~Shae~

Mommy... Why does it hurt so much, Mommy...

Make it stop hurting, Mommy...

Mommy, why are you asleep?

Please wake up, Mommy...

Please don’t die, Mommy...

~Vision End~

Silence is sovereign in the jarl’s private quarters, though Jarl Drake is absent from the premises. Tangerine was requested by the jarl to survey the area, and Wolf River had quietly insisted he stay nearby with red in his face. A bandaged Tohro sits at the guest table, sipping mead from a fluted glass. He keeps a close watch on Caro, who sits across from him, sulking with his gaze on his reflection in the wood floor. Tear stains are fresh on his cheeks.

Wolf River coughs, drawing accusing glares from Tangerine and Tohro, expecting him to say something. He shrugs and folds his forelegs awkwardly.

Tohro, with his stomach calling for sustenance, reaches for a slice of banana bread. Tangerine slaps his hoof away. “Jarl Drake said that was specifically for Caro.” She gestures to the other assortments of pastries.

“I need comfort food too,” Tohro pouts. “Do you think Caro’s the only one who feels like shit right now?” He gestures to the Dragonborn, who hasn’t even acknowledged the presence of the others.

Tangerine grabs ahold of Tohro’s neck and whispers furiously into his ear. “Given where you were when it occurred, you couldn’t have made a difference in the matter. Caro saw it happen, and he was too slow. It’s called guilt, clearly something you’ve never felt.”

As soon as Tangerine sits Tohro back down, silence returns to the room, albeit with heightened tension.

Wolf River coughs again, this time speaking after. “It’s not as if you’re actually going to eat, are you, Caro?”

After a pause, Caro shakes his head and points to a small pile of sick nearby his chair; the result of attempted consumption. He peeks up at Tohro. “Go ahead,” he murmurs.

Tohro nods and quietly nibbles on the banana bread. “You know,” he says midway through a mouthful, “I hate to say this, but I can’t help but feel you’re a little selfish right now.”

Caro’s sad frown turns to one of anger. “Excuse me? Who was the one who watched one his best friends take a blade to the stomach? Held her as her breath was reduced to a whisper? What’s selfish about that?”

Tohro drops the banana bread and leans forward, mere inches from Caro’s face. "So when you murder two soldiers in cold blood, you're the hero, but when somepony you genuinely care about gets hurt suddenly the whole world is against you?"

Caro's draconic eyes glint with gold as he shoots Tohro a face of pure hatred. He stands up and places his hooves on the table. "Put them up," he says softly, contrasting his furious disposition. He steps away from the table. Tangerine raises her hoof to protest but Wolf River urges her off.

The Dragonborn beckons to Tohro. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"You seriously wanna do this mate?" Tohro falls back into his chair with a concerned expression.

Caro eyes the bloodied bandages wrapped around Tohro’s chest. "I don't think Shokenda hurt you enough. You want to know what this is like for me? I'll show you." Tohro still doesn't budge, prompting Caro to cock his hoof back with his fangs bared. "GET UP!" He throws the punch.

Tohro surprisingly ducks the punch, his conditioning and training kicking in as he grabs the hoof and pulls Caro forward, slamming him into the table. "The hell is your problem, mate? What’s this going to solve?"

Caro answers by sweeping Tohro with his hind leg and socking him in the chest as he trips. Tohro regains his balance and flutters away.

He lands across from Caro, spreading his wings which unsheathes his blades. "Ah, you’re serious then? Alright. But I’m not going to be the one to explain your scars to Shae."

"If she's even alive." Caro slams both his hooves together and scrapes at the ground. He charges and meets Tohro halfway in a headbutt.

Pushing against Caro’s face, the pegasus cocks an eyebrow as he realizes what this is all about. “This isn’t about her, then?”

Caro grabs Tohro by the temples, bringing him to his haunches. "You don't get it." He slams his friend’s face into the wood.

Tohro spits out the blood from his split lip. "Then enlighten me." He lunges forward and nicks Caro's cheek with one of his wing blades.

Caro backs off and feigns left from another slash. "You've told me your stories. Your tales of glory in the Blackwings that you want to forget so badly." He swipes at Tohro's face, but misses. "I don't once remember you telling one of how you were too slow to save somepony so precious to you."

"Oh, so saving your blank flank doesn’t count?" Tohro manages to whack Caro upside the head. "Remember why this is still attached? What makes you so special?"

“Well, I... Mmm...” Caro stammers as he drops his prepared punch.

Tohro folds his wings and puts on a face of sympathy. "Just tell me what happened, mate."

Caro grinds his teeth together so tightly a screeching noise rings out. He chokes out a sob and yells, "I FAILED!"

Caro's shout comes out in force, knocking Tohro backwards and into the table. As he moves back to his hooves he asks, "How do you mean?”

Caro staggers forward, only to retract his steps and falls, struggling to stand. "If she's dead, then... then... I hold her blood to my fault..." The tears stain the floor. "If she lives, then she'll despise me, so much to the point she'll leave us..." He stares at Tohro with glistening eyes. “I don’t want her to go.”

Tohro slowly approaches his blubbering wreck of a friend, and with total disregard for anypony watching, embraces him in a hug and runs a hoof through his unkempt mane. "Its not your fault, mate."

With a sobbing moan into Tohro’s shoulder, Caro mutters, "Y-you think I don't know tha-at? B-but if it had g-gone the sligh-hitest bit different- I could have b-been quicker- I could have- I-"

Caro’s words descend into blubbering nonsense as Tohro holds him at foreleg’s length. "That’s all in the past now. Shae is a grown mare and knew the risks. She’ll never hate you, she wouldn’t."

"If she even...” Unable to even say it, Caro falls out of the embrace. With nothing to punch, he resorts to using the floor.

"She will live, Caro,” says Tohro. “She has to."

~Shae~

I see a younger version of myself, fresh out of my first year at Wintercolt Academy. The snow lightly dabbles the windows of my bedroom. The candlelight has begun to dwindle, and my tired eyes are ready for a long rest. But, of course, I must be tucked in by Starbright, the most wonderful astronomy professor of the academy, and the most wonderful mother a pony could ask for.

Lancer and Eavesdrop often mock me for being tucked in every night, despite my being in my adolescent years, but I laugh them off at every occasion. This is the highlight of my day.

“I should be back tomorrow, in the afternoon,” my mother says. “I’m leaving to gather ingredients for the new term.”

“The apothecary doesn’t have what you need in stock?” I ask.

“I have a special lesson planned. I believe, if all goes well, I’ll have a curative that will allow anypony to see the Fae. I’ll share it with all of my students.”

I nearly leap from my bed. “Truly? That’s actually possible?”

Mother chuckles and taps me on the nose. “Shae, what is it I always say?”

We’ve been over this several times. “Everything is possible,” we both recite at once. I chuckle along with Mother as she tousles my perfect bowl-cut mane. She’s a wicked seamstress with my hair.

“Now, because you’re such a good girl, I will save a vial of the potion for you and you alone.”

“Me?” I actually fall back a little in shock. “I’d have an unfair advantage over the other students.”

“Nothing but what you deserve. Consider it a belated cutecinera present.” As I have another bout of giggling, she kisses me on the forehead and right cheek. It’s always the same process every night; a touch on the the nose, a kiss on the forehead, then the cheek.

Tonight’s to be another night of pleasant dreams.

