Archmage: Square One

------

Chapter 10: Full Stop

------

Following my duel with Basil, I was given the rest of the day off. It was still relatively early, so I made for home as quickly as possible in the hope of catching Golden Nugget. It seemed I needed to have a long discussion with my new partner; and I had to let her know she’d be coming with me to Trottingham. Some small part of my psyche was freaking out, praying that she’d agree to come with even after the discussion we were about to have, and the other half was worried she’d figure out it was Twilight who asked me to let her come along, and not my own desire to have her by my side.

Granted, I did want her by my side, it just felt like there was more than a few reasons now. I arrived home, shrugging out of my scarf with a faint blush. The winds were growing more and more vicious as December plodded onwards. I realized with a faint smile that I would actually be home for Hearths Warming Eve, to celebrate with my parents.

And maybe a few friends.

Nevertheless, Golden Nugget wasn’t anywhere I could readily see. I stood in my living room for a few moments, looking down at the couch where last night’s endeavours had taken place with a bit of a wistful smile. Then the sound came to me - a faint hissing, almost like water flowing through a pipe.

As my hearing adjusted, I realized my shower was running. ’Aha, so you didn’t go home yet.’ I grinned as I stealthily snuck my way upstairs, the sound of running water growing louder and louder as I went. Using it and a surreptitious spell to mask my hoof-falls, I slipped into the door.

Goldy was standing in my shower, her eyes closed as she turned her face up into the stream of water. She didn’t even see me. Grinning, I deposited my saddlebags inside the door and snuck across the tile floor, inching closer and closer. She didn’t even know I was there until my hooves rested on her back, right at the joint of her wings.

“H-heya, Star.” She gasped, almost as if expecting me. I began massaging the tight muscles where her wings met her back, an erogenous zone for any pegasus. She plopped onto her haunches almost immediately, her mouth open as she began panting.

“Hey yourself.” I teased, leaning in to nip at her ear. She quivered at that, her tail thrashing the floor of the shower.

“I th-thought you’d be busy all day…?”

“I got the afternoon off,” I continued massaging, my lips moving down to her neck now. “Basil and I sparred once, and I actually won. He and Twilight had some things to discuss, so I got the day off…”

“Well I can’t say I’m not excited.” Gold turned her head back to me with a grin, her eyes dancing with excitement - or was it arousal? I honestly didn’t care.

“You’ve got me for the night, my little nugget.” I teased, squeezing and rubbing her wings some more. I watched as her tendons flexed, spreading her wings wide open in the steamy air. My own core began to heat at the sight of the traditional pegasus mating sign, and I licked my lips.

’We can talk about her Apple Family ties later… And I don’t care if she charges me a leg and a horn, I’m having this mare again.’

“D-d’you wanna move to bed?” She stuttered, panting again. I shook my head, leaning in to kiss the corded muscles gently.

“I think we’d best start off here, then see where we end up…”

------

After our bathroom (and kitchen) romp, Gold and I shared one more shower, just to rinse off the sweat and… other fluids. Wrapped up in towels with a pot of pasta boiling on the stove, we curled up on the couch together. Now that I had gotten that particularly nasty bit of business out of the way, I wanted a few answers. I pulled back to look Goldy in her eyes, my expression as serious as I could make it.

“I want to talk more about your relation with the Apple Family.”

“Aah.” Gold’s expression sobered immediately, and she shifted so that we could talk properly. “Ask away, Star. I’m an open book.”

“I know the Apple Family doesn’t have the most reputable of names, and several of them have been accused of… Charging for services.”

“You think I’m a whore?” Gold looked shocked. I waved a hoof frantically.

“N-no! But, you know… I heard when you work with them, you sign your life off… All of it.”

“Hardly.” Gold snorted derisively, her eyes closing for a moment. “The Apple Family isn’t bad, Star-”

“Said the lone advocate.”

“They’re just businessponies. They do what’s best for the family first, the business second, and themselves third. Granted, I wasn’t born into it, but I’m every bit as much a family member as any of Seed Spitter’s brothers, sisters, or extended family… Look,” She leveled a serious gaze at me. “Others are okay with signing contracts that allow them to basically become whores. I’m not okay with selling my body like that, let alone in the way they do.”

“Yeah, but Twilight said they could retroactively charge for-”

“Only if they sign that particular part of the contract. Look,” She shed her towel and flapped off of the couch, lighting by her own saddlebags at the door. I watched as she shuffled around a bit, but she emerged with a folder in her teeth. “Here.” She opened it on the coffee table, exposing what looked to be a rather official bit of paper. “This is the contract I’ve signed.”

“Do you carry this with you all the time?”

“I have to,” she grimaced. “whenever I conduct business with the Preservation Society or the other prospectors, our contracts are checked. Honestly, Twilight’s looked over my contract enough herself that she ought to know I’m not a glorified Apple Family hooker.”

“Oh. I see…” I frowned at the paper, noting that there were only two of them in the whole folder. One pledging her loyalty to the Apple Family, and another detailing the extent of her job and what clearances she needed. There was nothing about the Apple Family owning her body or what she did with it. I gave a soft sigh of relief before shutting the folder. Still, there was one other point that was bugging at me.

