After a few blinks I came to, realising that I hadn't passed yet. Up to that point, everything had seemed surreal. I groaned and stumbled to my hooves. My shoulder still throbbed, but it wasn't quite as sharp as it had been. To my surprise the pain in my lower abdomen had subsided. My chest still ached, however, and urged me to glance down. When I did I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Once my vision cleared I looked again. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As best as I remembered my hide had not carried any spots of orange. I began stumbling my way to see if I couldn't but find something in which I could see myself.

I did manage to find a little puddle and glanced therein. The sight caught me off guard. Instead of the blue hide that had covered my body it was now replaced with a light orange colour. My hair was no longer its sandy brown colour, but rather carried the bright white like the hair I had as a filly. My eyes had remained the same, so at least I knew it was me that I was looking at. No other pony I knew of had rose coloured eyes, at least. My ears still resembled those of any other pony, though, unlike when I was a filly. A horn still stuck out of my hair.

After gawking at myself in the water's surface for a while I turned and looked back. My frame seemed larger, bulkier. Indeed, I realised, I had not awoken in armour, although I had blacked out while wearing some. I shook the thought and continued looking. My tail was the same, just a different colour now. I turned back around and looked at my chest, hoping the pearl embedded therein was still there. It was, thankfully enough, which caused me to release a sigh of relief. I then turned from the water's edge after having thoroughly examined myself.

I arrived at the forest clearing, where we had been taken to by the tribal ponies, after a short while of trotting. I found the camp to be entirely empty; not even those stuck in the pits were still here. I could only hope that my fellow Protectorates had escaped. As I continued searching around I could find nothing of value, not even my own armour, as strange as it seemed to me, so I headed out, determined to find some sign of civilisation.

My forest-bound wandering seemed to be of little value. I had trotted for what felt like hours with no sign of even a thinning of the trees, nonetheless the tree line itself. As I continued, I heard the creaking of wood. I figured it to be nothing, mere branches moving from wildlife or something similar, and continued trotting. After several more minutes of listening to the sound I suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot up my tail. Instinctively I leaped forwards and wheeled around. Before my eyes stood a creature made entirely of wood. Two green dots glowed in the equine head of the creature to signify some kind of eyes. It made no sounds aside from the sound of creaking wood I had heard earlier. Indeed, this creature did not even have a mouth. I took my gaze from off of it for a moment to assess my tail. Several large rake marks seeped blood, located about three quarters of the way down. I turned back around in time to find the creature charging, claws first. Due to the training I had received in combat I simply blocked the strike with my leg, taking another scratch or two, and swung my leg heftily to pummel the creature. As I found out my strength far surpassed that of my previous body. The wooden creature was almost entirely disassembled and the twigs scattered across the forest floor. I decided it best to not take my chances, so I set out with an increased pace.

After possibly an hour or two I heard the sound of creaking wood again, but this time it was louder. It was accompanied by the pounding of hooves. I felt a tinge of fear, causing me to turn about to face the possibility of the creature returning. Sure enough, moments later, it came charging out of the trees. It still seemed small to me but the proportions matched more closely to a regular pony. I found it bizarre but did not dwell on the subject. All I knew was it was bigger this time. As it charged in I wheeled around, swinging my tail as a weapon to see if it was remotely effective. What I found reinforced my discovery with the tribal pony; the weighted mass, now even larger, pegged the creature with even more force than I had hit it with originally. Again the creature, devoid of features more than two glowing dots, shattered across the forest floor. The branches and twigs of the monster fell limp. Accordingly I began moving at the rate of a forced march, hoping to get out before this thing found me again.

My hope was, in part, vain. As I continued my flight I heard the shifting of wood and heavy steps. I feared what I might find if I stopped so I continued, carefully observing behind me from time to time to avoid an ambush. After several minutes I spotted not just two dots, but four. Out of the woods crashed a wooden creature as large as I was. Logs made up the majority of its body, something that wouldn't be quite as easy to scatter. This time, though, it had a mouth. "Ah, you still haven't escaped."

"Why are you attacking me?"

"You killed my shaman. You sacrificed the wrong part. You defile nature. I have come to exact my revenge upon you." I could only connect the dots and assume it was whatever god creature the tribe had been trying to conjure. "Every time you slaughter this form it will come back more powerful than the last. You will not leave these woods alive."

It charged in, forcing me to roll to the side. I swung my tail across the ground, catching the legs of the creature. Several branches broke away from the logs and the creature tripped. More branches scattered as it tumbled. Before too long, thicker branches began growing from the gaps. The creature chuckled as it came in again. When it arrived I did as before and swung my tail. The impact landed, scattering much of the material that consisted of its torso but it wasn't quite enough. I didn't wait, however, for it to regenerate. As I finished my spin, ending up receiving claws to the flank and the accompanying pain, I brought a hoof forth with as much force as I could into the weakened spot. Sure enough this was sufficient to split the creature in half. Instead of waiting around, or even trying to finish it off, I bolted in the direction I had been heading.

I crashed through the underbrush the best I could, barely ever breaking the speed of my gallop. After a good while fleeing as such I heard heavy impacts in the distance. My time was limited before I had to face the creature again. I picked up the pace as best as I could but my breath was already so short I felt nauseous.

After another window of indiscernible time I heard the thumping hooves too close behind me to ignore any longer. I could also see just the faintest sign of an exit in front. It was too far for me to reach before the creature had caught me. As such I skidded to a halt. The beast burst forth from the trees, already swinging a massive, clawed paw. Trunks constituted most of the body at this point, so breaking it would be very challenging. As the monster came forth I kicked back as hard as I could. My legs connected, the combined force sending a shiver of pain up my spine. The wooden abomination was all but halted and several parts came detached. As it stumbled I began to spin myself about in a full circle. By the time I reached a full rotation I near-shouted with the effort, swinging my tail in as best I could. The blow connected, hollowing out a large portion of the beast’s chest. My tail was immensely sore and now coated in sappy gashes. I panted heavily as the creature dropped, momentarily incapacitated from the blows. I took the window and began galloping towards the little speck of hope I had. I was progressing very quickly, but it wasn't long before I heard the sound of the creature behind me again. I simply galloped quicker, ignoring it. Hoof after hoof pounded the dirt as the goal rapidly approached. Just as I was about to break free I was tripped by a vine. I fell forwards, rolling and tumbling painfully through the thicket. I tried my best to regain my bearings so I knew from where to defend myself. When I realised where I was I saw myself outside the forest. The wooden god creature let out a roar and a threat before turning and heading back inside. I sat for a moment to regain my breath.

After several moments I began moving again. I had to get back home, obtain proper attire and head back to the Order. It took several moments to gather my bearings again, but once I had it was easy travel back to my home.

It was around sunrise when I finally stumbled into town. As I made my way in I heard a bit of a commotion. I headed over to investigate. When I arrived I found two things. One, and mostly irrelevant to the situation: I was surprisingly taller than everypony else now. The second thing I noticed was a grey stallion amidst a group of ponies. His mane was grey with highlights of turquoise or teal. As I drew nearer, however, I could tell something was wrong. He was lashing out at the ponies around him. I couldn't tell what they were doing or what was even going on, really. I stepped in, shoving some of the others aside. When I was reasonably within the group I asked in a very loud tone a very simple question. "What is going on here?"

One from the group responded. "We don't know. He just started attacking folks here. He's been here before and was the sweetest stallion. We don't know what went wrong. We've been trying to restrain him but he's too strong. We don't know what to do."

"Give me a clear shot."

The pony looked at me, perplexed and puzzled. "What?"

"I said let me take a shot at him. Give me a shot." The pony nodded before backing away. "Everypony, stand aside!"

They looked at me like I was crazy. When the stallion broke from their grasp they found no qualms in moving aside. As I was nearest to him the stallion tried to charge me. I turned myself about, preparing my hind legs. When he neared I let him have it, bucking him violently. The force was enough to send him airborne, probably several yards high and certainly a dozen yards across. I turned back around and trotted forwards, putting distance between the crowd and me. When one or two went to move towards him I barked an order back at them. "Stay back! I'll handle this."

The stallion got up, almost unfazed, and tilted his head. Looking more closely revealed an almost unnatural look to him. I still cannot place what caused it but simply looking at him made your hair stand on edge. I decided that it might be easiest to talk him down. "What do you want from these ponies?"

He remained in silence. After a moment or two he began trotting over very slowly, menacingly almost. "Why are you attacking them?"

This question only merited a toothy grin from a cocked head. I suppressed a shudder before trying one last question. "Who are you?"

"Me? Well, that's not important. You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. Oh, yes I do, Aqua the Protectorate. The first of her kind."

"Shut it! You will not say that again!"

"I'm sorry, you don't want them to know, do you? You don't want them to come for you, or discover what you truly are. That'd be a shame, wouldn't it? But then again, I know you have no family, so why pretend like you have something to show them? What are you really after, drake?"

"What are you talking about?" I didn't even know what a drake was. Before I could ask another question he charged in with a hiss. I ducked down and swung my tail. It hit, but he also caught it, dragging me down with him. I tumbled onto the ground, ending up upon my back. In the time it takes for lightning to strike he was standing above me, that unnerving face staring right down into my eyes.

"But it's the end of the line. The sphinxes are coming for you, but there won't be anything sane left for them to find. Your pearl, hidden in your chest? I'll take that." He reached for my chest. Unwilling to let him go through with it I kicked my legs up with full force, again launching him away. I got up, turning to the crowd.

"Somepony get a sword or something. I can't take him down without one." When I turned back around the stallion was charging already, nearly in range. All I had time to do was kick forwards with one leg. It stopped him but didn't do much else. When he could, he leaped upon me. Our bodies locked in a wrestling match, not too far distant from the one I had with Blaze. As we squirmed and kicked our way around it always seemed like he would get the upper hoof. It continued for minutes, if not a dozen or more, before I heard clanking metal skidding towards me. A quickly stolen glance revealed a couple of knives being thrown in by the townsfolk. I figured this was my best option so I broke the grapple and kicked him away. I then headed for the knives. Just before reaching them I felt my tail yanked on, causing me to fall short. I then began sliding backwards. I looked back to find the stallion dragging me, my tail stuck in his teeth. He then hefted mightily, causing me to lift off the ground, and swung me in a little less than half circle vertically. I was then released and landed with a thud, nearly knocking my wind out. As I got back up he spoke.

"Ah-ah-ah, we don't want that, now do we? I know how you are with the sword. Too bad you won't get them." I glared at him for a moment before he charged in. I swung a hoof as he neared, which was predictably deflected. As I was carried back around by the force I bucked. It didn't do much more than cause him to stumble. He recovered by the time I was ready to move, so it didn't prove effective as to my end goal of obtaining a knife. When he began charging again I decided there was no reason I shouldn't do the same. As I approached him, however, I leaped and tumbled to his left, narrowly escaping his grapple. I recovered in a fluid motion and continued galloping. I did manage to reach the knife by the time he grabbed my tail. Instead of waiting I yanked my tail around, shooting pain up my body but also launching him forwards. As he stumbled towards me I turned to meet him. Within a moment the entirety of the knife's blade had sunken deep into his lower neck or upper chest. I then pulled it out and backed up a little. He coughed before speaking. "A clever girl you are. You're a slick mare. Look at that, she bested-"

Sick of hearing him refer to me as female in front of the crowd of ponies who would eventually realise I was breaking Protectorate tradition I sunk the blade in through the bottom of his jaw, keeping it firmly held within his skull. As best I could I twisted the blade violently before pulling it out. I watched the horrifying smile slowly drain of life before the pony collapsed in a heap on the ground. I sat and stared at the freakish thing, still smiling unnaturally even in death, before spitefully spitting the knife out and leaving.

After dodging the crowd, as they came galloping over to the stallion’s body, I successfully made my way back home. As it was in the afternoon I decided I would wait to arrive at the Order until tomorrow. It would also give me a break large enough to assure myself that I had sufficient time to make all the preparations I needed. Once that was done, I retired for the night.

I was awoken by a knock on the door. I did my best to wake up before I reached the door. I was still groggy as I began to open it. When the door opened my heart sank. Standing before me was the stallion I had killed the previous day. "Oh, uh...hey."

With heart pounding I went to close the door, hoping to buy me a little bit more time to get any supplies I needed for the fight. The stallion stopped the door from closing, leaving his hoof in the doorway. I backed up, unsure of what to expect. Fearful could be a fitting word to describe the situation. As I left the door the stallion opened it and trotted inside. I was forced to stop backing up when I hit the wall, but the stallion was still approaching. "What do you want from me?"

The stallion stopped. I was getting ready to swing my tail, debating the idea, when he spoke. "I wanted to thank you."

