“So he came in from the woods?” Corporal Dancer asked again.

“Right.” Gene replied. “It’s a trail about five hundred meters into the forest. It heads towards Trotsdale for a while before ending suddenly about three hundred meters from the edge. There’s no breaks in the branches so it’s not a Pegasus and an Earth pony can’t teleport, so it’s likely our caster.”

“It’s not guaranteed, though.” Dancer pointed out.

“No, not guaranteed.” The virus agreed. “But it’s our only lead right now.”

The Ranger nodded in agreement to that. “Unfortunately, you’re right. I wish we had more to go on. Have you followed it back to the source?”

Gene shook his head. “Not yet. I came back to tell you what I found. Have the Rangers search in a ring starting out a few hundred meters from here. If he teleported in, he might have teleported out.”

Dancer nodded again. “I’ll get them on it. Follow the trail for a while but try to make sure you make it back before nightfall.”

“Will do.” Gene said before he turned around and headed back into the forest. He followed his memory perfectly to the beginning of the trail where the caster had teleported into Trotsdale. Turning around, he walked away from Trotsdale and deeper into the forest that he still didn’t know the name of. He followed the clear hoofprints for an hour or two, thankful for the lack of a recent storm. If it had rained, all tracks from the caster would have been gone utterly, no matter how far out from the town he had teleported.

The sounds of the forest echoed through the air around him. His intense hearing slowly started picking up more and more sounds as he stopped tuning out ambience. Birds fluttered through the trees, small game bounded through the underbrush, and larger predators and prey trampled through the forest off in the distance. His pony ears flickered this way and that as it picked up indistinct conversations from the Rangers outside the forest, a small pack of wolves chasing an elk, and several birds singing in the trees.

Gene felt himself unconsciously relaxing as he walked through the woods. These were the sounds that he was familiar with, the sounds he grew up around in Louisiana. His mind flashed back to watching racoons in his yard when he heard two chittering in the distance. The virus smiled. This is the type of place I could live my life.

So maybe he was a scientist at heart and the company he worked for was in a city, but he was born and raised at the edge of a village in the middle of nowhere, eighty-five miles from another town. This was his home, no matter the world he was in.

Some time later found Gene standing at the edge of an old campsite. A single tent sat on one edge of a small clearing with a fire pit dominating the center, surrounded by large rocks. The pit was cold, it had been like that for a long time. The tent was sagging, wind and animal attention likely bowing the interior supports. Tracks, both of pony and animals, littered the clearing. A quick search around the edge revealed no other pony tracks than the one he followed here. The Unicorn must have either covered his entrance, arrived with a series of teleports, or it had rained after he set up camp but before he left.

Turning, he walked into the campsite proper and made his way to the tent. The beige shelter was large, easily capable of holding Chrysalis and his true form with room to spare. One side was sagging significantly. Up close, he couldn’t quite tell what had made the side collapse. Entering the tent by means of an unsealed flap, he looked around the tent. A small desk stood on one side of the tent, the top covered in a light layer of dust. A ratty bedroll dominated the other half of the tent, abandoned either in haste or in disgust. Nothing else was in the tent.

Approaching the desk, he saw that the desk had several small drawers and a clear one on the top. Opening each drawer one at a time, he found each one to be entirely empty of even scraps. Either they had never been used or the caster had been thorough in taking any leads and evidence with him when he left. A bedroll wasn’t exactly enough to catch him, unfortunately.

Gene hummed out loud as he turned to face the bedroll. He walked open and swung it open, watching a small snake slither out of it and out a small hole in the back wall of the tent. There was, as he expected, nothing inside of it. Shrugging, he turned and walked out of the tent. Then, he paused and walked back in, flipping the entire bedroll over. He paused for a moment once he did. “Well what do we have here?”

A small, single stone sat underneath the bedroll. At first glanced, it seemed like a normal stone. Further inspection revealed the small purple rune the size of a thumb engraved on the side of it. A quick touch revealed no magical effects as he jerked his hoof back. A longer touch on the side of the stone revealed no energies that he could feel, no extra heat, nothing suspicious. Picking it up, he formed a small pouch around his neck and dropped it into it. He hummed thoughtfully as he left the tent again. “Might be worth looking into.”

