He still rested on the ground, but it was no longer the soft carpet of the hotel’s floors. It was hard, not even sinking in an inch, but it was something that made him feel more comfortable than any bed he had slept on.

He knew this place, even if he couldn’t see it. Twice he had been here before, but never had he taken in this sort of detail.

“It’s weird what you can miss even with your eyes wide open, right?”

He didn’t let himself be disturbed by that voice, and rubbed his cheek over the floor, even if Thiemo himself didn’t know why. He only knew that this closeness felt pretty good.

And suddenly he realized something, something he had already asked himself when he visited this place the last time. Now he knew its origin.

Despite himself, a smile appeared on his lips as he slowly used his arms to set himself straight. “Yeah, it’s kinda ironic that the human living under the ponies is the one who was blind.”

Blue fog writhed like thousands of snakes away from the translucent floor under which endless emptiness was to be seen. For the first time, Thiemo turned around. The road ended practically at his heels.

“Well, it’s a small bruise on my ego that I’m only recognizing it now,” Thiemo mumbled while his eyes wandered down to look at himself. He was naked once again. “It’s so obvious.” He snorted.

“If it helps, I took five visits to realize the nature of this place.” This time, Thiemo stayed calm and didn’t freak out as the small blue sphere started to swirl around him. “Still, I was relatively younger than you.”

“Do you know that I first thought you were just a blind passenger? Even if I look at this as a kind of payment, you never asked me for permission,” Thiemo said, grimacing as he looked around. “Still, I favoured the idea. However, this complicates my life a bit more.”

“It does?” The sphere had no face, but Thiemo could imagine the grin spreading upon it. “It’s your life. I can’t control it.”

Thiemo shook his head. “Yes, but influencing it is a whole different story.” He paused and frowned. “Which still leaves one question. What are you?”

The sphere seemed to think for a moment. “I’m the knot in your handkerchief, the nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten something. I’m—”

“Blue Light,” Thiemo ended, and the blue sphere hovered to the ground, taking another form.

“Well, a fragment that remained.” Legs began to emerge out of it as the body formed, just before he sat up and shuffled his wings. The alicorn stretched out all his limbs and sat down in front of Thiemo, who reached out his hand to touch him. His hand passed through the alicorn as though he was made out of water, only that he didn’t feel anything. It wasn’t cold or warm, and didn’t even felt like he had touched anything at all. “The part that isn’t allowed to rest, as some would say.”

“Remorse.” The alicorn winced like he was struck.

“Amongst other things.”

Thiemo crossed his arms. “Well, I feel so much more confident in myself now.” This time he saw the grin. “So what does this make us, or Amaryllis and me, for that matter?”

“Nothing at all,” the alicorn answered with a shake of his head. “There are no such bonds between us, but it might be that your decision to take her in was influenced by me. Like I said, I’m nothing more than a faint feeling.”

“Female intuition?”

Blue Light raised his eyebrow, something that ran in his family. “Are you trying to insinuate something?”

Thiemo couldn’t hold it anymore and started to laugh, not only because of the alicorn’s expression, but over the whole situation. Actions in the past that had once confused him now made sense: Luna’s help, the warm greeting from Cadance, and the interest Eris had in him, a mere human.

His laughing lasted until his sides began to hurt, and then he stopped. “I really needed that,” was all he said as he held his stomach. Now he looked closer at the alicorn. With his horn, Blue Light was about as tall as he was. His white mane was messy, strands loosely clinging around his neck. Blue eyes blinked in confusion as Thiemo started to circle him and look at his flanks.

“Just like Twilight said; exactly the same cutie mark,” Thiemo mumbled. As he stood behind the alicorn, his gaze landed upon his tail. At first he thought that his was the same, but another look told him something different. Where Light’s tail seemed bushy, containing much more volume, Thiemo’s was thinner with a slightly different white, even just slightly. But something else, something he hadn’t realized until then, made him shiver. “Doesn’t that hurt?” he asked cautiously as he pointed under Light’s tail.

