A Quest in the Name of Love [Closed]

[Dyste]

Co-written with Rohane Alista

Seasonal Palace, Silverdale

Every few months, an event happens in one of the Dragon Sea Union’s palaces, a meeting of utmost importance among the young heirs of the nations. Such as talking about fashion trends, gossip and the best kinds of tea.

This time around, hosting was Icy De Winter, Crown Princess of Silverdale; the bright alicorn with the fair blue mane had gotten together snacks and drinks (largely made by the staff, granted), as she sat down on a pillow, awaiting the arrival of the others, including an extra guest she was hoping to make a more regular member of theirs.

The first to arrive was almost always the first one to arrive, and the eldest of them. Anastasia Turak breezed right in, giving Icy a quick hug before taking a seat. "Hello, Icy! I'd ask if I'm late, but we both know I never am," she chuckled.

After her came the youngest of the group, a princess of Glaristant, Tymara Blackfang. She also gave Icy a hug, though one less familiar than Ana's, taking a snack already as she sat.

A third guest joined them a few minutes later, Icy's special guest. She bounded in with seemingly infinite energy, giving each and every person in the room a crushing hug before grabbing a whole plate of meat-filled snacks. "Hi hi!" She waved at the people she'd just hugged.

“OH!” Icy blushed as she hugged Diana back; while the dragoness was not officially a part of the club yet, Icy had hoped to change it soon, “I welcome you all to this meeting of the Princess Club! … and I suppose Safira is late again…”

“Sorry about that!” An armored figure arrived, setting down a blue-haired catfolk that was sleeping in her arms, “She slept in, so I had to make sure she was okay…”

“Thank you, Kanari,” Icy sighed, “As I was saying, welcome to you all. I hope that you have been well?”

"Yeah!" Tymara nodded. "I've been working on some new clothes, learning more about it! It's been really fun, and mom got me in contact with Keiko!... plus I saw him," she added with a giggle.

"Sounds juicy," Ana laughed. "You know me, Icy, busy busy. Plus the little rascals are.. rascals…"

“Him?” Icy looked curiously. “... what about you, Safira? Or did you just catnap the entire time?”

“Not the entire time,” Safira yawned, munching on some of Talva’s treats, “Soshky and I took a beach trip in Berabil, got to enjoy the local delights there,” she said with a purr.

"Oh, you're awake now," Ana teased.

"I did a quest!" Diana volunteered with a smile. "... um, like, three weeks, um, back."

“Oh really?” Icy leaned in, “What’d you do on the quest, dear?”

"Um… fought like, big monsters!" Diana grinned. "And we like, found a pretty ring! But Lumia took it…"

"Maybe someone else should get you a ring," Ana said, winking at Icy.

Icy blushed, “W-well now… oh, and in my own case, I went to a trip to Talvadale with my retainers to partake in a local festival.”

“I have retainers too,” Safira muttered, still half-asleep.

"We know, Safy," Tymara rolled her eyes. "How were the festivities, Icy?"

“Oh, they were quite lovely,” Icy took some of the cream puffs to eat, “There were several ones themed around Talva there, including a bake-off that I happened to judge! … I think perhaps I might need to add a bit extra to my work-outs after that for a while, though…”

"I can help!" Diana grinned. "I like, like, workin' out!"

"If Diana's are a bit much for you, I can help too, I'm sure," Ana said. "Or, order Askari to," she giggled.

“Right, I’m fully aware of your own methods,” Icy chuckled.

“At least you don’t have to do mom’s,” Safy groaned, her ears twitching, “I’m sore for days after them…”

"Aww, need a massage, kitty?" Ana asked. "Icy and I know someone really good at them, right?"

“Indeed I do,” Icy laughed, “Though they might be preoccupied right now.”

“I’m not sore now, to be fair,” the Dystan princess needed to clarify, “I was when when went to the beach. Soshky made sure that didn’t last…”

"How?" Diana asked.

“Um, er,” Safira didn’t know how to explain that.

“Well, Diana, darling,” Icy moved closer to her, “Do you remember that time you were sore after an adventure and we met at that retreat?”

"Ooh!" Diana nodded, setting aside the empty snack tray. "With lots of cuddles!"

"And I bet it was a lot," Ana laughed.

“What can I say?” Icy beamed, “I am quite the cuddler, as it were.”

“Show-off,” Safy muttered through a yawn, “So anything fun happening soon? Besides Festivalia, but y’know, that happens whenever anyways.”

"When daddy wants!" Diana nodded.

"Not that much on my side," Ana admitted. "Ty? Icy?"

"Well, I might get a dress on Keiko's fashion line soon!" Tymara said. "I was thinking… maybe when that happens I'll see if I can ask Conroy out…"

“Oh, feeling daring, Tymara?” Icy chuckled, “Well, Winter’s Warmth is still a few months out, so I admittedly am quite free for a while. Snowy is still studying abroad, and Tizal’s off at college, so the place is not as packed as it can be.”

"I'm borrrrrrred," Diana said. "Lumia and Cheria like, don't wanna do quests, so it's like, cuddle 'Mik and Icy Pony and 'Skari and dance and, um, train, and spend money but big sis won't let me, like, buy any clothes 'cause she makes them all, and I don' know what else to, like, buy…"

“Oh dear,” Icy looked sympathetic, “Well, Diana, I…” she hesitated a moment before continuing, “Perhaps you would like to do a quest with… me?”

"Really?" Diana's ears perked up a little. "Oooh! Can we bring 'Mik and 'Skari too and have a big quest?!?"

“I mean, we would have to ask them, but if they say yes, then… sure,” Icy was already having second thoughts about this.

"Thank you Icy Pony!" Diana declared, giving her paramour a giant hug. "I'll, like, keep you super safe!"

"Aww," Tymara gushed. "That's adorable! She's so excited!"

“And Icy is looking really squished, NYAHAHA!” Safira laughed about it.

“Ooof… I know you will, my dear,” Icy said, blushing a bit, “But speaking of that, I have been wondering about something, you all… Diana has been coming to these meetings whenever she’s available, and, well, do you think it’s time we made her an official member of the club?”

"Fine by me, Snowy is and she's got about the rate of making them," Ana said.

"Oh, sure!" Tymara nodded. "Maybe she can help me get Conroy to give it a try!"

“Seems fair enough,” Safira said, “She’s got more presence than Suzy would if she was here anyways.”

"Hey, I like Suzy," Tymara frowned.

"So, um… am I, like, a super cool princess now?" Diana asked.

“You always were, Diana,” Icy told her.

"But now she's even cooler," Ana smiled. "We need more snacks, I think," she indicated where two trays were already fully empty.

“Right, fair enough,” Icy tapped a hoof onto an intercom, “Ahem, we are in need of more treats here. Would you be a dear and bring some?”

"Of course, milady," a masculine voice came over the intercom. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and the same voice could be heard. "I have brought you more refreshments, Princess Icy."

"Ah, I knew it would be him," Ana chuckled.

“Who else would it be?” Safy pointed out. “I’d have it be Kanari or Vanya if we were having this at my place.”

“Why, thank you kindly, Askari,” Icy gave her sweetest smile, “You do know how to keep us happy.”

"Of course," Askari bowed slightly, reaching for a tray when he got tackled to the ground by a flying hug.

"'Skari!" Diana said from on top of him. "I caught you!"

"... you certainly did," Askari replied, slightly muffled.

“You are never safe from the dragon’s attack,” Icy winked.

Diana got off Askari, finally, with a giggle, picking him up before he had a chance to do so himself. "You're, like, gonna stay, right?"

"No," Askari clarified, finally getting to deliver the treats. "Unless asked to by her majesty, I would not dare interrupt your meeting."

"Oh, maybe he should stay," Ana got a dangerous glint in her eyes. "We could do something with that mop he calls hair!"

“Or perhaps admire his impeccable fashion,” Icy teased.

"His outfit suits him!" Tymara gave her opinion.

Askari looked down at his butler suit. "This is my uniform. I admit it is more slightly rumpled due to an… incident," he glanced at Diana, who had begun to stuff her face again. "Please do not hold it against me."

“I shall be quite magnanimous today and not hold it against you,” Icy said in her most faux-haughty tone.

“I can’t be mad at someone who makes such great coffee,” Safy said, sipping some as her ears perked up.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Icy would prefer to hold herself against you," Ana teased. "Probably without the uniform. Or anything at all!"

“C-come on, Ana,” Icy’s face turned red.

"That's not a denial!" Ana laughed uproariously.

Askari cleared his throat, featuring his own blush. "Shall I go now, milady? Or would you prefer I stay?"

“I would rather you stay for the time being,” Icy smiled, “We might need some extra assistance, wouldn’t you agree, Diana?”

"Um, yeah!" Diana nodded, pulling Askari over to sit with her and Icy. "Or, like, hugs! Lotsa hugs!"

“All the hugs,” Icy added.

“I’d tell you to get a room, but I’d do the same things,” Safy yawned, sipping her coffee.

"All of us would, except maybe Ty," Ana giggled. "And technically we're in Icy's room already!"

"H-hey, I'd like to, just… you know," Tymara blushed.

“Let me guess,” Safira grinned, “You’re waiting for Conroy?”

"Um… Maybe," Tymara admitted. "Or someone else I feel like that about!"

"Yeah, so Conroy," Ana laughed. "She's so pure, it's cute."

“Just keep at it, Ty,” Icy assured her, “I’m sure he’ll notice soon.”

"I can help!" Diana raised her hand. "Um… what am I, like, helpin' with?"

“Well, Tymara’s interested in your little brother, Diana,” Icy explained. “... Conroy,” she added before the inevitable question.

"Oooh," Diana nodded. "Connie likes books! And, um… being shy! And makin' Yvette mad!"

"Doesn't everything make Yvette angry?" Askari asked.

"Yep!" Diana giggled.

“Oh, I think that she is trying to improve,” Icy said, “But regardless, I am certain Conroy will pay attention to you if you show interest, Ty. Guys like that, you might need to be a little… forward with,” she chuckled.

"Might I suggest that being too forward is also unlikely to work?" Askari added. "Sometimes, it's better to get to know someone first, and then find or create the right moment."

"Someone sounds like they're talking from experience," Ana teased yet again, taking another treat. "Mm, should say thank you to Talva for this… maybe tomorrow, tonight is for Soey. Well, when we're done…"

“Already quite greedy, I see,” Icy teased, “Granted, nobody I know is greedier than my dear Diana!”

"MINE," Diana said, wrapping up Icy, and also Askari, in a hug.

"Did you have to… Icy?" Askari choked out.

“Yes,” Icy said with a strained tone, “Yes I did.”

"Uh… maybe it's about time we went to our rooms?" Tymara suggested, watching as Diana leaned over to nuzzle against Icy.

"Well, Icy, are you going to be busy?" Ana smirked.

“I… might be,” Icy admitted.

“I’ve heard enough,” Safy groaned, “Kanariiiiiii, I’m still tired,” causing the armored warrior to enter the room to pick her up, the catgirl giggling a bit.

"I shall endeavor to get stronger, Icy," Askari said, watching Kanari carry out Safy. He leaned over and whispered. "You aren't tired, are you?"

"Right, well… I'll see you tomorrow!" Tymara said, leaving the room after Safy.

“Take care, you all,” Icy waved them off, “I think Ana is fully aware of how tired I currently am, Askari.”

"Right, not at all," Ana laughed, standing. She gave Icy a kiss on the cheek before moving to the door. "But I expect we'll both be very tired soon enough!" She added with a final chuckle as she left too.

“So then, Askari,” Icy said as Ana left, “I suppose you might’ve overheard what Diana and I have been planning?”

"Milady, I make a point to never betray your trust by listening in to your private meetings. Even if Tymara is very unsubtle, and Diana occasionally sounds like a warning siren," Askari protested.

"Um, what's that mean?" Diana asked.

“It means that he is a good man and tries his best not to listen in,” Icy smiled. “So, Diana, want to tell him your idea?”

"I wanna go on a quest!" Diana declared.

"Well, I'm sure you will do well, Diana," Askari said. "I can pack you some supplies in the morning."

"With Icy Pony and 'Mik and you!" Diana added.

"... oh," Askari sighed.

“Now, now, wouldn’t it be fun, Askari?” Icy chuckled.

“... yes, milady,” Askari replied. “And of course I will come. I have to keep you safe, after all.”

“Yay!” Diana kissed Icy and then Askari, giggling to herself. “Gonna be, like, a super duper cool quest ‘n’ stuff!”

“In which case, I suppose we should figure out a good location for us all to go to,” Icy said, “We could go local in Silverdale, or to another part of the Dragon Sea Union.”

“Perhaps a question for tomorrow?” Askari said, shifting around to be slightly less crushed in Diana’s continuing hug. “I think we’re going to be rather too busy tonight to start anyways.”

“Fair enough, and I suppose Amik should be here when we decide on that anyways,” Icy chuckled, “He might actually be one of the most well-traveled of us regardless!”

"Yuhuh!" Diana agreed, suddenly trying to lift both of the other two.

"Wait, Diana, not both at the same-" Askari protested even as she put him over her shoulder. "... I am unsure I like this, to be honest…"

Icy was a fair bit too heavy like this, but with a burst of light, she turned into an elven form, greatly resembling her namesake, “I on the other hand can get used to this…”

Diana lifted Icy, too, now, in a princess carry. "All MINE!" She declared, taking the two to Icy's chambers.

“It appears we have been claimed by the dragon, Askari,” Icy laughed, “I suppose next morning the heroine will have to save us!”

Askari smiled slightly. "Well, we'll just have to make sure the dragon is happy so she doesn't eat us," he laughed as they went into the room.

[Rohane Alista]

Written with Dyste

It was a nice day in Glacius, sunny and neither hot nor cold. This seemed to appease the princess in the white dress, who was humming happily to herself as she skipped along. She was leading two others through a park, pink blossoms on the well cared for trees, towards a small amphitheater that they could already hear the music from.

One of her companions was walking perhaps slightly closer than usual to the last one, in a nice suit, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. It wasn't that bright, but they allowed him to hide where he was looking, as well as providing small aids to his vision so he could better identify potential threats. "I think we're safe," he said quietly to the one he walked right next to.

The last of the three was wearing a comfy pink sweater with a white heart on it, as she walked behind Diana, “Look, I know you’re hoping to keep us safe, but don’t you think this is a little much… this isn’t some dangerous place, Glacius is among the safest places in the whole country.”

"Given the situation," he glanced across at her stomach. "Can you really blame me for wanting to be extra extra careful?..."

"Icyyy Pony, 'Skari, hurry uppppp," the woman in white said, waving to them.

“Alright already,” Icy, in her elven form, followed along, going a bit slower than Diana was, “You have to remember Diana, I am not quite as fast as you…”

"Make 'Skari carry you!" Diana giggled.

"I could at least try," Askari offered. "But I understand if you think that's too much."

“I would rather walk by myself at the moment, thank you very much,” Icy responded with a familiar tone; one that was polite, but quite firm. “I suppose it was to be expected Amik would be putting on a show today; he’s been getting more popular recently it seems.”

Askari cringed a little, he knew that tone. "Of course," he said, backing off slightly. "It is very like him."

"'Mik is, like, super duper good!" Diana said, her previous suggestion already forgotten as they walked, now able to hear the music clearly and even see the stage slightly. "Even as good, or um, better than me! But not momma, no one is, like, better than her."

“Naturally,” Icy smiled as the three reached the stage, where a darker-skinned, white-haired man wearing a light but flashy outfit was dancing, involving fire in his movements as he moved across the stage, leaping as if he was lighter than air, before a set of draconic wings spread out from his back as he flew around the stage.

"Yay!" Diana clapped, rushing towards the edge of the stage. 'You look, like, ultra cool 'Mik!"

"Diana," Askari said, following after her. "Don't leave us behind… his dancing is always wonderful," the Alistinian smiled slightly. "A better inheritor of my people's style than I ever was, that's certain. And look what he made of that base…"

“He blends knowledge with natural talent and passion,” Icy nodded, “It’s no wonder he has such a fanbase…”

Amik floated back down to the ground gracefully, giving a bow, “Thank you all for watching this performance! If you hope to see more, join me on my tour, I’ll be in Conhart next week! Until next time… Stay Fabulous!”

"Yay!" Diana said again, this time hopping right onto the stage and catching Amik in a surprise hug. "You were, like, soo cool looking, um, 'Mik!"

Amik wasn’t quite as taken by surprise by this as one might’ve expected; perhaps this wasn’t the first time this had happened? “Ah, Diana! I knew you would’ve arrived at one of these! I’m certainly glad you enjoyed the show…”

“Hello, Amik,” Icy walked alongside Askari, “I hope we aren’t interrupting or anything…”

“Oh, no, I always have time for you all!” Askari took Diana’s hands, “It appears you have brought company, darling.”

"You know well it is practically impossible to tell her no," Askari smiled.

Diana took Amik's hands right back, leaning into him slightly. "Like, yeah! We were, um… gonna, like… do a quest! Cause I'm bored! And, like, I wanna bring you too!"

“Well, considering my next performance isn’t until next week, certainly, darling!” Amik kissed her, “So what kind of quest, and where?”

"Uhhhh… a big and fun one! In a place!" Diana grinned, humming slightly after the kiss.

"She… didn't have any ideas to tell us, either," Askari explained.

“Oh dear…” Amik looked sympathetic, as if this, too, was something he was used to seeing. “Diana, darling, perhaps we can have a bite to eat and discuss this matter?”

Diana's stomach rumbled at the suggestion of food. "Okie!"

Askari smiled. "I can't imagine Diana minds what we eat. What about you, Amik? Icy?"

“I could really use a moment to be off my feet,” Icy admitted.

“After all of that dancing, I always try to celebrate with a meal!” Amik replied.

"Food!" Diana exclaimed.

"Right, well, neither of those is a type of food," Askari smiled slightly, checking his phone. "Hmm, well… there's a Mr. MooCow's back the way we came, and a little cafe," he said. "And the other direction, there's a sushi place, fish and chips shop, and… oh, a Rohanian barbecue restaurant," Askari's own stomach rumbled at that one.

“Well now,” Amik was curious, “I have tried the first four, but I am curious about that last one. I actually had some back in Anareiala, but I want to see how they handle it here.”

