Aspect expected a great many things to happen in Ponyville. From rampaging monsters to surprise Pinkie Parties. Even Applejack and Rarity were ponies he was cautious of for causing some sort of malady or mayhem.

The one pony he didn’t expect it from was the one that now had him trapped at her house.

Okay, trapped was a strong word. But he felt he might make her upset if he just up and left. Trapped by guilt.

“So?” Fluttershy asked as she motioned towards the plethora of animals and critters that inhabited her home. “Are there any creatures here that you’d like as a pet?”

“I…” Aspect looked at them before sighing. “I don’t know, Fluttershy. I honestly don’t. I never had a pet in Equestria before. I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“Well, it’s quite simple really,” the kind mare smiled. “Simply choose one you’d like.”

“But…” Aspect sighed. “But I don’t know what I want for a pet. And I wouldn’t want a pet that didn’t want me as well.”

“All my pets for adoption want a loving home,” Fluttershy said. “And well, let’s start with something basic. Like a kitty or a puppy.”

“Okay,” Aspect replied, looking at the available kittens. “I’ll admit, they’re cute.” There was an adorable fluffy white one with blue eyes, a little calico and a black cat with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.

Then there were the dogs, a fluffy Husky pup, a Germane Shepherd, and a little puff ball that wouldn’t stop yapping at him.

“Then again, I already have a Diamond Dog pup in my home,” Aspect replied. “I wouldn’t want him to feel like I was trying to...replace him or anything.”

“Hmm, that’s a good point,” Fluttershy agreed and nodded. “Well, how about a bird then? I have dozens of different kinds. Parrots, eagles, flamingoes?”

“They’re quite attractive as well,” Aspect replied as he looked them over. “But Pyroclastia is a phoenix, she might not take well to another bird hanging around me. And she’s the Aspect of Fire.”

“Um, well…” Fluttershy was starting to get flustered. But she would not give up! Balanced Aspect would find a pet, if it was the last thing she did. “How about a fish? They’re pretty easy to take care of…”

“Neptune,” Aspect replied. “Aspect of the seas, Seapony king. Probably not a good idea. My son can be...dramatic.”

“I...um...well…” Fluttershy suddenly held out a hissing snake. “Snakes! Everypony loves snakes!”

“Not if they’re poisonous,” Aspect returned. “I don’t mind them personally, but I don’t think any visitors I might get will be so appreciative. I think Tia actually has a fear of them.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy put the snake down, then gasped. “I have the perfect pet!”

And thus, a moment later, Aspect was being hugged by a full grown grizzly bear.

“Fluttershy,” the stallion gasped. “I’m flattered, but I don’t think I can provide for a bear. No offense. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Harry, put him down please,” Fluttershy instructed as the bear did so, patting Aspect on the head before wandering off. Then the pegasus mare smiled. “Hmm, you’re used to to what some ponies call monsters right?”

“I won’t deny that I’ve faced my share,” the stallion returned. “The weird and strange aren’t so odd to me.”

“Well I do have this little guy,” Fluttershy said and revealed the critter.

A manticore.

A baby manticore.

“No,” Aspect said quite quickly. “No no and no. I just...no. Me and manticores...we don’t get along.”

“Is… something wrong?” Fluttershy asked him.

“Manticores and I have a history,” Aspect replied, backing up a touch. “One that usually ends in blood.”

Fluttershy seemed to turn a little green at that, even as the Manticore kitten looked up at Aspect… then darted forward and started nuzzling his leg.

“Ack!” Aspect kept backing up until his flank hit the wall.

“Okay,” Fluttershy scooped the kitten up and gave it a nuzzle before putting her outside. “Perhaps… we can try again another day.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Aspect replied. “I just don’t think I’m very pet-friendly.”

“You and Rainbow Dash both,” Fluttershy sighed. “So um… is it true you’re dating both her and Bon Bon?”

“I don’t even try to understand how it happened,” Aspect returned, nodding his head. “But somehow they both came to me. So...as long as they both want me, I will do what I can for them.”

“So… how do you feel about it then?” Fluttershy asked as she poured him a cup of tea to settle his frayed nerves. “Do you like them both? One more than the other?”

“Liking one more than the other would be a disservice to them both,” Aspect answered as he took the cup of tea and sighed. “I do like them both. I do. I just wish I knew what I did to make me seem worth the trouble to both of them.”

“Well have you tried asking them?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t want to meddle, but, communication is important.” Her eyes widened and she started waving a hoof. “Oh, but I’ve never been in a relationship, so I don’t really know, Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

“No, you’re right,” Aspect replied, waving a wing at her. “I have asked them a few times. But they just giggle, or, well, Rainbow snorts, and they say something to the effect of ‘you know why.’ I honestly don’t. So...I mean, I’m trying.”

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy put her hoof to her face and sighed. “She hasn’t changed a bit. Well, trust me okay. If she’s not giving you a straight answer, then it’s likely something sweet and loving. You know, the complete opposite of Dashie.”

“Fair enough,” the stallion chuckled as the tea soothed his nerves. “Well, I thank you for trying to find me a pet. I am a difficult stallion to shop for, though. I find all the things I desire when I look at my family, and they recently came to visit for the first time in ages. So...again, thank you for the attempt. Maybe I can come back some time and you can try again?”

“Yes of course,” Fluttershy nodded and smiled warmly. “Hmm, what to try next time? Ohh, I have so many more~”

“Take care, fair Fluttershy,” Aspect nodded his head at her before turning to leave her abode. She bid him farewell as well, as Aspect made the journey back home.

