With a few weary blinks, I was jolted from my daydreaming as the truck lurched to a sudden stop. The guards began disembarking and headed into the armory to disarm themselves. I waited for everyone to get off before hopping down myself. Chaser, Isu and Solani followed shortly after.

“So, we headed back to the apartment?” Chaser asked, stretching out his wings. “I could really use a nap.”

I looked to Solani and Isu, the latter looking as stoic as always, while Solani looked well ready to sleep for a few days, yet she still held herself high and smiled when I looked to her. “Yea, let's get going. I'm sure we could all use the rest.”

“I'll be up there later, got a few things I wanna get done.” Isu told us.

“Alright, we’ll see you when you get back then.” I responded, putting a hoof out towards him.

Isu bumped his hoof to mine before walking across the street and disappearing around a corner.

The rest of us began making our way back to the apartment. The streets were fairly busy, some of the buildings were still being reconstructed, as well as a few roads and sidewalks. Walking past a small garden plaza, we could see several groups of ponies and a few griffins chatting. Aria flew off of Chaser's back and joined a flock of birds in a tree. They sang to each other, letting all of those nearby hear their song. We continued towards the apartment, Aria and her friends’ whistling still reaching our ears as we walked. After we turned a corner, their song faded and the apartments came into view down the road. I looked up to our room; fourth floor, third window on the right, well… what was left of the window anyway, thinking of taking a nap after we got up there. However, before we could get any closer, Fae piped up from my Pipbuck.

"Hey Xileel, just a reminder before you get back home, the doctors at the clinic needed to have a look at you." She reminded me cheerfully. The blooming plans in my head slowly withered and died as she reminded me.

I groaned, "Do I really need to go?"

"It was a request from Counter Pulse." Solani chimed in.

"Ughhh, okay. Where's the clinic?"

"Take a left at the next intersection." A small arrow pointed down the road in my vision.

"Wait, so now we're not heading home?" Chaser asked taken aback.

"Nah, change of plans. You can head home if you want though, I don't mind," I looked to Solani, "You?"

She shook her head with two short hums.

"Alright cool, cuz I really didn't want to wait around at the doctors. Youtwohavefungottagobye!" And with that quick burst of words Chaser took off into the air, leaving a small trail of dust leaping up after him.

After watching Chaser zoom off through the air, Solani and I began making our way to the intersection, Aria later landed on the top of my mane and chirped happily. After making the left another arrow popped up further down the street, so we continued. Somewhere about halfway to the arrow, a familiar orange bubble floated down in front Solani.

Aria let out a series of whistles that resembled the words, 'You've got mail.'

We stopped and Solani proceeded to pop the bubble; a mare's voice began speaking from the air. "Solani dear, it's your mother, I just wanted to check up on you. Your father and I haven't seen you in a few days since you moved some of your stuff up into that apartment. We hope things are going well and all, especially with that stallion you seem s-" before I could hear anymore, Solani pressed her hooves over my ears, blushing furiously. I only chuckled and waited, the muffled voice becoming indiscernible. After about ten seconds, her hooves left my ears and the words became clear again. Solani was clearly embarrassed as well as a little shocked. Her mother's message continued, "Anyway, just wanted to say hi and that you should stop by. Your father baked up some amazing sweets the other day. You could bring a few for you-know-who. Toodles!"

Solani let out a nervous titter and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry about that."

I smiled, "You're fine. So, you gonna go check in or are you sticking around?"

She thought for a moment, "I don't just want to leave so suddenly," She harrumphed. "What do you think?"

"Well… you can either miss out on home baked sweets, or sit in a waiting room with me and no sweets."

"And you're fine with me leaving?"

"I mean, if it's something important, I don't see why I'd be against it," I replied in thought.

Solani thought for a moment before looking at her Pipbuck, "If I'm not there by… four-thirty five, then just meet me back home. If you get done sooner than expected, call me and I'll catch up with you, sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," I looked to Aria, who had flown to Solani's back at some point, "you going with me or her?" Aria seemed to think for a second, looking back and forth at both of us before chirping and nuzzling up against Solani's neck. I chuckled, "Alrighty then, I'll see you two in a bit." I held Solani in a long hug and gave Aria a few head pats before continuing to the clinic. It only took a few minutes and from what I recall, the walk was pretty uneventful.

