Archmage: Square One

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Chapter 11: Bumpy Ride

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The train rattled along, and while I enjoyed the first half hour or so, the rocking motion soon got to me. I developed a case of motion sickness once we descended out of the mountains surrounding Canterlot. Basil, of course, could care less. He forced me to focus on the books before us, pointing out key passages and equations.

Staring at a book like that was not the best thing for me. I dashed to the bathroom, emptying my stomach several times.

“You okay?” Goldy was waiting for me when I emerged. I could tell my coat was probably as green as Basil’s at that point.

“I forgot how much I hated trains…” I gave a thin whimper and let Goldy lead me to the nearest seat, curling up atop it pathetically.

“Makes me wonder how you ever made it from Trottingham to Canterlot in the first place.”

“I was fine back then, but now…” I laid a hoof over my muzzle, groaning again. “Its the damn books…”

“Yeah, well, those ‘damn books’ might just save your life. You, move.” Basil barged in, hopping up onto the seat opposite mine. “As we were saying before you dashed off, the inverted fifth arch on a-”

“Basil,” I groaned weakly. “I just threw up. Give me a moment.”

“Well excuse me.” He huffed, snapping the book shut. “Twilight asked me to come along to teach you. I can’t teach you if you don’t look at the book.”

“I don’t need to be teached right now. Go ‘way.”

“What, so you can dig yourself further into the hole?” He shot a glare at Goldy, who puffed up defensively.

“Y’know, Basil you ought to-”

“Stop it. Both of you.” I snapped, raising my head. “Goldy, give me some space so I don’t vomit on your mane, alright? Basil.” He opened his mouth, but I shut it with a quick glimmer of magic. “Shut the fuck up and leave me alone so I don’t purposefully vomit on your face. Oh stars,” I hardly got the last out before another wave of nausea passed over me. I might have voided lunch, but breakfast was intent on making a comeback. I dashed into the toilet just in time.

“Seriously,” I coughed, wiping my muzzle. “I hate trains.”

------

When I emerged from the bathroom, Goldy sat next to the bathroom. I offered her a weak, apologetic smile before curling up across the aisle from her. Basil was seated at the far end of the cabin, and I saw him shoot a withering glare my way before he returned his attention to the book on his lap.

“He seems… Angry.” Gold quipped.

“He’s fine, really.” I sighed and looked out of the window at the rolling hills. “He just… Hates the Apple Family.”

“Any particular reason?”

“I don’t know.” I admitted, shaking my head before looking back at Gold. “I wish I did, but I don’t. I really don’t. It seems he’s not alone, though. Twilight isn’t very keen on them either.”

“Well duh.” Gold rolled her eyes patronizingly. “We practically forced everypony out of Ponyville when we wanted to expand our mines. The Apple Family isn’t high on many ponies’ lists, but I’m okay with that.” She looked across the train cabin towards Basil. “I wonder why he isn’t…”

“Why don’t you go ask him?”

“I’d rather not get my head blasted off, thank you.” Goldy sighed, curling up on her seat. She looked across the aisle at me, her eyes glimmering a little. “Are you excited to get back home?”

“A little.” I admitted. There wasn’t much there for me as far as the past was concerned. My mom and dad, sure, but I didn’t have any childhood friends. There were a few acquaintances, and a few teachers at my old school, but none of them were so important to me that I’d be dancing with delight when I met them again. Mostly, I was just excited to get to work for Twilight. Investigating the new magic beyond the barrier she had erected was first on my list of priorities, and the first thing I’d be doing when I got to Trottingham was to visit the massive wall of magic keeping Trottingham safe from these Timberwolf attacks.

“Uh oh.” Gold snapped me out of my reverie, and I blinked at her before looking up the aisle. Basil approached, his face determined. “If you’ll excuse me, then.” My pegasus friend slipped off of her bench and through the door separating train cars. I was loathe to see her go, since it meant I was alone with Basil and his nauseating books.

“Good riddance.” Basil sniffed as Goldy transferred between cars, the sliding door closing out the sound of rushing wind and rattling chains in her wake. I glared up at Basil as he took the bench opposite me. He didn’t have any books, but his remark wasn’t exactly appreciated.

“What’s your problem with Goldy?” I asked, fighting another wave of vomit. I began to wonder if I had anything left.

“Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Unless you take into account the fact she’s a backstabbing, lying whore, then no, I’ve got no issue with her at all.”

