Kelly put aside her hammer and inspected her work on Moonlight’s newly shod hooves before nodding to herself and asking the Unicorn, “Moonlight, can you please tell Lily if there’s any pain or discomfort? I don’t think I dug the nails in too deep, and everything looks good from here, but I haven’t done this in a while and it’s not like I’m a professional farrier.”

-I am fine,- Moonlight quickly assured me. -There is no discomfort or pain, though my hooves do feel a bit heavy.-

“She says that she’s all good,” I passed on to my sister from the spot where Poppy and I were currently perched on the door to Moonlight’s stall in the university stables. The heaviness was probably from her new iron shoes.

Despite Moonlight’s assurances that she would much rather remain ethereal and close by my side at all times, we had brought all of the gear related to proper horse care, riding, and anything else that might be needed to her new little home in the stables. I had convinced her that she needed time for herself sometimes, and so did I, and that a place for her to rest and relax and occasionally get a little pampered by my sister would be good for her since I was too small to pamper her myself. I also told her that the stables would be close enough to Rainbow Dorm that we would still be able to hear one another’s thoughts and that she would be able to turn ethereal and arrive quickly should I need her for any reason.

She even had a few weeks to get used to the idea before any of my team would be able to move into the dorm. While she was making a show of protesting the idea still, I believed that she was warming up to it now that we had her in her stall. I could feel a sense of peace and nostalgia in her mind that I hoped would soon become a sense of comfort. She liked the place more than she was admitting, I thought. It wasn’t surprising since she had been born in a stall much like this one, and that was where I had cared for her, and we bonded when she was still a filly.

As for my sister’s nervousness about shoeing Moonlight, it was unfounded and there was nobody on this Earth who I would have trusted to do it more. She might not be a farrier on paper, but she had been learning from our mother, who was the resident farrier and veterinarian for the Boulder Creek area, since she was thirteen. Before the Incursion, that was what she wanted to do with her life after high school, become a veterinarian and farrier like Mom and take over her business someday.

As soon as we had gotten out of Kelly’s appointment with her therapist, we went home to collect Poppy, Ainslee, and all the things needed for Moonlight and then I teleported us to the university, where we went in search of the stables and the stall that had been assigned to my Unicorn companion. Then, my sister spent the next couple of hours carefully and tenderly working on Moonlight’s hooves as she prepared, trimmed, and shaped them before finally fitting them with the new horseshoes. Now that the shoeing was done, my sister set herself to carefully polishing both the shoes and Moonlight’s hooves.

That didn’t take nearly as long as the rest of the process, and soon Kelly declared her work complete. “There, all finished, Moonlight. Usually, we have to perform proper hoof care and reshoe horses every four to six weeks, but I don’t know how you being ethereal so often is going to affect that. I guess I’ll give you a look next month after school starts and we can see then how soon you’ll need me to do this again.”

My sister looked thoughtful as she shared that information and she seemed a lot more at ease and relaxed, especially after how hard that therapy appointment was for her. I was relieved to see that my plan seemed to be working, as working on Moonlight’s hooves had not only distracted my sister from her troubles, but she was genuinely smiling and relaxed as she fed Moonlight a couple of apples for being so cooperative. Then she took a curry comb and began to hum while contentedly working on Moonlight’s coat as Ainslee took a brush to her mane and tail.

As she worked, Kelly got lost in the rhythm of the task as she absently hummed and smiled. It made me think that this was the happiest and most content that I had seen Kelly since we left the hospital and that made me happy as I sat on my perch and snuggled with Poppy while we watched. Perhaps I was right about familiar tasks being good for her.

This might be short-lived, and this little bit of happiness might not last past dinnertime, but for now it was helping and maybe if we started doing this regularly it would help my sister to ground herself more permanently as well. I really hoped so. I wanted to see my sister happy and confident again, almost as much as I wanted us to save Mom from whatever those alien fucks might be doing to her on the other side of the Breach.

If Mom was going through anything ever remotely like what Kelly went through on the other side, when we saved her, she would need me and Kelly as much as my sister needed me to be there for her now. Maybe something like this could help Mom too when that time comes. If she decided to stay here with us instead of going back to the ranch, maybe we could get her working with the Pegasi and Gryphons, that way her skills would be useful, and it might help her as this seemed to be helping Kelly.

I was watching my sister and lost in my thoughts until she announced that Moonlight was fully groomed. “Thanks, Sis, and you too Ainslee,” I told them. I was mostly having them do this for Kelly’s sake, but I did appreciate that they were doing all the work for me. I also wanted Kelly to know that she was actually being useful instead of letting her believe that this was only for her sake. “I wish I were big enough to this stuff myself.”

