It had been three days since the Dragons had arrived from their old home to their new home. The once empty fields outside the walls were now covered with large temporary shelters for Dragons while some others had found caves nearby to live in temporarily. Some of the better hunters had discovered plenty of game nearby, so food wasn't a problem for the immediate future at least.
Over the course of the last three days, my guards, Ember, Sunset, Zecora and I had been exploring the entire city, getting a better feel for it. I saw just what Silica and Strato meant by underground caves. Each building had two types of living situations. There were residences and tall buildings above ground, of course, but each building had below ground constructions. None of them seemed to be connected as far as anyone could tell, but it seemed as if they were sturdy enough. Some were damp with centuries of neglect and decay, but Sunset found a few that were in very good shape, dry and even warm. She found what she called runestones placed in the corners of these caves which she thought could be the reason why those particular basement levels were in such good condition. This was only confirmed when she found broken runestones in the other damp caves.
When Sunset and I told this to Twilight during her visit the night after, Twilight retreated back into her dimensional library and returned with an ancient looking Dragon book. She showed me a depiction of one of the runestones halfway through the book along with the spells necessary to activate the stones. Unlike Unicorn magic, Dragon, or rather Wyvern, magic required magical words of power. She hadn't tried using one of the spells yet, but Spike had. The efforts of a simple magic spell had left the young drake very weak, but otherwise unharmed. Still, he really wanted to learn more about his Wyvern heritage, so Spike had given him one of the introductory books but only if he Pinkie Promised not to cast any spell without Twilight there to keep an eye on him.
Wallflower, guarded by two of the new Dragon Royal Guard along with her new friend Scarlet, explored the landscape surrounding the castle. She used her Unicorn magic to find the best place for growing crops, but to her disappointment, there wasn't much fertile ground. She explained to me later that first day that the ground felt corrupted and sick. On a hunch, I called Chrysalis to me then and we went to the nearest spot where Wallflower had felt the corruption, Chrysalis knelt and put her hand on the ground. She confirmed my suspicion that Fae magic was working through the ground, but admitted she wasn't sure how to undo it. The magic was old, and she claimed it felt like it was fading. I suggested she try to absorb it, but she vehemently shook her head, claiming that the magic had a nasty smell to it. The smell of hatred. When I touched the soil, I nearly recoiled. There was something evil about it, but it was barely there. Still, even if it was barely there, I didn't like the fact that the soil had that feel to it.
Huǒshān had volunteered to keep order in the Dragon camp outside of the city, a job which he did very well. He was quite an accomplished mediator. He told me that when he was a hatchling he had lived in Virynth Atheos before its fall and his father had been a Royal Advisor. He learned all of his skills and knowledge from his father. I was beginning to like Huǒshān more and more and asked if he'd be willing, once things settled down, to be a Royal Advisor to the Imperial Crown. He asked to think about it, but for the meantime he was happy enough keeping the peace in the camp.
Gemini and Mica had been both dealing more with the new Dragon Royal Guard with Captain Lahar, getting a feel for how they operated and where they could improve. Gemini told me a couple of times that despite the years of stagnation, the younger guards had plenty of potential. The older guards had experience and were, in her words, more than adequate, something I knew was high praise for her. Mica used more colorful words, such as "superb" and "could give the Lycan Imperial Guard a run for their money," a phrase he'd learned from me. I had Captain Lahar, Gemini, and Mica working close together to come up with training regimens for potential new guards. My plan was that eventually the Empire's army would undergo a complete overhaul and become much more organized because Gemini and Mica had also reported to me that they were more rag tag than anything else.
On the second day, Sunset found what she'd been looking for: the ancient library. It was its own wing in the castle, with an upper and lower hall, the latter being underground. It was in the best shape out of every other room in the castle aside from the throne room. The windows were intact, and there were a few large arched stained-glass windows on the walls, each seeming to display some scene or another that I couldn't identify, but which Huǒshān explained were depictions of ancient Dragon myths and stories. There were tables with ancient candles sitting on them along with large reading chairs. The books were in pristine condition and organized by what Sunset guessed was a Dragon version of the Dewey Decimal System.