“Basil,” I inhaled through my nose, feeling a headache come on. I tried to attribute it to the vomiting and not Basil’s incorrigible hatred, but I found that difficult. “This whole trip is going to be much more easier if you’ll tell me what your problem with her- and indeed the whole Apple Family - is before I strangle you.”

“That’s not a story I’m going to share any time soon.” Basil sighed. “Just know that I’m not terribly keen on having the Apple Family’s lead geologist following us to Trottingham. Heavens forbid they’ve already excavated Ponyville into nothing, now they’re going to mine your home town out from underneath itself.”

“They aren’t going to do any such thing, Basil, I assure you.”

“How would you know? You weren’t there for Ponyville.”

“And neither were you!” I snapped at him. “That was, what, over eight hundred years ago?!” We were drawing heads, so I lowered my tone, but I still glared at him. I spoke through clenched teeth. “Tell me what your issue is. Is it really because of what they did in Ponyville? Or is there something else stuck up your ass?”

“Oh hon,” He chuckled. “If only you knew the amount of things I’ve had in my ass… But that’s besides the point.” He glared at me, his eyes flashing dangerously. “My quarrel with the Apple Family is none of your business.”

“You’re making it my business when it’s my marefriend you’re mad-dogging every chance you get. Basil, I care for Goldy. And I’ll not have you two at each other’s throats the entire time we’re in Trottingham.”

“Fine.” He snarled. “Just keep her away from me, and I’ll stay away from her. You can have your time to go snuggle up with that snake, but I’ll not have anything to do with her. And heavens help her if I spot her on the street.”

“Basil! Fuck’s sake, man!” I stood up, glaring down at him. Forget the heads turning our way now, I wanted to get to the bottom of this. “You’re being ridiculous! It’s clear you hate Gold and her affiliation with the Apple Family, but you won’t tell me why! Don’t you think that’s just a little unreasonable?!”

“Unreasonable?!” Basil stood as well, the two of us squaring off. “What’s unreasonable is the Apple Family’s inherent back-stabbing! I don’t want her or anypony who’s pledged their loyalty to that family of traitors and thieves anywhere near me! My reasons are my own, and I’m not about to share them. You’re just going to have to deal with that!”

“And you’re just going to have to deal with her!” I stomped a hoof. “Goldy left everything behind to follow me to Trottingham, not unlike you did! Some empathy is due!”

“Hah!” Basil barked, baring his teeth at me. “There’s a joke; me, empathizing with someone from the Apple Family. Listen here, kiddo.” He stepped forwards, looming up in my vision. “I’m not going to stoop to that level. You keep Goldy and her family away from me, or I won’t be held accountable for my actions. Meanwhile, you need to buck up and learn what I’ve got to teach you. She might be here to play between your legs, but I’m here to keep those legs from being ripped apart. You tell me which one of those seems more important right now.”

“RRGH.” I saw red. Half of me almost blasted Basil right then and there. The other half stormed out of the cabin, following Gold further up the train. At least, I would have if she wasn’t waiting for me just inside the sliding doors.

“Oh. Goldy.” I stopped short, the haze of anger fading away. I felt weak in its absence. “Did, uuh… Did you hear any of that?”

“I did.” Goldy whimpered. I saw tears in her eyes. “He really hates me, doesn’t he?”

“Afraid so.” I sighed. “Well, maybe not you specifically, as a pony… But he does hate the Apple Family. I wish I knew why…”

“You and me both.” Goldy sighed, and I couldn’t help but step forward. We met in a hug, and I felt her shake in my hooves. I wanted to join her, to cry out my frustration, but some bigger part of me knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Instead, I stroked her mane until she calmed down enough to wipe away her tears.

“You’re not… You don’t agree with him, do you?”

“Hardly!” I barked a laugh, brushing her mane off of her face. “He’s obviously got something personal against the Apple Family. I have no reason to believe you or any of them are bad. Granted, what they did in the past seems kind of rude, but the Appaloosa Desert was cultivated shortly after Ponyville was excavated, wasn’t it? In the end, we got one of the most productive mines in Equestria’s history, and doubled what used to be Ponyville’s agricultural output.” I sighed softly.

