A loud knock at the door broke the relative silence of the early Saturday morning in the cottage. A few smaller animals scattered away and into their little cubby holes while Discord frowned in that direction while placing a couple plates of scrambled eggs on the table. “Alex, I think that colt from school might be paying you a visit. What was his name, Slugs?”

“Snails,” Alex corrected, sliding out of his chair. As it was a lazy weekend, he had opted for just a shirt and underwear. A choice he regretted when he opened the door and revealed Celestia. “...Oh, hi. Uh... I’m very underdressed.”

Celestia rolled her eyes and giggled softly. “You’re more covered than I am, Alex. I’m afraid I’m not here for a friendly family visit, however.” Her nostrils twitched a couple times, and a sad smile creased her features. “I’m here to ask you to accompany me to the deer town of Thicket, deep in the Everfree, so that I may introduce you to their keybearers and master. I do smell that you are still waking up and eating, however, so I think I can give you some time to get yourself set and ready to go.”

Alex stared at her. “Okay. So... do you wanna come in and wait or...?”

“I’d prefer not to intrude at this time, and I have my own little breakfast treat to enjoy while i wait for you.” Celestia took a couple steps back and away from the door before settling herself in place to wait. “Please, don’t feel that you need to rush. We don’t exactly have an appointment to keep.”

Giving her a thumbs up, Alex returned to the kitchen. “We have a princess on our porch,” he informed, retaking his seat. “She wants to take me to meet the deer.”

Fluttershy frowned and fluffed her wings. “I hope you have a better first impression than we did. It took me weeks to convince the animals that predators from the Everfree weren’t going to attack.”

“Hmm, I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s my old flame.” Discord smirked and snapped his fingers, causing a faint glow to appear on the walls. “That should give you a bit of extra time to enjoy the meal instead of just shoving it all in your mouth.” With his other hand he spooned a small mound of seasoned, fried potato bits onto Alex’s plate.

“Thanks.” Alex picked up his fork, digging in. “So... you don’t like deer?” he asked, glancing at Fluttershy. “That’s new, M-Shy.” He caught himself, his face heating up slightly. Calling Discord dad came naturally. But calling Shy Mom? It brought a lot of conflicting emotions to the forefront of his mind.

“It’s less that I don’t like the deer and more that I don’t like how much they upset my animal friends by doing what they did.” Fluttershy sucked on an orange slice for a few seconds before chewing it and swallowing as she considered her next words. “Wear something that you won’t mind getting damaged when you go. Even with Princess Celestia with you, there are many dangerous plants that could cause rips and tears.”

Discord leaned on the table, watching as the salt and pepper shakers sprouted legs. “Don’t let them push you around either,” he warned, motioning for the containers to further season their food. “They have an obnoxious self-righteous attitude about them.”

“Okay so... what did they do?” Alex questioned, waving off the pepper shaker. He could always use more salt though.

“They started expanding the Everfree towards Ponyville because some minotaur creep was cutting down trees over by Appleloosa. You know, basically doing the same thing here that was being done to them there rather than facing down the cause of their problem directly.” Discord called the pepper shaker over to him after Alex waved it off. “Of course, as I understand it, their king tried to shift all the blame onto Equestria.”

Chewing thoughtfully, Alex tapped his fingers on the table. Ah great. A whole race like Diamond Tiara. “Sounds like I’m in for a fun time.” Ugh. He couldn’t think like that. They couldn’t all be jerks.

Fluttershy gave him a quick wing hug. “Go on and eat, Alex. It sounds like you're going to need all the energy you can get.”

“I’ll fix up something for you to bring along for lunch while you get dressed, too. I suspect the deer probably wouldn’t have too many things you could eat without puking afterwards.” Discord smiled while an image of a couple thick burgers appeared above Fluttershy’s head briefly.

Savoring what had been the start of a lazy day, Alex finished his breakfast. Excusing himself, he went to get properly dressed. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a generic shirt, he glanced in the mirror. His reflection bothered him less and less as the weeks went on, a silent acceptance that this was who he was now.

Dragging himself away from the mirror, he returned downstairs. “I guess I’ll be back later then,” he said, stopping only to pull his new boots on. Despite her normal output, Rarity could produce some very hardy utility wear.

Discord handed him a copy of his backpack, slightly smaller, and bright red. “Here you go, Alex. Lunch, and dinner just in case you’re out late, and a bunch of random drink flavors, none of them intentionally disgusting. Celestia may teleport you, so there’s a couple vomit bags in case you react poorly.”

“And don’t forget your coat,” Fluttershy said, hovering at Discord’s shoulder. “It’s getting colder out and I don’t want you getting sick.”

Taking the backpack, he tested its weight. Finding it agreeable, Alex took the time to don his coat and gloves. “I teleport with you all the time. I think I have a pretty good stomach for it.” Hefting the backpack on, he walked to the door. “I’ll try not to be out too late.”

Celestia was simply sitting there sipping from a simple thermos and reading a newspaper while waiting, and the sound of the door opening and closing simply prompted her to roll up the paper while looking up. “Oh, well that was...quick...hmmm. Discord did something, didn’t he?”

“Probably.” Alex shrugged, taking a breath of the crisp autumn air. “I stopped asking about the little things.”

“Well, to me I’ve only been waiting about two minutes.” She shook her head and stood up, capping off her thermos and tucking it into a simple saddlebag that seemed to blend in with her coat. “I’m not going to question good fortune though, since this will mean we get to Thicket earlier. Follow me, please, and let me know if you have trouble keeping up. We need to be inside the Everfree for a bit.”

Falling in beside her, he found himself having to quicken his pace to match her long stride. “You’re lucky I jog with Rainbow. I think I’d be having trouble if I was still my original height.”