Speaking of Sunset, she was in heaven. When I showed Twilight some of the pictures I took that day, she practically had a nerdgasm. She begged me to let her see the books, but I held off because I wasn't sure just what was there. She was disappointed but understood. Sunset had pretty much sequestered herself in the library, having changed to her Anthro form to better be able to search through the books.
That same day, Zecora, Ember and I found a hidden cave system which was about twice as large as the hoard caverns that Torch had back at Duzoroth. The only way the doors could be opened was if both the Staff of Ignu and the Bloodstone Scepter were placed into two notches on the floor. Inside, we found yet another vast hoard of treasure, including the same denominations of coins I'd seen in the Duzoroth hoard room. The entire hoard was in practically pristine condition thanks in part to the many runestones we found in various corners and on sconces. We spent most of the day exploring that cavern system, finding all kinds of interesting artifacts, which included something surprising.
Among the many different objects we found, I managed to stumble upon a large black staff with a very familiar two pronged design and a tall gemstone in the center. It looked remarkably like the staff used by the Storm King in the MLP movie, the Staff of Sarcanas. When I touched it, I felt a powerful magic inside of it. Not wanting it to fall into the wrong hands, especially if this Kör Elzarin I'd heard about was anything like the Storm King, I stored it inside the necklace.
We also found a vast storage room similar to the one where Torch had stored his hoard of food. Unlike the one from Durzoroth, this one was pretty much empty save for some rotten and spoiled meat in the far back. There were runestones in this storage area as well, and while they were working, Sunset later explained to me that their preservation job wasn't meant to last indefinitely, which made sense considering the fact that the meat looked like it had been going bad only for a few months.
There was one more round chamber within the caverns that was completely empty. There were shelves all around it and runestones everywhere. It looked like the entirety of my personal wealth could fit inside. On the arched entryway above it I could read the Aelyssian words Emperor's Hoard carved into the stone. Only I seemed to be able to pass through, even if I wasn't holding the Staff of Ignu.
On the third day, I walked around the shelters for the first time with Ember, Scarlet, Zecora, Phlogiston and Aurora, wanting to make sure that the Dragons were okay. Every Dragon bowed to me, although I did see that some were doing so begrudgingly. I did learn from Huǒshān that a few of the older Dragons did remain behind near Durzoroth out of habit, which troubled me a bit until Huǒshān explained that even in their golden years, Dragons were still strong and in shape and could defend themselves from any creature.
For most of that day, I walked among the Dragons, talking to those who wanted to talk. I even met Smolder and Garble with their still recovering mother. She looked better than she had before, and when she saw me she gave me a grateful smile. Smolder and Garble thanked me as well.
Aurora was having the time of her life, giggling and laughing as she met Dragon upon Dragon. I told everyone who asked who she was and they bowed to her in respect. Aurora, however, was more interested in playing with any little hatchling she saw. Phlogiston told me later that she found a group of hatchlings about a year older than her to play with and had a ball. It left her exhausted, but happy.
Wallflower came to me with a new idea. She asked to go back to Ponyville to visit someone. I was a bit confused, but opened the doorway back to Equestria. She grabbed a large sample of topsoil from the fields around the castle. When she came back, she had a wide grin on her face. She explained that she'd gone to visit Applejack and asked her to try and grow a plant in the soil. The Earth Pony wasn't too enthusiastic about it, but she did just that. Wallflower's hypothesis, which was that Earth Pony magic could purify the soil, was confirmed because when Applejack made a small flower grow in the Aelyssian soil, not only did the flower grow but the malice within was purified. When she and I showed the pot to Chrysalis for confirmation, she seemed surprised that the Fae curse had been broken.
