Chapter 16: A New Day
Chapter 16: A New Day
The world felt ever so slightly unreal as Meadow trotted along, her hooves clopping crisply on the stone walkway leading to City Hall. It seemed so strange that only a couple of hours ago some ancient monstrosity from pony legend had threatened to keep the entire world cloaked in darkness forever. Despite how much strangeness she had encountered among the ponies, this was an all-new level of weird. Almost as weird was how calm most of the ponies she passed by had been. There were a few who were still been shaken up, being comforted by their friends, but the vast majority seemed as content as usual. There were even several large celebrations going on for the Summer Sun Celebration, with a fair bit of "hooray the world didn't end" added to the mix.
Meadow had to admit that, even if ponies were a bit too prone to panic and overreaction, they certainly recovered and adapted to such oddities quickly.
She was also pleased that the ponies were in fairly happy moods, as she didn't have to put in the effort to hide the happy smile that came to her face. For once, she didn't want to hide how she really felt.
She was in love.
The mere thought of that seemed in many ways more unreal than everything else that had happened. That persistent voice in the back of her mind scoffed condescendingly that she would have such feelings for someone else, much less a pony, but she had learned to ignore it. Instead, she trotted along, nearly skipping with joy. It felt as if it would be wrong to try to hide her happiness, as if such a thing would be tarnishing the reason behind it. She didn't want to hide it. In fact, part of her wanted everypony to see that joy.
The sight as she stepped inside City Hall jolted her from her thoughts. The entire place was in chaos. Ponies dashed here and there, shouting back and forth as they hurried about. A few pegasi flew about at speeds that normally would have gotten many angry yells from the stuffier bureaucrats, carrying bundles of papers between offices. Even some of those bureaucrats were hustling along, despite having always been so sedate and proper that Meadow had seldom seen them move at so much as a brisk walk, much less galloping through the anarchic hall.
Distracted from her previous happy thoughts, her pace calmed a bit, expression growing more serious. She had expected City Hall to be busy in the aftermath of the extended night, but she hadn't expected quite so drastic of a reaction. She skirted the edge of the crowd until she reached one of the halls, making her way to the Aid Committee offices.
The crowd gathered outside those offices was rather different. Rather than the frantic rush of ponies that she had seen in the main lobby, this was a more familiar crowd: ponies in need of help. They looked to be doing as well as most ponies she had seen here before. Some looked worried or dazed, and a few crying foals were being comforted by parents, but most of the ponies there were calmly optimistic and friendly.
Stepping into the offices, Meadow was immediately confronted with the sight of a very frazzled Charity, with bags under her eyes and a stack of papers held in her mouth. The other mare froze for an instant, then hurriedly dropped the stack atop a table and rushed over to grasp Meadow in a surprisingly tight hug.
"Oh thank Celestia!" she cried out. Then, releasing the hug, she moved back. "I've been so worried, but it's been so hectic here I haven't been able to check up on anypony. Are you okay?"
Meadow's smile quickly returned. "I'm doing great," she said. "Though you look a bit exhausted. Are you okay?"
Charity groaned softly, her head and ears drooping as she leaned against a desk. "I was up all night at celebrations, so I haven't gotten a minute of sleep. Then the sun didn't come up and ponies started getting worried, and then some started panicking, and... I know City Hall was going to be closed today for the celebration, but I just had to come down after everything that happened. I knew there were going to be ponies that needed help. I'm just glad some of the other staff thought the same because we've been completely swamped as-is!"
Meadow raised an eyebrow. "Is it that bad?"
"It's horrible," Charity answered, a frown growing on her face. She turned back to the stack she had set down, carefully gathering them in her hooves. Now that she wasn't rushing about, Meadow could see how tired the mare's movements were. "A good number of ponies got minor injuries when the panic started to set in. There's property damage all over the place. And there are still dozens of ponies missing and unaccounted for. They probably all ran out of town and just haven't made their way back yet. I hope that's the case, because..."
Charity halted, biting her lip. Meadow could see the tears starting to well up. Still, she remained silent until she caught Meadow's questioning look. Charity quickly wiped the back of her hoof across her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke again. "There was a fire. A bad one. Some ponies got so panicked when the sun didn't rise, thinking that Celestia had died, and they were so desperate for any light they could get. Candles, lanterns, bonfires. In all the panic, something went wrong, and it started a huge blaze."
"It was chaos," she said. "With all the panic going on, it was impossible to find ponies to help out, and half the ones who could help had no idea that anything had happened. Luckily a bunch of pegasi realized what was going on and commandeered some storm clouds, and with the help of a few ponies on the ground managed to stop the fire before it could spread any further, but... but it's bad. Two apartment buildings, at least a dozen homes, plus a few shops and such. I've been scrambling trying to find shelter for everypony, but we've got well over a hundred ponies without a place to sleep tonight."
Charity hesitated before continuing on, her voice a touch weaker. "And they're probably the lucky ones. They... they don't know of anypony that's... died... but with all the chaos, they can't account for everypony. There are at least thirty ponies in the hospital because of the fire, and a few of them were hurt really badly. It's awful. There were kids there! A couple foals, and now they're in the hospital, and--"
Her voice choked up. She stood there, trembling faintly for a moment until a tear started to run down her cheek. As if it brought her back to her senses, she shook her head, sniffing as the look of despair vanished behind a mask of determination. "I can't do anything about that, but I can try to help make sure everypony else has a place to sleep and food to eat. But there's so many of them, there's just so much to do!"