I was suddenly stopped, staring at him. I couldn't believe what he had said. Perhaps I had heard it wrong. "What?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"How are you even here? I killed you!"

"Well, yeah, but I've got some pretty powerful friends."

"What?"

"I have a few friends that know some very powerful magic. They made sure I was fixed up properly to avoid what had happened."

"What had happened? What was that? That was insanity!"

"I'm not sure what it was."

"Well, ok, I guess. It’s not really fine, but we’ll just ignore it for now. But is it going to happen again? You know, you attacking ponies?"

"No."

“How can I trust you?”

“Because those powerful friends are going to be keeping their watch more vigilantly over me. It’s not going to happen again, I assure you. Not without their intervention, at least.”

"Good, because if it did I would end up doing the same thing to you again." I saw him reach up and touch the bottom of his neck, before reaching for where I had stabbed him in the jaw. "So who are you?"

"My name is Greylak WindStorm. What's yours?"

"Aqua."

"Aqua what?"

"Just Aqua."

"You don't have a last name? A family name, you don't have one?"

"No."

"Interesting enough. Why's that?"

I looked at him for a moment. Whether I carried a trace of a glare or not I'm not sure. "That's a bit of a personal question, isn't it?"

His face changed expressions from inquisitive to apologetic. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry where I'm not needed."

"I never had a family."

"What?" My sudden answer to his question might have been what threw him off the most.

"That's why I don't have a last name. My first name might not even be what my name was." He was entirely dumbfounded. I don't think he was waiting on that kind of a response. After a moment or two he finally spoke.

"So where did you grow up then? like, since you didn't have a family I'm assuming you didn't have a home?"

"You'd be correct. I raised myself in the forest. But if I may ask a question myself-"

"Go for it."

"Why are you so nosy for my information?" He became shocked.

"N-no, no, that's not what it is."

"Seems like it to me."

"I'm just kind of curious."

"You ever heard the phrase that ponies use? You know, the one like ‘curiosity killed the cat’?"

"Are you saying you'd kill me for asking questions?"

"No, but it's best to not stuff your snout where it doesn't belong, hm?"

"Well, geez, sorry for asking." He turned and left, leaving me feeling kind of bad about how I had responded. After a short while I left the house, looking for him. I found that he was trotting away. I battled the thought to simply let him go. Instead, I called out to him.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry. That was a little uncalled for."

"You think?"

"I've just never really been terribly socially involved, and ponies asking me questions just kind of sits uneasy with me." He simply cocked an eyebrow. "You can forgive me if you want, but just know I'm sorry."

He simply looked at me for a moment before nodding and trotting off. I hoped it was enough, but I had no way of knowing. I shook my head to try and clear the guilt that was stalking my conscious before heading back to my daily preparations. It wasn't long before I had everything set for the day ahead of me.

I set out, marking my destination for the Sanctuary once again. As far as I knew, none of these ponies knew I was even alive at this point. Getting them to recognise me was an entirely different subject. I chuckled before sighing, unsure of what I would do.

The journey didn't take long, relatively speaking, and I soon found myself trotting within the gates of the Sanctuary. To my surprise the Guildmaster was standing on the steps of the Main Hall. I figured getting him to acknowledge my existence was a good first step, so I approached. When I neared him I spoke. "Guildmaster."

He turned about to face me. "Yes? Oh, now I don't recognise you, stranger. From where do you hail?"

"It's me, sir. It's Aqua. I have returned."

"To my recollection Aqua was neither that tall nor that orange. I also received reports of your demise being sure."

"I'm not sure either why I'm like this now, or even why I’m still alive at this point. All I know is that I managed to find my way back here after the convoy was attacked and I was left behind in those woods."

"Wait, the convoy? Like the one we sent several months back?" Several months? I hadn’t realised that it had been that long. I didn’t know how long I thought it had been, maybe a few weeks, but not several months. I disregarded the thought and continued the conversation.

"The one that was headed towards the homeland of the Clydesdales to deliver them safely, yes."

"What were you doing in that convoy?"

"My assignment and duty: ensuring the safe arrival of the clientele. It was after the first attack, when we were on the way back, when it happened. This little band of warriors I was in was ambushed and we were taken captive. I sustained heavy injuries in the end, but the rest went free."

"If you really are Aqua, how are you standing here before me speaking? Your fellow Protectorates brought the lamentable news of your demise. They said you were undoubtedly fallen from injuries."

"I did take serious wounds, fatal I’m sure, and I still haven’t managed to figure out how I'm still alive or why my body changed, but I have returned."

"M-kay then, I suppose I should welcome you back, Protectorate. See to your duties." He turned and trotted off, seemingly not satisfied with the responses he had received. I shrugged off his strange display and continued on my way.

It was actually several weeks later when I was next approached by somepony with an assignment. I was back in my home town, tending to the vigil I kept, when the pony approached. It was a stallion. His hide was a dark amber, almost borderline brown. His hair was split between two colours mixed together: light orange and grey. When he approached, I could tell his face read solemnity. "Aqua, is it?"

"You have the right pony. What can I do for you?"

"I need your help."

"That's generally why anypony approaches me."

"It's about Blaze." My lighthearted countenance fell.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Yet? What are you implying?"

"My name is Ember. I'm Blaze's father. There have been some hunters out looking for us. Somepony put a price on our heads and it's falling to Blaze. They want to kill my son."

"Who? Why?"

"I don't know. Last I heard it had something to do with the lass he was with. She's something different, so I guess they're hunting us to get to her."

"Who's the mare?"

"The one my son is with, Lazuli." This statement hit like a ton of bricks. Not only was this a brutal realisation that Lazuli herself was in danger, but that she was spending a lot of time around the stallion I had been camped with on the excursion. I sat, practically blank faced, and stared at Ember. "Please, you have to help my son."

"I will keep him alive and well. You have my word, my vow as a Protectorate, that I will keep him safe."

"Thank you, Aqua. He's currently at the Order." I nodded solemnly before gathering my things as quickly as possible. My journey was flight indeed, practically being galloped the entire distance.

When I arrived at the Sanctuary I was out of breath. I searched around the grounds as quickly as possible, looking frantically for Blaze. When I finally laid my eyes upon him it was utter relief, but I could not revel in it. I decided it to be in both of our best interests to not run up to him, state his life was in danger and stick beside him like a sheathed sword. As such, I simply watched him from a distance, trying my best to make it as nonchalant as possible.

The first day went without a hitch, but it was during the second that he approached me. "Aqua, is there any particular reason explaining why you've been following me so closely recently?"

I sat and thought for a moment. I could either try to fib my way out, and utterly fail at doing so, or I could simply tell him the truth. I breathed in before letting out a sigh and explaining myself. "Your father is genuinely concerned for your safety."

"So he sent you to protect me?"

"Yup."

"Well, I hate to be frank, but you're not the first that has approached me with a mission like that. And, to be quite honest, I'm surprised he didn't choose better." I went to interject, to refute him on his attack on his dad, not to mention on me, but decided against it. I didn't need to make the pony I was protecting hate me. "You know, knowing how well you seem to survive when you protect ponies, I don't really feel much safer anyways."

He had me there, but it still didn't feel good to hear him say it. "Still, though, I suppose an extra set of eyes never hurt. If my dad would actually be patient for once, I have a solution in the mix."

"A solution?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure my father would approve of it. You, yourself, might be opposed to the idea." My heart was beating harder now. He couldn't possibly mean that he meant to kill himself, could he? I was almost too scared to ask for clarification. "There's a spell I know that severs blood ties. It would make it so that I wasn't a part of my father's family; his blood wouldn't flow through my veins anymore."

"Excuse me for sounding a little pessimistic here, but regardless of how powerful and mystical magic can be I'm not sure it would even be able to pull off something like that. That isn't just changing physical properties. It's practically rewriting history."

"Not quite, but I suppose yes in a way. I want what's best for Lazuli," but I didn't dare blurt out what was on my mind right then, "and since she's sincere and attached to me I can't just let her go. If I'm no longer my father's son the assassins won't pursue me further."

"Are you sure this will work? They have a name and a description; would this spell even make a difference?"

"Only one way to find out, right?" I opened my mouth to talk but quickly shut it again. I wasn't sure whether or not arguing the point would do any good. If anything, it would have caused him to break away from me and get himself killed anyways. As crazy as it was I suppose it was still worth a shot.

"Alright then. What must you do to complete this spell?"

"I'll need about two weeks’ time and a few supplies that I have already gathered. Silence is all I need, solitude. Do you think you could do this for me?"

"Yes, but don't expect me to leave you completely alone. I will still patrol outside of wherever you choose to cast the spell."

"Fine, just don't make a ruckus." I nodded before he turned and began trotting away. Regardless of what he was doing I was bound determined to keep him company to assure he remained safe.

Several days passed within the Sanctuary walls as he finalised all of his preparations. It was then that we headed out. We trotted for quite a while, almost a whole day and part of the night, through the woods before we stopped at a rudimentary shack that would have rivalled mine for minimalism. To be honest, I'm surprised that the shack was even managing to remain upright. Blaze trotted forwards towards the plank-like door, looking back at me. "Stay out here and don't disturb me."

I nodded, needing to give my affirmation before he was content enough to enter. Once he was inside, I began my trot around the shack. Though minimalistic as it was, I noticed that it was still built well enough to omit gaps in the walls. The hut was tight, almost as if intentionally well built, except for the door and general appearance, it seemed. I wanted to ask him about it, but I also needed to let him work, and that took a higher priority. As such, I sat down in front of the plank door.

Several hours passed with me staring almost blankly off into the forest. Most of my attention was diverted to my ears, focused on what I was hearing. As time passed, the sheer monotony of watching the shack's surroundings taking its toll, drowsiness began to catch up with me. I decided it best to get up and perhaps patrol around the perimeter of the shed for a little while, see if that wouldn't keep me awake.

The trotting helped, that's for certain, as several more hours passed. Night eventually found us, although it didn't quite have the effect I was expecting. Rather than becoming more tired than I had been before I ended up feeling more alive. Perhaps it was the added strain, as I could no longer rely on sight to help me detect possible threats, that kept me awake. As such, the night passed without a hitch.

As day broke, the strain and lack of sleep started catching up with me, although it was not enough to drop me that day. The day became night, and the night again became day. It was here that it was beginning to feel like it was too much to bear, and I didn't know how much longer Blaze needed to finish the ritual. All I knew was that my exhausted legs begged me to rest. Figuring I could spare a sit I decided to do. Since the best place was probably in front of the door, that was where I planted myself. I just needed a moment to sit and rest my legs from all of the trotting.

I jolted awake, sitting upright almost the instant I was conscious. My breaths were rapid and shallow: fearful. I had almost calmed myself when I noticed that the scenery beside me was different from that which I was looking at prior to my collapse into sleep. I arose, sore and exhausted, and quickly began searching the nearby landscape for a landmark. Thankfully enough, not too long after I began searching I found the shack through a grouping of trees. I burst into the best full gallop I could muster. Upon arrival I found that the door had been either busted off or thrown aside. Either way, it was not clean. Suddenly, a deep panic struck me, forcing me to burst into the shack. When my eyes had finally adjusted better to the dark lighting within, my heart sank. Before my view was a very carefully assembled ritual circle. There were a few problems with it, however, and the first one was the destruction and disorganisation that now prevailed the room. Almost immediately after I noted such I found, to my utter horror, Blaze sitting in a pool of his own blood, the horrid wounds of blades racking his body. I'm not talking several deep gashes. No, I mean his body had been near-eviscerated, leaving it nothing more than a bloody puppet, a shade of its own former self. It was too much for me to look at, forcing me to turn away and leave the shack. Nausea ate away at my stomach as I distanced myself from the scene. After I spent some time trying to breathe, all the while hoping against hope that what I saw wasn't real, I managed to recover enough in order to brave another trip to the shack.

When I reached the door I barely peeked one eye around the corner. When again the grisly view assailed my eyes I noted what I could before stepping back. I turned away again, unsure of what I was actually feeling at that point. I wasn’t sure if I was deeply saddened by the death of Blaze, or if I was burdened by the shame that my own mistake caused his death. It could have been that I was burning from the unbearable rage I felt kindled against those responsible. I couldn’t pinpoint the source of the strange burning, apprehensive sadness eating at me in that moment. All I knew, all in all, was that I was a mess. The thought then struck me: with Blaze having been murdered, a vow broken, my life was now over. When the Order found me it would prove to be the death of me. My heart sank even further than I thought was possible, being over-encumbered by all these things, leaving me to sit for a moment longer.

