After my early morning exercises, discussion with Jade, and then getting lost in thoughts of my sister, I was brought out of my pensive condition when Poppy attacked me with a very exuberant good morning kiss. I was gasping for air, lightheaded, and grinning from ear to ear by the time she finally released me and said, “Good morning, beautiful. Since you were wearing your brooding face, I guess you were worrying about your sister again?”

I nodded, my head bobbing against her chest as I leaned into her embrace and enjoyed the feeling of her arms around me. Since Poppy and I discovered that we were attracted to one another and wanted to get to know one another better, I had discovered that Poppy was big on hugs, and physical contact in general. It was something that I liked and took comfort in.

Other than kissing, cuddling, and just spending time together to her to know one another better, we were trying not to take this potential relationship of ours too far yet. We were both fine with just taking it slow for now, for a couple of reasons. The first reason was that neither of us felt comfortable pushing things further than that while we were still in the hospital. Even making out felt kind of awkward here, even when we were in one of our little houses and had at least a thin veil of privacy, and going any further inside a hospital just felt wrong somehow.

The second reason was that, for both of us, this was our first real relationship. While years may have passed outside of our cocoons, from our perspective, we went from being human teenagers to adult Sprites overnight. We might be physically mature now, but in our heads, we were still teenagers.

Teenagers who had been through a lot and were trying to keep our heads above water while we dealt with new bodies, new abilities, and a new reality. So, not only was there all that baggage to mentally unpack, and the memories of the incursions, but neither of us had any real experience with relationships, or family to talk to about it except for my sister. Kelly might be here in the hospital too, but she was probably more messed up about what she’d been through than either of us.

So, we were taking it slow and trying not to put any labels on our relationship. If we still felt this attraction to one another once we were out of the hospital and decided that we wanted to pursue something more then, well, there would be time. From what we had been told, Fairy-type Altered could live a very long time so long as we avoided accidents, predators, or other forms of violent death. Now that I think about that after my experiences on the ranch though, that’s not all that reassuring.

Once again, I attempted to shake off such dark thoughts and allowed myself to enjoy the sensation of being wrapped up in Poppy’s arms as her warm, soft lips kissed everywhere she could reach. Warm, electric tingles lingered after each touch of her lips, and the barest touch from her fingertips as they lovingly stroked my delicate wings sent pleasant shivers cascading through my body. I kissed her back, my fingers running through her fiery ginger hair, and we stayed like that, enjoying one another’s touch and company until Oak arrived, along with our breakfast, to take over for Jade.

For breakfast, Poppy and I split a strawberry that was bigger than either of our heads along with a bowl of milk, a piece of cereal, and some flower nectar. As we ate, we occasionally reached out to caress the other’s hand and talked about our plans for the day. I had my power testing appointment later this afternoon, but other than that, I planned to spend my day in the same pattern as I had the past few to maximize my training.

While I was at my appointment, Poppy planned on playing around with her special ability and the various materials that had been brought yesterday. The testers had brought her a large plastic container with a bunch of different raw materials for her to experiment with including dozens of fabric samples, blocks of wood and metals, spools of thread, pieces of plastic, and even a ball of grey yarn. Poppy couldn’t wait to see what she could create for us to make our lives easier.

I spent the rest of the morning until lunch once again alternating between flying until I was too physically tired to keep going and training my magic until my mental stamina was spent, before doing it all over again. That first time that I tried to lift the entire pond's worth of water had been a failure, not because I sucked at magic, but because my mental stamina and focus were as weak and in need of training as my body was. Jade said that I had plenty of mana available to be a strong magic user, even among Sprites, but I would have to keep training my focus, mental strength and stamina, and ability to multitask to get to that point.

I still needed to train my body’s ability to absorb and channel mana better though, if I wanted to keep improving. Like a metaphysical muscle, the ability would become stronger by using it and pushing my limits. My hard work had been paying off so far and I could almost move all the water in the pool, and I was even starting to develop some semblance of fine control. I had a distinct feeling that it wasn’t my mana control that was holding me back, but rather my lack of focus and mental fortitude.

