Project Cyba

by Lord King Cocoon

Chapter 04: Several Lives to Live

Dark Angel had returned to the library. He had finished getting the deed to his new Ponyville home. “So, you're gonna be owning a computer shop?” Twilight asked, “Why does that not surprise me?” Twilight was putting away some books while she was looking at the deed.

“It's about as surprising as you owning a library,” Dark Angel said with a grin, “Why are you acting so disappointed? I would've figured you'd be glad to be rid of me.”

“Well, your snoring maybe,” Twilight countered with a sly grin, “But I do enjoy your company. So knowing that you'll be leaving is disappointing. But I have a question. Who is Cyba gonna stay with?”

“In my opinion, Cyba has every right to choose for himself,” Dark Angel said, “So he can decided for himself who he wants to stay with. And either way, it won't be a big situation. My new place is nearby.”

“Alright class. Today we have a new student,” Cheerilee said out loud to the class, “This here is your new student, Cyba. Cyba, would you like to tell a little about yourself?”

“I am Cyba. An artificial intelligence created by the combined works of Twilight Sparkle and Dark Angel,” Cyba said to the class.

“Great. Now we got more freaks to deal with,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Or perhaps he could make a good friend,” Silver Spoon added.

“He's friends with those blank flanks,” Diamond Tiara said, “What gives you the idea that he'd be our friend?”

“My daddy was friends with one of his creators,” Silver Spoon said, “And since my daddy and his daddy were friends...”

“Then maybe we can be friends too,” Diamond Tiara finished. Then she raised her hoof to ask a question, “You said your da...uh...creator was Dark Angel, right? Well, did you know that Dark Angel and Silver Spoon's daddy used to be friends?”

“Don't believe them, Cyba!” Dax said, “They're just trying to trick you into being their friend!”

“Perhaps that may be their intention. But whether that's their intent or not, Silver Tongue and Filthy Rich were in fact good friends with Dark Angel,” Cyba pointed out.

“Were they really good friends?” Dax asked.

“Affirmative,” Cyba said, “And like with his other friends, Dark Angel enjoyed teasing them. Knowing how Filthy Rich hated being called by his first name, Dark Angel always called him by his first name. And knowing how Silver Tongue used to be mute before somepony fashioned an artificial tongue for...”

“My daddy would never be friends with somepony who always called him 'Filthy',” Diamond Tiara shouted.

“Why don't you ask him yourself?” Cyba asked.

“I will,” Diamond said, “And when I prove that I'm right, then you'll...”

“If you prove me wrong, then I was given the wrong information,” Cyba said.

KNOCK...KNOCK...KNOCK

“Spike, can you get the door?!” Twilight called down.

“Just give me a couple minutes!” Spike replied.

“Don't worry! I'll answer the door!” Ferra called before she answered the door. When she opened the door, Fluttershy was standing there, “Hi, Fluttershy!”

“Oh...uh...hi, Ferra,” Fluttershy stuttered, “I was just wondering if Dark Angel was here.”

“Well, actually he's...”

“He's here now,” a voice said from behind Fluttershy.

Fluttershy spun around to see Dark Angel standing behind her, “Oh h-hi, Angel,” Fluttershy stuttered with a nervous grin, “I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk today.”

“Sure...I guess...” Dark Angel said in a slightly confused state, “Where did you have in mind on taking a walk?”

“How do you feel about taking a walk through the Everfree Forest?” Fluttershy asked.

“That sounds fine with me,” Dark Angel said, “I could also show you the new place I bought here in Ponyville. I bought a tech store.”

“I've been getting the feeling that you're into tech stuff,” Fluttershy said.

“I wonder why you would've gotten an idea like that...” Dark Angel said sarcastically, “It couldn't have been the fact that I was so fascinated with creating a 'mechapony', could it?”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“Yeah. But don't take it personally,” Dark Angel said, “I'm often sarcastic. Just ask Twilight, or my perfect little helper, Ferra. They'll both tell you that I'm rarely serious.”

“So Apple Bloom, why doesn't Applejack want you to be around Cyba?” Scootaloo asked as the Cutie Mark Crusaders left the school with the other children. School had just let out.

“Ah don' know,” Apple Bloom wondered, “She's actin' like Cyba's some sorta machine or some...thing...” Apple Bloom looked toward Cyba.