"How can I help?" Meadow asked, without a moment of hesitation.
That simple question brought out a smile from Charity. "Oh, I knew I could count on you! You've always been a miracle worker, Meadow. Can you help with getting these ponies a place to sleep for the night? Anything would do, just so long as we can get them something soft to sleep on and a roof over their heads. The best we've come up with is setting up a bunch of tents in Solar Park. If you could handle that, then I should be able to arrange everything so that everypony has food."
"I know just where to start," Meadow said with a smile. One could make plenty of temporary structures out of some lumber and canvas, and she knew the perfect place to start looking for those.
"Oh, thank you!" Charity said, again throwing her hooves around Meadow. "The whole time I've been scrambling around, I knew you'd come to help, I just knew it!"
Meadow hesitated. She almost didn't say anything, but with the way things had been going, with the choices she had made, it seemed fitting to follow through. "...You should thank Spark, not me. I was so focused on him that it didn't even occur to me to come down here until he thought of it." She gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Sorry."
Thankfully, Charity chuckled, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Perfectly understandable. How is he doing?"
"It hit him a little hard," Meadow admitted. "He's always had a bit of an aversion to the dark, so he was... a bit shaken up." A soft smile slowly spread across her muzzle. "He's doing much better, now."
Charity nodded, smiling as well. "Good." Then she sighed, looking back to the desk. "Okay. Break time is over, we need to get to work."
Meadow watched the frazzled mare hurry along despite stifling a yawn. "Maybe you should take a bit more of a break and get a nap?"
In response, Charity laughed, waving a dismissive hoof. "I can sleep when the work's done, there are too many ponies out there to help for me to be able to sleep easy. Besides, I've got coffee!" To emphasize the point, she snatched up her mug, downing it all in one go, and then hurried on about her work.
Meadow just smiled as she turned to leave, trotting along to find the supplies and volunteers that they needed.
By the time the sun was approaching the horizon, Meadow was quite happy to have gotten the extra rest that morning. She wiped the back of her hoof across her brow, then leaned against the wooden frame she had just helped set in place. Even as she panted, she was smiling. All throughout the clearing in the park, in what had just been an empty field a couple of hours ago, stood twenty large tents, each one large enough to house an entire family. They were very basic things, simple wooden frames covered in canvas, but they were spacious and sturdy, and perfectly up to the task of housing those unfortunate ponies while more permanent housing could be found.
It had been simple enough. Sunseeker knew all the lumber and canvas dealers in town thanks to his business and had helped her acquire everything she needed. Volunteers were even easier; many of the displaced ponies were eager to pitch in and help, and despite their weariness from a sleepless night, they worked hard through the evening. All around her, ponies were exhausted, eyes half-lidded with the need for sleep, yet they still worked on. Despite the reason for them being there, and the pervasive fatigue, there was an air of optimism, weary smiles shared between ponies in the short breaks between work.
Meadow smiled proudly as she watched for a moment. It was the sort of thing she could appreciate. Hard work, for a greater cause. It was even encouraging to see these ponies embracing that cause, working themselves to exhaustion to help their fellow ponies. At that moment, it felt like she belonged there. She had a place, she had a purpose, and she had fulfilled that role perfectly.
The generous amounts of appreciation and thanks given freely to her were a nice bonus, too. She had been right there in the middle of all the work, of course. She had been lending a helping hoof and the aid of her magic wherever she could. She certainly had enough energy to spare on the magic, even burning extra on occasion in order to move rather large stacks of lumber about. Despite having sampled only the tiniest bit of Spark's love, she swore she could feel a slight increase in the power of her magic.
Love.
Her smile widened into an excited grin at the thought of Spark. The work here was almost done, and that meant she would soon be headed home to him again. Fatigue slipped from her mind at the thought. If they hadn't been shape-shifted away, she knew she would probably be buzzing her wings in excitement just at the thought. Oh, sweet Celestia, I'm getting giddy. When did I get so sappy? Then she frowned. Wait, did I just... ugh! Dumb pony phrases...
"Something wrong?"
The sound of Charity's voice brought back Meadow's smile as she turned to see the mare wearily approach. Charity looked even more exhausted than she had before, but she was smiling, and radiating such happy emotions. She looked as if she should have gone to sleep hours ago, yet there she was, making sure everypony else was taken care of. Putting the other ponies' needs before her own. That was something Meadow could respect.
"Oh, no," Meadow said, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Just lost in thought." Then she gestured to the collection of tents. "We made it, though. They're finishing up the last of these tents right now. A nearby shop lent equipment for a full kitchen setup, and there are plenty of open doors for anypony that needs a restroom, or a bath. I think we might be good here."
Charity sighed happily. "Oh, thank Celestia. I knew I could count on you." She patted Meadow on the shoulder.
"Just doing my job," Meadow said, modestly.
For a minute, they stood there, looking over the progress. Soon one of the ponies working on the final tent threw her hooves up, followed by a hearty cheer by the volunteers. With the work complete, some simply flopped onto the grass in exhaustion, while others celebrated. Several nearby families brought out leftover treats and desserts from the previous night's celebrations, a jovial air filling the park.