“How is that going, actually?” She turned her head back to look at Alex while she walked towards the treeline. “Lady Aqua mentioned that it took her some time to get used to, oh, how did she put it? Being so leggy? I’m probably remembering wrong, but being around you seems to be making my old memories more vivid.”

“Getting used to being short’s taken a while to get used to, but hey, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been so there's that.”

“And how are you adjusting to everything else?” She turned her head to face forward once more, and her pace slowed as they crossed the border into the shade of the forest. “You can talk to me about more personal matters, Alex. I am, perhaps, one of three individuals alive that know what you’re going through.”

Alex turned his attention to the forest, peering into its shaded domain. “I’d like to say that I’m doing okay but...” Shifting his backpack, he released a long sigh. “I think I’m going to see a professional for help. I’ve just been hung up on how to go about it.”

“What kind of help, Alex?” Celestia’s tone was polite while still being inquisitive. “I can tell you a few things to definitely not do, but I doubt any of those would be things Fluttershy would ever allow to begin with.”

“A mental health professional,” Alex explained, watching a squirrel leap between branches. “I care about Shy, Discord and Screwy a lot but I don’t know if I can word vomit all my problems on them.”

“You know that’s not what I meant, but if you’re not ready to open up about it to someone who would treat it like a state secret that’s fine.” She paused to look around through the trees and turned a bit to the right before moving deeper. “We’ve got about another fifteen minutes to walk before I can teleport us to Thicket, or at least within a mile of it.”

Alex sighed again, nodding his head. “I’m fine with that.” Biting his lip, he waited a bit in silence before speaking up again. “I don’t... I don’t think it’s about being female.”

“Oh? Funny, for me that was the most jarring part before I learned about the good sides of it.” Her wings fluttered for a moment, and a hand-sized blue spider fell off of her feathered appendage. “The fact that you think it’s not that means you’re already fifty years ahead of where I was at the end of my first year as a mare.”

Holding a hand up, he flexed his fingers. “I’m more bothered by not being... me...”

“But you are you, in mind if not in body.” She looked back once again, a calm smile on her face. “Some things might be a little different, but it’s your mind that makes you who you are.”

Frowning, Alex almost scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say. How would you react if you suddenly woke up as a minotaur with no way back?”

“Probably as poorly as I reacted to waking up as a mare the first time, only worse because I wouldn’t have any of the same abilities as a minotaur, and who knows what would happen to the sun as a result…” Celestia trailed off for a few seconds, then frowned. “But that’s not a valid comparison, is it? You’re still a human, even if you are a different looking one. A more fair question would be to ask me about what would happen if I woke up as Twilight or Applejack.”

“Yeah, and I could have easily become a puppet made out of crystal.” Twitching his fingers, he called Aubade to his hand. “Did you know, aubades are poems about lovers separating at dawn?”

Celestia actually cringed at that, a look of old pain crossing her features as she quickly looked forward once more. “And who are you trying to hide your love for that it sought you out?” That question came out in a tone as far from her normal, patient, regal voice as anything could possibly be. It was full of pain and shame, and had a bite to it like a frightened animal lashing out at someone trying to rescue it. “You don’t have one master telling you that your lover is unclean while the other tells you that you’re lucky to have found love at all.”

Alex just stared, quickly dismissing the blade. “Uh... forget I said anything, okay?” What was he even supposed to say to that? One of the oldest people he had ever known let slip a rather ugly experience. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Celestia simply stopped talking for a few minutes as they continued to walk, eventually making it to the top of a small hill that allowed them to see the ruins of the old Castle of the Two Sisters in front of them, and behind them Twilight’s castle loomed over the treeline. “It’s an old wound, Alex. One I thought long-healed, but it seems to be flaring up frequently lately when I think of the past. I-I used to have to shove Discord out the window before dawn, or I’d be in for an hour or more of being lectured about my dalliances with ‘another stallion’ by Starswirl while Lady Aqua gave approving gestures whenever she was out of his sight.”

“You know, the more I hear about him, the more I think he was a terrible person,” Alex commented, feeling a childish rush at the sight of the ruins. “I know you have to judge historical figures by the standards of the time. That being said, he just comes off as an asshole.”

“I suppose that he would to someone that didn’t know him, but he was a magical genius in many ways, and I can’t help but respect him for all the faults he had.” She stretched her wings out wide and lifted her head to gaze directly at the sun. “Stand close to me, and cover as much of your skin as possible. This is going to be warm.”

Pulling his hood up, Alex cast his gaze to the ground. “You know, I have no idea if this coat protects against light.” He closed his eyes, awaiting the teleport.

A moment of silence lingered, filled only with the sound of the wind and rustling leaves. This was broken by what sounded and felt like lightning striking less than a foot away from Alex, a flash of heat and deafening sound, then two seconds of weightlessness before he felt solid ground under his feet again. The only things missing were the smell of ozone and a sense of electricity. “Alright, it seems we’re about half a mile off-target, but we’re close now. The Everfree does seem to enjoy making me miss my destination.”

Pulling his hood back, Alex pat himself down. “Good job, Gwyn, you didn’t ruin my coat.” Giving her a thumbs up, he wore a dumb grin. “Otherwise, I’d make you pay Lee for a new one.”

Celestia stiffened and almost fell over midstep before catching herself and staring right into Alex’s eyes. “How do you know that name?”

“Uh, it’s the name of a fictional character from a game I played. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder.”

“That’s what Lady Aqua would call me whenever I did something exceptionally foolish in training, usually ending up hurting myself. She never told me where it came from, she just said I’d either find out one day or I wouldn’t.”

Regarding her curiously, Alex voiced his thoughts. “I think Aqua might have been like me. A Displaced.” Putting a hand on Celestia’s side, a sheepish expression replaced his smile. “Sorry. I’m not sure why I keep bringing up your past.”

