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Thunder Spirit- the story of a Unicorn

I was still finishing my breakfast when I heard the first riding students come in. It was kind of early, so I glanced down the barn's aisle way to see who it was. Carol Rutledge had come in- she was one that was promising, though she'd only been taking lessons a few months she seemed to have a natural balance, to be in tune with the horses.

Her boyfriend Luke wasn't. I hadn't liked him from the first day he'd come in, frowning and watching the first few times Carol took a lesson, spending most of his time talking on his cellphone. Recently he'd just been dropping her off, which was fine by me, but this morning he was walking in with her, hovering like a dark cloud,

"This horse crap is a waste of time," he was telling her. "You won't ever be any good at it, anyway. Just give it up."

"I really enjoy this, Luke," she said in an uncertain voice. "I'm sorry I spend so much time here but it makes me happy." They paused nearby and she started to take some brushes out of one of the tack boxes. "Why don't you go down to the park and wait for me? I'll just be..."

"I'll pick you up later," he said, walking out, then turning back when he reached the door. "This is it. I don't even know why I bother with you. You're stupid, ugly, and waste time and money on this shit. You oughta spend it at the beauty salon. Maybe they could do something for you."

For a moment I considered saying something but decided it would be wasted on Luke. He walked out slamming the door behind him. I heard his car door slam, then some gravel pinged against the wall as he gunned it out of the parking lot. Carol was sitting on the tack box, looking down at the brushes she was holding, a tear on her cheek.

"What's wrong, dear?" Lydia, who was the riding instructor, had walked in silently- it still amazed me, after all these years, that she could move almost silently. She had a timeless beauty, and I knew that Carol and the other students would be shocked if they knew how old she was.

"I'm not having a good day," Carol said glumly.

"It's too early to have a bad day already," Lydia said. "Now, who should you ride this morning?" She looked up and down the row of stalls, where several of the horses had stuck their heads out, hearing Lydia's voice.

I winked at Lydia and nodded my head. "You've been riding around in the ring long enough," Lydia said, but looking at me and not at Carol. "I think you're ready to go ride in the park."

Carol seemed to brighten a bit. "I'll go get Misty," she said, starting to walk toward the small bay mare.

"Oh, not Misty," Lydia said smiling. "For the park, take Thunder. He needs to get out of the barn."

"But he's so big...isn't he dangerous?" Carol seemed uncertain again, maybe a bit frightened. "He's a stallion and all, and he runs so fast."

"You'll do fine," Lydia said with confidence. She picked up a halter and I lowered my head, letting her slip it on. (Did I forget to mention I'm sort of a horse?) She handed the lead rope to Carol, who tentatively took it, holding it gingerly and far too loose- if I'd wanted I knew I could snatch it away, but I stood quietly, following her as she took me out and hooked my halter to the crossties.

Lydia watched as Carol brushed me lightly. "You can push a bit harder on the brushes, Carol. He won't fall over," Lydia said with a touch of humor.

"I'm sorry," Carol said. "It's just- I don't want to provoke him."

"He likes to be brushed," Lydia said- true enough. Carol started brushing a bit more firmly and I leaned into the brush, enjoying the rough bristles against my silvery grey coat.

I picked my feet up and held them as Carol cleaned them out with the hoof pick, knowing she was gaining more confidence as she went. "He's not that bad," she told Lydia. "Not what I expected at all." She reached up, rubbing my face. I flinched a bit when she touched the scar on my forehead and Carol drew back.

"It's all right," Lydia said. "He's a bit sensitive about his scar." Lydia reached up and touched her hand against my forehead, palm down, and Carol came close too, looking at my face.

"What happened to him?" Carol asked.

Lydia's eyes became a bit sad. "Some cruel and selfish people hurt him long ago." She took the palm away from my face. "He doesn't trust most people, but he likes you."

Carol didn't ask how Lydia knew such a thing, but instead busied herself putting my bridle and a saddle on me. The saddle was my favorite- an old Simco western saddle, it's leather was worn but it was light and fit almost perfectly. I didn't really care for the long shanked bit in my mouth, but I'd watched Carol ride and hoped she'd keep her hands light and not yank on it.

We walked outside, and I stood as still as I could when she climbed onto the mounting block and then onto my back. I could tell she was nervousas she squeezed gently with her heels, I walked quietly down the path and onto the park's bridle path.

It was a cool morning and I wanted to run, but this day wasn't for me- it was for Carol, and if she only wanted to walk that's what we would do. I walked quetly along the path, through the trees, looking at the leaves that were just starting to change color and daydreaming a bit. She tensed a bit when some horses came in the opposite direction and held a bit too tight on the reins.

"Good morning," the other rider said as she passed, and I exchanged a polite sniff with the other horse, feeling Carol relax.

"Thunder, you aren't like a stallion at all," she said to me when they were out of earshot. "You're so polite. I sure wish Luke could be like you." We rode along, to where the trail went through a large open meadow by a lake. She kept talking, and I turned one of my ears back to hear her better. "I don't know what I'd do if he left me. I'd be alone." She reached down and rubbed my neck, scratching my withers. I was enjoying the ride, even though we were walking. "I understand why he hits me, too. It's my fault, for messing things up."

I snorted a bit when she said this. I hadn't liked Luke before, and now I despised him. "What is it, Thunder?" she asked. "Take it easy, boy." She patted my neck again, and suddenly squeezed with her heels. "Let's run."

She didn't have to ask twice. I didn't accellerate as fast as I could- she rode well, but I didn't want to scare her- but I was soon flying along in a smooth, gliding canter, enjoying the breeze blowing against my face, feeling my hooves pound against the soft earth of the trail. Carol didn't bounce in the saddle, but moved nicely with me, in a rolling rhythm with me, and we moved almost as one.

The ride was over too soon, and I recognized Luke's car when we came back to the barn. Lydia wasn't around- I knew she had gone to the feed store- and Carol was suddenly tense again.

She got off, leading me into the barn. "Luke, I'm sorry that I'm so late," she said. "It won't happen again." She pulled off my bridle, replacing it with the halter and snapping on the cross ties.

"Damn straight it won't, you bitch," he said, snapping his cellphone shut and approaching her in a menacing manner. I bumped in between them.

"Move, you damn horse," he said, shoving me.

I obliged. Turning my head slightly to the left, I looked down, seeing exactly where his Gucci loafers were, and brought my left fore hoof down onto one. He started to snarl, and I leaned over to the left, putting as much of my twelve hundred pounds onto my left foreleg as I could.

"Damn you, fucker," Luke shouted at me, shoving hard. Carol pulled on my halter, so I stepped forward off Luke's foot.

"Are you all right?" she said, with fear and not concern in her voice.

"We're leaving fucking now!" he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the door.

"But I have to take his saddle off and brush him down," she protested.

I pulled hard on the crossties as he shoved her out the door, cursing the halter- it was nylon, and by the time I managed to break it, Luke was driving off. I could still see him arguing with Carol as I watched through one of the windows.

Lydia was surprised when she came back. "Why's your saddle still on?" she said, picking up the broken halter.

No one else was in the barn- even the other horses were turned out, so I answered. "That creep she's going out with made her leave," I said. "Did you know that he hits her?"

"Oh, no." Lydia looked pained. "She's such a nice girl."

"I think I need to do something," I said, as Lydia started to take the saddle off me.

She put it down, her dark eyes meeting mine. "You're so impetuous sometimes. Did you talk to her?"

"No," I said. "I just listened to her." I started to swish my tail as I followed her through the barn. "Luke is a cruel person, and Carol is so...so..."

"Young and pretty," Lydia said, pushing the saddle onto a rack then turning to face me. "Do you remember the girl in Boston that you just had to help because she was so lonely? Then all the hysteria about witches and talking horses?"

"Well, this is different," I said defensively. "Besides, I promised you I would be more careful, remember?"

She was about to answer, but the first of the 10:30 group students started coming in. I spent most of the rest of the day lugging students around- Lydia would usually have me work with the ones that were getting overconfident or cocky, knowing that I'd bruise their egos and not their backsides. It was fine with me- going round and round in the ring let me mull over Luke and Carol, and what I should do.

I was still eating my hay the next morning when I heard the door slam. Luke walked in, without Carol, but with his phone stuck in his ear. "Yeah, I'm about done with the little slut." He listened for a minute, then laughed. "Why should I care? I've maxed out her credit cards, it's gonna take her ten years to pay them off. Gotta go, I need to take care of some business."

He looked at me, then stuffed the phone into his pocket, pulling out a switchblade and snapping it open. "Those were my favorite shoes, asshole." He unlatched the door to my stall as I watched him calmly. Luke didn't realize the mistake he was making as he came into my stall. "You're gonna look funny with only one ear."

I stood still as he came in, watching as he reached for my forelock with his left hand, the knife in his right. He grabbed my forelock, holding hard, and started to bring up the knife.

I pulled backward- Luke made the mistake of trying to hold on, and this threw him off balance. I brought my head down hard and swinging it to my left, ignoring the slight pain of the pull on my hair, taking his right hand in my mouth and biting down.

The knife fell to the ground as Luke cried out in pain. "You shit. I'm gonna..."

I slammed my head into his stomach, knocking him out of breath to the back of the stall. "That's your last mistake, asshole," he gasped out, trying to crawl forward for his knife.

I spun about, sending a kick from my hind legs inches in front of my face, and he scrabbled back to the corner of the stall. I turned around to face him again, seeing a look of fear on his face. "You're the one who's made the mistakes, Luke," I said.

"You can't talk! You're a horse!" he said in a trembling voice.

"Wrong again on both counts," I replied. "Obviously I am talking, and I'm not a horse. I'm a unicorn."

"Unicorns aren't real! And where's your horn?"

"If I'm not real, you have nothing to worry about." I swished my tail thoughtfully. "And as for my horn, some scum like you cut it off four hundred years ago, since they wanted it's magic."

"Magic isn't real," he said almost pleadingly.

"Neither are unicorns or talking horses," I said. "Now, what am I to do with you? I could just stomp you to death. It's dangerous to go into a stallion's stall, and when they find the knife, they'll figure you were up to no good. Right, Luke?" I stepped toward him, watching with satisfaction as he slid even further into the corner.

"Don't hurt me," he said, covering his face with his arms.

"Does Carol do that when you hit her?" I demanded. "Does it make you feel good, when she cries?" I stomped my foot down hard, and he flinched. "I kicked a hole through a brick wall once," I said in a conversational voice. "They might not even be able to identify you from dental records- I could smear your face all over the wall. You ever been arrested?"

"Y-yes. For shoplifting."

"Good, they'll be able to use fingerprints, then," I said. "I watch a lot of cop shows on the TV at night. How about you?"

"No."

"Too bad," I said. There wouldn't be much more time- Lydia would be coming out soon, and I knew she'd disapprove of what I was going to do. If she asked me to not do it, I wouldn't- she had saved my life those hundreds of years ago, nursing me back to health and through my despair, and I was totally devoted to her. "Well, Luke, I have two choices." He didn't say anything so I went on. "Choice one, is they find you dead in about half an hour when the students start to come in. It'll be real messy, and I'll get a bad reputation, but I can deal with that."

"I swear, I won't ever touch her again," Luke pleaded. "Let me go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Luke," I said. "Did you ever see the movie '2001'? It's a classic. That's what the computer said, except that it was 'Dave' and not 'Luke'." He wimpered again. "Besides, I know your type. Whatever you say is a lie, whether it's to me or to someone else."

He was no longer the swaggering bully; like most bullies he was nothing but a coward when confronted with someone or something stronger. Luke was crying from fear. I no longer felt anger, but only a loathing for this pathetic creature. I concentrated on what I needed to do, feeling the energy flow into me.

"What's happening?" Luke suddenly said, staring at his hands. "I can't move my fingers."

"You won't need them any more," I said. They were already starting to twist and merge together, as dark hair began to sprout on his arms and face. I drew in more energy from the earth, focusing on Luke, picturing in my mind what he was to be.

He flopped forward, thrashing his arms and legs. I knew that the transformation was not painful, but could be uncomfortable for some. His loafers fell off as his feet and hand became hooves, the change seeming to move upwards through his forearms, then his torso. I could see his tail push out, his pants tightly held on by his belt. Finally, his neck began to grow, a mane sprouting, and a pony lay on the ground before me, dressed in rather expensive clothes. Except for the shirt's popped buttons, they were otherwise relatively intact.

All of him was changed but his head- he looked bizarre, a pony with Luke's human head. "What have you done to me?" he said.

"In a moment, I'm going to finish," I said. "But I have to rest a second- without my horn, it's a lot harder to focus the magic. I don't think I'll leave you able to speak. That causes too many problems"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can. Now, I'm going to give you a tiny bit of advice. First, if you want to lead a comfortable life, don't be a jerk. You're a pony, which means children. If you hurt them or scare them, you'll end up getting sold to worse and worse homes, and end up in a can of dog food."

"Don't do this to me," Luke said.

"Too late," I replied. "Now, the second thing is, don't get into fights. You're smaller than most horses, and they'll stomp your butt into the ground. So again, don't be a jerk."

I could feel the energy surging in me again, and heard the door to the house shut. Lydia would be out in a few minutes, and I knew she'd be upset with what I was doing. "Last thing, Luke..."

"What?"

"Enjoy this gift that I've given you."

"Gift? You've turned me into a fucking hoeeeeeigh." His sentence ended with a whinny as I finished. Luke was now a Shetland pony, glaring back at me from the corner of the stall, something of a chestnut color and with a rather plain looking head.

"Thunder, what have you done?" Lydia was there behind me, again slipping up quietly. Her voice was not angry, but I could hear a bit of disappointment in it.

"Solved two problems," I said. "Carol's...and Luke's." Luke might not see it that way- that I'd solved his problem- but the gift I'd given him was the chance to lead a decent life. He was headed down a road that would end with him in prison, or dead- or worse. Besides, I'd spared life; I had every right both as a horse and as a unicorn to defend myself with deadly force against an attacker with a knife, and the police would have taken one look and written it off as an idiot who messed with a stallion.

Lydia walked over and started to carefully take the clothes off of the pony. Luke neighed at her several times- I knew he was trying to speak, and after a few years might figure out how, but by then I guessed he'd realize how that might be unwise. "How am I going to explain it this time?" Lydia asked.

"Put his clothes and wallet into a garbage bag and throw it into a dumpster behind a department store," I said. "And that cellphone, too. Tonight, call the cops and have his car towed, just say it was here when you got here and you didn't see him. Just another missing persons case," I said. "Saw it on TV the other night."

"You watch too much television," Lydia said as she stood up, finishing taking the clothing from the pony. "Let's go, into the pasture with the mares." She put a halter on Luke. I could see that Luke was a bit excited with anticipation, probably thinking now that this wasn't so bad.

I smirked, and wondered what Luke would think when he found he was now a she.

<<Section 2 goes here>>

Thunder Spirit 3: "Price of Fame"

"Quit pouting," Lydia scolded me as she carefully fastened the shipping boots around my hind legs. "It's only a three hour trailer ride." I snorted and stomped my fore hoof in reply but said nothing- some of her students were bunched around the gooseneck trailer, excitedly waiting for me to join their horses who were already loaded. None of the young girls suspected that I wasn't really a silvery grey Hungarian stallion, but was actually a unicorn; Lydia's companion now for nearly four centuries since she'd found me and nursed me back to health, my horn slashed off by bandits who craved it's magic properties. Lydia finished fasenting the Velcro carefully, then unfastened the lead rope from the trailer and led me to the back. "Load up, Thunder," she said for effect- I knew what she wanted, and I stepped in the trailer and stood next to a bay gelding. He was tall- maybe sixteen hands- but I was taller by at least six inches, and I only had to glare at him and pin my ears to get him to move aside, giving me more room. "Aren't you going to tie his head?" one of the girls piped up in a shrill voice as Lydia closed the door at the back of the trailer. It was Connie Hill- I didn't particularly like her, whenever she rode me for a lesson she always seemed a bit too enthusiastic with the crop, plus she tended to bounce at the canter- I'd been quite relieved when her parents finally bought her a horse, the bay I stood next to.

"No, dear, Thunder doesn't like being tied," Lydia replied in her gentle voice.

"But what if Thunder bites Eagle Mist?" she whined. "He's a stallion, and my horse has to look perfect for the show." I could still hear her complaining as she got into the crew cab pickup that the trailer was hooked to.

I had no intent on biting the bay- I rather felt sorry for him due to his owner. He was a pleasant enough horse, though a touch on the dull side- no fun to play with in the pasture, he was content to just graze and wouldn't engage in roughhousing or the 'nipping and galloping' that most of the young colts and geldings - and a few of the older horses like myself- so enjoyed. I did reach over and begin to industriously rub my teeth on his carefully braided mane as the truck started, knowing that in three hours it would be a tangled mess that would foment a major tantrum from Connie.

The time passed rather quickly with the entertaining distraction- usually I get nervous and jumpy riding in a trailer, since I can't see what's coming and get thrown off balance. In what seemed like no time, we were rolling to a stop. I looked out the glass window- we were outside a large tent barn, one of a dozen that were set up along with a few permanent buildings at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds. We'd been here twice before- Lydia needed to be successful enough to attract students, but not so successful that people might remember her or me for too long, and start wondering why she or her horse never seemed to age. We'd be giving an exhibition of her students in one of the show rings, an hour a day, and I'd spend the rest of the time in the barn with the horses while Lydia and her students toured about the grounds, seeing the show. I always enjoyed the shows, though Lydia was always worried that I'd do something 'unhorse like'.

The door opened and I stepped out, Lydia clipping on a lead rope and starting me toward the barn. I flipped my ears backward and listened with satisfaction as Connie saw Eagle's mane. "Thunder ate his mane! I can't be seen with this horse, I'll be humiliated!"

"What did you do that for?" Lydia said to me in a quiet disapproving voice. I figuratively bit my tounge- the fairgrounds was already crowded and onlookers pushed around to get a better glimpse of the new horses coming in. She led me to a stall, then left to help the girls bring their horses through the crowd.

I looked around curiously. The horses from Lydia's stable would all be together along one side of an aisle. I was at one end- at the very end of the barn- and could see out into the big arena. Across the aisle from us was a bunch of horses, rather well groomed quarter horses, and a large sign that proclaimed 'WORLD FAMOUS QH TRAINER GILBERT HUGHES'. I'd heard of him- he had his own cable TV show, and I'd also read some articles in magazines (yes, I learned to read a long time ago- how else would I write these stories?) about his success over the years with a horse named 'Hot Button'- she was now semi retired, being twenty two years old, and I wondered who he'd be riding here at the fair.

Lydia was supervising her students as they put their horses up, and I heard an excited buzz from them. Turning away from the stagecoach demonstration that I'd been watching in the ring, I saw what they'd noticed- the world famous Gilbert Hughes, live and in the flesh. He seemed a bit heavier than he did on TV, but there he was, smiling and shaking hands with a few of Lydia's students. I listened above the buzz of the crowd as he approached, talking to Lydia and Connie, who was pointing at Eagle, who was in the stall next to mine.

"Miss Lydia's awful horse chewed up Eagle's mane," Connie said. "Before that he was perfect looking."

"Eagle certainly is a handsome horse," Hughes said to her in a smooth voice. "He must be a fine jumper- how high are you jumping him?"

"Actually, Eagle and Connie are doing flat work now," Lydia said. I quietly nodded agreement- Connie was not experienced enough yet for jumping and Eagle didn't have the right conformation.

"I think I should be working on three feet by now," Connie complained. "What do you think, Mr. Hughes? I've been riding now for six months."

"Well, different trainers go at different paces," Hughes said, "but my students are usually working fences at three months."

Lydia frowned- she was too polite to contradict Hughes and too kind to hurt Connie's feelings. I kept my mouth shut- who'd listen to a horse anyway?

Hughes turned his attention briefly to me. "This one's be a nice horse, if it wasn't for that big scar on his face. Somebody must've really whipped on him- how long 've you had him?" he asked Lydia, turning toward her.

"Quite some time," Lydia said.

"Huh. Scar looks to be about a year old," Hughes said- it was an idiotic statement, since I'd had the scar longer than Hughes had been alive, and even a trained vet couldn't tell how long an old scar had been there, but Hughes' implication was clear- that Lydia was somehow responsible, which was ridiculous.

"A bit longer than that," Lydia replied diplomatically. Hughes moved off, followed by a small cloud of onlookers and hangers on.

"I don't like him," I mumbled to Lydia under my breath as she started to put on my saddle.

"Hush," she said, pulling on the girth. The saddle was a dressage saddle, a Stubben, which I really didn't care for, but we were going to do a dressage demonstration and my favorite saddle- a worn out old western Simco- wouldn't do. After she put the bit in my mouth, I followed her out of the stall as she led me to where her students were all waiting expectantly. "Now, let's go over the show one last time," Lydia said to them. "Gail and I will do a demonstration of dressage, then Anna and Connie will demonstrate flat work. Michael and Helen finish up working over fences."

"I still think I should be jumping," Connie said, pouting.

"You'll be ready next year, dear," Lydia said soothingly.

We walked by where Hughes was tacking up his own horse- he'd be doing a demonstration of western reining right after we finished. I recognized the little mare with surprise- he'd be riding 'Hot Button'. She was as pretty as her picture in the magazine, but she had a dull look to her eyes. I nickered to her as I passed, but she didn't look my way, instead staring ahead vacantly.

The announcer began to speak on the PA system. "Now appearing in the main ring with a demonstration of the facets of three day eventing, Wildoak Stables."

Lydia and I were in the ring first. We'd been riding together for a very long time, and I knew we made a spectacular sight. Dressage is like a formal dance, and we moved together perfectly, from long experience and a genuine affection for each other. It was as if the crowd of onlookers didn't exist- there was nothing but Lydia in my world for a few moments, she and the soft music that accompanied our routine. All too soon it was over, but for the applause of the crowd as moved to the side of the ring. Gail was next, then Anna and Connie. They rode over and stood near us after they finished, while Michael and Helen rode in and circled, preparing for the jumps. I was intently watching them when I noticed Connie clench her jaw and suddenly spur Eagle.

"Connie!" Lydia cried out in surprise as her student pointed Eagle toward one of the jumps. They were rather high, Micheal and Helen were both advanced students with talented mounts that could easily handle the 4' the jumps were set at. Eagle was a dull horse, but courageous- he rumbled toward the jumps like an overweight runner and tried his best, launching himself upward and tucking his legs like... well, an overweight runner as he slammed chest first into the jump rail. It flew off the standards, as it was designed to do, but Eagle tangled his legs in the rail and fell hard to the ground with a sickening thud.

As Connie stepped up crying but unhurt, I dashed forward. Lydia stepped off as I slid to a stop, looking down at my stablemate, seeing the pain in his eyes. "His leg is broken," Connie said, sobbing.

Lydia held Connie as I looked down on Eagle. She was right- his leg was broken, but no one else was near enough to see that. I closed my eyes, focusing my energy, willing the bone back into place, as others ran up to help.

"Looks like he's got some bad bruises- miracle he wasn't hurt worse," I heard someone say as they pushed the broken rail off Eagle, helping him to his feet. I felt hands tugging on my bridle and I was led off, back to my stall. Eagle was next, and a veterenarian was soon tending to him as the ring was cleared.

After Eagle had his cuts and bruises attended to, I glanced out to the ring where Hughes was finishing his demonstration. The mare wasn't really performing too well- her sliding stops and spins, the hallmark of a reining demonstration, seemed halfhearted, as if she were tired. The crowd was large- Hughes was after all one of the main draws of the show- but I was certain the knowledgable horsemen wouldn't be too impressed by the demonstration.

By the time Hughes brought the mare back, it was getting rather late. The grounds were empty save for a few of the show participants, feeding their stock and cleaning stalls. Lydia was feeding us, and Hughes came over to talk to her. "Hey, I kinda like the grey horse you were riding today. He'd make a nice reiner."

"Thank you," Lydia said as she poured me my oats.

"What'd you take for him?" he asked.

"He's not for sale," Lydia replied.

"My mare's getting too old for this," Hughes went on. "I'll give you fifty thousand for him."

"I really couldn't let him go," Lydia said as she ran her hand through my forelock. "We've been together too long."

"Well, think it over," Hughes said. "By the way, could you feed my horse tomorrow morning? I've got a seminar, and my assistant will be busy."

"Certainly," Lydia said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hughes."

Lydia left, going to see after her students. A few minutes later, another man joined Hughes. "Where the hell have you been, Sanchez?" Hughes demanded.

"I was checking on the girl that got hurt, sir," the other man, slightly shorter and older, replied. "Good news, she's going to be all right."

"Don't worry about that crap. Go get the trailer cleaned up at a car wash. We're going to have a stallion to take home to the farm tomorrow," he commanded.

I was pretty sure Lydia wouldn't sell me- even though she threatened to every now and then- but I was also pretty sure that I was the stallion that Hughes was talking about. The shorter man left, and Hughes began to mix feed for 'Hot Button'. I noticed with approval that he fed her a special feed designed for older horses, and gave her some rather nice alfalfa hay.

As she began to eat, he mixed some of the feed in a bucket for her morning and set it by her stall, then took something out of a bag- I noticed with surprise that it was rat poison. My jaw clenched as he mixed it into the mare's morning ration. "Too bad, Button," Hughes said as he turned to leave, switching off the lights. "That third string trainer'll get blamed for poisoning you, and I'll take her horse as damages. Who'll know?"

No one else was around- I glanced about, it was well after ten and the place was quiet save for the noise of horses munching hay. Hughes was facing away from me. "I'll know," I said.

Hughes spun around, looking for who'd spoken. "Keep it quiet, and I'll pay you five thousand bucks."

I stepped back into the shadows of my stall. "First tell me why you're doing this," I said from the darkness.

He assumed there was someone hiding in the darkness- a human, not me, though. "It's the price of fame," he said. "I gotta have a hot horse- these shows make my reputation." Hughes began to move forward and to the side, trying to see who he was talking to. "No reputation, no training fees, no endorsement, no TV show."

"Button really loves you," I said. "That's why she's performed so well all these years."

"Yeah, she made me." Hughes walked by my stall, thinking someone was behind it. "Button's the difference between me being a famous trainer and being a nobody like Sanchez."

I really wasn't getting a good impression of the world famous Gilbert Hughes, either as a trainer or as a human. I knew that Lydia wouldn't approve of what I was about to do- but she wasn't around to ask. I began to draw power from the earth, focusing the energy- more difficult without my horn, but I concentrated on Hughes; both what he was- and what he was to be.

He snapped the stable lights on suddenly and looked around. "Where are you? Come out like a man."

"I'm not a man," I said. "And soon, you won't be, either."

Hughes stumbled over a folding chair, astonished. "You can talk!"

"The least of my talents," I said, as Hughes got unsteadily to his feet. "How do your ears feel?"

He touched his head, stunned at what he found. "They're...they're..."

"Pointed and covered with black hair," I said. "You can wiggle them already, I think."

Hughes pulled his hands down, staring at them as the fingers began to merge together into dark hooves. "No! This can't be!" His boots split as they became too small for the hooves that they encased- fortunately he had expensive and soft ostrich skin boots, not too strong. A second later his jeans tore, and his eyes bulged as a tail burst forth from his spine. Hughes was now a peculiar sight. His feet and hands had been replaced by hooves, but for the most part his arms and legs appeared human, as did his upper torso and neck. His head was more or less human still, save the horse ears. His lower torso, though, was that of the horse he was to become- wide, covered with dark hair, with a black tail reaching down to the ground. His personal parts were as large as mine now- appropriate for a sixteen hand horse but looking grotesquely large on Hughes.

He looked down, then up at me, his eyes filled with fear. "You can't leave me like this! This has to be a bad dream."

"Don't worry, I won't," I said. I had to rest- without my alicorn it was hard to focus the energy for the transformation. "And it isn't a dream- you were really going to murder your companion." I looked at him sadly. "I don't think I will ever understand humans, or your strange values."

Hughes misinterpreted my meaning- about not leaving him that way, that is. "I swear I'll take good care of her," he babbled.

"Yes, I think you will," I said as I focused again. His legs, then his arms, changed, twisting to their new positions, and his face began to push out- I had decided he'd be solid black. The fur began to grow, covering his face and his elongating neck as he fell forward onto his forelegs.

"I mean it, pleeeeeigh!" His last human speech was replaced by a neigh- I'd decided to not allow him the ability to speak; he'd be enough of a nuisance already, and I hoped he'd be smart enough to accept what had happened.

"Some advice, Gilbert," I said. "Don't end up in a freak show somewhere- you're a handsome, young stallion. Is Mendez your assistant?"

He nodded yes, watching me intensely with his eyes.

"Well, it looks like he's about to become world famous," I said. "Be 'his' great horse, and you'll be bringing in big stud fees and having a- well, an active life in that area. Or you can be a jerk, and you'll end up finding out what it's like to be a gelding." I watched my words sink in- he understood what fame meant, both to a trainer and his horse. "Now, pick that bucket of feed up and dump it in the trash."

He picked the handle up in his teeth uncertainly and slightly unsteadily walked over, dropping the bucket of poisoned feed into a waste barrel, then walked back, looking at me. He was realizing that he still had choices in his life and had accepted the fate I had dealt him. "Now, go open Button's door and go in with her. She's waiting for you."

I heard her whinny in greeting as the stall door slid open and my heart felt light. She really did love him, despite everything he'd done, and I'd done this for her- otherwise, he'd have been a pony, or worse.

Lydia was in early in the morning. After feeding us, she went to feed Button. I heard her coming back, and tried to not look up as I ate my oats. "Thunder, where did the black stallion come from?"

I tried to think of an answer as I chewed. It would be impolite to talk with my mouth full, but I couldn't chew forever. Sanchez walked in and saved me- I couldn't say anything with humans around. "Oh, there's the stallion that Mr. Hughes told me about," Sanchez said as he looked into Button's stall. Lydia still looked at me suspiciously. "Do you know where he came from?" she asked.

Sanchez shook his head. "No, Mr. Hughes just said to pick him up this morning." He slid a halter onto the black horse, leading him down the aisle way. The black horse stopped for a moment by my stall and we exchanged a parting glance, then he walked off, following Sanchez to his new life.

"We will speak about this later," Lydia said, watching the pair leave. I went back to my oats, feeling pretty good about the way things had turned out.

Thunder Spirit 4

November 15, 1938

Einsberg, Austria

I heard a strange noise and looked up from my hay. It sounded almost like a cat crying, but I saw instead a small boy stumbling in through the open door. He was naked, bruised and bleeding- I recognized him, young Stefan Lotte, one of the children of the gypsies that lived in the forests nearby. He looked wildly from side to side, terror in his eyes, and ran into one of the empty stalls, trying to hide beneath the hay.

Four men came in- wearing black uniforms, the new Gestapo that had come with the German army a few months before. Lydia did, too, summoned by the commotion.

"What are you soldiers doing in my barn?" she demanded.

"Pardon, fraulein, we are searching for an enemy of the state," one replied.

She stared at the man, who cowered from her glare. "There are no enemies of the state here, only my horses."

They seemed about to leave when another man came in, wearing a slightly different uniform. From the way the others suddenly snapped to attention, I guessed he was some kind of leader.

"Report, Feldwebel," he snapped at one of the men.

"Oberst Lau, we were certain that the gypsy boy ran in here," one said. "But the Contessa says he is not here."

Lau was tall, with golden blond hair and blue eyes- one of those 'Aryans' that the Nazis were so proud of. He wore a ribbon around his neck, with an iron cross on it- I remembered those from the last war. He looked at Lydia and smiled, reminding me of a predator about to strike. "We will check the barn- for your protection, fraulein," he said, motioning to the guards.

I could see they would kill the boy- I liked him, as he always would bring me apples from a nearby orchard. I focused hard- my emotions were intense and I drained myself, feeling dizzy from the effort. "There is nothing in this stall but a small pony," one of the soldiers reported after searching through the hay.

Lau looked at Lydia, then stared at me. I felt a cold chill, as if something that was amorally evil was watching me. "It is not as if the gypsy could be changed magically to a pony," he said almost mockingly, with that cold smile. Lydia looked uncomfortable- she was usually not afraid of anything- as Lau gestured, and the four soldiers wordlessly followed him from the barn.

I shut my eyes, trying to not fall down, and felt Lydia's hand touching my face- it's warmth seemed to bring me energy and soothed my fear. "Donner, you must change him back as soon as you are rested. He is young, and will forget this."

I nodded wordlessly- too exhausted to speak- as she continued. "We may not be able to stop the evil here. I will send the boy to America- he should be safe there."

Present day

Near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

One of Lydia's students had left the radio on a little too loud, and it was annoying me. "With the election just seven days away, Jim Parker leads the gubernatorial race by fifteen points. Parker's platform of sharp tax cuts combined with lower..." the noise thankfully stopped as someone turned the volume down.

Lydia was coming in, accompanied by an elderly man. He was dressed something like a drugstore cowboy- crisp new jeans, a western shirt, and shiny new boots. I marked him down as a new student- quite a few retirees take up riding. The oats in my bucket caught my attention, when something sparked in my memory and I looked up, listening as he spoke.

"I've not ridden since I was young," the old man said.

"It is never too late," Lydia replied as they walked up. "I've got a nice mare that should be just right..."

She turned, to find the old man had stopped, looking into my face. I looked back at him, almost as if hypnotized, remembering, recognizing. "I've seen this horse before- but no, that was nearly seventy years ago."

"There are quite a few white horses in the world," Lydia said, as the man gently touched my face.

"You're right," he sighed. "But the scar on his face- it seems so much like the one..." He smiled, turning back to Lydia. "Sorry, I'm just a sentimental old man."

The two walked off, talking, and I searched my memory. I'd met so many people in my life- where had I seen this one?

I looked back toward the TV in the boarder's lounge- I could see it from my stall and it was almost time for my favorite soap opera, but political advertisements were still playing. One was on- proclaiming 'Jim Parker- the people's candidate'. I snapped my ears forward and froze as Parker's smiling face appeared on the screen. This one I didn't have to try to remember- the blond hair and blue eyes, the chiseled features, were burned permanently into my memory.

I couldn't wait for the end of the day, after all the students had left, so I could talk with Lydia. She stopped at my stall after feeding the other horses, a bucket of oats mixed with chunks of apples for me. "That nice old man was from Austria," she started, as she walked into my stall.

"Lydia, I saw Kurt von Lau," I blurted out.

She stopped and carefully poured the oats into my feed bucket, then looked at me. I didn't start to eat, though I was starving, but looked into her eyes as she spoke- she looked troubled. "Thunder, you must listen to me this time. Von Lau is not a human- you know that. Your magic cannot affect him."

"He's evil," I said. "I know that, too. He's the kind of evil that can't be redeemed." I stomped my hoof on the ground for emphasis.

Lydia put her hand on my face. "Some things cannot be changed," she said. "And some evil will always be, to balance the good." There were some tears in her eyes as she finished. "We've been together so long, you and I- promise me you won't do anything foolish." I couldn't help but feel guilty. "I won't," I promised, silently thinking to myself that whatever I did would be carefully and well thought out.

The next day was uncharacteristically warm for fall in Wisconsin, and I was anxious to make the most of it. I wanted badly to go for a ride in the park, and when Periwinkle came up lame I looked at Lydia with pleading eyes. The old man had come out to ride her, and the rest of the horses were either already out or had lessons scheduled for the morning.

She saddled me up with the Stubben as she talked with him. "Thunder's a bit spirited at times, but he won't give you any trouble," she said, looking at me sternly.

"That's all right, he seems almost like an old friend," he said. I could smell the apples that he had in his coat pocket and knew that they were intended for me. He led me outside, then put the reins over my neck and to my surprise sprung lightly into the saddle, rather than climbing up- he was in quite good shape considering his age.

He let me walk out onto the park's bridle path, then asked me to trot. I moved out smartly- he was a bit tentative at first, but I could tell he was a skilled rider, one of the natural ones. I tugged a bit on the reins, feeling his hands- they were soft, he didn't jerk or pull on the bit, and I knew that I was in for a pleasant ride.

We moved through the trees, still showing their last golden and red leaves. The grass was still green here and there, and I drank in the fall colors, feeling the crisp cool air and the soft ground of the path as we trotted along. It was a weekday, and the park was big, so we soon were alone, riding through the woods.

Like many riders, he began to talk to me- I turned one of my ears back to listen. So many people, especially lonely ones, found it easier to discuss their problems with a horse who they presumed wouldn't understand- or ever speak back. "You remind me so much of a horse back in Austria- his name was Donner, the same as yours, just in a different language," he started.

The memory came crashing back- the voice from long ago. It was Stefan Lotte, who we'd sent back here, the young boy who had seen his parents beaten to death by Nazi thugs. I stumbled, and he pulled me back to a walk. "Are you all right, Thunder?" he asked. "Let's walk for a bit." I slowed, feeling the warmth of the sun, and the warmth of the memories of my friend from long ago. "His owner saved me- sent me to the United States. She was a Countess in Austria- I can barely remember her," he said, his voice light. "For a young boy, the horse was more impressive and memorable. I even thought he was magic, somehow, and had hidden me from the Gestapo by changing me into a pony." He laughed. "I actually wished for years after that I could be a horse, just like Donner."

For the rest of the ride I was lost, deep in thought. We passed two horses, and I suppose they were rather offended that I barely noticed them and didn't exchange greetings. Lydia could see when I came back that something was amiss.

"He seems almost preoccupied," the man said- Stefan, I remembered- as he handed the reins to Lydia.

She rubbed my neck. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she said confidently. "Come back and ride him again tomorrow," she said as she took my bridle and saddle off.

"I almost forgot his apples- is it all right?" Stefan asked her anxiously.

"Of course," Lydia said warmly.

I followed him as he pulled an apple from his pocket, rubbing it on his sleeve, then holding it in his hand. "Here you are," he said.

I carefully took it from his hand and began to munch. I liked apples, more than carrots or even oats. He gave me another as we walked along into the pasture, out of earshot of the barn. We came to the fence and I stopped, listening as he spoke. "I really liked that horse- he seemed bigger than life to me when I was a young boy. You're so much like Donner- or is it just my mind playing tricks? I'm getting old- I imagined that I saw a man from the past, an evil man, but that couldn't be either- unless he hasn't aged a day."

"He hasn't," I said- I couldn't hold it in any more. "Neither have I."

Stefan didn't faint- I have to give him credit, it was as if horses spoke to him every day. "You are Donner, then," he said evenly. "And Parker?"

"Is Von Lau," I confirmed, turning to look at him.

"How is this possible?"

"I'm not a horse, I'm a unicorn," I said. "Von Lau is some kind of immortal- a demon, or maybe one of the high elves turned bad."

"My parents- I am a gypsy," Stefan said. "They told me stories of such things. But here...in Milwaukee, in the 21st century..."

The wind began to blow, and some leaves swirled about, blown down from a tree. "Von Lau will be elected governor in a week," I said. "I can't stop him alone- will you help me?"

"He killed my parents," Stefan said, iron in his voice. "I swear I will have my revenge."

The voice on the other end of the phone was saccharin sweet. "Parker campaign headquarters."

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Parker about an important contribution," I said into the speakerphone. No lessons were scheduled for the afternoon, Lydia was in the house, and I felt justified in going into the lounge and taking the risk of being overheard by some unexpected visitor.

"Who can I say is calling?" the sweet voice asked.

"Tell him it's regarding Kurt Von Lau," I replied.

A moment later, a voice on the phone- one that could still chill my blood, after all these years. "Parker," he said.

"Oberst von Lau," I said. "I need to speak with you about a matter from Austria."

"Who is this?" Parker said.

"Briarcliffe Park- the 'red' trail is closed until spring, no one will see us there. Meet me near the concession stand in two hours," I said, pushing the button to hang up the phone. I looked over to Stefan. "You know what to do," I said.

He picked up the bag, the heavy metal object it contained clunking slightly. "Von Lau must be stopped before he unleashes this evil again." I could see the determination in his face, and I knew I'd picked the right ally.

The area near the concession stand was quite overgrown. Parker- or von Lau- stood near a picnic table wearing a trench coat and gloves, but no hat. He seemed unsurprised when I walked up.

"The unicorn. I remember you," he said.

"You looked much sharper in an SS uniform," I said, keeping my distance.

"Why have you called me here, unicorn?" von Lau slid a hand into his pocket.

I felt tense- afraid- but tried to keep my resolve. "You're a high elf, an immortal, like me." I looked behind me for a moment, then looked back to Lau. "You've no business risking exposing the rest of us by running for governor."

Von Lau laughed- that cold laugh from long ago. "Hitler was weak. I won't make the same mistakes he did."

"Why run for governor?" I asked.

"Americans are soft and stupid," he said. "They're going to be just like the Germans...they want to blame someone else for their troubles. This time, it'll be Muslims- religious intolerance is just as powerful now as it was then. I won't call my party the 'Nazis'- this time it's the People's Movement- but it's the same thing. I'll start here, in Wisconsin, as Governor- arrest the Muslims, frame them for a few terrorist acts, blame them for all the economic woes- four years from now I'll be President."

"Too ambitious," I said. "Too uncertain a plan."

He looked at me, as if evaluating a prize. "Join me," he said. "You have the ability to make my enemies or opponents 'disappear'. I can give you whatever you want once I'm President- after all, I learned from Hitler well, reward your supporters."

"So you'd declare yourself President for life?"

"National emergency, have to round up all the undesirables," he said. "Enemies of the state- you know, 'enemy combatants'."

"Which of course would include all your political foes. Quite a sound plan." I moved back a half step.

"Consider your alternatives, unicorn," Von Lau said, the cold blue eyes piercing me. "Join me- my power is far stronger than that of your elven dame. I could make you whole again."

He waved his hand toward my head. For a moment, I could feel sensations that I hadn't in four centuries. "My alicorn." I knew that Lau was more powerful than I had imagined, and knew why Lydia had feared him so much. He dropped his hand and the feeling faded- but I knew that he had the power, he could restore me as easily as I could change humans to equines. He had the power of healing- with just a touch of his hand, I could be myself again, gallop among the clouds with my kind, no longer bound to this world but able to slip back into the other realm that existed slightly out of time. I wanted this terribly, and Lau could see it as plainly as I could see the darkening clouds in the sky.

"Think of what I can give you, unicorn. I would value you as an ally...but would not want to worry about you as a liability." Lau turned and walked off down the trail, his footsteps silent. I watched him go, making no attempt to stop him. My heart and soul felt empty and defeated as I wondered if I'd made the right choice.

The papers and television stations fell over each other the next day, trying to break the story. "PARKER A NEO NAZI" the headlines screamed, and the tape that Stefan had shot from the concession stand- using the video camera that Lydia used to tape her students- was zoomed in on Von Lau's face, so that the 'undisclosed individual' he was talking to couldn't be identified (or seen to be a horse). I watched it on the news- it made the major networks, leading every newscast, beginning at 'You've no business risking exposing the rest of us'- the press assumed that this was the statement of a member of some secret Nazi organization, and the rest of the conversation seemed to bear that out. His political party renounced his candidacy the next day; Parker became 'not available for comment'.

Lydia came to me that night. "Your voice was on the tape," she said. There was no anger in her voice- she never got angry when I disobeyed or ignored her wishes, which made me feel even more guilty.

"I couldn't stop them sixty years ago," I said. "This time I had to."

"I know, Thunder." She stepped into my stall and put her arms around my neck. "What's wrong?"

"He's a healer," I said. "Why doesn't he help people?" I couldn't understand- Lau could use his gift to spread joy, end disease and suffering, but instead chose a philosophy of destruction and hatred.

She began to rub my mane. "He is what he is. Just like me. Just like you."

I spent the next two days moping in my stall. The oats and apples didn't interest me, and even Connie Hill seemed worried when she came for her lesson. "Thunder seems sick," she told Lydia. "He didn't pin his ears and snap at me like he usually does."

Lydia seemed very sad herself as she helped Connie saddle Eagle, a bay gelding. "He's very sad, Connie."

"But how can a horse be sad?" Connie asked. She was still young enough to not wonder how Lydia knew of my emotional state.

Lydia stopped for a moment. Even Eagle seemed to be waiting for her answer. "He gave up a chance to be happy so that other people could be safe."

"I don't understand," Connie said.

"Someday, you might," Lydia replied. "Come on, let's go ride."

I watched them walk off toward the indoor arena, then turned back to the window, staring outside at the leaves on the trees. They'd lost their orange and yellow color- they were all dark brown, falling to the ground, as lifeless as I felt. The barn was quiet, I could hear Lydia's voice as she talked to Connie, and Eagle's hoof steps as he trotted around the ring.

The stable door opened and closed. Stefan was supposed to come out today to ride me- I didn't think Lydia had figured out that he was the one who'd made the tape. I kept staring out the window, waiting. Suddenly I felt pain- awful, searing, horrible pain. I twisted and screamed in agony as something that felt like fire tore into my shoulder. I twisted away and looked back- my left shoulder was stained crimson red, blood coming from a slash. Lau stood there, a black knife in his hand. "Stupid unicorn- did you think I'd just go away?"

I tried to turn, but he jammed the knife deep into my withers. I sank to my knees in pain, trying to grasp the knife with my teeth and pull it out- it burned like fire, an elven blade. No normal knife could hurt an immortal creature; this one was magic, and was draining my life away.

Lau stood and watched, enjoying my suffering. I screamed again, unable to contain the pain, and could only dimly see Lydia and Connie running up. "Lau!" Lydia shouted.

"Fraulein- so good to see you again!" Lau stepped toward her as Lydia tried to get to me, grabbing her.

"Stop this!" Lydia said, trying to twist away from him.

"Let her go!" Stefan had come running in, the old man out of breath.

"Of course, gypsy," Lau said, hurling Lydia hard against the wall. She fell to the floor and lay still.

Stefan hurled himself at the tall elf, who easily flung the old man aside. I tried to stand, but the world seemed to be fading into a misty cloud, the floor rocking. Stefan jumped up again, and Lau began to systematically pummel the old man, who gamely tried to fight back, but Lau was too strong. I wondered if Stefan, Lydia and I would die together- then realized with pain that this was my fault, if I had listened for once that none of this would have happened.

The pain suddenly subsided as the knife was pulled from my shoulder. I watched through a blurry haze, a small hand wielding the knife, jamming it deep into Lau's back between his shoulders. He gasped with surprise- reaching behind himself, unable to reach it just as I hadn't been able to. He turned around, staring first at me then at the person who'd been his undoing. His mouth moved wordlessly; his hands flailed, then he fell to the floor, face down, the black dagger's hilt sticking into the air.

Connie stared down at the man that she'd just killed, her eyes filled with silent tears, not realizing the depths of the evil that had ended.

I couldn't walk for four weeks, while my wounds slowly healed, and contemplated what had happened. According to the newspapers, Jim Parker, neo Nazi, had been unmasked by Stefan Lotte, and Parker had beaten the old man to death in revenge, then an 'unnamed youth' killed Parker in self defense. Nice and neat- all wrapped up in a few paragraphs, then forgotten when the next interesting scandal came out. Thankfully Connie's name was withheld and she was spared from the reporter's attentions- she wasn't taking it very well already, and had become quiet and withdrawn. Even Lydia couldn't cheer her up.

The physical damage had healed, but I didn't feel much better myself. "Thunder, you're still not eating well," Lydia commented one morning. "How do you feel?"

"I've ruined Connie's life and got my friend killed," I said.

She rubbed my forehead. "Connie and Stefan both did what they had to do," she said. "You didn't make Lau into what he became."

"I should have done things differently."

"We cannot change the past and what people have become," Lydia said. "Only the future, and what they will become."

Connie came in for her morning ride, her face looking as inspirited as I felt. "Come ride Thunder this morning," Lydia said. "He needs a friend."

"But he doesn't like me," Connie said.

"I think he does now," Lydia said.

Thunder Spirit 5: Redemption

It was one of the coldest Decembers on record in Wisconsin. The snow outside piled up nearly three feet deep, but it was the bitter cold that kept us indoors. The students came in, bundled up, for most the chance to ride about the arena a respite from being stuck inside their homes.

I could only look out my window and brood. The wound where Lau had cut me had healed, but the bitter loss of Stefan Lotte still burned inside me, a tangible thing. I had done many things through my life that had unintended consequences, but this time I felt totally responsible for the loss of another's life. I wondered if I had done something different- if I'd had the forethought to know that Lau would seek revenge- would my friend still live.

For Connie Hill- who'd saved my life- it was worse. She was twelve years old- an age where she could understand that she'd taken Lau's life, but not old enough to rationalize that what she'd done had doubtlessly saved Lydia's, and mine as well. Every day she seemed more withdrawn, speaking less and less with the other students, and not even speaking unless as a direct response to a question.

Finally Lydia came to me one night. "Thunder, you'll fade away to nothing if you don't start eating again," she said one night, as she came with my feed.

"I'll eat later," I said, continuing to look out the window.

She stepped over and stood by my neck, flipping my ears up. "You're standing here with your ears drooping. You've eaten so little in the past month that my feed bill is actually reasonable. Are you feeling well?"

"Stefan died and it's my fault. How should I feel?"

She looked at me critically. "It is Lau's fault, not yours."

I looked around at her. "I should have listened to you and not interfered."

"Thunder, you did listen to me- you thought carefully, and stopped Lau from doing more evil." She looked down. "I should have done the same. I'm more to blame for Stefan's death than you."

I rubbed her shoulder with my nose. "Lydia, don't say that. I'm the one who's supposed to make trouble, and you're the one who's supposed to save me. It's your nature."

"Yes, silly unicorn," she said, hugging me. "It is your nature. And you do it for such good reasons. Stefan and you were meant to stop Lau, and by doing that you did a great good for many people. But now, you have to do a great good for just one." She stepped back and looked at me. "You have to help Connie now."

"How can I?" I wanted very much to help her, but she had always been afraid of me- she wasn't a very good rider, and I had always taken great pains to try to intimidate her during lessons so that she'd ask Lydia for a different horse to ride.

"Her parents are planning to send her off to a mental health center if she doesn't improve soon. She won't talk to anyone about what happened with Lau. You were there- it was a horrible thing for a child to go through."

"But how?" I asked. People tended to talk to horses, thinking we can't understand. I didn't talk back to most people, as they tended to become upset. "Use your legendary charm on her," Lydia said. "I know how sweet you can be. She might turn to you- you're her last chance."

Outside it was starting to snow again- strangely, it was a bit warmer than the day before. Lydia turned and left, her footsteps silent. I began to thoughtfully much on my oats, and was a bit surprised when I looked down to find my bucket empty.

The next day Connie's parents came to see Lydia. I heard them coming into the barn, and leaned over my stall door to eavesdrop. "I understand how difficult this must be," Lydia said as the three of them walked in. "And we will do whatever we can to help you."

"It's hard to believe- Parker killed that old man, nearly killed you, stabbed your horse near to death, and now his estate is suing us," Connie's mother said.

"I can certainly say that Parker was violently insane," Lydia told them reassuringly. "It was nothing but self defense."

"Sure hope the jury sees it that way," Connie's father said. "I hate to put her through this, but we can't afford to keep 'Eagle' any more, with the legal bills and Connie's psychiatric treatments. We're going to have to give up our lease- he'll be going back to his owners in New York."

I was perplexed- I didn't understand this. Lau- or Parker as he'd changed his identity- had nearly killed us all and as soon as they left I asked Lydia. "What is this? Lau was the most evil man that I've encountered in half a millenium, and he's somehow the victim?"

"The law, as that Shakespeare fellow said, is an ass," Lydia said in reply.

"Most asses I know are a bit more sensible," I said. "Tell me who this judge is and I'll make it a literal statement."

"You will do no such thing," Lydia scolded. "You need to concentrate even more on Connie. I've told her parents that she must keep coming whether they can pay for lessons or not."

Eagle left that afternoon in a trailer, bound back for his owners in New York. I'd never understood why anyone would lease a horse; it seemed somehow an artificial arrangement, like a temporary marriage. Eagle had loved Connie despite her faults, and she'd grown close to him. She'd come out and watched him leave, showing the most emotion that I'd seen from her in the last month.

As the truck pulled away, Lydia came and hugged her student. "I'm going to miss him, too," she confided. "He is such a forgiving soul."

I silently agreed- Eagle had never complained when I chewed up his mane to annoy Connie, and was always the first horse in the pasture to offer to scratch my back with his teeth when I had an itch that I couldn't reach. Connie and Lydia were standing outside my stall, and I reached over and bumped Connie with my nose and whinnied.

"Look, Thunder is sad to see him go, too," Lydia said. "Why don't you give him a hug to make him feel better?"

"Thunder doesn't like me," Connie said.

I put my ears as far forward as I could, lowered my head, and gave her as sad a look as I could muster. She looked at me distrustfully, as if I was about to bite her, and she reached out and tentatively touched my nose, snatching her hand back as if she'd touched a snake.

"Go on, he won't hurt you," Lydia said.

Connie halfheartedly rubbed my nose. I tried to stay as still as I could, and carefully watched her eyes- the brief bit of emotion that I'd seen seemed to fade as I watched, replaced by the empty look that had become too familiar.

"I'd like you to ride him today," Lydia said. "Go ahead and get out your saddle, and warm him up in the ring." She shot me a look, filled with worry, and I slightly nodded that I understood what I needed to do.

Connie tossed her saddle up on my back, which was no mean feat, considering that I was over seventeen hands and she was short, even for twelve. The saddle was a Crosby general purpose English saddle, much lighter than Lydia's Stubben, but I didn't really care for it as it didn't quite fit my withers. I made myself a mental note to remind Lydia of this as Connie finished up with the girth and the bridle. Taking me out into the ring, she carefully pulled down the irons and jumped to my back.

It had been about three months since we'd ridden and she hadn't improved much. At the walk, she was tolerable- she shifted from side to side, which was somewhat disconcerting to me as I wasn't sure if she was about to fall off. After a few turns around the ring, she asked me to trot, which was where the problems started. "Trot," she said, adding an unnecessary kick, and I moved out into a smart trot.

Normally I liked to trot- it's a nice easy gait, but enough speed to get my heart pumping. Watching the dark oak wood rail rush by, I usually am able to think my best at the trot. But Connie didn't post very well- she came crashing down on every other stride, and tended to pull herself up with the reins. So I'd get a jolt on my back then a tug on my mouth.

Lydia tried to encourage her. "Dear, try to move with him," she called out, and for a few strides she'd seem to be in synch, then the pounding and tugging started again. I thought for a moment about grabbing the bit in my teeth and tugging back, but knew that would upset my rider so instead I clenched my jaw and took it.

"Walk him for a bit," Lydia asked, as the phone rang and she went to answer. Instead Connie pulled me to a stop in the middle of the ring. I turned my head to look at her- she didn't seem afraid, or happy, or even interested- just had a blank look on her face. I kept watching her, my head cocked to the side, until Lydia came back a few minutes later. "Take him back on the rail," she said, and Connie squeezed with her heels again.

We went around for an hour, alternately walking and trotting. Finally it was over, and Connie took me back down the aisle past the whitewashed stalls to the crossties by mine. I hated being crosstied, but Lydia insisted, telling me it was a bad example for me to just stand around as the students might think that it was acceptable to do with their own horses. She hooked me to the ties, took the saddle off, and started to brush me down. No one else was around, and she started to talk, so I twisted my head to watch and turned my left ear to listen.

"No one really wants me around," Connie started as she rubbed my back with a dandy brush. "All the kids at school are calling me the killer queen." I knew that her name had been withheld by the police, but these things had a way of getting out. "They won't say it to my face but no one will sit with me at lunch, or talk to me." She moved to my shoulder, which was one of my favorite spots, and I leaned into the brush. She stopped talking and brushed silently for a minute, then went on. "My teachers and parents think I'm a freak, too. I'd be better off dead."

I thought for a minute about saying something to her, but Brenda Wool, another of Lydia's students walked in and took Buttercup out of her stall, hooked her to the next set of crossties, and started to get her ready for her own lesson. Connie was quiet again, after exchanging greetings with the other student both were silent. I realized what Connie meant- before, the other girl would have been chatting with her, and now she seemed almost afraid to speak to Connie, as if she'd somehow rub off. I stomped my hoof with annoyance when I realized this, startling Connie, who jumped back.

I looked at her apologetically, since I hadn't meant to scare her this time, but she put the brushes away and cautiously put me back in my stall, then left to sit in the lounge, waiting for her parents to come pick her up. Oddly, she suddenly stood and walked outside- I found it strange, since her parents usually didn't come until 5pm and it was only a quarter after three.

When after five minutes she didn't come back in I started to worry- it was well below freezing, maybe twenty degrees out, and starting to snow again. I reached down and flipped my stall open, then walked over to the door, but someone came up behind me and grabbed my halter.

"Thunder, what are you doing out?" It was Brenda, coming back to the tack room for whatever reason. She started to drag me back to my stall- it's kind of hard to fight against a halter, since they're designed to allow a human to control a horse. I couldn't exactly tell her that I was worried about Connie so I did the next best thing- I reached over and nipped her arm.

That had the desired effect- Brenda yelped and let go of my halter. I wheeled about and dashed into the lounge, pushing the door open and running outside. Behind me I heard Brenda shouting for Lydia, that I was loose and running amok, but I dashed out into the snow, which was falling quite hard. There were plenty of footprints leading back and forth to the parking lot, but one set went off toward the bridle trail- there was no reason for any going there, none of the horses had gone out for rides that morning.

I ran down toward the bridle trail, finding the gate closed. Gathering myself up, I rolled back onto my hind legs and leapt over the gate. Jumping is one of the most exhilarating things that a horse can do- it's something we don't do normally unless we absolutely have to, but once a horse has experienced jumping it gets to be a rush, as it's a bit dangerous.

Especially on snow and ice. I landed on the other side, slipped and came crashing down on my side, but jumped back up- Connie was wandering about, and the way she'd talked had worried me about what she might do. I headed down the path, almost missing seeing her as I galloped along through the snow, feeling it stinging my eyes- but there she was, standing off to the side of the trail, sitting in the snow.

I looked down into her face, my hot breath steaming in the cold air. She looked back, almost as if she'd expected to see me. "I've come out here to die," she said. "You should go home. At least you have a home to go to, where people care about you." Reaching down with my mouth, I tugged at her sleeve, trying to pull her to her feet. "Go away," she said. I looked around, wondering if anyone else was coming out to try to find us- everyone knew I'd run out of the barn, but we were well off the trail, Connie was dressed in white, I'm silvery white, and it was snowing quite hard. I started to whinny loudly, hoping that someone would hear and come.

No one came. I decided to wait- someone would come and find us eventually, and if Connie got too cold I'd push up against her and keep her warm- I had a nice thick coat, after all. It seemed to be a good plan, until I looked down to find that Connie had one of the small razor knives that were always sitting around the stable to cut the strings on hay bales, and she was contemplating her wrists.

Lydia tells me too often I react without thinking things through. This time I admit that I did- I could have snatched the knife with my mouth and tossed it away, which would have been hard to explain, but instead I did something that would be impossible to explain. Focusing hard, I concentrated on her hands, and started to picture Connie as a horse.

She dropped the knife, staring at her suddenly stiff fingers, watching them as they started to blur and meld together. I knew that the same thing was happening to her feet, as they began to change shape and her boots stretched. "My hands..." she looked down at them, then at me, then back down at the two brown hooves that had replaced her small fingers. "I'm hallucinating now, too. Great. Now they'll lock me up for sure."

"You're not hallucinating," I said, looking at her ears- they were brown and pointed, with black tips, and had moved up the side of her head- and the black tail that had pushed over the top of her pants. I guessed if I continued she'd be a bay.

"And a horse is talking to me," she went on. "I have flipped out." She looked disgusted with herself. "The shrink was right- I've been living in a fantasy world the last five years."

"Why would he say that?" I asked gently.

"She. My psychiatrist is a woman," Connie replied.

"She, then."

"She says I'm delusional, and I guess she was right." Connie looked at her hooves again, and reached around, touching her tail. "Oh, I have a tail, too."

"And nice horse ears," I said. "Tell me about your fantasy world." It was snowing harder, almost like a blizzard. I figured that if I heard anyone coming I'd change her back, but for now she was distracted and at least talking to me. Lydia could move almost silently, as elves could, but I figured she would deliberately make noise to warn me she was coming.

"Well, it was about horses," she said. "I wanted to be around them."

"You wanted one?" I asked. "Is that why you got Eagle and took riding lessons?"

"No, I did that because I wanted to be around horses." She looked at the ground as if embarrassed. "I wanted to be a horse. I guess that sounds stupid."

"Many people want to be something they aren't," I said, leaning closer to her, hoping to keep her warm. "Why did you want to be a horse?"

"People don't like me," she said. "But with the horses, they at least treated me the same as anyone else. Everyone at the barn likes horses. No one makes fun of them, at least not in meanness." She started sobbing. "Everyone at the barn at least wasn't mean to me, and I fit in, until I murdered that man."

"You didn't murder him," I said. "You defended me and Lydia." I rubbed her shoulder with my chin. "You saved me and I will never forget that."

"You don't like me," she said.

I felt guilty. "I was really mean to you, wasn't I? But you helped me when it counted, when you didn't have to. That says that you're someone I'd like as a friend."

"No one else wants me," she said. "Anyway, I'm nuts. I'm talking to a horse." She looked down at the hooves at the end of her arms, then looked at me again with a strange look. "Can you finish this?" she asked hopefully.

I was torn- Lydia would be upset with me again if I did, Connie thought that she wanted to be a horse, but I wondered if it was just an escape, and if she'd regret it later. "I'll make you a deal," I said. "You need to be very sure about this, since you're really feeling down now. If things don't get better for you in a month, I'll make you into a horse. But you have to promise me that you won't do anything to hurt yourself again."

"It's a deal," Connie said, "if you promise too."

"I promise," I said, closing my eyes and picturing her as a girl again. It was always harder for me to change horses back to people- I think because I could never understand why anyone would not want to be a horse- but I opened my eyes again, and Connie seemed to be herself again.

I let her climb on my back, since she was quite cold, and I walked back to the barn. "Connie, we were so worried!" Brenda ran up when she saw us, but drew back, thinking I'd bite her again.

"I'm all right," she said in an almost cheerful voice. "Thunder was out on the path." The two girls went back into the barn, while Lydia paused outside with me for a moment. We exchanged silent glances- she knew that I had gone out after Connie and not the other way around.

All afternoon, I dithered and thought about what I'd agreed to do. I had two other students to work for, both of whom were rather frustrated- they thought I wasn't paying attention, which I wasn't. At the end of the day, when Lydia came out to feed, I debated silently if I should tell her, but I didn't have a choice.

"Thunder, what did you say to Connie?" she asked.

I couldn't lie, but I didn't have to tell the truth, either. "What do you mean?" I asked through a mouthful of oats.

She walked into my stall and pushed my head out of the feed bucket. "No one changes that suddenly. She came here this morning depressed and left almost ebullient."

I had to think for a second about what that meant. "Lydia, do you trust my judgement?" I asked. "That is, when I think things over."

"Did you think things over?"

"Um, sort of." I tried to avoid looking her in the eye.

"Tell me everything that happened," she commanded.

Now I had no choice, so I told her all the details- including the promises that Connie and I had made to each other.

Lydia didn't seem upset, which surprised me. "You still surprise me, even after all these years. That should work out quite well," Lydia said. "I'm sure that Connie will get over this."

Unfortunately, Lydia was wrong.

Connie didn't come out the next two days, and I started fretting. On the third day, I saw her parent's car through my window, and ran up to my stall door, pacing back and forth with excitement. Connie's mother came in, alone, and started talking to Lydia.

"Lydia, we had to...oh, it's terrible." She sat down on one of the tack trunks, and I listened carefully, ignoring the cheerful noise of the students that were in the riding ring. "We had to put Connie into an institution. Her psychiatrist says that her hallucinations got worse."

"Oh, dear," Lydia said. "She seemed so happy three days ago."

"She was under hypnosis at her last session, and she thinks one of the horses is talking to her," Connie's mother went on. "The doctor says she's lost touch with reality- an escape mechanism. Connie is convinced, at least subconsciously, that this horse is her only friend."

"We are all a little attached to our horses," Lydia replied. "That is not so strange."

"Well, the idea of having conversations with one is, and the psychiatrist wants to put her on anti-psychotic drugs and is considering shock therapy."

"Can I visit her?" Lydia asked.

"I'm sure that would be all right," Connie's mother said. "I'll ask the doctor. She's at the Glen Oakes Mental Health facility, out near the Interstate."

I could only think of Connie, drugged into a stupor, hooked up to electrodes, and thought even less of human society. Their efforts to make others 'conform and fit in' bordered on torture and as soon as Mrs. Hill left I told Lydia so.

"You had best be quiet," she warned me, "or they will be locking up more of my students."

"Still, I have to help Connie," I pouted.

"Hush. We will," Lydia said. "I have not thought of how yet."

It started snowing again that night, and I watched out my window- there was a full moon, and it was beautiful, slowly falling down over the wood fence and coating the world with a clean white powder, hiding all the ugliness that marred civilization. I couldn't sleep, thinking of how my misjudgement had hurt first Stefan and now Connie. The horses in the barn were untroubled- at times I envied their lives, as the gifts of being a unicorn seemed to become a burden, causing me anguish every time one of my friends was hurt from my carelessness. I knew Lydia wanted to help Connie, but Lydia was cautious, and Connie needed help now.

I waited until late, when I knew that Lydia would be asleep, and leaned over my stall door. Pulling up the latch, I let myself out and quietly slipped out through the boarder's lounge and headed for town. I knew where the interstate was- I'd watch out the trailer window whenever we went to a horse show- and knew about where the Glen Oakes Hospital was. The world was silent except for the sound of snow crunching beneath my hooves, and I wondered what I looked like- an ethereal white horse, my warm breath creating misty steam as I galloped along through the night. Every once in a while I'd hear a car or truck coming, and would duck off the road into the woods.

The hospital was near the big highway, and there was quite a bit of activity nearby. I edged up through the woods- there was a gas station next to the interstate, then the hospital entrance. Since there were people loitering about the entrance smoking, I decided to go around and see if there was a back way in.

Behind the building was a fenced yard full of trucks and a loading dock. I easily jumped over the fence- it was about six feet high, cyclone fence, but without a rider I could jump it easily. I trotted over to the loading dock, looking about uneasily, but saw no one. The dock platform was about four feet off the ground, so I jumped up onto it.

There were four large garage doors with windows in them. I looked through and could see a dimly lit warehouse like area, with a bunch of boxes and crates, but no one appeared to be around. By each of the doors were three buttons, a green one, a red one, and a yellow one.

I pushed on a green one- it's my favoite color- and the door rattled up, opened by an electric motor. It stopped when fully open, and I walked in. There were a bunch of doors with windows in them along the wall, and I went and looked through each- they opened into corridors, but none were labeled with what the corridors were.

Frustrated, I started to look around the area- there had to be some way of finding the mental health wing- and I had an idea. Spotting a cardboard box marked 'BLANKETS' I went over to a telephone and knocked it off it's receiver. It was hard to read the tiny letters, so I pushed the one marked 'O'.

"Main desk," someone answered.

"Please put me through to housekeeping," I answered.

Another voice came on. "Housekeeping, this is Emily."

"Emily, this is Doctor Donner," I said. "I had a special carton of blankets sent in and I want to know why it hasn't been delivered to the mental health ward yet."

"I'm not sure, Doctor," she answered. "We don't have any special work order to do that."

"I want it delivered right away," I said. "The box should be marked, um..." I looked hard at the box. "Garmer Blanket Company."

"Could it wait until the morning?" she asked over the phone.

"If it could, I wouldn't be calling now, would I?" I asked in the most hostile voice I could muster.

"All right, I'll send someone down right away."

I picked up the handset with my teeth and tried to hang it up, but the cord got tangled in my teeth. I could hear someone coming down the hallway and paniced, pulling back hard. The phone fell to the floor with a clatter, the cord came out of my mouth, and I ducked into a dark corner, just in time.

The lights came up, and a man with a hand truck came in and started looking at the boxes. I pushed back against the wall, trying to squeeze into the paint, hoping he wouldn't look my way. Finding the blanket box, he flipped it onto the hand truck and walked off.

I watched the hall he went into, then followed, staying as far back as I could. He stopped at an elevator- I waited until he got in then walked up to it quickly, my hoof steps echoing in the otherwise silent corridors.

The elevator stopped at '4'- I guessed this was where Connie was. I pushed the button to call the elevator- fortunately I watched lots of television and knew how an elevator worked.

It came back down and the doors opened. I went to step in and froze- all my 'horse' instincts were telling me to not get in, that I would be trapped. My heart started pounding from fear, and I squirmed uncomfortably. Then I thought of my friend- being held a virtual prisoner, due for electroshock therapy to try to jolt the memory of me speaking to her from her mind. Gritting my teeth, I stepped in and pushed on the 'four' button. Unfortunately, my nose was a bit too big, and I also pushed in the 'three' button that was next to it. The elevator moved up- it was only a few seconds but it seemed like a year. My legs were shaking from the terror of it, but I knew this was the only way to get to Connie. It stopped when it got to the third floor and the doors opened- it took all my will power to not immediately jump out. Looking up, I could see a woman reading a paper behind some kind of desk- if she looked up, she'd see me standing in the elevator, but there wasn't much I could do. After a few seconds, the doors closed again and the elevator moved up.

It stopped and I stepped out- there was a desk, a nurses station, like the one on the third floor but no one was sitting at it. I could hear voices from a room down the corridor- since my eyes are on both sides of my head, I could see down both ways at the same time. My hearing's very good too, so I could make out the conversation.

"Stupid Doctor, these are exactly the same as the blankets we already have here."

"Yeah, you know these jerks- they push everybody around just 'cause they can."

"What're we going to do with the old ones?"

I ignored the rest of the conversation. Walking over to the desk, I saw a bunch of clipboards. Seeing one that said 'HILL, CONNIE' I looked down at it- there was a '416' written on it with a marker pen, and I guessed that was the room she was in.

The carpets here were thick, and muffled my hoof steps. I made it to room 416- fortunately the people putting the blankets away were in a room in the other direction. Another stroke of luck- the door handles were the kind that you could lift, not the round knobs, so I easily opened the door and walked in.

There was a single bed. Connie was there, asleep. I walked over and nuzzled her. "Connie, wake up."

She rolled over and opened her eyes. "Thunder." She rubbed them. "Doctor Zellin says you're a hallucination, a figment of my imagination caused by traumatic stress."

"Well, this figment is going to take you out of here. Come on, let's go."

Connie sat up in bed and looked behind me. "Did you prop the door open?" I looked around- it had shut behind me, and there was no knob on this side. "The doors are made so the patients can't get out," she explained. "The nurses have a special key to open it from this side."

I felt slightly foolish. "Don't worry, I can open it," I reassured her, hoping I could. She was pulling on a nightgown over her pajamas. "Don't you have something warmer? It's snowing outside."

"They took all my clothes," she answered as I examined the door. It was some kind of metal, and the latch looked fairly sound.

I turned around, facing my young friend. "When I open the door, I'll back out into the hallway. You come out and jump on my back, grab my mane and hold on." Another thought suddenly came to me. "Connie, do you want to come with me? If you want to stay here, I understand. They'll give you some kind of treatment, all you have to do is say that you just imagined me."

She looked at me impatiently. "They're going to fry my brains. Besides, how would I explain you being here? If I've imagined you then I'll wake up here in the morning. Open the door already!"

I shifted my weight onto my front end, tucked both of my hind legs, and let fly. The door was quite strong, but the screws holding it into the doorframe weren't, and the door fairly flew across the corridor and smashed into the opposite wall. A piece of it flew up and smashed one of the light fixtures, which fell to the floor with a second crash.

"Come on!" I urged her. I could hear people coming, and a nurse rounded the corner and froze. I felt Connie's weight on my back and a tug at my mane let me know she was on me. Lowering my head, I snorted and jumped at the nurse, who screamed and ran off. I didn't want to throw Connie off so trotted to the elevator, not too quickly.

It had moved- the number '8' was lit up. I pushed the call button with my nose, but other people were coming up. They all seemed to have the same reaction- they saw me and stopped, looking with disbelief. Most of the people were wearing those hospital scrubs, and one came up, a slightly overweight, middle aged woman wearing a white lab coat.

"That's the horse that she described!" the woman said incredulously.

"Maybe you're hallucinating, Doctor Zellin," Connie shouted at her. The elevator doors opened and I jumped in- a bit too hard, the elevator car seemed to rock a bit. Connie leaned over and pushed the '1' button, and the doors closed behind us.

"Kicking the door off was kind of noisy," Connie said.

"I couldn't think of any other way to open it," I replied.

The elevator stopped and I backed out into a corridor. I could hear more people coming and started running down it. "Do you know where you're going?" Connie asked.

"Um, I think so," I said, then remembered- I had gotten on in the floor marked 'B' for basement, now we were on the first floor. "Let's go this way." I trotted down the hall, rounding a corner to find a desk and a room where a bunch of people were sitting. Again the disbelieving looks, so I trotted by them as if there was nothing unusual with for a horse to run through a hospital with a small girl in a nightgown riding him. There was a coat rack near the door, and I reached over as we passed, grabbing a large and warm looking coat- I felt bad about stealing it, but under the circumstances didn't see a choice. The coat rack fell over as we walked to some automatic doors that slid open, and we were out into the night. I flipped the coat back to Connie, who released my mane to pull it around her- it was way too big, and looked more like a cape. As soon as she was holding my mane again, I started to run- people were starting to come out into the parking lot, and I wanted to get away as fast as we could. Connie held tight- she wasn't a very good rider, but for some reason, tonight she moved with me, and smooth and fast we disappeared down the road.

We got back to the barn around 5 a.m.. Connie let us in through the lounge door. We were both damp- me from the exertion of running all the way back, she from the moist snow that had found it's way under the coat. "I'm kind of cold, Thunder," she said.

"Come close to me," I said. She did- I was pretty hot from the run, and knew I'd warm her up quickly. I carefully laid down in my stall, and Connie snuggled up next to me as if I were a stuffed toy.