“Twilight also told me you were just a liaison between the Apple Family and Canterlot… She never knew you were the Apple Family’s chief geologist.”

“Aah… Well…” Gold blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I, uuh… May have lied about that much. I mean, yeah, I’m a liaison first and foremost… But I’m also their chief geologist…”

“Ah huh.” I deadpanned. “And I’m guessing your work hasn’t consisted chiefly of liaising the past five years.”

“Yeah, well… You know.” Her blush intensified. “We’re always looking for more potential mining operations…”

I stayed silent for a long while, staring at Golden Nugget as I mulled things over. ’I’m not very pleased she lied to Twilight, and the fact that she’s looking for more area to mine in Canterlot isn’t good, either. It seems like the balance between the Preservation Society and her contacts is tenuous at best… Twilight’s right, if they learned she was looking for more places to dig up, it’d be a mess. Now… She knows I’m upset with her… How can I convince her to follow me to Trottingham?’

“Gold,” I sighed, shutting my eyes to focus on what I had to say. “I don’t like that you’ve been lying to Twilight and the Preservation Society… But at least you told me the truth, and what’s more, you owned up to it immediately.” I opened my eyes again, a thin smile on my lips. “I appreciate your honesty, with me if not with everypony else.”

“Oh thank the stars,” Gold let a breath go, laying a hoof on her breast. “I was afraid you’d be angry at me.”

“Well, I’m certainly not pleased, that much is for certain.” I shook a hoof at her, as if I were scolding a filly half my age. “I’m not going to eject you from my life for it, either.” ’Easy, girlie… Walking a fine line here.’ I took a breath to steady myself. ’Moment of truth. Too much and she might suspect something. Too little and she’ll stay behind… I don’t want that, and neither does Twilight.’

“I want you to come with me to Trottingham, but I’m not going to make that a… a… I dunno, a requirement for us to stay together. If you want to stay behind, you’re welcome to…”

“No, no!” Gold perked up. “I want to come! Really, I do!”

“Are you sure…?” I arched an eyebrow. “I mean, I’ll be awfully busy… Who knows if we’ll even have any time together?”

“I don’t care,” She shook her head. “I’ll stay busy myself. And I’m sure I’ll at least see you around.” Her smile was genuine, enough that I was convinced she was telling the truth. “That’s more than enough reason to go…”

“Alright, then.” I sighed, opening a hoof towards her. “If you really want, you’re welcome to come to Trottingham with me.”

“Awwright!” She rushed into my hug, giggling like a schoolfilly. I mirrored her exuberance, our lips meeting for several deep, passionate kisses. “I promise,” She gasped between kissing me. “I won’t let you down… This is gonna be… Awesome!”

“Easy now,” I chuckled, lifting a hoof to press to her lips, if only to stem the tide of kissing before I lost all reason and took her on the couch then and there. “I’m still upset with you.”

“Aww,” She kissed my hoof, a teasing smile on her lips. “You’re not putting me in the doghouse, are you?”

’Fuck me, I’m a terrible mare...’

“Hardly,” With a groan, I pulled her up and onto the couch, straddling her with a grin. “I just think you’re due for some ‘punishment.’”

------

The last two days passed in the blink of an eye. Gold had to leave the morning after our latest discussion, as she had to report to her Apple Family contacts and begin packing her things. Basil sent a letter requesting more time with me, so he could learn where I was in my education and combat prowess. In the duels that followed, we reached two stalemates, I defeated him once, and he put me on the ground three times. The three defeats humbled me, letting me know I had a lot more to learn at his hooves than I’d originally thought.

Nevertheless, between my own packing, sparring, and catching up, I was standing on the train platform with hardly a thought about how I’d gotten there.

“Hey there, miss grim-and-dour.” Gold’s voice shook me from my reverie, and I smiled as she hauled a cart stacked with several suitcases towards me.

“Hey yourself. Sheesh, how much stuff are you bringing?”

“Most of it is prospecting gear.” She explained with a shrug. “Cartography equipment, shovels, picks, all that sort of stuff.”

“Ah huh. None of those, aah… ‘extra toys’ I’ve heard you mention?”

“Well…” Gold blushed, kicking the ground self-consciously. “Maybe one or two.”

“Oh you naughty thing.”

“Well hello, Basil.” I smiled as my new mentor entered the train platform. “You have a nasty habit of showing up at the most inopportune times.”

“Yeah, well, you say that when you catch Twilight and Luna with a stra-”

“Stray cat!” I cut him off, blushing furiously. “They’re all over the palace, and the two of them like to foster one now and then. Yeah.”

“Ah huh.” Basil winked at me before turning to Golden Nugget, his expression darkening a little. “And you must be Golden Nugget, liaison with the Apple Family.”

“I am indeed.” Gold lifted her head and offered a hoof. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure.” Basil deadpanned, turning back to me with a dark look. He left her hoof hanging between them, and I didn’t miss the wounded look on Goldy’s face. I very nearly scolded him, but another two members arrived at the far end of the platform.