‘It’s alright, Alex. I’m normally more in control of my reactions. I think I might need to get back in the habit of daily meditation exercises if things keep getting under my skin like this.” Celestia extended her wings up and out briefly before bringing one of them down around Alex and pulling him against her side. “I’m old enough not to let small annoyances bother me for too long anyways, I think it’s just that you ended up poking some old wounds while I’m already on-edge from news of recent heartless attacks.”

Patting her withers, Alex did his best to be comforting. “Yeah... It’s hard not to hear about it when you spend a lot of time with nobodies.” Ah how the tables turned. Now he was the one giving support for once. “Just remember, no one taken by the heartless is gone forever.”

“I know, Alex, but it still hurts to hear about ponies and other beings being attacked.” Celestia started moving forward slowly, carefully placing her hooves between a bunch of visible roots while looking down at the forest floor for the first few steps. “Let us continue on our way. Standing here focusing on our problems isn’t going to get us to the deer.”

Staying close to her side, Alex took in the sights and sounds of the deep forest. “Fluttershy told me they invaded Ponyville a while back.”

“They did, technically. That was also my fault because I failed to read the fine print on a document before signing it. They’re normally quite peaceful.”

“I mean... I don’t know a whole lot about how the government works but, why didn’t they just defend their turf? Just seems like they were making it someone else's problem.”

“Because we were told that ponies had sold our land, so we decided to take land from ponies.” A quiet voice came from Alex’s left as a doe seemed to fade into view, stepping out from behind a small bush full of browned leaves. “Does the tall monkey have more silly questions?”

Alex set his jaw, glaring at the new arrival. “I’m an ape, not a monkey, Bambi.”

“A primate, by any classification. I have no idea what a ‘bambi’ is, but you may call me Pinecone.” She turned slightly, looking up and nodding her head towards Celestia. “To what do we owe the honor of your presence in our home, Princess?”

Bowing her head slightly, Celestia cast a stern glance at Alex. “I was hoping to speak with your masters. Alex is one of Equestria’s promising new wielders and I think it would be good for him to see a wider range of techniques.”

Pinecone blinked at this, looking from Celestia to Alex while bringing one foreleg up to scratch under her muzzle. A few seconds later she pointed that foreleg at Alex, but stopped short of poking or touching him with it. “You realize this is a female, yes? Or is this monkey like the seahorse?”

Celestia raised her head, turning her hard gaze to Pinecone. “His name is Alex, and as long as he feels that he is male, he shall be referred to as such.”

She looked back down to Alex with a frown, then shook her head. “Very well, I shall escort you and Alex the seahorse-monkey the rest of the way to Thicket. King Aspen is currently in a meeting.”

Alex bit back an insult, slowly breathing out through his nose. They weren’t going to get a rise out of him. He’d behave himself, at least until they did something truly outrageous.

‘Oh please. You don’t even know what gender you are. You’re kidding yourself if you think you can keep your angst in check, filly.’

Pinecone led the way almost silently. Her hooves didn’t make a sound as she stepped, and she spoke only to warn them away from stepping on some patches of green moss. “Those are compost-hole covers growing on a woven mat of branches. Both of you are heavy enough to fall right through and getting you out would be...troublesome.”

The trip was much easier for himself than it was for Celestia. “You could borrow Widow’s Fang,” he offered her after a near fall. “The legs should be able to hold you up.”

Celestia shook her head, though she did smile at the kind offer. “I’m not yet so feeble in my old age as to need assistance walking, Alex,” she smiled to show that she wasn’t taking offense. “I also need the exercise. I’ve grown too used to marble halls and perfect floors.”

“If you say so.” Alex considered using Widow’s Fang himself but discarded it. He’d much rather catch a few deer off guard. He didn’t bother asking how far they were, content to just walk. Despite Pinecone’s abrasiveness, it was a serene route.

Gilda positioned herself behind her cart, her keyblade in hand. All but the other bearers had taken shelter, a practiced habit honed over the years. Clicking her beak, she transformed her weapon into a bow. “Why do I always get the shit job?”

“Because you’re good at being bait,” another griffon, this one with a green tint to her white facial feathers, called out from an upstairs window in a nearby building.

“Nobody asked you, Greta!” Gilda barked, drawing her arrow back. “Next time, it's your ass on the line, got it?”

“Yeah yeah, don’t lay an egg. You know I’ve got your tail covered.” Greta slipped back out of sight, with only a slight glint of sunlight off of metal giving away that there was anything there.

Flicking her tail, Gilda held her position. Adrenaline seeped into her blood, the sweet nectar of battle. Closer. Aim adjusted ever so slightly. Closer. Right to the big one in the front. Closer. An arrow formed in her grasp, a pulsing shard of energy. A moment passed as the swarm descended onto the city. In the following moment, Gilda loosed her opening strike.

Her arrow pierced the breast of her quarry, sinking deep into its shadowy form. The beast, a strange mix of bat and stone, shrieked in fury. Its furious yellow eyes locked onto Gilda, descending from its comrades.

“Gotcha.” Gilda smirked as the arrow exploded, smaller strands of light lancing out. Many heartless evaporated, their captive hearts rising into the sky. “Light em up!”

The fireworks display of that first heartless, followed by Gilda’s shout acted as the signal for all nearby members of the guard. Griffons flew out of windows or other forms of cover from above and spun around in midair to fire up and out from the initial contact area. Some arrows glowed with combat magic, creating explosions of fire, ice, or lightning when they struck their targets. These acted as further signals, and soon arrows were flying up towards the cloud of heartless from all over the city.

Another shriek snatched her attention. Spreading her wings, she pushed herself back just as the bat's claws snatched up her cover. “Not dead huh? Well aren’t you the tough one?” Shifting her weapon, she brandished a pair of sai. “I can respect that.”

Three green-feathered arrows lodged themselves in the back and wing joints of the heartless before dissipating into a foul-smelling cloud that clung to the beast, and a fourth caused a few bright sparks as it glanced off the top of the creature’s head. “Stop respecting and start fighting, Gilda, before I miss it and hit you!”