"You're such a good friend, Thunder," she said. I wrapped my head and neck around her, a tear in my eye- I'd never thought that Connie and I would be friends at all, much less close ones, bound together now by shared tragedy.

Lydia woke us both the next morning, finding Connie sleeping there next to me. "Connie, wake up, dear," she said, touching her shoulder gently. As Connie yawned and stood up, Lydia turned her attention to me. "Thunder." She said only my name, but I could tell from her voice that she didn't exactly approve of my actions.

"I can explain," I said. Lydia looked at me expectantly, so I went on as I stood up.

"He saved me," Connie said, throwing her arms around my neck. "He's my hero."

"I couldn't leave her there," I said, looking at Lydia with my most helpless look.

"There are other ways to do things, Thunder," Lydia scolded. "You should have waited and asked for my help. Now there are things which are going to be hard to explain."

"I'm sure that everything will blow over," I said, but I was wrong.

"It's true!" someone exclaimed, and all three of us looked around to see Dr. Zeller. She looked somewhat unkempt, as if she'd been up all night.

"I told you so, but you didn't believe me," Connie said. "Now leave me alone."

Zeller ignored her and Lydia, but stared at me. "What are you? Some kind of genetic experiment? A mutation?" She was walking at us slowly, not taking her eyes from mine. "You'll be in all the medical journals- I can't believe it."

"How did you find us?" Lydia said.

"Connie's hallucinations- but I suppose they were reality. I called her parents and found out where this stable is. With the horse incident last night I figured this was where she'd come. I knew there was something strange about the way the horse got into the facility, but this..." She was only a few feet away. "This I didn't expect."

"You can't tell anyone about Thunder," Lydia said softly. "He values his privacy."

"Science needs to know about this," Zeller said. "We can understand more about how the brain works and develops, how speech is enabled." She reached out with her hand and touched me- her hand wasn't clammy and slimy like I had imagined, but soft and warm. I felt almost hypnotized, looking into her eyes- they were like her touch, soft and warm, almost loving, and they sparkled with an almost lustful excitement.

"You have to leave him alone," Connie said. "He's magic and that's why he can talk."

"There is no such thing as magic," Zeller said almost sorrowfully. "If there was the world would be a happier place."

Lydia shot me a warning glance, but I had already come up with a plan. "I don't want to be a freak show exhibit," I said. "Please don't tell anyone about me."

Zeller still was looking into my eyes. "It's too important," she said. "You can make such a difference. I can make a difference."

I already thought- or at least hoped- that the things I did made the world a better place, even if it was only a tiny bit better. I broke my gaze away from hers and stared at a green and yellow tack trunk, trying to not look at Dr. Zeller. "I won't talk."

"What do you mean?" Zeller asked.

"You can tell as many people as you want. I just won't talk any more, and they'll think you're a nut case- like all the UFO people," I said, looking at Connie. "What happens to people that think that animals talk?"

"I bet they'll use drug therapy and electroshocks," Connie said with an air of authority. I was actually starting to notice that she was more assertive.

Zeller looked crestfallen. "But you have to- it's my only chance," she said.

"Only chance for what?" I asked, still looking away from her.

"To be remembered. To leave something behind," she replied. "I haven't much time left, and I never had children, so I have to do something- something special- and this can be the research that makes my name."

"Thunder cannot be your legacy," Lydia said with finality. "I will not permit that." She looked at me. "You have my blessing, in this case," she said.

I knew what she meant, but there was still something about Zeller. "Doctor, can't you do something else? You seem intelligent and you're a physician- go be the next great missionary doctor. You're young enough, you can still have a family if that's what you want. Or do psychological research on people- why me?"

"I don't have time," she said again. "Not enough."

"You just don't want to," Connie said angrily.

I looked back at Zeller again- I couldn't resist. But now there was a tear in her eye. "No, Connie, I don't have much time left. A few months, no more."

Lydia touched her arm. "You can't do this to Thunder. He thinks and feels just like the rest of us."

"He'd be famous- and well treated," Zeller said.

"I'd be chased by nut cases and fanatics that think I'm some kind of evil spirit." I thought back over the years, of mistakes I'd made speaking to the wrong people. I shivered a bit, remembering a preacher that'd wanted to burn me at the stake- he'd made a rather fetching donkey. "No, if you try to reveal me I just have to be more careful about when I talk, that's all." I whinnied loudly to punctuate my comments, loud enough that several of the horses answered back, putting their heads out over their stall doors to see what the commotion was about.

Zeller sat heavily on the tack trunk. "My lungs are rotting out from cancer. Can't you let me have a few months in the spotlight before I die?"

"Not at the price that Thunder would have to pay," Lydia said firmly. "I feel badly for you, we all do, but you cannot bring pain to another to soothe your own."

"You don't have to die," Connie said. "Thunder can turn you into a horse. He's magic."

Zeller looked at her and smiled. "Now Connie, I think we talked about your fantasy world and reality. I can't escape from my pain that way any more than you can."

"He can! Really, he turned me into a horse once- sort of," Connie said excitedly.

"Connie, we really need to focus on the real world," Zeller said in a more professional voice, the psychiatrist training starting to take over as she stood up. "You can't turn into a horse- it's impossible, like..."

"Horses that talk?" I asked.

"Well, that's not... I mean..."

"If you could, would you want to be a horse?" I asked.

Zeller snorted. "As opposed to dying slowly of lung cancer? What kind of question is that...oh!" She was looking at her hands, trying to move fingers that were suddenly stiff and changing, moving together.

I was concentrating- picturing her as a sorrel mare- I realized with a bit of guilt that I was thinking of Buttercup, who I had the 'hots' for. Zeller was starting to hyperventilate, staring at her hands that were rapidly changing to dark brown hooves. She was a bit plump to start with, but the slacks she was wearing suddenly split at the seams as her butt grew too large for them to contain and a brown tail spilled out. She weaved a bit unsteadily on the hooves that I knew were now inside the boots she was wearing. "This isn't possible," she said. "I'm hallucinating."

I had to stop for three reasons- first, it was hard for me to focus all the magic needed for the tranformation, second, I wanted to ask Zeller if she wanted me to finish, and third- well, the horse part of her was in heat. I could smell the part of her that was already a mare, and was starting to get a bit excited. Lydia gave me a disapproving look, but fortunately Connie was too fascinated by Zeller's partial transformation to notice my arousal- I didn't want to explain that to a twelve year old, so I walked back into my stall so she couldn't see and turned back to look at Zeller. She was an odd looking sight- from about the middle of her arms down, she was covered with brown sorrel hair, and her arms ended in dark hooves with faint white vertical stripes in them- the mark of appaloosa blood. From her waist up, other than that she still was mostly human, save for her ears. From the waist down, though, she was more horse sized, with her legs, rump, and tail that of a horse. The instinctive part of me that was a male horse wanted very badly to run over and mount her, but the thinking part of me told me that would not be right, so I resisted. "Doctor, it's very real," I said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel- right, somehow," she said. "It's like the pain has left." She tried to move, but flopped forward, catching herself with the still human hands, but almost being bend double from the mismatch between the length of her horse legs and her shorter arms.

"Sit or lie down," I suggested, and she did.

"You see?" Connie said. "I told you." She was animated and excited. Lydia looked at her with a bit of concern but I focused on Zeller.

"Doctor, it's your choice. I can change you back, or finish. It's a very different life," I said. "There's no fame, or luxury, but there's no constant pressure, no deadlines, just a pasture and a stall and a good meal of oats and hay." And, I thought lustfully, a big grey stallion that will keep you really warm at night.

Zeller looked at me again with those eyes- I knew what it was that I'd seen there. She was attracted to me, too, and I guessed why she'd never had any children with a human. "Finish it," she said. "I want to be a mare."

"Promise me you'll not reveal us," I said. It didn't matter what she said- I wanted her so bad that I'd have finished even if she'd said no.

"I promise," she said, so I focused again. Her hair started to turn a slightly different shade of brown, with white hairs intermixed, a flaxen mane that began to grow back on her neck. Her face began to push out, taking the shape of a horse, a pretty dished face with a white blaze, and as her arms finished changing to forelegs the rest of her torso changed as well, matching up with her lengthening neck. The remnants of her blouse and bra tore and split, leaving just the bits of her sleeves to slide down around her fore hooves.

Connie squealed with delight. "You're so pretty! Someday I want to be a horse just like you."

She stroked Zeller's soft mane- the mare was still lying on the ground, and she turned her new neck to look at her patient. "Connie, I've told you before about these fantasies. It's not..." Zeller stopped talking as she realized how ridiculous her statement was. She struggled to her feet, a bit unsteadily, like a newborn foal.

"It'll take you a while to get steady," I said. "I'll help you learn to be a horse."

"Maybe you should rest tonight," Lydia told her, giving me a stern look. "Connie can show you where the indoor arena is. Go walk around there for a bit."

Lydia and I watched them walk off, then she turned to me. "I don't know if I'll ever understand how you think," she said. "Why did you allow her to keep her speech?"

"Because she's a psychiatrist, and can help Connie deal with her feelings," I said. "Connie doesn't really want to be a horse, she wants to get away from her feelings of guilt." I swished my tail, not telling Lydia what I felt guilty about- that I wanted Connie to be a horse to help soothe my own loneliness, to have someone to share the experience with of being an equine.

"What about Zeller?" Lydia asked. "Do you really think this is what she wanted?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "But she's old enough to make a decision."

"Not as old as you," Lydia said. "It's rather strange how much she looks like Buttercup." She leaned over the door, looking at my belly. "Did you have to pee or something? You seem rather...large down there."

I swished my tail again and stomped my hoof to express my displeasure- Lydia was trying to embarrass me, so I pinned my ears back- she laughed, and I did too. I couldn't ever get angry at her, we were too close. "Okay, so I find her attractive."

"Don't take advantage of her," Lydia said. "Wait for a while. Make sure it isn't just her hormones- or yours."

"I won't," I said, but I was already mentally thinking of how to seduce the Doctor.

It was a bit of a minor news item the next day, about how a horse had supposedly run through the hospital. The disappearance of Dr. Zeller created a brief stir, but she was soon forgotten in the news, another of the dozens of people who vanish every day. Connie's parents were quite happy at the sudden improvement in her condition, and after their legal troubles were settled offered to buy the plump and patient little mare named 'Zee' that she was now riding every day.

"I cannot possibly sell her," Lydia told them, "but Connie can have her as a gift." This was fine with me, as long as Zeller would stay at the barn.

"Great," Lydia's mother had responded.

Being thorough owners, they had the vet come out to check her over and give her shots. Doctor Frankel was my favorite- he was careful and always had a kind word for horses, as if they could understand him, which a few of us could.

"She's a pretty little mare," Frankel told them as he finished his examination. "I'd say she's got about ten months."

Connie looked like she was going to cry and I tensed up- had Zeller avoided death as a human only to have a short life as a horse? "What do you mean?" Connie's mother asked, concerned.

"Until the foal comes," Frankel said. "Didn't you know?" He looked over at me. "I bet he got in with her, didn't you, boy?"

"A baby horse!" Connie was thrilled and ran over and hugged Zeller. "You hear that?"

Zeller looked at me and winked. I felt a bit of pride, but melted when Lydia gave me a glare. "We will talk later," she told me.

Frankel chuckled as he packed up his instruments, not realizing that Lydia literally meant it. "You want me to geld him while I'm here?"

"Don't tempt me," Lydia said.

"Quit pouting," Lydia said as she led me toward the trailer. "This will be good for both of you." I looked over at Connie, who was hugging the now very pregnant Doctor Zeller- or 'Zee', as she'd become known now that she was a horse. The connection that had grown between the two was almost palatable, but Zee was too far along to accompany Connie to summer camp.

"I'm not pouting," I replied. "I just don't want to leave you alone." It was true, we had seldom been apart for very long in the past four centuries, and the two weeks that Connie's camp would run would seem like forever, but I also didn't want to be away from my mare.

"Well, I will have Zee here with me. And you should have thought of this before the two of you...well, you know." Lydia looked at me sternly- I'd stopped. "Come on, get in the trailer."

I stepped up uncertainly- I hated riding in the trailer, since every instinct in me told me to not get in. It was claustrophobically small, and it shifted beneath my weight. I walked up to the front and stuck my head out the small door for the feed manger and watched Connie run up. "Are you ready?" Lydia asked.

"Yes," Connie and I both answered. Connie reached up and rubbed my forehead, gently touching the scar where my horn had once been, before the bitter day that it was hacked off by thieves seeking it's magic. I flinched away, startling her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," I said. "It just feels funny."

"Let's get going," Lydia said brightly, reaching up to close the small door. I pulled my head back inside- Lydia wouldn't tie my head, since she knew I already was nervous about the ride. I heard the truck doors slam and the engine start, then the ground beneath me shifted- I stumbled a bit inside the trailer until I got used to the motion, but every time we'd slow down or stop was a surprise. It got worse as we approached the camp- there were a lot of hills, and every time we'd go up one my weight would roll to my back legs. Thankfully, the trip was over in about two hours- it was around ninety miles to the Kettle Moraine park.

Lydia opened the door, and I carefully backed out, stepping down onto the gravel. There were a bunch of other trailers and people unloading, but no one was in earshot. "I'd have rather just galloped here," I grumbled.

"It's too far, silly unicorn," she replied, running her fingers through my forelock.

I was about to reply but a trim woman wearing jodhpurs was walking up. "You must be Connie and Zee," she said to Lydia and me. "I'm Karen Prescott."

Before Lydia could answer, Connie came from behind the truck. "I'm Connie," she proclaimed. "And this is Thunder- Zee couldn't come, 'cause she's going to have a baby horse!"

Prescott looked at me dubiously. "Isn't he kind of big for a twelve year old?"

"Thunder will do fine. He's very well behaved," Lydia said.

I drew in the cool, crisp air and looked around. The parking area was a chaotic mix of vehicles, riders, and horses. Some were saddled up for the ride to the camp, other riders were struggling to get their saddles on. One horse was spinning around it's rider in circles, avoiding her attempts to get on. I felt the a pad then a saddle hit my back, and turned around to see Lydia helping Connie with the saddle's girth. It was my favorite saddle- an old Simco western saddle, made before they started to use plastic for trees. It was flexible, comfortable, and fit me well. I'd need it for the ordeal to come- I loved Connie dearly but she was a terrible rider and bounced around like a sack of potatos.

The riders and horses started to coalesce together, near where Prescott sat on a bay gelding. He looked at me suspiciously and snorted, but I ignored him and looked instead at Prescott, listening to what she was saying. "All right, campers, we're going to have a good time. Everyone follow me, and try not to crowd the other horses."

We started down the trail, and I took a last glance at Lydia- she was handing Connie's bag to someone who was loading them all into a truck, then looked around at the horses in our group. Most were smaller horses, their sizes suited to their riders who were all children with ages ranging from about ten to eighteen. I virtually looked like a giant among them, and had to slow my stride so as to not outdistance them, but soon found Connie and myself near the front of the group. The trail was nice, soft earth, winding through a forest of trees, and I soon was glancing around. I noticed the trees were all of uniform height, and most were in straight rows- a sign that this had once been a tree farm- but that the undergrowth and a few sporadic trees had popped up between them. In other areas, the trail went up and down steep but relatively low hills, which was the topography of the area.

"This countryside is called the 'Kettle Moraine'," Parker said, turning back to face the group. "Does anyone know why?"

"The valleys are called 'Kettles'," one of the campers answered back.

"And does anyone know how they were formed?"

"Yes," Connie said. "The giant Ice Trolls had a war with the elves and the unicorns here a long time ago."

Parker smiled when she heard this, but several of the other campers giggled or laughed. "It's true," Connie said.

"That's stupid," one of the campers- a boy wearing rimmed glasses riding a paint pony- answered. "This is a natural geologic formation caused by the migration of glaciers."

"It's true!" Connie insisted again. "A unicorn told me."

I knew Connie was talking about me. The story was true- I'd told her when she described the camping trip- but humans mostly wanted to understand the 'why' behind everything and looked for the answers in science. We rode on a bit more, and I listened carefully to the other campers- Connie was apparently considered childish for her statement, and I was a bit angry at the cruelty of the other children.

We didn't see much in the way of wildlife- the dozen noisy campers and their horses meant that most of the wild creatures stayed well away from the trail- but I kept having an uneasy feeling, as if something was watching us. I kept glancing about restlessly but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, we reached the campground- there was a group of six cabins, and a few corrals. A large pond was surrounded by 'no swimming' signs, and there was a screened in building with a fireplace. The red pickup truck that I'd seen earlier was parked nearby, the campers' bags still in the back.

"We're here!" Parker exclaimed. "Welcome to camp, everyone!"

"Where are the computers?" the nerdy kid with the glasses asked.

"There aren't any," Parker said. "No electricity out here."

"Then how will we survive?" another girl asked- she was about eighteen. "How can we watch TV? What will we do for entertainment?"

"Why, we'll ride our horses, tell stories, and roast marshmallows at night," Parker answered. Connie seemed excited by the idea, but some of the older campers looked as if they'd been sentenced to prison.

Connie put me into one of the corrals, taking my saddle and bridle off. "We're going to have a lot of fun, Thunder," she confided in me. "Make sure no one hears you talk," she said in a low voice.

Not low enough. "Oh, the nutcase thinks her horse can talk!" I was starting to dislike the kid with the glasses.

"Leave her alone, Brian," one of the girls said. "I'm sorry, he's such a pain."

"Is he your brother?" Connie asked.

"Yes," the girl said. "My name's Grace."

"Saving Grace," Brian said.

"Oh, shut up," Grace said, then turned back to Connie. "I pretend my horse can talk to me, too." Grace was older- I guessed around fifteen- but she was obviously a kind person to not demean Connie.

"That's all right," Connie said. "my brother is a pain, too."

I watched the two walk off. Brian was with a group of the boys, standing nearby. "This is a bummer, with no Nintendos or anything," one of them said.

"Well, you heard the old lady, let's make our own fun," Brian said, kicking at some dirt. "Tonight, after supper."

"What'll we do?"

"Let me think of something," Brian said, looking at me. "Here's the weirdo's horse." He threw his hands up in front of my face, and I flinched back. "Spooky, aren't you?" He threw his hands up again, but this time I was ready and nipped his arm- not hard enough to break skin but I knew he'd have a nasty bruise. "Ow! He's vicious!" Brian said as he jumped back. Another one of the kids picked up a rock and threw it at me- I easily dodged, but Parker's horse- the bay gelding- wasn't as alert and the rock smacked into his side. He squealed and kicked out, striking the grey pony behind him, and the horses started running around in the small paddock. The mares in the next paddock also got agitated from the commotion and started snorting and milling about, looking to see what the danger was.

Parker came running up. "What's wrong? What spooked the horses?"

"It's the grey one," Brian said pointing at me. "He's starting fights with the other horses."

"I thought he was too big for that little girl," Parker said, walking into the paddock and grabbing my halter. "We'll have to take care of that." She snapped on a lead rope and led me out of the paddock, taking me to where there was a tie line running between two trees. Fumbling about, she tied a sloppy knot on the tie line and to my lead rope. "There. You can stand over here." I didn't really care for the idea of being on a line, but Parker was inept and had left the rope too long, so I was able to reach down and munch on the grass.

A half hour later, Connie came out of the cabin and ran up to me. "Thunder, what are you doing here alone?"

I glanced around- no one in earshot. "Miss Parker thinks I'm a troublemaker," I said. "Don't worry about it. We're going riding again soon, anyway."

I'd paid more attention to the schedule than Connie had, as shortly thereafter Parker marched all the campers out. "We'll all ride up to the bluffs to watch the sunset," she announced. "Everyone saddle up your horses. Connie, can I see you first?"

As the other children scurried off, Parker took Connie by the arm. "Connie, your horse is really too big for you," she said. "I'd like you to ride my horse today."

"But Thunder is my friend," Connie protested. "He wants to see the sunset, too. I know him."

"He can see it," Parker said. "I'll ride him there."

"He doesn't know you, though," Connie said.

Parker almost laughed. "I'll do my best."

I nodded at Connie. "All right," she said reluctantly.

I watched as Parker saddled her horse with my saddle and helped Connie on, then came back to me. "All right, trouble," she said, "you've met your match." Her saddle was all right- it was one of those cheap barrel racing saddles that you can order out of a catalog, but it fit me and was pretty light. She didn't get out my bit and bridle, though, pulling out an odd looking contraption. "Let's see how you do with an elevator gag snaffle bit," she said, sticking a thumb in my mouth to make me open it.

The bit was horrendous- it hurt. It had a twisted wire mouthpiece, which was bad enough, but she also had the bridle adjusted too tight, so that it pulled against my mouth even without a touch on the reins. I felt sorry for the bay horse, knowing that his mouth was likely sore from this thing, and hoped that Connie wouldn't have trouble with him as a result.

Slinging a crop over the saddle horn, Parker stuck one foot into the stirrup and swung herself up. As she plopped into the saddle, her right foot gouged against my side- she was wearing spurs, too. I pinned my ears back to let her know I was displeased. "Well, not a twelve year old you can push around," she said to me as she wiggled into the saddle. "Let's go, everyone," she proclaimed, and yanked on my mouth, turning me toward the trail.

We set off at a brisk walk. Parker seemed oblivious to the fact that I walked faster than most horses because of my height, and soon most of the campers were either trotting to keep up or were falling quickly behind. We'd gone about a mile up the trail when she yanked on my reins and spun me around. I pivoted around smartly- I wasn't going to look bad in front of the other horses- and looked down the trail.

About five of the campers were still with us, and their horses were panting from the exertion of trotting up the hill. We waited about ten minutes for the group to catch up, and as the last rider came into sight- it was Brian on his pony- Parker dug a spur into my left side and pulled on my right rein. I rolled back on my right hind leg, pulling both front legs off the ground as I was taught to do when signaled like this, but Parker was not a dressage rider and misinterpreted my move. "Rearing, huh? We'll see about that." The crop came down hard on my shoulder, then swung back and hit my hip, accompanied by rapid jabbing of both spurs.

This was too much. I didn't know what school of horsemanship Parker practiced, but in every one that I knew of spurring accompanied by a slap on the rump meant one thing. I launched myself forward into a full gallop, driving hard off my back end and ignoring the painful yanking on my mouth. It was thrilling, tearing down the trail and dodging between the trees. On a whim, I turned off the trail and started through the woods, feeling the earth pounding beneath my feet and the sting of branches and small shrubs popping against my side. I headed into the thickest stuff I could tolerate, knowing that my tough horsehide would withstand it a bit better than Parker, who was now screaming and holding onto the saddle horn- the reins were flopping by my side. The twilight made it even more exciting, at least for me. I ran at least a half mile, coming back onto the trail, then turned and started trotting back down the trail toward the other horses.

I had to give Parker credit- she'd stayed on. I glanced around to look at her- her hair was a mess filled with twigs and tangled leaves, the ball cap she'd been wearing was gone. Her blouse was gone, too, along with her bra, and she was now wearing only one boot. Other than being a bit pale and having quite a few scratches that were already reddening, she seemed to be in pretty good shape.

The campers were riding up, and I whinnied a greeting to them. Several of the horses called back, and I stopped when we got to them- Parker was just sitting on me now, having not made a sound or even tried to pick up the reins that were now dragging on the ground. "Miss Parker, are you all right?" Grace said with obvious concern.

"He doesn't like spurs," Connie said authoritatively.

"Lookit her titties," I heard Brian say.

Grace got off her horse and handed Parker a jacket, which she wordlessly took and put on, then Grace handed her my reins. "Do you want someone else to lead him back?" Grace asked.

I twisted my neck sideways so I could see Parker's reaction. She just shook her head, and asked me gently to walk. I smoothly turned and we headed up the trail to the bluffs.

The sunset was as advertised- a beautiful pink and orange spectacular, rimmed with clouds. As the twilight fell, I looked down into the valley where we could see the lights of a farm. "See that?" Brian said. "That's the farm where the maniac lives."

"Shut up, Brian,"Grace said, but her brother went on as we began to ride back to the camp. I twisted an ear around to listen.

"There's a maniac down there, see, and he knows the secret power of the elves," he said, looking at Connie. "He's been here a million years."

"What's the secret power of the elves?" one of the other boys asked.

"He can turn people into animals. It's true- I heard it from one of the campers last year, and he says that the maniac turned a man into a deer then ate him." Brian paused for dramatic effect. "If you aren't scared, we can go down and see him, but we have to take a human sacrifice. Maybe the weirdo," he said.

"Shut up, Brian," Grace said. "That's the stupidest story I've ever heard."

"Every year the maniac comes for one of the campers," Brian said in an eerie voice. It was starting to get dark, and we were almost to camp. Parker didn't tie me back to the rope but instead put me in a corral with the geldings- there were no other stallions there, and I guessed she didn't realize I was one, as a few of the mares in the next paddock were in heat- I looked at them longingly but remembered that Lydia had admonished me to be on my best behavior.

The children were out and about after lights out- I'd expected it, as part of the nature of human children at camp to be disobedient. They were mostly running between cabins, giggling and doing pranks, but by midnight they'd settled down and it was quiet. I fell asleep myself, exhausted from the long day, but woke after an hour or so, again with an uneasy feeling.

The next morning was gloomy and overcast. Parker had finished giving us hay when Connie ran up. "Grace is gone! The maniac must have got her!"

"Calm down," Parker said. "Maybe she's just in the shower."

"No! We looked all over, and she's gone!"

"Everyone! In the mess hall, now." Parker had a remarkably loud voice, and the campers soon were all assembled. The corral we were in was next to it, and I moved over by the rail to listen.

"We were only kidding," Brian was protesting. "We went to see the maniac's cabin, and Grace came after us. It was her fault."

"What do you mean?" Parker demanded.

"The maniac got her," Brian said. "We were looking through the window, and the maniac was cooking a magic stew, like the witches do, and then he ran outside and we heard her scream."

Parker was already dialing a cellphone. "Sherrif's office...yes, I'd like to report an emergency. One of my campers is lost...yes, right away." She hung up the phone. "All right. All activities today are cancelled. Brian, come with me.

I watched them go into the counselor's cabin, and they stayed there until a police car came up- it wasn't a four wheel drive like I'd expect, but a plain police car with blue lights. A man got out wearing a brown uniform. He seemed a little overweight for a policeman to me.

Parker came out of the cabin, accompanied by Brian. "Officer, thanks for coming out," she began. "One of my campers is missing, and Brian thinks..."

"The maniac in the cabin got her- the one that lives in the valley," he proclaimed.

"Take it easy, son," the policeman said. "My name's Brett. I'm a deputy sherrif. What's yours?"

"Brian. And the maniac got my sister Grace- we heard it!"

Brian spilled his story out. He and two other boys had dared each other to peek inside the maniac's cabin. Grace had apparently gone after them- they'd heard her scream and they ran back to camp.

"Okay- was the scream before or after MacDuff left his cabin?"

"Who's MacDuff?" Brian asked.

"Old man MacDuff- he's a bit eccentric," the policeman said. "Runs a hunting camp." He looked up at his car. "Can't get there in my car, though."

"We'll ride there," Parker said. "Can you ride?"

"Sure," the policeman replied. "If any of your horses don't mind my weight."

"Take the grey one," she said, looking at me. "He's plenty of energy."

Parker saddled us up- me, the bay gelding, and Brian's pony. He was to come along, Brett explained, to show us exactly where the boys had been. We headed down the trail at a good pace- the pony had to run, but I was starting to worry about the missing girl.

As we approached the farm, I felt the feeling of unease again. There was an overgrown field that had once grown some kind of crop but was now neglected. The barn and the cabin were both a bit run down as well, with a small corral next to it holding several disconsolate looking horses, mules, and donkeys, and a doe hung head down and lifeless by her heels from a tree in front of the cabin. "He turned Grace into a deer and killed her," Brian blubbered out, starting to cry.

"Take it easy, son," Brett said, climbing out of my saddle as a man walked onto the porch. He was short and balding, a little overweight himself, and he wore a pair of greenish coveralls and a white shirt. In his left hand he held a pipe, in his right he held a rifle- a Winchester carbine, if I knew my cowboy movies.

"What're ye seekin', Sherrif?" he called out.

"We're looking for a missing girl, MacDuff. Mind if we talk?"

"I'm listenin'."

"You turned my sister into a deer and killed her!" Brian shouted.

MacDuff laughed and put the carbine down. "That'd be nonsense," he said. "Why, if I had turned her into a deer, I'd be a huntin' her this day. Big money in that, there is."

"You have a hunting party here now?" Brett queried.

"Aye- they'll be out and about this morning, soon as they sober up."

My attention was distracted by the animals in the corral- one of the mares had run up clumsily, and was whinnying at us desperately. From the way she was moving I knew she hadn't been a horse long and guessed it was Grace.

MacDuff followed my gaze. "That mare'll be in heat before too long," he said, looking at me but talking to the sherrif. "I'll pay ye fifty dollars for your stud to cover her."

"He's not my horse," Brett replied. "So you haven't seen the girl?"

"Look around ye- search the place if ye like, ye'll not find her here," MacDuff replied.

Thed eputy wasn't holding my reins tightly, so I casually walked toward the porch, pretending to be interested in some grass that was growing near there. I got close enough to 'feel' MacDuff's presence- but I knew that he could feel mine as well, and he looked at me sharply and his eyes narrowed. I stared back at him- we both knew that the other was not what we appeared to be.

"If you wouldn't mind us looking around- just in case she did come by here," Brett said, handing my reins to Parker. The deputy and Brian accompanied MacDuff into the barn. After a bit, they came back out, walked around the property- I saw Brett reach down and pick something up, showing it to Brian, then the three came back over to us.

"Well, she was by here," Brett said. "This is her hairtie, if Brian's correct."

"You see? He made her into a deer and killed her," Brian said. MacDuff laughed. "What an imagination the laddie has. Well, if ye be done with me," he said, picking up the Winchester, "I'll be about me business. I'd suggest," he said, looking at Parker and me, "Ye be mindin' yours."

As we rode back, Parker turned to the deputy. "Can't you arrest him? After all, her hairtie was there."

"There's a thousand ways it could've gotten there- maybe young Brian dropped it by accident," Brett said. "I don't have probable cause to for an arrest, and we didn't find any sign of her."

They were quiet the rest of the ride back to the camp. When we got back, Connie and the other girls ran up. "Did you find her?"

"The maniac turned her into a deer and killed her," Brian said. Several of the younger girls started to cry, and Parker held up her hand.

"Now, let's not start wild tales," she said. "I'm sure that Grace will turn up." She looked at the deputy, and the two walked off, talking quietly.

Later that afternoon, Connie came out to the paddock I was standing in. "Thunder, did he do it? Did the maniac kill Grace?"

I looked around- no one in earshot. "I don't think so," I said. "I think he turned her into a horse."

"How?" Connie asked. "Is he a unicorn, too?"

"No," I said. "He's not a man, either- I'm not sure what he is." But I intended to find out.

"Can you change her back?" Connie prodded.

"I'm not sure of that, either," I admitted. "Can you call Lydia and tell her what happened?"

"No, Miss Parker has the only cellphone, and she doesn't want to scare the parents," she said.

"Promise me you'll stay here in camp," I said. "I'll go help Grace tonight."

"Okay," Connie said dubiously. "Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"I'll let you know if I do." With that, I stopped talking, since two of the other campers were coming up to feed us.

That night, none of the children came out of their cabins- not a surprise, after Grace's disappearance. After about ten o'clock, I slipped out of the paddock and headed for MacDuff's cabin. Without a rider, I galloped down the trail- it would have been fun, if not for the circumstances, as the moonlight made lovely shadows through the trees. I finally came to MacDuff's cabin, finding him standing on the porch, watching as I slowed and trotted up.

When I was about ten feet away, I stopped and regarded him. He was calmly smoking the pipe- it didn't quite smell like tobbaco that he was smoking. It had a tanginess to it. "Care for a bit o' a smoke?" he asked, offering me the pipe.

I stepped forward and he put it to my lips. I took a deep breath- it was something the elves frowned upon, but the other folk- dwarves, trolls, and the like- would smoke as an intoxicant. The humans called it 'marijuana', I enjoyed it but Lydia wouldn't let me smoke it around the barn. "Good stuff," I commented, taking another long pull.

MacDuff took the pipe back. "An' what ye be? Not a horse," he said, looking at my forehead. "A 'corn, no doubt, mutilated by those barbaric humans." He took another long drag at the pipe, then put it back against my mouth.

I puffed, holding the smoke in my lungs as long as I could, then let it out. "Yes, I'm a unicorn. And you're...not a dwarf or an elf."

MacDuff laughed, almost giggling as the smoke came out his nose. "Nae, I be a leprechaun, laddie. I found me pot o' gold right here."

The leprechaun took another hit off the pipe as I spoke. "Here? Running a hunting camp? Strange occupation for one of the wee folk."

"An' ridin' fat human children around be a strange occupation for a 'corn," he replied. "I be doin' them a good turn, I is."

"I don't think Grace particularly wanted to be a horse," I said. "You changed her against her will." I was starting to feel a bit buzzed but still couldn't figure it out. "How'd you do that anyway?"

"You 'corns never seem tae worry about if folk wish tae be hooved either," MacDuff replied. "So what's the bother about MacDuff? Most' a mine be askin'."

The pipe went out, and MacDuff fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a pouch and refilling it. Lighting it, he offered it to me again, and I took another deep breath. "I only change people that ask- or that deserve their fate," I said, a bit lightheaded.

"An' who appointed you judge?" MacDuff said. "Most' a mine changes are from folk that wish to be deer."

I snorted, and giggled as the smoke came out my nose, making curious rings. "That's stupid. Who would want to be a deer?" It was fun to be a horse, but a deer? "That's crazy."

"Nae, laddie," MacDuff said. "I be finding' em now on the internet. I used tae have looked in the lonely hearts clubs, but now I find the furry folks. They come here an' pay me, I tells 'em they won't need their money no more, buy me gold an I turns 'em into deer." MacDuff started to laugh, and danced a little jig. "An I've more gold in me pot than I'd e'er dreamed!"

"But then you hunt them?" I said, confused.

"All part 'a bein' a deer, lad. Other folk come pay me to hunt. He puffed the pipe contemplatively. "Some of 'em gets away. But most, well, I makes 'em into nice bucks, twelve pointers- they always wants tae be twelve pointers, laddie. I takes me mules and packs the hunters up country. A few wimmen wants tae be does." He nodded at the doe's corpse that hung head down and lifeless. "But they be as foolish as the men, and as easy tae hunt."

I felt a bit sickened at what MacDuff was doing. "How can you do this?" I asked, trying to focus my eyes- they were a bit blurry. "It's, it's wrong." I was feeling a bit dizzy from the smoke.

"They all be willing," he said. "The unwilling ones- well, I'm fair and kind. Every once in a while someone sees what they shouldn't- young Grace saw a man bein' made a buck. So I always needs more mules and horses." He looked over at the mare in the paddock who was watching us. "I treats 'em well enough. Better'n the humans treat each other." I was still confused, and the weed I'd smoked wasn't helping any. MacDuff had pulled out a little flute. "How did you- I mean, how are you, well, changing them?"

"This be a faerie dale," he said. "An' I've a faerie stone."

I gasped- not just from the smoke that was still making me dizzy, but from the shock- a leprechaun with a faerie stone, in a faerie dale was like a ticking time bomb. No telling what mischief he'd be up to- well, he already was up to, I corrected myself. "I can't let you- I won't, I mean, you know," I said, staggering a bit uncoordinated.

MacDuff looked at me with a smirk. "An' ye'd rather stay with mortal folk? Come stay here with me, laddie, and we'll have merry times. I'll fetch ye some handsome mares." He started to play a tune on the flute, and I tried to think hard, but my mind was cloudy. Something Lydia- or was it my mother?- had warned me about, leprechauns enchanting people with their music- would it work with a unicorn? MacDuff was playing a happy tune, and I found myself dancing a bit. "That's it, laddie," he said. "Ye'll be happier here with me."

I could see his point- it was a beautiful place, like most faerie dales were, and Grace was lovely- I could imagine all the mares I'd have here. MacDuff would let me smoke 'weed, and we'd have a fun time every night, making merry and dancing with the deer...

No. It snapped coldly into my mind. We'd have a merry time, then hunt and kill the desperate folk that were so unhappy with their lives that they'd want to be a deer... a deer, of all things. But the music was so lovely, and MacDuff's voice so soothing, that I started to think that maybe it wasn't so bad- after all, some of them would get away. And they really wanted to be deer, after all.

"Stop it!" Connie's voice cut through my muddled thoughts. MacDuff stopped playing the flute and we both turned to look at Connie and Brian.

"Well, another fine pair," MacDuff said, as he started to play another tune. I watched, mesmerized, as Connie and Brian both seemed to get blank looks on their faces, then the two followed him toward the barn. I walked on as well, wondering what entertaining thing MacDuff would do next.

There was a big round boulder in the middle of the barn- I saw it was a single piece of rock, flat on the top, with strange markings. MacDuff started to dance around it, playing the flute, and the two children followed, singing an ancient tune. I watched, fascinated, as the children danced behind the leprechaun, and the stone seemed to glow a golden color from the tune. The glowing aura seemed to surround the children as well as MacDuff, and the two began to change- first their ears began to get longer, and seemed to move toward the tops of their head, and their noses seemed to push out. No, I corrected myself, they were in fact pushing out, and their nostrils were being rimmed with dark hair. Both Connie and Brian sprouted black tails, and their shoes tore away as they grew hooves. Their hands were next- I noted with alarm that Brian's ears were rather longer than I'd expect, and guessed he was to be a donkey, but Connie was becoming a little bay filly, much as I'd once imagined her, when she'd thought for a time that she wanted to be a horse.

But no- I couldn't allow this, Connie was under my care and I wouldn't let her be transformed involuntarily. I regret to say that I didn't think of poor Brian at all, as his neck began to thicken and lengthen, and his singing began to turn to a donkeylike braying- his shirt suddenly burst to reveal a thick and coarse grayish coat, with a dark dorsal stripe.

But I was focusing on Connie, and picturing her as the young girl she was. The aura seemed to grow stronger, and changed to a more silvery white color around her as the transformation stopped then reversed. MacDuff seemed oblivious to this, dancing along and playing his tune, the donkey dancing behind him and Connie behind the two. She suddenly stopped singing and looked about confused.

MacDuff looked over at me. "Laddie, ye disappoints me. I'd hoped ye'd be a boon companion." He began to play a different tune, more mournful, and I found myself dancing, along with Brian. Connie shirked back, her eyes filled with terror. "Ye'll jus' hae tae forget," he said, looking at me.

I realized what he intended, but was helpless from the tune. I knew that I shouldn't have smoked with a leprechaun, or listened to his music, but it was too late. He intended to use the magic of the stone to change me as well- he was planning on taking away my memory, and leaving me- what? With the mind of a normal horse? Or just a unicorn with no memory, enchanted by the leprechaun's music to do his bidding?

"Stop it!" Connie screamed, hurling something at MacDuff. He looked up, surprised, as an old pail hit his hand- he dropped the flute and looked at her sternly.

"Ye'll hae tae learn yer lesson, once I be done with the 'corn," he said, moving toward her.

I was half confused by now- it was hard to think, not just from the smoking but from the music, I couldn't remember who I was, or why I was here- but something in my instincts urged me to protect Connie. Letting out a shrill scream- Connie later told me that it made the barn shake- I dove across the faerie stone at MacDuff, striking him with my front hooves.

The leprechaun fell to the ground, stunned by the blow, and I wheeled about in a frenzy. The little donkey that was Brian ran from the barn in terror, braying, and I felt something crush beneath my hooves.

It was MacDuff's flute- smashed by a unicorn's hoof, it broke the spell, and suddenly I could think relatively clearly as I turned about, facing the leprechaun.

He could see the anger in my eyes. "Take it easy, laddie," he said, his eyes wide as I snorted.

I felt Connie's touch on my shoulder. "Don't hurt him," she told me. "He's mean, but please don't hurt him."

I stared at MacDuff- he was powerless for the moment, but all he'd need was another flute and he'd be back in business. I also knew that getting a meaningful promise from a leprechaun was about as likely as getting one from a politician running for office- he'd have a loophole in it, so I couldn't just ask him to 'not do this any more'.

He knew it too- he was thinking the same thing, and he spoke, a gleam in his eye. "Well, laddie. Seems we be at a stalemate, now. Ye canna' kill me without yer horn, and I canna' charm ye with me flute gone. So what say we just part as friends?"

I looked about the old barn, and wondered how many humans had come here over the years and left as deer, to be hunted down for sport, how many innocent passers by had become MacDuff's pack animals. The wood rafters seemed to exude a sorrow of their memory. "You're right," I started, looking at MacDuff. "I don't have my alicorn any more, though I daresay I could make you hurt a bit with my hooves." I walked around, and MacDuff and I began to circle the faerie stone, staring at each other. "And my magic won't work on a leprechaun- but neither would a leprechaun's enchantment work permanently on a unicorn, either, except in a faerie dale with a faerie stone."

Staring at MacDuff across the stone, I saw his eyes widen as he realized what I'd said. "Laddie, ye'd not do such a thing to a fellow immortal..." he gasped, looking at his hands- the fingers were starting to stiffen and the faerie stone was glowing again, not the golden color but the silvery grey color of the aura that was starting to surround both MacDuff and myself. Flashes of bright light began to dance between the stone, MacDuff and myself and he cried out, touching the ears that were twitching on the side of his head, becoming pointed and horse like.. "Ye dinna' ken how tae use it," MacDuff cried out, stumbling backwards as his feet became hooves and he fell off balance. I kept focusing, or trying to, as the stone began to glow brightly and the inside of the barn was as brightly lit as daylight. MacDuff's little suit burst open, revealing his much larger waist and chest and rapidly growing tail. He was covered with a jet black hair, and his arms were now forelegs, ending with black hooves.

He fell forward, his neck and face starting to push out into their new shapes, and I realized with shock that he was growing an alicorn- I hadn't really pictured what kind of horse he'd be, and I didn't have the power to make another unicorn, but somehow the combination of the faeire stone and MacDuff being a leprechaun had done it. I didn't have time for second thoughts as the faerie stone, MacDuff, and I all glowed so brightly that for a moment I was blinded.

Then it was over. The faerie stone was dark, and I knew I'd drained it's power- or most of it. MacDuff looked at me in disbelief- he was all jet black, an inverse image of what I knew I looked like.

"This nae be over between us, laddie," MacDuff warned, looking at me coldly.

I hoped he'd not be foolish enough to try anything- I had over four hundred years of experience being on all fours, and he had just a few minutes- but he also had an alicorn and I...

It was back. I could see it, there, on my forehead. I was whole again, somehow the faerie stone had fixed me, restored what had been taken from me. I was thrilled. "My alicorn!" I exclaimed.

Connie reached up and touched it. "It's beautiful," she said.

MacDuff jumped at us, and I pushed myself between him and Connie, deftly turning aside his charge with my alicorn. I hadn't had one in four centuries, but instinctively I knew how to use it, and MacDuff didn't. He jumped aside, stumbling, and I turned to face him warily. "This is what the deer felt," I said. "They didn't know how to use their new bodies, either." He jumped again, and I parried his thrust, then slammed him to the ground with a blow from my hooves. I was better at being a unicorn, but had to defend Connie. MacDuff tried a third time, and this time my alicorn slashed his side, leaving a bleeding wound.

He'd had enough. He gave me a last hateful look, then leapt out the door, galloping into the night. Connie put her arms around my neck but she had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked her gently.

"Lydia told me that you couldn't go home to be with the other unicorns because you lost your alicorn. Are you going away from us now?"

I'd wanted so badly for centuries to go home. Unicorns seldom came to this plane of existence any more, as it was becoming such a sad place, with so little magic. Most of the elves had left, too, except a few like Lydia that still held hope for it. I'd seen so much sorrow here, and so many horrible things. But there were a few people that gave me hope. "No, Connie," I said. "I have to stay here to protect you, and people like you, from creatures like MacDuff."

"But people will see your horn," she said.

"No, they won't."

I concentrated, picturing myself as a horse, and she watched in awe. "You made it disappear!"

"Yes," I said. "I can make it disappear. I'm magic, remember?"

She threw her arms around my neck, hugging me again. "I can't wait to tell Zee all about this!" She suddenly stopped. "What about Grace and Brian?"

I'd forgotten, too. "Let's see if we can help them."

Grace and several of the horses and donkeys in the paddock crowded up when they saw us come out- they'd seen the bright light of the faerie stone and MacDuff gallop from the barn but doubless had no idea what had gone on. "Come on, it's all right," Connie said, and Grace walked up to us, looking with a bit of fear in her eyes.

I pictured myself again as a unicorn, and then focused on Grace. I had the alicorn, and could focus the magic, but try as I might nothing happened. "Come into the barn," I told her- and she and about half a dozen of the horses and donkeys followed- I knew that they were others of MacDuff's unwilling changelings.

Standing by the faerie stone, I concentrated again, but the stone was cold- it's magic gone. "I can't change them back," I told Connie. "The stone is what changed them, and MacDuff's magic tune." I looked at Grace, and the donkeys and horses, who looked at me with fading hope.

"Don't worry, Grace, it's not so bad being a horse," Connie said to her friend, who looked as if she didn't agree. One of the horses held his head low, and I could see tears in his eyes- I could guess what they felt, seeing hope suddenly snatched away.

[I] I can go home now,[/I] I thought to myself. [I] It really isn't that bad being a horse. This is really a lot better than being human. [/I] But I knew that I was trying to convince myself of something that I didn't really believe- none of these people wanted to be equines. I looked at the alicorn on my forehead- I could just see it out of the corner of each eye, glowing there a beautiful golden color, the focus and source of my magic and the key to allow me to slip between the planes of existence. I thought for a long moment of the peaceful green fields and forests, of the unicorn herds, of going home and being amongst my own kind.

Then I looked again at the sad faces. There was a way to undo the magic, but there was a price to pay. I focused again, this time on the faerie stone, picturing it glowing as it was before, feeling as if I was draining myself. It began to softly, then brightly glow, as did I, and I pictured a group of humans, not quite realizing them each as individuals as I'd met none but Grace.

I suddenly felt cold, and focused my eyes again. My alicorn was gone, and a half dozen people stood before me, most looking at their hands and human forms again. Connie was looking at them with an awestruck look on her face. "Go on," I said. "There's clothes in the cabin, and somewhere in there is MacDuff's pot of gold. Take some of it, and go find your lives again."

They all left, save Grace who came over with Connie to touch my forehead. "You really are a unicorn," she said softly.

"I don't make these things up," Connie said. "But Thunder, where's your horn?"

"It's invisible again," I lied, looking down at the cold faerie stone. "I'm magic, remember?"

Connie and Grace rode me back to camp. We found Brian in the woods on the way back, and with the magic restored to the faerie stone I was able to change him back as well. It was quite a stir when we trotted in, the sun was coming up and Grace and Brian had no clothes- they'd been torn to shreds in the transformation and the two were wrapped in blankets from MacDuff's cabin.

Everyone assumed it'd just been a stupid prank- Grace was smart enough to tell them that as well, saying that the boys had stolen her clothes and she had hidden in the woods, embarrassed to come back. Brian was changed by the experience for the better- at least in my eyes, he now seemed to look at me with some reverence, but didn't tell anyone about being a donkey- who'd believe it? I solderied through the remaining two weeks of trail rides, trying to maintain a happy face.

Lydia knew something was wrong when she came to pick us up. "Thunder, what's happened?" she asked as she loaded me into the trailer.

"He fought a leprechaun and got his horn back- but he made it invisible," Connie told her.

"You need to tell me all about it," she said to Connie, but she was looking into my eyes- she could see the pain within me.

When we got back to the stable, she unloaded me. As Connie ran to meet her parents, Lydia put her hand on my forehead. "You could have kept your alicorn, and been whole again. Why didn't you?"

I didn't answer, but just hung my head, trying to not cry. I kept asking myself the same question but wasn't really sure. She rubbed just under my ear, and walked me to my stall, then unexpectedly she kissed my cheek. "Thunder, after all these years, you still do things that make me realize that you're more wonderful than anyone else I've ever known."

I looked at her- the tears were filling my eyes now, I couldn't help but cry. "I was a unicorn again," I said mournfully. "I wanted to be a unicorn again for so long, and for a few minutes I was again."

Lydia was crying now, too. "Oh, Thunder, don't you realize? You are a unicorn. The best one that ever lived." She put her arms around my neck, and I rested my head on her shoulder.

<<7 goes here>>

I liked watching television at night, after the students had left. Lydia claimed that it was turning my brain to mush, but of all of the things that humans had invented, it was the one thing- except maybe for chewing gum- that fascinated me the most. My favorite was a show called 'Real News Now!' that had stories about flying saucers, ghosts, and things of that nature- every once in a while they'd have something on that I knew was real, so I fancied that the rest might be, too, and I would watch the night sky for signs of an invasion from outer space.

This week's show in particular was holding my attention- they had a segment about 'Cannibals whose children are vegetarians!'. For some reason, every segment ended in an exclamation point, maybe to emphasize how important it was to society that we watched it. As the commercial break came on, I thought about going back to my stall, since I really had to 'go', but fortunately I decided to wait. The narrator came on, and behind him was a map of Wisconsin- since we were living there, that solidified my attention. "Now, to Eagle, Wisconsin," he said in his most sinister voice. "Eagle- a small town, a favorite resort. But now, terrorized by an evil presence in the night."

The scene cut away, and showed the town of Eagle- I recognized it, I'd seen it from the window of the trailer when I'd been taken to Kettle Moraine Park for Connie's summer camp. It then showed a thin and reedy looking woman. "Well, the night terror came, when I was out bringing in the laundry- it musta been eleven o'clock," she started. I wondered why she was doing laundry in the middle of the night, but brushed that thought aside.

"And what exactly did you see?" the narrator prodded.

"It was like, a huge, black shadow, about twenty feet high, and it snorted like a dragon," she said in a flat monotone. "And then, it smashed a hole in my car, and howled, like the very devil."

They cut to a man, who was also thin and pale- he could've been the woman's twin brother. "It came by my farm, real late. Scared a cow clean to death, then tore through the fence."

"But not all the night terror's visits result only in property damage," the narrator said, as the camera focused on a small yellow house. "Consider the case of Claudette Singh." They showed a driver's license photo of a somewhat Asian looking woman. "The night terror was seen two weeks ago- the same day that Claudette disappeared."

I was watching with rapt attention- both my ears forward at the television, listening to every word. Lydia moves silently anyway, and I jumped when she touched my shoulder. "Thunder, why do you watch this nonsense?"

The narrator was still describing Claudette's disappearance, and I looked crossly at Lydia. "I'm trying to watch the news," I said. "It's important."

"That show is ridiculous fiction," she said.

For once, I was right and Lydia was wrong.

The next day was Saturday- our big day for lessons. Our day started in the morning- at eight a.m., the first students would arrive, the adult beginner class. They were the ones I dreaded most- it's bad enough to have a forty pound child bouncing around on your back, but some of the adult beginners had just as bad seats, and they tended to weigh a bit more. This morning, I had Mrs. Farnsworth, who weighed at least a hundred and eighty pounds. I looked enviously at Gustav- his rider was Jake Parker, who not only weighed less but actually had a decent seat and didn't bounce at the trot. We started on the rail and I gritted my teeth for what was to come.

"All right, everyone, go to a sitting trot," Lydia called out. Mrs. Farnsworth enthusiastically dug her heels into me, and I moved into a slow trot, feeling every ounce of her weight landing at every step at a seemingly random spot in the Stuben dressage saddle. "Come on, Elanor," Lydia called to her. "Get Thunder to move out a bit more smartly."

I clenched the bit in my jaw and prepared for the worst- Lydia must still be mad about the donkey incident, I thought to myself, as Mrs. Farnsworth began to flail away with her heels. This threw her off balance, so she held on with the reins, tugging at my mouth. I reluctantly began to extend my trot, which sent her weight into a more vertical and punishing motion. We trotted by the series of mirrors along one wall of the arena, and I glanced in them. She didn't seem to be bouncing that much out of the saddle, but with all her rolls of fat jiggling it was hard to tell.

We went three times around the arena. "All right, now move them out and start posting." I watched Gustav and his rider move smoothly together, his rider allowing Gustav's motion to lift him smoothly, then settling back into the seat with each beat, matching his movements like a pair of dancers. I tried my best to match Mrs. Farnsworth's movements, but I had to trot rhythmically myself to keep from falling, and her bulk was soon slamming down into the Stubben erratically, coming down hard as my back was going up.

Lydia saw this. "Elanor, pull him up to a walk, then try again." Farnsworth slowed me. I enjoyed the brief respite, but then she pushed me into another extended trot. I started to have second thoughts about my career as a lesson horse- maybe I'd run away and become a range stallion, or be a cowboy horse on a ranch.

I was daydreaming when I suddenly felt the bit pull at my mouth and I abruptly stopped. Mrs. Farnsworth nearly fell off, flopping against my neck, and I felt a bit bad- she was a bad rider, but always would bring out oatmeal cookies for me when she rode. There was a bit of a commotion down the aisle that led to the barn, and I looked over.

The nine o'clock students were arriving- it was about eight forty five. They were all young, around ten to twelve years old, and they were all clustered around a tall man who looked lost.

He looked a bit out of place as well, or perhaps out of time. He was dressed in green from head to toe, except for a silver chain mail shirt; he carried a green metallic shield and had a scabbard on his belt, with the green hilt of a sword visible. The longbow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back, along with the green peaked cap he wore, made him look like Robin Hood.

His eyes roamed around the arena, and when they met Lydia's he began to walk towards her with a purposeful stride. Mrs. Farnsworth on my back was now totally out of my mind; I began to move toward Lydia, with the intent of getting between her and this unknown intruder.

As I approached, ignoring Farnsworth's frantic tugging at my mouth, I looked at him and our eyes met- I knew immediately he was not a human, and he that I was not a horse. He didn't move for the sword, but I stayed tense- here was an immortal, and without my alicorn I could not seriously harm him, but I had no doubt that his sword's blade was magical or charmed and could deal injury or death to Lydia or me.

I felt Lydia's hand touch my shoulder. "Elanor, you'd best dismount," Lydia said softly, and I felt Mrs. Farnsworth's bulk leave my back. The other students were all watching with rapt fascination.

The man suddenly placed his fingers to his temples and bowed to Lydia. "My Lady, I am Farhain, of Gwilellen," he said, speaking in High Elven. I doubted if any of Lydia's students understood the ancient tounge, but glanced around- good, nothing but blank looks.

"Why are you here, Sir Farhain?" Lydia replied in the same language. "His excellency the Lord of Gwilellen has sent me to protect you," he said.

"Return and tell my father that there is little here I need protection from," Lydia said, "and I need no Elven warrior- I have a unicorn watching over me."

That made me feel a little pride- that Lydia would consider me so highly- but Farhain looked at me suspiciously. "Unicorns are what his excellency has sent me to protect you from."

The nine o'clock students were excited- they all thought that Farhain was either some kind of an actor from one of those 'joke' TV shows, or else was Lydia's boyfriend coming to propose. Lydia went to get them all saddled and started on their horses, leaving me standing with Farhain, the two of us looking at each other like a pair of jealous suitors. She set the youngsters to riding about the ring. This was a special treat for them, to get to ride without her watchful eye, and as Lydia led me back to my stall I could hear them chattering with delight.

She took off my bridle so I could talk without the bit making me mumble. "Sir Farhain, the Elves and the Unicorns have been friends since time began," Lydia said. "What has changed this?"

Farhain still watched me as if I was a snake- it reminded me of the way the detectives looked on the cop shows that I was fond of watching. "Lord Gwilellen was told by a seer that three things were to be- that you were in grave danger from a unicorn, that one of your long time companions would hold your fate, and that before two moons have passed that he would never again hold your hand in his."

This upset Lydia- and me as well. Elven seers were known for their accuracy. "Thunder would never harm me," she said. "The seer was wrong."

"Lady Umera has never been wrong," Farhain said.

I silently agreed- Umera was often unfathomable but her accuracy was unquestioned. "Then I must leave," I said. Without my alicorn I couldn't shift back into the parallel realm where my kind lived with the elven folk, so Iwas trapped here, on the human's plane, but I could go as far away as I could- Lydia meant everything to me, and I couldn't bear the least possibility that something might cause me to harm her.

"No," Lydia said. "You will not leave. I know in my heart that you cannot harm me."

My hooves felt like lead as I walked toward the barn's door. I paused by Farhain, and looked in his face. "Swear to me you shall protect her."

"My duty will be done," the Elf replied. "And unicorn, when we next meet..."

I looked at him, waiting for him to finish. "When we next meet, my blade will be stained with unicorn's blood ere we part."

I left, galloping out down the drive- the horses in the pastures were startled, both those who were fortunate enough to be natural born equines and those that I'd changed. Several of them ran to the fence, looking in consternation, calling to me as I headed down the road. It was daylight, and probably a foolish time to leave, as passers by in automobiles stopped and stared at the sight of a large white horse running riderless, unbridled and unsaddled, along the side of the highway.

Eventually, I reached the area that was mostly farms, and quickly jumped a fence. Running through cow pastures and corn fields, I wasn't as easy to see as being a 'loose horse', and I was tall and powerful enough to leap over any fence I came to. I ran for an hour- I guessed I'd covered at least forty miles; I was covered with sweat despite the day being cool, and I decided it was time to pause and think.

There was a small wood by the side of the field I'd been running through, and I went in to rest and cool down- and think. I stood beneath a large oak tree, where squirrels rushed about and jays hopped noisily on the branches, looking down at the strange intruder to their happy solitude, as I puffed noisily trying to cool off. There was a small stream there, and I lowered my head, gratefully sipping up the cool and clean water.

I thought about what Farhain had said- there could be other interpretations, but the most logical one was that I was to kill Lydia- it was unthinkable. Then another thought occurred to me- how? Without my magical alicorn, I could not harm an immortal- unless I picked up a magic blade in my mouth and stabbed her- the idiocy of such an idea being even physically possible made me snort, and I coughed as some water ran out my nose.

What, then, of Farhain? Lydia was a high elf and would know if he had been lying about the seer, but could he have some other motive? I swished my tail, wondering if I'd been rash to leave so suddenly. Was my leaving what sealed her fate? No, I decided- seers were seldom that obtuse. I had a terrible headache from thinking too much- Lydia had told me many times that unicorns weren't made to think, but were made to just react. People would take that as an insult, but I understood it as a statement of fact- we were very much like horses, though we had many gifts, we usually relied on our instincts to make decisions and not carefully thought out plans.

At this point, though, I decided to make plans. I'd go back into the cornfield I'd just run through and get a bit to eat, then wait for nightfall and go back to the big state park where Connie and I had gone to summer camp. I remembered my television show and wondered if I'd see the night terror.

I left the small wood at sundown.. The rest had done me well, along with the corn I'd eaten- I made myself a mental note to ask Lydia to help the farmer's crops, but suddenly felt a pang as I realized I might never see her again. Pushing the unhappy thought aside, I cantered through the night, across empty fields and down back roads, until I reached the small town of Eagle a little after midnight.

There was quite a bit of activity, even at that late hour. A tavern with a long wooden veranda was set beside the railroad track, and a small horde of motorcycles were parked around it, big Harley Davidsons, built here in Wisconsin. Their riders loitered about drinking beer, wearing leather jackets and tried to look dangerous, but I knew that most of them were ordinary people pretending to be something they weren't. I decided to avoid the town and went around the edge, passing a few stables- I could hear the horses inside, they heard me passing and a few called out, whinnying to the stranger in the night.

The state park was huge- but very busy during the summer, and I found myself in the course of the next six weeks going deeper and deeper into the forest to avoid people. I was in many was like a horse- I needed little sleep, perhaps two or three hours a day- so I spent most of my time awake, moving away from any sign of activity. I soon took up with a small group of deer- they seemed to accept my presence, and I gratefully accepted their company, as I was growing lonely. There was plenty to eat in the forest, and the summer weather was pleasantly mild in Wisconsin, but I missed the company of humans- being brushed and fussed over, the excited touches of children seeing a horse, even Mrs. Farnsworth and her oatmeal cookies.

Most of all, I missed Lydia. In the past four centuries, we'd never been this long apart, and I was starting to realize how dependent I'd become on her emotionally, and I wondered how she'd withstood our separation. I was standing, staring into a lake at my reflection and that of the setting sun and pondering this when someone spoke from behind. "Thardor."

I spun about- it was a familiar voice, from long ago. He was exactly as I'd remembered- High Elves were like unicorns, we didn't age once we matured. "Lord Gwilellen." I'd seen him frequently, in the days before most of the high elves left the human lands, driven to despair by their relentless pursuit of technology. But those had been friendly meetings, and now Gwilellen held a broadsword at the ready, and regarded me with cautious eyes. "My daughter and Farhain have vanished," he said, slowly approaching me. "They were taken by a unicorn- I know not how- but I have tracked the unicorn to this forest."

I could easily have turned and run- Gwilellen could never keep up with me- but the news of Lydia shattered me. "It's my fault," I said, falling to my knees and lowering my head to the ground. "I should never have left her."

Shutting my eyes, I waited for Gwilellen's blade to strike- to release me from my sorrow. The seer must have been right, I thought- I'd held her fate, and by leaving had sealed it. But instead of the sword's strike, I heard it sliding back into it's sheath.

"You could not have harmed her," the elf said. "No- I can see that, you love her too much. But except for yourself, the unicorns tell me none of their folk are in this realm."

It suddenly became clear to me, and I leapt to my hooves. "Gwilellen, come!" I cried out. He sprung lightly to my back, and I took off at a mad gallop through the trees.

"Where do we go?" the elven lord asked me as he grasped my mane tightly.

"A faerie dale," I said, jumping to one side to miss a pine tree, then pushing harder- flying for all I was worth, we had to arrive before the moon rose. I dashed madly, my hooves flinging up rocks and dirt, and we came to the place- a small, run down farm; I could see the cabin and the barn where I'd encountered MacDuff the leprechaun. There was a strange glowing in the barn, and for a moment I thought we'd arrived too late, but I burst through the door and slid to a stop, as Gwilellen sprung lightly from my back, drawing his sword.

There was a pile of equipment- Farhain's sword and armor, along with Lydia's coat, lying near the entrance. In the middle of the barn, I could see the faerie stone, surrounded by a ring of flickering golden light. The ring was about thirty feet across, and I knew that I dared not touch it- it was a magical fire circle, and when I saw it I knew things were much worse than I had imagined. Inside the circle, I could see MacDuff standing. His form was still that of a unicorn, but he now seemed to exude evil. Along with MacDuff, Farhain lay face down, bound tightly with rope, and Lydia lay across the faerie stone, bound and face up.

There was a fourth figure- a woman wearing solid black robes. I recognized her as Claudette Singh, from my television show- but there was something beyond her physical presence there, and my knees began to shake in fear as I knew she'd been possessed. . "A demon! MacDuff, you've summoned a demon!" I blurted out.

The black unicorn looked at me, taunting me from the other side of the magic circle. "Aye, laddie. MacDuff again shall be a leprechaun, an' he'll have a boon pot o' gold with bein' a friend tae the demons."

"Free her, and I'll give you all the gold in my land," Gwilellen said- he, as I, couldn't cross the fire circle.

"Alas, a fine offer," MacDuff said, "but I be needin' the blood of an elf of the royal line, tae renew the stone's magic."

"Then I will take her place," Gwilellen said as he dropped his sword. "You have my word."

"Deal!" MacDuff said, and Gwilellen stepped forward-I didn't know if MacDuff or the demon controlled the fire circle, but they'd let the elf through, knowing he'd never break his word.

"Don't!" I cried out- I willed my legs to move, to block Gwilellen, but I was frozen with fear. The demon moved her hands across Gwilellen's face, and he slumped to the ground unconscious. She picked Lydia up lightly from the stone and replaced her with Gwilellen.

The moonlight suddenly began to flow through the barn's window- the witching hour had come. "Well, leprechaun, I believe our deal is done," she said, in a voice that chilled me to my bones. "But instead of the elven warrior, I believe I will take the elven maid instead as my payment."

"No!" I screamed, but the demon and Lydia vanished.

"An' now, laddie, I'll be renewing me faerie stone," MacDuff said. He rolled his weight back on his hind legs- I could see he intended to tuck his head and thrust his alicorn deep through Gwilellen's heart. Once he did, the faerie stone would be powerful enough for him to break my magic, he'd be able to do untold mischief- if he was bringing demons into this realm, there was no telling where he'd stop. I reached down with my teeth and seized the hilt of Farhain's sword, rearing on my own hind legs I dove into the circle of fire.

The pain was unbelievable- the magic flame seared through my flesh, burning me horribly clear to the bone, and I knew that I could not possibly survive. I twisted the blade sideways, and as MacDuff plunged toward the stone I laid my head upon it, the blade pointing upward. A true unicorn could have caught himself, twisted away in the air, but MacDuff had only been in the form for a half year and came down straight upon Farhain's elven blade. It plunged deeply into his head, the blade coming out the back of his skull, and his blood poured forth, covering me, Gwilellen, and the faerie stone.

I fell to my side- I was dying. The world was starting to fade, but I knew it would be a release from the horrible pain- not just the physical pain of the burns, but the emotional agony of seeing Lydia taken by the demon. Unicorns seldom perished, and I wondered what would become of me. I could dimly feel movement- Gwilellen, I felt his hand upon me as the blackness overcame me my last thought was one of hope- that the elven lord could still rescue Lydia from the clutches of the demon.

Thunder 9

[I] I galloped lightly down a golden road, but my hooves made no sound as the struck the surface. It was dark to either side, but ahead I could see the sun rising. Coming to the top of a hill, I looked on to see lush green fields, with trees that promised cool shade, and clear streams. I saw others of my kind- they looked up to me, the sun shining off their shimmering coats, and whinnied out in greeting. I felt a peace- finally I was free from the anger, the sorrow, the hatred of the human world. But from behind me, I heard a sound- a voice calling from the darkness, one filled with anguish and sorrow, a child's voice- calling my name. "Thunder! Thunder! Please don't die."

I looked back but could only see the darkness and the golden path- it was fading, becoming dimmer. I looked ahead at the green fields, then turned and ran back down the fading path into the darkness, galloping, seeking the voice. [/I]

"Thunder," I heard the voice through a child's sobbing. It was Connie- but how could she be here? The air had a foul smell- burned hair and the smell of cooked meat, and I realized that it was me. The pain was still horrible- I took a huge gasping breath.

"The unicorn lives," I heard Farhain say.

"Don't even move," a voice replied. I opened my eyes and painfully moved my head. It was the Deputy- Brett, I remembered his name. He stood there, watching Gwilellen and Farhain, his pistol drawn. His brown uniform seemed strangely out of place, with Gwilellen and Farhain wearing armor.

"You see?" Connie said, holding my neck tightly- it hurt terribly from the burns but made me feel good all the same. "These weird guys took Lydia and they tried to kill Thunder."

Brett was fumbling with a walkie talkie, all the while watching the two elves as if they were some kind of mass murderers. "I'll call a vet for the horse," Brett said. "Looks like the black horse is dead, though." The deputy suddenly paused as he saw MacDuff's alicorn. "What kind of freaky crap are you guys in to? Dressing a horse like a unicorn, stabbing him through the head, and barbequing another one alive?" He spoke into the radio. "Brett to dispatch."

The radio crackled. "Dispatch, go ahead."

"I'm gonna need a veternarian at the old MacDuff place, and send me a backup unit."

"Only a healer can help the unicorn," Gwilellen said.

"Shut up," Brett told him.

"He's right," I said. Brett almost dropped his radio when I spoke. "A veternarian can't help me now."

Connie started to cry again. I looked at the deputy. "Lydia was taken by a demon. These two men and I tried to stop it, but we were too late." I decided to not explain MacDuff, or that Gwilellen and Farhain were elves- that would have been a bit too much to learn at one time.

"Confirm, you need a veternarian?" the voice on the radio said.

"Stand by," Brett said, looking at me with a glazed look. He was no longer watching the elves. "What on earth are you?"

"I'm a unicorn, I'm four hundred and thirty years old, and I've been burned by a magic fire circle created by a demon," I replied.

"We must make haste," Gwilellen said, "if we are to follow the demon." The elven lord knelt beside me. "Thardor, I never should have doubted you. Can you forgive me?"

"Save Lydia," I said. "That's all I ask." I was growing weaker and couldn't hold my head up any longer, it sank to the ground.

"You have to save Thunder," Connie pleaded, looking at Gwilellen.

The elven lord looked down at the faerie stone. I knew that Gwilellen was not a healer- each of the high elves had a special gift, Gwilellen's was to be a leader- anyone of good heart was influenced by his charisma. "There is only one way," Gwilellen said, "in the time we have. The unicorn will not live long enough to reach a healer. He must heal himself. With me, as he did the leprechaun."

"No, my liege," Farhain said insistently. "I will take your place."

"It was my misjudgement that caused Thardor his pain, I must suffer the consequences," Gwilellen said. He touched my face gently. "Thardor, you must do this- we need a unicorn to shift us to the demon's plane."

He was right- elves could shift easily enough between their plane and that of the humans, as they were kindred, but of all the immortals only the unicorns and demons could freely shift between all the planes. "Gwilellen, I am not certain that I could change you back," I said.

Gwilellen smiled sadly. "You cannot, Thardor. That is the third prophecy, but it is also my hope." If Gwilellen was fated forevermore to be one of my kind, he'd no longer have hands- and could never hold Lydia's in his. The elf gently took Connie and handed her to Farhain. Brett was now standing, watching silently, as all the facts and logic of his world were torn apart.

I staggered painfully to my hooves. Gwilellen placed his armor and sword aside and looked to me. "Hurry, Thardor, while you still have strength."

I concentrated- the faerie stone began to glow brightly, and a silvery white haze began to surround Gwilellen and me, lighting the barn with strange shadows. Connie and Brett watched with rapt fascination, Farhain with almost a look of sorrow. Gwilellen's hair changed first- his dark hair suddenly fading, becoming a silvery white mane, followed shortly by the changing of his ears- their shape changed, becoming horse like and covered with white hair, moving up closer to the top of his head. I could see his hands becoming hooves- the green pants he wore split, revealing his flowing white tail, his legs rapidly being covered with white hair, and his feet congealing, changing to hooves- dark ones, I noted. Connie had been around horses for many years, and I knew she had seen mine, but I could almost feel a bit of embarrassment from Gwilellen as his testicles and penis suddenly began to change, becoming larger, a sheath forming against his belly. The whitish hair was rapidly moving upward, as his torso and ribcage expanded, he tetterd on his hind legs- I looked up, seeing his face begin to change, his nose and mouth pushing out, his eyes moving aside to their new places, and a silver alicorn beginning to grow from his forehead. His arms were finally becoming forelegs, and he was able to settle upon them. He looked almost identical to me.

I realized suddenly that my pain was gone- the effect of the transformation had healed me, as well, and I realized with a thrill that once again the faerie stone had restored my alicorn. I silently promised myself that this time I would not give it up again- I was a unicorn, whole again after all the centuries.

Connie was delighted, and I heard her squeal as she ran up. I lowered my head so she could reach around my neck. "Thunder, you're well again! Come home, please?"

"I have to go help Lydia," I told her. "She's been taken by an evil monster."

"Then I'll go too," she said. "Lydia's my friend."

"It's too dangerous, young Connie," Farhain said. A cool breeze began to blow through the old barn, promising a coming rainstorm.

"She must come with us," I said.

"Why?" Farhain asked. "She is but a child."

I wasn't really sure- but my instincts told me she had to accompany us on our journey. "This child has already felled a dark elven warrior," I insisted. "She must come."

"I'm going, too," Brett said. Farhain just looked at him. "It's a missing persons case," he explained. "Besides, this is my jurisdiction."

"You are welcome to accompany us," Gwilellen said, "but we are going far beyond your jurisdiction."

"We need saddles," I said, looking around at MacDuff's tack, left from his hunting business.

"My Lord Gwilellen will wear no saddle," Farhain said in a huffy voice.

"Lord Gwilellen will have a very sore back if he doesn't," I said. "And I'm not going to be able to carry all three of you."

Farhain started to protest again, but Gwilellen cut him off. "Thardor is correct. We will travel much faster, and speed is of the essence." Brett selected a saddle, pad, and girth, and proceeded to prepare me, as Farhain did the same to Gwilellen.

Brett placed Connie on my back, and was about to mount himself, when Gwillellen called to him. "Constable, what is your name?"

"Jason Brett," he replied.

"Jason Brett, I bid thee take my armor and sword," Gwilellen said.

"My liege," Farhain started, "that is elven armor. Should a mortal human wear it?"

"Better a member of our company than scavenged by some jackal," Gwilellen replied as Brett picked it up- I knew that elven armor weighed virtually nothing, Brett seemed surprised as he put it on, then covered it with his brown jacket.

We made a strange sight- two silver white unicorns, wearing western saddles, carrying an elven warrior, a deputy sherrif, and a small girl- made the more surreal by Connie's shirt, that had a picture of a popular cartoon character. We trotted from the barn, and started down the moonlit trail. I felt for the rift between the planes- it had been long since I had done this, but it was part of my nature, and I sensed it, as palatable as a sound or smell, and stepped through.

To a watcher- if there had been any- the five of us would have vanished, but for us, the world itself suddenly changed. The cool Kettle Moraine forest was suddenly replaced by a much darker one. The moonlight itself seemed harsher, the trees looming and sinister, the air harshly cold instead of cool. "The planes of the demons," I said. "Be wary."

Farhain was a good tracker. "Down this trail she was bourne," he said. Gwilellen and I jumped to a gallop- the demon had a head start, but was afoot. Our hoof beats rumbled on the road, as loud as a hundred horses rather than two, but we suddenly saw four figures in the road ahead. "Trolls," I said, lowering my head. "Brett, ready your sword."

Farhain and Gwilellen were already prepared as well- they knew that likely there were more trolls waiting in the wood. I guessed the four on the road were to gauge our intentions- and as we charged toward them, one called out.

"What brings unicorns and elves to our place?"