On the third night, I called Twilight, only to see that she'd brought the other Elements of Harmony with her this time. Apparently, Twilight had spilled the beans about the new doorway and my friends wanted to come visit me. I was practically glomped by Pinkie in my new bedroom, a very well preserved room that was twice as large as Torch's old room. I told them everything that had been happening for the past near week and a half, and they listened with rapt attention. Sometimes Zecora and Scarlet, who were with me, chimed in if I forgot something, but for the most part I did the talking over a barrel of Sweet Apple Acres cider made with Younger Goldens.
The girls were impressed, to say the least. Rainbow really wanted to explore the castle along with Pinkie, but I forbade it seeing as it was late in Aelyssia and the Dragons who were sleeping in the castle might not take kindly to their antics. Still, the two mares begged me constantly until I finally caved and promised them a tour the next day.
That was where we were at the moment. It was about nine local time and I was showing the Mane Six and Spike around the more public areas. Zecora was with us as was Scarlet and a still Anthro Sunset. Gemini and Mica were nearby guarding us. We were walking down one of the main hallways. Ironically enough, it was the same hallway that I'd discovered the Resplendent in and the hole it had crashed in was still open to the elements outside.
Rainbow Dash flew down from where she'd been looking at the ceiling. She looked at the rest of her friends, then crossed her front hooves. "Okay, if nopony else is gonna say it, I am. This place is freaking huge!"
Scarlet chuckled. "Damn right it is," she said, "I bet it'd take a day to fly through it. And I mean the public areas only!"
"Rainbow, you have to remember this castle was built for Dragons, not Ponies," Twilight said as she lifted up a small piece of discarded armor with her magic and examined it curiously. "Fascinating…this must be over a thousand years old and it looks practically brand new…"
"Yeah, it's like that almost everywhere," Sunset said.
Applejack tapped a nearby wall with her hoof. "Ouch, that's a solid wall," she said.
"Hey AJ, don't hurt your hooves," I said, "you need those for your job back at the farm, dontcha?"
Applejack smiled a bit and nodded. "Sorry, sugarcube. Just testin' the walls."
"Darling, I'm not as much of a magic expert as either Twilight or Sunset here," Rarity began, "but I can feel a strange magic in the air. Can't you?"
In truth I could. It had only seemed to get stronger as my magical sense grew inside me. I had felt it back when I first came to this place with Spike, but I hadn't really taken the time to focus on what it was. I looked at Rarity. "There has to be some kind of magic here that's kept the castle and the city in as good of shape as it has," I said, "but I haven't found any runestones in the public places."
"Maybe they're built into the walls themselves?" Twilight suggested. "I don't know much about runestones, but I think I remember reading back when I was in Canterlot that runes could be carved into a rock and then the rock could be resealed."
"Providing better protection against any sort of damage to the runes," Sunset concluded.
"But how would they reseal a rock?" I asked. "Unless they etched runes into something like obsidian."
"Obsidian doesn't conduct magic runes as well as other stones," Sunset explained.
"And it's too easy to kick open," Pinkie added. This led to her getting a few confused stares from some of her friends. The party Pony shrugged. "What? I grew up on a rock farm, remember?"
"Well, what kind of stone would best conduct magic?" I asked.
"Not a stone, more like a metal," Sunset said, "and that would be iron."
I raised an eyebrow. "For real?" I asked with bemusement.
The Unicorn grinned and nodded. "I know, seems like that would be the worst conductor of magic, right? But it really is the best conductor of magic."
"Perhaps the walls were reinforced with iron?" Twilight suggested.
"Maybe," Sunset replied, "but I don't think so." She walked up to the wall and put her hand against it, rubbing it experimentally. "I couldn't feel any metal inside the walls with my magic earlier, just those spikes."
"Somepony call me?" Spike called out from a nearby room, poking his head out from the top where he was flying.