“And so, you see how if you carry the X, you get this answer?” Twilight said as she gently walked Realm and Artemis through basic algebra.

“Okay, wow, suddenly that problem is ten times easier,” Realm blinked. “It was a mess of letters and numbers a minute ago. How did you do that?”

“It’s pretty easy,” Twilight said and showed him the steps she took to get there. “See? To solve linear equations, you add, subtract, multiply and divide both sides of the equation by numbers and variables, so that you end up with a single variable on one side and a single number on the other side. As long as you always do the same thing to BOTH sides of the equation, and do the operations in the correct order, you will get to the solution.”

“So...basically treat this symbol,” Realm started, tapping the equal lines with a hoof. “Like a mirror, and do what you can to remove things on both sides?”

“Exactly!” Twilight beamed and clapped her hooves. The owl perched on her back hooted a cheerful tone as well.

“That’s...a lot simpler than I thought it would be,” the alicorn colt blinked. “Why couldn’t it be explained like that?”

“Numbers, letters, fractals, equations…” one could almost see the steam rising from the Diamond Dog’s burnt out brain. “At least rocks make sense…”

Twilight just smiled and pet him on the head. “There there, you’ll get it eventually. I mean, it took me until I was ten before I could do advanced physics and trigonometry.”

“Please tell me that’s not next,” Realm begged.

Twilight checked the books and sighed. “Sadly not, we have history next…” She legitimately looked disappointed at that.

“Oh thank goodness,” Realm sighed, drooping slightly. “I thought my brain was going to fry if we stayed any longer on math.”

“Math is love, math is life!” Twilight said with a small frown.

“I’m an artist, I can barely make heads or tails of math on a good day,” Realm replied.

Twilight just shook her head and sighed. “Well alright. Let’s move on then. To history!”

There was a snort from one of the paintings, and turning to look revealed the painted form of Commander Hurricane standing nearby.

“Oh no, don’t mind me,” she said, waving a hoof. “It’s not like we were there for any of it.”

Twilight’s ear flicked, but she chose to ignore that comment for now. “So where are you up to. Ah…” her eyes narrowed into a flat stare. “The Unification Era. Of course…”

“Now that was a heckuva time!” Hurricane whooped. “Pegasi throwing storms around, Unicorns casting spells left and right to alter the weather and rip up the ground! Earth ponies tossing boulders like catapults! Oh it was grand! So much flank got kicked!”

Twilight’s ear flicked again. “In the past, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies didn’t share the same land like they do now. Pegasi controlled the weather, unicorns the sun and moon and earth ponies the food. That said, they would hold these various resources at ransom to make demands of the others.”

“And they would totally kick the flank of anyone who made demands, half the time,” Hurricane replied. “Sorcery, Aeromancy, Geomancy. What did we need armies for when we had adepts in those arts? One battalion of Aeromancers could kick up a storm that could wipe a village off the map. I could make hurricanes.”

“BUT!” Twilight talked over her. “This kind of behaviour couldn’t last. An uncontrollable winter started to settle over the lands. The others blamed the pegasi, earth ponies were blamed for the lack of food and unicorns for hoarding their magic…”

“Yeah, we all had to abandon Dream Valley,” Hurricane sighed. “Aspect led the way, but he was in his other form then. He led us to a new land, that we called Equestria, before he said he would ‘deal with the problem.’ He probably shoulda stuck around a little while longer…”

“But the winter soon followed. The three tribes fighting and bickering seemed without end, and that, seemed to spurn the chilling cold…”

“Yeah...Then again, if Aspect had frickin’ told us there were such a thing as ice spirits,” Hurricane grumbled.

“And yet, even as the cold encroached on the last remaining ponies, the leaders of the tribes and their assistants. The three leaders continued to fight one another, even in the face of certain demise…”

“I still say we coulda fought them off if we fought together,” Hurricane huffed. “But you know, friendship and all that.”

“And then, Smart Cookie, Clover the Clever and Private Pansy finally realised that they shouldn’t be fighting, but working together. The light of their friendship burned away the Windegoes and restored peace and harmony to the land.”

“And thanks to Aspect intervening in the far north, they’ve never come down beyond the frozen north,” Hurricane replied. “Something about how they’re his kids too.”

Twilight slowly turned towards the painted mare and narrowed her eyes. “Is there something you’d like to contribute Miss Hurricane?”

“Nah, just pointing out the holes in your story,” Hurricane smirked. “I mean, really. There must have been other times ponies didn’t always feel so hunky-dory and happy with their fellow equine, and ya never wondered why the world wasn’t freezin’ over again?”

“Well… I just… you were in a war!” Twilight countered. “Ponykind has never done anything that bad ever since.”

“Ehhh,” Realm rubbed the back of his head. “I mean, Tia did have that little tiff with some separatists who thought she might not be fit to rule...dad told me.”

“Yeah she…” Twilight paused and blinked. “Whatwhat!? Princess Celestia would never do something like that. She’s kind and benevolent and—”

“Erased all knowledge of Sorcery, Geomancy, and Aeromancy,” Hurricane spoke up. “Mostly so that could never happen again. She tamed the pony races so she would never have to face a nation divided against her.”

“Well…” Twilight hadn’t heard of this. Did… the princess really do that?

“It’s true,” Realm replied. “Why do you think Dad has to reteach it?”

Well that was a good point. But why would the Princess destroy knowledge? It just didn’t…

“I… have to go, good work today,” Twilight mumbled as she gathered her things and left rather suddenly.

“If it helps,” Realm called after her. “Tia and Dad made up about that.”

Twilight just grunted a response and left the trio be, brushing past Aspect as he entered but didn’t say anything to him.