"Stand aside, troll, or taste my steel!" Farhain shouted back. The four trolls counted the odds, and wisely did so, gawking at us as we galloped by.

"That seemed easy enough," Brett said as he carefully put the sword back into the scabbard.

"For now," I said, "but they'll sending a message ahead, and likely the next bunch will be more formidable."

"A message? By magic?" the deputy asked.

"They don't have good cellphone reception here," I replied, as we came to a corner. We passed a dark house, then could see a bridge on the road ahead. "Uh, oh," I said, and Gwilellen and I slowed to a trot.

"What's the matter?" Connie asked.

I could see dark shapes moving near the bridge, in and out of the darkness. "Trolls and bridges," I said. "Ever read the Billy Goats Gruff?"

"That's a fairy tale," Brett objected.

"What are you riding?" I asked.

"I see your point." As we got closer, Gwilellen and I spread further apart, watching the darkness to either side, as Brett and Farhain pulled out their swords. Gwilellen had ridden into combat enough to know that our riders would need room to swing, to avoid hitting each other. I hoped Brett would remember Connie sitting behind him if it came to swordplay.

Suddenly, we could see at least a dozen trolls, wearing armor and wielding axes, arrayed before us, and we both stopped. A voice, deep and sinister, rumbled out from the darkness. "Who dares approach Krogak's bridge after the sun has hidden?"

Now here was a touchy bit of protocol. Custom demanded we should answer with the title of the highest person amongst us- but Gwilellen was an Elven Lord, and technically he wasn't an elf any more. Farhain was an elven warrior, but I was a unicorn, so we were equivalent. There was a moment of awkward silence, then one of us spoke. "Deputy Jason Brett, of the Eagle Sherrif's Department," my rider shouted back. "I'm on official business, and interfering with me is a first degree misdemeanor and you will be subject to arrest."

We were answered by silence, then a murmur of confused trollish voices. "Silence!" the deep voice roared, then a very large troll- at least twelve feet tall, wearing armor and carrying one of the nastiest looking axes I've ever seen- stepped forth. He placed the axe head on the ground, and leaned on it. He looked over our group with his large, yellowish eyes. "Two unicorns, an elven knight, a...deputy," he had a bit of trouble pronouncing the word, "and a child." He began to pick at his teeth with a long claw. "And why should Krogak allow you to trespass on his bridge?"

"We follow a demon that has kidnapped my daughter," Gwilellen replied.

"I have seen no demons with unicorn foals pass this way," Krogak said. "You're following the wrong path."

"My daughter is an elven maid," Gwilellen said, "and this is the path of the demon."

Elves have this problem about always telling the truth. Krogak roared with laughter, not understanding. "So the unicorn stallion bedded an elf? Ha, ha!" Some of his minions, lesser trolls, also laughed, but more nervously- they knew they'd likely be the ones that would feel the wrath of an angry unicorn.

Gwilellen held his temper. "Will you let us pass, troll?"

Krogak looked with gleaming eyes. "There's a price. I've not had a good meal tonight, nor have I had a good wager. I'll ask you a riddle, and if you answer correctly, I'll eat one of your party."

"What kind of stupid deal is that?" Connie shouted.

"If you answer wrong, I eat you all!" Krogak roared as he swung up his axe.

I hoped that Brett was a good rider as I spun to one side and slashed at a small troll with my alicorn. He fell, screaming, and I lunged forward at another. Brett swung the blade, sending the troll's head spinning, and behind me I could hear trolls screaming as Gwinellen and Farhain did their work. I smelled a troll's hot breath, and as the lesser trolls ahead of us fled I wheeled about, sitting low on my haunches.

Krogak was there, not ten feet away, running toward us, spinning his axe up in a high arc. I braced myself and lowered my alicorn to take the troll's charge, hoping Brett would parry his axe's blow- the troll's axe was huge, and it would cut us all in half.

Instead, there was a deafening noise- it sounded like a dragon was roaring above my head- and Krogak staggered. There was another roar, and a huge red blotch appeared in the troll's forehead. He staggered, falling to his knees, then face down as I deftly stepped aside.

"Magic!" Farhain gasped out.

"Nah, Smith and Wesson," Brett said, holstering the pistol.

Without their leader, the remaining lesser trolls were fleeing into the darkness. "That won't work on most of the creatures here," I warned the deputy. "Only on mortal ones. For the rest, you'll need the elven blade- Gwilellen's sword."

We rode up to the bridge, and I began to walk across. Gwilellen put one hoof on the bridge and stopped- I looked back. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Gwilellen said, then in a soft voice continued. "I'm...afraid to go onto the bridge."

I felt a great sympathy- Gwilellen was no longer just an elf, but was now a unicorn as well; he could face trolls as a known experience- but his 'unicorn self' was afraid of the feel of the flexible boards of the bridge. I turned and walked back, so I was close by. "Walk with me," I said, knowing our herd instinct would take hold. He followed me tentatively, then more confidently, as we crossed to the other side of the bridge, then we broke again into a gallop down the path toward the setting moon.

***********************************************************

We rode late into the night. Farhain was a fine tracker, and pulled us up as we made into a small villiage. "They stopped here," he said.

"How are they keeping so far ahead of us if they're on foot?" Brett wondered.

"They no longer are," Farhain said. "They've mounted- there's three, so someone awaited the demon."

"Let's keep after them," Gwilellen urged.

I looked at him with a bit of surprise- common sense would tell us to query about as to their destination, but Gwilellen was acting impatiently. My first instinct was to press on as well- but I'd seen plenty of cop shows on television. "Gwilellen, let us ask if any of the townfolk have news," I suggested. Brett and Connie had already dismounted, and Gwilellen stomped his hoof impatiently as Farhain did the same.

The villiage was small- a few farmhouses, some stores that were closed at this late hour, and a tavern, whose brightly lit windows were one of the first beacons in this gloomy place I'd seen. Brett and Farhain walked in, followed by Connie. I felt responsible for her, so I walked in too, followed by Gwilellen.

It was much like many taverns I'd seen- oil lamps hung from rafters gave the place a yellowish glow, casting oddly shaped shadows. There were about a dozen large round tables, with short wooden benches arrayed about them. Most of the tables had small groups about- men, halflings, dwarves, and trolls; they weren't mingling together for the most part but were in separate groups. Serving women and men shuttled about, bringing tankards of ale; most of the tables featured large kettles of steaming stew and several loaves of coarse bread. The place smelled of stale beer, sweat, and had a general unpleasant feel about it.

A large, heavy man wearing an apron came toward us. Most of the conversations had stopped or become quieter- everyone had looked to see who had come in; a natural reaction- was it a friend to greet, a foe to be wary of, or, as us, a curious group of strangers, and I could almost feel everyone straining to hear what was said. "Ye canna be bringin' livestock in me pub," the man said, looking at Gwilellen and me. "The stable's out back."

This was a deliberate insult- I'd personally prefer the stable, but calling a unicorn livestock was quite improper. "I doubt if the stable smells as bad as this place," I replied, "and the company would certainly be better, but we have business here."

A few of the patrons laughed. Most were staring at Brett and Connie, as they were dressed in a rather unusual manner for this place. A few, however, cast worried and guilty glances toward Farhain- an elven warrior, accompanied by two unicorns, was a sight rarely seen in this plane, and usually signaled some punitive action against a truly guilty soul.

The heavy man looked at us, nervously wiping his hands with a towel. "All right, then," he said. "If ye' wishes, me back room's open, and big enough for the lot of ye."

Farhain regarded him with a steely glare, and I could smell the big man's fear. "Tell us what we wish to know, barkeep, and we'll be on our way." He glanced about the crowd. "Three riders came through this villiage not an hour ago. They paused at this very tavern. Tell me wither they were bound, and we shall be off."

There was a low murmur- I could hear bits and pieces. "See, I told you there was something odd about those three," a halfling told his companions at a nearby table, and I walked over, sticking my head amongst the huddled group- they split apart, as my head alone was near as big as they were.

"Tell me about the odd three," I said. There were six of them- five looked at one of the bunch, and I knew he was the one who'd spoken. "You," I said, pointing my alicorn straight at his face- a nice feature of being a unicorn; he could see the sharp point inches from his face and still see both of my eyes staring at his. I watched his eyes- he looked first crosseyed at the tip of my alicorn, then to my eyes, back and forth three times.

"I, I, know not what ye speak of, unicorn," he stammered.

Gwilellen had walked over as well, and was also coldly regarding the small halfling who was perhaps three feet tall; he was actually a bit short even for his kind. "You serve the evil folk by holding your tounge," Gwilellen said. "Are you one of their minions?" He held his alicorn menacingly close as well, and the halfling began to squirm. "What be your name, halfling?"

"M...Menaros," the halfling said. "And I be but a simple farmer, no friend of the evil ones, just mindin' me own business."

The other five halflings had moved away from the table, and the fat man- I guessed he was the tavern keeper- came up behind me, still wiping his hands with the towel. "Hey, ye canna be scarin' me customers."

I picked up one of my hind legs, then brought my hoof down hard. The oak plank of the floor splintered and the tavern keep melted back, cowed. All the while, I'd not taken my eyes from the halfling. "Tell us about the three," I said in a soft voice.

"Well," Menaros said, looking about, "there was three of 'em- two women and a tall grey haired man, I'd a swore he be an elf, tall an' thin and scrawny like- beggin' yer pardon, sir," he said, looking at Farhain. "An' the two women, I tell ye, one I'd swear was possessed- her eyes all deep, and she had a cold laugh, like a harsh blizzard. The other, she moved like she be in a dream- said nothing the whole time, an' the other two near led her about."

I could see that Gwilellen was pained by this news- he trembled a bit, and his ear quivered. I was pained as well, but felt focused on rescuing Lydia. "Where were they bound?" I pressed. Halflings were quite observant, and had a penchant for nosiness and eavesdropping.

"Well," Menaros said, "they'd not said 'nothing specific, at least as I overheard. Not that I was listenin'," he hastened to add. "But they did speak of the Sardos River- an' a wizard, too."

"Gulthar the Wizard- his castle's on the Sardos," Gwilellen blurted out. I'd hoped he'd have stayed quiet, now everyone in the tavern knew what we knew- and likely where we were bound.

"Look out!" Connie suddenly cried out.

Farhain twisted around at Connie's warning as one of the trolls lunged at him with a knife. He caught Farhain's arm with it, slashing through his sleeve which was suddenly stained crimson. It was the troll's last action as Brett whipped out his sword- quite expertly, to my surprise- and in a smooth motion that would have made any Knight of Gwilellen Fane proud separated the troll's head from the rest of him.

As the decapitated troll staggered about- they're quite like the proverbial chicken when beheaded- the tavern became instant chaos, as the troll's associates decided to avenge their comrade. All of the halflings, and dwarves, save our friend Menaros, dashed for the doors, along with the better part of the humans- they wanted no part of what was clearly to become a scene of carnage, and the tavern keep and his staff mostly did their best to get out of the way.

Fighting indoors in an area crowded with obstructions is not a particular strong point for seventeen hand unicorns, but Gwilellen and I did our best. It seemed as if the trolls had multiplied- there were more than I'd imagined possible in such a small area, and each seemed to be armed with a variety of knives. I swung my head to and fro, slashing with my alicorn, and sent a troll screaming away, his stomach sliced open, then kicked another through a window.

Farhain and Brett seemed to be doing quite well- the trolls, true to their kind, did not work together but rushed the armed pair carelessly, and paid dearly. Gwilellen had a bit of trouble- he'd not been a unicorn long enough to realize that stabbing with an alicorn is seldom the best method; he had a troll impaled on his and was tossing his head about, trying to get it off. It would have been amusing, but he was so focused he didn't see a troll coming at his flank.

Connie did. I cursed myself for again being careless as she was suddenly hitting the troll with her little fists. The troll reacted to this unexpected attack, turning toward her with his knife. I shouted to Farhain and Brett; they as I were too far away.

Menaros was suddenly there, between Connie and the troll, wielding a butter knife he'd plucked from a table. "Come on, ye coward!" he said. The troll reacted by slashing down at the halfling; Menaros stabbed back futilely with his dull weapon as the troll's blade hit home.

Then Brett was there, his sword making short work of the troll. The tavern was suddenly silent, save the moaning of the tavern keeper as he surveyed the damage, most of which was cosmetic- troll blood and entrails coated much of the dining area.

"I'll nae be livin' long," Menaros said.

Brett was picking up the wounded halfling from the floor. "That doesn't look too bad," he commented. "A few bandages, and you'll heal in no time."

"Nae, 'tis Sidek's friends," he said, motioning toward the remains of the troll. "They'll be payin' me a visit tae pay their last respects, if ye know what I mean."

Brett put him down on a table. "We won't let them."

"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but ye'll be gone," Menaros said. Brett regarded him thoughtfully.

Farhain was finishing pulling bits of a troll from Gwilellen's alicorn. Gwilellen's nostrils were flared, and his breathing was fast- his eyes were round and wide; I could tell that he was excited, and my worry deepened- he was not reacting as the thoughtful elven leader I'd known, but more like an immature young unicorn stallion, thrilled from the excitement and danger of combat. For anyone to be more reckless than me was a frightening thought. "All the trolls are gone," I said. "We'd best be off to Gulthar's keep, before they return."

"We can deal with them," Gwilellen said confidently. "Let them come."

"We're on a case. That comes first," Brett said authoritatively.

Gwilellen suddenly seemed shaken. "Of course. How foolish of me."

"Menaros has to come with us," Brett continued. "We need a local guide."

I knew as well as he did that we didn't, but the halfling seemed relieved. "An' a fine one I'll be, sir, guranteed," he said. "I'll fetch me pony from the stable." He walked out, accompanied by Brett- the rest of us followed, not wanting to be split up in case the trolls still lurked about.

The villiage seemed empty now, and we stood in the middle of the road in the pool of light spilling from the tavern. Menaros came out of the stable, leading a tall bay pony who snorted as he saw us, his nostrils flared and ears forward. I whinnied a greeting, and he stepped forward to us, stretching his neck out and putting his nostril close to mine. We snorted, smelling each other's breath- exchanging the traditional greeting of all equines. He then looked to Gwilellen, who seemed a bit confused at first. "Do what comes naturally," I suggested. "Don't try to think of what to do."

Gwilellen relaxed- the pony was a bit irritated at my companion's strange reaction, pinned his ears back and nipped at Gwilellen's lip, and he jumped back a bit, startled.

It was hard for me to not laugh- Menaros and Connie did, and Brett smiled, but Farhain scowled. "That pony needs to show a bit of respect," the elf said.

"Balleigh, do be respectful of the unicorn," the halfling said in a serious voice.

Now Gwilellen laughed. "I've a bit to learn about speaking to horses on equal terms." He suddenly seemed serious, looking at Farhain. "Farhain, your wound still bleeds."

"It will heal," the elf replied. I was looking at it myself now- his sleeve was quite wet from the blood, and the elf seemed a bit pale.

"How far to Gulthar's keep?" I asked Menaros urgently.

"Twelve leagues- four hour's ride," the halfling said.

Four hours for a normal horse, perhaps, and we'd be slowed by the halfling and Balleigh. "Menaros, guide Brett and Connie to Gulthar's keep," I said. "Gwilellen, I will carry Farhain there swiftly, as the mage will have a healer about."

"I will carry him hither," Gwilellen said, but I stomped my hoof and tossed my head, and Gwilellen backed off, startled by my aggressive gesture.

"Pardon, my Lord, but I've been a unicorn a bit longer than you, and can better deal with a wounded rider." Brett and Connie were already helping Farhain to my back, as the elf was too weak to mount himself, and I was becoming more worried by the second. I didn't wait to hear Gwilellen's reply, but instantly leapt to a gallop, keeping my attention on both the road ahead and feeling Farhain's weight, subtly shifting myself beneath him to keep him more easily in the saddle. I'd been running for five minutes when I suddenly realized I had no idea where Gulthar's castle was. "Farhain, where is Gulthar's keep?"

He didn't answer for a few seconds, and my heart began to pound, but then he spoke. "Keep upon this road," he said, then was silent. I pushed harder, as he began to move about the saddle like one who is asleep, slowing only when I came to curves in the road. The woods began to thin out, being replaced by fields- farms, I could tell, as there were fences along much of the road. Coming to a town, there were dark shapes in the road- whether trolls, dwarves, or men, I knew not which, but galloped through madly, watching them scatter at the spectral white unicorn with his limp rider, my passing leaving only a cloud of dust kicked up from my hooves.

As the sun began to bleakly rise, it began to lightly rain, a melancholy and sad rain from low lying gloomy clouds. My muscles were aching; I'd been running for what seemed like days as fast as I could. Coming over a hill, I finally saw a tall tower, stretching up into the murky clouds. The tower was itself a dull grey color, perhaps once white, but stained by the years to match it's world. As I drew closer, I could see the walls of the keep surrounding the tower, and was soon approaching the castle's gate- the drawbridge was lowered, but several guards, dwarves wearing armor and wielding axes, were stationed about it, and two stepped forward, their weapons at the ready.

"Who approaches the keep of Gulthar?" one challenged.

I slowed to a walk in a smooth transition that would have won a ribbon at a horse show. "Thardor," I replied, using my elven name. "I bear Farhain, knight of Gwilellen, who is grievously wounded by the blade of a troll." This, I knew, would get us a positive reaction, as dwarves and trolls are sworn enemies, and I could see the guards relax. "Does the Wizard keep a healer who might aid this knight?" I asked, coming to a stop by the first guard.

"He does," the dwarf replied. "Pass within." I walked past, over the open drawbridge, and into the courtyard, where four more dwarves- all in matching armor, I noted- took Farhain from my back, and carried him into a building. Another of the guards hurried off toward a palatial appearing house.

A tall, white haired human walked out. He wore purple robes, with magic runes in gold. I couldn't guess his age- he seemed almost timeless, much like an elf. "What brings a unicorn and an elf to these planes?" he demanded, staring at me with cold blue eyes.

"We seek evildoers who have taken Lord Gwilellen's daughter," I replied, staring back, but noticing with some discomfort that there seemed to be more guards moving alongside Gulthar- as if they were readying to defend him. "Farhain, my companion, has been wounded by a trollish blade, no doubt poisoned, and I have bourne him here in hope that you might have a healer."

Gulthar kept staring at me, but rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A healer. Yes, I have a healer. But why should I trouble with this elf, foolish enough to journey to the demon's plane?"

It wasn't the reaction I'd expected. "Lord Gwilellen himself approaches," I said, deciding to leave out a few details. "I am swiftest in his party." I began to swish my tail impatiently, and realized my ears were pinned back in anger- a problem with being a horse or a unicorn, your emotions are signaled there for everyone to see.

I wasn't threatening the Wizard- not directly, but implicitly; he would not want to be on Gwilellen's bad side, as refusing to aid one of his knights, particularly one on a quest to rescue the elven lord's daughter, might have serious repercussions should Gulthar ever need Gwilellen's aid. "I see," the wizard said, still rubbing his chin. He paused, for what seemed an eternity, then looked at one of the dwarves. "Porgus, have the healer awoken. The elf is to be joining me for supper tonight, and he is to be well by then."

"My liege," the dwarf replied, and he hurried off.

The wizard looked back at me. "I shall offer you my hospitality as well," he said. "Darvas, take the unicorn to the stable." Gulthar turned and went back into the building. One of the dwarves walked forward- another soldier, but this one a female of their kind.

The stable was fine with me as I disliked being inside the cramped buildings that humans seem to favor. I followed the dwarf around to a very large barn, and she showed me to a stall. "With your leave, sir, I'll remove this saddle," she said.

"Thank you," I said, glad to be rid of it for a time.

"If it is your pleasure, I will also dry you down," she said.

I was soaked with sweat from the run, and had no objection. She began to run the edge of her hand against my coat, using it to wipe away most of the sweat, then got a large towel and began to firmly rub me. I relaxed; her hands were expertly massaging me. "You've done this before," I said.

"I am of Gulthar's cavalry," she said as she continued to move the towel across my back. "I've done this many times for my mount, but never before touched a unicorn." She continued with my rubdown, and I began to fall half asleep on my feet, in a relaxed partly waking state. "I've seldom seen such a tall horse- though the three that came yesterday are as big as you."

This suddenly woke me up. "Three riders? Are they still here?"

"Yes," Darvas said, not missing a beat with the towel. "Two women- one's an elf, like your friend, and a white haired man. My master was quite surprised to see them, but I believe they must be old friends- he's put them up in his own house."

[I] Lydia is here. But I've accepted Gulthar's hospitality and can't move against the demon- or this 'white haired man'. Who could he be? Or what? [/I]

These thoughts raced through my mind as Darvas kept drying me down. She put the towel down, picking up a dandy brush, and started on my legs. "Sir unicorn, might I ask you a question?"

"By all means," I replied. "And you may call me Thardor, if you please." This was quite an indulgence in this world- to allow an ordinary soldier to address a unicorn by his name, but I'd started to formulate an idea, and would need an ally to help me, and if I could manipulate the dwarf to help Lydia I'd do so.

She seemed flattered, and suddenly a bit shy. "Sir..Thardor, do you...do you like being a unicorn? I mean, is it like being a horse?"

I hadn't expected that question, but it was an easy one for me. "I would not want to be anything else," I told her. "I've lived the life of a horse, and it's a life of simple pleasure, of being satisfied with a green pasture, and being with other horses, rolling in the mud and running with my friends."

She stopped brushing my legs and started on my mane. "Is it true that unicorns can change mortal folk into horses if they be willing?"

This was going quite well. "Willing or no, it's part of the magic of the unicorn." I said, as she carefully continued brushing my mane- she was quite good at it, not pulling, but getting the knots and mud out.

"I've long envied the lives the master's horses lead," she said, and I considered what a harsh life she led as a soldier here on the vile plane of the demons- the dwarves and halflings for the most part were trapped here, along with many humans, leading a terror fraught existence, and I remembered the stories of eons ago, when the elves and unicorns banded together to drive the trolls, demons, and giants from the world of the humans.

But that was long ago, and this was now- I needed Darvas to help me with my plan. I hadn't come up with a plan yet- but I'd decided that I needed to take action of some sort, to protect Lydia. Perhaps, if I could get a message to Gwilellen before he accepted Gulthar's hospitality, he wouldn't be bound by the code. "Darvas, are you free to leave Gulthar's keep?"

"The members of the Guard are only allowed from the keep with the Master's leave," she replied.

"It's very important that I get a message to Lord Gwilellen before he arrives," I said, giving her my soft eyes. "I would be most grateful."

She seemed to soften- as much as a dwarf wearing chain armor can. "I will do so," she said. "I can go out with a patrol, then find Lord Gwilellen."

"You will find a unicorn," I said, "accompanied by a halfling riding a pony. And in their company will be a human child and a ...special warrior, a 'deputy'. The message for Gwilellen must be heard by none but them. Promise me that."

"My word, Thardor" Darvas said.

That was all I needed to hear- a dwarf would die a painful death before breaking her word. "Tell Lord Gwilellen's party that his daughter is held by a guest of Gulthar, and he must be prepared for action."

Darvas looked troubled at the message, but she had given her word- and just as I had accepted Gulthar's hospitality, she was now bound by the code. "I will deliver it," she said. She continued brushing me quietly for a time. "Thardor, I will not be able to continue in the guard, once Gulthar discovers what I have done."

"I will take care of you," I said. "My word."

That evening, one of Gulthar's servants came to the stable. "Sir Unicorn, my master requests your presence for supper," he formally announced.

The sky was clouding and a light rain had begun to fall as I followed him from the stable and to the large banquet hall. It was as big as Lydia's indoor riding ring, but was a bit fancier. Large tapestries covered the walls, which appeared to be some kind of golden varnished wood. The pillars were marble, holding up a gracefully carved roof; the floor was marble and my hoof steps echoed off it. The servant showed me to a place at a large U-shaped table, and I stood next to where Farhain was being seated.

Gulthar had not yet arrived, so I looked across at Gulthar's other guests. One I immediately recognized- it was Claudette Singh, at least in appearance, the one that had vanished from Eagle, Wisconsin. Her eyes seemed to burn with a dark fire- I could see the Demon that had possessed her body, and wondered if her soul was still there. The other was a human- or I guessed he was, tall, thin, with nearly white hair; I couldn't guess his age, and I realized abruptly that his eyes were red- he was an albino, with no pigment at all. There was a third place set- the albino looked at me and gave me a chilling smile, as if reading my thoughts. "Our companion is indisposed," he said in a mocking voice.

Farhain looked at him coldly. "Perhaps it is her company."

"I would hope that you would not also become indisposed, Farhain," the albino replied.

"I do not believe we have been introduced," Farhain shot back. It was presumptious of the albino to address the elven knight by name beforehand.

"Forgive me," the albino replied sarcastically as he stood. "Sir Farhain, Sir Thardor, I am Marcus Renald, Head Warlock of the California Witches Guild. And this is my companion, Vorda." She rose, then both sat back down.

I looked coldly at both. Renald was some kind of human who'd delved into the arcane arts, falling onto the evil side- his association with a demon confirmed that. "Is California in this plane?" I asked. "There are others besides unicorns that can travel the planes," Renald answered, as Gulthar walked in.

We all rose as a courtesy, then sat as Gulthar did. He motioned to a servant, and a host of them suddenly entered, bearing food and drink. The humans and Farhain were brought plates of cooked animal- I believe it had been a hog- along with a variety of steamed vegetables. Golden bejeweled goblets appeared, and were simultaneously filled with a red wine.

For me, the menu was slightly different. A large silver plate was set before me, filled with delicate bean sprouts, carefully washed and sliced carrots, and crimped oats covered with a sweet molasses sauce. A very large goblet- to be fair, it was a bucket- was placed out for me, filled with the same wine that the rest were having.

The wine was quite good, though I'd have preferred a white wine with oats and molasses. "Your fare is quite appetizing for my kind," I complemented Gulthar.

"We seldom have the priviledge of a unicorn visitor," he said as he carefully sliced at the food on his plate. I noticed that he had a servant standing by- a food taster, to be certain that the Wizard wasn't poisoned.

"How frequently do you have demons as visitors?" Farhain asked, staring at Vorda.

Gulthar looked as if he'd bitten into a lemon. "I rarely have visitors at all," the wizard replied.

"What brings you here, Vorda?" I asked the demon.

"I am here for my health," she said. "Human hosts don't last very long, and they become old and ugly too soon. With the help of Marcus, I will find a new one that may last a bit longer." She took a drink, looking at me with cruelly laughing eyes. "So, Thardor, what brings a unicorn to these planes?" She knew full well why I was here.

"I am seeking someone," I said. "Someone who I have taken an oath to protect." The servant made to refill my goblet as I sipped a large mouthful of the wine.

"It would be a shame if you were to fail," Renald said, "though not all oaths can be fulfilled."

"Then perhaps I should take another," I said, still looking at Vorda. "Should harm come to my friend, I will swear vengeance upon those that harmed her, or any who assisted them." I heard a rumble of thunder outside, as if to punctuate my statement. Renald laughed, but Vorda looked a bit uneasy- she knew the code, though the California warlock might not, and that a unicorn's oath was not made lightly.

Gulthar coughed- he had choked on his food. "I should hope that I remain in your good graces, Thardor," he said. "But now, everyone, tonight we will have an entertainment." He clapped his hands, and two dwarf soldiers marched in, with a third dwarf between them.

Most dwarves look the same to me, but I recognized the one between the soldiers- it was Darvas, but she didn't have her armor on. "One of my soldiers was caught tonight, trying to desert," Gulthar said. "For our entertainment, we will watch her destruction." The wizard looked at me knowingly. "And to you, Thardor, I give the choice of method."

****************************************************

I knew Darvas would remain silent- she had given her word. Across the room, Renald looked at me, a cold smile on his face- Vorda watched me as well, and I knew she was enjoying this. Everyone in the room was watching me now, the dinner guests, Gulthar, Darvas, and the two guards; even the servants were listening.

[I] This is my fault. Once again, my carelessness has put another in jeopardy. And I've given my word to protect her. [/I] "Gulthar, I rather fancy a diversion of my own," I said. "If you would be so generous as to provide it to me."

"And what might that be?" the wizard asked. His voice was cautious now, he had expected me to beg for Darvas' life- he must have known that I'd sent her on this reckless errand, or at the least suspected.

"I've not had a mare in some time," I said, "and I've some needs to be satisfied."

Gulthar scowled- he had wanted an execution, and Farhain looked at me with a bit of disgust, but Renald and Vorda broke out laughing. "There may be hope for you yet, unicorn," the warlock said, an evil gleam in his eye.

The wizard had little choice but to agree. "I'd have preferred an execution, since it sets a good example, but I suppose that becoming a horse is another way of destruction. Warrant you won't just change her back," Gulthar said.

"I have no intent of doing so," I replied. "Our party is short one horse, and I've had to carry two riders." Darvas was looking at me with gratitude- she hadn't told me directly this was her desire, but I had guessed from her questions.

The two guards stepped away from Darvas, as if afraid they'd be caught up in the transformation. Darvas stood there, wearing only a thin green gown- I could almost see through it. Everyone was watching her, now, with rapt fascination- this was to be an unusual sight, even in this world of magic.

I focused- it was so much easier now, with my alicorn back. I pictured her in my mind, and she stared at her hands as her fingers began to move together. There was a brief look of fear on her face, then it was replaced by wonder, as a dark covering began to grow across them. Her feet as well were turning, changing shape, melding into the hooves that would bear her weight.

Her dark hair began to lighten and lengthen, turning a bright flaxen color, and her ears became softer, pointed, and started to shift up through her mane as her face began to push out into it's new shape, her jowls deepening and eyes moving apart.

I could see her tail suddenly, bright and flaxen as her mane, as her rump and shoulders became wider the gown tore, revealing her nude body, which was quickly being covered by light brown hair- she'd be a sorrel, I'd decided. Her breasts were already rapidly shrinking, moving down to become her teats, and as her torso began to enlarge, her forearms were changing shape, becoming longer, sturdy legs.

She looked odd- her neck was still too short, and her hind legs still too human, but I corrected this- both, almost at the same time; for a second she was a rearing horse, then she fell forward, catching herself on her forelegs. I'd made her tall- she was nearly as tall as me, I knew with long legs she'd be able to keep pace with Gwilellen and myself if needed. I'd also made her beautiful- not just pleasing to my eye, but I could tell that even Renald found her attractive. Only Vorda seemed unimpressed.

Darvas looked at me- I could smell her now, and I had done my task well; she truly did attract me. "Mount her now!" Renald urged, hoping to see an additional show.

The mare was looking at me, lust in her eye, and I felt my own hormones urge me, but I resisted. "I should prefer to do so in privacy," I told the warlock, who looked across the room, down underneath me.

"You seem to be prepared already," he said. "At least from a physical standpoint."

Unicorns aren't terribly shy about intercourse, but the demon and warlock made me feel a bit uncomfortable. "I will have my pleasure later this evening," I said, looking to Gulthar- he also seemed a bit disappointed.

"As you wish, Thardor. I will have your mare taken to your stable." He motioned to the two guards, who led Darvas off. She looked back at me over her shoulder and nickered to me softly, and it took all my self control to not madly rush to her and throw myself onto her back.

After she left, I turned back to the meal. Farhain looked at me with disapproval, but said nothing- I'd explain to him later, I thought to myself, and I turned my attention back to the wizard. "Gulthar, do you see many dragons in these parts?"

"Dragons? Bah. They're all loitering about the mountains," the wizard said. "Why, I doubt if any still come this far to the east."

He was about to come in when a soldier walked into the room and bowed. "Lord Gulthar, if I may announce, Lord Gwilellen has arrived."

The wizard stood, as did everyone else but me- I was already standing, and they turned to see Gwilellen walk in, accompanied by Brett, Connie, and Menaros- the pony had apparently been taken to the stable. Gulthar looked at the four. "Where is Lord Gwilellen, pray tell?"

Gwilellen stood forward. "Well met, Gulthar."

Gulthar seemed nonplussed. "Well met, Gwilellen. But last time we met, you were an elf." He looked quizzically at the Deputy, then at Connie. "And strange company you keep, indeed."

"Strange times have befallen us," Gwilellen said.

"Please accept my hospitality," Gulthar said, gesturing toward the table.

Gwilellen walked up toward the head of the U-shaped table- as Gulthar's equal, he would sit there. Some of the servants were rushing about, setting up places for all of the newcomers, but careful to place Brett, Connie, and Menaros on the side of the 'U' next to Farhain and me. More food was brought out- Connie sat beside me, and she reached over and touched my flank. "Thunder, I was so worried about you."

I reached down and touched her with my nose. "I'm worried about you, too," I said. "I shouldn't have brought you to this place. It's too dangerous."

"No more dangerous than where she lives," Renald interrupted. "What with crime, and drugs."

"And nuts who think that they're warlocks," I said.

*****************************************************************************

After the dinner ended, all our party went out into the courtyard. It was still raining- a light, misting rain- and despite the fine meal, we all felt a bit chilled. "Lydia is here," I said. "I am certain of it."

Gwilellen and Farhain seemed introspective. They knew of the 'code'- now that we had accepted Gulthar's hospitality we could not act directly against his other guests. Brett and Connie, though, were newcomers to this place. "Let's go rescue her," Connie urged.

"We cannot here," I said. "And once one of our groups leaves, Gulthar cannot allow the other to leave for a day. It's a code here."

"That's stupid," Brett said. "They're criminals- this Vorda and Renald. They've committed a kidnapping." He fingered the holster of his pistol.

"Yeah," Connie agreed. "Thunder, we gotta help her." She looked at me strangely. "Don't you want to help Lydia?"

I felt torn- perhaps I'd lived among the humans too long, or it was my usual nature, but I did want to rush in and rescue Lydia, code be damned. But I thought of Lydia as we walked toward the stable, and what she'd say, and she'd be the first to argue against violating Gulthar's hospitality. "This is a different place, with different laws," I said. "Gulthar is the law here."

"He can't stop us if we're right," Brett said.

I looked at the Deputy as we walked into the stable. "He can turn you into a toad and that'd stop you," I said, and Brett was silent.

Darvas could still speak, but her horse instincts were strong and she whinnied a greeting as we entered the stable. Gwilellen and I reacted naturally and whinnied a greeting back, then Gwilellen suddenly snorted and looked at me, prancing a bit. I started to react- my ears coming back flat against my head- but I caught myself. "Gwilellen, are you challenging me?" I asked.

He suddenly turned toward me. "Am I?"

"Yes," I said. "You're acting like a wild yearling colt."

He snorted again, tossing his head. "Stop trying to direct me, Thardor."

I was getting irritated. "Gwilellen, you've been a unicorn but two days. You've much to learn and you'd best listen to me."

"I am the Lord of Gwilellen," he said, pointing his head toward mine, "and I seek only my own advice."

This was too much. I jumped at him, biting the crest of his mane. He turned, trying to jab me with his alicorn; I parried it aside with mine. We reared, striking at each other with our powerful fore hooves, then I drove toward him, throwing him off balance. Gwilellen crashed to the stable floor on his side, scrambling to regain his hooves, I jumped across his back and reached down to bite him again.

"Stop that! Stop that!" Connie shouted, grabbing my forelock and pulling me away.

Gwilellen jumped up, anger in his eyes. "You boys had better cut it out," Brett said. "You've forgotten why we're here."

I knew Brett was right- and I knew that I liked Gwilellen- but something was making both our tempers flare. I pushed it aside, thinking it was probably from stress, and having a mare nearby. "You're right, Brett," I said. "Forgive me, Lord Gwilellen."

He seemed abashed as well. "If you forgive me in return, Thardor. I do not know what made me react as I did."

"My liege, these quarters are unsuitable for you," Farhain said, looking about the barn.

I thought it was quite a nice barn myself. "It's warm and dry, there's straw bedding, and we've plenty of room," I said.

"This will do," Gwilellen said- he wasn't looking at Farhain or me, but at Darvas, and I started to feel a bit resentful.

[I] She's my mare. [/I] I suddenly realized how foolish a thought it was. Darvas would obviously prefer me, I was more handsome and...

I shook my head. Something was wrong with me and with Gwilellen. "We need to discuss our strategy," I said, trying to think.

"There is little to discuss," Gwilellen replied. "We will have to wait for a night following our foe's departure, then track them again."

"Why don't we leave first?" Connie asked. "Then we can just wait for them outside." Brett nodded agreement.

"Ambush them like thieves?" Farhain said, aghast.

"They're kidnappers," Brett said. "They've violated MY laws." He fingered the flap on his holster again as he spoke. "Demons or not, I have a right and duty to arrest them."

Connie's idea seemed sound, and even though it might not be in spirit, it didn't violate the code per se. "Then we should leave at once," I said, looking around the warm and dry barn and thinking about the rain outside. "In case our foes plan a morning departure." I looked at the halfling. "Menaros, please summon the guard, to inform his master of our leaving."

The halfling turned to leave, but Gwilellen spoke. "Wait, halfling. I have not agreed to this." Gwilellen turned his attention to me. "Thardor, again you are being quite presumtious, making decisions that rightfully belong to me."

"The unicorn's advice is sound, my liege," Farhain said unexpectedly.

"Still, it is my decision, and I decide we should stay here the night, so we are rested. I doubt the demon and warlock will be up early in the morn after so much drinking." Gwilellen said. He looked at me, his head tilted slightly downward and his ears back- not quite pinned flat against his head, but his message was clear to me nonetheless.

"Your pardon, Lord Gwilellen," I said as formally as I could. "I respect you but do not owe fealty to you; I am a free unicorn, and I shall depart immediately." I looked at the others- Farhain had no choice but to follow Gwilellen's command, but the others, as I, could do as we pleased.

"I'm with you, Thunder," Brett said.

"I'm coming too," Connie said.

Menaros looked at me, then at Gwilellen. He seemed torn- not certain as to which of us to follow, so I decided for him. "Brett will come with me. The rest of you will remain," I said. Connie started to protest but I cut her off. "You will be safe here tonight- Gulthar will not allow Renald or Vorda to harm you. Besides," I said, looking at Gwilellen, "Lord Gwilellen may be right, and the Deputy and I are in for a miserable night in the rain for no good cause."

Connie ran to me and hugged me. "I don't want you to be alone, Thunder."

"I'll have Brett with me," I said, nuzzling her. "Menaros, look after her."

The halfling was hardly taller than Connie. "I will, Sir Unicorn," he replied, and I knew that he would protect Connie from harm should anything become amiss.

Brett and I were walking to the castle's drawbridge when Gulthar came out onto the porch of his mansion- I saw that he slept in purple robes as well; he seemed half asleep and irritated. "Gwilellen is leaving so soon?"

"Not Gwilellen," I said in reply. "Two of his party, with urgent business elsewhere." I didn't say elsewhere was just down the road, but I was sure he'd find out quickly enough, as this was his fiefdom.

"Huh. Pass well then, Thardor and Brett."

"By your grace, Gulthar," I said in reply. The guards lowered the bridge, and I trotted into the night.

We went about a mile down the road- it was a chilly night, and I could feel Brett shiver- he didn't have my thick coat of hair, only a light jacket and the elven armor. "Let's see if we can find some cover," he suggested, but most of the area surrounding Gulthar's keep was rolling, cleared farmland. There were a few trees here and there, but not enough to provide us a decent place to hide.

"If we get too far away, we won't be able to see the demon leave," I observed. "And if you stay in the rain much longer, you'll catch a fever."

"What if we ask one of these farmers for shelter, or to stay in their barn?" Brett asked.

"They'd let us- but they'd tell Gulthar as well," I said. "Remember, he's their landlord." We passed a pasture gate, and I had a sudden idea. I stopped and walked back to the gate, flipping the latch open with my teeth. "Brett, how'd you like to be warm tonight?"

"I don't think I'll ever be warm again," he said. "I'm about soaked."

I walked into the pasture, then turned around and pushed the gate shut with my nose. It'd been raining but I could see and smell the piles of manure- quite a few horses stayed in this pasture. "I can warm you up. Take off your clothes and your gear and push them under that pile of wood." The woodpile was a collection of random timbers, from their rotted condition and the vines growing over them I guessed no one tampered with it frequently.

"Thunder, I don't go for that kind of kinky stuff," Brett warned.

"That's not what I mean," I said. "I'll change you to a horse tonight. You'll be warm, and no one will notice two horses in a pasture. I'll change you back when the demon leaves the keep."

He got off my back, and removed my saddle. "I don't know," he said dubiously. "What if you can't change me back?"

"I've been doing this for four hundred years. Trust me," I said.

He sneezed again, then started slowly undressing. "All right," he said. "But I'm warning you- no fooling around."

As he finished undressing, I thought of Darvas, and how Gwilellen must be enjoying her in a nice warm barn, and for a moment was tempted to change Brett to a mare- but guiltily pushed the thought aside. The deputy had followed me willingly to help try to rescue Lydia, someone who he didn't know, and it would be unfair to play a cruel joke on him. "This won't hurt," I promised, and I focused on him, picturing a horse.

His ears started first- he couldn't see them, but I could, big and covered with thick hair. "I don't feel anything," he said, then suddenly looked at his hands. "Scratch that." His hands were starting to change, to hooves- large, dark brown ones, and his sparse hair was now beginning to grow dark and long, slightly wavy, nearly black, and was falling down his neck toward the tail that was pushing from the base of his spine. His feet were changing as well, the toes crushing together and seemingly melting together, matching his hands.

I'd seen a horse at the fair, and had decided to make the deputy his twin. Thick white hair began to sprout from his ankles and wrists, that were already changing to fetlocks, growing up his rapidly thickening legs. His face began to change next, pushing out into a large muzzle, covered with dark brown hair save a large white blaze down the middle.

At this point, Brett stood on horse's legs from his knees down, had an almost ridiculously large tail for the size his body now was, had a horse's very thick forelegs from his elbows down, and had a horse's head and mane, but his torso, neck, and upper legs and arms were still quite human. His hooves were enormous on his partly human body and made him look a little like a cartoon character.

"I look like Popeye," Brett said, having the same thought- other than the horse's head, he almost did.

"I'll finish now," I said. His hips and shoulders grew wider as his torso began to thicken, and as his hips changed, he had to fall forward, catching himself on his growing forelegs. I concentrated harder- this was the part that was most disorienting; his neck thickened rapidly and lengthened, and the brown hair finished covering his now horse body, as a sheath formed on his lower body covering his penis. I stepped back, critically admiring my work.

"I'm taller than you are," Brett said with surprise as he looked around. "And I can see behind me."

"Be careful," I said. "You have a blind spot now, directly ahead and beneath your head, maybe four or five feet- try tipping your head forward.

The deputy did, turning his neck from side to side and tipping it up and down. He seemed fascinated, ignoring the rain, that was now driving even harder. "What kind of horse am I?"

"You're a Belgian," I said. "A sturdy horse, built for pulling wagons and plows."

He laughed. "That's me, a plowhorse. Now what, Thunder?"

I focused for a moment on something else, and my alicorn became invisible. "Now, we become horses." I laid down, and began to roll in the mud, and my coat was quickly coated with the brown stuff, then I stood, shaking a bit. "Come on, let's go find some company."

We walked in the dim moonlight toward a low, half tumbled down shelter, where about a dozen horses were huddled. They snorted a bit at the two newcomers, not recognizing us, warily looking at Brett and me. But it was a chilly night, and they were tired, so they quickly accepted our presence. Brett and I were both pretty big, so none of the horses challenged us, and we quickly were dozing among the warm group.

We awoke the next day to find it clear and warming. Brett rose to his feet somewhat clumsily. "That takes some getting used to," I said. The horses were heading toward the gate. "Let's join them."

Brett and I walked slowly after the rest of the herd. Curiously, there were no mares in the bunch, just geldings. They stood near the gate, looking down the slightly muddy road, and I guessed that they were waiting for whoever came to feed them every morning. There was quite a bit of farm traffic on the road, wagons carrying a variety of foodstuffs, mostly toward Gulthar's castle, and Brett and I watched casually as they rolled by. "Do you think that Renald and Vorda will come by here?" he asked.

"Gulthar can't let them leave until tonight," I said confidently. "We'll just hang out here all day." I was hoping that whoever fed the horses would come soon, I was starving.

Suddenly everyone started nickering. I listened, and could hear a cart coming. "Here comes breakfast," I told the deputy, and shortly thereafter a donkey came into view, pulling a small cart loaded with grain sacks and carrying a pair of women. They pulled to a stop at the gate and unhitched the donkey, letting him loose among the horses. Brett and I joined the other horses crowding around as the women pulled sacks of oats off and began to dump them into a few low hoppers. We were both quite big and easily got to the front, which was a mistake on my part.

"Dara, where did these two come from?" one asked. "Barok said nothing about getting new horses." As her companion shrugged, she began to poke at Brett, who looked at me confused. The other horses were eating, so I stuck my head into one of the bins and began to munch on the grain, then looked over at Brett, my mouth full.

The two women were ignoring me, but seemed a bit excited by Brett. "Barok must've paid a fortune for him," the woman continued.

"Barok's too cheap," the second one- Dara- replied, running her hand over Brett's flank. "This one's worth more than the rest of the lot put together, even throwing in that new white one." I should've been a bit insulted, but shrugged it off. Brett began to pick at the food nervously, looking back from time to time at the pair who stood there discussing him.

About a half hour later, a man walked up- a farmer, from the way he was dressed. "Good morning, Dara, Calasia. Which of Barok's fine steeds do I get today?"

"Take the new pair, Colby," the woman named Dara replied. "First here, first choice."

"Can they pull?" he asked, looking at Brett and me with a critical eye.

"Can't be worse than the rest of his nags," she said. The two came to me, putting on a halter, then walked to Brett. His eyes widened and ears came up, his nostrils flared. "Easy, fellow," she said, holding her hand out and touching his nose, then quickly and smoothly bringing her hand over his poll. The halter was quickly on and she was handing our leads to the man. "Take care with these two, and let me know how they do."

The man named Colby led us to the gate. Brett was looking at me, as if hoping I'd tell him what to do. I wrinkled my nose a bit- I wasn't sure if he'd pick up the gesture, but we had all day and might as well go along.

The man led us down the muddy road about a half mile, to a large field, and led us in. There was a large plow with a two up harness, and I knew we were in store for a hard day's work as he led us to it. "Here you are, boys," he said, tying my lead to the plow and taking Brett up, starting to harness him.

Brett seemed nervous- it was always hard being put into harness for the first time, a bit frightening at the confining collar and traces, and I was afraid he'd panic, so I nickered reassuringly. Colby seemed to be quite expert, and was gently reassuring as well. "Take it easy, fellow," he said, running his hand over Brett's shoulder as he hooked up the harness. Reaching underneath, he was a bit surprised. "Barok renting out stallions- now that's a bit odd." As he took me over and pulled the collar onto me, he was again taken aback. "A pair of them, no less. Well, you must've been together a while, since you aren't fighting." He picked up the reins and shook them. "Get up, now, get up."

Colby didn't smack us with the reins, and I knew that we were in for fair treatment. Brett tossed his weight into his collar, as I did, and we snatched the plow forward. It was not terribly hard work for us, but even though the day was cool we were both soon sweating. The field rolled gently, but must have been worked for many years as we didn't hit any large rocks.

Every hour or so, we'd stop, and Colby would go off to bring us a bit of water, and let us rest for a time. Considering that we apparently were 'rental' horses, he was treating us quite well.

Brett seemed more enthused as the day went on. I could understand. Humans mostly found plowing to be monotonous, but the predictability of the activity was quite appealing to an equine, and though Brett was one only on a temporary basis, the instinctive part of his brain was now like mine, and that combined with Colby's genuine kindness made the day enjoyable, even though we worked quite hard.

He took us back that evening, turning us back to the woman named Dara. "I'll be back early tomorrow for this pair," he told her. "I'll be up before the dawn to get them."

"I'll have to find out where Barok stole them from," she said in reply, as she led us back through the weathered wooden gate. She slipped our halters off- we were cooled down from the walk back, and headed over to the shelter.

Brett stopped when we were out of earshot, and looked back at the two that were still talking. "I almost wish we could go back and help him again tomorrow."

"You're on a case," I reminded him. "As soon as it's dark, I'll change you back to a human."

"Okay," he replied- but I caught a lack of enthusiasm in his response.

"They aren't all like that," I warned. "Take a look around you." The other horses were mostly back. A few showed signs of harsh treatment- white hair growing where a collar had rubbed all day into skin, scars on their flanks from whipping, lumps on their legs from damaged and strained tendons.

He flicked his ears back. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Humans are that way," I said. "Most are decent, but too many of them treat us as machines. They use us up and throw us away."

He looked at the scarred horses, then back at me. He said nothing more, but I knew that the day had made a big difference in his life. I closed my eyes for a moment, and my alicorn reappeared, then I began to picture him again as Jason Brett, human.

The reverse transfomation always leaves me a bit depressed for some reason. It started with his neck- that and his torso, both seeming to shrink and contract. His waist started to change next, and as his forelegs began to shrink, the hair on his upper arms began to shorten, to 'ungrow', as I call it, and he had to again stand on his hind legs. The hair began to disappear from his upper legs, and his face began to change back to human, his muzzle beginning to shrink and twist back into a human shape.

When he was mostly human, I paused. He still had equine ears, a thick and full mane, hooves on his hind legs, and a tail. Brett's hands were human, but slightly bigger and more powerful looking than they had been before, as they weren't quite changed all the way back. "Why'd you stop?" he asked.

I had another idea. "If I don't change you all the way back, you'll be a lot stronger," I said. "It's up to you, but we're going to be fighting demons."

He flexed his arm. "I feel a lot stronger. You can change me back later?"

He hadn't been specific as to horse or man, but I could do either. "Sure," I said. "As soon as we've rescued Lydia."

We went back to the woodpile and he got dressed. His pants were a bit of a problem, as they weren't designed to fit over a tail and his private parts were a bit big as well, but he solved the first half of the problem by pulling out a pocket knife and cutting a hole for his tail to stick out through. The boots that he had were a bit small to fit over his large hooves, so he tied them to the back of my saddle, and we waited by the side of the road in the shadows of a large tree.

We soon were rewarded by the approach of a trio of riders. I listened hard to the horses' hoof steps- they weren't rushing, and the horses were fresh, their steps crisp. "They've come from Gulthar's keep," I told the Deputy quietly as he pulled Gwilellen's sword from it's sheath.

The three approached, then stopped about fifty yards away. I could see that the three were mounted on rather ordinary looking horses- two were sorrels and one was bay. One horse's rider held no reins, but her horse had a lead line, and it was tied to the saddle of another rider- Vorda, I saw it was.

They looked into the shadows. Though it was dark, and I knew that no mortal could see us from that distance, doubless the demon could feel our presence.

************************************************

They were still for nearly a minute. I could feel Brett's impatience as he shifted from side to side in the saddle, and I silently cursed myself for not insisting that Gwilellen and Farhain accompany us- we would have outnumbered them, and now the odds were even. Renald and Vorda both began to move their hands, and I jumped forward, going quickly to a gallop. "I though we were waiting for them," Brett said as he clung to the saddle.

"They're doing some kind of spell," I replied as we quickly closed the gap. I heard the sound of Brett's blade coming from it's scabbard as my hooves pounded the soft earth of the path, sending mud flying up behind us. I decided almost instinctively to go after Renald. "Kill the warlock," I urged Brett, and hurled myself toward him.

There was a brief tingling feeling- one of the pair was trying to cast a spell on us, I was immune from most magic, but Brett was not. Vorda continued to move her hands and she suddenly kicked her horse, half turning away. I screamed out a challenge, startling their horses- the one that Lydia was on started to pull away, Vorda was pulled off balance and had to stop the spell she was trying to cast, Renald was staring at us, and then we were upon them.

Renald was no horseman, and his mount started to bolt in panic. I didn't want to hurt his horse, who was an innocent in all this, but matched pace; I felt Brett swing the heavy blade and connect with Renald, who fell from the saddle, landing hard on the muddy path.

As Renald's horse galloped away in fright, I spun about looking for Vorda and Lydia, but they and the horses they rode were gone. "Where are they?" Brett asked, his voice strangely deeper.

"They've gaited- shifted to another plane," I said, angry again at myself- I should have gone after the demon, as killing her would have left Renald and Lydia trapped here, unable to shift. I trotted back to where Renald lay on the ground, his blood staining the mud red, and looked down, my alicorn inches from his face. "Your demon has abandoned you," I said.

"That has always been our understanding," Renald said. He coughed blood from his mouth, and I knew he was mortally wounded. "No merciful heroics, my reward only at her price."

"Where have they gone?" I asked. "No reason to not betray her."

"Every reason," Renald said. "My afterlife as her minion. She has my soul already."

I felt a combination of pity and contempt. The human had traded his soul for a hope at immortality- but as something grotesque, a slave for all eternity to the demon, with only despair and utter destruction to look forward to. "Renounce her," I urged. "You still have time."

"No," he croaked out through a blood filled mouth. "I've made my choice."

Brett had dismounted and was looking at Renald. "Your lung's punctured," he said professionally. "I'd say you have around ten minutes."

"You should have about two weeks," Renald replied. "I don't know what went wrong."

"What spell did you cast?" I said, suddenly paniced.

Renald sneered and closed his eyes. "In two weeks you'll know."

I looked at Brett- some kind of magic was on him, not just my partial shape change. The deputy was starting to go through Renald's pockets. "Won't you let me die in peace?" the warlock said, opening his eyes and staring at Brett.

"Where did the fugitives go?" Brett responded, looking at Renald's wallet- it seemed strangely out of place, here in this world of magic, to see a handful of credit card receipts. "Looks to me like you've been to Florida a few times recently- what's in West Palm Beach?"

"I vacationed there," Renald said.

"Funny- you flew there six times in the last two months, must have a lot of time off..." his voice trailed off, and Brett shook a bit.

Renald let out a cackling laugh, blood spitting from his mouth, then shook himself and was still.

"I think," Brett said, "we should go to Florida- is that possible?"

"I'm not sure what's parallel to here in the human plane," I said. "We can step through, and see, but you'd best be human again." I focused on Brett, closing my eyes and picturing him again as fully human, then opened my eyes to find him unchanged. "Uh, oh." The warlock's magic had been more powerful than I'd imagined.

"Uh, oh, what?" Brett said.

It was going to be a little hard to sneak around in the human plane. "You'll need to hide your tail and hooves and wear a hat over your ears," I said.

"You can't change me back?" Brett asked, his voice a bit nervous.

"Well, not at the moment," I said. "There's some kind of magic on you- we'll figure it out." I looked down the road, trying to decide- should we go immediately after Vorda or wait for Farhain and Gwilellen? "Do we go after them now or wait for our allies?" I asked Brett.

"Go now," he said. "Stay in pursuit. Can they find us?"

"Farhain's a good tracker, and Gwilellen can shift planes," I said confidently- though I didn't feel as confident as I tried to sound, as Brett climbed back into my saddle, stuffing the credit card receipts into his jacket. I walked forward, feeling for the rift, and we stepped through.

We found ourselves on another dirt road, in another night time rain, but this rain was heavy and stung my face. I closed my eyes for a moment, making my alicorn invisible- Brett would be hard enough to disguise or explain away, but a unicorn in the human world was a bit too obvious. I felt his weight shift as he pulled his boots over the too large hooves. "My tail hurts," he said as he moved on the saddle.

"It isn't designed to sit inside of clothing," I replied sympathetically as we looked around. To one side, I could see a wood fence and what appeared to be a plant nursery. On the other side of the dirt road, there was a deep ditch, at least twenty feet across, filled with murky water. I sniffed at the air and started to canter. "I can smell them," I said. "The horses."

"One's in heat," Brett replied- I was surprised, but guessed it was from the partial transformation state I'd left him in. The road was very muddy, and my belly was quickly coated with mud slung up from my hooves as we ran through the night.

We reached a paved road and turned down it. The road was lined with small estates perhaps five or six acres each. Quite a few were nurseries, though we also passed a few stables, and I could feel Brett shift uncomfortably every time we passed one. We'd gone perhaps a mile when a car going our direction slowed to match my speed. I was still at a gallop, perhaps forty miles an hour. Someone in the car shone a spotlight on us- I looked again, and noticed the car was green and white, with blue lights on the roof.

I slowed and stopped, and the car's occupant stepped out. It was a woman, who wore a green raincoat emblazoned PBSD. "A little late for a ride," she said, looking at Brett.

"I'm in pursuit of a suspect," Brett replied. I inwardly groaned- he could be an elf, always telling the truth when a lie would be more suitable.

She immediately looked a bit suspicious, and I noticed her hand was resting on the butt of her pistol's holster. "A suspect?"

"I'm with the Eagle Sherrif's department," Brett said, opening his jacket slightly to show her his badge. It was pinned to Gwilellen's elven armor which the deputy had put on over his shirt.

I knew we were in for it- she had seen the armor, the badge, and Brett's gunbelt, and probably Gwilellen's sword as well. "Maybe you'd better get off the horse," she said, her tone of voice firmly stating that it wasn't a request.

"We have to keep going- the demon'll get away with the elven princess," Brett said.

I heard a snap and she expertly drew the pistol. "Keep your hands steady, mister. Please get off the horse." There was a brief flash of lightning nearby, and I heard the thunder rumble as she fumbled with the microphone on her lapel, keeping the gun pointed at Brett. "Charlie fifteen to dispatch."

"Dispatch, go ahead Charlie fifteen."

There was a plop as the gun fell to the mud. The policewoman was looking at her right fore hoof- she didn't have a hand any more- in disbelief. She didn't press the transmit button on her microphone either; the hoof was too big or she was too surprised, and then it was too late either way as her shoulders suddenly expanded, tearing the upper part of her uniform and sending the microphone tumbing into the mud. Her pants split as her waist expanded, dropping her gunbelt into the mud, and she teetered and fell forward onto her now forelegs, weighed down by her quickly expanding torso. "Help me, help me," she shrieked out, as her tail sprouted and her breasts shrank and moved back, forming teats near her hind legs. She was now mostly horse, her neck with its long black mane tapering quickly into a half human head with horse ears, her muzzle not quite right. I focused, changing that, and a not unattractive bay mare stood before us, torn green pants around her hind fetlocks, and her eyes filled with a stark terror as she let out a shireking whinny.

I felt bad- she clearly hadn't planned on becoming a horse tonight- but we couldn't afford a delay. I turned and resumed my gallop, heading after the demon, and hoping I wouldn't lose the trail, leaving a horse standing by the police cruiser whose radio called for a deputy who could no longer answer in a human voice.

*******************************************

The paved road ended and turned to white shell rock, curving across the canal over a big metal culvert. It split into three directions, and I paused a moment, smelling the air, then took the middle road, which led between some tall pine trees. "You really should've lied to her," I said as I moved to a gallop again.

"To who?" Brett asked.

"The sherriff. The one I turned into a horse."

"Oh," Brett replied.

I slowed to a trot. The pine trees were thinning, replaced by low scrub bushes, beyond which I could see neat rows of orange trees. "Brett, are you all right?" I asked. The deputy seemed distracted, and we were headed to combat with a demon.

"I feel fine," he said, as the rain stopped. There was just a glimmer of light, as the clouds began to make way for the predawn sun. We came to a side road and I headed down it. Again the road was bordered with the pine trees, but this one was in bad shape, filled with puddles. "Where are we?" Brett asked abruptly.

"Florida, I think," I said. "The southern part, I'd guess by the terrain."

"Why are we here?" he asked.

I stopped, guessing what Renald's spell had been, and stopped.. "Brett, listen to me carefully," I said. "We are here to fight an evil demon. You've had a spell cast on you that's draining your memory."

"A spell...yes, I remember that," he said.

"It's working slowly since you already had a magic transformation cast on you, but it's going to get worse. If you want, I'll take you back to where someone might be able to help you." I knew if we stopped and went back, Lydia was doomed, but I also owed a moral responsibility to the deputy.

"No," he said. "We're on a case. We have to press on."

I went back to a gallop, and soon came to an even narrower side road that led into a dense pine wood. I could hear the horses we'd been chasing- but more importantly, I could also feel an evil presence, moreso than just Vorda, that seemed to permeate the place. Brett, I knew, could feel it too, he pulled out his sword and snorted- a surprisingly horse like snort, and I hoped that his memory would last long enough to see us through the coming battle.

As I trotted cautiously up the road, I heard a dog begin to howl- a sorrowful howl, as if to mourn for lost souls. A shadow flitted near one of the trees and I lunged toward it; it became a thin dark haired man- I didn't pause to ask him to surrender, but slashed with my alicorn, leaving him gutted and dying on the ground. There wasn't much chance at that point of surprise- I guessed he was some kind of a lookout for what we were to encounter, but Brett suddenly gave away all chance by letting out a loud call, a deep and shrieking stallion's call to battle- it was so unexpected that I almost reared. "What was that for?"

"It just came out," Brett said in an excited voice. "Let's go get them."

It wasn't much of a plan, but it would have to do. I extended to a gallop, and the path widened into an open area, in the middle of which was a somewhat dilapidated mobile home sitting on cinderblocks. There were a variety of rusting vehicles strewn about, some with hoods open, and I saw the dog that we'd heard, tied to a long chain.

There were also a group of newer cars and trucks, parked together, near a fenced in area. In the middle, I could see a circle of people, all wearing dark hooded robes and holding candles, and decided that was where we needed to be. I hurled over the fence, and most of the group turned to look at us.

I heard Vorda's voice call from the center. "Look at me, you damned fools." I knew she was being quite literal; the circle was made up of those like Renald, who had traded their souls for some pittance of power. Most heeded their demoness, but a few stared at the doom plunging toward them. I smashed the skull of one with my alicorn as we charged into the group; Brett swung the light elven sword like a scythe, sending the heads of two of the demon's minions sailing, then we were through the mob.

In the center of the circle, a large pentagram, about ten meters across, was defined by darkened earth. At each point of the pentagram, a large stake was driven into the ground, and to each stake was tied a body- I guessed they were dead, they'd been gutted, and I realized with shock that the darkened area on the earth was formed by their blood. In the center, I could see a large flat platform of stone, on which Lydia lay still. Vorda stood above it, a large knife in her hand.

She looked at us and laughed, cold and sinister. "You're too late, Thardor. In moments the sun will rise, and I shall take the elven maid's body for my own."

I danced at the edge of the pentagram, unable to cross the unholy line. "She's going to kill Lydia?" Brett asked.

"No," I said. "She's going to kill the body- the host that she's in, and let her blood spill onto Lydia, taking hers."

"You've studied demonic magic well," Vorda said tauntingly.

"I watch lots of cable TV," I replied, trying desperately to remember some way to cross the pentagram. The sky was brightening, and I was almost in a frenzy. I hurled myself against it, but could not cross- unlike the magic fire, this was lan impenetrable barrier, as if there was an invisible wall that held good at bay but allowed evil to pass over unmolested. I now knew what hell was like- to see my beloved Lydia, only a few feet away, in mortal danger and being unable to help.

Vorda began to chant out a spell, and the mob began to chant as well, ignoring Brett and me. There was a loud 'CRACK!' as Brett fired his pistol, but even the bullet- sent by a good person for a just purpose- couldn't penetrate the magic of the pentagram. Vorda slowly raised the knife, just as the sun's first rays began to lighten the field next to us.

[I] Only evil can cross the pentagram. [/I] I slashed one of Vorda's coven with my alicorn, and grabbed her arm, hurling her screaming against one of the posts that defined the pentagram. It collapsed, breaking the magic, and I dove through, launching myself through the air.

Vorda saw us and brought the knife up to defend herself. I didn't dare slash her with my alicorn, as I didn't want her blood to touch Lydia, and she plunged the knife deep into my chest- it was some cursed magic weapon, and the pain was intense, but my weight pushed her away from the platform.

As I fell, Brett leapt off me, swinging the blade. Vorda parried his thrust with demonic strength. "Kill them, my minions!" she cried out, and the mob of humans started toward us. I scrambled to my feet as the coven of would be witches started forward, some aggressive, some hesitant and fearful from our unexpected arrival.

Brett fought Vorda with his equine strengh, using Gwilellen's weapon like an expert- I wondered where a deputy had picked up such swordsmanship, as I began to slash and kick at the dozens of witches, who'd abandoned their candles and all seemed armed with some kinds of knives. They were mostly normal ones, which couldn't harm me, but a few wielded magic weapons, or those that had been cursed , and I was having a difficult time keeping the mob away from Brett.

They had pushed us back against the stone platform that held Lydia- Brett fighting the demon desperately, I the witches. "You're done," Vorda crowed, and it appeared she was right- there were too many.

The witch before me suddenly featured an arrow through his head, and he fell to the ground as if in slow motion. I looked to see Gwilellen and Darvas galloping up, Farhain and Menaros stringing more arrows to their bows; the halfling's pony and Connie nowhere to be seen. Another volley of arrows and the pair dropped their bows; Farhain's sword came out and the halfling produced what appeared to be a large dagger- I recognized it as Gwilellen's knife. Plunging into the crowd, the evil witches' coven was soon either slaughtered or fleeing.

Vorda was distracted by this for a fatal moment; her guard down, Brett slashed into her torso with Gwilellen's blade and the demoness let out an unearthly shriek. Her corporeal body fell to the ground, sliced in half, and I noticed with relief a good distance from the stone platform. I could feel- not see, but feel- an ominous cloud eminate from the body of the unfortunate Claudette Singh. Without a human host, the demon was powerless- for now- and I heard an anguished wail from it as it was now trapped on the human plane until some nefarious action should free it.

We came to the stone platform as the sun began to brighten. It seemed surreal- the platform was carved from a single piece of granite, sitting in the middle of a junk filled Florida farm, while a group of armed knights, two mounted on unicorns, looked down on a sleeping maiden.

Gwilellen laid his head upon his daughter's breast, tears in his eyes. "My dear Lydia," he sobbed, "am I too late?"

"I should have made him to listen to you," Farhain said to me softly. "We might have stopped the demon near Gulthar's keep." I didn't reply- I was weeping too, at our loss, for though Gwilellen and I quarreled, we shared our deep love for Lydia.

"It's like the movie," Brett said in a hushed voice, looking at Lydia and Menaros. "Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwaves."

"I'm a halfling, not a dwarf," Menaros said. "But you're right. She's under a witch's spell, and her true love's kiss will awaken her, I wager."

I could hear a siren in the distance, and guessed that some of the fleeing witches had found religion and called the cops. "Better kiss her, Farhain," I said.

"It would be inappropriate for me to kiss the daughter of my liege," the elf replied.

"Kiss her," Gwilellen commanded, as he stood. The elven knight kissed Lydia, and she stirred slightly, but her eyes remained closed.

I looked to Brett- he'd met her a few times during Connie's summer camp adventure. She liked him- was there something more there? "Brett?" I asked.

He looked blank for a moment. "Oh, okay." He stepped forward, but the results were no different than Farhain's. "Sorry," Brett said, stepping back.

"Well, we're all out of knights," I said. "Let's get her onto Darvas, and get out of here." The bay mare stepped forward, and Brett and Farhain reached for Lydia's still figure.

"Wait," Gwilellen said. "Vorda's spell was cast here, it would best be broken here."

"We don't have time to bring in all the knights of Gwilellen Fain to find the right one," I said, listening to the much closer sirens.

"There is you, Thardor," the elven lord replied.

"My liege, he is a unicorn," Farhain protested. "It would be inappropriate..." his voice trailed off as he saw Gwilellen's pinned ears.

Gwilellen turned back to me. "Kiss her, Sir Thardor," he said in a strange voice.

I couldn't hear the sirens as I looked down at Lydia- I did love her deeply, but we were so different. I'd kissed her before- just little playful pecks between two friends, but this wasn't the same. I puckered up my thick equine lips, as much as I could, and gently kissed hers.

She took a deep breath, and her eyes fluttered open. "Thunder, my love," she said, reaching up and touching my face with her hand.

"This is too weird," Menaros said. I could see that Farhain agreed.

A car with flashing blue lights was pulling to a stop in the yard. "Come on, let's go!" I urged. Brett picked Lydia up and threw her onto my back, then climbed into the saddle as well. Menaros and Farhain were as quick to get onto Darvas and Gwilellen, and as the policemen stepped out of the car into the field of carnage they for a brief moment saw three armored knights with a maiden on horseback- then our group suddenly disappeared as we shifted into another plane.

As we stepped back into the planes of the demons, we found ourselves in a field near a quickly flowing river. "This is the Sardos," Farhain declared. "If we follow it, we will arrive back at Gulthar's keep."

"Why would we want to go back there?" I asked. Darvas nodded agreement- I knew she could still speak, but I'd found that the dwarf turned mare spoke little- she behaved more horse like with each passing hour.

"We left your young charge there in Gulthar's care," Gwilellen said in reply as we looked toward path by the river. "It seemed a far safer place for her than to go into battle with a demon."

Farhain, the elven warrior, still rode Gwilellen, Darvas now bore Menaros, and I carried both Brett, the deputy, and my beloved Lydia. "Still, I don't particularly care for Gulthar." I didn't trust the wizard, as he had been too welcoming of the demon Vorda and Renald, the warlock who had kidnapped Lydia.

"Connie is under my word of protection," Gwilellen said. That settled it- though he was now transformed to a unicorn, near my twin, he was still Lord of Gwilellen Fain, and if any harm came to Connie Gwilellen would bring the fury of the elven kingdom down on whoever was foolish enough to cause her harm.

We began to trot down the path by the river, making good time until we came to familiar fields- I recognized the one where I had transformed Brett to a heavy draft horse and we had spent a pleasant morning ploughing a field. "Remember this place?" I asked the deputy as we trotted by.

"Why yes, I believe I do," he said. "But wasn't I a horse then?" He shifted a bit in the saddle. "When did I become- what am I?"

"You are a human," Lydia told him- that wasn't entirely true at the moment, he was still partly a horse, and I couldn't change him back, as the spell Renald had cast on him that was draining Brett's memory was interfering.

"Perhaps the Wizard Gulthar might be able to help him," Menaros said.

I regarded the halfling, turning my head slightly. "If we can trust him."

Brett was looking around- one advantage of being a horse, or a unicorn, is that one has a very wide field of vision, and I could both watch the road and my riders. He seemed to be totally unfocused, as if he didn't know where he was- Menaros was right, if Gulthar couldn't help him, the policeman would soon lose his memory entirely, and I worried about the result.

We started past a familiar gate, where two women stood by a donkey cart, feeding a group of horses. I was a bit hungry, but we were in a hurry and couldn't stop. They looked up, gawking at the rare sight of two unicorns, carrying armed knights, and from their excited reactions I guessed they might have recognized me- here in the planes of the demons, where magic was common, the abilities of unicorns to masquerade as horses was well known, but I doubted that they would realize that Brett was the big draft horse that they'd been so impressed by.

Gulthar's keep was soon before us. We trotted to the gate, seeing the guards snap to attention- they doubtless knew of our pursuit of the demon and warlock, and Gulthar himself came into the courtyard to greet us, Connie by his side- I noted with surprise she was dressed like Gulthar, in a small purple robe.

She ran up. "Lydia!" she sang out, and as my riders dismounted, Lydia picked Connie up in her arms and hugged the twelve year old.

"Connie, I hope you've not given Gulthar a hard time," Lydia asked.

"He taught me some neat magic tricks!" Connie said.

I put my head down so that Connie could hug my neck, but then I looked toward Brett- he was wandering about aimlessly, as if he wasn't sure where he was. "Brett, come over with us," I called.

He looked at me blankly, then came back over. "You can talk," he said wonderingly.

"Oh dear," Lydia said, taking his arm. "Jason, come with me." She walked him over to Gulthar, who looked him over critically.

"He has two enchantments cast upon him," the wizard declared, rubbing his chin and looking at me. "One is yours, no doubt."

"I had left him partly horse, so he'd be stronger," I explained defensively.

"His good fortune you did," Gulthar said. "That's all that slowed the other enchantment- a warlock's memory drain spell, I would venture." He suddenly reached out, touching Brett's forehead. "Can you get the warlock to reverse it?"

"It was his dying spell," Gwilellen said.

Gulthar slowly pulled his hand away. "Then we cannot restore your friend's memory." The wizard looked at me, then at Brett, looking at him almost harshly. "Brett, you have two choices- if you remain as you are, you will forget all that happened to you before the spell was cast upon you. Once this happens, Thardor can change you back to human. But you will forget your entire life."

Brett seemed to struggle with this concept. "Human? And the other choice?"

"Thardor can completely change you again to a horse. You will keep the memories you have now, and your intellect- but with the warlock's spell, I doubt if he could change you again even to the part human you are now. But choose quickly! For you lose more every passing moment."

Brett seemed to focus again- he realized the choice he was facing, and I sympathized. Which was more important- to keep his 'self', his mind- or to keep his physical body? I knew that he'd enjoyed being a horse, but there was a huge difference to a human between being a horse for a day and a horse for life. "Thardor, change me."

"Are you sure?" I asked stupidly.

"What I am- who I am, I don't want to lose that." He pulled his jacket off and unclipped the elven armor, letting it fall to the ground, and undressed, standing nude in the garden. I'd forgotten Connie was there, but it was too late now to worry about it.

I didn't reply to Brett, instead again mentally picturing him as the big Belgian horse, then watched. He still had his tail and hooves instead of feet, and his ears were still the handsome equine ears, but I focused, watching his hands quickly change back to huge hooves. His waist and shoulders grew quickly to their equine size and form, as dark brown hair sprouted from his legs, arms, and torso. As his hips began to change to their new alignment, his neck began to push out; his arms thickening to become powerful forelegs. His head changed last- face expanding, pushing out to accommodate his huge teeth, white hair growing in a blaze on his otherwise brown face. When I finished, he was a bit taller than either Gwilellen or I, and was again the duplicate of the champion draft horse I'd seen at the state horse fair.

I looked at him anxiously- two enchantments sometimes had strange effects, and I was relieved as he spoke. "How do I look?" he asked in a deep rumbling voice.

Darvas told him, nickering to him, her nostrils flared and ears forward- I could tell she found him very attractive, and I knew that Gwilellen and I had no more chance with the mare. "Well enough," I said. "Now I'm starved. Gulthar, would you be so kind as to offer four hungry horses your stable's fare?"