“But I am a machine,” Cyba said.

“Oh...yeah...right...” Apple Bloom said.

“You may be a machine,” Dax said to Cyba, “But that doesn't mean you're just a machine. There's allot more to you than what meats the eye.”

“Dax, I don't think you're thinking clearly,” Scootaloo said, “I mean, why would you convince yourself that an android is more than just a machine?”

“Scootaloo's got a point,” Sweetie Belle added, “A computer's processor is only as powerful as the ponies who programmed it. And an android is basically just a walking talking computer.”

“So what yer tryin' ta say is that Cyba is only as smart as Twilight and Dark Angel?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Did you three forget that I have the special ability to see these kinds of things?” Dax asked the other girls.

“Dax is partly correct about her assumption about me being more than just a computer,” Cyba added, defending Dax, “For starters, if you take into consideration who programmed me, Twilight and Dark Angel, I'm sure all four of you know how smart they actually are. So that alone should prove how smart I really am. Secondly, Dark Angel added special programming that gives me the ability to learn through experience and observations, and also allows me to choose what I think from those experiences. I of course will make the logical decisions, since that is what anypony would logically choose. And finally...shut up!”

Cyba opened up his eyes in confusion when he realized he just had an outburst, “Cyba, is something wrong?” Dax asked when she noticed Cyba's confused look.

“It's just...my reaction just then wasn't logical,” Cyba said, “How can I claim to make logical decisions when my actions just now were illogical?”

“Well, it looked ta me that you were jus' sticking up fer yer friend!” Apple Bloom said, “You were treating a friend how a friend would treat his friends!”

“She's right,” Sweetie Belle agreed, “You were acting how a colt your age would logically act.”

“But that's my point,” Cyba pointed out, “I wasn't acting like how I was programmed. I wasn't acting...like a machine. And I think I experienced something that I can't possibly experience. I think I...felt.”

“Maybe we should talk to Dark Angel and Twilight about this,” Dax suggested, “Maybe there was something about how they programmed you that allows you to experience simulated emotions.”

“I suppose...it could be possible,” Cyba said, “But if I had that kind of programming, why wouldn't I be aware of it?”

“Well, when they're working together, Twilight and Dark Angel do tend to have more playful and childish personalities,” Dax said with an innocent foal-like grin, “Maybe this is just their way of playing a practical joke on you.”

“Unlikely,” Cyba said, “The intent of a joke is normally for humor and good fun. Since I am unable to have 'fun', nor do I have a sense of humor, I would be unable to appreciate this joke being played on me. And if the intent were to annoy me, I wouldn't...” Cyba paused for a moment when he saw the look in Dax's eyes. He then realized that he was talking like a computer again, and Dax wanted to help him sound like a normal pony, “...What I mean is, Twilight and Dark Angel should know better.” Cyba looked back toward Dax and saw the proud smile on her face, telling him that he did well.

Scootaloo glanced at Cyba with a look of curiosity, “Why did you talk differently when Dax looked at you like that?” the young pegasus asked.

“Daxelia has made it her own responsibility to assist me in sounding like a normal pony and less like a computer,” the mechapony said.

Scootaloo then started giggling at Cyba's explanation, “Well, you're gonna need some more help on that!” Scootaloo laughed.

“Stop making fun of how Cyba talks,” Dax said to Scootaloo.

“Normally I'd just say that Cyba doesn't care what others say about him, since he's just an artificial intelligence and all,” Sweetie Belle said, “But in all fairness, that was mean. Even if Cyba doesn't even realize he's being teased.”

New Data...Scanning
Subject: Sweetie Belle...
Analisis: Subject appears to be disregarding my feelings since I have no feelings to be hurt.

“I believe pointing out that I don't have feelings to be hurt is counterproductive of what your original intent is,” Cyba pointed out.

“Oh...I'm sorry, Cyba,” Sweetie Belle said with her head hung low in shame, “I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?”

New Data...Scanning
Additional Analisis: Subject may be unaware that what she had said may have caused hurt feelings.

“Well, since I have no feelings to be hurt to begin with, no harm was caused,” Cyba pointed out.

“Oh...yeah...right...” Sweetie Belle laughed nervously.

“But still, even if Cyba doesn't feel hurt, it was still mean what Scootaloo said,” Dax still insisted on pointing out.