“...Dare I ask?” Aspect inquired as he drew near.

“Miss Twilight Clover was just getting a revised history lesson,” Realm replied as he began reading the history books and groaning. “Oh come on. It did not happen like that.”

“She seemed more upset over that thing about Princess Celestia,” Artemis pointed out. “That old mare’s commentary didn’t help either.”

“Twilight is apparently her student,” Aspect explained. “So...maybe she doesn’t realize that the longer you live, the more chances you have to make mistakes?”

“Wow, being immortal sucks huh?” Artemis commented and looked at the ageless painted mare and the two alicorns. “Eh… no offense.”

“None taken, you’re part of the club kid,” Aspect replied, rubbing the dog behind the ears with a hoof.

“Waitwhat?” the pup exclaimed. “Seriously!?”

“Yup,” Aspect returned, poking him in the chest with a hoof. “Being an Aspect means you’re as much as part of the world as the part you represent. The only way we could kill you, besides my sword, is if all the earth in the world suddenly didn’t exist.”

“Well… that’s, a heavy thought,” the pup muttered as he sat down rather suddenly.

“Yeah...you had a choice at least,” Realm muttered as he looked at his horn.

“Sorta,” Artemis replied. “I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into,” he looked at the math books, glad that was over for the time being.

“I told you you would be important,” Aspect said, before nodding at the pup. “That’s why it’s so important that you have a good foundation. Learn what you can while you can.”

“Yeah, I know…” Artemis sighed. “You should have seen some of those foals though. They looked like I’d jump up and eat them.” He sighed again and shrugged. “Still, can’t blame them I suppose. You ponies really don’t like carnivores.”

“Herd instinct, can’t really blame them,” Aspect quipped. “So long as you don’t do anything, they’ll get over it.”

“Here’s hoping,” the canine replied. His nose twitched and he sniffed the air before frowning. “So… what’s up with you? You smell… afraid of something.”

“Miss Fluttershy was trying to set me up with a pet,” Aspect sighed. “It was nice of her and all, but I don’t think I’m a very ‘pet’ sort of pony.”

“Huh…” the dog sniffed again. “Wait, why do I smell a Manticore? Why kind of pets does this pony have?”

“All kinds,” Aspect returned. “And good nose on you. But no, no worries. I told her no.”

“What can I say? I’m still a dog,” Artemis grinned. “Oh, and math sucks by the way. Completely.”

“Eh, simple algebra isn’t so bad,” the stallion returned. “I rather enjoy solving for variables. It’s like a word puzzle in number form.”

“Like you couldn’t get any weirder,” Artemis sighed.

Then Aspect heard a scratching at the front door.

“Who could that be?” He mused as he turned around and went to the door. “It’s not like everypony around here doesn’t know how to knock…”

Upon opening it, nothing stood out at his line of sight… then he heard, purring? And something rubbing his leg. The stallion looked down and he backed up as fast as he could, but he couldn’t escape the little monster attached to him.

“Realm, Artemis! Help! Somepony help!” he called out as the Manticore kitten att- viciou- nuzzled him.

“What’s going on in here?” Artemis asked as he ran in, Realm following. “And why do I smell… Manticore!?”

“Dad, move away!” Realm said, one wing lighting up with a brief spark. “Dammit, I can’t use lightning, I’m still recovering fully! Dad, move!”

“I’m trying!” the stallion whined, in full panic mode as he kept trying to put distance between him and the bru- mon- cub.

Artemis looked at Aspect, then at Realm, and then finally at the tiny cub the size of his head. “You’re kidding?” he said flatly. “You’re kidding right? How can you be afraid of that? It’s tiny!”

“Dad and I have lost a lot to manticores,” Realm replied. “They seem to be intent to cause misery.”

“Ohh, this one is malicious,” Artemis snarked as he pick it up by the scruff of the neck. “Careful there Aspect. Wouldn’t want you to get nuzzled to death… that said, that is a real likelihood from that poofy pink mare.”

“Just...just see it out,” Aspect panted. “We’re not looking after a manticore.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” Artemis said as he held it up. “If it followed you all the way here? Then you’ve imprinted on it somehow. You’d have to kill it to get rid of it completely.”

“I...I’m not going to kill a cub,” Aspect replied. “I have standards. It can’t have done anything yet.”

“Well, you don’t have to,” Artemis said as he created a blade of stone. “I’ll do it.”

“No!” Aspect said, holding up a hoof. “It’s...an innocent,” the stallion sighed. “Even if it is a manticore, it’s an innocent one. You can’t just kill whoever or whatever because it’s inconvenient.”

Artemis remained that way for a moment and then smiled. “Good, then your fear isn’t completely irrational.” he commented as he held the kitten. “So, what do you want to do with her then?”

“I...I don’t know,” Aspect sighed. “I just...I have a bad history with Manticores, okay? They...took Written. They took Realm’s parents. I’m...not sure.”

“No, that one particular Manticore took away Written,” her painted doppelganger said from the picture frame. “And honestly, that was how long ago now? She wasn’t immortal, so she’d have passed eventually anyway.”

“...Can you even tame a Manticore?” Aspect asked dubiously.

“Well, why don’t you find out?” Written chuckled. “You’ve slain a lot of monsters over the centuries, taming one shouldn’t be too difficult should it?”

“I pose that it’ll be harder,” Aspect replied. “Killing one is simple. Swing, slash, done in a flash. Taming one sounds like a lifelong effort.”

“Yours or theirs?” Written quipped back.

