Title: Boundless (7) Author: BoundlessAnon Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/AxT427rr First Edit: Friday 27th of January 2017 08:18:04 PM CDT Last Edit: Last edit on: Friday 27th of January 2017 08:43:43 PM CDT You stop, suddenly indecisive, with a gnawing suspicion that you might have crossed a line. You came here to heal this mare - and as stunning as she may be you do have a duty of care. It's not like you took the Hippocampus Oath or anything, but still. More than that - while Auriga's protectiveness might have been full of bluster, she did make a good point. Boundless is vulnerable. She's so desperate for intimate attention that it's hard not to feel like you might be taking advantage.   Tenderly, you smooth out her fur and lift your hooves from the surface of her tummy. She makes a little noise of confusion, and eyes you questioningly as you make your way back around to her side. You explain, as gently as you can, that you don't want to take things too far. Certainly not this quickly. Besides - if her sisters caught you (not unlikely, given Auriga's habit of teleporting everywhere)...   Boundless mulls things over for a few seconds, then slowly nods. "I understand, hon." There's disappointment in her voice, but she gives you a little pat on the head and motions for you to sit. "Maybe I got a little carried away. It's all just so exciting." She sighs wistfully. "I suppose that means you'll be leaving soon."   With a shrug, you remind her that you did say you'd be sticking around for a little while. At least until the bandage is off her leg and she can walk comfortably again. She ruffles your mane with a giggle, cradling the mass of her midriff between her wings. "I won't be walking comfortably for at least a month, hon. Not with these two in the way." She purses her lips. "Does this mean you can stay the night, at least?"   Time alone with a beautiful mare, in a hidden sanctuary full of pillows and mattresses? You can easily think of worse ways to spend your time.   The evening passes uneventfully. Boundless gets up and paces a little to stretch her legs, but it isn't long before she settles back down and the pair of you start to talk. Apparently she gathered all the soft cushions and padding for her room herself. Having discovered a knack for working with fabric several months back, she began collecting every last scrap that she could find, with an eye towards putting together protective clothing for herself and her sisters to use. It eventually transpires that the bulk of her current outfit, needing to be sized up from the standard fare, actually began life as a pair of hotel curtains. As her pregnancy advanced, making a place to rest her growing body was as simple as piling up all the write-offs and least workable materials in a heap. More at ease now, she sounds happily proud of herself.   As the light outside begins to wane, the alicorn invites you to sleep with her. It's not suggestive or crude - rather, resting on her front, she simply lifts her wing and suggests you get comfortable. As you lay down at her side, cushioned by her heap of tailoring supplies, the feathered limb curls over your shoulders and draws you closer. Nestled snugly between the warm feathers on one side, and the warmer, softer body on the other, you're lulled to sleep in a matter of minutes. The last thing you remember before dropping off completely is a motherly heartbeat, strong and steady against your cheek.   ---   You awaken abruptly the next morning, from the best night's sleep you've had in a while. You might have been out cold for a few more hours, if not for Boundless shaking you. Your eyes creep open and you mumble something about wanting your favorite green blanket back.   "Please wake up, hon. I'm so sorry, but I need your help."   You rub your eyes, sitting up and trying to blink the drowsiness away. Boundless looms just in front of you, biting her lip with a grimace of worry. She taps a forehoof restlessly against the floor. "It's Auri. She didn't check back in last night, and she hasn't been in at all this morning. She always checks in every morning! Corona too!" You're not sure you understand, but you get up and dust yourself off. Boundless paces in a small circle, constrained by the limited size of the room. "W-we have to go and look for them! What if they're hurt?"   You bite back a yawn and try to help her calm down. After all the stories you've heard about alicorns being killer mutants that can kill a pony with a thought, surely her sisters can take care of themselves? Perhaps they got waylaid for a few hours. Boundless shakes her head. "They're in the building. I know it - when I try to call out to them I can feel them nearby but I just can't figure out where. It's so frustrating!" She stomps her forehooves and puts a crack in the concrete.   Yeah, she's going to have to explain that one. Boundless sighs, rubbing her forehead with a wingtip. "My sisters and I each have our own spell. A gift from our Goddess. Mine is telepathy - I can reach out and touch the minds of other ponies. I can talk to them and they can talk to me." You nod. Not being a hornhead yourself you wouldn't know from experience, but you've heard that teleportation is supposed to be extremely hard, so that's probably Auriga's special spell. Who knows what Corona can do. But if Boundless can just talk to her sisters with magic, why all the fuss? "The same reason I don't regenerate," she explains. "All our abilities - the healing, the flight, the magic - they're all powered by radiation."   You put two and two together. Boundless' foals need radiation just like she does. Her womb is one great big power sink, sapping the rads from the rest of her body. You say as much. "Yes! Exactly. I can't cast my telepathy spell - I tried, but it's so weak, I only touched them for a moment. Trying to cast it properly, it..." She sniffs, glancing back over her shoulder, "...it hurts."   Okay then. So Boundless' magic is a no-go. You pat her shoulder reassuringly and begin to gather your things. The two of you have some lost alicorns to find.