Chapter Four - Relax
The jungle seethed with life, almost literally boiled. Bugs, reptiles, and every manner of bird and mammal; from tiny beetles all the way up to the fiercer jungle predators fought and sought, bled and bred. It was almost sensory overload, and it did bizarre things to ancient instincts in the equine brain. Reading about it and actually experiencing it was almost incomparable. Distraction was almost inevitable, and all too often dangerous.
Twilight had learned, in a not inconsiderable amount of pain and blood over the last several weeks, to keep her ears and eyes on a swivel. Even her often under-appreciated sense of smell got a workout. She watched the human run his fingers along the mossy green base of one of the timbers in the palisade wall, inspecting it for cracks and splits, checking its seating, and how closely it was wedged against its neighbors. She was often amazed at how sensitive the tactile sense of his fingers was.
Hooves just didn't have the sensitivity for this kind of work.
"Hey Sparks, give this one a hard shove down from the top, if you please."
She nodded, seeing exactly what was needed, and firmly pressed the top of the timber with terrific telekinetic force. It shifted slightly, coming in line with its fellows.
Marshall attempted to wiggle the timber, grunted approval when he couldn't, and sat back on his heels, removing his hat and wiping his forehead with his forearm.
Such was their routine. Life was an unending trial of finding where the next meal was coming from, of staying one step ahead of predators, of fighting the mind numbing monotony of day to day survival. At this point, being honest with herself, she realized that she wouldn't have lasted a week on this island by herself. Oh, she was smart, and she was no foal, but he'd saved her hide a half dozen times over just by pointing out trouble spots and telltale signs of danger that he'd had to learn from bitter experience.
"You know," she said musingly. "I've been thinking about this island... we really have no way of knowing if we're even in the same universe. I mean, both of us are experiencing differences in our physical model that would seem to suggest that they aren't entirely compatible."
These kinds of conversations were common between them, and truthfully, she cherished them. He called them bullshitting, and while she vehemently disagreed with the terminology, she did rather like how they passed the time. Marshall was a born debater, and a love of science fiction and an engineering degree gave him a pretty large basis to argue from.
"Just because I've never observed magic doesn't mean it wasn't possible on earth." He said, not unkindly. "In fact, there is circumstantial evidence which suggests that if it doesn't exist now, it might have at one time. You know, myths and legends and crap."
He removed a canteen from his belt, poured a little on his head, took a swig, then tossed it unthinkingly at her without looking. She caught it easily with her magic and did the same, letting out a little shiver of pleasure as the lukewarm water ran through her mane. She "hydrated", as he called it, and mused about how several weeks ago it would have never occurred to her to be worried about the color of her urine.
She slipped the canteen's belt clip onto the tough leather (Real animal hide. Oddly, it didn't bother her as much as it used to.) strap of the saddlebags she'd put together from some of the canvas he'd had around and let out a disgusted breath at the muggy heat of the day. Marshall had once jokingly called surviving in the jungle, "living in a fat man's armpit", and despite her disgust, she couldn't exactly disagree with him.
She didn't even want to imagine what she looked like, at this point. She'd never been a terribly vain pony by any standard of the word, but Rarity would probably have fainted dead away if she'd gotten a look at her friend at this point.
Imagining this brought a small wistful smile to her muzzle. She shook it off.
"Point taken, but really, we can't make any assumptions about our current situation... I mean, we could literally be anywhere."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully, winced, pulled something small from his beard and pinched it until it cracked. That was another thing. The jungle wasn't happy unless it was all up in your personal space. Insects, parasites, flying and otherwise, even fungus, were a real problem they had to watch out for on a constant basis. Whatever limited body modesty and personal space she'd had regarding the human and he vice versa, had gone away very quickly, indeed.
Right around the first time she developed an itchy rash high on her back between her shoulders and he'd picked away the tick or whatever it had been she couldn't reach, then given her a good scratch.
Ohhhh Celestia that was heavenly. Fingers were the best.
"Well... we can make a couple of assumptions, Sparks. I'm an engineer, not a scientist mind you, and it is more a philosophical consideration than a scientific one, but have you ever heard of the Anthropic Principle?"
She frowned, then brightened. This sounded good. "No... go on."
