Teetering around on his wobbly legs like a newborn foal, Sideralis stumbled around the therapy room. He had no idea how he was walking and neither did anypony else. His muscles were still considered underdeveloped, yet he had tremendous physical strength. It was a mystery.

When he started to pitch over onto his face, Stout caught him, darting beneath him and bracing him. This time, at least. Sometimes, he was allowed to take a tumble; Stout believed that a little spill now and then gave him good motivation to try harder.

Tonight, they were scheduled to dock in Saddle Arabia, in the gulf city of Maredina. Sideralis held a great deal of excitement for this, he was eager to get off of the ship and see more of the world.

He felt Stout move beneath him, his chest sliding along her back. It didn’t help that she was making some kind of purring noise. He braced his legs and stood tall. He flicked his tail, felt a peculiar sensation course through his body, and then wobbled away from Stout.

He picked up his pace a little bit, taking advantage of the fact that he felt so light and airy at the moment. He took high steps, almost prancing, turned himself about, and then continued down the length of the room.

“You know, I think I know how to motivate you into running,” Stout said. She paused, her mouth opened, and she licked her teeth while making a seductive squint with her remaining eye.

Sideralis froze in place, lifted his head high, and let out a bellowing whinny, making intrigued pony noises. He started to feel the heaviness creeping back into his limbs, his neck, and his head, making it difficult to stand up. He gave another absentminded flick of his tail, recovered his balance, and took off, his eyes never leaving Stout.

“You have the same inky black spots on your backside as Princess Luna. I always thought that those were part of her cutie mark… it draws attention to… certain… parts… of… you… while you are walking,” Stout said.

Making a chuffing sound, Sideralis flicked his tail, turned about, and made his way down the length of the room in a stumbling gait that was graceful in much the same way as a rhinoceros was graceful while walking on sheet ice covered in marbles. The whole room clanged and shook from his heavy footfalls.

“Alicorns… such majestic creatures… you and Twilight Sparkle both. What is wrong with the two of you?” Stout tilted her head off to one side and stared at Sideralis with her brilliant orange eye.

Stopping, Sideralis let out a bellowing nicker at Stout and pawed the ground with his hoof. He lowered his head, his whole neck quivering and trembling as he did so. He let out an indignant snort at the cheeky earth pony. Something about being teased for being an alicorn had left him feeling a little defensive. He flicked his tail, whipping it about his hind legs and his sides, and sucked in wind. He let out a bugling whinny.

“You make so many horse noises… why?” Stout asked.

Sideralis looked at her. He didn’t know. It just felt good.

“We’re better than that. We’ve developed speech. We talk. We can communicate. While a good whinny can be fun, or a nicker can be nice, and sometimes a neigh can say plenty, we… we’re better than that. You’re an alicorn. You’re supposed to be the perfection of our equine species. But you keep making sounds like a dumb horse.” Stout shook her head. “Also, quit flicking your tail so much. Other ponies will think you have fleas or lice.”

“Can I have root beer?” Sideralis asked as he lifted his right front leg and rear left leg, leaving him balanced on his left front and his right hind legs.

Stout sighed. “You keep that up and you’re going to get a root beer cutie mark.” She looked into Sideralis’ eyes and saw his hopeful expression. “Fine… let’s go get an ice cold root beer from the cantina. But then we’re coming right back here for at least one more hour of therapy and each time you burp so loud that it leaves a pony’s ears a ringing, I’m adding five more minutes of therapy time.”

“Root beer!” Sideralis, overcome with happiness, flicked his tail.

“How goes the therapy?”

Sideralis turned and looked at the pony speaking to him. He saw a unicorn, orange, with a mane like chocolate frosting. It took him a moment to put a name and a face together. Doctor Gizmo Gears, Chrysalis’ most trusted assistant, and brilliant technician.

“I can walk now,” Sideralis replied.

“So I hear. That’s amazing. I’m curious as to how that is possible.” The curious little unicorn’s eyebrow raised. “Is Stout treating you well?” The doctor began to polish his front left hoof against his off-white lab coat.