Mother begins to take her leave, emerald green cloak flowing behind her. "I love you, my little mage," she says in a hushed tone.

I levitate my pillow to my side and fluff it to satisfaction. I lay my head down upon it. “Love you too.”

Only now do I realize I’m viewing this memory from an external perspective; I can move about the room at my leisure. I also realize what’s so significant about this memory and mentally scold myself for forgetting, if only for a second.

This was the last time I ever saw my mother. The moment she sets hoof outside that door, she’ll be on a direct course to the frigid outside. She’ll shrug it off as this weather is hardly beyond anything we’ve experienced before, at least until a blizzard comes in, stranding her on the mountainside without a sense of direction. By the time she conjures a clairvoyance spell, it will be too late. She’ll collapse just as Wintercolt Academy comes into view, and then...

“Mother!” While my younger self has probably drifted off to sleep, I'm galloping to the door to intercept Mother. “Wait! Please, don’t leave. I want you to stay.”

She doesn’t even acknowledge me. She opens the door.

“No, Mother. Don’t! I need you here. Please stay!”

I hold out my hooves in protest but she passes through me as if I’m not even there. I turn and follow her out into the hallway, where the world has begun to fade into white. This is the extent of my memory, and my mother is trotting into that abyss.

“Mother, Come back! MOTHER!”

No matter how loud I scream, she doesn’t even bother to listen, and yet I persist.

“If you leave, you’ll die! Don’t do this! Don’t leave me!”

My younger self has passed into the world of dreams. The memory fades, collapsing around me as my mother disappears.

“DON’T LEAVE ME! MOTHER! MOM! MOMMY!!”

“SHAE! Snap out of it!”

The sting of a slap across my cheek exemplifies the pain in my stomach. The infirmary of Equinesreach slowly comes into my field of vision as I’m lifted upwards. It’s as if I’m being pulled from an ocean of black murk back into reality. On top of the stings and cramps, my jaw is sore, as if I’ve been screaming for hours.

Jarl Drake waves her hoof in front of my face. My response is a moan as I clutch my stomach. There’s a definite pit inside me.

“Welcome back to the land of the living," says the jarl.

That black murk still harbors the edges of my vision. The rest of my senses are numb too. I can barely recognize the jarl’s voice and everything feels the same, aside from the pain.

I turn to look out the window. Snow has utterly buried Trottingham, and with it the ruins of the battle. “How long was I-” I break into a fit of wheezing and coughing into my blankets.

“It’s been about half a day, and then some. The white mages had to keep you under until you healed up.” Jarl Drake points to my stomach, prompting me to look down. I’m completely disrobed, beyond a set of bandages. Several more riddle the floor around my bed, all soaked in red. “You’ve lost more blood than anypony should. You are incredibly lucky to be alive.” The jarl looks upwards. “The Divines must like you a lot.”

"I doubt that...” My voice is weak and inconsistent. It takes the breath out of me just to say one sentence. “If they truly liked me, they would have spared me that awful dream...”

“I think I can infer as to what that was all about. You can spare me the details. Instead, focus your attention on this.” Jarl Drake forces a bowl into my grasp. It’s filled with something that reminds me of an infected moat. I give her a defiant look. “Just pretend it’s tea.”

“If it were made in Saddle Arab-”

Her hoof presses against my muzzle. “None of your snark, young lady. Cooking is Boysenberry’s forte, but seeing as how he’s recovering from his, uh, tantrum, you’ll have to make do.”

Even if it were decent ‘tea’, I doubt I’d be able to stomach it anyway. I continue to stare into my reflection.

“Shae, if you don’t want to drink it, I’d be willing to show you how to manipulate a pony’s esophagus.”

And just like that, I’m swallowing the ‘tea’ like a depraved bar devil. I’m trying to ignore that it tastes like charcoal rolled in brimstone, but I can only accomplish so much in my weakened state. I still have half a bowl to consume when I remove my lips.

“Healing magic can only do so much, you know,” says Jarl Drake. “This will accelerate the healing process and repair anything important you might have torn. Make sure you drink all of it before the hour’s up.”

“Do I have to pretend to enjoy it?”

The jarl and a few of the other white mages tending to the wounded break into laughter, and despite the pain, I do the same. I begrudgingly take another sip of the ‘tea’ and set the bowl aside.

“Now, onto other matters. I don’t know why or even how you became acquainted with Princess Celina-”

“She’s here?!” I nearly throw the sheets off of me as I lean forward. The jarl’s purple aura forces me back into laying down. She then refocuses her aura around a bedside mirror and levitates it to me.

“In a manner of speaking.”

I take ahold of the mirror, expecting to see my reflection and nothing more, but instead I see Celina’s spotless bedroom, and the princess herself looking at me with her innately comforting gaze. I can hardly contain my smile. “Celina, how are you?”

She looks genuinely shocked. “My friend nearly perishes in the third battle for Trottingham and she asks me how I am? I think you should sort out your priorities.”

“It's only blood. My question still stands.”

Celina sighs in defeat, smiling nonetheless. "Ever since the soldiers left for Trottingham, things have been rather quiet here, so my mother and I have spent a bit more time together. I ate at a malt parlor for the first time ever yesterday! Granted, Mother wasn’t too warm on the thought of Dragonrein knowing my little secret, at least at first, but she does trust you all with keeping it close.”

I peek over the mirror to see Jarl Drake trotting over to the other wounded, the ones unfortunate enough to be without a bed. I look back to Celina. “Our lips remain sealed.”

Celina flaps her wings excitedly and gestures to them with her hooves. “That’s good, because I hope to reveal my wings to the rest of Everfree someday soon.”

“Oh, that’s-” I’m tempted to say it’s wonderful, but then the mad rantings of a ragged earthwalker play in my mind.

“We are sitting ducks for their witchcraft and black magic so long as they hold the throne!”

That lady clearly has followers. If she harbors such violent resentment for all unicorns, then what would she think of Celina? Fauste, what if she tried to hurt her? Or worse...

I sigh and say, “You may have to hold off on that, if only for a little while.”

“Why, Miss Shae?”

I explain to Celina the slander I endured from the decrepit old lady, and my utmost concern for her. She listens intently and nods when I’m finished.

“Ah, you must have encountered Sacred Rite. Mother told me she has a large vocabulary of hatred but lacks the weapons or courage to act on it. You shouldn’t be concerned about her.”

“That’s all fine, but what about the Blackwings? Knowing there’s a-” I look around to ensure nopony’s listening in. I lean in close to the mirror. “Knowing there’s a legendary alicorn within their grasp, you’d have to sleep with one eye open.”

That dampens Celina’s spirits. She drops her smile. “That I can agree on. Very will, Miss Shae, you’ve convinced me otherwise.” She folds her wings and levitates her white robe over them. “The wings go unrevealed until this war’s end.”

Her radiance is fading, and her mane seems to be falling flat across her face. I hold the mirror closer. “D-don’t... cover them up. I like to see them.”

Her smile comes back as she removes the garment. “Anything for you.” She looks about her room and groans. “The palace has been so dull since you and the rest of Dragonrein left. Will you come back soon?”

“Y—” Again, I stop myself. If she had asked me that same question yesterday, I would have said yes as loud as I could without hurting myself. Of course, circumstances regarding my stomach have given rise to another thought, one that’s rapidly consumed the rest of my mind.