He grinned wryly at her enthusiasm and returned to his inspection, thinking over his words carefully.
"Ok, so the universe could literally have an infinite number of possible configurations of physical laws, right? Like, carbon could have been extremely rare, or the relation between strong nuclear forces and weak nuclear forces could have been switched. You follow me?"
She nodded. "Infinite combinations of possible outcomes... but only a very narrow band of those outcomes support our particular form of life..." She mused over this, thinking she might know where he was going with this, but wanting to hear him elucidate it rather than jumping to conclusions.
He grinned and pointed a finger at her. "Exactly, so the band of carbon-based life producing outcomes of universe configuration are pretty damn slim... the chances are astronomical, but the Anthropic Principle says, wait a minute... we're here to OBSERVE it, right? So no matter how vanishingly slim the possibility that conditions could be right for life to exist, it MUST have happened, because we're even here to consider how vanishingly small the possibility is."
She nodded, a gleam in her eye. "Riiight... I think I see where you're going with this, but go on."
"Now from what you've told me, magic is a vital part of this complete breakfast, right?" He gestured at her expansively.
"You NEED it to live, like, not need it like you NEED a bath, or you NEED a book, but straight up will wither and die if you don't have it, right?"
She shuddered at the possibility of a universe in which magic COULDN'T exist, but nodded seriously. "All ponies have an innate connection to magic, and the dependency for unicorns is even stronger than some."
He nodded. "So you've been with me for weeks, and you seem fine. Since you're still kickin', Anthropic Principle says that magic must exist here, and must function about like you'd expect it to, otherwise no more Twilight Sparkle, comprende?"
She frowned. "Basically sound, but I think it would be foalish to rely on just that... it takes an awful lot for granted. Having never observed a situation in which magic does not exist, I can't begin to extrapolate how tolerant it is to conditions which may be outside its characteristics."
He nodded. "Fair enough, trust the universe, but verify. I dig it."
They regarded the wall in companionable silence for a moment, then Marshall groaned, popped the vertebrae in his back in a rather grotesque maneuver, then stood.
He considered her evenly for a moment, then grinned. "So... three weeks in jungle hell and still kickin'. Not bad, Sparks me lass. Not bad a'tall."
She grinned back at him. "Well, I did have some advantages I could name. Still, I must not be doing TOO bad, I'm still winning."
Marshall scowled. "Five to four... a narrow margin at best. Things can change in a heartbeat." His expression eased.
"With your help, we're actually a bit ahead of the game, for once, so I put it to you... what would you say to the rest of the day devoted to some rest and relaxation."
She beamed. "Oh I was hoping you'd say something like that, Marshall. I've been wanting to get through that training manual, Battlefield Expedient Medicine, it looks absolutely fascinating-"
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, whoa there... too much excitement, Sparks. You gotta take these things slow. Still, I might actually have a better idea."
She cocked an ear at him curiously. After several weeks of interaction she found that she no longer had to translate Equestrian body language, he picked up that she was urging him to continue.
"Well, I tend to save what limited supplies I have for special occasions but..." He leaned in close, looked suspiciously left and right, then whispered something in her ear.
Both ears stood up straight and her eyes widened. She actually took a step back, to take in his face. Her gaze shining, she looked at him in wonder. Then her expression flickered between doubt and suspicion. This sounded a little too good to be true. Surely after five years... "Do you mean it? You'd better not be teasing me, human... after three weeks, I take this sort of thing VERY seriously."
He solemnly crossed his heart and nodded gravely. "Pinkie Promise."
She'd told him how seriously she and her friends took those words. In the intense, "A Game of Trolls" (you win or u mad?) the two of them had going, it had become something of a safeword. She shuddered slightly, her eyes closing, then she literally bounced with excitement. "Oh Marshall, you've made me so happy, I... I don't know what to say."
Marshall smiled softly and shook his head in amusement. "You don't have to say anything, Sparks. I already know. Come on, I'll go get the stuff. Let's go get clean, for once."
She looked off into the middle distance, her eyes still shining. "Clean... with real soap. Real shampoo... it's like a dream."
"This is an absolutely amazing rock formation, Marshall." Twilight said, after staring for several long moments. "Also, I'm not sure mind you, but I think geologically impossible... at the very least unlikely."