Farhain scowled at me again for describing his liege as a mere horse, but the wizard laughed. "Of course, Sir Horse," he said. "But it is near noon, and I insist that you join me for luncheon, though I fear it may not be as nourishing as the oats and hay that you seem to prefer."

*********************************************************************************

I didn't trust Gulthar but he did serve a good meal. Within a half hour again we were in the keep's great hall, either standing or seated around the large U-shaped table. This time, the arrangements were a bit different- as we had no enemies, at least open ones, at the meal, we all were seated closer to the wizard. Oddly, though, Connie wasn't seated with us, but sat at the head of the table next to Gulthar, giving me an uncomfortable feeling.

The servants again came into the room, bearing trays, and before each of us was set a large silver plate and a tankard- though for we equines, the tankard was instead a silver bucket. The humans, elves, and the halfling were provided some kind of cooked animal- I wasn't sure what, I never was able to tell the difference. The rest of us were brought a rather delicious mix of bean sprouts and leafy spinach, along with ears of corn and sliced apples, which we began to hungrily devour.

"Oh, but I've forgotten our table decorations," Gulthar suddenly announced. "Connie, would you please help me with these?"

"Of course," she said, and waved her hands. Vases appeared before each plate with a rose in each. Gulthar looked extremely pleased.

"Oh, my," Lydia said- the rest of us were stunned as well. All of us, save Brett, realized that such magic was seldom found in a human, perhaps one in ten thousand.

"Connie is really quite talented," Gulthar said. "I believe that I have found my apprentice."

"Connie has to return to her parents," Lydia said. "She is not of this dimension."

"She's entitled to make her own choice," Gulthar said smoothly. "Such a talent as this must be developed."

"No, she has to return to her parents," Lydia said. "She's only twelve years old."

"I really want to do this," Connie interjected. "It's fun."

"It's also dangerous," I said. "Magic isn't something to trifle with, and the planes of the demons isn't exactly the safest place in the worlds." Plus, I thought to myself, being a wizard's apprentice wasn't the safest career choice either, the wizard might abruptly change his mind- or fall victim himself to the wrath of the demons, leaving Connie alone in a strange and hostile place.

Gwilellen suddenly weighed in. "Could she not remain with her parents, but travel to visit Gulthar for her teaching?"

"That would slow things down," Gulthar pouted. "Much better if she can remain here and practice in safety." He looked at me. "Thardor, don't you agree?"

I didn't. "Connie's too young for this," I said.

"I am not!" she said.

"She has to start now," Gulthar argued, "to fully develop her powers. I insist that she stay."

It would be a bit hard to force Gulthar to allow us to take her- especially since Connie seemed to want to stay. "What about your parents?" I asked. "What would I tell them?"

"Well," she said a bit dubiously, "you could tell them that I'm learning about magic."

"Won't you miss them?" Lydia pressed. "They'd miss you."

"I could still visit them," Connie said. "For vacations, and stuff."

I hadn't finished my meal, so I started munching again. Lydia looked at me and frowned, but I was hungry and didn't have anything to say at the moment. "You need to live with your parents," Lydia argued. "They care about you and teach you values."

"They don't care about me," Connie said. "They never let me do anything., and Gulthar let me stay up late and look into his crystal ball." She pouted, and the flowers in the vases shook slightly, turning brown and wilting.

Lydia and I exchanged glances- we were both worried now. Connie was reacting much like any other twelve year old would, but most twelve year olds weren't able to create matter from thin air. "Your parents do care about you," Lydia said.

"I'm staying here, and that's that," she said, folding her arms.

"You will go home," Lydia said forcefully.

"Let us eat, then discuss this," Gulthar said soothingly. I agreed silently, since I was starving. We passed most of the rest of the meal in silence, but as the last course came- some lightly toasted bran mash with cinnamon for we equines- Lydia started again. "Connie, you have to go back to ask your parent's permission, at the very least. Won't you want to bring some of your things?"

"Well," Connie said slowly, "I do want to bring my posters. And I guess I can ask my parents." From the tone of her voice, I guessed that she didn't care what the answer was.

"Excellent, then, it's settled," Gulthar said, rubbing his hands together. "So when will you be back?"

"Thunder will take us back to speak with her parents," Lydia replied.

"You will need to be going home," Gwilellen said to her.

"Yes, to Wisconsin," Lydia agreed.

"No, to Gwilellen Fane," he said. "I can no longer tend to my duties there, and it has fallen to you."

"No, I will not," Lydia said, suddenly in the same position as Connie. "I will be returning to the humans' plane, along with Thardor." She suddenly looked at me with a slightly alarmed look, remembering that now I could go back to the the planes of the Unicorns.

"You must attend to your duties," Gwilellen said, looking at her with his head tilted a bit sideways- a problem with being an equine, he wanted to get the best possible view. "I am no longer an elf."

"A strange problem indeed!" Gulthar piped in. "But much safer for you, with the demon still loose on the humans' plane."

"But we killed it," Brett said.

"Only it's physical form," Menaros said. "It's spirit will seek a host, willing or otherwise."

"And the other demons as well, will seek out revenge," Gwilellen said. "You will be far safer in Gwilellen Fane than among humans."

"Well, if Lydia can't come back then I don't want to either," Connie said.

"We will return- at least for a while, and at least some of us," I said, looking at Connie then Lydia, then speaking to Gwilellen. "Lord Gwilellen, by your leave, I will ask Farhain to accompany us."

"I will return to Gwilellen Fane," he said, "to prepare for the ceremonies." It was rather odd, and I doubted it had happened ever before, for an Elven lord to leave his office for being permanently changed to another form, and I wondered what the elven folk would think when they found their master now had hooves.

*************************************

The next morning, the six of us set off- Lydia, Connie, Farhain, Brett, Darvas, and myself. Gwilellen, Menaros, and Gulthar stood at the gate, watching us leave. "Return soon," Gulthar told Connie.

Gwilellen stepped forward and stood by Lydia. Something unspoken passed between them, and she reached out, touching his alicorn, then hugging her father. He whispered something to her, then she turned and leapt lightly to my back. The others followed us as we moved out through the gate onto the road, then I sprang to a light trot- I wore a sidesaddle that Gulthar had provided, a nice one with silver and emerald trim, and Lydia's long blue skirt offset it nicely. Farhain rode Brett, and I heard Darvas snort as she found that Connie, though the lightest of the riders, was by far the worst to carry- she tended to bounce in the saddle. I needed to get to the right spot- we could travel twenty miles on the demons' plane and make a thousand miles difference in the humans' plane, and we needed to get back to Milwaukee.

We'd gone a mile when we again passed the field where Brett and I had worked. Colby the farmer was out, again ploughing his fields but with a much lesser team. I noticed Brett watching them as we trotted by. "You aren't jealous, are you?" I asked.

"A little, yes," Brett admitted.

"Humans aren't all that kind," I reminded him. "Ones like that you need to hold on to." The farm was soon falling behind us as we rushed down the road, using up the afternoon. There was little need for us to delay or rest- we'd had a good night's rest, three fine meals, and didn't have that far to go, but soon ran into a delay.

The road turned and went into a valley, going between two grassy hills. A large tree rested across the road- since there were no stumps nearby, someone had clearly dragged it there. It would be easy enough to go around, or jump over, but it didn't belong there and the two horses and I snorted nervously as we approached.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone around," Farhain said, more as a hope than an observation. There weren't any good hiding places about, as the field was clear, but we all looked about, feeling as if someone was watching. I came to the tree and looked at it- there were runes carved into the trunk that glowed a soft red color, and I started looking around for something unseen.

Connie and Darvas started around. "Wait," Farhain said. "We cannot pass."

"Why not?" Connie asked.

"Demonic runes," the elven warrior replied. "We dare not pass, else we will bring bad fortune upon ourselves."

"So we can't go down this road because of a stupid tree?"

"Not until it's destroyed," I said. Farhain was already off of Brett, and I knew that he'd start a fire to burn the tree- whoever had laid it here wanted us, or someone else, delayed.

"I can destroy it," Connie said, waving her hands.

"Connie, the tree is magically affected already," Lydia told her. "You cannot just make it disappear, like the flowers."

Connie brought her hands down sharply, and a bright flash of light shot from the sky. Darvas, Brett and I all jumped, preparing to flee, but calmed ourselves. The tree was gone- only dark burned charcoal sitting on the ground to indicate it had ever existed.

"Connie, how long did it take Gulthar to teach you that?" Lydia asked slowly.

"He didn't- I found out how to do that on my own," she said proudly. "Let's go." She urged Darvas on, and the two trotted ahead.

Farhain got back onto Brett and looked to Lydia and me. "For a child to have that much power- loose amongst the humans..."

"She still needs her family," Lydia said as we broke into a trot to catch up. The road soon wound down and around to the village where we had fought the trolls. A few halflings watched us curiously as we rode in and by the tavern, which still had smashed windows from that violent night. "What of Menaros, sir knight?" one of them called to us, recognizing Farhain and myself.

"Menaros fares well," Farhain said in reply. He knew to say no more, as to not lead his enemies to Gulthar's keep.

"Can we stop here?" Connie asked. "I'm kinda hungry."

"It would not be wise," Farhain said. "We are not popular here."

"But I'm starving," she said.

"Wait until we're out of town," I interjected. "We'll ask a farmer." I could feel other eyes on us- not those of the people on the street, but eyes watching from behind windows and curtains, and I knew that some bore ill intent. As we passed the last building, I saw a troll leering at us through malevolent green eyes, and knew we rode toward danger. I broke into a canter, wanting to give those ahead as little time to prepare as possible. Darvas kept up easily, but Brett was soon puffing- he was big and heavy, as most draft horses, and the fast pace took quite a bit of energy for him, so we slowed to a walk.

"Let's keep going," he said, but his flared nostrils and fast respiration told me that he needed a break. As if by good fortune, a small cottage was around the next hill, surrounded by a small grove of apple trees. A barn beside it promised warm bedding for the night, and I was suddenly tired as well and stopped in the road.

"Brett, Darvas- let's not speak," I said as I focused and made my alicorn disappear- "best they think us three ordinary horses." There was no good reason for this, but I had a strange premonition to be cautious.

Darvas neighed back in reply- she seldom spoke anyway, and Brett snorted his assent. We walked up toward the cottage, and an old woman came onto the porch. I stopped and shied as the door opened- something about her frightened me- and I felt Lydia's comforting hand touch my withers.

"Sir knight," she said, looking at the armored Farhain, then to Lydia. "My lady, how may I be of service?"

"We would request food and lodging for the night, for ourselves and our horses," Lydia said.

"My lodging is quite humble," the old woman replied. "You are more than welcome, but there is a fine inn at the village." She looked at we horses with a sharp eye- I noticed one of her eyes was brown and the other blue, and shivered a bit.

"We should prefer to stay outside the village," Lydia said.

"As you wish," she said. "I will tend to your animals, Lady-?"

"Lady Gwilellen," Farhain stated. That wasn't really quite official yet, but technically correct enough- she was now Gwilellen Fane, that Lord Gwilellen had decided to abandon the office.

The old woman curtsied- it was well practiced, and I knew then she was no ordinary farm peasant. "I am Alysira," she said. "Please let me be of service and accept my hospitality for your husband and child."

"They're not married, and she's not my mother," Connie said brightly.

"I see," Alysira said, looking secretly pleased as our riders dismounted. I felt even more uncomfortable at the situation as they went into the house. None of us were wearing bridles, but that wasn't too unusual, as elves seldom used or needed them on their horses. We three equines followed Alysira into the small barn, where she put us each in our own stall- there were three large stalls, each freshly bedded, but I couldn't smell any horses or cows- none had been in this barn for a long time, if ever. She took off our saddles, placing them onto spotlessly clean saddle racks, and I suddenly realized that either this barn had just been built or someone was fastidiously clean- there was no dust, no cobwebs, none of the grime that accumulated in every barn.

As soon as she left, I reached over my stall to unlatch it- or tried to. The latch was just far enough away that I couldn't reach it with my teeth. I disliked this as it made me feel trapped- which I was. The stall's oak planks were quite thick, and I wasn't totally sure if I could kick them down if I had to, and I started to pace about my stall nervously.

Darvas and Brett could see I was worried, and they became nervous as well. There was hay for us, and some oats and clean water were in buckets in each stall, but none of us ate. Outside, it quickly darkened, but inside the barn stayed in a strange gloomy twilight, from light spilling from the house through the opened hayloft door.

I fell into a fitful sleep- my body needed rest- but awoke after a few hours, as I heard footsteps. I hoped that it was Farhain, Lydia, or Connie coming to see us, but instead five large and ominous looking people came in- three men and two women. They didn't speak, but instead waited silently in the shadows near Brett's stall.

************************************************************************************ Alysira came in, so silent that I didn't realize she had until she spoke. "Two elves are here- the woman and the warrior, and a human child."

"What of the human warrior and the unicorns?" One of the five challenged her. "Or the halfling?" He looked at Darvas and me. "Could these two be the unicorns?"

"I have already done a true sight spell, Glasta" Alysira said haughtily. "These are ordinary horses." I knew she hadn't- even the most incompetent witch or wizard would be able to see that I was a unicorn by using true sight, and that Darvas and Brett were both magically transformed- but I saw no reason to correct her.

"The unicorns will be trouble, and the human warrior was the one who slew Vorda," one of the women answered in a chilling voice- she was one of the demons, I was certain, and I wondered why she didn't realize that a unicorn stood less than three meters away. I started to fret- it couldn't be long before she caught on, and if they discovered Brett was now a horse standing near defenseless in this barn he would suffer terribly at their hands. Worse still, their intents were doubtless ill for Lydia, Connie, and Farhain, and she confirmed it.

"The warrior and child are of no consequence- we will kill them as they sleep," the demon said. "But for the woman- we will take her back to the planes of the humans, and complete the binding to Vorda."

Brett snorted angrily, his ears pinned back- he'd been listening as well, and was not good at hiding his emotions. The one named Glasta spoke again. "Opawa, I believe this horse understands our words."

The demoness looked at Alysira. "Witch, are you certain these are ordinary horses?" she asked suspiciously. "As if you are wrong, I will destroy you as well."

"Let's just kill them," Glasta urged. "What consequence are three horses?"

"I demand them as payment," Alysira said. "That is our deal."

There was something very wrong with the whole situation- Opawa should have sensed my presence, and I should have sensed hers, but she seemed rather ordinary to me. It didn't matter, though- the five were well armed, and unless I could warn Farhain and Lydia they were in grave danger. There were no good options, so I took the only one I had. "It is you who will be destroyed, Opawa," I said, willing my alicorn to become visible.

The demoness whirled, facing Alysira. "You betrayed us."

"No, I..."

"The knights of Gwilellen Fane have surrounded this place," I said gravely. "Alysira has served us well in luring you here."

Glasta had a knife out. "You will not live to receive your reward." He advanced toward Alysira, who backed near my stall.

"Open it so I can defend you!" I cried out. With no choice, she flipped open the latch, and I hurled myself out. Normally, I slash with my alicorn, but this time rammed it deep with all my weight into Glasta, and I felt his blood splash on my forehead as it penetrated his evil heart. Flipping my head to the side, I flung his lifeless corpse at two of the demon's other minions, knocking them down, then turned to face Opawa.

She had a scimitar ready- it's blade was black and covered with glowing red runes, and I knew it was a magic blade. Inside the confined barn was a bad place for me to fight, and I also had to be wary of the other three- plus Alysira, whose loyalty was dubious at best. I did what I did best, and reacted- lunging out the open door and into the yard. It might seem cowardly to abandon Brett and Darvas, but for a horse, flight was the first instinct- and if I'd had time to contemplate, it was also the best tactic as I began to shout loudly. "Farhain! Lydia! Assasins are about!"

Not waiting for an answer, I turned back to the barn. Opawa and her three cohorts had come out, and I heard footsteps behind me- Farhain and Lydia were by my side, their own weapons out; Farhain's elven blade and Lydia wielding her father's sword, that Brett had put to such good use. Faced with such even odds, the demon decided to fight another time. She spread her arm and a darkness- not a blackness, but a total absence of anything- seemed to descend on her and her three minions, and they vanished, leaving only a chill and sudden breeze.

"What's happening?" Connie asked as she came out, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Nothing to worry about, dear," Lydia told her as she sheathed the sword.

I looked to Alysira, walking toward her menacingly. "Tell me why I should spare you."

The witch looked back at me without fear. "You should not," she said. "Kill me if you so desire."

"Tell me first, why did you betray your guests?" This was what had shocked me the most- Alysira had offered us her hospitality, which was a near sacred guarantee in this world that she would provide for their safety to her utmost ability, and to have allowed demonic assasins in was a betrayl of the worst order.

She shrugged. "I am poor and alone. There is a bounty on those that slew the demoness Vorda, and your arrival seemed a windfall." She looked at Brett and Darvas, then at me. "And three fine horses would be mine as well. The price I'd fetch for you would feed me the rest of my life."

"You would do better to starve than to bring on yourself the curse of betrayl of a guest," I snorted.

"What would you know of hunger, unicorn?" she spat back at me. "All the world's your table, and you wear your own warm coat."

"As will you," I said, clearing my mind and focusing on her.

Alysira realized almost at once the meaning of my words. "No, unicorn!" She started to back away, but stumbled slightly as her feet began to change shape. The leather of her shoes tore, unable to contain the small dark brown hooves that now were at the end of her legs. She turned, but was blocked by Darvas. "Let me by!" the witch cried out, as her ears became longer and pointed.

"No more hunger," I said. "At least, not for honest work, if you're fortunate enough to find a decent owner." Her arms were becoming covered with thick and coarse grey fur, and her hands were shrinking and twisting, becoming small hooves. Her rump was twisting inside of her clothing; I knew that it was changing but not getting much larger than it already was. "Don't change me into a horse!" the witch pleaded through a mouth that was already being surrounded by dark and coarse hair.

"Oh, I'm not," I said, trying to not lose my concentration.

Connie giggled, since she could already see the long ears on Alysira. "You're changing her to a donkey!" she said.

Alysira moaned. "Don't do this, unicorn."

" I'm not changing you to a donkey," I said. "A mule."

************************

The witch could not answer, as her neck was lengthening, pulling her off balance, and she brayed angrily as she fell onto her fore hooves. Her face was stil vaguely human, but it soon was the shape that she would wear for the rest of her life- unless, by some chance, a wizard or another unicorn happened to decide to shift her back to human. She looked more like a donkey than a mule, and likely could pass for one, except that her eyes were still green- I decided spitefully to leave them that way, so that anyone seeing her would know that she had once been human.

She stood in the mud by her cottage, the plain brown and white dress leaving her rump and tail exposed, like a comic figure, a small mule wearing a woman's dress. "Well, you're going to be warm now," I said, "since you've a nice thick coat, and you can eat grass now." I looked at her critically, and she stared back, her green eyes burning with hatred. "Be wary of the wolves, as they will not cast you any mercy but find you a good meal."

Farhain and Lydia were bringing out their gear, as we could not stay here longer for fear the demons might return with their allies. The wind was brisk and it carried a distant howling- wolves did live in these forests, and I felt a bit of compassion for a moment for the witch as she shivered with a bit of fear. But she had violated one of the most sacred of our world's tenets and betrayed her guests. We would have been considered just in killing her. "Go to the town," I told her. "Someone there will take you in- the halflings likely will find you a useful beast."

Alysira brayed again as our riders mounted and we walked out onto the path. I looked behind at her, standing by the small cottage in the waning moonlight as the sun began to chase the darkness from the world.

****************************************'

I felt a strange sense of elation as we moved through the morning along the trail. It was still muddy, but I didn't care, we were getting closer and closer to my home, the stable near Milwaukee on the human's plane, that I had been away from for so long, and thought with anticipation of seeing my friends again, both equine and human. "We're almost there," I said, seeing the river ahead and the spot where we had stepped through to the planes of the demons and dancing a bit on my hooves.

"Caution, Thardor," Farhain said, looking about. Brett and Darvas picked up their ears and looked about- they could also feel something was amiss, though I had been focused entirely on my desire to be home, paying attention I could feel it as well. It was a cold feeling, almost like that one feels walking by a graveyard. Trees lined the road ahead, and a mist hung about them that the sunshine we rode in now couldn't drive away, and as we trotted into the wood the mist seemed to blot out the sunshine and warmth of the morning, hiding some hidden evil within the forest.

We moved three abreast, Brett and I to the outside, with Connie and Darvas between us, both of us and our riders watching the mist for the unseen danger. It thickened until we could barely see the dark and forbidding shapes of the trees at the edge of the road, and the cold dampness was something we could actually taste. It seemed to have been absorbed by the earth itself, the ground beneath my hooves becoming softer and almost slippery.

Brett, Darvas and I all smelled it at the same time- a different and moldy smell, like that of rotting flesh. "Zombies!" I cried out in alarm, and the three of us bolted, almost unseating our riders. Utter fear engulfed us, as we instinctively and almost mindlessly stampeded away from the undead creatures, who seemed to desire the taste of horseflesh over all other.

This was no doubt what the zombies had hoped as they suddenly poured out of the woods to our right, as our riders were trying to not fall off and could not fend off the attack. Turning away in fear, we plunged off the road to the left, into the dense forest, and the road was quickly lost to our sight. I was much faster than Brett or Darvas, and led the way, smashing through the underbrush and between the trees. There were other zombies among the trees; I could hear them, or imagined I could.

Lydia's voice came to me, calm and clear. "Thunder," she said. "Thunder, Thunder, Thunder." She repeated my name, her voice soothing and gentle. I pulled up from my headlong gallop, quelling the fear and my instinct to run, slowing to a walk. My nostrils were still flared and my heart pounding, and I snorted loudly, looking around for the danger- Lydia had brought me back to thinking again, but I was still on the edge of panic, overcome by my adrenaline and the horse that I was.

Darvas came pounding up, covered with sweat, but stopping next to me, her own instincts telling her to join me for the protection of the herd. Connie had managed to stay on but was crying, terrified from the plunge through the forest and the hideous creatures we had encountered. Brett and Farhain came up last- Brett seemed calm by comparison to the two of us, and was not even breathing hard. "There are about a dozen of the zombies, no more," Farhain said. "We can ride back and dispatch them."

"Best we do not," Lydia replied. "There may be more, and Thardor and Darvas are winded." She was too kind to point out that we were both terrified as well.

"My lady," Farhain said, deferring to her command- she was, after all, now his liege, or officially would be when she returned to Gwilellen Fane. "The woods are quite dense here, and I fear that if we do not return to the road, it may be difficult going."

"Thunder," she said to me softly. "Can you shift us here? To the planes of the humans?"

I felt for the fold between the planes. "Yes," I said. "But there's something on the other side." I could not actually 'see' through the fold but could 'feel' through; we would not be stepping through to an empty field, but to someplace that was active.

"Something is coming," Farhain said in warning to an approaching sound.

I did not reply but willed the rift open and began to walk through, Darvas pressing close as she wanted to flee from the wailing sound as well. Brett and Farhain stepped through last, as a zombie rushed up, Brett pushed against me, trying to get into the rift and away from the fell creature

"Oh, dear," Lydia said as we stepped through. The shopping mall was crowded, and quite a few people stared in astonishment- two horses and a unicorn and their riders would have been an amazing sight regardless, but having stepped from thin air- more exactly, a dimensional rift, that still rippled behind us- the effect was even more incredible.

As the rift closed, the zombie came through as well- the rift had been quite large, so as to let the three of us through, and it did not close as quickly as I had hoped. The undead thing looked about in bewilderment as well, which was it's mistake- Farhain's blade shimmered in the air as he pulled it from it's sheath and he hacked the zombie in half just below it's shoulders. Like a headless chicken, the bottom half of the zombie began to run directionless through the crowd of shoppers, who began to scream as they were pelted by the greenish pus that splattered from the dismembered creature. The top half of the zombie tried to crawl after us, leaving a trail of slime like a slug. People ran in every direction, and I fought my instincts again to flee, as I would trample people if I did. Brett, Darvas and I instead pushed along, trying to get to an exit. Most of the people were running- they heard screaming and tried to get away. A few, mostly younger children, instead stopped and looked at us, fascinated by the three horses and their riders. Connie waved to them as if she were in a parade as we walked by a clothing store.

"Stop there!" some kind of uniformed man called out.

Brett actually stopped. "Come on, let's go," I said, not thinking.

"Look, that horse talks," a small boy said, pointing at me.

We kept pushing forward, eventually getting to a set of doors- 'Entrance 'F'', the sign proclaimed as we walked forward. The doors opened by themselves- a marvelous invention, one of the things that humans made with no magic, but technology. As we entered the parking lot, we could hear sirens approaching, and arriving shoppers looked at us wonderingly. I dodged a SUV, kicking at the fender as the driver raced by, oblivious to us. "I would think that they had ne'er seen a unicorn before," Farhain said. "Perhaps you should hide your alicorn."

I felt rather stupid, and focused, changing slightly- to all the world, I was now just another large silvery grey horse. We headed for the parking lot's exit, reaching it as the first fire engines and police cars raced in. "Where are we?" Farhain asked.

"We're at the Oakdale Mall in Racine," Connie said. "It's about an hour from Lydia's barn."

"Let us make haste, then," Farhain said, as some of the shoppers could be seen speaking with the police and gesturing toward us. I jumped to a fast canter and we dashed across the street, against the light- there was no traffic coming and getting a ticket for jaywalking was not a big concern to me. I set an easy pace, so that Darvas and Brett could keep up with me, and we rushed along the highway. Cars slowed to look at us, as it was not common to see horses in downtown Racine, much less being ridden by a woman wearing a long blue silken dress, a small girl wearing purple robes with golden trim, and an armored knight.

We clattered down the highway, headed west for the more open farmland west of Green Bay Road, passing a Wal Mart.

The sun was just starting to set when we made it back to the stable. We'd been cantering along, dodging through fields, for nearly two hours to get home from our unplanned jaunt through the shopping mall. Brett and Darvas were both tired, I could hear them puffing from the exertion, but I was just excited. I pawed impatiently as our riders dismounted, and pushed forward into the barn as soon as Lydia opened the door.

I breathed in deeply, savoring the familiar smells of my herd that I'd been away from so long, and let out a deep and loud whinny that reverberated through the barn, a greeting and a declaration that I was a stallion and this was my place. Brett pinned his ears and tossed his head- he was a horse now, not just the transformed policeman, and he too had instincts that told him to challenge me, but his good nature got the better and he just snorted, a jovial sound that without words signaled both acquiescence and friendship.

The voices called back- the mares greeted me, one voice in particular excited me and I rushed forward down the aisle, not waiting to have my saddle removed, and found Zee in the big foaling stall. She rushed over, putting her cheek against mine, and nickered gently as I looked back in the corner. A small bay filly hid there shyly, not more than a week old. I called to her and she came over, reaching up and touching her tiny nose to mine. There was a raised lump on her forehead, where her alicorn was starting to grow, and I felt indescribable joy at the life that I'd had a part in bringing into the world.

"I have named her Giselle," Zee said softly.

"She's so beautiful," I said in reply. "Such a lovely name."

I felt Lydia beside me. "She's taken after you, Thunder." She reached over and touched Giselle's forehead. "A half-unicorn. She has to come to the land of the elves."

I saw a brief look of concern in Zee's eyes. "You, too," Lydia told her. "To Gwilellen Fane."

Connie was anxiously trying to peer over the stall. "The baby horse is a unicorn like Thunder? Why does she have to go away?"

"People don't understand unicorns, dear," Lydia said. "Until she grows up, she has to go where the elves live."

It was true. Centuries ago, young unicorns would have been safe in the planes of the humans, but now they didn't understand, and even adult unicorns like me- who could make their alicorns invisible- were not safe from those who would kill or mutilate them for the alicorn's magic. I shuddered, remembering what had been done to me. "Giselle and Zee will be safe there," I promised Connie. "And you can come visit them."

"And visit me," Lydia said sadly.

I felt suddenly depressed. Lydia loved the human's land, and was now going to have to go back to Gwilellen Fane and replace her father as the leader of the elves. I had mixed feelings myself about the lands of the humans. Most elves were rather dull to be around, but some humans were terrible.

"But who'll take care of your stable?" Connie asked, looking like she was about to cry.

"Mrs. Butterworth will," Lydia said. She hugged Connie. "Now cheer up. Let's go call your parents and tell them you're safe."

She took my saddle off, then went off with Connie to the office. I stood with Farhain and my two horse companions in the aisle way, looking at my newborn daughter. "She is rather pretty," the elven warrior admitted. "It's going to be hard being apart from her so much."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. Farhain looked at me, as if sizing me up. "Young Connie will have to remain here, with her parents. Gulthar taught her much magic, but she is still in danger from the demons if they seek her out. She needs a guardian to protect her."

I hung my head. He was right- Connie alone was too young to protect herself from the demons if they returned, attracted by her powerful aura. Now not only would I be away from Lydia, but also from Zee and Giselle.

I felt a slight weight on my back- Brett rested his head across my withers, an equine way of expressing friendship and condolences. I knew he could speak, but he didn't need to- he could feel my sadness as well.

Darvas and Brett left with Farhain, and as Giselle started to nurse I left her alone with her dam and walked back to my stall. I'd been excited an hour earlier about returning home, now almost everyone was leaving. I looked in my feed bucket- it was empty, but Connie came running into my stall. "Thunder, guess what! Lydia said you can come live with me and my mom said it's okay!" She was so excited and clearly pleased that I couldn't help but feel better, and I put my head down by hers so she could reach up and hug me.

Lydia arrived with some oats, which made me feel even better. "Now remember, Connie," Lydia said, "no one is to know that Thunder is a unicorn. Not even your parents."

"Well, I won't tell anyone else," Connie said hesitantly.

"Who else knows?" Lydia asked patiently. I didn't wait for an answer but started eating the oats, since I was starving, but I turned an ear back to listen.

"Well, just my friends from camp. Grace and Brian."

Lydia nodded- I'd saved them from MacDuff, the leprechaun, and they knew what I was. "That's all?"

"Well, I did tell Jill McCawley. But she promised she wouldn't tell anyone else. Except maybe her sister and her best friend, and..."

"That's all right," Lydia said. "But it's a secret now. Promise to not tell anyone else."

"I promise," Connie said.

****************************************************

"Isn't he a bit big for Connie?" Mrs. Hill asked, looking at me. I tried to look as unintimidating as I could, which was kind of hard, since I towered over her being nearly 17 hands.

"He's very gentle," Lydia replied.

"Well, I suppose it's all right," she said.

"Yay!" Connie shouted and began to jump up and down. "I'll have the biggest horse on the block! Can I ride him home?"

"Let's take him in the trailer," Lydia said. But Connie looked disappointed. "Oh, all right."

Mrs. Hill left and Connie ran off to get her saddle. Lydia came close and stood by my face. "Thardor, watch over her."

"I love you, Lydia," I said. She took my head in her hands and kissed me. "Protect her from herself, unicorn."

I walked down the aisle, stopping by Zee's stall. She leaned over the rail and kissed me as well. "Don't stay away from us too long, Thunder."

I looked into her eyes. "I love you, Zee."

"Not as much as you love the elven maid," she said knowingly. "I love you all the same."

Giselle nickered to me and again I reached down to touch her with my nose, wondering if she knew how much I'd miss her, then Connie ran up, throwing her saddle on my back. "Let's go, Thunder," she said.

Connie tightened the girth, put a bridle over my head and we walked out of the barn into the bright spring morning. It was sunny, but I could smell rain in the distance as she jumped up, grabbing the stirrup leather and pulling herself up into the saddle. Connie's mother was right; if I was a horse I'd be too big for the tiny twelve year old. But I wasn't a horse, at least not entirely.

We could go most of the way on the trails in the park. She guided me onto the trail and urged me forward into a fast canter. I felt good, breathing the cool crisp air, and feeling the earth of the trail beneath my hooves. Connie tended to bounce in the saddle at the trot, so the faster gait was more comfortable for us both, and the wind in our faces made it all the more fun.

We quickly overtook another horse who was trotting. Most riders would have pulled me up and gone by slowly, but Connie urged me on, and I flew by, the sorrel gelding looking up startled and bolting, his rider hanging on to the saddle. He kept up with me for a bit, but his rider was yanking on his reins and shouting for him to stop and he slowed.

I flew down the trail, giddy with the excitement of speed, and Connie pushed me to a recklessly fast gallop. I could feel her close against my mane, like a jockey, and felt her hands grasping my mane, the reins loose, and I drank the air in. It was disappointing, but we finally came to the far entrance of the park and I had to slow down to a walk to cross into Connie's neighborhood.

Connie lived in a place called 'Silver Oaks', where a bunch of lookalike houses all featured a small lookalike two stall stable in the back that most of the residents used for a garage or storage building. But a few had horses, and now the Hills would as well. Their house was distinguished by a few dismal looking trees and a white board fence around the back yard. It was a big yard, big enough for me to turn out in, but the fence was pathetic. I could easily jump over it, and it was made with thin 1"x6" boards that I knew I could break by merely leaning on them, but I was to be a 'good horse' and not do so- unless I needed to.

She brought me into the yard, then after taking off the saddle and bridle began to walk me around. I needed to walk to cool down, and appreciated when she opened the gate. "Come on, Thunder, let's walk down the street."

She started down the sidewalk and I ambled along beside her- her neighbors looked out windows or if outside just stared at the sight of me walking along beside my young friend, but one came out to challenge her, an old and rather sour looking woman.

"Constance Hill, just what do you think you're doing?" she said in a disapproving voice.

"I'm walking my horse to cool him down," Connie said.

"You keep him away from my yard or I'll turn my dog loose," she said threateningly. "I don't want him tearing up my flowers."

I looked at her garden- a bunch of rather sorry looking chrysanthemums that were growing in small beds along the sidewalk and up against her porch. A black poodle stared at me through the front bay window, yipping.

"Thunder won't tear up your flowers, Miss Hellstern," she said. "He's a good horse." She reached up and patted my neck.

"You can't be letting him wander around loose, either. We have leash laws in this town."

"He's not a dog," Connie retorted.

"Horses are nasty stupid brutes," Hellstern declared. "And they smell."

Connie had enough. "Not as bad as your dog's poop stinks."

The old woman went to swat at Connie, so I stepped between them. "Get out of my way!" she shouted at me, slapping my neck.

That was enough. I stepped into her, pushing her into her yard and away from Connie, deliberately stepping into her flower bed.

"Get out, get out!" she shouted as the poodle yapped.

Being a horse does have it's advantages. I looked at her, staring in her face as I parked out, relaxing. "Put that thing away!" Hellstern shouted, waving her hand at my underside.

"Mrs. Hellstern, he has to pee," Connie said with a smirk on her face. "I don't think you can stop him."

I emptied my bladder on the flowers as Hellstern turn and ran up to her door. "Fifi, tear 'em up!" she said, flinging it open.

I have to give the poodle credit. I had to be a hundred times bigger than he was, but the little dog ran out, barking and snarling and lunging at my face. Connie ran behind me, frightened, so I reached down and grabbed the small dog by the nape of his neck, picked him up, and shook him, then tossed him wimpering back at the door. He hit the ground, rolled a few times from the impact, then ran whining back into the house.

"I'm going to call your parents," Hellstern said. "And get rid of that menace."

She slammed the door, and Connie and I walked off. There wasn't anyone else within earshot, though a few people were watching now, attracted by the commotion. "Don't worry, Thunder, she doesn't like anybody."

"I hope I didn't get you in trouble," I said under my breath.

"She calls my parents all the time anyway," Connie confided. "She doesn't like me much, or anybody else for that matter. I think I should teach her a lesson."

"Don't go throwing rocks through her window," I warned.

"Oh, I won't do anything like that."

****************************************

That night, I saw Connie slip out through the back door, so I let myself out of the barn and followed her over to Hellstern's house, where she knocked on the door. It was a bit hard to hide in the bushes, being seventeen hands, but I slipped up against the house and into the shadows listening.

"I'm sorry my horse messed up your flowers," Connie said, though I detected a lack of sincerity in her voice.

"You should be," Hellstern said. "And you should be punished."

"I came down to wash your dishes and clean your kitchen," Connie said. "To make up for it."

"Well, come in and get started, then," Hellstern said. "And mind you, you'll do a good job or do it twice."

"Oh, I plan to do a good job," Connie said darkly as she walked through the door.

I slipped up and looked through a side window, as Connie reached the middle of the living room and stopped, turning to face Hellstern. "Well, the kitchen's in there," she said.

Connie moved her hands together, drawing her fingers slowly apart; a slight glowing between them. "I don't think you'll need dishes any more," Connie said, as she rolled the glowing into what seemed to be a bright ball.

"What are you playing with? Get out." Hellstern suddenly stiffened as Connie brought her hands apart, then thrust them forward, palms down.

The glowing aura shot from her hands and enveloped the old woman. "This is a trick Gulthar taught me," Connie said matter of factly as I watched through the window- I should have done something to stop her, but I watched instead in fascination. Hellstern began to shake, as she seemed to absorb the glowing through her skin like a sponge, her face starting to distort. Her upper and lower jaw began to enlongate and mold into her nose, starting to form a snout as dark hair began to sprout from her face. She made a strange sound- more like a choking sound, and grabbed her face, feeling the long curly hair that rolled over her face.

The little dog came out and started barking at Connie. Hellstern seemed to be trying to speak, but a flat sound was all she could make. Connie stood back, her hands on her hips. "Well, you won't be yelling at kids any more," she said.

The old woman seemed to be- no, she was shrinking, her fingers getting smaller and her fingernails becoming clawlike and black. Her ears were beginning to change, becoming longer and flopping over, covered with black hair as she shrunk more, her eyes turning black. I realized that she was becoming a dog, a poodle like her pet. She made another noise, more of a bark as she began to fall forward on rapidly shrinking legs.

Wiggling from the pile of clothes was a small black dog, who barked at Connie who stood there, smiling. Fifi began to sniff at Hellstern's rear end. I'd seen enough and walked to the back door, pushing through the screen. "Connie, that's enough," I said. "You can't go changing people into dogs."

"Why not?" she said. "You go around changing people into horses."

"Well, that's different." I walked in and looked at the two dogs. Fifi was wagging his tail furiously, Hellstern was staring at Connie with a confused look, as if not sure what was happening. "Change her back, before something happens," I said uncomfortably.

"You mean like Fifi mating with Miss Hellstern?" Connie looked at me. "I know what you mean, I've seen you breeding mares."

"Well, that's different, too," I said. "Oh, no. Don't look." Connie looked anyway at Fifi, who was up on Hellstern's back, pumping away furiously as she wimpered, a blank look on her face. "Now Miss Hellstern's getting what she needs," Connie said. "I heard my dad say that- 'what she needs is a good stiff...'"

"Connie!" I said. "Change her back!" Fifi grunted, then turned around, getting off his bitch, still 'tied' to her by his swollen knot, and the two poodles stood butt to butt.

"I think I'd better wait," Connie said. "Besides, I'm not sure exactly how."

I heard someone coming up the walk. "Come on," I said and we rushed out the back door. "Get on me," I said, bending down on my knees. Connie climbed on my back, holding my mane, and I jumped lightly over the fence, running through the darkness to our yard and jumping into my paddock.

"That was fun," Connie said. "Let's go do it again."

"No, let's figure out how to change Miss Hellstern back," I said.

"It's time for you to eat," Connie declared, walking into the barn.

I followed her. "Connie, I know she was mean, but you can't turn people into dogs."

"Let's see, three quarts of oats, and one of sweet feed." She scooped it out into a bucket, then walked to my new stall, pouring it into the feed bin. "Come on, Thunder, aren't you hungry?"

"Who are you talking to?" Mrs. Hill walked in.

"Oh, just Thunder," Connie said. "He's hungry."

I walked over and put my head into the feeder, listening. "Miss Hellstern called a while ago," she said.

"I know," Connie said. "She yelled at me today."

"She said that Thunder bit her dog."

"Her dog tried to bite us," Connie said.

"I wish you'd leave her alone," Mrs. Hill said. "She's not very nice, but we have to learn to get along with people like that." She hugged her daughter. "We can't just wish them away."

"Yes we can," Connie said, looking at me.

*******************************************

"Come on now," Mrs. Hill said. "It's time for you to eat your dinner, too."

"I want to stay here and talk to Thunder," Connie replied.

"You can't eat oats, dear. Come on into the house and wash up."

Connie looked like she was going to continue to protest, but changed her mind. "Yes, Mom."

As soon as they left, I reached over and undid the latch to my stall door, then looked out the window to make certain they'd gone into the house. A quick glance at the oats and sweet feed- [I]I guess no one else will eat it[/I]- and I slipped out of the stable and into the darkening night. I glanced at the back of the house, then jumped back out of my paddock and cantered down to Mrs. Hellstern's house.

Her fence was pretty low- I could almost step over it- but it was high enough that the two dogs in the yard couldn't escape. I looked over the fence, and the two poodles growled at me. "Can you understand me?" I asked them in a soft voice.

One of the dogs stopped growling and wimpered, backing away, and I guessed it was Mrs. Hellstern. "I'm going to try to get you changed back," I said. She looked scared- I guess that a talking horse isn't something that most people can accept as real, even if they've just been changed into a dog.

"Gretchen, is that you?" Someone was coming from the house, an equally old looking woman- she looked a lot like the pre-poodle Hellstern, and I guessed they were related somehow. She came out, sliding the glass door behind her. "You nasty dogs. Tearing up Gretchen's screen door." I was the one that had done that, getting into the house, but I didn't feel like correcting her at the time. She looked up, seeing me. "Scat! Go away!"

She advanced, waving her arms about, so I turned and galloped off. It wasn't very far back to my stable, so I hopped back into the paddock and went in to eat.

**************************************************

Connie was in school the next day, so I was bored. There wasn't a television in the barn for me to watch, so instead I stood outside in the paddock and surveyed the neighborhood, or at least what I could see of it.

Most of the homes seemed to have large yards, perhaps an acre and a half, with the little barn behind. Virtually every one had a tree that was the same size- probably planted by the builder when the houses were constructed Only a few had fences, and most of those were low, like Hellstern's designed for dogs.

I could see another house with a horse- actually, a large sorrel pony, about six houses down. He looked at me with interest, his ears up. I whinnied to him, and he called back. It was comforting, knowing that another equine was nearby, and we both stayed in our paddocks most of the day, watching each other.

Halfway through the afternoon, Connie came home, and after she changed from her school clothes came out to see me. "We're going to have company today," she announced. "My friend Cheryl from school."

"We need to go change Mrs. Hellstern back," I said.

"Well, maybe after Cheryl leaves," Connie said as she came into my stall. "You don't want me changing poodles into people in front of her, do you?"

I was about to answer when a girl walked in. She was about Connie's age, a tiny bit taller, and wore round rimmed glasses. "Hi, Connie. Oooh- you do have a horse."

"You didn't think I just made him up?" Connie said as her friend walked over to me.

"Does he bite?" She tentatively put her hand near my face. For some reason, everyone thinks that horses like to have their head patted, like a dog. I don't mind it that much, but it's somewhat uncomfortable to have a stranger's hand up in your blind spot- at least, for a horse it is. I don't know about dogs, except that they seem to put up with almost anything.

"Don't worry, he won't bite you," Connie declared.

Cheryl's hand touched my face. "He's so soft. Can I ride him?"

Visions of an inept twelve hear old bouncing in the saddle ran through my mind, and I could already feel my sore back. [I] Say no, say no, say no. [/I]

"Sure," Connie replied enthusiastically. "We can both ride him to the park."

This was even worse. I gritted my teeth as Connie put her saddle on me- it was an expensive one, a Crosby, and fit me well, but it was too small for both to sit in, which meant that one would be sitting behind the saddle, up over my lumbar vertebrae. She pulled the girth tight, then took my bridle and bit, warming the bit in her hands before putting it in my mouth. "Come on, Thunder."

I obediently opened my mouth, allowing her to slide the bit in, and felt her buckling the bridle under my chin. She led me outside, where Cheryl had already climbed up on the fence. Connie got into my saddle, hoisting herself up by the stirrup- I was too tall for her to get on easily- then she pushed me over with her foot beside the fence.

Cheryl plopped onto my back, making me flinch. "Is he safe?" she asked.

Connie ignored her question. "It's all right, Thunder," she said to me soothingly. "You won't have to carry us both too long." She pressed lightly with her heels, and I walked forward.

Connie guided me toward the bridle path that led into the park, and we headed into the small forest at an easy walk. I usually like to run, but with the trail still a little slick from the winter snow and with Cheryl sliding around even at a walk the slow pace seemed more appropriate. They started to talk, and I flipped one ear back to listen.

"So, how did you like school today?" Connie said.

"It was fun," Cheryl said. "Especially lunch. Did you see Brian Cooper give me his ice cream?"

"Uh huh." Connie's voice had a slight stress to it that made me a bit apprehensive. "Why did he do that?" We were in among the trees, where the trail wound up a small hill, and I slowed a bit more, worried about Cheryl sitting back there without a good seat.

"I think he likes me. Do you think he likes me?"

"He might think he likes you," Connie said. "I've known Brian a long time." I could feel the bit twitch a bit in my mouth. Connie was flexing her fingers a bit, which she tended to do when she was upset, and the bit shifted ever so slightly every time she did. "He always wants to show off."

"The boys like me best," Cheryl said in a smug matter of fact voice. "They all want to have the prettiest girlfriend."

Connie's fingers twitched so hard that I started to turn to the right, off the trail, thinking she'd signaled me to do so, but I corrected myself and kept walking. We neared the crest of the hill and Connie spoke in a deadpan voice. "You know, Cheryl, Thunder's a boy. I think he likes you, too."

I half hopped with my back end- not quite a buck, but enough to make Cheryl grab hold tightly of Connie to avoid falling off, and enough to startle Connie a bit. "Why did he do that?" Cheryl asked.

"He's just worried about me," Connie said. We were at the top of the hill, and she pulled on the reins, asking me to stop. "If you were a horse, what kind would you want to be?"

Cheryl answered almost immediately. "A Lipizzaner, like the ones in the show."

"Do you like Thunder?"

"He's soooo pretty," Cheryl said. "If I was a horse, I'd want him to be my boyfriend."

"That can be arranged," Connie said.

I half hopped again to warn Connie. It didn't have the desired effect, though- Cheryl slid off my back and fell on the ground. "I'm all right," she said, getting up.

I turned my head slightly to the side so I could see Connie. She had released the reins and held her hands, fingertips together, seeming to concentrate on them, and I could already see a faint bluish glow within her cupped palms.

***********************

I bolted, galloping down the trail. Connie had to grab the saddle to stay on. I ran a fair distance, then turned off the trail into the dense trees to get out of sight.

"What was that for?" Connie asked, her voice filled with annoyance.

"You can't go around turning people into horses," I said as she slipped off my back and came round to face me.

"You do."

"Not because I'm mad at them for personal reasons." I swished my tail to punctuate my remark. "Only when it's necessary. Or if it's what they want."

"How do you know that Cheryl doesn't want to be a horse?" Connie asked. She reached up and stroked my face. "I think she does. You heard her, she wants you to be her boyfriend."

"It would be a bit hard to explain to your parents when another horse suddenly shows up. Besides, you asked her a leading question," I said in reply. "You need to understand, it's up to Brian who he wants to date."

This was the wrong thing to say- her face darkened. "It's up to me now. I have power, and I can make decisions, just like grownups. And just like you. Gulthar told me that with power comes control."

"And responsibility," I said. "Besides, boys can make their own minds up."

"You'd understand if you were a girl," Connie said.

"Well, I'm not," I said.

Connie was rubbing her hands together, gathering the mana. "I can change that, too," she said.

"I'm a unicorn, remember? Even Gulthar couldn't do anything to me with magic, unless he was standing on a faerie stone." I watched her, slightly amused, as she tried to throw the spell on me. "You see, you're just wasting your time."

I suddenly felt quite dizzy, as if the world was spinning, and I staggered. Connie was suddenly very frightened. "Thunder, are you all right?"

I closed my eyes, fighting a sudden nausea. "I'm not sure." Connie's magic couldn't have affected me- or could it? "What did you try to do to me?"

"I was going to change you to a girl, just for a little while." She was starting to cry. "I'm sorry."

"You have to be more careful," I said, opening my eyes. The world looked wrong- Connie seemed taller. I started to panic- but everything else seemed normal, except that my bladder felt suddenly full. "Connie, what..."

My voice was wrong. It was softer, and the pitch was too high, and I realized suddenly that I couldn't feel my personal parts. I tried to relax and calm myself. [I] I have to look. [/I] Reaching around with my neck, I looked under my belly. Down where my balls should have been were two small teats, and my sheath was gone. "Connie, what did you do? Change me back right now!"

She started to reply when we heard a scream. "Cheryl!" Connie called out, and she jumped on my back. The saddle almost slid off- I was smaller now, maybe fourteen hands, and the girth was loose, but I jumped to a gallop anyway, Connie grasping my mane tightly.

We ran back to the trail, finding Cheryl surrounded by four grotesque creatures. "Trolls on the human plane?" I said, surprised. I willed my alicorn to appear- fortunately I was still a unicorn, though a mare for the moment.

The trolls were as trolls are- stupid. They stood and stared at the sudden and clear danger of a unicorn and a wizard- Connie was off my back, drawing her hands together and gathering the magic. Releasing Cheryl, who fell to the ground screaming, they moved toward us, looking not at me but at Connie.

I reared on my back legs and hurled myself forward, slashing with the alicorn and sending one of the trolls down in a bloody mess. Another of the trolls suddenly caught fire, hit by a bolt from Connie. I turned as one of the trolls swung it's grotesque claws at me, parrying his arm with my alicorn, then dancing back. He was being more careful, and fought well for a troll, slashing at me again, but in an open field a unicorn is a tough foe. I slashed back, catching his wrist with the sharp tip of my alicorn and slicing it from his arm.

The other troll suddenly was behind me- I lashed out with my hind hooves, sending him flying, then dispatched the other troll, plunging my alicorn into him. Flinging my head, I sent his corpse flying into a tree, then turned to Cheryl, who was looking at me wide eyed.

"It's all right," I said soothingly. "They're all gone."

"They've taken Connie!" Cheryl said.

I spun around. Connie was gone. "What took her? More trolls?"

"No, some men wearing dark robes. They grabbed her and faded into thin air."

I had to give Cheryl credit- she'd been attacked by trolls, seen her friend blast two with firebolts, had a unicorn appear and talk to her, and was able to stay rational. "Those were demons," I said. I could still 'feel' their trail through the dimensions; they'd stepped back into the demonic plane. They'd brought the trolls to distract us, to get Connie. "I have to go after her," I said. "Cheryl, don't tell anyone about this."

I willed the rift to open between the planes and stepped through, finding myself on a dark and empty road. There was a large field beside it, the grass slighty brown as if something had poisoned it.

I jumped to a gallop instinctively, twisting to the side, as a blast of fire hit where I'd been standing. A shadow passed over me, and a rush of air- a huge red dragon flashed overhead as I darted to the side to avoid it's talons. [I] A dragon. They've enlisted a dragon- but for what? [/I] Dragons were self centered- they didn't help demons unless they were very motivated.

Digging in my heels, I spun and darted in another direction. "Connie!" I called out. I couldn't see her, but there were two of the demons sitting on the dragon's back, holding some kind of a sack.

"Thunder, help me!" I heard Connie call out- she was in the bag- but I could only watch helpless as the dragon soared to the north. I galloped after them madly, but soon the fast flying dragon was out of sight. ***********************************************************

It was very gloomy and overcast, and as I slowed to a walk it started to rain. Connie was gone- I had failed. Lydia had trusted me with her safety, and my carelessness and inattention had allowed demons to steal her away. A huge wave of emotion washed over me, almost painful, and I hung my head and started to cry, stumbling along the muddy trail as it entered a wood, the rain running off me.

"What'll be troublin' ye, little lass?"

I looked over, slightly insulted until I remembered that at least for a time, I was exactly that- a mare, and a rather short one. A short and portly figure stood there dressed in green, wearing a straw hat with a huge brim that acted as an umbrella, keeping him dry as he carefully filled his pipe. Normally, I wasn't particularly fond of leprechauns, but at the moment I'd accept help from anyone. "I've lost a little girl in my charge," I explained. "She was taken by demons, with a dragon."

"A dragon!" He lit the pipe, puffing the substance until it held a reddish glow. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath as long as he could as I walked closer. It wasn't tobacco he smoked, but a weed that the humans called marijuana. He offered the pipe to me- I shook my head, remembering the last time I'd smoked it.

He shrugged and took another deep drag from the pipe. "Not many dragons 'round these parts, lass.," he said, letting the smoke roll out of his nostrils. I could smell the sweet odor, so tempting. "Only the great Red dragon o' Hilerras. She'd gobble ye up."

I sniffed, trying to clear my nose, but started crying again- for some reason I couldn't control my emotions. "They've taken Connie away," I wailed. "It's all my fault."

The leprechaun placed his hands on my withers. "Here, lass. Have a smoke. You'll feel better."

I found the stem of the pipe between my lips. [i]Well, no harm. Just one, to be polite. [/i] I took a long drag, filling my lungs. "I have to get her back."

The leprechaun pulled out a small pouch, refilling the pipe. "Aye, lass. But tanight, ye need to take shelter from the rain, and rest. Go after her in the morning."

It made sense- I was feeling kind of cold, and a little sleepy. The pipe stem was between my lips, and I drew in again, starting to feel more relaxed. "Thanks, my friend?"

"Magillicudy," he said. "And you?"

I thought for a moment- 'Thardor' was rather a masculine name, and I was a little embarrassed by my predicament. "Therra," I said.

"Well, Therra, I've a house near here, and a nice warm barn, and I'd enjoy your company tanight," he said in a jovial voice. "An' tamarrah ye can be after your young friend."

It made perfect sense- tomorrow, I'd be rested, and I could go find more help, perhaps Gulthar. "I would be most pleased," I told Magillicudy, and was a bit surprised at how sultry and sexy my voice sounded. Magillicudy laughed, and turned, walking down the path. I followed him, until we got to a sidepath, where he paused.

"Me house be just down this trail," he said, looking me over.

I hesitated for a moment- but followed. [i]I'm a unicorn. What do I have to fear from a leprechaun? He'd have to stand on a box. [/i]

"Come on," Magillicudy urged. I followed the leprechaun as he almost seemed to dance down the trail, which narrowed. Wet leaves and branches rubbed against my side as I followed him, until we reached a small clearing.

There was a low house, of the type that leprechauns generally favored, made from unpainted wood and octagonal in shape, and a rather human looking barn- it definitely looked out of place in the forest; it was whitewashed and had a red shingle roof. I could smell other equines, and nickered out a greeting.

************************************

Magillicudy pushed open the barn door as a horse neighed back, a deep and rumbling voice that made me feel strange- almost tingly, as if I had touched an electric wire. I sniffed deeply, smelling a male horse- this normally wouldn't have excited me, but I felt a strange tightening. "That be me friend Baramore. C'mon in, Therra," he said, stumbling- he'd clearly had too much to smoke, unlike me. I giggled a little, and stumbled as I stepped into the barn as well and following him into a well lit aisle, the barn's floor covered with fresh straw.

The inside of the barn was rather ramshackle- the stalls needed some repair; the wood was slightly rotted. He pushed open a stall door. "Aye, here be a nice..." he fell face down into the straw and began to snore.

I walked over and pushed him with my nose, but the leprechaun was fast asleep. A big and handsome sorrel horse looked at me with interest over his stall's door- they were half doors, and he had his head out, watching me, his ears up. He nickered softly to me, his eyes sparkling.

A flash of warmth washed over me- and temptation set in. I'd only be a mare for a little while, and I'd always wondered... I nickered back, and walked over carefully to the stall. Baramore was a tall horse- not quite as tall as I'd been, but at least sixteen hands, and I guessed that now I stood no more than fourteen, barely larger than a pony. He reached over, his neck arched, and I reached over with my nose, exchanging breaths with him. He could smell that I was a mare, and began to nicker excitedly.

I found myself peeing, and waving my tail. I could smell that I was in heat- Baramore could as well, and began to push against his stall door. The realization suddenly came to me that he was feeling the way that I would have, and that he was a horse, not a unicorn, and might not be as gentle as I would with a smaller mare.

I'd started to back away when the door's latch snapped- the old wood couldn't withstand the big horse's weight. This frightened me, and I turned away. Baramore mistook my intent and came up behind me, nickering, and I felt his nose pressed against my tail, smelling me. I froze, not knowing what to do- I couldn't seem to make my hooves move, and I began to tremble.

Baramore reared and lunged forward onto my back. I sagged slightly from his weight, staring straight ahead, feeling his huge penis pushing against my rump. He wiggled around, his hooves and forelegs across my back, and I could hear his rumbling voice as he continued to nicker, his head next to my neck. He suddenly penetrated me- he was big, and it hurt me a bit, but at the same time I felt a rush of lust wash over me and I began to push back against him, forcing him deeper inside me as I used muscles that I hadn't had before to grasp him, squeezing him rythmically as he thrust in and out of me. Waves of ecstasy hit me, building a pleasure that pushed all rational thought from my brain. All that I wanted to do was breed, to feel the jolt of sensation every time he pushed into me, to feel his body pressing against my back.

He suddenly thrust harder, and I felt a warm wetness filling me. I let out a loud whinny as I lost control of my body, every nerve ablaze with sensation, my vagina squeezing him, holding him into me as long as I could.

Spent, he pulled back and off my back. I turned my head, looking back at him as my pounding heart slowed to a more normal rate, my mind filled with warm thoughts of having foals with Baramore and... [i]Wait a minute...remember who you are. [/i] Baramore was worn out for the moment, but he'd recover soon enough. I stepped carefully over Magillicudy into a stall and pushed the door shut, reaching out and latching it. Baramore would be disappointed, but I had to rest, and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke to find the sun up and Baramore standing by my stall patiently. He nickered a greeting as I woke, his ears up and his interest in me still clear. Magillicudy was gone- to the house, I assumed, but with a leprechaun there was no telling.

My butt was quite sore, and I felt a bit bruised from my tryst with the stallion. I felt the same tingling feeling and attraction. [i]Don't even think it. The last thing you'd need is ...well, this is just temporary. And if you don't, Baramore will just follow you when you leave, right? [/i] I unlatched the stall and stepped out. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't like I did this every day.

I nickered to Baramore invitingly, again urinating and waving my tail, spreading the message that I was ready. He didn't need much encouragement- I guessed Magillicudy didn't have too many mares visit- and Baramore mounted me again. This time, I was ready and more willing, and again we coupled, and again he brought me to a mindless orgasm, this time even better.

When he got off me, I nudged him into the stall I'd occupied and pushed the door shut, latching it with my mouth, then turned and walked out of the barn. Magillicuddy was standing at the barn's door. "Well, Therra me lass, did ye find Baramore to your pleasure?"

I felt my face flush- though Magillicudy couldn't see through my hair. "Really, Magillicudy. What kind of mare do you think I am?"

He grinned. "Ah, the fun kind. Are ye off, then?"

"I'm off to visit Gulthar, the Wizard," I replied.

"Gulthar." He snorted. "Well, if ye fancy our company, I'll be waitin', as will Baramore."

I winked at him, then trotted down the narrow path back to the road. The trees seemed greener this morning, and I turned and started galloping down the road, headed for Gulthar's keep.

********************************************

It took me most of the day to get through the forest, and the sun was starting to set again as the trees thinned out and the road began to wind past farms and farmhouses. Most were homes of the humans that lived here, but a few were the low dwellings of halflings and dwarves, drawn near Gulthar's keep by the protection that the Wizard could offer.

I finally came to the hill and the small grove of trees where Brett and I had waited only weeks ago to ambush the demons, and beheld the castle. Obviously, it had changed little in the time- I could see the dwarven warriors stationed along the parapets, watching ceaselessly for any signs of hostile intent. Refreshed by the thought of a warm stall and good meal, I galloped down the hill, passing a few startled farmers who looked up to the sound of my pounding hooves. Unicorns were uncommon here on the planes of the Demons.

The guards let me pass until I reached the keep's drawbridge- none would think a unicorn bore hostile intent, but it would be bad form for me to just walk in unannounced. "Who goes there?" the guard asked, in the traditional challenge.

"Thardor, a unicorn, to see Lord Gulthar," I answered.

"You may pass," the guard said somberly- I knew that already a runner was rushing up to inform Gulthar of my unexpected visit.

I walked slowly into the courtyard, pausing outside the wizard's mansion until he walked out onto his balcony and peered down at me. As usual, he wore dark purple robes, covered with gold runes.

"Where is Thardor? And who might you be, mare?" he asked in a rather gruff voice- I guessed I'd interrupted some experiment.

"I am Thardor," I answered. A few of the dwarven warriors looked at me strangely- doubtless I was remembered, and I felt embarrassed.

"Hum." Gulthar didn't seem too surprised at my transformation. "Connie did this to you?"

"Yes," I said. "A temporary spell." [i] I hope. [/i]

"Most impressive," he said. "Magic having an effect on a unicorn- where is Connie?"

"Demons have seized her," I started, "and if..."

Before I could finish Gulthar had whirled about and came running out from the door a moment later, having run down his stairs. Two dwarves- his personal guard- ran behind, their armor clattering as they hurried down the stairs. "Where and when?" Gulthar demanded.

"Yesterday, from the human plane. I followed them here," I said.

"You should have come sooner," Gulthar said sternly. "But come in. We need to find her."

I followed him up, into the house and up the stairs to his personal quarters, my hooves leaving muddy prints on the lush white carpet- I knew that a servant would spend the next few days trying to remove the stains. Gulthar took me into a large room- I'd never expected to be in the wizard's studio, but here it was.

The room had large windows, but still seemed rather dark. Hundreds of old looking books lined the walls, along with several strange and eerie pictures featuring demons, dragons, and other fell creatures. There was a podium, with a large book sitting on it open, and a crystal ball sat on a stand, with a chair beside it.

Gulthar sat in the chair. "Come here," he commanded, and I walked over slowly and slightly fearfully. Crystal balls of a wizard were a very personal thing, and rarely did another peer into one without being affected permanently.

Yet I braved it- Connie's kidnapping was my fault, and I had to take any risk to find her. The ball looked cloudy. "Think of the last place you saw her," Gulthar said in an almost kindly voice.

I pictured the dragon, and felt for a moment as if I was reliving the moment, which suddenly appeared in the globe. "Aaah, I see," Gulthar said, almost lost in the moment himself. "Hilerras."

I remembered Magillicudy's description and became frightened. "Will she eat Connie?"

"She'd sooner eat the demons," Gulthar said. "Connie would give her indigestion." He continued to stare at the crystal ball. "They have gone back to Hilerras' lair, a ruined castle in the mountains."

"Let's go get her," I said.

Gulthar looked up from the crystal ball and stared at me harshly. "Do unicorns ever think?"

I was confused. "We have to rescue her." "Why do you think that demons came to the human plane to get her, and why do you think a dragon was waiting to rush her off? Do you think this was a coincidence?" The tone of Gulthar's voice made it clear that he would not have been surprised if I was to say yes.

"Still, we have to save her," I persisted.

Gulthar closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands, elbows on the table. "Unicorn. They do not intend to harm her, or they could have done so on the human plane with far less effort. They are not trying to lure you there, as they could have captured such an impulsive and foolish creature as yourself with far less effort. No, they want Connie for some reason." He looked up at me, his eyes piercing. "But they have made a terrible error. They should have killed you."

This shook me up. "You're right," I said. "A unicorn will never give up."

"No, not because you're a unicorn," he said. "Because you're her familiar, and you can see her thoughts."

I snorted. "I'm not her familiar. That's for owls and cats."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Don't argue with me," he said, rubbing the crystal ball with his sleeve. "I'm a wizard, and I know more about these things than a unicorn."

"I've been a unicorn a lot longer than you've been a wizard," I shot back, "and I've never heard of such a thing. I'm a magic creature myself, after all." I tossed my head- this made my mane swirl, and I did it again for emphasis.

"You're even more foolish as a mare than you were as a stallion," he said. "How do you think her magic could have affected you this long if you were not? You should have changed back the first time you slept." Gulthar looked at me sharply. "Unless you were pregnant, of course."

That was something I hadn't considered, and I almost fainted. [i] Oh, no. I'll die of embarrassment. I can't change back until after the foal is born. But maybe it's...and with just a common horse, what if...oh, no. I can't be. [/i] "Don't be ridiculous," I said, trying to sound confident. "How could I possibly be pregnant?"

"I suppose," Gulthar said slowly and looking at me knowingly, "that you would not give in to your hormones, with Connie in such grave danger. After all, you've always been such a model of restraint."

"So how can we rescue her?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He stood, pushing back the red velvet chair. "'We' will not, but you will. The demons will expect you to come charging in and will be ready. So, that is exactly what you will do."

"I don't understand," I said, confused.

Gulthar ignored me and walked to the balcony, with me close on his heels. He looked down and called out to one of the guards. "Have Captain Delzing bring his company up." Gulthar turned back to me. "Delzing and his company will help you. Take them through the human plane, then shift them back into this one on the other side of the mountain. The demons won't expect your attack from that direction." Gulthar took a book from a shelf, then went and sat back in the red chair.

"Won't you come with us?" I asked.

"She was your responsibility to watch, so she is your responsibility to rescue," he said, opening the book and looking into it.

"But she's your apprentice," I protested.

"I can find another if you fail. Go."

I turned and walked down the stairs, about to cry again. My emotions swung from side to side- Connie was gone, Gulthar wouldn't help me, and I was pregnant- maybe. [i]I don't want to be a mare. This is too hard. [/i]

Delzing was rather young looking for a Dwarven Captain, and his troop of twelve seemed rather unpolished for Gulthar's guards. Their equipment was shiny and new, but much of their armor was ill fitting, and overall they didn't seem terribly soldierly. "I am at your disposal, unicorn," Delzing said politely.

"Have you mounts?" I asked.

"No," Delzing said. "We are infantry, not cavalry."

I hung my head, then picked it up. If Gulthar wouldn't help, then I'd rescue Connie myself. "Come with me, Captain," I said, as firmly as I could with my feminine voice. "We will leave at once."

The twelve dwarves clattered behind me, their chain armor rattling slightly, as we walked through the porticullis and onto the path. There was a rift not far away, and I led them there. "We will be on the human plane," I warned. "So we'll try to stay out of sight. Where are your bows?" I noticed none of Delzing's troops were armed beyond their short swords.

"We have none," Delzing said.

I stomped my foot in annoyance. Here we were, going to fight demons, and they didn't even have bows? "Well, we'll get some on the way." I felt for the rift- it was between two large boulders that were set on either side of the road. I could see through it- there was a small forest on the other side. "Come with me, Captain."

I opened the rift, and held it as the dwarves marched through, then stepped through myself. I found us in a large park of some sort, standing on a trail. We began to walk down it- it was soft, covered with fallen and slightly decayed leaves, a legacy of the previous fall. "Someone approaches," a trooper warned as he drew his sword.

I made my alicorn disappear- the dwarves looked strange enough, but better that any passer by saw a small white horse- and listened. There was someone coming, their footsteps even and rapid. A tall woman in a blue jogging suit came into view, puffing slightly, listening to a set of earphones. She had one of those new miniature radio things- an 'i pod'. As she saw the dwarves, standing at combat ready and their weapons drawn, she stopped so abruptly that she fell over on her face.

It took her virtually no time to spring back to her feet and bolt back down the trail, running much more quickly than before and screaming. "Halt!" Delzing shouted, as he made to pursue her.

"Let her go," I said. "Come on, let's get into the woods."

Dwarves are generally not the best woodsmen, but Delzing's company was worse than most, and they followed me, crashing through the underbrush like a herd of dragons. I looked back, hoping that the jogger wouldn't call the authorities, as we had left a path that wouldn't be too difficult to follow. "Maybe we'd better stop here," I suggested after we went about a half mile.

"Good idea," the dwarven leader said, puffing from exhaustion. His soldiers collapased all about us, falling to the ground wherever they stood. Some were bruised and scratched from the trees and underbrush, most now had missing backpacks, and one's armor was half askew, his shield missing.

"How long have you been in Gulthar's service?" I asked Danzing cautiously. He'd made no orders to post sentries- it was unlikely we'd be waylaid by demons, but I was concerned about other humans wandering up.

"Nigh on three weeks," he said. "Do you think we should eat?" Several of his soldiers looked up hopefully when they heard his statement.

For a moment I was irrationally angry- Gulthar seemed totally disinterested in rescuing Connie, I was being accompanied by the worst dozen dwarven soldiers that I had ever seen, and they were asking to eat. I was about to tell him no, but relented. Better thirteen well fed dwarves that were bad soldiers than hungry ones. "All right," I said. "Tell them to not eat all of their rations."

"Rations?" Danzing looked confused. "Shalfor, did we bring rations?" he asked a dwarf who was slightly older and fatter than the rest.

"No, Captain," he replied. "Were we supposed to?"

"What [i]did[/i] you bring?" I asked, exasperated. The breeze was starting to blow rather strongly, warning of an approaching thunderstorm.

Danzing and Shalfor looked at each other, then into their backpacks. "We brought clothes, of course. Extra shoes, and we all have hats." Danzing held up a red floppy wide brimmed hat, with a large white feather, of the sort that dwarves prefer. "In case the sun gets too hot," he added.

There was a rumble of thunder. "I don't think we have to worry about that right now," I said. "I suppose you have no tents?" The rain wouldn't bother me, but I started to dread the thought of a dozen dwarves catching cold.

"No," Danzing said. "We aren't issued tents."

This was going to be harder than I thought. "Come with me," I said, and began to pick my way through the underbrush. I knew the park quite well, as Connie and I rode there frequently, and led the dwarves to a picnic area- fortunately, with the approaching storm and late hour of the day, it was empty.

We walked into the picnic pavillion- the roof would afford some protection, and as my hooves echoed on the concrete it began to rain furiously. The dwarves sat at the picnic tables- it was almost ridiculous, thirteen armored dwarves, red and white emblazoned on their shields, sitting at wood and plastic benches. "Where might we find food, unicorn?" Danzing asked.

There were four vending machines against the wall. I wouldn't normally consider such a thing, but this seemed an emergency. "There is food and drink inside those boxes," I said. "Smash one open."

Shalfor took out his sword and cautiously peered through the glass front of a snack machine. "There are tiny bags inside," he said. "What are 'potato chips'?"

"Break the glass and find out," I ordered. The dwarf slashed with the blade, but the sturdy plexiglass easily withstood his blow.

"'Tis magical glass," the dwarf said in a wondering voice.

I turned around suddenly and lashed out with my hind hooves. Shalfor jumped aside as the plastic front of the machine dislodged and fell aside. "Reach in and take out the bags," I said. "Eat your fill, and save some of the candy bars for later." I didn't know when we'd get to eat again.

As the dwarves discovered the tastes of potato chips and caramel bars, I walked outside the pavillion in the rain and began to munch on grass. Getting wet didn't bother me, and I was starving myself. I'd eaten about fifteen minutes when Danzing came out again. "Unicorn, we are thirsty."

"Open another machine- box," I said. "The one that says 'Pepsi' on it."

I returned my attention to the clover, but the dwarf soon returned. "We cannot break it's magic hex," he said soberly. "Can you use your powers?"

I took a bite of the clover, then walked in. The dwarves had managed to tip the machine over, it's electric cord still plugged into the wall. I wouldn't be able to kick it open, but the dwarf was right- magic would open it up. I willed my alicorn to appear. "Stand back," I said.

The dwarves stood in a semicircle all staring at me. Outside, the rain began to pound even more furiously, and a bolt of lightning hit not too far away. I carefully slashed at the hinges with my alicorn- they parted easily, no match for my magic horn. "There, Danzing. Have your men take care in opening the cans within, since they'll..."

The door to the pavillion slammed and a soaking wet young man walked in, wiping the rain from his face. "Can you believe that thunderstorm..." his voice trailed off as he took in the dozen armored and beared dwarves, some gawking back at him, a few drawing their weapons, but then his eyes settled on me. "A unicorn!" Danzing's troops moved to surround him, but he made no attempt to flee, but instead walked up to me slowly and reached out with his hand. I stood still- he touched my neck, then slowly moved his hand to my face, touching me as if to confirm I was real, and looking into my eyes, a look of fascination on his face. Something about him soothed me- much like being with Lydia, we almost seemed in tune, though we'd never before met.

"Shall we kill him, unicorn?" Shalfor asked, breaking my concentration.

He didn't seem to hear the dwarf- he made no reaction, but continued to look at me almost lovingly. [i]Well, I'm a girl- at least for the moment. [/i] "What say you, young human? What is your name?"

"Wesley," he said. "You're a unicorn."

I ignored the redundancy of his statement. "Wesley, I'm sorry but I can't let you leave, after what you've seen. We're on a quest," I said, trying to justify to myself what I was about to do- I'd have to change him to a horse, and leave him here.

"I'll help you, then," he said.

"But you don't even know what it is- or how dangerous," I answered, confused. I almost tripped over the Pepsi machine's cord- it was still plugged in, and the cooler unit on it still ran, making a feeble humming sound.

"You're a unicorn- it must be important," he said. "I can help you."

"Should we kill him?" Shalfor asked again, sounding somewhat disappointed at the way things were turning out.

"A dozen and three is a company of good fortune," I pronounced, and the dwarves nodded knowingly- actually, I had no idea if it was or not, but I'd read 'The Hobbit' and it seemed to fit the situation. Danzing's men began to put their swords away and I breathed a sigh of relief; they were so incompetent that it was more likely that they'd injure each other if they tried to assault Wesley.

The dwarves began to shake the soda cans. "How do we break the magic seals?" Danzing asked.

Wesley picked one up, pointing it away from himself. "Like this," he said. The can gushed froth as he snapped the pull tab.

The dwarves stepped back. "More magic!" Shalfor gasped.

"Nah, it's ginger ale," Wesley said.