I can’t bring myself to lie to Celina, but I can’t break her heart either, lest her sorrow ends up breaking mine.

“I’ll...” I inhale as deeply as I can so I don’t tear up. “I’ll do what I can.”

A gasp breaks the little world between me and Celina. I lower the mirror to see Wolf River. His rustic face is beaming. “Well, I’ll be. This little mare has more meat to her than she lets on.”

I should probably take that as a compliment, but I don’t speak lycan. I peek back at the princess. “Um, Celina, I should probably go.”

“So soon?” she pouts. She then chuckles aloud before I have to explain myself. “Very well. I’ll speak to you later, Miss Shae.”

“Goodbye.” As the mirror begins to show my reflection, I set it aside and face Wolf River. “Yes, I’m alive. I’ve noticed- URGH!”

I’m going to need a brace if I keep getting these bone crunching hugs. Regardless, I return the favor to Wolf River. Having so many awaiting my awakening truly warms my heart.

“Tangerine, Tohro and I, we dreaded the worst. It’s been hell,” says Wolf River as he releases me.

He left a name from that roster. “And what of Caro? Is he okay?”

He folds his forelegs and hums. “Physically, yes, but-”

I hear a boom of thunder- my bad, that’s somepony shouting maniacally. Then there’s the sound of hooves wrecking the staircase into the infirmary. “WHERE IS SHE?!”

“Caro?!” I call out, though I squeak from an edge of fear. I look back to Wolf River. “Is he mad at me?”

“Quite the opposite,” says Wolf River. “He hasn’t stopped crying since he showed up here with your bleeding body across his back.”

“Oh my...”

There he is, galloping down the steps with a flare in his eyes I’ve never seen before. Wolf River’s right, it looks like he’s been crying for, bloody hell, hours. He stops at the base of the stairs and looks about the room manically.

“Damn you! Slow down!” Tangerine follows from behind, trying to grab ahold of him. She must be trying to calm him down. “You nearly trampled the help!”

I wave my forelegs to get his attention. “Caro, I’m right here!”

The moment his eyes catch me, he bolts forward. I prepare for the most intense embrace in the history of Equestria… and nothing happens.

Two soldiers intervene, crossing their spears in front of Caro before he can step into the infirmary. That doesn’t stop him from raising his hooves to try and knock them aside, but Jarl Drake’s levitation forces him back down. She steps forward, wiping her brow with a cloth. “No, no, no! Who let him in h- What are you doing out of your- I told you to stay in your room for exactly this reason!”

Caro doesn’t listen, instead leaning between the spears just to look at me. “Shae!” The soldiers shove him away.

Wolf River approaches Drake with a slight tint of red on his face. “My apologies, My Jarl. I may have left the door to his quarters ajar.”

“He escaped the moment he heard Shae’s voice,” says Tangerine, glaring at the jarl disapprovingly. “You should have known better than to think you could have kept him under control.”

Caro scuffs at the ground. “You’re damn right, now let me in!”

I throw the blankets off, intent on galloping to Caro, but my weak body fails me and I stumble over my own movements. I too fall victim to Jarl Drake’s levitation spell and am forced back into bed. The bowl of horrid liquid lands in my hooves.

The jarl’s patience has run out, apparently. “Everypony, just shut up and drink your damn tea!”

It’s ill advised to confront an emotional unicorn, especially one as... insisting as Drake. It’s down the hatch with the ‘tea’, even if my taste buds scream in agony. Meanwhile, Caro is escorted back to his room by Tangerine and Jarl Drake, who issues out commands. “Ensure the door is actually locked, this time. An enraged Dragonborn is hardly fitting for a quiet place of recovery and relaxation.”

Caro looks back at me with desperation in his eyes. I mouth to him ‘I’m fine’ with a cheeky grin, and it seems to relieve him enough for him to comply with his escorts.

Jarl Drake returns to me and ensures that I’ve finished my drink. I have, begrudgingly. She conjures a kerchief and attempts to dabble a stray dollop of the liquid from my chin, but I take the cloth and do it myself.

“Okay, okay, I drank your sewage substitute," I say. "Now, may I go talk to Caro?”

“No.” The bowl is taken out of my grasp, leaving me to fold my forelegs and pout.

“Why not? It’s obvious he needs me right now.”

“Your healing process can’t afford any more distractions. Come along.” The jarl tosses me a pink robe. “But put that on first, we don’t need anypony here having heart attacks.”

I try not to acknowledge the injured stallions of the room giving me naughty gazes. That moment I left my bed completely exposed has clearly left an impression on them. Under normal circumstances, I’d take it as a compliment. They avert their gaze as I cover myself with the robe and leave my bed. “Come along,” says the jarl. “The white mages have prepared an herbal bath.”

The wooden room is little more than mist by the time I’ve settled in.

I’ve had more than my fair share of these baths. My mother always knew the exact herbs to put to use, how hot the water needed to be, and of course, she was always there to sing to me. Even if I remained ill upon leaving the water, for those moments alone I felt so alive and loved.

It’s almost an insult to say this is the best herbal bath I’ve ever had, because it’s just not the same without Mother by my side. I have to make my own song to emulate her presence.

“‘Neath a faltered sky, cross loamless plains and watered blight...
Ah, where gone those days once glory shone so bright...
Fallen ‘neath baleful wings dark as night...
Ah, a moment give to me...
Hark, shall none hear this soul’s-”

A rather obtrusive knock sounds out from the door. “Shae? Are you in there?”

My ears perk as my heart soars. “Caro?”

I hear him sighing. “Oh, thank Epona. I’ve knocked on the wrong door twice now. Third time's the charm, right?”

“How did you get out of your room?”

“Tohro picked the lock.”

"Ah, bless him and his naughty hooves," I say. The water ripples as I laugh aloud. After that, there’s a moment of silence. “You can come in, you know.”

More silence follows. I can imagine him nervously brushing his hooves together at the thought of me and him in the same room. Naked. I think it’s about time he cut loose.

“Come on, you prude, we’re friends. I think you seeing me disrobed is the least of your worries.”

~Vision End~

~Caro~

“If you say so...”

I take slow steps into the sauna as the door creaks open. There’s Shae, humorously blinded with her black mane laying over her eyes. She seems completely content at a glance, a broad contrast to her condition hours ago, barely gasping for life with steel embedded in her gut. I can’t recall how many times I had whispered “You can’t do this...” to her dying body before I was ripped away from her by the jarl. Let the white mages do their job, sure... I nearly lost a friend, but to them it's all the daily grind.

Shae's bandages are tossed aside in the corner. “Um, shouldn’t you be wearing those?” I ask.

She’s tracing circles in the water. “Wet bandages are hardly useful, silly. Besides, I was told it was safe to remove them.”

I can only see the top half of her body, but I imagine a nasty scar has found a home upon her. I say something incredibly smart: “Can I see your stomach?”

The look Shae gives me makes me feel like the worst pony alive, which makes it all the more humiliating when she starts giggling like a little schoolfilly. She keeps doing that as she climbs out of the pool and relaxes on the edge by her rump.

She leans back, resting her hoof on where the scar must be. “Come, take a look.”

I’m dead nervous. Even though I have her approval, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable about gazing at her bare lavender fur. She doesn’t seem to mind, though, so I can relax enough to walk up to her, kneel down and look at the damage.