The building's exterior looked a little beat up, but looked pretty sturdy, given the circumstances. The inside had clearly been cleaned vigorously, with magic and by hoof. The harsh scent of disinfectants and sanitizers assaulted my nose. Several other patients sat in the waiting room. A pegasus nurse stepped from behind a door and called someone, a griffin, who stood up slowly and limped her way over to her. I made my way to the front desk, a zebra mare sat behind it, tapping away at a keyboard. She made a glance at me as I approached, then looked again, as if recognizing me.

I cleared my throat, "Hi, I was told by Mr. Counter Pulse to come here."

" Xileel, correct?" She asked in an accented voice.

"Yes, ma'am." I replied.

She tapped on the keyboard and looked at the screen, "Okay, have a seat and someone will be right with you."

I nodded and took a seat in between a unicorn stallion with a bandaged forehoof and an old zebra mare, an empty seat between on both sides of myself. I floated a slightly less worn magazine to myself, what was clear on the cover looked like that of a forest overlooking an ocean. Opening it, I discovered it was a sort of gallery for the wildlife on Newshire. With my intrigue peaked, I began flipping through it, eventually stumbling upon the Carsas section. The first animal that came to mind was Aria, so I skipped around until I found the spot-breasted oriole. The image showed the bird standing on a small branch, looking up and to the left in a forest. Some text below the image read, 'This particular subject took a liking to one of our camera ponies and stuck around after this shot was taken. Credit - Lens Flare. Date - March 17, 2075. Tech - Pontech R35 V Series with Drilling Lens.'

Hm, just a few years before the megaspell hit.

Looking closer at the bird, it more or less mirrored Aria. The chest spotting might have been a little different, I hadn't really looked at Aria since we met her. Even so, the bird couldn't be Aria, maybe one of her relatives? While the friendly demeanor surely matches, Aria couldn't be that old… could she?

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to dwell on it later before flipping back to the beginning of the Carsas section and actually looking through it this time. The first animal was an ash-maned iguana. It looked to be the pre-megaspell guana we have now. It sat on a large stone along the beach, several others sunbathing in the area. While still quite large they definitely weren't as threatening as they are now. I read some of the text accompanying the image.

'The Ash-Maned iguana, is the third most common species of reptile on Carsas, behind the Fox-Horn gecko. (Page 38) The largest known to grow up to fifty-eight centimeters and weighing just under ten kilograms, this reptile is dangerously territorial, the dark scales on the neck sticking outwards when threatened. Their preferred habitat is near the coastline, preying mainly on fish accompanied by the occasional unlucky bird and rodent. In several cases, the reptile has been known to pursue passersby that wander too close to their territory, so please be wary when observing them in the wild.'

I… stand corrected.

I heard a door creak open and a mares voice called out to me. Looking up from the magazine I saw it was the nurse from before, a clipboard held underneath her wing and a pencil behind her ear. I got up from my seat and left the magazine on the table. Following her through the door, the beige mare led me down the hallway, passing several rooms. The walls were decorated with refurbished information sheets and cartoonish medical images. One showing a red pony with a white cross cutiemark, letting them know it's good to donate blood. While passing one room, the cries of a filly could be heard from the inside, protesting what sounded to be a shot, while the assumed father was trying to console her. We kept moving down the hall, finally reaching an empty room on the right. Inside was an examination table in the center with a movable light above, along with a chair in the corner. A countertop stretched across the back of the room and several marked cabinets rested above it. The walls were a pale blue and the floor was patterned with grey and white tiles.

"Please get comfortable on the table. The doctor should be here shortly." The mare told me as she wrote something down on her clipboard.

I nodded and started taking off my SAER and saddlebags, placing them on the chair. I hopped up onto the table and laid down on my back, trying my best to get comfortable on the thin sheet of paper covering the cold cushion. I heard hoofsteps by the door before hearing it open, the familiar yet surprising voice of Counter Pulse entered the room.

"It's good to see that you came so early, Xileel." He praised, flashing a grin and closing the door behind him with his magic.

"How'd you get back here so fast? You were just at the waterpark." I questioned.

"Oh, I had gotten into a transport shortly after you and your friends. I was dropped off here to assist in an emergency."

"Oh, ok. Did everything go alright?"

