“Now then, saddle arabian,” Mulan began, holding herself up with an opened umbrella and donned in exquisite white and pink silks with a yellow ribbon tied in a bow around her stomach as she, Leonard, and Rain Shine stood before her home’s wooden circular entrance.

“You ready to meet everyki- er, one?”

She laughed nervously, “Sorry about that. I’m still getting used to, well, you. We, uh, don’t get outsiders often. Let alone those from the other races… Or one that descended from the heavens.”

‘Everykirin? Why does she say it like that? Why not stick with ‘everyone’?’ It puzzled the stallion, but he subscribed to it as a kirin thing and didn’t want to appear insensitive.

Then there was her question… Oh, dear.

‘Radahn give me strenght…’

Leonard glanced at the door, ears folding against his head as he slowly looked back to Mulan and shook his head.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry,” she assured enthusiastically. “Everyone is going to love you!”

“Or they’ll be wary of him like I was,” Rain Shine chimed in as the business end of her weapon reached for the ceiling, its elongated hilt resting in the crevice of her right foreleg’s knee. “I’m warning you, Mulan, we shouldn’t rush this so carelessly.”

“Rain Shine,” the dark-gray kirin scolds. “Could you at least try to have a little more faith in our sisters?”

“I’m being realistic,” Rain Shine challenged with a hardened gaze as Leonard set his sights on her. “Oolong and her forces have caused us all great pain and suffering. You know this.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon any sense of morality,” Mulan reasoned as Leonard looked her way. “We should treat others with respect and kindness, not absurd levels of suspicion.”

“That suspicion is what keeps Oolong from discovering us here.”

‘Huh… These two remind me of the heartful bickerings back at Castle Redmane.’

Mulan wanted to retort but sighed in resignation as she looked away with folded ears, pressing a tongue against her inner cheek in disappointed frustration.

Rain Shine’s features softened, “Mulan…” Her voice was sweet and now laced with kindness. “You know that I respect and love you—we all do. You’re the heart of this very resistance—our leader. I only want you to exercise caution, that’s all. I’m not asking you to change your beautiful heart.”

Mulan sighed as she turned back to face her larger counterpart, a smile forming at the edge of her muzzle. “I know, Rainy.”

Rainy smirked as she noticed something missing in Mulan’s attire. “Speaking of leadership, you’re forgetting something.”

The dark-gray kirin’s ears twitched. “Oh? What are you-” Rain Shine gestures at her head. “Buddha, help me!” Mulan cried out in realization. “My crown!” She turned away and ran off with urgency. “I’ll be right back!”

Rain Shine and Leonard watched as Mulan disappeared beyond a circular doorway.

“Now that we have a moment for ourselves,” Rain Shine said while turning to Leonard, garnering his attention. “Let me make one thing perfectly clear, saddle arabian.”

An ominous feeling grew on the stallion, causing his ears to fold against his head.

“If you bring any harm to our leader or betray the trust she seemed to have placed in you, I will kill you.” She leaned in and brought her muzzle up to Leonard’s left ear, his eyes widening in horror.

There was something about her. He couldn’t explain it, but his instincts screamed at him, sending him danger signals. The last time he ever felt like this was with…Malenia. Only, this time, there wasn’t a Radahn nearby to keep him at ease.

“But that’s just the beginning of how I will make you suffer,” she whispered into his ear. “Even in death, you won’t escape me. You see, I’m no ordinary kirin, and even your soul would be at my mercy. I possess a particular set of skills—skills that make me a nightmare for those who’d bring harm to my loved ones.”

Leonard’s body quivered as Rain Shine pulled away. And it was only then that his form regained its composure. By Radahn’s crimson glory, what…what was that?

“Sun Wukong’s concoction may have spared you, and maybe you are sincere in your interests. However…”

The red-maned horse steps back in fear, seeing something he’d never before witnessed. A spectral light-blue and white pair of antlers emerged from Rain Shine’s horn and grew to great proportions. Her eyes became engulfed in the same energy, which waved outward from the edge of her eye sockets.