Once I finally recovered enough to begin moving, I swallowed hard, realising what I had to do next. Just as I went to head out to meet my death at the Order a thought popped into my mind. What if I practiced what the sphinxes had given me? What if I tried to bring him back from the dead? I pondered deeply for a few moments on the outcome of both possible choices and decided that an attempted resurrection was better than not trying. I then went back into the shack, the disfigured form of Blaze crumpled in a pile before me. I took several deep breaths, letting out the last almost as if it was a sigh, and focused my energy on any myriad of spells I needed to fix him. The pearl slotted in my chest glowed brightly as I channeled the spell. I watched what I could, seeing Blaze's body starting to reform into its proper self, before the effort became too much for me to do anything aside from wince and close my eyes in effort.

After a while of this strained effort I felt a sudden relax. Unsure of whether it was my magic giving out or the spell completing I decided to look. Standing before me was Blaze, whole and undefiled. I was about to rejoice when he suddenly collapsed like a noodle, falling to the ground in a heap. I fought the lightheadedness, which threatened to collapse me as Blaze had collapsed, as best as I could have and trotted over. I nudged and prodded him, making sure that all things were actually in place. Amidst all the stimuli he didn't even rouse once. Fear caught my heart again as I realised that all I could do was simply reconstruct him; I was unable to bring him back to life. My heart sank as I finally accepted my reality, realising I was far too drained to try and resurrect him. I let out a pained sigh before picking him up and putting him on my back, starting the long trek home.

My first destination, by nature, was the Order. I didn't return home, nor did I dare head towards Blaze's father. The journey was made in silent terror for what the Guildmaster’s reaction would be. I was only certain that it would lead to death in every case. The reaction of the guards when I reached the gates certainly didn’t do anything to qualm my fears. Their own expressions seemed to bleed uncertainty or apprehension, and it was getting to me. When I finally reached the Main Hall it seemed like I had a little band of followers collected. I thought I saw Ajiin sneaking around in there, but I wasn’t quite sure. I disregarded the thought and gazed up at the looming doors. I swallowed hard before opening them and proceeding inside. As I was trotting up towards where the Guildmaster was I could tell that he perked up. He began coming towards me, swiftly if I might add. We met around halfway down the Hall. “Aqua, what happened? What news do you bring me, and is it about Blaze?”

I looked at him for a moment before looking away. I dropped the corpse of Blaze on the floor between us. A moment of silence prevailed before he spoke again. “Aqua, I must know what happened.”

“I couldn’t do it.”

“What do you mean you couldn’t do it?”

I turned my gaze back to him, staring him straight in the eyes. “He’s dead, Guildmaster. I wasn’t good enough. I failed.”

“Aqua, you know that is a very serious thing to us.”

“I couldn’t uphold the vow.” Silence prevailed in the Hall for a few moments more. My gaze dropped to the floor, more specifically to Blaze’s body. I fought back the urge to let slip a tear, believing that I had to maintain a strong appearance. The Guildmaster breathed in before addressing me again.

“Aqua, you knew when you joined this Order that failure meant death. As bright of a future as you had, it must come to an end now.” He ceased his more personal tone to address those nearby. “Gather together in the main square tonight. We must speak of recent events.”

The crowd dispersed quietly. I was left standing there with the Guildmaster, Blaze’s body and a few nearby guards. “Aqua, I must take you into custody in order to hold you until tonight’s proceedings. Come along peacefully, please.”

I nodded, unable to refuse. Two of the guards moved in at his signal and began escorting me down into the belly of the Main Hall. Three floors we descended to reach our destination. It wasn’t large, but it was foreboding. A doorway rested at the end of a straight stairwell down. Inside the door were two cells, each big enough for four horses. I was placed in one of those cells. One of the guards left, leaving the other one there to stand within the room to watch me.

The time passed agonisingly slow. Of course, one can only expect such when death is the only thing before them. As much as I hoped the dreaded hour wouldn’t come it did. The door to the stuffy chambers opened, the one guard addressing the other. They then opened the cell door and began leading me out. Up the many flights of stairs, through the winding corridors, and finally out the doors of the Main Hall, our journey was taken in utter silence.

When the great doors opened, the view that met my eyes was not what I had anticipated. Rather than the empty main square there was a very large gathering, perhaps even all the Protectorates in the Order itself. They all stood on the opposite side from the Hall, staring towards nothing short of a wooden head cradle. A phantom pain shot in my neck as I imagined what would come next. The two guards escorted me all the way down to the block, stopping me right before we got there. We waited a moment or two before I heard the telltale voice of the Guildmaster. “Fellow Protectorates, as you all know, we had recently lost a member of the Order: Blaze. The one you see before you, Aqua, had vowed to protect him and failed. As is tradition, we must now carry out Protectorate law upon him. The evidence is irrefutable. Guards, lower him.”

With that, I felt a hoof upon my back, pressing me down. I had to comply, being forced into a prone position. My head fit within the little divot in the wooden block. It was now that I felt all the marks from previous cuts on the block, as the irregular face sat uncomfortably upon the bottom of my neck. “Prepare the blade.”

Clattering armour signified the motion of guards, followed by the sound of a sheath being removed. The two nearby me left momentarily, coming back over on either side. From the way the light cast shadows, I could tell the blade was positioned over my neck. I swallowed hard, looking at the long, two handled sword that the guards held firmly between the two of them. “On my mark.”

A moment or two of silence quickly passed. “Ma-“

“WAIT!” A solemn voice cried out from the crowd, causing those directly nearby me to pause. The entirety of the crowd shifted to try and see who it was that said something. After a few moments of shifting in the crowd a familiar pony trotted forwards: Lazuli. I began rising, only to find the sword behind me. After it cut into the flesh on the back of my neck I was forced back down by a nearby guard. “Wait!”

“What do you mean ‘wait’? By virtue of this Order, this stallion is condemned to death.”

“For what?” Her tone was harsh.

“Breaking or failure of an Oath of Protection.”

“Is there no other way for this pony to live?”

“Unless Blaze magically comes back from the dead this pony is to die according to our customs.”

“So if Blaze is resurrected, Aqua is free?”

It was silent for a few moments. “…I suppose so. The Law doesn’t strictly forbid renewing the Oath by resurrecting the pony.”

“Then let me see the body of Blaze and give me three days’ time.”

“Do you believe you possess the White Magic necessary for such?”

“Yes, and I will prove it. If Blaze lives, Aqua lives. If Blaze remains dead…”

“Fair enough. Guards, take Aqua back into the cell. He is to wait for three days, marked on the coming hour.” I saw the shadow of the looming blade taken to one side. I then felt a guard begin lifting me. “If this pony delivers, he is to be set free. Otherwise, he is to not leave that cell unless it is his corpse.”

I managed to steal one last glance at Lazuli; whether it was fear, apprehension, or some kind of repressed hope that showed upon my face I’m not sure. I was then hurried off again by the guards around me. The procession was broken up, the other Protectorates disbanding to continue business, while I was shepherded into the Main Hall. The doors closed behind me, leaving me begging that Lazuli would fulfill her promise.

As expected, the days rolled on agonizingly slow. I was provided the basic necessities, but that was it. As poor as my experience was in that cramped, musty dungeon I almost wished the third day wouldn’t come. It did, however, and my heart began racing from the moment I was awakened by the guard. “Get on your hooves. It’s time we leave this stuffy room. The summons have come. Follow me.”

Seeing as I didn’t have any other options I decided to follow behind him. We eventually snaked our way up the long stairwells until we were again in the throne room. Before us were the great wooden doors. I pleaded silently that what would meet my gaze upon opening the doors was a celebration for Blaze. What I saw when my eyes adjusted to dawn’s first rays was none other than the same foreboding scene that met me the first time; the Order was gathered, with several armed guards nearby, and an executioner crew stood directly next to the block. I spotted the large metal, two handled sword and swallowed hard. Lazuli hadn’t come, or if she had it was to admit defeat. My heart sank to new depths.

I was escorted to the block and forced to lay down in front of it again. As they went to place my head down, I heard a commotion. I kicked my head back against the unsuspecting guard. He wasn’t able to stop me as I looked on towards the sounds. In vain he tried to put my head back down. After a few more shoves I felt a sharp metal tip bite into the back of my neck. I froze up, realizing what it was. I felt it press in and decided to not fight anymore. No sooner had I started lowering my head than Lazuli finally broke through the crowd. Gasps erupted moments later when Blaze came trotting up beside her. I heard movement behind me, followed by the Guildmaster’s voice. “Well, I have to say: I am impressed. I see you are a mare of your word. You have successfully brought Blaze back from the dead. You have my congratulations. As promised, Aqua will be released of any punishment or guilt. You may carry on. Guards, release him.”

Within moments I was free, not held at sword point. I quickly made my way down to Blaze and Lazuli, embracing them in a very warm hug. “You came for me.”

“Well of course I did. Did you seriously expect me to leave you?”

“Well, no, but with how long it took, I started getting worried…”

“I can explain what happened, but I’d rather do it privately, ok?”

“Yeah. Want to head back to the house?”

“That’d probably be best.” I nodded and started leading the way back home. If nothing else, I was thankful for help.

Upon arriving in town, Blaze began complaining of discomfort in his legs. He described it as fatigue, so Lazuli brushed it off. After another block or two he practically collapsed. I situated myself under him the best I could to prop him up. I heard Lazuli mutter something under her breath, but I didn't catch what due to the effort of holding up Blaze. Once he was stabilised, with him using me as a crutch, I turned back to Lazuli. Concern showed on her face, but I felt like that wasn't the only emotion. Perhaps it was frustration I saw in the lines of her mouth. I couldn't be sure. I decided the best course of action was to rush him home to rest before asking. Because my home wasn't too far, and a lot closer than his, I turned my path there.

Once inside, I plunked him on the sofa and turned to my adopted daughter. The same emotion was still plastered on her face. "Lazuli, what's wrong?"

"I think Blaze is tired out."

"Concern isn't the only thing you're showing right now. Your body tells me that." She looked at me for a moment before sighing. "What?"

"I didn't have enough energy to fully stabilise him after resurrecting him, and I'm still too drained to do it. If nothing is done, he'll be dead by dark."

"You could have told me. I know some restoration magic. I mean, I did reassemble his body." She nodded, but didn't say a word. "So do you want me to see if I can fix it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Here goes." I turned my attention back to the now-deathly looking Blaze. Using every fibre of my soul I began concentrating on the magic needed for this task. The effort was colossal, and at one point I wasn't sure I could manage. I finished, nevertheless, with a massive wave of lightheadedness nearly completely overcoming me. Had I not already been seated I'm sure I would have collapsed. Lazuli rushed over to me, probably to keep me from reeling, but was soon distracted by Blaze. She stared intently as colour washed back over him. He arose as if nothing had happened and embraced Lazuli. I rose to my hooves once more.

"Wait, you don't have to get up." Lazuli's tone was that of worry.

"I'm fine."

"No, really, take a seat."

"No, really, I'll be ok. Don't worry about it. You can take Blaze and celebrate his return to life now. He's stable." She looked at him, and him at her, before huge grins broke across their faces. Blaze turned to me first.

"Thank you, Aqua. I'll see what I can do about that ritual. I'll also make sure to get a squad of ponies to protect me instead of just one while I'm doing it." I nodded, letting silence take over. The two of them began leaving before Lazuli spoke.

"Thank you, mom."

"A life for a life. My debt is paid." She smiled before the two left, laughing and generally having a good time as they trotted off. I followed them outside to watch them leave, unable to wipe the grin off of my face. A couple of minutes passed as they got smaller and smaller before I heard a voice.

"Look at them go. Happily ever after, no?" I turned to see who was speaking. My heart skipped a beat, forcing me to yank myself away from the presence. Beside me stood a darkened pony, seemingly tattered and flayed. Shadows bled off of it as blood from a wound. "What an adorable sentiment."

The creature grinned, the sharp fangs showing. Its eyes were nothing more than black pits with two pitch-coloured pupils staring directly through you. "It's not going to be a sentiment for you, though. No, you won't even have a tomorrow."

The creature started trotting over menacingly, forcing me to back up. "What do you want from me?"

"Your destruction." The shadows began to form around him like plates of armour. A sword materialised as well, forming between his clenched fangs. Despite the hilt occupying his mouth he still spoke to me. "You'll die eventually, so why not now?"

"I have things to live for."

"Like what? A stray filly who's abandoned you for some stallion? A stallion you murdered before finding him alive still? An order that would kill you as soon as they found out who you really are? Face it, you have nothing special."