"Oh, no no, sorry," Sunset replied, "I was talking about those spikes outside the castle walls."
Spike chuckled. "No worries," he said as he flew out and landed next to Twilight. "I'll say one thing that needs upgrading here are the bathrooms."
I winced. "They were state of the art when they were built," I admitted, "but yes, the bathrooms around here could use some upgrades. We don't need a pandemic from poor hygiene to break out."
"What are the others doing right now, Jethro?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ember and Huǒshān are with the Dragon camp right now," I explained, "and so are Phlogiston and Aurora. Chrysalis is with her guards somewhere, and the Dazzlings are with their guards going through some of the treasure we found. I think they're looking for Siren artifacts."
"Speakin' of her, ah guess ah'd better go find her," Applejack said. She lifted her hoof and looked at it. It began to glow green briefly before vanishing moments later. "She said ah got the magic tah fix yer land."
"Earth Pony magic has to be pretty powerful," Rainbow Dash said.
Fluttershy walked up to Applejack's side and putting a kindly wing around her. "Are you nervous?" she asked. Applejack pursed her lips and didn't say anything for a while. Finally, she nodded. "We'll all be there for you, right girls?"
After everyone replied in the affirmative, Applejack smiled a bit more. "Thank yah, everypony. Ah admit, ah'm a mite nervous 'bout this, but ah'm happy yer all here."
"We wouldn't leave you hanging," Rainbow Dash said with a winning grin.
"Of course not, darling," Rarity added, "perish the thought!"
"We're friends to the end!" Pinkie added.
"You girls really are the Elements of Harmony, aren't you?" Sunset said aloud with a bemused but somewhat saddened expression on her face.
"That they are," I said, patting the young Unicorn on the back. "Come on, everyone. Let's go and find Wallflower and Chrysalis."
"A pot of soil is one thing, but an entire field?" Applejack asked, looking up at me with uncertainty in her voice. "Ah dunno, sugarcube, ah doubt ah can do that."
"Nobody's asking you to force yourself," I replied reassuringly as I put a hand on her withers. "Just do your best. You've been practicing a lot, right?"
Applejack nodded. "Sure have, but ah dunno if ah have what it takes yet."
I looked out at the barren fields we were standing in. Nearby the Elements, Zecora, Scarlet, Spike, Sunset, Wallflower, Chrysalis, Ember, Gemini and Mica were all watching me and Applejack as we talked. I turned back to Applejack. "If it gets too much for you, let me know, okay?"
"Ah will."
I took out my phone and switched to my camera. "Do you mind if I record this?" I asked.
Applejack shook her head. "Nah, go fer it." I hit record just as Applejack turned towards the field. She leaned her head from side to side and I heard her crack her neck. "Alrighty then, earth. Yer gonna meet yer match!"
She raised her hoof and it began to glow bright green. She pressed it against the ground. We all watched as a large number of what I could only describe as glowing bright green lines spread out from where her hoof had touched the ground. The lines weren't straight, but looked like vines extending from her hoof. Each one had some sort of spiral pattern to it. As the glowing lines spread, a fine evergreen mist rose above the affected areas. There were brief sparks of glowing bright green magic among the mists. Soon, it seemed like the entire field was enveloped in the glowing patterns and the sparkling evergreen mists.
I captured it all on video, taking it all in as I panned the camera around while at the same time taking in everything with my own eyes instead of looking at the view on my phone. The mists intensified and rose higher above the ground, filling the air with its magic and a sound I'd never heard before. However, after about ten seconds, the magical mist receded as did the bright green lines. When both had vanished, what had once been a desolate landscape was now a large grassland blowing gently in the breeze. I briefly recorded this before finally ending the video and putting my phone back in my pocket.
Everyone was silent as we looked out at the brand new grasslands before us. Nobody spoke for at least half a minute. Finally, the last person I expected to speak spoke up. "Well now, that's something you don't see every day."
