and bent over to grab a mouthful. The new spring grass was particularly tender and delicious.

“Well, I did, but I have a… problem,” Silly said. “How did you explain it, Kimono?”

“Silly Lilly is a breezie,” Kimono said, looking at Star. “Breezies all live in Breezie Blossom, and they usually travel together. When they’re close to each other, breezies have a magical connection that enables their minds to exchange information. It enables them to think faster and come to agreements easily.”

“Some breezies can live on their own just fine,” Silly Lilly said. “Others are bad at adjusting. I came along because the Castles of Happiness and Laughter sounded like fun. But this is the opposite of fun! It’s unfun!”

“He has trouble remembering things, and it’s hard for him to think clearly,” Kimono said. “I’m guessing the other breezies did a lot of the thinking for him.”

Star tried to imagine what that would be like. It sounded like Silly had essentially lost a part of his brain. Yeah, Star might want to go home, too, in those circumstances. She swallowed the grass she had been chewing and said, “We’ll get you home as soon as we can. Let’s get moving.” Kimono and Razzaroo saddled up their bags.

* * *

The group followed a stream for a while. Its quiet gurgling brought a sense of calm to the area. Star Dasher avoided leading, not wanting to set a pace that was too demanding for the others. She and Razzaroo were behind Kimono, who had sped up to a trot in the flat, easy terrain by the stream. Unusually, Silly Lilly had landed on Star’s bag, rather than Kimono’s. “Star Dasher,” Razz said. “There’s something I’ve been wondering all day.”

“Oh?” Star said.

“What are you doing with your legs?” Razz said, baffled.

“Huh?” Star looked down at her legs—wrapped in yellow leg warmers, as usual—and saw that she was at a tölt while Razz was at a trot. “Oh, it’s a tölt.”

“A what?”

“A tölt. It’s a four-beat lateral ambling gait.”

“A what?” Razz repeated.

Without the runners’ terminology, Star thought. “It’s about the same speed as a trot, but it’s smoother. I do it when I’m carrying a load, because it bounces less.”

“It’s true!” Silly said. “I can hardly feel her steps up here.”

“How do you do it?” Razz said, watching Star’s hooves.

“I learned it in track and field as a foal,” Star said. “It’s not that hard. It goes left hind, left front, right hind, right front. There’s a half-suspension between each beat.”

“What?” Razz said, fumbling with her hooves as she attempted to change her gait.

“That’s just a funny-looking walk. Pick up your hooves.” Star slowed down to show Razz. “See, right here, I would pick up my right front hoof before putting down the left one. And then I’d pick up my left hind hoof before putting down the right.”

“Um… I think I’ll just stick to a trot for now,” Razz said.

“Yeah, it takes most ponies a while to get used to it,” Star said. They trotted and tölted on.

“You make it look so easy,” a voice behind them said.

Razz and Star both whinnied and instinctively kicked behind them at the sudden, unexpected sound from their blind spots. Their hooves didn’t make contact with anything. Star looked behind her and saw a white pony with pink and purple hair and an amused grin, just out of reach of her hind legs. Wondermint.

“Um, hello,” Kimono said.

“Good morning, compadres!” Wondermint said. She did a showy bow. She had a pack with an accordion strapped to it.

Emotions rushed to Star’s head. What was Wondermint doing here? Star had a crush on Wondermint, and those bubbly feelings of attraction came immediately. But Wondermint had used her charm to get Star to break a promise and reveal a friend’s birthday in exchange for a kiss. January had assured Star that Wondermint knew nothing of her promise, but Star still remembered the bitter emotions after that experience, and Wondermint had never apologized. Star was normally nervous around Wondermint, but since that kiss, even more so. She had mostly avoided interacting with Wondermint since then.

“Wondermint, right?” Kimono said.

“Kimono, Razzaroo, Silly Lilly, and Star Dasher!” Wondermint said.

“What are you doing here?” Razzaroo said.

“I have come to join you in your quest!” Wondermint proclaimed. “Coming out here was a whole decision-making process for me, and I procrastinated until the last minute. I love little, everyday pleasures, like extra whipped cream on hot cocoa, a letter from my grandmother, or a smile from a friend. And most of those things are in the city. But I decided that I might find new little things to appreciate on your epic odyssey.”

“Well… you’re welcome to join us,” Razz said. “Do you have food? A water container? A sleeping roll? A tent?”

“Yes, yes, yes, y—no,” Wondermint said. “I knew I was forgetting something! I don’t own a tent. I never expected to leave Joyville.”

Razz hesitantly said, “Maybe we could go back and ask your friends if—”

“Nah, we’ve traveled almost a whole day,” Wondermint protested. “And catching up to you wore me out.” Her white coat was damp with sweat. Still beautiful, though. She breathed heavily, her rib cage showing with each inhalation. Ah, why so hot? “I’m sure we can work something out. It doesn’t rain most nights. Maybe I could find somewhere sheltered on nights when it does.”

“I have a little extra room in my tent,” Razz said. “And Kimono is really good at predicting the weather. You can share with me on rainy nights.”

“We could take turns, if you’d prefer not to go back,” Kimono said. Star didn’t dare offer to share, as well. Wondermint, in her tiny, one-pony tent? Her face flushed and her ears felt hot just thinking about it.

“Great,” Wondermint said. “Forward, my noble companions!”

* * *

Star Dasher and the others traveled along a lakeshore. To their right was a thick, dark forest of conifers—Star didn’t know what kind. To the left was the lake, its shallows strangled with reeds and aquatic plants with showy purple flowers. There was a narrow strip of grass along the lakeshore where the ponies walked. The ground was squishy, prompting Star to remove her leg warmers. Soon mud was splattered all over her lower legs. There was a light fog in the cool air.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that if your jewel gets dirty, it puts you in a bad mood?” Silly said. He fluttered alongside Star. “Even if you were feeling good before?”

“So they say,” Star said. “I generally keep my jewel clean, like everypony else, so I can’t speak from experience.”

“What about when you lie down?”

“My parents taught me to always lie down on the left side.” Star turned her bare left flank towards Silly.

“Quiet!” Kimono hissed, suddenly stopping. Star stopped, confused. Kimono’s ears pivoted. She whinnied and turned towards the lake. Star jumped back as a tongue of flame leapt out of the reeds towards the ponies. She thought they were toast, but the flame didn’t pass Kimono. A sudden rush of wind blew against the flames, blowing them back and charring the reeds. Star still felt some heat radiating off the nearby fire.

“It’s a salamander!” Star cried, recalling her grandfather’s stories. “Run for the trees!”

They took off sprinting, with Kimono taking up the rear. Star saw behind her that as soon as Kimono turned around, the flames leapt forward. She had stopped them. How? They darted through the trees. Branches caught in Star’s mane and scratched at her face. She didn’t make it far before she had to slow to a tölt. Still, she noticed that she was well ahead of the others. Fighting her instincts, she deliberately slowed down and looked for the others. They were all here, and Star noticed that Kimono’s lovely purple tail was singed.

“Salamanders supposedly never stray far from water,” Star said. “We should be safe.”

They slowed down. It was hard to get through this terrain, and the others were panting already. Star kept looking behind them, just in case. She saw no trace of the salamander. “Are you hurt, Kimono?” Razz said frantically. Star’s heart was pounding, and not just from the run. Her legs were shaky, and she was sweating. Razz looked similarly.

“No,” Kimono said. “It didn’t burn to the dock. I just lost some hair, is all.”

“What did you do?” Wondermint said. “It was like you summoned a gust of wind to hold off the fire. That was crazy!” Star had wondered about that, as well, but she was still too nervous to be very curious.

“Oh, that… well…” Kimono seemed flustered, which was a rare state for her. “Yes, I caused the wind.”

“How did you do it?” Wonder said, rearing up excitedly.

“Well, it starts with meditation,” Kimono said. “It took me years of practice to learn it. When I’m truly at peace with myself and at one with nature, I can move the air, in small ways.”

“I didn’t see you meditate while that salamander was breathing at us,” Razz pointed out.

“Like I said, I’ve been practicing for years. I can access that state of mind in an instant, now.”

So it was a skill that could be learned? That made Star curious, pushing her nervousness away. “That’s so cool!” Star said. “Will you teach me?”

“And me!” Silly Lilly added.

“I can teach you how to meditate,” Kimono said. “But it will take time and dedication to learn to influence the world around you. And, according to the stories, different ponies develop different abilities. In any case, we should figure out where we’re going first.”

The ponies all looked around. This dark forest would be difficult to navigate. A thick layer of fallen needles made the whole scene aromatic. It was deeply shaded, and branches and roots obstructed their way. But nopony wanted to turn back towards the lake and the salamander. “Silly Lilly, would you please fly above the trees and tell us which direction the sun is in?” Kimono said.

“Sure thing!” He darted off.

Silly was gone for several minutes, and Star shuffled her hooves anxiously. “Silly Lilly!” Kimono called. “Silly Lilly, where are you?”

The yellow breezie zipped back down. “I’m here!” he said.

“In which direction was the sun?” Kimono said.

“Oh, um… I forgot,” Silly said. “Can we go home now?”

Kimono sighed. “We’ll go there after the Castle of Rainbows. Here, I’ll help you.” She walked to an area where the trees were less thick and they could barely make out a patch of distant blue sky. A huge fallen log lay in the area. “Fly straight up above the trees,” Kimono said.

Silly flew up. “Keep going,” Kimono instructed, looking up at him. “Leave that pinecone alone. You’re almost there. Good, can you see the sun? Point a hoof at it. Good job, now come back down!” Silly returned to them. “We need to go this way,” Kimono said, starting off.

* * *

“There will be rain tonight,” Kimono said. They were still in thick forest, and the sky had darkened overhead. Star started setting up her small tent. Razz sat to write in her notebook. She was recording everything about their adventures in there, the places they went and distance estimates, weather summaries, descriptions of the flora and fauna. Wondermint sat on a log and played a tune on her accordion. Star found herself swaying to the music, as always. Wonder was so talented…

The music stopped just a few minutes later. That was odd. Star looked over at Wonder’s log. Kimono was saying, “Silly Lilly would like to try to learn meditation, and quiet is best, especially for beginners.”

Star walked over and said, “I’d like to learn, as well!”

“Then come,” Kimono said. The three of them stood in a circle. Aww, Silly was so itty-bitty when he stood on the ground… “Lock your legs,” Kimono said. “Close your eyes. Get to a comfortable, relaxed position.” Star shifted her front right hoof off of a root. “Relax your bodies,” Kimono said. “Steady your breathing. Let your heart rate sink. Relax your muscles. If needed, shift to relieve any tension.” Star thought she felt an ant crawling up her leg. She opened her eyes, but she didn’t see any ant.

“Calm your minds,” Kimono said. “Don’t think about anything else. Just focus on your surroundings. Do you hear the wind in the trees? And the songs of crickets and other insects? Feel at one with the cool, scented air. Imagine your hooves as roots, sinking through the duff to the moist earth beneath. Calm.” Now Star was really struggling. Her mind kept drifting, thinking about the salamander they had escaped from. She had never seen it. What color might it have been? And then she was thinking about how far they had come, trying to guess where they were on their vague map from the Ponyville castle. And then she was thinking about her companions, wise Kimono, organized Razzaroo, scatterbrained Silly Lilly. Oh, and Wondermint… Glitter and stars, that pony.

Kimono had gone silent. “How do we know if we’re doing it right?” Star said.

“Shh…” Kimono whispered. “If you’re asking, you haven’t gotten it yet.” She paused for a moment. “Sorry, that was harsh. Let’s go for another ten minutes or so, then you can ask questions.”

Star tried to clear her mind, but that was harder than she ever would have imagined. Thoughts kept popping into her head. What would she eat for breakfast tomorrow? Should she try again to teach Razz the tölt, or even Kimono and Wonder? How long had it been since she had been on an actual run? Was she going to lose her conditioning on this journey? Had it really not been ten minutes yet?

She needed to move. She needed to run. Her body felt better, she thought more clearly, she felt happier and more alive when she was running. And this was like the opposite of that! “I’m sorry, I can’t do it!” she blurted. She took off at a canter, darting between trees in a big circle around their camp. She did that circle three more times, just to get her blood pumping. When she returned to the camp, Kimono and Silly Lilly were still standing with their eyes closed.

Star loved trying new things, but that didn’t mean she had to like everything she tried. Meditation was cool, but not for her.

* * *

The conifers had transitioned to maples and other hardwood trees. Maybe it was just the advancing spring weather, but Star felt like the climate was turning warmer as they traveled farther northeast. Razz shared that thought, when Star brought it up. Razz described Joyville as “weirdly cold” for its latitude. They were walking in single file. Star had ended up right behind Wondermint. She was doing her best to keep her eyes off of Wondermint’s hindquarters. She ended up staring at the ground instead.

Wondermint came to a sudden stop. Star frantically stopped herself so abruptly that Razz ran into her from behind. At least she hadn’t done the same to Wondermint. “What’s happening?” Razz said. Kimono stopped in the front.

“This flower,” Wondermint said, pointing.

“What about it?” Razz said. They all gathered around it.

“It’s pretty,” Wondermint said. Its stalk sprang from a base with two leaves. The stalk turned and drooped downwards, so the flower was hanging upside down. The six thin, yellow petals curled upwards, and the anthers and stigma hung like ornaments. It was a small but brilliantly colorful flower. There were also thousands more just like it all around them. Wondermint bent down and sniffed it.

“We’ve passed thousands of these…” Razz said.

“But I had never seen this kind of flower until today!” Wondermint said. “I want you all to appreciate this flower. This is a little thing. But it’s making the whole trip worthwhile for me.” She pranced off, taking the lead and humming a tune.

Gah, she’s so hot! Star thought. She blushed and looked away. It wasn’t just her appearance—although that certainly didn’t hurt! It was her charming personality that Star was attracted to, and that flower moment was an enchanting display of it. Which made her feel even more conflicted, since it was Wondermint’s character that kept Star away. To her knowledge, Wondermint didn’t reciprocate Star’s attraction. She gave no indication of even having thought about their kiss since it happened. She was carefree and whimsical, and that’s what drew Star in. But it also scared her.

“Are you alright?” Kimono said. Star was standing, while the others were following Wondermint and had already moved a considerable distance.

“Coming!” Star said, catching up to them at a quick tölt.

* * *

They broke through a line of trees and blinked in the sunlight. They had stumbled upon a gorgeous meadow with fresh, minty-smelling grass. Birds sang and butterflies fluttered. “Snack time!” Star proclaimed. The others nodded in agreement. They had brought some dried food from Joyville, but they relied on foraging for much of their needs.

They discovered with glee that there was not only grass but alfalfa in the meadow. Star ate next to Razzaroo, and they conversed in between bites. At first they were talking about Star’s career as a runner. The competitions she took part in, which events she usually won, her training regime. Of the ponies from outside Joyville, Star knew Razz the best. Kimono was aloof, and Silly Lilly was always with her. Razz was more sociable. But it struck Star that while she knew what had motivated Kimono and Silly Lilly to go on this quest, she did not know what had motivated Razz to leave the comforts of home.

“Razz, I’ve been wondering something,” Star said. Kimono gestured for them to continue on their way. Star and Razz followed, talking on the move. “Kimono left Ponyville to gain more knowledge and uncover the mysteries of why the castles were built and why they lost contact. Silly Lilly left Breezie Blossom because it sounded like fun. But why did you leave Ponyville? You’re a party planner. There aren’t many parties going on in this wilderness.”

“Yes… that’s a good question,” Razz said. She didn’t sound excited about it. “Well… there’s another party planner in Ponyville, younger than me, named Pinkie Pie. She’s very enthusiastic about her work, and she’s doing very well. Everyone likes her. And then… there’s me.”

“What do you mean? You say that like you’re underwhelming.”

“I mean, don’t you ever think I’m a little… weird? I’m not as charismatic as Pinkie Pie. I’m awkward in social situations. Remember, I got so excited about January Joy’s party ideas that I was oblivious to anything else. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Star said. “You were new to town.”

“Pinkie Pie wouldn’t have made that mistake,” Razz said. “She knows how to work with ponies. All I know how to do is keep extensive notes. So, I decided to get out of her way. Go do something else. At least my notetaking skills will be valuable, here. I hope. Maybe I can make a book out of our adventures or something?”

Star didn’t know what to say. Razzaroo sounded down on herself. “Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Star said. “And I don’t think you’re awkward. You’re easier to talk to than Kimono.”

“Well, thank you,” Razz said. “That means a lot to me.”

They walked in silence for a moment, passing under a canopy of budding trees. But Star had another question on her mind. “Can I ask you another personal question?”

“I suppose so,” Razz said, uncertain.

“Is there a story behind the name Razzaroo?”

“Oh, that,” Razz said with a chuckle. “Sure. I don’t know if it works the same way in Joyville, but in Ponyville our parents give us a name, but we choose a new one when we get our cutie marks.”

“Some ponies do it that way in Joyville,” Star said. “It depends on the family. That’s what I did.”

“I already had a name picked out even before I got my cutie mark at age nine. So it has nothing to do with the present on my flank. Razzaroo is just a silly word I came up with as a filly.” Star stopped herself from laughing. “I kind of regret it, but I’ve tried to give it meaning since then. It’s unique, right? Whatever I am is Razzaroo, and Razzaroo is me. Whatever I am…”

“I actually love that,” Star said. “It makes mine look boring.”