****************************************

I woke our company early the next morning, and we set off through the Wisconsin farm fields. I didn't want to be about the park when the half destroyed picnic shelter was discovered. "Whence do we travel?" Danzing asked me after a half hour.

"We need journey two days on this plane, to reach the next rift," I said. "That will take us to the far side of the dragon's lair."

"We're after a dragon?" Wesley asked. He'd been walking beside me, as if afraid I'd just vanish if I left his sight. I wondered if he'd slept at all the previous night.

"Hilleras, the ancient red dragon of the demonic plane," Danzing pronounced gravely. "One of the mighty old ones. She'll kill you and eat your liver, if you aren't sharp on your toes."

I shot the dwarf a sour look- the last thing I needed was to spread fear through his troops, and several of the troopers had been in earshot and looked a bit nervous now. "The dragon and some demons have taken a young wizard's apprentice, and I intend to get her back," I said.

"So it's like Princess Leia, at the Death Star?"

"Not exactly," I answered Wesley. "Well, maybe a little." I glanced back at the dwarves, who were straggling in a line, nothing like a formation of soldiers.

We came to a fence- I could see a very neat and orderly farm on the other side, crops arrayed in perfect rows. "Maybe we'd best go around this one," I said.

"Faster straight through," Danzing said, tearing the fence open with his sword.

"You might set off an alarm by doing that," Wesley warned him, but the dwarves began to stumble through. I followed them.

We'd made it about halfway across when I heard a truck coming. "Danzing, have your men scatter. Wesley, follow me." I willed my alicorn to disappear, then trotted forward, too fast for him to keep up, until I saw a truck, then I stopped, snorting and pawing.

The occupants got out and walked up cautiously- they were some kind of security guys, and clearly weren't prepared to deal with a horse.

Wesley came up behind me. "Easy, girl," he said. I stood still as he walked up and put a rope over my head. "My horse got loose and ran in here- I'm sorry, she broke your fence."

"It's all right," one of the guards said cautiously. "No harm. Just go back out the way you came."

They watched as we walked toward the fence. "Good thinking," I said when we were out of earshot. "Jump up on my back."

He seemed hesitant. "Go on, you'd ride your horse home, wouldn't you?"

I had no saddle on, but he sprung lightly to my back like a gymnast. I broke into a smooth trot- I felt strange, being shorter, and Wesley weighed more than Connie, but he rode better and I was more comfortable. For an insane moment I wondered what it'd be like- to remain a mare, and keep him as my human- but I shook the thought aside and spoke to the dwarves hidden amongst the corn. "Wait until we are past, then follow us out, and don't be seen," I said to Danzing.

**************************

We camped that night in a nearby wood, the lights of a farmhouse gleaming in the distance. We hadn't made as much progress toward our objective- a rift that would take us behind the dragon's lair- as I'd expected. Making matters worse, it started to rain. It didn't bother me, as it was rather refreshing, but Danzing was sneezing. "I'm getting sick, unicorn," he complained. "And my troops are all cold and hungry."

"What of the food from the magic boxes?" I asked.

"We ate the last of it at lunch," he said. The dwarf rubbed his hand across his nose. "Can you find a place for us to stay? An inn, away from the harsh weather, with a warm hearth?"

"Sure," I said. "Let's just go up to a motel. How much cash do you have on you?"

The dwarf missed my sarcasm and dug through his purse. "Fifteen gold sovereigns, and twelve copper pennies."

The gold coins would have brought a fair price, but I doubted if a Motel Six would take them. "We must keep our mission hidden from... our enemies," I said as the downpour increased. "Wesley, is there somewhere we can take shelter?"

"There's a bunch of empty stores in the old mall, but they might have some kind of security," he said.

Danzing sneezed again. "Empty stores it is," I said.

**************

An hour later we were looking at a faded strip mall. As Wesley had said, most of the stores were empty. "What's the one on the end? Next to the 'Outdoor World'?"

"It's an old tire store," Wesley said. We were speaking in whispers, which was rather silly, as there was a huge highway nearby and the noise from trucks muffled everything else.

We cautiously picked our way through the dark parking lot- fortunately no one was spending money to keep the lights on- and came up to the side enterance. "It is locked," Shalfor said, peering through the dusty glass of the door.

"Pick the lock," I said. Dwarves were generally good with mechanical things, and fortunately Shalfor did not have poor locksmithing skills as another of his failings. Within a minute, we were all standing in the empty waiting room. There were several dusty chairs and an empty snack machine.

"There is no food in the magic box," Danzing complained.

"Those are the breaks," I said. "What time do the rest of the stores close?" I asked Wesley.

"About nine," he said. Wesley seemed cold from the rain, and I moved close to him, knowing my warmth would keep him from shivering.

Several of the dwarves had already fallen asleep and were snoring. "Post a guard," I told Danzing. "Tell them to change every two hours. Better still, post two guards." I didn't want one guard who'd likely fall asleep. "Wake us at three AM- when it is dark, before the rooster crows."

"What will you do?" Danzing asked.

"I am going to get some sleep." I carefully lowered myself to the carpeted floor, lying with my legs tucked under me. Wesley uncertainly lay down as well nearby, but a strange maternal instinct came over me. I reached over with my neck and pulled him close beside me- I needed to know he was safe, and I stayed awake until he fell sound asleep.

It was too soon when a dwarf was roughly shaking my shoulder. "Wake up, unicorn."

[i] My foal is...[/i] I looked beside me at Wesley, chasing the strange mare's thoughts from my head. "Wake up, Wesley," I said softly, fighting an urge to lick his face. [i] What is wrong with me? I'm acting like a... well, I'm not really a mare. This'll pass soon. [/i]

He woke up, stretching and touching my flank, and without thinking I nickered to him, then glanced at the dwarves, hoping none had heard me. None seemed to have taken notice, and I felt relieved. "Danzing, we need to arm your men better," I said as preamble. "Let's get started."

We cautiously walked into the empty mall, which was dimly lit. "Be quiet," I said in a whisper. "They likely have guards."

One of Danzing's men stumbled, dropping his shield with a loud clatter. "Sorry, Unicorn," he whispered.

We walked through the mall entrance into 'Outdoor World'. "This is a pretty good place," Wesley said. "The cops get their stuff here, too."

Danzing and his men looked at the racks of archery equipment. "What marvelous elven material is this?" Shalfor wondered.

"Fiberglass," I said, looking around. "Each of you, take one, and at least two dozen arrows." The dwarves began to snatch the bows off the racks, and Wesley and I began to look at other things. "Find a couple of large backpacks and tie them together," I told him. "Stuff them with as many cans of food as you can, and put them over my back."

"You're going to carry them, like some kind of a pack mule?" Wesley seemed shocked.

"I can carry several hundred pounds easily," I replied, "and if I don't, those idiots will want to stop every half hour to find something to eat."

He loaded me up- I insisted he keep putting in more, and soon had two bulging large bags sitting across my back. He'd tied them reasonably well, but the cans were still going to be a bit uncomfortable. "Let me put a sleeping bag or two under the backpacks," he suggested.

Set up like this, I was a lot more comfortable, and Danzing and his men soon arrived. They'd looted half the store, and every dwarf was loaded down . Besides the bow, each was carrying a variety of miscellaneous items- some were useful, like tents, but others were ridiculous. "Shalfour, do you know what that is?" I asked.

"It appears to be some kind of elven magical device," he said.

"It's an Evinrude outboard motor, and you won't be able to get gasoline for it on the planes of the demons. Get rid of it." The dwarf reluctantly put it down, reaching for a plastic deer. "And don't take that either. You can't eat it."

Wesley was looking at a glass case. "You know, I'm a pretty good shot."

The guns inside the case weren't pretty looking at all- they looked more like functional hardware, and the locks and braces on the case were topped off by a sign that read 'FOR POLICE SALES ONLY'. "What are those?" I asked.

"Colt AR-15 assault rifles," he said. ".223 caliber, super high velocity."

"Get one," I said. "And the ammunition."

"The case is locked."

I slashed with my alicorn. "There, now you can..."

A bright flashlight shone on us. "You there- what the hell?"

I looked over, where a security guard was pointing a pistol at us. He seemed to be surprised at the sight of a unicorn in a sporting goods store at three in the morning, stealing a rifle, so I took advantage of his momentary indecision- he was about to be even more surprised.

The guard started to walk toward us. "Don't either of you move." He suddenly stumbled, as if something was happening to his feet, then the flashlight and gun clattered to the ground as he stared at the hooves that could no longer hold them. "Whaas happenning to meee?" he said out of a mouth that was already too long, his face stretching and pushing out as his ears began to change.

I was botching this up, and not concentrating well- his head changed completely, his trousers were ripping as his waist grew, exposing his rapidly growing tail, but his upper body remained human. Calming down, I focused, and his shoulders began to expand, ripping what was left of his uniform as dark brown hair began to cover his body. Unable to support his weight, he fell over backwards, and as his neck grew to match his torso, he scrambled to his hooves, a small bay horse.

Danzing had the presence of mind to throw a rope across his head. "What will we do with him, Unicorn?"

"Bring him with us," I quickly decided- I'd have some help carrying the food. I walked over to the new horse. "I'm sorry. In a week or two I'll change you back, but you need to come with us. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head, his eyes filled with fear. I knew, though, that soon he'd be feeling the hormones of his new body, and would smell me, and know I was a mare. [i] And he is pretty cute. We should have time to...no, don't think about that. [/i]

Wesley stood beside me in a near trance, holding the rifle that he'd selected. "How did you do that?" he asked.

"Unicorns are magic creatures, and we have the power to change humans to equines," I said. I could hear it in his voice- I was four hundred years old, and so many times I'd heard the unspoken question that went with the one he'd asked. "And yes, if you understand and accept the consequences- after this quest is over, I will do this to you as well."

*****************************************************************************

We made much better time the next morning- relieved of most of their burden, the dwarves moved more quickly. The security guard- his name was Henry, I'd found- and I were able to carry the weight of the food and varied equipment quite easily, and I guessed we'd be at the rift by nightfall. Even the weather seemed happier- it was cool and breezy, and we had reasonably good cover in rolling scattered forests.

It was all too good to be true, and soon enough we ran into trouble. About five in the afternoon, we came to the top of a grassy hill and looked down toward a small town. A slightly weathered sign by the highway proclaimed it to be 'Union Grove'. "The rift is in there," I told Danzing.

"Well, let's go," Danzing said confidently as he stepped forward.

"In broad daylight?" I snorted and stomped my hoof. "The humans on this plane are not accustomed to seeing dwarves and unicorns. We will wait for nightfall."

"Let's eat, then," Danzing said. This didn't surprise me- the dwarves seemed focused on combat, sleep, or food, and his troops all settled into the tall grass, taking out pipes as Shalfor began to rummage through the packs on my back.

"Should we post a guard?" Wesley wondered.

"No reason," I said. We were out in the open on the small hill, and if anyone saw us there'd be no place to hide. I hoped no one would come close enough to get a good view of us.

I lowered my head and began to munch on the grass-alfalfa mixed with clover, it was quite good- and listened to the dwarves bustle about, marvelling at the delicate and soft texture of canned ravioli and the fine bouquet of 7-Up. I was more fond of Sprite myself, but listened to the dwarves, happy in their dining, and watched the sun as it began to slowly set- a beautiful sunset, filled with streaks of purple and gold. The lights of Union Grove began to come on, as the townspeople drove off the darkness.

"Danzing, we should sleep for a few hours, since we'll not have a kind reception in the other plane," I told the dwarves' leader.

"Sleep- a fine idea, unicorn," he responded, rubbing his hands together. "A good meal, a good sleep, and we'll..."

"Where is Henry?" Wesley suddenly interrupted. I looked about- the security guard I'd turned to a horse was nowhere to be seen, and I silently cursed myself for not paying attention.

"Danzing- roust your men," I said. "We have to find him."

"I can see him," Shalfour said. "He's down there- by the brown carriage with the blue lights on it's roof."

Henry couldn't speak- I'd not given him the ability- but I could only guess at what the policemen would do, finding a horse loose, and they were already looking up the hill toward us. "Time to go," I said urgently. The dwarves began to quickly snatch up their gear, fumbling as they buckled the armor on. I didn't wait for them to finish but began to lead them down the hill, away from the highway and into the back lot of a supermarket. It was still busy, as it was much earlier than I'd intended to leave, and a few shoppers gawked at us as we hurried through the lot. The rift was ahead, and I could see bright lights- it was some kind of sports field. We stopped, peering through a hedge. "Soccer," Wesley said.

I looked- there were bunches of small children, maybe nine or ten years old, wearing brightly colored uniforms. "The rift is in the middle of the field," I said. "We'll have to wait."

"What kind of army is that?" Danzing asked, shading his eyes with his hands from the bright floodlights.

As if to answer, the announcer boomed out over the loudspeakers. "Now taking the field, the St. Mathis Day School Demons."

"Demons!" Danzing shouted out. Several patrons at a nearby hot dog stand looked up with alarm as the dwarf suddenly stood, drawing his sword. "Come on, let's get them!"

Before I could stop him, Danzing charged out onto the field, closely followed by his troop, all of them shouting some kind of dwarven war chant and brandishing drawn swords. The soccer players took one look and turned and ran, screaming in terror, as parents began to run onto the field to snatch their children. I jumped over the fence and galloped by the hot dog stand, the vendor watching me and holding a bottle of mustard that poured unheeded onto his counter. "Danzing, the rift! Into the rift!" I cried out, hoping no one would notice a talking unicorn as I focused on the gap between the two planes, forcing it open. The dwarf stopped and looked around, allowing his quarry to escape, but he and his troop mustered quickly together at the purplish hazy opening.

"They've left their packs by the fence," Wesley said as he caught up to me.

I glanced at where several police cars were already stopping. We needed the supplies, but a fight between Danzing's troops and the local cops would at best be a bloodbath. "No time now," I said. "Everyone, go through." I stepped in, lettting the dwarves and Wesley step by me into the demonic plane, then stepped all the way through myself, letting the rift close and leaving the town of Union Grove a soccer match to remember.

*************************

It had been a warm summer night in Wisconsin. I'd known it would be cooler in the mountains of the demonic plane, but wasn't prepared to step into a snowstorm. The wind was howling, it was twilight, and the land was barren- only a few rock cliffs, too steep for snow to cling to, broke the uniform snow, a deep and ominously brown color.

"All of our blankets were in our packs, Unicorn," Danzing said to me- he almost had to shout to be heard over the wind.

"Your tents as well," I said. The packs that I still had on my back were filled with canned food. "What gear do you have?"

"Only our arms." The dwarf looked about. "We'd best find a cave for shelter."

"No," I said. "If we linger too long, the dragon or the demons will realize we are about. Follow me."

I was much smaller than I had been before, but I was still taller and stronger than the dwarves, and pushed my way through the snow. Wesley and the soldiers followed along behind me in single file in the path I made, trying as they could to shield their faces from the blinding snowstorm. A sudden thought of Connie came to me- I pictured her, sitting in a tower room of the ruined castle that Hilerras lived in, and it seemed to me that she was sad- not frightened, but merely sad. The vision looked up, as if she were startled, then faded from my mind.

The snow began to drive even harder, and we could only see a few feet in front of us as the path began to wind it's way along the side of a mountain. I had to take care, as it was only about ten feet wide, and the drop off to our left was steep and faded into snowy oblivion- I had no idea how far down it was. We came to a particularly deep drift, and I stopped. Wesley came up beside me. "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer, but flared my nostrils and snorted, feeling a deepening panic. All of my 'horse instincts' were screaming at me to run. My ears forward and head raised, I looked about, trying to surpress my fear.

As if on cue, the snowstorm abruptly stopped. In the distance, a dark and featureless castle could be seen, seeming to grow from the top of a mountain. "Hilerras' castle," I said, feeling a deepening dread. With the wind suddenly stopped, I could hear another noise- a deep, rumbling sound- and looked about, trying to discern it's source.

Shalfour saw it first. "Avalanche!" the dwarf shouted.

There was nowhere to go. The dwarves pressed hard against the rocky wall, but I was too tall. I felt a hand grab my mane as the wave of snow and debris hit us, trying hard to pull me back, but I was swept over the edge and into the darkness below. Flipped off my feet, I tumbled end over end, then a giant hand seemed to smash against my head and I fell unconscious.

I awoke in near darkness, lying on the ground. It was chilly, but not cold, and there was no snow. Rolling onto my belly, I drew my legs beneath me and stood, looking around.

I was in some kind of large room, with a stone floor covered with dirt. A single window allowed in pale moonlight- it had to be night time, which meant it had been at least six hours since the avalanche. There was a person lying near me on the ground, still unconscious- it was Wesley, he must have been the one who'd grabbed my mane. There was also a very large and bulky shape in the corner, and as I looked a pair of slightly luminous green eyes suddenly appeared. "It's about time you awoke, unicorn." The voice was cold and reptillian, and it came closer, revealing a huge dragon.

"Hilerras," I said- it could be no other. The dragon was a coppery red; it's head was larger than my entire body, and I trembled slightly in fear- dragons were rather fond of eating, and I would not be able to put up much of a fight- I was still slightly dizzy and disoriented. But the dragon could have eaten me as I slept.

It was as if she were reading my mind. "I enjoy my meals to cry out," she said. "It's so much more delicious that way, don't you think?" She stopped about five feet away and regarded me through her large greenish eyes- I could smell the stench of rotted meat on her breath.

"I would not know," I said in reply. "Grass makes very little sound."

"Perhaps I will eat your friend first." She looked at Wesley, reaching for him with her talons.

I jumped between the two, pinning my ears and tossing my head threateningly. The dragon laughed. "Such a brave little unicorn. So fortunate for you I am not hungry at the moment." She glanced off to the side,, then turned and walked off, leaving me standing over Wesley. There was a sudden breeze, as if a door opened, then the dragon was gone.

*********************

I leaned down, touching my nose to Wesley reassuringly. He turned restlessley, saying something that I couldn't make out. The night sounds from outside were not natural- not the crickets or rustling of breeze through leaves, but a a low and almost moaning sound, as if the world itself were suffering. I made my way about our prison- there were a set of thick wooden doors at each end, with old and thick iron hinges and bars covering them. here was also a low spot in the floor where the water dripping from the wall had accumulated, it was slimy and smelled putrid and musty. Another corner held a wood bucket filled with water- I sniffed it, it was surprisingly fresh and must have been placed in at the time of our confinement.

I was thirsty and drank deeply. The water was cool and tasted sweet, and I felt refreshed as I walked back to Wesley, standing beside him and feeling guilty. It was my fault he was here, from my impulsive decision to bring him with us, and now he was likely to become a appetizer for Hilleras, with me being the main course. I wondered for a bit where Danzing was, and if the dwarves would be able to find or rescue us. It seemed unlikely.

My legs suddenly felt very heavy and I stumbled, feeling very tired. [i]It must be from all of the stress... it is night time after all. [/i] I carefully lay down, bending my forelegs and then tucking my hind legs beneath me and was soon fast asleep.

When I awoke sunlight was streaming in through the window and I had a terrible headache, as if I'd been drinking. With the brighter light I could see all around the dungeon, and realized with a panic that Wesley was gone.

I jumped up to my feet, rushing over to one set of doors- they were open, and I galloped through into a narrow corridor filled with cobwebs and crumbling stone. It opened into a courtyard filled with dead trees. Hilleras sat on her haunches in one corner, picking her teeth with one of her talons. "Good morning, unicorn," she said tauntingly. "I hope you don't mind but I've already eaten."

"Where is Wesley?" I shrieked out, pinning my ears back and preparing to charge the dragon.

She merely laughed. "Still alive, for the moment." The dragon leaned forward, supporting her weight on her forelegs, the sun reflecting off the shiny scales on her belly. "Much as I'd like to have you for breakfast, there is something else you're needed for, so you may leave." She gestured toward the castle's open portcullis. "Your young friend is out there already."

Before the dragon had driven out the previous occupants, there had been a large jousting field just outside the gate. It was somewhat overgrown- few came to the castle and lived to tell about it and the rotting stands with their fading paint were mute testimony to happier times. Now they were lightly covered with snow, but this was not what drew my attention. In the middle of the field was a large and thick post, which had once been used for knights to show their prowess at driving their lances through a ring. Now I could see a solitary figure bound to the post by ropes, and I started to gallop over.

As I drew near, Wesley looked up. His face was bruised and battered, and from the odd angles they hung at I could tell his arms had been broken, and I was filled with a combination of anguish and anger. "Who did this?" I asked, and I was suddenly stopped as if I'd walked into an invisible wall.

"Save yourself," Wesley said.

A familiar but strange voice called to me from the reviewing stand. "So, unicorn. We meet again."

I looked up, confused. Connie sat there, beside a short woman wearing thick glasses. "Mrs. Hill?" I asked blankly as the pair stood and walked toward me on the field.

"In a manner of speaking," she answered. The cold gleam in her eye betrayed the presence of another, and I shivered as I felt the pure evil. I lowered my head slightly, presenting the tip of my alicorn threateningly as they stopped about ten feet away.

Connie seemed confused. "Thunder, why are you afraid of my mom?"

"That isn't your mother," I answered, backing slightly. I could see that Mrs. Hill- or whatever she was now- held a long knife in her right hand, it's handle almost a luminous green and it's blade black and covered with red runes; a magic blade of the dark elves.

"The man who is tied to the post wants to hurt me," she said, and I recognized the presence I had felt.

"Connie, your mother has been possessed by Vorda," I said. "You remember the demoness? The one who tried to hurt Lydia?"

"Don't believe the unicorn, Connie, he's lying to you," Vorda said as she brandished the knife. "I'm going to make sure the man doesn't hurt me any more."

She stepped forward, a cold gleam in her eye, and I braced myself to lunge forward- I wouldn't allow her to harm Wesley, Connie's mother or not.

I felt as if a giant hand slapped me aside. "Don't hurt my mother," Connie cried out. "Thunder, why are you doing this?"

"It isn't your mother any more," I said, staggering from the blow of Connie's magic. "Your mother is gone. The demoness took her body."

"Don't listen to him, honey," Vorda said as she stepped toward Wesley again.

I jumped toward her, swinging my alicorn, and was again slammed to the ground painfully. I shook my head, pulling myself to my feet. Vorda's plan was obvious now- she'd get Connie to kill me, knowing that I'd have to try to save my friend. A wizard's familiar was bound to them, sharing more and more their thoughts and emotions, and the death of one by the other's hand would certainly drive the other insane. Connie was tremendously powerful, and there was no telling what evil purpose that the demons would turn her to.

"Run, unicorn," Wesley managed to say through his bruised and battered lips. "Don't let them use you."

He was right- it was a no win situation- but I couldn't leave him, I felt a deep need to protect him, as if he were my foal. "Connie, would your mother do this?" I asked her pleadingly.

Connie looked doubtful, and looked at the demon. "Mommy, why don't we just go home?"

"We have to finish this," Vorda said, not looking at her but at me. Her footsteps crackled on the cold snow as she advanced again, the red runes on dark blade of the knife gleaming. One of us would not see the sun set.

An arrow whistled by my ear, followed by about a half dozen more. None came anywhere near the three of us, but a shout and a clatter of footsteps announced that Danzing and the dwarves had finally arrived. Vorda looked up toward the approaching dwarves and turned to Connie, her eyes flashing in anger. "Connie, you have to kill the unicorn now!"

"But I don't want to," Connie said, her eyes filling with tears. "He's my friend."

"Kill him," Vorda said, meancing Connie with the knife.

"No!" Connie said, her voice suddenly filled with steel and determination.

Vorda looked at her angrily, then toward the fast approaching dwarves, and let out a demonic shriek that made me tremble. I could hear large wings beating, and knew that she had called to the dragon. Here in the open field, the dwarves and I would have no chance to defeat a flying dragon, not with the weapons we had at hand and the dwarves' poor marksmanship with arrows. "Connie, stop the dragon!" I called to her.

Connie was staring at Vorda, startled by the unearthly sound that had issued from her mother's body. Vorda whirled toward me raising the knife. "Then I will kill the unicorn myself," she said.

I was off balance, still stunned by the two magical blows, and stumbled aside clumsily as the demoness slashed with the knife. It bit deep into my neck and I cried out in pain as it plunged in, the runes glowing more brightly as they tasted my blood. She raised the knife again, driving it deep into my withers and I fell to the ground in agony as she prepared the fatal blow, looking into her face.

It was filled with pleasure. "I've been looking forward to this, unicorn," she said. She suddenly shook, surrounded by a faint blue corona.

"Stop it!" Connie shouted. Her hands were raised, another blue magic bolt prepared. "Stop it, leave him alone!"

Vorda looked back toward her, angrily. "Then you can die too, useless child." She turned away from me, toward Connie who backed away shaking. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of your mommy?"

Connie brought her hands down suddenly, and the demoness staggered backward from the magic blow. Nearby I could hear shouts and screams as the dwarves desperately fought Hilleras; I knew that unless the dragon seriously blundered Danzing and his troops were doomed. But I could only focus on the drama playing out before me; the demoness seeemed stunned but I knew that Connie would be uncertain. I could feel her uncertainty and pain; Gulthar had been right- like it or not, I was Connie's familiar and the two of us were inexorably bond together.

The dragon suddenly howled in pain- I wondered if one of Danzing's archers had made a lucky shot- but she cried out again, and I looked up to see the dragon's belly peppered with a half dozen arrows. Another volley was on the way; Hilleras turned away, starting to fly off, and I could hear the clattering of many approaching hooves, light and fast. I guessed who was coming, and a blast from a horn confirmed it. "Elves from Gwilellen Fane," I said to Vorda. "You are undone."

"I will escape, but you will not, unicorn," Vorda said, raising the knife again. She towered over me as I lay on the ground, looking up at my coming destruction.

Connie suddenly slammed into her, hitting Vorda hard. On the slippery wet snow, the demoness lost her footing, releasing the knife to try to break her fall. She'd been standing over me, and I heard her shriek out as she seemed to fall in slow motion, then felt her weight as she landed on my upturned alicorn. I had enough strength to brace my head, allowing the demoness to impale herself, my golden horn tearing through her and piercing her heart.

The world seemed to turn grey as the blood dripped down onto my face, turning my forelock red and staining the snow around me. Connie was sobbing quietly nearby, but that sound and that of approaching footsteps started to fade into blackness. I closed my eyes, tempted to let everything fade away, to give up and end my pain and suffering once and for all.

***************************

I could feel the golden road, the path before me to the next life. Yet a life called within me, from deep in the darkness, a tiny spark of life that cried to me to go on. Once again I beheld the golden path, green fields beckoning me, yet I felt compelled once again to turn back. My eyes opened, back to the harsh reality of the cold field, hearing familiar voices.

"Your mother died long days ago," the wizard Gulthar was saying to Connie. "This was a demon you destroyed, one that inhabited her body."

"But I killed Thunder, too," she sobbed.

"The unicorn lives," Gulthar said, turning her to me. She fell to her knees and buried her neck in my mane, and I turned to nuzzle her reassuringly. "You did well, unicorn," the wizard said.

"Why didn't you tell us you would come?" I asked him. "With your power..."

"The demons would have prepared for me," Gulthar replied calmly, filling his pipe as the dwarves and elves tended to their wounded. I could hear the cries of pain, and I wondered if the diversion had been worth it's cost. "Connie has no parents now, so she can come to stay with me."

"No!" I snapped back. "She needs to be a little girl, not a wizard's minion. What kind of values will she learn from you?" A dwarf screamed, the sound fading slowly to a cold gurgling death as if to punctuate my statement.

"It is her destiny," Gulthar replied. He snapped his fingers together, lighting the pipe, then holding his breath, absorbing the soothing effect of the weed then blowing it out. "And who would care for her?"

I could smell the sweet odor and was tempted to ask to smoke, but didn't. "I will care for her."

"As you did before? Where demons snatched her away before your eyes?"

"She wasn't before my eyes," I retorted. "And the demon is dead."

"This one is." Gulthar looked at me thoughtfully, though his eyes were already a bit red. "There are many demons that would take great lengths to snatch away such a promising young necromancer. Far safer with me."

"I'm going home," Connie suddenly said. "With Thunder."

I rose to my feet. "That's settled, then."

Gulthar frowned. "This is not a wise decision, unicorn."

"We will manage," I said as Connie climbed onto my back.

I turned to go, sensing for the rift- it was not too far away, as most castles were built near rifts; either to guard against intrusions or to launch them. I had started to walk toward it when I suddenly remembered and wheeled about, almost throwing Connie who grasped my mane. "Wesley!"

I galloped to where two dwarves stood- they had cut Wesley down from the post. Danzing's tunic was bloody and one arm hung useless. "I fear you are too late, unicorn," the dwarf said in a low voice. "Our brave comrade has fallen." The wind began to pick up as a thunderstorm approached, sending my mane waving in the wind, and the rumbling thunder warned of a fierce storm. Wesley lay pale and unmoving- I could see his life slowly ebbing. "Might you save him yet?" The dwarf looked to me hopefully, then to the wizard. "Or you, Gulthar?"

The wizard looked down on Wesley, then looked to me. "His heart has been pierced by a dark elve's blade. He will not die, nor will he live, but linger in a twilight for all eternity."

"I can transform him," I said hopefully, looking at Gulthar. "Can't I?"

"You can," Gulthar said. "But there will be a price." Wesley stirred, then was still again. "His self will remain, but his memory- of sorrow and joy, all that he was- will become a fleeting dream, half memories snatched at for a moment in the morning as he wakes, or returning to haunt him as he sleeps."

"Better than a half life and half death," Danzing said. "Change him, unicorn. It is what he most desired."

I looked down- he would never again be human, no matter what I did, and I silently blamed myself for having brought him on this hazardous quest. The thunder rumbled again, and I felt a cool mist of the approaching rain. I had hoped to talk with him, understand if he truly understood the life of a horse. But it was too late now- his decision was made.

I took in a deep breath, picturing what I wanted him to be. He would have to live again- learn again, be young again. His ears began to change, to lengthen and grow goldne fur. The dwarves watched fascinated as his face began to change, to elongate, his nostrils becoming large and round so as to drink in wind as he galloped. Wesley's shirt ripped, no longer able to contain his broadening torso; and his hands bagan to slowly melt together into light colored hooves. A long and cream colored tail fell to the ground as his feet betcame hoovesand I touched his shoulder with my muzzle. He looked at me, slightly confused, and I nickered to him reassuringly, pushing him with my nose, smelling the young colt and urging him to his feet.

He awkwardly got up, balancing precariously. He'd have to learn to be a horse; he no longer would remember being a man, and now had only his instincts; they told him to follow me as Connie and I walked off. I reached the rift, turning back for a moment. Gulthar had stood still, but Danzing had walked with us to the rift, and several other dwarves had started to fall in, silently walking with us, and I stopped. "It is time for us to part, Captain."

"The dragon is not undone," Danzing said. "The demons will return. And you cannot stand vigilant alone. Bsides, there is much of interest- much treasure to be won in the human's world."

I must have looked uncertain. "We are coming with you, unicorn." He placed his arm on Wesley's withers. "To guard your young charge as well."

I felt the rift and opened it. "Come on, then." I looked back a last time at Gulthar as Wesley trotted through, then stepped in myself, followed by the dwarves.

THunder 12

"I think this is the right spell book," Connie said. We were standing in the small stable behind her parent's house after our return, and she was leafing through a battered looking tome that Gulthar had given her. It was rather late, and most twelve year olds would have long since been in bed, but we had just returned from the demonic plane- and Connie's parents were no longer around to call her in from the barn, or tuck her in at night. Her mother had been possessed by a demon that we had been forced to destroy, and I could only imagine the horrible fate that her father must have suffered at the hands of Varga the demon and her minions.

Connie, though, was focused on changing me back to myself- in a moment of spite, she had changed me to a mare, and I wanted to be myself again- but I worried that even Connie's magic might not be enough, if a minor indiscretion of mine had unforeseen consequences. [i]Gulthar said that Connie's magic can affect me only if I'm her familiar- but if I'm pregnant, then...[/i] "I've found the page," Connie announced as she lit a candle, placing it onto the workbench carefully, then drawing a small pentagram around it. "Did you know that if I'm touching you that my magic is twice as powerful?"

"That's if I'm your familiar, and I'm not," I said.

"Yes you are," Connie said. "Otherwise you'd have changed back a long time ago." She looked at the book, then looked up. "You're really cute as a mare. I can braid your mane with pink ribbons, and we can...you know, do girl things together."

"Like what? Pajamba parties?" I snorted and flared my nostrils, though for a second I actually considered it. "You need to change me back."

She began to read from the page, and I could feel a tingling as the magic began to condense, focused by Connie's words. The magic tome was written in High Elven- I spoke it fluently, though I rarely encounted elves in Wisconsin and when I did it was sometimes inappropriate for a horse to speak- even in elven. "Forces of ether, familiar mine, Shifted form for longest time, Come together magic hue Return you now to shape that's true."

Connie looked up expectantly. I could feel the magic aura about me fading, and a slight dizziness, but I was still a small mare, and I stared dourly at Connie. "Are you sure that you read it right?" I knew that she had- Connie had a good ear, and her intonation was nearly perfect.

She actually seemed pleased, though the spell hadn't worked. "Gulthar said there were only two reasons that the spell wouldn't work- if you were really a mare or if you were pregnant."

"I'm neither," I said, though I was a bit uncertain about the second possibility.

"Well, I know how to find out." She picked up the phone. "I'll call Doctor Spence, and have him come see you."

"It's after midnight. His office is closed."

"I'll call the emergency number, then." She looked at the board that was on the wall.

"And what are you going to tell him?" I reached over with my alicorn and pushed the button down, hanging up the phone. "That you can't magically change your unicorn from a mare to a stallion?"

"Oh." She carefully placed the handset back down. "Well, I'll call him in the morning, then."

There was a loud crash outside, and Shalfor ran in. The dwarf's face was red, and he was puffing from exertion. "Unicorn, there are enemies about."

I looked up with alarm- had we been followed through the rift? "Demons?"

"No, unicorn. An ancient hag is pounding on the house's door. Should we slay her?"

I heard a high pitched and shrill voice. "Mrs. Hill!"

"Oh, that's Miss Hellstern," Connie said. "You can slay her if you want."

"You will not," I told Shalfor. "What does she want?"

"I believe she is angered as our patrol walked through her yard," the dwarf replied.

"What patrol? You were supposed to stay in the house," I said.

"Captain Danzing ordered us to scout about," Shalfor replied. "We are soldiers, after all, and intend to protect the young sorcerer."

"Mrs. Hill, are you back here?"

I heard Hellstern approaching, and I called out a reply. "I'm in the shower." It was a stupid thing to say, seeing as I was in the barn, but I had no other ideas.

Fortunately Hellstern was too angry to notice. "Mrs. Hill, Connie's friends are running through my yard, dressed up like Ninjas! And they're trampling my flowers!" she sputtered.

Mrs. Hellstern's flowers were rather brown and wilted, so I doubted there was much damage. "I'll talk to them," I called back.

Connie was peering over the window sill. "I can change her into a poodle again." She began to move her hands together, gathering manna.

"You will not," I said softly, then loudly spoke out. "Don't worry, Miss Hellstern."

I heard Hellstern walk off, cursing and saying something about the police. "Connie, don't get her agitated," I said. "I can't pretened to be your mother all the time."

Immediately I regretted saying it- as a dark cloud seemed to move over her. She shrunk down from the sill, hanging her head, reminded that now her mother was gone, her ashes on the demonic plane- we had burned her mother's body, as was the custom of the humans there, so that ghouls and zombies couldn't devour it or an evil necromancer animate it. I stepped over beside her, softly laying my cheek against hers as she began to cry. "Don't worry, Connie. I'll take care of you."

"We all will," the dwarf said.

*********************************************

The next morning, I waited impatiently after eating my breakfast- it was a luxury being here, on the human plane, eating pelleted feed with it's sweet molasses. The vet was going to come out 'sometime around ten,' his service had said, but he was usually late, and today was no exception. It was nearly noon when I heard the truck's door slam and he and his assistant walked into the barn.

I had willed my alicorn to invisibility- it was best here to masquerade as a horse- and I stood quietly as he walked in and rubbed my neck. "Where's Thunder?" he asked Connie.

"He's - um, visiting his relatives," Connie replied.

Spence's assistant laughed and the veterinarian smiled. "Well, I hope his relatives aren't as boring as mine are. What's the problem with this mare?" The assistant held my leadrope as Spence pulled my lip up, looking at my gums.

"I think she's going to have a baby," Connie said. "I need to find out."

"Why do you think that?" Spence was holding his thumb lightly under my chin and looking at his watch, taking my pulse. "Twenty four," he told his assistant, who fumbled to write it on a clipboard with one hand and hold the leadrope at the same time.

"Because she did it with a boy horse," Connie said, matter of factly.

"Did what?" Spence said.

"She screwed him," Connie replied.

I turned my head sharply toward her, almost pulling Spence's assistant off his feet and sending the clipboard rattling to the floor, and was about to reprimand her for language when I remembered that horses weren't supposed to talk, so settled for just glaring at her. Spence just glanced at her, then returned to his exam, and the assistant looked at me a bit more warily as he tried to hold the lead rope and pick up the papers that had scattered from the fallen clipboard. "She seems in rough shape," Spence commented. "Where'd she get this?" He ran his hand along the still healing gash on my neck, where Vorda had cut me with a knife.

"A - a lady cut her with a knife," Connie said.

"Looks like it's healing okay," Spence said as he reached down into a blue plastic tote, pulling out a long sleeved plastic glove and picking up a squeeze bottle. He pulled the glove on, then squeezed a thick slimy looking fluid onto it, and I flicked my ears back, knowing what was coming. "Hold her tight," he said as he pulled my tail aside.

It wasn't terribly painful, but if I could have blushed I would. The veterinarian pushed his hand into my rectum, up to his elbow, feeling inside me as Connie watched with rapt attention. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I mean, how can you tell?"

"I can feel her uterus- that's where the foal will grow," Spence replied. I'd seen this done on mares before, but never thought that it would happen to me, and I fidgeted a bit- it was unpleasant, and he was pushing no telling what about inside me- I'd never studied anatomy, and wasn't quite sure what he was poking at, but suppressed an instinct to kick. Finally he stopped, rubbing something. "There we are," he announced. "She's about two month's along."

"Cool!" Connie squealed. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Spence was pulling his hand out. "Can't tell- you'd have to use magic to know at this point."

"I can do that," Connie said confidently, and I snorted and stomped my foot in warning for her to shut up.

The vet ignored her comment, as he wrote on a sheet of paper; the assistant put me back into my stall, unclipping the halter and retreating. "You can keep riding her, up 'till she's about seven months along," Spence said. "I'll come back and see her in about a month."

As he and his assistant packed up their gear, Connie was almost dancing. "A baby horse! This is soooo cool!"

"Foals are a lot of work," Spence warned her, but he was smiling a bit too.

I was confused as I stood in the stall. Something was growing inside me- another life, that was going to rely on me even after it was born. I'd sired many foals, but I'd always been able to stand aside and let a mare raise them. And now that was me- I'd have to raise a foal, and would have to endure the unspoken derision of other unicorn mares, who'd know that I'd bred with a common horse.

But I was also excited in a strange way- this seemed like some kind of fulfillment, and the strange emotions that I'd felt since Connie changed me surged up. This was my foal- I felt a contentment that I'd never felt before, and was lost in it until Connie came back. "They've gone," she announced, then went on. "That's why you're stuck as a girl horse."

Gulthar had told me of this- since changing back would obliviate the tiny life that was growing inside me nature would not allow me to change back until it's birth, and I knew that I wouldn't even if I could. "I'll just have to wait until the foal is born, then," I said.

"That's eleven months," Connie said.

"Eleven months," I said as she threw her arms around my neck. "Nine more."

****************************************

Later that afternoon, Connie let me out into the larger turnout paddock behind the small barn. It wasn't very big- only about a half acre- but I needed some 'horse' time. I'd been running around with people and dwarves for the past month, and I needed a break.

It was mostly covered in grass, but there was a nice spot where it was bare dirt near the fence, and I dropped to my belly and rolled onto my back, wiggling and rubbing the dirt in. It was something that made me feel good- though I knew it made my coat a mess, it helped work the stiffness out, the dirt seemed to help the itches that horses always have to deal with, and if I'd been wet, would have helped dry me off.

Getting back to my feet, I shook the dirt off, then looked around. None of Connie's immediate neighbors had horses, which I found slightly depressing. Connie and her friends were good company, and the dwarves were stout companions, but there was nothing like another equine, and ever since I'd left Lydia's barn I'd spent most of my time apart from other horses, which bothered me more and more.

I moved off from the fence and started to graze. Connie would begin her summer's vacation in a few weeks, and that would give me more problems. As it was, I could at least count on her going off to school for a few hour's peace, and fill most of her evenings with homework, but the idle time of the summer would doubtless bring me more problems.

Then there was another- I knew, from a few hundred years of being around mares, that pregnancy wouldn't slow me down until I was about six months along. But then- who would protect Connie from herself? Or whatever else happened along? The dwarves did their best, but I was already worried about the thought of facing down a demon and having a foal inside me.

My musings were interrupted when Shalfor walked up. At my insistence, he and the other dwarves were wearing clothing more appropriate for the humans' realm, and the stout soldier had a pair of blue jeans and a bright yellow shirt with a picture of a rabbit on it. "Unicorn, Connie requests your presence."

"What for?" I asked. I was a bit annoyed, since I'd only been out about an hour.

"She is requesting that we attend a tea ceremony," he replied.

I turned and walked along with Shalfor to the barn. "Where is she?"

"In the keep." He motioned toward the house. "She is preparing there."

I walked to the back door, then into the kitchen. Connie had dragged the dining room table into the living room, where all the chairs were arranged about it. "Thunder, it is so good of you to come," Connie said. She was wearing a coat, slightly large, and had put on her mother's makeup, and walked over, placing a pink bonnet over my head. It was too small, and made for one of her dolls, but the elastic string held it on.

"I am pleased to have been invited," I said. The dwarves were sitting about the table. Most wore garb similar to Shalfor, but Danzing and another dwarf wore their armor, and looked at me slightly helplessly as I walked to stand beside the table.

Connie moved about, with a teapot, pouring each of the dwarves a cup. Most had real teacups, though a few had coffee mugs set before them, and I had a bowl in front of me. She poured out some of the liquid- I sniffed at it, it smelled like coffee with a bit of a minty aroma. "This is interesting tea, Miss Hill," I said. "Is it a special blend?"

"I picked it myself," she said. "I do so hope you like it."

The dwarves sat silent, and as Connie sat, picked up the teacups or coffee mugs and sipped. "How do you find your tea, Captain?" she asked Danzing.

"Quite remarkable," he said, choking slightly. "What's in it?"

"Folger's mixed with a bit of mint flavor," she said. "Fluoride dental rinse."

Shalfor coughed, slightly pale. I stuck my nose into the bowl, and sipped. It tasted rather good to me. "Would you care for more?" Connie asked Shalfor politely.

"No...thank you," he managed to say.

"Some crackers?" The plate was piled high with Saltines, which I knew would be quite dry.

"I'll take a few, if you don't mind," I said.

We were mercifully interrupted by a knock at the door. "Oh, whoever could that be? Come in!" Connie said.

The door swung open, revealing a tall and bearded man. He wore purple robes, trimmed with gold. "Gulthar!" I said with surprise.

He smiled, a thin one. I distrusted the Wizard, though he'd never done anything overtly to harm Connie, I felt that he didn't have her best interests at heart. "Well met, Thardor. Or should I say 'Therra'?"

"Please, come in," Connie said. "We were just sitting down for tea."

"So I see." He looked about the table at the dwarven warriors. "This is quite a nice place." Gulthar sat, pulling up a chair beside me, and I moved slightly aside to give him room.

"It's been so long since we've spoken," Connie said to him- though it had only been a few days. "Are you doing well?"

Gulthar picked up one of the crackers, munching on it. "Quite well, thank you. Though I do miss my best apprentice."

"How inconsiderate of me," Connie said. "Let me pour you a glass of tea." She took a coffee mug, which had the logo of a popular theme park on it and was shaped like the head of a cartoon character, and poured it full of the hot liquid.

Gulthar regarded the mug, then picked it up by the 'mouse' ears and sipped at it, nodding his head slightly as he tasted it. "Your tea is quite good, Connie."

"Thank you, sir," she replied.

"So. Would you reconsider coming to spend some time at my keep? This human world can be such a dreary place."

"Connie needs to stay here," I said. "She has other things to learn- besides magic."

"Her magic is more important," Gulthar said, regarding me coldly. "Here, she is in danger. With me, she will be safe. You are too careless to protect her, even with a company of soldiers." He looked about the table. "Where are your weapons?"

"Within easy reach," Danzing said as there was another knock at the door, this one louder and more insistent than Gulthar's had been.

"Come in," Connie called out again. The door swung open.

"The hag returns!" Shalfor called out.

Miss Hellstern glared at him, then looked at me. "Connie Hill! Horses in the house? Where is your mother?" She looked at Gulthar. "And who is this strange man? Some kind of pervert, wearing a bathrobe?"

Gulthar held his hand up, pointing a finger in the air, and drew a circle. Quite literally- where his finger passed, a golden circle appeared, glowing slightly. "A bit of courtesy might be appropriate when addressing a wizard." He took the circle in his hand, as Hellstern watched, her eyes slightly wide.

"Gulthar, don't!" I called out without thinking.

"Your horse can talk!" Hellstern screamed.

Gulthar brought his hand down, hurling the glowing ring at Hellstern. She raised a hand, as if to deflect it, but it seemed to wrap over her, spinning slowly down toward her feet. She swayed unsteadily, then gasped, looking at her hands.

"I rather fancy a bit of milk with my tea," Gulthar said, sitting back in his chair.

Hellstern's fingers seemed to be blending together into small cloven hooves, as her forehead and jaw began to distend and change shape. Blackish hair began to sprout from her face, and a pair of lumps appeared on her forehead, bursting through her skin and starting to form horns. She fell, trying to get up, but her body seemed to shrink as we watched, and she stepped out of her now too small pants and shoes, revealing a small tail over her buttocks, that were rapidly shrinking together . She made a last attempt to stand, but her small hind legs were not proportioned correctly any more. A bulge under her abdomen under her shirt continued to grow, and finally a rather large udder could be seen, dangling almost to the ground. She bleated, looking at us with confusion.

"You changed her into a goat," Connie observed.

"It seems appropriate," Gulthar said, looking at Shalfor. "Veal tonight?"

The dwarf looked at Hellstern slightly hungrily. "You will not," I said. "Gulthar, this is precisely why Connie needs to stay here. She can't go running around disposing of annoying people by changing them to goats."

"Of course she can," the wizard said in reply. "That's why she needs to be with me- so she can perfect her craft."

Connie was looking at Hellstern appreciatively. "It[i] is[/i] a lot more fun than going to school."

"Time enough for wizardry later," I said. "Change her back, Gulthar."

"And if I choose not to?" The wizard sipped his tea. "You should remember your courtesy as well, unicorn."

"Having neighbors disappear will only bring unwanted attention," I said. "You'd be placing Connie at risk." I was starting to get annoyed, and shook my head slightly, willing my alicorn to appear. "And I would hope that a wizard would wish to remain on cordial terms with a unicorn." I glared at him as menacingly as I could- though it was a bit difficult to look dangerous wearing a pink hat.

Gulthar was about to laugh, but he saw that I was quite serious, and stared at me for a long moment. Danzing and the dwarven soldiers were tense- I saw that they'd been speaking truthfully, their arms had been close at hand and they were all ready for combat. I wasn't quite sure on whose behalf- mine, or Gulthar, who was their liege- but I could see that Gulthar wasn't sure either and didn't want to battle a unicorn at close range. I was rather certain that I would win, running him through with my alicorn before he could summon the manna to cast a spell. Finally he did laugh. "Very well, unicorn. I value your counsel and goodwill far too much to lose it on such a trivial matter." He looked toward the open door. "But it appears our goat has fled."

Hellstern's T-shirt sat on the front porch, and the black goat was standing near the curb. Gulthar raised his hand, and Hellstern glowed slightly, starting to transform back. I could hear a car coming. "Hurry up," I urged.

Gulthar's magic was strong and skilled, and a moment later Hellstern stood there, stark naked- most of her clothing was on Connie's living room floor. She stared at us, screaming as I pushed the door shut with my alicorn and the car's headlights illuminated her. "Connie, if you would excuse us," I said, "that was a police car, and I feel it likely you may have more visitors."

Gulthar, the dwarves and I walked out the back door, loitering in the yard to listen. "No, officer," I heard Connie say. "Miss Hellstern wasn't drunk, at least I don't think so. I was playing with my friends, but they've gone home now."

It was getting quite dark, and the dwarves melted off into the darkness to start their nightly vigil. The wizard and I walked into the barn. "You should think carefully before threatening a wizard," he said to me coldly.

"You should think carefully before challenging a unicorn," I retorted. "Connie has to learn self control, which clearly you have little of."

"And you do?" He placed his hand on my flank. I twitched, as if to shake off a fly, and pinned my ears. He didn't move his hand, so I ignored it. "I satsify my mind. You on the other hand satisfy your hormones. Is that a better example?"

"I only think of Connie's best interest," I said, slightly uncertainly.

"Only what you think her best interest is." Gulthar took his hand off my flank, and began to pace. "Have you considered what peril you have placed her in? Made her a virtually defenceless target for demons?"

"They came after Lydia," I said.

"And now they know of Connie, and will be after her." The wizard stopped, standing by my face and staring into my left eye. "They will not stop. She must learn magic to defend herself. Your carelessness has almost left her taken by the demons, and cost her parents their lives- or worse."

That stung me- Gulthar was right to some extent. I should have anticipated the demons coming after her parents as well as her- and now they were gone. "I won't make that mistake again," I said, trying to draw courage. "Besides, Danzing and his company..."

"Are incompetent. You know that as well as I."

"They are decent and honorable, and will lay down their lives if need be."

"Which is quite likely should another demon appear."

************************************************************

Despite Gulthar's predictions and my own worries, the months passed rather tranquilly. The dwarves grew rather adept at blending in, and apart from a minor incident with the electric company's meter reader kept their belligerence in check. Connie's summer was filled with normal activities for a twelve year old, save for weekly visits to Gulthar's keep for magic lessons, and she started back into school in the fall.

I, on the other hand, grew fat. The vet came out to see me every other month- Doctor Spence deciding that the pregnancy was coming along nicely- and I became more anxious at being alone. I never wanted for company- Connie and the dwarves were always around- but apart from the brief visits to Gulthar's castle I had few chances for other equine companionship, and as I grew fatter my instincts made it more and more important to me to find another horse to be with.

My foal had started to wilggle and kick at nine months along, and I watched the calendar every day. By eleven months, I felt bloated- as if the foal was going to burst out of me, making me pop like a balloon. My udders had grown swollen with milk as well, and were sensitive and slightly painful.

Doctor Spence came out to see me again at that point. "She looks like she's going to burst," he said to Connie, as if reading my mind.

"She's worried about that," Connie said worriedly. "Does that happen much?"

Spence's assistant snickered. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." He looked underneath me, where my udders were actually dripping from the pressure of the milk. "Bring me a bottle."

The assistant brought him a large plastic container, and Spence reached under me. "Hold her tight."

Spence grabbed my left teat and pulled, making milk squirt out into the bottle. I squealed a bit, and turned to bite him, but Connie held my head. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"We have to get a little bit of milk from her. There are antibodies in the milk that'll keep the foal healthy- so the baby won't get sick." Spence kept tugging, until the bottle was half full. I was really sore, but tolerated the indignity.

"Won't the baby just get that from her?" Connie asked curiously.

"This is...just in case," Spence said, suddenly uncomforable.

"In case what?"

The veterinarian knelt down, to be at her eye level. "Connie, foaling is...well, it's kind of dangerous sometimes for a mare. Especially the first time."

I could feel Connie's sudden panic and fear as she realized what he meant. "Is she going to die?"

"I don't think so," Spence said. "She should be fine." He stood, patting me on the rump. "Most mares do quite well, and she seems very healthy. By the way, is your mother home?"

"No, she's out getting groceries," Connie lied.

"I'll call her tomorrow, then." Spence and his assistant packed their equipment up, and Connie put me back into my stall.

*************************************************

Connie was off at school the next day, and I waited by the phone for Spence to call. It seemed an eternity, but finally the phone rang- it was only half past eight, but I felt as if I'd waited all day. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Hill?" Spence's voice was slightly echoing on the speakerphone.

"Yes. It's Doctor Spence, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hill. I'm calling about Connie's horse. I took some ultrasounds, and I'm afraid there may be a problem."

***************************

My heart jumped to my throat. "Is the foal all right?"

"Mrs. Hill, don't be alarmed," Spence said. He must have heard the panic in my voice. "We've just seen some abnormalities- it could be..."

"What is wrong with my baby?" I screamed into the speakerphone. I was becoming hysterical, and started to whinny, a loud shrieking cry, calling for other unicorns or horses to come to my comfort and aid.

Shalfor ran in, his sword drawn. "Are there enemies about, unicorn?" he shouted out.

I couldn't answer- I was hyperventilating. "Mrs Hill?" Spence's voice came from the speakerphone.

"Evil spirits!" Shalfor said, and he smashed the blade down onto the phone, cutting it in half and letting out a shower of sparks. The dwarf turned to me, obvious concern in his eyes. "Unicorn, are you well?"

I felt a sudden cramp in my abdomen- a strange feeling, and I felt my foal move. I didn't answer Shalfor, but carefully lowered myself to my knees, then lay on my side, feeling slightly hazy as another contraction came. Connie had wanted to be home to see this. [i]Maybe better she isn't here. In case..[/i] I grunted, and felt my alicorn appear- I couldn't keep my magic focused enough for it to be invisible. Another contraction, and I felt a wetness gush from my hindquarters and another sharp pain.

"The foal is coming," Shalfor said needlessly.

I didn't answer- all that was running through my mind was everything that could go wrong. Unicorns and horses share much of their anatomy, and for both foaling was relatively hazardous. I didn't care for my own safety, but was desperately afraid that my foal would come to harm. I felt another contraction, and heard a door shut through the haze that was starting to cover my mind.

"Halt, there," I heard Shalfor say.

"I'm here to see Connie's horse," I heard Dr. Spence say. [i]He can save my foal. He has to. [/i] I felt another strong contraction, felt something in my vaginal cavity.

"Connie has no horse," Shalfor replied. "Be gone."

"Where is Mrs. Hill?" Spence was getting annoyed.

"Doctor Spence," I called out weakly. "Do you believe in unicorns?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said.

I looked up as he walked in through the door, saw the look of shock as he saw me there, lying on my side, the gold alicorn on my forehead shining in the sunlight streaming through the barn's window. "How about now?"

I winced in pain as another contraction hit me, and felt Spence beside me. He seemed a bit awkward, as if afraid to touch me. "You're real," he said, in a wondering voice.

"Help me," I begged. "What's wrong with my foal?"

He was suddenly the professional again. "The ultrasounds- your foal has a horn, like you. That doesn't seem right- it'd rip you open."

It wasn't normal- unicorn foals were born with a small lump in their forehead, and the alicorn grew in the first year of their life. It was rare, but my foal would live, even if I didn't. "Make certain my baby doesn't get stuck coming out," I said. "You'll have to cut me open if he does."

Spence was scrubbing his hands with some kind of green solution. "We won't be cutting you open. You- what's your name?" He looked at the dwarf.

"Shalfor, Sergeant of Gulthar's palace guards," he said proudly.

"Shalfor, go out to my truck. There's a large nylon rope on the front seat. Bring it."

"Nylon?"

"Magic silk," I said. "Oooh!" Another contraction hit me, and I felt the foal moving.

Spence reached up inside me with his hand- I was too far gone to care about the indignity. "I'm going to try to turn his head- I can feel his horn," the veterinarian said.

I felt it too- it was digging into me, and I knew another contraction would push it through, probably with fatal consequences, if Spence didn't realign it. The contraction came- I couldn't stop it- but the pain was suddenly gone.

"The forelegs are out, and one more..." I pushed again, and I lifted my head.

The baby's head was out of me-I could see his alicorn, and his glistening white forehead. Our eyes met- and everything that had happened to me in my life before then became almost meaningless in comparison. I felt another contraction, and the foal was almost entirely out, his hind legs still resting inside me.

Spence looked at Shalfor, who had just returned. "We won't need it. Let's leave them alone."

He and the dwarf moved out of the stall. I knew that the umbilical cord still joined us- it wouldn't break until I stood, or he moved away from where he rested.

He suddenly nickered. I rolled onto my belly nickering back, and he wiggled about a bit. He was shivering and cold, so I started to lick him to help him dry.

I could hear Shalfor and Spence talking, but ignored them, not listening to their conversation. There was another contraction, and I felt the afterbirth dangling halfway out of me as my foal moved, breaking the umbilical cord. We lay there together for about a half hour, when I felt an urge to stand.

Carefully, I stood- afraid to step on my baby. He was a colt, silvery white save for his dark black eyes and his gold alicorn. I reached down, nuzzling him, encouraging him to stand.

"What name have you given him?" Shalfor asked.

I was taken aback- I'd thought about names, but hadn't made up my mind. Until then. "Seregon ."

He looked up at me as I spoke it, and I knew that it came from both our hearts. He struggled then to his feet, unsteady, and I nudged him gently with my nose. He found my teats and licked, then tugged one to get the milk, his first meal. Spence was in my stall again, kneeling beside Seregon. I felt anxious for a moment, then calmed- he was no threat. "He seems healthy." Spence was putting something onto the stump of the umbilical cord.

"Doctor...I have a favor to ask you," I said.

"None of my patients have ever asked me that before," Spence said, straightening up.

"Don't expose us." I doubted that anyone would believe him anyway, but Seregon was too young to take the risk- I could make my alicorn vanish, but the young colt would take some time to master the skill. I could of course take him to the planes of the elves, where we'd be safe, but I still was bound to defend Connie.

"Grant me a favor in return," he said. "Tell me what it's like- I can only imagine. What is it like to be a horse? What do you feel, what makes you calm, what do you like best to eat? It'd make me a better veterinarian."

"That could take some time," I said.

"I never thought I'd get the chance to speak to a horse- I'm sorry, a unicorn- and it's not like I could actually be a horse to find out."

Shalfor snorted at this statement, almost sounding like a horse himself. "Has she got a surprise for you."

Spence's phone rang, and he answered. "Spence...when?...All right, keep him in his stall and as calm as you can. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He looked up at me. "I've got to run, emergency call. I'll be back to see your colt in a week. Call me if there's any problem."

As he started to leave, he turned. "You have my word. I'll tell no one."

"And you have my promise- you'll know what a horse feels, and thinks," I said as he left.

*******************

Connie was upset when she came home. "Why didn't you wait?"

"Foals come when they will," I explained, but her mood changed as soon as she saw Seregon.

"He's so cute!" My colt walked to her cautiously, sniffing then running to hide behind me. I looked at him lovingly- he was cute, running about on his wobbly legs, but growing stronger and more confident with each passing hour. Seregon hid for only a moment, then came back out, boldly walking to Connie. "What will you name him?"

"I've named him Seregon, which is an Elven name," I told her as she scratched his head.

We spent the next few hours together- Connie and Seregon had an almost instant affinity to each other, and I stood and watched my two charges play together until it started to get quite late. Seregon came to nurse, and Connie watched with interest. "This was just like in science class." She suddenly frowned. "Mrs. Miller had to go on medical leave, and we got a new substitute. I hate her."

"Why?" I knew better than to ask. Connie hated all of her teachers at one point or another, except Mrs. Miller- who thought that Connie was 'bright and creative'.

"I just do." Connie pouted. "I should fix her."

"Promise me right now- no magic at school," I said sternly. "What good is magic if I can't use it?" Seregon flopped down onto his belly. He was tired from playing, and needed a nap. I reached down and started to nuzzle him again, reassuringly, letting him know I was there.

"You can't use it at school," I said, "and especially not for spite. Promise me."

"Okay," she said. "But I still think I should teach her a lesson." ***************************

The next day started well. Connie was off to school, and Seregon and I went out into the pasture. It was a sunny and beautiful day, and I enjoyed munching grass while proudly watching my colt run about and explore his world. He'd not go too far away before running back, to make certain that I was still there, and I'd nicker to him reassuringly. The pasture was surrounded by thick brush, and I had little to worry about prying neighbors as most were off to work or too busy to worry about the horse next door. It was a perfect morning, until noon.

The call came from school. "Mrs. Hill, this is the Principal's office."

"Is Connie hurt?" I asked anxiously.

"No, she's fine. The problem is...well, she's been a little disruptive in class, with her science teacher. We wanted you to know, since she'll be bringing home a referral, and her teacher will be calling you this evening."

I was relieved. "Thank you," I said. "I'll have a talk with her when she gets home."

This wasn't too unusual. Connie occasionally had bouts with her teachers, and I'd managed to come up with convincing excuses as to why I couldn't attend a parent- teacher conference. Connie would usually settle down, and we'd go on.

"Miss Ming would like to schedule a conference with you." [i]They must read my mind. [/i]

"I can talk to her on the phone, but I've just given birth and I can't leave my baby alone," I said. For once, it was pretty much the truth.

"I'll see if that's all right, Mrs. Hill."

When she finally got home, I put on my best stern face and got Danzing for moral support. "Connie, the principal's office called," I started.

"I told you, it's Miss Ming. I hate her," Connie said, throwing her backpack down. "She won't listen, and she's stupid."

"That's unfair," I said. "Teachers usually listen, and they aren't usually stupid." I watched as Connie began to mix my dinner- tonight it was oats mixed with sweet grain, and I stood by my bucket patiently.

"She gave me an 'F' on my paper, and it was unfair."

Connie poured the mix into my feed tub, and I began to munch. I wasn't shy about talking with my mouth full, though Connie frequently said it was uncouth. "Why did she give you an 'F'?"

"Because she's stupid." Connie put the bucket back. "We had to write a paper about how the Grand Canyon was formed. I already knew, so I didn't have to look it up in the library."

Everyone knew how the Grand Canyon was formed. "You wrote about how the Stone Giants and Trolls were invading the human's plane, and Raowin the Magnificent made the ground split in half to stop them until the rest of the Elves could arrive?"

"Yes," Connie said.

"You must have forgotten the part about the dwarves, marching up from the bottom of the canyon and smiting the giants at night," Danzing said with a bit of pride in his voice.

She slammed shut the feed bin lid. "I did remember that part! And I wrote it all, but she's stupid and wouldn't listen and said that it was caused by erosion, and everybody laughed at me when I told her she was wrong, and now she says I can't go on the field trip tomorrow!"

"I'll talk to her when she calls." Seregon was bumping against my belly, and I turned my neck, nuzzling him and pushing him gently. It was time for him to have a meal as well.

*************************

I managed to get Connie reinstated to the field trip- it was hard, sometimes, to remember that the humans tried to explain everything with science. I suppose it was possible to have a river carve out a canyon, but it seemed so unlikely- water being so much softer than rocks. "Connie has been under a lot of stress, with the baby and all," I said.

"She is very imaginative, but she needs to focus on her work," the voice on the other end of the phone said. "This is a science class, not creative literature."

"I'll remind her of that," I promised.

"I'm going to let her make up her grade, by writing a paper about another topic," Ming said. "Forces of nature- the ones that really exist, this time. Not about magic. She keeps prattling on about it, as if it were real."

"Does she?" I asked in a neutral tone.

"You'd best not let her read those 'Harry Potter' books. I've tried to explain to her- science is real, magic is not. You can't go around turning people into frogs."

"No, at least I can't, not frogs anyway," I said.

*************************

The field trip was supposed to be to the park, to meet 'Nature Ranger Rick' and learn about the woodland creatures that managed to survive the encroachments of civilization. Since the Hill's house was right next to the large nature preserve- it was where we frequently rode- it wasn't an unusual place for her to go, but the fact that her entire class would be there made it an event. I watched through the kitchen window as Shalfor packed her lunch. "Now, Miss Connie, try to not eat all this at once. The other children will be jealous and want some."

"What is it?" Connie asked.

"It's something called 'Red Beets' mixed with 'Sauerkraut," he said. "There were cans of it in the kitchen."

Fortunately horses can't vomit. "Cool," Connie said as she walked out the door.

I'd been a bit worried as Connie had seemed quite angry at her teacher the previous night, but she seemed settled now. That left me even more uneasy as I watched her ride her bike off toward the school, but Seregon soon distracted me and I began to gently play with my colt, letting him nip at my flanks then running about with him, chasing him in the pasture, then turning and letting him chase me. It was sheer joy, and I felt our bonds growing even closer.

The day had started clear, but in midmorning it began to cloud. It was not quite the right time of year, but it almost looked like a snowstorm coming, and Shalfor came to find me. "Unicorn, these clouds portend ill," he said ominously.

Dwarves were reputed to be able to see trouble in the skies. "Perhaps we should see to Connie," I said, a bit worried. The park was where we'd had our first run in with the demons.

"I'll call to my patrol... unicorn, are you ill?"

I was staggering, dizzy, and felt an almost electric tingling about me. Seregon whinnied, his ears forward, sensing something was wrong, and I sank to my knees, unable to remain standing. Shalfor threw open the stall door and ran in. I could see the world, but it was a muddy haze, and I felt totally disoriented for a moment, as if everything was shrinking. [i]Connie's spell is wearing off. But Seregon needs me to be his mother.[/i] Shalfor was backing away. "Ill tidings, indeed."

I realized he'd only met me after my transformation. "We have to find Connie," I told him. My voice sounded wrong now- deep and rumbly, after a year of my soft mare's voice. I stretched my forelegs and got to my feet. Seregon was trembling, uncertain at the large stallion now in his familiar world, and I felt tears in my eyes. This was my baby, my colt, and he needed his mother. I nickered to him, as reassuring as I could, but my voice sounded harsh and raspy now, and Seregon huddled near Shalfor- the dwarf was at least a familiar friend to him.

[i]Connie was in the park- she can change me back to a mare, at least until Seregon is old enough to understand.[/i] I rushed out of the barn, galloping toward the back fence, and leapt over it easily, rushing madly through the neighbor's yards and only just remembering to hide my alicorn. For a moment I saw Miss Hellstern, looking aghast as I ran through her garden, then I was in the big open field and flying toward the park's pavillion, where I knew that Connie's class would be. ************************************

As I ran, I started to calm down and think rationally. Me galloping up to the class would be spectacle enough; calling to Connie for help would definitely be a bit unusual and might attract unwanted attention. I slowed to a trot, angling toward a grove of trees, and cautiously approached the pavilion where I could see a demonstration of some sort going on.

A man in what looked like an oversized Boy Scout uniform, complete with a red scarf, was standing on a small stage, holding a raccoon. An attractive woman- I guessed it was Connie's teacher- sat on the stage in a folding chair; the children were sitting on wood benches and mostly watching with rapt attention- a few appeared bored.

I didn't see Connie, though. Looking around, I soon spotted her near the restrooms. She looked up as I saw her, as if she felt my presence, and she walked over, joining me in the woods.

"The spell wore off," she observed.

"Connie, Seregon needs a mother- you have to cast it again," I said.

She didn't answer, but looked at the stage, where Ranger Rick was speaking. "And are there any questions?"

One of the children raised his hand. "Are raccoons like monkeys, since they have hands?"

"No, they aren't," Rick answered. "Any others?"

"Are there any wild horses in the park?" a girl asked. "Like mustangs?"

He smirked. "I haven't seen any, but you never can tell."

I don't know why this had distracted me, but I did see that the raccoon suddenly sat on his haunches and made a peculiar sound, looking toward us. I glanced at Connie- she'd drawn her hands apart, and had built up a huge glowing ball of [i]mana[/i]. I waited, bracing myself for the change.

She looked at me, grinned, then stretched her arm toward the stage. "Connie!" I snapped. I could see the faint glowing surrounding her teacher- it was quite bright to my eyes, accustomed to seeing magic; whatever spell Connie had thrown was quite strong. "You promised, no magic at school!"

"I'm not at school," she said. "This is the park."

"Don't get technical- what did you do to her?" The question was wasted. I was watching Ming, it was some kind of transformation spell. The raccoon suddenly snarled, looking at her. Ming's ears were growing darker and pointed, and the side of her head seemed to be changing shape- which it was- pushing them up toward the top of her head. Several of the children in the front row could see their teacher changing, and suddenly started to scream. Others stood for a better view.

Ranger Rick was starting to visibly tremble as well, backing away from her. She started to talk to him, then looked at her hands, which were already seeming to melt and distend. The pavillion was starting to empty. Ranger Rick started to scream, running away, his raccoon forgotten. The other children also started to scream and run- not all of them could have seen their teacher's transformation but joined the panicking mob that were running back up the hill.

The woman called after them- started to run herself, but then stumbled, her hooves ripping through the tennis shoes that she wore. I started down toward the pavilion, with Connie beside me. "Miss Ming, I think I know what I want to write my paper about," Connie said gaily.

Ming looked at us, slightly bewildered. "Connie, what..."

"Magic isn't real," Connie said in a mocking voice.

"Change her back," I said. Ming's pants split, revealing a black and wavy tail and a deep brown coat.

"He can talk," Ming said, looking at me. "But he's a horse."

"You're gonna be one, too, real soon," Connie said. Ming's face was changing- lenthening, her nostrils growing larger as her nose and jaw lengthened. Dark brown hair was covering her entire face, save where her black mane and forelock were now growing. She gasped for breath for a moment as her chest began to expand, straining then breaking the blouse she wore, and she fell forward to land on her forelegs, a bay mare. "Do you like her, Thunder?"

Connie knew me well- I had a weakness for bay mares, and having not been male for a year was even weaker than usual in that respect. "Connie, you have to change her back."

"You [i]do [/i]like her. I can tell." Connie was triumphant. "Now, she's yours."

"Connie, she isn't."

"I'm not his," Ming said sharply. "Connie, I don't know what kind of trick you're pulling, but you're going to be in a lot of trouble when we get back to school."

"You're not going back," Connie said.

"We'd best get going," I said. "Before anyone comes back." I doubted if thirty hysterical children and one hysterical park ranger would not cause at least some investigation- especially with a missing teacher.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Ming said.

"I wish you wouldn't be so stubborn," Connie said. "Maybe I should have made you a donkey."

"You have to change her back- now!" I said.

Connie was getting angry. "I made her for you. Don't you want her? She's in heat."

I did- but I couldn't tell Connie that. "I don't just do whatever I want," I told her.

"You used to. And I bet if you didn't think about it..." Connie waved her hands together again, and I felt something descend on me, a haze of confusion.

[i]I was in the park with Connie, but I couldn't remember why. A mare was there, a beautiful bay. I could hear some people but it didn't matter. I walked near the mare, nickering to her, but she stood motionless as if she were frozen to the ground. I took my nose and rubbed her rump, getting excited from her smell. She was in heat, and my action made her react. She lifted her tail and her vulva pulsed, 'winking'. I came next to her shoulder, rubbing my nose against her left foreleg, expecting her to squeal and stomp her foot, but she didn't- she kept standing motionless. I felt frustrated. The mare was in heat, but she wasn't reacting like she should. My body was telling me to cover her, hers was telling me to, but something felt wrong.

I whinnied loudly in annoyance- not the soft call to another horse, but that of an angry stallion- and stomped my hoof. I wanted the mare, but she wasn't responding as she should.[/i]

"Go on," Connie urged.

I looked at the mare- my mind seemed clearer. The mare seemed frightened, or angry, and I suddenly felt guilty for even considering taking her forcibly. "No," I said. I touched the mare's nose with mine reassuringly, and she seemed to relax.

"You're spoiling everything!" Connie raged.

I could hear people coming. "We have to go," I said, and started toward home.

The mare suddenly trotted after me, as if broken from a spell. I still couldn't remember why we were in the park, but I knew we had to leave, and broke into a gallop. The mare followed me, and we left Connie standing in the park, alone.

When we got back to Connie's house, I bumped the gate open and walked in. The bay mare followed me, stopping in the yard, and I turned to look at her. "Where'd you get the mare?" Shalfour asked. "And where's Connie?"

I suddenly realized I'd left her alone in the park. "The mare is..." I couldn't remember where she was from.

"I'm Connie's teacher," she said, and the memory flooded back.

Shalfour was already running back toward the park, leaving me alone with her. I felt embarrassed at what I'd almost done. "Accept my apology," I said, hanging my head slightly.

She came over, standing next to me- very close, I could smell her, and felt aroused, despite myself. "You have nothing to apologize for," she said. "Connie does- but maybe I shoud thank her instead." She pressed her body close to mine, flicking her tail to the side.

This was too much for me. I flared my nostrils and arched my neck, letting out a deep rumbling nicker, and pressed my face close to hers, watching her nostrils flare in response. I bowed my head close to the ground, near her left foreleg. She squealed, stomping her foot, then moved slightly ahead of me, exposing her rump invitingly. I rubbed the base of her tail with my teeth, and it flicked aside.

Putting my head over her rump, I got ready to rear and mount her, when suddenly her left hind hoof lashed backward. "Ow! What was that for?" I asked.

She turned to face me. "So you think I'm that easy? I hardly know you." She turned and walked to the gate. "Let's go get Connie."

We came back to the park. "There's too many people about," I said as we got close to the pavillion, and we stopped in the woods.

Connie and Shalfour were standing surrounded by several policemen, some of the children that had run off, and a few park rangers. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the dwarf was gesturing angrily. I groaned as one of the policemen suddenly spun Shalfour around and put handcuffs on him. "Great."

"What's the problem?" Ming asked me. "They'll just let him go after giving him a warning."

"You don't understand. He's not from around here," I said.

"He's an illegal alien?"

She looked at me. Her eyes were gorgeous, and I had to break eye contact for fear of becoming too distracted. "Um, sort of," I said. "He's a dwarf, from the Demonic plane."

Ming snorted. "So that's where Connie got all this nonsense about dragons and magic, from talking to you."

"Unicorns do tend to exaggerate," I admitted. "But magic is very real."

"It's not."