It’s not as horrendous as I thought. The scar goes across her entire stomach as a light patch of fur and skin. It’s completely dissonant from the rest of her flawlessly groomed coat, yet it accompanies her quite nicely. Still, this is a permanent reminder that I could have acted faster. Touching the wound and grimacing is all I do for one painfully silent minute, before I remove my hoof at Shae’s voice. “I should probably explain some things, about myself.”

“I’m all ears," I reply.

“You remember how apathetic I was when you and Tohro inadvertently killed that gryphon in Beak Falls Barrow?"

“I expected you to throw a fit.”

“Yes, and further down the road in Everfree, the realization of what I did to the gryphons outside the barrow, what with my magical overdrive and all, came to light. That’s when I figured it out. While every part of me told me to be disturbed by those things, it became apparent to me that… I feel nothing.” She gives a rather pathetic chuckle. “Someone either relishes murder or regrets it, but I feel nothing for it, and I think I know why.” Her eyes are misty, just like before. I simultaneously anticipate and dread the explanation. “I killed my parents.”

As I come to a sudden stand and back away, Shae grabs ahold of me, repeatedly saying “No, no no no!" She fastens her hooves around my forelegs. "That was... poorly worded. I didn't take their lives directly. I wouldn’t even dream of it!”

“Okay, but,” I set her down, “how do you mean, you killed them?”

Shae sighs, keeping her head low as she paces about the edge of the pool. “I told you before, I don’t believe in fate. I stopped believing when my mother died. She was alone, caught in a blizzard, unable to call for help. By the time Headmaster Frosthelm found her, she was a black mess of frostbite and frozen limbs, face permanently locked in an agonized scream.” Shae stops with her mouth wide open as she shudders. “And I could have stopped her. It wasn’t fate that took her away. If I just asked, or said 'please', she would have come running back to embrace me, probably slept in my bed with me that night…” She’s made a full rotation of the pool at this point. She comes back to me.

“Curse hindsight, huh?” I slap myself for even thinking that was the right thing to say, and smile sheepishly when she weakly chuckles again.

“Not a month passed before my father perished from heart failure, and I’ve always felt as though if Mother had lived, he would have too.”

Suddenly I feel selfish. I’ve brooded over the violent loss of my master, but he wasn’t even my real parent, and he was just the one. Shae was obviously very close to her mother and father, more so than most. More so than I, at least.

“I was never alone, though. Sundance, Lancer, Eavesdrop... they became like a second family to me. They tolerated my angst, and it wasn’t before long that I was back to my old self. Fauste bless them...”

The mist in her eyes is gone now, replaced with nostalgia and want. All this time I’ve been worried she’d harbor resentment, curse me out and leave, but now another worry has entered the fray.

“How did I repay them? I just up and left to pursue some extracurricular assignment... Go to find a dragon without any regard for my own safety. I never even said goodbye to some of them...”

Shae is a member of Dragonrein, and my friend most of all.

“Caro, I...”

I tense up, honestly hoping that she doesn't say the words I'm expecting.

"I want to see them again... I want you to take me home."

Divines damn it...

I reach for her with a comforting hoof. Being gentle isn’t easy for me, but for her I’ll do my best. "I'll take you back to the academy whenever you're ready. That's our first priority. No dragons, no war, no political bullshit. You come first."

What little defenses she has left fail and her tears drain like waterfalls. She falls into my embrace, her sobbing moistening my shoulder as I brush her mane.

"I promised... I would protect you. I failed, but I won't let this happen again. Remember that."

"You're the greatest, Caro..." She sniffles, looks at me with her glistening eyes, closes them, faces the floor and whispers, "I love you..."

There it is. The three words I've only heard the once, from Master on the night of my parents' deaths. Death came close once again today, and he nearly took Shae from me. How much closer will he get before I’m forced to tear his forelegs off? But, if it ever comes to that, I'll gladly do it to protect those close to me.

These words seal this bond. Shae is my friend, and I am her guardian. So I pull her closer, shielding her from, well, everything. "I love you."

~Vision End~

With her garments and red overcoat retrieved, her spectacles upon her muzzle and her satchel resting at her side, Shae is well prepared for the long walk home.

The remnants of the battle can still be seen on the open fields, though the snow is doing its finest to bury the ruins of carriages, scattered weapons and unclaimed bodies. Far off in the distance, Caro can see the skeleton of the dragon, gripped by frost as it resonates with the ground. He grimaces and averts his eyes, focusing his efforts on remaining close to Shae. Ever since leaving the sauna he’s refused to step any farther than a meter from her, for fear she’ll be assaulted again.

“Almost wish you cared this much when my leg was infected,” Shae mutters with a grin.

As the path inclines and the vegetation gives way to rocks and spires, Tohro relinquishes his lead. “Okay, Shae, you’ll have to take the helm, since I honestly have no idea where Wintercolt even is.”

“Oh, you.” Shae flicks Tohro’s barrel with her tail as they pass each other.

The rest of the trip mostly dwells in the realm of silence, muted further by the dense snowfall. The trek through the Mount Everfree pass is entirely uneventful, as is the hike up the mountain’s border, all up until the tall stone borders of the path fall, and Dragonrein comes out into a snowy field overlooking a large lake at least half a mile down. The wind carries powder from the ground and scatters it about, sweeping at the hooves of the ponies. It’s utterly frigid for somepony as unarmored as Caro. For the first time since the start of this adventure, he’s genuinely cold.

“Come now, let’s keep moving,” he says, pushing forward despite his trembling legs. Shae and Tohro have fallen behind, which he takes notice of. “Well?”

Tohro groans. “You are so stubborn.” He shuffles through his pouch. “Now where is that... Ah, there we are.” He reveals a long blue hooded coat with a fur trim and padded interior.

With a nicker, Caro turns away and keeps walking. “Not in this lifetime.” His steps are halted by a magenta aura. Shae tugs him back towards Tohro and the coat with levitation, laughing as he tries to resist. “It’s futile, Caro.”

“I’ve already told you, I hate armor!” The aura forces him to turn around into Tohro’s grip. The white pegasus vigorously runs his hoof through Caro’s unkempt mane.

“But it’s not armor, it’s fashionable,” he says. “You have to dress properly for your presentation.”

“Presentation?” Caro bewilderedly looks at Shae.

“Don’t you recall? The whole reason I left Wintercolt in the first place was to investigate the events of Reinoc as an extracurricular assignment. Students are required to research or create magical milestones before they graduate, you know.”

Caro stops his struggling, though Tohro doesn’t let go of him. “You may have mentioned it...”

“Well, you and Reinoc’s events go hoof in hoof, and your connection to the dragons is something unheard of. Do you have any idea how groundbreaking this could be to the academy?”

Caro eyes the coat again, and shivers when a gust of wind courses over him. “I suppose I could swallow my pride.” Tohro finally relinquishes his grip, passing the coat to Caro. “It is rather nice.”

“The academy is a rather prestigious place. One must look their finest.”

As Caro fits the sleeves around his forelegs, Tohro ties the sash around his waist. “I want it on record that I’m doing this for you, not the academy.”

“Noted,” Shae says with a giggle.

Tohro pats Caro on the flank and shoulder. “Don’t be so sore, mate. It looks good on you. I believe that somepony as legendary as the Dragonborn deserves clothing that flaps in the wind!”