“Go snort catnip!” Several powerful wing beats closed the distance between herself and the heartless as she split her bow and reshaped the halves into twin daggers with a thought. Heartless weren’t like living things. They didn’t have organs. Some had a weak spot, necessitating special tactics. A special thrill ran down Gilda’s spine as one of her blades cut across the shadowy mass. There was no blood, only the strange flashes of light that denoted a hit.

This was what the guards of Griffonstone lived for. At the core of all their bitching and laziness, the primal hunter waited. All of her complaints, misgivings, pettiness. It all melted away in battle. There was no miser here. No demanding bits for aid. Those thoughts had no place in a hunting party.

“Wow, I had no idea Gilda was a trained badass…” Rainbow Dash remarked while watching the battle in the sky through a pristine window. “I mean, it makes sense that she is since I’d be right out there with her if I had a magic key that turned into weapons.”

“I know, right? She’s all, like, scree, and bloosh, and kapowie-blammo with those arrows, and then she made daggers!” Pinkie practically danced in place while mimicking what was going on outside. “I wish we could meet whoever trained her.”

“You’re loafing in my house, darn freeloading ponies. Here! I suppose I have to feed you too now that Gilda claimed protection for you!” The vulture-headed male griffon shoved two stone-grey objects towards the two mares. “Eat while you can. Soon as this hassle’s over I’m kicking you out.”

Pinkie held up the object, narrowing her eyes critically. Leaning in, she took a long, deep sniff. Seemingly displeased with the result, she took a bite out of it. Three chews was all she could bear. Spitting the bite out, she frowned. “Is... is that a twig?” she questioned, eyeing the almost petrified wood now visible.

“So what if it is? You got a problem with my secret recipe? Thought you ponies ate plants.” He gave Pinkie a mean glare, then sighed. “Thought it was a cinnamon stick.”

“We’re not termites, we don’t eat wood,” Dash rebuked, managing to tear her eyes away from the spectacle. “Who throws an entire stick of cinnamon into a... what is this anyway?”

“Griffonstone Griffon Scone. My recipe, Gilda bakes them with me.”

Continually inspecting the ‘scone’, Pinkie frowned. These had to be some of the sorriest excuses of pastries she had ever seen. While not sickening like the baked bads, thank Faust, they were an affront to the art of cooking. “I think your recipe might need a bit of work...”

“Hmph, that recipe’s older than I am, you pink eyesore. Handed down for generations, just like I’ll be handing it down to Gilda for her hatchlings.” He grumbled while walking over to a small book next to a brick oven. “But, here, if you’re so smart you figure out how to improve it!”

Tossing her ‘scone’ to Dash, Pinkie was by the oven faster than the old griffon could blink. Already, she had her muzzle deep into the old tome. “Oh yeah! There’s a lot to work with here. A few ingredient changes and some additions and you’ll have the best scones this side of the Celestial Sea!”

Rainbow Dash looked at the scone and shrugged before attempting to take a bite out of it for herself. 'Attempting' being the key word. She flinched and immediately regretted her decision as she felt something pinch in her jaw before her teeth could even make a dent in the dense ‘pastry.’ “Yeesh. I’m surprised you could even take a bite of that thing, Pinkie. It’s so hard you could use it as a weapon.”

“I grew up eating rock soup with my family, Dashie. Everything else tastes better, but you don’t lose that kind of jaw strength.” Pinkie responded while searching through the baking supplies the old vulture kept. “Where’s your baking soda?”

Gruff clicked his beak, his feather ruffling. “Did I say you could bake in my house? Ya plan on replacing what you use?”

“Tell you what, you let me go wild making the best scones you’ve ever tasted and I’ll not only replace what I use with fresh ingredients, I’ll leave you enough to make the recipe twenty times over!”

“Let me guess, you want me to make a supply run in the middle of the attack, Pinkie?”

“Well, it would be a big help, Dashie. I’m gonna need…”

Pinecone walked through a curtain of hanging vines and brushed them aside to help Alex and Celestia through. “Our training grounds are this way. Some of our newer keybearers are there now with a couple mud puppies.”

Sharing a glance with Celestia, Alex kept his mouth shut. At least they weren’t directing it all at him.

Celestia simply stepped through the curtain and then kept walking through the next set of vines without waiting for Pinecone to move them herself. A golden glow enveloped the green mass and parted it for Alex to follow her. This was accompanied by a series of odd, wet, slapping and squelching sounds that came from somewhere nearby. “I believe we can find our way there from here ourselves.”

“Well that sounds familiar,” Alex muttered, moving past Pinecone without a second thought. Water training had been axed for the next few months, Fluttershy having demanded so on the grounds of it becoming much too cold for such things.

“Very well, then. I shall deliver the news of your arrival to King Aspen as soon as his current meeting is over, and I shall inform him of your current location. It would, of course, be best if you two stayed at the training grounds rather than... wandering off. The forest tends to make foolish children go missing.”

Alex bit the inside of his cheek. She wasn’t worth it, he told himself. Quickening his step, he leaned in conspiratorially. “Are they all like that?” he whispered.

“To be fair, she was probably patrolling for lost ponies or Everfree creatures that even the deer are rightfully afraid of. That doesn’t excuse her being worse than Canterlot nobles from centuries ago, but it’s not likely she thought she was going to run into me today either.” Celestia kept her voice low as well while walking towards where the noises were coming from. “I’ll be bringing up the idea of anti-rudeness training with Aspen when we talk, though.”

“Yeah... I think they’re going to need some anti-racism training.”

The trees began to thin, giving way to a clearing. Deer of various sizes and colors hurried to and fro, most wearing some form of armor. How exactly they worked metal, he couldn’t guess. They seemed like a special kind of luddite.