“What’s your story? It looks like your cutie mark and name are related.”

“I didn’t have my name picked out before I got my cutie mark. Have I ever mentioned, when I was young I wanted to be an astronomer?”

“No. Really?”

“Yep. I loved stars, constellations, and planets. But I also always loved sports. Anyway, one night I saw a shooting star fly low over the sky. I ran after it, trying to catch it. I was sure it had landed just behind the first hill next to Joyville. I ran all over the forest looking for it. I never found it, but I still had fun. By the time I returned to town and saw myself in the light, this star had appeared on my flank. I named myself Star Dasher after that night.”

“But you didn’t become an astronomer?” Razz said.

“Yeah… It was really hard for me to study. I couldn’t pay attention in school or reading. I decided to be an athlete instead, and now I can say I’m a star athlete. A star dasher, even.”

“Oh, I get it,” Razz said with a chuckle.

“I’m jealous of your notetaking skills,” Star said. “I wish I were good at studying and paying attention.

“I guess we both wish we had other skills, then,” Razz said longingly.

“Hey, at least we’re both good at something,” Star said.

* * *

They set up their tents after another long day of walking. They had gone uphill most of the day, and unfortunately the other ponies looked rather ragged. Razz flopped on the ground before even setting up her tent. Everypony could tell that it was going to rain tonight, with those clouds bringing on early twilight. Humidity was in the air.

Star’s legs and hooves were sore, as well. It wasn’t just today, but the stacking effect of day after day of walking. They guessed they were more than halfway to the Castle of Rainbows, but it was hard to know for certain. In any case, Star still felt better than the others looked, so she went around and helped everypony set up their tents, starting with Razzaroo. Silly Lilly just found a nice big flower to sleep in—something like a rose, although it had no thorns. No meditation or accordion tonight. They were too tired, and they wanted to get into their tents before the rain started.

After eating two biscuits with honey, Star turned to her tent. She opened the door and froze. “Hey, Star,” Wondermint said, with her wild, asymmetric grin. She lay scrunched up in a sleeping bag on one side of the little tent, making room but still somehow relaxed in her pose. After days of wilderness travel, her usually silky hair was tangled and had the occasional leaf trapped in it. Her purple eyes were tired. But somehow her zany energy still shined through, taking on a rustic quality in these circumstances. For a skinny musician, she had borne the hardships of the wilderness well.

“Gyuuhh…” Star was speechless.

“It’ll rain tonight, and I already slept with Razz and Kimono,” Wonder said. “It’s your turn! Unless,” she gasped, “I’m sorry, I never asked if you want to share. Should I leave?”

Star felt panic coming on. Sleeping with Wondermint? That was insane! She knew she found Wonder to be irresistible, so if she went into that tent with Wonder, she’d basically be bound to do anything Wonder asked. But… she wasn’t really a bad pony, right? Star was just being irrationally fearful of her crush. Besides, she didn’t want to be rude. Especially not to that pretty face… “No, we can share,” Star squeaked out.

“Wonderful!” Wondermint said. Star carefully entered the tent, trying to avoid stepping on Wonder. Normally she switched out her set of leg warmers—she had brought two—to avoid them getting too filthy, but she didn’t bother tonight. She started to crawl into her sleeping bag. There was so little room! She didn’t want to touch Wonder, so she scooched up against the wall of the tent. She realized that if she lay down on her left side, she’d be face to face with Wonder! She was too afraid to do that. Her skin felt clammy, and her head was spinning.

She decided to turn onto her right side, lying on her jewel cutie mark and facing the tent wall. As she shifted into the sleeping back, she felt her back brush against something, probably Wonder’s hoof. This made her blush. Just as she settled into her position, legs tucked tight against her body to make enough space, rain started pattering on the tent. No going back now.

“Now that you’re here, I was hoping we could talk a bit,” Wonder said.

“Okay,” Star squeaked, shutting her eyes.

“You’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost,” Wonder said tenderly. “I just want to chat. No kisses tonight.” So she did remember! Well, of course she remembered, but she actually thought about it. Star let her tense muscles relax a bit.

“Wh…what about?” Star said.

“You and me, me and you, the winds of change, and the wheeling of the world!” Wonder said. The answer didn’t exactly put Star at ease, but she still chuckled because it was so wonderfully on-brand for Wonder. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I hope I don’t come off as presumptuous when I say you have a crush on me.”

Star didn’t respond to that. She had figured Wonder knew. “You’re nervous around me, but it seems like more than just the crush,” Wonder said. “I want to clear the air between us. If you’re upset about me trading a kiss for November’s birthday, I’m sorry. That was wrong.” Star sighed. That made a world of difference for her. It was like her chest had been constricted and now she could suddenly breathe freely again.

“I believe in transparency,” Wonder said. “So let me let you know how I feel about you.” Star’s heart rate shot up, and her muscles tensed again. What a roller coaster it was, just talking with Wondermint! Not even talking to her, but just listening. “Keep in mind, I am so changeable! Ask me again in a week, and this could all be different. I like you. I think you’re cute.” Star blushed again, and even her ears felt hot. Could Wonder see that? No, it was dark.

“But I think that about a lot of ponies,” Wonder continued. “And ever since January Joy transitioned…” She catcalled loudly, probably disturbing the other tents. “Have you seen that boy’s dock? And his chiseled face? January is the pony I want most of all. That’s one of the reasons I hesitated to join this quest. I hope you don’t mind if I’m a little flirty with you. If that makes you uncomfortable, just tell me. But a little flirty is all, for now.”

Star didn’t know what to say. She felt that her strong attraction to Wondermint demanded either commitment or denial, not some awkward in-between space. But she was incredibly grateful for the apology, and that put her at ease. And she still found it hard to say no to Wonder, so she just didn’t say anything. “Hey, Star, are you still awake?” Wonder said.

“Yes,” Star said, her voice coming out in a squeak once again. She would stay awake all night if Wonder kept talking, despite her fatigue.

“D’aww, you are such a li’l bean,” Wonder said fondly. “Well, a big bean, maybe. Them haunches got muscle!”

Star laughed awkwardly. She thinks my haunches are muscly? she thought stupidly.

“Well, goodnight,” Wonder said. Star heard her shift. She opened her eyes and tilted her head to look behind her. Wonder had shifted to lie on her left side, facing the tent wall. A small but welcome change. Star was too nervous to face Wonder directly, but her current position was uncomfortable. That jewel was hard, and it was pressing against her body like a rock. She carefully shifted to her left side, facing Wonder’s back.

“Goodnight,” Star whispered. Of all the things Wondermint had said, it wasn’t the lack of reciprocality that stuck with Star the most. It was the apology. That was a big deal to her. She slept well that night.

* * *

The others had allowed Star Dasher to lead for once, because she was the most surefooted. Following a narrow trail along a steep, rocky ridge was hard enough. To their right was a sharp drop, and to their left was a wall of broken stone that rose far above their heads. The terrain had taken a turn for the mountainous as they approached the Castle of Rainbows. Star had never seen such big elevation changes before. It all got harder when they encountered a waterfall. The path went right through it. Much of the water passed it by, continuing down the near vertical rock face to the valley below. But there was still some water that sprinkled on the trail, giving life to algae and moss.

Star looked around for another way. They’d have to backtrack all the way to the start of the ridge and go by the valley or the spine of the ridge, and either would entail huge changes in elevation at the beginning and end. She crept forward, keeping three hooves on the ground at a time. The trail was reasonably flat through the waterfall, but as Star suspected, the algae was slippery. “Careful!” she shouted over the waterfall. “It’s slippery!”

Water sprinkled on her mane, and presumably on her pack, as she advanced. It was frigid, but hopefully it wouldn’t soak through too much. Step by step, she crossed the waterfall. She reached the other side without mishap. The others had just started to cross, led by Kimono. Star shrugged off her pack and carefully set it on the path. She returned to the edge of the waterfall, proffering a hoof to Kimono. She didn’t take it, keeping her hooves on the ground. But Star stayed there in case Kimono started to slip.

Instead, Kimono came to a stop in the water. She tilted her head, evidently looking at something. Her gaze was drawn to the sheet of water passing by her left. She stared at it with a baffled expression for a few seconds. All Star saw was a little rainbow in the water. “Are you alright?” Star called out. Kimono nodded and continued to walk. Star backed up and got out of her way.

“What were you looking at?” Star said.

“Keep an eye on the others while they cross,” Kimono said. “We’ll talk about it after.” Star nodded and returned to the edge of the waterfall, extending a hoof for Wondermint. Wonder’s eyes went wide as her right front leg slipped out from under her. Star’s heartbeat spiked, and she extended herself forward. She reached to Wonder’s shoulder and shoved her towards the stone wall, away from the drop. Wonder landed on her chest, her hind legs still standing. She looked around in fear.

“Take my hoof!” Star shouted. “I’ll help you stand up!” Wonder did so, shaking violently. Keeping her hoof on Star’s, she hobbled the rest of the way. Her legs were wobbling as she came into the dry part on the other side. She was breathing heavily, and her white chest was smeared with green. Star wanted to stay and comfort Wonder, but she left her with Kimono and went to assist Razz. Razz managed to cross without mishap.

Wonder had lain down on the widest part of the trail, huddling the stone wall. There was enough space for Star to lie next to her, putting her body between Wonder and the edge. “The rainbow in the waterfall,” Kimono said. “There’s no yellow band.”

“What?” Star said, turning her head to look behind her. She hadn’t noticed it before, but the rainbow was… incomplete. Where the yellow band should have been, it was just the white foam of the waterfall. The pink on one side was separated from the blue and purple on the other. “That’s not right.” She didn’t have to second guess herself. This was no trick of the light. That rainbow looked wrong. “What does it mean?”

“It’s almost time for the first rainbow of the season,” Razz said. “Every year, shooting stars appear in the sky for each color of the rainbow. When the last one arrives, the first rainbow of the season appears, and all the rainbow berries become ripe. Yellow is the first shooting star. Did anyone see a yellow shooting star?”

They all exchanged glances and shook their heads, except poor Wondermint who was still staring at the ground. But they were often under tree cover, and there had been clouds last night. “Something is wrong,” Kimono said. “And if there are answers, they’ll be at the Castle of Rainbows, I suspect. I think we should pick up the pace and try to get there before the first rainbow appears. Star, would you lead us?”

Star looked at Wonder and said, “Can you stand?”

“I-isn’t this a… reversal from last-t night?” Wonder stuttered. “Who’s nervous now?” She stood up, shaking.

Star stood with her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s over,” Star said. “Without the algae, this trail isn’t so bad. And look, the slope of the ridge flattens ahead.” Wonder’s shaking subsided. “Ready?” Star said. Wonder nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground.

Star took the lead. She didn’t go too quickly, not until they were on safer ground. Her worries were split between Wonder and the incomplete rainbow they had seen. She couldn’t imagine what that meant, but it probably wasn’t good.

* * *

Fragmented thoughts.

That was reality for Silly Lilly. He… what? Couldn’t think. Except about home. Breezie Blossom. Tulips. His friends. That buzzing in his mind. Where was it? Gone now. Where was he? Why was he—

“Clear your mind of worries and other thoughts,” Kimono said. “Feel, hear, and smell the world around you.” Oh, right. Silly was doing that. It was easy for him not to think, if he remembered to do it. His head was so empty. There was nothing inside. Nothing but breathing and heartbeats. They were steady and calm.

Outside, lots. Lots was happening. Ants marching by. Pollen and the scent of flowers in the air. Dappled sunlight on his back and wings. Cool, moist air. Cool, moist ground. Dark, rich soil underneath. Networks of roots and fungi. Lily flower seedlings. Young, vulnerable, some might not make it. Unless Silly helped them. Filled with love for pretty, growing things, he encouraged them to grow. They sprang up as full-fledged flowers. “You did it,” Kimono said calmly. “Wait, you did it?” Kimono piped, surprised and alert.

“What happened?” Silly said, opening his eyes. Flowers in front of him. The ones he had helped. They were yellow lilies, just like him!

“I felt your magic reach out into the world,” Kimono said. “Like mine does when I cause winds.”

“Oh, I made flowers grow. Oops.”

“You accessed your inner connection with nature. How did you do it so quickly?”

“That?” Silly said, gesturing to the flowers. “All breezies can do that.”

“It would appear that breezie magic is the same as the magic I’ve been using,” Kimono said. “How unexpected.”

“Cool! Hey, I don’t think I’ve ever done that without the other breezies before.”

“Perhaps meditating improves your abilities or awareness,” Kimono said.

For a moment, Silly had felt whole. Now, it felt like something was missing again. Fragmented thoughts, deafening quiet in his mind. Meditate again. Try to be like Kimono. She was smart. Silly was not. She knew what was happening. Silly did not. He needed her.

* * *

They had seen the blue and purple shooting stars. Assuming they had missed the yellow, there was only one more shooting star. If there was something wrong with the rainbows and they wanted to be at the Castle of Rainbows to help, they needed to get there before the last shooting star. At least, so they assumed, because the first rainbow of the season always appeared before the last shooting star. Star Dasher loved watching the sequential shooting stars and the brilliant rainbow streaking across the sky every year, but she didn’t know what would happen if the old pattern was broken. So, they decided to wake up before sunrise the next morning and head out in the dark.

The dawn’s first gleams revealed a mountain ahead. A building with sharp towers and a high dome roof was silhouetted against the slowly brightening sky. “Yes, yes, yes!” Razzaroo exclaimed. “That’s it!”

“I’m glad we got there without wandering around this time,” Kimono said. “That was much quicker than the first castle.”

“All the topography makes it easier to know where we are,” Razz said. They continued hiking towards the mountain as the sun rose. The light revealed a town partway up the slope, with a river running through it and cascading down the cliff which the town sat atop. That was off to their right, and the cliff looked difficult, so they decided to go straight for the castle first. When the light hit the castle at the top of the mountain, it sparkled brilliantly. Only then did they realize that the purple structure had crystals inset throughout it. The entire dome roof was made of crystals.

A light appeared in the sky, and it floated down to the castle. “What was that?” Silly Lilly said. But the others were just as clueless. Moments later, the pink shooting star crossed the sky and flew into the sunrise.

“No, no, no,” Razz said. “The first rainbow of the season is supposed to appear before the last shooting star. What happened?”

They sped up, racing towards the top of the mountain. Star kept with the others for a moment, then she said, “Sorry, I’ll see you at the top!” She took off at a flying pace. She had to know what was happening. The slope of the mountain tired her out quickly, but this was urgent, so she kept going. She noticed as she passed the town that they had white banners hanging everywhere.

As she sprinted, a brilliant rainbow leapt out of the crystal dome, curling down to the town and off to the south. Before her eyes, all the white banners in the town turned to rainbow colors. Was this normal, here? These rainbows had all their colors, she noted. As she ran and got closer to the castle at the top, she heard singing. There must have been some kind of celebration. That light reappeared again, rising from the castle. Now that she was closer, she could see that it was some kind of flying chariot, pulled by a pair of birds. It flew off into the clouds and disappeared.

Star finally reached the castle, panting. Dozens of ponies stood in a flat cobblestone space outside the front doors of the castle. Star immediately noticed that they all had horns on their foreheads. Nopony seemed to notice her at first, as they were all watching the chariot. A purple pony with pink hair was the first to notice her. “Hello, there,” she said, looking a little surprised. “Are you from Ponyville, too?”

“Um, no… but two of my friends are,” Star said, puffing for air. “My name is Star Dasher.”

“And I’m Cheerilee,” the horned pony said. “Welcome to Unicornia. You didn’t come with Rainbow Dash, Minty, and Pinkie Pie. How did you get here?” Other ponies had noticed their conversation, and they were crowding around her.

“I walked, or we walked,” Star said. “Well I ran… the last bit. My friends should be… coming up the mountain. I assume this is the Castle of Rainbows. Is everything alright here? We saw a weird-looking rainbow.”

Kimono, Razzaroo, Wondermint, and Silly Lilly made it up to the top. A good deal of confusion was sorted out. This was the Crystal Rainbow Castle, and they had nearly missed the first rainbow of the season due to the disappearance of the Crystal Princess, but it was all sorted out now. Apparently these ponies were called unicorns, and they had met a group of earth ponies and breezies from Ponyville who had left by flying chariot mere moments before Star had arrived. Kimono, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly were sad to have so narrowly missed their friends after not having seen them in so long.

“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like,” Cheerilee said.

“Thank you,” Kimono said. “I’m very curious to learn more about the history of your castle and town.”

“I’ll gladly help you with that!” Cheerilee said.

The carriage from earlier reappeared and approached the castle. Its only occupant was a small pink unicorn with rainbow hair. She landed the carriage and leapt out, levitating a star-shaped wand with her horn. “Hi, who are you, I’ve never seen you here before!” she said excitedly. She looked to be just a filly.

Star Dasher, Kimono, Razzaroo, Wondermint, and Silly Lilly introduced themselves. “I’m Rarity,” the filly said. “Or, Princess Rarity! It’s so nice to meet you.”

“How long will you be staying?” Cheerilee said.

“Not too long, probably,” Razz said. “We have a lot of places to visit, still. And we’d like to go back to Breezie Blossom, before anything else.”

Silly Lilly gasped. “That sounds like a great idea!”