The golden carriage came to a rumbling stop, the non-existent suspension doing absolutely nothing to dampen the jolts and shocks caused by the wheels bouncing on rocks and lumps of dirt. The Royal Guards trotted to a slow stop, bringing the carriage to one as well, just outside the encampment where several dozen Guards and Ranger stayed while they searched the lands for anything they could find. The sun-engraved door swung open silently and smoothly as Princess Celestia, Diarch of the Sun, climbed out of her carriage. A single nod to the bowing Guards was all it took to get them to rise and return to their duties. Another soldier, a Ranger, approached her nervously.

Celestia flashed her warm smile, letting him know it was alright. “Hello, Corporal Dancer.”

Momentarily stunned that she knew his name, he took a few seconds to respond. When he did, he had to clear his throat to be understood. “Good evening, Your Majesty. You are early, did something happen?”

“My schedule cleared up enough for me to arrive earlier than I planned.” Celestia answered. “I figured there was no harm in getting extra work done. I’ll still be leaving on schedule unless something unexpected comes up.”

The Ranger nodded his understanding. “Thanks to Gene Splice, we believe that the caster came from the forest until a few hundred meters in, then teleported the rest of the way. Gene is currently following the trail outward attempting to find the point of origin or a campsite. He should be back in an hour or so, maybe two or three.”

Celestia smiled again. “Thank you for telling me. I’m going to go meet him and will return with him.”

The Corporal nodded and left at the obvious dismissal. The Solar Princess turned to her Guards and spoke. “Unhitch yourself, relax, and spend the rest of the day as you see fit. We won’t be leaving until tomorrow afternoon.”

Her Guards nodded their thanks and unhooked themselves from the carriage and wandered off to find bed and board for the night. Celestia herself turned and walked into the forest, her long stride and easy gait allowing her to reach the edge quickly and easily. A quick spell located Gene’s position and she set off, entering the forest with nary a noise. Her hoofsteps, loud on marble, stone, or wood, fell softly on the soft dirt and deftly avoided any partially-rotten branches or dry leaves. Before long, her ears swiveled naturally as she picked up the sound of crunching branches ahead of her.

A few minutes later, Gene came into sight as he rounded a large tree. He saw her immediately and smiled to her, waving with a single hoof. Her eyes spied a small pouch around his neck and her curiosity peaked. She continued to walk forward until they stopped in front of each other, both of them wearing a smile. “Hello, Celestia. You’re a little early, aren’t you?”

Celestia laughed lightly at his greeting and nodded her head, mirth dancing in her eyes. “Yes, I’m rather early. My schedule mysteriously cleared when Luna took on several of my duties for me. She seemed rather adamant for me to come out here as early as I could.”

Gene rolled his eyes. “I’m sure I know why.”

The Alicorn grinned. “So do I. You’d think she would at least try to be subtle.”

“‘Subtle’ is not in her dictionary.” Gene replied, making her laugh again as the words rang true. As her mirth died down, she asked a question that had been on her mind for some time.

“How do you feel about what Luna’s trying to do?” The Princess schooled her features to reveal neither her hope nor her worry as she waited patiently for his reply. Somehow, though, she felt he knew what she was feeling.

Gene just sighed and ran a hoof through his mane, something she had seen him do in his other form as well. “I’m not quite sure, Celestia. Jay was monogamous and that carried over to me. The idea of having multiple lovers at the same time doesn’t sit well with me, and them knowing about each other only makes it seem worse.”

“So no.” Celestia said calmly. All truth be told, while she was hopeful, she was glad she was able to get the rejection out of the way as soon as possible, long before she actually developed any feelings for him. There was disappointment, of course, but no pain or heartache.

“I didn’t say that.” Gene said with another sigh. “Give me some time to sort out my thoughts. Chryssi and I talked about it earlier this morning.”

“And how does she feel?” Celestia asked.

“She’s all for it, even if a part of her wants me to herself.” Gene replied, making Celestia nod as she understood where the Changeling was coming from. “My indecision is all me, Celestia.”

The Solar Princess smiled at him. “Take all the time you need. There’s no rhyme or reason to emotions. Just keep in mind that my sister and I are a package deal; there’s no getting one of us.”

Gene returned her mischievous smile with a small, weak one of his own. “Thank you, Celestia. I refuse to be someone who leads you and your sister on. I’ll get over my conflict and give you an answer as soon as I can.”