“There are two sides to every situation, Goldy. This one is no exception. I can see why ponies think the Apple Family are evil for what they did in the past, but none of us can really know the whole situation, can we? It was over eight hundred years ago. Today, the Apple Mines produce the metal and gems we use to trade with the Griffons, and the old Appaloosa Desert grows just about all the food equestria needs. Maybe I can help Basil see all the good that’s come from this, instead of focusing on the negativity surrounding the mine’s inception.”

“Good luck with that.” Gold sighed, sniffing slightly. “I really want to know why he hates us so much… I know there are a lot of ponies who aren’t happy with what we did back then, but none of them are so… Forthcoming with their disapproval.”

“Just try not to be discouraged with him, okay?” I lifted Goldy’s eyes up to mine. “He’s a dick, and mean, and likely isn’t going to change any time soon.”

“Alright.” She smiled faintly. “I’ll let you do your thing. Meanwhile, I guess I’ll just have to… What’d he say, ‘play between your legs?’”

We both laughed together, and I couldn’t help but hug her again.

------

“Alright, Basil.” I slid up onto the bench opposite him. “Let’s pick up where we left off.”

“... Telling me to get over my grudge?”

“No, with the reading.” I gestured to the small stack of books he had on the seat. “I think I can stomach them now. The ride seems to have evened out, for now.”

“Alright then.” Basil pulled one book off of the stack and flipped it open. “Timberwolves are strange constructs of branches and leaves from their native forests. Typically, this would make them vulnerable to fire spells. But this forest between the griffon territories and Trottingham is a pine forest with an interesting characteristic. Have you ever heard about the Dragon Purge?”

“I… Can’t say I have…” I muttered, frowning down at the pages. “What was it?”

“Long, long ago, there was a massive threat to Equestria and the other lands in the form of these hulking behemoths called Wyrms. They emerged from the sea and burned down just about everything in their path. Including the area where Horseshoe Bay currently resides. Now, you might not have known this either, but the Princesses were responsible for the creation of Horseshoe Bay.”

“Was that because of the Wyrms?”

“Precisely.” Basil flipped his book around and turned a page, revealing a map. I frowned down at the landmass, wondering what it was, until Basil’s magic began tracing small, glowing lines across it. First was a U-shaped indent, leading in from the southern ocean.

“This area was once called the Blood Fields, home to the age-old conflicts between Equestria and the Griffons. Multiple territory wars were waged here until the land was barren and decimated. The extended conflicts had turned the whole area into pockets of destructive magic, mass graves, and wide swaths of burned and leveled forests. Historians speculate it was the bloodshed over the years that drew the Wyrms there. They emerged from the ocean and began burning everything. There were three of them, named Jormangund, Io, and Tiamat. Each dragon was larger than the whole of Canterlot, and resistant to magic. They walked across the landscape, burning wide swaths of land before them. Stunned, the griffons and Equestria stopped their quarreling in an attempt to stop the dragon’s destructive advance.

In doing so, the princesses devised the best solution. They couldn’t cast spells on the dragons themselves. They had lost many skilled unicorns in trying to do so. Instead, they created Horseshoe Bay.” Basil’s magic sparked as the U-shaped indent turned blue, wiping out the Blood Fields. I gasped as Equestria and the rest of the known world was thrown into relief. “The griffons were spared their home here, at the Eyrie, and in return, they cultivated these pine trees in the remaining area between here and Equestria, and used their own brand of magic to make the Timberwolves, ensuring nopony and no griffon could cross the forest uncontested.”

“I see.” I breathed. “That’s incredible… So, the princesses created Horsehoe Bay… But why is this important to the trees and the Timberwolf Territory?”

“Well, the fires from the dragons had reached far and wide, and they couldn’t be extinguished by normal means. Since the collapsing of Horseshoe bay - which plunged the three Wyrms into the sea - the fires were still burning. Rather than fight them, the griffons let them burn. But their enchanted fire sunk into the soil. Here,” He tapped the area north of the blue U-indent. “... was all burned away. But the new trees that grew did so being remarkably resistant to fire. Even a dried Timberwolf Pine will not burn, at least, not easily. It’s another reason why tracking through the forest is all but impossible. All of the firewood doesn’t burn, and visitors freeze in the night.”

“Wow.” I looked up from the map. “So we’re not going to use fire spells against these Timberwolves?”

“No. We’re not. The Timberwolves native to the Everfree are easily flammable, and were we headed that way we could easily dispatch them with a few Firestorm spells. But not these ones. So I’m going to teach you Force and Dispulsion spells. Instead of burning them, we’ll blast them apart, or dispel the magic that holds them together.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I grinned. “Where do we begin?”