"Though I can't go into specifics, I assure you they are doing much better. My attention now falls on you Xileel, so tell me, any reason you came as soon as you did? I expected you to go rest up or something after your eventful day."

"That would have been the plan, but Fae reminded me before I could get home." I told him, slightly peeved at Fae for ruining a perfectly good nap.

He chuckled at that, "Well, how are you feeling, any soreness, aches or pains since your treatment?" A clipboard and pen flashed into existence beside him.

I thought for a moment with a hum, "Nope, nothing. I feel fine!"

"Excellent, and how of your friends?" He asked as he wrote.

"Besides being tired, I'd say they're doing alright." I could hear the pen writing on the clipboard.

"Okay, now onto the reason I asked you to come here," his tone shifted from happy doctor, to very serious doctor. Like… about to drop a bombshell serious.

"Well, uhh… why did you?" I asked, not fully wanting to know.

"There's no reason to be scared Xileel, you're not going to die." he reassured me with a small chuckle.

Well that's a relief, but you didn't have t-

"But…"

Oh please no, ANYTHING but the but.

"When we spoke to you after your first return from Skipping Stones, more specifically when you asked me to give you a once over, I found something rather curious inside your chest,"

A number of possible scenarios and outcomes rushed through my mind and I could feel the panic slowly spreading across my body as my heart began to beat faster.

"But before we get to that..."

ARE YOU SERIOUS!? More like Dr. Cliffhanger!

"What all do you remember around the time you fell unconscious at the park?"

I sat upright and started thinking, my heart rate slowly returning to normal. "Well..." I thought for a moment, the memory alone sending a phantom pain through my body, causing me to wince. "I remember getting hit by a metal table, by that vine beast we got rid of. I remember how much it hurt and coughing up blood. I remember Solani carrying me, while Chaser distracted it. We… got stopped by one of the smaller vine hounds and Solani killed it. I… uh, saw something glowing inside its body, so I grabbed it… and then I passed out."

The pen wrote quickly as I spoke, Counter Pulse seeming extremely enthralled by my story. "And this object was a gem, akin to the ones we collected at the park, correct?"

"Yea, that right."

"Interesting… please continue."

"Well, I woke up, but I didn't actually wake up. It was like… my mind was somewhere else. It was dark and I didn't have my body. Then there was this voice… I'm pretty sure it belonged to the timberbeast that saved us."

"A timberbeast saved you and spoke to you? Quite interesting... go on."

"At first, I didn't know what was going on, but it let me know that everything was going to be alright, almost in the way a parent consoles a child. I didn't recognize the voice from anywhere either, so it was rather jarring. After I had calmed down, it let me know what was happening outside. How my friends were saving me and about the pack of mongrels that ambushed us. I saw what it saw, sort of like a window in the void."

"I'm sure that was quite the experience."

"I tried to get some form of understanding from it, but it only told me a few things. The first being that someone named Gaia told it to help us. The second being that Gaia resides at the world tree and the last was that I wasn't ready to go there."

Counter Pulse looked at me for a moment, seeming to mull something over in his head. "Yes… Gaia and the world tree. The gargantuan tree resting atop Mount Shire, it is definitely no place for the untrained and underprepared. Even a few of our best expedition teams have had trouble with simple scouting missions. The denizens that roam the mainland are like nothing you've seen or will see here on Carsas," He took a moment to recompose himself, "was there anything else?"

"No, that was about it before I woke up." I finished.

"Alright then. Well, do you know what happened to the gem?"

"I… don't know, it was gone when I came to." I said honestly.

Counter Pulse hummed to himself, "most of it likely returned to the timberbeast that saved you. However, a small shard of it has bonded to your body, more specifically… to your heart."

"Wait…" I looked down at my chest, eyeing the scar down the center. "Am… I-"

"Going to die? No. At the moment it is dormant."

A wave of relief swept over my body. "So, whats going to happen to me," I asked worriedly. "am I going to turn into one of them?" The panic began to seep back in.

"For the time being, you have nothing to worry about. However, since this is the first time we've had a shard bond with such a vital organ, finding a safe process to remove it will definitely take some time."

"So I'm stuck with it?"

"Until we can figure out a way to safely remove it, yes."

I let out a sigh, "Is there anything I can do to prevent it from waking up, or whatever?"