“Oh, you’re going back towards Ponyville?” Rarity said. “It’s a long way. I can take you there, with the Crystal Carriage.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Cheerilee said. “Will you drive responsibly, though? You took off before I could say anything just now. You could have gotten lost.” She sounded like a stern teacher.

“Oh… yes, Miss Cheerilee,” Rarity said.

“Now, if you’d like, we can show you to guest rooms,” Cheerilee said. She looked at Kimono. “Then I’ll tell you what I know about our history.”

* * *

Silly Lilly flew out of the library. Kimono and the unicorn—Cheerilee, right? They were talking about the past. Very distant past, stuff Silly couldn’t understand. He felt bewildered by all this. He wanted to be in the sun. He wanted to meditate.

He left the castle and saw a stream nearby. He flew to it and landed in tall grass, over his head. Shade and quiet. Babbling water nearby. Cool air, no breeze. He closed his eyes. Searching for that inner peace. Why was everything so hard? Why couldn’t he just think? He wasn’t exactly bright when he lived in Breezie Blossom, but he wasn’t nearly this dumb, either.

Peace eluded him. Worries about himself. He had been freeloading off the hivemind, hadn’t he? He was dumb as a rock. The other breezies did the thinking for him, bringing him up to nearly their level. Without the others, who was Silly LIlly?

Stop worrying. Peace, meditation. Heart slowly beating, steady breathing. Antennae swaying in the air, gossamer wings shining. Looking inside, brush away the worries, find the peace. There was something inside. Something unique. Not the hivemind, not Kimono, not even dumb. There was something uniquely Silly Lilly. He just had to understand what it was and bring it forward.

In this peaceful state, he knew that he would not understand himself in an instant or a single meditation session. But he knew what he needed to do. He needed to discover who Silly Lilly was, without the breezies, and without Kimono. Well, Kimono as a friend, but not attached to her by the wing. He felt the desire to stay away from Breezie Blossom until he had this sorted. Until he found what Silly Lilly was good at, what he liked, all by himself.

He opened his eyes. The sun was higher in the sky now. How long had he been meditating? No matter, he needed to find Kimono and deliver the news.

* * *

Kimono quickly learned that the majority of the library in the Rainbow Crystal Castle was written in a foreign language that no one understood, just like the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville. Kimono inspected the books, and the symbols seemed to be the same as in the books in Ponyville. She had put some effort into trying to learn this language, and she had memorized the symbols, but she was never able to attach meaning to them.

What could this mean? It was interesting enough that the ponies in three different, isolated locations spoke the same language, but it was downright bizarre that Ponyville and Unicornia had the same foreign language in their libraries, a language which none of them understood. Perhaps it was the same in Joyville’s library, too, before it was burnt. There had to be some common history here.

Cheerilee showed her the library. It had crystalline windows that let in a rainbow light. It was clean and well-organized, but it didn’t look like it got much use. Cheerilee and Kimono were the only ponies in here, at the moment. There was a small section of books in “Unicornian.” That seemed like a misnomer, as it was the same language they were speaking, and Kimono was perfectly capable of reading it.

Cheerilee added some history from a definitive book written in Unicornian one hundred years ago that had collected oral stories of the unicorns. Kimono asked to borrow a copy. Cheerilee gave a summary of the information that was most relevant to the questions Kimono had about the founding of the castles and how they lost contact with each other. Cheerilee told her that the castle had been founded about five hundred years ago—that more or less lined up with the more precise dates kept by the jewel ponies. She mentioned that six other castles had been founded, which lined up with the map from Ponyville, although she gave them slightly different names—rather than the Castle of Kindness, she listed the Castle of Love, and rather than Music, Song.

Cheerilee said that the Rainbow Crystal Castle had been founded by an empress. Apparently there had once been a United Pony Empire, its capital far to the south from here. The Empire had founded all seven castles at the same time. While Cheerilee wasn’t clear on the purpose of the other castles, she did provide quite a bit of knowledge on the origins of the Rainbow Crystal Castle. Unicorns made the rainbows, and it had always been that way. But the empress had built this castle to help them organize, to have a central location that would keep them all on the same schedule and amplify their magic.

Silly Lilly darted into the library. When had he left Kimono? “There you are!” Silly Lilly said. “I have something… something to say.” He paused and looked at a rainbow that refracted through the crystalline windows onto the floor. He landed by it, checking it out.

“Yes?” Kimono said.

“Oh, um, yeah, I was meditating,” Silly said. “And I decided that I don’t want to go to Breezie Blossom.”

“Oh, really?” Kimono said, surprised. “Why is that?”

“Um… it’s hard to explain, now…” Silly said uncertainly. “It made sense when I was meditating. It was like… I need to figure out who I am without the other breezies?”

“I see. I don’t want you to make this decision unless you’re sure. The unicorns have a carriage that could get us to Breezie Blossom quickly. This could be our last chance for several months.”

“I’m sure!” Silly said, yellow-green eyes beaming. “I can’t explain it, but I feel it.”

“Very well,” Kimono said. “If we’re not going straight to Breezie Blossom, we’ll have to discuss with the others what our plans are.”

* * *

They decided to go for the Castle of Family next. It was the farthest south, on the other end of the map from here. But the unicorns assured them that the Crystal Carriage could take them there quickly. This made Star Dasher curious as to why the unicorns didn’t use the Crystal Carriage to visit Joyville, Ponyville, or other cities. Cheerilee answered that they didn’t know these cities were out there, and the carriage could only be used by the Crystal Princess, whose primary responsibility was making the rainbows.

After the Castle of Family, then they could work their way north, passing by all the other castles on the way back to Ponyville. They’d minimize their return journey this way. Star Dasher and Wondermint would have to walk back to Joyville from there, but they planned to introduce themselves in Ponyville and keep in touch.

They didn’t stay in Unicornia for long. The unicorns had made friends with the Ponyville ponies, and it sounded like there would be contact back and forth between them. That was one of Kimono’s goals with this journey. The other goal was to learn what she could about the history of these castles. Perhaps a detailed search of the library could reveal something hidden, like how Kimono had found the map in the Castle of Friendship, but Cheerilee was already working on that. Kimono cut her tail short before they set out, getting rid of the burnt hair.

They took a couple of weeks to rest before heading out. Star Dasher found the young Rarity to be particularly pleasant company, as they were both fun-loving and easily distracted. They played a lot of games together—tag, chaos with big bouncy balls, roller skating, etc. They all took much-needed baths, and Star washed the mud out of her leg warmers. Wondermint enchanted the unicorns with her accordion. Every day Rarity made another spectacular rainbow with her wand.

Soon enough they were loading into the Crystal Carriage, packs full of food thanks to the generosity of the unicorns. The carriage was open and spacious, just big enough to fit them and their luggage. Rarity used her wand to direct the two yellow birds that pulled the carriage, and Cheerilee came along just in case. They had agreed to drop the travelers off at the Castle of Family and stick around long enough to make sure they were in no danger before heading back to Unicornia.

The carriage lurched forwards as the birds flapped their wings. It easily took off into the air. The wind speed increased rapidly, blowing around Star Dasher’s mane. They were already flying faster than she could sprint! She stuck her head out the side of the carriage and looked down in amazement as everything on the ground became tinier. “Hold on!” Rarity said. “It’s about to get bumpy.”

Star brought her head back into the carriage as Rarity waved her wand again. There was a flash of yellow light that seemed to engulf the whole carriage, temporarily blinding Star. The carriage lurched and shook. After the flash, before she could really see, she noticed that the air was hotter and the sun was strong on her dark purple coat. She blinked the light out of her eyes and looked around. She was astonished at what she saw.

Gone were the mountains of Unicornia, replaced by a flat plain. They must have traveled hundreds of miles! The landscape looked barren and desert, except for a river that cut through the land. Around it, everything was a brilliant splash of green on the sandy background. The river broke into an expansive delta before spilling into a massive body of blue water that sparkled in the sunlight. Star couldn’t see the end of the water, not even from this elevated position. It had to be the sea, which she had never seen before. Several towns dotted the landscape, but they were heading for a castle that sat on the seashore of an island at the end of the delta.

The castle was surrounded by a roofed, open-air structure that made a square around a big central courtyard. At each corner was a tall, pointy tower. It looked like the courtyard was broken up into sections, maybe by curtains or something. The building itself looked small compared to the open-air structure and the courtyard, but as they got closer, Star figured it was about the same size as the Castle of Happiness. It was made of orange stone, with several shiny gold dome roofs covering various parts of the structure.

“Land us in the sand outside the courtyard, Rarity,” Cheerilee instructed. “We don’t want to intrude and give off the wrong impression.” They did just that, smoothly landing in the flat sand. The air smelled like salt mixed with something else, a pleasant and refreshing scent. The heat was anything but refreshing, however. Star found herself taking off her leg warmers immediately. Big waves beat against the sand, making a soothing crashing sound. Strange birds called overhead.

Star had seen ponies in the courtyard of the castle, but the beach was strangely empty. They loaded their packs onto their backs and approached the castle as a group. The open-air structure surrounding the castle had an outer wall, although Star had seen from above that there was no inner wall. The orange wall had battlements at the top and calligraphic symbols in a foreign language etched into it. They followed it to a bright blue gate, where two earth pony guards stood. They wore shining brass armor and had long, pointed sticks with metal tips and banners hanging off the shafts.

The gate was open, but the guards crossed their sticks in front of it as they approached. One of them said something in a language that Star didn’t understand. She looked at Kimono and Cheerilee, but they seemed just as lost. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that,” Kimono said. “Do you speak our language?” The guard responded in the same language as before. They didn’t seem interested in letting them into the castle, either.

“Well,” Kimono said, “this might be a problem.”

The Castle of Family

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Star Dasher and her friends were not making any headway at the Castle of Family. They could not understand the guards’ language, and by all appearances the guards could not understand them. The guards firmly stood at the gate, barring the entry of the newcomers. Star and her friends had withdrawn a few paces away to discuss.

“What do we do?” Star Dasher said.

“We could walk along the outside and look for other entrances,” Kimono said.

“Or should we wait and see if the guards will fetch an interpreter?” Cheerilee suggested.

“But we don’t know if anyone here speaks our language,” Kimono said. “We’ve traveled hundreds of miles.”

“Then what will you do if you get inside through another entrance?” Cheerilee said. “Either way you can’t speak to anyone.”

“That’s a good question,” Kimono said thoughtfully.

They hadn’t come to any conclusions when a group of perhaps two dozen earth ponies exited through the gate. They followed a stone path that led to a bridge off the island. Razzaroo went up and tried to talk to them, but they didn’t seem to understand. They looked at her, confused, and seemed to pick up their pace. It was as though nopony here wanted to interact with them. Star Dasher noticed a lot of similar colors amongst the ponies, silvers, whites, and grays. She saw several cutie marks that had to do with wind or clouds.

They were all so distracted with the leaving group and the guards that nopony noticed a stranger approaching them until they were quite close. Star saw an older colt trotting towards them, or perhaps a young stallion. His appearance was striking, with a light blue coat and flame-orange hair. Red tinsel streaks ran through his mane and tail, their shine in the sun giving the impression of fire. At the moment, however, his hair and coat were dripping wet. He wore a conical straw hat and had red goggles around his neck. He had a mesh saddlebag filled with a brown grass-looking stuff that was shiny and dripping wet.

“Hello, I zpeak Ponish!” he said, stopping in front of them. All of Star’s friends turned at the sound of familiar words. “Who are you?” Star had never heard her language referred to as “Ponish” before, but he was definitely intelligible. He spoke with an accent, his “s” sounds being notably off.

“We’re visitors from Unicornia, Joyville, and Ponyville,” Kimono said. “I’m Kimono.”

“I’m Razzaroo.”

“Silly Lilly!”

“Wondermint, at your service!”

“Star Dasher.”

“I’m Cheerilee.”

“And I’m Rarity!”

“You’re going to have to tell me those again,” the colt said. “That’z a lot. I’m Waterfire. I’ve never heared of those plazes before.”

“We came a long way,” Kimono said. “We’re here to make new friends and explore the Castle of Family.”

“The Cazle of Family?” Waterfire repeated, thinking. “Oh, that?” He gestured to the orange structure that took up most of this island. “Is that what you call it in Ponish?”

“At least that’s what it is on our ancient map,” Kimono said.

“You can’t get in,” Waterfire said. “You have to make a… date? Appointment? Yeah. And very few ponies here zpeak Ponish. You should come with me. My parentz will be happy to have you, and I can show you around and zpeak for you.”

The ponies turned to discuss. “This seems like our best option, for now,” Kimono said.

“None of the other ponies even stopped to try to talk to us,” Razz said.

“Then perhaps this is where we will leave you,” Cheerilee said. She and Rarity had to take the Crystal Carriage back and attend to their duties in Unicornia.

They agreed to follow Waterfire, and Cheerilee and Rarity parted with them. They walked back to the carriage. The birds at its front took off, carrying it dizzyingly fast. White light trailed behind it, and in a flash of yellow, it was gone. “Huwah!” Waterfire exclaimed. “That was amazing!”

“It’s a spectacle,” Razz said. “I wonder why more ponies didn’t notice it?”

“Ponies no wait outzide the… Cazle of Family, right—very much,” Waterfire said. “They are inzide, and maybe they can’t zee you, or they are in their hometowns. Ayy, are you five following me?”

“Lead the way, stranger with dazzling hair!” Wondermint said. Star felt a spike of jealousy, although she knew that Wondermint’s compliments were not reserved for herself.

“Oh…” Waterfire said, a blush appearing on his blue cheeks. “Thank you. Yez.” He trotted off towards one end of the island, away from the sea. Still dripping wet, he left a little trail of wet sand behind him. Star and her friends followed him. “Zilly Lilly, I have to azk, what are you?” Waterfire said.

“I’m a breezie!” he said, landing on Waterfire’s hat.

“A breezie?” Waterfire said. “I thought they were juzt a legend!”

“No, I think we’re real,” Silly said.

Thick vegetation—trees, shrubs, and grasses—lined the waterways that separated this island from the next in the river delta. Waterfire led them to a wooden bridge where the vegetation was cleared. As they came closer to the bridge, they saw a group of ponies ahead. “Waterfire, how do I say ‘hello’ to them?” Wondermint asked.

“In their language it’s gjane,” Waterfire said.

“Gyana,” Wondermint said as they passed, her pronunciation off. A couple of the passing ponies nodded to them, but they didn’t stop to talk. This was certainly different to how ponies had reacted when Kimono, Razz, and Silly arrived in Joyville. But there was only one town near the Castle of Happiness, so it was easier for everypony to know everypony. Here they had seen several towns from the air. Maybe ponies didn’t know that they were new?

Waterfire led them across several islands. These were all farmland, lined with crops that Star didn’t recognize. Irrigation channels from the river ran through the fields. The heat had her sweating buckets. At the end of one island, they didn’t go to a bridge. There was a narrow path where the vegetation had been cleared, allowing easy access to the water. Waterfire hopped into the water, confidently wading across the narrow channel.

Waterfire was a little shorter than the rest of them, and the water didn’t quite make it to his withers. Star figured her pack would stay dry if she didn’t splash the water around. The others hesitated at the bank, so Star went in first. The water was warmer than she expected, but still refreshing in this heat. She walked carefully, trying not to splash the water around with her movement. She crossed without a problem.

Wondermint went next. It was now that Star noticed that Razz was shorter than the others except Waterfire. “Razz, I can take your pack,” Star said, setting down her pack and jumping back into the water.

“Yes, yes yes!” Razz said. “Thank you.” She loaded the pack onto Star, whose legs and barrel were wet, but her back was still dry. Star and Razz crossed, then Kimono last. Star thought that in this sun she would dry pretty quickly.

“Welcome to home!” Waterfire said. They were on a tiny island covered mostly in gardens. In the center was a small wooden house. Two ponies were tending the garden, a pale blue stallion with pale orange hair and a sunrise cutie mark, and a blue mare with blue, purple, and yellow hair and a sea star cutie mark. They looked in surprise as the group of strangers approached.

Waterfire spoke in a language that Star couldn’t understand. Then he added, “Ayy, could you all zay your names again?”

They all repeated their names. “These are my parentz… I guez Zunrise and Zeazpray, is the way I tranzlate their names,” Waterfire said.

Waterfire discussed something with his parents. Star wished she knew what they were talking about, as the discussion seemed to get a little heated. Seaspray and Sunrise seemed to disagree on something. Eventually they resolved it and Waterfire said, “They’ve agreed to let you ztay here for a while, if you help uz with the garden and zome other things. We not have room for all of you to zleep, though. But it not rains much thiz time of year, and while the days are hot, the nightz are nize and cool.”

“We have tents,” Kimono said. “We’d be happy to stay with you and sleep out here.”

“Perfect!” Waterfire said. “Zet up your tentz, then come inzide.” They did so, leaving their packs in the tents. While they set up, Waterfire hung up the strange grass in his mesh bag to dry in the sun on a line. They followed Waterfire into the little house, glad to get out of the sun. Star noticed a few brass instruments on the outside of the house, with clock-like faces and words that she couldn’t understand. She also saw a wind sock on a pole. They crowded in a central room with a table and chairs, which Waterfire had to push into a corner just to have standing room for them all.

“You willn’t be able to make an appointment in the Cazle of Family alone,” Waterfire said. “You will have to go with one of the Clans. My parentz are from the Zun Clan and the Zea Clan. I can take you to both of their zities. You should know, those two Clans zpeak different languages, neither of them being Ponish.”