"Shhh... Twilight... you're ruining the moment."
"Sorry, Marshall."
The two of them went back to surveying the vista before them. Several stepped rocky shelves with waterfalls spilling off of them collected into a natural basin, which then eventually became the stream that Twilight had washed off in on her first day on the island. The result was a sort of a natural thirty foot swimming pool, about six feet deep at the deepest point, crystal clear, and admittedly a little cold.
Still, for their purposes it was pretty much perfect, if a little suspect.
Frankly, it could have had a big neon sign over it saying, "Attention Twilight Sparkle, this is NOT a trap" and she might have still considered it.
Survival situations played merry hell with your priorities.
Marshall set down the bag of various toiletry odds and ends, and intently surveyed the scene as he removed the rifle from his back. Even now he was alert for any sort of danger, and Twilight scanned the jungle intently along with him.
Thankfully, apart from the ever present background noise of the wild, the whole jungle was eerily silent today, everybody seemed to be taking a break.
He finally nodded to Twilight and relaxed a bit, thus indicating that it was probably safe. She quickly shucked the saddlebags loose and set them close to Marshall's bag.
Leaning the carbine carefully against a boulder, he sat down and undid his boot laces, slipped them off, then grabbed a old green plastic bottle with the word "Prell" splashed across the front. Then he stood, took a deep breath and charged the pool, leaping into it with a gigantic splash and a cut off shout.
Twilight waded in more sedately, but chuckled at his enthusiasm. She magicked a small wad of salvaged slivers of soap ranging in colors similar in Rainbow Dash's coat to a sort of light pink along with a ragged washcloth from the bag of toiletries and immediately set about scrubbing herself with great relish.
Marshall broke the surface with a spray of water, stood and removed his shirt and shorts, letting them float in the pool sedately as he scrubbed himself. Fully naked for the first time since the two of them met, she noted that he had sparse hair on belly and thighs, under his arms and... lower. He either didn't notice her curious gaze, or didn't care.
Then she noticed something interesting.
"Hey! You DO have a Cutie Mark!" She exclaimed. "You never said humans had Cutie Marks!"
Marshall spun at her sudden call and gave a look which was a mix of surprise and confusion.
"A what now?" He said quizzically.
"A Cutie Mark! That mark, on your flank!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking at my ass?"
She gestured impatiently. "No, not anymore... let me see!"
Marshall gave her a blank look, twisted awkwardly to stare at his right buttock, then his eyes widened in realization and he literally doubled over with laughter.
"HA HA HA... YOU THOUGHT... I... HA totally forgot about.... HA HA HA!"
She scowled. "What's so funny?"
He struggled to get a hold of his mirth, caught sight of her expression and cracked up again. She waited patiently for him to calm down with an air of wounded dignity.
Finally he was able to draw breath. "Ha... Ok... oh man, that was classic. Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that doodle on your ass... didn't think it was a tattoo, since it looks like it's on your coat, and its held up too well to be a dye job. So that's a... Cutie Mark?"
She frowned, quizzically, and tried to flank him a bit to get another look at it. He watched her, a mixture of amusement and embarrassment on his face.
"Ok, that's a little creepy, Sparks."
She frowned staring at the symbol. "What does, U.S.D.A. approved, grade A Beef, mean?"
He chuckled. "It means, don't get blackout drunk in Hong Kong when your lesbian copilot is your liberty partner, and you owe her thirty bucks."
She stared at him blankly.
He rolled his eyes. "It's a just a joke tattoo, Twilight. I got it when I was drunk. Attractive human males are sometimes referred to as "beefcakes". My copilot was making fun of me. Sassy was kind of a bitch."
He raised an eyebrow. "I take it that these... Cutie Marks have some kind of significance to ponies?"
She nodded. "When a filly or colt gets to a certain age, they eventually discover what their great talent is. When they do, the Cutie Mark magically appears on their flank to signify this. It's... pretty much the defining moment in a ponies life. What's a tattoo?"
He went back to washing himself, then picked up his shorts and began scrubbing them against a boulder.