Spiritual apparitions of animals formed moments after, such as rabbits, birds, wolves, bears, and all manner of wildlife, some of which were unfamiliar to him. A spectral snake suddenly slithered over each of Leonard’s hind legs, causing him to breathe and neigh in a panic as he looked back, only for the serpent to crawl away and toward Rain Shine.

As Leonard’s eyes followed the snake and set on Rain Shine again, she was abruptly flanked by spectral…horse-deers. Their bodies are primarily equine, with their cloven hooves and antlers being the notable traits of a deer. And all of them looked upon him as if he were being judged.

“Know that you will always be watched by me and the spirit of my ancestors.”

Her voice echoed as spectral trees began to grow all around him. The forestation became so dense that it blocked out what once was the innards of Mulan’s home, and all of the animals and creatures that had manifested began to take their places on the trees and disappear into the forest.

All while Rain Shine and the horse-deers stared at him with those ghostly eyes.

“Saddle arabian?”

This was…

“Saddle arabian? Can you hear me?”

What was all of this? Who… What are you, Rain Shi-

“Hello!” Mulan roared out as she waved a cloven forehoof in front of Leonard’s face. “Magius to Weirdo from Saddle Arabia! Can you hear me?!”

Leonard blinked. ‘W-what…?’

“Oh, thank goodness—I thought we lost you there,” she said before pointing at a W-shaped golden crown that he only now realized she was wearing. “As I said ten minutes ago. I got my crown, so now we can head out. Once you recover from your daydreaming, that is.” She pouts, “You can be so rude, you know that?”

“Hey, you. You’re finally awake,” Rain Shine said, acting as if what just happened didn’t happen, and that simply floored Leonard. “Daydreaming is putting it lightly, Mulan. Seriously, what’s gotten into you, saddle arabian?”

‘Why, you… Don’t you dare try to pull that on me!’

Leonard whinnied as he stepped toward Rain Shine with narrowed, accusing eyes. He then looked at Mulan while repeatedly poking a hoof toward the taller kirin.

Mulan suspiciously and slowly glanced over to Rain Shine. “What did you do?”

“Oh, come now, Mu-”

“What did you do?”

Rain Shine sighed. “I only told him to respect your kindness while you were gone. I did nothing else to him.”

‘Bullshit!’ He whinnied and stomped a foreleg in protest. ‘I don’t know what she did to me, but she did something to me!’

Mulan stared at the distressed equine with wide eyes while slowly leaning into Rain Shine, “Was it something in his food…?” She whispered as the larger kirin lowered their head and raised an ear.

“I…can’t say for certain.” Rain Shine lifts her head up high. “Would you like some water, my good stallion? You look like you’ve,” that energy from before flashed in her eyes, “seen a ghost.”

Leonard grinds his teeth together, eyes twitching in frustration. ‘This mare.’

A moment of silence as Leonard glared at the smirking Rain Shine, which was soon interrupted by the clearing of Mulan’s throat.

“If we’re quite done here, I’d like for us to proceed outside, please.” She moved over to the door and rested a hoof on it. “Follow me, saddle arabian. Rainy, you’ll fall in at the rear. Seeing as you still have suspicions about our friend here, you’ll have eyes on him the whole time. Will that suffice?”

“That sounds lovely, Mulan.”

‘I’m so whipping you with my tail while you’re back there. Yes, get a nice long look at dem flanks, missy. Then WHAP!’

He grinned with a mischievous look on his face, which went away as Mulan pushed the door open, and he took in the wonders that lay beyond.

The sun’s rays immediately greet him with a warm welcome as distant mountains and lush forestation, many of which resembled that bamboo wood, surround what he’d been curious to explore, his ears picking up the activity of those that inhabited it: the village.

Spotting his growing interest, Mulan spins on the handle of her umbrella and turns back to him.

“Welcome, saddle arabian, to Peak Village!” She presents with outstretched forelimbs. “Properly named after our mountainous domain, the Peaks of Peril. Come on, let’s get going.”

As Mulan led him out of the home, her raised umbrella slightly eclipsing the sun, and along a stone-paved path that cut through her yard, Rain Shine falling in at the rear, kirins of various colors and shapes, especially their horns, went about their lives on this beautiful morning. It certainly beats staying in that house; a horse has got to roam free, you know?

“Morning, Mulan. Morning, Rain Shine.”