What stole his attention, were the bipedal canines that stood at the shores of a small pond. “Those are diamond dogs, right?” he asked, not wishing to emulate Pinecone.

“That would be correct, Alex. More than that, observe that one of them has their legs half-buried in the earth, and the earth is extending upwards around them. That particular dog happens to be one of the rare canine shamans known as Earthcallers. They are as adept at telling the dirt or stone to do things as a unicorn can be with telekinesis, or even more depending on who taught them or how old they are.” Celestia pointed with one of her wings briefly as a few large, nearly spherical forms waddled up out of the water.

Geomancers! Alex’s eyes twinkled with a childlike awe. A trio of Large Bodies stepped out of the water, their rotund forms made of dripping clay. One slapped its belly with a wet thwack, charging rather comically at the nearest trainee.

That trainee happened to be a young tan-furred buck with vibrant red eyes. The keyblade gripped in his teeth glinted slightly as he leapt to the side and tried to circle around the clay heartless copy. There was no handguard, and the shaft was made of nasty-looking thorned branches wound together with a delicate pink flower for teeth. He wasn’t able to move fast enough to get behind the rotund facsimile, so he charged at it instead, and attempted a leaping strike at its head.

“He should have baited it into a charge and blocked it,” Alex commented, shifting his focus to the buck. “It opens up a Large Body for a reaction.”

“No comments from the peanut gallery while training is in progress!” the dog with the mud-covered legs barked out without looking. Her large paws twitched briefly, and the buck was swatted away by the clay ‘body’ to skid in the muddy clearing. “Let the trainees make mistakes their first time seeing something new, then teach them how to overcome it together if none of them figure it out from watching the others.”

Alex chuckled nervously, muttering a soft apology. “Right. Keep my comments to myself.”

‘You’re as spineless as a slug, you know that right?’

“Is that... Scarlet of Ebonstone, or am I thinking of a different Earthcaller?” Celestia called out while striding towards the two canines. “I do apologize for our interruption, but Alex’s observation was correct.”

“Of course it was, but some pups only learn from failure, so we must let them fail at least once.” The other dog spoke up while turning to face Celestia and Alex, followed by giving both of them a respectful bow. “Please, watch silently for now, lest Earthcaller Scarlet use her powers to temporarily bind your muzzles with stone.”

Alex nodded, standing with Celestia at the marked edge of the training area. Each blunder on the buck’s part made him cringe. What came from playing the game and what his training told him had blurred together. A certain hype began to build in his chest, the urge to call Aubade forth growing.

Celestia looked over at Alex while offering the speaking dog a nod of acknowledgement. Her horn lit and she summoned a few cushions for herself and a small chair and table for Alex to use while they waited. Her thermos was also pulled back out from the saddlebags hidden under her wings, and she began to sip from it every so often as they watched the anti-Large Body training continue.

Taking the offered seat with a thankful smile, Alex placed his backpack on the table. It was too early to eat again, which left him digging around for something to drink. Ah. Cotton Candy Faygo. The drink of the gods.

Mud erupted in all directions, the clay beast leaping up and bringing its weight back down. Leaping up just a bit too late, the buck found himself washed away by a tide of mud. Motion elsewhere in the training field revealed another buck, slightly taller than the other, attempting to leap over the large body that was currently dancing and swinging its arms in front of him. Another trainee, this one most likely a young doe, was keeping an eye on her golem and watching it carefully, studying the way it moved.

‘Look at them. Like foals. Even dirt knocks them on their flanks. How pathetic, don’t you think? Why don’t you call out my sister’s leftovers and show them how to do it?’

Alex silently cheered the doe on, sandbagging Nightmare’s chattering. He noted she seemed to have a superior understanding of battle than the buck. He smiled as the doe leapt around a charge and drove her key into the golem’s back. He didn’t envy her becoming covered in muck.

“Very good. Now if only the other two showed as much promise in their ability to observe and analyze a foe.” Scarlet spoke up in praise for the doe and motioned for her to approach. “Part of your reward, other than simple praise, is you get to watch your comrades flail about until they figure it out for themselves. The other is a tasty cookie. Odie, give the doe a cookie.”

“My name is Candyflower, and thank you.” The doe strode towards the two dogs while turning her head to the side and slipping her red-and-white-striped keyblade into a harness at her side. It looked like a giant peppermint stick without the spiral for the red lines. She faltered for a moment as she looked towards Alex and Celestia, nearly tripping over her own legs.

Alex stepped closer, offering a hand. “You okay? I didn’t think mud hit that hard.”

“Y-you…” Candyflower paused and finished approaching the two canines before accepting what looked like a rather large, flat stone from the one that was presumably named Odie. She then walked over to offer a deep bow to Celestia before placing the cookie on the small table Alex was sitting at. It wasn’t directly in front of him, and she moved to sit opposite from him before clearing her throat. “You look like the images we have of the ancient master here, like a skinny minotaur with no horns and a strange face.”

“Humans, young doe. Alex, and Lady Aqua, call their species humans.” Celestia interjected while smiling as she observed the ongoing training exercise.

Smiling, Alex retook his seat. “Scientific name being homo sapien. We’re a branch of the great ape family, and the only human species still around.” He reached out, taking one of her hooves. “I’m Alex. Alex Lionheart.”

“Oh, I’m Candyflower. It’s nice to meet a member of the old master’s species. Most deer think your kind is a myth.” She took her hoof back quickly, but without trying to be rude about it, and brought it down on the stony-looking cookie, breaking it into bite-size pieces and a few crumbs.

Watching curiously, Alex gingerly lifted a piece up. It looked like a crumbly piece of rock, very different from the rock candy he had been expecting. “What kind of cookie is this?” he questioned, putting the piece back down.

Candyflower scooped up a piece in her mouth and started chewing, then hummed appreciatively before swallowing a couple times. “Like vanilla beans mixed with chocolate and milk...and slightly cold on the tongue. Rather nice, actually.”