Meadow and Charity looked on, smiling in silence for a moment.
"Yes, I think everything will be just fine," Charity said with a content nod. "We've still got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow, but I think we did good today."
"I'll be there, bright and early," Meadow replied, earning a happy chuckle from Charity.
"So, you've been so busy working out here, I don't suppose you heard what happened?"
Meadow cocked her head, looking curiously to Charity. "What's that?"
"We got a pegasus messenger from Canterlot. Er, a second one, that is. First one came before you showed up, but they were just making sure that everypony knew that Celestia was okay and that the crisis, whatever it was, was over. The second one passed on the whole story."
"And that is...?"
"It's a strange one." Charity thought a moment. "Well, you're familiar with the legends of Nightmare Moon, right?"
"Of course," Meadow said. "And when I saw the moon, it seemed pretty obvious that she was involved. If a little... surprising."
Charity let out a short laugh. "An ancient legend come to life is more than a 'little' surprising, I would think."
"Okay, a lot surprising," Meadow said, chuckling along with her. "And maybe a little unsettling. Still, it goes to show how good it is to have a powerful being like Celestia in charge."
"How's that?" Charity asked.
Meadow paused, looking to Charity with a bit of confusion. "To... to defeat ancient legendary beings like Nightmare Moon? After all--"
"Oh, Celestia didn't defeat her."
"Uh..." Meadow glanced up to the sky, lit with orange and pink as the sun approached the horizon, then looked back to Charity. "It rather looks as if she did."
"Oh!" Charity said with a laugh. "No, no. She was defeated, just not by Celestia. The messenger said it was Celestia's student that defeated Nightmare Moon."
Meadow blinked. "Her student?"
"And a few other ponies, and something about some ancient magical artifacts or something."
"So... Nightmare Moon wasn't defeated by an immortal semi-divine being of immense power, but by... a few regular ponies?"
Charity shrugged. "Sounds that way."
Meadow scratched at the back of her head with a hoof, unsure of what to think of that. "...They don't make legendary world-ending evil monsters like they used to?"
That earned a good laugh from Charity. "Maybe! Though she couldn't have been too unimpressive. The messenger didn't have the whole story, but it sounded like Celestia's student had to deal with the problem because Celestia couldn't."
"What?" Meadow's eyes were wide, despite trying to hide her alarm. "Do you mean to tell me that Celestia's student is more powerful than Celestia herself?"
Charity hesitantly shook her head. "I... doubt that. It sounded like whatever artifacts they had did most of it. Though... it also kinda, sorta, maybe sounded like Nightmare Moon had defeated Celestia. The messenger wasn't very clear on why Celestia 'couldn't' beat her, herself."
Meadow just stared. Suddenly, the world felt a little less safe. Great. So we've got Celestia, who can move the sun and moon, Nightmare Moon, who may have overpowered her, and whatever those artifacts are that are even stronger than her... how many other crazy powerful things are there out there?
"Though really, I'm still not entirely sure what happened," Charity continued. "The Manechester Times is supposedly rushing out a special edition, maybe we'll find out more from that." After a momentary pause she frowned, adding, "Though given their track record, I rather doubt it."
"I think I'm getting a headache," Meadow muttered.
"And that's not even the end of it," Charity said.
"There's more?"
"Yep," Charity said, a smile returning to her face. "We've got a new princess!"
"...Oh." Meadow blinked, then said, "Well, I guess that seems a fitting reward for saving the world."
It was Charity's turn to blink in incomprehension. "What?"
"The... but she..." Meadow stopped herself, shaking her head. Best to skip the stumbling around and just ask what weird thing happened now. "...Who's the new princess?"
"Her name is Luna."
Meadow waited expectantly. When no further clarification came, she asked, "And this relates to today's events how?"
"Oh, she's Princess Celestia's sister," Charity replied.
"I didn't know she had a sister."
"I don't think anypony did!" Charity said with a chuckle. "But after she came back as Nightmare Moon and the--"
"What?!"
Charity cringed back, startled by the sudden outburst from Meadow, who stood staring back at her with wide eyes. "...What?"
Meadow forced herself to relax, despite the alarming absurdity of what she had just heard. "...Are you telling me that Luna, this new princess, is Nightmare Moon?"
"Was Nightmare Moon," Charity emphasized. "Apparently she was... I don't know, corrupted? Consumed with jealousy? Something like that. Whatever artifacts they used supposedly stripped away whatever made her Nightmare Moon, and instead made her normal. Er, as normal as an alicorn can be." She hesitated at Meadows disbelieving stare, and added, "As strange as it is, the messenger made it clear that Princess Celestia vouches fully for her, and that's good enough for me."
Meadow sighed softly, rubbing a hoof at the bridge of her nose. Okay, points for loyalty, I suppose. Even if these ponies are all completely insane. "My head hurts. I need to go to sleep."
Charity chuckled. "Sleep well. See you in the morning!"
Meadow nodded as she walked toward home, already trying to think of how to break the news of Princess Nightmare Moon to Spark.
By the time she reached the door of her home, the thoughts of ancient evils, powerful artifacts, and insane pony politics had faded away. A smile had returned to her face as she stepped inside, and at the sound of the door shutting, she heard the sound of hooves clopping on the floor just a moment before Spark stepped out of the kitchen entrance, a hopeful smile on his face.
