Thiemo looked through the window of the small hotel at the end of the main road. He and Amy had taken a room below the roof since the windows there offered them a direct view of the forest. Many beaten paths were visible on the meadows around the city, but only one looked like it had recently been used. This was the one they were keeping their eyes on now. A bed they moved at the window served as a seating place for him, and a lying place for his marefriend. It was relatively easy, thanks to Heart and Lyra, to convince Hawk to let them stay here as observers while they did the same from their camp.

Every half an hour, he or Amy would give them a signal that everything was alright with them. The sign was lighting a candle at the window on the other end of the hallway three times. It showed into direction of the camp, and Hawk definitely had the eyes to see the small light over the distance, unlike anyone else. So they stayed undetected, unless the visitors were already in town. “Thiemo, you have an idea what is going on here, right? Why haven’t you told them anything about it?”

He smiled over to Amy and put a hand on her shoulder. “For starters, I doubt Hawk would have left us here alone and also because she couldn’t change anything. Besides Celestia or Luna, I can only imagine four or five other creatures that could pull something off like this. And I highly doubt this is another of Eris’ pranks. No, this is another avatar.” Amaryllis eyes widened at the mentioning of the creatures. “Avatars or gods in physical form. I never believed in them, not until I met the princesses. I’m not absolutely sure, but Celestia and Luna are most likely the avatars of light and shadow. While they are in line with each other, they create life and harmony. Contrary to popular belief, light is not always good, and neither is shadow always bad. The sun can burn, and the night can be like a protective blanket. It always comes down to the personality behind it. Then there are the avatars of the elements of nature. Undine, Spirit of Water. Supposedly a sea pony if the legends of the zebras are right. But I’ve never found anything about this race in any library, so I doubt they exist.”

“Some very old books in my mother’s library mentioned them.” Amaryllis tried to remember, tapping her chin pensively. “I think my mother herself mentioned them a few times in her lessons, but we lived in the desert.” She shrugged. “I never really paid much attention.”

Thiemo nodded. “Then there is Ariel, Spirit of the Wind. Supposedly a majestic snow-white griffon who lives in the mountains of her kingdom. I read a few sagas about her and even found some pictures. The last information, however, was hundreds of years old. Then there is Gaia, Spirit of the Earth. She is the mother of all life and has the form of a diamond dog. Allegedly, she is a tribal leader, and her pack is so deep under Albion’s ground that finding her would take a lifetime if you didn’t know where to look. I heard diamond dogs talking about her, so I think she has a similar role to them like Celestia for ponies. She can also control all earth, from gems to metals. She wants gold? She just creates some. Many have followed this legend and were lost in the endless labyrinths of the dogs. Of course, that was soon followed by death from starvation. And finally there is the Spirit of Fire, a dragon. Not much is told about him. Supposedly, everything fell to his flames. Either he didn’t like anyone writing about him, or the dragons don’t want their religion documented.”

“You don’t sound like you really believe that. If Celestia and Luna are what you say, where is the proof?” Of course she was right, but he never said to avoid believing.

“Every legend has a true core. And it’s too much of a coincidence that similar legends exist on our planet. They are often mentioned in literature in ancient times and were often praised by some nations. And believe it or not, Luna was one of them. Celestia is a bit far-fetched, but religion researchers believe that Jesus Christ, the son of the god of one of our major religion, was just a symbol for the sun. Like Ra in ancient Egypt. Many names for the sun, but in the end it was the same life-giving star.”

Amaryllis stumbled. “Hold on, doesn’t that mean that Albion and Earth must have a connection, or at least had one? How could two worlds so far away have such similarities?” Thiemo grinned and clapped his hands.

“Exactly my thought! One of the questions I’m trying to answer as I travel. Also, I’m wondering how it can be day on the whole planet at the same time. Or that it’s the same season. There is also my sudden appearance here which means there’s another indication of a connection.” Thiemo let himself fell on the bed, his head coming close to Amaryllis’ flank.

“And you think that these spirits have something to do with it?” Thiemo shook his head slightly.

“No, none of them really showed themselves in the last thousand years. Why would they attack a little town now? If you could really call it an attack. No, I think that someone like Twilight Sparkle is behind this.” Amaryllis turned her head away from the window and looked over to him. “Who says that Celestia was the only goddess who ever lifted her tail?” Both snickered. “And telling that to two strongly devoted ponies in particular wouldn’t be a very smart idea.”

