Chapter 11
The walk back to town was exceedingly uncomfortable. Twilight hadn't said another word since the awkward conversation over lunch. She just walked along behind me with her head down and cheeks scarlet. Fluttershy was also behind me, after having insisted that I walk in front so I didn't see anything awkward. She seemed to be referring to Twilight, but I couldn’t be sure. I felt kind of like a little schoolboy being punished, really. The worst part was that I couldn't read either of their expressions. Neither of them seemed outwardly angry at me, which confused and frustrated me. I'd almost rather take yelling than this strange alienation. Spike shot me a confused shrug from Twilight's back before I turned my head to face forwards again. Rarity, seeming totally unfazed by the events, walked directly to my right. She looked deep in thought however so I decided not to bother her. I guess the Elements of Harmony were imperfect enough to have disagreements. Oddly, I could relate a little better with that.
Once again, I wore saddlebags. These were Twilight's picnic bags this time. I found an odd comfort in wearing them. Honestly, they didn't really cover much or protect me all that well, but it was more a psychological effect of carrying them. The extra weight, this time of three stones alongside the picnic supplies, made me feel a little more stable on my hooves as well. It was Rarity's idea that I be the one to carry the accursed things, having shown an ability to somewhat resist them just in case they decided to seep through the fabric or something. I doubted they would as they hadn't affected the shovel, ground, or the fabric when we put them into the bags. Still, it couldn't hurt.
It was a long twenty minutes of walking before we got back to the library. Rarity parted ways, saying she had fabric in today that she needed to sort and unpack. Fluttershy seemed hesitant but followed us into the building. Twilight slowly climbed the stairs to the loft immediately and I purposefully turned away as deliberately as possible, in order to not be accused of ogling again. Spike shook his head and followed after her. Fluttershy watched them go, before sighing tiredly again. When I glanced over, she noticed and gave me a worn out smile.
"You okay?" I asked her quietly.
She nodded, and her smile got a bit more warmth to it. "Yes, thank you. I'll go up and talk to her. Try to get her to calm down again," she offered, starting towards the stairs.
"What do you think is the matter?" I asked her, hoping for insight.
"She's a very um, disciplined pony. She's probably never considered the uh, t-topic before and is over-reacting to an obvious joke," she reasoned, sounding extremely diplomatic.
I sighed and nodded, wishing I could ask the same of herself. I settled with, "Are you sure you're all right?"
Fluttershy didn't say anything for a few moments. Gazing directly at me, she smiled and a light blush crept up her cheeks. "I'm fine. It makes me happy you're concerned for me though. You um, we should talk more. And I want to l-look at your injuries again," she suggested.
A light twinge of sadness slipped through me but I squished it down fast. Fluttershy still looked surprised momentarily, but I quickly flashed a warmer smile seconds later.
"That sounds good. Perhaps I'll drop by tomorrow?" I offered.
Fluttershy observed me with careful speculation, but then smiled and nodded timidly. "Um, y-yes, that would be g-good. I'll go see if I can talk to Twilight, t-then," she agreed, and I kicked myself for letting her see that falter.
"Tell her I'm sorry, for what it's worth," I added, frowning again and looking up the stairs. Fluttershy nodded and turned, and I was snagged in hesitation. She was to the base of the stairs, when I continued with, "And to you, too."
She stopped, with her right forehoof on the first step, pink mane shifting forwards gently. She peeked back at me questioningly, eyes locking with my own as I watched her. She was so pretty. It upset me that she didn't feel the same but I didn't want that feeling upsetting her, or getting in the way of our friendship.
Her eyes softened and she blushed again before giving a single shake of her head. The warm smile said she forgave me, but the headshake indicated either otherwise, or disagreement with something else entirely. I had no idea what the blush meant. "T-Tomorrow," is all she said before heading back up the stairs.
I sighed weakly, exhaling the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Something had to be done. If I was going to fit in here, I needed to get myself under control. This was causing tension which was throwing everypony off balance in extremely subtle ways. To distract myself, I went about unpacking the saddlebags after slipping them off of myself and onto a nearby table. Carefully adjusting the stones through the fabric, I shifted them until I could get at the picnic supplies instead. I moved them out of the bags first and then just stared at the rocks. One side contained two rocks, and the other contained the other rock and a sealed bag of soil and grass samples from the crater. Twilight had collected them before going emotionally comatose, I recalled. Another twinge of guilt struck me and I sighed wearily. I needed to get a hold on my emotions.
Then the proverbial light bulb flashed on in my head. Turning from the saddlebags, I looked around the main room curiously. Walls and walls of carefully organized books met my gaze and I smiled. Surely I wasn't the first with this issue. Maybe there was some sort of magic already formulated to help?
I trotted over to the nearest shelf and tried to get a grasp of how the books were organized. Twilight didn't seem to keep any index cards for the place so she must use some sort of organization method, right? It didn't take any time at all to realize they were alphabetized. Rapidly going along the shelves, I got down to the 'S' section in reasonably short order.
Spells, spells... Twilight was a magic user, so she had to have spell books somewhere. After searching for several minutes, I rapidly got frustrated. There was nothing on spells directly at all. History, background information, important ponies, styles... No application or technique to be found. Crap. Then it dawned on me. This was a public library. Twilight's personal books would be upstairs in her bookcases I saw earlier.
My ears deflated back and I sagged, wandering back over to the table the saddlebags were on. I heard voices and debated if I should listen or not. Of course, they probably assumed I was down here. I mean, I didn't exactly have anyplace else I could go.
"You know how Rainbow Dash is, Twilight," I heard Spike say, from somewhere near the stairs. He sounded a little frustrated.
"I know, I know. I just don't know how to feel. I don't have time for a boyfriend, with all of my studying," Twilight muttered, sounding stressed. What?! I did a double take, and was definitely listening now. Screw propriety!
"Twilight, all he did was accidentally l-look at your f-flank when you turned. You're overreacting," Fluttershy spoke softly. Well uh, true I guess. I started considering my own feelings.