"Hey, Spark," she said as she walked over.
"Hey," he echoed, before adding, "You look like you've been busy."
"You were right," she said with a soft chuckle. "It was a bit chaotic over there. Much better now."
"Good to hear," Spark replied. He seemed uneasy, the sensation slowly climbing as she moved closer. When she was near, he started to lean forward, but a sudden surge of nervousness made him hesitate and draw back, ears folding flat in embarrassment.
Meadow just chuckled softly and leaned in for him, nuzzling gently against his cheek. The nervousness clung to him for a moment before finally accepting that yes, it was all real. Meadow loved every moment of it; they embraced, nuzzling affectionately, while she savored the taste of his love.
Then the nervousness came back. It was just a tiny little wisp of emotion at first, but quickly grew. She was about to question it when his head pulled back. He looked to her with a nervous smile. Then he closed his eyes, leaned back in, and kissed her.
Meadow's eyes went wide with alarm, the horrifying memory of her previous kiss flooding into her mind--
...And then she slowly relaxed, her eyes drifting closed as she leaned into his embrace.
Maybe this 'kissing' thing isn't so bad, after all...
As always, Meadow woke well before Spark. That morning, she didn't feel like rising and getting an early start on the day, and for once, it had nothing to do with laziness.
She smiled as she looked down at Spark's sleeping form, the two of them still entwined together on her bed. It was certainly not the most comfortable way to sleep, but neither of them had minded. They had cuddled together lovingly until sleep had taken them, and even though she felt a little sore from the awkward arrangement, she couldn't be happier with it. Gently, she rubbed a hoof along his side, eyes half-lidded as she watched him sleep.
Eventually, he murmured softly and began to stir. After a few moments, his eyes fluttered open, sleepily meeting hers. It took him a few groggy moments to fully realize his situation, which drew such a rush of nervousness and excitement that she couldn't help chuckling softly. Still stroking his side, she leaned in to nuzzle softly. "Good morning."
"'Morning," he replied sleepily, returning the gentle rubs. When she laid her head back, he simply looked on, his smile slowly growing. Finally, he let out a quiet chuckle. "...I still can't believe this is real..."
Meadow smirked, giving a playful nudge at his side. "Myths walk out into real life, the world almost ends, and there's a new princess, and this is what's hard to believe?"
Spark blushed. "Well, when you put it that way. But still, I... I just can't believe how lucky I am to be with... you."
With a smile, Meadow leaned in, placing a soft kiss atop his muzzle. "I know exactly how you feel."
Eventually, Meadow found herself back at work. She would have loved to stay home with Spark, basking in the warmth of his love, but they both had work to do. At least her job gave her rewarding work, with a sense of purpose and responsibility that she could imagine as almost letting her fit in. All the meetings with various ponies and the reams of paperwork involved in arranging aid for the temporarily displaced ponies were not as rewarding or engaging as the previous day's work, but it was good work. While not the well-oiled machine of the hive, with its hard-working, single-minded drones, these ponies were still enthusiastic, and actually put in a decent effort for those used to a softer life.
She was even mostly successful in ignoring the thought that, had a bunch of changelings' sleeping places been destroyed, they would simply move to a different chamber that evening and go on as if nothing had happened. Mostly.
Still, if it wasn't as directly rewarding as the previous day's work had been, they were still accomplishing quite a bit. Arrangements had been made with lumber suppliers, a couple construction companies had been brought in, volunteers had been organized, and cleanup was well under way. Progress was swift: the debris from the fire would be cleared out soon, and at least some of the reconstruction would be starting in the morning. With temporary housing established, ponies were back to work, going on with their lives almost as if it hadn't been interrupted.
More good news had arrived early in the day: all the ponies that had been hospitalized in the blaze were expected to make a full recovery. Several of the missing had already been accounted for, and after a thorough search, it had been happily announced that none had died in the fire. With this also came more detailed accounts of the night, little tales of desperation and heroism. Many ponies had leaped into action to help others as the fire had grown. The pony most talked-about was actually one of the most injured. A pegasus pony--ironically named Fireflash--who had repeatedly flown into a burning apartment building to ferry out ponies who were trapped by the fire. Her final trip had ended when she bodily shielded a pair of young colts from the collapsing roof. It bought them enough time for several earth ponies to fight their way through the fire and pull them all to safety, but only barely. It was a great relief to everypony to hear that all three were expected to make a full recovery.
Despite the good news, there were still signs of tragedy. Even though they carried on, there were a few glimpses of sadness when a pony came across a reminder of what they had lost. The children seemed particularly prone to this, having been uprooted from their home, the familiar place that they had spent most of their lives before it was abruptly taken from them, only to be replaced by strange, chaotic, confusing surroundings. It brought out uncomfortable feelings in Meadow, and she was glad that those children were just as easily cheered by the kindness of the ponies around them. Despite the upheaval, despite the loss of so many mementos, keepsakes, and comforts, these ponies were banding together to support each other.