“Lotus! Breeze, over here!” I waved them down, smiling as they turned their own carts our way. I was about to comment on the small amount of luggage between the two of them when another two carts appeared behind the first two, being pulled along by Lotus’ magic. “Need some help?” I abandoned Gold and Basil together to go help haul Lotus’ hefty load along.

“Thanks, darling.” Lotus released the carts with a gasp, fanning her face with a hoof. “Sixteen blocks with all of that… I’m bushed.”

“Well, it’s a long train ride.” I chuckled, looking over our party with careful eyes. Four mares, an eccentric stallion, eight carts of luggage, and no small amount of tension between the two ponies I felt closest to. “A really long train ride…”

“How are you, Star?” Breeze nudged my flank with a concerned look. I glanced at our little entourage as Basil and Lotus began chatting, and Gold went to go check her luggage.

“To be honest,” I leaned in. “I’m very nervous…”

“I can imagine. And it doesn’t look like your teacher and Goldy get along very well…”

“He has a thing against the Apple Family.” I sighed. “I hope it doesn’t develop any more than it already has… Gold’s actually really nice.”

“You don’t need to convince me,” Breeze chuckled. “She’s been a good friend to Lotus and I for a long while now.”

“Just don’t take her side immediately if there’s an argument between the two of them, okay?” I leaned in, glancing between Basil and Gold worriedly. “I’d really like to not alienate my one teacher.”

“No promises, love.” Breeze nudged me again. “But I’ll try.”

“So, are you excited to work with a new weather team?”

“Yeah, it’ll be pretty cool.” Breeze shifted into the new topic with a flap of her wings. “Trottingham’s air is pretty humid being so close to the sea, but it’s supposed to be really cold this time of year. I love the cold-weather flying, it really makes you feel like you’re moving fast. Things seem to stagnate a little in the heat.” She glanced towards Lotus with a slight frown. “Not so sure about her, though… Rumor has it there’s not much work for a spa pony in Trottingham.”

“I’m sure she’ll be just fine… Worst-case scenario, she can just open up her own spa, right?”

“For what, four months? Five? A year?” Breeze looked to me seriously. “How long are we going to be in Trottingham? For all we know, you’re going to take one step on the other side of that barrier and disappear forever.”

“Wow, okay, thanks for the vote of confidence.” I deadpanned at Breeze, narrowing my eyes. “Glad to know I’ve got such good friends at my side.”

“Hey, come on, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” Breeze frowned, sighing as she laid a hoof on my back. “I know you’re going to be fine, Star… But like Twilight said, even she doesn’t know what’s beyond that barrier. You might not stand a chance, or you could fix it in an instant.” She shrugged, glancing towards the train tracks. “Or you could take a century to figure out what it is.”

“Yeah, well,” I glowered at Breeze. “Nopony’s saying you had to come along…”

“I did.” Breeze responded soberly. “Because I want to be by Lotus. And you.”

“And nopony’s saying you have to stay, either.”

“Ah huh.” Breeze frowned at me before turning to Lotus. “Keep telling yourself that, Star. You’ll see someday that there’s a few good friends who’ve got your back.” She flapped over to her wife, leaving me alone with brooding thoughts. I was about to go over to Goldy when the train pulled into the station, whistling and steaming.

“All aboard for Manehattan, Baltimare, and Trottingham!” The conductor cried out as he slipped onto the train platform. I sighed and fetched my cart, loading my things onto the train somberly.

To my left, Basil and Gold started loading their own things, and I caught the first strains of an argument.

“Move your case.”

“You move yours, there’s plenty of room over on that side.”

“I meant move it further away from my stuff; I don’t want you anywhere near me. Who knows what you have in there. Probably a cannon or a flamethrower.”

“Hah! Please.” Gold snorted. “It’s prospecting gear.”

“Just as bad, then. Now budge.”

“Guys, please.” I looked over to them. “We don’t have long before the train leaves. It’s not like the case is going to level a forest or anything.”

“Fine.” Basil glowered between me and Gold before shoving his own case into the storage compartment.

’Oh I hope that’s not going to be a recurring fight...’

“C’mon, I’m sitting next to you.” Basil nudged me towards the boarding door. “We have some ground to cover,”

“Hey, no fair!” Gold grunted as she shoved the last of her things into the storage area. “I wanted to sit next to her.”

“Yeah, well, we have notes to cover. You can sit next to her on the way back.”

“That’s gonna be like… Forever from now!”

“Is it? Too bad. C’mon.” Basil insisted, nudging me more firmly.

“Look, we’ve got like, fourteen hours ahead of us.” I complained, boarding the train anyways. “Seven with you, seven with Goldy.”

“Fine, fine, whatever.” Basil shot a look over his withers. “Just don’t get to it on the seats, we didn’t rent a sleeper cabin.”

“Ugh.” I climbed into one of the benches, followed by Basil and a fair bit of papers, notes, and books. “Please tell me this isn’t going to be a regular thing, this hostility between you two.”

“Hey, I’m not being hostile,” Basil shrugged, even though he shot Gold a glare as she walked past towards her own seat. “Just keep her dirty hooves away from me and we’ll be fine.”

’Eeyup, it’s gonna be a REALLY long train ride...’