Twilight was definitely pretty and really nice to me, most of the time. She got distracted a lot though, and it really didn't look like somepony else was a priority in her life at the moment. But Fluttershy had her animals she took care of, in which I got classified into, sadly. That kept her rather busy, probably. Neither of them liked me like that, to my knowledge. I however, saw good traits towards both. I frowned. I certainly couldn't have both, obviously. But neither wanted me anyway so why was I even thinking about this?!
I set my head down on my hooves at the table. Frustration boiled over and I felt like smashing my head repeatedly into the flat surface. That just left the problem as my own. Time to buck up and just deal with it, I suppose. Teaching my vulgar body a lesson also sounded like an idea if I could find a way to butcher the hormones. There was the answer. I mean, obviously all of this frustration was just chemicals. I didn't want myself to actually be the cause of all of these issues. There had to be a way for me to fix the chemicals, right?
"I've never done this before and couldn't find a book on it anywhere. What does that mean?" Twilight asked, sounding as frustrated as I was. That was easy enough to answer. Although, was it? I started to question my own desires, so I wasn't so sure anymore.
There was a sardonic sigh. "That he's into mares and thinks you're cute? It seems simple enough to me," Spike groaned out. Well yeah, but which mare was I into?
"But he likes you, Fluttershy. I already said that! What does that mean?" she returned, confused and frustrated sounding.
A ball of ice fell into my stomach. She told Fluttershy? But she was supposed to keep that a secret. Why did she tell her? More importantly, when did she tell her?
"Are you s-sure? Oh dear. That's why he w-was upset then. I'm so s-stupid," Fluttershy muttered, barely audible.
There was a light chortle from Spike, then, "You just now realized how it sounded?" Spike was acting like he knew what she had said before I mentioned something to Twilight this afternoon. Wait, he was asleep when I was talking about that!
"Spike! You aren't stupid, Fluttershy. Relax. He can't like both of us and he likes you, so he must not like me, right?" Twilight reasoned.
"B-But what if he d-does like both of us? Or if he hates me now that I w-was so stupid?" Fluttershy asked, sounding hurt. I didn't hate her. My brain felt like it was stuffed with lukewarm mud. Damn it. Everything was falling apart. What hadn't I been told? Who had said what to whom?
"No, just, ug. I can't think about this right now. I have these readings to analyze. Oh no, he sleeps up here, too!" Twilight exclaimed, getting louder and faster with her speech. I heard her shift closer to the right corner, where the cot was. She started to sound panicked, which was something I could relate to, as well.
"So? He did last night too," Spike reminded, sounding a little annoyed now. Oh no. Don't make her even more agitated, Spike!
There was a momentary pause. "W-What if he t-tries something, t-though?" she asked. Another ball of ice joined the first in my stomach. Why would I..?
"Why would he do that, Twilight? He wouldn't f-force you. He's a nice pony," Fluttershy asked, voice getting a little stronger. I blushed lightly.
"But what if I," she started, before trailing off weakly. What if she what? I swallowed painfully, dreading what she must think of me in her mind. "No. Just no. He sleeps somewhere else for now. I need to think. And compile this data," she finally decided. Ball three joined, and I started to shiver. I tried to blink away moisture in my eyes, wishing I had a time machine to go back and fix everything. Or just bitch slap and garrote myself before I left the crater.
"B-But what about his b-bed?" Fluttershy asked, suddenly sounding panicked.
There was a snarl of frustration above me, somewhat akin to what I presumed a lion pouncing on a large goat would sound like. "It's the Apple Family's bed, not his! And I don't care!" Twilight shouted.
There was a loud crashing noise, followed by Spike's exclaimed, "Whoa, Twilight!" The bed suddenly slid down the stairs violently, legs folded up under it and popping stubby wheels out in their place. Not that the wheels were helping its violent descent much. I swallowed heavily and just stared at the bed that lay there on the floor.
Well, that confirmed it. Because of my stupidity, I was homeless again. Wow. A simple gaze caused all of this. One I hadn't really even thought about at the time. I decided a lot of this would be easier to shrug off if it wasn't mostly my doing, of course. I felt a couple warm streaks slide down my cheeks but I shook my head rapidly, sending them flying. I should leave them be and let feelings cool off. It sounded like a reasonable idea, in light of the mental image of being flung out the second story window by similar energy that propelled the bed.
Glancing over at the saddlebags, I decided the stones were probably safer here. Twilight would probably be pissed if I took her saddlebags with me, anyway. Having nothing of my own, I reminded myself, I didn't exactly have anything to carry them with. With nothing left to do, I wandered over to my cot. Well, Applejack's cot. It didn't take me long to find leather straps on the front of the mattress.
* * * * *
Son of a bitch, this thing was heavy. I mean sure, it had wheels, but they were tiny and obviously not meant for distance. It didn't help that the straps were awkwardly angled and I had to balance the strap carefully across my collarbone, or else it would slip downwards and trip me, or slip upwards and choke me. The setup was starting to seriously chafe my flanks, too!
Still, I must have been quite the strange sight. A bandaged up, emaciated stallion with no cutie mark, dragging a folding cot down the road while crying pitifully like an idiot? Well rumor had probably already spread that I was batshit insane, so maybe they were jaded to strange behavior from me by now? Me, bitter? Nah. A few ponies stopped to whisper but I was largely avoided. Wise. Never talk to the crazy ones. I momentarily entertained thoughts of this being all one long and detailed hallucination, and me being locked away in some padded room somewhere for my own safety. Ah well. Thoughts like that would hardly do if this was the reality I was restricted to anyway. Who cared about what wasn't right in front of them?
The makeshift harness suddenly went taut and yanked my head back! Choking and flailing my forehooves into the air, I realized my own back hooves were wedging me in place. Trying not to panic, I shifted backwards, bracing my neck against the leather, and falling back away from it onto my haunches. With the strap loosened now, I took welcomed gulps of sweet, sweet air.
Okay, what the hell?! I whipped my head around, and came face to face with two bright blue eyes and a whole lot of pink. Aw, crap.