Meadow rather liked that. There was a certain surprising strength and resilience to them that she could appreciate, even if she felt rather hesitant to admit such a thing even to herself. Something about their optimistic nature was endearing. Contagious, almost. Sure, she enjoyed her work, both for the sense of importance it gave her and the wonderful bounty of appreciation and affection which, while she didn't strictly need it anymore, she certainly still enjoyed. Of course, she was content enough with that, happy even, but it had always been from a well-hidden distance.
Before, she had always been happy despite these ponies. It was somewhat bizarre, mystifying, and somewhere in the back of her mind, perhaps a little concerning, to acknowledge that now she was feeling happy because of them.
Mostly Spark, she assured herself, but still... she knew she might actually be able to enjoy where she was.
Perhaps it was that happy contemplation or those ponies' overwhelming optimism, but even the sight of Big Shot couldn't sour her mood. In fact, she found herself soon thinking much more deeply about the unpleasant stallion. For some reason, once the thought of him snuck into her mind, it refused to leave. It lingered there, a little dark spot in the otherwise bright future.
Reluctantly, she acknowledged that it was something she needed to deal with.
She made her way to his office. He'd been promoted a few months ago, now an assistant in city planning, and by extension, a junior member of the city council. While that meant she didn't have to deal with him directly quite so often, it had the downside of him holding actual power, even if very little. It also meant that he had his own office now, rather than a shared clerk room. That day, she found herself thankful for that for the first time. She was uncomfortable enough with the prospect of dealing with him, already; she certainly didn't want to do so where anypony might observe what happened.
Bigs was sitting back and reading over a document when she entered. When he saw her, his eyes narrowed the tiniest amount. "Yes?" he asked neutrally, belying the suspicion and distrust that he felt toward her.
Meadow couldn't bring herself to smile, given the circumstances. "I wanted to talk to you," she said as she walked up to his desk.
His emotions didn't change in the slightest. "Then talk."
Meadow refrained from frowning at his shortness. "I know we've had our disagreements in the past." She also refrained from acknowledging the snort that statement brought from him. "But I'd like to put that behind us. I'm finally at a place that I'm happy with, Bigs. Genuinely happy. I'd rather not spoil that by dragging along an old grudge that does no good to either of us."
Encouragingly, the sense of distaste from him was fading to a detached neutrality. "I don't think we could ever be friends, all things considered, but we don't need to be enemies. I'd like to propose a truce."
Bigs stared at her, his emotions surprisingly neutral.
"...No."
Meadow blinked. "What?"
"No," Bigs repeated, a thin edge of anger creeping into his voice just as it did his emotions.
"Why not?" Meadow asked, eyes narrowing.
"Because of what you said," Bigs replied, rising to his hooves. "It was all about you. How happy you are. How you don't want to ruin that. You, you, you. But you know what I didn't hear?"
He leaned over the desk, the strength of his anger rapidly swelling in her senses. "I didn't hear even a sliver of remorse for anything you've done. You don't feel sorry for anything, do you? You probably don't even think you've done anything wrong. You just don't want to face any consequences for your actions, so you come to me with some insulting farce of a truce. So no, Meadow, I'm not going to turn a blind eye to whatever backstabbing machinations you've got in mind."
"As if you're one to talk about remorse?" she shot back. "You bullied everypony who didn't kiss your hooves."
"And you twisted all of them around yours," he said. "Yeah, we were a lot alike, weren't we? And it's something I've learned to hate about my past. That's where we differ, Meadow. I actually feel bad about the things I did as a kid, and I've changed my ways. But you? You're still the same manipulative, underhooved, two-faced, stuck-up little foal you've always been.
"And you know what really amuses me? Part of the reason I outgrew that part of my life was because I didn't want to be anything so vile as you. So congratulations; you're such a horrible pony that your example makes others want to better themselves." He sat back to give a slow, mocking clap. "Bravo."
Meadow scowled. "I should have known it'd be useless to try to reason with you. You're just a petty, hypocritical foal that can't let go of the past."
"Hypocritical?" Bigs sounded somewhat indignant at that, rising to his hooves again. "What I did was petty and infantile, maybe even cruel at times. But you? You were a vicious, sadistic sociopath, and since you didn't even think to fake an apology, it seems perfectly clear that you haven't changed a bit." He snorted. "And as for not letting go of the past, it's kind of hard to forget somepony trying to kill you."
"I didn't try to kill you, Bigs," Meadow growled. "If I had, you'd be dead. You should try to remember that."
Bigs fixed her with a glare, silent for several seconds. "So we're back to that, then. All your clever little scheming and hollow words fail, so you go back to relying on threats to get your way. And that, right there, is why I'm not going to give you your selfish little truce. You're a vile, dangerous little witch that has everypony fooled right up until you slide the knife into their back, but I know what kind of pony you really--"
Meadow's hooves slammed down on his desk, cutting him off as she shoved her face in his, eyes flashing blue. "You have no idea what kind of pony I am!" she snarled, a deeper resonance entering her tone. Bigs staggered back a step, his eyes wide and face gone pale, as if he had just seen a ghost--or a monster. In an instant, every bit of anger and hatred had been blotted out by a shocked terror so strong that it brought a savage grin to Meadow's face.
"Now let me make this perfectly clear," she continued, and with one hoof shoved him in the chest, to which he, still in shock, staggered and fell back on his haunches. "After all these years, after everything I've gone through, I'm finally happy, and I am not going to let anypony get in the way of that!"