"A tattoo is a permanent mark applied under the skin by repeatedly piercing the area with needles and injecting a small bit of ink. It can be of great significance to the person getting it, or a drunken mistake, but it certainly doesn't magically appear."
She shook her head. "So humans don't get Cutie Marks... that's... kind of sad."
He frowned. "What if a pony has a talent that they don't want? Like... you know, a trashcan or a dishrag or something?"
She blinked. "I don't think it's possible for a pony to get a Cutie Mark for something they don't enjoy or find fulfilling... it doesn't seem to work that way... and honestly, you wouldn't be the best at something you don't really like doing."
He nodded. "Fair enough, I guess. You'd be the expert. So what does your star thingie mean?"
She grinned. "It signifies my talent for magic. I received it when I accepted Princess Celestia's offer of tutelage."
He nodded. "Neat. Seems like a pretty efficient system you got going there, Sparks."
She nodded happily, then frowned. "Marshall, what's a lesbian?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ok... not awkward at all... A lesbian is a woman, a female human, who is attracted to and enjoys sexual intercourse with other women."
Twilight nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get it. We have those too."
He blinked. "Really?"
She nodded matter of factly. "Marshall, our gender ratio is something like five to one, skewed towards more females. In some towns it's even worse. Same sex relationships, interspecies relationships, polygamy... it's way more common among Equestrians than what you've described of humans."
She smirked. "I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to shock you... you're kind of a prude."
He raised an eyebrow, then waved a hand dismissively. "Bah, I refuse to be needled by your hipster ways, you don't wear pants, your argument is invalid."
She snorted at this and gestured at him. "Says the guy from the species that has to kill something and wear its skin to keep from freezing. I have no idea why your ancestors ever crawled out of the trees... actually, that's a lie, I DO know why... they were terrified things on the ground were staring up at their junk."
"Oh really?" He took up his shirt and began to twist the water out of it, winding it up tight.
She nodded, and went back to lazing in the cool water.
SNAP!
Startled at the sudden whip-crack and sting against her flank, she jumped completely up out of the water and came down with a splash, breathing hard and staring about herself wildly.
"What the buck!?"
Marshall giggled to himself. "Oh man, that brings back memories. Class of '97 towel snapper of the year."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she grit her teeth together.
His eyes widened and he raised his hands. "Wait a minMOTHERFUUUUUuuuu-"
SPLASH!
Twilight stared in satisfaction at the huge splash in the center of the pool, where she'd telekinetically picked up the hapless human and flung him shrieking into the depths.
"Take that, monkey!"
A few bubbles and a widen ring of wavelets, but no sign of the human.
She frowned.
The ripples slowly faded away. The bubbles had stopped.
"Marshall, are you ok?" She said loudly. She frowned. What if there was a rock out there, hidden under the surface, and he'd hit his head? Anxiety began to flare in her chest.
It was then that she learned two very important facts about human physiology. They were terrific swimmers, far outclassing even the most athletic Equestrian, and they could hold their breaths for considerably longer.
A white foam splash erupted directly in front of her, startling her enough that she reared up and began flailing with her forelegs.
Marshall grabbed her around the chest, avoiding those hooves and bodily lifting her up over his head with a roar of triumph.
"MARSHALL! YOU-" She shrieked.
"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!" He roared and tossed her flailing out into the depths.
When she finally sputtered to the surface, mane plastered over her face and spitting water irritably, she found him watching her intently in some ridiculous and awkward looking fighting stance, making weird "waaaaaa" noises. He pointed at her and spoke in an oddly stilted manner, exaggerating his mouth movements so that his words didn't seem to synch up with his lips.
"You are quite skilled at horseplay young one, but now you must die! I alone am best!"
She burst out laughing at this display, horse-paddling back to shallow water. "What in Celestia's name is that thing you're doing with your mouth?!"
"That's what she said."
She slammed a hoof playfully into the water, splashing at him. "Marshall!"
He relaxed a bit, grinning and flopped his head back in a quick jerking motion to get his hair back out of his eyes. When he dragged it back like that and pulled it into a cue somewhat like a mane his face took on a slightly more Equestrian cast.
Well, minus the beard anyway. She idly wondered how attached he was to it.