"Hiya! Hehe, you're messy," Pinkie Pie pointlessly observed, whilst standing on the mattress. My impromptu landing had knocked up a lot of dust which I assumed had coincidentally mixed with the tear streaks. I probably looked like a drunken, washed out punk rocker or something. The metaphor would probably be lost in this world, though.
"Now I have streaks of mud, rather than water on my face. Thank you, Pinkie," I groaned irritably.
She giggled in absolute delight, though. "You're welcome, Mender!" she exclaimed. Sarcasm was lost on her as well, I noted. Wait, I hadn't told her my name.
I opened my mouth to ask, but a sigh came out and I clamped it shut again. No. I'd never told Fluttershy about my crush either but she knew now. Probably the same effect, as both Rarity and Rainbow Dash could have told any number of ponies. Why ask, then?
Pinkie watched me for a few seconds before giggling. "Well somepony's all frowny-faced today. We're gonna have to fix that!" she declared, as if diagnosing me with the common cold. I noticed she made no attempt to actually figure out what was wrong.
"Don't you have a job to tend to about now?" I asked, groaning lightly as I stood up.
"Nope! Today's a day off so I shall devote it to you," she pledged, throwing a cute salute and puffing herself up. Damn it.
I sighed and shook my head. "I'll be fine. I just need to give Twilight some space is all," I assured, picking the leather strap back up in my teeth. I'd gotten a lot more flexible with what I put in my mouth, I noticed. Maybe because it was effectively the only body part that I could grasp things with?
"Aww, but I need to eat up all these muffins and you were going to AJ's farm anyway. Might as well share," she whined, making a silly pouting face. Wait, muffins? What the hell did that have to do with hanging around me? As if on cue, she smirked and pulled an entire tray of them out of her side saddle, all of them somehow still on the thing. Well dang. My head suddenly started to hurt from the attempt at fully processing how she did that.
My stomach betrayed me with a rumble and she snickered merrily. I suddenly remembered that I had technically eaten absolutely nothing at the picnic earlier. Er, hold on, I was going to Sweet Apple Acres? Turning to look, I noticed I was indeed aimed in the direction of the farm. Dang. Pinkie's intelligence was subtle but irrefutable. Her seemingly innocent insanity might just be a ruse to throw us off the scent of her master plans! Suddenly she was even more of a monster than I had originally thought. What if she was leading everypony astray with her cute and innocent demeanor while secretly plotting the downfall of Equestria?!
"Twitchy twitches say Applejack needs some help, anyway! And muffins! They're always needed," she added, pointing in the direction of the farm.
Or I could be jumping to conclusions again, I decided. "Muffins? Really?" I asked, giving in to the fact that she wasn't going to leave, or get off the mattress. I groaned as I pulled and got up momentum again. I was very careful to balance the strap further onto my chest this time, lest I be accidentally garroted instead.
"Of course! Beats cupcakes, right?" she reasoned. Ug. I tried not to think of either cupcakes or Rainbow Dash. That was a low blow, Pinkie. Sighing, I hauled us at a moderate turtle's pace towards the farm.
* * * * *
"But are you sure that's true?" I asked, finding it shocking at best.
Pinkie nodded to my left in my peripheral vision. We rode down a rather large hill, traveling down a light dirt path that seemed to be heading towards the prominent barn on the property. The mattress made for a very nice makeshift cart after I jury-rigged a stick into the front two wheels. It formed a simple bent axle I could 'steer' with the leather strap.
"Of course. Muffins are the best for long journeys. They can last practically forever. But cookies beat 'em out, pound for pound in space saving," she repeated.
I did the calculations, and realized she was right, due to surface area taken into account. "Amazing! I never would have thought of that," I admitted.
"I've packed for long trips before. You always need a towel too, no matter what. Oh, and a book to keep entertained!" she explained, waving her hoof in front of her, as if making a point to a lecture hall.
Towel, book, muffins. Got it. I made a mental note to stock up on these vital items as soon as possible. "But what about the maple syrup?" I asked, suddenly confused.
"It makes good adhesive and it's yummy! Or do you prefer caramel?" she asked, tilting her head towards me. Crap! I had never thought about it before. Had I been doing everything wrong up until now?
I frowned. "I think the caramel would be easier managed, but only in colder temperatures. Otherwise, I'd have to say syrup, so it depends on the climate traveled to?" I reasoned.
Pinkie Pie made a squeal of delight and nodded enthusiastically. "Wow, you're right! I'll have to add that to my notes later. I never thought of that," she replied, sounding giddy again. Her energy was infectious and I found myself smiling and nodding along with her as we reached the bottom of the hill.
Applejack rounded the side of the barn, apparently hearing the noises, and gave us the most confused look I'd ever seen. "What in tarnation are ya all doin'?"
"I woke up this morning and I was twitchy twitchin' with my Pinkie Sense, and knew you'd need help today so I made supper and brought it here, but then I was worried about how much I could have fit in my pack, and we were discussing if I could have put more treats in it, or fit an extra muffin or two, but eventually decided that I couldn't possibly fit anything else in the saddlebags!" Pinkie enlightened, in one long, unceasing statement. When did she take time to inhale?
Applejack gave her a deadpan look for a few seconds, before releasing a sigh and nodding. "Dead on as usual, Sugarcube. Big Mac an' ah couldn't get back ta the house on account o' the cart we brought bustin'. We could definitely use some food, if ya are in ah sharin' mood," she explained, looking a tad glum before noticing me again, and adding, "And what brings ya here, as well?"
"I met him on the way! He was all dirty and I was all, you're coming with me to feel better and help! And then there were frogs! It was so cool!" she spilled out, before I could even open my mouth. She only seemed to have one volume when excited. Wait, help? She never mentioned I was supposed to... Oh no. No, she promised!
"Pinkie! We promised to never speak of the frogs again," I reminded, glaring at her. The stain on my memory and purity was just too great. No, I had just repaired my relationship with Applejack, as well.
Pinkie gasped and looked pleadingly back at me. AJ just looked bewildered. "But, but, please? How you used that vine and tree bark was so creative," she whined. Ug.