“I admit, I would enjoy a taste of home,” Askari said.

“Yummy!” Diana giggled. “That’s, like, all kindsa meat and stuff, right ‘Mik?”

“That it is,” Amik smiled, “We had some of their barbecue a few weeks ago when we were there.”

“I admit, while normally I would not go for such things,” Icy said, “When I am in this form, it appears my tastes change… remember when you took me to Mr. Moocow’s for the first time, Askari?”

“I remember, yes, dear,” Askari smiled at Icy. “It sounds as if we’re decided, then? Shall we go?”

“FOOD!” Diana demanded, starting to walk… the wrong way.

“Other way, Diana…” Askari sighed.

“You cannot fault her for a lack of enthusiasm, at least,” Icy chuckled, as Amik made sure Diana was coming along with them.

As the group left the park, they came onto a street containing quite a few businesses, including one that prominently declared itself a barbeque place. “There we are,” Askari said, pointing. “... I can smell it from here, it smells good.”

Diana sniffed the air and then nodded, her stomach rumbling loudly. “Yummy…” She said, then began pulling Amik all the way into the restaurant, taking the first available booth to sit in!

Icy sat down on the opposite side of the table, across from Diana and next to Askari, “Well now, I admit I’m not very familiar with the cuisine here… turns out that whenever I get Rohanian Cuisine with Askari, it is usually burgers.”

“They’re very popular,” Askari admitted, checking to make sure Icy was comfortable before settling in fully himself. “But partly that’s because we don’t go visit my home nearly often enough,” he joked gently.

Diana, meanwhile, had pulled Amik over to look at the menu she had already gotten from… somewhere. “And they’ve got, like, ribs and um… steaks and like… sau-sage, and um… uh…” she pointed at a picture of a burger. “Burgers!”

“... and of course, you could still get a burger,” Askari added to Icy with a facepalm.

“Fair enough!” Icy giggled slightly, “... but I do want to try something new, this is a treat! Perhaps these ribs?”

“I think a nice steak would be nice,” Amik remarked, “But of course you can get whatever you want, Diana, darling.”

“Um… all the stuff?” Diana asked.

“Ribs are a good choice,” Askari said. “There are a few flavors… wait, everything on the menu? Diana, you’re going to make yourself sick…”

“Maybe start with something and see if you like it first, then order something else if you’re still hungry, Diana,” Icy suggested.

“Aww, ok… then I wanna, um… get ribs too!” Diana smiled at Icy.

“And I’ll get some bratwurst, I suppose,” Askari said. “I believe that leaves just which kind of steak you’re looking for, Amik? Hard to go wrong, though, in my opinion…”

“Well, perhaps sirloin?” Amik suggested, “I recall that being quite good at the place I was back in Alista.”

“Good choice,” Askari said as he put in the orders, coming back with several drinks as well, tea for Icy and Amik, a dark soda for Diana, and a coffee for himself. “I took the liberty of deciding drinks… but I’m fairly confident I know what you all like, anyways. Even if it’s not as good as I’d make the tea.”

“Soda!” Diana cheered, drinking the entire cup in one go. “Daddy never, like, lets me have soda!”

“I do know why,” Icy said, regardless tasting the tea, “It is certainly not quite the same as yours, Askari, but I cannot fault them for trying.”

“Huh? Why?” Diana asked, while Askari simply gave Icy a kiss on the cheek.

“Um, well…” Icy blushed, unsure of how to say it.

“You see, Diana,” Amik tried his best, “You are already so full of energy that your father never feels the need to give you any more.”

“Huh?” Diana blinked. “Um… if you say so, ‘Mik…”

“Anyways,” Icy tried to steer the conversation away, “We should probably talk a little about our plans, shouldn’t we? We don’t even know where we’ll be going for this adventure yet.”

"Or what we would be doing," Askari chimed in.

"Um… a fun place!" Diana grinned. "Uh, like, an ooooold temple or, um… I dunno…"

“... um, so,” Amik shook his head, “It could be somewhere like here in Silverdale or Nova Thalassium, or something like Corneria, or further away…”

"Nova Thalassium is fairly far," Askari pointed out. "Maybe a little too far. Corneria would be good, but I'm worried…" he glanced at Icy, then fell quiet as the food was delivered.

"Food!" Diana clapped, before immediately digging in!

“About me?” Icy said, cleanly cutting parts of the rib off with a knife and fork. “I shall be fine so long as I don’t strain myself too much.”

"That's why I worry," Askari admitted quietly, also using a knife and fork on his sausages. "I know you're tougher than most people realize, Icy, really. But sometimes you seem so determined to do too much… to put yourself in danger because you want to handle things directly that you don't need to."

“I… I know,” Icy sighed, “It’s just… whenever I see someone hurt or in need of help, I feel… obligated to help out. It’s not something I can fully control, Askari; it’s just in my nature.”

"I know that, too," Askari said, placing his hand on hers. "But it still worries me."

"... we can, like, help people and stuff with the quest!" Diana beamed. "That's, like, the best kinda quest! I bet there's, um, lotsa good stuff we can, like, help do in Corne-Corn Area!"

“Right, of course,” Amik said, having stayed quiet for a moment so he could eat some of his steak, “Perhaps when we are there we can check out the local adventurer’s guild and see if they have any fun quests for a party like ours.”

"That sounds like a great idea, Amik," Askari nodded.

"Ad-vent guild! Daddy has, um, a secret memb-mem-role thingy!" Diana informed the others.

“Well, then that’s settled,” Icy said, “Now, are there any preparations we have to do?” Meaning, of course, was there any Askari had to handle while Diana forgets about it.

"Nuhuh!" Diana beamed.

"I will arrange transport, as well as checking that all of our gear is fully kitted," Askari said. "I'll also make sure all of your schedules are clear for at least a week, and that the guild will actually be open on our arrival. Just to be safe, I'll secure lodgings for our first night there. I find it unlikely we'll all feel like heading out immediately, especially if there are no perfect quests."

“Sounds quite fab- erm, great,” Amik said as he finished off his steak, “Ahh, that was lovely. Between that and the planning, I think you would’ve made for a fine talent agent, Askari.”

“He is a man of many talents himself, after all,” Icy chuckled.

Askari blushed slightly, finishing his own food before responding. "Well, thank you, Amik. And you as well, Icy…"

"'Skari is, like, super good at stuff! But so are, um, 'Mik and Icy Pony!" Diana offered, looking at the menu again. "Mmm… good meat…"

“Diana, are you still hungry?” Icy asked, knowing what the answer was.

"Yuhuh!" Diana nodded.

"I suppose we might as well settle in," Askari sighed. "We're going to be here awhile…"

[Pitreas]

Written with Rohane Alista and Dyste!

Diana yawned and stretched, as much as she could stretch with three other people in the bed, on both sides of her. She had always been an upbeat girl, but even for her, there was a special kind of joy at waking up cuddled by all of her ‘hoard’. Usually, even if she got up early, at least Askari would be gone, hard at work preparing food or whatever it was he did in the morning. And that was on the rare times she got to actually be with them all at the same time.

Of course, Diana was happy Askari and Icy and Amik had all apparently decided to sleep in. What was the point of an airship adventure vacation, if they didn't get to all cuddle? Still, she was already hungry, so as the young woman got herself up, she shook Askari a little bit. “‘Skari, hungry…”

“Urghh…” Askari's eyes slowly opened. He was wrapped around Icy, having had Diana to his other side in the morning. Almost immediately on waking up, though, he clutched his stomach. “Oh, gods, I feel sick,” he said, extricating himself from the group and rushing to the bathroom.

“Wha?” Diana blinked, shaking Amik and Icy gently next. “‘Skari is bein’ all, like, weird.”

“What!?” Icy blinked as she yawned awake, “What on earth…”

“Ughh…” Amik was also feeling sick, seemingly not wanting to get up at all.

“‘Mik?” Diana asked, squishing his cheeks. “Hehe, fishy… uh, are you, like, sick, ‘Mik?”

“Yeah…” Amik groaned.

Icy then placed a hand on him, “... oh dear… I believe he might’ve eaten something bad. Askari likely did, too…”

Askari came back into the room then, looking pale and drawn. “What was dinner last night? I think it's bad food,” he told the others, falling back into the bed. “Gods…”

“Oh no!” Diana gasped. “But like, I'm fine! And you too, Icy Pony!”

“Well, there are a few possibilities,” Icy considered. “For one, ours might not have had any issues. Also, as you are a dragon, your constitution might’ve helped, and I am certainly tougher than I look.”

“Uhhh… sure!” Diana nodded. “But like, um… I don't remem-reme- I forgot. The ship or something…”

“Oh, right…” Icy sighed, “I suppose Askari and Amik cannot fly it like this, and I… am in no condition for that work right now either, am I…”

“You're not,” Askari muttered into the pillow. “Please don't.”

“Plus, Icy Pony's gotta, like, help them get all healed!” Diana beamed. “Icy Pony is like, the bestest healer!”

“Right, I suppose I should,” Icy sighed, “Diana, my apologies for ruining your morning cuddle like this, but I must tend to both of them.”

“Okiedokies!” Diana said, getting out of the bed. “I'll go, like… I dunno! Find food!”

“Urgh, no thank you,” Askari turned a little greener at just the thought.

“Please just be safe,” Amik said, going to the bathroom himself.

“It shall likely take a while, so just find something to occupy yourself, my dear,” Icy told her.

“Um, okiedokies,” Diana said, wandering away from the lodging area of the airship. It was a smaller one, but very well appointed and classy, perfect for traveling with two princesses. Even the wheel room was fancy, a proper hand carved wooden wheel as the helm. This was where Diana found herself, looking at a map of Mystria. It looked like someone (prolly ‘Skari, Diana thought,) had already plotted out the course to Corneria on the map, even moving a small model of the airship along the path, where it looked like they were more than two thirds there. But then Diana noticed something.

“Pit… Pit Race,” she read the word out loud. “That sounds fun! That should, um, like… occ-u-pie me!” Diana grinned, taking the map and heading to the wheel, turning it, and the airship, to start heading due north.

The others were too focused on the healing in order to stop Diana, Icy realizing the ship was moving a little differently but shrugging it off, “Oh dear, I do think perhaps we shan’t go back to the place again…”

“Never again,” Askari croaked. “The bed feels like it's tilting, am I hallucinating?”

“We are moving along a bit faster, but I think it’ll even out soon,” Icy said. “Please try and get some rest, my healing will do its work but proper rest is important for the process.”

“Nothing better than your healing kisses,” Askari mumbled, a weak joke, before falling back asleep.

Meanwhile, up at the helm, Diana had discovered a lever. She had pushed the lever to max, and the ship sped up! “I'm, like, the smartest!” Diana giggled to herself, pretending to steer the airship.

As Amik returned to the bed, Icy making sure he was okay before he rested again, they would learn what they already knew, that Diana was in fact not the smartest.

------

“You would think them a suicide bomber, if not for the royalty inside.” Queen Candela was seated on the balcony with her grandson as news of the stray airship arrived. “Honestly, the speed of these Dystan inventions amazes me. You’d think they’d go slower at that size.” She turned her pipe, its ash blowing away on the wind down the mountain. “I’ll take care of it. Could you wait here, Nouria?”

“Of course, grandma.” The boy’s eyes were fixed on the airship, minutes ago just a dot on the horizon. “Do you have a plan yet?”

“Lest you forget, I am the queen of the nation and the heritor of Mani-Ankarth. I always have a way.” The woman’s eyes grew red, and she leapt off of the balcony, floating towards the airship. “And next time you force me out, give me a warning.” The god in her mind asked as politely as he could.

Around the airship, streams of sand started forcing the airship into a turn, steering it away from the palace city it was headed towards. The gusts slammed on its walls like unwelcome visitors, forcing the crew off-course.

“Uhhh,” Diana scratched her head, pushing the wheel without much effect. “Huh. Maybe I should, like… go beat up the sand… yeah!” She said, wings popping out of her back from seemingly nowhere, as the airship kept turning. “... how do I get outta here, again?”

A voice resounded through the airship, leaving an odd echo. “Just sit tight and be glad you’re not crashing into the Saribul mountain.” Candela stood atop the balloon of the airship, racing it past the lower city before the vehicle slowly started coming to a halt, trying to improvise a landing zone. “Good girl. Let’s get you nice and quiet down.” With an odd thunk, the ship rested on an odd plateau along the mountain path, not all too far from the royal palace itself.

“Hey! I don't, like, crash, stupid creepy weird voice!” Diana protested.

Deeper inside, Askari groaned again, waking back up. “What was that?... did we crash?” He asked Icy.

“I…. don’t know,” Icy frowned, stepping out of bed to check it out herself and going to the main deck, “Diana, darling, what happened?”

“Icy Pony!” Diana said as the alicorn appeared. “A big sand cloud thingy, like, came up and pushed us and now, um, a big mean evil voice is tryin’ to, like, say we’re gonna, like, crash! I’m gonna go beat it up!”

“After flying this low through Pitrean airspace?” The woman’s voice sounded through the airspace again. “Did they not tell you to only com’it one crime at a time? Now are you going to open the door or should I?” Two knocks came from the door of the airship.

“I'll fly, like, any place I want!” Diana replied, crossing her arms and pouting. “Pit Race was, like, fun sounding, not all mean!”

“...Oh, you must be the dragon princess.” With a click, the door was forced open, and a sizable Caprinae stepped into the ship, dressed in a black coat, her head crowned with two golden horns. “Good morning.”

“Wha? Icy Pony, behind me!” Diana shouted, jumping in front of the other woman!

“Be at ease, darling,” Icy sighed, stepping forward and bowing her head, “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I am Princess Icy De Winter of Silverdale. I was preoccupied for a moment.”

“Icy Pony!” Diana shouted. “What're you, like, doing?”

“What is going on up here?” Askari's voice came from behind Candela, sounding exhausted as his footsteps grew louder. “Are you in danger?...”

“No apologies needed.” Queen Candela tapped her foot on the airship's floor. “Let's be happy about a safe landing and call it a day, for now. What exactly happened here?”

“Grandma, don't run off like that…” The young boy’s face appeared in the airship door, two small horns sticking out from his white, now-messy hair. “Don't make me run like that again, please.”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot you came in dress. I’ll carry you next time, Nouria.” The queen smiled, giving him a pat on the head. “Two, three- Aren't there supposed to be four on this ship?”

“Uggggh…” Amik flew out of the bedroom, still holding his head, “Feeling so… unfabulous…”

“There are indeed four of us,” Icy smiled.

“Four it is. What happened here? Infective cold? Spoiled food?” She weaved a small spell onto the airship with her fingers, to alleviate the symptoms a little. “Not all of you seem equally affected.”

“Oh, mom told me about this.” Nouria looked carefully at the group in front of him. “Dragons have great constitution. …She’s had other ones over, partially for me. That might be it.”

Diana was half-growling as Candela cast the magic. “You! Your the, like, big evil sand cloud lady!” She declared!

Askari sighed, his symptoms lessening again. “Diana, please,” he shook his head. “If she's capable of doing magic like that, and then penetrating my anti-magic, then she's clearly a powerful mage. Though, being sick does make it easier… but in general, it's strong enough even Icy struggles sometimes, so I diarist she could wipe us all out from her living room if she had wanted.”

“Please, you two, she is being quite gracious,” Icy tried to calm them down, “We are guests in her realm, so… wait. Weren’t we going to Corneria?”

“I am perfectly fine, your… Icy,” Askari said. “Simply trying to explain to Diana why I don't believe she means to harm us. Er… are we not in Corneria?”

“I was, like, told to stay occ-u-pied, so I, uh, wanted to like, go to Pit Races! It was on the map and stuff!” Diana declared. “But these, like, aren't races OR pits!”

Queen Candela resisted on openly exhaling a long, deep, tortured sigh. “Let's get you four out of here while I check in with your parents.” She turned to her grandson. “Could you call up a mechanic, Nouria? I’m going to assume the airship took some damage.”

The boy gave her a nod, stepping outside for a moment. “I think they're in the city anyway…” He seemed to have a good idea of who to call.

Askari seemed to pale again at the mention of parents. “Please, no need to call any parents. We are all adults, and can certainly pay for any damages that may have occurred with our funds. In addition, we are each a citizen of a DSU nation, which I believe has free transit agreements with your nation?”

“I don't care for the damage, I care for the high-speed low-altitude uncommunicated flight.” The queen sighed, putting her hand in her coat’s pockets. “All right, fine, I suppose this isn't a good time to bash heads with your homes. As if there's ever a time.” She turned around and left the way she came. “Cof’ee in thirty. Don't be late.”

Nouria gave his grandmother a nod before hopping back aboard to check in. “Hi. Sorry, could one of you check around the airship for any dents or dangerous damage with me? Aschi would like to have a small summary beforehand. Oh, he’s an engineer.”

“I shall go,” Icy said, “I cannot let Askari nor Amik go in their condition, and Diana… she is better suited to be here.”

“Milady,” Askari tried to protest. “You should be resting and assuring the queen and yourself are fine.”

“... I suppose so,” Icy sighed.

“I'll go!” Diana volunteered.

“... I changed my mind. You should go, Icy,” Askari said quickly.

“Fair enough,” Icy chuckled, “... see, I always get my way in the end.”

“Thanks, miss Icy. …Lady Icy? Sorry, I don't know your etiquette.” The boy did make a small bow, for what it's worth. “Oh, my name is Nouria. I’m the queen’s grandson, as you probably heard from her. I was only here to visit, but, you know.” He scratched his head. “Stuff happened.”

“Oh, I know entirely about that sort of thing,” Icy gave her sweetest smile, “And you can call me Icy, if you please, as long as I can call you Nouria. I must say, that is a lovely dress…”

“Oh, thanks. It was a birthday gift.” Nouria gave an appreciative nod. “Hand-made and everything. I assume you know the fox Keiko, right?” He took out his phone to take a photo of a crack left by either Diana or Candela - Who knows which one it was.

“Duh! She's my big sis!” Diana grinned. “And she likes to nap, and take naps, and make clothes, and nap, and do silly card thingies, and nap, and give me the best hugs, and nap, teach Koto magic, and nap, and, uh… um… I think that's most of it!”