Until now, Aura had been very content with her performance. She had gotten some money, followed the others onto the first train, and had trailed them, undetected, until Stalliongrad. Since a princess was travelling with them, they were travelling first class, something that her aunt Rarity surely liked. She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Aura when she briefly saw her in the hallway. Her eyes were set either on the decorations or the stallion at her side. The both had this strange look her father always had when he looked at that stupid changeling. Disgusting.

When they reached the first station, the night slowly began to set, and the filly knew that she would miss the others leaving in the morning if she didn’t stay near them. So, with the remaining money she had stolen out of Granny Smith’s pickle jar, she upgraded to first class and took a cabin only two doors next to Twilight and Applejack. So she didn’t feel too alone in the train, and she was certain she would notice when the group was leaving the train since the exit was on the opposite side of her cabin. It would have been a fail-proof plan if Twilight hadn’t chosen that moment to want to empty her bladder.

They looked at each other for a second before they both ran away in different directions. Aura sought refuge in flight like she always did. Twilight instead ran back into first class, probably to inform the others. Aura quickly went through three wagons of the second class and was now outside the door that led to the storage wagon. She searched for a hiding spot on the way, but the train was completely filled. It would take a while until the others would check all seats, but now she was a sitting duck out here. Fortunately, she was so small that her head couldn’t be seen through the window in the door. “What would dad do now?” She looked around. Of course, there was the wagon in front of her, but it was locked. She could search a conductor and steal his keys, but that contained the risk of getting caught. She could also try to climb on the roof.

She looked to her right where low hanging branches whooshed past the train. “Or maybe not.” Unfortunately, the only other way was to go back. Then she had an idea. If she could sneak past them and get back into her cabin, she would be safe. They had locks on them. Problem was Applejack would be looking around like a hawk. Once, she had even caught her stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar. It had been dark, and Applejack had been sleeping on the couch. Without looking up, she knew that it was her and sent her back to bed. She hadn’t even made a sound. But it was her best chance now.

Aura nodded to herself, gathered all her courage, and opened the door, only to run directly into the legs of a pony. She looked up to apologize but stopped as she met Applejack’s angry look. It was a mystery to Aura how Applejack accomplished it, but this expression was more terrifying than everything she had ever saw. “So, ya wanna do this the hard way or the very hard way?” Before Aura had the chance to reply, the orange mare grabbed her by her right ear with her teeth and started dragging her through the train.

“Hey!” she protested and tried to stop. “Aua!” she tripped forward a bit as she had to yield to the pain. “Watch it!” She saw many of the grown-ups to her left and right looking at her and shaking their head while the other foals grinned maliciously. “That hurts!” Applejack showed no mercy and pulled her through the next wagon. “Mum, that hurts!” she yelled a louder this time, the pain in her ear suddenly spiking, tears springing in her eyes. Applejack let go of her, and she fell onto her rump roughly and started rubbing her ear with a hoof.

Aura looked with one eye up to the orange mare who stood there, rooted to the spot, looking at her. The filly sniffled once and looked at her hoof, feeling something warm and sticky. It was a bit red. She heard a light gasp from Applejack who looked at her with big eyes and then into the crowd. Aura didn’t know what was happening, but a few seconds later, she was lifted onto Applejack’s back, and they continued their way, this time without getting one of her ears damaged. But Auralia was not done with her yet. “Do you understand now why I want to be with my dad? He would never hurt me!”

She saw that she had hit the mark, so then why was she feeling bad after saying it? Her head hung low, the mare trotted past Twilight and Rarity, who threw a quick glance at them and then followed them back into their cabin in the first class. “You stay here. I have to talk with the others for a moment,” Applejack ordered and closed the door to the cabin.

Aura just sat there and stared at her hooves. Why did Applejack let go of her? And why was she so sad now? It was nothing new that she wanted her father back. Everypony knew that. Didn’t Applejack herself say that this was why she was going on this journey?

Outside, the moon was at its highest point already. She used to sit with her father at a fire, snuggled together under an old blanket and watched the night sky. It was only him and her, no Amaryllis, no Twilight Sparkle, and no Applejack. They didn’t have it easy, but together they could do everything. No matter if it was a hoard of angry dragons and diamond dogs, no matter if they were sold to a slave ship by that damned Trixie or in a brawl with some stupid griffons. Compared to that their stay in Boardor and walking through the tundra, it had been child’s play.