Seeing the honest, determined look in his eyes, Celestia leaned down and gently nuzzled him. “We’ll be waiting. I appreciate your honestly severely and Luna would too. I assure you, no matter the answer, we’ll remain friends.”

Then she stood up straight and gestured back down the trail. “Now come on, let’s return to the camp. Did you find anything?”

The two started walking toward the camp again as Gene nodded. “There’s a campsite a little while back. A single fire pit and an old tent were set in a clearing. Inside the tent was a rotting bedroll and a dusty desk. The desk was empty but underneath the bedroll was a small stone with a purple rune inscribed on it.”

“May I see it?” Celestia asked once he paused. Gene nodded and pulled the stone out of his pouch, manipulating it with miniscule tendrils. He passed it to Celestia who levitated it closer to her and started to examine it. After a moment, she started humming as several tendrils of golden magic started to weave into the air and wrap around the oval stone. A few seconds later, the energy dispersed as Gene watched with a glint in his eyes.

Finished with the spell, she passed it back to him and he returned it to his pouch. “I didn’t recognize the rune from any language I know so I thought it may have been magical in nature. I checked it for any energies, remnant or otherwise, but I found no traces of any spells.”

“So it’s not magical?” Gene asked rhetorically. “I figured it would be. I doubt the caster was careless enough to forget this. I think he left it on purpose.”

“There’s no magic affecting it.” Celestia reassured. “Maybe it’s meant to throw us off his trail? We focus on tracking the rune and end up letting the real trail go cold.”

“Possibly.” Gene mused. “Is there a way to cast a spell on an object from out of sight.”

“Only if you’ve memorized everything about it…” Celestia started only to trail off. “That might be exactly what he plans. If he made this runestone, he likely would have it memorized. He would have to be a very skilled mage, though.”

“I think we already know he has power.” Gene said. “Or at least an artifact. Any objects that can increase magical power?”

“A few, one of which can corrupt the wearer. Though, that object has been contained after an incident with it a while back.” Celestia said with a thoughtful frown. “Several of the others are in various museums, with a couple unaccounted for. It’s entirely possible the caster found one.”

Up ahead, the forest began to thin as they neared the edge. The light didn’t really brighten as they neared the edge; unlike the Everfree Forest, the canopy was not thick enough to block the light. After a couple more minutes of silent walking, the pair exited the forest to see the sun nearing the horizon. The Rangers and Guards were returning to the camp and prepare to rest for the night. The search for evidence would resume in the morning when the ponies could see better.

At the edge of the forest, Celestia stopped and looked up at her charge. Gene stopped to watch, realizing she was going to set the sun while, hundreds of miles away, her sister would raise the moon. The Alicorn’s horn flared with golden energy as she reached out to the nearby star. A warm aura filled the air around her, causing Gene to relax as it, somehow, relaxed his viral cells. Her horn flared brighter as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Behind them, blocked by the forest, Gene knew the moon would be coming up.

Finally, the sun fully dipped below the horizon and her horn’s magic extinguished. The Princess let out a satisfied sigh as she looked to Gene, pausing at his relaxed smile. His eyes drifted toward hers and he spoke softly. “That was amazing, Celestia.”

The royal mare blushed lightly at his praise. “The magic?”

Gene nodded. “That and the aura you emitted. I felt relaxed and content. I’m glad I saw, and felt, that.”

Celestia’s warm smile was as bright as the sun she had set, her magenta eyes seemingly glowing with happiness. Even as Luna loved her moon and stars, Celestia loved her sun and the warmth it brought. It was her passion to bring light and heat to the world around her, allowing ponies to see, live, and do things. The importance of the situation struck him as he realized that Celestia had just shared that passion with him. That was her aura; the love she felt for her sun and the world.

Celestia saw as a thoughtful look spread across his face as he considered something she didn’t know. The Alicorn couldn’t deny the nervousness she had felt when she had begun to lower the sun. It was the first time in a long time she had let somepony watch her and experience the emotions that ran through her as she handled her charge. The Summer Sun Celebration was entirely different; it was showy, public, and impersonal. Nopony felt her aura because she didn’t emit it. Twilight and Luna were the only living ponies who knew what it felt like when she truly connected to her sun.