"Please no, Pinkie," I begged, falling at her hooves and looking hopefully up at her. I hadn't even known they could jump that high! Or stretch like that.
Applejack exhaled sharply, looking a little worn down. "Ah really don't care anymore," she muttered, looking back up at me from her sudden stupor. Her eyes subtly traced the lines that ran down my cheeks and then shifted down to the cot. She stared at it for a few seconds, while Pinkie started playing with my mane, as I was still at her hooves. Oddly, she seemed sated now, as if she had never intended to tell Applejack to begin with.
"Ya can move the cot inside the barn fer tonight," Applejack suddenly spoke up, gesturing in the direction of the building.
Wait, what? Just like that, it was okay for me to stay? "You mean I um, I can stay here?" I asked tentatively.
Pinkie giggled gently and patted my on the head. "Of course. She's not gonna put the cot in the barn for its own sake is she?" she 'reasoned', smiling at me knowingly. Hey! Unfair. If she was immune to sarcasm, she wasn't allowed to use it for herself.
"Ah expect ta find out why Twilight kicked ya out eventually, mind ya. Ah just need ta get our supplies back ta the house before tonight. We're supposed ta get rain, an' the barn ain't as dry as it used ta be," Applejack added, giving me a warmer smile and a nod before turning and trotting back around the barn.
I felt a little warmer, glad that she was willing to give me a chance to explain it. She probably assumed I was a more innocent form of insane now, rather than a deranged molester or murderer. Wait, not as dry?
Pinkie smiled happily and much to my confusion, hopped around the barn instead of walking, following after Applejack. Ug. I stopped caring. It was still a roof, which was better than the tree I was anticipating hijacking. Which said something, considering the luck I had with trees, really. I gave a grunt and continued pulling the mattress forward and around the side of the barn.
I was able to get it inside easily enough, with the main door open like it was. The inside of the barn was a little smaller than I recalled before I realized that the process of loading it with apple crates had started. They seemingly got the bottom filled up first, which didn't surprise me. I went over to the corner directly to the right of the door and set the cot down there, kicking the legs down on it again. My makeshift axle popped loose, and I smiled as I undid the straps with my hooves. It was a clever little idea but I tried not to let it go to my head. On a whim, I also grabbed the coiled up vine lengths I had on the back of the mattress, and dropped them in front with the axle and leather strap. How we managed to swing that far without hitting any trees was beyond me. I shuddered and pushed the memory away, hopefully forever.
Peeking over at the cart, I noticed the same red stallion from earlier. I shuddered and realized just how massive he looked close up. He was at least a full head taller than me and easily twice as heavy. There wasn't a bit of him that wasn't muscled, though. It was more than a little intimidating.
"Ug, still no go on the fixin'?" Applejack asked, sliding down onto her tummy and peeking under the collapsed cart. Now that I was looking closer, I saw she had quite a bit of muscle as well. A part of me wished I had a little more shape to me, aside from 'stringy' and 'squishy'. Those weren't appreciated adjectives.
"Nnnope. Got the wheel back on, thou'," he replied in a low, but calm voice.
Frowning, I walked over, ignoring Pinkie playing with the pulley system in the background, and looked under the cart as well. The axle was very plainly split in two and I predicted what had happened. The wheel had popped off as they were loading it and the cart had tipped and smashed the end of the axle into the ground with the full weight behind it. Big Mac groaned as he lifted the snapped axle up again, trying to line it up so the broken ends wedged themselves together. I shook my head weakly.
"That's not going to work. If you're lucky, you'd get maybe ten more feet before it rotated out of place and snapped again," I warned, not wanting them to waste the effort.
Applejack looked over at me from under the cart, wearing a frown. "What? Aww, pony feathers. We need ah professional ta come an' take ah gander, then?" She groaned, sounding frustrated. I was hearing that a lot today. This frustration I could fix, though.
Looking around, it didn't take me long to spot an older, retired looking dusting broom lying against the wall with other, newer ones. The bristles were frayed and it looked like they were getting ready to replace it. Perfect! I trotted over to it with a slightly more enthusiastic step and grabbed it in my mouth. Mmm, dust and wood. My favorite flavor.
Big Mac gave me an interested, yet reserved look as he watched me carry the broom back. There was a light thudding noise, followed by, "Ow!" Applejack slowly sat up on the other side of the cart, rubbing her head with a hoof.
I sat down upon reaching them and gave the dust broom head an experimental nudge with my right forehoof. As anticipated, it rotated. Encouraged, I spun the head around until it slowly popped off. The length was just about perfect! I spit out the wooden pole and smiled at Applejack. "The old axle is toast but if we replace it with this, then secure the wheels on to both ends, I bet we can at least get the cart back to the house," I explained rapidly.
AJ went from a perplexed stare to a warm smile. "Well ah'll be. That'll be mighty useful. Thank ya, Mender. Think we can swap 'er out, Bro?" she asked, turning back to Big Mac.
"Eeyup!" he answered simply, with a gentle smile and brisk nod. He then nudged the side of the cart up with ease, and Applejack turned around and used her back leg to start to pry the wheel off. I saw that it was a simple insert with a peg locking system, and frowned. Screws with a peg lock were much more secure. No wonder it popped off.
An idea popped into my head and I trotted rapidly over to the cot again. "Hey, Pinkie! Could you help me carry these vines over? We can secure the wheels with them," I requested, accepting that the broom handle didn't have holes put through each end for the peg locks. We'd just have to improvise.
"Okie Dokie Lokie!" she agreed whimsically, letting go of the rope in her mouth. I watched the lift smash into the floor with a dull thud but she seemed unfazed. Instead, she pranced over and snagged the second coil in her mouth. I chuckled at her before picking up my own and following.
Applejack smiled as both of us arrived, lining up the new 'axle' while Big Mac slid it through the bearings. After it was secure, he went around the back of the cart and lifted it up using his back, causing it to rise at an angle after the forward shafts hit the ground. Taking cue, Applejack hooked the fallen wheel on her side, and propped it up, sliding it onto the pole. I dropped my vine bundle and quickly repeated the movements on my side, earning another soft smile from the mare.
