Endless rays of colour streamed across the glittering path, bathing Ishtar in a dancing cloak of rainbow sunlight.

He flapped his lips contentedly, basking in the warm glow. Further to the north, the sky swirled across the Infinity Veil. He bounced daintily from hoof to hoof:

Forward, back, forward, forward, back, a little shimmy to the siiiiide… Oh yeah, now that’s a prance, baby! What a glorious day. What. A. Day! He let out a whinny of delight as the Rune of Venus on his rump radiated tranquillity through his muscles from beneath the bronze armour plating, which itself had the same rune – though larger – etched into its surface. He tossed his head back, revelling in the cool breeze that flowed down Hue Master’s Pass and fluttered at the edges of the pink mane poking out the sides of his neck shield.

Ishtar considered what to do next… than pranced a bit more, flicking his equally pink tail back and forth in unadulterated pleasure.

“Well aren’t you a pretty unicorn?”

At this sudden intrusion, Ishtar leaped about two metres straight up into the air and then landed, rose-tinted hooves scrabbling across the slick path.

The girl snickered behind her hand.

Ishtar took a moment to recover his frayed nerves, then puffed up his chest and drew himself up to his full height.

“Now listen here baby, I’m a pony, see? A POH-NEEEEE. A Dream Pony as a matter of fact. What you see here is what we call ‘Legendary Armour’. Horn comes with the package. You know… for fighting and such? Now, as to your first point… the part about being pretty… well, yes actually, I reckon that’s true. And how do you explain that purple monstrosity you’re wearing?”

The girl grinned. “Oh I like you! You’re feisty. My name’s ₿ݼշիԳ϶ꝧꜳ…”

Ishtar snorted in amusement. “₿ݼշիԳ϶ꝧꜳ? Hoo-wee… I bet the humans struggle with that one!

“That’s the Rune of Venus.”

“Yes, I know it’s the Rune of Venus, it’s on my ass isn’t it? One Love, baby.”

“You can just call me Bathsheba, pretty pony. Want to join Haze and me? We’re questing. You might make it mildly interesting.”

“Ooooooh ‘questing’ are we? How very grown up. The name, little girl, is not pretty unicorn, or pretty pony. I am Ishtar the Rapturous, Dream Pony, Lord of the Prance, weapons grade: Unicorn!”

Ishtar raised his face to the sky at the perfect angle for the sunlight to reflect off his horn in an awe-inspiring way, and glanced at Bathsheba out of the corner of his eye to see if any awe was being inspired. It was not. Ishtar grew suspicious. He was good at inspiring awe in humans. In fact, it was kind of his thing. He cast his mind inward, dipping into the flow of his Rune of Venus, sifting through the threads of magical feedback. His eyes widened. “Now wait just one hoof-dropping minute there, sister!” He looked her up and down with a newfound respect. “Oh man, get a load of you and your impressive disguise! Nice skinbag you’ve got there, did you make it yourself, or did the Psychic Leap just gift it to ya?”

Bathsheba clapped her hands together. “Ha! Finally!”

She turned to Haze. “Not a single wizard. Not one. In fourteen years! But old clippy-clop here saw it straight away!”

She smiled at Ishtar and wagged a finger at him. “Now that’s a pretty useful skill, pony. You’re quite special, aren’t you?”

Ishtar tried not to, but he couldn’t help basking in the praise. It was tough being an impressive Dream Pony when there was never anyone around to impress. Human brains, even magical ones, were just not cut out to absorb the full… impressiveness of any Dream Creature.

He studiously ignored the question with feigned disinterest, instead turning his head to the side and bending down to inspect the girl’s companion.

“Well, well, well, and look at you! A fine shard of the celestial consciousness indeed. And might I add that you make quite the dashing little vixen!” Ishtar winked at Haze, who bashfully flicked her bushy tail over her nose and blinked slowly at him.

Ishtar turned back to Bathsheba, sucking his teeth thoughtfully.

“Say, you got any sugar cubes, Sheba? All the magic in the Runiverse don’t beat a good sugar cube!”

She leaned in close, placing a hand on his neck, and whispered, “What if I was to tell you, Ishtar my prancing friend, that I know a place where we can get all the sugar cubes you ever dreamed of?”

“I’m listening…” he whispered back breathlessly.

“We’ll need to get in touch with my friend, Rainbow Cakes. You’ll like him, he’s got your affinity for bright colours and sparkles. We just have one stop to make first – The Infinity Veil.”

She set off over the Pass. “So, are you coming or what?”

Story Arc Index:

Prologue: Wizard #3914

Part 1: Pony #77

Part 2: Wizard #2877

Part 3: Wizard #1175

Part 4: Wizard #3901

Part 5: Wizard #4841

Part 6: Wizard #2885

Part 7: Wizard #3917

Part 8: Wizard #6084

Entered by: 0x24D7…e52b and preserved on chain (see transaction)