The task waiting for Lotus was harder than any academic challenge she'd ever attempted before. Of course learning an impossible new skill was not directly comparable to anything she'd done in her life before. But the many hours of practice and study that followed felt very similar.

Nothing in high school had ever felt quite as difficult, of course. No piece of math homework she ever failed to complete had the promise of never having her own body again, or forever marooning someone who was only trying to protect his home.

Part of the difficulty came from the observers, too. Iron Feather was essentially a captive audience, trapped in her tiny home with very little to do but watch and wait. Lotus couldn't even blame him, really. If she was trapped in a strange and frightening world, she would want to stay close to whoever could get her home.

Her first real success came only the next day. Gus was busy installing a new security-latch on the door, working a power-drill with improper technique. Her best friend spent so long in imaginary worlds that he could barely take care of himself in the real one.

Lotus sat on the sofa a few feet from the door, staring at a single flower in a glass on the coffee table. She'd been staring at that same flower for at least an hour by then, walking through the deep-breathing exercises and visualizations Luna had sent. She had the book beside her, and a blanket settled around her shoulders. She wasn't cold, but having something to cover up helped with the anxiety.

It helped, but the constant BVVVVVVVVV-GNGNGNGNG of the drill going through their front door snapped her concentration in half each and every time. She glared at Gus's back, but her roommate wasn't even looking at her. He had no way of knowing just how annoying his timing could be.

Then the drill jerked to the side, and right out of his hands. Gus gasped, trying in vain to catch it as it tumbled towards the couch, and Lotus's leg.

Then it... stopped. For a few seconds Lotus just cowered there, recoiling from the impact. But nothing hit her. She stared at the little machine, now hovering in the air a few inches above the sofa. "I... what?"

"You're doing it!" Iron exclaimed, galloping across the room to where she held the drill. "Levitation!"

All that attention on her and Lotus's concentration frayed. She dropped the drill with a thump, thankfully not onto her leg. "I don't know what I did..." she whispered. But after almost two days of failure, she couldn't help but grin. "There was nothing in my instructions about catching power tools."

"I've never seen an adult mare have to learn everything from scratch," Iron admitted. He patted her shoulder with one hoof, grinning too. "I should've known you would pick it up quickly. I always expect it to take ages. But foals don't have the discipline of a grown mare."

Lotus nodded weakly. "I've spent two years of life perfecting the exact same task. A few days to learn something new is not a big deal."

Thinking about her old job took the smile from her face. She slumped, snapping the book closed. Two years working up the ranks, improving her pay by ten cents a quarter, and it was all gone. When she brought Eric back to life, he was going to have quite the mess to clean up.

Gus picked up the drill, looking sheepish. "Sorry about that, Lotus. If you'd rather put this chain on, you could do it."

She shook her head once, landing on her hooves. "Nah. I'll just get out of the splash zone. But you might want to switch that thing from the concrete setting to wood. And maybe take off the masonry bit while you're at it."

Several days passed, and they settled into a routine. They dragged the futon out of the old garage, giving their new houseguest somewhere to sleep. The poor stallion was clearly going completely stir-crazy in the small space. Lotus tried to keep him company, making small talk about his home and the life he'd left behind.

"Spent my whole life in Canterlot," he explained, after about a week of being trapped inside. "It's a little like some of the places Gus showed me on his machine, but not like this one. I think you'd like it. A whole world of different ponies coming and going, always something new to see. But at the same time, you're always surrounded by history. That's why I wanted to join the guard--I don't want to just watch what happens, I want to be part of it."

She grinned back at him over her coffee. There was no light streaming through the windows outside, but she wasn't exactly sure how late it was. Days of cabin fever compounded on each other until Lotus felt detached from the normal cycle of days and nights. Was it late, early? She knew only magic practice now.

"One way or another, it sounds like you will be. Whatever happened with Searing escaping in your world... I guess you were trying to stop it?"

She might as well have slapped him. Iron Feather sagged into his seat, avoiding her eyes. He didn't speak for a long time. He might not have ever spoken further, except for Lotus's expectant eyes never leaving him.

"The princess I serve... imagined another path for the imprisoned evil," he said reluctantly. "In Equestria's recent years, we have seen many who were wicked turn to friendship. She has her... own reasons to know what an imprisonment of many centuries is like. We hoped by separating this tome from its sister that she might manifest in a small way, and Luna could offer her forgiveness."

From the other side of the room, a book slammed closed. Gus held it in one hand, where he'd been reading. He wasn't trapped inside like the rest of them, but he'd shown a great deal of interest in the spellbook, nevertheless. Iron Feather didn't seem to mind, so long as he was far away from a door. And far away from Iron himself.