And flap in the wind it does, giving him an aura of heroism as he raises a single hoof and faces the wind, with his mane and tail trailing behind him. A cocky grin spreads across his muzzle.

Tohro applauds with a few stamps of his hooves. “See, it’s not so... Oh no.”

Caro drops his dramatic pose. “What?”

A canid snarl answers his question. He swings around and unsheathes his dagger at the sight of a white wolf.

Tohro brings out his wing blades and takes one in hoof. “It’s only the one, we can take him.”

“Wolves hunt in packs, you moron...” Caro growls.

The wolf makes the first move, charging at Caro and leaving spots of drool in its wake. It leaps in for the attack. Caro sidesteps to the right and slashes at the wolf’s side with the dagger. It’s still up and moving just fine.

Tohro steps forward to finish the job but reels around when he hears another snarl. “Okay, you were right.” Two more wolves begins circling about him and Shae, who lights her horn in preemption. Caro quickly steps to her side.

Shae casts a direct beam of fire before either of the wolves pounce, piercing one through the chest. Its instantly cauterized wound doesn’t leave any blood.

The other wolf makes an attempt on Tohro, who bucks it back, flies forward and cuts its throat with his equipped wing blade. Its whimpering proves a burden on his ears before it finally dies.

Caro, meanwhile, is flanked between two of the wolves, with them serpentining towards him and dodging his attempted fire shouts. He makes a blind swing with the dagger but comes up short, ending up pinned by them both. Shae levitates one off and tosses it away, while Caro shouts “FUS!” sending the wolf airborne. He pushes himself up with his forelegs and bucks it in the chest before slashing it down. He lands on all fours, then brushes the wet blood from his new clothes. “I think the suit will be well ruined by the time we’re done here.”

Shae gasps and points behind Caro. “And torn to shreds, just like us!”

“Something tells me that I do not want to know what’s behind me, but knowing I’ll eventually have to...” Caro tilts his head into his swing around, stepping backwards in surprise as score of wolves emerges from the snow. “Yes, so... I hope Wintercolt sells these outfits.”

“Aside from the academy, the whole place is essentially a slum,” Shae says with a groan. “Sorry.”

Caro grimaces at how much he’s muddled the outfit in such a short time. “No, I’m sorry, because it’s clear that this was an expensive buy. You and Tohro both must have chipped in?”

The pegasus and the unicorn both nod.

Caro returns the gesture, then turns back to the wolves, flipping his dagger and catching it in his other hoof. “The next one’s on me, then. And I’m buying you both jewelry, because you mean that much to me.”

With a visible snort, Caro shouts “WULD NAH!” and soars into the fray, just above the large pack. Every wolf turns their hungry stare at him. “YOL... TOOR SHUL!”

Those beneath the Dragonborn are burned to cinders in a manner of seconds, while the surrounding wolves squeal and run about in a flaming panic. Caro smirks as he makes his triumphant landing, only to widen his eyes when he takes notice of the surviving wolves. They’re much less pleased than he is.

“Well, shit.”

As the wolves convene on him, all at once going straight for neck and face, he braces for a grievous wound and shuts his eyes.

Shae uses her magic to shove as many wolves as she can aside, but it’s not enough. She strains her neck as she calls out for Caro, with Tohro soaring forward as fast as possible. It’s not fast enough.

No effort seems to allow the Dragonborn escape, as he holds a wolf back mere inches from his neck, kicking the others away with his hind legs.

“HIYAAAAGH!”

A loud and sharp war cry pierces through the howling wind as a torrent of flames cuts through the pack, severing many of the wolves from their limbs and reducing many more to mere flaming pelts. When the flames stop, what appears from their wake draws shocked and astonishment from Dragonrein.

“Rosemary!” Shae shouts with glee.

The yellow earthwalker salutes to Shae as she drifts to a stop, her enflamed black falchion clutched in her teeth. Only three wolves remain after her wild attack, all of which having left Caro to deal with the greater threat.

Rosemary bucks the first wolf in mid-leap, sending it careening into the second. She runs to them, pins both of them with her hind legs, with one wolf on top of the other, and shoves her sword through both their bodies in a single thrust.

The last wolf, left alone among the corpses of the rest of the pack, ferociously roars at Rosemary, who merely wipes her bangs out of her eyes and beckons the wolf to make its move. “Come on, furball.”

The wolf breaks into its charge. Just before it makes contact, Rosemary somersaults out of harm’s way and bucks the wolf hard enough to send it over the edge of the cliff, whimpering as it falls to a rough death.

Dragonrein and Rosemary take a moment of pause, with their heavy breaths visible in the frigid air, before they all break out laughing.

“Ah, it’s good to see all of you,” says Rosemary as she puts away her falchion.

“What are you doing here?” Tohro asks, wrapping his foreleg around Rosemary’s back to her shoulder. “This is definitely no place for a pretty face.”

Shae snorts. “Oh, thanks!”

Tohro waves her off. “You get special privileges, honey. This is your quest, after all.” He turns back to Rosemary. “And speaking of quests, what, may I ask, is yours?”

Rosemary worms her way out of Tohro’s grip and trots about between the members of Dragonrein as they all come together. She keeps her gaze on Shae. “After my mum showed up to the battle with her lycan army, I had a bout of panic and decided to take my leave. As far as she’s concerned, I’m still at the villa with my little brother and sister.” Just as Shae opens her mouth, she interrupts. “Don’t worry, they’re bein’ taken care of. I just couldn’t leave my friends all by their lonesome, especially when they seem to keep losin’ their weapons.” Rosemary gives Caro a mocking grin, and he looks away meekly. “For a Dragonborn, you sure are clumsy. I mean that in the best way possible, of course.”

Caro shakes off his embarrassment and signals to keep the group moving. “Walk and talk.”

Rosemary follows, keeping close to Shae. “So how am I supposed to tolerate the fact that as soon as I leave, this beauty here,” she gives Shae’s mane an affectionate tousle, warranting a giggle, “gets assaulted by some lunatic and nearly... I don’t even wanna say it.” She drops her smile and looks at Shae with grim sincerity. “The thought of you dyin’... It hurts, it really does.”

Shae lends her a comforting hoof and pulls her into a partial embrace. “Not as much as the blade did, but thank you.”

Rosemary’s chipper demeanor returns instantly. “But, here we all are, alive and well! Seems I chose the right time to follow your tracks.”

“Why were you following us?” asks Caro.

“Well, isn’t it obvious?” Rosemary gives a shrug. “My quest is your quest. I want to join Dragonrein.”

“There it is.”

Overlooking the coast, fastened to the cliffside of Mount Everfree, stands the many towers and walls that create the ornate and mighty Wintercolt Academy.

“My home, and my future. It’s all right in front of me. Almost like I can reach out and touch it.” Shae longingly reaches out for the academy, despite it being well off in the distance, separated from Dragonrein by another hike around the mountain and a walk through the pass.

“It’s incredible,” says Rosemary as she gapes. “Seeing it for myself is far better than any portrait.”

“Every new student has to hear of the academy’s history. I remember the speech fondly.” Shae clears her throat, and with her hoof on her heart, she recites.