Sideralis smiled and glanced at Stout. “She treats me better than I deserve. I’ve been very silly and playful lately… I don’t know what’s come over me, and she’s been very good and patient with me.” Sideralis, focusing his eyes, noticed that Gizmo’s cutie mark was similar to Stout’s…. three gears. Stout’s were arranged within a heart, while Gizmo’s were open on all sides.

Somepony in the cantina started laughing and banging on their table. Sideralis looked around. Not many ponies in here right now. Sometimes, it had quite a few ponies and sometimes quite a few changelings. The Cantina was a cosy place. The room itself was long, narrow, like so many other rooms, had a bar that ran for maybe one quarter of the length, and then a whole bunch of little tables scattered about. It was dim, but had cheerful multicoloured lights strewn along the ceiling, little twinkling lights that ran the length of dark green wires. In the corner, there was a pinball machine.

“Miss Stout, once we are in Maredina, I’m going to need to examine you. Just the usual. I want to make sure that you are doing okay and that your systems are all optimal.” Gizmo looked at the earth pony mare.

“My telekinesis projector in my left hoof is acting up. It works, but only on low power,” Stout said.

“Oh bother!” Doctor Gizmo squirmed and looked very annoyed.

“Telekinesis. I wish I had magic. I’m a dud.” Sideralis watched as the doctor squirmed.

Hearing Sideralis’ words, the doctor recovered almost right away. “Nonsense. You have magic. You’re an alicorn. Alicorns have both active magic and inherent magic.”

A whinny escaped and then Sideralis went blank. His tail flicked and after an epic battle with his worthy foe, he got his lips around the straw poking up out of his root beer so he could take a drink, but only after he had chased it around the top of his glass, lap after circular lap.

The doctor cleared his throat and brushed invisible dirt off of his lab coat. “Princess Celestia moves the sun, as everypony knows. She can do it while she is sleeping. It takes no conscious effort for her to move the sun. This is an inherent act of magic. It just happens with no real thought or effort. She can even do it without her horn lighting up, indicating that magic is being done. Um, yes, we, the scientific community, have long wondered how she does this, but she refused to allow a study, saying that the probes were cold and they tickled.”

“Probes?” Sideralis said around his straw, looking concerned. He thought about Fluttershy and how she had taken his temperature a few nights ago when he had himself a low grade fever. He felt everything in his back half clench. His tail flicked as his dock tried to shield him.

“Now, active magic, that is the common magic found between both unicorns and alicorns. The horn glows and there is sometimes a funny sound that accompanies it, like a chiming or a crackle. Then you can hear other things that accompany magic, like ‘ooh’ or ‘aah’ or sometimes a scream of terror as something goes horribly wrong, like when that filly in magical kindergarten almost set Sweetie Belle on fire after giving herself dragon sneezes. Magic is fraught with peril.” The doctor paused and cleared his throat. “Sometimes it is difficult to appreciate the beauty of magic, what, with the screaming, the panic, and the fire extinguishers covering everything with white foam.”

“What goes on in magic kindergarten?” Sideralis asked as his straw slipped from between his lips, leaving behind a shiny string of drool. There was a thump as his tail twitched.

“Oh, magical kindergarten is wondrous and Sweetie Belle is a magnificent mare for teaching it. She’s very brave. In some ways, she’s more important than Twilight Sparkle, because Sweetie is teaching the brave, brilliant minds of tomorrow how to bend the universe to their will,” Doctor Gizmo replied. “Plus, every day, she goes back, which is a testament to her courage.”

“Sid, when you meet Sweetie Belle, remember a few rules. No loud noises, no sudden movements, and try to keep your voice low.” Stout eyed Sideralis’ almost empty root beer mug. Break time was almost over. “Sideralis, you’re going to walk down the gangplank for me tonight, aren’t you?”

“Walking already. Oh my goodness… tell me, Sideralis, have you given thought to becoming a cybernetic organism? You would make for a magnificent specimen… I could do things with you… amazing things!”

“Sorry doc, but we need to return to therapy.” Stout gave the doctor a polite smile.

“Ah, yes, understandable.” Doctor Gizmo watched as Sideralis flicked his tail and Stout helped him rise up to his hooves.