He shook his head and shrugged. "A specific genre of movies... yes, films... like with a projector, moving pictures, right. Anyway, these martial arts, that's like... specific fighting styles and stuff, these martial arts movies sometimes get made in foreign languages, and companies will buy them, then dub over the original actors in English... usually very cheaply. It makes for some pretty entertaining unintentional comedy."
She grinned. "I think I'd really like to see one of those, one day."
He nodded seriously. "Yeah, it's a blast. I'd really-"
SNAP!
He yelped and spun, rubbing his right buttock. His shirt was being magically winded up for a second snap.
He turned back and narrowed his eyes. "Oh it's on like Donkey Kong now, marefriend."
Thus began a solid hour of grab-assery, horseplay, shenanigans, and various other tomfooleries. It felt good to let go, to be childish, to not worry about the future, or how her friends were doing, or if she'd ever make it off this island alive. It was just her and her new friend wrestling and splashing and generally making real foals of themselves and not caring a bit. In darker times, and there would be many in the future, she would look back on moments like these and take heart.
She would remember, and gain hope. Moments come and go, but friendship really IS forever.
It lives in the heart and the mind, in moments like these, perfect and wholesome and ever-shining.
Then the bottom dropped out of her vision and she stumbled, going over into the pool. Marshall stopped running from her and laughed at her, pointing playfully.
"Watch your step, Sparks!"
She flailed to her hooves, lurched sideways, then stumbled again, blinking woozily. "Marshall... help."
His playful attitude was gone in an instant, replaced by concern. He waded back to her and steadied her, looking her over intently.
"You ok, Sparks?"
She closed her eyes, focused her thoughts, then nodded slowly. "I think so... just... really dizzy all of the sudden."
He frowned, scratching under his beard, then looked towards the shore. "Maybe you're tired... we should probably head back."
She nodded, stumbling again, but he steadied her and they made their way to shore.
"You ok to walk, Twilight? Do you need me to carry you?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so... this is... really weird. I just feel slightly disoriented."
He looked worried, pulling on his damp shirt and shorts with fast nervous jerks, then throwing on his boots and doing up the laces quickly. This was a side of Marshall she was learning to live with. He'd said before that she appeared "cute" to him, and she suspected that he reacted unconsciously to her as though she was much younger than she was. When she'd asked about this, he'd explained the concept of neoteny, which she found fascinating, from a psychological perspective. She wondered what that said about her species in general. He looked up at her in between tying laces with anxious concern.
"You think maybe you overdid it, magically speaking?"
She gave him a look that said, "nigga please", and shook her head. "No... I've had reaction headaches before, this is... it's like the ambient thaumic field is fluctuating, like the world is... for lack of a better term, FLEXING. I've never felt anything like it."
He scowled, then nodded shortly, picked up the bag, her saddlebags, and his rifle and they set off back home.
When they reached the gate, the lightning started. Marshall cursed and dropped their gear quickly in the courtyard, tearing up towards the cave. Twilight watched him with concern. She'd only ever seen him move with such alacrity and focus when their lives were directly in danger. Slamming open the door, he stepped in, grabbed his binocular case, then sprinted around the hill towards the tree and its observation post. Staring at him in confusion, then at the blue lights in the sky with some trepidation, she followed.
He took the slat ladder as quickly as possible, basically flying up the side of the tree, his face grim and set. A quick teleport and she joined him, staring up at him in confusion.
"Marshall, what is it? What has you so spooked?"
He focused the binos on the sky and frowned, adjusting the focus. "Sky lights, Sparks. There's no mistaking that blue lightning."
She frowned. "What is it?"
He focused on the distant strikes. She realized that though the blue flashes struck downward several times, there was no corresponding boom of thunder. It was not a wholesome color either... it wasn't a natural blue. It looked... artificial.
"Ok, THAT'S not creepy at all." She muttered under her breath.
Then she realized that she didn't feel dizzy anymore. She gazed thoughtfully at the sky.
"Looks like it's striking out east... far east." He seemed to relax a bit, chewing his lip. He glanced down at her. "Sky lights happen from time to time. Seems to be random."
He scowled out towards the east.
"Always means the same thing, Sparks. I saw them the day you appeared, and other than that, it was the only time they didn't bring me a complete pain in the ass."