“Perhaps. But it was unintended to be mean,” Cyba said.

“I'm surprised you're so comfortable with taking a walk through the Everfree Forest,” Dark Angel said as he and Fluttershy walked through the dark forest, “Even brave ponies can have trouble building up the courage to enter the Everfree Forest. And according to your friends, you're not really known for being that brave...uh...no offense to you of course.”

“No offense taken,” Fluttershy said, “I know it's true.”

“Whether it's true or not is beyond the point,” Dark Angel said, “Don't you feel hurt that your friends think of you as a coward?”

“Well, maybe a little,” Fluttershy said before giving Dark Angel an innocent grin, “But I'm glad that my friends can be so honest about what they think about me!”

“I do like how you think so highly of your friends,” Dark Angel said, “But don't you feel at least a little disappointed that they don't think as highly of you?”

“You know, you're starting to sound like Discord when he was trying to mess with my head,” Fluttershy said bluntly.

“And if I'm not mistaken, he failed,” Dark Angel added, “He gave up just trying to mess with your head and just used his magic.”

“How did you know about that?” Fluttershy asked.

“I...uh...I have my sources,” Dark Angel stuttered, “But having that strong of a will is something to be proud of. But the reason I'm asking if you felt hurt is because having some negative feelings is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I'd be more concerned if you didn't feel at least a little hurt. When somepony holds in their negative emotions, they tend to build up until they just explode. Like when Pinkie Pie went temporarily insane when she thought you and the rest of her friends weren't her friends anymore. Or when those animals weren't  being your friends at the gala, that frustration combined with pent up frustration from the past caused you to lose it and you just became aggressive.”

When Dark Angel looked back toward Fluttershy, he saw her shocked expression about how he knew as much as he knew, “How did...”

“Like I said, I have my sources,” Dark Angel said, this time without stuttering and fully serious, “I have my own secrets about myself that I can't reveal. But I promise that the reasons I have to keep my secrets secret is a legitimate reason.”

“But why can't you tell me your secret?” Fluttershy asked.

“I have to be very careful about who I trust with my secret,” Dark Angel said, “Imagine if someone were to reveal that Pinkie Pie had an eating problem? Nopony would think anything of it...especially since it's Pinkie Pie and all. Now imagine if that very same news was revealed about princess Celestia? It would ruin her reputation. I don't know if that was the best example I could've used. But I have to be sure whoever I reveal my secret to is somepony I know I can trust with my secret.”

“So what you're saying is that you don't trust me enough to tell me your secret?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Yes...I mean, no...I mean... What I'm trying to say is that it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that my secret requires an extreme amount of trust that I would trust very few with,” Dark Angel explained.

“Is your secret really that big?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes. Well, it is to me anyway. Consider this the level of trust required to keep an average secret,” Dark Angel said as he held up a hoof at about eye level, “The level of trust I would require somepony to have to keep my secret is...” Dark Angel held his hoof higher before flying into the air, stopping at about twenty-five feet and calling back down, “...WAY UP HERE!”

“That really is allot of trust,” Fluttershy said as Dark Angel came back down.

“Other than me, there are only two other ponies who know what my secret is. And they only know because they witnessed the happened. And believe me when I say they wish they hadn't.”

“Who?”

“Let's just say that they're allot older than you are,” Dark Angel said with a grin.

“Is one of them Granny Smith?”

Dark Angel looked at Fluttershy and couldn't help but smile at her foal-like innocence. The first pony to come to mind when he saw her was Apple Bloom...although that may have been because of the mention of Granny Smith, “Older,” Dark Angel said.

Fluttershy thought for a moment to try to think who could be older than Granny Smith. Granny Smith was one of the oldest ponies in Equestria. The only ponies she could think of who were older were...

“You don't mean the princesses, do you?!” Fluttershy asked in surprise.

Dark Angel gave Fluttershy a look that told her “I won't tell you out loud if you're right or not. But yes, you're right.”

“Angel, how old are you really?” Fluttershy asked.

“That's hard to answer truthfully,” Dark Angel said, “And the answer...or rather answers...has to do with my secret.”

“'Answers?” Fluttershy repeated in confusion, “As in plural?”