“Good morning, girls.”

“Greetings.”

Leonard was too entranced to comprehend the greetings and the confused stares sent his way as he spotted young foals, or pups, as Rain Shine had once called him, playing along the river that danced throughout the village but was a mere extension of the vast circular water source.

“Woah… Is that a saddle arabian?”

“Hey, isn’t the village blacksmith part saddle arabian?”

“Is he going to be a breeder for us or…?”

He was still lost in how breathtaking everything looked. These kirin are practically one with nature, which was especially evident by the structures that were built into the base of large trees while others rested higher up amongst the branches.

Hang on…did someone say something about breeding? Eh. He must’ve imagined it.

However, something immediately stuck out to him concerning these kirin as he continued his sight-seeing: they’re all…mares. At least, he didn’t see any that looked like a stallion.

Wait…do their stallions also look like mares? If so, that’s, uh…unique? He guessed it was one way to put it.

Speaking of appearance, most of them were similar in height to Mulan, which meant that he and Rain Shine were the trolls among them. Wait, scratch that—that one with the incredibly long neck just stood up and…wow. Those are some very long legs.

‘Radahn’s grace, she must be the tallest equine I’ve ever seen! And that’s including those horses that the Tree Sentinals ride into battle.’

“Attention, everykirin!” Mulan declared, garnering the immediate attention of the villagers and halting their actions as she, Leonard, and Rain Shine stood on a stone bridge that stretched over to a wooden platform in the village’s heart. The stallion was admittedly far too lost in his surroundings that he hadn’t even realized they were on said bridge.

“There’s someone I’d like for you all to meet, although I’m sure you can all see that for yourself.” She finished with a giggle, turning sideways as to present Leonard to them all with a raised forelimb.

“Please give a very warm welcome to—! Uh… Hehe,” she laughed awkwardly, “Well, we don’t know his actual name just yet, but we’ll be taking care of that very soon. We’ve been referring to him by his race for the time being.”

She smiled and waited… And waited… And waited.

Her smile slowly fell to a frown as, although some of the kirin murmured curiosity amongst themselves at first, others growled and narrowed their eyes, which unfortunately seemed to have infected those who were curious.

Mulan’s eyes darted nervously, searching through the ocean of villagers. “N-now, let’s not be too hasty here, girls. This stallion-”

“Doesn’t belong here!” A helmed and armored kirin with a sheathed sword and holstered shield responded on approach from the opposite side of the bridge, her voice deep and powerful. A small gathering followed behind her as they all wore armor similar to Rain Shine’s.

‘Ah, shit… Here we go again…’ Leonard knew they were having some hard times, but this was pretty brutal. He was getting Rain Shine’s reaction times a whole village of kirin.

‘Wonderful.’ He snorts with a deadpan expression.

The armored force bowed respectfully to Mulan and Rain Shine as the green thread hanging from the top of their helmets reached down to the bridge itself. “Empress Mulan. First Class Master Sergeant Rain Shine.”

‘Rain Shine’s a what?!’

A blush forms on Mulan’s cheeks. “O-oh, you, uhm, don’t need to call me empress.”

‘Wait, you’re an empress?!’

“Second Class Master Sargeant Flare Burst,” Rain Shine responds. “Rise, my warriors.”

They obey, rising up to their full stature. But Leonard could see and feel the anger that was targeted his way. Despite their helmets, he could see their eyes.

‘Yeah… They really love me, Mulan…’

“Empress Mulan,” Flare Burst begins as her brown eyes travel toward Leonard. “I highly advise against allowing this…stranger to remain here any longer.”

“I understand your concerns, everykirin. Trust me when I say that Rain Shine has expressed her own concerns on the matter. However, I’m happy to inform you that this stallion has consumed Wukong Divulgance and passed its judgment unscathed.”

Those words caused onlooking kirin to whisper, some expressing curiosity again, even relief, while others maintained suspicion.

“Be that as it may-”

“That’s as is, Flare Burst,” Mulan gently interjects, yet a trace of authority slipped in. “Wukong Divulgance is one of this world’s most powerful truth potions. There can be no doubt of its results.”

Flare Burst looked over to Rain Shine, who nodded in agreement. “Forgive me, my empress,” Flare said as she bowed.