After a few minutes, the door opened again and everypony, except Estoc, entered the room. He stayed outside and just nodded towards Rarity as he closed the door. “Auralia, we want to talk with you about something for a moment,” Twilight began and sat down in front of her. Applejack sat down next to her, but unlike the princess, she looked more at her hooves than at her. Rarity sat down next to her and put a hoof on her back. “You surely remember the spell that I tried while we were at the castle, right?” Aura nodded. Of course she remembered that. They all glowed so nicely, and she was so happy to glow in the same color as her dad. “When you called Applejack your mother, how did that feel?”

Did she do that? If so, she didn’t notice. “Don’t know. Should I have felt something?” Twilight looked over to Rarity and nodded.

“No, darling, everything is alright. It would be wrong if you felt something. After all, we know Applejack is your mother. But if you would feel uncomfortable… I don’t know. Twilight has studied this kind of magical connection. But if it felt wrong, it probably wouldn’t be right.” Her aunt sighed.

“What Rarity is trying to say is this: we all know it is physically impossible, but you and Applejack are mother and daughter. Even though she never gave birth, she also feels this connection. I studied the connection between ponies for a long time. Friendship, love, and everything around it. Even repulsion and hate.”

“Aura, ah don’t know how that’s possible, Sugarcube. Ah never was with a stallion, not to mention having a foal, but something tells me you belong to me and… Ah want to be there for you. And it hurts… it hurts when you push me away. No one wants to replace your father….” Aura saw the tears in the eyes of the mare. She didn’t know why, only that it was right to stand up from the bench and hug her.

“Hey, wake up,” Thiemo shook Amaryllis after he returned from giving the signal. The princess fell to the side and was kept dozing. At least until he shook her a bit stronger.

She yawned and her eyes slowly opened. “What?”

Thiemo sat back down on his spot on the bed. “Nothing. You just fell asleep.”

“Sorry,” she said, still a bit sleepy and held a hoof in front of her mouth as she yawned.

“No problem, that’s why we are here together, right?” The low, hanging head of his companion was not a good sign.

“I thought you like being alone with me.” Thiemo could slap himself right now and would surely do so at some point. Of course she saw more in it than just the thrills of finding out what was going on here. He hadn’t even thought about that, but he wanted to block it out at the moment.

“Amy,” he began and pulled her closer. “I told you already that I want to go home. As soon as I find a way, I will be gone, on a planet where they would lock you away and examine you for the rest of your life, simply for who you are. Our governments are not that well known for being too kind to foreigners. Or to put it simple, it would be just like Canterlot. A room as a cell, little fresh air, and lousy food. Even if they wouldn’t find you, it would still come down to the same thing. I would have to hide you, and you could never run around freely. I don’t want that. Why start something where we can already see the end?”

She panted and slammed a hoof down on the mattress. “Do you even know how confusing that is?! On the one side you tell me that you like me and even your feelings say that! But then you say something like this! For Aura you risked everything as well. Why not for me?” Thiemo had to admit that she had a good point. Why? He was far beyond the point of being clear about his feelings. Amy understood his strange humour (most of the time), could keep up with him if it came to knowledge and perception, and most importantly, she stood her ground. She had shot Night Hawk off his back with a spell and even tried to defend him. All in all, she was everything he was looking for in a girlfriend. There was the thing her being a completely different species, but god be damned she looked beautiful in the pale moonlight. Her dark coat reflected the light just enough that, aside from her eyes, only her silhouette was visible. And now tears were forming in those eyes.

“Amy,” he said softly and tried to put a hand on her cheek. But it was roughly pushed aside by one of her hooves.

“You know what?!” she snapped at him. “Don’t talk with me until you know what you want.” She tapped at his chest, directly above his heart. Thiemo could only avert his gaze and look out the window.

“Amy!” he suddenly shouted.

“I told you to leave me alone!” Thiemo ignored her sullenness.

“No, look outside.” Down, on the only dimly moonlit road, rushed little shadows. At first they had considered lighting the lanterns, but that would have probably scared them. Now they were here. It must have been around ten or twenty foals that were all following one that was waving at them when the coast was clear. They made their way down the road and disappeared in a second-hand shop. “Let’s go, we follow them.”

“Hold on, shouldn’t we give Hawk a signal?” Thiemo just looked at her for a few seconds in disbelief. “I said nothing…” They grabbed their bags and quietly made their way down into the ground floor of the hotels where, behind the counters, one of the not-zombie ponies stood and stared at the wall. Apparently, all the ponies in their state moved into such a position for the night. Maybe they just slept with open eyes since he knew ponies could stiffen their legs to stand on the same spot for a long time. Something that he could have used very well during boring school events in the past.