------

Five hours and a few more dashing trips to the bathroom later, the train began its approach into Horsehoe Bay. I looked out over the sea, glimmering faintly in the late-evening sun. “Wow.” I had to admire its beauty. Furthermore, I had a greater appreciation for the massive expanse of water now that I knew the story behind its creation. I could hardly imagine such a massive wall of seawater rushing to fill in the gap created by the princesses. Large enough to engulf a dragon the size of Canterlot. Not just the castle, but the whole city. I began to wonder if the Wyrms were still in there, just beneath the frosty-white waves and deep blue expanses.

“It’s pretty.” Gold drew my from my reverie by sliding up onto the bench at my side.

“Yeah it is.” I glanced at her with a slight blush before returning my attention to the sea. “I wish I could stay, just to look at this for a while longer.”

“Would that we could. We’re transferring straight to Trottingham tonight.”

“Ugh. Another two hours of this ahead of us.” I grimaced as the train rocked again, picking up speed on its way down into the industrial city.

“But then you’ll be home.”

“Yeah, yeah…” I groaned. “Home sweet home.” Nevermind that my home was back in my small house in Canterlot, within walking distance from all the good libraries and… Yeah, libraries. I grimaced as the sea disappeared behind some trees, and I probably wouldn’t get a chance to see it again before the train arrived in the city proper. Instead, I turned to Goldy. “What have you been up to?”

“Nothing really, just chatting with Lotus and Breeze. Walked up and down the train a few times. I wish I could stretch my wings for a bit, but I don’t think I’d be able to catch up. This thing goes awfully fast downhill.”

“Well, the ride into Trottingham is all uphill, so no need to worry.” I smiled at her. “We’ll probably have a long break in the city before transferring trains anyways. Want to get something to eat?”

“That sounds nice. Want to invite Lotus and Breeze along, or make it a private affair?” Her smoldering look made me squirm a little, a blush rising to my cheeks.

“Let’s… See if they want to join us.” As much as I wanted to get some alone time with Goldy, I didn’t want to miss my train when we lost track of time. Gold just pouted and nudged me towards the next car up. “They’re near the front. C’mon.” We transferred between three more cars before arriving at the one with Lotus and Fair Breeze. They brightened as soon as they saw me, waving to beckon us over.

“There you are, Star! We were beginning to worry Basil had thrown you off.”

“If anything, it’d be me throwing him off.” I sighed. “But I didn’t want to get too far from that bathroom… I hate trains, and it seems they hate me equally as much.”

“Oh dear! That’s unfortunate. Are you okay?” Lotus laid a hoof on my knee with a concerned look.

“I’m fine, I assure you. Just motion sickness. Too much time on solid ground with my nose in a book, I suppose.” I looked between the two of them with a faint smile. “What have you two been up to?”

“Regretting not getting a sleeper car.” Lotus ‘harrumped’ and glared at Breeze.

“She’s frisky,” Breeze explained in a low tone. “Can’t keep it in until we reach Trottingham and find a place to stay.”

“I am not!”

“Your hooves have been wandering the whole ride.” Breeze rolled her eyes.

“Can you blame me?” Lotus pouted and ran her hooves down Breeze’s withers. “Having to sit next to this for five hours.”

“Easy there.” Breeze lifted both hooves off of her sides, setting them back in Lotus’ lap. “There are other ponies here.”

“Two of them. Right across from you.” I coughed. “We were going to ask if you two wanted to join us for dinner, but it seems you’re going to want to rent a room for an hour or two, huh?”

“Afraid so.” Breeze batted Lotus’ hoof away again. “She’s incorrigible when she gets like this. I hope we can find some place close to the station.”

“And you won’t miss the train to Trottingham. It’s the last one tonight, and the next one won’t run until after the weekend.” I frowned between them. “Just take it easy, you two, okay?”

“I promise, just a quickie.” Lotus winked. “Or five. Breeze can crank them out like no other.”

“Right then.” I glanced at Gold with a giddy grin. “Looks like we’re on our own for dinner.”

“Sure we can’t join them?” Gold met my eyes pleadingly. I just grinned deviously, watching as her blush crept up her cheeks. “Not join them, join them! Just… You know… Get a room ourselves?”