“You know what, Sid, we’re not going to go back to the therapy room. You’re going to walk a lap around the perimeter, and we’ll be done and you can rest.” Stout looked at her companion and watched as he found his balance on his own.

“Can we rest over another root beer?” Sideralis asked.

Sideralis sat on deck, his chin resting on the rail, and he watched as Maredina came into view. His fuzzy vision went in and out, allowing him to see tantalising views of the ancient city. This was a city older than Equestria by almost eight hundred years, according to Twilight Sparkle.

There was a river that flowed into the sea and Maredina was built on the delta. Farms were visible as far as the eye could see, built along the sides of the river out past the city. The whole city glowed with lights, illuminating the many buildings. Several airships were visible.

“That’s the Phoenix Rising, the counterpart to The Ouroboros.” Stout scooted closer against Sideralis, pressing up against his side and rubbing her ear against his neck.

The city was filled with tall towers that had strange onion shaped bulbs on top. In the white and yellow lights of the city, everything was shades of white, brown, or cream. It was beautiful and seeing it made Sideralis’ eyes tear up.

There were other airships and several that appeared to be under construction, but none quite like the Phoenix Rising and The Ouroboros. Boats moved over the water. The whole city seemed alive.

“This is Maredina… this is our main base of operations. This has become the most technologically advanced city in the world. The greatest minds have all come here to help combat the threat that Queen Mariposa has become.” Stout raised her foreleg and waved at everything below.

“It’s beautiful,” Sideralis whispered.

“Yes it is,” Stout agreed.

Sideralis felt two forelegs grab his neck and his head was pulled from the rail. He found himself snoot to snoot with Stout, and she was looking up into his eyes. Her ears were limp, one laid back, the other splayed out sideways. Her remaining orange eye reflected the light of the city. He could feel her breathing on him. She was trembling and for a moment, Sideralis wondered if Stout was afraid of something.

But that moment didn’t last. Stout kissed him. It wasn’t a soft peck on the cheek, or a quick touching of the lips, it was Sideralis’ first real kiss. She held up him up with ease, coaxed his mouth open, and invited herself inside. Stout’s lips were soft, but the rest of her face was firm, as hard as metal. Her lower jaw moved with an almost mechanical motion, smooth perfection.

After a brief moment of eternity, she pulled away, leaving Sideralis breathless. He opened his eyes, not even realising that he had closed them at some point, and stared down into Stout’s face. She was beautiful. Her dark ale coloured pelt and her cream coloured mane were eye catching. Sideralis’ tail flicked, thumping against the deck. He pressed his muzzle against Stout’s, not to kiss her, but just to be close to her. She had been his steadfast companion since his awakening. She was there with him and for him every minute, every hour, of every day and every night.

“I’ve been waiting to do that… this just felt right… the lights of the city…” Stout’s words trailed off and she cleared her throat. “Fluttershy has an apartment in Maredina. It’s a big comfortable place. You’re going to stay with us… and you’re going to meet Mustang Salvation, because she’s going to be recovering there with us. She’s going to be getting some upgrades, and I am too. Chrysalis plans on taking one of your eyes while we are here and she has access to all the proper facilities. Things might be a little weird, but we can be happy here.”

Stout closed her eye and pressed herself against Sideralis. “I have a confession, Sideralis, there’s been some information kept from you. I didn’t want it kept from you, but I had to follow orders.” Stout cleared her throat and rubbed Sideralis’ neck with her hoof. “This is more than just us being compatible personality types and being a good match. Sid, I…” Stout fell silent and gave Sideralis a squeeze.

“What?” Sideralis asked.

“I’ve been dreaming about you for a long, long time. In my dreams, you were my playmate. One of my best friends. I looked forwards to going to bed when I was a bit younger. I know it wasn’t you, like you are now, and I didn’t understand it then… you were like a super special imaginary friend, but in my dreams, you were real. I guess it’s complicated. Twilight knew about you. So did Chrysalis. There is still a lot they haven’t told you and I’m not allowed to tell you, but maybe you’ll get some answers while we’re here.” Stout gulped and rubbed her cheek against Sideralis’ chin. “I fell in love with you a long time ago. I don’t know how it happened. I don’t understand all of it. I understand that I might have been manipulated, and like so many other aspects of my life, this might be artificial, but I don’t care. You make me happy, so very happy. When I am around you, I feel like… like… like I am a pony again. I feel real. I feel happy and I feel good about my life.”