“There’s no need, Flare,” Mulan responds gleefully with a raised cloven hoof. “You’re simply performing your duties and keeping us all safe.”

“HRUAH!!” Flare and the armed force behind her roared in unison as they stomped a forehoof on the ground in unison.

“Thank you, my empress.”

‘The empress thing is never gonna go, is it? Then again...they did make me this crown,’ Mulan thought, chuckling. “You are very welcome.”

Another armed member steps forth. “Permission to inquire about the stallion, empress?” She requests, having a much higher pitched voice.

“Permission granted, Third Class Master Sergeant Blaza Qin.”

Blaza nods. “Empress, I think I speak for everykirin here when I say that if he’s staying here, what will he be contributing to our cause?”

“Indeed,” Flare Burst chimed in. “Will he be a breeder? A farmer? Warrior, perhaps? Though I have my doubts on that front.”

As they continued to converse, Leonard had his own thoughts on the matter.

‘Okay, first: breeder… Yeah, that’s going to be a hard no from me. And second: she doubts my capability as a warrior?’ He smirked, ‘Well then…’

A plan was in mind as Leonard stepped forth with a neutral expression, passed Mulan, and approached Flare Burst as he clopped across the bridge. Rain Shine would’ve followed him but allowed him to go ahead. After all, she doubted he could do anything to Flare, a kirin that she had personally trained for years.

The armed force behind Flare and Blaza narrowed their eyes even harder as Leonard approached, all while the second and third class master sergeants looked on with unreadable orbs.

Leonard paused just shy of five feet before them, and the masses of onlooking kirin dared not interrupt the suspenseful silence. The stallion slowly raised a forelimb and pointed at Flare Burst.

Flare released a low growl. “And what is that supposed to-” She was taken aback, words dying in her throat as the stallion then gestured at himself, snorting aggressively.

Did… Did he just…

“Are you issuing me a challenge?!”

The stallion grinned and nodded his head. ‘You bet I am.’

A barrage of gasps is let loose from the audience, and even Rain Shine and Mulan seem surprised by his actions.

“Heh. Well, well,” Mulan began with a smirk. “This is certainly going to be interesting. What do you think, Rainy?” She asked as she looked up to the first class master sergeant.

But Rain Shine simply observed Leonard in silence, her face unreadable. And yet, Mulan knew…

‘You’re seeing what he’s made of, eh?’ She jested internally, looking back to Leonard. ‘Then again…you did appear before me in that strange beam of light. Maybe… Just maybe…’

Meanwhile, towards the bridge’s other end, Flare Burst cackled loudly and mockingly.

“You’re not seriously challenging me, are you?”

Leonard neighed, repeatedly tapping his forehoof against the bridge. ‘Oh, yeah. I’m calling you out.’

The other members of the armed force, and even some onlookers, let loose laughter of their own as Flare and Blaza seemed…tempted. Very tempted.

Steps can be heard approaching from Leonard’s rear. “Mulan has no issue with this challenge, and neither do I.”

“R-Rain Shine,” Flare began, shock present in her voice. And her surprise was shared by many in attendance. “You’ll…allow this challenge to go through?”

“Of course,” Rain Shine answered determinedly, stopping alongside Leonard.

Leonard quickly looked back over his shoulder, noticing a smirking Mulan, who winked at him. “You’ve brought up a valid point, Flare.” Rain Shine’s voice perked up the red-maned stallion’s ears, and he set his sights forward again.

“We can’t have him lounging about and providing no services for us in exchange. Therefore, if he chooses to contribute to our rebellion as a warrior, then what better way to test his mettle than a spar with you, Flare?”

Rain Shine’s words had an immediate effect. Murmurs, gasps, and even a cheer or two, although those were overshadowed by the masses, yet still picked up by Leonard’s ears.

A thoughtful ‘hum’ accompanied the smirking grin that formed beneath Flare’s helmet. “Alright, then. However, I do have one condition. You up for it, saddle arabian?”

Leonard nods with a snort.

Rain Shine nods. “Your condition shall be included should it be agreed upon.”

“Then terms are as follows: If you pass this test, you’ll be accepted as a newbie amongst our ranks. But if you fail… You’ll become my servant, catering to my every need. And I do mean…every need.”