“Sounds like her - Oh, she’s your sister. Right, I forgot about that.” Nouria stepped a bit further out. “How much older is she exactly? Don’t you actually have, like, many sisters and brothers?” Snap, another picture was taken, this time of a dent in the airship’s metal.

“Perhaps it is time for Amik and me to take Lady Diana to tea,” Askari said, interrupting. “Please, do not take too long, Milady…”

“I shall not, Askari,” Icy said, doing a little curtsy, “Yes, Diana has a large family, but she in my opinion is the kindest and most beautiful of all of them.”

Nouria laughed softly. “Of course you’d say that. I’m glad you two found each other. Uh, and the other two too.” He reached up to check a spot just above a ledge of the airship. “Mh, I can’t quite reach…”

Icy shook her head, “Here, allow me,” she used her own magic to levitate Nouria a bit, “Please check it quickly, I cannot hold this for very long…”

Askari began to not-so-gently guide Diana away, trusting Amik to follow them… or keep an eye on Icy, whichever it was the dancer felt like doing. As they exited the airship, though, Diana started pouting.

“I just wanna see the pit races… Icy Pony said to, like, stay occ-u-pied… and that means have fun!” The dragon princess protested, getting a sigh in response.

“Oh, thank you.” Nouria awkwardly floated for a second, unsure of how to move, before pushing himself upwards to check the high ledge. “All good! Thank you, you can let me go now.” He quickly landed on his feet before Icy was forced to drop him. “That should give us a pretty good idea of the damage to the ship. Sorry, grandma’s pretty stubborn usually.”

Icy gasped for a moment, normally that power was for smaller objects, “I mean, I understand; if we do not know the damage we could not repair it, and however benign our intentions were, we still flew in the ship unannounced so I can understand wishing to protect your borders…”

“We get plenty of air traffic, Pitreas has open air like any other nation, I believe.” Nouria laughed. “But you were flying very low. Hold on, I’ll send the pictures forward to Aschi, he shouldn’t take long. …Can I ask something?”

“You may,” Icy replied.

“So you’re… Also a princess?” The boy seemed confused. “So you and Diana both come from different royalties, and then there are two boys between you? Isn’t that complicated?”

“Oh, it’s not very complicated at all,” Icy smiled, “We all love each other and are loved by each other. It is quite simple, I find. Why should something like being a princess get in the way of that?”

“I mean, responsibilities and all that. Well, I guess I’m technically a prince too. But I don’t think we use, like, the same definition anyway.” Nouria seemed no less confused. “Cool that it works for you! I’ve just never really seen it.”

“Yes, we have responsibilities… or at least, I do, Diana seems to… follow her own path,” Icy admitted. “... not the same definition? What is being a prince like here?”

“Oh, well.” Nouria pointed at himself, and then the palace on the mountainside. “I *am* a prince, but only because my grandma is the queen. It doesn’t mean I’m going to become king someday. Which is usually, like, the point of being prince, or crown prince. So it’s more like… I think some nations call it a president? But for life? Honestly, I don’t get politics sometimes…”

“Ah, I see… so it is not necessarily a hereditary title then,” Icy thought, “Like how Prime Minister Iceheart has kids, but it is not like they’ll be the next Prime Minister… it can be confusing indeed. But I suppose that also means you do not have the same sort of responsibilities someone like me does?”

“I guess so? You’re probably carrying a lot of matters, but I just spend my time working as fashion designer.” Nouria admitted. “Even if we’d inherit the title, there’s still mom between me and the queen anyway. So it’d take… However long that’d take. And I don’t think I’d really want it anyway.”

“Ah, I can understand that at least,” Icy said, “Some of my siblings or stepsiblings have been more active in their duties than others, but I would not wish for them to feel forced to the life. Having the freedom to pursue your own passions is, as Amik would put it,” she did a mock flourish, “‘Fabulous’, indeed. Myself, I also work as a medic on occasion; I have been blessed with healing powers, like my mother, and, well, considering what Diana gets up to, I think she might need that help sometimes.”

“Yeah, miss Diana seems like… A lot.” Nouria couldn’t resist a chuckle. “I guess friends make up for each others’ shortcomings, and stuff. If anything, she might be a model pursuer of freedom, like you said. From what I can tell, at least.” He checked the time on his phone. “Uh, it’s almost been half an hour. I don’t wanna be late for grandma Candela’s coffee- Should we go?”

“Indeed,” Icy said, “I think if the others are recovered enough we should invite them too, it would be quite cruel to not allow Askari to not have his coffee,” she left out the part where he would likely not like it as much as his homeland’s coffee.

“Yeah, of course!” Nouria nodded in agreement. “I think grandma even expects as much, but I can’t blame them if they’re still feeling unwell. …What actually happened there? Do you have any idea?” He asked as the duo started walking back towards the palace.

“I am not completely sure,” Icy said, trying to make sure they did not get too far ahead so the others could catch up, “But I think the place we ate at yesterday might’ve had some bad food. Either Diana and I avoided it, or her draconic constitution and my natural healing abilities made us more resistant to its effects.”

“Lucky. I think I’d be floored if that happened to me.” Nouria realized he might in fact be a little spoiled. “Will they be fine? We can always call for a healer, if that’s not too intrusive to you. You know, just to check.”

“I doubt they would be able to do much more than has already been done,” Icy said, a hint of pride in her tone, “But perhaps we should take them to the palace to check, if they are well enough to move.”

“They went ahead of us, I think. So at least one of them should be fine.” Nouria checked behind them to make sure no one was left behind. “It’s probably miss Diana, dragging the other two behind her, if I have to guess.”

“Sounds like her,” Icy laughed, “She doesn’t look it at first, but she’s really strong!”

“I’ll… Choose to believe you. For my own safety.” The boy chuckled. “As long as they arrive fine, as long as that’s the case, they’ll make it. Nothing should befall them inside of the palace.”

—---

Arriving at the public hall of the palace, Nouria guided Icy through the crowd of tourists and other visitors, bringing her to the actual home behind the hall. The others were already there, having been given the promised cup of coffee by the queen, who took one of the several sofas in the room for herself. “Perfectly on time. And here I even thought to pour the coffee early, so it’d be cold if you were late.” Candela greeted them with a smile. “Come in, please, come in.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Icy said in a gracious tone, sitting with the others on the sofa; she knew if she tried to take one for herself, Diana would’ve just jumped on with her anyways. “How are you feeling?”

Diana was still pouting a little, a rather impressively long time for her to manage it. Askari finished preparing Icy's coffee for her, with just the right amount of sugar and milk, before sitting back.

“I feel better than this morning,” he said. “But certainly not wholly well. I'm unsure for how long this will last, as well, if it is the result of magic. Apologies, Milady, but I think we will need to seek lodging in the city at least for tonight…”

Amik, meanwhile, seemed for be a bit better than Askari; while his constitution was a bit weaker than the Alistanian’s, he responded better to the magical healing. “I think I will be up on my feet a little later.”

Icy sipped her coffee, not quite exactly the same as what Askari made, but a fine cup, as she gave Diana a kiss, “C’mon, you’re still upset, darling?”

“I don't like, like gettin’ yelled at,” Diana moped, cuddling up against Icy. “I just did what I was told…”

“No one is yelling, Diana,” Askari had notably not touched the coffee. “And no one is angry. Right?” He added, glancing over at Candela.

“No one is angry.” Candela confirmed, putting her cup back on the table. “No one got hurt, the damage is minimal, and there were no ill intentions. I even forgot to contact your parents about the issue, thinking about it.” The queen received the coffee pot from her grandson. “Aren’t you lucky.”

Nouria sat down on the same sofa as his grandmother, carefully sipping from his own still-hot cup. “So why did they end up here, then? Did miss Diana put in the wrong coordinates? I didn’t hear of any mirages today.”

“I believe that…” Icy knew it was actually Diana’s fault, but she didn’t want to word it like that, “There might have been an error in the airship coordinates input. These new Dystan models have a good autopilot, but they can sometimes not work right if there is interference…”

“Interference above Pitreas is pretty common.” Nouria agreed. “I mean, even you used some magic to determine the passengers, right, mom? So it’s not unreasonable?”

“Mhm.” Candela wasn’t afraid to admit to it. “But that was only once the ship was in our airspace. If it was interference, it wasn’t mine. Unless an outsider actively interfered to set a crash course with our cities, I’m really not going to care about who it was anyway. They’d be so awfully primitive.”

“Prim-tiv?” Diana asked, her brow furrowing. “What's that mean?”

“It means that it is…” Icy considered how to word it, “Not new, quite old…”

“Old-school?” Nouria tried. “Simplistic?”

“I'm not old! Or simple!” Diana protested, pulling something out of a small bag she had on her and presenting it around to everyone like it was proof of her grand intelligence. The object was… a Dystan airship pilots license, actually in her name with her photo on it. “See? I've got a card and, like, all that stuff! That says I'm, um… good to fly!”

“Oh!” Icy actually didn’t know about this. “When did you take the test, darling?”

“Um, like… uh…” Diana thought, counting on her fingers. “Two and a half ago? Right before we like, all got on the quest! Daddy, like, set it up!”

“I think she meant weeks…” Askari said.

“You best have had a proper license, indeed.” Candela said, before shifting her tone. “But congratulations. You deserve to be proud of it. Are all of you licensed for the aircraft?”

“I have not gotten mine yet,” Icy admitted, “Because whenever I try to, somebody tells me I needn’t worry because he can handle it.”

“I do, actually,” Amik said, “My father took me to get mine on my twentieth birthday, in fact!”

“I do, indeed, as well as several others,” Askari said, leaning into Icy slightly. “Please, Milady, do not fret yourself about it. You know you'll be well taken care of, if you allow it.”

“That’s pretty impressive…” Nouria muttered, having gotten up to get new coffee for everyone, and going past the table to refill cups where needed. “I don’t have one, as you know, grandma.”

“You didn’t want one.” Candela reminded him. “Granted, you don’t really need one in Pitreas, choosing air travel is only asking for trouble with these sandstorms. Still, I understand the admiration. Say, where are you four headed once you’re feeling bet’er?”

Before anyone else could respond, Diana stood, pointing to the sky. “On a quest! Pit Race is, like, just as good as Corn Area for quests!... I think!”

“I mean, if we are allowed to stay in the nation for a while, it would be nice,” Icy admitted, “I have not had much opportunity to see this land yet.”

“Quests, for aspiring adventurers? How surprising.” Candela showed a smile. “Well, there are… Options. For charity, or for personal profit, whichever drives you more. It’s not usual for us to assign fuly foreign contingency teams, but considering your reputation, it would at least be easier than usual. If you’d be interested in such a thing, of course.”

Nouria sat back down. “You’re sending foreign royalty into the desert, grandma? Are you sure about this?”

“I like deserts!” Diana declared.

“I believe all but one of us will be fine in the desert,” Askari said, looking at Icy. “Milady, are you sure you want to go into the sands? You remember that trip we took in Alista…”

“I am not my mother,” Icy assured Askari, “Furthermore, I have taken some protection this time around, so that does not happen again.”

“Good,” Askari said softly, resting his head against Icy. “Let's not go tonight, at least. I'm still exhausted. And, I admit, not in peak form.”

“I agree,” Icy said, “Besides, Diana, I believe we had our morning cuddle interrupted, did we not?”

Diana gasped. “We did! I, like, didn't get my cuddles from anyo-any… um, all of you!”

“Sounds like you have priorities for the day. Think it over, then. There’s no need to rush, especialy considering it is relatively quiet right now.” Candela nodded. “See yourself as Pitreas’ guests. You can stay in your airship, or we can offer you a hotel, whichever you prefer.”

“They can become agents that easily? I’m jealous…” Nouria admitted. “I guess you know their reputation better than me, but aren’t there a load of exam tests?”

“Tests suck!” Diana declared.

“Agents?” Icy blinked. “I suppose that is a term for what we are planning to do?”

“You are not familiar with Pitrean contingency agents?” Candela said with a frown. “I sup'ose that’s on us. Consider them… A sort of direct-response unit, made up of individual teams willing to tackle ir'egular, dif'icult situations. The kind of things ordinary methods like bureaucracy, law enforcement, and military response can'ot handle. Mirages, primarily, here in Pitreas, but also foreign aid and international incidents.”

“It’s a whole thing, and difficult to get into.” Nouria added. “So most teams are pretty famous. Uncle’s in one! Grandpa was too.” His eyes sparkled with pride.

“That is true.” Candela nodded. “My late husband, who invented the program, also lost his life to it. …Such is the irony of the world, I sup'ose.”

“It sounds like adventuring,” Askari muttered, eyes closed as he rested against Icy.

“‘MIK! We get a quest!” Diana beamed.

“Seems like it,” Amik yawned, “But perhaps we should get to rest so Askari and I can recover…”

“Sounds reasonable.” The queen agreed. “I’ll let you know if something comes up, and you may decide at that time if you want to participate or not. Is that reasonable? There’s no pres'ure involved, we’ll have a regular team at the ready if you decline.”

“That sounds reasonable indeed,” Icy nodded, “Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty.”

“The pleasure is mine. …Unexpectedly.” She gave an appreciative nod. “Nouria, could you guide them out of the palace? They might want to stop by the airship for their belongings, too.”

“Of course, grandma.” Nouria nodded, quickly getting up from the couch. “Aah, my legs… Okay, then, let me know when you’re good to go. …Would another healing spell help?”

“I think it wouldn’t make any difference at this point,” Icy pointed out, “What they need now more than anything is bed rest.”

“And cuddles!” Diana said.

“... and cuddles, that too,” Icy smiled.

[Dyste]

Co-written with Rohane Alista and Pitreas

After a surprise meeting with the Pitrean queen, the adventurers were guided by Nouria onto an underground train that’d take them to the capital city. The boy brought them to the hotel so the worse-off party members could wait out their stomachaches, then excused himself and left them with his address so he could return home, asking them to call if anything came up - Which only took Diana one day. After a city tour, currency conversion, grocery shopping and more, the group was now resting at a workshop at the edge of the city, where the Dystan airship was taking in for repairs - And if the Pythia who took it in was to be believed, even a little bit of an upgrade, on request of the queen.

“I guess they don’t want you making a beeline for the palace again!” Aschi laughed, hanging upside down from his tail to work on the airship’s panelling. “Must’ve been a mighty scare, that one!”

“More for me than for grandma.” Nouria admitted. “It’ll take a lot more to catch her off-guard. How bad is the damage, Aschi?”

“Not so bad, not so bad.” He reaffirmed. “I’m just taking my time, since I know you guys are sticking around. The airship won’t be much use if you’re going mirage-hunting anyway.” He dropped himself onto his feet, rejoining the others.

“Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooored,” Diana said, hanging upside down from a shelf. “When, like, is the quest gonna be… a thing? I wanna quest!” She said, reaching out and poking Nouria.

“Mirages don’t just happen because you want them to, Diana.” Nouria sighed, sipping a still-too-hot coffee. “Did you even read the guidelines for becoming a contingency agent yet? They did send you that document, right?” He paused for a moment. “Nevermind, forget I asked.”

“And here I thought we had some silly royalty.” Aschi gave the shorter guy a pat on the head, much to his annoyance. “What you just dragged in really takes the cake. Well, congrats on your new friends.” He gave the group a thumbs up.

“I’m just helping out…” Nouria muttered.

“We're not friends?” Diana gasped, starting to tear up a little.

“No, I mean-” Nouria immediately regretted his words. “We are. We’re just, new friends, while with the others, you’re old friends. You have known them for ages, right?”

“I’m not sure if you’re just digging your hole deeper with that.” Aschi laughed, pouring himself a new drink. “But if you want a mirage, there’s a sandstorm in the north right now. And one usually brings the other, so cross your fingers.”

“Sandstorms are usually bad, in my the superstition of my homeland,” Askari said, sitting in a chair and reading through something on a tablet.

Aschi shrugged. “I mean, I still wouldn’t recommend blindly driving into one. Driving off before we’ve confirmed the location of a mirage is illegal for a reason. Pitrean history is littered with adventurers dying because they turned mirage hunting into a competition.” The Pythia took a sip. “Not that I’d know, it was outlawed before I was even born.”

“Ah, still working on the machine?” Icy arrived, sipping on some tea she didn’t seem to have before, “My apologies for arriving late, Askari insisted that he brew me some of my favourite tea before he would rest…”

“Hopefully it was still warm?” Askari said, flicking through the tablet more. “Though you don’t have to say I insisted, I simply said it would be good for your health.”

“We’re open 24/7, and you apologize for arriving on regular hours?” Aschi took his goggles off. “We’re just adding Pitrean compatibility. Advanced maps, communication channels, sandproofing.” He explained for the interested. “It’s on the queens’ tab, apparently. You guys must’ve made quite the impression to get a freebie after that act.”

“It’s just grandma.” Nouria shook his head. “Besides, she’s the one who put them up to this, so in a way, they’re repaying anyway.”

“You make it sound like she was in our debt or something like that,” Icy said, “It was us that arrived suddenly and talked about having a quest here…”

“It’s probably something political again.” Nouria finished his coffee. “Maybe like, oh, it was an accident, I can’t punish them too much. Maybe make it a cooperative thing. Something like that? And then send me along to boot.”

“Don’t complain now, Nouria.” Aschi gave him a light tap on the head with a wrench. “You’re getting to tag along with some lovely and powerful ladies. Count your blessings, instead of being a spoiled brat.” He teased, causing the boy to blush.

“Cute!” Diana said.

“Oh my,” Icy blushed as well, “I don’t know about powerful for me, I merely am a healer, but rest assured, we will take good care of the prince…”

“Good thing I prepared extra protection,” Askari muttered as he pressed a button and looked up from his work. “So. Are we nearly finished?”

“Don’t be modest, miss Icy, the healer is the backbone of any adventuring party.” Aschi reminded her. “Well, you can really leave whenever you’d like, but you’ll have to be back here the moment you get that call anyway.”

“I could show you around the city?” Nouria offered. “There’s this candy store that I think you’d like.”

Like clockwork, Icy’s cellphone went off to an unknown number.

“Oh dear,” Icy said as she picked it up, “Seems our tour might have to wait… hello?”

“Good morning, miss Icy, it’s the queen.” Candela’s voice sounded from over the phone. “I figured this would be the fastest way to reach you. Are you together with your friends right now?”