“It was decades ago that the unicorns of Gran Magus, the pegasi of Olympus, and the earthwalkers of the Great Plains relocated to the land we know as Equestria. They sought to escape the blizzard that consumed the entire continent. Among them was Clover the Clever, beloved servant of the royal family and an incredibly talented mage beyond her years. She, Smart Cookie and Private Pansy all shared a moment of friendship, and from that spark she created the Pure Heart, saving what would be Equestria from the blizzard. From that day, she dedicated her life to ensuring the unicorns of the new kingdom would have her talents. One may never know when the proper spell is needed. Thus, Wintercolt Academy was created.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Rosemary comments. She gives Shae a hefty nudge. “Go ahead, say something else.”

Shae mutters, “Oh,” and levitates her bag forth, lifting the flap and taking a glance inside. “Actually, I think I should get dinner started.”

Caro and Tohro are pitching the tents, with Tohro laying out the skeleton and Caro throwing the covers on top, then they both roll out the mattresses and sleeping pouches. Tohro takes a breath and says, “Three minutes. I think we can do better.”

While Shae lays out packages of raw hay bacon, she looks to the center of their encampment. From her horn comes a small burst of blue embers, which settle into a gentle flame.

Rosemary’s eyes are filled with awe, as they usually are when Shae performs any spell, no matter how miniscule. “See, just like that. Name an earthwalker that can do that sort of thing.”

Caro clears his throat rather loudly.

“Sorry, legendary Dragonborn notwithstanding.”

Shae puts her magic to work further. She levitates a flat stone over the fire and splays the hay bacon across it. As the stone heats, the strips begin to sizzle, prompting Rosemary to lick her lips in anticipation. “Bein’ on my own hasn’t made for much in culinary matters. My daddy always said I could eat like a full grown stallion since I was a babe. Had to keep me off the garden.”

“I figured we could all use a little treat,” says Shae as she flips the strips, “since we’ve all been surviving on grass and Jarl Drake’s medicine for the past day.”

“Who was your father, Rosemary?” asks Tohro. “If your mother is the dreaded Former General Tangerine, then your papa must have been something fierce.”

“He was the general before her, actually.”

Tohro’s grin broadens as he nods. “Oregano Von Spice? I should have known. It’s a shame he went down at Ghastly Gorge. He was a respectable soldier, even to the Blackwings. I mean, not that I ever met him... Are you well, Caro?”

Caro stares intently into the fire, his pupils shaking in the whites. He looks like he’s on the brink of tears again. He suddenly breaks that face and turns. “What? Huh?”

Rosemary shuffles over to where Caro and Tohro sit, eyeing the former with obtrusive curiosity. “What’s with him?”

“My parents died in that same battle,” Caro says quickly.

“Oh, well…” Rosemary is unable to respond to that. She moves back to Shae, tapping one hoof with the other awkwardly.

Caro turns to Tohro, whose eyebrow is cocked accusingly. “If she’s going to be a member of Dragonrein, she has the right to know. I’m not going to turn into a blubbering idiot just because she asked an honest question. Who do you think I am?”

“Still,” says Tohro, “we have to ensure she’s Dragonrein material. We already have our warrior,” he gestures to Caro, then Shae, “our mage, versatile in both black and white magic,” Shae smiles humbly, “and of course, me, our handsome rogue.” Tohro glares at Rosemary, resting his hoofs on his knees. “What do you have to offer us, Spice?”

Rosemary’s eyes dart to each member of Dragonrein, then turns her head to look off to the shore. She turns back as a grin crosses her muzzle. “You’re already wearing it.”

Caro nods approvingly as he pulls his dagger from its sheath and gives it a flourishing toss back inside. Tohro flaunts the hidden blade fastened to his gauntlet, and Shae taps the ring fit on her horn. “An official smith for this guild?” she asks rhetorically. “I like the idea.” Her eyes inevitably fall on Wintercolt Academy. “I mean, I’ll need somepony to fill my position.”

As it has each time the thought of Shae leaving has come to the forefront, a depressing silence cuts the friendly atmosphere like a knife through soft butter.

Though the suspicion that Rosemary would interrupt that silence is confirmed. It’s a welcome act. “Do I look like a mage to you?” she asks. “I can’t replace your techniques.”

“Well, there’s more to magic than just unicorns casting spells. The Fae affects everypony, even earthwalkers and pegasi.”

Rosemary snorts, defiantly lying on her side. “That’s a laugh. If I truly had any sort of connection to the Fae, I would have been able to run off from the villa long ago, and my mum wouldn’t have known a damn thing.” She wraps her forelegs around her midsection and shudders, teeth clenched from the frigid cold and the snowflakes soaking her red mane. “And I would have found some way to stop this Hephaestus damned snow!”

Amidst all the friendly banter, nopony had taken notice of how much the snowfall had intensified, turning the open afternoon sky into a grey colossus and rendering Wintercolt Academy as little more than a weak silhouette in the distance. The blue fire is beginning to dwindle as it endures attacks from the falling flakes.

“Aw, no!” Shae trots to the flames and does her best to reignite them, but they continue to sputter and die. Even if they could be saved, the hay bacon can’t. It’s already soaked onto the stone. “Damn. Dinner is a lost cause. Sorry...”

“I think it’s for the best that we call it a night,” says Caro, pulling the hood of his new coat over his head. He pauses as he realizes how dead useful such a thing is. Shae does the same with her hood as Rosemary throws her fedora on.

As Caro and Tohro hop to their hooves, Rosemary approaches them. “Wait, fellas, where should I sleep?”

The two look at each other. “Well, obviously you aren’t sleeping outside,” snarks Tohro.

Caro looks past Rosemary to see Shae retrieving the group’s bags. He goes to her side and grabs his pouch, then offers to take hers, but she shakes her head in refusal. “I can handle myself, Caro.”

Caro rubs one of his forelegs with the other, facing away from Shae with an adorably awkward winge. “Uh... So, you don’t need me to sleep with you in your tent tonight?”

Shae pauses, pondering the notion, but it doesn’t take her long to shake her head again. She slings her bag over her back and trots to her tent. She opens the flap. “Caro, I really do love and appreciate your efforts, but I’m not helpless.” With a blush, she looks to him. “Thank you, though,” she says quietly. She walks into a quick embrace with Caro, who accepts it warmly.

Tohro watches intently, lying on his stomach halfway inside his tent. He sidles inside and begins to draw the flap shut. “Sleep wherever you like, Rosemary. We’re not picky.” He beckons for Caro to come inside.

As the Dragonborn leaves Shae by her lonesome, he nods to Rosemary and follows Tohro into the tent.

“Good night, ” Rosemary says with a tip of her hat.

As she turns around, she notices the last traces of a black and white tail disappearing into the other tent. In a manner of moments, Shae will probably be asleep, and Rosemary will have missed the opportunity she’s been waiting for. She’s flubbed at her chance before, but with her cheeks full of red and her heart pounding, she resolves to not make that mistake twice.

~Shae~

It’s only after I step into the tent that I realize just how frigid the outside is, and how utterly soaked to the bone I am. My cloak is going to need a fierce washing when we arrive at the academy.

The thought alone makes my insides flutter. It’s the same feeling I get whenever I talk to Celina, or receive full marks on an extensive project. It’s like absolutely nothing can be wrong with the world.

Granted, such is not the case. As I remove my cloak and begin to do the same for my undergarments, I get a full look at my scar, reminding me that there is plenty wrong with this world, and now it’s a part of me. I used to find ponies with scars incredibly attractive, if not downright arousing. From now on, when I look at a painting of some legendary warrior and see their scars, I’ll know that they suffered to attain them.