I turned to the speaker. Chrysalis had her arms folded and looked genuinely impressed by what had just happened. I looked at everyone else. They looked as shocked as I did. Quickly I turned back to Applejack, and I noticed how exhausted she looked. I moved to her side and knelt beside her. I put a wing across her back and instantly she leaned, putting her full weight against me. I sat on the ground and let her rest her head in my lap before giving her a sip from my canteen.
She drank gratefully then looked up at me with an exhausted smile, her green eyes full of warmth. "Thanks," she said softly.
"You're welcome," I said, running my hand through her blonde mane before looking back out into the new grassy field. "That is definitely more than I was expecting. I don't recognize the grass, though."
Twilight was the first to react. She walked up to the edge, picked a blade of grass, looked at it, then walked over to where Ember stood. She lifted the blade up to the Dragoness with her magic. "Do you know what this grass is?"
Ember took the piece of grass from Twilight and examined it closely. After a few moments, she sighed, shook her head, and handed it back. "Nope, but I'm sure somedragon does," she said. "I'm only a century old."
"I haven't seen this grass in a long time," Zecora said. She was kneeling beside the edge of the field, feeling the grass in her hands. "Zebras call it Muwa grass. It has a sweet taste to it, like sugar." She plucked a blade and put it in her mouth. She chewed on it, then after a while spat it out. "You don't eat the grass itself, but you can chew on it and enjoy the flavor."
"Ooooh!" Pinkie immediately grabbed a hoofful and stuffed it in her mouth. She beamed and chewed on it before spitting the chewed grass out. "Wooow…that's tasty! I wonder if I can use this to make some kind of new dessert?"
As Pinkie gathered some more of the grass and Twilight returned to studying the grass blade, Fluttershy came over to where Applejack and I were. "Applejack, are you okay?" she asked.
"Ah'm fine, sugarcube," Applejack replied, "just a bit tuckered out right now. Nothin' a good apple can't fix."
"Why don't you try growing one?" Pinkie asked.
"Right now she's probably too tired to do so," I admonished the young fluffy maned goofball, "but we can go back to the castle where you gals can take her to Ponyville to recover."
Before I finished speaking, I heard the telltale sound of Earth Pony magic once more being cast. I turned and saw that Applejack was, once again, placing her hoof (the other one this time) on the ground. The lines this time seemed more focused than before as they entered the grassland, heading directly towards the center. We all watched, speechless, as a large tower of sparkling evergreen mist formed at the center. When the mists dissipated, there were ten trees standing in a circle. Each one was laden with heavy looking and ripe apples. Apples I recognized as being the same five types I'd given to Applejack a month or so ago. There were two trees of each type. Two Star Apples, two Cinder Apples, two Rose Apples, two Desert Apples, and two Winter Apples.
I felt Applejack relax even more against me and a sigh escaped her lips. I looked down and her eyes were closed, but she had a smile on her face. As if knowing I was looking at her, she turned to me, opened one eye halfway, and said, "Ah've been practicin' a lot."
"I'll bet," I chuckled as I stroked her mane and looked back up at the trees. Unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie was already bounding through the field towards the circle of trees, humming a familiar tune to herself.
"What kind of trees are those?" Ember asked, coming to stand beside me.
"Those?" I chuckled. "Those are apple trees that once existed in Aelyssia." I listed the names off for her.
As she listened, her eyes widened. "How…those trees went extinct during our battle with the Dark Fae over a thousand years ago!"
"Some of each of their fruits survived," I replied as I watched Pinkie going between each tree and grabbing a bunch of each before placing them in a basket that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Mom told me stories about them," Ember said. "She said that there was once a Royal Garden where one of each tree grew, but that the garden was burned down during the siege."
"Those don't look like any apples I've ever seen," Chrysalis said.
Ember turned and glowered at her, but I reached out and touched her leg. "Not here," I said warningly.