“I am,” Icy confirmed, “Can I help you, Your Majesty?”

“Ask if they have snacks!” Diana said with a big grin.

“I’m sorry, no snacks.” Candela smiled. “I’m calling you to ask if you were still interested in visiting a mirage, with the rest of your group? We’ve just received word of one relatively close to the capital city, so you would be fairly close by.”

“We shall just have to bring snacks,” Icy told Diana, “... yes, we would like to visit if we can.”

“Snacks!” Diana celebrated. “And… um, visit?”

“Ah, our mission is ready?” Askari asked, standing up. “I will go retrieve Amik. He was putting on an impromptu show just outside, right?”

“That he was,” Icy said. “I suppose then our tour will be put on hold for the time being…”

“Awww,” Diana said, giving Askari a crushing hug before he left, then Icy, accidentally speaking directly into the receiver. “But we gotta quest! We're gonna, like, be ultra cool heroes!”

“Very well, thank you. I’ll send the details to Nouria. Otherwise he’s just going to hole up.” Candela laughed. “Take good care of him, I think it’ll do him good. Oh, and Princess Icy- Are you sure you specifically should be going on adventure right now? We can offer some excellent health programs that are probably better for you right now. Hot spa baths, hand-picked menus…”

“That all sounds nice, but…” Icy sighed, “I could not allow my friends to go on without me, I would be more stressed by letting them leave me here than I would by staying behind.”

“I would not leave you, regardless,” Askari said as he reentered the garage. “The whole point of this was for you to get out of palaces and the like for a while, wasn't it?”

“Plus, like, Icy Pony is mine!” Diana added.

“Very well, only you know what’s best for you.” Candela let the issue go. “Do take care, you four. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but the desert is famous for a reason. Ask my grandson if you need anything, hm?”

“Wait, why am I-” Nouria was confused why the mirage details were sent to his device. “Did she rope me into this? Of course she did…”

“Seems you’re really becoming one of us now,” Amik said as he arrived on the scene, having done a bit of clothes shopping as he arrived in some of the local fashion, “Getting roped into things is part of our way of life, at times!”

The boy sighed. “I guess someone will have to be the local… Aschi, can we get vehicles?” He turned to the Pythia. “We’ll need, uh, capacity for five. A jeep, maybe?”

“Of course you can! Though it’s generally bad form to give people the exact amount of seats needed.” Aschi smiled, pushing the door open to the parking lot. “If something breaks down, or you need a wounded to lie down, that’s a bad time to have an exact amount of seats. What do you guys like? Motorcycles, hovercrafts, low-altitude- Nevermind, those need a licence.”

“The issue becomes, who else will drive?” Askari asked. “I certainly can, but Diana cannot, I am unsure if Amik has ever needed to, and milady…”

“Uh, hello, I can drive.” Nouria raised his hand. “Well, it’s been a while, but I am licensed. Would that work for you four?”

“I suppose so,” Icy said, “... I have never needed to learn.”

“And, well,” Amik pointed to the little wings on his back, “I usually have my own ride here!”

“Wouldn’t count on that!” Aschi laughed, driving a jeep out of the parking lot. “Many an Avian have tried going by flight, but they usual’y come right back down. Do yourself a favour and bring backup.”

“Yeah, well, they're not, like, dragons!” Diana said proudly. “We fly like suuuuuuuper good!”

“But if you ride in the car, you can cuddle Icy and Amik,” Askari pointed out.

“... I wanna be in the car!” Diana declared.

“Oh, dragons.” Aschi didn’t seen informed - Or maybe he forgot. “Well, you’re free to try! As long as you can get back if something goes wrong. So, one motorcycle in addition to the jeep?”

“Or perhaps two jeeps. Lucy might be offended if I took a motorcycle, even though she's the one who taught me,” Askari cracked the smallest of smiles.

“Besides, I’m certain that Askari would want me to stay with him during the ride,” Icy added, giving him a small hug.

“Coming up!” Aschi seemed to be enjoying himself with his unusual guests. “Let’s see, as long as these two can geolocate each other, and then… Hmm…” He pulled out a small tablet to modify the jeep. “That should be enough, let’s not overdo it.” The Pythia left the car. “All yours!”

Askari raised an eyebrow slightly, though he also held Icy close as he surveyed the vehicles. “And these are rated for the desert?”

“The best brand in Pitreas.” Aschi confirmed. “The wheels, the glass, the streamlining, the temperature control - All specifically tailored for the Pitrean desert. You don’t get one of these babies from us to do your commute, I’ll tell you that much.” He spoke proudly. “Twenty years of business and going strong.”

“Then, milady, it sounded as if you wished to ride with me,” Askari smiled, again. He held open a door for Icy. “I would be honored to have you by my side.”

“Why, thank you, good sir,” Icy did a mock curtsy as she entered the jeep, relaxing in the back seat.

“I wanna ride with Icy Pony and ‘Mik and ‘Skari!” Diana declared.

“Perhaps Nouria could use some company during this drive,” Askari suggested gently, closing the door behind Icy.

“Uh, it’s fine, I can manage. Maybe I can put some luggage into the back seat?” Nouria offered, pulling the door open. “There’s- Oh, it’s already loaded.” He quickly counted up the water and food rations he saw in the trunk of the jeep. “Is that normal?”

“Since shortly!” The mechanic gave him a thumbs up. “Queen’s orders. Royalty looking out for royalty, I suppose!”

“Now, now, I barely have gotten any time to spend with our host,” Amik said, “Perhaps if you want some company, I can oblige?”

“It’s really fine, I don’t mind either way.” Nouria quickly closed the trunk. “There should be a communications channel between the cars, so if you want to go with your, uh, partners, I don’t mind.”

“... I'm, like, goin’ with ‘Mik!” Diana declared, grabbing Amik's hand and pulling him to Nouria's car, taking a seat. “We're in, um, this one! Right, ‘Mik?”

“Sounds good to me!” Amik said, “Come on, we don’t want you to be lonely now, do we Diana?”

“Uh- Fine.” Nouria lifted his dress up and got in the drivers’ seat. “Wait, I’m going in Keiko’s- I guess I’ll need to ask her to repair it later.” Feeling the situation slip out of control, he started up the engine. “No time like the present, or so they say.”

“Yay!” Diana cheered, giving Amik a kiss on the cheek, then leaving forward and giving Nouria both that and a hug. “Quest! Quest! Quest! Quest!”

In the other vehicle, Askari started it up, waiting to follow Nouria to the mirage. “Poor Nouria… Diana will talk his ear off.”

“He will need to get used to it if he intends to travel with us,” Icy said, admittedly a bit relieved to have some time in the backseat to herself, not that she’d ever say it to Diana.

“I know it’s a quest- No, you can’t steer- You can skip the seat belt but can you please sit down?” Nouria could barely keep his gaze ahead as the group took off on their adventure…

[Rohane Alista]

Thanks Dyste and Chibi for writing this!

“It should be somewhere around here…” Nouria glanced through the side window, trying to spot signs of the mirage. “These are the coordinates, right? Aschi wouldn’t make such a simple mistake.” He turned on the radio to communicate with the other car. “Do you guys see anything? Something not sand, I mean. It should be nearby.”

The radio crackled. “We’re following you. No visuals on target as of this time, over.”

“Wanna know what I see, um… what was your name again? Nugget?” Diana asked from the passenger seats.

“My name is Nouria, Miss Diana.” The boy kept his eyes ahead, to no avail - Just more sand. “It’s Pitrean for “golden child”, actually. So that sets the bar reasonably high. Hmm, the radio shouldn’t break like that, let me see if I can-” He looked at the many buttons on the communication installation. “...Did any of us read the manual for this thing?”

“Oooh, ok!” Diana said, nodding. “My name is Diana! It means, uh… it’s what daddy’s grandma was named!”

“Diana, huh…” Nouria wondered out loud. “Maybe mom knows, she knows quite a few languages. Uh, which country is that? You’re from the dragons’ den, right? Is that Rohanian, or Draconian..?”

“From what I have gathered,” Amik spoke up, “It is rather far away from here, not on this world. My mother lives on a different world than this one, but this one is further away still.”

“Daddy says it’s soooooo far away, that you can’t get there by, like, walking, or flying, or going in one of the big metal star boat things!” Diana nodded. “Daddy said he isn’t, like, from Mystria neither! He, like, came from ‘tween the… um… the empty place thing?”

“That’s… Sure.” Nouria wasn’t sure what he expected as an answer, but it certainly wasn’t that. “Of course it’s complicated, I should have known. …Do you guys mind if we catch a quick break? We’re driving in circles, and we still see nothing, so.”

“Fine by me,” Amik stretched in his seat, “I really can’t stand to sit around for so long, anyways! Perhaps I can treat you to one of my fabulous performances while we rest!”

“Okie-dokes!” Diana said. “I wanna see ‘Mik dance!”

“You dance, Amik?” Nouria seemed surprised. “Well- Yeah, I guess that’s fine. Hold on, let me stop the car.” He put on the handbrake and stepped out, opening the door for the others. “Sheesh, the sand is really hot. I guess that’s to be expected…” He waved to the other car.

“Why, yes I am!” Amik said, with some pride in his voice, “I was taught by both my mother and Diana’s; in fact, that is how we really got to know each other, wasn’t it darling?”

“Yeah!” Diana nodded. “Well, and also cause, like, daddy two taught me how to use the BIG swords!”

The second jeep came in behind them, pulling to a stop a little bit short of their vehicle. Askari hopped out of the driver’s seat a moment later, opening the passenger door. “Why have we stopped here? Is your vehicle overheating?”

“Wait, you’re that Amik?” The dots suddenly seemed to connect for Nouria. “Yeah, sorry! We were just… A bit lost, so we wanted to take a break and see what you guys think. …Is the sand moving?” Nouria felt the sand shift under his feet, away from the vehicle.

“That I am,” Amik did a little flourish, looking exactly as his pamphlets and billboards did. “... hm? Come to think of it, I notice it too…”

“What?” Diana tilted her head slightly, even as she slowly slid. “Oh! This is fun!” She giggled.

“Icy, I fear Diana has found a sinkhole,” Askari sighed, glancing over. “Shall I go retrieve her?”

“As long as she doesn’t fall in- No wait, might that be it?” Nouria wondered. “It’d be pretty dangerous to go down into, though. Hm… Uh, we can follow her carefully, I think. For her safety, right?”

“If we do, we should go together,” Icy said to Askari, “If she gets hurt, I have the best chance to calm her down…”

“That we should,” Amik affirmed, “Diana is quite tough but she has a… tendency to jump into things…”

Even as Amik was speaking, Diana giggled, took a few quick steps forward, and half-jumped, half-surfed her way down the sand. “Wheeee!”

“Oh gods above,” Askari groaned, running a hand down his face. “The decision has been made for us, just like always…”

“Is that how it usually goes?” Nouria asked, now running after Diana, surprisingly agile in his choice of clothes. “Don’t go too far, Diana, we’re trying to catch up- How is she so fast?”

Diana quickly reached the edge of the sinkhole, a low rumbling coming from underneath the ground as sand poured itself into the darkness.

“I think that is a question that a lot of people have asked, my friend,” Amik said as he did a little dance in the air; suddenly Nouria had a burst of speed as he could move much faster for a short while.

“Whooo!” Diana shouted, falling down with the sand. A moment later, she popped back up, large golden wings protruding from her back. “There’s, like, a BIG hole in the, um, place! I bet it has GOLD!”

Nouria raced towards Diana ahead of the others, before coming to a sudden stop at the edge of the pit. “And how are the rest of us going down there, then?” He said worried, scratching his horns. “That’s quite the way down, you do realize that, Diana, Amik? Not all of us can fly, you know.”

“Perhaps I can help there,” Amik, with a little dance, casted a spell on Nouria, “That should help you float down gently… just don’t look down, okay?”

Askari arrived then, already pulling rope out of his pack. “I’ll head down the old fashioned way, then. Though, where to secure this… sand isn’t a reliable anchor, sadly…”

“Oh, maybe I can help you.” A lint appeared in Nouria’s hands, which he weaved around until it was in the shape of a hook, at which point the fabric turned into a material akin to metal. “It… Should go deep enough. It’s just a question of if I can keep the spell up for a long time.”

At this, Diana grabbed Askari under the arms, lifting him. “Don’t, like, worry! I’ll just carry him!” She beamed, then immediately headed down the hole with the Alistinian. “Last one down is, um, a silly dragon!”

“Oh dear,” Icy flew down after the pair, “I think one silly dragon is more than enough to deal with, wouldn’t you think?”

“Aren’t they both dragons?” Nouria asked, left with Amik at the edge of the sinkhole. “...Does the rope hold? I guess I’ll just hope the spell works out…” He dropped himself into the hole. “That’s an awful lot of faith to have in someone you met a week ago-” He thought to himself, before his eyesight was reduced to darkness.

—------------------

As the group’s vision cleared, Icy, Diana, and Nouria found themselves in a wide, elaborate banquet hall. Enclosed in sandstone walls, the center of the room was marked by a large table - Even from a distance, it was easy to tell the food was still… Fresh. The aroma filled the limited space, but the chairs were empty, almost abandoned, and despite the natural light filling the room, there was no window in the roof or walls.

“Did we make it? I thought I was a goner for a moment…” Nouria coughed up some now-wet sand, and looked around. “Uh. Cool.”

“Mmm, food,” Diana’s stomach rumbled as she sniffed. “Um, are you like, ok, Noury?”

“I just think I had a rough landing.” Nouria quickly collected himself. “It’s fine- Where are Amik and Askari? Did they go ahead already? …Where is there to go ahead to?”

“Huh? I have ‘Skari, silly!” Diana said, only just then realizing she didn’t. “... where is ‘Skari? Icy Pony, did you, um, take ‘Skari?”

Icy rubbed her eyes as she looked around, “How can this food be real… um…” she gasped, “Oh dear… I do not see Askari anyways. Or Amik!”

Diana’s stomach rumbled again. “... let’s, like, eat, and then go find them! It’ll be, like, a new quest!”

“Yeah, I guess we found the mirage.” Nouria looked at the table set in front of them. “Uh, I’m not very hungry though.”

“Visitors?” A voice rang through the hall. “Well, it’s been a while. I assume you’ve come to stay, hah.” As the voice spoke, the hall started turning on its axis, the room shifting until the group was standing on the wall - And then it kept going.

“Um, hello?” Icy asked, before she noticed the room moving, “EEP! Wh-what’s happening?” She tried to take flight, but it wasn’t actually shifting her perspective; she was still going along with the room’s shifting. “This… no, this can’t be real… can it?”

Diana giggled. “This is funny!”

“Oh, I am very real.” The voice replied. “And I must say, it’s a pleasure waking up.” The dining table detached itself from what was now the ceiling, and came crashing down onto the trio.

“This is not what I expected- Watch out!” Nouria leapt aside, dropping the torch he’d picked up as they crossed a section of the wall. “How do we get out of here now again?”

“Well, certainly not by standing around,” Icy said, having flown out of the way. “Neither of you are hurt, though?”

“Course not!” Diana grinned, jumping off the wall. Her wings snapped out and she hovered in place. “Um, like… which way to go… oh! Ahead!” She said, barrelling full speed at the wall as golden scales began to cover her body.

“I’m fine- Careful!” Nouria covered his eyes as Diana smashed into the wall, blasting sand across the hall in the process. But Diana won, and the wall crumbled, causing the room to come to a standstill at an odd angle.

“Well, well, that’s new. I wasn’t aware you imported dragons while I slept.” The table returned to its rightful place on the ceiling. “Let’s see if we can have some fun with you. Come on, now.” The sand in the air cleared itself, as if it was perhaps never there at all.

“Huh? What, like, just, um… where’d the sand go?” Diana asked.

“Well now,” Icy frowned as she flew next to Diana, “I certainly did not expect that… whoever we are dealing with certainly is quite powerful, it appears…”

Nouria hurried after the two, having to scale the broken wall the regular, human way. “I think I’m dizzy- Wait, hold on, I’ll be right there. We can’t all fly, I told you so, right?” He stood in the gap in the wall and gazed into the room ahead of them - A larger, elaborate ballroom, with stairs running past the walls to accommodate balconies and higher floors. “...Wow.” He stood still for a moment.

Diana picked up Nouria under his arms, carrying him through. “It’s, like… super pretty…” She said, looking up at the higher floors. “Kinda, um, like Icy Pony’s home!”

“She lives like this? Oh, right, nevermind. Princess.” Nouria nodded. “...Please put me down. It’s fine, I can walk.” His eyes scanned the room. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for Amik and Askari?”

“Heh, I don’t know, are you?” The voice replied helpfully.

“We are!” Icy said, “... and yes, my home does have some resemblance to this… of course, it also is at a normal angle, and has actual light, and isn’t underground and filled with sand…”

“Um, so let’s, like, look, then,” Diana said, setting Nouria down as she landed.

—----------

In a different room, facing different problems, the men of the group came to their senses, face to face with a large, extravagant bedroom, the walls covered in well-maintained, colorful paintings, but the cabinets offering nothing but dust. Unlike what the girls faced, the room did have an exit - Several even, though the doors appeared identical.

“Ugh…” Nouria rubbed his head, still a little nauseous. “Is everyone all right? Wait, where are Diana and Icy?”

“An excellent question,” Askari said, looking a little green as he stood against a wall. “One we cannot answer at the moment. We should find them as soon as possible.”

“Oh dear,” Amik folded his arms, “While I am certain Icy will be able to handle it, I do worry about Diana in here… but I do not recall us getting separated. What happened…”

“Did it happen when we entered? I assume this is the Mirage, right?” For some reason, Nouria found himself checking under the bed, as if the girls were playing a prank on them. “...No, they’re really gone. We better get searching then.”

Askari moved to examine the doors. “I cannot see anything to differentiate these. For that matter, I don’t recall us being separated, but my stomach is tossing, so my guess is some kind of teleportation may have happened… Amik, you know magic. Can you figure out anything about this room with it?”

“Hmm…” Amik tried to concentrate, “I… am no expert of magic, but certainly some is at play here…”

“It might be pretty old magic, too. What if we just… Leave?” Nouria looked at one of the doors. “There’s a balcony and then two other doors… Maybe they just ended up in a different room? As long as we don’t have to jump down the balcony, I’m fine.”