“...Oh ha ha,” Aspect returned. “I...guess. We can ask Fluttershy about what to feed you.” He wasn’t looking at the little cub with as much fear anymore.

Written Script smiled at him, glad he was finally putting that little piece of the past back where it belonged. One step at a time…

Then the door burst open and a frantic Twilight Sparkle burst in, looking around wildly.

“What’s the problem?” Aspect asked.

“Spike? Is he here? Please tell me he’s here!?” she almost yelled, grabbing Aspect by the shoulders.

“I haven’t seen your dragon friend all day,” Aspect replied. “Why, is something wrong?”

Twilight’s panic wilted as she stepped back and slumped. Her ears drooped and she took out a small note. “We… had a fight earlier. About my new owl assistant,” she murmured quietly, a defeated look on her face. “Spike he… he ran away…”

“There’s only one place he could go and still not be detected,” Aspect inferred.

“What? Where!?” Twilight jumped back to her hooves.

“The forest,” the stallion pointed out. “Realm, Artemis, you have the run of the house. Tell Bon Bon where I went if she asks, and no staying up past your bedtime. Sword or no sword?” he asked the mare.

“I…” Twilight paused and after a moment, nodded her head. “Just in case okay?”

“Sword!” Aspect said, holding up a hoof. There was a whistling sound through the house before the sword landed, hilt-first, in his hoof, and he stuck it under his saddlebags. “Let’s go.”

Twilight nodded and together, the pair made way for the Everfree Forest.

“How… are we even going to find him?” Twilight said as they entered the dark woods. “The Everfree is enormous. He could be anywhere!” Her ears twitched as her eyes widened. “What if… oh, what if he’s in trouble? What if a Cockatrice got him?” She started to breathe heavier, old fears coming back in full now.

“Hmm...too bad I wasn’t a scout,” Aspect mused. “I’d track him if I could. I never got too into outdoors survival.”

“I’ve got it!” Twilight suddenly beamed as her horn lit up. “Spike’s fireproof...so I’ll just burn the forest down. Easy Peasy!”

“I applaud the idea, but it won’t work,” Aspect replied. “Not only would Fluttershy not like it, the forest is a font of wild magic. It’ll act to protect itself. Think of it like a giant pony. You setting a fire triggers the immune system...in this case, timberwolves.”

“Wood burns,” Twilight replied darkly. “If they’ve hurt Spike—”

“Or Hydras, or Manticores, or Ursas,” Aspect continued. “Really, anything that annoys the forest, the forest can use anything in its borders to drive the invaders out.”

“Well then what do we DO!?” Twilight yelled. “I… I can’t… if something’s happened to him then I’ll…” She was riding a fine line between distraught and utterly breaking down. Then she heard a noise, a soft hooting. Looking up, she spied Owlowiscious sitting in a tree and pointing with his wing.

“Huh?” she sniffled and looked to where he was gesturing. Little red footprints on the ground… that smelled oddly like ketchup.

“Okay, that’s a clue I can get behind,” Aspect said. “You’ll have to tell me about the ketchup later. For now, there’s no way this got here on its own, so let’s follow the obvious track!”

“R-Right,” Twilight nodded and followed the pegasus stallion, Owlowiscious flying on ahead.

And when they arrived at a large cave, Aspect could feel the ground shaking and the deep, rumbling roars that could be heard from inside.

“Dragon,” he groaned. “This could not be worse.”

Twilight was already charging inside…

Aspect groaned and followed after her, hopefully this drake would be open to reason. Inside, he saw a massive green dragon trying to snap at Twilight’s owl as it buzzed around it’s head as a distraction, while the mare ran over to Spike, scooping him up into a hug.

“Let’s go, ponies and bird!” Aspect told them as he took up a position between the dragon and Twilight. “You can bloody teleport!”

“Oh… right,” Twilight picked up Spike and started to charge a teleport spell, but not before a massive spiked tail fell towards them.

Aspect was fast, he intercepted the tail and blocked it with the flat of his sword. “Calm yourself, wyrm, lest I decide to tell Smaug of what you have done,” the stallion shouted.

The dragon flinched. Who… was this pony to invoke the name of the King?

And it was in that moment that Twilight teleported them outside the cave.

“And running!” Aspect spoke up, sticking his sword under his saddlebags again. “Tearful reunion when we’re not in front of a dragon cave!”

“Right,” Twilight blinked and chased after him, even as the roaring dragon could be heard behind them. “It’s going to catch us at this rate!”

Then Owlowiscious took the lead, dodging and weaving through trees as the ponies followed him, eventually losing the dragon in the dense foliage.

“Okay, so, what have we learned about the Everfree?” Aspect asked between gasps.

“That it sucks,” Twilight muttered. “I hate it. Utterly.”

“Don’t run away into the Everfree… choose someplace sunny next time,” Spike tacked on.

“More like, don’t go into the Everfree,” Aspect returned. “It took years to get it remotely accepting of the castle, and that was with Earth Ponies trying to soothe it at every opportunity!”

“Okay, okay, I messed up…” Spike sighed. “It’s just, I thought you didn't need me anymore. And that you didn't love me anymore.”

“Spike.” Twilight pulled him into a hug. “Sure, I was disappointed, but you are my number one assistant! And friend. And you always will be. It's just that sometimes I need some help at night. I can't ask you to stay up late. You're a baby dragon and you need your rest. Owls are nocturnal. So I asked Owlowiscious to help. But not to take your place. No one could ever replace you, Spike. Not even when you are being a jealous numbskull.”

“Amazing what jealousy will make ponies, and dragons, do,” Aspect mused.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for being so jealous Twi,” Spike said softly.