“Yes,” Dark Angel said before sighing, “I might as well tell you the secret. Considering what you already know so far, it's at an unavoidable point. I was most likely gonna tell you eventually anyway. So really, I would've just been postponing what I was gonna do eventually anyway. The reason I said 'answers' in plural is because it's true. There is no one single answer. By definition, I am twenty-six, four years older than Twilight. Well technically, I'm four years, two months, two weeks, five days...no, four days, thirteen hours, four minutes...”

“Could you imagine Rainbow Dash's reaction to listening to that speech?” Fluttershy interrupted.

“You should be proud of yourself,” Dark Angel commented, “Nopony has ever made it that far into one of my ramblings without attempting to stop me. I think you belong in the Guinness Book of Equestrian Records.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy said in both surprise and shame, “I'm sorry! I didn't mean...”

“Don't be sorry,” Dark Angel interrupted, smiling at Fluttershy, “If you hadn't stopped me, I would've gone down to the very millisecond. As I was saying before, I am twenty-six. However, my memories exceed those twenty-six years. I remember events that happened to me in past lives just as easily as I remember events that happened just three months ago. I remember all of my past lives because...they were all technically the same life.”

“So...you never actually died?” Fluttershy asked confused.

“Not exactly. My physical body has died, and then I've been born into a new body later,” Dark Angel corrected, “However, my conscious mind stayed alive even after my body died. So in a way, I am...well...semi-immortal.”

Fluttershy was hanging on every word Dark Angel was saying. She was both amazed at the idea, and a little confused. There was a part of her that didn't know what to think, “So, how far back to your memories go?” Fluttershy asked.

“Let's just say that I knew the princesses even before they had their cutie marks,” Dark Angel said.

THUMP

Dark Angel looked down to see that Fluttershy had fallen over. Fluttershy shakily got back to her hooves, “I'm sorry. I guess I just got a little light headed,” Fluttershy said.

“If it makes you feel any better, you're not the first one to have that kind of reaction,” Dark Angel said, “I believe you're the...thirty-eighth. Although my memory may not be what it used to. It's been over thirteen hundred years after all.”

“You're over thirteen hundred years old?!”

“Well, that's just when I started my...uh...body jumping?” Dark Angel questioned, “I can't believe it's been this long and I've never once actually thought about what to call it.”

“How about...extended memories,” Fluttershy suggested, “Since you're consciousness 'extends' after death. So it's fitting, right?”

“Yeah, it is fitting,” Dark Angel agreed, “I'm sure in another hundred years or so, I'll think up of something else. But 'extended memories' will do for now. But how about we take a break for now. I know for a fact that you falling over like that may not just be a single event.”

“No...it's alright. I'll be fine,” Fluttershy insisted.

“Don't say I didn't warn you,” Dark Angel said, “Did you know that I knew your mother when she went to school?”

“You went to school with my mom?!” Fluttershy gasped.

“I was your mom's teacher.”

THUMP

“I told ya,” Dark Angel said as he sat down next to Fluttershy so she wouldn't have to get back up, “And Barricade was a real pain in the flank. She always took pride in her strength. But her pride usually got the better of her. You'd be surprised how often I gave her detention for her trouble making.”

“No I wouldn't,” Fluttershy said bluntly.

“But ever since I got my cutie mark over thirteen hundred years ago, my special talent was, for lack of a better term, a guardian angel. And that allowed me to see when there was trouble in somepony's life. On the outside, she seemed like any other trouble maker. But I could see that she was going through pain and suffering.”

“Pain and suffering?!” Fluttershy repeated, “Why wouldn't she tell me that she was in pain?!”

“Because not even she knew it,” Dark Angel said, “Her pain was pent up inside so that she could hide it from others' eyes. She did this because she didn't want to be seen as weak. But she hid her pain so much that she was no longer aware of it. Instead, it came out in the form of aggression. Have you ever known your grandparents?”

“No. Mom said that they died in an accident,” Fluttershy said. But something in her heart made her question what her mother told her, “That isn't what really happened, was it?”

There was a tear in Dark Angel's eye as he began to speak, “I think it's better that you talk to your mother about that. That would be going into another story anyway,” Dark Angel said, “But as I was saying about Barricade, she was in pain. I wasn't sure why it was. But I was able to see that it was family issues. It wasn't until one day when she came into class with a black eye when I knew what was wrong. Her father...your grandfather was abusive. And he often hit her mother. And the black eye was a sign that he even beat on Barricade as well. I'll never forget that day. You're mother used to be so prideful and basically radiated power, not even letting me overpower her. But that day, she was so withdrawn and shy.”