“How do you know Ponish?” Kimono said.

“I love languages!” Waterfire said. “I’ve ztudied zeveral in my zpare time. I’ve been using these.” He pushed past them and ran into one of the bedrooms. He came back out with two books. “Ponish to Cantor, and Ponish to Riverine.”

Kimono looked at the Cantor one and said, “Wait, this is the language that’s in the old libraries up north! I saw these same symbols in Ponyville and Unicornia!” Razzaroo curiously looked through the pages of the Riverine book.

“Cantor is the language of the Empire,” Waterfire said. “They alzo zpeak it in the Zea Clan zity… ayy… Aquaria, I zuppose? Is how I’d zay it in Ponish.”

“The Empire,” Kimono said. “Cheerilee mentioned an empire. Is it still around?”

“No,” Waterfire said. “Ayy, I not think zo. I not know much about it, but there are other ponies who know.”

“One of our purposes in coming here is to learn more about pony history,” Kimono said. “I’d like to meet any ponies you know who are knowledgeable on the matter.”

“Perfect, we should go to Aquaria firzt, then,” Waterfire said. “You’re going to love it!” His blue eyes beamed brightly, seemingly reflecting a hint of orange fire. Star checked behind her, half-expecting something to be on fire. But there was only one of those shiny brass instruments behind her. “We’ll have to zwim to get there, and you’ll need goggles. My family has three. I think I can find my way without the goggles, but ztill, the breezie and one other will have to ztay behind.”

“What?” Silly said, sounding upset.

“Zorry, we not have goggles that will fit you,” Waterfire said.

“I’ll stay!” Razz said eagerly. “I, um… don’t do well with water.”

“Perfect!” Waterfire said. “We eat a znack, then we go.”

The snack turned out to be more of the strange plant Waterfire had brought home, which he called seaweed. Star didn’t like its taste much, but she was still grateful for the hospitality. With much drama, Wondermint parted with her accordion, which she could not take into the water. She gave stern words to Waterfire’s parents about how it must be untouched when she returned, which she made Waterfire interpret. Then they set out.

Waterfire led them to the same beach where they had first landed. At the water’s edge, Waterfire said, “I need to find zomething for you. Wait here.” He leapt into the water and disappeared. Star got nervous, watching for him to come up for air.

“Do you think he’s okay?” she said. “How is he breathing?”

“I think he’ll be fine,” Kimono said. “It seems like he’s done this before.”

“That is one mysterious colt,” Wondermint said.

Several minutes later, Waterfire returned. Star whinnied at his appearance, rearing back. He had a red star right over his face, covering his mouth and nostrils. He took off the star and said, “Calm down, it’z juzt me!” He had more stars stuck to his back. He stood in water up to his barrel. “Come in the water.”

Star bounded forward, splashing in the water. It was much warmer than she had expected. It felt lovely. A wave crashed against her cannons as she walked deeper, making a mellow, soothing sound. The breeze coming in from the sea was cool and refreshing on this hot day. This is a nice place to be, she thought. “What are they?” Kimono said, looking at the stars.

“Magic zea ztars,” Waterfire said. “You’ll need them to breathe. Who is mozt lezz zkittish?”

“Pick me!” Wondermint said eagerly, a moment before Star could speak up.

“Perfect!” Waterfire said. “Put your goggles on. When I put thiz over your mouth, hold your breath for a moment. When I’m done, ztick your muzzle in the water and breathe. It will make you breathe in the water, but you will not can breathe in the air. Do you underztand?”

“Um, that’s uh… Star, you like new things,” Wonder said. “Do you want to try it first?”

Star chuckled. “The least skittish, right?” she said, stepping up to Waterfire and fastening her goggles. She took a deep breath, and Waterfire raised the star to her face. It was squishy as he put it on, and Star realized that it was some kind of creature. It stuck to her face, blocking her nostrils and holding her mouth closed. It felt so wrong. She raised a hoof, almost wanting to tear it off. She controlled herself, just touching it for a moment but not interfering as Waterfire carefully adjusted it. She noticed that the other side of the star was hard and bumpy.

“Perfect, put your muzzle in the water,” Waterfire said. Star carefully did so. For a moment she stood there, head down, holding her breath. Inhale, with her face in the water and this sea star choking her? It was so contrary to her instincts that she hesitated. Finally she forced herself to breathe in. Fresh air rushed through her nostrils.

“Are you good?” Waterfire said. “Take your faze out of the water if you’re having problems.”

Star was too distracted to pay him much heed. She was breathing underwater! She could see the sandy floor beneath them, beat into a little wavy landscape by the action of the water. Sunlight shimmered on the floor, bent by the surface of the water. Bits of grass rose up around their hooves, and tiny silver fish she had missed before swam around. This was so bizarre! Soon the others had their stars on their faces. Star stared at Wondermint, her hair billowing in the water, eyes behind red goggles, and that red star square on her face. It was such a weird look, but somehow it suited her.

Waterfire pulled his head out of the water and spoke. Star’s ears were still above water, so she heard him clearly. “We’re going to zwim to Aquaria. The water is deep enough that we should be careful. We’ll go down zlowly. Not take the zea ztar off underwater, no matter what. If your ears feel ztrange, ztop and move your jaw to fix thiz. If you want to turn back, point towards the zurfaze, and I’ll go up with you, but zlowly. Raise a hoof if you underztand.” They all raised a hoof out of the water.

Waterfire swam off, gesturing for the others to follow. Waterfire moved with incredible grace in the water, seemingly expending very little effort to move great distances. He soon realized that the others had no hope of keeping up and slowed down. Is this what it’s like? Star wondered, thinking of her ability to move so quickly on land.

At first they stayed near the surface, but as the ocean floor descended, so did they. Star looked up at the shimmery, sunlit surface growing more distant. The air was up there! This experience was so surreal. Star found it thrilling. Her ears hurt for a moment before popping, and the water became cooler.

Tall plants grew from the floor all the way to the water’s surface. Star realized it was the seaweed Waterfire had fed them earlier. They swayed in the currents, harboring countless colorful fish. Waterfire stopped at the edge of the seaweed forest, waiting for the others. Star realized she had kept up with Waterfire but left the others behind a little. Kimono and Wondermint caught up with them, and Kimono held up a hoof, signaling for them to wait. Star could see that Wondermint was breathing heavily. Fortunately, she didn’t look panicked, just tired.

After they caught their breath—weird to be doing so far underwater—they continued into the seaweed forest. Star tried to follow Waterfire, but it was hard to see him past all the seaweed. She could only hope that the others managed to follow her. The seaweed closed in all around her, brushing past her face and tangling in her legs as she tried to paddle. The sound of it rustling surrounded her.

Suddenly she came through the forest and saw Waterfire off to her left. But she didn’t look at him for long, for her gaze was drawn ahead. On the ocean floor was a sprawling city. The buildings were organized into a number of neighborhoods, each surrounded by a dome-shaped bubble of air that could only be magical. There were various bubbles of different sizes, all close to each other but not connected. One bubble in the middle was by far the largest, the city center.

Waterfire glanced at Star and smiled. He had a star like everypony else, but no goggles. Kimono and Wonder burst through the seaweed forest. Wonder in particular seemed elated at the sight of the underwater city. She kicked excitedly in the water and hummed a fanfare tune.

They swam for the biggest bubble. Star saw that a structure of maroon coral grew at the bottom of the bubble, making the start of a hemisphere shape. They went to the bottom of the bubble dome, at the edge of the city center. Waterfire swam right through the edge of the bubble, standing in the stone street beyond and taking off his sea star. Ponies came and went at various points around the bubble. A few ponies in the street watched as Waterfire and the others arrived.

Star followed Waterfire’s lead. Surprisingly, she felt completely dry as she came through the bubble. Even her mane wasn’t wet. The air stopped flowing to Star’s nostrils, and her eyes widened. She moved to tear off the sea star, but Waterfire stopped her with a raised hoof. “Careful, you don’t want to damage it as you take it off,” he said. Star hadn’t deeply inhaled before the air stopped, so she waited quite impatiently as Waterfire gently worked off the sea star. Star took a big gasp of air, and Waterfire put both stars in a stone basin full of water on the side of the street.

Wonder and Kimono followed them, and Waterfire helped them remove their sea stars. “This place is amazing!” Wonder exclaimed. Star looked up at the edge of the bubble above and around them. What was holding up all that water? Could it all come crashing down at any moment? They were deep enough that the light was a little dimmer, but still bright enough to see comfortably. The air was humid and salty, and the temperature much nicer than the baking surface. The surreal city was filled with all sorts of urban sounds, the clop of hooves on stone and the chatter of dozens of conversations. There was also a faint musical sound, a distant string instrument of some sort.

“What do I hear now?” Wonder said. “It is the call of my kind! I must respond.” She had a chain necklace, and turning it she revealed that it tied a harmonica to her neck, which had previously been tucked away in her mane.

“You always come prepared,” Star said, giggling.

Wonder played out a minor-key, fey-sounding tune on the harmonica. Star sat and listened to her, heedless to her other surroundings. Wonder finished her song and said, “I wrote that during the swim.” A few ponies had gathered around to listen, and they stamped in approval.

“So quickly?” Star said in amazement.

A pony stepped forward to speak to Wonder. Star stared in amazement at her. Two magnificent, feathery wings sprang out of her back, dark blue at the tips and fading to pale blue at the base. Star looked around to make sure; nopony else had wings like that. She also had a blue gem in the center of her cutie mark, which depicted a sea star and shell. Her body was light blue, her mane pale pink and periwinkle, and her tail aqua. She spoke in a language unfamiliar to Star.

Waterfire jumped in to interpret. “She zays ‘you show great underztanding of… ayy, artiztic expression,” he said. The winged pony spoke again. “You muzt be new here. A pony of your… clazz? Would enjoy the art exhibit in the town zenter.”

“Thank you,” Wonder said. “My name is Wondermint. What’s yours?”

Waterfire interpreted this, and the winged pony responded. “Aurora Mizt.” Star Dasher and Kimono introduced themselves as well. Aurora Mist walked off and looked behind her, saying something. “Are you coming?” Waterfire said.

“Yes, let’s!” Wonder said, looking at the others.

“I was going to take uz to zee zomepony who knows about the hiztory of the cazles,” Waterfire said.

“I think we should do this first,” Kimono said. “We want to make friends and learn more about this place, as well. We’re in no rush.” Star nodded in agreement.

Waterfire spoke in the foreign language, presumably Cantor, and they followed Aurora Mist. Aurora spoke in a soft, smooth, welcoming voice. Star Dasher was grateful to Waterfire, but she imagined that Aurora was more eloquent in her native language. “Our zity, Aquaria, is a zity of artiztz. Artiztz of every kind—poetz, musicians, danzers, writers. Of courze, zome ponies work other jobs, but we all love and appreciate art. Although…” Aurora chuckled in a way that cascaded. “I may be biazed, zince I am a painter, myzelf.”

Indeed, art was all around them. Nearly everything was made of stone, and Star noticed things carved into doors and walls. Etched patterns, shapes of undersea creatures. Statues often awaited them at corners of streets, elegant statues of ponies or other beings. Star noticed that nopony else had wings besides Aurora. They did get some surprised glances from other ponies. Perhaps, like Joyville, they didn’t usually get visitors here.

Eventually they arrived at an open plaza where dozens of stands had been set up. Aurora spoke again, and Waterfire interpreted. “We hold the Grand Art Feztival here onze a week to zee the latezt workz of our great artiztz, and to review old favoritez.” Artists set up their works on easels. Most were on canvas, done in paint, oil, pencil, or ink. Some artists presented sculptures, instead. Star saw distinct styles from every artist. Gentle colors at one stand, harsh shapes at another, realism and other things that Star had no words for.

Aurora spoke and gestured at one stand, proudly flaring her blue wings. “Thiz is my art,” Waterfire interpreted. Her art was done in watercolors, some of them notably thinned out to make a pale shape on the canvas. Star didn’t understand the images; she only saw vague shapes and colors.

Wondermint gasped. “Oh my stars, it’s like modernist abstractions of scenes,” she said excitedly, running in place. “This one is the seafloor seen from somewhere inside the city, so the view is distorted by the water. Oh, and that’s why you use watercolors, because these are all seen through the water! Gah!” Waterfire seemed to struggle to keep up as Wondermint went through each painting and showered praise on it. Star couldn’t tell what any of them were supposed to be until Wondermint commented on them. The moon seen below the surface of the water, a pony swimming with a sea star to breathe. How was Wondermint figuring these out?

In any case, Aurora’s pale cheeks had turned red, and she was smiling bashfully behind her hair. When Wondermint finally finished, Aurora spoke and Waterfire said, “Thank you.” Aurora stuttered in her native language. “You really underztand my art!” Aurora surprised them all by stepping up to Wondermint, pressing her cheek to Wondermint’s, and kissing in the air. Star immediately felt jealous, but she told herself that was probably a normal way of showing gratitude here. Wondermint responded in kind when Aurora did it on the other side.

She spoke again, and Waterfire interpreted, “I was looking for lunch when I heared your music. Feel free to explore, but I muzt excuse myzelf.”

“Wait, can I ask you a question first?” Wondermint said.

“Yez, of courze,” came Waterfire’s interpretation.

“I hope this isn’t a sensitive question, but I noticed that nopony else here has your,” Wondermint’s voice dropped to a whisper, “beautiful wings. I’ve never met a pony with wings before. Where are you from?”

Aurora laughed. “I’m from Aquaria. But my grandparentz moved here from Zanta Amoroza.”

“Is there a castle in Santa Amorosa?” Kimono cut in.

“There is. We call it the Cazle of,” Waterfire paused here, “Amity.”

“Or Kindness?” Kimono said to Waterfire.

“That’z a pozzible translation,” he acceded.

“We’d like to visit Saint Amorosa after we’re done here,” Kimono said. “But we have only a vague map.”

“Marvelouz, I can take you there!” Aurora Mist said. “I’ve been meaning to make a trip to visit my extended family. When are you planning to go?”

Kimono glanced at the others. They weren’t really clear on how they could get an appointment to visit the Castle of Family, or how much they would be able to uncover about the history of this place. “We’re not certain,” Kimono said. “Perhaps a few weeks?”

“What is your businezz here, if you not mind me azking?”

“We found a map in our city with seven ancient castles, and we set out to find them,” Kimono explained. “Our city had lost contact with all these locations, so we wanted to reestablish contact, make new friendships, and try to discover the origins of these castles and why the various cities drifted apart.”

“Zo you like hiztory? You should meet with Aquamarine. She knows all there is to know about our zity’s hiztory. You can usually find her in the zentral plaza.” Waterfire paused as Aurora continued to speak. He responded to her in Cantor, and she spoke again.

“What are you two saying?” Star cut in impatiently.

“She offered to take uz to meet Aquamarine, but I know where she is,” Waterfire said. “I don’t want to keep her from lunch.”

“I want lunch,” Star said with big eyes. She was hungry, and after traveling with Wondermint and Kimono on rations through the wilderness, she knew her metabolism was higher than theirs. She had to call for meal breaks, otherwise the others might put it off until Star was practically starved.

Waterfire said something to Aurora, and she responded cheerfully. “Then we’ll eat together!” Waterfire interpreted. “Follow me.”

They ate at a restaurant that served food unlike anything Star had tried before. She didn’t have names for almost any of the plants—or whatever they were—that were served. Some were green, others brown or red. Some were squishy and slimy, others were brittle. Curiously, it was all served on one big, rotating platter, enabling them to take servings of every dish. The only thing Star recognized was the seaweed she had eaten with Waterfire earlier, although its flavor was far tangier here. But they all had some hint of the same flavor, tasting like the sea smelled.

They made conversation as they ate. “Aurora, can I ask about your cutie mark?” Wondermint said. “Star and I come from Joyville, where everypony has a jewel in their cutie marks. We thought all ponies had jewels until we met Kimono, in fact. But you’re the first pony we’ve met outside of Joyville with a jewel. Do you also trace your ancestry back to Joyville?”

“I’ve never heared of it,” Aurora said, with Waterfire interpreting. The poor colt hadn’t gotten to eat much. “They’re not common, but there are a few ponies with jewels in their cutie markz here.”

“There are two in Ponyville, in fact,” Kimono said. “Gem Blossom and Valenshy. Perhaps Joyville is the ancestral home of the jewel ponies, but some migrated when these lands were all in contact?”

They finished their meal, and Aurora guided them to the central plaza. It was in a busy part of the town. Star noticed that the buildings became increasingly big and elaborate, and the streets were broader. They came upon an open stone square. There were statues and intricate fountains with complex flow patterns. For example, in one the water spilled out of a fluted shell in dozens of different locations, each one running down a different stone channel before joining together. There were even stone basins filled with water and growing things in them.

Some ponies walked through the area. Others came in and out of the various important looking buildings. Some stood around chatting with friends. It seemed that few were giving heed to the sight that immediately caught Star’s eyes. In the very center of the plaza was a slightly raised stone platform with a pony standing on it. Her appearance was unlike anypony Star had seen before. Her coat was a sea blue-green, but all along her body were designs, images of seaweed and fish. Her tail was green and her hair was seafoam. Most striking were her eyes, blue orbs with no pupils or whites. She stood on the platform looking up, perhaps at the air bubble that held back the water over their heads.