“And I’m sorry. I should have been more sensitive,” the unicorn said back, hugging him again. She looked up at Aspect. “And thank you Aspect. That… might have turned out much worse if it wasn’t for you.”

“Yeah, dragons in general aren’t the friendliest of creatures,” the stallion returned.

Spike snorted and folded his arms.

“You’re the exception,” the stallion chuckled and rubbed the little guy on the head with a hoof.

“And Owlowiscious... I know now that you weren't out to take my job. Forgive me?” Spike asked, the little owl hooting in response.

“Whoo?”

“Me. Spike! Forgive me?”

“Hoo?”

“So uh, how did you guys find me anyway?” Spike asked as they headed back to town.

“Followed the ketchup-dragon tracks,” Aspect quipped as he escorted them all out of the forest.

“Owlowiscious was the one that pointed them out,” Twilight followed up. “Also, you're getting a bath when you get home.”

“Aww…” Spike groaned.

Aspect had seen Twilight and Spike to the borders of town, before making a detour. He had a pegasus to visit. If he was…

*Gulp*

If he was going to be looking after a Manticore, best to figure out what to do first.

It didn’t take him long before he arrived at Fluttershy’s home, and he steeled his nerves before knocking on the door with a hoof.

And it didn’t take long for the pink-maned yellow pegasus answered the door. “Oh, hello Balanced,” she said in her soft tone. “Welcome.”

“Hello Fluttershy,” Aspect nodded at her. “I have a...small issue that I’m hoping you can help me with.”

“The missing Manticore cub?” she hazarded a guess. “She’s at your house, isn’t she?”

“Yes, and the Diamond Dog I have living with me says that, short of killing her, something I’m not interested in doing, there’s no way to get her to leave,” Aspect replied. “So uh...how do I look after a Manticore?”

Fluttershy turned rather pale at the mention of killing the cub. But he said he’d not do that so she put it in the back of her mind. “W-well,” she said shakily. “There’s quite a few things you should… wait, look after? You… wish to adopt her?”

“Well I’m not just going to abandon her in my own home, that’d be silly,” Aspect quipped. “She followed me home. I think she’s asking if she can keep me at this juncture.”

And then Fluttershy hugged him and gods above she was stronger than she looked. Aspect could feel his ribs protesting to the bearhug as she giggled over him accepting the cub as a pet. And considering she had a bear around, she probably could practice said bearhugs on him as well…

“Okay, it’s not the end of the world,” Aspect managed to breathe out. “Just...can you help me?”

“Oh, yes!” she flew inside, effortlessly dragging him along as she started gathering various items. Soon, Balanced was laden down with a food and water bowl, a collar, books on taming and raising Manticores, toys… the pile was almost as big as he was.

“Fluttershy, this is great and all,” Aspect eventually spoke up, being careful not to move too suddenly. “But uh...what do I actually feed her?”

“Oh…” She moved to a cabinet and Balanced’s knees nearly buckled when she placed a massive bag of food on his back with the rest of the stuff. “This is Manticore Munch. It’s tasty for them, and provides all the nutrients they’ll need. Alternatively. You can use fish and chicken as well.”

“Maybe I’ll mix it up every now and then,” the stallion huffed. “Get her a fish for good behavior. It’d be nice to break out the old pole.”

“Oh, and you might want to pay Zecora a visit,” Fluttershy said to him. “Even a young Manticore’s sting can be very painful without treatment. So I’d stock up on antivenom.”

“Duly noted,” Aspect nodded. Home first, to drop this burden off. Zecora second. A thought occured. “How...much should I feed her? Wouldn’t want to over or under do it.”

“About a quarter of her weight,” Fluttershy said. “I gave you a book that has a section on Manticores. So that should help you further.”

“Thank you,” the stallion nodded and slowly, carefully, made his way to the door.

“Take good care of her,” Fluttershy waved. “I’ll come by to visit, but don’t hesitate to come to me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Aspect called over his shoulder. He was glad they didn’t live too far apart. But every step would feel like ten, with this load.

Eh, it would be fine. He’d carried Tia and Lulu before. Not at the same time, but it surely couldn’t be harder than an alicorn.

Well… he was stallion enough to admit when he was wrong.

Looking at the interior of his house… covered in painted paw prints.

And a happy as heck Manticore kitten that was now a rainbow of colours, having found Realm’s supply of paint and decided to play.

“...Yeah, it was a good thing Fluttershy gave me some toys for you,” Aspect stated as he looked around the house. “This...this is gonna be heck to clean up.”

“Um, wow…” a voice said from behind as Rainbow and Bon Bon walked in. “Nice place you have here,” the pegasus snickered.

“Realm… got creative did he?” Bon Bon was barely holding in her own giggles.

“Naw, my newest tenant did,” Aspect replied as he shrugged his burden off onto the ground, where it made an audible ‘thump’ as it all hit. Without any effort, he scooped up the cub and held it close with a wing. “Come on little one. If you’re going to play and get dirty, you’re going to have to suffer the torments of a bath as well.”

“Is...is that… a manticore?” Bon Bon exclaimed.

“Wow, when you choose a pet, you don’t half-ass it huh?” Rainbow whistled.

“She chose me,” Aspect grumbled. “So now I have to look after her. Because heaven help me if I have to face a disappointed Fluttershy.”

“Did she use the sad eyes?” Rainbow asked. “Those are dangerous. She could rule Equestria with those eyes.”

“How do you think she trapped me to try and give me a pet in the first place?” Aspect retorted, leaving the room with the cub under one wing. “You, are in trouble,” Aspect told the Manticore. “Not a whole lot, I don’t expect you to know better yet. But you are going to have a bath.”