"The crystals rely on energy to function and you being half unicorn slightly complicates things; having high innate magical energy, you'll be fairly limited in the amount of spells that you can perform in quick succession. For the time being, return here once a week and try not to cast too many spells. Also, try to refrain from getting hit by any magic or interact with any high energy output devices. All of these sources could possibly power the shard enough to awaken... then we would have another problem on our hooves."

"What kind of problem?"

"I think… it wou-"

"I want to know." I cut him off, slightly raising my voice.

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed, speaking in a low voice. "If the shard activates, it will slowly begin to drain you of your magical energy. After that is depleted, it will begin to sap your life force... slowly killing you. So far, the only options we have for keeping it 'fed' per say, is by using outside energy sources."

"Like batteries? We've got plenty of those." I told him hopefully.

"Unfortunately, spark batteries lack the amount of energy needed to sufficiently feed the shard. It will use up more than the batteries can transfer. The only two accessible and effective methods are; absorbing magic from a spell, which is either painful or time consuming, or…" he stopped himself and hesitated, "or taking the life force from something else. While this is the more effective option, it's the more inhumane way of sustaining it."

"... ah… got it." the underlying meaning very clear.

"There is a third option, but you would have to reach the mainland. So please, just take it easy for a little bit, at least until we can get it removed.

I sighed, "yes sir."

"Other than that, you're free to go. Let us know if anything changes and we'll be sure to contact you as soon as we make a development."

"Thanks, I'll do that." I gathered my things and headed back the way I came. "Fae, don't tell the others. I don't want them worrying about me." I whispered.

"Understood, I'll continue to monitor your vitals and notify you of any changes."

I let out a sigh, "Thanks…"

I made my way outside and made a call to Solani, which got no answer. "She is currently in the shower and her Pipbuck is in the other room." Fae informed me.

"Then can you let her know I'm heading back up to the room?"

"Of course, I'll let her know as soon as I am able."

I nodded then began heading to the apartment building.

Should I tell them? Should I just keep it a secret until I can get it removed? It wouldn't matter after that, right? What if something happens and I can't hide it anymore.

I walked home deep in my thoughts, occasionally glancing up to make sure I didn't bump into anyone.

Meanwhile...

The yelps and laughs of children echoed throughout the subdivision where my parents lived. They played in yards as well as the streets, hollering and whooping without a care in the world. I walked along the sidewalk, passing a group of children playing hopscotch. I could see my house on the corner, a moderately sized house made of a dark brick with a second floor that went out onto a balcony facing the front, overlooking the street below. I stepped up the few stone steps that lead up to the door and knocked. "One minute," a familiar stallion's voice called out from inside. After a few seconds, I heard the door bolt slide and the door slowly opened, revealing the happy striped face of my father.

"Well, if it isn't our little flower." He cooed, the faintest hint of an accent tinging his voice. He opened the door the rest of the way and pulled me into a hug.

I giggled, "It's good to see you too, Dad." I put my hooves around him, quickly remembering how much taller he was than me.

Aria tweeted at him and tilted her head.

"And who's this little one?" he held out a hoof, which Aria flew down onto.

"Dad, meet Aria, the most recent addition to our little group. Aria this is my dad, Dusty Oak."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms. Aria." he greeted with a slight head bow.

Aria tweeted and returned the gesture before flying back onto my shoulder.

We walked inside, the cool air inside cooling me off almost instantly. "So where's mom?" I asked.

"You actually just missed her. She went out to the ration depot to grab a few things for tonight." he told me.

"Will she be back soon?" I asked, stepping into the kitchen and eyeing the sweets that dad had baked.

"Ehh, it’ll probably take her eight or so minutes. Why, do you need to be somewhere?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen and started prepping cookware for tonight. He caught me eyeing the sweets, "Go ahead, take as many as you like. Just something I whipped up using some of the berries in the area."

I made my way over to them and grabbed a few, putting a chunk of one on the table for Aria. They looked like regular muffins with little specks of color all over. Taking a bite revealed that the insides were the same. I spoke through my muffin filled mouth, "Not necessarily. I don't know how long Xye's checkup is going to take."

My dad's ears perked up, "Is that the colt you've taken a liking to?"

I coughed and almost lost all of the muffin, causing my dad to chuckle in response. "Yes, Dad and there's no reason for you to give the whole 'Dad speech'," I explained, "He's not like the last one at all."