“Huh, sounds nice,” Alex commented, retrieving his water bottle. Taking a long drink, he took the moment to watch the buck from before fall victim to a belly flop. “He doesn’t seem to be doing all that great.”

“Oh, right, I’m supposed to be watching them! Would you mind if I sat next to you?”

Shaking his head, Alex put his hands behind his head. “Nope. Make yourself comfortable, Candy.”

She smiled and quickly walked around to the other side of the table so she could observe what was happening, just in time to visibly flinch as the unlucky buck pulled himself up out of the muck left all over the training field. “Prince Bramble isn’t our best fighter, but he’s still learning. This is his first year with a blade, but he’s also the only first-year trainee. Bloodroot should be doing better than him, but he’s a little...dumb.”

Said other buck was currently hammering away at the armored front of the motionless clay Large Body Each impact produced a sound much like a clay pot being tapped by a hoof or claw. As soon as he took a step back on his own, the false heartless jumped up and fell directly on top of him.

Alex winced. “Yeah, that sounds like a problem. Are they at least improving?”

“Bramble’s actually improving faster than Bloodroot is right now, but Bloodroot has definitely improved since last year. For one thing, he learned how to channel magic to heal himself. That means we don’t have to take him to the infirmary after every training session.”

A feeling of sympathy blossomed over Alex. Sure, they weren’t fighting actual opponents like him. That didn’t mean the training wasn’t intensive. “Yeah, Cure is a pretty great spell. Pretty draining though.”

Bramble seemed to have finally gotten a feel for fighting this kind of opponent. He had frozen in one place, and baited a charge only to leap over the top of the clay golem’s head and strike its back with a series of solid impacts on the way down. The clay being was sent flying straight at the two dogs, only to collapse and dissolve before it could reach them.

“Adequate, princeling. You may rest for a few minutes.” Scarlet turned her head to stare straight at Alex and smirked. “Does the loudmouth wish to rescue the fool?”

Standing up, Alex shrugged. “Sure why not?” Stepping away, Alex summoned Aubade. Taking his time, he walked around the quivering bulk of clay. Flinging Aubade forward, the blade cut through the animated mud. Its shape collapsed, becoming a massive mud puddle.

Bloodroot stood up slowly and quickly shook his head to fling away the muck that had clung to his fur and antlers. “Thanks for the assist, skinny. I don’t get how she makes some parts of them hard and other parts soft. It’s all just the same mud…” He wobbled a little as he started walking away, then turned back around and started fishing through the puddle. “Stupid, almost forgot Bigroot.”

“Good job, stranger. Will you allow me a quick test of your abilities?” Scarlet addressed Alex with something that was close to respect in her voice, and even offered him a slight bow.

Catching Aubade as it arched back, Alex gave a thumbs up. “Sounds fine to me. Do your mud magic, friendly doggo.” Resting Aubade on his shoulder, Alex moved through a short series of stretches. “Alright. Ready when you are.”

“Let’s start small, then, just to make sure that easy victory of yours wasn’t a fluke.” Scarlet lifted her arms and spread her fingers apart, and most of the mud on the field was pulled onto a dozen or so distinct blobs. A few seconds later, and the blobs of mud had gained a monkey-like shape, including a tail. Two round ears sat on the sides of their heads and what looked like a bow made of mud stuck to the back. They had what looked like a forked stick in one hand.

Alright, just a handful of Bouncywilds. Rolling his shoulders, Alex assumed a stance. Both hands on the hilt, feet spread apart. Taking a step forward, he waited for Scarlet to start the exhibition.

Scarlet didn’t even make a move other than dropping her arms to her side before the dozen imitation heartless began to hop and flail around. It was an eerily perfect, if silent, imitation of the behavior of the actual heartless entities as they scrambled around and moved as far away from Alex as they could get while staying within around thirty feet of him.

His feet were moving, taking him to the closest. Thrusting forward, Aubade pierced the chest of the first. Giving his body a certain level of automation, he cut through a few hardened mud balls. Another motion, this time a spell. Strands of air flowed about him, redirecting a few more projectiles away from him.

One ball that was coming straight at him in what seemed like a lazy arc not only ended up curving around his keyblade, it also passed through that air barrier, as if nothing was there, to smack right into his face. A couple seconds later another one smashed into the back of his head, being similarly unimpeded by the aero-type spell.

“Oh, that’s low,” Alex muttered, pulling his hood up. Rolling through the mud, he caught another golem in the back. Now was the time to show off. Give them a reason to take him seriously. Aubade transformed in his hands, separating into two parts.

In his dominant hand was the blade that formed Aubade’s shaft in its default configuration. In his off-hand he now held a mostly-circular shield that resembled a golden sunburst with a green gem in the center. Spikes extended around the edge of the shield, with the longest one extending backwards along his arm to his elbow.

Keeping his shield in front of him, Alex confidently closed on the next golem. Digging his heel into the mud, he pivoted to the right. Hours of dodging sniper fire had ingrained in him a certain intuition in regards to projectiles. Even as Aero swirled about him, his sudden turn allowed his shield to absorb a hit.

“Interesting tactic, young pup. Allowing yourself to be hit without actually being hit. Smart to not depend entirely upon magic.” Scarlet clapped twice, and the monkey-shaped heartless bubbled for a moment before dissolving into a large puddle.

Alex kept his stance, bouncing on his heels. He took the complement in stride, more concerned with what the shaman had lined up for his next test.

“Let’s see how well you fare against a deep-tunnel heartless.” Scarlet crouched down and allowed the mud around her to travel up her arms to the elbow, and the ground rumbled beneath Alex’s feet as the muck began to shift and move about. Two huge boots were the first things to form, followed by gauntlets with evil-looking spiky fingers. Finally, after almost a minute of waiting for the rumbling to stop, a spike-topped helmet and huge armored torso erupted from the ground alongside a shower of stones.