"You've become a horse, and you're talking to a unicorn," I said. "Explain that."

The crowd was dispersing, and Connie started to walk toward us- she could sense my presence. "Did you screw her yet?" she asked me, when she got to us.

"Connie Hill, I have warned you about this bad language," Ming said.

"I shouldn't have made her so she can talk," Connie said. "I can fix that."

"You won't," I said. "Leave her be."

"I knew you'd like her," Connie said triumphantly. She walked into the slightly wooded area we were stsnding in.

"Why did they arrest Shalfour?" I asked.

"He told them that Mrs. Ming got turned into a horse." Connie grinned. "He thought you did it, Thunder."

'You have to change her back," I said.

"No."

"Yes." I stomped my hoof.

"No." Connie folded her arms, and sat on a tree that had fallen over.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, no, no, no, I won't."

"Yes you will," I said.

Connie and I stared at each other, both of us trying to not blink.

"You two are so mature," Ming said. "How are you going to get your friend out of jail?"

I looked away. "I win," Connie said.

"No you don't," I said. "I can see you with my right eye, I have one on both sides of my head."

Ming was walking off. "I'll be back at your barn, once you finish with each other."

I looked straight at Connie, and she ran over and jumped on my back. We trotted after Ming. "Wait up," I said, catching up. "We have to go get Shalfour. I need you to help us."

"How?" She continued to trot. "I'm a horse now."

"Well, you can help us with the plan," I said desperately.

She stopped and looked at Connie. "I will, but when this is finished, I expect Connie to be punished appropriately."

Connie scowled, but I bucked a little to warn her to not say anything. "Of course," I said.

"Very well. Here is what we will do..."

***********************

"This isn't very exciting," I grumbled as I stood by the phone.

"It isn't supposed to be," Ming said in a reproachful voice. "You want to get Shalfour out, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"But nothing. Connie, please dial the phone," she said, and Connie tapped in the number.

"Salem Police Department, Sergeant McGuthrie," a voice answered.

"Sergeant, this is Doctor Minos, from the mental health clinic," I said. "One of my patients was on release today to visit the Hills, and he hasn't returned. I've been informed that he may be there. He's a short man, who claims to be a dwarf named Shalfour."

"Oh, yeah. The dwarven warrior. Figured he was a nutcase. You going to send someone to pick him up?"

"He's relatively harmless," I said. "Can you send him back to the Hills in a taxi?"

"I'll have to wait for my watch commander to come back and okay it, but probably," the policeman answered.

"Thank you," I said, and Connie hung the phone up.

"You see?" Ming said. "No need to storm the Bastille."

Seregon whinnied, and I looked over to the stall. He was looking back at us, his eyes forlorn. I nickered back, and walked over, reaching down and touching him with my muzzle.

Ming came by me and looked down at him. "He's so cute. Whose is he?"

"Mine," I said. "His name is Seregon."

"Who is his mother, I mean?"

"I am."

She looked at me slightly annoyed. "Stop being sarcastic. He's hungry."

"I'll go get his bottle," Connie said, and she ran off.

"Shouldn't he still be with his mother?" Ming asked.

I didn't know how to quite explain things. "She can't be here any more." Seregon reached up and touched her nose, smelling her breath as Connie came back.

"Here's the bottle," Connie said, and she climbed halfway up the stall door and stuck it in his face.

He ignored her, instead looking at Ming. He needed a mare to be comfortable with. She couldn't nurse him, but just her presence would soothe the abrupt disappearance of his mother. "Stay with him. Please," I asked.

Connie and I walked outside, to let them bond without our distraction. "That plan to rescue Shalfour is really stupid," Connie said. "It's not exciting at all."

"You're right," I said. "We'd better make a backup plan, just in case. Captain Danzing!" I called out.

Danzing came out of the house. "Yes, unicorn?"

"I fear Shalfour is in grave danger," I said ominously. "Should this plan to secure his release fail, we shall have to take other action."

"All right!" Connie said, slightly excited.

"We stand ready," the dwarf said confidently. "Tonight, as darkness falls, we will secure his release by force of arms if necessary," I said. I didn't have a plan exactly, but if was dark, we could probably rush in, overwhelm the unsuspecting guards, and spirit Shalfour away, especially with Connie's help.

*******************

I felt it wasn't really necessary to burden Ming by telling her about our plan, since she was already having quite an eventful day, and we slipped out about seven. The shadows were falling but it didn't seem a good idea to walk directly down the street. We moved from yard to yard, avoiding the ones with dogs.

Danzing's men had been practicing, and didn't seem quite as noisy as before. Connie rode me, and five of Danzing's troops marched on either side, the light from the moon glinting off their armor. "Is that the enemy strong hold?" Danzing asked as we stopped near the park.

"Yes, it's the...Bastille," I said as his men spread out, readying their swords and crossbows. "Remember, we don't want to actually kill any of them," I said.

"We will stay our blows," Danzing said, slightly disappointed.

I watched as two police cars pulled out and drove off. "Their numbers are few now," I said.

"There's only three policemen that work at night shift," Connie said. "And two of them just went on patrol."

"Right, then," Danzing said, standing. "A frontal assault. Company, forward!" He and the nine other dwaves let out a shout, and ran forward across River Street, their swords drawn. There was a squealing of brakes as a Buick minivan stopped just inches away from one of Danzing's men, who jammed his sword into the car's grille, releasing a hiss of steam.

"Dragon!" the trooper shouted, and he began to beat the vehicle with his sword. Various pieces of it's trim began to fall off, as the car's driver and passengers leapt out screaming in terror.

Several other dwarves were distracteed by this, and let loose their crossbows. One smashed the car's windshield, and the others buried themselves in the vehicle's side. "Come on," Danzing shouted, and he ran up the steps of the police station and tugged on the door.

It didn't open. "Battering ram!" Danzing said. The troopers looked around, grabbing a park bench, and ran up the steps, smashing it against the door several times, but it didn't budge.

"We need to help," Connie said.

"We're the backup," I said. "We have to stick to the plan."

"You don't have one," she said.

"Then blast the door down," I said. She held her hands close together, drawing up a ball of mana. "Get down!" I remembered to call out to Danzing, and the dwaves jumped aside.

It was pretty impresive. She hurled her arm forward, and the bluish glowing ball flew forward, hitting the door. It exploded like the best fireworkds display that I'd ever seen, and the door split into half, it's flaming wreck falling down the steps.

I loped across the street, suddenly aware of about a dozen people watching from the Dairy Queen parking lot. I'd forgotten that it was next to the police station, but it was too late to worry about that now. "Release Shalfour or feel my wrath!" Connie called out.

"You've been hanging around Gulthar too much," I said as we followed the dwarves into the building.

A man wearing white coveralls brandished a mop at the dwarves as they ran past and down the corridor. I stopped, pointing my alicorn at his face. "Where is the dungeon where Shalfour being held?" I demanded.

He gestured to our left. One of the dwarves came back, smashing the door to kindling, and we stepped through, Connie remembering to duck to not hit her head.

There were several cells. Shalfour was in one, and other prisoners were in the others. "This is the worst drunk I've ever been on," one of the other captives said.

"The door is locked," Danzing said. "Unicorn, can you break this?"

The case hardened steel was no match for a magic alicorn, and I sliced the door open. Shalfour stepped out. "Captain, my gratitude," the dwarf said, bowing slightly. "But the jailers were to release me when something called a 'taxi' arrives."

"Oh," I said.

"The cops are coming back," Connie observed, hearing approaching sirens.

***************************

"We'd better leave," I said, leading the way back into the front office. I could see the police cars coming down the street through the shattered door. "Connie, can you make it foggy outside?"

"I don't know how," she said. "Gulthar didn't come to that part yet. But I can make it snow- I think."

"Hurry up," I said. It was June, but maybe no one would notice a snowstorm.

"I need some ice to do it," she said.

I looked around the office. There was a large McDonald's cup on one of the desks, and the condensation on it promised that it was cold. "Over there."

Danzing grabbed it, taking it to Connie. "It's a milkshake," she said.

The first police car ground to a halt outside. "Use it anyway," I urged. Maybe it'd work. If not, we'd have to use other means to escape, and the dwarves were readying their crossbows.

Connie dipped her fingers in the cup, then whirled them in the air. It looked like a tornado in reverse, and the whitish cloud grew, seeming to spiral through the ceiling. Outside, white powdery crystals began to fall from the sky, in a denser and denser pattern until I could barely see the front steps.

"Let's go," I said, and stepped out onto the steps. It was too slippery for snow, and it smelled strange, but we were almost invisible, and the dwarves rushed out, hustling Connie along. I turned sharply and we moved along the side of the building, then down the side street. The stuff was coming down even harder, and I stuck my tounge out to taste it- it was butterscotch ice cream.

The ice cream kept falling until we were about a block from Connie's house. We were covered with sticky goo. "There is no sign of pursuit, unicorn," Danzing said. "The constables have been foiled."

I didn't answer, but trotted toward the barn. Seregon nickered in greeting, and came to me. I lowered my face, touching his softly with my muzzle and nickering back, reassuring him that he was safe. At least for the moment.

Ming came out of the barn, and her ears came back. She'd only been a horse for a few hours but had already picked up a few equine gestures. "What have you done?" she asked.

"We've rescued Shalfour," Connie said proudly. "And I made it snow, sort of."

"Um, yes," I said. "We may need to go on a little trip."

"You smell like butterscotch." She flared her nostrils and turned her head slightly. "You didn't listen to me, did you? You went and tried to break the dwarf out of jail."

"Actually, we did break him out of jail," I said proudly. A fire engine raced by outside, sirens blaring. Ming snorted and jumped from the noise, then she turned back to me.

"The police will certainly come here. I have no doubt you left a trail of destruction behind you."

"And splendid destruction it was," Danzing said. "We smashed our way into the constable's dungeon, slaughtering our foes without mercy."

"Let's get going," I said. "Connie, you'd best bring your schoolbooks."

"I don't see why," she said. "I won't be going to class."

"Bring them anyway," I said. "We're bringing your teacher with us."

"Where are you going? To hide in the park?" Ming asked as Connie pouted and stomped off to the house.

The dwarves were bustling about, getting their equipment and raiding Connie's kitchen for food. "We're going to go stay with Lydia's former riding instructor for a while," I said.

"No wild tales about elves and castles?" Ming asked. "I am almost disappointed."

"Seregon, come on," I said as the dwarves returned. Most still had globs of the ice cream matted into their clothing.

Connie came back out carrying her backpack. "Thunder, will you carry this for me?" she asked in a sweet voice. She looked at Ming. "I know that she won't."

Ming snorted and bobbed her head, a very marelike gesture, and I felt a slightly disquieting feeling. [i]Did Connie do something to her mind? She's accepted this too well.[/i] "Connie, maybe you'd better change Miss Ming back," I suggested.

Connie pouted again, but started to move her hands. "[i]No!"[/i] Ming suddenly said, alarm in her voice. "I mean, not yet."

"We're going somewhere dangerous," I said. "You can't come with us, and I can't leave you here."

"I will go with you," Ming said. She moved very close to me. "You want me to, don't you?"

I did. I tried to not show it, but she was getting to me. Ming moved very close, looking into my eye, and I could smell her. Every instinct in me screamed to mount the mare.

"Unicorn, we must leave," Danzing said. "The constables approach."

Connie threw the backpack over my saddle. It was still sticky with ice cream, but there was no time to clean it. "Let's go, then," I said. Seregon whinnied in excitement, trotting in circles around us as we moved out the back into the park.

"How far is it?" Ming asked.

"Just to the trees." I felt for the rift, trying to focus. Seregon could feel it too, and picked up his ears and snorted. He was too young to understand how to open the rift and control it so that all of the others could step through, but he was a unicorn, and would learn in time.

Connie and the dwarves had been through rifts many times, but I heard Ming draw her breath in wonder as the purplish haze swirled open before us. "What is that?"

"It's our door to the elves and castles," I said. I could hear car doors slamming open behind us. "Step through."

The dwarves had already gone through. Seregon danced through after them. Ming drew her breath and jumped, as if she were going over a stream.

Connie looked at me. "Thunder, I should have turned her into a toad."

I nipped her, and she stepped through. I took a last glance back at the house, then stepped through myself.

**************************

Dusk had been falling on the human plane, but here it was morning. We were in a green meadow, by a small river. Danzing, Shalfour and the dwarves were already in it, rinsing off the sticky mess of the ice cream, and I walked past Connie and Ming and into the stream myself. I had a saddle on, and was about to roll when I remembered Connie's books and the backpack. "Shalfour, would you take the backpack and return it to the bank?"

He lifted it from the saddle. "It is heavy, Unicorn. What does it contain?"

"Connie's books," I said. "From school."

"Magical tomes?" he asked. "Eldrich Wizardy?"

"Something very mysterious," I said. "Geometry."

"Geometry?"

"Many strange magic symbols, that the humans use to divine the unthinkable," I said solemnly.

Shalfour gingerly took the pack, holding it at arm's length as if the books might jump out and bite him, and made his way carefully to the bank. I got down on my knees, tucking my legs beneath me, and rolled in the water. The saddle got drenched, but it would dry out. I got up, shaking myself slightly, and walked back to the bank, where Ming watched me.

"How do you do that? Lie down and roll?" she asked.

I was confused. "Roll? You just do."

"What if you can't get back up?" She almost looked embarrassed. "Or fall down?"

"You won't," I said. "Just tuck your forelegs beneath you first." I demonstrated, lying down on my belly, then got back up.

She tentatively started to get down, bending her forelegs, then stood back up abruptly. "I can't. I won't be able to get up."

The dwarves and Connie were busy washing, so no one was near us except Seregon. "Go ahead," I said. "You'll be able to get up." Ming tried again, getting down on her belly, then she looked panic striken for a moment, snorting. She pushed out her forelegs, then stood up quickly. "You see?" I said.

She answered me by snorted, flaring her nostrils. Seregon ran up close, pushing beside her, and I turned about quickly, flaring my own nostrils and picking up my ears, listening and smelling for the threat.

**********************************

Four elves stood along the treeline. I felt uneasy, as they silently approached, the morning sun glinting from the silver patterns on the black and red clothing they wore. They all were dressed alike, three males and a female- she was the leader, I could tell; the others stood slightly behind her deferentially.

I looked over her carefully. She was not particularly tall for an elf, perhaps five feet, and her dark hair and eyes matched the clothing she wore. The three males were obviously warriors, as they had swords belted to their waists and carried longbows, but she carried the staff of a mage. I strode forward, my neck arched slightly, stopping about ten feet from her.

"Your greeting is not one of friendship, unicorn," she said.

"Your approach was silent and startled us," I said, bowing slightly, as I was unsure of her station and thus how I should greet her. "I am Thardor, of Gwilellen."

That was a courteous enough greeting, regardless if she were a queen or a peasant, and enough to let her know that I was in addition to being a unicorn associated with the Lady of Gwilellen Fane. In the plane of the elves, where we were, that would usually carry great weight.

Her face betrayed no emotion. "I am Piesa," she said in reply. By mentioning no place or title, that and the mage's staff told me much about her and her three consorts. Her sorcery was not powerful enough to have won her a stronghold, which would bring her at least the title associated with it, and as the three warriors deferred to her they were of less standing still. She looked at the wet saddle on my back. "You must accompany a personage of some importance, for a unicorn to suffer to bear them."

"A person worthy of the friendship of a unicorn," I said in reply. Connie and the dwarves were a way off, and I still felt uneasy enough about Piesa to not reveal their whereabouts.

"Would you find worth in the friendship of the elves?" she said in a light tone. "I have need of speedy conveyance, and am on a trip of some great import."

We were merely hiding from the police, but unicorns are not above lying. "As are we," I said in reply. Though I supposed that hiding from the police was of great importance as well.

She looked past me. "Perhaps you might spare me your mare, then. I take it the colt is yours?"

"He is," I said proudly.

"He's old enough to wean, and the mare's a common horse," Piesa said.

Ming snorted at that comment. "She is mine," I said, pinning one ear back.

Piesa looked past me at Ming, then back at me. "She's a transformed woman, is she not? It is refreshing to meet a unicorn with such low morals."

"I have never taken her against her will," I said. It was true enough, I'd never taken her at all.

"She's the one with low morals, then," Piesa said.

Ming pinned her ears back at that comment, as did I. "I have seldom met an elf with such low regard for courtesy," I replied. "Have you any further business?" I lowered my head slightly, pointing my alicorn at her. It was quite a threatening and rude gesture, but Piesa was annoying me.

The three warriors placed their hands on their swords. They'd clearly worked together for some time, as all three moved in unison. Though none drew, they clearly were skilled and confident.

"There is no need for threats of violence, unicorn," she said, leaning on her staff. "My mission requires great haste. Many lives are at in the balance, I swear this to be true. Might you spare a fortnight?"

I wavered. Unicorns might lie, leprechauns would always, but an elf- never. And one swearing to the truth of her statement...."Whence is your journey?" I asked.

"Bacantu Fane," she said. "I bear an important message for Lord Bacantu."

Bacantu Fane was a two day trip. I could take Piesa there quickly then return. I bowed slightly, then went back to where Ming and Seregon stood. "I will return quickly," I said to her softly. "Danzing and his troop will protect you."

She shifted her weight uneasily. "I don't trust her, and neither should you." She stared at Piesa.

"Elves never lie," I said.

"But do they always tell the truth?" Ming replied.

I put my nose against her mane and breathed in, savoring her scent. She twitched uncomfortably, and I knew she was feeling the instincts inside her, the mare reacting to a stallion standing close by. She hadn't been a mare long enough to know how to handle them and I knew it wouldn't take much for me to tease her into uncontrollable lust. I was tempted for a moment. [i]It'd do her good, and I've not... no. [/i] "I will be back in four days," I said, turning back to Piesa.

"My guards will follow behind," Piesa said as she sprung lightly to the still damp saddle. I turned and galloped off, tilting my head to one side. The three elven warriors stood watching us, immobile as statues. Ming whinnied, arcing her neck, and Seregon ran back and forth, as if unsure if he should stay with Ming or follow me, but he turned and trotted back to her as I raced out of sight.

***************************

Piesa was light, and rode well, as most elves do. All daywe travelled in silence, galloping along the path. Occasionally we'd pass other riders on slower horses, but strangely all were going in the same direction as us. They'd look up in surprise as I flashed by; unicorns seldom consented to be ridden, and the sight was a bit unusual. For me, it was pure enjoyment, galloping through the countryside. I seldom got the opportunity, and breathing the fresh air and feeling the ground pound beneath my hooves allowed me to lose myself to the joy of being a horse.

I finally stopped, late in the afternoon, by a small stream. A bridge ran over it, covered with wild grapes. Piesa stepped lightly from my saddle. "If we may stop for a time, I'd like to take a drink here, then go further and find you lodging for the night," I said.

"I've slept beneath my share of bridges, unicorn," she said, plucking some of the grapes. "This will do."

"An elf, willing to sleep under a bridge?" Most elves I knew were too haughty to consider such a thing.

"I am only half elven," she said. "I'm quite used to it." She came over near me and sat on the grass, pulling the grapes from the stems and eating them one at a time.

I lowered my head to the stream and drank deeply. The water here on the elven plane was sweeter than anywhere else, clear and cool. I let some dribble from my mouth, then turned to her, cocking one ear to hear better. I waited, saying nothing, as I could feel she wanted to say more, and she did.

"My father was an elven lord, who fancied human women," she said, averting her eyes from mine. "Quite a few human women. He did not acknowledge me."

I walked a bit closer. "Among unicorns and horses, there is no need for acknowledgement," I said. "Our sires and dams are who they are, and our foals are our legacy."

"Would that elves might learn from horses," she said bitterly, tossing one of the grapes to the ground. It was starting to get cloudy and dark, and the brisk wind promised rain.

I looked at the sky. "Piesa, it will soon rain. Allow me to take you to lodging."

When I looked back down, I found that she stood close beside my face. She reached out with one hand, slowly drawing a fingertip down my forehead from my forelock to my alicorn. I shivered, feeling a strange passion. "Unicorn, change me. Let me be your mare tonight."

I felt an almost uncontrollable lust. "Piesa...if you come into foal, it will be much longer than tonight."

She dropped her robe to the ground, and stood nude before me. "Take me, unicorn," she said, her voice breathless.

*************************

I wanted her very badly, and she appeared willing, but still I hesitated. Something was wrong, not anything I could define rationally, but something deep and instinctive. [i]Is this guilt? No, I have bred many mares, and many human women wish to be mares. A half Elven one is surely no different.[/i] I reached out with my mind, feeling my magic collecting. Mine was not a learned magic, as Connies is, but an instinctive one, bred into unicorns, a part of our being as instinctive as breathing. Piesa looked at me, her dark eyes filled with...what? It wasn't love, perhaps passion. But still, as I tried to picture her a mare, I felt a coldness as if there were an iron wall between us.

"I am half Elf," she said, as if reading my thoughts. She reached down, picking up her magic staff. "Your magic alone might not change an elf, so combine it with mine." She spread her arms wide, holding the staff in her left hand, and it glowed a soft dark violet. I felt a chill, and almost stopped. [i]But I want her, I want a mare so badly, and she wants me as well. There's nothing wrong with that, she'll be warmer tonight as a mare, and in the morning I'll change her back. [/i]

The forces of our magic began to meld together, almost like a swirling etherial wind about us. I focused back to my task, trying to picture her as a mare, and felt her mind. I had intended to change her to a bay mare, a duplicate of Ming, who I doubted would ever yield to my attentions, but she also pictured herself a mare, solid black and with a fine dished face. Her magic was very strong, much stronger than I'd anticipated, and I felt a slightly disquieting feeling as I realized that she was controlling her change, not me.

Every transformation was different. Piesa's started with her hair. It suddenly began to grow even longer, becoming the flowing mane she'd wear as a mare and hanging halfway to the ground. Her tail came next, and she made a low moaning sound and closed her eyes as her tailbone grew, the solid black hair of her tail falling to the ground around her still human ankles. Soft black hair began to appear across her chest and back, as her ribcage began to expand to accomodate her new larger lungs and heart, her breasts seeming larger though I knew they were not, instead beginning to shrink to become her udders.

Piesa's feet began to change next, her toes beginning to blur into hooves, followed by her thighs and hips, as they began to change shape to support the weight of the mare that she was quickly becoming. She opened her eyes, and I felt another chill as they met mine. She seemed almost triumphant, as if.. as if what? This was just some tryst, a chance for her to live out a fantasy. Yet still, for a moment, I thought of trying to stop the change, but I caught her scent, that of a mare in heat, and I swept the thought aside.

Her legs were those of a mare, as was her body, yet she still stood on her hind legs. Her ears had changed, but her face and arms were still those of a woman, but as I watched her jaw and nose began to change, seeming to twist and push out. Many humans who I've changed have told me this was the most disconcerting part of the transformation, yet she still kept her eyes on mine, and I was unable to look away. Her face changed, growing into that of a mare, her nostrils refined and her face almost too perfect.

At her shoulders, her arms began to grow thicker, the dark blackness of her coat beginning to move down slowly toward her hands. I marvelled a bit,seldom had I seen a change where the transformed could stand on their hind legs so long. It was if she'd been doing this all her life.

Finally, the change reached her hands, where she still held the staff. It suddenly vanished in a bright purplish flash, and I blinked as she finally came down onto her forelegs. Her eyes were still drilling into mine, and I realized with a start that as the staff had vanished an ebony black alicorn had appeared on her forehead. This I hadn't anticipated. "Piesa, how did..."

She turned away from me, turning her neck so she could still watch me, and moved her tail aside, nickering to me. I am much a horse deep at heart, and I arched my neck, nickering back and trotting the short distance to her side. She arched her own neck slightly, allowing our nostrils to touch, and I inhaled deeply.

She squealed loudly, tossing her head and stomping her left foreleg, then turned aside, pressing her tail near my face. This was not the subtle courtship of two unicorns, but the hormone driven mating of two horses. I pushed aside subtlety myself, rearing and lunging forward, only just remembering to tuck my forelegs as I came onto her back, thrusting within her.

She made a rumbling nicker, almost a grunting sound as I covered her, feeling her grasping me deep within, feeling our bodies pusle together as she pushed back against me in a frenzy of passion. I was vaguely aware that it had started to rain as we reached the peak of our passion together, and I let out a screaming whinny, then sagged on her, exhausted. I stayed like that for a moment on her back, feeling her body still throbbing in ecstasy, then slowly pulled back and off her back.

I walked up next to her, feeling a little guilty as if I'd betrayed someone. It was a strange feeling, one I'd picked up from being around humans so much. I didn't really love Piesa, I barely knew her. Since she had consented- well, actually, instigated our intercourse, it wasn't as if I'd wronged her. And now that it was raining, she'd be warmer.

Piesa didn't say anything, but looked into my eyes again. They seemed to laugh at me, as if...what? She tucked her forelegs, then her hind, laying down on the wet grass. We were in the plane of the Elves, and should be in little enough danger, so I did the same, lying close beside her and feeling her warmth as I fell asleep.

I was very tired from the long gallop the day before, and slept quite soundly as nothing disturbed us. When I woke, it was a dull overcast, still raining slightly, and I was alone. I stood, looking about. My saddle still rested next to the small bridge, as did Piesa's bag, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Piesa!" I called out, craning my neck and turning my head, listening for an answer.

But none came. I was confused. Surely she'd have called out if something had come upon us, and she wouldn't stray away from me and a change back to her elven form. "Piesa!" I called again, then I let out a loud whinny, this one not the triumphant call of a stallion taking a mare but that of a lone equine looking for a lost companion.

I heard an answering call. It wasn't Piesa, but I turned and galloped toward it anyway, through the small stream and across a field. As I came over a small hill, I came upon a sorrel unicorn stallion, slightly shorter than me and quite young, I guessed no more than seventy years old. "Have you seen a mare?" I asked abruptly.

He wrinkled his nostrils slightly in amusement. "Have you lost one, old horse?"

"This is not a matter of jest," I said, stomping my hoof in annoyance. "Has your dam taught you no manners?"

"She taught me a bit about courtesy," the reddish stallion replied. "For instance, that it was usually polite to introduce myself to strangers."

He was right, despite the urgency I felt. "I am Thardor, of Gwilellen," I said, bowing slightly.

"I am Kallain," he replied, returning my bow. "You are associated with the elves, then?" he said, a bit of caution in his voice.

This surprised me, as elves and unicorns got along quite well. "I am, with the Lady Gwilellen." Lydia was more than a friend, having saved me three hundred years before, and having cared for me during the long years I spent trapped on the planes of the humans.

"Fair and good," Kallain said. "Gwilellen remains a haven in these troubled times, though I fear that will end soon enough."

I felt a tightening in my chest. "What troubles have befallen the elves?"

"Have you been away, Thardor? There are dragons and demons about, and the dark elves have risen."

**************************

Dark Elves. They were almost an unpleasant memory, a story told to frighten young colts. Elves who were consumed by a craving for more magical power, who had gone in leauge with demons and dragons and traded access to the Elven plane for promises of stronger magic. "The dark elves were defeated five centuries ago," I replied, but I felt a dread that Kallain confirmed.

"They're back, old horse," he said sadly. "Once again, delving into the fell arcane. Most of my herd has gone to Bacantu Fane, as they will certainly try to take the old wizard."

[i]If Piesa was still headed for Bacantu Fane, she'll be safe, then. [i]"Why would they be after the old wizard?" I tossed my head a bit, trying to get my wet forelock out of my eyes. It seemed like everywhere I went it was raining lately.

Kallain flipped one ear back then forward. "They're taking wizards so they can drain away their mana. You know, they put them on a stake and let them slowly...what's wrong, Thardor?"

I had flared my nostrils and was snorting as panic set in. The dwarves knew nothing of this, and would generally trust any elves that were about. If the dark elves found Connie and realized she was a wizard, she'd be in grave danger. "A human child, a young sorceress, came through the rift with me two days ago."

"Best you fly to her defense and forget your mare," Kallain said.

I wheeled about on my hind legs to gallop off, then a thought came to me and I turned back to the other unicorn. "Kallain, would you accompany me?" I'd already made a serious mistake in leaving Connie, not knowing what was about, and might need Kallain's knowledge.

He bowed his head slightly, the rain dripping from his alicorn. "I am honored you ask, old horse."

We turned and galloped off, our hooves tossing up wet turf from the field. "I'm not that old," I said as we ran, jumping over a small stone wall to reach the road. "I'm only three hundred."

"Older than me," Kallain said. We flew down the road, side by side. I usually enjoyed running with other horses, and to run with another unicorn was usually a rare pleasure, but I could only worry about Connie and what trouble might have befallen her.

We travelled faster than I had the day before, as I was not bearing a rider, and by early afternoon we were in sunshine and nearing where I'd left Connie and the dwarves. I called out, my whinny reverberating through the small valley, and heard a high pitched answer as Seregon called back. Kallain and I galloped over a small hill, finding several of the dwarves camped near the stream. Seregon trotted over as soon as he saw me, nickering. I stopped and lowered my head, letting him smell my breath, then nuzzled him softly as he flicked his small tail at unseen flies. "Bolger, I need to speak to Captain Danzing," I said to one of the dwarves who had hurried up.

"The Captain and Shalfour have gone off this morning with Ming," he replied. "The elves have taken Connie and they gave chase."

I looked about bewildered. "Why are the rest of you here, then?"

"The elves were horsed, and the Captain ordered us to stay for your return," Bolger said. "The mare could only bear the weight of the two."

I thought of Ming carrying the two clumsy dwarves without a saddle and pinned my ears. She'd have a sore back for certain. "Where were they headed?"

"Northwest." He gestured toward a low line of mountains in the distance. "They left just after daybreak."

That meant they were at least eight hours ahead of us. Kallain and I could each easily carry two of the dwarves, but that would slow us down. "Follow us as you can," I said, deciding quickly. I touched Seregon again, then Kallain and I turned to gallop off. Seregon started to follow, whinnying, and I turned back for a moment, trotting back to him.

"I'll be back for you soon," I said to him softly. At his young age he still hadn't learned to speak, and probably didn't know what I said, but he seemed to take comfort from my words.

Kallain tossed his head. "Let's go, Thardor." We started into an easy canter for a bit, catching our breath as we went down a path that led into a forest. We'd been running all day, and despite the sunshine were both still wet. "Your colt?"

"Yes," I said. "He's six months."

"What's your secret, old horse?" He extended to a gallop. "Running all over with mares, at your age."

"I'm only three hundred, I told you already," I retorted, extending my own gallop. I was a bit taller than Kallain, and began to outpace him a bit. "What's the matter, can't keep up?"

Kallain ran a bit harder and drew even with me. "I didn't want to push you, at your age."

A tree branch stuck across the road. I flicked with my alicorn a split second before we reached it and it flew aside. "Don't worry about me." I reached over as we galloped and nipped him. "Worry about elves and demons."

He replied by nipping at my shoulder, but almost stumbled as we hit a patch of mud. It was a gesture that humans misinterpreted as hostile, but was one of an acknowledgment of friendship between two male horses. We kept galloping even as darkness fell and kept on into the night.

*************************

The road came out of the woods and into a large grassy plain filled with fireflies. I could tell that Kallain was tired, as was I, but I wasn't about to be the first to admit it. He suddenly dropped to a walk, so I did as well. "If you're tired, we can rest a bit," I suggested.

He had tilted his head back and was looking ahead through the darkness. Unicorns, like horses, have very good night vision, but like horses we also have to tilt our heads to focus our eyes. I did the same, my ears forward and straining to hear, my nostrils flared to better pick up any inconsistent scent.

I saw what Kallain had- a motion far ahead in the field, where the fireflies had scattered. "A horse, with no rider," Kallain said. "Perhaps your mare?"

"Perhaps," I said. "Or perhaps the mount of one of the elves, turned loose to graze." I doubted this, as the open field would be a terrible place for an ambush, and the elves more likely would have camped in the woods. I took a deep breath and let out a loud whinny, a call of greeting to a strange horse.

"You're very subtle," Kallain said. "That's a good start to sneaking up on them."

He stopped talking, disturbed suddenly as I was. The other horse had not answered back, or turned toward us. We began to trot forward warily, about five meters apart. I wasn't really sure if it was an instinct or learned behavior, but with our wide angle of vision nothing could come up behind us unseen, and an attack from the rear on one of us would be fended off by the other's alicorn.

Our hoofsteps were silent on the soft knee high grass. As we got closer, I could start to see the features of the horse we were approaching, and I caught her scent. "Ming!" I called out, breaking to a gallop. She said nothing in answer, but watched as Kallain and I ran up. She was dripping with sweat, breathing heavily through flared nostrils, and trembling slightly, and I came up, stopping close beside her, my nose by hers. Kallain circled around close to her other side, facing the opposite direction, watching for unseen enemies.

"The dwaves cannot be too far ahead," Ming said in a flat voice.

I felt guilty. "Ming, I'm sorry I left."

"I told you that you could not trust that woman," she said, then suddenly picked her head up. "Watch where you're putting that nose."

Kallain looked up as well, from where he'd been smelling her tail. "She's tying up, Thardor," he said. His sensitive nose could tell that her body's chemistry was imbalanced, exhausted from the day's gallop.

"You need to drink more," I told her. "Did you lick any salt along the way?"

"Connie needs us, she's been kidnapped. You have to set your priorities." She pinned her ears and lifted her right hind leg slightly, warning Kallain away. "I suppose you don't need water, being a unicorn."

"No, I do," I said. "I've just had a bit more experience in being a horse than you have. You'll need to rest, and to try to move as little as you can." I looked around, drinking in the night air. "There's some water not too far from here, a pond or a stream. We'll get some water for you."

"Go find the dwarves, and take them to get Connie," Ming said. "I'll be fine."

"Not here, by yourself," Kallain said. "If a dragon or a manticore should happen along, or a troll, they'd eat you."

"There are no such things as...never mind," she said. "You have to go help Connie."

She was right- Connie was in danger, and every moment was likely further away. Kallain and I, with the two dwarves, were formidable and a match for the three elves. But I couldn't leave Ming alone. "Kallain, remain with my mare, and follow as you can," I said.

"YOUR mare?" Ming snorted.

Kallain looked at me bemused. "It appears you're quite skilled at losing mares, Thardor. Was the one you were chasing yesterday as spicy as this one?"

"What mare he was chasing?" Ming demanded.

"The one named Piesa," Kallain said gleefully. He turned his head so he could watch Ming's reaction. "He covered her, then she ran off."

"You and that elf are sick," she said, pinning her ears back at me. "How would you even fit?"

"It's not what you think," I protested, moving back so she couldn't bite me. "I changed her to a horse first."

"How does that make it all right?" She took a half step toward me, but almost fell.

"I'd best be going," I said, turning. "Kallain, I leave her in your care."

"Have no concern, old horse, I will," Kallain replied.

I turned and galloped off into the night, with mixed feelings. Humans, especially females, had such strange relationships. I'd been around humans for quite some time, and elves even longer, and still couldn't understand their reactions half the time. Connie could feel me at a subconscious level and had transformed Ming into a mare that she knew I'd desire, so I tried to focus on this. [i]She's just another mare, so don't get all attached to her. She deserves that scounderel Kallain, and I bet right now they're...[/i]

I paused, dropping to a trot and thinking about turning back and making sure that Kallain wasn't covering [i]my[/i] mare. The fireflies were still thick, and the field was lit with an eerie greenish light. Ahead, I could see a line of trees as the field gave way to a forest. I was quite a ways off, having left Kallain and Ming nearly an hour before. I was still weighing the thought of turning back when I was startled by the whinnied greeting of another horse.

Stopping, I peered ahead, my ears forward. The horse wasn't far off, judging by the sound no more than fifty meters, and she'd heard my approach. If I'd come upon the elves, they would have heard me as well. There was little else to do, so I walked forward, soon seeing the glow of a campfire, about which I could see some horses tethered and some bedrolls, along with a small figure bound hand and foot.

"That is far enough, Unicorn." The three elves stood before me, having moved up silently. They stood with their swords drawn, the evil red runes on the blades clear even from the faint glow of the flickering light of the fireflies and the campfire. They were close together- their best tactic against a single unicorn, as if I attacked one, the others could deal fatal blows with their swords to my unguarded flanks.

"I have come for my charge," I said, arcing my neck slightly.

"Leave now and live," one of the elves replied. He held his sword almost casually, as if it were a natural extension of his arm.

One advantage of being equine was having a very wide field of vision. I could see a bit of movement off to my side, but the elves were staring at me. [i]Is it Danzing and Shalfour, or more elves? [/i] My only hope was that it was the two dwarves. "Release Connie, and I will spare your lives," I replied. It was an empty threat, and the elves knew it.

"How generous of you, Unicorn, as we shall not spare yours," the leader of the three said, and they jumped forward, their blades ready.

***************

In the open field, I could easily turn and outrun the elves. They could ready their longbows and with luck might hit me as I fled, but it was unlikely they would cause me great harm before I was out of their range. But to do so would be to leave Connie to a certainly grim fate, and there was no telling when they'd perform their arcane ceremony. Had there been but one foe, I would have a reasonable chance, as I could parry one swordsman with my alicorn- after all, it was a part of me, and no matter how expert a soldier with a bladed weapon, none had one permanently attached.

With three it was a different story. There was no practical way to defend against all three, and they knew I would not leave without Connie. [i]Do something, even if it's wrong.[/i] I lunged forward, lowering my head and pushing with my powerful back end, aiming straight at the middle of the three elves. Since it would leave both my flanks open for attack it was a stupid move, and as such caught the three totally by surprise. The middle elf froze for a second, not knowing which way to turn. It was his undoing, as I buried my alicorn directly into the center of his chest. He was wearing quality elven armor, which would have absorbed most blows, but my razor sharp alicorn backed by twelve hundred pounds of my weight pierced it like a knife thrust into an aluminum beer can.

He was rigid for a second, then slumped onto my neck, his body going limp. I felt his warm blood dribbling from his mouth onto my mane as I turned, trying to shake him loose, but he was stuck. I turned to the right, feeling a blade slash into my hindquarters I kicked out desperately, hearing a cry of pain and a cracking sound- I hoped I'd broken one of the elves' arms or legs, but wasn't sure, as the corpse flopped over my head, leaving me nearly blind.

I felt another blade slash into my neck. Fortunately it was up high, above the spine. The elf clearly didn't know much about horse anatomy, as he'd missed my jugular and neckbones, but it hurt terribly and I screamed out, stumbling backwards and stepping by good fortune on the elf I'd kicked- resulting in another cry of pain and a gurgling sound.

I tried to shake the dead elf from my alicorn again, lashing with my left forehoof to try to knock him off. It was quite painful from the wound in my neck, but the elf suddenly fell away, and I was looking at the last elf, who stood to my side, his sword high, ready to bring it down. "A fine service, unicorn. You've done away with Fengar and Otos, so now when I slay the child, her mana will all be mine."

His green eyes held no hate- only evil and malice, a cruelty that showed he felt no remorse for his lost comrades and would only enjoy watching my death. I stiffly tried to turn my head to parry the fatal blow, and he let forth a laugh as he spun the blade in his hand like an artist, to effectively deal a death blow. I felt a cold blast of wind that seemed to sweep away the glowing fireflies, watching the elf's face.

He suddenly screamed, and his face went from a leering mask to a picture of fear. The sword fell to the ground as his hand suddenly seemed to melt, glowing green like the fireflies. He held them in front of his face, continuing to scream as his hands slowly melted away, dripping to the ground like a melting candle, more of the horrid fluid oozing from the sleeves of his tunic, leaving them fall empty to his sides. He turned, and I looked up as well to see Connie flanked by Shalfour and Danzing. Her hands were held together still, and I could see the faint bluish glow that portended nothing good for the elf.

The elf turned back to me. "Stop her, unicorn, I beg you!"

I said nothing but watched as a faint bluish blow enveloped him. He seemed to be dropping to his knees, but I saw that instead his legs seemed to be melting away, the slimy greenish fluid dribbling from the joints at the bottom of his armor, joining the growing puddle on the ground that had been his arms. He began to scream again, a sound that turned to a horrifying gurgling as green slime began to drip from his mouth, and I watched his face slowly dissolve away, leaving only his eyes that watched me for a moment from the puddle before they, too, melted to slimy nothingness.

Connie and the two dwarves walked up to me, Connie almost stumbling from the stiffness in her legs. The two dwarves stared down at the greenish puddle as Connie put her arms around my neck. "Thunder, you're hurt."

I curved my neck as much as I could- it did hurt, but was nothing fatal- and nuzzled her gently. "I'm sorry I left you."

"It moves," Shalfour said, looking at the ooze on the ground.

"I think he's still alive, sort of," Connie said.

"Shall I kill it?" the dwarf asked.

I looked at the puddle that the elf had become. "Leave him to his own hell," I replied. "Connie, get on my back."

"But you're hurt," she protested, tracing beside the gash on my neck with her finger.

"Ming needs help." Shalfour boosted Connie easily to my back, and she grasped my mane over my withers with her left hand to balance herself. It pulled on the gash, but I said nothing as I turned and galloped quickly off.

Connie had become a little better over the years, but she still didn't have a very good seat and bounced a little as I ran. "What did she do?" Connie asked suspiciously. "I still don't like her very much."

"She carried Shalfour and Danzing too far and too fast to rescue you," I said. We were running along through the field, and the fireflies made it look like we were riding through the sky, surrounded by stars. The damp grass muffled my hoofbeats and completed the illusion.

"So? So she's tired."

"No, she tied up." As I thought of this, I pushed myself even harder, thinking of all the bad things that might have happened. [i]What if she dies? Or if wolves attack? Or what if Kallain takes advantage of her? I should never have left the two of them together.[/i]

************************

The glow of fireflies was being replaced by the pinkish light of the approaching dawn. Kallain heard our approach and called out a challenge; I whinnied back and dropped to a trot, then a walk. Kallain stood between us and Ming, his ears forward as I tried to glance by him, anxiously. "She looks fine to me," Connie said as she slipped off my back. "Ugh. You're all sweaty. What happened to my saddle?"

I didn't answer her but glared at Kallain, my ears flipped back. "You're in a rather bad mood, old horse," the young unicorn said lightly. He walked forward, and we stopped, nose to nose. He snorted, and we both arched our necks slightly, nostril to nostril in the traditional snorting greeting of two equines.

I relaxed slightly, as did he, and we walked over to Ming. "How is she?" I asked Kallain.

"She's recovering," he replied. "But even still, there's little enough water about here. I believe she would do better if we can find a house or a barn."

"I can walk," Ming said. "Where are Danzing and Shalfour?"

"They'll be here soon enough," I said, though it would likely take the dwarves hours get to us. "Connie, can you make some water? Throw a spell?"

"No," she said.

"You can make it rain ice cream but you can't make water?" Ming asked curiously.

Connie pouted. "I didn't get to that part, since I was wasting so much time in school." She kicked the soft turf. "You see, I should have spent more time with Gulthar."

I knew better to ask Connie if she could cure Ming, but a simple solution popped to my head. "Change her back. I can carry her, and we can go find a healer, or take her back to..."

"No!" Ming said.

I looked at her, both startled and confused. "This is very serious," I said.

"Tying up is not to be taken lightly, mare," Kallain said sternly. "I do not know if humans suffer such maladies, but certainly you can recover with rest."

"No, I will remain a horse." She turned away from us, pinning her ears.

"Beats me," Connie said, shrugging when I looked at her.

"I think she likes me," Kallain said to me in a low voice. "The mares just can't resist."

"If she wants to remain a mare, it's because of me," I said, pinning one ear back and bobbing my head threateningly. "And she's my mare."

"I am not either of yours," Ming said, turning her head slightly. "I can hear you quite well."

"No matter," I said. It was starting to get light, and out in the middle of the plain we'd be easy for anything in the air to spot. If Kallain was right and dragons were about, I didn't want to remain here long. "Connie, change her back, right now."

"Sure," she replied enthusastically. She stood close by me, and I felt a slight tingling feeling. It wasn't unpleasant, and I knew that our closeness would intensify her magic. She held her hands together, almost rolling them as a bright blue sphere formed.

Ming turned to face us, her ears slightly askew. "Please don't."

"Have to," Connie said as she extended her hand. "Thunder told me to."

"Like you've ever listened to me before," I grumbled, as the bluish glow touched Ming.

I always get a strange feeling of regret when I see an equine change to a human, as if they are being condemned, taken from a life that makes sense to the strange society that they have put together, and I wanted to turn away but watched as the magic enveloped her. She let out a piercing whinny, and I could hear the anguish in it. She started to slowly shink, losing bulk in her torso first as her dark coat began to absorb back into her skin, becoming sparser as her forelegs and hind legs began to become smaller as well, the bones beginning to reproportion to those of the small woman she'd been. Connie's magic was strong, more especially so with me beside her, and being on the elven plane made it stronger still, so the change happened very quickly. After a few seconds, her body, arms and legs were nearly completely human, her neck shrunk to an in between proportion, and only her almost totally equine head, tail, and hooves showed she'd recently been a horse.

It seemed as if the transformation had stopped there, and I started to ask Connie why, but then Ming's head began to change, back to her human one, and her hooves returned to hands and feet, the hooves slowly shrinking and the other fingers reextending, then I stared wistfully as her black, full tail began to slowly shrink, the hairs and tailbone shortening until it was no bigger than a foal's, then it too was gone, leaving Ming curled in a ball on the ground.

She didn't move, and I walked forward slowly and carefully, reaching down and touching her with my nose to make sure she was still alive. She was sobbing softly. "Did it hurt?" I asked. Transformations that unicorns did usually were painless but I wasn't sure if Connie's magic was different.

"I felt so...alive. It all felt so right." She reached up, touching my face. "And now it's all gone."

"Serves you right," Connie said as Ming sat up stiffly.

"You can be my mare anytime," Kallain said. "But first, we need to heal you up, somewhere other than this field." He glanced about the sky uneasily.

Kallain's presumptiousness was starting to annoy me. [i]She's my mare, and he'd better stop.[/i] I held my temper. "Ming, get on my back."

"She can ride the other unicorn," Connie said. "You're my horse."

I tried to think of a good reason why not, but couldn't as Connie grabbed my mane and half jumped, half pulled herself onto my back, and I watched jealously as Kallain tucked his forelegs, dropping to his belly beside Ming, then turned to look as she seemed to hesitate. "Come on, mare," he said.

Ming turned and looked at Connie and me. [i]She is mine! I know it![/i] "It's all right, Ming," I said. "You have my permission."

"I do not need your permission," she said in an icy voice. "What I do need is some clothing. Connie, might I borrow your coat?"

I'd forgotten- humans were even more peculiar than elves and had this insistence on wrapping themselves up in clothing, no matter how hot the weather. "Sure," Connie said, strangely cooperative. She took the coat off- I'd never seen it before, so I guessed it was something that she'd gotten from the elves- and handed it down to Ming. It was a soft material, kind of forest green with four large gold buttons on the front. Ming put it on, then stepped over to Kallain, lightly straddling him and holding his mane as he stood. "Where now, old horse?" Kallain asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Connie?" I asked.

"What?"

"Do a glyph of finding," I suggested. It was relatively simple magic, and almost anyone with magical ability could do it. If they had hands, that is, as one had to draw the symbol in the air.

"I'm not sure if I can," she said. "You see, there's another thing that Gulthar could have taught me, but I was wasting time in science class."

"Science class is not a waste of time, Connie," Ming said sternly. "If you paid more attention then you would understand that."

"It's kind of like the letter 'q', but with two lines across it," I interrupted, turning my head slightly to see Connie where she sat on my back. "Think of what we need to find."

"What do we need to find?" Connie asked as she waved her hands close together.

"A house or something," I said. She seemed to catch the bluish glow, drawing the symbol. It didn't look exactly right, but it spun in the air, then flew off toward the northeast.

Ming watched in wonder. "What is that?"

"A glyph of finding," I said. "It'll fly off toward whatever the caster is thinking of."

"Let's go," Kallain said, and Ming grabbed his mane as he broke directly to a trot.

"Careful, now," I warned, reminding him that even as a human her muscles would be sore and painful.

He turned his head slightly apologetic, watching her with his left eye as he went to a smooth canter. It wasn't too fast, but we nearly glided across the temptingly green field as the sunrise slowly burned off the dew.

******************************************

We eventually reached the trees and had to slow. There was a very narrow path, and clearly whoever used it did not have livestock as it was not quite wide enough for either Kallain or myself. It seemed to meander about, not going straight toward anything, and I started to wonder if the glyph had worked correctly as it seemed to get even more snarled with undergrowth.

But the trail was there, and it suddenly opened to a small clearing in the forest. There was a small stone house, built more in the style of the elves than of humans, with rounded corners and round windows, with an oval shaped door. A small wisp of smoke rose from the chimney, signalling that someone was likely home or nearby. There was no stable or any kind barn, just the small house and a small garden with a well in the middle of it.

I felt a bit uncomfortable without knowing why, and I could tell Kallain did as well. The two of us spread apart instinctively, our ears forward and listening for danger.

The door opened cautiously, then a small woman came out. She was shorter even than Connie, and was wiping her hands with a towel. "Unicorns are rare but welcome visitors," she said in a lilting voice as she took in Ming and Connie. "As are their riders."

[i]A leprechaun. I'm going to have to talk to Connie. Leprechauns are always a problem.[/i] "I am Thardor, of Gwilellen Fane." I bowed slightly. "Kallain, and my charges Connie and Ming." I emphasized the word 'my', which brought a bit of a snort from Kallain.

The leprechaun took this in carefully, looking at Kallain and myself. "I am Veola, and would be most pleased to offer you my hospitality, humble though it is." Connie was already sliding off my back, and Ming was carefully getting off of Kallain. "I fear I have no stable, Thardor and Kallain."

"That is quite all right," I replied. Veola was already looking over Connie and Ming, and I felt a bit uncomfortable. "If we are too much of a trouble, perhaps you might direct us to a nearby inn?"

"No trouble at all. Come, dear, you look all stiff." She touched Ming's arm, charming and concerned at the same time. Leprechauns were that way- they were able to make you feel as if they were your oldest friend.

"She was a horse, and she tied up," Connie volunteered.

Veola looked back at Kallain and me, with a bit of a knowing grin. "With two young stallions chasing her, no doubt. Well, we'll get you all fixed up." She hustled Ming and Connie inside, and I looked at Kallain, who was looking about the trees as if searching for something.

A moment later, Veola reappeared, carrying a large wooden bucket. "Now, you two lads will want a wee bit o' water." I suddenly realized I was very thirsty from the long morning ride, and waited impatiently as she drew water up from the well, filling the wood tub.

Kallain was beside me, and we both stuck our muzzles into the bucket as Veola filled it. The water was cool and delicious, with a slightly minty taste. The two of us drank it down, then she filled it again.

The water was refreshing, but I was exhausted and it must have showed. "You're tired, poor dear" Veola said, rubbing my jowl then my ear. "Why don't you rest? You're safe here, deep in the forest."

She was right. No one would find us here, we'd had a hard enough time finding the place ourselves. Kallain must have been tired too, since he was already tucking his forelegs to lie down. Veola began to sing softly, a lullaby that seemed both comforting and familiar.

[i]We'll both get some sleep, and rest today. Then tomorrow, we'll go find the dwarves, and decide what to do.[/i] I tucked my forelegs, then my hind legs, carefully settling down to the soft grass of the clearing, and drifted off to sleep.

[i]It was morning- I stood in the paddock and whinnied, hearing the buckets clattering. Someone was mixing feed, and I was hungry. Impatiently I walked to the feed tub, then back over, leaning on the pipe gate, looking up the walkway toward the barn.

Another horse brushed beside me. I glanced over, finding a lovely bay mare. She held her nose near mine, and I drank in her scent, forgetting my breakfast all at once. I knew with satisfaction that she'd be ready for me to cover her later in the morning, one of my band of mares. We were safe here, safe from the dark elves and demons and dragons, here on the human plane. The demons wouldn't be able to find us here. I could live my life, pretending to be an ordinary horse, without the responsibility and pressure of having to mentor Connie.

Someone came out of the barn, walking up slowly and carrying a full bucket. I could smell the warm bran mash, and the mare and I both nickered and pressed against the gate. The figure slowly came up, a short woman, and looked at me and spoke. I realized it was Veola, though my mind felt cloudy.

"Well, lad, this be your desire in your heart. Run off, back to the human's plane, and I'll see to it ye' find it."

"But they'll chase me...the demons..."

She started to pour the bran mash into a feed tub that had suddenly appeared on the fence. The mare began to eat, but I walked after Veola as she turned away and started slowly for the barn. "Nae, lad. They'll leave ye' be. Just run off now and be free of all this."

The barn disappeared, and we were standing in the middle of a battlefield. Elves, some on horseback and others afoot, fought furiously, their swords clattering on each other's shields. Some of the elves had the blue and white shields of Gwilellen, others the orange and green of Bacantu, but most bore black shields with evil red runes. A group of trolls came pounding up, the earth shaking from their heavy footsteps. I flinched, but realized they couldn't see me, and I watched helplessly beside the leprechaun as they began to snatch elves of Gwilellen and Bacantu and literally tear them in half. The elves fought desperately, but the dark elves and their troll allies were overcoming them as I watched.

I heard a shrill whinny- the battle cry of a unicorn- and looked up, hopefully to a low rising hill. But instead I saw a black unicorn mare there, standing among a group of fell demons. She looked directly at me, and though I knew this must be a dream I knew she could actually see me.

The rest of the battle seemd to fade to a blur, and I could only see the black mare staring at me, her ears forward in triumph. I felt drawn to her, irresistibly, and began to walk toward her. The leprechaun laughed, her voice soft and icy at once. "Choose yer path, lad..."[/i]

"Come on, Thardor, wake up." I felt a gentle but sharp poke against my rump, and pushed out my forelegs, getting to my feet. I turned my neck to the left, then shook the dust and crushed grass from my coat.

It was already morning. Kallain was standing behind me, grazing, watching me with his left eye. "You could have let me sleep a bit longer," I said grumpily.

"You were lying on top of the best clover," Kallain said lightly. "Besides, you were thrashing around, having some kind of a nightmare."

I looked down at the grass. It was all torn up, the roots exposed as if someone had run through it with a hoe. The dream I'd been having was disturbing, and I tried hard to catch it, to remember the details before it flew away. [i]What was it...elves were fighting, or were they? Someone fed me, was it Connie?[/i]

I shrugged it away- it was only a dream. But the vision of a black mare jumped to my mind. [i]Piesa.[/i] I felt a stirring and a feeling of lust, remembering the ecstasy of covering her, and wondered where she was.

The door to the small house slammed open and Connie came out. "Thunder, guess what? Veola has a spell book, and she knows some magic."

"Leprechauns do," I said cautiously.

"She said if I want I can stay here with her for a while, and learn some new things." Connie looked at me, putting one hand on her hip as if preparing to pout.

"We have somewhere we need to go," I said. I wasn't quite sure where, but it sounded like an appropriate reply. I didn't want to stay around a leprechaun. If we did there was no telling what kind of trouble Veola would cause, but it looked like we may have been around too long already.

"You just don't want me to do anything fun," Connie said, starting the official pout phase. "I can stay here, and not have to go to bed, or do homework, or do what other people tell me." Her face darkened slightly. "You just want me to do what Miss Ming says. You're just like her."

"I am not," I said defensively. "And if you stay here...well, you aren't going to, and that's that." I stomped my hoof and pinned my ears back. "You'll do what I say. You're coming with us."

Connie turned away, folding her arms. "What if I don't?"

I snorted. "Well, then, I'll just leave you here."

"Fine," Connie spat out. "See if I care."

"Fine," I replied and turned away, walking over by Kallain and lowering my head to graze, but turning it slightly so I could watch Connie. I pretended to ignore her as she stomped over to a log near the house and sat on it, folding her arms and staring at us.

Veola came out of the house. She was wearing a cloak, a soft golden color, and she came over near where we grazed. "Well, Thardor, did ye' sleep well?" Her voice seemed to hold a laugh inside it.

"Quite well," I mumbled through the mouthful of timothy. I picked my head up, swallowing it. "I must thank you for your hospitality, but I fear we are too much of a bother, and will be going soon."

She reached up, gently running her hand across my forehead and her fingers into my forelock. "Havin' a unicorn about, 'tis a fine comfort for an old woman in these times. Why dinna ye' stay a bit?"

I felt a bit troubled, as if some fleeting memory touched me. [i]Why not? We'd be safe enough here, deep in the forest. Maybe there was some reason for Connie's glyph to find Veola's home..[/i] "I must...we must be on our way," I stammered. "We have to, um..."

"The human woman needs rest," Veola said soothingly. "Here she's safe." She looked over at Kallain, who was grazing nearby. He turned an ear toward us, and I knew he was listening as well. "Perhaps the other 'corn might stay here with her. She seems rather fond of him."

At that, Kallain picked his head up and looked back toward us. I expected him to say something, but he was silent, with his ears toward us, waiting for my reply. My blood had instantly boiled in jealousy at Veola's statement. But I felt a strange kinship to the sorrel unicorn, an unreasonable empathy and friendship. "That would be his choice, and hers," I replied to the Leprechaun.

Kallain walked very slowly over and stood beside me. "I must accompany the old horse," Kallain said lightly. "Else he might wander into harm."

"Ah, well then," Veola said. "The child should stay, as else she'd be endanger."

Connie would be in danger if she went with us, but the thought of leaving her with a Leprechaun was too disturbing. I couldn't force her to come with us, but I'd grown to know Connie quite well. "Perhaps she should stay," I said loudly. "A child cannot face the danger we seek."

"I'll go if I want to," Connie said, looking up where she sat on the log.

"You'll be safer here," I said, walking over to her. "We'll be likely in battle." I had a sudden and disturbing vision of elves being ripped apart by trolls, but shook my head. "You can stay here, and bake cookies or something."

"I WILL NOT!" Connie shouted. "I'm going!"

Veola suddenly was quite upset. I could see she was afraid suddenly. "Unicorn, you cannot leave me here alone."

"Why not?" Kallain asked. "Deep in the woods, what have you to fear?"

"There are demons about," she said, looking around as if the trees were about to spring forward. "'Tis no place for an old woman to be by herself."

Veola didn't look that old to me- if she'd been a human, I would have guessed she was thirty, but I knew she was likely as old as I. "You've lived here for years. Why would you be in danger now?" I looked at the trees myself, trying to understand her fright.

"She's sold out to the dark elves." I looked over to the door of the house. Ming stood there, leaning against the doorway. She no longer wore Connie's coat, but instead a green dress that was a bit too small and tight, likely one of Veola's, and a pair of what looked like deerskin boots. She still moved slowly, as if exhausted, and came over, standing beside me and looking at the Leprechaun. "That's it, isn't it? You told them you'd keep us here. What was the price?"

"They'd have killed me," Veola said almost pleadingly, and looking desperately from side to side. "Ye dinna understan'."

"You want me to toast her?" Connie was looking at Veola with almost predatory eyes. "Or I can make her into a pool of slime, like that elf."

Veola wailed in fear. "You can't just go around killing people," Ming said scoldingly.

"Yes I can," Connie said. "Wanna see?" She slapped her hands together, pulling them quickly apart, a bluish glowing sphere appearing.

This startled even me. Connie had grown more powerful over the past few days, and I didn't know why or how. "We may need her," I said. I doubted we would, but I didn't feel that the Leprechaun had done anything to warrant the horrible fate that Connie was considering. "Let's keep her alive...as a hostage."

The dark elves wouldn't give a whit about Veola now that she had failed, and would kill her as readily as the rest of us. Veola knew it, and though she was still tense, she seemed a bit less terrified. "I will not cause 'ye harm, unicorn," she said.

"Swear to it," Kallain said. He walked over, lowering his head so that his alicorn pointed straight at the Leprechaun's heart. "Swear that you will not cause any of us harm or betray us, or I will kill you where you stand."

Few things will harm an immortal being, but magic weapons would, and the alicorn of a unicorn was one of the most powerful. Veola looked into Kallain's eyes. "As I stand, I swear to you I will not harm none o' ye, nor cause ye to come to harm."

Connie looked disappointed, and she lowered her hands, the bluish ball of mana fading. "Well, maybe we can kill some elves later."

"Just be careful who you kill," I said, turning my head slightly to look over Ming. I put my nose near her and inhaled deeply. She looked slightly offended and pouted. "You are still not well," I said.

"I'm well enough," she said, her voice somewhat hard, as if she was angry with me.

[i]What have I done?[/i] I thought of her as a mare, and felt another bit of jealousy toward Kallain. "There are two of us," I said.

"You mean five?" Connie asked.

"Two of us unicorns," I clarified. The three of them were light enough, though, that either Kallain or myself could easily bear the weight of all three. "Connie can ride on my back, and Veola and Ming on Kallain."

"Certainly," Kallain said mockingly. "We wouldn't want the old horse tired out."

"You can make me a horse again," Ming said hopefully.

I considered it. [i]She's such a beautiful mare.[/i] I shook the thought aside. She still needed rest, and as a mare she was too much of a distraction, plus she'd have to work hard to keep up with Kallain and myself. "We will, later," I said. "But for now, you'll rest more riding."

"Riding to where?" Kallain asked. He stood near the well, expecting Ming and Veola to climb onto the small stone structure and onto his back.

The leprechaun sprung lightly from the ground and onto Kallain's back. Ming carefully climed on the well, then looked suspiciously at the Leprechaun before sliding on behind Veola.

Connie grabbed my mane, then pulled herself up. "We'll go find Danzing and Shalfour," I said, "then the rest of the dwarves." [i]And my son. He must be frightened, away from equines now for three days.[/i] I was suddenly worried about the colt, and guilty at not having thought more of him. I took a last look at Veola's small house, feeling a sense of loss of what could have been, and then followed Kallain back onto the narrow trail.

*****************************

When we reached the grassy plain and were no longer hindered by the dense forest, Kallain and I both stretched out to a fast canter. It wasn't quite as fast as a gallop, but was much smoother for our saddleless riders, and we could keep the relatively fast gait up all day long without breaking a sweat. Again we spread out a bit so that we could watch behind each other. Connie began to speak to me as we cantered. "I don't know why you're so mean to everyone I like."

"Who, Veola?" I flicked one ear back to listen to her.

"Yeah. She's real nice."

I snorted. "You'd better be careful about leprechauns. They're usually up to no good."

Connie shifted her weight a bit, and I adjusted my stride. "She was going to teach me some really cool spells, like to make Miss Ming fall in love with a donkey."

I bucked slightly, making Connie grab my mane for balance. "You'd better be careful," I warned. "Leprechauns always have some kind of ulterior motive. Besides, Miss Ming is going to be a horse again."

"I don't think I'll change her back," Connie said. "And what's an inferior motive?"

"Ulterior. Like sneaky." I saw something ahead of us and changed direction slightly. Kallain did, too. As we approached, the two small figures slowly grew to reveal Danzing and Shalfour. We slowed to a trot, then stopped facing the two dwarves, who regarded Kallain and his two riders with some suspicion.

"Where is Ming?" Danzing asked.

Ming didn't answer but looked down at the ground. "Thunder made me change her back to a human," Connie announced as she slid off my back. Veola and Ming got off Kallain, and the leprechaun walked up to the two dwarves.

She curtsied slightly. "Brave soldiers, I am Veola." She looked at me slightly unpleasantly, then turned back to the dwarves. "Prisoner of the unicorn."

"Shalfour, and my Captain Danzing," Shalfour replied somewhat gruffly. He walked past Veola to Ming. "My lady, our thanks for bearing us so many leauges to rescue our charge."

I felt an unexpected surge of jealousy as she reached out and touched Shalfour's hand. "I thank you for rescuing Connie," she said, glancing toward me. "And hope that I may soon be able to carry you again."

"Now that the introductions are over, we need to get going," I said.

Kallain bobbed his head slightly, pinning his ears. "Kallain," I said.

He bowed slightly, and Shalfour and Danzing returned the gesture.

We had a bit of a problem now- there were just the two of us, Kallain and I, with five riders. We stood for a moment in awkward silence, the only noise that of the wind rustling through the grass. The dwarves could walk, but would take days to cover the ground that Kallain and I could. "You can change me back now," Ming said hopefully.

She was still weak from her illness. I looked at Veola, who backed away a step. "I've no wish to be ahoof," the leprechaun said- that was enough, Connie and I might be able to change her with our magic together, but I wasn't certain.

That left the two dwarves and Connie. "We may need Connie's magic," I said.

Dwarves are quite averse to being transformed. I'd only met one or two who had even considered the idea; most would be appaled at the thought of being anything but a dwarf. "Unicorn, for the good of our quest, you may change me to a horse," Danzing said, stepping forward.

It was an enormous gesture for a dwarf. "Only for a day, Captain," I said. He stepped forward, unbuckling his swordbelt and handing it to Shalfour along with his pack. He took his boots, then his tunic off. Connie gawked at the nude dwarf, and I scowled at her, walking between the two.

We'd be going fast, so I'd decided that Danzing would have to be tall. He looked at me and nodded silently, and I pictured him as a horse in my mind.

He seemed to grow and get larger and bulkier, and I wondered for a moment if there was something wrong with my magic- he looked more like he was becoming a giant; there were no changes other than his size. But abruptly, his skin began to darken and his equine coat began to appear; a golden palomino color. His hair was becoming a shiny white color, and as his coat was finished his feet, then his hands became hooves.

Ming and Veola were both watching, rapt with fascination. I realized Ming hadn't seen many transformations and remembered a bit late that Leprechauns prized palomino horses highly. But Danzing's tail was appearing, and he grunted slightly as it twisted from the base of his spine. The proportions of his legs were beginnign to change as well. "Lean forward, so you won't fall," Kallain suggested, and Danzing complied, looking for an instant more like one of those people who wore fursuits.

Danzing's craggy face had started to shift; his ears beginning to enlongate as his jaw and nose changed shape, merging and pushing forward. He dropped to his forelegs, his hind legs being entirely equine, and as his forelegs firmed into their new shape his head and neck finished. "How do you feel?" Ming asked, reaching out and touching his face.

Danzing whinnied. This surprised me, as I hadn't tried to mask his voice. He seemed frustrated, and I wondered what I'd done wrong. "We'd best get going," I said. "Connie and Ming can ride me, and Shalfour and Veola Kallain."

Kallain started to reply as Shalfour grabbed his mane, pulling himself onto the other unicorn's back, but siddenly had a startled look, as if ice had touched his heart.

I felt it too- a sudden sorrowful pain. We both looked up anxiously, snorting, looking for the unseen danger. It was a tangible feeling, as if a soul had cried out to us for help

***********************

Connie was halfway onto my back and she shrieked as I jumped to a full gallop. "Thunder, slow down! You forgot Miss Ming!"

I could feel her squirming, trying to gain her seat. Kallain was running behind me, and I spared a quick glance. Shalfour was hanging on desperately; Veola sitting behind him calmly- Leprechauns were almost all great riders, with fine balance. Danzing was standing beside Ming; the two were fading fast into the distance as Kallain and I pounded along. The only thing that could have touched us both so deeply was if another unicorn nearby had suffered some grievous hurt, and I was filled with an agonizing dread. [i]I should never have brought Seregon here, or left him This is my fault...[/i] Our riders were in danger, as the two of us ran recklessly over the rolling field then into the woods. Branches slapped at us as we raced frenzied down a path, through brief patches of sunlight then back into the cool shade. The terrain started to become hilly, and in the shade the path hadn't dried out from the rain. The mud was a bit slick but we were heedless of the risk of a fall. A unicorn had cried to us for help, one of our kind, and we would risk all.

We broke out of the forest into the clearing we had left two days before, met by the stench of death. The green field that had seemed so soothing was now burnt, as if flames had fallen to it from the skies.

Indeed they had. A hideous and enormous red and black reptile lay motionless in the middle of the field. I slowed to a trot, the charred cinders crunching beneath my feet already cold. From the damage, there'd been more than one dragon here.

I slowed further as we began to step over corpses that filled the smoking field. Most were elves, wearing the black and red armor that matched the dragon, but mixed among them were dwarves- Danzing's company. Shalfour slid from Kallain's back, stumbling slightly as he was still walking. He knelt beside one of his fallen comrades, but I was still walking, looking about anxiously, and let out a long whinny, calling, hoping. [i]Seregon, where are you?[/i]

I came back to Shalfour. Veola was beside the fallen dwarf as well, one hand on his forehead. "There were a hundred elves," Veola said as Connie slid from my back. "They came from there." She pointed at the trees. "Then the dragons came." Connie stared down at the corpse of the dwarf, and tears started to form in her eyes. It was Bolger, his face frozen by death in a look of surprise. I thought of the times he had endured Connie's tea parties, or let Connie braid his hair.

"A hundred warriors and two dragons against ten dwarves," Shalfour murmured. "They fought well."

"The unicorn..." I looked at the leprechaun. "Where is the unicorn?" [i]Please let him have escaped. He was young...but still, he's old enough to open a rift...[/i]

Veola closed her eyes, pushing her lips together. Some Leprechauns- most, actually- are seers, and can get glimpses of what was or what will be. It's the reason they're not to be trusted- they'll make deals where they can't lose, since they already know you will. But right now, I needed to know where Seregon was, and I waited for her answer dreading what it might be.

She opened her eyes and looked at Kallain, then at me- they were filled with sympathy. "The unicorn was your kin." She said nothing more, but turned her head toward the dead dragon.

We both let out agonizing, whinnies as we turned and galloped across the field. The dragon was already starting to rot, and flies buzzed about the empty sockets where some scavenger had already plucked it's eyes out. The half open mouth revealed a bit of blood about it's razor sharp teeth, along with a bit of white fine hair- some of the hide of a unicorn. I rolled my eyes, shrieking and snorting, as I plunged my alicorn into the lifeless dragon, lashing with my forehooves on it's scaly hide, rearing and smashing my hooves into it's skull again and again in a mindless fury.

************************************

I was foaming with sweat- Connie later told me that Kallan and I pounded the lifeless dragon for an hour- when I heard someone come up behind me. I whirled around, wild eyed, to find Ming. Danzing stood nearby, still breathing hard- he must have galloped with her after us the whole way, to have arrived so quickly.

She walked up to me, watching my eyes, her own calm and analytical despite the carnage about us. "This won't bring your son back." I hung my head to the ground. My future, all my joy had been ripped away from me. There was nothing within but a horrific emptiness, a lack of all hope. "How do unicorns honor their dead?" she asked gently, reaching out and touching my forehead beside my alicorn despite the gory reptilian blood covering it.

We seldom had to. Unicorns were immortal creatures; only other immortal creatures as dragons or magic might undo them, and usually should a unicorn fall they were devoured by some evil creature or their corpse was stripped by those seeking some tiny bit of it's magic. I would not let my son wither and rot beneath the vile remains of the dragon, though, or be plundered by some amateur witch. "As do the dwarves, we will hold a wake, and burn their remains," I replied. I walked over to where Danzing stood. He'd done well, as a horse, to travel so quickly. We'd need his help now again as a dwarf for our unhappy task.

I focused on him, picturing him again as before. It almost seemed a reverse of the transformation; first his muzzle began to shrink, as did his ears, back to the craggy face of the dwarf. His neck began to shrivel, the dark hair vanishing back within his body as the change spread back through his torso and arms, finally reaching his waist. He pushed himself almost up, standing as his tail began to shorten and disappear back to the base of his spine.

His legs and arms quickly lost their equine hair, reproportioning until finally only his hooves remained, and with a final mental push these too returned to their original shape. Danzing was still a bit too big, and for a moment I thought of leaving him such, but decided not- it was hazardous to leave someone partly transformed, and I returned him back to his smaller stature. "Unicorn, I feel your loss," he said solemnly.

Shalfour and Veola had already started to pile the bodies of the rest of Danzing's company on a small hill, away from the corpses of the evil elves that they'd leave to rot in the sun and be plundered by other scavengers. Like the dragon, the elves deserved no honor and would receive none from us or the others of their ilk.

Danzing, Kallain and I pushed at the heavy dragon's corpse, to roll it aside. I braced myself for what I'd see. Kallain and I pushed at it's midsection, while the dwarf pushed on one of the dragon's stiff forelegs to get more leverage. He looked down, then looked up at us, then back down again.

I stepped forward, past the reptile's breastbone, and looked down. The unicorn that lay there still had a silvery white coat, a color identical to Seregon and mine's, save for the gash ripped from her side by the dragon as she had come to answer Seregon's cry for help. The mare was beautiful, even in death, and was all too familiar. I collapsed to my knees, laying my head across my mother's neck.

Kallain stepped behind me, and let out a deep whinnying cry of recognition. "My dam! The dragon has killed my dam!"

**************************************

It was almost dark before we had finished preparing. As the custom of the dwarves, we stacked the bodies of Danzing's troop in a circle, their backs around the pile of wood that would be their funeral pire, their weapons in their hands to signify that they had fallen in battle. They'd left a gap in their circle, which worried me. Dwarves tend to be emotional about death in battle, and I was concerned that Danzing might do something rash- like burn himself alive. "Danzing, you've left a gap in your perimeter," I said cautiously, sounding him out.

He nodded. "If you'll help us, that spot is for the mare." He looked at Kallain, then back to me. "She fell with the dwaves, she can stand with them for eternity."

I bowed, deeply touched. Dwarves did not make such a gesture lightly and seldom offered such an honor. Kallain and I gently picked up our mother and carried her to the spot that Danzing had left for her, then stood back beside the two dwarves, Connie, Ming, and Veola. Danzing had a lit torch, and stood off to one side.

"I will speak for the dwarves," Shalfour said formally. I wasn't sure why Danzing wasn't the one speaking, as he was the senior of the two, but I listened, cocking my ears and turning my head slightly to watch. "I was of this company now for three years, and shared in danger and victory. Soldiers were we all, and we fought with honor. Together again we will someday." The wind began to pick up, as dark clouds scurried across the sky, hastening away the sunset.

"Who brought death to these soldiers?" Danzing suddenly asked.

"The blades of the despicable Dark Elves, and the flame of a vile red and black dragon" Shalfour replied.