“Yeah, I bet it’s hard for you and Poppy, being so small. Everyday tasks that we take for granted are probably a lot more difficult for you Fairy type Altered,” Ainslee offered sympathetically.

“Yeah, it sucks sometimes,” Poppy agreed, “but it’s a tradeoff. At least we Sprites can fly and get cool elemental magic out of the deal in addition to our special ability.”

“I could do without having to watch out for birds or animals who might want to eat me every time I go outside though,” I grumbled, earning a nod of agreement from my girlfriend. Then I quickly sent to Moonlight in the privacy of our minds, “Thank you as well, Moonlight, for putting up with all of this for Kelly’s sake. Though I do think that proper horseshoes and a bit of pampering are good for you.”

-This is not so bad- the Unicorn grudgingly admitted. -It reminds me of how you used to care for me when I was still young. I am doing this for both you and your sister. I know how important she is to you, she and my mother were as close as you and I as well, and I believe that you are correct about this having a positive effect on her mental state.-

“Does that mean that you won’t object to taking her for a ride?” I asked.

-I will allow it, for your sake, and because I may need to carry one of your teammates someday. I should get used to it and begin building up my strength.-

“Thanks, Moonlight, you’re the best,” I told her, not commenting on how content her mind seemed to be since the brushing. Privately though, I thought that she was enjoying this treatment more than she would admit. I turned my attention back to my sister and offered, “Moonlight says that you’re good to get the saddle on her and go for a ride, Kelly.”

If just caring for and interacting with Moonlight made Kelly happier and more content than I had seen her in a while, saddling up and actually going for a proper ride seemed to make her day. She rode Moonlight for a solid hour in the pasture with me and Poppy riding along on the Fairy saddle and Ainslee running alongside. I was really impressed with my best friend’s stamina since she kept up for the whole ride and wasn’t even breathing all that hard when we returned to the stables to put away the saddle and such before going home.

I was going to see if Moonlight would mind giving her a ride as well, but the Baobhan Sith turned down the offer, saying that riding, and especially using the stirrups would be difficult since she had hooves rather than feet. I felt a little bit embarrassed that I had forgotten about that detail. “Sorry, Ainslee I should have remembered that and been more sensitive about it,” I said, feeling guilty.

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize, Lily,” my best friend assured me. “That’s actually why I usually wear long dresses or skirts; the hems hide my hooves and the fact that I’m not wearing shoes. As long as I keep them hidden and my ears covered, I can almost pass as a normal person, though a very beautiful one.”

“And so modest too,” my sister teased as she removed Moonlight’s saddle. It was so nice seeing her happy and engaging us right now.

“I think I lost any sense of modesty when I finished changing,” the gorgeous redhead replied with a playful smirk, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “The researchers think that Baobhan Sith like me have an instinctive need to be as attractive as possible to the opposite sex because that’s how we lure in prey. Then when we get them close enough, we start dancing to get them caught in our rhythm and under our power so we can feed more easily. The dancing gets their blood pumping harder as well.”

“I bet you save a fortune on shoes though,” Poppy pointed out.

That did bring up an interesting question though, one that had my sister looking thoughtful as she asked, “Is there some kind of special care regimen for your hooves? I don’t think I’ve actually seen them before, but I’ve helped Mom on hoof care for horses, cows, sheep, and goats before.”

“I’m told that mine resemble those of a deer,” Ainslee admitted with a shrug. “And yeah, they require a lot more care than my feet ever did. It’s actually one of the more annoying things about being what I am, though not nearly as bad as needing to drink blood.”

“Umm… maybe I can help you with that sometime,” my sister offered hopefully. “You know, since I can’t help with the other thing.” Then her previously happy expression faded into a much more serious one as she added, “Speaking of drinking blood though, I was thinking, and Lily was right about me not really being fair to Karen yesterday. This afternoon has been nice, and I really appreciate Moonlight letting me ride her for so long. I feel better than I have in a long time right now, so I was thinking… maybe next time we should bring Karen with us and teach her to ride, maybe it might help her loosen up a bit around us.”

That wasn’t a bad idea, and I was especially glad that it came from Kelly. It was like she was her old self again, and even though I knew this was probably just a temporary uplift in her mood and that she likely had a long road ahead, there was hope that she could travel that road with help and support from me, our family, and Moonlight. Maybe there was hope for Karen too if we gave her a chance. I didn’t think this would work as well as it was with my sister since Kelly grew up on the ranch caring for and riding horses, but it might at least help her relax a bit.