The pieces moved close to each other before assembling in a rough approximation of a human body, with the boots stomping around for a few seconds while the hands of the gauntlets flexed.

Releasing a string of curses, bringing his shield up to ward off the rain of rocks. “Deep tunnel my ass,” he hissed, daring a glare back at the dog.

That proved to be a mistake, though one that wasn’t too costly as the clawed fingers of the gauntlets scraped across the face of his shield before returning to their places at the side of the bell-shaped torso piece. As if mocking him, one hand rotated to turn its palm up, and then beckoned him forward in a classic ‘come on then’ gesture.

And join the battle he did. Despite being alone, Alex did not fear his odds. It was just a matter of translating an outside perspective into a personal one. A shield bash knocked away a gauntlet, giving him an opening to the golem's torso. Pushing off the ground, his sword hacked away at his opponent.
He didn’t even register that he stayed in the air longer than he should have. Allowing himself to fall, he stabbed a sharp end of his shield into the construct, cutting along its body on the way down.

The battle didn’t take too long before pieces started to fall to the ground. First the gauntlets dropped and landed with a wet splat, then the boots shortly after. Even the spinning ‘attacks’ of the torso afterwards were almost laughable. Soon he’d managed to strike a telling blow that sent the torso piece of the armor tumbling to the ground with the helmet rolling away.

A soft sound of hooves clopping together heralded the subdued applause of Princess Celestia, and both Bramble and Candyflower were quick to join in.

“It’s not over,” he rebutted, putting a good ten feet between him and the inanimate armor.

“And how does a pup know the battle has not finished?” This came from Odie, and was followed by a yelp as a wad of mud slapped into the side of his face from the lake.

“Perhaps not a pup after all, despite looking immature.” Scarlet chided her companion as the pieces of the armored heartless began to rise again at her silent and unseen command, with the torso section inverting and the boots rising up. The gauntlets forced themselves underneath the floating torso, and the helmet rolled up to set itself atop what was previously the lower skirt section. The fingers of the gauntlets extended straight out and clacked as they locked in place while the boots folded in half to create pincers. Finally, the odd faceguard of the helmet lowered, revealing nothingness inside.

Clicking his tongue, Alex studied the floating limbs. Take out the arms first, he told himself. Wait for them to split up. Bringing his shield up, Alex threw out a wisp of fire. “Come get some, asshole.”

As if in response to that little burst of flame, the armor flipped itself over in midair and splayed out the limbs to arrange them as if supporting the torso to point at Alex. A few seconds later it began to launch basketball-sized clumps of mud and leaves at him in a series of five blasts.

“That is not cool.” Bracing himself, he splashed down into the mud. Celestia had to have a clothes cleaning spell, he told himself. Ignoring the mud clinging onto him, Alex sprung up from his roll. His momentum propelled him further than gravity should have allowed.

Bringing his chokutō forward, he cut into the golem’s left arm. For several seconds, he lingered in the air, slashing and stabbing with his weapons. Then he was in the mud again, putting distance between them.

The armor spun around slowly after the beating Alex gave it, and it took more than a few seconds for it to reorient itself and pull itself back together. Almost immediately, though, the pincer-like arms that used to be its legs began to spin around and were soon launched at Alex along with the helmet.

Bashing the first limb away, Alex cast balloon. He backed up, baiting it into the circle. He smirked, being rewarded with the eternally gratifying sound of balloons popping. Both leg-arms returned to the mud that spawned them, leaving only the head.

Alex’s focus was stolen away from the floating, spinning helmet by the sensation of sharp claws slashing into his back as the other parts of the floating armor assembly took advantage of his inattention towards them. Being made of mud, the pain was mostly from the force of impact rather than actually being cut.

“Pup needs to learn to multitask sight as well,” came the quick observation from Odie, followed by a simple grunt from Scarlet.

The weapons that had been Aubade shifted in his hands, replaced by Evolution’s Edge. Altering it into its rifle form, Alex sent several shots boring into the armor section. Greenish bolts quickly made short work of the armor. His weapon snapped to one of the gauntlets, sending more energy lancing into it.

Snapping his head to the remaining gauntlet, Alex vented his frustration in its destruction. The rifle shifted into its scythe form. Aiming its blade towards himself, he jabbed it under his arm, piercing the helmet through its open faceplate.

“Good enough for you!?” Alex called out, allowing his weapon to vanish.

“Interesting technique, and how quickly are you able to alter the form of your blade, young apprentice?” A new, masculine voice came from the direction of the city, drawing Alex’s attention.

“Ah, this is the pup I mentioned that sparred with a minotaur.” The other voice was feminine, and vaguely familiar to Alex’s ear. He’d heard it at least once before.

“Aspen, and Isabella, how nice to see the two of you together.” Celestia spoke up while standing, and began to approach the two. “Alex is quite the apprentice, as you can see.” She bowed her head slightly towards Aspen. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything, King Aspen.”

Alex dispelled his keyblade, wiping some mud from his face. It just had to be mud. Tolerating the muck for now, he made his way back to the table. “Please tell me one of you knows prestidigitation? I’m not putting up with muddy clothes.”

“Scarlet, pull your tools off the apprentice. His abuse was not part of your schedule today.”

“Of course, your lowness.” Alex felt a slight tremble go through his clothes and body before fine streamers of earth and mud started peeling away from his body and flying through the air towards the geomancer at the edge of the pond.

Whistling in wonder, Alex watched the flow of material. “That’s a handy spell. Is that a form of Quake or something different entirely?”

“Hmph. Quake is a crude mimicry of what we Earthcallers can do, pup. However, it is good that you can spot the connection at least. I do suppose there is a certain amount of finesse in making sure you at least hit the correct target with the simple imitation.” Scarlet spoke as she continued to peel off streamers of mud to collect them into a large ball over her head. “I assume you are being tutored in magic by a unicorn?”