Still, this could be a good reminder to keep myself safe, even when I’m wrapped in Wintercolt’s perpetual safety.

Fauste, my fur is wet. I bring my forelegs to my horn and cast a minor heating spell to remove the moisture. It’s a slow but effective process.

And then I’m cold again as more snowflakes fall on the floor of the tent. The tent flap must have been forced open by the wind...

“Uh, hello.”

Or Rosemary. That is a much more welcome sight. My depressing thoughts of the horrors of this world all disappear in an instant, replaced by ones of warmth and serenity. I slowly trot to her and take her hat; not with levitation, with my hooves. It’s utterly drenched, to the point of being wet parchment. My horn is still alight with heat, so I pass the spell onto the hat and dry its fabric. It’ll still take some time before it’s entirely dry, though, so I set it down in the corner.

“I never really had a chance to thank you,” I say. “Coming all this way just for us.” I reach my hooves under the collar of her coat before pulling away in embarrassment. Rosemary just chuckles and removes it herself, along with her sword, which she sets next to the hat.

She watches me with complete admiration as I dry her coat. “Expressin’ my interest in joining Dragonrein was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I came for another reason.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” I ask honestly. I can’t imagine what else it would be, but it must be something special, since the answer seems to have gotten stuck in Rosemary’s throat on the way out.

The edges of her lips quiver as she tries to say something, but all that comes out is a click of her tongue. “I wanted to know more about the Fae.”

“Oh?” Some part of me finds that hard to believe, but this is Rosemary we’re talking about. She probably would have slayed the entirety of the Sisterhood of Shadows to ask me a simple question.

“You know, about that passive magic you said earthwalkers and pegasi have.”

“I have a book for such an occasion!” I chirp, levitating my must-have-at-all-times encyclopedia on such things to my side. The Fundamentals of Magic (Or: What’s this tingling sensation on the tip of my horn?) is given to all students wishing to attend the academy and we’re encouraged to keep ahold of it. I still haven’t covered everything in this beast.

“Having difficulties there?” Rosemary asks, dabbing some sweat from my cheek.

I lay the book down before me and get down low, with her following suit. “Levitation may make things easier to carry but weight still applies. It’s the same reason I can’t lift myself; I’m too heavy.” I continue to make use of the levitation magic to spin through the pages of the book. I land my hoof exactly where I want to go. “Here it is.”

Illustrated on the pages before us are silhouettes of male and female earthwalkers and pegasi, respectfully. In the earthwalker bodies are small patches of aura, specifically in their legs and hindquarters, intensifying at their hooves.

“You see? While the Fae allows us unicorns to borrow its power and transform it into magic spells,” I tap my horn, “it resides within you as a passive ability. It’s what makes you earthwalkers so strong and fluent with your hoofwork. That’s why earthwalkers make such great warriors and blacksmiths.”

With that being said, I’m able to take notice of Rosemary’s more muscular frame, more visible since she’s out of her coat and down to a black tunic and long socks... I face her dead on. She’s smiling. I must have humbled her. “I feel magical already. So, what about pegasi?”

I point to that diagram, in which the aura is visible in the pegasi’s wings. “I believe that speaks for itself. In addition to their hollow yet sturdy bones, pegasi are naturally born with the Fae in their feathers, which they make good use of to stay afloat.”

“They need the Fae for that?”

“Well, even if I were to give you wings, which I can’t,” I pause, thinking to my more advanced studies, “yet, you wouldn’t be able to use them. You’re too hefty, and you wouldn’t have the Fae necessary.”

“What if I were to flap my hooves real hard?” She does just that, warranting laughter from me, which passes on to her.

When we’re done, she rests her hoof on my shoulder, giving me one of the most sincere smiles I have ever seen. It almost hurts to look away as I turn to the next page. “Want to see what an alicorn’s Fae might look like?” I’ve been dying to look at this page. I wonder if Celina has this sort of aura. It’s at its absolute peak throughout the alicorn’s entire body, even their mane and tail.

I go for a while staring at the picture, not receiving an answer. I turn to Rosemary to ask her again, but before I open my mouth, she plants a soft and gentle kiss on the tip of my muzzle.

My heart throbs to the point where one could probably see my chest vibrating. “Oh...” is all that escapes my mouth. I begin to fumble with my hooves, unable to get a grip. Everything feels uncomfortable, hazy, confusing and... and...

Rosemary seems entirely unfazed. She emanates a warm and serene glow that must be resonating with me, because the confusion and awkwardness of the moment is fading rapidly.

"Struck you mute, did I?" she whispers in an unbelievably sultry tone, amplified further by her northern accent. I only knew her as loud and boisterous a moment ago. "Sorry if it felt so sudden... Was actin' on instinct there." She nods towards the tent flap. "I, uh, I can leave if I crossed a line."

All I can do is shake my head. I've pursed my lips, for anxiety that I'll have to put them to use.

"Again?" she asks.

"Yes... Please..." I whisper, greatly anticipating that same warm feeling on my face.

Rosemary gives me a tender nudge on the same spot she kissed me with her hoof, before holding me by both shoulders and planting her lips on my forehead, then the right cheek. She takes extra time for that last one.

Everything I felt before is gone, all replaced by sheer wonder. There’s no other word for it; I feel wonderful. So wonderful I can’t help but throw myself around Rosemary and snuggle my face into her neck.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that,” she says, holding me close. “Ever since you came into the forge...”

I give a light snort. “Sans the vomiting?”

She chuckles. “Yeah...”

I move my head to face hers, looking into her field green eyes. Our muzzles touch. “I... guess I should apologize for the trouble-”

She kisses my snout again before I can finish. “You are worth the trouble. And take all the time you need to let this sink in, okay?”

It could have been an hour, or it could have just a few seconds, but after getting lost in her gaze, I somehow manage to speak. “So, what do we do now?”

"I'm plum tired, I have to be honest." Rosemary stretches out her forelegs and yawns. "After all of this, finally being able to...” She blushes madly with a childish giggle. “Bein' relieved and all..." She eyes the sleeping bag. The one sleeping bag.

"Yes... of course..." And we’re right back to awkward. "I don't want to be rude." I gesture to the bag. "You can have it."

Rosemary smirks. "Ah, ah, I'm not selfish. I'm not gonna leave you sleepin' in the cold.” She takes my hooves in hers and pulls me with her to the bed. “Come on. There's room for two."

"Oh... OH!" A goofy smile begins spreading across my face. First she kisses me, then we’re... "Um... I... I don't want to impose..."

Another kiss to the forehead silences my blubbering. Rosemary settles in underneath the covers easily, leaving a spot for me. How generous. “I want the imposition, hon. Shut up and cuddle with me.”

I nod helplessly and crawl into the sleeping bag. I fidget in an attempt to get comfortable, poking Rosemary in the cheek with my horn each time, following up with an apology and more panic.

Rosemary just chuckles with each awkward outburst and wraps her forelegs around my barrel. Eventually I’m snug beneath the many blankets, only a hair width away from her.

"I... I..." I can't form the rest of the sentence. I take a breath and rethink the situation. This doesn’t have to be awkward. I’m simply resting in a bed with a mare who is obviously in love... I can tell. It’s the sugary sweet edge on her words. I have to be honest, she’s probably not the only one in this tent with such feelings. That thought alone makes me relax. "Mmm, this feels nice..."