They hid in front of the counter and looked through the large windows outside and at the entrance of the store. Thiemo held a finger in front of his lips briefly, then motioned Amy to follow him. Crouching, Thiemo opened the door and let the princess slip through it before he slowly and quietly closed it again. They went carefully but quickly across the road and stopped in an alley between the store and another building. They could hear the foals on the inside, searching through the drawers and mumbling quietly. “All right, Amy. Can you transform in a filly?” She pouted at him briefly, but then nodded and disappeared in a quick flicker of green flames. In her spot stood Auralia. “Perfect to make me feel even guiltier,” he commented caustically as she put down her bags, which were too large for her now.

“I haven’t got a close look onto too many foals. Maybe the next time we’re in Canterlot, I’ll go ask a mother if they would leave me alone for ten minutes with their foal with a wide grin on my face.” She didn’t need to mention that she was speaking about her true form now.

Thiemo rolled his eyes. “Okay, no reason to get all snippy. We should talk about that later and get this over with.” Amaryllis, disguised as Aura, nodded and saluted, just like the real one would have done. “So, try to get into the story.” Thiemo looked at the wall and concentrated shortly. “It should be exactly twelve foals. Tell them you were lost or something. Or you were hiding in some house until…” Thiemo drifted off as the sky began to glow. No, not the sky, it was magic. Like snow in the wind, it hung in the air and slowly fell down on them. For a short moment, Thiemo considered if it was worth the risk, but then decided against it. With a quick move over his bracer, he pulled out Protes. “Shield,” he whispered, and the glowing staff followed his wish. A round shield engulfed them as the magic fell from the sky like snow. It glowed in all colors of the rainbow, which would have been a beautiful sight if it wasn’t so dangerous.

“Thiemo, what’s going on?” Amaryllis asked, confused, and placed a hoof on the shield.

He need a few seconds before taking his eyes off the sight. “What? No… uh… Are you telling me you can see that?” She looked around but then shook her head. “Then remind me to teach you how to see magic.”

“You can learn that?” she asked curiously.

“Sure… Magic is everywhere. You are born with it, so your senses are blocking it out to avoid an overflow. With a bit of training, you should be able to surpass that. It was differently for me. I didn’t know magic when I arrived here. It was easy to learn to see it.” The magic ebbed away slowly, and Thiemo lowered the shield as soon as the last remains vanished in the night air. “At least now we know what to look out for.” He gave Amy a signal again and with a quick nod, she disappeared around the corner to meet the other foals.

Thiemo waited patiently. He heard them talking and from time to time. He thought he could hear Aura’s voice and a bit of what Amy was telling them. Then he heard the opening sound of drawers again until eventually the back door opened with a squeal. Quietly, he sneaked, now with two bags, around the corner and watched the foals, along with Amaryllis, on their way back into the forest again. Their little saddlebags, apparently designed for books and other school utensils, were full to the bursting point with various objects. He waited for a little while longer after the heavy back door closed and then started to follow them. It wasn’t easy to walk stooped while carrying a backpack and a saddlebag, but as soon as they were in the forest, he could dash from tree to tree. His magical sight gave him a clear view on the little ponies, consisting out of all three races, and Amy of course. She glowed like a searchlight unlike the others.

Thiemo stayed close to the walls to brace himself, and at one point, he stopped just in time. Their leader stopped at the edge of town and looked down the roads. Thiemo couldn’t see it quite clearly, but he seemed to be a little older than the others and appeared to be a pegasus too. After a short while, he seemed to be content and turned away to follow the others. Unfortunately, Thiemo had to wait for a little longer as they went across the meadow, but Amy’s magic was like a beacon. On the open field, she would have to be many kilometers away from him in order for him to lose her.

He sighed in relief as the group reached the edge of the forest, and he supported himself against a tree. The group of foals was only about two hundred meters ahead of him, and the little magical energy of the trees was hardly any distraction. But the cough next to him was. “I thought I had made myself clear?” Behind one of the trees, Hawk appeared, and Thiemo sighed.

“Where’s the rest?” It was clear to him that she could see in the dark as though she almost born for the night.

“Heart is guarding the camp, and I won’t bring the greenhorn into danger. So, where are they going?” She pointed with a hoof in the general direction where Amaryllis and the other foals went.

“If I had to take a guess, their camp. And if I’m correct, we will be meeting whoever is responsible for all of this.”

Author's Notes:

Let's play the game: Who finds the references!

Satan may overcome these two:
Thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL for proofreading and editing.

And give their story a try too:
Contact