He was a body's length away when I hit a wall. I knew I had to act fast, and soon at that. My blades were inside the house still. Perhaps that was my only option. The shadow was soon upon me, swinging the blade. I ducked and rolled to the right, narrowly escaping the warping blade. With how my head was spinning after that manoeuvre I knew I would be handicapped; I hadn’t fully recovered from casting the magic to stabilise Blaze. Regardless, I began bolting for my door. The tattered pony reappeared before me, swinging. I barely managed to stop him by simply careening into him, forcing the blade to twist. The shadow slapped me, leaving a mark that stung but nothing more. As it stumbled back I took the chance to make my way inside. No sooner had I grabbed my sword and turned about than I had to deflect a blow. It tried a few more swings, each being effortlessly redirected by my own blade. Swing after swing continued as it began taunting me. "The last time I fought a mare this slippery was when I tried to interrupt Lazuli's magic. What a shame I arrived too late."

When his next strike came I initiated a dodge instead of a parry. I took a hit, a skimming blow across the back that merely took some of the hide off. I returned the blow with a vicious strike, but as my blade made contact, the creature vanished. It soon appeared again, another swing arriving with him. I narrowly blocked this one, causing my heart to pound. "How adorable. You thought you could hit me? Cute. Tell you what, try it again. I dare you."

After another couple of swings I could feel the exhaustion of my healing spell catching up. I soon slipped up, taking a large gash in the leg. My response was a sharp grunt of pain as my leg buckled, causing me to kneel. I barely managed to defend myself from this position, eventually taking another major shot in the side. The blade narrowly missed my wing, clipping the end off of a few of the feathers. In a moment of desperate rage I focused my energy. A sudden burst of energy shot from my horn, blasting a hole through the shadow. It grunted in a wheezy voice for a moment or two, completely frozen. It began to reform, but slower. Another, much smaller, blast shot out again, causing it to stagger. It began to back away, trying to maintain coherence. "This is not the end. Mark my words, you will die!"

It suddenly collapsed into a pile of black smoke before whisking away out the bottom of the door. I sat there for a moment or two, breathing heavily. My head was spinning from exertion, my body's sharp pains almost entirely drowned out by vertigo. I barely managed to get to my hooves when I heard a knock on my door. I grunted and groaned my painful way over, hoping it was a friendly face on the other side of that door. When I opened it I saw the stallion, that pegasus, I had fought before. Storm, as his name was if I recalled correctly, stood before me. His eyes shot open wide before he could even speak. Perhaps it was the blood, or maybe my limp, who knows. All I knew was he ran off shouting something along the lines of "Wait right there! I'm going to get Bane."

I didn't know what this 'Bane' thing was he was talking about, so I disregarded his statement, closed the door, and began searching my house for anything I could use as bandages. No sooner after I had acquired a towel did I hear another knock. As I slowly began my way to the door, barely standing, the thing was just about busted off its hinges. In the doorway stood a pony, a stallion, with deep blue hide. His hair was dark and mostly covered, but the thing that caught my attention most of all were his eyes. They were a bright gold-amber, a colour that was familiar. Realisation struck when I remembered the eyes of the stallion that saved me from the Timberwolves when I was a filly. The realisation was so grand and so monumental that I had forgotten my limp, trying to take a step only to collapse on my own weight. The blue stallion rushed over, placing me back on the couch. "Hold still and I'll get these wounds treated quickly."

"You...you're the stallion that-"

"Wasn't the first time. I've been watching your development closely. I thought you could handle that creature alone, so I didn't pay it any mind. I suppose you did, so I'm kind of right, but it still did quite the number to you."

"Why are you-?"

"You've got quite the future ahead of you. I can't have you wasting your future accomplishments by dying."

"How do-?"

"I work, work being a very loose term, for a pony with deep connections to the Continuum. Time, to be specific. Though she's gone crazy recently, I'm still bound to her."

"So why do-?"

"The less time you're asking questions, the more time I have to answer them. That's why I'm interrupting all of your questions. And yes, before you ask, I already know what you'll be asking. Perks of Time Vision. And...done. Your wounds should be completely healed now. Take a look." I looked down, and indeed were my wounds completely healed. Scars replaced the bleeding slits now. My head was still reeling, so I didn't even try to comprehend the whole situation. I was thankful, at least, for his help. "Keep me in touch, Storm. And keep an eye on her."

With those words he quickly left, leaving Storm and me in the room alone. "Well, we've got to make sure you're fully recovered before something like that happens again."

"I'm more curious as to how you keep ending up around me."

"Bane certainly helps with that. Plus, I do owe you a great deal for saving me before."

"I think we might have different definitions of 'save'." He sat quietly for a while, not leaving the room. His gaze wandered for a while. "You know, you don't have to wait in my house all day."

"Bane told me to make sure you were safe, so I plan on doing that."

"You can also wait outside my house, you know."

"Safer this way."

"Mhm." More awkward silence drove by. I was getting sleepy, and it might have been showing. It was getting harder to keep my eyes open either way.

"You know, you're quite the interesting story."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know of any other ponies who grew up in a place as twisted as the Everfree."

"Thankfully."

"The only mare in the Order."

"Don't say that. If you knew the significance of that then you'd keep your mouth shut about it."

"Not hard to figure out. A quick glance at your face, or at least it used to be that simple. In this form you've certainly broadened. You more closely resemble a stallion now."

"Well, good. I'm that much less likely to die by my own Order." Things got quiet again, most likely because he ran out of things to talk about. It didn't take long for me to start dozing off again. As such, I laid my head down and gleefully embraced sleep.

The resting process took around a week before I felt like myself once again. Storm still hung around awkwardly the whole time. He, at least, took the liberty of preparing meals, most of them to be honest. He did so in a very caring manner that occasionally made me curious. Around one of the last days Storm spoke. "You know, Aqua, I like you."

I simply cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks...?"

"You've got heart, I'll give you that much."

"I'm just doing my job."

"Takes a lot of character to do a job like that one."

"You don't eternally have to be in my debt, you know. You owe more to the Order than you ever will to me."

"But I'm not watching over your Order right now. I'm watching over you."

"Well, I appreciate the notion, but I still really don't even know you. To me, you're just a pony I saved by murdering them, as much sense as that makes." One could almost see some kind of crushing weight fall on his face before he squared up and recovered his composure.

"So what happened in the past that's made you so...disconnected?"

"I'm not sure that would be the right way of putting it."

"Well, you never much seem to show much emotion. Something had to have happened for such a barrier to exist."

"That's a personal matter."

"Well, I mean, the last time you said something like that, you had to come back and apologise for it." Touché.

"You really want to know, don't you?" He nodded, making me sigh. "Well to start, I grew up completely alone in a forest that was trying to kill me. The stallion that took me in as I grew older tried making a thing out of us, and I wanted to believe it was real. When I returned again and he knew of my recent developments with the Order, he cut me off like I was nothing. Been strictly avoiding a lot of things since then."

Storm sat in silence, probably trying to piece together anything he could say in response. "With the number of times I've almost died and all the crushing burden of pretending I am something I am not, it's no wonder I don't get the chance to be very emotional. You can't fight off death when your vision is blocked by tears."

"Wow...Aqua, I had no idea."

"Nopony ever really does. Not for anypony, at least."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just get me back into the fight as fast as you can. I hate sitting around like this when I know ponies need my help."

"I think you should be good to go. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine enough."

"Well, I guess you don't need me watching you anymore. You're free to go." I got up, having eagerly awaited the chance to do so. "Just, don't forget to open up sometimes. There's beauty hidden in you somewhere."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks."

With that, he made his way out in the silence that prevailed. Not long after that, I prepared some supplies for another trip. Once finished, I turned my attention to the Sanctuary.

When I arrived I was greeted by the Guildmaster. I thought it a bit peculiar, but went with it anyways. "Ah, there you are, Aqua. We hadn't heard from you recently."

"Uh...it's only been a week, Guildmaster."

"Really? Huh. Feels like longer. Anyways, there's a new opportunity that's opened up for you to improve yourself further. Do you feel up to the task?"

Any chance I could get to improve was eagerly accepted. "Yes, Guildmaster, I'm more than ready for what you have next."

"Alright, well, there's somepony I'd like you to meet. He's currently in the forge. Follow me." I nodded and followed him closely. When we arrived in the stuffy building I was escorted up to a pony who looked like he was entirely clad in armour. "Aqua, this is Aldorn. I'll leave you under his watchful gaze. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you all about himself. I have other matters to tend to, so I won't be around for the lessons. I wish you the best of luck!"

"Thank you, Guildmaster." He left, leaving me in the scorching hot forge with this pony in armour.

"Pleasure to meet you, Aqua. As you know, the name's Aldorn. I'm a master forge smith and well trained in metalworking. The Guildmaster approached me a little while ago. One of the things he wanted from me is to help out around here. Most I can do is teach them how to work the metal faster."

I heard the smith pipe up from the back. "It's about time he did something for us lads back here!"

Aldorn chuckled, but continued. "He also asked me to talk to you about metallurgy. Says it might be a safer route for you, but that you're free to do with it as you deem necessary."

"Metallurgy?"

"Working with metals. I can teach you all about smithing armour, forging weapons, what metals create what alloys, and perhaps even open your mind to some new ideas. What do you say?"

"I'd love to learn that."

"Excellent! What do you know about metal?"

"It makes weapons and armour. That's about it." He looked at me and nodded before diving in to very deep conversation about the subject. If nothing else, this pony's knowledge was extensive.

By day's end he had shown me how to use the forges, along with shaping metal to create armour and weapons. By the end, he had me create a whole new set of armour for myself. When we finished he stepped back, drinking in the armour I had made. "Not bad for a first time. Keep it up and you might be as good as me one day. You've got a knack for it."

"I prefer being at the front, protecting ponies."

"Never said you couldn't do both. But, my job here is done. I've taught you all that I know. You just lack practice now. You're smart. Maybe it's just part of being an alicorn, hm?"

I grew bashful. I didn't like when people thought higher of me simply for how I was born. "Anyways, I must be on my way now. Keep up the good work. You've got quite the future ahead of you."

I nodded, gleeful. He quickly said his goodbyes and left, leaving the forge crew shaking their heads. "Ah wonder what kind of pony can wear armour in a place like this? Anyways, Ah'm just glad for the help."

"Is there anything you guys need from me?"

"No lad. Ah think it best ye get some rest. 'Twas a lot ta drink in." I nodded and took my leave as well. As I made my way back to town, my mind began to wander. By the time I arrived I had brainstormed several ideas for what I could do for a new set of armour. Your survival was as good as your defences, and my armour was far from flawless. Just as I sat down to begin sketching some kind of concept I heard a knock on my door. It was pretty late at this point, late enough to be completely dark outside. When I arose and opened the door it was cautiously, to say the least. What stood before me was hard to discern. I grew slightly fearful of the return of that shadowy creature. My fear was quelled when it spoke in a feminine voice.

"May I come in?" It wasn't harsh, nor was it loud. It was suave, but still seemed to command respect.

"Who are you?"

"You don't know me. Not yet. Allow me to enter and I'll explain everything." I sat for a moment or two before finally accepting.

"Alright. Come on in." I opened the door, allowing the mare, or I assumed it to be, into my house. When it entered, finally illuminated by the dim candlelight I was using at this hour, I could finally tell what it was. She was, indeed, a mare. She was an alicorn, to be precise. Her hide was jet black, blacker than anything I had seen before. She had long hair that might have reached lower than her hooves if it didn't flow about. I would describe it with a colour, but 'galaxies' isn't a colour. Purples, blues, and other dark hues of universal colour were contrasted by what appeared to be stars that formed galaxies. Though, when it flowed the positioning of the stars didn't change. It was almost like looking through a portal to space. A horn jutted out of the midst of the strange hair-shaped head adornment. Around the base was a decorative metal ring, most likely silver or steel. Her eyes were a kind of fuchsia colour, and carried a regal air of peace about them. Her black ears, her left one to be specific, carried four rings similar to the one on her horn, but as piercings instead that ran from top to bottom. Her body was a very typical stature to that of an alicorn and was adorned with wings to boot. Her tail was the same as the mane on her head, both in style and in properties. She had more rings along her legs in varying counts, never more than four but never less than two. The mark upon her flank was almost indiscernible, consisting of a dark circle filled with several tiny groupings of stars. When she spoke her voice was low and gentle, almost motherly.

"So, we finally meet face to face, child. You may address me as Galaxia. I am the ruler of the Endless Voids, a space beyond this plane of existence."

"So what brings a pony like you to me? I'm basically nopony."

"You have no idea what lies before you." I cocked my eyebrow. I had heard ponies saying things like that for a while now, but could never figure out why. "You have potential that remains hidden to you."

"I've heard that from a few ponies, but nopony has ever explained it. What is so special about me?"

"Part of it stems from your parents."

"My parents?"

"Yes."

"My parents that had no part in my life?"

"When you learn of them fully, things will begin clicking into place, most particularly their contribution in your life."

"Then can you tell me about them?"