While I was working on my stuff, Poppy was working on her fire magic. The Fire Sprite had gotten good enough that it was fairly easy for her to generate flames by heating the air or nearby combustible materials, and I only had to put out the flames for her once during the morning. She wanted to start learning how to manipulate lightning, or electricity in general, since that was supposed to be possible for her, but she had no idea where to start with that. Unfortunately, it seemed that we would both need to wait to learn more advanced techniques until we could get into the elemental magic class at Vanguard University.

After lunch, I did my rehab exercises again since I was likely going to be busy with the powers testing people all afternoon and while doing that, I also took care of something really important that I probably should have done a while ago. “Moonlight, I think we need to have a talk,” I thought toward the Unicorn I was bonded with.

-What is on your mind, my Maiden?-

“I need to know more about you, Moonlight, and about this Maiden bond too,” I told her, not wanting to put this off any further. “You refuse to show yourself to anyone but me, so I’m still not even sure if you’re not just some figment of my imagination.”

-I assure you, I am real,- Moonlight countered, but she sensed my frustration and relented. -What would you like to know, Lily? I am afraid that most of what I know is instinctual though, or things that I learned through insight, observation, and experimentation while you were in your cocoon.-

“Okay, so first, what exactly is this Maiden bond? What does it mean for both of us?” I asked.

-That is a difficult question,- the Unicorn responded with the equivalent of a mental sigh. -My kind seems to have a natural insight into the nature of magic and magical beings, and that includes ourselves. When you were cocooned, I began to sense certain things about you and myself. I sensed that you were in a deep slumber within the red crystal that encased you and that when you awoke, you would be changed. I sensed that you were truly female inside, that I could make a lifelong bond with but one Maiden in my life, and only a maiden. I sensed that this bond was something sacred, but that your true self and our closeness would make it possible. By the time the Vanguard arrived in search of survivors, I had discovered how to hide myself from mortals, but I did not wish to be separated from you so I forged the bond between us.-

I listened intently as she told me more about the Maiden Bond. Though the bond needed to be made when a girl was young and innocent, once made we were bound for life. In truth, I had no duties to her, other than those I placed upon myself, but Moonlight was bound to watch over me, keep me healthy and happy, and protect me if it was ever needed. Unicorns apparently cherish their Maidens above all else.

The bond allowed us to speak with one another telepathically, of course but also allowed her to sense if I was injured, sick, or in danger even if separated by a great distance. When I had my little teleportation misadventure, Moonlight had gone into a bit of a panic. She had sensed that I was in some sort of danger, but that I was very far away and that there was no way for her to get to me before the danger was over. That was why she had asked me to not leave her like that again.

I sighed at her concern about us being separated like that again. “You know that they’re going to be testing my teleportation ability later, right? I’m not exactly sure what they’ll be asking me to do, but I might have to teleport far away again.”

-I realize that,- she agreed. -However, I sense that you could bring me with you if I am close enough and you focus on our bond.-

That would be useful if she was right. I wanted to focus on learning more about her abilities though. “Okay, so you can turn all ghostly to hide from people, talk with me like this, and sense things about magical people and stuff. You mentioned being a healer too, how do you know? Can all Unicorns do that?”

-I believe that many of my kind can heal like this, but some of us have other abilities instead. It is like your teleportation ability, but less random than the abilities that you humanoid Altered develop. When I touch someone with my horn, I can heal their physical injuries or illness, but it is taxing for me if I use it too often in a short time. I experimented with it while you were still in your cocoon by healing people in this hospital while they were alone and sleeping,- she explained.

“Is there… anything that I need to know about the care and feeding of my Unicorn companion?” I asked awkwardly. “I mean, I assume that you need to eat, drink, and poop like a normal horse. Are you heading off to do all that while I’m sleeping or something?”

Her answer was quick and direct. -When I am ‘all ghostly’ as you said, I can sustain myself with mana. I only require food and water when spending time in my physical form and have the same diet and physical needs as a normal horse.-

I nodded but let out a long sigh as I braced myself for what I needed to ask next. She would be resistant, and I might need to pressure her, something that I wasn’t very keen on doing, given how supportive she had been of me since I Sprouted. “Why won’t you show yourself to anyone but me? I think if you’re truly real, and my sister knew about you, that you could help her.”