The kitten just purred, it’s tail swinging back and forth lazily.

“You want some help cleaning?” Bon Bon asked. “I’m used to it after living with Lyra for so long.”

“Eh, I’ll make Realm do it,” Aspect called back. “Though if one of you could nip down to Zecora’s and ask her for some anti-venom for a Manticore, that’d be swell. Until the little one learns who not to sting, I’ll probably need it.”

“I’ll do it, I can be back in ten seconds,” Rainbow nodded and rocketed off into the sky. Bon Bon watched her go and sighed.

“You know, her work colleagues have been giving her a hard time,” the mare said.

“...Why? She’s the weather captain, she should be taking her job seriously,” Aspect replied.

“Not about her job,” Bon Bon clarified. “About us.”

“...Remind me to accompany her to the station one day,” Aspect growled. “I will be having some words with her co-workers that’ll make them think twice about talking about us.” Eventually the stallion found the bathroom and pushed the door open. “All right, first bath for the little cub,” he said out loud, kicking the door closed after him so she couldn’t escape.

The kitten saw water… and Aspect saw paint as she started struggling and squirming. He did his best to hold her still with his wing as he ran the bathtub, not plugging it up and waiting for it to get warm. He had to duck once or twice to avoid her tail, but soon the bath was full and the kitten mewling loudly.

The stallion put her in the bathtub, still not blocking the plug up, as he let her get acquainted with the water at her own pace. “There you go, it’s not gonna hurt you,” he soothed.

The kitten still kicked up a stink over getting wet. But at least she wasn’t trying to impale him with her tail now. Aspect looked around and found a washcloth and a bar of soap, grabbing a hold of both and working up a nice lather on the washcloth. He held the kitten still, gently, with one hoof, while the other got to work cleaning the paint out of her fur. The soap he put down for the moment. Luckily the paint she’d gotten into was water soluble. Or else Aspect would be having a hard time with this.

A slamming door downstairs told him Rainbow was back as well. Well… least she used the door this time. The stallion chuckled as he kept on cleaning the kitten off. “This is what’s gonna happen every time you get in Realm’s paint,” he told her, a part of him not believing she’d understand what he was saying. Another part of him reminded him that this was magical-pony land, where every animal was aware to some degree. “You get dirty, I clean you off.”

The kitten almost looked like she was pouting. Well, at least she’d stopped struggling now. The water was kind of nice.

“You’re like a dad bathing his foal,” Bon Bon giggled from the doorway.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Aspect replied as he gently kept up the cleaning. “There you go. And you were making such a fuss earlier. Don’t you want to look nice?”

The kitten stared at him… before shaking herself off and getting as much water on him as possible.

“Nice try, but we’re not done yet,” Aspect chuckled as he went on to the most dangerous part of the Manticore, her tail. “Now, hold very still, little one,” he told her. “This is the last of it.” He began to slowly clean off the tail, starting at the base.

The tail twitched as the kitten begun to shake. Ahh, someone had a ticklish tail. Aspect did his best not to tease the kitten as he kept cleaning her off. Fortunately none of the paint was on her stinger, but there were a few spots up to it. He carefully kept cleaning, not lingering at all if he could avoid it on any one spot.

And soon, the kitten was clean and purring loudly as she splashed the water with her front paws.

“And there you go,” Aspect chuckled as he put the washcloth back on the hanger and the soap where he got it from. He pulled out a big, fluffy towel and sat nearby, waiting for her to say she was done and wanted to be dry.

The kitten’s tail slapped the water as she played for a bit, before jumping out and giving a vigorous shake of her body. Aspect wrapped her up in the towel and helped her get dry, letting her feel the warmth of it sinking in as he did his best to help her.

“Pet or no, I still see some daddy in you,” Bon Bon giggled. “Hmm, have you got a name for her yet? We can’t just call her Manticore.”

“I’ve got nothin’ in that regard,” Aspect replied as he rubbed the kitten a little more before eventually turning her loose. She blinked, realised she was free and bolted out the door, likely off to cause more mischief.

“Well, hopefully she doesn’t do anything too drastic before she finds the toys,” Aspect sighed. “I still have to put all of that away too.”

“As I said, I’ll help,” Bon Bon chuckled. “I seem to practically live here now anyway. Hmm, speaking of. Is mom being insufferable as usual?”

“I’m sure Realm would be more suited to telling you than me,” Aspect chuckled as he got up and started making his way towards the front of the house. “They’re practically inseparable now.”

“Oh geez, you know she’ll probably try and adopt him right?” Bon Bon sighed and rolled her eyes. “Mom loves kids. Still pesters me as to why she doesn’t have grandfoals to spoil yet.”

“Sorry, Realm’s mine,” Aspect chuckled. “Paperwork was filed centuries ago and everything.”

Bon Bon smirked and slid up next to him, giving his ear a light nibble. “Maybe we should work on grandfoals then~”

“I’m not particularly sure that’s a wise move,” Aspect mused. “I mean, at the rate I seem to be taking on boarders, I’ll be overrun in a month. Less if any of my charges decide to take on a pet.”

“Aww, one of Lyra’s dreams was to become a zookeeper,” Bon Bon giggled. “Maybe just leave her in charge.”

“I am not turning my home into a zoo,” Aspect replied. “...Maybe a three-ring circus if this keeps up.”

“Hmhmhm, well at least I know who the clown’s going to be,” Bon Bon booped his nose.

“Yeah, Realm, he can face-paint himself,” Aspect quipped.