"No."

"Well why not?"

"There are more preparations that you have to make before that kind of knowledge needs to become available to you."

"You're withholding information on my parents, maybe even their whereabouts, because I need to learn more?"

"To be frank, yes, but it's more complex than that. There is a technology that I need to give you, that you need to study, that will change the way you fight." I almost grew excited at the prospect. Then, almost from nothing, she procured a little box, no larger than a pony's hoof in surface area and half as wide as it was broad and high. It glowed with a faint light-blue or turquoise tint. "This is a technological marvel that your kind has yet to discover. Tell nopony of what it is."

She handed it to me, leaving it in one of my front hooves. "And what is it supposed to be, exactly?"

"It's a warp core, powered by changes in kinetic acceleration and kinetic energy."

"A what powered by what?"

"A teleportation device that generates its own power when you move. It took my realm's best minds over a millennia to figure it out from nothing but concepts and ideas. Now I give it to you."

"Why?"

"It will play an integral part in the next few chapters of your life, more than you will ever comprehend. I very strongly suggest that you figure out how it works by the time morning comes, and perhaps even how to recreate it."

"A team of immortal engineers worked for a thousand years, and you expect me to solve it in one night?"

"They had to create it from nothing. You already have the blueprint in your hooves. Use the knowledge Aldorn gave you to craft a set of armour that can work with this."

"Any other vague clues you want to give me about what might or might not happen before I start figuring this thing out?"

"No. You're intelligent, thanks to your mother. You can figure it out."

"Right."

"I bid you farewell, Aqua. You'll be hearing from me frequently in the future." She walked out of the doorway before vanishing in a small burst of magic. It wasn't bright magic, no flashes or glowing was involved. It just kind of happened and she was gone. I shook my head, baffled, before turning my attention to the peculiar item she had given me. I placed it down at my desk and sat in the chair before beginning to pick at it.

Morning found me exhausted and exasperated. I had almost pieced together how the machine worked before accidentally dozing off in the wee hours of the morning. When I was awake enough to move I decided to get breakfast before continuing my work. It didn't take more than a few more hours before I had figured out both how the little machine worked and how to recreate it. When the knowledge came, I broke into a lethargic victory celebration before collapsing back into my chair. I set the papers aside, stowing them in the desk, and took the device to figure out how to secure it to my body. It wasn't any more complicated than a few cloth straps I fashioned together of whatever I had lying around the house. Once it was secured I decided to go test the device before getting some sleep. I figured I'd just trot around a little in some private sector of the woods before using it to warp back home. I set the coordinates for my room before heading out.

I hadn't made my way much farther than the edge of town when I suddenly got a cold feeling. It was almost like dread mingled with fear. Whatever it was, it caused me to freeze and look around. My eyes eventually focused on my own shadow. I wondered why, but eventually noticed that something was off about it: fangs. I leaped back just in time to dodge a shadowy spike-like tendril that shot up from the ground. When it settled back down the area began to move. Up and out of the shadow rose that same creature I had blasted before. As it stood before me I realised I was without a weapon. "Well, well, we meet again."

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was going to make sure you were dead." I charged up a blast of magic and let it loose. It parried the beam away with a wave of its hoof. "Nuh-uh-uh! Not this time. My master taught me how to protect myself from that. Magic attacks aren't going to work anymore."

I didn't trust its word on that, but I knew I'd have to test it out when it wasn't expecting it. I decided the best course of action, and most convincing, was to try and turn around and flee. As I did so, the creature burst into a cloud of smoke, quickly flying past me. It reformed about two body lengths away, causing me to come to a screeching halt. I narrowly avoided the tip of its sword as it swung towards me. I tried a few runs to circumvent it, but nothing was working. It was quick, able to turn on a bit and possessing the speed to boot. All I could do at this point was evade its strikes.

Several minutes in, as I was dodging like a maniac, I felt a little shock on my chest. I looked down to see the machine glowed brightly. I looked back up at the shadow, finding the sword plunging straight towards me in a stabbing attack. I braced myself for whatever happened next.

In a flash of light I felt my entire weight shifted. When I looked up I was safely within my home, breaking the peaceful silence with my heavy breathing. I patted myself a few times to assure myself I was still alive. I let out an excited gasp and laughed a little. Once the reality of the machine working settled I decided to grab what weapons I could find. All I had was my leg mounted blade, but the straps didn't fit my larger form. I grabbed the next best thing, a knife from the kitchen, and carefully made my way to the window. Just as I was about to approach it I saw wispy black smoke trailing in through my door. I did what I could to dispel it, but it was persistent. Eventually, enough of the stuff had made its way in to reform the creature. "Oh, you're just so predictable. Any other place and I would have had the hardest time finding you. At least you had the decency to choose your own home to die in, though."

I tried a swing of the knife and watched the blade whiz right through its body before it reformed. "You don't learn, do you?"

I backed up a bit, staying out of range. It charged, swinging the sword. I deflected the blade, narrowly, and made another attempt at hitting the shadow. If I could reflect the blade, why couldn't I hit the wielder? To my dismay, though, the knife passed through it again. I then felt a very sharp pain in my lower chest area, just beneath the ribs, that caused me to pause and grunt in pain. I quickly glanced down as best I could to see its blade jutting from my body. I let loose a blast of magic, barely clipping the end of his hoof as he deflected it. "Enough!"

Its voice turned suddenly harsh as it picked me up by the sword in my body. With a heave the creature threw me out of the nearby window, sending glass shards across the grass outside. Many sharp pains followed the impact and landing, presumably from the shards. I was free of its blade, though, so I arose with a strained grunt or two. The creature jumped out of the window after me, landing with a slight poof. I backed away from it the best I could, barely keeping out of range. I could feel the stab wound draining me of strength, and I wasn't sure how much longer I had. I tried another blast or two of magic, but it was fruitless. The creature dissipated before reforming inches from me. It picked me up with clawed hooves, a strange sight I had never seen before. The claws sunk deep into my ribcage, sending shooting waves of pain up and down my body. Each breath was a cascade of discomfort, and each heartbeat was another concussive blast. "Your time is up, hero! You never had what it took anyways."

It hurled me back towards the house, leaving rent gashes in the wake of the claws. It then reappeared before me again, kicking me across the grass. I struggled the best that I could to resist, but I was half-lifeless already. Another powerful kick in the ribs, a resonating crack and boundless pain following it, sent me skidding until I hit the side of my house. The shadow trotted over, giving me barely enough time to rise. Blood openly dripped from my torso, and I could feel its warmth running down my neck and legs from the glass. My breaths were short and raspy, but the shadow gained gleeful pleasure in such. He revelled in it. "Pitiful. This is the best that Equestria had to offer? What a shame."

It bucked me again, with force enough to blast me through the wooden wall. Wood chips flew across the kitchen floor as I skidded across them. Pain had practically paralysed me at this point, and in the wake of my slide was a streak of blood. I felt a shock on my chest again, the pain of it being heavily amplified by my condition. It was then that an idea formed itself in my head. I barely managed to undo the straps and get a hold of the device before the creature picked me up again, using the same brutish and clawed manner as before. I winced and moaned my way through the wall of pain as it spoke. "Any last words? Or will you die, as the disgrace you are, in silence?"

I coughed up a spat of blood that fazed through its body before I had enough leeway to speak. Do not be mistaken. It took nearly a full minute just to form my short question. "What happens when you unleash a torrent of arcane energy all at once?"

"What are you getting at?" It was then it saw the warp core in my hoof. I saw its eyes widen as I swung the core with as much force as I could muster. "NO!"

The machine hit the wall, fracturing. The pent up energy vented all at once, creating a massive wave of energy. The creature holding me was blasted into sheer nothingness as I was catapulted through the kitchen wall first, bouncing off of my couch and heavily fracturing the outside living room wall. I slumped down, sinking into the floor. I was soon bathing in my own blood as things began to fade. With the last few blinks I could recover from I saw Storm come bolting in. As the world blurred into nothing but mixed colours I thought I could make out Bane in the room too. I went to clear my eyes to see if I could tell who it was.

I startled awake, bolting upright only to collapse as the wall of pain hit. I let out a moan of pain and heard shifting nearby. I panicked, causing deeper pain to rack my body. I let out an agonised cry as I fell from the bed, trying to see what I was fleeing from. When I saw that it was Storm that rounded the bed my worries faded. The pain, however, remained. I wasn't able to fight it as well as before and eventually succumbed.

I awoke again in the bed once more. I made sure to avoid any sudden movements, as everything still hurt beyond what I had known before. I heard a voice this time. "Please don't freak out again. Bane doesn't want to have to realign your spine and snap your ribs back into position again."

I glanced over, seeing Storm standing there. I let out a groan of pain and flopped my head back down. "Good. Just rest for now. You'll be better in no time."

I closed my eyes. Perhaps Storm was right. At least, with him around I was safe enough to rest and recover.

The next time I awoke enough to look around the room I quickly noticed it was empty. I shifted a bit, raising up as much as I could without a paralysing wall of pain. As I looked around again I managed to speak, although it was still a bit raspy. "Storm?"

No response. I shifted again, making my way to the edge of the bed. Again I called out, a bit clearer this time. "Storm?"

Since this generated no response I decided to explore as best I could. I managed to get to my hooves. Simply standing hurt like a bed of nails. Trotting proved even worse, nonetheless when I descended the stairwell. "Storm?"

This call was through clenched teeth, but it wasn't an aggressive cry. It was more of desperation. As I approached the front door it opened slowly. Bane trotted in, eyes closed, as he was humming a foreign tune. He closed and locked the door behind him and turned back around. He suddenly stopped his song when he saw me standing before him. I was the first one who managed to talk. "Where's Storm?"

What I got in response was almost as if my question bounced off of his face. "What are you doing out of bed?!"

"Where's Storm?"

He came over to escort me back up. "We need to get you resting."

"I'll rest when you tell me where Storm is."

"You won't rest if I do. I already know that. I don't need Time Vision for that; it's pretty obvious."

"What's obvious?"

"As much as you deny it, you feel something special for him."

"It's called duty."

"You said 'concern' wrong."

"If you think I'm so 'concerned', why won't you tell me what happened to him?"

"In your condition, it's out of your league."

"Try me." He just looked at me, scoffing and shaking his head.

"Rest, then I'll consider it." I was defeated. Without the cooperation of Bane I wouldn't know where Storm had ended up, but judging from Bane's reaction I could tell nothing good happened. He escorted me back upstairs and set me on the bed. With a huff, and a groan of pain, I settled back in and prepared for sleep.

A couple of days later, when I couldn't take it anymore, I got off of my bed and snuck my way to the stairs. I heard talking downstairs. I hushed as much as I could and listened in. Bane's voice was conversing with another. It was female, and the first of the two that I heard. "Are you sure she won't hear?"

"Positive. She's out cold. You saw for yourself the state she was in. I'm just glad MoonDusk's shadow puppet never returned to her to inform her how Aqua was. It would have been the end of the line for all of this."

"You seem to love riding the edge."

"Makes plans more meaningful."

"Uh-huh. Well we've got to get Storm back somehow, and we have to do it quick. Who knows what they're doing to him, or what he might say?"

"The problem is he wouldn't say anything. He's persistent enough that they'd kill him before they ever got as much as a peep from him."

"So how do we go about this? A full on assault?"

"Suicide. It'd blow our cover, and we have nowhere near enough numbers to stand up to them. Just look at what happened. A small raiding party sacked the group and ran off with a pony of interest."

"Then what, sneak in?"

"What else can we do?" It was silent for a moment. "I just don't know who we can send with that kind of a mission."

"Maybe somepony that's clueless about us?"

"They wouldn't know who Storm was, or what he looked like." I saw this as an opportunity, but was unsure of how to approach it, so I began carefully making my way down the stairs, restraining the grunts of discomfort.

"So then what other option do we have?" I must have crossed the threshold of the stairs, because shortly afterwards she spoke in a different tone. "Oh, great. I thought you said she wouldn't hear us!"

As the room beneath came into view I saw Bane wheel around. Standing across the table from him was a mare in a white robotic suit. Accents of red ran across the frame of the armour. Her face, and every other distinguishable feature for that matter, was covered by the white metallic plates. She stared at me through the two angry looking, red-glowing "eyes" of the suit. Bane stared at me in utter silence. I was the first to break that silence. "Who are you?"

"You already know Bane, but it's best you never learn who I am."

"Alright then...Well, what happened?" The two looked at each other. "Tell me."

"Bane, inform her."

"Well why do I have to do it?"

"Because I told you to." He looked at her for a moment before sighing and turning back to me.

"You've been asking where Storm was. This is the answer."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, Storm belongs to a group of ponies that my boss has been trying to hunt for a while now. I'm not going to tell you their name in case things go south, but suffice it to say, MoonDusk wants them gone."