He took a deep breath and watched the distant silent lightning pensively, his face worried.
"Something is coming."
She frowned at his word choice and shivered. It wasn't entirely the wind on her damp fur. That sky looked ominous.
"Should... should we go and check it out?"
He shook his head slowly. "It's too far. We'd be stuck out at night, and that's... that's a really bad idea when you don't know what you'll find out there."
She nodded quietly. "Marshall... I think it's important to note... I think I felt this coming."
He frowned, then nodded. "I think so, too. That dizzy spell... you got all woozy what? About fifteen, twenty minutes before the sky lights showed up? You think it's something magical?"
She considered this. "If it isn't, then whatever it is disrupts the ambient magical environment enough that I can feel it. I should point out that I'm a lot more sensitive to things like that than most ponies."
He nodded. "You know, maybe this whole thing IS something to do with your world. At least, this magic that's a part of you."
He frowned and looked into the middle distance, considering something.
"I haven't been more than five miles from this camp in... shit, has to be over a year now... not since..." He shook his head.
She frowned at that. "Marshall, what aren't you telling me?"
He shook his head. "I told you this island is crazy... there wasn't any reason to wander far, you can't leave it. Anyway, I don't want to get into too much detail, because I think the situation may have changed, what with your magical abilities, and I don't want to bias your observations with mine. You're the magic expert, I want you to approach it with a clean slate."
She frowned. "Experimentally speaking? Ok, I guess, but Marshall, I'm going to need something, or I'm going to explode."
He grinned. "I think it's time for a little road trip, Sparks. Time to come at this problem from a different angle."
She grimaced. "Didn't you just say night travel is a bad idea?"
He chuckled. "Since when did I ever let the fact that an idea was insane stop me? Come on, Sparks... don't you want to be inducted into the ever deepening mystery that is this fucking island?"
She sighed. "You're going to get me killed, I just know it."
He slapped her on the shoulder and gestured expansively out towards the sky.
"Come on Sparks, a little mangling builds character. You'll never know what you're really made of 'til something tries to eat it."
She shook her head sadly. "And we just had baths, too."
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You guys have no idea how lucky you are. Back in the day my readers had to wait a month for a two thousand word chapter, and they were happy ta get it too! Grumble grumble.
713101
Regardless I am happy and lucky. The dynamics between the two is rather funny.
The characters are bouncing perfectly off each other.
Got a few line breaks that need looking at!
Also, as always an interesting chapter. Cannot wait to see where you are going with this lightning... and night travel. On that note, is your character crazy?!
"Ohhhh Celestia that was heavenly. Fingers were the best."
This! Fucking this! I say this all the time but nooooo everyone wants to be a pony.
713298
Yeah, FiMFiction is giving me some formatting issues. I'll see if I can hunt them down and fix em.
713309
Of course, if you want something to groom you a monkey is your best bet. A well trained monkey can be a mares best friend.
713370
I kind of want to do a series of shorts with boyfriend and marefriend and just how she takes advantage of "the monkey" and his hands.
713101
We are demanding bastards that's for sure.
Dear god your writing, I haven't been hooked on something this much in forever.
713376
I imagine both genders would work just as well. Stallions could always use a good scratch behind the ears. Heck just the advantage of having a human friend no need for romance.
Screw pony, give me griffon.
Fingers or Claws, Flight, and still eating MEAT!
713101 We also had dirt. Lots of dirt and we were happy about that to.
713407
Hmmm, 98% of HiE stories are human male, pony female. I wonder about turning that on it's head a bit. Hmmm....
Your vocabulary is impressive. Also, this story is awesome.
"Come on Sparks, a little mangling builds character. You'll never know what you're really made of 'til something tries to eat it." Although I'll probably NEVER find an occasion to dedicate this quote to memory on the off chance I get a chance to use it. It's just beautiful!
I'm TOTALLY looking forward to the next chapter~!
another very fun chapter.
"...you must die. I alone am best" - Bloodhound Gang reference?
I'm really enjoying the effort going into building their characters and their relationship before just throwing the next plot point at us. Their interactions make this one of my favorite HiEs to date.
713101 "we also two sticks and a rock, and we had to SHARE the rock!" - SGT Johnson
this story... so addicting!