“My mom?!” Fluttershy questioned astonished, “Are you sure we're talking about the same pony?”

“Well, if you knew what your grandfather was really like...” Dark Angel said, cutting off as he thought of how to continue, “Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't break down long before then. I decided to keep her after school that day, but not because she was in trouble. This time, I wanted to ask her what happened. She resisted at first. But I was expecting that. But her resistance wasn't because of her prideful personality. Her resistance was what you would expect from anypony who has troubles at home. But after some time, she began to explain what happened.

“She explained how she's often seen her father beating on her mother,” Dark Angel continued, “This witnessing of her father beating her mother was where her trouble making stemmed from. But that day, she finally came to the realization that what her father was doing wasn't right. So she chose to stand up to him, using a certain stare that I'm sure you're very familiar with.”

“My mom told me that 'the stare' is a trait that was passed down the family line,” Fluttershy added in.

“Not only is it a family trait, it's a royal family trait,” Dark Angel pointed out, “You and prince Blueblood share a common ancestry about three hundred fifty years ago.”

THUMP

“Well...at least you were laying down that time,” Dark Angel said as he helped lift Fluttershy's head back up, causing her to blush.

“Oh...uh...thanks...” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Any time,” Dark Angel said, “Anyway, since Barricade has never used 'the stare' before, she didn't realize what she was doing. And unfortunately for her, she got that trait from her father. So before her stare could take any active affect, her father countered with his own stare. And since he was so experienced with it, and since Barricade was still only a filly at the time, he easily overpowered her.

“You're mother was lucky she got nothing more than a black eye. Her father didn't hit her. He threw her across the room and through a thankfully open window,” As Dark Angel continued the story, Fluttershy covered her muzzle with her hooves as she gasped in shock, “Your grandmother never stood up to her husband for many reasons, the main reason being the submissive power of 'the stare'. But seeing what he had just done to her daughter infuriated her and she finally stood up to him.

“Barricade didn't know all the details since she was still recovering from the attack,” Dark Angel continued, “But when she got back up and looked through the window...”

“What is it?!” Fluttershy asked, not exactly sure if she wanted to know, “What did my mommy see?!”

Hearing Fluttershy say 'mommy' made Dark Angel realize that she was beginning to regress into a more foal-like mindset. And that kind of mindset wouldn't be able to handle what her mother witnessed, “I'd suggest that maybe you should ask your mother about that too,” Dark Angel suggested, “But I'm not sure if she'd be willing to relive those events. But after she saw what she saw, she ran to the Everfree Forest to find her friend. I believe you've met her too. Zecora.”

“My mom was friends with Zecora?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, she was. It was a strange friendship though. Your mother bullied everypony. But Zecora, the pon...er...zebra who was bullied by everypony, was the only po...zebra that your mother didn't bully. Instead, she protected her from other bullies,” Dark Angel explained, “But anyways, she ran to Zecora's home where she spent the night that night. In fact, Zecora is the only one other than me...well...the previous me...”

“Stop trying to correct yourself and just say 'me' when you're talking about your past self,” Fluttershy insisted uncharacteristically, “It's much simpler.”

“O...Okay,” Dark Angel said a little nervously, “While Barricade was telling her story to me, there was another pony who was secretly listening in on us. He thought we didn't know he was there. But I knew. But I didn't bring him out of hiding because he was in fact somepony I knew would be supportive of your mother. He was a shy pegasus colt who had a crush on your mother ever since he first saw her. But he was too shy to actually introduce himself to her.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened at the mention of this shy pegasus colt, “Dad?!”

“If personality is anything to go by, I'll assume that's a yes. I technically died before you were born,” Dark Angel continued, “I actually offered for Barricade to stay with me for a little while until FPS could do something about her father. But because of what happened, she didn't feel comfortable with any colts or stallions who could overpower her. So plan B was that she stayed with Zecora. The problem was that Vex and Xera, Zecora's parents, didn't approve of ponies who weren't zebras or at least had some ancestry of zebras. I talked with Vex and Xera and explained to them...that Barricade was orphaned when her parents were in an accident.”

“You made that story?” Fluttershy asked.