She looked back down at me with a glare, but I returned it with one of my own. After a bit, she nodded. "Fine, Your Grace…" She turned away and walked off, getting some distance between her and Chrysalis before stopping and facing the trees again.
"I must say, that is quite an impressive display of magic, darling," Rarity said as she came up and looked down at her friend.
"Thanks," Applejack replied.
"How big can you make plants anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Ah don't rightly know," Applejack admitted, "but ah think ah'm getting less tired with each use."
"That does tend to happen with magic," Twilight said. "It's like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. But for some Unicorns you only have a set amount of magic."
Wallflower walked up to the grass and used her magic to pluck out a piece of soil. She encased it in her magic, concentrating on it. She then opened her saddlebag, pulled out a small clay pot then placed the soil inside it. She returned to us, a look of awe on her face. "I don't know how you did it, but you created a layer of topsoil in seconds. That's…wow…"
"I'm back!" Pinkie said out of nowhere, her mouth stuffed with an apple as the juices ran down her cheek. She placed the large basket down. "Which kind of apple do you want, AJ?"
"Winter, please." After Pinkie Pie gave one to Applejack, the Earth Pony farmer took a bite, then her eyes opened. Slowly, she sat up onto her haunches and began to chew down. "Aaah…now this is a good apple."
"I brought enough for eeeeveryboooody!" Pinkie exclaimed in a singsong tone.
"Why don't we head back for now?" I suggested. "We can eat back at the castle."
"A mighty good idea," Rarity said, "this dirt is doing nothing for my hooves."
I rolled my eyes, stood, and looked down at Applejack. "You good to walk back?"
"Ah'm good," she said as she stood, only to wobble a bit. I reached out and steadied her. She looked up at me and gave me a grateful look. "Thanks, sugarcube."
"Anytime," I replied as I turned back to the castle.
We had hardly taken a half dozen steps when I felt something glomping onto my back. A pink muzzle leaned in beside me and its owner said, "Jethyyy! Can you give me that magic too?"
I looked over at the pouting Pinkie Pie. I chuckled. "I don't even know what I did to give it to Applejack," I said, "or rather, I don't know how to replicate it, and I don't want to risk hurting you."
"But if more Earth Ponies had this magic, then maybe they could help purify more of the land," Wallflower said from nearby.
"Wallflower, I don't know how to do what I did to Applejack," I explained, being vague. "It was an accident that led to her developing Earth Pony magic, and I don't know how to replicate it. Still, it might not be a bad idea to try." I looked down at the Earth Pony farmer. "Having this ability could be useful for Earth Ponies."
"Maybe fer some," Applejack conceded, "but ah dunno."
"I know Roseluck would love it. Her and her two friends," I said. "Flower power, after all."
Applejack snorted with a smile. "They definitely would. Ah know fer me it might be helpful when spring comes 'round."
"Oh oh! You think it'll work for farms like the Pie Farm?" Pinkie asked.
"A rock farm?" I pondered this. "I mean, maybe? Applejack's a farmer, so it stands to reason that her magic would relate to plants. If someone like your sister Maud were to get Earth Pony magic, maybe she'd have some sort of rock related magic?"
"I don't think so," Twilight said as she came up closer. "Yes, Earth Ponies are naturally more attune to earth, but even a rock farmer has a sense of the live in the soil. They always search for a place where that life is the least likely to interfere with that work."
"So all Earth Pony magic will look the same to what Applejack's doing?" I asked.
"I think so, but I could be wrong," Twilight said.
"Let's not think too much about it now," Scarlet said from nearby. "Honestly, it's giving me a headache just hearing you talk about it. You came to explore the city, so let's do that."
"Ah, right," Twilight said sheepishly as we entered the city. She looked up to me. "So…where to now?"
I looked back at her. "Well, how about lunch?"