I like Marshall, though I keep getting this sinking feeling that he's doomed before this story is over. Hmmm no Dark tag but then plenty of fics have kept the tag off only to add it immediately after killing somepony off...
713592
So much so that I almost used that song as the song quote at the beginning. It is a much unappreciated band.
This story is freaking awesome
Thank you, we love you, we are happy and hope you get lucky.
This fic is so very good.
713504 I plan on writing (eventually) a story where my Marty Stu gets placed in the "On a Cross and Arrow" universe and gets turned into a girl. I'm thinking luls will be frequent.
Any story with a Highlander line is automatic win in my book.
713736
I was going to go with,
"I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT, THEN TO FADE AWAY"
But it was too long, Marshall's arms were getting tired, so I had to rewrite it.
713101
Oh yeah? Well I've seen some Fallout Equestria writers spit out 10,000 in only a couple weeks. I'm spoiled now and won't be satisfied with only this tiny morsel to read!
Lol, your fic is better so far than most of those. Take your time and keep it good. So does this lightning mean more characters or more monsters? By the way he said it I'd assume the former would be more likely but if it were monsters I don't think you'd have them set out just like that. What mysteries lay ahead in the next chapter! Why are so fic writers leaving these kinds of cliffhangers lately!
So, will Wilson be making a cameo appearance at any time? :3
He removed a canteen from his belt, poured a little on his head, took a swig, then tossed it unthinkingly at her without looking. She caught it easily with her magic and did the same, letting out a little shiver of pleasure ad the lukewarm water ran through her mane. She "hydrated", as he called it, and mused about how several weeks ago it would have never occurred to her to be worried about the color of her urine.
Good story, otherwise. Fav'd.
713101
You shut your damn lazy mouth, you sunuva-
Right... anyway, nice chapter! Very enjoyable, had me laughing for a good long while on some bits. Also, the scenes at the pool were very heart-warming and believable. It still amazes me how well you have Twilight pegged, and the depth you've managed to instill in this human character.
I will say, though, you went and derped and "then"'d where you should have "than"'d. But I'm not going to tell you where, because I'm pure evil like that.
713736 Yeap, thats a good rule to live by.
You are a true artist when it comes to writing exellent fics.
I'm really enjoying this. Keep up the good work!!!
This is bombastically brilliant. I hope you realize that, right? Good show. Truly.
the enjoyment, much is being had
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Ponies are that heavy, huh?
Well, if it was my call I'd save that line for something more special later on.
Excellent, now Twilight has something to *analyze*. She'll be whipping up portals home in no time.
Cool, now reference The Room next!
they should hook up.
..... just throwing it out there
Ah, something new is coming...
I just got this theory in my head, that this island isn't in a definite location. As in, it moves between worlds, so to speak. No clue if it's possible, but when you said something new was coming it popped into my head. It kinda explains a little bit how things appear there in my mind.
Of course, I'm probably way off.
Well, it'll likely either be friendly or hostile, and I'm looking forward to this.
With every chapter this gets more and more like Predators.... Speaking of recent changes in pop culture, Marshall has been here for 5 years. Does that mean he was abducted in 07, and its 2012 (according to his calendar, not counting inter-dimensional temporal bullshit), or was he abducted in 2012, and it's 2017 according to him?
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I fixed it, thanks for the catch.
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Ah, but I have the ancient and noble power of Ctrl+F, and have fixed it, good sir. Thanks for the catch.
I'm loving this!
Now then who's the new arrival hmm? Another human, a pony, or some other creature/person from another reality....
Found this story just today, read all four chapters, Liked, Favorited, and sitting happy.
This. This damn series is quickly out pacing some of my prior favorites on this Site, don't stop the adventure on fuck shot island!
Oh man, I love this story. I really can't express it any better than that. Mustaches! You, sir, have earned them.
My gratitude for this new chapter has no end
Great chapter, it's a boatload of fun and laughter
Another great chapter.
This fiction is BRILLIANT! So much fun to read and the anticipation is on-the-edge-of-my-seat worthy!
Update faster MWHAHA!
Love this fic!
MAORMOARMOARMOARMOARMOAR....MOARdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Twilight_Sparkle.png