Danzing walked forward and laid the torch on the pile of wood. Despite having just been cut and gathered, it all roared to flame almost instantly, and Danzing's hair was a bit singed as he turned and walked back to face us. He looked at Kallain. "Will you speak for your kin?"

"I am the eldest brother, and will speak for Shaleean," I said. Kallain looked at me, flipping his ears up and tilting his head back in shock as I stepped forward. "My dam came to save her grandson, called by the bond that all unicorns feel for their kin. She stood with the dwarves, and fought with honor." I choked back a tear. [i]Mother, I haven't seen you in a century, and now I will never see you again in this life.[/i] I wondered why she'd never told me about Kallain, though I hadn't seen her since long before he was born.

"Who brought death to our mother?" Kallain said in a dry voice. I could see him trembling from the same agony I felt.

"The blades of the despicable Dark Elves, and the flame of a vile red and black dragon," I replied, staring at the growing flames of the bonfire.

Veola was half backing away and murmuring something under her breath, but I could hear it with my sharp equine hearing. "I'll be nae part of this."

The fire seemed to pick up in intensity and heat, that offset the cold evening breeze in a stark contrast as I continued. "The dark evles will know no peace from the anger of a unicorn. I will avenge the deaths of those who fell here." I lifed my right foreleg, then slammed my hoof to the ground as there was a rumble of thunder in the distance from the approaching storm. "I swear this."

Kallain stepped forward, the reflection of the fire in his eyes. "I swear this as well." He leaned his head forward, our alicorns touching.

Shalfour and Danzing both stepped forward, placing their hands on our alicorns. "As we will, the elves and dragons will all perish, or we will die in the attempt."

Veola and Ming both grabbed at Connie, but she jumped past them and touched our alicorns as well. "I'm gonna waste those bastards!" she cried out.

The fire grew even hotter. The bodies of our dam and the dwarves seemed to almost shimmer, as if they were going to step forward as well, then seemed to vanish from the heat. I turned, starting to walk away. Kallain and the two dwarves turned to follow us, as did Connie after she took a last look back, and we walked over to where Veola and Ming were standing.

"You're going to kill them all? All of the elves and dragons?" Ming asked me. "The five of you?"

"As many as we can," Danzing replied, his eyes glowing and alive again.

"Nae good will come of this," Veola warned. "Ye'll be trodden a path to more heartbreak."

"I'll take that chance," I replied. "But Ming is right. We'll need more help to take on the dark elves. We'll go to Gwilellen Fane, and ask the Lady Gwilellen for the help of her knights." [i]And we will find Seregon- wherever they've taken him, I must save my colt. [/i]

"Gwilellen Fane is a hundred leauges off," Shalfour said, his face silhoutetted by the nearby fire.

It would take a good week to walk, though Kallain and I might gallop there in a day, five were really too many riders for two of us to carry, and there were no shortcuts to get there through the rifts. I needed to either change someone or leave them behind. We were doubtless going to run into more of the dark elves or their allies, so changing either of the two dwaves, experienced warriors, was out of the question. Veola didn't want to be changed, and I couldn't force a change onto a magic being. Connie's magic was powerful, and changing her would be even more of a liability than changing the dwarves.

Which left Ming. She was still not quite well, but she was the only choice. Leaving her alone here, in the wilderness, was unthinkable. [i]And she does make a lovely mare.[/i] I pushed the thought aside. "Ming, will you allow me to change you to a horse?"

She wanted to say yes- most horses could read humans quite well from the way they moved, and I was not an exception. "To support your war?" she asked.

"There's nothing wrong with a good war," Danzing said.

"Change her anyway," Connie urged. "I'll do it." She started to make a motion, to gather manna for the spell.

"Wait," I said sharply, then looked back to Ming. "At Gwilellen Fane, you can leave us if you wish, as you'll be safe there."

She looked at Connie. "I need to look after Connie, as it is clear that no one else will. Change me." She looked at me boldly, then unbuttoned the tunic she wore, allowing it to drop to the ground.

Kallain snorted. I looked over at him, pinning my ears and bobbed my head slightly in warning, then looked back to Ming.

"I'll do her again," Connie said. She brought her hands forward, and Ming was surrounded by the bluish glow, even more profound here at night.

She seemed relaxed as the change began to slowly wash over her. It started with her tail- long, black, the wavy hair of a bay. It grew, fully sized, before any of the rest of her started to change, and she twitched it across her bare human skin, then looked down as her feet began to roll and change shape, leaving her standing on two hooves as if wearing a strange pair of high heeled shoes. Slowly, then with increasing speed, the dark brown hair began to sprout from around her ankles, moving up her legs to her waist as they changed shape, becoming nicely proportioned, but still not fully horse sized, as her shoulders began to widen.

She reached up and touched her ears- horse ears, sitting high on her still human head. She'd seemed to enjoy it to this point, but got a strange look as her breasts began to roll together and change shape, becoming the teats that would sit up between her legs. I didn't know if it was unpleasant or merely felt strange, and I made a mental note to ask her later.

At this point, her hands began to become hooflike and her nose and mouth pushed forward, changing to become again the lovely face of the mare that I'd lusted after. Her neck and torso began to enlarge, and she fell forward again to her forelegs-they were no longer what you could call arms- and as the dark brown fur spread across the rest of her torso, she grew slightly larger, becoming again a bay mare.

But something was wrong- she fell to the ground, then to her side, and let out a squeal of pain, writhing slightly. Veola stepped up quickly, placing a hand on Ming's forehead. "Stop it, yer' killin' her!" the leprechaun said.

"I can't!" Connie cried out in panic. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Kallain and I jumped forward, our noses flared in alarm, and we lowered our head near Ming. She was clearly in pain. "Connie, what did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing! I changed her back, to exactly the way she was before!" Connie was almost in hysterics.

"Change her back!" Danzing said.

"Nae, she'll die for certain if ye do," Veola replied. She knelt by Ming, then looked at me. "An' she'll die if she stays like this as well."

***********************************

I looked at my brother, who was a mirror of myself. His nostrils were flared and his eyes wide with the growing panic that we both felt. We had lost our dam; now we were about to lose a mare we were both attracted to, and neither of us knew what to do to save her. Twisting shadows from the bright fire flickered across the two dwarves, who looked at us helplessly. Connie took in a deep gulp of air as she started to cry. Ming squealed, tortured by the pain, and I fought my instinct to run, to flee from the unknown danger. [i]I'm a unicorn. We can't die from illness like common horses...[/i] Suddenly the answer was clear. "Shalfour."

"Yes, unicorn?" The dwarf looked at me hopeful, maybe hearing from the tone of my voice that somehow I'd be able to save Ming.

"Get my dam's alicorn from the fire." The horn was magic, it would take a long time to be consumed.

Shalfour dashed to the fire. I knew he'd burn his hands, but this was the only way. "Thardor, what are you doing?" Kallain asked as I walked even closer to Ming.

"Connie, come to me," I said, not answering him.

Veola suddenly realized what I was about to do. "Unicorn, think o' the consequences." Shalfour came back, his hands reddened, holding the alicorn. "Connie, take it from him," I said.

She hesitated, then reached out, gritting her teeth but suddenly seeming surprised. "It's not hot."

"Close your eyes and relax," I said. Connie's magic was more powerful when she was with me, and it worked both ways. I stood very close to her, laying my head across her shoulder, and felt a sudden surge of energy.

"Ye will nae be able to change her back," Veola warned. "'Twill be permanent."

"So is death," I said, concentrating. I'd never be able to change Ming back. Veola knew it, I knew it as well, and I hoped that Ming would not hate me for the gift- or the curse- that I was about to give her.

Connie gasped as the alicorn in her hands began to vanish. I knew that wasn't what was affecting her but the strength of the magic that I was pulling into her; the concentrated magic of my dam's horn. I was her familiar; I could tap into her magic as well. I didn't know why one of the Dark Elves had not done this to increase their power, but I pushed the thought aside, reaching into Connie and pulling the power through. I felt charged, as if I was about to float off the ground, and snorted, then let out a deep whinny, starting to lose myself in the giddy power I felt within myself.

Ming cried out again, bringing my focus back to her. I tried to mentally picture her as she was; a lovely bay mare- but with a golden horn. I'd make her a unicorn; she'd never be human again, but would be one of us. It would have been beyond Connie and my combined power; but the magic from my dam's alicorn would be enough more, I hoped, to let me do the transformation. It would be easy; a simple and quick change, I hoped.

It wasn't. The manna seemed to pour out of me, uncontrolled, a bluish silvery wave that swirled around us all, so tangible as to ruffle the clothing that the dwarves, Veola, and Connie wore. The fire roared, glowing as bright as daylight, and Kallain and I blinked, trying to shield our sensitive equine eyes. The silvery bluish magic spun around us like a tornado, pouring into Ming, and I heard Veola cry out in terror.

Kallain and I watched, reaching down with our noses as Ming seemed to glow, the dark brown of her coat and black mane rapidly fading to a silvery white, as if she were becoming a ghost. Her outline and form began to become blurry, and I started to feel anxiety again. [i]What have I done?[/i]

Suddenly it became dark again. The fire died suddenly, as if someone had shut a door. It was taking forever for our eyes to adjust, but our noses didn't need to. I breathed in deeply, hearing Kallain do so as well, smelling the warm mare who lay on the ground before us. It was Ming, I recognized her scent, and relaxed as she began to stir.

Neither of us stepped back as she pushed out her forelegs and stood, and as our eyes adjusted to the darkness I could see her. She had changed; silvery white overall like me, and there was a golden alicorn on her forehead. She half turned, looking at us with her deep brown eyes. Kallain and I both nickered to her, a gentle horse greeting.

Ming turned to face us. I touched my nose to hers, drinking in her breath as she exhaled; she flared her nostrils and did the same with mine. My heart was pounding. [i]She's a mare. I want her. She's a unicorn now, and she'll...[/i]

Ming suddenly rolled back on her haunches and galloped off into the darkness.

********************************

Elves think, and Unicorns act. An elf or a human would be astonished at Ming running off and stop to ponder what to do. A horse would not; and deep down a unicorn has the same survival instincts that any other equine does. Ming was running unexpectedly, possibly from some danger I had not seen, and without even thinking I galloped off after her, Kallain close on my heels.

We quickly left the funeral pyre behind us, it's glow soon a speck on the horizon. I calmed as I galloped through the night, the rush of adrenaline slowly decreasing, as I felt the soft turf comfortably crushing beneath my hooves, and began to feel a strange sense of peace, watching the pale form of the mare ahead of me and catching glimpses of Kallain behind me. The three of us galloped through the night for perhaps ten minutes, when Ming suddenly stopped.

Kallain and I both ran by her, turning and galloping around her in a circle. We both started to buck and kick out at the air, snorting and tossing our heads. For a few moments, we pushed aside the agony of thought, and were just a pair of colts that had chased a mare for fun. We tightened our circle, then stood face to face, snorting at each other. Kallain and I both reared, nipping at each other, not in anger but in play.

"What did you do to me?" Ming suddenly demanded, and Kallain and I stopped, turning to her, lifting our ears forward almost apologetically at having forgotten her.

"I've saved you," I answered. "You would have died."

"What did you do to me?" she asked again, pinning her ears back and suddenly starting to shake, as if afraid.

"You're one of us now," I said, walking close.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" she almost shrieked.

I was confused "This is what you wanted."

"I wanted to be a horse," she said, her voice shaking.

"What's the difference?" Kallain said. "It's better to be a unicorn."

She looked at him. "I don't know if I can handle this. Change me back."

"I can't," I answered.

"Why not?" She seemed appalled. "Why not? You changed me back and forth before."

Trying to explain magic is like trying to explain gravity. For a unicorn, both are things that just are, and changing her back was like water flowing uphill- it was something that could not happen, but at the same time was something I couldn't explain. "I just can't," I replied.

"So what's the problem?" Kallain said, his head slightly turned to one side and both his ears cocked to listen to her in curiousity.

"I feel things... I can see things that aren't here," she said.

"Like what?" I asked, confused. I turned my head to both sides, but all I could see was the dark and empty plain, and in the distance a yellowish spec of light that was the fire.

"There's a white cloud, like dust, that trails behind you both," she said, looking between Kallain and me. "And Veola, but with her it was yellow, and Connie, but bright blue."

I glanced at Kallain, then at Ming, but saw nothing unusual. "I don't see anything," I said. There was nothing but the usual slight glow of mana from the passing of a magic creature, like the wake of a boat going through a lake. [i]Funny, Connie mentioned that once too, once Gulthar started training her. I wonder why Ming never noticed it before.[/i]

"That's just us," Kallain said. He looked down at the ground, then back up, taking a few steps toward her, and he suddenly whinnied, arcing his neck slightly.

She flared her nostrils, taking a breath to answer him, but abruptly turned away. "See, there's another thing. I can't control myself, and I'm just reacting."

I pinned my ears and bobbed my head at Kallain in nonverbal warning, then looked back at Ming. "You're a unicorn, not a horse. Your brain works differently." I wasn't sure what that meant, but Lydia had told me that repeatedly, so I guessed it was probably true.

"I can't understand it. It wasn't like this when I was a horse. This is more intense."

She was very close to me, and I arced my own neck a bit, flaring my own nostrils. She subconsciously flicked her tail slightly to the side, and now it was Kallain's turn to snort at me in warning- it took all my self control to not immediately hurl myself onto her back. Instead, I pressed my chin against her withers and began to gently knead her back with my teeth. She nickered, a low rumbling one, an invitation, and I started to roll my weight back onto my hind legs, preparing to rear up and mount her.

Ming suddenly jumped forward. "Stop!" she said. I almost fell over, stumbling as she ran out from beneath me, as Kallain snorted and laughed.

"You'd better mind your manners, brother," he said., then suddenly turned serious. "My brother."

I turned to him, suddenly feeling the deep emotion. "My brother." I'd never known about him. "Did Shaleean ever speak to you of me?"

He looked down. "She never spoke your name. I know not why." He looked up, one ear forward, the other behind, his emotions confused. "She only told me once that I had a brother, but would not speak more." He looked back down.

"Tell me," I said gently. Kallain seemed reluctant to say more. "Kallain, I have to know."

"She seemed ashamed to speak of you," the sorrel unicorn said, looking up at me with sorrowful eyes.

I hung my own head. I'd asked, and he'd answered.

"She was not ashamed of you," Ming suddenly said. She turned back toward us, the three of us now standing in a small circle. "She was ashamed of herself."

"How can you say this?" I asked, pain in my voice.

Ming closed her eyes and shook her head up and down, sending her forelock swirling around her alicorn. "I just know this. It's as if I can remember it."

Kallain looked up, his ears up in alert, and I caught his eye. This wasn't something normal for a unicorn, and I began to feel uneasy, that perhaps Veola's warning might have been true.

Thunder 13

A thick fog settled across the plain as the night went on, it's moisture leaving us all damp and chilled. We stayed away from the funeral pyre's warmth that night, as if being close to it would somehow dishonor those who had died here the previous day. Kallain and I took turns at standing watch while the others slept- horses require little sleep and unicorns are much as horses, so we left the others to their troubled dreams.

The morning brought little respite from the mist. This was actually good in a way, as it would hide us from prying eyes. I looked across our small and determined group as the two dwarves, Danzing and Shalfour, collected up their arms, placing on their armor and helms. Veola, the Leprechaun, took little time; she wore a dress that seemed plain at first but was delicately intricate on close inspection. Connie, the young human sorcerer in training, was dressed similarly, but also wore an elven cloak, late the property of one of the now deceased dark elves who had been her captors. Both carried small bags, filled with extra clothing and items that I could only guess the nature of.

There were no saddles for any of the three of us unicorns. Ming, the transformed human woman, had never worn one, and I doubted young Kallain had either, as most unicorns seldom would acquiesce to be ridden. For myself- having been forced to masquerade as a common horse for many years among the humans- I would have preferred one, to save my back from the bumping of riders, but the only saddle we'd had was lost a week earlier, just after we'd stepped through the rift from the human plane to that of the elves, and straight onto their war. As I thought of this, my heart burned with bitterness and anger at the elves who had stolen away my colt, killed my dam, and brought dragons into this plane.

"Where are we going?" Connie suddenly asked, as she stood by me. The others all looked at me expectantly. I hadn't really thought much about it, but had to think of an answer.

"Bacantu Fane," I replied confidently. "Lord Bacantu is threatened by the dark elves, and he will certainly help us." I felt her grasp my mane, pulling herself to my back. I was the tallest of the three unicorns, and felt a little guilty about having the lightest rider, but I was Connie's familiar- the creature magically bound to a wizard- and by touching me her power was magnified dramatically.

Ming allowed the two dwarves to ride her- the three were bonded together themselves, not by magic but by shared experiences; Ming had almost died from exhaustion in the form of a horse carrying the two to save Connie after she'd been kidnapped by the dark elves. Kallain, my younger brother, turned a curious ear toward her but said nothing as Veola sprung lightly to his back. Leprechauns were almost invariably fine riders, and Connie had been taking lessons as a child, so Kallain and I would have a relatively easy time, and I made a secret mental note to speak to Ming and Kallain about sharing the burden of carrying the heavier and clumsy dwarves.

We set out at a light canter, our hooves silent on the wet grass. The fog was so thick that it was hard to see more than a few feet, and I could hear better than see where Ming and Kallain were. The dim glow of the sun was enough to keep headed in the right direction, but did little to warm us or burn away the fog. Connie and I seemed almost alone, shielded from sight, though I knew the others could hear us.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

I turned an ear back to listen to her. "We'll find the Yebisu road, then go up it until we get to Lord Bacantu's castle. You can't miss it."

"No, I mean about the dark elves."

I thought for a moment as I cantered, feeling her bump slightly. "Move back a little," I said. "You're sitting too far over my withers."

I felt her slide back, over the low part of my back, where she wasn't digging into my shoulders with each of my strides. "Are we going to kill them all?"

"Of course," I said. "They're all bad. They took Seregon, and killed Bolger." [i] And they killed my dam. Our dam. Kallain and I will kill them all, them and the vile dragons they brought here. [/i]

"Ye canna' kill ten thousand elves," I heard Veola's voice from the mist. I shuddered a bit; it was almost like her voice was in my head, and I pinned both my ears back.

Danzing's voice came back from the other side- Ming was off to my right, Kallain off to my left. "The unicorn says we will kill them all, and we will." Things were always very black and white to dwarves, and I relaxed a bit, changing leads as we started a large curve to the right to avoid some rocky terrain. Dwarves and unicorns had little in common but that same outlook- there was no in between, no compromise that we were comfortable with. Good or evil, everything was one or the other, very simple and straightforward. Humans tended to make things too complex, elves were worse still at seeing too many sides to every issue, and Leprechauns- well, they were almost frustratingly amoral, taking all sides of every issue. I snorted as I cantered, wondering why I'd brought Veola along, but technically she was our prisoner, sort of, in some ill defined way, for having tried to delay us from our quest at the behest of the dark elves.

The road suddenly sprung upon us from the fog, and I turned more sharply right, finding Ming already standing on it. I stopped as well, as Kallain walked up to us through the fog. "Is this the path you plan to go down?" she asked me.

I looked at her, feeling a desire that cut through the cool air. She was lovely; a silvery grey unicorn, slightly shorter than my brother or me. The damp air had matted down Kallain's mane, but hers was shining and soft, and I longed to walk over and rub the crest of it gently with my teeth. Instead, I contented myself with walking over and standing close so I could smell her scent. She turned one ear back, pinning it almost flat, a clear warning to not get amorous.

"There are happier paths ye' might choose," Veola said, looking at me knowingly. "Ones that lead tae green fields and nae to death."

I feigned ignoring her. "This is the road to destiny," I said, feeling a bit uneasy, turning my ears so I could hear to both sides.

Kallain suddenly snorted, picking his ears up. I turned my head in the direction of his, my ears snapping up as well, straining to see and hear through the fog. Behind us, I could hear and feel the dull noise of the two dwaves dropping off Ming's back and their heavy and rushed footsteps as they came up to us, readying their swords. I knew they couldn't hear what Kallain and I strained to hear, but they knew by our sudden alert postures that something indeed was out there.

"Eight horses, and one has a rider," Kallain said, for their benefit and not for mine.

That likely meant that there were seven dismounted riders in the fog, and as we couldn't hear them they were elves. But which were they- friend or foe? If they were dark elves, their first introduction might be a volley of arrows. "Connie, can you dispel the fog?" I asked.

"Gulthar didn't get to that kind of stuff yet," Connie said. I could feel the energy within her as she prepared to do something- it felt odd, stronger than it had before, and I wondered for the second time if I'd done the right thing in allowing her to absorb the energy from my dead dam Shaleean's alicorn.

Danzing suddenly strode forward, into the mist, until he was an indistinct shape. "Who goes there, friend or foe?" he called out in his deep voice.

"Not everyone must be a friend or a foe, dwarf," a voice answered back.

I looked at Kallain, gesturing slightly with my head, and he nodded, arching his neck slightly. Though we were not horses, we shared their sensitive hearing and now knew where one of the elves was. If a volley of arrows came Kallain would charge into the mist and likely dispatch at least one of our foes. Elves tend to talk too much, and if we could get the others started might locate them all- or they might debate long enough for the fog to lift.

"One must stand hard against evil or nurture it! Come forward and show yourself," Danzing shouted. I could hear growing anger and frustration in his voice.

A different voice- younger and female- answered. "What if we choose not to?"

"I can make it rain fire all around us," Connie said to me in a confident, matter of fact voice.

Elves have superb hearing, and even though Connie hadn't said it very loudly one of them heard. "Don't make empty threats of magic that can be answered with very real arrows."

The horse within me was getting scared. The elves wouldn't come out into the open where we could see them, and the idea of Connie vaporize them all with a magic firestorm was quite appealing. If they were dead, they could no longer harm us, whether they were good or evil would no longer matter, and in a way it would be their fault for not coming out to where we could see them. I was about to tell Connie to use the magical attack when Ming spoke up. "Where are all of you going?"

This question had little to do with whether they were good or evil, and for a moment I was annoyed. I turned my head slightly to see her from my right eye, and as soon as I did my anger melted away, replaced again by desire, and I hardly listened to the elves' reply.

"We are traveling to Bacantu Fane, for a parley council," the first elf answered.

I relaxed. The elves were going to a parley council, no doubt to prepare for the war on the dark elves. "We, too, are traveling to Bacantu Fane," I answered.

As we stood, a shape took form, slowly emerging from the mist. A tall elf, his graying hair betraying that he was very old indeed, stepped forward, his sword still drawn. His armor seemed as old as he, and the green and tan stripes painted on it were interspersed with dents and scratches of many combats. Danzing and Shalfour stepped slightly aside, awed by the aura of power that the old warrior exuded. He glanced about our group, his eyes settling on me. "You are the leader of this group, unicorn?" It was more of a statement and challenge than a question.

I'd had my fill of rude elves on this trip. "Yes," was all I replied, looking straight at him. It would have been more courteous in the manners of humans and elves to introduce myself, but he hadn't, and it would have been more courteous in the manners of unicorns or horses to turn my head slightly to the side instead of pointing my sharp alicorn directly toward him, but I did, watching him with both eyes and listening with both ears intently.

He approached me until I lowered my head slightly, a subtle threat that brought my alicorn level to his chest. He stopped there, warily looking at me, his sword not quite at the ready for an attack but his confident posture leaving no doubt that he could parry any thrust. "And what might your purpose be in Bacantu Fane?"

"A private matter," I replied. "And yours?"

"Unicorns are seldom so secretive," the elf said. He was carefully evaluating me, looking me over from hoof to ear. "And this child..."

"I'm twelve," Connie shot back. "I should'a rained fire down on you. I can still toast your ass."

*************************

"Connie!" Ming said sharply. "That's enough foul language." She walked up next to me, looking over the elf. "Why are you afraid?"

The elf was slightly taken aback. "I've never slain a unicorn, but doubt it would be much trouble, so fear them little."

I snorted, tensing myself to lunge. "I've slain a few elves, and know it is little trouble, so fear them not at all."

He scowled, turning to Ming, then looked back at me. "I see no reason for your mare to insult me by questioning my courage."

"I am not his mare, and I am not questioning your courage," Ming said. "Action in the face of fear is courage. Action without concern for danger is stupidity." She looked at me as she said this, then turned back to the elf- but I noticed that she, too, was tense.

The elf paused for a moment, then with a smooth action spin the pommel of his sword, sliding the weapon into it's sheath. "Very well, then. You may accompany us to Bacantu Fane, and enjoy our protection."

"You are too kind," I replied coldly. "However I see little reason to be slowed down by a bunch of oafish elves."

More elves were emerging from the fog, silently approaching; there were only three, and I noticed with surprise that two were children. "For the children's safety, unicorn," the elf said softly. "There were twenty of us when we set out."

The rest of the elves stood silently, watching the elf and me. The moist air condensed around our faces, leaving tiny water drops sliding down and dripping to the ground. "What of the rest?" I asked as quietly, so the others might not hear.

"Demons set upon us, not twenty leauges from here," the warrior replied. "Perhaps fifty. We only escaped as we were mounted."

I made my mind up at once. The elf had seen his kinsmen perish, and there was no reason to humiliate him before the others. "I am Thardor, of Gwilellen Fane. Would you be so kind as to allow us to accompany you?" I asked, bowing slightly.

The elf relaxed, returning my bow. "I would be most honored should your group accompany us, Thardor. I offer you the protection of Sir Frecsan, of Daenbeigh."

Connie was still on my back and made a disgusted snort, but offered no further comment. Another elf came up, mounted on a grey mare, who was followed by seven other horses. Kallain and I tilted our heads back slightly to focus on them, flaring our nostrils slightly to catch their scent. One of them nickered, and Kallain and I both nickered back to her, a dark sorrel mare.

Ming seemed a little confused by it all, and looked to me, as if uncertain as to what question to ask. I wasn't sure what question to answer as the sorrel mare pushed past the other horses, holding her nostril against Kallain's as they exchanged breaths; she squealed suddenly and Kallain arched his neck, then glanced at me as the elves' horses pushed around my brother and me, only sparing Ming a brief glance.

I smelled the breath of a grey mare, who pressed close against me. Ming suddenly pinned her ears back and bit the grey on her rump. As she squealed and moved away, I looked over at Ming. "I was just being polite."

"You and Kallain can be polite when our business is done," she replied hotly.

The two dwarves were walking up to us out of the fog. Kallain and I looked at each other, and he winked at me. We both knew the Elves' mares would still be in heat tonight, and that the Elves would complain little about having a crop of half unicorn foals next year. [i]We'll just have to find some way of distracting Ming. But why should that matter?[/i] "Frescan, can we trouble you for the use of your mares?" Ming pinned her ears flat back and lowered her head toward me menacingly. "So that our four companions might ride them, and spare our backs," I hastened to add.

"That should be no trouble at all," the elf replied. He gestured toward the eight mares. "We have four spare."

Connie slid down from my back, walking to the mares and looking at them with a practiced eye, then picking a black one. Veola held her hand out as she walked by me, and paused for a moment. "Listen to ye' heart, unicorn. It speaks true," she whispered, then walked over, springing lighty to the back of the grey mare that I'd exchanged greetings with.

"A fast journey, then," Frescan said as he mounted another of the horses. We turned and followed them as they began to trot down the road, then Kallain and I broke to a canter, passing the horses and taking the lead. We cantered a bit too far, until I judged we were out of easy hearing for the rest, then fell back to a trot.

"A fine night we'll have tonight, old horse," Kallain said to me gleefully. "Four for you, and four for me."

"What about Ming?" I asked him, feeling the road's surface changing to slightly uneven stones.

Kallain snorted. "She's crazy. Unicorn mares are bad enough, but one that was human? She'd want you all to herself, you saw how she was back there." Kallain stumbled slightly on a larger rock as the fog got thicker, but caught himself. "Give her a few hundred years. Maybe she'll come around, but if you cover her, she'll expect you to help her raise the foal and everything."

I thought about Seregon, somewhere alone and afraid. "That might not be all bad." The road surface changed slightly, becoming flatter and slightly springy soil, and we picked up our pace. I turned my left ear back to listen to the hooves of the horses, then once they picked their pace up turned it back to listen to Kallain.

"Well then, brother, tonight you go courting Ming and distract her for me, if that's your wont," Kallain said. "I'll be thinking of you, while I..."

He was suddenly silent, bringing his ears forward and raising his head slightly, peering into the dense fog. I strained to listen as well, hearing what he had- a faint unnatural creaking sound, a piece of wood being strained to near the breaking point. It was not far ahead, perhaps another thirty yards, and as we both slowed to a walk I hoped that the elves behind us would hear our pace change and slow as well to the unknown that we now faced.

*****************

I heard most of the hoofbeats behind us stop, not all at once but an an uncertain muddle. One of the elves' mares whinnied, calling for us to join the safety of the herd, and I had to stop my instinctive reaction to call back reassuringly. Kallain and I moved forward, close together, relying on our keen hearing.

A huge darkness loomed from the fog as we approached, and I tensed, preparing to turn and run if need be. I flicked one ear back, listening as two of the horses behind us came cautiously- no, one horse and a unicorn.

I paused, half turning my neck. Ming came to us first, followed by Connie riding the black mare. Ming looked at me, more curious than afraid from the noise, and I pushed aside an instinctive desire to reach over and nip her, to warn her to run from the danger.

Kallain snorted, jumping back, and I whirled about, lowering my head to face the danger. He stood snorting, his eyes wide, and I pranced forward to see what had startled him.

A troll's face leered back from the fog, it's features strangely distorted. It was hanging from the branch of a tree that stuck out over the road.

I relaxed. It was just the skin of a face, stripped from a presumably deceased troll and stretched across the tree's twigs. "Cool," Connie said as she rode up. The mare she rode snorted, smelling the death in the air.

Ming seemed distraught. "This is horrible," she said. "Who could do such a thing?"

"Someone who doesn't like trolls and has a knife," I replied, walking closer. The greenish blood was still dripping. "Not too long ago, the blood hasn't congealed."

"I don't like this, Thardor," Kallain said, sidestepping away from the path. "It's an ill omen."

Frescan appeared from the fog, moving silently as only elves can. "Slaying trolls is a good service," he said, sheathing the weapon he held.

"It's like he was watching the road," Kallain said, eyeing the gruesome remains.

"An' well he may be." Veola was suddenly there as well, having come up with the elf. "There's magic on yon troll's head." She made a small sign of leprechaun's magic, something to ward off a curse. "Someone be watchin' through his eyes."

I looked back at the grotesque head. "No matter," I said.

The troll's eyes suddenly blinked, and the dead mouth moved as if to reply. I took a half step back, then followed Kallain, sidestepping off the path and past the tree, then we followed my brother into the still thick fog.

*************

We traveled quickly the rest of the day, and the fog incongruously began to lift as darkness fell. The air turned cooler and crisp, and though there was no moon the stars' light gave the world a strange appearance. We could see for miles, yet the colors in the starlight were strange, making everyday and common things seem new and unfamiliar.

The elves camped close together, in their manner, among a grove of trees. They let their mares loose, knowing they would not stray far from the safety and presence of two stallions, unicorn or horse. The mares once unsaddled rolled, rubbing the day's damp sweat from their backs, streching and shaking once they came back to their hooves, then looked at us expectantly. Kallain snorted, tossing his head, and we moved off into a grassy field where I could smell a stream. Ming followed the mares, near the back of the group, and I came near her. "Should we go far from Connie and the elves?" she asked.

"We have to drink and eat," I replied. "Besides, we aren't far- not for unicorns or horses." I glanced back toward the camp, where a small fire was flickering. I breathed in, smelling the delicious aroma of the night- the cool air, the moist stream that I could hear, the smell of mares.

Ming abruptly stopped, flaring her nostrils and breathing in. "The mares are in heat, aren't they?" She half turned her head, turning one ear to listen to my reply.

"Yes," I said, stopping as well, allowing the elves' mares and Kallain to go ahead. I heard a squeal as one of them bit another, reminding her of which was dominant in the herd.

"Aren't the elves worried that you and Kallain might... well..."

I moved a bit closer to her. "They're expecting us to."

"Why?" She turned her head to look at me with both eyes, then turned slightly to one side.

"It's easier to look through just one eye when you're really close," I said. "We're not predators."

"Don't try to change the subject. Why do the elves expect you to?"

I moved around, so I stood directly beside her, our noses close. She fidgeted a bit, reacting subconsciously to my presence. "So that the mares will have foals."

Her tail twitched, and I arched my neck a bit, trying to look appealing. "Would they be unicorns or horses?" she asked slowly. "What DNA is dominant between the two species?"

I turned half away, snorting. "They'd be whatever they are. Why can't you just accept things as they are?"

"Don't you wonder about why things are?" she asked.

"You mean why it rains, or why the grass grows?"

"Yes." She moved back next to me, and now I was the one that fidgeted, attracted by her closeness. "Wondering why things are and finding out is what makes us human."

"We aren't human, if you haven't noticed, and I've never been." I flicked my tail to emphasize the point. "If you'd stop worrying about these things then you'd enjoy your life more."

"Do you enjoy your life?" she asked me. "Running about, killing everything that disagrees with you, and mating with every mare you see?" She pinned one of her ears back. "You do limit yourself to mares, don't you?" I pinned my ears back in reply. "Don't have such a bad attitude. I only kill things that are evil."

"And what gives you the right to decide what is evil?" She was really close now, her left eye next to my right eye, our flanks pressed together.

"I am a unicorn," I replied in a haughty voice. "I can tell."

In the distance one of the mares gave out a lusty squeal, letting me know that Kallain at least was enjoying his night. I wondered if I'd made a mistake and should have joined him, leaving Ming on her own. She was still pressed next to me, and if not for our argument I would have savored the closeness, but instead felt compelled to walk off into the cool darkness. "Where are you going?" she asked, her soft hoofsteps telling me she was following close behind.

"To find a bit of peace." I lowered my head, pulling up a mouthful of the tender grass, moist with the night's dew.

"Don't you find me attractive?" She came next to me, standing with her head by my withers, and reached over, nipping my mane.

I raised my head. "You might do that a little softer. A horse would have kicked you."

"Sorry." She began to pull at the crest of my mane with her teeth a bit more gently. "Is that better?"

"Yes," I said, trying to relax. "To both questions."

Ming kept quietly pulling at my mane. I tipped my head to one side, allowing myself to relax and enjoy it. There was no reasoning with a mare, I thought as I watched her with my left eye, both ears tipped back expectantly waiting for her to speak again, to continue badgering me.

Instead, when she stopped, she turned to stand next to me and brought her nostril near mine. Her breath was warm and moist, filled with the scent of a mare in heat, and I arched my neck slightly, pressing close against her. I could feel my heart pounding with desire, and I softly nickered to her, a deep rumbling question speaking to her equine instincts.

The part of her that was a mare reacted, and she squealed, tensing up and almost involuntarily stomping her left foreleg. We were both still for a moment, both torn by our own thoughts, not fighting but considering the desire that we both felt. I wanted her badly- it was more than just the physical lust of a stallion, she was beautiful and intelligent, and had shown a heart and spirit far beyond what I'd expected. But still, it would be unfair for me to take advantage of her as she was driven by physical changes that she might not still understand or be able to control, and I resolved myself to turn and walk away.

But it was as if I were held fast by some magic spell, and I stood still beside her, waiting for her to walk off or pass some statement about unicorns being driven by their hormones. Instead, she nickered herself, flipping her tail up and turning half away from me, pressing her rump against my chest, turning her head back and looking at me expectantly, and desire overcame me.

**************************************************************

Authors note- for those seeking a graphic description of what happens next, see the 'Intense Content' category later this month.

****************************************************************

I awoke the next morning as the sun drove the mist away. Ming's head rested gently on my back as we lay on the ground, side by side, our legs tucked beneath us. I turned my head slightly- she was awake and watching me, her soft brown eyes reflecting the morning sun. Neither of us spoke or moved but we just lay there, watching each other contently until a not too distant whinny signalled that the elves' horses were roused and preparing for the day's journey.

We stood, and I was careful to not jostle my mare. Still neither of us spoke, but I touched my alicorn gently to hers, looking lovingly into her eyes. She nickered to me softly, and I back to her, a verbal affection that any equine would understand, then we turned and began to walk back toward the camp.

By the time we arrived, the elves were already finishing saddling their horses and rolling bedrolls up. As we walked into the camp, we passed Danzing- the dwarf furrowed his brow and nodded knowingly as I passed but said nothing.

Connie was a different case- she was standing by a bay mare, holding her reins and preparing to mount, but turned and walked toward me, the mare following obligingly. "Where were you all night?" she demanded, then continued, not waiting for my answer. "Did you?" she asked, looking at Ming.

Ming didn't answer but turned her head, putting against my neck.

"Oooh. That's so gross," Connie said, turning away and putting her foot into the saddle's stirrup, then swinging up onto the bay horse. She tugged on the reins, and the mare tossed her head irritably.

I glared at Connie, then saw Veola out of my left eye- I'd almost stepped on the small Leprechaun, she'd appeared as if from nowhere. "Ye've picked a fine mate, unicorn," she said to me softly. "Nae take care ye' dinna lose her for empty revenge." She sprung lightly to the back of another of the elves' horses, and looked darkly at me. "Go off with her, and raise ye' colts. There be joy down that path, and sorrow down the other."

Ming looked slightly alarmed, pricking up her ears and looking at me. "Don't listen to Leprechauns," I said to her. "They're full of cloudy words and mischief."

"Heed mine, cloudy or nae," Veola said as she turned her horse away. Ming and I fell in behind the rest, following them down the road. Kallain was bright and ebullient, leading our group at a brisk trot, the elves, dwarves, Connie and Veola in the middle all mounted on the elves' horses who followed him enthusiastically. Ming and I dropped back, partly to avoid the dust that was being kicked up and partly so we could be a little bit alone.

"What does she mean?" Ming wondered aloud. "Thunder, why don't we do that, just go off together?"

"I cannot," I said. "There is evil abroad, and if we do not stop it here, it will grow unabated and consume us all."

"Is revenge just what it is all about?" she asked as we trotted. The road was starting to wind back toward a forest, out of the clear fields we'd spent the night in, and we were passing bunches of trees. An old fence appeared beside the road, mapping the edge of a long ago deserted farm, now overtaken and consumed again by young trees of the forest.

"It's not just revenge," I said, "but that would be reason enough. But the dark elves are evil- they want to take over."

"Take over from who?"

"The Lords and Ladies of the Fanes," I said. Kallain had paused ahead, speaking with Sir Frescan, and Ming and I stopped as well, outside of earshot.

Ming looked at me sharply. "How are the Lords and Ladies elected?"

I snorted. "They're born to their office. The dark elves want to take over, and replace them."

"What's wrong with that?" Ming asked. "Why do they have any less right to govern?"

"They weren't born to it," I said, not understanding why she didn't grasp the concept. "I was born a unicorn, so I am a unicorn. Lord Bacantu was the eldest child of his parents, so he became Fane."

"And I was born a human, and am now a unicorn," Ming replied.

"Exactly...I mean, that's different."

"How?"

I looked up suddenly, tilting my head back. "Come on, let's go." I'd not been paying attention, and Kallain and the rest had moved on. Ming and I broke into a slow gallop to catch up.

"How is it different?" Ming pressed.

I swished my tail in annoyance as we slowed to trot across an old bridge. "Because fate put us together." As I reached the other side, I broke into a gallop, as fast as I could run, to catch up with the rest. Ming stayed close beside me, but we were running so hard that we couldn't speak. We caught up to the elves, having to stop abruptly to avoid piling into the riders.

"What's the big hurry?" Connie asked. I pushed by, to the head of the group where Kallain and Frescan were.

"We approach Bacantu Fane," Frescan said solemnly.

This wasn't exactly a surprise. "Then it is fitting we enter together," I said. He dismounted from his horse and we walked forward, Ming still beside me. Kallain watched, then followed behind. This was fitting, as I was the older of the two brothers, as we came over the last hill.

The field beside Bacantu's keep was crowded with large tents, brightly colored with the house colors of each of the Fanes that was represented there. It was spectacular in a way, the shiny silk of the Elves' tents reflecting the late morning sun, and if not for the seriousness would have befitted some entertaining event as a jousting match, but those who stood guard outside each tent wore expressions too grim for a happy occasion. We walked down, to the drawbridge, where a group of guards wore the shiny green and brown armor that proclaimed they were the Fane's house guard. Their lieutenant stepped forward expectantly, the guards behind him standing ready and warily watching our approach.

**************************************************

For an elven warrior, the Lieutenant was rather fat, his armor somewhat stretched at it's flexible joints to keep it in a single piece. He glanced at our group, then looked at me. "What business do you and this rabble have here, unicorn?"

I could see Frescan's grip tighten on the hilt of his sword. Though it remained in it's scabbard, I guessed the old warrior could draw it in an instant. "We come for the parley council," I replied. "And there is no call for you to be rude to your betters."

"Forgive me, your reverence," the lieutenant said in a mocking tone as he made an exaggerated bow toward Frescan. "For I mistook the laggardly condition of your armor for an old elves' neglect, and not for the many combats you've doubtlessly endured."

The other guards laughed, but their relaxed and casual demeanor suddenly changed as Frescan spoke, his tone as hard and cold as the iron of his sword. "If you should care to add a few dents and scrapes to your own armor, Lieutenant, there will be time enough for that on yon jousting field, as soon as the parley council is concluded."

The fat elf was a bit shaken. "I would not wish to risk harming someone as old as yourself," he stammered out, the bravado suddenly gone.

"I can change them all into salamanders," Connie said. She'd walked up as we spoke. "Course, I don't know how to change them back. But you could just squish their asses."

"Connie Hill, please watch your language." I felt a sudden thrill as I recognized the voice, and I instantly whinnied in greeting. It was a bit unseemly- Kallain and Frescan both looked at me in slight annoyance for reacting as a common horse might, but I whinnied again, tossing my head in excitement.

Connie forgot all else too. "Lydia!" she called out, and rushed to the slender blond elven woman who'd masqueraded with me for so many years among the humans. I half cantered and half bucked to her, lowering my head in gentle greeting. Lydia reached out and touched my forehead gently with one hand, the other resting softly on Connie's back.

"Connie and Thunder. I am so happy to see you both," she said.

"You can vouch for them, Lady Gwilellen?" the Lieutenant of the guards asked, his voice tinged with slight annoyance.

Her reply was as cold and edged as Frescan's had been. "Unicorns and Danbeigh Fane have ever been friends of Gwilellen Fane, and until lately of Bacantu as well."

"The times are troubled, and we must take great care, my lady." The lieutenant of the guards gestured, and his men shuffled off as he looked back to us. "I advise you take great care in choosing what friends to maintain, my lady."

"And I advise that a Lieutenant of the guards should take great care in who they provide advice to," Lydia replied. "Come, Thardor, we have much to discuss."

Lydia turned and began to walk off toward the silver and white banners of Gwilellen Fane that flapped idly in the breeze. Connie walked close beside Lydia, talking animatedly, trying to tell her in a single sentence all that had transpired with her over the past year. I followed a half step behind, followed by Kallain, the dwarves and the elves. Ming caught up and pressed close beside me. "Who is she?" Ming asked in a low but demanding voice.

"My Lady Lydia," I replied. "Lady of Gwilellen Fane."

Ming pinned her ears back, letting me know she was annoyed. "You like her."

I flipped one ear back and flared my nostril slightly. "I've known her for four hundred years."

"Do you love her?" Ming was glaring at me, her alicorn close to mine.

"I expect that he should," Lydia said, glancing back over her shoulder. "But I am not his mare."

"Elves have very good hearing," I told Ming as Connie snickered. We stepped into the large tent. The soldiers who stood here were more professional looking, their armor clean and tidy but with the newness long since worn away. A tall elf, the Captain of the guard, nodded slightly to me in courtesy.

"Well met, Thardor."

"Well met, Farhain." I bowed my head slightly, acknowledging the warrior who'd shared troubled times with me before.

Inside the tent, as was the way of elves, there were many rooms divided off by brightly colored tapestries. Farhain silently followed us as Lydia led us to a large one, set up as a dining hall. Already food was being brought out and placed on a large table. Lydia walked to and sat in a large chair in the center as I silently wondered how or why the elves had carted all of this from Gwilellen Fane. Ming stayed pressed close beside me as I walked to stand at the table across from Lydia- humans when on their plane always have a great deal of trouble with the concept of a horse or a unicorn eating at the table, but elves and the creatures of the other planes are quite used to it. We needed no chairs, and could have very little use of them regardless, and I regarded the large gold bowl set in front of me with anticipation as to what delicacy would soon be provided for us.

Ming was still beside me. It would have been more proper for Kallain to stand beside me, as our custom at such a formal gathering was for the oldest unicorn to stand as senior and it would be most fitting for my young brother to be next to me at the table. He flipped an ear back- the equivalent of a shrug- and instead stood between Connie and Danzing, to my right just beyond Ming. To my left sat Frescan, as the most senior of the guest elves, and though technically my equal he deferred to my well known friendship with Lydia. There was a general bustling about as younger elves, wearing the silver and white house colors, quickly brought out food- for us unicorns, succulent green spinach mixed with oat sprouts, and large tankards of golden ale.

Lydia seemed unusually gloomy. "Eat well, guests of the Fane," she announced. The weary elves of Daenbeigh and the two dwarves dug into their food enthusiastically. I was rather hungry myself, but only nibbled at the greens so as to speak with Lydia.

"My lady, I beg your indulgence," I began.

"Thunder, you need not stand on ceremony with me." She looked at me with affection in her eyes, that for a moment seemed happier. "I've missed you. And happier times."

My heart melted. "I have, too," I replied, thinking of how much simpler and pleasant life had been on the plane of the humans, masquerading as a horse and Lydia as my owner. But there had been danger and sorrow there as well, with rogue elves and leprechauns spreading mischief among the humans, and the humans themselves seemingly bent on totally annihilating each other. All in all, though, much less of a problem, the humans' wars and affairs a trivial distraction.

"So you've come here with a unicorn mare," she said, eyeing Ming critically. "Your chosen mare?"

"I'm not his property," Ming snapped back.

****************

Lydia looked at me sharply. "Thunder, this is a human woman. What have you done?"

"She's a fine mare, and the unicorn did well to save her," Shalfour pronounced.

"I helped him," Connie said smugly as she flipped a pea off her plate. "She was real mean, but she made a nicer horse."

Lydia didn't take her eyes from mine. I pretended to be interested in the greens, but knew what was coming. "Even a unicorn cannot change a mortal into an immortal creature, with the help of your wizard or not," she stated.

"We used the alicorn magic," Connie said proudly. "From his dead mother."

Lydia's face betrayed both her sympathy and displeasure. "Thardor." She reached across the table, lightly touching the side of my face, looked to Ming then back to me. "Ming, being a unicorn brings with it enormous responsibility."

Ming was drinking ale and almost choked, spitting some out. "I wouldn't know it from the two that I've met." Kallain nickered and bobbed his head a bit in amusement as she continued. "They seem to have little on their mind except sex and violence."

"You appear to know Thardor quite well, then," she said, turning to Ming. "My dear, the mana- the amount of magic force that is needed to change a creature to a unicorn is enormous, and all pent up inside you now. It is something that will grow stronger the more that you use it."

"Energy is depleted over time," Ming said in a strangely uncomfortable voice. She twitched her tail and her right ear slightly, bending to look toward Connie as if for confirmation.

"Magic is kinda like energy upside down," the young sorcerer said in reply. "That's what Gulthar told me, it isn't the same as electricity or nothing."

Lydia ignored them both. "It is not an everyday occurence, and likely you are the first being changed to a unicorn here in five centuries." This brought another amused nicker from Kallain, and Lydia turned back to me as I looked down at my plate, concentrating on the spinach, trying to pick out the oat sprouts. "Thunder, you did not change another human woman to a unicorn, did you?"

"Well.. no other human woman." I took a large mouthful of the spinach, munching it loudly.

"She was an elf," Kallain clarified, looking at me with amusement as Lydia looked back astonished.

"While I find the unicorn's love life quite intriguing, there are more pressing matters at hand," Frescan interrupted.

"Yes," I said, glad of the diversion of subject. "The dark elves. When will the Fanes move to attack them?"

"We all stand ready," Danzing said, and Connie nodded agreement.

Now Lydia looked down. "There will be no union of the Fanes to attack the dark elves."

This startled the dwarves so much that Shalfour dropped his tankard. It fell to the floor, the ale spreading in a golden wave. "They are evil, and must be eradicated," the dwarf pronounced, standing suddenly as his face flushed with anger.

"The Fanes have met, and reached an accomodation with them," Farhain said from where he sat to the right of Lydia. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he disapproved. "They are quite strong, and the Fanes wish to avoid widespread bloodshed."

"Tis' a wise decision," Veola said. She seemed relieved.

Shalfour was sputtering. "They've killed hundreds, and brought dragons here, and allied with demons, and you're worried about bloodshed?"

"The Fane council has voted," Lydia said flatly. "The Fanes will not unite to war on the dark elves, and instead have ceded Bacantu to their rule."

"What of the Lord Bacantu? I cannot believe he would concede to such an arrangement," Frescan said incredulously, looking at Lydia then to me.

"Lord Bacantu fell in battle," Lydia said softly. "He had no heirs, and the Fane Council saw fit to award his land to the dark elves in trade for peace."

"Who is their leader?" I said. "We will challenge him in battle."

"Thardor, the Fanes cannot not come to your aid," Lydia said.

"Danbeigh Fane will," Frescan said, touching his sword. "I know this."

"Too much of Danbeigh Fane's blood has been spilled already," Frescan said sadly. He picked up his tankard, then put it back down without drinking. "I fear there are few warriors left that can heed your call."

"They've taken a unicorn colt and slain a mare." I stomped my hoof, pinning my ears back. "All unicorns will unite against them."

"Not all. A unicorn mare is in leauge with them," Farhain replied.

"Impossible," both Kallain and I answered insistently, with a single voice.

"A mare, Piesa," Farhain continued. "I spoke with her at the council."

We both snorted. "She's no mare," Kallain said. "She's an elf, transformed."

Lydia instantly knew. "Thunder, why would you do such a thing?"

"He probably wanted to screw her," Connie replied as she stuffed a corn muffin into her mouth.

"Connie, watch your language," Ming said sternly. "Thunder does not go around breeding mares indiscriminately." She looked at me as Kallain nickered again.

"Why? He screwed you, too," Connie said as she reached for her tankard. "He likes bay mares best, you know."

"No matter," I said desperately, stepping back from the table. "We will call them out." We could not attack them during the Parley Council, but would have to wait for it to disperse. I suddenly felt more sure. "We will call them out, and carry out our oath."

Danzing and Shalfour both rose. "Vengance! Vengeance!"

Frescan, nodded, standing slowly. "I will stand with you, unicorn."

"What oath? Thardor, what did you do?" Lydia asked.

"We will have vengeance on those that killed our dam," Kallain replied.

"And on those who killed our company in ambush," Danzing said.

Connie was excited. "We're gonna take 'em out. Every last one."

Veola raised her hand. "Ye can still stop this, unicorn," the leprechaun warned. "Tis nae too late."

"It was too late from the moment they fired their first arrow," I said. Turning to Lydia, I bowed slightly. "My lady, my companions and I will have our leave, as we go to rejoin our herd. Many thanks for your kind hospitality." I turned to walk from the tent. Kallain, Connie, the two dwarves, and Frescan all rose, bowed slightly and turned silently to follow me. Ming looked back and forth between Lydia and me; I tilted my head slightly to one side so I could watch her from my left eye, wondering what decision she'd make, and was pleased when she rolled about her haunches and trotted after us. "Thunder, wait!"

As soon as we left the tent, I turned to face her. "Ming, I knew you'd see things the right way."

She pinned both her ears back. "You have to stop this right now. Veola is right, nothing good will come of it."

"But less evil will come of it," I replied loftily. "For that alone, there will be more good." I started down the path toward the edge of the woods. It was early afternoon, yet the sunshine from the hazy sky almost seemed like moonlight, not casting any distinct shadows and leaving colors faded.

Ming stood watching, then trotted after us, passing the dwarves and coming up beside me again. "Don't you love me?"

I almost stumbled as my forelegs seemed suddenly wobbly. "Love you?"

"Thunder, don't you love me?" she asked insistently. "Don't you want me to be yours forever?"

"I warned you, old horse," Kallain said loudly as we got to the edge of the woods.

"She's a fine mare," Danzing said approvingly. "And she'll be a fine one to add to your band."

"His band?" Ming said, looking toward Danzing and stopping suddenly.

"Yeah, he has at least five or six mares that I know of," Connie said. "And he probably knocked up that elf chick, too."

"Five or six?" Ming's ears went back. "Five or six?"

I'd stopped when Ming did. "It's all right, they're all horses, none of them are unicorns. Except Piesa, and she sort of doesn't count."

Ming lowered her head in a threatening gesture. "How could you do that?"

"Well, it's not like...I mean..."

She suddenly galloped off, down the path and into the woods. "I told you," Kallain said. "Mares are bad enough, but a human..." he flicked his ear back to punctuate his remark. "She's going to want you all for herself. Stick with horse mares. You'll be happier."

My thoughts turned suddenly to Seregon. Frescan was coming up behind us, astride one of his horses, leading three other mares. "It will just be me, as no other warriors are left from Danbeigh Fane," Frescan said as Connie, Danzing and Shalfour each took the reins of one of his mares.

"Then we six will destroy the Dark Elves," I said.

"And more glory to us for it," Danzing said bravely, but we both knew that we faced a daunting task.

************************************************************************

We slept in a small clearing in the woods that night. The mares, Kallain and I didn't go off to graze, but instead all huddled close together for warmth. Fearing an ambush from the dark elves, Frescan lit no fire that might betray us. It was easy enough for the hardened dwarves and Frescan, but I worried about Connie, who seemed to shiver though wrapped in her blanket, and I made a mental promise to myself to watch over her more closely.

I slept little that night, in the manner of horses we require very little sleep, and let my brother nap first. The mares pressed about me invitingly, and I normally would have enjoyed their attention, but instead I brooded over Ming.

*************************************

When Kallain woke up, it was still very dark. He stretched, pushing out his forelegs and pushing himself with his powerful hind legs to stand. As he shook slightly to shake the moisture and dirt off, I nodded my head slightly and walked off to graze for a bit in solitude, confident my brother would watch over the mares and our other charges.

The air was cold and crisp, and the starlight filtering down through the trees let me see the path I was on clearly, though it was dark to either side where the trees blocked the light. I walked down the narrow trail a way until I reached another clearing, glancing about and then satisfied that I was in no danger reached down and began to pull at the long, cool grass, savoring it's freshness. A wonderful thing about being a unicorn or a horse is that we can see quite well, even with our head down to graze, and I soon caught a motion in the darkness at the edge of the clearing, and snapped my head up, flaring my nostrils and bringing up my ears to try to identify the sound.

The breeze carried to me the faint smell of a mare- somewhat familiar, I nickered in greeting, not quite sure of who she was.

"You greet me like a common horse, Thardor?" The voice was light and mocking.

I arched my neck slightly- not as a stallion greeting a mare but as a unicorn preparing for battle.

********************************** She melted out of the shadows, a solid black unicorn mare. The starlight didn't reflect from her coat, only from her eyes and her ebony black alicorn. The dew covered grass was almost silent beneath her hooves as she walked boldly to me, her every step moving her gorgeous body in an undulating temptation. "You fear me, Thardor?"

"You're one of the Dark elves," I replied, keeping my alicorn pointed toward her- a gesture a unicorn would take seriously, though I'd allowed her to get so close as to make a sudden killing blow possible by either of us.

"I'm no longer an elf, but a unicorn like you," Piesa replied. She tilted her head slightly to regard me. "A unicorn."

"You're no unicorn," I said, moving a bit to her right, readying myself to plunge forward. It would be quick and lethal- I would strike my alicorn into her heart, and she would not be able to parry my blow coming from the side.

"I know what you want, Thardor. I want the same thing." She swished her tail invitingly, and I trembled with a sudden burst of lust.

"How do you know what I want?" I lifted my head and tilted my neck a bit, no longer in a threatening position. [i]It'll be easy enough to finish her, but I may as well hear her out.[/i]

She stepped up close beside me, her nostrils by mine, and breathed out. "You want me, don't you?"

I trembled a bit, flaring my own nostrils, drinking in her scent. "I'll change you back to an elf," I said uncertainly. [i]What would it hurt, to take her again? Then I'll change her back. Or finish her off. But Ming...[/i]

"Take me, Thardor," she whispered huskily. "Take me again."

My right foreleg started to come up, as if it had a mind of it's own. All my horse instincts screamed at me- there was a mare, she was willing. "No," I said resolutely. "Your allies killed Bacantu, and for what?"

"So we can have a place for our own," she said, her voice suddenly bitter. "And not my allies- Bacantu spilled his blood on my alicorn, the foolish old elf trusting a unicorn at his back. I killed him, Thardor, with this gift you gave me."

I almost fell. [i]My fault...[/i]

She was suddenly insistent. "The elves are willing to let this pass. Please, Thardor. I beg of you. Come back with me to Bacantu Fane, and live a life of pleasure."

I swung my alicorn down, again in a defensive position, and stepped away. "You've betrayed my trust. Why should I consort with you?"

"Why should you dally with a human child, or elves that offer you nothing but the life of a beast in the field, with no keep or Fane of your own? Come with me, you can have your own stable full of mares along with me to service." She moved close again, pressing her body against mine.

I didn't move away. "Unicorns have no need of material things." [i]A stable full of mares, though...[/i]

Her alicorn vanished from my sight- she was more practiced at being a unicorn than Ming, or perhaps more familiar and trusting of magic, and knew how to appear as an ordinary horse. Piesa whinnied, arching her own neck, flipping up her tail.

I tossed back my head, whinnying back and willed my own alicorn vanish. We stood for a second, two horses in a clearing, forgetting all thoughts but of those driven by instinct, and allowing those to wash through us in a wave of passion. *****************************************************

This time, I was determined- I'd not let her escape me again. Piesa would stay with me, one way or the other, and I stayed awake the rest of the night, watching as she slept. Unicorns are like horses- we don't need to sleep as much as humans or elves do, and I felt quite rested when the sun rose and she finally stirred. "Come on, it's time to go," I told her, bumping her flank gently with my nose.

She yawned, stretching out her forelegs, then pushing herself smoothly up to stand on her hooves. "I've a gift for you, Thardor. Actually, two." She walked over to me slowly, standing beside me.

"If you think that you can... we have to go now, you have much to answer for," I said, trying to ignore her body pressing against mine.

"Before you take me back to the elves, let me tell you about the gifts," she said, flicking her tail slowly.

I nickered, despite myself- she was almost too obvious in her invitation, and it was hard for the horse inside me to not respond. "You cannot bribe me with material things."

"What about Seregon?" she said sweetly. "Would you consider his return a bribe?"

[I]Seregon...[/I]"Take me to him at once."

"Of course," she said, and she broke into a trot.

I followed, quickly catching up and beside her as she went off the path and into the dense wood. "Where is he?"

"Safe, and nearby," she said. We pushed into the heavy brush, breaking through onto an old path. The morning was cloudless, but the thick trees and dark rotting leaves on the seldom used trail made it seem almost twilight. She broke into a fast canter, and I did the same to keep up, the footing soft but somewhat unsure as the slimy leaves provided poor traction.

We cantered through most of the morning, covering perhaps sixty miles- not nearby, even by the reckoning of unicorns- winding down the dark and dreary path, not pausing to rest, and came upon a rocky outcrop. It, too, was covered by the trees, and featured a cave, in front of which an ancient stone wall stood. Two armored elves stood beside a rotten wood door in the wall. Unlike the elves we'd seen at Bacantu Fane, these two stood alert, and their manner bespoke that they were skilled and deadly, but both bowed as Piesa approached. "My lady," one said in greeting as the other opened the wooden door- I saw that it was much thicker and in better condition than it's appearance would suggest.

We walked through into a small courtyard, to discover that there were many similar heavy wood doors built into the side of the hill. Piesa walked up to one, lowering her head slightly to push it open with her alicorn. It swung wide to reveal a huge cavern, where stalls had been built along and into the walls. Light streamed in through several holes in the cave's ceiling, revealing that there were dozens of horses in the stalls.

I whinnied out a greeting. Several horses called back, but also a colt's squealing voice, and I galloped through the crowded area, whinnying again.

Seregon called back to me, and I found him as he trotted out to me. I lowered my head, flaring my nostrils and smelling his breath. He whinnied again, excited. "Seregon, my son."

He was still too young to talk- unicorns seldom can speak before they are ten- but he recognized me, my smell and my voice, and pressed close against me. "Are you pleased with your gift?" Piesa asked as she finally caught up to me.

"He should not have been taken at all," I replied sternly.

"Well, here he is, sound and well," Piesa said. "And here too, a stable full of mares, all for you, Thardor." She pressed close. "For your pleasure. All of them, and myself as well. Live here, safe and happy and in peace, and rule Bacantu Fane by my side."

"No," I said. "The dark elves must answer for their evil deeds, and you as well."

"It's the other mare, isn't it?" Piesa said, pinning her ears back. "The one you call Ming. She's the one driving you to this vendetta."

A few of the elven warriors had gathered around, and I realized the situation was not developing terribly well. "She's the same as you," I replied. "Trying to tempt me with peace and comfort."

"So bring Ming here as well," Piesa said. "I'm willing to share you with other mares." That seemed like the sort of thing a reasonable mare would propose, and for a moment I didn't answer as I pondered Ming's strange human possessiveness. "Rest here with me a time, Thardor. Have some food, before you make up your mind." She turned away, bobbing her head at one of the warriors. "Deasu, go have a feast prepared for my consort and his colt." Her rump was uncomfortably close to my face, and I fought the instinct to reach down and run my teeth across it. Her tail twitched to the side slightly, as if she was reading my thoughts, and I arced my neck a bit. She turned her head to the right, bending her ears back to listen to me, and nickered invitingly.

"Come on, then," I said, forcing myself to walk. "Let's...discuss this over food and wine."

We walked past the stables and back into the courtyard, going to another door that led into a similar cavern that was set up as a dining hall. Already servants were bustling about, mostly elves but a few humans as well, setting the tables with wine and plates of food in a manner similar to that I'd experienced with Lydia only a day before. This time, however, I followed Piesa to the center of the table, where she stepped demurely aside, letting me take the place where the master of the Fane would normally sit- or stand, as the case of a unicorn. She instead stood to my left, allowing Seregon to press close beside me. A human woman glanced at him, then brought a smaller plate of spinach with slices of squash, which he immediately began to munch on, too young to understand the ceremonies usually expected.

Piesa spoke. "Eat well, guests of the Fane, and honor my new consort and your lord Thardor." The elves that sat at the table raised their cups and bowed slightly, then drank and began to eat and talk, the room filled with the murmur of a dozen conversations. Though no one stared at us, the occasional glances toward Piesa and myself left me no doubt we were the topic of conversations.

"I have not agreed to be your consort, Piesa," I said quietly to the mare.

She was eating spinach herself. "Thardor, I will never understand how you can eat without hands."

"That can be remedied," I said. "I can change you back to an elf."

"I find it very pleasurable to be a mare," she replied. "Don't you find me attractive?"

She raised her tail an inch, and I flared my nostrils, tempted again by her allure. "You are quite attractive," I admitted.

She let a few of the leaves fall from her mouth. "There is the second gift for you as well."

"I cannot be your consort, or Lord of a Fane," I said somewhat uncertainly.

She took a large drink of wine from the large bowl before her on the table- it was ceramic, not the gold tankard that Lydia had, but rather ornate in it's own way. "It is too late for you to decide otherwise, Thardor," she said. "Your blood is now mine. I carry your foal."

********************************************

She looked at me expectantly. "I cannot stay," I said. "My place is not here."

"It can be," Piesa said. She pressed close against me. "Stay here with me, in safety and peace. Give up your vendetta. What will it bring you but unhappiness and sorrow?"

At that moment I found my resolve. "It will allow me to sleep at night," I said, "knowing that those that killed my dam no longer breathe."

"That was the work of a dragon, who lies dead in the field," Piesa said.

Seregon shuddered beside me. He would never know the gentle touch of his grand dam's muzzle, though he had seen her rush to his aid in his time of need. "The dragon was a tool of others- I would no more place blame on a sword, and find comfort that it is shattered, when he who wielded it is still at large."

Piesa pinned her ears and stomped her left fore hoof. She acted much more a unicorn than Ming, and I wondered for a moment if she was losing her memories of being an elf. "Then leave," she said. "You'll be back."

I bowed my head slightly in courtesy, and turned and walked from the table, Seregon trotting close beside to keep up. The conversations mostly stopped as the elves watched us walk out the door into the courtyard. I wasn't planning to see if Piesa was going to change her mind, so boldly walked to the large door that led back to the forest. The guards there courteously pulled it open, and Seregon and I broke to a gallop as soon as we were outside.

It was a bit after noon, and the sun was high in the sky, so it broke through the dense forest from place to place, lighting our way along the path. We went along at a slow gallop for the afternoon, at the end of which Seregon was starting to breathe hard. There was a gap in the trees- not really a clearing, as the heavy forest canopy entirely covered it. It was flat and somewhat open, so I paused there, pawing at the muddy rotting leaves but finding no grass beneath. Seregon didn't seem to mind, confident as all foals are in adult horses, not realizing that we were deep in an unfriendly forest. "We'll find a nice field soon," I reassured him, and he nickered back, pushing his nose against my foreleg.

"I've a nice field nae too far from here, unicorn," a voice said from above. I looked up into the trees to find a leprechaun filling his pipe, sitting on a large branch. He filled it carefully and deliberately, then lit it, letting the sweet smell roll down. "Care for a smoke?" he asked.

I would have liked to, but decided not. It wasn't tobacco, and I needed to stay clear headed. "It's no time to be smoking, leprechaun. There are enemies about, and fell creatures in these woods," I said.

"Yes indeed, unicorn," he agreed, taking another long drag on the pipe. "An' ye'd do well to stay well away from 'em. There be trolls and dragons about that would snatch up a young unicorn as a tasty morsel." He pointed the pipe at Seregon, who pushed close against me.

I reached down and touched his shoulder reassuringly with my muzzle. "My colt need fear no dragons or trolls," I declared calmly.

The leprechaun leaned back, then jumped lightly to the ground. "It grows late, unicorn. Will ye' accept my hospitality in trade for news o' the land?"

I was always suspicious of leprechauns, but it was growing late, and the idea of spending the night in his pasture or stable sounded appealing. "You are most kind, leprechaun. I am Thardor, of Gwilellen Fane, and my colt, Seregon."

The leprechaun bowed. "And I, Midetmos. Well met, Thardor."

"Well met, Midetmos," I replied, bowing slightly. "Have we far to travel?"

"Perhaps a league," he replied, looking at me expectantly.

Seregon and I could easily cover the distance in a few minutes, though it might take the leprechaun a half hour to walk. It would have been improper and impolite for him to ask for a unicorn to bear him, and Midetmos was at least courteous. "Midetmos, it would be much faster and more convenient should I carry you," I said.

The leprechaun sprung lightly to my back, resting his hand on my withers. "An' I well appreciate your kindness, Thardor. Just follow yon path," he said, gesturing toward an even more overgrown trail that branched from the one we'd been following.

I pushed down it at a trot, Seregon close behind, allowing my bigger mass to push aside and snap branches. We quickly traversed it, eventually coming as promised to a green field, where the trees had been cleared away. A small house, round in the manner of leprechauns, sat near the middle, with a well and an incongruously new and large barn beside it. There were no fences, or animals about, and I slowed to a stop near the door, as Seregon lowered his head and began to pull at the tender green blades of grass in the field.

Midetmos landed softly beside me, looking somewhat amused at the colt. "He's a hungry lad." The leprechaun took his pipe and began to carefully refill it, packing the golden bowl with pungent smelling dried weeds- the kind the elves called 'meras', but the humans called 'marijuana'. "I grow this meself," he said. He lit the pipe again. "Safe enough here, Thardor. A warm stall for ye an' yon colt." He took a deep breath, held it then exhaled. "Now what tell of the elves?"

************************************************************ Generally leprechauns were the ones that knew everything that was going on, and seemed to take delight in letting others know that. For Midetmos to not know was an unusual surprise. "The elves not far from here, in the underground keep. What do you know of them, Midetmos?"

He sat on a tree stump and leaned back, almost to where I thought he'd fall over. "They be a mystery, Thardor. Come here not six months ago, and took up in that hole. An' not far for a unicorn is a wee bit o' travel for meself, so I hae not been watchin' daily their doings."

I tipped my head slightly, amused by his observation. "They're dark elves," I said in reply, trying to sound ominous. "In league with dragons and demons, and bent no doubt on killing everything in their path." Seregon nickered, his ears up in alarm, and he pressed close against me for protection against the unseen elves.

Midetmos seemed unimpressed. "The Fanes will deal with them," he said, tapping his pipe for emphasis and suddenly leaning forward. "Will they not?"

"Not," I said. "The Fanes fear war and death and will suffer this injustice, this evil empire. I intend to stop them."

"One 'corn and his colt against ten thousand elves?" The leprechaun slid off the stump, relighting his pipe in a single smooth motion.

"I will find allies along the way," I replied. "Those that won't suffer evil. What of you, Midetmos? Will you accompany me and bear arms?"

Midetmos shook his head. "Nae, laddie. This is nae a matter for leprechauns."

I accepted this- it was the way of leprechauns, to sit neutral on the sidelines, unless some massive sum of gold were involved. It was just the way things were, the reality of the world, just as I needed to eat grass and drink water. "Your kindness in offering us shelter is help enough," I said charitably.

Midetmos led us to the barn, sliding the door open. It was nice, with large stalls deeply bedded with straw, as if he had been expecting horses or unicorns at any moment to arrive. I walked into a large one, and Seregon pushed in as well, lying to roll in the clean bedding. I reached down and plucked a thick corn stalk from his mane. "Sleep well, unicorns," the leprechaun said.

Seregon didn't get up, but lay in the comfortable straw, sprawled out. I carefully folded my forelegs, then my hind legs, lying on my belly to sleep. It seemed like forever since I'd been able to sleep in a barn, and I quickly drifted off to sleep, feeling the warm comfort of having my colt close beside me.

*****************************************

The morning sunshine woke me up as it streamed through a window. I didn't get up right away, but lay there in the straw, watching Seregon play with the varnished wood water bucket that hung from the wall, smelling the sweet aroma of the fresh grass outside that blew through the window on a soft breeze, and enjoying the colt's fascination with watching the water slosh back and forth as he pulled on the bucket. The stall was very nice, about twenty by twenty feet, with wood sides that opened about four feet up up so that we could easily stick our heads into the barn's aisleway. They might not be suitable for an ordinary horse, as I could easily reach out and unlatch the stall's door, but for a unicorn was quite a comfortable and welcoming place. Seregon nickered as he heard the barn's door open and soft footsteps approach. I listened carefully as I pushed my forelegs out and stood. The steps were soft and quiet, not those of Midetmos, but of another leprechaun, who came and peered over the stall door at me on tiptoes. "So here ye' be," Veola said. "Run off from your war to your colt?" Leprechauns were gossips and all seemed to know the doings of the rest, but I was still amazed that Veola had seemingly arrived overnight. "I've not run off from anything," I retorted. "I've rescued my colt from the dark elves." "Rescued?" she said in a laughing voice. "He seems well enough." "Rescued," I said firmly. "They took him. You seem to forget quickly, they killed his grand dam and all of Danzing's men." Veola seemed to fade as I said that. "Unicorn, ye' might do well to stop all this, else ye'll be fightin' the elves forever, 'till none are left." "There'll be none of them left," I replied. "And how did you get here so quickly?" "Word came that you were here with your colt, and I brought her," a voice replied from outside. "Come out for some grass, old horse." I reached down and popped open the stall door, half pinning an ear as I walked past the leprechaun. Seregon started to follow me, then stopped, curiously looking over Veola and sniffing her face. Ignoring that, I walked outside, finding my brother not eating grass but instead waiting by the barn door. "Cavorting with leprechauns is a sure way to ruin," I told Kallain. "They're a bad influence."

"I can see that, brother," he replied, a twinkle in his eye. "You seem to have been badly influenced yourself, sleeping in a barn while I'm in a field." He reached over, pulling a large piece of straw from my mane with his teeth. "So why didn't you bring anyone along for help? Did you go charging in yourself, battling hundreds of trolls and demons to bring your colt to safety?"

"Not exactly," I said. I shook hard, the remaining straw mostly falling from my coat. I needed to roll, though, to get the rest off, and glanced about the green pasture, noticing several inviting spots.

"So you slipped in unnoticed, stealthily past the guards, and broke him out?" Kallain pressed. "Do tell, Thardor." He turned one ear to listen. "Or did you use your charm to beguile another lovely mare to...ouch!"

I reached over and nipped his flank. "You found out from the leprechauns, didn't you?"

He kicked at me halfheartedly. "Actually, I just guessed. No one's chasing you or you wouldn't be staying in a barn, so you must have charmed him out of trouble. Was it the black mare again?"

Veola and Seregon were walking out of the barn. "Why did you bring her?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"I came ta' bring ye' a message," she answered.

I looked at Kallain. "I have no idea," he said. "She wouldn't tell me what it was."

"Why not?" I asked Veola.

"The message is from Ming," she said, "an' not a message for another stallion tae hear."

This was odd- Ming could have come herself, as quickly as Kallain. "What is the message? Where is she?"

"She's gone tae Gwilellen Fane, an' the message is only for you." She looked sternly at Kallain.

"Come on," Kallain said, nudging Seregon gently. "Let's go run."

Seregon squealed in pleasure at the request, and the two galloped off toward the far side of the field. As soon as they were out of earshot, I turned and lowered my head near Veola, turning my alicorn aside and looking at her with my right eye. "So what does Ming want?" I said brusquely, feeling a tiny bit guilty that I'd run off and left her.

"She fears for you," Veola said. "An' asks you again to stop this vendetta."