It was early evening now. The day was over and my Ponyville friends had all returned home. I was walking through the new grassy field with Zecora by my side. My hand was in hers as we wandered through the sweet smelling grass towards the ring of newly grown apple trees. Ahead of us, Scarlet flew, exploring the brand new field of Muwa grass. I had tried some of the grass, and it did have a very sweet taste to it. I was chewing some currently as I walked with my wife. Gemini and Mica were staying behind us, keeping an eye on the two of us.
Zecora leaned in and laid her head against my shoulder. "Today was a nice break," she said, "it was good to see our friends again."
"It was," I agreed, "and it was really amazing seeing this grown." I ran my hands along the soft grass stems which blew gently in the evening breeze. "I wonder if I can learn how to use Earth Magic too someday."
"I do too," Zecora said, looking down at her hand, which began to glow its signature blue. She reached out and plucked a blade of grass with her new magic, bringing it up to her hand and catching it. "It would help me with furthering my studies of magic."
"What? Having the powers of an alicorn isn't enough for you?" Scarlet asked as she landed on my free side.
"I simply meant that if I had Earth Magic, I could grow my ingredients with ease instead of relying on the Everfree," Zecora replied.
"Oh relax, I'm just joshing you," Scarlet replied. She then moved closer and pressed herself against my legs, rubbing against me like a cat in heat. She looked up at me with a cheeky grin on her muzzle, her red eyes narrowed at me. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," I replied as I reached down with my free hand to stroke her mane.
"What, no 'Oh my God, how horny are you?' wisecrack?" Scarlet asked with some snark.
I smirked. "You're horny 24/7. It's something I've gotten used to, so nope. No horny jokes."
"Not even if I do this?" With that, Scarlet lifted her tail and trotted ahead, turning back and giving me a glaring view of her marehood.
"Bold of you to do that in front of my guards," I replied without missing a beat.
She slowly lowered her tail and retreated back to me, a blush on her dark gray cheeks. "You're no fun anymore," she said with a pout.
I reached down and ran my hand through her crimson mane once more. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "I guess I've been so caught up in the day to day aspects of being a goddamned emperor that I've gotten worn out."
Scarlet sighed, but pressed herself closer against me. "I can tell," she said before moving away, flying into the aid and sitting her haunches on my shoulders, her forelegs around my forehead. "I guess I just miss us being home."
"Well, hopefully we can go home soon, at least once everything's more or less set in motion here," I said, reaching up and squeezing one of her flanks. "I want to go home too. Sure, the royal bed in this castle held up surprisingly well and is comfortable, but I miss having a bed that doesn't remind me of the one the king has in Cinderella."
She giggled a bit. "I know what you mean."
I was about to say something when I was aware of someone beside me. I turned and saw Gemini and Mica on either side of me, staring ahead, teeth barred. I was about to ask what they were doing when I heard it. The sound of something shuffling through the grass ahead was now clearly audible. Slowly I turned, tensing up as I raised my wings slowly. My hand went down to Eclipse, which I never kept away from me whenever I went out lately. I saw a depression in the grass ahead of us and a path that wandered through the grass coming from the other end. "Nobody move," I whispered.
We watched and waited for an agonizing five minutes. Scarlet had climbed down off of my back and was standing by me, tensed and wings spread wide. Zecora was crouched, her own wings spread. Gemini and Mica were tensed, pawlike hands on their swords. Finally, something poked up from the grass, looking at us with what looked like a terrified expression on its face. From beside me, I heard Zecora gasping and she stood up. "I never thought I'd see the day…how did a giraffe come all this way?"
A giraffe was indeed standing there, or rather crouching in the center of the ring of apple trees, ears flattened, dark amber eyes wide and tail clearly twitching. Slowly, I removed my hand from the sword hilt. "Stand down, Gemini, Mica," I said, standing taller and forcing my wings back down.
Mica, Scarlet and Zecora relaxed, but Gemini didn't move. She kept glaring at the giraffe. "That creature snuck up on us," she snapped, "and I want to know how it did so."