Rain Shine deadpans her student. ‘I guess some things don’t change…’

Mulan’s cheeks became crimson red. “O-oh my…”

Blaza turned to her superior in shock, as did many others. “F-Flare?! What are you-?!”

“It can be quite stressful, you know?” Flare interjects, never taking her eyes off of the stallion. “Dealing with Oolong’s forces and other such troubles.” She looked Leonard’s form up and down, nodding. “It’ll be nice to have some…help in relieving all this pent-up stress.”

Anticipating silence takes hold.

Leonard cocked his head. ‘I…definitely wasn’t expecting that…’ After a moment’s pause, a resigned chuckle escaped him, and he unhesitantly drew closer to Flare, stopping in place and extending a forelimb.

The stallion’s expression was all that Flare needed. “So be it,” she said with some excitement laced in as she raised a cloven hoof and connected it with Leonard’s. There they stood, staring each other down.

“When I win, I expect you to perform well on our first night together, breeder.”

‘We’ll see about that.’ Leonard neighed with determination on his face.

Both lower their hooves. “Rain Shine,” Flare called out as she looked away from Leonard and focused on her superior. “What shall be the time and place for our match?”

Rain Shine closed her eyes in thought. “Tomorrow at noon. He still needs to settle in, and we must deal with a communication issue. So a full day’s time should be more than sufficient.”

Flare nods. “Understood, ma’am.” She raised her head and stomped a forelimb. “Blades of Peril!” Each armored member stomped to attention. “Move out!”

They roared together like a pack of lionesses with a draconian touch to their exclamation. And as they began to depart, Leonard and Flare never broke eye contact.

“See you then… Breeder.”

Flare finally brakes contact as she turns forward, leading the Blades of Peril off to a structure in the distance, the crowd parting for them. As for Leonard, he never took his eyes off her, but he had to admit…

All things considered…he liked her spirit.

“Okay, everykirin! That’ll be it for now!” Mulan starts as she has since made her way onto the wooden platform during Leonard and Flare’s ‘staredown.’ “We all have places to be and things to do. So let’s get to it!”

The crowds began to disperse in an orderly fashion as they shuffled back to their original activities.

Leonard and Rain Shine approached the platform, maneuvering around curious bystanders. “Well, you certainly made an impression on the girls, that’s for sure,” Mulan said while looking down at the stallion. “Not exactly the reception I had hoped for, but it all worked out fairly well in the end.”

“I do hope you’re ready, saddle arabian,” Rain Shine warned, Leonard looking her way. “Flare has been under my tutelage for over four-hundred years. Regardless of how skilled you may or may not be, she still has vast amounts of experience over you.”

Leonard’s eyes shot wide open. ‘...F-four-hundred… H-how is that even… Shit…’

“Ah, right.” Rain Shine realized, seeing his shock. “We never told you this, but kirin are organically immortal. We can die by other means, of course, but old age isn’t one of them.”

‘That would’ve been nice to know, oh, I don’t know, from the very start?! Radahn, damn it all! This is-’

“You’ve got this, my friend!” Mulan motivates as she joins them on ground level. “Yeah, sure, she has several years of experience over you, has beaten one of Oolong’s generals before, and is the second-strongest member of the Blades of Peril-”

‘You are not helping!’

“-but I know that you’ll pull it off…somehow.” She laughed nervously as Rain Shine raised an eyebrow. “I’m, uh, not helping at all, am I?”

‘No.’

“No.”

“Yeah, I figured. Sorry…” Mulan’s eyes darted back and forth between them. “Well, hey. Even if you lose, you’ll still win…technically. F-Flare seems like a nice mare to have as a…mistress. Heh.”

“Yo! Mulan, Rain Shine!” A new voice called out, gruff and treading on the line between deep and high-pitched.

They divert their attention to an encroaching dark-orange kirin, but one whose appearance was favored toward a normal equine’s, which immediately piqued Leonard’s interest.

She looked just like a horse, save for patches of black scales present on her shoulders and along the sides of her stomach and a pair of yellow horns. The markings on her horn were dotted and white, quite unique compared to the upside-down V-shape of Rain Shine’s.