After hearing all of Stout’s words, Sideralis could not respond. He had no idea what to say. It was a lot to take in all at once. It was far too complicated for him to take in all at once, so he shoved it all out of his mind. He thought about what his mother, Luna, had said, to focus upon his instincts. He managed to get one foreleg around Stout and squeezed her. She had strange lumps and bumps beneath her skin, it wasn’t like hugging other ponies, like Fluttershy or Twilight. She had machinery and hydraulic parts beneath her skin, stuff that he had no clue about. For whatever reason, this felt right.

“We’ll sort this out,” Sideralis said in a low whisper.

“Where’s Tangy Stangy?” Stout asked Fluttershy. She looked at the yellow mare with a worried expression. “Where is the grump?” Stout left Sideralis propped up against the rail and took a step closer to Fluttershy. “She’s supposed to be with us… I wanted to introduce Sid to her.”

“Mustang is having some problems. Her repairs didn’t go as planned. They’re going to move her to a facility here and give her a good working over until they can chase some bugs and glitches out of her system,” Fluttershy replied. The yellow pegasus looked sad. “I was so looking forwards to all of us being together.”

The whole ship shuddered as it came to rest in the dock. A booming clank filled the air. Sideralis almost fell over as the ship came to a shuddering rest in its cradle. Stout placed a hoof on Sideralis to steady him, but never took her eyes off of Fluttershy.

“She woke up angry and confused. She fought against her restraints and she damaged herself. Poor thing. She’s so unhappy, I don’t know what can be done for her.” Fluttershy closed her eyes and shook her head. “She’s only happy when she’s fighting. It’s awful. Why can’t she be happy like you are, Stout?”

Chewing on her lip, Stout looked at Fluttershy, then turned her head and looked at Sideralis. She stared at the blue alicorn for a while, gnawing on her lip, and then she looked at Fluttershy again. There was a blast from a horn that she ignored and then the sound of many voices.

“Mom…” Stout began in a low voice. She blinked a few times and her ears pitched forwards over her eyes. “I might have been well adjusted, but I don’t know if I was happy. I thought I was… but after Sid arrived, I realised there was something that had been missing in my life. I’m real happy now, but looking back, I honestly don’t know how happy I was. With Sid… it’s like somepony hitting a light switch and suddenly you’re able to see in a dark room.”

Letting out a soft squeak, Fluttershy nodded. “I understand. Sometimes another pony can make you happy. After losing most of my friends and my home, I didn’t think that I’d ever be happy again.” Fluttershy moved closer, sat down next to Stout, and wrapped her forelegs around Stout’s neck. “But then you came along. You and little Mustang both. And I was happy again. I was so happy that it felt wrong somehow. I was supposed to be grieving my lost friends and I thought I was supposed to be sad about losing my home. It took a long time before Twilight got me to see that it was okay for me to be happy again.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. “So yes, I know how happy a pony can make you. I want you to be happy, Stout. You deserve it after all you’ve gone through and everything you’ve given up.”

“Ready to go home?” Stout asked.

Fluttershy squeezed Stout as hard as she could. “That apartment never felt like home. It’s just a place to stay. Our cabin on this ship… that’s home. That is where I raised you and Mustang. I love you both so much.”

“It could be home for us,” Stout said. “With Sideralis with us now, we’ll need a bigger place.” She hugged the yellow mare clinging to her. The night all around her filled with the sounds of whalesong as the two ships began to communicate with one another.

“I don’t want to be part of the crowd. Let the ship empty and then we’ll go.” Fluttershy, holding Stout close to her, let out a soft sigh of contentment. “I suppose that Sideralis is one of us now.”

Hearing Fluttershy’s words, Sideralis let slip an equine whicker.

Author's Notes:

And now, Saddle Arabia.