Aurora led them to the pony on the platform. She flared her wings and spoke in Cantor to the pony. “These three rezently arrived in the zity,” Waterfire interpreted. “Their names are Wondermint, Ztar Dasher, and Kimono. They not zpeak Cantor, but Waterfire zpeakz their language.” Aurora turned to the newcomers. “Thiz iz Aquamarine. She is rezponzible for holding the air bubble around our zity.”

Aquamarine spoke in a voice that seemed to reverberate as if heard through water. “Welcome to Aquaria,” Waterfire said. Perhaps she was looking at the newcomers, but Star couldn’t tell. Her eyes were rather unsettling.

Aurora spoke again. “Wondermint is a musician. They showed good tazte in art.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Aquamarine said.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Kimono said after Waterfire’s interpretation. “We come seeking to learn about the past of your city, and the Castle of Family in particular.”

“I zee,” Aquamarine said. “Let uz leave thiz crowded plaza.” She stepped off the platform and led them towards one of the nearby buildings.

Aurora spoke to the travelers, and Waterfire interpreted, “I muzt leave you now. I muzt be with my art at the Feztival.”

“Thank you for welcoming us!” Star said. She pressed her cheek to Aurora’s and kissed in the air. She hoped she had correctly interpreted that as a sign of gratitude. Aurora didn’t seem dismayed and kissed in return on both sides. Aurora Mist spread her blue wings and took off with a great rushing sound and a burst of air.

* * *

Waterfire followed Aquamarine down a narrow passage between two buildings. Behind those buildings was a small building made of gray stone that appeared to be a house. It had a little courtyard in the front with water gardens, stone basins full of seawater and various ocean life. Sea flowers, pink grass, sea stars, anemones, and other such things. They stopped in the courtyard. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Waterfire,” Aquamarine said.

“You’ve never invited me to your house before,” Waterfire said guardedly. “But I suppose I’m welcome as an interpreter, if nothing else.”

“You’re welcome in Aquaria anytime, as long as you don’t cause trouble,” Aquamarine said. Waterfire didn’t interpret any of this for the newcomers. Aquamarine looked at them and said, “What would you like to know?”

Waterfire interpreted for them. “Most of all we want to know the history of the Castle of Family,” Kimono said in Ponish. “Do you know why it was built?”

After Waterfire intepreted, Aquamarine responded, “The history of the castle is tied to the history of the city. So I will tell you that first.” Waterfire noticed that Star turned to look at the water gardens. She didn’t seem as invested in the history lesson as Kimono.

“The Riverine ponies lived here for a long time,” Aquamarine said. “The Sun and Flower clans belong to that group. More recently, within the last thousand years, Cantor ponies started migrating here from the north. They liked the warm weather here. Eventually they founded Aquaria. It was originally a tourist attraction, if you can believe it. By the time the United Pony Empire was formed six hundred years ago, the Riverine ponies had had so much contact with the Cantor ponies that incorporating these lands into the Cantor-led Empire was a natural decision.” With Waterfire interpreting, this tale was becoming long to tell. He knew his interpretation was rough. He loved languages, but this day was testing his abilities and exposing the gaps in his knowledge.

“Four hundred fifty years ago, the Empire was in its zenith,” Aquamarine said. “To celebrate and to ensure the continued unity of these dispersed lands and diverse cultures, the empress of the time decreed the construction of castles in seven of the Empire’s cities, each one to celebrate a positive ideal which made that location special and which brought ponies closer together. Ponies here tended to have large families due to their agrarian lifestyles and the abundant harvests from the river delta, so the castle here was named the Castle of Family.”

“Interesting,” Kimono said. “And whatever happened to this Empire?”

“It fell apart,” Aquamarine said. “Ponies stopped coming from the Capital. They say it happened slowly. No new laws, gradually reduced travel. Whatever went wrong, it originated from the Capital, not here.”

“What castle did they build in the Capital?” Kimono said.

“The Castle of Music,” Aquamarine said.

Kimono asked for a few more details, but Aquamarine had told the basics of the whole story. Eventually they got on the topic of how the air bubble around the city worked. “Oh, that’s my job,” Aquamarine said. “I maintain the bubble. It’s a magical skill that’s been passed from one pony to another since the Imperial days.”

“Interesting,” Kimono said. “I know a—” Kimono spoke a word that Waterfire didn’t know “—that might be similar to yours. I would love to see how you do it.” Waterfire did his best to interpret given the context.

“I practice here,” Aquamarine said, looking at the water gardens. She effortlessly lifted some of the water into the air, moving them in loops like a fountain. Waterfire stared in shock. Aquamarine never let him watch when she used her powers.

“It is the same power!” Kimono said. “But you’re much stronger than me.” Waterfire felt a sudden gust of air, very unexpected in this underwater city.

Aquamarine smiled. “We should meditate together sometime. Being from different lands, our techniques may differ. We could learn from each other.”

Waterfire felt his cheeks flush with anger. He had pleaded to learn with Aquamarine for years. And now she was speaking to a total stranger and foreigner about her powers? “Why her?” Waterfire said. “And never me?”

Aquamarine looked at Waterfire suddenly, as though she had forgotten he was here. “Child, your powers are dangerous,” she said. “Nopony would be safe if you were even stronger with them.”

“Your powers are stronger than mine, but you’re not dangerous. I just need help learning to control them.”

“What are you saying, Waterfire?” Star Dasher said.

“You need to learn to control yourself,” Aquamarine said sternly, ignoring the foreigner. “Your emotions. Once you can do that, you can learn to use your powers.”

“I know what this is really about!” Waterfire said. “It’s my parents. You don’t like that I have fire powers as well as water, because it reminds you that I have mixed lineages.”

“They upset the peace between the clans. They let their emotions get the better of them, just like you do, when they fell in love.”

Waterfire felt like his blood was boiling. “So you admit it! It’s about my parents, not me. I didn’t choose how I was born! And in any case my parents’ love is none of your business. Why do the old traditions matter so much to you, anyway?!”

Waterfire heard a pony whinny in terror in the streets outside. He felt water drop on his face like rain, and he looked up. The air bubble was wavering, its dome shape distorting. Water fell from it in drops all over the city. Water swirled all around his head, and he realized that the water gardens were dry. His powers had activated. He hadn’t even tried to do this, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

“Enough,” Aquamarine said in a commanding voice. She looked up, her mane flipping behind her head. The water bubble slowly returned to its original shape. As for the water that Waterfire had taken from the gardens, it went out of control, moving erratically before splashing all over the courtyard. Aquamarine turned to him with a dripping mane and cold, empty eyes. “You can’t be here.”

“I’m sorry,” Waterfire said. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Go,” Aquamarine commanded. Rather than argue further, Waterfire turned and walked down the alley, head hanging.

* * *

Waterfire seemed reluctant to explain to Star Dasher and the others what had happened with Aquamarine as they walked back to his parents’ house. All he would say was that it was his fault and he should have stuck to interpreting. But Star had seen the water spinning around Waterfire’s head. She thought he had similar powers to Aquamarine and Kimono.

The sun was getting low and the heat was oppressive as they arrived at Waterfire’s house. They found Silly Lilly helping Waterfire’s mother, Seaspray, with the garden. Indoors Waterfire’s father, Sunrise, was cooking, but he kept looking over at Razzaroo, who sat on a table with books and pages of notes. “What’s up, Razz?” Star said.

“Sunrise has years of meteorological data,” Razz said. “I’m using a dictionary to try to understand it.” It was written in a very different script from what Star had seen in Aquaria. Riverine, she supposed.

“Dad loves… ayy, meteorology, that’z it,” Waterfire said. “But he’s never been able to organize the data and analyze it. We never have enough time, zince we have to take care of ourzelves here out on thiz island.” He still seemed glum.

They discussed their plans for the next day. Waterfire agreed to take them to Astral City, the home of the Sun Clan. “I think I’ll stay behind,” Kimono said. “Razzaroo has the right idea with that dictionary. I’d like to study and learn Cantor as quickly as possible, especially if…” she glanced at Waterfire, “if Waterfire is unwelcome in Aquaria.” He hadn’t really explained why he had left the city, but they had no choice but to follow him, as he was their interpreter. “Besides, this is the same language as what’s in the ancient library in Ponyville. We could learn much if one of us could understand it.”

They agreed to this, and Sunrise invited them to eat dinner with the family. They ate, thanked their gracious hosts, and prepared for another eventful day tomorrow.

* * *

They walked to Astral City on a humid, hazy morning. Star’s mane and tail were dripping after crossing the stream to get off Waterfire’s tiny island, and it felt like she would never be dry again. They crossed several more islands on the way to the city, but the others all had bridges, at least. Most of these islands seemed to be covered in farmland. The haze was thinning out as they walked.

It seemed that the haze cleared out and the sun shone through right as they arrived on the island of Astral City. Before them stood a city with several structures taller than any Star had ever seen. Most striking was a tower with a dome roof that looked to be made of copper; its pinkish-orange surface shone in the sunlight. A shorter but still impressive clocktower was also visible. An arched entrance made of brass awaited on the road they followed. Star looked around, full of wonder. Ponies trotted with purpose here, many dressed in fancy clothes like nothing Star had seen before. Some ponies did stop to stare, primarily at Silly Lilly, who flew alongside the group. Probably they had never seen a breezie before.

They were clearly walking down a commercial street. Every storefront vied for Star’s attention. She saw rows of magazines with a young, pink mare in striking makeup. She saw jewelry, hats, bows. Almost everypony had a bow in their tail. She smelled fresh bread, more appetizing than the strange, salty seafood of Aquaria. Many things, however, Star didn’t understand in the slightest. Charts, devices with gears and springs, numbers and dials. Wondermint dashed to a particular storefront, gasping. Star followed her curiously. The window of this store was open, and they had set up a device with a painted ballerina pony who spun. Silly landed and inspected the figure, which was only a little smaller than him. It played a cute song on what sounded like tiny bells.

“They have devices that play music automatically?” Wonder said enthusiastically. The store owner gave Wonder a friendly smile and said something in a foreign language.

“I not think we can get anything here,” Waterfire said. “Ponies here will share their wares with anypony who workz and contributez zomething to the economy of the zity. That wouldn’t be uz. We’d have to trade something of greater value.” It worked similarly in Joyville, Star thought. Not that they had visitors, but some shops would only give out a certain amount to a single pony or refuse service to a pony who was known not to work. “Zo unlezz you’re looking to part with your… inztrument, what you call it?”

“My accordion?” Wonder gasped, stepping back. “Never!”

“Then let’z move on.” Waterfire said something to the shopkeeper in their language. “The zame thing almozt happened to uz in the reztaurant in Aquaria, but Aurora Mizt perzuaded them to zerve uz with her.”

Waterfire led them through the city until he stopped at a poster on a wall. He read it and said, “Oh, that’z lucky. Doctor… ayy, how to translate it… Ztar Tail is giving a lecture thiz morning at the… ayy… planet model? She always ztays afterwards if ponies want to azk her queztions. She zpeakz Ponish.”

“Will Star Tail’s lecture be in Ponish?” Razz said.

“No, it will be in Riverine,” Waterfire said. “But you’ll have to zit through it if you want to meet her without me translating.”

“Um, sitting through lectures might be kind of hard for me,” Star said. “Especially if I don’t understand anything.”

“She willn’t zpeak to you if you not attend the lecture,” Waterfire said. “She’s very passionate about inzpiring young minds. She can be ztern to those who appear not interezted.”

That didn’t put Star’s mind at ease. “Maybe I should stay behind then?”

“She is an important profezzor,” Waterfire said. “She might be able to get you to the Cazle of Family. But it is your dezision.” Star didn’t respond, as she needed to weigh those options. Would she be able to stay focused, or at least fake it for long enough? She felt apprehensive about it.

That feeling dissipated as they approached the tower with the copper dome. All around it, the grounds were landscaped with decorative plants. A stream that looked like it ran through the whole city was split here into channels to keep the decorative plants alive. Most of the ponies here looked like young adults. Star guessed that they were now on the campus of a university. The tower had an extremely fun rotating door, which Wonder and Star went around an extra time before entering.

The sight which awaited them was perhaps as bewildering as the air bubble holding up an entire sea above their heads in Aquaria. A giant device of clockwork occupied the center of the spacious room, at least five ponies tall. It had a number of brass spheres slowly rotating around a larger sphere in the center. The various rings on which the spheres traveled were marked with foreign inscriptions and lines. The ceiling was domed, and although several stories high, Star figured it was nowhere near the top of the tower. It was marked with constellations that somehow seemed to be part of the display.

This piqued Star’s foalhood interest in astronomy, making her quite excited. She noticed that although the stars were arranged in familiar patterns, the ponies had drawn different constellations from them, forming unfamiliar shapes.

Seats were arranged around the mechanical centerpiece. “We’re a little early,” Waterfire said. “I’ll introduce you.” On the other side of the centerpiece was a small stage and a chalkboard. Standing there was a pony of striking colors. Her body was pink until the legs, which shifted from pink to orange to yellow in a gradient. Her cutie mark was a star, but a tail ran from it all the way down her leg. Her shiny, perfectly combed hair was pink with a golden streak. Star was suddenly conscious of her own hair, messy and still wet from crossing the river. Star couldn’t guess the pony’s age, for she appeared at once mature yet young and beautiful. She had fetching gold eyeliner and a golden tail bow. She was strangely familiar… The magazines! She was on the cover of fashion and beauty magazines in the city.

She saw Waterfire approaching and said something in Riverine. They exchanged a few lines, then the pony said in Ponish, “Welcome to Astral City. I am Doctor Comet Tail.”

“Ayy, I translated her name wrong,” Waterfire said. “Zorry.”

This was Dr. Comet Tail? Star Dasher was caught off guard. For some reason she had expected a wrinkled professor whose hair had dulled with age. Instead they were standing in front of an actual model. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Razz said. “I’m Razzaroo.” The others all introduced themselves. She looked at Silly strangely when he introduced himself, but she did not interrupt.

“I suppose this is your first time seeing the Orrery,” Comet Tail said, gesturing to the giant contraption in the center of the room. “I hope you find it impressive.” Her Ponish was clearer than Waterfire’s.

“I love it!” Star said.

“It’s amazing!” Wonder said. “So artistic!”

Comet looked at Wonder, seeming surprised about something. Before she could speak, however, Razzaroo cut in. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how did you learn Ponish? We’ve met so few ponies here who speak it.”

“I have a colleague from a Ponish neighborhood in the Capital,” Comet Tail said. “We were roommates in university, and we’ve published together a few times. I’d love to chat more, but it’s nearly time for the lecture to start. I’m sorry, but it will be in Riverine.”

“Do you mind if I translate for them?” Waterfire said. “I’ll speak quietly.”

“You can try,” Comet said. She gestured for them to take seats. There was a small crowd of ponies, but many seats were still empty. Perhaps this room was used for some bigger events?

The group filed to the nearest seats. They put Waterfire in the center, with Wonder below and Star and Razz on either side. Silly just sat on Waterfire’s withers. “Why is everypony we meet here so pretty?” Wonder quietly said. Star looked at her for a moment, but she had a point. Comet Tail, Aquamarine, Aurora Mist, even Waterfire were all physically striking.

Comet Tail began her lecture, and Waterfire quietly interpreted. Comet explained how she and a group of other scientists had used gravity to discover a new planet, which they had named Chimera. The lecture quickly became more technical, and Waterfire struggled to keep up. He would pause in the middle of a sentence, listen to Comet, then pick back up on a different thought. He seemed to lack the vocabulary needed to explain complex mathematical concepts, as he would explain an idea in simpler words, mash words together into one phrase, or even use words that didn’t sound like Ponish at all.

Soon Star found it hard to focus. This dense math stuff was what had driven her out of astronomy when she was younger. She had to lean close to Waterfire to hear him, and her neck was getting uncomfortable. She started looking around the room to distract herself. She noticed that Razzaroo was taking notes. She watched the Orrery. It was hard to focus on it for long, as it moved too slowly. Star felt the need to move, to run. How was Silly holding up through this? Oh, he had fallen asleep on Waterfire’s back. Star wished she could do that, but she had too much energy. She looked at Wondermint on the seat below, appreciating her silky, beautiful violet and lavender hair. Star started fidgeting in her seat, flicking her tail and tapping a hoof on the stone between her cushion and the next.

Maybe she could get away with a little conversation with Wonder? She tapped Wonder’s shoulder. Wonder looked at her with a glazed expression. She was clearly bored, too. Star leaned over to her and whispered, “How long do you think this is going to last?”

Star’s attention was yanked back to Comet Tail when she heard her name. “Miss Star Dasher!” the professor snapped in Ponish. “If you’re not going to pay attention then why are you here?” Students in the room looked around, confused, but Comet’s eyes bored into Star. She looked away, embarrassed, clueless on how to respond. She decided the best thing to do was leave.

She got up and walked down the rows of seats, her head hanging. “I’m sorry, Dr. Tail,” she said. She briskly trotted past the Orrery to the door. Every eye in the room followed her as her hooves clacked against the tile floor, echoing. Her cheeks flushed. She took off at a flying pace as soon as she passed the door. She didn’t know where she was going, just away. She had made such a fool of herself!

* * *

Comet Tail finished her lecture, and Waterfire finished interpreting a few sentences behind. “I’m going to find Star Dasher,” Wondermint said.