"Aw, shucks. It's too small. The wheels don't," she started to add a moment later, losing her smile. Pinkie trotted up first, interrupting her by presenting the vine length. Applejack stared at it for a few seconds before getting my idea and smirking. Big Mac gave a knowing smile and nod, before slowly letting the cart body down. I held my breath lightly, as everypony eagerly watched.
The broom handle held. I exhaled in relief and picked up one end of the vine at my hooves again. I saw Pinkie go to town on her side as well and smiled at the energetic mare. Not wanting to be called lazy, I quickly got to work securing the wheel, wondering why I had been taught how to tie knots as an engineer as well. Well, I suppose the basics would be useful regardless and were probably taught to everypony. Er, everyone.
It took barely thirty seconds for us to finish and all four of us backed away from the cart to admire our work. Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh as I saw Pinkie's side. Our styles were totally different. Mine was methodical, securing the wheel with mechanical precision and bundling the remainder. Pinkie's was elaborate and fluid, forming the excess into a large, cute bow tie. She grinned mirthfully at me as I laughed and Applejack snickered, patting her gently on the shoulder. My breath caught as I watched, eyes widening. Even if for only a moment, I was envious. In that split second, between the look I saw them share with each other, I realized they were truly friends. It was impossible to put into words. A warmth and knowing familiarity. An assurance of trust and companionship. Nothing really gave the feeling justice. Suddenly, I wanted to feel that for myself, like a parched pony might want the rain. In disdain, I glanced back down at my knot and noted its distinct lack of personality. I huffed quietly but was washed out by Applejack talking.
"Well ah'll be. This might just work," she declared, sounding deeply relieved.
"Eeyup. Ya judged him too fast, Sis," Big Mac slowly added.
Applejack blushed and momentarily looked away from me. I looked down awkwardly, really wishing they'd just put that behind them already. "Ah reckon yer right. To be honest, it was downright unfair o' me. Ya have mah apologies," she interrupted, causing me to start and look up again. She was watching me, eyes much softer and that smile back again that heated me up a little inside. Friendship. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme to my thoughts, lately.
Regardless, I shook my head rapidly and smiled back. "No, it's alright, Miss Applejack. I'm just happy to be helpful," I assured. To my surprise, she slipped around the front of the cart and circled to my side. I fidgeted a little.
"Yer ah right gentlecolt. Rarity was speakin' true. Although ya can drop the 'Miss', an' just call meh Applejack or AJ, fer short," she offered, stopping a yard away or so and nodding affirmative with a smile. I relaxed a little and nodded back, still somewhat unsure of how to handle myself around her.
My thought process was deeply disrupted as two hooves extended to each side of my head, hooked the corners of my mouth, and distended my lips into a horribly exaggerated smile, causing me to flail about and bulge my eyes out. What the crap?! "More smiles, Mr. Frowny Face," Pinkie announced from behind me, causing me to inwardly sigh. What, did she have a quota or something?
Applejack snickered in amusement at her antics and just shook her head. "Well we'll talk more when we git indoors. It'll start rainin' soon now an' ah wanna get these supplies back ta the house before it does," she reminded, turning back around and giving a nod to Big Mac, who was now attached to the front of the cart via the collar he always seemed to wear.
For the first time, I got a good look at what she was hauling. Oddly, it looked like metal tools and some sort of cloth-like material that had light colored stains on it. Ah, so she didn't want the cloth getting wet before she could wash it? Weird. The tools were more obvious, though. Hammers, nails, and what seemed to be metal wedges. I glanced back towards the already packed up apple crates and saw that they were indeed sealed. So this was what they had used to seal up the crates after moving the apples into the barn? The cloth was probably to keep the apples that might have accidentally dropped from falling on the ground.
"Can ya watch ah wheel as we go, Mender? Ah'd feel better if we were careful in haulin' it back ta the house," she asked. I smiled and nodded politely to her, taking my place to the left of the cart. She nodded back and took the right side of the cart herself. Pinkie, of course, dived onto the top of it, and grinned over the side at Big Mac, as he smirked at her.
"Giddy up, big guy!" she exclaimed merrily, with a playful wink to him.
Big Mac gave a light chuckle before starting out at a light trot, easily pulling the entirety of the cart by himself. Holy crap! I figured he was going to pull it by himself but I didn't think he'd manage it so easily. He made it look like he was just strolling casually. I got a lovely image of my collarbone and shoulders snapping off if I tried doing the same thing.
Gulping lightly, I followed the cart as it headed off back to the house. This day was certainly going quite differently from how I'd anticipated it when I woke up. Sighing lightly, I focused on keeping a steady eye on the cart wheel.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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OH YEA, I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT ROMANCE IS NEXT FOR SURE!
awesome chapter! Mender, please go out with Fluttershy! PLEASE!
230218
A new chapter...but I had plans on working on my own fic...and...and...and...
*gives up and goes to read new chapter*
Twilight! why are you making such assumptions
Another great chapter but it made me kind of sad. Mender seems so alone right now.
Goddammit Mender...
y u always got problems?
Btw I feel as if i'm missing some ridiculous story involving frogs
Excellent chapter.
I am enjoying the story thoroughly!
D'awwwww, I just wanna give mender a big hug. This story has just the perfect proportions of everything. Though how you are going to wrap this up in like 4 chapters or so is beyond me. There is so much more story to tell!
I think us fans need to stage a author-napping
Wrap this up in 4 chapters???
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Yay
Let the romance and drama shit begin!
You sir are a writing machine! You got this out quick!
Its always so refreshing to see twilight loose her head, but I've never quite seen it to this extent. Eagerly awaiting new developments.
Bad twilight
bad
I love you...no homo
And Moon Mender X Fluttershy all the way!
Twilight's really overreacting. Loving the story.
Wow, way to overreact Twi.
and then the worst part of an unfinished fic......the waiting
Blah blah blah, romance, bleh bleh bleh, drama; just get to describing more mechanical structures. Or maybe do math or something, Cheerilee always has those planets and some sort of pseudo equation on her chalkboard, solve it!!