"MoonDusk?"

"She's the current Time Sage, the only one in charge of pulling the strings and bending time to change scenarios and outcomes. Needless to say, she's gotten pretty lazy in the last couple of centuries. By pretty lazy I mean really slothful. She hardly ever checks the Continuum anymore, and if she does it's to make sure nopony is trying to depose her."

"What does she want with this group?"

"They've been trying to depose her. Anyways, long story short, she sent a raiding party from one of her not-quite-so-secret splinter groups. Completely overwhelmed Storm's forces and captured him."

"So you're trying to get him back."

"Yes. Storm is essential in that plan, almost as essential as you, even though you're entirely clueless."

"Hey."

"Regardless, it brings us to the matter at hoof. I'm not sure how much you heard, but-"

"I can sneak in." They both looked at me for a second before Bane responded.

"You? Sneak in? I feel more confident that a pack of explosives was stealthier." I clenched my teeth, biting back a response. "However, you do have your perks. Tenacious, frighteningly hard to kill, and clueless. Even if they captured you..."

"I'd be no use. Thanks."

The mare spoke. "That's a good thing. The less they know of us the better. I like where Bane is going with this. We can get you outfitted in a stealth suit within a week's time, because you are...larger than most, and send you out."

"A week's a long time that they have Storm for."

"Better than months to find and train somepony new."

"True. Alright, Aqua, prepare your things and follow her. Do not, I repeat, do not ask her anything other than details absolutely necessary to saving Storm. It's for your own good." I nodded, resolute. I headed upstairs to pack what few things I figured I needed. When I limped my way back downstairs the mare began leading me out.

We wandered for a while before she told me to close my eyes. I didn't quite trust her, but as I had no alternatives to try and help them rescue Storm, I obliged. Many twists, turns and path changes followed.

We wandered for possibly an hour or more with my eyes closed. Before too long, though, we stopped. "Step forwards. There's a little raise, but don't open your eyes yet."

I did as instructed. The whirring of machinery sounded out in suit. It took a great deal of trust and hope to keep my eyes closed. I felt weightless for a moment before landing. I barely kept my ground as I touched down again, eyes still shut tightly. I heard a masculine voice ring out this time after some shuffling. "Identify yourself immediately, stranger!"

I kept my eyes closed as I responded. "Aqua."

"We do not recognise you. Come forth and subject yourself to us peacefully as a prisoner." Great. I had been led on and was now in peril, and entirely at their mercy. Regardless, being unarmed and still unsure of what was going on I stepped down. I then heard the whirring machine again and another pony land behind me. "Ah, Cul-"

"Shh! No. Nope. Do not speak my name. Not yet." It was the mare from before

"Alright, geez. Anyways, we caught this intruder sneaking in. What should we do with it?"

"Release her. She's under my direction." I wasn't even bound to begin with, but I wasn't going to argue that. "You can open your eyes now, you know."

"Oh." I had to blink a few times before everything came into focus. When it did I was left awestruck. I was nowhere that I knew before, that was sure. The walls were almost pearly white, mixed with accents of industrial-esque metal along the walls and floor. These metallic parts accentuated walkways and paths to follow, was my guess. Every square inch of the place was pristine, even the guards' armour. They were created from bright steel, almost the colour and sheen of aluminium. Red lines, squared at the edges and turning in ninety degree angles, accentuated the armour. A singular visor ran across the front, possibly large enough to be some kind of glass mask on the helmet. Between the two guards was a rectangular doorway, taller than it was wide. I was about to look around further when the mare’s voice snapped me back to reality.

"Now, follow me. We must get you to the fitting stations." I followed behind her in silence after she trotted ahead. Down the narrow, two pony wide passageways we worked our way. I barely fit past another pony when one came down the hall. They also shot me glances filled with mixed messages of concern, disgust, and almost fear. They were smaller than normal ponies, so I don't blame them for being frightened of a pony the size of a fully grown alicorn, nonetheless one as bizarre as I was.

After what seemed like several minutes of dead silent trotting we finally turned and opened one of the very numerous doorways. She took me inside, chuckling when I had to duck under the top of the doorway. There was a group of ponies standing behind a counter that nearly filled the front of the room. Behind them were a few vertical pod-like structures. There were eight in total, lined up with four on one side and four on the other side of the long room. Numerous wires and cables fed into the machines. The wires led from the pod into a stand with a flat screen on it, most likely some kind of interface. The cables led into the ceiling. The pods were separated by frosted glass, granting some form of privacy. Each pod was created of a grey material with low sheen, and a turquoise, opaque glass front. Posters lined the front of the room, modelling different suit variations. There was seating nearby as well.

My attention was snapped from the curious room and back to the main counter when one of the ponies spoke. "Welcome to Suits of the Soul. What can I do for you?"

"My friend here, Aqua, needs a suit." I could see the ponies behind the counter, every one of them, look up at me. "Can you hook her up?"

The pony looked over at the others. "Uh...well...it'll be a tight fit. We've never had a pony this big before..."

One of the others spoke up. "What kind of suit? If it's our Heavy Combat gear it'll be too big."

"She needs the stealth suit."

The first one picked up again. "Which version?"

"She needs the best you've got."

"It would be the STALKER Prototype, with cloaking, Hide-A-Way armour, advanced life detection and Trot Muffle technology. Does that sound about right?"

"Perfect."

"That will run you-"

"I know the cost, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. Put it on my chit."

"You got it. Anything else for you?"

"That'll be it."

"Alright then. The bill will be sent in the next week. In the meantime, follow me." All eyes rested on me and I took the hint. I trotted in past her, the ceiling a mere inch or two from my horn's tip. "And right this way into the last pod here. It's the biggest we have, normally for the Warhound series."

I could only imagine how bulky that armour was if these smaller-than-average ponies filled a tank that could hold an alicorn when the armour was completed. I shook the thought from my head as the pod released a low hiss of air. It opened up, revealing the inside. Seeing the little tools that lined the interior so smoothly, I was unsure of whether or not this was a good idea. I bit back my fears and trotted in. "Alright. The pod will close and the process will complete itself. You'll be given an inhaled sedative to put you to sleep for the process in order to help you remain calm and unmoving. The pod will then scan your body, 3D map it, and then print the suit directly onto your body. When you emerge you'll be taught how to perform all the basic functions of the suit. We'll also include a start-up guide to help you turn it on, as well as instructions you can pull up right on your display."

As the pod closed I heard her speak one last time. "We hope you enjoy your new suit!"

I sat in silence for a few moments before hearing air hissing gently in. Figuring it was what the pony had referred to, the 'sedative', I breathed calmly and fully. Within a minute, I'm sure, I was having extreme difficulty keeping my eyes open.

The pod was opening next I thing I knew. I felt stiff and jittery, but weak at the same time. I managed to make my way out of the pod in time for it to close. I was having problems keeping my eyes focused, barely able to recognise the fact that the white armoured pony stood before me. Nearby was another shape, a pony most likely, but I couldn't focus well enough. "Yes. It looks perfect."

"Excellent. We'll administer the counter-sedative and give her some time to recover. Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes." I saw the shape move closer, the sound of magic singing softly. After a few seconds the sound of metal folding upon itself plate by plate echoed. It didn't last long, and a sharp pain in the side of my neck followed. Before I had time to react, it was over. The metal plates unfolded again, covering my body once more. My senses were still foggy as my mind tried to wrap itself around what was going on. Just at the point of giving up my vision began clearing and strength returned to my limbs. The inherent desire to quake fled as things improved. Soon, I felt as if I was actually a part of the world again. When I figured I was well enough I spoke.

"Is it finished?"

The mare that had been at the counter when we first arrived responded. "Yes. How do you feel?"

"I feel a lot better now that I can see again."

"Excellent! Now, trot over to the mirror there and tell us what you think." I did as instructed, making my way to where she was pointing. When I turned and looked I was almost shocked at what I saw. I was roughly the same size, the plates of the armour hugging very closely to my form. The plates themselves were jet black. Very deep and dark blue lines, that were surprisingly thin for glowing strips, ran across the surface much like the red strips on the mare's armour. The faceplate, which went from my jaw to the base of my horn, was indistinguishable from the rest of the armour aside from the slightest little line around it. The suit didn't even part for my wings. Instead, it had coated those too. I went to stretch them out and found full functionality. I turned back towards the two mares. The one that had helped us spoke. "So what do you think?"

"It's amazing." My vocal tone when I spoke threw me off. It sounded crystal clear, despite the fact that my ears were sealed off from the rest of my body.

"Excellent! Now, let me just show you a few features that come with the suit. You can study the rest with your in-display instruction manual."

That was exactly what she did. From how to activate and deactivate it to bizarre functions such as wall and ceiling movement, I learned 'the basics' of the suit. Needless to say, I was very excited to learn what else it could do. She opted out of teaching me more on how to use it, saying it was best for me to explore the functions. We bid our farewells, thanked them for the service, and left. It was once we were outside and the door had closed that the mare accompanying me spoke again. "I have to be completely honest with you: most ponies here think stealth is a disgrace. You'll get very dirty and judgemental glances while you're running around with that suit on."

"So I should pack it up?"

"No. It's against the law to travel anywhere within the city without a suit on."

"So I'm basically stuck being second class?"

"No. People dislike stealth suits because the most powerful figures wear them. Every single pony here, aside from those who wear one, fear the unparalleled skill, speed, and decisiveness of our stealth ops." At this point, I wasn't sure what to think. "I'll escort you to the OpC and they'll brief you from there. Remember: try to learn only about your mission with Storm. Don't ask names. Don't learn the route. Nothing. The less you know, the safer you are."

"I think I've got it at this point."

"We cannot be too cautious. Now, follow me." She began trotting forwards, swiftly if I might add. I was having a hard time keeping up with her as she weaved in and out of the tunnels. After a while, we came upon a small hole, which she slipped right into. I did my best to follow, but I almost didn't make it to the other side of the cramped drain. When I arose once more I heard metal clanking. Looking around the dark room was immediately met by her voice. "Stop looking, start moving."

I just went straight for her voice, approaching the very dimly lit gate. We trotted in near pitch-black darkness for most of the way, her voice being the only indication of where I needed to go. She carried on about the weather outside for ages, longer than I've ever heard any individual capable of doing. Eventually, we reached another door. This one opened and revealed a set of steep stairs. I went to ask about it, but decided against it. So, instead, we made the climb in silence.

When we arrived at the top she opened a hatch, sliding it out of the way. She beckoned me up. I followed, seeing as I had no alternative. When I got the chance to look at my surroundings, of which she made sure I didn't see much of, I saw a grouping of ponies in similar armour to mine. Before I had time to react, the mare spoke. "Alright. You've all received your briefing, right?"

The answer was a resounding yes. "Excellent. No information is to be given to our newest helper, Aqua."

One stallion's voice piped up. "Isn't she a little...large for a stealth op?"

"Any disadvantages she might have are more than made up for by her advantages."

Another mare's voice echoes from the back. "And what would those be?"

"She's willing to do anything to rescue Storm, and is entirely clueless about us."

A second stallion spoke. "So her being massive and most likely unskilled in stealth is compensated by that?"

"If she is caught, she'll be useless. She'll be going in alone to minimise risk. We will be tracking her every step, so do not worry. And yes, it will be monitored from well without the city. Short range communication will be used between multiple nodes to finally send communication back here. You all have your jobs. Now get to it." Commotion followed as ponies scrambled towards their posts. "Aqua, there will be a cart waiting for you just down those stairs we took. You'll be underneath cover, unable to see. It is like this that you will be transported outside the city. You'll be dropped off at the halfway point with a set of coordinates in your suit. Those coordinates are the city where Storm is. The rest will be up to you. I wish you luck, Aqua. You might need it."

Before I could speak, she had opened the hatch again and pushed me in. When I was completely inside, she closed the hatch. I heard it lock behind me. There was only one way to go now.

I eventually stumbled my way down the inky darkness that prevailed the stairwell. When I collided face first with the door and, eventually, opened it, I heard a stallion's voice. "Get in the back and drape the cloth over you."

I did the best I could to follow his orders. In the end, he ended up having to cover me himself, muttering something I couldn't understand. He trotted away and the cart began moving. From here, I could only hope for the best.

The ride was long, ridiculously so. I can't recall whether or not I dozed off during the ride, as I had no indicators to tell me if I had done so. We did stop though, eventually. I heard shuffling outside, followed by the removal of my cover. I heard the same voice from before, but could see who it was this time. Their dark green armour barely reflected the dim grey skies. "This is the stop. Get out and pay no mind to where we return to."