I decided that it was worth a shot and that I would call Vice-Commander Carpenter to arrange for permission for Karen to join us for more sessions like this one on the days we weren’t training with Sergeant Vale. I was glad that the others seemed to support the idea as well and hoped that I could get the Vice Commander’s consent. Once my sister had Moonlight’s saddle, bridle, and blanket removed and hanging up on hooks in Moonlight’s stall, my Unicorn once again became ethereal, and I teleported us all home for dinner.

It was roughly an hour after we were all finished dinner, when I was surprised by a call from Vice-Commander Carpenter. Wondering if this was about Karen, and if I should make my request now instead of waiting until tomorrow, I used my comm crown to create a private virtual environment for me to take the call. I had no idea what she might be calling about after all, and it could be sensitive information.

Once I was immersed in the secure virtual environment, I answered the call. “Vice-Commander, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today. Is there something the matter?”

“Not yet,” the Angel’s voice replied cryptically before adding, “There is something that I would like to talk to about in my office tomorrow though, after you’re finished your morning training with Captain Monroe. The reason I’m calling tonight though, is about your sister.”

“Kelly? What about her?” I asked in sudden worry before hurriedly telling the Vice-Commander, “I think she made some good steps on her road to recovery today. She was able to talk to her therapist about her dreams and she had a very good afternoon helping to care for Moonlight and going for a ride. She even suggested that something like that might be good for Karen as well.”

Her tone quickly became apologetic. “Sorry, Cadet-Major, I should have specified that it was about people like your sister, not her specifically, though it does relate to her. Now, as you have probably surmised, your sister’s therapist will try to keep the majority of their sessions private, but anything that is concerning about her mental state is being reported directly to me, as is the case with Karen and anyone else under our command who has gone through severe trauma.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” I admitted. I had even told my sister that before we stepped into her therapist’s office.

“This is about the nature of your sister’s dreams,” the Vice-Commander explained. “There are quite a few people like her now, you know, people who were taken beyond the Breach and returned after becoming Altered. Most of those people are in a similar state as your sister was when you first saw her in the hospital. Some have successfully killed themselves and the rest of those are sedated and on suicide watch while the hospital psychologists attempt to get through to them. There are a little over a dozen who, like your sister, are on the road to recovery now, most of those young teenagers and a couple of mothers who did not lose their babies as Kelly did.”

“What does this have to do with Kelly?” I asked in concern.

The Angel let out a long sigh before getting to the point. “Most of those who we’ve talked to either can’t remember anything about their captivity or pointedly refuse to talk about it with their therapists. Only three have actually talked to their therapists, your sister was the third. In every case they have nightmares or flashes of what might be memories and, while that may not be unusual in and of itself, the content of those dreams is. While some of their individual dreams and flashes differed in small ways, there was enough similarities between them to be concerning, and two things in particular.”

I could only listen as she continued to talk, a feeling of dread slowly building up in my chest with every word. “One thing that all three had in common was that their captors were ‘fuzzy’ and that it was difficult to make out any defining features for their species. The other was that they all said that they couldn’t control their bodies, that they could only watch what was happening helplessly while their bodies acted on their own, no matter how hard they tried to fight it.”

Three people and three nearly identical circumstances from the sound of it. Once could be played off as just nightmares from an experience they couldn’t remember. Twice, it was possible to be a very unlikely coincidence. Three times out of three though? That ruled out coincidence almost beyond a shadow of a doubt. The burning question in my mind right now though was, “Why are you telling me all of this, Vice-Commander?”

Her voice was gentle and seemed concerned as she replied, “It is almost certain that your sister’s dreams are flashbacks of some sort, memories trying to make themselves known to her conscious mind. I am uncertain whether your sister can handle that knowledge yet, but I will leave it to you whether you tell her or not, I will not order you to keep this from her. The true reason that I’m telling you all this though is that these memories could lead to possible Intel on an enemy that we so far know painfully little about. If Kelly remembers anything more, even if you don’t think it will be useful at all, I want you to report it straight to me. Any information we can get could save lives and give us a chance to take the fight to the Titans.”

My mind and heart were both racing as I acknowledged her orders, and we said our goodnights. Though I set a reminder on my comm crown to see the Vice-Commander before lunch tomorrow and to talk to her about Unicorn therapy for Karen, my mind kept going back to the questions that were now burning in my mind. “What the hell do I tell Kelly?” and “Can she handle the truth?”