"I would hope so, I about strangled that one. Such an arrogant colt," he huffed. "I'm hoping we'll get to meet him one day, maybe even tonight, if you're free?"

I thought about it for a moment, then swallowed the muffin. "Maybe, I'll have to check with him," I took another bite of the muffin. "it shouldn't be a problem though."

"Good to hear, I'd hate for you to miss out on what we're going to be cooking."

My ears perked up, "Is it what I think it is?"

My father chuckled, "It could be, but how about we make it a surprise?"

"Awwww, no fair!" I pouted.

He grabbed a pot from a cabinet and went over to the sink and began filling it with water. "Maybe so, but your coltfriend will be just as much as a surprise for us as the food will be for the two of you. Think of it as a… Surprise trade." He smirked over his shoulder.

"Ugh, fine, but you have to promise not to embarrass me in front of him," his ears perked up again, "you AND Mom." his ears dropped.

He stifled a laugh, "Oh alright. It's a deal." he held a hoof out to me. I did the same and moved closer until both our hooves touched each others chest. He bowed his head onto mine, completing our family's little promise ritual.

"I love you dad."

"I love you too, Sol." his head lifted from mine and our hooves fell to the floor. He began to make his way to the living room. "So, why don't you fill me in on what you've been up to, until your mother gets home."

I followed behind him. "Today has been rather eventful, so you're in for quite the story. I'll try to summarize as best I can." After making ourselves comfortable, I started from the beginning of the day and how Aria found herself in our room. I continued on to our first journey to Skipping Stones, sans the part about where we sorta almost died, instead only telling him about the timberbeast that scared off an encroaching mongrel pack.

He chuckled, "Sounds like a tall tale, but I know better than to doubt you or your mother. I'm just glad that you and your friends are back home, safe and sound." There was a knock at the door and Father got up to answer. I heard the door open and my Father greeted them warmly. "Ah, I see everything went as hoped." he said enthusiastically.

With an affirmative hum, my Mother's voice responded, "The line was a little long, but I got everything we needed." I heard them both walk onto the wooden floor of the house. "Did Solani get here yet?"

Before Dad could answer, I called out from the other room, "I might have."

The excited squee came racing towards me. Having dealt with her infamous suffocation floof many times growing up, I pulled in as much air as possible before I was engulfed in the black and white floof of my mother's chest. "Oh my sweet baby, how I've missed you!" she cooed, her legs wrapped around my head. I tried to speak, but I couldn't move my mouth enough to form words, only muffled murmurs. Realizing it was as futile as always, I put my legs around her, happy to feel her soft fur brush against my own. I nuzzled her chest until she finally let go.

I giggled, "I missed you too, mom."

I think Aria became jealous or felt left out, as she wasted no time making herself known to the cuddler.

"Oh, est bellum," she exclaimed, quickly leaving me and scooping Aria up into her arms, cradling her like a foal. Aria slowly became one with her chest fur. "What's her name?"

"It's Aria, she's been with us since this morning. Aria, this is my mom, Mollis, or Moli for short." I introduced.

"Oh, that's a great name and might I add, you are just the sweetest little thing." My Mother cooed, rubbing Aria's belly; who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.

My Father had silently pulled my mother's saddle bags off of her and had been sorting and stashing away everything she brought back, then placed the empty bag on a hook by the door, joining us in the living room afterwards. "So, you want to tell your Mother about your amazing adventure?"

"Oh, is it storytime?" Mom asked, her ears perking up. She did love a good story, even when she and Dad were younger.

"Yea, I was just telling dad about it." So after retelling the more important bits of what I already told dad, I continued, telling them the rest of what had happened at the park.

"That story only got better the second time around!" My Dad exclaimed.

"That sounds amazing dear, but I must say, you should have brought back some of those vines from the creatures. They might have some alchemical attributes." My Mother added, Aria still resting in her hold.

"I'll make sure to do that next time we encounter them, but that might not be for a while."

"Hmm? Why's that?" Dad asked.

I let out a long and extra loud, for emphasis, yawn; stretching my limbs and falling onto the couch. "Because we're all tired."

"Well then you should rest up in your room for a little bit while we get dinner ready. Wouldn't want you falling asleep at the table now, would we?" My Mother said with a chuckle.