“I still have the rope, thankfully,” Askari said, opening another of the doors. “They don’t appear to be obviously trapped. I wouldn’t be surprised to find we’re stuck in some kind of maze, however… and hopefully Diana and Icy are outside it.”

“And if they are in it, that they are together,” Amik added, “Icy might not be as delicate as she appears, but I would be worried if she was by herself, too.”

“I… actually was worrying about Diana,” Askari admitted. “In a maze, I’m fairly confident she would simply start running through walls…”

“Yeah, I can imagine that…” Nouria nodded in agreement. “Diana doesn’t seem built for uh, being subtle. Has she always been like this?” The boy opened another drawer. Guess what? More dust. “There’s just nothing here…”

“Well… for the most part, yes,” Amik sighed, “If you can believe it, she was even more wild when she was younger, but she eventually got to figure out how to understand how others feel to an extent. She’s always been rather… outgoing, though.”

“Enthusiastic is the term I would use,” Askari said. “Also a little bit greedy, but that’s dragons for you.”

“That’s a dragon thing? Huh. I wonder where she gets the energy from…” Nouria’s hand was running along the wall. “Maybe if we do like Diana would and break through the wall, like you said- No, that can’t be it. We’re supposed to respect the mirage, after all.”

“Also, none of us have the brute strength. And I don’t have that many of my plastic explosives on me at this time,” Askari stated matter-of-factly. “Perhaps we just stick to going left?”

“Your left or my left?” Nouria laughed briefly. “We’re just, taking a door, you mean?”

“Greed is a part of all dragons, even the nicest and sweetest ones,” Amik chuckled, “But I think I’ll go with Askari’s left.”

“Even half-dragons,” Askari sighed, pushing open a door to his left. “A hallway. Well, let’s go.”

“Quite a long one too, I can’t see the end.” Nouria carefully went after Askari, pushing open a door to a different room. “Uh, this room’s exactly the same. Nothing here, probably. What about the other ones?”

“I’ve seen nothing yet,” Askari replied. “... this is getting us nowhere. Amik, can you contact Diana or Icy with magic? My radio broke in… whatever that was.”

“I can’t do that, Askari,” Amik frowned, “I know Keiko likes to do that sort of thing, but I don’t have that kind of magic.”

“I know… relatively little about the different kinds of magic, excepting how to combat them,” Askari admitted. “I suppose we’ll have to check every door… wait,” he paused, his eyes narrowing. “One of these walls is… a slightly different color.”

“How do you mean-” Nouria followed his gaze. “Wait, I know this… Style of architecture. I think this wall was added later.” He knocked on the wall, not sure what was about to happen. Unfortunately, nothing happened at all. “It seems… Hollow?”

“Have anything heavy?” Askari said, going through his pack and pulling out a small mallet. “I only have one of these. … it’s in case I need to set up an emergency tent for the princess,” Askari explained before anyone even asked, swinging at the wall.

“You always come prepared for that kind of thing, don’t you,” Amik chuckled, “It’s times like this I wonder if Icy can even function when you’re not around!”

“I wonder the same right now,” Askari muttered, repeatedly hitting the wall. “This is going to take a long time. My apologies.”

“You think they can’t take care of themselves?” Nouria asked. “Wait, but if we are going through the wall - Let me try.” A piece of lint appeared in Nouria’s hand, which he spun around himself. As he did, the wall seemed to get… Softer, before a piece of it crumbled down onto the floor, revealing a passage behind it as the boys expected. “...That worked?”

“Fabulous!” Amik flew over, “Oh, well, Icy’s plenty capable when it comes to her specialities, but I’m not even sure if she even knows how to do some things, because she has people to handle those aspects of her life.”

“By which you mean me,” Askari said. “Though also Alistria, and Lucy, and several others. She insists on learning some, but she also insists on refusing to listen to my advice, so,” Askari grunted, pushing the rest of the wall out of the way. “I would request someone else go first while I attempt to remove some of the dust and debris from my jacket.”

“Oh, that’s all right, come here.” Nouria seemed to perk up, giving Askari a pat on the back, expecting the sand and dust immediately crumbling to the ground - But nothing happened. “Uhm- Wait, that should… Let me try again…” The boy seemed confused.

“Worry not,” Askari said. “I’m sure Amik can explain while you two hurry on along,” he said, pulling a small brush out of a pocket. “Hrm, hopefully milady will forgive me for using her mane brush on my clothing…”

“Ah, I suppose you are not at all familiar with the Rohanian resistance to magic,” Amik said as he beckoned Nouria to follow along. “It is a strange phenomenon, to be certain…”

“It wasn’t on purpose, right?” Nouria was simply confused. “Not with a jacket like that. I thought it’d be fine to give a hand…” He sighed. “Do spells just… Not work or something? At all?”

“Well, they can,” Amik clarified, “It isn’t total immunity to magic. However, the caster would have to be quite strong to bypass it. I know that even someone of Icy’s caliber can struggle to heal Askari’s wounds…”

“That sounds… Dangerous. Can’t you fix that?” Nouria was entirely confused. “Dad told me about this, but I didn’t know it was this bad. I just tried to clear the dust off of him… Huh.” He looked at the palm of his hand. “Glad I can do it..?”

“I don’t know the full details,” Amik admitted, “But I think there is likely some way to do it. After all, there are those that can use divine magic in Rohane Alista, so it’s not like they are completely anti-magic…”

“That’s, like, magic from the gods, right? For you guys?” Nouria asked. “I guess I use it too, then, so maybe - No, nevermind, I know spells still work on me.” He ran his hand past the wall. “And I can cast them.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Amik said, “Really though, I think you’ll be fine; the resistance doesn’t seem to be on you. It can have its benefits but it can also make things harder; there’s a bunch of places Askari simply can’t go without feeling sick.”

“...It’s an all or nothing thing?” Nouria tried to move the sand on the wall, just to make sure his abilities still worked. “The more I hear about this, the weirder it gets… So how do you mean he can’t go places? Like, magic-heavy zones?”

“That and also like places like other planes,” Amik remarked, “Teleportation is also basically a no-go, they can get sick from it. That, and, well, he tends to complain a lot. I’m from a different realm than him, but it means I can’t really invite him over to my place to watch my dance lessons, sadly.”

“I still can’t believe you’re that Amik.” Nouria confessed. “I’ve seen you on television so many times. Uhm, not really on purpose.” He glanced away. “Just… By happenstance. Blame my family.”

“Oh, you have indeed seen my performances?” Amik smiled, “Fabulous! I suppose then I’ll have to teach you a few moves… you know, to make your family happy, right?”

Nouria paused. “Uh, yeah, of course. Else they’ll never believe I met you.” He thought about what he said. “...Well, except for grandma. And I’ve met Miss Mira. And I got to talk to Miss Keiko. …They’ll probably believe me, at this point. When did my life get so weird?”

“I think the moment this family gets involved, everyone’s life gets weird,” Amik chuckled, “Mira does have a tendency to make that happen!”

“I guess that’s one successful goddess of chaos…” Nouria shrugged. “I mean, good on her, I suppose! For doing her job. Can I blame her for putting us in the middle of… Wherever this is?”

“I think if you did, Diana would be upset,” Amik admitted, “She can be a little particular with people talking about her parents like that.”

“Oh, right, Miss Mira is her mom.” Nouria’s mind seemed to click on something, counting on his hands. “Wait, so if grandma and Miss Mira do get together, then- We’d be, no, what’s the word? Confused. That’s the word.” He promptly decided.

At this point, Askari caught up to them, less dusty than before. “Gentlemen,” he said. “Are we discussing how odd Lady Mira is? Don't forget that Lady Glacia can be quite odd herself.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to be talking badly about Diana’s parents?” Nouria laughed. “I guess she’s not here, so it’s a little better- Oh, right, she’s not here.” Nouria looked down the hallway. “Well, on we go, trying every door…”

“Oh, yes, I know very much about their oddities,” Amik chuckled, “But Diana loves them very much… oh, lovely, it’s trial and error time, I suppose…”

“Again?” Askari frowned. “Am I the only one that feels as if we're missing something and this is a puzzle with a better solution?... it reminds me of the grandmasters' training courses.”

“The whose?” Nouria was surprised once more. “Sheesh, some people…” He threw open the first door he could get his hands on. “This one is!” He announced. “...Another room. With a bed. And a balcony. In the exact same places.” He slammed the door shut. “I’m sorry, are we missing something?”

“Maybe they are all tricks, then?” Amik suggested, “I cannot imagine it would simply be random chance, after all.”

“I agree,” Askari said. “But how to tell?... don't look at me, I'm just as lost. My training didn't cover infinite hallways with the exact same room a thousand… we could turn back?”

“I really hope it’s not random chance.” Nouria, stubbornly, tried another door anyway. “This puzzle kind of… sucks. Can’t we get a hint or something?” Unfortunately, Nouria’s plea went unanswered as he slammed the door shut.

“If I'm honest, I never was very good at puzzles like this,” Askari admitted. “... we're stuck. Amik, you have powerful lungs, right? If you yelled for Diana, maybe she'll just break her way in here to get to you. Or you could… fly?”

“Oh, well, I could try,” Amik was a bit sheepish, “Flying first, of course, since I would be worried Diana busting through might cause more problems…”

“Like devastating hugs,” Askari began to laugh. “Fair enough, Amik, you are very right.”

“I know I am,” Amik spread his wings and set off, “I will see what I can find.”

“We will wait for you here!” Askari called. “... let us sit on the balcony a spell, Nouria.”

“Sure.” Nouria sat down to rest. “...Sheesh, my feet are dead. I have no idea how far we have to go… How are you holding up, mister Askari?”

“I am alright, though I hope Amik returns soon,” he replied. “I am struggling to get a solid grasp on how long we actually have been in here, but my internal clock says it feels much longer than it really has been. And I worry about milady and Diana.”

“Don’t we have a clock?” Nouria fished his phone out of his pocket, before realizing they didn’t even know when they entered. In addition, they seemed to have no reception at all - Though that was entirely expected. “Nevermind, that’s a stupid question. …You’re really worried, huh.”

“No, only mildly. If I was very worried, I would have blown up the entire corridor,” Askari replied, his tone not indicating if that was a joke or serious.

“He’ll do it too!” Amik’s voice carried across the area.

“... I will,” Askari conceded. “But not if Amik finds the way forward, of course. Hm, if I had a tea set I would offer some, but I left it in the jeep. Pity that.”

“...I believe you.” Nouria was taken aback. “But you have that many explosives available? And, uh, why haven’t we used those yet? I mean, if we just…” Nouria made the gesture of an explosion.

As Amik flew around, he would find that the group was actually quite high up in the mansion. There were some shadows moving on the lowest floor, but it was difficult to make out from Amik’s distance - And the winds in the mirage were, somehow, quite strong. It’d be possible, but difficult, to get back up, should he look.

“What the…” Amik looked up, realizing it might be a bit difficult to make it back to them, so instead he decided to descend, in order to discern who or what was below them.

“Amik?” Askari called, looking over the balcony. “Hm. I do believe that we may have been left behind, Nouria. Very unusual, I hope Amik is alright. We do seem quite high up though, don't we…”

“Can we go down the balcony too? How far is it to-” Nouria looked over the edge. “...That’s high. I’m… Not jumping that. Maybe a rope?”

Amik flew down, finding… The girls! Diana and Icy had entered a large main hall, leaving a self-made entrance behind them. It wasn’t hard to guess who made that hole in the wall. Before Amik could look away, he spotted the girls being followed by… Nouria?

“Huh?” Amik blinked, “Wait, was that… please don’t tell me Nouria has an evil twin or something…” he followed behind them, trying not to give his position away to this imposter… or was the one with Askari the fake?

Up above, Askari had headed back to the hallway, attaching some c4 to the floor. “When you have explosives, every problem looks like it can be blown up, I admit,” he said, the tiniest hint of glee in his voice as he stepped back and detonated it, blowing a hole in the floor. “And if you're wondering why I didn't do this on the wall earlier, I didn't want to waste them. Now, down we go, Nouria.”

“Mhm.” Nouria said, carefully following Askari down the rubble. “...Doing this feels a bit wrong, but I am just kinda tired. That puzzle sucked.” The boy seemed visibly upset, this place going completely against what he was expecting from what he heard about mirages. “Oh well, finding the others takes priority…”

“Indeed it does,” Askari said as they continued to blast their way downwards.

Amik was trying to follow along silently, before he heard the explosions, one shocking him enough to make him lose his balance in the air and fall to the ground, “Ugh, really Askari…”

Eventually Nouria and Askari ended up on the lower floor, pushing open a door that brought them into the hall with Diana and Icy. “Sorry, we’re here now!” Nouria waved, not noticing his doppelganger yet. “Uhm, Amik went outside, did you see him?”

“‘Skari! Um… Noury… two?” Diana tilted her head, looking oddly like a confused dog. “Like… why’s there two Noury’s? Are you twins? Like, um, Tea and Jainy!”

“Two Nouria’s?” Askari asked, then shook his head. “Regardless. Amik should be near, hopefully. When he rejoins us, we can solve this latest… mystery.”

“I’m right here,” Amik said as he floated down, “I wanted to look into it myself, but apparently I was more stealthy than the actual-”

“Ahem,” Icy cut him off, “I am glad to see you are all okay… except… there are two of you?”

“Y-Yeah?” Nouria was as confused as the others, the two boys looking at each other, neither really knowing what to do.

“Oops, my bad, must have slipped through the cracks.” A voice, more familiar to Diana and Icy than to the others, sounded through the hall. “That happens sometimes. Pay it no mind.”

“Wh- How do you mean, pay it no mind?” The Nouria from Amik’s side spoke, equally confused and annoyed at the situation.

“Are we going to have to play spot the imposter, or are you telling me that you are both Nouria?” Amik asked.

“I think that voice might have something to do with it,” Icy said. “Seems we are not alone here.”

“Either way, this reeks of magical trickery,” Askari said. “I think we keep both Nouria's where we can see them, for now. One of them will slip up and turn out to be an imposter eventually. Or they won't, and then we've got two.”

“Two Noury's!” Diana added helpfully. “That's, like, soooooo cool! Are you twins?”

“I suppose it could be magic… Uh, no, I don’t have a twin.” The Nouria from Diana’s side spoke. “Not that I know of! …So it’d be a huge stretch.”

“...That’s pretty stupid. Who would call both twins Nouria, anyway?” The Nouria on Amik’s side argued back. “...I hope this weirdness is gone as soon as we leave…”

“Aw, already? You aren’t even at the end yet!” The voice sounded through the hall again. “And I had so many fun surprises prepared for all of you!”

“I would rather not, if the dungeon so far is an indication of the surprises we can expect,” Askari said. “Not even from a sense of danger, though I do believe this place is dangerous. I just feel like all of us but Diana might go insane.”

“Oh dear, it seems we have a host here,” Icy said, “... and I do worry that we might not be able to get out the way we came anyways.”

“Wanna smash through?” Diana asked eagerly, looking at a wall.

“If you want to go somewhere, you can always go down.” The voice laughed, seemingly having its sights on the group.

“...Yeah, let’s just do exactly as the weird voice says.” Amik and Askari’s Nouria said dryly, looking at the expensive-looking carpet they were standing on. Though, since it was a mirage, it was probably fake anyway.

“...Well, what other option is there?” Icy and Diana’s Nouria argued back, but still paid attention to the rest of the room. “Maybe a secret passage somewhere..?”

“Wall!” Diana said, smashing down yet another wall right in front of her. “This is fun!”

“At least put isn't exactly what the creepy voice said to do?” Askari tried to put a positive spin on the destruction.

“I think perhaps she just wanted an excuse to do that,” Icy smiled, “You can’t fault her for lack of enthusiasm…”

“I suppose any way is a way forward.” A Nouria agreed with Icy, looking at the wall Diana smashed down - Though unfortunately little seemed to be behind it. “Is there something we missed on the way? Anything breakable? …It’s worked so far.”

“I can only think of one solution,” Askari admitted. “... making our way underground.”

“But isn’t that exactly what they want?” A Nouria argued. “...Fine, I don’t see a fire exit or something. I’m already tired of this… And now it’s creepy, too…”

“It is definitely… not fabulous,” Amik sighed, “But it is better than simply waiting around.”

“Floor?” Diana asked, lifting her sword. “But I, um, thought we like… didn't wanna?”

A Nouria shrugged. “I genuinely mean this when I say it- At this point, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Okiedokies!” Diana said, smashing her sword into the floor as hard as she could, laughing as it started to crumble… directly under everyone's feet.

“... dammit, Diana,” Askari said as he started to fall.

“AIEE-” Icy was about to fall when she remembered she had wings, “Oh, right… wait, oh no!” she said as she realized the others were still going to fall. “Amik, help!”

“As you wish, Your Highness!” Amik started to dance, casting a few spells on everyone else in order to slow their descent; he wasn’t strong enough to actually grant flight, but he could at least soften the landing while Icy swooped down to help Askari in case the spell failed to work on him.

“Thank you, dear,” Askari said, giving Icy a kiss on the cheek. “That was quite the rescue.”

Diana giggled, letting herself float down on Amik's magic even though she had her own wings. “Wheeeeeee!”

“Calm, CALM-” A Nouria fell past Diana, in the corner of her eyes. “No worries, I can do this! …I’ll just need to find a way to!” With assistance of Amik’s spell, he floated down, landing on the bottom of the Diana-made pit - right next to the, less lucky, other Nouria. “...That’s one for me.” He smiled.

“Urgh…” The other Nouria stood up, dusting his dress off. “How many pits are there going to be in this Mirage. Is everyone all right?”

“That was fun!” Diana said as she landed. “I like it when, like, ‘Mik does his magic dances!”

“I think we're all fine,” Askari said, still in Icy's grip. “But now might be a good time to have a look around before the next puzzle.”

“Sounds good to me,” Icy said as she held Askari closely, clearly enjoying herself. “Perhaps we could stand not to rush into things.”