“Yeah well, I doubt you want to be making out with me when I’ve been… You know. Besides, if I don’t get something in me soon, I’m gonna pass out.”

“Fine.” Goldy sighed and rolled her eyes. “How long is the layover, anyways?”

“I’m not sure, we might not even have time.” I grimaced, looking across the way at Lotus, who had devolved into a girlish fit of giggles. “Is she… Okay?”

“She’s in heat.” Breeze grimaced, shoving Lotus away forcibly. That didn’t seem to dissuade her, though, as the other unicorn leaned in to nip at Breeze’s cutie mark. “She gets like this when it comes around, and I tell you it’s hard to say no. When are we pulling in?”

“Soon.” Gold gestured out of the window as a small smattering of buildings emerged from hills. “We’re on the outskirts, so ten, maybe fifteen minutes?”

“Too long.” Lotus panted, crawling on top of Breeze. “Can’t wait.”

“Easy there.” I lifted Lotus off and set her back in her seat. “I’ve never seen her like this. Then again, I only ever see her at the spa…”

“It doesn’t happen often. She chose a damn good time to do it. I might just get her liquored up so she can’t walk straight.”

“Does that work?” I mused, tapping my lip. I pushed Lotus back as her hooves began to wander again.

“It’s like, doubly effective when she gets like this. She’ll have one drink, start getting grabby. Two drinks, she’ll slur her words. By three, she’s on the floor, and by four she’s gone. Hey!”

“Whoops, sorry.” I grasped Lotus’ hoof and shoved it back against her side, since she’d managed to slide it between Breeze’s thighs. “Might be a more viable option than missing our train. We’ll see how long our layover is.”

“Here’s hoping it’s at least an hour or two.” Breeze grimaced as she shoved Lotus into the corner, keeping her mouth off of her flank.

------

“THREE DAYS?!” I blinked at the attendant in disbelief. “Why aren’t there any trains for three days?!”

“Th-the pass is snowed-in.” The attendant muttered. “We aren’t running any trains to Trottingham over the weekend, so we can’t take anypony. I-I’m sorry.”

“Star, relax.” Basil laid a hoof on my side. “We can’t do anything about it. Looks like we’re taking a bit of a detour, eh?”

“Ugh. Fine.” I turned from the counter with a sigh, tromping towards our veritable mountain of luggage. Lotus was busy trying to hop on Breeze, who seemed to have been cowed into a seething, rock-like silence.

“Any news? How long are we here?”

“Three days.” I grimaced, watching as everypony but Lotus gasped, their hooves shooting to their mouths. “The pass is snowed in, and no trains are going through until after the weekend. So we have three days to kill. please tell me you brought enough bits to afford hotel rooms?”

“Maybe…” Breeze grimaced, shrugging Lotus off to go shuffle through their bags. “I didn’t think we’d need that much. I can afford a room for Lotus and myself for maybe three days… Not sure about the rest of you.”

“Oh for the love of… Come on.” Gold grasped her luggage cart and trudged towards the attendants counter. I followed after, making sure Basil stayed behind with the feely Lotus and Breeze, who seemed about ready to clobber the touchy unicorn. As Gold approached the desk, she fished a sheet from one of her packs and slid it across the counter to him. “Please point us to the closest hotel.”

“Y-yes, Ma’am!” The attendant blustered for a moment before pulling a folded map from behind the desk. He unfolded it and began dictating directions. “We’re here, by the train tracks. The closest hotel is here, just up the street two blocks. There’s another one three blocks away, South of here.”

“The closer one is fine, thanks.”

“B-but, that’s the Hayton…”

“That’s fine. Thank you! Come on, Star. Go get the others. Oh, and we’re borrowing your luggage carts.”

“F-fine!” The attendant waved his hooves frantically. “Take them if you want! A-anything for the Apple Family!”

“What did you do?” I muttered to Goldy as she dragged her luggage towards the door.

“Let’s just say I might have a solution to our problem. I’d hate to do it, but we’ll see. Oh, and don’t let Basil know. He’ll throw a fit if he hears otherwise. I’ll head there now, you get Lotus under control and keep Basil in the dark.”

“Right.” I frowned as Goldy shoved out into the chill night, ushering in a blast of cold wind. I turned towards the rest of our entourage, still a little curious on what it was Goldy had planned specifically. Basil came along without much of a fight, but Lotus was intent on savaging Breeze right then and there. It took both Basil and I to reign her in, levitating the fussy unicorn ahead of us, and our luggage behind. We followed Gold’s shadow, about a block ahead of us, until it turned into what looked like a rather ritzy lobby.