After a moment, Celestia gestured toward the camp with her wing. “Let’s return to the camp. I took the liberty of having a tent for you set up near mine. Even if you don’t plan to use to tent, you still have the option.”

“Thank you, Celestia.” Gene said, then smiled mischievously. “Are you trying to tell me something by putting my tent next to yours.”

Celestia couldn’t stop the reply that tumbled out of her mouth. “Perhaps. You’d know for sure if I invited you to mine.”

Gene couldn’t stop the slight stumble that affected his gait at the entirely unexpected the reply. Glancing up at the Alicorn, she was staring forward as they walking, though that didn’t stop him from seeing the pink dusting on her muzzle. It was clear that she hadn’t intended to reply in such a flirtatious way. After a moment, she spoke suddenly. “I-I’m sorry for that. I don’t know why I said that.”

Gene just smiled lightly to her, letting her know it didn’t bother him. “Don’t be sorry. It’s a lot funner when you don’t censor yourself. You know I won’t think any less of you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Gene.” Celestia said just as they reached the edge of the encampment. They both stopped just outside the ring of firelight as they paused, facing each other. After a moment of tensed silence, Celestia leaned down and gently kissed his cheek. “Good night, Gene.”

“Good night, Celestia.” He replied, watching as she strode into the camp and toward her tent, a golden one large enough to easily fit her, with two Guards flanking the entrance. His tent, a smaller silver one, was situated a few feet from hers and was unguarded, which he was thankful for. After a moment of gathering his thoughts, he entered the camp and his tent, finding a comfortable looking bedroll on the ground. Lying on it, he found it padded to keep him off of the hard ground. While the ground wouldn’t affect him, he appreciated the thought behind it.

As his eyes closed and his mind drifted into sleep, his powerful hearing could hear Celestia settling down for sleep in her tent a mere ten feet over. As his mind began to darken, he could just barely hear her whisper in her tent, only picking up the fact that she said his name- his real name. Then he was out.

“How goes the search?” Greeted Luna as soon as Jay was in his dream. The dreamscape around him hadn’t even fully formed yet. The forest popping up around them like weeds reminded the virus of a computer game with bad rendering. The virus turned and saw Luna reclining in a hammock strung between two trees and smiled at her relaxed demeanor.

“So so.” Jay said as he created his own hammock next to her and hopped into it. “Found a runestone. There’s no magic in it but we- Celestia and I- think that the caster may have memorized it so he can cast a spell on it from long range. Either that or it’s to throw us off the real trail.”

“Speaking of Celestia, how are you and her?” Luna asked with faux curiosity.

Jay just rolled his eyes at her. “I know exactly what you are doing.”

“Me?” The Alicorn gasped with faux outrage. “I’m not doing anything!”

He just deadpanned at her which sparked her fake look to dissolve into mild giggles. Her mirth was far more than it should have been, but he couldn’t blame her for finding it funny. His deadpan evaporated, replaced by a wide smirk, when she snorted. Luna blushed brightly, her blue coat turning purple, as she snapped a hoof up to cover her muzzle, which she then covered with a wing.

“You giggle-snort? That’s adorable.” Jay said with an honest chuckle, making Luna tuck her head under her wing even further.

Luna took a few moments to compose herself before uncovering herself, then spoke with force to stop his laughter. “In any case, how are you enjoying each others’ company? ‘Tia needed the break from the dull monotony of ruling.”

“Celestia wasn’t here for long, but I saw something that was amazing.” Jay said. “Celestia raised the sun in front of me and her aura washed over me, utterly relaxing me and making me feel safe.”

He stopped when he saw Luna’s corner-to-corner grin. “What?”

“The fact that Celestia allowed you to witness and experience that shows you the trust she has in you.” Luna said, her grin not faltering. “It’s a private thing for my sister and I. It gives the viewer a glimpse into who we are, far more personal than anything words or actions could reveal. What you felt was a portion of Celestia’s soul, her personality. The more times somepony experiences that aura, the more portions of us they see and the better they understand us.”

“But Celestia raises the sun in front of a crowd every year.” Jay stated, simultaneously awed and confused.

Luna shook her head. “That’s not the same. She doesn’t let her aura form. It’s not personal nor meaningful during the Summer Sun Celebration. The same goes for me during the Winter Moon Festival.”