“Now, now, who gets to decide that?” A rumble started in the pit as the group was addressed again, the stone that made up the floor earlier starting to rise back to its original location. “I said I was going to have fun with all of you, and I like to keep my word. Stay where I can see you, hm?” As the last stone settled in place, the hole turned pitch-black, and then- As if to mock them, the floor crumbled under the group’s feet again, this time plunging them even deeper into the building…

“Motherfucker!” Askari could be heard as the floor crumbled again.

“Why mooooooreeeee-” Amik said as they fell further in!

[Rohane Alista]

The group of five… Six? Stumbled down a sand dune - From the noise, it at least seemed that whoever was in charge here, didn’t bother splitting the group up this time. However, as small slithers of light started filling the room from above, Nouria opened his eyes to see the group differently from what he knew them for- It seemed they, too, were messed with in some way. “Owow… Is everyone all right..?”

“Why, quite annoyed, but otherwise in perfect health,” a woman replied as she stood up. She brushed sand away from her leotard, picking up a big floppy hat from the ground and placing it on her bright red hair. “Certainly that was rather uncouth of whoever runs this place. They must be quite powerful, though.”

“Whoa, dude!” a man wearing a leather vest and face paint stood up, “We’ve made it to the bottom already? ROCK ON!”

“Must you be so loud?” A rather flat voice came from the area Askari and Icy had fallen, but it sounded high pitched for him and too emotionless for her. A silver-haired woman in a maid uniform stood from the sand, frowning. “So uncouth.”

“Uncouth, you say?” An alicorn appeared behind the maid, but instead of the soft blue tones of Icy, they had a flaming mane, her eyes looking wild, “Maybe more awesome! C’mon now, let’s crush everything in our path!”

“Wha, milady!” The maid gasped. “You have become so… aggressive! Please, do not put yourself at risk!”

A Nouria looked from one person to the other in a mix of confusion, panic, and sheer annoyance. “Is this happening? You guys see yourself, right?”

Nouria’s counterpart, also Nouria, groaned, having hurt his back in the fall. “Ugh… At least when I changed, I ended up aware of it…” He frowned at his other half.

“What’s the matter?” ‘Icy’ looked over, “I’m perfectly fine! I don’t know about anyone else, though, but no biggie!”

“I am quite aware, yes,” the redhead said, pulling a pair of glasses out of a pocket and putting them on. “That is better. Diana, by the way. I don't believe the others are quite so aware of their changes though. I have the feeling each of them may have become less controlled than previously, while I have become rather well controlled. I would wonder if that was on purpose, but I have my doubts. After all, Askari is the only one to change genders, but Icy clearly displays the most radical personality shift. It is too bad I do not have a journal on me. This is excellent evidence towards the multivariate theory of magical universalism…”

“My name is Kariya,” the maid frowned. “Not Askari.”

“That’s just your masculine name shuffled around!” Nouria rolled his eyes. “Wait, no, it’s not. This is already headache inducing… Is Icy still Icy? Kariya, Diana-” He went through the roll call, still confused.

“My name’s still Amik!” The rocker version of Amik said.

“I don’t know any Icy,” the Alicorn said, “My name’s Fiery Summer, daughter of the warrior Queen Sunshine!”

“Ah, right, my bad.” Nouria said dryly, quickly growing tired from… Whatever this was. “And I’m Nouria. And that’s Nouria. And this is all very normal. …I should never have agreed to this. So, what is the plan?”

“I am still Diana,” Diana said. “My mother's grandmother remained with name unchanged, it seems. The plan must be to continue forward and hope that we will return to usual by finishing this mirage. I strongly suspect some kind of dispossessed minor deity has set this all up, however, given the ease with which Askari was transformed. And admittedly, I find this a most fascinating change for all of us. Amik, be a good sport and show us your dance moves.”

“What’re you talking about?” Amik was confused, “I’m not a dancer, I’m a musician!” He carried a guitar with him, as he struck a chord, “ROCK ON!”

“This is a disaster.” The other Nouria spoke.

“No, this is fun.” The voice reminded him. “I toss in a little bit of chaos, and poof. Oh, tick tock, by the way.”

“Tick tock? Until what?” Nouria asked, looking around the room - A large, sandy tomb, its ceiling high up with no hint of escape. To answer his question, a sandstone rock dropped from the wall, kicking up a cloud of sand as it hit the ground. “Oh.”

“Worry not,” Diana said, waving her hand, sand raising alive the group and hardening. “There is magic for that! Now, let's see. Fiery Summer, was it? May I ask what your preferred solution to a disagreement over, say, payment for your services would be? Or even better, what if someone called your mother something nasty?”

“Let’s see now,” Fiery thought for a moment, “Well, first I’d probably yell at them to knock it off, then I’d probably kick their ass until they’re sorry!”

“Please don't,” Kariya fretted. “You know that you're supposed to use your words, princess…”

“That does answer that. I dare say Icy has truly become her exact opposite,” Diana nodded. “Kariya, dear, how do you feel about adventuring, or telling Fiery what to do?”

“W-well, adventuring is a bit much for a maid,” Kariya nervously played with her skirt. “And telling the princess what to do? I would never dare! I'm just simple commonfolk!”

“Besides, I can help protect her if she’s in danger,” Fiery said with some pride, “What kind of princess wusses out when her people need her?”

Kariya blushed slightly. “She's… so heroic,” the maid agreed.

“Right, I've learned enough. It looks to me like even alternate versions of those two are likely still involved. Nouria, lead the way out of this sand pit, if you would,” Diana said. “... Amik, stay close.”

“I'm trying my best!” One of the Nouria’s said, somehow having ended in a strange cooperation with his counterpart as they were trying to climb a piece of the wall up to a ledge. “We’re trying to figure out how we get out of here, I don’t see an exit yet.”

“Aw, they didn’t put an exit with a big neon sign?” Fiery snickered, “We might just have to make one ourselves.”

“Princess, you know breaking down walls gets your fur and mane all dirty,” Kariya fretted. “And we put in so much effort this morning to get it to that perfect look…”

The Nouria who made it up to the ledge came down again, careful not to make his dress dirty - Though that was quickly becoming a moot point. “Well, I can’t deny brute force has worked so far… It just feels… Wrong?”

“Wrong? Aw, you crash into my home unannounced and you’re saying it feels wrong? I am shocked.” The voice mocked him. “Come on, you guys. I’m getting bored.”

“You did have a sandpit trap,” Diana pointed out. “Hm. We certainly could smash our way out again. It would be simpler than shifting all this and to see if there's a way forward beneath us.”

“Did someone say ‘smash?!” Fiery’s eyes lit up.

“... yes, literally four seconds ago,” Amik replied.

“Oh no,” Kariya sighed. “Princess, you will let me at least take care of you tonight, I hope, if you do this.”

“I suggest up on that ledge,” Diana said.

“We should at least smash upwards.” A Nouria agreed, though that didn’t help the logic of what he was saying. “Well, assuming this place makes any sense…”

“I’ll choose to take offense to that.” The voice said annoyed. “Tick tock. Do you guys need a hint? I feel like giving you a hint. Hold on.” Another rock plummeted down from the ceiling. “I’m here in the room with you.”

“Ohhh, I get it!” Fiery said, “You’re these rocks!”

“Is this what I am normally like?” The new Diana asked, pushing up her glasses. “Adorable and less intelligent than a pomeranian? I pity all of you for dealing with it. But I see three options, then. The voice is coming from under the sand, the room itself is intelligent, or there is an invisible someone we haven't noticed yet.”

“Nu uh.” The voice said relaxed. “Mmh, okay, maybe a little.”

“Is there a point to entertaining the voice?” One of the Nouria’s asked. “Are we sure finding this person gets us closer to escaping anyway?”

“Depends on my mood.” The voice laughed, hardly helping.

“Can’t hurt, can it?” Amik suggested. “... wait, it probably could, come to think of it…”

“Well, I myself am curious,” Diana said, pulling out a wand and waving it. The sand began to shift, slowly flowing up the other wall to make room on the floor.

“Whoah!” Kariya shouted as the sand under her feet flowed away, causing the maid to slip and fall. “Uh, help, please!” She said as she was pulled along with the flow.

“WHOA!” Fiery rushed forward to catch Kariya, “Gotta be careful there!”

“Thank you, princess,” Kariya blushed again.

“... I cannot carry you in this state, Amik, so please be careful,” Diana warned the rocker. “Nor you, Nouria's.”

“...Since when do you know geomancy?” Nouria asked, using their own magic to stay stable in the stream of sand. “Hold on, we’re coming down - Is this safe?”

As the stream of sand slowly subsided, causing Diana to land on the solid rock that made up the floor beneath the heaps of sand and dust. There wasn’t much to be seen, though an archaeologist would have a field day. Then, something in the center of the room caught the eye of the group - A long, wooden box, having been buried for what must have been centuries. “...Is that all of the sand?” The Nouria’s landed on the stone, one of them walking towards the box in anticipation.

“What if it's trapped?” Kariya asked, from on Fiery's back, where she seemed quite content to stay.

“Only one way to find out, right?” Fiery walked towards it, “Better hold on tight, cutie.”

Kariya did just that, burying her face in Fiery's mane. “As the princess commands!”

“... why don't you stay back, Amik,” Diana said. “I don't trust this box.”

“I’ll keep backstage for this one, yeah,” Amik agreed, “I’m not the opening act type anyways.”

“You don’t trust the box?” The voice asked as one of the Nouria’s stood in front of the box, the other still gathering his bearing with the group. “You guys really need a little bit more faith in your local disembodied voices.” With the twist of his hand, Nouria broke the lid off of the box, causing the boy to be tossed backwards, flung into Diana’s sandwall like a ragdoll, as he had always been.

“Aah, about time…” The box in the center caught on fire, and from the flames rose a woman marked by red, flaming wings, and a penchant for bad puzzles. “You have my thanks. You may go now.” She stood up, stared at the ceiling, then flew upwards, blasting a hole to escape through.

“... I wonder if it was a good idea to unleash whoever that was?” Diana asked. “And I note that she didn't seem to change us back. I suppose we'll be stuck like this for a while longer.”

“Um, if they can fly up, why can’t we?” Fiery spread her own wings, “C’mon, let’s go!”

“If it was that simple wouldn’t we have already done so-and she’s gone,” Amik groaned.

“Princess, please be careful!” Kariya said, still clinging to Fiery as she rose above the rest.

“Dear me,” Diana sighed. “But you have to admit, they are both quite cute, aren't they?”

“What are you doing? Ksh-ksh.” The red Avian said, ascending out of the room through the gap. “Can’t a woman have her recovery flight in peace? I just woke up!” She kicked some pebbles down the hole, trying to slow Fiery down.

“...Help?” The remaining Nouria was standing over the body of his counterpart, trying to… Even he wasn’t sure what he was trying to do. He felt nauseous, having just seen himself flung across the room. “...I don’t know what to do? Please?”

“It’s okay, man,” Amik took him aside; he didn’t actually know if this was actually the double or not, but he wasn’t going to make him more distressed. “We’re here to help, right?”

“I’m here to kick your ass!” Fiery said to the flamewing woman, as she seemed to power through the pebbles with no effort, “Gotta do a lot more to stop me!”

“Ow!” Kariya said as one of the pebbles bounced off her head. “I can't believe this woman, she attacked us! Get her, princess!”

Diana cast a quick spell, deflecting the falling rocks from Amik and Nouria. “Yes, Amik, we are here to help,” she confirmed. “Nouria, I know this must be a lot, but we'll keep you safe.”

“Do I look like I feel safe?” Nouria asked, pushing himself up, picking up the doll’s body. “...Sorry, you’re right. …He’s light. Uhm, let me - We should see if we can get up there…” With one hand, he started shifting the sands that made up Diana’s sandwall, creating a small platform. “...And focus…” The boy did his best at a deep breath.

“Wow, both of you are so great at magic!” Amik said, “I’m just good at shredding a guitar! Now, let’s see if we can catch up to Fiery; she might be the toughest of us right now, but I don’t think she can handle this thing alone!”

“That is true. Nouria, are you ready?” Diana asked, red dragon wings appearing from her back. “I'm going to need your help.”

“...Mine?” The boy asked, trying to hold onto the doll. “...Okay. I’ll do what I can.”

The woman soared up from the gap in the floor, heating the air around her as she went. “Come ooon, why can’t you just leave me be.” With a flap of her wings, she sent a fireball into the direction of Fiery, trying to stop the girl in her tracks. “Ugh, why did I end up tapping into a fire element for you. Hold still.”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Fiery blew a burst of fire back at it, making it explode a distance in front of her instead of being point-blank; she was sure she could take a direct hit, but Kariya was a different story. “You okay there, sweetie?”

“I'm hanging on, princess!” Kariya replied, pressing slightly more into the alicorn as they flew through the remnants of the explosion. “If we get a little closer, I can try and take out one of her wings, if you would like, milady!”

“Yes, Nouria, yours. You'll have to let go of the doll,” Diana gently said. “I know it's scary, but that wasn't ever truly you, dear. Even so, we need to go protect our friends, don't we? They're going to be in danger without us.”

“...Right. Sorry.” Nouria put the doll back down. “...I think I’m just weighing you down. I should be better than this. Sorry.”

The red Avian groaned as she watched Fiery blow up the fireball. “Right. Next time, less toying with the food.” She sighed, tossing a few more fireballs to keep the princess at bay, then began a chant, causing a flaming shortbow to appear in her hand. “Sorry, you guys, I can't make it out of here if you do. Off you go.”

A disc of solid sand lifted Nouria, Amik, and Diana as she pointed her wand at it. “No, Nouria, it's your first ever adventure. Things go wrong. Sometimes, people die. It's a hard lesson, and we can mourn your doppelganger later. But right now, if we don't do everything we can, Kariya will die, and maybe Fiery, and they aren't doppelgangers. … And I love them, just like I love Amik. So I need you to help me save them.”

“Everyone knows a rock star is nothing without their band, right?” Amik said, giving Diana a hug as they saw Fiery trying her best to dodge the fireballs, taking a few hits to avoid harming Kariya, “I went here not because I’m the strongest, but because I wanted to help everyone here. And you can do the same, Nouria.”

“A speech, you two… Really…?” Nouria tried to not sound too unappreciative. In fact, it did feel like it helped - Though he wasn’t sure that was something he should admit to. “...Okay, okay, we need to help… Can either of you still fly us up there, first of all?” He looked from one to the other. “We need to catch up, quickly.”

“I did not create the disk for no reason,” Diana replied, lifting all three of them off the ground at a startling rate. Spears of sand flew up past them, and then past Fiery, intercepting yet more fireballs as she began to sweat. “Amik, darling, now is the time to really rock out, I think. Nouria, be a dear, please help me with the sand. Moving this much at once is proving straining, I must admit.”

“Do you even need to ask, darling,” Amik shredded the guitar, “Let’s rock, baby!” as he did so, all of them could feel stronger and more invigorated than before, much like one of Amik’s dances.

Nouria felt energy pour back into his body, forcing the platform upwards at an accelerating rate. “Okay, okay!” He took a deep breath as they crossed the gap, stepping aside for some rubble coming down the hole. “...Seriously sand and music, are you guys sure you’re not from around here?”

“Certain,” Diana replied, now using the sand to deflect rubble. “This is just easier than creating material out of nothing. I've lost sight of Fiery and Kariya…”

“I mean, it’s not like it’s easy to see a flaming horse in a sea of fire,” Amik remarked, still playing, “I can hear her grunts from being pelted by flames, so we’re still not too far away I think…”

“How much closer should we get?” Nouria asked, casting his gaze upwards.

“Closer!” The flamewing woman announced, landing on the edge of the disk to throw it off balance. “You have no faith in your horsey friend and her boytoy, do you?” She soared up again, appearing to prepare another spell.

“Do you think she meant girltoy?” Diana asked, sand holding each of the three on the disk to it as she used magic to hurl some of the deflected debris at the phoenix-like woman. “Admittedly, I would like to see Fiery and Kariya in good health sooner than later.”

“You better want that!” Fiery’s voice could be heard as their efforts reduced the assault on her, her coat looking a bit burnt, “Geez, Kariya’s gonna have her work cut out for her later…”

“In many ways,” Kariya's voice could be heard as she popped her head up. She was in slightly better shape than Fiery, but her dress still had several scorch marks on it. “My dress will be unsalvageable. My greatest apologies, princess. Now can we hold her still?” Kariya asked as she pulled a pistol out from under her skirt.

“Girltoy, my bad. I forgot I did that.” The Avian landed on the ceiling of the room, casting a shield of fire around herself. “Now that we’re all on the same floor again, mind standing still? Cleaning up this mess is going to take long enough as is.”

“She’s coming right towards us!” Nouria yelped, launching a stream of sand in her direction to hinder her sight. “Amik, Diana, get ready to jump!”

“I suggest not,” Diana said. “Nouria, please hold the disk together for your own safety. This will… be very tiring for me,” she let out a long breath, holding her wand out towards the fire.

“Here’s a suggestion, how about I don’t stand still?” Fiery grinned, as she fired beams of energy; they seemed to miss the Avian, but the point wasn’t to hit her with them, but rather to help keep her in place for others to chip in.

“Are you sure? …I’ve got it.” Nouria nodded, putting a hand on the disk. “We’re counting on you.”

The woman swayed to the side as the beams of energy penetrated her shield, landing on the floor opposite the group. “Why are there so many of you? Can’t it just have been one or two?” She scoffed, sidestepping a falling slab of sandstone. “You’re all dying in here, at this rate.”

“I would be more concerned for yourself… Amik, Kariya, darlings, you're about to get your shot on her, please don't waste it!” The dragoness said, opening her mouth wide. The fire of the avian's shield began to flicker as wisps of it broke off, being consumed by Diana at a rapidly increasing rate.

The woman groaned in annoyance, feeling the heat around her getting sucked towards the dragoness. “Concerned? For me? I am a phoenix, dear, you understand?” She flew up as her shield disappeared, reaching for the bow she’d produced earlier. “I will make you understand.”

“I think now is the time,” Kariya said, letting out her own held breath as she fired three times at the avian, once for her head and twice for her chest.

Amik meanwhile struck a specific chord on his guitar that let out a blast of sonic energy, combined with a massive shout from himself that seemed to amplify their attacks.