I tiredly laughed along, "I guess not. I'll go put my stuff up and take a quick wash." I slowly rose from the couch and began making my way towards the stairs.

"Careful with the water, Sol. It likes to fluctuate in temperature at random. Apparently those guana did some damage to some pipes underground and they're still trying to fix them." My Dad warned.

"Thanks, I'll be down in about half passed an hour or so," I said walking up the rest of the stairs. "Fae, can you set an alarm for me once I go to sleep?" I asked.

"Of course!" Her cheery voice piped up.

I made my way upstairs and to my room on the left, across from the bathroom. I sat my SAER down, as well as my bags, then threw myself onto my soft bed, sinking into the mattress and thick blankets. It was cold, but it felt great at the time. I turned over and looked up at the ceiling, the fan above spinning slowly along with the swaying mobile hanging from it; a small nightshade flower, a piece of bark and a cloud, something my dad made for me when I was a filly. He was amazing when it came to hooves-on projects. I looked over to the tapestry on the wall, a gift from mom to me, made with extra soft yarn. It was an image of a younger me sitting down in a clearing surrounded by purple flowers. I looked over to the few tonics and potions I had displayed on a shelf, each of them with varying effects and potencies. Some of them might even be inert after all this time of unuse. I let out a deep sigh, not really wanting to get up and take a shower, only to have Fae remind me of the timer that I had set for myself.

"Do you want me to go ahead and start the alarm?"

With another deep sigh, "Nooo… I'm getting there." I groaned. After a few seconds I got up and made my way into the bathroom. I saw my reflection in the mirror and gasped at the disaster that was me. My mane was a mess and my coat was darkened a few shades. "Yup, definitely need a shower."

Meanwhile…

Getting to the apartment didn't take but a minute. I flew in through the balcony and onto the couch in the room, making it slide across the floor a little. "Uhhhg, so tiiiired!" I groaned, flopping about in an effort to get comfortable. I laid there for a few minutes before boredom finally got the better of me. "Faeee… I'm booored."

"Well… you could always just… sleep?" She suggested obviously.

"But I don't really feeeel like it."

"Then what do you feel like doing?"

"I don't... know."

"You could start with cleaning yourself off. You were drenched in dirty water as well as your own sweat from earlier today." She informed me.

"You're very right," I flipped off of the couch and stood up, "Can you play some music while I shower?"

"Do you have a preference?"

"You got any rap?" I asked, walking into the bathroom.

"I've got a few songs…" Music started to play from my Pipbuck as I took it off and placed it on a shelf. I unbuckled my saddlebags and let them fall to the floor, then placed my SAER by the door. I started the water, turning the hot water to maximum and waiting for it to heat up. As the music continued to play, I tapped my hoof to the beat and hummed to the tune. The water finally started to get warm, so I evened it out with the cold and pulled the small lever to redirect it. The steam began to fill the room and obscure the mirror above the sink. I got into the shower and let the warm water wash over me.

With my body cleaned and my mane somewhat styled, I left the bathroom after my extended shower; my saddle bags and SAER draped over my back. Making my way to the living room, I tossed my stuff near my bunk and flopped onto it and made myself comfortable under the blankets in an effort to get some rest. However, something didn't feel right and I kept tossing and turning because of it. Finally I sat up and looked around the room, eventually my gaze fell upon Isu sitting in the corner chair. "Uh… how long have you been here?" I asked.

"I got here while you were still in the shower," he said casually, doing some maintenance on his SAER. "You're not a half bad singer." He added.

"Thanks," I replied, totally not embarrassed in the least.

"No need to be embarrassed about it."

"Pfffft, I am not embarrassed." I brushed him off, still completely not embarrassed.

He looked up from his rifle at me, his face telling me that he definitely wasn't buying it. Then he went back to his weapon. "Fae, what's the best calibration for close range?" He asked. After listening to her answer he began tweaking the insides.

Knowing that Isu was in the room got rid of that weird feeling, so I sat up against the headrest. "So where'd you head off to when we got back?"

"I was asked to retrieve a package for someone around the time we got back," before I could even ask, "No, I'm not telling what the package was."

"Lame…" I harrumphed.

"Yea, sorry. It's part of the job."

"And what job is that?"

"I'm what they call a runner. I just take packages to people. No questions asked. It's what I did in the stable."

"Sounds like you could get into some serious trouble."

