Shining put a fetlock over his face. "Eric was it? Mister Wolfgang? How do you end up this way?"

Tom was mindful of the exchange between them but remained silent, content to let Wave clean his back while he focused on getting more clean himself.

“First off, don’t say that name. Ever. Again. If you must refer to him, I think a new name is in order… how about King Douchebag the Friendless Loser?” Eric suggested. “As for how I got this way… an ominous sounding voice of dubious judgement offered me the power to get home to my wife and child, and I accepted. Thus far my skill and power are far from enough to even attempt jumping across worlds, but I felt it was my duty to try, and thus far nothing bad has come from using my power aside from this ominous visage, and nothing good has come from hiding it. Nevertheless, I have some concerns regarding the safety of continued use, particularly regarding my mental health.”

The white unicorn raised a brow at Eric. "A fine sentiment, but calling him names won't change the threat he, or his kind, poses to the empire." He quieted as Eric went on about the rest and gave a light nod. "I think you've been lied to. They're offering what you want to hear, in return for… Well you, all of you." He waved a hoof at the human. "You're a human, right?"

Wave pointed at Tom. "So's he, for now."

Eric nodded. “I admit to not being the most versed in magic, but I do know that his name itself has some measure of power, and thus should not be uttered. I would like to hear more about your theories, however. In what sense do you believe they will… acquire me?”

“I think he means something else completely, Wave,” Tom remarked, rolling his eyes a bit as a thought came to mind. “While we’re on the topic… would it be possible, if I were interested, to undo the changes?” he asked, pointing at the fur and hooves. “Not asking for it, just if it’s possible.”

Shining pointed at Eric's eyes. "They already have you. The more shadow magic is used, the more powerful it becomes. The more fear is spread, the darker the world is." He raised a hoof to tap at his horn. "Black magic is terrible. Terribly powerful and terribly awful. If you are still a human, you should let Cadance work her magic. She's a very sweet pony. She'll do her best."

Eric took a deep breath through his nose, resisting the instinct to answer defensively, at least this time. “Come, Poppy,” he ordered, drawing the wolf closer to him before gently pulling the shadow magic out of her, restoring her to her natural state.

Darkness pooled around Eric as the energy began to gather, but Poppy resisted it much more easily than she had when she was her original shadow wolf self. She snarled and backed away, then vanished in a dark flash. The shadow that filled the space she once was in darted out the door, leaving nothing but the shrill cry of a surprised crystal pony behind.

Shining let out a slow sigh. "Is that dog dangerous?"

“More so than I thought, but mostly less so than she once was. Her current form favors mobility over raw power. I should have put her to sleep first... “ Eric slumped into the pool, looking defeated. “I’ll await Cadance’s efforts. If I can’t even do such a simple thing, this power is less than useless.”

Tom could be heard groaning, his face finding his hand for a few seconds as he lightly shook his head, muttering under his breath rather unintelligibly.

Prideful fool. You can make many things, but undoing them is not so easy. You created the beast, now you live with it. I doubt she will surrender her new title so easily as your whim demands it. The voice hissed in Eric's ear, disdainful at his mistake.

Shining moved for the door and peeked out for any actual harm, then looked back inside. "Yes, that would be best, I feel. Do you need anything while you wait?"

“A moment to get dressed and a cell to sit in should do for now. How long do you expect her to be?” Eric asked.

Tom, meanwhile, had finished cleaning up and chimed in, watching Wave out the corner of his eyes. “I’d rather not be in a cell myself, and I think Wave would agree. Any chance of finding a tailor, Prince Armor? Our clothes are the only ones we’ve got, and mine aren’t in the best shape anymore. We’ve got some bits, although no clue how much they are worth.”

Shining tilted his head a little. "You're not exactly the same shape as a pony, but we have some things that should fit a little loosely?" He looked to Wave. "Tops, yes, bottoms… not so much?"

Wave wobbled a hoof. "I understand that, just make sure it won't get damaged bringing it into water and I'll be happy as can be."

Tom nodded, a grateful look on his face. “Even if it’s loose, it’ll be fine, Prince Armor. Having more than one set of clothes is what I’m looking for here, really,” he explained, scratching the back of his head as he glanced over to Eric, who seemed to be somewhat introspective over something.

I'm sorry, Poppy, forgive me, Eric thought, trying to project his thoughts to the wayward wolf. I failed to ask your permission, and didn't take your thoughts into account. You just want to be big and powerful, don't you? Be safe... You've chosen a dangerous path and I can't protect you anymore. I'll miss you. But if you don't come back now, your best chance is to escape the city, quickly. His thoughts concluded, he rose and took a towel to try and dry himself as best he could.

And you mocked us. The voice echoed harshly in Eric's ears. You called us cold and indifferent for allowing others to make their decisions, and here you are, doing much the same. We are more alike than you cared to admit, shadowmancer.

No, I called you a dick for wanting me to hate ponies and accept their hatred as inevitable, Eric thought before refocusing on his surroundings, including the struggle to get dressed with manacles on. “You were saying something about clothing? I’ll need some more of those myself. Jeans might last a good while if we’re lucky, but shirts can be a bit more of a problem. To say nothing of undergarments.”