“One simply has to watch out that they don’t sit upon something sharp, the same as humans,” he answered, but that didn’t make the pang of sympathy lessen between Thiemo’s legs. At least now he knew why ponies, especially stallions, had cushions to sit down. “See something you like?” Light asked as Thiemo finished circling him.

“No, but I know now that I’m a much bigger idiot that I ever thought before. I just had to think back to Appleloosa.” The alicorn just grinned again. “This is the part where you have to disagree with me.” There was nothing but silence. “Asshole.”

“Pot meet kettle?”

Thiemo played with his hands, having no idea where he should let them rest without pants. “So, will you help me? You did it last time to save Amaryllis.”

“Not helping, no.” The alicorn shook his head. “However, I will offer you a chance to do it on your own, just not only to save Amaryllis. I want you to get to the very core of all this.”

Thiemo had a faint idea what Blue Light meant, but he wanted to make sure. “Define everything.”

The alicorn tilted his head back and forth. “Everything. First, the questions you’ve already asked yourself.”

“Which you’re not really innocent about.” That grin again.

“Second, for what exactly happened on Albion.” The human knew that this would come, for after the words from Undine and Eris, it wasn’t surprising. He had already noticed it even when they had found Index. Someone had played with the major parties on Albion and incited them against each other. A fourth party separate from the humans, the ponies and the Children of the Night. If you could believe Eris, Celestia had some bad memories about war and that fourth party had used this for their advantage. Celestia had been nothing more than a frightened child who got a weapon pressed into her hand and told to shoot everything close by. In the end, it was this same child who ended up shooting those closest to her as they tried to get in the same hiding place.

Then there were the humans, suppressed and threatened for their entire existence. There were more than enough examples in the history of the world of what humans could do when pressed into a corner. War horns had been playing across Albion for a while, and it was only a matter of time. Someone wanted the two species to destroy each other. Thiemo had no idea if he should laugh again because this entire situation was only possible due the fact that once again the ruler of one of the countries was immortal. After all, it was thanks to the procession of generations that old feelings and hate were lost, something that had not been possible with Celestia on the throne.

“So, any clues?” Thiemo asked.

“You’ve seen the records. Everything I know about our enemies, you already know as well.”

Thiemo scoffed. “So we know next to nothing at all, only that they can switch forms. Do you think that it was one of Echidna’s children?”

“No, I knew Echidna and some of her children well enough. Some might have a tendency for stupid actions and violence,” or both, Thiemo thought silently, “but none of them would be suicidal to do something like that.”

“What’s abo—” Thiemo stopped himself. He wanted to ask about disloyal changelings, but he remembered Amaryllis’ reaction regarding that topic. “Just forget it. I’ll see what I can do, but I won’t promise anything. I’ve got more than enough problems myself, and a daughter I have to look after. I won’t put her in danger.”

“I’ll leave the ‘how’ to you. I had my chance and lost it. Like I said, it’s your life and not mine. Besides that, I’m asking you, not forcing you to do it, so it doesn’t mean you have to.” Thiemo nodded. “It will be slightly different than the last time. Last time I gave you part of my magic, but I kept control over it. You’ve matured now, know what can be lost, and more experienced than before. This time, you take control over it, over everything.”

“I can smell that catch clearly.”

“Of course. If two powers meet, there is always friction. You will have to take the control.”

“And how do I even do this?” Blue Light stood up and stomped his hooves several times onto the floor. Then he galloped at Thiemo.

“Take it!”

Author's Notes:

Normally there wouldn't be a 18.6. This was meant to be in 18.5, but I felt like I had to separate it, because this little segment answers so many things.

Regarding their relationship: The clues were all over the the place, but way back in the first act. Remember the soul Thiemo met in the hive and what he said about it. Then Appleloosa. I hope I don't have to spell it out.

Thanks to ScratchnTavi for translating my mess.
Special thanks to JBL for editing.