"I have, multiple times actually. It's how I learned to fight."

"What was one of your worst deliveries," He gave me that look again. "Yea, I know, It's part of the job." I mocked, receiving a small grin from him. "Well what can you tell me?"

"Not much at all really. All I can do is offer my services to you, but I don't see you needing them anytime soon." He went back to his tinkering.

"Laaaame…" I let my head fall backwards, looking at the room upside down. "Anything from Solani or Xye?"

"Not yet. Fae, how are they?"

"Xileel should be on his way back, while Solani seems to be in the shower." Fae informed us.

"Good to know," Isu responded, a click and whir coming from his rifle. "And that oughta do it." He closed the panel and folded it back up, leaning it up against the wall. "So, you got any plans, Chaser?"

"Not really, I was just gonna get some sleep. You?"

"Probably going to call up my security buddies and play some One-O. If they're not busy of course."

I picked my head up, "Would you mind if I came along?"

Isu thought for a moment, "I don't know, I'd have to ask them since you'd be the youngest there."

"Ughh, I'm always the youngest in the group, no matter who I'm with." I pouted.

The front door opened and Xye walked in, "Hey guys."

"Hey Xye, how'd it go at the doctor?" I asked.

"It was alright, told me to check back after a week or so." He told us, walking over to his bunk and sitting down.

Isu only hummed in response.

"So what have you two been upto?" Xye asked.

"Well, I just got out of the shower, and Isu delivered a package or something; he didn't really give me any details."

Xye chuckled, "Don't worry, he doesn't tell me about it either. It's probably better that way." Xye told me, giving an understanding glance to Isu, who nodded in response. "So, any plans for later?"

"Not for me, I'm beat and my wings are all sore from flying so much." I let my wings extend out a little bit to see if they still stung. The slight burn throughout answered right away. "Isu's heading out to play cards with his security buddies later on. What about you?"

"I actually just felt like resting for a few days. Getting hit by a table kinda takes a lot out of you." He chuckled.

"Laaame," I slid down my bed until my head reached my pillow,
"Looks like I'll have to reconnect with old stable friends after all."

"What's so bad about that?" Isu asked.

"Because whenever I'm around them, it's like I'm under a microscope. Anything I do is noticed by everyone, but whenever someone else does the exact same thing, no one gives a damn!" I ranted.

"Well then it's a good thing we met, because you need better friends." Xye told me.

"Yea, tell me about it," I groaned, "besides, everyone around my age doesn't exactly think like me. They're more focused on their popularity than anything else."

"Wow, you really do have shit friends." Isu agreed.

"Yea, don't remind me." I groaned.

Xye nodded in agreement. "If you need me, I'll be in the shower." Xye notified us as he made his way to the bathroom.

"I'll go ahead and call forward to see if I can bring a plus one. Fae…" Isu told me before calling up his friend.

"Thanks..." I lied in wait on my bed for the answer, looking up at the metal bars holding up the top bunk.

"Xaige said it'd be fine."

I sighed in relief and sunk into my bed a bit, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

"You do know how to play One-O, right?"

I thought for a moment, "It's probably been months since I last played, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Alright, well just so you know, there's a few house rules you should know about before we get there."

"Okay..." I said slowly.

"First being that you can't play a plus two on a draw four to pass it along."

"Wait, what?! But that's totally how I always played."

"Yea, well tough bits. You're playing with us now, so deal with it. Second off, teams are allowed but you and since you're new, you can really choose anyone except the griffin twins and Sunny and I. We've got a sort of rivalry with them."

Before he could continue I cut him short, "Wait… you said griffin twins. Do you mean-"

"Jhekl and Hyd? Yes, actually." He finished.

"Oh sick! Er- sorry."

"Like I was saying, the only other possible teammates are Xaige and Dusk. I would suggest Dusk since she's actually pretty good at the game and hiding her card count."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Anything else I should know?"

"There's going to be alcohol and no you can't have any." He glared at me with an 'I mean it' face.

"Not even a sip?" I pleaded, which was immediately met with his intensified glare. "Alright fine, jeez!"

"Now that that's settled, I'd say we can head out." Isu got up and made his way to the door while I followed behind.

I turned the faucet handle until the water stopped spraying from above. I let out a content sigh as I opened the shower curtain, revealing the sauna-like bathroom. I stepped out and grabbed my towel and dried most of the water from myself, before making my way back into my room.