“Ha! So, does that make you the stage magician? Or maybe a lion tamer? You already tamed one rainbow lion.”

“Just wait till Lulu hears about this, she had the weirdest pets over the years,” Aspect replied as the entered the main room. “And I’m pretty sure Tia would outperform me in magic.”

Bon Bon chuckled, then decided to bring up something with him. Her bosses at S.M.I.L.E were curious, but she was even moreso.

“Hey Aspect?” the earth mare asked as he eased himself into his favourite chair. “What do you know about Rune magic?”

That prompted Aspect to sit up very straight and draw in a hissing breath. “How did you hear about that?” he asked her.

“Through some ponies that I cannot name,” the mare replied, a little surprised by his reaction. “I will say that someone as powerful as you hasn’t gone unnoticed by… certain groups. And those groups like to stay very well informed.”

“Well,” Aspect mused. “How best to put it...there’s...tiers, of magic. There’s the things everypony can do, like almost all Earth Ponies have greater physical strength. Almost all Pegasi can fly. And almost all unicorns can use telekinesis and light, things like that. A small step up from that, are pony’s talents. They’re the thing that only they will ever be the best at. A step up from that, and a large one, mind, are the Aspects of Equus. Forces of nature. Not unstoppable, as any one could counter another, in theory. Except for things like Mortal Coil, in which case we’d need some sort of Aspect of Life to be his particular counter. Following me so far?”

“I… think so,” Bon Bon nodded. “Natural magic. Cutie Marks. Aspects…”

“Now, the thing that was meant to bridge the gap between the Marks and the Aspects, that was the gifts. Geomancy, Aeromancy, and Sorcery. Pretty potent stuff, when wielded right. And it is a nice bridge.” Aspect nodded once, before uttering a phrase that Bon Bon hadn’t expected to hear. “Runes...they’re above everything.”

“Everything?” Bon Bon quirked an eyebrow. “What… what about something like, the Elements of Harmony? Or the long lost Crystal Heart?”

“The Elements are good, yes, and they’re another way for Ponykind to stand up against a wayward Aspect. But Runes...they’re basically the language of Magic Itself. They’re deeper than it all. I have my suspicions about the origin of Runes, but...a true Runemaster...they would require the efforts of all the Aspects of Equus, and the Elements to stop, if they were dark. Because Runes have words to describe anything and everything you could possibly want to do. And the world itself listens when you spell it out in Runic.”

“Aspect…” Bon Bon frowned, trying to picture what that could entail. “That… sounds very close to, a godlike power.”

“There are a few things to stop it from being abused,” Aspect replied. “First, you would have to know all the Runes to use it effectively. And most of the Runes were written down in ancient temples back in Dream Valley, so, you know, good luck to anyone looking nowadays. And second, even if you had great magical power to fuel a Runic array, it would still be incredibly draining. Even to a pony like Twilight Sparkle. Runes are not cheap. The last true Runemaster was Queen Majesty.”

“Queen?” Bon Bon closed her eyes, running over every piece of history she knew. “How long ago was this? I don’t even recall a ‘Queen Majesty’ in recorded history.”

“She was from the days of Dream Valley, so, you know, couple thousand,” Aspect informed her. “She was the one true protector of Ponykind before myself and the Diplomat came around. And she used the power of Runes to turn trolls into trees, grant wishes, and the like. She was incredibly powerful. And she responded to threats to ‘her subjects’ with extreme prejudice.”

“So, how come the Princesses, or the Element Bearer’s aren’t privy to such power then?” Bon Bon sat on the floor next to him. “If this Runic Magic is so great, shouldn’t there be somepony to wield it?”

“There is a reason Majesty was the last Runemaster,” Aspect replied. “She was also the greatest one. And the most sensible. She had ponies go around the temples and copy down all the Runes they could find, and send them back to her. Then she had other ponies go around and block off the temples where the runes were. She compiled, tested, and made a grand tome of Runic Magic...which nopony ever found. She hid it away, only using Runic Magic when the situation was truly dire.”

And Bon Bon could tell...from the way Aspect had paused. From how the story itself unwove...there was more to it than that.

“You said, nopony ever found it,” Bon Bon spoke up, a small smile on her muzzle. “But, you’re not a pony.”

“...Fine,” Aspect grumbled. “She hid it away from all the ponies, left in a secret compartment in her library, just for me to find. And I didn’t even think of practicing it. Of using it. Not for the longest time. Until the day...when he ripped me away from my girls, and forced them to call on a magic that could counter any Aspect.”

Bon Bon was silent for a moment, she saw the way his eye burned with anger. “You’re talking about Discord, aren’t you?” she said quietly.

“The chaos and madness he left behind...that was what drove me to be stronger,” Aspect nodded. “The torment I endured...I wanted to let my girls know, I would never fail them again. So I worked with Starswirl the Bearded. Three days, and three nights. Gold thread spun by sunlight, silver thread spun under the light of the moon. Both sets weaving and spelling out runes in my robes...so that I would never be weak again.”

“Weak?” Bon Bon chuckled and lay her head in his lap. “You’ve lived for thousands of years. You raised what must be the strangest family to ever exist. Your daughters are our great rulers, our protectors. And you…” She smiled and turned her head to look up at him. “You’re the stallion I fell in love with, Dashie too. You aren’t weak Christopher. You never were.”

“If you say so,” Aspect replied. “The Runic Tome is never leaving my saddlebags. The world only needs one Runemaster at a time. If two true masters of the Runes were to clash...there is literally no telling what might happen.”