“Alicorn, actually. My former student, now fellow princess, Twilight Sparkle and Alex are being taught by my sister.”

Eyeing the growing orb, Alex kept himself still. It was a surreal experience, but not all that different from what Sonata had done before. “I also have a copy of Aqua’s spellbook. It helps out a lot.”

“Ah, yes, that would help. Lady Aqua’s mastery of war magic is legendary even to the deer. I hope you are keeping such an old tome in good condition.”

“He doesn’t need to worry about the condition, King Aspen, that book has had so many protective spells used on it over the centuries to protect against age and wear that it is practically invulnerable.”

“Wait, you gave me the actual book?” Alex asked. “I thought it was just a copy.”

“You have a special copy that magically refers to the original, Alex, the one with Aqua’s notes. If my sister or I were to go and add or remove a page from the original, it would appear or vanish from your copy as well. Were it not for the layered protections, such a connection would work both ways. This is just the way things are done once a noteworthy and valuable historic piece reaches a certain age and the original becomes too precious to be moved.”

Clearing his throat, Aspen caught the pair's attention. “I was informed you wished to speak with me, Princess. Something about training techniques?”

“Oh, yes. This is something I will have to bring up with Alex’s guardian, and adoptive mother, but I was hoping you would be amenable to Alex spending a week or two during the summer here with your instructors being taught a different style of keyblade use so that he might be more flexible in combat and not totally set to only one fighting style. This is something I wish to talk with the leaders of most intelligent species about, so the fact that Isabella is here as well simply saves time, and another trip.”

Isabella simply laughed softly. “One more pup to train for a few weeks isn’t a problem for me, but best get the mother’s approval first, especially if you want him to visit Griffonstone.” Tail wagging slightly, Isabella gestured to Alex. “Have you been underground before, pup?”

“I uh... did some minor spelunking at camp but uh, no can’t say I’ve really been underground,” Alex said, wishing he had gotten out of the house more. “My friends tried to drag me out to a cave once but I wouldn’t go.”

“Camp, as in to go somewhere in the wilderness and sleep for a few days? Bah, nevermind. As long as you don’t completely panic in cramped spaces you’ll be fine.” Isabella waved her hand dismissively after a few seconds. “Do you eat meat and mushrooms? Do you react poorly to moss? I’d rather not accidentally poison a unique individual like you.”

“I can eat most mushrooms fine and I do eat meat. I don’t know a single human who's ever eaten moss, but I don’t think I’d get anything out of it.”

Isabella blinks in confusion for a moment, then shakes her head with a low laugh. “Not as food. Ponies call it...carpet? We grow mosses to pad corridors naturally. Some dogs need shoes because of bad breeding giving them a sensitivity to something in it.”

All Alex could do was give a noncommittal shrug. “I dunno. Never been around that much moss. I think it’d be fine? Maybe? We could probably do an allergy test beforehand, if you can share a sample.”

“Allergy, that’s one of the words I keep forgetting.” The tan dog smiles and nods. “I will see that we send a sample of the mosses to your residence to ensure minimal problems. I would suggest you bring your own cushions when you visit us. Dogs tend to prefer firm support during sleep and pony visitors tend to complain about things being too hard.”

Aspen tsked, walking around Alex. “You smell of chaos, Filly.” His ears flicked, almost pinning backwards. “We don’t normally allow such creatures into Thicket. Our city is peaceful and we keep it that way.”

“King Aspen, Alex prefers to be addressed as male despite his body, as this is not the body he was born with,” Celestia chimed in quickly before Alex could say anything. “And as for chaos, he has sort of been adopted by Discord, who I had a child with many centuries ago, and I can vouch that Alex is nowhere close to her level and I’m sure that’s just some ambient magic stuck to his clothes.”

Snorting, Aspen jumped back. “You bring a spawn of Discord to my kingdom? It seems pony society has degenerated more than I had thought. I should throw you out on your fank, foal.”

“Adopted, I said.” Celestia shook her head and snorted softly. “As far as I know, Discord had no part in his birth.” Her body shifted, edging herself between Alex and Aspen. “Even still, are not the deer above such base prejudices?”

“Chaos can be peaceful, even if it is disruptive,” Alex spoke up quickly, with his eyes narrowing. “And small amounts of chaos are beneficial in the long run. Without the natural chaos of flowing water and streams you’d have nothing but stagnant lakes and swampland, and stagnant water is unhealthy to drink because all kinds of parasites can be found in stagnant water.”

Aspen chuckled, peering around Celestia. “You certainly know how to pick your apprentices.” Relaxing his stance, he motioned for Celestia to move. “Continue in such a way, and perhaps I will consider your princess’s request.”

“Continue in such a way? I’m not going to be here longer than a few more hours as far as I know. I definitely didn’t pack enough for much more than that, and Fluttershy would get angry if I stayed overnight without notice...so how are you going to judge how suitable I am based on a miniscule amount of time observing me?”

“Then, you best impress me, doe.” Stepping towards the test givers, Aspen gazed out onto the lake. “How fared the apprentices today? Improved, I should hope.”

Scarlet chuckled briefly. “Your son indeed shows improvement, as does Candyflower. Bloodroot seems to have plateaued and may require a different instructor or method of instruction to pierce his thick skull. The pup managed to vanquish a number of small tunnel monkeys in addition to the violent sentinel you saw him destroy.” She waved at Alex for that last bit. “Obvious combat experience against actual foes in addition to knowing war magic. I suspect he has been taught by many masters at once.”

Alex puffed his chest out, taking the praise as it came. Finally, someone who wasn’t his normal circle could see how well he was doing.

‘You’re like a puppy. They could say your breath is fresh and you’d become a lap dog.