When we arrived maybe five minutes behind her (thanks mostly in part to Lotus breaking free and pouncing on her wife,) we were greeted by four beaming stallions, each with a cart.

“We’ll take your things for you. Right this way, come on in.” They ushered us through the lobby, upstairs, and down a hallway.

“Hang on,” I managed to stop one of them. “Did Gold Nugget do all this?”

“She did indeed. We’re always glad to play host to the-”

“You say that name and I’ll break your neck.” I growled, shutting the stallion’s mouth with a firm field of magic. Basil was on the other side of the carts from me and being shown into his room by a markedly flirty stallion, but I didn’t want to risk it.

“Anyways…” The stallion muttered as I let him go. “We have three rooms. One for you and Miss Nugget, one for those two…” He glanced to the side as Lotus and Breeze disappeared into another room with a slammed door. “And one for… him.” The last door closed, locking Basil and one of the bellhops inside. I furrowed my brow before turning to the attendant with a serious look.

“That particular stallion hates the Apple Family with a passion. Please, do all that you can to keep any mention of them away from him. He’ll make things much more difficult if he finds out we’re here on their dime.”

“Aah, understood.” The attendant winked at me before pulling the cart with my luggage down the hall. “Your room is right here.” He stopped at the end, smiling warmly at me. “Miss Nugget is waiting inside.”

“Is she now…” I muttered, slipping inside. The moment I did, the door closed, and the lights flicked off. “What the… Okay, Goldy, you’d better not be-YOW!”

“Why hello there, beautiful.” Gold’s voice came from right around my hindquarters, where I was certain I’d just been licked. “Come here often?”

“Oh shut up.” I panted, trying to look at her over my withers. “You’re just as bad as Lotus.” As if on queue, I heard a very girlish and loud scream come from somewhere down the hall. “Well, okay, maybe not that bad…”

------

As it turns out, having Apple Family contacts wasn’t exactly a bad thing. All Goldy had to do to get us three rooms for three nights was promise to send a letter the morning after we arrived. Sure enough, as I awoke from my orgasm-induced coma, she was sitting at one of the room’s desks just across from the bed, a quill in her teeth.

“I could have written that for you.” I muttered, yawning as I slipped out of bed.

“I gotta practice anyways.” She set the quill in the inkwell and lifted the letter with a slight smile. “Looks good to me.”

“Lemme see.” I took the sheaf of parchment in my magic, looking over the written letter with a critical eye.

’Apple Seed,

I’m re-locating to Trottingham to prospect some more lucrative excavations. The Canterlot Preservation Society has been on my tail for five years, I think it’s time I move on to finding something more promising. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in Horseshoe Bay between trains, thanks to a snowed-in pass.

Please send compensation for three night’s stay and three rooms to the Hayton at 7800 Wheel Well RD. Be sure to include enough for room service, and an extra thanks for their help. I’ll mail you from Trottingham with my new address.

Sincerely,

-Golden Nugget’

“Huh. So you can do this sort of thing?” I passed the letter off, scratching my mane wearily.

“One of the perks.” Gold chuckled, rolling the parchment into a scroll, securing it with a small bit of twine from the desk. “I might get some flak for it, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Well, thank you.” I smiled, nuzzling her neck lovingly. “I guess we have two more days to relax, huh?”

“I dunno about you.” Gold growled, clamping her lips down on my ear. “But I’m gonna make you work.”

“Gold,” I whimpered, squirming as she began gnawing at me. “I’m exhausted… At least let me shower first.”

“Only if I can join. Then we ought to go see if Lotus and Breeze haven’t fucked one another into the hospital yet.”

------

Following the hot shower and another rough roll between the sheets (and another shower after that) Gold and I made our way down the hall. Once we knocked, Breeze answered promptly.

“Good morning, girls!” She beamed, ushering us inside. “Glad you came to visit. How are you?”

“Okay, it doesn’t SMELL like an all-night fuckfest in here.” I sniffed the air tentatively. “How did you two do last night?”

“We had a little fun, but before she could really get going, I discovered the minibar.” Breeze pointed to the bedstand with several bottles of empty liquor littered on it. “She’s been out like a light since.” Next to the bedstand was the bed, with one very asleep Lotus sprawled out atop it.