“I’d like to ask Dr. Tail a few questions,” Razz said, looking at her notebook. She had enjoyed the lecture, but there were a few things she hadn’t understood. She was hoping to hear the professor explain it in Ponish.

“I… I’ll go with you, Razzaroo,” Waterfire said. “I would like to learn the words for some of these concepts in Ponish.”

“We’ll meet outside the doors,” Razz suggested. Silly looked unsure where to go, but he didn’t fly after Wonder. He, Razz, and Waterfire took their place in a little line that had formed to speak with Comet Tail. They didn’t have to wait for long.

“I was hoping you’d stay afterwards, Silly Lilly,” Comet Tail said in Ponish. “I didn’t have time to ask before the lecture, but I’ve been wondering this whole time: What are you?”

“I’m a breezie,” he said.

“A breezie…” Comet Tail said pensively. “So they’re not just legend. I wonder what other legends may be true? You must have come from far away.”

“Well, I’m not really sure, because we rode this magic carriage to get here,” Silly said.

“About two thousand miles, according to our map,” Razz said.

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that unit of measure,” Comet said.

“It’d be about… two months walking on even ground in a straight line,” Razz said. “Although I doubt the way would be so easy on the ground.”

“Razzaroo, I saw you taking notes. I hope Waterfire’s interpretation was adequate?”

“I did have a few questions, actually.” She asked for some clarifications. She noticed that Waterfire listened attentively as Comet explained the mathematical and gravitational concepts of her lecture in adept Ponish.

When Razzaroo was satisfied, Comet turned to Waterfire. “Hello, Waterfire,” she said, not too warmly.

“You not had to critizize Ztar Dasher like that,” Waterfire said. Razz and Silly looked between the two nervously. They had some history, it seemed. “All she had to ztay engaged in the lecture was my imperfect translation.”

“That was enough for Razzaroo, evidently,” Comet said. “I have little patience for ponies who aren’t here to learn. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand what it is to have a passion for science.”

“What you mean by that?”

“I can’t hold you accountable for taking after your father.”

“Excuse me?” Waterfire said, enraged. Silly hid behind Razz, who looked around uncomfortably. “Zunrise loves zience!”

“Really, is that why he quit college at the top of his class?” Comet said. “Are you implying, then, that she was a scientist?”

“He quitted because ponies ztarted refusing him zervize after the marriage,” Waterfire said hotly. “Not a day goes by that he not look wishfully at his weather data, but he had to stop to build a houze and grow food for his new family!”

“Imagine throwing a bright future away for a Sea Clan filly whose head is full of arts and crafts,” Comet Tail said.

“He only had to throw anything away because of how ponies like you reacted!” Waterfire shouted.

Razzaroo leapt back as streaks of fire appeared around him. To her horror, the flames caught on her saddlebag. She immediately rolled on it to put it out. She gingerly looked inside. Her notebook was scorched! Whole pages were illegible! The map was damaged as well. A few tears leaked from her eyes.

The fires around Waterfire disappeared, and he bolted out of the building.

* * *

Wondermint had spent the second half of the lecture filled with worry for Star Dasher. She had almost left to go after her, but she didn’t want to cause an even bigger scene. Now that the lecture was over, she rushed out the door and took a look around. She didn’t see Star Dasher in the grounds outside the tower. She wasn’t sure which way Star might have gone, and she couldn’t speak Riverine to ask ponies where a running purple jewel pony might have gone.

So what could she do? If she picked a direction and left, she could miss Star. It was possible that Star was going back to Waterfire’s house. Wonder wouldn’t be able to catch up with her, if that was the case. Did Star even know the way back? Wonder wasn’t sure if she could remember, herself. No point in trying and getting lost, then. Star could be wandering the city, but Wonder didn’t like the odds of just randomly bumping into her on the street. So her best chance at finding Star was to hope she would come back here.

Maybe she could help that process along? She sat on a bench in the middle of the grounds and took the accordion off her back. “Sapphire Shores’ Silver Sonata” seemed like the right mood. Hopefully she could remember it… She stuck her forehooves into the rotary slots at each end that selected the notes, and she started to play. It was an enchanting, melancholy song. Wonder didn’t maintain a lot of awareness of her surroundings while playing. Her soul was absorbed into the accordion and the music, her mind focused on the technical side and her gem engaged in the emotions the music portrayed. Still, she managed to notice after a few minutes when a purple pony lay in front of her on the stone and attentively listened. Wonder finished the verse she was on and stopped the song.

“Hey, Star,” she said. “Are you okay?” She noticed that ponies around the square had stopped to stare at her, but not in a warm, appreciative sort of way. When she looked at them, they turned their gaze and hurried along.

“No,” Star said flatly.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Wonder said.

“You saw what happened.”

“Yeah. I just want to know what’s specifically bothering you, so I can try to help.” Wonder felt great concern for Star. It contrasted to her normally carefree attitude. Her mind went back to the journey to the Castle of Rainbows, where Star had comforted Wonder after she had slipped and almost fallen down a waterfall. Maybe she could comfort Star and return the favor?

“I feel embarrassed,” Star said with a sniffle. “And I feel like I can never show my face to Comet Tail again.”

“Well, you don’t have to, then,” Wonder said. “If we interact with her again, you don’t have to get involved.”

“But without her, how will I ever get into the Castle of Family?”

“Sh, shh… you’re thinking too far ahead. As long as Kimono and Waterfire get in, they can tell us what’s in the library there. And honestly, we learned more about the past from Aquamarine than we had from anywhere else. Don’t worry about it.”

“But… why can’t I sit still and listen?” Star said. “Is something wrong with me?”

“You’re sitting still and listening now,” Wonder said.

“This isn’t the same.”

“Maybe not. But there’s nothing wrong with you. Maybe university lectures about gravitational and mathematical principles aren’t your forte. But there are lots of other things we—I love about you.” Star looked up at Wonder’s wording. What Wonder had said in the tent that night was true: She thought Star was cute. Sure, she found lots of ponies physically attractive. Star was on that list, with her glossy purple coat and her athletic build. But there was something else. Wonder liked her personality. “You’re the fastest and strongest of us, but you’re always willing to wait for or help us weaker ponies. Plus, you’re really brave. I haven’t forgotten how you comforted me at the waterfall. And the way you’re always willing to try new things without fear or hesitation—I love that. I admire that. You’re wonderful.”

“Really?” Star said, starry-eyed. “You admire me?”

“Of course I do!” Wonder said, jumping off the bench. “Why don’t you stand up?” Star did so with a sniffle. Wonder nuzzled her cheek warmly. It felt so nice…

Wonder remembered Star’s crush on her. How much did she reciprocate, really? In that moment, it felt like a lot. But there was also January Joy. Wonder really liked January Joy. What to do?

Wonder pulled back. Star was smiling. “Let’s find the others and discuss what to do next,” Wonder said. Star nodded. They returned to the tower, but before they could enter, Waterfire came barreling out of the door. “Waterfire, where are you going?” Wonder said. He ran past them, looking every bit as distressed as Star had been half an hour ago. “Not again…”

“I’ll follow him,” Star said. “Let’s meet back at his parents’ house.”

* * *

The group separated into a long chain as they followed Waterfire back to his home. Each pony stayed in sight of the pony in front of them in this flat landscape. Razz was in the back, walking slowly and without purpose. Silly Lilly had flown back a few times to check on her, apparently forgetting their previous conversations. “Are you okay?” he said again.

Razz shrugged. “Were you hurt by Waterfire’s magic?” Silly asked.

Razz hesitated. Her body wasn’t damaged. Just her most valued possession. “No, no, no,” she said. “I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Silly said. He buzzed alongside Razz for a while before landing on her back.

At last Razz arrived at Waterfire’s house. Her thoughts turned to him. She was feeling mopey about her notebook, but he was probably pretty upset, too. She entered the house and saw Waterfire in the bedroom, lying stomach-down on a mat on the floor. “I’m not upset at you,” Razz said at the doorway of the room. “It wasn’t your fault. It was just an accident.” At least, so she assumed. Waterfire didn’t respond, but his ear flicked, so at least he heard. With that, Razz stepped out of the house and to her tent. She put down her saddlebag and crawled into her sleeping bag.

Reaching over, she looked through her saddlebag again. It had a hole in it and would need to be replaced. That wasn’t catastrophic. But the notebook… The fire had hit the front cover. It and several of the front pages were completely incinerated. After that were more scorched pages, which Razz carefully flipped through. The text wasn’t legible until they were on the journey from Joyville to Unicornia. Even after that, the top right corner of every sheet was burnt until the empty pages. Months of her notes were gone. It would take her weeks to record it all again, and there was no way she could remember everything. The damage to their ancient map from the Ponyville castle was the bitter icing on this metaphorical cake.

She heard hoofsteps outside her tent. “Razzaroo, can we talk?” It was Kimono.

“Yes,” Razz said unenthusiastically.

Kimono opened the door of Razz’s tent. “Silly told me what happened. How’s your notebook?”

“Scorched. It’s all illegible until a few weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry that happened.” Her eyes settled on the scorched map on the tent floor. “Don’t worry about the map. Aurora Mist was going to take us to the Castle of Kindness. And if not, we can find a new one in one of the cities.”

“It’ll take me weeks to write all my notes again. And there’s no way I can remember every detail. It won’t be the same.”

“It’s a loss, to be sure.” Kimono hesitated. “But you know you’re worth more than just your notebook, right?”

Razz mumbled, “Notetaking is the only thing I’m good at,” but she wasn’t sure if Kimono heard.

“I’m afraid you’ve been defining your value by the things you have or don’t have, rather than by the things you are,” Kimono said, voice full of concern. “Your notebook, the party business in Ponyville. You’ve been too hard on yourself. Everypony in our group adores you for who you are. Your charm, your optimism, your organizational skills. None of those are dependent on whether your notebook is intact.”

Razz hesitated. Kimono’s words couldn’t instantly change her mood, but she saw what Kimono was saying. “Uh, thanks,” she said. “We’ll just have to go into town and get a new saddlebag and notebook—oh, we can’t get stuff from town! Not without Waterfire. How is he?”

* * *

Star Dasher and Wondermint were out gardening with Waterfire and his parents. They had time, and it seemed like Sunrise had insisted on him coming out to help. Waterfire hadn’t said anything after interpreting Sunrise’s instructions. Wonder had tried to make small talk with Waterfire’s parents a couple of times, but he wouldn’t interpret. Star wasn’t quite sure what to do next, besides garden to show gratitude for their hosts. They all had conical straw hats, which made the blazing sun more tolerable. They were digging up deep-rooted weeds.

After a while, Seaspray started to sing. Star thought it was in Cantor. She didn’t know much about music, but it sounded to be in some strange, foreign key. Seaspray’s voice was rich and fey, like no kind of music Star had heard before. Seaspray finished singing words after a few verses, but she continued humming the tune. “What’s that song about?” Wonder said.

Seaspray spoke to Waterfire. It sounded like they were arguing for a bit, then Waterfire said, “It’z about Aquaria.”

“Why is it so sad?” Wonder said.

Waterfire seemed reluctant to interpret, but his mother prodded him again. They exchanged a few lines and Waterfire said, “Aquaria was her home. And now it’z not.”

“I’ve been wondering, why do you three live out here by yourselves?” Wonder said.

“We have to talk about thiz?” Waterfire said.

“If Seaspray wants to,” Wonder responded.

Waterfire reluctantly interpreted again. This time Sunrise responded. “To understand that, you’ll have to hear our family’s whole ztory. It’z a long tale, and a bit zad. But we’ll tell it if you want.”

“Yes, please,” Wonder said. “We have time, and you’ve been such gracious hosts. We would be honored.”

Waterfire looked unhappy about this, but he didn’t resist his parents further. Seaspray spoke, and Waterfire interpreted. “I was born in Aquaria—Zeazpray, not me, Waterfire. Zunrise was born in Aztral Zity. We were both pretty typical members of the Zea and Zun Clans. I was a zinger, and he was ztudying to be a meteorologizt.” That explained her enchanting voice. “Our ztory really begins on the beach near the Cazle of Family. I zwam up there zometimes to compose zongs away from the crowded zity.”

Sunrise spoke. “I had come to the Cazle of Family to do zome rezearch in the library. I had been ztuffed in there for hours, and I dezided to take a break and walk on the beach.”

Star pulled up another weed and said, “I noticed the beach was empty when we were there. It seemed like everypony walks to and from the castle without ever loitering on the island.”

Seaspray responded. “A good notize. Ponies like to ztick to their clans, here. Even inzide the Cazle of Family, they have it all zplit up zo the clans not have to meet.” Star remembered seeing curtains during their aerial view from the carriage. “Because of that, the beach was a good plaze for me to come and almozt always be alone.”

“As for me, thiz was my firzt time walking that beach,” Sunrise said. “Mozt of my rezearch was in Aztral Zity, but for one clazz I had to find zome hiztorical records from the Cazle of Family. Zo there I was, walking on the beach, when I heared a… zeleztial zound. I thinked for a moment that I had falled into a dream. It was coming from behind zome crezcent leaves, zo I quietly walked pazt them and…” Waterfire made a repulsed face and protested to Sunrise in their language. Was it Cantor or Riverine that they spoke at home? Seaspray was blushing the whole time.

Eventually Waterfire acceded and continued to interpret. “I zeed—zaw… a ziren. A beautiful blue mare lying halfway in the water, waves washing over her hair, bitz of zeaweed tangled in her tail. She was zinging with the zame magical voize you juzt heared. She was zo, ayy, charming and ztrange that I thinked she would lure me and drag me in the zea. But I wasn’t afraid, because I was too… dumb? Ztunned, with her beauty.”

Seaspray cut in. “I not heared him, and it was a while before I opened my eyes and zaw him. I ztopped zinging now, and I almozt jumped back into the zea to zwim home. But he called out ‘wait!’ in my language, Cantor. I zaw zomething in his eyes. He thinked I was beautiful. He admired me, even adored me. My mother always telled me to find a stallion that looked at me like that. Zo I waited. He introduzed himzelf. I holded back my name, at firzt. He telled me all about his rezearch. It was zomething about long-term climate trendz. I telled him my name, and he zuggezted that we should meet again zometime.”

Sunrise continued the story. “Zo we did. We keeped zgeduling times to meet on the beach. We falled in love. We both knowed that we shouldn’t. We dezided to tell the whole truth to our clans and try to plan a marriage. Nopony with authority would do the zeremony for uz. And without a marriage in the Cazle, we couldn’t get housing in either zity. But we loved each other, and they couldn’t ztop that. Zo we moved out here. We builded a houze, growed our own food, and raised our own child, Waterfire. That answers your queztion?”

Seaspray added something. Waterfire hesitated. “She zays that I’ve never been welcome in either city. My lookz remind them that I am mixed blood. And once I got my cutie mark and choosed my name, Waterfire, ponies dezided to interpret it as defiant. Ponies liked me even lezz onze I ztarted showing the elemental powerz of both clans without ever being trained. But my parentz aren’t trained in magic, zo they can’t help me control it.”

“Wait, there was one part I didn’t understand,” Star said. “You said you knew you shouldn’t fall in love. Why? It sounds like ponies aren’t happy that two clans would mix. What’s the big deal?”

Waterfire responded without interpreting it back to his parents. “You muzt be from far away. Here, everypony ztickz to their clan. They make it zound reasonable, zaying things like ‘loyalty to your family.’ But really, it’z juzt a tradition. There’s no reason. That’z juzt the way it is.”

“I’m sorry,” Wonder said. “That sounds awful. Maybe there’s something we can do to help. I want to talk to Kimono about this.”

Waterfire sniffed and said something to his parents. Their reply was short, and then Waterfire trotted away, crossing the stream and leaving the island. “I guess he needed a break,” Wonder said. “You three can finish this, right?” She gestured to the garden. It looked like Star was the only one who had kept working through the story. “I need to think. There must be something we can do to help Waterfire.”

“Uh, yeah, we got this,” Star said. It might take a while, but Waterfire’s troubles seemed more pressing. “Good luck.”

* * *

Waterfire trotted towards the castle’s island, tears streaming down his face. Having to translate that conversation had reminded him of all the things that were broken about his life. Previously he was just upset because he had offended Aquamarine and Comet Tail back to back. Now he remembered that it was all part of a larger problem that had been going on his whole life.

He arrived at the island and headed for the beach. He lay down at the water’s edge, letting a wave wash over him. He soaked in the sun and the sea, trying to forget his worries. But they wouldn’t leave him. He had no home. He was welcome nowhere. Everypony thought he was some little monster. And they were absolutely right.

After he had been there for a few minutes, watching the waves, he heard a small voice behind him. “Waterfire, you were crying.” He turned and saw Silly Lilly hovering.

“Leave me alone,” Waterfire snapped.

“When you’re crying is when you need others the most,” Silly said with simple confidence.

“I’m sorry that the first pony you met had to be me,” Waterfire said. “I hope you can find a translator who’s not useless. Maybe you could ask Comet Tail for help.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Silly said. “You’ve been a great help to us.”

“Comet Tail and Aquamarine have a lot of respect and authority in their cities,” Waterfire said. “You should get on their good sides if you want to be welcome in the cities and get an appointment in the Castle. Which means you shouldn’t be with me.”

“I bet Kimono will figure something out,” Silly said. “But whatever happens next, you aren’t useless.”