“Who does she trust with that knowledge?” Jay asked slowly, his voice weakened as the importance of it hit him once again.

“Me, Twilight, and now you. Nopony else alive has ever experienced our auras. That shows the sheer depth of her trust in you. Keep that in mind.”

“But why does she trust me?” Jay asked.

“We saw your memories, remember.” Luna reminded him. “We know what you are like. We know that, while far from perfect, you try to be good. Sometimes, you fail. Sometimes, you purposely abandon your pursuit to do what you believe needs to be done. Overall, you’re a good person and we see that. You’re not perfect, but nopony is.”

Jay fell silent, thinking on what he was told. He remembered that they had seen his memories after he told them his story. He supposed that knowing exactly what kind of person he was would be enough to let them trust him. “So y’all saw everything there is to know about me?”

Luna shook her head. “No, not everything. We focused on what was important at the time; Mercer, Heller, and everything you did and why you did it. It was enough to show us that we could trust you without revealing all of your secrets.”

“Good.” Jay said, making Luna raise an eyebrow. “I’d be boring if you knew everything about me.”

Luna laughed, understanding his joke. “It was rather surprising when we learned you could cook.”

“God, I still remember the sounds Celestia made when she was eating that brownie.” Jay mumbled.

“And that brownie she swallowed in one gulp.” Luna added teasingly.

“At this point, I think I’m going full native.” Jay murmured to himself. Luna perked at that and flapped her wings once, launching herself into the air. A moment later, she landed in his hammock, lying on top of him.

“What was that?” Luna asked with a wide smirk, leaning down to nuzzle his neck. Her smile widened as he groaned aloud.

“I’m torn between my monogamous raising and the polygamous beliefs of Equis.” Jay said honestly, making Luna start to climb off of him.

“I’m so sorry, Jay! My teasings and set ups must be bothering you so much.” Luna nearly shouted, her voice teeming with upset.

Jay reached up and grabbed her hoof and stopped her. “No, Luna. You haven’t been bothering me. This is what I need; a little pressure to make me get over myself. I’m not on Earth, I’m not surrounded by humans, and I’m not a human. I have no reason to follow human beliefs and traditions. I just need a little push and you and Celestia are helping me.”

His head dropped back onto the hammock. “Chrysalis already approves of it, so I don’t have to worry about upsetting her. It’s all me that’s stopping me.”

Luna relaxed and reclined on him again, speaking softly as she did. “You just need to trust yourself and us, Jay. Trust yourself to know your limits and to make us all happy; I know you can. Trust us to not push you too far or put you up to something you can’t handle. We’ll push you outside your comfort zone, yes, but we’re not going to hurt you.”

“That’s the thing, Luna.” Jay started. “Trusting Chrysalis, you, and Celestia isn’t hard. It’s easy. Trusting myself is what I have trouble with. How do I know I can treat all three of you right and not play favorites with anyone?”

Luna raised her head up and stared directing into his eyes, her teal ones meeting his ice blue eyes. “Then trust us to tell you how we feel. Trust us to tell you if we think you’re ignoring us, or treating us poorly. A relationship is built on trust, Jay. We trust you and you trust us. You just need to trust yourself and we can help with that.”

“Start with Celestia, Jay.” Luna continued. “When you wake up, find a time to tell her your doubts and fears and that you want to give us a chance- if you decide to give us a chance. Chrysalis already gave you her support. She’ll help you through every step just as we will.”

“Okay, Luna.” Jay said weakly. “I will. I promise it.”

Luna nuzzled him once more. “And I promise you won’t regret this. Just be open, be honest, and be yourself.”

That sounded eerily like the advice Disarray told him and it made him wonder just how much the powerful being knew. In any case, it was sound advice that he would follow. “I will. Thank you, Luna.”

The Alicorn climbed off of him and stood beside him. “I’m going to let you dream the rest of the night away. Remember what we discussed and you’ll find it easy to accept the change that you fear.”

The virus smiled. “Have a good night, Luna.”

Then she was gone and his awareness faded. His dreams shifted around him erratically. One moment, he was in New York, running from infected. The next, he was in Sapphire Hive, lying next to Chrysalis. Again, his dream shifted to him being in Ponyville, chatting with Twilight. The last thing he remembered was the virus coursing through his veins, burning his flesh and soul away as he changed into a monster.