The phoenix stumbled in the air from Amik’s guitar, collecting herself right before one bullet soared by her, barely avoided, but the second grazed her near the forehead. Just as she prepared herself to strike again, she felt the bullet she failed to account for - One that ended in the left side of her stomach. In pain, the woman fell back to the ground, landing on one knee. “Ugh, fine, fine. How about you stop trying to murder a poor, defenseless woman.” She grasped her chest with one hand, feeling blood soak her fingers.

“You tried to kill us!” Kariya responded. “Defenseless? You hurt the princess!”

Diana groaned, sweating heavily as she let out a blast of fire from her mouth. “That was very hot,” she explained, rubbing her stomach as she doubled over.

Amik held onto her closely, “Take a breather, darling; I’m not gonna let her harm you any more.”

Fiery landed, scoffing, “If you really believed that, why’d you put us through all of that, huh!? I thought I’d be lost in there!”

Nouria lowered the disk, bringing the group down to the floor. “...Is everyone all right? I’d say I’m at my limit, but I think you’ve had it worse…”

“Ugh. Oh, please. Aren’t you supposed to be adventurers, or whatever? Scared of a few embers on your coat?” She wiped a drop of blood away that was dripping from her mouth. “Slept for so long, just to die to - What, a small cannon? Too good for spellcasting, aren’t you?” The phoenix winced, resting herself back against a wall.

“Not everyone can do magic,” Kariya said.

“I barely can do that nerdy stuff,” Fiery chuckled, “Anything I do is based on instinct!”

“And it’s served you so well, hasn’t it dear?” Amik added.

“Oh, right. The freakshow.” The woman chuckled weakly. “It will fade once you leave this place. Don’t get attached.”

“So it really… Is all fake?” Nouria asked carefully.

“Oh no, it’s all real. But my power doesn’t extend outside of… Here. Hate to disappoint, kid.” She looked up at the group from where she rested. “...Sorry yours was so traumatic. You’re a weird case.”

“Fade, hm?” Diana said, looking a slight bit unhappy about it. “Surely there must be a way… and, Nouria, don't worry. Even if we revert, we're all very proud of you.”

“I do not need to fade,” Kariya said with some confidence. “I need only to serve the princess and keep her happy and healthy!”

“Aww, aren’t you sweet,” Fiery nuzzled Kariya, “Regardless of who I am, I know I always look out for those I care about.”

“Dancing, singing, in the end, it’s just a matter of entertainment, isn’t it?” Amik remarked, “As long as I’m making people happy, I can rock on or bust a move!”

“Ugh, bloody kids.” The phoenix couldn’t resist a smile. “All right, but you’ll have to do something for me too.” She took out an earring - A blazing ruby, provocatively hanging by a small frame. She weakly held it forward. “...The other half’s long gone. But take this one. You want a reward for your mirage plundering, don’t you?”

“What does it do?” Diana asked suspiciously.

“Oooh, loot,” Fiery used her innate magic to have it hover in front of her, “Fancy… so what do you want us to do with it?”

“It’s got a fragment of my power.” The woman said as Fiery could feel the heat radiating off of the gemstone, reminding her of its presence. “Quite a bit, even. With some luck - I don’t know how it’ll go for the young boy or the anti-magic kid - you can take this… Mirage form at will.” She coughed up some blood, holding a hand on her stomach. “Ugh… Cauterizing the wound won’t be enough. Bugger.”

“Unfortunately, you switched out our healer,” Diana pointed out. “... we'll take the earring, thank you. Next time, though, perhaps try not to kill your guests?”

“Especially not if they include milady!” Kariya said, having somehow gotten scissors and timing away at the burnt parts of Fiery's coat.

“Geez, I think after this I’ll need a nice long bath,” Fiery sighed, “But thank you,” she accepted the earring, “... wait, I was the healer?”

“All that fire must’ve gone to her head,” Amik shrugged.

“I can see if I can fix the coat later.” Nouria muttered, then looked at the jewel. “...Sheesh, I can feel it from here.”

“Not kill my guests? And just give my stuff to the first graverobber?” A dry cackle came from the phoenix. “No thanks. Here is your part of the deal - Take my ashes outside, out of this shithole.” With a flick of her fingers, her arm started burning, slowly vanishing from her body. “For you, because the gem won’t work without me present. For me, to get something other than this prison here. You can do that, can’t you?”

“Do you promise not to set anything on fire?” Kariya asked, then turned to Fiery. “Worry not, princess, I will scrub you down myself until you are back to your normal perfection!”

“Once we’re outta here, sure,” Fiery said, “Don’t want to clean up only to get sand in there… but yeah, what she said.”

“No.” The woman smiled as the flames spread to the rest of her body. “But I’ll ask for permission next time. Will that suffice?”

“It will,” Diana said. “For me, at least.”

“Fine, fair enough,” Fiery added.

“Good enough for me. …Be seeing you.” The phoenix faded into the flames, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do. When the fire settled, a small vial rested in her place on the floor, a marginal amount of an orange powder inside of it. Nothing but that, and the earring Fiery held.

“...I’m sweating.” Nouria said suddenly, taking notice of just how much the womens’ demise raised the temperature in the room. “Can we go now? …How do we go?”

As if to answer his question, parts of the ceiling started coming down, the Mirage beginning to collapse now that its host was gone. The sand under the groups’ feet started flowing back towards the hole they came from, and pillars that held up the foundations started crumbling into each other, setting off a chain reaction.

As the ceiling crumbled, the first rays of natural light broke through. At the very least, they could go up.

“I suppose up,” Diana said, picking up Nouria as her red wings appeared. “Amik, Fiery, one of you can take Kariya, yes?”

“C’mon, I’ll take her,” Fiery grinned, “If I didn’t take so many hits, I’d probably be able to carry you all!”

Kariya once again climbed on Fiery's back. “I am so sorry that you have had to protect me so much, princess. I will be better next time!”

Nouria felt fatigue set in as Diana picked him up, simply holding the girl while his arms allowed him to. “Let’s just go home…” He muttered, feeling Diana rise into the air, holding her even tighter. “Oh right, I have to ride back…”

“Don't worry, we'll take care of you,” Diana said, rising towards the opening. “You did a good job.”

“Thank you…” The boy nodded off.

“Now then,” Amik spread his wings and made a jam, “I don’t think we’ll be having an encore here, so let’s make this finale rock!”

The Mirage crumbled into itself under the group as they rose through the gap in the ceiling, their sight briefly turning to black before they could hear a rumbling - A geyser of sand spouting out from below them, dragging the group upwards. Before they realized what was happening, they were launched into the air, back into Pitreas. The geyser settled, its sand sealing the entrance where the sinkhole once was.

Nouria somehow slept through this, though he was holding onto the (now normal) Diana quite tightly.

Diana giggled, looking mildly confused. “I, um… was I like, reaaaaally hungry? My tummy is all warm!”

“Oh dear,” Icy gasped, “I suppose we are back to normal… um, are we?” she looked behind her.

To find Kariya, looking confused and holding a red earring. “Apologies, but… I think you nearly dropped this, Icy. Also, what happened to me in there?”

“Whoopsie,” Amik chuckled, “Seems you’ve still got your lovely maid there, Icy.”

“Oh dear,” Icy gasped, “... I can get used to this, I think… oh dear, my coat’s still burnt…”

“We'll need to fix that,” Kariya said. “... in civilization. And maybe also me. But for now, let's head back, I think?”

“Right…” Icy yawned, “I think that’s plenty enough adventure for us for a while…”

“We had a quest?” Diana gasped as they slowly descended back to the jeeps. “... I don't, like, ‘member any of it!”

“Honestly, I don't either,” Kariya replied. “... yet I have become a maid, apparently. Worry not, milady, I will still ensure you are safe and happy. And the rest of you, as well.”

“Fabulous!” Amik, having turned to normal as well, flew up next to them, “In that case let us return so our dear princesses can rest.”

[Pitreas]

After the group left the mirage, they opted to return the tired Nouria to a safe place. Bringing him back to the palace atop the Saribul mountain, the boy was now asleep on the couch, as Candela prepared the group a drink to sate her curiosity. “So what is the story, hm? Sleeping pill?” She joked dryly, putting down a few cups of coffee and tea. “We will save you the formal report, but I am personal’y simply curious as to what my grandson here has been up to.”

“I, like, don’t reme-remem-... I forgot!” Diana said.

“It seems our memories may have been modified or otherwise altered when the mirage collapsed,” Kariya informed the queen, still in her maid dress with the burnt holes. “Rather unfortunate given current circumstances, but we will be fine.”

“Well, I remember a little,” Icy said, her own coat being a bit hastily tended to, “But I think something happened that made me… a lot more forgetful. That said, I at least remember that we were separated, and for a while there were… two Nourias?”

“Right, one was a fake made by a flaming bird caught in a box of some sort,” Amik added, having sat down next to Diana. “I think the whole thing was a plan by it to get her free from it.”

“A flaming bird in a box… In a mirage.” Candela raised her eyebrows. “Well I can not say I have heard of one of those in quite some time. A shame you do not remember much. Did you have fun? Any treasures to claim?”

“Simply an earring,” Kariya showed Candela the ruby earring, still in her possession. “And a vial of ashes. Unfortunately, also likely some trauma for Nouria.”

“Ashes and an ear’ing.” Candela chuckled. “Well, dears, I can say some return with less. But only rarely. …Can I see?”

“Nuhuh! Our treasure!” Diana pouted, crossing her arms.

“Diana, dear, she will not keep it from us,” Icy said, “Just be careful, though, it still seems to have some of the power of that flaming bird within…”

“But… treasure,” Diana frowned.

“Here, have a look,” Kariya handed the earring to Candela. “For the lady’s sake, please don’t do anything to it.”

“I would not dare.” Candela smiled, resting the earring in her hand. “Oh, that is hot. And magical. And no clue what it does, hm? Is it not linked to your butler here having a change of outfit?” She gave the earring back to Kariya. “Then again, you Rohanians are weird about it, are you not.”

“Weird about what?” Kariya asked, taking back the earring. “... milady.”

“Well, I kind of guessed it has something to do with why out of all of us Askari was the only one not to change back,” Amik shrugged. “Either that or Icy just really wanted another maid.”

“Excuse me,” Icy frowned, “... I like both of them.”

“Thank you, milady,” Kariya smiled slightly. “To be honest, I presumed my natural magical resistance failed against the initial change, but withstood the effort to change me back.”

“... that’s like… weird!” Diana said. “... and who cares? She’s cute and MINE!”

“This one really is Vlad’s daughter.” Candela laughed. “To the dot. What about the ashes, then? If the conclusion is that this is a fire phoenix-” She frowned. “Which only you would know. But I have not heard of many flaming birds otherwise.”

“I believe she might’ve been one,” Icy remarked, “I can’t fully recall all of my time then, but I think she might’ve mentioned something along those lines…”

Diana blinked, looking like she was thinking as hard as she could. “... adopt! I, like, can adopt a lil’ birdie with ‘Mik and Icy Pony and, uh… new ‘Skari!”

“Adopt?” Candela laughed. “What are you going to do, sniff up phoenix ashes? …Your mind intrigues me, dear. But I doubt that’s the proper method to revive a phoenix.”

Diana simply looked totally lost. “Sniff? I don't wanna smell them…”

Kariya's lip twitched into something approaching a smile for just a moment. “We'll make sure to keep them safe, milady. May I enquire as to the status of our airship?”

“You may, though I would not know much.” Candela shrugged. “The group my late husband picked are profes’ionals, though, even so much later. I am sure the repairs are long finished, probably with some Pitrean navigation installed to boot.”

“Pitrean Navigation, you say?” Amik said, “Well, let’s hope that prevents us from making any accidental stops… though I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed this detour.”

“I liked it too!” Diana giggled. “We got a quest, we met Nouri, we got new ‘Skari! That one is, like, the best!”

“As I have stated, I enjoy both Askari and Kariya,” Icy assured her, pulling in the maid closer, “You are quite wonderful in both forms, I assure you, dear.”

“Thank you, milady,” Kariya said, the softest pink in her cheeks. “I am not freaking out, just to be clear. I am a bit confused, but I'm sure this will be sorted, and until then I will, as always, be by your side… perhaps in new clothing, however. This dress is burnt severely.”

“Your dress, dear? I am sure Nouria would be happy to fix it. You just need to drag him along a little.” Candela laughed. “The boy needs to go outside more. All envious he can’t be as good as your sister Keiko, yet refuses to see the world and improve.”

“....Mmh. Sorry, was that my name…?” Nouria seemed to be waking up. “...How long has it been?”

“Nouri!” Diana said, ignoring his question to hug him tight.

“Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead,” Amik chuckled, “It’s been a few hours, I believe.”

“...A few hours?” Nouria tried rubbing his eyes, before realizing Diana had taken a hold of his arms. “Oh. What did we do? …I don’t think I remember…”

“We went into a mirage,” Kariya explained gently. “But we have also completed it. Now, we are preparing to leave, but your grandmother has offered you to fix my dress.”

“...Oh. Is it me you want for that?” Nouria asked. “It’s usually done best by whoever made it in the first place… Uhm, I guess that dress is different.” Some, but not all, memories came back to him, probably for the better. “I can look into it for you, if you really want.”

“And perhaps,” Icy suggested slyly, “Getting a few more for her? I doubt you have many waiting at home for you, after all.”

Nouria nodded softly. “That’s fair. Uhm, Diana, you can let go of me now…” He patted her on the back, fighting the futile fight.

“Don't wanna!” Diana said. “Mine!”

“I believe milady meant I have none waiting for me, which is… certainly true,” Kariya replied. “Ah, and it seems Diana has decided she likes you. That is rather expected.”

“If it’s mine you want…” Nouria nodded. “...I’ll do my best. Thank you. …Diana, please…”

Candela started pouring the boy a cup of coffee, if only to give him an excuse to escape Diana. Then again, this was rather funny. Maybe she shouldn’t hand it over that quickly.

“No,” Diana pouted. “Not until, like, you promise! You're, um… oh! Yeah! You can, like, come to Sil-ver-dale with us!”

“Ah, what a wonderful idea,” Icy said, “... I mean, if you would like to see it of course,” she wouldn’t endorse actual kidnapping, naturally.

“I- I don’t know if I can just get up and leave.” Nouria worried.

“Oh, you total’y can.” Candela drank her grandsons’ coffee. “I mean, check in with your parents, but I do not think they would protest. My daughter might just be very excited, even.” The queen smiled. “Or are you going to say no to poor Diana? Hm?”

Diana gave Nouria puppy eyes, sniffing softly.

“The look that has captured many a heart,” Kariya muttered, slightly sarcastic.

“I think I have fallen to it several times,” Amik said, “She is… quite persistent.”

“Oh, come now, Nouria,” Icy pouted as well, her eyes welling up, “You wouldn’t say no to us, would you?”

“... poor Nouria,” Kariya sighed softly. “No one can possibly say no to them both… I would know.”

“Icy, not you too…” Nouria sighed as well, falling backwards. “...Okay, fine. I suppose… Wait, Silverdale is that polar country, isn’t it? That’s going to be a problem…”

“I am sure you can ask your friends, and Keiko, for help, dear. You don’t have to do everything yourself.” Candela reminded him. “Enjoy it, won’t you?”

He smiled weakly. “...Yeah, grandma.”

“Yay!” Diana cheered, finally letting go of him. “Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!”

“... I suppose we should go, then,” Kariya giggled. “... oh. That was a strange laugh.”

“... I think Diana and her family’s influence caught up to you, dear,” Icy smiled, “She… has that way of influencing people, whether or not she realizes it.”

Kariya cleared her throat. “Lord Nouria, please allow me to pack your belongings for you. I shall have the task finished swiftly, and then we may depart, if the ship is ready.”

“Lord..? Please don’t.” The giggle infected Nouria, stuck on the couch under Diana. “It’s fine, I can help…”

“Clothes, tools, and a snack.” Candela laughed, showing Kariya the way to Nouria’s room. “I will lend you a hand. Oh, and condoms. Do not forget about the condoms.”

Kariya flushed slightly, but nodded. “Of course. We should most certainly restock on those. Thank you, Your Highness.”

“No wor’ies, I have been young too.” Candela pulled a suitcase off of a shelf. “Let us cram this suitcase full. I am not letting him leave half-as’ed.”

“I would hope not,” Amik said, having joined the pair as Diana was… preoccupied, “If you’ve learned anything about us, we certainly don’t half-ass anything!”

“Indeed, we full ass everything we do,” Kariya replied, minor amusement in her tone as she began to fold and pack clothing. “Please do not worry. Amik and I will make sure nothing happens to Nouria he doesn't want.”

“Sounds like you have developed a sense of humor along with your chest.” Candela tossed a few snacks in before it got too full. “There. …You best take care of him. It will be better for all of our health, would it not?”

“All of ours indeed,” Amik agreed, “And it’s not like we are keeping him with us full-time, we generally do frequent meetups, aside from our new maid here rarely leaving Icy’s side, of course.”

“Oh, so we will get him back sometimes? Temporarily.” The queen laughed. “Maybe I should take those snacks back out, then.”

“Grandma…” Nouria sighed.

Kariya cleared her throat, closing the suitcase. “Worry not, Your Highness. He will be very well taken care of.”

Diana giggled as she appeared to hug Amik. “It's gonna be, like, soooooo much fun! And we can, um, like, make new ‘Skari do dress up!”

“You make it sound like that is the main appeal, Diana,” Icy said, “... it is one of them, I do admit…”

“...I’m going to have my work cut out for me.” Nouria sighed. “I should get up. I am getting strangely worried about what they’re packing for me…”

Just then, Kariya reappeared, carrying the suitcase. “I have ensured that the best of your wardrobe is included, sir,” she said, bowing slightly. “I hope you have had a good chance to say goodbye.”

“Time to go home!” Diana cheered.

“Have you ever traveled in an airship before, Nouria?” Icy asked.

“...Please stop calling me sir…” Nouria felt embarrassed, quickly getting up. “Thank you, Kariya. Yeah, that was your name, I remember now.” He gave her a grateful nod. “An airship… Like what you arrived in?”

“Indeed,” Kariya replied, then a small smirk appeared. “We will make sure you're very well taken care of on board our airship, sir. I am certain we are all eager to ensure you have an enjoyable trip, sir.”