Bwahahahahahaha! Pinkie is always good at relieving tension!
Ohhh, but yeah, Now I'm happy. Nice chapter...of course now I'm curious... did he fling frogs with vines and tree bark like one would with paper and a rubber band? I must know!
Can't wait for the next one. heh, Twilight is still soooooooooooo romantically awkward! X3
230337 it would be better if mender ends up with twilight.
pinkie to the rescue!
Poor twilight, she doesn't know what to do with herself sometimes. panic and overreaction at situations she doesn't know how to handle using her vast knowledge and books.
but that's why we love her and what make twilight, twilight 
i normally am a big fan of OC x Fluttershy shippings, but there's just something about twilight in this story that really grabs me. her actions and close magical ties with mender makes for a really good match in my opinion.
fantastic chapter btw! i was engrossed in another story which i quickly tossed aside when i saw this was updated. i'm so silly
i wasn't lying when i said i was eager to know what happened next. this really is a great story ya know. defiantly a favorite!.
Oh genious an mad pinkie pie, you are indeed to much pony for him to handle
. Loved the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference 
.
If he ever comes to canterlot and discord gets a hold of his memories...i do not want to know what happens
.
Moon mender still needs some more fleshing out, maybe he won't accept help easily because he is not used to recieving help at all. For instance in his world someone helping him could mean he is in debt/serious trouble.Him recieving more memory because of twilight peforming the spell (if she still will
) for a second time might be an exellent occasion for this.
Now don't take so long to update this time
. There is a limit at how long a man can last without pony's
.
All I can say is... you are freaking awesome, can't for more, oh and I think I see a hitchikers guide to the galaxy refrence there, because of the towel and book, well anyway keep it up.
Ahahahaha! Before akela and flutteringshy! ^^ another great chapter, with a great deal of development and emotional... Stuff. Moonshy for president! Oh and I forgot to ad before, I think I know what destroyed his prior civilisation! Looking forward waaay too much for more!
Pinkie is planning to take over the world!
"You always need a towel too, no matter what." Is that a reference to the Hitchhiker's?
I seem to be missing something, about frogs...
Also, when AJ was apologizing to Mender, it said 'she interrupted,' but who was she interrupting?
Great chapter, as always.
Another great read! Counting down til the next chapter!
Was Mender's old world demolished to make way for a hyperspatial express route?
Chapter 11, wherein Moon Mender manages to achieve the impossible by having a genuine conversation with Pinkie Pie. I guess he's finally putting those meandering thought processes to good use. Pondering the relative travel merits of various snack foods, taking into account a dual purpose practical function for each item. That's like a bizarrely perfect combination of Pinkie random and strangely logical. I don't think I would have ever guessed that those two would balance each other out into a sort of organized chaos. Now just wait until he sees some of her gadgets. Together they'll invent some sort of perpetual motion engine created entirely from sugar crystals, marshmallows, and pretzels, despite the fact that pretzels didn't previously exist in Equestria.
I wonder if Spike or Fluttershy will feel guilty enough to try to explain to him that Twilight has a tendency to freak out over minor things, so he shouldn't be too worried about her being mad at him. Let's see, though...since potential relationships won't be resolved until the end of the story, they're gonna have to mill around and stir up more confusion for the next few chapters. Therefore, I predict that Rarity will soon show up with a surprise gift for him, Twilight will stay awkward for a bit until she realizes he's the key to something big with her research, Fluttershy just won't know what to do, Mender will continue getting to know Applejack and Pinkie better, and Rainbow Dash will throw another couple wrenches in to make sure nothing gets too comfortable. And maybe he'll hang out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders a little.
By the way, the mysterious frog incident reminds me of the piranha-frogs from the White Demure story.
231360 I second that.
231421 Good points.
Discord getting new resources in the shape of ideas is something I'd rather not think into too much..
Also a good point- 'if Twi still will' go for another magic-memory session.
Although right now I don't see that happening, being thrown off balance as she is right now.
..and the prospect of reviewing the whole 'oogle-issue' through his eyes is propably not helping. At ALL.
I know, she's propably more stressed out than it seems right now, but she's REALLY insensitive up to the point of being downright mean there.
I mean, she knows for a fact that he's hell-bent on doing some work to actually be worth just his own room and board.
He just started to get used to the idea of of accepting help.
Aaaaaand what does she do?
Kick him out. Even let him carry the stupid bed back.
we remember- He almost litterally dived in headfirst to save one of her best friends. Quite propably from certain death. And bloody nearly DIED doing so!
And then she goes on to rip him of what little security he had to hang on to for basically not looking away in time?
Way to deliver the impression that you can count on nothing other than yourself during a time when that pretty much sums up to zero, Twi!
(*sigh* I like Twilight a lot, but when she loses it, she loses it badly)
231751
.
Not to mention the fact that his whole world just got destroyed and he has only been a pony for around a week. Lets just hope twi gets it together
Really liked this chapter! These updates are pretty much the highlight of my week.
Darn it, Twilight! Quit overreacting!
On a side note: I think you write Pinkie Pie really well.
*secretly hopes for MoonxFluttershy*
231751
231818
i don't think twilight really kicked him out per say. from what we have seen so far Mender jumps to conclusions 'very quickly.' I'm going to venture to guess Twilight's angry throwing of the cot down the stairs was more of a "he sleeps downstairs tonight." and he took it as a "Get out now" which it wasn't intended to be so.
I'm sure Twilight's going to feel awful once she finds out he is gone. shes probably going to try and find him, or at least i hope so
First off, congratulations, Kiroberos, you have been awarded the 'Twilight Sparkle' prize in the Literature section! With it comes mediocre superiority over your fellow Internetians and a lifetime supply of life! Which is to say, immortality. Have fun with that.
2.bp.blogspot.com/-JQhLULYstPE/Tz4n3vxWqKI/AAAAAAAAfWA/2TuLEm-9gAU/s1600/1.png
Other than that, great job. I hate seeing the view count on the bottom and realizing its over. Oh well. Let's just hope those ice balls ARE INERT. (Those are the only two DBZ references I know, so don't expect any more.) Until next time!