Gene snapped awake as he always did, awareness returning in an instant as he was incapable of a groggy awakening. The Earth pony rolled over onto his stomach and stood up, making his way out of the tent. A quick pulse showed that Celestia wasn’t in her tent and was instead on a low hill nearby. A glance up showed that it was early in the morning, maybe seven. Remembering his talk with Luna, he beelined straight toward Celestia. He soon exited the camp, which was mostly empty as the Guards and Rangers had restarted the search as soon as there was light out, and saw the hill in the distance. He couldn’t see the Alicorn and assumed she was on the top near the other side.

Climbing the hill, he saw that his guess was right. Celestia was seated with her back to him, humming some forgotten tune that only held meaning for her and her sister. Her ears perked and twisted around, showing him that she knew he was there. Gene walked up to her and Jay sat down next to her. If she was surprised by his blatant shift of forms, she didn’t show it. Instead, she just turned to face him with a warm smile on her muzzle, one that he had grown familiar with.

“How are you this fine morning, Jay?” Celestia chirped happily, contentment clear in her eyes.

“I’m very well. I wanted to talk with you privately and this is a perfect chance.” Jay started. “It’s about us.”

“So you’ve decided?” Celestia asked hopefully, her large wings beginning to twitch at her sides.

“I have, thanks to Luna. We had a discussion last night and it helped me come to the decision that I want to try this. I’m nervous, I’m worried, but I’m hopeful.” Jay said honestly.

Celestia smiled brightly and nuzzled him, her soft muzzle digging into his neck gently. “I’m glad to hear that, Jay. I’m not going to lie, I was very hopeful you’d say yes. Will you tell me why you’re worried and nervous?”

“I’m scared that I can’t keep all three of you happy. I’ve always been monogamous, even if I’ve never dated. My ideals and the way I act reflect on that. My fear is that I can’t keep all of you happy, that I’m going to upset one of you and ruin it all.” Jay answered honestly.

“Communication is everything.” Celestia told him gently. “Trust us to tell you how we feel, to bring our problems to you instead of just ignoring it and hoping it fixes itself. We’re all mature, you, me, Luna, and Chrysalis. We can handle this. We’re patient, Jay, and we’re perfectly fine with going slowly so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Trust in us if you can’t trust yourself.”

Jay chuckled mirthlessly. “Just what Luna told me. I’m ashamed that something like this is bothering me so much.”

“No.” Celestia said firmly. “Don’t be ashamed. The fact that this worries you so much shows us that you truly respect us and want us to be happy. If you weren’t affected, it would mean you didn’t care. This side of you is why Chrysalis loves you. It’s why she trusts you. She knows you’ll tell her your problems and that she can do the same.”

“You’re right.” Jay said. “But then again, I never doubted that. I don’t trust myself after what Mercer did to me. I’ll trust you to know how to trust me, though. I’m willing to do this.”

“Good to hear it.” Celestia said, leaning slightly against Jay with her head on his shoulder, her wing wrapped around his back. Her eyes drifted closed as she relaxed again, tension fading from her. The humming came back, an old tune she and Luna had made to comfort each other and themselves. She could feel Jay relaxing, too, as he warmed up to the idea. It upset her that he felt he couldn’t trust himself, but she, Luna, and Chrysalis would show him that he could. They had all the time in the world to do so.

After a few moments of humming, she heard Jay’s deep voice join her softer one, his chest vibrating from the baritone sound. She smiled inside, realizing he had memorized it while she hummed the tune, then joined her when the tune repeated. She sighed softly, breaking the rhythm, when his arm draped over her back and held her lightly. She would trust him, even if he refused to.

Author's Notes:

Another attempt at some feelings. I'm not too sure how it went simply because I'm not too good at it. If you have any criticism, whether as a writer or not, feel free to share it. Every bit of advice helps.

A little better understanding of Jay now that he has feelings to contend with. In the beginning, he was all for a herd with Celestia and Luna when there were no feelings telling him it was wrong to have multiple partners.

Of course, the rune may or may not be important, too. You'll never know if it was planned or a spur-of-the-moment decision. In any case, this chapter came out so quickly because I was raring to write this one.