“It’s not just what happened today and yesterday,” Waterfire said. “I can’t control my powers. I can’t control my emotions. I’m not welcome anywhere. When I was younger, I thought if I studied languages I could go anywhere and be welcome. But I don’t belong anywhere. I have no home.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what that’s like. I have a home, and I feel like there’s a piece of me missing without it. That’s why I’m here. To figure out who I am besides just my friends, family, and town. At least you know that.”

“And who am I?” Waterfire said. “I’m just a little—”

“Don’t say anything mean about yourself!” Silly interrupted with surprising sharpness. “You’re a great translator. You’ve been incredibly generous with your time, food, and space. You’re an amazing pony.”

“I… thanks.”

“As for your powers, I was also born with magic that I never trained to use,” Silly said. “But Kimono knows how it works. Maybe she could help you. Or maybe even we could help each other?”

Waterfire looked at Silly, hovering above the waves, his wings glinting in the sunlight. His tiny eyes watched Waterfire eagerly. “Why… why are you so nice?” Waterfire said.

“Uh… am I?” Silly said.

“It seems like it.”

“Oh my glitter, maybe that’s part of who I am! Thanks for pointing that out.”

“Wait, what are your powers?” Waterfire said. Silly flew to the dry sand. He pranced over an area, and a patch of grass sprang up before Waterfire’s eyes. “Huwah, you created that?” Waterfire gawked.

“No, the seeds were there,” Silly said. There was similar grass elsewhere along the beach. “But I helped it grow.”

Waterfire stood up and walked over. He nibbled off a few blades. Yes, it was real grass. “That’s cool.” Waterfire looked back towards his family’s tiny island. “I guess I should get over my fit and go back home.”

“We’ll figure everything out,” Silly said. “Don’t worry.”

When they arrived, Kimono, Wondermint, Razzaroo, and Star Dasher were all outside, sitting and talking. “There you are,” Razzaroo said. “We were just talking about you.”

That was rarely a good thing to hear, in Waterfire’s experience. “Oh?” he said, stepping back.

“Kimono thinks if we wait here for another few days, she can learn enough Cantor to communicate with Aquamarine,” Wondermint said. “She thinks she could persuade Aquamarine to forgive you.”

“I doubt she’d hold onto a grudge; you are still a child, after all,” Kimono said. “And I’ll inform her that I intend to teach you how to control your powers. If you’re willing to learn.”

“Of course,” Waterfire said.

“We can all talk with Comet Tail,” Wondermint said. “I haven’t figured out who should lead, though. Kimono hasn’t even met her.”

“Razz really hit it off with Comet Tail,” Silly said.

“Is that so?” Kimono said.

“Yes yes yes!” Razzaroo said. “Her lecture was so interesting.”

“Well, then, you can talk to Comet Tail first while I continue to learn Cantor,” Kimono said. “But we’ll only go forward if you want to, Waterfire.”

“Of course I want to!” Waterfire said.

“This will only work if you hold back any outbursts against Comet Tail or Aquamarine,” Kimono said. “It’d be best if you keep your anger in check in general. And if you can sincerely apologize to them yourself, should you get through to them.”

Waterfire wanted to object. They owed an apology to him as much as the other way around. But maybe he needed to make the first move. “I, I understand,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

Wondermint, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly walked—or flew—down a hallway in Solar University, the same campus with the observatory tower and the Orrery. Waterfire followed them reluctantly. Razz had suggested visiting Comet Tail’s office rather than talking to her after a lecture, hoping to get a more private setting. Wonder wasn’t certain if Comet Tail would see them, as they weren’t students. But they had all agreed to let Razz lead on reconciling Comet Tail and Waterfire, so the four of them approached her office. The door was open. Razz knocked at the frame.

“Oh, Razzaroo,” Comet Tail said. “I was wondering if I’d see you again. Come in.” Wondermint and Silly Lilly followed her, but Waterfire hung back. “I have something I’d like to give you.” Comet searched the drawers of her desk and pulled out a notebook. She passed it to Razz.

“This is for me?” Razz said, amazed.

“Yes, I felt bad after provoking Waterfire,” Comet said. “So I got this at a bookshop, in case you came back.” Wonder glanced over at the door. Waterfire wasn’t visible from here, but he must have heard that.

“Thank you,” Razz said. “I came to talk to you about just that. I want to tell you that Waterfire is sorry for yelling at you and losing control of his powers.”

“If he’s apologized to you, then it’s in the past,” Comet said. “He didn’t hurt me.”

“Well, yes… but no,” Razz said. “There’s clearly some tension between you two, and I’d like to help fix it.”

“I’m afraid that’s beyond your power. It doesn’t involve you.” Waterfire stepped into the room. “Oh, you’re here,” Comet said unenthusiastically.

“I am zorry,” Waterfire said. “I juzt want to be welcome here.”

“I’m sorry for insulting you. I never should have brought up your parents the way I did.”

An awkward silence filled the room. It didn’t seem that anything had been resolved. “You don’t seem too happy with him, though,” Silly said.

“I believe this conservation is done,” Comet said.

Wondermint felt that they needed to do more, and Razz seemed at a loss for words. It was time for a little improv. What did Comet want? She loved science; Wonder had gotten that during the lecture. She was dismissive of those who didn’t want to learn. “He’s a good student, you know!” Wonder blurted. Comet looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “He’s never been to school, but he knows so much. He learned Cantor and Riverine from his parents, and he learned Ponish and a couple of other languages all by himself. And he’s not even an adult yet. Imagine that level of internal motivation to learn for learning’s sake. Language may not be science, but I don’t see why it should count for less.”

Comet paused. “An astute observation, Wondermint. Thank you.” She hesitated and looked at Waterfire. “If you truly are interested in learning, you are welcome to use the library, the Orrery, the observatory, and any other resources on this campus.”

“Thank you,” Waterfire said. Yes, that feels better, Wondermint thought.

“Was there anything else you wanted?” Comet said.

“I think that’s all,” Razz said. “Thank you.” They nodded, as ponies often did here, and left. “That went pretty well,” Razz said. “She even apologized to Waterfire. We didn’t ask for that.”

“And she said he’s welcome on campus,” Wonder said. “Now we can only hope that Kimono gets through to Aquamarine.”

* * *

Kimono passed through the air bubble into Aquaria. The air stopped flowing through the magic sea star over her face. She pulled it off and took a gasping breath. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to that. Star Dasher and Wondermint followed her, their hair already magically dry, and they put their stars in the water basin.

The other two had come for moral support, but they hardly spoke a word of Cantor. It all fell on Kimono. She had spent a week learning as much Cantor as she could, both from the dictionary and Waterfire’s family. Given how potentially dangerous Waterfire’s powers were in Aquaria, Kimono had decided it best that he not come at all for this first attempt at apologizing to Aquamarine. If she wanted an apology from Waterfire himself, she would get it after Kimono had cleared the air between them as best as she could.

The three of them returned to the plaza where they had first met Aquamarine. Unfortunately, she was not there. However, Kimono suspected that she came here often, as it was a central location from which to observe by far the biggest air bubble that Aquamarine had to maintain. It wasn’t long before Star and Wonder excused themselves to explore the city. Kimono locked her legs and closed her eyes to meditate. The plaza was busy but somehow still peaceful. Underwater, the lighting and air seemed subdued. Ponies here weren’t in a hurry. They liked to stop and think. Kimono wasn’t so badly out of place.

She felt Aquamarine’s presence enter the plaza. Kimono looked and said, “Good afternoon, Aquamarine,” in Cantor.

Aquamarine responded in Cantor. Kimono had to guess her meaning, recalling everything she had tried to memorize. She took Aquamarine’s meaning to be, “I didn’t know you spoke Cantor.”

“I learned this week,” Kimono tried to say, although she knew she had done the brief nicker sound in the word for “week” wrong.

Aquamarine’s next sentence was more difficult. Kimono heard the words for “come,” “home,” and “magic.” Kimono nodded and said, “I wanted to… do magic with you.”

“Come,” Aquamarine said, walking towards her house. She asked a question. Kimono thought it meant, “Where are your friends?”

“Star Dasher and Wondermint are… in town,” Kimono said. She didn’t try to translate their names.

They went through an alley to the small stone court outside Aquamarine’s house. Aquamarine said something, which Kimono understood to mean, “I want to see what you can do.”

Kimono hoped this wasn’t about to turn into a competition. She wanted to gain Aquamarine’s trust before bringing up Waterfire. She closed her eyes and felt the air around her. It was different from the air on the surface. More purified, probably filtered out of the water. She reached out with her thoughts and moved the air in a little vortex between her and Aquamarine.

Before Kimono let it dispel, she felt Aquamarine reaching out with her own magic. Kimono opened her eyes to watch her. Water lifted from the water gardens and joined the vortex. It sprayed around and became foamy. Then, as the two ponies felt each other’s mental presence and became united in purpose, the water and air united into a vortex of mist. Then it flowed around the courtyard, making playful tendrils and waves. Next it coalesced into a shape. It took the form of a pony. His conical hat and the goggles around his neck were familiar. His face was recognizable; they had made Waterfire.

The water rushed back to the gardens, and Aquamarine said something. Kimono didn’t understand the words, but she felt that Aquamarine had learned that the true purpose of her visit was to talk about Waterfire.

“I want to say sorry for Waterfire,” Kimono said, laboring through the words. “He is sorry. I will teach him to… use his magic. Safe… safely. He is not a bad colt. He is… alone. He wants to be welcome here.” Kimono was certain that her grammar was atrocious.

Waterfire said nothing at first. Aquamarine searched Kimono with her solid blue eyes. It was hard to tell where she was looking with no pupils, but Kimono got the impression that Aquamarine was searching Kimono’s soul. She was evaluating the merit of Kimono’s word and the strength of her character.

Aquamarine said a short phrase that Kimono didn’t understand. This was followed by, “He is welcome in Aquaria.” Kimono sighed in relief.

* * *

Wondermint and Star Dasher came looking for Kimono in the plaza where they had met Aquamarine the first time. They had spent a lovely couple of hours exploring this beautiful city. Fortunately, Kimono was waiting for them. “How did it go?” Star said.

“Rather well,” Kimono responded. “She said that Waterfire is welcome in Aquaria.”

“Great!” Star said. “So… what now? We still want to get into the Castle of Family, right?”

“I’ve been thinking…” Wonder said. “Yes, I’ve been known to do that from time to time. While Kimono was cramming an entire language into her head, I thunk a thought. I thunk that we can do more.”

“I’m listening,” Kimono said.

“We didn’t really address the core problem, which is the contempt that the Sun Clan and the Sea Clan have for each other,” Wonder said. “Waterfire struggled to fit in because of it. His parents are practically exiled from their hometowns because of it.”

“Yes, it’s a problem,” Kimono said. “But what can we do?”

“You two have noticed, surely, the passion that ponies have for art down here?”

“Of course,” Kimono said. Star nodded.

“Razz and Silly could tell you how much they love science up in Astral City. That’s the common ground; they both have a passion for something, and I think they could learn to have respect for each other that way. Comet Tail warmed up to Waterfire when I pointed out his passion for languages. Imagine how she’d react to learn just how much the ponies here love their crafts. Or imagine Aurora Mist’s face when she sees the artistry of the Orrery.”

“Perhaps,” Kimono said thoughtfully. “How will we get them to see each other’s point of view?”

“Oh, we won’t,” Wonder said, smiling. “I know the perfect ponies for that.”

* * *

The next day, Waterfire went to Aquaria with his father, Sunrise, and Wondermint. Sunrise had been to Aquaria before, but not since Waterfire was old enough to remember. He looked around in amazement. They went towards the city center, looking for Aurora Mist. If Waterfire saw Aquamarine, he wanted to apologize, as well. “How are we going to find Aurora Mist?” Waterfire said. “The art festival isn’t until later this week.”

“I had an idea for that,” Wondermint said. She stopped at a street corner in a busy part of town and sat on a bench. “Last time this worked…” She had a harmonica hanging on her neck, and she raised it to her lips and started to play. Waterfire locked his legs to stand and listen, and soon a small crowd had gathered. Wondermint finished a song and started the next before a pale blue pegasus came swooping down. It was Aurora Mist.

Wondermint finished her second song to stomping applause. “Wondermint, it’s so nice to see you again!” Aurora said in Cantor. “And hello Waterfire.”

“Good morning, Aurora,” Wondermint said.

Aurora turned to Sunrise and said, “You’re new here, aren’t you?” Waterfire guessed she could tell that he was from the Sun Clan.

Sunrise responded in Cantor; it wasn’t his native language, but he had learned it well enough from Seaspray. “I came here a few times many years ago. But I’m practically new.”

“My name is Aurora Mist. It’s nice to meet you.”

“This is my father, Sunrise,” Waterfire said.

“So you’re the one who married Seaspray. Hmm… I miss her voice.” Aurora sounded wistful. That was better than hostile. “Would you like me to show you the town center? We’re holding an art festival there in two days.”

“Actually, we had something else in mind,” Waterfire said. He looked nervously at Wondermint, but she gestured for him to go ahead. Why couldn’t she do this? She and Aurora were instant friends, but she had insisted that Waterfire lead the conversation, as he was “the bridge between two worlds,” or something. “We were looking for you, because we know you love art, and we thought… you might like to see Astral City,” Waterfire said.

Aurora raised a confused eyebrow. This conversation was all in Cantor, so Wonder couldn’t jump in now. “There’s actually a lot of artistry there,” Waterfire continued. “They make their machines and instruments with great care. And you must see the Orrery. It is basically a giant piece of art, although they call it science.”

Aurora bit her lip, thinking. “Wondermint, have you been there?”

Waterfire translated, adding a bit of context. “Yes,” Wondermint responded.

“You’re an artist,” Aurora said. “A musician, granted, but a type of artist, with a good artistic eye. Is he right about this? Is there artistic merit in Astral City?”

After the translation, Wondermint said, “Definitely. But there’s so much more than just art! Their love for science is inspiring. You’ll see.”

“Well, then,” Aurora said. “Perhaps I can broaden my horizons. I will come and see Astral City.”

* * *

Aurora Mist seemed to have had a fun time in Astral City, but Wondermint didn’t think she had been properly blown away yet. She was sweating profusely, seemingly unable to handle the heat of the surface. The times Wondermint had gone, it had always been pleasantly cool in Aquaria. But Sunrise, who was leading their little tour, had saved the best for last. The sun was setting as they came up to the Observatory Tower on the Solar University campus. The golden light glittered off the copper dome at the top of the tower, which seemed to glow with its own, independent light now that the rest of the cityscape was in shade. They came up to rotating doors, and Sunrise proudly spoke in Cantor. Waterfire interpreted it for Wonder. “Welcome to the Orrery!”

Wonder did an extra round in the rotating door, of course, but after coming through, she saw Aurora looking starry-eyed. Her gaze swept over the various features of the Orrery—the slowly rotating planets, their lines of travel with inscriptions, and the constellations in the ceiling. The rhythmic movement of the clockwork created effortless, untiring music. Aurora spoke, and Waterfire interpreted. “I like to underztand art. What does it all mean?”

Sunrise happily dove into an explanation of the planets, moons, and comets represented by the Orrery. Waterfire struggled to keep up with interpretation, but Wonder didn’t really need it. She could see that Aurora was engaged in the moment, and that was what mattered. Maybe these two estranged clans really could be reconciled. Aurora asked a question. “What do the markings on the zeiling mean?”

“Those are conztellations,” Sunrise responded.

Aurora gasped. “They’re beautiful. We never zee the zky in Aquaria. When we do come up to the zurface, all we really notize is the zun and moon. I know zo little about the ztars and planetz.”

Sunrise smiled. “Would you like to zee them up close? Follow me!”

They took a lift to the top of the tower. It was a slow, noisy ride. “We zgeduled an appointment to use the observatory,” Sunrise said. They entered a door that opened up into a large room with a dome roof. A massive telescope sat in the center of the room, aimed upwards. Clockwork enabled it to move in any direction.

“What is thiz?” Aurora said.

Sunrise put his eye to the eyepiece and adjusted the telescope. “Hold on juzt a moment… There. Put your eye here, and you’ll zee.” Aurora looked into the telescope. “That’z the planet Manticore. Itz clouds, rings, and moons are visible. For zcale, the biggezt moon is about a quarter the… width of Ponyland.”

Aurora was silent for several minutes before she finally whispered something, which Waterfire interpreted as, “Thiz is incredible. Thiz is… I have no words. I… is thiz zience?”

“Yez,” Sunrise said. “Thiz is what we do here.”

Waterfire gasped after interpreting that. He leaned over to Wondermint and whispered, “He zaid ‘we.’ He hasn’t zaid that about the Zun Clan in years.”

Aurora spoke again, and Waterfire interpreted, “It’z beautiful.” Aurora pulled away from the telescope. Tears were in her eyes.

Wondermint’s curiosity was burning her up from the inside. “Do you mind if I take a peek?” she said. Waterfire interpreted for her, and the others stepped aside. She put her eye to the eyepiece. She saw a disk, or probably a sphere. Bands of color streaked across it, pale blue and white. Vortices of white swirled, reminding Wonder of storms. A magnificent, dark ring circled around the sphere, and numerous smaller spheres were visible in orbit around it. The planet dwarfed them by comparison.