I nodded and disembarked, seeing the little blip of the objective on a little bar at the bottom of the visor. I began trotting my way over, trying my best to ignore the rolling of the cart behind me. Only when the noise had completely faded for over a long span of time did I begin to gaze around me. The first thing I noted was how I could not see the wagon that dropped me off; without that little blip I would be completely lost. Further observation revealed that the sky was a dark grey, unnaturally dark. The ground around me was like no other dirt or soil I had ever seen before. Perhaps it was just the grey skies that drained colour from the material under my hooves. Either way, the ground was a pale grey, like that of clay. It was, however, too hard to be clay, as if it were a bed of solid stone. Aside from that, there was nothing; for miles and miles around me there was nothing but grey waste, and it was the only thing in sight. I sighed at the depressing sight and found the blip once more, trotting towards it.

It didn't take nearly as long as I would have anticipated before high, rust-orange and industrial-green walls came into view. I continued my march towards the walls, getting as close as I dared at this point. There was no cover out here, and I didn't want to get spotted before I had even entered the city. I decided to camp it, as nopony on the walls would have any way of seeing me, or knowing I was there to begin with.

As I passed the time waiting for nightfall I explored the in-HUD instructions, as I remember they had been called. I figured out several of the features I hadn't yet used, such as cloaking. As soon as I discovered that my suit could actually do such, I cloaked up and made my way towards the city.

There was no dusk. I mean, there wasn't even the sun in the sky. The day just got darker until it was pitch black. I wouldn't have been able to see anything if I hadn't already figured out how to activate the night vision that was included in the suit’s functions. It didn't reach far, maybe a hundred feet or so, but it worked for me. It was enough, at least, so I could make my way to the walls. From there, I began looking for any kind of an entrance.

After trotting my way around the entire city I had found nothing. I wasn't sure how much of the night had passed, as there was no celestial activity. I decided, since time was limited, to scale the wall. I activated the proper mechanics and started my way up. After the first hoofstep I made while completely suspended, I found the wall to be very echoing. Each step rang out a cacophony of metallic echoes, probably alerting any guards on the rim. I froze immediately after the first sound rang out, hugging as closely as I could to the wall. I saw a light begin to make its way over, and all I could do was hope the cloaking was enough. They shined the light on me for a while before looking at the nearby landscape. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the light disappeared eventually. I then began creeping my way along. Even the slightest shuffle was brought to extraordinary levels of sound.

The sky began to lighten by the time I crested the top. I carefully looked around to make sure no guards were nearby before vaulting the lip. I took just a moment to check where the blip was pointing, seeing the large castle-like metal fortress in the middle of town. I checked the surrounding area before I quickly made my way to the other side of the battlement, sliding down the city side of the wall as quietly as possible. Once I was on the ground I began searching for a sewage drain, as I figured a place like this might have one. Sure enough, a few streets over, I found a small circle with the words "Drain" inscribed on the lid. I checked to make sure nopony was around to watch a drain lid move on its own before sliding it off. I squeezed down into the hole as best I could before sliding it back over me with my horn.

Because I barely fit in the space provided, the descent was not only very slow but also filled with palpable anxiety of getting stuck. I didn't get stuck, thankfully, and successfully splashed into the water beneath me. It was pitch black in here, so I turned on the night vision mode. Even as it were, I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me. I decided to simply take whatever tunnels I could to try and make my way towards the blip. Surely the main fortress also had a drain.

I had crept my way through the stagnant and, frankly, disgusting water for what seemed like an eternity before a fence blocked my way. On the other side were dim lights, or perhaps they were distant. The fence was littered by signs warning of disease. Perhaps the waters were contaminated, I thought, but this section was right where I needed to go. Brushing aside any fear of the situation I searched until I found a gate. It was locked with a chain and padlock. I simply bust the lock with one of my armoured hooves before moving in. The makeshift gate creaked and groaned behind me, both when opening and when closing, before the dank passageways fell silent once more. I made my way as best as I could around the walkways, homing in on the blip of navigation that I had. I was stopped in my tracks when I saw light coming up from ahead. I crept along, the splashing of stagnant water on the walkway echoing. As I rounded the corner of an intersection I turned to the light. A small fire was burning in a rusted out barrel. How they had gotten it dry in this musty air was a mystery to me. One pony, draped in tattered cloths and holding the appearance of death, stoked the fire, while another nearby warmed their own decrepit body. I just about recoiled from the sight, disgusted that such plight could exist. I then heard another voice coming from down the tunnel. It was that of a mare. "I'm back."

"Ah, what did you get this time, Scarlet?"

"Not much. Most of the waters had been covered already."

"The other camps didn't give you trouble, did they?" Other camps? Was there an entire Undercity? How did a population discard so much material that a large number of ponies could survive off of their waste?

"No. They were long gone." I saw the mare begin to hang items from her tattered saddle bags. Most of it was cloth or paper. "Did the hunt get anything, Orion?"

"No..." The third pony's tone was very dejected. I'm sure the mare's next comment didn't help.

"Isn't your talent hunting? Why else is that your cutie mark?"

"I can't hunt if there's nothing to begin with!" Man, seeing these ponies like this made me burn with desire to aid them. That wasn't my job, though, and I had a responsibility to stick to. I sloshed my way as quietly as possible across the intersection, hoping the ensuing argument was enough to drown out my movement, before continuing on my way.

I skirted several more groupings, some even being as advanced as figuring out how to create tents out of the scraps they had collected, as I continued my way towards the blip. After passing the mark several times, I figured out that the closest entrance was still a fair distance away from my target. I took the exit beside me, climbing my way to the surface. As I was climbing I was being barraged by a torrent of runoff. Opening the lid and stepping out of the caustic sewers revealed that it had started to rain in my time down there. I climbed out and closed the lid again, turning my attention to the mark. All that was in front of me was a wall. It wasn't the wall of a house or other similar structure. No, it was a massive wall, most likely of the fortress. As far as I could tell, there was no lip to vault. It looked like my only way in was either a gate or hoping the sewers or wall opened somewhere within.

I went with the gated option, heading around the wall until I found the main pathway. The gate was closed, and two guards stood at attention, looking out down the road. Above were several holes in the wall, from where I could faintly see others waiting. I wasn't getting in unless they opened the gate for something else. I remained in the alleyway near the wall, peeking around the corner to watch for incoming openings.

I had just about fallen asleep, the rhythmic pounding of the rain on the roofs above creating a symphony of lazy sounds, when I heard the guards announce something. I perked up and peeked around the corner. Surely enough, the guards stepped away. I took this moment to creep out, positioning myself nearby, but still under the cover of the overhanging roof above. The guards thoroughly inspected a cart drawn by two stallions before signalling the all clear. I heard loud chunks and moving chains as the gate began to open. As it widened completely I took my chance. I quickly fell in line beside the cart, still cloaked, and crept within alongside it. Once inside, the gates closed, I broke away and hid in the nearby foliage. Indeed, this interior section was far lusher and more thoroughly cared for than the abandoned, industrial exterior. It was like stepping through a portal into another world. I couldn't gawk, due to the necessity of the mission, so I continued my march.

Through the front doors and around many winding corridors I made my way. I typically spent most of the time on the ceiling, dangling some twenty feet above the ground. I progressed deeper, eventually reaching stairs. I took the lower route first, figuring prisoners would be down rather than up. My suspicions were correct when I saw a door labelled 'Dungeons'. I dropped from the ceiling with a thud before creeping my way in.

It was extraordinarily easy to dodge the jailers, as well over half of them had dozed off. I made my way to where the blip was. As I entered the doorway, the rest of the cell came into view. The medieval appearance of the rest of the area was heavily contrasted by the technological barrier that stood before me. This wall of energy barred my way. The only thing I found that might do the trick was a single button beside it. I looked around, making sure nopony was around, before dropping my cloak. I saw Storm perk up at the sound. When he turned around and saw me, his face read 'perplexed' more than 'relieved'. Since time was limited, I spoke first. "Storm, I'm here to break you out."

He looked at me for a second before his face lit with recognition of my voice. "...Aqua?"

"Don't ask questions yet. I need to get you out of here first, and silently is the expectation." He nodded. I then hit the button, dropping the energy wall and allowing him to leave. He followed after me as I crept to the doorway. I peeked my head around to make sure there were no guards. Upon finding it empty, I continued on my way.

We managed to make our way to one of the drains I had found on my way in towards Storm. I lifted the lid and beckoned him within. I then followed in after him and quietly closed the passage behind us. We both plunked into the water beneath, almost entirely directionless. I took the lead, heading towards where I thought we needed to go. I saw a window pop up in my vision stating 'incoming transition', so I told it to accept. Lines of static popped up in the window now, and I heard a voice heavily distorted by both interference and distance. "Report back. You reached the objective. Is it secure?"

"Yes. I'm awaiting direction, mostly because I'm a little lost."

"Why not take the route you came in with?"

"Storm can't stealth."

"Right, and from what our spies had informed us a few years back, the drains for the executive sector don't connect with the residential or industrial sectors, nor do they lead out; they just seep into the ground through grated floors." We sat in silence for a moment, thinking.

"I have an idea."

"Whatever it is, pray that it works. Ending communications now." With a beep, the screen closed, leaving me staring at the dark passageway. Storm spoke up next.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'm going to create a diversion when the main gate opens, drawing away the guards. Once they've left, book it around to the left. There's another drain not far from the gate that you can quickly slip into."

"And what about you? Are you planning on dying?"

"No. My suit has stealth capabilities. I'll be able to evade them with that."

"I hope you know what you're doing." I did too.

"Don't worry. We'll both make it out." He nodded, signalling me to begin moving. I did so, guiding us back through the twisting underground sewers. I wasn’t sure how these tunnels ran exactly, but I had forged a heading and we had a decent window of time to figure out all of the details.

When I had navigated us back to where I thought was close enough to the wall, I paused. I reiterated the instructions to Storm before heading up. Once I had peeked over the ledge I quickly noticed that we were outside of the fortress, sitting in the foliage that seemed out of place; we made it to the courtyard. When I saw that there were no guards nearby I carefully moved out, leaving Storm to do the same. When we were both concealed within the foliage, the sewers closed behind us, we waited patiently for the gate to open.

Open it eventually did. My heart began to race at this point, but I knew I couldn't mess up. With a deep breath I bolted from the foliage. They hadn't seen me yet, so I paused behind the wall, the last safe place. I nodded to Storm, who moved in closer. I then rounded the corner before whipping my tail to plaster the guard on the left. Once he was unconscious, the ring of the impact on his metal armour dying down, the other guards began to pursue me. I bolted off to the right, drawing them away from where Storm needed to go. I glanced back to see Storm slip around the corner and head to the entrance of the residential sewers. I turned my attention back around to navigate the maze of houses.

Turn after turn I was slowly evading the guards. I found myself eventually heading back towards the main road. As I approached, I picked up speed as best I could, bolting across in a full gallop. As I made my way across the wide road, a loud banging sound echoed out. Suddenly, tearing pain shot up my hind left leg, causing it to freeze and collapse under the step it had just taken. I skidded and rolled, thankfully with enough force and momentum to make it to the other buildings. I groaned, but didn't have time to look at the wound; I had to keep moving. As best as I could, I arose and stumbled my way to the first alleyway, turning to the right. I then cloaked before veering back onto the main side street. I had stumbled another building down by the time the guards reached the area. It was then that I scaled the wall, pushing myself up into the corner of the wall and the roof. I noticed an open window and slowly limped my way across the wall. I ducked within, maintaining my cloak, and began searching for a place to hide. As I made my way through the house, however, I found it to be empty. I then comfortably dropped my cloak and began looking at my hind left leg. A hole was cleanly punched through the exterior side, or at least it looked like it, but the metal on the interior side was heavily warped and shredded. Blood seeped from the hole, flowing onto the floor beneath. I groaned again, the heavy wall of pain sitting mightily on my leg. I got up, limping my way back to the open window. With my cloak back up I peeked out, finding the area littered with guards. I couldn't wait, seeing as how much blood I was losing, so I slipped out the window and onto the wall once more.

In a mixture of sliding painfully across the wall and limping my way around the buildings, I successfully managed to get back to the drain. I quietly slid the lid, ducked within, and closed the passage behind me by the time I heard motion above. Once the commotion died down, I finished descending. I dropped my cloak so Storm could see me before I approached him. "There you are. I was getting worried for a while there. Everything go alright?"

"I was injured."

"What? Where?" He quickly came over.

"Hind left leg. It was just this tearing pain. I don't know what caused it."

"Was there a bang?"

"Yeah."

"You've been shot."

"I've been what?"

"You've been shot. Sit down and let me see the damage."

"In this dark passageway, I don't think that will do much good."