“I completely forgot about that,” Dark Angel said, “In a matter of speaking, your mother didn't lie to you about that story...I did.”

Dark Angel was caught off guard when Fluttershy suddenly hugged him, “Don't blame yourself,” Fluttershy said in a comforting tone before becoming a little more playful, “You're memory isn't what it used to be in your old age.”

“Well in my defense, I was old when I made that excuse,” Dark Angel said, both sarcastically and truthfully, “But in seriousness, Vex and Xera didn't exactly approve. But they agreed to temporarily take care of Barricade. For another week after the event, Barricade continued to act uncharacteristically shy. But what got my attention was that your father, Angel was becoming more and more confident with himself. He was pushing his shyness to the side to do what he needed to help Barricade. And since Angel was general a small and week pegasus...no offense to him...Barricade knew that he could never overpower her, so she wasn't nervous around him. As time went on, Barricade and Angel grew closer.

“One day Angel was walking to the bathroom when he was stopped by some bullies,” Dark Angel continued, “Zecora saw this and was about to try and distract them. But all she did was get herself caught. I don't know the details, so you may have to ask...”

“Mom skipped class that day. She happened to see the bullies about to bully dad and a zebra...Zecora,” Fluttershy said, continuing the story as she heard it from her parents, “Something clicked in mom's head. She's always protected Zecora from bullies. But it wasn't Zecora she had her focus on. It was dad. Well, it was both of them really. It was seeing them being bullied that angered mom.”

“I believe that anger came from being reminded of her father abusing her mother,” Dark Angel added.

“Probably,” Fluttershy continued, “Her general urge to bully was...transformed into an urge to protect. She got in front of the bullies to stop them. The bullies being bullies were about to attack mom. But mom being the powerful pony that she was, allowed her to overpower the bullies. But her brute strength alone wasn't enough. She remembered recently learning how to use 'the stare'.”

“Against her father,” Dark Angel added in.

“And so she used it,” Fluttershy continued, “At the time, it was still imperfect. But it was affective enough to make the bullies submit. After she stopped the bullies, she realized that it felt good to protect. Allot better than it felt to be a bully herself. Protecting others just felt right to her...it felt natural.”

“And if I'm not mistaken...which knowing my memory, I could be,” Dark Angel said sarcastically, “That was when your mother got her cutie mark. I remember that change in her. She went from being a bully to being a guardian. In fact, her special talent wasn't that far off from my own...a 'guardian angel'. And her cutie mark was a good representation of that talent. Of course our talents have their differences too. You're mother being a guardian angel is more on the side of symbolic, whereas me being a guardian angel is more in a literal sense. I also remember Angel going back to his usual shy self after that day. But he was allot closer to Barricade. I was proud of them both. It was actually about a month after that incident that I died of a heart attack.”

“Oh no! Are you okay?!” Fluttershy said as she began checking Dark Angel over.

“I'm fine. That was last life,” Dark Angel said, “Besides, I lived a long full life. In fact, the heart attack was self induced. I wasn't afraid of death because...well...I'm here now, alive and well!”

“My mom told me about when one of her teachers died,” Fluttershy said, “She was really upset when it happened. Mom thought of her teacher as a second father to her.”

Hearing this, Dark Angel began to lose his cool. He then broke down crying. Fluttershy pulled him into another hug, “It's okay, Angel,” Fluttershy said soothingly, “I'm here for you.”

“You do realize that your pet name for me is your dad's name, right?” Dark Angel sniffled.

“I can live with that,” Fluttershy said, “That is just a pet name after all. I did however name my bunny after my dad. Angel Bunny.”

“Are you sure you shouldn't have named him Barricade?” Dark Angel giggled, “He's got an attitude more like your mother than your father.”

“Well when he was first born, he was so shy...like dad,” Fluttershy said, “Besides, I don't think Angel Bunny would approve of being named after a mare...although, Angel has never met my mom before.”

“I think Angel Bunny and your mother would get along really well,” Dark Angel joked.

“How about we go back home,” Fluttershy suggested, “When I get the chance, I will go to see my mom and talk to her about what happened...on one condition.”

“And that condition is?” Dark Angel asked.

“If you come with me,” Fluttershy said, “My mom would love to know that I found somepony to be with. She had always hoped that I would make her a grandmother.”

“Okay, I'll...wait, WHAT?!”