The numbers of distance and size that Sunrise had said earlier had seemed impossibly large until Wonder saw it herself. But somehow she grasped the impossible scale of it, now that she saw it herself. She was looking at an entirely different world. She didn’t even know how big her own world was, really; a month ago, she had never left her tiny town of Joyville. This beautiful blue disk was so massive that Joyville probably wouldn’t be visible, even with this powerful telescope enlarging it to fill her whole vision. It made her feel tiny, but it also inspired her and filled her with energy. “Wow,” Wonder said. “Just wow.”

They all took turns looking at it, and then Sunrise took over and showed Aurora a few more things. Wonder was jealous that she didn’t get to see everything, but she understood why Aurora was the priority. Eventually their time was running out. “Thiz plaze is magical,” Aurora said. “Thank you zo much for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome,” Sunrise said. “I needed a reminder, myzelf.”

They heard a knock at the door. Comet Tail came in and looked at Sunrise in surprise. She spoke, and Waterfire interpreted, “Sunrise, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you here.”

“It’s good to be back,” Sunrise said.

Wonder and the others hadn’t talked about how to persuade Comet Tail to come to Aquaria yet, and probably the plan would have involved Razzaroo. But this opportunity was too serendipitous to refuse. Wonder nudged Waterfire and mumbled, “Invite her to Aquaria.”

Before Waterfire could make good on that, however, Aurora Mist spoke. It seemed that she and Comet Tail understood each other, so Waterfire was free to keep interpreting for Wonder. “These three have juzt finished showing me the zightz of Aztral Zity. And beyond, I zuppose. Your zity is wonderful!”

“I’m zo glad to hear it,” Waterfire interpreted for Comet.

At this point, Waterfire jumped in and Wonder lost her interpreter. He and Comet discussed something for a while. Sunrise and Aurora jumped in at points, and Wonder got the impression that all three were trying to convince Comet of something. At last, Waterfire turned to Wonder and said, “She’z agreed to visit the art feztival in Aquaria.”

* * *

Waterfire passed through the bubble into Aquaria. Wondermint, Seaspray, and Comet Tail were behind him. Seaspray helped Comet take off her sea star. Comet looked around with wide eyes. “This is incredible,” she said in Riverine. Waterfire interpreted for Wondermint. Comet stuck a hoof out of the bubble. “The pressure down here should force this air to compress, but it doesn’t feel that way. And if it’s not compressed, how did we not get decompression sickness when we came through?”

“Sadly, I don’t have the answers, besides magic,” Seaspray said.

“I’m also curious if these sea stars work that way naturally, or if ponies have changed them,” Comet continued.

“I’ve heard that ponies found them and bred them to be more effective,” Seaspray responded.

Comet marveled at the entrance to the city, then they continued on. Seaspray led them towards the plaza with the art festival. She stopped occasionally to point out the significance or certain statues or etchings in walls. The seahorse, said to have descended from sea ponies. An anemone etched onto a house door, symbolizing a safe place. Comet Tail seemed disinterested, unfortunately. She kept asking to press onwards to the art festival.

They arrived at the art festival. Seaspray showed Comet one stand after another, each one featuring a different style. Cubism, impressionism, surrealism, and so forth. Comet seemed politely interested, but she suddenly broke off from the group. Waterfire and the others followed her, surprised, and she stopped at a stand. The art here had detailed, almost anatomical sketches of sea creatures and vegetation. “What is that?” Comet said, pointing to one of the drawings. She switched to Cantor, which she was quite adept with, Waterfire had found.

“A sea lily,” the artist said. Waterfire didn’t know how to translate this, and he didn’t have time to explain as the conversation shot off.

“The detail in these drawings is impressive,” Comet said. “You have an eye for anatomy.”

“Thank you!” the artist said. “I believe that nature itself is the best artist. I’m not the only realist artist here, but the others are more focused on beautiful landscapes or portraits. My sketches don’t get a lot of appreciation here.” Indeed, Waterfire didn’t find them particularly beautiful. They looked like they belonged in a textbook.

“I see your point of view,” Comet said eagerly. “Biology is exquisite. It never occurred to me that an artist could capture that.”

“Finally, somepony who understands!” the artist exclaimed.

“Tell me more about this drawing,” Comet said. “Why did you pair these two creatures together?”

“These are actually two stages in the life cycle of the same organism, the violet tunicate…” Waterfire didn’t even hear all the conversation as he tried to keep up with translating for Wondermint. He didn’t have the words in Ponish to explain everything, and he didn’t even know what some of these words in Cantor meant. But Wondermint probably got the point that things were going well.

Eventually they wrapped up at the art festival. Comet was rather reserved with her emotions, so Waterfire couldn’t tell if she was blown away at the same level as Aurora Mist. On their way out, they ran headlong into Aquamarine. “Good afternoon,” she said, looking at Comet Tail.

Waterfire panicked about the idea of the two sternest ponies in his life meeting. He tried to cut between them, saying, “Hey, Aquamarine. We’re just finishing up here.”

Aquamarine paid him no heed and said to Comet Tail, “What brings you to Aquaria?”

“I came to visit the art festival,” Comet Tail said. “Seaspray has been showing me around.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Seaspray,” Aquamarine said.

“Thank you,” Seaspray said.

“My name is Aquamarine. I assume you came from Astral City?”

“Yes,” Comet said. “My name is Dr. Comet Tail.”

“What’s happening?” Wonder whispered to Waterfire.

“They’re either about to become best friends or worst enemies,” Waterfire said nervously. He missed part of the conversation, there. It sounded like Comet Tail had included her profession in her introduction.

“I maintain the bubble around the city,” Aquamarine said.

“Oh, how fortunate,” Comet said. Waterfire was trying to pick up on their moods, but their conversation was quite polite and dry. “I’ve been wondering about that bubble since I got here. Would you mind explaining to me some things about how it works?”

“What would you like to know?”

“My first question is about the pressure,” Comet Tail said. She and Aquamarine started discussing the details of how the bubble worked. Once again, Waterfire missed bits as he tried to keep Wondermint up to speed. Comet Tail was surprised to discover that the air was indeed pressurized down here. She had expected to notice it more. Seaspray interjected that it made a difference for breathing while singing. They were quite engaged in their conversation now. Waterfire hung back and kept Wondermint updated.

“This city is a marvel,” Comet Tail said. “Living underwater lets you experience a whole different world. The different perspectives in the art festival were impactful. Strangely enough, it reminded me of the annual science fair at Solar University.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Aquamarine said. “Aurora Mist told me how much she loved Astral City. Our clans have more in common than I thought.”

“Indeed,” Comet Tail said. “In fact, I’d like to suggest a combined fair displaying the greatest talents of both our cities.”

“And where better to hold it than the Castle of Family?” Aquamarine said. “That is what it’s supposed to be for, after all.”

Waterfire was astonished. “Wait, like for real?” he said. They looked at Waterfire, and he blushed immediately. Why had he said that?

“Of course, for real,” Comet said dryly. “I can pull the strings to make that happen on our end.”

“Aurora Mist is a respected artist,” Aquamarine said. “She can probably stoke up some enthusiasm for the idea. How long do you need to put everything together?”

“Probably about a month,” Comet Tail. “I’ll have to look at the university’s schedule to see what day would be best.”

Waterfire couldn’t believe his ears. His parents’ clans were going to hold a joint fair in the Castle of Family? This was the sort of stuff he dreamed about. “Huwah!” Waterfire yelped in elation. He pranced ecstatically. Flashes of sparks appeared at his hooves with each leap.

“Waterfire!” Aquamarine snapped.

Waterfire held still, front hooves crossed, blushing. “Sorry, I’m calm,” he said.

* * *

While the fair was organized, Waterfire insisted that the newcomers take advantage of the opportunity to study Cantor, as they would need it if they were going to travel farther north to the other castles and eventually to the Capital. Kimono also started teaching Waterfire to control his powers. Razzaroo spent many hours writing what she remembered from the burnt part of her notebook, and Comet Tail helped her get a new saddlebag from Astral City. Eventually, the day of the fair arrived. Waterfire’s family and guests were invited, at last giving them the opportunity to enter the Castle of Family.

They passed through the bright blue gates, Waterfire’s first time in years. Normally the courtyard was sectioned off by curtains, but for once it was all open. Crowds of ponies—Sun ponies with their warm colors and Sea ponies with their cool greens and blues—had gathered. Smells of seafood and the grain-dominated Astral cuisine filled Waterfire’s nostrils. Luckily, the sky was overcast, so the Sea ponies weren’t overheating.

Artists from Aquaria had set up their stands here in place of this week’s art festival. Sun ponies had posters displaying their research and little machines and devices they had brought with them.

Waterfire accompanied his friends from Ponyville and Joyville as they visited the various stands. He wasn’t paying too much attention to his interpretation duties, however, as he was trying to absorb what was happening around him. Ponies mostly stuck in groups of their own kind, but he noticed a few groups visiting the stands of the other clan. He even overheard a mixed-ethnicity conversation in Cantor, which Sun ponies often learned in school but rarely used unless they traveled. They had a long way to go, but this was the most united Waterfire had ever seen his parents’ clans. It was like a dream come true. It made him think about how they might extend friendship to the other clans that lived around here.

Waterfire’s friends went to the food stands for a snack, so he got a break with no interpretation. His heart skipped a beat when he turned and saw Comet Tail and Aquamarine approaching him. “Waterfire,” Aquamarine said in Cantor. “My friend, Comet Tail, mentioned that she had apologized for speaking poorly of your parents. I owe you an apology, too. I was wrong to treat you as I did. Not just the day you got upset and nearly collapsed the bubble. I’ve treated you as lesser for years. I’m sorry.” Waterfire’s cheeks blushed. Where had this come from?

“If she can do it, so can I,” Comet said in Riverine. “I’ve held a grudge against you and your parents for years. I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you.”

Waterfire didn’t know how to respond, or even in which language. “I… I…” he mumbled in Riverine, the language he had heard last. At last he put together a response in Cantor, the language they both spoke. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Comet nodded to him, then turned to Aquamarine. “Where to now?”

“Now that we’re near the food, I smell a scent I’ve never experienced before,” Aquamarine said. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s driving me ravenous.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had sourdough bread before!” Comet said. “We must rectify this!” The two of them trotted off, leaving Waterfire somewhat shocked. All the walls that he had been born on the wrong side of were coming down.

He shook his head and rejoined his friends from Ponyville and Joyville. They were talking among themselves in Ponish. “I’ll take a look at the library,” Kimono said. “But we’ve lingered here for quite some time, and I’d like to press on towards the Capital. Aquamarine’s story of the castles’ creation was fairly complete, but if there are more answers to be had on the collapse of the Empire, they’ll probably be at the Capital.”

“So you five are going soon?” Waterfire said.

“I think so,” Kimono said. “We should visit Aurora Mist’s stand and see if she’s still willing to take us to the Castle of Kindness.”

“I have to thank you all for doing so much good here,” Waterfire said. “This fair never would have happened without you working to unite everypony.”

“We wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without you,” Wondermint said. “Not just because you interpreted for us, but you showed us what makes both cities beautiful, and that was the key to bridging the gap.”

Waterfire wasn’t ready to say farewell to these ponies. He had barely started training with Kimono. Maybe he could persuade Aquamarine to train him? But years of hurts didn’t just disappear overnight. He wanted to see if this change of attitude would last before he got all cozy with ponies from Aquaria and Astral City only for them to turn against him again. “How are you going to communicate once you travel farther north?” Waterfire said. “You were lucky to meet two ponies here who speak Ponish, but it’s rare.”

Kimono fidgeted and said, “We’ll have to rely on the dictionary and what we’ve learned so far.”

Waterfire had lessons with Kimono, and while she was learning quickly, a month simply wasn’t enough time. She spoke well enough to pick up groceries, probably, but not a lot more. As for the others, Razz was the only one who was close to Kimono’s level, but she had a late start because at first she had worked to learn Riverine before switching to Cantor because Riverine wasn’t really spoken beyond the river delta. “What if I… ayy, came with you?” Waterfire said quietly.

“No, no, no, we couldn’t ask you to do that just for us,” Razz said. “You’ve been so generous to us already, and you have your own home and life.”

“Well… is that true?” Waterfire said. “I don’t really belong in either city, and my life has been basically growing or gathering food and learning languages in my spare time. Maybe now I can finally do something with that skill. I won’t miss home much, and we will come back eventually, right? I want to come with you.” He said that last part with conviction that surprised himself.

“We don’t know what we’ll find on the way, or even at the cities with the castles,” Kimono said. “It could be dangerous.”

This didn’t phase Waterfire. It maybe even made him a little excited. “I could help, if I learn to use my powers safely. Plus I’m a good swimmer, if you ever need that.”

“You could be gone for several months,” Kimono said.

“It won’t bother me,” Waterfire said.

Kimono sighed. “We won’t try to stop you coming if you want to.” The others nodded in agreement. “But you absolutely won’t come with us unless both your parents give you permission.”

Waterfire paused. He wasn’t sure how they would feel about this. They were here at the fair, but he figured he’d wait until they were home. “Before that, let’s ask Aurora Mist if she can come with us, and when,” Star Dasher said.

They headed to Aurora’s art stand. Wonder gestured at a painting and said, “That one’s new.” Waterfire interpreted for her. It was a watercolor painting of a blue circle with white streaks across it. A dark ring circled around it, and there were a few smaller gray circles here and there. Waterfire didn’t understand what it represented.

Aurora smiled and said, “I knew you’d notice.”

“It’s the planet, Manticore,” Wonder said.

“That was a lovely night,” Aurora said.

Kimono spoke in rough Cantor. “Thank you by help us. You… are very nice at us.”

Aurora gasped and said, “Oh, your Cantor has grown so much!” Waterfire interpreted this into Ponish, just in case.

Kimono stuttered for a moment, then switched to Ponish. “Would you still be willing to take us to the Castle of Kindness?”

After the interpretation, Aurora said, “Yes, I’ve been meaning to make a trip to visit my family there.”

“How soon could you be ready to set out?” Kimono said.

“Immediately,” Aurora said. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“You’re too kind!” Wonder said. She kissed Aurora’s cheeks.

“I suggest we leave at the end of the week,” Kimono said. “That should give me some time to look through the library.”

The others nodded in agreement.

* * *

“Absolutely not,” Seaspray said.

“What?” Waterfire said. “Won’t you at least consider—”

“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” Seaspray said. “You don’t know what’s out there or when you’ll come back.” Waterfire was trying to convince his parents to let him go with his friends to the three remaining castles. They had met in their bedroom with Kimono.

“But he’ll be with Kimono, Razzaroo, Wondermint, Star Dasher, and Silly Lilly,” Sunrise said. “They’ll take good care of him.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust them, but they don’t know what’s out there, either,” Seaspray said. “They’re still learning the language, too.”

“All the more reason to go,” Waterfire said. “I’ve never felt welcome here, and I’ve studied languages all my life. This is perfect for me. It’s almost like it was meant to be. I was the first pony who saw them land, remember?”

“But it looks like things are changing with the Sea and Sun Clans, now,” Seaspray said. “Don’t you want to be here for that?”

“Wounds don’t heal overnight,” Waterfire said. “If they’re still getting along when I get back, I’ll know I finally have a place to call home. But I don’t want to watch it fall apart, if things go bad. In fact, I could mess things up if I stick around.”

“This could be a great opportunity for him,” Sunrise said, “to learn to control his powers and to use his language skills.” It sounded like he was on board.

“This is crazy,” Seaspray said. “It’s so far. Nopony’s heard from Laughton or the Capital in ages. And how will you get back? Not all by yourself, surely?”

“I… don’t know,” Waterfire said. Aurora Mist was only going as far as Santa Amorosa, and the others’ homes were even farther north. He turned to Kimono. He wasn’t sure how well she was keeping up with the conversation, so he explained in Ponish.

Kimono paused. “Our homes are north of the capital. Yours is south. But we’ll make sure that at least one of us accompanies you back.”

Waterfire interpreted for her, and added, “There you go. I told you they’d look out for me.”

Seaspray looked at Kimono. “You’ve been wonderful guests, and you’ve done so much for our son and both of our cities. But taking care of a child is a huge responsibility. Especially since he forgets that he’s still a child.” Waterfire interpreted this reluctantly.

“I will protect him with my life,” Kimono said firmly. “We all will. And I will help him to control his magic.”

Seaspray hesitated, and tears welled up in her eyes. “I just… I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you, Waterfire. Stay safe, and go before I change my mind.” She reached to hug Waterfire, and she started sobbing. “I love you,” she said, choking. She ran out of the house.

“I love you, too!” Waterfire called after her.

“You’ll do great, son,” Sunrise said. “I believe in you. Mom does, too.”

“Thanks,” Waterfire said. He packed quickly, but Aurora wasn’t meeting them until the next day. He had one last night with his parents. They didn’t interact with the guests much. They reminisced on stories from Waterfire’s childhood. They sang a few of Seaspray’s old songs. They hugged and cried.

Morning came. Waterfire met Razzaroo, Kimono, Wondermint, Star Dasher, and Silly Lilly outside. Aurora Mist flew in a few minutes later. His parents came out to say goodbye again. After that, Wondermint said, “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

“I’m so stoked!” Waterfire said. “Let’s do this!”

The Seven Castles

by Peace Petal

The Castle of Happiness

The Castle of Rainbows

The Castle of Family