Shining suddenly perked up with an idea. "There was a very talented pony that a friend of my sister's mentioned. I'm sure she'd look forward to the idea of such a unique challenge. I'll send word out for her to come by and we'll get you all something nice and properly fitting."

“This might be a bit of an odd question, Prince Armor, but… Flash mentioned something about other humans, so I’m assuming that there’s more here. Any of them express knowledge that they, well, shouldn’t have, logically speaking?” Tom hesitantly asked.

“Like, how you knew Flash Sentry’s first name, when he was only introduced to us by last?” Eric offered.

Shining looked curious at the idea. "Well, I heard…" He trailed off a little, glancing at Eric with what could be suspicion, or at least uncertainty. "Let me see about those clothes first, then we'll talk about that."

Tom nodded to Shining. “Fair enough. We’re not really going anywhere in any hurry, so it can wait I suppose,” he remarked before turning to Wave. “I’m supposing you’d like to stick around this bath for a bit longer, yes?”

Wave sank into the water and rinsed out her mane in the tub. The water had never been turned off, and was starting to overfill, but the overflow ran down into available drains instead of making a big mess. "I'm doing alright, thanks."

“Would you mind turning off the water, Wave? You don’t have to get out, but there’s no need to be wasteful,” Eric suggested. “We owe these ponies a big enough debt of gratitude without running their water down the drain needlessly.”

Hand already outstretched as Eric finished speaking, Tom was turning off both knobs, deciding to remain in the warm bath a bit longer himself. “Again, Prince Armor, thank you. Allowing strangers to use your bath is extremely kind and generous.”

With a bit of an awkward bow to Shining, Tom turned back to Wave, rolling his eyes. “So you’d like to stay in the water for longer then, Wave. That’s all I was asking. How’s it feel after so long? It’s not a river or ocean or anything, but I imagine it must be nice, don’t have to be carried around in water.”

Wave splashed a little in the water. "It feels fantastic. The warmth, the soap, the… the surroundings. It's delightful, all of it." She turned to face Shining Armor. "You have great taste in tubs."

Shining smiled a bit. "I'm glad to hear you approve of it, miss. It came with the castle, truth told. We didn't have it made for us, it just kind of shaped up that way, so, please, enjoy." He waved a hoof. "I don't remember a siren being in pony lands for some time. I think there was some kind of report of one somewhere near Ponyville at one point? She didn't stay around very long. They're very rare."

“You know Shining… those two are newlyweds, and haven’t had much time to spend alone together. I have a few matters I’d like to discuss with you if you’d like to give them some privacy?” Eric suggested, at this point shirtless but otherwise clothed, and carrying his pack a bit awkwardly in his hands.

Tom nearly jumped, water splashing lightly all over as he coughed. “Um, I guess that’s true, yeah,” he muttered, biting back the urge to shower Eric in some rather colorful language. Being put on the spot was not much fun, to say the least. “But, uh, we wouldn’t do anything more than talk, I’d imagine?” Tom hesitantly glanced to Wave, cheeks flushed.

Wave looked confused at the innuendo. It was as if it just flew right over her head. "You don't want to be with us anymore? If you're done bathing, I guess you can talk with Shining, but I think he's waiting for his marefriend."

Shining nodded at that. "Um, yes. Princess Cadance should be back in a day or two and she can set this straight. Have you met her before?"

“Her reputation precedes her,” Eric said, finding a spot to slip to a seated position, resting against a wall. “And I’m not trying to avoid you two, Wave, I just thought you might enjoy a little time with your hubby without my ever-present distraction. Though, I suppose it’s arrogant of me to think I could ever distract you from what you want.~”

“Eric, just… enough,” Tom spoke, somewhat annoyed as he swam to the edge of the massive tub, resting his arms on its side. “Wave and I may be married, yes, but what we do or do not do doesn’t need you trying to give us time alone, we’ll ask for it if we want it, okay?” Turning over his shoulder, he looked back to Wave.

Eric cringed back from Tom’s response, raising his hands apologetically. “Alright, alright. Sorry. Just trying to be helpful, and screwing that up too, I guess.”

Shining coughed softly into a fetlock. "Yes, well… If I can trust you to remain with your friends, I'll let you go." He moved towards Eric as a key floated out from his saddlebag, held in his magic.

Eric nodded, raising his wrists for Shining’s convenience, while looking a bit enviously at his horn.

“It’s fine, Eric, just don’t try to force it or anything, okay? I’ve got an idea of where you’re coming from, so thank you for that.” Sighing, he ran his fingers through his soaked hair. “If you’d like to go with Prince Armor, if he allows it, then Wave and I will spend some more time here, though,” he offered the option up, should Shining even allow it.

Wave leaned in closer to Tom. "What is it he thinks we should be doing that would be better with him not there?"

Shining chose not to answer Wave's question. He inserted the key into Eric's bindings and soon had him free. The envious look he gave was misinterpreted. "That happy to be free?" He smiled. "If you continue to behave and are a good pony, I'm sure Cadance will help you."

Must be nice having magic that doesn’t inherently terrify everyone, Eric thought wistfully, while he rubbed his wrists a bit. “Thank you, sir. I look forward to whatever help she can offer. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Next Chapter: 22 - Plaything of Fate Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 36 Minutes