Bon Bon sighed, her back rising and falling with the deep breath. “Then do me a favour. If anypony asks you about it. And if they mention my name. Don’t tell them. Tell them… I don’t know. Tell them the art doesn’t exist anymore. This… needs to be kept a secret. I almost regret asking myself now.”

“There’s a reason I let the art die out,” Aspect nodded. “There’s a reason Majesty had it hidden away. Runes...they’re supposed to be my greatest secret.”

“So… why did you tell me then?” Bon Bon asked him, nuzzling his lap. “You could have lied to me.”

“You told me your secret,” Aspect pointed out.

“Only a little bit, s’not like you know all the details,” Bon Bon murmured.

“Let me put it like this, you know how the Discorded Desert is a magical null zone?”

“Yeah,” Bon Bon nodded. “What of it?”

“You know how you haven’t heard of any other Discorded areas left behind after his last little romp?” the stallion continued.

“There are more?” Bon Bon said, her head jerking up and regretting that, Aspect pillows were comfy.

“There were,” Aspect replied. “I took care of them. Runic power at its finest.”

“You… undid them…” Bon Bon frowned. “Okay, I’m calling horseapples on that.”

“Nope, there are Runes for order and harmony and the like. Really easy to project an Aura of Order and hold it to undo Discord’s work,” Aspect replied. “As well, the Desert is the only one I can’t touch. No magic, means it won’t work in there.”

“Yes it’s why we use it to…” Bon Bon paused. “Eh, nevermind.”

“Anyways, yes,” Aspect continued. “Runes. Incredibly powerful. I can use them, but I don’t. Mainly because that while I might be the perfect candidate for Runemaster...even for me, it’s a little winding to do any exhaustive works with Runes. I’m mostly saving my power for when we absolutely need them.”

“And since you’re an Aspect down, you’re not quite as strong anymore, are you?” Bon Bon said and nodded. “Well, not to worry. I’m sure you won’t be needing that power anytime soon.”

“Eh, in an ideal world, I would have already found a candidate for the Air aspect as well,” Aspect replied. “I’m not supposed to hold onto such power as long as I have, but really, I’m just waiting for the right one.”

“Well, you’re hardly making an effort to look for one either,” Bon Bon chuckled and poked his belly. “Getting lazy in your old age hm?”

“I still say a Griffon would be idea,” Aspect harrumphed. “The problem will be finding one that has a strong connection to them and is worthy of the power. I want a leader for them, like Celly and Lulu are for you.”

“The griffon’s have been leaderless for a long time,” Bon Bon said. “Ever since they lost the Idol of Boreas to a cyclops.”

“I’m sure that if I simply wait a little longer, I’ll hear of a griffon leader figure emerging...or one that, if given the power, would make a good leader,” Aspect replied. “Cause there are precious few ways to take it back.”

“Well, I haven’t been to Griffonia, so I only know from secondhand reports,” Bon Bon informed him. “The place is a mess. Most griffons only care about one thing, and that’s gold.”

“I can wait,” Aspect replied. “One day, I’m sure somegriffon will be worth the time.”

“Here’s hoping,” Bon Bon sighed as Rainbow Dash entered the room. The earth mare turned her head to look a the pegasus. The very… alone pegasus. “Daaaash? Where’s the kitten?”

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash looked around. “I dunno.”

“Do you at least have the antivenom?” Aspect asked.

Rainbow puffed out her chest proudly, the fur there floofing up not unlike a bird. “Oh sure, I visited Zecora ages ago. Like… that was about fifteen minutes now. Get with the modern era Bal.”

“Okay, good.” The stallion nodded. “Now all we need to do is find the kitten before she gets in more troub—”

There was a crash and a shriek. Seems Lyra had found the kitten first. And she didn’t realise the kitten was friendly.

“Dash, get a toy for the kitten to play with. I’m gonna go stop anyone from doing anything they’ll regret,” Aspect told them as he darted off to where the screams were coming from.

He found the minty mare standing on a chair as the manticore batted at her tail, Lyra’s panicked expression told Aspect everything he needed to know. Except for of course, the most crucial thing. He scooped the kitten up with his hooves and held her close, before looking up at Lyra.

“Did she sting you?” he asked as he kept the cub entertained by tickling her belly.

“N-No…” Lyra said in a stuttery voice. “W-W-Why do you have a Manticore!?”

“She picked me, not the other way around,” Aspect replied, now beeping the little one’s nose gently. The kitten batted at his hoof, mewling and squirming.

“...You and Bon Bon are made for eachother,” Lyra muttered as she climbed down from the chair. Aspect gently set the Manticore on the ground. It scampered up to Lyra, but she rapidly backed away from it.

“Just let her get a feel for you,” Aspect replied. “She’s just curious about the new pony. I had cats ages ago. They want to know about you once, and then they really only care about you if you go out of your way to be interesting. Like if you have food.”

“Coulda got a cat… or a dog… but nooo, you had to get a flippin’ manticore,” Lyra muttered as the kitten sniffed her, grew bored and ran off.

“She picked me, not the other way around,” Aspect replied. “You never really tame a cat either. The cat is the master of the house, you’re just the peon that lives with it and takes care of its needs.”

“So, like Bon Bon then?” Lyra quipped with a sly smirk.

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Aspect replied.

“Ehh, what’s she gonna do?” Lyra waved a hoof… then shivered as she felt a presence behind her.

“No chocolate for a week,” Bon Bon growled, Lyra turning with a pitiful expression.

“A week!?” Oh come on Bonnie! That’s harsh.”

Aspect wisely kept his mouth shut.

Yup, just another average day in the Aspect household...

Author's Notes:

Hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!

Meet the manticore. She's cute, ain't she?

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