"I see your shower was well enjoyed." Fae said when I walked in.

"It definitely was, Fae." I responded happily as I dried the rest of myself off.

"Xileel wanted me to tell you he has headed back to the room. You were in the shower when he finished at the clinic."

"Alright, thanks Fae. Can you let him know I'm on the way?"

"I will as soon as I can." She told me.

"Thank you. Oh, and tell him to call me back. I've got a few things I need to talk to him about." I quickly added, remembering my father's dinner invitation.

"Of course." She said happily.

I hummed in content and started brushing my mane back into shape.

Some time while getting myself presentable, my Pipbuck let out a series of beeps.

"Incoming call from Xileel." Fae alerted me.

"Answer it, please." I responded, putting a single spritz of perfume on myself. .

"Hey, Solani. Sorry, I was in the shower." Xye apologized.

"Don't worry about it, so was I when you called."

Xye chuckled, "So Fae told me you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Mhm! My Dad invited us to have dinner here at the house later tonight. If you wanna come, I can let them know."

"Alright, yea. I can do that."

"Great! I'll let them know and I'll try to get a time we should be here." I cheered before laying down on my bed.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. How's Aria been?"

"Well my parents absolutely love her and I'm pretty sure they're still downstairs."

"Good to hear."

"So how'd the appointment go, everything alright?"

There was a pause before Xye actually answered, "Well, I'm not going to die, so there's that…" he said with a somewhat forced chuckle, "But I'm going to have to take it easy for a while; probably a week or so."

"Did they say why?" I asked worriedly.

"Not really. They just told me that my body needed time to recuperate."

He wasn't lying to me, but I definitely felt like he wasn't telling me everything either. I mean, why else would've Counter Pulse had him come in. "Alright, but you let me know if you feel anything and I'll try to help as best I can."

"Will do." He answered simply.

I hope you will… "So, Isu or Chaser around?"

"Nah, they left a while ago. I'm pretty sure they went to play a card game somewhere."

"Ah ok, I'll head over in a bit. I've just gotta grab a few things."

"Sounds good, I'll see ya when you got here."

"Okay, bye." With that, the call ended and I grabbed my saddlebags, looked around my room for the few boardgames I had before putting them inside. I made my way downstairs and let my parents know that Xye and I would be joining them for dinner.

"Alright, it should be ready in about an hour or so." My dad told me.

"Alright, we'll be back by then." I whistled to Aria and she flew from the kitchen onto my back before we left the house.

The sun had begun to set, turning the sky shades of orange and purple. The kids from before were fewer, and those that were left seemed to be chatting and resting amongst themselves. I stepped down to the sidewalk and began making my way to the apartment.

Footnote:

No Levels Gained.

No Group Perks Added.

Xileel Trait Added:
Amalgamation (Stage 0)- For now the crystal inside you remains dormant. If you use a spell or are hit by an energy weapon or magic spell, the crystal will absorb a portion of the energy and has a chance to awaken proportionate to the intensity of the energy absorbed.

Downloadable Content Installation Complete!
Please proceed to Chapter 7.

Once again after a long wait and a lot of procrastination and many, many distractions, Chapter 6 has been released! For those of you wanting to read what happens later with the two groups, Chapter 6.5 will be released hopefully within a few weeks. (You hear me future me? GET THAT THING DONE!!!) As a teaser for Chapter 7. Some of you will be very pleased with the change of scenery and its characters as they will be very familiar to you. We're heading back in time, before the stables opened up, on the island opposite that of Carsas… Waterhoof, where our lovely little chimera, Sirincy, will be taking center stage, as they retell their tales of living outside for the past several years, while being accompanied by their childhood dragon friend Ferrin.

Also once again, I want to thank all the wonderful people who read Newshire and those who inspire me to keep going. I also want to thank the editor of this chapter, Altiar. He's helped me a many times, as well as helped flesh out the new area in chapter 7 along with several other people. Please don't hesitate to contact me on my instagram @official_foe_newshire or on Fimfiction, if you have questions, suggestions or anything of the sort. I'll try to keep you all updated on progress and post any drawings I've made in the meantime. As always, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 6. I'll see you all in Chapter 7!

Author's Notes:

Was having trouble with the other chapter 6, so I re-uploaded.