"I want to take a look anyways." I looked at him for a moment. "It'd probably make me feel better."

"...Fine." I plunked myself down, feeling tired after the expended effort of fleeing. I extended the injured leg as best as I could, but it wasn't far. "And what does being 'shot' mean?"

"The weapons these ponies use are designed to lob melted scrap metal that's been formed into spheres. They call them bullets, but we tend to refer to them as biological weapons. Some of the scraps are rusted or, in some cases, still coated with blood from somepony somewhere. That's why I wanted to have a look, see if the thing's still in your leg."

"I don't think it-AGH! Careful with that!"

"Sorry. I guess the area is in worse shape than I thought. It's unfortunate that I don't have any medical supplies with me. We'll have to get you to some kind of care quickly. You have communication with the others, right?"

"Yeah."

"Contact them, tell them we're safe, but that you've been shot and will need medical assistance. Tricky part, though, is we have to keep moving. If you faint from blood loss, well, I can only carry you so far." It was looking grimmer with each sentence he spoke. I heard him stand, so I did the same, and begin trotting off. I did my best to follow him, limping along behind him. As I did so, I explored the communication features of the suit until I finally figured out how to activate a transmission. Shortly thereafter, I was greeted by the same voice as before.

"I read you, Aqua. What's your status?"

"Storm is secure and we are leaving the city via the sewers." My speech was disturbed to a minor degree by my need to grunt through the pain with each step.

"Which side of the city did you enter to start with?"

"The front, I'm guessing. Whichever you left me on."

"The drain leads out the back of the city. You'll have to make your way there. We can add the blip to your HUD."

"No need. Storm has taken the lead."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"I'm slowing us down a bit."

"What happened?"

"I've been shot."

"What?! Where? How many times? Will you make it? Do we have to send an extraction team?"

"No. I took a hit in the leg, so I should still be able to make it.

"And you're trotting around their sewers? Are you trying to die or something?"

"I would have stayed on the surface if that was the case." It was silent for a moment. "I'll inform Storm of the change of plans. Just make sure there's some kind of transportation when we're outside the sight of the city." Storm was looking back at me, possibly confused.

"Will do. Try not to die. She spent a lot of money on you." I heard the transmission end. As such, I turned my attention back to Storm. "We're going to have to leave through the drain at the back of the city."

"That's a pretty far distance, and we'll practically be swimming by the end. Are you sure that wound is going to be alright?"

"Even if it weren't, what can we do about it?" Storm grew silent. He knew that there wasn't anything we could do at this point, so he turned about to face, what I assumed to be, the way we needed to go. From there, we began the long trek.

He was right on both accounts. It took what seemed like an eternity to get to where we were needing to be, despite the conversation we had, and the putrid water covered me to the neck; Storm was actually swimming at this point. Soon, though, we saw a little bit of light ahead. It was small, tiny even. We excitedly began making our way towards it, finding that the light was far closer than we thought. The force of the water increased dramatically, but it was heading towards the sliver of light. Storm ducked under the surface, leaving me above. I thought I could just barely make it, but hit my head pretty hard on the roof of the tunnel. I was flipped backwards into the water, tumbling in the current. I had no idea when I'd be clear of the water, so I held my breath as best as I could. I was running out of air, and desperately holding on to what little I had left.

I suddenly felt a slight drop before I bounced on the ground. The unexpected impact forced all of the air out of my body, or what little there was left. Out of instinct, before I could stop it, my body attempted to draw in a breath to recover. Water rushed into my mouth, the foul taste unlike any other I had even so much as perceived. I felt myself being drug out as my body made coughing and retching actions. My breaths were inefficient and quick as panic was taking hold. I heard Storm's voice urging me to calm down and breathe. Each breath ended abruptly after it started with another cough. No, coughing wasn't a good enough word for it; hacking more closely describes the desperate attempts to force the putrid water out of my body.

It took a while before I had actually recovered. Storm stayed nearby the entire time, trying whatever he could to no avail. Once I had recovered, I stood once more. I was severely light headed at this point, watching the world spin slowly. I shook my head in an effort to clear it, but that just made things worse. I put a hoof to my head, causing some concern for Storm. "Aqua, are you ok?"

"We need to get to that rendezvous."

"Are you sure you can make it?"

"No choice. Let's just go, yeah?" His sideways glance spoke volumes of his concern, but he continued nonetheless. We first had to make our way around the city before the trot to the midway point. As we were making our way around I could see raindrops begin hitting the ground around us. Before too long, a little after we cleared our way to the front of the city, the little drops became a massive torrential downpour. As it was picking up I heard Storm mutter something about it being just his luck. I wasn't sure what he was referring to until the ground began to absorb all of the standing water. The grey rock-like material became a thick mud. At first, we sank to the tops of our hooves, still mostly unimpeded. However, as the massive rainstorm continued, this small leeway was quickly turned into a massive obstacle as we began having to pull half of our leg out of the mud just to take a step. When I would look back, the places behind me where I had sunk within had already been filled with water saturated by the mud. I turned back around and continued forging.

By the time the rain let up we had been sunk up to our chests. I heard Storm's voice as the rains died down. "Get yourself as dug out as possible. This stuff dries fast and dries hard. The further you are encased in it, the harder it will be for them to dig us out."

I did my best to comply, but was making very little progress. "Aren't they going to be stuck, too?"

"No, they know when the rains will hit and act accordingly. Tell the others that we'll need to be dug out."

"Why didn't they warn us?" I could feel the ground getting stiffer, and it was happening very quickly.

"Maybe so we'd get as far as we could without tracks. Rain's already washed the other ones away."

I began initiating communications again, waiting for a response. My efforts to dig myself out were now all in vain. Between the effort it took this far and the fact that I had lost a lot of strength to the one injury, my hope of escape quickly faded; I was stuck, still submerged up to my lower chest. "Storm."

"Yeah?"

"I'm stuck." I looked up at him, finding him trying to chip away what there was around his hooves.

"I should be out in a little, as soon as I free up just one hoof." I sat in silence, suppressing the panic as I waited for communication. I took several deep breaths until I heard the pony on the other end.

"Aqua, report."

"We were caught out in the rains. We, well, I'm stuck." Storm had freed himself and was chipping off the rock from around his hooves.

"We'll send an extraction team shortly. It should only be a few hours."

"A few hours?"

"Yes." I took several deep breaths, fighting the horrid, creeping feeling of claustrophobia. "Are you alright."

"Yeah, yeah. Just, uh, tell them to get here quickly. I'm probably still bleeding, and the sewage didn't help, I'm sure."

"Alright. We'll get them to hurry. I'm ending communications in order to contact them." The line ended shortly thereafter, leaving me in silence with Storm again.

"So are they coming?"

"Yeah. They said a few hours."

"Well, I guess all there is left for us to do is wait."

"I mean, there's talking, too. Might make things less stressful for me. Since, you know, I'm kind of stuck." He chuckled.

"Well, I guess I am still a little curious about where you came from."

"I had already told you where I came from."

"I know, but it's still so...I don't know. Alone in there for all those years? How did you manage?"

"I didn't, really. Any chance I got, I left. The forest was the only place that didn't try to kill me at night, but was the only place that tried to kill me during the day."

"And you have no idea about who your parents were?"

"No. The only clue I have is that a pony named Galaxia knows who they are."

"Galaxia? Like the dark alicorn with the space-mane?"

"You've heard of her?"

"Bane's told me about her."

"I need to figure out either how to find her or how to contact her again. If she's got information on my parents, I want to know."

"What made you decide to be a Protectorate? Not a very popular occupational choice."

"Well, it's a bit of a tale. I ended up wandering around and almost getting killed. Bane saved me."

"How'd you know it was Bane?"

"When I saw him again later, I recognised his eyes. Yellow eyes aren't very common."

"Fair enough."

"After he saved me, he dropped me off at a combat school that was just a ways up the road. I learned how to fight from there and was selected to be a Protectorate for my abilities. Kept at it with the hopes of being like that pony that saved me."

"Well, you've saved me twice now, so I think you're doing something right."

I chuckled, feeling almost flustered at the compliment. "Well, thank you."

The conversation continued for a while, a few awkward breaks coming now and then. My lines were being regularly interrupted by yawns, and I could feel myself getting extremely tired. We ceased talking when we saw a cart on the horizon. I yawned again, which prompted Storm to bid me to stay with him. After a short while, the cart arrived. My head was drooping now, and my eyes were having problems remaining open. The ponies on the cart quickly unloaded, getting their supplies set. Within moments, I heard them breaking away the stone around me. I felt my head dip once or twice. Storm grabbed my face and pulled it to look up at his. "You're not going anywhere, Aqua. You're staying here, and you're staying with us. Aqua, look at me. We'll get you help and you'll be ok."

I nodded, trying to focus on him. Sure enough, however, the overwhelming tiredness overtook me. My head slacked and my eyes closed.

When I awoke next it was to the jostling of a cart. I felt stinging pain on my leg, forcing me to look down. Two ponies sat overlooking it, changing out tools and working around the area. They had a set up to keep the cart clean with regards to my blood. I put my head back down, noticing they had bundled cloth together to form a pillow. I sat and waited as long as I could before passing out again.

The next time I awoke was in a bed. The room was silent and peaceful. Not even the typical sounds of a house were heard. You know, those background noises you hear but never think about. There was none of that. Just...empty air. I sat up and looked around, still feeling too nauseous to do much more. Aside from the bed that I was tucked in to, a single chair and a table adorned the room. Most of the room was either white or lightly coloured. There were a few soft-red trim details about the room, but they weren't worth paying attention to. I was still too tired to contemplate getting up, so I laid back down to rest.

When I woke up again, I found the same silent room. I decided that I wanted to steal a glance at my leg, which still carried a dull throbbing. As I began moving the blankets, I heard the door click. It silently opened shortly thereafter. I saw Storm trot through the door, a small bouquet of flowers grasped in his teeth. Being, at the time, unaware of social customs, I cocked an eyebrow lazily. "What are the flowers for?"

Once he put them in the glass container on the table he spoke. "They tend to be like a get well soon kind of thing. A lot of ponies also give flowers to ponies they are interested in."

"Interested in what?"

"Well, you know, like, a love kind of interest. They do that. B-but it's when the pony is feeling well, and, well...Since you're not in the best shape, I decided that these are get well soon flowers."

"Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment." He smiled and nodded. He seemed to be bashful at this point, going so far as to stumble over one of his words. It was absolutely adorable, whatever it was. He sat down in the chair with a bit of a sigh.

"You know, you push yourself too hard."

"I push myself as far as I have to."

"You didn't have to take that bullet if you didn't make the diversion."

"How else would I have gotten you out?" He sat for a moment before sighing.

"I know, you had to do it. It just doesn't feel right that you had to be hurt just to save me."

"If I could go back and redo it, I'd pick the same outcome."

"But why, though?"

"Seeing ponies like you safe and happy again is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Saving, not just helping, other ponies just makes me feel alive." Again, he sat in silence.

"Maybe I shouldn't be hard on myself for getting into that situation."

"No, you shouldn't." He looked over at me before a chuckle broke from him. A smile stole across his face shortly thereafter.

"Well, I guess it just means I end up spending that much more time around you. I definitely don't mind that."

"I have to admit, I do like having you around. Gets lonely sometimes, being alone."

"So, um, I have a question."

"Go ahead. It's not like I can go anywhere." He laughed a little.

"Since we both like spending time around each other, and end up looking out for each other too, what would you say if I asked if it was alright that we bunked together? Like, same house, but different rooms?"

"I wouldn't mind. If you want, my house is pretty big for just me."

"Sure, I mean, I don't see any problem with it. I guess I'll get my things when I can and head over. I mean, after you've been sent back home, that is. Can't do it before, you know?" We both chuckled before he bid farewell. When he left, I remained in silence in that room. It wasn't long before I started dozing off again.

Some time passed and I was finally allowed to head home. Because of stigmas surrounding being suit-less in the city, they sent me home with it on still. When I arrived home I began dissecting it to figure out how it worked. I was entirely baffled by that kind of technology, so I wanted to figure out how it had functioned properly.

Perhaps a week or two passed as I scratched my head in vain over this machine. I had figured out how the armour folded down, how the temperature control worked, and how the communication, specifically the clear hearing aspect, was hooked up. Aside from that, I hadn't grasped much. At one point, in frustration, I packed the suit back up and placed it in the corner. To my luck, it wasn't much later than that when the mare came back looking for it. When she had it secured, she left.

A day or two later, as I began drawing up designs for how I could get similar armour, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find Storm, much to my pleasant surprise. I bid him enter, which he happily obliged. As he set up his things in one room I continued my work on the designs. I had also written a letter and sent it to Aldorn, and was now waiting for his response.