I was right, Moonlight didn’t sound happy about the direction the conversation was now taking as she responded, -Lily, I do not trust humans and my presence would only draw more attention to you. I am most useful to you if I can watch and keep you safe from the shadows, and I have already told you that your sister does not have any physical ailment that I can heal.-

“This isn’t just some human!” I snapped. “This is about Kelly! She adored your mother, and we were both there when you were born. We used to feed, brush, and care for you and your mother side by side so it’s not like she’s some stranger. I think you could help her more than you think, just knowing that she and I aren’t the only ones who survived that day might help her to cope with all that’s happened. I’m too small to properly brush you and stuff but she could help and getting back to familiar things like that would be good for her. Please, Moonlight, this can help her, I know it can.”

She was silent for a long moment before replying. Her mental voice was uncertain with almost a pleading tone to it. -Lily… you are my Maiden, there is nothing that I will ever refuse you if it is something that you truly desire and will not harm others. However, I must warn you that once my presence and connection to you are revealed to the people here, it cannot be undone. Are you certain that this is the course you wish to take?-

“Yes,” I told her without a hint of doubt in my mind. “I really think that you can help Kelly. I need us to do this for her. I will deal with whatever happens, and if we can help my sister, even just a little, then it will be worth it. Also, just sayin’, the confirmation that I’m not completely off my rocker would be nice too.”

-Very well, if it is still your wish then I will show myself when we go to this testing of yours. I will not leave you unattended while some strangers poke and prod you like some science experiment.- She did not sound happy about it, but she had agreed.

“Thank you, Moonlight,” I thought to her as I wiped away the tears that were starting to burn my eyes. “I know that you’re only doing this for me, but I appreciate it. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’ve watched over me for years and I’m pretty sure that you helped me to stay sane when I first Sprouted. You didn’t have to bond with me or do any of that, but you chose to, and that means more to me than I can ever tell you.”

-Silly Maiden, you need not be limited to words with me. I can feel the love that you hold for me in your heart. Now, shall we wait to surprise these people at the testing? Or would you like me to reveal my presence to your lady love first? I know that you have been wanting to tell her about me as well, but have kept the secret for my sake.-

“L-l-lady love?” I sputtered aloud in my surprise and embarrassment. Quickly looking around to make sure nobody was close enough to have heard me, I breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re just…”

-You are completely smitten with her, as anyone can see,- the Unicorn teased, causing mixed feelings in me. On one hand, I was glad that she wasn’t resenting my decision to do this and had grudgingly accepted it. On the other hand, she could be such a merciless tease at times, and she had latched right onto my weak spot. I guess I couldn’t really hide the fact that I was totally crushing on Poppy from her of all people, but at least she didn’t seem to be against the idea that I was interested in a relationship with another girl.

I blatantly changed the topic. “Anyway, about your earlier question, why can’t we do both? I really want to see the looks on those eggheads’ faces when you appear out of thin air. Poppy is all alone in the training room right now, so we could probably show her and get her to keep quiet about it for now. It might be a tight fit for you in there, but I think we can make it work.”

-If that is what you wish, my Maiden, then that is what we shall do,- Moonlight agreed. I was still getting feelings of nervousness from our bond, but she seemed set on doing this for me now that it had been decided. I felt a little bad about that, but I knew in my heart that I needed to do this. Maybe showing Poppy first would help to ease some of the Unicorn’s nerves about the whole thing.

It was hard not to rush through the rest of my rehab exercises after that. I was looking forward to seeing the look on Poppy’s face when we did the big reveal, but I took care not to rush and to do each exercise properly and with the full number of repetitions. When I finally finished, I flew over to the training room, where Poppy said she would be working on training her special ability, eager to finally tell her about Moonlight.

Well, that and to see if the other Sprite could actually see her. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure whether Moonlight was something that my imagination had cooked up. It would be nice to know for sure whether I was insane or not.