She swept a hoof to the side, knocking a stack of folders and several quills off Big's desk, the stallion flinching at the action. With that, she turned and walked toward the door, her hooves clopping angrily against the bare floor. "Remember what I said about being an 'inconvenience', Bigs."
The door slammed behind her, and she made her way down the hall. Already her legs were trembling with adrenaline. She hated this part. Every inch of her body was crying out in fury, eager to leap into action, and fighting hard against her efforts to control it. It didn't want to be calm. The adrenaline screamed for release, struggling against her efforts to be still. It wanted to run. It wanted to fight. Instead, she did her best to suppress the urge as she slipped into a nearby restroom, entered a stall, and locked the door.
Sitting there, she sucked in deep, calming breaths where nopony could see her shaking in rage. Looking down at her hooves, she felt a nearly overwhelming urge to smash them into something. She wanted to fight. She wanted to pummel Big Shot with her hooves. She wanted to squeeze his neck until she felt him go still. She wanted him dead.
But at the same time, she didn't. She couldn't. There was a practical side to that; If she did anything to him, it would come back to her. He was an annoyance rather than an actual threat, and attacking him, much less killing him, could only come crashing back down atop her.
Yet that felt like a hollow excuse. It was a convenient lie, made all the stronger for actually being true. But it was still essentially a lie. It was a secondary reason, a perfectly practical excuse to justify the decision she knew came from a much less practical source.
Spark would be horrified if she did anything remotely like that. That she might be able to hide it was no comfort. She could imagine his reaction, and just the thought of it filled her with guilt. To do such a thing would be to completely betray him. Even worse, if she did do it and he found out...
Despite that, she'd still threatened him. Even as she had said it, her words fueled by her sudden rage, she had known it was a bluff. But she'd still said it, just the same.
Eventually, the trembling slowed, and then stopped. The pounding of her heart quieted in her ears. When she again felt stable enough, she rose, exiting back into the hall.
As she stepped out of the restroom, she paused to look back down the hall to the door of Bigs's office.
I should apologize.
That seemed the pony thing to do. The more she thought of it, the more it seemed like the honest thing to do. She only had to think of Spark to regret what she had said.
He'd never believe it, though. He was right; she had lied and manipulated others so many times in the past. She'd just shown him the same side of her that she always had. She hadn't shown any remorse for anything she had done. Immediately returning to apologize would just show him exactly what he already thought of her; that she was a manipulative trickster, willing to spin any lie to get her way.
But I should still try.
She took a deep, calming breath as she looked at his door.
Then she let it out in a low sigh as she turned and walked away.
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
1,078 users online
1,560,173 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
A smaller chapter this time. They can't all be monstrous piles of words, and this felt like the right place to end this chapter. More soon(ish)!
Amusingly, this chapter is the first time anyone uses the word "alicorn" in one of my stories... because after all this writing, this is the first time a non-changeling refers to the princesses' race.
Old wounds, and older feuds, with the nature of everything intermixed. Still, a very lovely chapter, and very good ending note.
I'm starting to think you aren't capable of making a chapter that's any less than 400 percent awesome.
Seriously, this story is so great.
So we're finally here, she's finally showing at least a little freaking genuine compassion. Even if it's only for Spark's sake, it's an entry point. I gotta say that I love how you took your friggin' time with this, excellent character building.
Although I wonder, Nictis was a "male" changeling, no? I wonder if this gender identity will cause problems, that is, if Spark ever finds out her true form.
I like it. Also beling a Half Changeling, is awesome, sometimes. But reading this makes me smile!
2869523
Now, THAT would be interesting to see. Honestly, I've run the conversation in my head a few times. No matter what the author does, it WILL be awkward.
She must press on, gradually leaving behind who she was.
Otherwise, she'll be unable to fully reciprocate the feelings Spark feeds her as well as the kindness of other ponies.
Awaiting further releases.
Old habits die hard, I suppose.
Just like me enjoying this story. It's a habit I don't want to break!
2861379 I'm sorry, it's just that the idea of someone being able to be both male and female, or having lied about their gender for so long is just something that has always bothered me... Especially if it's the latter.
Never liked Liara T'Soni either,
2870371
I feel so bad for spark
2870441 Why did you lie to me?
"But I love you"
No not that, why didn't you tell me your name?!?
"Oh. Ummm... Reasons."
2870371
I suppose I should say, I can get why being able to change your sex would be weird or how lying about it could cause problems, but I'm not sure why that's worse than if you had replaced "sex" with "species". And heck, it's hardly the only lie Nictis has told Spark. It's not even close to the biggest lies...
I'm not sure how Liara fits into this, though. She's basically straight-up female, with the only real difference being that she gets knocked-up psychically instead of physically.
2869523
Only took her 140k+ words to get there! It took a couple modest-sized books and about seven years, with her kicking and screaming and protesting the whole way, to develop a little bit of genuine compassion. Man. And I thought I was stubborn!
2870039
I think Nictis would hate to hear this described as him "leaving behind" who he was, but I guess it is, in a way, true. It's true in the same way for everyone as they grow up. People (And ponies) change over time, particularly around the age the characters are right now. I think Nictis would insist that he isn't leaving who he was behind, so much as adding onto it. After all, he still has the same desire to have purpose, and the same dedication toward work and duty that was instilled in him by his early years in the hive. He's just changed the target of that purpose and duty, and added a much better understanding of ponies than he had back at the hive.