Yeah ok, Twilight haven't had much experience with stallions/men in her life, but come on! Mender haven't seen a girl/mare his entire life!
I'd say he's a bit more expected to have issues with it all
I think Twilight is over-thinking things as usual
"He looked at my flanks? Oh god! He must be in love with me! Sorry Twilight, that's not exactly how it works
-Glassed
231700
no, it was the part that pinkie told always to have a towel with you. Although that could also be a south park reference...or just be good advice
231892
Yeah, that's what I thought to.
Best chapter yet, even if it is the saddest.
231360
NEIN! Mendershy shall prevail!
EVERYBODY! I figured it all out. I figured out Moon Mender's real identity!!! All the clues lead to one person!
He's Bob from ReBoot.
.......no, seriously! Think about it! He's blue, he has silver hair... his name is MENDER.
"My format: Guardian. To Mend and Defend!"
And to wrap up a pretty crappy week, an excelent story to make me feel better! THANK YOU KIROBEROS! You are truly a lifesaver. This was a great chapter. It was still sad to see mender in his position
. HES LONELY YOU GUYS! However, it's great to see him finally finding his own way to be helpfull to ponies...I forsee a cutie mark appearance in the very near future.
As always, I will be here waiting for the next chapter!
232958
oh! i didn't even think about a cutie mark. i wounder what his would look like? a screwdriver? some cogs? a hammer or wrench? i hope he gets one!
Good lord, why is Twilight overreacting like that? Hope we see some clarification next chapter or at least get more Mender-Twilight interaction to clear up the obvious misunderstanding. First writer to actually make me dislike Twilight but still keep her in character. Bravo.
230283
Congrats?
230291
Uh... well if you broaden your definition of romance significantly, I suppose you could be right.
230337
A MoonShy fan is rare. If she doesn't get picked, I'll write up a vignette for her, okay?
Aww!
230340
Hmm. Well I do like Fallout and now I owe you. Perhaps I shall return the favor and read YOUR story. 
Aww, I'm sorry!
230369
She sometimes panics.
Because she's Twilight.
230373
He has Pinkie, Applejack, and Big Mac. Plus I'm sure Twilight will realize she's overreacting soon. I'm glad you're enjoying the story still!
He's not alone.
230379
Karma hates him.
230385
And the first rule about the frogs is that you don't talk about the frogs.
Repeating. Karma hates him.
230464
I'm glad you're still enjoying things, though!
Hmm. "Wrapped Up" might have been too strong. "Bring to a conclusion."? Yeah, that works better.
230478
There are only four more chapters left to the story. Oh, and two epilogues. Well, maybe one. I might not release the second until I finish the second story.
Yup.
230487
230494
I sense disdain.
230500
This entire story is written already. I just post a chapter when I finish editing and tweaking it.
That's cause I cheat, EB. Remember?
230596
Throwing a bed down the stairs seems kind of weak in comparison. I'm glad you're still liking, though. 
Oh I dunno. She's caused an entire town to be reduced to a raging slug-fest over a doll.
230776
I'm sure she'll notice, though.
Very!
230781
I 
girls anyway. I'm glad you're liking! And another for MoonShy?! Wow, we're starting to get tied again. Maybe I should just go with the Tenchi Solution? 
Totally fine with platonic love.
Splitting time.
230813
You're totally right about awkward, though. Maybe he should have been named Hoof in Mouth?
So many DBZ references.
231153
And I'm glad!
She has a tendency to.
231204
It's finished. It's just not fully posted yet.
231236
Oh, okay.
231270
But yes, Twilight is VERY awkward about things she can't read about in books. And to be truthful, my appreciation for Pinkie Pie has grown at least twenty fold in writing this story. 
She grows on you. Except of course not literally, because that would just be weird, but hey, you'd never be alone again and always have someone there to cook you sweet things! Er... *coughs* Anyway! I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. 
We don't talk about the frogs.
231360
Ship to Ship combat. Uuhhhh... what about both? 
Uh oh.
231403
Pinkie does indeed have a sort of social sense that lets her be surprisingly comforting once you get past the excessive levels of energy the mare possesses. As I said earlier, my respect and appreciation for her has grown several times over the course of writing this story. I'm really glad that you're liking, though. I honestly never thought ponies would like my story THIS much. It's totally different from my first attempt at posting my work online. Very refreshing. Hearing nice ponies like you say you're enjoying it makes it worth writing. 
Maybe I should put up a poll or something for the shipping though. Hmm.
I'm deeply honored that you're enjoying my story so much.
231421
Wooo! You're right about him fleshing out more. It's the interesting part about writing this story, and presumably reading it too. He starts the story with amnesia, so he himself has no idea as to his own character, similar to those reading it. So he's probably just as surprised as you guys are about how to react to some things. It probably makes the whole experience bewildering at best. If I do post a second story, your suggestion is going to be explored heavily, worry not. I was already planning on it in the first place. 
The first to catch the reference and say something!
231453
Second pony to catch the reference. I'm glad you're liking.
Aww! Thank you!
231595
As for your vote, I think I'm going to need to make a poll. It's getting hard to keep track. And both of my most frequent reviewers are surprisingly absent. 
I'm getting a bit concerned.
Oooh, do share your ideas! I love theories.
231626
And yes, it was indeed a reference. Hmm. *peeks* Ah, yeah, she was interrupting his slippery slide into a funk about why they kept bringing up his awkward introduction to her. I probably should have been more specific there. My apologies. I'm glad it didn't detract too much from your enjoyment. 
Third for the reference.
231632
Only two more days. I'll post the next on Monday for everypony.
I'm glad!
So many comments.
Split here.
231652
I would have gotten it posted earlier but FIMFiction kept screwing up and refusing to save the chapter. I think they were doing site maintenance. I hope you got a chance to read it now and it made up for my slowness.
I'm sorry!