The leprechaun stopped, but I could read her body language, much as I could a human's. There was something more she wasn't telling me- she wanted to, but no doubt Ming had told her not to. "Is that all?" I asked. "Nothing new there." [i]Except she fears for my safety? Shouldn't she say she loves me, and wants me back? [/i] "What is it that Kallain was not to hear?" I challenged her, lifting my head so I could see the far end of the field, where Kallain and Seregon were playing, rearing and tossing their heads. "Does she want him instead?"

Veola snorted, a quite horselike sound. "Nae, 'tis the sire of her colt she wants. She sends her word, Thardor, that she carries your foal."

I almost fell over, my ears popping erect. "My foal? But how..."

Veola laughed. "Ye know where colts come from, or ye' should by your age. 'Tis not your brother, nor any other but you she's had. Her heart's faithful, Thardor. You be her chosen."

That was a serious thing. "Ming can't have any idea what that means," I protested. "She hasn't been a unicorn long enough to know our ways."

"It's the ways of the heart, Thardor, nae that of just unicorns." She reached up, pulling another piece of the straw from my forelock, touching my cheek as she might comfort a horse. "She'll take no other as long as you both live, an' she be so smitten with you I think never beyond even that."

This wasn't what I'd expected. I'd thought Ming would be like the rest of my mares, that she'd enjoy my company but not demand it exclusively, that she'd find her own path that might cross mine from time to time. But she, like Piesa, seemed intent on something more long term, though quite different. Piesa seemed to understand me more, as far as my desires. Or was it that Piesa understood better my weaknesses? I stomped my hoof, pinning my ears back, angry that I had to face this unexpected situation. Was there anything wrong with me running about, free spirited and unhindered by responsibilities? It seemed unfair that I would have to worry about someone else's feelings.

Veola was watching me carefully, as if listening to the thoughts and emotions that were running through my head. "Ye can hurt her terribly, more than if ye pierced her heart with your alicorn," the leprechaun said softly. "Dinna be angry that someone loves ye, Thardor. Take the love she willingly gives you. She asks nothing in return."

I heard hooves pounding on the soft grass. Seregon ran up to me, his eyes bright and excited from playing with Kallain, and he whinnied as he slid to a stop beside me, pushing against my side and looking at Kallain who came trotting up. "Done with your secret message?" he asked.

"I've said all I have to say for now," Veola said, looking carefully in my eye then turning away. "For now." She walked over to Midetmos' house, rapping on the door. "Wake up, an' fix me breakfast."

Midetmos opened the door a moment later, rubbing his eyes. "Veola, so kind of you to come all this way to disturb me sleep." He yawned, and Veola pushed past him into the small house.

Seregon was starting to graze on the soft green grass, and I did a moment later. We'd have along day's trip ahead of us, and I'd grown rather hungry. Kallain watched for a moment, then walked a short distance off and started to graze, facing at a right angle to me so that we could watch the tree line in each others' blind spots. It was just an unspoken instinct, like horses, our mutual protection against even the unlikely chance of some unseen danger.

**********************************************

As we grazed, I thought about Ming. She seemed to disapprove of everything that I was, everything I did, yet we attracted each other. As I listened to the springtime sounds of the field and of our teeth munching on the grass, visions of my life that could be sprung through my imagination. One life of carefree companionship with Connie, wandering about adventuring and doing whatever we found entertaining or pleasurable, another of consorting with Piesa and a stable full of willing mares, - and the other, of accepting Ming as my chosen, a special bond between a unicorn mare and stallion that quite literally could be forever.

"You think too much," Kallain suddenly said, lifting his head.

"What do you mean?" I asked crossly.

"You've been around elves and humans too long," Kallain replied, walking over to me. "You're a unicorn, or has your age muddled your mind?" He reached over and nipped my flank.

I snorted, kicking out at him with my right hind leg, taking care to not kick too hard. "I'm not as old as you think, brother."

He reared, and I did, spinning on my haunches and biting at his neck. Seregon snorted, his ears raised in surprise, as Kallain and I played, rearing and nipping at each other as horses do. It was strenuous fun, and I forgot about Ming and Piesa and the troubles of the elves as I focused on trying to knock Kallain over and prevent him from doing the same to me.

He finally made a mistake, lunging at me a bit too vigorously, and I lowered my neck, careful to keep my sharp alicorn away from him as I threw my weight against his belly, flipping him over backwards. He rolled back onto his belly, then thrust his legs out and got to his hooves. "I didn't know you were so cunning, old horse," he said as he shook the dirt off.

I whinnied back at him, tossing my head in an invitation to play more, but Veola called to me. "Thardor, the day grows late, an' your lady awaits ye' return."

I looked over to her. "Ming expects us back today?"

"Nae, Lady Gwilellen," she answered, walking out to me. She was carrying an embroidered sack, which I knew was likely packed with ten times it's apparent contents, which she slung over her shoulder. "Will ye' be so kind as to bear us?"

I noted that Midetmos was walking up behind her, carrying a similar sack, that foretold that he was prepared for a trip of several days. Since Gwilellen Fane was only about six hours away at a light gallop, it portended that he planned to be away for some time. "It should be my pleasure," I replied.

Midetmos moved to climb to my back but a stern look from Veola made him turn and spring lightly to Kallain's instead. I felt Veola settle on my back, gently as a feather- leprechauns are light, and excellent riders as well, and as her fingers wound into my mane I broke into a fast trot then an easy canter, letting Seregon follow close behind me and Kallain bringing up the rear. Veola began to speak softly to me as we entered the path that wound through the dense trees, and the gloom of the forest again washed over us like a cold and damp mist. "Thardor, ye' should listen to your brother. Be a unicorn, an' follow your heart."

"I am a unicorn," I replied, somewhat confused.

"Unicorns act. Dinna think about what to do with Ming, just act." She pressed close against my mane as we went beneath some low tree limbs, trusting me to not go under any that were too low and might sweep her from my back. I kept at a steady pace as we started to go up a slight hill. "Be a unicorn, Thardor."

We reached the crest of the hill. The path ahead widened, and the trees didn't overhang, letting the sunlight through for miles ahead. I pushed into a gallop, then slowed slightly as I heard Seregon whinny, turning my head slightly to the side to watch him and be certain he was able to easily keep up with my pace.

****************************************************

As we traveled, the countryside began to change, as the forest began to give way to the occasional farm or open field. The trees themselves were less ominous, as they changed from the dark green and gray heavily leaved trees to friendlier pines and oak trees, and the musty odor of the old wood was replaced by the fresh scent of the younger trees. We kept a fast pace, slowed only by my colt, not even breaking pace as we dashed through small villages. The territory was at once both new and familiar as we approached Gwilellen Fane, where I had visited many times myself when I was young then later after Lydia became Fane.

I only slowed and stopped as we reached a large and friendly field, that stretched away from the road as far as we could see. "This is Faeone's field," I told Seregon, who looked at me wide eyed. "Where the eldest unicorn lives. If you stay here at sunset or sunrise you might catch a glimpse of him, though he dances among the rifts."

Kallain looked to me amused. I knew he'd heard the tale as well, of the mystical old unicorn who was supposed to be older than time itself. "If you leave him oats, he might take you for his companion for a century or two," Kallain said.

Veola looked sharply at both of us as if she wanted to say something, but stayed quiet. "Let's graze for a few minutes," I said. The leprechauns dropped from our backs, happy to rest for a few moments themselves, and as Kallain and I began to graze they moved off, at the edge of earshot. They knew well enough how sensitive the hearing was of unicorns, and that I'd be able to overhear anything they discussed. Midetmos pulled out his pipe, and after stuffing it with meras worked hard to get it lit, puffing at it mightily until a bluish smoke drifted from the bowl, and he handed it to Veola.

"We've not much farther," Midetmos said, glancing toward Kallain and myself. "D' ye think Gwilellen will plead our case before the Fanes?"

"For what be at stake, an' if the unicorn asks, she will," Veola replied, handing the pipe back to the other leprechaun. The pipe went out, and he tried to relight it as she went on. "'Twill be a day of reckoning, an' a change that canna' be undone."

As I pulled at the grass, I wondered what they meant. There was no doubt in my mind that they wanted me to overhear them, and no doubt in my mind that they'd ask me to ask Lydia for some favor for them. With leprechauns, nothing of this sort ever happened by accident, but I quickly pushed it out of my mind, enjoying the delicious fresh springtime grass, watching my brother and son as they also ate, filling our bellies for the remaining trip. It was no more than a half hour from Gwilellen Fane, and we certainly could have made it there without eating, but the grass of Faeone's field was too good to pass up, and besides would bring good fortune and health to any unicorn or horse that ate it.

After a bit, Veola came over to me. "We'd best be on our way, Thardor, 'else the night will catch us."

It was at least two hours from sunset, and not terribly far left to travel, but I whinnied to Kallain and Seregon, who came over, their ears erect. "Time to go," I said, lifting my head back to draw in a last sweet breath of the field. Midetmos and Veola again mounted Kallain and myself, and as Veola settled on my back Seregon lifted his head and whinnied, looking off in the distance. I lifted my own head, following his gaze, and for just a moment I thought I saw another unicorn, the sun reflecting from his white coat. Seregon looked at me, his young eyes wide, and I knew he'd seen the same.

Kallain looked at us both curiously, but I turned and broke into a trot, then a slow gallop on the road toward our destination.

**********************************************************

Gwilellen Fane is much like the other elven enclaves. Unlike the towers of wizards, it is more spread out, it's outermost walls a long distance from the central keep, surrounding farms that gradually gave way to the town itself. Imposing common buildings were scattered about, each used mainly by the elves as a local gathering place and storehouse for produce, but also as defensive outposts, each with thick walls and gates, where townsfolk could quickly become soldiers if attacked by an enemy. I knew that most of them were interlinked by a maze of underground tunnels, built over centuries as protection from a sudden attack by demons, trolls, or other such fell creatures. Over each of them flew the silver and white banner of Gwilellen, and we slowed to a trot more so that we could gawk about than in fear of overrunning any townsfolk. Elves, even in cities, do not like to live too closely together, and even as we got to the more dense areas near the main keep it was far more spread out than any human or dwarven village might be.

We arrived at the gates to the keep. The soldiers there wore fancy armor, but their demeanor and posture was that of elven warriors of long expertise. Their lieutenant stepped forward, his eyes looking us over, then meeting mine as he bowed slightly. "Thardor, My Lady Gwilellen awaits you."

Since it would be disrespectful to Kallain and myself to be ridden into the keep like common horses, the leprechauns slid from our backs as the elf stepped aside, and the five of us walked in. Seregon was excited, wanting both to dash about and see things and also to be close to me in this unfamiliar place, and he danced back and forth, snorting. I stomped my hoof, a gentle warning to Seregon, and he came over, pressing close to my side as we walked through the arched entry into the courtyard. It was a large grassy area, bordered with carefully kept flowerbeds filled with bright red and yellow roses, and as Seregon caught sight of Lydia and Ming standing near the central building he ignored me and galloped across to them, whinnying a greeting. I half bucked, feeling an urge to gallop over as well, but controlled myself, walking with Kallain and the two leprechauns, but enjoying watching Ming reach down and place her nose next to Seregon's to exchange a greeting, her ears up and neck relaxed as a mare might welcome her own foal.

Lydia began to walk to us. "Thardor," she said, reaching out to touch the side of my face gently. "We feared for your safety."

I didn't answer, but drew in her smell, familiar and comforting. She had saved me after the humans had hurt me terribly, and of all creatures I valued her most. She reached behind my ears, gently scratching the crest of my mane, and I lowered my head.

Seregon danced about Ming as she came over to us, happy that his small herd was back together, then dashed about the courtyard, bucking and kicking. I lifted my head to watch, trying to think of what to say to Ming as she stood by my shoulder, facing the same direction as I, but unlike humans or elves, we could see each other quite clearly with our wider field of vision. "I'm back," I said, unable to think of anything less lame to say.

"Seregon seems very happy to be here," she said, watching us both. "I've spent some time with Lydia. She told me a great deal about you."

That was something that I'd not considered- what Lydia would have told her about me. "I can explain," I said as Kallain gave an amused snort, flicking his ears back. He walked off toward the stable.

Lydia was still scratching my mane. It was a comforting gesture, something that most elves wouldn't do, but she acted more like a human from her years of living on their plane. "Thardor, that is not something I would expect a unicorn to need to do."

She was right- I was a unicorn, and had to remember that. Everything that I'd done was what I had done, it was, and there was little I could do to undo it. I focused on Ming- she seemed very relaxed and serene, and impulsively I turned my head away from Lydia and touched my alicorn to hers and nickered softly.

Midetmos had stood by Veola, the two leprechauns watching with amused looks, and he spoke. "My Lady Gwilellen, if I may." He bowed slightly. "The unicorn seems to have forgotten me."

"My Lady, may I present Midetmos," I turned back to Lydia for a moment, then to the leprechaun. "Midetmos, Lady Lydia, Fane of Gwilellen." With that, Midetmos bowed again, and I continued. "And may I present Ming."

"Your mare?" Midetmos quizzed.

Ming didn't pin her ears, but instead turned and looked at me expectantly. "Yes," I replied. "My chosen."

Ming put her head on my back, just behind my withers and relaxed, but Veola looked strangely sad as Midetmos replied. "Well met, My Lady. An' well met, Ming." He half bowed to Ming, then turned back to Lydia. "My Lady, if I may ask 'ye a favor, there is much news from our folk, an' we'd be beholden to ye' if you'd grant us an audience."

"Of course, Midetmos," Lydia replied, gesturing to one of the soldiers in the courtyard. "Mardigal, please summon Farhain, Frescan and Danzing. And bring Connie as well." She looked at me, then turned and started up the broad stairs into the central building.

I followed, Ming walking beside me with Seregon running ahead, then turning and carefully walking back down the steps- he was finding that it is far more difficult to go down steps than up, at least for a horse or a unicorn. We walked into the great hall, which was easily large enough for a hundred unicorns, but there was only the three of us, plus Lydia and the two leprechauns, soon joined by Danzing, Farhain, and Connie.

Lydia sat on a large chair set on a slightly elevated dais, the 'throne' of the Fain. It was for official ceremonies and important meetings, and as the others came in, Danzing and Connie in chairs that were set off to the left, the two leprechauns by them. To Lydia's right, the seats were empty, but Farhain stood by her right side as her chief Captain. I hesitated for a moment, standing between, with Ming beside me.

"You seem uncertain, Thardor," Lydia said gently. "Not like an impulsive unicorn."

I'd been impulsive once already, though I'd had no second thoughts about suddenly announcing Ming as my chosen. It was something I missed about being younger, being able to act without regret, and I wondered again if being about elves and humans so much had tainted me. "My Lady, I stand between two paths as well," I replied, as Veola's words from a few days earlier rang through my mind. [i]Should I stand with my company, to destroy the dark elves? Or with Gwilellen Fane, and peace?[/i] I felt like I had to do both. I was a unicorn, sworn to destroy the dark elves, but at the same time I owed Lydia my loyalty and Ming my love.

Frescan and Kallain came in, glancing at us as they went to sit and stand by Danzing. I kept standing in front of Lydia's dais, going neither to Lydia's right beside Farhain or left by Danzing. Midetmos rose to speak, and at that moment another elf came in- Brinta, who was Chief of Lydia's privy council. I didn't like Brinta, since she had crooked teeth and had thrown a rock at me once when she was a child and I a colt after I had pointed this out. She scowled at me and went to sit to Lydia's right, so I went to stand at her left by my brother. There was a brief shuffle, I was senior to him as I was older, and Ming didn't know elven protocol and stood beside me. Kallain half pinned an ear back, but ignored it, though Frescan was obviously displeased, but said nothing.

Midetmos glanced at us as if more annoyed that we were moving about, then turned to Lydia. "My Lady, I come at this grave hour to offer Gwilellen Fane an alliance with the Leprechauns."

This was a bit of a shock. "For what good is an alliance with those who sit idle while others spill blood?" Farhain challenged.

Midetmos was unflustered. "Good Captain, the Leprechauns hae long held that peace at any cost is worthwhile, as war and violence brings little to anyone."

"Little gold, you mean," Brinta muttered loud enough so all could hear. "Until the fighting is over, and Leprechauns step in to pick up the pieces."

He ignored her. "Five thousan' of my folk, to come to the aid of the Fane. What say ye, My Lady?"

Lydia regarded him coolly. "And what favor, Midetmos, would the Leprechauns ask in return?"

"O' no cost to Gwilellen Fane," Midetmos said, a curious smile on his face. "Nae that the Fane now possesses."

"We are at peace." Brinta proclaimed loudly, as if by sheer volume she might fend off war for a millennium. "And the treachery of Leprechauns is well known."

Lydia gave Brinta a disapproving glance at this statement, and I snorted, pinning my ears. Leprechauns might interpret agreements differently than others but treachery was not their wont. "And what that the Fane does not now possess might the Leprechauns desire as reward?" Lydia quizzed.

"Bacantu Fane," Midetmos answered, looking back to Lydia. "A'er ye' vanquish the Dark Elves, with the Leprechauns beside ye', the Fane of Bacantu for our folk to live in peace."

"That's an outrage!" Brinta literally spat these words, foaming a bit at the mouth like a rabid dog. "We are at peace, at the agreement of all the Fanes, and you propose we march off to war? What madness!"

I was a horse, and could read the reactions of the elves and leprechauns quite well. Veola and Midetmos seemed confident; but of the elves all seemed disturbed at Midetmos' proposal. "I must agree," Lydia said. "What you propose, to break the peace, is contrary to what all the Fanes agreed to at Parley Council."

I could see from Farhain's reaction that Lydia hadn't agreed- but one of the rules of the elves was that a Parley Council was a unanimous decision of the Fanes, even if it wasn't. But I also knew Lydia well enough that she wouldn't break the agreement, unless there was some compelling reason to do so, and so far Midetmos had offered none. Danzing had said nothing to this point, but spoke. "Leprechaun, the Dwarves will march with you, though the elves be faint of heart, save those of Danbeigh Fane," he said, looking at Frescan with an approving nod. "Though we will fight for honor, and not for some prize."

Midetmos bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Captain Danzing. The bravery of Dwarves and their fearlessness in combat is legend. But we need the endorsement of Gwilellen Fane."

"Why this Fane, and not one of the twelve others?" Farhain asked.

"Ahh. Ye' dinna perceive the danger, then." Midetmos tipped his head slightly back, then nodded. "The Dark Elves will fall upon ye', to take Gwilellen Fane along with Bacantu. They'll nae stop until the Fanes all fall one by one."

"My sentries along the border have reported nothing," Farhain said. "They will send word long before any army can assemble in Bacantu Fane."

"Ask the unicorn, then," Midetmos said, looking at me. "An' recall, we traveled here in less than a day- with a colt beside, slowin' us down."

I was confused. "But the Dark Elves are all in Bacantu Fane, except the ones that aren't," I said.

"Which are those, Thardor?" Lydia asked.

"This is insanity," Brinta shouted. "We are all elves! Don't listen to the insane ramblings of a unicorn and the greasy words of a Leprechaun! They want only to live in peace with us." Brinta was almost trembling, and made a visible effort to collect herself.

I was starting to secretly hope for peace myself, and I turned my head slightly to better look at Ming. She was a lovely mare, and I wanted nothing more than to enjoy living with her here, taking her to all the beautiful places in the elven plane, and showing her the joy of being a unicorn, watching our colts grow.

Lydia broke me from my reverie. "What other Dark Elves are there besides those in Bacantu Fane?" she pressed.

"The ten thousand that are in the old wood," I said.

"Lies!" Brinta said. "You would believe a unicorn bent on vendetta and a Leprechaun asking for an incredible prize over that of kindred elves?"

"Kindred elves who brought demons and dragons here," Farhain said coldly. He turned to Lydia. "My Lady, I suggest it might be prudent to strengthen our defenses and send out scouts at once."

"That will only provoke them," Brinta pleaded. "That is what the unicorn and the leprechaun want, to spoil our good will."

"If there are no dark elves in the old wood, then there will be little cause for provocation," Lydia said. "Yet I fear that should we find a strong force in the wood, our scouts will cause them to spring to action and result in a long war of attrition."

All were silent a moment- a siege on Gwilellen Fane might not be successful but might bring on years of hardship for the common folk. Midetmos was nodding again at this, but said nothing, merely watching Lydia, who meditated silently.

******************************************

I had known Lydia for six hundred years, as the humans reckon time, and could read her emotions quite well. She was struggling with the decision- I knew that she would not defer such a serious matter for later or to someone else, and likely would not draw the matter out unnecessarily by asking everyone for advice, as was the bane of most other elves I knew. Almost everyone was silent, save for Brinta who kept mumbling and muttering something under her breath. Even Connie seemed rather subdued, as if she realized that the future of thousands was being decided here and now.

She suddenly looked up, over to Farhain. "Captain Farhain, assemble your legion. We will march on the Dark Wood." Looking at Midetmos, she continued. "Should the Leprechauns stand by us they shall have their reward." At this Midetmos bowed, but despite having secured his prize he seemed very solemn, as if knowing that many of his kindred would not survive the coming fight.

"What of the other Fanes?" Farhain asked. "Shall I send for their arms as well?"

"It will take them too long to arrive, and by then we will either carry the day or have fallen." Lydia wasn't telling the whole reason, and I guessed that she feared some of the other Fanes, desperate for peace, might warn the Dark Elves or even be in legion with them.

Connie seemed excited. "We'll trash 'em," she proclaimed.

Lydia didn't answer her but looked at me instead. "Thardor, I have a serious task that I must ask you and no one else to undertake." I brought both my ears forward, tilting my head slightly so I could see her clearly with my right eye, as she rose and walked to where I stood, placing her right hand on my forehead just below my alicorn. "You have been my companion and friend for four hundred years, and there is no one else who I trust more."

I relaxed my head slightly, feeling her hand tremble as she pressed it against me. There was something that was causing her great grief, and my instinct was to defend her- she was, though not a unicorn, still part of my herd, and I wanted to drive away whatever troubled her heart. "My lady, there is no one else whose trust I could ever value more."

"I must ask you perform a terrible task then, Thardor."

It didn't matter what she asked- if Lydia wanted me to charge alone into the den of a hundred dragons I would do it. "I will, my lady," I replied.

"You must stay with Connie, here at the Fane, and not accompany us to the battle."

Connie and I both protested simultaneously. "Lydia, that's not fair! We can't stay here while others are in danger," I said.

Connie expressed the same sentiments but in slightly more colorful language. "You need us," she pleaded in conclusion. "Thunder and I have the best magic of anybody."

"That is why I need you to stay here," Lydia said, her hand still touching me. "Should we be wrong, and the dark elves come here, you can hold them off until we return. Farhain will leave only a tiny force to protect the Fane, and we cannot have the townsfolk undefended."

I felt a mixture of guilt and relief, and looked out my left eye at Ming- she seemed relaxed as well, and I felt that now she and I would have a long future together, regardless of the outcome of the coming battle. "Then we will stay," I said. "Connie, Ming and I can hold the Fane safe."

Connie's face was turning beet red. "I'm going, and that's that," she said. I'd known her long enough to know a tantrum was about to come.

Lydia turned away from me to face her. "Connie, this is a war that we are now in, and if you are to be a soldier you must follow this task, no matter how dull it seems."

"But we'll miss the fight," Connie said, tears starting to show in her eyes.

I noticed that Veola was about to speak, and turned an ear toward her, but she apparently thought better of it and said nothing. "I will assemble the legion of the Fane," Farhain said gravely and turned to leave the room. Lydia walked out after him, and Brinta suddenly scrambled to her feet and dashed off after them as well.

Danzing seemed happy, as does any dwarf about to go to battle. "You'll miss a dandy fight, unicorn," he said to me as he rose to leave.

"You're too old and slow anyway, brother," Kallain said, bumping me a bit with his shoulder as he left with the rest, leaving Connie, Ming and me alone in the room.

I felt uneasy, and felt the same as the leprechauns had looked- their faces were somber, not like the merry Midetmos that I'd met just days earlier. Connie was crying silently as she came to stand by me. "It still isn't fair," she said.

"It isn't," I agreed. "But that's their fault."

"Whose fault?" Ming asked.

"Them," I said. "The dark elves. I told you they were evil and treacherous, and now you see."

I expected a snappy retort, but Ming just hung her head slightly, relaxing her ears. It was a very horselike gesture, one of resignation. "How many of them won't come back?" she asked me.

This made me feel even more guilty. "I'm not sure," I admitted. "If the dark elves surrender, and go back to their own place, then none." I knew there was little or no chance of this happening, and so did Ming.

****************************************************

We watched later that afternoon as Farhain's troops lined up, the silver and white banners of Gwilellen Fane flying brightly above each troop, and I considered sneaking in among the elves' cavalry horses. Connie pulled at my mane. "I can get some armor, and you can hide your alicorn," she said, as if reading my mind.

"No," I said, "we will fulfill our promise to Lydia," I replied, glancing about. Ming was nowhere to be seen, and I guessed she was not planning to watch the army leave, as she'd been opposed to the whole thing from the start.

"Where is Lydia, anyway?" Connie asked.

As if in answer, Lydia walked up to us and I snorted, tossing my head. She wore a shiny set of armor and carried a shield with the crest of Gwilellen on it. "You can't go," I said.

"I will not send our legion to battle and sit here idle," she replied. "My father would not have done so, and as Fane neither will I."

"What about us?" Connie said, her tantrum about to emerge.

Lydia knelt down and took Connie's hand. "Connie, I will have you with me in my heart," she said. "Stay here, so I won't worry about you." Connie started to cry, and threw her arms around Lydia.

She stood and looked at me. "Lydia, let me carry you to battle," I begged. "Connie can stay here."

Lydia gave me a wan smile. "You have to look after her, Thunder." She turned, walking off, leaving me with Connie who was crying, rolled up in a ball.

I walked to her, reaching down and rubbing my muzzle on her shoulder. "She'll be back," I said, trying to reassure her.

"All my friends are going off to die, and I'm here," Connie said.

I tried to think of something to tell her, but couldn't.

*********************************************************************

The uniforms of the soldiers had always seemed so bright and cheerful, but now they just seemed somber as they marched out of the keep, following Lydia who rode out on my brother Kallain, leading the Gwilellen Fane's cavalry that was a thousand strong. Connie stood beside me and we watched silently as the elves and leprechauns walked out, their faces grim as they looked straight forward, carrying their arms with resolve. It was like watching the tide roll out, and finally the castle was empty save the tiny handful of the company that was left behind. It had never been a noisy place, but now the stillness made it seem even quieter, as if even the noise of the breeze through the flowers had left along with the army.

We stared at the empty parade ground for a time, as if hoping that the elves would all come running back in and say it was an awful mistake. "Are wars always like this?" Connie finally asked me.

I'd seen a few wars, both on this plane and on the humans'. "They're all the same," I said. "There's always a reason." My reason had seemed so clear a week earlier, and now I wasn't sure. Nothing would bring my dam back, or Danzing's dwarves, and now I risked losing Lydia as well.

Connie pressed on. "But are they like this? Why can't just the bad people die?"

I thought about what Ming had said- no doubt Piesa did not see herself as bad, but I suddenly remembered that she was evil. "Because that's what makes them bad people," I said. "They won't just die, like they should, but they kill good people too." This made absolute sense to me, though Connie looked confused, and I had to remember that she didn't have the benefit of being a unicorn or even a horse- humans and elves don't see the world correctly, and plan and worry about things that might happen, and try to see all the sides of an issue. There was only one side, and that the best and right outcome was that the dark elves be exterminated, and sitting at the castle waiting for something to happen wasn't going to help further that end. "Let's go," I suggested.

"Where?"

"To check on the defenses," I said loftily. "We're here to do that. Let's go to the stable and find a saddle for you to ride in." I turned, prancing and trotting with excitement as I thought about what we needed to do.

We arrived at the stable, where an elderly elf helped Connie look through the saddles, finally selecting one that was white and trimmed with silver lining, and she helped Connie place it on my back. "I seldom see a unicorn willing to bear a rider," the elf commented as she fastened the girth.

The saddle was elven made and quite comfortable, much like one of the human's cavalry saddles. It had a large open gullet, that promised to let the air circulate against my back, and it spread the weight evenly as well when Connie climbed onto it, placing her leg in the stirrup and pulling herself up holding my mane. She'd become a much better rider since I had first met her, when she'd bounced and flopped like a sack of loose potatoes. "I seldom have such an able rider," I replied back, as I immediately turned and trotted from the building. As we approached the gate, the guards there immediately opened and let us pass from the portal into the town.

"Where are we going?" Connie asked.

"To check the defenses," I said, breaking into a fast canter. With any luck, we'd find some bad elves to kill, which would somehow make up for us not being with Lydia and the rest of the army. I pushed into a slow gallop, impatient, and felt Connie grab my mane tightly as we flew down the north road, toward the river.

All afternoon, we went from one guard post to the next. "We've seen nothing," the guard at the farthest post told me, a common refrain to what we'd heard at the rest.

I looked at the small building, where several other soldiers rested, waiting for their turn at duty. "No elves, or goblins, or trolls?"

"Nary a wayward squirrel," the guard replied.

It was starting to get dark. We were at least four hours away from the keep. "Connie, I think we'd better tell Brinta where we are." Brinta had remained at the Fane, as head of the Privy Council, to be in charge while Lydia was away with the army.

"How?" Connie looked at me. "There's no phones here."

"Use magic," I replied. I'd seen even lesser mages do it before. "It's called opening a window, or something like that."

"Oh yeah," Connie said. "Gulthar showed me, but I was using a crystal ball."

"Use a magic mirror spell on a window," I suggested, turning my alicorn toward one of the glass windows of the guardhouse.

Connie held her hands together, drawing a blue ball of mana, then traced an outline around the window. "I'm not sure if this will work," she warned. "She might not hear us."

The window glowed blue, and I could see Brinta, sitting in her room, as if she were a reflection in the glass. "You did it right," I said. "Brinta."

Brinta didn't reply to me- she couldn't see me, obviously it was one way, and I watched as she began to brush her hair. "She's getting ready for bed," Connie stated. "She'll probably take her clothes off next."

The elven guard turned away, but I watched. Brinta started to untie her robe, but there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said, her voice sounding hollow through the magic connection. The room to the door swung open, and a dark robed figure came in. "I told you to not come here!" Brinta snapped. "Someone might see you."

I snorted, raising my ears in alarm, and Connie gasped as the hooded figure came clearer in the window. "There is little risk in that," the demon said, it's undefined face a dark nothingness beneath the hood. "And little consequence soon if they do." The demon seemed to stare at us through the window, and even though I knew the connection was only one way I took a half step back.

"Lydia and a legion of the Fane are marching on the Dark Wood as we speak, accompanied by the Leprechauns," Brinta told the demon. "They will fall on our forces and crush them."

"As we hoped," the demon said, it's voice hissing. "We only needed this knowledge, and will lie in ambush. As they march to besiege us, we will instead fall on their flanks and crush them." The demon moved an unseen fist, the darkness at the end of the sleeve more horrible by it's emptiness. "And then, with the Fane's legion out of the way and Lydia dead, you will get your reward, Brinta."

She let her robe slip away, as did the demon, and they embraced. Connie and I turned away from the sickening sight. "We have to do something," Connie said. "Warn Lydia."

The spell wouldn't work without a crystal ball, and there were none at hand. We were four hours north of the Fane, and the Dark Wood was a good day south at a fast gallop- likely two or three days for a marching army. We could catch up, hopefully before the ambush. "Get on my back," I told Connie, but her foot was already in the stirrup, and I almost knocked the guard over as I galloped out of the sentry post, heading down the road back to the keep, beyond which lay the jeopardy and doom of the Elves' world were we too late.

***************************** Almost as soon as we left the sentry post it began to rain, and the huge drops stung my face as we flew down the path. I felt Connie lean forward, burying her face in my mane to protect it from the raindrops that pelted us, knowing she was trusting me to stay on the path and keep her safe from low tree branches. It seemed as if the very weather was in league with the dark elves, as the path became muddier and muddier my gallop became more and more effort. Even unicorns have their limits in endurance, and after a few hours my muscles ached, yet I kept on. The wind sang in my ears, sounding almost like laughter- mocking my foolishness, that had either cursed or blessed Ming to forever be a unicorn, mocking my weakness, that had given Piesa such hideous power in return for a few hours of lusty pleasure, mocking my poor judgment, that had taken Connie and myself so far from Gwilellen keep, where we might have immediately warned Lydia and the elves of the trap that lay before them. I started to breathe hard, gasping to get air into my lungs, forcing myself to keep galloping, and my mind began to drift. The splashes of my hooves in the mud seemed to echo from the trees along the path, and as we began to pass a small lake I imagined that my reflection was another unicorn and we were racing, pushing myself to outrun my own shadow.

But after some eight hours, I was spent. We approached a fork in the road, where an abandoned inn was slowly rotting away, and I slowed to a walk and then stopped, my legs trembling. "Thunder, are you all right?" Connie asked as she slid to the ground. She was seldom concerned about others, being only a child, but I could hear the worry in her voice.

I was too tired to answer, but hung my head, my nostrils flaring as I tried to catch my breath and recover. In this part of the elven plane, we were close to a nexus- where the planes all were close together- and the rifts were tricky. Some might shorten our journey by jumping to the human plane; others might put us weeks away from our destination, but I considered if that might be our only chance, a gamble to put us near the Dark Wood, to warn Lydia and her army of the ambush that awaited them. "Connie, I'm afraid," I said, wheezing out the words. "I failed."

She stared at me, the rain dripping from her matted hair. "Lydia needs us. She needs you, so don't give up." She balled her fists. "I won't let you."

There was a cracking noise from the old inn, the sound of a long rotten board snapping. I snapped my head up, ears erect, listening for what unseen threat had caused the sound. Connie pressed close against me, startled, and turned to face the old building as well.

Rain blew in through long broken windows, swirling to blow out through a doorway that stood empty and open, as if mourning long gone patrons who once likely surrounded a cheerful and warm fire. It was dark from the heavy overcast, and I couldn't see inside much beyond the doorway. "Thunder, let's go," Connie said, but something about the old inn drew me, and I took a step forward. She grabbed the stirrup of the saddle, as if to hold me back. "Thunder, please."

The swirling rain in the door suddenly parted for a dark shape...

I stood, flaring my nostrils and snorting. It was a nothingness, not really a shape that I could see, but rather an absence. Even a demon was something a unicorn could comprehend, yet this nothingness was unlike anything I'd experienced. All my horse instincts demanded that I turn and run, instead I stood transfixed as it slowly approached, it's shape beginning to solidify as the rain abruptly stopped and the sun began to shine brightly. The stirrup suddenly bumped against my side, and I realized that Connie was no longer there- without moving or trying, I had come through some kind of rift, and my young companion had remained on the other side.

The nothingness began to congeal, fading into a very pale human shape that slowly darkened into solidity as the plane shifted about me. The inn itself was changing too, age vanishing as it began to reveal itself in it's newness, and I realized with a sudden terror that I was not shifting just between planes but between time, and that this was something I had no control over. Even as a colt I had felt no fear as this when stepping through rifts, as planar shifts to a unicorn are natural and instinctive, yet this was something that felt uncontrolled, like tumbling off a cliff into a void.

I focused instead on the human. He was young, with pale skin, as if he were seldom in the sun, and a thin and narrow face held cold black eyes, topped by hair that was dyed with purple streaks. I instantly distrusted him, as he coldly regarded me. "You're a unicorn," he observed as he stepped forward.

I didn't respond verbally but instead tipped my head forward, arching my neck so that my alicorn dipped, it's end inches from his face. There was no one else outdoors with us, but I could hear other voices inside the building- the inn had changed, besides it's oldness fading, the structure looked more like a human dwelling place, a tract house much like Connie's home on the human world. Without moving my head, I shifted my vision back slightly- an advantage of having eyes widely placed on my head, and realized from the automobile parked nearby that we were indeed back somewhere in the human's world, fortunately in a rather sparsely populated area.

Yet something still seemed wrong, the air smelled wrong, the automobile was wrong, and the young man seemed totally unsurprised at my appearance from thin air, much less that I was a unicorn. From my long experience among humans I many times had encountered ones that I instantly disliked, but this one- there was something unhuman about him, and I almost jumped aside defensively as he reached out toward my face. Instead, I pinned my ears and bobbed my head slightly in warning, the nearness sharp tip of my alicorn causing him to draw back abruptly himself instead. "Chill out, bro," he said, a slight smirk on his face.

"I doubt if we are related," I replied, finally speaking. "And I will cool off at my own discretion."

My speaking caused a look of surprise on his face. "You can talk."

"It would be unusual to find a unicorn that could not," I replied.

A motion behind him caught my glance, as someone else came out the door, a girl who I guessed to be about sixteen, slightly younger than the man I faced. "Jeremy, what are you..." her voice trailed off abruptly as she stared at me.

"Like I told you, I went outside to talk to a unicorn," he said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "Didn't you believe me?"

I thought she was going to faint from the look of shock on her face. "Jeremy, it's just a game...this can't be real."

"It's one radical trip if it isn't," he said, half turning back to her. "Now the unicorn will do my bidding and destroy our enemies." He actually giggled. "I will ride him to battle the orcs."

"Dream on, punk," I snapped back. "I don't do pony rides for morons."

She started screaming at this- I wasn't sure why humans were so frequently upset when I spoke to them; Ming had once told me that this was because my existence destroyed the rigid reality they believed in. Humans had such difficulty now comprehending that they were not the only sentient beings, and even more that someone they assumed unintelligent could not only comprehend their language but reply. I turned aside, looking for the rift I had come through, deciding that I'd had enough of this, but two other humans- a boy and girl, perhaps ten years old, came out, summoned by the noise. They did not seem afraid, but instead considered me with looks of fascination. I kept my eyes on them nonetheless, not quite trusting this place.

To my surprise, I couldn't see any nearby rifts, and turned back to the humans. Other than the teenage male, they all seemed rather ordinary, though the one named Jeremy still left me a feeling of discomfort. I could sense a bit of magic about him, though not the same kind of feeling I would have near Connie or Gulthar, instead more the feeling one might have when regarding another immortal creature, and I realized with a start that he was not what he appeared to be- not a human, but some bastard hybrid of human and some other creature. I considered slaying him for a moment, he seemed unarmed and would be quite easy to kill with a quick unexpected thrust of my alicorn he would be quite defenseless, but decided against it, mainly because I was unsure how far away any rifts were and that humans tend to overreact to such things. Another unicorn or even an elf would have been quite understanding of such an act, but humans likely would try to chase me and hunt me down, and without a rift to escape in such a situation could become messy. "How did you bring me here?" I asked the one called Jeremy.

"I needed a ride to escape the orcs, and so I cast a spell," he said, his cold eyes watching me. "I expected a dragon, though."

"Good thing you didn't get one," I replied. "A dragon would have eaten you."

"No way, dude, I'm a friend of the silver dragons."

"Silver dragons don't exist," I said, turning my head slightly to see him better- staring at him with my binocular vision was best for slashing with my alicorn, but made it a bit hard to keep him in focus.

The young woman by now had stopped screaming, though her face was still red. "They have to exist,' she said. "If you're real, it's not just a game."

I ignored this incomprehensible statement and stepped by her into the house. There were books and dice from some kind of game strewn about the living room, around which were set five candles in a pentagram- Jeremy had likely read some 'how to' manual on magic, and unwittingly unleashed his innate ability. One of the iron stirrups of the saddle I wore caught on a vase, tipping it over, and it hit the floor with a loud cracking noise as I turned around, finding the four had trailed me into the house. "You idiot, a demon might have come here," I said, my ears a bit more relaxed and half erect as I realized that this was not some real attempt at malfeasance but instead the result of some nonsensical game.

"Unicorn, I command thee be my servant," Jeremy intoned.

"Kiss off," I said, knocking over one of the candles and watching it's flame go out. Pentagrams are like windows between planes, and I worried that some other passer by might notice it. I'd have to find another, and realized with a sinking feeling that on the elves' plane, Connie was standing alone beside the ruined old inn. She was with her magic ability hardly defenseless, but the wilderness was no place for a child to be alone. "You have to send me back."

"Are you real?" one of the smaller children asked me, touching my shoulder as if to confirm I was solid matter.

"No," Jeremy said. "I summoned you here, you have to obey me."

"I thought we went through this already." I was getting annoyed, and considered the option of killing him again, but decided not to- I would need someone to open the rift again, and I sensed that none of the other three were more than they seemed. "Open the rift."

"Or what will you do?" he challenged. "You're worth a ton of money. A real unicorn, here in New Jersey."

"I can slash your stomach open and let your guts spill out on the floor." To emphasize, I swung my head low against the sofa, my alicorn easily tearing through it's fabric and allowing some foam rubber to spill out.

"You wouldn't do that," he said as I stepped close to him.

In reply, I swept my head low again, brushing my alicorn against his sleeve. The fabric ripped away and a thin red line appeared, bleeding slightly where I had let the very tip brush against his skin. "Try me."

He paled slightly, backing away a half step. I noted with satisfaction that there was now a bit of fear in his eye. "What do you want?"

"Like I said, open the rift." I took another step toward him. Something on the floor crushed beneath my hoof, which had a nice effect on the young woman, who started to sob quietly. It seemed like a good time to seem terrifying, so I flared my nostrils and snorted, tossing my head.

Jeremy snatched up the candle that I had knocked over. "I'll do it," he said in a now pleading voice, the smug bravado gone. He lit it, setting it back in the edge of the pentagram, and picked up a worn book with a leather cover. I could see that it had elven runes on the front, written in green.

"Where did you get that?" I demanded as he flipped through the pages.

"At the magic shop downtown, from an old lady," he replied as he found a page. "Here it is."

He started to read aloud, his voice straining to form the words, and I wondered for a moment how he was able to read it- Connie had trouble enough, even with Gulthar to help translate the often unfathomable subtleties of the words, but shrugged off the thought- it seemed to matter little at the moment, I would step through the rift and back to my world, and Jeremy could go on playing at wizard until he made some mistake and summoned up some hazardous being that would eat him, or worse. I could feel the rift starting to form, and turned my head slightly to see the building's door- the familiar haze was forming, as the bridge between planes began to form, but once again it seemed wrong and unfamiliar, but it didn't matter as I would be away from this place. I turned, stepping back, feeling as if I was again falling into a nothingness and a cold dread instead of the usual excitement and energy of planar travel. The cool rain and air suddenly filled my nostrils and I walked forward into it, suddenly finding Connie standing beside me again. She grabbed my neck, burying her face in my mane. "Thunder, you're back."

I brought my head around, touching her with my muzzle reassuringly. "I'm sorry I left- there wasn't much..." I pulled away from her, turning back toward the old inn, where Jeremy was standing on the porch. "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I followed you through, dude," he said. The book was tucked under one arm, and he stepped off the porch. "This place is real rustic."

"Who's he?" Connie asked, putting a hand on my flank, letting me know where she was so I wouldn't step on her.

"A problem," I said. "Jeremy, go back through before it's too late."

"The rift's gone," he said. "Where are we? North Carolina?"

"We aren't in Kansas," I said. As if to emphasize this, some creature let out a pained and deathly shriek as a group of trolls began to howl their success in a hunt. "Come on, we have to go."

"Where?" Jeremy asked.

Connie was pulling herself up onto my saddle. "We are going to the Dark Wood, to a battle," I said. "You, on the other hand, are probably going to be eaten by those trolls. They can't be very far away, and they usually will kill as much food as they can in a night, then won't hunt again until they run out."

"But I helped you," he whined. "You can't just leave me here."

"The trolls will eat him if we do," Connie said factually. "They'd rip his arms off and eat him alive."

Jeremy paled at this- Connie was probably only partly right, the trolls wouldn't pause to rip his arms off. He started to virtually hop from one foot to the other as Connie grabbed the cantle of my saddle and climbed to my back. "You'd slow us down, and we have a battle to go to," I said factually as I started to turn away. "You've already delayed us several hours with your nonsense."

"What if I can get you there faster?" There was desperation in his voice.

I turned my head slightly and turned an ear back toward him. "Go on."

"I'll cast a spell- it'll make you faster, and I won't slow you down at all." He started to leaf desperately fast through the old book. "Here it is. But you have to promise to not leave me."

This might be useful, but I didn't entirely trust his magic- he clearly didn't understand the risks of what he was doing, as he was already starting to read from the book. I watched, intensely curious- unlike when Gulthar, Connie or any other necromancer I'd ever seen gathered mana for a spell, Jeremy seemed to have a coldness gather about him, and I shuddered a bit, wondering what he had tapped into. He read an incantation aloud, and I felt a coolness wash over me, much a feeling of being refreshed not from rest but from some stimulant. He closed the book, looking at Connie hopefully.

Connie reached down with her hand. "Take my hand, and put your foot in the stirrup. You have to ride behind me. Thunder is my horse."

Another unicorn might have taken this as an insult, but I was secretly comforted that Connie still was so jealous of our relationship. Jeremy settled to my back and had to grab tightly as I sprung into a fast gallop. He didn't move well with me, but I ignored his bouncing as it was mostly absorbed by the elves' well made saddle pad, and I instead concentrated on ignoring the rapidly darkening night and the raindrops that still stung my eyes as we galloped down the muddy road that led toward the Dark Wood.

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Dawn was breaking as we approached the steep hill that the road wound up as we approached Faeone's field. It was not quite a mountain, but I knew it was a relatively narrow and steep path down into the field, perhaps two hundred meters high. I could smell faintly the smoke of burning wood and cooking food, and could hear in the not too far distance the noises of an army. I was still energized by Jeremy's spell, and galloped up the hill without rest. It seemed, I hoped, that we'd arrived in time.

At the crest, we could see the entire field- it was not truly a valley, as the ridge we were on stretched north and south, along part of the eastern edge of the broad field. Below, I could see the camp of the elves, of the green and white banners. It all seemed a bit confused, as elves, leprechauns, and the occasional dwarf ran about, not quite the order I'd normally expect. "Look there," Connie said.

Across the field, I could see a troop of cavalry, but their armor and banners were the green and brown of Bacantu Fane, and they were riding in a roughly half circular formation toward the camp of Gwilellen. I was a bit surprised, as there were only a few hundred, not the thousands I'd expected, and despite the confusion of our friends they would clearly be outnumbered and overwhelmed if they pressed their attack. It seemed they realized this themselves, as they were not charging across the broad field but instead approached at a leisurely canter, as if giving Gwilellen Fane's army time to assemble.

And they did- already the Elven archers were forming a long line, the well mounted cavalry of Captain Farhain beginning to form, assembling hastily into a group to ride out to meet the dark elves, who had paused just outside the range of Gwilellen's archers. "They fear the righteous blades of Gwilellen," I said, looking down at the spectacle.

"No way, dude," Jeremy said. "It's a trap. The silver guys will chase the green guys, and I bet there's a bunch more of the green guys in the woods over there." He pointed toward the north side of the field. "They'll cut the silver guy army in half, and..." he gawked at Connie, who was building a large bluish ball of mana in her hands. "What are you doing?"

"Magic the right way." She was looking down toward the field, where the cavalry of the dark elves was already turning, riding back toward the west side of the field. As if to confirm Jeremy's prediction, the cavalry of Gwilellen- Farhain, and his troop- were already getting far ahead of the elves' foot soldiers, who were running to try to keep up. "Thunder, I don't know if I can get them from here."

Jeremy had to grab the pommel of the saddle again to keep from falling as I again broke into a gallop, now flying down the steep road, around the twists and turns. "Connie, get the ones in the woods," I said urgently, trying to not slip on the muddy road. I got to the bottom of the path, charging through the edge of the camp, seeing surprised looks of recognition from some of the soldiers who had lagged behind. We galloped through, starting to pass the archers, and I felt a tingling as I knew that Connie was drawing on my magic as well, strengthening her own.

"Stop," Connie suddenly said as we reached the rear of Farhain's cavalry. I pulled my hind legs up under myself, sliding to a stop . Connie raised both her hands to the sky, and I turned my head sharply, watching her whirl a blue etherial ball that continued to expand, spinning around us like a sort of an inverted vortex.

Most every eye in the field was drawn up toward it, a large round cloud forming at it's top. Connie brought her right hand down sharply, pointing toward the right edge of the woods, and a thin bolt of lightning from the cloud pounded down into them. "That's all?" Jeremy asked, a slight sound of disdain in his voice.

Connie ignored this, then brought her left hand down, pointing to the left edge of the wood, saying something in an ancient dialect of elvish. There was a bright flash. From the edge of the field to at least fifty yards into the wood, the trees literally exploded into flame as an enormous sheet of lightning fell from the sky, shaking the ground. Even some of the trained and hardened cavalry horses spun and bolted in fear from the horrific sound, that was accompanied by screams of pain as thousands of the dark elves themselves met the same fate of the trees, ripped asunder by the incredible force, or if less fortunate ran screaming into the field, trying to escape the magic fire that was consuming them.

But it was not enough. From the west side of the field, thousands of dark elves poured forth on foot, and their cavalry turned, no longer a lure, and charged forward into Farhain's troop. The foot soldiers of Gwilellen had almost arrived, but were still strewn out and disorganized. The numbers might be even now, but the Dark Elves of Bacantu were organized and in ranks, and had the other advantage of a careful plan- though partly disrupted.

My immediate concern now was for Connie's safety. She was no warrior, and she held tight to my saddle as the two armies' cavalry collided. Farhain's warriors, their swords out, met the charging Bacantu army, and almost instantly it became a thousand tiny fights, soldiers desperately struggling in one on one contests.

I zigged slightly, parrying a thrust from a dark armored horseman, slashing my alicorn into his armor and hearing a satisfying scream of pain as he tumbled from his mount. I was trying to work my way toward the rear when Connie suddenly cried out, pushing hard with her left leg, trying to turn me.

I saw what she had- Danzing, our long time dwarf companion, was two hundred yards away, surrounded by five foot soldiers of the dark elves. He sat astride a white unicorn mare, and I realized with a sudden sinking feeling that Ming had come here as well. Danzing was trying to parry the blows of them all, as Ming swung her head about, slashing at the enemy. I began to gallop toward them, feeling Jeremy slide too far back on the saddlepad, but ignored his peril- if he fell off, it was irrelevant. I had to save Ming, and ignored as well the fighting that seemed to melt apart as we galloped reckless through the melee.

As we approached, another unicorn galloped up as well, though this one unwelcome- Piesa. She joined in, knocking one of her own soldiers half aside, and I watched helplessly as Danzing tried unsuccessfuly to parry her as she reared, plunging her alicorn into the dwarf's armor, and her weight slamming Ming to the ground. As Piesa brought her head down to deal a fatal blow to Ming, I shrieked out a stallion's painful angry challenge, and Piesa stopped, looking up in surprise, bringing up her ears as any other mare might- the horse instincts inside of Piesa had saved Ming, at least for a moment, and given me time to gallop up.

There were suddenly two horsemen beside us as well, wearing the armor of Gwilellen Fane, and the dark elven soldiers fell away to meet them. Jeremy fell from my saddle as I again drew up my hind legs, sliding to a stop. Again, I whinned a shrieking challenge, my ears pinned back, but Piesa was overcoming her instincts. "You won't harm me, Thardor," Piesa said.

I reared, slamming my chest into her and knocking her away from Ming. Ming scrambled to stand up, Danzing falling unmoving from her saddle, the huge rent in his armor and the crimson blood staining it making it very clear the dwarven Captain had fought his last. There was a crazed look in Ming's eye, her ears pinned back and nostrils flared, as she brought her own head down now. "Kill her," Connie screamed out through her tears. "Kill her."

I opened my mouth, biting the crest of Ming's neck, pulling her off balance. She pulled away from me in surprise, turning half toward me, her ears pinned back in anger, and I shoved myself between Ming and Piesa, who still lay on the ground, staring at me.

About us, the battle still raged, but I ignored it- it seemed to be flowing toward the west, away from Gwilellen's camp. Ming was furious. "Let me kill her. She killed Danzing."

This made no sense to me. Danzing was dead, but he was not a unicorn, and Piesa, reprehensible as her conduct had been, carried my foal. Ming was swayed by emotions, consumed by anger and revenge, the very qualities that she had frowned on in me. The difference seemed to be the reason for the anger. It was the same, and yet different, and I struggled as the battle raged about us for a half second, wondering what to do.

Jeremy was suddenly there as well, kneeling beside the prone Piesa, and he reached out and touched her alicorn. She drew in a sharp breath, bringing her ears up, and they both suddenly vanished.

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End of Chapter 13

We two unicorns and Connie were alone, though about us the battle still raged. It was like most battles in an open field, shouts of despair mixed with those of triumph, but altogether overshadowed by cries of pain. I looked about, easy to do with my widely set eyes, and saw that the leprechauns were in trouble. I sprung toward them at a gallop, Connie still holding tight to my saddle, and Ming followed in my hoofsteps, though riderless. We would attend to the fallen Danzing later.

Leprechauns are fine archers, but far too small for the open field battle they found themselves in. A group of some thirty was surrounded by a company of dark elves wearing the green and brown of Bacantu Fane, being pressed too close for bows they desperately tried to parry the blows of the elven swords with whatever fell at hand, and the green field was stained red from their blood. Connie let out a shout; then the young wizard let forth a lighting bolt that struck a dozen of the elves to the ground, crying in agony as the magic boiled their flesh within their armor. Then Ming and I were there, our alicorns through the elves' armor as they realized too late the angry death that fell upon them from behind. Ming was almost berserk with fury; rearing and plunging her forehooves again on an elf already slain. I was furious as well, but with centuries of experience in being a unicorn conserved my violence to dispatch our enemies more efficiently. A group of elves from Gwilellen Fane suddenly appeared; mounted on horses they quickly crushed the dark elves.

I paused to look about, lifting my head and twitching my ears from side to side. Farhain was suddenly there; the bay horse he rode covered in lather from the exertion of the battle. "Thardor, the dark elves are too many. Flee, and save the child and your mare."

Farhain was right- I could see more of the dark elves, their green and brown armor emerging from the wood to our west. Ming and I, and the mounted elves might gallop away and easily outdistance them, but that would leave the leprechauns, the dwarves and those on foot to certain doom. My eyes met those of my mare- we both had so much now to live for. "It would be better to live for only today among my comrades than to live a coward forever," I replied. "Ming, take Connie back to safety."

"No way am I getting off your back," Connie said, grabbing my saddle tightly.

Another unicorn was suddenly beside us- my brother Kallain, riderless, and I realized with a pain that the blood on his rent saddle must be that of his rider. "Lydia!" I cried out in anguish, trying to blink the tears from my eyes.

He could not answer. The dark elves pressed toward us inexorably, a huge wave on the plain. Farhain's remaining cavalry wheeled around to face them as the leprechauns and few remaining elven archers let fly their weapons and the dwarves stood as a long, grim line waiting for the enemy to fall upon us. Connie spent what magic she could, sending fire into the enemies' ranks, but though it felled some far too many came forth; and a moment later their lead companies were upon the dwarves. Others spilled to our right and left. Only to the east was escape, and I knew they would press past us and quickly close that avenue as well, brushing aside the remnants of the elven cavalry. Save a miracle, we would be surrounded and all perish this day on the green field of Faeone.

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The horde pressed on, crushing our meager few axemen. We charged forward, pushing them desperately back once, the elves' blades and the fierce alicorns of the unicorns slashing and making them falter, afraid though they outnumbered us in total, as individuals they all feared our ferocity and for just that moment they cowered, trying to hide and shield themselves. But their blades still swung, dealing death to our elven comrades, until only a handful stood beside us, and the evil mob let out a shriek of victory, sensing that that there stood nothing between themselves and Gwilellen save a dozen or so of Farhain's troops and the great captain himself whose blade sang again and again it's death song. Kallain and Ming pressed near me, slashing with their deadly alicorns and keeping the dark elves that falsely claimed Bacantu from harming Connie. None stood of the dwarves and leprechauns that had accompanied us to battle, at least to my sight, though I hoped that some who laid on the field of battle might still live though suffering grievous wounds.

"We must charge out," Farhain called to me as he slashed aside a warrior wearing green and black. "Unicorns, follow us, and we will press them aside,"

It was a forlorn hope, yet our only one, that we might yet break free and flee the battle to the temporary safety of the keep at Gwilellen Fane. Farhain wheeled his horse and the cavalry plunged into a wedge beside him, Kallain to my left and Ming to my right- saving Connie was suddenly the only goal we might yet achieve.

Kallain heard them first, his ears twitching forward. "Horses are coming," he called to me. "Hundreds."

I hoped for a moment that the other Fanes might have realized their folly. The sound of the hooves reached my own ears, but it was not the heavy steps of horses bearing armored riders but a light and familiar rhythm. "Unicorns!" I called back to my brother, and whinnied out a loud cry for help.

Several of my kin answered back, and the green and black horde that had been arrogant at the brink of victory again was washed with fear as they felt their doom upon them. Though as there were still hundreds of elves, a fearsome phalanx of brown, white, grey and black thundered down upon them, alicorns lowered for a deadly charge, and instead of crushing upon us the dark evles began to flee in disorganized rout.

And rout it was- the unicorns crashed into them, swirling among the green and black clad elves who tossed aside their weapons and screamed for mercy. But the wrath of the unicorns was upon them, and Kallain and I plunged back forward, along with Ming and Farhain's few remaining warriors. I lunged forward, furious at what they had done, plunging my alicorn into one of the elves and hearing his scream of pain as I tossed my head up, flipping him aside and looking for another, maddened with berserk rage. Connie clung to my saddle, unable to be anything more than a passenger as I trampled another of our enemy, crushing his throat with my hoof as I reared and came down on hi again and again, thinking only of our friends and beloved ones who lay dead or dying on the once beautiful field, it's green stained with blood and corpses.

Then suddenly it was all over; none were left. The unicorns circled the field, finishing those that remained. The dark elves had showed no mercy and we gave none. I drew up by Ming, her own alicorn and lovely white face also covered with the red gore of those she had slain, her nostrils flared and breath hot and steaming. She looked at me and said nothing; I knew her grief and she mine.

Connie slid from my saddle and ran to Kallain. "Where is Lydia?" she cried to him.

He turned and trotted off, and the three of us followed. In a small grassy knollshe lay, her armor rent with dark red arrowscovered with evil runes. "The archers fired on us," Kallain explained, pain and sadness in his voice. "I could not stop them."

Another unicorn came and stood beside us. Unicorns are immortal beings, and age slowly if at all, yet this one's coat was gray from age, and his back slightly swayed from age, yet he seemed powerful and had a special majesty about him, and he seemed familiar and his presence comforted me. "Gwilellen has ever been a friend to the unicorns," he said in a surprisingly gentle and soft voice. "She is the last of her line, Thardor."

I reached down with my muzzle and pushed on her shoulder, urging her to get up as I might a sleepy colt. "Thunder," she said weakly, reaching up and touching my face. "You have come to save me again, but this time...I fear you are too late." She coughed, some blood dripping from her mouth.

"No," Connie cried out. "Thunder, you have to save her." "She has been poisoned by evil magic,," the old unicorn replied. "Changing her to a horse will not help."

Connie looked at me, wild eyed. "You did that other elf chick into a unicorn. Save Lydia, Thunder. I know you can," she said, pleading, her eyes already red with tears.

With Piesa, there had been her magic staff, that I'd drained all at once. With Ming, the pent up mana of the alicorn of my dam, with all of the magic that I had drawn from Connie as well. But now... I looked up to the gray unicorn, who spoke to me gently. "You would sacrifice yourself, Thardor. Yet that would not save her."

I snorted, and tossed my head, unwilling to accept this, but felt the anger drain from me. I knew it was unfair; there were hundreds of others who also lay dying on the field, yet Lydia was special to me. "Yet you have not said she cannot be saved," I replied. "Whatever the price, I will pay it."

"And whatever the price, shall we as well," Farhain said as he walked up. Somehow he seemed still strong and undrained from the battle, though the horse he led was covered in lather and breathing hard as she picked her way through the slippery corpses that lay about us. "Name it, unicorn. The leprechauns all lie dead, their bounty lies unpaid. Would you have a Fane of your own?"

"A Fane?" the old one replied. "What use does a unicorn have of castles and bridges? All of the Fanes are our home."

"Surely the magic of all the unicorns together might save her," I urged. "She could be one of us." Unicorns were immune to poison, even the magic kind.

"We could," he agreed. "Yet I fear she will long for her elven form. I have known her long, Thardor. Since she was a child and you a colt." The old unicorn looked sad. "If we change her to be one of us, you will have to save her again."

He spoke in riddles, and for a moment I pinned an ear, wondering if he was part leprechaun. "I will gladly save her ten thousand times," I said boldly. The other unicorns were pressing about him now, many looking to me with sympathy. There were more unicorns than I'd ever seen together in one place since I'd been a colt hundreds of years ago. I looked at them, seeing many familiar herdmates that I'd not seen in centuries. I whinnied out to them, and several called back, their equine voices comforting and familiar memories. "Please," I begged.

He looked at Kallain, then to Ming and finally to me. "We four shall do this," he said. "It is quite dangerous and I would not have others of our herd at risk."

"I'll help," Connie said, touching my flank.

"You are very brave," the old unicorn said to her. "But this is for unicorns." He looked at Farhain, who nodded and stepped forward, taking Connie away. "We will use old magic, from long ago. Before the troubles with the demons and the dragons, we lived long with the elves. Those were peaceful times," he said wistfully. "Seldom did immortals fall, for the elves and unicorns had no enemies when the world was young. But even then..."

Kallain snorted impatiently, stomping a hoof. "Old horse, she is fading. Please get on with it."

The old unicorn widened his eyes and raised his head, regarding my younger brother. "You are much like your brother once was. Patience, Kallain." Stepping forward, he held his head over Lydia, arching his neck slightly. "Step forward," he commanded.

Ming, Kallain and I stepped up, and as the four of us stood close I felt as if we were isolated, the rest of the battlefield around us almost in a mist. Our alicorns were close, and I felt a charge of energy as I did when Connie prepared a spell, except much stronger. The old unicorn began to speak in an ancient language. It didn't sound much like a spell, at least none that I had ever heard cast before.

"Ancient force deep of the land, Unicorns call on you to return a life, Bind to us, to our kind, Run carefree with our herd in the green soft field, Free from the curse of the sorrow of the past."

I suddenly felt very disoriented, and heard Kallain snort as he stumbled backward. Ming whinnied in surprise, and I looked to her- she was fading, and I felt a panic. "Ming!" I cried out, and from the corner of my eye I could see that Lydia, too was fading from view.

The spell collapsed, the cool smell of the battlefield returned. Farhain and Connie stared at us, and I looked wildly at Kallain then the old unicorn. "Where did they go?" I asked.

The old unicorn snorted, his ears up. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you do not know?" Farhain demanded, stepping forward. "You cast the spell."

"I don't try to transform elves every century," he replied. He looked at Kallain, then at me. "This doesn't work this way. All our mana from our ancestors, from those unicorns whose blood you carry, focused together..."

"Ming was not born a unicorn," Kallain said. "Would that make a difference?"

"The only thing worse would be if she were carrying a foal," the old unicorn replied.

"She is," I said, pinning my ears back. "Why didn't you warn us?"

"We did not have a great deal of time to discuss this, Thardor," he replied, pinning his own ears in warning.

I turned slightly away, dropping my head in apology and deference. "But where are they?"

The old unicorn turned away from me, dropping his head as well. "I am sorry, my son. They are all gone outside our plane of existence."

"Then all are lost." I felt empty, both my loves torn away in a single stroke. Turning away, I faced Connie, whose face reflected the same sorrow I felt. "Let's go home," I said to her.

She wrapped her fingers in my mane. "Let's go see Gulthar," she whispered into my ear. "Maybe he can help us."

****************************

One of the most annoying things about humans is that they do not stare at things, thinking that it is impolite to do so. On the contrary, almost all other creatures find it insulting, a subtle message that one is of no interest or account and not worth regarding. The dwarves that lived near Gulthar's keep did not insult us so, stopping from whatever task they were about and watching as we three unicorns, bearing our two riders, galloped down the cobblestone path into town toward the hill in it's center where Gulthar's castle rose majestically, the noontime sun reflecting from it's gleaming blue roof.

The guards at the gate silently opened them as we slowed to a trot. We paused near the entrance to the keep itself, Kallain allowing Farhain to dismount and I allowing Connie to do so. The third of us- the old unicorn- snorted impatiently as Farhain and Connie removed our saddles, handing them to dwarves of Gulthar's guard, then we five walked up the stairs and into the great hall.

We found the wizard sitting on a chair, regarding a crystal ball and drinking tea. "Gulthar, we need your help!" Connie cried out, running up to him.

"Ah, my finest student. Back again safe and sound, no thanks to her unicorn guardian," Gulthar replied, looking at me pointedly. "I know why you are here...I have watched this nonsense unfold." He gently placed his hand on the crystal ball.

"And you did nothing?" Farhain snapped. "The greatest wizard of the age, and you sat idle while thousands died?"

"If you foolish immortals wish to destroy yourselves over nothing, why is it to me to interfere?" the wizard replied evenly.

"They were evil," my brother Kallain replied, pinning back his ears. "But with your help..."

"Evil? Good? What difference?" Gulthar said, taking his hand from the crystal ball and picking up his tea. "Only a point of view. What matters only is power or weakness, not some abstract philosophical concept."

"Connie could have been killed," I said. "She, at least, knows the value of good and evil."

"Does she indeed?" the wizard mused. "No matter. The battle is just begun that you foolish unicorns have started."

"The battle is over," I replied. "We defeated the dark elves."

Servants entered, bringing more tea along with three large golden bowls. They served Connie and Farhain, pouring them tea into crystal goblets, then filled bowls for we three unicorns. Gulthar waited for them to leave, then turned to the old unicorn. "Perhaps you with your age and wisdom may understand that the bickering between elves are irrelevant."

"I have never understood their desire for land and fiefdoms, yet I do honor the loyalty and friendship of Gwilellen Fane," he replied. "And ever do I oppose evil, whether powerful or no."

Gulthar sighed, looking into his tea as if it might hold some secret answer. "Yet your tinkerings with magic may have unleashed a horror that will be all our undoing."

"I don't understand," Connie interjected, unable to remain silent any longer. "He tried to save Lydia."

The wizard waved his hand in dismissal. "Thousands lay dead and dying. Of what matter is the life of a single elf?"

The old unicorn and I both snorted and pounded our forehooves as one, and I could see Farhain's face red with anger, but I answered for all three. "My friend, who I had sworn to protect."

"And well you did." I was not sure if Gulthar was being sarcastic or not by his reply, but twitched my ear, listening to Farhain, whose hand was on the hilt of his sword. If he were to draw it, I would spring forward to stand with the elven warrior, but he relaxed as the wizard continued. "No, your magic has sent her off, along with Ming, to great peril at a place on the human's plane."

"Well enough, we will go and bring them back," Kallain proclaimed. "Where are they? We'll just go rescue them."

Gulthar slammed his hand down on the table. "Have you listened at all? Are unicorns deaf? Your idiocy has caused enough damage." He looked at me. "Thardor, do you have any idea why magic is so secret on the human plane?"

I didn't but answered anyway. "Because there would be widespread fear of those few that had ability?" I guessed.

"No! Because there are so many humans that have the ability!" the wizard snapped back. "Few as powerful as Connie or I, but thousands, tens of thousands, an army." He stood and began pacing back and forth. "They would run amok across the other planes, causing chaos and disorder."

"But you're human," Kallain pointed out.

"And I was trained, carefully, as I am training Connie," Gulthar said, stopping and leaning on the table and staring at my brother. "To wield this power, to not take sides, to maintain a fine balance." He turned and looked at me. "And you, awakened this power in a reckless child, and turned him loose with an elf turned unicorn."

Jeremy and Piesa. "He summoned me," I said defensively. "And she was cold."

"Cold...well. That explains everything."

"You haven't helped much," I argued back. "Or explained anything. Where is Ming?"

"Ming is home," he said simply. "Being treated for amnesia."

"What?" I asked. "Back in the Fane? What has she forgotten?"

"She is back on the human plane and in great danger," Gulthar said, patience creeping into his voice. "Your spell changed her back to human, in a way."

I was crushed by a mix of emotions. She was safe, but in danger, and human in a way? "She is my mare," I proclaimed. "My chosen. She carries my foal."

Gulthar looked to the old unicorn, who had one of his ears half back and shifted his weight between his forelegs. "I didn't know she was in foal."

"So now perhaps you understand the danger she is in," Gulthar said. "If you can bring her back here- convince her to come back- I might separate the two of them."

"The two of who?" Connie asked.

Gulthar laid his hand on her arm. "This is why I am training you," he said. "The unicorns' sloppy magic combined Lydia and Ming's foal."

"But how are they- where are they?" I asked.

"They fell through the rift that Jeremy and Piesa created," Gulthar said. "You understand the danger- he can create rifts where there are none."

Gulthar was right about that- if he were to do so for demons or the like, they might appear anywhere at any time. "So we'll kill him, then bring Ming back here," I decided.

"Great plan," Gulthar scoffed. "He is easily as powerful as I, and with a unicorn familiar who actually understands magic."

"With you and Connie helping us, we can defeat him," Kallain said.

"Connie and I are going nowhere," Gulthar said. "She will remain here with me, where she will be safe."

"No I won't," Connie said.

"You must. If Ming's foal falls into Jeremy's hands- and it is only a matter of time before Piesa realizes that her rival is there- there is no limit to the malice he might create."

"Ming won't allow it," I said. "Besides, you said she's changed back to human."

"Only in appearance," Gulthar said. "She does not realize what she is, or remember you. You must win her heart back before Jeremy and Piesa find her." The wizard looked very serious. "Thardor, you must do this, but you also must do this alone."

"We will help him," the old unicorn said. Kallain and Farhain nodded assent.

"No," the wizard said. "Thardor must do this alone. I will speak to him privately." He turned and walked away. I followed him through the great corridor, and we ended up at a small balcony overlooking the courtyard. "Piesa and Jeremy would destroy your brother or Farhain," he said. "With you, Connie's magic is as powerful, but she is too careless yet, so she must not go. They will not harm Ming, as they want her foal. So you must go alone. Piesa will not allow Jeremy to harm you- he is not powerful enough without her help."

"Why not?"

Gulthar snorted. "You are such a dense oaf. She loves you."

"And you?" I asked. "Why can't you go?"

"Too much is at stake," he replied. "I must remain here, to train Connie in case you fail, and to send the old one...Faeone is more powerful than you might imagine, but he has always been sentimental and impulsive."

"He is a unicorn," I said, arching my neck. "How could you question his judgment and wisdom?"

"The very fact that you stand here is... " Gulthar suddenly looked astonished, and turned to face me. "Did Shaleean not tell you of your sire?"

The mention of my dam, murdered by the dragons, brought a brief pain to my heart. "It is no business of a wizard or a human," I replied coldly.

"Really. Really." He fumbled in the pocket of his robe, withdrew his pipe. "Alofveir was her chosen, was he not?" I pinned an ear and wrinkled my lip as he lit the pipe and let forth a dark cloud of sweet smelling smoke. He puffed for a moment as I shifted my weight uneasily. "Did you ever wonder, Thardor, why all of the other colts and fillies he sired were red like your brother, and you alone were silver white?"

I tossed my head, stomping my right fore hoof and whinnied. "What does this have to do with Ming and Lydia?" I demanded, not wanting to continue the discussion. "Shaleean was my dam, Alofveir my sire." "You imbecile!" He snapped the pipe sharply down on the balcony's rail. "This has nothing to do with Ming and Lydia, but everything to do with Piesa!"

Now I was confused. I had long suspected that Alofveir was not my sire, though he had ever been kind to me and treated meas his colt. Actual bloodlines mattered little to unicorns, though to humans it seemed very important, and I suppose because of my long association with them some of their values had affected me. I brought my ears up, staring at the wizard and waiting for him to explain.

He stared back, as if waiting for me to speak. After a long moment of silence, he turned away, regarding the sunset. "You are a unicorn. Of all things, you must know of the ways of unicorns. How does one become the herd stallion?"

"It is passed on to the eldest pure blooded son," I replied in relief. I wasn't sure why Gulthar had decided to discuss our ways, but was hopeful that he would not return to the more sensitive topic we had been discussing.

"And who is the leader of all the herds?" he pressed on, still staring at the sunset that was turning a golden orange.

"Faeone, the eldest," I replied. I was still excited to have met the near mythical eldest unicorn, despite our misfortunes.

"And who is Faeone's eldest full blooded son?" Gulthar now turned away from the sunset and came to stand near me. Strangely, he did not stand and stare at me as humans normally do, but stood beside my shoulder, as another horse might.

"Faeone has never sired a colt," I replied. It was strange but true, in hundreds of centuries he had sired hundreds of fillies but never a colt from a unicorn mare.

"Now, if he had done so, and..." the wizard suddenly lost patience. He poked me in the ribs with his finger, and I jumped sideways, knocking over a chair. "Thardor! Your sire is Faeone. You have carelessly bred two unicorn mares now, and should one of them bear a colt he may someday become herd leader! Do you finally understand?"

I spun about on my hindquarters, smashing the chair to kindling and bolted from the room. Gulthar's servants scattered as I galloped down the hallway, down the spiral stairs and into the courtyard where the other unicorns stood. They looked up and snorted in alarm as I slid to a stop. "Why didn't you come to me?" I shrieked at Faeone, pinning my ears and baring my teeth, my nostrils flared. "Why didn't you tell me of this?"

Faeone arched his neck, pinning his own ears. "The wizard told you?"

"Not my own sire, but a human wizard!" I pawed angrily. "In six hundred years, you could not have sought me out and told me that I was your eldest son?"

The old unicorn suddenly seemed tired, and his head sagged. "Not only my eldest son. My only son, who I could not recognize without placing him in constant peril."

He looked at me, picking his ears up, and my anger melted away as I felt his sorrow. I nickered to him softly and placed my head across his back to comfort him.

"How nice," Gulthar said from the balcony. "A family reunion. Now, Thardor, if you are finished with your tantrums and emotional outbursts, you have a grave task that must be attended to."