Though I think mainly he'd hate to hear it described as such because it makes him sound like he's betrayed the hive... because even though he tries not to think of it, and comes up with excuses as to why it's not so, he believes he has...
2870561
Then again, the hive has most likely betrayed him as well.
Nictis was only liked by his teacher- not even the Queen herself has any affection towards him individually. Certainly, the Queen loves her children, but for them most part, he's just another gear in the machine.
If he allows the hive to plague himself much longer, he may blow his cover for good, and he'll die of other reasons.
Besides, she does have a purpose: to be in Spark's heart as well as to help ponies in need, even professionally.
2870573
Probably a good thing Nictis isn't actually here, he'd probably get very (irrationally) angry at the idea that the hive betrayed him.
Although the last line would probably then make him very happy. He has found a new purpose, and it's a good one. One where he can do some good work and, even though he feels a little guilty and selfish about allowing such personal reasons, it's something he can feel happy about.
Especially with Spark.
2870608
Indeed.
I'M SORRY.
2870648
Erm... do you really mean to say that transexuals aren't individuals?
I just really don't get why physical sex is so much bigger of a deal than everything else, or how changing a single aspect of a person's biology is somehow a bigger deal than changing every single other aspect of their biology.
Is it just an aversion to one sex that's somehow "tainting" someone who used to be, but no longer is, that sex? I know some people would feel insecure with the idea of their partner having been a different sex. Like a guy, partnered with someone who was female, could change their gender, but was born male, thinking that therefor if he slept with her, it's kind of like sleeping with a guy, and that's totally gay. I can kind of understand the reasoning behind it... yet it strikes me as oddly petty and superficial, almost on the level of superstition. Particularly in a case like this where there is absolutely no physical difference between Nictis-as-Meadow and a naturally born female pony.
Ah, Nicci, you're such an idiot...
If Nictis hadn't recently decided to be more honest about things, I wonder if he would've realized that apologizing to Bigs would be the ideal thing for him to do, or would the idea still not cross his mind?
Either way, great chapter. The only problem is that we didn't get to see nearly enough of Spark considering what a big deal their new relationship should be, but I'm sure that'll be rectified in future chapters. How close are we to the end, anyway?
Keep up the awesome work!
This was a fun chapter.
It was interesting and fun to see what NMM's return did to the nation as a whole, rather then just what happened in Ponyvile and with the mane 6.
It was also interesting to see Biggs again. I was surprised that our favorite changeling went to try and call a truce. Though I have to say when I stopped to think about it both of their actions make perfect sense.
Also I almost feel bad for Big Shot... if Meadow puts her/his mind to taking bigs apart I have no doubt in my mind that she could take 'em down. It's handy to have just about an unlimited number of disguises.
2869521 - well said, Sir, well said!
MOAR!!!
2870648 YAY changeling super sluts ahoy????
2870706 Look, I get that it is Irrational, but that is simply the way I feel. There is almost always something irrational about people that they have trouble with. Please stop psychoanalyzing (Hey, it is a word) it. There are plenty more logical things to figure out about me, like my fear of Butterflies.
2870706 And yes, they are individuals, I just worded that horribly and couldn't think of a better way to express it. Sorry to any I offended.
EDIT: Edited that comment to try and explain better. And apologize.
2872121 If that is what you want, find a brothel story. Changelings are a bit more complicated than the Asari I was talking about.
2873263 It was ment as a joke(maybe........)
2871189
Hmm... amusingly, I think the changes that lead to him wanting to pacify Bigs are probably the same changes that lead to him losing his temper so badly. Emotion is definitely working against Nictis here. He was acting more emotionally, rather than the cold, logical thinking an Infiltrator should follow. So amusingly, that change of heart might have made him less likely to apologize (Though more likely to actually mean it).
I definitely think she made the wrong choice here, in any case.
And yeah, a bit light on Spark this chapter. Actually, most of the content in this chapter only came to be about halfway through the previous chapter. When Meadow was looking out the window and seeing the signs of what was going on, I'd put the glow coming from over the buildings just as another sign of how things weren't right. Only as I got into this chapter did I realize that I'd set up a perfect opportunity to show Nictis's growth. The next chapter is going to have much more Spark.
And let's see... we've got at least 5 chapters left, minimum. But I've many times had a section that I expected to be a certain length end up being significantly longer, so we'll have to wait and see. Probably 5 or 6 chapters, plus an epilogue.
Ah yes, a phrase I use even without enjoying said coffee.
And I must admit that I am a little saddened, I hoped the trauma caused by Cherry Runner (You know what I think of the name.) would have more of an effect.
2873759
It was almost three years ago, and the memory still brings out a moment of horror when Spark kisses her.
Er, him. I mean... grr. Stupid gender-shifting changeling, mucking up my pronouns...
2874055
Are you rubbing it in now?
No, really, are you rubbing it in?
2874066
Um, no?
I was just expressing annoyance with myself with screwing up my (generally consistent) pronoun use for Nictis/Meadow. It can be surprisingly awkward for writing, sometimes.
2874077 To be honest, I think that might be part of the reason...
Damnit I am not opening this can of worms again.