Interesting that it hadn’t attacked Gus yet. Her friend had limited his exposure so far, reading only in short periods or from scans of the pages on a display. Lotus made no effort to stop him. If someone else got cursed like she did--well, that wouldn’t be her fault? And maybe having some company would make things easier to deal with.

"Not everyone in the world wants to get better. Some people are just assholes, and they're determined to ruin the lives of everyone around them. Give them an inch, and they'll take everything you have."

Iron nodded grimly. "I don't understand the expression, but the sentiment is... apt. It appears Searing had been plotting for that moment. She already had a spell ready, the one that sent me here with the book. Then she sent a monster to strike me in the darkness, destroying my wing. I would've died without Lotus to rescue me."

Lotus winced at his words, pawing awkwardly at the ground. She still hadn't gotten around to telling Iron that she was the attacker as well as the good samaritan. She would cross that bridge eventually, but not now.

Gus crossed the room, looming over Lotus. He'd never been particularly big for a human, without any of Eric's muscles. You couldn't get those trading meme stocks, even if he sometimes had diamond hands. "I think you've practiced the basics long enough, Lotus. It's time for something a little more interesting."

He had his thumb in the book, and now flipped it open, directly to one page among the many. He set it down on the table in front of her. "I think you should start here. Ask your pen-pal how to use a real spell. I'll even volunteer to help you, so long as I get to set up my go-pro first."

"Are you that worried I might miss my part of the rent, Gus?" Of course she would, and the date for paying it was soon approaching. But her friend wasn't poor anymore, not since joining into the big short.

Gus raised one hand, defensive. "I don't care about money, Eri--Lotus. We'll settle accounts when the dust settles. When this thing is all over, you'll probably make enough to buy a mansion from the book deal. A few hundred bucks is not the question."

He flicked his fingers towards the book, insistent. "We're part of something incredible right now. I want to see what it can do, test its limits. Help get your desperate traveler home."

"There's no harm in trying," Iron said hesitantly. "This spelling is advanced for someone who hasn't had a horn that long. But you're learning quickly." He flicked something towards her face, right off the table. A pen came spinning at her with surprising accuracy.

Lotus gasped, her horn flared, and the pen stopped. With another week to practice, she was getting her hooves under her about how it worked. She imagined it like Eric's hands were still with her, transparent and unseen. With just the right kind of focus, she could still feel those borrowed fingers, and move them the way she wanted. She turned the point towards Iron, glaring. "You could've stuck me."

He chuckled. "Was aiming for your scales anyway. I'm not going to pierce dragonhide with a tool like this. Or... anything I own. My spear couldn't do it, either.”

Dragonhide was a strange way to think about it. Lotus felt them mostly as the annoying patch of her back that caught on everything and made it hard to get comfortable in bed. But how much did she even know about being a Kirin? Most of what Iron said was about Searing Gale, and all circled back to how dangerous the creatures were.

"I'll write to her," she said. "I don't want to be stuck in this tiny little house any longer than I have to, either."

Iron Feather was the only other one writing in the book, of course. He didn't waste space, giving exactly one line each day. His writing waited there without reply most of the time. Luna couldn't say much more than repeating the same reassurance and support.

"Wing healing well, Lotus's magic improving. She has not lifted two objects at once, or more than a little weight. But she is growing fast."

Lotus didn't bother signing her name when she started anymore. The difference between her handwriting and Iron's was self-evidence. But this time she levitated the pen, using the letter as another chance to practice.

She also didn't use the Princess's title. No matter how sour Iron looked when he noticed, she felt no particular allegiance to this nation. Helping did not mean she had to treat their rulers like her own.

"Luna. How would I start casting these diagrams? Some of them look simpler than others. Practicing the same thing for so long is making everyone here a little crazy. Maybe I can work on the spell that finds a place to cross worlds.?"

The princess didn't reply until the next morning. She sent a few more pages of instructions, this time reading far denser and more sophisticated than her explanation of levitation. At the beginning was a short note. "Lotus--your urgency is appreciated. If you choose to implement these instructions, choose spells that will not fail too catastrophically. Also, be careful not to invest too much power. The more energy built up inside a spell, the more dramatically it can fail.

Keep careful control of your emotions. Kirin have other magic that requires no spellcraft, and it would not serve you to use it while in hiding. Searing Gale was the queen of all Nirik, and knew their hellfire better than any creature. She will smell the smoke from anywhere in your world, and be drawn to it. You seem a capable student, however. I am confident you will rise to this challenge."

Acesential created this truly sad looking couch. Seriously she is gonna get ticks or something sitting on that thing