“Huh. Alright then. Well, we’re going to be staying here for a few days, it seems. You have Goldy to thanks.”

“I knew you’d pull through for us.” Breeze rubbed Goldy’s head with a hoof, grinning warmly. “Thanks a bunch, kiddo.”

“I’m only three years younger than you.” Goldy grumbled, punching Breeze playfully. “But you’re welcome.”

“So I assume we’re keeping Basil in the dark about all this?”

“Naturally.” I nodded, glancing back towards the door. “Then again, if we’re lucky he’ll be too busy with the wait staff to care who’s paying for his room.”

“With any luck. You two have any plans for breakfast?”

“Actually, no.” Gold and I shared a look before glancing at Lotus. “Can you leave her?”

“She’ll be out for at least another four hours.” Breeze chuckled. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

------

The next two and a half days spent in Horsehoe Bay were wonderful. Basil stayed cooped up in his room, only emerging to come fetch me so we could study for a few hours. Breeze and Lotus were much the same, though they did invite Goldy and I to go sightseeing a few times. The weather was clear, if remarkably cold, so we joined the two for a few dinner dates and one visit to the market. But the majority of the time was spent with Gold and I in bed, cuddling, talking, and doing unspeakable things to one another.

I came to learn a lot about my partner in our time together. She had a certain passion for books, especially trashy romances and fantasy novels. I had a certain affinity for those sorts of stories myself, but I also enjoyed things like spell manuals and histories. My tastes were a bit broader than Goldy’s, it would seem.

But more than that, I came to find that Gold was interested in writing her own stories. She had a hundred fanciful tales in that head of hers, and as we lay in bed, she told me her ideas for many of them. I began to like nothing more than laying by her side as she told me the latest story about the valiant hero overcoming adversaries, discovering ancient and old magics, and of course, getting the girl at the end.

She could also play the fiddle. If her word was to be believed, she was actually quite good at it, too. I wanted to hear her play, and maybe to have her teach me.

But I came to learn her fears, too. On our last night, Gold curled up to my chest, and she admitted the thing she was most afraid of.

“I don’t want to be ignored, Star. My parents hardly ever paid any attention to me. It didn’t matter what I did. Whether I excelled at school or I got into trouble, they couldn’t be bothered with me. Sure, they cooked me meals and gave me a room and furnished it and clothes when I needed them… But they hardly ever spoke to me. If they did, it was only to tell me they would be gone for another week, or something like that. My friends, too. I was kinda quiet in school, but no matter where I went, I was nothing more than a shadow to them.” She looked up at me, the tears spilling out of her eyes.

“Maybe it’s because I’m desperate for attention that I followed you to Trottingham, or maybe because I was afraid you’d forget about me, but… but I don’t want to be ignored, Star.”

“Goldy,” I whispered, kissing her tears away. “I don’t think I could ignore you if I tried.”

We made love again after that. But it was different from our usual affair. It was slow, and deliberate. Gone was the ravenous hunger from before, where we’d do everything we could to give and take from each other as we possibly could. Instead, it was replaced with an appreciation for the pony in my hooves. I came to a realization afterwards, with Gold slumbering on my chest, our legs tangled until I wasn’t sure whose was whose.

“I think I’m falling in love with you…”

------

“I hate trains.” I grumbled as we boarded the hissing behemoth in Horseshoe Bay.

“It’s only two hours, Star. We’ll be fine.” Goldy nudged my flank warmly. I grimaced back at her as I slid up onto a bench, close to the restroom. “I’ll see you when we get there.”

“For sure.” I snuck a quick kiss before she went to find a different seat. I needed to be near the bathroom for motion sickness, and Basil was intent on torturing me with more books on our short two-hour trip. Considering how many other travellers were intent on Trottingham after 3 days of no trains, we’d be packed in rather tight. Having Basil and Gold in the same room, let alone across from one another, was dangerous at best.

“Hey there.” Basil seemed happy as he sidled up next to me. “You look excited.”

“Yeah, staring at complex spell-forms while jostling myself up a mountain pass. I’m enthused.” Already, my stomach was feeling bad. Basil just chuckled and slid into the seat next to the window.

“Well I’ll be sure to give you a break every half-hour so you can look out the window.”

“Thanks.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose and nodded to him. “Let’s get started…”

“Two hours to Trottingham. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”