“Oh!” Mulan said in gleeful greeting. “High there, Sandy Scorch!”

“Good morning, Sandy,” Rain Shine greets. “How is the forge as of late?”

“Hotter than my father’s homeland,” Scorch answered. “Hay, maybe even the Dragonlands.” She maneuvered her black eyes over to Leonard, flipping her black mane and swaying her black tail, “So this is the cause for that crowd, huh? Hmm, I see. It’s truly an honor to meet another of my father’s kin, saddle arabian. And yes, in case it wasn’t obvious, I’m half saddle arabian.”

Leonard whinnies a greeting, causing Sandy to chuckle. “Well, looks like someone’s more in touch with their ancient horse, huh?”

‘That’s because I am a horse.’

Mulan’s eyes widen in sudden realization. “Wait a second, that’s it! Oh, Buddha, why didn’t I see it before?!”

All eyes shift to her. “What is it?” Rain Shine questioned.

“I’m glad you’re here, Sandy, because we may need your help.”

“Watchya need, boss?”

“Sandy, did your father ever teach you to write in other languages? Due to our conflict with Oolong, many of us never got to, well, ‘branch out,’ if you will. Not to mention Oolong’s efforts to snuff out any trace of the other cultures that did exist in Qina.”

“Pfft! You kidd’n? Of course, he did. Dad’s been all over the place before splurting his nutsack into my mother. Once I came of age, he taught me everything he knew.” She sighed happily in recollection, “Rest easy, Father.”

Mulan fires up her horn and conjures forth a scroll with an accompanying quill and ink bottle.

“Could I trouble you for a bit?”

Catching onto Mulan’s intentions, Sandy gestures with her head over to a blacksmith’s work area in the short distance, positioned alongside another home built into a large tree with golden yellow leaves.

“It’s no trouble at all. Come, let’s go back to my workshop. Mom just finished tidying up the place, so this is perfect timing.”

The forge of the workshop blazed with great vigor, a hammer set down on a nearby anvil as weapons, armor, and all manner of equipment were safely placed onto racks and displayed in casings as Leonard, Rain Shine, Mulan, and Sandy claimed a seat around a rectangular beech wood table.

“Alright, time for a small history lesson, so please hold onto any and all questions until after I’m done,” Sandy said, earning an agreeing nod from all around the table as a scroll laid unfurled before her, an ink bottle and quill resting nearby.

“Here goes. The ponies of Equus and the saddle arabians of Saddle Arabia share a common ancestor: the horse.”

‘I like this tale already.’ Leonard’s ears wriggled. He had some knowledge of this thanks to Mulan and Rain Shine, but having more context was perfect.

“Despite both going down their own evolutionary paths, what with magic affecting the ponies and saddle arabians being slightly altered, they still had a shared language. And that language is none other than Equish.

While it’s true that some ponies and saddle arabians developed their own language like Eqspanol, Prench, and so forth, every last one of them has Equish engraved deep inside of them.

Which brings me to you, saddle arabian.”

Sandy picks up the quill, dips it in the ink, and jots something down onto the scroll. “And…there we go.” The half-saddle arabian pushes the scroll over to Leonard, who looks down at its contents, his eyes widening.

He… He couldn’t believe it…

Hello. What’s your name?

“C-can you understand what’s there?” Mulan asked in growing anticipation.

Leonard nods, shock still present on his face.

“Sweet Buddha, yes!” Mulan celebrated. Rain Shine, chuckling. “Oh, this is wonderful! We’ll have you talking soon enough, but at least we have the means to communicate now.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sandy asked while pushing the ink and quill over to him. “Hop to it.”

Leonard immediately snatched up the quill and, imitating Sandy’s actions, dipped it into the ink, letting droplets of the black liquid fall back into the bottle before gliding it over to the scroll.

Writing in Equish came so naturally to him, just as it did when he spoke it internally. But now… Now, at long last, he could actually express his thoughts outwardly. He finished his response, placed the quill in the ink bottle, and pushed the scroll further out onto the table for all to see.

My name is Leonard, loyal steed and brother of Radahn Carian. General of the Redmanes and the greatest demigod in the Lands Between.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9~ Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 36 Minutes