But it’s also familiar in many ways...

"Mother, the storm is really loud..."

"Are you afraid, little one?"

"Mmhmm..."

"Come up, my little mage. You’ll be safe with me and Daddy tonight. That storm won’t touch you."

"Thank you, Mother..."

My eyes involuntarily squint as they begin to fill with the faintest of tears.

"Hey..." Rosemary takes notice of my inner turmoil and wipes the tears away. "What's the matter, Shae? Tell me honest."

“Just... sad memories is all... It's not your fault."

She makes another sigh of relief, which I can feel on my face. "Let it all out. I'm right here."

She’s been through enough. I’ll save her the tragic tale and keep it simple. I care more about this moment, me and her, wrapped together in the closest embrace I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m really, truly happy, but I can’t stop crying. "You're so lucky... to still have your mother..."

~Vision End~

Morning comes without a fanfare, with no rooster’s crow or chirping birds to announce its arrival. The overcast doesn’t allow for a brilliant sunrise or a blue sky.

Yet, as far as mornings for Dragonrein go, this one is a relatively happy, if not bittersweet one. Caro wakes for the first time in a while feeling nothing but comfort, having been spared another otherworldly visit from that ethereal filly. “Whoever she is...” He’s not prone to hating that filly for entering his dreams but her haunting presence can’t make him anything but uneasy, no matter how happy her tidings seem to be. The dreams have gone from pleasant yet unorthodox to just plain disconcerting.

“Ah, good morning, mate.” Tohro is well awake, stretching his legs and flapping his wings to their absolute limits. With a crick of his neck he says, “Did you have that dream again?”

“No.”

“Hmmph.” Tohro resumes his stretching. “That’s a shame. I’ve been waiting to find out what the hell she’s been trying to tell us. What do you make of that child anyway? You said she wants us to ‘find’ her?”

Caro removes himself from his sleeping pouch and throws on his new coat before the cold gets to him. He welcomes its warmth, but not the sensation of fabric on his coat. “She’ll send us a sign when she’s, ah, ready. Until then, I’d rather not talk about it.”

This talk of the filly reminds Caro of the song she sang, the one part of the dreams he’s kept to himself. He recalls hearing the exact same song from Shae. It can’t be anything more than a coincidence, in his mind, but it is an uncanny one.

A crack sounds out from Tohro’s neck. “Ah, that was a good one!”

“What are you doing?” Caro asks as he wipes the sleep from his eyes.

“Well, I recall offering Shae a flight to the academy back in Everfree, seeing as the pass is closed and all...” The pegasus gets low and starts doing push-ups. “I always keep my promises, yeah? Only thing is, I hadn’t really taken into account you coming along.” He switches to doing his exercise on a single forehoof.

“Why would you care if you and Shae were alone?” Caro asks.

Tohro gives him an expression that says, Isn’t it obvious?

Caro grimaces and makes his way to the tent flap. “You sick fuck.”

Standing back up, Tohro spreads his wings and flutters to Caro’s side. “Why is it you always assume I’m talking about vaginas?”

As they step outside, they take notice of a peculiar sight. Shae is on her back next to the blue fire, her hind legs crossed. “Because you always inevitably find one to talk about? I’m humbled, by the way.”

What catches their eye isn’t that, but the fact that Shae’s head is resting upon Rosemary’s lap. Rosemary is affectionately brushing Shae’s straightened mane. The two have an incredible contrast to them, what with the prim and proper, yet relatively small schoolmare leaning on an unkempt and rusky earthwalker, who waves awkwardly.

Caro and Tohro briefly look to each other, and in perfect synchronization they each raise a hoof and say, “Approved.”

Shae chuckles as she’s helped onto her haunches, and rests her head on Rosemary’s shoulder. “Good morning, you two.”

“A very good morning,” says Rosemary, wrapping her free foreleg around Shae.

Perhaps it’s because it’s such a precious moment, or there’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said before, but Caro and Tohro remain quiet. They begin deconstructing the tents and stuffing them into their bags of holding, somewhat painstakingly. “I swear, these things are getting heavier,” says Caro.

Shae taps him on the wither, presenting her bag. “Oh, then this might be a bit of an inconvenience.” She levitates a set of potions from the vial pouches, mostly green and blue concoctions that she hasn’t put to use. “I won’t need these anymore.” They all fall into Caro’s bag.

It’s more of an emotional weight than a physical one; a reminder that Shae is going away for a while, possibly... Caro and Tohro both grimace at the thought and keep a certain word from their minds.

The crunch of snow alerts Dragonrein’s presence to a hooded figure in the distance, approaching rather quickly with their quick hoofsteps. They are accompanied by two others, following behind in unison.

“Who do you reckon that is?” asks Tohro.

Rosemary steps forward. “Probably a merchant. Get your bits ready. Never know when a good deal might cross your path.” She narrows her gaze at the hooded figures. “I wonder if they’re a zebra caravan? I could use some skooma.”

“Skooma?” Shae cocks her brow.

“It’s a zebra concoction brewed with special crystals and sugars beneath the full moon. It feels like an orgy with the Divines.” Rosemary gets flustered just thinking about it, licking her lips eagerly. “I oughta share a bit with you.”

Curiosity strikes Shae, but she quickly rethinks it. “Wait, isn’t that incredibly illegal here since its level of contraband content is through the roof? And, uh, I’m not of age.”

Rosemary pats Shae on the head with gusto, chuckling all the while. “I won't force it on ya, lassie. Still, I wouldn't mind a little huff...”

A stern voice interjects into the conversation. “And what makes you think I sell skooma? For that matter, what makes you think I’m a zebra?” The hooded figure got the jump on them, standing over by about half a head, and the purple robe makes them all the more menacing. By their voice, they sound like a mare.

“Um, hello,” Shae says with a meek wave.

The hooded mare only looks at Rosemary, Caro and Tohro for a second. She takes more interest in Shae, examining her robes and trotting around her, humming all the while. Shae can only look about in mild confusion.

The hooded mare returns to her followers. “So you’re of the academy. I recognize the robes. That is a well chosen path, child.”

Shae looks to Rosemary, who beckons her to step forward. She does so, bowing politely. “Um, thank you. I’ve lived in Wintercolt almost my whole life. I’m actually on my way back there now.”

“Is that so? But isn’t the pass closed at this time of year?”

“We, uh, have a pegasus.” Shae gestures to Tohro, who gives the hooded mare a sultry wink. He is promptly slapped by Caro. “He’s going to fly us over.”

The hooded mare rubs her obscured chin. “Hmmph. Unacceptable.” She trots past Shae and Rosemary, with her followers in her wake. “Unacceptable. I will take the helm and clear the pass myself. A little buildup of snow is hardly beyond my means.”

“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but,” Shae gallops to catch up with her, “you don’t have to.”

The hooded mare faces Shae and chuckles. “Now what sort of noblemare would I be if I let a student of my academy face the elements alone?”

It takes a moment for that to register in Shae’s mind, but the moment the realization clicks, her mouth falls so far open that her spectacles go askew. She mouths a name, unable to summon her voice.

The hood comes down, and from underneath its shadow emerges the head of an indigo unicorn with long blue and cyan locks for a mane. “Clover the Clever, at your service.”