Love the story (feed on my delicious love, there's not much of it)
but seriously, great story
2873437
YAY more spark!!!
2874077 In my comments I call him Nictis if he's the subject of the sentence, and I call him Meadow if another character is the subject of the sentence. For example: "Nictis confronted Bigs"; "When Spark kissed Meadow..."
I need to do three things. I need to grow another set of arms. I need to find out where you live. And then I need to go there and whip you with four arms to make you write faster.
This has nothing to do with your speed, by the way. I feel you do quite an adequate job speed wise. I just had that thought and I needed to share it, because I'm kind of hoping it will amuse you into writing more.
2879133
Unfortunately, physical pain has been proven to be detrimental to my writing speed, so I think we'll need a different plan! On the plus side, I'm now happily unemployed (for the moment), so I can actually write when I want instead of trying to find a few spare minutes to squeeze some writing in between everything else I have to do.
Oh dear. Bigs has seen Nictis' original form, and now he has further reason to connect Meadow to it. This could go real bad after the invasion.
2866513 I run a changeling group and I read all the stories that people put in there just to make sure that it IS in fact, a changeling story and that it doesn't violate any rules. when this story was submitted to my group I went to read it and saw the tags I kinda " *sigh* another stupid dark story" and read it reluctantly. now I am completely in love with this story. its really easy to judge a story based on the tags and description and hard not to. Im kinda conflicted, super happy that I found it and really guilty about judging it so quickly. I didn't downvote but I mentally downvoted it before reading
sorry
2889952
Hey, it's okay! I understand. I was very reluctant to tag it as I did, but it does get some decidedly dark moments when compared to the show (The end of chapter 2 and most of the "Monsters" chapter are probably the biggest). And it definitely has some sad moments, too. So it probably deserves the tags... even though they likely give the wrong image of the story.
Though I am constantly tempted to alter the tags. I'm rather reluctant to read dark stories, because they all too often make Equestria some sort of backwards hellhole, with genocidal xenophobic ponies, totalitarian princesses, and all that junk. I find it kind of ironic when the so many "typical" dark fics shows ponies as worse than Fallout: Equestria did... and I've found very few sad fics that actually accomplish what they're going for, instead of feeling forced and cliche. When I see a sad-dark story, I'm fairly unlikely to read it...
...well, except this one has a changeling in it. I'm a sucker for changeling stories.
liked and faved now i am waiting for more
2923767
Erm... I'm not really sure what you mean by Meadow vs Nictis. Meadow basically is Nictis, just with a little bit of acting added in.
What were you expecting? I'm kind of curious to know what went wrong.
soooo whens the next update due? (trying to subtly hint at the fact that I will DIE without more of this story soon)
2924844
I know how you feel. I made the mistake of watching the season four animatics teased at comic-con, and it's taken my opinion on season four from "I wish it wasn't so far off" to "HOLY CRAP I NEED THIS NOW." Also, it's really hard to write when "Apples to the Core" keeps running on endless repeat in my head. That's a catchy song.
Hopefully I should have it out by the weekend. I finally got down exactly what I'm covering in this chapter, and have 5k (Edit-correction: 6k) of what will probably be around 9-10k, so I'm pretty well on-target for the weekend. Should be some more good character-building, Meadow and Spark sappiness, and such, with the current arc wrapping up sometime in the chapter after it... and leading into the final arc. Dun dun dun...
I think you meant Spark.
2931976
Nope. The comma separates the main statement of the sentence ("I'm finally at a place that I'm happy with;" the "place" is the subject that she's "happy with") from the name that was simply used to emphasize that she was trying to make this point to him (I'm sure there are smart-words to use for describing them, but to tell the truth, I'm horrible at being able to describe the parts of language and their names). Basically, the sentence is the same as if she said "Bigs, I'm finally at a place that I'm happy with."
If she meant to say "I'm finally at a place that I'm happy with Spark," it would need to be without the comma (Like I wrote it there) or else it would mean that she's addressing Spark. Considering that she was talking to Bigs, that would be rather wrong. And rather confusing for both of them, I'm sure.
2932435 Yeah, I see that now. It was 5 in the morning when I read it, so I might not be on full brain power then.
Well. Now she's really "gone native". No turning back, no ties... welcome to the herd, Nictis
...think "Oh sweet Celestia"? Why yes, yes you did
Yaaaay! They're gonna need a double-size bed! Finally!
Ugh. He's absolutely right. She hasn't learned a thing. She didn't even apologize.
Remarks and corrections:
> at speeds that normally would have normally gotten
double "normally"
> many of the displaced ponies were eager to help pitch in and help,
That first "help" kinda seems like it shouldn't be there.
Lady, you have no idea.
Careful Meadow, don't tempt fate.
Now we have genuine caring compassion that's not entirely out of a simple need for food. The new Meadow is 200% cooler.
Wow.
It's been awhile since I said "To hell with sleep."
It's 12:37 am and I will be Damned if I quit reading this masterpiece.
Dude. I'm loving this so much. Please tell me there is fan art. Couldn't find any and I really want a pic of Meadow Song, This stories version anyway. Apparently there is a stallion with a guitar as his mark who is also named the same. Coinsidence? I'm not sure. Anyways. Thanks for this wonderful story!