“...You are the worst.” Nouria laughed, a small blush playing on his cheeks. “But I’d… Like to try one. It sounds weird, but exciting. We don’t really have those here.”

“Most of the finest ones are Dystan-made,” Icy remarked, “Naturally ours is as well, I believe that Diana and Amik got it together.”

“My ship!” Diana said, nodding. “And ‘Mik's! But ‘Mik is mine too! And Icy Pony! And new ‘Skari! And Nouri!... and Mr. Dragon and-”

“...Mr. Dragon? There are more of you?” Nouria asked with concern.

“Ah, yes,” Amik chuckled, “Perhaps we should introduce Nouria to the most important member of our party!”

“Okie!” Diana said, pulling a plushy dragon out of her pack. It was made of many different colors, reflecting the light in several places as she held it out towards Nouria, pressing the plushy against his hand. “This is Mr. Dragon! Say hi, Mr. Dragon!”

“Hello,” Nouria could hear a voice directly in his mind. “I see you are another Diana cares for. Treat her well.”

“Wha-Oh, uhm, hello.” Nouria nodded. “Yes, of course. …A talking plushie? That’s a first…”

“I am an intelligent construct,” the plushy explained. “It is my sole mission and desire to ensure Diana's safety. You seem trustworthy, so I will approve.”

Diana pulled the plushy away. “Isn't he, like, just the bestest?”

“That’s- So cool… Shouldn’t he be kept somewhere better than your backpack though, in that case?”

“But if he wasn’t close by, he couldn’t protect Diana now, could he?” Amik pointed out. “You don’t want Mr. Dragon to be sad, do you?”

“No, of course not! I’m just worried- Nevermind.” Nouria sighed, starting to get the sense he was being played with. “Please don’t guilt trip me, all right?”

“I'm sure that was not the intent,” Kariya assured. She was looking at her phone. “I do believe that the airship is being brought around. Is it possible for it to moor up against the palace, Your Highness?”

“You almost crashed against a holy mountain once, I am sure you can do it again.” Candela shrugged. “I will need to start talking about some anti-air installations though, so do not do it again after that. Then again, that would be a bit unsightly.” She sighed. “I will just blame Dystan engineering.”

“Oh, I would not bring that up if you ever have Dystan dignitaries over,” Icy suggested, “They can be… rather proud of their airships, to say the least.”

“Why not?” Candela raised an eyebrow. “Is it my fault they are too damn good at their job?”

Diana giggled. “They're, like, super fun. Ooh, you should-”

“No,” Kariya cut Diana off. “Diana, we are already adding one extra passenger. We cannot attempt to abduct the queen as well.”

“Awww…” Diana pouted.

“We don’t want to start any more international incidents, thank you very much,” Icy patted Diana, “Besides, don’t you want for us to all be acquainted further with our new travel buddy?”

“... yeah!” Diana recovered instantly.

“That’s me, right? It sounds like I’m just going to get pushed around…” Nouria said worried.

“Well, kid, in a way, you will be.” Candela said, seeing the airship arrive on the horizon. “All right, off you go, dears. Do not throw him out the window too early, hm?”

“No!” Diana gasped. “No defe-um… window stuff!”

“I think it is something else he may get thrown on,” Kariya said as the airship pulled up. “... milady, allow me to help you board.”

“Why, thank you, Kariya,” Icy smiled, “Such a good maid, where would I be without you…”

“At home,” Kariya replied, aiding Icy as a boarding ramp was lowered down.

“Ship!” Diana cheered, picking up Nouria with a grunt, then trying to also pick up Amik. “Come on, we gotta, like, get on!”

“Ah- Uh, bye grandma!” Nouria was picked up and carried off. “Oh, my bag, my bag-”

“I have it!” Kariya called back.

“Geez, someone’s an impatient dragon,” Amik chuckled, “Guess I can’t blame you…”

Diana just giggled as she managed to lift both boys, carrying them up and into the airship. The ramp went up a few moments later as the vehicle began to depart.

[Dyste]

Co-written with RA and Pitreas

The last meeting of the ‘princess club’ had been in Silverdale not that long ago, but Ana had called another one… simply because she was bored, probably. This time, however, she'd brought them all to Calihain, and one of the open rooms at the palace there had been set up for them. Of course, as the host, Ana had been first there, lounging now in a very un-regal manner in a bean bag chair. A low table in the room had already been set with everything from biscuits to hay cakes to little bits of meat and cheese and crackers. She yawned, waiting for the first arrival, who should be coming about… now.

Naturally, the first arrival was Icy, who just so happened to already have access to a way to fly over at hand, and she didn’t mean her wings, as she sat down on another beanbag chair next to Ana, “Seems we are the first to arrive,” Icy said, “You would not believe the adventure we have been on, Ana…”

Of course, right after Icy had entered came Diana, barrelling in and giving both a big hug. “Hi!” She almost shouted, before sitting right next to Icy. “We did a big quest!”

Safira entered next, heading immediately for a couch and laying across it, arm hanging to the ground. “Hello, ladies,” she grinned. “I have something new for you today too, before we get into quests and such… come on, Sammy, we're waiting on you!”

“Are you sure about this, Safy? Excuse me!” A second girl followed after Safira - A short, white-haired girl in a frilly dress, her head adorned by two golden horns. “Hello, everyone, I’m Samara. Uh, please take care of me.” She made a brief bow. “I’m from Pitreas. Mom’s- Queen Candela’s daughter.”

“And that means she's a princess!” Safy grinned, patting the couch.

“Pitreas, you say,” Icy looked up, having mostly been eating the hay cakes; in her current form she couldn’t eat meat, after all. “As it happens, Diana and I were there a little while ago on a little quest, weren’t we dear?”

“Oh, yeah! Pit Race!” Diana nodded eagerly. “... we never got to see a race, but we did, um, fall in a pit!”

“Oh dear,” Ana giggled. “That sounds like a story. By the by, Tymara couldn't make it today. Apparently she's busy getting ready for a visit from Conroy,” Ana grinned.

“You were in Pitreas? I didn’t hear.” Samara apologized. “I was in the capital the past week, with Safy, and Raya. I may have missed you. Mom forgot to let me know you were stopping by…”

“In fairness, we were actually headed to Corneria,” Icy said, blushing, “But… erm, circumstances caused us to take a detour there. And indeed we met with Queen Candela there, as well as Prince Nouria.”

“Nouri is cute,” Diana giggled. “And, like, he makes clothes! Like big sis Keiko!”

“Sammy come sit doooown,” Safira said, patting the couch again.

“You… Met Nouria? I missed a lot…” Samara sat down on the couch. “Ah, but I’m glad he’s making friends. He’s a good kid, just… difficult. We’re doing our best.”

Safy placed her head in Samara's lap, purring softly. “So tell us about this adventure!”

“Yes, you should,” Ana nodded, taking a small piece of candy. “Oh, and you did bring along Askari as requested, right?”

Icy ate some of the treats, seemingly quite hungry at the moment, “Well, we took Askari and Amik along, and we ended up in these underground ruins where there were mirages, and, well… actually, I think perhaps Askari might be able to show what also happened,” she chuckled, “By all means, whenever you’re ready!”

Samara was confused. “Askari? I didn’t see an Askari on the way here-”

“He's Icy's butler and boytoy,” Safy clarified as the door opened again.

Instead of a butler, though, a silver haired woman in a sweater dress stepped in. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks just the lightest pink as she closed the door behind her.

“New ‘Skari!” Diana clapped.

Icy with a big smile gestured to the woman to sit down with her, “Now, now, Diana, why don’t we allow her to introduce herself?”

“Sorry…” Diana at least managed to look slightly regretful.

“... you know me as Askari,” she cleared her throat. “But at the moment, I am going by Kariya. It is… wonderful to see you all,” she said, curtseying.

“I want her,” Safy declared. “You have to let me borrow her, Icy.”

“Safira, that’s a personal maid. You can’t just take claim of her.” Samara shook her head. “Give her some space.”

“Besides, don’t you have your own retainers, Safira?” Icy chuckled, “Like the large armored boar or the shark who dresses like a pirate?”

“But I don't have a cute maid!” Safy protested, then seemed to think. “... though you'll wear a maid dress, won't you, Sammy?”

Ana laughed, then looked over Kariya. “Really, though, Icy. Where is Askari?”

“You can’t tell, Ana?” Icy snorted, trying not to laugh, “I thought you were supposed to be the one on top of everything!”

“... you're serious, aren't you?” Ana sighed.

Diana, meanwhile, had jumped up, dragging Kariya to sit between her and Icy. “We should, like, make her a real, um… prin-cess,” Diana grinned. “So she can come like, all the time!”

“Do you get new members that often?” Samara asked curiously. “That seems… Off. But I guess that’s just how Safira’s friends would be.”

“For what it’s worth, Diana,” Icy said, “We are allowed to have specific retainers to aid us during meetings, so we could always just bring Kayira along each time. In fact, I think it was you, Safira, who insisted on that.”

Safy purred. “Someone needs to carry me when I'm feeling extra lazy,” she smirked, reaching up and scratching Samara’s chin. “No, Sammy, until we added Diana and you I think the last person to get added was Tymara, and that was… a while ago?”

“Oh, but there is a way to make Kariya a princess,” Ana said, her eyes seeming to sparkle slightly as she began to smirk.

“I know what you are thinking,” Icy said, “... at least I am fairly certain I do.”

“Safy, not here…” Samara giggled. “It’s already busy enough here, stop that. Uhm, yes, I know what you mean, miss Icy. Of course.”

“You have no clue,” Safira giggled, leaving Samara's chin alone. “I wanna know, too!”

“Well, Icy, what do you think my idea is?” Ana asked, still smiling her dangerous smile.

“Well,” Icy sighed, “If Kariya was my wife, she would be a princess now, would she not? … there, is that what you wanted to hear?”

“That's exactly right!” Ana laughed. “And I know you are… were?... engaged.”

“I am, er, that is to say,” Kariya stopped for a moment. “... we were waiting for Icy's mothers blessing. And then this happened.”

“Congratulations.” Samara said, still overwhelmed, but gave Kariya a soft smile. “I don’t really follow yet, but you sound happy.”

“Oh, do not worry, Samara,” Icy said, “I believe you will get used to what happens here in the club… or get more confused, but that’s really part of the fun of it all, isn’t it?”

“I, like, don't get it,” Diana smiled. “But there's treats and um… Icy Pony and new ‘Skari! And fun!”

“Regardless,” Ana smiled. “You could be married by tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on Ana,” Icy groaned, “Please let us decide that on our own…”

“Awww,” Ana pouted.

“She's always like this,” Kariya sighed, then Diana leaned on her, squishing her against Icy. “... I believe she simply thinks it's for the best, but still. Diana, you're leaning on me.”

“Yup!” Diana confirmed, not stopping.

“Perhaps we can consider it, though, soon,” Icy assured her, “But for now I think perhaps we have a dragon here who might be feeling needy.”

“You gave up on that one easily… Then again, I believe you and Diana are also a couple, aren’t you? So…” Samara wrecked her brain over this one. “...I’m just not going to think about it too much.”

“Diana, Icy, and Kariya here are all together,” Safy explained. “And Ana… isn't?”

Ana giggled and smiled. “No, but I think maybe I should take Kariya back for a little bit. Someone should teach her about being a lady, don't you think?”

“I agree someone should,” Icy nodded, “So naturally I am, as I am clearly the most qualified here to do so.”

Ana raised an eyebrow. “Kariya, who is your sensei?”

“... you,” Kariya sighed. “As well as Nari, and Abi. And Mishera. And I do believe Ali would say she also is,” she smirked a little. “A new sensei for a new subject seems to work very well for me. Thank you, Icy.”

“Oooh,” Safy looked up at Samara. “You won't see Ana get out maneuvered very often, you should enjoy it!”

“I mean, it sounds like Ana is still her superior…” Samara was confused, then just giggled. “But I guess that’s not really the point, right? She’s just being snarky. …You all seem good friends.”

“Oh, we are,” Icy chuckled, “And Ana has no real reason to complain, seeing as it was because of her that I have this lovely maid by my side.”

“Well, I sent a butler, to be fair,” Ana laughed. “But, Kariya dear, how do you feel about this all, anyways?”

“I don't mind as long as I can continue to support Icy,” Kariya said. “And Diana, of course,” she added as the dragon whined a little. “And as long as they don't mind. Which, if anything, they've seemed rather excited about it so far.”

“It's, like, fun!” Diana said.

“...Is Diana just, like this?” Samara whispered to Safira.

“Yep, NYAHAHA!” Safy laughed. “That's just her!”

“I for one wouldn’t have it any other way,” Icy chuckled, even though she admittedly did like seeing the other Diana as well.

“You end up finding it adorable,” Kariya admitted, patting the dragon princess on the head. “... though I am feeling rather trapped.”

“No leaving,” Diana giggled.

“Oh, didn't you mention someone else from your adventure?” Ana asked. “What happened to them?”

“Oh, well, they are learning a few tricks of the trade from Diana’s older sister, as it were,” Icy said, “Isn’t he, Diana?”

“Yeah!” Diana nodded, hugging Icy around the maid. “Nouri, is, like, Keiko's new, um… helper person! He said, like, he was gonna make more clothes and stuff for new ‘Skari too!”

“Nouria got an apprenticeship?” Samara lit up a little in relief. “Phew, he always looked up to her… If only he told me himself, but I suppose he’s been busy.” The woman chuckled. “He’ll be a great… helper person.”

“Oh, we would’ve brought him along,” Icy said, “But for one, we didn’t know you were here, and two, this is a princess club after all. I think one of Ana’s… nephews, cousins…? Wanted to join a while back…”

“Ainar,” Ana said. “He can join when he becomes a princess,” she giggled.

“Oooh, I wonder if Nouria will make clothes for us?” Safy asked Sammy.

“I am sure he will. It’s always been his passion.” Samara nodded. “Just ask him sometime. …Once Keiko goes a bit easier on him. …Can I try one of the snacks? I haven’t had one yet…”

“They're free for anyone to take,” Ana smiled. “We usually manage to get through the entire layout, but we are missing two members today. I'm sure Diana will take care of it in the end.”

“Not to mention me,” Icy had a large share of the snacks herself, “... what, I am eating for two and I am the largest person here…”

“No one was judging you,” Kariya assured, gently wiping a crumb away for Icy. “I'm glad you're making sure to eat enough.”

“You're getting further along, aren't you, Icy?” Safy asked. “When are you having the kid, do you know?”

“It will still be a few months, at least,” Icy admitted, “Naturally if this was too soon I would not have gone on this adventure, Askari… or rather Kariya would never allow it.”

“You went while pregnant? Are you sure you shouldn’t be resting more?” Samara was concerned. “That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Even if it’s still away?”

“I see someone else is of similar opinion to Kariya,” Ana smirked. “Samara, dear, you'll get used to it. Most of us are likely to resist being out of commission as long as we can, within reason. Except your kitty.”

“Mmm, if I was pregnant, I'd nap all day,” Safira nodded.

“My kitty? …It was that obvious?” Samara blushed. “I am a terrible actor…”

“... you are basically napping right now,” Icy said, “And for what it’s worth, I hope that is the last one I have to be on for a while. I do not know about you, Kariya, but perhaps a little relaxation is at hand after all that.”

“I daresay I agree, milady,” Kariya said, not so subtly using Icy as a body pillow already. “Not only do you need to be careful, but I need to get used to this body, or find a way to revert it.”

“Aww,” Diana pouted. “But I like both ‘Skari!”

“I think they don't care that we're together, silly goat,” Safy grinned at Samara.

“Ah yes, about that,” Icy leaned forward, “Don’t think we haven’t noticed, Safira.”

“I wasn't exactly hiding it,” Safira stuck her tongue out.

“Does it have to be said..?” Samara blushed. “I mean, some of you are pregnant, so is this the new thing? Am I overthinking it?” The Pitrean princess chuckled. “...You tell them, Safy. If we have to.”

“What, that you're my favorite goat?” Safy smirked. “Or, if I'm to copy Diana, that you're mine?”

“As I figured,” Icy took a sip of tea, “I am not surprised in the slightest, of course.”

“Oh? And why not?” Safy asked, stretching slightly.

“Wait, let me guess… because Safira is a whore, right?” Ana winked at the kitty as she pouted.

“Oh, come now, no shaming here,” Icy chuckled, “Just making an observation, my dear kitten.”

“You’re saying the rest of you are… Worse… Than Safy?” Samara asked the others. “I mean, I know Icy and Diana are a couple, but still… Oh, and Kariya…”

“I don't know about worse!” Ana said. “I'm pretty sure Safy has the most active partners of us all, actually. I mean, I've had a few flings, and sometimes need to do it for my job, but that's different.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I completely understand,” Icy chuckled, “Regardless, Samara, you needn’t worry, I think with a bit of time you shall fit in right here with us.”

“Ah, I’m not worried, you seem very nice. I’m just a bit overwhelmed.” Samara offered a gentle smile. “I’m sure I’ll fit in better soon… Uhm, can someone put the snacks closer? I can’t get Safira off of me.”

“Not on your life,” Safy purred.

“What do you want? Do you eat meat?” Ana asked, holding a plate with little cookies of multiple types out to Sammy. “We've got all the options, and I can always ask for more,” she added, when she was inspired by a light snore.

Kariya's eyes had slid closed, the girl apparently falling asleep squished between Diana and Icy.

“Oh dear,” Icy gasped, “It seems our dear maid has fallen asleep. I suppose it’s been a long day for her…”

“Shhh!” Diana shushed quite loudly, then giggled. The dragoness moved to cuddle more with Icy, closing her own eyes as well. “Comfy Icy Pony.”

“Well now,” Icy shook her head, “My apologies to you all, but it appears my company has decided to retire for the day.”

“Ah, no worries.” Samara had already accepted her fate. “This is probably just normal for this group too…”

Safira yawned. “Sammy, lay down, I wanna cuddle…”

“It appears my room has once again become the nap room,” Ana chuckled softly. “Don't worry, darlings, it was a joy just to see you all again. Sleep well.”

“Sleep well, everyone,” Icy yawned; unlike her companions, she wasn’t actually that tired at the moment, but she would stay with them; she couldn’t imagine a life without them, after all.