"You're frightening the poor giraffe, so stand down now," I said more loudly now and in a commanding tone.
She looked at me sidelong, then with a huff, she stood at half ease, but kept her hand on her sword hilt. "Soft heart…" she whispered.
I ignored her as I looked at Zecora. "Are giraffes from Farasi?"
Zecora nodded. "They live mostly in a savannah woodland area," she said, "and they're rarely seen. Nozebra's ever gone exploring those woods, or if they have I've never heard of it. We generally leave them be because they are too much of a mystery."
"The question is, how did one come all the way out here?" I asked. I'd only ever seen a giraffe once in the show, and that was in a Season 9 episode.
"I wish I knew," Zecora said.
I looked up at the giraffe once more, then raised a hand in greeting. "Hello there," I said in a friendly tone. "Are you lost? Do you need help?" Belatedly I realized that the Phoenixes had not taught creatures on other continents how to talk, just on the Equestrian continent.
The giraffe only tilted its head and stood up, and in a language that was clearly not the same one that animals spoke, said, "That's an interesting creature there. And the Zebra beside it is not a normal Zebra. I can detect a powerful aura from them both. Very unusual."
I froze. The language I had just heard was NOT the same one that the Phoenixes had taught the Equestrian animals. Instead, it was a series of varying deep throated humming noises. I'd heard sounds like that before when I once looked up what giraffe noises were, but these were more precise. And I could understand it, or rather, her. I cleared my throat, took a sip of water, then called on the strange humming language of this giraffe cow to reply, "What brings you this far?"
The giraffe's eyes widened in surprise, and she locked eyes with me. "How do you know our tongue?!" she asked.
"That is a long story," I replied. "Can you speak my language?"
She looked between all of us, then let forth a sigh. "I can," the Giraffe said as she began walking forward, passing through the trees. Her voice was deep, but unmistakably female.
Zecora's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Giraffe's can speak?!" she asked.
The Giraffe looked at Zecora. "When we wish it," she said, "but I did not think any creature spoke the Hum." She turned back to me. "I am surprised that any can speak the Hum besides our kind."
"That is a long story," I explained.
"There is time enough to speak of it," the Giraffe cow said, sitting down and looking at me from above.
I looked up at her, contemplating my next move. Clearly this Giraffe had been pretending to be a wild animal while in Aelyssia. She looked somewhat exhausted and malnourished too. I could see some pieces of apple around her mouth in the setting sun. Her amber eyes, which had once seemed to be animalistic, now were full of intelligence. Clearly, she had hidden her intelligence for a reason, and I'd accidentally spoiled that. So, the best thing for me to do was to be diplomatic about things. "And I will tell you this story, but I think it should wait until we are in a more proper setting." I gestured towards Virynth Atheos. "As Emperor of Aelyssia, I humbly invite you to spend the night in safety in my city. I can provide you with hopefully suitable accommodations and provide you with a meal."
The Giraffe sniffed at that. "This is as proper a setting as any," she said. "Are you stalling?"
"No, not at all," I said, "but if I were to tell you how I know your language, we might be here a while."
The Giraffe seemed to consider this for a while, then she stood on all fours. "You are an unusual creature," she said, "but in deference to your customs, I will let you take me to your city. We may discuss things better if you are in a place of comfort for you."
I raised an eyebrow at how she had phrased that, but I didn't say anything else. "Then please come walk with me," I said. The Giraffe did so, coming up beside me and falling into step as we all made our way back to Virynth Atheos. As we walked, there was an uncomfortable silence that only seemed to grow the more we approached the city. After about five minutes, I looked up at her. "My name is Jethro Bethridge, by the way," I said. "May I ask who you are?"
The Giraffe contemplated this for a moment, then turned to me. "My real name would take too long to share with you even if you can speak the Hum," she said, "but for the sake of our talks, you may call me…Miora."