231700
I can safely say that much as it would probably never come up otherwise. Although I have a feeling based off your most recent predictions, the next chapter's situations are going to totally blindside you, as we're getting back to plot. 
This actually isn't a true romance story.
They actually make a reasonably good team, due to Mender's tendency for severe distraction. And finally, somepony who remembers Lesson Zero! Wait, White Demure?
Actually it was harvested for a rare ore found near its core.
You're dead on about Pinkie, though.
231703
Blame Julia.
Out of curiosity, what of the Tenchi Solution?
231751
When she panics, she tends to not look at things in a very logical mindset. Then she reduces an entire town to a massive fist fight over a doll. Or throws a bed down a set of stairs. Hopefully you'll enjoy next chapter. 
We all remember Lesson Zero.
231818
Hopefully you'll like next chapter too.
231842
I like Pinkie a lot. Of course, I like all of the mane six, but she's really... useful. I've grown attached to her. And I'm really going to need to make a shipping poll. 
I'm glad you're liking! And thank you!
231892
Oooh, an astute observation.
232060
I'm just the author. I'm glad you like though! And feel free to reference as many things as desired. 
Everything ends eventually, but maybe there will be a new beginning?
*snickers* Being immortal would be sad. Although I'm glad my STORY has achieved the level of entertainment generation that it has. I myself however am not nearly so impressive.
232068
I agree. She needs a good book to read about the topic. 
She IS indeed heavily overreacting. Next chapter should be interesting!
Hiya Glassed.
232245
And they mention towels in South Park?
Periphery is being sarcastic.
232281
The story does get sad from time to time, I warn.
I'm glad you like.
Wow. Half a chapter's size in comments.
Splitting time again!
232371
And I prefer MoonShy. It sounds more romantic. 
I'm secretly a hopeless romantic, so this story has been an exercise in willpower to keep AWAY from the romance. I think I've done fairly well so far. And out of curiosity again, the Tenchi solution? Yell at Julia. 
German?
232412
Now I'm so tempted to write a Reboot crossover as one of the vignettes. But who would be the other characters? Dot would have to be Mender's love interest, so [censored] would obviously fill that role, but who would Matrix and AndrAIa be?
I love you, Julia.
232958
Yes, his Cutie Mark is already planned out. In fact, the art I'll be releasing for him in the next few days will have it, albeit censored until it's revealed in the story. My friend was even nice enough to make me a custom pony of him! 
Aside from all that, I'm really happy I was able to cheer up your day. That's the reason why I write, so it delights me to hear that it's working! 
Wow, I thought everypony forgot about him being a blank flank.
233169
And of course he gets one. He's a pony!
Oooh, very nice guesses!
233514
Comparatively speaking, I really don't think she's out of character, which you admitted. But worry not. She so far has always fixed her mistakes, right? 
Lesson Zero.
Hehehehehe, true, Oh, but that would make for a neat science experiment *jots down a few notes*
Ah well, you have yet to disappoint
So, as one very interrligent and slightly mad Gallifreyan once said,"ALLONS-Y!" (Or something like that 
)
But anywho, can't wait for the next chapter blah blah blah. (Insert praise here.)
234657
Aw
Well, are you considering writing more about Moon Mender at any point in the future?
Can you tell I like this story?
234669
Plot! Aha, the last few chapters were particularly hard to make guesses about anything beyond character interactions. And with only four chapters left (though I'm not sure what's happening afterward with the epilogues), I was starting to fear that perhaps all my earlier non-shippy predictions were just paranoid delusions as I did my best impression of Mender from the first couple chapters. But verily, I knew there must be more incoming story. But what it shall be is a mystery to me, so I'll just wait and see, and post Rarity.
Oh, and White Demure is another story I read here a couple months ago. Apple Bloom gets sick, and they have to search for rare flowers to cure her. Twilight and Pinkie have a close encounter with some rather rude frogs.
By the way, you mentioned the Tenchi solution a couple times. Wouldn't that sort of imply one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders (probably Sweetie Belle) will develop a crush on Mender too? 'Cause that'd be a little bit awkward. And then Spike or Angel will gain the ability to turn into a space ship?
234664
i can relate to what your saying about pinkie and this story. to be honest your story has brought a new appreciation for twilight to me. you captured twilight so well and it got me really thinking about her and just what she is like. to me i think of her as the most "real" of the ponies. she has very powerful strengths, but she has equally as powerful weaknesses. this story really reminded me of these facts.
after the scene of her overreacting about Mender taking peaks at her flank and her tossing the cot down the stairs it got me thinking back to Lesson Zero and that this is just twilight being twilight.
also, i don't think she would overreact to such a great extent if her feelings and emotions weren't conflicted. i think there's something more going on in that pony's head. 
oh, and the "ship to ship combat" remark made me laugh!
234664
, make Rarity cry 
, bore AJ 
, Pinkie would already know the answer from reading ahead 
, Fluttershy could once again use her cheering skills 
, and Twilight would flip out cause he didn't derive everything from scratch 
.
Oh heck yes, though it might melt Dash's brain
Then Fourpony would finish rambling due to lack of sleep.
234669
lots of crazy adventures, they do seem to fit well for such ordeals it seems.
i'm sorry if I am stating the obvious here, hope it helps.
Me picking up the reference may have something to do with me just starting to read hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and the last chapter i read was the towel reference. The south park reference could be about towelie, who also says to always bring a towel.
I am honored...well baffled that you would regard my advice so much. Me never ever being a good writer myself. For advice in the romance part of your second story: if you pick fluttershy let his character develop into something very similar to fluttershy's and take it slow, fluttershy just hearing about moon menders earlier intrests in her will A make some really awkward moments or B make fluttershy even more sympathise with him, if he gets depressed about losing his world would be even better for their romance. If you pick twilight remember that mender is very new to this world and his curiosity could bring research and studying with it, an exellent starting point for their romance. For raibow dash a lot of teasing, mender must be able to outsmart rainbow and that way mutual respect can follow. But making a moonbow relation will be the hardest to pull of right. For pinkie...
My vote still goes to moonshy
...and you maybe needed beta readers for your next story